The obligatory "Merry Christmas from our family to yours" post! As per usual, it's lunch with the Bernardos and dinner with the Vistans.

For lunch, this year, my Ninong Buggy (who's a chef) prepared roast porchetto with baked potatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives pasta, ox tongue, beef salpicao, beer battered fish and chips with aioli, and melba toast with 4 dips! It's always a sumptuous feast when Ninong Bugs is around.









Then for dinner, we went straight to Marriott where we were also booked for the night. My Tita Karen is home from Bali, so she and my mom decided to treat us for a short staycation for the weekend. We had beef caldereta, sinigang na hipon, pancit canton, and lechon Cebu. The next day, after breakfast buffet, we said hello to Tita Gina at St. Therese's.








And now, I'm at Batangas, where I'm enjoying the vacation-cum-sembreak the only way I know how: by bumming around and eating! Happy holidays, indeed!

I have lots of things and feelings to share about this Christmas, but maybe that's better reserved for my end-of-the-year post. For now, let me enjoy the small things that did make my holidays special, like the company of friends and the pleasure of quiet moments with family. And the taste of my freedooooom! Woohoooooo!

Thanks to a little bit of fate and a whole lot of work, I was invited to the Summit Media Men's Titles* Christmas Party last night. My friend Ria is an editorial assistant for the Men's Health website, and for the last few months, she has been asking me to contribute some light, humorous articles here and there when I have the time. I gladly oblige when she thinks of timely article ideas for which she could use my "skillz," and I don't have much on my plate. It's been great so far, actually, and it's something I enjoy doing because it takes my mind off school. I get to do articles I normally wouldn't have the chance to write, for many reasons. We both agreed I'll be writing them under a pseudonym** and thus far, the name has allowed me to be more risque, more off-color than usual. Which I guess, only translated to better writing.

And so imagine my extreme delight when both Ria's editor and the chief of all men's titles invited me to come over for their Christmas party, because they personally wanted to meet me. #KILIG




It was so surreal being told in person of how much your work is appreciated. This is what I miss most about the workshop - and college, in general. Critique and appraisal. You only ever grow as a writer when you get feedback. And when it's coming from people in the industry you respect, it will always get you floored. (Especially when they personally invite you to continue writing for them because they really like your voice.)Shaking hands with "The Chief," and hearing him tell me that I should never stop writing - it's music to my ears. The fact that people of their caliber respect the work that I do (and my sense of humor! They think my writing is hilarious! Lol) is probably the best kind of compliment I've received in a long time. But probably none more adulatory than actually being invited to contribute for their other titles, both on web and on print. It's (pardon my French) <i>abso-fucking-lutely</i> incredible.<br /> <br /> [Bonus: I felt so starstruck that I got to rub elbows and share chips with Top Gear's Dinzo Tabamo! I just had to take a picture with him - for making-the-boyfriend-jealous purposes hehe]<br /> <br /> I sound like such a douche, right now, don't I? Like I'm pumping my imaginary chest and flexing my arms to show off my metaphorical guns? :)) I'm sorry, I just had to write about this because I rarely get to go out and have a night for the books these days. Hahaha. #sad #whatsociallife

The thing is, I think I've reached that point in my life where I've accepted that writing is not going to be my main career. At least not for now. Law, with all my ups and downs, is something I've grown to appreciate. Now that I'm almost at the tail-end of my law school journey, I've come to like it. And yes, I want to finish it. That, I'm already sure of.

But some loves you never let go. And when opportunities like this present themselves to me, I will always, always grab it. I guess there will always be parts of me that will never be as happy as when I get the chance to put words on paper. It may be trivial, it may not be earth-shattering. But like I said in my previous post, art finds a way. When it comes knocking at your door, who are you to turn it away?


__

* Summit Men's Titles include Men's Health, Top Gear, and FHM. 
** A pseudonym which shall not be revealed for now, but let's just say I call her my party-girl-from-Alabang alter-ego. HA HA HAHAHA. Oh, the many lives we live when we write.

Why hello, internet! I've missed you for far, far too long! I am finally a free elf! Wow, the last few months sure did feel like forever. It's been four years of law school and yet with all honesty I can still say that my favorite part of each sem is when it finally ends! :))

If it hasn't been obvious yet, judging by my Instagram account, I've been obsessed lately with brush calligraphy. This photo is an edited version of one I doodled in one of my notebooks. This is actually a metallic blue pen on black paper, but I had a little too much fun on Photoshop and ended up making look like a vectorized version of its original self. Anyway, I still love it! Seriously considering changing up my logo for the blog now. I wish I can attend a calligraphy workshop this Christmas break - it's definitely one of those things I've been meaning to do but just didn't have the time for. Hopefully, there's one that can pop up somewhere near where I'm living in the South.

With this recent interest in calligraphy, there's one thing I realized: art finds a way. For years, I've been complaining that my life just doesn't have enough art anymore. I hardly have time to read books for pleasure, and I no longer have the leisure of writing for writing's sake. My mind is cluttered with thoughts of academic stuff. I'm always on a rush, I'm always worried about doing something else. There's no time to just do stuff and make art. Which is sad, really, because what kind of life are you living without any semblance of creativity left, right?

But then, I stumbled upon calligraphy by accident. I started trying it out last year and found myself really enjoying it. I'd like to think I've improved since the first time I did it. And you know what? I've come to appreciate the lightness it brings. Doodling makes me feel relaxed; it takes my mind off pressing things, even for a few minutes. It forces me to think of songs to write about, of words that are beautiful enough to be put on paper. It's nothing serious - nothing groundbreaking comes out of my scribbles. But it brings me great relief, knowing that there is somethin g I can still pursue, something I genuinely enjoy and I am good at. It's fulfilling.

For Christmas break, I've downloaded so many TV series, taken note of so many books, and prepared a plethora of albums to listen to. But I also armed myself with new notebooks and pens to while away my time. Art has found its way into my otherwise hectic, frantic life. Time to give it the attention I think it so rightfully deserves.

Happy holiday break, everyone! :) Enjoy the sweater weather! Brrrr!

"Nung college lang, sa class ko sa creative writing, pinag-pasa kami ng short story. Eh naka-uno ako, tapos nagsulat yung professor ko ng note, nakalagay, 'You should share this to the world someday.' Ganun. Edi siyempre pakiramdam ko nun ang galing-galing ko na diba.

Grabe noh? Aren't we supposed to be great by this time?"

#GradStudentWoes

Okay, back to studying!

I was listening to FM radio while studying a while ago, just like I always do, when your song came along. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Chancing upon 96.3 Easy Rock means there's a likelihood I'll hear a song you love to sing, because that's your default radio station. Actually, that's the default station of everyone in your generation. (And, of every office I've ever been in, as a matter of fact, haha.)

So I shouldn't be caught off guard anymore when the first few notes of "Betcha By Golly Wow" start playing. This isn't the first time it happened. Three seconds into the song, every time I hear it, and I'm bawling my eyes out.

And yet it's not something I have gotten used to. Not the sudden swell of tears when the Stylistics begin crooning "There's a spark of magic in your eyes..." Not the gasp for air when the chorus strikes and I hear your voice in my head singing along. Not the thought that long drives from Batangas to Manila with this song in the background will be nothing but memories. Not getting used to any of these feelings, even after many months later.

I couldn't bring myself to stop crying; but I couldn't not sing along either. Write your name across the sky, the song goes. And everyday, if I have to - on paper, on sand, on the pavement, on every inch of space I can find - I will. Because your name is home. You were home. And everyday I come to terms with the fact that there's no place like it.

Hey, Tita Gina. I'm alright, I promise. I just really, really miss you.

The obligatory "Merry Christmas from our family to yours" post! As per usual, it's lunch with the Bernardos and dinner with the Vistans.

For lunch, this year, my Ninong Buggy (who's a chef) prepared roast porchetto with baked potatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives pasta, ox tongue, beef salpicao, beer battered fish and chips with aioli, and melba toast with 4 dips! It's always a sumptuous feast when Ninong Bugs is around.









Then for dinner, we went straight to Marriott where we were also booked for the night. My Tita Karen is home from Bali, so she and my mom decided to treat us for a short staycation for the weekend. We had beef caldereta, sinigang na hipon, pancit canton, and lechon Cebu. The next day, after breakfast buffet, we said hello to Tita Gina at St. Therese's.








And now, I'm at Batangas, where I'm enjoying the vacation-cum-sembreak the only way I know how: by bumming around and eating! Happy holidays, indeed!

I have lots of things and feelings to share about this Christmas, but maybe that's better reserved for my end-of-the-year post. For now, let me enjoy the small things that did make my holidays special, like the company of friends and the pleasure of quiet moments with family. And the taste of my freedooooom! Woohoooooo!

Thanks to a little bit of fate and a whole lot of work, I was invited to the Summit Media Men's Titles* Christmas Party last night. My friend Ria is an editorial assistant for the Men's Health website, and for the last few months, she has been asking me to contribute some light, humorous articles here and there when I have the time. I gladly oblige when she thinks of timely article ideas for which she could use my "skillz," and I don't have much on my plate. It's been great so far, actually, and it's something I enjoy doing because it takes my mind off school. I get to do articles I normally wouldn't have the chance to write, for many reasons. We both agreed I'll be writing them under a pseudonym** and thus far, the name has allowed me to be more risque, more off-color than usual. Which I guess, only translated to better writing.

And so imagine my extreme delight when both Ria's editor and the chief of all men's titles invited me to come over for their Christmas party, because they personally wanted to meet me. #KILIG




It was so surreal being told in person of how much your work is appreciated. This is what I miss most about the workshop - and college, in general. Critique and appraisal. You only ever grow as a writer when you get feedback. And when it's coming from people in the industry you respect, it will always get you floored. (Especially when they personally invite you to continue writing for them because they really like your voice.)Shaking hands with "The Chief," and hearing him tell me that I should never stop writing - it's music to my ears. The fact that people of their caliber respect the work that I do (and my sense of humor! They think my writing is hilarious! Lol) is probably the best kind of compliment I've received in a long time. But probably none more adulatory than actually being invited to contribute for their other titles, both on web and on print. It's (pardon my French) <i>abso-fucking-lutely</i> incredible.<br /> <br /> [Bonus: I felt so starstruck that I got to rub elbows and share chips with Top Gear's Dinzo Tabamo! I just had to take a picture with him - for making-the-boyfriend-jealous purposes hehe]<br /> <br /> I sound like such a douche, right now, don't I? Like I'm pumping my imaginary chest and flexing my arms to show off my metaphorical guns? :)) I'm sorry, I just had to write about this because I rarely get to go out and have a night for the books these days. Hahaha. #sad #whatsociallife

The thing is, I think I've reached that point in my life where I've accepted that writing is not going to be my main career. At least not for now. Law, with all my ups and downs, is something I've grown to appreciate. Now that I'm almost at the tail-end of my law school journey, I've come to like it. And yes, I want to finish it. That, I'm already sure of.

But some loves you never let go. And when opportunities like this present themselves to me, I will always, always grab it. I guess there will always be parts of me that will never be as happy as when I get the chance to put words on paper. It may be trivial, it may not be earth-shattering. But like I said in my previous post, art finds a way. When it comes knocking at your door, who are you to turn it away?


__

* Summit Men's Titles include Men's Health, Top Gear, and FHM. 
** A pseudonym which shall not be revealed for now, but let's just say I call her my party-girl-from-Alabang alter-ego. HA HA HAHAHA. Oh, the many lives we live when we write.

Why hello, internet! I've missed you for far, far too long! I am finally a free elf! Wow, the last few months sure did feel like forever. It's been four years of law school and yet with all honesty I can still say that my favorite part of each sem is when it finally ends! :))

If it hasn't been obvious yet, judging by my Instagram account, I've been obsessed lately with brush calligraphy. This photo is an edited version of one I doodled in one of my notebooks. This is actually a metallic blue pen on black paper, but I had a little too much fun on Photoshop and ended up making look like a vectorized version of its original self. Anyway, I still love it! Seriously considering changing up my logo for the blog now. I wish I can attend a calligraphy workshop this Christmas break - it's definitely one of those things I've been meaning to do but just didn't have the time for. Hopefully, there's one that can pop up somewhere near where I'm living in the South.

With this recent interest in calligraphy, there's one thing I realized: art finds a way. For years, I've been complaining that my life just doesn't have enough art anymore. I hardly have time to read books for pleasure, and I no longer have the leisure of writing for writing's sake. My mind is cluttered with thoughts of academic stuff. I'm always on a rush, I'm always worried about doing something else. There's no time to just do stuff and make art. Which is sad, really, because what kind of life are you living without any semblance of creativity left, right?

But then, I stumbled upon calligraphy by accident. I started trying it out last year and found myself really enjoying it. I'd like to think I've improved since the first time I did it. And you know what? I've come to appreciate the lightness it brings. Doodling makes me feel relaxed; it takes my mind off pressing things, even for a few minutes. It forces me to think of songs to write about, of words that are beautiful enough to be put on paper. It's nothing serious - nothing groundbreaking comes out of my scribbles. But it brings me great relief, knowing that there is somethin g I can still pursue, something I genuinely enjoy and I am good at. It's fulfilling.

For Christmas break, I've downloaded so many TV series, taken note of so many books, and prepared a plethora of albums to listen to. But I also armed myself with new notebooks and pens to while away my time. Art has found its way into my otherwise hectic, frantic life. Time to give it the attention I think it so rightfully deserves.

Happy holiday break, everyone! :) Enjoy the sweater weather! Brrrr!

"Nung college lang, sa class ko sa creative writing, pinag-pasa kami ng short story. Eh naka-uno ako, tapos nagsulat yung professor ko ng note, nakalagay, 'You should share this to the world someday.' Ganun. Edi siyempre pakiramdam ko nun ang galing-galing ko na diba.

Grabe noh? Aren't we supposed to be great by this time?"

#GradStudentWoes

Okay, back to studying!

I was listening to FM radio while studying a while ago, just like I always do, when your song came along. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Chancing upon 96.3 Easy Rock means there's a likelihood I'll hear a song you love to sing, because that's your default radio station. Actually, that's the default station of everyone in your generation. (And, of every office I've ever been in, as a matter of fact, haha.)

So I shouldn't be caught off guard anymore when the first few notes of "Betcha By Golly Wow" start playing. This isn't the first time it happened. Three seconds into the song, every time I hear it, and I'm bawling my eyes out.

And yet it's not something I have gotten used to. Not the sudden swell of tears when the Stylistics begin crooning "There's a spark of magic in your eyes..." Not the gasp for air when the chorus strikes and I hear your voice in my head singing along. Not the thought that long drives from Batangas to Manila with this song in the background will be nothing but memories. Not getting used to any of these feelings, even after many months later.

I couldn't bring myself to stop crying; but I couldn't not sing along either. Write your name across the sky, the song goes. And everyday, if I have to - on paper, on sand, on the pavement, on every inch of space I can find - I will. Because your name is home. You were home. And everyday I come to terms with the fact that there's no place like it.

Hey, Tita Gina. I'm alright, I promise. I just really, really miss you.

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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