SWEET SADNESS: The Sands Chronicles

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Bloggers' Kapihan: Blog Launchings

Well, that sounds a bit awkward.

But anyway, the people from Bloggers' Kapihan would like to invite everyone to the following events in the coming days:

  • Jun Lozada's Blog Launching, May 31, 1PM at Kape Tasyo.
  • Among Ed Panlilio's Blog Launching. This will be held in Pampanga on June 7. Transportation and food will be provided for. Only 30 people (only those who are extremely sure to come, please) will be lucky enough to join us. Will update with details soon.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the Bloggers' Kapihan website from time to time for complete details.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

kSolo.com Shutting Its Doors

I received an email today that totally turned my world upside down.

Dear kSolo Member,

As one of our most loyal members, we'd like to inform you that as of May 31st, 2008, kSolo.com will be permanently shutting its doors. All recordings made on kSolo will be unavailable after this date.

We have been working diligently to create a new and enhanced online singing experience for you to enjoy. Due to licensing restrictions, the new site is currently available only within the United States, however, support for additional countries will be soon to follow.

Please contact us at support@ksolo.com with any questions you may have regarding your kSolo account.

We regret this inconvenience and hope to hear you singing again soon!

Such a sad thing, really. I've enjoyed the online karaoke for almost 2 years, for the most part. Our Magic Sing's 3 song chips got old already.

It wouldn't be the same having to browse the site using a proxy.

Friday, May 23, 2008

What to do when all your buddies are somewhere enjoying a good night (without you)

ONE: Magmukmok.

TWO: Magmukmok pa.

THREE: Magmukmok pa ng magmukmok.

FOUR: Magluto para makalimutan na nagkakasiyahan sila

FIVE: Matulog ng maaga para di mo mamalayang kung kasama ka sana sa kanila, umiinom ka rin sana ngayon.

Balita ko pa naman, libre! Tsk tsk tsk.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Photo "Manipulation"


Kaadikan talaga sa Yu Yu Hakusho, oh.

I'm gonna be more addict in the coming days. (Guess why guess why guess why, lol)

Latest Indiana Jones Installment: AWESOME! (dot dot dot)

I've died and gone to [insert afterlife place here]. Seriously, this has got to be one of the most exciting days of my entire, natural-born life. Gadamwit, I feel good!

And it's all because of Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I'm gonna sum up my thoughts in just one word: Great!

In fact, unlike some movies with sprouting sequels, the fourth Indiana Jones is definitely far from being an embarrassment to the series. And though it seems as if I'm contradicting myself because I honestly like the prequels better, it held its own.

Yeah, yeah. I know. This may seem to be a prejudiced verdict of the movie, but as a hardcore Indiana Jones fan, I expected the movie to be just as good as the first three ones at best, and plainly suck at worst.

And guess what? It didn't disappoint. Generally speaking anyway. Even my father is fairly entertained, and he likes the Indy movie series himself (I mean, come on, why would we even buy an original set of VCDs years ago if we didn't like it?)

It's not as breathtaking as Transformers. And I haven't seen Ironman yet to make a fair comparison. But in the era of translating the comic book superheroes to the big screen, Indiana Jones sure did one hell of a good job catching up.

The surprising things I noticed regarding the movie are (also known as "some noteworthy points"):
  1. Aliens (don't ask, just watch...but it really really REALLY threw me off, and it kinda ticked me off)
  2. The movie (as well as the titular character) retaining its familiar humor and wit



  3. Harrison Ford slipping back into his role almost flawlessly, even after years of being "out of commission" as Indy



  4. The return of an old flame (who happens to be my most favorite "flame", although for some reason, the appearance honestly didn't sit well on me. Add the fact that she's there in the movie almost with no purpose than telling Indy that he's Mutt's father.)
  5. Nazis gone, and in came the KGB.
  6. The freaking ridiculous, utter waste-of-screen-time scene where Mutt pulls a Tarzan with the TOO friendly monkeys! Geez, what the hell was that all about?



  7. The plot? Kinda...twisted...and off...but maybe you wouldn't know what I mean until you got to watch the prequels.



  8. The way the ending hinted that the character played by Shia will carry on the Indiana Jones legend (I say I'd boycott the franchise altogether if that happens, but I love Indy too much...but really, it would be such a shame if that happens, because I think no other man can play Indiana Jones, and play it well, than Harrison Ford. Indiana Jones is not Superman, Batman, The Incredible Hulk, James Bond, or some other character that's been played by more than one actor. Indiana Jones IS Harrison Ford, and Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones, thank you very much.)
Okay, so clearly, I have mixed reaction. There ARE some stupid and ridiculous scenes (see number six), but I find them more amusing (and quite corny, admittedly) than anything else.

Shia LaBeouf is surprisingly good in the movie (he and Indy clearly have some chemistry on screen). And Cate Blanchett? Flat-out amazing, that's what she is! And so is Harrison Ford (of course!) The action scenes are great (duh, as always)! My only gripe is the plot.

But still, if you're looking for a movie that's just plain and simple fan, Indiana Jones is worth that one hundred and fifty bucks of yours. Action scenes are way way way above the entertaining level, and you're pretty much licked once you see the first scene.

Oh yeah, and I confess: I think it's a great movie BECAUSE it's Indiana Jones. :p

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Do we have to have a Filipino term for "efficiency" to know (and be) what it is?

I'm not about to take part in the discussion (I'm resting my brain, thank you, lolz), but it really just makes me wonder.

I haven't read all the comments yet, but I just had to stop and think about how a certain word can make a whole nation.

Even if there's no Tagalog word for "efficiency," does that mean we don't know what the concept is? Does that mean we don't know how to be efficient enough to, well, make a mark? Or a difference?

Is having no Tagalog word for "efficiency" the reason why the Philippines is a rotting nation?

Monday, May 19, 2008

Funny how TABAK grew on me

When Bongga Ka 'Day played on the radio, I got lost.

Why?

Because the lyrics I remembered was the one I got to memorize during our practices for our Tagis Lakas (Tigas Laki - a sort of beauty pageant for the students of UP Baguio) presentation.

Goes like: Lahat ay nagulat nang buksan ang pinto. GA ng mga tao'y biglang nahinto. blah blah blah. Uwi na kayong lahat, alas siyete na ng gabi...Bongga ka, guard. Bongga ka, guard. Sige na, sige na, 5 minutes na lang. (or was it 10 minutes? forgot, heh)

Sidenote: GA is grand assembly. May "curfew" kasi back then na hanggang 7pm lang pwede mag-stay sa classrooms unless may permit ka or something.

Donning a knee-length maong skirt and a pair of heeled shoes, I made a spectacle of myself.

I danced.

Now that's something you don't see everyday, hahaha.

Luckily, a bunch of my blockmates didn't know it was me (didn't recognize me, actually, hehehe) wild dancing on stage.

Miss ko na CAC6. Miss ko na TABAK. Miss ko UPB.

Miss ko Baguio.

(me remembering something like this is proof enough)

More Music Uploaded

I'm liking it a lot, this site called 4shared. I get to upload at up to 92kbps.

Let's just hope I won't be kicked out there, haha.

Anyway, MOAR MOAR MOAR tracks, courtesy of my mom. She asked me to rip the songs from some of our CDs, and I didn't want to put my effort into waste. And I thought it's high time I upload some of the albums sitting on the laptop (while my poor, poor desktop is in the computer hospital, and I had at least 20 more TRC and "progressive" albums there...gone now, poof).

Uh-huh, there's a first time for everything. I finally upload lotsa music that has absolutely nothing to do with rallies or something like that. :p
  • Some OPM classics
  • Mixed Emotions (2nd & 4th of the collection)
  • Bossa Manila by Sound (you know, the Pinoy band)
  • Shallow Believer by The Used (because I've liked them, since, forever)
  • Love Songs by Toto
  • Anak ng Bayan by Musikang Bayan (I didn't know I completely forgot to upload this one last year)
  • Kanlungan: Mga Piling Kanta ng Buklod & The Best of Buklod of Buklod (I forgot these albums din pala)
I'm thinking about uploading some random single tracks there (y'know, like, Halina by Jess Santiago, Ang Ating Awit by Juan dela Cruz Band, Internasyunal (the *delete delete delete* Filipino version, harharharhar), Papuri sa So *delete delete delete*...basta ganun ---- puro delete because I'm not in the mood to get jailed)

Gawd, I miss my Spice Girls playlist.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Dear "Layouts for Sale" suckers

Will you please make sure you don't use other people's works in the layouts you're selling? That includes images, textures, brushes, patterns, backgrounds, etc. that have been released noncommercially.

I mean, is it so deep an idea to grasp? I would think not, since you keep on yapping about copyright and giving credit and all that.

You say you don't like the others ripping you off, well then, FUCK YOU for ripping off [the works of] others and gaining money from them.

Not only that! Dati-rati, P250-300 lang ang "coded layouts," ngayon umaabot na ng P1000! Weeeh! Shit, this life sure sucks with people like you proliferating the internet.

You say those who take what's not theirs are cheaters. I wonder what that makes you, cheating your way into gaining money.

I can be more forgiving if only you don't sell those "works" of theirs (the word "works" being used loosely, since we all know those so-called works are really just "pinagtagpi-tagping" works of others), but noooooooooo!!! Apparently, you need WANT the money to buy more domains and buy make-ups and purchase clothes for whatever selfish reason you have, so you practically whore yourself out.

And it's not as if the layouts are coded with web standards (semantics and valid coding) and web accessibility in mind to begin with, so tanginerts, what blasphemy you do!

I can't believe na hanggang ngayon, may mga ganitong klaseng scums pa rin. I've come to think pa naman that people have learned. At the very least, don't make something profitable out of the noncommercial materials you get from the internet.

PLEASE DON'T SLAP A COPYRIGHT SIGN ON SOMETHING THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY COPYRIGHTED TO YOU, ELSE I'D GLADLY SCRAPE YOUR FACE OFF FOR BEING SO THICK.

And because I'm so pissed off right now that I can't even think straight, thank your gods that I'm much too frustrated to namedrop...LIKE I USED TO DO (it sure was fun back then when I named names and start blog wars, hahahaha)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A Reprieve from My Addiction (aka Rehab Time!)

Things to do, money to earn, and all that jazz. So I've decided to temporarily end the anime insanity and prioritize some other stuff a bit even for a while (it really sucks to have a one-track mind). So here's a longish entry for you.

Oh, right. My favorite in Naruto is indeed Shikamaru, so whoever voted for him got it right. Call it "like at first sight," but I've been extremely charmed by this quite bothered character first time I laid eyes on him. I enjoy his matches during the Chunin Exams. I think it's partly because we're so much alike in many ways, but then, I'm no ninja and I'm certainly no genius. You gotta admit, though, that his intellect is fascinating, and he's...he's...he's....CUTE! Hahaha!

*ahem* Who else were voted? Let's see....

I also like Rock Lee. He's one of the funniest guys in the series (because Naruto is mainly on the annoying side, heh), along with his teacher Guy (who has the most hilarious interaction with Kakashi: "Hm? Did you say something?" the latter asks, disinterested, whenever Guy gets into the topic of their so-called rivalry).

Gaara is cool, but too intense for my liking, but his heartbreaking past just...well...breaks my heart. Orochimaru is creepy, 'nuff said. And Ino? Well, let's just say I like her a little better than Sakura (I mean, seriously, proclaiming your friend as a rival just because you both like the same guy? Ambabaw ha!). :p

Moving on....



I have been unable to write for the past couple of days. It seems as if my mind always draws a blank whenever I try to cook up something for my blog and/or my "secret activity" (that only Janelle aka Miss Phinkness know about, hehe). A quick look on my past entries tells me I've not only been slacking, but I've been also slipping...terribly.

I used to be quite an obsessive person when it comes to my spelling and grammar (You could say that Google is my 2nd best friend; Reference.com is my 1st, with both its Dictionary and Thesaurus). I used to go over my writings at least twice to check for errors. Nope, I was never a Nazi, but I knew the basics, so it should've been enough, right?

Disappointing, really.

I can understand if my diction sucks. I'm not one to use deep and/or complicated words to express how I feel. I'm not even one to beautifully string words together just to impress my readers or something like that. I like simplicity, thus, I use the first simple(st) words that come to mind whenever I write. I kinda like the freedom I have over my choice of words, so I express the enjoyment by writing even the (seemingly) most nonsensical and/or unimportant things.

Take this vignette, for example. You may cringe all you want, but at least I came up with something.
Always the punctual one, Kurama arrived first, his hair unusually bound in a high ponytail. He and Master Genkai, who had just finished her training in the woods, engaged in a conversation about the situation in Makai. About thirty minutes later, the familiar voices of the two former Sarayashiki High delinquents were heard from somewhere down the temple stairs.

“Say that to my face, Urameshi!”

“I already did, you moron! Even now you still can't accept the fact that I'm better than you. Lucky for you, some demons are dumb enough to get beaten by you and surpass your dumbness.”

"Well, of course they'd be beaten by the mighty Kazuma Kuwaba---" I hid a smile when Kuwabara paused, a bemused expression crossing his face. "Are you calling me dumb?"

"No," Yusuke answered sarcastically.

“Oh. For a while there I thought you called me dumb. Anyway, I hope you're not being sarcastic because I'm going to...Hey! Come back here! I'm not done with you yet!”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

All of us watched the two exasperatedly, eyebrows twitching at their childish antics. Just like I thought; they never changed. Not one bit. Even if they hadn't seen each other for three years before yesterday, they're still the same old bickering Yusuke and Kuwabara.

“Dimwits,” I heard Genkai mutter under her breath.

“Oi, Botan, where are Hiei and the toddler?” Yusuke asked me as he and his orange-headed friend entered the dojo. Kuwabara, donning his signature Headband of Love, immediately ran to Yukina's side. He took a dainty hand and started sputtering sweet words and proclaiming his undying love to the ice apparition, who was in turn blushing prettily.

I watched the amusing scene for a while then turned to Yusuke. “I sent Lady Mukuro the word about the party and requested her to relieve Hiei of his duties today. I don't know if she persuaded him to come though. Lord Koenma," I stressed the name, looking at Yusuke sternly, "told me yesterday he'd be here. I guess he should arrive any moment now."

“And you guessed right.” We looked at the door, and sure enough, there was my employer in his teenage form, looking all high and mighty except for the fact that he's sucking his pacifier anxiously.

“Hey, Koenma! Good of you to drop by,” Kuwabara yelled.

“Ch! Can the buffoon keep his voice down for a change?” Hiei appeared out of nowhere, looking royally pissed off as always. He flashed Kuwabara a distrustful look.

“Shut up, you shrimp! What the hell are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in Makai?” Kuwabara shouted, fists clenched tightly as he threw daggers at the fire demon with his small eyes.

“Hn. I was invited, you oaf! I wouldn't have come if Mukuro didn't insist,” Hiei responded while walking to a corner. Most probably to sulk. His features softened when his gaze rested on Yukina.

Keiko clapped her hands twice and cheerfully announced, “Well, now that we're all here, it's party time!”

"Yeah!" Yusuke and Kuwabara shouted simultaneously and quickly gobbled up as much food as they could consume.

I approached Keiko, Yukina, and Shizuru, then we huddled in a corner of the room. We exchanged a knowing look, and then I quietly said, "I told you we should've cooked more food."
That pretty much sucks. Oh, well. For identifying purposes, here's a photo (click to enlarge):

L-R: Koenma, Botan, Keiko, Yukina, Kuwabara, Yusuke, Hiei, Shizuru, Genkai, Kurama
Tagalized: M. Jericho, Charlene, Jenny, Mikaela, Alfred, Eugene, Vincent, Suzie, M. Jeremiah, Dennis





Most of the time I do succumb to depression, as evidenced by my dark previous entries. It doesn't help that I've ran out of pills and am in need of a new prescription. I'm the type to look back on the past and wonder about the what-could-have-been's and what-should-have-been's. I'm the type to ponder on my regrets, and regret them even more. "Think happy thoughts" just isn't my cup of tea, and even if it is, it won't work on me. I'm too dark a character, to insane a person, to fall for that.

I thought maybe doing the things I loved to do would bring back the passion and will inside of me, but nothing worked. I entertained myself by watching different anime series, but deep down I knew it was all a wasted effort.

WHOA, there I go again.




Now, isn't it more exciting when I blog about sex toys? Haha.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Poll: My fave Naruto character ('cause I'm a dimwit...and bored)

L-R: Tenten, Neji, Rock Lee, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Shino, Kiba, Hinata

Orochimaru


Above photos stolen from Wikipedia. Description of each character available also in Wikipedia. :p

Saturday, May 10, 2008

"Mother's Day" Day Out

Mother & I went to Quiapo & Cubao today to spend some quality time together, which we used to do every now and then anyway (it just so happens that today's the ningen day called the Mother's Day). No, I didn't pamper her; In fact, I tired her out. I had no money to do something "spectacular" for her anyway (and now I even have LESS money, kcuf).

It was fun. We caught up on each other's life stories outside home. Talked about our dislikes for some people.

Talked about showbiz (she showed me a picture of the one called Manager in Eat Bulaga).

Talked about the society (the boycott Nestle campaign and the water I just drank).

Talked about politics (Jun Luzada, and what I think of him and his speeches).

Talked about religion (the Black Suede Scanda and spokesperson of the Archbishop of Cebu...and even the archbishop himself).

Talked about family:

"Hay naku, Nanay. Kung ako sa'yo, 'wag mo nang isipin ang iisipin ng iba tungkol sa akin. 'Wag mo nang pakialamann kung ano man ang opinyon nila tungkol sa akin, dahil simula noong nagloko ako, bumagsak na ang pagkataas-taas na tingin nila sa akin.

You don't have to please them because, whatever opinion they may have on you, you're still the best & greatest mother I can ever ask for."

Drama, no? Even the taxi driver was listening in on our conversation. I guess it was juicy, but then, that's my mom (and moi) for you.

Let's just say that we have what you'd call "sama ng loob."

Only, the feeling is helluva lot stronger and more intense (not to mention more antagonistic) than that.

On the brighter side, I was able to buy *some* of the animes I was itching to watch.

Because I was getting tired of streaming the videos from the internet, I bought the whole original Naruto series DVD set. I also purchased copies of Fullmetal Alchemist (because I heard a lot about it), Bleach (unknowingly pitched by some of the FanFiction.net writes, including Janelle), and GTO ("recommended" by Marcelle) among others.

Never got to buy the 2nd and 3rd season DVDs of NUMB3RS though. The one I had (the 2nd season DVD) was working, but only through halfway of each episode. BUT we found copies of the 2nd & 5th season of Cold Case, 2nd season of Law & Order: SVU, 1st season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and 1st season of the original Law & Order series.

So anyway, now I continue from where I stopped: the 3rd season of Naruto - episode 54! Yay!

I prolly won't go online until I finish this anime.

I'm hooked.

(So you can spoil the story anytime you want, Tammy! Heh!)

Next update will probably have something to do with our society/country/political (in)stability, following the lead set by Marck (aka Marocharim) with his X-List: Five Things I Do to Contribute to the Decay of Filipino Society (for now, let's just say I'm with him on numbers 1 and 4, kinda so-so on numbers 2 [but only on the constraint part] and 5, and, on number 3, well, draw your own conclusion).

Friday, May 09, 2008

My bro's shorts fell off

I told myself I wouldn't blog until after I finish the first season of Naruto (I'm watching it online), but I just had to get this off my chest.

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

See, not five minutes ago (of posting this entry), my brother was getting ready to sit next to me in our sofa (he just took out some chips for us to munch on while he was watching Cartoon Network on TV and I was ogling Sasuke online). He threw a Pringles On-the-Go (Sour & Cream Flavor, yum!) to me and saved the V-Cut (Caldereta Flavor) for himself.

Before we knew it, his shorts fell off.

WOOT!

He couldn't stop laughing!

I couldn't too.

I'm such a bad ate, hahahahahahaha!

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

As a followup to the previous entry about the Little Losers event...

People kept telling my brother not to do everything I do/say.

It all started when he went in front to claim the "youngest fella" title yesterday night during the "raffling off" of pizes at the David & Goliath's Little Losers event held in Mag:net Cafe, Bonifacio High Street.

Gabe Mercado
: How old are you?
Robby Cruz: Eleven years old.
Gabe: Why?
Robby: Because I was born in (June) 1996.

At this point, I was thinking that Gabe would ask my brother why he was born. I was pretty sure my brother would be able to answer; the birds and the bees aren't exactly secrets in today's society, hehe.

Gabe: Why do you blog?
Robby: *long pause then looks at me*
Me: Bakit mo ako tinitignan?!
Robby: Ginaya ko lang po ate ko.
Gabe: Oh. Wag mong gagayahin lagi ate mo ha?

(Murmurs of approval everywhere)

Then, when Rico and I bumped into each other later at the end of the event...

Me: Oo nga pala, brother ko. *makes a sweeping motion toward Robby*
Rico: Ah, ikaw ba yung ate niya?
Me: Yep!
Rico to Robby: Ay, oo nga. Wag mong gagayahin ate mo ha.

The hell?!

LULZ!

Monday, May 05, 2008

Wow, I didn't know Flame of Recca is showing on GMA-7

Shows you how much of a TV viewer I am.

Well, except for 24 Oras and Saksi.

Hehe.

What are the questions you want to ask JUN LOZADA?

If you were given a chance to meet Jun Lozada face to face and ask him questions, what would those questions be?

You can just list them by replying to this post, or PM them to me. :)

(To a certain extent, yes, I believe him. But I'm not about to believe that he's doing all these things only for the sake of the country. I have my doubts; as one said in a comment, the whistleblowers are often those who were "kulelat" in the deals they made...like Joey de Venecia, for instance. They're not saints, but then, at least they have the galls to stir up some controversy. Heh.)

HALP!!! SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE ME FROM MYSELF!!!

I can't believe this! I'm a frigging 20-year-old young lady (woooh, lady nga ba?) who has spent her years practically ignoring ALL animes on TV, with the exception of the following:
  1. Sailor Moon (oh c'mon, we all went through that phase, faves ko sina Sailor Mars at Sailor Neptune)
  2. Yu Yu Hakusho (Ghost Fighter, dimwits! It's my most fave, and Botan is the star of my swetdreams, heh!)
  3. Rurouni Kenshin (well, you know, Samurai X on Studio 23 years ago)
  4. Ranma 1/2 (can't even remember a single episode)
  5. Neon Genesis Evangelion (only because I accidentally watched my dad's hentai vid...I like the fiery girl...)
  6. Flame of Recca (because it's the one shown after YYH on GMA 7)
  7. Fushigi Yugi (mainly to know what the hype was all about)
  8. Voltes V (gimme a break, I was a kid!)
  9. Doraemon (whenever I catch it mornings on GMA 7 anyway)
  10. Saber Marionette (just like the case with Ranma 1/2, everything from this series escapes me)
  11. Weiss Kreuz (Knight Hunters on GMA 7..I only caught a few episodes but I liked the concept: flower shop boys in the morning, assassins at night)
  12. Magic Knight Rayearth (wahaha, the Tagalized song is just so LSS material that I still know the lyrics by heart!)
  13. Zenki (uh-huh...what's this all about again?)
  14. You're Under Arrest (I almost wept when we had to change from Home Cable to Destiny Cable...no more AXN, thus, no more You're Under Arrest. Suckorz!)
  15. There's this one I don't know what's called, basta it was shown on GMA 7, and the main characters' names are Joe (brown-haired guy and pseudo-learder), Jenny (a bluette, I think, and my fave character...yes, I do seem to have an inexplicable fondness for blue-haired ladies), and Mike (a, quite obviously, a blonde). And there's a princess there with a constellation for her namesake: Princess Andromeda, if I'm not mistaken, with the long white hair and clingy attitude (she's mabait in the series, but geesh, I think she's just plain bitchy, heh). There were robots and all...or were they spacecrafts? Also shown on Cartoon Network a few years after, but I never did get the title. Anyway, I loved that one!
  16. Oh, oh! And the one with the teapot time machine thingy! Haha! "Takure, takure!"
...and has chosen THIS YEAR to act like a crazed fan girl of animes. What the hell is wrong with me?!

I want to cry so badly that I'm irritating myself to no end. And why do yours truly want to bawl?

It's because I WANT TO GO TO QUIAPO ANG BUYS LOTSA PIRATED ANIME DVDS AND WATCH THEM NONSTOP AND GUSH OVER THEM AND CRY AND KILL MYSELF!!!

And the frustration is brought about by yesterday night's episode of Naruto on Cartoon Network where Sasuke has been (apparently) killed!!!

Oh NOES! NOT MY SASUKE!

See? I'm losing my mind over a frigging animated series! What gives?!

And it's not even funny that I want to watch also these animes:
  1. Bleach
  2. Inu Yasha
  3. One Peace
  4. Death Note
Shit, I'm doomed!

On a sidenote, why the FUCK do they insist on renaming the characters? For dubbing purposes? Gimme a fucking break!

FILIPINO DUBBERS BUTCHERED YUYU HAKUSHO (and I speak not of the time when they mistakenly assigned a female voice talent for Kurama aka Dennis at first then made the very core story a venue to cover up their blunder)! NOW TELL ME, DOES THAT GIVE JUSTICE TO THE ANIME?! YOU BASICALLY CHANGED THE WHOLE STORY OF THE FUCKING ANIME! I MEAN, COME ON! FIRST EPISODE PA LANG, WALANG WALA NA AGAD YUNG ESSENCE NUNG ISTORYA!

Now...Didn't I tell you I'm going crazy here? HUHUHU.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

A Forgotten Hobby: Sketching

Sketching anime characters. I lost my first sketchbook, so these pics are only from my 2nd one.

Sailor Jupiter aka Makoto Kino aka Lita Kino
(and a failed attempt at shading)


Sailor Mars aka Rei Hino aka Raye Hino
(and another failed attempt at shading)


I forgot this character's name, but I think it's, like, Chibiusa or something.


Probably one of my most favorite among the bunch.
Lupin was so easy to sketch because I didn't have to put effort into making him gorgeous.
My first sketchpad had Kazuma Kuwabara aka Alfred of YuYu Hakusho/Ghost Fighter in it,
and it pretty much turned out the same as this one. Heh.


Sailor Mercury aka Ami Mizuno aka Amy Mizuno
One of my nicest ones, I'd like to think, because it's so simple.


I drew Amy about four years ago. It was the last time that I touched my sketchpad to use it after actively sketching for a few months the three years before that.

Lately, I've been trying to draw again with the help of my old Yuyu Hakusho teks (you know, trading cards) from my grade school days. But I can't seem to get into the rhythm, and I don't think I'll ever manage to do it again. Besides, 'di ko nadevelop yung "talent" so I always need something in front of me to copy whenever I draw.

Botan aka Charlene. My favorite anime character ever, haha.
Drawn last month on April 11. First ever attempt since I "quit" sketching.


Hiei & Kurama aka Vincent & Dennis Chibi style.
Of course, binaboy ko si Kurama dahil mahirap siya i-drowing, lulz.


Unfinished sketch of Botan (duh). I normallystart out with the eyes kasi,
and I tried it the other way around, starting with the hair. Don't ask why.

I used to use an 8B Staedtler pencil, complete with my own Staedtler eraser, sharpener, and a shading tool (what's that called again?).

With the newer sketches, I used a 6B.

"Dear Sir, I am fat and wear spectacles."

It's the line that resulted in Hugh Edwards getting the part of Piggy in the 1963 adaptation of William Golding's The Lord of the Flies.

I was watching the movie last night, and it brought a lot of almost-forgotten memories into surface, the most notable being my hatred for Lord of the Flies when I was in my freshman year in high school (hello, Ms. Gapas! haha). You could just imagine my frustration with the novel when I had to make a book report about it for English class. I was too occupied in trying to understand To Kill a Mockingbird that time (which was a required class reading), and coupled with the pressure of the book report, I became dangerously close to slipping into insanity.

I hated William Golding with a passion.

But I got a newfound appreciation for the book the second time I read it. I realized that, just like To Kill a Mockingbird (which became a favorite also AFTER the class was done with it, heh), it was a novel with an important social theme.

Men are inherently evil.

And in a twisted way, Golding has a very sensible and valuable point, don't you think so? (Especially taking into account today's society, and the context of which Golding wrote the novel during World War II)

(You think I'm going to make kwento the book in here? No way, heh!)

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Streaming music on websites

There's a "discussion" in Twitter about music streaming on websites.

I personally hate ANY WEBPAGE that streams music...That's why CSS is turned off in my Friendster account (which is, quite frankly, useless anyway, since I don't even visit Friendster profiles). That's why I don't frequent websites that I know have music embedded on them.

But hey, if that's what the owner wants, who am I to argue?

Kung ma-turn off yung readers/visitors mo, sorry na lang sila.

Dun ka masaya eh, dun ka sisipagin sa profile mo. Kung yun ang driving force mo sa pag-gawa ng website, sige lang.

Hay naku, iba na talaga internet ngayon. People say that web masters must *always* think about the "visitors" first (PARA LANG SA KIKITAING PERA?). I say, especially if you're a PERSONAL BLOGGER, you must always think of YOURSELF first.

What about the owner's own happiness in what s/he's doing, diba?

Oo na, sige, in my time I did advocate web standards and web accessibility (almost like a crazed lunatic), but then, I never once strayed from what my blog's all about, right?

I think, it's not about the visitors' music preference. Ang pinaka-solusyon lang dyan is give the visitors the option to turn the music off (which, sadly, isn't even offered on some sites). That way, you, as the owner, at least please the visitors ('cause, you know, nakakainis makinig sa musikang ayaw mong pakinggan, lalo na kung naka-on yung music player mo sa computer), but at the same time, you don't compromise your own preference.

Labasan na ng sama ng loob!

I've almost always dreamt of getting out of this hellhole.

Kinunsinti ko pa si nanay nung high school ako. Sabi ko, "Sige, okay lang naman sa akin eh." FUCK ALL THE LEGALITIES, I thought. The most important thing was survival. But alas, my baby bro's just a kid, and he didn't need the trauma that would come along if our parents separated.

I almost wished my mom broke down and took my dad's advise to abort the pregnancy...when she was pregnant with me.

We wouldn't be living under the same roof, hating each other's guts, and planning another's trip down to hell.

I almost wished I broke down and took my grandma's offer when she tearfully demanded me to live in Marikina during the family's rough-er times.

If wishes were fishes....

AND THEN...

"Yung niluto mo dapat hanggang mamayang gabi na lang."

EH PUCHA, SOBRANG SELAN NILANG DALAWA, DI SILA UMUULIT NG PAGKAIN EH! KAILANGAN BAWAT KAINAN IBA ANG ULAM, TAPOS SASABIHIN SA AKIN YUNG GANUN?! EH YUNG MGA NILULUTO KO NAPUPUNTA LANG DIN NAMAN SA ASO DAHIL BAKA MAPANIS?!

ANO BA NAMAN?! PAG HINDI NGA AKO BUMABANGON UNTIL MID-AFTERNOON, WALANG NAGLULUTO SA KANILA. SOBRANG DEPENDENT PAGDATING SA MGA BAGAY NA GANITO! IKAW NA NGA GUMAGAWA, IKAW PA MALI. IKAW NA NGA NAGKUKUSA, PAGSASABIHAN KA PA. EH ULTIMO SILA NGA WALA NAMANG GINAGAWA.

SHIT SHIT SHIT ANG SAMA NG GISING KO. KAGABI PA ITO! NO WONDER PUNUNG-PUNO NA SI NANAY RITO SA BAHAY. PUNYETA TALAGA! BWISIT!

Who needs men?

I can very well take care of myself.

Well, except for the money thing...as of now anyway (but hey, I do earn money, uhm, online).

I hate it when my mom's away. I get tagged all sorts of chores: cooking for lunch & dinner, washing the dishes, sweeping the floors, doing the laundry, arranging the stuff *they* "tornadoed" around the house...you name it, I do it.

And SH*T!!! WHAT IS SO HARD IN FLUSHING THE TOILET AFTER YOU USE IT, HUH?!

AND WHAT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO HARD IN CLEANING UP AFTER YOURSELVES AND WASHING YOUR OWN DISHES?!

PLEASE, PRAY TELL, WHAT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO F*CKING HARD IN DOING THOSE THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T F*CKING DO THEM?!

Men? PIGS!

Thursday, May 01, 2008

I refuse to cry

Angsty.

There's something inside me that needs getting out, but I don't know what it is.

Maybe it's my frustrations catching up with me. Maybe it's my disappointments building up too fast for me to breathe. Maybe it's the fact that it's a brand new month, and still...

I can't do anything right.

I want to do lots of things --- blog like I used to (and on Misteryosa.com, at that), write 'till I tire my fingers out, read feel-good books to make me feel better, and most of all, make my family proud...something I haven't made them feel since I graduated top of my class in Nursery.

But maybe that's not gonna happen soon.

Times like this, I feel no one understands me. Heck, I can't even understand myself. And so I put up this cheerful facade, pretending everything's A-OK on my end, and saying the right things...things that wouldn't belie how extremely lonely I am inside.

I almost wish that my problems are lovelife-related, but they're not even close. They have something to do with love, sure, but I think that the love that's missing from my life is my love to myself.