Filet Mignonne

Christopher Hargadon (with the help of Mads Mikkelsen aka Dr. Hannibal Lecter up there): Restoring...

fractionsofmoi — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:42:00 +0800

Christopher Hargadon

(with the help of Mads Mikkelsen aka Dr. Hannibal Lecter up there):

Restoring my faith in wide gigantic neckties and the full Windsor knot (also called a double Windsor). Oh, and the checkered suit! A three-piece checkered suit and a paisley-patterned tie, at that.

More here.

Also, if you want to stare at the paisley pattern, check out the huge image here.

How to NOT Make Your Headache Go Away: Surf the web in your...

fractionsofmoi — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:48:12 +0800

How to NOT Make Your Headache Go Away:

Surf the web in your dimly lit room fairly late at night despite an alarmingly growing sleep debt that needs paying off blah blah blah eat ice cream blah doodle blah blah do more verbs other than sleep

Hoots in Suits Just reposting because I am a lazy bum with no...

fractionsofmoi — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:33:14 +0800

Hoots in Suits

Just reposting because I am a lazy bum with no new material - everything’s in progress and it doesn’t help that my pen has run out of ink.

THWACK! Unplugged Challenge

fractionsofmoi — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:58:00 +0800

Live through the weekend unplugged.

Blast through your pile of nearing-sentient dirty laundry. Burn through your sketchpad with lead and ink. Rip out and chew the rest of that book with your mental chomper. Pay off your sleep debt. Soap up and wring out that welcome mat to find a clean version of your dog. Have real people dinner - no, I’m not talking about cannibalism, you sicko. Sweep your floors and scrub your sink.

But steer clear of the Interwebs and all its time-sucking glory.

So no Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, WordPress, Youtube, Blahblah, MoreBlah. No video streaming sites or listening to music through the great network. No food picture posts. Nothing. Nada.

Your one exception: your phone - emergency calls or texts.

Think you can handle it?

Godspeed to myself.

Bob the Bot One of my first records over at HitRECord. Again, a...

fractionsofmoi — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:01:25 +0800

Bob the Bot

One of my first records over at HitRECord. Again, a re-post, just because.

The End Just re-posting old stuff because I am a lazy bum.

fractionsofmoi — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:01:24 +0800

The End

Just re-posting old stuff because I am a lazy bum.

The first in a series of “old” stuff that I finally...

fractionsofmoi — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:01:10 +0800

The first in a series of “old” stuff that I finally will be posting/re-posting here. :)

"How folks lay claim to a loved one is they give you a name of their own. They figure to label you as..."

fractionsofmoi — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:01:29 +0800

“How folks lay claim to a loved one is they give you a name of their own. They figure to label you as their property.”

- Rant by Chuck Palahniuk

Half-Remembered Epiphanies of You-ness and Loneliness

fractionsofmoi — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 00:21:23 +0800

Half-Remembered Epiphanies of You-ness and Loneliness:

“We are lonelier at night,” he said with his eyes trained at something only he could see.

Just Following Directions

fractionsofmoi — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 01:17:20 +0800

Just Following Directions

Doodling for hitRECord when the mood strikes. (It struck...

fractionsofmoi — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:13:24 +0800

Doodling for hitRECord when the mood strikes. (It struck tonight.) Illustrating this.

I am running on pure force of will - if will were 67% caffeine and 33% sugar. The 400+ ml of coffee...

fractionsofmoi — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:26:52 +0800

I am running on pure force of will - if will were 67% caffeine and 33% sugar. The 400+ ml of coffee is to blame, I’m sure.

On the bright side, I’ve learned how to successfully make a cup of Starbucks liquid last me hours: get a brewed coffee. Good coffee isn’t supposed to be plain bitter but theirs is like a newly-broken-up-with individual scorned on Valentines’ Day. Seven packets of sugar and a third of a cupful of half and half* later, however, and the drink becomes tolerable. Thank goodness for that.

It’s been ages since I’ve sat down to ramble but thanks to an empty stomach and the caffeine/sugar in my system, I’ve managed to finish inking a drawing, pencil something, read a bit, write a bit, make a list (of self-imposed chores for the weekend), and mutter a lot (to myself).

So in keeping with the basic principles of a diary/journal/blog, here’s to an update of my life so far:

January just ended and looking back, I find it surprising how much can happen in the span of four weeks. For one thing, there’s great progress in our** DIY project, the renovation of Mama’s room, now mine. We’re currently working on the floor, tile work.

There’s also my project of de-cluttering the house. Percentage of completion? I have no idea. There’s just so much stuff lying about.

Lastly there’s the new job, new faces, and a new routine which I’m still trying to perfect and get used to.

I won’t lie, though. I still do miss my Manila/Makati/Mandaluyong life not so much for its routine and familiarity but for the people I no longer get to see on a day-to-day basis. In fact, my friends just texted/called me a couple of hours ago, telling me about the dinner gettogether they’re having - all while I was going all “loner artiste” in a cafe (which I swear I was only doing to pass the time as I waited for Friday/Sweldo Day traffic to die down).

That’s about it. I realize that there’s so much more I have to do and missed out on. The goal for February? Get more sociable. Oh! And learn to drive. Aaaaand I think this calls for another list. Oh, joy.

Cue in hunger pangs.

*FAUX FRACTIONS. Awesome.

**My dad’s and mine.

Project 813: Slowly But Surely

fractionsofmoi — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 20:37:37 +0800

HA! Since the first post, I’ve managed to remove everything from the room - it had been used as a storage place so this task was the most daunting one for starters. I’ve stored/thrown/put the stuff aside and cleaned up the place, including the secret “Harry Potter” room beneath the stairs. The floors have been scrubbed and the furniture inside cleaned. I think I did a fairly good job of the first two-three stages of room cleaning.

It helps that both my sister and father are proud of me. Apparently, Papa couldn’t believe that Mama’s room has finally been cleared up. (Also, I found a lot of things that could have still been used, had we gone through her stuff way back when. Think: boxes of brand new syringes, bottles and packs of medication, and similar medical objects. Oh, well.)

We’ve just put in the single bed frame and I finally finished cleaning the blinds. All my spanking new room needs now is a coat of paint for the walls, new tiles, better placed furniture and foam for my bed. Then I can settle in and happily put everything in order.

Oh and cabinet space! Dang. Still need to sort through the piles and piles of clothing, bedding, and bath towel items and we have a LOT of them - not just in my new room but the entire house. Sigh.

On with the project!

2013 Thoughts: Differences After a Decade

fractionsofmoi — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:37:24 +0800

The new year brings with it renewed promises to do better and live fuller. Two days into 2013 and I feel no different than the way I felt the year before. Then again, these things take time.

And I have the luxury of time. The past few days, I’ve been bringing up the job hunt and my father has made no move to hurry me along. In fact, he insists there’s no rush. Just as he does with the plan, rather, my plan to fix the house up (starting with my room). My parents have never been the type to urge, to push, to force things and I am grateful for it. I just hope I don’t end up taking too much time in moving forward.

How odd.

Years and years ago, I would have abhorred the idea of an 8-5 job. It was synonymous to the concept of being a cogwheel in the grand scheme of economics and industry. I’d have lost my voice, my identity, and turned into another automaton. Life would be centered around money and money was evil. The Job would have spelled routine and routine meant boring, boring, boring.

But here I am, eager to get a regular job - but not too eager, not just yet I mean because I’ve other plans I’d like to see through.

Routine is now something I want established, job or none. I’d like to find a process that works and have it up and running, whether it’s a commute route or weekly chores. I’d like my routine to include work, something that lets me earn because money isn’t the center of life but all evidence points to how it fuels life. It would be naive to think that I could get through a day without the barter of things of worth - for example, money for food.

Earning money meant I had the ability to do work, do something I’m good at, good enough for people to pay me to do what I do. In an ideal world, it would be synonymous to capacity and ability and talent, and I’d be putting theories into practice, theories learned through academics and life, in general. I would be empowering myself, the client or company I’d be working with and for, and whoever else I affect in the long run. In the grand scheme of things, I would be a cogwheel that would help keep the train moving forward, and I’d be moving forward just as well.

It just goes to show how different one’s perceptions are in the course of time. Also, thirteen year old me had way too much time, thinking angst-y, rebellious, kid thoughts.

But no matter the age, at the end of the day and the beginning of a year, we all still make our resolutions and our promises. Here’s to having some follow-through!

Cheers!

Project 813: The Room with the Orange Door

fractionsofmoi — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:35:57 +0800

Since my relocation to Home, I’ve done four things: take extensive naps, eat or “party” hard (which means eating in a company of five or more people), and turn my brain to mush (in areas including but not limited to mathematics, as this sentence proves). I have, however a mini goal I’ve been meaning to accomplish, well, not so much a mini goal as a large possibly overwhelming one which I’ve dubbed “Project 813”.

The house is - to overdramatize reality - in ruins, or at the very least, it’s dusty and messy. Over the past years, it’s shied away from the lime light and backed itself in the corner of the unloved and the forgotten. Poor house.

Voila! Here I am to save the day!

(GIF image. Not mine.)

…eventually.

Seriously, though, that’s the plan. I’m going to tackle mama’s room first, the Room with the Orange Door. Slowly but surely. After all, it’s going to be my room.

Current obstacles include:

- two cabinets

- a drawer

- huge desk

- long side table

- dust and stuff meant for storage

I’ve just started. Here’s to goals and not waiting for the New Year to get cracking!

Heading Home For Good (or For the Meantime)

fractionsofmoi — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 02:40:13 +0800

ZERO.

The flight home to Cebu is today. Will discuss later. Wiped out from the awesome despedida night out and the great day.

Truly some of the best people I know.

Heading Home For Good (or For the Meantime)

fractionsofmoi — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:00:29 +0800

ONE.

Today’s my last “real” day in Makati/Manda. I say “real” because I’ll be going about my day in the office, amongst my office mates.

Manila is made unforgettable not by its sky rise buildings or the fast paced living. It is made real by its people, who breathe life into every day. So it is with great pleasure that I spend my last day amidst friends, the best persons I know here.

Heading Home For Good (or For the Meantime)

fractionsofmoi — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:29:25 +0800

TWO.

The 18th marked the second day before I leave.

Yes, I realize it’s past midnight but hey a promise is a promise, even if I never promised myself that I’d see this countdown thing through. It just grew on me, I guess. It’s been a long day. If there’s one thing I won’t miss, it’s the extreme cab hunting. My feet hurt like nobody’s business.

The highlights of today include:

The impromptu shopping/”malling” with two amazing friends, Monica and Hydra
Omakase dinner with Mudra Monica! (I’ve noticed that I’ve been hitting the usual places we eat at in the past few days. Yey for me! I have Muds to thank for the wonderful gift to the world, the gift that is seafood crepe salad.)
Lunch and coffee with a good high school friend, Mars
And the cab driver home who creeped me out since he kept muttering to himself. I had Hyds aka Cookie drop me off at the corner instead of drive me to the apartment. There was something about how he laughed…

The last one isn’t so much a highlight as it is evidence of how I won’t miss cab hunting at 11-ish in Makati on a Tuesday night after having walked around for the past three-four hours. So, there.

I’d like to wax poetic about some things but I still have this shirt I have to rinse and dry. Oh and there’s still sleep. Yes, sleep. How I’ve missed all eight hours of you.

Okay, one learning/realization/thought:

Cookie and I were quiet the entire ride home. This could partially be because the driver was creepy, and we were exhausted. But despite that I felt no need to fill in the silence. It was the calming kind of silence. There were moments when we’d share looks. I found it funny, actually - perfect moments when we’d turn and widen our eyes. I ended the day with awesome people, and I comfortably hanged out with Cookie the entire ride home, quiet and all.

I think back on all the cab rides home with the Manda girls, Cookie and Sheilala. Taxi hunting may be a pain but riding the cab with these women - Muds, included care of the honorary Manda membership - are worth it a thousand times over.

Heading Home For Good (or For the Meantime)

fractionsofmoi — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:17:00 +0800

THREE.

Three more days and I’ll be flying back to Cebu and staying put (for the meantime, at least).

Although my eyeballs are threatening to roll backwards in search of some comforting darkness, here I am trying to gather my frazzled wits. I’ve been rather grumpy as of late. It’s the lack of sleep, the time spent packing up my life of a year and a half, and the regular denial of reality that there’s the Move in three days.

All this culminated in the snippy little comments I’ve been offhandedly throwing around today. It’s getting tiring, the constant explanation of why I’m moving back - as if I had to champion an unjust cause. There is the niggling consciousness of the fact that every time seemed to be the first time and every time I felt a need for validation. The reasons are clear bullet points in my head but I know each point may not hold up when faced with the black and white of logistics and numbers.

After all, I have never been purely logistics and numbers, no matter how hard I try to be. The truth behind the Move is far more personal and vague and sentimental, and I know that it won’t answer everything and that the reality of the Move will be tough. But I can’t shake off the feeling that I left Cebu with far too many things undone, even if I don’t know what these are exactly.

I can delay them, sure but it would be inevitable that I’d go back. Until then, the idea of the Move would sit at the back of my mind, festering. I’m trying to lessen the weight of my regrets. We all have a few minor ones - that time you should’ve gone out or that moment when you could’ve gotten a freebie - and then there are the ones that hang over your heads, the looming regrets.

I’m trying to right one of the latter ones but I don’t know how. I’ll figure it out. Hopefully.

I’m going to miss the people here, though. There’s a small voice saying this could even turn into one of the looming regrets and would only serve to compound the previous one. But I know it isn’t true because I choose to believe that the time I’ve spent here and the friendships I’ve made here won’t end here and now.

I may miss out on the future dinners, lunches, the nights out, the food, the good times and the bumpy ones. I may never hear about the latest stoner humor video or the crazy lines someone comes up with. But I’ll make damn sure to remember the time we have spent, to stay connected, and to look forward to the future when we do meet up for coffee or bump into each other - wherever and whenever it may be.

We may not have much time now so let’s have hope instead.

Heading Home For Good (or For the Meantime)

fractionsofmoi — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:29:00 +0800

FOUR.

We’ve been robbed! I came home to an empty apartment.

“Empty”, if you don’t count the bed in the room and my prepared clothes. There wasn’t a robbery exactly. Not at all, in fact. Just me and some over the top initial reaction borne out of forgetfulness and melodrama. All the boxes of our stuff - all, save one - have been shipped to their new homes and my brother has flown back to his side of the country. It’s the fourth day of my last few days’ stay in Manila.

Fine, technically I’m on the third day but what’s 24 minutes past yesterday to a very tired person who must update because hey, it’s a countdown.

Four days left and I was in LB and then later mostly in malls and let’s just say I’m very tired and you guessed it. I’m off to bed.

Quick backwards recap:

- Rurouni Kenshin the movie is a great film translation of the anime series. The fight scenes were particularly superb.

- Saw a friend, classmate and orgmate. Same person. (Read: CamBri)

- Ate food court “Bibimbob” (I prefer calling it “bibimbap” but that was the name on their menu), a Korean dish. Yum and fun except for the part where I had to look for a seat.

- Got stuff at Greenbelt

- Rode the wrong bus but got off near Buendia and went to Greenbelt which was the plan anyway

- Met up with a friend, orgmate and batchmate. Just one person but not the same person previously mentioned. (Read: Enzo)

- Came from overnight - UP SIBOL Christmas party - where my amazing batchmates and I spent quality time! Love you, Bahandi! We were almost complete! I was not expecting it at all. Lovely surprise! <3

Good night!