Rat pack. That was what my friend/office mate Beth called me when she found out I keep a lot of things. And by things, those are little objects that to others could be trash but then, to me it has value; It could either be a reminder from my past like letters, school things and things like that.

I keep a time package-- just like a time capsule but it's in boxed form.


My time package used to be smaller -- a recycled box of Alfred Sung beauty kit which I dolled up a bit. But as time passed, the thingamajigs just got too many for it to accommodate so I decided on getting a larger one. Just to note, this box comes disassembled; so I took a few minutes so slouch on the floor to assemble it when I got home. Now, you might be wondering what is inside. Here's a peak:



Invitations to weddings and birthdays. Some of them were addressed to my parents, to my brother or to me and rather than throwing them away, I just decided to keep it. It actually feels good that while I still get to remember birth dates and anniversaries, whenever I take hold of these, I'd count on the years since the event and even ask myself (in the case of the married couples) how it's like to be married for like ___ years?"



These old letters were mostly from my highschool days and back in college when I used to attend and compete in conferences. While Friendster was then popular, this was the best way to cap off (or in my case, further extend) acquaintances -- even lead them to untiring friendship.

My old journals are kept as well and the entries are far more serious than what you are reading in this blog. Though I felt a bit dismayed because three of my old journals were misplaced and never found (including the very first journal I had when I was in sixth grade). Back then, I hate reading those ones that contained sad notes but when I was watching the movie The Vow,  there was this scene where Paige found piles of journals labeled additional evidence. It dawned on me that in a way, old journals would be useful to make me remember things, good or bad. But aside from that, the reason why I also because of this wonderful advice which 'till now, I heed:

"Record the (important) events of your life. your children will cherish them when you're gone."


I know it's creepy but then, it serves its purpose. I myself try to go back to some events of the past and try to compare them to now. And believe me or not, those notes make and help me
 to realize a lot of things.

So, there. you've had a look and now you know why I still decided to keep them rather than throwing them away. Those might be little things to some, but to me those are treasures.

Time for a quick post since my day was not as hectic as the past weeks.

I have not been to McDonald's for some time, blame it with me being occupied and glued to the files that I am working on but after seeing the fast food chain's newest ad, and its newest endorser, Xian Lim, I guess I'd try to squeeze some minutes to go back to that three-minute walk to their branch one of these days.

Who would not be enticed? Just think someone as dashingly cute as Xian serenades you with his mellow version of Katrina and the Waves's Walking on Sunshine first thing in the morning... 

The thought just leaves me giddy like Awwwww!!!!

My week has been very busy so far, thus the absence of my posts. So, to compensate it, I'll put in a short one for now:


By next month, I have acquired my Acer netbook for a year. When I was purchasing it, I was eyeing for the red one but as luck would have it, PC Gilmore only had one color in stock which is black. Thinking that it still looks stylish, I bought it against my previous plan.

At first I was fine with its shiny, black shade but as time passed, I felt sort of bored at it. I looked for laptop skins to put some design on my gadget but when I searched for them in bookstores, the ones being sold are for big ones (as in for the usual notebooks) aside from it being a bit expensive (200 bucks per sheet).

Two months ago when I visited National Bookstore in SM City Taytay, I found these cute designs in their rack while I was checking the scrapbooking materials. I found out that the size would fit my gadget and as per the price? It was more than half the price of the previous notebook skin that I saw in another store.

Now, my gadget has a new look -- far from being monotonous. And not to mention, no one would think that this netbook is owned by a guy. The art and design itself now clearly states it: its owner is a girl :-)

On my way home from work yesterday, it came to me that today is your anniversary. It's been three years. I guess time indeed runs fast. I know a lot of people misses you. For sure, Lawrence* still does.

A lot of things had changed in the three years since you left. When Lawrence and I parted ways, he told me he wanted us to grow -- identity wise, I guess. And with the way I see it, I suppose we really did. I learned he's now with someone new while I am still on my own juggling between my job and trying to experience how it is like to be with the world around me.

Trying to explore things by my own.

I'd like to think that in some way that separation led to something good. But there are down sides of it; because of my job, I can't help but rely on fast food to cure that craving. If your Lawrence and I were still together, I know he'll scold the hell out of me if he sees me eating my food in styrofoam containers. I try to fight that temptation but then, there are times I fail.

I still remember the things you used to tell me -- healthwise and despite that, my eyesight had slowly started deteriorating, some minor ailments had started showing up. And when I think of such things, I start to wonder if your son would still be that patient enough to stay and take care of a girlfriend who would be blind eventually.

Third to Disneyland and Jollibee, a bookstore is what I consider to be another happy place (at least for me) in the world. Whenever I go to a mall, rather than the department store, the first store I always enter is that room full of books -- and of course, part of the money I earn goes to books as well.

Just recently, Flavorwire published 20 beautiful bookstores from around the world. I checked them and while some of them look vintage but there also some that look chic. From 20, the following are my picks:

Assouline Books, Paris, France- I love the minimalist style and the red-colored wall

Kníhkupectvo Martinus.sk, Bratislava, Slovakia reminds me of a bookstore in Ortigas for the interiors.

I also Librería Rosario in Castellanos, Mexico City particularly the white shelves and the interior design.

Baldwin's Book Barn in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I wonder if my friend Drew Montemayor is familiar of this place. and the cats? I only noticed these this morning -- to think that I've been reading this article thrice now.

There are some more I loved but if you would like to read the rest of the entries, you may check them out here. As for me, I used to like the old Powerbooks in Megamall with the spacious and home-y ambiance; but since it was moved to a new location, I can't help but be disappointed. The reading nooks were no longer there and the interiors were different now. Thankfully, there is a nearby bookstore, Fully Booked which is just few steps away from my office. Such a sweet escape during lunch break and saving my sanity (not to mention consenting my reading addiction).


The interior design could be compared to those in other countries -- complete with reading nooks and titles from so many authors. Every time I am there, I can't help but think (perhaps dream) that if I do get to own a house, I want a room in it that looks like this one. One more thing I like about the store is their accommodating staff. I tried purchasing a book from them but upon realizing that the title is not available, they went the extra mile to check their other branches and were that nice in answering my questions about my purchase -- even through SMS. I only had to leave my contact details and wait for five days before acquiring the book.

How about you? What is that "happy place" you could share with me? Who knows, I might check it out as well!



Photos from here and here.