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Showing posts from January, 2009

1990s, for a night

I took half a day off yesterday to attend Aldus Santos' book launch for Repeat While Fading at SaGuijo.

Half day, for me, actually meant half the PM off, as my last lesson ended at 7.40pm. I met Jenny at Magallanes at 8:30pm and following tips from nice people over there at Plurk, we found our way.

(To those who want to know how to commute to SaGuijo, this is what we did: We met at the southbound side of Magallanes, walked to the corner, took a PRC jeep to Bagtikan, got off, walked to Guijo St., and followed the music.)

It was nice to be out on a weekday night again. It was also nice to be around people from college. I've been missing UP lately (finally!), or maybe I've been missing who I was back then.

Whatever--I went on a serious senti trip when I watched True Faith perform, and when, upon the urging of Paul and Lorie's friend Joy, we had three of the former Eraserheads (unfortunately, Buddy wasn't around) and Medwin Marfil sign Aldus' book.

At some point, I felt very much like my "uncool" 17-year-old-self again, but I went all out and asked Bobby Balingit and Repeat While Fading editor, dearest Paul Catiang, to sign my copy too.

On a semi-related note, I am seriously thinking about going back to UP for some writing classes.

But first, my DLSU thesis.

My beautiful mess

I've been working on my room since Christmas break. I've been painting walls and ceilings, and, being new at this, it's taking me so long. That, and the fact that I'm a weekend warrior. It's such a fulfilling task, though, and now I know I can DIY too!

I wish I knew how to make shelves and other furniture, but unfortunately, it's not one of the skills I've been blessed with. I'd really love to find a good flea market for such, though.

Last weekend, I finally decided to paint my work area. This was a daunting task, not because of the painting (I've improved immensely), but because I had to empty the big shelf my father made for me. My books are everywhere!

Books! And my old TV!

More books!

Dear Universe/God: #7

Okay, so I've been asking for some lovin' and, as always, you are quick to reply. I just have to learn that it's not always in the form I want it to come in.

But you know me, I'm a crazy, but recovering control freak.

Thank you for the following:

1. The singer Dulce's text message thanking me for my review of Hairspray last November. Not only did it send me into starstruck mode, it also pulled me back to that fateful November evening that left me scarred and affirmed that something beautiful can still grow from it. Time is all it takes.
2. Weng from Gospel Komiks asking me to write another comic strip and thanking me for sharing my gift. :-) I hope to do more of this sharing. As Jabez prays, keep enlarging my territory, pretty please.
3. Mamu's texts and phone calls.
4. Pizza and doggie ball from Ivan.
5. Last Thurday's Corn and cheese and tuna sandwiches (in whole wheat ciabatta) from my officemate Sheila.
6. And the orange from Donna!
7. The good (and not so expected, because I'm usually paranoid that way) performance appraisal. (As they say in American Idol, "I'm going to Hollywood!")
8. Keona's unexpected visit.
9. The beautiful read that is Eat, Pray, Love.
10. Pre-loved books from Yvette that I bought at the office garage sale.
11. Weekend at the Alabang Town Center with family, extended family, and friends. Mwah!

Okay, so I'm taking archiving seriously now

When I started my career as a writer, I promised myself I'd take note of everything I wrote. I did this fanatically, keeping even press releases I wrote for the many products I got acquainted with as a marketing writer for The Philippine STAR. Of course, I had no idea my "portfolio" would mutate into an unmanageable mess of articles on whatever, from banks to beauty products to burgers to, really, whatever.

When I left The Philippine STAR three wonderful years later, I made sure to keep copies of my files, apart from hard copies of the articles. But little did I know my writing would scatter itself into wherever, as I'd eventually try my hand at freelance writing. Sometimes, I google my name and find links to pieces I never even remember writing.

The only kind of archiving I practice is that I save all my sent files in my Yahoo and Gmail accounts. (Sifting through them gets interesting when I come across passionately-typed emails to boys I loved).

So now, I've decided to, once again, use a blog to keep the articles I write for Cebu's The Freeman's entertainment section, where I have a column that usually appears twice a week. Check it out (and ignore the typos; those are my column pieces before they passed through my editor's eyes):

Channel Surfing for Freeman

I'm still copy-pasting everything from June 2007, but it's up to date since 2009.

Now, I'll have to figure out how to archive the rest of my writing.

To all the boys I loved before--or, that McDo commercial

So I may be the last in the Philippines to see this ad, but better late than never! People weren't kidding when they said this brings back a lot of memories. It's so 1990s. Gen X has grown up, indeed.




That thing with the fries, I did that too. :-)

First book of the year: Eat, Pray, Love--or first, I cry

I first heard about Eat, Pray, Love from the Oprah Show. I was hesitant about reading it, as I still have a pile of guaranteed feel-good reads to make a dent on, but when I found a copy for a little over a hundred bucks at Booksale, I quickly grabbed it. I picked it up after New Year, and I found it to be such a delicious, beautiful read.

Gilbert, thirty-something and recently divorced, travels from Italy to India to Indonesia in pursuit of pleasure, piety, and the balance between the two. In Italy she eats, in India she prays, and in Indonesia she finds love.

I'm still in the Italy part, but already I'm wondering where I am really in her book. I think I'm at where she was, before she found the guts to make her journey.

Bleh. But it's good to cry.

The New Year meme, for 2008

I don't think I've answered this before. I got this from Cherie's blog.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I went out of the country.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I stayed true to the theme for 2008.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No. But many got preggers.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nobody, thank God.

5. What countries did you visit?
Thailand.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
TMTM (Too many to mention)
A sense of urgency. A master's degree. A million bucks. True love.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?
Dates start getting muddled when you reach 30. LOL.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Self-love!

9. What was your biggest failure?
I never fail. Life just changes its course.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I just lost my sense of safety--but slowly getting it back!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Plane tickets

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Mine! LOL

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Ray's, but he's being a friend now

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food (always food) and travel

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Work, believe it or not

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?
Big Girls Don't Cry (LOL) and As the Deer

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
1. happier or sadder? I'm always happier.
2. thinner or fatter? Fatter, unfortunately.
3. richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing and reading

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating and spending money on food

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
For 2008? Doing some last minute shopping, last minute cooking.
For 2009? I don't know. Cuddling with someone, hopefully. :P

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
I don't think I spent a lot of time on the phone this year.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I kept the status quo for the most part.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?
Let me see... um, zero.

24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Dexter

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I don't believe in hate. Indifference is better.

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
I didn't do a lot of reading in 2008. :-(

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Classical music, in general.

28. What did you want and get?
Extra jobs

29. What did you want and not get?
A master's degree

30. What were your favourite films of this year?
Mamma Mia!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was at work. Ordered pizza. I turned, as my German student said, "twenty-eleven."

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting my master's degree.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
sit-down-on-a-chair-all day-comfortable
Oh, and I did say I would start wearing dresses, and I did!

34. What kept you sane?
The question, "What would love do?"

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Still Pierce Brosnan

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
There were two, actually: PGMA's pardoning Erap; Cory's apology
To them, I say: You had no right!

37. Who did you miss?
Ray

38. Who was the best new person you met?
(Did I make new friends? Shucks, I can't remember.)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Love is your True North.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
And what a beautiful mess this is.

Happy 2009!

But first, my gosh, I have ignored this blog for far too long! Work took me away to pretty dark places.

Kidding.

My long vacation was well-spent, in terms of family bonding and, er, family bonding. I also did something I never did before: paint my (love) bedroom!

The colors are (not a picture of a thousand sunsets) G-144 and H-144. I forget the fancy-schmancy names Davies Paints had for them, but G-144 is a cross between pink and lavender, while H-144 is, well, a cross between dark pink and violet.

Being a total newbie and utterly obsessive-compulsive about this, I'm not yet done. I have yet to even touch my work area, which I will paint with the Sun & Roof shade of Nile Green.

I have some goals again for this year. I'm still thinking them over, but I'll be writing about them soon.

I also have a new baby girl: a black Labrador half-breed from Sherwil. I named her Midnight, because she arrived while we were watching Mamma Mia! on DVD the day after Christmas!

It's actually short for "Gimme, Gimme a Man after Midnight."

I want to write some more, but work beckons, so back to regular programming--Life of a Thirty-something Working Girl, Scene 139,837,933,827,344.