Kitty Litter

As promised, Kitty Litter is back. Not better than ever; not even slightly improved; just tired, but happy.

Buy the Bulletin this Saturday, December 3. There’s a new section debuting there, and I am the editor for it. Details in a bit.

Thank you for checking back and nagging at me to write again. It feels good to be back in the saddle, so to speak, after two months of writing releases, doing rewrites (of some of the weirdest articles I’ve read), and copyediting.

I now wear a hat of many colors. I’m not even sure if I still fall under “writer,” but I’d like to think so. I’m still with UP, although I’ve made the jump and asked not to be renewed for the coming school year, so May 31 marks my “birth” from UP.

But this time, I’m not scared anymore.

Thanks to all the kind words posted in the comments box of that uncertain entry over a month ago, and private e-mails, and talks with people whose advice I cherish, I made the decision to leave UP. I was scared that I wouldn’t find a job suited to me, that I’d become an office grunt, and that I wouldn’t like it out there. I was worried that my little sidelines (copyediting for Bulletin sections and ghostwriting for another magazine) wouldn’t be enough to feed and clothe me …especially since there’s a lot of me to feed and clothe! But I’d made the decision, and I figured I would take care of job arrangements after finishing my last sem in UP. After all, I do owe a part of who I am to the University.

Polar Bear/Wynn (by request, he's asked me to drop the "Bearball." Makes him sound less menacing ^_^) gave me the best advice. "Just do what you want to do. Trust in yourself. Something's bound to come up."

Suddenly, things started falling into place. The universe actually makes space for people like me, and I am grateful.

First, I was offered the editorship of this cute little magazine called “Tales from the Enchanted Kingdom.” Not literary highbrow, certainly, but it pays well and fits into my schedule, since I can work on my own time. I also get to work with Boboy Yonzon and Luna Grino-Inocian, and I enjoy what I do. Plus it pays well.

Next, Maoi Arroyo of Hybridigm Consulting (who is responsible for turning me around, and I love and worship her. Amen) put me on a small but steady retainer to do odd writing jobs.

I’m also deputy editor for the lovely bi-yearly wedding magazine Wedding Essentials, and I get to work with more people I adore: Marbee Go and Cynthia Bauzon-Arre. I’ve never laughed, smiled, and loved working so hard as when I’m with these people.

Then Emil, my boss of bosses at the Bulletin, dropped the surprise in my lap. He called me into his office, refusing to reveal the reason for the meeting at first. Then he told me that he’d chosen me to be the Philippine editor for the New York Times International Weekly.

He and Marbee giggled as I gawped. Naturally, I accepted. It’s been a fascinating job since, and the things I’ve learned are beyond price. Of course the time zone difference can drive a steady sleeper like me nuts; to talk to the people at NYTIW, I have to wake up at 2 or 3 am for long-distance calls. But I enjoy reading the exclusive articles, exchanging viewpoints with other people, and running around beating deadlines. I even enjoy going to the press at weird hours of the morning to check on my section. I’m proud to be part of Emil’s vision of the Bulletin moving into the future. Do I sound self-indulgent? Then please forgive me.

It's a lot of work, and the mild flu I went through this weekend (still nursing a cold) tells me that I'm paying the price for all the late nights and hard work.But I wake up looking forward to the next day, and I think that's worth the price.

I don’t know what else is coming for me, but I’ve learned that sometimes, you just have to trust in tomorrow.