Serendipity
Woman: Resurrection (2006)
So this is how it feels to be human and alive again. It feels like 200 years have already passed, when in fact, I've only just been "away" for a month -- one month of being temporarily gridlocked in Edit-land. Akin to Ellen Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver's character of Aliens fame) "resurrection", I feel like I've been cloned out of the drop of my own blood (which nearly dried up from the stress, by the way) after being dead for 200 years.
Remember that opening scene in Alien: Resurrection (1997) where a surgeon was removing a baby alien from Ripley's womb (which reminds me, my baby daughter will kill me when she grows up for naming her Ripley - but that's another story…)? There is such a strong parallelism of that scene to my own life after "giving birth" to the Iloilo Yearbook (with the help of a lot of people of course), the only difference is that Ripley gave birth to an ugly, monster alien while I "gave birth" to something beautiful. Of course, you may all disagree with me after you see the yearbook because it's impossible to please everybody, but a mother always thinks her offspring is beautiful, right? Never mind that I almost had a (mental) miscarriage and an aneurism while editing the book and never mind that I gained 10 lbs. from stress-binging. The important thing is, I survived!
The later part of December and the first 3 weeks of January have been one of the most harrowing days of my life. I'm used to stress, what with the kind of work that I have been doing for most of my professional life (events management, marketing, writing and harassing people), but editing a yearbook and a magazine on the side, with the same deadline for both publications is tantamount to suicide. Not only did I have to do these two projects but I also had to be a mom and a wife (albeit a lousy one, forgive me, husband dearest and kids) in between rephrasing sentences, spell-checking and attempting to write coherent paragraphs.
The combination of going to the dentist to have my son's milk tooth pulled, making arrangements for my daughter's baptism and chopping up run-on sentences is lethal. I won't advise it to budding editors out there who have not mastered the art of multi-tasking. I swear I will not subject myself to this mind-crippling schedule ever again. I would have wanted to give more to all my tasks especially since I've always believed in giving the best in everything that I do, but sometimes we are hampered by deadlines, schedules or a loose, milk tooth. But nevertheless, I was able to deliver something that could pass muster (although I know that with more time, more helping hands and brains, the output could have been better - or am I just too O.C. and too much of a perfectionist?).
If you happen to get a copy of the Iloilo Yearbook 2005 which we will be launching today, I hope that you will be able to appreciate it more considering that it was done by people who have sacrificed so much to give something back to Iloilo. Marichel, Jojo, Erly and I, as well as the whole yearbook cast had to get our hair rebonded after wrestling with the book everyday of our waking and sleeping hours (yes, even in our sleep it hounded us). I would also like to apologize in the event that you will see "lapses" in the book in whatever form they may be. We are human after all -- try cramming one year's worth of work in 3 months and you'll get what I mean. Don't worry, I am paying for these lapses (imagined or real - I'm not Dame Doom for nothing) everyday even in my sleep (again, post printing), waking up in the middle of the night and wondering if I was able to punctuate correctly or if I failed to edit the essays well. The same goes for Iloilo Premiere, the glossy magazine that I am also editor of. I always aim to improve, so next time, I promise to do even better. As for my family, I know my husband and two kids have already forgiven me, they know I'm doing all these for them.
I would like to thank those who have supported me in all my endeavors (both personal and career-wise), my family, friends and my staff for the two publications. I am especially grateful to TNT and to the people behind the yearbook - it was both an experience and a journey working for and with you (but one I don't want to traverse anymore - just kidding!).
But wait, if you think I've become an angel after my so called "resurrection" - think again. To all of you who have been asking why I haven't written in this column for a long time, now you know the reason behind my absence. To those who hate my guts, and who were probably doing cartwheels in their white clogs thinking that it was safe to commit such an atrocious fashion faux pas because of my non-presence - I'm back, or in Aliens lingo - "The bitch is back!"