LIGHT. SHADE. AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
Lovely. Just lovely. That’s how I would describe my “find” last Saturday afternoon.
I was actually supposed to be on my way home from a function at a new arts and sciences high school in Cainta, when I made a spur of the moment decision to stop by the mall to look for: 1) a computer program that would help me content analyze my thesis documents; and 2) Robbie William’s latest CD for a friend. I found neither. Instead, I chanced upon something that I totally didn’t expect, but which more than made up for my unsuccessful attempts to find the 2 items I had to buy. And this was it:
Yup, yup…The L Word Season 1 soundtrack! I didn’t even know they were already (legally) distributing it here in RP, so imagine my delight upon finding a copy of it in the record bar. Now, I’m not usually an impulsive shopper (far from it). But when I saw the OST, I grabbed it at once and didn’t even think twice about buying it.
To start with, I’ve been wanting to get hold of a copy of the The L Word (TLW) Season 1 DVD for months now, in vain. Admittedly, my primary reason for wanting to watch the show is to see one of its cast members, Katherine “Kate” Moennig, who I have been drawn to ever since I watched her on the short-lived WB series Young Americans about 4 years ago, mainly because she is so refreshingly different from most of the actresses that we see in Hollywood these days. She is the epitome of androgyny, which I’ve always thought to be beautiful and compelling. Anyway, in TLW plays, Kate plays the heartbreaker in a group of women who happen to like other women. Intriguing, eh? That alone is reason enough to make me want to watch the show. But eventually, when I learned more about The L Word—its plot, its storyline, its characters—I got more and more interested in the show itself. The problem is, there is no chance in “L” (pun intended) that a show that tackles sensitive issues with respect to the lesbian community will get picked up here in RP. So yeah, I am pretty much resigned to the fact that my only chance to watch it, if at all, is by getting myself a DVD copy of it. That, however, is proving difficult nowadays. I’ve heard that even bootleggers in Quiapo and Greenhills ran out of copies already. Oh where, o where are the pirated DVDs when you need them? Hehe.
And that is essentially why I was excited about buying soundtrack. After all, it was practically the only thing L Word-related that I could avail of in this country. So yeah, I’ve been playing the CD without let-up these past couple of hours.=) To be honest, the general mood of the album is different from what I expected. I would think that the OST from a show like The L Word would have a somewhat edgier feel to it. But other than that, I am happy with the collection of songs in the album. Indie rock tracks were interspersed with more classic jazzy tunes. A good mix. And personally, I’ve taken to 3 of the songs already (i.e. The Murmurs’ Genius, Lucinda William’s Right In Time, and Rufus Wainwright’s Hallelujah). So yeah, it was a lovely buy, regardless of whether or not it is the only L Word merchandise I had access to.=)
Anyway, I think I might have been playing the said CD for the past couple of hours a bit too much, because late this afternoon I suddenly got myself into thinking about L words that would somehow encapsulate the week that was. Here is what I came up with:
L is for Lamay. I’ve been working overtime to finish my focus group discussion (FGD) transcriptions these past days, sometimes until the wee-hours of the morning. This is mainly because I had to show samples of the transcript to my adviser, who is leaving for the US very soon and won’t be back until June. Since I have limited time in which to consult with her, I have to have all my data finalized a.s.a.p. in order for us to figure out the best way to analyze them before she leaves town. So yeah, my eyes have become watery from staring in the computer for too long, and my fingers are stiff, not just from typing, but also from having to repeatedly press the pause and play buttons of the tape recorder for days on end. It’s painstaking work, really—it is about 4x as ardous and takes 8x as much time as conducting the actual FGDs themselves. So yah, add long and laborious to the list of adjectives too.=)
L is for Lamon. These past months, people have been commenting that I seem to be losing some weight. Since I’ve not been dieting and have actually stopped my jogging routine since the year began, I surmised that the weight loss was due to the fact that I have not been eating snacks in-between meals since I resigned from my full-time job. (I realized just now how much food we had in Pathways. That is one office where food and work go together. Hehe.) This week, however, I observed a change in my eating patterns. These past days, I would find myself grabbing a bite of bread, crackers, chips (or whatever is available) while doing my work in front of the computer. Hmm...that, I believe, is a sure sign that my stress levels are going up. Not good. Not good at all.
L is for Laklak. For some reason, my gimmick nights for the past how many weeks have involved inuman sessions. This Friday’s Batch 18 get-together was no exception. The party, held at VJ and Adiel’s residence in Ayala Heights, was actually a super belated celebration of my partner J’s birthday. And in true JVP 18 fashion, drinks (mudslide and vodka this time) were part of the mix. Of course, jokes (all-new, mean-spirited ones!) and boisterous laughter spiced up the bash even more. And all these took place, of course, as J’s fave songs played in the background. Think Basil Valdez meets VST meets Jason Mraz meets Matchbox 20 meets Bukas Palad. What a combination! Haha.
L is for Lustay. Not that I have money to spend. But what little I had, I spent anyway. Much of my budget for the week went into the photocopying of books for my thesis which I had to return to the library last Friday, the day before the semestral break. I feel that it was a waste because if I had read and copied all the important parts of the books earlier on (instead of renewing my right to use them every two weeks), I wouldn’t have had to pay extra for the photocopies. Oh well. At least those are for my thesis. My next biggest expenses for the week were just plain luho. I bought CDs, all kinds of them —The L Word soundtrack, a music CD for my friend, a stack of blank CDs (for my video and image files which are taking up too much of my PC space already), and VCDs of movies that I plan to watch in the next few days (rented from the neighborhood video store). Good thing I mostly eat at home nowadays. That way, i get to save up on my food budget most of the time.=)
L is for Lanta. After the all-nighters this week (whether from thesis-related or gimmick-related activities), THIS is how I feel now. Wilted, like a dry leaf. Actually, my friend Solvie has an even better L word for that: lantutay. It does not sound so nice, but it sure conjures up the right image of “wiltedness”. Hehe.
Nevertheless, I’d like to think that there’s still a lot of life in me these days. The “wilting” is just temporary. Maybe I just need to get some sleep.=)
And seriously, I better start working on Solar Eclipse’s suggestion of scheduling a Lurv-Pia Day. Now that’s one L word I should be taking to heart!=)
may8, maits didn't only make me smile. she made me jump for joy!=) now i want to get my own dsl connection too. hehe.
jowigirl, thanks for the support! one lurv-pia day coming up soon.=)
