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!!!