Paradise at a steal

Approximately three hours from crowded, sweltering Manila is an island getaway where the seafood is fresh, the sand is dazzling white, the water is a beautiful clear turquoise, and good vibes abound. It is a getaway for adventurers of the 'strike anywhere' variety, who think nothing of hopping on a bus on a whim, armed with nothing but a swimsuit and a pair of flip-flops. It is a refuge for the low-key urbanite escaping the frenzied crowd at Manila's latest 'in' spots (the same crowd that currently overpopulates Boracay). It is my paradise on the cheap—Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro.

Centuries ago, during Spain's colonization of the Philippines, Puerto Galera was a historic port of call for Spanish galleons plying trade between Mexico and Manila. Today, it is a popular summer haunt for young, middle-class Manilans. The opening of an affordable ferry route to Boracay via Mindoro has also made Puerto Galera a pit stop of choice for those proceeding to the upscale island getaway.

Life in Puerto Galera revolves around White Beach, where a significant number of affordable, frills-free cottages are available for rent. I'm often asked how to book reservations in Galera. The answer is, you don't. (This answer often leaves born planners in a cold sweat.) Upon stepping off the ferry, visitors are besieged by a number of resort owners calling out rooms and rates-the Galera equivalent of Manila's street hawker. For those who absolutely must have their fluffy bathrobes and room service, upscale private villas are located on the other beaches of Galera, such as Coco Beach, Big La Laguna and La Laguna.

The denizens of White Beach, however, are happy where they are. The white-sand beach has remained amazingly clean despite the tourism boom. Outrigger boats are moored close to shore, giving swimmers welcome refuge from the sun. These boats can be rented for jaunts to nearby reefs, where the snorkeling and diving are excellent. An ice-cold dip in a nearby waterfall, Tamaraw Falls, is only a tricycle ride away. After a typically spectacular sunset, beachside bars open for business, allowing you to swig an ice-cold San Miguel or shot of Mindoro Sling right down at the shoreline, beneath the stars.

Rewarding patrons
For the past five years, I've been a regular visitor to Puerto Galera, mostly during the off-peak months of October to February. People remember you, and reward you in the most unlikely ways for your continued patronage. While I was haggling with a henna tattoo artist, a wizened local masseur sitting nearby cut in. "Hindi mo na maloloko 'yan (Don't think you can cheat her)," she warned the tattoo artist. "Madalas 'yan dito (She comes here often)." Or, you just might get a special invitation to Lasagna Night at Italian Corner Pizzeria, a literal hole-in-the-wall eatery off White Beach. Home of fresh-baked Italian bread and crispy, thin-crust pizza, this bamboo shack is manned by an Italian adventurer and his friendly barkeep Josie, who speaks fluent English with a quirky Italian-Batangueño accent.

Aside from the peace and quiet, the prices are simply the best thing about off-season. Cottages are available for P400 (about $7) per night, four to five times less than what they would cost in summer. A full meal of grilled tanigue, rice and ice-cold Coke can be had for about P40 (about 70 cents). For the same price, a tall, frosty ripe mango shake is an inexpensive indulgence, especially when the sun gets fierce. Boatmen will fall all over themselves to sell you an eight-hour snorkeling jaunt for P750 (about $13), boat and gear included. A five-day stay for two off-season will barely reach P5,000 (about $89), which is what you would spend on airfare alone for Boracay. No wonder the place is a favorite of twentysomethings and backpackers.

However, while I am a fan of the quiet off-season months, White Beach simply explodes into life during the peak months of March to June. Makeshift stalls selling colorful cotton sarongs, pearl jewelry and beachwear abound. Henna tattoo artists ply their trade alongside local masseurs who proffer hour-long, full-body massages on the sand with fragrant coconut oil. Colorful friendship bracelets are thrust at you every now and then by the local children, who sell these to augment the family income. Somewhere along the shore, browned yuppies are setting up a beach volleyball game. And something about the summer sunshine just turns the water into an insanely bright, sparkling shade of aqua.

While prices may change peak or off-peak, the natural beauty of Puerto Galera never does. Neither does its appeal to those looking for a patch of sunshine and an easy getaway. Puerto Galera's turquoise waters, white sand and poignant sunsets are pockets of paradise that are accessible to all. Indeed, the best things in life are free.

-----

this came out in yesterday's issue of company's weekly email bulletin, which is manned by j. got a lot of good feedback on it, which made me quite happy. i haven't written an article for fun in a while. and the demands of this particular job tend to bury one's own writing style.

funny: j wanted to replace the original title "paradise on the cheap", which makes the place sound, well, cheap. at the end of a long day, these were the only suggestions i could muster up:

• paradise at a discount
• paradise on a shoestring budget (which makes me sound so poor)
• paradise at a steal
• puerto galera: paradise gets marked down (or with a markdown)
• puerto galera: the only paradise lowly copy editors can afford

sensibly, j decided to go with "paradise at a steal" before my suggestions got more ludicrous. thanks for printing this j. i owe you one, literally -- my article on bintan next monday!

as for the pics, you've seen those before, but i wanted to mockup the published layout as closely as i could.

Star Wars and my lola

my lola (whom we call nanay) is turning 93 in september. i am especially proud of the fact that, despite reaching this venerable old age, she is still quite sharp. plus she can be really funny without trying. this usually happens when you expose her to technology.

my sister brought home vcds of star wars episodes 4 through 6. (this was after watching episode 3, not in preparation for. she watched the prequels without having watched the originals. yes, i know. it must be a girl thing.) being some kind of special release, the first cd had a long-ish docu on the making of star wars, complete with george lucas interviews. as my sister had to make a bathroom dash, she hit the pause button on the player and left her seat in front of the tv.

enter nanay. she took my sister's place in front of the tv and looked up at george lucas, frozen in mid-gesticulation. she frowned.

after a couple of minutes, she began to giggle. my mom asked, "bakit po, inay?"

she answered tartly, eyes twinkling, "ano ba itong palabas na ito? ang artista, hindi kumikibo!"*

household full of females bursts into laughter. as you can tell, my lola has yet to become acquainted with a remote control.

the movie begins. after about ten minutes of sweeping galaxy scenes, i begin to wonder if my lola knows that man has been to space. she probably heard about it back when it happened, but that was thirty years ago and i'm not sure if she remembers. or if the concept of space was real to her at all, or if it made sense. she comes from a different time with very different realities.

and all of a sudden, at that moment, my nanay seemed very, very old and very distant.

so after all these shots of deep space, robots and laser-beam fights, nanay started to gather up her paraphernalia (brush, face towel, walker) and hoist herself creakily up from her seat.

"ayaw n'yo na, nanay?" my sister said.

nanay answered, one hand releasing her walker momentarily to give a vague, dismissive wave with her face towel. "hindi ako magandahan."

sorry, george lucas. wala ka sa lola ko.

---

another generation gap tidbit, also while watching the star wars vcd.

my tita raquel, 60-something maiden aunt, asks: "ano'ng pinapanood niyo, betamax?"

silence, as the prospect of explaining twenty years of leaps and bounds in video technology pops briefly into our heads.

"oo", my mom answers quickly.

---

and in case you're wondering: no. i haven't seen episode 3 yet. i'm waiting for all the people to go away.

---
*this is not actually how she said it. i feel like i have to say i'm translating from batangas tagalog. despite living in manila for over two-thirds of her life, my lola never lost the punto. she would say ari instead of ito and nakibo instead of kumikibo. she has never, however, uttered the stereotypical batangueño ala-eh.

An Ateneo survey

ripped from the friendster bulletin board. posted a kicking-self-in-head type of post earlier, but i lost it. glad i did because i'm feeling much better now.

i miss school. sort of.

---

What's your ID number?
991874

Passed or waitlisted?
Passed

How did you know about the ACET results?
i asked my childhood friend chiara (then an incoming junior in ADMU) to go check them with me on the day the results were posted. then i got an after-the-fact acceptance letter via my high school guidance counselor. i still have the letter somewhere.

Was Ateneo your first choice?
yes. i had been brainwashed by my sister since seventh grade. briefly considered junking ADMU for UP when i passed the UPCAT, for the mere fact that i thought there was no way i'd pass it in a million years

Do you know what your ACET score is?
they told us much later but i forgot the details. basta excellent yung english and abstract reasoning tapos very poor yung math.

What course was your first choice?
comm

Second choice?
commtech (we might have been blockmates, jayme!)

Ano course mo ngayon?
bachelor of arts in assembly-line manufacturing

Do you have any plans of shifting?
never did. when i thought of taking up music, it was too late to leave and start all over again

Chinito/chinita ka ba?
obvious ba, NO. what kind of question is this? dahil ba maraming intsik sa ateneo?

Taga-Ateneo High?
uh, no. babae po ako.

Did you have fun in your OrSem?
i did, except it was so freaking hot. missed part of it because it was the graduation of my playgroup kiddies.

Saang gate ka pumasok nung first day?
Gate 2, siyempre.

Are you staying in a dorm?
didn't, but always carried a huge bag to compensate.

Ever had an F in your grade report?
no way, i would absolutely die if i did

How about an A?
yes, at least one per sem :-)

Highest grade?
A

Lowest grade?
D -- in math 11!

Worst experience in ADMU?
a couple of broken heels, nothing really major.

Do you always attend class?
yes, like a good little nerd. i tried to cut INTAC as much as i possibly could.

What's your org?
ateneo college glee club for a SOLID FIVE YEARS! also did some stuff for COSA's mag, adDimensions, Aegis (the yearbook) and heights.

How many units have you passed?
um, all of them? don't know how many but max 21 units every sem.

Nangangarap ka bang maglaude?
no, but when i found out i would graduate 0.01 short of cum laude, it really pissed me off

When will you graduate?
graduated in '04

Fave subject/s?
doc garcia's philo classes, fr. nick's filipino and european film classes, brendan's art class

Worst subject/s?
math 1, math 11 and math 12

Fave landmark sa ADMU?
glee club/galian room, fire trees near the chapel, comm dept, manangs during bananacue time!

Fave kainan?
caf during freshman and sophomore year, caf up during junior and senior year, galian room in supersenior year when i had no more friends haha

How do you get to school?
commute to death. had to take the goddamn bus before the MRT opened.

Are you always at the lib?
yes, to sleep.

Ever gone to the infirmary when you were sick?
nope. only to get band-aids for the blisters i developed commuting in heels

Do you have a crush in campus?
utang na loob. i had at least six active crushes per semester.

May balak kang mag-MS, PhD?
nope

Have you ever watched a graduation ceremony?
mine and my sister's, siyempre

Do you know the "Song for Mary" by heart?
yes, i had to as early as freshman year because of glee club

Memorize mo ba ang Fabilioh? ...ang Halikinu? ...ang Blue Eagle Spelling?
yes. my sister took me to ateneo vs. la salle games as early as seventh grade.

Are you part of Team Ateneo?
god no, i'm the most unathetic person ever. briefly considered joining the rowing team with justine and anj, except we were one person short of a crew

Who's your fave UAAP basketball player?
never really had one, although that chris tiu is some kind of a cutie. plus anj and i were classmates with rich alvarez in math 1, and he was really sweet.

Ever had a perfect score in an exam?
i think so. as a comm major, i had very few written exams. had a couple of perfect papers for fr. nick's class.

Ano ang ayaw mo sa Hell Week?
lagi siyang kasabay ng hell week sa glee club!

Dito ka ba natuto uminom ng beer?no. but it was where i learned to mix silly concoctions like tabasco, hershey's chocolate syrup and vodka. and where i developed my habit of taking of my shoes whenever i get drunk (justine was my faithful shoe hunter.)

What do you like about our school?
a beautiful campus, philo classes, mark escaler and doreen fernandez, the wonderful people at the OSA and OAA, teaching people how to think

Ano ang ayaw mo?
a track record for producing/coddling spoiled kids who don't know what to do with their lives, a certain comm teacher who deserves to be hung by the toenails

Have you ever bought anything at the A-shop?
an ateneo umbrella and sticker for my planner

Maganda ba ID pic mo?
only my supersenior year pic. i already had bangs then :-)

Done anything illegal on campus?
nope

Bought anything at National Katips?
i bought, like, everything at national katips

Ever gone to Starbucks Katips?
yes, although i could never study there like everyone else. maggie, anj and i fed our thesis panelists with hot cinnamon swirls and caramel macchiatos from starbucks :-)

May nakaaway ka na ba sa school?
yes, that horrid little man in the library who accused me and justine of being bastos and making a ruckus

QPI?
went up to 3.9 one glorious semester

Scheduled maintenance, part two

no, my boyfriend isn't coming home again to spoil me. he flew back to lah-lah land last monday, leaving me to face an empty weekend alone. this after three weekends packed with activities designed to max out quality time.

so part two of scheduled maintenance is an entire weekend of "me time", which is one of the things that really keeps me going. being the demi-type A personality that i am, i actually get depressed when i'm not doing anything. so i think of filling up free time with things i enjoy.

provided the heat doesn't debilitate me (as it has all summer long), i am actually getting excited about:

organizing my post-college files -- mostly old resumes, job-related documents, and lots of collage materials that have piled up from recent trips.

writing -- i have two or three topics that i want to blog about, plus the puerto galera travelogue that i promised j. actually, kung ganahan talaga ako, j could find himself with a sheaf of contributions on monday. (oy pero j, wag umasa! hahaha)

singing -- practicing my solo pieces and proving to my voice teacher/friend na hindi ako chaka! my lack of practice last week was mortifying. i don't want to feel that way again!

weeding out my closet for the nth time -- my closet needs breathing room. my plain, bright-colored t-shirt compulsion drove me to pick up a few new ones (white, emerald green, saffron--yes, only girls describe colors this way) at paseo center, which wins the award for my favorite tiangge because of its proximity. i also picked up some cute tops at my new ukay discovery, makati cinema square.

reading -- chatting with my favorite book nerds maggie and gutsy the other night inspired me to hit the books again. my sister, queen of the fluffy paperback, lent me her copy of bergdorf blondes by plum sykes--a perfect destressing, brainless read. the first few pages have been surprisingly entertaining.

watching dvds -- i have a whole caboodle of dvds waiting to be viewed. i keep borrowing stuff from officemates but never work up enough gana to watch them. sitting in front of the tv is not my favorite weekend activity. on the list: house of flying daggers, the final cut, collateral, finding neverland, kung fu hustle and battle royale. i lent my newest find, the machinist, to rose this weekend.

planning out my 2nd year anniversary gift for marlon -- it has been conceptualized over dozens of trips to the ladies' room, just needs to be fleshed out. maybe i can shop for materials this weekend. (trivia: i've only given marlon a store-bought gift twice in over two years, including no-occasion gifts and cards. kinakarir ko ang pagiging girlfriend.)

going over my artwork -- rose and i scheduled a show-and-tell day for our stuff next week. i've been eyeing the InK site lately and asking myself "why not"? crossing fingers for cooler weather this weekend -- that would provide the perfect working environment for a new collage. or maybe something in acrylics. :-)

hmmm. this is starting to look like a lot for two measly days. i must be more type A than i thought.

maybe i'll just scrap everything and go to sleep.

;-)

Weekend indulgences

a choice purchase at mango. hello. i am currystrumpet, a spoiled girlfriend. i think the boyf would actually disagree, since i don't demand these things or stomp and pout if i don't get them. he just sort of springs them on me.

although the hat i'm wearing below is not my choice purchase, i had fun with it anyway. it's so stariray.

no autographs, please

chocolate buffet at the manila peninsula lobby. after two plates of various bite-sized chocolate desserts plus crepes, fondue, homemade chocolate ice cream, fudge pudding, a cherry chocolate cordial (served in a shotglass) and truffles, out came the cameraphone.

guess which one of us is the chocoholic?

tee hee.

on the same day, i had the biggest be still my beating heart! moment of my life. as we were making our way to the buffet, semi-blind me pointed out a short-haired skinny tisay woman to the boyf. "what a fabulous outfit!" i whispered. the woman turned slightly, revealing her true identity: lizzie zobel, wife of jaime augusto zobel de ayala (JAZA).

leche. kaya pala maganda suot niya. it probably cost more than my college education.

(fyi, JAZA is my destiny. not an obsession. my destiny.)

anyway, the boyf led me to the front desk, where he had to change some dollars. and leaning casually against the marble countertop, facing me, WEARING A TUXEDO FOR MAXIMUM DILF* EFFECT, was JAZA HIMSELF!!!

i cannot even begin to describe how starstruck i was. every step i took towards the front desk turned me more and more into a lead-footed, breathless, wide-eyed, blithering idiot (and the boyf into a large green-eyed monster). when i got close enough to actually see his face, he treated me to a regal, benevolent (if a bit generic, as in "i am radiating benevolence to all my loyal subjects"), richard gere-ish smile.

within seconds i stood within pickpocketing distance of my destiny (think how rich i'd be if i had actually picked his pocket). i probably looked very giddy.

he smelled very good. like centuries of accumulated wealth.

be still my beating heart!

*DILF - dad i'd like to f*ck. actually jaza could also be a GILF, or gazillionaire i'd like to f*ck. the possible acronyms for this man are endless.

The spin doctors must be working overtime

philippine daily inquirer headlines for the past three days (in random order):

Get Esperat slay mastermind, Arroyo orders
Arroyo orders all government agencies to cut red tape
Arroyo launches P5-M 'freedom fund' for newsmen
Social reform next on Arroyo’s agenda -- Bunye

such crappy headlines are a comfort in the sense that i'm not the only one who's overworked. in some stuffy PR office, the spin doctors are going into overdrive. and some poor gofer is furiously clipping her boss' triumphs from a stack of newspapers.

I had brain freeze for lunch

since my sister is off gallivanting in boracay until thursday (for free, the minx), i was the lucky homepartner who was tasked to pay her bills, all due today. so at lunchtime, i slunk down alfaro street in the scorching heat to line up at a rather dingy branch of rcbc.

brain freeze hung in the air like a wi-fi signal. there were signs that should have leapt out at me, but coming from a mind-numbing morning of uninterruptible power supplies, i was hardly in tip-top mental condition.

the prehistoric atm by the door was offline. actually, offline is an understatement. its guts were practically hanging out.

i stood dutifully for ten whole minutes where a sign said "line starts here." several meters away, two office drones sitting on a couch gave me a strange look.

after ten minutes, i squinted at the two drones and saw that they were clutching deposit slips and wads of cash.

"miss, nakapila ba kayo?" i asked.

one of the drones nodded, except without the downward part.

i paused. whatever happened to line starts here?

line = here. couch = there.

go figure. i sat down beside the two drones and tried to look apologetic. meanwhile, the three available tellers performed some top-secret banking rituals that took the greater part of an hour. i couldn't tell exactly what they were doing, but it definitely involved texting and hair flipping.

thankfully, my wait was peppered by cheery, nasal "correct!"s. yep, lucky me. game k n b was on the telly in the lobby. i secretly prayed for some interesting trivia to protect me from the deadly onset of brain freeze, which was assaulting me from all directions.

final round. kris yelped: "sa tagalog animal names, kung ang kiti-kiti ay mosquito larvae, ano sa ingles ang TIKI-TIKI?"

silence as the contestant, studio audience, and the entire rcbc alfaro branch pondered this question.

said the drone beside me: "gamot!"

silence as brain freeze tickled my nose hairs.

drone: "tiki-tiki -- gamot!"

pause.

"ay ingles pala! vitamins!"

then i think the teller called me. or the contestant answered "spider." or maybe alients took over my body and shot laser beams out of my eyes, incinerating everyone in the bank instantly. i'm not entirely sure. my brain must have frozen over.

update: thankfully, i believe i am starting to thaw a bit despite mitigating circumstances at work. i think it's because i'm listening to "all i wanna do is make love to you" by heart. with lyrics like, Oh, he did everything right/He brought the woman out of me, so many times, easily, and I am the flower you are the seed/We walked in the garden we planted a tree, how can you not emerge from a stupor and giggle?

Self-medication is good

Stress Rx

One hour of singing, at least 3x/week
my sweetheart of a boyfriend gave me his family's old keyboard so i can practice more often :-)

Post-office jog around the park, at least 1x/week
at least until mimi confirms our supposed tuesday evening badminton game

Full-color doodle, taken as a break from work, at least 1x/week
must... tear... eyes... away... from... screen

Glass of water, 8x/day
to combat bloating, which is another major cause of stress! besides, with this insane summer heat, dehydration is a definite no-no!

Serving of fruit, 1x/day
i don't know if fruit does anything for stress in the physiological sense, but eating a fruit is almost always indulgent and langorous. take a mango for example. have you ever snarfed down a mango on the go? besides, the sunny, happy color and the healthy sugar rush (they are just sooo sweet this summer!) are little pick-me-ups in themselves. long live the philippine mango!

Long-distance conversation with Marlon, at least 3x/week
uh-oh... now need Rx for his ailing wallet hehehe

and just for this week...

Step towards a major decision, at least 1
will there be more than one step? that remains to be seen

It takes two

j has unwittingly saved me from dying of boredom while waiting for punch-out time.

TWO NAMES YOU GO BY: deepa, deeps
TWO THINGS YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOURSELF: puson, indecisiveness
TWO THINGS THAT SCARE YOU: the dark, being widowed
TWO THINGS U NEED EVERYDAY: wallet, cellphone
TWO OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/SINGERS: annie lennox, the corrs
TWO OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AT THE MOMENT: jamaica inn, the power of orange knickers (both from tori amos' latest album)
TWO PERSONS YOU SPEND TIME WITH THE MOST: marlon (when he's here), acs
TWO OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES: reading, singing (i guess sleeping isn't considered a hobby)
TWO THINGS YOU WANT TO REALLY BUY RIGHT NOW: shoes, new jeans
TWO CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING: music, publishing (travel/lifestyle)
TWO PLACES YOU WOULD GO ON VACATION: palawan, malapascua
TWO OF YOUR FAVORITE PERSONS: chris ong, pia (granted na si marlon)
TWO THINGS YOU DID YESTERDAY: cheered for uchenna and joyce on amazing race, took a looong hot bubble bath
TWO PERSONS THAT YOU MISS A LOT: patrick, eena
TWO FOODS THAT YOU'RE CRAVING: coffee jelly, kfc asian delite salad
TWO FAVORITE SUBJECTS IN HS/COLLEGE: english, fr. nick's european cinema class
TWO OF YOUR FUNNIEST MEMORIES IN HIGH SCHOOL: listing down ms. samson's grammatical errors, fighting with eena over a needle
TWO PERSONS THAT COME TO YOUR MIND NOW: marlon, gene
TWO ELEMENTARY FRIENDS YOU'D LIKE TO SEE RIGHT NOW: evita (i want to see how gorgeous she's become), chiara
TWO COLORS YOU LIKE: pink, turquoise
TWO HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS YOU WANT TO TALK TO: mae, cherry (to knock some sense into her)

Cramped

another monday like so many others. the day is barely half over, and already my shoulders feel tightly wound and hunched over. the small of my back feels scrunched down into my tailbone. and the real me feels cramped into a very small space.

i want to do a lot of things that i haven't done in a long time.

i want to put on my rubber shoes and run -- even if i'm not one of those athletic people who runs gracefully -- and sweat. maybe dance too.

i want to stretch out in a patch of scorching hot sun and close my eyes.

i want to lie on my stomach on grass, or a carpet, or on wooden floorboards, with paints and paper scattered in a wide radius around me.

i want to rub pencils, pen, crayons, oil pastels into paper the only way i know how -- impatiently and emphatically, seized by a fit of inspiration that exhausts itself quickly.

i want to sit down at a computer and tap-tap-tap away at the keyboard, writing about something that has moved me in some way, something that i care about or something that needs to be written about -- even if i don't know what it is.

i want try on lots of pretty clothes and waltz out of the store without buying anything. (mango has some great stuff in stores now, marrakech-inspired and very me.)

i want to think up something fun to do.

i want to dig my toes into sand.

i want to water a garden in shorts and rubber slippers, preferably in the late afternoon when the sun makes everything look like it did when i was a child. since it's hot, i also want to drench myself with a hose.

i want to run away. anyone want to come along?

Lah-lah Land Diaries: Fits of poetry

written on a solo trip to the singapore art museum. IMHO, the quality of the works at the singapore art museum leave much to be desired. i've had more mind-blowing experiences viewing paintings at the ateneo art gallery and the ayala museum. and i'm not even going to talk about the blink! exhibit, which was a bunch of singapore artists trying to scrounge up a sense of history. however, i guess i shouldn't ignore the fact that part of the collections still inspired me to do some quick writing.

--

flat soles tread firmly on gleaming hardwood.
echoes of past visitors,
of a thousand curiosities sparked and sated.
step forward, step back.
a hundred eyes roving repeatedly--
do they pierce beneath the surface
or simply sigh and turn away?

--

book of earth

(inspired by natee utarit's multimedia painting of the same name)

read me
i am your furrowed brow
your upturned earth
your dry summer months
blow the dust off my pages
and cast your eye upon me
dig your fingers deep into me
as if you were blind
and could only extract meaning
from peaks and mounds
ridges and valleys
read me
i am your home
buried and aged
in hardened sheets
and blocks
of ash
and
bone.

--

a quote from voi lang, one of the artists featured in the "faith and being" exhibit.

The thought that flows through the mind, which attaches it to emotion, is passion. The thought which comes afterwards, to release one's mind from attachment, is bodhi -- the wisdom of enlightenment.

interesting. passion as a necessary and natural step to enlightenment. how very asian.

South Park as self-expression

j pointed me to a cool site where you can create your own south park character. this was especially helpful in expressing my state of being after this long weekend. what a difference one email can make. Before this is me at 8 am or so this morning, one foot still on my fluffy pink cloud of a long weekend. note the (non-alcoholic) cocktail -- spices at manila pen has some fantabulous ones. After this is me sometime close to 9 am, after reading a brainfart of an email that made absolutely no sense to people who think humanely. actually, you wouldn't even have to be humane. you'd just have to be in touch with reality. someone keep me away from the paper shredder, or from anything that can inflict a long, nasty scratch on a very expensive automotive paint job.