Give-and-Take

I am now officially part of Chicago Freecycle and can finally, guiltlessly get rid of the stacks of magazines I've amassed over the last few years. I take comfort in knowing my old magz will be put to good (re)use. I also almost got myself a new (old) vacuum cleaner...just didn't respond quick enough.

With Bianca and I moving into a new place soon, I'm sure we'll make the most of Freecyle.

Feast fit for kargadors!

Sushi overload, if that's even possible...

We're moving Bianca's stuff out of her apartment tomorrow...building up strength for the heavy lifting that awaits us is, I believe, a good enought reason to pig out!
The rolls at Sushi Station are nothing to write home about...but for the price, panalo na rin!

My favorite post-sushi picture of Bianx:

Devon Ave. -- IndoPak Town

Kristi and I took on this project for a new travel blog...the editor accepted our pitch to write about Chicago's ethnic neighborhoods, starting off with the IndoPak community along Devon. Grabe, can I just say: sensory overload!

We started our Day on Devon at Mysore Woodlands. As always, I was running late, so by the time I got there, Kristi had already downed a cup of darjileeng or some kind of tea...they're all the same, if you ask me! We ordered a "sampler" of the regular offerings...omigosh I was in Indian food heaven!

(Kristi, the excursion's official photographer, promised to send me photos. I will upload pics of our lunch spread soon as I get them from her.)

Anyway, I'll post the article here soon as I'm done writing it.

Best date ever!

I've never had a better date...and that's probably because I'm not speaking in romantic terms. Earlier this evening (I should say last night), I and a couple other famished/parched friends light-headedly made our way to the Iftar hosted by De Paul student group, UMMA. The buffet stations wouldn't open for another few minutes; in the meantime, UMMA members offered dates to the starving Fast-A-Thon participants (i.e. ME). At that point, I was so hungry and thirsty I thought the date was one of my best "meals" ever...well, at least before I saw the dinner spread: chafing dish after chafing dish of falafel, tabouli, hummus and other middle eastern treats.

It's weird how difficult this particular fast was since I've been dieting for as long as I can remember, and I should be used to the starve-yourself-then-binge routine. I guess it was the no-water "rule" the killed me! By mid-day, my head started to hurt...I needed agua so bad that I couldn't even imagine licking the envelope for a letter I was sending out. What a waste of fluids, I thought! Yes, it was that bad!

I seriously have so much respect and admiration for all Muslims who do this daylong fasting for a month every year; and sadness for those who live under conditions where something as basic as water is neither readily available nor accessible.

I am deeply humbled by my one day waterless experience.

Fast-A-Thon

Mayumi, Pau and I signed up for the Fast-a-Thon organized by UMMA, the Muslim Students Association of De Paul University.
The e-mail that went out asked the question: Will you go hungry for one day so someone else won't? (Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger)

Each year, during the Holy Month of Ramadan, UMMA members invite people of all faiths and backgrounds to "get hungry for REAL change." This is the organization's fifth Fast-a-Thon.
For every person who pledges to fast from sun-up to sun-down on Oct. 10 , $1 will be donated to The Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Food Pantry Room of the St. Vincent de Paul Parish.
If a day without food and water, regardless of the cause, seems too grueling, there's one thing that should encourage even the most fasting-averse person to sign up: UMMA is hosting an Iftar at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

Partaking of a big spread of yummy middle eastern food is definitely a good way to break a 12-hour fast!

Chicago Marathon

I covered the 30th annual Chicago Marathon today. It was another one of those random things I decided to try out -- not running the marathon (I'll save that for next year), just covering it! I met this woman at a networking event organized by FAN-Chicago; she was a TV producer/broadcaster in the Philippines and is now working on producing her own show, which will premiere on TFC sometime in November. Anyway, I told her I'd love to work with her sometime. So, last week she asked if I could do a story on a group of Ancop/Gawad Kalinga runners. Without even asking what it was exactly that she wanted me to do, I agreed. THEN a couple days ago, I found out I had to go on-camera!!!! Omigosh! I didn't need to look 10 lbs heavier than I already am! I'd rather roll down a hill in a port-o-potty!
It's not that I feel inept, it's just that video cameras have never really been friendly to me. Oh well...another random weekend job to add to my list! I wasn't even sure if she'd use my little stand-upper spiel. I decided if I were to make a fool of myself, I might as well have fun doing it!
So, on to my coverage of the Pinoy runners, aptly called GK Heroes. Last year, 75 Ancop members ran the marathon and raised $50,000 -- enough to build 50 homes in the Philippines, or an entire GK Village. This year, because of the the issues within Couples for Christs (the driving force behind Ancop), participation in the marathon was considerably low. Still, Ancop and CFC members hope to raise enough to build another village.
I was most inspired by a couple from Naperville, Pita and Ros. Both are in their 60's and first-time marathon-ers. They said 26 miles seemed like nothing compared to the what they will get in the end: satisfaction of knowing they helped build homes for their kababayans.

It gave me goosebumps to see the Philippine flag being waved in support of this year's GK Heroes:

Ah, and as a sidenote: what other nationality would have two guitarists serenading runners along the race path? I bet if we could plug a karaoke machine on the sidewalk, someone would be belting out "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (As long as it's not Alyssa Alano, I don't mind!)

Seriously though, talking to the runners (especially the more senior ones) made me realize I have no valid reasons NOT to join next year's run, only lame excuses.


P.S.

After writing this, I heard on the news that one guy died while running the marathon and hundreds more had to be rushed to the hospital. Watching from the side, it did seem runners were in pain trying to make it to the finish line. It was an unusually hot, humid day! I thought I was going to black out just biking home...and this was at 5 p.m.

ROCKSTAR

We finally followed through on our plan to check out "First Fridays" at the Museum of Contemporary Art ! We've been wanting to go since 2006...
Our timing couldn't have been more perfect. It was warm enough that they had the party out on the huge patio. For $15 ($7 for MCA members) you get to peruse the exhibits and sample appetizers from the Wolfgang Puck Cafe...not a bad deal, eh?
We weren't exactly sure what to expect, and were pleasantly surprised by the mix of attendees. I especially loved watching the poseur art afficionados, and enjoyed playing one myself! haha!
The main exhibition, Sympathy For The Devil: Art and Rock and Roll, was pretty cool!
I wish my music-guru, Alex, were here. He would have really enjoyed the exhibit!
Saw this photo of Ramil, Kristin and me on the MCA Web site. Woohoo! We made the "Rockstar" cut!
We'll definitely be back in November.

Critical Mass

Val's first ride!

She couldn't have picked a better time...Last Sept. 28 was the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Chicago Critical Mass. I've been on a few Critical Mass rides and have always been amazed at the number of bikes that take over the streets, but the 10th anniversary ride was something else! Seriously, I must have spent a good hour and a half just walking my bike...there was way too much cyclist traffic. At some point, the mass even ended up blocking both sides of Michigan Ave., which probably drove motorists nuts!
And speaking of nuts...oh my, I can't imagine how the men-folk survived the stop-go-stop-go bike routine. I was in pain!
I serioulsy wanted to shoot Eve Ensler an e-mail then and there and suggest that she write a Vagina Monologues piece on Critical Mass. The title of the monologue would be: "Critical, C_itical"

Wisteria hysteria

Desperately

Idiotic!

I almost fell off my seat when Teri Hatcher's character, Susan, on Desperate Housewives blurted out a derogatory comment about medical schools in the Philippines: after having been told that she might be going through menopause, the frantic Susan challenged the doctor's credibility and asked to see his diploma, to make sure "it's not from some med school in the Philippines."

Did I hear right? Did they just mock my country's education system? I was stunned! I couldn't believe how they could make such a denigrating remark on primetime TV, at this day and age (not that it would be less insulting if made any other time or place).

I mean, I always thought the show was pretty senseless, but I never really thought its writers were THAT ignorant!

Of course, my gut reaction was to curse Menopausal-Susan and vow to take the Housewives off my hectic Sunday TV schedule. I did both -- not just because I felt compelled to stand by my people and boycott the show, but because that comment only reinforced the show's senselessness. It was too "trashy" to even merit being one of my "guilty pleasures." Surely there were better ways to spend my Sunday evening than to watch five overly dramatic suburbanites fight over burly, hairy men.

Anyway, I thought the med school joke was dry, at best.

What I found slightly more disturbing was the Philippine government's reaction to the joke.

A petition (seeking apology from the show's producers) was also immediately circulated, AND the president of the Philippine Medical Association, Dr. Jose Sabili, said the organization will "take action" since such comments "will destroy the reputation of Filipino doctors."

I can see how Susan's comment can be infuriating -- trust me, that was my initial reaction, especially since my baby sister is a med student back home. However, the more I think about my sister and her classmates, the more I realize how little, if any, the show's writers know about the Philippines. I just didn't think it was worth the energy to allow myself to be affected by such ignorance?

Seriously! Why should we waste that much time and energy on an obviously stupid, uninformed comment? Come on, not only was the joke made on Desperate Housewives, it was also delivered by one of the show's ditsiest characters.

For people to actually think that one joke WILL (not even "might" or "could") destroy the reputation of Filipino doctors, I feel, is even more ludicrous than the lame joke itself!

Don't get me wrong, I think it was a bad joke and we deserve an apology -- I applaud the FilAm community for their efforts to make ABC and the show's producers know how wrong and hurtful the "joke" was.

HOWEVER, I don't think government officials, especially the President, needed to chime in on the uproar. Seriously, don't they have bigger issues to tackle? I just wish they'd deal with life threatening issues (like poverty!) with as much zeal and conviction.

I also find it somewhat worrisome that we value so much what others (even those whose opinions deserve no bearing) say about us, and that we're so afraid that what they say will define who we are! In the case of Desperate Housewives, I think some groups are giving the show and its producers too much credit by reacting as much as they have.

Renegade seller

One of the most fun, random jobs I've had so far was as assistant seller (read: barker) for one of the artists at the Renegade Craft Fair here in Chicago.

I found the job on Craigslist, my trusted source for odd, weekend gigs.

The deal was pretty simple: I get paid $10/hour to help this awesome artist, Tyler Bender, sell handmade journals. The journals are made from old library books, most of which come from the discarded-book-pile of the Los Angeles County Library system.

Priced between $30-$50, the journals may seem a little pricey at first, but when you see how meticulously done each piece is, you'll realize they're worth much more than the cover price.

To say that the process is tedious would be an understatement: Tyler hand-cuts the pages, drills the binding holes and sews the pages in place using fishing line.

Even the non-journaling types were really impressed with how polished the journals looked.

The books sold themselves...although, I'm pretty sure our spiel: "CHECK OUT THESE HANDMADE JOURNALS MADE FROM VINTAGE LIBRARY BOOKS," helped a lot.

Ah, the library-books spiel...I was seriously barking those lines in my sleep! Who can blame me?!? I spent a good 11 hours screaming the words "recycled," "vintage," "journals" in a tourette-like fashion.

I was definitely exhausted by the time we closed shop! BUT, it was worth it! Tyler and his books were awesome!

I just wish I had a chance to check out the rest of the fair.

Re-purposing for More Random Ramblings

After much deliberation -- I was torn between ditching or repurposing my old "Desert Stories" blog -- I finally decided to keep my old posts if only for posterity's sake, and rename my blog "Girl Friday for Hire."
Why the name? Because a girl friday I feel, is what I've become over the course of my five-year (and counting) stint here in the U.S. of A. I've learned to laugh at the foibles of my new aide-faux-excellence persona, and have actually taken on some weird gigs, go-to-girl jobs on my own. I guess, ever since moving to the States, I've been more intentional about trying out things, working jobs that I otherwise would not have tried back home. It's definitely been one adventure after another!