This bug's life
So I've been reading this book called Fast Food Nation and it's a very interesting read. It gives you all these little factoids about the fast food industry, and then some. According to the book, carmine or red food color comes from female insects from some island. The bugs feed on red berries and the red pigment from the berries is absorbed into their system.The bugs are then collected, dried, and ground into powder form, and this is what's added to food to make it look red, like in strawberry yogurt, juice, candies, etc. Fast forward to lunch when the fruit cart at Broad Street isn't there and Starbucks is filled to the kazoo and I have no idea where to go for lunch so I just go down to the candy store and get some yogurt and shoving a spoonful of strawberry banana goodness into my mouth, my memory finally catches up. I'm eating bugs for lunch. Cool.
{Song 2, Blur} - Woohoo!
Monday, December 30, 2002
Saturday, December 28, 2002
Wednesday, December 25, 2002
Friday, December 13, 2002
Poem poems
It's 11 p.m. and I have this strange headache. I can't remember the last time I had one, and something's telling me it's because I've been in front of the computer for hours. Nine, exactly. But I just had to post this: I think those subway poems are really neat. Inspired by London’s Poems on the Underground, the MTA began posting poetry in subway cars in 1992. I feel like an idiot whenever I'm in a train with a Poetry in Motion poster because I always, always tend to look up and read it again and again. It's like how I always watch the numbers go up on the elevator even if I just get off on the second floor. Anyway, my favorite is last year's Beware of Things in Duplicate:
Beware of things in duplicate:
a set of knives, the cufflinks in a drawer,
the dice, the pair of Queens, the eyes
of someone sitting next to you:
Attend that empty minute in the evening
when looking at the clock, you see
its hand are fixed on the same hour
you noticed at your morning coffee.
These are the moments to beware
when there is nothing so familiar
or so close that it cannot betray you:
a twin, an extra key, an echo,
your own reflection in the glass.
from "Daily Horoscope", Dana Gioia (1950)
Oh oh! And this year's This Is Just to Say:
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
William Carlos Williams (1962)
{High and Dry, Radiohead} - And what did the two chimps do in the wicker basket?
It's 11 p.m. and I have this strange headache. I can't remember the last time I had one, and something's telling me it's because I've been in front of the computer for hours. Nine, exactly. But I just had to post this: I think those subway poems are really neat. Inspired by London’s Poems on the Underground, the MTA began posting poetry in subway cars in 1992. I feel like an idiot whenever I'm in a train with a Poetry in Motion poster because I always, always tend to look up and read it again and again. It's like how I always watch the numbers go up on the elevator even if I just get off on the second floor. Anyway, my favorite is last year's Beware of Things in Duplicate:
Beware of things in duplicate:
a set of knives, the cufflinks in a drawer,
the dice, the pair of Queens, the eyes
of someone sitting next to you:
Attend that empty minute in the evening
when looking at the clock, you see
its hand are fixed on the same hour
you noticed at your morning coffee.
These are the moments to beware
when there is nothing so familiar
or so close that it cannot betray you:
a twin, an extra key, an echo,
your own reflection in the glass.
from "Daily Horoscope", Dana Gioia (1950)
Oh oh! And this year's This Is Just to Say:
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
William Carlos Williams (1962)
{High and Dry, Radiohead} - And what did the two chimps do in the wicker basket?
Strike that
Yay. Watched Flower Drum Song yesterday. It was lovely. I've forgotten how truly beautiful Lea Salonga's voice is. Casting was really good: all the actors (Jose Llana, Sandra Allen, Randall Duk Kim, Jodi Long, etc.) really fit the characters. Alvin Ing, who played Wang Ta in the original Flower Drum Song, played Chin. The only spoiler was that we missed the prologue. My sister's friend, who had our tickets, was stuck in traffic. It was embarrassing, but we were ushered very discreetly to our seats.
I was supposed to see Mamma Mia last Saturday. Unfortunately, I woke up a little late (just as the show was starting), so I wasn't able to make it. Anyway, it was a company luncheon thingy and I was feeling a bit anti-social.
My boss just faxed me additional transit strike info. I hope it doesn't push through. New York's transportation system is really one of the things that makes it work. It'll be total chaos. I'd have to take a cab, a ferry, maybe elbow a person or two thousand at Pier 11, and walk to my building. And 299,672 people will be doing the same. What a perfect time to be not psychic and schedule my day off today instead of Monday.
{Why Can't We Be Friends, War} - Who did the Kodak version?
Yay. Watched Flower Drum Song yesterday. It was lovely. I've forgotten how truly beautiful Lea Salonga's voice is. Casting was really good: all the actors (Jose Llana, Sandra Allen, Randall Duk Kim, Jodi Long, etc.) really fit the characters. Alvin Ing, who played Wang Ta in the original Flower Drum Song, played Chin. The only spoiler was that we missed the prologue. My sister's friend, who had our tickets, was stuck in traffic. It was embarrassing, but we were ushered very discreetly to our seats.
I was supposed to see Mamma Mia last Saturday. Unfortunately, I woke up a little late (just as the show was starting), so I wasn't able to make it. Anyway, it was a company luncheon thingy and I was feeling a bit anti-social.
My boss just faxed me additional transit strike info. I hope it doesn't push through. New York's transportation system is really one of the things that makes it work. It'll be total chaos. I'd have to take a cab, a ferry, maybe elbow a person or two thousand at Pier 11, and walk to my building. And 299,672 people will be doing the same. What a perfect time to be not psychic and schedule my day off today instead of Monday.
{Why Can't We Be Friends, War} - Who did the Kodak version?
Sunday, December 8, 2002
The Perfect Mix CD
So, I stayed up all night making the perfect mix cd. It took me four hours. Well, I had to arrange the tracks just so. And then I had to drop some and add some, rearrange, and then I'd remember a song that I just had to put in. I actually only wanted 20 tracks, but then it has to end on the perfect note so I snuck one more track in. Oh, I wish I could be like that guy who gives mix cds away to anyone who wants them (you'd think I'd remember to save the URL, but nooo) but unfortunately, I'm not in that place right now (i.e., I'm broke). So here is the track listing and um, yeah, think: DIY
1. Center of Gravity - Yo La Tengo
2. Accident Prone - Boldstar
3. The Shining - Badly Drawn Boy
4. Rollercoaster - Dear Nora
5. She is Staggering - Polaris
6. Je T'aime Moi Non Plus - Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
7. Give Me A Reason to Love You/Glory Box - Portishead
8. Sweepstakes Prize - Mirah
9. Silently - That Dog
10. Black Bear - Flin Flon
11. Motorbykle - Cynthia Alexander
12. Just Like Henry - Dressy Bessy
13. Look of Love - All Girl Summer Fun Band
14. Mint Car (acoustic) - The Cure
15. She Don't Use Jelly - Ben Folds Five (The Flaming Lips cover)
16. You and Me Song - The Wannadies
17. Drug Buddy - Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield (Lemonheads cover)
18. Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
19. Ooh La La - The Faces
20. Why'd You Want Me? - The Jesus and Mary Chain
21. Happy Together - The Turtles
What would you put in The Perfect Mix CD?
{Happy Together, The Turtles} - I love the parts where they go papapa...
So, I stayed up all night making the perfect mix cd. It took me four hours. Well, I had to arrange the tracks just so. And then I had to drop some and add some, rearrange, and then I'd remember a song that I just had to put in. I actually only wanted 20 tracks, but then it has to end on the perfect note so I snuck one more track in. Oh, I wish I could be like that guy who gives mix cds away to anyone who wants them (you'd think I'd remember to save the URL, but nooo) but unfortunately, I'm not in that place right now (i.e., I'm broke). So here is the track listing and um, yeah, think: DIY
1. Center of Gravity - Yo La Tengo
2. Accident Prone - Boldstar
3. The Shining - Badly Drawn Boy
4. Rollercoaster - Dear Nora
5. She is Staggering - Polaris
6. Je T'aime Moi Non Plus - Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg
7. Give Me A Reason to Love You/Glory Box - Portishead
8. Sweepstakes Prize - Mirah
9. Silently - That Dog
10. Black Bear - Flin Flon
11. Motorbykle - Cynthia Alexander
12. Just Like Henry - Dressy Bessy
13. Look of Love - All Girl Summer Fun Band
14. Mint Car (acoustic) - The Cure
15. She Don't Use Jelly - Ben Folds Five (The Flaming Lips cover)
16. You and Me Song - The Wannadies
17. Drug Buddy - Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield (Lemonheads cover)
18. Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
19. Ooh La La - The Faces
20. Why'd You Want Me? - The Jesus and Mary Chain
21. Happy Together - The Turtles
What would you put in The Perfect Mix CD?
{Happy Together, The Turtles} - I love the parts where they go papapa...
Thursday, December 5, 2002
This kind of weather is illegal in Florida
Yes, snow, glorious snow. Almost eight inches of it or mid-calf, as my boots will attest to. Funny how I managed to avoid sinking or slipping during the one-block downhill walk to the Rector Street station or the two-and-a-half-block walk home, and yet right in front of my apartment I take one wrong step and voila! Snow boots indeed. Strange, but I also feel a sudden (and I'm sure, fleeting) compulsion to shovel the walk, only we left our shovel in the old apartment and I don't know where to get one at this particular time. Actually, I'm not sure how it works - if we take turns with the other occupants of the building, or if we do a community-effort thing. Most probably, we'll all pretend that it's not there and wait for it to melt. Tomorrow looks promising. I'm rooting for the sun. I know the whole magical snowflakes-that-stay-on-my-nose-and-eyelashes feeling, but I just want to hang on to Fall a little longer.
{Holiday, Weezer} - Rivers Cuomo is a genius!
Yes, snow, glorious snow. Almost eight inches of it or mid-calf, as my boots will attest to. Funny how I managed to avoid sinking or slipping during the one-block downhill walk to the Rector Street station or the two-and-a-half-block walk home, and yet right in front of my apartment I take one wrong step and voila! Snow boots indeed. Strange, but I also feel a sudden (and I'm sure, fleeting) compulsion to shovel the walk, only we left our shovel in the old apartment and I don't know where to get one at this particular time. Actually, I'm not sure how it works - if we take turns with the other occupants of the building, or if we do a community-effort thing. Most probably, we'll all pretend that it's not there and wait for it to melt. Tomorrow looks promising. I'm rooting for the sun. I know the whole magical snowflakes-that-stay-on-my-nose-and-eyelashes feeling, but I just want to hang on to Fall a little longer.
{Holiday, Weezer} - Rivers Cuomo is a genius!
Saturday, November 30, 2002
Foo Fighting
Last night, I fell asleep to Colour and the Shape. It reminded me of college and my housemates - how I got into a stupid argument with Pam while we were alphabetizing our records, hanging out at Tia Maria's on a school night (the old Tia Maria's in front of Ateneo, which turned into a Starbucks overnight), Master (we called her Master because she was taking her Master's degree, duh) getting herself trapped in the balcony for two hours. It was frustrating sometimes (I mean, come on, seven girls and one phone line?) but mostly it was fun.
{My Hero, Foo Fighters} - He's ordinary
Last night, I fell asleep to Colour and the Shape. It reminded me of college and my housemates - how I got into a stupid argument with Pam while we were alphabetizing our records, hanging out at Tia Maria's on a school night (the old Tia Maria's in front of Ateneo, which turned into a Starbucks overnight), Master (we called her Master because she was taking her Master's degree, duh) getting herself trapped in the balcony for two hours. It was frustrating sometimes (I mean, come on, seven girls and one phone line?) but mostly it was fun.
{My Hero, Foo Fighters} - He's ordinary
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Your favorite place and mine
Call me crazy, but I usually love going to the dentist. It's kind of therapeutic really, sitting there all sprawled out on the dentist's chair, watching this person poke around your mouth with all sorts of instruments. Well, okay, in a masochistic kind of way. Back in high school, when I felt depressed or guilty or when I needed some kind of jolt/rush/fix, I'd schedule an appointment with my ortho and get my braces tightened. Somehow, the excruciating pain took my mind off anything else.
Now my new dentist's office is actually one place you wouldn't mind going to. First, her assistants whisk you off and promptly install you in a massage chair. Somebody takes your hand and dips it in wax for the free paraffin hand treatment. She's running a few minutes behind schedule but you don't mind because your hands are soft and your back feels great. She actually explains what she's doing while she's doing it. Her office is spotless, her staff is helpful, the facilities are topnotch (xrays, photos of your teeth from different angles).
The hygienist tells me that she has a hard time positioning the xray because of the extra bone in my mouth, a fact that no one in 22 years has ever told me. Later, at home, I inspect my sister's mouth (siblings are useful for situations such as these) and sure enough she does not have protrusions in the lower arch like I do.
This time, however, I didn't want to be back there so soon. (I was just there last week!) But because of an accident involving ginger candy (curse you, Aji Ichiban!) and a crown, apparently I will have to promise my firstborn to my dentist. Dental care is quite, quite expensive (I guess the paraffin isn't free, after all).
{Rollercoaster, Dear Nora} - Beside the light that's getting in my eyes, a rollercoaster ride...
Call me crazy, but I usually love going to the dentist. It's kind of therapeutic really, sitting there all sprawled out on the dentist's chair, watching this person poke around your mouth with all sorts of instruments. Well, okay, in a masochistic kind of way. Back in high school, when I felt depressed or guilty or when I needed some kind of jolt/rush/fix, I'd schedule an appointment with my ortho and get my braces tightened. Somehow, the excruciating pain took my mind off anything else.
Now my new dentist's office is actually one place you wouldn't mind going to. First, her assistants whisk you off and promptly install you in a massage chair. Somebody takes your hand and dips it in wax for the free paraffin hand treatment. She's running a few minutes behind schedule but you don't mind because your hands are soft and your back feels great. She actually explains what she's doing while she's doing it. Her office is spotless, her staff is helpful, the facilities are topnotch (xrays, photos of your teeth from different angles).
The hygienist tells me that she has a hard time positioning the xray because of the extra bone in my mouth, a fact that no one in 22 years has ever told me. Later, at home, I inspect my sister's mouth (siblings are useful for situations such as these) and sure enough she does not have protrusions in the lower arch like I do.
This time, however, I didn't want to be back there so soon. (I was just there last week!) But because of an accident involving ginger candy (curse you, Aji Ichiban!) and a crown, apparently I will have to promise my firstborn to my dentist. Dental care is quite, quite expensive (I guess the paraffin isn't free, after all).
{Rollercoaster, Dear Nora} - Beside the light that's getting in my eyes, a rollercoaster ride...
Thursday, November 7, 2002
Guess who called in sick again today?
*points to self happily*
In my defense, I woke up and already had an outfit in mind at 6:30. But just as I was getting ready to get in the shower, I had this huge headache and I felt like puking, so I went back to sleep. Anyway, I've been quite productive. So far, I've had a sausage, egg and cheese croissant, listened to 83 of my shower mp3s (mp3s I download when I take a shower), had my jeans hemmed, bought groceries, taken a nap, and watched John Cameron Mitchell in that last scene (when he's taken off his clothes and wig and he's singing "Midnight Radio") again and again and again.
I told The Boss I'd be in tommorow, though.
{He's Kissing Christian, That Dog} - Come out, come out, wherever you are
*points to self happily*
In my defense, I woke up and already had an outfit in mind at 6:30. But just as I was getting ready to get in the shower, I had this huge headache and I felt like puking, so I went back to sleep. Anyway, I've been quite productive. So far, I've had a sausage, egg and cheese croissant, listened to 83 of my shower mp3s (mp3s I download when I take a shower), had my jeans hemmed, bought groceries, taken a nap, and watched John Cameron Mitchell in that last scene (when he's taken off his clothes and wig and he's singing "Midnight Radio") again and again and again.
I told The Boss I'd be in tommorow, though.
{He's Kissing Christian, That Dog} - Come out, come out, wherever you are
Wednesday, November 6, 2002
Sick day
The other night I stayed up reading Sandra Cisneros' Caramelo. It's quite a thick book and I only gave myself until 1 am to finish it, but I hardly noticed because it fills your mind with such pretty images and you just keep turning the pages like you can't get enough of her beautiful Spanish words. Rebozo. Tamales. Sombrero.
There is a reference to "Manila mangos" in the book. Actually, the best mangoes are in Guimaras. They're unblemished (mangoes from other places are not allowed in Guimaras because of the evil weevil and fruit fly), sweeeet, and have smooth, firm, sort-of-melts-in-your-mouth flesh. Incidentally, some of my high school classmates participated in the NMRDC study of fruit flies in Guimaras way back in 1995. Cool.
I woke up feeling shitty. In a meeting with The Boss, she turned to me and said I looked like I was in a daze, or haze, or something like that, I couldn't really hear her very well. Yeah, so long story short, I took a day off today. I feel kind of guilty, knowing they're short-staffed, but I'm just not in the mood to drag my sick self around the office. I'd rather feel miserable right here. Besides, I've only taken one other totally necessary sick day. And they work me to death, anyway. I really shouldn't be feeling guilty. So, I'm gonna go and um, exfoliate or something.
{Feelin' Massachusetts, Juliana Hatfield} - Yeah, tell me something I really wanna know.
The other night I stayed up reading Sandra Cisneros' Caramelo. It's quite a thick book and I only gave myself until 1 am to finish it, but I hardly noticed because it fills your mind with such pretty images and you just keep turning the pages like you can't get enough of her beautiful Spanish words. Rebozo. Tamales. Sombrero.
There is a reference to "Manila mangos" in the book. Actually, the best mangoes are in Guimaras. They're unblemished (mangoes from other places are not allowed in Guimaras because of the evil weevil and fruit fly), sweeeet, and have smooth, firm, sort-of-melts-in-your-mouth flesh. Incidentally, some of my high school classmates participated in the NMRDC study of fruit flies in Guimaras way back in 1995. Cool.
I woke up feeling shitty. In a meeting with The Boss, she turned to me and said I looked like I was in a daze, or haze, or something like that, I couldn't really hear her very well. Yeah, so long story short, I took a day off today. I feel kind of guilty, knowing they're short-staffed, but I'm just not in the mood to drag my sick self around the office. I'd rather feel miserable right here. Besides, I've only taken one other totally necessary sick day. And they work me to death, anyway. I really shouldn't be feeling guilty. So, I'm gonna go and um, exfoliate or something.
{Feelin' Massachusetts, Juliana Hatfield} - Yeah, tell me something I really wanna know.
Sunday, October 27, 2002
Un-saving daylight
My vacation's been extended!
Everything's going to be okay now. After yesterday, nobody's going to have to drag me kicking and screaming back to work. I will go willingly, calm and relaxed. I will sit at my desk, like a well-oiled machine, knowing the knots in my shoulders have been smoothed out. If everyone got a massage at least once a month, wouldn't the world be a better place?
So, ta-tah! I shall go and try to fit as much doing absolutely nothing as I can to the rest of Day 7 of Week 2 of My Doing Absolutely Nothing.
Oh, and go easy on the soda, will you?
{Silently, That Dog} - "You silently cheer me up.. You don't even know it." - They've already broken up but they have three albums out, so scoot on to Amazon now!
My vacation's been extended!
Everything's going to be okay now. After yesterday, nobody's going to have to drag me kicking and screaming back to work. I will go willingly, calm and relaxed. I will sit at my desk, like a well-oiled machine, knowing the knots in my shoulders have been smoothed out. If everyone got a massage at least once a month, wouldn't the world be a better place?
So, ta-tah! I shall go and try to fit as much doing absolutely nothing as I can to the rest of Day 7 of Week 2 of My Doing Absolutely Nothing.
Oh, and go easy on the soda, will you?
{Silently, That Dog} - "You silently cheer me up.. You don't even know it." - They've already broken up but they have three albums out, so scoot on to Amazon now!
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Snapshots
The Chess and Checkers House at Central Park, the old black guy and his sax at Battery Park, short trees with the season's golden leaves on Liberty Island, the immigrants' bunk beds at Ellis Island, the view from the balcony at Grand Central, bird shit on my pants.
{The Size of Our Love, Sleater-Kinney} - is that a cello in the background?
The Chess and Checkers House at Central Park, the old black guy and his sax at Battery Park, short trees with the season's golden leaves on Liberty Island, the immigrants' bunk beds at Ellis Island, the view from the balcony at Grand Central, bird shit on my pants.
{The Size of Our Love, Sleater-Kinney} - is that a cello in the background?
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
The drive home
Ha! I had a surprisingly good week-end. It was fun hanging out with my cousins, aunts and uncles who I get to see only about once a year. Ocean City was a ghost town when we got there last Saturday. The stores had signs saying: "See you in Spring 2003". The breeze was a bit chilly already. But we all walked along the boardwalk, shivered, shared a funnel cake, watched TV, had dinner together around a large table. We talked about other relatives, Philippine and American history, geography. And it's times like these, when you're not really expecting to have fun, that you actually do.
My cousin Josh volunteered to drive us (my aunt and I) home, since everybody had already left earlier. I vaguely remember meeting him when we were kids, but then they moved here about ten years ago and I only really met him again last year. The thing is, I'm not very good with enclosed spaces and small talk. And I was bracing myself for a horrible two-hour drive (you know, awkward silence, etc.; my aunt was sleeping in the backseat). And it did start out horrible. But then Josh started talking about how he used to go on road trips with his friends and how they'd get trapped in snowstorms in the middle of nowhere. And we talked and laughed and in the end, it wasn't horrible at all. It didn't feel like two hours either.
I'm just glad. It's nice rediscovering somebody - a friend or a relative that you didn't really bother to get to know before and now you realize that you actually have a lot of things in common. I'm also awfully touched because it's not a short drive, he has to drive back, he has work tomorrow and has to wake up early, and he left pretty late. Awww.
{Cold Cold Water, Mirah} - I finally got the Advisory Committee album! *starry eyes*
Ha! I had a surprisingly good week-end. It was fun hanging out with my cousins, aunts and uncles who I get to see only about once a year. Ocean City was a ghost town when we got there last Saturday. The stores had signs saying: "See you in Spring 2003". The breeze was a bit chilly already. But we all walked along the boardwalk, shivered, shared a funnel cake, watched TV, had dinner together around a large table. We talked about other relatives, Philippine and American history, geography. And it's times like these, when you're not really expecting to have fun, that you actually do.
My cousin Josh volunteered to drive us (my aunt and I) home, since everybody had already left earlier. I vaguely remember meeting him when we were kids, but then they moved here about ten years ago and I only really met him again last year. The thing is, I'm not very good with enclosed spaces and small talk. And I was bracing myself for a horrible two-hour drive (you know, awkward silence, etc.; my aunt was sleeping in the backseat). And it did start out horrible. But then Josh started talking about how he used to go on road trips with his friends and how they'd get trapped in snowstorms in the middle of nowhere. And we talked and laughed and in the end, it wasn't horrible at all. It didn't feel like two hours either.
I'm just glad. It's nice rediscovering somebody - a friend or a relative that you didn't really bother to get to know before and now you realize that you actually have a lot of things in common. I'm also awfully touched because it's not a short drive, he has to drive back, he has work tomorrow and has to wake up early, and he left pretty late. Awww.
{Cold Cold Water, Mirah} - I finally got the Advisory Committee album! *starry eyes*
Friday, October 18, 2002
Destination unknown
Ahoy! It turns out I'll be doing something on my vacation after all. I'm spending the week-end at my uncle's house-by-the-shore in Ocean City. An aunt is visiting from the Philippines and at dinner today, I suddenly found myself appointed tour guide. Oh yes, I am the logical choice due to my lack of sense of direction and inability to read maps. I'm sure she'll be thrilled when we find ourselves lost in Atlantic City or Philadelphia.
{Gone Sugaring, Mirah} - chosen because of the line "...seen the wilds of Pennsylvania in the winter time," though it's not quite winter yet and I'm not going to the "wilds" of Pennsylvania...Am I?
Ahoy! It turns out I'll be doing something on my vacation after all. I'm spending the week-end at my uncle's house-by-the-shore in Ocean City. An aunt is visiting from the Philippines and at dinner today, I suddenly found myself appointed tour guide. Oh yes, I am the logical choice due to my lack of sense of direction and inability to read maps. I'm sure she'll be thrilled when we find ourselves lost in Atlantic City or Philadelphia.
{Gone Sugaring, Mirah} - chosen because of the line "...seen the wilds of Pennsylvania in the winter time," though it's not quite winter yet and I'm not going to the "wilds" of Pennsylvania...Am I?
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Oh so purty
Gems acquired from the Library yesterday:
Gems acquired from the Library yesterday:
Lullaby - Chuck Palahniuk
Wonder Boys - Michael Chabon
Eating Chinese Food Naked - Mei Ng
Asleep - Banana Yoshimoto
Kissing in Manhattan - David Schickler
Also : changed lay-out, assembled table (woohoo, am now resident handyman).
{Jenny Come On, Dressy Bessy} - perky, bubblegummy, bob-your-head-up-and-down song
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Day 2 of Week 1 of My Doing Absolutely Nothing
Yesterday, I realized the extent of my stupidity. So there I was, boiling water for the instant pancit canton, mixing the condiments in the little packets in, and then rushing to eat the whole plate because I had to get my clothes from the dryer at the laundromat, which is about a five-minute walk away. My sis and I were going to go have dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant but we realized we were both broke, so she just decided to go home. So there I was, folding my clothes into wonderful soft little piles. And there I am, watching mind-numbing TV, dilly-dallying. At about ten minutes before seven, my sister gets home, sniffs and goes to the stove, and turns it off! Shit. I had forgotten to turn it off after boiling water earlier. I mean, I was sure I turned it off. (I had probably flicked the switch to the right a little, put the flame out, but not the gas). So I had actually been sitting there for quite a few hours and all that gas had been leaking. Even a little spark, like my sister's key turning in the keyhole, could have caused a fire. Not to mention the fact that I had been breathing all those fumes in, too. Not to mention the fact that I had been contemplating about smoking a cigarette in the sun room. Aaarggghhh! This just reeks of stupidity. This is definitely going on my top five.
Yay! The delivery guy from Staples just came with my table. How hightech. He actually had me sign for it in his palmtop.
So now I'm off to the lib. I just have to make a list of books to borrow first. It is getting really cold.
Oops! Somebody's smoke alarm just went off. Gonna go check it out. False alarm. Ugh, that could have been me yesterday.
"You let me violate you...you let me desecrate you..." - Richard Cheese doing Nince Inch Nails' Closer in ridiculous cheesy accent with characteristically cheerful Sesame-Street-like accompaniment
Yesterday, I realized the extent of my stupidity. So there I was, boiling water for the instant pancit canton, mixing the condiments in the little packets in, and then rushing to eat the whole plate because I had to get my clothes from the dryer at the laundromat, which is about a five-minute walk away. My sis and I were going to go have dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant but we realized we were both broke, so she just decided to go home. So there I was, folding my clothes into wonderful soft little piles. And there I am, watching mind-numbing TV, dilly-dallying. At about ten minutes before seven, my sister gets home, sniffs and goes to the stove, and turns it off! Shit. I had forgotten to turn it off after boiling water earlier. I mean, I was sure I turned it off. (I had probably flicked the switch to the right a little, put the flame out, but not the gas). So I had actually been sitting there for quite a few hours and all that gas had been leaking. Even a little spark, like my sister's key turning in the keyhole, could have caused a fire. Not to mention the fact that I had been breathing all those fumes in, too. Not to mention the fact that I had been contemplating about smoking a cigarette in the sun room. Aaarggghhh! This just reeks of stupidity. This is definitely going on my top five.
Yay! The delivery guy from Staples just came with my table. How hightech. He actually had me sign for it in his palmtop.
So now I'm off to the lib. I just have to make a list of books to borrow first. It is getting really cold.
Oops! Somebody's smoke alarm just went off. Gonna go check it out. False alarm. Ugh, that could have been me yesterday.
"You let me violate you...you let me desecrate you..." - Richard Cheese doing Nince Inch Nails' Closer in ridiculous cheesy accent with characteristically cheerful Sesame-Street-like accompaniment
Saturday, October 12, 2002
Soo desu ne?
Today I love all things Japanese. A silly grin pops up on my face every time I remember Roksu (who's in Kyoto). He says he's going to send me a postcard with Hiragana and Katakana characters, so that I can ask the cute Japanese boy from Tech Support to translate it. I took Nihonggo in high school and college and I still remember the characters pretty well, but Jap Boy doesn't need to know that, does he? Thanks for the idea, Roksu, but you know I'm not gonna do it, anyway.
I've been looking for a lounge band to like. How timely then that my alarm clock/radio was tuned in to this station (I'm not even sure which, really) yesterday, and the guest was a guy who "swankified" popular rock songs. I love Richard Cheese and his band Lounge Against the Machine (Bobby Ricotta, Gordon Brie, Buddy Gouda). How can you not adore someone who takes angsty songs like Radiohead's Creep or Pearl Jam's Betterman and actually makes them sound...happy. So I've been downloading all day and tadaah! I now have lounge versions of The Rockafeller Skank, Suck My Kiss and even Nookie (with an upright bass!) And their version of Garbage's Only Happy it Rains has the riff from Singin' in the Rain! I still can't get enough of them but thanks to Amazon, in five to nine business days, I'll have a copy of their first album Lounge Against the Machine in my hands! Yay!
I got to work Thursday on the dot, nine AM, not a minute sooner. So it was not a pleasant surprise when I found a loooong line to get into the building. And I was thinking to myself, is the job market really that bad that we all now have to get in line to go to work? Well, it IS that bad. But it also turns out they were X-raying everybody's bags, briefcases, purses, shopping bags, what not. Another Al Qaeda threat. No one was even surprised anymore. "They're X-raying everyone's bags. Al Qaeda." "Oh, okay."
Went to Battery Park for lunch. This time, I stayed and sat by the water, set my phone's alarm, read a chapter, watched the businessmen and tourists with their cameras, listened to an Oriental guy playing some kind of string instrument. It was a beautiful, cold but sunny day and from where I sat I could see the Statue of Liberty. It was not without regret that I left twenty minutes later, and I realized I had not eaten anything.
My vacation starts on Monday, and already I've planned two whole weeks in my head of not doing anything.
Ian: You're gonna get bored.
Me: I want to get bored.
I'm going to pay back my sleep debt. I'm going to go grocery shopping and then I'm going to cook menudo (I just discovered this wonderful thing called Mama Sita's Menudo/Afritada Mix, which I got at the Filipino store in Queens). I'm going to spend one whole day at the library. I'm going to do my laundry, iron my clothes, clean my room and shift stuff around. I'm going to sit in front of the computer all day and not care if I stay up until three AM because I won't have to get up early, or get up at all, the next day anyway. I'm going to watch TV until my eyes hurt. I'm going to exercise like crazy and then I'm going to take a nice long shower but I'm not going to dry my hair. I'll let it air-dry while I read one of the ten books I'll bring home from the lib. I would shop if I could, but since I'm not going within 100 feet of the office, I can't pick up my check, so I'll be broke. But I'll be happy broke. I'm going to alphabetize my CDs and gasp! listen to every one of them, if I want. I'm going to paint and draw and color, and maybe even finish my Katakana workbook. I'm going to watch DVDs galore. I'm going to have a wonderful time.
"Shut up and eat! Too bad no bon appetit!" - Birthday Cake, Cibo Matto
Today I love all things Japanese. A silly grin pops up on my face every time I remember Roksu (who's in Kyoto). He says he's going to send me a postcard with Hiragana and Katakana characters, so that I can ask the cute Japanese boy from Tech Support to translate it. I took Nihonggo in high school and college and I still remember the characters pretty well, but Jap Boy doesn't need to know that, does he? Thanks for the idea, Roksu, but you know I'm not gonna do it, anyway.
I've been looking for a lounge band to like. How timely then that my alarm clock/radio was tuned in to this station (I'm not even sure which, really) yesterday, and the guest was a guy who "swankified" popular rock songs. I love Richard Cheese and his band Lounge Against the Machine (Bobby Ricotta, Gordon Brie, Buddy Gouda). How can you not adore someone who takes angsty songs like Radiohead's Creep or Pearl Jam's Betterman and actually makes them sound...happy. So I've been downloading all day and tadaah! I now have lounge versions of The Rockafeller Skank, Suck My Kiss and even Nookie (with an upright bass!) And their version of Garbage's Only Happy it Rains has the riff from Singin' in the Rain! I still can't get enough of them but thanks to Amazon, in five to nine business days, I'll have a copy of their first album Lounge Against the Machine in my hands! Yay!
I got to work Thursday on the dot, nine AM, not a minute sooner. So it was not a pleasant surprise when I found a loooong line to get into the building. And I was thinking to myself, is the job market really that bad that we all now have to get in line to go to work? Well, it IS that bad. But it also turns out they were X-raying everybody's bags, briefcases, purses, shopping bags, what not. Another Al Qaeda threat. No one was even surprised anymore. "They're X-raying everyone's bags. Al Qaeda." "Oh, okay."
Went to Battery Park for lunch. This time, I stayed and sat by the water, set my phone's alarm, read a chapter, watched the businessmen and tourists with their cameras, listened to an Oriental guy playing some kind of string instrument. It was a beautiful, cold but sunny day and from where I sat I could see the Statue of Liberty. It was not without regret that I left twenty minutes later, and I realized I had not eaten anything.
My vacation starts on Monday, and already I've planned two whole weeks in my head of not doing anything.
Ian: You're gonna get bored.
Me: I want to get bored.
I'm going to pay back my sleep debt. I'm going to go grocery shopping and then I'm going to cook menudo (I just discovered this wonderful thing called Mama Sita's Menudo/Afritada Mix, which I got at the Filipino store in Queens). I'm going to spend one whole day at the library. I'm going to do my laundry, iron my clothes, clean my room and shift stuff around. I'm going to sit in front of the computer all day and not care if I stay up until three AM because I won't have to get up early, or get up at all, the next day anyway. I'm going to watch TV until my eyes hurt. I'm going to exercise like crazy and then I'm going to take a nice long shower but I'm not going to dry my hair. I'll let it air-dry while I read one of the ten books I'll bring home from the lib. I would shop if I could, but since I'm not going within 100 feet of the office, I can't pick up my check, so I'll be broke. But I'll be happy broke. I'm going to alphabetize my CDs and gasp! listen to every one of them, if I want. I'm going to paint and draw and color, and maybe even finish my Katakana workbook. I'm going to watch DVDs galore. I'm going to have a wonderful time.
"Shut up and eat! Too bad no bon appetit!" - Birthday Cake, Cibo Matto
Sunday, October 6, 2002
What's in the box?
Yesterday, I found out a terrible secret. It's something that the people concerned don't know about. If I say anything, people could get fired for divulging information that is confidential for now. It bothers me that if years ago, if this was one of those quizzes that claim to tell you who you are, and I were asked if I would tell them, I would, without hesitation, say yes. But now, confronted with the situation and the complications, I know I will never say anything.
-----------------------------------
While reading Me Talk Pretty One Day on the train, I had to look away and skip a few parts lest I get mistaken for a creepazoid. Seriously, I was forcing my lips not to tremble and emit guffaws. I had to cough about 27 times because I was in serious danger of laughing out loud, and not just a giggle either. The hyena kind of laughing out loud. Lesson learned: Never read Sedaris on the train. Read it in the privacy of your bedroom where you can laugh out loud all you want.
-----------------------------------
After work yesterday, I had lunch at the McDonald's with a piano. An Asian woman was playing lounge music: "Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a treeee..." Sometimes it's a Duke Ellington look-alike playing jazz up there (on a ledge on the second floor), and the waitress always whips a (paper) place mat out just as you sit down, and you forget for five seconds that it's a McDonald's. I got off at Union Square because I remembered I had my sister's Barnes and Noble card, and that I was thinking of getting a Japan travel guide. Well, I ended up with a travel guide AND a workbook (which I started on last night) and Ellis' The Rules of Attraction.
-----------------------------------
I watched Seven again for about the umpteenth time yesterday. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, and I was telling a friend who didn't like "slow" movies that I would have liked it more if it weren't for Brad Pitt. Strange, but two of my favorite films (Seven and Fight Club) have him in them, despite the fact that he's easily one of my least favorite actors.
"Information travels faster in the modern age, in the modern age..." - Information Travels Faster, Death Cab for Cutie
Yesterday, I found out a terrible secret. It's something that the people concerned don't know about. If I say anything, people could get fired for divulging information that is confidential for now. It bothers me that if years ago, if this was one of those quizzes that claim to tell you who you are, and I were asked if I would tell them, I would, without hesitation, say yes. But now, confronted with the situation and the complications, I know I will never say anything.
-----------------------------------
While reading Me Talk Pretty One Day on the train, I had to look away and skip a few parts lest I get mistaken for a creepazoid. Seriously, I was forcing my lips not to tremble and emit guffaws. I had to cough about 27 times because I was in serious danger of laughing out loud, and not just a giggle either. The hyena kind of laughing out loud. Lesson learned: Never read Sedaris on the train. Read it in the privacy of your bedroom where you can laugh out loud all you want.
-----------------------------------
After work yesterday, I had lunch at the McDonald's with a piano. An Asian woman was playing lounge music: "Look at me, I'm as helpless as a kitten up a treeee..." Sometimes it's a Duke Ellington look-alike playing jazz up there (on a ledge on the second floor), and the waitress always whips a (paper) place mat out just as you sit down, and you forget for five seconds that it's a McDonald's. I got off at Union Square because I remembered I had my sister's Barnes and Noble card, and that I was thinking of getting a Japan travel guide. Well, I ended up with a travel guide AND a workbook (which I started on last night) and Ellis' The Rules of Attraction.
-----------------------------------
I watched Seven again for about the umpteenth time yesterday. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, and I was telling a friend who didn't like "slow" movies that I would have liked it more if it weren't for Brad Pitt. Strange, but two of my favorite films (Seven and Fight Club) have him in them, despite the fact that he's easily one of my least favorite actors.
"Information travels faster in the modern age, in the modern age..." - Information Travels Faster, Death Cab for Cutie
Tuesday, October 1, 2002
Y-O-Y
Why do I always find out about shows after they're sold out? Why does no one believe me when I say the Empire State building ispurple pink orange (Aww, heck, here's the schedule)? Why is it warm when I put on my jacket and cold when I don't? Why does sleep never come when I need it? Why do I have to work on Saturday? Why why why?
Oh David Sedaris, save me from a night of despair!
"Where can I go to repair all the wear and the tear till I’m once again the previous me!" - from On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Why do I always find out about shows after they're sold out? Why does no one believe me when I say the Empire State building is
Oh David Sedaris, save me from a night of despair!
"Where can I go to repair all the wear and the tear till I’m once again the previous me!" - from On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
Hey Mercedes Hey Sandy hey
At the last minute, I decided not to go watch the Evan Dando gig at Southpaw because I had work the next day (Saturday). Argh! I am such a loser. The Lemonheads is only one of my favorite bands ever. Given that I was tired and I just came from work, but what the heck I'm always tired.
Speaking of work, it's eerie how Wall Street looks like at eight a.m. on a Saturday morning. It's practically possible to take more than three steps without bumping into a person or food cart. I signed in, took the elevator (which I didn't have to wait 57 minutes for!) to my floor, and found myself delightfully alone. It took me all of fifteen minutes to look for the light switch. The others started coming in at 8:30. This was my first time to work on a Saturday and I was understandably cranky, but I actually liked it. No ringing phones, no boss, I actually wore thong slippers and got away with it. Well, there was no AC either, just a dusty industrial size fan, and the silence was punctuated by sneezing every five minutes.
Anyhow, to discourage depression due to the abovementioned facts, I did some serious spending over the week-end. I saw this funky green jacket at Gap, which they didn't have in my size but had in my sister's, who conceded to my having the blue suede bag as consolation. I'm really curious about the other Demeter fragrances, but Sephora only had a few. I got the Gin and Tonic, which won over Laundromat and Earl Grey Tea. I was really looking for Grass, Dirt and Holy Water, though. For the adventurous, there's Mildew, Earthworm, Lobster, Saw Dust..... The Body Shop has body polish made out of Satsuma oranges, which smells good enough to eat. From "New York's best kept secret", I got two pairs of sassy black boots for fall, which technically started yesterday. After a long day, we went home and contemplated on how materialistic we've become on week-ends.
Today, my boss unchained me early and so I thought I deserved a little trip to J & R. Bad decision because I ended up buying all these CDs which somehow just magically appeared on their shelves. Funny how when you're not looking to buy anything, all these CDs are suddenly screaming at you, "Buy me! buy me!" "I'm on sale!" "I'm the last copy and they marked me down 10% and I have that song that you've been thinking about lately!" In times like these, what could one do but proceed to the checkout counter with an armload. What kind of a world is this, where dozens of copies of Jeff Buckley's Grace marked down to $9.99 remain unsold? If I were rich, I would gladly walk out of there with all those unsold Jeff Buckley CDs and I'd put a bin in the middle of Battery Park, and maybe a copy would make its way to Tokelau or the Vatican or Babuyan Islands.
"If I could you know I'd try to, rest assured I've half a mind to..." - Rest Assured, Lemonheads
At the last minute, I decided not to go watch the Evan Dando gig at Southpaw because I had work the next day (Saturday). Argh! I am such a loser. The Lemonheads is only one of my favorite bands ever. Given that I was tired and I just came from work, but what the heck I'm always tired.
Speaking of work, it's eerie how Wall Street looks like at eight a.m. on a Saturday morning. It's practically possible to take more than three steps without bumping into a person or food cart. I signed in, took the elevator (which I didn't have to wait 57 minutes for!) to my floor, and found myself delightfully alone. It took me all of fifteen minutes to look for the light switch. The others started coming in at 8:30. This was my first time to work on a Saturday and I was understandably cranky, but I actually liked it. No ringing phones, no boss, I actually wore thong slippers and got away with it. Well, there was no AC either, just a dusty industrial size fan, and the silence was punctuated by sneezing every five minutes.
Anyhow, to discourage depression due to the abovementioned facts, I did some serious spending over the week-end. I saw this funky green jacket at Gap, which they didn't have in my size but had in my sister's, who conceded to my having the blue suede bag as consolation. I'm really curious about the other Demeter fragrances, but Sephora only had a few. I got the Gin and Tonic, which won over Laundromat and Earl Grey Tea. I was really looking for Grass, Dirt and Holy Water, though. For the adventurous, there's Mildew, Earthworm, Lobster, Saw Dust..... The Body Shop has body polish made out of Satsuma oranges, which smells good enough to eat. From "New York's best kept secret", I got two pairs of sassy black boots for fall, which technically started yesterday. After a long day, we went home and contemplated on how materialistic we've become on week-ends.
Today, my boss unchained me early and so I thought I deserved a little trip to J & R. Bad decision because I ended up buying all these CDs which somehow just magically appeared on their shelves. Funny how when you're not looking to buy anything, all these CDs are suddenly screaming at you, "Buy me! buy me!" "I'm on sale!" "I'm the last copy and they marked me down 10% and I have that song that you've been thinking about lately!" In times like these, what could one do but proceed to the checkout counter with an armload. What kind of a world is this, where dozens of copies of Jeff Buckley's Grace marked down to $9.99 remain unsold? If I were rich, I would gladly walk out of there with all those unsold Jeff Buckley CDs and I'd put a bin in the middle of Battery Park, and maybe a copy would make its way to Tokelau or the Vatican or Babuyan Islands.
"If I could you know I'd try to, rest assured I've half a mind to..." - Rest Assured, Lemonheads
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
Workaday
Alone in the backseat of a cab at 11 pm, you watch as the lamp posts go by slowly, slowly. Cruising along unfamiliar highways and sidestreets, you imagine you're on a trip to some exotic place. Some place different, unpredictable, where fourteen-hour workdays and fifteen-minute lunches are unheard of. But you're only going home.
Over and over we begin again.
"Hi.... it's been a while... your freckled smile... has lost its charming glimmer... "- Just Like Henry, Dressy Bessy
Alone in the backseat of a cab at 11 pm, you watch as the lamp posts go by slowly, slowly. Cruising along unfamiliar highways and sidestreets, you imagine you're on a trip to some exotic place. Some place different, unpredictable, where fourteen-hour workdays and fifteen-minute lunches are unheard of. But you're only going home.
Over and over we begin again.
"Hi.... it's been a while... your freckled smile... has lost its charming glimmer... "- Just Like Henry, Dressy Bessy
Sunday, September 15, 2002
Stories
Everyone has a story.
Li was trapped in a train underground for an hour. Joe reached out and caught a piece of paper with a speck of blood on it. Ian was in one of the towers an hour before the incident. B saw the first plane hit.
It's important to tell and retell the stories so we don't forget. Because we can, and because it's so easy to.
Long after the full minute of silence passed, the radio continued to drone on and on, calling out the names of the people who died.
Everyone has a story.
Li was trapped in a train underground for an hour. Joe reached out and caught a piece of paper with a speck of blood on it. Ian was in one of the towers an hour before the incident. B saw the first plane hit.
It's important to tell and retell the stories so we don't forget. Because we can, and because it's so easy to.
Long after the full minute of silence passed, the radio continued to drone on and on, calling out the names of the people who died.
Sunday, September 8, 2002
Definitely wear lip gloss
Mmmhmm.
In true couch potato fashion, we've (my sister and I) registered with netflix. We're renting movies that everybody has seen but us, or that she has seen but I haven't and vice versa. The greatest thing about DVDs is subtitles, hope yet for half-deaf people like us. My mom swears I have selective hearing. I only hear what I want to. She says this is because as a child, I would pretend not to hear whenever somebody asks me to help out in the household chores
A craving for spicy noodles led us to a little Thai restaurant in Bay Ridge, the name of which escapes me. Anyhow, the waiter was Filipino, which my sister and I found strange because we swore we heard him speak Thai. (didn't I mention we're half-deaf?) We gave ourselves a good bonk in the head as we pride ourselves as being quite good at Spot-the-Filipino. As he was handing us the check, my sister, who almost always has no cash on her, reached for it, and I muttered under my breath, "As if ikaw magbabayad" (As if you're paying). The waiter, who was trying to suppress a chuckle, then said "Filipino kayo?" (Are you Filipino?), to which I stupidly said, "Ikaw din?" (You too?) On the way home, we marveled at how versatile the Filipino's features are. It's even ironic how my (biological) sister can pass for Vietnamese, while I am sometimes mistaken to be from one of the Spanish-speaking countries.
The Wiz was having a closing out sale so I thought I'd get some CDs that I had left back home. Last night I was listening to Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen. I remember spending an entire summer trying to transcribe the whole album because I was jealous of Jazz, who could play Missing the War (and the Mr. Belvedere theme!) on the Glee Club's keyboards. sidenote: Even with 10% off, CDs at The Wiz are still more expensive than those at other record stores.
Sandra Cisneros (House on Mango Street) has come up with her version of a Latino epic. It took Cisneros nine years to write Caramelo, which will be out by September 24.
"I want, I want, I want, I wanna be Kate!" - Kate, Ben Folds Five
Mmmhmm.
In true couch potato fashion, we've (my sister and I) registered with netflix. We're renting movies that everybody has seen but us, or that she has seen but I haven't and vice versa. The greatest thing about DVDs is subtitles, hope yet for half-deaf people like us. My mom swears I have selective hearing. I only hear what I want to. She says this is because as a child, I would pretend not to hear whenever somebody asks me to help out in the household chores
A craving for spicy noodles led us to a little Thai restaurant in Bay Ridge, the name of which escapes me. Anyhow, the waiter was Filipino, which my sister and I found strange because we swore we heard him speak Thai. (didn't I mention we're half-deaf?) We gave ourselves a good bonk in the head as we pride ourselves as being quite good at Spot-the-Filipino. As he was handing us the check, my sister, who almost always has no cash on her, reached for it, and I muttered under my breath, "As if ikaw magbabayad" (As if you're paying). The waiter, who was trying to suppress a chuckle, then said "Filipino kayo?" (Are you Filipino?), to which I stupidly said, "Ikaw din?" (You too?) On the way home, we marveled at how versatile the Filipino's features are. It's even ironic how my (biological) sister can pass for Vietnamese, while I am sometimes mistaken to be from one of the Spanish-speaking countries.
The Wiz was having a closing out sale so I thought I'd get some CDs that I had left back home. Last night I was listening to Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen. I remember spending an entire summer trying to transcribe the whole album because I was jealous of Jazz, who could play Missing the War (and the Mr. Belvedere theme!) on the Glee Club's keyboards. sidenote: Even with 10% off, CDs at The Wiz are still more expensive than those at other record stores.
Sandra Cisneros (House on Mango Street) has come up with her version of a Latino epic. It took Cisneros nine years to write Caramelo, which will be out by September 24.
"I want, I want, I want, I wanna be Kate!" - Kate, Ben Folds Five
Friday, August 30, 2002
You lucky lucky dogs
Arnold Arre's After Eden is available at the 2002 Philippine Book Fair (Megatrade Hall, 5/f SM Megamall) from August 31 to September 8. Book signing on September 7. Also available at the Adarna office at 73-a Scout Limbaga St., Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City (near Don Henrico's Tomas Morato).
I suppose one night they just found themselves in the lab with nothing to do. So they got the IBM 1403 printer to play "Raindrops Keep Falling On Your Head". Is that so wrong?
Yeah, but. Does Eminem have a blog?
High 75. Low 62. Yey. Nice clear skies for Labor Day week-end, so far. And I'm going away.
"On a train heading east of here. Where I'll end up I'm not quite clear..." - Hear, Moonpools and Caterpillars
Arnold Arre's After Eden is available at the 2002 Philippine Book Fair (Megatrade Hall, 5/f SM Megamall) from August 31 to September 8. Book signing on September 7. Also available at the Adarna office at 73-a Scout Limbaga St., Bgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City (near Don Henrico's Tomas Morato).
I suppose one night they just found themselves in the lab with nothing to do. So they got the IBM 1403 printer to play "Raindrops Keep Falling On Your Head". Is that so wrong?
Yeah, but. Does Eminem have a blog?
High 75. Low 62. Yey. Nice clear skies for Labor Day week-end, so far. And I'm going away.
"On a train heading east of here. Where I'll end up I'm not quite clear..." - Hear, Moonpools and Caterpillars
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Well hello there, world
Ach, what am I doing, blogging at 10 pm? I have a self-imposed curfew. Am supposed to be in deep sleep by 11 pm if I want to wake up early enough to get a decent breakfast. Otherwise, I'll be too sleepy, tired, and hungry to walk farther than Starbucks for lunch and/or dinner, whereupon I shall get the current frappuccino hybrid, which will make me stay up later than 10 pm. And the vicious cycle goes on.
My bored friend Lee reminded all of us to, "like your first program", say hello to the world. Ha! While searching for a link, I came across a Hello World program in Brainf*ck.
Watch Quark pull this off.
"La la la doo bee doo bee doo..." - Gordon's Gardenparty, The Cardigans
Ach, what am I doing, blogging at 10 pm? I have a self-imposed curfew. Am supposed to be in deep sleep by 11 pm if I want to wake up early enough to get a decent breakfast. Otherwise, I'll be too sleepy, tired, and hungry to walk farther than Starbucks for lunch and/or dinner, whereupon I shall get the current frappuccino hybrid, which will make me stay up later than 10 pm. And the vicious cycle goes on.
My bored friend Lee reminded all of us to, "like your first program", say hello to the world. Ha! While searching for a link, I came across a Hello World program in Brainf*ck.
Watch Quark pull this off.
"La la la doo bee doo bee doo..." - Gordon's Gardenparty, The Cardigans
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Into your arms
Yep. Twenty-two. That I am. I always get cranky during the weeks surrounding my birthday. Well, at least this year and last I was. Yes, I know, it's not like you suddenly get one year older on that day. It's a day-by-day process; you get older one day at a time. It's bound to happen. It's inevitable. There's just something depressing about making it official.
Personally, I wouldn't want a douchaise or a hipster and I'm not a water door kind of person, but isn't this Fresh as A Daisy hand soap just charming? If you don't think so, go look elsewhere.
Aaaarggghh!!! Two words: Evan. Dando. I wanna go! I wanna go!
Boldst*r, Bodge's boyfriend's band, just released an album. It's called, "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Something/What Are You...Really?" I don't have the album yet, as it's only available in the Philippines. But if you're anywhere near Manila, you must get a copy.
"And people never do what they want to..." - Out There, The Blake Babies
Yep. Twenty-two. That I am. I always get cranky during the weeks surrounding my birthday. Well, at least this year and last I was. Yes, I know, it's not like you suddenly get one year older on that day. It's a day-by-day process; you get older one day at a time. It's bound to happen. It's inevitable. There's just something depressing about making it official.
Personally, I wouldn't want a douchaise or a hipster and I'm not a water door kind of person, but isn't this Fresh as A Daisy hand soap just charming? If you don't think so, go look elsewhere.
Aaaarggghh!!! Two words: Evan. Dando. I wanna go! I wanna go!
Boldst*r, Bodge's boyfriend's band, just released an album. It's called, "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Something/What Are You...Really?" I don't have the album yet, as it's only available in the Philippines. But if you're anywhere near Manila, you must get a copy.
"And people never do what they want to..." - Out There, The Blake Babies
Sunday, August 11, 2002
Wise men know best
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue."
And I am two-and-twenty
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.
- When I Was One-and-Twenty, A.E. Housman (1859-1936)
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
'Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue."
And I am two-and-twenty
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.
- When I Was One-and-Twenty, A.E. Housman (1859-1936)
Friday, August 9, 2002
This place that is no place
Hi. Just got back from a hang-over from reading this book. All week long I've been walking around feeling like I got hit by a giant ice cream truck. Like the central character of his novel, Murakami has a way with words. Lingering effect, eh?
"Yeah, it's strange, but what's so strange about that?..." - Strange, Built to Spill
Hi. Just got back from a hang-over from reading this book. All week long I've been walking around feeling like I got hit by a giant ice cream truck. Like the central character of his novel, Murakami has a way with words. Lingering effect, eh?
"Yeah, it's strange, but what's so strange about that?..." - Strange, Built to Spill
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
She is staggering
At That Evil Place: Lo and behold, a lonely copy of Mirah's "You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This". Totally made my day.
Also found: The Rondelles' Shined Nickels and Loose Change
Waiting for: Polaris' Music from the Adventures of Pete and Pete
Pete and Pete practically saved my life. For five months after grad (during which I didn't have a life outside of Pete and Pete), I would be the quintessential couch potato every afternoon at 3 pm when they played the reruns on Nickelodeon. The big black couch in the living room (in my parents' house in Bacolod) would be mine, all mine, for exactly thirty minutes. And I would clutch my junk food of the week and headbang to Apples in Stereo, Luscious Jackson, Magnetic Fields, Polaris or whatever cool band as the credits rolled. Ah, those were the days.
"Waiting for October...I cross my fingers cross my heart and hope to die..." - Waiting for October by Polaris
At That Evil Place: Lo and behold, a lonely copy of Mirah's "You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This". Totally made my day.
Also found: The Rondelles' Shined Nickels and Loose Change
Waiting for: Polaris' Music from the Adventures of Pete and Pete
Pete and Pete practically saved my life. For five months after grad (during which I didn't have a life outside of Pete and Pete), I would be the quintessential couch potato every afternoon at 3 pm when they played the reruns on Nickelodeon. The big black couch in the living room (in my parents' house in Bacolod) would be mine, all mine, for exactly thirty minutes. And I would clutch my junk food of the week and headbang to Apples in Stereo, Luscious Jackson, Magnetic Fields, Polaris or whatever cool band as the credits rolled. Ah, those were the days.
"Waiting for October...I cross my fingers cross my heart and hope to die..." - Waiting for October by Polaris
Sunday, July 28, 2002
With kaleidoscope eyes
Yesterday The other day, I did my name in watercolor Kanji.
-------------------
My sister plays the piano for a Lutheran church with a German pastor and an Indian congregation. The other day she told me, in the way that older sisters sometimes have of telling, that I had to pinch-hit for her because she had to go to Westchester today. The last time I did that was a complete disaster. The church members were quite shocked when, instead of playing "Amen, amen" (for the benediction), I played the Gloria Patri, which really isn't supposed to come at the end of the service. Everybody knows that. Except me, obviously.
--------------------
Sotoday yesterday, I dragged my sleepy self off my bed and set off to once again make a total fool of myself. And I did, thank you very much. I haven't touched a piano for months. Come to think of it, I haven't been to church for months either. I used to go every Sunday. Heck, I sang in the choir. And then, one day, I just stopped going. I still believe in God, or at the very least, the existence of a Supreme Being. I feel like telling him, "It's not you, it's me."
--------------------
I miss playing the piano. I miss running my fingers over the keys and making music. I've always found it to be quite therapeutic, sitting on a piano bench and letting my mind wander while my fingers run the course of a piece. Sometimes I wouldn't let my mind wander; I would listen to every note and try to do justice to a dead guy who probably spent countless hours fine-tuning the notes to make it sound just so. Sometimes, I would run a difficult passage over and over again and get frustrated. But always, I felt a certain kind of peace after I've sat on the bench. The piano is my punching bag, my canvas, my pen.
Well, now, I don't have regular access to one, which really sucks.
--------------------
After brunner (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at a charming cafe, we marched over to the friendly neighborhood video store and rented Zoolander, Ocean's Eleven, and Vanilla Sky DVDs. Zoolander was hilarious. Some stupid movies pretend to be smart. This one doesn't; flaunts it, in fact. Ocean's Eleven was okay (a lot of people probably said that about it). Vanilla Sky was... long. Very long.
--------------------
Hey, I just realized I use the word "suck" quite often. I'm sure there's a web site somewhere out there devoted to things that suck but here's my own list, anyway:
Things That Suck
1. cracks on the Sidewalk
2. the Sound of a fork being Scratched across a blackboard
3. passing through a turnstile after Swiping your Metrocard five hundred times and just missing the train by a millisecond
4. Spiders
5. the Sickly Sweet Smell of garbage
6. really large Shopping bags
7. Soggy Sandwiches
8. the Snooze button
Hey! They all have S's! Let me capitalize all the S's to emphasize my point. Yes, that would be a good idea. Hmm, so now it's a list of Things That Suck ThatStart With The Letter S Have The Letter S Somewhere.
Okay, okay. I have got to get some sleep, I mean, Sleep.
And, in keeping with the theme,
"It's oh so quiet... Shhh....Shhhh...It's oh so still... Shhh...Shhh....You're all alone...And so peaceful until...." - It's Oh So Quiet by Bjork
-------------------
My sister plays the piano for a Lutheran church with a German pastor and an Indian congregation. The other day she told me, in the way that older sisters sometimes have of telling, that I had to pinch-hit for her because she had to go to Westchester today. The last time I did that was a complete disaster. The church members were quite shocked when, instead of playing "Amen, amen" (for the benediction), I played the Gloria Patri, which really isn't supposed to come at the end of the service. Everybody knows that. Except me, obviously.
--------------------
So
--------------------
I miss playing the piano. I miss running my fingers over the keys and making music. I've always found it to be quite therapeutic, sitting on a piano bench and letting my mind wander while my fingers run the course of a piece. Sometimes I wouldn't let my mind wander; I would listen to every note and try to do justice to a dead guy who probably spent countless hours fine-tuning the notes to make it sound just so. Sometimes, I would run a difficult passage over and over again and get frustrated. But always, I felt a certain kind of peace after I've sat on the bench. The piano is my punching bag, my canvas, my pen.
Well, now, I don't have regular access to one, which really sucks.
--------------------
After brunner (breakfast, lunch, dinner) at a charming cafe, we marched over to the friendly neighborhood video store and rented Zoolander, Ocean's Eleven, and Vanilla Sky DVDs. Zoolander was hilarious. Some stupid movies pretend to be smart. This one doesn't; flaunts it, in fact. Ocean's Eleven was okay (a lot of people probably said that about it). Vanilla Sky was... long. Very long.
--------------------
Hey, I just realized I use the word "suck" quite often. I'm sure there's a web site somewhere out there devoted to things that suck but here's my own list, anyway:
Things That Suck
1. cracks on the Sidewalk
2. the Sound of a fork being Scratched across a blackboard
3. passing through a turnstile after Swiping your Metrocard five hundred times and just missing the train by a millisecond
4. Spiders
5. the Sickly Sweet Smell of garbage
6. really large Shopping bags
7. Soggy Sandwiches
8. the Snooze button
Hey! They all have S's! Let me capitalize all the S's to emphasize my point. Yes, that would be a good idea. Hmm, so now it's a list of Things That Suck That
Okay, okay. I have got to get some sleep, I mean, Sleep.
And, in keeping with the theme,
"It's oh so quiet... Shhh....Shhhh...It's oh so still... Shhh...Shhh....You're all alone...And so peaceful until...." - It's Oh So Quiet by Bjork
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Worms
I was going to go online and post this*:
Nobody loves me
Everybody hates me
I'm gonna eat some worms
Big worms, little worms
Itsy bitsy teeny worms
Fuzzy wuzzy wuzzy wuzzy worms
First one's easy
Second one's greasy
Third one sticks to your tongue
Fourth one's busty
Fifth one's rusty
Sixth one tries to run
So cut off the head
And suck all the juice
And spit all the germs away
And if anyone asks
How many worms you eat
Three times a day!
because nobody was signing my guestbook but somebody just did! Thanks GGD.
*Works best when sung. Loud.
I was going to go online and post this*:
Nobody loves me
Everybody hates me
I'm gonna eat some worms
Big worms, little worms
Itsy bitsy teeny worms
Fuzzy wuzzy wuzzy wuzzy worms
First one's easy
Second one's greasy
Third one sticks to your tongue
Fourth one's busty
Fifth one's rusty
Sixth one tries to run
So cut off the head
And suck all the juice
And spit all the germs away
And if anyone asks
How many worms you eat
Three times a day!
because nobody was signing my guestbook but somebody just did! Thanks GGD.
*Works best when sung. Loud.
Sunday, July 21, 2002
Are you getting lots of action? I hope so
Is it healthy to always be wanting to change your blog's title? I sure don't think so. The folks over at nycbloggers might be slightly irritated if I ask them one more time to change my info. As it is, my blog is currently listed twice for the same stop, with different titles and URLs.
I had a blog months ago that I was just doing for myself. But then, my friend The Goddess of Graphics Design sent me a bundle of CDs and I started toying around with some fonts in ImageReady. I found this cute font called Chick, and I thought it would be a cool gif to put on a page, so tadaa! And that is how my blog came to be called That Chick - a chick and her wacky ideas, which I realize now sounds slightly stupid. I know my layout sucks and all that, but I'm not in a hurry to make it look better.
Anyway, this is supposed to be my happy post for the week. I went to Six Flags with some friends and my cousins this week-end. I only went on the chicken rides because it was a red letter day and I wasn't feeling all that good (no to mention that I'm chicken). But the highlight of my day was winning a 4-foot red-and-yellow dragon with sparkly wings for shooting a ring in a bottle neck. And he is HUGE. It was one of those games where you get a bucket of small hoops for $5 and you have to shoot one in the neck of a bottle to get a prize. Now let me make me this clear. I have NEVER won anything in a game my whole entire life! I suck at these things. But suddenly there it was: my hoop in a bottle neck and the attendant asking me to pick a prize. "Anything?," I said, my eyes as big as the dragon's.
Of course, we (me and my good, kind, wonderful friends) had to drag Horace all over the place and in a few months, I just might realize there is some truth to a jealous lady's statement that he's "just a dust collector". But here he is now, in our little apartment, out of place but nevertheless a testament that all things are quite possibly possible.
"Let's do all the things you said..." - "Murphy Bed" by Mirah
*By the way, I also won two little chicks (!) for shooting two balls in the blue holes. I'm on a roll!
Is it healthy to always be wanting to change your blog's title? I sure don't think so. The folks over at nycbloggers might be slightly irritated if I ask them one more time to change my info. As it is, my blog is currently listed twice for the same stop, with different titles and URLs.
I had a blog months ago that I was just doing for myself. But then, my friend The Goddess of Graphics Design sent me a bundle of CDs and I started toying around with some fonts in ImageReady. I found this cute font called Chick, and I thought it would be a cool gif to put on a page, so tadaa! And that is how my blog came to be called That Chick - a chick and her wacky ideas, which I realize now sounds slightly stupid. I know my layout sucks and all that, but I'm not in a hurry to make it look better.
Anyway, this is supposed to be my happy post for the week. I went to Six Flags with some friends and my cousins this week-end. I only went on the chicken rides because it was a red letter day and I wasn't feeling all that good (no to mention that I'm chicken). But the highlight of my day was winning a 4-foot red-and-yellow dragon with sparkly wings for shooting a ring in a bottle neck. And he is HUGE. It was one of those games where you get a bucket of small hoops for $5 and you have to shoot one in the neck of a bottle to get a prize. Now let me make me this clear. I have NEVER won anything in a game my whole entire life! I suck at these things. But suddenly there it was: my hoop in a bottle neck and the attendant asking me to pick a prize. "Anything?," I said, my eyes as big as the dragon's.
Of course, we (me and my good, kind, wonderful friends) had to drag Horace all over the place and in a few months, I just might realize there is some truth to a jealous lady's statement that he's "just a dust collector". But here he is now, in our little apartment, out of place but nevertheless a testament that all things are quite possibly possible.
"Let's do all the things you said..." - "Murphy Bed" by Mirah
*By the way, I also won two little chicks (!) for shooting two balls in the blue holes. I'm on a roll!
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
Feet pounding on asphalt
I took a long walk to Battery Park today during my lunch (half) hour. Just walked on and on, past the delis and the newspaper stands and The Bull. I lost myself among the tourists, with their sun visors and sneakers and road maps stuck carelessly in pockets, and time, time, time on their hands. And for a minute, I felt just like one.
I would have loved to sit by the water and watch the world go by, but it was time yet again to go back. Back to unfinished spreadsheets and barely legible phone messages, and more piles of paper than I know what to do with.
--------------------
from "The Professor and the Madman", which almost made me miss my stop:
One of the parties to the colloquy was the formidable Dr. James Murray, the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. On the day in question he had traveled fifty miles by train from Oxford to meet an enigmatic figure named Dr. W.C. Minor, who was among the most prolific of the thousands of volunteer contributors whose labors lay at the core of the dictionary's creation...
... "A very good afternoon to you, sir. I am Dr. James Murray of the London Philological Society, and Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to at long last make your acquaintance -- for you must be, kind sir, my most assiduous helpmeet, Dr. W.C. Minor?"
There was a brief pause, a momentary air of mutual embarrassment. A clock ticked loudly. There were muffled footsteps in the hall. A distant clank of keys. And then the man behind the desk cleared his throat, and he spoke:
"I regret, kind sir, that I am not. It is not at all as you suppose. I am in fact the Governor of the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Dr. Minor is most certainly here. But he is an inmate. He has been a patient here for more than twenty years. He is our longest-staying resident."
Now THAT is a preface.
--------------------
With a hopeful little lilt to my step, I went once again on a long walk, this time to that evil place, because today's the day. I half expected to see the shelves empty and people with cheshire cat grins walking out of the store. But there it was. A whole shelf. No crowd pushing and shoving. No one even grabbed a copy the whole time I was there, staring at the shelf. And here I was all prepared for a tug-of-war. Oh well. Maybe they already got their copies earlier.
"Walked the streets today, mindless of the way, I argued with my feet..." - "Walk Down the Road" by Cynthia Alexander
I took a long walk to Battery Park today during my lunch (half) hour. Just walked on and on, past the delis and the newspaper stands and The Bull. I lost myself among the tourists, with their sun visors and sneakers and road maps stuck carelessly in pockets, and time, time, time on their hands. And for a minute, I felt just like one.
I would have loved to sit by the water and watch the world go by, but it was time yet again to go back. Back to unfinished spreadsheets and barely legible phone messages, and more piles of paper than I know what to do with.
--------------------
from "The Professor and the Madman", which almost made me miss my stop:
One of the parties to the colloquy was the formidable Dr. James Murray, the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. On the day in question he had traveled fifty miles by train from Oxford to meet an enigmatic figure named Dr. W.C. Minor, who was among the most prolific of the thousands of volunteer contributors whose labors lay at the core of the dictionary's creation...
... "A very good afternoon to you, sir. I am Dr. James Murray of the London Philological Society, and Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to at long last make your acquaintance -- for you must be, kind sir, my most assiduous helpmeet, Dr. W.C. Minor?"
There was a brief pause, a momentary air of mutual embarrassment. A clock ticked loudly. There were muffled footsteps in the hall. A distant clank of keys. And then the man behind the desk cleared his throat, and he spoke:
"I regret, kind sir, that I am not. It is not at all as you suppose. I am in fact the Governor of the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Dr. Minor is most certainly here. But he is an inmate. He has been a patient here for more than twenty years. He is our longest-staying resident."
Now THAT is a preface.
--------------------
With a hopeful little lilt to my step, I went once again on a long walk, this time to that evil place, because today's the day. I half expected to see the shelves empty and people with cheshire cat grins walking out of the store. But there it was. A whole shelf. No crowd pushing and shoving. No one even grabbed a copy the whole time I was there, staring at the shelf. And here I was all prepared for a tug-of-war. Oh well. Maybe they already got their copies earlier.
"Walked the streets today, mindless of the way, I argued with my feet..." - "Walk Down the Road" by Cynthia Alexander
Friday, July 12, 2002
Of men and bottled water
according to this, i am a schizotypal-histrionic-avoidant-obsessive-compulsive freak. hmm, well, except for the freak part (and maybe the schizotypal and obsessive compulsive part) my entire being completely rejected the idea. until yesterday when i got my daily bottle of water from the vendo. upon returning to my desk, i discovered that for the life of me, i could not, could not open the bottle. i tried so hard. i really did. there just was no way to open it.
now, let me just mention that my sister has called me a wimp not a few times. i suck at sports or anything that involves physical strength. clearly, i had no choice but to ask a gentleman to open said bottle for me.
but the mere thought of it - of asking a guy to open a bottle for me - i just couldn't do it. it completely went against all the self-sufficiency crap that i believe in. in a job that involves the lifting of heavy boxes of paper on occasion, unless it's absolutely necessary, i don't usually ask any of the guys in the department for help. i just grunt and pretend i work at a shipyard. and this.. this.. bottle (!) had the nerve to resist.
it took me all of two hours, after a lengthy internal debate, to finally ask my fatherly seatmate to please open the bottle for me because the cap didn't have any perforations on it and even if i wiped it dry i still couldn't get a good grip. only because my throat was parched, i refused to spend another cent on that stupid vendo, and the water was getting lukewarm. even now, i can derive some satisfaction from the fact that he had a difficult time opening it, too. i almost wished he'd give up.
so, histrionic -- maybe (after all, i DO have a blog), avoidant (fear of embarrassment, etcetera) -- a little, schizotypal -- in some ways, obsessive-compulsive -- maybe more than i'm allowing myself to accept.
boy, do i have issues.
"is this a release or a build up of pressure?" - of pressure by mirah
according to this, i am a schizotypal-histrionic-avoidant-obsessive-compulsive freak. hmm, well, except for the freak part (and maybe the schizotypal and obsessive compulsive part) my entire being completely rejected the idea. until yesterday when i got my daily bottle of water from the vendo. upon returning to my desk, i discovered that for the life of me, i could not, could not open the bottle. i tried so hard. i really did. there just was no way to open it.
now, let me just mention that my sister has called me a wimp not a few times. i suck at sports or anything that involves physical strength. clearly, i had no choice but to ask a gentleman to open said bottle for me.
but the mere thought of it - of asking a guy to open a bottle for me - i just couldn't do it. it completely went against all the self-sufficiency crap that i believe in. in a job that involves the lifting of heavy boxes of paper on occasion, unless it's absolutely necessary, i don't usually ask any of the guys in the department for help. i just grunt and pretend i work at a shipyard. and this.. this.. bottle (!) had the nerve to resist.
it took me all of two hours, after a lengthy internal debate, to finally ask my fatherly seatmate to please open the bottle for me because the cap didn't have any perforations on it and even if i wiped it dry i still couldn't get a good grip. only because my throat was parched, i refused to spend another cent on that stupid vendo, and the water was getting lukewarm. even now, i can derive some satisfaction from the fact that he had a difficult time opening it, too. i almost wished he'd give up.
so, histrionic -- maybe (after all, i DO have a blog), avoidant (fear of embarrassment, etcetera) -- a little, schizotypal -- in some ways, obsessive-compulsive -- maybe more than i'm allowing myself to accept.
boy, do i have issues.
"is this a release or a build up of pressure?" - of pressure by mirah
Tuesday, July 9, 2002
Frappuccino
i got to work at 8:30 today. had breakfast at mcdonald's because i didn't want to be too early. practically shoved my sausage mcmuffin into my mouth, and was at my desk at five to nine, screaming "i maaaade iiiiit!!!!" The Boss beamed at me: "yes, you did." i went to sleep at 11 pm last night. big improvement over my usual 1:30 am. i was late three days out of four last week. in college, with two weeks of classes to go before the end of the semester, my philo 102 teacher told me i had 8.5 cuts out of nine. after that, i was in the classroom every single day at 7 am. for two weeks. it's true. you can check my yearbook. i listed it under biggest accomplishments. i suppose, perhaps, i have a slight problem with punctuality.
i tried to get through the day with the minimum amount of caffeine. i only had a bottled mocha frappuccino in the morning instead of my usual medium black two sugars on the side. by the middle of the day, i was cranky, disoriented and edgy. swerving to avoid the camera crews, i raced to starbucks to get something, anything, with caffeine. i'm thinking, i should probably try to quit. not cold turkey, mind you. maybe i can start with dark, and then maybe, in two weeks, regular. and then, maybe, a small light one sugar. blech!
"Where is my mind?...where?..." - where is my mind by the pixies
i got to work at 8:30 today. had breakfast at mcdonald's because i didn't want to be too early. practically shoved my sausage mcmuffin into my mouth, and was at my desk at five to nine, screaming "i maaaade iiiiit!!!!" The Boss beamed at me: "yes, you did." i went to sleep at 11 pm last night. big improvement over my usual 1:30 am. i was late three days out of four last week. in college, with two weeks of classes to go before the end of the semester, my philo 102 teacher told me i had 8.5 cuts out of nine. after that, i was in the classroom every single day at 7 am. for two weeks. it's true. you can check my yearbook. i listed it under biggest accomplishments. i suppose, perhaps, i have a slight problem with punctuality.
i tried to get through the day with the minimum amount of caffeine. i only had a bottled mocha frappuccino in the morning instead of my usual medium black two sugars on the side. by the middle of the day, i was cranky, disoriented and edgy. swerving to avoid the camera crews, i raced to starbucks to get something, anything, with caffeine. i'm thinking, i should probably try to quit. not cold turkey, mind you. maybe i can start with dark, and then maybe, in two weeks, regular. and then, maybe, a small light one sugar. blech!
"Where is my mind?...where?..." - where is my mind by the pixies
Sunday, July 7, 2002
Who you callin' cute?
yipee! watched the PPG movie today at Pavilion. i wanted to stay and watch the credits in the end, but we had to sneak out since we were the only "adults" there. well, at least the only adults without kids. my sister said we should have borrowed the neighbor's. i loved the movie! (spoken like a true fan) obviously, i'm not the best person to ask. however, i will concede that i had a feeling the kids wouldn't like it that much, although they all gamely clapped in the end when blossom, bubbles, and buttercup vanquished the evil monkey throng and otherthrew mojo jojo (i don't care, i still think he's adorable). well, you'd have to watch it yourself. take your four-year-old niece along if she's allowed to hear the word jerk.
i didn't know cellular phone companies checked credit. otherwise, i wouldn't have gotten myself all worked up over the prospect of getting unlimited week-end minutes with voicestream's $29.99/month plan. voicestream is one of only two companies offering GSM in new york (that i know of, anyway). at & t is upgrading soon, but they still have TDMA phones. with voicestream, i could get a 3390 free with the plan, 200 minutes, 500 ping-pong messages, unlimited week-ends, and unlimited calls to other voicestream phones within the US. i found out through the vendor, however, that i had a "T-class" credit, which means i would have to pay for the phone, a $75 connection fee, and i could only get the $39.99 plan. so what else is new? i don't have credit history, since i just moved here and i've realized just how true the maxim "bad credit is better than no credit at all" really is. heck, i didn't even get approved for a macy's card (thus i am defiantly not linking them). so, rather than pay an outrageous sum for minutes that i'm going to end up not using, i went for prepaid. which is more expensive in the long run. but i don't really have a choice, do i?
and since i'm on the subject, can i just say that phones here suck eggs? US uses the 1900 frequency, unlike europe, asia and africa which use 900/1800. all the good phones are only available in europe and asia. unless you get a tri-band phone. however, i don't want to get a really expensive phone because i'm broke. sure, you can get cheaper world phones from siemens, motorola and ericsson. i, however, am a nokia loyalist like most asians. so, i'm making do with the 3390 and late-night sungka sessions.
no domain name or host yet. i got the next best thing, however. free hosting from tripod and a more-or-less personalized url! good enough for now..
"i am not afraid.... i can hardly wait... " - spin the bottle by juliana hatfield
yipee! watched the PPG movie today at Pavilion. i wanted to stay and watch the credits in the end, but we had to sneak out since we were the only "adults" there. well, at least the only adults without kids. my sister said we should have borrowed the neighbor's. i loved the movie! (spoken like a true fan) obviously, i'm not the best person to ask. however, i will concede that i had a feeling the kids wouldn't like it that much, although they all gamely clapped in the end when blossom, bubbles, and buttercup vanquished the evil monkey throng and otherthrew mojo jojo (i don't care, i still think he's adorable). well, you'd have to watch it yourself. take your four-year-old niece along if she's allowed to hear the word jerk.
i didn't know cellular phone companies checked credit. otherwise, i wouldn't have gotten myself all worked up over the prospect of getting unlimited week-end minutes with voicestream's $29.99/month plan. voicestream is one of only two companies offering GSM in new york (that i know of, anyway). at & t is upgrading soon, but they still have TDMA phones. with voicestream, i could get a 3390 free with the plan, 200 minutes, 500 ping-pong messages, unlimited week-ends, and unlimited calls to other voicestream phones within the US. i found out through the vendor, however, that i had a "T-class" credit, which means i would have to pay for the phone, a $75 connection fee, and i could only get the $39.99 plan. so what else is new? i don't have credit history, since i just moved here and i've realized just how true the maxim "bad credit is better than no credit at all" really is. heck, i didn't even get approved for a macy's card (thus i am defiantly not linking them). so, rather than pay an outrageous sum for minutes that i'm going to end up not using, i went for prepaid. which is more expensive in the long run. but i don't really have a choice, do i?
and since i'm on the subject, can i just say that phones here suck eggs? US uses the 1900 frequency, unlike europe, asia and africa which use 900/1800. all the good phones are only available in europe and asia. unless you get a tri-band phone. however, i don't want to get a really expensive phone because i'm broke. sure, you can get cheaper world phones from siemens, motorola and ericsson. i, however, am a nokia loyalist like most asians. so, i'm making do with the 3390 and late-night sungka sessions.
no domain name or host yet. i got the next best thing, however. free hosting from tripod and a more-or-less personalized url! good enough for now..
"i am not afraid.... i can hardly wait... " - spin the bottle by juliana hatfield
Tuesday, July 2, 2002
Coming out
after looking at amazing blogs by amazing people, i've decided to tell people about this blog :) it's just that i've been keeping this thing for months now and yet have remained in lurker mode. but. that zero in the lower left corner kind of looks lonely. so i'm going to hunt around for a domain and start tweaking my template.
i'm also going to start looking around for a phone (yep, i survived 10 months in new york without one). i left my good old 3210 back home when i moved here. but recent incidents involving a certain tired, sleepy person and missed train stops have made it a necessity to get one of those. besides, paying one's own bills brings one's attention to how much one really incurs in long distance charges. not that getting a cell phone would reduce my long-distance bill (on the contrary). it's just that having "texting" as an option might make it less tempting to call friends in other countries.
this is the reason why i only got five hours of sleep last night. i would post an excerpt here except that i can hardly type. i swear, this bank job is killing me. i can practically see the coroner's report. cause of death: paper cuts and carpal tunnel syndrome.
"i'll wait and see if you'll give it to me..." - pollen by mirah
after looking at amazing blogs by amazing people, i've decided to tell people about this blog :) it's just that i've been keeping this thing for months now and yet have remained in lurker mode. but. that zero in the lower left corner kind of looks lonely. so i'm going to hunt around for a domain and start tweaking my template.
i'm also going to start looking around for a phone (yep, i survived 10 months in new york without one). i left my good old 3210 back home when i moved here. but recent incidents involving a certain tired, sleepy person and missed train stops have made it a necessity to get one of those. besides, paying one's own bills brings one's attention to how much one really incurs in long distance charges. not that getting a cell phone would reduce my long-distance bill (on the contrary). it's just that having "texting" as an option might make it less tempting to call friends in other countries.
this is the reason why i only got five hours of sleep last night. i would post an excerpt here except that i can hardly type. i swear, this bank job is killing me. i can practically see the coroner's report. cause of death: paper cuts and carpal tunnel syndrome.
"i'll wait and see if you'll give it to me..." - pollen by mirah
Sunday, June 30, 2002
Monday, June 24, 2002
Es ist vollbracht
whew. what a gruelling week. yaccs is only accepting a limited number of subscribers per time frame. luckily, i caught the 12 am cut-off time and voila! i am now able to read your comments, violent reactions, snide remarks and what not, so buh-ring it on!
sunday, tuesday and wednesday were all rehearsal days for choir class. friday was our big day - our "concert". james had this brilliant idea that we were going to sing haydn's seven last words of jesus christ. yes, he's just overflowing with brilliant ideas. right before the concert started, he handed out maracas that we were supposed to shake during "the earthquake" (the final song). unfortunately, it didn't quite have the effect that he hoped for. generally, it was a good one though, considering that we were all amateurs and had never actually sang in german before (at least i haven't). i'm kind of excited to get my cd as i was positioned directly in front of the microphone ( and didn't know it) and i accidentally emitted a huge croak that took even me by surprise.
i'm rereading pride and prejudice, for the umpteenth time. i remember, the first time i read it was one of those komiks versions. i pretty much didn't understand anything, except that girls seemed to dance an awful lot in those days.
Saturday, June 15, 2002
 | Friend Bear |
am posting a quiz link in the meantime. this blog needs a major overhaul, which i will be doing soon, i promise.
Saturday, June 1, 2002
NYC Bloggers makes it easier for you to find other bloggers in your area by organizing blogs by subway stops. linked myself to their map, only i put in the wrong stop. so now, i've been trying to un-link/un-map myself unsuccessfully. help anyone? 
ciudad
removed the link to the trainspotting quiz as it no longer works. i think it was only up for two days after i linked to it. oh well. apologies to anyone who might have clicked that link and gotten nothing. i am sick boy, by the way. would have loved to be renton though, as i've always wanted to be the one who walks away.
mmmhmmm. just had a slice of creme-filled chocolate cake. i'm not too crazy about the creme but i just love the bitter-sweet aftertaste of the chocolate icing.
discovered mp3s of a band called twisted halo on audiogalaxy. actually, it was more like i discovered the band and prayed while crossing my fingers that a good soul would have their songs on his shared drive. three of the band members were orgmates of mine in college. and i am only too sorry that i never went to any of their gigs before when i could have. they have an album out, by the way. check it out and if you're in the area, go! go! go! to their gigs.
hmm, and since i'm on the topic, check out other great filipino bands:
ciudad
Boldstar, another under-rated pinoy band, composed of members of ciudad, itchyworms, and blast ople, is releasing an indie album this month. so watch out for that. i couldn't find any worthwhile links, but if you're in manila, ask around and you just might catch them in one of their gigs.
ps. and then there's also brownman revival, fatal posporos, eraserheads, razorback, etc
Friday, May 24, 2002
imagine the most annoying thing that can happen to you. raise that up a notch. that's exactly what happened to me last tuesday. yes, water (filthy) came pouring in from our bathroom (tiny) ceiling; yes, a water pipe in the third floor burst; yes, no one had any idea how to close off the valve so, yes, the kind lady next door had to call the fire department, and yes, they sent about five or six firemen to close off our main water valve down in the basement. terribly embarrassing, and inconvenient, as we (sis, mom, i) had to enforce water rations. luckily, we had saved some water. not being one to forego my daily shower, i had to use an improvised dipper (a coffee mug). my, my. aren't we link-crazy today?
Friday, May 17, 2002
Saturday, May 11, 2002
"Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema...". as you may have guessed, yes, i've gone on another cd binge. on spin cycle this week: jobim; medeski, martin and wood; pulp fiction soundtrack; sting and the police; weezer. had dinner at this quaint thai restaurant in brooklyn. spent entire gorgeous saturday indoors eating pizza and sleeping. what a complete waste of time.
Saturday, May 4, 2002
just got a new pc! my lovely monitor was recently featured on pcworld. i guess i'll be posting more blogs now instead of the occasional once-a-month single-line entries i manage to squeeze in between work and eating, the two activities i've been doing a lot lately. as i had to buy one of those $9.99 CDRs (50 pcs) at J&R, it was inevitable and understandable that i managed to buy 4 cds when i'm not supposed to be buying any. however, yesterday's death cab binge was completely uncalled for. on the other hand, i didn't get to watch spider-man, so i may forgive myself, depending on next week's weather conditions.
Saturday, March 23, 2002
hmm, warner cds are on sale at j&r . got myself the pixies' surfer rosa, bjork's post, james taylor's greatest hits, the cure's paris, and alanis morrisette's under rug swept. yes, i listen to all kinds of music.
check out this site, my secret weapon on "blustery days".
check out this site, my secret weapon on "blustery days".
Sunday, March 17, 2002
hmm. haven't been posting anything lately. happy st. patrick's day! saw a movie last week, which has an excellent soundtrack. this week-end, i'm just bumming at home. too tired from cleaning up our new apartment.
with my trusty aid, i've scored some links for whoever's visiting this very inactive blog:
- pretty pictures and drawings
- albums i binged on
- cool rockstars
- "in" design
with my trusty aid, i've scored some links for whoever's visiting this very inactive blog:
- pretty pictures and drawings
- albums i binged on
- cool rockstars
- "in" design
Sunday, March 3, 2002
with the added responsibility of my blogger i.d. supposedly meaning moon-watcher, i made a mental note to check out the full (fool?) moon on the 27th. of course, i missed it. came home straight from work, all the while staring at the pavement, and climbed into bed. i heard it was spectacular though. speaking of spectacular, you should go see amelie. this french film is funny, sweet, wise, witty and true.
other picks of the week:
- the mystery of the aleph by amir aczel
- jeff buckley's grace
- the photo album by death cab for cutie
- halfproject.com
other picks of the week:
- the mystery of the aleph by amir aczel
- jeff buckley's grace
- the photo album by death cab for cutie
- halfproject.com
Sunday, February 24, 2002
hi. this is my first post. finally decided to get a blog after weighing pros and cons and found out i am a blogger at heart. also, had decided last week after reading the edge of reason to write in journal in manner of bridget jones. a week later, have realized am no longer capable of writing complete sentences. thus this blog, which is kind of a therapy for me.
hmm, why mira luna? no reason. am not hispanic (although often mistaken for one) and do not know meaning of mira (luna = moon). so, searched google (best invention since lip gloss) and this is what i came up with. is some sort of song or poem. ooh! just looked up mira in online spanish dictionary and it roughly translates to being on the look-out for or watching out for something. so i guess mira luna is moon-watcher. hmm, should be able to come up with profound explanation, but since already previously mentioned that had no reason for choosing name, will have to admit that simply liked how it sounded and had no idea would translate to something so... cute.
sigh. have to stop this. i have to relearn english.
hmm, why mira luna? no reason. am not hispanic (although often mistaken for one) and do not know meaning of mira (luna = moon). so, searched google (best invention since lip gloss) and this is what i came up with. is some sort of song or poem. ooh! just looked up mira in online spanish dictionary and it roughly translates to being on the look-out for or watching out for something. so i guess mira luna is moon-watcher. hmm, should be able to come up with profound explanation, but since already previously mentioned that had no reason for choosing name, will have to admit that simply liked how it sounded and had no idea would translate to something so... cute.
sigh. have to stop this. i have to relearn english.
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