Month: September 2010

It’s Complicated, pt. 3

via nevver

I already have a steady stream of negativity in my life. I can depend on it. Like an old friend, things like cynicism, cattiness, and road rage constantly pop-up, reminding me that I don’t shit rainbows.

When it comes to dealing with simple problems though, I try to keep things simple. I mean, complicating things for the sake of complications is like jogging without an iPod. You could, but why? [(c) 2010, Duffie Osental]

It’s the same thing with making a conscious effort to do something you don’t want to do. You could, but why?
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Romantic Comedy

Because if we couldn’t laugh at the absurdity of it all, we’d go insane. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. Real life doesn’t have any laugh tracks. And it goes on.

In a sitcom, we have to preempt failure. That’s what keeps the episodes moving.

When he said, “I’m sorry I screwed this up,” before it even happened, it didn’t speak of his sense of humor–about life, about love, about me and what a fucking hoot and a holler I am–it just signaled a lack of faith, above everything else. It’s insecurity, is what it is.

It’s shitty to be on the receiving end of that lack of faith. I’m sure he knows that life isn’t scripted.

I got free cupcakes for this!

This is a talk I gave to the members of UP-KMS (Kalipunan ng mga Mag-Aaral ng Sosyolohiya), which is the student organization for the Sociology undergrads. Kitty (Caragay) and I were asked to talk about the effects Nationalist symbols as fashion statements for this semester’s Alternative Classroom Learning Experience, or ACLE as it’s better known among the kids.

This was technically my first ever ACLE session. Before this, I went speed dating to kill time (that was some other org’s ACLE project), because my ex was downstairs with his org administering their own program.

Anyway, here’s the talk which I’d been meaning to post for some time, but never got around to until now. Because I am a douchebag.

The Aquino Administration and the Commodification of Nationalism
The Vote as a Fashion Statement

Color choices are a fundamental part of wardrobe selection. As a consumer, before you know what you’re buying you already know what color you want it in. The selection of color, from the standpoint of the retail industry, is a long drawn-out process that involves forecasting done years in advance in order to scope out what clicks with the market. It’s not always just some designer sitting behind a drafting table thinking, “This would look good in blue.” In most cases, color precedes design.

Continue reading “I got free cupcakes for this!” →

1.

On the way home, with him in the driver’s seat, he asked if we were going to see each other tomorrow.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I might be busy.”

He asked about the day after that.

“I think this week’s pretty packed.”

He bit his lip and looked the other way as he steered the car around the corner. With his eyes still averted, two almost completely inaudible words escaped his lips. Regardless, I still caught them: “I’m trying.”

I didn’t know it then. but if there was anyone to blame for it not going anywhere it was definitely me. He, after all, was trying. He’d show up at my office even when I wouldn’t respond (or would respond with a good measure of aloofness thrown in) to texts. Asked how I was at the end of the day.

But I ignored it, because the signs were clear and they pointed nowhere. Then, ignoring it was the right thing to do, but I’m sure there have been times when I was dead wrong, and the only thing to do now is figure out when those times were.

This post is (this was originally on tumbr) here because the server refuses to hook-up to google (it was supposed to be on my blogspot). Speaking of hook-ups, I’m done. I’m done with writing people off and just not trying because I saw one thing I didn’t like, read a few signs (which were probably all meant to be taken in context anyway) and decided there and then that something was not worth it. I’m done.