Blue and Waiting to be Let In

In the shadows of the hallway, I saw a lonely blue paperclip by the front door of the office. It seemed sad, like it had been waiting to be let in. Like it was knocking and no one heard it. I wonder how long it has been there? Did it knock or was it just quietly waiting to be noticed and to be let in?

When we want something, should we knock loudly and announce to the world "I'm here!"? Or just quietly and patiently wait for the door to open when people notice we're there? We can knock but risk rejection if we're not wanted or welcome. We can also wait but risk lost opportunities. Choices, choices. The best thing to do is to trust one's gut and just go for it.

Ask and you shall receive. Knock and the door shall be opened to you. I think I'll knock. Or better yet, maybe I ought to ring the doorbell. Or make a phone call first. Or send an email. At least I'll know if I'm wanted or welcome. I don't want to be blue with all that waiting and wondering. I want to go through a wide-open door.

Out-of-Place... like a Tourist

I saw an old dusty pink one in between the cobblestones of Intramuros as I walked to the entrance of the Ilustrado restaurant. Weird. Again, it was nice to see a paperclip in odd places. I tugged on Carlo's sleeve: "See?! I really see them everywhere!" (I show people the paperclips I see as much as possible just so I have witnesses.) It was really out-of-place.

Kind of like a tourist. Carlo and I were like tourists for the afternoon. I had to check out Intramuros for an upcoming visit of one of our big bosses. Ilustrado is a nice old restaurant in the middle of the Walled City of Manila. Old world charm. Cobblestones. Old staircases that creek. Musty hallways. Dark walls and floors and calesa wheel chandeliers. Sampaguita ice cream and kesong puti pandesal and hot chocolate.We walked to Barbara's (too bad it was closed) and Patio Victoria (perfect for those frilly/cheesy weddings and debuts!). A stone well. A stone fountain. Old houses with capiz windows. I also finally got to go inside the San Agustin Church. It was timely because it's St. Augustine's Feast Day today. It was good to be a tourist in my own country, even for an afternoon.

I passed by Fort Santiago, the National Museum, Luneta, the Manila Cathedral, Baywalk, the dungeon-turned-Starbucks, the streets of Malate. I'll need to schedule more time to be a tourist. Manila has a lot to offer... if only we take the time to appreciate what we have.

I know wherever I go, I'll see paperclips there. And maybe I won't feel so out-of-place.

One Red Paperclip from Montreal to Manila

Thanks to Kyle, red paperclips will never be the same again. I saw one red paperclip on the way to work this morning. Was it a coincidence? Was it the same red one I saw the other day?

But seeing a red one is now more significant after hearing Kyle's amazing adventure with One Red Paperclip. Could it be the same red paperclip he traded for a fish pen with his friends in Vancouver? Perhaps his friends Rawnie and Corinna visited the Philippines or are friends with Filipinos who came home to visit. Perhaps they traded it for something else which, in turn, got traded for something that ended up here in Manila. Whatever happened, one red paperclip has created a strange link between me and Kyle who is halfway across the world in Montreal.

Thanks to some friends, I've been hearing and thinking and dreaming about Montreal these last few months. In the bigger scheme of things, what is Montreal to my life? We'll see. Perhaps that's another adventure waiting to happen.

Yellow and Yellow

I saw two yellow paperclips today. I seem to be seeing more yellow ones than any other color. I love it! I seriously feel that they're following me around. I saw one by the automatic doors of the office building, and the other under the glass table at the reception area. Both bright yellow. Both screaming to be noticed.

Two yellow paperclips. Two good paperclip stories to share. One: I'll have a book signing at the 26th Manila International Book Fair on September 3 for The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots. Two: If I have Full Moon Friends, looks like I can have Paperclip Friends, such as Kyle who posted a comment. Check out his creatively crazy and amazing adventure with one red paperclip.

Looks like the adventures keep coming.

And the Next Day, I Saw... Red

A red one today. On the walkway from the parking lot to the street. A little bent out of shape but still shiney and new. It was a welcome sight after a day without a paperclip sighting (yes, I admit... there are some days when I actually don't see one).

At a time when I was so blindly infatuated, I once challenged the Universe (inspired by "A Very Long Engagement"): "If I see a paperclip today, he loves me." And I saw three that day. But he doesn't love me. I don't even know what he feels or thinks. So paperclips have nothing to do with love. But... that's another story.

So I saw one today and I stopped myself from linking it with anything. It was just nice to see. Just like it was nice to get a "good morning" message from him again.

Recycled Paperclips

A paperclip story sent by one of my favorite uncles based in California... Thanks, Tito Boboy!

Just to let you know that the first copy of The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots is now in circulation here in Milpitas - thanks to you. Let me share with you my own personal story about paperclips.

When I was still working, I would pick up paperclips laying around the office floors and work premises whenever I see them. My boss, the president of the company, saw me one day and asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was saving him money and that if all these seemingly worthless, curled, silver wires would be connected together, it could go around the world twice (that's how much I was able to gather so far). He just looked at me thinking maybe that I might be going crazy picking up all these paperclips. He left without saying a word.

The following morning, when I opened my office computer, I found an inter-office email from the boss which read: "Effective immediately, everybody is enjoined to recycle the paperclips used for office memos and documents. If you need some more of these clips, just go to the office of Mr. Dy-Liacco and you will find tons of them."

Until the day I retired, they are still recycling paperclips and who knows, there might be a Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots lying around.

Orange and Hopeful

I saw an orange paperclip on the road in BF this morning. Considering I haven't been there in a long time and it's not part of my daily routine, I was pleasantly surprised to see an orange one today. (I actually also saw an orange one in Pasig yesterday too!) Meron din pala dito. Sinusundan pa rin ako. It made me hopeful and a little happy in a weird sort of way. I hope it's a small "glimmer of hope" to confirm how hopeful I've been feeling this last week. We'll see. I'll just keep strolling along the park.

Yellow and Purple Flowers

These beautiful yellow and purple flowers match my book so perfectly! My wonderful DDI Family gave me this after the National Children's Book Day awards ceremony. I'm so thankful that they are so very supportive, especially my boss, and that they allow me to pursue my other non-work related dreams.

I haven't received too many flowers in my lifetime... and these bright yellow lilies and purple I-don't-know-what-they're-called-but-they're-such-fun-flowers really touched my heart. Maraming salamat!

National Children's Book Day

Did you read a book today? The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) celebrates National Children's Book Day on the third Tuesday of July, in commemoration of the first published children's story of Dr. Jose Rizal of The Tale of the Tortoise and the Monkey in the July 1889 of Trubner's Record: A Journal Deveoted to the Literature of the East. National Children's Book Day is also the day that the Board awards the Grand Prize for the 2005 PBBY-Salanga and PBBY-Alcala awards.



Just wanted to share some of the highlights of this happy Dream-Come-True-Day. National Artist Virgilio Almario (a.k.a. Rio Alma) presented the award to May Ann and I. Alitaptap Storyteller Charlyn Chua, dressed up in yellow and purple spots, read my story and it was a hit with the kids! We were also interviewed by Art-is-Kool and Jr. Inquirer. To Papa and Mama, Cricket and Kevin, Jana, Cecile, Gang, and Glenn - THANK YOU so much for being there with me on this special day. Hope this is the start of a great adventure!

Click here for a short article featured in INQ7.net on National Children's Book Day.

A Paperclip in Pittsburgh

Will I see a paperclip in Pittsburgh? I asked myself as I packed and got ready for my trip. I need to see at least one anywhere in the U.S. Then I know they're really following me around.

Today is my second to the last day at the DDI office and I saw a shiny silver one on the walkway between the Technology Center and the Headquarters. I think it's the first silver one I've seen. Strange to find the first silver one all the way here in Pittsburgh.

It was a comfort to find one here though. It's a small world after all.

Does this count as a Pittsburgh Paperclip?

This was on the DDI cafeteria table. It holds the evaluation forms. Pretty cool, huh?

Rejected and Found

Poor paperclip. I wonder what you've been through? It was squeezed out of shape, with one of its ends sticking out sorely like a painful limb, caked in mud and dust. It must have been through a lot: where in the world has it been?

The more painful thing is, I'm sure I saw the same paperclip last week. But again, I chose to ignore it and refused to pick it up. Is it because of the way it looked? Is it because it was dirty? Perhaps. Yet it waited for me patiently. And I found it again.

Do we reject others on the basis of superficial characteristics or flaws too?

Happy to see Orange Again

I saw it yesterday but chose to ignore it. I felt bad that I did so I ended up looking for it this morning. And I saw the same orange paperclip! I actually felt happy to see it and so I decided to pick it up for my collection. I don't know why I ignored it in the first place. It was a nice bright orange. It was a little bent but still in one piece.

I know I've chosen to ignore things and people in my life when I know I shouldn't. Why do I do that? There are many reasons, I suppose: insecurities, fear of rejection, arrogance, pride. When we choose to ignore or hurt the people closest to us, I hope we can still "find" them tomorrow. Question is, will they still be there?

White Stands Out

I saw a white paperclip right next to the front tire as I got out of the car. It was the first thing I saw as I stepped out. The whiteness stood out in contrast to the grayness of the gravel. It really felt out-of-place; a paperclip really does not belong between pieces of gravel and stone. Yet it felt right because I saw it and took notice of it.

Does He Love Me?

"If I see a paperclip today, then he loves me," I whispered to myself, inspired by Audrey Tautou's character in the movie A Very Long Engagement. What a grand challenge to the Universe. I saw three paperclips today. Along the short walk from the parking lot to my office building, I saw a pointy pink one, a dusty yellow one, a terribly bent and out-of-shape white one. Does that mean he loves me thrice as much? I wonder.

This is not the first time I asked God for a sign. Once, at a retreat in Novaliches, I asked God for a sign if He could hear my prayers. I asked for a shooting star. In the pitch black sky, I saw three stars fall behind the mountains. I sank to my knees in prayer and my heart was silenced and humbled.

I know it's really silly to link paperclip sightings to grand things like love and God. But I still saw three today and I want to know what that could possibly mean in the bigger scheme of things.

Two Yellow Paperclips

Gang gave me two yellow paperclips today. A big one she picked up along East Avenue and a smaller one from The Powerplant in Rockwell. She had them in her bag for weeks and kept them until our get-together today. Sweet. Gang is a true friend. She sees and loves my little quirks. I don't think most of my friends would pick up paperclips on the street to give them to me. But Gang did. She's really "one of us": she's a Full Moon Friend and we can talk non-stop about any and all things. I wouldn't have it any other way.

One Paperclip a Day

"If I see a paperclip today," I whispered to myself on a particularly crazy day, "then everything will be okay."

I've been seeing at least one paperclip a day since then. No kidding. Some days I see two, or three, or even four. On the sidewalk. Along the driveway. By the ATM. Under my colleague's desk. In the parking lot. On the waiter's necktie. They're following me around. And I love it.

So I started picking them up. Now I want to tell their stories. Our stories.

I'm glad I wrote the story The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots. I hope the Award is really a start to a great adventure.

It's 100% Real

Gang, my poetry teacher-turned-great one-of-us friends, helped to make my dream come true. With our Poetry for Non-Poets class last July, she got me to start seriously writing again. With a gift she gave me last Saturday night, she made real what until then was just something I had imagined in a story.

"It's not yet complete," she said, as she made me close my eyes and put out my hands. She dropped something heavy and cold and when I opened my eyes, there it was: a real Yellow Paperclip. "It's an interactive gift," she continued. "You have to put the Bright Purple Spots. I couldn't quite figure out how to put them on!"

I could hardly contain myself. I felt like a little girl squealing with delight. I carried it around the entire night: in the car, when we watched a play, while we had a late dinner and stopped for coffee at The Fort.

The very next day, I experimented and decided on punching holes through bright purple sticker paper. The holes made great Bright Purple Spots.


It's 100% real now: my Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots jumped out of my imagination, out onto pages of my journal, into words on a screen... and into the palm of my hand. Thanks, Tita Gang.

Becca Started this Great Paperclip Adventure

Meet Becca Carreon, my colleague Anna's 10-year-old daughter who helped me create and develop the stories behind The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots. A week before the deadline of the 2005 PBBY-Salanga Prize, I asked what she thought of several stories I had in mind. Fish and flowers were boring; but when I asked her to trace the steps and adventures of a paperclip, her eyes lit up and she smiled. The light in her eyes told me I had a good story. In between giggles, we daydreamed and imagined where a paperclip could have come from and where it could travel to. I scribbled our ideas on a scrap piece of paper and used that to write my story.

Me, after daydreaming several scenes: "Becca, what color is this paperclip?" Becca's INSTANT and matter-of-factly answer: "Yellow." I love how she already saw our character in full color.

I can't help but thank the Universe for allowing our paths to cross at such a perfect time. Becca is a big bright purple spot in my life; she is also a central character in the story. Check out these spreads from the storybook...

I can't ever thank you enough, Becca! (Incidentally, it's also her 10th birthday today... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)

The Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots

Have you ever seen a yellow paperclip with bright purple spots? Follow the adventure of the Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots as it makes friends, learns new things and travels to different places. You'll discover why it feels unique and a little out-of-place in a world of silver paperclips.

When was the last time you saw a paperclip?

You may have seen me the other day. I look different from most paperclips. I’m a little more colorful. And perhaps out-of-place.

Yes, you’re right! That’s me, sitting in the bowl of silver paperclips on your teacher’s desk.

Out of all the paperclips in the world, perhaps I’m the only yellow paperclip with bright purple spots. Do you know where I came from?

Before I was on your teacher’s desk, I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots on Mrs. David’s thank you note to your teacher. Your seatmate Paolo was having trouble with his spelling and your teacher gave him extra lessons after class. But do you know where I was before Mrs. David’s thank you note?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots holding the money Mr. David gave Mrs. David to buy bread, coffee, and a bag of jelly beans. After a long day at the office, he gave her the money and a big kiss and hug. But do you know where I was before Mr. David’s money?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots in an office with big glass windows, holding together a stack of reports from Mr. David’s boss, the Vice President of a large food company. But do you know where I was before Mr. David’s office?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots holding on to three photographs from the Vice President’s daughter, Gem. She gave him three photos from a recent trip to Norway: one picture of the mountains, the other of her favorite café, the third of a park she visited on her last day. But where was I before Gem’s photographs?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots sitting alone on a park bench in Norway. After a cold evening on a lonely bench, I was happy when Gem picked me up and clipped me to her photographs. But where was I before the park bench?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots on the tail of a paper airplane. Viktor, a little boy with big blue eyes and freckles across his nose, flew his paper airplane in his room, at the playground, and at the park. But where was I before Viktor’s paper airplane?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots on page 26 of a prayer book that belonged to Julia, Viktor’s older sister. The Book of Prayers was a gift from her grandma, reminding Julia to pray every night before bedtime. But where was I before page 26?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots in Julia’s grandmother’s silver hair. I kept Grandma Remy’s apple-shampooed hair in place when she baked cookies, read magazines, or napped in her rocking chair. But where was I before Grandma Remy’s shiny silver hair?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots holding Grandpa Neil’s newspaper clippings about cancer, its possible causes, research for cures, and stories of survivors. But where was I before Grandpa Neil’s newspaper clippings?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots, alone and lost on a sidewalk, watching people cross the street, sell newspapers, and hop on the bus. I was happy when Grandpa Neil picked me up on his way to the hospital. But where was I before the sidewalk?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots who traveled the world with Clarisse, a flight attendant who flew from Manila to Australia, to China, to Norway, to Egypt, and back to Manila again. I traveled with Clarisse’s passport where I kept her tickets and receipts until she lost me on a Norwegian sidewalk. But where was I before Clarisse’s passport?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots hanging from the neck of Becca, Clarisse’s favorite neice. I was the most colorful in Becca’s chain of paperclips. When Clarisse needed a paperclip, Becca gladly gave me to her favorite aunt. But where was I before Becca’s paperclip collection?

I was the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots sitting in a bowl of silver paperclips on a desk. One day, I heard a little girl ask, “Teacher, teacher, can I have this yellow paperclip with bright purple spots for my collection?”

It was Becca. She started my great adventure around the world. No wonder this bowl of silver paperclips looks familiar.

I am the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots who made your teacher smile with a thank you note. I shared money, worked in a big office, captured happy memories, slept on a park bench, and flew high on a paper airplane. I listened to prayers, smelled apple-shampooed hair, spent lonely nights alone on a sidewalk, and learned about cancer. I traveled around the world and was part of a special collection.

I am the yellow paperclip with bright purple spots linking you with your teacher, Mrs. David, Mr. David, the Vice President, Gem, Viktor, Julia, Grandma Remy, Grandpa Neil, Clarisse, Becca, and all the way back to your teacher again. I’ve met many interesting people, learned new things, and traveled to different places. Now I know why I feel different and more colorful in a bowl of silver paperclips.

The next time you need a paperclip, I hope you choose me—the strange, out-of-place yellow paperclip with bright purple spots.

I’m excited to start my next great adventure. Where will you take me?