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.

Is It Worth The Money? (RH Bill And Population Control)

So the RH Bill gets an ok from both the House or Representatives and the Senate for its third and final reading.  Perhaps there is reason to celebrate.  The recent events showed that as a nation we are able to finally loosen the grip that the Roman Catholic Church had on us.  That we as a nation aspire a real separation of the church and state.  Moreover, this probably is a true first step to combat a perceived roadblock to our nation's fight against poverty, over-population.  After all this bill is all about population control no matter how they sugar coat it.

I put a stress on the word "perceived" when I describe over population as this remains to be a grey area for me in this whole RH Bill debate.  A blogging friend, Paul Farol offered an interesting take on over population in his blog, Pinoy-Buzz.com.

Over populated or not, will the 13 billion peso (or even 14B) funding be worth it?  How much more dent will shoving of free condoms and other contraceptives put on an already declining population growth rate?  While we're at it, how much will it contribute to poverty alleviation?   Will it stop people from the countryside from flocking key cities of the country to end up as squatters?  Just like the proponents of the bill, I dont know.

When it becomes a law, the next thing that we need to worry about is how the state intends to implement it.  Moreover, we also have to take in consideration how the Filipinos will respond to it.  The government's Conditional Cash Transfer Program is a big waste of money as there are families who would rather opt out of the program just so they can gamble.  Heck, the government cant even stop jaywalking even after the installation of countless foot bridges all over the metro.  People would rather risk their lives for convenience sake.  Having said all that, I doubt that the RH Bill will be worth it.

Now if in the following years we'll get a series of new taxes, I know who to blame!

Picking The Right Amazing Race Partner

This week will see the finale of Amazing Race Philippines.  It’s a bummer that the contestants are only going to race around the country.  I was hoping that they could at least go around South East Asia but oh well.  I guess keeping the race at home makes sense.  I’m really not a fan of the local franchise.  After watching a few episodes, I felt that the challenges are quite lame and most of the racers are quite clueless.  One of the things that the US (or even the Asian) franchise continues to do successfully is to showcase the pitstop as a tourist spot for its beauty or heritage.  This is something that the local franchise failed to  take advantage of.  Racers just come and go at the pitstop that are sometimes positioned awkwardly.

But since I am a huge fan of the US and the Asian franchise, I still gave it a chance.  I am still excited how the race will end.  My personal favorite team is “The Gym Buddies” (Marc and Kat).  They are fairly strong compared to the other teams.  They managed to win the first 4 legs and 3 more legs until they reached the final 3.  But more than their racing prowess, what I like more about this team is their constant bickering.  Kat is one feisty bitch.  I cant help but feel bad for Marc every time Kat calls her out when he makes mistakes.  I admire how Marc managed to keep his cool.  My favorite moment for these two is during the Palawan leg of the race where the multi cab brought them to the wrong place and left them there.  When they saw the multi cab driver again, all hell broke loose.  The amount of name calling and tongue lashing trumps Paula Salvosa’s AMALAYER episode.  Poor driver.

I have always wanted to be in Amazing Race.  Not only because of the prize money but also, I wanted to live the life of a back packer while testing my physical, mental and emotional limits.  My ex and I once talked about joining Amazing Race Asia.  We even came close to writing scripts for our audition video.  But we realised that joining such competition would spell the end of our relationship.  We simply cant work together.  So if we are to join the race, we should be doing it with other people.

Choosing who to partner with proved to be hard for me.  I generally work well with a team.  However, the dynamics of a two man team is would be different from a team of more than two people.  For larger groups, one would generally come out to be a leader and the others followers.  I’m perfectly to be on both sides.  But for partners, you should always be complimentary.  The pressure to work well together is greater to the point that you dont even have to talk and next steps would seem to come out naturally.

Up until now, I still don’t know who to partner with.  I have yet to find the person who shares the same intensity and passion that I have.  The one who complements my weaknesses.  And someone whos temperament does not clash with mine.  If ever I find that person, I think the 2 million prize will be ours.

Far And Away

I am in love with a guy I've only seen a few times.  Ever since I laid eyes on him, I have never known anything more beautiful than him. I started stalking him in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and all other social media sites that he frequents.  He even has a photo album in my laptop that I use as my screensaver.

One can say that it's an obsession.  The kind that you have over the likes of Zac Efron or the guys of One Direction.  It is the kind of obsession that you day dream about every time you get a chance.  But it is also the kind that brings you to the reality.  That its never gonna happen.

They say all things are possible.  If you really want something, you fight for it.  Unfortunately, this is the kind of fight I know I will lose.  So I have conceded.  You are just so far away, literally and figuratively.  I can't see myself catching up.

Credit goes to TheHauteSpot.com

Why The Anti RH Bill Politicians Failed

Credit goes to ProfessorMohawk.Blogspot.Com

The Reproductive Health Bill has passed second reading after it gets a slim majority 113 to 104.  I am personally against passing of the bill and I really hope that it does not see the light of day.  However, I have reasons to believe why the bill will be made into a law in no time.

The proceedings that happened yesterday showcased how the anti-RH Bill politicians failed to elevate the discussion from being just a mere crusade for Christianity.  They demonstrated how ill informed they are and how their religious belief govern the way they make laws.  We saw how Rep. Apacible offered his vote to the Lade of the Immaculate Conception and the Lady of Gaudalupe.  Rep. Garcia on the other hand reasoned that if the RH Bill is passed, the country will be the next Sodom and Gomorah.  The likes of Rep. Bagasina managed to connect the recent catastrophe brought about by Typhoon Pablo to the bill.  And who would forget Rep. Syjuco who explained his vote by reciting the Apostle's Creed.

There are more than one way to justify your opposition to the RH Bill and I think the best way is to forget the religious route.  We can definitely argue that with a population growth rate that is steadily decreasing without government intervention, we do not need to use taxpayers money to buy condoms and contraceptives.  Why would we spend on something that could only grant us negligible results?  There are a bunch of arguments against reproductive health that they can use to elevate the discussion and they have failed to use them.

I oppose the bill because I think we don't need it.  It will be a useless welfare program that is based on false promises of economic growth.  It is redundant because we have existing laws that are there to solve a problem it proposes to solve so why would a new law be any better?  The religious arguments agains RH Bill are just plain backward and misinformed!

I am just plain disappointed at how our representatives have handled this fight that has divided the nation, politically and even spiritually.

OPM: Not So Original Pinoy Music?

Local artist would vehemently berate those who dare say that OPM (Original Pilipino Music) is dead.  Unfortunately, one would have reason to believe that it is.  Last week, ASAP revealed its 24K Gold and Platinum Awardees for 2012.  A quick glance of the list of winners would tell you familiar names in the industry and their all revival albums.  Perhaps with the massive influence of Western music that consistently defines what's popular and the emerging K-Pop culture, the local industry's best bet would be to bring back songs made popular during its glory days and give it an update version belted out by our best singers.  OPM ain't so original anymore.  Ironic!

But OPM is not only about what makes money.  It is also about the artists and musicians who continue to make original music even without the prospect of making huge bucks.  OPM is a celebration of local artist who wants to make good music.  Sounds so cheesy but it doesn't make it any less true.  And one artist made me realize this.  Amidst the bigger names in the industry, a newcomer has unexpectedly made waves in the mainstream scene.

Meet Abra (Raymond Abracosa), the pint size man behind the tagalog rap hit Gayuma.  His single has topped Myx's local and overall countdowns for several weeks already.  The video also now has over 9 million views.  Before making music, he made waves in the fliptop scene  and is considered to be one of the heavy weights of rap battling in the country.

I am really not a fan of local rappers.  Most of the rap artists that we have right now are plain irritating.  So seeing Abra's video in Myx for the first time was a breath of fresh air.  His pleasant voice gave me the chance to understand his powerful lyrics.  At first I thought the premise of the song is plain funny but the catchy refrain had me listening to it a second, third, fourth time ... until I just decided to put it on loop in iTunes.  I made some more research and I found out that he also has another equally compelling single called Abrakadabra.

Abra is only one of the many aspiring artist that are make brilliant original music.  Unfortunately, they are not given the much needed air play compared to other mainstream artists.  These are artists who produce their own music, market and promote it on their own without backing of a recording label.  And everyday, the list of these kinds of artists just grows.  So with that alone, I think OPM is far from dead.  Unfortunately, business and economics cant help but use their invisible hands.

Rurouni Kenshin: Best Live Action Adaptation Ever

Anime lovers are spot on when they said that Rurouni Kenshin: Samuai X is the best live action adaptation ever!  I am one of those firm believers that live action adaptions of our favorite anime franchises should be done only by its creators, the Japanese.  Look at how Dragon Ball Z turned out.  Or even Tekken and Street Fighter.  Japs don't always get it right, but theirs would come out more authentic and believable.  And with Rurouni Kenshin, they indeed got it right.

Generally, Rurouni Kenshin seems to not your typical Japanese action movie.  The cinematography seems different.  The production set seems different from all the Japanese live action movies that I've watched.I was looking for the usual computer generated houses but didn't notice one.  And that is not a bad thing.  In fact, I think that added to its charm.  Everything seems so real.  It retains though the gory blood splatting an in your face hacking and slashing which everyone loves.

Being a follower of its anime version, I know that the series has a huge number of arcs.  One would wonder how Keishi Ohtomo (director) would create a plot that is plausible, effectively mixing drama and action, making an adaptation that even those not aware of the anime or manga can follow with ease.  He definitely did an awesome job!  He was not entirely faithful to the first two arcs of the anime but I think it helped him introduce the main characters well: how Kenshin got his scars and why he made a vow not to kill, how Kaoru's innocence strengthen Kenshin's resolve and how their love story came to be.

I definitely have no qualms about the action scenes.  The movie opened with a gritty killing spree with its usual hacking and slashing.  And up until the climax, I was like a kid in martial arts wonderland.  The swordplay was fast yet beautifully choreographed.  There wasn't a hint of CG which made even Kenshin's flash steps very believable.

The only aspect of the film that I had mixed feelings on would be its casting.  First, I think Takeru Sato (Kenshin) struggled to portray the clueless ex-assassin who was coming back to his old innocent self with every person that he helps out.  Takeru had his moments but mostly came out to be too serious (when he is not fighting).  I was also expecting Megumi (Yu Aio) to be a bombshell.  Munetaka Aoiki did a good job playing the smug tough guy Sanosuke but I was hoping for a hotter actor.  How I wish, they gave the part to Yosuke Eguchi who I think is too goodlooking to play as Saito.

Overall, Rurouni Kenshin exceeded my expectations.  I was expecting a problematic plot and CG fest of action scenes.  Fortunately, i was blown away by its amazingly choreographed action scenes and superb story.  It easily becomes the best live action adaptation I have ever seen.

PNoy And His Double Standards

In the aftermath of super typhoon Pablo, President Aquino was quick to trumpet the success (supposedly) of NDRRMC and PAGASA in minimising the damage and casualties caused by the typhoon.  While I don't see anything wrong with that, his succeeding statements showed  blatant double standard and self righteousness.

While speaking with the League of Municipalities, he echoed that the safety of their residents is paramount.  He said that they should not use these events as opportunities for self promotion and early campaigning.

These are quite noble statements.  However, I can't help but remember seeing him on top a military truck together with his entourage that included people who are part of his senatorial ticket.  Seems like early campaigning for me.

Christmas Season And The Irony Of It

Credit goes to FreeOnlineBlogspot.Com

Last Saturday, I was supposed to go to a party with my former colleagues.  I originally confirmed my attendance but when these anxiety attacks started to kick in, I just told a close friend of mine that I can't make it.  I did not give her a lengthy explanation and all I said is that I'm in a really bad place right now and I just can't let them see me like this.  My friend knows what I meant.  She knows that I want to be left alone.

This is not the first time I tried to shut myself from the outside world.  Before, I stopped seeing old friends and I avoided opportunities to talk to people about my condition.  I refrained from doing my usual activities and totally embraced solitude.  That is what I am doing right now.

Don't worry, I'm not going to commit suicide or anything of that sort.  I just feel so lonely.  This year has been a terrible one filled with disappointments.  The last few month were the hardest and what I think brought me to this point.  There is just nothing to smile and be happy about.  And I dont want people to see me miserable.  I feel like I've disappointed them big time.  While everyone else seems to be happy with their relationships, with their careers and even with the way that they look, here I am making stupid decisions with my career and my finances.  Being the under achiever that I've always been.  Heck I'm even an under achieve when it comes to my diet and weight management.

What's worse, the Christmas season is not helping me at all.  This is the first time I don't feel like joining everyone else in the festivities.  It's so ironic that Christmas is the season that compels you to socialise, rebuild ties and rekindle friendship and I chose to hide myself under a rock.

I have another invitation for a dinner party.  This time, with my long time college friends.  Some of them will be coming home from abroad so it is really a big deal.  I did not commit to anything yet but most likely, I'll ditch this one too.

I just want this phase to be over soon.  I want something to be happy about.  Something to be thankful for, something to celebrate.  Something that would make me feel that it's Christmas.

On Relationships And Douchebags

A good friend of mine went through a messy break up with a guy he is with out of convenience a few weeks ago.  Together with two other friends, I acted as a love doctor and helped him figure out what his next steps should be.  I really felt that he was in that relationship for all the wrong reasons and thus it was bound not to end well.  So I tried my very best to make him realize what he really wants in a relationship and how his search should be based on that.  We are after all not getting any younger so we should be seeing better men who we feel we can spend the rest of our lives with.

Perhaps he was not the only one I was able to convince.  I think my statements were so compelling that I was able to convince myself that I can make a living out of it.  My friends know very well that I have my own share of falling for the wrong guy.  Well, I was young once and I think I'm entitled to be stupid back then.

I remember my second boyfriend some 8 or 9 years ago.  That was during the time when MIRC is everyone's favorite past time and Friendster was king.  He was an officemate that I met through an MIRC channel for people like me.  After three months of dating, I never saw him again.  He quit his job, never responded to my messages, never returned my calls and his friends will not tell me what happened to him.  Talk about cold turkey!  After a few months, an office friend told me that a familiar face started courting him.  He knew about my ex so he gave me his number to confront him.  When I called the number and he answered, I introduced myself.  There was a long pause before he uttered, "hey babe, how's it goin?"  So after almost half a year of being estranged you still have the gall to call me "babe" as if nothing happened?  What a douche!

There was also this guy that I dated for a while who loves to make out every time we see each other.  Whenever we go clubbing, people would stare at us when we start locking lips and exchanging saliva.  We never really discussed the status of our relationship (or lack of one).  At that time, I felt that we were having so much fun so why spoil it with all the drama.  Alas, a day after another night of clubbing and making out, I was shocked to find out that he changed his relationship status in Downelink!  He even wrote a testimonial of his love and devotion to his new boyfriend.  Being young and stupid, I orchestrated the bitchiest pay back scheme ever, but that deserves another post.

I also had my share of dating psychos.  I met this guy some 6 years ago through Downelink (Friendster for LGBTs).  He was not really my type but he was such a sweet guy and I enjoyed his company so much.  I really thought he is a nice guy so I dated him.  Months passed and I remained happy with his company until he started inviting a common friend in our dates.  That went on for quite some time until my friend told me that the psycho guy started to court him.  I wanted to chop his head for double crossing me.  There is a reason why I call him psycho.  A few years after the double crossing episode, he tried to make amends.  I really thought he was sincere until he said that we should see each other like old times and that he wants to see and my boyfriend.  Sounds familiar?  That guy needs to have his head checked.

There were also a few guys who dated me just to make their exes jealous.  I remember having a steamy encounter with this guy, who turned out to be friends with with a couple of people from my circle.  Unfortunately, his ex was part of that circle.  So during one gathering, he started getting all sweet with me, making sure that his ex would notice his advances.  He even asked me out in front of him.  But of course, things changed when his ex was no longer looking.  Then there was this other guy who declared to his group that he is now dating me.  This happened shortly after his ex broke up with him.  After a few days, they get back together.  He ditched me right away even before our first date.

When I was younger, I felt the need to always be with someone.  I hated the notion of being alone and single.  Sometimes I would date men out of convenience.  Just because I cannot see myself eating in a restaurant alone.  Just because I do not want to watch movies on my own.  But now, things are different.  I am now different.  I learned that I can be in a relationship and be happy without so much compromise.  That I can find the man of my dreams.  That in order for me to be happy, I need to know what I want and look for it.

I guess that is what I want to tell my friend.  We have dated a lot of men.  Some of them might be worth keeping, but a lot them are just trash.  If we continue to date the wrong ones, then how will we find the one that will really make us happy?  It is not easy to find the right one for us.  That person who we really want to spend the rest of our lives with.  But dating all those douchebags should have taught us a thing or two.  Now we know which guy to avoid.

Credit goes to SingleGirlSurvivalGuide.com