Recently watched: Hanayori Dango and Pride

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm so late with this thing. But hey, better late than never. :)


For falling for Pride, I would have to thank M, the one who got me hooked on Jdoramas in the first place. Pride stars the uber hot Takuya Kimura. Kimutaku is a hockey player on top of his game who falls for Aki (Takeuchi Yuko). The return of Aki's boyfriend is what brings a lot of drama to this show, along with the sob stories of the other members of the hockey team. Great cast (testosterone overload!) and great music. They played quite a lot of Queen songs in the show. I'm impressed. You would have to pay a ton of money to do that--unless they used those songs without permission, which is impossible. 

Takuya, you are smokin'. Someday I will fly to Japan just to interview you. Hehe!

Hanayori Dango, as many of you know, is the Japanese adaptation of the famous manga, Boys Over Flowers. My friends from my previous workplace love the Taiwanese version, Meteor Garden.I wasn't hooked on MG (too many fan girls, didn't wanna join the crowd), but I really like this version. The boys may not be that cute, but they dress well, and Matsumoto Jun plays the rich, bullying leader of the F4 brilliantly. (M tells me the Korean actor is better, and the cutest of them all. Jerry is the worst, acting-wise.) 

Of course, much of the appeal of the Jap version, at least for me, is the music. According to my friend M, this one has the best soundtrack. Listen to these songs. These are the theme songs for the first and second seasons.

These songs are so good I never get sick of them.

By the way, I tried watching Full House, which was really popular in the Philippines during my YES! days. I'm sorry, hate me for this, but I don't understand the hype. I almost fell asleep in M's place when I watched the first three episodes. I was so bored I decided to watch Balls of Fury instead. 

And sorry, Rain is not appealing--at all!

Update:

Here's another song I really like: it's from the opening billboard of HD's season 2. Enjoy! :)

Oranges

The campus is quieter than usual. Students have gone home for the Chinese New Year. The school is like a ghost town since last Friday, with many opting to skip classes-- something that I never thought these diligent students would ever do.


I spent Saturday with M, a friend and former colleague who has turned me to a J-pop and Jdorama addict. I like going to classes, I like learning new things, but without my Saturday sessions with M, I think I would have gone insane.


After watching animes, soap operas, and stuffing myself with Pinoy food, I took the train and waited patiently for the free shuttle bus that would take me inside NTU. Alas, even the bus drivers have gone on a holiday. I ended up taking the taxi instead.


As my usual practice, I engaged in a chat with the driver, who was about in his late 50's, as soon as I hopped in. I asked the driver why he was working during New Year's Eve. His answer: "I have to work. I have to pay my insurance. I'll spend it with my family tomorrow." 


In my country, this would have been considered tragic. Old people don't work--their kids are the ones who do it for them, which is why many leave the Philippines to slave their lives away in a foreign land. Some Singaporeans have been abandoned by their children. But others just refuse to be a complete burden. At first I thought working at an old age was tragic. It was later on I learned that in this culture, they view working--even in odd jobs-- as a way to keep their dignity intact.


Before leaving, I gave my Mandarin oranges to the happy and flustered driver. Those were gifts from M. I hope she won't mind me giving it away. And I hope the driver, in spite of his work, still had a great Chinese New Year.

Journalism and my place in it

I've been helping quite a bit with organizing the Asian Journalism Fellowship, an event that brings together for three months the region's finest journalists. The fellows will be staying here in Singapore, free accommodation and with monthly stipend, to attend workshops about the country's press, sightseeing, and working on their research projects.

Benedict of the Temasek Foundation (standing) tells us a story about farming, to explain why Temasek is supporting the fellowship. My super duper favorite, Prof. APH (second from left, wearing a blue shirt), had only this to say, "Corny story, Benedict!" Hahahaha! APH is such a big shot he can get away with making comments like that!

During the first orientation, the fellows introduced themselves and the kind of journalism they have done. Some are business journalists. One writes about cars. But the ones who have impressed me the most are those who write about human rights, political unrest--the nitty, gritty kind of journalism which I think I can never get involved in. See, while  I may have more education that is considered useful, I'm don't have enough guts and persistence to do investigative work. Guys like these have my utmost respect.

My work pales to theirs in comparison. I write mainly about entertainment and popular culture, with a little fashion and makeup mixed into the equation. While not as life-changing as other people's work, I still believe though that it still has a place in society. Like what another blogger, MC, said, what a boring world it would be if we all did the same type of job. What's more important is to have passion for one's job, and to do it ethically.

After school and achieving my nth diploma, I still plan to write about fashion, makeup, entertainment, and maybe even travel. These are what I live my life for. Maybe, someday, I'll write about politics. But at this point, I'd like to write about the beautiful things that life has to offer--even if some may think it's shallow.

The Loo

I've always been the queen of randomness. Just ask one of my professors, whom I send e-mails to with absolutely no  purpose. So let me talk about men and the loo.

The other day, I was washing my hands in our brand new women's room that comes complete with full-length mirrors and sensor-activated pin lights (okay, I'm blabbing) when I heard the voice of one of my professors, the super gorgeous Dr. DR. He was talking loudly to somebody, and I can tell that he was in the men's loo.

This got me to thinking: how can you (a guy) take a piss when your professor (or student) is standing in the urinal right beside you? Here at NTU, the professors don't have a loo of their own. They share with us students-- we mere mortals.

This reminds me of something I learned just recently. If you're a guy, there's an unwritten rule that states that in case there are a couple of vacant urinals, and there are few guys inside the room doing their business, you're not supposed to use a urinal that is right next to one of the dudes. It's a complete no-no. It's a violation of the Bro Code, dude.

So, how can you take a piss when your prof (or God forbid, your boss) is standing right beside you? Awkward, huh? Thank God I'm a girl.

Sneakers

Just last week, we were hanging out in Dr. CG's office when I noticed he was wearing a pair of really cool sneakers.

They were Adidas, in blue and red. With his dress shirt and black jeans, it made him look really fasyon.

"Nice sneakers. Are those new?" I asked him, as I noticed how clean and dirt-free they were.

"Ah, no.By the way, I couldn't wear the Abu Sayaff shirt you gave me."

He then proceeded to talk about the Asian Journalism Fellowship, but I have to admit I wasn't paying attention. His Adidas were a big distraction.

Days later, I was walking in campus when I saw a girl wearing sneakers, a shirt, and floral skirt. She would have been cuter if she wore a pair of Chuck Taylors.

I chatted with my Duabi-based brother O and told him of my plan to buy a pair of Chucks.

"Forget it," he said. "Chucks are so common. A lot of girls wear Chucks with skirts."

"That's not true! I'd be the only girl in NTU wearing Chucks with my floral skirt!" I protested.

"It's common! And a lot of emo kids wear Chucks with skinny jeans. Chucks are so ubiquitous! Don't buy Lacoste; that's very common, too." (I never thought O notices how people dress up. I am now officially in doubt of his sexuality.)

I was battling the blues during the weekend. There is something about relationships failing that bugs the hell out of me. I was walking around the mall with my neighbor CS, who spent a few days in Penang trying to recover from a breakup, shopped and bought his way to happiness.

And then, I saw them: a pair of yellow Nikes, sitting prettily on top of tons of boxes. I remember Dr. CG, the way he ate pizza as we sat in his office, feeling awakward yet happily basking in his presence. I remember the girl in NTU, on her way to class, with a determined look on her face, possibly thinking about her grades and her damned GPA. And I remember O, who generously gave our dad a scandalously expensive LCD TV.

I walked in and bought the yellow sneaks. If there is one thing that makes me feel better--other than writing-- it's shopping. I don't care anymore. I've got a new pair of Nikes. The world is perfect. :)