THE READER

"Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course..."
-- Homer, The Odyssey



This is a beautiful movie.

Kate Winslet deserved her Academy Award for this role.

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"I'm not frightened. I'm not frightened of anything. The more I suffer, the more I love. Danger will only increase my love. It will sharpen it, forgive its vice. I will be the only angel you need. You will leave life even more beautiful than you entered it. Heaven will take you back and look at you and say: Only one thing can make a soul complete and that thing is love."

And for all of the technology... for all of life's extra convenience and efficiency... there is nothing (and I mean absolutely nothing) more romantic than reading... and being read to. Accompanied by the harmony of turned pages flapping, the licking of fingers, the deep breaths in between commas and periods and punctuation marks, a book closed, hands together in a prayer of gratitude. And no greater achievement than by learning through loving... as a man reads, so she writes... as his voice guides her hand.

It's almost divine.

On my never-ending quest to slow down the aging process.

Love love love to KIEHL'S for hooking me and our art director up with so many products to get our beautification ON this summer. (about 10,000pesos worth of stuff... each)

And that's on top of the samplers we got in order to review KIEHL'S entire ANTI-WRINKLE REGIMEN. (Find out if it works in our March issue of Gadgets Magazine with Ms. Michelle Ng of The Amazing Race 4 on the cover.)

Or you can come out and see for yourself when I see y'all around. =P

Say no to photo-aged skin and wrinkles and looking 10years older than you are.

FOR THOSE HARD LOVE TYPE LOVES.

For those who love hard. (Get ready to cry your motherfucking eyes out.)

Holla, we want prenup! We want prenup!

(Though prenup don't exist here 'cause their ain't no divorce.)

Although I did (like the f*cking realist that I am) read up on the grounds for annulment... so unless homeboy can prove that I'm impotent, underaged, or really crazy (like mentally unstable, I'm missing some sort of chromosome type crazy and not I-just-wanna-fucking-fight-with-you-cuz-I'm-bored type crazy) then we in it for the looooooooooong haul. Or if I have an incurable STD.

***INFIDELITY: is not grounds for annulment. (The Hell it ain't. It is however grounds for murder and I will straight PTSD murder his ass if I catch him trickin' like it was Halloween.)

Or unless we burn the NSO down to the ground. That was another escape route I had in mind.

*smiles innocently*

.......

This whole wedding thing is fun. Furrealz. Especially with all the help I've been getting. I can see why people just want the wedding and not necessarily the marriage. Man, if couples could just plan their weddings everyday, I think more marriages would last.

*shrugs*

29 more days before I become Mrs. Callanta-Toledo. *sigh*

Such fun. =) I mean I was trippin' about it AT FIRST (shit, I'm only human and it wasn't like I was one of those girls who felt they could only have a life if they were married or attached.) Apart from the romance of it all, there was a lot of reconciling that had to be done... sort of like some schizo-induced preparation that required me to conduct an entire discourse in my head. I mean, there's no seeing what the future will hold... but that doesn't mean a bit of foresight can't be exercised. And if you know what you want, you'll get it. That's how it is. That's where the energy will go.

That's my theory, at least. And if it ends up being wrong, then fuck it. I'll make another one. It's that simple. =)

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But before all of that... Prenup bridal/bridesmaid photoshoot with Ms. Dianna on deck and the sisters on Sunday at Ninyo Fusion Cuisine (Thanks Nins! You da you da best!) then prenup couple/family shoot with Paolo and Psyche at the condo. =)

Gonna document the sh*t out of this.

I did say I'd be married by the time I was 28 (now I can look back at my 8-year old self and say, "I did you proud, right?")

And my 8-year old self would say, "You sure did, girl..."

"Just don't fuck it up."

TOP OF THE MORNING!!!!!!

I think I found the secret to a good day.

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Waking up early.

Uhm yes, preferably sleeping early as well.

Like waking up an hour, hour and a half before you're supposed to get ready. (Although in my case, today, I've been awake since 2 in the morning... but only because I was asleep by 10pm (out of sheer laziness to do anything else except get back to reading the Iliad ---seriously, I find the Trojans way hotter than the Greeks---, straight killing it at Kirby on my DS and... lack of cable).

Also because I was jolted into consciousness when I found Paolo wasn't sleeping soundly beside me yet (he was supposed to be home by 12 from practice *ahem*)... I gave him 30mins. before I miss-called his ass for an explanation of his whereabouts... only to find that he was just downstairs eating whilst watching Family Guy. (I like to keep tabs like that.)

Then it was 2-hours of playing some more Kirby and tossing and turning until finally, I just gave in, got up, and decided to fix my shirt drawers. (Because I find fixing my clothes are never a waste of time.) So by 5am, I was up folding clothes and I even managed to make a little do-it-youself 80s flashdance shirt by cutting it up (I learned it on youtube). Which explains today's ensemble.

But that's really not the point I'm trying to make (even if I did come up with a cute-looking outfit).

I was able to make ham and egg sandwiches for both me and Pao to bring to work as well as breakfast for Psyche WHILST listening to nothing but JANET on my iPod.

Took a bath.

Woke up the fiance.

Rode the MRT to work (hell yes, AGAINST the mad rush of people due south). Then the jeep. Then power walked on over to the office. Nay, "bounced" (try walking whilst listening to Missy Elliot's "For My People" and you'll know what I'm talking about).

But I still haven't gotten to my point.

So... ok, you know about how walking (or exercise in general) helps you release endorphins, those mood-enhancing enzymes that make you feel awesome? Well, waking up early enough to be able to walk to work does just that... as opposed to waking up 30mins. before you're supposed to be at the office, jump in the car, drive like a crazy person, and scream to yourself things like "Ay por favor, drive with a purpose!" or "Hurry the f*ck up, man!" or some other dumb sh*t like that... with the windows closed, of course. I mean, you wouldn't wanna offend anybody so early in the morning. People get shot for sh*t like that.

That's one.

Oh and yeah. Being able to chill (chillax, hahahaha! I use the hideous term loosely), drink ginger tea, cook eggs (with that Magic ginisa mix for once), prepare food for those you love...

I swear, it's absolutely fulfilling.

And though it's probably nothing like the kind of fulfillment you'd get from building a home for the homeless or knowing that the kidney you donated will save the person who will one day find a cure for herpes...

It just helps to know that you can take your time living... despite the demands of the day.

Nah mean? =P

Ok enough with this drama, I'm falling asleep.

(Is it lunch yet? I wanna eat my sandwich.)

Facebook really is the devil.

As time went by, and the fake profile came up next to the real one every time I Googled it, a slow rage burned in my heart.

Who were these people at Facebook? I visualized them throwing darts and eating pizza behind impenetrable walls. The difference between the fake profile and mine was clear. Mine has quotes from Goethe and ee cummings. The fake profile was slimy and disgusting. All someone had to do was pay attention. Press one small button in an office cubicle someplace in Palo Alto. Click. And the fake profile would be gone.

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/02/01/my_fake_facebook_profile

.....

Once, a stupid ex (in all of his blind rage) hacked into my Friendster account and put up nude photos of me. I had to implore him to give me the password so I could take it down, saying if he had any decency for my family who took him in, he would give it to me. Funny too, it was my younger sister's then-boyfriend who saw it. Good thing they were only up for a day or two... but I did get some replies from my male contacts (fortunately, they were more kind than sleazy). Still, it was humiliating.

Hay.

This internet thing... it's eating me alive.

And you know what I just realized? I think people have become less superstitious with the bombardment of all this information, useless or otherwise, so readily available to them. More knowledgeable, more disenchanted.

People used to just believe in things, you know? In people. Now, you can do background checks on everybody, cross-referencing that sh*t like they do on Criminal Minds. And why??? Because you CAN. And not everything you find out will make you happy. Hell, you don't even need 90% of what you find out. But you do it anyway.

Where the Hell is the goddamn library in this country??? People should go to libraries and read Walt Whitman.

I need to read. On paper.

I need to start using my moleskine notebooks. They're collecting dust.

And I need a black pilot pen.

MONOGAMY IS SUCH A LONELY WORD.

By Almie Rose aka Apocalypstick

I’ve said this before, so I’ll say it again, because it’s my fucking blog: I want a wedding but I don’t want a marriage. At least not the way my country (or is it culture?) defines marriage. The problem with marriage is the whole, “‘Till death to us part” thing. Name one thing in your life that you are confident you will love from this point until you die. For the longest time I thought I loved cheeseburgers, then I briefly went vegan. Now I’m back to eating meat and loving it, but I am still surprised that there was a period in my life in which I detested it. However, I think there is one exception. I think that people can have lifelong friends, and here’s why: you don’t have sex with your friends (or you have sex with your friends like once or twice and only because you’re both hung up on other people). Once you bring sex into it, everything changes. “I FEEL LIKE I’M TAKING CRAZY PILLS.” Me too, Mugatu. Me too. That’s what sex does.

I hate people who break up and say that they’ll always love the person they broke up with. Oh, okay. I guess love is not all you need. You think I’m naive for saying, “If you love each other, why isn’t that enough”? Well I think you’re naive for saying marriage vows and believing in them. I think the best way to ruin a relationship is by marrying someone. And now you’re going to tell me, “You’re wrong, I’m married and I’m happy and I cry rainbows and blah blah blah.” Okay, fine. I’m sure that’s true. But what about ten years from now? Twenty? You know those earnest wedding toasts where the young groom tells his young bride how excited he is to spend the rest of his life with her? Yeah, I don’t think he realizes what the rest of their lives could entail.

Here’s how I think marriage should work: it should be like leasing a car. You’re with a person for a set amount of time, maybe a year or four. Then after that period of time you decide whether or not you want to extend the marriage. And if you do, you sign a type if marriage lease. I think that this would help eliminate divorce. Marriage is a contract anyway, so why not make it something you can decide to renew or cancel?

What is so crazy about that? There’s a dude who married a video game character and yet God forbid gay people get married. It’s because marriage is a completely fucked institution.

Look, here’s the thing: I am not saying I will never get married. I’m young and I have no idea what my life is going to be like. I can’t even picture what next week looks like. But if I marry someone, I want to make damn sure that it’s for the right reasons and that I am aware of all the things they do that annoy me and that I can handle it for 10+ years before I sign up. And fuck I want the dress, I want the party, I want the photos, I want the ring. I’m thinking about buying my own engagement ring. Yes, I know that’s sad. I don’t care. Kanye probably has diamond fucking Adidas, I should be allowed to wear my own diamond engagement ring without being pitied.

Or what I will do, when I really find the right person, is to have a non-wedding wedding. We’ll have the party, the dress, the photos but we won’t sign a certificate. We’ll call it an “Us” party or an anniversary party. We celebrate our own birthdays, so why not celebrate our own relationships? Unless you’re an asshole. If you’re an asshole and you’re inviting me to your “look-h0w-happy-I-am” couples party, go fuck yourself.

I don’t know. I just think it’s all so fucking serious. Monogamy doesn’t have to be serious. It should be fun, it should be wonderful, it should elate you, it should be goddamn fucking Disneyland, and if it’s not, I am peacing the fuck out.

http://apocalypstick.com/

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PREACH. IT, YOU LOVELY LOVELY WOMAN!!