Indulgence

Bright and Early

Jewel from Satellite (written by Jewel Kilcher)
We understand a lot of things
About modern technology
But not about dreams
Our hearts are on the shelves
We can't fix ourselves
But we can fix a satellite

I like waking up early and going to work. Worked with a very difficult client. We are totally not on the same page and as the producer, director and executive producer were losing their cool, I, who has lost my cool at home or at Jay's house and bitched and whined and complained about this client, was able to keep my cool, look her in the eye and said, Okay, Ma'am, so what is it that you want from us? She has stepped too far and is asking for too much and, unfortunately, it is a complete misunderstanding. The producers did not properly set the parameters of what she was to expect from the costings that we gave her. It is not her fault she does not understand the jargon and what comes with the cost estimate. She said what she wanted and we did the translation in our heads based on what the approved budget was and what is expected of an AVP. Unfortunately, when she said she wanted a commercial we thought she meant she wanted a commercial treatment for the AVP. Our bad. But as much trouble as it would be for us, it's our job as service providers to provide the service that is expected.

I really hate client-servicing projects such as this but what can I do? It's the highest paying job a writer can get into third to movies and television but both forces you to deal with producers who think they are artists and muddle up the whole process. But I take it all in. The pain killers aren't the toughest or the strongest but it helps me stay a little numb and gives me reason not to be so talkative or perky as people expect me to be.

But I accomplished much today and made a plan of attack and then passed by Greenhills to reserve tickets for a movie with Datu and Kristi. I did some shopping with the very little money I have left -- bought Jewel's Good Bye Alice in Wonderland and Barbie Almalbis' Parade. While they are not super happy/jump for joy purchases -- they are enough to pass me by the month of May. Anyhow, Satellite and Last Dance Rodeo are my favourite Jewel songs (though I prefer the versions that came out in the Unplugged performance). I am enjoying Where You Are and Again and Again so it's not a complete loss or waste of money. For Barbie's album, well, I've loved her since the Hungry Young Poets days and I've always found a winning song in each album. For Parade, I am enjoying Dahilan and Overdrive and I fell in love with the song High on the radio and was surprised to find that it is her with this band called The Speaks. And Pag-alis is one of my favourite songs from the first album of Barbie's Cradle. To hear it again with a different arrangement just affirms how much I love this song.

It's strange to walk around with the bandages on my face. Datu went a little overboard when he put it on and the sterile strips went on my eye lids and that made it very uncomfortable and I ended up rubbing on it so now I have a black-eye. I replaced the sterile strips this morning on my own and made it smaller and kept away from the eyelid. It's more comfortable now and while still very obvious (it's on the nose and the eyebrow, after all) it isn't as menacing or freakish. Now, people are staring because it looks like I came from a fight. I look tough and serious. Girls are afraid of me and guys end up sizing me up. I've really learned how to walk tough in the streets to keep people from messing with me and it all adds up to an image of myself that I'm not use to. After all, with my friends, I'm the one they make fun of, or maybe they come to me for trivial information or maybe ask advice. But I'm not the tough guy at all.

Now I'm home and I'm doing some work and then I'll take a little nap before dinner, watch the movie with my brother and sister-in-law and write the new storyline of a possible project I've got. It's amazing -- for months, I've been fixing the God damned thing in my head to no success and just today, it comes from nowhere. I figured it out. I'm excited to throw myself at it later. It's going to be impressive.

Fishing, I was told, is not just hooking the fish to the line. I was told that you have to gently push and pull, tug to secure the hook and then to let it go a bit to allow the fish to get the hook deeper in. It's a process of pulling and pushing before you reel the fish in. The creative process is like fishing, I guess. Sometimes you jump off the boat and club them fishy bastards and other times, you just sit back and wait, light up your cigarette and wait for the suckers to bite the bait.

You learn something new everyday.

Jewel Kilcher from Satellite (written by Jewel Kilcher)
The pope can't fix my broken heart
Rock-n-Roll can't fix my broken heart
Valium can't fix my broken heart
Ms. Cleo can't fix my broken heart
But will you fix my broken heart?
Cause I'm gonna give you a satellite
Fix my broken heart

(picture above taken by Jay sometime April, 2006; picture of me, looking out at the sea in Cagbalete, Quezon taken by Chinkee during Holy Week of 2006)

posted by wanggo @ 5:28 PM