Goddess, I Am.

Confession time! I never really knew what was going on in the world unless I read about it on Facebook or Twitter, or if The Husband told me. I’m even worse with celebrity news. I know, I know. It’s the Internet age and news is everywhere, blah blah blah. However, I open so many browsers for work that opening a few more just to read the news really isn’t something I would go out of my way for.

That has changed since I got Agrippa. You see, there’s a very nifty (and free!) app called Flipboard that makes the news so much more accessible to me. I get my news (plus my Twitter and Facebook feeds) in a fancy magazine-like interface, and it makes browsing for news so much more pleasurable.

Honestly, I can’t believe how gossipy this app is making me. Flipping through content just to see who bombed what and who the wireless cctv cameras caught canoodling this time is now becoming an integral part of my day.

I am such a dork, I know.

Chin once told me that she envied my portable life. That was back in 2007 when I packed up and left for Thailand.

Everything I owned could fit in a single suitcase. I was free to come and go whenever I pleased. Those were among the best days of my life, and like Chin then, I envy my portable life now.

These days, I’m feeling that all too familiar restlessness again, that itch go someplace far and exotic – not for a few days’ holiday, but to stay for a while, to stay indefinitely. And in theory, I could. After all, that’s the beauty of working online. I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to feed and shelter myself in some exciting foreign land.

But a theory is all it is for me now, now that I’m married and can never think solely for myself ever again. My life is still fairly portable (or I can make it so in a heartbeat because I don’t exactly go crazy on wholesale appliances). Why, I can give away most of my clothing and my shoes and my books and I won’t even bat an eyelash. All I need are a few t-shirts, some underwear, a few pairs of pants, my laptop, my iPad, and my camera, and I’m a happy camper. The Husband, however, is another story.

You see, he gets very attached to things, like his huge-ass TV and home theater system, his hundreds of Blu-Ray movies, his electric couch, and even the goddamned refrigerator. Most of these things traveled all the way from England to Thailand when he moved to Bangkok in 2006, and again from Thailand to the Philippines in 2008. When we do move again, he’s going to insist on taking all of these with us, plus everything else we’ve bought since.

And if you’ve ever had to go through the ordeal of moving furniture and appliances from one country to another, you’ll know it’s not a walk in the park. So it goes without saying that moving from one country to another on a whim is out of the question, and when we do move again, it’ll have to be a big one (read: for good) to make the most out of the time, money, and gargantuan effort that transporting his stuff will demand.

Heavens, why do material things have to make life so complicated?

- Posted using BlogPress on Agrippa, the iPad

I figured out a long time ago that I want to write for the rest of my life. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I earn a very good living out of it, too, so I really can’t complain.

But writing hundreds – if not, thousands – of online content for subjects you really do not care a thing about . . . well, it just gets to you. Every once in a while, I find myself wondering what the hell I’m doing writing about constipation (among others) when I ought to be writing a novel, or a memoir, or something that may very well win a Pulitzer (who knows?), or at least something that would reach out and touch people, bowel problems notwithstanding. Then I go through the whole litany of reasons why I’m settling for what I am doing, and I end up forcing myself to be grateful for the chance to even write at all and get paid for it to boot!

Still, this doesn’t stop me from wishing I was a more ‘serious’ writer. I would love to be respected, to be revered, to have a cult following. I would love to see my name in print, preferably under the words “#1 New York Times Bestseller.” It’s all fanciful thinking, I know. But does it really have to be?

Every day, I’m getting to know myself more. I’m starting to figure out what I want out of life beyond the next 6 months. And I’m starting to make the plans that would make me the person – and by extension, the writer – that I want to be.

First thing’s first – I need formal training in writing. I don’t have one, you know, not even a humble certificate from a writing workshop. I’d like to go back to school and get an MA in Creative Writing. And I’m not talking about an Online College, either. I’ve found that there are universities and colleges in London and the U.S. and Canada that would take on post-graduate students for their writing programs, even without a writing-related undergraduate degree. Of course, one will have to prove one’s aptitude in writing in a 5000-word essay to be considered, and even then, one will have to be prepared to spend thousands of dollars (or even pounds sterling!) to take the course. Unless, of course, one somehow lands a scholarship, which is already the most fanciful of all fanciful thinking.

Well, I don’t think I’ll be landing a scholarship anywhere anytime soon (or even ever), nor do I have thousands of dollars (or pounds) to spare. But I will write that 5000-word essay, anyway, in between constipation [articles]. Just in case.

- Posted using BlogPress on Agrippa, the iPad

I’m busy. And tired. And sleep-deprived. And if those aren’t bad enough, it actually shows.

Look at me! I have eye bags the size of binoculars. I look like a freakin’ panda, but not in any way that is cute, cuddly, and (thankfully) furry.

On a concrete cement slab in Arano’s

But at least, I have ridiculously cool boots. I swear, I can’t get enough of ‘em. (At least, until I get these navy babies.) They’re literally giving me that extra spring in my step that I really need right now. It’s amazing how a good pair of shoes can make me happy like that.

Oh, and do give us some love at Sistahs Stylistahs.

I know, I know. I still owe everyone (especially my friend, Ann) a Hong Kong post, plus an introduction to my new baby, Agrippa the iPad. I haven’t forgotten, and I’ll get those done if they’re the last thing I do!

It’s just that once again, I’ve got projects right up to my eyeballs. First, my boss decided to expand and throw a few (okay, a lot) more responsibilities my way. But who’s complaining? I love my job!

Then I helped my sister launch her new clothing label, Innuendo SWAGGER. Check out the FRESH collection here, if you haven’t already. The dresses and tops we launched this week are gorgeous! And because we don’t mass produce, you really won’t have to worry about running into someone wearing the same thing. That’s a good enough incentive, don’t you think?

And finally, we also launched another new project together, strictly for fun. We started a fashion blog, whoop-dee-doo! Check us out at Sistahs Stylistahs! Oh, and do be nice! I know we probably need a fat burner diet pill or two, but hey, we’re not half bad. Even if I do say so myself, tee hee.

So that (and spending endless hours tinkering with my new toy) is what I’ve been up to these days. Missed me? I hope so because I’ve definitely missed blogging!

- Posted using BlogPress from Agrippa, the iPad