japanese words and names interest me.

maybe, it’s a result from watching too much japanese metaseries during my childhood years. i can still remember watching magmaman and ultraman with my brothers and cousins. back then, we were so amazed with the heroes named misaki and hayata, respectively, as they fought and won against the villains.

looking back, i realized how low-tech the characters then compared to the cartoon heroes at present, and my all-time favorite x-men. but that’s another story.

aside from misaki and hayata, I was also hooked with the creation of the japanese manga artist naoko takeuchi — sailormoon, especilly her beau, the handsome tuxedo mask.

and yes, who would forget the creation of tadao nagahama, a japanese animation series — the super electromagnetic machine Voltes V? and the classic robot astro boy?! the latter a creation of the “god of manga,” osamu tezuka.

indeed, i was and still am an anime fanatic. which leads me to carrying the name michiko magusaka for this blog.

but, apart from my penchant with japanese names, michiko magusaka is more of a result from finding slash creating names for moi and mi amore’s would-be baby.

michiko is the japanese word for beauty and wisdom. and magusaka, well, we’re quite not sure if it’s in the japanese dictionary. but the word stands for something that is priceless, relevant and sacred for moi and mi amore. the word which we want to keep to ourselves…

I would be very happy to have at least one digital SLR camera, like them:

Actress Nancy Castiliogne

taking pictures during the Indak-indak sa Kadalanan

camera-toting men

Corruption

is grabbing the food from the mouth of the hungry

It is stealing coins from a beggar 

- Conrado de Quiros

Today is the third death anniversary of my dearest grandfather.  Below is what I wrote, last year, at the time that I so missed him…

—–

it’s a lazy Sunday late afternoon. the ash-gray sky is pouring out rain. 

I’ve just finished reading the book Dash gave me six days ago. am about to start reading another book, the one that Mi Amore gave me a month ago. 

yet, I can’t simply ignore the “magic” that rain brings. especially on Sundays. it’s the time that I mostly get senti, about anything, especially when I am in my secluded room. maybe, Dash was right when she told me last week that I’m kinda emotional person. and I know I should not let myself dwell with such feeling for it really affects my work. for am feeling indolent. no output. more than a month now… 

well, going back to the rain, it drenched me with the memories of my grandfather. my mother’s father.  I miss the times that he opens the door for me every time I come home late. and he did it without questions like where I have been or what I have been doing. he lets me in, satisfied with the thought that at least one of his apos is finally home, unharmed. for my grandfather finds it hard to sleep when all of us are not yet home. 

I also miss the times that he rebukes me, in a damn good subtle and tactful way, for the kind of principles I have. we may view life in a totally different way, yet, he gave me the kind of trust and confidence that my other cousins (and even some of his own children) did not enjoy.   

I miss the times that when am short of money, he was always ready to lend me a few bucks. enough for a day’s transportation budget or whatever.

 I can still remember that when I was still small, I would wrestle with my other cousins, trying to beat one another, only to be the first one to welcome him at the door.  it was a very fun, childish game. and we did that every time grandpa comes home from work. because, for the winner, it also meant a prize (like money, candies, etc) from him.  

I miss seeing grandpa in the living room. when he just sits at one corner, reading his books. for he loves reading. I may share the same passion with him, but I only discovered it when I reached 20-something.   

I miss grandpa’s practical jokes. I miss him reading us fairy tale stories. I miss him betting lotto. I miss him lighten the situation by cracking jokes every time grandma nags when there is a problem. 

the memories are still fresh, deeply embedded in my heart. grandpa is already dead.  more than a year now. he died of complications, old age. it was I, my mother and brothers who took turns in attending to him while at the hospital. the pain of a dying man, the man we loved dearly, we’ve witnessed.      

two hours after I left the hospital, the last time I was on his side, I received a text message from my brother. a message that speaks of the painful inevitable. why did I leave the hospital early? I should have been there. during his last breath.  

yet, grandpa did not let me see him die. perhaps, to savor the good memories and the joy of living. perhaps not to dwell much with longing or pain. perhaps to go on and beat whatever things we have to beat. and not be indolent for there are lots of things we still have to confront. perhaps.. 

outside, the rain has stopped. it has drenched me with painful memories. 

but I love it when it rains. especially on Sundays.

You read at 271 words per minute.

During our meeting this evening, Dash shared to us how she enjoyed the speed reading and comprehension test online.

To check how fast I am and how well I understand the text, I tried the test, and these are the results:

Your comprehension is 64%

You got 7 correct answers out of 11

Based on the results, I am an average or oral reader. It also said that I may rapidly and significantly progress by suppressing subvocalization.

If you want to try, you may take the test here.

Enjoy!

“Bilang isang babae,

obligasyon nating tulungan ang kapwa natin babae”

 

 

Angel  Locsin on why she’s supporting GABRIELA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photos taken yesterday @ the Indak-indak sa Kadalanan

“I want to git (get) the biilt (belt)!

For my son..”

- Gerry Penalosa, newly-crowned WBO bantamweight champion

(during an interview by the local media before his fight with Johnny Gonzalez in Sacramento, CA, USA)

I am not a fan of this sport.

But am sure proud for the Filipino boxers who won (and lose)

in the Boxing World Cup!

 

Congrats guys!

(better late than never)

 

—–

you may read related stories here and here

I was not tagged, yet, to know how’d I score, I answered this. I also made an additional*** instruction, “wink wink” J

Instructions:
Look at the list of books below.
*Bold the ones you’ve read
*Italicize the ones you want to read
*Leave the ones that you aren’t interested in alone 

And:****since some of the books below were made into motion pictures, underline the ones you’ve seen…

1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)

2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)

5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)

6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)

7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)

8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)

9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)

10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)

11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)

12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)

13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)

14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)

15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)

16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)

17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)

18. The Stand (Stephen King)

19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)

20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)

22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)

25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)

27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)

29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)

30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

31. Dune (Frank Herbert)

32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)

33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)

34. 1984 (Orwell)

35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)

36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)

37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)

38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)

39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)

40.The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)

42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)

44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)

45. Bible

46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)

47.The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)

49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)

50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)

51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)

53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)

54. Great Expectations (Dickens)

55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)

56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)

57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)

58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)

59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)

60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)

61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

62.The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)

63. War and Peace (Tolsoy)

64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)

65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)

66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)

68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)

69. Les Miserables (Hugo)

70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)

72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)

73. Shogun (James Clavell)

74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)

75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay) (Oooh I love Kay)

77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)

78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)

79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)

80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)

81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)

82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)

83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)

84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)

85. Emma (Jane Austen)

86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)

87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)

89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)

90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)

91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)

92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)

93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)

94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)

95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)

96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)

97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)

98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)

99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)

100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

My score:

8/100 books read

19 screen adaptations seen

frankly, I hate receiving forwarded messages especially if it’s ala-chain letter where you are compelled to do something (like forward it to a certain number of people), or else something bad might happen to you or your family. Even if it’s sent with all the good intentions, I find it really disgusting. Who would want to feel guilty, right?

but there are forwarded messages, which I find inspiring and would like to share to others, like what I got from good friend slash college buddy Catti:

—-

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take
another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said I
love you but I know this other woman loves you and
would love to spend some time with you.

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my
MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the
demands of my work and my three children had made it
possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner
and a movie.

“What’s wrong, are you well,” she asked? My mother is
the type of woman who suspects that a late night call
or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

“I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,” I
responded. “Just the two of us.”

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I
would like that very much.”

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up
I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I
noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our
date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had
curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had
worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an
angel’s.

“I told my friends that I was going to go out with my
son, and they were impressed, “she said, as she got
into the car. “They can’t wait to hear about our
meeting”. We went to a restaurant that, although not
elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my
arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down,
I had to read the menu. Half way through
the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting
there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips

“It was I who used to have to read the menu when you
were small,” she said.

“Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the
favor,” I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation -
nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent
events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we
missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go
out with you again, but only if you let me invite
you.” I agreed.

“How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got
home. “Very nice. Much more so than I could have
imagined,” I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart
attack. It happened so suddenly that I did to not get to do
anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy
of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and
I had dined.

An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I
wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I
paid for two plates – one for you and the other for
your wife. You will never know what that night meant
for me. I love you, son.”

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying
in time: “I LOVE YOU!” and to give our loved ones the
time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more
important than God and your family. Give them the
time they deserve, because these things cannot be put
off till “some other time.”