my watch stopped at 12:32am.

the first time i glanced at my watch, i thought, oh, i have plenty of time before i have to go (i had to be home by 2am, you see, to meet my girlfriend's little sister at my apartment, because she was/is going to crash at my place after prom with the son of somebody famous) and i continued to sip my coke and watch my cousins get progressively drunker. the second time i checked the time, it was 12:32am, and i thought, so i should probably leave at 1am just in case there's traffic, that way i will make it home by 2. another round of margaritas for everyone. the third time i looked to see what time it was, it was 12:32am, and i thought, god, why is the end of this night dragging so slowly? i was staring at my watch blankly until clarity hit: wait a second, it was 12:32am last time i checked, and the little hand isn't moving, wait, so that means-- shit. what time is it?

it was 1:35am, so of course i said my goodbyes and ran out of that house as fast as i could. (which, if you're filipino, you know is like, virtually impossible, as saying goodbye is a very long song-and-dance, involving repeated goodbyes, kissing relatives you never knew existed and trying to refuse leftovers that the hosts insist you take home.)

time has been playing tricks on me all week. coming home from dinner monday night i was convinced it was friday and i didn't have to work the next day. thursday morning, i didn't wake up until 9am; i was supposed to meet my carpool outside my building at 8:30. and this morning, i missed a graduation reception i was supposed to attend at my university because i got stuck in parking lot gridlock for 45 minutes.

now i need a new battery for my watch.