As though in response to the ants in my pants, the young man selling me his Bruce Lee action figure text-messaged me this afternoon and asked me if he could meet me tonight rather than tomorrow night. Of course I said yes. Immediately. Anything for B.L. I always arrive early at any meet-up. While the person I am meeting is wending his way through the crowds I text-message him, "I'm here already. Or do you prefer 'Here na me?'" which always gives him food for thought about my dubious character.

The Cubao Hogwarts Express Station was packed, and so we went to Dairy Queen, where we consummated the deal. He was quite bashful and didn't want to order for himself despite my pressing anything he wanted on him, and so I had the usual strawberry-and-banana blizzard while he told me all about his hobby. He is a real collector and matches the collector type perfectly: neat, fastidious, obsessive compulsive, perhaps a trifle uptight, though he did warm up to me while talking about his other action figures. He always buys three of a kind, keeps two, and sells one. He also has all the websites on his phone, literally at his fingertips, and showed me where the B.L. action figure came from. I was surprised that he uses his real name, but that is really the way to go if one is building a good reputation for oneself as a collector.

He asked me why I am collecting B.L.s. And so, I told him the truth. He didn't bat an eyelash when I told him I have a growing Bruce Lee altar, so I give him 100 points for that!