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.

Happily ever after - a longer version this time

As promised, I am posting about the Author event that happened yesterday. Of course, I have to repost the epic Samantha Sotto photoset, and along with that my pictures with our other speakers  - Larry Gamboa, RJ Ledesma, Charles Tan, and Grace D. Chong (I had to be the host during the afternoon session. HOST!!!!! /dedz).

I feel really privileged to have organized this event (though it is rather tiring, LOL. By the time the event ended I realized I had a poor excuse of a meal for lunch and had next to nothing for merienda. I would have crashed along Pasay Road if weren't for CBTL.). But being a reader and a writer myself, having to listen to all of these people talk about their author journey is nothing less than inspiring.

About this time last year, I remember that I was seriously contemplating on returning to Manila even if it meant resigning from work and being unemployed. There was so much uncertainty during that time, as well as self-doubt.

But looking back on it now, I realized I didn't have to fret so much. From that very low point last year, I'm now meeting people whom I though I'd never meet in my lifetime, learning new things at a speed that I'm not used to, and taking on responsibilities that I never even thought I'd handle...oh, and did I mention writing a book?! It's all just amazing. It's far from "living a dream", but it's far from half-bad.

And on this note, you've just been Loki'd. #appropriatelokireactiongifisappropriate

Happily ever after

So today, I...
1. Asked Samantha Sotto to autograph my copy of Before Ever After---
2. And not just any autograph - but a GEEKY autograph---
3. And I asked her if we could do a wacky shot.
Check, check, and check.

(Autograph says: To JC, Find your inner chicken. Love, Sam).

 MY DAY. IT IS MADE.

 Ms. Sam, if you're reading this, thank you so much for being a sport to my wacky/off-the-beaten-track whims during Project Author today. It's the first time I met an author to whom I can actually relate to, especially when you were gushing over Dr. Who!

It was such an honor to have heard the story of before Before Ever After. Now, I really have to keep on writing. Thank you also for giving me the tip of texting myself in order to store book/plot ideas in the middle of the night. XDDD

(Okay, I know what's written above is pretty much what I posted on FB and Tumblr, but I just want to get this down cause I'm still in utter disbelief of what happened! Hahahaha! I'll probably blog more about this event in the next few days.)

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Okay. I seriously need a day off. SO TIREEEEEDDDDD.

Tomorrow - 2PM service, and SLEEPTIEMZ. And maybe BLOGTIEMZ also. Let's see...

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. 

Holy Week

Hello people of the Interwebz. Belated Happy Easter. =)

Holy Week is usually busy for me, but this past one was more relaxing than the previous ones.

On Easter Sunday, we sang (once again) the Hallelujah Chorus, and Because He Lives. Did I mention that we did these songs for all four services? Yes we did. /sigh 

I must admit that singing in choir is one of my weaknesses. I can sing in unison, but I don't have the ear that can tell if I'm blending with everyone else. I'm usually too loud or...too loud. /hehehe

The next day, the entire ministry went to Subic! Wooohoooo!!! I can't even remember the last time I went there. Thanks to this outing, I got to experience the following:

1. Sleep inside the church building. We had to be in the bus along Pasong Tamo before 5AM, so rather than I go out of the streets of Manila at 4AM and be exposed to a lot of risk, I opted to sleep in church instead. I got to leech off of the church's wi-fi (hahaha) and played one round of DrawSomething with a classmate before I went to bed. 
2. Ride a banana boat. I initially wanted to ride a jetski, but P3,500 for one hour was just waaaay too much, plus there's the stress of learning how to operate a jetski (and the sheer fear of getting stranded out at sea XD). The next best thing was a banana boat ride, which was basically an inflated banana-shaped boat being pulled by a jetski.
3. The dreaded beach. I'm not a beach person - I would rather be in a swimming pool. I think the last beach I went to was Bohol, which was...2007/2008(?). I dislike being in the saltwater (although come to think of it, drinking saltwater is more au naturel compared to drinking water laced with chlorine XD), so I just made the most out of the day.

Here's a photo of us on the boat prior to jet-off (LOL I wonder if that's the proper term). The banana boat was worth P250 for 15 minutes, which is kind of steep, but worth it. We circled the bay three times, and got close enough to a South Korean ship. I screamed "Annyong hase yo!" but it looked like no one was there. (I'm sociable that way.)

At the end of the ride, the jetski driver took a very sharp turn that made the boat turn upside down, which made all of us fall into the water. That was probably the best part of the entire ride (and the funniest), though I drank some of the saltwater by accident (ugggghhh beaches).

Overall, I'm happy with how Holy Week was spent. I also got to write some chapters for my book (OH YES!).

Quit piddling and write that book

I AM ALAAAAIIIIVE.

Hello, people who read this blog. I am currently in Tagaytay for the author class' Writer's Retreat. As of 10PM, my brain has officially fallen asleep, which is why I've resorted to making a blog post.

My progress with the book I'm writing is going along well, which is FANfreakingTASTIC! As usual, I was fearing the worst. I get the butterflies and awkwardness of extreme proportions when people look at what I write, so for the boss to tell me that I write good and what I've written was good made me feel so relieved. I just need to add a few more details here and there, but I'm on the right track.

Now, what I really wish I was writing right now is a fiction piece. If I get to finish Unforgiven, I swear I will throw a party and invite everyone I know. That's a story that's been brewing since...I don't know exactly when, but I'm pretty sure it comes all the way back to grade school. So if that gets done, then ye gads, a celebration is definitely in order.

Sorry for such a crappy entry. Like what I said, my brain has fallen asleep. =/

On music and writing

These two have got me pretty much occupied during the week.

Let's start with the music:

Bagyo Berde, the centennial battle of the bands of DLSU, will be held on February 8 at Amphi starting 6:00 PM (request for leave has been GRANTED!). Cherry Cherry Boom Boom is the last among the 10  finalists who will be performing. Buti na lang - that gives our fans/adoring public/relentless supporters friends and family ample time to come to DLSU to cheer for us.

We're still in the planning stages of our setlist (I have no idea how many songs we have to sing XD), and said plans will have to remain secret until Feb 8. (I mean, you can never tell if someone from the enemy is stalking this blog, right?! LOL!)

The videos of the audition will be posted by the organizers soon. Once that's up, I'll be sharing it here.

I've also resumed keyboard lessons last Saturday. I'm actually enjoying it a lot, but I'm having trouble finding time to practice at home with Angela. /lesigh

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Next up: writing. The second session was really interesting - we had to brainstorm through post-its (a very unconventional method, mind you) in order to come up with our book title and cover. I think I have a firm title for the book that I'm co-authoring (again -  I still cannot believe I'm doing this. /slapface) and a book cover as well. POST-ITS. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT. 

Oh, and here's our first class pic:

Been kind of busy in this part of the woods

I live.

And I've got a pretty lame good excuse for the lack of posts:

• Work. Um, yeah, pretty obvious, but will elaborate
• Class has begun, and we have to do some taste testing and rate attributes of the food, etc. etc. 
• Church stuff

... and these three commitments are basically what have been keeping me busy since last year, which leads me to think that these excuses are indeed lame. *facepalm* I'll just have to find more time to blog.

I'm contemplating on buying a .me domain, by the way. I'll probably do this when I have decided on a domain name. I don't want it under my name, and inasmuch as I want it to be wonderingwhattodowithdaylight.me, it's too long. 

Anyway, moooooving on.

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Church stuff - I'm getting a lesser load of assignments for the first three months of the year, which I really appreciate. That means I can devote more time to the other church commitments (hahahaha).

Most immediate among these commitments is actually not church-related, but will involve the youth ministry. We're auditioning for this thing here:

By the way, may band room pala sa STRC?! SINCE WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? All I did in STRC was run around and exercise during ROTC days!

Saka ko na ikukuwento yung experience ng pag-audition when the results are out. All I can say for now is that I am soooo relieved that I was able to sing bossa. I thought I didn't have it in me. Salamat sa mga bandmates ko, OSUM kayo. XD

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Ahhh. Work. I remember a verse in Ecclesiastes that says enjoying the fruits of your labor is a gift from God. This is especially true this month, since I was asked to participate in one of the projects I am managing - the author mentoring program I was talking about in the previous blog post. 

One of the assignments is to send invites to friends that you are launching a book. I don't really know the emails of my friends (plus they check their Facebook more often than email anyway), so I decided to post the "invite" there:

Mga friends, by faith I will be signing copies of my first book at the Manila International Book Fair this year, and I'd like to invite all of you when that happens! I don't know the book title yet, but it will be about how you can fulfill your dream of becoming an author. Heart is seriously pounding triple time as I type this. #thisisanassignmentfortheauthorclass #ihavetocomply #youhavenoideahowscarediam #idontshowmyworktopeople #gettingpublishedisbothexcitingandscary

The hashtags speak the truth. #youhavenoidea

A lot of people liked and commented that they were excited for me - some were even congratulating me already, which got me even more scared!

While most of the people I was growing up with wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an astronomer, a surgeon, or an author. But out of all of these three dream ambitions, the one I worked on the most as a kid was becoming an author (Second to that is becoming an astronomer - I learned how to spot constellations and near stars as a kid, and I can still remember how to do this now. I never really worked on becoming a surgeon - when it came to dissecting frogs I decided to strike that out of my list XD).

If my memory serves me right, I finished my first fiction story when I was 7 or 8 years old, and it was written in pencil on scratch paper that was the kind used for dot matrix printers. I think the only reason why I did that was because [1] there were no notebooks available, and [2] nobody in the house would suspect that I would write something important on scratch paper, cause as early as that, I had an unexplainable fear of people reading my stories.

Oh, by the way, my first story was - you wouldn't guess it - FANFICTION! (of what series it was about I will carry to my grave - I think only one person knows what series it is, and I pray said person doesn't remember anymore XD) 

At about that age too, I started keeping a diary. It was the "Dear [name of diary] (yes, I did that!), Today was really fun because I spent the day in school...", and here I would chronicle a day in my geek-outsider grade school life.

I also remember a time during Grade 5 when I was so mad (at what or who I don't want to say =D) that I decided to throw away everything that I have written thus far - and that included the first story that I wrote on dot matrix paper, and the first diary that I kept. I regret doing that now - I mean, how nostalgic would it be if I saw what I wrote twenty years ago, diba?

During high school, I wrote for the school paper (news, features, the usual lot), and I also wrote an original fiction piece - the first one that got published (with much fear on my part!). It was was supposedly a four-part story (with the assumption that we publish an issue every quarter), but we were only able to release one issue that schoolyear (haha fail). Buti na lang that happened, cause the story was kind of dark for a Christian school - dark in the sense na a character was killed, there's mention of blood, and this will be read by grade school and high school students alike. If all four parts were published, there's a good chance that I'd be sent to the principal's office or a guidance counselor. XDD

And, there was also NaNoWriMo, which I joined twice and won both (with extreme consequences for my physical health, though). I don't think I'll be joining again, not unless I find a way to eliminate the back pain, which is highly unlikely. Some of my chapters for NaNo were published online as part of a local compilation of excerpts written by those who joined during that year, but I kept it a secret from everyone (haha!).

So basically, what I'm trying to say is that I am sooo afraid of seeing my work published under my name, for  various reasons said and unsaid. Hence, the mere exercise of me posting that status message was nerve-wrecking. It's like ... coming out. HAHAHA!

Even if the book doesn't come out this year (or during the MIBF), it will likely come out at some other time. I'm sure there will be much prodding from the boss to do it. Also, writing a nonfiction piece is something I've never tried before, and thought I'd never do.

So, this endeavor of writing and being published is by faith, simply put. =D

--- --- ---

I am so gung-ho with third term - gung-ho in the sense that I want to get a much, much higher grade than last term. I have no qualms with last term cause I gave it everything I could, but the situation now is very different from last term. I think I can make a comeback. *positive vibes*

What is unseen is eternal

Cinemalaya is this week, and I was accepted as a volunteer (thirty-something out of a hundred plus applicants, who would have thought?). I am very happy about having a sort-of job for most of this week, even if it was volunteer work (i.e. working for free), especially if it is for the arts.

My first Cinemalaya movie was Astig in 2009. It was mind-blowing. It was the kind of movie that I was looking for in Philippine cinema, an industry that is dogged with commercialism and predictable formulae that bring in the much needed buck. It acknowledged that the Filipino moviegoer can think. If you've known me for a while, you know I never watch Filipino movies. You can say that I hate the commercialized ones, and I won't deny it. Most of them are insulting to the intellect. The first Filipino movie that I watched was Jose Rizal, and that was followed ten years later by Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo. (I was dragged into it, so yeah...)

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You might ask what are the perks of being a volunteer. Biggest perk is that you get to watch all of the movies for free, provided that you have rendered this many hours. Second best perk is that you get a t-shirt after rendering 16 hours. Third best perk is you get to hang out at the CCP (which is quite a rare thing - for me, at least...you don't get to run around at Tanghalang Pambansa and get away with it XD). Fourth best perk is that you will never go hungry there. They never run out of food, thanks to their sponsors. No, we were not given free passes for our family and friends.

This picture here is the "makeshift" Excel spreadsheet at HQ, which shows which movies are on at what time and at what venue. One of the jobs of the volunteer is to change the signs outside the theaters to the title of the next flick. Other jobs include manning their RFID system, which is a pilot project of the CCP. At times we were also assigned to sell merchandise.

Did I abuse my perks? Not really. Out of my three days as a volunteer, I only got to watch three films: Shorts A, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa, and Amok. I will get to those films later.

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I had a conversation with one of the employees of CCP during my duty at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. He asked about me, if I was a student, where I lived, and why I volunteered.

"I like Cinemalaya movies," I said. "They're my type of sine."

"Why?"

"Well," I said. "I ... don't really watch Filipino movies. As much as possible, I don't." I tried to laugh it off, but it didn't change the seriousness of my answer. "They're too commercialized."

"Well, that's true." The employee said after a brief pause. "What kind of movies do you like, anyway?"

I smiled. "I like sad endings."

"Really?"

"Yeah, or endings that are sort of hanging, but will make you think. I like that sort of thing. I don't like happy endings."

"Really? Why? What's with happy endings?"

Yeah, what's with happy endings anyway? I pondered on the question; it wasn't enough that I said it was a personal preference. "I...think...there's nothing wrong with happy endings. We're all in search of that happy ending, whatever it means to us. But the reality is, we have to go through many tough times in order to reach that 'happy ending'. I think most of the commercialized movies that we have neglect that. They aren't real."

He nodded. "I get what you mean. So you're saying that the reality of our situation isn't being shown in most of the movies that we have here, and that is why you don't like it."

"Yeah," I said. "And what sucks is that it's movies that are formula-based that make so much money, but that isn't reality. It's a form of escape."

"Well, you cannot blame them." The employee told me. "It's what sells. And with the kind of people who see those movies, they'd like to see something that lightens their spirits."

"I know," I sighed. "A lot of people are hand-to-mouth in here...but that shouldn't stop us from making films that are like these."

"I'm curious, what made you decide to like movies with sad endings?"

That's a good question. I paused and thought for a while, searching for that turning point. "The Lion King," I answered. "Okay, it's a Disney movie, so it obviously ends happily, but what made me love that movie was because Mufasa died, and when that happened it made me cry.

"Until now I still get teary-eyed when it gets to that scene, but I realized that what was in front of me was reality. People do sacrifice their lives for the sake of other people. Death is inevitable. It was sad, and yet it was real."

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If you haven't watched any Cinemalaya flick and are still undecided on what to watch, here are my recommendations:

Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa is my FAVORITE Cinemalaya film thus far. If you would go gaga for poetry, music and dance, then I strongly suggest that you watch this film.

The cinematography is awesome. A lot of the shots gave me goosebumps. What was even more gripping was the poetry, most enthralling was the poetry coupled with music. Ye gads, it was beautiful. I'd buy a soundtrack of this movie if ever one came out.

If gay flicks aren't your thing (as in you're the type who would storm out of the movie house at the slightest hint of gay love), my suggestion is to keep an open mind. In my opinion, the same thing could have happened to a boy and a girl (or even girl x girl), but gender isn't really the point of the movie, nor is gay pride. It is, for me - simply put - an unlikely love story.

Shorts A is also good (didn't watch Shorts B, but a lot of people have been telling me that Shorts A is better). My favorites in Shorts A were Samarito, Every Other Time, and Nino Bonito.

Amok. HUWAW. This movie had its downs...at some parts it kind of dragged for me, but how it all finished was very gripping.

The major feat of this movie - for me, at least - was that it was shot in Pasay Rotonda. That area is chaotic, like I rarely go down the road there for fear of my life. How do you even shoot a movie there? For the execution of this seemingly impossible feat I give it two thumbs up.

The movie had its own fair share of tragedies, of reconciliation (mother and daughter, guy and his fake Levi's), and humor (oh this you have to find out for yourself!).

However, the part of me that loves the written word makes me prefer Sayaw than this movie. I'm not so much of a fan of action movies to begin with; having said that, this movie, nevertheless, was a real treat.

Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank was the first movie I watched for this year. It was downright funny, but it didn't compromise the realism. In fact, I think it was too real, more than the other two films.

This film had the hottest actors. If you'd like some eyecandy, this is the movie for you. Eugene Domingo's performance here was quite something. I don't know how real the ending was (don't want to spoil)...but if it was real then much kudos to her. I wouldn't do that for the life of me.

I also think I saw someone in this movie whom I've seen before. Like...during Sundays, specifically. O___o I could be wrong, you know.

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So much for Cinemalaya! This thing here will be happening real soon:

I GOT TIX TO THE BROOKE FRASER LIVE GIG ON AUGUST!
(I own the frontmost ticket, all the rest aren't mine XD)

There's definitely a price to pay for something like this that happens once in a blue moon. I swore I'll watch a Brooke Fraser concert in Manila. Now that it's going to happen, even if I am a professional bum, I got myself a reserved seat. It will be worth it. It's for a good cause. I will get to see Manang Brooke. It's all good.

Young. Husband.

Yesterday the Younghusbands were in school. I kid you not bbz, I'm talking about Phil and James Younghusband of Azkals fame. I swear, you're never really prepared for epic visits like this.

I have basically spammed Tumblr with the pictures I took of the Younghusbands, plus a bonus pic that I'll leave for all of you to interpret its content.

That is all. Oh, and how I wish the weather was like this all year long.