The Fat Man Today

Well, I'm back. After that bout with a bit of depression, my sister wormed her way into my hermit-like life and kept me on my toes for about a week. We did a whole smorgasbord of stuff, including a whole afternoon of white-water rafting, three cosmopolitans (for her), a lot of conversation, and even more shopping. It was the shopping that got to me. We went shopping for new items for my digs here at Cagayan de Oro (wherein I got myself a Gaisano mall Suki Card), and plenty of other things that I probably wouldn't need. But she did, so now here I sit with six pillows, a sleeping bag, my old grill pan that I'd lent her, and by tomorrow, a table and chair set. Life is good sometimes. She's gone back to Manila now, to look for a new job. God knows I'll miss the company. In other news: a story of mine will be featured in the next issue of Story Philippines, which will go into production after the holy week. Grab yourselves a copy of this truly spectacular (well, maybe no...

I've posted a new pseudo-story over at the old Zeppelin. That should sum up how I'm feeling right now. Yes, it should. Rather well. You can view it here . There's nothing worse than feeling a complex mix of stress / burnout, inadequacy as a friend, person and writer, to bring a person down. It's worse than sickness, and it breaks you down emotionally and spiritually. It's like having to live with censorship everywhere, living like you always have to explain yourself, and while yeah, life's really like that, it sucks when that realization begins to apply on how your relationship with people you trust, people you believe in, works. Sometimes, it feels as if living like a box were a good thing. But then, the ghosts begin to take over, and it's usually more frightening than real life. I mean, let's face it, all the worst demons are always inside us. It's sad, as if you don't have anybody to help you from the outside, or the inside. And you can't ...

During the weekends, I keep myself occupied by visiting a friend of my sister's who lives in the area. She cooks a mean adobo, lives somewhere in the middle of nowhere and shares a huge lot with her son's family that comes complete with several stinky guard dogs that would probably maul you to pieces if you even tried to walk around the compound without the company of at least one of its occupants. In other words, despite the horrible journey to her place, it's always been worth it, even if it was just for the thrill. And the food. And yes, the booze. This old woman has two little granddaughters that, like most children, feed on imagination and that mysterious store of energy that evades grown-ups with the tenacity of a Sunday afternoon. I love hanging out with the two kids because 1.) I love kids who can talk endlessly and 2.) I love women with attitude. We were lounging around in their garden last Saturday evening, waiting for their lola to bring out the Scrabble set, whe...

I hate Mondays. On the up side, I've discovered that my insurance card is indeed good in the hospital nearby. More on this when I feel a bit more chipper to post. Ta ta.

Here's a series of Funny Stories. Story #1 This morning, as I was walking to the highway I happened to meet one of my neighbors, this lady I usually buy binignit from in the afternoons just after work when the sun was high and the heat was ultimate. On this particular morning, she was looking rather pensive, and I decided that this wasn't especially because I was an hour late for work. But I was a nice - if creepy-quiet - neighbor, and I didn't neglect my neighborly duties. Plus, she had a really hot daughter and being nice to the mom wouldn't hurt. So I said Hello. She nodded at me with a slight grimace. Yep, something was up. Did someone, God forbid, knock up her daughter? No. "I lost a pig last night. I bought a piglet, and sometime during the night, she managed to slip out of the gate. I'm looking for her now." A Piglet. Right. From junkyard car geeks to people who raised piglets. This is what the quality of my neighborhood has degraded to. My only reg...