Oh really?

I'm not retarded enough to think I'm in everyone's good graces in the office. I aim to work and get a decent pay not lick people's boots off to please them. That said, it was still pretty surprising to know that an officer whom I was pretty much in good terms with found me as a fucking threat to his researcher. Excuse the fucking hell out of the heavens, but I am in no close league with that researcher in terms of our work performance. Her passing the licensure examination for teachers does not really earn her brownie points for her useless sense of work ethics. It's too bad that I'm in good, honest terms with the Imelda of the department that now I'm shown who are the wolves in sheeps' clothing. Those lowly government employees who have enough time to gossip and point fingers at the researchers can eat their shits. I guess another issue will float up out of jealousy knowing that we, compared to their useless children who got knocked up too early in their lives, have good standing in life.

With my desire to take up a master's this upcoming semester high and strong, I'm slowly working things up to that goal. I have the necessary documents courtesy of Cors, and I just have to prepare my birth certificate and TOR. I'm all blank for my application letter, I suppose that's the usual lack of sleep taking head, but I'm sure I'll come up with something decent before the deadline of submission. But first, I need that damn contract to be signed by Wednesday.

Pendulum Arc

Spoilers ahead!

Pendulum Arc has the true potential to be a Bleach rip off series. It has enough plot to last a century before Ichigo came by, and there still lies the mystery behind the last batch of captains under Gotei 13. Seriously, isn't Yama-jii suffering from enough guilt to last his geriatric days? He has managed to look on having several of his captains hollowfied, then condoning Aizen's own version of pranks in Soul Society. He's a true codger just like Dumbledore--manipulative to a fault, and simply overbearing.

Hirako Shinji's going to be one of my favourite characters for a long, long time. His suspicions over Aizen was dead on, but obviously, Superman was always one step ahead of everyone. It's damn frustrating how the Vizards were ostracized when the other captains didn't even object on their behalf. Urahara also suffers the highest degree of guilt because of his genius. Sure, he had a sour ending with Seireitei, but he dug his own grave with his research. I have to say though, the point of Urahara keeping the hougyoku on Rukia's gigai was pure bullshit plot. I think Tite Kubo could've thought of better ways for the damn orb to be stolen or for Rukia's execution, and warp it around Aizen's ultimate plan. Where in the heaven's arse did Aizen even came to that hollowfication hypothesis? I have to give him two thumbs up for the patience he has. Just in what anime can you name an antagonist who lays out his master plan in the span of more than a century? Shinji's spot on regarding his comment on how long since he has noticed Aizen. Pure love for Hirako Shinji.

Also this arc cleared up some minor questions like where Shuuhei got his 69 tattoo, how long Aizen has Tousen's fealty, where Mayuri originated and so forth. I really prefer the original bunch of characters in Gotei 13 compared to the present. Not my call though.

---

On the other side of the world, I have to say, it pains me to read Washington Square Press' version of Merchant of Venice. As fun as it may seem to have an easier way out of reading Shakespeare, WSP takes away the challenge of pondering over a genius' work. I've learned my lesson well, thank you very much. It's not as if I could brandish the damn copy at the Booksale cashier and immediately demand for a Signet version, hey? That's what NBS and other stuck up bookstores are for. But since I don't have enough moolah to buy a brand new one, I'm stuck with Booksale for future affairs.

Oh and who else other than me can see the UST between Antonio and Bassanio? Even I can see that from the very beginning. Portia's just a big, old hag although pretty decent. Anyway, still not in my place to scratch everything up. I can barely trick myself into reaching for the book again.

Being anal

My initial plan of less than an hour trip to the nearest mall to have my school documents photocopied had lasted nearly three hours. First off, fuck you Copy Trade. It seems that your employees do not even know the word 'work ethics.' The bulk of your employees' load does not equate with snobby attitude. I tried the two branches at the mall which gave the same aura of hospitality. I wouldn't be surprised if these female employees go infertile not from radiation but from the glares they're constantly receiving from customers.

Big thanks to National Bookstore for a queue-less and cordial reception at the  photocopying section. Then I saw McEwan's Atonement for a hundred fifty bucks. I walked out of the bookstore shaking, trying to keep off my lust to buy the book. It led me to cool off at Booksale located a floor below and then shredded three hundred bucks for six books. Pure coincidence or boon? When I got at Booksale, I went to the usual bookshelf at the back holding stacks of paperbacks. I knelt down, removed a small pile of books and saw Ian McEwan's Atonement. Holy cow, indeed. I was shopping with several people in the bookshop until I had realized I was racing against another buyer. He was apparently there upsetting the arrangement of books, hunting for fart knows what. I saw his own pile; saw Updike, Darwin and the like and boosted my petering energy in case I lose another book I want by his grubby hands. His toddler son was left to his own since the wife was also busy digging books in another shelf. That led to the tyke pestering me to some extent until another kid thought I was the mother of the kid. I don't know if I should be flattered since the kid's pretty cute or I look like a thirty-something year old woman already.

My initial annoyance with Copy Trade didn't really dissipate despite the books I've unearthed at Booksale. It rather spiked to some unknown level when a teenage couple had decided that a bookstore is the perfect place to flirt and fucking woo each other senseless with the banal ruckus of teenage vacuity. The girl was trying her best to act all tough and pretty at the same time, while the guy's settling himself as a pure wuss with his half arsed questions. I wasn't that crazy to listen to the white noise but jeezy creezy, among the twenty something folks inside the bookstore, they were the only people who were kind enough to provide us of teenage hormonal inanity that we do not need. Teens these days are either dumb or dumb it's pathetic beyond redemption. And they just had to stand at the bookshelf I was also checking so imagine what I had to go through. Pure hell. If it wasn't for the goddamn photocopies it would not even take the second coming of Christ for me to leave the house. I'm in the middle of Kakfa's climax so you can see the dilemma.

Anyway, it's way out of line but while I was scouring for books, I kept thinking of Kamijou Hiroki of Junjou Romantica who, upon the usual flying off the handle scene, would drop by the second hand bookstore and shop until he dropped. I just love Junjou Romantica (+ Egoist and Terrorist). I also ruined my freshly done manicure. It was perfect done by yours truly until I tossed the idea of being careful out the window when I was busy at Booksale. I find myself not upset by it actually. Cool.

On another note in my life, I'm having a workshop tomorrow at this company which I took an exam last month. I obviously passed the test; that I was confident of although I'm not happy with the company's strict rules and regulation. I'm for an interview on Tuesday at SSS though honestly, I'm not totally into them. I'm just playing by my family's constant nag of still being a total moocher. I can't help it. I'm enjoying the life of a nocturnal. I have the time to read my books and do whatever online. I'm also past the thin red line of my muse's death so I don't really think it would be an advantage to have a job right now. Unless my bank account's going to speak on my behalf then that's another issue.

All day sitting

My energy's sapping through my fingers like air. I guess the current story I'm working on is one to blame. I haven't seen the sunrise for like a month already, and I sleep around 3 in the morning. Even if I go to bed, my brain's still spinning like an overheated machine. I'm trying to dissect the climax I want, and so far I'm having a good idea where I'm at. My body's just too damn tired. I still need to print those old stories at dad's office but I can't seem to find a good time to drop there. Besides, it's kind of embarrassing to print like sixty pages of my work using fresh paper. I only wish their office had enough scratch paper to lessen my guilt.

My Bleach escapade has laid low although I'm still watching around five episodes a day. I got back to reading Junjou Romantica, all too surprised that I've missed tons of new chapters already. Romantica has gotten more paper time and the plot is deepening with the fast forwarding to three years after. Sometimes I just wished Misaki would snap out of his sudden bouts of denials or else his relationship with Akihiko will really fall to pieces.

I'm also reading my first Murakami. I find his narration relaxing and moderately paced. I don't have the inclination to really speed up reading it which means he's really good. Other writers sometimes have this tendency in their prose to make the reader read faster, as if several days set to finish the novel is unacceptable.

On another note, I'm looking forward to Hollywood Week tomorrow on AI9. The talents are mediocre at best, cliche at worst.the thrill of watching the contests being grilled, however, well, that's what makes American Idol really click. It's not as if there's any better show (reality or otherwise) to top it off especially when we don't have cable TV. I'm not really into Ellen DeGeneres as the new judge, but I can endure her.

Sweet Pool

Okay, so I've discovered the fucked up world of Sweet Pool. It's a BL game with lovely CG animation and twisted characters by Nitro+ Chiral. It's gory and scary in a general sense but if you're used to the twisted humor and ingenuity of the Japanese folks then this is pure cake walk. I've been inured from that kind of treatment after watching Evangelion and X/1999. It takes  more than a pheromone releasing, pretty Youji and the grunt-man Tetsuo to make me go crazy. I haven't played the game but here's an amazing story summary by rahenna that is pure fun to read.

Cannibalizing reality

There's something cerebral about analysing a love song when one is not emotionally charged with the burdens of empathy and need for socialization. In this case, it's Sarah Brightman's Love Changes Everything, a song from her ex-hubby's Aspects of Love. I simply adore Brightman's diction and her tendency to curl some words in a melodic grasp.

It is a classic love song where you cannot simply hail it with sleaziness despite being a famous first dance in weddings. Broadway songs usually have that kind of status in the pop industry; it's not something pundits easily turn to keep money rolling.

Reminisce and... just avoid looking at Brightman's signature pallor. She still freaks me out.

---

Spare me from SSS's vices. When I applied as a walk-in applicant early today, I was not prepared to be greeted with a 10 to 10.30am recess break of the Personnel department. I guess, the myth on SSS's benefits are barely distant from the thin red line.

BIR's building from the outside looks rather mediocre, a common attribute to government edifices but on the inside? It's a haunted building. Every floor is dark, the elevators can produce freaking claustrophobic inducing moments and the overall judgment is easily deduced to the myth of BIR's vena; tendency.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

Bleach meme

I'm taking this meme from thewickednix although I twisted it a bit so it'll be based on Bleach rather than Harry Potter.

01. The first character I fell in love with:
Kuchiki Byakuya. He's the tall, dark, brooding, handsome type I usually like in anime characters.

02. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now:
Probably Ichigo. I've come to consider him as a protagonist who has far better characterization than someone like Naruto. The comparison is unfair, but considering both animes are downright famous, based on adventure and both sporting blond hair are kind of a deal for me. Ichigo has the talent but he is not drowning in his hero complex. Sure, he became Shinigami to protect his family but he's not one to blabber about being the best. He still has his shortcomings and one of the best part, I think despite being too minor in general, is being an honour student. That's pretty much a good reputation to boot with his busy schedule as a Shinigami and all that hoopla.

03. The character (most) everyone else loves that I don't:
Inoue Orihime. You can say I'm a bit of a feminist but it seriously irks me that she acts all too dumb for someone with a decent and unique power at hand. She's too blinded by her childish attraction to Ichigo that all she can do is rant about her worries. Her crush is all blown out in the manga, a reason why I stopped reading it for awhile.

04. The character I love that everyone else hates:
Hitsugaya Toushirou, I guess. I'm not yet familiar with the fans' inclinations towards characters but I know a couple of friends who aren't at ease with him. I actually like the 10th squad captain's personality. He's famous for being dubbed as tensai by gaining the captain status at an early age. Everyone was intent on either saving Rukia and Aizen snooping around in the Soul Society arc while Toushirou was the only one who had a clear head all in all in to have speculations and suspicions enough to crack Aizen's plans.

05. The character I used to love but don't any longer:
Rukia. At first, I was all cool with her because she's not the damsel in distress female character until the Soul Society arc. I hate that she had to result to self-pity while being locked in the tower. Self suffering has always been a big load of bull for me. She thinks she doesn't deserve Ichigo's help when we all know Ichigo has his pride and he owes her bigtime. I've noticed her going a bit too soft for my own liking since recently, she's either being helped by Byakuya (Bounto arc) and now with Arrancar arc she was stabbed dead on by Grimmjow because she was too busy nagging Ichigo to run and save his goddamn arse. I just hate that. She faded from being a mentor to Ichigo to a leading lady type who cannot stop being a motherhen.

06. The character I would shag any time:
Aizen Sousuke in his evil Superman form. Aren't we all for bad, genius, handsome guys? Stopping Ichigo's bankai with a finger and barely blinking to fully incapacitate a captain earn his big brownie points.

07. The character I want to be like:
Yoruichi. She's the only female character I can really stand to a full extent. She has the strength and confidence to fight and she's not going to scream for help, burst into tears or wallow in self pity if she ever got a fatal wound or got dumped by a boyfriend. Bonus for being the shunpo champion against Byakuya since time immemorial.

08. The character I'd slap:
Oh many. I'd slap Ichigo for being too immature and relying on a woman to force his knees not to buckle under pressure. Rukia and Orihime can go dig their own graves for all I care.

09. A pairing that I love:
Byakuya/Ichigo no matter how much of a crack pairing they may be. It's simply inspiring to see several emotions pass on Byakuya's face because of Ichigo. I also like several pairings like Shuuhei/Kira, Shunsui/Jushiro, Aizen/Gin, Isshin/Ryuuken, etc. With the variety of characters popping in every arc, there's a variety of new pairings that are emerging so it will be endless.

10. Two pairings that I hate:
Ichigo/Rukia. Understandably, Ichigo's still in the identity crisis period but jeezus, it might as well be considered that Ichigo's going to be a shirt lifter by the time he gets twenty. On Rukia's defense, I think it's all a residual guilt from her experience with Shiba Kaien whose personality resembles Ichigo's spot on.

Byakuya/Rukia. Jesus christ, seriously. I know Hisana looks a lot like Rukia (a seriously twisted part on Tite Kubo or he lacked imagination that time) but I think Byakuya has enough moral to not pass his adoration from one sister to another. It's a pairing worthy of a series of facepalms and I'd rather read Byakuya/Renji any day versus that trash.

11.Favourite character:
Byakuya. For being all noble and all he has enough burdens from the past that would make him a candidate for a psychological genre. He can suit himself fine in X/1999 I guess, just like Subaru. All quiet, jaded and strong. He's the type I won't have any problem dissecting their past.

12. My six favourite characters:
Kuchiki Byakuya, Zaraki Kenpachi, Shihoin Yoruichi, Urahara Kisuke, Kyouraku Shunsui and Kurosaki Ichigo.


13. My five least favourite characters:
Orihime Inoue, Kuchiki Rukia, Soutaicho (he's got a long name), Tousen Kaname, Soi Fong.

14. Which character I am most like:
I can't see myself having similarities with the characters.

15. My deep, dark fandom secret:
The romantic aspect of Bleach is a big, flat, useless aspect on the story. I really have no inclination of giving it consideration until the next lifetime. It's just that, knowing that the action manga originally is meant for teenage boys, it is rather safe to say that the callow crushes give a bad side of Bleach. I'd rather stick to how to stop Aizen, please.