Notebook Info

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Thursday, 8 March 2007

Double Whammy

Posted on 00:25 by Unknown
Double Whammy - A double blow or setback.
(from The Phrase Finder at http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/119750.html)

Here's my Double Whammy.

Among the dozen pairs of footwear stored in my closet, I have chosen, through time, two favorites. One is very dependable, very durable, very flexible. The other is very fancy, very eye-catching, very ultra-modern.

Truly, the contrast between the two is quite enormous and to compare them would be an injustice.

The first pair is indeed very expensive. Made of expensive patent leather, it has stood the tests of time and the rigors of life. Rain or shine, the pair has been my constant favorite. Its durability and flexibility is extraordinary. The shoes could be worn with any pair of jeans: denims, curdoroys, soft slacks, name it. And this pair have been with me for almost half my life! Beat that. It has accompanied me through most of my life. Gone through travels with me, walked with me to faraway places, saw me cry when I was down and beaten, heard me laugh when I am in high spirits. I have always felt confident whenever I wore them.

Last month, however, I noticed scratches on the old, brown leather. Battered through time, the leather began to crack up. I tried to mend them using expensive cleaning materials and adhesives, but to no avail. Last week, I wore them to work again when an asthma attack occurred. And while I was having a nebulization at the emergency room of LBDH, i saw the scratches became gaping tears that can never be mended again. Sadness.

Whammy No. 1: Leather Shoes laid to rest.

The second pair, or, to call it, the "other" pair, came to my fancy only very recently. It is a pair of high-cut red canvass-type sneakers that I have always dreamed of owning since I was a child. And since its sole is rubber, I expected it to be more durable and comfortable than the pair of leather shoes, but alas, I was in for more surprise. They were not.

Two Saturdays ago, as I was trying to wash off the grime and dirt off them, I discovered a hole on the heel part of the left pair. I was very disappointed. So much for brand names and expectations, I guess. So much for show. The red pair is like a hen cackling noisily after laying an egg, so noisy that you'd think she'd laid an asteroid.

Well, I could get a pair of red canvass sneakers again, but after investing on the first, I guess I will have to refrain from buying "sneaks" in the meantime and save up for another pair of patent leather shoes.

Whammy No. 2: Red Canvass Sneakers laid to rest.
Read More
Posted in | No comments

Wednesday, 28 February 2007

Gone

Posted on 03:37 by Unknown
And She left.
She left without saying goodbye.
She left me alone in a dark, cold room
with nothing but the cheap, thin blanket
wrapped around my cold body.

And She left.
She left without even telling me she loved me.
She left me scared and weeping,
mourning, scarred, hateful, jaded.

And She left.
Just like that.
Walked away.
Just like that.
Read More
Posted in | No comments

Saturday, 24 February 2007

Betrayal

Posted on 00:55 by Unknown
Current Mood: Angry/Hateful/Disappointed/Frustrated
Current Music: You Oughta Know/Alanis Morissette

Just how hard life could be on me? Just when I have started on a new path to recovering from a previous painful experience, just when I was beginning to open up again, the one person I trusted the most started betraying me. Ah, then I am back to my Linear phase again, I guess. And then I should always remember that I should not trust anyone else except myself. Hah. Why did I forget that? Maybe because I was mesmerized by the magic of being in love and all the fireworks that went with that. Maybe because I was thrilled by the thought of being in love, not with the person, but with love itself. Then again, maybe I was really in love. And I WAS. Magically, truly, madly, stupidly in love.

Thanks to you, Lady of the Camellias, for pushing me back to writing more poems to add to my Linear collection. I just want you to know I never thought I could hate someone as I hate you now.


BETRAYAL

Just when I thought I finally found The One,
Just when I thought I finally could trust someone again,
Just when I thought I finally could love again,
You betrayed me and proved me wrong.

Just when I was singing again,
Just when I was writing poetry again,
Just when I was laughing again,
You betrayed me and deserted me.

Just when I was healing from the wounds of prior loves,
Just when I was alive again,
Just when I was falling in love…
You betrayed me.

How could you do this to me? How could you?
I fought hard for you, trusted you with my own life, loved you…
And all I got is your distrust, your unending doubts, your betrayal…
Read More
Posted in | No comments

Sunday, 18 February 2007

From Limbo with Love

Posted on 23:44 by Unknown
I still need to keep up to my personal promise to blog regularly. But my mind is in limbo right now. And may God forbid me not to commit the unforgivable.

Due to recent events in my life, I am always tempted to just pack my bags, leave town, and never, ever, look back.

Do as Robert Kincaid did.

Go to a place where I can be someone else. Or pretend to be someone else.

Surprised? Please be. Because even I am surprised myself. But don't get me wrong. I may have nurtured this idea to leave for a long time now, but my love for my family, for Lilia, for my work, and for my friends have always made me do otherwise. For I have always believed that my life is defined by what I do for my family, by how hard I work, and by how deeply I care for and love Lilia. For these reasons, I will always stay anchored to where I am, do what I need to do, and forget about packing my bags and leaving town.

Do as Francesca Jonhson did.

Because in life, there are a lot of trade-offs. We let go of so many chances, so many opportunities, so many possibilities to become who and what we have always wanted to be. We allow ourselves to lose the chance to fulfill our inner longings. We let these things pass through our lives, and yet it is through these sacrifices that we are able to dream on, and dream more. It is through giving up that we are able to give more of ourselves. It is through these trade-offs that we discern life.

But I choose to stay behind and face my responsibilities and obligations because for me, doing so is a choice and not an option. And I chose to stay behind and never regret it. Not one bit of it.
Read More
Posted in | No comments

Wednesday, 7 February 2007

Meet Harry, My Elephant Grasshead

Posted on 22:56 by Unknown
Being a collector of elephant figurines and all related stuff, you can just imagine my thrill when a friend gave me an elephant grasshead. I gave him a name, Harry, after Robert Kincaid's green Chevrolet pickup.

And here's dear Harry. Here's how he looked before I soaked him in lots and lots of water to allow germination of whatever seeds are inside him. :)



After a week of being soaked in water, here's how Harry looks now:



:)
Read More
Posted in elephant, grassheads | No comments

A Short Recap

Posted on 22:30 by Unknown
I understand that my previous entry (A Night with Robert and Francesca) seemed a bit awkward given the time gap from the previous entry of September 2006. And well, yes, a lot has happened since Christine gave me a copy of that Dilbert book. As a recap, I’m writing notes (on a monthly basis) of whatever I could still remember to sort of update things.

September. Inez, one of my two office roommates and a very good friend, resigned and left by end of the month. Participated in one international workshop.

October. Biboy, the other of my two office roommates left, too, to take his career into a different level. But before that, he got married first. Haha. An ISAAA Brief due for formatting arrived middle of the month, and THE Global Status Brief came in before the month ended, which meant I did not have a proper Halloween last year. While people are attending parties wearing weird costumes, I was laboring over the two publications. Also had to prepare for NaNoWriMo 2006. Research, research, research…

November. A lot happened during November, I guess. Early on, I tried joining fellow novel writers from all over the world in NaNoWriMo 2006, but due to the back-breaking activities at the office, I did not make it to the 50k words-mark. Again. Thankfully, I got on a new hobby, which is shot glass collecting. Whew! Too addictive. Finished the two ISAAA Briefs, helped prepare for two workshops in December, one international, the other, local. And oh, I almost forgot, I turned 33 this month. Got several gifts from friends: a shirt that says “I Only Have Eyes for You. And You. And You. And You.” (hahaha!!!); four shot glasses from Chel; lip products from Ann. But the best gift is from my 6-year old niece, Laicka. It’s a small bottle of branded perfume, but it’s not the brand that made me so happy, but the idea that she wrapped the gift herself and wrote me a short, but sweet happy birthday note.

December. A never-ending odyssey to finishing THE GS Brief. While two workshops went on, we corrected, corrected, corrected, printed, corrected, corrected, corrected, and re-printed the GS Brief. Celebrated Christmas with family. But had to work the day after. Waaahhh!!! Just when everybody’s still partying, bingeing, or simply resting, I had to travel to Manila to send a sample copy of the GS Brief to Clive and Marga. I’m not complaining, though. It is a part of my job, and even if I stayed with my family to party, binge, or rest, I will not feel comfortable knowing that a job was left unfinished. My only regret is the fact that I lost the opportunity to spend some quality, A-1 time with my family. Oh, and I’m writing again. Beginning this month, I’m writing short articles again.

That’s about it, I guess. I might have left out a lot of things because I’ve forgotten about them already. But it’s a good recap.
Read More
Posted in | No comments

Sunday, 21 January 2007

A Night with Robert and Francesca

Posted on 20:15 by Unknown

Thank you, Robert Kincaid. And thank you, Francesca Johnson.

Saturday morning, January 20th.

It was nine last night when I began to settle down after all the rush that went into the global launch of ISAAA’s Brief No. 35.

I got home, ate a light dinner, showered, and brushed. I thought I would go to bed and sleep dead and snore like a drunk due to the sleeplessness of previous nights, but NO. Though I had settled down, I still felt the energy inside me like a throbbing pulse that refuses to die down. And so fresh from the shower, and munching on a huge bar of dark Swiss chocolate from Claudia’s mother, I plopped down on my comfort chair with a comfort book and turned on my iPod speakers to high.

Shower + Comfort Food + Comfort Chair + Comfort Book + Music = Serenity. Tranquility. Calm.

Though I have watched the movie a couple of times before, I only had the opportunity to buy the book “The Bridges of Madison County” in October last year. And though I have had the book in my shelf for a couple of months already, I have never bothered to touch a single page of it. And maybe now is the time. And because yes, now is the perfect time.

I began to read Robert James Waller’s book while Clint Eastwood’s Doe Eyes played on my iPod. And on and on the haunting music went as I began to immerse myself in the world that belonged only to Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson. At that moment, I was not a mere reader anymore. At that moment, I began to move into a world of my own. A world I shared with Robert and Francesca.

I was with Robert in his green Chevrolet pickup, Harry, when he left Bellingham, Washington for Des Moines, Iowa to shoot the covered bridges for National Geographic. And then again, I was sitting with Francesca in her front porch swing, sipping iced tea with her when Robert came asking for directions to Roseman Bridge. I saw Francesca in her pink dress the night she and Robert danced in her candle-lit kitchen and made love for the first time afterwards. I cried with Robert the morning he left the Johnsons’ without Francesca. I cried with them when they met later in town and Robert could not get near Francesca because her husband, Richard, was with her. I cried with Carolyn and Michael when they read their mother’s letters and saw Robert’s cameras. At the end of the novel, I felt one with Francesca’s children when they gave in to their mother’s request that her ashes be scattered on Roseman Bridge, the place where she and Robert could finally be one. That they agreed to their mother’s request meant they gave her their understanding and to Robert, their respect.

I still could not sleep after reading the novel. But not because of the overpowering energy I felt earlier. At that moment, everything was silent, quiet... Everything in me was still. And I felt a certain calmness I have not felt for so long. And writing this now with Doe Eyes still playing in the background, I could hear Robert saying this to Francesca.

“I have one thing to say, one thing only; I’ll never say it another time, to anyone, and I ask you to remember it: In a universe of ambiguity, this kind of certainty comes only once, and never again, no matter how many lifetimes you live.”
Read More
Posted in Bridges of Madison County, Clint Eastwood, Robert James Waller | No comments
Newer Posts Older Posts Home
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Notebook Review: Clairefontaine Basics Clothbound Notebook
    When I received the package that Karen Doherty of Exaclair sent me in September, I liked everything in it except a black, plain notebook. ...
  • Pen Review: Schneider iD Fountain Pen
    I love Schneider pens. I have a huuuge stash of Schneider gel pens, fineliners, and rollerballs hoarded collected before I shifted to fou...
  • Ink Review: J. Herbin 1670 Ink
    Red was your colour. If not red, then white. But red Was what you wrapped around you. Blood-red. Was it blood? Was it red-ochre, for warming...
  • Review: Unlimited Notebook by Rhodia
    When I received these Rhodia UNLIMITED notebooks that Karen Doherty sent to me last year, I asked her why they're called UNLIMITED. Kar...
  • Fountain Pen Review: Lamy Safari 2012 Limited Edition Green
    When I started using fountain pens in 2007, I was like any other newbie. I hoarded. I had no clear idea of what I really want and got pens I...
  • Ink Review: Sailor Jentle Grenade
    O drops of me! trickle, slow drops, candid, from me falling — drip, bleeding drops, ~ From "Trickle, Drops" by Walt Whitman One of...
  • Fountain Pen Review: Sheaffer Taranis
    Sheaffer celebrates their Centennial Year - 2013 - with a fleet of writing instruments including super limited edition pens and two new seri...
  • Oh, No...
    Oh, no. Not him, please... Actor Morgan Freeman is injured in car accident.
  • For Winter, Let's Have Cold Horizon
    (Courtesy of Bryan Bedell /  fieldnotesbrand.com ) And Field Notes has done it again. Wow me with their notebooks, that is. 2013's Wint...
  • An Idea Gone Wild and Wilder Gets Scrapped
    It is quite obvious that the last two months of my life is far from blissful. I really do not know for sure how I get by. People may shun me...

Categories

  • 1670 ink
  • 2012 Green
  • 2046
  • Aboitiz 2Go
  • Activebook
  • Agatha Ruiz de la Prada
  • Alice Wu
  • Ambre de Birmanie
  • Andy Garcia
  • aneurysm
  • Apple
  • Apple Green
  • Aquamarine Lamy Safari
  • Arthur Golden
  • asthma
  • Aurora
  • Aurora Blue
  • AV malformation
  • Banditapple Carnets
  • Bandzug
  • Baoer
  • beautiful things
  • Beijing Olympics souvenir
  • Bejewelled
  • Bench
  • Berroca
  • Binondo
  • birthdays
  • black
  • Bleu Pervenche
  • Blistex
  • blog advertising
  • blogging
  • blue
  • blue inks
  • blue notebooks
  • Body Shop
  • Books
  • Brause
  • Bridges of Madison County
  • broad
  • broad nibs
  • calligraphy
  • Camel Scarlet Red
  • Camlin Trinity
  • Caramoan
  • Caran d'Ache
  • Caran d'Ache Saffron
  • Cararama
  • Carnival of Pen Pencil and Paper
  • cars
  • Cattleya
  • Chelpark Moti
  • ChoroQ
  • Christmas
  • Chuck Taylor
  • Clairefontaine
  • Clint Eastwood
  • coffee
  • Coleto
  • Colibri
  • collecting
  • colors
  • Corgi
  • Corona notebooks
  • Cosmos Bazaar
  • Creative Zen
  • Cross
  • Daiso
  • Danitrio
  • Daycraft Juicy Notebook
  • Daycraft Notebook
  • Daycraft Signature
  • Daycraft Signature Notebook
  • De Atramentis
  • Diabolo Menthe
  • Diamine
  • Diamine Majestic Blue
  • Diamine Orange
  • Diana Krall
  • Diary
  • Dickies
  • Diesel
  • DKNY
  • dotPad
  • Eagle notebooks
  • Earl Grey
  • eBay
  • Edelstein
  • Effen Vodka
  • elephant
  • elephants
  • envelope
  • Esterbrook
  • Euro Office
  • Evanescence
  • Exaclair
  • Exacompta
  • ferris wheel
  • Field Notes
  • fire trucks
  • firetrucks
  • folder
  • food
  • Foray
  • fountain pen
  • fountain pen ink
  • fountain pen review
  • fountain pens
  • FPN-P
  • Frank
  • Fully Booked
  • G. Lalo
  • garage
  • gel pens
  • get paid to blog
  • GPW
  • Grandluxe
  • grassheads
  • Green
  • grid notebook
  • GTD
  • handwriting
  • Haolilai
  • Hard Rock
  • Haruki Murakami
  • health
  • hearbreak
  • heartbreak
  • Hero 221
  • Hero pens
  • Hero616
  • hobby
  • Ikea
  • Il Divo
  • ink
  • ink review
  • inks
  • Inoxcrom
  • iPaq
  • iPod mini
  • iron gall ink
  • J. Herbin
  • J. Herbin Rouille d'Ancré
  • James Blunt
  • James Patterson
  • Japanese ink
  • Jentle
  • Jinhao
  • Joan Chen
  • Jollibee
  • Journal
  • Kaj Stenvall
  • Karen Doherty
  • Kokuyo
  • Kramer vs. Kramer
  • Kultur
  • LA Gear
  • Laban
  • Lamy
  • Lamy Al-Star
  • Lamy Blue Black
  • Lamy Joy
  • Lamy Logo
  • Lamy Nexx
  • Lamy Safari
  • Lamy Safari Neon
  • Larmes de Cassis
  • leather
  • Lee
  • lesbianism
  • Lierre Sauvage
  • life
  • Limited Edition
  • lined notebook
  • lip gloss
  • love
  • Lynn Chen
  • Lyons
  • Mahatma Gandhi
  • Maisto
  • Majestic Blue
  • Manila
  • Manuscript
  • Master
  • Matchbox
  • Memoirs of A Geisha
  • Mesaki
  • Miami Ink
  • Michael Jackson
  • Michelle Krusiec
  • Midori
  • Midori Traveler's Notebook
  • migraine
  • Moleskine
  • MonAmi
  • Mont Blanc
  • Moore
  • Movies
  • MRA
  • MRI
  • Music
  • NaNoWriMo
  • National Bookstore
  • neon
  • new product
  • nib
  • nibs
  • Nike
  • Nokia
  • Noodler's
  • Noodlers
  • Norah Jones
  • notebook
  • notebook review
  • notebooks
  • notepad
  • novels
  • office stationery
  • office supplies
  • orange
  • Orange Indien
  • Osmiroid
  • Oxblood
  • Pablo Neruda
  • paper
  • paper review
  • Parker
  • Parker Penman
  • Parker Quink
  • Parker Rialto
  • Paulo Coelho
  • Pelikan
  • Pelikano Junior
  • pen and ink
  • pen holder
  • pen holders
  • pen review
  • pencils
  • Penman inks
  • pens
  • perfume
  • Phillips
  • Pilot 78G
  • Pilot Coleto
  • Pilot FriXion Ball
  • Pilot G2
  • Pilot GTEC
  • Pilot H32 mechanical pencil
  • Pilot pens
  • Pilot Petit
  • pink
  • planner
  • Platignum
  • Platinum Preppy
  • pocket notebook
  • poetry
  • police cars
  • polyurethane
  • Poppin
  • postcards
  • Postcrossing
  • Poussière de Lune
  • Private Reserve
  • Private Reserve Avacado
  • Private Reserve Copper Burst
  • product review
  • Pukka
  • Quiver
  • Quo Vadis
  • Quo Vadis Habana
  • reading
  • red
  • Red Dragon
  • red ink
  • reecovid
  • Retro 51
  • review
  • reviews
  • Rhodia
  • Ricky Martin
  • RJ100
  • Robert James Waller
  • Rocket Dog
  • Rotring
  • Rouge Opera
  • round corner
  • Safari
  • Saffron
  • Sailor
  • Samsung
  • San Francisco Bridge
  • Saving Face
  • scented inks
  • Schneider Base
  • Schneider iD
  • Schneider pens
  • Scribe
  • Scribe Writing Essentials
  • Scriptmaster II Series Mary Ann
  • Sharpie
  • Sheaffer
  • Sheaffer Taranis
  • shopping cart
  • shotglass
  • shotglasses
  • Siku
  • Simpsons
  • sleep
  • Somersby
  • Songs
  • Sony Ericsson
  • Staedtler
  • stamps
  • Starbucks
  • Sterling notebooks
  • Stradmore
  • stub nibs
  • stubs
  • Stypen
  • Symbicort
  • Syrah
  • Taranis
  • Tazo
  • Terre de Feu
  • Text Twist
  • The Archer
  • The Burns Sisters
  • The Graduate
  • The L Word
  • thyroidectomy
  • Timbuk2
  • TOMICA
  • TOMY
  • toy trucks
  • toys
  • turquoise
  • TWSBI
  • TWSBI notebook
  • typhoon
  • Uni-Ball
  • Uni-Ball Signo Gelstick
  • Ventolin
  • Visconti
  • Wality
  • water resistance test
  • Waterman
  • Waterman South Sea Blue
  • white fountain pens
  • Whitelines
  • Wong Kar Wai
  • Write-Now
  • writing
  • yellow
  • Youth pens
  • Zebra Jimnie
  • Zippi

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (10)
    • ▼  November (1)
      • For Winter, Let's Have Cold Horizon
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (3)
  • ►  2012 (5)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2011 (16)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (2)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2010 (17)
    • ►  November (2)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2009 (51)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (1)
    • ►  October (7)
    • ►  September (3)
    • ►  August (5)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (6)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (6)
    • ►  January (3)
  • ►  2008 (107)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (4)
    • ►  September (14)
    • ►  August (10)
    • ►  July (21)
    • ►  June (10)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (9)
    • ►  March (10)
    • ►  February (12)
    • ►  January (7)
  • ►  2007 (48)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (9)
    • ►  September (10)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (3)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (5)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2006 (6)
    • ►  August (6)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile