Writer's Retreat ramblings: Astronomy (part 2)

Still on the same prompt: When I grow up. This is a different take because it has to fit the "book" I am working on. Like before, the exercise had a 10-minute time limit, so it ended kind of abruptly.

“When I grow up, I want to be an astronomer.” I thought I had the coolest ambition ever. I haven’t heard any of my classmates give that profession when we’re asked in grade school – all of them wanted to be doctors, nurses, stewardesses, princesses (it was an all-girls school). So, when I said I wanted to be an astronomer, my classmates looked at me, the expression on their faces was a mixture of confusion and disbelief. My teacher asked me, then: “Why don’t you want to become an astronaut?”

Writer's Retreat ramblings: Astronomy (part 1)

Today, we were given a prompt: When I grow up. Immediately, I thought that the best way to attack this was to tap into my Grade One self. It was a lot of fun. 

When I grow up, I want to be an astronomer. Everybody else wants to be a doctor, or a pilot, but I want to be an astronomer. I have books at home that talk about space, the possibility of life outside Earth, and the vastness of the universe. They have pictures of planets unlike Earth – which is pictured as a massive blue marble. My favorite is Saturn, with its rings crowning it, next is Jupiter, because it is the largest that even the Earth is a puny planet compared to it. There is also Mars, which is as red as the Earth is blue; and Venus, which is said to be Earth’s twin, but aren’t twins supposed to look like each other? Venus doesn’t look appealing to me at all.

Monster randomness post | Hiatus

Hello people of the intarwebz.

Updates are really hard to come by, being UNBELIEVABLY BUSY the past weeks. But, as usual, Tumblr and Twitter have been updated religiously, but nothing beats a blog post. I'm about to do a monster update.

The first term has been overcome...with a 3.5 on both subjects. Considering how hard this term was together with the workload outside school, I'm very, very happy with these grades. =D

The second term began last week, with Media Planning every Thursday and Public Relations every Monday. Based on inside info I got from my classmates, I have a strong feeling that this term will be very reminiscent of undergrad classes. HAHAHA! I don't know if that's good. I hope it is. XD

Also, I won't have any class at RCBC. THANK GOODNESS. I don't want to have another class at that campus again. Death by aircon lagi.

 

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I did my MIBF shopping yesterday! =D

I love MIBF. The atmosphere is soooo good in spite of the thick crowd. Oh, and the books are pretty cheap, too.

This was the damage, este, loot this year. I lost my small NASB, so I bought a compact thinline NIV. I've seen this in bookstores before, but didn't buy it because I thought P1,550 to be too steep. I found this particular copy (IN PURPLE) in the fair, its last price was *drumroll please* P945. Without a doubt, this year's best buy.

The Elements of Style is a recommended required reading for our Copywriting class. I got an ebook last term and read through parts of it, and realized that this book was too good that a physical copy was a must. The version I bought was illustrated and printed on glossy paper. It looked like a woman in a LBD. Last price: P479.20.

I heard Any Human Heart was good. It must be, because Fully Booked had to transfer its last copy from its Rockwell branch for me to purchase at the MIBF.  I love you, FB. Thank you, Lucy. Last price: P502.40.

I have read The Hobbit when I was in college, but never owned a copy. This one, like The Elements of Style, had illustrations, was LARGE (fairy tale book size) and printed on glossy paper, for a very reasonable price of P576.

Hay, new books. Too bad I can't read them until November 15.

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Bad decisions make good stories. In lieu of which, this blog will be on hiatus effective today until November 15. Other haunts (Tumblr, Twitter, and yes...even FB) will be inactive as well.  =D

It's for the best, really. I think I'll do the occasional reply to @ tweets, but nothing out of my own volition.

So, until November 15, then. =D 

By the way, my birthday is on November 5. OHSNAPWAIT

Accident, work, and school randomness

So, we got into a car accident last Friday.

I think I have accident-related trauma. The state of the back of the Innova really disturbs me - whether live or looking at the pictures I took. Since the back windshield is only patched up with plastic wrap, whenever I ride in the car I could hear the cars behind (even with the iPod on), and it adds to the stress. I really hope that we get it fixed soon.

Drunk Lady Driver Who Drank During Ramadan (that's how I will refer to her from now on) is showing signs of not wanting to fulfill her end of the deal (read: paying for damages, which were quoted at a whopping Php160K+++ by Toyota), and tried appealing to the better nature of the parental units this Sunday.  As for me, I have yet to summon up a "better nature" towards her. My press release, for now, is "no mercy".

If she doesn't fulfill her end of the deal, ehhh...well. I shall keep mum.

Apparently, she doesn't know the difference between a slap and a grab. I grabbed her during the heat of things because she was getting away, and I haven't had my fill of my solo shots of her. I was told later on that she actually screamed, "Bakit mo ako sinasampal?" Eh tanga pala siya eh. I would have resorted to a suntok for what she did to us, cause a sampal won't do enough justice.

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Yesterday, six years ago, was my first day of work in my first job. For perspective, here's a photo of my first EVER office desk, taken during my second day of work. =D Peg: tabula rasa =D

I don't really think the years are significant. If they're 10 or 20, then YEAH! If there's anything that holds any weight, it's the experiences I've had and gained from those six years. For all of them - good, bad, and horrible - I am truly grateful. 

--- --- ---

Finals hell has finally arrived.

Monday was supposedly our finals for Copywriting until DLSU announced that there will be changes to the academic calendar, which included regular classes on August 20 and 21 (IN SPITE OF BEING HOLIDAYS).

Anyway, the jingle I made got a 98% (WAZZUP?!). The presentation is done, awaiting Q&A, where in I hope to bare my fangs, este, play my cards (and show a little bit of fangs in the process...maybe, just maybe...)

Enrollment also happened today, and it looks like I'll be having a Monday-Thursday schedule. Monday - PR (oooh); Thursday - Media Planning (oooooh - I know nada zilch nil about this).

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Will probably be incognito for the next few weeks...until finals hell subsides. 

Toodles. =D

On rainy days and Hollow Crown feelings

Ang saya-saya talaga kung umuulan, diba? (I'm not being sarcastic here.) Okay, di bali nang baha sa paligid mo, di bali nang hindi ka makakalabas ng bahay kasi baka hindi ka makabalik (o hindi ka rin makakarating sa pupuntahan mo). Basta ang importante ay nasa bahay ka kung umuulan.  Sapat na ang lahat. 

Alam mo kung bakit? Kasi, panay na bukambibig ng tao kung umuulan ay "sana nasa bahay ako ngayon, sana nakahiga ako sa kama ko, sana meron akong champorado (at tuyo)..." Kaya, kung nasa bahay na kayo at umuulan, i-enjoy niyo na lang! Wala nang drama na "OMG hindi ako makakalabas", lalo na kung nung mga araw na may pasok ay nagsasabi kang "sana nasa bahay ako, ang sarap matulog kasi". Tama na ang drama - mag-enjoy ka na lang!

Katulad ko - dapat pupunta ako sa YC, eh dahil baha hanggang tuhod sa Leon Guinto, at malamang mas malalim sa Singalong, eh di nag-ayos na lang ako ng hard drive at nag-marathon ng Lord of the Rings Extended Version! Ang saya, diba? Nakipag-drinking game pa ako sa sarili ko (sa bawat headshot ni Legolas, sumigaw ng "WOOOO!" sabay inom ng hot choco). 

So yeah...masaya ang weekend ko. Saksakan ng saya. Tuwing umuulan at kapiling...ang sarili mo. XD

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Okay. That's enough Tagalog. Hahahaha! Ang sagwa ko talaga mag-Tagalog! Mea culpa. 

I think time spent to write about The Hollow Crown (and all the feelings that have surfaced from watching the same) is time well spent.  So, I shall!

Before I begin, let me just say that prior to watching this, the only Shakespeare play that I seriously studied was A Midsummer Night's Dream from grade school (one of the very few things I'm thankful for when I studied in St. Scho, now that I look back on it); and quite indirectly, Hamlet (cause The Lion King is Hamlet). I'm not going to go all lit-freak on this (cause I'm not going to try to be someone I'm not...lest I embarrass myself!).

Let me begin by saying this: Richard II = Henry V > Henry IV, Part 2 > Henry IV, Part 1.

Yup. Still Alive.

I have been remiss in updating this place. But I haven't been really away, because if you looked hard enough, you'd notice that I have two new static pages above! *points*

• Seen/Written is my humble, short collective of written work, posted in some shape or form online - Seen for photography, Written for prose. 
• Books is my growing list of books that I'm open to lend out (to close friends, initially). I was supposed to put up a book club with this person here (AND I HAVE BEEN REMISS ON THAT AS WELL, I AM SO SORRY) but stuff happened that made us unable to do it. Anyway, in an effort to get something started, I've put up my own list of books for loan. This list is still a work in progress; I'm sure I haven't included everything that I have at home.

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So, what has been happening the past few weeks?

• I've been meeting a lot of new people (if I've met you the past two weeks or so and you're reading this, hi!)
• I'm getting required book readings again, and I'm so delayed with finishing them. Required book readings, by the way, aren't the same with wala lang book readings (Read: stuff I want to read)
• I co-composed and arranged a song (emphasis on co- because there's no way I can do it from the ground up). We have this ongoing workshop-slash-book report thing for Music that required us to make a song. I got the recordings of all the songs through email this week, and yeah...hearing my own voice is sooooo awkward *goosebumps* 
• I got paid to do graphic design work in exchange for books (best payment I ever received aside from cash [duh]).
• I ventured once more into snail mail! I called this Operation Liham. The details of the letter can be found on that link. I can't even remember the last time I sent snail mail. It was probably even before 2000. YEGADS

In class, I'm starting to see my most favorite line of Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged in an entirely new light. (Read: SCREW THE RULES.) I'm also seeing a very significant shift in my responsibilities at work, and once again, I find myself hardly prepared.

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This Wednesday, when I went to midweek, I was told by two people that they really like the way I sing this particular song. I am really floored when people say nice things about what I do, whether it's with singing or with work, because more often than not, I am harder on myself than most people are.

But, what I find really funny is that there were other people who told me the same thing for the same song. At first, I was thinking, "Teka, nag-usap ba kayo?" Hahahahaha! But, it seemed highly unlikely because the interval between this Wednesday and the last time I got a similar compliment was more than a year. So...yeah, I don't think nag-usap sila. XD

I guess it's because [1] I love the song; [2] I absolutely LOVE Brooke Fraser (read: girl crush); and [3] there are many ways to sing a song, but very few ways to sing it right. I consider #3 to be the most important, because you can have less of #1 and absolutely none of #2, and still do justice to a song - as long as you sing it right.

Truth be told, I remember messing up Hosanna so many times to the point of not wanting to sing that song in public again, so to hear these things out of the blue is so uplifting.

I must be doing something right. It may not be as bad as I think it is. (Applying the temperaments, the melancholic in me has to seriously chill. XD)

And on this note, gusto ko na uli magkaroon ng raket! Nakakapagod din ang work-school-church lagi! Wala bang mga ikakasal diyan? (Bwahahaha tama ba ito? XDDD)

*sigh* Randomness (I'm really sorry, I cannot think of a better title)

...but I can guarantee that this isn't the what-is-this-I-don't-even kind of randomness.

Words must be said in favor of The Red Necklace, which I finally finished last week. A book like that (a very easy read, with a large font size) would have usually taken me less than a week. I have no less than the audiobook to thank blame for my sluggish pace. Like, for real...I had to pause and contemplate on my fragile existence wonder how could all of those characters with varying accents and voice timbres could have been voiced by A SINGLE MAN. Dangit, Tom Hiddleston. In my mind, I have inducted you into my hall of fame, which is pretty much the list I keep in my head of people whom I wish I were related to by blood. Hahahaha! Can I call you Kuya? Please? XD I can be a nice sibling. You can ask my brothers.

Anyway, it was historical fiction-slash-fantasy - two categories of fiction that are very well within home base, so it was a very fun read. I think if someone would have recommended it - SANS existence of audiobook -  I would have picked it up as well.

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I went to Fully Booked GB5 last Thursday, and while looking for my next book, I saw this copy of Genji Monogatari.

LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT HOW THIN THAT IS. I've said this on Tumblr, and I'll say it again - the sheer thinness (or lack of pages!) of this version slightly offends me. I had to endure more than a THOUSAND PAGES over the course of nearly a whole year with the deluxe version, and suddenly this comes out! OH COME ON.

Then again, I don't know how this version can wholly capture the poetry that's in the deluxe version - and the poetry occupies like...30-40% of the book. So...yeah. I think I got the better end of the deal with owning the deluxe version. I just wish that it was a more easy read though. /sigh

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Next book to finish is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre. =)  

I don't really know what to expect from this. First off, it's not my home genre for fiction, and I'm only at Chapter 4 (no time to read, le sigh). But I wanted to veer away from my comfort zone this month, hence this.

I was actually deciding between this and a deluxe edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I chose this book because it was cheaper. WORKING STUDENT PROBLEMS. /sigh

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Last na ito!  Today, I wore this awesome flower/feather headpiece made by Kristal. She went back to Canada this weekend, so I wore what she made for me just so I could feel that she’s with us still. =) True enough, it worked - a lot of people were asking me, “That was made by Kristal, right?” 
 Kristal, if ever you do read this, you are seriously missed =) I’m not sure if she could ship to the Philippines, but you could check out her work here. 

RDJ/Opera

Hello, people who read this blog.

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The April 27 event went quite well. There were things that didn't exactly go the way I planned or intended, but overall I'm relieved that it's over.

Like...YOUHAVENOIDEAHOWRELIEVEDIAM relieved. XD

Up next on my pipeline is the author event on May 5. I'm more excited with this event than the one last Friday, but I have a feeling that there is more work for this one than the other.

I also have to buy myself a copy of Before Ever After to get that awesomesauce autograph. XDDD

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Guess what. I HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE. I just have to try harder at it.

I watched The Avengers last Saturday. It was PERFECTION. Everything was awesome and nothing hurt. Though I did initially feel bad that Edward Norton won't be reprising The Hulk, it didn't dampen my expectations for this movie at all. This was also the first movie I watched this year with a group. 

I would like to officially induct RDJ to my list of Papas, along with Johnny Depp and Lolo Ken Watanabe. Because. He is RDJ. 

Oh, and I get to watch it again tomorrow. For free. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

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About an hour ago, I bought myself a ticket to this Broadway show coming to this country on August! I got a decent Balcony 1 Center seat on September 1, and I'm not complaining. I need some opera in my system, and I should at least get my butt out to watch one opera in my lifetime. 

The only letdown I see with this is that I don't have anymore money to buy a decent ticket (read: AT LEAST LOWER BOX) for the NKOTBSB concert that - read this - may have Kevin Richardson joining BSB again for good! Then again, I've already watched a BSB concert, and Phantom or the really good Broadway shows don't just come around here often. 

You reap what you sow

Reaping time has begun.

KWATRO.

(with hagod)

I wish I could call this a repeat of the First Term Epic Grand Slam but it really isn't...first of all, I only have one subject this term, whereas during the first term, I had a full load for a part-time student. But looking at the bright side, this term also had its own brand of "epic grand slam", in the sense that I had to handle a full load of work and ministry, along with school. 

The real test though happens when I go full load again next term. /sigh I hope I can deal with it.

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Anyway, I have two events coming up, and if perchance you are interested in any of these, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you more details :-) 

• Friday, April 27: The Happy at Work 2.0 Conference 2012. Happy at Work is an event that seeks to share best practices on employee engagement and happiness in the workplace. Recent studies on positive psychology have shown that it is happiness that fuels success, and not the other way around. We've got really good speakers (award-winning), so it's definitely value for money.
• Saturday, May 5: Project Author. This is BIGGER than the one last December. We actually have Samantha Sotto as one of our speakers (yes, the Samantha Sotto who wrote Before Ever After). Also invited are Grace Chong (her talk is wonderful, believe me), who's an amazing down-to-earth person in spite of her five Palanca awards and 30 books; RJ Ledesma (It Only Hurts When I Pee and three other books), and Larry Gamboa (Think Rich, Pinoy!, and two others). We also invited Flipside Digital Publishing's Honeylein De Peralta, and her talk's a must-listen if you want to get the lowdown on e-books, a publishing route that's established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

Again, if you're interested, please leave a comment with your name and email address so I can send you more details. We've got discounts available, plus these are two events that have wonderful content. You won't be disappointed.

Please also pray for me - these three weeks will be very tough on me (it's kind of like hell week last December). 

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Now reading: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. I knew this had to be included in my reading list after last year's happenings. I think it will be very interesting to see how the famous apologetic dealt with grief, and how he wrestled with God throughout the entire grieving process.

I tried to keep a grief journal. I was dead serious with doing it that I even bought a notebook for it. But, I only got to write a few pages. It was tough writing about my personal grief story. Finding the words to describe how you feel is both a fearful and challenging ordeal. Fearful, because in many ways I wasn't prepared to face my grief, and instead opted to put layer upon layer upon layer of protection (work, getting more work, getting more and more work) over my true feelings at the time, and shedding all of it would be like opening a can of worms. Challenging, because putting words to describe "grief" on a page is like limiting the definition of my personal grief. One word, like "depression", or maybe "longing" puts limits on the overall scheme of things. 

Until today, many pages are left blank. 

By the way, I highly recommend The Case for Christ. Like, mark it as one of your must reads before you turn 30 or before you turn agnostic/atheist...or something. XD

Book buy this month (and probably the only buy, because I have stuff to pay for) is...finally my own Maxwell Leadership Bible. If you've been to the bookstore, you know how much this costs - over P1000 bucks (when I went to the MIBF last year, it was P1200 I think). I got mine - a brand new copy - for a price that screamed YOU'LL SO REGRET NOT BUYING ME SO BUY ME NOW.

There was a time I got second-hand, yet very good condition leather bound Bibles (like BIG ones) for a thousand bucks (got my big NIV and NASB from that source). But this ... I got for much cheaper than that. *grin*

Finally

FINAL PRESENTATION - DONE
April 1
3-in-1 instant coffee

Finals is done and out of the way,. The group I belonged to got a perfect score!  *hurraaaaaah* Our group is sort of notorious for not following directions and contradicting the professor (for the latter, I think I should say that I'm the one who publicly contradicts the professor most of the time XD), but for our final presentation we were commended for recommending strategies that were different from the leading brand. Huzzaaaaah!

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It's Holy Week again, and I've decided to use the downtime to write my book. I worked on a chapter that I started over a month ago (ye gads), and just when I thought I finished it, I realized I haven't...so I had to backtrack and add some details to it, until I saw the time and had to move on to another activity.

Like with the past Holy Weeks, I have to juggle rest with church work. It's a good thing that this Holy Week isn't as stressful. Last year was the Mary Magdalene thing. I'm happy to say that I have finally retired playing the harlot, and have moved on to other things. XD

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I have been reading. 

Yesterday, I finished Solo Flight, written by Ms. Grace and Francie Castaneda-Lacanilao, which I bought during the author event that I managed last December. This book was a very easy and enlightening read. I would recommend this to singles in their late 20s, 30s, 40s, even 50s. =) It's got an excellent perspective on the single life that's very well grounded on biblical principles. 

My copy (which is autographed, by the way =D) has highlights on some parts, and there were times that I wanted to put underlines on some parts that really resonated, but I didn't have a pen handy. The bottom line of this book is (for me), is that the single life is in no way a half-lived life. =D

Next in the pipeline is this book, which I bought at a very low price (P125!). I've never read a book that attacks this topic from a legalese/journalist perspective, and it's been a good read so far (and might I add, timely due to the Holy Week).

I like book bargains. I regret that I don't got to Booksale that often. I think I may sell some of my books (the ones that I'm not so crazy about) sometime this year, or probably give them away to someone who will take care of them.  And still on the subject of books, I still haven't made that master list of books that I've been intending to make. /sigh

One thing is for sure - I may start a book club with someone. =D I'm actually quite excited about the idea. I have no idea how a book club should be run, though. I'm doing some research on how one is formed and how a meeting is conducted, and how a book is selected to be the reading material for the month. Nevertheless, this is something I find very exciting and worth spending time on.

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I hope I get to write a lot in the days to come. And, by writing, this includes blog posts as well /sigh.

Toodles.

You got to deal with it: The Obligatory Fangirling-about-The-Legend-of-Korra Post

Aang is dead. 

Since last week, I've been spazzing on the awesomeness called The Legend of Korra. Knowing my country, it will be a while before the series reaches our shores, so I took the liberty of seeing the first two episodes for myself.

 I regret nothing.

Late nights | Blind item

It was the female parental unit's birthday this Wednesday, and the male parental unit decided to take her out on a date. I gladly opted out (cause a date isn't a date with a third wheel), but the date soon became a foursome family affair. 

We were supposed to eat at Mesa at Greenbelt 5, but it was full when the parents came and the female parental unit wanted a healthy dinner. So, we ended up eating at *insert awesome flashy starry effects here* Sugi! 

itadakimasu.

gochisousama.

It was an AWESOME dinner. It's been years since I've eaten at Sugi, so I was very happy to be there last night. My favorite dish was the grilled mackerel. Excuse the ugly photos. I wasn't expecting to be part of the dinner last night so I wasn't able to bring Oberon.

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Paging REST. Where are you?! /cryfaise I need you now. For the whole week, I've been going home late. =(

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Occasionally, I do this. Bear with me for a while.

Bullets | Short story

My week thus far, in bullets:

• To Kill A Mockingbird must be a required reading during anyone's lifetime. If I chanced upon this book earlier in my life, I might have seriously considered becoming a lawyer. 
• In relation to this, I love Atticus Finch. /oldmanfangirlingnanaman
• If any of you reading this have a copy of the movie, can I borrow it?
• I'm still happy I didn't become a lawyer.
• I'm dealing with a lot of discontent right now. It comes and it goes, and I'd like to think it's all part of the dreaded quarter-life crisis. I'm particularly peeved with the following:
• The NBSB status. Most of the time it's not an issue, but when someone rubs it in, ye gads, it's like an itch that won't go away.
• Some of the things I'm doing now are seriously hampering my ability to do other stuff I want to do, i.e. rest, more sleeping and reading time, more bulakbol time, more me time (in a nutshell). These things may seem really trivial, but I need to do these things. 
• My utter lack of a social life. I can't count anymore the number of times I've been told that I need to get out more. One went as far as telling me that I have to get out because my complexion is more sickly than pale. 

Yeah. That's it. XD

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For those who have been encouraging me in my "author" journey, "thank you" cannot even begin to express my gratitude.  I've been asked by some people what kind of stories do I write, and I usually just smile at them most of the time. When I dared to answer it directly, I think one of my replies was "I write about death". The stare I got from one person was so...how do I even describe it? It was a stare that said, "Why in the world would you write about such a morbid topic?", or "I never thought a person like you would write about that!". 

Ever since the author class thing started, I've been doing a lot of thinking. I remember that one of the goals of setting up this blog was this:

Since college, there's this small itch to actually go public with some of the stuff I write or do, but I have this fear (which nags me till now) that people who know me in real life will not understand it, or it will be shot down as horrible/inconceivable. So, I want to find out for myself if those fears are grounded in truth. Hence, this blog was born.

I want to stay true to this goal - no matter how scary it is. Hence, I have decided to post a story I did two years ago, which is about death. /ye gads

If you know me in real life and you see this story, let me know what you think. As in, seriously. I'd really like to know. A little background follows after the jump.

One/One/Twelve

Happy 2012!

The family heaved a collective sigh when the clock struck twelve midnight. We've had it with 2011. We welcomed this year by watching the neighbors' fireworks, which was kind of boring. I went to bed thirty minutes after midnight.

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This term, I am enrolled in just one class, which falls on a Monday. First day is next week. Tomorrow is the first working day, and I'll have to go to work ALONE, because the parents won't be coming in. Bummer.

I'm still pretty sore about ministry-related stuff, and that's kind of an open secret (LOL). I think the reason for this is that it's not been resolved until now. Because of that, for the past two months I've been leaning towards not going for the extra mile, or not giving a damn about stuff that others think I should. I know I have to find that passion or whatever that is somewhere inside me and take it out of last year's major funk. Something has to change.

I think the key to making this year different from last year is attitude. I've been told this a zillion times (and if you're one of those people, thank you), and I think it's about time that I heeded that advise.

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By the way, I haven't talked about my birthday present to myself. I bought a Yamaha PSR E323. I was learning how to play this last year, and was even assigned to play synth a few times during services. Buying this wasn't necessary, but I was dead serious with wanting to learn how to play, since I don't have an instrument I could play aside from voice.

I have...four months(?) left to pay for this baby, which I have named Angela, after Angela Aki. =D  How I decided on "Angela" is quite interesting. I was mulling over possible names on Twitter, and the first idea that came to mind is to name it after a really good pianist, and I tweeted that Angela Aki was my top-of-mind pianist. I mentioned others like Hiromi Uehara (who at that time was also a very viable candidate), but all that changed when this thing below happened: 

Turns out that THE Angela Aki herself retweeted said tweet of mine (which was in Taglish, increasing the epic/fail of it all).Hence, I have decided to name it Angela in homage to her. =D

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And that's it, basically. I'm watching Tron now, and up next will be Tron Legacy.

This feels so hipster. 

Christmas/New Year

In bullets:

• Candlelight service. I don't think I can handle another one. Don't ask, I just can't.  =,=
• Reunion with the family on Christmas day went really well, in spite of the major family losses this year.
• Working on the last week of the year for the first time is...well...uneventful. XD
• Manila Ocean Park with the cousin/nephew/brother was lots of fun, but extremely painful for the pocket.
• Rizal Day will be spent at Malolos Memorial Park.

I think I'll be posting something that doesn't involve bullets tomorrow/Friday.

Introspection

I realize that the more I get older, the more I become exclusive or picky with people I interact with.

When I was in high school, I was pretty much a semi-open book; the same with college.I wasn't really one of the popular kids, but I was one of those who would speak their minds without so much of a thought of restraint.

Now it isn't that way. Though I still speak my mind, there is a stronger inclination to hold back. But when I do speak my mind, I speak more pointedly than before. I'd like to think I am more civil though (I've been working on it, believe you me). At present, I prefer being by my lonesome more than the company of some people. Having realized this, I think to myself (jokingly) na baka by the time I'm 30, I will be a loner na. XD

I think my time in Laguna had a lot to do with this, as well as with other stuff that happened recently. =/

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I haven't been taking pictures. I haven't been writing. I haven't been doing anything crea-freaking-tive lately!

Music-wise, however, I'm improving by leaps (and probably) bounds. I made my own lineup for three consecutive YC services (first time doing it, and without any help whatsoever!), and I've been learning how to play the keyboard. If I remember correctly, I'll be assigned in synth next Sunday (HOOOH EMMM GEEE). Of course, I have a long road to follow in order to be "good enough", but it's been a fun road thus far. =D Next week, I'll probably be buying my own keyboard. Yay me. 8)

I have been reading Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and his other stories. I kind of liked his Conversations with the Supplicant. The way he writes is rather odd for me. It doesn't flow so smoothly, so much so that you need to focus more when reading. It's not like other books wherein the focus comes to you as you read - for Kafka's stories, it's the other way around. I operate on the first formula, so reading Kafka is quite a challenge.

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People have been posting so much about Ninong Steve Jobs (yeah, we're tight XD) that I decided not to go along with the bandwagon. I decided to post about it now because they hype has mellowed down considerably from the past two days.

When the news broke on Thursday (my time zone) that he died,  my Facebook, Twitter, and - oh my stars, would you believe it  - Tumblr timeline was 60% Steve Jobs and Apple. I love the man and the company, but one can only take so much! Sure, I did a few posts of my own (one on FB, ten or so on Twitter, six on Tumblr), but they weren't like HUHUHUHU PATAY NA SI STEVE JOBS! I AM SO SAAAAAAADDDDDDD KILL ME NAAAAOOO (When I saw the crazy posts, I knew I had to stop adding to the drama because I was certain that somewhere out there, someone like me was also getting irritated.)

It also wasn't helping that I use a Macbook at work, I listen to my iPod during work (and going to and from the office), plus there's an unopened The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs on the side of my table. It was a Steve Jobs/Apple bombardment of the highest proportions, and I was feeling very melancholic about it, but at the same time, I couldn't shake off the feeling of being irritated about some OA reactions that I've been reading. (At some point, I read a post on FB which said that when he saw his Mac when he came home, he bawled his eyes out. It took all the self-control I had left not to post: "I was in front of a Macbook the whole day and managed to keep it together. Get a freaking grip.")

To be honest, I do feel sad, but more than that I am thankful for the man that was Steve Jobs and the mind-blowing innovations that he birthed into the earth. He brought us closer to the 22nd century (or 23rd, whichever is your fancy). 

Maraming salamat Ninong Steve. If I get my own Mac, I'll definitely name it after you. 

Mean girl

I know I can be a real grouch when I am tired. Last week was proof of that.

If I had offended anyone, I take nothing back I'm sorry.  Although, I must say that 80% of the stuff I said, however mean, were true.

Ahhhhh, butter biscuits. MOVING ON.
(Okay, seriously, I do make a conscious effort to be transparent, but on normal days I temper it down. On extreme days...the heck with it. *shrug*) 

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This thing right here is officially DONE.  It's my first big event in the new job, and the feeling of it being done is beyond relief. Everything went so well that it's mind-boggling.

Having said that, how sad is it that even if I was staying at a five-star hotel on the night Pedring hit that I didn't even get a good night's rest, or even spend some personal hang time with the bathtub, or experience an hour-long shower (with a hot/cold shower to boot!), or even indulge in a buffet breakfast that consisted of all-you-can-eat cereal, bread, sushi, dimsum, cheese, etc etc? LE FREAKING SIGH.

By the way, I didn't give free hugs. People give me hugs for free.

Em Ay Bee Eff (MIBF)

I told myself last week, "By nook or by crook, I'll get my butt to the MIBF this weekend!" And I did.

The perfect schedule dawned on me while I was tossing and turning early Sunday morning: go to SMX at 10AM, get books (I've got a list down to stay on budget and avoid splurging - HAH!), then go to Makati.

Having a list can do you wonders. I didn't get some of the books that I wanted, but nevertheless I got other good books that I'm looking forward to read in the coming months. This also means - of course - that I won't be buying any books, or anything that is classified under "wants" that''s extravagant for the coming months. /le sigh

See, books are one of my biggest weaknesses. Give me a book on a subject or author that I like and I will devour it. I'd rather shop for books than clothes, to be honest...not that I find clothes shopping dreadful (at times I do), but for me, there's nothing more fulfilling than going through the shelves of a bookstore. There's also nothing more intriguing than a book that draws you to itself. There are times that I buy a book and enjoy it without even reading a review about it online or hearing about it from someone. It doesn't happen all the time...but when it does I'm rarely disappointed.

Here are the books that I bought. The Amplified Bible I got for 30% off, which is a good enough bargain (best bargain still is getting leather-bound NASB/NIV study/app Bibles for ONE THOUSAND BUCKS EACH). I'm having trouble with finding a place for my big books. The rest are all fiction books - I bought Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis, which comes with other stories that "he could stand", according to the book's description. The splurge is made two times more epic with the three Murakami titles. =D

All of these books I bought while staying under budget, which was great! That's the wonder of having a list handy. =D It's like getting groceries.

Sometimes I wish I had the same determination when it came to clothes sales or whatnot. But, I just can't. /le sigh /story of my life

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Busy with a lot of work stuff, not to mention church stuff (Candlelight, le sigh), as well as school stuff (one subject wonder). How I manage to make entries like this one here that make sense, I consider now a major feat. 

I need an outlet. Somebody invite me to a photoshoot. Somebody invite me to karaoke. Somebody invite me to something I enjoy. 

Last chance/More chances

Bullet-point mode!

• Three weeks into the new job and I have an ad coming out tomorrow and I have a major event to manage with five weeks left to the event date. It's CRAAAAZEEEEEE and I'm loving it.
• Stat teacher emailed this morning and said there will be a last chance finals this coming Friday. OH COME ON MAMON!!! I was so happy last Friday because she told me that I passed. /le sigh I don't know if I will study...probably I'll browse through my notes again, but the effort in studying won't be the same (I'd like to think) because I can pretty much remember still the difference between the bajillion tests we were taught. Actually wala na talaga akong gana.

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 I wish I had more stuff to write (like stuff that has SENSE) ... maybe after finals. =D

Busybody

I should really work on regularly updating this.

Been really busy with everything, basically (haha, that's a nice way to put it). It's finals week in school, plus I'm getting one task after the other in the new job. I'm okay, so far...I just have less bulakbol time (le sigh).

Anyway, onward to the updates!

Had a photoshoot at the SDA Building of DLS-CSB. It was my second time coming here, and shooting there was...well...quite a pleasing experience. There was a lot of natural light, lots of angles, lots of interesting things. The photos will be used for mock-ups for one of my finals.

I realize that there are still a lot of things that I need to learn about photography...like using light effectively, among other things. Everything I know in photography I've learned by observing how people do it; I was only "formally" trained once.

Speaking of finals, I also took my final exam for Stat last Friday. I was the first one to submit (aside from finishing, I was getting really restless, plus my right shoulder hurt so bad that I couldn't continue), and I was told that I passed (which is great, cause you can only either pass or fail). All that sisig-na-ang-utak-ko moments were worth it.

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I was sort of out of the loop this weekend, so you could just imagine my shock when I learned that the new RuroKen anime will only have the Kyoto arc animated, so far. So much for all they hype and the beautiful Newtype spreads (specifically Kenshin/Tomoe, which was the biggest hint the Internet got so far that the Jinchuu arc will be animated). The picture above isn't even enticing me one bit, but I'm going to give Aniplex/Studio DEEN the benefit of the doubt and treat this as a draft, for now.

The only way I could make sense of all the Jinchuu arc hype prior to the above screen grab being published is that the "new" Kyoto arc will serve as the foundation for the animation and, eventually, the showing of the Jinchuu arc. The Kyoto arc is is the pivotal arc of RuroKen, IMO, in the sense that this is the arc wherein Kenshin doesn't have to go all Battousai and stuff to defeat Shishio (prior to that he always had to); aside from that, Jinchuu is the next arc after Kyoto.

Having said my speculations, I cannot deny that I am so disappointed with this announcement. So much for all the "OHMAYGASSSHHHEEEEPIIIIIC" reactions when the Kenshin-Tomoe Newtype spread came up. Whoop dee doo.

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Other things: I have neon green nails, I'm working on character looks for Unforgiven using DreamSelfy (hahaha!) and I may be going to a celebration dinner this Sunday...

I'm crossing my fingers that this won't be the only post that I make this week.