revenge of the killer tomatoes 13

in 1999, i first heard a radio ad for the Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant.  the announcement rattled off various qualifications and ended with “not older than 25 years old”.  oh my, i’m no spring chicken!  at 26, i slid down the slippery slope towards OLD. 

the remaining years  of my 20s turned out to be great times though.  i clocked in 10-20 work hours a day but also reconnected with friends i largely ignored during law school, explored the philippines, read more milan kundera and salman rushdie, and discovered a passion for interior design.  now, years later and about 20 pounds heavier, i look back at the things i did before approaching another milestone of sorts…  

• january 2007 - panic.  “what, i’m turning 35 next year?!!” 
• february - boycotted valentine’s day, on mutual agreement with hubby.
• march - business as usual at the salt mines: training in manila for asia-pac colleagues.   
• april - business as usual at the salt mines (cont.): prepared for meetings and long trip in april-may.   
• may - revisited the fabulous impressionist collection of the Chicago Art Institute. saw the famous dinosaur Sue at the Field Museum.     
• june -  returned to manila to teach legal research to law students (my third year to teach).  joined a thesis defense panel for the first time. 
• july - bought brand-new car without knowing how to drive.
• august - actually learned to drive my car, weee! (yes, i’m 15 to 20 years too late on this indispensable skill!)
• september - climbed the Great Wall at Badaling in Beijing.  paid homage to Chairman Mao at Tiananmen Square.  wore out shoes touring the Imperial Palace.  spotted the “bubble building” and other Olympics edifices.  made new friends among asia-pac colleagues. 
• october - got my first taste of Europe via London.  floored by the art collections at the Tate Modern and National Art Gallery.  ate a veal burger at Burrough Market with best friends.  saw Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
• november - drove car to office on my own for the first time.  very liberating, very “thelma & louise”, minus the tragic ending and brad pitt.
• december - bravely went on first two-week break from work.  did not need to put out any fires, thankfully.  my first car accident: hit a stubborn parking driveway post that failed to avoid me.  on a happier note, celebrated 5th wedding anniversary!  2 dozen lilac roses marked the occasion.
• jan. 2008 - instead of throwing a birthday party, recruited volunteers for mural-painting session at Asilo orphanage.

and yes, i revived my blog before turning 35.  it’s comforting to know my brother will always be 5 years older than me.  :-)  raise a glass of cabernet sauvignon for me, please!

marian

beijing & london:

at Asilo:

howdy, volunteers! :-) 

first of all, i apologize for the test-site feel of this blog.  it IS still a test site.  many thanks to kuya (older brother) for setting up my return to cyberspace.  i can’t fully explain the blog title at the moment.  i thought about the most memorable films i saw in my childhood and came up with the cult classic “attack of the killer tomatoes”.  it spoofed the many creatures-gone-stark-mad movies that made a killing at the box office in the 80’s, like “jaws”.  it was followed by “revenge of the killer tomatoes”.  more on that later…

so a big THANK YOU again to all of you who’ve volunteered to join our visit to Asilo de San Vicente de Paul orphanage in manila this sunday, january 20. 

here are the details:

• time - pls. be there by 9:30 a.m. so we can finish the mural by noontime.
• place - Asilo at 1148 U.N. Avenue, Paco Manila, opposite the Pius Catholic Center.   i’ll post a map later today.  if you get lost, call me at my mobile or call the orphanage at: (02) 523-3829;523-1460; 523-5264
  • commuting - take the LRT1 (old line) to Manila and get off at UN Avenue station. you can walk but it’s better to hail a pedicab. just say you’re going to Asilo.  pedicab fare is 20 pesos.
  • driving - i’ll post detailed instructions later, but if you’re familiar with UN Avenue, just look for the Pius Catholic Center across Asilo. parking is available inside the compound.
• what to wear, bring - be in comfortable work clothes that you can give up if they get splattered with paint.  we’ll take care of all brushes, paint and other materials.
• food - lunch will be served to volunteers in the Asilo compound.  pastries will be given to the kids.
• gifts, donations - no need to bring gifts to the kids or donations to Asilo, but of course those would be greatly appreciated!  let me know if you’re pledging or donating to our Mural Pot.
• who’s coming? - half of the group would be colleagues from work, the other half are either my relatives or close friends.  so far there are 17 to 20 people coming.   
• any special abilities required? -   no, unless picking up a paintbrush is an extraordinary talent.  we have a lead artist/muralist who will design our collective art work.   just be there and have a good time!

 any questions?  email or call me.  thanks and see you there! /mari