geolette

Hi Marbee!


 

Happy Easter Everyone!

I can't believe my last post was 30 weeks ago. :-) Then it must have been 30 weeks since the last time I had time to write for myself. Funny how a job in publishing can make you write so much about everything, yet give you little time to write about the things that actually involve you. But that, among other things will change. I've promised (myself) to start writing that fat novel again (if I can find my first draft saved in some obscure CD), and I will, most definitely, blog regularly (for good).

To everyone who has been asking me, I'm doing pretty well with work, since I find myself enjoying it immensely. One of the best things about being editor is that I actually get to create something from scratch every single month (well save for the March-April which is our double issue). I'll let you know more about it as we go along. 

I'm currently in between drafts for something and other, while watching a Taiwan drama that I will not name until I finish. It must be told, however, that I really believe that chemistry between two lead characters matter more than dashing leading men. With it, your heart will accept the irrational characters and deus ex machina plots unconditionally. Without it, the actors can only serve as eye candy (as with the last HYD version that I watched). That's why I'm awfully worried about some shows that are currently being rehashed for local tv. *Sigh*

Alright, 5 minute break is over. Time to go back to writing. X.X

A, if you're reading this, I miss you already. See you next week. ^_^

SUGARSUGAR September 2008 Special Debutante Issue

On the cover:
Dawn Balagot, Einar Ingebrigsten and Marlon Stockinger

ROCKER CHIC
Dawn Balagot on Family, Fun, and Celebration

TRAD OR NON-TRAD?
What's the debut for you?

COOL GUYS EINAR AND MARLON
Loving the Pinoy in them

BEST debut themes and suppliers

ENDLESS IDEAS!!!
Beauty
Fashion
Gifts

The Click Five's JOE GUESE collectible poster

EXCLUSIVE!!!
GOSSIP GIRL Premium Items Up for Grabs
(PLUS Get invited to the most exciting get-together of GG fans on Sept. 19!!!)

Happy happy joy joy day! 

Between studying structural framing systems and writing stories on Santorini, body art, and other stories, let me share some interesting Filipino beliefs regarding design, building and construction. I also included beliefs based on Feng Shui that I use for my projects (but we usually consult geomancers for most residential projects anyway). I got most of these from Sir O, but please add more if you remember anything else.

Design
1. The number of steps in a flight of stairs must fall on the count of oro (gold), or plata (silver), but it should never fall on mata (death). [I always count stairs and am always wary of homes that have stairs that fall in mata, hehe]
2. Doorways should not face each other.
3. Main doors should not face where the sun sets.
4. The house plan should not be shaped like a cross.
5. Doorways facing the street directly is unlucky (tumbok).
6. Trees must not block the morning sun.
7. Stairs should face the east, mountains or rivers.
8. Windows should not face the bottom of the stairway.
9. Areas under the stairs should not be walkable.
10. The septic tank vault should not be placed under the roof.
11. The oven should face the rising sun.
12. The roof should not slant towards the front of the lot.
13. Doors should not face each other.
14. Wide windows should not face the neighbor's house.
15. Bedroom doors should face the foot of the bed.
16. Avoid drainage pipes under the bed.
17. The bedroom should be higher than the living room.
18. Stairways should not face doors.
19. The kitchen stove should be aligned with the sink.
20. Windows should not be placed on the wall of the headboard.
21. Bed should not face a wall with a watercloset.
22. Waterclosets must not face doors.
23. Do nor place the altar under the stairs.
24. Exposed columns should be round to facilitate chi.
25. Columns should be even and not divisible by 4.

Lot selection
1. Triangular lots are unlucky.
2. Lots with frontage that is smaller than the rear is unlucky.
3. A lot facing east if favorable.

Construction
1. Avoid starting construction when the year is about to end (korteng supot).
2. Place coins, religious medals, or chicken blood in the foundations for prosperity and protection before pouring the concrete.
3. Never use materials that once belonged to a church. (Sacrilege!)
4. Groundbreaking should be set on a Monday or when the moon is growing in size.
5. Do not break ground on February as the month only has 28 days.
6. Initial concrete pouring should commence when the moon is growing, or better yet, when the moon is full.
7. Do not move in on a Tuesday or Friday, or the 13th of the month.
8. The order of things to bring inside the house is as follows: religious symbols first (santos etc) containers with symbols for nourishment such as water, rice, salt; and then money (from spiritual to material).
9. Upon entering the house you must open all lights. (I do this every New Year din, haha)

Birthdays, for most, are a time for debauchery and celebration. On a normal, non-working birthday holiday, I would have shared the dip plop drinking sentiment, but this year I face a trunkload of paperwork to shred (yes I am leaving, it’s about time Clementine), suitcases of clothes (borrowed) for styling to return without forfeiting the time clause, and an assembly line of writing and design debts that require my undivided attention and Tender Loving Creativity.

So this year instead of throwing one supernova bash, I’m keeping to small isolated explosions, each one made memorable by these groups of fabulous people who have shared birthdays past and will share geriatric soirees with future crumbling bones and calcium-deficient me.

T’was the Eve

As most know, I am a sucker for traditions, especially when - out of nowhere - the stars conspire and produce alignments that cause extraordinary events to happen. Or the stars create catastrophes that make me thankful for my knack for keeping a straight face at the most absurd situations.

The first Eve tradition is something we call, Coal Mine Overtime. Seems as if I am required by the karma gods to render twenty four hours of manual labor just before I turn a year older. Two Februaries ago, I was frantically tanning Treisha’s bum, fighting over the airtime for Nicole’s straw hat, and scouring the set for the cutest sunglasses for Karen B -- all for the Sandwich Sunburn music video. The year before that, I was makeup artist-cum-pornographer when I did a commissioned nude shoot with a ‘model’. It was one helluva memorable February 8 for me -- imagine taking guerilla nudes in the cubicles of Manila Penn, composing ‘tasteful’ topless shots by the bay lit only by headlights, and wrestling with the model’s seven-year old monster as he was, my goodness, hanging out with the crew. That one incident made me seriously reconsider my budding career in carnal photography, and I never did venture in these tepid waters since. Anyhow, for my 2008 birthday eve, I was in wag-po country showing shy women how to appreciate their own beauty (Thanks for the thumbs up Cher). This was the first part of my series of lectures on corporate makeup, a thinly-veiled workshop on confidence building using makeup. Not to debase all my other birthday eve activities, but this one made such a tremendous impact on my thirty newfound girlfriends that it set the mood for a new, inspiring year ahead.

The second tradition involves wine, dinner and song with Aurelio. This started a six blue moons ago, when we defied all parental instruction manuals and instead, went lamppost hopping until 4am, ending the night with a little waltz around the Matahimik apartment to the beats of Mr. Marley. We’ve been jitterbugging since, but this year I made it even more special by adding a pillow-dive to my bed. I was simply too tired to eat, drink, or even take my stilettos off. Hence we postponed the festivities for another night.

( Day 1 - February 9 )
And so the night turned to day, and I woke up with a feeling of distress. My article for Manila Bulletin should have been sent last night! (Sorry Kitten!) And so I huffed and hummed the last minute editing of the Discovery Shores feature for WE Destinations (this beauty will be out in a matter of days), debating with Lee Lee over diction and minor locutions that make writing (and editing) together a trigger for instant MMA bouts via Skype.

Upon submission of the much delayed article, Aurelio dragged me to the pick his gift. Aurelio is getting me a cat! I’ve always dreamed of having one, but sadly, I was not fortunate enough to be born into a family that liked felines. Instead we have 10 dogs, one turtle, and a Mister Green Chameleon my brother keeps in the fourth floor. On our way to Tiendesitas, we were greeted with a stern warning: fluffy Chinese dog MJ chased a hapless street cat up a bayabas tree.

Now I have this one big flaw. I am horribly, awfully, terribly, indecisive. So imagine the stress I had to endure while figuring out which creature I really wanted. Kitten or puppy; toy dog or guard dog (I was eyeing the chowchow); Persian or Siamese; dame or stud; pomeranian or shi tzu -- the possibilities were no only endless, they were exhausting. So before all the stores closed for the night, I choose the first pet I saw that night -- and I took the naughtiest chihuahua I’ve ever seen. Everyone, meet Don Vito.





I spent the rest of the night with my family, and well, playing with Vito. He's absolutely adorable!





Thanks Love! <3 <3

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Was too busy to visit Ongpin this year, but here are some of the superstitions that surround the Chinese New Year. 1. Open all possible openings to allow the old year to go out. (Check!) 2. House should be cleaned before New Year's Day, on the eve, all brooms, dusters, brushes, dust pans and other cleaning supplies are put away. No sweeping or dusting on New Year's Day as good fortune might get swept away. (Stopped with house cleaning, hehe, but everyone can start cleaning again on Friday) 3. Do not wash your air, as it would mean you washed away good luck for the New Year (Yikes. My hair reeks of marble dust from the jobsite) 4. Wear Red! (And we will) 5. Send out lai see (red envelopes with money) to children, unmarried friends, and relatives for good fortune. (This is for YOUR good fortune! So don't be kuripot) 6. All debts should be paid BEFORE the new year. Nothing should be lent on this day, since it means that you would be lending the entire year. (No exorbitant credit card charges today, darn) 7. Eliminate all negativity in your body for the whole day. Avoid the number 4 (death). References to the negative past should be avoided at all costs. (Then I'd better stay away from people who keep looking back.) 8. Because New Year activities set precedent, try not to do anything you don't want to keep doing for the rest of the year. (Will try not to make fun of other people, promise, hahaha!) 9. Do not use knives or scissors this year as this may cut off good fortune. (Hala! I should have scheduled that haircut with Louis Kee yesterday.) 10. The first person you meet, and the first words heard are significant to what the fortune will be for the entire year. (First person I heard today was Aurelio, who was on the road somewhere in Cavite at 430am. First words heard were "Hey love, I missed you." Hm... is this indicative of the thrust of our possible business venture this year? Thoughts.)