Almi and Kim got married on Nov. 14 in Talisay, Batangas. There were debacles along the way (loud construction outside the church, tardy priest, strange homily, sudden heavy rain during the reception) but it was perfect. Love is a beautiful thing. Just ask the newlyweds, who remained in good spirits even as rainwater drenched one of the tables. For better or for worse, indeed.
Congratulations!
View in Club Balai Isabel from the bride’s quarters.
The rooms are nice! I’d like to return here. Not necessarily to get married haha.
This is everyone! Photo from Kate.
Photo from Andrea.
PS The very creative Almi made most of the – collaterals? I don’t know what word to use – for her wedding day. Witness this madness the creativity here, starting with Day 100.
Order a Visprint book via email from November 10 to December 10 and they’ll deliver it for free anywhere in the Philippines, with no minimum purchase required. The rest of the mechanics is here. Please read the whole thing.
A Bottle of Storm Clouds (PhP 220 or US$ 5.35), of course, is included in the list of books that you can order. :) More books this way!
Not writing anything, other than work stuff and these blog posts, but then I have just finished writing a long-ish piece. I guess my brain just wants to take a break.
I’ve talked about Human Nature here before, but now I’m of the mind to start the switch to this beauty line and completely commit to HN, at least for hair and facial care. Why not? The products are affordable, locally made, effective, and kind to the environment. It doesn’t work for everyone, however; you need only look at the reviews on their site. For every ten giddy good reviews, there’s bound to be one who will say that the shampoo makes her scalp itch, or the lip balms do nothing at all to her chapped lips. But if it works for you, why not stick with it? I’ve always been wary of products with strong scents – even my nose can tell they have harsh chemicals that pollute our waters after I rinse them off. Just take our everyday shampoo:
Did you know: Enjoying that foamy lather you get from chemical shampoos? It’s usually from chemical surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). Sure, the lather feels nice but do you ever wonder what happens to all that foam after you rinse it off? It goes back into our rivers and oceans, where it is very toxic to the ecosystem.
In addition, SLS/SLES has been reported by the Environmental Working Group(www.ewg.org) as a moderate hazard to human health. It’s been linked to skin irritation, cancer and organ toxicity. (Source.)
Buying organic is a small step to something good, I think.
So I’ve tried the shampoo and conditioner in Lush Vanilla as well as the Natural Lip Balm and Mineral Blush, and loved them. Here are other products I liked:
Natural Intensive Hair Mask (Rosemary) – Best. Thing. Ever. Has gugo bark, coconut, and avocado. Makes my scalp all tingly and leaves my hair soft and manageable. Amazing product. I’d probably still go to the salon to straighten my hair, but for everything else (hot oil/relax/etc), I’ll just pile this on.
Purifying Facial Scrub – Has real strawberry seeds! This doesn’t foam (which surprised me at first) but it cleans thoroughly and has lessened my blackheads.
Tinted Lip Balm (Island Kiss) – This has peppermint, so leaves my lips with an icy, tingly feel. Perfect for the beach and hot days outdoors. I find that the Natural Lip Balm hydrates more, though.
Sunflower Seed Beauty Oil – Has no other ingredient but high-grade sunflower oil. Has multiple uses:
Our premium and best-selling Sunflower Beauty Oil is 100% Natural and packed with vitamins A, D & E that help moisturize and nourish your skin to give it that healthy glow —without any harmful chemicals. It’s so effective and so versatile, the uses are endless! What kind of miracles, you ask? Well for starters it…
1. Softens and lightens underarms
2. Lightens dark under eye circles
3. Lightens darks spots and pimple marks
4. Under eye moisturizer
5. Prevents and diminishes the appearance of stretch marks
6. Softens feet soles, knees and elbows
7. Removes stubborn makeup
8. Overall body moisturizer
9. Moisturizes dry hair ends
10. Softens the cuticles
11. De-frizzes hair
12. Adds shine to dull hair
13. Relieves itching and inflammation caused by insect bites
14. Nourishes and conditions eyelashes
15. Lightens dark lips
16. Soothes skin after shaving
17. Relieves itchy scalp
18. Soothes skin damaged by sunburn
19. Smoothens skin from shaving
20. Helps soothe rashes
21. Helps heal skin infections
22. Hydrates dry patches
I use this on my eye bags, elbows, and knees, but I should try putting some on my cracked soles.
Bug Shield Lotion – Haven’t used this but heard this is very effective.
If you’re buying their products, take note of the expiration date. Since these products contain natural ingredients, they usually expire a year after purchase.
Some people I know celebrate their birthdays for a week, even a whole month. I just eat a lot at home on the day, and then it’s business as usual.
This weekend, though, felt like an extra helping of blessings for my new year.
Friday, the completely unexpected GeekFight win
I’ve heard of GeekFight, and I have friends who have joined GeekFight, but I have doubts about my geek trivia skills. I know some things, but just basic info, certainly not the esoteric ones that get asked in hardcore trivia shows like this.
J found out that the Committee GeekFight for Nov. 9 is themed “Power of Myth” – Philippine myths, Greco-Roman and Norse myths, religions ancient and current – and he seemed to have great faith in my knowledge, which of course made me more nervous. I almost backed out the night before, thinking of the hassle of driving to Quantum Cafe and finding parking on a Friday night and losing.
Well, I’m glad we went because we won.
The Modron Squadron!
We won! On our first game! It’s hilarious how our attitude changed from “It’s okay we’ll just wing it let’s just drink beer and have fun” to “MOTHERFUCKER WE HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN THIS SHIT COVER THE FUCKING WHITEBOARD”.
In the D&D universe, “Modrons resemble geometric shapes with humanoid limbs and represent a living, physical manifestation of law without regard to good or evil.” (Wiki)
Twelve teams fought in “Power of Myth”.
A highlight from the event:
Q: How is the monster from Cloverfield classified by the DOD?
Someone answers: Isa syang class-S na halimaw.
Crowd: “TAPUSIN! TAPUSIN! TAPUSIN!”
Needless to say, I had a fun Friday night.
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Before the game, we tried Quantum Cafe’s food. These are really good:
Full Shroom, pizza on whole wheat (PhP 190)Kare-kareng gulay! (PhP 220)The kare-kare comes with sinantolan instead of the usual bagoong, but it’s a fun alternative.
I’d like to return to Quantum Cafe just to try the other dishes.
Bwakaw features a heartbreaking performance by Eddie Garcia as the aging homosexual, Rene. It is a beautiful, sweet, affecting story told with grace and control. It has the elements that can very easily allow it to lapse into a cloying melodrama – a dying dog, a lonely old man – but it never does. Instead it finds brightness in a sad life, and inserts humor in the most absurd situations. (How incredibly funny is it to see Gardo Verzosa constantly fanning himself?) And something must be said about the amazing cinematography: J said the film is so immersive that he half-expected to find himself in San Pablo after stepping out of the Film Institute. I agree. The people I saw the film with had this look in their eyes after the show, like they had just been clobbered over the head. Maybe they were expecting the same thing, the San Pablo of Bwakaw: wind-swept trees, unpaved roads, an old man with a dog in his arms riding a tricycle home.
I loved the final image of the film: Rene walking up a path and disappearing into the trees. We are not told where he is going, but at least now we are sure he is going somewhere.
Am I glad I got the chance to see this film on the big screen.
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After lunch at Chocolate Kiss, we headed to the Christmas bazaar. I got these beauties:
Bracelet (PhP 70), ring (PhP 100), peacock-cock-cock earrings (PhP 100)
While in UP, J kept hiding his cell phone screen from me while texting. I wondered about that. He usually even lets me read his texts.
We got to their house, and found out why:
Surprise!
J was with me in Bulacan, and noticed the conspicuous absence of cake during my birthday. So he asked the family to buy me a cake, and more besides.
My thanks to J, J’s ma, his Tita Jo, and the rest of the family for the surprise dinner party!
Sunday, something new for my nails
I regularly have nail polish applied to my toenails, but not to my nails, because I’m a klutz and I chip them easily, sometimes even as soon as I step out of the salon.
So I tried UV soak-off gel nail polish, which the advertisements (and my friendly neighborhood salon) promise will last for two weeks. Mani-pedi using UV gel nail polish is more expensive than using acrylic nail polish. Mine cost PhP 550 at B&W Beauty Salon.
It’s more expensive in the bigger salons, I’m sure. (Some salons, I heard, offer the service for PhP 500 just for the manicure.) That’s a con, but the pros are 1) the polish will last longer, and 2) it dries instantly. No need to ask someone else to open your can of soda after meeting with your manikurista.
I didn’t take pictures of the procedure, but the UV machine looks like this:
I planned to go on a jog, but my room was bothering me, so I hunkered down and cleaned my floor and bundled up the shoes and clothes that I no longer use (or, in the case of clothes, those that sadly no longer fit). I filled two large garbage bags, and my closet was finally able to breathe. The shoes that remained I removed from the shoe boxes to save space. I hate how every space I inhabit feels so small and temporary – maybe because they are. I still can’t bring myself to buy items purely for decoration. I have to be practical. I have to be able to fit all of my essentials in one traveling bag. I just know that one day I will be packing up again to a new place.
I would love to live someplace spacious and permanent. Where I can hang a picture on the wall, buy a vase to put flowers in. Sit down with J, have dinner we actually cooked. Settling down, now there’s a phrase. Not marriage, just a place to stay. The opposite of wanderlust. I guess it bites you once you get over your first quarter century.
Guyito to watch over me.Early morning. View outside the window.
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In other news, RoomMagazine‘s Labours issue (35.4) is coming out soon with my poem, “Hospital Work”. Can’t wait to get my two compli copies! Lorrie Miller sent a teaser in the mail:
As the final issue of our anniversary volume, we are launching issue 35.4, Labours at the Roundhouse Community Centre on Sunday, December 9 at 2:30pm, she writes.
If you’re in Canada, do come and enjoy the poems. The issue will be on newsstands in two to three weeks.
In Jeremy’s Magic Well, Jeremy’s father is mostly away, working as a cook on a foreign ship. Thanks to a magic well, Jeremy is able to see and talk to him. Following his father’s advice, he overcomes his fear of David, a schoolmate bully, and discovers that the two of them have something in common.
Oops. I know the long weekend is over, but happy to find this on AVA (“Genre Reads for the Long Weekend”, written by author and book blogger/reviewer Chris Mariano):
“…imagined worlds become springboards to explore universal themes of loss and regret in award-winning writer Eliza Victoria’s A Bottle of Storm Clouds (Visprint, Inc). From fantasy (‘Ana’s Little Pawnshop on Makiling St.’) to science fiction (‘Night Out’), Victoria explores parallel dimensions, myths come to life, and everything else in between in this short story collection. Her lyrical stories have previously appeared in print and online, earning her fans here and abroad. There’s something here for quiet afternoon during your Boracay getaway (try ‘An Abduction by Mermaids’) or a late-night bedtime read (her ‘Sand, Crushed Shells, Chicken Feathers’ will give you appropriate chills). It’s a heady dose of myth and magic that will make you wonder why you haven’t explored more Filipino speculative fiction before.”
Also mentioned are Chinggay Labrador’s Popped 3 and AS Santos’s Voices in the Theater.
My book, A Bottle of Storm Clouds, is available in all major bookstores. :)
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And while you’re here, a couple of podcast recommendations for your nightly jog (or whatever else you wish to do while listening):
Ronald S. Lim from the Manila Bulletin asks several authors what literary character scares them the most.
Here’s my answer:
“This is not a character in the strictest sense, but the entire town in Shirley Jackson’s widely anthologized story ‘The Lottery’ scared me. The story hooks you in with an innocent opening paragraph about this idyllic town in summer – The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green — which quickly devolves into something dark and horrific. Jackson’s a master in subtlety, and as a reader you will not be able to discern the horror (at best you will feel the low hum of unease) until the very very end. And it’s scary because the idea is not far-fetched or unthinkable – it can actually happen.” — Eliza Victoria, author of “Lower Myths”, “The Viewless Dark”, and “A Bottle of Storm Clouds”
Read more here. Answers from Cecilia Brainard, Samantha Sotto, Scott Chua, Yvette Tan, Mina Esguerra, Queena Lee Chua, Kate Evangelista, AS Santos, Kate Osias, and Nikki Alfar.
Eliza Victoria 