Along Came Tomy

I was in the middle of writing about my new-found hobby earlier last week when somebody interrupted my flow of thought. Oh, well.

So what’s new? Well, I am now into collecting toy trucks. Whoa. (grin) But yes, aside from my other collections, namely: journals, notebooks, pens, elephant figurines, soda cans, shot glasses, and fast food toys, I am now into toy trucks. It all started when one of my officemates came to work one morning and brought along his remote/radio-controlled toy car. Shucks. I knew I wanted one too, but the idea of a big RC toy car wasn’t very interesting to me. Toy cars aren’t my thing. What I want is a toy fire truck like this, complete with water spout, sirens, lights, ladders, and all the stuff that go with a real fire truck. But I don’t have the heart to shell out that much amount of money over a toy. At least not yet.

But one afternoon, while I was heartbroken over losing a James Patterson book to someone else at my favorite second-hand bookstore, I cheered myself up by going through Robinson’s toy section. Hmmm… Among the limited toy selection I was looking at, the small cabinet of TOMY scale models caught my attention. And… surprise! Right in front of me are three TOMY firetrucks! At that time, I didn’t have any second thoughts of buying the toys. I bought the following TOMYs:

• #13, scaled at 1/159, it’s a Morita airport crash tender;
• #22, scaled at 1/120, it’s a Nissan diesel aerial ladder fire truck; and
• #108, which is a Hino aerial ladder fire truck, it is scaled at 1/139.

After my purchase, I realized the value (or importance) of TOMY or Tomica items in the toy industry. I was surprised to learn that TOMY has its own following, comparable to Matchbox, Hot Wheels, or Maisto. And so, me being me, I wasn’t content with the fire trucks yet. I got to have the other trucks (did I say I’m not into cars?)! Here, I got myself two new TOMY toys:

• #71, scaled at 1/110, it’s a wheel loader from the lot of several Hitachi construction machines; and
• #120, the last in the TOMY set, it’s a Komatsu articulated dump truck scaled at 1/144.

Next time I’ll get the Komatsu Motor Grader (#24) and the Off-Road Dump (#102). Or I can also get the Coca-Cola trucks (#s 35 and 105). That is, if I don’t get to find the other TOMY fire trucks yet (#s 41, 68, 74, and 119).

I Am Angry. Very.

Yes I am. Angry. Though my mother would say, when weren’t you? Yeah, right. But today, right now, I am just very, very angry.

Someone has been stalking me for the last four or five days. No, not stalking, for that is only a mild description of what this person does. This is harassment in its purest form.

It all started with cutesy text messages, inspirational quotes, and jokes, all of which I chose to ignore. I have never ever replied to those types of messages. I do not reply to people who have the habit of hiding their hideous plans behind the mask of a cellphone number. I am a clear-thinking individual, who uses modern gadgetry for their decent purposes, and not otherwise.

Two days later, perhaps when this person realized I am not going to entertain his/her “friendship”, I started receiving nasty text messages, which at first, I tried to ignore. Again. Suddenly, the tone of his/her messages began to irritate me. Yes, his/her messages are nasty, rude, and threatening. They are bastos in all the meaning of the word bastos. He/She even tried to call me names. And ‘evil’ is just one of them. But, call me ‘evil’ for what? For refusing to associate with people like him/her?

Come on, pal. If you can type or mouth all the “kadiri” words you are saying, that’s your call. Know that you will forever be accountable for your own words and deeds. I’m truly sorry to tell you this, but I had been raised in a Christian home where calling names is not a staple. We were given our birth names and we use that to call each other, not with anger, nor with mockery, but with respect. And again, I will tell you this, my ‘friend’, my father and my mother did not raise me up to be the idiot that you’re claiming I am. I know who you are, and if you do not stop harrassing me, I can turn your world upside down for you, whether you want it or not.

I don’t have the habit of sending anonymous text messages just to torment people. I am a busy person, I got lots of work to do, and sorry my ‘friend’, I just don’t like you and your style.

See, I’m not in a shortage of friends ’cause I got a lot. Even without you.

Glasses Help Me Read More… Books!

As part of my new list of 2008 ‘realistic’ resolutions, I have decided to strictly read a book a month. Yup, that’s the minimum. For such a busy person like I am, reading a book has become more tedious, if not dreaded task. With my eyes getting more and more strained during the day, the need for prescription glasses is more pressing. But whoa. I don’t want to wear those thick, ‘grannie’ glasses. (*wink*) Not yet. Naturally, I want something stylish yet functional. Thank God I found these online:

Go to Zenni Optical and get yourselves prescription glasses online! Zenni Optical: Sell Rx Glasses $8 with case!

The Lion Roars at The Archer!

I’ve been given an award! Neat!

Aloi, my college blockmate (and my CommII seatmate) gave me this award late last year and I never had the chance to ‘roar’ back. (*grin*)

This is my first online award, and I feel proud to know that my little blog is being mentioned in a popular blog, and that there is great possibility that more people will pass by to read what the Archer is ranting about, be it about my planners, my notebooks and pens, or my red Chucks. I also feel somewhat elated that this award made me come up with one of my ‘realistic’ New Year’s resolutions for this year, which is to read 1 book (or more, hopefully) a month. Aloi, thank you so much for the award, and my apologies for not posting about it earlier.

Seamus Kearney of Shameless Words started the ‘roaring awards’. He started it to “encourage and celebrate good, powerful writing on the Internet/blogosphere”. The ‘Roar’ is a chance to promote those extra-ordinary posts produced in the blogosphere that defy what mainstream writing upholds. In December, after only a month in existence, the Lion has been mightily roaring from 14,000 sites! Whoa!

So, what makes writing good and powerful? Seamus said to write three, but I could easily think of five! Haha! Now here’s my share of three:

1. Be honest.
2. Be compassionate.
3. Be fearless.

I think the second contradicts the third, but being a writer myself, fear is something I could not entertain while I write. Fear is a negative, unhealthy emotion that can cripple any writer (or anyone, for that matter) as soon as they entertain it. And so I think being honest and compassionate makes writing humane, and fearlessness makes it realistic.

And now, here are my five awardees (drumroll please):

1. The Literary Gallery, by Inez Ponce de Leon: writer, editor, journalist, novelist, and one of my dearest friends on earth. She used to be my officemate, but now she’s in Purdue studying for her PhD! Wow! Her blog is now at a standstill, while she tends to school stuff, but even then, it’s still a mine of good stuff: her poems, short stories, and novels; and a diary of her Europe trips. Inez, take the ‘roar’ and pass it on!
2. The Journey, by Gloria Gamat. It’s funny because Gloria doesn’t know me personally, but I read her blog regularly and I do love it. Gloria used to stay in Los Baños, but she has moved back to her hometown in Bicol with her son, and now does pro-blogging. I admire her a lot, like I admire the powerful women of this world! You’re doing great, Gloria! Somehow I’m hoping I can send you and Raine some gifts one of these days.
3. The Vegan Prince, by Mark Xander Fabillar. Again, this is funny because Mark and I do not know each other on a personal basis, we only exchanged emails twice! But then, I think Mark is truly deserving of a ‘Roar’. His blog’s high level of candor and pure frankness make it one of my morning’s must-reads.
4. Haud ignota loquor, by Samantha Hautea who describes herself as a girl “possessed of a mind skewed at some kind of unusual angle in relation to the world at the best of times, if not outright at ninety degrees”, but dear Sam, I love how you write, not to mention that a lot of people enjoy (and admire) your sketches and drawings. Here’s a ‘roar’, Sam! Pass it around to more people who enjoys life as much as you do!
5. Notebookism, by Armard Frasco. In Notebookism, you’ll find stuff related to notebooks, journals, paper, pens, inks and everything that related to them. Notebookism is very close to my heart as it is here where I read a lot about things that I love which includes, what else, notebooks, journals, and pens. Sir Armand, a ‘roar’ is not enough to express how I love your site!

Now visit the Shameless Lions Writing Circle and get your award. Let’s have fun! Pass on some mighty good ‘Roars’ and let’s see how the other lions roar back!

My New Year Babies

I recently posted an entry showing photos of my new Starbucks 2008 planner. I actually did not write anything to describe the planner, except say “Here are some photos of my New Year baby…” Days after I posted that entry, a friend showed me her new Jollibee planner which prompted me to get one too. Well now, I got two planners that I oh-so love that I’d like to write about them as my first seriously written entry for 2008. (God, I’m really a sucker for these things…)

Now meet my New Year babies…

For purposes of comparison, I’m going to write a simple review of both planners using the following criteria: cover material and design, paper used in inside pages, inside pages design, binding, size and portability, and oh, freebies. This comparison though, does not mean in anyway, a preference for anyone of the two.

Cover material and design:

Starbucks: Soft tanned leather, which according to Starbucks, is made of real cowhide. Images of leaves (which are also printed on the inside cover) are stamped on the leather, on the front part of the cover. A small piece of leather is sewn on the middle right part of front cover, together with a wide elastic band to keep the planner intact. Stamped on the leather are the words “STARBUCKS COFFEE 2008”. [For a Moleskine lover like me, this elastic band is a runaway winner.]

Jollibee: Thick and sturdy laminated board. On the cover is abstract art which is predominantly red. On the bottom right part of the cover, printed in red is “Jollibee”. This planner also has a bookmark which is very useful in locating pages. [But then, yes, I will be honest and admit that this Jollibee planner is a rip-off of the Starbucks’ 2006 planner, which incidentally, is my first Starbucks planner. The laminated cover, perfect binding, and discount coupons placed in pockets at the back cover page just screams Starbucks.]

Paper used in inside pages:

Starbucks: A lot of previous users are disappointed over this year’s planner’s paper. Well, so am I. The paper used for this year’s planner is not the smooth type they used in the previous years. This year’s is somewhat thicker, but grainy and pulpy. But let us not call it “cheap” and “below standards”. Starbucks chose to use a different paper stock. That’s it. But yes, I’m disappointed because now, I cannot use any of my 0.7 Pilot G2s and my Parker Vector fountain pen to write on my Starbucks planner because the paper’s grainy quality just bleeds them to death! Oh, well. Now I must use a different set of pens.

Jollibee: For a first-time production, Jollibee did an excellent job in using a special paper stock for its planner’s inside pages. The paper is smooth, so easy to write on, and very similar to the paper stock used for the 2006 Starbucks planner. Jollibee’s paper is not as thick, though, so that what’s printed (or written) on one side is visible on the other side. Again, due to this fact, I won’t be able to use any of my .7 G2s, Parker Vector FP, or even my set of MonAmi Gel Pets. All I could use on it are Pilot G4 Techs, or if I’m in the mood to go ballpoint, I could use my Inoxcrom or the set of Faster pens I oh-so love.

Inside pages design (See above photos):

Starbucks: Starbucks has never failed to amuse me with the unique designs used in their merchandise, and of course, with the design used on the yearly planners. This distinct branding is very successful in making Starbucks a class of its own. The inside pages allow weekly views, and a page for notes is always provided at the end of any given month. Also, tiny bits of information about coffee are provided together with some personalized notes about Starbucks and its patronage. One low point here is that, they “recycled” an artwork from the 2006 planner. For you Starbucks planner users out there, find it out for yourselves! Haha!

Jollibee: Jollibee is simply amazing. [I know that’s a slogan for Smart Communications, but let me borrow it for Jollibee in the meantime.] In keeping with their tradition of promoting Filipino values, each month begins with a full-color image of Pinoy activities related to the particular month. Jollibee products are also included, but very well presented that it doesn’t look like a product ad at all.

Binding:

Starbucks: This year’s planner is ring-bound with a metal binder that is attached to the leather cover with two small screws. Pages can be easily detached from the binder. Now this can either be good or bad. For me, it works fine because I can easily take out the pages while I write on them, and return them to the binder when I’m done. To some, this may be tricky as pages can be lost when they are detached from the binder.

Jollibee: Hard-bound with a very sturdy spine. But I still prefer the ring-bound, though. No offense meant to Jollibee, or to any hard-bound or perfectly-bound notebooks [I’m a Moleskine user, remember?], but I have always preferred ring-bound [or spiral, as they are called here] notebooks through the years. I guess because they can be easily folded, and I can tear off pages easily.

Size and portability (See cover photos on top):

Starbucks: Height: 8.5 in.; width: 6.5 in; thickness: 1 in. Inside pages: 5.5 x 8.25 in. The leather cover makes the planner bulky and difficult to cram into smaller bags. But it’s portable enough to carry around. [I was able to carry last year’s Titanic planner, so what’s the problem with this one?]

Jollibee: Height: 8.5 in.; width: 5.75; thickness: .75 in. Well, I’m giving in. I have nothing more to say except that, yes, this planner is very, very, very portable.

Freebies:

Starbucks: A pencil and a set of Starbucks greeting cards.

Jollibee: A full set of discount coupons enough to last the year.

See the comparison now? Both planners have their low points, but hey, they do have redeeming qualities. But wait. Somewhere, there is a little demarcation between the two. I love writing business items on my Starbucks planner, while I prefer to write more “personal’ matters in the Jollibee planner. I enjoy using different ink colors in the Starbucks planner to color-code activities and events, while I noticed that I had, for two weeks now, written in my Jollibee planner using just a single pen/ink: my black .5 Pilot G2. The elegance of black ink on the ecru-colored paper is truly incomparable.

After more than two weeks with me, I found out that I do enjoy using both planners to plan my week (or months); write special events and activities; or to simply doodle on. I especially placed an emphasis on the fact that I do not prefer any of the two because somewhere, there are people who, in deference to one, resort to berating the other. But let’s not do that. Starbucks will forever be Starbucks, and lugging around a bulky planner with ugly paper and “jologs”-colored elastic strap will always be an “in” thing. And if we want the Starbucks planner, then let’s go for it. Forget the fact that we may need to spend close to 3,000 pesos in coffee enough to keep us awake for months. Didn’t you know that gulping gallons of coffee is not the only way to get your hands on that leather-covered planner? Have you ever been to eBay? (wink)

On the other hand, Jollibee’s serious effort to produce a classy planner deserves a 30-minute standing ovation. And yes, I called it classy because it is. As I said, this is very Pinoy, very personal, very close to our hearts. Maybe that’s the reason why I keep personal stuff in there aside from the ones I put in my Journal. But that’s another story. So if you belong to the hoard-anything-that’s-Jollibee generation, grab your planners now!

I’m A New Postie!

I started this blog in 2006, and I have always thought of finding ways to monetize it. I first considered placing ads, but earning through them is a little slow for me. Then I came across this blog advertising site through a friend’s blog and found out that I will not only write on my preferred topics, I will also earn through my write-ups! And so without any more second thoughts, I signed up, wrote my first article and got my fee straight to my Paypal account.

PayPerPost is blog advertising that works fine for bloggers like me who cannot write with a definite number of posts in a given time, and who also does not want her blog looking like a newspaper ad page. With this system, a blogger just checks on the available writing opportunities, reserves any topic which he/she finds suitable, and writes about it. Then the advertiser either approves or rejects the post, but I have not received any rejected posts yet (and hopefully, never). As soon as the post is approved, the fee is processed.

I did not write about this earlier because I wanted a concrete proof of payment to write about. When I wrote my first post, I was unsure whether it will work out or not, but surprisingly, it did! And so for you bloggers out there, who’d like to write about the things you love and make money at the same time, this is for you!

Sick at New Year’s

I understand that this is a belated post, but what the heck. I just want to write about my sick New Year.

It was a horrible New Year’s eve for me. I was sick, weak, and unable to do anything for the New Year’s eve celebration. I was so sad being sick at that time because it was my first New Year’s eve at home after 7 long years… To think that I did most of the food preparations and cooking for our family’s Noche Buena.

It all started on Thursday, December 27 when I was out doing errands and I got soaked by the unexpected downpour. Heh. The following day I spent more than 5 hours ironing my cotton shirts. The day after that, thinking that I didn’t want my apartment welcoming the New Year with my mess (and while already feeling the beginnings of bacterial onslaught), I spent the whole day cleaning, scrubbing, and dusting off everything which only made my already weak respiratory system give way to whatever bacteria was attacking it.

By Sunday (December 30), I couldn’t get out of bed, I had fever, and my throat hurt like hell. I waited until the following morning (yes, I did) to go see a doctor, but by then I was ready for confinement. Luckily, the doctor did not recommend confinement, but gave me a broad-spectrum antibiotic, co-amoxiclav and another drug for my impending cough and cold. Ha. But not before he gave me a lecture on how careless I could have been during the holidays eating sweets, going out, and not taking precautions, blah-blah-blah… Heh. I was on antibiotics for the following 7 days, and well, my condition improved on the third day! Lucky me. I’m being extra careful now, though. Especially with this kind of totally unpredictable Los Baños weather. Can’t afford to buy those co-amoxiclavs anymore!