Those Storytellers

Woohooo another update here, and all within the same month! I wasn't intending to write another post today but then 2 of my favorite persons in this world, my close friends Debs and Tin, were excited after seeing that I updated this blog. I'm touched (and bored, honestly) so I figured another post would be good. I still can't say for certain if my uncharacteristic consistency for the past week will last but until then, let's see just how many topics I can exhaust in my attempt to compensate for my almost 2yr long absence. Today, let's talk about how original the plots of Japanese Anime are. I am so impressed by the creativity in their concepts. I especially love how well they marry traditional beliefs and modern circumstances. They're a superb bunch of storytellers, something that I can only ever aspire to be. 

Blazer and shorts set: from a local store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Inner top: Topshop | Shoes: Adidas NMD | Bag: Goyard St Louis

Among my favorite animated movies is the Japanese film 'Your Name'. The protagonists, teenage boy Taki who's living in busy Tokyo and Mitsuha, the teenager who's tired of her slow rural life in fictional Itomori, were bound by an unexplainable yearning for someone whom they have no recollection of. They just feel an extreme loss for something that they feel they've lost although they have nothing to account for this feeling. At the beginning of the film, we see that they have been swapping bodies intermittently and without warning. Upon waking up, their memories of the day prior would seem distant, if not completely erased, just as how our dreams are usually forgotten once we've woken up. After regular occurrences of days when they couldn't recall what happened, they thought of a way to leave notes for each other to somehow have clues of what's happening to them. Soon, they have gotten to know snippets or two about each other which naturally raised their curiosity about the other. Mitsuha was the first to muster up courage to go see the other. She searched for Taki in Tokyo only to be disappointed because he didn't recognize her. They separated with Mitsuha's hair ribbon being left in the possession of Taki. The day came when Taki became aware that they've stopped swapping bodies and all the notes that Mitsuha has left in his phone have disappeared. This time, he mustered up the courage to travel to Itomori to look for her. 

But what Taki found in Itomori surprised both him and  me, of course. The town was completely wiped out, as a result of a comet that hit it 3yrs ago. The catastrophe killed all of the residents in the area, including Mitsuha. It turned out that time is non-linear, as many academics have hypothesized. The lives of Mitsuha and Taki were happening simultaneously, despite the 3yr difference in their timeline. Spoiler alert: they eventually had their happy ending. Taki drank the kuchikamizake, an alcoholic drink that includes human saliva among its ingredients, which was made by Mitsuha. This action connected the two once more and fortunately, through this, they have saved the town of Itomori from its supposed extinction. Yup, I know. I have downplayed much of the plots of the film but this is my abridged version based on how I understood it. To this day, I don't know how the swapping began. Was it because Mitsuha prayed to the gods? I just know that the red ribbon symbolized the invisible string that connected them to one another, irrespective of time and place. 

The film deals with various concepts that I am highly fascinated with including time, fate, and fleetingness of dreams and memories. The film was a brave attempt to explore all of these vague concepts that are individually, already difficult to comprehend, so as a whole, they're much more difficult to wrap one's mind around. I think that life has too many circumstances that cannot be explained by everyday pragmatism so when something offers us an alternative explanation, we are left wondering. Not that I don't believe that they are real. If anything, I think that when a concept offers a probable explanation, then it must be considered to be true until proven false. Anyway. I can't help but feel that somehow Taylor Swift has watched either this film or another Anime while writing her new song "Invisible String". The parallelism cannot be denied. And for that matter, my love for her new album cannot also be denied.

These photos were taken in the bustling and hustling Tokyo last May 2018. As can be seen in my several attempts to cross the busy Shibuya crossing, it is an almost impossible feat to leisurely have your photos taken of there. I am sorry to the people whom I inconvenienced with my sudden stops hahahaha This trip is among the best and most memorable travels I've been to. It's been filled with crazy antics, random dancing and singing in the public, and too much 'Oh no, why did we do that' troves of embarrassing materials that could last for years to come. It's also during this trip that I danced to the tune of Your Name's Nandemonaiya (the soundtrack of the film deserves accolades too) while in transit from Tokyo to Osaka. Crazy memories always make for the best stories. 

Red Riding Hood

I've been trying to update the blog since last week but my attention was caught elsewhere. You see, I was trying to piece my thoughts on the books I've just finished reading last month when 'less pressing matters', namely work, demanded my full attention and so sadly, my supposedly enlightening book-related post has been temporarily sidelined. What a bummer (also, yes, I was writing my thoughts down while at work). I'll post that before the month slips away.

Cap: Adidas| Shoes: New Balance 501 | Scarf: H&M | Bag: Balenciaga City | Gloves: Uniqlo | Heat-tech Leggings and tights: Uniqlo| Red coat: from a local store (gotten either in Hong Kong or in Seoul. I can't remember from which city but I'm sure it's from a local store)

For this post, let me begin with narrating that a couple of hours ago on this fine Sunday Father's Day afternoon, I was catching up on the last few episodes of season 10 of Big Bang Theory when I realized that Sheldon's new laptop resembles my younger brother's laptop! Forgive me should I in any way offend anyone's technological-sensibilities but when I first saw Gio's black Alienware laptop last December, I thought it was cute in a novelty item sort of way and so I didn't really look at it with the proper eyes that I should have had. Now I'm impressed beyond words just because one of my favorite fictional characters is also using it. I borrowed the said laptop as I'm typing and transferring photos now as my way of apologizing for the technology snub I've committed last December.

Fully 'schooled' by Sheldon Cooper no less, let me proceed with what I was supposed to write for today. My favorite type of vacation is going someplace with my immediate family. I'm very close with everyone at home, from my parents to my 2 brothers, and even to the Ates so it's no wonder that when in an unfamiliar place, I feel most comfortable with the people I am with on an everyday basis. Of course it doesn't hurt that vacation with parents means that it's an all-expense paid for trip so I don't have to worry about subjecting my savings to agony again Hahahahaha. Kidding aside (was I?), it's true. I always look forward to going away with my family. Trips with them always end up being the best trip of the year. Photos in this set were taken in Great Falls Park in Maryland USA.  My Mom's brothers and their families were also with us as well as the 3 Grandmoms. 

(we were joined by the park rangers who patiently took our family photos)

There's one more thing that I want to briefly talk about here. Superhero movies of late have been very impressive, haven't they? I watched the last full show of Logan on its first day as I've been anticipating it since Marvel released its trailer with the Johnny Cash song playing as its background music. I'm probably echoing the sentiments of the thousands of reviews of the movie but let me add in those who praised the script and agreed that it's been the most succinct and poignant way to bid farewell to Jackman's Wolverine. I've enjoyed my English classes as a student. I clearly remember the many times that my teachers drilled into my mind that stories have this Story Arc where each part of the story can be categorized into. My favorite has always been the Rising Action part or the Chase as it's always served as the most thrilling part. I love a good build-up, where there is confusion but it's the good and exciting type. Understandably, I hated the Falling Action part as it's where the remains of uncertainty lie. If I were to chart X-Men's timeline into a Story Arc, I would say that Logan is in the Falling Action part. The story just showed that after the heyday, the glory, and the power, there will come a point where all of it will end. We've seen a Wolverine with debilitating health and a Professor X who's on the onset of senility. It was painful to see them reduced to the characters in Logan when you have always associated them with the group that saves the world while in leather. It was quite a leap. And for that reason, the characters have become more human, more prone to bursts of emotions. The film was great. Brilliant even. It was worth the remark on my tardiness the following day when I reported to work a solid 1 hour and 30 minutes late.

And then there's Lego Batman Movie. In a 2014 post, I mentioned that Batman is my favorite superhero. I would always love Nolan-Bale's rendition and their trilogy would perhaps be among my favorite trilogies of all time but I've a new favorite Batman movie. Now, it's the Lego movie. It was just so funny and punny that it's been such a refreshing version of Batman. Finally, here came a version that pokes fun of his character's aloof, anguished, sad rich kid's persona; and was brilliantly funny at it too without sacrificing the nuggets of emotions that can be sipped off of the stoic playboy. The film was funny but never stupid. 

Both films revolved around the idea that no matter how great an individual is, nothing would compare to having others who have your back, who would understand when your mood doesn't quite fit into the current situation, who would see past your transgressions, who would call you out when you're being too stubborn or too illogical or too snobbish, and who would want to have you in their lives for as long as possible. That's quite a long description which I guess could be shortened to 'family'.

The alien button of the laptop is blinking. Perhaps to signal that the battery is draining? Oh well, that's it for now. I've posted entries that are connected to this one HERE, HERE, and HERE. 

Le Prince et Sa Rose

Aside from the certificate delivered to my house, I have no other proof that I studied French. There are problems in my schedule presently but as soon as everything's sorted out, I'll enrol in Alliance Française de Manille once more just because I want to fully understand the upcoming Le Petit Prince film without needing subtitles. What? That's a valid reason, right?

“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” 

Dress: from Hong Kong | Coat: from London | Tights: Topshop | Ankle boots: H&M

I'll attempt to write an entire paragraph in French because I'm a pretentious girl who insists she's slowly becoming multilingual. Hahahahaha.
  On y va!

C'est comiqe quand je vois les articles dans l'internet quelque leçons j'aurais dû quand je plus jeune. 
Parce que quand vous etes nouvel, vous preferez le faires votre façon. Il y a ne pas de consequences depuis vous croyez vous avez tout le temps dans le monde. Certainement je ne aurais pas ècoutè. J'etais dix-neuf une fois aussi. Ja'i fait le plus grandes erreurs de ma vie puis. (Oh my gosh, if there's any way that I can use the numbers from one to a hundred, one thousand, and one million, I would have done it. I had to memorize them for a day's activity then) 

“Well, I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies.” 

Avec mes favoris garçons dans le monde: mes deux freres et mon pere

Ma conjugaison est terrible. Aussi ma grammaire. J'ai pour etudier francaise immediatement. Qui vous déjà savez si vous comprenez cela. J'ai essaye ne pas utiliser les apps dans mon telephone et le Google Translate. J'ai utilisè les notes dans mon cahier. C'etait difficile. Mais je veux faire ce à nouveau. 

Since I only know the basic, I normally always try to identify the standard form of the words in Le Petit Prince. It's the first novel I'm reading that's not written in either English nor Filipino. I cannot fully converse even if I'll only have to listen to the other party because I only pick up a few familiar words. I'm starting with reading but hey give me time and I might be able to babble and rant endlessly one day! For now, I'm leaving these photos which I worked on (and my professor, Ms. Yolie, corrected) months ago. The activity was to assume a different personality. Try to extricate the vrai from the faux. Bonne chance!


Je suis passionnèe par l'art et ses reprèsentations mètaphoriques.



Told you so, there are French who actually chanced upon my blog Hahahahaha Je suis très heureux, merci beaucoup!! :)

All quotes are from The Little Prince. I'll write about my thoughts on both the book and the film after watching it.

Folk In Those Stories Had Lots of Chances Of Turning Back, Only They Didn't

I wasn't supposed to write an entire post about my obsession with Middle-earth but then just like how junkies of whatever sorts undergo closure to treat their obsessions, I've to put a dot on my month long The Hobbit - LOTR movies and books marathon by quickly gushing over them here.


Top: Zara | Necklace: from Bangkok | Shoes: Skechers | Skirt: Zara | Sunglasses: Ray-ban

These photos were taken last 8 December. Almost all classes all over the country were suspended then leaving the streets bereft of the usual Manila traffic, which my Dad and I took opportunity of. We drove all the way to Clark to oversee some of his pressing projects there. I tagged along because I'm an opportunistic little daughter who saw this chance as a way to sweet-talk my Dad into buying me all the stuff I believe I need (but really do not. As he said, "I'm not working so hard just to buy you your fur vest when it's not practical in the kind of climate we have" but as always, I got what I wanted.) hahahahaha


It emotionally drains me just thinking of seeing the end of The Hobbit. (Come on, admit it. We all probably have a fanclub we've sworn allegiance to.) Long before I became a fan of the Harry Potter series, I was already obsessing heavily on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. All my brothers, my uncles, and my boy-cousins dragged me to the cinemas to watch the first three instalments and successfully turned me into another Middle-earth geek. When the great Peter Jackson translated The Hobbit into movies two years ago, the fans club in my family was resurrected. For purposes of this post, I'm focusing on the films over the books. I've read all 3 of the LOTR and The Hobbit but when I saw Jackson's idea of them, I was completely won over. The books were great, what with all of Tolkien's lovely words and ideas that are difficult to translate into action, but Jackson's was legendary on its own as well.

As if hearing Pippin's song in the Return of the King played as the background music for the trailer of The Battle of the Five Armies wasn't enough to get me emotionally invested, the movie used Pippin's voice once more to sing the final farewell song played at the end credits of the last movie. By then, I was already sobbing in the movie house, to my brother's dismay.

On a scale of 1 to Stephen Colbert, I'm not really sure where I stand as a fan. But I can lengthily explain why the wise Gandalf couldn't do the missions (... quest... thing) in both The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings or why the eagles only showed up at the last minute. Or the name of Gandalf's horse and sword. Or the riddle behind Gandalf's famous "Fly, you fools" line. Or other not so obvious occurrences and objects concerning not only Gandalf but the other characters as well. I'll gladly discuss themes in the books and films with anyone, seriously. There are plenty of conventions where fans gather in the US and UK and I'm very positive that if I ever get the chance to be there, I'll proudly wear a costume. No, really.


I understand why there was an uproar amongst the Tolkien fans when the character of Tauriel was introduced in The Desolation of Smaug (which, by the way, is my favorite among the Hobbit trilogy). She didn't spring forth from Tolkien's mind, instead she came from Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien's Middle-earth world. Nonetheless, I like her and how substantial the films made her character out to be. Seeing a female persona in an otherwise male-dominated world is empowering. Not to mention, her existence provided a romantic plot to the story.  Besides, I believe the main plot wasn't altered substantially and some of the poignant scenes and lines in the books of all the Middle-earth stories were included. Every battle with the Orcs and the Goblins were theatrically orchestrated injected with Legolas and Gimli's humorous competition against each other (in LOTR), that instead of my usual recoiling response to war scenes, I enjoy every death on the battle field (The battle of Helm's Deep or The Battle of Hornburg is my favorite sequence from the 6 movies but I used a photo from The Battle of Pelennor Fields as emphasis).

Knowing that the character you've rooted for from the start will eventually get killed doesn't lessen the impact once you actually see it. Although the circumstances of the characters' death were different from what happened in the book, the end-result was the same so cut Jackson some slack, you high and mighty Tolkien fanatics. I wasn't so invested in Kili in the book but who wouldn't like Tolkien's version of Kili?




images from Iconic Fictional Characters

The thing with epic adventures is that, they leave a mark. Sometimes it completely intertwines with the rest of our lives, other times it becomes a constant reminder in a form of a scar, tattoo, or deformity of what we've underwent at a certain time. Very seldom does it leave us. And very seldom does it not make us evaluate where we currently stand.

I'm not yet ready to bid Middle-earth farewell. For now, let me go back to doing my LOTR marathon then cap everything off with Billy Boyd's The Last Goodbye to shed some more tears. Peace out!

In With the Old

Photos are starting to pile up in my Photo album so even though my brain is still on haywire, aggravating my already existing tendency to spout out incoherent thoughts, I'll try to be insightful.


Top: Bayo | Necklace: Aldo | Body Bag: Nine West | Shorts: Bench | Shoes: Aldo

First off, Happy New Year to everyone!!! I had a great holidays celebration spent with my relatives residing in the country and a few meet-ups with my closest friends in town so I hope you had an equally fantastic time.

Probably the reason a quality movie graces the Philippine mainstream cinema screen only once in a few years is that, the audience is not yet ready for anything that requires us to think, evaluate, and respond. No, really. It's the truth. The commercial aspect of producing a film outweighs its need of story depth. In a way it's understandable because sometimes, when our brains are too tired to function after a day of work, we want to see a film that will only make us laugh upfront and leave us feeling light-hearted. Who needs ideas that resonate, ideas that deconstruct, ideas that give birth to other ideas? This reasoning is exactly why we'll thrive endlessly on simple romantic comedies and rely on Hollywood films for more intellectual enlightening.


The Golden Rule in Criticizing: Don't criticise if you won't offer an alternative. I've no idea how movies are created but I know that in our country, their success is measured by the money they've generated, with reviews merely affecting a little percentage of the audience. Producers should make a pact. For every 4-5 hits they've produced, they should invest in a story-driven film. It's just fair, I think. Since they make money out of people who love going to the cinemas, they should in turn educate them. Give and take, remember? Last night, my Tito, brother, baby cousin, and I watched Bonifacio. It was great because it's the first film I've seen for so long that tells about the life of one of our national heroes, reminding me of what I learned in elementary. It had its flaws, of course. The tiniest of details were overlooked but I was willing to let it go.

Bonifacio reminded me of how rich our history as a nation is and at the same time frustrated me because I know more about other countries' history than ours.


Sometimes our closets are a big gift box. I was surprised to see a few stuff that I've long forgotten such as this green top. I wore it once in my frosh year in college and before that, during my retreat in HS. I didn't grow, did you notice?

And Yet Don’t Look Too Good Nor Talk Too Wise

Just like how the Kardashians are successful in creating their image as a gigantic brand owing to their special talent which is... which is uhm... oh right, vanity (I can watch them endlessly though!), Christopher Nolan is a brand all on himself. He has distinguished himself for telling stories through movies that continuously aim to expand the viewer's area of knowledge. I like him because his respect for the audience is visible in the quality of his films. The fact that he assumes that the audience is intelligent enough to understand the complex machinations of the mind is a clear indication of how he regards us, mere mortals. I watched Interstellar with my brothers 2 weeks ago. I'm not sure if I completely understood all the scenes but it makes me excited in what the distant future has in store for this planet. The overused time traveling plot my favorite movies have employed has finally been awarded a background that's close to being explained in pure scientific words. I wouldn't even elucidate what I believed was the film's universal message for fear of incorrectly overlooking more valuable scenes in favor of the parts that appealed to my humble understanding more. I got even more invested in the film the moment Professor Brand bid the astronauts adieu with Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. It's good to meet a poem our HS teachers made us interpret in a set-up that's fitting of what the villanelle was originally intended for - to encourage someone who's facing an inevitable death to not easily succumb to it. The moment Brand used the poem as his goodbye, it had been a telltale sign that the mission wasn't meant for a return. Clever use of literature, right? Nolan, my friends.


I logged in my defunct Twitter account just to look for these tweets. (Who am I kidding? I logged into my account that day because I did the most evil act I can ever do. Don't make me mad, else, I'll tweet about you but I won't tag you. I'm wicked. Mwahahahaha seriously, Twitter makes me laugh)



Black top: Zara (thanks S!) | Shorts: Topshop | Wool wrap: from Australia (thanks Lala!) | Shoes: Zara | Ring: Aldo
I had a long day going in and out of malls as early as 10am and lasting through the night where I had celebratory drinks until just an hour shy away from Cinderella's curfew so comfort played a huge key. Of course I couldn't stop myself from wearing this heavy winter hoodie which my Lala gave me years ago but only remembered now because wearing 100% comfortable clothes is not a good thing as well. Hahahaha.


Last Saturday was an extremely busy yet memorable day for me. I ran around Makati malls trying to fix what I can fix for the Pacquiao fight as ordered by my Dad while squeezing in quality time in the form of a fast yet satisfying lunch in Apartment 1B in Rockwell with my college favorites Lina and Tin. (Kristina, I miss you!!! You have no idea how much sense you put into my scattered brain. Don't be a stranger!)



I've been collecting stickers for the Starbucks planner for a good one week already so I had to drag her there and sat down for a gratifying discussion. When my break was over, I went back to fulfilling the rest of the day's requirements.

Come 4PM, not a minute early nor a minute late, I met up with my best friend in Rockwell. See, in our friendship, there's this special bond that can never be cut all because it's entangled around another person who for almost a year, refused to have any contact with either of us. It could've been an easy break but how do two girls cut ties with a person who has made an impression on them despite only being with them for 4 days? That's rare and in this case, we wanted (desperately, unrelentingly) to believe it's because we're meant to be friends with that person for a really long time. Ha!


As we were capping off the night with the usual drinks in Taft, the unexpected happened. Perhaps we're a little inebriated or the Christmas season is kicking in that we finally mustered the guts to reach out to the person whom we feel emotionally albeit abnormally attached to. We waited for an hour before the person responded to our incessant messages which led to another round of drinks we referred to as the celebratory bucket. Hurrah! We're almost back together! We waited for a year to receive the person's forgiveness, dissected what happened and discussed hypothetically various scenarios, and finally got the permission to call the person on the person's phone. That's victory for us! (Notice how messily I veered away from the use of pronouns? Haha)

To sober up before we separated, we walked along Taft all the way to Starbucks. I've completed the 18 stickers!


I used a line from Rudyard Kipling's IF as guide on how to attack this post. How did I do? (wink wink)