What are you thankful for this 2009?
For the most part, I’m thankful for surviving. I made pretty difficult decisions in the past several months, and while I’ve had to suffer socially and financially for these changes, it could have been worse.
I am thankful for very new experiences. This has been a “Yes I can!” year for me – I’ve taken on bigger responsibilities that I would’ve shunned last year.
I am very, very thankful for new friends that made my world a bigger, brighter place.
Now, I hope to get a moleskin planner to say thanks for.
Justice for the Maguindanao Massacre
For those who haven’t been following the news – Maguindanao Death Toll Climbs to 57. There is never an excuse for violence. Never. Those war lords must be brought down and justice must be served.
Also, while reading this headline, I recalled a quote from the TV movie, Nuremburg, “Lack of conviction is the root of all evil.”
This entry from PCIJ best sums up my sentiments on the entire issue.
I solemnly swear…
This is an attempt to update more often
My biggest problem with treating this blog as my professional portfolio is that I overthink it. Overthinking this means I have abandoned this, and locked myself away with a more diarrheal blog and indulged my already horrible masturbatory tendencies. I solemnly swear that I will at least attempt to update this once a week.
In the last month: Curly Hair and Weddings, oh my!
Let’s do this in pictures for a change.
Look, curly hair!
I have commitment issues, but Philip Kee is one of the few men I remain loyal to. I actually feel guilty when I entertain the thought of getting my hair done elsewhere. In the case of the curls, it was either that or I just get a boring old maintenance cut to my dull, fine hair. While my best friends and very critical styling advisers insisted against it, it was Philip who took the chance. I have no regrets. My hair actually has character now!
The curls were done in honor of the wedding of one of my other close friend’s, which I somehow agreed to plan for. It was an exhilarating experience, to say the least. Weddings in the Philippines are more about the families involved than the couple, and that formula makes for a double-edged sword. At the end of the day however, it’s all about the union between two people who have found each other. Best wishes, Joy Alano and Honey Chua!
Yes, I can do weddings. If you, or you know of anyone who would like an excellent team of wedding planners and stylists, I can round them up for you. Feel free to email me at myachi at gmail dot com.
In the meantime though, I recover. I also left my more regular job teaching Europeans over the phone, so am in the strange lull at the end of the year. I am on the lookout for new rakets and am slowly organizing my tutorial services to market properly, so here’s hoping that picks up.
On the writing front, I also also been blogging at the Materia Girl tumblr account for less serious, fandom-based musings while twittering haikus. I also have a few articles up at Vibal Publications’ Philippine Online Chronicles. Since I left my more regular job, I’m hoping to focus more on the writing. Let’s see how that turns out.
For the meantime, this is a start.
In the Doorway to Paradise
Picture taken from Transition Culture
Last week, My Mom’s friend was found dead in her hotel room in Tibet. When Mom immediately relayed the news to me, I asked, “You’re kidding, right?”
“Why would I joke about that?!” Mom shrieked.
“Well since Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, a lot of death hoaxes are going around.”
Mom’s friend finally made it to Tibet after months of planning. She’s texted Mom regularly since her arrival and has complained of breathlessness, mouth sores, and dizziness. She was also a chain smoker, which probably didn’t help her up in the high altitudes. As the story goes, she was preparing for a tour one day and rang up the front desk at 5am to remind them to set her breakfast early. The hours ticked by, the tour guide arrived, and she didn’t go downstairs. They rang her room and no one picked up. The front desk got concerned and went up to her room. After a few knocks, no one answered, so they broke the door open. They found Mom’s friend dead on her bed.
“Rockstar.” I remarked.
Mom’s friend didn’t lead a happy life. She was lonely most of the time, for as long as I could remembered she was depressed and not very easy to get along with. As another friend mused, “This might be a blessing.”
The family traveled to Tibet to claim the body. They wanted an autopsy but was put off by the amount of required paperwork. They decided to cremate the body and scatter her ashes there. They bought a turquoise urn to keep the ashes in. For lack of Christian or Catholic priests in the area, they decided to have her final rites in a Tibetan tradition. They would head out to a lake two hours from Lhasa, where some of her ashes would rest. The rest of her, they’d take back home, where friends and family could properly see her off.
May she finally find peace in the heavens above.
A Brand New Day
Say hello to my little friend…
I have been reconnecting with an old, dear friend on AOL, who referred me to Madi Ju’s photography and her “e-famous” Love Diary. I was so moved by the honesty and intimacy of the diary, I got inspired to start my own. To start, I got myself a new digital camera, the Nikon L10 you see above. I committed myself to the 365 Days project, except I’m not big on self-portraiture. You can see my “drabbles” in photography over at Kapilas at Tula (translated: Image and Poetry).
Also, a plug for my photography friend, the lovely Didang Alvarez, if you have any debuts or occasions that you’d like captured on camera, she’s your girl.
Life of the Party, or not
JM writes about having his wallet snatched at the recent Fete de la Musique.
Sorry to hear about your wallet, JM. I feel your pain.
I’ve been lucky not to have my wallet snatched in the last several years. Since the last time I got picked in high school, I haven’t put much personal possessions in my wallet. It feels sparse and dull, but it’s those trinkets that hurt the most in the event of loss. Among the trinkets floating somewhere out there is the only group picture of #pinoy_otaku, a letter from Sammi, old but rare Sailormoon trading cards I got from my best friend, and my Red Cross ID card.
While the Fete is one of the biggest musical events in the country, I wasn’t especially itching to go out that evening. Last time I went to fete was a few years ago when it was a real festival with one day for every musical genre. My BlueRep friends I went to Rocker Day, where a wave of sweaty rakistas catcalled and bowed before me as I passed. I am not exagerrating, Ren can vouch for this.
So last Saturday instead of Fete, I attended a quiet little gathering for the birthday of one my ye olde college roommates, followed by drinks with Lauren and Marco. Maybe it’s my age, or my growing hermitage, but I enjoyed those more and didn’t feel like I missed out on much from Fete.
What’s Up, Coconut?
Summer raket season is over. The Worlds and Words class of Pocketful of Kids ended with a bang. Congratulations to the class of Summer 2009! I’m very proud of you!
My article on XBX Katipunan is out on the latest issue of Playground Magazine, pick that up at your nearest bookstore!
Harana wrapped a successful run in Manila and Amsterdam. Congratulations!
As term ends for a bulk of my ESL classes, I’m looking and praying for more paying projects. Some short projects have come up, I should stop procrastinating and start working on them.