Category: friends

weekend update

(I just started using Picnik, this cool online photo editing app that I first heard from Almi. It’s really cool. Expect better-looking photos here from now on, haha!)

Jaykie and I spent Friday mostly in UP. Jaykie played Magic with the HGC boys while I read a bit of Le Guin’s The Dispossessed. There were several Le Guin books in the book bargain bin inside Antas, but I chose this one because I’ve heard so much about it. Also, I just think it’s a shame I haven’t read Le Guin yet.

I wanted to go to Cubao X to visit Adam David’s indie book expo, or to the UP Bookstore to look through the titles offered for the annual sale, but those plans fell through due to time constraints.

I found it lovely that it got cool by four and dark by five p.m. Very Christmas-y. We went to the tiangge to buy gifts for people and jewelry and books for me! I got Alex Garland’s The Tesseract. Still pricey at P280, but it looks new. I also began reading it, and it’s quite amazing. The setting’s Manila, so I’m quite interested to finish it.

I also bought rings and bracelets. I wanted to buy all of the necklaces, but you know, self-control and all that.

We then had dinner at the Persian place and drove around UP to see the lights. No pictures, because my camera phone sucks and won’t do the sights justice anyway.

Saturday, while Jaykie’s in class, I went off to Megamall to meet with my former Pook Palaris housemates. With the exception of June, who is a batchmate, they were all two batches younger than me, but have all graduated and are now earning more than I’m making haha. They wanted to meet Jaykie; I’ll bring him next time, girls. Pizza Hut plus a bracelet from Rowcee plus Mocha Blends plus laughter. Ang sarap tumawa! I love them all.

Before the meet-up, I visited Forever 21 for the first time. THE COSTUME JEWELRY ARE OVERPRICED. There, I said it. In all-caps. The clothes overwhelmed me, so I ended up buying just a pair of shades, which for some reason reminded me of Betty from Mad Men, heh.

Hola, 60’s!

Maybe I’ll go back to F21. Buy a skirt or something.

* * *

Congrats to the Inquirer Read-Along team for a successful event! Twenty-five simultaneous read-alongs, from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi! Huzzah!

the night i won at the philippines free press literary awards, and other stories

I’m still lacking sleep (and I’m still high from last night’s events haha) so forgive me if this turns out to be an incoherent post.

Summary: “Reunion” won first place at the Philippines Free Press Literary Awards, and our group (Editorial A) won first place in the company group presentation contest. So: in the early evening I wore a dress, hyperventilated as I accepted my trophy (I have a trophy! From Free Press! With my name and story title on it!), and later that night I donned a cheerleader outfit for “Pyramid” and a feathery hat for “Bad Romance”. There’s a story there, don’t worry. I don’t have pictures of the performance itself, but I’ll shamelessly (yes!) share them when I get them heh. And I have pictures!

I. Philippines Free Press Literary Awards/Zobel Dining/Makati Sports Club/6 pm

Went half-day at work and camwhored a bit as I prepared:

I love my earrings!

I also received the check from Basement Stories for “Incidental Light”, with a lovely note from Carol Kirkman. Thanks!

Jaykie and I arrived a little before 6 p.m. The dining hall was still quite empty. So we had white wine and took pictures.

The spec fic gang is here! Lookie candid shots.

Dean Alfar, Nikki Alfar, Kate Aton-Osias. (In the background: Andrew Drilon having a chat with Monique Francisco, who was also in PSF IV and also a finalist for the Short Story category that night.)

Alex Osias and Vincent Simbulan.

I also finally met Sasha Martinez (very bubbly and bakla – I like!) in person (we have no picture, boo). She was also a finalist for the same category. (She won last year for “The Catherine Theory”.)

The first category announced was Short Story. Nikki Alfar read the citations and the names of the winners. Third place went to Daryll Delgado for “In Remission”. Second place went to Mo for “Jimmie”. I looked at the list of finalists again and saw Amadis Ma. Guerrero’s name. Ha! I have no chance.

And then Nikki said and the first place goes to “Reunion” by Eliza Victoria, and I think I went slightly crazy. Looking back, I think there were signs: Ms Susan Locsin approaching me saying she’s glad I’m a finalist “but I really don’t know who the winners are”, Sarge Lacuesta putting exclamation points in his replies to me in the email (“You have to come!!”), and Dean Alfar giving stage directions, apparently to help me haha. Unfortunately I broke all of his rules, including the simplest “stay in the middle and bask in your glory until the judge says, ‘Thank you'”.

Here’s the citation:

For its ambitious narrative that reunites the fate of two brothers across the centuries and historic milestones, for showing that the creative imagination cannot be restrained by the boundaries of geography and time, for proving that the best attributes of humanity shine even in the darkest of historical periods, and for declaring without conceit that in the end, humanity is its own best excuse for being, the Philippines Free Press Grand Prize for Short Fiction is awarded to REUNION by Eliza Victoria.

The Eliza Sandwich! (tm, Dean Alfar)

The poetry awards went to Marjorie Evasco and Noelle Leslie Dela Cruz (there was no 3rd prize winner). Congrats!

Thanks to everyone who approached me that night and congratulated me. And to everyone who has congratulated me in person or online since then. You are all dears. And yes, I will continue to write. (Before we left, Ms Locsin said, “Don’t stop writing!” Oh, I won’t dare. :D ) The photo below’s from Mo. :)

II. Philippine Daily Inquirer/Rizal Ballroom/Makati Shangri-La/8 pm

It’s the 25th anniversary of the paper! I missed the President though. Oh well.

We’re sitting at the advertisers’ table. Hehe.

Jon Santos and Wille Nep were there, as the presidents and other personalities. :)

Research team!

More photos!

The InCHOIRer.

Photobooth!

So we did that *dance number or something*

(“Vhong” and “Anne”.)

(“Charice” and back-up dancers, followed by “Kris” and “Josh”.)

(“Lady Gaga” with back-up dancers.)

and we won the grand prize!

Photos from Ruthie, Princess, Cyril, Irene, and Almi. :D

There’s definitely more pictures from the event floating around, but that’s all for now!

cake with a side of guilt

So. Diet. Little to no rice, no sodas, no chips. Desserts should be limited only to fruits.It would really be best if I didn’t eat anything at all.

I want to lose weight so bad, but friends ask you out, and you ruin your diet willingly.

* * *

Jaykie and I went out with my high school friends on Friday. Dinner at Mang Jimmy’s. Had rice, had soda. Probably had too much tapa mix. After that, Banapple. I bought the Snickers cheesecake for me and the boyfriend, but also sampled 1) blueberry cheesecake; 2) cookie dough cheesecake; and 3) their famous banoffee. Probably gained ten pounds right there. But it’s always fun to go out with my high school friends. For some reason we ended up talking about Maria Ressa. (“Si Ging Reyes daw papalit. Bongga pala ‘yun. Akala ko itinapon lang siya sa Amerika.”)

Flashback: That morning I went with Jaykie to UP (he was just going to pay for the second sem – PMAM y’all). Walked in the rain. Typical, really, for rain to pour during enlistment period. I miss UP, but I don’t miss this torture. Jaykie wrung his shirt dry on the Bahay ng Alumni parking lot while I shielded him with my umbrella. Lunch at ROC, where I had fish and a slice of pastillas cheesecake. Mmm.

Saturday lunch was at Trinoma. Baked ziti and one-half of a pizza at Sbarro, then yogurt at Golden Spoon. Jaykie took me shopping as a birthday gift!

Kikomachine Komix No. 6:

A new mp3 player! (My Zen player conked out oh many months ago, and I’m too poor to buy an iPod.)

Shirts from Artwork, which entitled me to a free doodle book. :)

Thank you, Jake. :)

This cell phone bag I bought for myself. Only 80 pesos!

That night I was reading a book that mentioned chocolate, and all of a sudden I wanted chocolate. We ended up ordering from KFC. I had mousse but for the first time in my life, I had my rice replaced with a split bun (which by the way tasted like day-old bread).

I should exercise like a crazy person this week to burn all those calories gah.

But great weekend, as always.

trick or treat at the office

Styling by Almi, props from Lawrence. Candy and biscuits and ice pops from the three of us!

Happy Halloween!

Lights out!

BEDLAM.

Ate Malou’s daughter! Ang cute!

<3

a trip to the hospital, weekend games

I had vertigo in grade school. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, to be precise, though of course I didn’t know it was called that. (I didn’t have Internet, then. Ha!) I’d get the dizzies if I lay on my side, or if I tilted my head up and down. Sometimes even when I lay down flat on my back. I would have to elevate my head with pillows when I sleep, and try very hard not to move. It faded away after a week or so.

I had the dizzies again on Sunday, and I still had it on Wednesday night, along with an excruciating headache that crawled down my forehead. I didn’t want to go to a hospital, and I was so sure it would just fade away like last time, but Jaykie was worried, which got me worried, so on Thursday morning I asked him if he could drive me to St. Luke’s.

I’ve always thought St. Luke’s was the shiny building in the middle, so I went straight there with my Medicard. Alas, outpatient clinics are in the more rundown buildings on either side of the shiny building. I went to Medical Arts first (“Strange term, Medical Arts,” Jaykie said), and was told to go to the PET building right across. So off I went to the PET building. I was told to go to Room 713.

Room 713, I was sure, was empty and locked. I waited some more (Jaykie was still parking). Finally I asked the busy Room 711 for directions. Apparently I was in the North part of the building. The Medicard room is in Room 713 also – but Room 713 SOUTH.

The world was spinning – literally – and I could only think, Which smartass sumbitch thought of giving the same room numbers to both wings?

(Actually, now I’m not sure. Maybe I was waiting in the South wing when I should have been in the North wing. The point is I was in the wrong wing standing in front of the same room number. You get the drift.)

So I went to Room 713. I said “vertigo” and I was referred to an ENT doctor in Room 812. There was a line, of course. The wait took TWO HOURS. I mean, wow. We were able to eat lunch in the middle of it. (I kept apologizing to Jaykie; waiting sucks.)

BPPV was the diagnosis, and I was told to move instead of avoiding the vertigo-inducing positions. “You’ll notice that the dizziness disappears.” She recommended three hearing exams: pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and brainstem auditory evoked response.

All three exams had to be taken in the main building. Shiny! I had to wait in line in the cashier to get a receipt for the exams, but at least (and I kept reminding myself this to suppress vertigo rage) I didn’t have to pay.

The audiometry exams were simple. A technician puts an earphone over your head, and everytime you hear a sound, no matter how soft, you raise your hand. Then the technician reads words to you, and you have to repeat the words back to her. Took twenty minutes, and I was able to get the result right away. (Left ear had mild senso – something. I didn’t bother to figure out the graphs.)

I couldn’t take the BAER the same day, so I had to go back early the next day. Torrential rains, and I had to go back so I could have my nervous system checked. Argh. Here I was made to lie down, and a technician attached electrodes (electrodes! like in Fringe!) on my head and inserted earpieces in my ears. I was made to listen to clicks and whirrs for an hour. I was told to relax, but come on. Anyway, I did my best. I certainly couldn’t sleep.

(I got the results from fax today. More graphs, but everything looked fine.)

Jaykie downloaded a PDF reader on his PSP so I could read my ebooks. Now I want a PSP. LOL.

We had tequila on Friday. Though it gave me incredibly painful stomach cramps at two in the morning, it cured my vertigo! Or so I think.

* * *

We went to the OGM on Saturday. Had fun. Played Incan Gold (where sometimes you win if you decide to run away – I don’t like the values this game teach LOL!), Senators (I won!), Dixit (lovely French game where you are handed cards with surreal imagery – I. LOVED. IT. I would buy that fucking card game! Though I don’t get the name.), and Werewolf, which unfortunately we had to end before we could finish the game because it was getting late.

Realization: What I need in the OGM is a constant game partner who can play some lousy boardgame with me while Jaykie is in RPG. Heh. Anyone? Yes?

* * *

This morning is foot spa day! My soles were scrubbed raw, and now my feet and my toenails are happy.

* * *

I need time to re-write a story for an editor who is kind enough to want it for publication. AGH GIVE ME TIME WHY IS IT SO HARD TO WRITE NOWADAYS.

* * *

Dear Universe,

I want to go home on my birthday. Please don’t let me spend my birthday with the first floor flooded.

Thanks.

Love,

 

the third book swap night!

Four girls. Starbucks 6750. More books than usual.

Look at all the titles we brought! Huuuge pile of books.

Notice the many Elizabeth Berg titles.

I brought In the Woods for Kat, and I got –

– mostly everything, haha! After this picture was taken, Andrea added Kat’s The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint to the pile. Or was the book Andrea’s? I forget.

Don’t you just love it when other people fall in love with the books you treasure? I was so happy when Kat said she loved The Blind Assassin, and said it was the book she looked forward to reading every time she got off work and headed home.

Pictures!

I ate a slice of chocolate cake and all four of us talked our heads off. I remember talking about Joshua Ferris, V.C. Andrews, vampires, Mills and Boon, the lack of local titles that really blow you away, self-publishing, Modern Family, Kate’s weird dreams, incest and rape in literature, and our jobs. Ours was probably the noisiest table in the coffee shop. For the love of books!

* * *

I should make a reading list. I’m currently reading Hunger Games, so that’s on top:

Hunger Games

(which will probably be followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay – I’ve been told the books are easy to read, meaning, I can finish them quickly)

The Unnamed

We Are All Welcome Here

The Year of Fog

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint

Notes on Extinction

Wild Mind

The Spooky Art

on the side: Twisted 8 1/2, Storm of Swords, Scott Pilgrim, PSF V (last few stories!)

I’ll cross out items once finished. I’ll stick to this list, I swear!

* * *

I’m looking forward to 100 Bullets, a comic book series that I’ll get from Jake this weekend. My TBR pile IS ALIIIIIVE! :D

videoke despedida

An office mate has left, and I’m sad because of the impending ADDITIONAL WORK LOAD! Haha! Jk, Cyril.

First, pizza and pasta and Coke. A.K.A. Stuff I shouldn’t be eating.

Then Platinum for videoke. I don’t like videoke. I don’t sing. But I sang in this session anyway (“sang”) kasi last day na naman niya. Chos. :D

Photos from Cyril. Good luck, ate! Kumanta ako ha, umayos ka sa lilipatan mo. :-p