What the Hell Happened to My 2014 New Year's Resolutions?

I was browsing my blog and reading through my articles (I know, I love myself) when I came upon this post. I was horrified since I completely forgot it exist and now 2014 is drawing to a close and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I DID WITH MY LIFE THIS YEAR. Was I alright? Was I productive? Existentialism? Let us see:

Hilarity in Ancient Chinese Portraits

What do you get when you mix classical portraits of Chinese men and cleverness.
Saw these at weibo a month ago.

Games You Don't Want to Play 5

DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog post are for informational purposes only. 

I will not be liable for any errors or omissions, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. It is highly recommended NOT TO "PLAY" THEM, because you just don't "play" with the unknown. If you do choose to ignore this advice, do so at your own risk.

After a few weeks of  haitus, here I am once again offering you my faithful readers, a new installment to the Games You Don't Want to Play series. The following rituals are not as hardcore as the ones mentioned in the past posts but I still hope you guys would still heed the warnings I wrote on top (come on guys, recognize its existence! I even wrote it in red). Anyway, enjoy!

BLOG REPOST- A Documentation of Johnny Kitagawa's Alleged Past

I realized that there are a lot of blogs that were deleted or have became defunct in the past few years. The horrible thing is when these blogs are actually made of quality posts and juicy discussions that can no longer be read because the awesome page transformed into the dreaded 404.

One of those blogs is uso-ippai of tumblr who had been translating Japanese entertainment industry gossips for the sake of the English-speaking online audience. It only lasted for months though and the tumblr blog is now abandoned. Hell even Majide had stopped updating huhubells. Good thing we still have Minus Kakugo and the other blogs...

So now I'll just share to you a blogpost by uso-ippai (that was originally split into two parts) that looks back on Johnny Kitagawa's past scandals, just for discussion/knowledge purposes, especially for those who doesn't have tumblrs.

Text Translation Original Sources: Part 1 and Part 2, I also added some photos for reference

A Story of an Abandoned Dog...So Much Feels

"The Green Ribbon"

One of my worst childhood traumas does not involve blood or ghosts. It involves a book of short stories.  It was beautiful afternoon and I decided to go to the library during recess. A thin children's book caught my eye:

I began reading the stories within it, when suddenly I came upon a story titles "The Green Ribbon" Hmmm sounds cool so I read it. Boy, it was one of the worse readings I had, and remember that I was around seven at that time.

To really understand what I went through, read it here:

Arashi5x15 + Rare Photos

Here's the thing, I've been an Arashi fan since 2006 due to Jun Matsumoto's Gokusen, I was soon-to-be a high school freshman then and Jun Matsumoto was my boyfriend. Now it's 2014, Arashi is already in their 30's and I've graduated from the university. Seeing all the updates on their Blast in Hawaii concert, this sums up what I feel:

HAHAHA! Seriously, I'm so jelly right now, but I'm so fucking happy for the boys that any negative emotions is washed away by the great love and support from all Arashi fans worldwide. Now as a celebration for Arashi's 15th anniversary in the enetertainment industry, I'll be sharing some of their rare photos!

Games You Don't Want to Play 4

DISCLAIMER: All content provided on this blog post are for informational purposes only. 

I will not be liable for any errors or omissions, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. It is highly recommended NOT TO "PLAY" THEM, because you just don't "play" with the unknown. If you do choose to ignore this advice, do so at your own risk.

I'M BACK! Sort of... I never knew replacing  a laptop's motherboard could be so damn expensive, thus I apologize to all my readers out there, I'm currently broke and busy so my blogging presence is almost non-existent. However, I know some of you guys are waiting for a new post or something, so here I am publishing the newest installment of the Games You Don't Want to Play series! Hope you'll enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed doing the research:

Quick Update: An Interesting Tweet

I know I've been absent for a long time now, but here's a quick blog post. A certain tweet is circulating around twitter the past week. I don't know if it's true or what but it holds a juicy information for all Jun Matsumoto x Mao Inoue fans out there:

うちの後輩の前住んでた家が松潤の実家の近くで、毎年お正月頃に松潤が井上真央連れて実家帰って来るって言ってたぞ
— ナミキ◟̑◞̑≪横スタ両日 (@roooqd6o9) August 13, 2014

English Translation: "The house my kohai (junior coworker/student) used to live in is near MatsuJun's parents' place, and he was saying that every year around New Year's Eve, MatsuJun comes home with Mao Inoue."

I dug around OP's Twitter page and she doesnt seem to be an Arashi fangirl, which makes the tweet kinda believable. Still enjoyed hearing this tidbit though nyahaha

A Necessary Haitus

My laptop's motherboard fucked up once again you see, so I have to have it repaired by some courageous, intelligent humans. However I was told that patching up my Acer not only would take them a long time to but it would be quite expensive (in my point of view) too.

Basically that means I'll be absent for a few weeks. I will be back as soon as those intelligent humans succeed in saving my darling and me having enough funds to ransom it when that day comes.

For now, I'll be busy with getting myself out of unemployment and other activities where the word 'internet' is not mentioned. So goodbye for now dear readers and have fun reading my past blog posts, I'll be back someday.

Jesse Eisenberg is Lex and People are Still Bitching About It

Last January, this year, Warner Bros had announced that 30-year-old Jesse Eisenberg had been chosen to act out the role of Lex Luthor in the highly anticipated ‘Batman vs. Superman’ movie. Not surprisingly, this fueled a huge negative reception. After the commotion with Ben Affleck being chosen as Batman last year, this sure is another bad publicity for the film.

This reminded me of another DC film adaptation way back in 2008 where a certain actor was "mistakenly" chosen to act a certain iconic role:

But compared to the reactions to Eisenberg and Ben Affleck's casting, Ledger's was still kinda tame. Because despite the negative reactions to the new Joker, at least Ledger had the advantage of being respected for his past films and the social media during that time is still not as popular as it is now. To be fair, Affleck has some catching up to do after the Daredevil flop and how could the young Eisenberg play a smug, charismatic, egotistical millionaire? 

Oh wait

What I'm saying is, people should calm their tits when it comes to screaming murder against casting decisions made by producers and directors who are too busy to hear your "ideas" anyway. Especially those who are in the extremes, the ones who seriously act as if they know exactly how everything would turn out (yes whether it's negative or positive) when the film isnt even made yet. Predictions are nice but being a loud exaggerated shit is annoying.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with having calm open-minded discussions, right?. It just annoys me that there are those who loudly comment as if their opinions came straight out of the bible. Wait until the movie comes out then start releasing your inner demons.

Cosplay is For Everybody!

Most cosplayers frown upon half-hearted costumes found in cons and competitions. It is understandable since it's frustrating to see "easy" made cosplays while others were busy building their characters using expensive materials and complicated designs. However there comes a time when you just have to push all seriousness away and have silly fun once in a while, and one of the best channels to be carefree from all other rules is the internet.

Months ago, pictures of hilariously resourceful cosplays have been going around blogs and forums. From imitating Goku's golden hair via bananas, to an amazing recreation of the Frozen's Elsa, the "cosplayer" managed to succesfully made everyone smile at simple brilliance of it all, since he was using basically anything an average guy could find around the house. The man behind the powdered faces was no other than the Thai moderator of the Facebook page Lowcost Cosplay Anucha "Cha" Saengchart. His page had grown to more than 150,000 likes. Not only does it showcase his creations, but you could now also see other resourceful contributions from fans.

See more of his fantastic transformations after the jump!

Brazilian Man Undergoes Plastic Surgery to Look Korean

"Xiahn", a 25-year-old Brazilian man went under the knife for the sake of looking like a Korean. You've read that right. While Koreans are busy making their eyes look big, this guy decided to go against conformity!

Garage Sale at Japan National Olympic Stadium

As it is known, Tokyo Japan will be hosting the 2020 Olympics. This means that they will be using the National Olympic Stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies as well. Not surprising a large budget of $1 billion is created for the sole purpose of upgrading it alone. The Olympic Stadium a.k.a. Kokuritsu Kyogijo, will be demolished by 2015 and is set to for a five-year renovation period. To herald the stadium's impending haitus an official ‘Sayonara Kokuritsu’ campaign had been made that both reminisce the historical events that took place in Kokuritsu but to also promote Japanese culture to the rest of the world.

There's some recent news however. Apparently, before demolishing the entire stadium, it has to be dismantled first and guess what, they're for sale!

The lawn, the VIP seats. the reporter's seats and even 20 pieces of fucking manholes. This sounds really hilarious at first, but to fair, Kokuritsu had its share of memorable events. I'd like a seat too since I've never been to an Arashi concert before (haha joke!) Manholes are just weird though. I wonder who would ever buy those. Well, if you have any plans, go find them here

Xiao Long Nu: The Little Dragon Maiden Through the Years

Derived from one of the most memorable Chinese wuxia (a genre focusing on the adventures of martial artists) novels, The Return of the Condor Heroes (ROTCH) had been successfully adapted to screen throughout the years, making it one of China's best known love stories. 

Its protagonists, the lovers  Yang Guo and Xiaolongn has long since become iconic characters in the entertainment industry. Most especially, Xiaolongn, which literally means The Little Dragon Maiden. That girl is deemed as the most beautiful in the Chinese wuxia universe. With "skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent", it is not surprising that actresses who have played her were all pretty badass gals. 

Now because of my admiration for ROTCH and Xiaolongn in particular, I made this simple infographic showing all the popular adaptation of the wuxia novel and their respective lead actresses who have played The Little Dragon Maiden:

BREAKING NEWS: AKB48 Members Injured at a Fan Event

Kawaei Rina(19), Iriyama Anna (18) and a male staff member were attacked today by a 24-year-old man carrying a hand saw. He managed to get inside inside the AKB48 handshake event around 5pm at Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture today. The event was cancelled immediately and police was called to the scene. The suspect was arrested on the spot for attempted murder.

Kawaei Rina was said to be bleeding from the head while Iriyama Anna and the staff member had arm injuries The extent of the injuries were forutnately non life threatening.

The famous idol group AKB48 is known for their handshake events where fans could have the change to interact with their favorite idol. Due to the popularity of these events, inspections of baggage is almost always overlooked, thus it isn't thoroughly impossible that a man could smuggle a dangerous weapon inside the venue.

SOURCE

Tips on Passing the Philippine Civil Service Examination

I took the PPT Professional exam last April 6, 2014 at Capitol University. I was alone at first but soon met my friends who were also assigned in the same school. The exam lasted the whole morning so by the time we were dismissed, I am already very hungry and absolutely stopped caring whether I passed or not. Now, less then two months from the exam, I am surprised to found out that the results are out early* and that I passed! For a first-time taker, it's fabulous and certainly made mah mother proud!

*APRIL 6, 2014 EXAM RESULTS COULD BE FOUND HERE

I'm so darn happy! Some people say that it's just an exam so one could work in a government office. That's right, but it's not just an exam. This babe has an 80% passing rate and this makes Civil Service Examination kinda prestigious. Thus, a huge congratulations to all passers!

Now I'd like to share a few tips on how to ace this! There would be a second exam schedule this October and I hope some of my observations might help. Now for the exam coverage:

"The Career Service Professional examination will cover the following subject areas: in English and Filipino: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, analogy, logic, numerical reasoning, and general information.  

The Career Service Subprofessional examination will cover the following subject areas: In English and Filipino: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, reading comprehension, spelling, clerical operations and numerical reasoning.  

Both examinations will cover the subject area on general information and shall have the following subject matters: Philippine Constitution, Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R.A. 6713), Peace and Human Rights Issues and Concepts, and Environment Management and Protection".

Never depend on the reviewer. They have a few similar questions with the actual exam, but it still is not enough. So what else should you study? Let me count the ways:

Basic Mathematics. You won't be using calculator so be ready to welcome cramming and hasty manual computations during the exam. It will be useful during the Logic part since numbers are also present in that shit. To make things easier, start studying like an elementary student!

How to add fractions

Converting decimals to percent

Understanding indirect fractions

Remembering the multiplication table

I'm not joking with the last one. In this modern age where scientific calculators are the norm, most people tend to forget their Multiplications! (Like me, I have t manually add a string of 6s since I comepletely forgot the sequence haha)

Memorize important elements from the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. As mentioned, it will be part of the exam's coverage, but unlike grammar and logic, there is no need to 'solve' general information questions like the Code of Conduct, but instead, it depends on your stored knowledge about the topic. Thus it is important to freshen and actually memorize your notes this time. It helped me immensely in the exam.

Visualize the Logic problems. Logic is a bitch. But I was saved by drawing the problems and figuring them out through it. For example, a logic problem says that there are five guys sitting in a row, A hates C but D want to sit at the end but B would like to sit next to E, etc. What I did was create a table of the persons and the seats then I proceeded to mark all there preferences. If I finally have a neater understanding of the situation, I will then arrange them according to their wishes and hope my answer's one of the choices.

Don't give up on numerical reasoning. I never studied for this part of the exam since I have no idea how to study it in the first place. But my main tip for surviving Numerical Reasoning questions is to stay calm. In a number sequence for example, there are a lot of ways those digits could be related. Try them all out:

The sum between the numbers. Then look for a pattern.

The difference between the numbers. Then look for a pattern.

How far they are from each other. Then look for a pattern.

Do they follow the number before them? Then look for a pattern.

Always have a plan in mind as you go through these. The challenge is to do them fast enough and not panicking along the way.

Now, for the exam proper!

Arrive early. Seriously. Like 5:00am. Every year, there are a lot of exam-takers and it is such a chore to come in 20 minutes before the exam. You're not late it's true, but you will be pressured to double check your requirements, your room assignments and how the hell are you supposed to get there.

Follow instructions carefully and don't be afraid to ask. By the time you get inside the room, there are still a few formalities to go through. Like the seating arrangements, signing your signatures, etc. It is an utmost importance to be careful and not make a mistake in doing these. If you don't understand or if you have a question about something, feel free to ask your proctors, these guys were trained to ensure that the Civil Service exams go smoothly so there's no need to be shy.

Bring an extra pen AND pencil. It pays to be a boy scout in this situation.

Empty your bladder before the test starts. My main problem with the exam was the time shortage. I am certain that I would have answered some of the questions confidently if given more time. But life is unfair, so you will just have to make the most of what is given to you. Thus going to the Bathroom is a big NO while you are busy with answering already. Do it while everybody's still preparing.

That's all the tips I could give as of now, Ganbatte everybody!

Whatever happens to you belongs to you. 

Make it yours. Let it nurture you, because it will. 

- Cheryl Strayed

x

Fan-Made Akira Live Action Trailer is Superb!

Requests for live version of the 1988 anime cult classic Akira had been heard for many years already. There had been talks of creating such film in Holywood but even the current plans is yet to see the light of day. However in 2012, fans created the Akira Project via an IndieGoGo campaign, a global crowdfunding site. The main goal was to create a 5-minute live acton trailer that would also "stick as close to the source material as possible. A chance to do Akira Justice."

After a year and a half of waiting, Akira Project is finally done with their own fan-made live action Akira trailer. It is awesomesauce:

Lead by director/producer Nguyen-Anh Nguyen and CineGround Media, the team is composed of 100 people from 12 countries. They had Xavier Yuvens as Tetsuo and Osric Chau (a.k.a. Kevin the prophet) as Kaneda. The product is a tasteful, impressive fan trailer that could put Hollywood to shame.

Well I might be exaggerating, but don't forget that this is an unofficial project by devoted fans. Any attempt by Hollywood studios in the future better make sure that they'll follow this group's vision in recreating anime classics into live action films. Nothing's as worse as seeng a Japanese character being played by a Caucasian (remember that Zac Efron as Kaneda rumor? cringe)

Congratulations to all the team members, the actors who gave their tim and to everyone's creativity and efforts. Job well done!

A Different Kind of Riddle

When I first stepped into 4chan, I was an immediate /x/phile. In layman's terms, my first home board was /x/Paranormal where anons talk about anything supernatural, weird and odd. Discussions about tulpas, skin walkers, dreams and mythologies are usual. Most of the anons in /x/ are also deemed to have the best research skills in all of 4chan.

The following riddles I'll share with you today is from one of /x/'s many threads. It was originally archived but the current state of the website is still unsure. OP translated the riddles he got from 2chan thread called "Stories that are scary if you understand their meaning." Some of the stories here were also gathered from other sources.

Basically you have to know what fuck is going on in each story. Jot down your theories and answers and we'll check them later. Let's begin!

On Air: PBB Scripted Edition

Inspired from the classic novel 1984, the Big Brother franchise had made its rounds around the globe, garnering millions of viewers and ratings. There are different "editions" over the years but the main strategy is the same: Gather different personalities in one house and observe their behavior 24/7. The audiences love it.

I was still in fifth grade when the Pinoy Big Brother first came to Philippine shores. It was an instant success and is followed by nine more editions of the franchise. Just yesterday, the Big Brother house opened its doors once again for another season. It's been hyped for a few months now so whenever the show would either satisfy or infuriate the viewers, the results are immediately posted online:

#PBBScripted

Analyzing Arashi Music Videos is Now an Academic Effort

Arashi fans are now excited for Arashi's new single "GUTS!", but in a surprising turn of events, another Arashi-related news is making its way around the online community. Apparently, Meiji University is offering a course focusing on one of Japan's biggest male group to date

The prestigious Meiji University, a private institution located in Tokyo, is offering a class on the boy band, Arashi. While this marks the first time the class will be devoted to Arashi, the class itself, a study in social psychology, has been offered for twenty years. Due to students' demands for a study on sexuality, the course has also previously discussed the band SMAP. This year's course comes at a good time—Arashi is celebrating their 15th anniversary, having debuted in 1999. 

According to the syllabus, the following topics will be covered:
Introduction - Arashi's Era
The Culture of Johnny's Entertainment
Before Arashi, focusing on SMAP
Changes in Arashi's PVs - Before the big break
Changes in Arashi's PVs - After the big break
A comparison of the members of Arashi
Arashi members as they appear on variety shows
Arashi in dramas
Arashi in concert
Arashi and J-Pop
Arashi and K-Pop
Johnny's Entertainment post-Arashi
Overview on the Era of Arashi
Test

This is one university course I am certain I'll definitely pass with flying colors.

Bye Bye Nokia, You Shall be Remembered

A while ago, I logged into my Google Mail to do a bit of spring cleaning in my Inbox folder when a wild Nokia email appeared:

Hello,
We wanted to share some important information about your data privacy and contracts. 

Nokia currently expects to complete the sale of its Devices & Services business to Microsoft in April 2014. 

With the completion of this transaction, a Microsoft Finnish affiliate* assumes responsibility for your personal data and the contractual relationships for the products and services related to this business. Microsoft cares deeply about your privacy and the protection of your personal data and will continue to collect and use your personal data in the same ways and for the same reasons as Nokia, and you should experience no difference as a result of the sale.

I-It's h-happening

It's surreal to see one of the world's mobile giants being bought and dissolved. Though one can't blame Nokia. They are pretty much forgotten in the phone market. I mean cmpared to their competitor's operating systems and android applications, Nokia got left behind in the race. People are saying that the problem isnt just that, I agree but you should also admit that sticking to Symbian OS contributed a lot to where Nokia is right now. 

In 2011, the then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt had tried convincing the mobile giant to use Android as their primary smartphone platform instead of the Windows Phone. That was like three years ago, and now the android phones have gone a long long way. Nokia already had a strong userbase and it just kills me to imagine the what might have changed if they only listened.

A post in the Official Microsoft Blog stated:

"Today we are excited to share that we have completed the steps necessary to finalize Microsoft’s acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business. The transaction will be completed this Friday, April 25, when we’ll officially welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business as part of the Microsoft family. "

Being one of this year's biggest acquisitions, both companies had changes made from the original deal. A few which is that Microsoft will still manage the nokia website and social media sites for up to a year for the benefit of the customers (Nokia would be rebranded anyway so the online marketing will have to stop sooner or later). However they will not acquire Nokia’s Korean manufacturing facility.

As mentioned, Nokia will also be rebranded. It was after a letter to Nokia's suppliers were leaked online saying "...that upon the close of the transaction between Microsoft and Nokia, the name of Nokia Corporation/Nokia Oyj will change to Microsoft Mobile Oy."

Microsoft Mobile Oy

Microsoft Mobile

Jesus Microsoft, be creative for once will you? At least think up a better brand name that could live up to Nokia. That was one brand we all grew up with, it was my mother's first mobile phone, and mine as well. That was the brand we speak because it already have nice picture messages! I remember our class going batshit crazy when a classmate had that new Nokia with colored screen! Everybody borrows a Nokia when we were in fourth grade because we need to beat that high score in Snake and Space Impact. I read the whole Twilight Saga in a Nokia flip phone. We've seen those two hands reaching for each other for a decade.

It reigned in an era Microsoft, I hope you'll give Nokia the justice it deserves. (I know, I'm bitter)

Funny Pinoys

Armed with an internet connection, a camera and a "shabu pa" philosophy, an average Filipino will go a long long way. You see, apart from the usual memes, political opinions and trending topics brought by the Filipino online community, random photos showcasing a Pinoy's optimistic and stupidly hilarious side are another source of laughter that never fails:

A Game of Hairdos

"All men must die" says Game of Throne's new series of ad campaign, marketing the show's current 4rth season. Sounds quite cynical, but in the past three years, the fantasy series have given its viewers a large dose of negative feels. From honorable Ned Stark's execution up to the Red Wedding, the show is still massively popular despite all these heartbreaks. After all, it is a fan's dream to see the world of Westeros come to life, and everybody's still hoping for that happy ending.

Seems like a lifetime ago...

Apart from its actors and tantalizing plot lines, another factor to the show's popularity I believe was its attention to detail. It's not something audiences immediately notice like "Oh look at that dress, the embroidered lion is simply delicate" but more of seeing each and every element create one believable, general universe. Seeing everything in one broad picture. Those production guys are good.

Still we also get to appreciate the said details later on. As for me, I am quite sharp when it comes to the top three female characters' crowning glory:

My Hands Doin Gymnastics

I have small hands. Like super small compared to my body size. It's surreal, I always feel like I'm an alien or something. My feet are the same too, they are size 6! I could also get into size 5 if the shoe is wide enough. I remember some friends back in high school teasing me for having "lily feet". But let's go back to my hands, due to their stunted, malnourished feature, I decided a long time ago to put them to good use. Thus here are some abilities I discovered. I have no idea how they're going to benefit in the future (aside from becoming a weird superhero or whatever):

Am I freaky now or what?

Introducing Muyi and Miki!

Earlier this day, a collage is making its rounds on Facebook garnering countless comments and hate. Apparently it shows the couple Zhang Muyi and Akama Miki with the caption "A 24 year old Guy FELL IN LOVE with a 12 year old Girl". With those words, it's not surprising to see hordes of comments screaming child abuse and pedophile. Personally, I'm not against their relationship, plus this is a piece old news from 2012 and based from their weibo accounts, it's obvious they're still together anyway. Plus Ohno Satoshi's 33 years old already but I still hope to marry him or whatever (lol just kidding...XD a girl can dream)

Drawings for the Day

I was unusually productive last night. It's rare but I'm happy I was in the mood to draw, must be due to the end of the examinations and the nervous wait for the inevitable, uncertain future. lolx

Now Remembering: Childhood Cartoons Part 1

The kiddie time slot being broadcasted in the local channels these days are beyond shit. Either the TV guys were lazy or have bad tastes but the glory that was weekday cartoons no longer exists. Apart from the absence of educational shows, the animes being shown were not the ones you expect a child of six would watch and understand. Naruto, Dragonball and Sailor Moon were overused beyond repair.

So how was it before anyway if I'm so whiny? Man, it was a glorious. I don't remember all episodes obviously but thanks to Wikipedia, I could recall small bits of the the beloved cartoons. Here are some of the beautiful animated tales that my childhood colorful:

Disney Connections: Frozen Tangled with Tangled

This is a hasty-made post, so I'll just add improvements later. So anyway I wanna share two great rumors concerning the connection between the world of Corona and Arendelle (a.k.a. Frozen and Tangled) Disney's notorious of hidden easer eggs so the following might be possible:
Recently, it was discovered that Flynn and Rapunzel were inserted as surprise cameos in Frozen, sometime when Anna was singing "For the First Time in Forever". The physical similarities are obvious.

On Winters and Finnick

I've got a busy schedule this week. It's getting worse. Between surprise quizzes and joining our school's job fair, it's simply outlandish how the teachers still managed to add more requirements whose deadlines are around a week before the exams! So last weekend, to chill myself, I decided to watch Catching Fire and Frozen.

I've got to say that I absolutely love the Hunger Games trilogy, but I wasn't able to watch the second movie last year because Christmas is an expensive season that makes everybody dirt poor. So I was so damn excited when I finally get to watch it last Saturday. Not surprisingly, they were once more faithful to the book. I don't remember much but it all came back to me as the plot progressed. It's cool to see the events unfold on the big screen like it did in my imagination while reading it years ago. However only Finnick Odair made a dent in my mind. The gorgeous, pretty, mesmerizing Finnick Odair:

Now Watching: Got to Believe Season 2

Just this Tuesday, the primetime series "Got to Believe" a.k.a G2B became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter worldwide as the characters of Chichay (Kathryn Bernardo) and Joaquin (Daniel Padilla) broke up for the sake of his health and future. It's the a usual theme found in love stories, but it still made a lot of fans broken hearted (haha including me). That was why the second season of series was welcomed heartily as Chichay met Joaquin once again after 2 years. His health this time is no longer in harm's way but he had amnesia due to his operation and failed to identify Chichay.

This time the event is kinda similar to the one Meteor Garden, the taiwanese live version of the popular manga Hana Yori Dango, popularized and set the standards for later asian remakes of the same manga. It is understandable that people would assume Got to Believe copied the idea. Chill dudes, try to count the number of times our beloved amnesia was used. Yep you need plenty of fingers to do that.

Anyway that isn't the reason why I decided to blog about this series today. Just a while ago, I came upon a text being passed around the social media that is allegedly huge spoilers for the show. I still don't know its origin. Still I just have to share it here too:

Ang twist po kase nung story, Si Juliana talaga ang nakabaril sa anak nyang si Joaquin kaya simula pagkabata ganun na lang ang pag aalala ni Juliana sa anak nya, Gusto palitan ni Juliana ng pagmamahal at pag-aalaga dahil once na malaman ni Joaquin ang katotohanan na hindi si Papa Bear ang may kasalanan mas lalong lalayo si Joaquin sa kanya at tuluyan nyang kalimutan ang Mama niya. 

Hindi nagka-amnesia si Joaquin kaya niya lamang nagawang makilala si Liza dahil sa Mommy nya pero nagmamatiyag padin si Joaquin kay Chichay kaya nandun padin sila magkasama. 

Ginagawa lang to ni Joaquin para maligtas ang pamilyang Tampipi from San Juan kaya nagkunyari siyang may amnesia pero si joaquin pa rin ang nagproprovide ng mga paintings ni Chichay kaya po habang sumisikat si Chichay bilang painter, si Joaquin naman nagbibigay ng mga brushes at paints ni Chichay, Sinakyan lamang ni Joaquin ang mama nya para sa kapakanan ni Chichay kaya nga po "SACRIFICE" ang ginawa niya but still mamimiss nila ang isa't isa.

Fanfic or not, this is interesting. For one, I myself had already suspected Juliana since a friend reminded me (yes, we are serious when it comes to G2B) that she did her share of pulling out a gun in a self pity session during the night the young Joaquin was shot. Unraveling her little secret is an expected future event. As for the fake amnesia, well it had been done before but I'm not so confident with this prediction. If this turns out to be the real plot of the series it sure is an evil thing to do to all the parties involved.

Fransisco d'Anconia's Money Speech

Now I'm going to share to you once again a text that is worth reading. For starters, it is actually a speech by Fransisco d'Anconia, a character from a most influential novel by Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.

There's a movie too if you're interested

Now to those who haven't read the novel, you might have heard about how philosophical it is, how deep, sometimes how bad some of Rand's logic were. However, amidst all the debate, the speech I'm going to share to you today is one of my ultimate favorites.

Remember the cliche, "Money is the root of all evil?", the following paragraphs will make think:

Now Watching: You Who Came From the Stars

You Who Came From the Stars is still on its sixth episode as of the moment, but it had already surpassed the 20% ratings mark, making it one of Korea's successful dramas. The leads, Gianna Jun and Kim Soo-hyun are both popular and respected. They have previously been together in the movie The Thieves, which only made this drama a must-watch as their on screen chemistry had been noticeable. It's no wonder the drama went off to a good start and steadily gaining supporters

Plus, when its broadcast rights was sold to China, it was at the highest price ever of all Korean dramas. Whoa man, that is amazing. This was in truth, the main reason why I decided to watch this. Now I'm hooked and I don't know how to let go.

The drama uses en medias res, a narrative that begins, not at the beginning of a story, but somewhere in the middle: We see an alien Do Min-joon, who landed on Earth 400 years ago during Joseon Dynasty period. He is still living in modern times but his looks remained unchanged. As the plot progresses, we got to know his story through a series of flash backs. Apparently, Min-joon is kinda stranded on Earth, but during his early days, he helped save the life of a 15-year-old girl newly-widowed girl named Yi-hwa and eventually fell in love with her. However their story ended in a tragic way as the girl was first betrayed by her in-laws and eventually her very own parents. HER OWN PARENTS. Why was that? Because of culture and reputation and shit. Humans are not to be trusted.

Due to his experiences, Min-joon, despite having superpowers c/o his alien origins (stopping time, enhanced vision, hearing and speed) he chooses to ignore the problems of the world  since he believes that there is this thing called fate and whatever he does, he won't make a difference anyway and that intervening would only makes things worse. Plus, humans are not to be trusted.

Now back to the present, Min-joon met a new neighbor, the popular Hallyu star Song Yi. She's bitchy, proud, stubborn, cunning, rude and beautiful. But deep down inside, she is lonely. Doesn't stop her from being mischievous and adorable though. Min-joon was at first, is (not surprisingly) annoyed at this noisy neighbor of his. Turns out, she is also his student at the university too, and he was able to save her in various instances. Really adorable, these two.

However, as far as I could see that it's still a one-sided love story as Min-joon was only one who is conscious with his deepening emotions for the actress, while on the other hand, the beautiful Song Yi is still quite busy with being drunk, problems with her failing career, and her broken family (which includes a lovable father, a hopeless brother and a social climbing leech for a mother). It might take time for their love story to become mutual it seems.

Now back to Min-joon, as he is slowly, and reluctantly becoming part of her life he made a surprising discovery: The younger Song Yi looks very much like his first love, Yi-hwa. It turns out they've met a few years before as a younger Song Yi was saved by Min-joon himself. It is also good to take note that Song Yi hates doing historical dramas set in the Joseon Era, and feels emotional towards a certain crystal hairpin in a museum which apparently was once Yi-hwa's. The two are as different as the moon and sun but it seems there is a possibility of reincarnation. Min-joon put the pieces together and bam! Too late, he's already in looove. It's not about Song Yi's resemblance anymore, it's there time together in the past two weeks. In fact Min-joon finds himself missing her once in a while, saying he's unwilling to do her favors but ends up doing them anyway. Aww you are so falling for her dude.

In the last episode, matters are getting sadder with Song Yi's childhood best friend Hwi-kyung proposes to her in a ferris wheel, with Min-joon on the grounds. As Song-Yi was about to answer, he stops time temporarily as he walks away.

“There is a moment I wish I could stop forever.
And even if I must do this to prevent it, there are words I don’t want to hear.”

Ouch. It was truly comical how the events worked, it's kinda predictable but Kim Soo-hyun and Gianna Jun's performances were amazing, bringing to life characters you could relate to (even if one is a 400-year-old alien)

There is more to the drama of course, and a lot of good characters. It's not usual to find a drama where the minor guys are actually decent and memorable. Take Jae Kyung for example, some of the YWCFTS fans don't like him much, but I kinda loved how he is supposed to love animals but is very much OK with killing people. Sounds like Hitler eh? Another favorite is Se Mi, played by Yoo In Na, who by the way is her third time to play an actress. Compared to the past two dramas however, Yoo In Na's Se Mi is the best friend of all ages, unrequited love, the supporting character, you name it! She has her own dreams too, that's why I couldn't really blame her actions as she proceeded to take Song Yi's place.

I'd like to on and on, but I guess I'll stop here for now.
It's a really good drama and I am praying so fucking hard that they will continue to be one in the next episodes, God knows how disappointed I was with Gu Family Book and how bored I became with The Heirs (which is is essentially OK, but I found myself skipping a lot of scenes in the later episodes, so I was disappointed in a way), I hope this one will end well. In the meantime, waiting for episode is a torture, my impatience isn't helping either =_=)!

The End of Wardstone Chronicles is HERE

I finally got the two books. The last remnants of the beloved series.

When I first got hold of Spook's Apprentice, I was seriously up for some cliche adventure, cheesy romance and all the elements a fantasy young adult could possibly give. But nooooo, let's start shoving as much horror, death and gore as we can muster. Just kidding, it's not really that extreme, but compared to the conventional YA books, Wardstone is dark. It has the same pacing as the Harry Potter books, as Tom Ward too began his career with the Spook at the tender age of thirteen, then each book represents a year of adventure that soon transformed the plot that gives Tom holds the destiny of either saving or destroying the world, at the expense of his loved ones. Pretty heavy huh?

So here I am with the last two installments. We will be having our midterms next week, but my inner goddess is demanding to make time to finish these jewels. I gave in, and I'll be posting the review here the moment I'm done. Sooo excited!~

1/21/2014 MY REVIEW - Lots of spoilers naturally, so click at your own risk.

Romantic Escapades of Yamashita Tomohisa

So after a few readers' requests, I decided to include Yamapi in my Romantic Escapades series. I actually have no idea where to start with this guy. Despite falling in love with him in Buzzer Beat, I have not truly delved into his celebrity life, I'm not a huge fan. But much to my surprise, his love stories are easy to find. I got to finish this one in a week and here it is!
Have fun reading!