October 29, 2009 Thursday

MUSIC: Didn't It Rain? - Yoko Kanno
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: ...

★ TETHERED ★

★ As of late, something has been keeping Morpheus from putting his hand atop my head as if in a goodnight kiss to send me off to his Kingdom. Where did I fall wrong in the stages of sleep that I’ve been missing out the transitions going to REM sleep to grant me momentary escape? It’s painfully frustrating that the character of my sleep lately seems like I’ve simply dozed off as soon as I close my eyes and all of the sudden, I wake up with nothing happening in between the transition of dozing off to waking. This morning was rather different.

★ Morpheus presents a scene from a long ago time and very much not forgotten; it was a reminded of happiness and full of foolish, impulsive longing. It me and this character, shrouded by an almost dim light in the quiet hallways with awkward side long glances, smiles that others couldn’t have seen beyond that scenario of frustrated attraction towards the other and laughter, yes, sweet laughter about Stephen King, the weird facts on the life of Gogol and the make shift games of table tennis inside the cramped space of the M.F. Good gods, that stature of a man… If this is life with glimpses of his mouth and eyes whilst learning his intellectual intricacies and knowledge passed on by him, let me never go blind or get shut off from the agony of learning and the horrible pain of trying to understand. I’m locked up in the dream, in the image and even now I find I’m still tethered to you when 3 years have passed since you last lent me your hand to help me stand up from the corridors.

October 27, 2009 Tuesday

MUSIC: Men In Love - The Gossip
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: ...

★ MOVIE REVIEW: DONNIE DARKO ★

"What if you could go back in time, and take all those hours of pain and darkness and replace them with something better?"> - Gretchen Ross in Donnie Darko

★ I didn’t know what to expect when I first watched Donnie Darko (2001). I came across the title of the film in one of those “Movies that You Must See” books in the bookstores and this title always comes up along with a still from the movie that consisted of a young Jake Gyllenhaal watching a movie beside a sleeping girl and a creepy looking bunny creature with a skull for a face. This kind of imagery always intrigues me and it wasn’t until today that I managed to pick up a DVD copy of the film.

★ Mind fuck, definitely would be the initial response to the film. But it’s one of those films that you love for being unpredictable and can’t pin down by genre or by your expectations and after watching, it left me such a haunting and persisting psychological unease I haven’t experience in watching a film for a long time. And that means that it’s a good thing.

★ The movie is set in a posh suburban setting in 1988 and here we meet Donnie Darko (yes that’s his real name in the film), a high school student whose state test scores are “intimidating”—intellectually ahead of his peers academically and philosophically, with a pose that’s sardonic but likeable at the same time and has episodes of sleepwalking, blackouts and ‘emotional problems’ that urged his family to get him to a therapist and take medications. He’s one misunderstood teen—his anger, confusion and being sickened by the hypocrisy and mediocrity that he sees around him is mistaken for unfounded rage and psychotic episodes. Then he starts to have hallucinations of the alleged bunny creature that is called Frank and Frank compels him to do acts of vandalism (which Donnie gets away with). This grotesque bunny also delivers him bulletins of a prophecy that the world would end in exactly 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Here is where his saga starts—with Donnie figuring out if his mental disturbance reflects or causes this cosmic apocalyptic countdown.

★ The whole film is enveloped in this atmosphere of some sort cultural doom, with our protagonist a visionary within an ignorant and insensitive society. I found it to be quite an affecting film on teenage alienation and angst and how is the World treating you as an outsider. But it isn’t all that bad since he’s got two friends, teachers who support him (the only teachers at his school), psychiatrist and his eventual girlfriend, who accepts him as he is and isn’t as clueless and condescending as his peers and other authority figures. The social environment Donnie spends in doesn’t measure to his inward sensitiveness (which a scene shows a hypnotized Donnie voicing out his fear of loneliness but how he accepts and try not to debate on this pre-determined state of his life) and this causes a rift. The whole atmosphere of this overwhelming sense of loneliness and arbitrariness is evoked all throughout the film, as Donnie challenges this notion and reveals the main theme of the movie: time travel. As he discusses with his girlfriend Gretchen in one scene, a philosophy of time travel would be undoing the pain of the present and possible a relief and an escape.

★ Donnie’s relationship with Gretchen is one of the exceptional ones portrayed in film and one of the pivotal moments in this film. She was the only one who was able to fully understand Donnie’s quirks and help him focus on things and serve as an anchor in his reality, to remind him of the good things in life. And Donnie, he was able to change because of his love for Gretchen (and his newfound appreciation for his family). I’m not going to give the ending away but I have to admit I felt really teary eyed after all that… DAMN. I highly recommend this movie, but I suggest you better pay close attention to it. It's difficult to get back on track once you get distracted from the plot

October 25, 2009 Sunday

MUSIC: Love Long Distance - The Gossip
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: ...

★ MUSIC RAVES: THE GOSSIP - Men in Love (album) ★
★ Gossip is a band—why haven’t I heard of them before? It all came back when I was browsing some pictures I had of my ‘husband’ and there he was, posing with Bette Ditto (the vocalist) herself! Then I recall watching a live performance video of them in Channel V months ago performing their song ‘Standing In the Way of Control’. I remember liking the sound but never got around picking up this new artist find.

★ I’ve recently discovered this band through NME (one of the fine music magazines ever, in my opinion) and thought this band was stationed in the UK since they seem to be pretty popular there and NME definitely supports them (NME is UK-based). And then I find out that they’re actually American. No offense, but how come it their music videos never came up or receive much airtime in MTV (well at least, MTV Philippines) considering their caliber? Like Muse, as Dom said “We’re the biggest band America hasn’t heard of yet”. And after getting a hold on Gossip’s album ‘Music for Men’ and finding out they’ve been in the music business for 10 years… What in the world have I been missing?

★ Gossip’s album Music for Men, oh wow… It’s beautiful! At an instant there was love between me and the music they make. It’s an incredibly, catchy piece of art with crunching guitars, snapping beats that echoes a little bit of punk and blues (so insaneeee) grooving it’s way a disco-tinged territory. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all distortions and synths over here. Ditto’s voice— that sweet, creamy (if her voice had a texture) electric soulful voice—cuts through the guitar riffs’ affairs with the strings, subtle synths and pounding bass and makes it an even sweeter love affair worthy of an eargasm.

★ Gossip delivers a refreshing approach to music and the genre of pop. From what I heard so far, they sound like they’re a band that doesn’t comprise the upfront rawness and freshness of their sound amidst all the other mediocre artists emerging in the industry. They’re going against the grain and wow, they definitely know how to dish out what each member has: the vocals are deliciously soulful, the guitars have this quality to them like a spike, something that pierces and cuts with surprise to the unsuspecting and the drums crash with ramming vibrant force. Where have they been hiding all this time? *sigh* There’s brimming musical talent and creative spirit here. Officially, I’m smitten.

October 23, 2009 Friday

MUSIC: Boys Wanna Be Her - Peaches
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: ...

★ PLAYLIST: The Boy With The Thorn On His Side ★
★ This playlist is for ‘The Boy with the Thorn on His Side’ because we haven’t been seeing each other a lot and thus no opportunities to exchange songs like we always did whenever our academic lives are at the height of it’s toxicity. But now, I present to thee songs handpicked for whatever is happening in our respective sad lives (it pays to research a little on the lyrics haha). These are basically feel good songs, ok? I LOVE them all. I order you to listen to them now! You told me to write something interesting on my blog, well, I’m in a jumpy mood because of the caffeine and sausages we had. Here is an entry… does this come off as "interesting" to you? Or am I just pissing you off because I'm seemingly broadcasting something? :D

October 19, 2009 Monday

MUSIC: There Is A Light That Nver Goes Out - The Smiths
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: milord

♥ Marie Antoinette ♥


★ I don't know what happened: I just got up, grabbed my DVD copy of this and ended up watching it. Afterwards I felt a feverish desire to draw. It's probably because of the clothes and the cake :)

October 17, 2009 Saturday

MUSIC: Ready for the Floor (Hot Chip cover) - Lissy Trullie
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: milord

♥ TALKING IN FRAGMENTS ♥
★ Reached my limit, tried hard for a few consecutive days, emerged triumphant with a few gashes and bruises but nonetheless, content and feeling more high and distant than ever. I’m shutting myself off from responsibility completely for two straight days to rid of myself of stress that has build up lately. R: has a colossal desire to escape, retreat, not talk to anybody. Perverse desire to retreat in not caring at all… But I know I mustn’t continue to run away even in sleep because I still have to think right after shutting off: forgetting the details, ignoring the problems, shut walls up between me and the world and all the bright people surrounding me. I have to think; there is that annoying, persisting fear of not succeeding intellectually. I must think immediately and get on with It.

★ I can’t believe today was the last day of hospital duties for this semester! OMG FTW it is the last day of hospital duties (for now)!!! Freedom is mine, yeah you know how I feel~ It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life… For me… and I’m feeling good~♫

★ Retail therapy helps. Just got home from shopping. It’s therapeutic for me but it’s definitely has an inverse effect on my wallet! But seriously… 2 new pairs of pants, more products from the Body Shop, sweet Italian ice cream and delicately, feminine accessories (I know right? Ftw!)? How can those things not make me feel any good?

via tiny doll @ flickr

★ BOOK TALK: FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C Andrews ★

★ Bought my second-hand copy of this book a week ago and it came with matching train tickets going to London circa 1999 (one of the reasons why I love buying second-hand books). Finished this book in a day, roughly from 2 p.m to 3 a.m. Why? I find V.C Andrews an effective story teller; she has woven this story, which is actually her first published novel, infamous for it’s themes of incest and infanticide. Obviously, I was very curious when this book came up when I was browsing Amazon and saw how its reviewers were divided on disgusting, ashamed of reading it, ashamed of liking it and outright saying how they love it despite the risqué subject matter.

★ And what does R say about the book? I liked it. Flowers in the Attic could’ve been included in one of those ‘turning point’ books I would’ve have read during my formative years in grade school. You don’t need to have an extremely brilliant grammar skill to understand the book since it’s simply written and the sentences and scenarios are straight to the point; no complicated metaphors and verbose, unnecessary extensions of one scenario from the book. I would describe it as trashy in some parts and then campy on most part but it just seem to resonate to me.

★ The main plot concerns the Dollaganger kids: Christopher, Cathy and their twin siblings Cory and Cathy. The children were very much contented and happy with their family, consisting of a Mom and Dad and they we’re so perfect and picturesque that the neighborhood calls them the “Dresden Dolls” (think Brady Bunch). When the Dad dies, the children are taken by their mother to live in their grandfather’s mansion. There starts the children’s nightmares, where they have to live in an attic, hidden from the world and under the watchful eye of their extremely cruel, Christian-extremist, whip-totting grandmother. Their mother leaves them to suck up to her father (why? You just read it!) And when she eventually abandons her children completely, it’s up to Chris and Cathy to be the parents of their younger siblings and depend on each other for their survival.

★ This makes me want to compare this with Ada or Ardour (by my love V.N of course) but for now, let’s focus on the book and V.C Andrews more importantly. The thing is V.C Andrews is one of those authors who has a very peculiar way of writing and that has got a hold on me. There’s an odd tinge of perkiness and wholesomeness to how she guides us and describes us in the life of the Dollanger children, even if Chris and Cathy we’re already engaging in hot incest attraction and eventually sex. It seems like teach sentences would begin with a “Oh golly golly!” “Oh gosh dear me, what an awful, awful situation to be in don’t you think?” I mean, the representation of incest there was like a human error, not some grotesque, dirty, sadistic trauma of some sort—that she handled well. I just snickering as I read through the book with how she wrote the story. It’s like eating an apple pie: you eat it, it’s hot, you choke on it but it’s still apple pie and it’s good and you continue to eat it.

★ I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I just love how this book echoes Freud’s theories (Electra and Oedipus complex much?), Grimm’s fairy tales (we follow Cathy’s journey where it’s set in a high fantasy, dreamy backdrop of ballerinas, flowers, dolls, toys and as it progresses there’s a looming, bad, bad evil lurking to make you a wretch—it’s also about a coming of age thing like Little Red Riding Hood) and hints of Bronte’s Jane Eyre (or is it just because it’s so claustrophobic and I imagined Thornfield Manor?)… Never the less, it’s a great psychodrama read I’d recommend. I movie was actually made based from the book but that I WOULD NOT recommend.

★ In short you get high pyscho drama, incest (not just from the siblings *wink*wink*), bat shit crazy grandmothers who’ll make the Bible the last book you’ll ever read in your life, sibling love despite looking almost like a corpse and pastries for kiddies laced with arsenic.

October 13, 2009 Tuesday

MUSIC: Animal (Mark Ronson remix) - Miike Snow
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: a Man who hates Spiders

♥ IN THE MEANTIME I NEED SOME MEAN TIME ♥

★ ohjeez *drools* The back cover means serious business! I wish my copy of 1984 looked as epic at this! Via Book Cover Archive. This and two of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress toward more pain." - 1984 by George Orwell

"Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves." - 1984 by George Orwell

★ Tonight the stars (the remains of what could be observed) are scudding. I have been gliding on that wind since this afternoon and coming back tonight, feeling slightly better from the retail therapy (yes, I’ve been at the mall). Today is a good day: my new purchase which is The Body Shop’s Born Lippy Strawberry lip balm (one of the things I bought), I feel, would become a staple in my make-up kit~ YAY FOR MAKE-UP! *u*

★ I can’t shape into writing and drawing now; my mind must keep up. Sem break come hither! I want to feel by that time that I am attaining, with the return of my stability and the possible stubborn breakthrough in this season, an episode of real deep-rooted peace and joy I have known since long, long ago… where there’s no fear of emptiness and good things, revolutionary things inside you are bountiful as if it would never, ever run out.

★ “You’re impossible!!!” Thank you, and because of that I’m alive compared to your boring and dying self. Keep calm and let's eat

October 12, 2009 Monday

MUSIC: Recess - MUSE
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: a Man who hates Spiders

♥ PASSING BY, YOU LIGHT UP MY DARKEST SKIES - Dark Shines ♥
★Hello, my fellow sleek weasels of the interweb! Weary, work not done, week scarcely begun: such mortal falls. But I am alive, here, now, writing and I have little complaints for today; a seeming success to find my calm center. Deep sleep last night after a rushed period of writing, printing and reading from 8 to past 12 midnight but all that was frantic rush dissipated from that dream.

★ I was obsessing about this the other day and resulted to a mad jealously—the Philippines is right below Japan, won’t they please care to make a short stop over even for just a day?! Even if it were a day of an important examination, I would miss gods-knows-what exam needs to be taken on that day just to catch a glimpse of their flesh and blood. Dream: me and my darling friends—Larissa, Peps, Don, Raffy and Jinx were with me in this ordeal. Don and I we’re in mad euphoria: our heroes were here on Manila soil and we were there, greedy, consuming every aspect of the experience with MUSE (in the dream there was an autograph signing).

♥ He (the man in question I simply refer to as Bells) was very sweet. He bent towards me—all of him I took in: fine, well angled face, scruffy dark hair and deep set enormous eyes; an aquiline nose, a clean-cut chin. An unexpected smile for me was what he bared and he was neatly made with a black blazer and cotton white shirt. Long, thin arms found a place around my shoulders and drew me closer to him—I knew it would be the way it was, with his large and sensitive hands cupping the curve of my arm. “Don’t worry love, let’s wait together”. A cool, smooth voice; a single arm around me while we waited—all of it in its thick, feathery smothering embrace. Jittery and nebulous and all together brilliant

★ BTW “Soul Sibling, Matthew is mine!” (Bill-Compton-Possessive-over-Sookie voice). Believe it or not, I’d rather you have Alex than him.

♥ LIKE SHARKS DON'T SLEEP & I DON'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU ♥

★ The Surgical Ward at MCMC has been a bore. Diabetic feet and amputated limbs stay as they are; no new mothers or the adrenaline pump that compares to the ER. Honestly, I can’t take another week of this. I wish I knew what I was doing; just let this young spirit survive.

★ Orsino has made an appearance a week ago. The mention of his presence triggered nostalgia: Days in a dim afternoon light, grit into art—my art, almost wicked and letting loose being terribly halted with pounds and pounds of pressure overhead. There was also a ‘growing out’, an opening of a new perspective on the dreary routine: myths, folktales, sociology, anthropology, Freud, Nabokov, wars, symphonic music, hoarse female voices singing over frantic acoustic guitars, tasting, touching, instant happiness, history, politics, unspoken talk, sidelong glances, hidden notes, observation, fascination, words flowing consistently, smirks. To be a life and regain an aspect of life before I die. R wanted to see him, no more no less. I miss that feeling and the feelings attributed to the whole picture behind Orsino—my friends, who were much closer to me then than now, experiencing everything together during that time. His duality would always fascinate me; the challenge/guidance to make use of the energy or will I have and it kept me alive and didn’t weary me.

October 4, 2009 Sunday

MUSIC: Undisclosed Desires - MUSE
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: Alexander fucking Skarsgård

♥ TRUE BLOOD SEASON 2 EPISODE 9 ♥
★ I’m in a ravenous mood and apparently the hang over I’m nursing from last night’s drinking session with Mom and Cousin doesn’t stop me from stretching my imagination a little bit further and frantically just… moving around because of True Blood. Screw intracranial pressure and headaches—it’s just wrong not to be like this after what happened in the series! So far this has been my most favorite episode ever, ever, ever and I’m guessing I’m probably going to dream about this episode later. Why exactly?

★ This is my long awaited episode of True Blood! Finally amidst all the decadence and weird ass shit (uh huh the orgies courtesy of the resident Maenad, who’s definitely wicked as well) that’s been happening and being thrown in at this crazy plot, they have finally shed solid light on the true nature of vampire politics—bureaucracy and power determined by savagery and strength accumulated for millennias (in Godric’s case) and how it doesn’t really go well, hand in hand at times. The episode also featured in a captivating and yes, heart wrenching manner on the dynamics ‘makers’ and their ‘progeny’ (no spoilers haha). And of course, love versus hate and not just ‘versus’ but love coinciding with hate and vice versa and how there’s really just a thin line in between those powerful emotions. Besides, I highly approve of the gore they’ve been showing—you can’t have a vampire and just present to us some blood. Thank Dionysius for epicurean diets and decapitated body parts stuck on walls.

★ Speaking of Godric, I love him. He brought such… genuine gentleness in the series that I never imagined could happen (I have to admit I’ve been getting really tired of Sookie and Bill’s ‘gentleness’). The scenes with him felt so soft, so light that it feels like it’s about to break. I was so scared for Godric and more scared for Eric as well. If Eric was definitely holding back more of the cathartic tears, pleading in Swedish in such gentleness and fragility I never knew his character would have or show in the series, I was already in mad sniffling in front of the monitor T____T Godric is brilliant. And Alexander is much brilliant for executing such a delicate scenario, with the ability for taking you into him and make you feel what he feels. Alexander as Eric owned it big time. He was the one who set the mood of the whole episode, emotions hitting the mark conveyed by the execution of words and even just a simple look. He delivered and didn't disappoint for a bit.

★ But the real star of this episode is Eric Northman played wonderfully by Alexander Skarsgård and he is the shit! Oh Holy Dionysius, help me restrain my very, very vivid and lurid mind from a possible bad case of mental rape and for me to lick the screen. God forbid, this man! This episode featured dashing and brooding Eric Northman with the tough and sexy swagger of a vampire lord (in the series’ case a sheriff) saving his Maker, and so statuesque, crafty and gracious me, temperatures rise whenever he’s in sight. Blood rushes to certain places it must not (let’s leave that to your imaginations my dears) and certainly makes the manner of your breathing not wholesome anymore.

★ I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sitting here in mad envy and delight as he was fondling Sookie. If Gaga’s “Paparazzi” video you caught a glimpse of the heaven that’s Alexander when he man handled Stephanie Germanotta on the bed with those silk sheets up to the balcony, relishing… well, it was nothing compared to what I’ve seen in this episode. Damn. That’s the way you should handle a woman. He was so unrestricted in what he did on that bed scene.

★ The producers gave us a friendly view of his naked upper body sideways *twitches* A view that’s until his inner legs *gags* Jesus. Sorry i can't bear to show it. It's too NSFW and I'd rather keep that screen shot for myself thank you. And he used tongue in this episode btw… in kissing *dies* Viking Gods. Mmm…

October 2, 2009 Sunday

MUSIC: Dare - Gorillaz
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: M

♥ THINGS R LOVES ♥

Image via WeHeart.It
★The fact that my family and I are safe from any severe flooding or other events that would put us in peril ★ people who go out of their way to help those in need ★ the boy who shoots me an understanding/loving look whenever I have my periods of ugly hysteria ★ Mass Production Evangelion Units and their formidable savagery that looks great on film ★ The Evangelion tetralogy ★ the sound of frantic writing: pen gliding against a rough surface of the paper ★ Unipins for drawing ★ Taylor Momsen’s outfit for school as Jenny in Gossip Girl Season 3 (Who goes to school looking like this?! I know I would! The cropped leather jacket with that outfit: amazing! though I could’ve gone with different shoes)★ banana cakes ★ my mother when she listens to me talks about conspiracy theories, political upheaval in major scales and aliens and the fact that she doesn’t think I’m weird ★ discussions with my sibling about the universe ★ keeping in touch with relatives from another part of the world ★ MUSE, one of the biggest inspirations in my life ★ pretty cardigans ★ curled lashes = instant glamour ★ our little cat TY for his effortless cuteness ★ iced coffee ★ “hey I love you, you make a great spy” letter from a high school friend ★ okonomiyaki and the fact that I can cook it = YUM ★ make out photo shoots ★ “you were never my student but I am so glad to have met you” – gets me everytime :D ★ a simple homemade lasagna covered in parmesan cheese ★ plaid shirts (they’re becoming a staple in my wardrobe) ★ bright red nail polish ★ M: the person who makes my dopamine levels go really crazy

★True Blood season 2 quotes—and damn I’m just at the beginning of the season and it’s really blowing my mind off especially Eric—good err… bad, sweet, dirty Eric Northman. I give up you know, there’s not much of a fight when you’re talking about Alexander and Alexander playing a role of some vampire who doesn’t sparkle! He just like how I want them: a formidable savage, teasing, brooding, calculating, devious and HOT. When he showed off with that hair cut, damn and when he speaks Swedish with Pam? Hot shit :) I’m excited; the recent dialogue has been hinting wonderful, wonderful scenarios coming my way.

Lafayette Reynolds to Eric Northman: “Why do you want to give me your blood?”
Eric: “I like you.”
Lafayette: “Bullshit. You wanna be able to keep track of me. Why?”
Eric: “You obviously mean something to Sookie. What Sookie finds meaningful I find curious.”

Eric: “You surprise me and that is a rare quality in a breather.”
Sookie: “You disgust me.”
Eric: “Perhaps I'll grow on you.”
Sookie: “I'd prefer cancer.”

★ Oh and Pam, she’s just wonderful! I love her. Pam and her tough love for Eric. I love her snarky side comments.

Pam: (looking on as Sookie and Bill kiss) If I had any feelings, I'd have the chills right about now.
Eric Northman: Not me.

September 29, 2009 Sunday

MUSIC: Uprising - MUSE
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: ...

♥ And I've Seen, All I'll Ever Need ♥

Image via MUSE.MU
★ Congratulations MUSE for the successful gig in your hometown Teignmouth, Devon! I’ve recently acquired a video recording of that gig via BBC of course and I know this words of praise is definitely delayed considering that gig was over weeks ago just before the actual 2009 VMAs. As always, you didn’t fail to disappoint us in bringing the best music and sets to boot! The gig was so overwhelmingly beautiful that I literally felt teary eyed especially when you performed those three songs from the new album. Damn as in TANG INA MUSE! *flails* Minsan lang ako mag-mura pero ganito talaga ang epekto ng kanilang mga katangi-tanging awitin at dahil dito ako’y dinadalaw ng gunita ng mga akmang salita at imahen para may dumagsang mga larawan at kataga (na hindi niyo mababasa dito sa aking blog) mula sa aking mga kamay papunta sa papel. (hey diretsong Tagalog yun ah!)

The Resistance: DELUXE BOX SET (free worldwide delivery)
Multi format box set containing the following:
- CD+DVD in foldout softpak including The Making Of The Resistance DVD (43 minutes 53 seconds)*
- 180g Double heavyweight vinyl
- Muse USB pre-loaded with WAV, Apple Lossless and MP3 320 files plus bespoke audio player
- 12" Art Print

The Resistance: CD + DVD
CD+DVD in foldout softpak derived from sustainable forestry. Includes The Making Of The Resistance DVD (43 minutes 53 seconds).

★I’ve made up my mind: I’m definitely going to get a copy of The Resistance: CD + DVD set. Initially I was considering the deluxe box set which costs £59.99 with an equivalent of 4,500 Php (based on the recent currency exchange). I mean, the deluxe box set is so damn pretty and you can’t definitely go wrong with all the goodies included in there *drools* Yesterday I was in deep though whether my asking for this album from my relatives who live in countries with music stores that actually sells this was appropriate considering we’ve been experiencing a lot of “downs” lately (nationwide and family wise as well). So from the pros and cons considering the CD + DVD would be the best choice. Other than it costs only £13.99 (an equivalent of 1500+ Php when I converted it), at least it has the Making of the Resistance DVD with 43 minutes and 53 seconds of MUSE.

September 27, 2009 Sunday

MUSIC: 君は天使だった - Art-School
BOOK: Middlesex - J.Eugenides | KOI: ...

♥ A Calamity, Triangle Onigiris & Ma'am Tiff/ Horcrux @ GLNIC ♥
★ Our last day of duty at GNLIC was eventful since we got trapped inside the lying-in clinic while the storm raged on outside. I mean, what I way to end the last day of duty and this is the first time it ever happened that we felt so trapped—Dubhie, Lara, Jes and Ma’am Tiff’s homes were already flooded and Kuya Jay’s route homebound isn’t passable. Well actually, everyone’s route homebound isn’t passable since the floods that high would leave vehicles shutting down in the middle of the road. The rain intensified by the minute. We along with Ma’am Tiff were comfortably under the solid (thank gods) roof of the lying-in clinic while we watched the wind and the rain clash madly causing an observable rift of forces in the concrete. It was brilliant like some epic disaster was coming about and all we had was ourselves, the lying-in clinic, post partum women whose VS we had to monitor and scraps of food and an evaluative quiz. It was brilliantly frightening.

★ Obviously me and my cluster’s situation is far better compared to the others such as my cousin who studies at JRU. She just got home earlier this morning since she and many other JRU students had to stay overnight since the flood was way too high (lagpas tao na daw) for them to venture out and attempt to go home. The thing was that most the students’ houses were also flood up to waist and going home wasn’t really the brightest idea you could do at the time. My cousin Rose was fetched in the Crossing area, when the flood finally subsided. Apparently many people were stranded at the Crossing-Edsa area as well and had to stay overnight at the high pavements there.

★ This morning is calm and the skies are fairly clear aside from the haze that has been lingering around since the past few days. There are some nice yet scattered clouds already evident, mostly high cirrus.

★ Yesterday was my favorite ‘end-of-the-duty’ day and GNLIC is one of my favorite rotations ever (the one being the ER at MCMC, which I heard is horribly flooded until now). The staffs were nice and generous with experience and just let us do our service. There was mutual respect and politeness, respecting the presence of both parties under that single roof. And this experience is partially due to being under Ma’am Tiff and her natural amazingness. She isn’t so intimidating as people like her are supposed to be… Though still I panic and still remain a klutz especially during clinical sessions in the area (as always, I fail in the practical activities of life) because her meticulous, watchful eye is there and all the years of accumulated intellect and experience. But generally it wasn’t a blow to my inadequacy and self-esteem because there was a buffer.

★ Yee~ Unforgettable. In the Anime metaverse, she’d be Seiren (in Vampire Knight, as I told her when we gave her a birthday card) and I imagined she was like an Utena Tenjou character during her school days and our cluster would admittedly belong to the hordes of fan girls Utena has.

★ Good bye GNLIC~! See you later Maam Tiff!

ART-SCHOOL: 14souls Album
★ Art-School just proven themselves to me once again with their latest album release ‘14souls’ that made me grit my teeth for the fact that my iPod could only hold 1 GB of songs and the 320kbps quality of the whole album would demand such space and would prompt me to delete some songs which I don’t even want to delete.

★ Their single ‘Illmatic Baby’ (which I featured one time here in my blog) gave me a minimal overview on the scope of their music, which initially gave me the impression of mid-tempo songs with hints of modesty on the compositions but they make up for it with their intensity. This album, 14souls, however proved to me that Art-School is capable of producing a solid release, with the albums’ guitar tones, straight forward chords and dreamy echoes of indie and shoe gaze sounds giving the band a character that’s independent from the ‘rock bands’ coming out from Japan’s music industry as of late. Hopefully they continue to create the type of music that they do—without hints of pretentiousness and not to burn out from the increasing attention and demand they’re getting. My favorite tracks are: HEAVEN’S SIGN, tonight is the night, Catholic Boy, KILLING ME SOFTLY and LOST CONTROL. I enjoyed this album very much and I would like them to build greater things/ music upon this sound that they established here. They’re ready to break out with this music without compromising their rawness and sounding too commercial.

14souls by ART-SCHOOL

★ The indie/underground side of Japan’s music industry is just the right niche for my inner rock chick, when I move away from my usual J-pop and mainstream J-rock acts.