Randomness

I survived a facial from hell tonight. As you can see, the damage isn't much, but it still hurt =/.  I was supposed to take some hormonal pills but I couldn't get a clearance from the OB-GYN. So, the dermatologist also gave me a natural supplement, but it costs Php1,800 for two months...and I don't know if that's cheap or expensive. =/ It's likely that I'll look for a natural supplement at Healthy Options over the weekend to end my fight against corruption acne once and for all. Until then, I gotta get through this. Le sigh.

This was tonight's dinner. Le sigh again.

I usually don't mind a Cup Noodle-dinner (especially if it's the Japanese kind), but this one wasn't so good. I guess it's because it's the Light variety? I dunno...I prefer the regular one. *shrug* Tinamad lang ako magluto kanina kasi 8:00 na ako dumating sa dorm at gutom na gutom na ako...

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So, I learned that this schoolyear, the school's anime org (for college) was established, and since it's College Week they had an exhibit. I went there. It was not bad for a first - of course it could be a whole lot better (and it pales in comparison to the NKK exhibits). I asked the students manning the exhibit if they have manga, and they showed me what they had. There was One Piece, Tsubasa...and I forget the rest, but they were all mainstream and...*drumroll please* ENGLISH.

And it dawned on me how much the fandom has changed with this generation (and here I start my lament on being old, hahaha!). Gone were the days that you'd have to be very creative to get manga in Manila; gone were the days of second-hand manga stores sa MCS that brought such joy to fangirls'/boys' hearts and souls. Now the titles are available at Powerbooks or Fully Booked. In Eng-freaking-glish. I think the fans who would sacrifice an arm or leg to get a Japanese manga are already a dying breed - moreso fans who are into non-mainstream series and would have to spend more just to sate their fix.

I offered the kids tips (oh gosh I called them kids...I'm old)...like stuff that we did during college days sa NKK. I also told them that had I known that there was going to be an exhibit like this I would have made a little contribution and brought some of my manga (provided, of course, that they worship it take good care of it). But probably, the most important advise I gave them was to not limit themselves to anime; and I seriously hope that they see why.

I sort of feel for them because they don't have a full-time adviser for their org, which makes things really challenging, especially for a newly established one. Sa NKK, we had our own problems, but at least we were not on a struggling probationary status all the time (on certain years we were but by gosh we pulled through and became one of the most active orgs, wazzup!). A part of me really wants to help those kids...just so I have something to work on that's not work per se...

No, I do not make it my business to scare men off

This may look like a rant post, but what this really is is me taking a stand.

One of my most dreaded questions is this: "Bakit wala ka pang boyfriend?" I hate it as much as I hate pimples or skin asthma; maybe even more. I hate it that my being single is like a required topic whenever I'm around. I hate it that I have to muster all available patience and self-control (which is, admittedly, not much) in order not to say something that would embarrass myself, my parents (if they're there), or whoever is there. Most of all, I hate it that almost everyone who asks this question is always hinting that it is me who has a problem, and even if there's someone present who knows me well, they could not even speak up for me.

Okay...maybe the second part about defending me is over the top, but you get the point.

Almost everyone who has asked me the boyfriend question told me that I may be "scaring guys off", or maybe I'm "too intelligent" for them, and even this: "do you prefer women?". If you cannot read it from my facial expression during that time, then read this: I find all of these offensive.

If you are reading this and you've asked me this question, or if you've said similar things to someone else, please explain to me this: why do you assume that if a young woman is single, that the problem lies with her?

Here's why I don't understand the logic of it: I have a lot of guy friends. I do not make it my business to scare men off, but I am also not lapping my tongue for a boyfriend. You may think that I do it old school, na hindi na uso ang Maria Clara ngayon, but you have to respect that I do things this way.

If you were in the Thanksgiving concert, I shamelessly tackled my being single in front of people whom I barely even knew. I am comfortable with my "status", or whatever you want to call it. Of course, I wonder how my life will be like if I had a boyfriend, but since he hasn't come I'll have to keep wondering. But more important than wondering is preparing myself for him, whoever he is. By faith, he will come. Until then, the waiting game has to be played.

But please...never, as in NEVER tell me that it is my problem, because I never saw it as mine.

And at this point, I will refer you to this fantastic article. I agree in the sense that this question is like an alternative to "kumusta ka" or what-have-you, only offensive. Although I do not share the same frankness of Pam Pastor (though her list of possible answers look very interesting), our sentiments are pretty much the same.

I'll try to end this in a positive note. The only people who have asked me this question that I felt good about were people in church. Though some still made snide remarks like the ones listed above, an overwhelming majority encouraged me to press on - that being single is a blessing inasmuch as being in a relationship, and that I'll have to wait and prepare myself until that person comes. This is what I need to hear, and I am fighting back tears as I type this. I don't need people who tell me that something in me is wrong, or my being single is punishment from God. That is a lie.

And if this is you, then I don't want to have anything to do with you at all.

No rest this weekend...

And I'm not looking forward to the work week either. Haaaaaay. :(

But not everything that happened this week is bad:

1. SPECIAL DAY IS A HAPPY DAY.

I was able to collect the crystals for Onion Knight, Tina, Zidane and Bartz yesterday and finish at least half of Warrior of Light's storyline. I'm not much of a gamer, so this for me is a very fine accomplishment. =D

I'm still lamenting over the fact that Duodecim is mostly a repeat of Dissidia made better.

2. Confirmed yesterday for MA at DLSU. I got an ID number, and it's 110 - from ID 10-freaking-2! O__O I also learned that I got exempted from taking the prerequisite courses as well as the Advanced Technical Reading and Writing course, which is great news! Now all that's left for me to know is the result of my scholarship application. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Consider the lilies

I've been wondering a lot lately...wondering about my current depressed state, wondering what I should do right now, wondering what I should do for the next week, or the next month...

Wondering if I'm doing what is right, or if I have been fooling myself all this time...

Wondering if I should be where I am right now, or if I should be somewhere else...

Wondering if I'm wasting my time doing what I'm doing, and if I can be of better use in a place or realm that I have yet to discover...

Wondering if there's a brand new world out there waiting for me...

Wondering why the heck am I thinking that I am the center and reason for existence of this universe, when I know I'm not...

Hay, you get the point. I don't mean to be emo or anything like that. These are my real thoughts, anyway.

I'm still wondering now.

The breeze here now is getting warm. The food selection in the cafeteria is starting to dwindle. And I don't feel any better, yet the world dictates that I suck it all up and tread the course. I'm doing it, but only half-heartedly. But I'm doing it. That should count for something.


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We've got a tree blooming these light pink flowers in the quadrangle. I sneaked out for a while to take pictures, while admiring how pretty the flowers were.

During my shutterbug moment, a small, soft voice in my head said "Look at the flowers. They do not labor, and yet they are beautiful..." And even nothing came after, I instantly knew what this meant.

It's funny (and rather creative, if I may add) that I am reminded of these things in such an unlikely moment. But I felt very thankful that God cares for me immensely more than a beautiful flowering tree.

Gadgets, games and Goku/Gohan/Goten

I'm not feeling too good about myself this week. I feel like I'm walking in the desert and God is hovering a huge magnifying glass on top of me...yeah, that's a fun way to put it. Tapos while that's happening you put Desert Song in the background. Ayoowwwwsssss.

In spite of all the drama, I will focus on the good things. There's a lot to be thankful and to be happy for, despite this awfully depressing week.




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One thing that made me happy this week is the acquisition of a spanking new gadget. Lady Murasaki had to be retired after two years of service, and I think somebody out there deserves her now (yes, I'm selling her, but I'll tackle that on a future post).

So, people of the universe reading this blog, meet Dylan, my new Samsung Wave II.

Okay, I name all my gadgets, and when I give a name there's a meaning/reason to it. For example, my Nikon D5000 is Oberon because I thought a big, bulky camera that captures stunning photos should be named after something whimsical yet masculine, and the King of Fairies in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream fit the mold perfectly. My Sony Cybershot DSC-W35 is Cecile, after (yes you guessed it) Cecil Harvey - primarily because it's silver and lightweight. My hard drive is named Theodor (yes, after Theodor Harvey! I've got bromance brewing!) because it's silver and bulky, plus I usually transfer stuff from Cecile into Theodor (thus strengthening the bromance!), before Oberon's time.

Anyway, I digress - after much internal debate and selection of names, I decided on naming the phone Dylan. If you know your Welsh mythology, Dylan is a god associated with the sea (I think his name in Welsh means great tide or something); he was also called the son of the wave. Deliberate naming is deliberate. =D

And as if that's not enough, his first wallpaper is Squall Leonhart. See the connection? Gosh, I'm a geek this way. *facepalm*

The Samsung Wave II was released just last month. When I first saw this in the store I immediately included it in my wish list (along the tier of "good to have but not enough cash", haha!). But lo and behold, I chanced upon a store that had this on sale - with warranty! I still didn't have enough money to pay it in full (hence I had to resort to a little mendicancy), but I was able to pay for way more than half of the selling price.

Needless to say, I'm happy with the purchase. =D All I have to do is to get a decent lawit for it (probably blue), get a screen guard and a jelly case if it finally comes out (it's that new that the stores don't have both yet).

Best feature of this phone so far is THE SCREEN. IT IS SAMSUNGAWESOME.*drool*




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I've been playing Duodecim for two weeks now, and I have a few things to say:

1. Favorite new character - KAIN HIGHWIND. Especially if he's in EX Mode. OH YES. When he's in EX Mode I just stare at him and wonder why couldn't he stay in EX Mode forever...
2. Why did Square Enix decide to repeat the ENTIRE Destiny Odyssey for all 10 original characters?! Yes I know there's Assist now as well as new summons, plus a spanking new world map, but WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THE WHOLE THING AGAIN? I finished Dissidia at least three times (I didn't find any good games to play in the PSP, okay?!), so having to do it again in Duodecim is a piece of cake anticlimactic. I want new storylines and new character action, but I know that won't come until I finished all 10 characters...AGAIN.
3. Favorite shadow mode thus far is Tidus (you know the reason why), next is Golbeza (you know the reason why too). I'm very happy with the Cecil and Squall shadow forms too. Frioniel's shadow form freaked me out in a funny way. Garland in shadow form looks like Greed in Hagaren. That freaked me out in a not-so-funny way. Cloud's shoes in shadow form are funny. 
4. Most disturbing thing I've noticed in this game: Tifa's boobs still bounce even when she isn't moving. Case in point - her victory pose. I'm a girl, okay...so don't give me grief about staring at pixellized boobs waiting for something to happen. And anyway, even before Duodecim, her jellies already had a mind of their own. Wahahahahahaha!

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The most epic thing happened today. I got the entire Dragonball franchise in Theodor. If this doesn't make sense let me make it clear to you:

Dragonball. Dragonball Z. Dragonball (NOT CANON!) GT. Movies. Specials. 

AYYY HASSS THEMMM!!!

I seriously don't know what to watch first. I think I'll watch the Dragonball Z movies first just to warm up, then start from the very beginning and work my way to the very end. This will take months, I imagine...but I'm not complaining! Mwahahahahahahahaha!

And the saga continues...

Another facial from hell happened yesterday.

The derma (and I) both think all this drama is hormonal, since the pimples come before and/or during and/or after the monthly visitor comes. Next month I'll have to take some medication that will address this. Le sigh.

I have a really big wound on my right cheek right now (if you look closely sa picture you'll see part of it). It's annoying me, but I will have to toughen it up until it disappears and I finally get the hormonal medicine, which will hopefully signal the end of all this.

All this pimple drama came too late. Why didn't it come when I was a teenager so I wouldn't have to pay for all the treatments and the medicine?

Hay.

Well, this was expected

“Hang in there~!!"

 To all the victims,

This is truly awful, but please don’t give up,
and hang in there no matter what!

- Toriyama Akira

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So obviously, that thing for Saturday isn't going to happen.

[SPANKING NEW] TOUR GUIDE EXTRAORDINAIRE
Undecided JAPANESE song

THANKSGIVING MASS (aka the last mass of the academic year), March 23
Saving Grace

EASTER CANTATA
I Knew He Was Love
+ almost all songs, in backup

...which is well and good; that means I get to have a decent weekend.

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This isn't really surprising; I get texts like these once in a while. What pisses me off though is how people post it on FB like it's legit and set in stone, without an inkling of a doubt.

Some people had the decency to tweet "Is this true? Radiation blah blah yadda yadda Philippines etc etc?", which allows you to process the information at hand and confirm if it's true.

But going back to what I was saying...how hard is it to confirm information like this in the Internet? If you can tweet your status through text, how hard is it to turn your TV on to look at CNN or BBC if it's true? And if you've really been watching the news, you know that due to wind direction, radiation from those nuclear power plants is moving eastward.

It took all self-control for me not to comment "please go and be ignorant someplace else" on said person's status message.

Haaaaaaaay.

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Need to cut down on my eating. We had Saisaki during Sunday and Tian-Tian yesterday. No more, no more.

地震 [Jishin]

Oh Japan.

I was not born in this country, and yet it has given me so much.

When I was a kid and felt like I had no friend in the world, watching anime kept me going. It was because for a while I could escape in my own imaginings and feel - and believe with every fibre of my being - that my sadness was but a passing feeling.

I learned a lot of things while watching your anime. Dragonball taught me that no matter how strong the forces of evil are, good will always prevail in the end. Rurouni Kenshin taught me that atonement for the most unforgivable sins is possible. Yakitate! Japan showed another side (albeit extreme) of baking bread, and in the process taught me that if you love what you're doing, you never have to work for the rest of your life.

When I was told that I couldn't carry a note well, I listened and sang (secretly) to J-pop songs. At least, when I sang in Nihongo, no one around me will understand what I was singing and if ever my singing was that bad, they'll leave me alone. And when I did decide to show my skill (or lack thereof) in public due to desperate need of funds, I sang a Japanese song. I got not only the money, but my confidence back. That will never be forgotten.

I would have went on and finished Japanese Studies if weren't for my fear of job security after I graduated; but even if I didn't go the distance, my admiration for you never went away.


You have your considerable share of eureka and whack moments, which is fine. At the end of the day, you remain The Land of the Rising Sun. But now, the sun has yet to rise on your land.

Oh Japan. I send you all my love, gratitude and prayers.

[Note:  地震 (jishin) = earthquake]

(BTW, how can we help Japan from here? I'm serious about this and it's been bugging me that I can't find a reliable facility that accepts donations from the Philippines. I don't have a credit card...)

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

OMG RAKET UPDATE.

ASH WEDNESDAY, March 9
At The Cross

[SPANKING NEW] TOUR GUIDE EXTRAORDINAIRE
Undecided JAPANESE song

THANKSGIVING MASS (aka the last mass of the academic year), March 23
Saving Grace

EASTER CANTATA
I Knew He Was Love
+ almost all songs, in backup

The Ash Wednesday song went well, thank/praise God that people thought so/were blessed/became emotional, etc. No one reacted negatively to the song choice - it was very well received, if I may say so myself. When I saw the video I kinda-sorta thought differently about it. XD It's true what Genji says, Once you begin studying an art, no matter which one, there turns out to be no limit to what there is to learn, and you hardly ever master it well enough really to please yourself.

I was thinking of changing the song for the last mass this schoolyear since I couldn't find any sheet music for that song. But as sifted through other possible song choices, I still felt strongly about Saving Grace. If worse comes to worst I'll settle for chords na lang.

Since I'm in the bundoks till Saturday, I will not be able to attend tomorrow night's practice for Easter. Ye gads. I think I'll be playing Mary Magdalene again. Apparently, I play the part of a reformed prostitute well. *facepalmheaddesk*

But enough of these things. I have to talk about that interesting new item that's happening next Saturday.





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えええええ~~~!!!

I was told about this yesterday afternoon but I wasn't taking it seriously. Fast forward to this afternoon when this letter from which above photo came from arrived, I realized (and accepted) it was serious business. So here I am, trying to figure out what's the best J-pop song I could sing good enough within a week's time. *le sigh*

Facts: there's this delegation of Japanese high school students coming next week, and they will be here for a few days. The culminating activity will be next Saturday, which will consist of a tour of DLSU, then Intramuros, then Ayala Museum, and finally a despedida here (which is where I'll be singing in Japa-freaking-nese). Come to think of it, this reminds me of my NKK days back in college.......

The last time I sang a Japanese song for a crowd of Japanese people was in 2005. It was in Minna Utao for Japan Week. We always had Japanese judges from the IS Department for the singing contest. A year prior to 2005, I won first place in that contest (I sang Distance by Utada Hikaru), and I wasn't supposed to join that year because I wasn't in desperate need of the prize money like the last time (hahaha!), but I was asked to join because, well, I won last year. *shrug*  Long story short, I won that year again - which was (I won't deny it) great, cause that meant more money for me! I sang Hikari, by Utada Hikaru again.

Six years later, I find myself in a similar situation - a fangirl who isn't even close to 4-kyuu in JLPT singing Japanese songs for Japanese people. I am against singing an Utada song...feeling ko kasi "Utada nanaman?!" and I'm not sure if high school kids will be all OMG for an Utada song (plus her new releases don't have karaoke versions). My safest bet is to go for anime OP/ED song.

I have narrowed it down to the following (Sa mga taong nag-SOS ako, salamat po sa inyong mga suggestions!):

Miho Fukuhara - LET IT OUT
Shimokawa Mikuni - Sore Ga, Ai Deshou
Ikimonogakari - Bluebird

I'm kind of partial to LET IT OUT since it came from FMA Brotherhood, which ended fairly recently. The single came out in 2009 though...but it peaked at #10 at Oricon in 2009 (plus if they're high school kids and given the hit Hagaren was they'll surely remember it). However, it's a hard song to sing in the sense na hindi ata bagay boses ko doon...I will have to wrestle with the song and make it my own.

Sore Ga, Ai Deshou on the other hand was released in 2003, which is kind of too long ago already. But vocally, I'm more comfortable singing this song than the former. So...yeah...I'm torn. XD

I'm also considering Bluebird by Ikimonogakari. This song peaked at #3 at Oricon in 2008, but I'm not sure if I can learn the song well enough in time for Saturday, which is why it's at the bottom...plus I'm kind of annoyed with the number of times "aoi aoi ano sora" was repeated in this song. Also, I find LET IT OUT more superior lyrically. But that's just me. XD

I'm thinking I make either LET IT OUT or Sore Ga, Ai Deshou the primary song I'll sing for the despedida, and reserve one in case the worst happens and I'm asked to do another one (which I hope will NOT happen).

The parental units have suggested that I do Tegami by Angela Aki, which I have sung twice already during my soirees. However, singing it without piano is impossible.

Haaaaaay...this would have been more fun if I were a student pa and doing it just for the love of singing J-pop. This, however, is serious business. Haaaaaaaaay. But at least I'll get to see the Ayala Museum and Intramuros. Now I'm wondering if I should bring Oberon along...but maybe not, cause I don't even know how the heck I'll get my butt back to Manila should the party finish at 9PM...

Musings of the Manila-girl-stuck-in-the-bundoks kind

I tweeted and tumbled about this already, but it's good to be consistent all throughout.

That's the birthplace of Jose Rizal. It has GREEN walls. (If you go to Tumblr you can biggify above image.)

I have lived in Metro Manila for most of my life, but I have been in the province many times to know what an old Pinoy house looks like. I've seen my share of those in Malolos - before it became a city, it had kalesas and old houses nearly everywhere - there was even one beside the bungalow of my lolo and lola's house way back then.

I know that the exterior walls of these houses are usually NOT painted green.

Prior to my visit yesterday, I have been to the birthplace of the National Hero when I was in grade school. It was too long ago that I don't remember much of the details, but I do recall that the walls were not green - they were white, off-white, or beige. Hindi luntian. (OHA! ALAM KO ANG TAGALOG NG GREEN! WAZZUP KETCHUP!)

Probably they painted it green so it could match the blue and yellow banners that have been put up on the fence around the perimeter of the house (cause blue + yellow = green). Even so, it still looks weird.


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If I had to give one reason for loving the five days I spend out here in the bundoks, it would be this:

I get to see the sky more often.

Of course, I still see the sky when I'm in Manila, but not without a building or two (or fifteen) obstructing your view. Here in the bundoks (and if I may borrow a quote from Rurouni Kenshin Ishinshishi e no Requiem) the bluest sky is infinitely high and crystal clear. (gosh I love that line...)

The sky here is wonderful. Many times I'd be awestruck with the cloud formations, and at one occasion I was dumbfounded when I saw the sky transitioning from cyan to blue. It's AWESOME, and it's the kind of sky that's exclusive to land that's unadulterated and pre-building-infested.

Like here.

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I post things like these about loving the province, but by Thursday I know I'll be missing the buildings, the humidity of the city, the pollution - do not forget the pollution! - and the traffic!

Manila, I keep coming back to Manila...

One foot on the door

MANNNDEYYYY. *hoarse wala-sa-mood voice* Haiiizzzz. I am drowning in paperwork.

I'll try and keep this simple.


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As it says in the post below, I got accepted in DLSU's MA program. I was told by this person here na lahat naman daw pinapasa. /LOLWHUTAMF Parang binuhusan lang ng malamig na tubig ang aking tagumpay, hahahahaha! Nevertheless, I'm happy that I passed this time around and didn't have to fall in line to get reconsidered like last time. And yes, I'm happy that it's with the Alma Mater. =D

That's one foot on the door already, but what I'm really waiting for is the result of my application for scholarship/financial assistance. It's kind of like my way of deciding if I'll pursue it this year or not. I'm hoping for the best, of course. =P


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Guess what I got over the weekend?

WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!

The one leftmost is a 5-CD pack, but I was only able to get the first CD, which is all right cause I got what I wanted with the other CDs anyways. Plus the first CD contained most of the Dragonball songs, including Maka Fushigi Adventure (which is my fave!) so I was contented with getting that. Actually, I think that song has a higher play count that CHA-LA-HEAD-CHA-LA...hmmmmm...

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Will be coming home on a Saturday. Haaaaaaiiizzzzz.

Obligatory announcement post

I have been accepted into the Master in Marketing Communications program of DLSU. (Click image to biggify)

If it's not obvious enough, my reactions were varied. XDDD

Thank you God.

Darth Vader in bandages and other musings

I'm incognito no longer. XD

Hellolehs, people who are reading this blog. Yes, I am alive.







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As an afterthought, if you will, of our karaoke gimik last Saturday, we were thinking about the state of the anime series that are being shown today and how they pale in comparison - plot and character-wise - with the anime that we grew up with. I agreed of course, but I was also quick to say that maybe that assumption comes with age (OUCH! HAHAHAHA!).

Still, if you really think about it (and I'm talking to my age group here, who grew up watching Dragonball Z, Sailormoon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Gundam Wing, Rurouni Kenshin, etc etc) the anime series that are dominant at this point in time are kind of, well...hmmm...let's just say that they're not groundbreaking, if you will. Most of the anime right now don't have a mind-shaking impact on its viewers, in my opinion. Mostly, all you remember are the bajillion jutsus that are accessible in Naruto. But I digress; the best way to illustrate this is through an example.

Best case in point for this argument: Rurouni Kenshin. If there was any anime that had a tremendous impact on my philosophy in life, it has got to be this series. Yes, the art is beautiful, the setting is wonderful (who wouldn't love watching flashbacks of the Bakumatsu era and the first few years after the Meiji restoration? COME ON!), the story is, well, what more can I say? But what made this series memorable (for me, at least) was the Shishio arc.

For the first time ever, I saw a bad guy - who kind of resembled Darth Vader with bandages - who could be a good guy! Shishio is a victim of the system, and as a victim who thinks he didn't deserve to be burned to (his supposed) death, he wants revenge. After all, he was in his own right, an honorable swordsman who succeeded Battousai as the hitokiri for the Ishinshishi.

Yes, his methods are extreme, but you can never dismiss his philosophy behind his actions: Darwin's famous idea, the survival of the fittest (the strong shall live and the weak shall die, Shishio always says). You can never dismiss his leadership potential, his charisma over his goons (the Juppon Gatana), and you can never, EVER deny that he has a point - that the Meiji government has done little to change the ailing society of Japan - allowing the country to be subject to foreigners, letting the gap between the poor and the abusing rich widen even more, and in a particular move that Kenshin even is subject to, the prohibition  of carrying swords in public, hence making the samurai nearly extant.

We all know what happens - Shishio burns to death. But dare I say it? Even his death was beautiful. It kind of came full circle when it happened - that the fires that first consumed him have exploded once again (as if in vengeance) - this time from within himself, his own body fat fueling the fire that made him end up in ashes. It was so extreme, and it had so much meaning that his death will be forever embedded in my mind.

Probably the closest (but still not close enough) I have seen this kind of villain in the anime series these past years is in Naruto, specifically with Nagato/Pain. But it's still...well...it wasn't as epic as the Shishio arc (for me). Though Nagato had similar intentions and extreme methods (being a victim, wanting to start a war that would end all wars or something?), the passion of his cause didn't really resonate to me as a viewer. Not as much as Shishio's, that is.

You can argue, of course, that there's nothing new under the sun (Naruto, after all, was inspired by Dragonball!), but hey, you can always make better what isn't new, right?







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I've been reading The Mists of Avalon for more than a month now. I owe my baptism of fire with the Arthurian legend to JM, with whom I watched the TNT rendition of this novel when we were fresh out of high school.

If you haven't watched it, GO FIND A COPY (I can lend mine but you'd have to promise to take care of it with your life). IT'S AWESOME. (Plus Hans Matheson is there, you gotta love Hans Matheson!)

If the movie was awesome, the book is a bajillion times more awesome - and this is why I sometimes prefer watching a movie first before reading the book, cause when it's the other way around I'm usually fretting about details in the book that I feel are important that get omitted in the movie version. Now that I'm reading the book, I'm getting the real deal.

Spoilers follow below.