Today is the last day of our semestral break for this year. Because my days of being able to read freely were dwindling, I sought to read as much as I could the previous week (thus the lack of updates). It has become a ritual during the past years; I don’t think anything is bad with attempting to expound the horizons of one’s mind, however.
One wishes there really were a book like that.
I may seem hypocritical for some people: I supposedly only bash Code Geass R2, yet I still watch it. For me, however, all is well. I do not lie when I write about the flaws that I see in the series: they are numerous, and in addition, I am not the only person who has noticed them. These flaws are not minor; on the contrary, a lot of people have observed the many unresolved plot threads, the funny non sequiturs, and in general the bullshit that has plagued the series. People as diverse as koda of Code Trainwreck to jp_zero of Japanophile Isle (among others) have perceived of this. I myself complain because it seems as if I’m being played around by Sunrise and its people, and I don’t like that.
I have a new theme, if that isn’t obvious yet. This is primarily because of mellow_bunny’s efforts: he designed my new theme from scratch based on what I wanted. Since I wanted a theme based on the color violet or permutations of it, he dutifully created my theme based on that sole desire, which is what I have currently. I love this theme a lot more than the vanilla Chocolate Candy theme I had for two years. It truly gives some sort of personality to this blog of mine, and I’m happy about that: thank you very much, Michael.
I made you click, didn’t I? This post is not a hate-filled invective, however. Read the rest of this entry »
I am currently celebrating the gifts of a four-day weekend: aside from the regular weekend, there are also two consecutive holidays, thus the absence of classes. It has been quite some time since I have been able to enjoy free time such as this: because of the break, I have been able to pick up on my reading and watching anime.
I am really a fan of The Sound and the Fury. But I am also really a fan of Cowboy Bebop. I’m not angry with Daniel for responding to my ‘bait,’ but I really think that Cowboy Bebop has more parallels to The Sound and the Fury than is obvious and that it is more than ‘a well-written, yet cheap, airport thriller.‘ Read the rest of this entry »
Before I log on to my blog, I always try to put my thoughts in paper first. I’m sad to say that this week has been pretty hectic to the extent that I have only written some scribbles each day for four days. Since I vehemently refuse to do anything related to academic work today, I simply decided to integrate the scribbles. I’ll hopefully come up with a coherent post. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s actually been a long while since I’ve gone to TT. School work, as can be expected, has become a heavier burden. I don’t even know the new anime that will come out, and I still haven’t watched Kurenai. If any of you guys can recommend me anime from the previous season (aside from Kurenai, of course) to watch, I’d appreciate it a lot. At least that would give me some titles I may like from people whose insights I trust.
I’ll get back to anime, though. I’m just waiting for the weekend to arrive. I mean, I did finish Gundam 00 after all, right?
That’s that regarding my anime updates.
I actually have a more pressing issue at hand: I will have a new dormmate, and I have no more space as to where I can place my books. In the interest of space, I am selling some books of mine that I don’t need.
I’ll be direct and honest with the prices, but I welcome haggling, and of course, I can only meet in Metro Manila, preferably near Quezon City or the LRT/MRT stations.
1) Ten Thousand Seeds by Linda Ty-Casper - 150 pesos
An American couple arrives in the Philippines at the onset of the Philippine-American war. The novel chronicles the effects to their lives during and after the war. Linda Ty-Casper is a recognized (but lesser) Filipino author. The book is pretty rare.
2) The Fatal Eggs by Mikhail Bulgakov - 150 pesos
Mikhail Bulgakov was known more for his satiric masterpiece, The Master and Margarita. This novella is also another satire of the government during Stalin’s period: a professor discovers a ray of life that he wanted to study thoroughly. He is prevented, however, by government agents so consumed with the idea of resolving the hunger crises in Russia that the results are devastating.
3) Arctic Summer by E. M. Forster - 150 pesos
This is a character study primarily between two men of opposing ideals. One belongs to the idea of pragmatism, and one belongs to the idea of chivalry. Both are disillusioned as the novel fragment proceeds its course, and the ending is quite a surprise.
4) The Church and Its Social Involvement by Father Wilfredo Fabros - 600 pesos
This was what I quoted in my previous post through a skim. This is expensive, but with good reason. It was the last copy I was able to purchase directly from the press, and the book is out-of-print, with little to no chance of being reprinted again. It is extremely rare: even Amazon and eBay do not have copies of it. Finally, it is also highly informative, chronicling what the Philippine Church has done through critical periods of our history before the Martial Law. It absolutely illuminated my beliefs regarding the Philippine Church. While it ended in a hopeful note, the truth that the dissertation expounds upon is quite unpleasant.
Once again, thanks for reading. I’ll cook up a new post within the week. 
Just post if you have questions. I’ll be happy to reply to those queries.
The previous post may have been trifling for a lot of people. Some people may even have seen it as an eccentricity. It wasn’t for me, however: the point of the post was to seek a buyer despite the fact that I was fully aware the book was valueless and worthless for the most part. The reason was not that I did not have any money: on the contrary, I have a significant amount. The reason was that I wanted to affix some value to the book even if it was only monetary, because it would have signified some worth to the book. Read the rest of this entry »
History is a nightmare from which I’m trying to awake.
-James Joyce, Ulysses
I really think that the time I’ve spent reading Tristram Shandy was a colossal waste. Laughing only three times from more than 700 pages is not a good batting average. I don’t blame anyone for it, especially because I could have dropped and stopped reading the novel anytime, but I didn’t.
