Higashi no Eden 1-4

On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash. - ANN (because I'm too lazy to write my own summary :D)

I could not pick on a new series to watch for the Spring/Summer 2009 season; I planned on watching and re-watching stuff that I've, sadly, neglected behind.

I, however, wasn't to keen on letting the Spring/Summer season slip by without at least checking out a show. From my experience, despite a season's preponderance for crappy shows, there's always bound to be an exception. So, I hopped around anime sites and forums, hoping to get a whiff on the right direction.

That's how I ended up watching Higashi no Eden, a very promising show so far. It's right up my alley, being a short series at only 11 episodes. The characters remind me somehow of Morita and Hagu-chan of Honey and Clover fame :D

Anyway, first episode was not much of a bang, I admit. The story did not unfold much, just ran around in circles, the dialogues, dull. Some scenes left me completely nonplussed (a naked Akira Takizawa, anyone??). It had its share of funny and intriguing moments, though, enough to make me wanna watch the second episode.

Thankfully, the succeeding episodes does a greater job than the pilot. Viewers are treated to a sneak preview to a great story, one that will probably involve epic proportions. The main characters are developed, obtaining new depths. The story picks up from here and the story moves fast, covering histories and characters in an episode. The show's pacing, though, does not affect the storytelling aspect of the show, and the animation remains above-par throughout.

The OP is really good; it deserves some kind of award. I can't find it yet, but I'll link it as soon as I can find it. Really, it's something everybody should see :D

So far, so good. The show is getting more interesting, revealing and hiding just the right amount of story information to keep the viewer guessing (and not annoyed :D). My only fear now is the impact of 11 episodes on a story that obviously is large in scale, but that remains to be seen. On to ep5!

Hooked for now.

Why compliments are dangerous to your health

(Or at least, to neurotic people like me :D)

For some reason, I felt bad when my boss sent me an email bearing the unmistakable electronic equivalent of a human compliment. Sure, I was pretty happy about it, but the goody feeling evaporated as fast as it came.

Why a compliment would become so bothersome is beyond me. Maybe I was just nonplussed by it, on the merits that I didn't feel that my accomplishments were that compliment-worthy. I was like, "Hey, it's my job. You pay me to do it, you know."

Or maybe because it was a compliment sent through email. It's harder to "feel" the person when everything is so electronic. Or maybe it's just the paranoid in me, thinking, "This is my boss's way of screwing with my head because I submitted such a pathetic report."

It can also be that I can't accept compliments because I can't bring myself to compliment anyone. Or maybe it's because I feel that compliments are fast becoming a compulsory tradition and a compliment is not always meant.

Or maybe it's because I am afraid of bearing the responsibility of being complimented, knowing full well that with compliments come higher expectations. I now know that my boss and other superiors expect nothing less but prompt responses from me. No more room for slothful reports :B

Anyway, checking through my mail today made me realize that I might just have to accept the possibility that my work is indeed compliment-worthy. THAT compliment might not have been just a fluke. My other boss sent me a compliment, too.

Bully for now.

Tax me 'cos Ah Am Single

So here I was, mad as a bunny, all pumped up to receive my much awaited salary. Here you go, sign here please and bam, DEDUCTIONS!

What deductions? I asked. I didn't sign up for any deductions. I want my bread whole!

Tax dedux. Because I'm single.

Meh?? :B

*Off to spend the gift of Mammon, gyapeeeeee~~

Mononoke 6-7

During a random surf through my anime list on MAL, I found a number of rotting anime titles under the "Watching" and "On-hold" tabs. Shame, shame, really, as some of those titles were really good ones, too, and now, I'm just too tired/lazy/busy to finish them all.

Yesterday, though, I got the chance to continue with Mononoke, a title I started a year ago. Mononoke,not to be confused with the anime Princess Mononoke, is a 12-episode series of Japanese stories of horror and the supernatural. Despite the year hiatus, I'm glad that my fandom for this title has not dimmed one bit.

Episodes 6 and 7 dealt with the Japanese Noppera-bo. A noppera-bo, in Japanese folktales, is a faceless woman-avenger. The noppera-bo takes on the face of the wronged victims before meting out serious psychological, twilight zone-ish justice to the offenders.

Mononoke, however, had a different take on the whole noppera-bo folklore. Instead of a faceless woman, we encounter a spirit (ayakashi) with many faces in love with a woman accused of murdering her family.

As usual, Mononoke's storytelling style surpasses itself. Scenes often overlap each other, mimicking the muddled and disturbed psyche of the arc's main character. The overall effect of these subtle elements does the noppera-bo arc true justice, though, I initially found the constant and rapid change of scenes confusing at first. Nothing a little rewinding couldn't remedy :D

I'm definitely going to continue with Mononoke (buffering episode 8!). I'll also squeeze in a few more pending series I've neglected, in between work. I'm rather surprise at the lackluster Spring 2009 season; I've been watching some episodes, but so far, nothing has grabbed my attention. Or maybe I've just been lost for so long :D

Bosh: Yesterday's crap today

The day started well enough. Arrived 30 minutes earlier than my usual time. Got started on work, did an update or two. Faxed some documents. Then, everything went downhill. For the first time, I had a devastating headache. My skull felt empty. I could not string a single, decent sentence. No amount of candies or chocolates would start up the dregs that was left of my brain. I could not finish a simple article; I did not know if it was from my headache or from the radiation copiously streaming from my computer. Even Facebook frustrated me. I found out that I downloaded incomplete episodes, that 1,604 KB was NOT 324 MB. My computer kept hanging on me because Tune Up Maintenance was running at a sloth pace. The office fridge did not have my favorite chips on stock. And my coop debt was a whopping Php 368.00 in just 3 weeks.

I realized that I would not see my salary this day. No jeepney came along the office street. Tricycle drivers are clods. One asked me for Php 20.00 for a ride that would barely last 3 minutes. One complained that it was dark and that he could not possibly drive me to that God-forsaken place and back, etc, etc, etc. I moved back and said "Bai-Bai" instead of "Oh, shut up, shithead". One driver left without a word when I stated my destination. Excuse me for having manners. I walked about a kilometer or two to catch a jeep. Waited for 30 minutes for an empty one to pass by. Students, I thought, were stealing my jeepney rides. A woman stepped off a jeep and stood EXTREMELY close to me. What, woman? The curb ain't big enough for the two of us? Invasion of spatial privacy?

Got home in one piece. Wrote this entry while wishing for a brand new motorcycle.

Doggone internet days

I hate these days when the internet is down. It literally zaps the life out of my fingers, and I refuse to do anything. Except stare at the digital clock on my desktop, willing it go a tad second faster. Or play Hearts and Freecell. Or compulsively move folders on my account. Or manually copy an article I've already finished so people would think that I'm working or something. Or read other people's articles through the local connection.

And then I get jealous of their writing style and I feverishly type away on my keyboard at 54 wpm.

I begin...

Only to be interrupted by the blinking computer icon, signaling the start of a renewed surfing connection :)

Another work-related rant

(and yeah, there's bound to be a lot of work-related rants from this point forward)

Oro! Weekend!

It's Friday, the end of my third week in my new workplace and it's still awkward to be sitting in my cubicle doing and achieving nothing - not unless you count reaching level 15 in FB's Mafia Wars an achievement. As a relative noob, I'm still testing out the employment waters. But, I have to say, having had two jobs prior to this one, starting out is not that intimidating anymore.

I'm lucky to have been provided with a PC set on my very first day and let posterity note that I was bullied into using the internet connection. As with all first days, I, er, refrained, from indulging in my usual internet habits and hovered on relatively official territories. And as with all first days, I got over the impulse to NOT open my Facebook account pretty quickly too, as everybody else was doing it.

Anyway, today I realized how lucky I am to have this PC. The other new recruit, I learned, had to kill 8 hours, doing absolutely nothing but sit behind his desk all day. Poor dude, I know the feeling. The last week had the internet going haywire. I had to play FreeCell and Hearts all day to keep me from losing it. When my PC had to undergo a makeover, I was so bored I twisted all Ma'am Fru's paperclips into human figures. Just for fun. Yeah.

It's been an easy week, which for me, is completely unnerving. I can't keep still and I hate doing nothing, especially if someone is paying me to do it. Basically what I'm tasked to do here is to do articles and write ups, something I truly enjoy doing. I've finished all that I was supposed to do last week, which leaves me absolutely gaga as to what I'm supposed to do next or if what I did was possibly what they expected. Bah, I need serious feedback here! I'm tempted to stand up on my table and scream "Yo, people! I am ruddy bored here. Make me do something, anything. I can wax floors, serve coffee and fetch newspaper. I'm even toilet trained!"

Yeah, well, I can't say I can connect and fix printers in a jiffy anymore: we have computer engineers for that, thus my relegation to bystander status. Anyhow, another thing to look forward to this Monday, aside from the arrival of my bosses (signalling the end of my internet viewing pleasures): formal introductions! Yep, I need to stand up in front of people and extrapolate on my happiness at being hired. Gotta be up extra early for that as classes are starting next week. Thanks to DPWH's efforts on repairing a road that needed no repairs, traffic is bound to be hot and heavy.

I had a lot of things I wanted to write, but I forgot them all. It's a fiver, see and I'm leaving to socialize with college friends over coffee. One last FB update and I'm gone!

MAL-ling

Yay, my own MAL account is up and running, thanks again to the office's nifty connection. I've added some pictures, updated my profile, posted in forums, created a new sig....

I need paperwork, lots and lots of paperwork to distract me from internet pleasures. Either that or cut off my ruddy connection if I am to churn out productivity!

Recognizing stuff

01 June 2009. Text message in.

"The chief nurse made rounds this morning asking for recommendation for the most efficient in your group. I gave your name. Goodluck!"

I love joo, Ma'am Lung! Too bad I can't accept it if the hospital calls.

Ah, but the recognition and confidence does wonder for my deflated ego. *Puffs air*