Paranoid Android

Sometimes I feel like I have an evil twin sister that takes my place once in a while and makes life hell for everyone else. She dislikes talking to anyone and prefers being alone; she snaps at the littlest slights, has little patience for work, is indifferent to every thing else, and can’t even find refuge and consolation from the things I cherish.

I want to banish my evil twin sister to the coldest and farthest region of this world. Yet sometimes, I just want to hug her and tell her things will all work out in the end.

"I Remember Everything."

Hubba hubba rawr.

I love that this is the first thing I saw tonight when I checked in at ohnotheydidnt! Why so hot, Joshua?

(pic courtesy of popsugar.com)

Nothing But the Truth Daw

Break from all things shallow -

I don't know what to think about "Nicole's" latest retraction. On one hand, if her statements now are true, then she was instrumental in sending an innocent man to prison and that's NEVER okay.

On the other hand, this statement:


"I can’t help but entertain doubts on whether the sequence of events in Subic last November of 2005 really occurred the way the court found them to have happened."


baffled me. How can one NOT KNOW or be unsure whether she was raped or not?

I still can't determine what part of the sworn statement bothers me. Her statements were posed as questions and that seemed odd to me.


"...if Daniel Smith wanted to rape me, why would he carry me out of the Neptune Club using the main entrance in full view of the security guard and the other sources?

"Why would the van park right in front of Neptune Club?

"If they believed that I was raped, would they have not dumped me instead in a dimly lit area along the highway going to Alaba Pier to avoid detection?

"I told the court that Daniel Smith kissed my lips and neck and held my breast inside the van. Recalling my testimony, I ask myself now how could I have remembered this if witnesses told the court that I passed out and looked unconscious when I was brought to the van by Daniel Smith. How could I have resisted his advances given this condition?

"I was so confused and the first thing that entered my mind was how would my mother and boyfriend react if they learn that I was last seen with Daniel Smith and that a condom was seen on my pants after Daniel Smith left the van?"


Were the questions rhetorical? Was she asking for some form of concurrence or assurance that she was right? Reading the statement, I can't help but think about the whole OJ Simpson "If I Did It..." controversy and that's not the kind of association you would want.

***

In other news, I FAIL. I confused Natasha Richardson for Miranda Richardson and thought the former was the one who played Rita Skeeter in the HP movies! Anyway, the news about Natasha's skiing accident was just sad. I hope for the best.

House of Ill-Advised Procrastination

It seemed I dropped off from the face of blogging universe! It's not entirely procrastination (I think!) but a lot of things took up my spare time these last few days, and I found myself lacking the energy to write about what’s keeping me busy and/or entertained. So I’m updating in bullet points!

• Nintendo DS lite
  I rarely talk about my gaming endeavors, because I already admitted to myself that I pretty much suck at video games. That didn’t stop me from trying, though; if anything, my doggedness at pursuing something I’m not really good at is my saving grace. :D
  
  SO. Ninjatown and Big Bang Mini are costing me hours of sleep. I officially gave up on Prince of Persia; the game movement is erratic and unreliable to me. Wish I could say the same for Sudoku. Why am I still staying up late for Sudoku? Just how many Sudoku games can I play in this lifetime before I say enough is enough?!



• Jdramas
  Obviously. I am watching THREE on-going jdramas this season, and catching up with another one. I gave up a long time ago on the Korean Hana Yori Dango. It started well, but went downhill for me. The story is nothing like Hana Yori Dango or Meteor Garden. Heck, I’d take Meteor Garden 2 over the second half of the kdrama (and I disliked MG2!). In addition to the three, oops, four current jdramas, I also finished watching one old jdrama. The current jdrama season is about to end, but there’s no rest for this adik. Next season is going to be awesome! Jun! Toma! Sho! Me flailing each week and the hard drive about to crash and burn!



• American TV shows/series
  I finally caught up with Burn Notice’s latest season! Still behind Fringe damn it. I’m waiting for Criminal Minds’ season 4 to end so I can watch everything in one go. Gave up on Prison Break, but would like to reconnect with Heroes and House. American Idol is still not interesting enough for me. I’m kind of tempted to check out Dancing With the Stars because Steve-O is one of the contestants. (Yep, he’s the guy from Jackass and Wildboyz, and he’s paired up with Lacey Schwimmer!) I also want to watch Kings, Leverage and The Mentalist... Let's see about that!



• I… haven’t read any new books since January. *cries* I’ve been re-reading Foxtrot comics and the Artemis Fowl series.



• Still busy complaining about the weather! I just want to go to Baguio!

Superproxy, why don't ya just talk to me?

Francis Magalona, the Master Rapper, passed away this morning after almost eight month of battle with leukemia.

The news of his death, much like the news when he was diagnosed with leukemia, is like something out of this world. Somehow, I thought guys like him can go on forever. He was so youthful-looking, so passionate about his music, so alive, it was hard to imagine him touched by any sickness. And then, I thought, if there's someone who can fight, and fight well, and win this, it must be FrancisM.

Here's a toast and a prayer to one of my music idols. Your music will continue to live on. May God rest your soul.



Kabataan para sa kinabukasan
Oras ay ginto, gamitin ng mahusay
Dahil and oras ay walang hinihintay
- Kabataan Para Sa Kinabukasan

Fivesome, Again

Five things, this time from Mak:

1. Eraserheads

Right now is not a good time to be an Eheads fan. They'll be having their Final Set this Saturday and I'm not going. Boo hoo.

Eraserheads' music was part of some of the bestest years of my life. I can write the soundtrack of my life using Eheads' songs. I looked at their discography for inspiration when I started blogging - from Tindahan ni Aling Dyela to Buttercup and Butterscotch to mylemonlime.

So, no, I'm not a big Eheads fan. *is bitter*

2. The name JR. Don't ask me why.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

Fine, I'll ride along. JR is the name of one of my former crushes. You could say that he was my almost-bf, but nothing came out of it because I was only 14 years old when I met him and he was so torpe. He moved away when I was 16, never communicated until I was 18 and (supposedly) allowed to have a bf. Problem was, I already have a bf then (if only I could turn back time, hahaha...). He literally hanged up on me when I told him my news and I felt slightly guilty over it. A few months after that he called again and asked me to speak with someone who he said was his gf. I was genuinely happy for him (not to mention, relieved) but it was NOT the reaction he was looking for. So on that same phone conversation, he admitted that he's a big fat liar and that girl was not really his gf and he was just trying to get a reaction from me. Jerk.

We met again after a few years and had one of our best conversations and time together. We met again during that time when my relationship was on the verge of hitting rock-bottom. We met again and I was happy and for a moment was willing to give up what I already have (and maybe I should have, and all those stupid dramas might have been prevented. Ah, the could-have-beens). I rejected him for the second time and it's harder than the last time.

And then, he learned that I was single again and we communicated again. And then he was gone again. Sigh.

So, Mak, what part of this answer you don't like? *sticks tongue*

3. Starbucks Greenbelt 1

Place to unwind after office hours and place to meet up with friends. The place underwent a renovation last year, which was a good move since it's always full, although the additional tables and chairs in the open area make it look too cluttered.

Also, a place where most pretentious social climbers hang out to be seen. Which means "mock them" time for me.

4. MCS

The quick fix. I go there with friends to search for "want-now" dibidis, although more often than not, I fail to find what I was looking for. So I end up buying dibidis not on my list. I still prefer Quiapo.

5. Korean guys

Wait, what? Do you mean Japanese guys? Well, if you must ask, I like the lead actor in the kdrama My Girl, but other than him and Rain sometimes, I don't lust crush on Korean guys.

NOW JAPANESE GUYS are a different story. If I create a guide meter on my celebrity crushes, Japanese guys will be on one extreme of the spectrum. To use that analogy, the other end of the spectrum will be populated by guys like:

whose every ripple of muscle screams sexMAN.

Now, the extreme end of the spectrum where my Japanese guys fall will have someone like:

my Arashi boytoy, Sakurai Sho, who looks prettier as a man dressing up as woman than I am, even on my best day.

That's not to say he can't bring the sexy:

(still a long way to go compared to Hugh Jackman's Biceps Of Swoon-inducing Masculinity)

(a-also, I have a picture of Arashi's latest calendar where he is posing like a stripper, but I might be disowned by my friends if I post it here)

A Long Way Down To Nothing At All

Good grief, what is wrong with young ones today?

Last week, someone committed suicide in our neighborhood. And then I received news that another one also took her life yesterday! Last year, there were other incidents of suicide, too, fortunately (or unfortunately?) most were unsuccessful. But you have to wonder what these teenagers were thinking to make them decide that taking their lives was the best and only solution to their problems.

It's just depressing. Whoever said that youth is wasted on the young, well, I guess suicide isn't what they have in mind, but it kind of fits, don't you think? So much lives wasted.




And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass

It's just a moment
This time will pass

- Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of (U2)

Desert Island Time!

Over at Livejournal, there's this feature called Writer's Block, which features one topic prompt daily, something like a one-shot meme. I like the question for yesterday and today so I'm posting it here!

Writer's Block - March 3
You're packing your bag for that magical desert island that happens to have electricity, a TV and a DVD player - what five DVDs do you take with you?


1. Lord Of The Rings trilogy (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King)
- I'm kind of cheating here because this one is worth 3 movies! I'll never tire of marathon-watching the three films, it feels so satisfying when I finish re-watching all in one day. Plus, dirty, dirty Aragorn is so appealing! (Viggo Mortensen looks hotter the dirtier he gets in his films. Wait, that sounds wrong.)

2. The Ring (Japanese version)
- When you're stuck in an island, you need to practice CONSTANT VIGILANCE! There's no better way to keep me on my wits (and keep me up all night) than the image of Sadako climbing out of that well and out of the TV screen! But if there's a well on that island, I might re-think bringing this DVD along.

(Digression: my family prefers watching TV thisclose to the screen. When I made them marathon-watch the three Ring films, all of them stayed as far away from the TV screen as possible. I might have laughed at that, if not for the fact that I was on the farthest corner of the room myself and totally freaked out when my cousin gently poked me.)

3. Air Force One
- This is such a cheesy action film, but Harrison Ford was full of charisma and very believable as the President of the United States. Plus, Gary Oldman. Fake accent. YUM. This was shown around the time Erap was still the country's President and we laughed ourselves silly imagining if Erap was in Harrison Ford's position ("Kaya ba ni Erap yan?").

4. The Wedding Singer
- I just want to grow old with Robbie Hart, knowing that he can always entertain me and sweep me off my feet with his funny yet endearing songs. His concept of money will never be not funny! ("I'm a big fan of money. I like it, I use it, I have a little. I keep it in a jar on top of my refrigerator. I'd like to put more in that jar. That's where you come in.")

5. Ice Age
- I can appreciate the irony here: I'm alone in an island watching a film about how no man (or extinct animal, for that matter) is an island. :D

Runners-up: The Usual Suspects, High Fidelity, A Knight's Tale, The Dark Knight, Memento



Writer's Block - March 4
You're packing your bag for that other desert island - the one with no electricity - what 5 books do you take with you?


1. Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling)
- Ha! I cheated again! This one is worth 7 books, and I could spend my entire desert island life re-reading all 7 books and not get bored by it.

2. Battle Royale (Koushun Takami)
- As much as it sucks to be stranded in an island with no electricity, at least I'm not stranded in an island and engaged in a literal battle for survival against my classmates!

3. A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby)
- A novel about 4 suicidal people should not be funny, but this book just cracks me up each time I read it! It's amazing how the author managed to make 4 losers such compelling and likable characters, flaws and all.

4. I Hate Myself And I Want To Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You've Ever Heard (Tom Reynolds)
- I tend to like reading depressing stuffs, don't you think? Well, this book is not really that depressing. It's actually funny. What's kind of depressing to realize, though, is that the some of the songs listed are songs that I enjoy listening to.

5. Foxtrot comics (Bill Amend)
- Yey! Something not depressing! I know I can always count on my favorite fictional family and their misadventures to cheer me up and keep me company.

Runners-up: To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Haunted (Chuck Palahniuk), Artemis Fowl series (Eoin Colfer), Protect And Defend (Richard North Patterson), It (Stephen King)

Commuter Rage

I don't think I'll ever be lacking in stories (especially the stories from commuter hell) to tell when it comes to public transport and commuting.

On the fx ride on the way home, I gave 50 pesos for the fare (the fare is 35 pesos). The driver was kind of rude and was telling off a couple for giving 500 pesos; he said he didn't have barya. I let him bitch for a few minutes before I asked, politely, for my change. (I was a bit moody already because the guy seating next me is an annoying asshat who needs to be thrown out of the window and into speeding motorists because he has a bad smell and snores and sits with his legs wide open and occupies too much space)

The driver then turned to me and said rudely, "O, eto singkwenta mo, bigyan mo ako ng thirty-five", and was about to launch into another tirade about how he doesn't have any change (seriously? it's a public transport. drivers should have at least some loose change for 50 freakin' pesos) when I cut him with, "magbibigay ba ako ng fifty kung may thirty five ako?".

I said it matter-of-fact-ly - not irritably, not antagonistically. But the reaction was swift - the driver shut up AND one of the passengers immediately reply, "eto, miss, baryahan ko yung fifty".

I didn't mean to be mataray, but on second thought, the driver probably deserves it.

How about you? What's your best (worst?) commuter story?

Fivesome

Honestly? I had a hard time elaborating on these because I’m pretty sure I’ve talked to death about these things a lot of times already and I don’t know how to make this post a little bit more interesting without me just repeating myself. Either Jen knows me too well or I’m way too predictable! Either way, let’s give this a shot!

(Comment to this post to get your own 5 things from me!)

5 Things From Jen:

1) Post-it
I started collecting post-its when I was reviewing for the board. The review school was near the Corona store in Recto and they have local post-its and flags that were cheaper than the trademarked Post-It by 3M. I used the post-its and flags to organize my review materials and notes, and I want to believe that those helped me pass the board! I haven’t bought any kind of post-it or notepad in more than a year (Woo hoo! Be amazed at my self-restraint!), although I can’t help but make sad little noises whenever I see new post-its at National Bookstore.

2) Apple
I don’t hate apples, I just don’t… like it!

3) Dangling Earrings
My preference in earrings used to be simple and uncomplicated. I wear small silver hoop earrings pretty much all the time before. Along the way, I discovered that dangling earrings are the easiest way to look lady-like! I prefer cheap earrings with playful designs, different enough but not too loud or clunky to draw too much attention.

4) Harry Potter
Do I even need to elaborate on this? :D I LOVE Harry Potter ridiculous amounts! I lost track of the number of times I’ve reread ALL 7 books (Book 3 being my favorite, is the most tattered and battered). Aside from the 7, I also have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through The Ages, and Tales of Beedle the Bard. I plan to collect the UK adult edition books. I have DVDs (original) of movies 3 to 5. I joined an HP-related contest!

But by fandom standards, I’m just an average fan – I haven’t created an HP fansite, I haven’t written an HP fanfic, I never supported a ship and have not engaged in shipping wars with wankers fans. And yet, I spent way too much time creating my own theories about the series, overanalyzing characters and scenes, memorizing lines and spells, and inserting HP references in normal conversations.

5) JDrama
My current crack of choice! There are days when I can sensibly explain why I like jdramas and prefer it over pinoy telenovelas: jdramas are shorter (usually 9 to 11 one-hour episodes) and have fixed storylines that even if the drama became popular or highly-rated, the series will not be extended or the plot suddenly veer away from its original intentions just to satisfy fans’ clamor.

Also, I’m yet to see a jdrama that features clichés I hate, to wit:
- baby-switching
- “we are siblings we can’t be together” angst angst angst “oops, no son, I was an adulterer, he’s not your dad so she's not really your sister”
- I will SUBTLY oppress you by slapping you and pulling at your hair every scene we’re together, dialogue-ing “wala kang utang na loob!” when you so much as fight back a little, throw food at you, finally throw you and your clothes out of the house (which I should have done A LONG TIME AGO if I really hate you that much)
- you can tell I’m poor because I lack table manners
- you can tell I’m the kontrabida because I dress better than the bida (even if she suddenly becomes rich, her fashion sense is still godawful) and I CACKLE when I’m evil-ing

That’s not to say that jdrama don’t have their own clichés; it’s just that so far, I can take those clichés better.
- rain scenes of doom (leads break up in the rain, male lead angst beautifully in the rain, etc etc)
- squee-inducing embrace from the back (bonus if done in the rain a la Hana Yori Dango)
- batshit crazy antagonists (so you don’t feel bad for laughing at them because you’re not supposed to take them seriously)
- gratuitous parade of androgynously pretty guys, with bonus gratuitous nudity (how can anyone NOT like that???)

Obviously, today I’m coherent about my affair with jdramas. Often, I’m too caught up with either its soul-crushing angst or massive suspension of disbelief or pure crack-iness to explain properly why jdramas tick. Jdramas taught me that “WTF?” and “W-wait. What?” are completely acceptable reactions that convey the awesomeness of the drama.

(for someone having a hard time elaborating, I sure have some long answers!)

Who Watches The Watchmen?

What the F**k, MTRCB?!!



Watchmen Cancelled in IMAX

Watchmen Rated R-13 WITH CUTS

Why the cuts??? Just release the film with a different rating rather than mutilate it, damn it!