So Unpredictable

Turns out to be the worse day of my life before the Chinese New Year. First, my best friend went to my house at exactly 10 am just as the moment as I woke up. Never brushed my teeth and im still wearing my pajamas but she never minds instead she was shocked from the moment she entered my room. “What the hell had happened to you? What did you do?” as she continues to be stunned and be petrified from her position. Then I said “what? Have seen a ghost before with this face? then my mom entered the room and said. “ayaw na ka shock mir, mag lain na sad buot ana. Ayaw na lang ug react?”, “ngano diay te? Nganong ingon ana man iyang *****? “long story iha, long story.” She’s been bugging me the whole day about it. I was a bit annoyed. Well, it’s a normal reaction for her. Second, I opened my account today, and was hell shock about the mail, it was from my former classmate in elementary, whoa! Ancient years had passed and it was to sudden for her to drop a message. She’s in Canada right now and she is coming back home. Hurray! Can’t wait to see her and she’s bringing her boyfriend. What a couple. And last was this guy, hell, it’s been a year since the last time we’ve seen each other, he just called about 15 minutes ago asking me if were ok. Too late to asked. Since when was the last time I heard his whereabouts? Ah! That was a year ago. Anyway, got to go. Need to cook for lunch.

The Conference

What a day, and I am still wide-awake. My mom told me to go to sleep. In addition, I said “in an hour ma.” im getting used to it. Been to a yahoo conference all the time and we were like talking too much stuff that one has to put a topic. Different versions came up and some were asking questions, well in that case that was I asking so many questions. Moreover, this was the day of yet another conversation with them. It was so funny; people were like laughing and laughing about anything. In addition, starting a topic, that is excessively sensitive. Whew! Thank god, I get a hell out of there. It is getting deeper and deeper. Nonetheless, I had a great time laughing. At least I enjoyed a lot, smiled a lot, and laughed a lot today. Not worrying about my worries and for instance I would like to have to live a day or so like this for crying out loud. It was a bit quite of the bitten track when somebody knocks on the door three times and like when I opened it, no one was there. So I said to myself. “He did pay a visit; maybe I should visit him tomorrow.” I was a bit scared at first but I must remain calm and brave for it will go to be a long day ahead.


On the other side, I had a hard time customizing my friendster page, not in the mood lately and it rather bores me a lot. So I switched back to “gravity” a sad song forwarded to me by a close friend. Its 2:40 and im feeling a bit sleepy now.

WHAT!! nani???

??? you want me to explain what the hell is SHP?? i already explained it and like all three of them were too pushy, including marcel. And now. James, on YM asking me again what is SHP. *sigh. TOMARE!!! so embarassing. i shouldn't be the one explaining it.

12:10am

im still awake. Never an issue. My room is now filled with stupid mosquitoes biting me freely. Wait a minute. Where the hell did that spray go?.. ah!! there you are.. find you.. im catching up a cold again, and like sneezing the whole day, gross. Oh well, it's still a mundane-oh-so-typical-day nothing so great had happened, fetch here, move it here, clean it there,tsk. Moreover, i've been thinking a lot lately,random thoughts about what will happen next if i did this and say that. BOOM!!! an explosion follows. Explosion of thoughts, sudden thoughts maybe because im so damn listening to low music. Guess i'll just have to stop it and be busy with something else. Already am busy.

Anyway... i'm kinda tired, but i have to finish my brother's project for tomorrow and yes it was such a short notice he asked me to do it for him. *sigh.


it's hard pretending when you know your not ok.

X-Day

Disclaimer: i don't own this manga not even this review so don't sue me for that. Courtesy of Gina posted on August 2004.

Since the Columbine high school shootings of August 29th, 1999, the increase of high school violence has been brought into the view of the public eye. Documentaries, books, and articles have all been written about these sorts of incidents, and now Setona Mizushiro tackles the sensitive issue in her short manga series, X-Day.

Rika Saginuma is fed up with life. Once a former track star, an injury has forced her off the team. She has been overwhelmed with homework, papers, and exams, plus her boyfriend recently dumped her. One day, she finds a school chat room while on the web and decides to check it out. Inside are people complaining about the many stresses of school, so Rika fits right in. Things begin to heat up, as three other individuals, along with Rika, begin to devise a plan. Rika had mentioned that she just wanted the school to disappear, so their goal becomes simple: blow up the school. The day they plan to blow it up becomes known as X-Day, and the countdown begins.


On the surface, X-Day seems like another typical story about high school drama, since it talks about relationship problems and social pressures. Sure it contains some of the stereotypical elements needed in a story about high school drama, but X-Day is far from typical. This dialogue driven story focuses on the relationship between four very different people, and how they save each other from themselves. What separates X-Day from other manga is its characters. They are four individuals, not all naïve teenage girls that are constantly in the middle of relationship trouble. Perhaps the most unique character of the foursome, is the biology teacher named Jangalian. Mizushiro portrays both sides of the story, and shows us that teachers can be cracking under the same pressures as their students.

A common theme found in X-Day is that things are not always what they seem. One way Mizushiro does this is by offering readers a different view into the lives of others; showing how even the most "popular people" can feel lonely, and that teenage girls are not the only people who suffer from the pressures of high school life. It shows a rare side of people, exposing the humanity of each character, and tries to construct a reason behind many of the things that many people originally overlook. The X-Day manga is written in the authentic manga style, reading right-to-left. The panels are clear to make out, and not cluttered by extraneous images. As long as you’re accustomed with reading right-to-left, then you shouldn’t encounter any confusion or problems while flipping through this manga. The sound effects remain in their original Japanese characters, but that doesn’t take anything away from the reading experience. The backgrounds are lacking detail, but this is to place more emphasis on the characters and their feelings, since that is what is making the story progress.X-Day is a critical series that deserves to be looked into.

MORE IN DEPTH GUIDE

For a short series of only two volumes in length, X-Day certainly packs a punch, and will definitely prove to be worth the money. To get even more bang for your buck, at the end of the second volume, there is a short fable entitled “The Last Supper”, which is a heart-wrenching tale of loyalty and friendship. X-Day turns out to be a satisfying manga that touches upon an issue that many authors tend to shy away from, and a story that any person, not only students, but adults or teachers as well, can relate to.

My Mundane Day

Yesterday, I bought two volumes of manga at the national bookstore there I came across with an AAP member named Haydara. At first, I was a bit hesitant to say hi or hello, because I made a promise to myself that I will only show myself to those when im ready guess it looks like you can never out ran destiny from here and there. Faith decided to play me as if she never intended too. From there we had a little chitchat as I dig over those piles of mangas [graphic novel]. Setona Mizushiro titled “X-Day” wrote it. A story about a senior student Rika who is seriously stressed out with more homework’s, exams, and papers than she can't handle and was recently dumped by her boyfriend. In other words, LIFE SUCKS! That is it. I Don’t want to spoil the fun so you better buy a copy of it and yeah this was featured in www.tokyopop.com.


*sigh nothing interesting happens today except for a bunch of people I met during the manga panic. Whom I had a great time talking about anime stuffs manga reviews and different genre of anime. I went home by 9pm. Then sleep around 3am thinking what will happen next day, definitely today. I keep on thinking about him. Moreover, it is really getting harder and harder. As I see stuffs and hear, stuffs that can make me remember about him. Nothing more to say I guess.

>End Of File<

The Profoundness of Silence

Withdrawing, "stonewalling," and pouting in silence are ways some people handle anger. Such a silence can be pulsating with bad feelings and elicit anger on the part of the other person. While it's almost never an indication of indifference, silence can indicate that the other person is having negative emotions. When we experience anger, fear, or embarrassment, our thinking brain shuts down. We sit there fuming, unable to speak; enraged and unable to find words; afraid and scared speechless. Some people are "flooded" with these emotions, and unable to respond. Sometimes when we're listening to someone else, we hear something that leaves us speechless because it really goes beyond words. Listening to someone talk about a dreadful trauma they've endured, or a beautiful, almost-sacred interaction with another human being or a description of an awesome natural event such as a sunset or a volcano eruption is examples. Somehow when we listen to such things, the ordinary "Oh" and "Wow" and "That's awesome" don't seem enough, and so we fall silent. When you are profoundly listening to someone, you create an open space for them to talk into that's almost palpable. Good listeners know how to do this, and it can be learned. It's an openness that you transmit through nonverbal means. When we're really tuning in to how the other person feels, we're listening more to the tone of their voice; cadence and speed rather than the actual words, so reply with words may not be the most appropriate response. Sometimes sounds are more attuned ... a murmur, a sigh, sucking in the breath in shock, soothing sounds, clucking (tsk tsk), or shaking the head and going uh, uh, uh.

There are long roads to follow as it’s growing longer and longer… the spaces between those boarders are now getting narrow. I see him sleeping in silence so quietly, as I continue to reach deep within him. But still the spaces hinder me from coming nearer. The pain cripples as hard as it can, tormenting every inch of me. People asked me why?
Why do I still continue living like this that for a fact I keep on hurting myself inch by inch? And why do I still continue to sound as mushy as before?

I shut myself up in silence, pretending nothing had happened. I hope it will not go on like this forever. Setting as temporarily lukewarm makes me feel uneasy and weary if you know what I mean. And if that’s what his been trying to imply as I see fit.