New Version Of Me

Dear Sally,

Just now I decided to make a two-word Felicity tribute. Done.

Today I tried Arnis for the first time. Yes, that sport with the oversized Champola wafer sticks. And surprisingly it wasn't unfun. Unfortunately, I don't really have the time to commit to another extra-curricular activity. Plus, my hand and arms really hurt, and I have blisters so it hurts everytime I grab something; I actually had to drive home using only my fingertips. Can't risk hurting my hands. My drawing/plucking hand is my life.

Speaking of drawing, this weekend I finally got to buy my Wacom Graphire 4 6"x8". It's not actually meant for drawing digitally, it's used mainly for retouching photos and stuff, but for an Intuos I'd need to shell out some USD 100 more. I'm thinking of this as a starter kit. But I love it. It's huge and shiny and silver and I can't wait for my muse to revisit me so I can start making art again. Of course, I'd also have to wait for my blisters to heal.

Had a full Friday evening: watched some bands play and met new people. Note to self: I really, really want to be part of the counterculture, even as I turn 27. Mallrat-ing and phone upgrades and designer coffee is nice once in a while, but it all feels so...sterile. I don't want to be sterile.

Twenty-One

Today-eyeyeyey-heyyy...

Ok, I'm cheating again; this post is obviously backdated. But wait, there's a reason for that!

I have this weird source of pride that is my birthdate. I don't know why this is. I like it enough to put it at the end of my email address, not to mention my blog. Here are some "facts":

1. It's the 21st day of the year. No need to adjust for months, or leap years. I am also born 21 years before the end of the millennium.
   
2. 21 is the product of 2 prime numbers. Okay, so a lot of other numbers are. But 7 is considered lucky and 3 is so Alighieri.
3. In recent years this time of year is still chilly.
4. My brother's birthday and mine are both exactly 21 days from the end of the year. His falls on December 10.
5. It's around the start of the Aquarius sign. Except in the Manila Bulletin, I think, which points out I'm a Capricorn. Consider the following 1995 conversation between me and Sarj:

   Me: I'm not strange. I'm normal, the rest of the world is strange!
   Sarj: You're an Aquarian, aren't you?

6. Speaking of Aquarius, Wikipedia states that:

   the Aquarian Age is thought to bring with it an era of universal brotherhood rooted in reason where it will be possible to solve social problems in a manner equitable to all and with greater opportunity for intellectual and spiritual improvement, since Aquarius is an airy, scientific, and intellectual sign and its ruler planet, Uranus, is associated with intuition (knowledge above reason) and direct perceptions of the heart; and on the mundane level it rules electricity and technology.

   Who can argue with that?
7. It is also National Hugging Day.
8. It is also the birthday of Jam Master Jay, Detlef Schrempf, Benny Hill and Paul Allen. And apparently, the Gutierrez twins and MTV's VJ Claire,
   
9. The Cranberries have a song Twenty-One in the album No Need To Argue, which partly goes:
   

   I don't think it's going
   To happen anymore
   You took my thoughts from me
   How I want nothing more

   If I'm not mistaken, it follows another coolly depressing song, Empty.
10. Being a bit close to the New Year, sometimes I feel like I get a second chance at new year's resolutions.
    

Anyway, that's it for now. This year it was a little bit corny as I had nothing to do but eat all weekend and window shop. I'm 27 and I want to go out!

Just Victims Of The In-House Drive By

They...they took away my YM at the office! My virtual social life gone in one fell swoop. What the heck do they expect me to do, actually work?!? Along with it, they took away Firefox for reasons which still escape me. What's next, programming in Notepad? Fascists!

PLDT DSL, you are now under pressure to provide me with unrestricted Internet access on demand from here on out...yeah right. Monopolists!

Speaking of work, I've just learned I'll be getting more responsibility at this project in a week's time. Rubber man, they're calling it, because (I guess) I'm expected to bounce around from one role to another. Which means more work for me. Tyrants!

I went back to the mallwide sale and, surprise! All the small sizes are gone. (Yes, small, as the gym thing appears to be paying off.) Arrrrggghh yuppies can smell 'sale' from miles away. Capitalists!

Today, it took me two hours to get to work. Motorists!

And last night it was surfer night again, mixed in with a little bit of rock and roll. Coffeehouse philosophizing has nothing over a good band and catwalking surfer girls. Bohemians!

I got an early birthday present...from Scarlett Johansson's, err, scarlett dress at the Golden Globes.

Almost enough to make me forget about not having YM at the office. Almost.

I've been sick for a couple of weeks now, and I can't put together a decent post. But if I could, I'd be talking about: my new project, other people's career choices, what passes for service in the Philippines, making it to 6 months at this company and failing my gym schedule so early in the year.

Nothing Changes/On New Year's Day

It's the 8th already?!?

Kind of late for a yearender post. But seeing as ABS-CBN is still hanging on to PBB for dear life, I guess I can go ahead with 2005: Year In Review.

Disclaimer: I know I said somewhere I wanted to be introspective on this retrospective, but I'm not in the mood to be emotional right now. I'm too sick and too tired. Feeling stuff takes too much energy.

Anyway, here's what I remember from the year just past:

• Being unemployed for the better part of the year. Hanging on the false promises about joining a startup and attending a dozen interviews...with the same company.
• Being employed for the other half; being part of a new company, having a new office and being around new faces for the first time in years.
• Art class in UP, and associated art classmates.
• Actually going out again. And having new people to go out with for the first time in years.
• Planted the seed of my...our sports apparel empire.
• Getting back to the car from Fete and finding my headlight on pavement. Curse you, anonymous carpark parker!
• Turning into a gym rat.
• Turning into an acoustic act.

Specific events/places include:

• Fete, obviously
• Masas, and then McDo, Greenbelt
  
• Stir Crazy, Ortigas
  
• That paella place that I'm forgetting the name of, down South
• Cirkulo, Pasay Road
• National Sports Grill, Greenbelt
• Manila Pen
• Halloween in Malate
  

Ok, so it wasn't an amazing year, at least not on the surface. No European tours, no strained US-Jon Ray relations, not even a Boracay trip. But still, a lot of drama for one year. And that note marks the end of this year in review.

I'm excited about 2006 if only to get past 2005 as quickly as possible. And for its first 8 days I feel sick and kind of on-edge work-wise. Not a good sign.