I flew 6,600 air miles to be with my fiance, Chris.

Who is no longer a fiance.

He’s now a husband who played fantasy football after the wedding (and thinks his wife is a smartass).

I met up with Danielle who is the best maid of honor known to man. She organized the lovely reception where I got to meet most of Chris’ family and a few of our closest gaming friends.

Oh, and we nearly burned the Holiday Inn down. (Just kidding… only Chris did it!)

We went to Atlantic City.

…and Florida, where we met Mickey and Minnie.

And I finally helped my husband gain some of his weight and appetite back. He loves the food. More importantly, I got him to wear skinny jeans, white sneakers and I’m almost done house-training him. Hehe.

Now we’re starting our little family of two persons and three chihuahuas. Which will hopefully be a family of two adults, two children and (of course) the three chihuahuas.

Here’s our first investment as a couple: Chris’ precious Keurig brewer. *facepalms*

And, last but not the least, I bought the creepy Baby Alive Wets and Wiggles for my little sister who got pissed off because she has been nagging me to buy it for almost two years but “Kuya Chris” and I got the Keurig brewer the day after he asked.

Here’s a (shamelessly belated) Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Wondermous New Year to all!

In the meantime, I need a little break from work so I decided to use the last floral teabag that Tita E left behind. I apologize for the horrible quality of the pics since I’m taking these with my BlackBerry. (I’ve become too used to my dSLR.)

The packaging is so attractive.

I was surprised to see the little round “pearls” inside the silk bag. Although it says so on the package, I didn’t really pay attention to it.

The pearls unravel into flowers during infusion. It smells like sampaguita (a type of jasmine native to Southeast Asia).

Hmmm. Perfect.

• Make a list of necessities to pack. Limit things to 23 kg (check-in luggage), 7 kg (hand carry), 20 kg (air cargo).
• Basic meds and hygiene stuff, documents, jacket & a few clothes, electronics (hand carry)
• Medication, toiletries (luggage)
• Clothes (luggage)
• Light stuff I bought  (luggage)
• Chris’ cane (luggage)
• Heavy stuff I bought (air cargo)
• Accessories (air cargo)
• Shoes, bags (air cargo)
• Cookbook (air cargo)
• Process exit/re-entry visa
• Have DHL pick-up my stuff
• Go to social club and figure out some stuff
• Finish doing my laundry and clean my room
• Separate clothes and shoes to throw or give away
• Pack and seal my office stuff
• Do everything I’m supposed to do at work:
• Yearly report
• Pending memos
• 6 meeting reports
• CME stuff
• Other stuff I don’t remember right now
• Carry a towel

What is up with fantasy book covers with badly-drawn art, tacky calligraphy, and horrible color coordination? Don’t get me wrong, I love fantasy and I’m reading Codex Alera (by Jim Butcher) right now. But the noted problems has the unfortunate result of most of the youth classifying fantasy-lovers as social outcasts; even as an adult, I see a lot of people giving me odd looks when I’m in the fantasy aisle — the same kind of look I usually reserve for people in the romance/bodice-ripper section. I don’t blame them since the fantasy section looks like a whole gallery of horrid mini-paintings.

I like Harry Potter a lot though I don’t think it’s one of the best books in the genre. And before you die-hard Potterphiles rip me apart with your bare hands, take note that I have compared the series to great classics in the genre and in spite of the advertising glamour, Rowling’s brilliance and the series’ readability, HP cannot compete with its meatier siblings. But there is one thing about Harry Potter that makes it shine above all the other books in the genre: it’s perfect packaging. Picking up an HP book is like holding a work of art. The white space, perfect font and lettering, beautiful paper, artistic covers and design — the whole product looks good. Even the Chronicles of Narnia have more superior art direction than most fantasy series. One of its trade paperback editions had lovely pastel drawings with deep blue bottom borders. The Lord of the Rings already had several wonderful makeovers and Discworld’s colorful, cartoonish style perfectly suits the books.

Now imagine applying the same care and dedication to the packaging of some of the greatest fantasy books ever written: Wheel of Time, Earthsea Cycle, Memory, Sorrow, Thorn, Shannara series, The Sword of Truth, Dragonriders of Pern and many many more. Ok fine, maybe the Shannara covers are not that bad but they’re still mediocre.

It’s not the clothes don’t make a woman and we should not judge books by their covers. But that doesn’t mean that we should completely ignore the covers and slap something cheap and tawdry over the beautiful stories.

Auntie Janey’s Old Fashioned Agony Column #35:
The Husband of Your Close Friend

When I first read this, I thought about how stupid the letter-writer is. It’s okay when people are friends whether they’re male or female, married or unmarried. If the circle of friends is tight enough and both parties socialize with each other, then it is unavoidable for one wife to see and talk to the other’s husband without the presence of their respective spouses.

What’s unacceptable is when the other starts flirting. You’re married so stop it. And this is your wife’s/husband’s friend for f***’s sake so don’t even think about it. Online chatting can be very personal because it is secretive — no one else can see or hear your conversation. This is vastly different to meeting in a supermarket and talking about your work, children, blah blah, etc. It’s easy for a single person to dismiss online flirtations but you start thinking more carefully when you’re in a committed relationship especially when you are married.

In short, I think the letter writer is quite stupid for letting things come to this point and that she has no spine if she can’t even put her friend’s flirtatious husband down and control the conversation.

By the way, I love this part:

…when she accuses you, you should vehemently deny it. Chances are, she will not believe you. You will have to be firm in your denial and you must assume an unapologetic stance. Be genuinely indignant if you can manage it. You must tell yourself that you are the victim here and dammit, you will not cower before this woman who has wrongfully accused you. This will be the point at which your ties with her will be severed. It is not your responsibility to protect your friend’s marriage. You have a reputation, a life, and a marriage of your own.

Do not grovel and declare that you still want to be friends. The offended party should never apologize. This is the moment in your life that you have to be extremely selfish. Your reputation is at stake. You need to make a preemptive strike. Gossip can assume the color of truth if told repeatedly over time.

Part I. The Love Triangle

I am not a big fan of love triangles where indecision drags on and on. For instance, the Edward/Bella/Jacob angle in Twilight freaks me out and made Bella look like a witch who manipulated two perfectly good boyfriends. And on the opposite side of the literary spectrum, the Arthur/Guenevere/Lancelot situation made me hate the latter two with all my being. (Richard Gere’s cocky portrayal of Lancelot didn’t help.)

However, there are exceptions.

The story begins with Gale and Katniss hunting together. They seem like the perfect pair who share interests and have a history of deep friendship. And then Peeta comes along;  Peeta who is not as capable or as handsome as Gale, who can bake and ice a cake like no other, and who is as vulnerable as Gale is strong. It’s like watching Brokeback Mountain all over again. I know that Heath Ledger’s Ennis is the more admirable character but it is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Jack who stole my heart. In Finnick’s immortal words, Peeta just “creeps on you” until you find yourself rooting for the seemingly unremarkable boy who is so much more within.

But then Gale is not totally out of the picture. He has a lot of things going for him. How can I blame Katniss for being confused when even I can’t make up my mind which of the two should end up with her? But by the end of book two (Catching Fire) the answer was clear for everyone except Katniss.

Props to Suzanne Collins for not making the romance angle creepy and out of place.

Part II. Killing Machines

Aside from a handful of District 1 and 2 losers, I don’t think any of the main tributes are bloodthirsty murderers. They just do what they have to do to survive. They find it difficult to accept at first but, eventually, the necessity hardens them. In this respect, Katniss and Peeta are a lot like Harry Potter — exceptional in their own ways but managed to escape within an inch of their lives through sheer, unimaginable luck.

I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t enjoy it. Most of my favorite scenes are those set in the arena. Part of me wants to be Katniss while she’s battling with the other tributes to see who would outwit, outlast and outplay the others in the quest to be the ultimate victor.

Hey, Mark Burnett, there’s a suggestion for the next season of Survivor. Make them fight for real.

Part III. Poop

The tributes spend 3-4 days in the arena with cameras almost constantly watching their every move. Bathing and peeing are manageable since they can run at a moment’s notice. But how do they find time to poop when they have to hide from the cameras, find appropriate non-poisonous leaves to wipe and, most importantly, manage to not get killed while answering the call of nature?

Do they get extreme constipation from the lack of water? Or perhaps there’s just not enough food to digest? It’s possible that they have a few tablets of loperamide hidden in their underwear to prevent accidents.

Part IV. The Movie Adaptation

Jennifer Lawrence was a poor substitute for Rebecca Romijn as Mystique in X-Men: First Class. Plus she’s already 21 and looks older than her age. I’m not sure about her casting but perhaps she can pull it off. IMO, Haylee Steinfield would have been a better choice.

Liam Hemsworth is perfect as Gale. He may not have the emotional range of Gary Oldman but luckily for Hemsworth,  Gale is not the most expressive character in the series. However, I was livid when I found out that they cast the short, brunette loser from The Vampire’s Assistant as Peeta. At least until I saw this EW cover:

He looks exactly as I’ve envisioned Peeta to be. Thank God for Cinna-like  stylists. As for Gale, I thought his hair would be longer and straighter. But Hemsworth doesn’t look bad at all.

Part V. Conclusion

It’s not a perfect happily ever after. But it is an ending that cannot be anything else.

As for you, what are you still doing here? Go read the books!

And may the odds be ever in your favor.

XVII (I do not love you)

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

~ Pablo Neruda

I love Neruda.

Let’s just say that something terribly annoying (frustrating? upsetting? irritating?) has happened.

On a positive note, a lot of things are slowly falling into place and C and I are working on the next big step in our lives.

It started with tattoos.

C told me about his family’s fascination with tattoos. He then asked me what kind of tattoo I wanted and I replied that it would be a quote: “I’m an adventurer, looking for treasure.”

And, no, that’s not a mantra for gold-diggers. When C asked me what it meant for me, I launched into a ten-minute explanation about Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Santiago’s yearning for travel, his conversation with Melchizedek, his recognition of his own personal legend and his risk in following it, his search for the pyramids of Egypt, his loss in the marketplace of a strange city, and his determination to not be a victim and be an “adventurer” instead. I wanted to express my desire to always see difficult things as challenges and not tragedies, that I still dream of going for my personal legend, that I believe in the universe conspiring to give you what you desire if you truly wish it with all your heart, and (last but not the least) my respect for the only book of Coelho’s that I love.

And after that heartfelt explanation, he told me that I talked about it for too long and I could have said it simply in one statement. After all, if people ask me about it I wouldn’t give them the same lecture.

My reaction:

Of course I wouldn’t give them the same explanation, FFS! Not everyone in the world is my fiance. Geez. Remind me to not bother explaining something important to me in the future so I wouldn’t waste my time.

Coincidentally, The Alchemist is the same book I’ve been haranguing him to read for the last two years.

Then I turned over and fell asleep.

I’ve never seen more bad-tempered or cuter tiny birds than these. And those uppity green pigs can be so annoying. So addictive!