Jack Of Arts

December 20, 2010. Monday. Tayaw finally submitted all the home works and projects due before the Christmas break. School also currently does not worry him as he just got straight A's in his midterm exams the previous week. Since December 1, his focus is not actually his school projects or his midterm exams but digesting the skills he got from the roulette. He also re-arranged songs and practiced them with the stomp box. He has finally achieved great precision with the stomp box and can now play it in great rhythm that is almost as consistent as a metronome. That's only talking about playing the stomp box alone though. He still has a long way to go mastering playing both the guitar and the stomp box at the same time. Despite this, Tayaw is satisfied with the progress he's making.

There are also a few things on his mind. Since the school year has started, he already acquainted with Ike, Hoon, and Inson and got their contact numbers. To open them up, he brought up things like "Hey. I saw you drumming your fingers to the beat. Are you a drummer?" "Hey, I noticed the calluses on your fingers, do you play guitar?" "Let's jam together some time." He also made acquaintance with Bay-an the pianist and Ramil the saxophonist through Ike but did not get their contact numbers.

Contrary to his expectations, he did not feel as attached to them as he thought he would. They are just too different from the people he knew. The grown men of the Percussive Corrections who knew what they wanted and had the drive to achieve their goals, are currently in their teenage years, exploring themselves, still clueless about their purpose. He wants to help them but he does not even know where to start. Despite his friends' teenage years not having much resemblance to the friends he knew in his past life, Tayaw is planning to invite them to form a band again. He also has an idea how to hasten their mastery in their instruments, but that will come later.

He is also thinking whether to write another book, or buy some filming equipment to reproduce a movie that was given to him by the roulette. If he writes the second volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales now and publishes it, the money he will get from it is minimal as there are not many people around the world who has read the first volume yet. Less demand, less profits. If he writes The Boy with The Lightning Scar now, he is not sure if it would be in demand. If he films the Blare Witch Hunt, he has no idea if such a revolutionary film will be appreciated by audiences. If he wants to release a film, the best bet he has is the Jake Lamotta Story. Even then, he does not have the money or connections to make such a film. He's a total rookie so no investors will be interested in his film. He ultimately decided to not release anything yet and wait it out. He's still 17 so there's plenty of time.

After school, while sipping a cup of coffee in a café right outside the campus, he couldn't help but think about something that's been bothering him for a while now. Because of this, he decided to phone Chala. "Hello Tayaw. What's going on?" Chala answered the phone. "Mr. Rotala, who else knows that I'm the author of Grimm's Fairy Tales?" Tayaw asked Chala.

The reason why Tayaw asked Chala is because in case people turn their attention on him, he could hide as long as he keeps his anonymity. This is also why he told his family to not reveal his identity as an author to anyone, which his parents agreed to while warning him of "Leeches". "Aside from us and Ms. Lei? Topaz Publishing and probably your family. Why?" Chala asked in confusion at Tayaw's question. "It's just that I know that my books are getting famous. In case some people would start asking for me, I don't want my family getting unwanted attention. I also like my peaceful life for now." Tayaw said shamelessly. "HAha! If it was anyone else, I'd say you're being paranoid or full of yourself. Your books are selling hot, they're also getting some sales internationally so I get it. Alright, I'll call Topaz to not reveal your identity to anyone." Chala smiled in understanding at what Tayaw is getting at. He is also impressed because most people of Tayaw's age would rather seek the attention and fame. He is also confused because he knows that Tayaw is a musician and being one attracts attention. He realized that Tayaw is currently much more exceptional and attractive as an author. "Thanks Mr. Rotala. " Tayaw said. "No problem. I have to go; I have a meeting with a marketing person." Chala replied and ended the call.

Finishing his coffee, he went back to his apartment to get his pick-up truck. He's planning on shopping for Christmas gifts for his family. The Christmas break starts at the 23rd but he intends to go home early tomorrow. He first went to a stationery store and bought art materials like a painting canvas with a wooden stand, non-toxic paint, and a palette. In addition to the art materials, he also bought non-toxic air dry clay for kids' pottery. The reason why he bought these is to help Agew express himself more and hone the dexterity of his hands earlier. In his past life, Agew was a cool man who was not a good talker but great with his hands. The reason why his pottery and ceramic products in his past life became popular is because of Agew's special care into making them which are apparent in his products. The currently young 10 year-old Agew is already showing resemblance to the brother Tayaw knew in his past life.

After shopping in the stationery store, he headed next to East Ouigab's botanical garden. He bought a pot of pristine green lush aloe vera plant that is a foot long. He also bought seeds of uncommon strains of tomatoes, chili peppers, and lettuce. According to the shop owner's recommendation, he bought seeds of Brandywine Pink Tomato also known as the King of Tomatoes, seeds of Aji Dulce Chili for their mild spiciness, and seeds of Romaine Lettuce for their nutritional value. He also purchased a sack of black soil. He intends to give these to Payew as he is already showing interests in gardening and agriculture. With their small barren backyard, Payew can start gardening as hobby.

After the botanical garden, his next destination is his favorite music store. He bought Sennheiser Lavelier Microphone and a pricy portable voice amplifier. Kilat, despite being a teacher, has an attractive voice with a raspy and husky color that is nice to listen to but does not modulate well in a classroom. It is a trait that Tayaw inherited from her. Unless Tayaw or Kilat sings aloud, their voices do not travel well in a noisy room. Tayaw also knows that his and his mother's voice are the type that gets hoarse easily if overused, so considering this, he bought his mother a good microphone and a portable speaker so that she will not strain her voice. He also bought a new high-end acoustic guitar for himself to replace the mid-range professional sounding guitar he has been using in his gigs. He plans to bring his mid-end guitar to replace the beginner guitar back in his home Okuba.

Putting the speakers on the passenger's seat, he went around East Ouigab to look for a massage chair. He had a hard time finding a place that sells massage chairs, but after mall hopping and asking around, he finally found a place that sells them. Liboo, being a van driver, uses his upper body and arms a lot every day. It's no wonder that he asks Tayaw and his brothers to give him a massage from time to time. With this, he decided to buy Liboo a chair that will tirelessly massage him to his satisfaction. This gift also prompted him to purchase a furniture dolly and a folding ramp as additional contraptions for his pickup truck. It was easy to load the massage chair on the back of his pickup because of the store's helpers and tools but it's a different story unloading it by him. The massage chair he bought the kind that has better specs and more features than the average pay to use massage chairs he sees in strip malls so it weighs a little more than 100 kilograms. He also knows that the massage chair will be shared with Kilat, so he decided to buy another gift for Liboo. He went to various woodcarving shops he found on the internet and looked for a good ornamental chess set. After finding a chess table with drawers for the pieces, he bought it despite its price for something that is only used to play chess. He also thought the price was worth it because the chess set he bought is beautiful and can be used as a decoration for the living room.

He wants to buy more gifts he can give to his grandparents but his truck is already full. It's also not sure whether his parents will decide to visit Alib Village where his maternal grandparents live, or to visit Canotu Village where his paternal grandparents are. Although with the recent changes in the family, Tayaw figured that his parents might even decide to visit his grandparents and just stay in Okuba for Christmas and New Year.

The next morning, Tayaw woke up early at 4am and he started fastening all the stuff he is bringing home to avoid damaging them on the way. He also brought his old guitar and placed it on the passenger's seat. He decided to go home two days before the actual Christmas break. "Hey, baby girl. Good morning." Tayaw phoned Jenna first, a classmate in his Algebra and Chemistry that he acquainted with better than his other classmates in those subjects. Jenna with her cute baby face and petite figure earned herself the nick name of "Baby Girl" from Tayaw, a nickname she both likes and hates depending on which context Tayaw to uses it. "Ugh… Good morning. What do you want?" Jenna answered with a sleepy tone. "I'm going home to Okuba today. Can you do me a favor?" Tayaw wanting to keep the phone call short stated his intention immediately. "What? Write in your name in the attendance sheet again?" Jenna already guessed Tayaw's favor; after all it's the only favor that Tayaw asks of her. "Yes! Can you? I'll give you a present on January." Tayaw answered and offered an incentive. "Alright. Make it good because you just interrupted my sleep. By the way, how are you already done with your school stuff? I had to stay up late until 2 hours ago just to catch up with the deadline." Jenna complained, which made Tayaw feel guilty. "Baby girl, I know the fun of exploring a new city, but avoid procrastination. I make sure to start doing my school projects on the same day they are given by the professors. Finishing them early is rewarded by playing around without worry." Tayaw offered his advice. "Easier said than done. I'm hanging up now." Jenna grumbled. "Wait! What do you think about shoe lifts? Aren't they more comfortable than wearing heels all day?" Tayaw suddenly asked. "You! ..... Fine! Give me shoe lifts!" Jenna said and hung up.

Tayaw is actually planning on giving her new running shoes with thick bouncy soles. He already figured out Jenna's shoe size. One day, when he tied his shoelaces in front of Jenna, he got a good look at her shoes and smiled to himself. Jenna's shoe size just happened to be the same as Agew's. Thinking for a second after the phone call, he also decided to actually give Jenna shoe lifts so that he won't appear creepy when he gives her shoes of the right size.

After the phone call with Jenna, he called other classmates with the same favor but not as generous incentives. He then headed for a nearby diner to eat a hearty breakfast. He has a long five – hour drive today.