On Tangled Earphones and Life

It's a tale many commuters are familiar with: while waiting for your ride, be it a jeepney, an FX/Crosswind, or the fifth MRT train since you've reached the platform, you reach for your earphones so you can enjoy some music on the way, and what greets you is a tangled mess of wires.

I've always been irritated by this, but in the middle of my frustration untangling my earphones this morning, I realize that it is actually a welcome experience.

Earphones practically have a different way of being tangled each time, and to me, this represents a unique problem-solving situation. It's a nice little brain exercise, a warm-up for bigger tasks ahead (when going to school or to the office) or a nice little cool-down as one heads home to rest.

When you think about it, how you approach this seemingly trivial and immensely simple task is a scaled-down version of how you approach life. There's no need to be frustrated or irritated; the best way to solve the problem is to face it head on and figure out the fastest or the most creative or the most efficient solution.

“It’s all about you, using your own mind, without any method or schema, to restore order from chaos,” said Dr. Marcel Danesi, a University of Toronto anthropology professor who authored a book about puzzles. “And once you have, you can sit back and say, ‘Hey, the rest of my life may be a disaster, but at least I have a solution.’”[1]

So, the next time you end up with a befuddling tangle of wires when all you wanted was a good set of earphones ready to be plugged into your music player or mobile phone, don't get frustrated. Do with it as you will with any other puzzle or even a serious problem in life: embrace it, savor it, and ultimately, solve it. After that, it's all about enjoying the music.

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1. "Tracking the Spark of Creative Problem-Solving" Retreived 2012-06-27.

Gelatissimo: Good Gelato, Terrific Tambayan

Summer brings temperatures that melt one's brain. If you're a student or someone with a job that requires you to be on your laptop and connected to the 'Net, you might just want to go out and chill somewhere, but it can be quite hard to get a good spot in your typical cafes. CBTL's got free Wi-Fi for Swirl Card owners, but recently most branches have cut back on the number of electrical outlets. Starbucks usually have many outlets, but their Wi-Fi access isn't exactly cheap and the noise levels in their branches can be irritating. In any case, the sheer number of other people who want a place to cool off in these hot summer days makes finding a good work/study spot difficult.

Enter Gelatissimo.

Well, in this case, it's just Gelatissimo Trinoma. I haven't tried other branches (heck, I don't know where the other branches are except for that stall in Greenbelt). It's cool, cozy, bright, and has a plethora of gelato flavors from which you can choose. There are three outlets, and usually it's not hard to get a spot because most people don't really stay for long. Just be prepared to wait a bit sometimes because the place can get crowded thanks to the Trinoma Cinema promo [every ticket comes with a "buy 1 scoop, get 1 free" stub]. The Wi-Fi is free and fast, too.

The staff will let you sample the flavors before you invest--one scoop is a steep PhP110, two scoops cost PhP160, and so on. Flavors range from the commonplace convenience store varieties like vanilla and mango to the more exciting ones like chocolate truffle and chocolate with chili (I forget the exact flavor name). They also have my favorite, pistachio [though I still think Arce Dairy's is the best pistachio ice cream on the market]. You can also opt to add a warm waffle to your scoops for just 50 pesos. They also have gelato shakes, sundaes, and affogato. For large groups, you can try out the Bambino, which is 32 small scoops of your choice.

My go-to order is the PhP200 Coppa Tre. It's basically a sundae made up of three big Gelato scoops. You get to choose the flavors, and it comes with a cracker, whipped cream, a stick or two of Stik-o, choco dip, random crushed nuts, and a cherry on top. I don't really know which flavors get this, but on occasion, my girlfriend and I have had coppa tres with a small sugar cone and in a different glass cup. Anyway, it's a nice mid-range treat that somehow, in my mind, justifies leeching off the establishment's electricity and Internet connection for 4 to 6 hours. It's near what you'll be spending for a drink or two in a cafe, depending on how dependent you are on caffeine.

Coppa Tre

Aside from the dependable Wi-Fi and the outlets, the ambience also helps get work done. It's never too noisy, people usually don't stay longer than 15-20 minutes, and most of the seats are comfortable. The place also has its own clean comfort room inside. And there are chandeliers, man. I don't know how that helps, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless.

So there. Gelatissimo Trinoma is an excellent alternative to the three Starbucks and two Coffee Beans in that mall. If you're someone who needs to get some studying or work done, you can ditch the usual jam-packed places and just head on straight to Gelatissimo to save yourself the trouble of finding a good spot. Plus, the staff's real nice and the gelato's great!

The Rookie Wall

I've hit the rookie wall.

Yep, I've been working as a copywriter for an ad agency for a mere 3 days and I don't think I've got it figured out. I'm a rookie, and I've hit the rookie wall.

My first day, I got mixed up on which of my teammates to follow so I got involved in a meeting with *drumroll* the CEO. After that meeting, I was tasked to produce a line that'll blow everyone's mind. I couldn't figure out the whole brainstorming dynamic so I was just silent for most of the time. To make things worse, the one I'm supposed to replace was still there, so I just couldn't shrug off the feeling of being second-rate.

I logged overtime those first 3 days, and everything was just a blur. The learning curve is very, very steep, and there are so many new things to grasp--made even harder by the fact that people seem to forget that I'm a rookie with no industry experience. I've gotten involved in 5 different accounts in 3 days, including one with a crossover between different teams. Needless to say, there's a lot of pressure on my part, pressure that's put on me both by the situations and also by myself.

But then... ginusto ko to, eh. I've got to hang in there. There's too much at stake. I also don't want to disappoint my best friend who's working there, and I don't want to mess up knowing that people know where I'm from. I can't let it be said that this guy from the University of the Philippines' creative writing program can't crack the rotation.

Most of all, I have to make it for my own sake. I've tried to live my whole life without doing anything half-assed, and I most certainly won't start now.

Fuck the rookie wall!

ETA: On my sixth day, I decided to call it quits. A case of too much, too soon? Schedule getting me down? Utter lack of feeling that I belong? It's a mix of all those, and in the end, I had to make a decision. It was a hard decision, considering the pay and the opportunity, but there are simply some sacrifices that I'm not willing to make. A couple months later, I don't regret a thing.

Every (Romantic) Relationship is a Long-distance Relationship

You know how thoughts just randomly pop up in your head just when you decide to call it a night and get some much-needed sleep? Last night, a thought came to me: every relationship is practically a long-distance relationship... unless you're living together with the one you love and you're both with each other 24/7.

It's like this: sure, you can go to your partner anytime any day as long as your car (good for you) or public transportation (yay for us) will take you there. For me, personally, that's the easy part. What's worse is knowing that you still have to go on home after some time. The hardest part is leaving her so I can rest up and be able to go to work the next day. It becomes about trying to squeeze out every single second out of every date so that the time between meetings become shorter.

I think it gets even worse for lovers who work (or go to school) together, what with the thought that the person you care for the most is just a room or even a row away, and you can't spend time with him or her simply because you both have stuff to do. That's just pure torture.

Of course, I know that people who are in actual long-distance relationships really do have it hard. I can just imagine trying to save up for airfare just to visit someone overseas for a few days. What more for those who really won't be able to book even one flight? For those who can make this work, I salute you and I believe in you.

Still, this doesn't offset the fact that every relationship has a long-distance feel to it. Distance is relative, sure, but if you cut it down to a simple yes or no question if you're with the one you love or not, then how many miles apart you are is irrelevant. I'll always feel the distance as long as her arms are not around me and I can't feel the lovely rhythm of her heartbeat as we're locked in an embrace.

I know I always look forward to Saturdays, when I can be with my girl and just spend the whole day doing whatever. It doesn't matter--as long as I'm with her, anything's fine [It's just a bonus we have shows we're both interested in]. I'm surprised I can even get work done at all, what with the thought of the weekend always threatening to occupy my mind.

Enough with this. I might not be making sense anymore. Anyway, here's to hoping we can make all our long-distance relationships work.

On Expensive Interests, or Why the Hell Couldn't I Just Stick to Drawing?

Kicks. Tech. Magic: the Gathering Online.

These are hobbies and interests that don't come cheap. Alas, these are the three things I mostly concern myself with these days.

If I had a penny for every single sneaker or basketball shoe I've told myself I'd get when I had the dough, I'd be rich enough to buy at least one of those shoes. If I'd only be content with some passable netbook or a vanilla Nokia, I'd have more cash on my bank account at the moment. If it wasn't so exciting drafting a new expansion/core set once it hits MTGO, my PayPal account wouldn't be in the red.

Yet, I find it hard to stay away.

Wake Me Up When 2010 Ends

2010, for me, was not a very good year.

It is not a year I would look back on fondly, with tears in my eyes and with the kind of nostalgia one normally reserves for totally epic milestone years.

I almost got a life-threatening illness. My mom was practically diagnosed with a couple of those. My girlfriend's dad died, prompting me and her to shoulder the astronomical tuition fee of that godforsaken nursing school in Las Piñas, apart from the emotional stress she had to endure for confidential reasons. This was supposed to be my year. Our year. When everything fell into place. Yet, the only things that fell seemed to be shattered pieces of a dream that now seems so far off in the distance.

No. This time, I decided, there won't be any looking back.

But then I remember that there were good things, too, that are worth remembering.

I remember the hands that held me as I lay swollen and barely recognizable on a hospital bed. I remember the friendly faces that smiled at me even though I would rather have not taken so much of their time and effort to see me. I remember the guy who out of the blue came and helped me by donating the blood that flowed through his veins. I remember finally getting my due for the work I've put in at my company. I remember holding my girl as she wept, knowing that I was all she had at the time, and that I knew I would be there for her forever no matter what it took--and that she would do the same for me.

These are the only things I am willing to look back on, 2010. Nothing more, nothing less. I have so much to be thankful for right now, and I will work toward my goals to ensure that I can take care of the very same people who continue to take care of me.

2011. Can't wait.

A Slave to My Wage

The diamonds on your necklace are an elaborate choke chain
You’re a dog tied to a leash; you’re a slave to your wage
You sold your soul for something you never will obtain
Every syllable you speak is weak, you have nothing to say

- from We're Here to Save the Day by The Constellations (feat. Asher Roth)

That's me, in a nutshell.

That's also why I write on this blog now. I simply want to avoid not having something to say, something for myself. I spit out thousands of words each day for people I barely know, so it's nice to have a little nook all for me where I can just let go.