I used to be 13. I just wanted to see what I am right now, in this state of mind.
You are Blur.
Which Blur Album Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
I dunno what to make of this... :-P
(Tae talaga, di nagwo-work 'yung remote loading ng images sa quizilla.)
(Apologies to EBTG)
(Whoa, I've been offline for so long I don't think I can recall every single bit that's happened to me.)
Haaay, buhay. Parang gulong nga. Minsan madulas ang dinadaanan, minsan lubak-lubak, at minsan may masasagasaan kang tae.
Special thanks to those who helped me through the rough spots. You know who you are. :-)
***
Congratulations to the graduates! And welcome to the wonderful world of unemployment! Hehehe... (congrats Nico, Katwo, Wincy, & Zarah!)
***
All these buffet meals and parties are ruining my health. I really need some serious dieting. :-P
***
Strange restroom encounters #183
Took a leak at the Robinson's Metroeast restroom after watching a movie yesterday. I stepped out of the cubicle and into a small group of chatting girls. As I was washing my hands I saw in the mirror one girl who gave a startled look behind my back.
&nnbsp; "Ay miss, 'yung kwintas mo mahuhulog..."
With two fingers she picked a lock of hair off my back, then she paused and said, "Buhok pala! Sorry, miss!" --and to her friends, "Ay, nauto ako... hahaha..."
I told her it's okay. (It's not the first time this has happened after all.) I walked out of the restroom, trying hard to suppress a giggle.
Wahahahah! Grabe ang luma na nito!!! These were taken 10 February 2003, at the UP Fair. Ang hahaba pa ng mga buhok namin.
Jason and Aia sa backstage. I don't think I've seen a smile as big as that on Jason before hehehe...
***
Billy and pre-Kamia incident Meh.
***
Mga kabarkada ko: Doc Rory (ate ni Charms) and Attorney Sel.
***
Sel and me. Iba pa ichura niya dito, sexy na siya ngayon. Sa akin na napunta 'yung excess fat niya.
***
Ang mag-jowa! Hahaha... (Oist, Zarah! Long hair pa tayo niyan!)
***
Yikesss! Marc Abaya with makeup. (Sorry na-drown out ng flash ang ilong niya.)
***
Si Joey nag-e-emote...
***
Kris, Vin and pre-San Mig Light Ebe.
***
YAN ANG RETRO LOOK! Joe Dirt, ah este, Echo Boldstar (joke lang, chip!). Nasa Countryside na kami niyan, to get our beer and barbecue fix (we left after the UP Fair gig).
***
Sleeping beauty. Pati tambayan retro! :-D
***
Post-San Mig Light Ebe.
***
"Hindi ako lasheng..." (hahaha asa pa...)
***
Marami pa akong retro pics from the uber-barok digicam. (Yeah, these are low-res digi files. Panget ng quality hehehe...)
... boing, boing, boing...
(Hehehe... got this in a spammed inspirational e-mail. Wala lang. Cute 'noh?)
(n_n)
That's it. I finished reading American Gods. I can sum it up in one word: closure. It is the kind of ending that assures us that everything is okay-- for now, anyway. Astig. :-)
***
Sometimes I think that words are hardly enough to thank others who have helped me. Reading Gaiman's acknowledgements, I know his words have repaid more than what the deed is worth (and can put my grateful efforts to shame). I wish I had that verbal gift of appreciation (as well as the non-verbal ek, feeling ko parehong importante 'yon.).
(Mental note: hindi lang pala Pinoy ang ganito. Kutob ko, Gaiman also has this sense of 'utang na loob' within himself.)
***
Anubayun. I have given more opinion on the acknowledgments than on the book itself. I'm not saying the book is bad. It's really good, in fact. I'm just saying that this guy's gift with words doesn't stop at the last page of the novel.
***
Thirty minutes later, I'm here again in front of the puter in yesterday's tee shirt, with Ichi on my lap. I watch her as she busies herself with licking at her paws, and I wonder what I'm going to do for the rest of the day.
*sigh*
I was reading through what must be the 12th or 13th chapter of American Gods when a memory of Nico and myself flashed through my mind. It was odd, because I remember it in the third person, seeing myself and Nico walking arms around each other behind Wincy and in front of me (the part who sees this particular memory block) in the crowded streets of Malate. (It's just this scene that does this sort of thing. The other parts are in the first person.)
Over the phone Nico tells me that 'it's creepy', seeing things that way. Come to think of it, it is creepy and weird. I can even will myself to remember again, and it just goes on playback in my head. Wikked. Heheh...
***
I just got back from a late tapsilog dinner at a nearby pares joint. I think I'm already full. Nico dropped by earlier this evening, a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream in hand. (Wheee! Thank you! Tataba na naman ako hehe...) He played with Zarah's Brainstring (which he solved) and was introduced to my puffalump pet, Meryl Sheep. She now rides with Nutter Butter the Reese pillow in the Lancer in lieu of Mingoy (who is with me and Snoopy). I hope she doesn't throw a tantrum or something.
***
What did I do last weekend? Lemme see...
Friday: Met up with Nico at the ukay below Freedom Bar (at nakabili ako ng navy blue sweater with superdeformed Ultraman design na nahanap ni Nico). I dropped by the Quill event and paid Mayo my utang from the 2nd hand stuff that I bought off him. Then we headed for Big Sky. Late nagsimula 'yung gig, as usual. Narda played first, and that was a good thing. We got to leave soon after. I had two beers, which turned out to be too much for someone who hardly drinks nowadays. I slept through the trip home, and more than that. Nico tells me he was parked outside the house for about an hour before I came to.
Saturday: is freeloader night. :-) I went to Katips to meet up with Nico. We went to Ponkan (Ryan's house) to meet up with the other guys. Ryan and Camille were watching a serious Jim Carrey flick when we got there. Wincy, Katwo and NewYork arrived minutes later and we left for A Veneto to claim our free dinner. We literally ate more than we could chew. The food is good, but best of all, it's for free. (Woohoo! Thank you, Wincy!)
Wincy, Nico and I headed for Republic of Malate to see the Vagina Monologues starring Tami Monsod, Jaya and Jenny Jamora (Marie Boldstar's sister). I've seen it before, but it is still a pleasure to experience all over again. Jaya did the parts that Dulce Aristorenas originally played. She did a good job, but Ms. Aristorenas was really a tough act to follow. Tami Monsod was excellent in the role transitions, as always. Jenny was--- WOW-- better, way better,in fact, than her predecessor Monique Wilson. And Jenny's nice, too. She put us in her guest list. Hehehe...
After the show we walked around Malate. We checked out Pride Exchange (yeah, that fetish store in the Nakpil-Orosa area) to see if they had any of those bubble bags that I bought there a couple of years back (no, they didn't have those any more). We walked around some more and ended up in Café Breton, sipping our chocolate and strawberry milkshakes (again, courtesy of Wincy) beside the bay window area where we could see all these people, dressed up in their gimmick-best, waiting for friends or strangers to come and chat them up. After that, we decided to go home.
Sunday: Slept really late and woke up early to the sound of the blaring t.v. (a.k.a. the alarm clock). Actually it was a coincidence that the t.v. turned on just as I woke up startled from a weird dream (Nico shouting at me regarding some olfactory complaint-- whatever). Met up with a tardy Joey Halo ('Sunday is not my day,' he tells me) at Ministop Katips. We picked up Chino and Paolo silentsanc at EDSA corner Quezon Ave. soon after. (I rolled down the window and asked 'Magkano kayo? Kayong dalawa?' as Joey unlocked the doors.)
We went to Zarah's house. No, not the one in U.P., not the boarding house. We went to her house, the one in far away Malolos, Bulacan. Her family is throwing a thanksgiving party, for her mom who recently underwent a successful operation, and for Zarah who is graduating this Saturday at ADMU (Congrats, chief!!!). The trip was not too long as I imagined. To pass the time we talked about Paolo's porn chat encounters on Yahoo, among other things. Hehehe... (Although there was cause for panic, there were lots of signs along the highway that tells us we were en route to Pampanga. Anubayun.)
We picked up Zarah at the friendly neighborhood Jollibee franchise and she led the way to her house. We lazed around the couches-- I was reading my book, Joey a magazine, Paolo and Chino were toying with the Brainstring. As soon as Zarah mentioned the word 'kain', we all dropped whatever we were doing and stood up at the same time, with (I shall dare say) 'patay-gutom synchronicity'. Hehehe...
Ang sarap ng food!!! Crispy pata (fun times!), those little crabs (na paborito ko), inihaw na baboy, two kinds of pasta, ube ni Zarah, leche flan, buco pandan at marami pang iba na di ko kayang ipagkasya sa tiyan ko. Grabe, kabusugan at its finest.
Shempre sabi ng nanay ni Zarah kelangan kumanta kami bago umuwi (yeah, they had that videoke machine, sayang wala si Jazz hehe). We had to convince Joey to sing para makauwi na kami. Sabi ko kakanta ako ng Mandy Moore, at si Chino kakanta ng Ricky Martin (which we did) basta kumanta lang siya, any song of his choice. Ayaw pa rin. Finally na-convince namin siya. He sang 'Boys Don't Cry' (The Cure)-- kupaw version. Now we know why Twisted Halo doesn't let him sing in the album. Hehehe... (joke lang, Joey!) ;-)
Ayun, nakauwi na rin kami. We made good time, we left Bulacan a little after four and I was at Nico's house before six. Humiga ako sa couch sa den nila habang naglaro si Nico sa pc. After dinner we watched Stanley Kubrick's Lolita on DVD (Ryan's copy) and the tail end of Minority Report on HBO. I was really sleepy after watching one and a half films, so Nico took me home soon afterwards.
(The latter movie is good, in my opinion, except for that one flaw where they should have barred John Anderton's ID via retina scan from entering the premises of Precrime as soon as he was dismissed from the job. Lolita the movie is taboo and weird in the Kubrick kind of way, but I guess that's the whole point of the story anyway. I wish I have read the book, I only have Nabokov's screenplay version.)
So there, story of my life. The weekend past, anyway. (And what a good weekend it was, having spent the memorable parts of it with Nico. Yihee.)
I'm at home, online with a book in my lap. Ho hum... Tinatamad pa akong magkuwento.
***
It was a dream, and in dreams you have no choices: either there are no decisions to be made, or they were made for you long before ever the dream began. ~American Gods (Neil Gaiman)
***
(Zarah, salamat! Wow, sa wakas nakarating na rin ako sa bahay mo hehehe... Thank your folks for me, ang sarap sarap ng food! Sirang sira ang diet! ;-j)
Magkukwento ako.
Yesterday I hung out at Nico's house while he reinstalled stuff into his newly upgraded pc. He picked me up from my meeting at Starbucks Katipunan in yuppie attire before heading home (kagagaling lang sa interview at sa pagawaan ng pc). Bagay sa kanya ang yuppie look, btw. Hehehe...
We went to the Last Full Show gig after dinner. Ang saya kagabi sa Millennia. Aside from the regulars (Matilda, Itchyworms, Musings...) guest bands Boldstar, Twisted Halo, Sandwich, Urban Dub and Glamband played to a full house. The last band was a blast-- Mike RiverMaya, Mong Chicosci, Edsel Furball, uhm, I'm not familiar with the other members-- basta kinareer nila ang pagiging Glam hahaha...
Anyway, sinamahan ako ni Nico kahapon magbantay ng merch booth. Astig. Andaming mga taong antagal ko nang di nakikita (Hi, Zarah!), grabe nakaka-miss.
***
Ay, nakuha ko na pala 'yung compli copy ko ng UP-CIDS PST / UNICEF handbook na ginawan ko ng cover late last year. Ganda ng printing. (But I was mortified to see a typo error. Sana di nila napansin 'yun. Shets.)
***
Last Wednesday I went to the; Ateneo to see Wincy receive his Dean's Award for the Arts (Music category-- Congrats, Wincy!). He sang and played guitar at the ceremonies, with Nico on bass, Jazz on keyboards, Carlo on drums. Andun din si Echo and the rest of Narda at the said event. Ang daming fans ni Wincy hehe...
Dinner buffet followed soon after. Sayang ang lahat ng attempts ng pagdi-diet naming lahat. Tsk, tsk.
Tumambay kami sa bahay ni Nico at nanood ng Ever After and Under the Tuscan Sun (mush galore hehe). Tas hinatid na ako ni Nico pauwi.
***
Tuesday was just special. A quiet evening spent with Nico in front of the t.v. while he ogled Diane Lane and that Sobieski chick on HBO. :-)
***
Naubos na pala 'yung Matilda sa Sarabia Optical (thank you, Doc Nella!). Kelangan kong magre-stock. I'll see if I can pass by Meh's apartment later to get more EPs.
***
Narda plays tonight at Big Sky (NekNekMo Productions). I hope you can come watch them play.
(UP Quill holds Release tonight at Freedom Bar as well, if you feel like listening to some poetry reading and The Purplechickens, among others.)
I got this from Mikey via Friendster. Maybe I should qualify my answers, too. That would sure waste more of my precious time... Hehehe...
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Copy this whole list into your journal.
2. Bold the things that are true about you.
01. When I was younger I made some bad decisions.
(Who doesn't, anyway?)
02. I don't watch much TV these days.
(True, true. The TV in my room only serves as an alarm clock. The celphone alarm doesn't work on me anymore.)
03. I love psychedelic mushrooms.
(I've tried them once, they're not bad, but I can't say I love them.)
04. I love sleeping.
(Ohhh yeah, as much as I can when I can.)
05. I have loads of books.
(Yep, but not as much as a lot of my other friends who are generous enough to lend me the stuff I can't afford hehehe...)
06. I once slept in a toilet.
(I think it's more like, passed out. Heh heh...)
07. I love playing video games.
(Or at least, I used to. Used to be addicted to Diablo and Snood. I'm still crazy over my Palm games, though, and I just finished Bounce on the celphone.)
08. I adore marijuana.
(No, 'adore' is too strong a word.)
09. I watch porn movies.
(What the hell for?)
10. I watch them with my father.
(Lalo na.)
11. I like sharks.
('Fascinated' would be a more appropriate word-- as in Discovery or National Geographic-fascinated. I definitely wouldn't like the idea of a shark lurking around me while taking a dip in the sea.)
12. I love spiders. I think they're adorable, especially the ones with bright colours on their backs.
(No, they're not. They eat bugs though so they're kewl.)
13. I was born without hair and I still have no hair.
(Fortunately, no. Hehehe...)
14. I like George Bush.
15. People are cool.
(Pero hindi ba mashadong sweeping generalization ito? Hehe...)
16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
(Changed how? Hehehe...)
17. I have jacuzzi and a Porsche.
(I wish.)
18. I have a lot to learn.
(Who doesn't? Pag feeling ko I don't have anything new to learn in this world wala na dapat akong rason para magpakalat-kalat dito sa lupa.)
19. I carry my knife everywhere with myself.
(Not really a knife, but I always have my cutter and brass knuckles with me. I am armed and dangerous! Hehe...)
20. I'm really really smart.
(And pigs fly.)
21. I've never broken someone's bones.
(I am not sure about this question so I'm leaving this alone.)
22. I have a secret.
(Like everyone else does. And the best way to keep it is to yourself.)
23. I hate snow.
(As if I know.)
24. I drink only milk.
(But what about vodka? And beer? And Zesto Dalandan Soda? And Cherry Coke? And... yeah yeah you get the picture.)
25. Punk rock rules.
(Yeah, and a whole lot of other genres, too, come to think of it.)
26. I hate Bill Gates!
(I don't give a flying ....)
27. I love Chinese food.
(Mmmm... North Park... Hap Chan... Wan Chai... Mann Han... Singkit... hehehe...)
28. I would hate to be famous.
(I'd like to be rich and obscure than be famous, but heck, I don't think I would 'hate' that.)
29. I am not a morning person.
(i am more productive in the evenings, although lately I've been getting up earlier than usual.)
30. I wear glasses.
(until I broke them. I think I need new ones, but I'm too lazy to do so.)
31. I don't need glasses, except sunglasses.
32. I have potential.
(Or at least I'd like to believe so.)
33. I'm pure Japanese.
34. My legs are two different sizes.
(Technically, no two body parts are of the same size, but heck I won't be putting this in bold face-- people might think I'm a freak. Errr... maybe it's too late for that now...)
35. I have a twin.
(I hear voices in my head. Could it be her?)
36. I wear a padded bra.
(The t-shirt bra kind, mind you. I don't need the extra stuffing, really.)
37. I can ramble on about absolutely nothing.
(Oh yeah. Absolutely nothing and everything!)
38. I'm left-handed.
(Yeah! Lefties are always right. Hehehe...)
39. I hate llamas, but I'm one of them.
(Eh?)
40. I don't like horror movies.
(Matatakutin ako pero sige pa rin ang panonood! Hehehe...)
41. I suck at climbing, but I love it anyway.
(I suck at climbing and I'm acrophobic.)
42. People hate me usually.
(I'm guessing. Yeah, 'cause I'm too outspoken and can voice my complaints to anyone's face and I'm taclesa at times and I'm bossy and... and... I can go on you know...)
43. I love pop music. depends on which ones, actually, but yes.
(I cannot deny that my formative years were severly hinged on pop culture.)
44. I hardly ever go to bed before midnight.
(Heck, I'm hardly ever *home* before midnight.)
45. I hate parking fines.
(Can't relate, 'cause I don't have a car. Pero hassle nga siguro magbayad.)
46. I know the National Anthem of my country by heart.
(Yeah. Panatang Makabayan din.)
47. I know more than two languages.
(English, Filipino, and some basic Spanish and French. Oui, oui.)
48. I spend too much time on my computer.
(My mom thinks so.)
49. I often want to throw out the computer in a window.
(I'd probably do this when I get a new one hehehe...)
50. I live on a ground floor.
51. I don't like chocolate.
(Whaaat?)
52. I'd like to be more original.
(I want to be original, just like everyone else. Hahaha...)
53. I've lied.
(Yeah, at one point in my life or another. But I try not to.)
54. Cocks are my favorite birds.
(Eh? Anubayan...)
55. I want to conquer the world.
(Siak ti dios! Bwahahaha...)
56. I wonder what happens when you die.
(And I wonder what happens, too, when I die. Hehehe...)
57. I've read all books about Harry Potter.
(Yep. Can hardly wait for Book 6.)
58. Eat your dog!
(Ano raw?)
59. I love to exercise.
(One look at me and you'd know I don't.)
60. I hate chemistry with a passion.
(Oh yes. I can't believe I was stupid enough to take BS Chemical Engineering the first three years of my college life.)
61. I love to write.
(But not in the literary sense. I like doing calligraphy. I like doodling. I like boring people with these blog posts.)
62. I like changes.
(The good kinds of changes, more specifically.)
63. I hate going to class.
(Depends which classes we're talking about here, but yes, there were several instances when I hated going to class.)
64. I am afraid to die.
(I'm not really afraid. I'm just not ready.)
65. I hate dish washing.
(Yeah. My mom can attest to that.)
66. My hair is long, brown, and incredibly curly.
(Buti na lang hindi ako kulot! Hehehe...)
67. My nails are nine inch long.
(Ano yun? Nine Inch Nails? Hehe...)
68. My favourite colour is Black.
(And silver.)
69. I like to sleep on the floor.
(Antigas kaya.)
70. I am hopeless at cooking.
(Mamamatay ako sa gutom kapag wala 'yung nanay ko at walang instant noodles.)
71. I sucked my thumb when I was little.
(Yeah. Bit my fingernails, too, back in preschool.)
72. I should be doing something else rather than writing this.
(Yeah, like getting ready for a meeting later in Katipunan.)
73. I am online a lot, but not on MSN.
(But I do have MSN. I'm just too lazy to log in.)
74. I hate government.
(or more appropriately, 'most people in the government'.)
75. I don't have a boyfriend. (Nor a girlfriend)
(Mamatay kayo sa inggit! Astig boyplex ko!)
76. I'm too nice for my own good.
(Sometimes. Pero actually, extremes ako eh hehe...)
77. I love to read, I read as much as I can.
(And lately I've been catching up on my reading lists.)
78. I don't trust newspapers.
(I've worked in advertising at one time, that taught me not to trust the media.)
79. I like debating.
(I love a good, healthy argument/discourse.)
80. I live in a lagoon.
(And I have a fish tail instead of feet.)
81. I clean my room once a month.
(Next statement, please.)
82. I'm scared of american fast food.
83. I am prying open my third eye.
84. I love Mozambique.
85. I don't trust any religion.
86. I used to play with barbies because all the other girls were doing it.
(Nakakahiyang aminin, pero oo. I had 5 Barbie dolls and a Ken. I gave away one Barbie and the useless Ken. Two of my Barbies are lesbians. They're still in my toy cabinet, in their respective boxes.)
87. I wanted to be a super hero when I was little.
(Hanggang ngayon, actually. Hehehe...)
88. I like listening to wind chimes.
(Yeah. Clink, clink. clunk, clunk.)
90. My hair is long and straight.
(But not as straight as I'd want it to be. Pero thankful pa rin ako na hindi ako kulot.)
91. I earn a lot.
(It seems the words 'PRO BONO' are written across my forehead.)
92. I don't like spicy food.
(I don't 'don't like' them, I just have low tolerance for spicy stuff.)
93. I keep a diary.
(Isn't it obvious??? Duh.)
94. I can't do cartwheels.
(I can't do cartwheels ANYMORE.)
95. I am very lazy.
('Nuff said.)
96. I'm sarcastic.
(Hindi rin...)
I think my hair is annoying.
(Sometimes. Gusto kong magparebond hehehe...)
I'm very sensitive.
(Sometimes OA na nga mashado eh.)
99. I love being "ab-normal".
100. My left eye is violet and my right eye is a
light blue.
Nakakapagod pala ito... Hehehe...
Bwehehe...
What is there to write when one is happy?
(Feeling Ralph Fienes sa The End of the Affair hahaha...)
(And, no, I'm not making excuses dahil tinatamad akong magkuwento hehehe...)
After three long years, I took the shrinkwrap off my copy of American Gods! (It breathes!)
I bought it long ago, soon after its release, and I placed it underneath the pile of old-new books that have yet to be read. (A lot of them still remain unread until now; lately I have been rereading old books and finishing borrowed ones so I could return them immediately.) I wanted to read something new this time. It was a toss up between Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle (Nico's copy, bought last December, still in shrinkwrap) and Gaiman's American Gods.
I took the latter from the middle of the stack and removed the torn plastic film off it. I found myself breezing through the third chapter in no time.
***
Nico is off jogging. We might see each other today and watch Under The Tuscan Sun on DVD (yesterday it was Tykwer's Run Lola Run on pirated VCD). Something to look forward to today. :-)
Yep, my throat's still bad, and I'm all clogged up with the yucky stuff. The antibiotics haven't worked their full magic on me yet.
I just finished Dandelion Wine and the experience has left me in a lazy fit. My body refuses to move and my brain just quit its job. I wish I was seven years old again-- that way I wouldn't have to worry about the stuff grown people kill themselves over with, my problems will be solved with a tantrum, and I will be able to feel and cherish every single holiday and summer day. (Wala kasing school and regular day job, eh, kaya tuloy walang epeks ang mga bakasyon sa akin.)
***
Summer is here and I don't know what to do with it. How pathetic.
***
And a shameless plug before I slip back into dull torpor--
Featuring performances by
Matilda, Itchyworms!, Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man,
Twisted Halo, Sandwich, Urban Dub and Glamband.
Freebies for the early birdies. P100 at the gate.
(CDs and merchandise will be sold at the gig as well.)
I am down to the last 50+ pages of Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine. His writing is very rich in detail, and sometimes it is more than enough to arrest your senses.
(Disclaimer: I don't know how to tell anyone about this book without killing the emotion of Bradbury's writing. This probably explains why I hated writing essays for school. There are not enough right words for such things.)
The book strings together several stories (it is almost vignette-like, or probably, more like digressions hehe), all of which revolve around the summer and vision of two young children in a small town. I am drawn to a particular part of the book (I agree, Nico, those were good chapters) wherein Mr. William Forrester and Douglas Spaulding talk with Miss Helen Loomis over lime-vanilla ices at the drugstore.
She sat across from them and it was like talking with a gray and lost quivering moth. The voice came from far away inside the grayness and the oldness, wrapped in the powders of pressed flowers and ancient butterflies.
Forrester and Loomis' story is sad and yet beautiful. It tells of their 'meeting of the minds', and how they have shared so many years with each other in so little time. I really liked what Miss Loomis said, in their last conversation together.
"I've always known that the quality of love was the mind, even though the body sometimes refuses this knowledge. The body lives for itself. It lives only to feed and wait for the night. It's essentially nocturnal. But what of the mind which is born of the sun, William, and must spent thousands of hours of a lifetime awake and aware? Can you balance off the body, that pitiful, selfish thing of night against a whole lifetime of sun and intellect?"
There is more existential talk and a letter in a blue envelope, and the chapter ends the hope of synchronicity and serendipity in the next lifetime.
What ever happened to happy endings? Douglas asks this of his friends, to which his brother Tom replies, "A good night's sleep, or a ten-minute bawl, or a pint of chocolate ice cream, or all three together, is good medicine."
***
Oo nga naman. After a lousy and/or frustrating day, those things will never fail to set things right, or at least make me feel better. Parang single-serve kind of happy ending. :-)
It's a good book. It's slow at the beginning, but it's worth sticking to it (may scary part pa somewhere in the middle) and I can't wait to finish it. (I'm just taking a break from the sensory overload hehe...)
***
Yesterday Nico and I were at the Sandwich video shoot at Nix Puno's house. Andaming tao. It's a shame we didn't stay for the actual shoot itself, I was getting asthmatic from the smoke machine and I had to recuperate for the Ateneo gig later that night. Instead we watched Bandits on video back at Nico's house.
At the gig: it was an acoustic set-up, but Narda used electric guitars with clean tone. Ed was invited to jam with his former band during the last song. Astig. (Ang ganda ng mga kanta niya ha. He performed before Narda.) :-)
Thursday was spent watching Love Actually with Nico and his mom. We all liked it. Ang lakas ko raw tumawa sabi ni Nico. Hehehe... We went to Glorietta afterwards to check out the WWF-Ang I.n.K exhibit, had dinner at Food Choices and went home.
The night before last was spent at Ponkan. (The two gigs were cancelled, Katwo wasn't feeling well.) Nico recorded his parts for Wincy's song. They had finished recording 3 tracks for the album already. 9 tracks to go.
Bago nag-recording kumain kami sa Lola Adangs at nag-videoke-- 'yung hinuhulugan ng barya! Hehehe... one song lang naman... hehehe...
Ay, electrifying kwento! During one of the downtimes I went to Nico with the guitar still strapped onto him. Upon contact NAG-SPARK! At nakuryente kami pareho. Anubayan.
Kzzzt...!
Yeah, tonsilitis is getting the best of me. I feel sluggish and I've been sneezing and coughing a lot.
I didn't go to Glorietta 2 for the exhibit ingress last night, I didn't go to the Matilda gig either. I stayed home feeling sick and annoyed.
I heard from Panch that the exhibit was a success, and that some of the artworks were sold already. Goody. (Exhibit runs until March 17 at the Glorietta 2 Lobby.)
***
Highlight of the day: Nico passed by the house. He brought me antibiotics and tententenen! Ruffles Sour Cream and Cheddar! (Thank you!!!) I returned his Books of Magic TPB, and I lent Nico my Stardust TPB and somebody else's Black Orchid TPB (all by Neil Gaiman). We went to Greenwich to get our Pearl Cooler fix, and I had a light and early dinner na rin. Nico left soon after for Kinema practice and Narda recording.
(JV is currently recording his parts. I was just talking to Nico on the phone, but he said bye-bye na, Wincy arrived at Ponkan. Mag-uusap muna ang mag-shota.)
I think I'll be turning in early tonight. Or at least tatanga ako sa kama ng mas maaga than usual.
Yesterday was a long day. Di tuloy ako nagising ng maaga for our group exhibit opening (Ang I.n.K and WWF) at the Hotel Intercon today at 10 a.m.
I slept at 3 am and woke up at 7:30 yesterday (I beat the alarms for a change hehehe). Got up, checked my mail and took down notes for my hack exhibit entry that I was supposed to do weeks before but didn't. I did a quick sketch, based on my notes and Marnie's input regarding Climate Change (our topic for the exhibit-- for more info please check the WWF website).
I went to National Katips soon after to get some materials and a ready-made frame. I didn't find what I needed there, but fortunately Nico arrived and took me to National Quezon Ave. We headed back to my place and I started on my piece while Nico did my caption (astig my boyplex!). I started 2:30 pm and ended at quarter to six, about which time I should be heading over to Mary's to get the rest of the works and take them to the hotel. It's literally a last-minute thing.
Apparently I didn't have to hurry because the exhibit panels were not coming in until 6 a.m. today, so Nico and I decided to rent a couple of movies and watch at least one of them at his place before submitting my artwork (at na-scan ko pa siya in the process hehe). We watched Toy Story 2. Ang cute talaga. And it's funnier than the first one. Nakakaiyak pa rin 'yung rendition ni Sarah McLachlan ng 'When She Loved Me'.
Ayun. We didn't get to see the other video we rented (Bandits), and we left for Kamuning. While in transit along Katipunan Marnie sends me a message saying that her mom is in the hospital (again) for pneumonia. Nico volunteered to pick her up and take her to St. Luke's (she was along Matalino St., which is more or less along the way to Kamuning where we were headed, and the hospital isn't really far from there either).
We stuck around the hospital for a while and headed home afterwards. Along Sumulong Highway on our way to take Marnie home we passed by a really bad vehicular accident (it was a head-on collision, downhill pa 'yung isa-- at parehong drivers lasing tsk tsk). There were people in the other car and Marnie thought it best that we stop to help.
And we did. Buti na lang Marnie is a Red Cross volunteer. There were two guys in the pick-up who were injured (the old guy in the passenger seat had several lacerations from the broken windshield glass, Marnie and I didn't think he was wearing a seat belt when it happened). They both refused to be moved (even though there were no visible signs of fracture or bruises except for the black eye) or to be taken to the hospital until their relatives arrived. (This is a very stupid thing to do, if you ask me, even if you don't trust the people who are trying to help you. There are probable life-threatening dangers to prolonging trauma, shock and internal hemorrhages.)
Most of the time, Nico and I just stood there. We wished we could do more though, but we didn't know how we can help, hindi naman kami trained sa mga ganyang bagay. (Marnie kept talking to the guys to keep them awake, the police already apprehended the offending party, and the victims' relatives were on their way.)
Finally the realtives arrived and Marnie and another Red Cross volunteer dude were able to move the injured guy to the other car. We left the scene after making sure that everything is under control.
It is strange how so many people can just crown over an accident and NOT do anything about it. Puro lang sila daldal at usisa. 'Yung pulis na nandoon walang pakialam 'dun sa mga naiwan sa kotse at inintindi lang 'yung suspect at 'yung sketch ng aksidente para sa blotter. (Alam ko ginagawa lang niya trabaho niya, pero I mean, may mga buhay na nakataya sa nangyari. Sana man lang may umasikaso sa mga biktima or tumawag ng ambulansya.) Sana pag may nangyari sa aking ganon (*knock on wood*), mayroong mga taong katulad ni Marnie na tutulong sa akin.
Another aside, we found out that the incident happened around five minutes before we arrived. Siguro kung umuwi kami ng maaga ng kaunti, o hindi kami huminto para dun sa mamang mabagal tumawid sa kalye pauwi, o kung napabilis ng kaunti ang pagmamaneho ni Nico, posibleng kami 'yung tinamaan ng sasakyan habang paakyat kami ng Sumulong Highway. It scares me when I think of it. Because anything can happen any time. And that they happen for a reason.
Nadelay ang pag-uwi naming lahat kagabi, pero mabuti na rin iyon. I am thankful I am still here, Marnie is at work and Nico is at home right now. (Thank you to everyone who have made me the person I am, ang dami ninyo, di ko kayo kayang isa-isahin. Thank you, Marnie, for helping complete strangers in their trying hour, and for being a good friend. Thank you, Nico, for insisting that I work on this exhibit, for everything you did for me yesterday and everyday for that matter, and thank you for being part of my so-called life.) I am thankful that even if I missed the exhibit opening today, I am still alive. Whoever you are who watches over us, thank you.
***
Tungkol sa exhibit namin, this is a tie up between Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.n.K.) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The exhibit deals with the issue of climate change caused by fossil fuel emissions and CFCs/HFCs and its effects on our environment. Tas pinag-usapan namin ito ni Nico pauwi galing sa National kahapon, sa loob ng kotse na nakabukas ang air con. Tas naisip ko, mga environmental NGOs, ang mga opisina nila naka-air con din.
*sigh*
Baka pumunta akong Makati mamaya. We need to move the exhibit set-up from the 14th floor Ballroom of the Hotel Intercon to the Glorietta 2 Lobby. Kung mapadaan kayo ng Makati, punta kayo sa exhibit namin ha! :-)
Sniff. Umuwi ako kagabi ng masama ang pakiramdam. Masakit ang ulo, masakit ang puson, masakit ang lalamunan, mejo sinisipon, nanghihina, parang lalagnatin. Ang KJ ko tuloy. I wouldn't know what to do kung wala si Nico.
Kahapon kasi, pumunta ako sa UP CFA para sa monthly I.n.K. meeting namin at para sunduin si Meh. At this point masama na ang pakiramdam ko. Tumuloy kami sa Makati for the Chalk photoshoot (nagkita-kita muna kami ni Jovi, Coi and Charms sa Quezon Ave. station ng MRT, si Yvette andun na sa venue). Di ko na naabutan 'yung shoot ng Narda, pero hinintay ako ni Nico sa studio (awww...).
Mukhang barkada pic 'yung photos ng Matilda! Hehehe... Kakaiba. Makikita ninyo 'yun sa May issue ng Chalk Magazine. (Actually may low res pics ako pero di ko pa nada-download from the camera.)
Nico and I left the shoot a bit earlier because we had to catch the 2nd PBA game (Ginebra vs San Miguel) at Philsports (ULTRA). Nakita namin si Kathy G! (Ngarag ang lola hehehe... working mode! Hi, Kathy!) Nico was stealing glances at Sarah Meier who was sitting in the same row. Talo Ginebra (kampi ako by, uhm, default hehehe). Tsk tsk.
After several episodes of option paralysis we finally came to Pearl Drive to have late dinner. By this time ang sama-sama na talaga ng pakiramdam ko. Nico took me home agad. (Pero di pa rin ako nakatulog. Slept really late, woke up really early.)
***
Nung Friday nga pala nag-brisk walking kami ni Nico sa UP. Feeling namin papayat na kami hehehe... (Pero mukhang hindi pa rin, kumain kami sa Rodics pagkatapos, tas ice cream sa Celebrity habang nagbibilyar hahaha...) ;-P
Tas pumunta kaming Ponkan kasi dapat magrerecord si Nico, but we ended up hanging out and napping instead.
***
Sana sipagin ako today. Mukhang kailangan ko nun... :-/ (Tinatamad pa akong kumain ng lunch, plus may kailangan talaga akong gawin for tomorrow.)
***
Sa wakas, naka-access na rin ako ng Friendster matapos ang isang linggong nire-redirect lang nila ako sa log-in page ko. Tae talaga, kesyo may bug daw sila sa IE chenes chenes tas magdownload daw ako ng Mozilla. Pweh.
*mwah*
I woke up late, as usual. (Umaga na rin naman ako nakauwi eh, tas di naman ako nakatulog agad, pa-fade-in-fade-out lang ako.)
Yesterday I had lunch with Nico and EJ at The Old Spaghetti House. The food was okay, but I can't say I'd like to go back there. I mean, masarap naman eh, but I guess I was expecting too much of the pasta-- after all, that's supposed to be the specialty.
Anyway, I accompanied Nico with his clearance thingy then we headed for Ortigas to meet up with Phat Boy's cousin. We parked beside Prestige Tower, Emerald avenue. The company I used to work for moved there from the hinterlands of Makati right after I left, so I figured, heck, maybe I should give my former officemates a call.
And I did. And it was a funny one. I talked to Josef and told him where I was (which is the aformentioned parking lot). He opened the window and started making fun of me (it took a while for me to see him, but he saw me right away). It was a funny sight, I was at ground level looking up at a couple of my friends who were on the 25th floor and who were waving like crazy at me. Hehehe... ;-D
After driving around in circles in the Ortigas-Pasig-Quezon City area, Nico and I went to Eastwood to see Something's Got To Give. Nakakatawa. Pero may mga 'awa' moments sa movie. Basta. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it.
(I realized I lost a silver hoop earring at the tail end of the movie. Argh.)
We had (very late) dinner at Munch, Katipunan. Pampa-alis sungit. If you miss eating Full House's famed chicken crepe, eating at Munch would be the next best thing.
***
Wednesday, in retrospect, was fun. Nico and I went to Riverbanks to look for a toothbrush case (but didn't find one), then we headed for his Kinema practice. I stayed in one corner, playing around with Nico's laptop. Nag-upload lang ako ng mga sweetie-kadiri wallpapaers sa phone hehehe...
Met up with Diegobot at Millennia to consign cds (Matilda & Narda EPs now available at Eskinita, Taytay!). 'Yun. Tas gig ng Matilda-Narda rin that night. Tas astig ulit 'yung set ng Technicolor Dreamcoat (Have a good time / Ye-ye-yeah! ). Ang kulit ni (Romeo) Lee.
Nag-uber late dinner kami sa Nakayama ni Nico, JV, Katwo and NewYork. Masarap na pangwakas sa isang masaya at nakakapagod na araw.
***
'Yung POTD namin ni Jovi, according to Karl, kuha 'yun nung Matilda EP Launch! (November 7, 2003) Wow, retro. ;-)
(Teka, kelan pa ba kaya itong picture na ito? Mahaba pa buhok ko rito. Nasa gitna pa ang hati. Malamang 2003 pa ito...)
Expendable. That's what I am in this house. Hmf. 'Nuff said.
I don't know if I should wish for a bigger role in this world I move in. It's seems to be a scary wish to make. I don't think I can handle all that responsibility.
I think I'll wish myself lots of luck instead. (Looks like I will need it.) *sigh*
Ang tagal ko nang hindi nakapagblog. Ang dami ko nang kuwento. Subukin kong isa-isahin mamaya.
Ang weird ng pakiramdam ko ngayon. Parang ang lungkot. Di ko alam kung may rason ako para malungkot, pero ganun eh. Tama nga siguro nanay ko, sumpungin daw ako.
*sigh*
Sige, magkukuwento na lang ako.
***
Feb 25, Wednesday.
Woke up at 8:30 in the morning. I got a full 8-hour sleep, thanks to medical science. I did some auditing and inventory checking of merchandise to be sold that night at Millennia for Last Full Show.
Nico dropped by in the afternoon. He worked on his database project on the laptop while I made pasta. (Yeyeyeah, nagluto po ako. Favor for my mom who was holding her regular prayer meeting here at home.) Tuna & vegetable in olive oil thingy. It's the only thing I know, aside from frying things in cooking oil. Masarap daw sabi ni Nico, pero siguro biased lang siya.
We left the house at quarter to seven. Nico went to Kinema practice and I went to National to get some masking tape before heading for Millennia.
Ayun, trabaho night. Manned the merch table near the door. Nico dropped by after choir practice. Went home at one in the morning, tired and irritable.
***
Feb 26, Thursday.
I didn't get to go online because my stupid ISP was down (since the day before pa). I don't remember what else happened except that I spent most of the night on the phone.
***
Feb 27, Friday.
Woke up in a panic. Matilda was going to play at the UST Chalk Festival. Met up with Nico at Ministop Katips because I was going to be late if I had to commute. Picked up Meh at 3pm. Got stuck in traffic. Arrived at UST 4:45pm. (Tae talaga.)
Matilda EPs were sold out by the time they finished playing. (I underestimated the crowd and brought only 14 cds, bummer.) Ang init ng pagtanggap sa amin ng crowd sa Chalk Festival. Marami rin kasing mga taga-ibang schools sa UST at the time.
We left UST at around 6pm. Car stuffing ang drama namin sa kotse ni Nico. Grabe pa ang traffic. We went through the bowels of Sampaloc, Manila. Ang palengke dun hanggang kalye ang tinda. Sabi nga ni Nico baka 'drive-thru palengke' ang gusto nilang mangyari. Quarter to seven na nang makarating kami sa UP.
Matilda played acoustic at UP NIGS for the College of Science Students' Week. Yvette went home to sleep so they played without her. Jovi used her nice new cajon. In-interview sila ni Clarie for Chalk magazine pagkatapos ng gig.
Nico and I waited for Clarie to convoy with her to Freedom Bar (for Narda's gig @ the Dumagat Benefit), but we had to leave without her because she had to stay to wait for the spare car key (her driver locked the car key inside tsk tsk).
Freedom Bar. One word: HASSLE. We got there in a huff. The rest of Narda were there 9:20 pm for the interview before the gig. (I told them what happened to Clarie.) Tas naurong pa ang sked namin na originally 9:40 pm to sometime after 12 midnight. Ubos na ang lakas at pasensya ko.
After the Chalk interview, Nico and I passed by Millennia for the Ciudad launch (which was over by the time we got there). I wanted to trade my Sandwich shirt with new stock from Mike D but he ran out of the same color and design. Sayang. Pero okay lang, kasi nakausap ko sandali si Pancho ng HindiLabel.
Anyway, I was just so tired and frustrated, by the time we parked in front of my house at 2am I was crying my eyes out.
***
Feb 28, Saturday.
Unplugged my phone line, diverted all my cell phone calls and cried until 6am. Ampanget ko.
Dumaan si Nico ng alas-otso ng umaga pero di ko siya nakita (my mom was pissed kasi di raw ako gumising nung dumating siya). Bumalik naman si Nico rito pagkatapos ng exam niya sa database at natulog kami sa couch hanggang alas-4 ng hapon.
Pumunta kami sa birthday dinner ni Camille (Happy birthday, Camille!). Ang sarap sarap ng food! Nico had to leave early for a Kinema event though. Nagkita na lang kami ulit sa Millennia (Narda gig @ Mos Eisley Imperial Prom Night).
We stayed until Boldstar's set, went home and called it a night.
***
Feb 29, Sunday.
Putol-putol na tulog hanggang hapon. My kabarkada who is based in Singapore was here for the weekend, may get-together kami sa Antipolo. I waited for Nico to come over and pick me up (he had a wedding choir gig and then watched PBA at Araneta), malapit lang kasi rito 'yung house ng friend ko.
Okay naman. I missed my friends. We talked about travelling, movies, pirated DVDs, reality TV shows and relationships. Pa-inom-inom. Tas ang cute ng boypren ko. Hehehe... ;-)
***
Mabalik naman ako sa ngayon. Di ko naipost agad itong entry ko kasi biglang tumawag 'yung friend ko na taga-UP Underground Music Community, gusto akong magconsign ng mga cds na meron ako. May-I-rush to UP tuloy ako, deadma kung may strike ang mga sasakyan o wala.
Sinundo ako ni Nico sa CASAA at nagdinner kami sa Wham! Burger tas umuwi na rin kami pagkatapos ng matinding traffic sa Katipunan-Libis area.
Ayan. Isang tambak na karanasan. *whew* Ang haba na nito hehehe...
