Stephenie Meyer

… really deserves every single compliment that comes her way.

I’ve recently finished reading the three books under the Twilight series (getting barely enough sleep to keep me from fainting during the day), and yes, I had to remind myself once again why I refuse to read things like this - I simply have zero discipline when I get obsessed, whether it’s fanfiction or novels or manga or anime or any other show.

Ah, but then again, it was still all worth it. =)

*spoiler alert here*

It’s rare for me to actually find a book that I consider worth purchasing, and even more rare that I learn to appreciate vampire stories. I’ve heard, seen and read so many vampire stories that I didn’t think anything else would appeal to me.  The love triangle between a vampire, werewolf and a human was already a given (”A Thousand Years of Snow” already made me fall in love with the concept) and I was arrogant enough to think the Twilight series could not be much different.

But of course, every romance story is different (and I always end up being wrong), and hers was simply perfect that I really wish that there won’t be an end to the Twilight series.  The detailed contrast between the vampire and werewolf - cold and warmth, night and day - was simply marvelous that I’m left speechless.

Uwahhh, the movie should come sooner.

block survey

I can’t wait to see how this is going to turn out when it’s published.  The best way to start the “last first day”, as Jackie said so.

Describe your block
A mix of all the possible elements in the universe!~~~  We all have different interests/hobbies/skills/talents/opinions about life and such, but really, we’re all just a bunch of weirdos who love pink and butterflies and magic.  Ah, but everyone in the world is like that, so I should say something else (hmmmm).

Well seriously, we’re just normal people with a lot of things going on, but we always find common interests that glue us together.

I guess whatever differences we have or whatever sets us apart, just blends together perfectly.

“t2 is a family.“  << I agree with Jackie!

What makes your block tight?

I suppose you can say we started out with a good foundation - we didn’t exactly have the easiest time during our freshman year (with all the stress over just trying to stay in the course, plus the workload of the core subjects pulling us down), but there was never a dull moment when we had to do things together as a block - whether it’s cramming over an upcoming test or going to the beach or working on a class project (sagala ng mga sikat! yeah!).  We’ve enjoyed success together, we’ve learned to say goodbye, we’ve learned how to survive ateneo life and help each other.  Being classmates with the same group of people does have its perks - we got the chance to all be groupmates with each other - different set of people, different ways of getting to really know one another, that even up till now (three years down the road), it’s never an uncomfortable moment to sit beside and talk to any blockmate (as if we’re strangers).  We have reunions, gimmicks and parties together every now and then (christmas is ever so special =P and birthdays are unforgettable!!).  And the best thing is, we don’t try to really isolate ourselves (although i guess it seems like we do sometimes…or not? =D).  We include and welcome other batchmates (even non-ME!) during our get-togethers ( especially those who have developed certain relationships with a blockmate ;P )

Was your block close agad like from the very beginning or did it took time before everyone got along?

(See #2 as well =D)  Like all freshmen, during the first week, our block moved as one entity (ah, the precious memories of taking over the cafeteria).  I suppose it took some time before all of us really came to be close.  At the start, we have our own group of friends, and we didn’t know much about anyone. But time passes, things change, magic happens (haha), and here we are. =)

Code Geass R2

Code Geass: Hangyaku No Lelouch R2

2008. Sunrise Studio.

Ah, the work of pure genius.  I cannot say anything anymore (not until I finish the whole series, of course)

Comic wisdom

In the end, you’re supposed to say “I do”, not “you’ll do” - Kartoen.be, “Fussy”

Oh, how tragic that search for perfection is.

Fanclubs…

If I were to stop being lazy enough to join one, it definitely won’t be a Naruto club with a shoutout of “I want to be the Hokage Or Any Of the Five Kage’s” because really, what’s the future in that when the creator him/herself does not know the main character enough?  (and with lots of spelling problems?) Naruto’s dream to become Hokage stems from his childhood desire to be acknowledged by the people around him, but after going through numerous missions and making many allies along the way, he has vowed to get that position in order to make a difference and to protect those that he has learned to care about - his friends and the villagers of Konoha.

It would be amusing if he tried to wrench away the Kazekage position from Gaara though =P

Nevertheless, the fanclub has a lot of wonderful pictures (minus the unnecessary glitter).

Special A

S.A. ~Special A~

2008. 24 episodes. GONZO Digimation.

I’ve only watched upto episode 8, and I must say I’m really happy that my favorite mangas are being turned into anime.  Special A, the anime, has brought to life the right mix of drama and comedy (more of comedy, really) that the manga has wonderfully shared in the past.  Watching it made me laugh so hard that I’m sure a season II would be released soon as well (the story won’t be finished with just 24 episodes for certain).

missing what has been

I suppose it’s always been like this - a few more days before the start of a new semester and I start to get anxious. It gets harder and harder to fall asleep, as if I fear that I would lose what precious time I have by closing my eyes (ironically, when school does start, I want nothing more than to keep those eyes closed - time becomes inconsequential when sleep is too scarce).

I woke up a few minutes before feeling drained. The dreams are back, and I believe I should welcome the discomfort because really, most of the time, I feel as if I don’t care about anything at all.

I dreamt of Korea mixed with some weird war tactics (courtesy of Sokyu no Fafner), last minute preparations and religion thingies (which I don’t have to explain). Before falling asleep this early morning, I was browsing through facebooks of friends that I have left behind. An SNU booklet is even beside my laptop this very moment - I took it out a couple of days before to browse through some incomplete memories.

It’s rare for me to actually miss something, but Korea’s been a big part of my life - not only of the past but the future as well, and even though it will stay as something like a “mistake” for a long long while, I suppose I still cannot let go.

Fafner of the Azure

Sokyu no Fafner Series and OVA1

2004. 25 episodes (Series). 1 episode (OVA: Right of Left). XEBEC studio.

I finished the series only a few minutes ago (and I’m currently in the process of loading the OVA), but when anime’s become emotionally draining, the effect does last long. It’s been a long time since I actually wished for a really really happy ending, but alas, it would be too much out of place for a fairy godmother to appear in the series and bring everyone back to life.

Sokyu no Fafer is, what people might say, a rip-off of Neon Genesis Evangelion. That was the idea that I got from reading the comments in the first few episodes. There were a lot of similarities - “chosen” children, enemies appearing from outer space, humans using the technology of the enemy itself to fight back, and the whole father-is-commander-and-son-is-pilot type of relationship. The bad reviews at the start wasn’t so surprising - afterall, NGE is a legend even with all the mecha-related animes that are being created now, though I’m quite sure half of those commenters really don’t know what they’re talking about.

In any case, there is a lot to love about this anime (the fact that I’m making an entry out of it meant that it’s actually worth watching - oh the hell I’ve had to go through watching series after series of nonsense before I found this). While NGE centers around a religious theme (Penguin = God = love <3), I felt as if Sokyu no Fafer goes more on the philosophical side of life. That’s what surprised me most of all. I would never expect an anime that features the concepts of existence, nothingness, oneness and *drumroll* Meron so explicitly (ah, but then again, if I didn’t take philosophy classes, I would never have noticed =P). And it’s so unpredictable that it’s annoying. The first few episodes were definitely frustrating - pilot after pilot either dies or gets incapacitated - and you’d get a sour feeling that this might be what the anime is all about.

But then more stuff happens and you realize everything - even the stupid-looking events - actually make sense at all. Sokyu no Fafner tackles the theme of family and friendship to another level - something that I deem important in shows such as this. Because when one person dies, the story never ends there - rather, it’s all about those who get left behind. But demn hell, even if I already knew that the pilots of the robots will eventually die some way or another, the way they die surprises me every single time - and I wish they didn’t die =/ Ah, but that’s the beauty.

I think Sokyu no Fafner has definitely given more than just being another NGE. From the studio who made Elemental Gerad, Heroic Age and Shaman King (and the same character designer as Gundam SEED), I would not expect no less.

Edit: The OVA, Right of Left, was absolutely perfect. It serves as a prequel to the series - a time when the human race did not have the strength to win, and to prevent the inevitable sacrifices. This is something that I have not seen in any mecha anime yet.

Going with the flow

Pisay! PSHS Alumni Forum and Updates - http://pisayforum.blogspot.com/

I’m late with the news. Right.

As the title suggests, all this talk and controversy (regarding giving a “second chance” to three PSHS seniors after getting a 5.0 in Math) has made me want to talk about it, though “briefly”, as well.

First of all, though I find the decision for this “second chance” abhoring (too much AI?), I deem my opinion as of now to be a little bit on the bias side since I’ve yet to hear the statements of the students involved. Take note, students, not the parents or lawyers or any other relatives who will just waste our time (yes, that was another biased comment as well). It gets rather tiring to hear adults speak out when their children make mistakes - as if showing that they are indeed still children. The students have their own lives afterall - and if they wish to actually succeed in this matter, they should use whatever moment in their lives to explain how the freaking hell did they flunk a subject during their graduating year. I’m sure that those seniors should already know how to speak out for themselves and handle the situation - to present to us their excuses defense regarding the matter.

Were they the ones who wanted the second chance?  Are they regretting not trying harder for that particular subject?  Or are they just going with whatever is convenient?

I respect the policy change, and I respect that at least we’re still willing to make changes now.

But then again, if you know me personally, my definition of “respect” could very well massacre that of the dictionary’s.

Ah yes, bias.

Math 5 was hard for me as well.  My quarterly grades were going up and down that it wouldn’t be surprising if I got less than 2.5.  I struggled with every exam (failed some, averaged in others) but I survived until the very end.  And that’s nothing unique.  When I fail in something, I unconsciously improve the second time around - university math, though it was what you can call a “breeze,” was the one that pulled my grades up.

Ahem.

I’m not exactly very familiar with the rules and all that of the high school (hohoho), but I distinctly remember that the quarterly grades were cumulative or something (1/3 of the previous quarter + 2/3 of the current quarter). Or something.  So if what I was saying is true, it’s rather difficult to get that 5.  Given all the possible sources of grade points (tests, quizzes, attendance), as one alumni pointed out, to be able to achieve a 5 would mean not trying at all.

It’s not pure laziness of course.  There are many reasons for “not trying at all”.

And some I consider acceptable, to some degree.

Well, that’s what I think.

Now if I were to really delve into the issue, I can’t believe this turned out to be such a big matter at all (”big,” meaning “very much talked about by the alumni” kind of thing).  Not letting failed students to graduate is a simple and logical thing to do - it’s what other good, respectable schools do.  I can totally see where the complaints are coming from.  Being an alumni myself, it is rather insulting to have done something like this.  Tarnishing the school reputation - not only that of producing the best of the best, but also status of a good high school - would definitely be a bigger issue later when things get out.

But then again, I’m not pompous enough to believe that this was a purely bad decision.  It is most probably a conscience 2 and conscience 3 kind of problem.  Since they decided that those 3 students somehow deserve a second chance to prove themselves and earn the diploma, I suppose it is true to some extent (if they have pure uno’s and only one singko, I would have gladly given them the diploma as well.  But I don’t think that’s the case =P).

Yes, it is insulting, unfair and confusing why this happened. But that’s how it is.

Anyway, whatever I say (whether I agree or not) will not change the fact that many people will not stop until this matter is resolved.

I wonder how those three are feeling right now?  To have the world go against them and hinder their first chance of a good future.  Do they read the posts and other online articles/blogs written about them?  Do they feel that even if everyone is talking about school reputation and fairness, that some are also implying that they don’t deserve to be there, that they have made such a big mistake, that they are lazy or stupid or unwise for failing?

It’s sad to see that the time I’m starting to love my high school, so many controversies are coming about.

Honey and Clover

Hachimitsu to Clover, Season I and II

2005. 26 Episodes (Season I). 13 episodes (Season II).  J.C.STAFF Studio

I was almost expecting to find “Bokura Ga Ita” under the list of anime’s done by the studio above.  Seriously, I haven’t been so emotionally drained for the longest time.  It felt as if I had to go through hundreds of series before I found another perfect one.  Thank goodness I didn’t give up (summer is wonderful that way).

Honey and Clover centers around the lives of three art students (Takemoto, Mayama and Morita) and reveals how their lives change with the introduction of Hanamoto Hagumi - a very small but beautiful and talented freshman.  The series has the right mix of romance, comedy and drama into it.  What was so wonderful about it is that it was able to explore and integrate other characters’ lives into the story (not only that of the three main guys) so well that it didn’t seem confusing at all for the episodes to shift from one story to another.

It was the perfect choice to create a sequel to the first season.  Season II gave us a glimpse of what really goes on behind some of the characters’ lives and presents a plot and ending that is truly unexpected. The series showed how life is not all about love, and it isn’t all about making other’s dreams come true as well.  For every love story, there isn’t two, not even just three people involved.  And that even though achieving your own happiness means sacrificing someone else’, you can both reach something new together. With all the poverty, love triangles, unrequited love, and the normal hassles of everyday university life, Honey and Clover shows that no matter how impossible it may seem to find a four-leaf clover in this world, the only way to go about through life is to create your own luck and persistently choose your own path.

You only have two choices : take on the challenge or give up. (Although really, there are three choices. But I won’t tell you what the third one is.)