On a Saturday afternoon...

I was waiting for Shy, Cathy and Lenly to finish whatever it is they're busy with. So in between their mountains of paperwork, we decided to be kids for a while and pose for my Moto. Hehehe!

Feeling there's a paparazzi and just being funny for the camera. Hehehe!

Published Sunday, July 30, 2006 by Clayman. |

I never thought I would get married...to a girl. Yesterday afternoon, I sort of got married to Lenly, a very good co-worker. Hehehe!

No, it was the birthday snack for the June and July celebrants and our theme for the get-together was "Weddings." Hehehe! (The theme for the last get-together was "Hawaiian Luau.")

It was a good get-together. Tito Ric catered and he really had his men prepare the buffet table with a wedding theme. Even the cocktails and food would pass for the food at a simple wedding reception. We also ordered a cake from Kink Cakes. (We got a heart shaped cake which had a man and woman kissing. Hehe!)

As you can see from the photos above, Lenly and I dressed up for the occasion and I think everyone appreciated it. And by appreciate, they laughed at us. Hehehe! It's good because our aim was to entertain the guests, anyway.

The HR and Corp. Comm. Birthday Snack team also prepared a program for the get-together. Since the theme was "weddings," we had everyone paired up and we played couple games. One game had each couple draw questions that were either serious or naughty. Our very good President got this question, "How far will you go in bed? a.) Roleplaying, b.) Handcuffs and Blindfolded, c.) Get Videotaped." I love our President for being game enough to answer the question. I'm not going to tell you what the answer was though. Hehehe!

The get-together I think was successful because everyone enjoyed the games that we prepared, and everything went as planned.

The birthday snack is close to my heart, and I really get look forward to each get-together. I just hope the celebrants appreciate our efforts to make them feel that the Company takes care of them through activities like the birthday snack.

Published Saturday, July 29, 2006 by Clayman. |

Last night was a very rare night for me because I was out til midnight...on a work day!!!

Hehehe!

I left at the office at 5.30PM because Jay and I had to meet with a photographer. Two photo shoots have been sort of assigned to me (yaiks!) for next week. It's quite scary, but it's also exciting. I'm looking forward to do it. (Thanks to Kate for referring Eric the photographer to us!!!)

Anyway, our meeting with Eric was at RCBC Tower. Jay and I reached Starbucks a couple of minutes late. Yaiks! Everything turned out okay, and I'm just hoping that everything would also be well during the shoot itself.

After the meeting, I dropped by Richie's home. It's been soooo long since I last visited their home and what a treat it was for me when I got to his house. The place has been renovated and it looks really, really, really, really good. (Credits go to Wilan Dayrit - check him out in The Next feature.).

It was great seeing Richie, and his brothers and sister-in-law, and yes, let's not forget NiGemma. Hehe! Suki was also there, of course, and I was really, really happy to see him and Richie.

We had a good dinner, and the chat was even better. Their home has really been transformed and it just looks really, really amazing.

After dinner, we met up with Roy at Morato. We hung out for about an hour at Cafe Breton and we just chatted about the past and the present. Hehehe! It was good. There are new things happening in Roy's life and I'm just really happy for him.

As I've written earlier, we went home by midnight. I know it was really late already, but I was having so much fun I didn't care that it was that late already.

I really missed my friends and I'm just glad to see them and be with them again. I need to be homo-fied once again. Hehehe!

Published Friday, July 28, 2006 by Clayman. |

The Company joined the PDI Job Expo a couple of weeks ago.

I went with Cathy and some of the Recruitment people to help fix the booth, and to take photos of people visiting our booth.

Cathy and I left the office at 7.30AM. We got to Glorietta at 8.30AM. That gave us a good two hours to prepare the booth. The original plan was that the Recruitment people would arrive at Glorietta at the same time that Cathy and I did. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, they arrived much later.

Cathy and I ended up setting up the booth, which was okay because there were two helpful people who gave us a hand in putting up our tarps.

At 10AM, the mall opened and so did the job expo. Uhm, it was my first time to be a participant in a job expo and I didn't think that there would be that many people!!! People were flocking to our booth, all hoping that they could get a job from one of our many businesses. Sigh. I wish there was a job for everyone who gave their resume.

Anyway, I thought I would only just be helping out with setting up the booth and take pictures, but when I saw how many people were visiting our booth, I found myself putting down my camera and helping out in fixing our brochures, handing them out and receiving resumes.

It was tiring. But it was also fun. That was quite an experience, and I would have to say it was a good one.

Published Wednesday, July 26, 2006 by Clayman. |

I'm still reading Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

When Chari lent it to me and I found out that the story was primarily about how two cousins developed a character that would become one of the bestselling comic books in the 40s and 50s, I wasn't sure if it would be able to keep my interest level very high.

I mean, come on. The last few books I've read were almost all chick lit and now, I'm about to read a book of a completely different type. I mean, yeah, I've read comic books back when I was still much younger, but I wasn't really the type who became addicted to it.

Anyway, I did start reading the book and although it has taken me a while to get to uhm, page 400, I'm glad that I decided to keep on turning the page.

The last few chapters I've read had a very pleasant surprise. Woo woo woo!

And even if that "surprise" wasn't included, I would still continue reading the book because the writing is just really, really superb.

No wonder it's Pulitzer prize winner.

Learn more about the book here.

Thanks Chari for introducing me to these two wonderboys.

Published Tuesday, July 25, 2006 by Clayman. |

"Back in this lovesick mess I dive
Back in this reckless joy I thrive
I hereby concede what I need to survive
Is to look at you and say
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change
I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."


So Saturday evening was spent at the theater.

I was planning to watch this musical when it was staged early this year, but unfortunately I missed it. So when I read that it was going to be restaged, I made sure I'll get to watch it.

And I'm really glad I did watch it.

It was really, really enjoyable. And it was a nice way to enjoy on a Saturday night. Uhm, for those who missed the show, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is basically about the trials and tribulations people go through in the realm of contemporary love and relationships.

The musical begins with the four performings going onstage wearing terry-cloth robes. One would think they were monks or religious because they were chanting and speaking lines from the Book of the Genesis. But it turns out that they were actually single people, getting ready to go out on a date.

Here are some of the lines from the opening:

“The Lord God said let there be light, and there was light. And the Lord God said let there be man and woman, and there was man and woman. Later, man asked woman if she was busy that night, and woman said she still wanted to see other people. Hee hee hee. And man said that there are no other people. Ha ha ha.”

The musical is composed of vignettes - from having first dates to courtship, marriage, and parenting, and even becoming a widow. While the vignettes were all about heterosexual relationships, it wasn't difficult for me to place these same scenarios in gay relationships. I somehow see the issues of gay and straight relationships to be the same. Like Margaret Cho says, "Love is love is love..."

I only know two of the performers - Niccolo Manahan and Cathy Azanza, both of whom I've just seen in Doubt. But all four performers did really, really well. All of them just played out the more than 40 characters very well.

I had a lot of favorite vignettes, but I guess the most romantic song was "Shouldn't I be less in love with you?" The setting for this song was a couple who's been married for a quite a while now, and they were having their breakfast routine. Husband reads the papers, while drinking coffee. Wife does the same. Husband looks at wife, and then starts to sing the song. It's really romantic.

Alright, so that's basically the summary of what the musical was.

Published Monday, July 24, 2006 by Clayman. |

The weirdest thing just happened hours ago.

I was at Greenbelt 3, withdrawing money from the ATM near Hobbes. I was going to meet Sean and Romil at Ebun.

After I got my money, I started walking to Ebun.

And who do I see????

There he was in very casual attire - athletic top, shorts and flipflops. I don't remember the last time I saw him. I was the first to see him, and I wasn't sure if I should turn the opposite direction and walk fast away as I could.

But then, the next thing I know, our eyes meet and all I remember was that I broke into a smile and blurted out a "Hello!"

And here's what makes the situation much funnier, I turn my head to the left and as I expected, she was there too.

She also breaks into a smile, as I smiled at her and said hello. I wasn't sure whether I should walk with them or go ahead.

I found myself continuing to walk towards Ebun, not looking back. I was watching the pace I went as I walked away. Hahaha!

It was the weirdest situation. I was dreading this occasion, and I had some ammo prepared actually. Hahaha! I dunno what happened.

Published Saturday, July 22, 2006 by Clayman. |

Sometimes, you think that you can just keep on taking shit, but there is that moment when you say, “That’s it. I’ve had it with you.”

A friend of mine had this moment early this week, and I’m sort of happy that she already had this “moment.”

For a couple of months now, my friend has been in a one-way relationship with this guy. I think the two of them met at an out of town activity. The two hit it off (as friends), and when they got back to Manila, they exchanged numbers so they can get together.

Since then, the two have been meeting up every now and then. It started out with coffee at Starbucks. Then came dinners. From time to time, they would also watch movies.

While my friend enjoyed every minute that she spent with the guy, she also noticed that it was always her who would initiate meeting up. She would regularly text the guy to ask if he’d like to watch a movie, to have coffee or to go to dinner.

My friend told me that she knows she can’t have a relationship with the guy because the latter was in some sort of relationship. (It’s a weird situation. The guy says he has a girlfriend, but never talks about her. One would easily think that he’s single because he hardly mentions his girlfriend.)

Anyway, what my friend has been complaining about lately is that the guy takes her for granted. They would engage in a text conversation, and all of a sudden, the guy just suddenly doesn’t reply anymore. Sometimes, my friend would text the guy but the guy would send a reply the following day already.

Last Wednesday, the two of them were supposed to visit a common friend together. The guy told her they’d go together. When it was almost five and the guy still hasn’t texted, my friend asked him where he was. Only then did the guy tell him that he was still in some faraway place, and that he wouldn’t make it to my friend’s office at five.

This really pissed my friend, so she just decided to go ahead to the person they were supposed to visit together. On her way, the guy would text her to ask where she already was. Half of her did not want to reply just so he can have a taste of his own medicine, while the other half said she should reply just to be the bigger person. And she did reply.

Later that night, when they were already together, my friend had the courage to tell the guy that she was pissed with him. The guy was totally clueless. Aughhh!!! When they left the friend they visited, the guy insisted that he’ll bring my friend home (he was probably feeling guilty.) My friend was like, “Where are you going? Why are you bringing me home?” The ending that night was that my friend insisted she didn’t need to be brought home.

My friend talked to me the following day, telling me how pissed she was over what happened. She said she wrote an email for the guy just to tell him how she felt. I don’t really know what to tell my friend. It seems to me like she knows what to do, but she just couldn’t do it yet. I hate seeing her get hurt and all, but what help would I be if she doesn’t want to help herself.

But with what happened last Wednesday, I have a feeling that that would really push my friend to do what she has to do.

Published Friday, July 21, 2006 by Clayman. |

Here's an interesting buzz article I came across on Yahoo.

Fashion Mag Smackdown
By Molly McCall

As "The Devil Wears Prada" continues its stiletto-shod trek across the big screen and the third season of "Project Runway" sashays its way across the small screen, we couldn't help but wonder: What happens when Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue (and the inspiration for "Devil") meets up with Nina Garcia, fashion director of Elle (and eye-fluttering co-judge on "Runway")? D

o they air kiss and make like girlfriends? Or do they hiss and back away, the Fendi fur flying?

The chance of our glimpsing such an encounter is about as tiny as Heidi Klum's waist, so we resorted to the next best thing—a showdown between the two fashion mags, web-style. Where do the look books fall in the big popularity challenge known as Buzz? And how does each editrix fare with searchers?

Take a ringside seat and find out...

Check the complete article here.

Published Wednesday, July 19, 2006 by Clayman. |

Mang Yoyong passed away last night at 9.45PM.

Sigh.

That's the news that greeted the whole UP Manila community when they came in for work this morning.

Everything just happened so fast.

His heart was still beating when we visited him last night at 6PM. But we were also told that that's the only organ that was functioning, and that the heart was the last one to go.

And then at almost 10PM, we got the news no one wants to hear.

Published Monday, July 17, 2006 by Clayman. |

It means Do not rescuscitate. That's the situation.

I got a most distressing text message, yesterday afternoon, while I was on my way to meet the Kid.

Mang Yoyong, our ever-reliable driver and all-around man at Pahinungod and a good friend, had a stroke. He was in Quezon for a medical mission with Ate Beng, when he had the stroke. Ate Beng was on the way back to Manila with Mang Yoyong.

I headed to the Pahinungod office. Yang and Karen were at the ER waiting for the arrival. Charmaine and I stood by at the office. As soon as we got word that Mang Yong has arrived, we went to the ER to help getting supplies. It was a good thing that there were about 5 of us. One person can get this, while another person waited for more instructions. Still another person waited for Mang Yoyong's wife.

It wasn't after almost an hour that I got into the ER, and saw Mang Yong.

He was unconscious, all sorts of tubes were attached to his forearms and his nose. A friend of Ate Linda, pumped the ambubag that helped Mang Yong breathe. The moment Ate Linda saw me, she came over and was just crying very hard. During these moments, I try not to cry and just be strong. Ate Linda held my hand, and you could feel her tension with the way she held my hand. I just hugged her and tried to look for some words of comfort.

But really, what can you say during these moments?

When Mang Yoyong's son arrived, Karen, Ate Beng, Marian and I stayed at the Pahinungod office, just in case the doctors needed something. It was really a blessing that Lia was easily contacted by Ate Beng. She immediately responded and attended to Mang Yoyong.

This morning, I went home to get some rest before going back to hospital. And that's when I got the text that the doctors and Mang Yong's family have decided to do a DNR.

Let's just pray for Mang Yong and his family.

Mang Yong, you'll be missed very much.

Published Sunday, July 16, 2006 by Clayman. |

Check out www.avalon.ph.

It's quite similar to EBay, but almost all the items are books, books and more books.

One of the things why I really like the site is because the titles are very good, and there are a number of hard-to-find titles available on the site. (Also available are signed copies of some books.) Another good thing about the items on this site is the price. It's very cheap!!!

My first purchase from this site is a hardback copy of Lauren Weisberger's "The Devil Wears Prada."

How much did it cost me???

Only P500. Yes, it's second hand but the copy I got was really in very good condition. You should check out the items being sold by macs01. (I think he's the site owner.)

Other titles I'm planning to buy are Michael Chabon's Kavalier and Clay (which I'm currently enjoying thanks to Cheacherchowee, but I still have to finish it), and maybe books from David Sedaris and some chick lit titles. Hehehe!

The only downer is that there aren't good LGBT titles. Yes, there's a section for LGBT titles but all that's available there are erotica, erotica and more erotica. Sigh. I emailed the owner some LGBT titles, which I hope he can find for me. In particular, books 4 and 5 of the Mark Manning series of Michael Craft. (As if I don't have a long list of LGBT titles to read right now. Haha! But I want to know what happened to Mark Manning and Neil Waite. Hehe!)

Anyway, so if you're a book lover. Make sure to check out www.avalon.ph.

Thanks, thanks, thanks to Noreen for telling me about this wonderful site.

P.S. I'm now selling my paperback copy of "The Devil Wears Prada" for only P250. I can assure you that it's in very good condition. All my books are wrapped in plastic cover and wrapped in another plastic cover to be protected from dust. Yes, that's how much I love my books.

Published Friday, July 14, 2006 by Clayman. |

Rhaye works his magic...


Loving the styling job...


Smile for the camera...


Shoot done! Yay! Happy People!

Things have just been crazy here at work. A photo shoot project was dropped to me at the very, very, very last minute and I had to do a million things a day before the photo shoot itself and during the actual photo shoot. (Much, much thanks to Suki for giving me Rhaye’s number.)

On a very rainy and a very early Wednesday morning, I arrived at the office with tapes, alligator clips, extra ties, extra shoes, extra belts, extra shirts (from my own closet), a flat iron, a shoot list, among others.

By 7.30 AM, I’ve already began setting up the location. My project partner, Cathy, also arrived and we started identifying where to set up the hair and makeup, where the food section would be, where the pressing area would be. We had to convert Corp. Comm.’s small unit into a studio. (I miss Raymund’s studio. Hehe!)

Then, I brought out the clothes, that the talents would wear and started pressing them. In between clothes, I called the uniform suppliers to request for more uniforms and some shoes, which we didn’t have yet. Thank gawd they were efficient.

By 9.30AM, all hell was starting to break loose. We had a very late photographer. We had a very good makeup artist (everyone loved his makeup on the talents.). Talents were already starting to arrive.

While two of my officemates took care of the art direction, Cathy and I took care of the styling. I would press the clothes. And then Cathy and I would decide what clothes the talent should wear, what accessories to go with the clothes. I dressed up the male talents. When I was done with the male talents, I assisted Cathy with the female talents. (She really enjoyed this whole styling thing. I'm really glad. When she got home that night, she called me to say she learned so much from me and that she had fun. Isn't she the sweetest?)

Like in Icon shoots, I started to get a bit tense. I can just imagine Suki telling me, “Relax. Relax.” And I tried to. Very much. At the end of the day, I was actually happy because I really do enjoy shoots.

The shoot ended a little before six. I was dead tired. But at least, Cathy and I (and the rest of the team) pulled it through, thank God!

Believe it or not, it is only today that my life is starting to get back to its “normal” track again. Hehehe!

I owe everything to the training I got from Icon. If not for the numerous photo shoots we had, I would be totally clueless about what to do in a photo shoot. I must say that Icon is really such a good training ground. The benefits you get from being part of the Icon team are way beyond material benefits.

You develop character and skills, which help you in your other undertakings.

I know, I know. I sound like I’m tooting our own horn, but I’m not. I’m just stating a fact.

Published Thursday, July 13, 2006 by Clayman. |

"I think I'm in love with you," Matthew says suddenly.

Mike's jaws tensed as he grips the steering wheel tighter. Still, he keeps his eyes on the road.

"It's a joke, right?" He does not look at him.

"I'm gay, Mike," Matthew continues, closing his eyes tightly. "And I think I've fallen for you. Ever since we'd met, I guess."

Mike suddenly stomps on the brakes. His car screeches to such a sudden halt that both of them lurch forward, their seatbelts straining to keep their bodies in their seats.

"Get out," Mike orders, his voice flat and freezing. Wordlessly, Matthew unstraps his seatbelt, opens the door and gets out on the sidewalk. As soon as he slams the door shut, Mike speeds off into the near-deserted avenue of Ayala, leaving Matthew standing on the sidewalk.

Matthew watches the car disappear into the night, shaking his head and whispering Mike's name.

He felt his chest tightening; a maddening pain is slowly blooming like a poisoned flower.

A tear rolls down his cheek.

- From Nelz Agustin's "Where Angels Fear..."

Published Tuesday, July 11, 2006 by Clayman. |

Millionth Souvenir Shot with Taal Backdrop


Hanging out - Joi, Jon, Me, Sheila, Jean and Yang's skinny arm...Haha!


Sing it


Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol...


Still more alcohol...


But where's the buzz??? Haha!


Happy to be in Tagaytay...


Beautiful Cliffhouse...


Jon's Angels???


Very Familiar Taal Panorama


The Gang Sans Joi

A week ago, former officemates and some friends from Pahinungod planned to go to Joi’s house in Tagaytay for a get-together. However, this didn’t push through because there were those who weren’t available and others already had commitments for the weekend.

So the out of town trip was rescheduled this weekend. Again, I wasn’t sure if it would push through because of the heavy rain. That, and the fact, that I was feeling very sick since last Thursday.

But I needed the break, so sick or not sick, rain or no rain, I packed my bags and went off to meet my friends.

The trip didn’t go without some concerns though. Saturday morning, Joi and I were talking about the details of the trip – what the menu was, what the itinerary was, where to do the grocery, what time to leave, what to do with those who confirmed at the last minute, how to fit 12 people in one vehicle. Haha! Can’t really blame us. The almost irritating habit of coordinating comes from the fact that we were Pahinungod program coordinators.

Moving on, we left Manila a little before five p.m.. Our first destination was Jean’s house in Cavite. It was her birthday a couple of weeks ago, and the dinner at her house was the nth get-together for her birthday. Hehehe! The drive going to Jean’s was a good one. Though we were stuck in traffic at some points, the company of each other kept us all entertained. By seven, we arrived at Jean’s house. Everyone’s stomach was already grumbling so the moment we entered Jean’s house, everyone proceeded to the dining table where the yum food waited for us. Pancit bihon (my request), lechong manok, ginataang langka, black gulaman – it wasn’t surprising almost everyone got second helpings of the great food.

Afterwards, we headed to Tagaytay. I asked to be dropped off at the familiar Tagaytay rotunda so I can do the grocery, while the rest got ready for the night's gimik. Good thing Jon was there and he had no choice but to go with me, since I dragged him. Hehehe! While waiting for our fetch, I brought Jon to Sanctuario, which was right across the grocery, to show him Sean and Romil’s wonderful, wonderful restaurant and to have a nice cup of hot chocolate. It was perfect for the very cool, slightly drizzling weather that night. Too bad Sean or Romil wasn’t there that night.

By the time we finished our hot choco, Joi and Andrei were already waiting for us at the grocery. After loading all the stuff into the car, we headed to Joi’s house and got ready for the gimik .

We met up with the rest of the gang at Viewsite. It’s one of the big restaurants-cum-bar along the highway that gave a view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano. Plus points for not being too crowded and not too smoky. The band playing that night, Epic, had already started on their first set. The group had great seats – we were right in front of the stage because the earlier group were the first ones at the venue. Hehehe!

We stayed at the bar till 3AM. I had vodka tonic and Long Island but I was a bit disappointed because I didn’t even get the slightest buzz. Haha! I don’t know if it’s because I was feeling under the weather. Anyway, it was good since no need to worry about a hangover. Haha!

The following day, we just stayed at Joi's house. Almost everyone did karaoke, while some cooked breakfast with the head chef (read: me. Hehe!). The good thing about being with Pahinungod friends is that you don’t have to tell anyone to help out. It’s automatic for everyone to help the other person. Our breakfast menu included hotdogs, corned beef, cheese and egg omelette, fried rice, bread, and pancit from yesterday. After more than an hour’s preparation (Those omelets took the longest time to prepare! Haha!), everyone dug right in and ate breakfast.

The rest of the day was spent just hanging out. Joi, Sharkie, Jon and I went out for awhile around noon time to buy ingredients for lunch - two kinds of pasta. When we got back, we prepared lunch and then got ready to go back to Manila.

After lunch, we were on the road again for our trip back to Manila. The gang stopped by Cliffhouse though to enjoy the view of Taal Lake and Taal Volcano, and to have some nice photos. If you’re in Tagaytay, you should check out this venue. It’s a very nice place that has galleries and cafés, including Café Breton. I think it would be a nice date place.

We got back at Manila by 6PM. After saying thanks and goodbyes, we parted ways. Joi and Andrei headed to their apartment, which was near the area. Jo took a ride for UP Diliman. Marian, Karen, Ude and Sheila went to the Pahinungod office to drop off some stuff. Jon and I got a ride home together.

When I got home, I was already feeling tired. It was only 8PM, but after I changed into my clothes, I already fell asleep.

The whole trip was really, really fun. Never mind that it was raining. Never mind that I was feeling sick. There were many memorable moments, and I'd really wish we can have this get-together again. Hope your weekend was as great as mine.

Published Monday, July 10, 2006 by Clayman. |

Feeling under the weather.

I’ve been feeling sick since the other day. And today, it has gotten much worse. I woke up around 3 in the morning, because I could feel my throat hurting. I had to change positions. But that didn’t help much because I already found it difficult to go back to sleep.

I woke up again at 4:45AM. My blanket was wrapped around my neck. I probably half consciously put the blanket around my neck while I was falling back to asleep. Too lazy to get up to get a sweater from the closet, so I just used the blanket as a muffler instead. Hehe! One of these days, that blanket’s probably going to suffocate me and my folks would think I killed myself when they find my cold corpse in the morning. Hehehe!

Anyway, I feel terrible today. I have the snuffles. And I feel like some hairy object is lodged in my throat.

Been drinking lots of fluids though. And I’ve doubled the dosage of Vit. C I’m taking. Also got Strepsils from the drug store at the ground floor of our building.

I hope this wouldn’t get any worse. Hope you’re feeling much better.

Published Friday, July 07, 2006 by Clayman. |

There'll be book signing at both events.

I hope I can bring my books and have them signed.

Published Wednesday, July 05, 2006 by Clayman. |

Sundays are starting to be a routine.

In the morning, I stay home to clean my room, dust the shelves, re-arrange things. (I hate it that the shelves get dusty so quickly. If anyone knows a remedy for this, please let me know.) After I’m done with my chores, I just relax, or at least, I try to – read a book, watch a movie I’ve watched a million times, get some sleep.

Right after lunch, I would take a nap before preparing to go out. Afternoons are usually spent at Greenbelt – Mass at 4.30PM, then a trip to the bookstore or the mall. I really enjoy the 4.30PM Mass when the celebrant is Fr. Jun Sescon. He’s the chaplain, and I must say that he’s quite a good priest. His homilies are never boring, and I don’t find myself tuning out when it’s time for the sermon.

Last Sunday, I decided to watch Kinsey. It was screening at Greenbelt 1, and I’ve been really planning to watch it. So after Mass, I headed straight to the cinemas to catch the 6.20PM screening. While everyone else watched the movie about a man in a blue suit and a red cape, I watched this movie about a man in a (tweed) suit who seems to be the one responsible for opening the minds of a majority on issues related to sex. I was a bit surprised by some of the notions people used to have about sex.

Did you know that the “zipper” is a tool of the devil, at least that’s what Dr. Kinsey’s father preached to the people in his community. I’ve always looked at the zipper as well, just a zipper, but according to Dr. Kinsey’s father, the zipper is “a quick access to moral oblivion.”

And what about when you feel like pleasuring yourself? Again, Dr. Kinsey’s father found this act to be a work of the devil. So what do you do when you feel “tempted?” 1.) Keep your bowels open. (Or I must have misheard the sentence.) 2.) Read the Sermon on the Mount. 3.) Sit with your balls submerged in cold water. 4.) Think of your mother’s pure love.

When Kinsey married Clara Macmillen, the two had a problem doing the act because apparently, Dr. Kinsey is well-endowed. So the couple goes to a doctor/therapist to consult their problem and when the doctor asks in what position does the couple do it. A very surprised Mrs. Kinsey replies, “Is there more than one way to do it?”

Before watching this movie, I didn’t have any idea how big Dr. Kinsey’s contribution to the field of science and research was. I’ve always thought that Dr. Kinsey was only about the Kinsey Scale. Turns out he’s much, much more.

Another reason why I liked the film was that it had a “research” angle in it. I could easily relate to it, being a communication research major. I was planning to email my professor from UP about the movie, but I couldn’t find her email address.

Published Tuesday, July 04, 2006 by Clayman. |

Wednesday last week was a good day.

Bernice made a surprise visit at the office. I don't think I've ever mentioned Bernice in my blog, so let me introduce her to you.

Bernice is the one responsible why I am working with the Company right now. If it weren't for her, I would still be a starving, unemployed (okay, I'm being too dramatic) person. Hehe! Simply put, I was the replacement for Bernice. After being with the Company for more than 4 years(!!!), she decided it was time to leave and move on to another field.

Here's the interesting thing. It seems that we just traded workplaces, sort of. She left the corporate world and is now working with an NGO. On the other hand, remember I used to work with Pahinungod so in a way, I can say that I left the NGO world to join the corporate jungle.

When I started working with the Company, Bernice has already left and since she was on several out of town trips/assignments, it took a couple of weeks before she was able to drop by the office and endorse things. It was kind of weird because we immediately hit it off. It's as if we've known each other for quite some time now. I felt really comfortable with her, and it's easy to like her. And I think she also found me easy to get along with. Either that or she's just really nice. Hehehe!

After that meeting, I think last Wednesday was the only time that we got to see each other again. And it's all because she had a conference at one of the hotels in the area.

She was at the office at 4PM, and waited till 6PM for Shy because they were going to have dinner and catch up. Lucky me, I got dragged along. Hehehe!

We headed to Chef D' Angelo and just chatted away while having a good dinner. It was really great to know that things are going really well with her. She enjoys her new job. She's loving what she's doing. And she now has this guy who loves her very much. Yep, she had to leave the Company to find the boyfriend. Hehehe! Maybe the Company has a curse. Hehehe!

But seriously, I'm really happy for her because everything seems to be smooth sailing for her.

After talking about old and new jobs, ex-boyfriends and new boyfriends, relationships, "scary" moments (Hehe!), we decided to call it a night. It was only a little past 8 when we decided to go home. Augh! Is this what happens when you near 30? Hehe!

So that's how Wednesday afternoon till early evening went for me. Thanks Bernice for the surprise visit. I hope we could all hang out again soon.

Published Sunday, July 02, 2006 by Clayman. |