Jack The Scribbler

Nope, it’s not the television show aired by the Philippines’ leading broadcast company — GMA Network Inc., what else? (Disclaimer: the broadcast company also happens to be my indirect employer. Explanation in fine print below this blog entry.)
It is literally a reporter’s notebook.
And this is exactly what has preoccupied my time, for better or for worse.

By the time I finish folding this set, my thumb would have developed a corn bigger than a lightbulb.

As of this writing, I have been busy folding one ream of legal-sized, white bond paper that has been cut in half (thereby letting me curb my enthusiasm for enjoying a non-renewable resource that continues to be depleted day by day: Flash Forward episodes).
Once folded, I plan to have them sewn up by a professional — same guy who cut it in half — who will also attach a soft cardboard cover to the whole package.
Upon completion, the notebook can be stored in the back pocket of my trousers, allowing for easy access especially in cases of brilliant flashes of inspiration (which doesn’t occur too often).
The 80-page notebook, measuring three and a half by six and a half inches, can be opened flat in the middle, thanks to a special sewing technique.
Anyway, the effort of folding them all is tedious and time-consuming.
But it’s not something I’m totally unfamiliar with.
Seven years, 13,500 kilometers, and several timezones ago, I found myself folding pieces of paper and sewing them together as part of a two-week notebook-making class in this arts center.
I just feel kind of funny doing it all again.
During the whole process, I’ll be assisted by a professional, who, by the way, has assured me that he will be charging premium rates for this special project.
However, given his rates, it will still be way cheaper than a Moleskine that I’m actually considering giving out a few “first edition” notebooks to friends (and probably even to some enemies, just to surprise and confuse them.)
Let’s see how that goes.
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From the Read The Fine Print Dept. Media Merge Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of GMA Network Inc., runs and operates GMANews.TV, one of the world’s greatest websites.
Unwieldy, non-professional-looking pics taken with a still up-and-running Treo 650. And yes, if you’ve haven’t seen it yet, try not to read too much about Flash Forward. Believe me, you’ll regret it if you do. Just watch it. You’ll see long legs of Peyton List as well as the pretty faces of Sonya Walger and Christine Woods.