Odd Jobs

As Janet strips me freakishly painfully for a wax treatment, I asked myself how i got into this. I am naked, lying on a cot, as her gloved hand runs through me, she warns me when it's time to wax off,and i heave. She must like her job, to be looking at you know what all day and still manage to tell ordinary day stories of her marriage and her man. it takes an hour, and i said to myself,why do i always say yes to a plus sell. I only wanted a leg wax.
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When i was in Nagano ,Japan in 1995-96, i fell in love with their small shops. In particular, i imagined myself owning a flower shop and a coffee house. The shops are,like many shops in japan,small in size and are adjacent to one other, located in the main streets of the town, each shop defining the character of the town and prefecture. The set-up of the flower shop is similar to the mall setup of Holland Tulip shops here in manila,except my shop would have lots of flowers and i'd make some arrangements myself, using not just flowers,but twigs,berries and a whole range of creations that i'd make a name for myself. Then, at that time i reminded myself,this fantasy was based on the premise that it would not be an ambitious job. The barista/coffeehouse scene was probably inspired by Jennifer Aniston's Rachel character in friends,since i also envisioned a tiny apron and the haircut. The fantasy job meant assuming a different personality,and with no responsibility, just assuming an ordinary bloke's life. I guess for guys, working at a record house,-the obscure record kind of shop,with hard to find, no local release/japan import only copies of some unknown band with a cult following from young men, i guess that's the equivalent. I've always had an arty side of me-in fact,that was the course i wanted to take up in college (well,either fine arts or journalism,anyway),but i knew i couldn't live on it. How about being a proponet of a shadow play production house? It would mean introducing the play, doing the behind the scene work, and getting sponsorhips and organizations to produce my plays? I knew it was going to be hard, just as Bienvenido Santos described how a filipino english writer of his stature ends up in rickety hotels when he does a speaking engagement or a book tour.
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Next week, i am excited to reconnect with art,history and the other side of my brain that got locked up since it was told it couldn't pay for a meal. I joined Ayala museum's docent program. For those interested, application will still be acccepted until wed, april 18. Workshop begins on apr 21, for 5 saturdays until may 19. No waxing required.