Wow Philippines 2006: Cebu (Part 1)

A view of Sumilon from mainland Cebu. (Photo by Heidi)

Press junkets are the best, I swear.

I'm peeling the dried skin off my nose as I type, but hey, I'm not complaining. Spent Satuday to Monday in a beautiful island called Sumilon, off mainland Cebu. Flight was at 5:00 am. had about two hours' sleep before I had to head to the airport. (Poor Elps.) Went with nine other people: Gwyn, Heidi and Kaye from FHM, Tin (my roommate) from SP, Gino from Preview, Mimi and Angel from Candy, and Jeryc (a.k.a. Gail) and Glen from Men's Health.

Upon landing, we went to Maribago Blue Water Resort where we had breakfast with our trusty Queen of PR. Preparing us for the upcoming four-hour road trip, she whispered, "You'll be stopping over at a cafe and trying this native delicacy called torta. It looks like ensaymada...but it tastes like adobo!" She crinkled her nose at the memory.

Was it the lack of sleep or did I just hear her say "adobo"? (See my other blog for the gory details. And a pic!)

Road trip

So we were off, and the first stop of our heritage tour was a 200-year-old house in Carcar. Bleary-eyed, we went through room after eerie room, before coming to the top of the stairs going down to the basement. With each step, I felt weirder. "Does anyone here have a third eye?" I asked nervously as we made our way down. At the bottom of the steps, I suddenly experienced a dizzy spell. And right on cue, Gwyn declared from a little farther in, "May lapida dito!" Crap. I took a peek, and found that there were beds in adjoining rooms. How could anyone possibly sleep here? It was just getting too creepy for me, so I practically ran up the stairs.

Our next stop was a 400-year-old church...and that was all we got from our supposed tour guide. So there was nothing for us to do but take pictures, say a prayer, and make a wish. We went on our way and stopped for a snack at Alex Kafe, famous for its torta. And believe me, it's an experience we'll never forget. We just couldn't let it go all weekend.

Next we stopped on the corner of Aragones and (I'm not making this up) Eternidad. It was another old church, with a wishing well outside. My favorite part? The ruins of the old munisipyo. For those who don't know, I have this odd fascination with ruins, especially those found in the middle of a wooded area (one reason I looove that scene in Ever After, where Danielle meets Henry after she gets punished). So this was right beside the sea, but it was pretty nonetheless. The place seemed a little too quiet though. It kinda reminded me of the scene in Kill Bill, outside the little chapel in Mexico.

After a few more minutes on the road, we finally arrived at the dock. From here, we were to take a 10- to 15-minute boat ride to Sumilon island.

Weekend fun

Party girl
Was quite the socialite (yeah, whatever) Friday night. Had two parties and forgot all about having dinner with some high school friends. Eep. The first was a surprise party for Joseph at his and Sheila's new place. Awww. Kinda cute seeing them play house. Haha. Sheila and Sandy had these sparkler candles, very close to the kind I would someday like to have on my own birthday cake. Joseph blew the candles out and we raided the table laden with food. Had me some dee-licious liempo, lumpiang shangai, barbecue, and a bit of pansit malabon. Passed on my own taco salad, but the others pretty much finished everything I brought. Did some last-minute gift wrapping and was kinda bummed that I didn't have materials to prettify the presents.

Left for a bit to go to another birthday party, a luau-themed one where half the people were in office attire! Just chit-chatted with a few friends, had a bit of Sprite, and met a guy from my old office who said, "You used to go to the gym a lot didn't you?" How odd that people remember me more for working out than for the actual work I did.

It was too late for me to meet up with my supposed dinner dates (Patching and Claud), so I headed back to Joseph's, where I had this divine mango cream pie-type cake (see my other blog). Yum.

Weekend getaway
Next day, went to a few malls to do a bit of sourcing for a racket I'm doing. Felt so sluggish. Proceeded to Mandarin--bought a GC for a spa getaway package worth 12k for just 2.5k! Checked in with friends for life, Addie, Ja, and true friend Mons. We switched to Cinemax just in time to catch the first unmistakable strains of Unchained Melody. Yes, it was Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore (with the 'do that launched a thousand haircuts, the "Rachel" of the early 90s--or was it the late 80s?) in--what else?--Ghost! The pot-making scene was all we could take (though I'll bet we were all secretly longing to watch the rest of it...haha) before switching to HBO and catching Top Gun! It had been years since I had seen it, and two others had never seen it, so we decided to tune in. It's a movie with four songs in its entire soundtrack (beginning with, sing it with me now, "Hiiighwaaay tooo the danger zone..."), and a line that had us gagging, something like, "I'm scared that they'll see that I've fallen for you," kiss, cut to next scene. (Sorry to all the men who LOVE this movie. You know who you are!) It was followed by a love scene that had me asking, "Baket puro dila?"

Which leads me to my theory. I seem to recall a number of girl talk moments when all the girls would describe their first kiss, and no fail, every girl would reply, "Malaway!" or something to that effect. The theory? All boys in our age group learned to kiss from this blasted movie. Damn you, Tom Cruise.

Three Take My Breath Aways later, we walked to Teriyaki Boy for dinner. Next, Addie got her birthday massage while the rest of us lounged by the pool and just talked. Two hours later, Mona's brother David delivered Four Seasons pizza and spaghetti with meatballs from Yellow Cab! Ahh, to be a glutton.

The morning after
Woke up fearing I would have my Buddha belly from the day before, the aftermath of all my wanton eating. But I was relieved to find that it had somehow receded overnight, but not for long. Had breakfast with Hamil at Paseo Uno (fun!) and was stuffed yet again by the end of it...a recurring theme this whole weekend.

Two days later, was back at the gym, doing time for my utter lack of self-control.

On a quest for self-improvement

(Or: "Tisha pushes herself to get off her lazy ass")

I've long known that one of the reasons I'm a bit of an underachiever is that I'm just too lazy, that I don't want things bad enough for me to do anything to get them (e.g., for years I've complained about my bilbil--and I think the fact that I've been complaining for years is enough proof). It's only recently that I've started to push myself to get things done. I'm just tired of being directionless and mediocre.

While many a resolution expert would say that it's best to have one major goal rather than a long list of life to-dos, I've embarked on a quest to improve a number of aspects of my life:

1) Body - While I've been going to the gym the past few months, I think I was just going through the motions. Yes, finally I'm at that point where I'm serious about my workout. It took a few months but I've guilt-tripped myself into thinking that I'm paying for this damn gym membership, so I might as well take full advantage of it. I've also been inspired by Jessica Alba's physique in that Into the Blue poster. In time, in time...

I've resolved to run 5k once a week. It's been two weeks and I actually find myself looking forward to it. I used to hate running on the treadmill, but I've been lucky to catch interesting shows the past couple of times I was working out (a PBA game and Fear Factor. Haha).

I burned over 400 calories running last night, the most I think I've ever burned at the gym in one go. And that was after running for about 45 minutes. It made me realize why I was trimmer in college--I would dance for hours and would really work up a sweat, pushing 'til my legs could barely move, whereas last night, I easily kept my pace, even after strength-training (it was only later, sprawled on my bed, that I realized just how exhausted I was).

2) Mind - Apart from being appalled by my own lack of knowledge in, well, most everything, I do believe that a good writer needs to be a voracious reader. And while two books a month may not seem like much, it's still quite a leap from the handful that I used to read per year.

3) Spirit - No, this has nothing to do with religion. I suppose I believe that our creative side isn't really mental, but somewhat spiritual. And I think a sense of career fulfillment would do much to enrich my spirit.

I decided to take on a racket for another magazine--a little different from what I'm used to since it involves a bit of styling. At first, I was terrified to take it on since I have no experience in the area (I often think that people approach me for these projects thinking I have some degree of knowledge and credibility, just because I work for this mag. They are so misguided. Haha). But then I realized that fear isn't going to get me anywhere. So I'm diving into it. It could only get easier, right? Besides, I don't want to channel all my energies towards reaching my other goal; I do have to be the best that I can be in the profession that I'm currently in. Call me the queen of multi-tasking. Well, maybe just the princess.

In relation to my "Career path" entry, after figuring out exactly what I want to do and where I want to be, my next step was determining how to get there. I haven't actually come up with a concrete plan, except to say that I will try to learn as much as possible by reading, will take cooking classes, and will try my hand at food styling come June. I also think that I should cook more--and so, this morning, I actually cooked my own lunch! Given that our oven's busted and that I had to use our turbo broiler, the tuna casserole didn't come out perfectly, but it's still quite tasty (at least I didn't burn it...). Besides, perfection wasn't the point. I'm just happy I did it.

Wow, I think all this is quite overwhelming, but I think the best word to describe me at this point is "driven." Wish me luck!

(Because I'm bored) Tisha pulls a Vanity Fair

Ever checked out the back page of Vanity Fair? There's a little thing called the Proust Questionnaire that all these famous people would answer. And since I don't think I'll ever find myself on the page, here I go... haha.

• What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
  
  Having given up hope.
  
• Where would you like to live?
  
  Somewhere quiet and secure.
  
• What is your idea of earthly happiness?
  
  Being able to travel with the one I love...and eat all the good things the earth has to offer!
  
• To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
  
  Listening to gossip
  
• Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
  
  Dumbledore!
  
• Who are your favorite characters in history?
  
  Oy! That's a tough one. Pope John Paul II perhaps.
  
• Who are your favorite heroines in real life?
  
  My mom.
  
• Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
  
  I have yet to read about someone I would consider a favorite. Perhaps Lucy in Narnia, if only for her honesty and purity of intention.
  
• Your favorite painter?
  
  Van Gogh because he's behind my favorite painting. But I regret to say that I don't know enough about art to actually give a proper answer.
  
• Your favorite musician?
  
  This is a weird answer, but maybe Pharrel Williams because he's behind many of the catchiest beats of our time.
  
• The quality you most admire in a man?
  
  Loyalty.
  
• The quality you most admire in a woman?
  
  Grace? I'll have to think about that some more.
  
• Your favorite virtue?
  
  Patience. Mostly because it's something I need to work on.
  
• Your favorite occupation?
  
  Among the ones I've had? Proprietor of Tisha's Restaurant.:)
  
• Who would you have liked to be?
  
  A host of one of the Travel and Living shows.
  

---

• Your most marked characteristic?
  
  If I am to base it on my Johari window, "energetic." In testimonials, "sweet." I hear that a lot.
  
• What do you most value in your friends?
  
  Loyalty.
  
• What is your principle defect?
  
  That I'm tamad. But I'm working on it.
  
• What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
  
  To not have loved anyone.
  
• What would you like to be?
  
  Editor of a food magazine, and a kick-ass food stylist.
  
• In what country would you like to live?
  
  The Philippines.
  
• What is your favorite color?
  
  Blue. White, if it's considered a color.
  
• What is your favorite flower?
  
  Lilies.
  
• What is your favorite bird?
  
  Phoenix, if that counts.
  
• Who are your favorite prose writers?
  
  JK Rowling.
  
• Who are your favorite poets?
  
  When I was a kid, I read a lot of Emily Dickinson. I also had a Neruda phase a few years ago.
  
• Who are your favorite composers?
  
  Forgive me, I can't answer this.
  
• What are your favorite names?
  Vito.
  
• What is it you most dislike?
  
  People who are inconsiderate. Bigotry.
  
• What natural gift would you most like to possess?
  
  Singing. Does cooking count?
  
• How would you like to die?
  
  In peace, after a long happy life.
  
• What is your present state of mind?
  
  Excited at all these possibilities...
  
• What is your motto?
  I have yet to come up with one.
  

See Marcel Proust's own answers: perso.wanadoo.fr/chabrieres/proustquestionnaire.html

~*~*~*~

More...

This time from my 18-year-old niece's Friendster post. *gasp* I have an 18-year-old niece!

1. What does your friendster quote mean?
I don't have one.

2. Elaborate on your default photo:
It's a pic I took of me before going to a party.

3. Who is the first person on your friend's list?
I have no idea.

4. What's your current relationship status?
In a happy relationship.

5. What exactly are you wearing right now and how
is your hair?
A beige shirt, striped pleated skirt, camel wedge sandals, a brownish shawl. My hair's in a bun with stick (my wingardium leviosa twig) poked through it.

All of a sudden this survey seems shallow. Haha.

6. What is your current problem?
Schedule.

7. What do you love most?
Food! Especially chocolate. *sigh*

8. What makes you most happy?
Being with Hamil. Eating really good food. Dancing. Seeing my family happy.

9. Are you musically inclined?
I like it...does that count? Hehe.

10. If you could go back in time, and change
something, what would it be?
No regrets.

11. Ever have a near death experience
I'm very bad at crossing streets, so it's a regular occurrence.

12. Name an obvious quality you have?
People say energetic and sweet, so perhaps those.

13. What's the name of the song that's stuck in
your head right now?
One Wish. *sigh*

14. Any celeb you would marry?
-

15. Who will cut and paste this first?
I doubt that anyone will.

16. Name someone with the same birthday as you:
Our staff writer.

17. Do you have a crush on someone?
The love of my life.

19. Have you ever sung in front of a big crowd?
Yes. All the time when I was younger. Was in the children's choir, the music ministry, and an all-girl a capella group.

20. What's the first thing you notice about the
OPPOSITE sex?
If he's looking at me when we talk. I hate it when the person seems distracted while we're having a conversation.

21. What do you usually order from Starbucks?
A cream-based frap. But I'm more of a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf girl (Moroccan mint or chai latte).

22.Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
I suppose. I get hurt when I dance, and I choose to dance. So...

23. Say something totally random about you.
I just had Sarsi.

24. Has anyone ever said you looked like a
celebrity?
Yup, lots of people have, which I guess means that I have such a generic face. Haha. Luckily, most people I've been compared to have been pretty Hollywood actresses. Haha. Except for one girl who said I looked like Carmina Villaroel and another who said I'm a girl version of Jericho Rosales! Hahaha. Go figure.

The other love of my life

Six more months before I get to dance again. *sigh*

The concert was finally held last night. Was at the theater by around 12:30 and it was scorching. Summer has officially arrived. Kit set up a booth selling dance-themed shirts. Bought a pink one that said, "Who says people can't fly?" and it has four figures doing different dance jumps (straddle, etc.). Cute. For orders, text 0917-5414484. There are men's and ladies' sizes.:)

Spent the rest of the afternoon practicing, waiting, goofing off, and walking along Katipunan looking for an ATM. We shared a dressing room with the All Stars (a kick-ass group that we refused to follow...kind of anticlimactic if we did "Doncha" right after this angas group did a solid breakdance routine), the Kukuruku Crew (a group made up of some CADs alumni and friends, which competed in the open division at Dance Idol--more on that later), Cersa (which won the inter-org dance comp), Company of One, and Gapos. I think I'm missing a couple of other guests here...

Got to see a few of the dances. The all-boys dance was a hit--they actually danced to "Always" (as in "Open your eyes, I see your eyes are open..." hahaha) and "Lick It," complete with old school choreo! I also liked the "Sunny Came Home" jazz dance. The floor dance (this dance where they practically do all their steps while lying or sitting on the floor...come to think of it, do you call 'em "steps" if they're not done while standing?) looked very difficult and my thighs hurt just watching them. It amazes me how flexible some people are. I was pretty pleased that the jazz group is still a bit experimental.

We finally got to dance at around 10:30 pm! We were off to a shaky start but soon recovered. I think it went pretty well. Hamil said we could match the kids, and since he got to see the kids' Dance Idol entry, I took it as a compliment. He gave me a gorgeous bouquet, which totally surprised me. I was so touched. I love that man.:) He watched with Rene, and it kinda amused me that they were hanging out. Afterwards, I told them that we were supposed to follow All Stars, but we begged to go before them. Rene said, "Oo, kung sinundan niyo 'yon, I would've booed you." Haha.

The day before, I got up at 7am (after getting no more than four hours' sleep) to make it to Hamil's early ABL semi-finals game. Felt so bad that they lost by two at the buzzer, and he got pretty stressed out about it. Would've wanted to stay with him but had a really full day. Headed to Metrowalk to meet up with Marns, Cris, and Lorie. Reese got there just as I was about to leave for Aliw Theater to watch Dance Idol.

There were four divisions at Dance Idol: cheerdance, jazz, street, and open. Only the top three were announced for each division; winners will be announced this Friday at Eastwood. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it. Babble is automatically in the top 3 for cheerdance because there were only three entries. Hehe. CADs did good--they're in the top three for both jazz and street. The Kukuruku Crew also made it into the top 3, along with this group that did a technically impressive number (which I didn't quite get though) and this all-male group that had one distinct advantage: they got a mighty talented and insanely cute four-year-old boy to dance with them! Notable entry: a death-defying dance by this group of gay men and one woman. They had the audience screaming! They just kept throwing the girl up into the air, first using their hands, and later using a blanket as a sort of trampoline! The screaming was enough to wear us out. Loads of fun though. The phrase for the night: "Di ko kinaya!" If Randy were there, he would've been screaming right along with us. We could also imagine Rosby swearing in his trademark way. Hahaha.

I am totally in love with the Kukurooku Crew's dance. Sobrang linis and the choreo's just fantastic. "Beautiful" is rarely used to describe a street dance ("hot," maybe, or "tight," or "bangin'," or some similar word), but in this case, I think it's a very apt description. When I saw it again at the concert, I was a bit teary eyed 'coz I was just so impressed and so proud of the kids (Anj, Kit, Kris, Jeff, Jon Bada). They've really grown so much as dancers and it's just a joy to watch them. And it really made me miss being able to perform regularly.

I also realized that I missed competing. Right before going onstage, I get the worst feeling in the world--a million mad butterflies in my stomach and a racing heart that would give Shumacher a run for his money!--but strangely, it's also one of the best feelings ever. Especially when you finally get to let everything out. *sigh* Maybe we should start training for next year's Dance Idol...

Photo from Jonbada's camera (I'm too tamad to bring my own...). Shows what I would look like if ever I decide to rob a bank... fully made up nga lang. (Lovely eye makeup courtesy of Cel E)

Shoots galore

Was only at the office the whole day once this entire week. In fact, I've barely been at the office for two weeks now. Had to work on the Shopping section for the May issue, and it required a whole bunch of oculars, a lot of coordination, and quite a bit of stress.

Was with Issa and Miguel for four days out of five, and I actually had fun. These are two of the people I'm most comfortable working with. On Monday, we went to Pasong Tamo to shoot the garden center along da riles (squeezing in a visit to Amici di Don Bosco--see www.diaryofafoodluvah.blogspot.com), this store called Scandinavia Trend at the LRI building on N. Garcia, and Concha Cruz in BF Las Pinas. Tuesday, we made our rounds at the commercial centers--True Value in Shangri-La (where the hat pic was taken, which Miguel named "tisha and issa goofing off"), Ace in Megamall, Market! Market!, and Tiendesitas. Wednesday we went to Katipunan and Manila Seedling, not too exciting since I'm not that much of a gardening fan, although I did have a nice little flush by the end of the day. Haha.

Thursday was my rest day, if you could call it that. Spent the whole day in front of the computer, trying to make sense of around 20 pages of notes. Ended up with about 2,000 words (sans intro, conclusion, and the stuff from the shoot to be held the day after. If only I had worked this hard during my David days, those philo papers would've been a breeze). Who knew I could say so much about gardening? Spent a couple of hours trying to trim it down by a few hundred words, which is not an easy thing to do.

Today, we went to Silang and met Tita Ming Ramos at Ming's Garden (more in my other blog). She talked about plants and about badminton (something that you would notice that she's passionate about). We also talked about the tsismis that she was running for mayor in those parts, and when asked why she wouldn't, she replied that her husband said, "Matanda ka na." Also, mayors are normally approached by townsfolk, asking for money and all, and to this she says, "My husband is jobless!" Such a charming thing to say about the former president of the Philippines.

It's the end of the day (or the beginning of another), and here I am, still at work! Luckily though, we seem to be ending early tonight. On turnover nights, my average time-out time is about 3am. So this is mighty early. Hopefully we'll have enough material early next week to make the second turnover just as pleasant.

"Kilos" moved to March 12! Watch! Watch! Watch!

Due to the events last Feb 24, the CADs dance concert was postponed to March 12 (that's this Sunday). Watch! Watch! Watch! 7pm, Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo. Tickets are P120 each. I'll be dancing a mix of "Doncha," "Get Low," "Bebot," and the remix of "A Little Bit" (or whatever that 50 Cent song is called...). And hopefully I'll look a bit more presentable than in this pic!

Pic taken by uber talented photog Aaron Vicencio during the tech run. Yes, I look like trapo (said in a very Povedan way)! Hehe.

Career path

I think I'm slowly figuring out what I'm meant to do with my life.

When I was a kid, I would put out a little table and chair, and come up with a menu for Tisha's Restaurant (a very inventive name, right up there with "Adam's Foodhaus" on Tuazon). I'd have hotdogs for P1 and such things on the menu as "banana with condensed milk" (a family favorite--to this day, Carlos has it for breakfast sometimes) and the more experimental "banana in chocolate syrup." I believed I had the cheapest food in town, and often wondered why food in other restaurants had to be so expensive. (Answer: the owners' moms didn't keep a well-stocked fridge that they could raid free of charge.) I've always loved food--whether it was baking it, serving it, or (most especially) eating it.

It was my pleasure, therefore, to take on the Entertaining section of the mag. I'm pretty much in charge of production now. And while I'm not really a great cook or anything, putting this thing together is something I enjoy.

Believing that I needed to have a solid background in food styling to be able to handle this section more competently, I signed up for a food styling class under New York-based stylist Delores Custer. This class was organized by Food Magazine, published by one of our competitors. It was a bit pricey for a one-day class (my wallet is gathering cobwebs as I type), but totally worth it. I learned a few tricks of the trade--and I also learned that there's so much more that I don't know! (Ahh, Philo 101.) It seems I have to be a good cook and a good baker, and I'm ready and willing to learn. Hamil and I are thus currently hunting for some reasonably priced cooking classes.

During a break, a Taiwanese dude started chatting me up. "Are you a model?" He asked. Stop it, you're making me blush. (Those who know me could probably hear my sarcasm.) I replied that I was actually a writer, and that I worked for the competition (tee-hee). "Ah, because when I saw you, I thought you were either a model or a writer, but not a chef." Darnit, I knew I shoulda brought my "Kiss the cook" apron...

But I digress... the dude left early, and I was left to focus on the class in peace, save for the sighs coming from my seatmate, who was rather disappointed because Delores didn't talk about plating. (Um, the flyers and ads were pretty clear that it was a food styling class...) It was during this time that I figured out where I could quite possibly go from here.

I told Hamil recently that I didn't really see myself becoming an editor-in-chief. I kind of like being second in command, and I thought it was the perfect position for me. And while I love the mag that I'm working for, I couldn't really see myself becoming the boss. But when I went to this food styling class, things kind of came together in my head. With the right training and a couple more years of experience, I think I would love to be the editor-in-chief of a food magazine. If I'm lucky, the market would be ready for another title, and our publisher would decide to introduce one.

So all the steps I've been taking, my career moves and everything, are slowly starting to make sense, and it kinda seems like God's plans for me are being revealed. I used to think that I totally had no direction because of my varied interests, but I'm excited thinking that I could actually bring together things I've learned, things I want to learn, things I can do, and things that I love.

Hey, you never know (something that's fast becoming a favorite line). Really, I don't even know what's in store for me tomorrow (aside from a bunch of photo shoots). But for now, I really am quite pleased with the direction I seem to be headed.

Where are all the men?

There's a dearth of real men in the office--or at least, red-blooded males who share the same interest that I have in basketball. That's one of the things I miss about my old office--watching NBA games during lunch, with a bunch of people at the eCafe who are just as into it as I am, or tuning into a PBA game while I'm at the gym, with a few guys in barongs sitting on those exercise balls. It'd be nice to have people here who would be in awe if, for example, they found out that Kobe dropped 81 in a single game. But the guys that I know here couldn't even care less. Not even about 81 points! *gasp*

Hence, I'm left to wait for an opportunity to talk to Hamil or my other guy friends who know so much more about the game than I do (I am so not an expert, but it's just strange asking guys here about last night's game and getting blank stares). And since there's no one here to share my outrage with, I'm just posting this URL for fellow Iverson fans to read...

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11628717/

I just hope AI gets that ring someday.

What's my line?

I recently realized that I tend to be very uncomfortable around new people. I am not one of those people who could easily carry a conversation with someone I just met; I just don't do small talk. I've tried, but it really isn't one of my skills. I can manage when the other person is this extrovert who's just got the gift of gab--sometimes (rarely) I even enjoy it; otherwise, expect me to simply take sips of my drink, and nod and smile. A socialite, I am not. In fact, I would consider that my nightmare "occupation."

This is especially difficult now that I have a job that requires me to go on shoots that last for hours or to attend all these events. After having interviewed a homeowner for about half an hour, I find that I'm grasping for things to say to while away the next couple of hours while the photographer does his thing. At events, I generally stay with the other people from the mag. Often, I sit quietly beside the editor while she animatedly gabs away (I've discovered that small talk is a skill that is required of every editor-in-chief).

This week has been somewhat painful as it was loaded with events and oculars and things--all of which required a bit of small talk. I went to Makati, Paranaque, Silang, Sta. Rosa/Tagaytay, and Market! Market! in search of shoot locations. Also checked out PIFS at the World Trade Center. Thankfully, this last bit just meant some walking around and looking at interesting furniture, without having to actually meet anyone new.

Wednesday night was one of those awkward sosyalan nights for me. It was the launch of this new show on Studio 23 called Welcome Home, which the mag is tying up with. We were introduced to some of the people behind the show, and while they and my more ma-PR co-workers talked like old friends, I stood stupidly on one side, very interested in my glass of dalandan-flavored iced tea. The host, Robin Da Roza, was later introduced to us. I had met him a little over a month ago (read about it in my other blog, www.tabulas.com/~ricci) when we had a planning seminar and a bunch of shoots in Bora. After he was introduced, he said, "Yeah, I know her (referring to me). My dad was hitting on her in Boracay!" Um.

Afterwards, I met up with Addie, Mona, and Ja. This was more my thing, having tea with people I was completely comfortable with, people I could talk to for hours about things that actually mattered (red roses from an overseas admirer, for one...yeeeha!), or anything at all.

Tonight I've got another event at the Fort, one that requires me to don a cocktail dress and hobnob with professional socialites (and I'm guessing some social climbers). And I've figured out how I can avoid all the awkwardness--I'm not going at all.

My Johari Window

"The Johari Window was invented by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in the 1950s as a model for mapping personality awareness. By describing yourself from a fixed list of adjectives, then asking your friends and colleagues to describe you from the same list, a grid of overlap and difference can be built up."

According to the 11 people that have answered so far, I am:

able (9%)
adaptable (9%)
caring (27%)
cheerful (18%)
confident (18%)
dependable (9%)
dignified (9%)
energetic (54%)
friendly (36%)
happy (36%)
helpful (9%)
idealistic (9%)
independent (9%)
intelligent (18%)
kind (9%)
logical (9%)
loving (27%)
mature (9%)
modest (9%)
nervous (9%)
observant (9%)
organised (9%)
searching (18%)
self-conscious (27%)
sensible (18%)
sentimental (9%)
silly (18%)
spontaneous (9%)
tense (9%)
trustworthy (27%)
warm (27%)
witty (18%)

My dominant trait so far is "energetic." If you'd like to check it out, go to http://kevan.org/johari?name=Tisha+Alvarez. You can even make your own.:)