School Rumble

i can’t get enough of School Rumble *beams beatifically*. I must have watched this wacky series (seasons 1 and 2, and 1 OVA) 3 times already, but each time i see kenji harima’s idiotic and increasingly manic attempts to tell tenma tsukamoto (possibly one of anime’s most dense and oblivious female protagonists ever!) about his feelings, i just double over in laughter. and, of course, it doesn’t help that as a school delinquent, kenji harima has to maintain his tough-guy street cred.

no, i’m not just talking about harima-kun’s goofy attempts (although his facial expression is worth a guffaw or two every now and then). i’m referring to all those crazy mishaps (murphy’s law to the max) and misunderstandings that crop up like crazy whenever he wants to get serious. poor guy. (*topples over in mirth*). he not only has to contend with Tenma-chan’s slow mental processes, he also has to deal with School Rumble’s other equally maddening characters who are determined and ready to think the worst of him — tenma tsukamoto included.

an apology

a few hours ago, my friend and i were discussing about our respective i.Ph blogs. then out of of the blue she noted that i rarely write about things with a personal slant.

"what do you mean?" i protested. "of course i have written several 'personal' posts — at least 2 or 3 of them. and it wasn't easy, mind you."

it was only when i was alone with my thoughts that i realized she does have a valid point. yes, i do write about things as they affect me personally, but i have never felt comfortable with the idea of wrestling with deeply personal issues online. i don't think i ever will, although…

yes, i think i have something personal to thrash out (i'll probably regret this later, but what the hey). no, it's not a vengeful rant. it's a belated apology to my parents. i got this idea from a forum that i had lately joined, and the question was "What would you say to your parents ?" (living or passed away)

so many things… but most of all i just want to say "i'm sorry" for the things i've done and haven't done. i know we were never the sort of family that finds it easy to say "i love you" or "sorry". and all this time i thought there was really no need to say the words. that is, until i got older and realized how much we needed to settle issues that should have been acknowledged or addressed sooner. and each time i pause and think and struggle to find the right words, it gets worse.

i'm not going to hide behind a convenient excuse ("too busy", "i just can't relate to this"). i know i could have (and should have) done better. i have been waiting all along for the right time to say this, but i guess there is no RIGHT time. i just needed to say it.

i'm sorry.

mel’s APOCALYPTO

i don't care what they say about mel gibson. the guy clearly knows his business like nobody else does. oh, and in case you're interested to know, Apocalypto rocks in many levels!

While Apocalypto is not without its flaws, it's powerful enough to rock me back on my heels. in this 140-minute film, heads (severed ones, that is) literally roll, hearts get wrenched out of still-heaving chests, and there is an unrelenting forest chase with enough thrills to satisfy even the most exacting of adrenaline junkies. not to mention the (cringe-inducing) body piercings and decoration… uggh!

mel gibson's decision to cast unknowns and present the film in yukatek with english subtitles paid off — although the first time i heard about it (a year ago) i really thought the guy was beginning to lose his grip. while it may not be a perfect fit for the mainstream audience (particularly kids), the movie's theme — basically it's all about survival and family ties in the jungle setting — is easy to relate to

rudy youngblood (Jaguar Paw), is strangely compelling as the jungle-dwelling warrior-hunter who is literally squeezed through a hellish wringer as he struggles to flee his captors and rescue his family. bottomline, the whole thing works. i'll probably watch this again.

i got tagged

ehh? say what?!

i literally recoiled in surprise when i spotted my name in daisy's entry on 5 random things that happened in her life since she started blogging. i had to read the whole thing twice to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. 

after i settled down somewhat, i got bogged down by a bunch of trivial details. wait a minute. that can't be right. how did my name get in there? i've only been blogging regularly for about a month. what in the word am i going to write about?

that's what you get for being so nosy, i finally told myself. i had been pestering daisy about PRs, problogging, etc. this past week and despite her busy schedule she found the time to answer my queries (to her dismay, her answers only brought on more questions). i guess this is her way of stopping me in my tracks heheh.. okay, i'll take that as a hint and start cracking.

so what has changed for me since i started blogging? there's no way for me to quantify those things, so i guess i'll go with the obvious ones.

1. my online activities increased by 2 to 3 folds, which really messes up my schedule something fierce. in fact, last week our supervisor felt compelled to read me the riot act "increase your production output, or else…" seriously, though, i'd been compulsively going online ever since i signed up at i.Ph. my day isn't complete without me logging in 2 or 3 times a day just to check out what's going on.

2. at odd moments, when i see/hear/read something that strikes me as odd, funny, poignant, clever, ingenious, etc., i find myself murmuring "that'll make a nice blog topic."

3. i became more interested in other people's blogs (design, content, links, etc)

4. i gained a collection of online pals (well, sort of). in some weird way, the anonymity and convenience of online communication has emboldened some bloggers to reveal various emotions that they would normally find difficult to admit or express personally. and it has been a source of pleasant surprise for me to get in touch with bloggers who are so ready to help even when they barely know me. thanks a bunch guys.

5. i began to realize i'm not so 'out of touch' after all (har-de-har-har). since i don't go out much these days, reading about other people's raves, rants, comments, reviews, etc. has basically opened a new window for me — it's a way of keeping in touch with the rest of the world without having to go out. as the say, with the Internet, the rest of the world is just a mouseclick away.

Release of Harry Potter book 7: July 21

rejoice HP fans! the last book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is set to appear at your favorite bookstores on july 21, 2007.

Bloomsbury Publishing (London, UK) announced that it will release a children's hardbound edition, an adult's hardbound edition and a gift edition of this book. Scholastic (New York, NY) is set to release the US hardbound edition, which comes at a tag price $34.99, on the same day.

this news comes right on the heels of the recent furor regarding the release of daniel radcliffe's racy photos in connection with the upcoming West End play "Equus," which he topbills.