Back in the trenches

Sometimes I feel that my life these days is a constant race to beat deadlines. Most of the time, though, it's really just a regular -- but far from methodical -- dealing with writing backlogs, which is even worse. I keep lagging behind my calendar, as if I were an out-of-breath jogger being left behind by the platoon on their morning run.

This simply would not do. I needed a change of scenery. I needed a change in ambient sound. I needed maids to serve me mugfuls of hot chocolate and peanut butter sandwiches. I needed free unlimited long-distance calls courtesy of the household expense account. And I needed my son to call me to the television every afternoon after school to watch Totally Spies on the Disney Channel.

So one morning I woke up, loaded all my backlogs, my laptop and its peripherals and the gazillion cables they all need, into my car, and drove to Naga to stay till all my backlogs are no more. In anticipation of my eventual triumphant backlog-free drive back to Makati, I therefore wasted no time in setting up my little foxhole for the battle ahead, and in the process made my Mother's house look like a war zone.

These are two Monobloc tables pushed together and covered with a bed sheet, in the area adjacent to the comedor and perpendicular to the lanai, which can be seen in the upper right corner of the photo.


Not bad for a makeshift desk. Here's the spot where I actually write.

The only things I didn't bring with me from Makati are that lamp, that little tube of glue (it's Spiderman Glue), and the little yellow jar of Play-Doh. Come to think of it, I don't know what the Play-Doh is doing there.

And now let's play a little game. Look at the photo below and try to identify the objects on the desk.


The Play-Doh, the bedsheet, and the colored Velcro cable-ties are not included, but the partially shown objects are, if they're identifiable, which I think they are, by the way. Click on the photo for a larger view.

The first one who identifies at least ten other different items in the photo wins a book by John Updike and a cd containing the electronic texts of various classic works of literature, to be shipped via next-day courier service to any point in the Philippines. Brand names are not necessary but are preferred, simply because it would make the game more fun. Just don't forget to let me know where I can send an online message.

People who are in the house with me and who have visited me since I have arrived and have thus seen the desk in person are not allowed to join. For the rest, enjoy the game!