All I Want for Christmas

a new job, a happy Christmas celebration for my family, friends who are willing to celebrate Christmas with me in Singapore (and in Skype, if you're free!), and From Pinas With Love passport holder from Team Manila.

Simple joys. I'm easy to please.

Underscore, Underscore

When we are not talking about leet stuff like Nerf Wars, we're seriously discussing taglines:

N: I'm working on this brief, last year's tagline was Shaping the Future. Logically, what do you do after shaping the future?
W: You live the dream.

Went to ask another leet colleague:

N: What's after Shaping the Future?
K: You maintain the future.
N: Maintain? But you're not yet there.
K: Yeah, but you can stabilize the future.
N: Why?
K: Why not?
N:What if you don't like the future? Can you reshape it?
K: What? No. Why? You don't have to shape it again.


I don't know if we are talking about the taglines, really. Or channeling our thoughts on life in general through creative briefs.

What Did You Say?

LJ, my landlady's five-year old kid, was bugging me to study Mandarin with her. She has a Singaporean tutor who comes to the flat three times a week and during the nights when she does not have a lesson, she wants us to role-play, that I should pretend that I'm her student. One day, I allowed her to fulfill her Mandarin teacher fantasy, so we sang the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Happy Birthday in Mandarin, wrote some characters like da and xiao and practice correct pronunciation.

After that first lesson, she wants us to practice Mandarin more. Every time she sees me in the kitchen or outside my room or in the sala watching TV, she always bugs me about our next lesson. She always stands in front of me in her taray pose - hands over hips - and asks me "So, when will I teach you Chinese again?" My normal excuses (when I do not want to be bothered) are the following:

• I can't study now, I still have to cook dinner.
• I'm still watching this TV show, look! (then divert her attention to what's on screen)
  
• I am already tired (in Mandarin).
• I'm looking for my book (then pretend that I'm looking for something on my bedside table)
• I'm searching for something in the Internet.
• I'm surfing the net.
• I'm looking for a job.
• I'm sending emails.
• I haven't transcribed my Chinese stuff yet.

She noticed that most of my excuses involves the Internet. Earlier today, she entered my room and asked me again, and I said, without thinking, without even looking at her, with my eyes glued to the paragraph I'm typing, Not today, I'm looking for something, see I'm surfing the net.

You're always looking for something, she innocently replied. She just said it in her matter-of-fact five-year old tone, but it had an impact on me.

You're always looking for something.
Maybe I am. Maybe I do. I would not give a second thought about this statement if Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love is not my bedtime reading lately. LJ's statement (for me) resonates well with Richard and Elizabeth's conversation in the book:

Liz: So how long will it be before all this grieving passes?
Richard: You want an exact date?
Liz: Yes.
Richard: Something you can circle in your calendar?
Liz: Yes.
Richard: Let me tell you something, Groceries - you've got some serious control issues.


Control issues. Control freak. OCness. Feeling of always demanding to be in control. Always looking for something. Always trying to make things be how I want them to be.


Gah, I should stop this job hunting for now, my Mandarin lessons are waiting for me.

Same Kind of Different As Me

by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (with Lynn Vincent)

The copy in the book's back flap says that it is gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality but it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love. I should've taken this description seriously.

The story revolves around the life of of Denver, a former slave; Ron, a wealthy art dealer; and Deborah, a kind-hearted soul brimming with her love for the homeless. It contained Ron and Denver's different childhood stories, Deborah and Ron's married life, and the life-changing encounter at the Mission. The latter part was about Deborah's battle against cancer and Denver's transformation.

I have to admit: I had a hard time finishing the book. No, it's not bad. In fact it's really beautifully written it's painful in some parts. The story is good, but the introduction is a bit long. Later in the story, I found that it is necessary to know Ron's and Denver's life stories to better understand their characters.

I love the book but the parts where Ron and Denver described Deborah's cancer and how it slowly killed her was too painful for me to read. Knowing that it is a true story doubled the pain. There were times I have to put down the book to prevent myself from crying. My grandfather died a year ago and somehow, the descriptions in the book related to Deborah reminded me of my grandfather: the stomach pains, Deborah's interest in antique perfume bottles (my grandfather loved perfume bottles, too), the unbearable sinking feeling of knowing someone close to you is dying.

Overall, it's a nice book and I would recommend it to others, but make sure you have some Kleenex handy.


Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through BookSneeze.com, a book review bloggers program.