CHRISTMAS Day. At the back of an SUV. My friends and I had decided to drive to Tagaytay for dinner. While our car braved through the traffic, my friends were laughing and shrieking about Jiff's exploits with someone who had a very inappropriate piercing. It was a fun conversation, one I would have otherwise joined; but I was too busy learning how to make takoyaki with Cooking Mama.

Welcome to the world of a Nintendo DS Lite addict.

We were minutes away from the restaurant when my DS Lite's battery died. "Damn it!" I cursed. I dug through my bag and realized in horror that I left behind my charger's adaptor at home. We reached the restaurant and I gave the waiter my order. "Steak -- medium well, iced tea and one adaptor, please." But they didn't have an adaptor.

Experiencing heavy withdrawal symptoms, I played Pac-Man on a borrowed PSP until the food arrived.

Beginning of an obsession

The day I got my coral pink DS Lite, I immediately logged into Ebay and started looking up accessories so I can pimp my unit. Within minutes, I had ordered a stylus set in 10 different colors and a soft carry case – pink, of course. The next day, I also ordered what an Ebay seller described as a "Cute Pink Protective Soft Cloth Pouch.” In my haste to make the purchase, I didn’t even realize that the seller refuses to ship to the Philippines. I had to bug a friend in Singapore to receive the package for me and bring it home to Manila.

After Ebay, I went to Amazon.com to check out the best-selling DS games. I used it as the basis for what has turned into a very long wish list of new DS Lite games.

Since that day, I’ve slept with my DS Lite beside me practically every night.

The day after our trip to Tagaytay, we went to a friend’s house for a party. People were sitting around her garden, downing bottle after bottle of beer and attacking the hotdogs that were being grilled.

Where was I? Sitting in a corner, once again chopping vegetables with Cooking Mama.

Anti-social

“You’re such an anti-social!” some people complained. I grinned sheepishly but my eyes remained glued to my toy’s two screens.

A few days after, I met up with a friend and his new boyfriend at Greenbelt. I hadn’t seen him in weeks and the first thing I said was how much the DS Lite rocks. He disagreed because he’s a PSP fanatic.

But all I had to do was whip out my unit and show him Bacon, my adorable Nintendog, and all of a sudden, he wanted his own DS Lite too. “Ang cute!” he said. Which is probably why he didn’t mind that I spent a huge chunk of dinner petting my Labrador and taking him for a walk.

At my brother’s birthday lunch, I ate quickly and spent the rest of the time cooking more dishes with Cooking Mama. “What are you doing?” my mom’s uncle asked.

“Playing,” I said.

“Oh, I thought you were putting makeup on. Kaya nagtataka ako bakit ang tagal,” he said. I laughed and swiped the stylus across my eyelid, pretending to apply eye shadow.

Resisting the urge

I arrived at a friend’s birthday party early and spent the first hour playing games while listening to her catch up with her college buddies.

A few days before that, four of us went to TonTons for a foot massage and I honestly thought I could play Mystery Case Files while my feet were being kneaded. Realizing how dark it was inside the massage room and how the other people being massaged will probably want to kill me if the light interrupted their relaxation, I resisted the urge to bring it out. It was not easy, not at all.

Just a couple of days ago, while sitting at Starbucks, I half-listened to friends laughing about this thing and that thing, my silence only punctuated by angry cussing every single time Mario died. They’ve gotten used to it now.

Cab drivers who like to pass time in traffic by making small talk have hit a dead end with me. I am not a big fan of discussing politics and how much this government sucks – especially not when Grissom has just given me a new case to solve with Catherine.

I admit, the DS Lite has made it more difficult to talk to me. More text messages have gone unanswered – I honestly feel bad for the unopened New Year greetings still in my inbox but the draw of Cake Mania was too strong. If we are on the phone and I seem distracted, it might mean my beloved Mario is facing an extra-difficult challenge.

Those are the perils of having to save a princess. If you are in front of me trying to get my attention and I am ignoring you, please understand that I am trying to beat my Cooking Mama record.

Dead battery

Sometimes, it’s a relief when the battery dies while I’m out – because it means I’m left with no choice but to interact with real people and not pixels on my screen. I still think though that my addiction isn’t that bad – at least I still go out. I just make sure I bring my DS Lite with me everywhere. I have a friend who stays in bed with her DS Lite the entire day, getting up just for bathroom breaks.

Despite all evidence, my DS Lite obsession has also been good for me.

It’s so much fun – and it’s good clean fun. After last week, I am all for fun that doesn’t result in me hugging the toilet, puking all night and waking up with a hangover.

I’ve become extra-popular with kids, they all crowd around me, wanting to be the next to borrow my toy. Every time I see a seven-year-old holding their own DS Lite unit in their hands in the mall or at restaurants, I feel like giving them a high five.

It’s helped me bond with my cousins, never mind that one of them created a Nintendog and named him Pamela. Yes, he didn’t even choose a female puppy, he named a male dog after me. There is something very disturbing about hearing a twelve-year-old say, “Sit, Pamela, sit! Good boy!”

Even my brother, my tough brother with the blue hair and the big tattoos, loves Cooking Mama. Sauteeing (sp?) is his favorite thing to do. He cannot deny it -- I have videos of him giggling in glee as he sautéed pork with the stylus.

Just today, a friend sent me a long list of games that she recommends and she’s scheduling a session so we can try two-player games. I have a feeling my DS Lite obsession is just getting started.

And why not? I have dishes to cook, cakes to serve, mysteries to solve and princesses to save – all with my very powerful pink stylus.

E-mail the author at ppastor@inquirer.com.ph.