A Day in the Life of a Paperclip

Lost and Found in Los Angeles

2011-11-06T05:37:00.000+08:00

A Pink Paperclip in Bangkok

2010-12-22T10:46:00.000+08:00

Lost and Found

2010-12-15T02:12:00.002+08:00

When I first saw the site, I promised to myself that I will share my story for the TCK Book Project. Today is the deadline and I just sent in 993 words of 100% Nikki. Whether or not they choose my story, it was a joy to find myself lost in the art of writing again and in articulating my TCK story for the first time.

My quote for the day, borrowed from the comedian Steve Martin: "I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper."

Rediscovery and Resolutions

2010-12-11T01:58:00.000+08:00

I rediscovered my blog the other evening and enjoyed traveling through time re-reading my past entries. What a wonderful six years it has been. (I still can't believe it has been six years!)

I realized how much I miss blogging and told myself that I'll start again... especially since I should be able to post stuff via my iPhone. The last few months have been amazing and once again, I have so much back(b)log. Where do I start? Or is it better that I begin a new 365-day project in 2011?

I Was All Yellow

2010-12-04T14:38:00.002+08:00

On the day I was wearing a yellow top and my happy yellow sandals, I came across this...

... my first yellow paperclip in Singapore! :-) Just when I thought things couldn't get better, the Universe gifts me with this happy sign. I am grateful.

The Fox and The Cat

2010-07-22T01:08:00.001+08:00

The amazing May Ann Licudine and I collaborated once more for a funny version of the Grimm Brothers' The Fox and The Cat as part of the graphic novel anthology FRACTURED FABLES. It's a collection of familiar fairy tales and nursery rhymes... but with a twist! It promises to be "like NO fairy tale book you've ever read before"!

Fractured Fables was launched at the Comic Convention in San Diego last July 14 and I was absolutely thrilled to get my copy at Kinokuniya Bookstore here in Singapore just a week later!

Order your copy now at Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Fractured-Fables-HC-Various/dp/1607062690

A Red Paperclip Saves the Day

2010-05-11T11:43:00.001+08:00

Wow! I can't believe my luck - another colorful paperclip in Singapore! :-) Things are definitely getting better. This red paperclip keychain saved the day as it unlocked the cabinet where I had to get materials for a client project.

Not One, But Two!

2010-05-09T13:35:00.001+08:00

I couldn't believe my eyes when I stepped out of church this morning. I saw not one, but TWO colorful paperclips... a green and an orange linked together! Where did they come from? Why were they linked? I don't have the answers but things are looking so much brighter now...

A Third Culture Paperclip

2010-03-27T23:17:00.001+08:00

I had the honor of meeting Ruth Van Reken, author of Third Culture Kids: An Experience of Growing up Among Worlds, thanks to fellow Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCKs) here in Singapore. Fellow TCK Julia had told me about her book when I first visited her in San Diego in 2005. Reading her book was one of life's biggest a-ha!s: So that's why I'm different... I am a Third Culture Kid!

I had written The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots a year earlier. It's pretty cool how the story is truly a TCK story at heart: a story about belonging, identity issues, diversity, and hellos and goodbyes. I gave Ruth a copy and I really hope that she enjoys my story.

Spending time with Ruth and the other ATCKs reminded me of an idea that was planted in my heart a few years ago: I want to write more stories for us Third Culture Kids! :-)

My Travel Buddy

2010-03-19T19:46:00.000+08:00

My "seatmate" on the Amtrak from San Diego to Los Angeles... :-)

Bright Yellow and Blissfully In Love

2010-03-18T17:40:00.002+08:00

She always loved sunflowers and their bright happy yellow-ness made the most perfect Spring day even more perfect. Trixy, one of my best friends in high school married Adrian, her best friend, and I'm just so happy that I was there (in my purple outfit!) at their beautiful wedding.

It was also a wonderful reunion: Julia, our other best friend (and the cream to our Oreo), was there with her husband and the lovely Leila, her 1-year old daughter. Spending time with them once again confirmed how our 15-year friendship is such a blessing. I love you both!

Half and Half

2010-03-13T17:23:00.000+08:00

Spotted at the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco

Recent Paperclip Sightings

2010-02-27T20:48:00.001+08:00

Both were silver though. Sigh.

Purple/Yellow Ice Cream

2010-02-17T17:27:00.001+08:00

Only in the Philippines: Ube (Yam) and Queso (Cheese) Ice Cream

Purple/Yellow Valentines

2010-02-14T17:33:00.002+08:00

My dear friend Mia was in Singapore for the Chinese New Year weekend which coincided with Valentine's Day as well. We had a nice lunch and stroll around the Botanic Gardens on February 14 and I loved how our colors blended so well with the orchids!

Woooohoooo!

2010-01-25T20:49:00.000+08:00

Oh happy day! I finally saw my first non-silver paperclip in Singapore today right outside our office door; bright green = there is hope!

It now has a special place on my office desk, among friends. :-)

How to Display Your Paperclip Collection

2009-11-27T23:06:00.004+08:00

Option A: Fail. (It fell down a few hours later!)

Option B: Success! (They're still up!)

The Newest Paperclip on the Block

2009-10-21T13:43:00.001+08:00

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to Chicago

2009-09-06T05:43:00.004+08:00

It was great to spend a few days with Cricket, a dear friend and bright purple spot; the same friend who drove me to Adarna House on the day of the PBBY-Salanga Prize deadline so I could submit The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots story on time. (I'm forever grateful, Crickety!)

Here we are at the Erikson Insitute in downtown Chicago:

There were lots of yellows and purples:

And, as always, paperclips follow me wherever I travel...

A green paperclip along the sidewalk...

...and a blue one at the O'Hare Airport on my way back to Singapore.

Purple/Yellow Pittsburgh

2009-08-30T21:50:00.000+08:00

I spent three weeks in Pittsburgh for work and without fail, I saw some interesting purple/yellow sights:

Glass Sculptures by Hans Godo Frabel at the Phipps Conservatory

Flowers lining the entrance of the Phipps

And of course, a paperclip in downtown Pittsburgh!

She Was All Yellow... and Coldplayed Out

2009-03-24T22:24:00.000+08:00

By the time I found out that Coldplay was coming, all the tickets were sold out. I was devastated, and once again re-realized that I was a workaholic and living under a rock. Yet the Universe conspired for the dreamer in me and a friend of a friend decided to sell his ticket a few days before the big day. (On hindsight, I wish I dreamed up a date for the concert too!)

For someone who has never watched a movie in the cinema alone, it was a huge leap for me to watch the concert on my own. I was right smack in the middle of 12,000 people in the Indoor Stadium and I loved it.

Chris Martin was more amazing than I had imagined and I was blown away when he sang Yellow (complete with giant yellow balloons floating around everywhere!), and again with their encore rendition of The Scientist. Swoon.

PS. I wish I got one of the yellow balloons though!

More Yellow Than You Think

2009-03-04T23:06:00.005+08:00

Question: What is this?
a. Yellow Yarn
b. Cheese Curls
c. Clones of Yellow, the Catterpillar?

Answer: None of the above. It's my latest impulse buy - a fun, fuzzy, bright yellow bath mat! Actually, I got two of them on a Buy 1, Take 1 offer at Barang Barang.

And yes, they did remind me of yarn, Cheese Curls, and Yellow from Hope for the Flowers. Hee-hee.

My Soft (Yellow) Spot for Airports

2009-02-10T22:10:00.001+08:00

"Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes," my dad once told me. That hits a soft spot. My life has been a colorful storybook of starts and ends, of happy hellos and reluctant, sometimes tearful and painful, goodbyes. But I have no regrets - and that's the most important thing. I would say hello (or hejsan or salut) and goodbye (or babay or sampai jumpa) all over again.

If I could make a picture book, I'd include these two snapshots.

GOODBYE

Leaving Manila this time was a little more difficult because I didn't know when I'd fly back. A round-trip ticket from somewhere else still needs getting used to.

HELLO

Could I actually get myself to say "Welcome home, Nikki!" when I saw this at Changi? Hmmm. Maybe in another six months.

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes," writes Richard Bach in his book Illusions. "Farewells are necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends."

I look forward to meeting again, dear friends. And yes, even if it's just a quick hello-goodbye at the airport.

In Purple and Full Bloom at 90

2009-02-09T23:20:00.011+08:00

I want to keep reading and writing until I turn 90... just like my grandmother, my Lola. Here's a recent photo of us in our favorite colors.

Reading and writing have always been a huge part of my life. My dad would read us bedtime stories. My mom signed us up for Speed Reading and Creative Writing summer classes. Ate Kim and I would write love notes to my parents. I made mini-magazines and scrapbooks as gifts to grade school classmates. A friend and I attempted to write a mini-novel the summer before I left Manila. I read endlessly and tirelessly in middle and high school, and wrote snailmail several days a week. I wrote 10-page essays for Fr. David in Ateneo. I have written three children's books. I've signed up for writing workshops. I wrote a chapter and edited a book on Filipino leaders. I write my life's To-Do Lists. I enjoy reading blogs. I'm currently reading an amazing book. I've started keeping a journal again.

So I'll say it again: I want to keep reading and writing until I turn 90... and beyond.

We encouraged my grandma to start writing her memoirs to share her rich and meaningful life to family and friends. We also said it could make for a great Readers' Digest story; she liked this idea very much, considering she is hardly ever without a copy of RD. I gave her a nice notebook, a writing pad, and pens. Just write, Lols, I said. I can help you type. In her small, deliberate cursive, she created a beautiful story about her mother and the memories and life-lessons she holds close to her heart. I had the honor of typing it out, playing pseudo-editor with some suggestions, and sending it to Papa for him to review (we're a family of editors; I love it) and submit to RD online.

Helping her with her writing brought me back to a wonderful childhood memory of how she had helped me with mine. I had a writing assignment for my Creative Writing class, and I had to come up with a story using characters based on brand names. My 9-year-0ld self was at a loss, but Lols came to the rescue with super suggestions such as Aunt Jemimah and Mr. Clean. She was an English teacher so I had the best coach and editor (see? I told you it runs in the family!). I felt like I had a winning story.

When Papa told me the news that RD would print her story, I had one of those this-was-meant-to-be moments, punctuated with a pregnant pause, and followed by a prayer of thanks. It was a moment I celebrated for Lola, and I guess a little selfishly, for myself. What a milestone a month before she turned 90! I was really so proud of her and I was happy that I pushed her to write.

She was in full bloom on her 90th birthday, radiant in lavender (her favorite color!), glowing and giggly ("I feel like I'm 19," she gushed), and obviously thrilled to see her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids lining up to get her autograph on multiple copies of the January 2009 issue of Readers' Digest. I couldn't help but project myself 60 years into the future. If I were signing books as a great-grandma, I'd be just as ecstatic!

Now I've always admired my grandmother, but seeing her that night reeled me in much closer than before. She has always been our family's tower of grace and strength, and now she also enjoyed the spotlight as a rightful celebrity writer (though she said it wasn't a joke to be like a beauty queen, with all that paparazzi, flowers, and attention!). I love how I can proudly say that I'm a writer - just like Lola.

I had the perfect end to a beautiful evening when I turned to page 11 of my own RD copy. In her beautiful cursive, she had written: Nikki - you inspired me to write this. Love, Lola.

I love you, Lols! You inspired me to write once before, and you continue to do so today... and until I turn 90.

Step aside, Barney, this is the real thing...

2009-01-26T23:54:00.000+08:00

Two Silver Paperclips

2009-01-24T17:11:00.001+08:00

I saw two runaway silver paperclips on two separate days. But both of them were still silver. I'm starting to really worry. I have seen the most colorful and unique paperclips in stationary stores around Singapore, but I think no one uses them except me.

Antonio's Yellow and Purple Flowers

2009-01-11T15:21:00.000+08:00

I felt a sweet and strong sense of "home" on my first visit to Antonio's in Tagaytay.

Coming Home to Yellow

2009-01-08T00:55:00.001+08:00

It's great to be home, even if only for two weeks. And I loved having giant yellow parols to welcome me home - one at the new NAIA Terminal 3, and another along Commerce Avenue.

Who needs yellow ribbons?

Chill, it's Christmas

2008-12-28T22:58:00.001+08:00

A yellow, loungey, chill-out Christmas brunch with the family at Dempsey's P.S. Cafe.

A Unique Christmas Story

2008-12-16T23:47:00.002+08:00

I came across a truly unique and touching Christmas story about the most unlikely character in the Nativity scene. Read The Lion, The Unicorn and Me by English writer Jeanette Winterson and come to understand the spirit of joy, awe and gratitude that Christmas brings.

Allow me to repurpose some of her Advent musings for my Christmas message to all of you:

So for all of you, in love, or in loss, in hope or in what feels like the absence of hope, may this Christmas time bring a chance of peace, and a new story, because that is what the Christmas story is – a new story from an old world. The known that becomes the unexpected, the miracle that happens.

Here's to miracles – because they happen.

Live Your Dreams

2008-12-08T01:11:00.001+08:00

I've always been a big dreamer and have always enjoyed the company of fellow dreamers. The illustrator of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots, May Ann Licudine, is definitely one of my favorites.

She shared with me a recent dream-come-true: the latest campaign of the Philippines' Department of Tourism features her work in print (including a full-color page in Forbes magazine), on their website (visit www.liveyourdreams.ph now!) and best of all, in an animated commercial. I saw the commercial here in Singapore and thought: Wow, that's great! It looks so familiar... :-) Congratulations, May Ann! I'm sooooo proud of you! And I'm so honored to have you, one of the Philippines' top creative minds of 2008, as a friend and fellow dreamer!

Simple Pleasures

2008-11-09T00:13:00.002+08:00

I saw this cute ad for Mr. Bean (the soya drink stall, not the comedian) at the MRT station and I just had to take a picture of it. The text above reads: Life unfolds at its own rhythm with miracles happening every single day. Here, in our own lives. They are called Life's Simple Pleasures.

I also experienced this today - being jam-packed in the train... as well as simple pleasures and daily miracles. Chatting with Papa. Chatting with an old friend. Seeing an old friend. A sleeping baby. A new belt. Seeing someone give up a seat for a grandfather. Seeing the surprised yet grateful smile of the grandfather. A couple smiling warmly at each other. Check marks on my To-Do List. Green tea latte.

Life is good and I am grateful.

A CloudMan for Me

2008-11-03T23:13:00.001+08:00

My friend Carlo gave me the nickname CloudWoman in college and it has stuck with me ever since. I was happy to see this Gingerbread Man at the Kids' Biennale in City Hall yesterday. Now if only I could meet a CloudMan in real life...

Yellow and Purple at The Kids' Biennale

2008-11-03T23:09:00.001+08:00

A pinwheel and Gingerbread friends! More photos (in other colors) to follow when I have more time to send photos via Bluetooth and upload. I really should get a proper camera.

Purple Spots in My Kitchen

2008-10-30T00:56:00.001+08:00

Can you spot the purple spots?

Long Live Purple

2008-10-28T23:56:00.002+08:00

My good friend and fellow writer Don sent me this email today. It definitely put a smile to my face. It gives me yet another reason to love the color purple. Salamat, Don!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Fernando Gonzalez
Date: Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 2:36 PM
Subject: hi nikki, just thought about you when i read this....:-)

It's weird but when I read this from this link http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/4-surprising-signs-you-ll-live-a-long-time-290919, I thought about you...hehe.

YOU EAT AND DRINK PURPLE THINGS
Red wine, concord grapes, blueberries (okay, not quite purple, but close enough) all get that deep rich color from polyphenols- compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may even protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to new research. So crack open a bottle of Pinot (don't overdo it), snack on some grapes, or make a blueberry pie and ponder all the years that lie ahead. Talk about happy and healthy! Get healthy with these great recipes.

:-)

A Red Paperclip in Singapore!

2008-10-25T13:43:00.001+08:00

It wasn't traveling or lost... it was on a billboard. Does that count?

A Silver Paperclip

2008-10-10T14:07:00.000+08:00

I had a paperclip sighting today at the bank in Tampines. It was silver again. Hmmm. I hope the next time I see a paperclip, it won't be a silver one. Where did all the colored ones go?

Penjepit Kertas Berwarna Kuning Berbintik Ungu

2008-10-10T00:50:00.001+08:00

That's "The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots" translated into Bahasa Indonesia! It was great to see an old friend Dwiputri and make a new friend Piping - two Indonesian ladies who have been best of friends since their university days. No, they didn't buy my book at Borders, but we had dinner at the bistro outside the bookstore and just had to pose next to the sign. Terima kasih, Dwi dan Piping! Sampai jumpa!

Four Years Later and as Purple as Ever

2008-10-03T21:40:00.001+08:00

I celebrated Becca's 14th birthday last night and it was a good evening with old and new friends. It's also a great event to capture in my blog (read: I don't have an excuse NOT to blog.) as I realize it has been two years since her last birthday blogpost.

Purple was, and will forever be, our favorite color. Here's my little gift for Becca, wrapped in a purple envelope with my birthday greeting scribbled in purple ink. (And yes, she painted her nails yellow. Way cool!)

Look at how grown up she is! I can't believe it has been four years since we sat and brainstormed together for the Yellow Paperclip. (Yes, Becca is the Becca in my book! Read more here.)

I saw this at NaRaYa in Bangkok last week and thought it was oh-so-perfect! A purple+pink kikay kit for a purple-loving kikay girl! (I'm so glad you like it, Becca!)

Best of all, we were BOTH in purple last night! Happy, happy birthday, Becca! I'm so happy that you and your mom are here in Singapore too. I look forward to more adventures with you here!

A Silver Paperclip in Singapore

2008-10-01T12:14:00.001+08:00

It has been exactly a month since I moved to Singapore... and many months since I last blogged. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now that I have had enough 'nesting time' to settle in, I need to get out of my home-office-home routine. The move is definitely a bright spot for 2008 (among many) so I also need to start blogging again.

One evening last week, I saw my first paperclip here on the MRT and yes, it was silver and shiny. It looked like it needed some bright purple spots. Let the adventures begin...

Third Time Lucky

2008-06-09T23:12:00.004+08:00

I spent an hour or so browsing around Fully Booked yesterday. Whenever I am at a bookstore, I can't help but check if they have still have copies of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots. (When they don't, I make sure I text or call Adarna House. Hee-hee. It's the marketing person in me.) I was happy to find one of those revolving Adarna book displays with four copies of my book on display. I noticed that the colors of the cover seemed a little different so I picked one up and checked the pages too... and guess what I just found out? We're on our third printing!

As always, I am thankful. It's not actually third time "lucky" - more like third time BLESSED. We're on our third year and I'm thrilled that the book continues to sell.

Dreams, Deadlines and Dreamlines

2008-04-20T21:30:00.003+08:00

Dreams mean work. I've posted a couple of stories on my all-time favorite Coelho quote, particularly when I worked on my last PBBY-Salanga and Palanca entries. Now, I have the perfect line to complete this quote and I see it every morning as I drive to work. An RCBC billboard screams out in bright blue and white: Dreams should have a deadline. I completely agree. Dreams without a deadline will be nothing more than wishful thinking. Deadlines push me to work harder, yet nothing beats the sweet satisfaction of ticking things off my Life's To-Do List.

Yesterday I had coffee (well, pink guava juice really) and dinner with an old friend from college. What started out as a let's-catch-up-on-the-last-six-months-of-our-lives turned out to be a brainstorming and project planning meeting for the next big dream (and yes, potential bestseller!). Our project plan includes a detailed timetable (in an outline form though, not a Gantt chart just yet) and a deadline: a book launch by February 2009.

Today was my deadline for the first draft of Part 2 of Jollitown's Season Finale and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Episode 2 was on GMA7 this morning and I found myself with happy goosebumps as I listened to the song on imagination. (Shameless plug: Watch Jollitown on Channel 7 at 9:30 AM on May 4, June 15, July 6 and 13 for the episodes I wrote!)

Tomorrow marks the 30-day countdown to my 30th birthday. I promised myself that I'd come up with a list of 30 things I want to do to celebrate the last three decades. Tomorrow will be my deadline.

As I log off to work on an article for work (admittedly, I'm late for this deadline - I was supposed to submit it last Wednesday! - but they were kind enough to extend until the weekend), I remember the term dreamlines from The 4-Hour Workweek. I have yet to set a deadline to plot out my life's dreamline in detail. Let me put that on my to-do list...

Beyond Borders... and Beyond My Wildest Dreams

2008-04-17T22:15:00.000+08:00

Just a little over a year ago, I was surprised to see my second book on the shelves of a bookstore. Khan: A Teacher of Everything, a book about a Pakistani community developer who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, was launched in August 2007. I remember signing a book for a gentleman from the Pakistani Embassy, happy that he bought my story celebrating one of his country's modern heroes.

Today I received an email from Bookmark that caught me completely by surprise. They will be printing 100,000 copies of the book in English, Urdu and other Pakistani languages!!! WOW!!! That's 100,000 more children who will read about the story of Shoaib Sultan Khan! I can't even imagine how high a stack of 100,000 books are, and I also can't imagine seeing the story translated. I am thrilled beyond imagination - and I can't say thank you enough for yet another blessing. And with this unexpected dream comes a seed for another possibility: What if I were to fuse my love for travel and my passion for writing children's stories? Hmmm. Now there's an interesting idea... I'll keep you posted.

To the gentleman from the Pakistani Embassy: If you had anything to do with this wonderful surprise, I thank you from the bottom of my overwhelmed heart.

Jollibee and Friends Make Their TV Debut

2008-04-12T04:56:00.001+08:00

Jollitown, the new kids' show on GMA7 featuring the fun and insightful adventures of Jollibee, Yum, Hetty, Popo and Twirlie. Each week, the five friends interact with the children who live with them in Jollitown through stories and music... Click here to read more and see the mascots.

The pilot episode is tomorrow, Sunday, April 13 at 9:30 AM on GMA7.

Some of you may remember that in late February, I posted about my "best" Jollibee experience. It wasn't their peach mango pie (yummy!) or their longganisa breakfast (sarap!), but that "special spot" meant a very special TV spot! It was the day I watched a few hours of a Jollitown shoot for Episode #4... because I wrote the script for it! It was so cool to see the mascots acting out what I had imagined. I wrote a second script (not sure which Episode yet) and I'll be working on the season finale this weekend. Wooohooo! How fun!

It has been such a joy to write for this show (and I'm so happy I can actually share the great news about Jollitown with friends now!) - it's about time Filipino kids have something worthwhile to watch on local television.

Three Scripts and a Dream

2008-04-07T09:54:00.005+08:00

I learned something new this year: I can write scripts! I'm sure there are still a lot of technical terms to learn aside from the few that I've learned to use (ie. SFX, dissolve to, on cam, etc.) but essentially, scriptwriting is a form of storytelling too.

I recently wrote scripts for two 20-minute episodes for a children's TV show: one about throwing trash out properly and the other about getting to know your friendly neighbors. I think it's great that the producers purposely chose new people to be part of the show. I insisted from the very beginning that 1) I've never written a script before, and 2) I don't have any formal background for film or television. All the better, they said. They really wanted a completely fresh perspective. I'm so excited to see the show really, really soon. I will definitely announce and blog about when to expect it on GMA7.

Now I'm being asked to write a third - and it's for the two-part finale episode! I shouldn't even think about it, right? I should just write for the love of storytelling... and the extra cash it will give me to take a vacation this summer. Hee-hee. Besides, it will become part of my "dreamline" (a great term I picked up from the book I'm currently reading, The 4-Hour Workweek) as I work towards the ultimate dream: to retire on royalties, travel the world, write and blog all I want, and of course, I can still do part-time consulting projects.

Be careful what you wish for, Nikki...

One Spot at a Time

2008-04-06T13:04:00.000+08:00

Okay, so I found out about my skin condition last November 2006 but I was still stubborn about it. I got frustrated with that last derma (I thought she was an angel, but I guess not. Hmph.) and went on a bahala-na, sort of self-medication bout: wrong move. My rosacea only worsened. It got so bad last week - I was tomato-red, triggered by a bad cold! - that I knew I really had to ask for help. I swallowed my pride and finally got the guts up to look up a new doctor at the nearby Asian Hospital. I found the only doctor who specialized in immunodermatology with a Saturday schedule and prayed that she be friendly lest I get frustrated and cynical again.

Dr. Nicolas turned out to be a blessing! I have seen several dermatologists and most have misdiagnosed my rosacea for acne, dermatitis, eczema, etc. She was the very first one who actually touched my face... and noticed that it was indeed warm, a sure sign of rosacea. She was practical and straightforward, but warm and sincere. I saw her again yesterday after a week and my face is noticeably less inflamed and much smoother than I've seen it in months (years?). I'm still pinkish and it still acts up because of the heat.

If I'm serious about looking fabulous for my upcoming 30th birthday (!) then I do have to take microsteps, such as:

No more coffee. I have to switch to green tea. (It's a good thing I actually like the Green Tea Latte at Starbucks!)
No more alcohol. Drinks lots and lots of water instead.
Eat a lot of salmon and flaxseed with Omega-3 to decrease inflammation.
No strenuous exercise. Bye-bye, boxing. Hello Yoga, you're here to stay.
Avoid extreme temperatures. Hot/humid and cold/dry weather are both triggers for flare-ups. I've noticed my face gets all flushed and warm whenever I get out of the car (cold with the aircon) in the parking lot (hot and humid) and into the office (super cold with the aircon again). I need to figure out how to manage this.
Avoid stress. Yikes. Ommmm...

As if that's not enough. She linked my rosacea-aggravating acne with high testosterone levels which we confirmed through a blood test I did last week. The normal female range is between 0.1 and 0.75... my testosterone count is 0.88! She requested that I get an ultrasound to zero in on the problem which unfortunately, we confirmed again: polycystic ovaries. Eeeep.

It's frustrating; my out-of-whack hormones get me moody and bad flare-up days make me even more cranky. But with the medications, proper diet and exercise, and management of my triggers, I will get better - one spot at a time!

Easter Stories

2008-03-23T23:20:00.000+08:00

I spent the Holy Week at my favorite sacred space, the Sacred Heart Retreat Center in Novaliches. This is my second silent retreat here and I am convinced that I must go back at least once a year. In 2006, I saw paperclips; this time, it was all about stories.

Jesus has got to be one of the best storytellers of all time. His parables are simple stories but because he had such an intimate understanding of His audience, the message came across loud and clear. God moves in mysterious yet very personal ways and I believe He speaks to me best in the ideas and metaphors that I find swirling in my head. Life's blessings come endlessly like the falling leaves. Our prayers and wishes are like the stepping stones by which He builds The Way. Why tire yourself out with building a bridge when you can just hold My hand?

Here's my favorite bench. I sat here and watched leaves, clouds, and the birds fly from one tree to the next. I slept here and enjoyed the wind on my face. I prayed here and relished in my Easter stories.
Let the writing begin...

Let's Share Story Ideas

2008-03-17T08:12:00.002+08:00

Do you like children's stories?
Have you ever dreamed of making a short film?
Would you like to help brainstorm for ideas for a short film for kids?

If you answered "yes" to all the questions above, read on and leave your comments/replies to my questions below.

I have an exciting assignment to pitch several story ideas for a 3-4 minute short film for children by first week of April 2008. I jumped at the opportunity without knowing what's in it for me. So at this point, it's all for the love of Story! :-)

As with all of my stories, I find it very helpful to get ideas and insights from friends. So if you're interested to help and share your thoughts (and yes, all for the love of Story and Art and all that good stuff), do post your comments. I look forward to hearing from you!

What is your all-time favorite children's story? Why?
What's a classic theme of children's stories that will never, ever go out of style?
What's a typical conflict faced by 6-10 year olds?
In your opinion, what are key elements of a great short film?
If you've got a story idea that you've always wanted to pitch, do you want to work closely with me on this project?

A Special Spot

2008-02-28T16:10:00.002+08:00

I had the best Jollibee experience today. I can't describe it in a lot of detail now... but I'll do so in mid-April. Let's just keep the suspense for now.

All I'll say is: I'll never look at Jollibee the same way again. :-) Bee happy!

The Brightest Spots of 2007

2008-02-23T23:09:00.000+08:00

How do I measure 525,600 minutes? How do I measure a year in my life? In bright purple spots, of course! I had at least one major bright spot for every month of the year.

January: In my desire to be better a marketing professional, I decided to start my Sales and Account Management role at DDI. My dad always said that you can't excel in marketing if you haven't even sold a can of milk (or in my case, a workbook).
February: There were two major family affairs in the same week on this month of hearts - my Lola Pining celebrated her 88th birthday and my cousin Kristine got married (and I was the emcee!).
March: My friends and I organized Singles Anonymous, a singles party on March 3 at Mugen Bar in Metrowalk. Well, I didn't meet Mr. Right, but I met lots of new people, got free drinks, and played Cupid for a dear friend (and was successful!).
April: I spent four glorious days in silence at the Karis retreat house in Tagaytay during my annual Holy Week Retreat. Click here for more.
May: I spent the entire month in Chungchukbukdo, South Korea with the Rotary International's Group Study Exchange program. Louie, Jules, Lyn and I really enjoyed the 30 days of Korean culture, including the delicious food (my favorites include pajeon, hotak, bibimbap, and of course, kimchi!), bells, mountains, temples, the language (and the characters!), and the wonderful, hospitable Rotarian hosts. Click here for my Korean ABCs photos.
June: I spent a lot of time editing the manuscript for Extraordinary: Stories for Aspiring Leaders, our book project with the Management Association of the Philippines. It's my first "grown-up" book! It'll come out before the middle of 2008; stay tuned for more details.
July: I was thrilled to represent the Philippines for the International Marketing Meeting in our headquarters in Pittsburgh and meet counterparts from all around the world. As an added treat, I saw my first Chihuly exhibit (amazing!) and had a fjupy reunion in San Diego with Trixy and Julia, and an 18-hour reunion with Ursula in Los Angeles.
August: I wrote 2 stories in the first set of 12 books of the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation's Great Men and Women of Asia - Children's Series. Launched last August 30, I'm very proud of Khan: A Teacher of Everything and A Lucky Doctor. Click here for photos from the book launch.
September: My colleague Bing introduced me to ATD Fourth World in May 2006 (where I had my first-ever storytelling session for YPC!). What a blessing to meet the ATD community, and particularly making a special connection with Nina Lim-Yuson and Sana Sta. Ana. In a serendipitous turn of events, we had a successful fundraising event Travel Books for a Cause in September at Museo Pambata, and a second one in November at A Different Bookstore.
October: The month was marked by deadlines, both work and non-work related. All the interview reports for the 2008 Asia Business Leader Awards (ABLA) were due (I was the regional coordinator for this project... whew!), as well as the submission for the 2007 PBBY-Salanga Award.
November: Preparations for our 30th anniversary and CEO's 10-day visit in January were in full-swing! To add to that, there were so many client projects (but I can't complain, of course!) all at the same time.
December: My sister came home to join the special recognition tribute for my dad's 30 years at Nestle (wow!) and to spend Christmas with us. I just wish there was more family time, except there was just so much work to prepare for an exciting and uber-busy January with the ABLA in Seoul and our 30th anniversary here in Manila.

Whew! 2007 was definitely a great year for me. I'm sure 2008 will be even more exciting, with lots more bright spots and stories to tell. I can't believe it took me this long to write though. I wonder how long it'll take me to write my To-Do List for 2008? Sigh...

A Brown Paperclip in the Shala

2008-02-15T23:55:00.001+08:00

Today was my third yoga class at Vinyasa Yoga Center in Emerald Avenue. I smiled when I saw a brown paperclip inside the shala, along the wall where I parked my bag and water bottle. I guess it's a small sign for me to keep going, no matter how difficult. But, hey! I felt much more flexible today than I did in my first two classes. Yoga is part of my 100-day project to look fabulous for my upcoming 30th birthday! Eeeep... you can do it, Nikki!

There are some pretty cool poses: Upward Dog, Downward Dog, Cobra, Warrior 1 and 2, Boat, Bow, Pigeon, and more. I wonder if there's a Paperclip pose...? Hee-hee. Well, I just Googled "paperclip yoga" and here's what I found on this site:

Yamas-Abstensions: The first limb of yoga is the Yamas, or abstentions, and the first Yama is non-violence. We can practice this abstension from violence with ourselves by abstaining from negative self-talk, which is an act violence to wards the self. By utilizing this simple "Paperclip Exercise" we can explore the amazing power of positive thinking, and begin to understand how we can destroy ourselves, sabotage our goals, and crush our spirits through negative thinking. Just for today, fill your left pocket with paperclips, and whenever you make a verbal or mental negative statement about yourself, this is a demeaning, judging, analyzing, criticizing or labeling statement, you transfer a paperclip from the left pocket to the right. When you run out of paperclips, just begin moving them from right to left. At the end of the day, take some time to reflect on what areas of your life, your beliefs and your behaviors seem to be in conflict. Set an intent to begin to make supporting, motivating and encouraging statements to yourself instead-just as you would a child, student or friend. This exercise will help you to find a way to use the power of positive thinking when addressing, assessing or coaching yourself.

How's that for great yoga-paperclip positive philosophy?

The Predictability of Paperclips

2008-02-06T23:11:00.000+08:00

I had to post something for Bookmark today and, lo and behold - as expected, I saw several paperclips on the way to the post office on Emerald Avenue. Here are some snapshots for evidence (and yes, I finally figured out how to send the photos from my phone camera via Bluetooth!).

Given that I saw several paperclips on previous trips (click here and here) to the same post office, I wasn't at all surprised to see them this time around. I was actually expecting them. I would have felt cheated or betrayed if I didn't see any.

Wouldn't life be so much more simple if we could predict the future just as accurately as my post-office-paperclip sightings? But of course things aren't that simple.

A Paperclip to Start My Year

2008-02-01T14:33:00.000+08:00

I was walking back to the office from The Richmonde Hotel when I saw a white paperclip with blue spots. I had to smile to myself, thinking: A paperclip sighting is a great way to start my new year.

February marks the "start" of my 2008, considering how busy my January was with our CEO's 10-day visit to the Philippines and my 4-day trip to Seoul on the same week! I've been on ludicrous speed (yes, the stars turned plaid) since November and it took its toll and led to a week-long bout with the worst flu bug. I'm just so happy I actually have time to blog now, except I don't know where to start. There's so much catching-up to do; there's so much I want to write. I think I'll start with writing my year-end reflection, then proceed to listing my Things To Do for the new year.

What were the brightest spots of 2007...?

A Unique Christmas Gift from Davin

2007-12-17T13:07:00.000+08:00

I would say Davin’s gift was the most unique…

Thank you, Susan, for sharing my books with your (super cute!) son Davin and his class at the Creative Kids Development and Learning Center. Here he is, all smiles with Teacher Reina and Teacher Sharon in front of Santa's Workshop. I hope your classmates enjoyed the adventures of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots!

A Bright Purple Spot for Your Christmas List

2007-12-02T20:48:00.000+08:00

If you're a crammer like me and you're just starting to put your Christmas list together, you may want to share bright purple spots with friends and loved ones!

Perhaps you'd like to give books (or two, or three... or more!) - so how about The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots , a children's story I wrote in 2004, wonderfully illustrated by May Ann Licudine and published by Adarna House? It has been well-received around the world by kids and adults alike, and won the PBBY-Salanga and PBBY-Alcala Grand Prize, as well as the National Book Award for Children's Literature in 2005 (wooohoooo!).

Best of all, it's only PhP65... yes, only sixty-five pesos!

Let me know if you'd like to place orders, then we can arrange to meet or drop-off/pick-up the books, whichever is most convenient. If you give me names, I can also personalize (and autograph... naks!) them for you as well. Send me an email at yellowpaperclip@gmail.com or send an SMS at +63 918 930 2952.

22 days to go until Christ's birthday... Here's to a colorful and meaningful Christmas season!

Our Travel Books in A Different Bookstore

2007-11-25T20:56:00.000+08:00

Thanks to family and friends who joined us at A Different Bookstore last night for Travel Books for a Cause 2. Special mention goes to...

A.J. - I was so happy to meet you (photo to follow!) after receiving your sweet note.
Tita Mel and Tito Mar - What a pleasant surprise! I'm so glad you're on Multiply so we can keep in touch in both our virtual and real lives.
Ruby - Thanks for posting our event on your site and bringing your friends and our batchmates too!
Joey - It was great to see you again after our random meeting at RMAF. Hope to see you at the next book launch... whenever/wherever that may be!
KP - I know you had a long day, but thanks for dropping by! Even if you missed "him"! Hee-hee...
Krissy - Better late than never! Thanks for dropping by (and I enjoyed our coffee date too!) even if it meant driving home late and alone.
Lola Pining, Lola Ludy and Tita Tonet - I'm so happy you came! Thanks for staying until the end even if you had a long roadtrip to Tagaytay that night.
Mama and Papa - Thank you for (still) being my biggest fans.

Nina, Sana and I are grateful for your love and support. Until the 3rd installment?

An Invitation: Travel Books for a Cause 2

2007-11-18T16:10:00.000+08:00

Due to the resounding success of the first launch at Museo Pambata last September, we are having another "Travel Books for a Cause" with the support of A Different Bookstore. The launch will feature the following: Nina's Travel Sketches by Nina Lim-Yuson, Passport (travel journals in four themes) by Sana Sta. Ana, and The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots.

When: Saturday, November 24, 6PM
Where: A Different Bookstore, Serendra, Fort Bonifacio

A portion of our sales will again benefit ATD Fourth World Philippines, an international non-profit organization that helps families living in poverty to restore their dignity. Visit www.atd-fourthworld.org to find out more about All Together in Dignity (ATD).

Guests will enjoy a night of free entertainment, refreshments, gifts, as well as good company of old and new friends. And of course, our travel books will be perfect gifts for the season. We look forward to seeing you, your family and friends at A Different Bookstore!

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to North Carolina... and Gets a Yellow Book Back!

2007-11-17T17:03:00.000+08:00

Remember that trip I made to the post office (when I saw 6 paperclips) to mail three copies of my book? Well, one made it to Neil in Delaware, another was bound for San Francisco (I'm still waiting to hear from her), and the last to North Carolina, addressed to Jeffrey Gitomer.

Jeffrey who? He has defined himself as (and I quote from his website): 1. a creative, on the edge, writer and speaker whose expertise on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development is world renowned. 2. known for presentations, seminars and keynote addresses that are funny, insightful, and in your face. 3. real world. 4. off the wall. 5. on the money. 6. gives audiences information that they can take out in the street one minute after the seminar is over and turn it into money. See also: salesman. (Better yet, see more of him at www.gitomer.com!)

Okay, so why did I send my book to a salesman? I bought two of his books at the airport in Pittsburgh (The Little Red Book of Sales Answers and The Little Black Book of Connections) because I really enjoyed reading the first book my boss bought (The Little Red Book of Selling) and thought I'd buy more. I haven't read many books on sales, so I can't say that his are the best - but I like Jeffrey's because he writes well, he gives simple yet practical advice, and he is outrageously funny... and as a rookie saleswoman in the team, that works for me! In The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, he shares that instead of boring corporate gifts or fancy dinners, he gives children's books as gifts - it's more personal and makes his clients happy to have something new to read to their kids or grandkids. And of course a lightbulb went on in my head! Why not introduce him to the Yellow Paperclip? It was one of those spur-of-the-moment, don't-think-too-much-about-it-but-just-do-it things - I wrote him a note on bright yellow paper, enclosed the letter and my book in an envelope and walked over to the post office the very next day.

I came home past 2AM (after a fun evening with Lyn, Eden and Carlo) and tiptoed my way in the house. What a happy surprise to see a Buy Gitomer box with my name on it! Wrapped in giant bubble wrap (as in the bubbles were larger than ten peso coins!), I got my own copy of The Little Gold Book of Yes!Attitude (the bright yellow book above with a great autograph and dedication: "Nikki rocks!") and a handwritten note from Jeffrey himself: Nikki - Thank you for your wonderful book and nice note. Waiting for world peace - meanwhile, enjoy my book. - Jeffrey

Now that's a real great salesman and connector!

An Illustrated Timeline of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots

2007-11-14T15:48:00.001+08:00

May Ann created an amazing timeline of our story, from the time she joined the 2005 PBBY-Alcala Prize (see some of her first sketches!). Click HERE to see the rest of our amazing adventure together. Thanks so much, May Ann!
She is currently in Florida as a featured artist in Small Stuff, an art show featuring American and international artists. Click HERE to see some of her pieces. I'm so happy and proud of her!

Paperclips on Pearl Drive

2007-11-14T15:34:00.000+08:00

I walked over to The Old Spaghetti House behind Pearl Drive and saw one paperclip on the way (a green one) and three on the way back (a blue one, a silver one and a brown one). Four paperclips on Pearl Drive!

I'll post photos from my phone soon - just as soon as I figure out how to download them. Hee-hee.

The Yellow Paperclip Goes on TV

2007-11-13T23:38:00.000+08:00

Nina, Sana and I were invited to be guests on ANC's show ShopTalk hosted by Pia Hontiveros to talk about Travel Books for a Cause. It's the first time I made it on TV! It was taped and aired live so I'm happy we didn't have any boo-boos. Here are some snapshots from Sana's blogpost:
There was a midnight replay but I wonder if it's on YouTube... Hee-hee. I don't have a copy of the show just yet.

We also got to meet Luntian Bag's Ichay Bulaong, corporate warrior, waterbaby and now a passionately green entrepreneur. Her reusable cacha bags come in funky designs (I got a cool bag with Rizal demanding us "Walang plastikan!" although I also wanted the one with Audrey Hepburn complaining that "Plastic bags are so last season!") and promotes a greener earth by asking all of us to BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) whenever we go to the groceries or the bazaars. Thanks for the nice post too, Ichay! Hope our paths will cross again soon.

Sweet

2007-11-01T15:53:00.000+08:00

Not as sweet as Yelley's love story, but perhaps sweeter than the pumpkin pails of candies kids got last night. My brother woke me up this morning with a handwritten note from the 7-year old son of his boss who recently got a copy of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots as a birthday gift.

Dear Nikki:
I want to meet you. I like your book. I hope I will see you soon.
AJ

What a great way to start a new month: with renewed hope (beyond hope) for more new friends, more handwritten notes (when was the last time you really wrote and not typed?!), and more sweet stories to tell.

Paperclip Possibilities

2007-10-26T23:49:00.000+08:00

What do you get when you meet with a producer and real-world Peter Pan, a musician and mother of two smart kids, and a former ad agency creative director on a late Friday night? Great conversation about children's stories with well-defined characters... enthusiasm for intelligent programs for kids... and lots of exciting possibilities for my paperclip and I. Abangan ang mga susunod na kabanata...

I Saw Red

2007-10-25T19:25:00.000+08:00

I saw a small red paperclip in Laguna today and three things came to mind.

Jason told me I should read Kyle's book about his amazing One Red Paperclip adventure. Who would have thought that our paperclips (well, our blogs) would cross paths as early as August 2005? What an amazing adventure. And what a great tagline for a book: Or How an Ordinary Man Achieved His Dream with the Help of a Simple Office Supply. One day, I'll go to Kipling and see his house. I actually sent him a copy of my book back then (I can't believe it has been that long!) but I didn't hear from him. I hope my Yellow Paperclip didn't get lost in the snailmail trail!

The song I Saw Red by Warrant (eeeeeeeep... How old school! How cheesy!) and all the memories it brings back from middle school. (C'mon, I know you can sing with me...)

every day i wake up
i thank God that you are still a part of me
we've opened up the door
to which so many people never find the key
and if the sun should ever fail to send its light
we will burn a thousand candles
and make everything alright
then i saw red...

The pretty red Christmas trees and stars all over Bonifacio High Street. We have 61 days to go before Christmas... and 68 days to a brand new year.

Dreams Mean Work

2007-10-19T19:31:00.000+08:00

I've always loved the last line of By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept: "Dreams mean work." Given how I'm practically drowning in work now (and for the next 12 weeks), writing a story should be the last thing on my to-do list. Writing a story one day before a deadline should be a big, screaming what-the-heck-are-you-thinking, flat-out NO. But the orange paperclip I saw this Monday was a big push for me to just go for it. Maybe I felt like I had to prove something to myself.

With the way I dream, dreams mean a lot more work, but they also mean...

Emailing and texting friends to get first-hand information (and I got some amazing responses! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the help and inspiration!)
Staying awake past 2 AM to write a 5-page story
Getting a friend to critique my draft this morning (Salamat, Mia!)
Almost tripping in the rocky carpark where I had to park to get a document notarized
Skipping lunch to drive all the way to Kamuning (thanks for the directions, CJ!)
Seeing the sparkling new, brightly-lit and happy Adarna House for the first time
Getting stuck for more than an hour along EDSA on the way back to Ortigas (okay, I had a bag of chips to munch on...)
Eating a late lunch alone
Staying late in the office again to beat another deadline (and I did!)
Having the satisfaction of saying, "I really did it!" and "I can't say I didn't try!"
Feeling like you can still edit and re-write, over and over (so I don't want to look at the story again because I'll just see the blemishes, but alas - it's done so I can't fret. At least for now...)
Waiting for the results to come out on or before Friday, November 16
Smiling (even if I'm dead tired) because I know I just wrote another story... and I'm really happy how it oozed out of me quite easily, and how it turned out. I believe I experienced a wonderful I'm-in-my-flow moment last night/this morning.

Yes, dreams mean sooooo much work. But dreams also mean more exciting times ahead... and more paperclip sightings to keep me dreaming in the first place.

All in a Day's Work

2007-10-15T22:43:00.000+08:00

"It could've been worse," my client contact said in jest, and I smiled back to try and hide the hurt. It's all good, I thought to myself. Breathe in, breathe out, Nikki. It's all good. All in a day's work.

I did a client presentation this morning... and got grilled. To his credit, I wasn't as prepared as I should have been. But with all due respect, he requested the meeting to be moved 4.5 hours earlier (I got a call at 9AM to be in Laguna by 11AM!) which ate up my prep time. To make things worse, he was just plain rude. Pinahiya niya ako sa harap ng lahat. I was warned by my contact about the personalities I'd be meeting this morning and I guess my stupid insecurity got in the way again. I choked. Gulp. Breathe in, breathe out...

I walked back to the parking lot slowly, with what-the-heck-am-doing and who-am-I-kidding thoughts swimming in my head. I couldn't help but feel like I was back in my 11th grade classroom, transported back to that day my English Literature teacher accused me of plagiarizing an essay (yes, in front of my class). I remember feeling so small and so ashamed, standing there red-faced and defenseless. Napahiya. Nakakahiya. At hindi pa ako makasagot.

And then, like a bright flash of light, there it was: my paperclip for the day, bright orange and happy. See? It's all good, Nikki... Don't let anyone ever tell you you're not good or not good enough. Or at least don't let it affect you... so much.

I smiled. Of course I couldn't help but think this was a sign for me to rethink my life plans. With my nearly 24/7 work schedule these recent weeks, I seriously need a break or a retreat or at least quiet time to write. (Which reminds me: Will I still be able to submit to PBBY-Salanga? Eeeeep.)

I continued walking. I may not be able to confront that VP again to redeem myself (like I did with my teacher) but I felt better just thinking about the wonderful people I work with. I'm glad my stress comes from deadlines and not from difficult people. All of a sudden, planning events, editing reports and writing about business leaders seem like a joy to do.

All in a day's work, all in the life of a paperclip. Breathe in, breathe out...

My Book as a "Paperclip" for Others

2007-10-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

Except for meals, bladder breaks and at least 4 hours of sleep, I've been working on overdrive for the last few weeks. You can imagine how this email from a client made me pause, smile in the innermost part of myself, and whisper a prayer of thanks. I'm glad my work has allowed me to meet such wonderful people.

Hello, Nikki!

I got your book and read the story. I felt warm all over when I read the adventures of the Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots.

I wondered. If a simple paperclip can connect the lives of so many people, how much more can someone like me… who has more than just bright purple spots… do to connect lives of people I meet or even just to stay connected with them. Surely, the idea of staying connected with them is daunting enough for me. I have a very close friend whom I have not spoken to when I left Intel. Perhaps it is time to call her.

Could I even be that “paperclip” that can help reconnect two important people in my lives who are not in speaking terms? I continued to avoid getting myself involved in their situation. Perhaps it is time to be like your yellow paperclip and try to link them up once more.

Thank you for the signed book. I will buy your book and give them as gifts to friends. I want them touched by your “paperclip”. In a way, your book will be my paperclip to them. Also, I want you to prosper as an author. This way you will be inspired to write more stories… and be the next JK Rowling. Can’t wait for that to happen!

I can be the woman for others, and my book can be the paperclip or the link for others. Naks! Maraming salamat, G. Hope to see you soon!

Thank You for Traveling With Us

2007-09-29T14:40:00.000+08:00

Nina, Sana and I, together with the rest of the ATD Fundraising Team and the Volunteers, want to say... Thank you! Maraming salamat! Merci beaucoup! Xie xie! Kamsa hamnida! Terima kasih! Danke! Gracie!

Thank you for coming to Travel Books for a Cause last Saturday and supporting ATD Fourth World. We were able to raise enough funds to send one ATD (All Together in Dignity) community member to celebrate October 17, the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, with the United Nations delegates in New York City.

Here's our little Oprah-esque interview-cum-talk show, with our very own Bing Manlapaz.
Here's a snapshot of the poster I prepared, highlighting my travels as well as that of my book. If you look closely at the map, you'll see that my paperclip (marked with the pink/purple spots) has travelled to more places than I have (marked with the green spots)! I put up my favorite paperclips from my collection as well (yes, I collect paperclips!). Thanks to Tisha for the cool yellow-and-red hanbok.
Visit my Multiply gallery to see more photos. More to follow from our team of photographers...

We'll do a take-two for Travel Books for a Cause in early November. Stay tuned for more details.

An Invitation to "Travel Books for a Cause"

2007-09-16T00:07:00.000+08:00

3 Titles. 3 friends and 3 volunteers. 1 Cause.

Nina's Travel Sketches features her beautiful watercolor sketches in three volumes: Philippines, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and North America. Sana's Passport comes in four designs and is a travel journal/sketchbook/scrapbook, a handy companion for your next trip and perfect for organizing tickets, photos, flyers and other travel mementos. My children's story The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots features a traveling paperclip on its way to self-discovery.

Please click the image to read the invitation. Nina, Sana and I look forward to your RSVPs. See you on Saturday, September 22!

What's the "cause"? Visit www.atd-fourthworld.org to find out more about All Together in Dignity or read previous posts here and here.

Call for Entries: 2008 PBBY-Salanga Prize

2007-09-15T00:28:00.000+08:00

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2008 PBBY-Salanga Prize. The deadline is on October 19, 2007.

The contest is co-sponsored by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and The National Library. The winner will be given a cash prize of P25,000.00, a gold medal, and an opportunity to be published with the help of the PBBY. Visit the official PBBY website for more details.

A Blue Paperclip in Cebu

2007-09-14T21:38:00.000+08:00

It was a good omen: a blue paperclip right outside the blue Parklane Intenational Hotel as I walked towards the van that drove us to the Cebu City Country Club. I gave a presentation this afternoon on Creating a Service Culture upon the invitation of our good client Primary Structures. It was my first time to travel alone to Cebu for a DDI trip. I had butterflies in my belly and needed more sleep (I stayed up until 2 a.m. putting finishing touches to my PowerPoint!) so the blue paperclip was a welcome sight.

I also had a blue paperclip sighting this same time last year. Today's blue paperclip comes at just the right time (although this post is a couple of days late) because we won against DLSU again, and by just two points again! Wooohoooo! Go, Ateneo! One big fight!

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to Delaware

2007-09-11T20:32:00.000+08:00

Hooray! My book traveled safely across an ocean and a continent, and made it to Neil and Rebecca in Delaware. I got an email from him this morning to say the package arrived last Saturday...

It was so cool to see a real book with one of my friend's names on it!! Rebecca and I liked the story a lot, too.

Her sister's family just moved into town, and they happened to come over to our house for dessert Saturday night. When it was about time for them to leave, I told the two kids (2 and 5) that it was time for Uncle Neil to read them a bedtime story. So we sat down and read it together. They liked it a lot. They liked finding the paperclip on each page and various other things as well...

Before they left, my nephew (the 5-year-old) said to Rebecca: "I'm a yellow paperclip with polkadots. Where will you take me?" We laughed...

Aaaawww... I love hearing stories about how the paperclip "works" across cultures. The paperclip has got to be one of the most universal things on the planet, something to figuratively and literally link us all together.

And yes, the character Grandpa Neil in the story is based on real people, just like the other characters. Think of it like lots of Hidden Mickeys! If you only knew all the stories behind the story... Hee-hee. Well, my grandpa was named Cornelio (known as Lolo Eliong to us) and died of bone cancer, and Neil (short for Cornelius, Anglicized version of the Spanish Cornelio), a dear friend from Indonesia almost 15 years ago. He and I had this thing for the color purple too...

Coming soon: Paperclip stories from North Carolina and San Francisco!

The Yellow Paperclip Gets Shot

2007-09-02T21:35:00.000+08:00

... by an awesome photographer named Luis Cruz. We had so much fun, and got great photos for our Travel Books for a Cause fundraising project for ATD. Here's the Yellow Paperclip hanging out (it was literally hanging off the wall with a piece of BlueTac!) with its many friends. (Yes, I collect different kinds of paperclips. Now you know what you can give me for Christmas, my birthday and any other special occasion!)

Now you see my paperclip... now you don't!

My coolest pair of glasses...
Incidentally, I also met Luis at the Blog and Soul Movement blogger meet a few weeks earlier. Don't you just love it when worlds collide... Salamat, Luis - with you and your camera, we enjoy getting shot!

Travel Books for a Cause

2007-09-01T23:03:00.000+08:00

What do Nina Yuson, Sana Sta. Ana and I have in common aside from our affiliation with ATD (and a great smile, of course)? Our passion for travel and for books... and soon, a shared book launch on our three travel books!

Travel Books for a Cause is a book launch/sale to raise awareness and funds for ATD communities and projects. Read a previous blogpost on ATD here. Nina will be launching her watercolor sketches from travels around the world. Sana will be launching Passport, her travel journal/scrapbook. So yes, the traveling Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots is in the great company of wonderful books. So friends and countrymen and countrywomen, block off your calendars: Saturday, September 22, 3PM at the Museo Pambata along Roxas Boulevard. Do send your RSVPs to me via yellowpaperclip@gmail.com

I spent the day in Nina's beautiful home for interviews, photo shoots and update meetings. I am equal parts humbled, amazed, excited and overwhelmed to be with Nina and Sana in this project. What started out as a simple brainstorming session for fundraising has evolved into an exciting can-this-really-be-true book event! More importantly, this project has brought about deeper relationships and new connections. Who would have thought I'd be in the company of three photographers today - and all of them have links to friends of mine? The world continues to grow wonderfully smaller and I'm thankful that the Yellow Paperclip helps make it happen.

Funds from Travel Books for a Cause will be used primarily to send community members to the United Nations in New York and the ATD Headquarters in Paris for October 17 events, to commemorate the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty. Click HERE to see what you can do and how you can be counted!

Thank you for sharing your photos, Luis! Visit his gallery for more great shots.

Great Men and Women of Asia

2007-08-31T12:42:00.000+08:00

I haven't been to too many book launches but last night's launch of 12 titles from RMAF's Great Men and Women of Asia - Children's Series was one of the best I've been to.

I loved the travel theme. I loved how the kids were made aware of the different countries and cultures each Awardee was from. I loved that giant map of Asia, complete with the photos of flags, Awardees and the book covers. I loved the storytelling session. I loved how the kids were so smart and responsive to the cool teachers. I loved the short but punchy speeches. I loved the loot bag with the cool bookmarks (Pepper, they are amazing!). I loved meeting fellow authors. I loved meeting Quix Maiquez who did great artwork for Khan: A Teacher of Everything. I also loved May Tobias-Papa's artwork for The Lucky Doctor, but sad that she couldn't make it to the launch.
Best of all, I loved how friends were there to show support. A big thank you to my boss Mr. Vic, Melissa Segui (what a pleasant surprise!), Lyn and Eden (glad this was your first book launch!), and my fellow writer/blogger/dreamer (and official photographer) Don, author of Ang Batang Maraming Bawal, winner of 2006 Romeo Forbes Children's Storywriting Competition organized by CANVAS.

Here are some more photos taken by Don...

The Great Men and Women of Asia - Children's Series is available at A Different Bookstore. (You may want to call ahead though; as of this updated post, some stores do not have all the titles in stock just yet. - September 11, 2007)

Paperclip Trail to the Post Office

2007-08-29T02:01:00.001+08:00

What is it with the route from Tektite to the Post Office along Emerald Avenue? The last time I walked over to mail some books to friends, I saw twelve paperclips. This time around, I mailed three books and saw six! Too bad I didn't have my camera with me. Shucks. The next time I go to the Post Office, I should bring a camera and a friend to witness these paperclip sightings. Hee-hee.

I mailed three books to three special people in three different locations (Delaware, North Carolina and San Francisco). I'll post about them once I've heard from each of them. Interesting stories coming soon... I hope!

An Invitation to a Book Launch

2007-08-29T01:44:00.000+08:00

The Bookmark Inc. and Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation proudly present Great Men and Women of Asia – Children’s Series. And you’re invited to the book launch!

When: Thursday, August 30, 5 – 7:30 PM
Where: Ramon Magsaysay Center, 1680 Roxas Boulevard, Manila
RSVP: May at 521-3166 local 184 or Lirose at 521-3166 local 100

I have two books in the series! Khan: A Teacher of Everything about Sultan Shoab Khan, a Pakistani community developer and A Lucky Doctor about Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, a Japanese missionary doctor based in Afghanistan.

I know it's such short notice, so if you won’t be able to make it on Thursday, we’re supposed to have a bookstore launch soon so I hope you can make it then. I’ll keep you posted!

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to a Blogger Meet

2007-08-22T01:25:00.000+08:00

... and meets a magician (yes, I'm holding a Matrix-like fork!), makes new friends, runs into old friends (are you a blogger too, Vince?), and eats way too many cookies. Thanks again to my friend Jayvee for inviting me to be part of the Blog and Soul Movement and share my blog (and book!) to fellow bloggers.

Jayvee: Maraming salamat! Cookies are great, but when will we have crepes?
Riz: It was nice to finally meet you! I wish you see a random paperclip one of these days...
Betty, JP, Jen, Marcelle, Rico, Ryan: Thank you for your questions. I hope you enjoy the story again and again...

Until the next blogger meet!

Just a Green Paperclip in the Gym

2007-08-16T19:21:00.000+08:00

I saw a big green paperclip at the foot of my gym locker last Tuesday. I couldn't help but smile... and mutter "shucks" under my breath that I didn't have a camera with me. If I were to do a mindmap and start with the word GREEN in the middle, I would come up with these other words and phrases: Kermit. Jokes. Archers. Forest. Veggies. Grass. But the biggest word would be: GO.

Green always means go. Ready... get set... go! Go, Nikki, go...

Go to the gym. (Yes, I finally signed up for a 3-month membership. Treadmill and weights tomorrow, boxing on Saturday. Whew!)
Go to the blogger meet. (It'll be my first ever blogger meet and I'm so excited!)
Go to the post office and send your book to Neil, Jeffrey and Susan. (It's just ten minutes from Tektite. And a wonderful thing happened the last time I walked to the post office...)
Go out with old friends. (Lyn and Eden... Bonnie, Luigi and Bub... Karina... Krissy and Jomi, Pau, Will... Chiko... Alfred and Pia... Bench Friends... I can't wait to see you!)
Go out with new people. (Who wants to set me up on a blind date?)
Go forth and multiply the business. (Yes, I think I'm really beginning to enjoy my sales role.)
Go to places you've never been to before. (I love the new Mag:Net Cafe in Bonifacio High Street. I also have scheduled get-togethers at Galileo and New Bombay Cafe this weekend.)
Go and see more of the Philippines. (Anyone game to go whitewater rafting in Cagayan de Oro this February? Any other suggested WOWPhilippines destinations?)
Go and write some more. (There's so much in my head but I'm not as writing as much as I should be. I'm starting to feel "artistically constipated" - thanks for the term, Yelley!)
Go on retreat. (I'll definitely be at SHN in the Easter, but until then, I'll have to find a way to go on vacation on my own.)
Go reach out to fellow TCKs. (Write, blog, reconnect, make new connections.)
Go submit your picture book. (As soon as I find the best publisher out there...)
Go and live out your dreams. (An extraordinary life is all I ask...)
Go and find your love / Go and swim the seas... (Yes, I've been listening to the soundtrack of Once on This Island a little too much!)

Go, Nikki, go. Green always means go. Could this be my one only-say-the-word-and-I-shall-be-healed word? I once wrote about that being one of my most favorite lines at church. Is God saying "go"? I quickly had to Google for something I recently read (but I forget where exactly I read it) and I'm glad I found it on a pretty cool blog:

If the request is wrong, God will say, “No.”
If the timing is wrong, God will say, “Slow.”
If you are wrong, God will say, “Grow.”
When the timing is right, God will say, “Let’s go!”

So is the timing right? Am I experiencing all these GodWinks because He is finally saying "go"? Is the Universe conspiring for this dreamer? (My life has seriously been one big conspiracy... but that's another blogpost altogether!)

I see you in every green stoplight... I once had this line floating in my head, soon after my Poetry for Non-Poets class in July 2004, and I thought it would make a killer line for a story or poem. Unfortunately, it's still only a line. I don't have the story or the poem just yet. Argh.

I saw a green paperclip in the gym... and so much more. I see so many possibilities. I see an extraordinary life ahead of me. I see answered prayers. I see my one true love. (I know it sounds insane, but I've never felt such crazy-certainty as this.)

What comes to mind when you see a green paperclip?

A Cookie and A Paperclip. A Movement and A Celebration.

2007-08-13T21:03:00.000+08:00

What do chocolate chip cookies and my yellow paperclip have in common? They both have "spots"! And they'll both be at the Blog and Soul Movement Launch and the Second Coming of Mrs. Fields. What's this all about? Click HERE to find out more about my friend Jayvee's amazing power of connecting people and bloggers from all over the metro. I look forward to meeting new people, making friends and adding more purple spots in my life. Hope to see you there!

What: Blog and Soul Launch and the Second Coming of Mrs. Fields
When: August 21 (Tuesday), 7:00 PM
Where: Mrs. Fields, Manila Pavilion

And to help celebrate the Movement, as Jayvee already announced (thanks for the plug, Jayvs!), I'll have six copies of my storybook up for raffle. Why six? Well, it's also a great way to celebrate my sixth anniversary here in DDI. My first day at work was August 15, 2001, six months after graduating from college and I've loved my work ever since. Read this if you want to know just how much I love who we are and what we do; I wrote it three years ago and amazingly enough, I still feel the exact same way. The best part of it all, my boss and colleagues are so supportive of my creative writing pursuits! To my DDI family: maraming, maraming salamat!

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to Ateneo and Meets Fr. Balch

2007-08-05T01:25:00.000+08:00

Climbing uphill is never an easy task, but going back "up the hill" (as compared to the proverbial "going down from The Hill") of Loyola Heights is always a joy, a comfort, and (as cheesy as it sounds) a coming home. Four years spent in the Ateneo changed me into the ever-idealistic Nikki I am today and I wouldn't want it any other way. Walking around campus on a gray Saturday afternoon brought back a flood of memories and a pleasant little yellow surprise... yes, a paperclip in the North Parking Lot!

I drove all the way to Ateneo to meet up with Fr. Asandas Balchand, S.J. (or simply and fondly called Fr. Balch) who is now based in Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro. He was my TH131 professor and Sadhana retreat director during my senior year. We kept in touch via email and SMS and had always planned to meet up but our schedules never coincided. Except this weekend... and what a blessing!

To start, we had a one-on-one Eucharistic celebration! "I was just about to celebrate mass," Fr. Balch said. "Would you like to join me? (Nikki looks a little surprised at the thought of a mass for one. It's almost as awkward as having to whisper "yes, a table for one" in restaurants!) Of course I can say mass for you, Nikki." We went into a tiny chapel at the Jesuit Residence, he handed me the book of readings ("You say the first and second readings, and I'll do the Gospel.") and asked me to just sit quietly and pray while he prepared the table. It was the most unique and intimate celebrations I have ever had, complete with a personalized homily just for me!

Then we went to Seattle's Best across the street to catch up with each others' lives over a cup of cappuccino. He was thrilled with my life's story (as I was with his) and I was only too happy to share with someone who I know truly listens and hopes the best for me. And what is my life story without The Yellow Paperclip? He was visibly happy and proud and said that he'd link me up with former students of his who are also into children's literature. (Thanks, Fr. Balch!)

The Yellow Paperclip has made many Jesuit friends (including Fr. Stein, Bro. Charles, and Bro. Ody) and looks forward to many more. If I had been born a man, I would seriously have considered going into the Society. But since I'm a woman, I suppose being a Jesuit priest is not my calling, right? But these musings should really be in my prayer blog. (Now I realize why bloggers don't have separate blogs but have categories within one blog. Hmmm. Like I told Jayvee, I feel like such a newbie blogger... and yet I'm getting my guts up to go to my first blogger meet! I'm anxious and excited at the same time. Okay, now I realize I'm babbling.)

We stand on a hill between the earth and
The sky;
Now all is still,
Where Loyola’s colors fly
Our course is run
And the setting sun ends
Ateneo’s days;
Eyes are dry at the last good-bye;
This is the Ateneo way.

All Together in Dignity (and Serendipity)

2007-08-04T23:09:00.000+08:00

I spent the morning at Museo Pambata for an orientation given by ATD Fourth World, a global NGO who work together with very poor individuals and families so they can overcome extreme poverty. Here in the Philippines, ATD stands for "All Together in Dignity" and is headed by Nina Yuson. My colleague, friend, lunch buddy and fellow Connector (in Tipping Point lingo) Bing Manlapaz introduced and invited me to ATD activities as early as last year (I had my very first storytelling of The Yellow Paperclip at one of ATD's street library projects). I hope that today marks my renewed, albeit slow, reintroduction to this wonderfully unassuming yet powerful group. Powerful enough to change mindsets and lives, both of the volunteers and the poorest of the poor.

With the little time and energy I have invested, I have already gained a lot. My perspective on "overcoming extreme poverty" has shifted significantly. If they will allow me to explain in my own little way what ATD hopes to do, I think it is about uplifting and restoring the dignity of the poor by simply celebrating being fellow human beings. Tao tayong lahat at pare-pareho ang ating mga kailangan. We live an analogous human condition and we have the same dreams and hopes for a better world. Helping the poor is not simply translated into livelihood programs or soup kitchens or building homes. While these are all important, real change happens when they see themselves in the same light as everyone else. Real change can happen when they want to step up and help themselves. Human dignity is a right all people have, regardless of race, gender, or social standing. ATD helps by seeing and treating the poor as friends, not as faceless communities that need financial assistance or saving. It's about hanging out with communities, getting to know them, hearing their concerns, playing with their children, helping them process their thoughts, enhancing their self-esteem and restoring their dignity. It's about helping them gain a voice loud and confident enough to be heard in the halls of the United Nations; yes, Bing and Aling Tita, resident of the North Cemetery community of ATD, traveled to New York in 2005 to speak with Kofi Annan himself!

The revolution starts with storytelling among children, either through street libraries (where books are literally brought to the streets) or cultural field trips to museums or performances. The poorest of the poor also need to have access to the arts and culture, just as we all do, because this is part of what makes us human. Human beings need more than just food, clothing and shelter. We have a higher need for the aesthetic and the spiritual, and the poor are no different. What amazes me is how the children of ATD are probably more cultured than most middle class kids in the sense that they have enjoyed the art at Museo Pambata, the National Museum, and in the various local and foreign books in their street libraries! After the orientation, we had storytelling, arts and crafts, including a Tapori project (also known as the art silhouette) based from an African children's story about friendship, fairness and providing the same chances to all children everywhere.
ATD recognizes that this kind of revolution is slow and very difficult to measure (ie. how can you tell if one's dignity has been restored?), yet the group treads on, slowly but surely, banking on the effort and commitment of its volunteers and friends. Today, we had Hands on Manila express their support for ATD (what great news!) and we look forward to many more volunteers. Interested to volunteer? Send an email to atdmnl@skyinet.net for more information.

Here's the part on serendipity (how can you not love that word?): after the orientation, Bing invited me to lunch with other new and long-time volunteers to discuss fundraising options for ATD's upcoming projects. From a humble lugaw event, inspired ideas from six very different women evolved into an exciting event: a book launch of three very different books, including my very own The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots. Stay tuned for more details.

Did you see the paperclip in Ratatouille?

2007-07-28T12:25:00.000+08:00

It was in the scene where the rats were having a party, celebrating Remy's return to the colony. The camera panned across a group of rats making music and there it was, a silver paperclip held and used like a musical instrument by one of the happy, partying rats. Here's the interesting trivia bit: in France, a paperclip is called a trombone, and of course, the movie is set in Paris. How cool is that? (I love all the layers in this movie. Right, Yelley?)

Go and watch if you haven't yet - and make sure you catch the trailers to see Lifted, the hilarious Pixar short film. I love Ratatouille though (the movie and the dish!) - it's a classic you-can-be-who-you-want-to-be tale for idealists like me.

Je voudrais aller a Paris. Peut-etre je vais decouvrir beaucoup de trombones avec les points violet.

Yellow, Purple and Fjupy in San Diego

2007-07-15T00:07:00.000+08:00

Wow, it seems that there are yellow-and-purple flowers anywhere I go! I took this while walking in downtown San Diego, on the way to Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues with my two best friends from high school.

When I asked Julia and Trixy to help me pray that 2007 be an Extraordinary Year for me, I didn't think that I would be blessed with a Fjupy Reunion! (Yes, God always does exceed our expectations.) It has been ten years since our high school graduation and two since our last get-together, but spending time with them negates all the time and distance we ever spent apart. These two are my fjupy womyn forever and I know we'll be friends until the very end (and longer), our husbands will be friends (John and Ade already are!) and our children will be friends too (will they also be the Bimbo-Bitch-Brain or the Lover-Lunatic-Poet trio?) - now that's something to look forward to.

Part of the Fjupy Friendship is our archive: part journal, part time capsule, part scrapbook; a companion between the three of us, recording our experiences and random thoughts. We've had three archives between us since our high school days and I brought a new purple archive with me to keep the tradition alive. We had the unveiling of the archive at our favorite Starbucks in San Diego. We only had two days together but we all had a great time (as these photos clearly show; thanks again, Ade, for being our official photographer!), including fjupy conversation about being Third Culture Kids and how our lives are forever changed because we're TCKs. (And thank you, Julia, for telling me about the cool TCK book! This deserves another blogpost for sure.)

Now in relation to my story, you may remember a character named Julia who uses the paperclip to bookmark her favorite prayer (and yes, Psalm 37:4 really is my favorite prayer). This character embodies both fjupy womyn as Julia and Trixy have been instrumental in strengthening my faith and prayer life back in our high school days. We had a lot of fjupy talks on big fjupy life-topics such as God, love and our futures. I'm not sure how many other 18-year-olds had deep-and-meaningful conversations like ours, but I always knew we were a little different and out-of-place ("in a world of silver paperclips"... hee-hee). Oh, and Viktor who flew the paper airplane is named after Julia's younger brother.

I can't wait until the next fjupy reunion...

Note: Fjupy (pronounced as "fyoo-pee") is a Swedish-like word we coined up to mean... well, everything! It can mean whatever we want it to mean, but usually it means deep-and-personal, pure, great, amazing; an adjective for those wow-I'm-speechless moments; a catch-all word to describe what Levin (my all-time favorite character from a Russian novel) meant when he said "words desecrate the loftiness of emotions" in Anna Karenina. (Yes, if you haven't guessed yet, I'm the Brain in the trio.) Levin is fjupy. YPC is fjupy. Love is fjupy.

Yellow and Purple Chihuly at The Phipps Conservatory

2007-07-13T19:29:00.000+08:00

I don't know if I'm making a big deal out of seeing yellow-and-purple patterns all around... but seriously: it seems like a lot of people like this color combination too! (Yes, I am not alone.)

My last night in Pittsburgh was spent at the Phipps Conservatory, in awe at Dale Chihuly's amazing creations. It didn't bother me that I was alone (and spent nearly $25 on cab fare going to and from the hotel) - I am just so happy that the folks at DDI told me about this exhibit. There I was like a happy, lost kid, armed with my trusty hand-me-down Nikon Coolpix (nearly 200 shots in 2 hours!), absorbing all those vibrant and yummy colors, swirls, and light. Words can't explain how amazed I seriously was; I was teary-eyed at some (maybe because the small pieces, like this purple-and-yellow vase, cost nearly $6,000!), giddy with disbelief at others (how did he do that?!; but for the most part, I felt like I was in one happy dream.

I've never seen art quite like this and I'm glad I was able to capture some of them. These are my favorite yellow and/or purple pieces, but I've put up more of my favorite shots in my (yikes-I'm-such-an-newbie-phlogger) photo blog Elsewhere for you to enjoy.

Dale Chihuly now ranks high up there with my favorite artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Rene Magritte, Georgia O'Keefe, Gustav Klimt and May Ann Licudine. Chihuly at Phipps: Gardens & Glass runs until November 11, 2007 so if you're anywhere near Pittsburgh, you shouldn't miss it!

Where in the World is the Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots?

2007-07-09T04:37:00.001+08:00

If my tracking is up-to-date, my Yellow Paperclip has visited at least 17 countries in the last two years. How cool is that? But that's actually only 7% of the world. If you have my book (or if you've sent it out to friends around the world) and your country isn't tagged yet, do let me know so I can update this map.

Click here to create your own Visited Countries Map

I love this site - it's so reminiscent of my growing up years with Carmen San Diego and oh-so-TCK. Thanks to my cyberlaundrywoman friend for sharing this. Hopefully, the Yellow Paperclip will find its way to more countries and continents soon.

A Project and A Song

2007-07-09T03:49:00.001+08:00

Imagine life like this
we live as if we're paperclips
Oh it never seemed so clear to me
why our lives could be so separated like paper sheets
piece by piece we put together
and hold as one to make one big bind.
One big bind.

I wonder how many songs there are about paperclips... but this is the first one I've heard. And I love it. Click here to listen.

The more interesting thing is how I came across it. Check out this blog I stumbled upon. I'm just so thrilled to hear there are more people out there getting fascinated by the paperclip. At least I know I'm not that strange. :-) But I'm even happier that worlds continue to collide. Thanks, Jayvee and Jun for sharing my story with Guitarchic!

Welcome to the USA

2007-07-08T14:19:00.000+08:00

What a sweet welcome to jumpstart my short U.S. trip - a bright red paperclip said hello as soon as I stepped out of the plane from my NW72 Nagoya-Detroit flight yesterday afternoon.

I'm here for a short trip: 5 days in Pittsburgh for DDI's annual International Marketing Meeting and 3 days in California to see the fjupy womyn in San Diego and Ursula in LA. I wonder what other paperclips will greet me here... aside from the striped ones I used to "lock" my suitcase. (My brother, Alec: "Um, you're funny, `Ki... you have paperclips on your bag.")

PS. I know, I know... I have so much blog backlog... it's not funny anymore.
PPS. Hi Don, nag-blog na ako ulit ha! ;-) Kahit short and sweet lang muna...

They Yellow Paperclip in Enzo's Birthday Loot Bag

2007-06-10T11:19:00.000+08:00

I can't believe it has been a year since I held newborn Enzo in my arms (read more about Enzo HERE). We celebrated his first birthday at Jollibee and I was thrilled when Rhea told me she wanted to include my book in the kids' loot bags.

My paperclip had a great time surrounded by kids, toys, sweets and Chicken Joy! Here are some snapshots from yesterday's party: there's Mommy Rhea and Baby Enzo, me with friendly Jollibee, and a group shot (look for Becca who is all grown up now!).

Here's the Yellow Paperclip with my officemate's kids - with Ron's four-year old brother and with Janet's nephew Marvin. Sweet! Thank you, Mommy Rhea!

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to Seoul

2007-05-17T15:00:00.000+08:00

It was a cross between Amazing Race and Lost in Translation as I made my way to Seoul on a solo adventure on a rainy Wednesday morning. A kind Rotarian brought me to the bus station in Cheongju City, helped me buy my ticket, waited until I boarded the bus... and even waved goodbye from the terminal!

I spent the afternoon checking out hotels for upcoming events in Seoul and shopping in the famous Nam Dae Mun market... all alone except for the essentials: some Won, an umbrella, my trusty Crocs, and a Lonely Planet Korean phrasebook! That evening, I met up with Jeda Kim, an old friend from AdMU, and my colleague Stephanie Nam for a delicious dinner in Yoido, in the heart of Korea's Manhattan-like district.

The rest of the evening was spent walking around the University Belt. Stephanie and I went to Cafe Eros, her favorite fortune teller cafe (my destiny is exciting... ;-) I can't wait for the rest of my life!), and three other cafes before we called it quits at nearly 5 in the morning! By the time I got into a cab, sleepy and tipsy, the sky was fast changing color. I crashed on the hotel bed with the sunrise on my face... What a memorable Sleepless in Seoul adventure! Kamsa hamnida!

Yellow and Purple Flowers in Korea

2007-05-09T22:08:00.000+08:00

As promised, here are a few of my favorite photos of yellow and purple flowers. There will be more as the days and weeks go by...

I made sure I placed my "wishing rocks" near a bunch of yellow wildflowers. We were told that wishes come true when rocks are stacked up and placed along the riverbank. I tried to find the most heart-shaped rock I could find. Hee-hee.

I love it how Mama Mary looks Korean! I took this photo after our first Sunday Mass in Okcheong City. And of course I love it how the flowers in the pots are yellow and purple!

This is one of my favorite macro-shots. There are so many purple flowers here in Korea but somehow, they all still draw me in.

A Purple/Pora Hanbok Just for Me

2007-05-08T21:43:00.000+08:00

Greetings from Jincheon City! I got to wear a pora (or purple) hanbok, the traditional Korean dress in Cheongju City last week. Isn't it pretty? I saw it in the hanbok store when we walked in and fell in love with the hand-embroidered butterflies and the purple ribbon. I mentioned that my favorite color is purple and I got to wear it! I think I could pass for a Korean girl?

There are so many beautiful yellow and purple flowers here that I've been taking close-up shots left and right. With all the flowers, food and sights, I have a total of over 700 photos in just six days. Will my 2GB memory card be enough? Will I be able to choose a few as my favorite shots? Will I ever tire of taking shots of yellow and purple flowers? (Wait for the flowers in my next post... or should I start another blog just for my Korean adventures?)

A Month in the Life

2007-05-02T02:09:00.000+08:00

In less than ten hours, I'll be on a plane heading to South Korea for a four-week exchange program with the Rotary Foundation. Together with two others, I was chosen to be a member of the Group Study Exchange (GSE) Outbound Team to Chungcheongbuk-do (approximately two hours south of Seoul). I look forward to being some kind of ambassador for RI District 3830, the Rotary Club of Makati North, DDI and the Philippines itself.

I'll have intermittent access to email but should be able to check messages at least every other day (... I wonder if I'll ever have time to blog?). I'll also be getting a Korean mobile phone so don't fret if I don't reply to messages you send to my Smart account. As Bing bid me farewell last Friday, she exclaimed: "You'll be a changed woman by June!" We'll see just how big a purple spot the GSE will turn out to be... Until then, annyonghi kyeseyo!

A Picture Book for Papa

2007-05-01T22:11:00.000+08:00

Thanks to iPhoto, I was able to make a picture book for my dad's 60th birthday. It's my first print-on-demand book (courtesy of Picture Books) and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. My dad has been taking photographs ever since I can remember and one of his favorite subjects is the humble (and often lonely) bicycle. One of the earliest shots is this bicycle in Amsterdam in 1981. I collected several photos (I love it how he has a hard drive just for his photos... and even a folder specifically for all of his bicycle shots!) and counted exactly sixty bikes (some photos had more than one in them!), worked on the layout on iPhoto (I love how Macs are so intuitive and foolproof!), and sent them over for printing. Best of all, Papa is well pleased with the book.

Remember how I said it's now my personal mission to help others realize their dreams? Papa has always wanted to have his own photo exhibit, and a portfolio is a first step. This book 60 Bicycles can serve as his portfolio. Other possible book projects: 60 Doors, 60 Patterns, 60 Shots of Nikki... Happy 60th birthday, Papa! I love you very mucho!

PS. While I'm happy with the quality of the printing and binding, I was so upset with the delay, considering I gave my photos in two weeks in advance. It was unnecessary stress! So if you want to make picture book through them, just make sure you don't have a super tight deadline. (But, plus points for them though: they replied to my I'm-an-unhappy-customer email and gave me a 15% discount.)

One Step Closer to Another Big (and Shared) Dream

2007-04-30T22:04:00.000+08:00

I beat the official deadline by an hour and 58 minutes. At 10:02 PM tonight, I clicked "SEND" to an email I sent to the Board of Judges of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Attached were my scanned official forms, my resume and of course, a copy of my story. But I really should say our story, or even better, his story.

I have always dreamed of submitting an entry to the Palanca Awards (okay, another tick on my checklist!), but my friend has always dreamed of having his own children's storybook. I find myself drawn to helping other people realize their dreams (yes, it's pay-it-forward time), so when I found out last year, I told him to join the upcoming PBBY-Salanga and the Palanca Awards. He felt stuck and didn't know where to begin; I really wanted to help so it was but natural for me to volunteer and write a story for and with him.

The result is a collaborative story: one I wrote with a lot of inspiration and guidance from my friend, with the help of YM messages, Skype calls, email and SMS exchanges. It's the first time I collaborated with someone to write a story and it was a very good experience. I'm happy with how the story turned out. We submitted it to the 2007 PBBY-Salanga Prize last year but unfortunately, it did not make it. We'll see if the stars are aligned to get us the Palanca Award... and sending it out is a big step closer to our dream! It must be the craziest, fastest-and-most-furious time in my life right now (get this: editing a book on leaders, running after a big sales prospect, managing a regional project, preparing for an upcoming four-week trip to Korea, getting ready for my dad's big 60th birthday... whew!), but I'm really happy I took time out to do this. Once again, it's the most perfect time to quote one of my most favorite quotes of all time: Dreams mean work. (It's the last line in Coelho's By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and has been my YM status message for the last few weeks.)

As much as I want to go public, I can't quite disclose the subject, plot and the name of my friend just yet. We'll have to wait until the results are out on September 1st. When we hear the great news then, we'll definitely celebrate with a bang!

The Yellow Paperclip Goes to Portugal

2007-04-28T23:47:00.000+08:00

What a nice surprise in my inbox today from Susana, a good friend of May Ann:

Hi Nikki! I don't know if you remember us: we are the twins from Lisbon, Portugal. We commented in your blog a couple of weeks ago. As promised, here is the picture of the two of us holding your/May Ann's fantastic book. We wish you all the best and hope to see many more books from you!

P.S. Oh, and I forgot to say: in the picture, Patricia is wearing the white shirt and I am wearing the brown one.

I'm so happy the Yellow Paperclip found its way to Portugal, but even happier that it has made twin friends. Here's hoping for more books too!

Easter's Yellow and Purple Spots

2007-04-09T11:56:00.000+08:00

My countdown to Easter was spent at The Karis retreat house, a beautiful sacred space in cool Tagaytay, at my second Jesuit silent Holy Week retreat. I had four days to sloooooooow down, rest, refresh my weary self and relish in God's Silence... and yes, to appreciate His yellow and purple creations!

My spiritual director was Bro. Oliver Dy, S.J., a.k.a. Bro. Ody - truly a blessing and a kindred spirit when it comes to our love for stars and words. It was wonderful to share my personal history with him (which is not complete without the story of The Yellow Paperclip, of course!). He enjoyed reading my story and saw glimpses of Aquinas' medieval theology - now that's a first! But more importantly, Bro. Ody helped me to identify and articulate the ever-elusive yet present thread of Providence working in and out of my life. I was just so happy that the gift of writing stories is, and will be, an important element in my continuously unfolding life story. Storywriting has taken on a completely new meaning for me and I can't contain my excitement for the work and service ahead. I am humbled beyond words. Thank you, Lord!

You're invited to visit my prayer blog for more Easter reflections. May our Every Day be lived as Easter Day!

PS. Look at our photo closely. Doesn't it look like I have Easter bunny ears because of the plant behind me? Hee-hee.

A Paperclip, A Teacher and A Doctor

2007-04-03T10:05:00.000+08:00

Here's to the third storybook... and more to come! I wrote in my last post. They always say (have you met "they"?) be careful what you wish for. I guess they're right: I just found out via email that the second story I wrote for the Great Men and Women of Asia - Children's Series will also be published! I am thrilled beyond belief.

It is the story of Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, a Japanese missionary doctor based in war-stricken Afghanistan. Dr. Nakamura won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Peace and Understanding in 2003 for "his passionate commitment to ease the pain of war, disease, and calamity among refugees and the mountain poor of the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands" (read the entire citation here). The story's title is A Lucky Doctor and it highlights his fascination with bugs and how he felt "lucky" (yes, that's the word he used!) to be able to see beyond cultural and religious differences. I can't wait to see the illustrations... and the book itself! I was informed that the book launch will be sometime in July or August. What a year this is turning out to be...

Next up: the Palanca Awards! (I can already hear them saying: "Be careful what you wish for, Nikki..." Hee-hee.)

It's Sweeter the Second Time Around

2007-04-01T11:28:00.000+08:00

I have a second book! WOW! I was taken completely by surprise when I saw my name staring out from the cover of Khan: A Teacher of Everything on a shelf at The Podium's Ink & Stone last Friday night. I didn't even know the book was already available! Khan: A Teacher of Everything is one of several stories in Great Men and Women of Asia - Children's Series, a partnership project of The Bookmark, Inc. and Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation to bring inspiring stories of real-life heroism to children all over the world. Click here for more details and some thumbnails of the books.

Khan: A Teacher of Everything honors Shoaib Sultan Khan who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1992 for "his nurturing self-reliant development and bringing hope to the forgotten peoples of high Pakistan" (read the entire citation here).

Thanks to Quix P. Maiquez, another amazing artist, who made wonderful illustrations for my story (I'll upload some photos as soon as I scan some pages!). Thanks also to young Elijah, a good friend of YPC, who inspired the title (I knew it was a great idea to brainstorm with him before writing the story!).

It's sweeter the second time around... and now I can proudly say that I'm really a writer (and not just an I-got-lucky-kind-of-writer)! Here's to the third storybook... and more to come!