uy philippine book fair na pala. dami books, so little money.

saka i just discovered the pirates' haven/heaven that is R. Hidalgo in Quiapo. Grabe pala talaga dun. Lantaran! And they say the place is "under surveillance?" Ang alam ko, pag nakatago ang subject, that's when you spy on them discreetly. But when it's all out in the open? Ewan ko na lang kung gaano sila kabulag at di nila yun makita.

VCDs are going for like php30-35. I'm not really sure about the DVDs, but the people are flocking to them like flies to slimy disintegrating, rotting mangoes.

On the other hand, viva mga pirata? For providing the masses with information that are otherwise beyond their reach?

mars attacks?

Kamusta na ang pagsabog ng mars kagabi? Hindi ko na nakuhang pumunta ng observatory dahil kasama ko pa ang ilang kaibigan. Dun na lang kami sa may Megastrip nag-obserba ng kalangitan. Medyo mahirap kasi maliit lang ang view doon tapos marami pang ilaw. Tapos yung mga tao sa Seattle's Best ayaw pang magsilayas sa mga tables nila kahit na lumalabas na yung mga varicose veins ng mga tita kong galing pa ng opisina.

Honga pala, awardings na ng Palanca sa Monday night. Jol, puwede bang ako na lang ang guest mo? Although supposedly I can bring a guest on my own kasi sabi naman ni Tita Wendy winner ako di ba? Basta, yun ang ating main angas event of the month.

Saka dapat nga pala nating bitbitin si Nathan sa Gayuma. There's a dessert that's even better that their "better than sex" dessert. Skinny dipping! Chocolate fondue wins dessert of the night.

Paramdam naman kayo. Nabuburyong na ako dito.

Uy lumalaganap na pala in US schools are peer-to-peer online workshops. Sana dito rin. Pero hanggang wish lang yun. Ni wala ngang classrooms, ni wala nga tayong mga enough teachers. Internet in every classroom pa kaya?

Okay nga yung discussion about writers block. Bwakananginang writers block yan. Mag-iisang buwan ko nang tinatrabaho yung isang script ko, mauubos ko na yata ang videos sa rental shop, di pa rin ako tapos. At hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ako at na-extend ang deadline. I really would have wanted to have this done and over with. Tomorrow. Pero the lecheng extension is on November 30 pa. Jol, you have any idea why ganun katagal ang extension?

About crashing the awarding ceremonies: hmm, viable option naman siya kasi (a) dalawa kayo ni Jol na nagwagi, so we can like go there as like part of your entourage? hehehe. shyet. I never dreamt to be the part of an entourage. (b) tutal sabi naman ni Wendell nanalo ako kahit never akong nag-join. Ang weird nun ha. Three different people like asked and congratulated me on a category and contest I never joined. Astrid: Kung psychic nga si Wendell, you think this is a premonition for next year?

Naleleche na ako sa buhay ako. Feeling ko napaka-stagnant ko na at walang nangyari sa akin in the three years I've been working. I need a change of scenery. wala nang purpose ang buhay ko. kailangan ko ng personal manager.

Merong magandang discussion ngayon sa flips mailing list tungkol sa writer's block. dahil wala akong pwdeng i-link, nakawin ko na lang itong galing kay luisa igloria :

I completely agree with everything everyone's said so far: we need to immerse ourselves in the life, the sounds, smells, language, textures of the everyday. I agree with Barbara Jane about the cross pollinating effects of different disciplines -- and because I'm one of those people who quickly forgot everything about math after she -- glory hallelujah-- passed
college algebra, those "other zones" continue to have a weirdly seductive appeal to me. I love reading "softcore" science/physics books, things on natural history, taxonomies, anthropology -- and seeing how language is used in different ways in those places.

I also agree with the guys who said things about the epiphanic moments in diaper-changing (replace term with any other repeatable domestic activity: washing dishes, throwing trash, etc.); one of MY most memorable "unblocking" moments was getting up to nurse my second daughter at three or four in the morning; as she quietly sucked on my left breast I realized
I was awake, had some extra time to write out thoughts I had been carrying around all morning for a poem but had not had time to attend to at work -- so I moved to the desk with her cradled in my left arm, and wrote.

There's a time that I can remember at the beginning of my "career" as a writer, when the phrase "writer's block" could exercise a kind of magnetic fear on me. But I realized as I kept doggedly working at my craft that its effect is similar to, say, fear of your first mammogram (I just went in for my first one ever this month, so you see why it's been on my mind): yes
it's an uncomfortable procedure-- in the same way that clearing the blocks or obstacles so that one can get TO the main thing which is to be able to do your writing; but coming out of it you realize that the idea has grown fat on lots of language, on mythologizing. Doing the writing regularly is the best way of saying "boo" to the multo (ghost) of "writer's block".
(I swear by this now -- and I remember Denise Duhamel once saying something like she goes to her writing everyday like she goes to a regular job.)

Luisa

Nag-forward si Bernice ng article about Ro-ro travel na galing sa Phil Star. Some guy travelled 10-days from Mindoro to Mindanao and back on the ro-ro. He kept a diary with entries like: "Pangit yung pier sa Mindoro. Bopol yung nag-design, he should have positioned it in a more inward bound place." Of course not in those words, pero say, kaya n'yo yun? Hehehe.

He's basically saying that ro-ro travel is not for the queasy and the less adventurous. Dapat prepared kang to be left out in the middle of nowhere, unwashed and maybe, just maybe without shelter. Pang-Lonely Planet, man.

Sina Butchgirlbaby saka yung EL buddies niya were able to sample the fine travel facilities of the ro-ro late last summer. Boracay bound ang mga iha, and they made it all in one piece. Saka naging friend nila yung vice mayor nung isang town dun nung na-stranded sila. Hm, stranded nga ba? Sige nanakot pa raw ako nung mga possible adventure travellers.

Anyway, hanapin n'yo na lang yung article na ito: The RoRo highway unmasked ni Rey Gamboa, Phil Star [ 08/08/2003 ] Nakakainis maglink sa Phil Star, de-table ang site nila, you can't really link to specific articles. Saka yung archives nila ha. Nakakaloka. Inq7 pa rin!

Ako naman naisip ko rin yang Davao na yan, pero UP Min naman. O kaya naman sa Baguio. Bakit ganun, we're dispersing ourselves sa lahat ng educational unit sa bansa? I learned from another friend na gusto rin niyang mag-apply. Tapos yung iba naman, panay ang lipatan ng trabaho o kaya umalis ng bansa para mag-care giver na lang dahil feeling young and underpaid sila. To rephrase the question: Why are we planning to ship ourselves out? Di na ba tayo happy sa Pinas?

Uy, I spent the afternoon downloading Karen Mok mp3s. Shyet, I'm becoming a fangirl na naman.

May plano pa kaya si Nathan sa Ateneo Davao? Mukhang malabo na yun a. Anyway, pastillas next time. Promise. Remind me though. When's next time? I hope it's sometime after August 20. I'd have embarrased myself by then.

And now for this week's shameless self-promotion

Huy pipol, nood naman kayo ng Magpakailanman sa Thursday, 7 August, 9pm. Guest namin si Ate Guy. We're featuring the story of Monica Sison, a former nun who turned her back on the religious life para magturo sa mga bata sa isang lugar na kinalimutan na ng lahat because of the rebel strife.

Nakuha namin yung story because of the mini-documentary which Kara David did for Brigada Siete several years ago. Noon talagang ni walang road, bundok talaga, at iisa pa rin ang classroom at hanggang Grade 1 lang ang pag-aaral ng mga bata sa Sitio Avocado. Ngayon, iniiexpect na nilang makapag-graduate ang kanilang first high school class next year. O di ba big improvement? At lahat yan dahil sa pagpupursige ni Teacher Monica.

Sabi nga ni Kara David nung Sunday, habang nanonood sila ng husband niya ng Munting Tinig, they kept on going: "Huu, share lang ng uniporme, sa Avocado ni walang tsinelas ang mga bata." Which was true. As in super hikahos silang lahat. Nakaka-touch yung story. I would have uploaded the plug na ginawa namin yesterday here, pero masyado pala malaki ang digitized file nun. Or at least a link, pero crappy naman kasi yung network site, ni wala pang updates for this week. Anyhow.

Saka we were really really glad Nora Aunor accepted the episode. Ang aga pa nga niya sa location--she arrived at 5am sa pullout! She liked the script daw, yehey! Eh notorious yun for arriving late and disappearing. Nood kayo.

[small] Btw, saka sabi nga pala ni Wendell proud siya sa akin kasi [strike]boldstar na ako[/strike] number one na yung show. Iyak daw Ate Charo. Saka chinichika niya ako sa CW classes niya. Bad example daw ako. Charing. hehehe. [/small]