now that i'm back...

what have i been up to? what's been happening to me? people have been asking and i've been too preoccupied to answer adequately. here's a list:

1) had lunch and dinner with the polymath a few times. most recently at a high-choloesterol place aptly named butter diner in cubao. we've also done amici and kitchen in makati, and likha diwa in UP. looking forward to doing bellini's and bizu with him soon. haha, seems all we do is stuff our faces. maybe we should do chateau verde as well.

2) visited coco's corner. wonderful view. very cozy apartment. amazing friend.

3) seen the new GCF building. yes, A was right. it does look like a mall. part of me misses the long subway rides to onnuri at seobinggo with chef T, and seeing him blink back tears when the pastor that he calls johnny litton gives the benediction.

4) shopped for new shoes at shangri-la mall and gateway. it's still not fun. damn these high arches!

5) had much-needed aromatherapy massage at urban spa, shangri-la mall. unspeakably good. the bonus was meeting a masseuse who was also recently in korea and we chatted a bit about "kuya P" and how he's a barrel of laughs and much much more.

6) brought kitty to the groomer. she now looks less like a filthy mop and more like a lhasa apso. B said she underwent a personality change when i was away. but now her evil diva ways are back--snappish, vicious, constantly cranky. but stil...she's perrrrfect!

7) cleared out 80% of the junk in my house. had it all carted away by the maintenance crew. all that's left to clear out are my closet, my baul and my files. since chef tris brought my stuff from korea, the room has been a mess as i don't have shelf-space for my new books. yargh.

8) met up with the architect who will guide me as i attempt to make my house liveable again. it has literally gone to the dogs and am now mightily trying to reclaim the house for us humans. i've seen the budget and it's one of the reasons i can't sleep right now. hahaha. basically, we're retiling the bathroom & installing new fixtures. will also repaint and refloor the entire apartment. installing a new floor is the most expensive. yargh again.

9) goodbye, white elephant piano! my tita is helping to get rid of the piano that has been here for 15 years. no one's using it and we need the space. it's owned by my grand-aunt and had a lot of sentimental value. now it houses a lot of mice. hope this will help my rodent problem.

10) had lots of fights with someone about a dog that destroyed my newly-renovated kitchen. i really don't want the dog to destroy the renovations that i'm about to make for our apartment. seems it's at a stalemate but i stand my ground: i'm paying for the renovations so it's either me or the dog. simple as that.

11) got a call last friday from a good friend in korea. yes, i miss a lot of the people i met there but the top two would be E and T.

12) am writing a story. the subway figures in it. the rooftop, too. and maybe the view from namsan tower. definitely cheonggyecheon at night and seeing jongno tower. and vodka mixed with baskin robbins kiwi lime sorbet. am considering putting a bookstore in there, either bandi & luni at COEX or kyobo at gwanghwamun. but i still have to get the plot under control. i've never been good with plot. which is why creative nonfiction has always been easier for me. my life has always been more interesting than any story i could invent. i guess i'm boring that way.

13) eek. my stalker is back. can't believe M gave him my number. eek.

lots more happened but i'll save that for some other day/post. am sleepy. oh! wait! here's one last development:

14) finally have photos of the polymath and me together. will post them here soon. haha, we look goofy together. which is nice. we can't be perfect all the time.