Friday, October 14, 2005

[Blog Entry] Powerbooks Warehouse Sale

Powerbooks Warehouse Sale

Powerbooks will be having its warehouse sale at the FMF Business Center in 126 Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City on Oct. 14, 15, 17-22 from 10 am to 7 pm. There's a map here.

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[Essay] Born A Sadist

Born A Sadist

On the news today, the radio commentator was narrating at how firemen unleashed a torrent of water on a prayer vigil that was suspected to be a rally. The commentator was vehement at the fireman, whom he noticed was taking pleasure in hosing down several people in addition to a senator and a priest. He recommended that the fireman be given a psychological analysis, since he was gleeful in his act of violence towards other people, as if this were an unnatural thing.

While I’m not a supporter of violence, to deny that it’s a part of us is folly. We have several positive emotions, but we also have negative ones: sadness, depression, despair, greed, hate, and yes, the need to inflict injury on another creature.

I’ve witnessed that a number of people, when angered, lash out at something. Sometimes, it’s merely a verbal insult or shout. At other times, it’s something more physical, from throwing objects at another person to hitting the wall with their fists. In such a scenario, people give in to their primal nature. And that nature involves violence.

There’s a certain pleasure we receive from inflicting pain, whether it’s on another human being or on other creatures. Why is revenge so appealing to many? To anyone who’s harmed us or our loved ones, we don’t want to simply jail them. We want them to suffer, whether it’s ripping them apart limb from limb, cutting out their innards, or torturing them by pulling out their fingernails and sticking needles in them. Those who dislike certain animals take pleasure in their suffering as well, whether it’s watching ants burn as you focus a magnifying glass on them, or hearing the scrunch of cockroaches as you firmly step on them, twisting your feet to make sure they die.

I’m not saying this is necessarily a good thing, but it is a part of us. People can’t help it any more than they can be greedy, or selfish, or lazy. We can control such emotions, but we can never expunge it from our system, short of creating a villainous doppelganger of ourselves ala Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Some people find release in other ways, whether it’s the rhythm of cutting up a butchered pig, striking at boxing bags and inflatable dummies, or playing games from Street Fighter to Paintball.

In the case of the fireman in the incident, perhaps it was his way of lashing out. I mean a senator was there, and wasn’t she a representative of the government? The same government that’s impotent in helping the country rise from poverty, the same government that perpetuates many injustices? And there was a priest. The church seems to be meddling in everything, yet to no avail, or worse, are hypocrites. I’m not saying these motives are justified, merely that many people succumb to this kind of reasoning. Even my driver, far from a saint, has a prejudice against cops of any kind, honking his horn whenever he sees one, the noise he generates his form of retaliation.

But despite all the horrible things our violent nature is capable of causing, I find it ironic that instead of facing this reality, many people turn away from it. It could be censorship, closing one’s eyes to the realities in life, or simple denial. In a way, it’s like a cancer patient ignoring the fact that he has cancer. Instead of finding a cure, we pretend that everything’s all right and that everything in the world is okay. It’s not. And if it was, I’d be the first person to panic. The thing to fear most is not a man that is violent, but a man who appears to have no vicious tendencies whatsoever. Either he’s not human, he’s lobotomized, or hiding his skeletons in a very dark and deep closet.

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Thursday, October 13, 2005

[Blog Entry] Linkage

Linkage

Here are some interesting tidbits I managed to find:

It’s sad when the rest of the Philippines will probably get to watch Serenity on DVD before the big screen (but then again, we’ve been spoiled by pirated DVDs). Check out Now Playing and The Digital Bits for rumors of the Serenity DVD being released in December.

In the meantime, satiate your Whedon fandom with this audio interview.

As for fiction, there's Dean's favorite short story writer, Jeffrey Ford, as he gets interiewed by Sci Fi Weekly.

PTerry fans (that's Terry Pratchett for the uninitiated) can amuse themselves with this online interview.

Oh, and Jeff Vandermeer is giving workshops in Australia.

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[Plug] Nautilus Comics Events

Nautilus Comics Events

Because you know, Elbert's my friend, so I might as well the events he and Jaime are promoting. And it can't hurt my depreciating blog hits (yes, I know I'm semi-popular in LJ, but that doesn't help my meager 30+ visitors a day at blogspot... it's the disadvantage of running three blogs).

Hey everyone!

I haven't done this in a while, and I know a lot of you have been waiting for announcements, particularly with regards to a release date for the next issue of CAST (06). I can tell you that we'll be releasing the issue by the end of the month, just in time for sem break, so do watch out for that!

CAST 06 OUT END OF OCTOBER:

CAST 06 comes out end of this month, and is the second part of the two-part "False Moves" story. Also included are a couple of free posters by artists Rex Espino and Stephen Segovia, and a couple of other bonus material for fans of the series. It will also be the last issue...of the first series, that is.

Cast will return by the end of the year, for the beginning of CAST ACT TWO, issue seven, which will feature an all-new look and new features that aim to enhance the Cast reading experience, as well as to further expand the Cast universe.


KOMIKON 2005:

KOMIKON 2005 aims to bring together different comic book artists/groups and publishers in a venue where they could present their talents, works and services to the public and, most importantly, to aspiring comic artists. It hopes to bring in different art groups and different generations of artists for a free exchange of ideas, break down stereotypes, and broaden the scope of comics – from international to local, sequential to strips, professional to amateur, and published to independent comics. There will be contests, special guests, and other activities for fans to enjoy.

It happens October 22, 2005, 10am to 6pm, at the UP Bahay ng Alumni. More information can be found at www.komikon.net .


SIGLO: PASSION UPDATE:

The much-awaited sequel to the National Book Award-winning Siglo: Freedom, SIGLO: PASSION will finally be released by the end of this year. It will be in full-color, and will only be available on a limited edition basis. Stay tuned for further updates!

The writers and artists for Siglo: Passion include: Gerry Alanguilan, Carlo Vergara, Leinil Yu, Dean Alfar, Nikki Alfar, Cyan Abad-Jugo, Andrew Drilon, Marco Dimaano, Vin Simbulan, Ariel Atienza, Elbert Or, Jonas Diego, Lan Medina, Edgar Tadeo, Joel Chua, Shelly Soneja, Jason Banico, Paolo Manalo, Luis Katigbak, Vince Groyon, Honoel Ibardolaza, Quark Henares, Tobie Abad, Jeremy Arambulo, Reno Maniquis, Hiyas de Guzman, Jac Ting Lim, Oliver Pulumbarit, and Jamie Bautista.


THE 1ST PHILIPPINE 24-HOUR COMIC BOOK CHALLENGE (PRESS RELEASE)

Ask graphic artists Jamie Bautista and Elbert Or, creators of the hit comic series Cast, what would give them a really big kick this Halloween and you'll most likely get this response: Creating a 24-page comic book in 24 straight hours.

Believe it or not, these young, fearless artists are psyching themselves up for more than 24 sleepless hours as they take on the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge, which will take place on *October 28 to 29, 2005, at Coco Aroma, White Beach, Puerto Galera*.

Inspired by the 24 Hour Comics Day of Scott McCloud, a leading comic book theoretician in the United States, the *1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge* will fuse creative visual storytelling with indigenous Philippine martial arts and folklore to give Pinoy audiences a different kind of visual experience. During this event, Bautista and Or will capture different fighting poses and techniques inspired by kali and arnis, the Philippines's own martial arts, and will attempt to create compelling stories that will capture the grace, the strength, and the valor of Filipino warriors.

It won't be their first time to touch on themes of Philippine history, culture, and heritage. The graphic anthology *Siglo: Freedom*, which won the 2004 National Book Award for Comic Book, and on which Bautista and Or collaborated with renowned writers and comic book artists Gerry Alanguilan, Dean Francis Alfar, Nikki Alfar, Arnold Arre, Jason Banico, Marco Dimaano, Andrew Drilon, Honoel Ibardolaza, Lan Medina, Vin Simbulan and Carlo Vergara, captured stories of life, love, and the struggle for emancipation set in each decade of the 20th century.

The 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge, however, is even more demanding than the pair's previous projects because it requires them to produce credible work on an aspect of Philippine heritage which has not been sufficiently documented in the past.

Paul Zialcita, an arnis practitioner and a musician who has been advocating the integration of Philippine indigenous martial arts and folklore into mainstream media, hopes that this first attempt to create kali - and arnis-inspired art will pave the way for more creative collaborations. He lends his percussive power to the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge by marking the hours with a Kali Drum, a large instrument made of a recycled garbage can and cowhide that is played using arnis strikes.

Aside from Zialcita, more local and foreign martial arts enthusiasts, visual artists, and comic book fans will join Bautista and Or on the shores of White Beach, Puerto Galera to learn and to demonstrate new fighting techniques, to create their own versions of martial arts-inspired art, or simply to enjoy Puerto Galera's emerald-green waters.

Interested to join in the fun but not quite confident with your artistic or fighting skills? Don't worry: Bautista and Or will kick off the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge with a *free* comic book workshop. Meanwhile, Zialcita's team of local warriors will be patrolling White Beach's shores, all game to teach novices a thing or two about responsible stick-fighting.

The 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge is made possible by the collaboration of Likha Communications Consulting, Nautilus Comics, Digipost, and Coco Aroma. Email Niña Terol of Likha Communications Consulting or call (0917) 644 45 66 for details.

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Wednesday, October 12, 2005

[Essay] Love, Courage, and other Virtues

Love, Courage, and other Virtues

Why do people exalt virtues? Is it because in reality, such qualities are scarce? We give merit to concepts like love and courage, as if by default, men and women were born selfish and cowardly. Yet who hasn’t fallen in love, or felt a surge of fearlessness in his or her life? Even the foulest villains, or the people we despise most, have at one point in time experienced these emotions. Arguably, some even dare to perform their dastardly actions because of these very traits. So let me ask you, what separates true love from falling in love, true bravery from mere boldness?

Virtues, I believe, are the product of a conscious choice. The rest are simply emotions. Yet people confuse the two, equating emotions with virtues. We claim we’re in love with someone when we get that giddy feeling inside. Once the flame’s gone, we’re tempted to break off the relationship. When we face a great challenge in life, be it from a physical, mental, or spiritual source, one of our initial reactions is fear. Some people will say to themselves that they’re not brave or courageous, simply because of the emotion they’re feeling.

To subscribe to such a belief undermines one of the benefits of human existence: free will. If we were merely creatures who acted upon our emotions, then humanity would be reduced to a science, a field of study in which behavior is determined by the laws of causality. A ball, for example, has no free will. It goes where we lead it, and follows the direction of the force exerted upon it. The same goes for objects. Animals, to a certain extent, follow the same rules. They are creatures that obey instinct and feeling, and it is for this reason that animals are trainable. If they were so free from their desires, then the reward-and-punishment system of training wouldn’t be so effective. Yet animals have more will compared to objects. Some animals, for example, are not trainable, and there will always be that small part of trained animals that remains unpredictable, or will break the norm. If we simply followed every urge we felt, then I dare say that animals are more human than us because even they don’t always give in to impulse.

Another reason why conscious choice is important is because of the element of difficulty. In a war, we expect well-trained soldiers to lay their lives in battle. However, we do not have the same expectations for civilians, people who do not have the proper training. The former are conditioned to face combat so many times that when they hear shots being fired, there is still fear, but it is quickly suppressed because of prior experience. The latter, on the other hand, might panic when they hear a warning shot. So in face of danger, which do you think is more likely to enter the fray of battle? The former, but if the latter does it, some perceive it as a form of heroism, because it simply was more difficult for the latter.

Or to put it in another way, which do you think will make more of a sacrifice if they are asked to lay down their life in order to save several people? A suicidal man who has nothing to live for, or a family man who has a family and friends he loves? The value of virtue is not always whether you do it or how often you do it, but what it costs you to do it. A person who enters the fray of battle and does not fear for his life is well and good. It would be more difficult though for someone who felt fear, and had to conquer his weakness. I’m not disputing that the former was brave, but the latter exhibited more courage, not because he was immune to fear, but because he felt it and acted despite that feeling.

A question you might ask is what use is all of this to me? So I’ve differentiated virtue from emotion, so what? It’s been my experience that people use emotion as an excuse not to do what they’re supposed to do, or utilize it as a license to do what one shouldn’t. For example, many so-called writers claim that they only write when inspiration strikes them. If that were the case, then everyone would be writers. I mean who wouldn’t write if they were inspired? But the reality is that a lot of writers write, no matter what they’re feeling. I approve of inspiration. Many masterpieces are borne out of epiphanies. Yet a lot of classics were born not out of divine providence but sheer hard work. I guess that’s one benefit of pursuing a career in a field you love, be it drawing, writing, or any other craft: you’re forced to do it no matter what you’re feeling. I mean in school, when my teacher asks me to submit a term paper, I don’t use the excuse “I’ll write it when I’m inspired”. If you must do it with inspiration, then there are techniques to find inspiration, whether it’s research, or letting yourself be engulfed by new experiences. Another example is divorce. While there are many good reasons to file a divorce, some terminate the relationship because they don’t feel anything anymore. While I’m not married, I know that love is far from mere emotion. Why do I love my parents, and why do they love me? I stopped being cute and cuddly when I turned four. And my parents are far from the most amiable of people, at least to me. Yet we love each other nonetheless, through good times and bad times. It’s not a feeling, it’s a commitment. People are surprised when parents abandon their child, or when children leave their parents. It just goes to show that relationships are a choice. We may not choose who our parents are, but we can always choose to leave them. Or not. And while our parents might feel duty-bound to take care of us, they honestly don’t have to, and there will inevitably be a time when they must let go and allow their children to fend for themselves. Why not sooner, right?

Virtues are about choices. Emotions might influence how we make our choices, but in the end, it’s our free will that determine that paths we take. Sometimes, it’s good to give in to emotions. When you’ve been burned by touching a hot stove, you’d be a fool not to move your hand away. It’s also due to emotions that artists are able to create their most magnificent works, allowing their experiences to affect their creations. But there will always be times when we must resist our initial drives, when we must conquer our passions. If I ran from every experience that brought fear or discouragement, then I would never grow. If I succumbed to my fear of drowning, then I would never have learned to swim. If I gave in to laziness, I would never write.

The beauty of this fact is that it gives us hope. When we look at our country and see the bleakness of it all, that’s not our consciousness talking but our emotions. It’s easy to see things as they are, to succumb to pessimism. To anyone who’s renovated a home, you’ll know that sometimes, what you start out with is a piece of trash. It has lots of potential, but until that possibility is harnessed, the place just looks like any other home or warehouse, albeit without the niceties. What eventually turns it into a magnificent place is the work and effort put into it. You didn’t say hey, this place looks bad, let’s move on to a better house. What you said was this place doesn’t look good, but it can change: it has potential. So when it’s finally remodeled, it’s the best area to live in. For me, this country is like that. We need lots of work, yet it all begins with a decision. I’ll admit, it’s a choice that more than one person needs to make, but a conversion is always possible. And perhaps that is our one source of hope. No matter how corrupt or criminal or dishonest our country becomes, it just needs a collective decision to make it a better place. And believing in that, my friend, takes love, courage, and all the other virtues you can think of.

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[Blog Entry] Why Green Lanterns Shouldn’t Date (Only for the Comic Buffs)

Why Green Lanterns Shouldn’t Date (Only for the Comic Buffs)

DC Comics has a sadistic way of dealing with the love interests of Green Lanterns, at least those coming from Earth. Here are some examples:

1) Alan Scott, Golden Age Green Lantern. His wife was Alyx Florin, in reality Rose who suffers from multiple personality disorder. On their honeymoon, her supervillain persona, Thorn, resurfaced, causing her to fake her own death, and later gave birth to twins. Her legacy lives on in the form of Alan Scott’s son, who is the villain named Obsidian.

2) Hal Jordan, Silver Age Green Lantern and recognized as the man with the strongest will. Unfortunately, all his willpower could not save his girlfriend/boss Carol Ferris from being the supervillain Star Sapphire (seen in Cartoon Network’s Justice League). Aliens, multiple personality disorder, and stress causes Carol to turn into one of Jordan’s fearsome foes.

3) John Stewart, token black guy Green Lantern on Cartoon Network’s Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. All seems well, until John Stewart marries an alien, Green Lantern Katma Tui. It probably wouldn’t have been as tragic if it weren’t for the fact that it was Star Sapphire who killed her (so you have a purple-skinned Green Lantern killed by a purple-powered supervillain…).

4) Guy Gardner, bad-ass Green Lantern who once owned a Yellow Power Ring. Okay, he’s not married to anyone, but he’s had a couple of flings here and there. Back in the days when he was still with Justice League Europe (later renamed to Justice League International), he had a romance with team member Ice. Who, as you could have guessed, is now dead (actually revived as a villain in a short story arc but currently deceased).

5) Kyle Rayner, used to be the only Green Lantern until the Green Lantern Corp. was reformed and Hal Jordan found redemption. Far from the stuff of heroes, when Kyle Rayner first discovered his Power Ring, a villain hunted him down and tracked him to his home. Kyle wasn’t home, but his girlfriend was. When Kyle went back to his apartment, everything was as it seemed… until he opened his refrigerator. It’s the DC Universe’s equivalent of the Philippine’s chop-chop lady.

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[Blog Entry] Events, A Different Bookstore Sale at Eastwood

Events

In an attempt to increase the hits on my blog, I will once more resume my announcement of anime and cosplaying-related events.

First off is the Komikon 2005 on October 22, at Bahay ng Alumni. You can check out their website for more details.

Then there’s the We Are Anime (WAA) Masquerade Party 2005 on October 29 at Angelika’s Garden, 947 Busilak St., Mandaluyong City. The poster can be spotted here.

Lastly, UP Anime Manga Enthusiasts (UP AME) will be having their apparently annual convention on November 26, at Bahay ng Alumni. You can find more details here with regards to the various activities.

A Different Bookstore Sale at Eastwood

Here’s the text:

Come and join us at the first bookfair of Eastwood City on Oct. 14-16, 2005 from 12 NN up to 12 MN at the Center Courtyard of Citywalk 2. Hosted by A Different Bookstore and sponsored by Eastwood City, Globe Telecom and Starbucks. Great bargain treasures await all of you. Book prices begin at P45.00, buy three books from selected titles for only P100.00. Avail of discounts up to 70% off and buy two get next item free promotions. There will be lucky raffle winners that will be able to fill up their loot bag with books of their choice within a specified time frame. Enjoy our poetry readings, author signings, interactive story telling, booth games, arts and crafts contests, puppet and magic shows, face painting and many many more surprises. Save the dates for a truly enjoyable weekend. See you all at the bookfair!!!

What caught my eye was the “lucky raffle winners that will be able to fill up their loot bag with books of their choice within a specified time frame”

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Tuesday, October 11, 2005

[Blog Entry] PLDT Giant

PLDT Giant

I saw this news article about PLDT having a controlling stake in G3 technology and Level-Up Games, and it seems interesting when you realize that the most successful franchise of Internet Cafes, Netopia, is also partnered with PLDT.

In the bigger scheme of things, you can dislike PLDT, but you can't blame them for lacking foresight.

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Monday, October 10, 2005

[Essay] Losing

Losing

If there’s any insult that will last through the ages, it’s being called a loser. No one wants to lose after all. But perhaps what makes losing so painful is the fact that it’s equated with failure, and people in general have feared the big F word.

It’s always been my belief that failure isn’t something that one should fear. Should one dislike it? Of course. It’ll motivate you not to make the same mistake the next time. But in the event that it does happen, instead of whining and feeling sorry for yourself, the proper attitude should be what we can learn from it. And if you look at the cycle of human history, one of the best ways people have learned is by making mistakes. Avoid it when you can, but embrace the lessons it teaches when it does happen. Of course having said that, failure is inevitable. We can’t be great at everything (although we can always strive for it), and sometimes, one must take risks in order to gain great rewards. That means getting hurt, but pain avoidance isn’t always the best medicine.

As I said, no one likes losing, including me. But there is one instance when a small part of myself cherishes it. The one time I don’t mind losing is when I’m playing games. One might think it’s due to the fact that there’s little to lose in a “game”. Well, Poker is a game and various people have lots their lives playing it. Even playing something as simple as Monopoly takes away something valuable from you: time. So even in playing games, a person has something to lose. Granted, it’s not as financially disastrous as losing your job, but losing a game is far from a pleasurable experience.

If truth be told, I don’t mind losing a game the first time. For one thing, it teaches me how to play the game. It’s by making mistakes that we learn the important moves or tactics in a game, what to do and what not to do. Sometimes, when we’re pressed into a corner, we suddenly discover alternatives or consider strategies we wouldn’t have ordinarily considered. But let’s say you lost, and you didn’t learn anything from it. I still take a small pleasure in losing because I don’t like defeat, and suddenly there’s a drive in me to succeed. I develop a persistence to succeed, and my mind suddenly becomes active and all my energies are devoted to winning. It doesn’t matter if I have to lose 99 times to win my 100th game. I just hope my opponent has the same persistence as I do so that I can truly say that my skill has developed.

This mentality of mine applies to all kinds of games I play, whether it’s card games, board games, video games, or *gasp*, even sports. Just the other day, my interest in Warcraft 3 has been rekindled by playing a match on one of its custom scenarios. I’ve been training ever since.

Of course I don’t think I’m the only person who acts like this. I’m sure there are other people who are motivated by such things. It might not be games in general but one particular passion of theirs. It might be not getting the proper music notes right, or forgetting a line in a soliloquy, or not getting the right taste when cooking a meal. Despite the failure, there’s a drive to succeed and improve.

Sadly, this isn’t a trait we apply to everything. We’re selective about it, choosing which circumstances it functions. There’s a desire to improve despite previous failure, but only on select fields of interests. An athlete might possess the drive to win during a sports competition, but not during his academic exam. A writer might struggle to find the appropriate word in a story, but not the right equation to solve a mathematics problem. In a way, we limit ourselves, not because we’re incapable of developing the right mentality, but because we don’t apply it. We already have the right mentality, as can be seen in some of our habits. It’s just not universally applied.

Losing isn’t always such a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s a matter of perspective. We can’t always choose whether we’ll win or lose (although we can strive for it), but the one thing we can determine is how we perceive it. Sadly, the human mind can be intractable if we leave it alone.

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[Blog Entry] The Simple Things

The Simple Things

Sometimes, one doesn't need the fancy stuff to appreciate life.

It can be rewarding yourself by sleeping an extra hour...

Or smiling when you get a text message or email that's not school or work related...

Or greeting a friend, a crush, or even a total stranger.

Of course I wouldn't mind being given an iPod or a Palm Pilot...

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Sunday, October 09, 2005

[Blog Entry] Conspiracy!

Conspiracy!

Yesterday, I experienced probably one of the worst sets of coincidences.

First off, I was rushing off to an interview shortly after lunch that when I get to the MRT, I find out it wasn’t working.

Quickly haling a taxi cab to get to Cubao from Ortigas, we encounter one of the strongest downpours for the day. When I got out, I thankfully had my jacket on, and a sturdy bag to protect my belongings.

My interview went well, and when I got out, all I could say was, oh look, the rain’s stopped. Seeing that it was a Saturday and I needed to take a break from my six-day-a-week work schedule, I dropped by Fully Booked at Gateway Mall.

I ran into a couple of familiar faces, although they seem to have forgotten me, so I just shut up and hovered like a wraith around the bookstore. I saw clerks rushing off to wrap Robert Jordan’s latest novel, Knight of Dreams, which is the second to the last book in his epic Wheel of Time series. I did manage to catch a glimpse of it and for a Robert Jordan book, it’s short at seven hundred plus pages.

The MRT was functional by the time I got to it again and seeing I still had time, went off to Rockwell. Of course me being the commuting-phobic person that I am, the trek involves me getting off at Guadalupe station, and sadly yes, walking all the way to Rockwell.

Apparently, I haven’t exhausted all my misfortune yet because when I got to Fully Booked, the lights went out. I think I caught Jessica Zaffra browsing through their shelves but unfortunately for me, the section I wanted to go to was at the heart of the store, where it was darker than our basement. After waiting for several minutes, the back-up lights went on, although not all the parts of the shop was illuminated.

By 5 pm, I was leaving Rockwell, and gathering enough strength to make the walk back to the MRT. Of course our public transportation was extremely crowded that people literally had to fight for space. I entered through the left door, barely managing to squeeze myself (while I am skinny, it’s difficult because of my trademark very big bag). Of course it has to be said that I was planning to get off at the Santolan, and my exit was at the right side of the station, so plowing myself from one end to another was a very hefty ordeal.

Managing to get myself to Greenhills, I again dropped by *sigh* Fully Booked. I had inadvertently made my bookstore pilgrimage. Not that I bought anything (lots of books I want, but thankfully I had more self-restraint).

Again, saw some familiar faces in Greenhills, and one mentioned that he spotted my blog, but refused to disclose his.

It was a very mobile Saturday for me, and an exhausting one. The story doesn’t end in Greenhills though, as I ended up going home at 3:30 am. But that, fellow readers, is another (probably duller) story.

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