I got to watch the new GMA-7 anime series entitled Dragon Creation. This show was based on the CLAMP manga series Soryuden, roughly translated as “Dragon Legend.”

Dragon Creation started the previous Saturday and is about the four Ryudou brothers who are the human reincarnations of powerful mythical dragons. The powers of these dragons are sometimes manifested by these guys even if they still retain their human forms.

My favorite is Tsuzuku, the second eldest brother with the red hair, devilish smile and amazing fighting speed. He reminds me of Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi.

Tsuzuku is also known as Gou Shyou, the Red Dragon of the South Sea. Among the four brothers I find him to be closest to my heart. Hajime is too fatherly and nerdy, being a high-school teacher, and the two younger ones are, well, too young to be considered.

It is nice to have yet another series to follow from beginning to the end, since GMA has been having the tendency of late to start a show, cut it off midway, start all over again and then cut it off yet again. I believe that is what happened with some series such as Vision of Escaflowne, at least in terms of what is being telecast here in Western Visayas.

I have been cleaning out various electronic mailboxes and address books when I got this nice little piece of trivia from a mailing list.

As today is 22/02/2002, with more than enough 2s for the eye to handle, here goes yet another take on symmetry:

As the clock ticked over from 8:01 PM on Wednesday, February 20th, 2002, time (for sixty seconds only) read in perfect symmetry. To be more precise: 20:02, 20/02, 2002.

It was an event which has only ever happened once before, and is something which will never be repeated. The last occasion that time read in such a symmetrical pattern was long before the days of the digital watch (or the 24-hour clock): 10:01 AM, on January 10,1001. And because the clock only goes up to 23.59, it is something that will never happen again.

Amazing. To think that we lived through this moment is quite an honor in itself.

My mother had been experiencing intense headaches since yesterday morning. Last night, she went home complaining that the pain had gotten even worse. She slept early with menthol-camphor oil slathered all over her forehead. She woke up okay today, and even went to the office.

An hour or two ago, she sent me a message through text that she needs to be admitted to the hospital. According to the doctor she had seen today, she was suffering head pains as the manifestation of high blood pressure.

My mother is one of those most likely to get high blood, because not only does she work at the office but also teaches part-time at graduate school. My grandmother and some of Mother’s friends are staying with her at the hospital.

I know it is nothing serious and that my mother needs to take it more slowly. Get some more sleep. The physical composition of people in that age bracket are not as resilient as those in their teens. Being about two decades old, I could function without much sleep, unbothered, but I doubt it is the same with older people.

I hate sickness. Not only is no one really exempt from it, but also it chooses the damn wrong people to hit.

I was searching for a 1998 MTV techno-music compilation earlier this evening when I stumbled across my tape of Solid HarmoniE, the group’s self-titled album. It was released circa 1997, with the fairly successful carrier single entitled I’ll Be There For You.

Solid HarmoniE is, rather not arguably, a more sporty rip-off of the Spice Girls, like some other girl groups in the late 1990s when the cutesy Fab Five was in its heyday. What attracted me to the former’s brand of music was the blending of their voices. I do not know, but I really like it when four different tonal levels mix in one disco beat. It is not all shrieking, rapping and ranting.

They really are good singers, these four girls: Mariama, Melissa, Beki, and Elisa. Mariama quit the group in 1999 and joined The Honeyz, a group with a more R-and-B feel. Melissa opted for a solo career. The remaining two persevered on and even found a new third member, but until now I still have not heard about them coming up with anything. Perhaps they are stranded in no-album (or no-career) limbo.

My favorite Solid HarmoniE song is Walk Away, a sweet ballad. The lyrics follow. Try to find an audio file of it if you can. It is one of those highly underappreciated good love songs.

For more information on the group, check out this site.

Walk Away
by Solid HarmoniE

Walk away
Don’t turn around ’cause you may see me cry

I’ve never known a feeling so sure
You came my way and opened the door
I think of us and the love that we had
With half a chance I’d bring it all back
But I know
I know things always change
So I guess I gotta let you go

Walk away
Don’t turn around ’cause you may see me cry
Walk away
Don’t turn around, don’t even say goodbye
Don’t turn around until you reach the other side

Looking back, I have no regret
I tell my friends that you were the best
And as I stand just watching the rain
I pray that you were here once again
But I know
I know things always change
So I guess I gotta let you go

I know it’s gonna be hard this way
‘Cause I’ll be missing you everyday
Now I know you’re leaving
And it’s such a lonely feeling
That I know I’ve gotta let you go
I’ve gotta let you go

Walk away
Don’t turn around ’cause you may see me cry
Walk away
Don’t turn around, don’t even say goodbye
Don’t turn around until you reach the other side

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

Shall I?

Shall I wait for you?
I ponder and question
The moments when you are not by my side
You wander endlessly
Seeking for eternity

Shall I look into your eyes?
I fear and dread
The time when I could no longer lie
I pretend uselessly
My will is futile and bent

Shall I touch you?
I do not wish to
Because the moment I do
You will know the truth
That I hide

Shall I speak to you?
My words are the fruit
Of an ever-proud mind
I shall say
The things that I do not mean

Shall I love you?
My heart could never lie
Even if forever I persist
To deceive it, and deny
That it has long since belonged to you

I have to try

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! I hope the Year of the Horse will be fruitful for one and all.

Last year has been trying, to say the very least, but we do not really learn to value life if we do not go through tough times. Good and bad times, hope and despair, joy and pain. These contrasts make us appreciate what we have and what we can do more than if we just have an existence not marked by trials and questions. That is the beauty of life.

Here is a tribute to all those born during the years ruled by the Horse. A rather exciting year to be born under, considering that it is parallel to Gemini in the Western perspective.

Star analyses say that this year will be one for “independence, movement and energy.” The downside may be that we could not really sit still for long, but if we are on the continued search for greener pastures, then perhaps this wanderlust would be worth it in the long run.

Astrology aside, this is one of the best video game fan pages that I have ever seen.

The above website has more than 500 game cast profiles, each of these containing at least 10 pictures of the character, including hard-to-find animated gifs.

Of course, as you all probably know, this is my favorite out of all of them. He has such a nice smile, and he toasts things, too.

Once upon a time, I took an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test here and was been pleasantly surprised with my results. It did not take long to figure out the test.

For those of you who had taken it, you know what I mean. The stupidest person who ever took it answered more than a million pages of questions. Up to this day, I could not even fathom why. A thousand is forgivable, if you catch me on a good day, but more than a million? Gods.

IQ, of the lack thereof, was the most prevalent theme in Zoolander, a comedy of epic brainless proportions that I watched tonight to celebrate the end of the three-day weekend. It was, in a nutshell, fun. No dirty or toilet humor, which I liked.

Ben Stiller as male supermodel Derek Zoolander was very endearing, especially when he flashes his “looks.” The “Magnum” was truly hilarious, in a do-not-ask-questions-just-enjoy kind of way.

The costumes were very attractive and colorful, especially in the Derelicte fashion show. The soundtrack is a must-have for any have-all music fan, like yours truly, as it features all sorts of tunes from 1980s ballads and disco to trance and techno.

Cameo appearances were made by lots of celebrities, among them David Bowie, David Duchovny, Billy Zane and Tyson Beckford.

One of my maternal cousins is currently admitted at Don Benito hospital with a 50-50 chance for survival. He was stabbed last Friday night, and the knife wound had reached his heart. Everyone is now looking for the right blood donor.

In the La Paz District, where my cousins live, there are plenty of kanto or corner basketball courts where neighborhood boys often let off some steam. More than enough steam to go around, most of the time.

A fight broke out Friday afternoon between my cousin and his friends against another “gang,” with some issues left unsettled even when everyone involved decided to quit and go home. That night, four guys came over to the store of my aunt, in which my cousin had been closing up. They called my cousin over and, when he was close enough, proceeded to stab him.

His life is on the line at the moment. All because of some stupid basketball game and too many bloated egos to fit into one court. Cursed funny how the world sometimes works.

Lunch was grilled bangus (milkfish), a delectable dish swathed in a rich blend of soy sauce and calamansi. Our mealtime conversation veered towards the nuances of Oriental eating practices, particularly those of Filipinos.

Asians are seemingly more concerned with the steps associated in consuming food and drink. The Japanese have their hours-long, amazingly ritualistic tea ceremony. The Chinese have their 30-course lauriats, an experience so bloating that someone not used to it would end up swearing off Chinese fare for a month or even longer.

We Filipinos have our infamous fiestas, an excuse to show off cooking skills for the celebrators and to freeload food for majority of the feast-goers.

Filipinos likewise spend much of their time with food in mind: that would be including the time spent grocery-shopping and market-going, taking inventory of cupboard and refrigerator contents, preparing the food for consumption, spending hours in langorous meals, and, finally, cleaning up afterwards.

Perhaps Orientals are so sensual that the palate may be yet another mode of expression for such attribute.

I watched The Fellowship of the Ring for the second time at SM City Cinema between classes yesterday.

Between shows, I was able catch the trailer of Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones. It was not very lengthy but the sequences were quite intense, in terms of both fights between Jedi and Sith and the developing relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala.

The actor playing Anakin Skywalker was just stunning in the sequences where he appeared in the preview. He also had this dangerous, bomb-waiting-to-explode aura about him that we all know would lead up to his transformation as the fearsome Darth Vader.

I thought at first Anakin was being portrayed by Sean Biggerstaff, who plays Oliver Wood in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

The actor, however, turned out to be a relative unknown, Hayden Christensen. He is a Canadian actor who has appeared in some critically-acclaimed performances on television. Well, he is certainly appealing and menacing, from what I saw.

Fantasy movies do have the most good-looking guys, maybe that is why they are called that.

A week has passed since I posted my own little coverage of Dinagyang 2002. I wish I could do it again on a similar event, for instance Binirayan of Antique, Maskara of Negros Occidental and Ati-Atihan of Kalibo.

It is such a rush when you have just made coherence of all the facts you have gathered and you must put them into writing right away. Then it is off to broadcast or, in Net-speak, posting.

I used to work for a radio station as an anchor and I have to say there is nothing like the feeling of hearing your own voice (or reading your own words) being rendered to the public. A mixed feeling of anxiety and exhilaration.

Here are a few Dinagyang-related links to anyone who is interested in finding out more: one, two, three, four and five.

What an uncreative way to label links! Shame, shame. At least I have them targeted to open in new windows.

Tomorrow is the Feast Day of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (The Lady of Candles), the Patron Saint of Jaro, Iloilo City. This is arguably the biggest, busiest fiesta of the year in the city.

If February 2 falls on a weekday, most schools no longer hold classes as traffic could be hell to contend with due to so many people traveling to and from Jaro.

As it is Saturday this year, I am very sure that it would even be busier as there really are no classes and work for most.