Yahoo, am here again to bring you some juicy review from the newest J-drama I’m currently watching: Mukodono 2003.

This series caught my interest in crunchyroll.com one boring afternoon when I was in search of a funny series to watch. (Which was the same thing that happened when I found Hana Kimi) Actually I thought that the guy in the thumbnail looks cute. XD

The series didn’t fail me – the guy was cute, he’s cool, and surely enough, it’s funny. ^___^

Summary: Meet Yuichiro Sakuraba, an uber popular singer/songwriter who cause millions of fangirls to worship everything about him – even his billboards. The first episode opens up showing his uber popularity with the girls screaming at his newly put up billboard as well as his new commercial that’s even shown in theaters. Japanese dramas always put the catch amid the mainstream facade. Get this: Behind the cool personality is a complete geek who acts like a 10-year old. (see photo below)

The story doesn’t focus on that twist alone, it even explored him juggling between his married life and his stardom. It’s really funny to see him acting really cool to the public then throwing a tantrum later in his branded suit and star quality appearance.

This J-Drama puts drama in its series as well. I’m only in the second episode but I’ve seen a lot of comedy, drama, and a whole pack of silliness. The drama is not cheesy as it is related to married or professional life.

Episodes: 11 (Completed)
This is actually quite an old drama. There was a first season, Mukodono, but I haven’t seen that yet. From what I’m seeing in this series, I’ll be finishing it until episode 11 then move on to the first series. Weird, I know. Haha ^^;;;

Only downside I see is that the opening is really boring. The opening song SUUUUCKS. XD

I’m really thankful I dropped by National Bookstore and saw a manga sale!! Php75 for each manga.

Anyway thanks to that sale, I found this manga entitled Dragon Head.

Summary: Aoki Teru and his class are finally going home after a school trip in a train bound to Tokyo, when suddenly the train derailed, knocking everyone out. When Teru finally came to, a sight of Hell greets him. Every one of his classmates are dead with the train a complete mess. Desperate to stay alive, Teru searched for other survivors and saw two. Together they will struggle to live in the tunnel and search for a way out where a post-apocalyptic Japan greet them.

Ok, back to my rant. I bought two volumes, volume one and three (because they’re the only two I found).  I read both in one night. I was alone in my room and it was really quiet in the boarding house. Those factors made reading Dragon Head REALLY SCARY.

I tell you, the story is really scary. Imagine yourself trapped in a claustrophobic room with the dead around you. Worse, those dead people are your classmates, friends, and teachers. You don’t have any communication to the outside world and you don’t even know if your family is still alive. And when you get out of that hellhole, you find another Hell outside.

Marvel at the dead bodies, yeh, yeh.

And I quote from the third volume (just to spur your curiosity):

Teru: “What’s going on…? Are both my watches broken? It should be noon right now… why is it so dark…?”

Ako: “Isn’t it… because it’s nighttime…? It’s night, right? There’s the moon.”

Teru: “Moon…? Is that the moon? Could it be…”

Ako: “IT’S THE SUN! WHY IS THE SUN OUT WHEN IT’S SO DARK? NO IT CAN’T BE!”

Nyahahha. That’s no spoiler. Go read the manga. Here are the links to leech off:

www.stoptazmo.com/manga-series/dragon_head
(Requires log in. Register if you don’t have an account. It’s uber free.

http://mangadownload.net/manga/series/89
(Requires log in too. Register if you don’t have an account. It’s ALSO uber free.)

Of course, it can also be leeched through #lurk.

Gogogogogogogo download!

Smoke, pollution, dust, dirty carpets

They’re the bane of my existence.

For two weeks now I’ve been slowing down the symptoms of first, sore throat, then, my cold, then now, my coughs.

Then today I’m experiencing a familiar feeling that I’ve experienced months before. I’m coughing again like mad, my nose is clogged, and my hearing is going bad again. Earlier at work I thought I’d cough my brains out, good thing I didn’t.

I think I’ve bronchitis again. Will confirm tomorrow when I consult the doctor.

Funny that I have to experience again the reason why I decided to board a house near work. Because I was diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis, I boarded a house and now it comes to this.

But then again the city is a rotten one. Fucking smoke belchers hound the roads everyday. Smokers pile up every nook of buildings in the corporate city where I work. They’re everywhere that I can’t even BREATHE clean air.

In the office earlier I can’t breathe because of the carpet. And to add to my coughs, the cleaner did her usual job of sweeping the carpeted floor. Oh, mercy.

I was dying. Thank God.

When I arrived here in the province, I could actually breathe. For real. The air here feels better. When I lie down, it doesn’t feel like I’m suffocating. My room in the frigging boarding house suffocates me like a room without windows.

Before I tried to sleep today I remembered the line in Hannibal Rising when the war criminals listened to Mischa’s back and said:

“It’s pneumonia. She doesn’t have much to live.”

Hope I won’t come to that.

Proposed solutions for filtering out all the shits of the city:

1. Put filter on the nose to inhale air and filter the bad #(#($(#**%*^@ air.
2. Beat all smokers in buses into a nice sticky pulp.
3. Scream when someone smokes near me.
4. Murder housemates who smoke in the comfort room.
5. Burn 7/11’s cigarette display.
6. Burn 7/11 itself.
7. Strangle jeepney drives who smoke, steal a strand of hair, and buy a voodoo doll.
8. Buy sniper rifle and shoot at jeepneys that belch smoke.
9. Buy a gas mask and withdraw from society (NOT!)
10. Throw acid at people who blow smoke at my face.

DIE DIE DIE MY DARLING
DON’T UTTER A SINGLE WORD
DIE DIE DIE MY DARLING
JUST SHUT YOUR PRETTY EYES
I’LL BE SEEING YOU IN HELL
I’LL BE SEEING YOU… IN HELL!

Fuck the world. It’s killing me.

I’m like earth and the bane of my existence global warming. Teehee

I don’t really believe that all cartoons are just for kids. That goes for anime too, but that’s another matter.

I’ve four favorite cartoons that I don’t regularly watch but love watching everytime I get the chance. It always makes me laugh everytime I watch it. The silliness is awesome. Total stress reliever. Here are my favorite cartoons:

The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy

My most favorite cartoon, I think. The silliness and comedy factor reach the highest level. The cartoon is basically about a grim reaper, a stupid boy named Billy, and Mandy, who’s an evil girl. The cartoon presents an irony of a grim reaper being under the control of two kids who lords over him. I never get tired of watching this cartoon, even if I watch replays. So frigging funny.

Like the episode I watched earlier: Billy suspected that Mandy ate his family. When Billy and Grimm were stalking Mandy, Billy found some bones in the trash can. Billy immediately suspected that the bones are his family’s bones. lol

Grimm: No, Billy, those are chicken bones! Trust me, I know bones!

Ahahaha lol Sometimes the episodes are entirely senseless but they’re funny nonetheless.

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

Another one of my uber favorites. I believe that the graphics are the only thing that makes this cartoon – the story can’t really cater to kids. lol The story has no moral lessons whatsoever (although I admit sometimes it hints some lessons but not really obvious) and sometimes the story even goes cynical.

Bloo and Matt are the main characters plus the rest of the imaginary friends. Each character are unique and really thought of, like Eduardo the big violet imaginary friend. He’s a scaredy cat despite looking like a huge brute guy. Hehe

One of my favorite episodes is the one with Bloo and Berry in it. Berry became in love with Bloo and she wanted to steal Bloo from Matt. The entire episode, Bloo kept calling Berry wrong names, even guy names. lmao In the end he didn’t even say the correct name XD So hilarious.

Courage the Cowardly Dog

This one is pretty funny too. It’s about a couple who lives in the middle of nowhere with a cowardly dog named Courage. Nyahha, the irony. The episodes are ’scary’ where monsters and other horrible creatures always target the old woman. Courage always tries to rescue her, going through a lot of obstacles and finally being successful.

I like the show because of the reactions and the story itself. Plus the addition of the noisy old man makes the cartoon awesome. The phrase ’stupid dog!’ said by the old man never gets tiresome.

Spongebob Squarepants

Ok, you’re weird if you don’t know this cartoon. The famous Ba-a-a-a-a-a laugh of Spongebob is an entertainment itself. The cartoon is senseless to the point that you can’t even try to explain the story. The silly reactions and funny situations make the cartoon so hilarious.

The stories come from something really simple like Spongebob not knowing how to tie his shoelaces. After consulting all the people he knew without results, he finally tied his shoelaces with the help of Gary, his pet snail which meows. Nyahaha

 

Anyway that’s it. If you want to take a breather or just relieve stress, these are the cartoons that I guarantee will give you all the happiness in the world. >____<

… but I didn’t really miss home – for some strange reason.

But always, I look forward to the weekend for exercise!

My family and I have been going to the sports complex in Marymount to play badminton. The place has a relatively huge building with four badminton courts, gym, billiards table, and a swimming pool. We’ve been doing it regularly every Sunday morning for some time now. It’s a good thing since I don’t get any exercise during weekdays.

So after a long week with two days of bloody e-services 2008 event management (where I got sick on the second day with lbm and vomiting), weekend finally came and it’s uber nice.

We’re not really badminton freaks for a long time, but ever since my mum decided to play badminton to get some regular exercise to burn cholesterol and other stuffs that oldies get, we became involved in the game and eventually liked it.

We already have four good branded badminton rackets which are quite expensive. Which is funny, since my parents are not really fond of spending much on most things. We have two Carlton, one Yonex, and a Dunlop racket.

We’re not really at par with the veteran players since we aren’t really trained in the game. For me, I just learned from high school and college (which didn’t teach us much on right posture, blah blah). My parents learned from peers and badminton instructors in Baker hall, my brother is just athletic, and my sister learned from us.

Am also improving bit by bit and learning some techniques by copying them and from watching the veteran players play. It really feels good. I don’t know if there’s a badminton complex in Alabang, but if there is, I’d probably go there and play for some nights. XD

Next week am planning to swim since when I looked earlier, the water is already clear. The week after last when I swam there, the water was terrible. There were floating powdered chemical, as well as other dirt, leaves, and even dead insects. Just disgusting lol.

Meh, am bored with typing this post. lol

Today, as my mum advised, I went to the doctor who specializes in orthopaedia and arthritis to have him check my back. Fortunately, I was allowed to go go on a half day for the check up, since the doctor is only available MWF from 4 to 7pm.

Ever since high school, I’ve been cracking my back every time it hurts. In high school, it was no big deal – I could live with the pain. But as soon as I started college and experienced more stress than fun, the pain came. Then as I graduated and worked and went on a lifestyle that requires sitting in front of the computer for 8 hours minimum per day, I experienced really bad backaches.

I never told anyone about this because it was just minor shit – I could live with it, and definitely other people could live without knowing it. Everytime I go to the comfort room, I stretch a lot to relieve the pain. But it never goes away.

And so the doctor looked at my back and diagnosed me with fibromyalgia – which, explains all the hassle that I’ve been experiencing practically my whole life. I never thought that what I term as simple backaches cause a lot of different non-backpains.

And I quote medicinenet.com:

“What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. Fibromyalgia is also characterized by restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disturbances in bowel function. Fibromyalgia was formerly known as fibrositis.”

Furthermore:

” Also, patients with fibromyalgia have impaired non-Rapid-Eye-Movement, or non-REM, sleep phase (which likely explains the common feature of waking up fatigued and unrefreshed in these patients). The onset of fibromyalgia has been associated with psychological distress, trauma, and infection.”

So that explains why I’ve always been feeling tired when I wake up in the morning. It’s not necessarily oversleeping since I feel so tired and I feel still sleepy when I wake up with eight hours of ‘good’ sleep. It also explains why I wake up easily when someone opens the door, steps into my room, or simply make sounds outside my door. Definitely, I haven’t been getting deep sleeps.

And yet another true point:

“Mental and/or emotional disturbances occur in over half of fibromyalgia patients. These symptoms include poor concentration, forgetfulness, mood changes, irritability, depression, and anxiety. Since a firm diagnosis of fibromyalgia is difficult, and no confirmatory laboratory tests are available, patients with fibromyalgia are often misdiagnosed as having depression as their primary underlying problem.”

And it’s true. I’ve had short term memory ever since high school. Depression is true as well – I often get depressed about stuffs that I shouldn’t really get depressed with. Same with concentration. lol I guess everyone has a problem with concentration.

What’s funny though that the pains exhibited in medicinenet.com of those who suffer fibromyalgia are exactly what I feel on my body (pardon my terrible English, am not in the mood to write today XD). And I quote:

“Pain usually affects the neck, buttocks, shoulders, arms, the upper back, and the chest. “Tender points” are localized tender areas of the body that can bring on widespread pain and muscle spasm when touched. Tender points are commonly found around the elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, back of the head, and the sides of the breast bone.”

When I go for a massage, those parts hurt the most when it’s massaged. Especially the upper back.

I also have a mild scoliosis, which is not really serious at all.

Anyway, it’s just good that I know what has been causing all these shits that I have been experiencing. Now, I’m drinking some drugs again to ‘cure’ the pain together with therapy sessions every Saturday. Actually I can’t wait for it to start since I’d be getting really nice massages, perhaps. Heehee

Another downside is: I got to spend the money for drugs instead of spending it for the blouse I want. D:

Sighness. I need more money! Boohoo.

Boarding Laguna-bound bus in Alabang makes you feel the ‘air’ of the province. I felt this when I boarded the bus at 2pm in Alabang. The bus was sluggish and slow trying to make the bus full by stopping at points where passengers were waiting. And while the bus was at it, these vendors step up and sings.

Haha, of course, not literally ’singing’. They’re more of yelling the products they’re holding or yelling with a tone unique for those who live in Laguna, most specifically in Sta. Cruz where their accent or tone is similar to singing.

Ponkan… Ponkan… matamis, sariwa… Ponkan…
Itlog ng pugo… itlog ng pugo…
Chicharon bulacan Chicharon malutong…
Mani mani mani mani mani…
Nilagang mani, bagong luto, nilagang mani…
Mineral water, ma’m, sir? Mineral water
Minute burger, minute burger kayo dyan…
Buko pie buko pie buko pie, pang pasalubong, mainit pa, buko pie (when we arrive in Calamba)

And what’s funny is there were so many vendors stepping up the bus and yelling the same product that sometimes I thought, hey, this is the same person as earlier! Or was I seeing double? lol It’s like a marketplace where everybody is competing with the same product they’re selling.

And it was definitely noisy, of course. It’s like being in a marketplace except that you’re in a bus sitting. It could be annoying at times when you want some peace and quiet and there they go with their business.

Some vendors are quite persistent since even though there are passengers standing in the bus, they squeeze in and still promote their products. Hehe. That greatly annoys me. But that’s what they live for, so I can’t quite blame them.

The sights and adventures of going home.

All I can say is… I LOVE LIVE YAOI!!!

Yaoi = (ya-o-ee) Stories in anime or manga which focus on male homosexuality (not necessarily erotic in nature). www.animecritic.com/resources/glossary.html

Since shows on TV made me bored and my sister and I already finished the latest season of CSI Las Vegas through the holidays, I searched for some comedy Japanese Dramas. The I found Hana Kimi!

Hana Kimi is a Japanese drama based on a completed manga with the same title. The manga was also adapted into a Taiwanese drama. It’s a story about an American-raised girl, Ashiya Mizuki, who idolized a high jumper named Sano Izumi. When Ashiya discovered his idol stopped high jumping, she went back to Japan and enrolled in an all-boys school.

AND THEN YES!!! YAOI!!! Haha… >__<

It shocked me that Shun Oguri (also star of Hana Yori Dango as Rui) turned brokeback to his co-star Ikuta Toma! The scene turned into yaoi (!!!) when Oguri got drunk over nara pickles and turned into a kiss-monster. Hehe. I can’t stop laughing  XD

Another thing that made me like Japanese drama more than Taiwanese or Korean drama is my familiarity with the language. Somehow I can’t stand the sound of Chinese or Korean. Plus, the boys are cute. Hehe  Also, the humor is really random and the funny scenes really REALLY unrealistic. But really funny though.

 >______<

Ever since I stepped in the van bound to Los Baños in Festival and heard three girls talking about applying to call centers and being really proud about it, I’ve been thinking, how does call centers affect our country? It helps build up the economy and generate jobs… but for who, actually?

These jobs are for everyone who has the capacity to talk fluently and deal with clients around the world or here in the country. Minimum requirements include being a high school graduate and has a strong command of the English language. But of course, even those who are overqualified who wanted to earn big bucks can apply as well. It’s pretty much open to everyone.

So then I go back to the three girls talking about applying to call centers. As I was just beside them, I heard all what they were talking, all the time holding back from visibly rolling my eyes. The two girls were applicants who went around Alabang to apply for call centers – well, mainly voice call centers. The other girl has a lot of experience with handling calls as well as non-voice correspondence with clients.

They were talking enthusiastically about where the two girls can apply. It seemed like they were having a hard time getting through a call center, even though the girl claimed some of the exams were really easy. The girl was telling her other companion to refer the two girls for them to get in for the job. If a person doesn’t know the details and listened accidentally to them, I think that person would mistake them talking about applying to non-call center jobs.

But I admit having a job at a call center and talking about it like it’s the typical skill/knowledge-based job is a normal thing. But what disturbed me was that these girls apparently came from the University of the Philippines Los Baños and recently graduated. And they were talking about applying to call centers like it’s their priority.

The girl was even bitter of not being a Development Communication student back then since she wanted to be a teacher. She said, quite spitefully, that she landed in ComArts instead. And then I thought, I have an officemate who graduated from UPLB who had a degree in Communication Arts and she’s an account manager.

Then the two girls were quite down since they didn’t pass some of the exams in the call centers. They were asking for the other girl some advice where to apply next and what to do in their next exams. The other girl was saying, once they get some experience, they’ll surely get the call center job they wanted.

Is it that hard to find a job related to your course? I know it’s one’s preference to apply as what they termed as “CSR” (customer service representatives) [which I honestly mistook as corporate social responsibility], but you have studied for four years of your life, took exams, conducted a thesis (or practicum), had your family become proud of you being a graduate from a well-known university, and then after you graduate, you decide to go and search for a call center job.

Maybe it’s one way of saving up and taking it easy. There are a lot of call center business established here in the Philippines mainly because we’re cheap in terms of salary and our English is best in Asia, so it’s easy to find one and take an exam. Compared to finding a job related to your course, yes, it’s really really tough to find one. But that doesn’t mean that the country’s running short on jobs related to everyone’s course and that all that’s left are customer service representatives post where I could assume that competition is gradually increasing since everyone flock there.

However, some see having a CSR job a ‘career’. Sure, since for long months you’ll be talking on your headset monitored by a team leader, then you move up to being a team leader where, yeah, you’ll be talking on your headset plus monitoring your team. Then, when you finally want to search new horizons, you’ll be going where? To call centers again.  It’s a never ending process where your career is based solely on a cycle which you cannot get out of, if you decide that to be your career.

I also have a housemate who took Development Communication as her course and she has been working in a huge call center in Alabang for more than two years, I think. When I told her I’m working as a writer, she said, “Ah, so you stuck on your course, huh?” Well, shouldn’t we? I don’t want to waste what I’ve learned in college.

And then I have acquaintances from college who I have high regard for. They’re the people I thought will go to greater heights. They were so proactive back in college, and now where are they? In call centers.  It’s a great mystery I still have to find out why.

I’m not making fun or looking down at call center agents, take note. I’m just flabbergasted (I like how this word sounds hehe) to see those who graduated from a four year course in good universities who choose to have a career in call centers. I thought that once you choose your first or second priority in degree and campus in high school, you have a dream you wanted to chase. I thought that once you set your goal in high school, you have a vision of yourself in the future on what you’re going to do.

It’s idealistic, but let’s be realistic and not practical. What exactly is the purpose why you studied for four years in college? For me it’s to have a good future. I want to climb the steps that would draw me to success on my career. Even though I receive shit pay, I know these hardships would pay off.

Let us not be practical and not think what is the easiest way to earn money. Don’t think what is the easiest way to get in a company. Think, what would be your future?

(I wanted to write an article more in-depth and researched, but what the heck… lol I don’t want my work to be carried to my blog writing.)  >___<

I always find myself pushing away the people around me.
I’ve been keeping myself locked away, unable to express myself.

For a long time I don’t know the meaning of being happy. I only experienced it this Christmas vacation when I found myself too free, too relaxed. I would never have to worry about anything.

I thought of how I was back then. How did I act? Was I always like this? I don’t think so. I was happy. I’m not these days.

…

I just proved that I get very depressed before I have my ‘girl thing’. XD HAHAHA I was laughing my head off earlier then now it’s like this. Also probably it’s because I miss my friends TOO frigging much! Arrrrrgghhh take note, I’m still alive! Let’s meet up sometime.

Anyway there are still little things that makes me happy. Candy apples, for instance. They’re so YUMMY. Can’t get enough of these stuffs…

Aaaaahhh it’s so yummy. Fresh apple, caramel, chocolate, then sprinkles. The bland juicy taste of the apple gets mixed with the sweetness of the caramel and the chocolate. The taste is unbelievably awesome. I can’t even forget how I ate it. Hehe ^-^;; The last pieces I ate were from the fridge so they snapped like crackers when I bit it. Then the caramel gets chewy along with the chocolate. They mixed with the juicy flavor of the apple. As Ryuuk said it, MMM JUICY!

If all apples are like this… Heehee I’d gladly eat them everyday. (That’s why I’m getting fat by the day – my jeans won’t even fit me anymore boohoo)

…

Anyway since it’s the new year, I’d like to recount the shits that happened the past year…

The start of 2007 is the start of prepping up for graduation. DEVC 180 campaign was the most major subject I had in that semester. For our seminar subject, it was just a matter of making a presentation on my thesis since I already finished my study the last semester. I didn’t really feel stressed that month, since I really enjoyed it. Add HUM 160 and NASC 7, which hit my favorite subjects – literature and animals. >__<

It was a fun semester mainly because I spent it with my friends. I remember, I always go to the NASC building early to meet one of my closest friends there. We’ll just talk like we were still in high school while waiting for my professor to go in the classroom. Fun times.

Then there was DEVC 180 where we had an all-girls team to campaign for something. XD It was all photoshop for me – making designs for tarpaulins, shirts, bookmarks, banner, buttons… err, ID… Haha it was fun.

Then suddenly graduation… It went by really fast. I mean REALLY fast. I didn’t even feel anything when I was handed the ‘folder’ which supposedly holds the diploma. I just knew it was another transition in life.

Then, bumming around. I get to be closer to mD people and even made a scanlation group – mD-xD where I devoted my time. It was fun to make a website, develop forums, make images for banners… I get to learn a lot of stuffs – even CMS. It was bonding moments with my sister since it was her summer vacation as well.

I get to attend some job fairs and apply to some companies in Manila – where I turned down two companies (SPi and EBAR). Heehee

And then I came to work in Laguna Water District for a month. I don’t even want to tell the details. All I remember was I always came home crying with irrational reasons which seemed funny now but really serious for me back then.

Resignation was tendered early August. I transitioned into a bum again, searching for jobs in the Internet, then finding a home-based part-time job where I wrote senseless articles (16 of them) and got paid Php2k+. I experienced writing nonsense tips and instructions for senseless stuffs (i.e. how to search for a job in the Internet).

I applied to jobs again and found myself constantly depressed. Sometimes I’d just sit on a corner of the house, alone, and weep endlessly. I’d go out to give resumes, walking alone feeling ashamed of myself when I show myself to people I know then lock myself up in the house again. I was on the border of insanity and sanity which was really hard. I was being TOO bitter about my decision and my mind wouldn’t let me rest.

Then I got interviewed by the company that I’m working in right now. I was really persistent and followed up on what happened with my application. Haha, I really bugged my supervisors well… Then they hired me.

Then I lost weight, having to go home to Laguna everyday then commuting to Alabang every single morning. It went on for more than a month, then I decided to board a house. After my birthday, I already lived in Alabang, near the office.

Then I experienced stress that I’ve never felt before. Back then, when I feel stressed, I could unwind by just being with my family. But since I was away, I felt so alone, and then the stress would hit me badly. It made me so tired…

So now it’s the new year. Same old thing.

…

I think I’ve ranted enough. That’s all. I warned you, it’s really incoherent! Haha.. >___>