Sadyah

Defended my dissertation, a novel and a critical essay, on April 14. My mentor, Dr. Cirilo F. Bautista and panel composed of Dr. Isagani R. Cruz, Dr. Ben Medina, Dr. Efren Abueg, Dr. Fanny Garcia, and Dr. Jerry Torres gave me the Outstanding Dissertation Award. I’ll be graduating this June with High Distinction, too.

   Wala si Dr. Torres kasi malalim naging ubo niya at nawalan siya ng boses. When he texted me that morning that he can’t make it, medyo nag-senti ako. Pinigilan ko, of course, mahirap na masira ang beauty. I was so grateful kasi vongga mga panelist ko. Sayang, wala akong picture. Ako lang kasi:)  Ang ganda ko pa naman that day. Bwahahaha. A week before, I rewarded myself na: bought a flat TV (LCD). Deprived kasi ako. Imagine, after 8 years of working here in Manila, ngayon lang ako nagka-TV. Hahaha. May cable, s’yempre. Thanks, ang bilis ng pagkabit ng mga Destiny guys:)

Kaya ‘visual fatigue’ ang sakit ko ngayon. Hmm, about my novel, bili kayo kapag na-pusblish, ha:) Mwaaaah.

1) My pre-Valentine personal drama (buti na lang di s’yadong tragic. Buti timing sa nth revision ko ng novel) and surprise, surprise…prudence worked.

2) Yehey, congratz to myself! Finished the revision my mentor asked for and enrolled in final defense, which also means, more nights of "passionate patience" till April. Send me lots of goodluck, friends.

3) Yehey, the Cagayan de Oro-Camiguin trip with two of my former students came true! Photos are coming soon. Hehe. As my digi cam is not water proof. Did white water rafting, checked caves and hot springs, waterfalls, islands, a cemetery, hills, churches and plazas, and of course, the tiangges. Hehe, bought some DVDs at CDO.

4) Watched the ff:at CCP, for free: "EJ," a rock musical on the lives of Edgar Jopson and Evelio Javier. Inspiring, especially dahil got to finish the nth revision of my novel. Kaya lang, rebulto lang dun si Evelio, our Ninoy Aquino in Antique. Love the script of E.Maranan and the music of the The Dawn. Then there’s the play of my good friend John Teodoro staged by DLSU’s Harlequin at CCP, "Unang Ulan ng Mayo." Glad students love it. Had lunch with John and encouraged him to write more musical. Last night, Feb. 28, watched the Virtuosos concert. Fabulous:)

5) Watched, at last, "Desperate Housewives." Dude, I’m hooked:) Got interested only after a smart middle-age friend commented that she loves it for being down-to-earth. Got curious what she meant by that and resolved to find it myself. Hehe, it took me to be at Cagayan de Oro to finally shell out 60 bucks for it:)

6) Yes, I was at the Ayala Peace Rally 2008 for truth and accountability. Joined DLSU’s group with Kate and her Mom and cousin. Walked in the rain for that; the Makati streets being my treadmill that afternoon:) Missed that feeling…that anger…that hunger for truth and accountability. Shed some tears for my sad republic.

Hours at home are spend primarily reading (pero dafat sulat hanggang magka-nose bleed ala Joni na naman dapat ako - for the critical essay - while waiting for Dr.CFB’s comment sa first draft ng novel ko. Bwahahaha).

From the library, I discovered Cesare Pavese, a postwar Italian fictionist. His selected major works, which I enjoyed so much with a cone of ice cream brought by Kate when she came over for our brainstorming session and some left-overs of Iloilo goodies, are translated by R.W.Flint: "The Beach," "The House on the Hill," "Among Women Only," and "The Devil in the Hills."

He has these lines: "There is only one pleasure, that of being alive. All the rest is misery."

From H.’s library, another of Richard Dawkins (Hmm, I think I can do team-teaching na on evolutionary biology, if not atheism. Bwuahahaha) - Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder. It is claimed to be a love letter to science, "an attempt to counter the perception that science is cold and devoid of aesthetic sensibility and Dawkins’ writing is precisely the sort that captures the drama of science."

Here, one of his arguments is the poet Keats’ contention of Newton’s reduction of the rainbow to its prismatic colors. So did Newton diminish the beauty of the rainbow? Dawkins claims that far from it, "Newton’s unweaving is the key to much of modern astronomy and to the breathtaking poetry of modern cosmology." (Haay, sana, ito ang tinuturo sa elementary pa lang. Siguro kung nabasa ko sa college si Dawkins, nag-Bio major ako. Nag-scientist…na creative. Bwuahahaha. Teka, kasama ba siya sa reading list sa DLSU? Sa UP? Sa Ateneo?).

The other one is William Calvin’s ( a theoretical neuro physiologist) How Brain Thinks: Evolving Intelligence, Then and Now. He quotes Jean Piaget on intelligence as the one we use when we don’t know what to do. He argues that "the big issue for understanding intelligence isn’t who has more but what intelligence is, when it’s needed, and how it operates.Some of what intelligence encompasses are cleverness, foresight, speed, creativity, and how many things you can juggle at once."

But I still have to re-read this one. Putcha, di ko pa rin maintindihan how the brain thinks nga ba talaga. Hahaha. It says pa that "Intelligence is about the process of improvising and polishing on the timescale of thought and action." Ang gandang line but I think, what I expected kasi after reading this is a sort of ‘illumination" kung paano ma-heighten capacity ko to ‘mind read.’ Hahaha. Goodluck sa akin. Think I need a slice of blueberry cheesake to digest with this book this coming week:).

What I love most about these two books is the fact that these ’scientific writers’ are drawing from linguistics, literature, and anthropology other than biology and neurosciences. Kaya tuloy di ako maka-start ng critical essay ko kasi nag-aambisyon na ako ngayong mag-draw rin from these branches rather than puro lit references na lang palagi:)

Goodluck talaga sa akin:)

Ano ba ‘tong November palaging umuulan. Andaming paperworks pero nakakatamad. Hala, sige tambay sa strabucks at gasto para sa 24 stickers for that leather and mas magaan kaysa last year na planner. This month also brought a lot of anxiety na parang walang ibang patutunguhan kundi ang usual drama ko namang ‘hanggang dito na lamang at maraming salamat." Buti na lang walang katapusan ang supply ko ng compli ticekt sa CCP. Got to watch Ballet Philippines "Nutcracker" last Saturday, Nov.17, with my sis Riza, after sitting as a panel sa isang MFA thesis defense. Go rin ang beauty to catch "Lions of the Lamb" sa RP. And whaaat, it’s Robinson’s Midtown na. Parang ang daming nangyayari di ko alam. Haay, that sneakers sa Shoe Salan na gusto ko. Buti na lang di pa open ang Levi’s kasi naku, gusto ko ng bagong pants and when it comes sa fit & reliability, Levi’s lang talaga for me. Open din ang Powerbooks. Pero wala pa rin ang latest book ni Umberto Eco. Sa Shang ko pa ‘yon na-inquire, nung Cine Europa pa. Then this Sat afternoon, after a meeting & lecture sa school, go ako sa UST for consignment sa book ko kasi got a conference sa Iloilo so sayang naman. baka makabenta. Signed the contract rin, and what, I’ll gonna have a royalty na. Kaya lang 10% lang. 15 if marami bibili. Kaya sige na, buy my book. hehe. Then biglang umuulan. As in baha. Naku, nag-taxi ako for Beowulf sa RP. Kasi super mahal sa MOA even if I’m raring for that IMAX experience. Sige na lang, naka-3D experience na rin naman ako sa KL. Sige na, libre n’yo kaya ako. Hehe. Okey rin naman manod mag-isa. Wala na akong problema. Pati pagkain mag-isa sa Bacolod Chicken Inasal. Paano ba naman kasi It’s Complicated ang status ng ka-churvah. No puwede ang emote so buy ako ng Body Shop lotion saka tea tree concealer. Haay, life…masaya na ako na i can afford to take a taxi pauwi kasi it’s so near yet so far for a jeep, making lakad-lakad pa and all hassle.

Never thought I’ll find myself Sunday morning in CamSurWaterSports Complex in the Provincial Capitol of Pili for wakeboarding! The place is beautiful, clean, affordable rate and friendly staff, with Aussie-Jap-Korean-Manilans-and lots of local enthusiasts.  So there I was, in my kneeborading experience. Kasi begginer pa lang. Sarap ng feeling! Babalik ako doon. Sama kayo. Hehe. Para mas masaya.

Rode the Philtranco bus last Friday night to Naga for research. Got one chapter set there, in a cemetery, with my Muslim character.

Arrived at dawn and thought there were 24/7 stores. Aside from Biggs, Bicol’s pride in food industry. So checked in at Naga Regent Hotel. Affordable price. Clean room, with hot shower and cable TV. Rested, and past 10, met KC at Coko Cafe in Ateneo de Naga (Maganda).

Here’s one shot by KC in front of the campus (more shots from KC - paki-email na pls. Hehe). Then off we met Carlo at Green Earth Cafe, a Vegetarian and Health Food. We had veggie spring roll, iraqi fried rice, steamed broccoli w/ tofu, camote taops salad, herbal tea, and later in the day, pad thai and banana ice cream.

Ang sarap, ang mura. Also bought two eco-friendly bags. KC read my first three chapters. Then off we went to my mission: the cemetery and the Muslim area.

The Penafrancia Catholic Cemetery was a sight, so was the Muslim area with their newly-built mosque. It was an enriching day, what with wonderful, knowledgeable Bicolanos as writer-friends.

Catched up some news over BBC after another coffee-cake moment with KC at StarMarks, in our usual ‘tsikahan.’

Saturday, the 2nd day, found me in the National Mosque. Nakakalula - ang kintab, ang gara. All of a sudden, nagka-epiphany ako! Kaya pala it must be KL kasi I have to be here - inside this mosque, after a certain datu, the overseer of the mosque in Quiapo, refused me entry and reprimanded the guard for letting me in the vicinity without the ‘talukbong’ (veil).

   The Imam, with a Ph.D., gave me a copy of the Koran and many brochures that will help me in my understanding of Islam and Muslim for my novel.

When I was about to leave, the lady guard asked if I’m a Vietnamese (Asian Malay talaga beauty ko). When I replied "Filipina," she spoke to me in fluent Tagalog. Nakakaloka. Never been in Pinas daw but her hubby has a lot of Filipino workers (!) so there, she got to learn Tagalog!

I went back to Chinatown for more shopping.

Then stayed at Starbucks with KH’s "A Thousand Splendid Suns." And I met a new friend, a French-Canadian based in Bangkok. We had dinner in Bukit Bintang’s street.

The next day, we went to Little India and had a sumptuous lunch of the best of Indian’s meals. Kainis, wala na ‘kong enough dollar or ringgit. mas mahal dito kaysa Chinatown. And daming magagandang Indian dress. Feel ko sana. Anyway, my new friend bought me a beautiful yellow scarf for souvenir and accompany me to the bus station.

It was raining hard on the way to the airport. Thanks to my Angel, the flight back home was smooth.

Unpacking in Manila, I discovered I forgot to turn-over the key of my Number 8 room. Oh well, might be a sign that I’ll be back there soon.

It was a trip out of impulse and there was no turning back after Cebu Pacific emailed my e-ticket; a.k.a HSBC bill! Whooa, life!

The Flight: There were series of turbulence; kept convincing myself di pa ako mamamatay kasi di pa tapos nobela ko. Parang gusto kong i-hug ang pilot when we landed na sa KL airport. The flight back home though was smooth. Yes, go Cebu Pacific pa rin. Sayang ang miles sa PAL, kaso sobrang mahal. Haay…

Past 1 in the morning when we arrived and sarado ang mga money changers. Akala ko 24/7 din. Naku, can’t get out with my USD and Peso. Buti I made laakd-lakad. I saw a money changer. Intindihan mo naman kahit nasa Bahasa ang label.

First Malaysian Meal, the Guesthouse,and Rides (Bus, Taxi, LRT & Mono Train): Gutom and excited to taste my first Malaysian meal (na di sa resto d2), I ordered nasi lemak for 8.90 ringgit + a small bottle of water for 2.50 at Asia Kitchen (front of Duty Free near the Departure entrance). It’s rice pala with egg & chicken & dilis. This is considered to be the Malaysian meal.

So with my backpack, I made lakad-lakad some more and saw buses. I chose Airbus for 8 ringgit. Buti na lang sumakay agad ‘ko kasi super layo pala ng airport sa city. Ok, I’ve read it sa internet pero as in layo talaga, more than 2 hrs.? Basta, spacious streets at maraming trees. Went down when we arrived at KL Sentral. Then hailed a cab. We agreed on 5 ringgit. Puwede rin metro pero ewan ko nga ba ba’t nangontrata ako. Basta, mabait ang mamang driver at magaling mag-English. Sabi ko dalhin n’ya ko sa cheap + nice+ clean hotel. Ok, I did research and was thinking of Swiss Hotel but I know I can look for a cheaper one there. Mabait talaga ang mamang driver. He brought me to Number 8. I read this is in the Smiles mag sa plane so I checked in.

It’s a guesthouse in BukitBintang, the Malate-Ermita Area except that this is not a red-light district, but the place to go for foods.  Number 8 is clean and cheap. Only 30 ringgit/night for a dorm-type room. Ito na lang ang may vacancy. Fully-occupied na; mostly Europeans and Aussies. I was with a Singaporean Chinese, a German, and an Aussie. We had not chat till the last day.

I bought a 7 ringgit worth of light rail ticket which is good for a day. One thing I noticed was walang masyadong mga naka-make-up o naka-sleeveless dun. Oo nga pala, Muslim country sila. I saw a Universiti station so I went down and took a cab to University of Malaya. Parang UP siya. Talked to the Chair of the Asian Studies Dept.,a friend of Dr. Ruby Alcantara. Mabait siya. Mukhang Malaya talaga. Hirap kumuha ng taxi sa loob. Buti na lang mababait talaga mga driver dun. Pinasakay ako ng isang black, as in sobrang itim talaga na mama pero magaling mag-English - of course in their peculiar accent din - kaya nakabalik ako sa train.

Dumiretso ako sa Chinatown. Dun ako nag-lunch ng sobra ring mura at saaarap. In fairness, malinis ang Chinatown, at syempre, shop to the max ako.

Then went back to the guesthouse to rest for the 6:15 SkyBridge walk at The Petronas Tower. Graveh, first time sumuot ng 3-D na eyeglasses for the orientation part. Here’s some during that walk:

Then go sa Menara Mall/Suria KLCC. Went inside the Petronas Gallery. Proceeded to Kinokuniya Bookstore. OK, kelangan ko palang pumunta ng KL to be able to buy Khaled Hoseeini’s 2nd book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Bought his bestseller first novel, The Kite Runner, in Bangkok branch.

It’s for 20% off when you bug another one, so grabbed a collection of Malaysian fiction.

My first night was a tour of Bukit Bintang food shops. But I ended up in First Cup Cafe. Felt safer there. Then ended up shopping at Adidas’ factory outlet with it’s 30-70% discounts.

Saturday night saw me at Instituto Cervantes for the Flamenco performance of David Perez Almagro.

Beautiful performance. Glad I came. Had dinner with F. and D. at Casa Espanol later. Did not stay for the disco. Too tired already.

Checked this year’s Cine Europa at Shangrila. "You Am I" (Lithuania) I like. It’s about an architect-dreamer who built a futuristic house in a tree, in a forest, where some young people happened to retreat and had party.

Got bored with "Dead Man’s Hand" (Belgium). Thought it’s a wacky comedy about a couple’s spending habits. Did not turn it that way - in my mind’s eyes. No enough humor to stay me put; or satire for instance.

Austria’s "Summer With the Ghosts" appeared to me as ‘corny.’ A film is being produced at the medieval fortress at the displeasure of resident ghosts: giggling and dancing nuns!

Went to Quiapo and got these great films: Angelina Jolie’s "A Mighty Heart" based on Marianne Pearl’s account of his husband’s beheading in Pakistan, Danny Pearl, a Wall Street Journal journalist.

Subtle and good shots. Angelina is perfect for the role.

"Why Did I Get Married" is fun. Somebody must make a movie now on "Why I Did Not Get Married" or "Why I Don’t Want To Get Married."

"Shortcut To Happiness" is Okay Lang. About a mediocre writer who sold his soul to a devil and got judgment and was pardoned after gaving up fame and women and money to write what really matters:) Hmm.