"The Makeup Head"

Wish come true.

The Dragon Lady

YOU ARE AN EARTH DRAGON

You go about your job in a quiet, thoughtful fashion. You may not always agree with others, but you respect their opinions. You are reasonable in your approach to problems. You are diplomatic and slow to anger, but at the same time, you demand respect. These qualities make you an ideal leader and motivator.

F*CK. YEAH.

Friday the 13th #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines

My colleagues decided to eat dinner at Fridays last Friday the 13th. When I arrived, we decided to move to the bar so there'd be room for me. We were about to find out that Fiery Friday the 13th was about to commence --- ergo --- free shots for anyone in black (or basically anyone just by the bar) and a spicy chicken tender eating contest that would've knocked off 5k from your bill.

And we had front-row seats.

[Be careful, it's a little loud =]

1 year and 3 decades later

They have managed NOT to kill each other. =)

                                                           The look of love.



Happy 31st wedding anniversary to my mom and dad!!! Though you guys weren't exactly the "model couple" growing up... you both showed me a thing or two about endurance, perseverance, and the true meaning of being in it for the "long haul." I am humbled by the stature of your relationship in this crazy world.

Now you two may be crazy... but y'all are certainly NOT boring. Daddy, thank you for choosing mom to be your lawfully wedded wife amidst all the other girls (you playa!) and for being a 21st century father. Mommy, thank you for giving me 3 sisters and 3 friends and bequeathing your beauty and strength and for not leaving us even when daddy sometimes was being what he couldn't help being.. a man.

You two are awesome as f*ck.

PRETTY.

Psyche: Mommy? Am I pretty? Can you put make-up on me so I can be pretty?
Me: I can pretend to put make-up on you. *commences in putting "invisible make-up" on*
Psyche: *bats eyes and caresses face* Am I pretty now Mom?
Me: Of course you are... but you know what'll make you even prettier? If you're smart and you do your lessons in school... and if you're kind and if you have a good heart. Like Cinderella. Then you'll be really beautiful.
Psyche: Ok Mom, I'll do my school and I'll be a good girl...
Me: And... you gotta eat your vegetables and you gotta eat a lot and sleep early so your hair will grow long and you'll be even more beautiful.

(I might as well throw that in there before she's smart enough to realize that last part isn't necessarily true.)

... this is not about me! This is about the self-mutilating circus we have painted ourselves clowns in. About women who will prowl thirty stores in six malls to find the right cocktail dress, but haven’t a clue where to find fulfillment or how to wear joy, wandering through life shackled to a shopping bag, beneath those two pretty syllables.

This, this is about my own some-day daughter. When you approach me, already stung-stayed with insecurity, begging, “Mom, will I be pretty? Will I be pretty? , ” I will wipe that question from your mouth like cheap lipstick and answer no.

The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters. You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing, but you will never be merely “pretty.” --- Katie Makkai


....

“Proof that you can be adored by thousands of men even when your thighs touch.” - Miley C. defending her weight using a picture of the "size 16" Marilyn Monroe.

                                      When did this stop being the standard of beauty???

And even though I have to constantly remind myself to be strong and secure in order to be an example for my own daughter so she doesn't grow up too involved in how she looks... I can't help but feel guilty sometimes for not being as disciplined, for missing the gym (like this past week, UGH), for having that extra scoop of rice, for checking the scale at least once a week. But then I see Marilyn and that gut and I think "I'd rather have icecream and eat cheetos with Psyche than slave at the gym ANY DAY." (Ok ok, on some days --who am I kidding?--... while she goes to the playground. =)

Psyche tells me I'm sexy all the time. And it's funny now... but her saying it just seems so much more flattering than all the other guys who've called me sexy in my lifetime.

GOOFY at 23

I strode into Building B of the Corp. Office of SM Mall of Asia in my Superstars, a tanktop, a pink cloth headband, and a big, bright orange Nike laptop bag ready to interview the man who brought IMAX, the all-out 3D experience to the Philippines. At first, the security guards thought I was a bit underdressed for my supposed job interview. But when they finally realized that I was there to conduct the interview, I was finally able to meet Mr. Camaligan, the 3D man himself. He struck me as rather down-to-earth and incredibly accommodating (who actually complimented my manner of dress). For a businessman, he didn’t seem too intimidating and I immediately felt at ease in his presence. And though he did revolutionize the way cinema is now being shown, it was evident that it was purely for the love of the service and providing Filipinos with a form of entertainment that would bring us all back to three-dimensional life.

- Sept. 23, 2006 (one of the first interviews I'd done for Gadgets Magazine as an editorial asst.)

I can still remember that interview.

I remember being excited to be "out in the field"...

I remember being happy to be newly single...

I remember getting to watch a 3D movie at IMAX for the first time for free...

I remember the cab driver nice enough to give me his number so he could pick me up afterwards, knowing I lived all the way in the North and barely knew how to commute in Manila then...

I remember the group of young college guys I met by the row of bars along MOA kind enough to invite me to share a few drinks with them (as I waited for my cab)...

I remember one of them giving me the silver crescent moon ring he'd given his ex and returned after she'd broken up with him (ergo their drinking session) as a sign of friendship, even though I'd never see any of them again...

God, I even remember that insanely bold orange laptop bag I lugged around like some techie-backpacker weirdo... and that pink knit headband... and even my Goofy (as in the Disney character) Adidas Superstars (available only in kiddie sizes)...

Now what I don't remember is... when I stopped being so enthusiastic to just go out there, meet new people, and dress like a nerdy provincial kid ready to take on the big, bad city... in her Adidas.

She obviously still had a lot of UPLB in her.

I kinda miss her. She was pretty cool.

.....

Note to self: Must remember where I put my Goofy Adidas.

When good enough is enough

I don't know how it is for most working mothers but for me, there are definitely times where I feel guilty that I can't be there for my daughter as often as I should. That I don't have the luxury to be a full-time housewife or stay-at-home mom because our family and finances require dual-earners (who also happen to be dual-career parents).

Now my daughter's personal yaya is stranded in her hometown, recently devastated by typhoon Sendong... and I find that perhaps taking care of a kid all day isn't exactly the easiest job on earth. And the fact that I have to bring her to my office and keep her preoccupied with disney movies and video games and the occasional writing exercise doesn't make it any less stressful. Sometimes, I wonder how I even have the strength to carry my bag, her bag, our lunch bag, her dvd-games-makeup-notebook-and-everything-else-to-keep-psyche-busy bag AND her all in one go when we get home and I fumble with the keys to open the door only to rush right in to make some Rachel Ray 30-minute meal for dinner.

And then I remember: I'm her mother.

And no matter how busy I am, it's nice to know that I can still take my girl out to the park (during office hours =):