I have been writing a SaiMono fanfic since February (or was it January?) that's about famine and death, and until now it's not finished. It's getting there though - I've got a beginning, a middle and a near-end. I'm struggling with how to end it, though.
And May is coming up already! FIVE MONTHS IN THE MAKING! EPIC FAIL ORZ.
Thursday 28 April 2011
Tuesday 26 April 2011
Realidad
I am back in the bundoks, and the welcome I got shocked me to my core.
My keyboard was ant-infested. YUCK.
It's amazing what a week of not touching my office PC could do. Yes I eat while working, but I don't eat that much that it deserves an infestation of epic proportions. I ate more when I was at MP and though my keyboard had morsels of crackers and whatnot, it never became ant-infested like this.
It's all good now - the ants have been vacuumed out of the keyboard, and it's back again underneath my fingers like it never happened.
And it will NEVER happen again.
--- --- ---
I asked a colleague what he/she did during Holy Week (and it was more of a question for the sake of asking a question, just to avoid dead air), to which this person replied (with much gusto) that s/he went to Quiapo and joined the procession (so much so that his/her arms had tan marks), fasted, prayed, etc, etc. Then, said person asked me what I did during Holy Week.
I didn't know how to answer him/her. During that small window the events of last week flashed in my mind: Tuesday I was in church practicing for the Easter musical; Wednesday was also devoted to practices; the memories of my Thursday are all hazy; Friday was Clark day; Saturday we celebrated Nanay's birthday; Sunday was a whole-day-church-day. Oh, and I remember watching Tennis no Oujisama and fangirled when Tezuka and Fuji's matches were being shown during the weeknights...
I would have answered "naging busy ako kasi meron kaming ginawa nung Easter", but I didn't. So, I decided to avoid the question by just shrugging it off. In response, this person asked "Wala ba kayong ganun (Holy Week) sa inyo (sa church)?".
Um. Ouch. For me, specifically. So since I was obligated to save face, I mentioned that we had an Easter thing for church but didn't bother explaining the details because I felt so embarrassed.
Now that I think about it, I could have spent the Holy Week more productively. I could have swapped a few hours of the Tennis no Oujisama marathons we had last week with some Bible reading and reflection and stuff...but I was too busy relieving myself from the stress and pressure I face at work (and at church too, admittedly) that I tend to indulge myself more than I should...
--- --- ---
Since I already mentioned Tenipuri I might as well talk about it. I'm not like a super duper mega fan of the series. I know some of the characters at varying levels, mainly those from Seigaku. Later on I found out about Rikkaidai, and the techniques that sounded like they should be used for an anime like Bleach or Rurouni Kenshin...but I digress XD
I'm kind of a closet fan of Tezuka x Fuji. OKAY SO IT'S NOT SO CLOSET ANYMORE. But their bromance is so sweet that it's got to be canon. Like...BEYOND THE TENNIS COURT CANON. Oh and Echizen x everyone in Seigaku is also cute XDDD
--- --- ---
Interesting how the environment is out here in the bundoks right now. About an hour ago it rained. At about 5PM these really interesting birds came out and flew about. I have no idea what they're called, but I can assure you they're not maya. But most noteworthy of all was that a bunch of the malapapaya trees were burned due to a grassfire that occurred last Saturday. The fire wasn't big (or so I was told) but the wind was so strong, which resulted into the how and why our trees caught fire.
It's amazing what a week of not touching my office PC could do. Yes I eat while working, but I don't eat that much that it deserves an infestation of epic proportions. I ate more when I was at MP and though my keyboard had morsels of crackers and whatnot, it never became ant-infested like this.
It's all good now - the ants have been vacuumed out of the keyboard, and it's back again underneath my fingers like it never happened.
And it will NEVER happen again.
I asked a colleague what he/she did during Holy Week (and it was more of a question for the sake of asking a question, just to avoid dead air), to which this person replied (with much gusto) that s/he went to Quiapo and joined the procession (so much so that his/her arms had tan marks), fasted, prayed, etc, etc. Then, said person asked me what I did during Holy Week.
I didn't know how to answer him/her. During that small window the events of last week flashed in my mind: Tuesday I was in church practicing for the Easter musical; Wednesday was also devoted to practices; the memories of my Thursday are all hazy; Friday was Clark day; Saturday we celebrated Nanay's birthday; Sunday was a whole-day-church-day. Oh, and I remember watching Tennis no Oujisama and fangirled when Tezuka and Fuji's matches were being shown during the weeknights...
I would have answered "naging busy ako kasi meron kaming ginawa nung Easter", but I didn't. So, I decided to avoid the question by just shrugging it off. In response, this person asked "Wala ba kayong ganun (Holy Week) sa inyo (sa church)?".
Um. Ouch. For me, specifically. So since I was obligated to save face, I mentioned that we had an Easter thing for church but didn't bother explaining the details because I felt so embarrassed.
Now that I think about it, I could have spent the Holy Week more productively. I could have swapped a few hours of the Tennis no Oujisama marathons we had last week with some Bible reading and reflection and stuff...but I was too busy relieving myself from the stress and pressure I face at work (and at church too, admittedly) that I tend to indulge myself more than I should...
Since I already mentioned Tenipuri I might as well talk about it. I'm not like a super duper mega fan of the series. I know some of the characters at varying levels, mainly those from Seigaku. Later on I found out about Rikkaidai, and the techniques that sounded like they should be used for an anime like Bleach or Rurouni Kenshin...but I digress XD
I'm kind of a closet fan of Tezuka x Fuji. OKAY SO IT'S NOT SO CLOSET ANYMORE. But their bromance is so sweet that it's got to be canon. Like...BEYOND THE TENNIS COURT CANON. Oh and Echizen x everyone in Seigaku is also cute XDDD
Interesting how the environment is out here in the bundoks right now. About an hour ago it rained. At about 5PM these really interesting birds came out and flew about. I have no idea what they're called, but I can assure you they're not maya. But most noteworthy of all was that a bunch of the malapapaya trees were burned due to a grassfire that occurred last Saturday. The fire wasn't big (or so I was told) but the wind was so strong, which resulted into the how and why our trees caught fire.
Monday 25 April 2011
So yesterday was Easter
CAN I GET A DOUBLE STRIKETHROUGH?
If I may quote Jesus Christ: "It is finished." *keyboard smash of happiness*
I finished uploading the play pictures and the behind-the-scene photos on FB, (the latter, to no surprise, exceed the number of pictures taken during the play). Didn't do much editing on them cause I'm feeling lazy. XD
It's my second time playing Mary Magdalene. However last year's attempt (during Good Friday) wasn't anywhere near the difficulty of yesterday's. During the first, the acting was separate from the singing. This year, I had to act while singing. Uhh. Yeah.
I'm aching on my left side now cause I forced myself to land hard on a wooden stage on all four runs of the play (no pain, no drama). My voice, surprisingly, isn't broke - and to think that I was a bad, bad girl yesterday for drinking copious amounts of iced Coke and Pepsi and stuffing myself with puto, pizza, barbecue and other goodies (I was honestly not expecting to be fed generously yesterday, so thank you to those who gave food =D Had to do some exercising before bedtime since I still felt full from the pizza I ate at 3PM).
Oh yeah, lest I forget: Pei Pa Koa, I'm a believer. XD
--- --- ---
To be honest, I was totally not expecting the reaction we got from the play/musical. The first time we ran through the whole play was during our last practice, which was Wednesday (or was it Thursday? Wow I can't even remember...). Usually the first run-through of a production would happen way before the play date, so it should be near perfect during the last practice (as in production level na ito).
But one thing I learned about doing stuff for church is this: everything will come together in ways that are simply unexplainable. Even the 10AM service, which was the worst of the four, was enjoyed by many! A bunch of people came to me and said that they loved my part; most of them went as far as saying that they cried during my scene, and I'm like "Wow, really?" and then I'll say "Sorry!" for making them cry and rebound with "Thank you po!" after.
But now that I think about it, this kind of unexplainable awesomeness has happened before; last time was during the Thanksgiving Concert. During that time, for my part especially, it only came together on the day of the concert itself, and yet the reaction of the crowd was the same as yesterday's - awesomeness.
I would be lying if I said that I never have any doubts when I get myself into these kind of presentations. I'm a firm believer of preparation, and I knew that we could have used a lot more of it. But when all was said and done, I've got to put these doubts aside and be assured that there is a God greater than my doubts and is the source of all awesomeness. And, with a simple act of faith comes mind-blowing surprises that blogging about it still won't do the event any justice.
--- --- ---
Tomorrow I go back to the bundoks. The Holy Week vacation is officially over. Le sigh.
EASTER CANTATA
I Knew He Was Love
+ almost all songs, in backup
I finished uploading the play pictures and the behind-the-scene photos on FB, (the latter, to no surprise, exceed the number of pictures taken during the play). Didn't do much editing on them cause I'm feeling lazy. XD
It's my second time playing Mary Magdalene. However last year's attempt (during Good Friday) wasn't anywhere near the difficulty of yesterday's. During the first, the acting was separate from the singing. This year, I had to act while singing. Uhh. Yeah.
I'm aching on my left side now cause I forced myself to land hard on a wooden stage on all four runs of the play (no pain, no drama). My voice, surprisingly, isn't broke - and to think that I was a bad, bad girl yesterday for drinking copious amounts of iced Coke and Pepsi and stuffing myself with puto, pizza, barbecue and other goodies (I was honestly not expecting to be fed generously yesterday, so thank you to those who gave food =D Had to do some exercising before bedtime since I still felt full from the pizza I ate at 3PM).
Oh yeah, lest I forget: Pei Pa Koa, I'm a believer. XD
To be honest, I was totally not expecting the reaction we got from the play/musical. The first time we ran through the whole play was during our last practice, which was Wednesday (or was it Thursday? Wow I can't even remember...). Usually the first run-through of a production would happen way before the play date, so it should be near perfect during the last practice (as in production level na ito).
But one thing I learned about doing stuff for church is this: everything will come together in ways that are simply unexplainable. Even the 10AM service, which was the worst of the four, was enjoyed by many! A bunch of people came to me and said that they loved my part; most of them went as far as saying that they cried during my scene, and I'm like "Wow, really?" and then I'll say "Sorry!" for making them cry and rebound with "Thank you po!" after.
But now that I think about it, this kind of unexplainable awesomeness has happened before; last time was during the Thanksgiving Concert. During that time, for my part especially, it only came together on the day of the concert itself, and yet the reaction of the crowd was the same as yesterday's - awesomeness.
I would be lying if I said that I never have any doubts when I get myself into these kind of presentations. I'm a firm believer of preparation, and I knew that we could have used a lot more of it. But when all was said and done, I've got to put these doubts aside and be assured that there is a God greater than my doubts and is the source of all awesomeness. And, with a simple act of faith comes mind-blowing surprises that blogging about it still won't do the event any justice.
Tomorrow I go back to the bundoks. The Holy Week vacation is officially over. Le sigh.
Wednesday 20 April 2011
Randomness
My favorite yet overused blog title. Yes, yes.
And here we go.
--- --- ---
I have been on leave since yesterday.
I ate at the former Jo'nis for merienda when I went to Makati yesterday. Their puto bumbong, was super special awesome.
It's the kind of puto bumbong that will induce a reaction as epic as the not-so-extreme reactions from Yakitate! Japan (i.e. forgetting your name, being transported to a better place for a few seconds but absolutely not changing history or going on a field trip in space riding a train).
--- --- ---
Pansin ko lang na nauuso ang mga remake/remaster/rehash/whatever you wanna call it sa mga anime ngayon. Two years ago FMA Brotherhood started. Last year was Dragonball Kai. This year we're going to have this:
RUROUNI freaking KENSHIN!!!!!!! This calls for a keyboard smash of happiness!!!!!!! L;JE4FOJIOWNVOAEWNVCIOWEFOIACNEWFWA!!!!!!!
It wasn't until yesterday that I learned that RuroKen was cancelled/cut short due to the filler episodes. Well, I wouldn't blame the Japanese viewers back then...by the time it got to the Feng Shui arc it was utterly ridiculous that I wished for Shishio to come back to life so Kenshin could fight him again. But now that it's back...and it's been confirmed that the Jinchuu freaking arc will be part of this new anime, I'm like OHHH EMMM GEEEEEE. If the art and music will be as beautiful as it was in the original, there will be more shaking and crying from my end. LOL
--- --- ---
And to end this post, I will direct you to this awesome video.
And here we go.
I have been on leave since yesterday.
I ate at the former Jo'nis for merienda when I went to Makati yesterday. Their puto bumbong, was super special awesome.
It's the kind of puto bumbong that will induce a reaction as epic as the not-so-extreme reactions from Yakitate! Japan (i.e. forgetting your name, being transported to a better place for a few seconds but absolutely not changing history or going on a field trip in space riding a train).
Pansin ko lang na nauuso ang mga remake/remaster/rehash/whatever you wanna call it sa mga anime ngayon. Two years ago FMA Brotherhood started. Last year was Dragonball Kai. This year we're going to have this:
RUROUNI freaking KENSHIN!!!!!!! This calls for a keyboard smash of happiness!!!!!!! L;JE4FOJIOWNVOAEWNVCIOWEFOIACNEWFWA!!!!!!!
It wasn't until yesterday that I learned that RuroKen was cancelled/cut short due to the filler episodes. Well, I wouldn't blame the Japanese viewers back then...by the time it got to the Feng Shui arc it was utterly ridiculous that I wished for Shishio to come back to life so Kenshin could fight him again. But now that it's back...and it's been confirmed that the Jinchuu freaking arc will be part of this new anime, I'm like OHHH EMMM GEEEEEE. If the art and music will be as beautiful as it was in the original, there will be more shaking and crying from my end. LOL
And to end this post, I will direct you to this awesome video.
Monday 18 April 2011
Kupo
I am alive. I will update.
Duodecim exploits. I have met Feral Chaos. I failed even with my party at Level 100. I got scared. Feral Chaos was a towering character of profound speech (LOL so profound it's confounding!), and sported a blue-green palette that was a disaster. Buti na lang hindi pa ako nakatikim ng EX-Burst niya. Based on the videos I've seen, the character will be impaled with three swords, then the screen blacks out. NOT GOOD.
So, since it looks like I won't be able to defeat Feral Chaos for a while, I have directed my energies to other things. While I was browsing through the Museum, I found something rather interesting as I was skimming through the Theater:
THIS. I LAUGHED SO HARD. Didn't know Chaos had a thing for Moogles too! Look how serious they all are in here!
--- --- ---
I'm at home now and will be until Monday next week. ^___^ And this is what I love about Holy Week.
But this Holy Week is hardly a vacation. We've got only a few days before the play for Easter, and I am the one who has had the least practice. *facepalm*
Pag may tiyaga, may play. XDDD
Duodecim exploits. I have met Feral Chaos. I failed even with my party at Level 100. I got scared. Feral Chaos was a towering character of profound speech (LOL so profound it's confounding!), and sported a blue-green palette that was a disaster. Buti na lang hindi pa ako nakatikim ng EX-Burst niya. Based on the videos I've seen, the character will be impaled with three swords, then the screen blacks out. NOT GOOD.
So, since it looks like I won't be able to defeat Feral Chaos for a while, I have directed my energies to other things. While I was browsing through the Museum, I found something rather interesting as I was skimming through the Theater:
THIS. I don't know if it's a glitch in the game or if it's Square Enix's way of placing Easter Eggs in Duodecim. Bottom line is: THERE ARE MOOGLES ABOUT, and I didn't even see them appear in this Yuna-Jecht-Tidus cutscene. When I moved away from this cutscene then went back again, this thumbnail appeared without the moogles. But when I moved away and went back again after a certain time, this version you see up there showed up again. So I'm guessing this is a random thing.
Other Moogle appearances:
Squall Nyanhart interacting with the Moogle folk. The Moogles seem to like him since they're flying like that (maybe it had something to do with the amount of silver accessories he was wearing, haha!), though their numbers aren't as many as Yuna's above. Maybe Squall got pissed and drove them off.
THIS. I LAUGHED SO HARD. Didn't know Chaos had a thing for Moogles too! Look how serious they all are in here!
I'm at home now and will be until Monday next week. ^___^ And this is what I love about Holy Week.
But this Holy Week is hardly a vacation. We've got only a few days before the play for Easter, and I am the one who has had the least practice. *facepalm*
Pag may tiyaga, may play. XDDD
Wednesday 13 April 2011
Beyond higher learning: Preparation for Battle
Imagine the nostalgia I felt when I logged in with my new ID number to MyLasalle and this message came out:
[NOTE: You may begin session was not there during my undergrad in DLSU...and the fact that I remember this makes me feel odd.]
And when I logged out, this:
So, without further ado:
Here's the dreaded schedule for the first term, from May to August. Notice the Friday sched - this means that I won't be able to attend practices for Sunday. Not good. Right now the possibility of taking a leave from ministry is there due to my Friday absences, but then again I could still be present for 5PM ministry every now and then.
As much as possible, I don't want to let go of music ministry, so this is a really hard decision to make. Much contemplation has to be done.
--- --- ---
Last night I finished The Mists of Avalon. Along with Lord of the Rings, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Constant Princess, The Great Divorce, and a host of other books that I cannot name right now, it is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.
I guess it's the book's feminist view that attracted me the most, which is striking for an Arthurian story - an era that was highly patriarchal. What was also striking was the comparison between the fictional Darkmoon religion and Catholicism, and although at times both sides become strikingly polar to the point that you'd hate one and love the other, you still see points of goodness for both sides. It's the kind of book that I would buy for someone else, if I had the money. =D
--- --- ---
I'm in Manila now. Later I'll be in Makati to have early dinner with the parental units. Hooo yeeeeahh =D
Good afternoon, Lasallian Christian Achiever!
You may begin session.
[NOTE: You may begin session was not there during my undergrad in DLSU...and the fact that I remember this makes me feel odd.]
And when I logged out, this:
Thank you very much Lasallian Christian Achiever! Have a nice day!
So, without further ado:
Here's the dreaded schedule for the first term, from May to August. Notice the Friday sched - this means that I won't be able to attend practices for Sunday. Not good. Right now the possibility of taking a leave from ministry is there due to my Friday absences, but then again I could still be present for 5PM ministry every now and then.
As much as possible, I don't want to let go of music ministry, so this is a really hard decision to make. Much contemplation has to be done.
Last night I finished The Mists of Avalon. Along with Lord of the Rings, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Constant Princess, The Great Divorce, and a host of other books that I cannot name right now, it is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.
I guess it's the book's feminist view that attracted me the most, which is striking for an Arthurian story - an era that was highly patriarchal. What was also striking was the comparison between the fictional Darkmoon religion and Catholicism, and although at times both sides become strikingly polar to the point that you'd hate one and love the other, you still see points of goodness for both sides. It's the kind of book that I would buy for someone else, if I had the money. =D
I'm in Manila now. Later I'll be in Makati to have early dinner with the parental units. Hooo yeeeeahh =D
Tuesday 12 April 2011
Bundok vs Kapatagan
Hello, northeasterly wind. I walked listlessly on the road that went down and up. The breeze tickled my face the way a cold, teasing hand would do, and I welcomed it. No need to put on the hood to keep my head from the cold. I let it be so.
Up above the sickle-shaped moon hung in the sky, surrounded by faint stars. I've always been told that the stars shimmer more away from the city. Here it wasn't so. The sky was wide and overwhelming, unlike the city where towering buildings only give you but a taste of its expanse.
The rustling of trees, the creaking of various insects, and the overall peace that prevailed...
It's nice for a while, but come Friday I'll want to come back to reality - to high-rise buildings, to hopelessly knotted-up traffic, thick pollution and violation of personal space. And for wanting this, I must be either crazy or just a normal Manila girl.
Manila.
I keep coming back to Manila.
Up above the sickle-shaped moon hung in the sky, surrounded by faint stars. I've always been told that the stars shimmer more away from the city. Here it wasn't so. The sky was wide and overwhelming, unlike the city where towering buildings only give you but a taste of its expanse.
The rustling of trees, the creaking of various insects, and the overall peace that prevailed...
It's nice for a while, but come Friday I'll want to come back to reality - to high-rise buildings, to hopelessly knotted-up traffic, thick pollution and violation of personal space. And for wanting this, I must be either crazy or just a normal Manila girl.
Manila.
I keep coming back to Manila.
Thursday 7 April 2011
High-low
I'm planning on doing a bit of work before bedtime tonight...if not, tomorrow. Worst case: no work at all. It's just that there are so many distractions: I have a lot of Dragonball Z movies in Olivia that I could marathon for the entire night (and lose sleep over, OMG!), I've got unlimited wi-fi, I got a room with two beds all to myself...
Erase that. I will definitely do work tonight/tomorrow night. But I won't stress too much over it, though. I'll definitely allot some time for a Dragonball Z movie or two...:)
After the high of this post comes a terrible low. My application for financial assistance is not approved. =( =( =(
If I were to attack this objectively, I'm seeing three options: [1] defer to next year, since my confirmation is valid for one year; [2] see how much my tuition will be and see if I will be able to handle the expenses on installment basis (but if I'm being practical, I know I cannot afford it!); [3] enroll in the first term and apply for financial assistance for Term 2 (since it only says that the application is disapproved for Term 1).
Having said all these, I kind of sort of feel down right now. =/
Monday 4 April 2011
For the sake of a frilly costume
So. Easter is *counts* three weeks away, and just like last year's Holy Week, I am once again involved in a play. I have been assigned to do Mary Magdalene AGAIN. *snickerfit*
When I was in grade school, I've often auditioned for plays. It's not bad to wish to bag one of the main roles, right? Well, I never did. *le sigh* Now that I think about it, I only auditioned because I liked the costume of the character. It was always about the costume.
Now, I keep on wondering how I got myself into all this - without even auditioning or even wanting a role. =/ In any case, I'm not complaining because I know I'll have a costume! Shallow reasoning is shallow.
Last night I defeated Chaos in my first attempt in Duodecim. Needless to say, I was surprised. In Dissidia I think it took me three times at a Level 100 Squall (and that win entailed a lot of screaming, wahahahahahaha!). My Squall last night was at Level...62? Chaos even summoned Shinryu and it didn't even hurt.
Now I know that I still have to face Feral/Desperado Chaos, and that's an entirely different Chaos altogether. I'm not looking forward to it, even at a fully Level 100 party.
Still on the subject of Duodecim, I'm not a fan of the soundtrack. The replacement track for Dissidia's Preparation For Battle isn't as exciting; it was almost like a toned down version of Preparation For Battle (kahapon pinag-uusapan namin ito ni Mark, and I told him that if Preparation for Battle was Craig David's Insomnia, then the replacement track [which I forgot the title] was like the ugly balladized version of Insomnia done by some OPM cover artist). The other tracks which came from the individual series are good (of course), but it's the Duodecim-exclusive ones are kind of so-so for me.
Still on the subject of Final Fantasy - Cecil is definitely the girliest-looking man-hero of FF. I mean, LOOK AT
And to think that THIS image here is waaaaaaay toned down already, he still looks pretty - in Dissidia he got HAIR SPARKLES. Yes he is half-Lunarian and all...but HAIR SPARKLES...WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?! if that ain't girly enough for a man, then I don't know what is.
I love it that it's April and it still feels like February on most days. Last year, April was near unbearable because of the heat.
I'll only be home on Saturday. =( That makes me sad. =/
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