It's all a blur

Things have been moving way too fast lately, and I've barely even had time to check my mail. Once the Friday shoot is over, I think things will take on a more normal pace.

While I'm on the topic of this Friday shoot, the others have been cursing me no end for causing them so much stress! I'm actually kicking myself too, for coming up with this blasted idea (seemed brilliant when I thought about it, but now it's just a major pain in the arse). I won't be able to breathe easy 'til this afternoon, when I find out if a couple of crucial pieces for the shoot can be pulled out. If not, I'm screwed. Big time.

Will blog about the latest happenings (Gail's "press con," ultimate, dinner with friends, a bride-to-be--and heavens, no, it's not me!--a shoot, a 17-course meal...) once I finally have enough time.

Off to Makati.

14 things I love about you

In my old office, the Marketing girls--whether it was our batch or the ones before us--supposedly had a bit of a following, probably owing to their (our) sticking out like sore thumbs in such a corporate setting. Case in point: one of our former artistes who would wear knee-high boots with her skirts. Aside from the outfits, our collective behavior could be flamboyant--often unintentionally so (a certain chocolate cake incident comes to mind). Perhaps it was a reaction to the sometimes stuffy environment, something Comm and Fine Arts majors weren't quite built for.

So anyway, whenever we would hear of people making the moves on (or silently pining away for) one of the girls, we would call that person a fan, and mercilessly subject the object of affection to grade-school "yiheees."

It seems I now have me an online fan. Months ago, I created an account in 43 things. It's this site where you list 43 things you want to do. I used one of my screen names and built up a list of 14 things. I found out about this site called 43 people (there's also a 43 places site), and, surprisingly, a couple of people have included me in their list of people they want to meet. Kind of cool, and also a little creepy.

The latest person said that he (maybe she?) wants to meet me "because i really love her looks she is fine and i think she will be a good wife." I'll admit it's flattering, but the editor side of me is questioning whether I should be flattered by the attention from someone who neglected to use a comma. (Gasp!)

Now I'm wondering what it is about my entries that makes this person think that I would "be a good wife." (The looks part, I can understand. I'm kidding. Wondering about that as well, but am infinitely more intrigued about the wife part.) What did this person see in my 14 entries that made him think I would "be a good wife"? I had things like "learn to speak Italian" and "learn how to cook" and "read the entire bible" (something I've attempted many times, and each time I only got as far as...Exodus). Does this person want an Italian-speaking, bible-reading master chef with a nice tummy (ahh, one of my superficial goals)?

It's got me thinking about perception--how I come across when I write, or even when I talk. Depending on the day and the circumstances, a person I've just met could think that I'm either whip smart or incredibly ditzy, compassionate or the epitome of a "mean girl" (as my current co-workers now like to call me). And while I find that the older I get, the less I care about other people's opinions of me, a part of me remains curious. It's the whole subjectivity deal, never being able to be the "other."

It's also perception the other way around. Have I been reading other people wrong, giving them characteristics that aren't truly theirs, simply because of the way they write? I'm convinced that the blogs that I read tell me a great deal about the people behind them. But if my 43 things list is any indication, I could just be assuming too much (or too little). Not that I disagree that I would make a good wife...

Tag!

From Miguel. Well, he tagged everyone, and I'm the uto-uto who's answering.

20 years ago I… (not the exact same month ha)

1. was getting picked on by my bros for speaking in English
2. playing jackstones
3. writing "poetry"

10 years ago I…

1. was Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
2. met my first boyfriend
3. was obsessed with Q-Zar (I miss playing)

5 years ago I…

1. was trying to keep an org together, despite non-accreditation
2. was in the best shape of my life
3. was in a happy relationship (and still am)

3 years ago I…

1. started working for an auditing firm
2. took my first out-of-town trip with H and my barkada
3. was rooting for the Lakers

1 year ago I …

1. discovered boxing and ultimate
2. went to Bora with H
3. changed jobs

So far this year, I've…

1. gotten an idea of exactly what I want to do with my life
2. grown up a bit
3. taken a few great out-of-town trips

Yesterday I . . .

1. sourced
2. watched Taylor and McPhee slug it out
3. ran 5K

Today I . . .

1. watched Soul Patrol triumph!
2. found a coffee table we could use for a shoot
3. learned a bit more about an interesting resto

Tomorrow I will . . .

1. make some calls, fax some letters, zzzz
2. meet up with the torta crew
3. maybe work out

In the next year I will . . .

1. cook more
2. go out of the country
3. be in better shape

In the next minute, I will tag...

Whoever wants to answer!

3's

Stress relief...

three names you go by:
1. Tisha
2. Patring (just to my mom and our maid)
3. Tishie

three screen names you have had:
1. Ricci
2. Sophia
3. Hermia

three physical things you like about yourself:
1. my eye color
2. my belly button
3. my, uh, tush

three physical things you don't like about yourself:
1. my feet
2. my tummy (but I'm working on it!)
3. my height! (but I've accepted it)

three parts of your heritage:
1. Filipino
2. I suppose there's a bit of Spanish
3. and Chinese

three things that scare you:
1. crawling ipis
2. flying ipis
3. ipis at rest

three of your everyday essentials:
1. moisturizer
2. concealer
3. laughter

three of your favorite musical artists:
1. U2
2. Smashing Pumpkins
3. Usher

three of your favorite songs:
1. "Someone to Call My Lover" (it's one of my feel-good songs)
2. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"
3. "Shake" (sarap sayawin eh)

three things you want in a relationship:
1. trust
2. respect
3. passion

three lies and truths in no particular order:
1. This is the job of my dreams!
2. I have to lose a bit more weight.
3. I need to go abroad for a bit.

three physical things of the opposite sex that appeals you:
1. arms!
2. lips
3. skin

three of your favorite hobbies:
1. dancing (but I wouldn't really call it a "hobby")
2. reading
3. traveling (if that counts)

three things you want to do really badly now:
1. get a firmer stomach
2. dance!
3. shop for clothes. and shoes. and...

three careers you're considering/you've considered:
1. theater
2. medicine (came close)
3. something in broadcasting

three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Spain
2. Greece
3. Mexico

three kids' names you like:
1. Vito
2. Logan (but not in this country. Think of the potential jokes.)
3. Haley

three things you want to do before you die:
1. grow old with the love of my life
2. travel some more
3. raise really good kids

three ways that you're stereotypically a boy:
1. I love NBA!
2. I can EAT.
3. I'm more rational than most girls. (Really, ask around. Hehe. I avoid saying things like "Basta!" during arguments. Haha.)

three ways that you're stereotypically a girl:
1. I'm iyakin.
2. I often stress over what to wear.
3. I love love love chocolate. And flowers.

three celeb crushes: (hmm they're not really "crushes")
1. Johnny Depp
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Chris Daughtry

Death to hypocrisy

And inconsistency. There's only so much a girl can take.

Got home from work past 3am Saturday, then had to get up early (early means it was still morning!) to get ready for a couple of events that day. At 11am, we headed to Mall of Asia in Manila for the soft opening. I couldn't understand why people were so rude, practically pushing us off of the red carpet. Then we heard, "Clear the area! The President's here!" So Madam President graced the event (no speeches, thank goodness), along with some artistas and a bunch of people looking all formal in their barongs and debut-worthy outfits. And here I was in faded jeans and a cute new top. Haha.

Since we couldn't stay for the 2pm shopping preview, our beloved SM contact, AC, gave us a short tour: Kultura Filipino, Our Home, Toy Kingdom (pictures with mascots to follow--how very turista!), and--everyone's favorite--SM department store. Jill was snap-snap-snapping away at everything; apparently it was for the femalenetwork forum, where all these people wanted to know what the mall looked like.

The atmosphere was pretty festive, what with a bunch of establishments holding their own store blessings. Some vital stats: The mall is supposedly as big as 40 football fields and has about 700 stores. It's massive, and even if there are only two floors, a day wouldn't be enough to go around the whole place. The walkways in the middle are just expansive. Ran into a friend who said, "We tried going around, but one-fourth of the way pa lang, we were tired na."

We wolfed down some bland carbonara and some yummy lasagna, and I got a sampling of what the chocolate fountain had to offer before we had to hightail our way outta there. Jill managed to take a few shots of the PBA players who had just arrived and of former Manila mayor Lim (she missed Lucy Torres and her daughter).

Got stuck in traffic, having taken the long route to ATC (sigh. If you knew the driver, you would understand!). We arrived just in time for Issa to catch her intro. It was an exhibit of lanai concepts done by four young designers, two from the mag, and two whom we've worked with. Food provided by Good Earth. Yum!

Later, I checked out a room I'm supposed to make over for Seventeen (eep!) before heading home to rest. H picked me up past midnight to go to Guilly's Island, where our lawyer-friends were celebrating their passing the bar. "You look like a celebrity!" he said (something he's been saying since that TV thing!), but later, his friend looked at my folded-up jeans and said, "Pare, binabaha ata sa kanila." Harhar. Aside from the new lawyers, we had another reason to celebrate that night: Sheila's pregnant!

Spent the rest of the weekend getting way too much sleep and eating much more than I was supposed to. Heard that traffic was horrendous going to Mall of Asia yesterday and that parking was packed, and here we were wondering who would actually travel all the way there for a mall. I think I'll let the crowds get over their excitement first before I venture to go back.

An L on my forehead

Still at work and I'm mighty hungry. It'd be awesome to head on over to Somethin' Fishy in Eastwood for their P80 breakfast buffet. Mmmm.

Think big: The IMAX Experience

Got to check out the soon-to-open San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theatre at the SM Mall of Asia! It promises to "offer moviegoers a cinematic experience unlike any they've had before." Indeed, being an IMAX virgin, I was amazed at the sheer size of the screen when I saw it for the first time--it measures 22 x 30 meters, a whopping 660sqm! Some more stuff from my cheat sheet:

"The unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience gives people the sensation they are IN the movie. This is made possible by a combination of IMAX's powerful projector--which projects images from the world's largest film format onto a giant IMAX screen that reaches about seven stories high. The larger than life images are complemented by a 12,000 watt, state of the art multi-channel digital surround system. The San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theatre will have the largest screen in the Philippines and one of the largest in the world."

A bit technical, I know. Just a few more tidbits: It's a product of Canadian ingenuity. There are currently over 265 IMAX theaters located in 38 countries. The theater's got 586 seats with deep stadium seating (so no worries if the person sitting in front of you's got a 'fro), and they'll be showing stuff in 3D! The audience will be given special polarised glasses for such films. Tickets for regular 2D films (or docus--I'm not quite sure) are P150, while 3D film tickets are priced at P350.

Wearing our oversized 3D glasses (an event in themselves), we settled down to watch some trailers and a couple of docus. It opened with the Warner Bros. logo which was seemingly jumping out of the screen. My seatmate and I (tawagin na lang natin siyang Miguel. Haha) couldn't help but say, "Whoa!" in embarrassingly loud, awestruck voices. Logo pa lang 'yan ah. The T-Rex trailer was awesome! I kinda felt like it was snapping its jaws in my face.

They showed us a 40-minute 3D docu on Nascar (which was something I didn't care about 'til I saw this feature) then proceeded to screen the award-winning docu (in 2D format) Everest. It was cool because, not only was the Philippine Everest team present (including Poveda friend Noelle, who was literally all wet, having biked to the Mall of Asia on a rainy day), but it was also the day before the first Filipino ever made it to the summit. Coolness.

The IMAX Theatre (and the Mall of Asia) opens to the public on May 21. They'll be showing Superman Returns in June, with 25 minutes in 3D! You'll get to see Superman flying right at you. Tip: Get a seat somewhere on row L onwards. The higher the better

For more info on IMAX, visit the company website. Top photo shows me and Miguel wearing our "think big" goggles; Coni (in an FHM "Who the hell are you?" moment) in the background. Photo is from my trusty press kit--it compares the IMAX film frame with a regular 35mm film frame. The screen shows the space station docu in 3D.

Books can do that

Mr. Sandman's been having a bit of fun with me lately.

The previous nights had me dreaming such bizzare dreams that, for a few consecutive mornings now, I've been texting H, "I've had another veird dream!" (And no, that's not a typo. It's part of our vocab to substitute w's with v's. Strange but vhatever.) I think last night's was the strangest yet, perhaps the most complex that I've ever had in my life.

Time wasn't linear, in that it didn't have a past, present, or future. It was like everything was happening at once, and believe me, it's weirder experiencing it than it is reading about it! It reminded me of my first year CL classes when our bedimpled seminarian-teacher tried to explain how God is "omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent." The last bit was something our adolescent minds had an incredibly difficult time trying to grasp, and not a few parents were scandalized by all the "radical" ideas we were getting from CL (this was one of many). We had to write some paper about what we learned and I came up with a brilliant one (if I do say so myself. A pat on the back for me)--at least brilliant as far as 14-year-olds go--submitted to some board which was conducting an inquiry. I think they, at the behest of some parents, had to review whether 14-year-olds did have the capacity to grasp such concepts, and tried to prove that we weren't being "corrupted" after all. (I'm cyber-babbling here. Just got caught up in an unearthed memory.)

It was most certainly the after-effects of having read One Hundred Years of Solitude, but I never imagined it was possible to dream in such a way. I remember sitting with someone on a sled--which wasn't quite a sled, but more of a big broken-off piece of plastic, rough edges and all--atop packed snow, on a warm day. We came from somewhere, and were supposed to be moving forward, but since past, present, and future were all happening at once, we ended up staying in one place, stuck in that moment, with echoes of other moments pulling me in different directions. It would have been an incredibly profound dream had it not been for the part where P. Diddy made an appearance. I kid you not.

The rest of the dream is a mix of pajamas, the Poveda waiting room, slippery slippers, and shawarma and nachos for lunch. Mmm nachos. Well, so much for profound.

I think the book continued to have an impact on me hours after I finished it, penetrating my subconscious and falling onto Sandman's lap. Right after I finished reading it, I honestly had to pause for a bit, wondering "What does it all mean?" and thinking that I was lacking in depth and totally missing the point. It was only later that it struck me just how utterly brilliant that book was. So much so that I found my subconscious celebrating with shawarma and nachos.

So I'm done with book number one for the month. While I wanted to process it all a bit more before diving into a new one, I was just too excited to get started on a book I've been longing to read: Kate Atkinson's Case Histories. I sped through the first hundred pages. I do have a reading debt of two books, having only read one each for March (The Remains of the Day, so, so sad) and April (The Bourne Identity, so, so different from the movie), so I might have to read three this month.

I think I should avoid reading anything gory, as my subconscious has proven to be quite absorbent. It has not only succeeded in carrying a book's theme into dreamland, but it has also brought about an intense craving for nachos today.

We're supposed to be learning, right?

This morning I had flashbacks of weird activities for some of my classes before (don't ask me why. I can't explain it, in much the same way I can't explain why I've been having strange dreams lately of child-manananggals and aneurysms turning into chicken pox):

1. List the number of rooms you have in your house. (What was that about?) I do remember that one girl asked, "Miss, does that include the guard house?" The teacher seemed taken aback. This was Povey-da after all.
2. Write out your life story, including details of your death and your funeral. This is a terribly morbid thing to ask of a fourth grader! For some reason, I sentenced myself to die by breast cancer. What the fuck was I thinking?
3. Imagine you were on a boat that started sinking--who would you save? This activity had me bawling because I had to choose between my mom and my dad. Why oh why do they put grade schoolers through this kind of crap? I never seem to remember the purpose behind these exercises--just the resentment and trauma from being made to decide something like that.
4. Watch the movie version of Stephen King's Carrie for--get this--Biology class. When asked what this had to do with Bio, the teacher explained that Carrie gets her period in the first part of the movie. Intro to reproduction. Ahh...that makes...sense? So get your period and your whole class will perish in a flaming gym during prom?
   
5. Sing "There's a mice, there's a mice in the middle of the field," a song composed by the same Bio teacher. "Sir, di ba dapat 'There's a mouse'?" we pointed out, to which he replied, "Poetic license, poetic license."

Everyone's got a homework horror story (or at least a homework head-scratcher). It kind of makes me want to have my kids home-schooled.

Had lunch with my old officemates today. A certain kulot (at least for today) friend told me that they really appreciate that I make an effort to keep in touch. And I half-jokingly said, "Of course! Otherwise you'd forget about me. Sniff."

Of course I'd make the effort. These are the girls whom I spent most of my days with for nearly three years, who understood my confusion (especially careerwise) because it was exactly what they were going through, who made me laugh on the most stressful, tear-inducing days just by being barok. I haven't known them as long as I've known a lot of my other friends, but strangely, I feel like we were all destined to find one another, brought together by this incredible loyalty and understanding and respect. They're soulmates in friend form.

It's been nearly a year, but I still miss them. I don't long to go back, but I can't help but feel that there's something lacking when I don't have anyone who's got my back day in and day out. They made me feel that way. They were always on my side. And loyalty and trust are two things I truly value. They send me loyalty vibes from afar, for sure. But it's not the same, you know?

4's

Got this from a friend's blog and since I've got nothing better to do...

The Rule of Four

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Editorial assistant
2. MC4 writer/editor
3. Managing editor
4. Restaurant proprietor (haha)

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Ever After
2. Cruel Intentions
3. All three LOTR films
4. The Incredibles

Four places I have lived:
1. Makati
2. Makati again
3. Cubao (like I always say, it's my 'hood!)
4. Er, in mumsy's womb?

Four TV shows I love(d)to watch:
1. Lost
2. American Idol (but since my manok is out...)
3. Veronica Mars
4. NBA games

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. London, England
2. Paris, France
3. Rome, Italy
4. Geneva, Switzerland


Four websites I visit daily:
1. my blog
2. my friends' blogs
3. yahoo (for news)
4. jkrowling.com (well, not daily, but often)

Four of my favorite foods:
1. chocolate
2. adobo
3. a toss-up between Panchicken and Chickenjoy
4. stuffed mushrooms from Italiannis

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. dance studio
2. New York
3. any gorgeous beach
4. Tuscany

Now that that's done, I am going to tag...
1. Being techno-sabit, I have no idea what this means!
2.
3.
4.

Panic button

I love it when I read something and it has the perfect words to describe the way I've felt at some point. Apart from the fact that it's great being able to go into the heart of an emotion or a situation, it sort of validates how I feel or have felt, and tells me that other people go through the same things that I go through. And that there is some semblance of normalcy in me after all.

Just replace "my husband" with "H" and it sums up a key factor in the dynamics of our relationship.

“It is my style when I’m worried to alarm friends and family and try to get them to worry along with me. It seldom works, particularly with my husband. He is remarkably sure about my ability to handle things; he simply assumes I’ll figure it out. I never know whether to be angry or flattered. Part of me wants him to panic along with me and express his undying love and concern about my safety, and the other part wants exactly what he gives: calm and confidence.”

- Excerpted from Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman’s Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail by Jana Richman

If these walls could talk

I've been trying to convince my mom for a while now that it's time for us to move out. Aside from the fact that it's not exactly the safest neighborhood (and I'm a little praning), the house has just gotten too big for me and my parents since my brothers moved out. I think the incident the other night has got my parents seriously considering a move.

I was pretty gung-ho about moving, but the closer we are to actually doing it, the more sentimental I get. My family had the house built over 50 years ago, so there's really an attachment. I love that house. Last night, I had major flashbacks of all the good times and bad that I had there. Some funny, many pleasant, others painful, all vivid. Having family pictures taken right before my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration. Playing "sardines" with Maan and her sisters back in second grade. Dancing Together Forever with a couple of friends during a birthday party. Falling asleep holding my lolo's hand while watching TV. Learning to play "baby mah-jong." Putting together a "newspaper," with such ridiculous stories as the vanishing rambutan from our garden. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for so-called art exhibits. Dinner with my lola, wondering how she could possibly eat bananas with rice. Burying my dog. Stringing up sampaguita from our garden and hanging them around the statue of Mother Mary in our grotto. Seeing my lola crawl into my lolo's bed, caressing his sheets after he passed away. Hanging out on the roof with our maid's daughter, singing stuff from song hits! Sitting outside on summer evenings after Rep rehearsals, staring at the sky. The renovation. The fights. The separation. Sad Christmases. Happy Christmases. The reconciliation. Graduations. Playing Silent Hill in the dark (for effect) with my old best guy friend. Falling in love for the first time. Getting my heart broken. Finding the love of my life. Growing up. Coming home.

How do you say goodbye to all that?

To the shmuck who broke into our house:

I'd like to think you did it to save a dying relative who's in dire need of some expensive operation. Or to feed five hungry kids whose stomachs have been crying for days. But if perchance you did it simply to get your fix of shabs, then may the gods of karma unleash their wrath upon you and beat you down in one fell swoop.

5K update

I just found out last week that I hadn't been running 5K--I had, in fact, been running about 6K, if the treadmill is to be believed. So my best time has been 33 minutes 42 seconds. (Of course that's nothing compared to my nephew's supposed 20-minute/5K time. Crap. In the words of a teammate, "He's a machine!") Will try to shave the 3 minutes 42 seconds off... and once I do that, I think the next step would be to run 7K. I was going to say 10K, but yikes. I think I'm gonna need a couple more months before I can hack that.