speaking of

athletic shoes... i went to the "sportsaholic sale" at mondragon house in makati last friday. i was looking at shoes when i heard an unfamiliar male voice ask "are you into running?" some stranger was trying to start a conversation in the middle of shoe-shopping. normally i wouldn't talk to strangers, but in this case my curiosity got the best of me. it's not everyday that a decent-looking guy approaches me and makes small talk. in short, we got into a conversation and ended up swapping calling cards. he suggeseted having lunch together sometime next week.

less than 36 hours later, he sent me sms. talk about a quick follow-up.

this kind of experience is totally alien to me. if i were living in some amercian city, it probably won't bother me as much. but i'm in manila. and i acted manhanattanesque. it just doesn't fit. and if my folks found out, they would freak. heck, i am beginning to freak.

in fairness, he looks quite safe and normal. plus, i have back-up. he's in advertising. so i asked my friend in advertising to do some background checks. until she gets back to me, i am going to sit pretty and let things flow. maybe have some panic attacks now and then. presently, i am yoyo-ing between relishing the novelty of the experience and pushing disturbing thoughts to the back of my mind.

what if he's some psycho-stalker type? (this is my worst fear.)
what if he's intel for kidnapping? (this is what my parents would think.)
what if he's armed and dangerous?
what if he's not who he says he is?

the questions are enough to drive me nuts. better not think about it. but we all know that you can't really just forget things as weird as this.

i think i'm going to be spending a lot of time praying today.