One of the gems in my inbox tells me:

Great writers don’t learn how to write by sitting in writing courses, reading writing blogs, or browsing Barnes & Noble for yet more books on writing.

They learn how to write by coming to a blank page, writing something down, and then asking themselves if it works.

The truth is that you’re in charge. You. The blank page is sitting there, and you can fill it up with whatever the hell you want.

So stop sitting there, silly.

Go for it.

OK, maybe I will.

I can't wait!

Or two. Because I go crazy and I binge and I end up going home with these:







I've actually already read Norwegian Wood. I love it so much I had to have my own copy. All these minimalist covers look really pretty too, and make me want to grab them all.



Funny story. Bookstore guy quipped when I asked if the book is available: Oh, yes the graphic novel! Um, no, the children's book.



Cry. Because I have them pretty lovely to-die-for books. Because I spent so much on books. It's a good thing the hubby did not mind.

Oh, I have this on standby too. Will have my hands all over the lovely cover in three to five days, or so bookstore clerk said.



I forgot to ask how much it would be. So typical.

During my first couple of years at the university, I wanted to become a political writer slash analyst. I had every intention then of graduating with two bachelor's degrees: Journalism and Political Science. Math 11 changed all that and now I'm stuck with just one degree.

But I never lost the drive to read the news and stay updated. Sometimes, I just tune in to CNN and/or BBC to have the news on the background while I do something else.

At work, one of the first things I do before carrying on with my actual responsibilities is to scan news sites. An actual paper to read would be nice, but they cost money and as is the fate of many printed materials, such expenses are usually the first to be cut from the budget.

The point of this rather rambling post is that I absolutely love BusinessMirror's online space. Apart from the fact that I get sensible, relevant news from it — I could not find regular and meaty updates on the book tax but here, for instance — the site's layout is so easy on the eyes and the pages load quickly too.

(Not so its print version, however. Why would you place an ad thrice the size of your banner at the top of the page?)

I wish Business World is as easy to load.

The things you see when bored and stuck in rush hour traffic

I will write about our Batanes trip, I promise. Right now, I'm still in the process of adding captions to the hundreds of photos up here. And by in the process, I mean I intend to but I haven't really gotten around to doing it.

Anyway, here's a little shout out to the Almighty, for all the blessings and the guidance, and for really making sure everything's gonna be alright. The process was long and tedious, but at least in the end, everything turned out OK.

Now we can move on and stop worrying about the what-ifs.

Pretty yes? Now I regret not having such a photo during ours.

From a recent report:

Given the challenging export climate, suppliers are welcoming any form of aid, including the stimulus package enforced by the XXX government recently.

But the one measure that has started to impact companies is the higher export tax refund. In addition to raising the rebate to XX percent, the government has made it faster for suppliers to get their money back. In the past, it took between three and four months before makers can receive their refund. In some cases, it took up to six months. But now, companies are reimbursed in just one month.

Combined, the higher rebate and the shorter wait have helped increase suppliers' cash flow, particularly now that the volume of orders has been falling.

Larger businesses are feeling the positive effects even more than SMEs. Because they usually ship large quantities at a time, such companies can receive a higher refund per month. This in turn helps them remain liquid. Smaller suppliers, on the other hand, do not enjoy the benefits as much because of the lower volume of their exports.

But a number of these companies have chosen to remain optimistic about prospects for the year ahead. They recognize the efforts of their local governments, which help negotiate SME funding with banks.

Although bringing some relief, the higher rebates and the stimulus plan are not enough to keep businesses in the black. Several suppliers have indicated that such measures will not work in the long term if overseas demand continues to drop.

In fact, about half of companies in the line are not expecting exports to grow in the months ahead. They are hopeful that revenue will at least remain at current levels.

The XXs of course refer to specifics I probably should not reveal, although those who know what I do would probably know what they mean. In any case, papasa na bang totoong financial/business writer? :D

OK, back to work.

• Does the government feel the need to tax imported books? We're not reading enough books — educational or otherwise — as it is. Make me wonder who DOF officials consulted before imposing the duties. I truly do not understand the intricacies of the decision, particularly this passage explained here:
  

  Based on these two laws, book importers could avail themselves of the duty-free privilege if, first, the imported economic, technical, vocational, scientific and cultural books are not intended for sale, barter, or hire, as prescribed under the Tariff and Customs Code; and second, these materials will be used for book publishing as intended by RA 8047.

  
  Does this mean one can only import books duty-free if said material is just for personal consumption? And again, only "economic, technical, vocational, scientific and cultural books" are tax-exempt? How then can children from low-income families be exposed to books and the pleasure of reading? How will they be able to broaden their vocabulary and their world view? Yes, I am aware that even with the duties our books are cheaper compared with those in Hong Kong, for example. But our purchasing power is so much lower.
  


• Did NBC end Life? It's one of the quirkiest and smartest shows I've seen recently and I do not understand why networks keep killing such shows while picking up inane ones. Episodes are still airing here, but I miss Pushing Daisies already. It's a good thing NBC didn't pull the plug on Chuck.
  


• In the same vein, why do Philippine networks push interesting investigative and informative features to ungodly hours just to make way for incredibly sappy soaps? There are too many drama queens as it is, and not enough people who think.
  


• Don't all cabs have fare meters placed high up near the radio or dashboard for passengers to see? No sudden fare jump surprises this way.
  


• Do we keep sending violent movies to Cannes?
  

We've finally made the trip to Batanes, and in the five days we spent there, we've managed to have lunch with the governor, become terribly annoyed at our tourmates of doctors, struck up a weird tourist acquaintanceship with opinionated British guy and fell absolutely, head over heels in love with the place. So much so that we've decided to go back next year.

I still don't know how to encapsulate our experience there in words. While I figure out how to do that, I will leave you with this: