below is my excerpted email to friends:
From: cecilia sophia
Date: May 9, 2005 4:23 AM
Subject: moving on
hello guys, it's mon today so i thought i'd start the week (b)right by emailing and wishing everyone peace and goodwill... yikes... where did that come from. anyway, the "CS" chronicles (or better yet, CSI) continue, i just didnt have the motivation to run my mouth (and fingers) but yes, i'm still alive, thank God. i was just having a bad case of the "blues"... i know, it got me too :(
anyway, as they say, "when it rains it also stops" ... erm whatever... let's see... pigging out didnt shake off the blues but sorta helped (running to the weighing scale afterwards is a good exercise i realised), actually i've found out a few other things, such as keeping your mouth shut when strangers (no matter how good the intention is) try to get u in a conversation with them. i thought at first he was only being friendly... normally, i dont talk to strangers esp when they approach me in the sts (note to all the girls: do not attempt to smile, even if the creep's funnier than jim carrey). when he wouldnt leave, walking with [me] for [how many mins], saying, "if this girl that i'm dating doesnt call me again, then i'm free, actually i'm free on sunday, do u have plans?... any plans for mother's day, my parents and i dont get along, so u have somewhere to go on mother's day, i dont..." it bothered me big time. what do u do when u couldnt shake him off, knowing that he was getting more hyper and aggressive? other people were beginning to stare at us, should i make a scene while the sts are still crowded? well, maybe he's no serial killer but should u shrug off your instinct when it's telling u to run as far away as possible? anyway, my sister was very upset with me... [after it happened]... telling me i shouldnt be running loose on my own if giving my name to strangers has become a habit. no it hasnt, and it never will be, but i was a sucker that day... anyway, other irritating-but-not-altogether-bad things happened but great news hopped my way, too :) at the end of the week, i got a wonderful, surprising, tear-jerking news that i cannot yet say at this point and a girl friend called sunday morning to tell me that she found her "place at last" -- somewhere in ***. we're making plans for a trip around *** sometime this year before one of us erm settles down.
take care everyone and i promise to send the pics soon.
have fun.
all my love.
it is no joke, actually. when a stranger comes up to you (and i'm not just talking to the little girls out there, some adults suck at good role modelling, i.e. "i don't remember the name but s/he sure was good!"), be aware that you have no basic knowledge of them, so it is wiser to trust your gut feeling regardless.
the "teen" commandments according to Sophie
1) thou shalt listen to authority (thy parents).
2) thou shalt not talk to a stranger even if he looks like jesse mccartney.
3) thou shalt not accept anything from a stranger.
4) thou shalt not bat thy eyelashes to attract more attention.
5) thou shalt not flirt with a stranger.
6) thou shalt not accept a ride or go with a stranger.
7) thou shalt walk AWAY.
8) thou shalt be aware of thy surroundings esp if thy parents are not around.
9) thou shalt carry a pepper spray whither thou goest.
10) thou shalt not forget to pray for protection.
since 2004.10