The Red Dream

One of those things that got lost along the way.

The Red Dream 

The sunlight blinded John as he tried to cover his eyes. He looked around, figuring out where he was. He could clearly see the endless blue sky above him. On his side, he sees tall buildings. Where was he, he thought. He looked around again before realizing he was in the rooftop of his old office building. He thought about why and how he got there, but he couldn’t remember. On his back was the door, he tried to open it but couldn’t. Strange, he thought. He used to come up here for a cigarette break but he had quit smoking long ago.

John took a step forward for a better view of the rooftop. Like any other rooftop, it was hugely white space. The railings were painted white; build to prevent anyone from falling. There at the right most part of the railing was someone.

She was wearing a ruby red hooded coat, gleaming over the sunlight. The coat was similarly fashioned to those of the medieval times, one that would remind you of the story of the Little Red Riding Hood. She just stood there, looking at the horizon.

John felt nervous for some reason. He didn’t understand why, but he felt like he knew her. She turned her head and John had to take a small gasp. Her face was pale but beautiful. She had big emerald green eyes; her lips were red but a lighter shade than that of her coat.

John was amazed by the beauty before him, once he was passed that, he realized what he was looking at. She was beautiful, very beautiful but she was also very sad, her eyes showed it. Her eyes that pierced through his and he couldn’t understand all the sorrow in it. She just stood there looking at him, her lips quivering a little. The strangest part was when her sad eyes turned to a pleading one. She needed help, John thought. He tried to ask her if she was ok, but no words escaped him, his mouth didn’t open. He didn’t know how long they were standing there.

She turned his head back to the horizon for a moment before looking at him again. She motioned her hand to her hood, and her hood fell from her head. Though he couldn’t see it, John knew that her jet black hair was long, like it fell to her hips. It was a little curvy and it made her more beautiful than ever. She looked at him again, those pleading eyes sliced through his heart.
 
 He woke up in the dark. He was nervous and excited. He turned his lamp light on and started reaching for his cane. His 74 year old hand found its way to a crooked wooden cane. He lifts himself up from his bed. His room was enough for one person. It had a bed near the window. On its right were a small table and then a book shelf. Then at the other corner, a big wooden chest was sitting. He specifically put it there to conceal it every time the door opens. He slowly reached the wooden chest.

John was excited, after all these years he finally figured out where he has seen the woman of her dreams. She has long abandoned his dreams but tonight was different. For the first time, she showed him her long beautiful hair and he saw emotions on her face. He couldn’t pin point it before, but now he knew where he had first gazed on those beautiful emerald eyes.

He opened the chest and it was filled with many important memories from his past. He was a man of attachment. He knew that somewhere in his chest was his very first watch his grandfather gave him or the book his childhood friend gave him. He had kept all those memories to remember the people in his lives. He dug his way on all the memorabilia inside. His diary was there, the only one he ever written on; the diary that were filled with memories of her. He called her Emerald because of her green eyes but he never really knew her.

His hands felt a worn leather notebook which he immediately pulled away from the chest. He walked his way to his table as he felt his fingers touching the leather. As he sits down, he thought of his obsession of the girl in his dreams and all those years she had haunted him.

“Why?” he whispered to himself.

He couldn’t remember the last time she visited him in his dreams. He never forgot her, oh no, he just stop caring. There were times when sometimes he would just daze out and all he thinks about is her. But now, his youth have escaped him, why did she come back? He asked himself. She even bears gifts, her long jet black hair and the knowledge that has been a mystery to him for almost all his life.

He has finally found her. He knew that once he opened the old leather notebook, a new mystery will unravel. 

Stuff No One Told Me

I have been on the internet for a few years now, and it still amazes me the stuffs you find in there. The internet is like a universe, mysterious and unending. There’s a lot of nonsense in the internet, but there are also a lot of sensible things.


About a year ago, I discovered the meme phenomena. For those of you who aren’t “internet savy,” memes are ideas that are spread through the internet. They are usually in the form of pictures and videos. Here’s an example, if you see a photo of someone famous, say for example Barack Obama, and the photo shows a certain caption that is funny but directly relates to the expression or how the photo is taken, that is a meme. But there are so many other memes out there.


So anyway, while I was browsing through the net, I came upon this blog, “Stuff No One Told Me,” by someone named Alex Noriega. He is a young fella living in Mozambique. At some point in his life, he went through a crisis, and decided to create a blog that features comics he created about stuff no one told him about.


I don’t think I can ever explain his comics through words, so allow me to show it to you visually and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

I have three personal favorites. First, the comic on the concept of “Fun is Relative.” I am attached to this comic because I personally enjoy a good book. I could go on for hours devouring words and creating a world based on those words. Fun is relative and I hope that everyone respect that. Just because some people won’t enjoy hard core partying, doesn’t mean they’re not having the “fun in their life.”


To challenge yourself every day, even if it’s just a little bit is my next favorite. My roomate and I have this white board pin in the wall. Every day, the two of us take a turn in writing something inspirational on it to motivate the other. At the same time, we challenge each other to do better every day. So I really hope that counts. But if it doesn’t, maybe I can write a goal list every day and make sure I reach all those goals at the end of each day. Still a challenge.


Lastly, I find the quote “your salary doesn’t determine how good of a person you are,” so true. Donating your money to charity doesn’t automatically make you good; it just goes to show you have extra money to give those who are in need. Becoming a better person needs more than just money. You become a better person when you realize that not everything in this world revolves around money.


These thoughts, they aren’t actually news. But what makes these quotes and comics something is the fact that it comes from a person who has been struggling and has finally seen the light. He has realized that in this world, nothing is what it seems it is.


You can visit Mr Noriega in his blog, http://www.snotm.com for more of his interesting comics.

The Longing

And so the journey begins, was what I told myself the day I took a boat to Cebu to report to my first real job. It has been four months since I said those words and yes, the journey has indeed begun. Cebu has become my second home. But after five years of staying here, I still can’t truly say that I am a Cebuano. I chose to base in Cebu for the opportunities that I will never grab much more find in my hometown.

The day I left home, I didn’t know where life would take me. Will I ever come back home, not for a vacation, but truly to come home? I still don’t know the answer. But there is a certain power that twines me to my hometown, an unbinding spell that would always make me miss it.

Whenever I go home, I would always hear distant laughter of my past, smell a scent of my childhood summer and a flash of far-away memories. This is my home, this is where I grew up and this is where I shall rest when the time comes.

There were moments when I felt confused, happy, glad, alone and sad when I realize that I have become independent. I long for the comforts of my parents, the unique scent of my room, the dogs I so truly love and the sisters I have grown fond and close to.

Tonight, I was with my friends. They were all like me, freshly independent and naïve. We were having the best time of our lives, and why not? We finished college, have good jobs and we’re young! Oh we are young! We talked about the past, the present and the future. We talked about our dreams and our goals. We laugh for present, cheers to the future and weep for the past.

Deep inside, I know, every one of our smiling faces had worries inside. Will I ever reach my goals? Will my dreams ever come true? Will I ever be successful in my field? Where will life take me? Yes, we are young, but we had full of questions as well. But at the end of the day, we go home, we find our families smiling at us and we say, “this is what makes life worthy.” But I don’t have that. I go home to my room alone. And when the nights go deep, my roommate comes home, we talked, we laugh but it isn’t the same.

I don’t have my sanctuary of peace, of love and of safety. However, this is the life I chose. I chose to be independent and it’s going to suck for a few years but sooner or later, I’ll be fine. I can’t explain it, but that feeling when you go home after so long is one of the best feelings in the world. Home to me is not just a word or a noun; it’s a feeling I’m lucky to have.

5 Songs with Great MVs

I've been meaning to blog about good MVs. There are very interesting and great MVs out there. What's great about the songs in this lists are that they're already good songs with great lyrics and great melodies. On top of that, they're music videos capture the essence of the songs. You know what I mean? You have a great song such as Born this Way and though the MV was artistically created, it really didn't live up to what the song mean. All of the MVs follow a certain story line, like you're watching a mini film. All of these MVs gives new meaning to the song and makes the song even greater than it already is.

5. If I Were A Boy - Beyonce

I really enjoy watching this video. The song is lyrically good and pair it up with the beautiful soul voice of Beyonce, you have an instant hit. The song and the video is about the double standards of society when it comes to a relationship of a man and a woman. The video lets us see the vantage point of a woman playing the "man" role in a relationship. The viewers are lead to believe that Beyonce is the "man" in the house. However, in the end, the whole video is just the total opposite. Its a great story line and what I love most about the video is that its in black and white.

Lyrics: If I were a boy, I think I could understand how it feels to love a girl, I swear I'd be a better man.




4. Someday - Nickelback

I love this song from Nickelback and its probably my favorite from them. The song is about a failed relationship wherein one person doesn't want to let go of what they have thus the lyrics "someday, somehow we're gonna make it out alright but not right now." The MV gives us the same impression, there's a woman crying, his boyfriend just a few feet away from her on what seems to be a huge fight. She leaves the room with her suitcase and went inside her car with the man trying to stop her, but she doesn't listen. The story continues like this until the end, where the twist of the story is revealed. And though the song is actually about making it through a tough time of a relationship and the MV doesn't really mirrors this; I think that the MV gives a totally new meaning to the song. That's why I think its a great MV for the song.


Lyrics: Let's rewrite an ending that fits instead of a Hollywood horror.




3. Let Me Go - 3 Doors Down

I love love this song from one of my favorite bands, 3 Doors Down. The song is about a confuse person in a relationship. The person loves his/her partner but he/she has to make decision in life that would eventually turn the relationship sour and thus, "let me go." The lyrics of the song is absolutely beautiful, like a poem woven in silk (cheesy). The video is a different turn in the song/ It tells a story of two high school lovers whose relationship went sour after the boy discovered an upsetting secret echoing the lyrics, "You love me but you don't know who I am. I 'm turn between this part I lead and where I stand." What I love about the MV is its cliffhanging ending, so watch it and love the song.

Lyrics: One more kiss could be the best thing and one more lie could be the worse. 




2. Because I'm A Girl - Kiss

This is actually a Korean song but I really have to put it here. You can look up the english translation of the lyrics on the web. I love this MV and it always make me teary eyed. The MV is a story of love and great sacrifices. A few years back, this MV made it in FB and it went "viral" but even before then, I love this MV. This was released back in 2001 so its pretty old but the story is timeless. The song is good too.


1. Thinking of You - Katy Perry

Did you know that this song is the Katy Perry's worst performing single and her lowest selling single? Unbelievable because I absolutely love this song and the lyrics! Katy herself wrote this song. At first, when I heard this song, I thought it was about cheating and all that but when I fully understood the lyrics, it was everything but that! The song tells the story of a woman longing for a lost loved one. The MV is absolutely gorgeous and so was Katy Perry. The video takes us back to 19-something into a life of a young woman and his lover whom she lost during the war. She constantly thinks of her past lover and couldn't bring herself to move on. I think that this was Katy's best video to date and its truly heart wrenching. I never get tired of watching this video.

Lyrics: Oh won't you walk through and bust in the door and take me away. No more mistakes, coz in your eyes I'd like to stay.




I hope you all enjoy the songs and MVs that I posted. ^_^

Boredom finally setting in

Wow, it's been very long since the last time I blogged. I don't even know why its taken me this long. I have so many things to blog about but I tend to get very lazy and ending up not blogging about.

I am honestly bored already. A few months of vacation is nice but its finally sinking in. I need to get a job, not because I need the money but because I need to be out there. I'm so freaking bored. For some reason, I feel that my confidence is slowly wavering and its probably one of the reasons why it takes me so long to send a resume. Anyway, I finally got the courage and sent my first resume today. I really hope that I get an interview.

For the mean time, I'm currently working online. But writing with my laptop and not having a proper place to do my work is not really good. I tend to segue and watch TV or just browse through the net.

Oh well, hopefully I could go back and write my list blogs. I'm so excited to write my list blogs about music and movies.

Long Live the 5th Column!

I am currently watching the sci-fi TV show V. I am loving this series! I can't get enough of it and you don't know how disappointed I was when I found out that it got cancelled! Really?? Why does good shows have to be cancel? 

Anyway, because of V, I'm thinking of watching more sci-fi shows with similar story lines. In the show, V stands for the Visitors, a humanoid alien that has arrived to Earth and claims that they are stranded and would only need some small amount of minerals, enough for them to go back to their home planet. In return, they would share their technology to human kind. But a group of people lead by FBI Agent Evans, learned that the Vs are here to stay for purposes they are yet to know. And, the Vs aren't what they claim to be, they have human skin but deep inside they're true form is reptile-like. 

There are other people who are against the plan of Anna, the Queen and high commander of the Vs. One particular V, John May, was the first to abandon the Vs. He developed human emotions and even married a human. As the story goes, there are other Vs who have developed human emotion and cannot be controlled by Anna anymore. 

The group of humans and Vs who are fighting together against Anna is called the 5th Column. Thus the title of this blog. I myself is a self-proclaimed member of the 5th Column, geeky right? Hahaha. But I am a geek. I love these kinds of Sci-Fi. I'm even thinking of watching Star Trek, and yes I am a Star Wars fan!

While everyone is sucking it up over the end of Harry Potter, I had a good thing to distract me from it. Yes, I haven't seen it yet, but I will soon, and V comforts me and distract me from thinking over the awesomeness of the HP 7.2. 

I recommend this show to everyone. John May lives! Long live the 5th Column.!

15 Great Animated Films

To celebrate my 100th post I would be presenting a lists of my favorite animated films. I've always loved animated films, they will always be a joy to watch. This list is not in any order, it'll be too difficult for me to choose which one is number one and which is number fifteen. So basically, these are random numbers.

1. Toy Story 3

I'm pretty sure you saw that coming. Probably the reason why Toy Story is most loved by everyone from all ages is because, at one point in our lives, we only had our toys as our friends. Who doesn't remember talking to a plastic shape like a human being, making it walk, fly and even drink tea? Toy Story 3 is a great animated film that teaches a lot of things. As one friend told me, its a cartoon for big boys and girls. From what I saw, the film is telling us how to move on and let go of some things in order to grow up. Just because you've moved on, doesn't mean you've forgotten. It also teaches of us of real friendship and real camaraderie. Plus, this won best animated film, but who cares about awards anyway. 

2. Up

The most compelling story line of this awesome animated film is the romance between grandpa and grandma. What's amazing about it is, its only in the movie for less than 15 minutes and yet everyone teared up when that book of memories was flipped by grandpa finding a written note by his beloved wife. Of course, there's the very cute character of Russel and Dog (Doug). This one has probably the finest animation from Pixar.

3. Wall-E

Almost thirty minutes in the film and no words being uttered and people who has seen this film wouldn't even notice. The flawless detail and animation of this film is truly captivating. The character of Wall-E in the beginning is touching and true. The way he held an umbrella for Eve in the rain is an unforgettable scene. For me, a great story is being told even when nothing has been said. The story of Wall-E and his character build up was most compelling during the first few minutes of the film, when nothing was said. Of course, the film  bringing a message about the continuous destruction of the environment is another reason why this film is great.

4. The Fox and the Hound

Most people would have probably forgotten about this Walt Disney classic, but I will never forget this one. This film is one of my earliest memory of being exposed to animated film and Walt Disney. I will never forget the night I smiled and cried. This is a story about an unlikely friendship of a fox (Tod) and a hound (Copper). Their instinct tells them they are natural enemies, but growing up together, they tried to preserve their friendship. Things went a sour turn until the two of them drift apart and Copper hunted Tod. This film tells a wonderful tale of friendship and how it overcomes boundaries. This should be seen by children all over the world and if you haven't seen this one then you're missing one of the greatest Walt Disney creation ever.

5. The Fantastic Mr. Fox

I don't have much to say about this funny animated film, except that it has a mix of humor and sense. Its the first time I've actually seen a heist animated film and it truly is funny and touching at the same time.

6. 5 Centimeters Per Second

I love this animated film. I've talked about it and you can read more about it here. This film is simply amazing. And by the way, yes, its Japanese.

7. The Little Mermaid

I might be bias for this one. Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney Princess and for good reasons. If you look deeper into the story, you'd actually notice that its a romantic tale torn apart because of social stratification and standard. Ok, so maybe its just me over thinking. But I love Ariel's character and even the supporting ones, you have the evil Ursula, the cute Flounder and the funny Sebastian. I think that its one of the greatest animated Disney film ever!

8. The Iron Giant

This films brings back many memories. It was released on 1999 and even today, it still holds a special place in my heart. Like any other films, this is a story of an unlikely friendship between a robot and a child. I don't think I can do justice if I tell you the plot in my own words, so read it here. Twelve years after its release it still holds so much memories for me. This actually a very touching story. 

9. Anastasia

Anastasia, unlike what most of my friends claimed, is not a Disney film. In fact, it is the first animated film distributed by Fox Animated Studios. Its uncanny resemblance of the princess plot makes others to believe it is by Disney. So anyway, one of the great thing about this film is that it is based on an urban legend which claimed that Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the Romanovs from the Russian Imperial Family survived the brutal murder of her family. The film takes us to a journey introducing us to a young woman named Ania who can't remember her past and was commissioned to play the part of Anastasia but in the end turns out to be the real princess.Whats memorable about the film is that it brings an ending for the Anastasia urban legend, which is far from reality. I love this film because of its great sound tracks. Music such as Once Upon a December, Journey to the Past and In the Dark of the Night are just few examples of the great musical performance by this film.

10. Monsters Inc.

I think that Monsters Inc is one of the most under-appreciated animated film. The heart warming story about  scary monsters and kids is brought to life in this Pixar film. But instead of scary monsters, they're simply monsters living like any other human beings in an alternate world and their job is to be the bogeyman of children. The most unforgettable about this film is cutie Boo, the child that lost her way in the monster world and found herself attached to the two monsters who took care of her.

11. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a beautiful story about a student who crashed into a train with her bicycle and was supposedly killed by it, however at the moment of the impact she closed her eyes and when she opened it, she found herself a few hours before the crash. The story revolves around her always leaping through time. I think that this one is the one of the most beautiful animated film. The melancholic tone yet the humor was perfectly combined. It's a film no one should missed.

12. Finding Nemo

I think that Finding Nemo is one of the best Pixar film out there. The story is heart warming. Its an adventure story mixed with humor, love and care. The story of a father going to extremes to protect his child isn't new, but somehow, Finding Nemo gives the story line a fresh approach, other than the fact that its actually animated.

13. Ratatouille

Ratatouille will always hold a special place in my heart due to the circumstances when I was watching it the first time in cinemas, just a personal attachment. The film is a story of success of two characters and that isn't often the case in most films. And though I hate rats, after watching this, I've actually considered them friendly until one of them ruined my loaf of bread. 

14. Howl's Moving Castle

Another brilliant creation of Hayao Miyazaki. I like, like, like this film! Ok, so maybe its because of Howl's good look that really got me into this film but the story is really good. Like all Miyazaki films, the details is beautiful. The film is about Sophie, a young hat maker but a witch's curse turned her into a 90-year-old grandma. This lead her to an adventure in finding the witch and leading her to another wizard named Howl. Its truly is a fantastic film. 

15. Spirited Away

Lastly but definitely not the least is the film that put Hayao Miyazaki into the map. Long before this film, Miyazaki is already a  respected and well established film maker in Japan. Spirited Away is an Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature Film. This truly is one of the best animated film in history. Its one of the most celebrated animated film in Japan and in the world. The story of Chichiro lives on. I don't want to tell the plot, I might ruined it or spoil it so just read it here.

I hope you enjoy this post. I grew up with animated films, from Disney and Japan. Animation will always be a great part for my love of films. And with animation, you can almost never go wrong with it. I hope that you can all watch the films I've suggested. You should watch all of Pixars and Hayao Miyazaki's films.