left-handed wanders

It’s that time of the year again. The heat! Summer! Arrghh.

As Tom Joad said (If I remember correctly), "It’ll burn the bejeezus out of us."

It
is just hot. Hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I wore sweater
and socks to sleep. I guess we really are messing up the Earth.

This
March I wasn’t able to blog as much as I wanted to. It was crazy here
in the office because of all the Holy Week stuff we were producing. But
a little stress wouldn’t hurt once in a while.

So here I am on a Sunday in the office. I’ll try to get some work done today and jog around the campus after (Yes!).

***

I’m
bothered with my English skills. It’s not just rusty, it’s bent and
crumbling. I mean I haven’t really written anything scholastic for
almost a year now (My blog?). Haven’t communicated much in the language
too. And slowly I’m evolving. My body/brain is treating my
speaking/writing abilities as obsolete vestiges (My math skills? No
they’re not, I never had any to begin with). The first casualty my
spelling. Well, maybe that’s the next step in Human evolution. Words
would be replaced by other forms of communication. Body language?
Hahaha!

But I guess I shouldn’t worry about it much, it can be
refreshed again. Besides if ever I shift to a writing career there are
editors in the world. Well, if they don’t decide to throw me out. So
I’m trying to read as much as possible to counter the effects. But that
has been impossible lately due to work, and TV.
***

I spent
my Saturday with my youngest sister. She really wanted to go out and I
told her no one’s stopping her. But she insisted she didn’t want to go
out alone. I scrapped the idea of going to the office after that and
decided to accompany her (aww). We went to National Bookstore cause she
still hasn’t taken the advantage of the big sale this month. She bought
a new Anne Rice book (she’s read the whole vampire chronicles).

After
that we went to Starbucks so we could get a little "reading" time. But
it turned out to be a long chat session. We were there around 6:30pm
and left past 10:00pm. I had a great time. I am amazed at how much
stories she told me (about school, her concerns about going to college
this year, etc). When we were young and I guess even up to now our
relationship was a little cat and dog. But talking to her yesterday
reminded me of how sweet and warm she really is. Yeah she’s the
"malambing" in the family. Sometimes she gives you a hug out of the
blue just because she wants to. This always takes me off guard.

We waited for Joy there as well, she went to a party with his boyfriend last night. And then we chatted some more.

And
as we talked, beneath the washed out lights of Starbucks, my mind was
slowly registering the fact that my sisters were not girls anymore.

Parang kailan lang.

A fine weekend, yes fine. Normal. Quaint.

For the past few days we were throwing stuff out of the house. Throwing here means moving. Tying things in plastic bags, stuffing things in boxes, ridding ourselves of useless ephemera accumulated through the years.

It was a course of action that I initiated early Thursday morning. Our small apartment has become more of a junk shop than a house. I’m not really sure if it is because we find it hard to part with things or we just never really bothered tidying up. But, though I don’t want to blame it wholly, my mother has this malevolent trait of hoarding, she’s someone you can aptly call a "hoarder". She keeps holding on to items which she explains, "Can be used someday" for purposes (for me at least) highly unlikely to happen. I have to make it clear that my mom steadfastly cleans the house from time to time but she has since been preoccupied with therapy.

To give you an example, we keep 5 busted fans in our living room, a broken table, medicine cabinet & microwave oven under a bed etc.

So for those two days we were all like FBI agents with search warrants tearin’ the house down. And it, I must say, left me a sense of calm especially after. The bowels of our home at last expelled all waste. At last you can actually sit down the sofa and sleep on it.

And I feel content.

Once again I felt thankful that I have a roof over my head. Unlimited internet access. Life. The Universe. Everything.

***

I’ve also been catchin’ up on my reading itinerary, and for lent I’ve picked up Albert’s The Plague once again. I started reading it four years ago, never had the chance to read it through, maybe because I was "too young" for it back then. But now, with fresh pair of eyes I’ve come to appreciate its morbidity. Its rebellion.

Also, to experience something new, I’ve downloaded an audio book: The Sea by John Banville. It won the 2005 Man Booker Prize, the same year Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go was shortlisted.

Listening to audio books is a different experience for me. It’s reading in a way but more fluid. You find yourself drifting at some points of the narrative to digressions of unrelated things. And I find it very contemplative and relaxing. It does help, I must stress, if the material is any good.

For the first few minutes I felt sleepy but the story soon got interesting. The novel reads like a memoir, with the narrator describing in elegant detail the death of his wife, his childhood lust for Mrs. Grace, his ugly daughter etc. interwoven together. I love Banville’s deep insight and mastery of words. I envy him for saying things I’ve never could’ve crafted. I’ve finished listening to the first part (which ran for 3 hours and 45mins) and will soon listen listen to part two maybe this evening.

Also, I must mention that I prefer "The Sea" over "Never Let Me Go" (though I like Ishiguro’s works in general)

So there.

A wonderful weekend. And have I mentioned that I’ve finally watched the Paris episode of Globe Trekker at 4am? It was great, one day I’ll be there. And of course I still think of London (Bloomsbury and Covent Garden lately).

Got this crazy idea of getting a lit degree and apply as a London librarian after. It’s so crazy that I might just do it. Alas! let my life play out as it is supposed to. Because at 21 I’m starting to become a fatalist though I believe that my London life was predetermined before I was born.

What?

Had our Office Recollection today.

(Hadn’t been in one since forever).

I don’t know–I’ve been designing religious, rather spiritual, materials for the past hmmm…6 months already? And somehow it’s impossible not to absorb the stuff I do. So when our dept. announced that we’ll have the whole day for a retreat I was curious.

So early in the morning, we were in this retreat house at Loyola Heights. I have to bring up that I’m not a Catholic but a Protestant. (Yes we both believe in Jesus, but we do things a little differently.) I felt a little iffy about participating since it gets awkward when I don’t stand and receive communion, don’t do the sign of the cross, etc…oh dont’ do confession. But I felt a little empty at this point in my life. Yes life’s a little better but as they say there is something missing.

I’ve had a four-year fall out with God up to now.

But somehow, attending the recollection made me realize how I miss Jesus in a way. (I Cringe?) Yeah.

Last week while I was cooking-up something for "HABILIN: Ang Pitong Huling Wika ni Hesus" I’ve decided to refresh my memory on what actually were Christ’s VII last words. So I picked up a bible (something I’ve never done in awhile as well) and flipped through the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

Mind you I’ve read the entire bible when I was in High school. I read a chapter a day each night before I slept or when I woke up in the morning. But before that I followed this Bible Primer guide. It took me three years I guess, and it’s something that is quite an achievement for me. Because how many people in the world can claim that they’ve read the WHOLE Bible? C’mon.

So when I flipped the pages I stumbled upon the story of the Roman Centurion asking Jesus to heal his slave. (Luke 7:1-10)

The passage:

"When Jesus heard this he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that followed him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

Made the hairs on my arms and back stand.

Me of little faith.

And the other passage I read, the one about Jesus casting a caboodle of demons through the pigs really stayed with me.

Even the devil proclaims he is the Son of God.

(Shivers).

Geez.

I really miss Jesus after all.

On a lighter note.

here’s me & my immediate superiors/officemates fooling around Photobooth. bwehehe

My Tormentors.

From L to R: Paolo our IT Training Manager, Pauline our Creative Director and Dex our Freelance Producer.

More.

Still us. But this time we have singer/songwriter Toto Sorioso in the house!
He is the composer of "Trip" from the movie of the same name. Ain’t that cool I really like that song.

Later.

During lunch break I went to National Bookstore to buy some new pens.
….

This
was after some office errand. (the crummy old PC used by the previous
designer broke down– [hence our department’s switch to Mac) with all
the files he made for JesCom during his stay.

Anyways,

I found this interesting book in the bargain bin.… I wasn’t supposed to buy anything but seeing the huge price slash from Php 629.00 to Php 157.00 made me buy it.

It’s about a cockroach free-verse poet and his friend cat–who’s a reincarnation of Cleopatra.

Archy & Mehitabel.

It’s one more for my reading list.

There she goes.
(Gigay 3rd from the left, is featured at the front page of today’s Inquirer)

My good friend from college, Gigay will be representing the Philippines in the Young Lions competition at the 2008 Cannes Lions Advertising Festival this June.

It’s the biggest event in the advertising world (Bigger than the Clios?) wherein 58 countries strive to win awards and be recognized as among the best ad agencies in the world.

It’s really a big thing.

And a close friend of mine is going to be a part of it. Gigs this was the kind of stuff we we’re only dreaming about when we were in UP. And now, barely a year after graduating you got it! It’s so surreal. Ikaw lang sa batch naten! Bwahahaha!

I’m really happy for you. When you texted me na, "France it is!" Sobrang natuwa ako I got butterflies in my gut tapos naalala ko na hindi pala ako yung nanalo hahaha!

I envy you for the fact na your going to Europe (with the award itself, Zia and I know you totally deserve it, duh!), as you know naman I really want to go there. Tapos naunahan mo nako hmmph!. Do you remember the time (3rd year ata) nung pinaniwala niyo ako ni Zia na your going to Europe tapos sobrang nauto niyo ako. Hehehe guess what you really are going there na.

Sigh. Puwede ba kaming entourage? Hehehe

Nako Gigs pagbalik mo dito things will change. McCann, O&M, BBDO, JWT, Saatchi & Saatchi lahat sila! You can take your pick! Do you still want sa Leo Burnett? You can have it!

Advertising really likes you ha? hehehe

GOODLUCK!

Ilibre mo kami!