Year: 2011

weekend update

Busy weekend. Had to wake up at 6 a.m. on my days off, but it’s all for the sake of productivity.

Friday. I was in QC since Thursday night. However, Jaykie had a morning job interview scheduled on Friday in Makati, so we woke up at 6 a.m. I didn’t have to, but I decided to tag along instead of staying in QC because I would end up either sleeping or shopping. (And of course I wanted to show my support to my boyfriend.)

We had a McDo breakfast because none of us had the motor skills to cook at such an ungodly hour. We also brought our running shoes and extra clothes for our planned jog in UP later that afternoon. Then the drive to Makati. We couldn’t find the building, so after going ’round in circles (and one-way streets), we left the car at a paid parking lot, took a taxi, and walked. That morning involved a lot of walking and getting lost. Jaykie did well, which was exciting. We had lunch at Tempura (I had a Kani salad and some sushi), then walked some more, trying to find the paid parking lot. We couldn’t find it. Makati has the shittiest street plans. The people we asked gave us conflicting directions, so in the end, we took a taxi again. That was frustrating, but at least we found the car and it was intact.

We went to UP to cool our heels. Stayed at the HGC tambayan for a bit, then we changed (it was so hard to get out of my jeans in the backseat of a car – I don’t know how the teenagers do it) and went jogging.

It was the eve of Ate VJ’s birthday, so we had a great dinner with Ate Budz and Jael: pasta, palabok, cassava cake. There was fried rice, but I couldn’t touch it due to the blasted diet. Then drinks (the Arbor Mist wines were delicious, and I couldn’t get enough of the mustard-flavored pretzels!) and quality daldalan.

Saturday. Jaykie had class, and I wanted to jog, so we woke up at 6 a.m. again. Another McDo breakfast. I had my jog, went home, washed the dishes from last night, and went to sleep for an hour and a half.

That night we went out for dinner with Jaykie’s family at the Marriott Cafe.

Seafood buffet! It was awesome. I didn’t eat a lot, but I went crazy with the desserts.

Jaykie’s parents and sister, VJ:

Kuya Ben and George:

Hi, Jake!

armin’s birthday bash

It’s a fourth-floor partay!

Happy happy birthday Armin!

Pizza! Booze! Videoke!

Cake!

Boss Chito looking unhappy with the bedlam in their office. LOL.

Armin made a mix of Gatorade and vodka, but I can’t have any due to my vodka allergy.

Sadness.

But at least I got a lot of chocolate.

Parteh!

Armin’s costume change. I switched to my phone camera because my camera died from all the awesome.

You wouldn’t want to know what Armin used for boobs. He used two computer mouses! Mice? Oh crap I told you. :-p

More photos at my Facebook account. (Album’s f-locked, though.)

who’s late to the ticker-tape parade?



Weight Chart

Saw this via Livejournal. Cute!

But I’m a bit sad. My weight is the same as my weight in Jan. 11. So after 15 days I didn’t even lose a pound?

Sad.

psf6 lineup revealed

From co-editor Kate Aton-Osias’s blog:

After several months of reading (and reading, and reading), intense discussions, emails and follow ups, Nikki and I are pleased to announce the Philippine Speculative Fiction 6 line up (in no particular order):

  1. Alternative Histories by Ian Rosales Casocot
  2. Strange Adventures in Procreation by Andrew Drilon
  3. Lament of the Counselor by Jay Anyong
  4. The Grim Malkin by Vincent Michael Simbulan
  5. A Smell of Mothballs by Mailin Paterno
  6. Ashland by Elyss G. Punsalan
  7. Carpaccio (or, Repentance as a Meat Recipe) by Arlynn Despi
  8. Eternal Winter by Maria Pia Vibar Benosa
  9. From the Book of Names My Mother Did Not Give Me by Christine V. Lao
  10. Hollowbody by Crystal Koo
  11. Offerings to Aman Sinaya by Andrei Tupaz
  12. On Wooden Wings by Paolo Chikiamco
  13. Prisoner 2501 by Philip Corpuz
  14. Resurrection by Victor Ocampo
  15. Simon’s Replica by Dean Alfar
  16. Break in at Batay Street by Francis Gabriel Concepcion
  17. The Big Man by Asterio Gutierrez
  18. The Bookshelves of Mrs. Go by Charles Tan
  19. The Impossible and the R.S.C. Gregorio del Pilar by Alex Osias
  20. The Kiddie Pool by Kenneth Yu
  21. The Storyteller’s Curse by Eliza Victoria
  22. Villainoguing by Joseph Montecillo
For those interested in stats (like me, haha) this year, we have 22 stories total, of which 21 will see their first publication in PSF6. There are 15 guys and 7 gals in the anthology and the story subsets include horror, sci-fi, 2nd world and urban fantasy.
The book is slated to be launched in March. Congrats to my fellow contributors! Can’t wait! :D

three poems by nate pritts

EMERGENCY POSTCARD TO A.O.

It’s hard for me to hear over the din
of this living, the racket of oceans
& the gulls overhead. I started to forget
about me & thought maybe
it was for the best. Probably I had my greatest
ever shot already & all that comes next
is some new disappointments. Remind me
again that together is something we can’t
do alone.

—Nate

EMERGENCY POSTCARD TO L.R.

Dandelion stalks populate the yard, reaching
in rusty light, & who knows why
their fuzzy heads are vacant? I can see
the dew on the grass from where I’m sitting
just like I can hear you in your voice.
Who would question my desire
to run outside & feel the dangerous AM
dampness or to risk it all to tell you about it?

—Nate

EMERGENCY POSTCARD TO J.F.

All these birds wake me up just like always
though the me that they sing to is new every day
& relieved to find out a body doesn’t have to do
everything. I’m trying to believe it. I’ve only
ever wanted a reason to slow down, an angle to navigate
that made me feel worth it. Yesterday, I drove
the wrong way from you; soon I’ll jump back
& try the sequence again – you & me lost
together & looking for landmarks that tell you what’s
right: dragonfly light, summer bees exhausted
in the window, that wherever we are is okay.

—Nate

Source.

gratitude

Thank you to Elyss for making my day, haha!

Fiction writer Elyss Punsalan runs the monthly podcast site Pakinggan Pilipinas.

And of course you can always read “Reunion” here. :)