Thank you for the mind-provoking questions, Chrissy! You’re brilliant.
1) First off, how did you come up with the title of your blog? What is the story behind your blog?
I love Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.” The last four lines continuously inspire me to try and do better every day (regardless of what it is that I’m doing.)
“If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!”
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!”
I thought, “mine is the earth” sounds pretty darned ambitious and that it is so high and lofty an aspiration that it, somehow, got stuck in my head. I’ve been mentally carrying the phrase around everywhere I go for over ten years now, and it still continues to make me want, make me need, and make me wake up from bed each morning thinking, “will the earth be mine today?”
Just so it’s clear to my dear readers, though, I personally think that Kipling only meant to have the phrase “you’ll be a Man, my son” as a generalisation of every child on earth (aside from the fact that “son” conveniently rhymes with “run”). I am neither a Man, nor a son. I’m a girl, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a cousin, a hard worker – whose sum total could only be described as “woman.” Now, I’ll stop the poetic sensibilities here, before I start reciting Maya Angelou’s “I’m a woman, phenomenally / Phenomenal woman / That’s me.” Oi vey, as Ganns would say.
The story behind “mineistheearth”? As you’ve noticed, I only started this blog a couple of months ago, due to the persistent persistence of my dear friend, Conne, who, at that time, was hyper-geared up and super duper eager to reap the possibilities that blogging brings a person. Now, however, I seem to be spending more and more time on the blogsphere than she does. Again, my confession has to be reiterated. I am soooooooo hooked. I mean, just look at the length of this answer to question number one. Question number one! Sheeeesh.
2) If you could name ONE place that you've been to that you would love to revisit one day, where would that place be and why?
Shanghai. I’ve only been there once, and that was back in 1993 (I think). I am an urbanite, through and through, and everyone (from business writers to linguists to film makers to historians to economists to commercial/industrial workers to students to locals to foreigners…) has gone on and on about how Shanghai has become one of China’s greatest business and urban successes in the past five years. I want to see it for myself again, because in 1993, to me, Shanghai had looked like what Manila City did in 1983. In 2007, Shanghai, to me, looks like what Manila City aspires to be in 2013. I would want to know how the Shanghainese did it, and what Manileños like me can do to, again, be within Shanghai’s ‘marketability’ range.
3) What does "a typical day in the life of Kim" look like?
My workdays are pretty much the same:
• 0300H - manually turn off the air-conditioner in the middle of the night (the darned thing doesn’t have timer, unfortunately). Gotta save on electricity.
• 0600H – first alarm.
• 0700H – second alarm. Yes, I need a second alarm, or else, I’ll shut off the first and continue sleeping until noon. Lounge around some more on the bed. Read several chapters of the book on the nightstand.
• 0730H – third alarm – this signals my brain to zap the rest of my body out of bed. Prepare “Kim’s Time-Tested Fool-Proof 15-Minute Breakfast”: scrambled eggs with mayonnaise on wheat bread, and a glass of non-fat milk. Toast the bread if not too lazy. Try not to spoil the milk by leaving it outside on the table, because of being too lazy.
• 0745H – wash dishes and utensils used for breakfast.
• 0800H – hit the gym. Exercise excruciatingly. Take a shower.
• 0915H – start walking from the gym to the office. Control the sweat glands. Mentally run through the day’s schedule.
• 0930H – Gulp down the first coffee of the day. Go get a second cup of coffee to induce brain to work. Then, attend first meeting of the day. Then, work again. And, then, go attend another meeting.
• 1330H – power lunch.
• 1400H – work again. Sneak in some blogging every once in a while.
• 1900H – go home, which is about a 5-minute walk away from work. A better alternative, though, is to go have an after-work coffee or three glasses of gin pomelo with friends.
• 2300H – take a shower (It’s justified. It was hot outside!). Read same book.
• 0000H - Sleep.
Weekends are normally devoted to parents who live in Quezon City. Sit through their interview sessions about my life, in general (Please refer to blog entry entitled “Survivor: Metro Manila.”) Do homework/assignments from MBA school. Catch up on what’s happening on “CSI,” (Las Vegas, New York, and Miami), “Criminal Minds,” “Psychic Detectives,” “House,” [Hugh Laurie, I love you.] “Bones,” “Fear Factor,” “Martha Stewart Living,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Project Runway,” “The Simpsons,” “Spongebob Square Pants,” and “Aang: The Last Avatar.” Indulge in watching trashy tabloid-y entertainment news shows. Tune in to the latest films being shown on HBO and on Star Movies. Sleep. Glorious sleep.
4) How would you describe your latest adventures in dating? What is your idea of your ideal partner? (Being realistic, of course! We're not talking Brad Pitt here!)
What “dating?” Please refer again to answer given to question number 3.
Ideal partner has to have hair like Fabio’s, a forehead like Akon’s, eyebrows like Colin Farrell’s, eyes like Lee Dong Woo’s, a nose like Denzel Washington’s, a mouth like Price William’s, a chin like Bill Clinton’s, ears like Ben Affleck’s, a body like Mark Wahlberg’s, money like Bill Gates’, a sense humour like mine, an intellect and a heart like my dad’s. Ha! No Brad Pitt at all! :-)
5) What is the most important belief/rule you have for yourself (and/or others)?
Karma, whether it’s good or bad, can bite you on the butt anytime. Also known as Confucius’ “The Golden Rule,” or as emphasised by the Christian Bible's Matthew Chapter seven Verse 12.
