Smile, Laugh. There you go.

There are a couple of things I'd like to whine about, but since I've started to claw my way up the pit of keening and gnashing of teeth (seriously, the emo bug is going around), I'm going to write about happy stuff.

First off, I am happy to report that YuppieUniverse.com has reached 1,679 pageviews (that's for this year, basically February and March). Since that wouldn't be possible without the 372 absolute unique visitors who visited the site this year, even if you only clicked on a "patibong" link or whatever by accident, thank you. To those who actually read the stuff we have there, double thank you. XD

And to those who have graciously contributed and generously let me literally holdap content from them -

Rem: I owe you a hug, a beer and a balloon in any color you want.
Karl: Dude, seriously. I think you're a much better writer than I am.
Mai: Keep them coming, dude! Just don't beat anybody up or you'll run out of bus stops.
Chris: You're old. XD Seriously, I find your article ideas helpful for the hapless corpo newbies out there and so I hope you find the time to write them.
Annabs: Thank you for sharing your story. So far, it's the most popular Yuppie Humor post. XD

And to Rica's friends Vanz: Pics pa!; and Anamercedes: When I read your fiction, I feel very small. As in. The World Ended Last Night stabs me every time I read it.

To everybody: Aylabshu! Please let me holdap more of your great articles/stories/pictures. You have the Triumvirate of Evil's eternal gratitude, and maybe we'll spare your poor souls when the Omen decides to unleash her fiery Apocalypse on all our sorry asses.

Since I am going to get compensated for the last gig I had next week, I think this merits a celebration. I'm su(R)e the (E)mo bug can be cure(D) (B)y drowning it with alcoh(O)l, laughing with friends, and general stress deto(X)ing.


Next on my list of happy stuff it Misery Day. I'll write more about it when Lei and I get to actually celebrate the anniversary of our joint day of misery. We dubbed March 23, 2008 as such and planned to celebrate last week, but due to a series of unfortunate events, we had to reschedule. I am looking forward to Lei's coffee and the barbarians she promised.


Ayee's birthday today means I get to get free booze and shameless karaoke/live band. I am looking forward to later, if I don't expire from sleeplessness.

Toradora ends: thoughts, ramblings, general gushing

Caveat: I tried to write this article with restraint (and coherence), and failed miserably. I'd advise you to run while you still can.

Amidst the tolling of deadline bells, I managed to watch the final episode of Toradora! and felt compelled to write another article about it since honestly, the first one just didn't do it enough justice. Plus, if I don't release all this pent up schoolgirl gush, I'm afraid I might implode.

First things first. I like slice of life anime shows, simply because they are light, don't require me to know the basics of quantum physics, mostly feel-good, and summons the repressed high school girl in me. Yes, that squealing, giggling, lovesick girl exists in me, even when I never did outwardly show her during my teens (or ever) in an attempt to look cool.

In all my years of watching anime (more or less, 17 years), I still can't honestly say that I've seen everything - but I did fervently hope that the power of love would fail in some shows. Shows these days, especially those that cater to the teen bracket, follow a tried and tested formula to pull at the audience' heartstrings. It might be fun for a while, but most of the time, I like to be surprised.

MORE HERE

i share bits of my life like i share a bag of chips

I share bits of my life like I share a bag of chips. (That was taken from a piece by Jessica Zafra in Womenagerie, and I realize I steal stuff from her, but I know how to borrow stuff properly.) As Rica puts it, stealing a line from a movie: Para kang carinderiang bukas sa lahat ng gustong kumain.

I laughed a bit when I saw that line on the chatbox. Anyway, it was because of this post: I hate summer. There are other stuff on there of course (Link barrage time!):

Rica’s Box Office

To Superheroes

My review of Toradora!

Yuppie Humor: Keep your hands to yourself

Yuppie Fangirlism: Kiniro La Corda super mini-update

Yuppie Writing Exercises begin: Extraordinary Object, Mundane Setting

Contrabida Romy Diaz and his ill effects

Mai’s Potpourri

The Overlord’s Pancakes of Pure Evil – Yuppie Breakfast: Basic Homemade Pancakes

If you're curious, here's how this morning’s convo with Rica went:

Rica: i have a question

Rica: or some questions

Rio: shoot

Rica: i know you've probably recounted this incident to many people several times

Rica: pero it's different when it's on paper na

Rio: i know

Rica: proof that it happened

Rica: di na lang sya remembrance

Rio: it took a lot of energy

Rica: yes

Rica: that's why im going to ask what you want to do with this now

Rio: publish

Rica: lol

Rica: ok

Rio: tapos mo na basahin?

Rica: so doble na syang, are you sure?

Rica: parang, are you sure? sure?

Rio: why is it bad?

Rio: :-S

Rica: it isn't

Rica: tinatanong ko lang sayo, ok ba sayong may ibang mga taong babasa

Rio: okay lang

Rica: ng something very very very personal

Rio: kilala mo naman ako eh

Rio: and this is my first, as far as we know, non-fiction narrative

Rio: i share stories like that like i share chippy

Rio: (i want chippy)

Rica: as bad as it sounds (and taking a line from some movie), para kang carinderiang bukas sa lahat ng gustong kumain

Rio: ESPN

Rica: yep, kilala kita (not entirely, lol, not yet)

Rica: hahaha

Rio: LOL

Rica: BUT BUT BUT, like i said, it's different when it's on paper (or posted on a blog)

Rica: iba sya compared to when you're just making kwento about it

Rica: yun lang

Rica: kung sureness kang oks sayo, go, let's post this.

Rio: hindi ko alam, it's just that

Rio: that's just one of the "things that changed my life" stuff i have

Rio: i mean, if that house hadn't burned, i wouldn't have been a writer, i would've been an accountant

Rio: i wouldn't have known how to start from the ground up

Rio: i wouldn't have known how to carry guilt as big as that

Rica: gets

Rio: ayus na ba yung ending?

Rio: maybe i should put in those stuff ^

Rica: pero yun nga, ang question ko lang, will you be ok sharing something as major as this to strangers? most of whom will not even understand the gravity of this incident sa buhay mo

Rica: yun

Rio: nah, it's okay

Rio: it's content

Rio: and i kinda swore that day that i would publish it someday

Rio: and now i am