Date A Girl Who Reads

by Rosemarie Urquico

(In Response to Charles Warnke’s You Should Date An Illiterate Girl.)

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent.  Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype. You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.

*Note: Isn't it cute? Ima self-confessed frustrated writer. So I was kinda touched when I've read this. Now more than ever, I wanna pursue this writing passion that is in me so someone would date me! Chos! Hahahaha :P But really, this is brilliant! Aye, date a girl who writes! :)

Date An Illiterate Girl

by Charles Warnke (Jan. 19, 2011)

Date a girl who doesn’t read. Find her in the weary squalor of a Midwestern bar. Find her in the smoke, drunken sweat, and varicolored light of an upscale nightclub. Wherever you find her, find her smiling. Make sure that it lingers when the people that are talking to her look away. Engage her with unsentimental trivialities. Use pick-up lines and laugh inwardly. Take her outside when the night overstays its welcome. Ignore the palpable weight of fatigue. Kiss her in the rain under the weak glow of a streetlamp because you’ve seen it in film. Remark at its lack of significance. Take her to your apartment. Dispatch with making love. Fuck her.

Let the anxious contract you’ve unwittingly written evolve slowly and uncomfortably into a relationship. Find shared interests and common ground like sushi, and folk music. Build an impenetrable bastion upon that ground. Make it sacred. Retreat into it every time the air gets stale, or the evenings get long. Talk about nothing of significance. Do little thinking. Let the months pass unnoticed. Ask her to move in. Let her decorate. Get into fights about inconsequential things like how the fucking shower curtain needs to be closed so that it doesn’t fucking collect mold. Let a year pass unnoticed. Begin to notice.

Figure that you should probably get married because you will have wasted a lot of time otherwise. Take her to dinner on the forty-fifth floor at a restaurant far beyond your means. Make sure there is a beautiful view of the city. Sheepishly ask a waiter to bring her a glass of champagne with a modest ring in it. When she notices, propose to her with all of the enthusiasm and sincerity you can muster. Do not be overly concerned if you feel your heart leap through a pane of sheet glass. For that matter, do not be overly concerned if you cannot feel it at all. If there is applause, let it stagnate. If she cries, smile as if you’ve never been happier. If she doesn’t, smile all the same.

Let the years pass unnoticed. Get a career, not a job. Buy a house. Have two striking children. Try to raise them well. Fail, frequently. Lapse into a bored indifference. Lapse into an indifferent sadness. Have a mid-life crisis. Grow old. Wonder at your lack of achievement. Feel sometimes contented, but mostly vacant and ethereal. Feel, during walks, as if you might never return, or as if you might blow away on the wind. Contract a terminal illness. Die, but only after you observe that the girl who didn’t read never made your heart oscillate with any significant passion, that no one will write the story of your lives, and that she will die, too, with only a mild and tempered regret that nothing ever came of her capacity to love.

Do those things, god damnit, because nothing sucks worse than a girl who reads. Do it, I say, because a life in purgatory is better than a life in hell. Do it, because a girl who reads possesses a vocabulary that can describe that amorphous discontent as a life unfulfilled—a vocabulary that parses the innate beauty of the world and makes it an accessible necessity instead of an alien wonder. A girl who reads lays claim to a vocabulary that distinguishes between the specious and soulless rhetoric of someone who cannot love her, and the inarticulate desperation of someone who loves her too much. A vocabulary, god damnit, that makes my vacuous sophistry a cheap trick.

Do it, because a girl who reads understands syntax. Literature has taught her that moments of tenderness come in sporadic but knowable intervals. A girl who reads knows that life is not planar; she knows, and rightly demands, that the ebb comes along with the flow of disappointment. A girl who has read up on her syntax senses the irregular pauses—the hesitation of breath—endemic to a lie. A girl who reads perceives the difference between a parenthetical moment of anger and the entrenched habits of someone whose bitter cynicism will run on, run on well past any point of reason, or purpose, run on far after she has packed a suitcase and said a reluctant goodbye and she has decided that I am an ellipsis and not a period and run on and run on. Syntax that knows the rhythm and cadence of a life well lived.

Date a girl who doesn’t read because the girl who reads knows the importance of plot. She can trace out the demarcations of a prologue and the sharp ridges of a climax. She feels them in her skin. The girl who reads will be patient with an intermission and expedite a denouement. But of all things, the girl who reads knows most the ineluctable significance of an end. She is comfortable with them. She has bid farewell to a thousand heroes with only a twinge of sadness.

Don’t date a girl who reads because girls who read are the storytellers. You with the Joyce, you with the Nabokov, you with the Woolf. You there in the library, on the platform of the metro, you in the corner of the café, you in the window of your room. You, who make my life so god damned difficult. The girl who reads has spun out the account of her life and it is bursting with meaning. She insists that her narratives are rich, her supporting cast colorful, and her typeface bold. You, the girl who reads, make me want to be everything that I am not. But I am weak and I will fail you, because you have dreamed, properly, of someone who is better than I am. You will not accept the life that I told of at the beginning of this piece. You will accept nothing less than passion, and perfection, and a life worthy of being storied. So out with you, girl who reads. Take the next southbound train and take your Hemingway with you. I hate you. I really, really, really hate you.

*Note: This is a repost :) I just found it cute. But I love the sorta 'comeback' to this that Ima post later after this. Hihihi :P

Team Coco FTW!

Last Wednesday, February 23, 2011, we had our Thesis Defense for our Project Study subject. That day was so wonderful that after we've presented our thesis, I still couldn't believe that, finally, it's over. Not officially though, 'coz we still have to edit everything and have it binded. There are still work that need to be done. What I'm glad about it is that the day we've all been dreading to come is now over. Defense is freakin' done. Yay!!! I still felt surreal about it! :)


I remember I wrote a note about in FB that night right after I reached home. Here it is.

Ayun. Grabe tong araw na to. Di ko expected ang lahat ng mga pangyayari. Hahaha. Overwhelmed pa din yun pakiramdam ko, actually. Di ko inasahang magagawa ko pero..I did it! Hahaha I freakin' did it!! Kinabahan pa ko ng bonggang bongga the night before kasi feeling ko papalpak ako at hindi ko magagawa ng tama (na syang nangyari buti once lang! Haha thank God!ü) pero ayos naman.

Dahil jan, thank you ng bonggang bongga firstly, ke JENCIE. Kasi sya talaga yun nagsasabi na wag kami kabahan, na isipin na lang namin yun mga pinaghirapan namin (i.e paggugupit ng coco fibers, pagpunta sa elbi, pag-aaply ng resin sa fibers na ultimate fairness e nakakangawit naman talaga, pagkaka-badshot namin ke sir eli dahil sa pagtakbo namin haha, etc). Salamat sa words of encouragement teh, kumalma ko dahil dun.

Secondly, salamat TEAM COCO: ARVIN, DIVINA, THAL, JENCIE & CHELAMAY. Alam ko pasaway din ako hahaha salamat dahil di nyo ko itinakwil at sinipa paalis ng grupo hahahaha! Pero seriously, thank you sa tulong, pang-uunawa and everything! Go! *jencie accent* Hahahaha!! Para saken, we're the best team! Hahaha!

Thank you din sa panels kanina dahil sobra sobra sobrang bait nila. Di ko talaga expected yun Q&A na magiging ganon. Kala ko dikdikdikin ako ng bongga saka ako igigisa ng todo todo pero hindi. Chill lang. Relax. Hahaha astig. Galing ni God! Sobrang laking favor nun para saken!

Lastly, thank You po Lord sa ability, wisdom na ipinagkaloob Mo samin kanina. I know na I didn't do it on my own, but with You. Maraming salamat po sa pagpapakalma, sa kapanatagan ng kalooban (super light ng pakiramdam ko habang nagsasalita di ko din lam kung bakit, basta yun kaba na naramdaman ko habang naghihintay kaming maisalang biglang nawala nung nakatayo na ko sa harap ng panel. Galing talaga.) Thank You so much, God. You are really the best!! With that, I bring back to You all the praises, glory & honor! Amen. :)


#Overwhelmed #SuperDuperMegaOwverFrigginBonggaliciousMajorMajorThankful&Happy :)))))

Formal :)

With the Tetes: Divina, Chelamay, & Thal ;)

With the panels: Engr. Talaugon, Engr. Galutan, Engr. Balagtas, Engr. Sawal, Ph. D. Marquez, Engr. Regidor & Engr. Leyson

We are the Team Coco! :)))

Goofing around after the defense with our baby! Coir Bonded Particleboard:)

Ayos na! Me with Jencie, Ellen, Son, Jor, Chelamay, Divs :D

Thank You, Lord for this day! This is one memory I won't surely forget for the rest of my life! Thank You so much! I dedicate this day to you!!! ♥

Also, thank you Team Coco! We did it! Kampai!!!! :))))))

The Super Wazak Love Story

Hoookaaaay! I can do this! *ulit-ulitin hanggang matanggal ang kaba* *inhale exhale*

Ito na. Panu ba ang malupit na intro para dito? Bahala na.


Hindi ko inaasahan na maramdaman to sayo. Nakakaloka na sayo pa di ba? E dehins mo nga ako kilala at dehins pa rin kita nakikita..tayo nagkikita sa personal. Pero anong magagawa ko? Dehins ko rin naman pinlano to. Ang alam ko pa nga yun kapatid mo yung major major crush ko.. So bakit ngayon, ikaw na? Nakakainis. Nagmumukha na akong tanga na bigla-biglang ngingiti marinig ko lang o kaya maalala ko lang yun pangalan mo. Tapos pag najo-joey ako, ikaw ang naiisip ko..at ang mga pangarap ko para sa ating dalawa. Hahaha! Tapos nabubwisit, nalulungkot (sobraaa!!), nagseselos (ng bonggang-bongga!!) ako sa mga taong following mo sa Twitter! Nagre-reply ka kasi sa kanila! Tapos saken, hindi? Bwisit ka! Nasan naman ang katarungan dun? Peste..naiiyak na naman ako. *singhot-hugot tisyu-punas sa luha't sipon* *yucks*


Kelan ko nga ba na-realize to? Ah oo. Nung Friday last week..habang nagsusulat ako nung assignment sa Design of Metal Structures, bigla na lang kitang naalala. Tapos bigla na lang, nagulat ako kasi nag-init ang aking mga mata. Naluluha na pala ko at dahil lang yon sa na-realize kong mahal na kita. Bwisit. Nakakainis kasi totoo na. Walang halong ka-echosan. Walang bahid ng biro at kadramahan. Nakakabadtrip. Bakit sayo pa? Ngayon ko na nga lang uli naramdaman to..nung huli kong maramdaman to, ke *toot* pa! At highschool days pa yon ha! Tapos..ketagal ko pang hinintay na maramdaman uli to..bakit sayo pa? Bakit?? *iyak* *tawa* (baliw?)

Bakit nga ba ko naiiyak? Di ba dapat masaya? Ewan ko din. Nalulungkot ako e.. Siguro kasi, alam kong sa pangarap ko na lang ikaw magiging akin. Hahaha! At hanggang sa pangarap na lang din matutupad ang mga pangarap ko para sa ating dalawa. Dahil di mo naman ako kilala..ni hindi mo nga yata alam na nag-e-exist pala ako. Hay.. Ang lungkot. *Wasak na wasak ang puso ni Lastimak!* Wasak nga. :'(


Why do I always fall for the unreachable? Dang.

To you: Kahit wapakels ka sa'kin sa Twitter, labs pa din kita. Hahaha. Sana lang magreply ka na sa'kin kahit isang beses lang. Bwisit ka. Chos! Hahaha. I would be the happiest girl in the world if you do reply to me :)




*Imported from my FB Notes. By Joey Anne Roldan on Monday, February 14, 2011 at 9:14am*

Taylor Swift in Asia

Got this video made by Taylor Swift, herself. It's about her Asian tour this year. I'm a huge fan of her so I got really frustrated when I wasn't able to go to her concert here in Manila last Saturday night :( Ok, maybe this will do. Well, it actually cheered me up :) Thanks for the vid, Taylor!

Enjoy people!

PS. Welcome to the Philippines, Taylor! Hope you will come back soon! We love you!!! :)

Of Love and Other Stuff

I know this is super duper uber late already.. but hey! It's still 'Love Month', right? February isn't over yet! So Imma blog about LOVE. Yeah. You heard (err.. read) that one right! Hehehe. Anyway, Happy Valentines Day first!! :D

I seldom do blogs about celebrities or popular personalities (which I wanna call CeleBlogs, for short. Chos! Pauso lang :P), but when I do, it only means one thing: I super adore them and I look up to them a LOT. The Philippines Men's National Football Team, collectively known as the Azkals, is one of them.

Top (from L-R): Aly Borromeo, James Younghusband, Neil Etheridge, Ian Araneta, Anton del Rosario, Rob Gier
Bottom (from L-R): Jason de Jong, Phil Younghusband, Chieffy Caligdong, Simon Greatwich and Chris Greatwich

So what they got to do with love?? Hahaha! Well, it's simple! I LOVE THEM! :)

I love these guys not because of their impeccable good looks (oh puhlease I'm not that dense, but of course their looks won't hurt much either! :D), but because of their dedication and passion for the sport, football. One could easily notice that these guys are not playing just for the heck of it, nor just for fun but to bring honor and pride for the country. And they did it. When the team made it to the semi-finals of the recently concluded AFC Challenge Cup where they also kicked the last year's champ, Vietnam off the game; which set the whole Philippines (and I believe some parts of the globe) in frenzy! For the first time in many years, football is once again alive!!! And that is because of these dawgs. They proved the world that even underdogs can bite back!

And just recently, last February 9, once again they proved their skills when they won over the Mongolian team. And I know that they're gonna nail it again on March 15 as they face Mongolian team again for the second leg of their qualifying match. I know because I believe in them! Go Azkals! Laban! :))

Now, aren't they lovable? ;)