Priceless Pieces

To celebrate the completion of my team's Youth Research Manuscript *is still too tired to fistpump*, I'm going to post something totally unrelated to my work and not at all indicative of the profession I am in--my few Japaphile-related figurines.

[Code Geass] Suzaku Kururugi - For by birthday from tennifriends Ghostlightning, The Waifu, Mechafetish and Jacknife. I began to seriously follow Code Geass and is presently in the first few episodes of season 2. I await the "trainwreck plot" I've heard so much about.

[Naruto] YonDaime - From =3kat-chan, when she went to Hong Kong a couple or so years ago. Back in the days where this series is actually entertaining and does not require high level cognitive processing (not that it needs so now, but plot is dragging and getting nowhere). =3kat-chan also gave me a Tenipuri shitajiki when she went to Japan last year.

[Pokemon] Pikachu - I never really followed Pokemon but I found Pikachu very cute. And maybe unconsciously, I radiated that vibe since I received other Pikachu items as gifts like beach towels, spoon and fork set and mini stuffed toy. It's bit awkward to use them now though...*facepalms*.

[Initial D] Limited Stage - Not exactly a figurine but close enough. The ONLY collectible that I invested that cost close to two thousand pesos. It was also the object that I wagered with my gradschool friends so I will finish my thesis (because if I don't, I will have to donate it to a children's foundation). I've only opened this twice since 2006.

I bet there's a reason why I only have limited display cabinet space, otherwise I'd probably end up having more collectibles ^_^()

WHOA.

Today, after a very long time, I have been re-exposed to a massive dose of shonen anime. After tennis this morning, mechafetish, ghostlightning, along with ghost’s waifu sat together with me as I got initiated in the following series that the guys thought as some of the greatest anime there is. By the way, as the current state of my neural conduction is kind of, um, idle (or as my kids would say, “sabaw!”), this will simply reflect a rundown of the titles I got a glimpse of and not really a review. No, I wasn’t O.C. about the spelling and writing the complete titles. For the last 5 hours or so, I watched the initial episodes of Monster, MS Gundam 08th Team, Gurren Laggan, MS Igloo 2 and Project A-ko (I hope I did not forget anything). Most of them won me over (especially GL!) sans Project A-ko. I’ll post reactions about these titles when I have more time.

As we talked about more titles, I actually realized that I’m not as hardcore anime/manga fan as I thought I was. I’ve heard a lot of titles in the past but never really got around to watching them. This got me thinking to come up with a general list of what titles I actually completed watching/reading and those that I mostly saw/read but never really finished. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do that this month, since I’m also curious just how much JPOP I’ve immersed myself into.

*Yawn* I need sleep and a sprinkle of shojoness. >_<

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Last week, one of my tennifriends, Mechafetish highly recommended that I check out Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I reminded myself that I always wanted to see the movie with all the raves that I’ve heard about so I thought of downloading it or maybe borrowing a copy (Quiapo utterly failed me in this). That is until I saw 7 volumes of Nausicaä graphic novels in front of me courtesy of said tennifriend. At the back of my mind, I could almost feel Kashima, Klein and Clark (2007) glaring at me and telling me that I should read them first.

Several id-superego bargaining and five days later, I have met and journeyed with Nausicaä and gained another perspective of what strong, women protagonists could be. I’m not exactly sure how one is suppose to feel after knowing the story but for some reason, I felt that there were some basic premises in the plot that were relatively simple, to mention some: Let’s try not to kill each other. Actions yield to certain consequences. I am by no means saying that the essence of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is reduced to something rudimentary. I actually feel that its essence is embedded in this incredibly well thought of make-believe world that one just can’t dismiss it as something mediocre, or childish for that matter, but could even be interpreted in a higher level that could cater to anyone. It just rubbed off to me as uniquely simple and it is why I appreciated it more. As I’ve said—it’s genius.

Now, let’s talk about the lead, Nausicaä. I really like her. I’ve always liked strong woman characters and it’s so refreshing to see a different side of the type of characters I’m much in favor of. Despite the skillfulness as a warrior and the mystical ability to bond with non-human creatures, what moved me were the glimpses of her frailties and vulnerabilities—that the situation can get to her. Nevertheless, she goes back to warrior mode, not gung-ho and all but responsibly calm and collected. I don’t know but for me, that just makes her all the more human and I guess that makes her character more believable, relatable even.

It’s unfortunate that I would end this piece with dissonance, that despite how I find Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind to be really good, it can’t seem to top Spirited Away in my book. Maybe because the latter was a movie and the visual and aural cues added to the excitement. This is not to say, though, that I don’t recommend this piece—I do. Read it; appreciate it, for it’s a lot more than just flying insects and good versus evil.


EDIT: *Two hours later thanks to Quicksilverscreen* I just saw the movie and I want a copy. Even if there are clear differences between the anime and the manga, I think they complement each other and both deserve the praise from their fans. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is officially on my fave anime list.

Random

JPOP: Out of curiosity, I watched Macross Frontier. Even if the Macross saga received raves ever since, I was never a fan of it—simply because singing female pop idols facilitating a space battle just isn’t my cup of tea. Sure, they make GREAT background music during the fight scenes and that’s exactly what I had to—pretend that it’s just BGM. I guess I’d take it more seriously if it’s just the mecha (maybe that’s why I’m more interested in Macross Zero…), but the equation of Macross is always Mecha + Music so if I can’t live with one, I guess I’ll never be a Macross fan. Anyway, the fight scenes in the last episode of MF were incredible (again, I am speaking as if the essence of the pop idols’ singing is irrelevant to the plot and is merely BGM to pump the fight scenes), and dare I say BETTER than Gundam. INCREDIBLE ANIMATION—so good that it’s enough to make one wonder what it’s like to fly one of those Valkyrie thingies ^o^. The plot is relatively simple and if I cared a little, I might’ve taken the effort to fully understand what it’s about—but definitely not head-splitting like Gundam (or Evangelion—head AND soul-splitting!). What else…there’s a love triangle here—the lead pilot dude and the two female pop idols. Surprisingly, I don’t hate the triangle (but I don’t favor any either). It’s open ended as to who ends up with whom but I don’t really care…I was amused that the creators actually have a rationale in making the lead guy very androgynous (typical “bishounen”)—smart of them to say he came from a Kabuki-oriented family, there goes your excuse! LOL! Conclusion...YAY for GUNDAM 00 Season 2! ^___^

RESEARCH: Of course, marathoning MF through online streaming meant that my PC will be occupied for a long time so I took this opportunity to go through my Youth Research literature. I ACTUALLY TOOK NOTES AND WENT THROUGH 15 OF MY 19 RRL!!! Now THAT is mixing business with pleasure. Unfortunately, I’m not yet done. The last ones were incredibly high in content that I have to decide how to go about the note taking. I will finish it this week. Yeah! *fistpumps*

SNIPERS: If I recall correctly, I have a thing for characters who play snipers (or anything long-ranging shooting skill—including in basketball where I’d choose a 3-point shot over a slam dunk any day). I just have a teeny weeny bit of a complaint…WHY THE HELL DO THEY ALWAYS GET KILLED?!?!? It happened in G00, FMP and MF! Darn it.

YUMMY: I remember Vivi (who’s in NZ now) always likened my types of guys in the looks department as “boylets”. Well, I doubt THIS DUDE will be classified as one. Yay, someone finally joined Eric Bana in the rugged look category—go Diego Buñuel! I won’t tell your mother you went to *bleep!* ^o^.

In Current News…

TENNIS: I finally broke the strings of my racquet. I had it replaced the same day, accompanied by some uneasy feelings of what happened in Toby’s Megamall. I purchased two things separately using two different credit cards because the attendant told me that only I swipe per card is allowed in establishments. I haven’t heard of this rule but instead of asking the cashier, I simply did what she suggested. On hindsight, I thought I felt kind of duped…and stupid. I mean, when I was eating at Sushiya, I asked the manager if that rule apply to them, and they said no. I even had my mother call me up to ask her…the OC-ness really hit me and I hated the feeling that I wasn’t assertive enough to ask. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt and it wouldn’t really cost me anything. Of course, I allowed myself to become paranoid and thought that it could be a scam or something. Argh. Why was it that I didn’t see them rare 4 pieces Slazenger tennis balls were available and on sale. Lesson learned: ASK, IT WONT’ HURT. On other news, I intend to break in the new strings…I experimented on the tension, I wonder what 60kg feels like.

RESEARCH: Last week was the brainstorming of our Department collaborated research on Youth Development. I’m glad I went but on the side, I felt a little disappointed at myself that these guys came up with really good theoretical frameworks which made mine look preschool-ish in comparison. It then came with a feeling that I can’t seem to feel the expertise I supposedly have achieved now that I have a Master’s Degree in Human Development Psychology. I teach, but the expertise I gain is that of teaching—how to wing things and still have the goals attained. I’m beginning to feel that maybe unconsciously I’m getting bored with my current state because it’s so monotonous that I can even risk not preparing for work because I know how to handle it when it all comes down to the actual thing. Maybe this is a sign that I need something new…something more challenging. Something that will motivate me to move.

JPOP: Thanks to Ohmer’s dvd, I saw the spinoff movie of Deathnote (L: Change the World). It was okay; it’s not something I would buy nor download but it was nice to see L and his eccentric ways. The whole idea of the antagonists were simply flawed and really, had they further developed the idea of why there is a need to use bioterrorism on people and not just “because we are overpopulated and abuse nature” (a big “HUH?”), it would’ve really made the film more exciting. And much as I like seeing L, he doesn’t seem to be so much himself in this movie…I mean, I missed his shrewdness in the first two films (as well as portrayed in the manga) and in here, he’s…not as proactive as I want him to be ^^(). But there were ‘Awww…” moments for sure =3

Theme: Classical Music

I’ve been running on DSL for over a week now so I had the chance to check out some classical music inspired anime, namely Kin’iro no Corda and Nodame Cantabile. Er, just Wiki for information ^^;

Kin’iro no Corda is based on a dating game and manga (I think, not sure which came first) hence, the harem-ness and eyecandy animation. Minus the classical pieces played by each character, the plot basically revolves around how each male character warms up to the lead, along with an ABSURD intrusion of a fairy that gets the plot going. You want fluff, mush and two-dimensional eyecandies, watch this. While in my younger days, I’d mull between the violinist and the pianist, I’m going with the spaced-out cellist this time, just for chibiness and adorable factor =3.

Nodame Cantabile, I believe, is categorized under josei manga. Whilst after watching the anime, browsing over the manga and checking out some of the live action, I don’t sense the shojoness of it. It has very little fluff (maybe only at the first few eps of the anime) but it goes all out in developing the character of lead guy and providing the viewer with A LOT of classical music. I also find it ironic that the title bears the name of the lead girl yet most of the character development goes to the lead guy. Also, while I I find some of the lead girl's mannerisms annoying, I don’t particularly dislike her no matter how eccentric she is.

Still, I found the two shows entertaining, and I realize that it must be the classical music playing its role. For Kin’iro, I’d feel a little too old for this type of genre and I’d like to believe that no matter how nice the animated rendering of the characters were, plot is still essential for me. Likewise, for a supposed fluffy shojo manga which in my opinion, Nodame is not, it’s the presence of the classical pieces in both titles kept me there for a while.

So, what lessons have I learned…?

For one, if there is a profession that I couldn’t imagine doing myself, it’s got to be conducting an orchestra. I mean, I can imagine directing a film but “directing” an orchestra by being its conductor?! I can only say. “WOW!!!” to conductors (who are not tone deaf [-> jennai] )—I now have a better perspective about them. Second, I still want to play the violin and the piano!!! Third, brownie points for guys who can play the violin, piano or whatever orchestral instruments—nerds they are not! Finally, I’m still a sucker for classical music (and proud of it! : ), no matter how dormant my liking becomes--so if a show has it, at the least, I would check it out.

PS. Pics from AnimePaper and Crunchyroll.

PPS. I can’t believe Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 is 100+MB in size!!! ;_; I wanted to listen to it so bad. Why is it that big…? O.o;

RetroBlog Series

While I rummaged through my PC files, I came across several articles that I wrote before and I thought, why not post them in the blog, hence, the title RetroBlog series because these writings were done way back. Here’s a sampler, more to come soon (but not necessarily on the same topic).

[NOTE: Things you should know first: 1.) Spoiler warnings for Samurai 7 (ep.25); 2.) Katsu bashing; 3.) Kyuzo is one of my favorite characters, along with Momotaro and Heihachi; 4.) Series 1 title was in reference to an earlier Kyuzo rant to Choco.]

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RetroBlog Series 1: “This is not about Kyuzo...”

This is about why young wannabe-warriors, no matter how zealous and well-meant they are, should not be allowed to go to battle WITHOUT extensive physical and mental training. I claim such premise from the following observations:

1. They take their superior's verbal (sometimes, physical) criticisms personally that they break free/leave with the thought that they can do better without their superior/mentor. Example: Katsu leaving Kanbei after the latter reprimanded him and Kiku for infiltrating the capital to "save" him. (Sure, Kenshin left his master, too, with idealistic views on protecting others--but that's a different story, and besides, Kenshin has FAR greater sword skills at Katsu's age).

2. They have the tendency to become overzealous that they may compromise the safety of those that they need to protect by laying out half-baked plans and strategies which they actually think would be fool-proof and effective. Example: Katsu and his flying log plan to get to the capital. (The kid--Komachi's friend--was smart enough to know such plan lacked in some aspects).

3. They make bad lookouts. Even if they claim that they will "cover you as you do your job", they often get distracted when the one they are supposed to look out for gets in a little trouble. They LOOK AT, and SHOUT the name of the one that they are supposed to look out for, AT LEAST three times, giving the enemy an opportunity to aim for the one they are supposed to be looking out for. As a result, the one they are looking out for ends up getting in bigger trouble. Example: Katsu "looking out" for Heihachi as the latter died accomplishing his job.

4. They can have ear-shattering battle cries but their actual battle does not even last as long as their cries and they end up being saved by their superior/mentor, putting the latter's life in jeopardy. Relative to this, they may have the sense to return the favor and save their superior/mentor, but without the composure to aim only at the enemy. They end up taking down a comrade as well--one that actually contributed more to their cause. Example: Katsu shooting Kyuzo accidentally to save Kanbei. Must be Kyuzo's fault--he moves way too fast to get to Kanbei which was too much for Katsu's reflexes and reaction time.

5. Despite all these, they end up surviving, while the rest with great personalities do not. The experience of surviving a battle gives them an edge in future character development, giving them a "tragic past" that suckers like this writer has a soft spot for. Nevertheless, that does not exclude them from being idiots sometimes.

See? This wasn't about Kyuzo.

Death Note (follow up – w/ SPOILERS)

It’s been a while since I finished Death Note the live action movie, and I don’t think I’ve told Quiaps and Choco up to now. Anyway, since the Part 2 DVD was so messed up, I reread and finished the manga (thanks to K-chan =3 ) before going back to the DVD. For a quick follow up update, I hope my memory didn’t fail me too much.

So…what can I say?

…On the acting, L rOcKs!!! XD He did good! (I wanna watch the spin off movie!)

...Raito’s actor was a bit tame? He did okay but I felt like a bit more intimidation would’ve been better. I found Misa less annoying that how she was portrayed in the manga.
…I like how they revised the story about L’s death—and how he died, basically. (Great, Choco would probably hate to continue the movie now…)
…Surprisingly, as most people preferred the movie than the manga, I wasn’t as biased towards the movie. It wasn’t bad and as it is, it’s good enough to give a newbie an overview of DN. But it wasn’t enough to favor the manga less. The manga wasn’t the best but I just found the introduction of the new characters and L’s successor interesting.

All in all, it was a good movie, despite the absence and/or literal translation of the subtitles for Part 2. Although I won’t be watching it again or reading the manga again anytime soon, otherwise, I won’t stop talking to myself on the many possibilities of L and Raito’s cognitive battles.

What's Playing on the Small Screen

My reputation for watching movies in theaters isn’t that good. Often times, I’m one of the few people (at school, at least) to watch the latest movies two weeks after their opening dates. So this summer, I told myself to catch up and watch recent movie DVDs and those that were considered classics. And here are my opinions of them (not really reviews and not very constructive either)…

300 – Whoa. I watched this twice—probably won’t get tired of watching it. I want to read the graphic novel. This is good movie. Gory, but really good. Tight plot and witty humor (Spartans can just be so adorable when they make an upcoming bloodbath something to look forward to). See, it’s so good I’m writing in fragmented statements. I regret not seeing this on the big screen…and I blame my superego and thesis for it.

Fast and the Furious 3 – While Quiaps and Choco might disagree with me on this, I didn’t like it as much as I liked the first two (yes, even if there is an Evo in F&F3). Didn’t like the plot—Initial D 4th Stage has better plot (and I thought ID4 had very little compared to its predecessors) and while there were wee moments of excitement (I can’t remember now which part), I don’t know…the “drifting” didn’t thrilled/impressed me. The mountain pass views were nice though.

Babel – This is like watching a global version of Crash—plots where characters are eventually linked with each other. I liked Crash better because I prefer its pacing over Babel. The movie comes off as boring but in retrospect there were issues that are worth debating over. And it’s very interesting to see how sign language is used in the Japanese context. Translation issues. I instantly remembered Magnus on this since he wanted to do a research on this topic.

Letters from Iwo Jima – For me, this movie screamed Japanese culture and how unpopular unconventionality can be. The dude who played Nishi was hot (compared to the rest, sans, Ken Watanabe). The suicide scene-soldier style was—well, really graphic. This was a heavy film. I wouldn’t watch it again anytime soon. I did like it a bit better than Babel.

The Godfather Trilogy – Let’s start with the Godfather ONE. Very slow start—that’s my only complaint and the rest went smoothly. The simultaneous baptism and massacre scenes were great. Imo, this is the most action-packed among the three. And I can’t believe they killed HIM just like that—didn’t see it coming…and just when I was warming up to his character!!! Godfather TWO. I felt like this installment dealt more on the character development—the Vito Corleone flashbacks were nice (and darn, Robert de Niro and Al Pacino almost looked alike and related! ; ). Towards the end though, I felt how long the movie was—the drag setting in I guess…it’s like there were moments that I asked “when will this movie end…?’). Godfather THREE. I liked it—pacing and all, and for a change, something got taken from Michael Corleone (oh, le anguish…), unlike before where it was always him that takes something from someone. But I guess the reason why I appreciated this movie more was because I saw the first two—I wonder if I will feel the same way if I saw it stand-alone. The common circumstance among the three, aside from the obvious mafia dealing, is the festive mood—there’s always songs and celebrations in each installment. One thing’s for sure—I applaud anyone who can watch this trilogy marathon style ~_^.

Cinepuri – Even though I already know how this turned out since I read Tenipuri manga, I thought I’d check it out and see what the crack is all about. Heeheehee…this is like tennis meets Shaolin Soccer/Kung Fu Hustle style, only at least the whacked premise is already known in the latter two films while in Cinepuri, it actually starts off serious. But really, no one should take this movie seriously ^_^ And so what if I fancy the dudes who played the Captain and Mr. Buuuurrrninggg!!!! (Again, compared with the rest LOL!!!) Also, I found the lead kid to have more personality here compared with the manga (and he actually fits the role, he looked cute…as in kid/puppy-cute).

Death Note – I may have to do a follow-up reaction here since I only saw the first part—the subbing of the second was way too messed up. I also want to reread the manga for better comparison. All I can say is L is hot...his acting, I mean, hehehe.

MeRrY cHrIsTmAs! MaLiGaYaNg PaSkO! mErI KuRiSmAsU! hApPy ChRiStMaS!

LOL!!! If you’re not familiar with Tenipuri, this might not be so funny. Let’s just say that they are teammates and Santa’s the narcissistic captain and Rudolph is his loyal slav—I mean, minion who only utters that monosyllabic-sounding reply. By the way, I did not make the above pic--credit for the art goes to ‘snowbunnyluv’ (go visit her deviant art site).

***
An uncle and my cousin and his family came over for lunch today. I saw my nephew and niece again and I can totally relate to Choco and K-chan about kiddie antics and how it can completely ruin(?!) one’s mood to be a “diligent-student-who’s-suppose-to-do-her-thesis-blah.blah.blah…” aka “pagpapanggap” hehehe. See, the niece likes dogs (I like dogs..) and the nephew worships Spiderman (I think Spidey’s good…) so I ended up…playing with the kids.

I rarely feel at ease mingling with kids but for some reason, today was an exemption. They kept asking my mom to give them their gifts and mom tells me to give it to them…and I delay it. Hahaha! I was the one who chose their gifts—a stuffed dog and a Spiderman action figure where he kicks this wall-thingy. When they finally got their gifts (after ripping off my late night, time consumed, hard-worked gift-wrapping in less than under a minute), we played with them. The wall-thingy was like a 4-piece puzzle which I was unable to put together but nephew did it...quickly.

[Darn it! What the hell was that about?! Here I am trying to get some higher learning and I can’t put together a freakin’ 4-piece wall-thingy puzzle!]

Ahem…My cousin brought with him his laptop and we tried to go online and talk with his mom (my tita) in the States. It turns out that he’s got some Death Note anime with him and shared it with me. Great, another temptation to resist—good thing I’ve read the comic already so it’s not that hard.

In the afternoon, a little last minute grocery shopping with mom and later in the evening, bro and I went to cousin doc’s house to deliver gifts. We basically exchanged presents ^^; While we were there, old stories came up about my entire mother-side cousins and their childhood escapades and mishaps, including which adult went crazy because of it. I wasn’t with them at the time because either I was way too young or not born yet. Cheh…youngest ; )

It’s Christmas Day. I can finally eat chocolates ^_^

***
If you’ve watched anything that’s dubbed, mostly likely, you’d know what voice actors are. Since I don’t watch telenovelas and more into anime, they are called ‘seiyuu’ in Japanese. It’s amazing how their voice give rise to different characters, from the sickeningly saccharine sweet tiny voices of anime girls to feminine-sounding voices of samurais (hehehe, that’s Kenshin again for you, Choco), to feminine-sounding voices of female-looking samurais and shinobis…who are actually…men…Ergh, you guys get the point.

Still, nothing beats seeing the voice actors of The Simpsons! There are only 6 of them and they make up almost the entire neighborhood of Springfield! And their talking voice are actually different from their character voices—really different! They were the guests on Inside the Actor’s Studio and the host (dunno his name) even joked that he’s never had 30 simultaneous guests in his show. The fun part there was when the “characters” were interviewed and the voice actors went into action. I got lucky that I channel-surfed at the right station ^_^.

ME + BLOG = Lack of update in the long run

I felt that this update is so obligatory. It’s either nothing noteworthy happens or I’m too lazy (and/or busy) to update. Unfortunately, I don’t have the same enthusiasm as my blog role model Dmitry Tursunov (Visit Tursunov Tales ; ) when it comes to blogging. Enough with the excuses, knock yourselves out with the latest random ramblings below.

>>> I’ve always liked the rain as far as I can remember—even the time of the recent blackout (where I blamed that on individual incompetence rather than the weather). I should be happy that even in December, it’s still raining…right? Well, yeah but when it gets in the way of something that I also like and have not done in a long time, it gets a little complicated. I still like the rain, only this time, I start to compromise when it should rain (yeah, like that’s really possible…)

>>> I want to play tennis at Rizal, dimmit!!! And several forces of nature—scheduled tournaments, unavoidable circumstances and weather disturbances included—have been preventing me from doing so. I have cognitively practiced my swings, rationalized with my superego (and convinced myself in the process) that spending close to 500php for an hour of play will not kill me, and thought of the event as a way to cap off the term! I seriously need to get my tennis fix.

>>> Fortunately, I could always count of Quiaps to accompany me during SPS rooftop practice sessions. She’s reformed now and has ceased flashing her ************ to security, LOL!!! Seriously, it can be a good body-mind exercise when you’re hitting a ball against the wall while figuring out why people behave the way they do.

>>> ACE just ranked Marat Safin’s back to back volley against David Nalbandian (IIRC) as the play of the year. What Marat did was awesome! Quick reflexes and sheer skill and control—scoring a point despite taking a dive and losing his racquet?! Drool…I mean, Damn… ; ) If only he gets his act together, he might beat Federer—again. Hehe.

>>> Speaking of Fed, it’s such a fun match to watch when he’s playing against Rafa. Fed changes—he’s more aggressive, goes to the net more often and he’s pumped when he scores a point after a long rally…some things you don’t see everyday. It’s actually matches like these that make me want to watch Fed play—even if there would be hints that he will win, there’s variety in his play and Rafa makes him work for every point.

>>> YAY!!! Justine’s year end rank is #1!!! It would be nice to see a rematch of Australian Open 06 next year—Justine owes Amelie a good game.

>>> My new friends every school day morning are a pair of earphones, YouTube and Tenipuri. I’m still obsessed with it, especially the chibi episodes. I also came to realize that my life would get to nowhere if I have DSL installed at home and bring my new friends with me. Consequently, I will just end up being entertained with them and…not move.

>>> I recently saw Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) Second OVA, the part where Kenshin died (yes, Choco, you read that right—don’t go in denial now). Much as I like to be objective about the whole thing…I can’t—this doesn’t compare to the first one!!! The whole thing, for me, was just what Kaoru wanted—it was all about her, and Kenshin—being the ever-so-greatful ronin that he was, didn’t really have any objections. The ending was nice, since I had my own, twisted, anti-Kaoru/pro-Tomoe interpretation to it. Bottomline is—Tomoe rocks. If there was no Tomoe, there would be no cross shaped scar, Kenshin would not exist…and maybe Kaoru will not end up as a lame damsel in distress disguised as a feisty master of swordsmanship.

>>> Animax has brought back Ranma ½ (again). I’ve always like the concept of that series, kind of like who-would-have-thought-of-it plot. I find it original…and it brings back memories when T-chan and I did some artwork for a contest and she did most of the chibi Ranma characters. The artwork won, by the way. ; )

>>> The FIFA governing body has trimmed down its nominees for Footballer of the Year Award (or something like that). The candidates are Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Fabio Cannavaro. I want Zizou to win but I don’t think he will; I think Cannavaro will win but I don’t want him to; If Zizou will not win, I’d rather have Ronaldinho win. Twisted logic, huh?

>>> If you’re wondering why there’s hardly anything here about the grounded theorist and what she’s been up to, it’s because such information is classified at this moment. What she’s willing to divulge is that she is alive and starting to kick. Hopefully, we’ll get to hear from her by next year.

>>> *looks out the window* It’s still raining. I hope it stops soon. I’m gonna play tomorrow.

Cogitations of an Idle Mind v.2

• Actually, it’s not very idle right now. My anxiety level is so above my head lately—yesterday and today (…maybe even until the end of the week…ugh…). Fortunately, there are little things that keep me sane, somehow.

• Recently saw the 1st round match of Marcos Baghdatis against Thomas Johannson (I just realized how good his serves are!) in the ATP Masters Series Cincinnati. Baghdatis won (YAY!). It would’ve been nice to see him go against Marat Safin (who’s on a losing streak) in the second round but he lost (the losing streak continues….).

• I also saw two Roger Federer games—one was the Finals match in the Rogers Cup against Richard Gasquet, and the other was the first round of ATP Masters Series Cincinnati against Paradorn Srichaphan. They both fought hard against Federer but….somebody please STOP this guy!!! Rafa!!!

• I’m getting hooked on Tenipuri again. The characters have increased exponentially from the last time I followed the series—too much names…confusing.

• Yes! Star Sports will televise the UEFA Champions League this September. More football!

• My contenders for Rockstar: Supernova…Dilana > Magni > Lukas > Ryan. Hopefully they will be in the finals.

Cogitations of an Idle Mind v.1

• Doing research is more fun when it’s not a requirement. I’ve done about 3 of these already and the experience was worthwhile. Of course, there’s pressure but not as much since I don’t have to think that my graduate degree will depend on it. Unfortunately, that is not the case with my thesis at the moment.

• Unlike most people, rainy days cheer me up. I like to watch the rain fall from the sky. I love the coolness it brings as well. Consequently though, this reinforces laziness and the desire to sleep for that extra ten minutes.

• A couple of weeks ago, I finished watching Full Metal Alchemist. The anime isn’t so bad, as a stand alone, that is—comparing it to the manga is another story. I liked the idea that our world is actually what’s on the other side of the gate. And Maes Hughes is just so funny. Too bad HE…

• And last week, I rewatched FULL METAL PANIC/TSR/FUMOFFU. The story is just brilliant. It’s taking a while for the next installment of the translated novel to be uploaded though.

• What does an archer, a sniper and a three-point shooter (in basketball) have in common? I don’t know what to call IT but if you do, tell me. Whatever IT is, I’m fascinated by it. It has grace with stealth in it. Success rate seems 50-50 and the presence is so covert. No wonder I tend to like people/characters with such roles. What can I say—it’s better than a swordsman, close-range battle or slam dunk!