Goddess, I Am.

I read a lot, so if somebody asked me who my favorite author is, I would probably end up with a list to rival that of Extenze’s cache of sexual enhancers. (Please don’t ask me why or how I know.) But if I were to pick one (author, not sexual enhancer) who I love most, I wouldn’t bat an eyelash when I say Colleen McCullough.

The first McCullough book I ever picked up was Antony and Cleopatra, and from the very first page, it was love – love for the story, love for the history, and love for the author. Because of that, I spent the better part of last year acquiring and reading her entire Masters of Rome series. I thought my love for her books would end there, but then I found an old copy of The Thorn Birds (definitely among my top 3 favorite stories of all time!), and she got me hooked once again. Since then, I’ve been making it a point to find copies of all her stories, which really isn’t an easy thing to do when there aren’t a lot of her books floating around. So far, I’ve managed to acquire 10 of her books (from the most unlikely sources, mind you), including the 7 Roman ones, and I’m still on the lookout for more.

I love how she writes, and I won’t even try to describe why when, for me, the reasons are intangible. All I know is she writes about the very things that I personally would’ve liked to write about but could and would never ever give justice to. And it’s because of this that she almost feels like family – so much so, in fact, that I now ‘know’ her writing well enough to recognize styles that are unique to her, such as her penchant for throwing in a Roman nuance or two even in her most un-Roman stories, be it as a character’s name, or a subtle metaphor. I find myself smiling each time I see a Roman-esque word or phrase in one of her books. I like to think of it as her personal tribute to that period of history she loves so much, and I join her in that tribute.

Thank you, Colleen, for giving me Caesar, Ralph de Bricassart, and Joshua Christian. I look forward to finding more of your stories in places where I least expect them.

I’m depressed. I am now down to my last two Masters of Rome books, and though they’re both thick enough to keep me occupied for the next couple of months, it still makes me sad knowing that in approximately 700 pages or so, my beloved Caesar will be dead. That, and knowing that there will be no more books forthcoming in the series now that Colleen McCullough is losing her eyesight to macular degeneration.

Anybody who’s been reading my blog would probably know by now that I’m completely obsessed with Julius Caesar and all things Roman. I can say with all honesty that Ancient Rome is definitely one of my life’s greatest passions, even if it’s one that I only found less than a year ago.

So in my current despondent state, I find myself wondering what my life would’ve been like if the whole Roman thing was something that I’ve been into since childhood. Would I have chosen to become a Roman historian? Would I have taken an online teaching degree with a major in Roman History? Would I have pursued it, even if it seemed too impractical and useless for one living in the Philippines? Would I be writing in Latin right now, maybe even annotating Caesar’s Commentaries myself, rather than ordering an English-translated one from Amazon?

Yes, how’s that for an alternate universe? The thought of myself leading a scholarly existence is strangely interesting, if not a tad disconcerting.

So will my Roman obsession end with the death of my beloved Caesar, the end of the Roman Republic, and the last of Colleen McCullough’s books? Definitely not! There are more books to read, more stories to enjoy, and more great Romans to get to know and love. And no, I – or anyone else, for that matter – don’t need an online degree for that.

Indeed, my Roman romance is far from over. And that thought, at least, cheers me up somewhat.

We got back from our (late) week-long Boracay honeymoon on Wednesday, and I still haven’t recovered from my holiday mood, so I’m blogging (about time, too!), instead of working.

Don’t worry. I won’t bore you with all the holiday details. More often than not, The Husband and I travel to relax, so we didn’t do much in the way of adventure. If anything, it was a fairly uneventful trip, save for a little drama that involved my Macbook, Gaius (more on that later).

We did spend a couple of days sailing and island hopping/snorkeling. The Husband identified not one, not two, but SIX different species of clown fish, which predictably drove him into paroxysms of pleasure. Yes, the man knows his Nemos.

He also made friends with barnacles…

…and a crab that clung to his shorts for dear life. (Sounds a bit wrong, doesn’t it? LOL.)

I, on the other hand, spent most of my time lying on the beach, reading The Grass Crown (the second book of Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series), drinking milkshakes aplenty, swimming (or more accurately, jumping because the waves were huge), and showing off the effects of my diet pill of choice.

Readers of this blog, be warned! I’m about to strut my stuff.

Day Two (we only managed to catch the sunset on Day One):

This is a bebe loaned to me by my best friend, Aileen. I’m trying to come up with a good excuse not to return it (sorry, Lhen!).

Day Three:

I spent more time in a wrap because we were island hopping. I only ever got to take it off while we snorkeled, only to wear a ludicrous life vest instead. Plus there were 3 Arabs (ick!) in our group who were openly ogling me and getting The Husband a bit worked up.

Day Four:

This definitely isn’t the most flattering suit in my wardrobe. I bought it from a seller in Multiply, and I realized that the bottom was much too big for my new frame. What a bummer.

Day Five:

This one here is an interesting one. This was designed and created by none other than my sister, Peachy, who is about to launch her own swimsuit line (Innuendo – watch out for it!) before the month ends. Chin called this The Bondage Suit, and I’m inclined to agree!

If I were to describe this suit in one word, I would use ‘precarious’ because, well, it is – but in a good way. The top did fall off a couple of times while I was in the water, but it’s mostly because the waves were B-R-U-T-A-L! She will, however, change the bandeau design somewhat so that it stays on no matter what.

Here’s what it looks like from the back:

It hugs, it flatters, and it’s definitely one of a kind!

Day Six:

This, by far, is my absolute favorite suit of all time! Again, this was created and designed by Peachy for Innuendo. Unfortunately, I didn’t get enough pictures of the fantastic details (I’m banging my head against the wall right now – truly!), so it’ll have to wait until we can get the site set up and the stocks uploaded.

In a nutshell, the right side of the bandeau top is cinched with a biggish O-ring. So are both sides of the bottom (where my hands are conveniently positioned – argh!), so we’ve got some really bare areas that are downright sexy.

My dear sister also made me a hot pink, skintight dress with the same O-ring detail:

I’m calling it The Naked Dress because it literally felt like I had nothing on the entire time I wore it. This is one dress I can wear over and over and over.

More detail up close:

Now enough of this vainglorious posturing.

When I first visited Boracay in 2007, it changed my life. It made me see exactly what an empty, meaningless life I was living. I had a corporate job that I absolutely loathed and absolutely no idea of where I was going.

And so it was that barely three weeks later, I packed my bags and moved to Bangkok with a bit of help from Chin and her Bangkok-based friends. I met Steve on my very first day at my new job, started dating him a month later, and the rest, as they say, is history. It seemed only fitting that I take him to the place that made every single thing that has happened since possible.

We’ll be back. And who knows? Maybe we can stay for good.

More pictures here – some quite good, some downright embarrassing.

No, once again, I have not donned my riding breeches and ridden off into the sunset, nor am I letting this blog die like so many others in the past. I simply have much of my time taken over by work – and life, in general – once again, so writing has been out of the question.

I won’t regale you with details of what I’ve been up to these past few weeks or so because I’m writing on borrowed time at the moment, so anyone who might be interested will have to make do with this very quick update.

1. I’ve quit my shitty job because I realized that I get paid for freelance work a lot better than writing a crummy book about government grants. My bosses weren’t too happy, and it was a mess for a while. Now that I think about, it still is a bit of a mess, but at least they’re not threatening to sue me anymore. Now, if only they’ll pay me my money really soon so we can all call it a day. . .

2. My sister, mum, and I have a new online venture. I did mention before that she (my sister) makes clothes, but now she has started to focus on swimwear. Her first few pieces are nothing short of fabulous (and I should know because I am quite partial to everything “beach-y”), and should be ready for sale any day now. That’s one of the great things about the Philippines – summer never ends, even in the middle of the typhoon season.

But I digress. Right now, we have a pretty impressive collection of gorgeous sandals, so pay us a visit at The Innuendo Shop and maybe pick up a pair – or two!

3. Alright, shameless plugging done. Moving on, May is an awesome month for movies, and I’m proud to say that I haven’t missed any of the blockbusters this month. I can’t help it!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was pretty cool. I’s not my favorite, but it was extremely entertaining, especially Ryan Reynolds. And I love, love, LOVED the new Star Trek! One of my best friends is a certified Trekkie (she has the uniforms, wore Klingon ears, and even went to that sci-fi convention thingy in Germany last month), and I always poked fun at her. Though I probably won’t be joining her frenzy anytime soon (sorry, Kaye), I still think the J.J. Abrams “reboot” is the most entertaining film I’ve seen this year – so far! Let’s see if next week’s Terminator Salvation will surpass it. The critics have been mean, but I never listen to them, anyway. Besides, it’s Christian Bale, people!

I will probably get a lot of criticism for saying this, but I think the Angels and Demons movie was better than the book, ending-wise. Mind you, this isn’t something that I say very often because I LIVE for books! I love reading Dan Brown, but I did think the book was a bit over-the-top around the ending when the Camerlengo torched himself in front of all and sundry and people were all atwitter over such a “divine” phenomenon (can anyone say, “overkill”?). I’m so glad the movie made that whole bit more low-key. Most of the stuff in the book, particularly some of the history, were missing from the film, though, but that’s understandable and almost negligible.

I also loved that they made Langdon’s new adventure a sequel, instead of a prequel (unlike the book). Did anyone notice that he was no longer claustrophobic in the film? That’s a great touch – Sophie Christ (for lack of a better moniker) actually did successfully cure him (in the Da Vinci Code)! Another thing that I loved was how they kept the same haunting music by Hans Zimmer. It made this skeptic want to go back to church. Okay, not really. Oh, and it was filmed in Rome. I want to go to Rome so bad!!!

4. Speaking of Rome, I now have all seven books of Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series! Weeeeeee! I had to order the missing second and third (The Grass Crown and Fortune’s Favorites, respectively) from a UK bookstore back in April, but thankfully, it made it here in good time AND I didn’t have to pay for stupid import taxes. Besides, I’m still in the middle of The First Man in Rome (the first book) – slow going because of all the stuff that I have to do. But I’m not complaining. The longer I can stay in Ancient Rome, the better.

5. In 20 days, we’re off to Boracay for our late honeymoon. I am absolutely giddy with excitement! Little sister is making my fabulous monokinis and bikinis as we speak! I am, after all, the (shamelessly) self-proclaimed image model for Innuendo. You hear that, little sister?

6. And another thing that’s getting me excited: I am this close to getting my 13-inch Macbook Aluminum! Yey! I intend to get it within the next couple of weeks or so. My mind’s all made up, yes, but I am still looking for the best deal possible. Being the skinflint that I am, I can’t help it!

7. Kris Allen won American Idol, just like I said he would. It just proves that the judges and producers could try to blatantly manipulate people to vote for overrated Adam Lambert with their simpering comments and lavish (over)productions for his performances all they want, but the best man will still win. I feel vindicated.

8. We’re doing great on the home front. We’re settled, comfortable, and very married. As always, we have our little dramas every now and again, but things get too boring otherwise! I am about to buy a cookbook and attempt to cook for my man beyond the usual fry-ups – a prospect that he dreads, and one that I am very much looking forward to, just to see the look on his face.

So that’s life for the new Mrs. Young. I hope to get back to my regular writing schedule within the next few days. Please, oh please, just let me survive this week without drowning in articles!

I love eBay. I think it really is the best thing since sliced bread.

After four years of shrewd bidding and impulsive online shopping, I’ve finally found that oh-so elusive item (or in my case, items) that make the whole eBay experience so worthwhile. And no, I am not making this up because such things really do exist. It was a sewing machine for my sister, a particular Mango dress priced at a quarter of its original price for my best friend, and two (well, technically, three) of Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome books for myself.

And these books were very hard to come by, mind you. I got the first one I ever read (Antony and Cleopatra, which, incidentally, is the last book of the series) from Asia Books in Bangkok. I couldn’t find any other of the other titles for months and months, but with a strange bit of luck, The Fiance managed to snag me a lone copy of Caesar from Fully Booked for my birthday.

I’ve been regularly trawling through Fully Booked, Powerbooks, National Bookstore, Book Sale, and RSO since, but I have not seen a single Colleen McCullough title anywhere. Even the staff claim never to have heard of her, or seen any of her books before.

I would’ve ordered over Amazon, but the shipping charges just don’t seem to justify the purchase. So I tried eBay, and until now, I’m still wondering why I didn’t even think to look there first, considering I’m on the site trawling for Macbooks almost every day anyway. (Yes, I should hit my head on the wall, I know.)

I found three of the seven books in one go. I’ve bought two of the titles, and one of them – Caesar’s Women – turned up today, while The First Man in Rome is still in transit. I’m currently haggling for the third (The October Horse) because it’s a tad overpriced. Truth be told, though, I’ll probably pay twice the price for it in a heartbeat, but the seller doesn’t know that (tee hee), and nobody else is bidding on it. Plus, it really is fun to haggle.

So now I’m just missing The Grass Crown and Fortune’s Favourites. If any of you ever come across these titles, please, please, PLEASE send ‘em my way. I can promise you a lifetime of servitude. Okay, that’s a bit extreme, but, really, I’ll pay. And I’ll buy you dinner, whoever you are. And ice cream. And yes, I’m serious.

Thank you eBay for ensuring that I’m kept amused for at least the next month or so. You really are the best source of everything from breast pumps, to a Romanian vampire killing set. You’re not selling Caesar’s underwear in there somewhere, are you? Just thought I’d ask.