thoughts after window shopping and futsal

I ate a wholemeal vegetarian pizza from Breadtalk about an hour before training and it boded well for me. That’s why I didn’t feel too tired during futsal today, even though we were playing on and off for four hours. I even sort of got into my groove and played one game – well, compared to my usual – fairly well (so I’d like to think). My teammates were great so it was cool that we were passing and progressing towards the opponents’ goal (this is not the usual scenario when I’m playing so pardon the giddiness associated with tonight’s experience). I don’t remember though if we did score.

I initially thought that eating that whole thing (it was around a foot long and about 3-4 inches wide) wouldn’t be good because I’d be so full. Surprisingly, it was helpful as a snack since my last meal was around 1pm with a measly (yeah, it was!) serving of rice and fish fillet that wasn’t artfully presented, the accompanying dip sort of making up for it. I didn’t get to eat snack earlier as I planned because well, I was much too engrossed window shopping. I was already planning to see what Saizen’s Trinoma branch has to offer, looking for the True Value outlet where it is situated, but along the way, I passed through National Bookstore. I saw one of Jamie Oliver’s books from the display window about how anybody can cook so I went in to see that book. Unfortunately, I caught sight of the bestseller pile and the young adult and kids’ section behind it. There was something about Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s new book, after The Shadow of the Wind and one other, but it was nowhere near where the promotional material says so. I also saw a sort of biographical comics about different famous celebrities such as Elvis and The Beatles. The Beatles was the only one whose pages I peeked at. There was more text than speech/thought bubbles. The art – hmmm, unremarkable. I think the writers/publishers could’ve done better and not just sort of belittled each of the members’ attempts at going solo, limiting a child’s view about what caused the Beatles’ eventual breakup. I didn’t read everything, just that one part, so this judgment is not for the whole book. There was also a picture book of Alice in Wonderland featuring scenes from the Tim Burton movie.  I wandered through the cooking section and saw a memoir of two Café by the Ruins kids. I’ve only heard of this place and it’s located up in Baguio. Two of the kids who grew up there were talking about their memories and they also had recipes of favorite treats. I wandered through the fiction section and found an open copy of Murakami’s A Wild Sheep Chase. Interesting read. I guess that’ll be the next Murakami I’ll buy. 

More La Tortura, SARS in China and the World Cup

The Spanish-speaking people indeed speak fast. I'm having a hard time following Shakira's enunciation of the lines

No sólo de pan vive el hombre
Y no de excusas vivo yo

 from her song La Tortura. Yep, that's my LSS for the past few days already and it's a song I just heard two days ago. Talk about obsession. And yes, those two lines are kinda like my favorites; they're the ones I sing too when it's time to sing them. I've almost memorized the first two lines of the song since I've played it many times these three days. I like the beat of the song, danceable, but still full of emotion from the vocals of Alejandro Sanz who's hot in an alternate version of the video for the song (unfortunately, my source has been taken down). I don't know why they just didn't use it for the official video release.

I love the concept, of the video, and even if you can't understand every bit or even a teeny tiny bit of Spanish in the song, you'll get an idea from watching the body language between the two. The video is just so sexy. Though I don't get why Shakira had to go smear black paint all over her body and go dancing. This video puts much more perspective into the story than the original version which uses the Shaketon remix. Okay, so we all know they're both hot in this video.

I already thought Shakira was amazing as a dancer in Hips Don't Lie, one of the very few videos I've watched of her, or in Beautiful Liar where she showcased those patented grinding belly moves. It seems it's been years since she's perfected them, since La Tortura was way back in 2005 (the years fly by so fast sometimes I no longer know where I've been all those times). Seeing her perform live is more amazing, she just does the whole thing without breaking a sweat, all the time showing the right expressions, and showing that she's enjoying everything that she's doing. I think there's something going on between her and Alejandro since they work perfectly onstage (well, in this performance particularly), or they may just be very good actors. More of Shakira in the Oral Fijacion Tour with none other than my new favorite Spanish male musician/singer (I just love how his voice soars as he sings Yo sé que no he sido un santo / Pero lo puedo arreglar, amor).





Listening to her has revived my drive to learn Spanish. I've downloaded a few of her songs, okay, almost a whole discography, and explored other current artists to brush up on Spanish.

This is part two of my La Tortura fixation. I wrote the first one only yesterday and you can read it here :D

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In between sneaking peaks at Shakira grinding her belly and admiring Alejandro Sanz as long as he's not dyed blond, I've managed to pick up China Syndrome by Karl Taro Greenfeld and continue reading where I left off. This hardbound book was a steal, having bought it atNational Bookstore in Shangri-la Mall for only Php200.00. The former Time Asia editor chronicles the beginnings and eventual spread of SARS back in late 2002. I'm not yet halfway through the book, but the retelling of the events as they unfold do make me shiver. The disease probably didn't mean much to me back then, although a few of our countrymen were affected by this disease. But it was far from reality to me since I wasn't exposed to the disease firsthand nor secondhand. Greenfeld talks about the people who have been infected, what their lives were, how China was at that time, the economic boom and how everybody wanted to be a part of it, Hong Kong and its team of medical professionals who sought to keep its poultry supply disease-free, the different specialists in different Chinese hospitals, the information hierarchy in pseudo-Communist China and why no information regarding the disease was disseminated to help control it. SARS was still unidentified in the part I'm reading, but it has already gone into a hospital and community outbreak.

The attitude of the Chinese government towards possible outbreaks is horrible to say the least. Anything that would damage the image of order, prosperity and peace that they've been trying to maintain at the expense of hundreds or thousands of lives shouldn't be reported. They'll remain as rumors; the only useful information will be known at the top. There's hardly information going down the hierarchy. And since the local doctors and hospital directors don't want to be the receiving end of reprimands front heir higher-ups, they just go about their own without reporting alarming things such as what's been happening to immunohealthy thirty-something year olds who suddenly develop fevers, difficulty in breathing and spots in the lungs. Even the press has been barred from publishing anything about it for a time, and Hong Kong which is just south of Guangdong where the disease started has been left clueless (the one nation, two systems policy failed at this).

I'm quite excited to read this through the end, as long as I get myself extricated from the computer for a reasonable enough amount of time. I'm quite curious whether the Chinese government has changed from then, and how they managed the AH1N1 influenza outbreak, which if I haven't forgotten also started somewhere in China.

All of a sudden, I feel like we're all so vulnerable, especially those who live in the cities with its polluted air and close, cramped spaces. At least there's no winter here to promote communicable diseases such as the flu, but then we have our own problems when the rainy days come.

So now I've said my bit. Glad to be writing again. Hopefully tomorrow again.

postscript...
- Italy lost 2-3 to Slovakia. What happened my dear Italians, 2006 World Cup champions? Not even advancing to the Round of 16, and doing too little too late, finishing last in what seemed to be the weakest  group of the tournament. But yay! Germany and Spain have advanced, and so has Brazil. Hooray also for Korea Republic (South Korea), the first Asian team to qualify. Korea DPR has performed well, even though this is their first World Cup. Even though you were trashed by Portugal, still kudos to North Korea and its players. France... well, there's been lots of analyses. I guess attitude begets bad fortune. I wonder though how Japan is doing. Do they have any chance? South Africa seems to be roaring. Hooray for the hosts and the vuvuzela! Although I could do away with that while watching. I wonder when I can watch the next match. Hmm, alright till next time guys. Football later.

the original "reading Dramione fics"

- okay, this I found just now. Apparently, it's stored somewhere, but the navigation of ScribeFire isn't so easy to use. For sure there wasn't anywhere here that says Draft is Auto-saved.

Before the intended topic, I'd like to say that I am liking blogger's new designs. Of course, they're all two-column-oriented. And previewing any of them on my blog shows them incorporating all of the stuff on my two current sidebars, so it wouldn't be such a hassle to switch to any of those. I might try it sometime, seeing as I'm kinda bored with my all-white Georgia typefaced theme, although I don't think I'm ready to give up the three-column orientation of my current. Anyhoo....

I was preoccupied with Dramione fics the whole of yesterday, resulting in me failing to go out and get a cedula (to finally claim my final and separation pay). I wasn't able to do anything else yesterday, except stay in front of the pc from around 9am to 7 in the evening. Not a very nice way to spend the day, especially since.... But after that, I promise, and I do promise it, to start budgeting my time.

For the uninitiated who might ask, Dramione (a term which I discovered two days ago) refers to a writers preference for a  relationship between the HP characters Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger (DMHG, so to speak - which could also be written as DM/HG or DMxHG). This is the world of fanfiction, so the writer has free reign over what s/he'd like to happen in her/his story. (This is why there are slash as in male/male pairings like DracoHarry, or RuHana, SenRu, MitRu in the anime Slam Dunk - I bet you'll know right away who are the components of the SD couples that I'm talking about *grin*) S/he could also put the characters in an alternate universe (AU) but still retain their old characters.

So why Dramione fics? I tried reading one of these a few years ago. It's really refreshing to read stories where what you know isn't the fact in the story that you're reading. Cleverly manipulating the plot so that although Draco retains his evil/villainous character at the beginning of the story, emotions, circumstances and I guess, the whole world conspire to bring about a common understanding between Draco and Hermione, two characters who have much hatred for each other, and result in a romantic relationship between the two. There are the initial word wars, sometimes physical fights, while prolonged encounters in each other bring out each other's humanity since it could be really tiring to be bickering all the day that you're with each other. Then tell-tale emotions creep up, sometimes acknowledged, but most of the time ignored for no logical explanation manifests itself in the minds of the characters. Then there could still be denial, logical thinking over why a certain relationship shouldn't happen, then if you're not reading a tragedy, possibly a happy ending where the two characters live happily ever after.

The first fic I read before was skillful in making me believe the events happening in the story. Unfortunately, I didn't follow it to its completion since it has long been left at some point midway of the story at the time that I was reading it. I don't think I've read others after it. Then a bit of watching at YouTube - from Shakira's videos for Gypsy, which featured Rafael Nadal, and La Tortura, to a vuvuzela-inspired (it's cool how this buzzing South African instrument has made waves, dividing the world into supporters and dissers) The Fellowship of the Ring video (watch it by searching for Gandalf goes to the World Cup) and then fan vids of first, Snape, and then SnapeHermione (if you're curious, watch the one where they used T.A.T.U.'s All The Things She Said - I think it's one of the nicer ones). I also did try looking into a few DracoHarry vids, but of course, they're all slideshows of manipulated pics/fan arts. And then I remembered that DracoHermione fic from before so I went to my old haunt fanfiction.net and searched for ones that would satisfy me. I found Forbidden Fruit, one of the better multi-chapter fics by petitesorciere.

-- Here is where I branch out to my main topic (and the point at which I accidentally clicked on Clear Field). The rest of what I have to say can be read here. Thanks for bearing with me.


--- Can I just say, ScribeFire for Firefox is better than that for Chrome's because it has an Insert Symbol command, making it easier to input accented letters and other symbols one's writing might require. Of course, I can't tell if accented letters are present when the language you use for your blogging service is European, like Spanish or German. But still, more intuitiveness needed for ScribeFire (like the case awhile ago, where I thought I've lost my whole draft.

reading Dramione

OMG! I just accidentally hit the Clear field button on ScribeFire, and the Undo button won't bring what I've typed back... Aaaarrrrggggghhhh....

And of course, I can't possibly recall all of them, although I could if I tried, but that's around three paragraphs, with a number of many-worded thoughts in parentheses. So much for the usability of ScribeFire when the Undo command doesn't Unclear the frickin' field. I don't think there's a Draft Auto-save like in the web-based blogging tools. So now I'm no longer inspired to write. And I was on the verge of expounding on my topic: Dramione fics. I was going to feature two in this post. Check it out, if you're fond of this ship, or if you're curious as to how Draco Malfoy and Hermione could possibly get along in the HP universe, and possibly end up kissing each other and maintaing an interesting, albeit, challenging relationship. *Sigh*

Really, a big big sigh. Darn...

From my old haunt fanfiction.net, there's Forbidden Fruit, still unfinished but one of the better ones by author petitesorciere. At Charms class, Draco and Hermione are inadvertently paired up to charm an apple to make the eater keep on eating it. Bickering between the two leads to a match for supremacy on who can do the charm, which backfires. They each took a bite of the apple and found their bodies drawn to each other. Seduction becomes easy from then on. Almost every chapter features intimate scenes between the two, and if that's not your thing, then I suggest you read the other one, already completed with a sequel already in the writing stages.

An Aversion to Change which is more of a tragedy by Mel88 is post Half-Blood Prince. Draco is seemingly disowned by his father after his failure to kill the headmaster. The Golden Trio (as Harry, Ron and Hermione are called in the other fics I've read) are active in the Order of the Phoenix. Draco takes up on Dumbledore's offer to go to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoneix so he settles into 12 Grimmauld Place on the summer before school, but ignored by the others, although he's still his smug self looking to fight or irritate any of his schoolmates. Ron and Hermione, who is made Head Girl, go back to school while Harry looks for the Horcruxes, and Draco is made Head Boy. I'm not sure if it's anywhere in the books that the Head Boy and Girl share a dormitory but here (and in the other fanfics) they do. Draco, having earned the ire of his former Slytherin posse Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle is assaulted by the three. He's alone in Hogwarts, with no professor nor housemates to support him. Although here, he's portrayed like Harry when it comes to Quidditch - there's nothing in Hogwarts he'd rather than fly on his broom and play the broom equivalent of football. A talented flier (unlike his character in the books wherein Harry often tricks him in crashing to the ground whenever he feigns a dive, here it's Draco doing that to Ginny, the new Gryffiindor seeker), an able captain, brimming with confidence, and a hot body, and who gets nicer and nicer to Hermione as the story progresses, especially when Hermione is in the same boat as him for protecting him from Ron and the others, well, we know what happens. But tragedy, oh, sweet tragedy... He still loves Hermione, but there's still something more important to him than his love. And the last scene is just heartbreaking. Amazing, just amazing work. But if you don't like this ending, preferring a happier one, check out the Alternate Ending to An Aversion to Change. Find it in the author's list of stories.

Celebrate Reading Meme

I love books that's why I thought I would answer this meme (from http://mattviews.wordpress.com). I've come across book blogs earlier this year, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to them yet. Surfing through some again ignited my flickering passion for books. I'm even thinking of joining two challenges starting today. I just have to find and/or get the books I will be reading. I will also compile the list of books I've read this year. From this point on, I hope to be a more critical reader so that I could share what my thoughts on the book after reading.

Here we go...

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
If I do eat, I won't be able to read because my attention will be on the food that I'm eating, like getting my hand out of the package, or determining how I'm supposed to bite it. So no snacks for me.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
My books should be as clean as possible. Of course, you can't prevent coffee or other food stains from spilling into (hopefully just) one or two pages. However, marking the books is a big no-no. You just have to preserve them in their pristine state as much as possible.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
No dog-ears; laying the book flat open also damages the book. If there's a bookmark available, I will use it. However, atm receipts, grocery receipts or any other small pieces of paper will do. Sometimes though, when there's nothing around I could use (or if I'm just too lazy to find one), I just try to remember which page I'm in and hopefully remember it the next time I pick up the book.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I'd love to say both, but I have mostly read only fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
I would rather have the hardbound books. However, I can't afford them yet, and besides, you can't carry them around! I think I'd also be bored if I'm just listening to an audiobook. I have my own pacing when I read books so I'd like to stick to that. I could also go back on previous sentences, paragraphs or pages when I have a printed book so it's easier to tie details up and imagine the story in my head.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I think I can put the book down at any point, but I prefer to finish the chapter before I do. However, if I've still got a long way to go before finishing the chapter, I usually try to finish at a point where there's no sense of excitement (anti-climactic in a sense).

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I try to infer the meaning using context clues. If I have a pen and the paper I write vocab words in with me, maybe I'd write it down and make a note to consult the dictionary in the near future (which as is most often the case, I don't).

What are you currently reading?
Well, I'm in the middle of one of Katie MacAlister's Dark One novels: Sex and the Single Vampire, but it's an e-book. I recently started reading Conrad's Heart of Darkness, because I brought it along one time when I was applying for work. However, I've started a few other novels which I think I should be reading right now (like The Graveyard Book, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Catch-22 and Smoke and Mirrors).

What is the last book you bought?
Okay, so the most recent ones I bought numbers four in all: Bangkok Dangerous, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Rama II and Heart of Darkness. Got them from Booksale at SM North Edsa. Silly me, I brought home most of my books because I will be able to start on them, but no, I had started some, but I haven't finished even half of those. And so when I moved back to QC, I had to bring a lot of clothes and couldn't find space for any of my books. So one day while in SM, I thought I'd look at the new location of Booksale and buy one book. I ended up with four. There was another interesting book they had on sale there: Iain Pearson's An Instance of the Fingerpost.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
What I'm reading usually depends on my mood, so if I feel like not continuing with what I'm currently reading, I'll pick up another one. Hopefully I get to finish it or both of them or all of them.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
As long as its quiet and without distractions (like people moving around all the time), I can read well. I also read lying or sitting down, and sometimes standing up. I usually do this at home, but more recently, I have been able to ignore the environment and read in crowded and noisy places like CASAA.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I'd rather read stand alone books so that I won't be left with the feeling of needing to buy the next one. But I've read a few series, and they're also great (e.g. HP, LOTR, Tales of Earthsea, Dune).

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
It would have to be Neil Gaiman. Reading Preludes and Nocturnes, my first time to read any work by his, is unforgettable. At the beginning, I thought it had lousy visuals. But it wasn't long before it's got me hooked into this world where Endless beings personify aspects of life, and lost ordinary people, just like me, make their way, stumbling at first, but eventually finding the strength to stand up on their own. Since then, I've tried to read his novels and short stories. I love Neverwhere, it's my favorite Gaiman novel. I just love fantasy. I love the way the fantasy world co-exists with the real world that we know. It's there, we just don't know it. And it's our choice what we do with the knowledge of the existence of both.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Oh, I've got no system yet. We only have one bookshelf at home, and it's quite stacked to the limit. Some layers are two or three books deep (for the mass market paperbacks), and I usually put the ones I want to read or re-read nearest the glass door of the shelf.

my BIG world

Ten years ago, my world was just starting to expand. 


The internet was just something I've been reading about in Young Star (the Friday youth section of the Philippine Star). From what I've gleaned, I knew immediately that I would like to be a part of that world. I'd want nothing more than to take advantage of this new tool to learn more not just about my immediate surroundings, but also a lot of different things from around the world. Learning about HTML (enrolled in a course the  summer before high school) also opened my eyes to the fact that one cannot only get information from the internet, you can also contribute to it. TechTV was then also available  to me and it introduced to me the different uses of  the internet. 


Thus began a life of reading fanfics and fiction made by unpublished but talented writers, downloading images of anime/movies/actors/musicians, blogging, watching J- or K-dramas once in a while, buying books through websites/online auctions (the first book I bought was Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides whose original owner was selling it through avalon.ph), discovering different kinds of music, and learning about writing, designing, photography and a myriad of other stuff. 


Thus is the life mentioned a never-ending search for information of different sorts and purposes.  Knowledge is power. And with a wealth of information at my fingertips, my world is so much bigger, my actions affecting not only the people I interact with physically; on the internet, an action, a reply, a message may be ignored by most people but there will be a few who will take time to read, dissect and criticize. Thus are actions jumpstarted, reactions generated, worlds changed.


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I didn't intend to end this entry way. This was supposed to be a post reminiscing about 10 years ago. But this is how it ended up. So what's with the post?


Well, avalon.ph is sponsoring a contest where you can win Neil Gaiman's Adventures in the Dream Trade. So there you go, if you haven't joined yet, don't waste any more time. The contest ends tonight at 11:59 pm. 


Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite storytellers, and I want to have everything by him to be able to reread them anytime. I still can't forget the impression I got when I first read Preludes and Nocturnes, my first time to read his work. Totally mind-blowing, something I'd treasure for a lifetime.

Four Books and One

Silly me. Brought home most of my books, including the ones I want to read the most (Kafka on the Shore, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Amulet of Samarkand, Catch-22, Shogun, Smoke and Mirrors), so that when I came back to QC yesterday, I couldn't bring any more books because my bag was filled with clothes, and some stuff I need to study.

My first foray out of the house this afternoon brought me to Radio City in Muñoz this afternoon, to buy myself a UTP cable so that my PC can access the net in a non-wireless way. After that, I proceeded to SM North where I'm supposed to buy stuff for toiletries. I entered the mall thru the 2nd floor, and I remember Macel saying Booksale is still found on that same floor. I looked for it, and it looks good; a bit bigger, with more variety of books. And that's why with P240, I was able to get:

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Steven Spielberg
• Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  
• Bangkok Tattoo by John Burdett

The first two are sci-fi, one of the genres I'm most inclined to nowadays, aside from the chick-lit/romance reads and Murakami's reality bending works. I bought the third one because I've been hearing much about it, and besides, it was a brand new copy for a very cheap price. I'm delighted with my fourth find. This is not a mass market paperback, but if the hard-bound edition was softbound, this was how (big) it would look like. I've been quite interested with it, more so because even if it's a thriller of some sort, it's set in Thailand. And it's less than P150. There were also a number of Iain Pears's An Instance of the Fingerpost. It was thicker and smaller than Bangkok Tattoo, and the story was intriguing. However, nothing memorable jumped out as I was browsing through the pages. I'll look at it again next time.

So I'll be looking forward to reading those the next few days. Since yesterday, however, I started rereading Sex and the Single Vampire by Katie MacAlister. I just found out that paranormal romance is just one of the things that she writes about aside from YA and mysteries. I just found its file while I was browsing through an ebooks thread. It was empowering, and of course, it makes one fall for this perfect vampire lover - strong, witty, sensitive, sexy, incomplete, and just the right type for our heroine, who, abused during her past, is resisting any sort of control over her, has a bad leg, two widely mismatched eyes and can summon ghosts when she sneezes. I'm not finished with it yet, but it'll only be a few more hours before I look for the next book/e-book to read.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 :)

Rundown of events of the past month (and some things I want to remember)

March 14 (5 am) to March 15 (6 am) - Marj Darunday's thesis shoot - was part of the PD team, got to do clapper roles, as well as edit log notetaking, jao mapa was there, and there was a highly-charged scene that proves how actors can be so talented

March 28 – futsal tournament at DA – 3rd out of some teams

March 29 – Weekend Futbol League – FC Sikad vs. Oscariz FC; played D during 2nd half

Apr 1 – Macel and her nephew Gabe played with us at Sunken; afterwards went with Macel and Joyce to Gabe’s grad party and his grandma’s bday party at their place in Loyola Hts – love the baked seafood dish and the mango cake (which joyce said she preferred less, but which she ate with relish over the strawberry cake nonetheless)

Apr 5 – UP ORG Batch Party – appeared as Katja, the original Palaboy (haha), met Romeo Lee and saw other mems go gaga over the videoke and what-have-yous

Apr 7 – enrolment for summer

Apr 10 – went home

Apr 14 – came back to UP for urgent talk with thesis adviser

Apr 17 – Jack Daniel’s Music Tour Philippine Leg at NBC Tent with the killer collaboration of Cynthia Alexander and Nyko Maca – great performances from other bands including Corporate Lo-Fi (new favorite), Razorback and Urbandub (yes!); also ran into Angcoy, an old high school friend, and his friends, one of whom was Alex Medina, brother of the famous Ping. We drank some Jack Daniel’s courtesy of Vivian N. Limpin, who had a VIP pass (yahoo!) and Angcoy, who treated me to two glasses (the drinks and food there were way pricey)

Apr 18 – met with Joyce at Trinoma after coming from Peri and had a long, insightful talk about the complications of life (mine, mostly)

Apr 19 – Joyce and Macel were at the Tour of the Fireflies (I had wanted to join, but plans interfered), and instead, I was with the Sikad team for the Corinthians’ futsal tourney at Club 650; got eliminated, but was a good experience nonetheless

Apr 22 – first time to eat at Le Coeur – liked the mini-baguet, treat by Macel

Apr 24 – Ariel came by the house (impromptu, I guess) and we ended up watching Wong Kar-Wai movies (Chungking Express (yay!) and Happy Together – he said Kaneshiro Takeshi was gwapo (which he really is, till now), and I agreed with him when he said Tony Leung Chiu-Wai was gwapo during this certain scene) and talking about his lovelife (and whatever goes in between)

Apr 25 – watched Happy Together because I didn’t understand it when Ariel was here, mainly because he was making kwento; I love the shots, and the messages of Wong

Apr 30 – ate Klur treated me to dinner at McDo

May 1 – played football again after a long while as D (really an exhausting job especially since there were only two of us besides the keeper protecting our goal most of the time), then went to the wake of Ate Ria’s mother

May 3 – went biking with Joyce and Macel – from UP to Xavierville at Ricky Lee’s home to meet with ate Vivian Limpin, to Sta. Lucia, to Village East at Ana and Peter’s home (where we ate twice – lunch and snacks – and watched two movies – Wolverine (the copy was still in the post-production stage) and Vantage Point; and I’m reminded why kids are good to have around), to Libis, to Katipunan, then to LB and finally depositing the bikes at Sonic (at around 6), we went home tired and in need of rests and baths to which, I woke up the following day sore in the arms and around the bottom butt area because of sitting long in the bike seat

In between all these – I’ve watched Daria Season 1 which made me miss it so I’m looking forward to watching other episodes at youtube; Bokura Ga Ita (at first, it seemed like a fairly simple love story, but after marathoning some episodes last night, it surprisingly has a lot to say about love; a few Bleach episodes – still a long way to go before the final battle for the Hogyouku; Antique Bakery – besides the yaoi hints and actual scenes, interesting subplots for each of the characters; finished Princess Hours (the ending was kinda rushed and a bit plain if you take everything that’s happened over all the other 25 episodes), still watching Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya; started on 1 Litre no Namida (promises to be a tearjerker); read the Secret History of the Pink Carnation, some kinda historical fiction during Bonaparte’s time like the Three Musketeers; reading Middlesex, absolutely engaging and the allusion to the gods of Mt. Olympus is fun/imaginative and has me wondering how the Greeks have changed from then to now; saw Kuya Jug once when he visited after being in Osamis for quite awhile already

December 17, 2008

it's the day of the UP Centennial Lantern Parade. Marami bang mangyayari? I don't know. Though for a change, I would like to watch Ms. Eng'g this year. Which would mean me missing out on the final performances of the parade participants at Quezon Hall.

* * *

I just got my copies of Iwa's MondoManila and Responde yesterday. But before that, i finally saw and got to set foot on the Bookay bookstore. I've been to the Tomato Kick area many times di ko man lang siya napansin. And then now, i finally own copies of them. Glorious. Also paid for my copy of Gerilya. Sana ma-print na siya. i'm one of the first 100 who paid for a printed copy so i get to have my name printed on it. That book was what actually got me started on Iwa's books. he's got an alternative style of writing fiction, at least, that's what i gleaned from Responde and Gerilya. and he writes in Filipino, too. oh yeah, i started reading Responde just this morning. i don't know why but the urge was just stronger for me to open Responde than MondoManila, which was what won him the 2002 Don Carlos Palanca Grand Prize for novels.

* * *

speaking of reading, i have plenty still on my reading lists, many of which i have started already, or have to re-read before returning the respective materials to their owners. there's one that i'm obliged to read, being that it's about the Vision Philippines project of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF). i took on the task of writing an article about it for the soon-to-be-launched brand new PFF website. and since last Saturday was the Sikad Christmas Party and New Members' Induction, the whole Sunday was spent lazing around (eating, watching movies, lying down, talking, sleeping) in Bon's room (one hell of a complete room - kaya nang mabuhay dun, internet na lang kulang) at the 3rd floor of their house, monday and tuesday were devoted to thesis lab work and then Sonic duty, i have gone home late and tired and unable to finish reading the material. so ayan, may deadline na ako. Friday. sorry talaga avie.

* * *

so what else is on the list?
- the watchmen
- tales from earthsea trilogy: a wizard of earthsea, the farthest shore, tombs of atuan
- two to go
- calvin & hobbes: the revenge of the babysat
- the shining
- go for the goal
- great expectations
- foucault's pendulum
- anna karenina
- the historian
- skeleton crew
- diez cuentos hispanosamericanos
- the once and future king
- tales of the jazz age

balak ko pang basahin uli ang harry potter and the deathly hallows na hawak ko naman sana iyong libro. and the rest of the books from 1 to 4. reading them makes me want to buy the whole series. nakyu-curious din ako sa twilight. ayaw ko namang magbasa ng ebook. sana makahiram ako. kahit di ko na panoorin iyong movie. i don't really trust movies adapted from novels.

tapos... may reprint ng fruitcake book ng eraserheads, kanina ko lang nalaman nung nagpunta ako sa pambansang aklat-pamilihan natin. pula at berde na ang kulay ng cover, ang layo sa dating off-white with black & silver prints niya dati. gusto ko rin nung the flip reader, koleksyon ng akda tungkol sa mga Pilipino at sa Pilipinas ng iba't-ibang katauhan, kabilang na si direk Peque Gallaga. inedit siya ni jessica zafra. which brings me to twisted 8. bongga! ang dami na niyang libro. pero kung bibili ka rin lang ng twisted travels at twisted flicks, mas ok nang bilhin mo na lang lahat nung walo dahil nauulit lang ung ibang mga pina-publish sa dalawang librong iyon.

gusto ko rin ng night train to lisbon. tsaka iyong bartimaeus trilogy.

kung wishlist naman ang pag-uusapan, ang naiisip ko pa lang ngayon ay isang hardcover journal of my own, with unlined paper. parang moleskin pero hindi naman kailangan singmahal. tapos iyong buong Sandman series, Calvin & Hobbes series tsaka The Far Side collection ni Gary Larson. at saka MacBook.

pag pahahabain ko pa to, ang dami mo pang babasahing wala namang kabuluhan sa iyo kaya ititigil ko na. sana lang magawa ko iyong mga dapat at kahit ilan sa mga gustong gawin sa dalawang linggong break mula sa acads.

PAHABOL:
last night got to watch two bands at college of eng'g's maskipaps this year. first was menaya. first time to hear and watch them. love their sound, love their voice. astig. missed playing the guitar. regrets on not focusing on music. but then again, i've been involved in too many things so that mastering one is quite out of the question. oh well.

Y'all a Neil Gaiman fan?

Well, I am. It started when my cousin ate Mai introduced me to the Sandman through a book with a collection of quotes from this beloved series - and one of the greatest graphic novels of all time. Then I sought the Sandman and found him (first, thru mikey, the rest - thru pam). Just got to finish the whole series last week. In between reading the Sandman, I also read (in this order) Stardust, Neverwhere, American Gods, Coraline and Anansi Boys. And yes, the story had to end. And what a way to end it. Lord Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream is one very interesting character - though not necessarily the most lovable (I think the popular choice is usually Death, and then Delirium). The way he sticks to his responsibility is something I can relate to, so I do side with him sometimes, just not during the extreme cases. Case in point, banishing your beloved to hell just because she refused your love. Ah well, this merits a longer post and a lot more thinking. I'm posting this because there's a contest!

See this link: http://fashion-piranha.livejournal.com/23000.html to learn how to join. these are the prizes: - an ARC copy of Gaiman's newest book, The Graveyard Book, due to be released September 30th, 2008.
- Coraline, one of Gaiman's newest graphic novels
- Gaiman's Bath Surprise: one Stardust bath bomb and one Comforter bubble bath, which Gaiman has written about in his blog
- $25 to the charity of your choice!
- 8/5/08 - added a paperback copy of American Gods to the prize pool to mark the first 50 entries!
- 8/11/08 - added a hardcover copy of Anansi Boys to mark the 100th entry!
- 8/13/08 - added another '$25 to the charity of your choice' to mark the 150th entry!
- 8/14/08 - added Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's limited edition Snow, Glass, Apples perfume blend and accompanying chapbook to mark 200!

I. Love. Neil. Gaiman.

snared

it's quite hard to shake off that feeling of foreboding i kinda generated after writing the previous entry. but i had envisioned writing this post a number of times this past week. i've actually missed writing like this, sharing my thoughts with the notepad and some lost soul who'll care to read my rants and what-have-yous. in my vision, i had imagined writing about the greatness of some things or something and the joy you derive from it, or them. however, i can't seem to bring myself to write about them for i cannot articulate my thoughts well enough for them to see print, or in this case, a computer screen and the ones and zeros they require to be written.

there just are some things which blow you away. ideas or concepts, transformed into concrete or living and breathing beings... weaving an altogether different reality, which may be hidden within the threads of the reality where one dwells... stories of different beings, entities, interwoven, creating one marvelous epic stretching from when there was no time yet to the present... the epic exists, the stories came to be because there is destiny... and every being in the stories contributes to the completeness of the epic, bringing the stories round to a rousing conclusion... but you expect more... you just casually peeked in, an unexpected guest... you never knew the beginning... for as was said,

“But of course we never see the beginning. We come in the middle, after the lights have gone down, and try to make some sense of the story so far.

"... 'The story so far.’ Maybe it’s all we can ever hope for…"

i have not read the whole thing completely, for these tomes of rich stories come in expensive packets. but i will finish the story. in the meantime, thanks pam for lending and continuing to lend what you have, that i may get a head start on the epic that was luckily recorded. i am forever snared by the endless and those of their realm.

ho-hum...

i'm in a kind of ho-hum existence since this morning. it's not exactly a bad thing since this should only last by the time i finish this post. well then, what made me say this so? i've done nothing but lounge around since i woke up around eight this morning.

i just sat around or laid on my bed reading. i started reading the book "introduction to cultural theory and popular culture" by john storey, since it's already due on tuesday. when i tired reading of the various definitions offered by academicians on what is pop culture, i switched to reading the quotes on my phone and copied down some worth reading again. i listened to music when i remembered it was remote control weekend on nu. then there was a brief brown out so i had nothing to listen to. so i opened one window, and though it was quite sunny outside, there was a cool breeze. i tried juggling the ball but only managed to let it bounce on one thigh. after a short while, electricity came back then i flipiped open the book on pasta sauces and after it, the book on pasta. i made to make some notes during the first book and ended up with how to make fresh pasta and a recipe for cream sauce with black olives. i found two others, but by the time i finished writing down what the recipe said (practically the whole page of that recipe!), i got tired writing so i just put off copying the other two for another time. i've eaten nothing but loaf bread with tuna spread since last night, and when i ran out of the tuna spread, just the bread. in fact, i've watched two movies last night after i got home from training and dinner with sikad: take the lead and step up, two fairly recent movies on dances involving partners. it is fairly evident that antonio banderas is reaching his prime, with wrinkles showing up in his face. there is a difference with the way he looks in that movie, and say, femme fatale. i just love the tango he danced with one of his high-end student to show his detention students what ballroom dancing could achieve. i believe one of the guys there has some filipino blood. he definintely looks filipino, with a filipino name to go with it. this guy named dante basco, actually had a major role in the film, teaming up with his schoolmates, who went on to perform in the tango finals, to come up with a love triangle told through the same intense and expressive dance. i should learn the tango. then there was step up, with a guy named channing tatum playing the lead. i believe, this is the same guy who plays the love interest of amanda bynes in she's the man. now what kind of name was that. at first, i thought it was a girl's name. it's really cute. i'm now wondering about the nationality of this person. although he played his part quite well in she's the man, there's something lacking in his portrayal of tyler, not-quite-white-trash/not-quite-the-good-white-kid. it's not shown how he does in school, and he hangs out with a black guy, with a younger brother who likes to tag along which is one of the causes of his death. and together, the trio engage in some petty, some major mischief in the neighborhood. which is how tyler ends up becoming rehearsal buddy to upcoming next-big-thing-in-dance (ballet, to be exact) nora. i love the beats and the orchestration provided by the character played by r&b artist mario on the dance showcase of nora, whose performance was interspersed with hip-hop moves from that big, clumsy-looking tyler.

so that was last night and this morning. yesterday, there were only 6 of us girl during training. i didn't know what happened to the others, even to some of the guys. only one member of the most recent batch, anghang, showed up during training, and he's the one who's not around much. JL and mikai showed up after training, tired from last night's lagare shoot (imagine 7 short films to be shot?), as did gia and tetil - who fell asleep and weren't able to go to the sunken garden. as for me, i kinda liked training that day even though we were so few, since i got to play more, although, i wasn't able to give much thought to the things that i've been doing. i even fell down twice, scraping my right knee and elbow in the process. thankfully, there were no bruises, just reddening. we played four-aside football with manong bayan (i'm not sure of his name) and kuya carl, who was later on replaced by teej. i wasn't able to score any goals, but i was able to bring the ball into play lots of times. it's times like these that i could come out and do stuff like those, although i wasn't able to put into action various moves that i thought i should practice, like faking and the like. it would really be beneficial if girls played along with girls during training, than playing mixed matches. afterwards, sikad decided to eat at lkb. but since it was closed, we proceeded to rodic's. kuya pat had planned to treat us to ice cream, but since the one available at sc was expensive for his budget, he said he would just treat us at philcoa. i'm not sure if he continued with his plan, since many of us went home already, including me.

so there's two days. what i need to do now is start working on the introduction and methods and principles of our lab report on quality assessment for fs139. i volunteered to compile it, and somehow, i took responsibility for those two parts, too. i'm still waiting for the text of jez saying she's already sent her part through email. anyhow, i should be busy already, and stop lounging around. exams are coming in. these two weeks will see me preparing for two of them, all during the end of the week.

so there's me. i'm out.

reading murakami

i'm rereading haruki murakami's norwegian wood before i finally return it to pam come the next up cinema ga. discounting the fact that murakami can actually write a hilarious narrative as evidenced by the hilariously account of storm trooper's character, the roommate of the narrator during his early college years, i find this novel really depressing. besides the deaths - all are suicides, something which is common among the japanese even today - what is even more depressing is that after all the narrator and main character has been through and is able to do, he is reminiscing some twenty years after the events he was relating, and it seems nothing much has happened with his life. if ever, he's on a level lower than the life he previously led. you know, a guy with so much abilities and knowledge can go places. but then, if you choose to live in the memory of the dead and the what-could-have-beens - basically, your past - nothing's bound to happen to you. and so at the end of the novel, i was so damn depressed i didn't want to read another story like it again.

but then, murakami is a great writer. however, some critics didn't give favorable reviews for this particular novel because it was not the usual work you would expect from murakami, in fact, calling it somewhat autobiographical but not entirely the usual fare you would expect from murakami's genius. well, i'm not to say that this novel is below par, because it was excellently written. however, i do agree that this is not the usual story that murakami would engage in. let me qualify that. i've only read four books of murakami all in all. i first read the wind-up bird chronicle (i was attracted to this author when i first browsed through the pages of this book at national bookstore), then sputnik sweetheart, followed by norwegian wood and finally, dance dance dance. and from what i've read so far, this has got to be the most straightforward of all his novels, the more realistically occurring. yes, that is totally true; there's the sheep man living in an alternate universe that's located in the same world you are living in today, a person who can pass through walls and get an orgasm with a psychic prostitute, a character whose hair turns white overnight after seeing her an exact copy of herself living a life of its own in a room atop a ferris wheel. there also are vanishing elephants and wild sheep chases, hard-boiled wonderland, a boy named kafka and the different impacts of a local earthquake to a number of the residents (subjects of other books by murakami). details and storylines are
not entirely easy to explain. it's up to the reader to interpret what to make of the different occurrences in the novels. there's gotta be some brain exercise for one to be able to understand what murakami is trying to say. and i tell you once again, that circumstances were not entirely the same with his book norwegian wood.

this book, however got me intrigued regarding f. scott fitzgerald's the great gatsby. it's a book the main character and his friend like to read. murakami is not limited to reading books and listening to music which are commonplace or are in the mainstream. in fact, he is a jazz aficionado and the books he's mentioned in his novels span european and american literature (contemporary or otherwise - don't argue with me about time since i do not know the exact dates of publication of the books he's mentioned). so if you must know, i'm watching out for the books this author's mentioning. he's also got me intrigued regarding jack kerouac - quite a staple among the avant-garde if i may
say so from impressions i have formed from reading various articles which mention him (even his name screams eccentric). aside from these learned and a-notch-above-the-rest (not necessarily in terms of financial matters) lives his characters lead, murakami is also prone to island settings - malta, greece, hawaii, young, teenage girls entering the lives of thirty-something males (albeit, not in a malicious way) and who do so because they are different from
other people their age and their sensibilities match that of the older male, characters who drink beer often and regular enough it's just so alarmingly ordinary (at least for me, who's not exposed to that kind of lifestyle, i mean,
drinking is for relaxation done in a place where you're with friends, or else by your lonesome when feeling blue), attractive and intriguing japanese women and, characters losing something along the way which turns into the ultimate quest of the major character, resolved side by side with the various issues besetting the characters of the novel. it's one big psychological show, and i'm not a person who's too big on psychology (analysing math problems is already difficult for me, what more if you analyse a person and i'm sure, i'm not adept at picking up clues).

but however his stories turn out, they are great reads. i'm looking forward to his south of the border, west of the sun, another book of his that i'll be borrowing from pam. i also really wanted to buy this, as well as kafka on the shore (his latest before his new release of a collection of short stories) - the former because i was attracted to the jacket blurb which cites it as a work where murakami at his most wise and compelling, and the latter because i liked what i read when i browsed through the first page.

after all that i have read and seen regarding the japanese and their culture, i've come to the conclusion that the japanese are a very serious people, with no peep of comic relief, not even just a single funny situation involving themselves. nope, no funny stories from japan, only horror movies and more social dramas. no funny literary works. yes, there may be some in anime but then, funny circumstances are anime are due to the characterization of the players themselves. i've never heard of a japanese creation wherein a character finds himself in a situation where absurd things happen to him, and he would, thus, have to resort to silly or absurd actions to get through to the next
scene. what movies have i watched? as of now, i can only remember two: high and low by kurosawa, and battle royale. the former, a detective story aiming to catch the kidnapper and the ransom money he got from a rich businessman whose life unfolds along the way; the latter, a brutal program to instill responsibility and a sense of survival to japanese youngsters who only know to wreak havoc at school. only must survive after three days or else, everyone is dead, and there will be no winners of the game. this is a pretty cynical view, how orwellian (forgive my mentioning this author - all i've read is 1984). imagine, a class of middle school kids looking to kill each other off so that they'd be able to get out of an isolated island alive. a misunderstood bunch, and ones who also misunderstand the adult world. well, we're not seeing the whole picture here since you only get the adults' point of view, but nothing on the students. and like murakami's writing, there are hidden symbolisms, meanings, to be deciphered by the discerning viewer. and oh yeah, i remember i've watched the ring too.

anyway, what's with all this seriousness? is this an effect of what japan has gone through during the second world war? it may have been, plus the spillover effect of the culture japan has had, being isolated from the rest of the world
for so many years before the war. this is what i get from the psyche of the urban japanese. however, being the "frustrated japanese" that i am, i am actually drawn to japanese culture itself. it's so mesmerizing actually - the geisha, the samurai, the cherry blossoms. everything's just so beautiful. i've been drawn to this country from a long time ago, probably ever since i first saw kenshin himura in the animated movie.

the urban psyche may be troubled, or else, seriousness is what keeps them going all through their days (as long as they don't resort to suicide). anyhow, i'm anxious to get a headstart on my nihonggo lessons and visit japan real soon.
today's the 31st of december. i've to sleep now, the family's going to mass this morning since it's sunday already.

*started at 12:35 am

random stuffs

i am drawn to bizaare stuff. so i appreciated the hbo series carnivale from the start, when all i had was the trailer/commercial. i also loved gaiman's sandman although i only got to read as far as the first volume Preludes and Nocturnes (anyone there willing to lend me the other ten volumes?) i also really wanted to watch a series of unfortunate events (whichi got to do already). i know i'm going to love the upcoming collaboration with gaiman and mckean - mirrormask. i love the different colors and vibes emitted by these strange things.

strange lands, magical places... i'm fond of thinking about these things. i guess you can say i'm out of touch with reality. when i think about it, i do think it's true. when i'm in up, i think i live a life far from what my family has here at home. practikal dito sa bahay. parating may ginagawa. i was thoroughly disappointed when i came home because i had chicken pox. since baha dito sa amin, i was expecting my dad to fetch me with the car. pero hindi. at may sakit na ako nung time na iyon. nawala lahat nung mga iniisip kong sasabihin ko o gagawin ko pagkauwi ko nang naupo na ako sa hapag-kainan at nag-usap kami ng mommy ko. i'm a shitty dreamer. kaya siguro wala akong mas magandang rason sa kagustuhan kong manatili dito sa 'pinas other than gusto ko kasi dito.

madalas, torn ako sa gusto kong gawin at sa dapat kong gawin. praktikal na dapat kasi ang mga tao ngayon, lalo na't hindi pa rin umuusad ang ating bansa. pero gusto kong gawin iyong mga gusto ko dahil nagpapasaya sila sa akin. ang hirap talaga pag wala kang pera. sana umulan ng pera dito sa amin. kahit 10 million, ayos na. mag-iinvest sa kung anong pagkakakitaan tapos mag-eenjoy. pwede siguro akong mag-shift pagdating nung araw na iyon.

recently edited ang aking profile. na-edit ko siya nang isang araw na alam kong may dapat akong gawin pero iba ang inatupag ko. iyon ata iyong araw na depressed ako (the subject of a previous entry - hindi ako makapaniwalang nangyari iyon kapag iniisip ko siya ngayon). ewan ko kung bakit nagkaroon ako ng coherent answer sa space sa profile sa friendster para sa about me. ang tagal ko nang di nakapag-isip ng tungkol sa sarili ko. tapos biglang nagsilabasan lahat ang alam kong tungkol sa
akin pero hindi ako aware na ganun pala.

"i am usually quiet, sometimes too quiet. socializing,i find, is something that i would need to put a lot of effort into. i prefer to stay with the
crowd i know, seldom venturing to talk to other people. and even though i'm with my
crowd, I don’t talk that much."

kinakailangan ko ng extraordinary burst of energy to go out of my way and socialize. e madalas i'm in just one place with my mouth shut. kaya ayun, hindi gaanong umuusad sa social ladder. marami na kong taong napapalampas. frustrating talaga 'to. i think i'm gonna die with only a handful of people, my family included, grieving over me. most of them won't probably notice i'm gone. yehey!

"this is my blab medium."
so freaking true. dito lang talaga ako nakakapagdaldal. balak ko ngang gumawa ng memoirs ng aking buhay. matagal na kong nagsusulat ng kung anu-anong pangyayari, simula pa grade 4 nung una akong niregaluhan ng diary. hindi pa rin napupuno iyon pero ang dami ko nang nasulatang used notebooks. minsan tuluy-tuloy, tapos mawawala, tapos makakapagsulat muli. nakakainis nga at hindi naibalik nung prof ko sa cw10 iyong journals namin. cute pa naman nung notebook - bought it at papemelroti just for that purpose - at ang daming naka-record doong memories. well, at least a month of memories pero di ko na maibabalik iyong mga iyon muli.

wish ko lang binabasa ito ng maraming tao diba para makilala pa nila ako pero siyempre, only a handful do it. kaya kailangan pa rin magpakabibo sa labas ng bahay. yup, tama iyon. dito kasi sa bahay, i'm super comfortable. dito lang ata lumalabas sa bahay iyong tunay kong pagkatao. nagagalit, nadidisappoint at nasisiyahan ako dito. sa ibang lugar, i try to keep my cool, hindi naman sa short-tempered ako pero wala lang sa akin kung may atraso sa akin ang mga tao. sa boarding house, dreamer ako madalas. living in my own sugar-coated dreams, malayo sa totoong buhay. pero kung iisipin dreamer naman tayong lahat. pero that's the subject for another blog entry. hanggang dito na lang muna dahil kanina pa naka-on tong pc. at masakit na ang mata ko.

surprise, surprise

words have eluded me for the past 5 minutes. it's now 9:44 pm. just when i was poised to relate the latest events concerning me, my mind drifts elsewhere, unable to concentrate on the sheet of paper in front of me.


[another 3 minutes have passed]


sometimes our own actions take us by surprise.

last night, i flipped to a channel showing an ongoing socceer match. i don't know who the teams were - couldn't understand a thing the commentators were saying or a jig written on the screen. but anyhoo, ronaldinho's team was there. now, if you've been observing those players awhile, you'll find they have one of the best bods around. i saw ronaldinho before remove his jersey after a game, and well, to put it simply, he took my breath away hehe :D he's also a good player, making an impressive goal on a penalty kick on that game. i've read his name way back 1998, the first time i heard of the world cup where france took an astounding win over brazil with 3-0, brazil who had the likes of ronaldo and pele among its ranks and who was seen to conquer the world cup one more time. imagine how old he is now.

if you must know, i am attracted by long-haired guys. a weakness probably, now that i think about it. and ronaldinho was that, plus one great bod of a great athlete. so i perked up when i saw him on the screen last night. my heart went a-fluttering for a moment. (goodness, i now rely on faraway guys lording it in the screens to wake up these feelings in me. what news, i have an infatuation!) karen and rj were there with me, trying to watch and asking questions. i told them what i could, not being very familiar with the game rules, and i also proceeded to tell them about the '98 world cup and ronaldinho. and as i did talk about the latter, i became teary-eyed. it's not a gradual one but a sudden one - in a moment, my eyes were flooded with lachrymal excreta. they weren't tears of sadness nor joyousness. i said at that time that i was too excited so that tears welled up in my eyes. but it doesn't seem to make sense to me now. excited? ture, i was perked up by his image gracing the screen. but the feeling doesn't relate to the fact that tears sprang from my eyes.

later on that same night, i was relating to my sister my initial feelings when i started reading her book (the shadow of the wind) and once more i was teary-eyed. i wasn't perked up like the previous incident. i just wanted to tell her to let her know how much a jewel of a find the book is.

but well, there you go. surprise, surprise.

moi and those glorious pieces of...

the shadow of the wind
karen bought a second-hand book entitled shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafon for P175.00. it's already a translation. to my book-lover's eye, it was an extremely good find considering the price. the book is still mighty intact and there seems to be a very nice story waiting to be unraveled in its pages. she bought it last sunday, after her interview for the singapore asean scholarships, the undertaking of which only took 10 minutes. imagine waking up at 2 in the morning and traveling for 5 hours just to sit a spell with three singaporeans?

anyhow, just awhile ago, i started to read it, beginning with the praises splayed on the first two pages. and when i started with the story, it held me in its grip. it had that magic that makes it hard to put down. i thought i'd only read the first chapter but then i went on to the second, and many more paragraphs after the first sequence or part of the story was over. it held my attention, just like how the book in the story was doing to the soul of the main character. i know the book will be a very good one. i am looking forward to when i can finally read it without distractions. as of now, i cannot do that because i have plenty of things to attend to in my acad life. and even if i would, i can't bring it with me when i go back to up tomorrow because that's karen's book and she hasn't read it yet. but the magic of its pages hasn't left me yet. it feels like it's the same book the boy was reading, since they are of the same title though in the story, it is written by a certain Julian Carax. and even if i can't read a synopsis of the book, i feel like i would buy it from the cover itself. it's really something. it still leaves me awestruck, like it's a book that could change my life in a lot of ways. the soul of the main character is in ways akin to mine. we are serious book lovers. we would read anything, new or old. i wish i had my own cemetery of forgotten books.

books over anything
books are one of my greatest passions in life. along with it are music and movies. if i had to choose one among the three to be my only companion in life, i would choose books. there's the pleasure in taking journeys with another character and delving into a different state of mind. the power of the written word is truly far-reaching. it can take you any place and make you feel anything. the different sceneries provide for various enjoyment in a day of reading a book. this isn't much to convince anyone who doesn't feel the same as i do but as of now, words fail me to clearly express my most sublime feeling towards these great artifacts of culture.

language in books
books do use different language styles, from old english to hillbilly to british english to ghettospeak. there's been plenty of times when after reading a book i would write something, i try to write in the way that conversations in that book was written. yes, there's been plenty of times. although i'm not very successful at it and it wasn't really a conscious choice, they just come out like it's the natural way to say them. but they're very few and far between, at times occuring just in the first line. :D

like the expression "mighty intact" above. it's not really being used in the book i last read but it seems much the way the characters said things. making adverbs out of adjectives which should remain as such. the other one, "sit a spell" was used in that book. it's the new york times bestseller the songcatcher by sharyn mccrumb, another of karen's finds for P40.00. i realize now that most of the books i've read for the past week have been karen's - well, at least two that i've finished: the songcatcher and jane eyre. and i really want to start on the shadow of the wind. although i also got to finish one of stephen king's short stories in the skeleton crew, a second-hand find of mine back in cebu.

the language in itself is one main characteristic of the book. it sets the mood of the story. it tells you what may happen in the story and what may not. translating books must be really hard work. the writer has woven the spell in the original language and you have to recreate that same effect to those who'll be reading it in another language. it's not just the direct translation of the words. you can say a single sentence in a number of different ways but it takes a good sense of harmony with the words and an understanding of the book's cultural context to be able to transcribe the original effect to something very similar, albeit in another language.

that's why marquez's a hundred years of solitude, coelho's the alchemist, eleven minutes and others have considerably touched readers' souls. their translators must've incorporated the original writer's souls when they did them. hail to them for letting non-readers of the language enjoy these glorious works.

literature.

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.