The Yellow Paperclip Goes to Chicago

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

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

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

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

"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

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...

Two Silver Paperclips

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

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

Coming Home to Yellow

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

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

A Unique Christmas Story

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

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

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

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

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

Can you spot the purple spots?

Long Live Purple

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!

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

A Silver Paperclip

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?