I Was There and Here at the Same Time

Today's the first time after my last birthday that someone asked for my age. Reasonable, since I turned 19 only yesterday. It took me 5 seconds to convince myself that I'm not that old, and 50 minutes to realize that I'm actually happy to be a year older. A birthday has more perks anyway--financial and material gifts, food, definite time period for people to sincerely think about your well-being, and license to be free.
     The biggest contributors to yesterday's memorability are: (1) the lack of excessive food on the table; (2) the absence of a random Facebook friend who dropped by in my page to post only the acronym "HBD"; (3) the gift of freedom from my mom to select a suitable gift for myself; and, most especially, (4) these:

--the assurance that I will have better days than the ones I had, from the one who has been providing me that already.

Tilad-Kaniguan and Flyleaf

When I was 18, I became the chairperson of a literary organization composed of a bunch of teenagers and young adults with habits of a grade-school student and brains of a sane mental patient. My term started a month before my 17th, and ended 3 months before my 19th birthday. You can say that between these dates, I spent more than a considerable amount of time attempting to bring something new to the little audience the organization has and the potential crowd of interested spectators. With the help and initiative of my co-officers and of course, our moderator, the organization grew from the usual brainstorming and intangible speeches to digital formats and published papers.
     For the last project of my team, and as strongly supported by the current Ateneo Literary Association (ALA--the organization), we planned to launch, and launched Tilad-Kaniguan, a compilation of all the Tilad online folio we were able to accomplish from November until February, and Flyleaf, the organization's first annual publication, last April. I was the layout artist for the latter, and assisted in the layouting process for the former. This is partly the reason why I was gone in this online community for a whole month. (Mainly, it was because of Detective Conan. You cannot really blame me.)

Photos by Allan Camata/Pen Prestado

     Click the following images if you want to check both papers:

     Along with the organization, I grew restless yet satisfied. I'm still 18 years old, but not for long. Looking back to that twisted year, I can hardly regret anything. It wasn't perfect. In fact, it's one of the years I've commited many mistakes. It's also one of the years, however, that I was able to choose the up-until-now right decisions.

-

A few days ago, I founded a personal project in Facebook, RERUNS. Its goal is to collect 300-word-or-less nonfictions. The founder would be very much delighted if you contribute.

Having the World

I owe you no explanation, but if I were to be hung for secrecy (because, apparently, this generation does not respect their privacy well enough that they even publish a good account of their rest room experience), I would happily bombard the world with detailed stories about my recent activities that might make all religious institutions doubt their respective gods.
     No, not really. If eating M&M's Minis is a sign of rebellion, then that might be possible. In this war, however, I strongly believe that the capitalists would be on my side. Well, let's not get too far. Even if it's probable in an alternate universe for a sudden shift in history just because of me eating M&Ms, it is impossible here, unless I'm a queen of a 1st world community, and terrorists put poison in my bowl of candy-coated chocolates. To assure your safety, I'm not of noble blood. I'm a commoner, just like a queen.
     Kidding aside, I am not not not a queen. My current situation allows me to imagine that I am in a certain extent though. I have nothing to do here at home but to eat, drink, take a bath, watch, send, read, play, think, and not post all of this on Instagram or Facebook. I do go out to plan an event, actualize that event, hang out with my partner, and attend an art-literature exhibit. Sometimes, when I get extra lucky, he would visit me here carrying a box of pizza, like what he did today.

     Along with my favorite pizza, he also gave me his treasured Panic! at the Disco CD, featuring selected songs from the band's first two albums performed live, and a Death Note.

He's quite persistent on reaching me, it's troublesome. I do talk to you though.

     I wasn't a P!atD fan for a long time. It wasn't even a long time ago when I started developing good pair of ears. My first exposure to my so-called good music is Vampire Weekend, then comes Regina Spektor, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Amy Winehouse, Maroon 5, and so on. Bittersweet, a bonus sound track in Vices and Virtues, is the first P!atD song I like enough to memorize, and to look for the band's earlier albums. Leir influenced me to fan-girl over the band, and Fall Out Boy. I often sing Camisado and The (Shipped) Gold Standard in the shower.

I thought that you are one of them.

     Thanks to a former classmate for introuducing to me Death Note during my freshman year in college. Yes, I was this late and I live in a cave. The series might be a factor why I chose to name myself "Apple" in school. I have no intention of using the notebook for my history class. I might use it to take note of names during a hateable author's book signing.
      After watching Liberal Arts, and having a short conversation, he went back to his temporary home. And after 3 hours from his departure, I can still not thank him enough for giving me more than some things I can blog about.