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January 29, 2007

Loving Someone

"I love you more than one more day."
- Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking

I do not quite know what that sentence means, but all I know is that while I ponder over the loveliness and inevitablity of the words and listen to Camera Obscura's Dory Previn, I must - I have to love the Boy one more day, the best I can.

Because I definitely love you more than one more day, let us never live any day in regret.

Posted by lainey at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2007

Keeping Stock

Not bad, it's not even the end of January yet and I'm embarking on my third book. Very happily, my mom managed to get Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking for me from the library. I've been wanting to read it since last year!

Have also read the very epic The Vision of Emma Blau by Ursula Hegi, (she used to be such a funny writer, when did she get so tragic? ) and the VJ-reccomended The Quantity Theory of Insanity by Will Self. Definitely one of the most bizzare reads of my life and I still think Will Self is a neat name perfect for nomenclature.

I've not been faring that well on the movies' front, having only caught the mediocre and contrived Snowcake (awesome soundtrack though) and the very fabulous and life-affirming Stranger than Fiction at the cinema. I need more movies, but I'm just too busy at work to make time to go to the cinema.

Does watching lots of West Wing episodes count?

Posted by lainey at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2007

The Great Pinoy Adventure -Day 2

J and I ignored the knocking that went on the entire morning. Didn't JM say that we could sleep since we had a tiring road trip the day before?

When we finally got up at 9am (only!), the house was bustling with activity. JD was telling Uncle Jerry one of his many stories, JM, Auntie J (JM's sis) and Aunt Hilda (the very old domestic helper) were cooking. And J and I just rubbed our eyes and walked towards the breakfast table. Here, I realised that one of the reasons I can never like Filipino food is because of the constant appearance of coconut. And being the polite houseguest I was, I stuffed into my mouth or quickly sneaked whatever coconutty breakfast I could to J. Luckily J was my very willing accomplice. :)

And so we were heralded to go for a walk on the beach. It was Christmas Day after all, families were back to visit, children did not have to go to school and nobody's working at all. So the beach was crowded with people swimming and basically just chilling. When we say "crowded" in the countryside, it is probably considered sparse in the city.

So it was a simple day. We walked a long way on the beach - we went back to the house for lunch. We took an afternoon nap, we went to the sea for a swim. We took an evening nap. We had dinner. We went to the town centre to look at the Christmas lights.

J and I were beginning to get real bored. But I was sure JM would think of some adventure for her city-son.

And I was beginning to get used to showering with well water....

Posted by lainey at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2007

The Great Pinoy Adventure -Day 1

Our trip to the Philippines was such an extraordinary experience that I decided to do it justice by detailing the trip proper! Let's hope my enthusiasm doesn't fizzle out like what happened with the other travel logs :p

Day 1:

Noticed the amazing landscape that is the Philippines from the air and kept snapping pictures. J's Dad (henceforth known as JD and his mom will be JM) pointed out the long snaking road. It was actually a river until Mt Pinatubo erupted in the 90s, now it's a tunnel of lava and soil.

Uncle Jerry, who is essentially JM's younger cousin, picked us up from the airport. He is a funny, friendly man who really loves his food. J & I would get to know him better the next few days and come to really like him and enjoy his company.

We went to Shoemart (owned by Henry Sy - richest man in the Philippines) for lunch and to buy J a barong (he bought a green one!) for the wedding before our suuuuupppper long road trip. Filipino food was interesting...but little did I know how much I would learn to fear it as the days passed.

We managed to squeeze alot of luggage and all of us into Uncle Jerry's Pajero. Not the most comfortable arrangement but definitely better than a jeepney!

We finally reached San Fernando, La Union at 9pm after more than 6 hours on the road! This is where J's aunt, lives with her children, domestic help, adopted boys and 3 dogs. Everything was still confusing and everyone scary and alien to lainey. But it's time for our Christmas Eve dinner which was lovely (first day of Filipino food only) and after which we got dressed for Midnight Mass.

Unfortunately, it was in Ilocarno (the dialect in that particular province), so J & I left after 10 minutes and went for a walk around the province with Uncle Jerry instead.

The firecrackers and random bombs and what-nots proved to be very disorienting for a very tired lainey who was very out of her comfort zone and feeling very scared. So we hurried back to sleep. Shower in cold well water made me more uncomfortable and even though J & I had the guestroom (the only airconditioned room in the house), I couldn't imagine staying in this little house in the province for more than a night. And we had to stay for three nights!)

Posted by lainey at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2007

Six Word Short Story

Before I go to sleep, I discovered Ernest Hemingway wrote a six word short story that inspired many others to do the same.

His short story is - "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." So heartwrenchingly concise and so Hemingway. I think he is the master of words and no one can match up to that. But it's fun I think, like a more difficult version of a haiku.

Check out the link here.

I've thought of two myself, before I go to bed. Perhaps I should think of one each night. Like a writing mini-exercise to make myself feel better about my life-sucking job.

She checked her phone. No reply.

Why is mommy not coming home?

I should sleep. I think I'm blogging so much because The Boy is not around for me to rant to.

Waking each other up during dinner.

Posted by lainey at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2007

Literary Speed Dating

There were so many men I had crushes on or almost-relationships with because of the books they read/or claim to read. In my youth, I was such a literary slut that it didn't matter what a jerk or monster the guy was, as long as he read the books I adore. Of course, it led to me being extremely hurt.

That being said, receiving such an article from a friend made me very nostalgic and wished Victoria State Library organised Literary Speed Dating when I was in Melbourne and very much a literary slut.

Addendum: As a snob, more than a slut now, I would like to announce that, coincidentally, I've read all the books & writers mentioned in the article. And that pleases the current plebian me very much so. So much so that I can't wait to throw away my life-sucking job and run back to my world of books. Oh English literature! I didn't major in you for nothing, did I?

A week or so ago I took myself to dinner at Mario's in Brunswick Street, accompanied by Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5. At a table nearby, a handsome young man sat poring over a novel of his own. He was oblivious to those around him, chewing on his fingernails, utterly immersed.

I fell in love with him instantly. So it goes.

Is it possible to fall in love with someone simply through their choice of literature? I'd say so. I have tumbled for countless boys and their dog-eared loans. Joel insisted I bone up on Bulgakov; Matty read Bukowski and then wrote countless pages in a similarly liquored-up style; Simon swore by the dusty prose of Tim Winton. I have never fully recovered from the boy who once handed over a copy of John Fante's Ask the Dust with the whispered insistence, "This will touch you". He was right and I am forever indebted to his mad Arturo-like passion.

Recommending a book to someone you have a blossoming crush on is an enormous
step for literature obsessives. What does the novel in question say about you? Does the fact that you're a fan of George P. Pelecanos write you off as some borderline psychotic who will stand over a beloved's bed with a stabbing knife and a watertight alibi? Does an appreciation of Nicholson Baker's The Fermata paint you three colours pornographic? Should your copy of Alice Sebold's Lucky be shelved indefinitely? ("I'm really glad we're getting along, so I wanted to lend you this incredibly traumatic and graphic story about a rape victim. Call me.")

When I was told the State Library was running an event they referred to as "literary speed dating" there was no way possible I could let it pass me by. Books and romance are such inevitable bedfellows, and the thought that I may lock eyes with some brainy Lothario carrying a copy of Raymond Chandler's Cathedral pretty much made every one of my senses zing. The premise was so beautifully simple it was poetic: bring along a loved, loathed or recently read novel. Partner up for a five-minute discussion with a member of the opposite sex, breathlessly debate the merits of Peter Cook's biographer versus the incessant punning of Kathy Lette, rub feet lasciviously
underneath the table, live happily ever after, fin. The idea of stepping away from the kinds of "so what do you do" conversations best confined to city bars with a 6am licence was just too enticing. I was in, I was in, I was in. Jeeves, hand me my bookmark.

Having never attended a speed dating night of any description, I could only guess at what to wear. It seemed simple enough - less plunging neckline, more flowery '50s pin-up. Red lipstick and stockings. The book choice, however, was an entirely different matter. I consulted with anyone, everyone. Cab drivers and waiters. Dog-walkers. My best friend Gabi acted as head therapist.

"What about Martin Amis? You love Martin Amis."

"His characters are all aloof arseholes. It'll give the wrong impression."

"He is a bit cold, isn't he?"

"What about Bliss?"

She looked dubious.

"Peter Carey?"

"What's wrong with it? It's a love story."

"Between a prostitute and a man losing his mind."

"So?"

Another of her looks.

"There's a brother-sister incest scene too."

"Oh. I forgot about that."

Eventually it came down to Fante and John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. It was pointed out to me (by more than one person, rudely) that both books featured an essentially deranged lead character - Fante's Bandini driven to distraction by his passion for the troubled Camilla, while Toole's Ignatius J. Reilly was simply a maddeningly overblown pompous genius. If any potential paramour ran screaming, so be it. The writing in both novels set my heart to swelling every time I had the honour of spiritually ingesting it. I wanted to share that with someone; to have that moment where two minds connect like Jenga pieces in an orgiastic mutual appreciation of literature. Surely that wasn't too much to ask.

Then right at the last minute, Dunces in hand, one foot out the door, Gabi speaks.

"What if they hate it?"

"What?"

"What if you meet some wonderful spunko brainiac with a copy of Catch 22 and
they hate Confederacy of Dunces?"

Pause. I hadn't considered that such people existed. Could the spark of difference be just the thing leading to romance? Would my intended and I wrestle our love into being like the Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd of the library, snarling stanzas and tearing at dust jackets?

"I'll deal with that when I come to it."

And - stuffing a copy of David Sedaris' Naked into my handbag at the last minute like a pair of back-up knickers - I'm gone.

The night itself is slow, earthy, alive. We are in a private room at the library and there are candles lit and peanut clusters of friends whispering nervy excitements. I wait to lock eyes with a gentleman clutching a matching copy of John Kennedy Toole's masterpiece, leading to a slow-motion balletic run across the room and an intense but discreet tongue-kissing session behind a shelf of modern feminist poetry. This, needless to say, does not instantly eventuate.

What does is a fascinating look into the minds of readers, male and female. We are seated at a long and grand table, divided by sexes like tittering wallflowers. The Seeking Same participants are given their own section. A girl sitting two people away from me is holding a copy of Slaughterhouse 5.

"I'm reading that at the moment!" I say excitedly.

She looks uninterested. She's not here to mingle with lady booklovers.

The two-piece jazz band is irritatingly loud. The emcee makes a couple of lame jokes about bringing along American Psycho. Tense laughter. I am seated across from an enormous gentleman in a suit and tie. He is holding a copy of Zadie Smith's On Beauty. He inhales deeply.

Your time starts, now.

Men come and go; pages whirring. The music stops and starts. One by one, I am presented with a variety of male courters holding a variety of novels. David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas. Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species. In Cold Blood. The Michael Palin Diaries.

"Oh, lovely," I say when I see the Palin. "What's it like?"

He glances down at the shiny hardback. Picks absently at an Angus and Roberston price sticker.

"I don't know, I haven't read it. To be honest I just thought it looked OK so I picked it up on my way here and ..." he trails off, shrugging.

There is an awkward pause.

"So what do you do?" he asks eventually, trying to surreptitiously look down my top before our five minutes is up.

I am yet to find the elusive heart-literature connection, though I am presented with some fascinating choices. Whoever told one young man he should bring along The Coming of the Third Reich as his amorous placard was clearly having a lend of him. Additionally, the gentleman toting a copy of The Story of O and an accompanying leery expression appears to be making no friends whatsoever.

"I thought it would be a conversation starter. I mean, we're not here for fun are we?" he says defiantly.

Third from last is a man who holds a thin, glossy tome. Daywalks around Melbourne. I ask if rambling is a particular passion of his.

"Not really. But if you're free on the weekend ..." he smiles, tapping the guidebook.

I can't help but feel disappointed. There are some beautiful men with awful books, and some awful men holding frankly magnificent pieces of writing. An adoration of fine scribes can be such a random gift.

Eventually we all peel off and trip out into the night exhausted, after posting secret ballots as to who we rather fancied, who we abhorred, who we want to lie naked next to immersed in volumes of Roald Dahl til the end of time. My literate love may have evaded me that night, but there are a thousand more dinners, a thousand more novels, a thousand more precious, random moments. In the meantime I will bed Arturo, befriend Adrian Mole, dine with Ignatius and laugh helplessly with Bryson. Betrothed, for now, to the men within my pages.

Text Appeal - Literary Speed Dating.
January 17, 7-8.30pm; February 14, 7-8.30pm. Experimedia, State Library of
Victoria. Entry 1, 328 Swanston Street, city.
Inquiries: 8664 7555 or learning@slv.vic.gov.au

Posted by lainey at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)

January 08, 2007

While I was busy at work...

...I found time to do a quiz, liked the result and also bought three CDs.

More when life begins and work ends.

Posted by lainey at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

January 01, 2007

The Year In Review

It's less obligatory than some may think. I actually appreciating checking back in on my New Year posts to see how I'm doing.

2006 was a great year for me! Let's see...

The good:
1) travelled alot! (see below)
2) found the courage to move on another job after 1 year 7 months.
3) Found my footing in my new job fast enough. It's stressful but I've no complaints.
4) Met so many amazing people, many who turned into new friends, even with my new co-workers.
5) Got engaged!
6) Took my GRE
7) Started driving lessons
8) Found the courage to change my hairdresser
9) Revived my friendship with my best friend from Sec school (I had to write this down like it is, eh? ;) )
10) Developed a taste for lady's fingers and eggplant.
11) Attended 4 weddings (of friends I adore) and one of someone I don't know that well. keke
11) Learned how to stilt-walk

The not-so-good:
1) Put on wayyy too much weight
2) Did not see enough movies, listen to enough music nor read enough.
3) Spent too much money
4) Got so indulged that I became prone to crazy tantrum fits
5) Have almost zilch savings for the year.
6) Kinda drifted from my sister
7) Couldn't pass the Final Theory test for driving ( I know!!!)

Countries Visited

Some people spend money on their geek toys, other spend it on late night boozing, others spend it on designer threads or fine dining. Me? I'm almost rendered bankrupt by my incessant need to quell my wanderlust. But I've no complaints, give me the world and I will give you all my money!!!

2006 was an amazing year for travel! And my appetite is still not satiated, I want to travel more more more and more!

1) Feb: Bangkok & Pranburi Beach - to find a beach unspoilt and almost without holiday makers is divine!
2) March: Bintan - for the Boy's work retreat. where I learned how to drive a buggy, which led to me registering for driving lessons. haha!
3) April: Mumbai - the land of superlatives. Too much spice, too much food, too much honking, too many cheats, so many colours, over-polluted, superhot and what an experience!
4) June: Bintan (again) for the Boy's surprise birthday celebration with his good friends. This was where friendships are forged.
6) September: Scandinavia - Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm, Copenhagen. Where I got engaged and had a finnish sauna!
7) December: The Philippines - What a wonderful way to end the year with family and friends and so much warmth. I'll be back!

For 2007 I hope to:

1) Track my finances and be more responsible with my money
2) Read.Read.Read.
3) Apply for grad schools and hopefully get into one!
4) Get my driver's license!
5) Re-start Japanese classes.
6) Lose weight (I've been saying this for more than 10 years!)
7) Be nicer to The Boy (LESS tantrums, no paranoia and mind my P's and Q's)
8) Spend more time with my sister, grandparents and parents.
9) Visit more countries.
10) Get hitched!

This is it. Have a fabulous 2007, I know I will be working hard at having a good one myself. :)

Posted by lainey at 12:54 PM | Comments (2)