Category: Lifestyle
In Praise of Moleskine
LAST MONTH—after three years and eleven countries of traveling together—I finally retired my first Moleskine notebook, having reached those last few pages where you jot down an odd jumble of things like people’s phone numbers, stray lines of poetry, your cat’s vaccination schedule, and your Multiply password.
I’d picked up this notebook in the US after seeing it for the first time in a bookshop in Rome. As a certified gadget freak who never leaves the house without a laptop and a smartphone, I didn’t think I needed a physical, old-fashioned notebook, but it was finally the Moleskine’s snob appeal that got to me. It had been used, its ads proclaimed, by writers like Ernest Hemingway. And since I also collect vintage fountain pens, I thought that the combination of pen and notebook was very stylish in a retro way—as indeed it was.
But little did I expect that style would be resoundingly trumped by substance. I came to depend on the Moleskine much more than I expected—because it fit in my shirt pocket, could open flat on the table (another of its claims to fame), and never needed to boot up or to be recharged. Its creamy paper absorbed ink without feathering; it had a sewn-in bookmark, and best of all a small pocket in the back for business and phone cards, receipts, and ID pictures.
That notebook accompanied me to the Netherlands, Germany, America, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Korea, and China (aside from dozens of places here at home). I’ve whipped it out to write on in trains, boats, buses, and planes. Mostly I used it to take notes in passing, for some future story or column: the names of places, the flavors of food, the kind of details and impressions you can’t catch with a camera. It’s the closest thing I’ve kept to a diary, chronicling both moments of elation—like riding business class to Europe for the first time—and despondency (never mind over what grievous trifle). Here and there you might spot a dab of ketchup or a blooming blot left by a droplet of Coke. For a few pages the ink might be jet-black, then brown, then blue-black; the letters might display happy flourishes, or be cramped and sullen.
I was sad when I put that first Moleskine to bed, but then I very quickly unwrapped my next one, which I’d stored in reserve for over a year. I can hardly wait to fill it up—and to open many more before I myself reach my own last pages.
Happy new year moments
Hello, everyone! Jeez, I know I’m late for my New Year post, today being the fifth day of 2008. Been pretty busy in the house organizing stuff and actualizing one of my plans for the new year – to be more organized and efficient.
I heaved a sigh of relief and gratitude the other day when my neighbor’s househelp brought along with her to my house – someone willing to be under my employ as helper. So for three days now I’ve been enjoying the company of an assistant. She does the dirty work of washing clothes as well as cleaning, mopping and dusting the house according to my directions of course. She can’t cook though, which is okay with me because I prefer that only family members prepare the meals anyway. What’s important is that the house is now being kept clean and hopefully in perfect order in the next few days.
Ah, many nice things have been happening to me from Day One of 2008. I have, surprisingly, been taking definite steps to improve and ease my life. And one of the “bestest” of these moves, I’d like to believe – is my decision (err.. Marco’s decision…hehe) to switch to a new internet service provider. Marco spent almost two weeks here at home, but he had to be online all the time because his work is internet based. And he got so exasperated with the internet connection from our old ISP (Digitel Luzon) which was crawling so slow – even much slower than dial up! Hence, after much prodding from him, I finally called up our cable service provider, to give us a faster internet connection – quick! And lo and behold! in a matter of five hours – we were wired at a maximum speed of 100 kbps. Not bad, huh? It’s been over a week now since we got connected and I have no complaints so far. 
Incidentally, I have wanted to post photographs from last New Year’s celebration in our family home (my parents’ house), but Marco is still busy with work and can’t upload the pictures he took with his camera. Anyhow, I took a few with my cam phone, and I’d like to show them here to at least share with you how we traditionally celebrate Christmas and New Year in the family.
This is John Montemayor, second son of my eldest brother giving his opening remarks before announcing “Our first meal for the new year is served”.
Every Christmas and New Year, we (my parents, siblings and our own families, and other relatives in some occasions) gather around the dining table at my parents’ house and John is always designated to say the grace before the meal. Because of this, we have jokingly given him the nomer “Father John” and sometimes “Pastor John”.
And since John, an entrepreneur, has recently constructed a conference room (for trainings and conferences of his employees) just beside my parents’ house, he offered to host the holiday gatherings this time.
Guess who? That’s my hubby belting out a Beatle song. And to think he only had half a glass of champagne. hehehe.
After the videoke – rat ratan naman! On the drums is Aypee; on guitar is Marco and on the microphone belting out a Pinoy rock number is Dennis, my sister Eva’s first born. Take note at how extremely different my two sons are: Aypee with ’semi-bald’ head and Marco with long hair. Haaay!
The band equipment by the way is owned by John who loves tinkering with the drums to shake off corporate stress.
More pics next post. Hope Marco will be a more obedient child to his mom and upload the photos from his cam so I can grab them from his Flickr account.