No Not Him!

No!!! Not him!!!  Why does it have to be him?  No Neji, you cant die!!!

I'm not really liking how this war is turning out.  First, Yamato has remained to be out in the picture while Tobi keeps him to power the Zetsus out on the field.  Second, the Kages seemed to be powerless against a revived Madara.  Moreover, it seems that Tsunade is about to use up all her chakra to heal the other Kages and might end up the way she did after the Pein attack on Konoha.  And this time she might not end up waking up.

Third, while Naruto seemed to have grown enormously strong, the combined powers of him, Killer Bee, Guy and Kakashi cant seem to even make a dent on the Madara-Tobi (Obito) team up.  Now that the whole mystery of who Tobi really is already solved, the foursome now tries to figure out how to stop him.  And when they start to make some progress, the Jubi and Madara came to spoil everything.

Then just last week, a major shocker happened as two of the elder Ino-Shika-Cho trio apparently became part of the casualties.  I like it when older ninjas get some air time and this trio happens to be my favorite.  Reading out their demise is something that I never really expected.

And it seems that Masashi is playing the "While We're At It" card and pulls another shocker this week.  For those who have not read the latest manga chapter (Naruto 614) I apologise for the spoiler.

The Fourth Great Ninja War has claimed another popular character.  In a horrifying twist of events, Neji used himself as a human shield to save Hinata and Naruto.  I can't believe it!  Two shocking deaths one chapter after another.  That's too much for my emotional heart to take.  It' like Masashi realised that since he's not giving Neji enough airtime anyway, he might as well kill him off and none would miss him.  But he's wrong!  Neji is one of the more popular characters in the manga.  He's a genius.  He's badass! He's cool!

But I think he also wants the readers to realise how cruel wars can be.  Characters will die, no matter how popular they are.  It's just that way it is.  I heard rumors that the jumps will take a break for a few weeks due to the holidays.  Well, I think this roller coaster ride can use one.  My heart needs a breather after all the heartbreaking loses it has seen.

Want to read other mangas?  You may visit my favorite manga portal here.

Meet Mr. Stewart

If there is anything that would hinder me from seeing the world, that is definitely is Mr. Stewart!  He is very needy.  Won't last a day without buggin' me.  There are times he would pull my hand and wake me up, just to prepare his food.  And even after long hours at work, he still have the gall to scream at me asking me to clean up his mess.  Despite all that, I still can't leave him.  He's just so cute!  He's just so sweet.  And the killer footsies that he gives... I just can't get enough of that.  If only I can take him whenever I travel.

Oh don't get me wrong, he's not some badass stay at home couch potato of a boyfriend.  Mr Stewart happens to be my 1 year old Persian kitty.  That mokong (crazy) of a cat just gives my day the color that it needs.  He's definitely a handful but he makes up for it with his sweetness and affection.  I got him last year from the pet shop and it was an easy choice for me.  When I opened his cage, he was the only one who excitedly climbed up my arms and held onto my neck while the others just snobbed me.  Clearly it was love at first sight.

One of his favorite spots is at the foot of the stand fan.  I dont understand why, perhaps because the vibration it makes can mimic a cat's purring.

Stewie also gives a killer footsie which is his way of saying its "pet me time."

When he was little, he would embrace my arms and just fall asleep.  Sweetness overload.

When I was still working, he would sense when I was about to leave.  He'd climb on top of my bag and would not let it go as if he wanted me to bring him to work.

He also has his moments.  There are times I would just wake up with scratches on my legs because he was trying to squeeze himself in between them.

But more than that, he's still my furry bundle of joy.  Who say's cats can't be sweet?

Care For A-Gantea Party?

My bummed out feet took me to Robinsons Place Manila today.  I have not visited this mall for quite some time now so I wanted to know what's new.  Naturally, I went to look for a tea place.  Serenitea was my obvious choice but since I had to walk around, it surprised me that they have lots of tea shops already.  In fact they have all the major ones: Serenitea, GongCha, ChaTime and even Happy Lemon plus more.  I was pulling my hair (what's left of it) because there were so many choices and I can't make up my mind.  Then I realised my feet are tired so I had to choose one that appears to be cozy.

A familiar name caught my eye and guess what?  They have sofas!  So Qoola it is.  Wait a minute, I thought I wanted tea, why go to a froyo place.  Well, Qoola happen to have another label inside its store, A-Gan Tea.  Think Jollibee and Red Ribbon in G4, I'm not sure how to describe the relationship.



 

So I fell in line, browsed their menu and since I can't find the usual, Okinawa, Nagoya, Oolong or Earl Grey, I chose Vanilla Milk Tea with Black Pearls.  They have a massive menu which they organised into Milk, Herbal, Fruit, Original Brew.  They also have a Milk-Lid selection which I think is somewhat similar to GongCha's house specialty where the tea is topped with milk.  They also serve, coffee, yogurt and smoothie.  And yes, there's more.  They have chicken, pork chop and rice boxes!  Talk about having it all (well almost).  That's something you don't see in other labels.  And I think it's so Filipino to have a "pambara" with your "panulak."



We all fell in love with those black round stuff that lights up and vibrates when its time for you to pick up your order.  Sorry to disappoint but they dont have any of that.  But, check out what they have to offer.



 

Definitely not shabby!  A refreshing site indeed.

When my huge cup of joy came, another thing surprised me.  I've never seen black pearls that are small.  It's like the street sago that you store inside your mouth and turn them into darts with the plastic straw only they were black.  It made me sceptical and nervous at the same time.

The tea was okay.  Reminds me of the tea stand in my old work place that I would frequent.  So that's a good thing.  Then there goes my first sip of their pearl.  To my delight the pearl is actually tasty.  I'm not sure what the equivalent of al dente for pearls is but it is exactly like that!  Tender and chewy but a hint of resistance when you bite into it.  And it's not bland.  They also serve it with the right amount of ice so you dont have to worry about drinking all the tea and you're still left with the ice on top of your hard to get pearls.   That made me a happy camper.

It was a great first time for me.  Will definitely visit them again and try out their drinks, and their rice box!  Right now, they only have 3 branches: Greenbelt 2, Robinsons Place Manila and the new one in Ayala Triangle.  I hope they get to open more.  For more info about their menu, you can visit their official website, or like Facebook page.

 

I Smell Christmas

It's about 50 days till Christmas and I can already smell it.

Decided to go to Market Market for dinner and a little chillin' before my week ends.  The street that leads to it coming from my place is still closed so I had to pass by Serendra first to get to my destination.  While walking I noticed a crowd of people taking pictures building up at the center.  So I rushed to find out what it was all about and as I get nearer, the site of a gigantic Christmas tree all lit and bright welcomed me.

I wanted to join the people and take a picture of it but the crowd was just to big at that time so I said, I might just catch it later.  And on my way home that's what I just did.

I had some difficulties capturing the entire tree at its foot so I had to crop out a good portion of it.  Yes, that's how tall it was (for an outdoor Christmas tree).  One thing I didn't notice earlier is that Serendra also has smaller versions of this tree around the area.



I have not noticed other malls put up their holiday trees so it's nice to see one this early.  According to SM Mall Of Asia, they will unveil their grand Christmas tree on November 11.  I'm certainly looking forward to that.

Christmas, you can definitely smell it already!

Oh, oh! Since I passed by Serendra, I just have to bring home my favorite treats!  Cupcake heaven!





 

What a way to cap of the weekend!

 

 

 

Supernatural Detective 24/7: Alexandra Trese

Growing up from my nanny's stories about Philippine mythical creatures both scared and fascinated me.  When I grew up, I realised she just used them to put me to sleep.  No one ever took it seriously.  Even popular culture cannot give them justice.  Movies about tianak and undin wont do more than give you tummy spasms from laughing.

But from someone who have grown to like and crave these stories, I wish to see more of the sigben, santelmo and laman lupas then countless derivatives of the vampire-warewolf genre.

Good thing I stumbled upon one comic book that does just that.  Enter the world of Alexandra Trese.  Club owner by night and supernatural detective 24/7.  She is the go to person when police cases go for the "weird" turn.  With her assortment of her "uncanny" contacts and her trusted "kambal," she battles the supernatural.  Much like how the Winchester brothers does it, only kick ass.

[caption id="attachment_193" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Photo credit goes to Jay Tablante[/caption]

After reading the first book, I'm hooked.  Each book has about 4 episodes that are in anyway connected with each other.  So if you happened to start with book 2, you dont need to worry as each episode is stand alone and you wont get lost.

Who would have though that in modern times, the nuno sa punso are no longer found near old trees but inside manholes.  The tikbalangs were also given a makeover here as members of the countries wealthiest clans.  Even the urban legend of the Snake-like man who snatches ladies in the dressing rooms of a famous mall were reference in Trese.

[caption id="attachment_194" align="aligncenter" width="429"] Photo credit goes to ComicsCube.com[/caption]

I just finished Book 2 today, and finished the whole thing in like 30 minutes.  I'm having a hard time looking for the rest of the series.  So in the coming weeks, my goal is to get the remaining three.  In the last episode, there is a hint of something big coming and from what I heard that in book three, the authors Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo will take a different turn and make episodes that are related to each other in order to build Trese's character.  I cant wait to get my hands on them.

It is a shame that the rest of the world do not know of the of tikbalangs, aswangs and kapres.  When you say asian folklore, most of what you can dig up are the yokai's and kitsune's of Japan and the dragons of China.  Its time Philippine folklore gets known and I hope more artists take their creativity to this route.