Tsk.

It seems my luck has run out. I want more potion. But moving on...

Happy birthday, Harry Potter.

Whatever makes you happy.

we don't have to stay friends let's pretend to be enemies...

It comes in threes.

My calves are hurting from two consecutive days of walking around Makati. :-P

I did rush work yesterday. After online exchanges of presentations and revisions with my client, I finally had three collaterals approved and finalized. As soon as I burned them to a cd I hurried to Makati for submission.

I got caught up in rush hour traffic and arrived in Makati at 6. It was a good thing my client was still in the office by the time I got there. The client was happy with the submissions, and I was happy with what I got in return. ;-) Heh heh...

*****

I went back to Glorietta again, this time caught unaware of the number of people inside. Midnight madness sale pala. Hmf.

Chin happened to be in the same mall so we met up. She was shopping for casual rubber shoes for her trip to Subic the next day. We were distracted by all the pink shoes (maraming magagandang pink ngayon, ewan ko ba)! I found a nice pink and gray pair of Fila and resolved to buy them the following week.

Chin suddenly blurted, 'Ano ka ba, bilhin mo na 'yan! Sale kaya noh!' I looked at the price tag, then at the discount sign (which said 30% off).

[insert pregnant pause and sound effects for the realization which just dawned upon me]

The sales guy did the math for me and went off to get a pair my size. 'Langya ka, Chin, ikaw dapat 'yung bibili ng sapatos,' I said with a chuckle. After a couple of tries and a few minutes, I was falling in line at the cashier. I was in impulse-buying bliss.

While Chin was trying on her yellow pair of Diesel shoes, Nico showed up at the shoe section, handing me a Tower Records bag with Tori Amos' new album in it. ('Peace na tayo ha?' Okay. Heh heh...)

After shoes, I did a side trip for denims. Chin bought shades. This mall is evil.

*****

Nico treated us to a fairly huge dinner at the newly opened A Veneto pizzeria. We were so hungry, but there was still plenty of food left over. We took the food and my loot to the car, and Chin went to 6750 to wait for her parents to pick her up.

We went back inside the mall and roamed around Tower. I saw Dubstar's new cd! I'll get it next week, probably. We postponed plans to watch a movie to the next day and played arcade at Timezone instead (that's thrice in a week for me!). I saved the tickets we earned for some other time.

*****

In front of my house I fell asleep in the car and woke up with a start. I couldn't remember what I was dreaming then. Pero parang bad trip 'yung feeling. Weird.

*****

I still feel tired. But I have had my rewards, and so much more besides. Aw, happiness. ;-)

Thursday night out.

I am almost getting used to the multi-tasking stint. Almost.

I have been cooped up at home for a handful of weeks already (except for client meetings and one day during weekends with Nico), working on several projects at the same time. I can feel the early signs of a burn out, and my want for a vacation seems to feel like a need already.

*****

I'm frustrated over a certain project I'm working on, as I feel my partner lacks the motivation to finish the job. I understand the kind of pressure the both of us are under but I don't appreciate the resentment that I'm sensing from e-mails I've read recently.

*****

I went to UP to meet with my former NGO client who wants another version of a book illustration cover I did a few years ago. I hope we get to come to an agreement. :-)

I then headed for Makati for my appointment with another client yesterday, to finalize details of our agreement (although I have started to do freelance work for the company already). We worked out some revisions, and she finally signed my MOA! Yay! She asked me to come back the next day for finalization of three out of six collaterals I'm doing for them.

Going back home seemed to be a bad choice for me, as I didn't want to deal with the frustration from that other pending project. After my meeting I hung out at Glorietta to pass the time. I surfed the net, played pROSE for short while and reread Michael Ende's Momo (which I got from Wincy for what seems a long time ago).

Shortly Kathy arrived. We had dinner and spent a lot of money on Timezone. FUNFUNFUN! Ang saya pumatay ng ipis! We exchanged our tickets for kitsch prizes. Nakakaaliw 'yung bubbles na may torotot na kasama, and we were laughing like crazy more than half the time.

*****

I miss LFS!!! Finally I was able to make an appearance at the Last Full Show gig at SaGuijo. Kathy and I cabbed to the place, and we got in for free ('cause I'm an LFS-er and chika si Manong at the gate eh hehe...). What I thought was going to be a slow, quiet gig turned out to be a fun and loud night of music and hanging out with people I haven't seen in a while.

I enjoyed The Purplechicken's set. It was really really great to experience Ciudad again! Can't wait for their new album. I saw Bitter Pill for the first time-- galing ha. Nagulat ako sa last song though, I thought they were just fooling around when I heard the opening riffs of a Kylie Minogue song during soundcheck. Heh heh... Boldstar kicked off their set with my favorite Boom Desire, and played new songs-- the last one (I dunno what it was called) might become my next new favorite.

*****

Kathy, Mikey and I hitched with Jeff on the way home. After dropping Kathy off somewhere in the North (heh heh sorry, geographically challenged me), Mikey requested for a sidetrip to Burger Machine. We had pre-dawn burgers, and a really good laugh over high school and college anecdotes. Jeff took us home afterwards. (Ambait talaga! Thanks, Jeff!!! Thanks Mikey! And thank you, Kathy!!!) >:D<

*****

I got home a little over an hour ago. I finished my collateral revisions a few minutes ago, and I just need to wait for client approval before I head back to Makati later today.

*****

Thursday seemed to lack one thing, but surprise, surprise, I was satisfied with the way the day turned out. I was right-- I'm feeling lucky. I'm exhausted but I'm happy.

The Headless Chicken.

Yes, that's what I am.

Panic. Panic.

Felix felicis.

I'm feeling lucky.

Yesterday was a feel-good Saturday, although it has been a bit hectic for me. Recently my sleeping hours have been shorter than usual, I have difficulty getting up at 11 in the morning. I dragged myself out of bed a little bit later than that, so I had to hurry to get ready for a meeting.

(Actually, I was working Friday night, having another round of insomnia, then I got sick of work and read half-way through Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince instead [thanks, Anj!]. Thursday night was Being John Malkovich on DVD. FUN! Malkovich? Malkovich! Malkovichmalkovichmalkovichmalkovich... Heh heh heh... But I digress.)

I left the house in a rush without eating breakfast/lunch. It rained hard on the way; I was half-wet when I met up with Nico at Katipunan.

Thinking I was already late, I ignored hunger pangs and we headed for Aklatang Pambata where I was meeting with UP Interior Design students who were helping out with the community library renovations. I discussed the I.n.K. office construction specifications with them, then Nico and I stayed on for the meeting with community representatives (Barangay councilors, teachers & SK officers), and talked about the community library project targeted for the children of Barangay Paltok, Del Monte, QC.

I felt good, despite the uncomfortable hunger pangs. Being part of this project in my small way made me feel proud of myself. (Now I can say that at least once in my life I haven't been selfish. Heh heh heh...)

We didn't finish the meeting though. I was really hungry and I wanted to do something about it. I had late beef biryani lunch at Mister Kabab, and we had yogurt shakes afterward (sarap!!!).

We made a short detour to Tower Records Quezon Avenue before going to Greenhills (where we were meeting Nico's family for a movie and dinner). After much self-debate, Nico bought the new NIN cd With Teeth and we immediately popped the cd in the player as soon as we got in the car. ANG GANDA. I want a copy.

We met up with Nico's parents at the Theater Mall. They already bought tickets for us to see The Island. The movie's okay, the sige-na-nga not-bad kind of okay. I guess lowering my expectations really helped a lot (well, the advertisers billed it as from the same guys who did Armageddon and Pearl Harbor-- not exactly my favorite films in the world, you know hahahaha...). It was worth watching for Ewan McGregor, to say the least. Heh heh...

We had dinner at Little Asia after thawing (gadsh ang lamig sa sinehan noh) outside the resto. Bianca joined us for dinner (but didn't eat), and introduced to us her new boyfriend. She looked happy. Naks. :-)

We all loitered for a bit at the newly opened Fully Booked store, drooled over the books we wanted to own, then eventually broke up in pairs. Nico's parents went home, his sister left with her beau, and Nico and I stayed for a bit to play at Timezone. :-)

A nap in the car kind of kept me awake when I got home, so just now I finished reading Book 6, and found myself crying and cursing at what had happened. (And now Rowling let's us grieve until the next installment of Harry Potter comes. Bwiset.)

*****

I'm sleepy with tears and I can't concentrate.

Akala ninyo siguro apathetic ako.

While looking for photos for comping I stumbled upon the Lonely Planet website. I clicked on our little country on the map, and this is what I found.

Ang ganda ng sinabi, di ba? :-P Hindi ko alam kung malulungkot o magagalit ako. What it said was true. The warning serves as a precaution to travellers, but it just rubs off me the wrong way. It's bad in some places, I know. Pero andito pa ako. Anjan ka pa (binabasa ang blog ko).

I can easily blame the government for the country's sad state. I'm blaming not just one person. Almost every single member of the government (almost, para hindi naman mashadong sweeping ang generalization hehe). Nakaka-irita lang kasing isipin na marami sa kanila, andyan na sa gobyerno mula pa ng panahon ni Marcos. Kebs nila ang palitan ng pamumunuan. Basta andyan pa rin sila.

Sige na nga, hindi naman lagi. Some have resorted to resignation as a statement (at siguro sincere naman ang iba sa intensyon nila). Pero ipupusta ko ang isang taong sweldo ko na *at least* kalahati sa mga 'yan, babalik sa "paninilbihan" sa gobyerno (pareho man ang pwesto, o sa ibang opisina na, basta sa gobyerno pa rin). O di ba, may commitment to public service? Kaya kutob mo, walang pagbabago?

If recycling government officials actually helps conserve the environment, shit, this country is paradise.

I am not sure where I stand in all this political hullabaloo. Do I want GMA to resign? Hell, yeah. But I also want most everyone to resign, and I want the opportunists to shoo and go away. I want a new government, run by people who care about the country and its constituents, people who really know what they are doing.

REBOLUSHOWN!!! FASHOWN!!!

Argh.

Conversations.

#1.

Kathy: jovan!
Kathy: :)
Kathy: at huy, wala na si nico sa narda?
starshuffler: hi kathy :)
Kathy: #-o
starshuffler: yeah.
starshuffler: i was just waiting for the band to announce it sa mailing list...
starshuffler: sila ni JV umalis na.
Kathy: why?
Kathy: :(
starshuffler: di sila maka-commit ng 100% eh
starshuffler: shempre, may kanya-kanya silang priorities.

Yup, it's official. No biggie, really. (I felt kind of sad when Nico told me about it though.)

*****

#2.

Porkas* (? -- shyte I can't remember hehe): Anong pangalan mo?
Andrew **: Ishmael po. (in a lame attempt not to give away his true identity)
Porkas: Ishmael ano?
Andrew: Ishmael Bernal po.
Porkas: At ako naman si Marilou Diaz-Abaya. (Referring to his band of goons) Ito naman si Laurice Guillen. Ito si Jose Javier Reyes. At ito naman si Joel Lamangan. Ngayon, ano'ng gusto mong pag-usapan natin? Censorship in Philippine cinema?

* Jaime Fabregas
** Boy2 Quizon

Hahahah... Nico and I watched Pinoy/Blonde yesterday. Witty and funny! Nico thinks there was a lapse in pacing, and others think there's a lack of substance (I tend to agree, but I can ignore that hehe), but the movie-- riddled with inside jokes and boasts of an original soundtrack-- is, in a word, entertaining.

Good feet, good posture, good health. Repeat after me.

*****

#3.

A little before lunch yesterday, Nico called me on the phone. But instead of his usual happy greeting ('Hi!!!'), he disguised himself with a deep, modulated voice. He sounded all business-like. He was pretty good at it, I must say.

Nico: Hello, may I speak with __[insert my full name here]__?
me: Yes? That's me.
(Insert short vague conversation here. And then--)
Nico: Kilala mo ba ako?
me: Oo naman. May caller ID ako eh.

Updates.

I edited my first Gaiman-ia post and added more pics. :-)

*****

[start digression]

After tiring ourselves out during last Saturday's gathering, we headed for Quezon City for Nico's gig. (Kawawa naman ano?) We got there after 10 p.m. Forgetting Luna got to play some time after 1 a.m. :-P By then we were nodding off from exhaustion.

No flash, no tripod, crappy lighting. Mukhang multo si Nico. Heh heh heh...

[end digression]

*****

Tried to finish work this week despite the post-Gaiman depression that kind of sneaked up on me while I wasn't paying attention. I'm okay now, and I'm definitely feeling better than the past two days.

*****

As if all the backlog I'm saddled with isn't enough, I have now shouldered extra pro-bono work from my org. Sige lang. Good luck sa ating lahat.

*****

I finally saw a third of my Graham Coxon Live at the Zodiac DVD!!! I dunno when I'll get to see the rest of it, but that'll do for now.

Eventually.

Late at night, on the phone:

Girl: I thought you were going to call me.
Boy: I was going to call you.
Girl: When?
Boy: Eventually.

Eventually. Hmf. I never thought I'd hate this word.

I want a Peacekeeper.

Peacekeeper

Does it come in kikay pink? I want one!

Gaiman-ia! (part 2)

Manic Monday.

*****

When I woke up Sunday, I was in pain. I was hurting in different places, and I couldn't move without wincing. I decided to stay home and recuperate for the Monday event.

And since I didn't go to Greenhills, I had no idea how the thing went. I only found out from Rachell's Monday morning SMS that they were giving away signing stubs at Gateway as early as 8:30. I checked my watch: 9:30 a.m. Argh. I decided to take a chance anyway and arranged to meet up with Rachell.

I was at Gateway by 11. From a distance, I could see the Fully Booked metal door stretched half-way down to the floor. I didn't see a crowd. Yet. As I approached the venue I saw tens of people outside the glass doors of Gateway (that area in between the mall and the train station). 'Manageable,' I thought to myself. I walked out of the doors to check out the line.

Shock, shock, horror, horror.

The line (which was 3 persons deep, at least) stretched all the way down three levels. After two trips on the escalator, I never bothered to find out where the end of the line was. I called Rachell and told her the situation. She told me she'll pick me up so we can head straight to the Writer's Forum instead.

I got a staff ID from Mango Jam, and I was able to sneak Rachell in without a hassle. Then I left my gift for Neil with Tita Susan A., who was so kind to sneak my token cd into the British Council goody bag they were giving him.

Thor (the dear!) saved us seats. (It was early, so seats weren't hard to come by, but we had a good view.) Sitting there comfortably feeling giddy was better than waiting at Gateway, I thought. We had to wait for a bit though, as Neil was still wrapping up his interview over at NU. Rachell had this crazy idea to wait for Neil downstairs, the stalker! Hehe... I must admit, I was tempted at the idea.

photo by Paolo

The forum was fun (and funny, too)! There were intelligent questions and silly ones alike, but Neil answered all of them with wit and flair. What can I say? I can't believe someone can be so nice and polite and accomodating (in a word, magnanimous). I am in love. :-)

Thor's officemate Anne let me play around with her nice digital camera and took lots of photos. Will be posting them here as soon as I get them via e-mail.

[Edit: Found them in my mail today, so I'm posting them now!]

Blurry pics, I know. It's kind of difficult to take digital pics with this icky kind of lighting from where we were seated. This last one I edited a bit, I erased the water bottle and a bit of Ani's arm.

After the event we hung out at the bottom of the stairs, and schmoozed with people we know. After a few minutes Neil went down the stairs surrounded by security personell. As he walked past us I waved and said hi, and he looked at me and said, 'Hey!' with a smile. Highlight of the day. :-D

One of Thor's friends kissed Neil and passed the love around to us. Heh heh heh... It was kind of awkward. Someone should have introduced me to her. Heh heh...

*****

And so here ends the Gaiman lovefest in Manila, but the dreams will go on. :-)

*****

Rachell treated me to late lunch at Bizu. We sat with Wincy and Marie, Quark and Lia, Mark, Ramon, et al., and we all had different conversations running at the same time. Heh heh...

After that yummy repast Rachell and I decided to watch War of the Worlds ('cause we both haven't seen it and didn't have anyone to watch it with).

[And now I will digress for a bit.] On our way out of Bizu, a girl from the table behind us called my attention apologetically and asked me where I bought my shirt (the one with a cute girl graphic and the words 'IT'S MINE.'). Caught by surprise, I couldn't recall where I bought it (most probably sa ukay). She said it reminded her of a friend and wanted to get one for her/him. I told her to have a shirt made just like it so she took pics of my shirt (front and back). She seemed embarassed to ask but I said it was okay. (Rachell thinks it's normal, she does that all the time! hehe...) [end digression]

Anyway--- we watched the latest Spielberg flick. Despite the fact that Nico kind of spoiled the ending (with my permission) for me, I liked it (specially the opening shots). Or maybe I lowered my expectations with all the mixed reviews I've been hearing. Or maybe the last movie I saw was notches below this one. I dunno. Maybe Spielberg did it right in this movie. (I swear he should have ended AI with the Blue Fairy scene.) Heh heh...

*****

We went around Shoppesville in search for the elusive Katamari Damacy game (the old one) while we waited for Rachell's dad to pick her up. No dice. (Kung sinong meron-- pakopya naman o!)

*****

I was home a little after eight, tired but happy. I had a good day and I couldn't ask for anything more (uhmm wait, maybe I would ask for a few things if I could, but you get my point hehehe).

Gaiman-ia!

The Saturday Special.

[Edited to include more pics!]

Most everyone who went to last weekend's big event wrote about it in their blogs (those who have blogs anyway), so I'm pretty sure some of you are tired of hearing about it. But this is my journal and I can post all about it all I want. Hehehe...

I don't have all the photos/videos from last Saturday yet (Nico, my designated photographer for the day, has all of them), but I'll be posting what Nico sent me today. I'll be updating this entry as soon as I get the compiled stuff in a cd.

*****

'Hindi pa basa ang kilikili ko!' -- No, no, that wasn't what she said. Hehe... ;-) Ate Faye and Thor arrived at 8:30 so they got good two-digit numbers. Nico and I arrived 9:20 in the morning at the Rockwell Tent, where a huge crowd gathered already. We were numbers 196 and 198.

*****

Neil came to the tent early to judge the art competition. I saw him walk towards the head of the queue, and I said to Nico: He is here!, and waved absently (he was not even facing us! Hahaha! Nakakahiya!). Then the crowd hooted to acknowledge his presence. I think that woke him up. Heh heh...

*****

After getting our numbered stubs we hung out for coffee/refreshments, then watched Fantastic Four (which, btw, wasn't so fantastic) with my barkada. We had late lunch at Dulcinea (although Nico and I shared an appetizer-- I was still full from the Sausage McMuffin I had for breakfast) before we headed back to the tent.

*****

(l-r): Anj, Jan, myself & MM

I finally met Anj, Jan's girlfriend! (We've been teasing him about it, calling Anj Mr. Snuffy [sorry Anj!], because we've never met her until last Saturday-- she's based in far-away Davao. I was glad she was in town to witness all this.) It was a reunion of sorts for all of us. We saw friends we haven't seen in a long time, former and current bosses, orgmates, even those we don't consider friends anymore. We also made friends with friends of friends, and strangers in queue. (What a lovefest, don't you think?)

The Late Isabel took the stage. I think they were only supposed to perform a few songs but they had to stall the show a bit with more because Neil was having problems with the hotel printer. I'm not a fan of their music, but it was just sad that they were getting booed by impatient crowd. I was getting antsy myself (the backs of my knees were hurting like hell from all the standing) but I tried to keep my mouth shut. It wasn't the band's fault really.

*****

The man himself!!! I never thought I'd meet Neil Gaiman in the flesh. (I was almost afraid the event might get cancelled due to the political situation. The gods must be on our side.)

Neil without the ubiquitous leather jacket. Mmmmm...

He read an excerpt of Anansi Boys and brought a preview of Mirrormask for us to watch and drool over! I hope they show the movie here.

*****

Ayoy was telling me how I should be practicing what I should say to him when my turn comes so I wouldn't sound like a complete idiot. And did I listen?

Nico went first and had his Books of Magic trade paper back autographed (I gave that to him as a gift two Christmases ago). Neil wished him sweet dreams. :-) (Sayang lang, blurry 'yung pic.)

Finally, after several hours of waiting and standing, I had my books signed. Dugyot na ako! :-P

(I realize of late that I didn't pose for a pic with him. I think it's okay. I got so much more than pictures out of this experience.)

*****

[I'm still thinking if I should post the video and let everyone see what an idiot I've been as I was talking to Neil while he signed my stuff.] <-- I decided against this to protect what little is left of my dignity. Heh heh... ;-P

*****

Isn't that the cutest Rattus Rattus? :-D (And I told him so.)

Upon seeing this Neil said: "I haven't seen one of these in a very long time!" I was only allowed two items for signing. I was dead set on having my hardbound copy of Coraline signed, but I hadn't decided which of my books/comics would take the other slot (although I had my eyes set on the illustrated Stardust Nico gave me). My friends kept on goading me to have this signed instead ('It's a rare thing! Ano ka ba?!'). I couldn't decide and told them I'll bring both along with my copy of Coraline. Neil signed all three of them. :-)

*****

Watch me gush. Watch me melt.

I didn't ask to be hugged (although I was really planning to hahaha...). He just did. It was a real heart-warming hug.

*****

I have read posts online that tried to chastise the literate ones who acted like freaks at the event. (Uhhh... what was that about?) Call me a shallow fangirl, that's fine by me. I don't care what elitists say. I have reduced myself to something I wouldn't want to be given normal circumstances but it was all worth it. (And at least that's one less miserable what-if to think about.)

*****

Thank you for the dreams, Mr. Gaiman.

Thanks to the powers-that-be for bringing Neil Gaiman to the Philippines.

But, more importantly, I'd like to thank someone else for making July 9, 2005 one of the most memorable days of my life. He's not really a fan, but he woke up early (6:30 a.m!), bought me breakfast, waited and suffered the heat with me patiently, took our photos/videos, carried my huge bag of books, put up with my excitement, and took me home. Thank you. *mwah*

Q & A.

Luis just sent me an SMS:

From Kristine F: "What do i have to do to get hugged?!" ;)

My reply?

I dunno. Call yourself a blubbering idiot? 'Cause that's just what I did, and he assured me that I wasn't and he HUGGED ME. His manly stubble across my my cheek will be remembered until after the next lifetime. *weeps*

I realize that I will be talking about this experience in spurts. It's impossible to just tell it in one go. Not after what I've just been through.

G is for giddy.

Just emerged half-asleep from Nico's car. Before I totally go brain-dead tonight, I have four words for you:

Neil Gaiman hugged me.

(Kwento to follow. Uber-pagod na talaga ako.)

I am a lost cause.

I need my beauty sleep!!!

But knowing that Mr. Gaiman is booked in a hotel room in Makati under an assumed name at this very moment is not helping.

Argh.

I. Must. Sleep.

Just like Monday.

Waking up at 7:30 in the morning always feels like Monday. :-P

I went to Makati today for a raket-related meeting, and then I had lunch with Nico at his building's cafeteria floor. (Thank you! Ü)

I walked to Glorietta, had my 'biner watch battery replaced then took the MRT to Cubao. Only today did I discover the very long walkway from the MRT station to Gateway. I didn't mind the long walk. At least I didn't have to set foot in the skeery streets of Cubao. I didn't bother making side-trips on the way home. Inaantok ako.

Leaving Makati early was a blessing in the skies [sic]. (There's a rally ensuing somewhere in the Makati CBD as I type. Tsk tsk.)

Umiinit na naman ang ulo ko... 10, 9, 8, 7...

ANYWAY, I'm so excited! I already have my day planned for tomorrow. Let's hope things remain peaceful until then. :-)

G is for--

Oooh Gaiman and Gorillaz!

In the mood for vector.

Did this quick one for Kathy. :-)

(Okay, okay, back to work for me...)

Flashback.

On the phone, last week:

Nico: Masarap 'yung graham crackers...
me: Mahilig din ako sa graham crackers! Laging bumibili mommy ko nun.
Nico: Anong mas gusto mo, graham crackers o si Graham Coxon?
me: Si Graham Coxon.
Nico: E paano kung stranded ka sa isang island, anong mas pipiliin mo, one year's supply ng graham crackers o si Graham Coxon?
me: Si Graham Coxon pa rin.
Nico: Kahit wala ka nang makakain?
me: Anlaki-laki ng dagat, imposible naman na wala akong makakain nun.
Nico: E paano kung mabaho pala siya?
me: E di paliliguan ko siya.
(frustrated sigh from the other end of the line)

Heh heh heh...

Someone to watch over me.

I kept myself busy yesterday, despite my state of health (which, lately, seems to disagree with me most of the time). I tried to do a little bit of work, checked my mail, did some research for a personal project which I planned to finish today, or by tomorrow morning at the latest.

And instead of attempting to finish what I had set out to do in (*checks the puter clock*) less than eight hours (which, I think, at this point, isn't very feasible), I settled for doing something fun that was spawned from my original plan.

I know I didn't make my personal deadline, but I think I have made a big step: I am drawing again.

*****

This is a really quick vector render of one of the small drawings I did a few hours ago. It doesn't look much like the original sketch, but I don't care heh heh.

(Pardon the crude animation. Four simple frames is already far too much work for someone as lazy and feverish as I am. Heh heh heh...)

my creative conscience and kitty watcher

And I dedicate this to my missing cats Velvet, KC and Ichi, and to all my cats who have passed on to kittyheaven.

She doesn't have a name yet. Suggestions are most welcome. :-)

Mallrat.

I spent 12 hours in malls for the past couple of days. That's not much of a life to speak of, no? :-P

*****

Friday afternoon I went to see Narda play at the Blue Eagle gym for the Ateneo UAAP Cheer Rally. We left right after their gig because Nico had to go back to the office to finish work. He dropped me off at Powerplant so I could claim my book signing pass at Fully Booked. And while I was there, I decided to check out what's showing at the cinemas.

Major disappointment of the day: HG2G isn't showing at Powerplant anymore. Argh. So I spent an hour and a half walking around the mall, on the lookout for kewl stuff (for future, work-related reference). I wanted to do something else while I was out (I didn't know what, specifically, though). I didn't try to brave the streets of Ayala anymore (I heard there were human roadblocks and traffic was bad). I went home as soon as I got bored. I felt like I was going to get sick anyway. I couldn't get any sleep until after four in the morning. Gah.

*****

I woke up very early on Saturday morning with a sore throat and a headache. (I must have caught something from Nico-- he's been blowing his nose into his hankie for over a week already.) I had to get up anyway because Nico and I were meeting up with Brian at 9 a.m. to pick up the Meme Na artworks at UP and transport them to the CCP.

As soon as we're done with the errand we headed for Makati. Nico had to go to the office to finish some rush thing. I wasn't up for commuting back home in the noontime heat so I had him drop me off at Greenbelt. Hoping I would finally get to see HG2G, I checked out the Ayala Cinema schedules.

But no.

First major disappoinment of the day (redux): Almost half of the cinemas were showing War of the Worlds and none were featuring HG2G. AAARGH. Ewan ko, pero hindi ako mashadong interesado sa War of the Worlds, kahit Spielberg siya. I've been hearing mixed reviews about it, I know how it's going to end (I think it's a dumb ending), and I'm not sure if I'll be seeing it during its theater run. (I'll have to find someone to watch it with though, 'cause Nico's seen it already.)

I went to G4 instead and bought a ticket to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith so I can sit in an almost empty theater with controlled climate and without feeling bad missing a part of it in case I fell asleep. Stress-free viewing, right?

Second major disappointment of the day: I proved myself wrong again. While the movie isn't bad, the experience of watching it was. In that half-empty theater gathered almost every possible annoying movie-goer there ever was:

• The seat-kickers. The couple of guys sitting obliquely behind me propped up their legs on the backs of the seats and couldn't keep still. I was feeling too sick to move seats specially with the aggravated headache, so I told them off instead.
  
• The bag ladies. They sat right next to me, in the middle of the movie. And then, almost instinctively, started rummaging through the contents of their purses (make-up, mobile phones, pens), using them one after another. The one beside me kept hitting my arm with her elbow every time she opened her purse. Thankfully they moved seats as soon as they found the draught unbearable.
  
• The plastic-bag ladies. There was a group behind me who seemed like their clothes were made of plastic bags. Every time they moved (which was all of the time) plastic bags rustled.
  
• The conversationalists. There was a couple who thought they were at a talk show. They had a new topic every fifteen minutes or so.
  
• The gadget-freaks. The lady in front of me had her PDA-phone beeping all the time. And one of the seat-kickers answered a rather loud ringing mobile phone in the middle of the movie.
  
• The readers. You know, those guys who read everything that was written on the screen out loud. (I can read, too, you know.)
  
• The critics. I had a running commentary of the movie, too. (Tatay nung plastic-bag ladies.) 'Uy, Filipino daw o.' I must be getting more than my money's worth.

Hmf. Ang malas ko naman. Kung hindi lang sayang ang pera ko...

After the movie I looked for a Timex shop. My carabiner watch's batt died and I wanted to make inquiries regarding battery replacement. (I forgot the watch at home. Tsk.) I sent a few messages to friends (minsan lang kasi ako nasa labas, nilulubos ko lang), and got a reply from Chin, who said she'd be in Makati in a couple of hours and asked me to have dinner with her parents. I said okay, and resumed my window-shopping people-watching stint. My phone battery was running low so I went to Battery King to have it charged. I idly sat on a nearby bench while I waited.

*****

Chin and her parents arrived in Makati just as I was heading back towards Greenbelt. How convenient heheh... We had dinner at Sentro (minus her dad who went to a meeting), and then checked out shops at Greenbelt 4. After walking around for a few minutes we hung out at Via Mare and talked over coffee/tea and palitaw (Chin's mom's request; I didn't have any, busog na ako).

*****

I didn't expect to see Nico again that night, but Nico and his team mates finished work and he said he could meet up with me at Greenbelt.:-) After a brief introduction with Chin's mom and a series of thank-yous and well-wishes, Nico and I left for Glorietta to join his officemates for dinner at Banana Leaf. (I just sat with them, okay na ako sa kinain ko sa Sentro.)

Everyone went home afterwards while Nico and I spent some quiet time at Grappas, sitting by the bar. Minsan masarap lang talagang tumanga. :-)

*****

Despite the drawbacks, I liked my (almost) do-nothing day. I wished I wasn't sick, but then again, I would've probably be doing something else if I wasn't.