MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by ARTHUR GOLDEN

i just finished reading "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA" by Arthur Golden. it took me more than three days to finish because it really is quite long and even the chapters are lengthy too which makes me feel as though i've been stuck in every page (that is something psychological i guess). hahaha!

big thanks to dervs for lending the book! haha! 

i love the story! haha! seriously. it is not similar to the genre of novels that i'm fond of but i still was able to enjoy reading. the story revolved around culture, history, life, and love. 

it's about culture and history. what's cool is i learned a lot of things about japan and geishas as well. i barely know a thing about geishas, but afterwards, i was able to  understand what they are, what they do, and what it takes to be one of them. by reading the novel, i learned that being a geisha is actually no simple thing. it is more complicated than it seems. part of the story happened during the second world war, so the novel showed how japan was like before and after it.

another thing, by reading memoirs of a geisha, i felt like i got  oriented with japanese customs and culture. i learned that just like us Filipinos, they also are superstitious even with little things. i even encountered japanese words too, nihonggo. haha! it feels nice to not just be thrilled by the story but also by acquiring something you've not known about a certain culture, race or place. every time i learn something from what i watch, hear, or read, there's this certain enrichment i get. it's something that only my psyche can understand. i don't know if you get me, but that's how it really is. haha.

it's about life. and since the story was told through the perspective of Sayuri, a woman, it was easier for me to understand and sympathize with her struggles. it felt as though someone you  hardly know suddenly became close to your heart while she was revealing for the first time the story of her love and her life. every bit of event in Sayuri's course had something to do with her present and her future. her feelings were so contagious that whenever she is experiencing pain, i am also saddened by it; whenever she succeeds, i feel happy for her too. and since it started from her childhood days, i witnessed all the ups and downs she encountered, as in all! haha!

and of course, it's about LOVE. haha. what else would be more interesting than love. haha. Sayuri proved how much love can change and influence your actions and behavior. that's how i see her character. sometimes, she lets other people interfere with her love, but sooner she realizes that she won't get the contentment she's looking for until she does something to make things possible.

her eyes really are amazing. they are very distinct that anyone who sees her quickly takes  notice of her eyes. they are blue-gray. very uncommon. i have come to appreciate the beauty of her eyes while reading. haha.

i don't know. i just like it. i love how memoirs of a geisha was told. i was a voyeur for a moment as i sneaked to see everything that happened in her life. 

as i was going through the novel, these words made an impact to me.

I don't think anyone of us can speak frankly about pain until we are no longer enduring it. 

                                 --- Sayuri-san

what i learned from memoirs of a geisha? hmm, lemme think. haha. making things possible through your will, letting hardships shape you to be stronger, listening to what you really feel and going for what you really desire.

it is not really about what i learned. i am just glad as hell to witness her story. haha. that is it. :)


now, i am looking forward to see the movie. haha. soon. 

GET HIGH

saw this on one of the streets in Tanauan City. it caught my attention. i found it pretty cool so i took a picture. here's what i got.

let's get high! haha.

no art, plain sacrilege. the fuck is wrong with them? i am no devout catholic, but man, this is sacrilege at its best. 

♥♥♥

i heart this day. i'm not in the mood to blog but i just wanna share how i feel right now. haha! I AM SOO DAMN HAPPY. hahahahahaha! utas na sa kilig sa kaba at sa saya. lahat na ng emotions rolled into one. haha. solid na mga moves. haha. salamat sa mga gago at naging posible. HAHA. ♥

CROSS by JAMES PATTERSON

i just finished reading this book today. it's been quite a long while since the last time i read a book. kinda' busy with school that's why. haha.

CROSS is obviously another novel from the cross series by james patterson.

well, what can i say? i didn't have a hard time reading it. maybe because the story moves quickly from one murder to another. and maybe because the twists were not that many, but that doesn't mean it was boring. i couldn't let go of the novel the moment i started reading the first page simply because i missed reading. haha. and since we're talking about james patterson here, brutality is common. i found the heartless and merciless killings in CROSS a bit lighter than those i've read before ( jack and jill & 1st to die). is it because i got so used to reading things like that? because of familiarity? i can't tell myself. the descriptions of the murder were cruel but not as cruel as in the other novels. there's just one thing. i didn't get too excited while reading it, not the adrenaline that i expected to have since this is a suspense and action novel. maybe it lacked something, something i can't identify which.

by the way, i borrowed this book from ago. haha.

i like the lead character, Alex Cross, as always. his character speaks of responsibility and upright authority. the story revolved around this hitman they call "the butcher" who rapes then murders women. he doesn't just kill, he mutilates, scrapes, and defaces. an incident with cross's wife connects alex to this hitman. through the story, i learned why "the butcher" became like that and why he is doing such crazy things.

maghapon sa pyestahan.

081111.

we didn't have classes but we still went to school just to meet. we're all headed to one classmate's place, tapang's. what for? FIESTA! we' re always into fiestas! whenever there is fiesta in a classmate's place, we shouldn't miss it! haha. more than that, we go in a big group. i don't know. may be our stomachs are all jiving at the thought of fiestas. haha! may be we weren't only feeding ourselves. may be we also have alagas in our tummies. MGA DRAGON as we call them. haha.

i woke up late then i received a message from mame saying that they are about to go the fiesta already. damn. i didn't know they'd go that early. i took a very quick bath, fixed myself, and hurried to school. they were already hungry 'coz they've been in school since nine. poor them. haha. when i arrived, we were all ready to go but we couldn't because we were still waiting for yvonne. while waiting, a jeepney was all set for us so we went to up inside. wrong decision! it was soo damn hot then! we were all complaining! hahaha! we were all like, "what the hell is taking yvonne so long?!" haha! she said she was already in carmelray, then minutes passed, still no signs of yvonne! we were all thinking that when she said she was already in carmelray, she was still in st. james! haha! that's something we all do just so those waiting for us won't get mad! i confess. i do that. my classmates do it too. hahahaha!

we reached tapang's place by 3 pm. then, i realized that our class attendance was almost complete except for may be five who didn't come. sad for them. they missed out on a lot. haha. the food was crazy!!!!!!!!! oh god! we all attacked on the table when it was our turn! everyone was so excited for everything. haha! i let my classmates go first on the food. when it was my turn, the one i was so excited about, the cordon bleu, wasn't there! the bowl was empty! oh no! did i just miss it? luckily, no. haha. the bowl was once again filled with cordon bleu! happy me! i didn't have much rice. i just filled my plate with menudo, cordon bleu, embotido. haha. i had macaroni salad, my favorite, for dessert. then, we were all so full! stomachs were bloated. it was natural 'coz the food was great. haha. ago, kreng and i went for a walk at the cedera to let loose of all that we had. there were good and cheap items. haha.

*big thanks to kreng for all the photos. haha.

some of our classmates had a drink. haha. i didn't go with them 'coz i didn't like what they had. hehe. i just watched tv, chatted, and laughed with my other classmates. great time. every now and then, my classamtes and i would go to the table and grab some food. haha. we were that comfortable with the place and the family that we were already that thick-skinned to do such. big thanks to tapang's family! haha! may be, it is also because we'd only just want to make the most out of the very little time left for us to bond and share togetha'. juwie was so soo emotional. i understand her. hehe. by six or seven, some already left but we stayed. haha. before we left, we had dinner there! hahaha! we really had a lot. very unforgettable fiesta experience. we were there from three to may be nine. we saw guests arrive and leave but we stood strong and didn't leave early. haha! that's how we do it.

since it was fiesta, it wasn't easy getting a ride. haha. so we waited for a while then a tricycle came. we needed two 'coz we couldn't fit in only one. we decided that ago, je, marfi, yvonne, jusz and i would go first and we'd just wait for the others (dervs, juwie, paminta jot, and sarah) at san agustin. off we go. on our way, i noticed that we weren't on the right direction. i told them to ask manong if he knew where we were going. he answered us "to san juan." we rode on the wrong tricycle. haha. we asked him to get us back to where we were. juwie, jotie, sarah, and dervs weren't there anymore. they were already in transit. haha! poor us, we had to wait for quite a long time since every tricycle that passed was already had passengers. finally, we spotted an empty one. on our way, those who were on the backride shouted. we found out that it was because the camera case of justine fell. haha. they shouted so loud that we thought someone got hurt. haha. yvonne was talking to the driver about spooky stories of tiyanaks in the place. she'd shout every now and then. ironic how she was so scared but still kept asking. haha! another funny instance on our way home was when i found out that i didn't pay the tricycle driver! i didn't intentionally do it! haha! there was a misunderstanding. i asked jusz to pay for me, then i'd just pay her later. i thought she heard me right. when we reached san agustin, i heard her say, "eto po manong, dalawa (can't remember the exact words)."

then while in the bus, 

me:   ako na magababayad sa'yo.

jusz:  bakit?

me:   binayad mo ko kanina a?

jusz: kailan? wala akong matandaan?

me:  sa tricycle kanina.

jusz: wala akong matandaan.

me:  basta. eto na bayad natin.

we were in the jeepney when she said she already knew what happened. she didn't really pay for my fare. she paid for ago's fare only. i thought when she said "eto po manong, dalawa" it was for me and her. damn funny! hahaha! we all went home happy with our stomachs filled with food and our hearts filled with love. haha!

talk show is ♥

081011. yesterday. 

we had our first major production in this TV production class, a talk show. liez, matapang, camille, jamie, hanawoods, ate girl, mame, and me! hell, it was soo fun! :)

080711 to 080811. sunday to monday.

we went to liezette's place to prepare everything, from the sequence guide down to the props. mame and i went to san pablo to buy the materials. all my groupmates were there except for ate girl. camille didn't stay overnight. the ever helpful masa was there too.

there, we had funny, stupid and crazy experiences. one instance was when we were supposed to buy three similar cheap ball pens. cartolinas as well. after paying, mame checked the receipt. we found out that one of the three pens was not of the same brand as the others! worse is it costs P69 where as the other two were only P6 or P7! then, the cartolinas were so expensive too! ordinary cartolinas would only cost P7 or P8, but what we bought were P22 each! SHIT. what was that! hahaha! luckily, the people from the bookstore allowed us to return the wrong things we bought and get the right and cheaper materials we needed. we know their rules, they can't return money. well at least, you can replace the items with other items. :) then when we were at national bookstore in SM san pablo, mame asked me to pay for the materials we got 'coz she had to go out. then, the stupid me gladly went to the line. i wasn't paying attention to the cashier. then, when i turned to look at the cashier, i was surprised and laughed at myself! haha. i wasn't actually falling in line at the right place! where i was was the line for those who want to photocopy papers! and since i didn't wanna look stupid, i stepped back and looked at the display items near the line. then slowly, i turned away and went to the right line. HAHAHAHA! i don't know why it happened, may be i was too tired to notice. hahaha! whatever. hahaha! it still was funny.

we were able to accomplish many important things during our stay at liezette's place. we were all productive and cooperative. it is something i am quite thankful for. all of them are oh so cooperative that it became contagious. as a result, i became cooperative and active too. haha.

080911. tuesday.

the day before the big day, i got home by 11:45 pm! we had to stay at school that late. we bought materials we needed, prepared the props, and practiced for a short time. the camera batteries were not so cooperative that time. one battery got lowbat after another. made me feel more nervous at the moment. glad that hanawoods was beside me. somehow made me feel less delirious. haha. i was the one in charge for the switching of cameras. sounds easy, right? HELL NO! fuck, i was not good at this. at first, i volunteered for the task 'coz i was enjoying it during our little activities. i didn't know it would be that hard for the talk show. i was nervous and pressured because my mistakes would reflect on TV. on TV, man! no one else would be blamed but me. so, how's that? FUCK. worse than that, my group mates would be affected if i fail to do things right. they'd get low scores. all 'coz of me. now, that doesn't feel right. i wouldn't mind if it would only be my loss. if their grades would also be hit, i'm dead. haha!

081011. yesterday. 

we were the first group to present and we were all so nervous 'coz it felt like we didn't have enough time to practice well. we weren't able to practice on that day 'coz we still had to finish and the other props and materials. DEYM. haha. i couldn't hide the feeling. butterflies in my stomach, baby! hahaha. then, the moment came. ms. gerby was already inside. she wasn't alone. she was with ms. myla and ms. cel! more butterflies now! haha. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and we were ON! SH*T! then, ms. gerby would go inside where we were from time to time. she made me extra nervous. haha. what's good was she somehow guided me with the shots. haha. but sometimes, i wasn't able to listen with what she was saying since i was too focused on what i was doing. and because i was hysterical as hell, i couldn't help but say shits like fuck while she was still there. those words somehow lessen the uncomfortable feeling (that's a personal opinion). haha!

my groupmates during the preparation of the props.

this is me looking all screwed up on cam. haha!

giveaways for the audience. haha.

our talk show's hosts: ate girl and jamie. haha.

the second group preparing.

*i got all these photos from paul's album. haha! big thanks to paul. 

the show went on smoothly. everyone was sensitive enough to know what should be done even without telling them. there were few mistakes. honestly, i wasn't able to understand the whole show because i was so nervous. haha. thank god i didn't screw up much! thanks to all those who helped and supported. to the guests too. hahaha! learned a lot from the activity, like A LOT! haha. production ideas and lessons. things are really better learned through experience. to hell with all the classroom discussions! haha. just kidding. more than anything, it was an achievement. :)

ang babae sa septic tank, baby!

WINNER! two thumbs up!

'Ang Babae sa Septic Tank' is among the few Pinoy films that is really worth watching. no doubt they went home with many awards.  makes me proud to be a Filipino. it had been quite a long time since i saw a Pinoy film this remarkable. the plot was great and unique. it is something i have not seen in any other films. the attack on the subject of the film was different which makes it superb. it is basically about filmmaking and the different attacks you can use to make the film satisfy what you want or try to tell your audience. i love the movie within the movie,  'WALANG WALA'. haha.

i love the actors' acting. their portrayals are all so casual, the "no acting acting," or the "as is, where is acting" as they call it. they are so effective. :)

moreover, what made it more interesting for me is the fact that the story has something to do with my course. i was able to relate. it is so cool. i can remember ms. gerby when the actors were talking about the sequence treatment. haha. at least, i learned something from our class. haha! i find it really amazing.

these indie movies in our country are far better than most mainstream shits they show in cinemas. i wish a day will come when all Filipinos will see the beauty and brilliance of these indie films we have. i'm not generalizing here, but most people in the industry are only after the money, what they'll earn. hence, the quality is sacrificed. come on. that shouldn't be the case. is that how much we lord money? as what was said in the movie, we can also do something for the soul, and what you can give the soul can yield something that is more than just satisfaction. it is FULFILLMENT. 

late submission

last night while watching a movie, ago texted me. when i read the message, i was shocked too. she said that she wasn't able to pass her application form for graduation which was due last july 31! that was the time when i remembered that i myself wasn't able to pass mine too!!! i checked my bag and there it was. hell no! i forgot. she was panicking too much because she thought that if we weren't able to submit then we wouldn't be included in the list of the expected graduates! worst case scenario, we wouldn't be counted in the graduation. HAHAHA! i was more relaxed than ago was about the issue. i really didn't mind much. i don't know why. haha. maybe because i don't really care at all.

luckily, when we went to the registrar's office earlier, our forms were still accepted though passed late. haha. there really is nothing to worry. :)