Dinner date with Nova

The last time I was in National Bookstore Katipunan was four or five years ago, actually maybe more.  So, I was kinda taken aback at how much the place has remained the same but yet felt small and different.  The feeling was akin to when I went back to my old high school for a reunion - everything looked the same but at a smaller version.  Not that I've grown taller or heavier - well maybe there's some truth with this.  But I'm pretty sure that it was like being time-warped back when I was in college yet strangely, I'm not wearing my jeans and white shirt anymore.

Anyway, I was there to kill time as I'm scheduled for a dinner with Nova.  I figured instead of waiting for her inside the restaurant, I'll just read some books and hang out at NBS.  Some things I discovered about ME that day:

1.  I tend to get really hungry during the hours of 7 to 9 pm.  

2.  I can wait for a friend for more than two hours provided - I'm inside a bookstore (or even a museum);  I have a book and a spot to read it; I get text messages assuring me that they are on their way - something terribly important is just holding them up.

3.  A lifetime of waiting including the pangs of hunger just disappear (well, temporarily) when you get a text message saying, "D2 na ko." 

It was a fun dinner - we discussed a lot and I was reminded how important it is to talk to a person face to face.  Text and offline messages, even phone or video calls are just not enough.   We did not have time to reminisce, the meeting was purely to talk about her plans and well, since it's Nova - we have to talk about the upcoming elections.....

I hope to write another blog entry about her plans though - maybe in September this year and Spring Next Year!  

Ah, had another dinner this weekend too, but this one's different - more like a home coming dinner.

Overheard from Glee

"You can't always get what you want

But if you try sometimes well you might find

You get what you need." = Rolling Stones

Heard these lines from the last episode of Glee's first season re-runs at the cable channel.  Shikes, I was thinking that I'm the type of person who wants and tries for things I ONLY NEED.  Well, I just probably have to hum these lines and hear them over my head for the rest of the week.  

Chasing Daylight by Eugene O'Kelley

Got this book during the SM North Edsa Sale late January.  Read it for two weeks - again while lining up for the UP-SM jeep.  The title is quite intriguing plus the premise of suffering from an incurable disease and preparing for one's death - pretty much my usual reading fare, 

Also, while paying for it - I thought this will give me insights on what makes accountants tick - they're all over ruling and dominating my work place.  So, what did I actually get from the author?

1.  Chasing daylight refers to a special moment when night time have to set in and of course you need to pack in or suck in as much as you can - time, energy, passion - anything that you can think of.

2.  One really has to have money and support to prepare, be transformed and eventually welcome death.

3.  Although death, like taxes, is a great equalizer, "some" can write a  book and make it a highly individualized event.

Overall, not really a memorable or life transforming book.   Although, it got me to try the Starbucks iced coffee last night - pretty good.   This probably marks the eventual phasing out of coffee jelly frappuccino from my order list.    Lastly, if given the money and opportunity to map out and have the best death possible, will also adopt the concept of saying good goodbyes.  Although, will keep it within the inner circles (just like some entries in this site for contacts only).  

Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers

Just to keep track with my goal of reading at least 6 books this year, I really tried to finish this one.  So, I found myself reading while falling in line every morning for the UP-SM jeep.  It means 5 to 10 mins Monday to Friday. 
I bought the book in the first place because of the title.  Usually, when I run a regression analysis, I tend to disregard the outliers.  I'm more focused on the normal distribution.  This book though looks at the small dots that are simply further away from the clusters.  Well, given that successful people are fewer than normal people, I guess Gladwell maybe right in categorizing them as outliers.  But the irony of this book is that once he has isolated the outliers or the successful ones, he looked for the pattern and here he clusters the factors together - making them, his outliers, into part of the "normal distribution." 
For Gladwell an outlier becomes one because of "...steady accumulation of advantages."  Hence, a successful person is born in a certain era and place with a certain set of parents and a certain "something"  while growing up.  He cited, the Beatles, Bill Gates and Jewish lawyers in NYC during the late 1980s to 1990s as examples.  It's not really unusual to learn that geniuses are not created overnight.  In fact Gladwell, goes as far back as the circumstances and the evolution of a certain culture to determine the success of their people. AND yes, basically why Asians are generally good in Math.   

Resolutions for 2010

I read Lea's (ehemm.... Salonga not Bron just to make it clear) resolutions before 2009 ends in her PDI column.  I started thinking this is kinda old fashioned and I always end up frustrated when I don't get to strike these things at the end of the year.  Maybe this is an exercise in futility but things are starting to slow down and I'm starting to feel mediocre so just to challenge myself here goes my list:
1.  Read at least 6 books for the year - as in really read.  I've been reading a lot from the net but most are fluff materials so just to make sure that I'll read all the books and plan to buy at Powerbooks or Fully Booked.
2.  Continue to bring "bento" at the office.  At the start of 2009, I ventured grudgingly on bringing baon for lunch at the office then I started to like the big savings that I get out of it,  
3.  Be "visible" at least for Melissa on YM.  Cecille has been in Singapore for more than 2 years, Lea in the Netherlands for more than 3 months and they're my friends as in forever but we never really find time to have regular chats.  But since Melissa will be in the Netherlands too - and she's the "touchy-fee-ly" type of friend so I have to really buzz her.
4.  Be more spontaneous - as in grab opportunities to do things that I don't normally do.  In the words of Ma'am Zen, "Get out of your comfort zone!"
5.  Travel to Egypt - I saw Lea's pictures in Greece (her dream destination since we were kids) and it got me into thinking, I should go to my dream destination too.
6.  Wear a dress at the office.  I own quite a number and they still have their tags on.  Whenever I plan on putting one on for Friday - I end up taking it off - feeling too dressed up,  
7.  Go to productive and useful internet sites and watch only one drama per season (better if Japanese).
8.  Visit my tatay more often.
9.  Embrace failures, rejections and disappointments so I can move on.
10.  Be more hopeful.

Macau 2009

Decided to make a separate folder for this trip with Melissa what with all the time it's taking me to upload our photos in one folder and my Vaio crashing, this New year's eve should really be put to good use.

Was really looking forward to this leg of our trip -- Macau with its Portuguese influence, casinos and Pinoys all over.

HK and Macau, 2009

Hatched the idea to travel with Melissa and Leo last May while celebrating her birthday at Casa Armas in Trinoma. Booked our flight tickets after our dinner celebrating my birthday at Le Maison also in Trinoma this time minus Leo.

Our last trip together was in Sapporo 2007. Hong Kong was supposed to serve as our entry for the Beijing train adventure but we didn't get the Chinese visa - hated queuing at the consulate in Makati. We ended up staying in the city for 7 days. Highlights include:
1) me having an anxiety attack on the fist day thinking that Melissa might suffocate and die because of the dust mites in our room at the Chungking Mansion;
2) almost buying a fake camera (didn't know they also sell it in reputable looking stores near the mansion);
3) Melissa having an anxiety attack too before going back due to a certain "speedy Louis" =)