The Last Post?

Yes it is, only for this year of course. I'm currently at my usual tambayan, Gloria Jeans Megamall downloading some manga. Bad news, Hunter x Hunter, is on hiatus again! For how long I'm not sure.. the f***! Oh man I waited for this series to continue for so long and now it's on hiatus again huhuhu... Anyway, I wish everyone a blissful year ahead. Enjoy life everyone (",x)

The rest of 2oo7...

I don't really have much time to tell an epic now. I know I have a lot of stories to tell... I owe a lot from my blog hehehe. Definitely I'm missing a lot of updates in my life but I'm trying my best to catch up... a lot of pics to upload too -sigh-...

Anyway, everyone, we have 9 days to enjoy before moving forward to a new year. Let's all give our last blast. I'm trying to enjoy it as much as I can because I feel that I may never have the time to do so in the coming year. So let me start with events!

2007 Komik Con - I barely last an hour, I didn't really plan on coming here...

Neil Gaiman in Manila - I sacrificed going to the UP-AME (can't go out in 2 consecutive days hehe) event just to see Gaiman! Too bad no book signing, but his words of wisdom of enough. He acknowledges the Filipino talent in writing! Way to go kabayans!!!

2007 Hanep Hataw Hero - I love the venue and the booths! They did a good job of making me feel to be in an "anime convention" - the loot bag and freebies was really something new. But still needs to improve on the program of activities... and the cosplay... well I didn't finish it, I can't find anything new.

Let's move on to the wedding bells, my friend Weng just got married to her long time boyfriend Ruel, and I'm really happy for her. While my eldest bro Richard will tying the knot next month! Now here's another significant event in the family, and don't get me started with reminiscing my childhood again hahaha!

And so far, what keeps me busy is the different Christmas parties that I attend... attending the parties at MDH makes me feel like i didn't really leave hehehe.

And yeah, Oliver got home and all I got from him are RK manga vol.3, coins (yen), ballpen from the Tokyo Motor Show, and chocolates. Well knowing him I really didn't expect anything hehe. I'm just thankful he's back safe. I love his laptop and it made me really feel I should upgrade my laptop soon hahaha...

Last but not the least, my Christmas Wishlist:

The Sandman library vol. 6-10

RK Manga vol.9, 20, 25-26

Clamp No Kiseki Vol.1-3

PG Wing 0 custom model kit

Things to look forward for the rest of 2007

There you go now pips, it's time to enjoy the last two months of the year. Hmmm, I wish I can feel the upbeat. I must admit that the last month had been really boring. But once in a while, I do remember that there will always be something to look forward to at the end of the line (geez I hope so). Well just to remind fellow anicon goers out there, 2 major events are coming: the UP-AME event at the end of the month and Hero TV's fair at the opening of December.

Never forget the special people celebrating their birthdays: Russel (Nov. 11), Mike (Nov.17), Mom (Nov.18), Rosavel (Nov.25), Sherry (Dec.12) and of course our dear Lord on Christmas Day. I have to admit though that I'm not really excited this coming holidays. Honestly, I have given up the notion that adults can actually enjoy Christmas... Don't blame me huh... You'll understand how it feels when you ran out of luck in life -sigh-

In the anime/manga scene, I've been catching up (I guess) at least in certain titles that I've been faithfully following. Finally there were updates in Hunter X Hunetr and Blade of the Immortal, and of course I've been very faithful in tailing XXX Holic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. Good news about this titles - major character developments and every shocking thing you'd expect from the manga powerhouse CLAMP! Bad news, I still can't think of a character to cosplay...oh well... and oh yeah, CLAMP in wonderland 2 is another thing to look forward to, this time it features CLAMP titles from 1996 and up. Cool huh.

Now let's get real. Another thing to look forward too, is the 2008 Starbucks Planner. Coffee lovers anyone? Tomorrow is the start of Starbucks stamp collecting and this is something I can't hardly wait hehehe. I've seen the sample planner a couple of days ago and i have to say that it is more handy than the 2007 edition. Plus this time it's sporting a pencil and not a pen... hmmm, I don't think I can use that...and it's a light brown leather this time... generally, it's as cool as the previous planners, something a coffee jerk must not miss!

And there you go, I can't think of anything more. Honestly, why do I feel like that I've been talking nonsense, and it feels like I'm just putting these not so interesting stuff just so I can update my pathetic blog? Ahemm, I believe I mentioned awhile ago that the last month had been a boring one huh.

Well here something worth sharing. I'm really lookin forward for my brother's return. Yesterday he just texted my mom telling that he misses us and that he just came from Tokyo and watched the motorshow, something like that. I have to admit that I miss him, we miss him. It's been more than a month that he left for training and the weekends are not really complete at home when a family member is not around. And I just realized how my parents must have felt whenever I won't come home for weeks.

Well what do you know, there was a mall bombing (?) incident at Glorieta 2! For some reason, I am not surprised. It's not unlikely to have such incidents now that holidays is fast approaching and it's the time when malls are jam packed. But that was really terrible, how I feel sorry for innocent victims of the explosion. I got worried when I heard the news because Glorietta is one of the most frequent destination of some of my friends. I myself wouldn't hesitate to drop by whenever I am in Makati (because Timezone in G4 is the most updated arcade center!). This morning I'm kinda thinking of going there, it's a good thing that Megamall is always my first agenda whenever I'd go out hehehe. On the other hand, it's not that bad to be bombing victim, at least for me. I've always preferred a one shot death than a slow and painful one...there, my mom and Dindee just called me and was asking me to go home immediately. Hmmm, I'm still downloading manga, besides I have to get the smoke of my money's worth (for buying Gloria Jean's Coffee beverage and pastries). But honestly, it's one of those time... when I hate the world so much that I don't what happens to me...

The clock is ticking, the days are moving and Christmas is coming. 89 days to go dear friends! My newest hanging out place is Gloria Jeans in Megamall. This mall is the closest to my home as of the moment and Gloria Jeans is where I get a free Wifi connection. Plus the pastries and coffee aren't that bad. But of course, nothing really beats the Starbucks coffee experience. Now that brings me to my main subject for this entry.

I am currently reading "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill. It's actually his biography. It's about a man who has everything, lost everything, and found it all again (even more) in... well... Starbucks of course. Gill is a son of well known writers. His father, Brendan Gill, is the writer of the best selling book "Here in New Yorker". Michael graduated in Yale University and had a promising career at J. Walter Thompson company, the largest advertising agency in the world, for 25 years. He started off as a copywriter and eventually went up as the Creative Director. But things do change. After the 25 years of hard work and loyal service, the top management decided to let him go. The new chairman of the board wanted "young" people in his team. He thought of suing the company for the unjust termination, but he felt he needed the connection with JWT to start again. He established a mini-consulting company but it didn't last. Now there came the difficult part, together with financial concerns, he had an affair and impregnated a woman which made his wife decide to divorce him. What's more, he was diagnosed to have a small tumor in his brain. He got desperate. He was 63 years old back then. Who wants to take a 63 yr. old man for a job? But then he found an answer in his last coffee luxury in a Manhattan Starbucks. A young African-American woman approached him and jokingly asked him if he wanted a job, which he took seriously. Desperate for a job, Michael ended up working as a Barista. But working in Starbucks made him realize a lot of things. Things he never learned as an advertising executive and made him more fulfilled than ever.

Tom Hanks bought the story, he will be producing and starring in the movie adaptation of the book which would probably come late next year. What can I say, I loved this book! It made me realize a lot of things too. For one thing, I finally believed that it’s not all about money and prestige. Happiness in a job doesn’t really mean higher compensation and promising position. Success doesn’t really match with Self actualization. This story is far more realistic to me than those rags-to-riches stories. Of course those things are real but I just don’t have the confidence that I’d end up on the top like those struggling heroes. But that’s beside the point. This book would teach you to make most of what you have. Definitely, every suffering individual would find their time in the most unexpected place. But hey, that doesn’t mean I’m inspired to work at Starbucks. Definitely, the right job for me would come.

My brother’s leaving for Japan this coming Monday! His company is sending him for 3 months training. Talk about luck, I’m really happy for him but I have to admit that I’m dying of envy! Heck I’m dying to go there that I’d trade half of my life span for the chance of getting in my dream land. How come an opportunity never opened to me? And it all ends up to hatred. I hate myself, I hate my life for I encounter nothing but failure. –sigh- I just hate the idea that some things are not meant to be.

Text Chronicles

I’m a Globe handy phone user. Ever since Globe network adopted the unlimited texting scheme (all thanks to Sun Cellular Network), I’ve been a sucker to this unlimited message forwarding. Be it quotes, jokes, anything is “possible” hehehe. Hell, for 3 months I’ve accumulated 65K+ messages SENT. Though I’ve recently withdraw from this practice, I still get various forwarded messages from other Globe users in my phonebook. I suppose that if you have such friends, you’ll be updated on the latest text jokes in town. Whoever is not aware of the all time Erap-jokes which I don’t really find funny at all? Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a pro-Erap. Politics is just out of my system. I just don’t find it amusing at all, period. And then there’s the text chronicles. By chronicles I mean those jokes that are connected to the other, there’s something common and connection from one another. One example would be the Tagalog homonyms of various English words or phrases (e.g. If rain [efren] Bata Reyes, Recharge [Richard] Gutierrez, etc.). And then there’s this series of jokes that starts with such serious quotes only to find out it was actually quoted by… say a balot vendor, a shit, gas price and almost anything irrelevant, even a smiley! Now the lastest text chronicles that a texter can find is the “Inday” chronicles.

As we all know “Inday” is a common household maid name. And yes, she finally found her way to stardom through SMS hahaha. Our protagonist this time is no ordinary maid. She speaks English well. That’s the gist, a helper who speaks excellent English. Inday expresses simple thoughts in complex English statements that would make average IQ individuals nosebleed*. What makes it really funny (at least for me) is her interaction with other persons. At one time Ederlyn (another famous text figure hehehe) confronted her, then a guy Dodong is asking to court her, there was even this instance when her employer finally noticed her excellent English skills. Her biodata was also spread, and boy talk about high caliber credentials minus her employment as a helper of course. So I wonder, when will Inday finally let go of her job and look for another promising one? She should try call centers hahaha!

*In Filipino context, nosebleed denotes that a person is having difficulty in understanding what another person is telling him. But in Japanese context, nosebleed is actually associated with perversion.

It’s been almost three weeks since I lived an unemployed life. I must admit that I’ve been in a stagnant state in terms of productivity. So far, I am not worried. For some reason I can’t explain, I just can’t panic. Though I should really be, for I’m running out of time. My bills would be due in a month and my room rent would be due in less than 10 days. For the last 3 weeks, I didn’t go to my provincial home for the conviction that I’d have a new job before coming home, but a couple of days ago I bent this conviction due to my parents’ demand. Staying home for 3 days made me realize that I really should get a job sooner. It’s difficult to stay there knowing that I have nothing to go back for in Manila. There’s no place like home, but my “busy life” is in the city. So there Kid, I know you’re still in the process of finding yourself, but you have no time to take it easy!

so long...

Today is my last day of work in MDH. In 5 hours or so, it’ll be over. A couple of days ago, during my farewell party I confessed that I’m delighted to be honored but a little sad since I have to go. Surely I’ll miss everyone from the Hospital who, in one way or another, had touched my life. Honestly, I’m feeling bluer than ever, thinking I’m leaving a place I could call another home. But it’s inevitable if you have different aspirations. I have my reasons and I feel it’s high time that I leave and find the true path I’m seeking. Still, I’m thankful for almost 4 years of stay in MDH, it’s not always blissful. There were good and bad times. There were even moments that I couldn’t decide if I should be thankful or regretful. But the important thing is that I’ve learned a lot and meet different kinds of people.

2 more days to bear...

Today is my farewell party at MDH. I find this exciting since not everyone gets the chance to have a farewell "honoring". And that makes me what? A very important/special person indeed hehehe... I still have no idea what's gonna happen after this but i guess there's no turning back. I'd say, I need all the luck in the world...

Kenshin turns 158

I just want to greet my favorite anime character a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I’m currently not in the mood to update my blog, too many forlorn thoughts inhabit my head. To my dear readers, please bear with me…

Happy Freedom Day! But I’m not discussing that please, I’m not a patriot. It’s a general knowledge that I have the least concern for this freaky nation hehehe. It’s the 7th day of my vacation and so far so good. It’s not like I’m having a great time but at least I’m having a break. Besides, there’s this old saying that there’s no place like home. For the past seven days I’ve been busy eating, sleeping, watching anime, reading books, eating sleeping, tending my collection, eating, sleeping, bullying my nephew Alfrei, daydreaming, eating, sleeping, browsing my college and high school papers, eating, sleeping… simply put, it’s a lazy (rather dysfunctional) man’s role hehehe… at least my vacation served its purpose. Whenever feasible, I’d borrow my mom’s or siblings’ mobile phone to put my SIM card to check any important messages. But then I’d end up texting my friends and therefore I fail my mission to totally get away from the busy city. I guess I’m not so used with a loner’s life anymore huh. Or I simply had to admit that I miss them hehe. Whatever, I’m getting my cellphone a battery as soon as I get back. Toycon is fast approaching and there’s no way I’d attend without a camera and a phone.

I’m currently reading “Dreaming Pachinko” by Isaac Adamson. His novels chronicle the adventures of an American journalist slash amateur detective Billy Chaka in ultramodern Japan. I can’t help comparing this to Rowland’s Sano Ichiro but a hilarious one, and the protagonist is a gaijin. Also, Sano is a professional detective while Chaka is not. I’ve learned a very interesting information. A film is being made based from Chaka’s first installment “Tokyo Suckerpunch” which will be released in 2008. Billy Chaka will be portrayed by Tobey Maguire which really surprised me because I never imagined Billy that cute! Hahaha but this is really something for me to look forward to next year… if I’d still be breathing hehehe.

I’ll be out of reach for the next 9 days I suppose. My phone’s batt is busted so I can’t use it. And it’s the start of my 9 days vacation leave. I wanted to take a break, I just got well from sickness. Great huh. But I think of it as a good time to wind up, in my good ‘ol home with my parents and collection. To be away from the business of the city, I hope I’d achieve something… something like a major discovery hehe. I don’t have much to do. This vacation wasn’t planned, I really don’t have any particular thing to do except to read books and watch anime videos. Summer vacation is about to end and the classes are about to start. Isn’t it a good thing that the all through this very busy period of transition, you’re home relaxing. It’s best for me to have a break, now I remember, I’ve got a lot of thinking to do… to think what’s gonnna happen…. Because I’ve finally decided to go… to leave... I will be resigning from the hospital I’m working. I’m taking a lot of risk for doing this, I’m a regular employee and I have nowhere to go if I quit my job. What would happen if a family member gets sick? How do I pay my bills? My loan? I have no savings. But it’s time to embrace all those risks. To get away from your comfort zone is one of the bravest acts to do. I have this strong need to find out what’d make me happy. And I feel that I can no longer find it in Manila Doctors. I’m going out of the wild and find myself. May God help me in this pursuit…haay… I really have a lot of thinking to do… Murakami-sensei pls. help me…

Ahoy! I’ve got good news here. I finally reconciled with Kuya Aris. After months of coldness to one another because of a petty “remark” which I didn’t intend to address, I finally broke the ice. I was very firm of not to initiate talking to him. But when you’re faced with more troubling issues, you tend to forget what your stand is. It’s not like I’m bothered with our situation, but I have a gut feeling that when you’re hated by someone, problems tend to pour on you till you can’t breath. I asked God to keep my parents in good condition and I promised to meek myself. Of course I wouldn’t know if it’d work but it did lift a portion of the burden I’m carrying. And I really hope everything would be okay.

I just finished reading “After Dark” by Haruki Murakami. I would just want to brag that I have the First US edition! Hehehe. Anyway, the book tells the story of 8 people who more or less have trivial connection to one another. Literally a slice of life (the story happened in 7 hours!) set in the bewitching hours in Tokyo (after dark) where ordinary ones ought to be sleeping. These people have their own reasons to be awake from plain nature of job to escape of his cruel reality. Murakami works seem to deal with self discovery which I really love since I get to discover part of myself along the way. But I have to admit that I tend to get lost whenever he’d inject surrealism in the story. I have to admit that I’m slow getting their connection with the plot despite the fact that I am a Psychology graduate. But nevertheless I enjoy reading Murakami novels. I am really compelled to read his other works which might be good or bad for a no discipline when it comes to money like me. Oh well, it’s ironic though that despite Murakami being a Japanese, he barely depict Japanese culture in his works (as of 2 books I’ve read) since he’s greatly influenced by Western literature. It’s very apparent that he’s an English jazz fan, he never failed to put it as background music whenever feasible, be it residential homes, coffee shop (not unusual), convenience store, and even love hotels (aka motel). But anyway I highly recommend this partly feel-good partly analytic novel especially to creatures of the night like me! Hmmm… I suddenly miss spending the night at Starbucks.

Sleepless in Hot Manila

Weee, I just got home! All thanks the summer heat (again) I was up all day again. I just remember how it feels to be awake for 24 hours straight. The last time I did was a year ago (I think) during the Animax 24-hour anime marathon. Amazingly I’m still feeling vibrant. Oh how I hate to be too poor to afford an ACU. Living in a small room with no air-conditioning on the middle of 2007 summer is the worst. The only reason for this room is a sleeping place yet it didn’t serve its purpose. It won’t let me have those sweet dreams I yearn or a sound sleep for an exhausted soul. Really… and not to mention that I share this room with another 37ºC creature, my cousin… haay, what else could be worse. Thankfully, having friends in the medical field can actually help you in various situations as this! I texted Frances and asked for a Dormicum (sleeping pill). Lo and behold, she’s just as awake and restless hahaha. She asked if I want to go out, she’d also hand-over the pill hehehe. The next thing I know, we’re off to Harbor Square. We met her friends who were into motorbikes. We had a little chat and drink at the last standing bar then we tried riding his bike. Frances was thrilled with it and I did enjoy it but just for a try. I knew from the very start that it’s not my cup of tea. When we parted, not even a tinge of drowsiness reminded me that I still have a work at 8:00 in the morning. I think I only had 2 cups of coffee, how come I’m still so genki? We strolled a little around Manila, we even dropped by at Ospital Ng Sampaloc to see if we can disturb Dindee hehehe. But everyone seems to be in a good dream. As Frances dropped me to my place, I think of all those sleepless nights… and I came to realize that I was made for night life! Or is it really just insomnia due to heat. Oh now look at the time! Now I have to get ready for work!!!

I just had an unexpected dinner with Dr. Carnate and Dindee It was all unplanned, Dindee was about to take me home when we accidentally run into him at the Arellano and Estrada intersection. It was really funny because Dindee’s excitement was very apparent hahaha. I regret a little that I broke my pledge not to take dinner to reduce weight –phew-

I am currently reading Mishima: A Biography by John Nathan. Yukio Mishima is one of the greatest writer of his time (1925-1970) who committed seppuku publicly in pursuit of his social ideals… whatever they were, I haven’t known yet. I scan-read an article about him rumored as a homosexual, which I haven’t confirmed. I’m enjoying reading this because it’s giving me an insight of Japan that I haven’t touched which is the Late Meiji period to postwar Japan. Though I encountered a student-movement thingie in “Norweigan Wood” by Haruki Murakami. Plus Obviously, I haven’t read any Mishima works yet, but when I read the overview of his life, I got interested (the fact that he’s Japanese is interesting enough for me geez). But now I’ve learned of his childhood through pubescent, I am compelled to read his works. I bet it’d be just as interesting. His childhood reminds me of Midori (another character from “Norweigan Wood”). Just like Mishima, she also experienced the misery of being a commoner studying in a prestigious school meant for people with aristocratic background. Connecting each event to previous books I’ve read makes it more interesting. But then, it also disoriented my anime viewing. I stopped watching One Piece for a while, but the good news is that it’s weekend and I will definitely continue with Luffy’s journey hehehe…

Speaking of Luffy, a couple of days ago, the first thing that run into me in the office was a “libre” tabloid headline (see image). And amazingly must have lost my sensibility at that moment when I automatically blurted “ohmigosh! Luffy had come to life!” seriously I thought it was for real, and when I turned to the page, I got disappointed to learn that it was actually just an advertisement hehehe. Darn, I didn’t even had the sense to inspect the graphics’ quality… and it was then that I realized, that somewhere in my subconscious mind…. Is a genuine belief for supernatural powers… and even longing for it… or simply just… the longing for the lost childhood.

10 Things You Can Do to Help Stop the Global Warming

1. Change a light – Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
2. Drive less – walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit often. You’ll save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don’t drive.
   
3. Recycle More – you can save 2400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of your household waste.
   
4. Check your tires – keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of atmosphere.
   
5. Use less hot water – it takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of CO2 saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold and warm water (500 pounds saved per year).
   
6. Avoid products with a lot of packaging – you can save 1200 pounds of carbon dioxide a year if you cut down your garbage by 10%.
   
7. Adjust your thermostat – moving your thermostat just 2 degrees in winter and 2 degrees in summer. You can save about 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment.
   
8. Plant a tree – a single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over it’s lifetime.
   
9. Turn off electronic devices – simply turning off your TV, DVD player, stereo and computer when not in use will save you thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
   
10. Spread the word! Convince your family, friends, colleagues and classmates to do the same.

-taken from www.climatecrisis.net

Shades

Yesterday while roaming around in Robinsons Place to look for some books, I happen to passed by at a particular shades stall and then there goes my shades fetish, I ended up fitting various shades like I always do (but not buying anything hehehe). I guess I just have this inclination towards shades. Of all the fashion accessories around, only sunglasses catch my interest. If only I were a fashion conscious fellow, I would’ve followed Randy Santiago’s practice of wearing shades all the time, at least when I’m out. Luckily, my entire obsession went to anime and Japanese stuffs hehehe… but anyway, something about shades attracts me… it’s the idea of giving an enigmatic impression to my receptors. It’s because the eyes are the windows of the soul. Even in manga & anime, the eyes are the main players in emphasizing one’s emotion. It’s even said that discerning a person lying can be done by looking keenly in his eyes. Yes our eyes can reveal so much of ourselves. Can I therefore conclude that my fondness of wearing shades reflect my secretive personality? Maybe, maybe not… I’ll leave it to your imagination.

HERE is a collection of my pictures wearing shades. Of all those sunglasses, only 2 pairs were actually mine hehehehe…

It’s Renchard’s birthday! He had his party last night. He and Frances finally made up prior to that and I’m glad to see them to be jolly together again. Oh how it feels good to make up with your enemy. Look who’s talking, they’ve been insisting me to reconcile with Kuya Aris, but for some reason, my ego won’t let me do it. In my deepest sense of reasoning (rather immaturity), I am not in the position to apologize because I firmly believe that I was innocent. But of course, a time would come that I’d humble myself and plead for forgiveness, not only from him but every person I’ve hurt no matter how unintentional. I’ve already set 2 conditions for me to do that: first, if I manage to have my lifetime wish granted. Second, if I have to part with the concerned person –say, if I’d be leaving MDH or going abroad or even dying… and maybe when I become a little more mature hahaha…

anyway, I’ve always felt, that one way or another I’ll have to get rid of those hatreds felt toward me and same goes for myself. I guess it’s one of those things that contributes to the fear I feel towards death… don’t get me wrong for I am not afraid to die, it’s just that the thought of leaving an unfinished business behind is pathetic. I realized this when I was reading “The Sandman: The Dream Hunters” by Neil Gaiman. By the way, I just have to praise Gaiman for this piece, the story was very Japanese, it’s as if reading an actual Japanese folklore written by a native Japanese. And of course the message was very clear and effectively expressed (that is if I got it right). This is the first time I’ve read Gaiman’s work and I’m afraid that I’m actually interested to read more I hope I don’t get to shove off my other literary priorities hehehehe…. Oh well, to try new things brings you more learnings and draws you to a new world which is actually good.

Today is also the Earth Day and I attended the Earth Day Celebration at CCP. There were booths of various environmental organizations and screening of documentary films discussing environmental issues of course. I was able to watch the “Inconvenient Truth”, a documentary film about global warming facilitated by Al Gore. At first, I couldn’t help thinking that this is nothing more than a political campaign. But after watching the film, who cares about his real purpose. It has a very significant message for every earthling. And with the heat that every one of us is experiencing right now, I believe it’s high time that we do something about it. A time for a change of lifestyle. In our own little way we can help save the earth from global warming. We can reduce our CO2 emission (reduce smoking, avoid smoke belching, if you’re a rich kid, opt for a hybrid car), we can conserve water and energy, we can recycle, we can plant trees... and we can convince our families, friends, colleagues, classmates, and our community to do the same. I’m not an environmentalist and I admit that I rarely do measures to help the earth, simply put, I don’t have the right to talk big. But I love my nephews and nieces… I love my friends who are member of the next generation. I believe that they deserve a clean water, a fresh air, to be free from biohazard… the future generation deserves a home. And we the incumbent beings have a role in giving those needs. Let’s help our mother planet!

Manatsu No Yoru No Yume

The worst part of having a good dream is waking up. To think that it’s so damn hard to fall asleep because of the summer heat, there I was having a dream of my life, a dream that, if only I had the choice, I would prefer to stay for as long as I shall live…I was right there, in the exact place that I long to be. Somewhere that I need to be, more than I need air. Where I felt more alive than being awake. But then, I had to go back, in this so called reality and face all those miseries again… and wear that smile again… Oh dear Mr. Sandman, please sprinkle those magical dust unto my eyes again, I wouldn’t mind getting all those mutt in the morning… in fact, I wouldn’t mind if Death would take a year of my lifespan… for a night of that dream…

Haha, this must be the effect of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman. Though it was against my policy to purchase a western graphic novel, I thought it’s in accordance with my Japan only policy because this publication was illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano, character designer of various Final Fantasy installments. Besides, I’ve heard good remarks by fellow comics enthusiasts about The Sandman. Besides, one of the reason I bought it was because Power Books was on sale hehehehe….

This morning Frances and I finally realized the early morning jogging that we have been setting long ago (and postponed so many times). Damn the summer heat just won’t give me enough sleep that I need, I was up so early that I decided to work out than staying in that oven! I was a little frustrated though that I couldn’t keep up with Chy’s speed. Jogging together with her also made me realize how weak my stamina is and how easily I give up. No wonder I rarely achieve my objectives (short term and long term) –sigh- I really need a change or should I say evolution… also this morning I met up with 3 friends who are artists – Mike, Mark and Romer. We were supposed to go together at Anne’s place (another artist friend) because she’s coming up with an art exhibit this coming August 2007. Meeting with Anne was a good thing, I learned that having so many connections with different kinds of people opens a lot of opportunity for you. And it’s even a give and take relationship. There are so many information which she seemed to miss that I can feed while she has a lot of connections I need, to make a leap in career that I’ve been waiting. But I’m looking forward to this exhibit, I am motivated to draw. I just hope this keeps up.

I’m really enjoying “One Piece”. Thanks to the long weekend, I finally had the chance to grasp the edge of this title. And I’m really liking Luffy’s crew more and more. I like the idea that each member has his own strengths and weaknesses, with different goals and dreams but were drawn to each other to achieve their objectives. I hate to admit this, but Luffy’s company reminds me of a certain group of 5 deviant individuals from a not so normal hospital. And yes I miss this group and their late night adventures hehehe. Anyway, I’m currently at the Little Garden stopover where they meet 2 giant warriors who have been dueling for over a century, to the point that they have forgotten the reason why they are fighting in the first place. After 73, 466 duels, always resulting to a draw, they’d end up laughing… so it seemed that they were good friends all along. And I’m really getting excited how things would turn out. One Piece was aired in local TV more than 2 years ago but I only got the chance to watch it now. My cousin told me that the series is still ongoing and is currently on episode 300+ already. Hmmm, why are there so many titles nowadays that seem to be following the tradition of Dragon Ball epic. I remember losing my appetite during the Cell saga, because it seemed to me that the “dragon ball” quest had been through long ago and that its theme got stuck with the never-ending desire to get stronger. For chrissake the earth seemed like an ant to a super saiyan (4) Gogeta already!!! And now thanks to the going mainstream of anime, a lot of titles seem to be competing with its record hehehe. It’s not that I think of it as a bad thing, but I have this tendenNo I hope not, I think I have a lot to look forward in “One Piece” because it’s just like an RPG. KAIZOKU da!!!


My accomplishment for the past days is my progress in anime viewing hehehe, to date I’m already at episode 70+ in One Piece, episode 24 – Kyou Kara Maou, 10 – TOKKO, episode 14 – Maria-sama ga miteru. Weee, I’m back in the anime scene: I’ve recently attended 2 anime related events, I’ve spent my vacation mostly watching anime, and I’m looking forward for the upcoming events, I’ve updated my collection wishlist, I’ve recently bought new DVDs (Black Jack Movie, One Piece Movie, Kino no Tabi)… there’s only one thing missing – cosplay enthusiasm. Yes till now I haven’t got any inspiration… hmmm…

Last night after visiting Dindee’s mother (she had stroke, pls. pray for her fast recovery) I decided to go straight at home… while walking along UN avenue, I felt this mood of being too exhausted to go anywhere else but too hyper to sleep, or simply say I’m tired but not sleepy. And whenever I’m having this kind of mood, broke or not, with or without friends, I go to Starbucks in Manila Pavilion and let my time pass until I finally feel like resting. And then I realized that it had just been 2 days since it closed but I miss it that much already. On their last day, I, with fellow coffee lovers stayed until closing time and had our last moment in the best coffee house in the world. It turned out that, that place actually touched many lives as well. At first it was just Dr. Robert Li, Dindee and I. Then came Jamir, an Iranian dentistry student at UP. When Dindee had to go back to her mom’s room, I took Dr. Jay with me then Frances and Emil came. Then when we returned, Angelo, a law student was there already. The funny thing was, when each would learn they have a common friend or acquaintance or whatever. And I realized more and more how small the world is. Of course, I’ll always remember the friendliest barristas I’ve known – RS, Paris, Gladys, June, Kent, Ivanhoe, Francis and some that I know by face but not by name… Oh how I really miss them. Here’s my tribute to Starbucks Manila Pavilion.

Last Sunday I attended the Ozine Fest 2007 at Megatrade Hall 2. I was there early just to be sure I’d get a ticket. I’ve learned my lesson at UPAME Matsuri last December. And I was right because it went sold out by the time Neil came. Gosh, cosplay seems to become more and more popular with kids. I noticed the vast increase of young cosplayers in the event and the good news is that they are becoming more conscious of accuracy and quality of costumes. Just to add testimony to the growing popularity of cosplaying in the Philippines, Ozine released a cosplay magazine. I bought one just for the sake of knowing how the Ozine people do it this time. I have to admit that any magazine they release doesn’t please me. There was no single issue have had something that’d be interesting for someone who’s been an anime fan for almost 8 years already. Of course I’m not saying I know every single anime but their reviews are pathetic. It couldn’t get my attention for more than a minute. And I’d say, I could get articles waaaaaayyyyy better than that for free –in the internet. Though it’s really ironic, because I actually have 5 or 6 issues, but it was only because they were featuring events that I had attended and I was hoping I’d see my pic somewhere hehehehe… Going back to the event, I was both pleased and pissed with the way it was organized. Pleased because of the bazaar (huhuhu, I wish I had more okane) and there lots of fun booths –parlor games, video games etc. But I was pissed because the organizers seemed not to consider the convenience of the fans. First, the area for the cosplay viewing was too small, and it went even smaller because they had to put room for the judges just a minute before the cosplay show offs started, making the audience occupying the viewing area, which was supposed to be for us (pls. be reminded it was too small already). Haay, and that annoying Level-up crew keeps on reprimanding some fans to keep from the space (good enough to accommodate 10 people) just in front of their booth. They reasoned out that it was off-limits because they hold transactions in that space for buyers. And I really hated how dimwitted he was, of course that was the instructions of his superior and he’s just following SOPs. But anyone can see that every damn attendant was focused on the catwalk. How in the world can you expect a customer at that very moment??? And with that crowd, how can you expect a 5 ft. kid like me to enjoy the show? Oh well, that was a Palm Sunday and I decided to quit watching, instead I attended the mass and thank God, it gave me peace of mind. After the mass, I contemplated and realized that I am slowly outgrowing the local fandom. Of course I still love anime and Japanese culture, I’m just disappointed. I feel like the Anicons here are contaminated of pathetic Filipino culture. Oh boy I don’t want to end up criticizing my own nation again, so I’ll end these thoughts of mine. Just check my Ozine Fest 2007 pics HERE.

I’m just glad that the long weekend is just a day ahead! And that means I could rest and watch anime! Yay!!!

I’m gonna miss that old place… where I used to relax and pass my time before going home from work… huhuhu, today’s the last day of Starbucks Pavillon! They are transferring to SM Manila, but we rarely ever drop there. I’m gonna miss that good ‘ol staff with warm greetings of “hi Kid”… haayyy… in the place where friendship grew… even doctors are affected. Just this morning when I met Dr. Blas in MDH lobby, other than the usual “hi” I automatically blurted today’s Starbucks’ last day… and he reacted “oh no, where are we going to stay na”…Oh well, so much for the regrets, might as well switch to Figaro since Starbucks Bayview is too far for a walk (NOT!).

Yesterday I attended the 3G Gigabyte Lan Party at Market Market. That was actually my first time going there and what a hell of an adventure I had been. Nothing scary or serious, just exhausting. When I arrived at the event, I hardly had the strength to enjoy. Besides, the event turned out to be for beneficial for online gaming enthusiasts in which I admittedly cannot relate. There were very few cosplayer whom I cannot recognize the characters. If they are not from online games, then they must be the latest anime. Whatever, the bottom line I did not enjoy. But for the sake of experience (I think 3G is also held annually-I’m not sure), so this is what goes on at 3G and other related events. Simply put, stick with anime, manga, toy, and J-culture events. Well, it’s never too late to enjoy, tomorrow’s Ozine fest, this’ll be the first time I’m attending an Ozine event, I just hope I’d get the smoke of my money’s worth.

Holidays are almost here (2 weeks to go) but I can really feel it coming. The silence for one thing is a sign eh. Why of course it’s Saturday hehehe. But just to share my surprise, a while ago on my way to Frio Mixx to eat my lunch, I took the ER exit and lo and behold, no patient bed was occupied and the ER people are really benign! Maybe it’s not much of a phenomenon but for 3 years working in this hospital, never have I seen the ER unoccupied of px. But I think that’s a good thing, means the number of sick people has declined for this particular day. But then my pessimistic side is pointing that perhaps financial concerns caused this particular event. Or whatever… I just want to have my vacation!

Anyways, a couple of days ago, I was trying to confirm this Hobbiworx event which was supposed to be on the last day of March, but to my surprise it was moved on the 12th of May. Geez, how can an otaku event be coincide with the heat of elections???? Further (i-net) research made me realize (again) how outdated I am with otaku related events. Geez! There are lots in line right now, just to mention, Gigabyte Lan Party on March 30, Ozine Fest 2007 on April 1, J-crunch Ripiito on April 12, Hobbiworx Tagcom convention on May 12, Mangaholix Animangaming convention on May 19, and of course don’t forget the Toycon which is being held every June ( I haven’t got the final schedule). Whew, I only hope I could attend all of those… though part of me would only get sad for not being able to participate in cosplay. Until now I haven’t got any inspiration. Most anime I’ve seen recently are set on real time and characters and costumes don’t vary much with ordinary clothes (except for Yuuko of XXX Holic). Anyway, the most recent I’m watching right now is School Rumble, a highschool love story comedy. One of those boy-loves-girl, girl-loves-another-guy-and-this-guy-seemed-not-to-care plot. What do you call that again? Love Polygon! Hahaha. And of course varieties of friends to support the girl are always present and so far I couldn’t get myself amused. The only thing that keeps me with this anime are the translation notes which was being flashed before the start of the show and from time to time on the duration of the series. Thank goodness I have the fansub version. Now I’m not a critic here, all I’m saying is that I haven’t found the engaging side of School Rumble (if there is). There must be since my friend recommended it to me…

There’ll gonna be a lot of changes from now on. Just to mention, Neil, who’s my sole otaku-fellow in the office has resigned since the 5th of the month. I felt both happy and sad for his departure. Happy because he’s finally set off to pursue his dreams (unlike me who’s been in slump for the last 2 years!) and the fact that that’s one slacker down hehehe. Sad, because I’d lost a fellow otaku, of course I’ve considered him as a friend. We talked about a lot of things usually about Japanese and anime stuffs. He’s always enthusiastic to come with me in various anime events. Though I sometimes get annoyed at him but those were pretty petty. Oh well, life’s like that as Kenshin puts it, life is a many things, a journey but not a separation, a beginning not an end. It’s disheartening but that’s the way things are. On the other side, Gel came back and will be staying in the office at least until September. Now the office had gone “wild” again with her around. That is to say, our jolly moments are back.

I’ve also started saving money. I opened a personal savings account using the saved money I had from a piggy bank hehehe. I find this amazing because in more than 3 years of work, I haven’t got a single saving! Not even a cent! I could only consider my toys and anime collection as investment, but there was never a single thought of selling them in the future. Also I’m determined to get my own place! Anyways, I just thought that since I have no direction in life, I might as well start saving… perhaps everything should start there…

I’ve just finished reading Shogun by James Clavell. It’s a story of an English ship pilot, John Blackthorne who got stranded, together with his ship and crew, in feudal Japan. At first he was treated as a captive but eventually when his value (for his knowledge) were realized by Japanese, he eventually turned into a samurai and served the greatest daimyo as a hatamoto. I spent almost a month reading this 1152 pages book (with a font size of 8!)… and my further readings of non-fictional books about Japan revealed to me that this book is actually loosely based on the rise of Tokugawa Shogunate. Interesting huh… Right now I’m currently reading Gai-jin which is a sequel of Shogun, and this time tells the life of foreigners in Japan during the early 1860s… which seemed to me, if I would refer to the timeline of Rurouni Kenshin, was the start of the civil war –Tokugawa shogunate vs. the Royalist, rather the fall of Tokugawa and the start of Meiji Restoration? I’m not really sure since my knowledge of Japanese history is very limited… I’m still learning (and enjoying) hehe… I tried reading a brief biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but I have to admit that I find it hard to keep up because of so many unfamiliar figures mentioned… that means I have to start from 1. Maybe I should start with the aboriginal Japanese –Ainus hehehe… oh well. I just want to share that Shogun captivated me! And because of that, I haven’t watch any anime yet since Honey and Clover season 2 (and that was a month ago). And speaking of ship, I might as well continue watching One Piece, I have 200+ episodes to go hehehe…

Enough about books and anime, I just want to share about this old friend of mine seeking counsel… after not hearing from him for quite sometime, I was surprised to hear him ask “What do you do when you’ve done every possible thing you could to overcome heartache? When you’ve tried everything to get over the past yet the sweet memories keep coming back? And the more you try to forget, the more you remember.” They say it’s just in the mind… willpower… whatever you may call it, when it haunts you, it will get you no matter how you try to runaway. Doshio old friend? I’d say, then just let it be… What makes you happy yet you can’t get it… then just keep on dreaming till you feel like waking up one day. But of course, I could only tell this to him because I know he can take it. I find it silly but knowing what kind of person he is, it might work out fine. And of course, these are just one of the things that I learn from anime and manga hahahaha!!!! I told myself, realizing, that a day may come that I might find it hard to distinguish reality from not. Oh well I’m sorry if I couldn’t be of much help because honestly I’m just as troubled as anyone else in this cruel world. May God bless these lonely souls…

Dilemma of a Lost Kid

There are so many things I want to tell, yet I can’t put them into writing
So many things I want to show yet I can put them into drawing
There are so many things I want to try yet I can’t find the time
There’s so many role I want to be, yet I can’t find me
I’m in a middle of nowhere

Haay, I’m frustrated… frustrated that despite my hard work and busy schedule I still couldn’t manage to find myself. It’s so hard when you have no idea HOW to start… I do know WHERE to start but I have no means of doing it. I’m given enough freedom but also enough restrictions. How do I put this… it was just like when Shinobu Morita’s father (Honey & Clover) was selecting a qualified person for a position in his company. Instead of a conventional job interview, he instructed his applicants to come up with a plane using raw materials inside the “interview” room. I have this enough space yet I don’t have enough materials. And I admit that I’m not that creative to use what exists. I’m just an average person after all. Of course things like this wouldn’t get me down so easily… at times like this I would always remember Tohru Honda’s (Fruits Basket) “umeboshi” philosophy… Umeboshi is a pickled plum used as a topping to onigiri (rice ball). Well for starters it’s like this: You have something great that you don’t see because it’s at your back. You could only view other people’s back, so you can see what they have that you don’t. Make’s sense eh? I have millions of philosophies on my mind which I got from watching anime and reading manga… but I have no use of putting them into tangible rewards… haay… how complicated life can get…

Oro?!? Something amazing about the date -02-07-2007- eh? OTANJOUBI OMEDETOU!!! Yes I just turned 24! Awww! Last night I watched the last 10 episodes of XXX Holic and the last episode was a reminiscence theme. It’s about Watanuki’s past, about his very first friend which was actually a spirit. In that episode was also Watanuki’s birthday. It’s just that I got excited because there was this caption by his “friend” saying “tomorrow is your birthday ne”. And early this morning, when I was watching episode 8 of Honey & Clover, Takemoto was also celebrating his birthday. Regardless what their actual birthdates are, the bottomline is, it’s my birthday and the day before my birthday when I saw it, and I could only come up with only one conclusion… the heavens is greeting me hahahaha!!!

Anyway, there’s really nothing special. Still the same old me. I’ve received greetings from expected people and some unexpected. What a shame, I have neglected to hear mass first thing in the morning. I overslept. Though I promised to hear mass later this day, in the end my memory lapses prevailed. So what did I do for my special day? I had my brunch at Starbucks Megastrip (Megamall). I’ll be meeting my parents later so I decided I don’t have to each much.. Of course I didn’t take kohi hehehe. I bought my birthday present which is CLAMP No Kiseki Volume 5. Then I met up with my parents for dinner. Ren, Dindee, and Frances came over too. Then Ate Tesie, Kuya Val and Oliver caught up. I’d finally got to blow a birthday cake hehe… I made a wish… a wish without any compensation, because I honestly could not afford to lose anyone or anything that I have right now. Everyone within my world is a necessity to me. Everything went out just fine and when I got home I received a present that Mike left in my dorm. While writing this entry… I thought, everyone seems to be in good shape… and yet, why do I feel something is missing… -sigh- I wouldn’t want my birthday to end with grievances… I want to be optimistic… that everything will be better… better than what I hoped for… after all… God decides what’s best… so I’ll just have to entrust everything to Him… yes that’s right… everything will turn out right… no, better…Happy Birthday Kid (“,x)

It’s Sri’s birthday! Come to think of it, a lot of significant people are celebrating their birthdays this month. Tomorrow is Matt’s day and the next day is mine –grin-. In the manga world, hats off to CLAMP’s Satsuki Igarashi, her birthday’s on 8th! The very kawaii seiyuu Iwao Junko (I’m talking about her voice ok) on the 18th. And take note of the anime characters: Aerith (7), Subaru & Hokuto Sumeragi (18), Yuki Eiri (23), Cid of FF7 (24), Tsuzuki Asato (24), Touya Kinimoto and Omi Tsukiono(29). Okay I’ve got comprehensive list of birthdays of anime, manga, and game character, mangaka, seiyuu and animators. But I only mentioned those that I know and liked. I’m celebrating the month with lots of people (real and fiction) I like hehehe.

Anyway, lately it’s been very cold even during daytime. I even had this feeling of hating to take a bath because the water temperature really gets to my nerve. And now I have a cold and I’m not really feeling well. But of course, I still manage to check the net, I have to post something since I just attended an event yesterday! The Read or Die Literary Convention! I bought a pre-sold ticket which was lesser than buying it on the event day itself, plus I got a student discount (hehehe, the perks of having a valid student ID!). The event features book fair (of course) and series of lectures concerning Literature. What do you expect on this event is a jam pack of book worms! Now let me just clear myself, I am NOT a bookworm or book enthusiast! 95% of the books I read are Japanese novels hehehe. Though yesterday I bought a fantasy novel by Dianna Wyne Jones, for the sole reason that I’m interested how she writes because she’s the author of “Howl’s moving Castle”. And I’ve also seen an ad caption saying something like if you hate Harry Potter, then this one’s for you… or so… I don’t hate Harry Potter, but I don’t like him either. Anyway, as I was saying, pls. don’t get the wrong idea that I am a bookish person. I have actually pile of titles on the line because I haven’t got time to read, and I still buy new ones?!? Well, I can’t help it, I’m pretty sure I’ll get to read them some other time. I also bought “Obasan” By Joy Ogawa and “Norweigan Wood” by Haruki Murakami. I’m currently reading “Shogun” by James Clavell, it’s a story of a ship pilot who got stranded (along with his crew) in the exquisite and gory shore of feudal Japan. Now this novel is 1000+ pages long, font size 8! And I still have that sequel “Gaijin” which is even longer… and of course I haven’t read Rowland’s “The Dragon King’s Palace”. And they all got stocked up in my phantom bookshelf when I get a hold of XXX Holic series! I’ll talk more about this later, going back to ROD con, I didn’t stay that long to see the band performances because I had to go. My friends came, and I was having thoughts if they’d enjoy the event and find the registration fee worth it… I don’t intend to stay longer anyway. In short, the event just served me as a book fair, no more no less… didn’t see any acquaintances either. But I don’t regret coming. Every event is a learning experience hehehe.

Okay now let’s go to XXX Holic. Now that was sometime in July 2006 when I first seen the anime version of this marvelous title. I only had the first 3 episodes and the movie back then which left hanging and craving hehehe. But the succeeding months were really busy that I’ve forgotten keeping eye for the next episodes. Fortunately, I never ran out of sources. A dear friend hand me a copy of the complete episodes and I now I was really going “holic” watching it. I’m already at the 12th episode. And that was the reason why I stopped reading hehehe. Last night I was watching episode 10 “Lamplight”. It’s scary episode, the main chara-Yuuko, Doumeki, Himawari and Watanukim were playing Hyaku Monogatari. Just a 22 minute story scared the hell out of me I swear! Hehehe… anyway, I really don’t want my blog entries to be long, so I’m signing off.

PS.
I’m so happy to see the animated version of Kazahaya and Rikuou from Gohou Drug!

Ahoy! It’s another month and it’s gonna be a helluva month for everyone! Why, of course it’s the love month! But for those who does not see the significance of Valentines day, for whatever reason, there are other events to take note of - National Month for the Arts (art lovers?!?), Dental Medicine Month and of course… Kid’s Birthday! Yay! And I have good news and bad news for me:
Good news: my vacation leave extending my birthday was approved. Bad news, only for 3 days, and that’d be 7-9. I’d say, not bad eh.

Good news: It’s JCIA training month in MDH and I’m gonna be attending most of them and that would mean more learning for me (and more credentials to put in my CV hehehe). Bad news: training days include Mondays which is my off, and that’d mean that I’d have to adjust my schedule for the month of February and March. It’s a very intoxicating part of my work life –sigh-.

Good news: my credit card limit had increased, therefore I can purchase some items in my birthday wishlist. Bad news: that means more loans for me.

Good news, the megane I left at Dr. Joson’s Beach house in Anilao was found and returned. Bad news, my eye grade have increased and I’ll have to replace that megane eventually…That’s all I could think of for now.

Haay… Life is both blissful and miserable I’d say… paradoxical! And speaking of Dental Month, I haven’t got time to have an appointment with my dentist to fix my dental problem. In fact we’re both very busy –sigh- I hope I could slot an appointment with her during my 3-day vacation.

Events, events! Bad news, I won’t be able to see Peter Pan the Musical Play due to lack of time to get a ticket. But good news is this coming Sunday, Feb. 4, I’ll be attending the Read or Die (ROD) Literary Convention. I’ve had hardly any idea about the event but I expect to have tons of books for sale, and I hope to find the titles that I’ve been looking for ages hehehe. Also I heard that the Radioactive Sago Project and Up Dharma Down Bands will be performing. More about events, I hope I’d get to watch the “Philippine Bedtime Stories” organized by Sinag Arts Foundation on the 25th. The play features Japanese stage actors hehehe.

By the way this month, I pledge to lessen my caffeine intake. NO COFFEE for 28 days! Hehehe, The past three months I’ve been a real coffeeholic. Thanks to the traditional Starbucks Planner promo. For the record I’ve got 6 planners. I have one for myself, the others I gave to my mom, dad, Ate Cherie, Ivy and Dr. Ramirez. But of course, the stub completions are all group effort and most of our coffee sessions were sponsored by Dindee. Going back to my pledge, I won’t be drinking a single drop of coffee but I would still drink hot and iced choco and sodas. Hey I said LESS caffeine neh?) Anyway is the love month and therefore chocolates’ month! HAPPY FEBRUARY everyone!

Pyrolympics Aftermath

Yipeee!!! I just discovered that the wifi signal of our virtual library extends to our office! Now this is absolutely free internet! The good news is I have finally uploaded some pics to my multiply account. Haay, that’s one task down. Okay you could view it HERE!

Last weekend I watched the 2007 Pyrolympics with Dindee and Fars. As expected millions, upon millions (hehehe), Filiponos came, every road and commercial establishments were jam packed. You could just imagine. And that was just the price we had to pay for the two 15-20 minutes fireworks display. Until now I could not decide whether it was worth the time and energy. Okay, the fireworks were magnificent especially that of Philippines’! Man I was really stunned! I was able to see two other competing countries last week, and I was not that amazed (and the no. of people was also lesser). But China and Philippines’ exhibition of pyros were really amazing. We situated at the MDC Campus which was really convenient because the guard did not allow non-Manila Doctors/Metrobank people to come in. Anyway, the China’s started at around 9:00 in the evening. Man, China’s fireworks were really grand! Though I couldn’t really explain exactly how they surpassed the other countries. But what really surprised me was the Philippine’s exhibition. At first I was very jaded, I do admit that I have this “I’m -impressed-with-Japanese-only” attitude. But entered the first shot of Pinoy’s fireworks, I was really… ohmigosh! That was soooo coool!!! Our fireworks were really big and loud and bright and colorful and… and… okay, just like the others huh. But we had this spontaneous effect that reminded me of our mixed-influence culture that resulted from different regime of various nations. Well anyways, my favorite part was this sperm cell-like fireworks and the final piece which was a continuous big sparks then leaving colorful light bulbs suspended in air for more than 30 seconds. It was really cool!!! Okay after the show came the hardest part of all – going home! The vehicles hardly ever move, you’d think the road was a parking lot. So my friends and I decided to stop for a bite and wait till the jam fade off but lo and behold every damn food chain and restaurant was full house! And I was really needing to pee!!! Yes the toilets were also fully booked with millions of ladies in the line. Haaay, it was 2 hours after when I finally settled for a pee. I got home at around 2:30 in the morning and take note that it the traffic was still slow moving at 2:00 that you’d think it’s only 7:00 in the evening. Before I went to sleep, I thought to myself was all this energy draining day worth for the fireworks? Yeah you bet. For experience’s sake, yes. But I swore that this’ll never happen again. I won’t go to pyrolympics next year. Unless… hehehehe

Haay, I’ve neglected writing anime, manga and book reviews. As I have mentioned before, I hardly have the chance to watch and read. Yeah right, for the moment I am reading “Men & Cartoons” by Jonathan Lethem and I have just finished reading “The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria” by Laura Joh Rowland. I’ll try to write a review on these stuffs when I have the mood.

But I’d like to share that I was actually able to take a break during holidays. And what I did? I watched 51 episodes of Bioman! Yes that ol’ classic sentai series that my siblings used to love -nostalgia spill-. I got all the episodes during my DVD shopping last month. It’s really a good thing (not!) that those all-episodes-in-one-DVD are blooming. At least a non-rich-kid who’s got no time for TV shows like me can have a bonding moment with that ol’ “wonder” box teehee… Okay, going back to the series, I was quite amazed when I was actually able to withstand a Bioman marathon. Sure I loved this series when I was a kid, but if I would be objective, the plot and cinema aesthetic is just too cheesy and flimsy FOR AN ADULT WHO had seen, say, Spirited Away, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Battle Royale, etc. I have to admit, that I enjoyed watching it now because of sentimental reasons. But of course, I love the OST and I find the Bio-boys (Red1, Green2, Blue3) cute hehehe. Even my siblings watched with me, though only my brothers watched it till the end.

The act of gently pinching the ears is a symbol of sincerity, so if you have a true friend and you want to tell how much you appreciate him/her, give him a BIO-GREETING - Bioman

Darn, am I really that busy?! I was thinking if I really had no time or I’m just too lazy or I have weakened my writing skills… awww… anyway, I wanted so badly to update my blog, so to start with, I must summarize the what happened the previous year. Then later I’d report the recent happenings in KiD’s groovy and gloomy life hehehe…

So how was the year2006 for me? Good and bad, happy and sad… maybe I could start after that resignation of Ma’am Shella last September. After she went off, Ma’am Marits assume the position as the Officer-in-Charge in our department. Everything went smoothly with our Surveillance Audit and was able to maintain our ISO certificate. Prior to the Audit, we moved to a new and better office, along the Executive Offices, BDD and HRD. Ma’am Marits is also a member of the IQA team, former Lead Auditor, and was a part of the legendary Docs Team. A very diligent and professional person, to be under her supervision was a good learning experience for the QM Staff and her tamed personality was a good example for all of us. It was a regret on our (QM) part that she preferred practicing her profession (Physical Therapist) and eventually let go of her OIC position as per her agreement with Dr. Joson.

The year 2006 was the year that I got to socialize more with other MDH people, in and out, of the hospital. I guess it all started when Frances was on the verge of emotional depression that I got connected with different icons in the hospital hehehe. She had this very frequent emotional shift that we named her “pakto” (topak) hehehe. I won’t go on the details since I wouldn’t want her personal problems to be aired, I’ll never know who’s gonna read this journal anyway. But anyway, it all started with her that I got close with Dindee, Aris, and Ren. And who would forget our late night escapades using Dindee’s car. We would go to different places whenever it popped in our mind regardless of time and location hehehe. I really enjoyed their company that I’d forget my own emotional problems. And the ironic thing about it is that (I think) we don’t share the same interests. Minus the fact that we’re all “not normal”, each has his/her own set of interest. So what brings us together? STARBUCKS!!! Hahaha…

This new set of friends may have been the reason why I am not so updated in anime/ manga for so long. I hardly had the time to watch anime, read manga and attend anicons. After the Toycon, the next event I was into was the UPAME Matsuri… and I wasn’t even able to join the Cosplay. Waahh, I didn’t cosplay in 2006?!?! Now that was really depressing –sigh-… but it’s all worthwhile since I get to learn new things. And though I’m not so updated with the latest anime, manga or event, I still manage to update my Toy collection, yay! Some of the best I got since I acquired that Kenshin figures that I craved for so long (see my July 26 entry) were Vincent Valentine, Ohm model kit, 1/144 HG Wing Gundam 0-custom Metal clear edition, 1/100 MG Gundam 0-custom (read that “MG”!) Rei Ayanami in white santa dress,Tsubasa Chronicles mini figures, etc…

Late 2006 was also the time that I am really confused with myself. What I want to be, where I want to be, what I want to achieve, etc… I am talking about my career. Now that we're on the middle of a big project that entails much of my time, I’m having second thoughts if I’d still push through with my manga artist dream. Maybe I should just study intensive nihongo, or maybe I could push through with medical studies, etc… but one thing remains clear, I want to go to Japan. I want to work there. I want to have Japanese friends… when and how, I don’t know… I really need guidance on this matter…

Okay, that would be all for a year recall. What makes it hard for me to document everything that transpired is the feeling that nothing significant changed in me. I’m still on the same base… I’m still confused, still depressed, still broke –sigh-. I haven’t matured a bit! I’m still that same foolish kid!!!! And my blog layout still sucks!!! Arghhhhhh!!!!!

But perhaps, the coming year would be better... it's the year of the boar! Hey Kagura!!! I'll try my very best to be active in the virtual reality hehehe... And i'll try to be more Japanese, hey I'm speaking of "discipline" here. Be more focused on my goals. Reach for my dream!

By the way, as I try to be more active on the web, from now on i'll be posting my pictures in my Multiply account... Geez.. having different web accounts is just as tedious as multi-tasking. But really, on my 10-day vacation next month, I'll try to fix my account! That'd be all for now! Mata ne!!!! (",x)