pushing paper

This looking for a job thing is as exciting as rearranging papers on my desk. Nothing jumps out at me going "Pick me, pick me, pick me!". It's more like, yeah I could do that, or I know how to do that, or that's what I've been doing for these past four years, but none of it is really exciting enough. It's all refelections of the corporate paper pushing world - whoever said we were going paperless is thinking too far into the future. I've never been able to get rid of the piles of paper on my work desk despite my adamant support of e-mail and e-files and my refusal to fax anything because I hate having to file a faxed piece of paper - I think it's quite dumb and wasteful to have to print something just to fax it when I can just as simply e-mail it without ever leaving my desk; or I could even fax it, if they just had to have it faxed, from my computer, still without printing it. I never understood why the the hell people at my last office would print enormous piles of e-mail and web pages out of the laser printer just to leave it sitting there for days. They'd already read it, but why, why print it too, then forget that you did and use up 500 sheets of paper at the same time? Whatever was being printed originated from their computer and could be stored on their computer (it's called HARD DRIVE space or FAVORITES/BOOKMARKS people, and yes, you can create as many folders as you want and name them whatever you want so you can FIND/SEARCH things). A friend of mine would tell me (more than once) that there were times when he would have to go through their office server looking for something and in the middle of rummaging through levels of files and folders, he would forget what he was looking for. Well, obviously he has his personal reasons for spacing out, but just as easily, you can COPY to your local hard drive, or at least MAP the damn drive.

I wrote a short story years ago about undone Laundry taking over my appartment and having to eat soft denims and crackly sheets for breakfast, lunch and dinner because I could no longer find the door to get out and buy food, much less live life. This time, it will be paper. Reams, piles, and endless amounts of junk mail, adverts, billing companies who refuse online only statments that will be taking over our home, covering up our windows, flowing out from under our doors, blocking light switches and air vents; we will suffocate and eventually turn yellowish-brown with age and only our comic books with acid-free backing will remain mint.

5:53 AM | |

mocca art festival

It was sunny enough to make it to the MoCCA Art Fesitval in downtown Manhattan yesterady. I felt like I didn't deserve to be there and I thought other people like Vin might have benefitted more - I was sort of lost, wanting to buy and read everything. I obviously couldn't as I'd no idea what half of the interesting looking comics/cartoon strips were on the exhibitor tables. Tons of small press outfits, I only recognized some inlcuding Fantagraphics and Top Shelf ; where we picked up The Mirror of Love and Voice of Fire and talked with José Villarrubia who signed our copies (yay!). Of course, Alan Moore wasn't around, and I didn't want to pay an extra twenty bucks for ones that had already beens signed by him. Wanted to get Criag Thompson's Chunky Rice, but decided against it (it might just be in the library). Also picked up Peter Kuper's Metamorphosis that he also signed by way of a sketch on the inside of the book. Went over to the CBLDF tables and picked up some Gaiman stuff: a signed Guardian Angel tour poster designed by Craig Thompson and a signed copy of Angels and Visitations which has been extremely hard to find since its first printing sold out. So, I was extremely happy with that find.

There really was so much more and I wish we had had more time to talk with the writers and artist and browse through more of the interesting books and art work, but it was extremely hot in the building and Dylan was intimidated by the close proximity of the crowds. Besides, we'd spent too much money already and didn't want to look at more stuff we just couldn't buy anymore. If only it wasn't so hot and we hadn't started out so late...

11:03 AM | |

city of god

City of God is like Pulp Fiction with more adrenaline and speed; more friciton, grit, and better camera angles. It's not as bloody as say, Kill Bill, but the violence is more tactile, more felt, more true. The cinematography is beautiful, and I say this because in its depiciton of Rio's most notorius slum, I was instantly transported to the slums of Manila. I drew parallels. I felt it. I smelt it. I heard it. The City of God came to life. It wasn't just a film, it was life in the slum. I could feel the desperation, the meanlessness, and the absolute poverty. I could also feel the humid heat, the dust of the streets, and the hunger pangs rife in those thin bodies. I haven't been so engulfed in a film for a long time.

The story does not run chronologically. It runs as protagonist Rocket tells it. And I like the way he tells it: by way of propelling the story forward and appropriate character introductions. Little Zé was a great character (excellent actor Leandro Firmino da Hora). I always love the antagonists - so many more layers to reveal, more complications, more texture, more personality. Rocket's character is not as straightforward the good guy, but you know in his heart, that's what he is.

I've only got raves, so watch the film and decide for yourself. But trust me. It's really, really good! The DVD includes a documentary on the real life slum scenario which just further ingrains the vision of slum life even deeper. Excellent!

5:05 AM | |

what happens in vegas...

One of the interesting things about living in Vegas (or having lived there) is that it is a 24/7 kind of place. Hungry after a night of carousing? Tons of graveyard specials from $1.50 and up which could feed a hungry bear. Need some first aid salve and band aids after a drunken brawl? Pop into the only neon-lit Walgreens on the planet, get a gallon of water to sober up a smidge so you can point to the carton of Camels that your system so badly needs right now. Then pop round the gas station to deposit your remaining quarters in the slot machine just in case you get lucky. Afterwards, you can proceed to finish the bottle of Jack that you don't remember paying for, on the street; light the cigarette hanging out of your mouth while looking for your next big fight. It won't be far as you won't miss all the weirdos as they pour out of the clubs at 4, 5, 6 AM looking for the next party. All in a morning's work.

It's a lovable town. How couldn't you love it? Steak and eggs, prime rib and champagne, buffets and bars, free flowing alcohol and sex, smoke wherever and whenever you want, hopes and dreams ready to burst out of slot machines, video poker screens, black jack games, craps tables - they're all ready and waiting for your dollar bills, credit cards, home equity. But if you, on the otherhand, have a gambling problem and have lost homes, family and loved ones, please leave town. Immediately. Call 1-800-522-4700. "Know when to stop before you start". Clearly, you couldn't know if you haven't taken in the possiblities yet. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, including all that you possess.

2:29 PM | |

mitsuwa adventure: proof that jersey city is manila's parallel universe


Fact #2


Yesterday was a great adventure through the wilds of Jersey City, Bergen, and finally, Edgewater - my and Dylan's final destination. I had been reading the Japanese cookbook on my shelf and was both inspired and salivating, and I had to get to Mitsuwa, the Japanese market (Meiji strawberry chocolate was on Dylan's mind). Think that getting from Point A to Point B is as simple as Mapquesting "595 River Rd., Edgewater, NJ"? EEEEHHHHHH, wrong. Try again. Aside from New Jersey being its own parallel universe to who knows what, trying to mapquest any location in this state is like deliberatley trying to get lost. First of all, mapquest gives you streets that don't exist, then they tell you to pass through the worst route known to woman. "Fastest route" my ass. It'll get you there, yes, but with much difficulty and with the most amount of stress, traffic, and a lot of asking for directions because, well, the street you were looking for doesn't exist. Or, it does, but in another part of town where you are not. So, I had Dino's cousin-in-law give me some semblance of direction because he works on the very same road and has seen the "Japanese Strip Mall with Japanese writing on it". Now this guy is great within Jersey City limits, but outside of it, he has no semblance of North, South, East or West. He gave me simple directions. Then later called me up to change the description. It worked but it was like being in Manila all over again: 50 minutes travel time for less than 12 miles!!! Call me a West Coaster, but it was surreal. The road was pot-holed, uneven, under construction and I was fighting for space along side trucks and a massive amount of cars. The entire Las Vegas seemed to be on the road with me yesterday afternoon. Then, like a ray of heavenly light, Mitsuwa (Xtine - we have Mitsuwa and it looks exactly like yours - YAY!) appeared on the eastern horizon (chorus of angels). At last. I felt hot and dusty, just like I was getting off a bus somewhere in Makati from Quezon City.

And this was the result: Spam, spam, spam, spam, and egg sushi. And a bit of chicken yakitori. Dedicated to Marie and Todd - it's not Musubi, but it tastes great - trust me - it's Spam, man!. Almost looks like maki dunnit?! I dearly miss the weekly trips to Yoko sushi, possibly the best sushi in Las Vegas. Being sushi monsters and the last time we had the all you can eat sushi at the bar, the sushi chef told us to "slow down and take a break" because he couldn't make them fast enough for our fast chewing mouths and bottomless stomachs! Oh, Yokohama Sushi, I do love thee.

7:14 AM | |

proof that jersey city is manila's parallel universe

Fact #1
Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode with the Bizarro Jerry? Synopsis: Elaine's boyfriend is exactly like Jerry, except opposite. He has two friends that are the exact opposite of Geroge and Kramer, and they bizarrely look like their opposites thus making up a Bizarro gang. You'd have to know the non-bizarro gang's personality for this parallel to work. But, well, here is bizarro Manila.

If you've ever been to Project 8 (2-3, 4, 6 or 7 for that matter), and visited a house there by which buses or jeeps pass, you might have noticed the great amount of noise on the street which seems to be entirely absorbed into the house, especially at night when people would be trying to sleep. If you've lived there for many years, the noise would never bother you. It just sort of blends into the landscape, along with the black dust and diesel fumes. So here in Jersey City, we live in a house that is on the corner of a bus stop. Imagine the noise of a hurtling bus every ten minutes, combined with the force of energy that suddenly has to halt where the sign says 'Bus Stop'. I don't think earthquakes are common are in New Jersey, but I've felt a few of them while in California and Nevada, and let's just say it's like a mini aftershock when some buses go faster than necessary. Also, you will hear loud voices outside the window. At first, I thought my sense of hearing had heightened, because everything was so clear and I could understand every word being said. Then I realized, the people waiting for the bus and talking loudly were speaking in Tagalog.

4:04 AM | |

which brings me to

My favorite videos thus far:

1. Walkie Talkie Man - Steriogram
2. Just - Radiohead
3. Coffee & TV - Blur
4. Bedtime Stories - Madonna
5. I Miss You - Björk
6. The Rain - Missy Elliot
7. Scream - Michael & Janet Jackson
8. Big Time - Peter Gabriel
9. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush
10. The Caterpillar/Close to Me - The Cure

Others of note:
Little Wonder - David Bowie
Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
Human Nature/Secret/Take a Bow/I AM a Madonna video fan
It's Oh So Quiet - Björk
Why Can't I Be You? - The Cure
Once in a Lifetime/And She Was - Talking Heads
I know there's a gazillion more...

10:39 AM | |

walkie talkie video

Michel Gondry has done great things for Björk and his latest video for New Zealand's Steriogram is no exception. Watch the clip on their site. It's fantastic with a great concept - a video yarn - love it! This is one of those examples when a video renders a band with more merit than you would normally give it if you simply heard them on the radio or watched them play a set on MTV. Steriogram is of the rock/rap genre which is something I'm on the fence on. If it's from Fred Durst and co., I usually hate it. If it's from Korn and their likes, well, I think it's bloody well pretentious. So, O.K., I hate the genre except for that one song that I like whose title I can't think of right now. Perhaps Walkie Talkie Man isn't so bad because it's from New Zealand and the video's great? These days, videos can cover up a band's shortcomings so well, it's sad. But yes. The video's great, and perhaps tops my list of greatest videos.

8:19 AM | |

nothing like a pint down at the pub


I love a good pint down at the pub. Nothing goes down smoother than a cold Newcastle in a crowded bar with the best chicken fingers on the planet or an actually tasty British burger or fish and chips. I'm more of a pub person than a club person. I'd rather be tucked away talking to friends at a dark table in a cheap cafe or anywhere that serves cold beer not over $3.50. So it's no surprise that the Vegas Crown & Anchor is one of my favorite places to be. I'll tell you right now, it's nothing special. In fact it's such a small place, often crowded, stinking of cigarette smoke and parking's a bitch on Friday nights, but it's my home away from home and reminds me of my college days drinking at trashy places like Sarah's or Gulod (believe me, you'd be appalled if you've never been there). It's no Lotus Club, but the bathrooms are clean, the beer is cheap, there are graveyard specials on food after 11PM and I love it and miss it with great pangs of nostalgia.

11:57 PM | |

Life at TJ's Place

So. I'm amused by this blog found at Lisa's blog (which probably means it must amuse her too) and now, I frequent it. What can I say, it reminds me of the many hours I've spent at strip joints, with or without alcohol, which means either it's just a topless place (just a topless place if you consider booty floss underwear) where alcohol is served or it's a total nudie where there isn't a drop of the stuff (O'doul's you say? O'doul's is not beer O.K.?).

What would someone like me be doing spending numerous hours at strip joints you ask? For fun. Really. And no. I'm neither butch-femme-lesbian-what-have-you. We just get a lot of guests who feel the need to go to these joints when they hit The Vegas, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying a nude sashay down the stage and up a pole every once in a while, also I don't see anything wrong with my husband doing the same. Except for times when you realize you're in the same totally nude joint for the second time, without your husband, in less than two weeks, and you haven't had enough alcohol in your system yet, and the girls' platform lucite heels begin to start clacking together too loudly as they slide down the pole head first and you're noticing every detail, like how each girl wipes down the pole with a washcloth right before their turn to dance. Kinda just rubs away the mystique dunnit?

1:22 PM | |

just shoot me

Once, our big boss where I used to work came up to me to ask me a question. A small question I suspected, not exactly work-related, but an all-important question nonetheless. I could see that he was seething and infuriated beneath the surface, as his breath came in great gusts; his intake far greater than normal, and exhaling in billows, almost as if you could see the smoke. He reminded me of a cartoonish bull, ready to charge Bugs Bunny. He wanted to know where in the hell his daughter was, as if I had put her up to her disappearing act and her no-show at some meeting he had set with her. He ranted for about a minute about how sometimes, you just want to "shoot your own children".

Anger and children are for the most part, within close proximity, and I believe there are a lot of exterior factors that contribute to this. For myself, weather patterns and hormones are contributing factors to emotional output. Take for example yesterday. It was a bloody hot day, a humid 95?F, the hottest humid day I've had in a long time. Also, perhaps I had a bit of a hormonal imbalance going on within, so that was enough to bring on the boiling point - the seething and bubbling and boiling beneath the surface. Perhaps that very same humid heat had something to do with my son being how he was beneath his own exterior; peeing all over the floor and generally running amok beyond control or stern words of reprimand. Let me just explain the 'peeing all over the floor' bit in that we are toilet training and he is, at this point, at all times, either running around with Sponge Bob Square Pants underpants, or none at all after his little accidents.

We are on the fourth day today of the process, and there have been a few setbacks. The first day was like magic. He would tell me right on cue if he had to "pee on the toilet seat". I suppose the first day had all the novelty of the idea still intact and all there: the novelty of the toilet seat adaptor (for those of you devoid of little monstrous beasts that sometimes transform into court jesters to further enrich your lives, the toilet seat adaptor is a mini toilet seat that goes over the regular toilet seat so that the little beasts can sit on the toilet without falling in and being suctioned off into the void of the septic world. They are designed ingeniously for convenience and you can just put them on and take them off at a moments notice. Some models, like the one we own, have handles on the sides, which the little court jesters can grip while getting on, while sitting and while awkwardly sliding off.); the novelty of the flush function; the novelty of watching the water swirling around the bowl and being suctioned into the pipes below; and that all that with a wonderful "wooshing" sound. Let's just say my momentary second job interview on Tuesday, which involved leaving him for three hours with a cousin in-law, disrupted the smooth flow of training and thus brings us to the terrible Wednesday.

It was 95?F, a bloody hot, humid day, and I was hormonly challenged, trying my best not to throw fits every five minutes because there were marbles and mini cue balls rolling all over the floors which I would trip on every five minutes. I was boiling and seething by mid afternoon because I had to clean up four pee spills off the floor, but couldn't show myself as a malcontent to the beast, lest he be discouraged. We had no clean underwear left, so he ran around with his shirt, but literally butt naked. He would terrorize the dog by sitting on its back while it was trying to sleep, then punch it around the ears for no reason. Then he would sit all over the floor where I had just cleaned off the pee, then he would ask me for different things to eat, which I would bring out, then he wouldn't finish any of them. By the end of the day we had paper towels, yoghurt, spoons, Jamaican patty crusty bits, sticky bits of dried juice everywhere, pillows all over the floors and all the while I'm trying to both reprimand and enjoy my Lord of the Rings Appendices DVDs. Then he thought it would be funny to ask me if he could go outside dressed as he was, and broke down in a whining fit when I said he couldn't. I told him he needed some shorts at least, then he finally calmed down and said he was going fishing outside. I didn't really want to shoot him though, I just wanted to give him away. For about five minutes.

4:35 AM | |

profile

Born: Year of the Snake/ Scorpio

Age: 2.5

Current Favorites: baseball, golf, soccer, marbles, Hot Wheels, parks, playgrounds, hiking, Zoom, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, In the Night Kitchen, From Head to Toe, terrorizing Marley, Winnie the Pooh fleece pillow

Favorite Foods: pakbet with lots of beans, macaroni and cheese (not boxed), boiled eggs, corned beef, pancakes, crispy pusit, Breton crackers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chips, Jellyace, yoghurt, strawberry flavored anything

Catch Phrase: "I don't feel well, don't leave me!" or "Don't leave me, don't go to work!" with high drama, right before going to the baby sitter's

Motto: "You silly billy!"

Recent discovery: Kangaroos eat garden mushrooms.

Me:
"Where did the mushrooms go?" looking into front yard grass.
Dylan:
"An animal ate it"
Me:
"What kind of animal?"
Dylan:
"A kangaroo!!!"

7:43 AM | |