so i really AM a fag hag...

Francis and I watching My Bestfriend's Wedding at their place.

Me: Crush na crush ko dyan si Rupert Everett!

Francis: Bading kase eh!

Me: Ay, oo nga...

(Apparently, I'm blog-whoring here. Man, I need to start working on my article. But because I'm currently preoccupied with cable TV and free Internet, I think I'll work on it tomorrow. Hahaha!)

when shall oble rise?

Image from www,pinoytravelblog.com

The blue eagles succumbed to the bows and arrows of the green archers.

Our neigbor lost. (Sad face here.)

I wonder (and I always catch myself asking this same question every UAAP season): When will the Maroons shine? Panahon pa ata ni Paras when my dear Alma Mater won in the UAAP! (In fact, Paras and his teammates during that time are now retired from pro basketball! Goodness gracious!!!)

I just hope that next year, as we celebrate our centennial, the UP Maroons will at least make it to the final four. C'mon guys, make us proud! I'm so dying to cheer for you at the big dome! Kahit mag-production number pa 'ko!

Or would I just be better off hiding behind nekkid Oble?

just turned into a rockstar vampire

Image from blog.searchanyway.com

Now it's official. I think I shall be hooked on yet another social networking site. I have only my office pals to blame (they invited me).

So whatareyahwaitingfor!? Go invite me in Facebook! And I shall chump you with my rockstar vampiric fangs.

stellar experience

Image from Wikipedia

Ooooh! I can't wait to see the Mars of my dreams!

counting down the days

Because I was tasked with reviewing Natalie Imbruglia's latest album, Glorious, The Singles, I had the chance to revisit her songs that I've since liked. And because of being away from him for three weeks now, one of the songs in the album came to life and hit home. Verbatim. Even if it sounds a tad too mushy.

So this is for him.

You were right
And I don't want to be here if you're gonna be there
Was that supposed to happen?

I'll hold tight
I'll remember to smile
Though it has been a while
And without you does it matter?

There's no room
No place to start
When our souls are apart

I want to travel through time
See your surprise
I'd hold you so tight
I'm counting down the days tonight
I just want to be a million miles away from here
I'm counting down the days

How've you been?
It's just the usual here
And days are feeling like years
And every day's without you

Now I cry just a little too much
When I think of your touch
And everything about you

I feel cold
I'm in the dark
When our souls are apart

I'm counting down the days
I'm counting down the days
I'm gonna be you surprise
I'm gonna hold you so tight

I just want to be a million miles away from here
A million miles away from here

laughing our arses off

So okay. I'm trying to convince myself that Bong's really an Art Director and not a schizophrenic buff man on the loose.

Here are videos for evidence.

(Peace, Bong!)

this is career rape

Je vous ai manqués en Pangasinan...

Being busy the past two weeks is an understatement, but I'm glad that most of those busy days were spent shooting for Masigasig–which brought me to Pangasinan last Sept. 17-18 (with Pat, Cindy, photog Mark and our driver Kuya Jason); to General Santos City just last Sept. 23-24 (with photog Mark); and tomorrow, Sept. 27, to Silang Cavite (will be dragging Bong and Mems, together with photog Ging Lorenzo and makeup artist Jen Balbuena).

So apparently, the wanderer in me is oh so satisfied...and craving for more. Can I just get paid writing and traveling (and taking photos?). If only...

But due to the excruciatingly busy workload that the new assignments brought to me and teammate Sam, I haven't had time to blog about these past trips. In fact, I just started resizing the photos for upload. (Lotsa photos will be up soon.)

So in the next few months, if I'm not visible in the blogosphere, that means work is raping me and I'm all wasted.

This will be the death of me.

in anticipation of Heroes

Mad TV rocks!

(Season 2's just a few sleeps away!!!)

escapism

There's this sudden, urgent need to repost this:

Because I no longer want to be constrained.
Because I no longer want to be a mere puppet for unreasonable minds.
Because I don't want to be forever saying yes.
Because I want to speak my mind.
Because I don't want to be boxed in.
Because I believe in creative freedom.
Because I know I can do better.
Because I am not a slave to other people's daft wishes.
Because I feel like I'm sinking deep into the muck of complacency.
Because there are better things for me.
Because I'm no longer happy here.
Because I could be happier.
Because enough is enough.
Because I no longer want to.

I just badly need to break down; then I'll be fine.

it's very welcome

A view from Quezon Island, one of the Hundred Islands
in Lingayen, Pangasinan. Image from wikipedia.com.

Stress, loneliness, and a pint of depression have been getting the best of me lately. So I guess a Masigasig writing/shoot assignment in Pangasinan comes at a good timing. This time around, it's not a day trip (unlike the Baguio assignment; which reminds me–I have yet to scan and upload my 2 Tagalog cover stories. Yey, Tagalog! Challenging, I say. And this Pangasinan article is a break from all the recent katalinghagaan, because it'll be in English).

Cindy, Pat, and I, together with our fotog Mark Ang and reliable driver Kuya Jason, will head off to Lingayen on Monday, leaving Manila at 6am. Then it's back to reality on Tuesday. That's another trip to look forward to. Working for Masigasig is a breath of fresh air–a much appreciated break from all the suffocating semi-advertising work.

And this Sunday's gonna be a good day. I get to see Francis after a week of limited chat on the phone and 144 hours of missing him (no one dare tell me how mushy I am).

I can somehow handle stress from work. But the stress from missing him? I'm not so sure.

Oh well. Let's just see what the following week has in store for little me. For now, I better head home. Staying late at work almost every day this week is torture to my brain cells.

when we're asked to perform miracles

When extremely stressed, just laugh it all off.

No need for me to run thru the gory details of putting together a decent shoot. It's enough to say that I had to work during the weekend to pull off this particular shoot. Oh well...

So anyway, here's the link of that painstaking shoot. And here's another one (relatively peaceful and fun) the day after that.

it's getting hot in heeeeere!

Nagiging ganito ba talaga kainit sa Japan?!?!?

ride with me

(So yeah, am presently in this stage that gets experienced by anyone at one point in his/her life. Join me in my emotional roller coaster and maybe we can enjoy the experience together. Bleh.)

With my very recent re-acquaintance with dear, old asthma, I only had one question in mind: Why? All these years I thought I've already outgrown the dreaded monster of my childhood, with only very mild attacks once or twice a year. Until last week. You know how it feels to struggle to suck in every ounce of air you can, but much to your fear and panic, the air doesn't even seem to reach your poor lungs? If you've seen Shyamalan's Signs, you'll definitely know what I'm talking about–that scene where Rory Culkin's character was desperately and painfully trying to breathe while his dad was clutching for his son's dear life. It's like that. It's real. And it's still with me.

I attribute my unpleasant reunion with the Big A to the fact that we let one of our dogs stay inside the house. We had to isolate dear Clapton from his sis Ginger to avoid further complications (and expenses). For the love of our dogs, Big A had to visit me.

Now our two beloved canines have had a dose of their own distressing experience. I'm just a bit tired to talk about it here. Suffice it to say that the family had shared a heart-breaking experience when the vet visited them and diagnosed Ginger with a life-threatening disease, and that Clapton had to be confined for a couple of days. We're just hoping that both dogs will be fine soon (Clapton seems to be, at least). And the sooner they get better, the longer I'd live.

Then comes this big change. I'm not big on changes, especially when they involve a very cozy part of my life that I've gotten so used to for so long. Have that cozy part stirred and I might as well jump off a cliff. Hay. So what the heck am I yapping about?

It's Francis' new, shiny job. Finally, he gets to be a real engineer. And being a real one means having to go to field works that defy the law of reasonable proximity. And come this Sunday, he shall be packing his bags for a month or so assignment in Cavite.

Before anyone of you reacts violently and begin calling me an over-reacting, über mushy girlfriend, lemme explain. For almost 9 years now, Francis and I never experienced not being able to see each other for more than a week. Sure, he's had field work assignments that took him to different places, but that's only for a maximum of about five days.

A month–and the very big possibility that it might even take longer than that–is absurd. Plus, there's also that looming possibility of an out-of-the-country assignment. That's even more absurd!

It would take me long before I can finally cope with this big change. How's the every night phone calls? The three or more times a week meet ups? Movie dates? Jam sessions?

Me?

I know, I know. This is for his career growth. And yes, for our relationship, too. Sometime, sooner or later, this change is bound to happen. It's just that with all that's going on (read: I'm still not writing full-time. I'm still stuck in this limbo.), managing to handle this big a change is the least thing I should worry about. But that's not happening. I worry about it every single day now. In fact, it even scares me. Like part of me feels that being miles apart would eventually translate to growing apart. NONONONONONONONONONONO! The Lord help us! But I also know we're better than that. I'm just not really good at handling things like this.

So there. I'm a bit lost. And being able to breathe normally would do me good during times like this.