World- Stopper

There are certain circumstances that stop us for a moment. The turning of the world just stops. You drop everything.

I was happy because my books sold out at a certain culture-related symposium days ago. But I can't dwell too much on top of the wave because of a call from home. My daughter is sick. My daughter, to whom I wrote the book, is sick. No time to waste. I went home in the middle of a Thai dinner.

So there I was. For two nights, I stayed awake monitoring the progress of my daughter's health. I've never prayed so much in my life than when it comes to the welfare of my little family. Three cups of coffee. Signing more books, sticking "autographed by the author" stickers while my daughter slept. Good thing, her fever broke in less than 24 hours. She's fine now. Whew. 

Busy Selling! And A Few Details About The Characters

Been busy these days getting my book to move. The first consignment account I tied with is the Sorsogon Museum and Heritage Center. The Chairman was simply enticed by the fact that the imaginary place that was featured in the book was inspired by the scenic province of Sorsogon.  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The museum gets 25% share of the sales.

Meanwhile, as I was doing a few friendly interviews from buyers, some people ask me if I got acquainted, in real life, with some Frenchman. It's about a character in the book. I said, I don't. Because while the book's birth was gaining momentum, I looked over the table across me at the woman reading a newspaper. And the front page was mostly about the IMF executive Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn and the creepy scandals attached to his name. Suddenly, the hairs at the back of my nape stood on their ends. For some reasons. Don't get alone at a hotel room with a Frenchman. The chambermaid was lucky to get out sane and alive. Eeeww. Scary.

Book- Hot Off The Press!

 This is the book that I have been talking about on my previous posts.

"A BANQUET FOR UNCLE JACQUES" is a 300-page culinary fiction in full English.

It is the story of a young chef named Dominique and her desires to follow a lover to New York. To go to the Big City, Dominique's passport is the promise of her wealthy uncle, who told her that if she gives a great feast on his wedding day, Uncle Jacques will grant her a plane ticket, accommodations, plus a huge sum of money to any city in the world (though particularly, Paris or New York).

Many challenges surface along the way. First, Uncle Jacques's wedding will be held in a very remote province in the Philippines, in a big house owned by a former ship captain. In the middle of all that nowhere, Dominique must find the right resources for the feast for globetrotters and Parisian socialites. Second, Uncle Jacques is an eccentric, perfectionist man who outwardly rejects Dominique's many menu proposals and imposes his own rules in menu making. Third, as the banquet nears and Dominique's New York Dream begins to materialize, she discovers some truth about her lover and ultimately, who her true love really is.

If you like (or seem to like) the plot, send a message to: enrisamarie8@gmail.com or call 0906 467 4424.
P199.00 selling price in the Philippines.
USD $20.00 selling price overseas. (Yes, I ship overseas.)
314 pages 4.5" X 6"

Busy Week for Baby No. 2

The press  called yesterday night. My book just got finished printing. Whew! What a very uneasy birth. So much delay. Lots of running to do these coming weeks.

Crushing Gardenias

There are gardenia bushes just outside our street in the village. They had been there for a very long time. And when I was talking about my wedding two years ago, I said that I wanted gardenias for my wedding bouquet. Unfortunately the flower makers didn't have gardenias, instead they used white roses and put in some purple grapes. Yes, I had grapes on my bridal bouquet.

While shooting gardenias after the rain a week ago, I was not only intoxicated by their scent but was so captured by their beauty that some poignant thoughts crossed my head. The flowers were just too sweet-smelling I recalled that saying about forgiveness: that Forgiveness is the sweet scent the flower gives us when we step on them.

I have always believed that. I guess that is just a simplification of many philosophies of non-retaliation, of Christ, of Gandhi, of many other revolutionaries and peacemakers who opened the doors of enlightenment from the world's ignorance.

 

I know that human conflicts are inevitable. I am this old not to have experienced frictions with other people. There were the people who told you lies, who made promises and broke them, who borrowed money and you never heard from again (quite a lot), who raided your fridge (quite a lot too), people who pushed you and pulled you, sent hate letters, and so many other forms of human discord. Time passed and you eventually parted ways. It has been my own principle not to sow grudges so I will not reap them. So I go on and live my life, forgiving those who might have done me wrong. Then comes a time when you meet again. Sometimes they'd tell you that they heard about you, and that they're glad and proud of you. Sometimes they'd write a mail telling you "that you do cross my mind every so often." Sometimes they'd tell you that they watched  TV and the news reminded them of you. In your case, you've forgotten who these people are. You've forgotten how in the first place you were ever entangled with their existence.  And little by little, they begin to confess about their lives. You don't judge. You just listen. And just by listening, you can only feel the agony of what they've been through.

The mystery is this, the fragrance of a flower haunts you. And the more you crush the flower, the stronger the scent becomes.

May Songs

Some songs are playing in my head right now because it's May. On May 8th, we will be celebrating our first year wedding anniversary. My husband called this afternoon - those "nothing-in-particular" calls, just to say "I love you." Wow. I don't even have the courage to say those things to someone if I couldn't stand by my words. I can't believe that there are people who risk their hearts to say how much they love you. I am lucky to have been married off to the right person. I could say, there is really no special recipe for a marriage to work. One year has been a great ride. There had been adjustments along the way. But in the end, as the two of you grow more mature, it is easy to cultivate more love and respect for each other. My married life tamed me in many ways. We're still good friends, just how we started. We could still enjoy that tub of ice cream at Dairy Queen just how we started. There are still many things to talk about, just how we started.

I realized that if, the dreams that you dreamed for yourself didn't come true, it is because God's dreams for you are more rewarding. The plans are perfect, there are no mistakes.

I can live with this life for a very long time.

So here are the songs. From our wedding day.

"Fields Of Gold"

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in the fields of gold

So she took her love
For to gaze awhile
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold

Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold

See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold
We'll walk in the fields of gold

Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold
When we walked in the fields of gold

"Heaven is a Place On Earth"

When the night falls down
I wait for you
And you come around
And the world's alive
With the sound of kids
On the street outside

When you walk into the room
You pull me close and we start to move
And we're spinning with the stars above
And you lift me up in a wave of love...

Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth

When I feel alone
I reach for you
And you bring me home
When I'm lost at sea
I hear your voice
And it carries me

In this world we're just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
But I'm not afraid anymore

Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth ?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We'll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth

"What a Wonderful World"

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

On Assignment

 Deadlines, deadlines yet again. Tomorrow I have to submit some very important files for my other job, but... hmm... what the heck - it doesn't hurt to stray awhile and update your blog for a few minutes, does it? I surely miss blogging. At least, if I get too busy and forget my pledged 500 words a day  for my new book, then tinkering a while on my blog is writing- just the same!

I just learned that the romance novelist Barbara Cartland used to read at least 30 books while she worked on a new novel. Her books are quite simple paperbacks, but honestly, they fed my romantic fantasy dreams when I was in high school. I've read just too many Barbara Cartland novels that's why, I guess, I resemble an oozing caramel with my love affairs. Whatever that means.

 My book assignment is too little compared to Barbara Cartland's. Just a small stack. These books above are the books that I have to read for my other work. A combination of the arts, living in a big house, the incessant longing of some lovers like Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. Lovers... lovers. Again, the caramel thing.

Also in the pile are old catalogs of painting auctions from Sothesby's or Christies. I've just finished the first coating of the canvass at home as I intend to paint (seriously...yay!) this month. Again, related with my new book.

But what worries me is that Julienne is already crawling on fours. If , I shower with the door open to see her crawl under the table and mess with the wires of our computer, then I have to think again (read: think hard) how to deal with her with all that paint in the house.