Today, in the (e)mail:

Dear Eliza,

We are delighted to accept your story, ‘Monsters’, for publication in Philippine Speculative Fiction 5.

Kindly accomplish and submit the attached

I’m on it, I’m on it!

(Howee.)

♥

More photos here

Tagged along with Kate and Andrea to meet up with Kat (known online as purplerevolt – I believe she writes really well). Book swap night! I got Kat Revolutionary Road and Big If, and I got Clinton Palanca’s Landscapes and David Sedaris’s Holidays on Ice.

* * *

While rummaging through old notes (I was looking for my earlier jottings for a story I wanted to write) I found the notebook containing the very first drafts of the Reportage poems.

It’s funny how you forget the amount of work that went into your pieces. How in the world was I able to survive writing all these lines?

It boggles the mind.

How easily the land accepts departures

The Christian God brought ten plagues

Perhaps there is beauty in holding your daughter close

The reporter stands

So I just discovered this cute Twitter account, right:

Eliza: i should probably do this experiment. write down everything my tatay says.
Eliza: panalo siguro.
Kate: alam mo pwede
Eliza: like one time may inabot na malaking walis sa tatay ko. as in mas malaki pa sa kanya. Tatay: Liit naman niyan, wala bang mas malaki?
Eliza: also he sometimes refers to himself as Fernando Poe. To wit: Gutom na si Fernando Poe, anak. I wanted to say, Tatay patay na siya. Never na siya magugutom.
Kate: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Kate: FPJ = DAD
Eliza: truly.
Eliza: hahaha
Kate: pwede
Eliza: =))
Kate: alalahanin mo lahat at itwit mo
Kate: twitter.com/sabingtatayko
Kate: ganyan
Eliza: HAHAHAHAHAHA

With additional thoughts in parentheses.

The Ruins – Ew. (I read and absolutely loved Scott Smith’s first novel, and so I was intrigued when I heard that his second novel, The Ruins, has been turned into a film. Story’s pretty much straightforward. To be fair to it, it does have a pretty freaky premise.)

Lars and the Real Girl – Aw. (Yes, took me quite a while to finally see this film. Roger Ebert, in his review, described Ryan Gosling’s Lars as “serene”. Yes, that’s the word for it. Serene. Despite the fact that he brings an anatomically correct sex doll everywhere he goes in this small, cold town. Watch this one.)

Chuck (first few episodes) – Hee. (“So you’re saying I should just stay in this car, and not do anything?” “That’s right.” “Let’s do this.” Me: *rofl*)

* * *

Coffee and dinner with Jaykie’s friends JME and BJ at CBTL/Pepper Steak.

Their names make them sound like robots or hardware, but they’re people, and really nice, interesting ones at that. Glad to meet you guys. : )

(JME showed me a series of pictures of Jaykie and BJ cooking nilagang giniling, but in the photos the guys looked like they were in a meth lab. Cooking nilagang giniling.)

Earlier Jaykie handed me a copy of Ender’s Game, which of course made me squeal like a crazy fangirl. I read Ender’s Shadow first – a dick nerd move – and I’ve been looking everywhere for a copy of Game. And here it is howeeeeeee.

But of course I can’t read that yet, for I have been condemned (CONDEMNED!) to read this first:

It’s an 800+-page monster. Good luck to me.

* * *

“Now, for your Moment of – “

Sorry, not that one.

“Now, for your Moment of Zen.”

They could have just said “Open 24 Hours”, but hey, specifity is king.

In the story is Iris, who tells the story of her dead sister Laura, who through a novel tells the story of a young man and a young woman in love, who tell the story of a blind assassin and a girl who cannot speak.

Here: take a mirror and place it in front of another mirror. Which reflection of the mirror are you looking at? What story are you listening to, and who is telling it?

Are you sure?

Photo from toronto.ca

The poems are now available on the Palanca website! Click here.

Er, the formatting’s making me OC, but what the hell, at least the collection’s complete.

Thank you Ms Catherine Walder for the head’s up, and for the kind words about “I Am the City”. (Eeeeh. ♥)

My story, “I Am the City”, is now live over at Expanded Horizons. Clicky-click!

Look.

We passed by Sasa the Sorbetera’s branch to get some free ice cream say hi and in exchange for two scoops of Macadamia Nut this picture was taken:

This is unfair, Sasa! We demand fondue!

With Sasa and Jaykie (Mall of Asia, October 25); I don’t know who took the picture, but thanks I guess :p

More photos here

Home. Finally. Cake from the sister, Vicky Christina Barcelona in the DVD player, goofing off with the brothers. Parents are both well. Jaykie as (virtual) company. “I Am the City” accepted by Expanded Horizons for their November issue. (I’m a “repeat author” y’all!) November 1st came and the sun was up and about, oh yes, the day looking ridiculously beautiful. Good times, good times.

Thanks to all those who greeted me.

Let’s talk about the weight gain later.