Tuesday, March 31, 2009

It's Good to be Alive

the curious conversation with an old friendThere are some days when you get to feel like everything is going your way...

I found that watching one episode of Onegai My Melody before going to bed keeps in a good mood the following day. I'll see how long it lasts since I only have 35 episodes, and I'm already at episode 20. xD

There's also the other option of talking to someone like Mackie-nii. You can click on the image on the right to view it in another tab/window.

Sorry for those who can't understand Japanese, and sorry for those who can understand Japanese since my Japanese is horrible. xDDD

Of course, at the bottom of the said conversation we have some Tagalog and... some invented language here in this country. xD If anyone did understand what it was we were talking about, you'd guess it's pretty shallow, but since I'm in my happy mood, simple things are also quite funny to me. x3

You're also probably wondering why I haven't updated A.illusions yet.

*hides under her desk*

I've actually been working on a fanart for Nyanko-Chan's RE: Play Contest. I picked up a copy of her manga some time ago, and it reminded me a lot of my own project, Twilight's Calling. Cree adnd Twi would probably get along very well if they met. xD

Anyhow, I have only until tonight to finish my entry..! I'll do my best to finish it and then get back to A.illusions again. >.<;;;

...or maybe not?

I'm contemplating with doing a short doujin to take a break from A.illusions. Not that I'm tired of drawing A.illusions, but I've wanted to try and make a doujin since... forever. :D

If I draw a short one consisting of only 20-30 pages, it might not be so bad/long of a break, right?

I haven't fully decided yet, but we'll see. There are 2 pages left before Act 2 changes stages, so it would give me ample time to think about it.

In other news, I'm beginning to become more active in Facebook thanks to a new game. I'll take the time to write about it another time when my interface looks more presentable. :3

Jaz, this is all your fault.

Aaand~ Back to work for me~! <3

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Energy Medicine: The Aftermath

I came upon a 7 day challenge from Empower You regarding positive living. This is actually a long overdue post that I had been to busy to sit down and write about.

The idea was to change some typical routines in one's daily activity to have a more positive output. I thought it would be easy to do so, given that I was bored with my routine.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

I missed 2 days out of the 7 due to some issues I had no control over. It was a full moon on the week that I took up this challenge, and despite my doubts, I have noticed how the full moon can affect people's moods.

Being irritable when a problem comes along is never a good thing.

Let's not focus on that for now. Let me get to the challenges:

1. Be thankful for what you have.
This seemed fairly simple at first, but it was extremely difficult to be thankful for anything when you're pushed in a corner. Negative thoughts came to mind easier at the start of the day when the first thing you get is a nice helping of blame from your own parents and siblings. Admittedly though, the day goes by a little easier when you remember the good things, even the little ones.

2. Laugh for 5 minutes at the start of the day.
This just felt silly. I mean, as I expected, my mom thought I'd completely lost it, but at the same time, she said she was happy to see me smiling again. I honestly wouldn't do this on a daily basis, unless I can pretend I'm talking to someone on my mobile phone every morning, but it was fun.

3. Don't read the news.
My work deals with being up to date with current events... thankfully, not with your typical news. I've never been interested in politics so I was able to do this on a daily basis with no problems.

4. Look for good news!
Same with 3, I get to look for nice news and none of the violent variety. However, it's difficult to be happy for other people when you feel like the world is against you...

5. Find positive things to say at work or at home.
I completely went "are you kidding me?!" when I was in my 2 day slump. Honestly, I'm not the talkative type. You can hardly hear me say anything since I had met a nun who told me "speak only when it improves the silence". However, I forced myself to have lunch with colleagues to just... talk. And well, let's just say, laughing with others is better than laughing alone.

6. Watch some comedy shows.
The first thing that came to mind was that I should catch up on my Onegai My Melody episodes. It made me happy and feel nostalgic about the fun times I had role-playing and writing fan fictions in the past... This exercise did make me feel more creative, and it was a nice way to get away from trying to solve the issues that I could not control.

7. Give thanks and look forward to the next one.
On the second day of my slump, I broke down. I was angry with God for many frustrations I had in my heart. I could not understand what His plan was and at this point, I still can't. However, I realize too that nothing will change if you don't continue walking the road called life.

Overall, I don't think I got to accomplish the 7 Day Challenge as best as I could have. Perhaps the timing was off, because even though I saw how it positively affects my life, there were days when I realized that being and staying positive cannot be done when you're alone in the attempt.

I remember Yumi Omura from Chobits describing herself and I have to agree with her... "I'm human, and everything I say is affected by my moods. I lie, and I probably hurt a lot of people, but that's because I'm not perfect."

Is it ok for me to be angry and negative in some days in my life? There's no way for me to control everything in the world as it continues to change, but one thing I found to be true in this exercise..? Is that life's too short, and laughter? Well, it might actually be the best medicine after all.

onegai my melody hiiragi keiichi

Friday, March 13, 2009

Feng Wei Wee: A Taste of Taiwanese Cuisine

feng wei wee's gulaman shaved icy milk dessertThe weather is the first indication that summer is already here. Good thing for me though, that my brother enjoys going to my favorite shaved ice place.

Yes, I took a bite from the treat before taking a picture again. Can you blame me? xD

This isn't your typical Ice Monster treat. This unique dessert is actually from Feng Wei Wee, a Taiwanese restaurant near my place, somewhere along Del Monte. The main difference between this icy dessert and all the others, is that the ice is made of sweet milk. They have a variety of toppings from fruits, to beans, and my brother's favorite, gulaman or jelly as seen in the picture.

The sweetness of the dessert goes very well with the house tea, and the perfect way to cool off from the summer heat. My nephew loves the red bean topping while my personal favorite is the kiwi fruit, minus the syrup they put on, since I don't like it too sweet.

feng wei wee's vegetable fried dumplingsOf course, Feng Wei Wee also serves Taiwanese cuisine. In fact, the restaurant is set up like a turo-turo canteen. Turo-turo literally means "pointing" because all the food is set up in front where you can point to which ever food you'd like to have.

I must say, I'm not a big fan of fried dumplings, but I did enjoy their version of this classic Chinese snack. The slightly spicy sauce compliments the dish by not making it too hot to burn off your taste buds.

It's not too often that I get to go out and have a snack with my brother, but in the rare times that we do go out, we always end up somewhere deliciously satisfying. I'm a little annoyed that I forgot to take pictures in that little cafe we went to the other day... And I'm beginning to notice that I'm beginning to become a shutterbug like Tiffy and Bong when it comes to food. @_@;;; Influential much?

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I Wonder If I'm Going to Regret This?

shocked khyle from a.illusionsI think most people know I'm not a yaoi type of fan girl. In fact, I hardly touch anything that's shounen ai. Boys' Love is a genre that's simply not my cup of tea.

So why is this week's update stating otherwise??? D:

Tori is obviously up to something. I'm just not sure what he wants to accomplish by glomping Khyle. I mean that in the figurative and literal sense because I have writer's block for the next page.

I know what the page is going to look like. I know how the panels should be arranged and what effects to use... however, I've never written a shounen ai script before..!

Definitely out of my comfort zone... =.=;;; I hope the fans have a better appreciation for this than me though. xD

frozen yogurt in greenbelt 5In other news, I went to get my IELTS results yesterday. My overall grade is an 8.0. Not bad, considering how poor my score is for the speaking exam. I still hate how the interviewer looked at me from side to side while I was speaking... it's distracting and annoying. Dx

Anyway, as a reward, I went to look for something refreshing to eat. There's a Frozen Yogurt place on the 3rd floor of Greenbelt 5 that's a must to visit. Frozen yogurt is officially one of my most favorite snacks from now on. However, I don't recommend the white chocolate pieces, unless you an extreme white choco lover. @_@ Yogurt is best with fruits and nuts.

Yes, I ate the top part before taking the picture. I couldn't resist! >.<;;;

Right... oh, if anyone wants to help me with my script for the next page, please do let me know. ;x; I'm all ruined just picturing the next page! @_@;;;

One last thing before I end this entry... I'm not sure how peculiar this action is, but I've never seen Koi swim around inline before.
koi fish in greenbelt

It would make a nice blog banner, me thinks. :)

Monday, March 9, 2009

Earth Hour

earth hour, switch off your lights for one hour to cast your voteI watch Discovery Channel a lot thanks to Mythbusters when I heard about this commercial:

On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour.
Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on.

The results of the election are being presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. We want one billion votes for Earth, to tell world leaders that we have to take action against global warming.


I've always been interested in protecting the earth from global warming. 1 billion votes might be too high of an expectation, but I think it's a good idea to get everyone involved. We only have one planet, and didn't God tell us to take care of it?

So guys, 8:30-9:30pm on March 28, don't forget! If we live in different time zomes, you might want to check out Earth Hour's Website for more info.

Please help spread the word! :)

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Girls of Gundam 00

anew returner, marina ismail, soma peries peires / marie parfacy, and louise halevy from gundam 00 season 2

And so comes the second part of my article on Gundam 00. AS I've written about the women I admire, there are also those who I dislike in Gundam 00. Again, this is a matter of opinion, so please do not take it personally if you're a fan of the characters mentioned.

You notice that this article is entitled "The Girls of Gundam 00" instead of "The Women". You see, immaturity is one trait I find in common when it comes to characters I dislike.

wang liu mei from gundam 00Take for example, Wang Liu Mei. The first thing that ticked me off about her is that she treats her older brother, Hong Long, like a servant. She is also a manipulator who would do anything and destroy anyone to see the world change to what she believes to be "perfect".

I'm all for the world being united as one and eternal peace without warfare, but how can you expect to change the world when you manipulate and use your own family? It hit a sore spot for me to the point that I can only see her as a spoiled brat. Frankly, I'm glad she got killed off in the series. Her death really made the series more meaningful to me.

marin simail from gundam 00Then there's the Azadistan Princess, Marina Ismail. I agree with her in the first season that people should not fight each other when you can talk and come to an agreement. We are all human after all, and war only brings pain and innocent casualties.

But come the second season, when Azadistan was burned to the ground and she is left in the middle of war's battleground, Shirin gives her a gun to protect herself and the children since Katharon's forces were being wiped out. She refuses the gun saying she would lose face to the children she was caring for.

What the heck is that? Does she really think sacrificing her life instead of fighting for the lives of the children she cares for really is a better, more peaceful choice? Murderers are after her and the children. Are their lives not worth protecting? What will happen to the children when she sacrifices her life for theirs? They'd either be killed too or forced to kill like Setsuna.

I don't know what her role is in this series, but every time I see her, I wish she wasn't there. If her song becomes the key element in creating peace, I'll probably hate the series all together.

louise halevy from gundam 00 season 2Louise Halevy is actually a little tolerable. In the first season, she is one of the richest girls in school, but she suffered a huge tragedy of losing her family and, after being exposed to the GN Particles, the lose of her left arm. I never liked care-free, spoiled brat girls who only think about themselves, but I do understand the trauma she's been through.

However, this does not give her the right to extract revenge. If she wanted revenge, I would have wished she had done her research. She saw the gundam that killed her family. She should have at least noticed the particles are red, not the same as what the Meisters use. If you're going to commit murder, might as well kill the person who did it and not use your revenge as an excuse to kill people.

And when she finally did have her revenge after she killed Nena Trinity, she realized how hollow it was. I'm wondering if she will finally go insane and drive Saji Crossroad into insanity too. (The couple really annoys me since Louise is a brat and Saji's a pushover. -.-) Honestly, I wouldn't know what to say to someone like Louise, but that does not mean I approve of her methods.

I think these three are the most annoying female characters in Gundam 00. As much as I want to understand their motives for leading such lives, I can't stand them. Maybe I would be the same as Louise if, God forbid, something that traumatizing were to happen to me. Maybe I'd never find the urge to fight for my life in the middle of war like Marina. Or maybe, I'd be a ruthless manipulator like Liu Mei when the time comes... But I do know this... If such a time does come and sanity is still with me, I'll do everything I can to keep myself from succumbing to their fates.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The Women of Gundam 00

anew returner, marina ismail, soma peries peires / marie parfacy, and louise halevy from gundam 00 season 2

I was chatting with Mackie-nii this morning when we came upon Gundam 00. We ended up debating with a lot of the female characters in the cast, so I thought it would make an interesting blog article for those who watch the series.

I realized how long this article mind end up, so I'll first talk about the women that I like and maybe write about the women I don't like later on. I've only seen until episode 20 of season 2 and had some spoilers from episode 21, so if you don't want spoilers, read at your own risk~

soma peries peires or marie parfacy from gundam 00 season 2In no particular order, let's start with Soma Peries aka Marie Parfacy. She's actually one of my favorite characters in the series because she's a strong girl. It's difficult to picture her as Marie back in the HRL supersoldier program, who was paralyzed and robbed of her 5 senses, only being able to communicate using quantum brainwaves. However, I prefer her as Marie who assists Allelujah Haptism than as Soma who makes him worry...

Honestly, Allelujah should focus on fighting in the battlefield. Afterall, Marie reverted back to being Soma because she was horrified in losing Sergei Smirnov, the only father-figure she had. I agree with Lyle Dylandy that Allelujah should understand why she's chosing to fight, though I don't think seeking revenge is the right way of dealing with loss...

anew returner, an innovator from gundam 00 season 2Then there's Anew Returner. When she was introduced to the crew of Ptolemaios in Celestial Being's L3 Base, we as an audience knew that she was an Innovator, but I use to think she was a double agent who knew what she was doing. I love Lockon Stratos' character in the first season and despite my preference of Neil over Lyle, I was a angry at Anew for playing with Lockon's feelings.

Or so I thought she was playing. In fact, she was being used by Ribbons Almark, the head of the Innovators, to know the location of Ptolemaios II. Anew was also used by Ribbons to try and kill Lyle but was shot down by Setsuna F. Seiei before Ribbons could do so.

You could imagine the tragedy and anger of Lyle that he could not kill Anew to even save himself, but instead of me being annoyed with Lyle, I feel for him... Anew did love him sincerely, and so did he to her. He knew early on that she was an Innovator, but he still loved her. It's a shame they can't be together anymore.

shirin bakhtiar from gundam 00 season 2One of the most overlooked characters is Shirin Bakhtiar, who wishes to change Azadistan and give a brighter future to her homeland. She is willing to do anything to achieve this goal, which can be seen in her roles as Marina Ismail's confidant in the first season and anti-federation group, Katharon's sub-commander under Klaus Grado in the second season.

Marina refused to resolve to fighting and is an eternal pacifist, which is what made Shirin leave her side in the first place. At the end of the first season, Shirin knew that Azadistan would not change despite how the world stood as seemingly "united", so she continued to fight for Azadistan in her own way. Her theories were proven correct in the second season when Ali Al-Saachez bathed Azadistan in flames and the A-Laws started destroying any country which opposed their twisted version of peace.

It makes me wonder if she and Claus were able to survive that ambush. I hate Marina for not taking the gun and chose to be a burden for Claus and Shirin, but that's a different story.

sumeragi lee noriega from gundam 00And then we have Sumeragi Lee Noriega, the tactical forecaster of the Celestial Beings. I find her a little bit annoying for having drunk herself silly in the beginning of season two, but you can't deny her talent and speed in formulating plans to make their interventions successful. As Mackie-nii said, without her, Gundam 00 would be just another Gundam Wing.

I can't tell at this point whether I really like her or not, but I the good thing about her is that she's a sexy girl without the usually girly things that go with it. She's down to earth and doesn't worry so much about her looks which is a big deal for me since I can't stand girls who check the mirror every 2 minutes.

kati mannequin from gundam 00 season 2I do however, prefer her mentor, Kati Mannequin. She was able to figure out that it was Sumeragi, or rather "Leesa Kujo" (Sumeragi's real name), who was devising plans for th Gundam Meisters. I also admired how she decided to send her troops to help Katharon, Celestial Being, the regular army, and the rogues in eliminating the falling orbital elevator pieces during the coup d’état. It makes me wonder where she is now, since she's reported to be mysteriously MIA.

These are the women I admire in the series so far, but I'd guess this is subject to change when series comes to an end. I'll probably write about the women I don't like later on, but feel free to leave your own thoughts about the characters here... ^^

Monday, March 2, 2009

Everyone Hears and Sees Things Differently

Hrm~ My new year's resolution to keep A.illusions as updated as possible seems to be working~

In this new page, Tori is again the center of attention... in a bad way, I guess? You can see in the icon that he's crying, lol, because his own automaton doesn't seem to like him. xD It goes to show that not all admin automatons are as obedient and proper as Eri-hime, or maybe it's because of all those bugs going around the forum? Hm..!

And so, I can hopefully keep this up and continue with the next page. I'm planning to translate all the older pages' Japanese script to English within the next week or two.

Onto the emo tripping that thing called life. :D I had initially wanted to keep this blog emo-free, but I need a breather.

My dad got mad at me for making him feel like he's deaf. Don't get me wrong, I admit that I don't like my dad, but I still respect him (even if he doesn't respect me), because he's my father. I paid the price and didn't get to go to my own birthday bash last Saturday. I'm willing to bet Steph and Lyn will be pretty upset, but since I still live with my parents, my father is law. xD Honestly speaking though, I think I should be more upset than I am, but I'm not. Which is beginning to make me worry...

My sister also had some beef against me for speaking my mind last year. I'm beginning to see a pattern, but I'm not sure how to deal with it.

I think every time I speak my mind, I come off as arrogant and/or disrespectful. The bad thing is, I don't even mean it that way. I think it's because I'm the youngest kid and I use to never disobey anyone's order, no matter how bad I think it may be. Now that I've grown up a little and decided that I should begin to make my own decisions, well, it's not going so well.

I don't want to hurt anyone, but it crosses my mind that if I keep thinking of everyone else and keep forgetting me, then my very soul will be lost and I'll turn into a puppet.

Ah, life, I have a lot to learn from you. xD I wish I could control my tones so that anything the comes out of my mouth will come off as emotionless like the words I type into the computer. But you can't do that when you're at the extremities.

Alright, enough of that. The more I think about it, the more I feel I didn't do anything wrong because I never intended any disrespect. If they interpret it as disrespect, then I'm sorry, and I will never speak my mind to them again. ;p

Maybe I'm one of those weird people who can survive living alone. :D