2007: year of upheavals

as september slowly draws to a close i am rapidly coming to the conclusion that 2007 is going to end up as an unusually disruptive year for me and my friends — in more ways than i'd care to count. i'm not sure about what's going to happen in the next 3 months, but if events in the last eight and a half months are any indication, something is bound to happen soon that will jolt us out of our system — again.

a few things that appeared rock-solid and firmly entrenched only a year ago have lately revealed themselves as nothing more that frothy structures built on a pile of sand: they looked nice and strong in the distance, but were easily swept away by a surge of incoming waves.

a couple of friends have been more or less led by events to end their long-term relationships (a third one is threatening to burst from external pressure) and it's causing a lot of havoc in their lives. another friend is about to migrate after years of staunchly resisting the idea of leaving the country. several chums have switched jobs or relocated somewhere else. i know this is not necessarily a bad thing and i wish them the best, but the change in pattern takes a while to get used to.

in fact, things that seemed ludicrous or unimaginable only a few months ago are now becoming commonplace that if somebody were to inform me right now that he or she is going to undergo a sex reassignment surgery i don't think i'd even blink (although i'd probably ask "when?"). well, i'm sure you get the drift.

i don't know what it is with 2007 that provoked these changes. it could be due to some planetary mis-alignment or maybe a combination of meta-physical forces that's keeping things out of whack. you tell me. frankly, i'm running out of explanations and i can't wait until this year is over so i can see what else 2008 can throw at me.

freelancing blues

“so, how  does it feel to be a freewheeling freelancer?” a friend asked me last weekend,

the question sounded innocuous enough but it took me a while to form my answer. frankly, i’m not too sure what it means. sometimes it feels like i’m stuck in a runaway roller-coaster that travels on two speeds: it’s either dizzyingly fast or too excruciatingly slow.

there are days when things are slow and i sort of walk around in a daze, followed by short periods of intense activity that barely leave me enough time to sleep or to take a deep breath.

basically, when you decide to become a freelancer one ought to be ready for the most unpredictable of schedules. when developments crop up on an hourly basis, the most you can do is hang on and hope you’re still in one piece when the dust settles. seriously though, after months of lazing around, i’m just glad for something to do (thanks TPS). heaven knows i never planned for this to happen.

a few months ago, i was so sure about the direction i was going to take (and made plans accordingly), but thanks to a few unexpected developments i am now as aimless as ever. well, not exactly. i actually have had several things on my lap for some time now, but the truth is i’m not too sure about what i really want to do at this stage.

i guess i’ll know more in the next few months…

p.s. to the scorpion king, you reap what you sow.

ennui… and some developments

wow. i can't believe it took me this long to get started again.

oddly enough, it was only when i started getting overwhelmed by various commitments again that i decided to do something about my much-neglected blog.

the past week has been, to say the least, nerve-wracking. for a while there, i doubted my own capacity to cope but i eventually managed to reach the finish line. i guess i'm back in the saddle — a little world-weary and a little worse for the wear, but ready to join the rat race again. thanks by the way to the patient readers and fellow bloggers who left their tracks.

by the way, a few of us have dropped by at tricia's Li'l Nail Shop a few times more and i think their little business is already starting to create some buzz. one of these days we're going to make LNS our very own tambayan (it's already become a pseudo-drop off point/meeting place for us heheh).

anyway, for my fellow cinephiles, there's a film (3:10 to Yuma) that's fast becoming a byword these days and it stars no less than tough hombre Russell Crowe and my favorite Christian Bale. 3:10 to Yuma, which is actually a remake of a well-loved Western classic, also features Peter Fonda as an ornery bounty hunter and Ben Foster, who palys a gleefully murderous and dandified character. a lot of Oscar pundits are already generating some Oscar buzz for the impeccable acting job done by Crowe and Bale & co. (yeah!). 3:10 to Yuma is directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line).

and the fourth Indiana Jones movie will be titled Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Aside from Harrison Ford, the cast will include Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, and Karen Allen.