Dawn

Eyes down, her shawl wrapped protectively against the brisk morning cold around her head, she walked with quick steps. As her breathing got heavier, she decided to look up. Scraggly tree branches–the kind that cheesy horror cartoons would depict as reaching out to grab you–reached up instead toward the moon as if in worship.

—

I have the utmost respect for people who have day jobs and still manage to write or read beautiful prose or poetry.

I think that’ll be a resolution for me: to MAKE TIME for literature.

Stress can make you sick

Seriously.

Last 2010, stress was one of the biggest contributors to my contracting a lung infection, which resulted in having to take medication for MONTHS. The only good thing that came out of that was that I finally learned to take tablets/capsules because there was no other form of the medicine available. Taking medicine or vitamins in tablet/capsule form is just as stressful for me as getting sick, which is why I try to keep myself healthy. I sleep early, I drink lots of water, I try to eat vegetables whenever I can (I’m a picky vegetable eater), I eat breakfast regularly now as opposed to my old habit of eating brunch, and ,thanks to my commute, I get some form of exercise in the form of walking.

You can’t get rid of stress because it is everywhere. I suppose what we need to learn is how to deal with it properly. I honestly haven’t learned how to do that, since I’m still stressed about 99.99% of the time, and I’m afraid it’s beginning to show physically. Again. I know where every single stress source is coming from, and I know how to deal with it, but it’s just frustrating because my progress is very slow. I’d like it to be faster, but I’ve realized that my mind and body simply don’t work that fast when it comes to dealing with stress.

What have I been doing? A good deal of silent crying, mind you, plus a lot of writing here and there. It helps, if only a little.

You know what I really want? Alone time again. I miss my quiet moments. Those were the times that kept me sane, that kept me healthy, that kept me going.

I think I need another artist date/solo time to de-stress. Hm, time to look up hotel rates again.

Current reading goals

Personal Deadline: END OF JANUARY 2012

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

2. The Warlock (Nicholas Flamel series)

 

Something new

I was ready for today to be another exceedingly busy day and, therefore, a pain in the neck. A few small things in the morning made me feel like I’d abhor this day, but a few other small things managed to brighten up my mood (as of this typing, at least).

The first was free breakfast. I normally eat breakfast at work because if I do it at home, I’d miss the early bus to work, so I bring my breakfast with me and eat as soon as I arrive. This morning, though, after finishing my breakfast, a colleague comes in and brings bags of pandesal and cheese bread, with a variety of sandwich spreads such as Cheez Wiz, choco hazelnut, ham spread, and chicken spread. I was a bit dismayed because I was already too full to partake of pandesal, which is one of my favorite breakfast foods, but it felt good knowing that somebody was generous enough to bring breakfast for everybody in the workroom.

The second was a surprise. I’m not the type of person to experiment with make up. Powder, blush, lipstick and some eyeliner when I feel like it and I’m good to go. Today was the usual, except that I used pink lipstick for the first time. I was hesitant to use it because I’m not a pink person, and the shades of pink that I like border on purple already, but just because today’s uniform was a dreary black and white, I figured I needed a pop of color on top of the red watch I was wearing. Since my friend had given me a palette of 4 lip stick colors, I went with the brightest one, pink, and hoped for the best. When a colleague stopped by my cubicle to ask a question, she literally stopped when she saw me and complimented me, saying I looked “good” different. I appreciated her saying that, for it made me feel better.

A little change goes a long way. In my case, my nerves, lethargy, and overall angst dissipated because of one small change I made.

Good vibes all the way.

Times like these…

I just want to sleep and sleep and sleep and be woken up by someone who’ll save me.

A realization set in as I crammed the checking of these last two sets of papers. (The ones that I brought home, at least. I still have penmanship manuals at work.) I never had to cram this much paperwork on such a short time before, and the reason behind this was, I suppose, the fact that I lose a lot of time just being on the road.

I HATE THIS.

John Hamish Watson

Sherlock/Irene

Just… if you were looking for baby names. (Dr. Watson)

And because I am unable to sleep now, I think I shall write about this stellar first episode of the second season of Sherlock.

Or not. I feel nauseous now.

I do love that I was just reading “A Scandal in Bohemia” prior to watching the episode. I haven’t finished yet, so I don’t know if they just took bits and parts of different adventures and put it in this episode.

Can I just say that my ovaries just about exploded when he was figuring out what had happened to Mrs. Hudson?

And I shall end my fangirl post here.

immeasurable divine mercy

For some weird reason, the phrase “immeasurable divine mercy” has found itself into my head and burrowed itself in the deepest and darkest corner.

I’m not sure I’m ready to publicize my thoughts on the phrase and what it’s connected to, so I’ll leave it at that.

50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time

love... immortalized

 

Writing love letters is a lost art. Gone are the days when men and women sat down to think of the words that would carry their feelings for their beloved across great distances. Now, people whip out their smartphones and laptops and type out their feelings in 140 characters or less. Where’s the romance in, “Hey babe, love ‘ya.”

 

Okay, okay, people in this technology-dependent world may find the above statement romantic enough, but not for this literary nerd. Give me a handwritten love letter and watch me crumble. Yes, that’s right. Your resident kulot is a hopeless romantic.

Carrie reading from the wrong page of the book. Tsk tsk.

 

And this is why, when I saw Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City with a copy of the book, 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time, and heard her read an excerpt, I just about died. Here was a book that held within its covers evidence that TRUE LOVE existed and, if you are as hopeless a romantic as I, might still continue to exist until now.

 

Here’s what the text on the jacket cover says:

Even in this age of e-mail, faxes, and instant messaging, nothing has ever replaced the power of a love letter. Much the way light displays every color when passed through a prism, love letters express the spectrum of our emotions, offering a colorful glimpse into the soul of the writer, and of the writer’s beloved. For passionate readers and lovers of words, a letter is irresistible.

My favorite love letters are from poet Elizabeth Barrett-Browning to her brother George about her husband, Robert; Beethoven to the “Immortal Beloved”; Simone de Beauvoir to Nelson Algren; and Anne Sexton to Philip Legler.

Unfortunately, Fully Booked no longer carries this book. I think it’s already out of print. Your best bet for a copy is online. In my case, I spotted a secondhand hardbound copy in Booksale. I thanked the heavens for my luck and immediately purchased it.

If you do get your hands on a copy, don’t ever let it go. Cherish each word, each phrase, each sentence that holds volumes of love within it.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,600 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Some books to read for 2012

I have to get my reading list in order if I’m to meet my book of 31 books read for 2012. For now, this is what I’ve got:

(click the images to go to the summary)

1. Room by Emma Donoghue: This book has been with me for a few months now, but I still haven’t mustered up enough courage to open it. When I first saw it on the shelves of Fully Booked, I was hypnotized. As soon as I got home, though, I thought I may have bit off more than I could chew. I’m not sure what I’ll find here, but if the reviews are right, then my overactive imagination might go into overdrive and I might find myself without sleep again.

2. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire: This is the third book in the Wicked series. I’ve had this for over a year or two already and I STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN PAST THE FIRST CHAPTER. I don’t know why. The tale of the Cowardly Lion honestly does not interest me much, especially after Liir’s story (in Son of a Witch) disappointed me. However, I need to get it off my unread list because the last book in the series is finally OUT.

3. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire: FINALLY.

4. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare: Only because I read the first book, Clockwork Angel. Now I want to know what happens. Turns out after Clockwork Prince, the next book’s coming out in 2013. GAH.

5. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami: The summary looks good and readers have said positive things about it. I think I’ll make this my first Murakami book.

Two-week break = TIME TO EAT AND BE MERRY

We get two weeks for our Christmas break, and I told myself I’d be extra productive and finish my work as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the first week of break had me running around all over the metro meeting up with friends from work, college, and high school.

I’m not complaining. It was time well spent.

This post basically chronicles that entire week leading up to Christmas. It’s quite long, so prepare yourself.

December 16: Christmas party

I honestly wasn’t looking forward to the Christmas party this year, mainly because it would be held at night, and with my new living arrangements, staying at work past 4pm has become too much of a hassle. I opted to check in at a nearby hotel since I had a wedding to attend early the next day, and I figured that I wouldn’t have to make like Cinderella and rush home in the middle of the party and then leave home to come back to the same area at DAWN the next day just to make it to the wedding on time. Checking in, sleeping cozily in a king-size bed that I had all to myself, eating a hearty buffet breakfast and not having to fight over the bathroom proved to be quite restful and a lovely experience. I might do it again in the future.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

At the party, which also served as a reunion of sorts, for former faculty members were also invited, we had the usual presentations and raffling of prizes and dancing with the addition of a photo booth! Check out le photos.

As for the raffle… Oh dear.

Look at the size of that thing!

I don’t usually win in raffles, so I wasn’t counting on anything, but I DID cross my fingers a few times in hopes of winning. However, at one point, I hoped I WOULD NOT WIN. Why? The prize was a gigantic Orocan cabinet. If I had won it, how in the world would I bring it home? Oh sweet irony decided to go nasty on me and decided I SHOULD win that lovely pink cabinet. I was pleased that I won, yes, but deep inside, I was thinking, OH NO! My co-teachers who knew about my new address all laughed and sympathized. Luckily, I found somebody who needed a cabinet, so I sold it to him for a small amount. I did not mind that I got only a teensy fraction of the cabinet’s market price since, hello, it was Christmas, and it felt good when my colleague lit up at his purchase.

And since this party was a reunion as well, a picture with batch mates made the night even more meaningful. We’re not complete in the picture since some left early, but it was great to see a former colleague, Donna, and have her in the pic with us.

Batchmates reunite! All of us entered Xavier during SY 2004-2005

I went home with my new watch: a special edition Swatch watch commemorating Xavier School’s 55th anniversary, our Christmas gift from the school. Timely, too, since I needed a new watch. Pun intended.

le watch, pardon the blurry picture

30 Books in 2011

Here is a list of books that I read this year in reverse order (most recently read to the first read).

And yes, I read too many YA books. Hey, it comes with the territory. Next year, the goal is 31 books. I’d make it 35, but seeing as how reaching 30 books this year was difficult, I’m keeping my goal more realistic.

1. Leaping Beauty and other animal fairy tales (Gregory Maguire)
2. Clockwork Angel (Cassandra Clare)
3. 39 Clues: A King’s Ransom (Jude Watson)
4. 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time (David H. Lowenherz, ed.)
5. Num8ers (Rachel Ward)
6. One Day (David Nicholls)
7. 39 Clues: The Medusa Plot (Gordon Korman)
8. Hush, Hush (Becca Fitzpatrick)
9. Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares (David Levithan and Rachel Cohn)
10. A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle)
11. Adventures of a Child of War (Lin Acacio-Flores)
12. Throne of Fire (Rick Riordan)
13. Red Pyramid (Rick Riordan)
14. Chalice (Robin McKinley)
15. The Necromancer (Michael Scott)
16. The Sorceress (Michael Scott)
17. The Magician (Michael Scott)
18. The Alchemyst (Michael Scott)
19. Sundays at Tiffany’s (James Patterson)
20. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma (Trenton Lee Stewart)
21. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (Trenton Lee Stewart)
22. The Jane Austen Book Club (Karen Joy Fowler)
23. The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart)
24. Flight to the Stars and Other Stories (Samantha Mae Coyiuto)
25. The Book of the Dead (Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child)
26. Beastly (Alex Flinn)
27. Dragon’s Keep (Janet Lee Carey)
28. Jane Austen in Scarsdale (Paula Marantz Cohen)
29. Cybele’s Secret (Juliet Marillier)
30. Wildwood Dancing (Juliet Marillier)