I listen to the "Wingin' It" podcast done by Michael R. Mennenga, Evo Terra and the Kick Ass Mystic Ninjas (I have to agree, that's a fun name) over at The Dragon Page. This is usually a really geeky, freewheeling show that's fun and has no real agenda other than aimless rants and a couple of nice segments (Mur Lafferty's essay and A Different Point of View).
Anyway, I was initially bummed that there would be no "real" Wingin' It last week as the hosts were recovering from Dragon*Con. Instead, Michael aired the session of Anne and Todd McCaffrey (ok, it was mostly Anne) at Dragon*Con.
I'm not really a Pern reader, so I was prepared to skip over that segment. I was driving to game night at the time, so I let the show run while I jostled for room in crowded traffic. For once, I was glad for the traffic.
Anne is a gifted vocal storyteller. Not all writers have the gift of being able to speak as well as they write. Anne's 80 years old, but her voice is strong and clear, and she spoke without the ahhhs and errrrs that mar a lot of people's public speaking.
My takeaway, something I know I've heard before but forget quite a bit, is to write how you feel. Write from the heart. Anne was talking about the death of her father, a military man, and the emotion she felt looking at his coffin with the American flag laid over it. That emotion led to "The Ship Who Sang." She relates that she was usually unable to get through the book at public readings, because the emotion would overcome her, and the Todd would have to pick it up when that happened. At one reading, she saw that there was a camera crew, and she tried to hold back the emotion. Until she saw that the crew was crying.
Great story, related in a perfect voice.
One of those times that you're content to listen to someone related parts of her life, and live vicariously.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
License to Drive
Took a day off from work today to get my driver's license renewed. I expected it to take some time considering the poor government processes.
I arrived at the East Avenue office at around 8:30 am. It was my first time getting a license there since we had moved in the three years that my last license was valid, so I asked around for instructions. Apparently I had to cross the street to what supposedly was a medical lab to get a medical certificate and a drug test. Heh.
I exited the LTO and was immediately approached by a guy who said he's point the way to where I needed to go. Since there were hordes of people and it was broad daylight I followed his lead. We crossed the street (no crosswalk!) and entered an area of ramshackle stalls. Among the stalls was a little wooden "office" where I sat down and filled out a few forms. I pissed into a cup, and in five minutes I got my clean drug test. Cost: P250.
My guide then reappeared and pointed the way to the "medical lab." It was nothing more than a room with a lady who sat you down and made you read from a standard optometrist's wall chart. I read just fine with my corrected sight, so I got my "medical clearance" in under five minutes. Cost: P50. (Incidentally, the guy opposite me was only able to read row 4 of the chart. He was given "medical clearance" as well. I hope I never meet him on the street.)
Back to the LTO. Filled up a form, turned in the papers along with my old license. Wait ten minutes. Have digital photo taken, and sign digital signature capture thingy. Wait another 20 minutes. Pay the cashier. Cost: Just under P300. Wait another 20 minutes. Get license card and receipt and I'm done.
Hop in a cab and I'm home before 10am. That was relatively painless, I must say. All I have to do next time is drink a bit more before going to facilitate the peeing into the cup. See them in three years!
I arrived at the East Avenue office at around 8:30 am. It was my first time getting a license there since we had moved in the three years that my last license was valid, so I asked around for instructions. Apparently I had to cross the street to what supposedly was a medical lab to get a medical certificate and a drug test. Heh.
I exited the LTO and was immediately approached by a guy who said he's point the way to where I needed to go. Since there were hordes of people and it was broad daylight I followed his lead. We crossed the street (no crosswalk!) and entered an area of ramshackle stalls. Among the stalls was a little wooden "office" where I sat down and filled out a few forms. I pissed into a cup, and in five minutes I got my clean drug test. Cost: P250.
My guide then reappeared and pointed the way to the "medical lab." It was nothing more than a room with a lady who sat you down and made you read from a standard optometrist's wall chart. I read just fine with my corrected sight, so I got my "medical clearance" in under five minutes. Cost: P50. (Incidentally, the guy opposite me was only able to read row 4 of the chart. He was given "medical clearance" as well. I hope I never meet him on the street.)
Back to the LTO. Filled up a form, turned in the papers along with my old license. Wait ten minutes. Have digital photo taken, and sign digital signature capture thingy. Wait another 20 minutes. Pay the cashier. Cost: Just under P300. Wait another 20 minutes. Get license card and receipt and I'm done.
Hop in a cab and I'm home before 10am. That was relatively painless, I must say. All I have to do next time is drink a bit more before going to facilitate the peeing into the cup. See them in three years!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Time to Recommit, and Kuala Lumpur
I'm overthinking this. All I have to do is write a couple of lines a day. Not much more than that. It's not like I have an audience here right?
I just arrived from a business trip to Kuala Lumpur. The city isn't much different from any Asian city. It's greener than Manila, cleaner than Jakarta, but less shiny than Singapore. It's got its share of nice malls.
I got to hook up with an old high school buddy who work with Shell in Malaysia. We had dinner and a couple of beers and talked about how life turns out for each of us. Neither of us was on the "most likely to succeed" list in high school, but having lived expat lives and having advanced a bit up the corporate ladder, we're not doing too bad. He's getting married soon, and I wish him all the best.
The Petronas Twin Towers looked very nice lighted up at night, but hey, they're just a couple of phallic buildings. The two sites I wanted to visit, the National Museum of Malaysia and the Royal Selangor Pewter Plant, I had no time for this trip. I'm still not sure I missed much, and the 10-hour trip via Singapore is more than enough to make the trip less that attractive next time around.
I just arrived from a business trip to Kuala Lumpur. The city isn't much different from any Asian city. It's greener than Manila, cleaner than Jakarta, but less shiny than Singapore. It's got its share of nice malls.
I got to hook up with an old high school buddy who work with Shell in Malaysia. We had dinner and a couple of beers and talked about how life turns out for each of us. Neither of us was on the "most likely to succeed" list in high school, but having lived expat lives and having advanced a bit up the corporate ladder, we're not doing too bad. He's getting married soon, and I wish him all the best.
The Petronas Twin Towers looked very nice lighted up at night, but hey, they're just a couple of phallic buildings. The two sites I wanted to visit, the National Museum of Malaysia and the Royal Selangor Pewter Plant, I had no time for this trip. I'm still not sure I missed much, and the 10-hour trip via Singapore is more than enough to make the trip less that attractive next time around.
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