The Wheel and Axle

From: Jessica Rules The Universe

I went to my mentor’s bookshelf sale last Saturday and left with more stuff than I planned.

My primary purpose was to acquire the cool-looking ornate crucifix she had posted because, well, Buffy. I have no idea where it’s from, but there’s just something Old World about it, something so very classic Europe, maybe even Eastern Orthodox, that I can’t help but want it. I love that culture. Of course, it could’ve been from Paete for all I knew, I am ignorant of these things, but it didn’t matter. It’s gorgeous, and I had to have it.

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My friends and I haven’t gone clubbing in years. At the risk of sounding ancient, yes, it’s because nowadays we’ve decided we prefer a quiet night-out over coffee or a chatty night-in watching movies while drinking. This is not to say we never went clubbing; we were practically rooted to the concrete streets of Orosa back in the glory days of the now-dead Malate scene.

(Aaah, yes, New York Cafe… and Bed… and Mint… and Piggy’s… oooh-la-la… that very dark second floor dance area… mmm…)

Where was I?

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The dominatrix of the universe has a bookshelf sale this Saturday.

If you want to own a piece of her, okay, so maybe not exactly her, drop by and give it a go!

I may even try to get that ornate crucifix. I so need to summon my inner Buffy. It’s been a while.

Le Famille.

Father’s Day is hopefully a time when the culture says, “This is our moment to look at who our men and boys are.”

– Michael Gurian

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there!

Meanwhile, here’s a 2012 tribute that I made for the fathers in my own life.

… but Sophia more so.

… is quite a pleasant surprise.

This pic is from http://animomedstudent.blogspot.com/. There are also quite a few blogs from premed/med students reviewing it. I didn’t realize it until now.

I wrote this NMAT Reviewer (two volumes – the main reviewer plus a companion volume with extensive answers and explanations) over fifteen years ago when I was still teaching in MSA. I had a degree in Biology and had taken the NMAT as a pre-requisite for medical school, though I decided not to pursue medicine and went (initially) into teaching instead.

(That lasted all of less than a year before I decided to move into corporate as well as pursue side graduate studies in Creative Writing. That’s a story for another time.)

In any case, as part of my job in MSA, I not only taught and did review classes; I also wrote reviewers. One was co-written with others, while my boss (the late, great Mrs. Merle Alferez, who founded MSA) asked me to write the NMAT Reviewer because, at that time, nothing like it was in the market.

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WHWN Wave 1

Two years ago, during the first Write Here, Write Now workshop with Jessica Zafra, we were given an optional exercise. I don’t remember the exact instructions, but I found myself writing an entire film sequence where the dialogue was composed purely of Filipino movie titles.

I don’t recall ever submitting it. Finding and re-reading it now, I thank the great literary deities that my mentor never got to see it.

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So as I recently wrote, I made a resolution way back to travel more, and in 2015, I did.

I created this video at the start of this year to highlight my travels last year and to spur me on to do more in 2016 and beyond.

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After several months of being unable to write here, I’m back!

Vitosha Mountain (Sofia, Bulgaria)

In the past, my procrastination has been excused by the reliable, “I’m sooo busy.” I shall rely on that again this time. It might be truer in this case, but it’s really no excuse.

Writers, after all… write.

Still, it has been an exciting flurry of activity. Aside from busy times at work, I found myself in Bulgaria, Colombia, and Indonesia during different times in the last six months.

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Originally published on my Facebook account last 13 October 2015.

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Mga kababayan,

Kasalukuyan po akong naghahanap ng running mate para maging Bise Presidente ko. Sya ang makakaakibat ko upang isulong ang adbokasya ko ukol sa China, kung saan papalakasin natin ang diplomatic ties sa Saturn at Jupiter para makatulong sa ating Hukbong Sandatahan. Gagawa kami ng VAA (Visiting Aliens Agreement).

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