This blog entry was originally published on Tick-Talkative, a blog on the twenty-something edited by Isa Rodriguez - and perhaps the only place where my thoughts would collide with those of two former crushes - earlier today. This was originally written two days ago. This version has the links and the formatting - for some reason, the italics didn't make the final cut there.
Apart from a few times when I can claim to be one of the first to know something - most of which happened during a past life as an American television pundit - I'm often late when it comes to trends. It took me a year to join Friendster, two to join Facebook, and three to join Twitter, although to be fair, I considered joining that site when I was still in college, but didn't because I thought I wouldn't have time to tweet.
Yes, I can be terribly late. I don't spend my time watching trends, more so following them. You won't find me falling in line at the newly-opened milk tea store just so I can tell my friends that I've had a noun and it's an adjective. (I'm not saying I'm beneath trying something new, though; I just tend to wait until the crowds dry up, because one of the worst things about living in the metropolis is having to deal with a multitude of people who want to be first.) I don’t scour the Internet for the latest budding meme or the next big catch phrase, and I certainly don't have the urge to do something just because everybody else is. Had milk tea? Check. Rant against Globe? Nah, no problems here. Shot your friends with laser guns? I have nobody to shoot.
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8/30/2012
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8/29/2012
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If you can't beat them, join them, so they say, so here's a primer for you, Titosen, just in case you decide to join us.
What I'm doing right now is called blogging.
Back in the day, if I wanted my writings to be read by people, I need to be writing for a publication, or have access to loads of paper and a photocopier. With advances in technology - wider access to the Internet, mostly - anyone can have their thoughts published for everyone to access. Once a writer like me would only have a potential audience of, say, the forty people in my class, which was the case when I made newspapers from folded pad paper. Now, I have a potential audience of seven billion.
Read more »
What I'm doing right now is called blogging.
Back in the day, if I wanted my writings to be read by people, I need to be writing for a publication, or have access to loads of paper and a photocopier. With advances in technology - wider access to the Internet, mostly - anyone can have their thoughts published for everyone to access. Once a writer like me would only have a potential audience of, say, the forty people in my class, which was the case when I made newspapers from folded pad paper. Now, I have a potential audience of seven billion.
Read more »
8/27/2012
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I write this on the tail-end of yet another long weekend - the last one for a couple of months, sure, but another long weekend, nonetheless. I didn't do much. I did get something done - I finally got started on that long-delayed Arrested Development marathon, it being a show I like but one I never really got to finish, but today I wrapped up the first season, which I've watched from end to end anyway - but for the most part I just stayed at home, did some chores, got lazy, and did nothing but watch the Bluths.
Today I woke up and noticed that my phone's battery got drained. I don't know how. I turned it off before I slept, something I usually do most nights, if not all nights. Is it unusual for me to turn off my phone when I sleep? I asked this question once, and only Jackie admitted that she does the same.
Are we the exceptions to the rule? I mean, almost every episode of The Newsroom involves someone waking up to an urgent text message in the middle of the night, Granted, they work in the news, and it's a 24/7 operation. But I remember Kira tweeting me and Dinna after one of those long silly conversations - but this was when she just woke up, and this was when her sleeping patterns were still a bit wild, which meant Dinna and I were fast asleep.
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Today I woke up and noticed that my phone's battery got drained. I don't know how. I turned it off before I slept, something I usually do most nights, if not all nights. Is it unusual for me to turn off my phone when I sleep? I asked this question once, and only Jackie admitted that she does the same.
Are we the exceptions to the rule? I mean, almost every episode of The Newsroom involves someone waking up to an urgent text message in the middle of the night, Granted, they work in the news, and it's a 24/7 operation. But I remember Kira tweeting me and Dinna after one of those long silly conversations - but this was when she just woke up, and this was when her sleeping patterns were still a bit wild, which meant Dinna and I were fast asleep.
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8/25/2012
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It's Saturday night. I'm alone, I'm idle, and I'm possibly sleepy, and that means I feel terrible about myself.
I have the urge to write something, but to be honest, I really have nothing to write at the moment.
Well, I could write about what I feel at the moment. I'm alone. I'm idle. I'm definitely sleepy. I feel quite terrible, seeing what people are up to and wondering why I'm not up to anything myself.
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I have the urge to write something, but to be honest, I really have nothing to write at the moment.
Well, I could write about what I feel at the moment. I'm alone. I'm idle. I'm definitely sleepy. I feel quite terrible, seeing what people are up to and wondering why I'm not up to anything myself.
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8/20/2012
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I am a blogger.
According to some people, I am just a blogger.
Sure, I can write, but I am not recognized by the establishment, not recognized enough to have the paragraphs I write printed on actual paper, on actual mass-distributed, plastic-wrapped paper.
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According to some people, I am just a blogger.
Sure, I can write, but I am not recognized by the establishment, not recognized enough to have the paragraphs I write printed on actual paper, on actual mass-distributed, plastic-wrapped paper.
Read more »
8/18/2012
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I was out of the office at five, which meant I had three hours to kill before I'd head to Garage 88 for that not-really-little reunion Neil had unwittingly organized the week before. The plan was, I'd look for a taxi, head to the Fully Booked branch at Bonifacio High Street for a while, and then, when it's close to the scheduled time, I'd walk the not-really-long distance to the venue.
Of course, as with everything that's planned relatively painstakingly, nothing goes to plan. It took me three-quarters of an hour to find a taxi. Thank you, rush hour. It took me three-quarters of an hour to get to High Street. Thank you again, rush hour. My planned meet-up with Chex - it's more hastily planned than the reunion, so I specifically told her I didn't mind if it didn't push through - didn't push through, so I had far too much time going up and down the bookstore, and I ended up buying a copy of Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk With Me.
As I write this, I realize that she lives in Alabang, and that would, should, make meeting up a lot easier for both of us.
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Of course, as with everything that's planned relatively painstakingly, nothing goes to plan. It took me three-quarters of an hour to find a taxi. Thank you, rush hour. It took me three-quarters of an hour to get to High Street. Thank you again, rush hour. My planned meet-up with Chex - it's more hastily planned than the reunion, so I specifically told her I didn't mind if it didn't push through - didn't push through, so I had far too much time going up and down the bookstore, and I ended up buying a copy of Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk With Me.
As I write this, I realize that she lives in Alabang, and that would, should, make meeting up a lot easier for both of us.
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8/12/2012
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I've lived in Manila all my life, and that disqualifies me from writing a review of The Bourne Legacy.
That film has attracted a hell lot of interest since they shot scenes here early this year. A little under half the film was shot here, in fact. It's impossible not to know this. You had the evening newscasts covering every shooting day like it's an event of national significance. There's footage of every arrival, warnings of possible traffic jams due to the production, and no behind-the-scenes footage whatsoever, because that'll ruin the film for everyone - as if knowing that they managed to clear the usually busy Navotas Fish Port to shoot an action scene isn't enough of a spoiler.
In fact, it's safe to say that the huge interest in the film here is because we all want to see how jeepneys figuring in a high-speed chase scene looks like. How does Manila look like through a Hollywood camera? How do our best actors look like through a Hollywood camera? Will they speak broken English for the sake of art? We're all watching for the experience of seeing Manila differently. To hell with understanding the story. To hell with all those complaints you've heard from those who've already seen it.
Read more »
That film has attracted a hell lot of interest since they shot scenes here early this year. A little under half the film was shot here, in fact. It's impossible not to know this. You had the evening newscasts covering every shooting day like it's an event of national significance. There's footage of every arrival, warnings of possible traffic jams due to the production, and no behind-the-scenes footage whatsoever, because that'll ruin the film for everyone - as if knowing that they managed to clear the usually busy Navotas Fish Port to shoot an action scene isn't enough of a spoiler.
In fact, it's safe to say that the huge interest in the film here is because we all want to see how jeepneys figuring in a high-speed chase scene looks like. How does Manila look like through a Hollywood camera? How do our best actors look like through a Hollywood camera? Will they speak broken English for the sake of art? We're all watching for the experience of seeing Manila differently. To hell with understanding the story. To hell with all those complaints you've heard from those who've already seen it.
Read more »
8/10/2012
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I honestly thought I won't be able to make the venue on time. I was happy the rains stopped pouring. I wasn't happy that I got held up at school. Some extra requirement for literature class.
But I got to the Araneta Coliseum just in time. A little before eight. Also helped that my seat is reserved. Too bad my friends aren't able to go. Carrie and Dawn were also held up at school - why they decided to sleep the class suspensions away, cram their project and waste money on concert tickets they won't use, I'll never know - while Estelle just did not want to go. "But I don't like Snow Patrol," she said, scoffing a bit.
I took the stairs and found my way to Upper Box A. I know I got good seats, but I didn't realize I got really good seats. Front row. I'm still far from the band, but it's better than nothing.
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But I got to the Araneta Coliseum just in time. A little before eight. Also helped that my seat is reserved. Too bad my friends aren't able to go. Carrie and Dawn were also held up at school - why they decided to sleep the class suspensions away, cram their project and waste money on concert tickets they won't use, I'll never know - while Estelle just did not want to go. "But I don't like Snow Patrol," she said, scoffing a bit.
I took the stairs and found my way to Upper Box A. I know I got good seats, but I didn't realize I got really good seats. Front row. I'm still far from the band, but it's better than nothing.
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8/08/2012
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I never thought the cliché would come true. I never thought it would come true today. The brightest light shines after the darkest days, they say.
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8/07/2012
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I woke up at six this morning. Crap, I thought. I overslept. I rushed out of my room and saw all of our books on top of tables.
The water outside must've been this close to entering our house. And I didn't know it all happened. I slept through it.
I dropped Jeany a line or two, because she dropped me a couple of lines earlier. She just came from Boston, a trip for a couple of days or something. I was the only one awake, so I told her that, if she's online, I'll try to talk to her on FaceTime. We rarely talk on video, mostly because our schedules don't really meet.
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The water outside must've been this close to entering our house. And I didn't know it all happened. I slept through it.
I dropped Jeany a line or two, because she dropped me a couple of lines earlier. She just came from Boston, a trip for a couple of days or something. I was the only one awake, so I told her that, if she's online, I'll try to talk to her on FaceTime. We rarely talk on video, mostly because our schedules don't really meet.
Read more »
8/01/2012
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Pretty much right after the last time Clarence and I talked, my colleagues have noticed that I am slowly changing.
"Lumalaki na tiyan mo," they'd say.
I will admit. I did get fat.
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"Lumalaki na tiyan mo," they'd say.
I will admit. I did get fat.
Read more »
Niko Batallones writes The Upper Blog.
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