The Notebook

I used to carry around a notebook/organizer with me wherever I went. I used this to write down reminders, cellphone numbers, to do items, and lots of little lists and notes. I even put down my daily expenses and a short one sentence summary of the day I had. That way I could go back and recall what happened to me exactly one year ago, for instance. It was fun reading that one line summary of the day and remembering what I thought or felt during the time I wrote it.

I used to call my organizer "buhay ko" or 'my life' because I got so dependent on it, that it would be a real tragedy if I lost it. It was an extension of my brain and I felt a lot smarter when I had it with me (which was all the time).

Then for some reason (around 2001) I used my organizer less and less, and would even go weeks without updating it or carrying it with me. I kind of lost the habit of using it, until I eventually went organizer-less. While it had its positive benefits - both my hands were free when riding the bus/jeep or walking outside, the negative effect was that I had to rely on my memory more and more, and I easily lost track of todo lists and friends' contact numbers. At least I was no longer accidentally mistaken as being a 'mangangaral' in the bus, as the organizer looked a bit like a bible and I dressed similarly to those who went around asking people for love offering donations.

What I miss the most about it was not being able to record those one sentence description of the day I had. I would write something like "Went to Winner's with Max and Jeth, even though I was a loser for the day". Sometimes it would be funny, or ironic, or serious, depending on my mood at the time. It's like a diary without spending too much time writing the entries.

So it's 2007, and I think it's a good idea to keep at least an online journal of what's happening. And while I'm at it, I'll post some of my thoughts and some of the music and books I like. I do maintain a couple of other blogs, some I continue to update, such as dangerousreviewers (with co-contributors max and roehl), and a lot of others that I stopped updating due to laziness or lack of interest. I don't think it will happen with this one though, I intend coffeefriday to be my main journal and repository in the years to come.

Occasionally, you'll also read posts from my alter-ego/doppelganger 'robtwister'. We're the same person, but I'll use him from time to time when I want to absolve myself of all responsibility. Why coffee friday as the title? I was looking for an available domain url I can use for future web projects, and www.coffeefriday.com was available. It combines two of my favorite things: Friday nights (because everyone's happy to be out of work and looking forward to the weekend), and relaxing and hanging out with friends over a cup of coffee at starbucks (although nowadays, there are plenty of alternative coffee shops - UCC, Bo's, Coffee Bean, etc.). The two together makes for a killer combination.