Sept. 17th, Christian’s birthday, and off we went to Marikina, to the Riverbank Grille, for crispy pata and beer and possible heart complications. It happened to be SM Marikina’s 3-Day Sale so Marcos Highway felt more like the Marcos Parking Lot for a while. J and I got there just in time for dinner. I really loved the crispy pata.
Happy birthday, Christian!
Thanks to Tope (who is not in any of these pictures) for the pictures!
Jaykie broached the idea of playing the Game of Thrones boardgame with him and the guys one weekend. Jaykie looked at the game rules on Friday and kept laughing, because even the set-up was complicated. I was scared. I didn’t think I’d be able to follow. But yesterday, the guys came after lunch, and Phil and Derps explained the objectives and the basic rules, and I actually was able to play. I learn better while playing than by reading the entire guidebook, it appears.
I got the Lannisters, who start at Lannisport and Stoney Sept. The object of the game is to gain as many territories as possible. You can also make a deal with other players so they won’t take your territories (in this game, the Lannisters agreed to a truce with the Greyjoys), or make a deal and break it later (like what the Lannisters did with the Baratheons after taking Cracklaw Point, sorry Jaykie!) I wasn’t able to expand too much. The Greyjoys (Phil) had all the seas and eventually also got Riverrun and won. I was one city behind!
That was fun, though.
Later that night, pizza, pasta and booze with Jaykie and friends. I turned in earlier than the others because I have work the following day. I woke up to empty pizza boxes, steaming cup noodles, mattresses on the floor, and stories of ghosts. Oh no.
Happy birthday, you.
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.)
Also known as The (Slightly Delayed) Yale New Year Party!
Jaykie attended this last year (or was that ’09), but I wasn’t able to come, presumably due to work or family or the laundry. I can’t remember.
The common practice was to have a nametag, carrying a verb plus your name. For example: “Lick Jaykie”. They told me Yale Virgins couldn’t choose their own verb, but I would have chosen “Write-protect”. “Write-protect Eliza”.
Anyway in the end we ran out of nametags. :-p I wasn’t able to socialize too much
(the closest I got to socializing was when I said “excuse me” to people standing in the doorways or “sorry” to people I bumped into) so I ended up staying within my circle.
No matter. The house has wooden stairs and huge windows and books – it is a beautiful house. It reminded me of period pieces and horror movies, and Sunday nights in the province. Thanks to Rej and Oneal for opening its doors. (And to Paul for opening the gate while we stood outside in the rain haha. It’s like the rule of the Universe: the one day you forget your umbrella is the day it will rain. Hard.)
Some pictures:
Loot bag + free ice cream + dinner + party + raffle prizes (didn’t win any) + comedy bar break + music + wine + beer + tequila shots + Jaykie = great party, Inquirer!
Photos by me, and by Almi, Ruthie, Schatzi. Thanks, girls!
Photobooth with Guyito!
Photo of a photo (notice award-winning photographer Edwin Bacasmas photobombing me):
The Inquirer Read-Along volunteers:
Speaking of the mascot, click here to watch him dance. :) (And here to watch Barbie Almalbis perform.)
Jaykie arrived just in time for comedy hour, haha!
Pretty Trizsa was high-larious!
Juan Pablo Dream takes the stage! Let’s dance!
As for the raffle, I was praying to win the digicam, but alas, it was not for me. I was also praying to win the Boracay trip, but Lawrence won that. Hmf.
We took pictures of ourselves while drinking tequila. Where are those pictures, and am I sure I want to see them?
Oh.
Wasak!
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!
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
Eliza Victoria 