Category: personal

party people + flipside news

Blog backlog!

On June 25, my mother celebrated her birthday.

We had to cajole her to have this picture taken.

She thought it was really silly, blowing candles at her age.

Happy birthday Nanay!

Before that, Jaykie and I tried the The Burger Project in Maginhawa:

Check out this link for the menu and more photos.

Here, you can customize your burger. Choose the patty, choose the toppings, choose the bread.

I had beef patty in an oatmeal bun, with mozzarella cheese, sliced onions, and pickles smothered in special BRGR sauce (which I think is just mayo and ketchup – I’ll just skip it next time). Simple and boring haha.

This is Jaykie’s burger. He added mushrooms and jalapenos, and chose gruyere for his cheese.

Fries:

On June 30, we went to the party of my boss’s children at the Rockwell Club.

Photo of a photo:

Flipside giveaway/Philippine Speculative Fiction 7 launch details/The Viewless Dark blurb

Giveaway!

…we’ve an impromptu giveaway for three (3) lucky commenters! In the comments section of this post, tell us which is your favorite cover (from PSF 1-5) and why. Take note, you can’t just identify a specific cover; you’ll have to explain what you like most about it. Feel free to wax poetic.

Cut-off date for leaving the comments is on July 9, 12NN, Philippine time.The three winners will be selected based on how much we loved the comment. And since we all have different standards for the word “love,” this means that your comment can be praising, funny, witty or even snarky (as long as it’s funny snark).

Winners will be announced on July 10, 2012. And what do they win? An ebook edition of any volume (winners’ choice) of Philippine Speculative Fiction! If you’re one of the winners, we’ll be contacting you to get your email address and the file format that you prefer.

So, let us know which PSF cover rocks your boat! But just in case you can’t wait for the announcement of the winners, then go ahead and grab a copy at Amazon, Flipreads, Kobo, iTunes.

We’re also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlipsidePublishing

PSF 7, edited by Kate and Alex Osias and to be digitally published by Flipside, will be launched on the last Saturday of the month.

Also, the latest volume of Philippine Speculative Fiction, Vol. 7, edited by Alex and Kate Osias will be launched on 28 July 2012, Saturday, 2PM at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Ortigas Park (along F. Ortigas Jr. [formally known as Emerald Avenue]) Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA. We hope to see you there, too!

My short novel, The Viewless Dark, will be available on June 11. Will post the cover once it’s available. But for now, here’s the book description.

The Viewless Dark
AUTHOR: Eliza Victoria

DESCRIPTION:
When Anthony found Flo dead, locked overnight in one of the reading rooms of the university library, he knew it must have had something to do with Mary. Mary Prestosa, fourth year graduating Philosophy student, whom they had been investigating. Mary, who surprised her roommate one night by suddenly standing up from her bed, throwing the windows open, and jumping down, headfirst, to the dormitory grounds below. Mary, whose memory marked the trail of mysterious deaths and bizarre occurrences that followed her own fateful fall: the fifth-year Computer Engineering student who prowled the campus on all fours, thirsty for blood, believing he was a wolf; the discovery of an all-girls’ satanic cult; the demonic possession of a fourth-year student from the Department of Psychology; and now—Flo, dead.

The students traced it all to Mary. They believed Mary didn’t commit suicide. They believed Mary tapped into something dark, and released it, and was consumed.

And Anthony was determined to pry out the truth.

prometheus, girl with the dragon tattoo, some photos

Haven’t been blogging much because it appears that I’m working on a novel! Or at least, something definitely longer than a short story.

In between jotting down character names and story ideas, I have seen:

Prometheus

Initially planned to just skip this due to several friends commenting that, in effect, it is a waste of time. Now that I’ve seen it, I don’t get the hate. Maybe it’s just a matter of improper pre-movie orientation? Wrong expectations? I heard someone announce loudly that he hated Prometheus because he thought “it’s about the myth”.

Look: if you’ve been living under a rock and believe that the film Prometheus is about that dude who gave away fire to mortals and got chained to a rock as punishment, and wouldn’t be open to watching a science-fiction horror film that could get bloody at times, then watch something else. 

Prometheus is a prequel to Alien. If you’ve seen Alien, then you’ll know exactly what this film’s got in store for you. Expect an Act One of chat and build-up and an Act Two of gore. It’s not flawless, and it’s not necessarily groundbreaking – it’s premise of Panspermia (theory that life on Earth might have originated from somewhere else in the big Universe) has been dissected to death. Try watching one episode of Ancient Aliens. But don’t overthink it. It’s going to be a fun two hours.

(And don’t you just love their suits?)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I haven’t read any of Stieg Larsson’s books, so I was confused while watching this. Not because it’s hard to follow, but because it feels like three films crammed into one. One film could be about Lisbeth Salander, freelance surveillance agent and the titular girl with the dragon tattoo. The second could be about Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist charged with libel by the billionaire he’s investigating. The third could be about Harriet Vanger and the Vanger family. Harriet disappeared 40 years ago, and Henrik Vanger believes she was murdered.

How it all connects: Henrik Vanger hires Mikael Blomkvist and promises him damning evidence against the billionaire so Mikael could win his case and clear his name. Later on, Mikael asks for a research assistant as he investigates Harriet’s death, and they hire Lisbeth Salander.

Because of all the arcs, I knew next to nothing about Lisbeth. A straightforward plot would have Lisbeth front and center, solving a cold case, with Mikael as supporting character.

I’d still recommend this film (it’s a long film though, more than two hours) because I liked the performances, but bear in mind that they’d focus more on The Man Who Runs Millennium Magazine than on The Girl with the Damn Tattoo.

In other news

J and I have been together 32 months on the 17th. :)

Espresso date at Cafe Maxims.
Ravioli at Bizu.
Helloooo.
You took this picture.

the happy list

I suck at blog entry titles.

Anyway, I’m happy because 1. “Fairy Tales” is getting a handful of positive comments on Daily Science Fiction’s Facebook page, and I’m receiving them online and in my email. Thank you to everyone who read it! Ken Liu (who wrote one of my favorite stories, “The Man Who Ended History“) said “it is a great story!” and “like all tales with political overtones, different readers will read it differently. I found it a delicate and moving metaphor.”

2. I just got waxed. This is slowly sliding into TMI territory but before you look away in disgust I just want to plug Lay Bare.

Services are cheap in price but the place is very clean and the waxers are very professional. Lay Bare also offers packages. For example, Package 2 involves a Brazilian, half-leg wax, eyebrow threading, and underarm wax, all for less than 900 pesos.

Some important notes to remember:

– Taking a painkiller before a waxing procedure helps with the pain. (But actually the pain is very bearable.)

– You can’t wet the area for 4 hours after waxing.

– You can’t have contact (sexual or otherwise) for 8 to 10 hours after waxing. Similarly, you should avoid activities that will make you sweat heavily (like exercising) after waxing because your pores will be wide open and prone to infection.

– Exfoliate!

3. This photo, which makes me smile every time I see it.

back

I wasn’t online for two days due to a work-related workshop, wherein I learned that when giving CPR, and you’re a wee bit overweight, your knees tend to hurt like hell. My entire weight crushing my kneecaps – what an excellent mode of torture. I have bruises on both knees to prove it to you.

*

Anyway, before that, on Tuesday, Charles Tan told me to listen to Emily Jiang and Rose Lemberg talk about speculative poetry in a Locus Roundtable. I listened to it while jogging Wednesday night. It was great to finally hear their voices! I had to stop jogging when Rose mentioned my name.

It’s a great podcast. Listen to the whole thing!

As part of our series on poetry, I was happy to get Emily Jiang and Rose Lemberg to talk with me about their experiences with the speculative poetry community. You can tell that this was recorded before Wiscon; I hope that everyone had a great time there! You can read more of Emily’s work atStrange Horizons, and see the product of Rose’s editing work at Stone Telling. – Karen Burnham

*

 Before that, J had a great birthday dinner, took his Financial Math exam (second in a series of actuarial exams that he’s taking – if you’re looking for an actuary, tell us!) and learned that he passed!

He took me out to dinner Tuesday night:

Congrats!
Heaven & Eggs. Bring back your old decor. Your rock & roll theme just looks weird, but the food’s still good!

These photos have been posted on Instagram. (Oh, right, I have an Instagram account – follow me if you wish.)

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Getting bored with all of my books for some reason, so re-reading Moxyland. Also, I need a bookshelf.

updates galore

Life updates! Work updates! Bookswap updates!

Bookswap on April 14, where we met Kat’s friend Aych for the first time. I love doing this meetups with the girls (and occasional boy). Book nerds! Love it.

Kim and Almi weren’t present because they were celebrating their monthsary. Next time!

On April 18, J’s sister V gave birth to the cutest baby boy.

Proud uncle.

I realized then that it has been years since I last touched a baby. They’re so soft! (And so small!)

I told myself that I won’t blog about work, but this isn’t really work. The Marketing department had a team building activity at Stilts in Calatagan, Batangas on April 20 to 21. Not my first time here, but my first time to stay overnight. I’d like to go back sometime for an overnight trip with the family, or just with J.

I had fun, despite being generally cynical toward any kind of team activity.

Feeling at home.

First time to see Stilts at night...
...and in the early morning.
Office mates enjoying a quick dip.
Just look at the water! Beautiful.

We had a stopover in Tagaytay. Lunch at Dencio’s and we bought pasalubong from Amira’s and Rowena’s. J enjoyed some eclairs and ube tarts when I got home.

poetry at the ayala triangle gardens

So on March 21, World Poetry Day, I read a couple of my poems at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

That’s the stage. I wasn’t able to bring a decent camera, so sorry for the lack of event photos. I’ll snag some from other people once the photos are posted.

Photo credit: Frankie Torres http://heykeytorres.blogspot.com/

I read two poems, both called “Maps”, which both appeared in Metro Serye and in my collection which won in last year’s Palanca Awards.

Photo credit: National Book Development Board

Of all the poets who read at the event, J and I were most taken by Ramon Sunico. Beautiful poems read in a heartfelt manner. You should have been there. The crowd went “oh” and applauded after the last line. I really really really wanted to approach him and tell him this in person but shyness took over.

Anyway, I found a copy online of one of the poems he read (“Huwag Ka Sanang Magagalit”). Beautiful.

Thank you Mookie and Anina and Filipinas Heritage Library for inviting me. And thank you for the Bonchon dinner and these gifts!

Issue 2 of Metro Serye
An umbrella from FHL
Featuring sketches by Jose Rizal.

J and I headed to Wee Nam Kee for a dinner date. Two ladies recognized me from the event and congratulated me. Thank you!

First time to eat here! Try their chicken rice, and have some lime juice with your meal. Yum.