Category: Randomnities

When it can’t fit anywhere else

All These Things (1)

Tina Leave a comment

I meant to blog more before July ended (because that last post can get a bit too maudlin, right? Also, I haven’t used the word maudlin in ages), but alas, work, a typhoon, several SFC events, and sickness got in the way. Before I knew it, the month was over and we’re well into August, and I…well, look, we’re in August.

I realized something recently, though, in my new-ish job (can’t believe that I’ve only been here for less than 3 months – feels like forever already): the more you do something, the better you get at it. I mean, okay fine, I know that already, but being in this new role proved it. I haven’t done any major designing stuff since 2008, 2009. Now that one of my job functions is to design ads for work, I have been stretched in an interesting way and I find that it is getting easier for me to be more creative in making ads.  I am learning to use Adobe Illustrator more now, and I am really liking vectors. And I have used the Pen tool properly! How about that. Excuse me for being a noob, but it’s all so fascinating. (And to think I used to say I was a graphic designer. Heh.)

Then I realized how much that principle also applied to other things, particularly, writing. I admit that being so busy in all this newness has stopped me from writing – here, in my book blog, and even creatively – and I missed that. But if I can get better in designing because I do it everyday, then I would get better at writing if I do it everyday regularly more often than I do now.

Like I said, nothing new there. But indulge me a bit.

To put that in action, I am starting this little, semi-regular thing called All These Things. Because I don’t always have to write about oh-so-serious stuff – sometimes, I just really need to write. So let’s start.

If there’s an award for a song that has given me the most massive case of LSS, this would win. I heard it in my friend’s car last week and I have been playing it all week. I haven’t played it today yet, but I bet later I would play it and sing it and I don’t know if it would end anytime soon.  And there, I just played it again.

[youtube ejayqEKDAcs]

I just finished reading Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You, upon recommendation of a friend. I liked it, but I have very mixed feelings about that ending.

mebeforeyou

But this is not a review, so I won’t talk about that. There’s this line from the book that I want to print out and frame so I would remember it everyday:

Some mistakes…just have greater consequences than others. But you don’t have to let that […] be the thing that defines you.

Book season is starting in the Philippines. Book season = time for sales, book fairs, and reader conferences. And just this week, we kicked off the 3rd Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards. Nominations are now open! Nominate your favorite 2013-published book by a Filipino author. There are thirteen new categories! :D

I’ve had my gym membership frozen since March because I wasn’t going there anyway. I’ve been contemplating on having it cut because I haven’t been using it as much. I forgot to have the freeze extended, so I got billed for August. I decided to use it again and went back for a dance class yesterday. I forgot how fun it was. And how much I missed dancing. :) This little fella dances way better than me, though:

Baby-dancing-Groot

One of my new favorite bloggers, Hannah Brencher, ((Hannah, who actually inspired me to come up with this thing with her Field Notes feature)) wrote this post a couple of weeks ago. I keep going back to it because…because:

And while I’m not an expert or a ghost buster, I think a ghost gets born out of a constant wish that maybe you and another person might have more to say to each other. Like maybe you never reached the point of finally saying everything. And maybe, just maybe, if you can manage to keep a person in your orbit or your memory a little while longer then you’ll never have to face the real truth: you can’t fix everything.

So many powerful words in this post that I can’t pick. But what she said about having final words, about how “Final words shift the atmosphere” give me hope. And it reminds me of this quote from Yann Martel’s Life of Pi:

So you must fight hard to express it. You must fight hard to shine the light of words upon it. Because if you don’t, if your fear becomes a wordless darkness that you avoid, perhaps even manage to forget, you open yourself to further attacks of fear because you never truly fought the opponent who defeated you.

Maybe all I really need are those words.

* * *

Have a great weekend, everyone. :)

** Featured image credit

The Writer Tag

Tina Leave a comment

The Writer Tag

It is obviously way past Writing Week, but I was busy in those weeks, so I wasn’t able to answer this. But now I am not too busy (still am, but not too much), I figured I can make time for this. I was tagged by Isa, and this Writer Tag is created by Bea of The Dalaga Project.  And I will stop it with further blabbering and get on to the questions:

1. What type of writing do you do?

Fiction (here, and hopefully somewhere else, like a book), non-fiction. By non-fiction, it’s mostly blog posts (here, in this blog), book reviews (here), book lists (here, and here). I used to write reflections for Didache, from 2006-2010, too.

2. What genres and/or topics do you write about?

For the non-fiction stuff that isn’t about books, it’s mostly drama. I kid…or maybe not. Perhaps it’s just drama from my POV. But I try to write what I know, and the things I learn as I navigate through life. Last year, I wrote a lot about stillness and courage, this year it seems like a lot of it is forgiveness and joy. And God, but that’s because there’s so much to write about Him. :)

As for fiction, I write contemporary romance/chick lit, because it’s so fun to write. I want to write a YA novel some time, and then maybe finally tackle that fantasy novel I always wanted to write.

3. How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first story about the weather in Grade 3, the same year I said I wanted to be like Elizabeth Wakefield the writer. The first story with actual people was in Grade 4, I think, entitled The Two Slumber Parties – a mash-up of Sweet Valley and Sailormoon. :P So counting my age now, I’ve been writing for 18 years. On/off, of course, because there were years when I didn’t write any piece of fiction or even a journal entry, save for some whiny blog posts.

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I’ve got sunshine

Tina 2 Comments

You know what, I always associate you with sunshine and happiness.

Someone said that to me on my 27th birthday, and it was one of the nicest compliments I have ever received. I’ve always loved the sunshine (and summer), and like I said on my birthday post, I want to live up to that. I’d like to believe that I’m a naturally happy person, and I’d like to keep it that way…so it was really nice to receive this blog award from a blog friend, Toni of Wifely Steps. :)

sunshineaward

So let’s take a break from all the serious life posts and bask in some sunshine (because the weather here is kind of bipolar lately), yes? :)

Here are the rules:

For the Sunshine Award, the blogger must:

  • Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
  • Share 11 random facts.
  • Answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
  • List 11 bloggers to recommend. They should be bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!
  • Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate, answer & let all the bloggers know they’ve been nominated. You cannot nominate the blogger that nominated you.

11 Random Facts:

  1. I must always have a pen in my bag. I figure I should have paper, too, but I always forget, so I just bring a pen (or two) at all times.
  2. I used to skate. I mostly skated around the streets at home, and I had a dream of being a figure skater. I even tried playing street hockey for a while, until I got into a rollerblading accident when I was in Grade 6.
  3. I hate horror movies. I avoid their trailers on TV like the plague, and I would never watch one without company. The last time I watched a horror movie (Paranormal Activity 3), I couldn’t sleep for two nights.
  4. I have a good sense of direction (most of the time).
  5. I collect train maps. As in subway maps from different countries. Right now, I have a map for Madrid, Paris, London, Shanghai, New York City, Hong Kong and Singapore. :) (If you’re in a trip and you want to bring me a gift, a train map will do. It’s free. :D)
  6. I feel most excited when I’m on planning mode for anything with my friends. Movie nights, dinner, parties — I love planning them and making them happen. My dream is to plan an out of the country trip with my friends — from booking the tickets to planning the itinerary to actually getting there and getting lost discovering new places with them.
  7. I am in love with New York City.  I’ve never been there, but I really, really, really want to go there. My heart skips a beat whenever I see or read or watch anything related to that place. Someday, someday.
  8. I love my book club. ♥
  9. I usually pay attention to the lyrics of the song more than the music. I’m just a terribly wordy person.
  10. I am currently addicted to watching Suits. Late to the party, I know.
  11. If I had to go somewhere that is walkable even if it is a bit far…I would walk as long as I have time. Case in point, earlier, I had to pay a bill at a bank which is on way on the other side of this major road where I work. I could’ve ridden a cab to go there, but I walked, instead. I’ve also been known to walk from the Katipunan LRT station all the way to Fully Booked/Regis Center (that’s about…er, 4 blocks away or something). Sometimes I walk home from our village gate. I just like walking.

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