On lies

One episode from the first season of 3rd Rock from the Sun dealt with lying, a new phenomenon the four alien characters recently discovered about the human experience. It was something that can be used in certain situations for certain purposes. They realized it was quite powerful in making somebody feel like they're something big. For instance, Dr. Albright successfully twisted words to make Dr. Dick Solomon, the high Commander (and father figure) of these band of aliens and hotshot physics professor substitute for her in a meeting with the "Knights of the Living Dead," their co-professors in the university. Dick was oblivious to this, and because he was in love with Albright, he didn't think that she'd do anything like lying to him. Sally discovered this when she went out to buy soap after the boys complained that she didn't smell like the other girls of their acquaintances. She was lured into trying out various potions for an ultimately high maintenance lifestyle via free samples. When she came back to get more, she found out she had to buy them at an exorbitant price. And that's when she clued in that the beauty industry is just out to make women look at themselves and ply them with more products to make them beautiful, thus making them fell good, and that's how they continue bringing in money. The adolescent Tommy meanwhile, is walking through a tightrope as he struggles to maintain his relationship with fellow sensible schoolmate August, and he knows that one wrong word from him will mean she's out of her life - something he wouldn't dream of happening.

They had more insights about it at the usual end-of-the-show group musing while looking up at the stars, previously done in the university parking lot, but later on in the comfort of their own rooftop. I don't remember most of it now, though you should watch this series (download if you must since it's quite old - Joseph Gordon-Levitt is what, 11 years old here?) and see how we would see human nature if we weren't born as one. And then one of them posed this very enlightened (at least, from the Filipino perspective) question:

What if a politican takes hold of it?

And the answer:

It would be horrible.

Exactly.

write. read. watch. [aug-16-09 edition]

Where art thou?
- laman ng SMS ko kay Daddy nung isang gabi dahil maghahapunan na ay wala pa siya

++

The next day, I was muttering some lines using old English-speak. From there, I got the inspiration to write my Meet fuNky_souL piece for the Peyups Webring. Pero di pa nagma-materialize. Kagabi, sinubukan kong basahin ang A Midsummer Night's Dream dahil iyon lang ang libro ni Shakespeare na meron dito (pagmamay-ari ng kapatid kong si Karen) pero wala pa ring kinahinatnan. Kelangan ko ng iba pa. In the meantime, maghihintay muna ang intro piece na iyon.

++

These days, madalas facebook ang inaatupag ko sa net. Naka-ilang applications na rin ako, at siyempre, dahil madalas ay masugid ako sa mga sinisimulan kong gawain, tinutuloy ko pa rin ang pagsubaybay sa lahat ng iyon, although di na kasing-sugid ng dati. Iba na ang naaadik sa mga bagay na sa huli ay wala rin namang patutunguhan.

++

Sa ngayon, palipat-lipat ako sa pagbabasa ng Smoke and Mirrors ni Neil Gaiman, Gerilya ni Norman Wilwayco at Catch-22 ni Joseph Heller, depende sa mood. Minsan, di ko masakyan iyong ibang mga kwento ni G. Gaiman. Iba-iba talaga ang mundong ginagalawan ng mga tauhan niya. Pero interesante ang mga pinapakitang pangyayari dun. Hindi ko lang masabi na I love those stories as much as I loved Neverwhere or all 10 issues of Sandman.

++

Siyempre, di maiwasan ang tumaba nang todo. Ilang beses ko nang binalak na mag-jogging o di kaya'y magpractice kasama ng soccer ball ko somewhere malapit sa aming bahay, kaso di pa nagkakatotoo iyon. Bukas sana nang umaga. Siyempre, wala naman kasing ibang magawa dito sa bahay kundi maupo, kumain, magluto ng iba pang makakain, mag-net, matulog, kaya di talaga maiwasan ang paglobo.

++

Kagabi, dahil di ko napanood ung original telecast nung Lunes, ay pinanood ako ang dalawang huling episodes ng Season 5 ng pinakamamahal kong House. Di ko alam na dalawang palabas na kaagad ang makikita ko, dahil madalas naman ay isang episode lang ang pinapakita sa AXN. Pero ayun... Medyo malubha na nga ang mga nararamdaman (as in sensing, not feeling) ni House kaya't medyo nagpakawala rin ako ng ilang luha habang pinapanood ang huling eksena kung saan iniwan na ni Dr. Greg ang ilang personal effects niya kay Dr. Wilson at tuluy-tuloy na siyang dumeretso sa psychiatry hospital kung saan siya mamamalagi muna. Preview ng Season 06 ay dun na sa pscyh hospital (with a cool soundtrack to boot: Elbow's Grounds for Divorce sa ep02 preview na makikita sa YouTube). Pero ayun, parang diba, dati nasa pedestal siya, kahit na mali siya, nai-aassert pa rin niya ang gusto niya, ang mga ideas niya. In a way, medyo invincible siya. Tapos kung anong nangyari (dahil hindi ko pa napapanood nang buo ang seasons 3,4 & 5 nang buo), bigla niyang nakikita at nakakausap ang patay nang si Amber. Humantong sa punto na hinallucinate lamang niya sa nangyari nang isang buong gabi. Nakakatakot at, hindi ko alam kung pano sabihin, parang naging helpless na lang siya sa mga pangyayari. Nakakatakot na mula sa isang state na in-control ka, biglang hindi mo na kayang i-control ito. Ni hindi mo na nga rin alam kung alin ang totoo o hindi. Kasabay nang medyo malagim na pangyayaring ito ay ang pagpapakasal nina Chase at Cameron, finally pagkatapos ng makailang balakid sa kanilang pagpapakasal. Mas madalas nitong season 5, parang parati na lang nakasimangot si Chase. Mas madalas kong makitang pumihit ang mga dulo ng labi niya paibaba (epekto ni Cameron at ng kanilang relasyon?) Mas nagkaroon na rin ang bulk ang katawan niya, mas mahaba ang buhok at usually ay may beard, kaya di na siya iyong hot na Chase na naging crush ko sa simula.

++

Sinimulan ko ring basahin ang graphic novel edition ng Neverwhere ni Neil Gaiman (ang Neverwhere ang paborito ko sa mga libro niyang nabasa ko na - ang mga di ko pa lang nababasa ay Blueberry at Fragile Things. Ay! At ang The Graveyard Book dahil hindi ko pa pala ito natatapos - pero astig 'to kaya go Read!). Medyo iba ung imahe dun sa pagkaka-imagine ko habang binabasa ko iyong libro. Pwedeng di ko talaga naintindihan nang mabuti ang mga paglalarawan ni G. Gaiman habang binabasa ko iyong libro niya. Pwede ring binago na rin mismo ng writer at ng mga illustrators ang vision nila sa libro. Mas voluptuous na si Door. I imagined dati na medyo payat (close to malnourished na payat pero hindi pa malnourished) sina Door at Richard Mayhew, tapos mas makulay ang kasuotan ng Marquis de Sade. Pero di naman ganun kalaking problema iyon sa graphic novel. Ayos naman siya sa 'kin. Handa na kong ma-amaze at makapag-imagine uli. Kakaibang mundo na naman ang mapupuntahan ko. Excited na kong ituloy ang pagbabasa :)

ranting somewhere in philcoa

Eyes hurting, eighty-peso dinner gobbled down in less than 20 mns., yellow lights flickering in my eyes as the multi-propellered ceiling fan tries to keep me cool.

staring at the pc monitor for 9 straight hours isn't something i'd gladly do but i'm doing it through my own fault. i'm putting myself and ma'am djanna into a lot of pressure rushing the writeup of my thesis like this when i've had two whole sems and the start of the summer term to write it. i've never worked well planning things ahead, or doing things ahead for that matter. Papers photocopied and pdf files downloaded semesters ago only got to be read now, less than a week before final manuscript submission and it's not like it's very easy to do a writeup and look for supporting data in other references when the data you obtained seem quite out of the ordinary, the expected trends were not there. and the data changed from one phase to the next. and i'm not really sure how much to assume, and how much to keep searching in the world wide web. does it surprise you that i'm writing this on paper? well, i am a bit surprised. i can't believe i'm still writing, like i can still churn out ideas on paper. it's been a long while since i've last written my ideas on paper. and it's been awhile since i've written anything this long so my hand is kinda hurting.

why are Filipino TV networks so intent on fueling the stupidity and prejudice that already abound? i've at for less than an hour in front of the boob tube, switching the channels from one station to another. this was around 6-7 pm on a sunday evening. many families would be at home, kids watching whatever's on tv unguided. TV says: it's right to make fun of fat people, of who they are and what they wear; it's good to make fun of gays, and make them do ridiculous things for the rest of the TV-watching public to see. Why do you make kids do antics on TV and frighten them while doing it, all the while catching the whole thing on tape? Why twist public service announcements so that the public including kids could laugh at them? why make kids act like adults, delivering lines which would not benefit you or them, teaching kids watching that it's alright to be like them and do as they're doing. The Waldorf style of teaching is right: television should not be viewed by kids...

Hmmm... I gues i've had enough ranting. my eyes want to go close already. one more thing. there has been so many online communication tools already, different sorts of RSS readers, twitter/plurk, and many others i don't know about: del.i.cious, diggit, stumble. i tried seeing what twitter was all about. was tempted to create an account for a bit. but then i'm not online all the time. and for me to fully make use of it, i have to subscribe to other users using it. that'll add to the tons of things i read on the net or the other things i have to do when i'm online. maintaining an online presence is not very easy. but i'm in [it already]. it'll be hard to get out of it. so there, i think i need to sleep already.

East Asian (viewing) weekend

I watched the Death Note live action movie last night. The first part had good translation. The second part had better video quality but way lousy translation. Imagine, Light is called Moon, or sometimes monthly monarch, while when he’s called by his last name Yagami, it’s spirit of the night. But when it’s his dad, Yagami is trasnlated as supernatural of the night. Misa is sand of the sea, L is Long Qi, Ogi-san is gentleman of mould. The third Kira was high field. Oh yeah, Kira is translated as very happy. It was quite a laugh, hearing and then deciphering that those were actually their names. Talk about literal, haha. Sentence structure was also not in the best possible state. So I wasn’t able to get much of what happened in the second part, for example how things were figured out, etc. It’s good that I got to read the manga so at least, I had an idea what’s happening. There are lots of times when the characters were speaking but there’s nothing you can read. And I can’t understand much of Japanese either. Now, the story.

A lot of parts had been cut out. Although that’s not to say that the movie is not any better. There are lots of alterations although I think it is for a good purpose. There were only three people who used the Death Note whereas in the manga, there were four. The beginning was also quite clever in that it started with Light as already a university student and reports of Kira’s deeds making echoes in their society. Flashbacks gave insight as to how this came about. Although the manga was able to focus more on the quirks of their characters, especially those of Light’s and L’s, the movie was sufficiently able to give a coherent view of the relationship between the two and the challenges they posed onto one another (although I did not get to understand much of what went on between them since you can send the translation to hell). Light and L also seem more human here. Misa is also tolerable as a villain and as a wannabe-girlfriend of the former. Light’s reasons for becoming Kira seem more in touch with reality. Even though he was consumed by his thought, the live action was able to show that this stemmed from basic human goodness, although he still believed that anyone’s death can be used as a means to succeed in his purpose. His dad did not die here, although someone else close to him did. Light’s death did not make it seem as if he was insane. His parents and his sister even remember him and show grief (for their loss of him) at the end of the movie, reminding us that he was not just an intelligent kid who stumbled upon the Death Note and was controlled by its power, but he was also a gentle son, a loving brother. L is also somewhat a more endearing character, earning admiration from Chief Yagami, although his death by the Death Note was also necessary to unmask the original Kira. Watari is shown as someone who is quite dear to L, although he has shown no inclination towards such sentiments in the manga. The realizations of Ryuk and Rem in the movie are quite satisfactory. Too bad we didn’t get to see N here, but it’s alright or else, the live action would be much longer, but I’m positive they can turn it into a 10-episode live action series. The guy playing Light (also the lead male character in Battle Royale) was able to act his character well. I wanted to be more shocked, or at least, piqued by his eccentricities, when L was first revealed, but well, it seems the very first time would always be the best. So I thought L here was not really at par with L in the manga. All in all, the movie was able to satisfactorily adapt the original story, while being able to incorporate the human element in the characters. If you’re looking for story, well, here’s something you might want to look into.

After watching this, I was already sleepy so I slept for a bit. Then I woke up at around two. I prepared to go to sleep once more, but then I couldn’t (this happens every time – once I wake up from sleep, no matter how little I’ve slept, say from 10-12mn, I’ll only be sleepy come 5 o’clock). Well, right now, I’m not even sleepy. So I gave up on the sleeping around a quarter to 3. I ended up borrowing some of Ket’s DVDs (last Friday), one of which was a collection of Korean movies most of which I’ve watched (200 Pounds Beauty, My Sassy Girl, My Tutor Friend 2, He Was Cool) and the others I’ve only encountered now (She’s on Duty (Andrew from Coffee Prince is here, sporting a sort of semi-bald (semi-kalbo) cut looking really cute as an undercover yakuza underling who develops a romantic attachment with another undercover, but this time, a cop), So Cute (no energy, found it quite boring so didn’t bother finishing it), D-something Naughty Girls (the setting’s a school with everyone almost sleeping with everybody, a fact openly declared, with everyone singing with matching choreography; the movie had no single story line initially so I also didn’t bother with this) and Jenny and Juno). I had a sort of marathon yesterday, watching She’s on Duty, then My Tutor Friend 2. I didn’t really like MTF2 the first time I watched it (on crunchyroll.com, my dears), but I must be feeling too emotional and too vulnerable to love nowadays that I liked it. Originally, my objection had been that they just wanted to use the title even though there didn’t seem to be much tutoring going on. Well, now I see the love story and of course, the guy is still muy guapo. He’s also a downright goofy guy so I loved him again hehe. After this, I got curious with the series My Sassy Girl Choon-Hyang. There are 17 episodes of 17 episodes but I’m only on the 9th. Much has happened so I guess, there’ll be plenty more of struggle for Mong-Ryong and then for the both of them, since much of Choon-Hyang’s has already happened for the last eight episodes. It’s just that the disc is about used a lot so it’s been stopping every now and then, making it harder for me to finish watching it. Recently, I’ve become more easily moved to tears by what I watch. Just last week, I watched I Am Sam and cried a lot when Sam and Lucy were finally separated on court’s orders. The other romance dramas I’ve watched before only used to make me feel a pain in my breast, like I’m in the situation as the characters, but watching MSG Choon-Hyang made me cry for whatever the girl was going through. I’m currently wondering where my feeling all of these would lead to. Anyway, so this dawn, I was watching Jenny and Juno, a pair of cute high school couple on whom a lifetime of responsibility is bestowed on when the girl gets pregnant. The two looked like innocent high school kids, she – among the top five and the class president, and he – a champion cyber gamer. Her pregnancy turns their lives around, both of them determined to have the baby. Juno stays true to his word that he’ll take care of her and he was doing so wonderfully (waking up in the middle of night to answer to her whims, feeding her healthy food and both of them nourishing each other with happy thoughts). I thought I was also gonna give up on this some twenty minutes into the movie, but some scenes just make you want to go on watching, and eventually, there was no turning back. I’m glad I finished it. The movie just reminded me that there a lot of good things in life, not the least of them the people who care for you, and we just have to enjoy them. It also had a sort of sunny disposition so I feel good this sunny morning. It’s also like everything’s so clear. it was a sort of blessing that Winamp was playing the first soundtrack of Dawson’s Creek. I haven’t heard the lyrics as clearly as I had this morning (it may also be probably due to the fact that the volume is louder), reveled in their meanings and appreciated why shows such as Dawson’s Creek have soundtracks and the soundtrack itself. The movie left me hoping that I had something akin to what they have, although we can leave out the baby for now, thanks.

Well, it’s now a quarter past 7 (viertel nach sieben/las siete y quince minutos) , and the sun is so bright. I’ve got to do microbiological analysis on my beef samples all week, so gotta get ready.

Guten Morgen. Buenos dias. Magandang umaga. Masantos ya agew.

Ciao!

shall i comfort you?

choi han seong (on the phone speaking to han yoo joo): they (referring to eun chan and han kyul) like each other
han yoo joo: should i comfort you?

--> grabe, panalong linya! ahaha. just bought a copy of coffee prince (pirated, whaddeyaexpect) last saturday and i've watched up to episode 10. it's been a really interesting story, and i can't say i'm not moved by the characters. there are love triangles, and one person in that triangle is involved in another triangle. most every character in the story is involved with someone romantically. and up to now, i still am maintaining that choi han seong is better for go eun chan. and what a revelation for him. initially, the cousins (choi han seong and han kyul) are into the same person (han yoo joo) but the former got her, while the latter has been loving unrequitedly. in the case of eun chan, both are in love with her, but han kyul has the keys to her heart. ah.. terrible. han yoo joo was so accomodating and understanding when she said that line above. heartbreaking moment...

***

it's my first time to apply as a student assistant and i start tomorrow. will be making a number of fruit juices for the study of ma'am acevedo. 8 am tomorrow, up to when the production finishes (around 5 batches per day or 100 pouches in all). this'll be my first non-academic FT-related activity ever. hopefully, i could still get to play on wednesday and friday. and on saturday and sunday, i'll be going on a climb (my first ever!) to mt. daguldol with ate joyce, ruby, mia and some other acquaintances of the sisters. i'm excited! of course, i'll have my pay from the SA job that i could spend. waha! that's so great. although my ankle is not. but anyhow, this is a great opportunity.

thoughts at dawn 2...

so it's like 4:40 in the morning. i'm hungry. i'm not sure i've had enough sleep. and i'm pretty sure i should've been studying, particularly solvinig math problems, ever since i woke up. if there's one thing that hasn't changed, it would be my study habits.

it's 2007 already. this is my first entry for the new year. there've been some changes alright... for one, i've changed my position in the room in the boarding house. i'm now occupying the space that mars used to occupy. so i transferred my bed and desk during the wee hours of friday dawn (i got back to up on thursday - which made me puyat so that after class at 3, i got back to the house, ate some, slept then woke up at 10pm when alessa arrived. after that, i moved my bed and desk and then slept at 4 am). yes, there still hasn't been any change in my sleeping habits. so far, the obvious effects of my move has been that i'd been able to use my pc more frequently and conveniently since i'm able to stay in bed and use it at the same time, say for example, watching the live action version of gokusen. ah, so that's what's been keeping me busy. i watched a total of 8 episodes last night. that's why i haven't studied for our math group quiz later. which is why i couldn't think of anything right now but sawada shin. a couple of nights ago, i also read through my death note manga scans. however, i don't have every chapter up to the end so i still have to find some means to acquire them (mars, hehe?). of course, i gotta finish this story. this one even has an anime version (the first episode of which i've watched at youtube) and a movie due for release. the guy playing nanahara in battle royale plays raito while L, according to my classmate, will be played by the guy playing sawada shin (an added bonus for watching the movie, haha).

i'm immersed in a lot of things japanese right now. what did i say about them a few entries back? well, those still hold up. anyhow, i want to read the manga version or at least watch the animation of gokusen, because the live action is only 12 episodes long, with one hour-long or so special which subtitle i have not been able to get my player to display yet. i've seen some snippets of the gokusen animation and the appearances of the characters in the live action differ greatly from their anime counterparts. i don't believe there's one single goodlooking person there, not even the teacher yankumi. i also want to know about the blossoming of a student's love for the said yankumi, which is not dwelt upon in the live action. of course, sawada shin is the said student and for a guy who looks like that, i want to know what he's really like and what really happened for such circumstances to happen by watching the anime or reading the manga.

so much for that. though the move has been good, the socket is not working that great. i should get myself a UPS. and then i still need to fix all my stuff. coz' some of it has been left in their usual places, like my footwear which i still haven't moved, along with a couple of boxes containing readings and notes. i'm also planning to move my clothes to the one also previously occupied by mars, because i think drawers would help me organize better. so much for organization. the only thing organized about me is my thoughts when i'm writing like this (typing away during the early morn), and possibly, the number of orgs i've joined or will join.

oops, my phone just fell to the floor for the umpteenth time. i've switched it off and switched it on, and still there's no coverage. wah, don't die on me dear phone. i need you...

yay! the globe text has returned. i've got coverage. my phone's fine once more. that's why i do not really like to replace this phone, because it's not easily destroyed by mere bumps and falls. it can survive a number of that. plus, it's got this super strong white backlight. it can literally light up a dark room as big as ours.

this is really embarassing, but ever since i've cross-posted my entries to multiply, i've been having regular readers (ate mm and ate joyce). well, it's good that they're the only ones who read these, especially since some entries when read by people other than them would embarass me. i would've preferred anonymity by just posting at blogspot, but well, to let my contacts know that i have a life, i decided to post at multiply. there won't be many of those kinds of entries (or so i think), but it would be tiresome to delete them at l, especially since multiply takes longer to load in web browsers. at least, in multiply, i know those people who read my entries. talk about wider readership. well, i'm just gratifying myself. pardon my airs dear readers (i.e. , ate mm and ate joyce, and occasionally, ate tin). okay, i'm just meandering and i need to stop now. and i wish to eat rice for breakfast. at least, i hope to. a good morning to me! and a good (insert appropriate time of day) to you!

addicted to house

did i say i'm addicted to house?

yep, the show's great. i'm hooked on it. what's more, i got dvds of the first two seasons, albeit i'm lacking the second half of the first season but it's gonna be arranged. i got a great source. right fatima?

dr. house is just really intriguing and well, dr. chase is really good-looking. plus dr. cameron is gorgeous. (eep, lesbian tendencies?) o di ba? ang ganda ng rason. btw, fatima says dr. chase is the bad guy. awww... love ko pa naman siya, with that accent i can't place. possibly british?

if only my drive stops clamming up every now and then and showing me this blue error screen.


the cast






and dr. chase... how come i don't find that many good angle pics of him at the yahoo site? anyway, here's the best that i can find.

visual feast

here's a quick rundown of what i've been visually feasting on:

- comics history
one late-night channel surfing, i came across the history channel's take on comics. it takes us through the early dc comics and how marvel came up with its own line to challenge dc and other developments in the comics industry. comic covers, stories, notable personalities like stan lee, neil gaiman, story tactics like resurrecting the dead (e.g. robin) were featured.

the feature says x-men became such a hit because the characters weren't perfect. the readers could relate to them, unlike superman who was all steel that nothing can get him down. spiderman also became popular because peter parker was an ordinary high school boy who was just trying to get through high school. the power that he acquires all the more endears him to the readers because of the internal conflict brewing inside him. responsibility is a really heavy thing on one's shoulders, and deciding between being happy and doing something for the greater good will tear you apart many times. batman and robin weren't really accepted by the public, especially the elders because of the more-than-comrade treatment they seem to bestow each other. it's for that reason that robin was finally killed, i think, when batman comics sales were low. wonderwoman was also resurrected although i don't think it was very successful, after making her more like an image of modern times. there were also other moneymaking ventures like the hulk, the fantastic four, the punisher and daredevil.

frank miller, the author of the recently adapted sin city, was also an important figure in comics. his storytelling style was different. i believe his themes were usually dark but with really something good to say. the mention of gaiman's sandman is very short. it wasn't seen as a revolutionary piece, just one more comic joining in the fray which started being called graphic novels.

comics were tied to the social consciousness of their time. various issues like war and drugs were tackled. there were debates in the board room whether stories containing such themes will be published and eventually, they did after much grilling. the way the subjects were tackled should show that it's not cool to be doing such things. since much of young america was reading comics those days, it was really a very valuable medium to reach out to them.

i also found out that during the earlier years, writers and artists didn't have ownership of the works they were producing. the companies owned them. it was only around spiderman and the whole dc following suit that the creators got the credit for their work, i think, after another company started doing it.

- peter pan
yes, it's still the tale of the boy who never grew old. there's a bit of humor injected into it, and a few deviations from the original story, which i don't remember well anymore. anyhow, the - forgive the term - innocence that was inherent in the original story and various other adaptations of it, as well as in other elements of our childhood that had been abused and bastarded these times (e.g. bulaklak - why would they even think of putting double meanings in such harmless childhood games? the suggestive dance steps are the beginning of this. now every girl will enter school knowing that being sexy is an important thing.), was lost. peter was at first smitten with the 13-year-old wendy, who then starts to fall in love with him. yes, it did provide some focal points for this adaptation. yes, it's a new take on barrie's original story that captured the world. but i don't really agree with kids getting the idea that falling in love at a young age is such an important thing in the world. they are still kids. they should just enjoy their childhood, like what peter wanted to do. how could they exploit those young minds? crushes are all right, but love is another thing. pardon this outburst. i just wish things kids see nowadays are the same as what i used to watch before, untainted and full of good things. don't argue with my use of the words here.

- carnivale
i've been drawn to this ever since i first saw the advertisement on tv. i religiously watched the first few episodes while i could. it's still season one i think and i was able to watch four episodes this weekend. a pity that i only found out about it just recently. but i think the previous episodes were the ones i've watched already so no harm done. it's when i get back to up that i'll miss it again. sex has come up lately in the stories. i initially thought it would be something different since the beginning was really different from anything i've seen. i don't know what's been happening - the ratings are probably down or the creative minds behind it are not creative anymore - but yes, sex has been one of the key things that's making the story get on. even ben hawkins has been involved in it, and that's probably why he set out to save that woman's life. all of a sudden, life in the carnivale is no longer as it usually was. actually, it ceased to be when ben hawkins came along. however, i'm still stalled as to his connection with the priest Brother Justin who's situated in another part of the world and living in a perfectly normal environment. he, however, is not normal as the last episode has shown.

- fabulous life on vh1
yes, who else's life would be more interesting than ours? none other than the stars. though i don't really understand why some people would care to know everything that has been happening to everyone in tinseltown - local or foreign - i am grateful for those fansites being put up by faithful fans. a latest obsession over something or someone would find me scouring the net for anything and everything about him/her/it. most notable are the pictures so i say just keep them coming. but mind you, my obsessions don't last for long. eventually, i'd be content with what i have. i don't fixate on that obsession for long stretches of time. they usually come to an end, as soon as i've finally collected everything about it - a task i still have to accomplish with my manga scans and translations of rurouni kenshin. so i come back to my initial wonder at why people want to be always updated on everything that celebrities are doing at the moment. there's even a ridiculous kapamilya sim being sold in the country just so the ordinary citizen can stay in touch and in the know on what abs-cbn's stars are doing. they're feeding useless knowledge and promoting inappropriate priorities. the ordinary person would rather see claudine barreto cry on tv than understand the current political situation.

anyway, i've strayed far from my topic. another late night channel surfing chanced upon vh1's feature on the fabulous life of j. lo. she's rich. i was amazed, aghast at the extravagance that she indulges in to live her life. at least pam anderson doesn't keep her money all to herself. she's even got 3 kids. j. lo., i mean jennifer, has all the rocks that she's got. no longer jenny or j. lo. - a change of name ought to change people's perceptions about her - but she's got being rich and a star out strong.

- korean movies
of course, who can discount the comic relief provided by these? not to mention the touching endings that usually come with the laugh. i've only laid my eyes on windstruck and my little bride during this sick leave. but i still can't forget the images from my sassy girl. my 14-year-old brother even watched it with me and my sister and he wants to watch it again. of course, their flawless skin and their different nature provide a refreshing new view on these love stories. oh yeah, have you watched my tutor friend? cholo from stairway to heaven is there. i only saw him crying his heart out on tv before and it's great to see him playing it tough here. i do love chinitos, yeah nika? he's also got this killer smile and this killer bod. i could go with him right now if he wanted me hehe :D

- chocolat
i had the impression that this was a very sensational movie when it was shown in theaters. i stumbled upon it being shown on studio 23 after another late-night meditation in front of the tv. i wonder what i'd do without the remote. the wonders of technology hehe :D doesn't really take much to keep me happy. Ü anyway, i knew johnny depp was starring here. and being the fan that i am, i watched it to indulge in his acting prowess and downright charm; the images of luscious chocolate i remembered from years past also drew me to this. however, a boring pace soon got me surfing again but i did get the gist of the story. i wasn't able to start it so i didn't know the history of the women there. but they were considered outcasts in that society where religion keeps a strong hold on the people. the chocolate they make somehow induces people to commit sins because of the sheer enjoyment they get. that's really sad. once more, women are placed in categories which shouldn't be there. these outcasts are expected to conform to what they were used to. stubbornness led to a boycott on immorality which was fixated on them. never mind their happiness, their sense of self. i'm not aware of the turning point but eventually, the town's main man understood these women's side and the whole town no longer sees them as a threat. johnny depp's character is subdued but comical in his own way. this is the first movie i've seen him kissing another woman. heartbreak anyone?

- the tailor of panama
brosnan plays the kontrabida here and he gets away with it. imagine stirring up trouble in panama over a fake story of the intended sale of the panama canal, a very important trade port. all that trouble and shame - the us army, after getting info from the british, once again suits up to become the hero of any conflict - for 15 million US dollars. just for money once more, folks.

- desperate housewives
the wives of wisteria lane are unique in their own ways. all have their own concerns - from the ridiculously outrageous to the genuine simple ones. i don't know what's all the fuss about these women, but theirs is an interesting story in their own right. sex and getting back is not everything in the world. i guess i'm still tied up by conventional beliefs. anyhoo, i think i'd be happier in what i believe to be right than what's happening over there in the studios.

- metropolis
i just watched this animation awhile ago. i read that there's also a vintage movie titled metropolis but i'm not sure if they're the same thing. after months of putting it off, i finally put it in the player and surprisigly, the story took me from the very start when other chances didn't before. i guess it was just waiting for the right moment. it's based on the comics of osamu tezuka so the story must've been really old. metropolis is like any ordinary city of the future. the people have a characteristic appearance here different from the usual drawings. they did look strange the first time i saw them. two looked quite normal, resembling astroboy's round face but not his hair - kenichi and rock, two of the main characters. one looked americanish in appearance (he's supposed to be a japanese) - this is kenichi's uncle - and one looks like the normal anime drawing, the robot fashioned from the rich man's late daughter. it's robot fiction. robots are now in use to do more work. the downside is many people, mostly from the impoverished sector are staying that way with no jobs and no means to succeed. so there's growing interest in the elimination of these robots. there's also the rich sector who try to stay in power, and who want to take control of the world. the latter is being accomplished with the help of a special robot. but the rich man's adopted son wouldn't hear of it and tries to thwart his plans even if his father would disown him. in the end, the structure built for that purpose, the ziggurat, is destroyed by that robot he tries to use after she realizes what she can do. but total world doom is prevented by a human, the first person the robot meets who knows her enough to stop her and try to reach to that being he once knew. an interesting facet of this animation is the musical score. it's different from the previous ones - or is it the trend in some animation nowadays? - because jazz music is featured here. i do not know the artists but they do keep you up on your toes. instead of the sound of a big explosion when the ziggurat was getting destroyed, what i heard was silence from the main explosion, the one that should've been the biggest, and then the entry of a jazz ballad with the lyrics sung by a man. the music was quite at home with the colors of the film. the bright colors seem to bring you back to the lively scene that i imagine new orleans once was, before that devastating hurricane.