Walking Through Binondo, Manila

5/29/12 6:50AM

I was supposed to buy something from Binondo so I took a little side trip.

First stop is this building. It's not in Binondo but I wanted a picture of this building I liked before it rots to the ground. I think it would have been pretty, but in this area, who cares for such silly sentiments? I took photos then headed for Chinatown.

An old building I've been admiring

I've always been meaning to see Chinatown. A couple of friends and I once tried to take a trip there. Walked through a couple of streets and found ourselves right back where we started. We didn't really see anything, hehehe.

Lion at the gates

I was amazed that the place feels insulated from the rest of the city. Ads in Chinese with celebrities I've never heard of before. I even saw a guy loading boxes of goods into a grocery store. I took a peek and one box contained what looked like Nissin's Ramen- in Chinese! Even their McDonald's looks like it's from another country:

Sadly, the only thing that seems to stay the same wherever you go is poverty.

Streetkids at the Plaza

Virlanie Foundation doing some activity with streetchildren

One of the places I wanted to go to in Chinatown is the Binondo Church. The facade is pretty but the interior is fairly new. Not surprising because according to Wikipedia it's been bombed a few times. I was a little disappointed at the slabs on the entrance floor. According to tourist guide on a tv show a few years back, these slabs came from tombstones. I was disappointed because the markings on the slabs are pretty worn you can hardly make out anything written on it. Overall, I was still happy I saw it up close.

Binondo Church

Went to the popular hopia and pasalubong shop Eng Bee Tin.

Eng Bee Tin: Hopia Central

This isn't the only Eng Bee Tin shop in Chinatown. Like how many hopias do you need to buy?

Hopia? Hopia.

I see that the Korean invasion has reached Chinatown. Hehehe...

The Korean Wave: The Force is strong in this one

I'm impressed at the number and variety of shops I've seen as I walked the streets. The economy is clearly thriving and if for some reason (like a zombie apocalypse) they shut themselves off from the rest of the city they have everything they need to survive. From food to clothing, to electronics, to fancy chandeliers. Because who says you can't spend your last days in style?

But being this insulated, I did sometimes think that maybe I was an unwelcome outsider. At one point, I was hungry and found myself in front of a small cafe. I was going to walk in when I took a glance at the menu from the window and found that everything was in Chinese! I decided to go hungry instead.

Carriedo Fountain

The Sta. Cruz Church.

Sta. Cruz Church

Another cute old building. It says, "Monte de Piedad Savings Bank 1880". I wish there was a way to figure out how old these buildings actually are.

Monte de Piedad Savings Bank

Since I was already there, might as well ogle more old buildings in the area. I took a little walk down Escolta. Manila used to be the center of commerce in the days of old and Escolta was very popular then. Hardly any activity here but I liked looking at the buildings so I was fairly entertained.

Escolta Street

Regina Building

My grumbling stomach was telling me to have another look at the food shops along the street before I end up with a stomachache but this tongue-twisting one gave me a headache and a laugh instead.

Ha- Ha- Ano daw?

Hanson @ Araneta Coliseum

Aren't we all too young to be doing the nostalgia circuit?

Taylor Hanson

It's just one of the things that crossed my mind prior to the Hanson concert in Araneta Coliseum last March 30. That and the weird dream I had months ago: I was hanging out with a local celebrity, who was wearing a half-painted Might Ducks t-shirt, in front of Araneta Coliseum while a very Mardi Gras looking parade was passing by after I watched a Hanson concert. Weird dream. Weirdest part was the local celebrity because I'm not a fan, but the Hanson concert was a little out of the blue because I haven't heard or thought about them in a very long time. A week later my sister and I were walking in a mall and she suddenly points out to me a poster of a Hanson Concert. I could possibly have a future as a seer. Call me Madame Seraphine! Hahaha!

Isaac Hanson

I didn't really plan on going. My sister really wanted me to go. She liked the idea of it, the nostalgia, the adieu to childhood. I think. I have to ask her again. But things like these are an unnecessary expense I can't really afford. A few days before the concert, she bought me a ticket.

Araneta Coliseum is old and seems to be undergoing some reconstruction. I hope they're doing more than just a facelift. Since they're holding more shows now than in years past (which were mostly basketball games and cockfights) maybe they could upgrade the interiors. Some seats are falling apart. And the bathrooms need an overhaul.

I have been in Araneta Coliseum before for fundraising shows. My parents buy the tickets, I end up doing the watching. They usually get tickets for Upper Box A. Toilets in that level are average. There are mall bathrooms that look better but they're okay. The toilets in the General Admissions area however is like a trip back to the 70's. To be fair, it was clean. There was a thick roll of tissue and antibacterial seats. Though by the looks of it there is a very wide age gap between the seats and the actual toilet.

I was unsure how well this would go. While I admit to knowing their songs then, that was, well, then. I don't think they have enough hardcore LSS-inducing songs that stood the test of time. I wondered how they're going to "Mmmbop" as adults. Will I cringe? More importantly, will they cringe?

I saw Hanson. Well, teeny tiny Hanson since I was seated way, way up I could almost kiss the ceiling. But it didn't matter since it was free. :D There were huge screens anyway that provided us the necessary close-ups of the kids from Oklahoma.

Kids. Is it weird that I still see them as kids? Especially with Zachary Hanson. I still see him as the baby when, obviously, he no longer is. As the girl to my right so aptly put it when Taylor Hanson's face flashed on screen, "Ay, mama na siya." Haha.

Zachary Hanson

It was a shame the venue was hardly filled.  But even I was surprised at how enthusiastic the attendees were. Before the show, every time the lights dimmed people screamed. During the soundcheck every time an instrument made noise people screamed. So there was a lot of senseless screaming before the actual show. Every time Taylor's face flashed on screen people screamed. Then for a while the camera fixated on Zac. He sang, people screamed. He flipped his hair back, people screamed. He waved, people screamed. I was having a major deja vu, like I was back my old school again. It's probably due to the screaming girls.

Girl behind me was with her boyfriend and he seemed both amused and perplexed by the screaming. Girl to my right turned out to be a total fangirl, seems to know every song and when they were here last. I probably should have reviewed their songs or something because I went "Oh, yeah, I remember that" a lot. And I don't remember them being here before. A little Google search yields something from 2004. Where was I in 2004? Probably buried in anime soundtracks.

So the boys sing, and the girls down below, right in front of the stage, scream, and sing, and move, and it's as if nothing has changed between then and now. Then the brothers sang "Mmmbop" and the crowds below sang, screamed and swayed and I thought, Yes, this is how we should be. Passion is ageless. Nurture it, indulge it, embrace it. We'll be forever young.

---

Originally written and published on 4/1/12 5:09AM

Watching Horror Movies

I watch horror movies to take the edge off.

I've seen more horror movies in the last month than I'd normally would in the same time frame.  Last movie I saw was "Eddie, The Sleepwalking Cannibal", which perfectly describes my current state of mind.

My preferences change from time to time. I used to favor psychological horror movies then I moved to blood and gore.  Now, it's less about blood and gore.  My current favorite is the zombie apocalypse.

My sister says I'm probably just disappointed at all the bad movies I've seen that's why I'm not as much into blood and gore like I used to.  Probably.  I'm just glad my recent horror movie trip led me to watch other types of films like "Eddie" and the "Human Centipede".  The Human Centipede!  I didn't know I was missing out on so much.

I think what I'm looking for is "the great escape". I want to see them survive the horror.  I like to see different points of view of where and how to survive: live in an isolated farm, hole up in a prison, find an island.

I can't find links to the zombie movies I want to watch though so I ended up watching other movies instead.  I've seen a number of bad movies in the process. And plenty of characters you just want to die already.  And the annoying women in these films!  Is there some sort of rule book for how these women are written?

It's probably why I like the Resident Evil movies, even if the third film was a disappointment to me.  It's nice and polished and has zombies, a kick-ass female, and characters I actually want to live.  Plus, I've never played the game so I have absolutely no ill feelings about it not being canon or whatever it is gamers are griping about.

I should stop though. I'm taking as much time finding movies to watch as I do actually watching them. And all this is probably unhealthy, if not for the horrific content then the disappointment when you land on a bad one.

Maybe, just one more.  Or two.

8/12/12

How to Ride a Jeepney

I was out yesterday to get something photocopied.  I ended up waiting for about an hour to get home.

It rained hard for a bit and when the rain let up people just stood at the road eager to be the first to board whatever jeepney passed.  For a long time, I've avoided going out in bad weather if I could help it. I've experienced a lot of bad weather in my schooldays that I'm firmly against getting my feet wet when I'm out.

The downside to not getting out often in bad weather, or getting out in general, is that I've forgotten some fairly important Jeepney Riding Skills like spotting a potential ride, snagging a spot at the entrance or jumping on a moving vehicle.  I've gotten a crash course in the time that I was there:

Lesson 1: When attempting to ride a jeepney with a horde of other people, don't position yourself at the side of the entrance.  The structure of the jeepney at the side of the entrance will prevent you from gaining foot hold.  A position at the center is more likely to help you gain entry.  Side entry is a technique best suited for the MRT/LRT.

Lesson 2: Sometimes you can't get a dead center position especially when people are alighting the jeepney.  The best position in this case is either southwest or southeast.

Lesson 3. Choose where to stand. If there are people attempting to get on the jeepney in front of you, choose to stand behind a female.  Some guys will act as a gentleman and let the female beside him enter first thereby blocking your path until the line of females beside him ends. Choosing to stand behind a female will more likely gain you entry as females are incredibly aggressive and unapologetic to who they shove until they get in.

Lesson 4: If the people in front of you are all males, you'll either never get in or get lucky that a gentleman will notice you and let you get in first.

Lesson 5: If all the people in front of you are females, it's a free-for-all.

I got lucky.  I got a ride by lesson 3: following a female, and lesson 4: a gentleman who let us girls go in first.  Though our gentleman quickly turned to a psycho as soon as every space on the jeepney was taken.

A jeepney stops and people ran for it like vultures. I was behind a woman and as people closed in on the jeepney some guy at the entrance raised his palm to us to stop- and we stopped dead on our tracks.  Then he starts counting the people getting off one by one: 1, 2, 3...8.  Then he turns to us and says that the women get on first, and starts counting us one by one.  I was 3. And we were like cattle. 

As he was letting us in the conductor started telling Psycho to sit down. Psycho kept saying no prompting the conductor to tell him to sit down so that other people can get it because Psycho was blocking the entrance. At this point every space was taken and Psycho was understandably irked because he and his friend passed up the chance to get a seat so that others could sit leaving them standing there in the doorway getting soaked.  He pointed this out to the conductor slightly emphasizing that it was because of them that people got seated, which was a bit inaccurate because they're only worth two seats. Most of the people that got in would've gotten in anyway even if they haven't helped.

The conductor gets offended and words are exchanged.  Psycho insists he did the conductor and the driver a service by letting people in saying 'Ask them! They're my witnesses!' making hand gestures at us. And every one of us sat there like reprimanded little children! And I think we're all thinking the same thing: As much as I am happy and grateful that he let us in, please don't drag us into this.

Conductor then tells Psycho to get off.  As is everywhere else in Philippines (IMSBO: In My Scientifically Baseless Opinion), refusal of service invariably makes the customer more defiant, vindictive and generally more adamant to get the service.  Naturally, Psycho refuses to get off threatening the conductor with, "LTO ako! Tatanggalan kita ng lisensya!"  And actually commanding the driver to move forward, "Sige, i-takbo mo! I-takbo mo!"

Conductor didn't initially believe him, even mocked him, but I think he did wonder if Psycho was telling the truth.  He stopped talking but Psycho didn't.  For fifteen glorious minutes of that ride, Psycho unleashed a barrage of P*@#%$#, T%#$#$, and G$@#, along with these nice little ramblings:

Hindi mo alam ang pinagdaanan ko! Hindi mo alam yung hirap na pinagdaanan ko! Tapos ginaganyan mo ko!!

Wow, kuya. May pinaghuhugutan? Personal?

Si P-Noy! Nagpunta sa Pasig!  Nakipagkita kay Shalani!

Shumo-showbiz ka kuya. Wag na silang intrigahin. May kanya-kanyang lovelife na sila.

Sa news, puro na lang Marikina!  Paano na lang kaming taga-Pasig?  

I think after a while he noticed that people were quiet. He then apologized and tried to explain himself:

Pasensiya na kayo ha. Kaya ko ginagawa ito dahil ang gusto ko lang e makauwi yung mga taga-Pasig.

Shit. I'm not from Pasig!

I was half imagining him freaking out when I get off at my stop, miles and miles away from Pasig when he resumed insulting the conductor, threatening to 'teach him a lesson' when they reach Pasig.

Psycho's friend had been trying to persuade him to stop this whole.  After the conductor refused to accept their fare the friend tried to persuade Psycho to get off.  When they finally did get off Psycho made a point of yelling out the jeepney's plate number followed by another threat, "Wag ka nang bibiyahe bukas!"

And people began to breathe again.

Sick days and unlucky streaks

I feel terrible.

I've been feeling a bit sick since last week.  Thought I'd be feeling better by now but I've only gotten worse.  I've coughed myself hoarse.  I'm now talking in a very loud whisper.  I've spent nearly half of this year sick or out of it so this is definitely not how I planned to end the year.

Yesterday, I was told by my sister that the winners for a michellephan's contest had been picked.  The first time she told me about the contest I didn't want to join.  Her Youtube channel has millions of viewers, so the probably of getting picked was slim.  But my sister told me I should join so that if I win, I get to give her the prize.  Nice.

The contest spans ten days or ten videos.  The first day's rules are simple: Name her bunny toy.  So hours after the first video of the contest was put up I put in my entry.  My entry was Mochi.

Mochi was the name chosen, only the poster chosen wasn't me.

Crap. Now I feel absolutely horrible. It's like having a juicy morsel waved in front of a hungry tiger then having it taken away. I can't help but feel as though I had a legitimate shot at it only to be so damn unlucky not to be picked.

I get stupid ideas now like maybe I should have made multiple posts, maybe I should have updated my profile and put in an attention grabbing pic, maybe I should have embellished my posts.  I even tried to check back on the video just to make sure that my entry wasn't just a figment of my imagination but the entire video is gone so that's that.  Damn unlucky.

That's still on my bucket list: Someday I'm going to win something.

One more contest day left.  I already put in a comment/entry though I'd probably have a better chance contracting measles than I do of winning this.  Still, who knows?

Since I was already on it I tried to see what the prizes were.  Having no real desire to enter in the first place considering my chances were close to nil, I didn't really care about the prizes.  This time I thought I'd actually take a look at them.

This is not the first time I've heard of Coach, but it is the first time I've looked at the price tag.  Damn, $398!  If I had a bag like that then the bag itself will cost more than the all the stuff I'll be carrying in it.  If somebody tries to rob me I'd probably just dump the contents in his hand- cellphone, camera, wallet included- and run off with the bag.

A bag like this definitely doesn't suit the jeepney-riding life I lead. I've had my bag slashed twice while commuting.  I'd probably faint if I had this then somebody decides to slash the bag.

Hay...

Movie: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I saw the Hobbit yesterday.  How apt, a movie that points signs of the doom coming upon Middle Earth on the very day of the End of the World.

I'm getting better and better at tuning out distractions especially that I've rediscovered a way of dealing with it: food.  We came for an early afternoon screening and because I didn't want to be late I decided not to eat anything.  I bought a sandwich to take inside and was too preoccupied with not spilling food on myself that I couldn't care much about the people yapping around us.  But again one guy decided to take calls during the movie.  Twice.  Some things never change.  Heh.

A couple of weeks ago while I was holed up again in the IMDB forums, I read another thread where people argued if a certain movie was good or bad.  One poster wrote that Lord of the Rings was a bad movie.  Is it?  Was I too dense or just too dumb to figure it out?

With that in mind, I went to see the Hobbit with an already skewed perception.

And I must say, I love it.

Sure, the dialogue can be borderline cheesy as the characters talk about courage, and strength and all those sappy shit like that but it's expected.

Like the LOTR, the scenery was amazing.  The story on the surface was fairly simple but with plenty of throwbacks to LOTR.  Or what's coming in LOTR, as technically LOTR hasn't happened yet.  From the beginning it picked up quickly.  There's plenty of action, and even when the action slows down, it's never dull.  My only complaint was that it left me unsatisfied.  I need the second part right now!

As I'm not a film critic, I wouldn't really know how this stacks up to whatever standards and techniques there are in film.  It was magical, do I really need anything else?

Happy End of the World! So... Are we dead yet?

Well, this is a good day to die as any.

I suppose when realization dawns upon us that our end is near we'll be worrying about the chores left undone, the appointment we have next week or the tv series we're following.

I know that's trivial but like everything else in our lives we've thought about these things at some point and even envisioned them.  And like everything else in our lives they never quite turn out how we imagined.

How do people imagine it would be like?  I've been hearing of people preparing for this day like it's a survivable event which seems strange to me.  If it's the End of the World how do you expect to survive if the world itself is gone?  It seems that most see the End of the World as a catastrophic event that ends the way of life we are living now and that there's actually a world and life to live after it.  Okay, I'll consider that a possibility so what now?

There are so many ways the world could possibly end and there's just no way to prepare for every one of them.  All these doomsday preparations are pointless unless you actually know what you're preparing for.  People stocking food or making bunkers are bound to die anyway if the world's oceans consume the land like in the movie 2012.

Yesterday, I saw a clip in the news about people preparing for the end of the world featuring images of stocked food and flashlights.  Flashlights!  Damn.  If the world is collapsing ala-2012 how long would a flashlight last?  How would it save you?  It makes better sense to build an ark.  Gather the animals two by two... Well, a person's got to eat.

Every scenario requires a different approach:

Zombie apocalypse?  Find a gun, stock up on ammo, and hole up in a prison.

Sun too hot?  Board the windows, and find water sources.

The world freezing over?  Find a library and a box of matches.

Nuclear war? Prepare to eat your neighbor.

Alien invasion?  Call Will Smith.

Even if one has prepared for every scenario no plan is foolproof.  People build safe havens but a safe haven can be compromised.  Problems could arise en route to a safe haven- you can lose the car, you can run out of gas, you can trip down the stairs.  You can be dead even before doomsday actually arrives.

Well, the time has come and gone and we're still here.

I suppose the Mayans are busy putting up a new calendar.

Movie: Silent Hill Revelation

This was a movie I was waiting to see ever since I heard it was coming out.  Which was like two months before the release.  Hehehe.  What can I say, I'm way behind in what's happening.

I actually almost forgot to watch this because I've been putting it off until weeks after the release date.  The better to avoid people.  I only remembered it when I went to see Rurouni Kenshin.  Anyway, I think I defeated my purpose by choosing this day of all days to watch this.

I'm guessing this week marks the beginning of Christmas holidays for students because there was a ton of them around.  I don't remember seeing that many uniforms outside of popular field trip destinations.  But lots of kids and teens mean more cinema patrons.  Noisy cinema patrons.

And wtf, a group seated a couple of rows in front of me decided to take pics of themselves in the cinema.  With flash.  Ok, granted the movie hasn't started yet, still, blind us with flash? The lights were up so I'm sure they could have taken a photo without flash.  But why take photos in a theater?  First time nyo teh?

One middle-aged guy took a call in the middle of the movie.  His ringtone rang clear through the theater and so did his voice.  "Hello?  Oo... o.." Damn, he didn't even try to keep it down.  At one point he said, "...andito nga ako sa movie..." Ay, thank you for informing the rest of the movie theater where you are in case we needed reminding.

Nothing but mumblings, and general squeamishness happened after that, thankfully.  This time I was able to significantly tune out everyone else that was there.  Helps that it was a horror movie.

Long story short:  Heather Mason also known as Sharon also known as Alessa's good side, is moving from town to town with her father to escape people trying to get them.  She gets really weird nightmares about a place called Silent Hill.  On her first day in her new school, she nearly gets run over, a weirdo tries to talk to her, she gets laughed at in class, meets a new boy (you go girl!), hallucinates in the hallway, gets stalked by the weirdo, sees weirdo get sliced by S&M babe, becomes a person of interest in the weirdo's death, gets blackmailed into going to Silent Hill when her father gets kidnapped, has the police barging into her house, and embarks on a road trip to Silent Hill with the new boy on what is presumably a school night.  Wow.  And I thought my first days were bad.

While Sharon from the first movie grew up changed names, changed looks and changed actresses, some characters from the first film made a short comeback like her adoptive mother Rose da Silva and Dahlia.  New characters are also introduced like new boy Vincent and Leonard.

The story is rushed.  I wondered if it's because they're trying to adhere to the story in the games or trying to pack too much in such a short time but whatever it is it didn't flow well.  When something does happen the tension is good but it feels like a roller coaster of dullness and intensity.

Being a non-player of the games, the second movie confused me more about the backstory instead of adding to the first.  I feel like I need to draw a map.  Or some kind of Venn Diagram.

I didn't find the ending satisfying in both movies but at least the first gave a weird twist and it was only unsatisfying because I found it sad.  This one was stupid.

Dialogue was a little off at times.  Rose da Silva calls Harry "My Love" which didn't fit with her character in my opinion.  Dahlia was a great presence in the first and reduced here.  Leonard's scene was random. Man, that was vague.  Either it really was vague or that I'm deaf, or slow, or all the above.  It was aesthetically pleasing, but so abrupt that it was almost pointless.

Much of the atmosphere is lost.  The eeriness of the town is lost.  It's been replaced by different scenarios that feel out of sync from the first movie.  The decayed scenes and rooms are good but they feel disconnected to everything else.  I could have been watching a different movie.

Case in point: Spider mannequin.  Spider mannequin was interesting but it raises more questions like what's the back story?  Why isn't this place as decayed as the others?  

The monsters weren't used as well as they were in the first movie.  Pyramid Head doesn't feel as imposing.  Nurses feel a little cartoony.  The first time I saw Silent Hill nurses in the first movie I thought, "Whoa! That's hot!" This time I was disappointed.  And in their scene I distinctly heard another movie-goer say, "Stop dance?"

I'm not against CG but comparing both films I've come to appreciate the non-use of CG in the first film.  I'm not even sure if that's the culprit but there's really a different feel in both films.  As it is, it was entertaining and aesthetically pleasing but as part of a series it falls short.  I've noticed I've been making a lot of comparisons with the first film and I really don't want to but I can't help it.  This film reminds me too much of what it's not rather than what it is.

Review: Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie

Shivers ran through my spine several times while I watched this movie.  That's a little embarrassing to admit.  I thought that maybe it was nostalgia, maybe it just triggered happy feelings, maybe it reminded me of my old spirit, or maybe it was just cold in the cinema.  Whatever it was, I loved this movie.

I don't take too well to movie houses.  They're out of my measly budget.  Hehehe.  Well, that and I can't seem to shut out other things while watching a movie.  I'm painfully aware of what's going on around me.  It sucks.  Why spend for distractions when I could get them at home for free?

Case in point the couple to my left continued their conversation well into the beginning of the movie.  Now I know it can't be helped that people talk from time to time while watching a movie, but the bf of the girl to my left seemed to have no idea how to whisper.  Not even a loud whisper.  He used the same tone and volume from before the movie started until the credits rolled in.  In recent years I realized I was a loud talker, reaching outrageous decibels in inappropriate locations.  I hardly ever notice it too.  But I try, try, try to always lower my voice in a cinema.  Some people don't make that effort anymore.

Guy to my right didn't talk much but he had a thing with shaking his leg.  His entire chair was vibrating and so was mine!  Wtf?  Am I watching this movie in a bus?  I couldn't tell him to stop because he'd stop then I'd feel hopeful he won't do it again, then he starts shaking his leg again.  Shake, stop, shake, stop, shake, stop.  I was waiting for a chance to stop him like one of those arcade games where you wait to hammer the critter that pops out of a hole.  I finally 'caught' him three fourths into the movie and was able to ask him to stop.

Still, it wasn't so bad all things considered.  Shaking guy obliged to stop without complaint and talking couple weren't that bad compared to some other people who were in the theater.  There was even someone who yelped out of the blue.  Imagine being seated next to them.

Back to Rurouni Kenshin- The first thing I can say is "Contacts!"  Seriously, I was fixated on everyone's eyes.  Were they all wearing contacts?

Anyway, I was little worried that maybe I should have brushed up on the story before seeing the movie but realized I didn't need to.  The story was presented well that even somebody unfamiliar with the series will be able to follow everything easily.

Kaoru Kamiya was a character people I encountered then didn't like much.  Compared to most of the characters in the whole story she was useless and annoyingly optimistic.  Live action Kaoru was awesome however and vindicates the character.  She portrays vulnerability and inner strength of the character that falls flat in the anime.

The actress, Emi Takei,  who portrayed Kaoru Kamiya looked strangely familiar.  I'm quite sure I don't know her because I don't watch much Japanese films and the ones I do watch are horror movies.  Then it hit me- Kathryn Bernardo.  Dammit, I couldn't unsee after that!

An image search for Emi Takei reveals that her similarity with Kathryn is only apparent in the movie.  Heh. But damn.  Nakakasira ng experience.  Maya't maya kong naiisip, "Nasaan si Daniel Padilla?"

(**Update: I've seen this photo used on other sites and people remarking that they don't look alike.  Well, like I said, in other photos Emi Takei doesn't look like Kathryn.  Besides, Kathryn's photo that was used here was during her stint in the show "The Princess and I".  Since then they've both grown up, making them even more different in their features and therefore, their appearance.")

Megumi Takani was played by Yu Aoi. She's pretty but I kinda envisioned a much more sophisticated looking Megumi with stronger, more defined features.  

Sanosuke Sagara- Now, I didn't see that coming.  If not for the outfit that I distinctly remember I wouldn't be able to immediately recognize who he was.  But his characterization of the brazen, arrogant, street fighter made up for it.

Takeru Sato's Kenshin Himura was spot on.  I could totally see him as the living and breathing Kenshin.  I hadn't really thought of how Kenshin's expressions would translate in real life but I liked how he captured the dorkiness of  "innocent" Kenshin.

It's amazing how well they incorporated details characteristic to the anime like how the characters moved, in particular, their stances before and after dealing a blow.  Some scenes were so familiar it was as if they were taken right out of the anime.

I think the best thing about this movie is the realistic approach they took.  It felt like a period movie.  The special effects were subtle and blended nicely with the atmosphere of the film.  The fight scenes were really good but they didn't overshadow the story.

It's a nostalgia trip for anyone familiar with the story, and a good movie even non-fans will enjoy.

*Update: I've recently seen the sequel- Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno. Read about it here.

Try. Fail. Learn. Live.

I just want some peace.

In this day and age when actions are lauded and condemned, people are made a spectacle.  I think about it, more than I want to, and I think I'd rather just have some peace.

But the truth is I'm never going to get it.

Judgments are passed often and passed easily.  I will do it to others and others will do it to me.  That is certain.

With that, I've determined that there's no recourse but to simply speak.  After all, how far back can one retreat?

But there's no merit in not having tried at least.  Regrets and fear take twice more to be undone.
There is nothing else to do to avoid something that is certain.  If I should try and fail, then I gain at least in understanding.

To try, to fail, to learn.

And ultimately, to live.

In this day

Find a New Direction

Add a Tinge of Color

Eat

Drink

and Be Merry

Look to the Stars

A Story Unfolds