Jessica Zafra's Blog, page 35

An introduction to Steely Dan, my favorite cerebral-ironic jazz-rock nerd grouch band

When I was 14 I got a Walkman, and from that moment on I was free to choose my own mental soundtrack. I never had to hear Air Supply or David Pomeranz again, unless my batteries died or I caught a stray high note while changing cassettes. The most pleasurable and most agonizing choice of […]

Weekend in Cebu: LitFest, Writing Boot Camp, fabrics and accessories

I left the house under the guilt-inducing gaze of Drogon, who disapproves of any activities that do not involve him. I was in Cebu from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning for two events organized by Hendri Go, who runs the Cebu Literary Festival. I like Cebu: One can still breathe, even if the traffic is […]

Answer our questionnaire about your favorite books

Saffy and Drogon guard the books. 1. What was the first book you read repeatedly? 2. What book have you reread the most? 3. What book do you wish you had written? 4. Do you have a book fetish? 5. What book do you wish would be made into a movie? 6. What book/s do […]

The Dream of the Brown Dog (and how to remember your dreams)

The Key to Dreams by Rene Magritte I had this dream a few days ago. (I’d woken up at 8am and gone back to sleep.) We were filming the travel show in Texas, right after Hurricane Harvey struck. The high-rise office building we were in was flooded up to the second floor. We did not […]

My story collection has been nominated for a National Book Award

The Stories So Far has been nominated in the Best Book of Short Fiction in English category. Thank you, National Book Development Board and Manila Critics Circle. The full list of nominees is here. The Stories So Far was published in paperback by Anvil last year. The paperback edition might still be available in National […]

How are you going to get through the next two years before Game of Thrones returns?

Following the show’s arc, Drogon and I have agreed on our house allegiances. It’s been eight days since the season 7 finale of Game of Thrones, and every day somebody sends me a show-related meme (many cats dressed as Lady Olenna Tyrell), joke (usually about incest), video, or mathematical meditation on Jon Snow’s ass (Fibonacci). […]

Start the working week with Seneca the Stoic

Read Seneca on the Antidote to Anxiety in Brain Pickings. From 100 Days of Overthinking by Maria Sanoja Dear Moleskine, As a loyal Moleskine user I am dismayed that your recent Limited Edition notebooks (Avengers, Beatles, etc) are available with ruled pages only. Consider that many of the people who shell out uncomplainingly for your […]

Writing Boot Camp goes to Cebu on September 16

If you want to organize a Writing Boot Camp in your office or city, email saffron.safin@gmail.com.

I’m looking for OFWs to interview in Tokyo and Yokohama in September

I am going to Japan in late September (21ish to 27ish) for some world domination research and I plan to interview overseas Filipino workers. The interviews are fairly simple and uncontroversial: how they wound up working in Japan, what their typical day is like, whether they have Filipino friends there, and what their aspirations are. […]

We know what you’re doing this morning.

I am the star of Game of Thrones. Drogon, fool, not a White Walker. Much as we love Game of Thrones, with an affection that cannot be shaken by its abandonment of logic, we aspire to a life in which a new episode of the series is not the high point of our week, or […]