Happiness, Love, and Everything in Between May 24, 2008
HAPPINESS
Is your life going the way you want
it right now?
i believe so.
Would you say you are truly happy?
yes. happiness is both a choice and a state of mind.
What makes you happy?
mundane and significant things. the rain after the hot spell, a good cup of coffee, laughter, blue skies, strawberry ice cream, holding hands.
Who makes you happy?
people who give me more reasons to be happy!
When was the last time you felt so
happy you couldn’t stop smiling?
i think it was when my article got published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. dunno, it was thrilling for an entire day =p
Why?
because i love to write. and getting published is every writer’s dream.
How many times a day do you laugh?
i don’t keep track. but i laugh a lot.
What movies make you laugh?
Along Came Polly was super funny and another Ben Stiller flick, Heartbreak Kid! Liar Liar was also good. Bruce Almighty too. I’m a Jim Carrey fan.
Are you looking forward to anything
soon?
yes, looking forward is always better than looking back.
ANGER
Do you get angry easily?
i think i have a short fuse when people don’t listen.
What kind of things make you angry?
stupidity, insensitivity, dishonesty.
Are you ever violent when you’re
angry?
are throwing stuff around and slamming doors considered violent? haha.
Is your temper uncontrollable?
sometimes yeah.
What do you do when you’re angry
i walk out. because if i don’t, i throw things and slam doors. LOL.
Are you easy to calm down?
uhuh.
Have you ever thrown or hit
anything?
sureness.
When was the last time you got
really angry and why?
a month ago? because of my bullish sister.
SADNESS AND DEPRESSION
Have you been diagnosed with
depression?
newp, i don’t go to the shrink.
If not, have you ever thought you
might be clinically depressed?
depressed yes, but not clinically. depression comes and goes you know.
What do you think of people who are depressed?
they’re normal, sensitive folks. who hasn’t been depressed anyway?
Are you on any medication?
anti-histamines when required.
Do you ever feel depressed for no
apparent reason?
not anymore, because i love my life now 
What kind of things make you sad?
heartbreak, children and poverty, marriages ending in divorces, religious wars, people not realizing their personal legends (read the Alchemist).
Do you cry often?
- no, not anymore.
When was the last time you cried?
oh, i think it was 6 days ago. When I watched Meet Joe Black for maybe the 5th time.
Have you ever been suicidal?
yes, in my thoughts, way back when I did not know better.
Have you ever self-harmed?
no, thank God.
When was the last time you felt
sad/depressed, and why?
last year, when I was stuck in the most awful job in the world.
L0VE
Do you believe in love?
Yes, most days
What are your thoughts on love?
it requires a lot. but the rewards are great.
Do you believe that love can make
the world go round AND make it stop?
figuratively, yes.
Have you ever been in love?
never been, because I still am.
Are you in love right now?
I think I just answered that.
When Christian “So Fierce” Siriano Won May 22, 2008
So fierce. If I could be anything right now, I’d love to be a fashion designer. Admittedly, I never really cared for fashion designers before. I mean, who could afford the clothes they make, except millionaire celebrities and carrot-nibbling fashion models? For a long time, I believed fashion designing was just child’s play, nothing more. Designers could very well afford the expensive fabrics that they spin into masterpieces, plus they are backed up by wealthy A-lister’s who are more than willing to pay $100,000 for any of their simplest creations. It’s a fairyland. They dictate fashion, play with silk, ruffles, and sequins, sip champagne, and rub elbows with heiresses and royalty. Fashion designers don’t really work, they seem to be enjoying themselves too much.
Or so I thought. To borrow Siriano’s favorite word, the fashion industry is fierce. In fact, there is so much work, emotion, planning, and execution that goes into every seamlessly designed evening dress, or even just a simple cashmere jacket. These clothing designers are artists, only that they need to couple their inspirations with manual work: they get pricked with needles all the time, sleep late, deal with frustrating models, and get booed by critics. Well, they do live the glamorous life, but perhaps I am not in the position to sourgrape.
I always knew Christian would win on Project Runway Season 4. The judges kept calling him a genius, and he’s not even 22 yet. If I had half his talent, I would probably be halfway across the world right now. If I had a fourth of his talent, I would probably still be in my own workshop, but rather expectant of worldwide fame. Tragically however, I don’t have even the most diminutive fraction of his genius. It’s true, Christian Siriano is a prodigy. The fashion world is about to welcome a real talent.
The guy is fierce.
Secrets May 21, 2008
Sssshhhhhh. I did something horrible today and not a single soul knows. Well, I won’t go to jail for this, that I know for certain, but I’m a captive all the same. My conscience is a far worse place for detention than anywhere else.
I guess this is how detectives, scientists, and archaeologists must feel whenever they discover something that’s completely uncharted, something that the world is yet to know. The thrill of secrecy. The exhilaration of discovery.
In my case however, the discovery is nothing worth sharing. No, not all. I never should have done it.
I’m blabbering. I know I am. Let’s hope curiosity doesn’t kill the cat this time.
Life is Better With These May 19, 2008
A bowl of blushing strawberries
Good reads for rainy evenings.
Hot chocolate topped with marshmallows OR
Coffee with double cream, and sugar please.
Cupcakes.
my favorite white clutch bag
a laid-back seaside afternoon
temperate sunny weather when you can fly a kite
hilarious girlfriends
l-o-v-e
China, How Could you Break my Heart so Bad? May 16, 2008
This photo from Reuters tore my heart into a gazillion tiny splinters. I never knew China could pain my soul so bad.
If you look closely you will see a pair of shod feet peeping under a huge amount of rubble – the sad and horrifying aftermath of the earthquake that left approximately 50,000 dead in China’s Sichuan province alone. These are a young student’s feet. An entire middle school collapsed when the quake hit the hilly areas of Sichuan, burying nearly 900 of unwary students, who for all we know had actually been doodling notes on paper or sharing dreams with their classmates. At least 50 were confirmed dead, and others declared missing. Another children’s school buried more than 150 students, later confirmed dead, while more than twenty cannot be accounted for. The students who were buried dead in this school had reportedly been taking a nap when the quake hit. As I write this, my hands are shaking and tears threaten to blur the screen anytime.
The earthquake was so devastating that even huge chemical plants were reduced to gray rubbish. A road was blocked by mountainous debris, and as it was impossible for rescue workers to get through they had to resort to explosives to clear the way. Parents, sisters, brothers, were seen weeping in front of schools, searching for life signs amidst the heap of ruins. Doors were utilized as makeshift stretchers in the hope of speeding up the rescue procedures and in saving as many lives as possible. Mickey mouse backpacks and water bottles were all that was left, and a collective grief that was too inconsolable for words. Countless bodies were lined inside morgues covered in white linen, little feet peeping through the cloths, or stubby fingers stained with dried blood. Parents could only kneel and weep, for there was nothing else left to do.
Look closer above, and you will find a tiny butterfly captured fluttering near the plastic bottle and the pastel colored shoes. I can only hope it tells us something. Something that resembles hope and faith and better days that lie ahead, in spite of the monstrosity of past events. There won’t be happy days for years to come, as far as the parents of these children are concerned. There won’t be joyful birthdays, homework nights, sports practice, and graduation days. There won’t be long kisses goodnight.
For all of the beauty and greatness that is China, little did I know this nation could actually break my heart so bad.
Dreaming of Versace, and then some May 14, 2008
Sigh. I just love bags. I think I’m a bagaholic. However, it is rather unfortunate that I love a lot other things as well. Like books, culinary stuff, shoes, bracelets, and skin essentials. So all these give my bag fetish a divided attention, and as much as I do dream of bags, I actually plan on going to the bookstore even more. Besides, besides, I don’t think I’ll be able to afford the above illustrated bags, not if I don’t become as wealthy as Oprah Winfrey in this lifetime. The first one is a Versace Orchid clutch, next comes the MiuMiu clutch from the famed Miuccia Prada. The lovely yellow patent clutch is from Michael Kors of Project Runway fame, and the abstract colored satchel is from luxurious Prada. Finally, I just had to include the Juicy Couture City Girl Flower Purse even after dedicating an entire blog entry for it the past February, because it does deserve the profuse attention all the same.
These bags all have a common factor- they have a blissful, summery appeal to them. They’re roses, orchids, citrus, forest, and cherry trees combined. Beautiful. Wish to the heavens I had these.
15 things May 12, 2008
Today, I:
1. woke up at 9:00 am
2. drank coffee for breakfast
3. ate ube cake rolls
4. started on a new project
5. realized that gray skies do not make a happy mood
6. finished reading Madame Bovary
7. thought of buying another book
8. thought of picking up Umberto Eco’s The Island of the Day Before, again
9. gave myself an afternoon bath (LOL)
10. gave myself a manicure and a pedicure
11. read Around the World in Eighty Days as an e-book
12. searched for a fluffy pancake recipe
13. sipped warm green tea after dinner
14. listened to Jordin Spark’s No Air
15. learned that Angelina Jolie is expecting twins
