Category: personal

Went to Cubao at 1) 7 PM on a 2) FRIDAY 3) BEFORE A MAJOR HOLIDAY so I could go home. Talk about a commuter trifecta. Stood in line but ended up in a near-stampede because the bus driver didn’t give a fuck about lines, apparently. Ended up standing inside the bus for more than an hour, while those who didn’t stand in line got seats. Got home at 9, and all the frustrations fell away. Is now bathed and happy. There’s no place like home. Merry Christmas!

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Some of my favorite pictures taken in the past few weeks:

Inquirer Research batch 2005 to present (with Jaykie!)

The Editorial Party Fuel gang

This family picture was taken at my Lola’s birthday party/family reunion. We haven’t had a family picture taken in a long, long while, so this is pretty special.

Picture of a picture, so forgive the bad quality.

Too bad my mother wasn’t looking at the camera!

Look at me and Jaykie looking so enthusiastic! HAHAHA. (We were hungry.)

I guess some yearender blog posts are in order? Yes? Yes?

coffee and the blues

Coffee with the girls (and Kim and Jaykie) on Monday night and Wednesday night. Thankful that I was able to meet up with them. I needed the chika and the laughter. Eliza Victoria and the Infinite Sadness. I feel like I’m wasting my time. Or time is being wasted on me.

In other news, try Starbucks’ Peppermint Brownie. It’s really good.

thanksgiving

We don’t have Thanksgiving Day here in the Philippines, but that didn’t stop J’s family (who has relatives in Nevada, Oklahoma, New York, and beyond) from whipping up a fabulous dinner.

Behold! Cornbread, pan-fried chicken, biscuits, veggie pot pie (not in picture), steak, mac and cheese, chunky gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing.

For dessert: pecan pie, candied yams (yams topped with marshmallows), and pumpkin mousse tart (not pictured).

I am thankful for: family (mine and J’s), good stories, good weather, good friends, good food, and J.

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Greenhills on Sunday! I now know how to commute to Greenhills! Tao na ako.

Dinner at Bizu. Best clam chowder we’ve ever tasted.

J treated me to Happy Lemon! Cocoa Rock Salt and Cheese at last! No picture of the drink, but believe me, it’s very tasty. And also very rich, so maybe next time I’ll just order the regular size.

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Re-posting an open call for submissions:

Editors Dean Francis Alfar (publisher of the Philippine Speculative Fictionanthologies) and Kenneth Yu (publisher of Philippine Genre Stories) announce an open call for short fiction submissions for HORROR: Fantastic Filipino Fiction for Young Adults.

The Fantastic Filipino Fiction for Young Adults is a new annual anthology series, with the first volume focusing on horror, and launching in mid-2012.

More details here.

round-up

What’s up, world?

Ma Maison

Newly opened Japanese fusion restaurant in Greenbelt 2. So new the server given to us was nervous and disoriented (didn’t read our orders back to us after taking them, took a long time understanding what we were ordering, brought the wrong food to our table). I was getting really pissed until management decided to give us a new server. The second server was too eager but at least was competent. (But still too eager. Ma Maison should control their people.)

Sorry for the lack of food photos. I recommend their Tonkatsu, but it’s their desserts that are the real winners. We had the Green Tea Mochi (Mochi ball filled with green tea ice cream) and Green Tea Brazo de Mercedes.

Paranormal Activity 3

Caught this at Gateway. There was some Coke event outside the mall that caused horrible traffic, but J wanted us to catch the film on time (I was there early, and I called to tell him that I can have the tickets I’ve bought bumped down to a later time, a call that promptly drained his phone battery), so he parked his car and ran across Gateway, hassled some guy so he can call me, didn’t get an answer (I was buying food!), ran around some more, and finally caught me at the foodcourt carrying burgers from Wendy’s. True love. I felt bad for him; he had to stress himself out trying to catch a film that would stress himself out.

I still vote the first film as the most effective in the trilogy. Most effective in the sense that it bugged me for several nights. And also in the sense that among the three, camera use in the first film was the most organic. Still not perfect, but the most organic. In the third film the presence of the camera POV just didn’t make sense most of the time. Why would you film yourself editing a film? Why wouldn’t you drop your camera after seeing someone you love suspended in midair (and possibly dead)? There were nice tricks, except that after screaming in the cinema you’d go get dessert and then forget all about it.

Last Shot

Had my last cervical cancer shot. Now I’m completely protected! And can now live without fear of further injections!

Junot Diaz in Makati/Dinner with a friend

Arrived at Greenbelt too late to catch the Q & A, and was too poor to buy a book to be signed. (I have a beloved copy of Oscar Wao sitting on my bookshelf in Bulacan.) FFFFUUUUU –

The lovely Lizzy, on the other hand, got there in time, had a book, and even managed to bring Junot Diaz some kutsinta and kapeng barako. I envy your life, Lizzy! She has a lovely post about it here.

On writing about the Dominican experience: “I write about the Dominican experience because America doesn’t need my help.” Being Dominican is at the very center of his being a writer and he sees no benefit in ignoring it. When asked if he could’ve written Oscar Wao had he and his family not left the Dominican Republic, he says, jokingly, “There’s no way to tell. Let me run a beta test life and see how things turn out.”

But Junot Diaz wasn’t really the reason I went to Greenbelt. Really! I found out he’d be there at around 11 in the morning, and by then I was in the office and it was too late to make plans. But I was chatting with Eula about grabbing dinner and that was the plan we were able to make. Pizza and pasta at CPK, rants about life and stress and unhappiness, and how, at 25, we’re still so unsure. If my nine-year-old self saw the 25-year-old me she’d be horrified. “Why are you fat? And how come you don’t own a condo unit yet?” The nine-year-old self who didn’t care about her hair and wanted so bad to be a successful, published novelist by the time she was 18.

She’s a fucking idiot.

Twenty-five is a strange age. You feel young and old at the same time.

Silver Monthsary

Went to S & R on our silver monthsary. (Term “silver monthsary” trademarked by Jaykie.) That place was huuuuge. They even have a decent mini-food court. But we only really went there to buy unhealthy things (Ruffles, Ben & Jerry’s, a dozen cans of Dr. Pepper). Junk food celebration! Huwag tularan, kids. Eat carrot sticks.

Komikon

Do you know that we drove for an hour and a half today just to get to Ortigas from UP Diliman? Fuck this shit. Missed Komikon. And here I was planning to horde indie comic books this time so I can read them and review them! Damn.

Well, anyway. Date at The Podium. J felt guilty for not being able to take me to Komikon (not your fault, silly boy!) so he bought me these:

J really didn’t have to apologize, or buy me anything, but it’s a sin to turn down books.

Wise Man’s Fear

A well-conceived world populated with well-written characters. Bravo, Rothfuss. Where’s Book Number 3?

So that’s it, world. How are you guys? What’d I miss? :)

saturday shopping

But before that

I unfortunately was not able to attend the Metro Serye launch yesterday. I regret missing it. Here’s Adam David with a copy of the zine:

And here’s an interview with editor Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta.

YOUNG STAR: So why the title “Metro Serye”?

MOOKIE KATIGBAK-LACUESTA: I chose the title for a number of reasons. The first being its city associations. The second because the term “Metro” is the Tagalog word for meter — not just the contraption in taxi cabs but also the literary device. “Serye” for the simple reason that this is a series. Also as a kind of wink-wink, nudge-nudge to the country of teleseryes.

There are tons of anthologies printed every year, usually by the big presses. From what I understand, Metro Serye is halfway between a zine and a chapbook. Why did you choose to do it in this format, despite the backing of a big printer?

Well, any publisher will tell you that poetry doesn’t sell. They’re impractical economically and, intellectually, it’s hard to commit to an entire poetry collection. This is a kind of middle ground. People may not commit to reading a poetry book but I’d like to think they’d commit to a sampler that’s easy on the pocket and still caters to the need to read. This format is especially congenial to students. I’m also a teacher so this aspect appeals to me very much. Of course, this isn’t the first time this format has been used — this isn’t an innovation but I think you’ll find the content innovative.

Hope to get a copy of this soon.

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J took me shopping today as a birthday treat! Lunch first at Tokyo Cafe.

Cappuccino and eel for me, please!

After shopping, ice cream at Swensen’s! This is fast becoming my favorite dessert place.

Mmm Maltesers.

And here’s my loot! (I bought another book! Damn it, self-control!)

Thanks J, and I hope you didn’t have too hard a time following your girlfriend around the mall. ;)

flood update

Merchandise is everywhere and the house is a bit of a mess (it smells really good, considering), but boy am I glad to be home.

This is the master bedroom. We have a storeroom downstairs, and the products that were salvaged from the flood were moved here for the meantime.

First floor. At its highest, the flood reached the fifth step. Notice the ruined table and the ruined door.


Our cat and two dogs were alive but our pet chicken unfortunately drowned. :(

If I were my parents, I’d had saved the chicken first, had some eggs along with the cans of sardines. Or fried chicken, when it came to that.

I’m kidding! I’ll miss that chicken.

friday madness

But a happy kind of madness!

Via snail mail:

Thank you thank you thank you Rose and Shweta! (I think I owe you a poem.)

Via e-mail:

Eliza,

We would like to publish your story, “Fairy Tales”, in Daily Science Fiction.  We’ll email a contract to you shortly for your approval. A sample email, including any edits to your story that may be necessary, will come later.  The edits will be sent with enough time for your feedback, so we may resolve any issues and present the best possible story to our audience.

– Jonathan & Michele, Daily Science Fiction

PS If for any reason, you no longer wish to publish this story with us (e.g, forgotten prior publication, actually authored by a Unicorn, etc.), now would be a very good time to let us know!

No unicorns were involved in the making of this story!

On top of all the happy news, I’ll finally be able to go home to Bulacan and see my parents. Wish me a safe trip. (Some roads are still flooded, I’m told.)

Happy Friday, everyone!