norwegian wood

"Memory is a funny thing. When I was in the scene I hardly paid it any attention. I never stopped to think of it as something that would make a lasting impression, certainly never imagined that 18 years later I would recall it in such detail. I didn't give a damn about the scenery that day. I was thinking about myself. I was thinking about the beautiful girl walking next to me. I was thinking about the two of us together, and then about myself again. I was at that age, that time of life when every sight, every feeling, every thought came back, like a boomerang, to me. And worse, I was in love. Love with complications. Scenery was the last thing on my mind."

--Toru, Norwegian Wood

IT'S BEEN AGES since I last read a book and finished it. I have this bad habit of reading one and then impulsively start another. Needless to say, I have now five novels of different authors (mostly borrowed from Hales); all of them accumulating dust and silently wishing to be passionately read till their last pages. Unfortunately for them, I met Haruki Murakami and got my own laptop.

Two weeks ago, I went to my bestfriend’s place and conducted our usual trade of resources; they usually range from audio files, latest movies we’d seen, and television series we follow. That day she offered me her e-book collection she got from her colleague. The collection included Chuck Palahniuk, JD Salinger, Joseph Heller, Ian McEwan, Kurt Vonnegut, Jack Kerouac, and Haruki Murakami. I accepted of course. I’d take anything from Hales. That’s how much I trust her aesthetic taste in things.

Murakami. This name came out twice or thrice already on my blog-hopping. And so from the seven authors, I chose to read him first to see what the fuzz is all about-- Intellectual curiosity. I decided to start with Norwegian Wood because Haley won’t stop raving about it on her Tumbler. It’s been adapted into a movie and is due to premiere in Japan this December. It stars “L” from the Deathnote movies. This should be interesting!

Norwegian Wood is a simple love story; no extravagant, mouth-dropping plot twists or car chases across Rome. It was just a sheer honest piece of fiction, very gentle but grips hard on you. It was my first time to witness Murakami’s brilliance in story-telling. The narrative parts were made very tasteful with poetic words, enabling him to conjure this vivid image of the world through the eyes of the main character. He also made an excellent job in amplifying each character’s personality through engaging conversations. The novel is written in an autobiographical approach. I love novels written in such way. It’s easier to step on the character’s shoes and relate to the story. The version of the book I’ve read was translated in English by Jay Rubin, since it was originally written in Japanese. It’s incredible really. However, it makes me wonder how it would be like to read Murakami in its original context. Imagine if Bob Ong’s works were to be translated in English. Doesn’t feel right, is it?

Norwegian Wood, (Yep, the Beetles song) is about Toru, a conflicted young college student who fell in love with two girls: his classmate, Midori, and his dead bestfriend’s girlfriend, Naoko. To whom did he end up with? Well, I suggest you read it. The guy’s clearly confused, because I got confused too which I is exactly the point I think.

I am now currently reading Murakami’s After Dark. Awoo!

bored in wonderland like crazy

HALEY AND I decided to brave Wonderland yesterday afternoon and got out of it disappointed. It was really hard at first to conclude that it was shallow because it would mean wasting 500 pesos. The storyline was very simple and absolutely unoriginal. Even the supposedly mind-blowing 3D visuals could not make up for the film’s ridiculously simple plot. I have grown loving Tim Burton’s movies but this is just a flop for me.

But something good really came out of it. Well, I get to hang out with my bestfriend again after three or four months? Plus I get to finally meet his boyfriend. It was kind of awkward meeting him because I don’t know how to break the ice. Well, first, he’s a Korean and second, I’m not sure if I could converse in straight English without having nosebleeds.

A funny thing happened when we got out of the cinema. We chanced upon our closest college friends: Neen, Jesha, Steph, Mitchy, and Shane. Apparently, they have fallen victim to the I Miss You Like Crazy hype. After a brief catching up and cam whoring, Haley and I departed from the group. As we walked on, Haley remembered our food stubs from purchasing Alice in Wonderland tickets. We decided to go back and claim our popcorns and drinks hoping they could fill the void inflicted by the movie. It happened that food stubs are also exchanged in the Snack Section of Cinema 2, showing I Miss You Like Crazy. We presented our stubs to the guard and he let us pass WITHOUT CHECKING. He didn’t even ask if we have tickets for the movie or we haven’t. We lined up for the counter. It was taking so long. The guard was kind of preoccupied checking the line for the movie. It only took us one mischievous look to each other to know that we were about to do something really bad. I motioned for the door behind me and Haley followed.

We soon joined our college friends on the balcony. Both of us, felt a little paranoid and a little proud of our mischief. For a person who almost always plays by the rules, it was really something new and fun. :P I was enjoying the movie actually. Bea’s fake laughs, John Lloyd corny dialogue, and the people clapping to the cheesy scenes really made it fun for me and Hales. Hehe!

But after thirty or so minutes, we decided to go. We bid our goodbyes to the group, dodge the guard at the entrance, and meet up with Hales' boyfriend. I soon said my goodbyes to both of them and Hales said in crisp Tagalog with eyes full of warning:

“Huwag mo akong hahalikan!”

I gawked at the giant beside her and said to myself: Point well taken. I want my popcorn!!!

vampires, werewolves, and insecure boyfriends

HALES AND I WENT TO THE CINEMAS to watch New Moon. I had no great expectations about the movie because I found the book from which the movie was adapted shallow. I was just curious as to how it would turn out on the big screen; the same reason I watch all those movies based from the novels I’ve read. Plus, my birthday was fast approaching so I figured I’d give my bestfriend a treat.

As expected, the lines for the tickets were ridiculously long and on them were mostly kids, giggling girls, and couples taking advantage of the hype brought by the sensationalized movie phenomena. All girls were wide-eyed and pupils dilated in anticipation for the pale body of Edward Cullen (except Hales of course. She’s on Team Jacob. And I think she got the right team. I mean who would want to make out with a talking cadaver? :P)

1:45 PM—We haven’t had our lunch yet and the movie was about to start at 2:10 PM. After buying the tickets we ate lunch at Chowking. We we’re forced to just shove the food down our throats and swallow or else we would miss the beginning of the movie, given that it was not a free-seating show (Hales was still chewing when we started running towards the cinemas. I hate it when I don’t get to watch the trailers before the show or when I begin a movie at the middle. It destroys the over-allcinematic effect. :P

When we got inside the theater, there were no more decent seats left. The only ones available were on the first row—just a couple of steps from the screen. So we decided to just occupy the center aisle of the theater even though we looked totally stupid, sitting there alone. Well, a hurting back and ass were much better than a severe headache and a stiff neck.

And the film began to roll. As I’ve said, there’s nothing W-O-W about the movie (But the soundtrack's really good! I downloaded it before I went home). I think I enjoyed the people’s reactions more than what were happening infront of me. The highlight was probably this one lady gasping “Oh Shit!” whenever Jacob appeared shirtless on the screen. She sounded torn between whispering and shouting outlout. Hales and I had a great laugh out of it. And when Edward said the magic words “Will you marry me”, the venue suddenly erupted in a unified sighs, shrieks and gigles. Haley and I looked at each other and realized we were so out of place. Let’s get out of here.

Then, Haley’s phone rang. His boyfriend called, inviting her to watch New Moon with him. Then, there was a flash-backward. A faint trace of a love triangle appeared out of nowhere, which shouldn’t be there in the first place. And Haley was once again faced with an old ordeal—How to fake her expressions in watching a movie she’d already seen. I have a bad history with my bestfriend’s boyfriends. All of them seemed to be jealous of me. I can’t still figure out why they’re so insecure of me! Hahaha! I have yet to meet this new guy in her life and I deeply hope that he’s different from the rest. And because I don’t want to place Haley in an impossible position once again—that she needs to choose between a friend and a lover. But most of all, I don’t want to lose her ...again.

“He wants to watch New Moon with me.” she said, a faint trace of worry in her voice.

“Just say ‘Oh Shit!’" I adviced.

a normal post

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN PRETTY DEPRESSING and I am bored out of my skull. No TV. No internet connection. Nothing new to watch. I am broke. And just to keep my sanity intact, I resolved into watching movies I already watched and write stories that didn’t really happen. Having said that I think I just lost it. I mean what kind of sane person does that, right? Hays. Imagine my delight when I learned that the results of the November 2008 Nursing Licensure Examinations came out today! : P

As expected, my Haley James nailed the examinations. There was no doubt in my head that she would make it. I just smiled when I saw her name on the roster (But before that, my heart was pounding out of my chest!). It had been tough on her given that she was working and studying at the same time. But you see? She’s definitely one of the smartest and independent people I know. She might appear small but she’s really big in so many ways.

Len-len made it too. I am really glad that she came through. No one deserves this more than her considering the tribulations she had gone through. Of all her beautiful attributes it’s her spirit that I admire the most. It is indeed inspiring to see it slowly being realized.

A lot of my batch mates who took the boards passed too. I was so thrilled when I saw their names posted on the online inquirer. Since most of them survived the grueling 2-day exams answering 500 questions, this calls for a lot of thanksgiving parties! Woohoo! And parties mean food! A lot of food! And late-night drinking sessions and of course---a lot of singing! Hehe!

I think the videoke machine is one of the most ingenious inventions ever made. This is a glimpse of what happens when you let me hold a microphone. Haha!

See that guy with the arrow? He looked depressed didn’t he? That fate awaits those who hear me sing. It’s as if their souls get sucked out of them though their ears. Haha! My LSS nowadays is Kundiman by Silent Sanctuary.

I was on you tube the other day and I saw these:

I can’t wait to see kristin kreuk do that helicopter kick! I just love her. Too bad she’s no longer in Smallville anymore.

May 15 is the day when the Illuminati will resurface again and destroy the very core of the Christian faith. This trailer gave me goose bumps!

And later this year, the Half-Blood Prince will premiere to rule the box-office for sure. Enough said.

I am so happy I get to write a ‘normal’ post again. My life is pretty boring lately you see, so forgive me if I scarcely write anything related to what happens to me in real life. : P Peace out!

in memoriam

People in white stained the roads dragging their feet, their faces covered in tear-soaked handkerchiefs, and skin smoldering against the late morning sun. The sun appeared that day with a smile but they greeted it with nothing but grimaces. The world should’ve stopped but it didn’t. Instead it continued to slither underneath their feet where tears from their sleep-deprived eyes fell and dried away.

They walked on, tailing the vehicle that carried him to his final resting place; distorted faces reflected on its shiny body. Coins littered their paths and the smell of death lingered in the smoke-polluted air they breathed. Songs of lament amplified every ounce of loneliness, draining the hearts, drowning the spirit. It was a long walk. They didn’t know if they want it to end. Every step was a prayer; a knife jabbed in a heart that misses a person so dear and loved. The journey tested the body but every moment of it challenged their grieving spirits.

People leave the earth the same way they came to it-- in ash and dust. As the white coffin got swallowed by the earth, cries pierced the silence that cradled the final moments. It was human grief as palpable as the clouds that stained the deep blue sky. Every jab of a spade, every ounce of soil dug and every flower cast felt like an urge to scream to the heavens in an act to separate the few remaining drops of loneliness from their hearts. Acceptance would come in the right time. Pain is inevitable but bound to fade and for hope to flourish.

The ground leveled and the fresh mound of soil where a rectangular black hole used to be was covered in wreaths and flowers. They started to scatter away as white balloons flew like birds towards the endless heights of the sky. There was no looking back. Hearts felt buried with him. The last songs echoed. And finally, they traversed the vast stretch of green grass towards a new journey. It was the journey home. It’s amazing how grief unites people but most importantly, how they find life in the darkness of death.

The air stood still that day and so are the hearts that promised to miss him forever.

. . .

In Memoriam

RODOLFO “RUDY” AGUILAR
1944-2009

They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary,
They will walk and not be faint.

-- Isaiah 40:29-31

. . .

He was haley's uncle and my friend. She and I will never forget his smile that never seemed to fade...

life in shading boxes

HALEY, TOGETHER WITH OTHER GAZILLION NURSE ASPIRANTS will be taking the national licensure examinations this coming weekend. i know exactly what they’re feeling right now. i remembered taking the boards five months ago (time is running freaking fast!). it was a very grueling and pressure-filled experience. i am just thankful that i was able to pass them, unscathed and with sanity intact…or so i thought.

when i was about to take the boards, it was not the examination day that was tough, it was the anticipation. i am a worrier. a lot of negative things gets inside my head that i sometimes think i have an anxiety disorder of some sort. but i couldn’t help but feel anxious. i was just not prepared when i took the examinations that could dictate the fate of my professional career.

it was barely three months before the day of the examinations when i experienced my first heartache caused by a very bad break-up from my very first serious and very dysfunctional relationship. i mean what kind of person would commit into a relationship and then suddenly disappear without showing a face? gosh. i sound so bitter. hehe! but anyway, i was broken and those days were the darkest times of my life. i just lost it; the concentration and my focus, especially when the examinations were looming closer. i kept asking why now? why did it have to happen at this crucial moment? it could’ve happened after the exams, right?

my head was all over the place. i attended review sessions to force medical stuff into my dried sponge of a brain and went home after, not to study, but to drown myself into the imaginary lives of people in tv series instead. the building pressure and the crushing pain my heart was putting me through drove me to the edge. i don’t want to use the term suicidal but something close to it described what i was feeling. it was tough and i used the lamest ego defense mechanisms known to psychology to cope with my struggle. but i had to bring myself back into consciousness and pick the pieces up. i thought i was too late.

it’s a full whole week before the examinations when i finally stood my ground and decided to leave my house and join a group study at a friend’s dormitory. i couldn’t study in my room. my pale pink room held memories that could easily pull me into melancholy, driving me mad. it’s true that the good memories are the ones that dig deep and become hurts. i did the right decision to be in a new environment to study and had friends around me to share my struggles with. for the first time i saw a clearing in my twisted thinking. i successfully bombarded my brain with the essentials i needed to learn and review. i only had 2 hours to sleep everyday. it was a race against time but somehow, the quantity of information didn’t mattered. it was the drive. and i held on to it as long as i can and as much as my heart wanted to crumble from inside me.

then the day of examination came. i took the test as doubts hovered over me and the hypnotic heat of the examination room forced my mind to give up and just sleep. after two days of answering multiple choice questions and shading boxes (at times bite my pencil in the hope of coming up with the correct answers), and long hours of dueling with my mind, my heart, my self; after months of waiting, i finally stood triumphant. i passed the test.

passing that test meant a lot to me. it somehow meant that i have proven myself of something. i thought and felt that i was being a mediocre, and yet i passed. my heart was breaking the whole time and yet i was able to hold my head held high. i am strong. our mind would sometimes tell us that we are weak but it’s all in our heads. life is a series of tests. everyday, is a battle, and the mind is the battlefield.

hales, if you’re reading this, i hope this may inspire you in a way. like i said, it’s okay to feel laxed, (or be disarrayed in my case). brilliant minds don’t need much bombardment! haha! you just need to give your best shot and be sure to sharpen your pencils well. hehe! you’re one of the smartest people i know. there’s no way you could fail the exam! (i’m no longer hearing a lot of this anymore which makes me strangely happy. hehe!). i’ll pray for you.

guys! let’s give hales (and all those who will take the boards) a shoutout, shall we? go, hales! nail it! and top it! :) i’ll be waiting for your treat after your exams, especially with my birthday coming up. hehe! a movie treat (i am thinking of ‘twilight’) would be highly appreciated as well. haha!

peace out!

metamorphosis

I WOKE UP ONE MORNING, the idea fixed in my head. i just knew i had to do it or else nothing would make the anxiety i was feeling to dissipate. i remembered opening eyes, walked like a zombie, taught our baby parrot how to caw, and consulted andrew and jing about it for the last time. as expected, i got the answer i was dreading for more than a week. but i didn’t care anymore. i knew i had to make a choice. and i did.

i walked outside, bathed in the morning sunlight as question marks and doubts sang together with the birds in my head. after walking five blocks, i went inside a barbershop, mouth dry. i consulted the barber first and heard the most beautiful words. after heaving my deepest morning breath, it soon started. it only took 30 minutes. with sweating hands and my pumping hard on my throat and the lulling sounds of a hair razor on my ear, i finally solved one of my life’s greatest dilemmas.

i was transformed from this…

...to this.

barely a month ago, my friends advised me to do something about my ‘wolverine hair’. my hair was a disaster. my hairlines were receding and thinning. i admit i used to apply a lot of hair gels on my hair when i was still at school and i like wearing caps. eventually, it had turned into a very serious problem. i can’t leave the house without wearing a cap because hair became virtually impossible to maintain. it looked dead and wiry. it made me looked very old too. haley (the mastermind), anna, and tracey managed to convince me to buzz cut my hair (semikal) in the hopes that i would look sexy (?!).

after meeting with hales and company, i went home and consulted my parents and brothers about my plan. surprisingly, they were so against it that i soon regret the idea divulging it to them. i told my plan to some friends and their reactions were all the same! marvie even texted me one night: ron, ano namang pinaggagawa mo sa sarili mo? may problema ka ba? they were just so used to my ‘genius-good-boy-look-sort-of-look’, i guess. but their arguments made sense. the haircut could make or break me. if it didn’t work out for me cutting my head off would be the best alternative.

if your problem is your hair, get rid of it. i feel great about it now. i am not sure if it looked good on me due to mix reactions (some say it does look good on me but others say it made me look like a con man), but it was way better than having my hair before. my head feels lighter, i can think clearer (?), and the best part is i have no hair to bother me anymore. no hair to maintain. and i feel more confident in a way. haha!

i was invited to attend a halloween party at anna’s place. it was the first halloween party i’ve ever attended. i wasn’t able to come up with a costume so just i insisted and tried to convince the party that i was supposed to be wentworth miller of prison break! haha! before the night ended, people were calling me by just my nickname---went. hahaha!

this photo of me was taken at the halloween party! nyaha!

perhaps, you’re right, hales. i look sexy. hahaha!

another tease from the 'prince'

I AM STILL DISAPPOINTED and a little frustrated towards warner brothers’ decision not to premiere harry potter and the half-blood prince until july next year. this was supposed to be my most anticipated movie of 2008. watching it on IMAX 3D would’ve definitely beaten the exhilaration of passing my licensure examinations. harry potter fanatic talking… hehe!

since i can’t do anything about it, i just keep my self updated with the latest potter news while waiting, along with wizards, witches and muggles who knows the lightning-scarred boy busy playing with his stick. i visited mugglenet and found out that a new international teaser trailer has been released. and as usual, i couldn’t help but get excited. hehe!

i like this teaser far more than the first one. i was not able to place some scenes in relation to the ‘prince’ book and it made the anticipation more exciting. i want to be surprised. i am neither a potter book purist nor a movie purist. let the writers do what they have to do just let the story be true to the books. i have come to understand that the storyline of the book must be altered for it to fit a prescribed and limited length of a movie. but 24-hour long potter movie would be really cool! piece of advice: don’t read the books before watching. it lessens the disappointed. hehe!i am frustrated at first especially towards ‘sorcerer’s’ and ‘chamber’ because of the deleted scenes and changes but ‘azkaban’ was really great! alfonso cuaron twisted the story and i loved it. the fate of the ‘hallows’ was somehow left to david yates’ hands. crap.

i consider myself more of a reader than a writer and if harry didn’t pass under my nose i don’t think i could handle any extensive reading at all. the series made me love reading. i can’t remember how many times i’ve read each book from it. a principle somehow was formed in my head: if i could read a book as ‘thick’ as harry, i could deal with any thick books out there (except for medical books of course. there was this medical-surgical nursing book required for our curriculum. it was five inches thick and as big as the book of shadows in the tv series charmed. the letters were so minute it could practically blind you not to mention that it could cause severe cerebral hemorrhage due to very strange and difficult-to-pronounce medical terminologies. this book could kill, i tell you. but still i’m alive, you see? haha! did i mention it’s on two volumes?). i was fascinated by jk rowling’s descriptive and creative prowess. since harry potter, i was motivated to read other literary works and authors. i usually dig novels about mysteries and conspiracies that’s why i admire dan brown’s works. as time went by, i was also able to view reading not just a form of entertainment and aesthetic pleasure but somehow, an escape.

it was on my sophomore year in high school when a very close friend, tracey, let me borrow her sorcerer’s stone. it took me three weeks to finish it given that it’s just a relatively thin book. i was a slow reader back then. my reading incompetence probably gave tracey a clever idea because soon after i returned it she turned lending harry potter books to a business--5 pesos a day. haha! three weeks of reading would’ve cost me 70 pesos. hehe!

anyway, i went to haley’s place last night to do some catching up and watched some one tree hill episodes. the marathon was going fine until the sounds went out. haley’s crappy sound system was the culprit. hehe! i forgot to bring my ‘dolby surrounds’ because i was so excited to hang out with her. the sounds went back anyway and i was glad the episodes were a lot cheery than the previous set. i remembered watching it, insisting on watching some gossip girl afterward, just to neutralize the heavy mood.

after watching we ate three large fries, burgers and cola at mcdonald’s, my treat. we were so full! i missed hanging out with her in that place. i couldn’t remember the last time we ate there. so many memories. after some funny and mushy talks i walked her home, her arm wrapped on mine. upon arrival at her place, i kissed her good bye and went home. she had no idea she’s the one person that keeps me sane through all my emotional baggage. i’ll definitely miss her when she leaves for saudi arabia. but just like peyton’s father had said, “people always leave. but sometimes it’s good.”

hales, if you’re reading this, please don’t comment! hahaha! peace out!

a tease from the 'prince'

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. the long wait is over and anyone who know the spectacled boy with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead (playing with his wand. hehe!), is experiencing the same tingling sensation on the spine as i feel right now. i could imagine each and one of them celebrating, screaming (or stifling it and squishing something instead) their lungs out for a glimpse of the most magical movie experience of the year as it spread like an epidemic on the internet and television—the teaser trailer of harry potter and the half blood prince. (kapow!).

after ages and ages of visiting youtube.com, patiently waiting and looking for the official teaser of the latest of one of the most famous movie franchise in history (ever!), and getting fan-made crappy versions (sorry) of it instead, and visiting forums and various related sites…the official one had finally emerged…rousing in anticipation, muggles and wizard-kind alike…

feast your eyes with this official teaser trailer of the latest movie adaptation of j.k. rowling’s 6th installment; of the seven part series of the pivotal life of harry potter…



i had to watch it several times (i lost count of course). i dwelled on every second of it, squinted on every pixel, trying to catch every detail. i loved how they interpret the containers that hold the memories. they remind me of ampoules—they are made of glass used to contain emergency drugs (i love breaking ampoules. curious because breaking them open boosts my self-esteem in my hospital affiliations. weird. haha!). the young tom riddle was really creepy. his eyes did the trick. if i’m not mistaken, he’s the kid from the ‘omen’. anyway, it’s cool to see marvolo gaunt’s ring. i love how the visual artists interpret tom’s orphanage. really creepy. very fitting for a building to raise the dark lord. what’s really striking about the trailer was the ‘lake scene’ where dumbledore conjures a revolving fire, while standing on a crystal island (the crystals reminded me of superman’s fortress in the north pole. haha!) it’s like the iconic battle between gandalf (sir ian mckellen) and the balrog in the mines of moria. you had to have a background on the lord of the rings trilogy to understand what i’m blabbering about…hehe!

the trailer was so dark…i like it dark. i hope the movie would be darker. i want to see if david yates could surpass himself, considering that he also directed last year’s order of the phoenix (which is my favorite from the movie series, just under alfonso cuaron’s prisoner of azkaban. hehe!) the half-blood prince is my favorite of the book series. it showcases the most tragic ending in my opinion. i had an emotional connection with this one. cried. and i have no plans of telling you why in case you didn’t know that dumbledore died. (oops! hehe!) i just can’t wait to watch it on imax 3d! (wee!) harry potter fanatics out there: i hope to see you in mall of asia, alright? ciao!

confessions of a certified series addict

SERIES ADDICTION. it all started, when my best friend, joy, and i decided to watch an american t.v. series. it was when we still both have cable subscriptions. (she have her own place already but too bad for joy, her landlady won’t allow it. i wonder why?). it was not for long before we got hooked and got addicted with that tv series. ever since we had our television set ‘cabled’ (is that a word? hehe!) i stopped tuning the remote to the local networks. no kapuso nor kapamilya, no local news, no nothing. i felt brainwashed by what cable tv offers. my mind was colonized by the americans (hehe). it got worse when joy and i got tired of waiting for a week for the next episode of the series to be aired, and decided to buy and watch it from a pirated dvd (alright, you can boo me. i’m a criminal. hehe!)—complete from season 1 to 3. no annoying commercials of shampoo, whitening soaps, foot powders, feminine wash, condoms, female napkins...that take 5 minutes or more! but i tell you: watching tv series continuously without commercials, with no time to rest or breathe between episodes, no time to recover from the nail-biting end of the previous episode – i realized how i miss the commercials. good for joy, she’s now enjoying lots of it on her ‘uncabled’ tv set! (har! har!).

anyway, i was a junior student in a medical university when i got hooked. after finishing the addictive tv series with my bestfriend, we had a long time to wait before the next season comes out. three months. that’s why we shifted our attention to other tv series out there! and we got hooked on each and every one of them. dvd marathon on the next level! we watched one after the other…or sometimes two or three at the same time (joy usually does this. i’d rather finish one than start with another. no wonder she’s ‘blind’ already). there came a point when i got so addicted that i barely sleep and watching dvd is the only thing i do everyday, besides, eating, sleeping, breathing, and taking a bath (i brush my teeth too..sometimes..haha! joking!). during those days, i really sleep late. 5 in the morning (that’s really early) and wake up in 1 or 2 in the afternoon. the scorching sun on my bedroom window usually wakes me up, then, i eat, and watch again, then sleep. i was a sloth. one reason why i gained a lot of weight in college. i mean…a lot! wait till you see my high school pictures (hehe!). i am not really a morning person but i had to overcome this to prevent tardiness from messing up my hospital affiliations. i was an owl. i used to go out in the middle of the night to buy extra large ‘burger machine burgers’ (they changed the name to ‘buy one plus one burgers’ to match minute burger’s ‘buy one, take one’ promo. i don’t blame them. the latter is selling burgers like pancakes), complete with cheese and coleslaw and sometimes with sunny-side-up egg. and to match the salty burgers, there has to be a large mug of creamed coffee. all these infront of my fave tv series---hays…like bree van de kamp…just perfect!

moving on, these are ones i have already watched. there is desperate housewives (the secrets of wisteria lane intrigued me, especially the obsessive-compulsive bree van de kamp), 24 (joy didn’t like to watch this one while steph and her family go gaga with it. i love the concept that a whole season happened in just a day), grey’s anatomy (this inspired me to be a surgeon…but reality hurts..hehe! i love sandra oh’s character), house, md (like grey’s anatomy, it stimulated my mind being a medical practitioner. i just love hugh laurie’s acting. he won an emmy for best actor) the o.c. (no comment. i’m just glad marissa died. haha), alias (this is the first series i finished. too bad it didn’t go as far as five seasons. this made me love jennifer garner!), prison break (this one’s recent. one of my favorites but sadly didn’t make my top 3. my bestfriend is head-over-heels with wentworth miller. dream on! haha! her ex love this too. peace tayo, hales!)

it was really strange when no one in school seemed to know what i was talking about when telling them (with full of energy and sound effects) about these tv series. perhaps they had no cable or dvd player i thought (haha! joke!). joy and i shared the same sentiment and we had this very proud feeling that we were the pioneers of american tv series at school. because of constant ramblings about this addiction of ours, our friends started to buy the dvd’s as well…and it spread through out the campus…(haha!)

enough blabbering. here are the ones that topped my charts:

TOP THREE.
CHUCK. who would want to miss sarah’s pretty face and her ass-kicking moves, charles ‘chuck’ bartowsky’s geeky humor, morgan’s fixated character, casey’s growls, the power mongering tang aka lord sauron, and the funny antics of the nerd herd at buy more? (haha!). anyway, i don’t want to give anything more away in case you’re interested in watching this one. i, myself hate spoilers, although i’m a big, walking spoiler! (joy didn’t fail to let me now). well, it’s quite obvious why i like this one. it’s a comedy-action series. every episode never failed to make me laugh my heart out! (haha!) anyone needs to laugh or smile once in a while in this miserable world, right? i just love the geeky humor of it…snap!


TOP TWO
LOST. who would have thought this one has been hailed the ‘worst tv series’ ever, says one magazine ( i forgot the name), but shame on them because of all the tv series i mentioned so far, this one and house, md, are the only ones who got a decent primetime emmy nomination this year--best drama series. (haha!). but well, i can’t blame them for saying so. the first two seasons formed a lot of questions that were not answered. i too, got frustrated, but it seemed to me that the more i got frustrated, the more curious i got, then, the more i got interested and the more i craved for answers. that i think made it more worth watching. i love mysteries, and i enjoy formulating hypotheses and pondering probabilities of what would happen next, of the reason for a certain phenomena, of what happened between gaps of a timeline. each episode were divided in two parts, the present and a flashback (usually the life of a featured character before the ‘incident’) but in latest season the writers took a daring move. instead of flashbacks, they changed them into flash forwards, which i think formulated more questions! (it broke the timeline and you have to fill the gaps, of course).

imagine yourself on plane that crashed on a seemingly deserted tropical island, with polar bears (aren’t they supposed to be in the south pole? fyi: no polar bears in the north pole), old underground research labs, ‘monsters’, and there’s no way of being rescued. no way out of the island. because one can find the island. you’re lost. you’re stuck with all the mysteries and the looming hostilities. the island is so mysterious i almost wish it is real. anyway, summarizing everything, i love this one because, i think, it’s the most mentally and intellectually-stimulating watch of all.


TOP ONE.
ONE TREE HILL. surprise! surprise! (if you fail to notice a tree and the logo on my header, lucas scott’s quote on my top sidebar, and the song on my music box. hehe). this is the first tv series i first got addicted to with my bestfriend (yep! the one i told you earlier). this is mainly about a circle of friends attending high school, in tree hill, north carolina. each and one of the characters have different personalities, hence, they have different stories to tell, different perspective on life, love, everything. one thing i love about one tree hill is how the characters are well rounded. the characters are so dynamic and you can bear witness on how they progress or deteriorate as the story goes. i have a personal connection with this tv series. i could relate to what the characters are going through—their fears, their aspirations, triumphs, hesitation, confusion, happiness, sadness…and every episode never failed to inspire me. every story teaches a lesson to learn…every lesson becomes a challenge…and the challenge is how to apply these lessons to my everyday life…lessons about life, love, and everything that a person goes through in a lifetime. of all the characters, i could relate with lucas scott…he’s one confused guy. lost. afraid. he doesn’t know the person he wanted to be. he asks a lot of questions and learns the answers the hard way. but i know he’ll find his way in the end. the immensity of his love scares him, so as the people that tries to love him back.

this series also teach how friendship and family are very important in molding one’s personality. well, this premise is so clichéd already, but people are very forgetful most of the time—looking for things they already have on their pockets, aiming for something that they thought could make them happy but not. people need to remember. people need to be reminded. not necessarily the hard way. it could just be a pirated dvd away…

that’s my top 3 tv series…please…let me know yours. ciao!