Friday, April 19, 2013

My Date with a Vampire Season 1 (Episodes 20- 35)

Last Holy Week, I keep myself busy watching series that I do not get to watch on normally busy days. As of writing I just finished (and already missing) X. Now I alternate between My Date with a Vampire and Jetman, the two being extra long series. (Now I wonder when will I be able to watch Spartacus, Big Bang Theory, and Game of Thrones???)

And so 王珍珍 finally learns the relationship between 山本一夫 and 未來 and being a naturally good girl that she is, tries to help patch things up between father and daughter. Again we see here her annoying side, always meddling in other's affairs. It should be noted that when 復生 was kidnapped she would also try to do her part, endangering herself in the process and adding to other people's concerns. But then, she's just like that, so totally naive and she means no harm to anyone, which makes her lovable to all the other major characters. In fact, she may be the thread that binds them all.


況天佑 finally moves out of the apartment and now lives with  馬小玲. His decision to move out is so as not to further endanger the people living near him as more and more people get killed due to Herman's doing, as ordered by 山本一夫. He even resigned from his job on the very day he was supposed to be promoted.


妙善 appears just in time when 山本一夫is considering doing everything for his daughter's happiness. 妙善 suggests that 山本一夫, 況天佑, and 馬小玲 go back to 60 years ago to change history by defeating 將臣 simultaneously preventing the original vampire from biting 山本一夫, 況天佑, and 復生. 山本一夫 was surprisingly cooperative, but he is now willing to do anything for his daughter who detests being a vampire more than anything else. 馬小玲 is supposed to team up with her aunt from 60 years ago, 馬丹娜, to seal the vampire.


And because 妙善 reappears, 林國棟 pleads for one question to be answered. 妙善 grants this and is asked if 山本一夫 will turn him into a vampire. 妙善 answers in the affirmative. So this is also one thing I will be waiting for in season 1.


Before the mission, 馬小玲 and 況天佑 spend time together. 況天佑 seems to be happier when he is with 馬小玲 than with 王珍珍. Even his words which seem to admonish the arrogant ghostbuster may hide deeper and more meaningful sentiments than he himself would admit explicitly. And so it is confirmed that there IS something between the two even with unspoken words. And it should happen that as the two cuddle inside 馬小玲's car, 王珍珍 should see them and run away broken-hearted. She will then cause herself to be run over by a car. In order to change her fate, the two became more resolved to succeed in their mission.


But while the three are out to find 將臣, leaving 妙善 and her assistant-guard together with 金正中 behind as they guard the threads that connect the three to the present time, one of  山本一夫's henchmen 碧加 barged in uninvited and succeeds in making the mission a flop. It is revealed that  金正中 now has super powers thanks to the life energy transferred to him by White Snake. Anyway, we also see here that Ken and 未來 are no match against  碧加 who is revealed to be a witch even before she was turned into a vampire. She was rescued by 山本一夫 when she was chased by villagers, and for that she would do anything for him.



One important thing that happened here, something that will have repercussions in the future, is that 馬小玲 unknowingly dropped and left behind her camcorder where she recorded the night she and 況天佑 had fun at a karaoke bar. It was picked up by 高保’s grandfather. 高保, by the way, is 況天佑 police partner. [Spoiler alert: Later on, when 王珍珍 happened to pass by 高保’s house to ask about news of 況天佑, the two would discover this camcorder inside 高保’s grandfather’s bag. At that time, 高保 was cleaning up his house. 王珍珍would have the camcorder fixed and would see the video, an OOOOOPS moment.]

When they got back to the present time, each was distraught over their failure. 王珍珍 miraculously gets well but smiles and is still friendly with 馬小玲 as before. Apparently either she loses part of her memory including seeing 馬小玲 and 況天佑 together, or she is just pretending that nothing of the sort happened, a move that I interpret as an attempt to save her friendship with 馬小玲, being the martyr that she is.


Because for some reason, the DVD contains incomplete episode parts, for instance, the theme song 夢裡是誰 is not played whole for each episode. And it has to happen that episode 22 has only 20+ minutes, which definitely sucks as this is where 未來 gets sucked into the vacuum when she tries to protect the thread that connects her father to the present time. 

In episode 25, 山本一夫 and 王珍珍 go on a date. The girl was interrogated by the vampire on what she would do if she found out that her loved one is a vampire. The girl gave satisfactory answers, saying she would not mind the difference and in addition, would not let her beloved suffer the sorrows of immortality and would ask to be made into a vampire so she could accompany her beloved until the end of time. So I guess we shall have to give extra credit to 王珍珍, who is such a darling to everyone. 

The depressed Ken, following 未來 disappearance, sees 王珍珍 as someone important to 山本一夫, and attempts to kill her to hurt 山本一夫 but is caught off-guard at the girl's innocence and her apparent concern for 未來. And yes, this goody-two-shoes unknowingly saved her own life just by being herself--- stupid and kindhearted. And later on, Ken becomes an ally.

It is around this time that 王珍珍 is informed of 況天佑's true nature. Seeing that 況天佑 and 馬小玲 are more compatible, she goes all on her own to face 山本一夫  and persuade him to stop his evil plans. Before she faces 山本一夫, her courage seems to have touched 況天佑 as it becomes obvious that suddenly, 況天佑 shows real affection for the girl. This is after 金正中 accidentally spills the beans about what 山本一夫 wants and the trade-off: either he gets 王珍珍 or he increases his vampire army to dominate the earth. Ever the goody-two-shoes who's willing to sacrifice herself for the good of the majority, 王珍珍 decides to go to 山本一夫 but is sent away because 山本一夫 can sense that she still has feelings for 況天佑.

And so, feeling he has lost everything, 山本一夫 makes his major move by turning all the policemen into vampires. 況天佑 and company all move from the apartment to 求叔's arcade shop as they plan how to defeat  山本一夫. Later on, Ken, 金正中 , and 高保 break inside the police office and force spirit balls inside policemen who were turned into vampires, so that the spirits contained inside the balls may possess the vampires and control them. This is to prevent the vampires from wreaking havoc outside the police office. 高保 may be the only human in this mission but he does well. In later episodes, he is revealed to be the reincarnation of a warrior, and thus, will play a major role.

As the three are busy taking care of police vampires, 況天佑 and 馬小玲 go to Japan to obtain the 13 Notes on how to exterminate a vampire (十三札記). Before that, they must face the four guardians. The first one is 孔雀 the monk who first appeared at the onset of Season 1 when 馬小玲 and 王珍珍 were in Japan. 孔雀 simply lets them pass, acknowledging his earlier defeat from the lady ghostbuster. The second one is 白蓮花 whom the two must defeat in a gamble game where souls are at stake. 況天佑 defeats him and the two go on the third pass, two roads one leading to life, one to death. They are forced to go on separate ways, so that at least one will survive to return to Hong Kong. 況天佑 is thrown into an illusion of having a happy married life with 馬小玲, whereas other unluckily chooses the death road. [From here we see that indeed  況天佑's subconsciousness wishes to be with 馬小玲.] Having come to his senses and realizing the trickery, 況天佑 leaves and finds 馬小玲. The two go on to face the final guardian, 禦命十三. 孔雀, 白蓮花, and other monks, realizing the corruption of 禦命十三 as really a sidekick of 山本一夫, tell the two to immediately go back to Hong Kong, and use the 定身咒 to seal 禦命十三.


況天佑's camp's plans are then discovered when one spirit-possessed policeman is made to face 山本一夫. 碧加 is sent to exorcise the spirits possessing the policemen. The vampires go on a feeding rampage. 金正中's father was bitten and later on he died. 嘉嘉 sneaks out of the arcade and finds 林國棟 out of concern for him. Ken drinks 血天使 (Blood Angel), a formulation concocted by 求叔. This would make him stronger, and so he faces 山本一夫 again. [Now Ken is a remarkable man, passionate but still calculating and able to wait patiently for the right time to face his enemy.] 

況天佑 and 馬小玲 returns just in time, and 馬小玲 has to be put into sleep to lure her aunt 馬丹娜 out so that the two Dragon descendants will have more chance to succeed.  王珍珍 finally asks 馬小玲 if she has feelings for 況天佑, and 馬小玲 said yes, but that she can't be with him. 王珍珍 leaves for the second time to talk to 山本一夫 and to persuade him to bite her and transform her into a vampire so she can accompany him forever in their immortal life. She even stabbed herself to prove her decision is final, knowing that 山本一夫 will not be able to bear her death. But this is stopped by the arrival of 況天佑, who later on, will bite 王珍珍, thus infuriating 山本一夫.  I have to note that Herman isn't much, having fallen after just one strike from 馬小玲. [碧加 still is who I consider to be the strongest of 山本一夫's henchmen. Ken is one level below her, having been bitten not by 山本一夫 but by 未來.] 


Having sucked 
王珍珍's blood, 況天佑 transforms into a super vampire [actually a scary-looking ugly vampire] and fights with 山本一夫. When 況天佑 is losing, 未來 is sent by 妙善 (now the Goddess of Mercy who observes from Heaven). 未來 holds her father down as 馬小玲 and 馬丹娜 recite their nine-word mantra to summon the dragon and finally defeat 山本一夫. But 況天佑 falls unconscious. And well, they succeed. Or so they think.

A year has passed and 況天佑 still has not awakened. Ken and 未來are now married and are expecting a child. They are now regular humans, following the demise of 山本一夫. But another vampire is created: 王珍珍. 馬小玲 has lost her powers because she cried for 況天佑 after the battle, just before 況天佑 passes out. 金正中 now takes care of the ghostbusting business, indeed a good disciple as 況天佑 once remarked. People are now busy preparing for 況天佑's birthday while still wondering when he will wake up.


When he finally does wake up, he tells of his dream about a red moon, and also his conversation with the 觀音 (Goddess of Mercy) and 如來 (Tathagata). 如來, seeing the sufferings of humans, plans to use 大日如來淨世咒 to destroy the world and let it grow anew, that is, unless 況天佑 succeeds in defeating a more evil power. The apocalypse is slated on July 1, 1999. Upon waking up, he is made to choose whom to marry and he chooses  王珍珍. On their wedding day, Ken and 未來 arrive dying after having been attacked by 山本一夫, who is revived by 禦命十三.


況天佑 learns of the existence of 羅侯, an ancient magician who wants nothing more than to be the ruler of the three spheres: the godly realm, demon realm, and human realm. 羅侯's plans were foiled by the five legendary warriors. Suddenly out of nowhere, 羅開平 comes back from the spirit realm after training there for his earthly mission. He comes back as the reincarnated 空勇者 (Air Warrior). 高保, as already mentioned, is the reincarnated 地勇者 (Earth Warrior), whereas 孔雀 is the 火勇者 (Fire Warrior). 王珍珍, as revealed by 禦命十三,is actually the reincarnation of the pure saintly woman whose blood is needed to complete the 葬月儀式 (Moon Funeral Rites), a ritual murder ceremony that would allow the performer to suck in the yin powers of the moon. 山本一夫 kidnaps 王珍珍 and her mom. He also finally turns 林國棟 into a vampire, just when the latter has changed his mind and doesn't want to anymore, due to his better conditions by some twist of fate. 山本一夫 places 嘉嘉 inside a cell with the vampire 林國棟 and is herself turned into a vampire. 王珍珍 becomes a puppet and does 山本一夫's bidding.

On the night of the 葬月儀式, the three reincarnated warriors are joined by the 風勇者 (Wind Warrior) Peter, who is also the priest friend of 馬小玲. These four warriors, with 金正中, fight with 禦命十三 and plan to rescue 王珍珍. Meanwhile, 況天佑 and 馬小玲 come face to face with 山本一夫. 馬小玲 has to fake her death to force 況天佑 to transform into a super vampire and defeat 山本一夫. But the enemies are just too strong for 況天佑's camp to win, and one by one, they fall to death. When the ritual is about to be finished, 山本一夫 suddenly remembers his previous life as the 天勇者 (Heavenly Warrior), one of the five who stopped 羅侯 many many years ago.


羅侯 possesses 山本一夫 to also gain an immortal body, with 山本一夫 struggling to stop him from succeeding in his plans. It is revealed that before his death in the past, 羅侯 killed all the five warriors and promised to be reborn to fulfill his wish. 天勇者 (Heavenly Warrior) retorted that he and his four comrades would also be reborn to again thwart his plans.王珍珍  comes to her senses and realizes why 山本一夫 must be with her in all the worlds they are born into. Seeing that 羅侯 is inside him, she plans to stab 山本一夫 with the devil blade but is killed instead. 

The unconscious 況天佑 is visited by visions of 觀音 who tells him to get up and ask for the powers of the five warriors. It is only when his former wife 阿秀 shows up that he found the strength to get up and fight [yes, pretty much like in animé]. And it MUST happen that  況天佑 wins otherwise everything would have been in vain. And he is the lone survivor in this feat. 如來 asks him one wish and he wishes that he and 山本一夫 were not bitten by 將臣.[Take note, he wished that HE and 山本一夫 were not bitten, what about復生 ???]

So history was changed, the wish granted. 復生 died by the Japanese soldier's gunshot. 

And so back to the present with no vampires. But as everyone congregates together at the Waiting Bar and drinks White Snake's famous concoction, everyone feels like he/ she has met everyone before. 況天佑  and 馬小玲 who just arrived from America, look at each other and feel like they've known each other for long.

See summary and notes:
Episodes 1-12
Episodes 13-19
___________________________________________________________

Whew! This blog post alone took me almost a week to finish. 
Now, on to Season 2!!!

Pimples and Body Fats


Just this week, while an officemate and I were talking about pimples and creams available in the market, I asked her what toners do and their difference from facial wash and moisturizers. Toners, she said, can dry the skin, so it’s good for pimples. But after using toners, one has to apply moisturizers. Also, she adds, it’s not true that if one’s face is oily, toners would be the remedy. The face would be forced to produce more oil because the skin suddenly becomes dry, thus making one’s skin oilier.

There’s a solution to losing fats! I just had to quip. I explained that if that’s the case, then tummy fats can be used up if ever there comes a point wherein the amount of skin oil is at its limit. The body should be able to use up unwanted fats from other parts of the body just so the skin can produce oil to prevent itself from dryness.

And yes, she laughed at me and at my weird idea.

It’s just that my mind is so playful that I always come up with weird ideas like this. J

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Some Basic Buddhist Doctrines

Last Holy Week while cleaning our room, I chanced upon my old college readings in Philo 10 (Approaches to Philosophy). I didn't get to read everything at that time because I was still a freshman when I took it and reading the materials caused severe headache and I couldn't comprehend what I was reading anyway. And also because at that time I was still to engrossed with animé to get serious with my college education.

Since I feel the need to review Buddhist materials mainly because most of what I am watching (i.e. My Date with a Vampire) contain Buddhist principles, and in relation to my personal life, I have to relearn the art of meditating and detachment. Moreover, I need inspiration to make it easier for me to accept the harsh realities of life.

The heart of Buddhism lies in the four noble truths:

1. Existence is unhappiness.
- Life is subject to the inevitable evils of illness, old age, and death, as well as the sadness caused when loved ones are stricken by these ills.

2. Unhappiness is caused by desires.
- Asking the universe more than what it is ready to give causes us sorrow when our demands are not met.

3. Desires can be destroyed.
- The knowledge of this helps us control our desires.

4. Desires can be destroyed by the eightfold path:
   a. right understanding
   b. right purpose (aspiration)
   c. right speech
   d. right conduct
   e. right vocation
   f. right effort
   g. right alertness
   h. right concentration
- When all stages are achieved, one is said to enter Nirvana, a state marked by a sense of liberation, inward peace and strength, insight into truth, the joy of complete oneness with reality, and love toward all creatures.

Buddhism focuses more on the cessation of misery rather than on metaphysics since the latter does not help in attaining wisdom (or Nirvana). Buddhism focuses more on the spiritual edification, the discipline of the mind.

What I appreciate most from Buddhism is the view that no doctrine is the final truth. Any theory may be countered by another and so instead of harmonious peace, there are unresolved hostilities. This deviates from humble soul-searching and understanding. Compromise, understanding, respect, and tolerance are necessary in order to build a community.

Other teachings of Buddhism:
1. Hatred can only be appeased by non-hatred.
2. Everything is in a flux, nothing is permanent, and one must accept the changes to be able to adjust to reality.
3. Compassion comes from seeing others in the same tragic situation, which makes one realize that life is impartial and favors no one.
4. Love is defined not as a dependent attachment but as an unlimited self-giving compassion flowing freely to all living creatures.
"-an all-embracing love
for all the universe
in all its heights and depths
and breadth, unstinted love,
unmarred by hate within,
not rousing enmity."

5. Nirvana can be attained without external help. It can be attained by one's own discipline and mindfulness.

War Remnants Museum (HCMC) 03012013

The first museum we visited in Ho Chih Minh City is the War Remnants Museum. Prior to this trip, a friend of mine told me that the museum is not to be missed, and that one is certain to have anti-American sentiments after visiting the museum. I remember telling her what could possibly make me angrier at that self-righteous nation which tricks and sows discord while pretending to be the hero of the world.

The museum is located along Vo Van Tan Street. On the way, while riding the bicycle rickshaw, I enjoyed very much the fresh air. Trees line both sides of the street, totally unlike in the Philippines where very few trees can be found near roads.

On the road leading to the War Remnants Museum.

One goal of the museum is to expose the heinous war crimes committed against the Vietnamese during the US-Vietnam War. Alongside this are exhibits of war machinery, weapons, photos, newspapers, artworks by Vietnamese children, and other artifacts. When I visited, a lot of Western tourists were also there and I could hear many of them shaking their head complaining how anti-American the museum was. It just couldn't be helped since Vietnam suffered a lot from the Americans during the war. On the bright side though, the museum gives credit to a number of Americans who opposed the war back then. Some of these American protesters died.


Military helicopters and tanks are part of the outdoor exhibit.

Projectile weapons
More than a war museum,  the War Remnants Museum not only gives us a view of the US-Vietnam War, but also calls for peace on the international level, reminding us of the horrors of war.

Carbines

news clip on the infamous Agent Orange

Collection of photos of US aggression in Vietnam

a camera of a soldier preserved together with books and military uniform

A beautiful building located across the museum, probably a military dormitory.

Please see:
Ho Chih Minh travel overview

March 2013


Compared to February, March this year is pretty lax as I am made more aware of my financial conditions following my many travels in such a short period of time. My Hong Kong trip last February ate up most of my savings. This was followed by my trip to Vietnam which is much cheaper, but which nevertheless contributed to more expenses. It’s still a good thing I was on duty on Holy Week as this may help in my finances.

I finally experienced sleeping over at a friend’s house last March. That was my first. My parents never allow me sleep at a friend’s house despite the many invitations I got. It was fun, I got to peek at my friend’s manga and DVD collections. It was just unfortunate that I didn’t consider bringing my 1TB external HDD; I could have procured copies of series and movies.

Before we got to her house, we spent some time at Timezone in Glorietta. It had been a long time since I was there, the last was when I was in my third year in college and a friend treated me to some games there. Prior to that, my last was way way back when I was a kid. I just can’t bring myself to spend money on something so trivial. I’d rather buy a book or spend on food, thus the rare visits to arcades. We then headed to Mercato Centrale in the Fort. It was my first time there, and also my first time to take the bus shuttle from Ayala Station. I used to get off at Guadalupe and just take a jeep. There are many weird foods there and the prices are not as steep. I love the flower-shaped nachos, strawberry basil ice cream, Chef Anton’s turkey, and the buffalo wings. Salmon and cheese paella, and Japanese Wagyu paella are not bad either. My friend told me about the ostrich meat which is a must, but it was getting late and we everybody was tired so we didn’t wait for it anymore. This experience reminded me of that one night when my officemates and I went to UP-Ayala Technohub Mezza Norte where I first experienced a weekend food market. The concept is awesome and it just beats dull food court fare in malls.

Because this month I bought a new laptop (Fujitsu), I need to find ways to save money and shun temporarily theatrcal performances. To somehow recuperate from my overspending, I seek entertainment in books, animé and movies. I finally watched X, an animé I have been putting off for so long. Also, I continue to watch My Date with a Vampire, easily the best Asian drama ever (so far). These days, ever since I quit school, I seem to have distanced myself from books, as I find myself taking too long to finish a book. This month, I’m determined to finish the extra verbose novel Lempriere’s Dictionary by Lawrence Norfolk which is not an easy read at all as it includes classical mythology aside from the convoluted mystery plot and dizzyingly beautiful historical references that one is inclined to suspect the book of being pretentious but anyway, it’s rare to find beautiful prose these days. And reading on, I became interested in the author himself so I checked his website and also read how he conceived Lempriere’s Dictionary and his other works which I plan to read should I find them in Booksale. [Maybe I ought to switch back to non-fiction.]

As for physical activity, I am embarrassed to admit that it has ceased suddenly perhaps owing to the fact that I became engrossed in non-physical activities. Brisk walking has been a quotidian activity but I would rather increase my activities to burn more fats (hopefully). Early this year I planned to take up dance lessons but the plan has not materialized yet.

In order to somehow cushion the financial blows following my monthly travels, I decided to go on budgetarian mode, making sure I have packed lunch for work or if not, just have veggies since these are not only cheaper but also healthier. I even bought promo canned goods in case there's no food for lunch. Still, my food lust is difficult to satiate as I found myself buying restaurant vouchers from Metrodeal. I availed Barbara's dinner buffet with dance performance with a post-graduate friend and Marina Restaurant's oyster promo with my sisters.

Barbara's buffet dinner was a bit disappointing as there are very few dishes and most fall below expectations. Chicken soup with shrimp head is so-so. The pancit bihon is surprisingly good. Chicken barbecue becomes hard when cooled. Beef caldereta unfortunately does not have veggies like carrots and potatoes. Fish fillet is too covered with bread crumbs. Grilled tanigue is bland. The desserts are a welcome treat in comparison to the main dishes, most especially the brazo de mercedes which melts in mouth with a hint of lemon. The brownies are chewy and moist and chocolates oozes out of it, thereby delighting the senses. But I guess what we really look forward to here actually is the dance performance. I am reminded of the breathtaking performance at Las Casas de Acuzar. 

Marina's red hot oysters are heavenly. I just love the cheese and the spices are just right. Alongside the promo, we also ordered bagoong rice and pinakbet Truth be told, we found the food extra pricey when we couldn't find anything special in it.

For my brother's birthday, we had dinner at Uncle Cheffy (Eton Centris). Food was disappointingly sad though service was okay. Among the food that we ordered, I love only Spaghetti Alejandrino (red sauce with Spanish chorizo). Beef steak is okay,too, but the serving is too small. Asian fried rice doesn't taste Asian to me, but my sisters loved it.

I couldn't believe that I would be assisting in an excavation this year, I thought I had zero chance since I am no longer an archaeology student. I was informed of the AIA near Sta. Ana Church and on March 17, I went there to assist in accessioning the collected artifacts. I miss digging!!! What is bad in urban archaeology is that you go home after a day's work and work is not that continuous compared to excavation in far flung areas. During lunch break, I walked around the area and took pictures of the church, something which I have been putting off for so long. We went back to UP afterwards and my friend and I shared an order of pasta at Friuli's, my first time to try the restaurant.

Top: Santa Ana Church
second row (from left): plaza fountain, test pits, Chinese temple
third row (from left): Santa Ana Market, preserved tree inside Savemore, preserved trench in Savemore showing walls made of adobe
Working from home during Holy Week, I was finally able to clean our room and arrange my books things and to throw away garbage that occupy too much space. Yes, I am a clutterbug and the four-day holiday was too short to ever do the things I wanted to do for our bedroom.