Liv in a Life Well-Lived

Book in Hand: Year's Best Fantasy 5 edited by David Hartwell Song in Mind: Tom's Diner by Suzzane Vega I will be very honest with you. I'm in love with traveling. If I can just stay on the road, all problems and issues eventually stays on hold. I am in transition and I can't be bothered by things so far away from me at the moment. Tomorrow though, I would prefer to stay at home. Today hadn't been a forgiving day ( had to help facilitate a super effort-intensive school building turnover ceremony ) and I would rather sleep all day tomorrow. Or read. Unfortunately, I have to go on an eight-hour road trip to Naga City in Camarines Sur. The next day, I have to travel two and a half more hours to Tabaco City Albay. There's a computer laboratory turnover ceremony there I have to facilitate. Ah, ghastly. I can only imagine the pain it'll accost my behind. :) I won't be back in Manila until Wednesday. I plan to take Thursday easy, and then travel to Mindoro on Fr...

Book in Hand: Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner Song in Mind: Everyday's A Winding Road by Sheryl Crow In a bout of unprecedented self-love (hehe), I investigated and compiled the following silly facts about my birthday, my name and the other people also bearing the same. From the Birthday Generator: You are 24 years old. You are 8395 days old. You were conceived around 05-06-1981. You were not born on a leap year. You were born 333 days from Christmas and 340 days from New Years. Your Julian Calendar Birthdate is 2444996.5. OLIVIA Gender: Female Origin: Latin Meaning: Olive Tree / Peace and symbolizing the tree of life Pinyin : Aòlìwéiyà Diminutives: Livia, Lyvia , Olyvia THE OTHER OLIVIAS The One Who Ate A Bullet The 31-year-old Olivia Chanes bought a hotdog at a food stand in a Costco store in an Irvine warehouse. While eating she felt something hard and thought it was part of her braces. When she noticed it was a 9mm bullet instead of a part of her braces she immediately calle...

THE BETTER FIGHTER VERSUS For more than a month, the whole country was focused on the Morales and Pacquiao fight. Of course, we were all rooting for the Pac-man. He's Filipino and I want a countryman to bag the award, the money and the glory. But I hate boxing. I really, really do. It brings to mind dogfights, which it actually is. I hate the blood and the gore and the viciousness of the sport. I hate seeing broken noses as well as reddening and purpling bruises on faces. And what I hate most is that people are actually cheering while someone gets clobbered in the arena. It brings to mind the gladiator days and it leaves a foul taste in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that Pacquiao won. But happy? No. Besides, I have this huge crush on Erik Morales. Did you see his bloodied pulp of a face? Oh, sweetie, come here and I'll clean you right up. Hay. THE BETTER PERFORMER VERSUS Actually, this two aren't exactly fighting. It's just that at home, we're f...

I have just finished reading my borrowed copy of Eragon written by Christopher Paolini. I'm going to be very honest, I am envious of this guy. He wrote the book when he was fifteen and published it at nineteen. He's twenty years old now, younger than I am by four years, and he's a published author of fantasy, no less. He's so well-praised that even his success is making waves here in the Philippines. My friend who let me borrow the book also just bought the second book entitled Eldest. My point is, this young guy is making some ultra-cool money by writing about something he loved! I'm happy that he wrote this book whil he's still young. I think it was what helped him rise to fame. To see the kind of determination he showed in someone so young is exemplary. And the product of his efforts was impressive. But - - Again, I would be honest. You can say I'm just jealous... but the book wasn't as great as I anticipated it to be. Let's just say, there were a...

The Backstreet Boys are performing somewhere in Cubao, right about now. Aah... remember those days, then? When boy bands were the craze and I was half-prepared to be bethrothed to a boy band member in my dreams and he turned out to be gay ? (memory shall self-destruct in 5...4...3...2...) My sister loved the Backstreet Boys. Good Lord, I can remember another high school classmate who actually sent gifts (expensive ones like watches, chocolates, framed artist-drawn scketches... really!) to Nick Carter for three consecutive birthdays. Now there the boys are, probably singing their lungs out ---a lot of girls (oooops, they're women now, I suppose) would still be watching just for old times' sake. And now here I am. Listening to one of their old songs (All That I Have) and I just freaking don't believe in it anymore. And that sort of reminds me, I don't believe in love songs anymore except for the sad ones. In my high school yearbook, I wrote there that I'd (dance lik...

art by sharon hudson William Lyon Phelps speaks From a radio broadcast on April 6, 1933 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The habit of reading is one of the greatest resources of mankind; and we enjoy reading books that belong to us much more than if they are borrowed. A borrowed book is like a guest in the house; it must be treated with punctiliousness, with a certain considerate formality. You must see that it sustains no damage; it must not suffer while under your roof. You cannot leave it carelessly, you cannot mark it, you cannot turn down the pages, you cannot use it familiarly. And then, some day, although this is seldom done, you really ought to return it. But your own books belong to you ; you treat them with that affectionate intimacy that annihilates formality. Books are for use, not for show; you should own no book that you are afraid to mark up, or afraid to place on the table, wide open and face down. A good reason for mar...

If my life had a soundtrack... 1. Pure Shores by All Saints 2. Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega 3. A Sorta Fairytale by Tori Amos 4. Sleep All Day by Jason Mraz 5. Angel by Sarah McLachlan 6. Insensitive by Jann Arden 7. I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me) by Bellefire 8. Come Away With Me by Norah Jones 9. Sleeps With Butterflies by Tori Amos 10. Don't Know Why by Norah Jones 11. When I'm Thinking About You by The Sundays 12. Everyday's A Winding Road by Sheryl Crow 13. Ordinary People by Conner Reeves 14. Strong Enough by Sheryl Crow 15. Earthbound by Conner Reeves 15. Steep by Lauren Christy 16. Half-Life by Duncan Sheik 17. As I Lay Me Down to Sleep by Sophie B. Hawkins 18. Never Saw Blue Like That by Shawn Colvin

sketch by john bolland Book in Hand: Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things by Charles Panati Song in Mind: ** it's nice to remember, december** Oh, didn't I just sound as the most self-centered, narrow-minded, obliquous doofus during my last entry? I was just really angry. Mostly at myself. But you know what's new? I refuse to say sorry about it. I needed the fire of anger and self-loathing to purify the desire fueling it. It's a process - - one where taking shortcuts will never harvest the effective results. Life's a process. I guess we all have those days when we're just so *pundido* and the light just keps flashing on and off - - sane, insane, reasonable, outrageous. The thing is, the important thing is, to get over it. Which almost always means getting over yourself and getting on with life. Well, let's just say, I'm over it. I'm not promising the world a full-fledge overhaul to the Olivia it knows. I'm just proposing little changes which ...

To-ta-lly Unfair. Why do it? Why expose every fear, every trepidation and every god damned insecurity of every fat girl in this world? Why lure them into a seemingly sympathetic and understanding plot and then dash our already fragile egos by turning into the very enemy - - - those patronizing perfect people who just mean you well . F**k Jemima Jones. You, Jane Green, you freaking genius. You manipulator of every one of these fat girls most secret dream - - - to be perfect. No, not god damned gorgeous, some of us would actually be content to be just pretty or cute. But perfection is often times mistaken for beauty and oh, so far from our grasps. Why tell the world that every time we ride the bus, we face quandary because a lot of buses have f**king small seats and everytime we sit down we have to pull ourselves in, to compress our thighs, our bodies, our esteem and hope to God who ever sits down beside us won't bitch about not having enough space to sit on. If you know, really kn...

Book in Hand: Waifs and Strays by Charles de Lint Song in Mind: Someone to Watch Over Me I'm in a bit of a dramatic mood today, it being my last day of freedom for the year 2006. Ha! I'm just so tetchy about having to go through another year. I'm a bit put off by the fact that about this time last year, I was enthusiastic! I was excited, I was looking forward to the year 2005... And look where it got me. A couple of depressions and an official hatred for work later, I am tired... so tired of this daily grind. So tired of this neverending struggle. BUT -- -- -- I am not the type to give up in the middle of things. Seeing I'm just about to turn 24 and so far from retiring... I have conjured up my own motto for the year >> Hope is born of valiant hearts, unafraid of brand new starts. Change is wrought by the blessed few, and one of them might as well be you Just so God will know I haven't given up on the whole destiny thing I was wont to believe in when I was a k...