Oct 08 2011

‘Sup

[BGmusic: Soft Shock by Yeah Yeah Yeahs]

Quote for the day:

Oh, my weeping willow,
Let your leaves fall and return,
Oh darling, the seasons are your friend.

- Sia, Death by Chocolate

You know what I need right now? I need me some perspective. If I could, I would schedule a rendezvous with myself[/selves?] at ages 11, 13, 18, and 30.

We’d meet up at a pizza place, because, you know, everyone likes pizza. 11-13 will have pepperoni while I look on in disgust. 18 will be awed by my ability to abstain from land-animal meat. [That's all I have to impress her. But more on my underwhelmingness later.]

11 likes to break out into Andrew Lloyd Webber songs when she thinks no-one is looking. She daydreams of running away to the wilderness; of shrinking herself and riding her pet hamster James like a horse; of waking up one day with superhuman abilities; of gatecrashing teddy-bear picnics. 11 knows everything in the world yet has experienced nothing. She feels perpetually underestimated by grown-ups, and will be determined that her opinion – solicited or otherwise – be heard. She will comment on 18’s graphic t-shirt: “I don’t get it.” She will like my hair. And we, the weather-worn, will look at 11, see her self-awareness and misplaced sense of invincibility, and envy.

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Dec 01 2010

The -Bers

[BGmusic: Good Day by Luce]

Quote for the day:

“I’d be lying if I ran away, and so I’ll stay.”

- Greg Laswell, I’d Be Lying

I know, I know. Where have I been?

Honestly, I don’t know where to start, so I’ll just back to the -ber months, primarily because as months go, they’ve been pretty interesting.

And emotional.

Let me illustrate with my stupendous paint skillz:

[I forgot to label the axes but obviously x is time in months, and y is happy points.]

Point A: When I started losing things, literally and figuratively. I’d elaborate but… no.

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Sep 22 2009

Turn and face the strange

Filed under: War Stories

[BGmusic: We Are Golden by Mika]

Quote for the day:

“Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what’s to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be. Other days. New days. Days to come. The thing is, we didn’t have to hate each other for getting older. We just had to forgive ourselves… for growing up.”

- The Wonder Years

I have a bit of a Peter Pan complex.

Let me illustrate.

I am twelve years old. My best friend and I are washing our faces at a sleepover, and I notice that she’s wiping off this green sparkly gunk off her eyelids. I am shocked, because (a) I’m with this girl all the time and I didn’t notice anything, and (b) this is grown-up stuff; I am still [secretly] hosting bedroom tea parties with my stuffed animals. Feeling stunted and a little betrayed at the revelation that my best friend is ready to grow up before I am, I try putting on make-up the next day. Some classmates notice, and ask me if I am wearing eyeshadow. I am mortified. I scoff at their faces, avoid eye contact, and before the first class, run to the bathroom to wash it all off.

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Sep 16 2009

Blog: A Brief History

Filed under: Rant, War Stories

[BGmusic: You Have Been Loved by Sia]

Quote for the day:

My brother:[Insert philosophical blah-blahs here]…for example, I’m good at bass guitar. Ate Ror [our eldest], you’re good at design. And [DQ]…  you’re good at… *pauses*sleeping.”

- He evidently thinks a lot of me.
Context: In a taxi on the way home from Life Pursuits,
talking about knowing the purposes of our talents.
Hey, it takes a lot of dedication to relax the way I do.

I started blogging in 2004, a few months after I graduated from high school. I didn’t go to college right away like the rest of the Philippines, but decided to take a year-long break to figure out what I wanted in life [I didn't]. So, while my high school friends were busy warming up to their new lives in university and hanging out with their shiny new college friends, I quickly got reacquainted with my not-so-inner loner.

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Jul 11 2009

Lost and Found

[BGmusic: We Used to Vacation by Cold War Kids]

Dear reader, do you know this movie?

Plot summary (from imdb.com):

When a young boy and his family don’t come one year to their holiday home, their household appliances… think their master might be in trouble. They decided that rather than stay where they are, they’ll try to find them. So beings a dangerous and amusing adventure through the countryside and into the big city. Written by Cynan Rees {cynanrees@hotmail.com}

If you do, good. You know what I’m going to be talking about. If you don’t, now you know.

Anyway, I blame this movie especially for my unhealthy empathy towards inanimate objects.

For example, I crack a mug. Most people would feel pretty bad for being so clumsy, but sometimes – not as frequent as it used to be, mind you – I actually feel sorry for the mug. I mourn over its loss of purpose in the world, and the part I played in its death… Then I quickly get over it, because one should only allow a modest number of moments of insanity in one’s life.

[This is why I don't name my belongings. A lot of people name their gadgets/musical instruments/etc., and I do none of that, it only makes me worse. I tried giving my violin a name  once upon a time but it didn't work out. So basically we're all no-name slobs now.]

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May 23 2009

I’m alive!

Filed under: Learning, War Stories

[BGmusic: Honey Tree by The Mostar Diving Club]

Quote for the day:

“The durian is a very Asian, non-individualistic experience. When you eat it, everyone around gets a little taste… whether they like it or not. BWAHAHAHA.”

- Kuya Phil, American and durian connoisseur
defending his right to eat durian in the van

Can I say that again? I’m alive!

I’m in Malaysia right now to bum around in a more exotic location help out at this conference my parents are attending, and at the moment enjoying the free wifi at our swanky hotel’s lobby.  I’m pretty much settled here in my little corner, but just a few hours ago, I was on…

THE SCARIEST FLIGHT I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY TWENTY-ONE YEARS!!!!! [Exclamation marks, capitalized & bolded letters needed to stress this point. Anticipate more of these.  Bear with me.]

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