Labels: law school, UP

Happy birthday, Papa!

I am one of the rare few who gets to talk to my dad about a lot of things, from how sushi is made to how long it took for the London Tube to be constructed in the 1890s. Papa is not the man of few words - he has a lot to say, and that's because he knows a lot. He is the kind that buys hardbound history books about the Byzantine empire and the type that downloads apps of newspapers from different parts of the world. He is the kind of person who will explain to you how turbines and power plants (and other engineering-related stuff) work, but also he is first to find out about all the latest movies. He never shied away from discovering things old and new, he never stepped away from an opportunity to find out about certain things and discuss what he thinks of them. I guess in many ways, he has set for me the standard of what it is to have a good conversation with an intelligent man. He would never make you feel like you don't know anything, yet at the same time, each talk will leave you with something more than what you began it with.
In a lot of ways, my dad has been a friend and a confidante. While others consider their father a stern, quiet presence in their lives, Papa has been this animated, lively figure that I look up to for his wit, his confidence, and his smarts. He is funny, he is generous, and he is kind. He has taught me a lot of things about life not through long lectures but over (almost) sleepless nights of just watching DVDs together (much to my mom's dismay) or mornings eating pandesal and peanut butter. And that is what I will always be grateful for - the fact that we don't need grand gestures to be able to see eye-to-eye on things. We can just talk and talk and talk, and we would never get tired.
Happy birthday to one of the people I have the best conversations with! (The other, of course, being Mom) Love you, Papa! :)

I'm usually not one to go out of my way to get the newest gadget - in fact, the last time I remember explicitly wanting one was four years ago in 2008, right after my high school graduation. It was a laptop, a NEO Empriva 572SVB, which I set my eyes on, primarily because I was about to enter college and figured I really needed a laptop, but mostly because it came in pink - hot pink. And that's saying a lot about my usual taste in gadgets - the only requirement I really care about having is if it comes in pink. Rarely do I go out of my limb to score something because of its other fancier specs (which is how it really should be, but I'm weird like that.) Also, if anything, my "gadgets" are mostly just hand-me-downs from my dad. I usually just get whatever it is he has already replaced or got tired of. (And of course, I'm not complaining.)

Anyway, that laptop, my Pink Ranger, carried me all throughout the next four years of college - well, almost. Just a few months ago, its hinges went loose, probably because of the everyday wear-and-tear I've exposed it to. It had come to a point where the screen could no longer support itself and to use it, I had to have a stack of books or a wall behind it. It was in a terribly sad, sorry state and it hurt to even look at it. So I asked my dad to - no, not buy me a new one - but have it repaired instead. I figured there may be no need for a new one, especially since the software, which is more important, remains in good condition. I borrowed his laptop in the meantime, just to get me through the last month of the semester, since he's mainly using his iPad for work anyway.

Last week, my dad brought up this new tablet-slash-laptop that Asus has just released a few months ago, the Asus Eee Transformer Prime. Being the gadget/techie addict that he is (I swear, he just knows everything), I wasn't surprised that he was suddenly teasing us about buying one. Normally I would let it slide, but this time I got curious and decided to look it up. It had been getting great reviews from various blogs and gadget enthusiasts. It runs on Android, with its latest version running on Ice Cream Sandwich - which explains its user-friendliness and effortless maneuverability. But of course, its biggest asset is in its "transformer" powers - with the accompanying keyboard, the tablet automatically transforms into a working laptop. One thing that greatly discourages me from even considering getting a tablet is its lack of an actual, tactile keyboard, which is a must with all the papers I have to do. The fact that this one has a detachable keyboard is in itself a great plus. An added bonus is that the keyboard also acts like a dock, so with the tablet attached to it, the former can charge. Together, they can stay on for almost eighteen hours - that is amazing battery power right there! But even with the two components together it probably just weighs a little over the typical iPad, which still makes it light and ideal for mobility. It also boasts of an 8-megapixel outer camera - YES EIGHT MEGAPIXELS - and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera for video calls. Both the keyboard and the tablet each have memory card slots, with the keyboard having an extra USB slot. And one of the best things about it is that it goes for about $499 - much, much cheaper than a lot of other tablets and laptops/netbooks out there. The only catch was that it doesn't come in pink, but I was sold.

I was half-expecting to get it sometime this April after my graduation, but I found it on my table when Papa came home last night. And oh, was it beautiful! We were both screaming in excitement while we were unboxing it - which my mom found weird, haha! But there really is nothing like opening a new gadget straight out of its box. Suffice to say, in the last 24 hours that I've used it, it hasn't disappointed me yet. Although, it has to be said that this is still essentially a tablet - so it is kind of difficult to multitask (as it typically runs one app at a time, or hides most of them in the background) and certain common features in laptops are absent (such as copy/paste features). But the Ice Cream Sandwich OS tries to go beyond its mere-tablet capabilities and maximizes its potential as a true laptop-replacement. There is a nifty button that shows all the applications running, allowing you to quickly skip from one app to the other. It also comes with pre-loaded programs such as Polaris Office, which is a good enough stand-in for Microsoft, and the Asus Browser, which is similar to the Chrome. Except from the obvious limitations that comes from being a tablet, the Transformer Prime is, so far, exceptional. In the battle of tablet supremacy, with this gadget, hands down, Asus takes the crown.

So here she is, my darling new baby. In line with my fondness to name my gadgets starting with a "P" (my other laptop is Pink Ranger, my iPod classic is Portia, my nook is Porphyria) - I named her Prima. Not so much because of the "Prime," but also because prima in Italian means first, and I really think this one is going to set the trend for what would be soon be a tablet/laptop market. I still can't believe I'm actually typing on it right now - I actually missed being this stoked over a gadget! I'm actually feeling kilig about it :)) I'm still having my first laptop repaired and I'm still going to use it; that'll probably be my "desktop" whereas Prima will be my on-the-go partner. Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it?



Isn't she pretty? :)

(Here's a link to a review of the Transformer Prime, by the way. Check it out!)

In between writing nineteen papers (yes, 19) and trying to revise my thesis, I somehow stumbled upon the link to something I've been waiting for for quite a while now - the short documentary on Sugarfree's "Paalam Pilipinas" farewell concert.

Labels: UP

I just bought a copy of Top Gear PH - again. I don't drive, and I hardly ever consider myself a car enthusiast (unfortunately for me, the love of cars is non-transferable, even when The Boyfriend is competing for automotive contests abroad). But lately I've appreciated the magazine simply for what it brings - good writing on good cars. I may not know enough to understand completely how different a 338hp fares against a 306hp or how exactly traction control works, which essentially should strip me off the "right" to read about such things, but a lot of their pieces are rendered in such a way that these terms hardly get in the way of me understanding a car or the experience of driving it.

A few months ago I also grabbed for myself a copy of the local Esquire magazine, with MVP on the cover. It was mostly because one of my professors, Dr. Dalisay, had an article featured in it. But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the rest of the magazine, even if it was targeted at the male audience. Sure, I probably couldn't care less about brown suits or the leather boat shoes to go with them. Or that there are better drinks (that you can concoct yourself using your stash of leftover alcohol) cozy party with a few buds other than beer. But I did appreciate the way they were written - clean, straightforward, and just the right amount of witty. Good enough for me to keep the magazine and look back on it again from time to time. The same actually goes for the few Top Gear magazines I also bought in the recent past

Meanwhile, I too had my fair share of the usual female magazines out there, that is Preview, Mega, Cosmopolitan and other similarly related reads (mostly bought by my mom at home, several I bought for myself here in the dorm). I will not apologize for the many various reasons I may have given in to these issues, because really, on most days, I just need a break from all the heavy academic reading and just want to look at lipsticks and lingerie without guilt. They do have some of the best fashion editorials and spreads in the country today - I think, given with my limited knowledge on fashion, they can very well compete with publications abroad. The fashion mags, mostly, are also highly promoting of the Filipino talent especially when it comes to fashion design and photography. So I think in the visual aspect, these female-target magazines do their job.

But I hardly get the satisfaction I'm looking for when I read through them. Sure, the pictures are gorgeous, and the variety of clothes/make-up they show (and blatantly require everyone to "have right now!") are completely up-to-date with the trends from overseas - something to give them credit for. But I don't find intriguing, moving writing in any of these pages. Or at least any kind of writing that goes beyond what is required of them. I get it that they are catered specifically for just one market, i.e. Preview for fashionistas, Cosmopolitan for single women, etc. I also recognize the fact that some of them have parent publications abroad, articles from which they have to have in their current issues in order to streamline the offerings all over the world. But do they really have to come out with just recycled,hackneyed fluff? Is there nothing else to talk about other than THIS NEW SKIRT YOU HAVE TO BUY or THIS BOY YOU HAVE TO PLEASE? More accurately, aren't there better ways to write about them?

Top Gear, for example, limits itself to mostly just cars but the way they present their articles always have that level of experience, that touch of humanity in them. You read about the entire driver's experience: how the shiny exterior had him at first glance, how the seat welcomed him upon ignition, how the steering wheel felt in his hands. It gives you so much more than just the specs and how much the car is worth. Of course, their articles are hardly literary, but they're not trash. They're something you can genuinely look back onto, especially those that involve a little bit of travel and culture (when cars are road-tested in various locations, local or international), and sometimes a bit of memoir too (when it reminds them of things past, or evokes something of the future). The apparent subject is there of course (i.e. the vehicle), but there's also some sort of insight - which makes it a more rewarding read on so many levels.

You can argue that shoes don't have much going on for them to elicit such a wordy, descriptive article. But says who? Who says you cannot write about the perfect outfit without the dedication of a car enthusiast? And isn't that the challenge of nonfiction - nay, any kind of writing - anyway? To write something different? To come up with a new approach on things?

One of my classes this semester (and probably my favorite; also the most demanding) is CW141 which is Nonfiction II. It covers speech writing, food writing, profile, travel writing, and the memoir - most of which are the types of nonfiction we find in various magazines. It's no surprise, considering that most of the essays on our reading list actually do come from mag publications: GQ, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Esquire, and the like. A lot of them were written more than a year ago - one even pertaining to events following the 9/11 attack - but they hardly sound out of fashion or dated. The form and style carried the pieces to a certain degree of timelessness, or at least an extension of relevance for until a next couple of years.

Of course I haven't read all men's magazines to consider them much more superior than their female counterparts. Especially with the recent FHM racism controversy, I hardly think they're the ideal publication to look up to. (I also haven't read FHM, Playboy, or any of that kind of "men's magazine" so that's not part of this equation.) I'm also not judging magazines that feature mostly fashion or photo spreads as second-rate compared to those which feature more pieces of writings. What I'm pointing out however is the seeming disparity between those that do have prose as their foundation, and how starkly different they seem to be, given their market.

Labels: law school, UP

Happy birthday, Papa!

I am one of the rare few who gets to talk to my dad about a lot of things, from how sushi is made to how long it took for the London Tube to be constructed in the 1890s. Papa is not the man of few words - he has a lot to say, and that's because he knows a lot. He is the kind that buys hardbound history books about the Byzantine empire and the type that downloads apps of newspapers from different parts of the world. He is the kind of person who will explain to you how turbines and power plants (and other engineering-related stuff) work, but also he is first to find out about all the latest movies. He never shied away from discovering things old and new, he never stepped away from an opportunity to find out about certain things and discuss what he thinks of them. I guess in many ways, he has set for me the standard of what it is to have a good conversation with an intelligent man. He would never make you feel like you don't know anything, yet at the same time, each talk will leave you with something more than what you began it with.
In a lot of ways, my dad has been a friend and a confidante. While others consider their father a stern, quiet presence in their lives, Papa has been this animated, lively figure that I look up to for his wit, his confidence, and his smarts. He is funny, he is generous, and he is kind. He has taught me a lot of things about life not through long lectures but over (almost) sleepless nights of just watching DVDs together (much to my mom's dismay) or mornings eating pandesal and peanut butter. And that is what I will always be grateful for - the fact that we don't need grand gestures to be able to see eye-to-eye on things. We can just talk and talk and talk, and we would never get tired.
Happy birthday to one of the people I have the best conversations with! (The other, of course, being Mom) Love you, Papa! :)

I'm usually not one to go out of my way to get the newest gadget - in fact, the last time I remember explicitly wanting one was four years ago in 2008, right after my high school graduation. It was a laptop, a NEO Empriva 572SVB, which I set my eyes on, primarily because I was about to enter college and figured I really needed a laptop, but mostly because it came in pink - hot pink. And that's saying a lot about my usual taste in gadgets - the only requirement I really care about having is if it comes in pink. Rarely do I go out of my limb to score something because of its other fancier specs (which is how it really should be, but I'm weird like that.) Also, if anything, my "gadgets" are mostly just hand-me-downs from my dad. I usually just get whatever it is he has already replaced or got tired of. (And of course, I'm not complaining.)

Anyway, that laptop, my Pink Ranger, carried me all throughout the next four years of college - well, almost. Just a few months ago, its hinges went loose, probably because of the everyday wear-and-tear I've exposed it to. It had come to a point where the screen could no longer support itself and to use it, I had to have a stack of books or a wall behind it. It was in a terribly sad, sorry state and it hurt to even look at it. So I asked my dad to - no, not buy me a new one - but have it repaired instead. I figured there may be no need for a new one, especially since the software, which is more important, remains in good condition. I borrowed his laptop in the meantime, just to get me through the last month of the semester, since he's mainly using his iPad for work anyway.

Last week, my dad brought up this new tablet-slash-laptop that Asus has just released a few months ago, the Asus Eee Transformer Prime. Being the gadget/techie addict that he is (I swear, he just knows everything), I wasn't surprised that he was suddenly teasing us about buying one. Normally I would let it slide, but this time I got curious and decided to look it up. It had been getting great reviews from various blogs and gadget enthusiasts. It runs on Android, with its latest version running on Ice Cream Sandwich - which explains its user-friendliness and effortless maneuverability. But of course, its biggest asset is in its "transformer" powers - with the accompanying keyboard, the tablet automatically transforms into a working laptop. One thing that greatly discourages me from even considering getting a tablet is its lack of an actual, tactile keyboard, which is a must with all the papers I have to do. The fact that this one has a detachable keyboard is in itself a great plus. An added bonus is that the keyboard also acts like a dock, so with the tablet attached to it, the former can charge. Together, they can stay on for almost eighteen hours - that is amazing battery power right there! But even with the two components together it probably just weighs a little over the typical iPad, which still makes it light and ideal for mobility. It also boasts of an 8-megapixel outer camera - YES EIGHT MEGAPIXELS - and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera for video calls. Both the keyboard and the tablet each have memory card slots, with the keyboard having an extra USB slot. And one of the best things about it is that it goes for about $499 - much, much cheaper than a lot of other tablets and laptops/netbooks out there. The only catch was that it doesn't come in pink, but I was sold.

I was half-expecting to get it sometime this April after my graduation, but I found it on my table when Papa came home last night. And oh, was it beautiful! We were both screaming in excitement while we were unboxing it - which my mom found weird, haha! But there really is nothing like opening a new gadget straight out of its box. Suffice to say, in the last 24 hours that I've used it, it hasn't disappointed me yet. Although, it has to be said that this is still essentially a tablet - so it is kind of difficult to multitask (as it typically runs one app at a time, or hides most of them in the background) and certain common features in laptops are absent (such as copy/paste features). But the Ice Cream Sandwich OS tries to go beyond its mere-tablet capabilities and maximizes its potential as a true laptop-replacement. There is a nifty button that shows all the applications running, allowing you to quickly skip from one app to the other. It also comes with pre-loaded programs such as Polaris Office, which is a good enough stand-in for Microsoft, and the Asus Browser, which is similar to the Chrome. Except from the obvious limitations that comes from being a tablet, the Transformer Prime is, so far, exceptional. In the battle of tablet supremacy, with this gadget, hands down, Asus takes the crown.

So here she is, my darling new baby. In line with my fondness to name my gadgets starting with a "P" (my other laptop is Pink Ranger, my iPod classic is Portia, my nook is Porphyria) - I named her Prima. Not so much because of the "Prime," but also because prima in Italian means first, and I really think this one is going to set the trend for what would be soon be a tablet/laptop market. I still can't believe I'm actually typing on it right now - I actually missed being this stoked over a gadget! I'm actually feeling kilig about it :)) I'm still having my first laptop repaired and I'm still going to use it; that'll probably be my "desktop" whereas Prima will be my on-the-go partner. Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it?



Isn't she pretty? :)

(Here's a link to a review of the Transformer Prime, by the way. Check it out!)

In between writing nineteen papers (yes, 19) and trying to revise my thesis, I somehow stumbled upon the link to something I've been waiting for for quite a while now - the short documentary on Sugarfree's "Paalam Pilipinas" farewell concert.

Labels: UP

I just bought a copy of Top Gear PH - again. I don't drive, and I hardly ever consider myself a car enthusiast (unfortunately for me, the love of cars is non-transferable, even when The Boyfriend is competing for automotive contests abroad). But lately I've appreciated the magazine simply for what it brings - good writing on good cars. I may not know enough to understand completely how different a 338hp fares against a 306hp or how exactly traction control works, which essentially should strip me off the "right" to read about such things, but a lot of their pieces are rendered in such a way that these terms hardly get in the way of me understanding a car or the experience of driving it.

A few months ago I also grabbed for myself a copy of the local Esquire magazine, with MVP on the cover. It was mostly because one of my professors, Dr. Dalisay, had an article featured in it. But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying the rest of the magazine, even if it was targeted at the male audience. Sure, I probably couldn't care less about brown suits or the leather boat shoes to go with them. Or that there are better drinks (that you can concoct yourself using your stash of leftover alcohol) cozy party with a few buds other than beer. But I did appreciate the way they were written - clean, straightforward, and just the right amount of witty. Good enough for me to keep the magazine and look back on it again from time to time. The same actually goes for the few Top Gear magazines I also bought in the recent past

Meanwhile, I too had my fair share of the usual female magazines out there, that is Preview, Mega, Cosmopolitan and other similarly related reads (mostly bought by my mom at home, several I bought for myself here in the dorm). I will not apologize for the many various reasons I may have given in to these issues, because really, on most days, I just need a break from all the heavy academic reading and just want to look at lipsticks and lingerie without guilt. They do have some of the best fashion editorials and spreads in the country today - I think, given with my limited knowledge on fashion, they can very well compete with publications abroad. The fashion mags, mostly, are also highly promoting of the Filipino talent especially when it comes to fashion design and photography. So I think in the visual aspect, these female-target magazines do their job.

But I hardly get the satisfaction I'm looking for when I read through them. Sure, the pictures are gorgeous, and the variety of clothes/make-up they show (and blatantly require everyone to "have right now!") are completely up-to-date with the trends from overseas - something to give them credit for. But I don't find intriguing, moving writing in any of these pages. Or at least any kind of writing that goes beyond what is required of them. I get it that they are catered specifically for just one market, i.e. Preview for fashionistas, Cosmopolitan for single women, etc. I also recognize the fact that some of them have parent publications abroad, articles from which they have to have in their current issues in order to streamline the offerings all over the world. But do they really have to come out with just recycled,hackneyed fluff? Is there nothing else to talk about other than THIS NEW SKIRT YOU HAVE TO BUY or THIS BOY YOU HAVE TO PLEASE? More accurately, aren't there better ways to write about them?

Top Gear, for example, limits itself to mostly just cars but the way they present their articles always have that level of experience, that touch of humanity in them. You read about the entire driver's experience: how the shiny exterior had him at first glance, how the seat welcomed him upon ignition, how the steering wheel felt in his hands. It gives you so much more than just the specs and how much the car is worth. Of course, their articles are hardly literary, but they're not trash. They're something you can genuinely look back onto, especially those that involve a little bit of travel and culture (when cars are road-tested in various locations, local or international), and sometimes a bit of memoir too (when it reminds them of things past, or evokes something of the future). The apparent subject is there of course (i.e. the vehicle), but there's also some sort of insight - which makes it a more rewarding read on so many levels.

You can argue that shoes don't have much going on for them to elicit such a wordy, descriptive article. But says who? Who says you cannot write about the perfect outfit without the dedication of a car enthusiast? And isn't that the challenge of nonfiction - nay, any kind of writing - anyway? To write something different? To come up with a new approach on things?

One of my classes this semester (and probably my favorite; also the most demanding) is CW141 which is Nonfiction II. It covers speech writing, food writing, profile, travel writing, and the memoir - most of which are the types of nonfiction we find in various magazines. It's no surprise, considering that most of the essays on our reading list actually do come from mag publications: GQ, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Esquire, and the like. A lot of them were written more than a year ago - one even pertaining to events following the 9/11 attack - but they hardly sound out of fashion or dated. The form and style carried the pieces to a certain degree of timelessness, or at least an extension of relevance for until a next couple of years.

Of course I haven't read all men's magazines to consider them much more superior than their female counterparts. Especially with the recent FHM racism controversy, I hardly think they're the ideal publication to look up to. (I also haven't read FHM, Playboy, or any of that kind of "men's magazine" so that's not part of this equation.) I'm also not judging magazines that feature mostly fashion or photo spreads as second-rate compared to those which feature more pieces of writings. What I'm pointing out however is the seeming disparity between those that do have prose as their foundation, and how starkly different they seem to be, given their market.

Hello, I'm Karla Bernardo. If you Google my name, you will find the Wikipedia entry of a Canadian serial-killer (and trust me, you do not want to read about that - but I'm sure you will because now you're curious), which is why I suggest you type Bombastarr instead so you can stalk me better.

I spent eight-and-a-half years of my life in the University of the Philippines, where I graduated with degrees in Creative Writing and Juris Doctor. It is also where I learned how to speak a bit of Italian, got a taste of the best tapsilog, and took striptease for PE.

I love telling stories, as much as I enjoy finding them.

<center><font style="color: #ffffff;">____</font>Want <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/09096636074047764491">more</a>?</center><br>

Featured Works

Stargirl (Cover story for Nadine Lustre, Scout, January-February 2017)
Surreal / So Real (at Scout)
Ode to a Great Love's 17-year-old Self (Love.Life, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Postcard from Diliman (Youngblood, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Writer for Philippine Law Register
A Call to Arms (January 2017)
Expecting the Expected (March 2016)

Former Writer for Stache Magazine
The Hero's Journey (June 2013)
The 8 People You Become In Your Youth (June 2013)
The Best Bad Idea That Is Argo (April 2013)
Mike Ross Remembers Everything You Don't (August 2012)
Style Between the Riffs (August 2012)
Book Lovers Never Sleep Alone (June 2012)
A Spectrum of Change (December 2011)
Digital Art (October 2011)
Elements of Style (June 2011)
In Her White Dress (All-Art April 2011 issue)

Morning After Pill (Fervore: Literary Folio 2013, UP Portia Sorority)
How To Make a Blueberry Cheesecake (Kalas: Kalasag Literary Folio 2011, UP College of Arts and Letters)
January 14th (100: The Hundreds Project, UP Writer's Club)

An Ode to The Pillow Book (at New-Slang)
Introductions (at TeenInk)
One by One (at TeenInk)

   

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Got a comment, question, violent reaction, love letter, or random piece of information you want to share with me? Just fire away. I don't bite.

(I changed my form and went back to Freedback because Ask.fm's being a bitch, requiring people to sign up for accounts before asking questions. Because I love you guys, I tweaked my ask box a bit, so that the questions will now go directly to my e-mail, but I'll be posting the answers still on my Ask.fm for convenience. TL;DR - I'll still be getting your questions so no worries. You're still free to harass me / send me your love.)

Answers

Most Frequently Asked Question

Are you a pornstar?
No, I am not a pornstar, stripper, or your friendly neighborhood call girl. It's just a fancy pseudonym with a long history, and two R's. Rawr.

Bombastarr is my personal blog and my little corner in the Internet since 2005. Yes, I started writing here when I was 13 years old (aka when I was very angsty, hormonal, and always gushing at the littlest things) -- ergo, you'd have to forgive me if you come across an old post that reeks of immaturity and slightly unpolished grammar. I did a lot of growing up here, and from the looks of it, there's still a lot of growing up to do, so I don't think I'll be leaving this place any time soon.

The domain, Bombastarr.com, was purchased on June 2014 and launched on July 2014, on the blog's ninth year (and fifth month, to be exact).

It's crazy to think that this blog is now thirteen years old, because (1) that seems like an eternity in internet years, and (2) that means if my blog were a kid, it's a teenager! That's insane.

Here's to more tales, explosive and otherwise.

If you've been living under a rock and think I'm a threat to world peace or an object of covetousness, sorry to disappoint you, folks: it's just a fancy pseudonym.

As in most things, it started in high school. It began as a joke between me and a couple of friends during our freshman year. We were practicing for a field demonstration dance which involved the use of shawls, and being the crazy-always-trying-to-be-funny person that I was (or I always attempted to be) I started doing poses with the garment. Someone started taking my picture using my phone, and one shot looked like I was posing for those B-list movies (or should it be R-list, as in R-rated?) of the vegetable-nomenclature variety. #IKYWIM. Hence, the word, "Bombastarr." Yes, very cheeky, I know, but for a 13-year-old, it was quirky enough to figure as a username. That was 2005, right around the time I trying to decide on a URL for a new blog. It's been a lot of years since, and what started as a joke became something I've eventually embraced as an identity.

Despite the many other chances I've gotten to permanently move (to Multiply, Livejournal, Tumblr, Wordpress; to a bigger platform where I can earn or use the blog as a venue for commerce), I've come to realize that Bombastarr is something I can never truly leave behind. It is a place I've grown to appreciate and love because it is a place I can call my own. It's a venue for my rants, my views, my writing. It is home, and it is who I am.

Bombastarr is a glimpse of my life: the thoughts, ideas, and stories that shape it into what it is, and what it will still become. This journal has been with me for all my crazy, often embarrassing adventures, but I'm sure there will be more anecdotes and feelings and people to write about. Which is something I'm really looking forward to. After all, you know what they say about the greatest stories - sometimes, there's still a lot that's left unwritten.

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