// Guitarchic Dot Net* My Life, One Strum at a Time

QUESTION. What do you do when you get stuck at a train station (I’m tempted to say “subway” to make it sound more posh, but nah, this is Manila, baby), hoping to get in on a train and to your destination, only to end up standing and waiting for an hour because there was just no room in the trains for you to squeeze in? (Typical MRT scenario, I know! :))

ANSWER. You look around, watch people, think, reflect (you know, entertain yourself so that you’ll forget about your growling stomach), you try your best to not start a fight with the girl shoving you to the left, and the other one pushing you to the right, and remain calm. And it probably won’t hurt to write a couple of notes down, yep, even while standing up. Mental notes, after all, don’t stay in the head most of the time. They fly away even before you get the chance to recall them, and then you forget them altogether.

I’m a fan of writing things down. And lists. And bullets. They give me an illusion that my life is in order, that I have specific goals to reach, making me feel a lot better (and less like a mess).

So tonight, that’s kind-of what I did. Me and my moleskine, that’s what we did. So if you happened to be in Boni Avenue station last night, and you saw someone doing a balancing act which involved a black leather-bound notebook and a cheap black pen, well, that was me alright.

It’s kind of weird to be in a reflective mode at a time like that. You see, I spend a minimum of 8 hours each day in my quiet corner in the office, my nose on my macbook, with a mug of hot coffee I sip in between — I’m comfortable, I’m sitting down, and yet my mind is never as restless. Now the one time I spend in a chaotic place like an MRT station, people shoving me left and right, my feet numb from all the standing — and I never felt more at peace.

Reading my scribbles, I find it funny that I mostly wrote about being still. To focus on the more important things when there’s too much to do. To look past the moment when in the verge of an emotional outburst. To not worry when things aren’t going the way they’re planned. To breathe and reboot when tired and weary. To trust when it seems like things aren’t enough. Such thoughts usually don’t come when you’re in a situation like that.

One hour after, I gave up and left the station. I never did get to where I was supposed to go that night. I was charged an additional 15 pesos for overstaying (and I was like, “wuuut??”), but it’s okay. I paid 15 pesos to get in, 15 pesos to get out. I had my moment with myself, and with God. All for the price of 30 pesos.

I have a confession to make. Not more than a week after I bought my Moleskine Journal, I lost it. And I couldn’t even blog about it because that would be plain stupid right? To gush about finally getting a Moleskine Journal, and to announce that you lost it a couple of days after? Sheesh.

I knew, however, that I’d find it somehow, and I kindof had an idea where to go. It should be right where I last saw it, I thought with confidence. After all, I didn’t think anyone would really take interest on a piece of notebook enough to steal it. Plus, it has my messy writing all over it already. Na-ah.

Ergo, six days after I noticed it missing, I traced my steps, went to Starbucks at Shangrila, and took my chance.

“Uhm, hi, I was wondering.. By any chance.. *stammering* Did u happen to see a moleskine journal… uhm.. it’s has a black leather..” Even before i finished my sentence, one of their crew was already on his way out back. I held my breath, and noticed some baristas smiling at me from the counter, and some grinning and nodding at each other as if they all have feasted on my journal already! Gah! Oh well. I didn’t care. I just wanted my Moleskine back.

Behold, I heaved a sigh of relief. There it was, the familiar leather bound mini-notebook, handed to me by a certain barista named Ducks — don’t ask me, I wondered what’s with the name too — and I went away with a huge smile on my face. Thank God.

Now just in case you happened to pass by Starbucks Shangrila, the one in 5th floor, do me a favor by thanking Ducks again for me will ya. Heh.

Maybe it’s true what they say. Moleskines really do travel a lot! As for my Moleskine Journal, here goes her first adventure. ;)

So Anya Hindmarch launched its line of “I’m not a plastic bag” environmental bags a few months ago, and by now, it says (on its website) that all bags of that kind are already sold out in the United States.

I’ve always wanted one. If I was in the US, I probably lined up on the day it was launched and grabbed one for myself. I heard from Minic that his wife got hers for only $15 (around 650-700 pesos), and I was green with envy!

Fastforward to the other day, while on a vanity spree with my housemate at St. Francis Tiangge, I found an “I’m not a plastic bag” replica at some random stall, to my amusement.

I’m Not A Plastic Bag sighting at St. Francis Square, Ortigas

You can get it at 300 pesos, or, if you’re good, you can probably bargain up to 280 php. But of course, it’s far from the real thing. It looks the same, but the finish and the material used does not really cut it.

It’s interesting how environment-friendly stuff has become such an in-thing these days. It’s different from the ukay craze (which, for some reason, I happened to have outgrown already), or spending hours walking around Tutuban or Greenhills to scout for cheap fashion. While these types of bags do not really cost less than regular bags, the bold declaration of a worthy cause plastered on the bags is what makes them so posh.

A good friend, Miss Cathy Babao, also ventured into a similar project on reusable shopping bags. I’m still waiting to get my hands on one. Heehee. ;)

I’ve always wanted one. And I would have gotten it earlier if I wasn’t too lazy to go to the bank to deposit my payment. Bud could have gotten me one from a US supplier and at a cheaper price too (less than $10 + shipping), but I couldn’t wait any longer. Besides, why look far when we have our very own local Moleskine distributor in the Philippines anyway? ;)

Hence, after exchanging a few emails, and paying BPI a visit (which is just across the street from our office), my very first Moleskine Journal was delivered right to my desk last Friday — the very next day after my bank transaction — much thanks to the guys over at Moleskineph.com.

My first ever moleskine journal

Mababaw lang ang kaligayahan ko. A classic plain moleskine journal (the one “without boundaries”) was all I wanted, something to scribble my thoughts with anytime, preferably something small and handy which I can carry around with anywhere.

Yep, all for the price of 900 pesos — a bit expensive, but worth it, definitely.

I love its simplicity, and now, call it cheesy (or geeky, whatever), the thought that I’m writing on the pages of a “legendary” notebook which Hemingway and Picasso used to own adds up to the excitement of owning one. And the thought that artists from all over the world are writing on their own moleskines makes me feel like I’m one of them. Sheesh, their marketing tactic is really working for me, huh? Hehe.

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I was trying to identify what my blog’s niche is as part of my efforts to try to revive this site. I’ve been getting a consistent amount of site visits a day, and I hate to disappoint whoever you guys are. I mean, it’s like accepting you at my doorstep without nothing to offer you but leftovers from last night’s dinner, and old dusty photos you’ve already seen many times before. Sucks duuude.

Now to be part of someone’s top 10 blogs he can’t start his day without, and to be special-mentioned in a stranger’s blog in spite of my superb consistency at being inconsistent (whatev), I’m inspired even more to seriously strive to keep this blog alive. (Go mush!)

Anyway, going back, I figured it’s a futile effort to pre-define a niche for this blog because there really is nothing in general, unless you consider my blog categories as psuedo-niches. Let’s just say.. since my other blog is more particularly concerned with technology and gadgets and new media and internet marketing, all the other stuff that can’t be categorized there goes right here.

After all, what else can you expect from a personal blog? Stuff that the blogger is interested at, of course. Hence, as I am a woman of varying interests, you can expect my blog to be the same. This is my blog, and the niche is the 24-year old drama that Rhiza Sanchez’s life is. All ME. ME, ME, ME.

But okay. Fine. All this blahblahblah just to have an excuse to post my pictures.

My point is, ta-da! I’m still alive. And I’m back. For real. For good. Whatever. :P