Saturday, November 15, 2008

A strange dream....

The first recollection I had was a haze gray mist that prevented me from seeing anything in front of me. It surrounded me like air. Everywhere I look it was the same silver mist that I see. There is also a strange feeling that I had, that I have to move forward. It's as if I feel I must go forward with no options whatsoever. So I followed instinct and moved on.

The next scene that I remembered after trying to move forward was utterly different form the mist-like worked that I was aware of a second ago. I found myself in a beach, with some people frolicking in the green blue water. The strange thing about it is that it was like I knew I have always wanted to go here all along, and now I have finally arrived. While I was still wondering about my thoughts, I became aware that I was with my family. I suddenly realized by intuition that we were here to go swimming in the beach.

The uncertainty I had earlier when I was in the mist world was suddenly replaced by the excitement of swimming for I have always loved swimming, especially on the beach.

I was about to go to the shore when someone suddenly appeared at my front and urged me not to go. I am not sure if I remembered correctly how he looked like, only that he feels like an old guide who's job is to warn visitors of the dangers of the beach. But I do remember his stern voice warning us not to swim in the beach because there is a giant whirlpool in the middle of it. At first, I highly doubt it since the beach seemed placid and calm, not to mention people were splashing to and fro in the water. But something held me back. I don't know if it is instinct or the result of having watched too many horror movies that held me back. All I knew was that something sinister was lurking in the water. No sooner had I pondered on my thoughts on the whirlpool when I saw a small swirling current appear in the middle of the water not too far from the shore.

But the current began to encompass more water space. It became more menacing as it grew lager and larger as in a rising crescendo. In just a few seconds it became a large whirlpool that almost covered all of the beach. I yelled at the people caught in the whirlpool to get out of the beach as soon as possible. But it was too late. The whirlpool had started to spiral downwards towards the abyss at its center. I can only watch in horror as it happened. But something very weird was apparently going on. The people are actually laughing and enjoying it!!! I could not believe it. After a few seconds the whirlpool stopped, imploding into a big splash of blue liquid where it used to be its center. People then started popping out of the water like they just came up from a deep dive. They acted as if nothing dangerous happened. I was simply astounded. the only thing that I could come up as an explanation is that this is some sort of a water amusement park where the whirlpool is simply a machine driven effect for the fun of it. don't ask me how they ensure the safety of the people caught in it though....

Friday, November 14, 2008

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Quote for the Day

"Truth must necessarily be stranger than fiction; for fiction is the creation of the human mind and therefore congenial to it." - G.K. Chesterton

In short, fiction is more acceptable to us because we made it to suit ourselves.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

And now for some intermission...



You Are a Dog



You are ready to protect and defend anyone you love. You are incredibly loyal.

While you are protective and territorial at times, you are also quite playful and carefree.

You are compassionate, and you understand people well. You pick up on emotions.

You are eager to help people, and you are a natural best friend. You enjoy being around others.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

3 Dads and 1 Mom Review

Okay, I have a confession to make.....

I like some koreanovelas.

Before you jump into any conclusions, I would like to stress the "some" part of the statement above. some of the shows I have watched are too mushy for my taste. Others have too many references to Korean culture that I sometimes get lost in translation. But their a few who just got the right amount of wackiness, fun and romance to make a great story. 3 Dads and 1 mom definitely fit the bill for a good koreanovela in my opinion.


I started watching this koreanovela when I began to have slept late well into midnight during the last 2 weeks. I don't really know what caused it ( I suspect stress but I digress). Anyway, since the show is televised in the late hours of the night, and with almost nothing to do., I decided to watch this show to occupy me. I had no high expectations for this show. In fact, I don't even expected it to be good. I just thought that it would just be a typical koreanovela that is churned out by the major TV networks in the Philippines almost every year. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was good. I became so interested tin it that I didn't notice that 30 minutes had already gone by. By the end of the show, I was already taken in. I wanted to see the next episode as soon as possible.

There are many things I like about this show. One is its humor which I find refreshingly good . Some characters are simply funny to look at as they bumble through the issues of the day. Their jokes are usually sarcastic, offensive or made to be sensational. On the contrary, most of it is down-to-earth where anyone can pick them up.

Another is the chemistry of the characters. Even if the show sports a relatively simple cast in terms of characterization, their interactions and reactions produces in situations and circumstances that make the show interesting. Well if you think about it, 3 friends where one is a policeman, the other is a artist/cartoonist and another is a businessman makes an unlikely trio ( the show doesn't show how they met and became friends but I bet it would make a good story on its own). Throw in a widow who has given birth to her first child and we have a recipe for "interestingness".

Another reason is that the show doesn't become too angsty or mushy gratuitously. Excessive tearjerker moments and prolonged dramatic scenes are traps that koreanovelas often fall into ( that's my opinion by the way ). On the contrary , the show is often wacky with just the right amount of serious and sober moments thrown in. The strong friendship that exists between the characters is also depicted very clearly, only using the circumstances of everyday life to highlight it.

Finally , if I am honest, I would say that the lead female protagonist is...well, cute. Enough said. Did I mention that some girls I know go gaga over the baby? :D

All in all, 3 Dads and 1 Mom for me is a refreshing series that I like amidst all the cynical attitude that permeate TV series today.

Disclaimer: I won't be responsible for any violent reactions that may result from reading spoilers.

Wikipedia Article
DramaWiki article
Official Site ( Korean )

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Shelfari - a social networking site for book lovers

A social networking site for bookworms? Who would expect?!

I was browsing the blog of one of my friends from CDOtaku today and she had this article about having to finish reading a book at least once in her lifetime. Being a book fan myself, I read through the whole article, got some good reviews from books I haven't read....and then found this tiny link at the bottom of the article leading to a list of her books that she has read and are still reading. Curiosity and my love for books naturally led me to follow the link. After that...well let's just say that I signed up as fast as I can! :D

Its pretty user friendly for a site about books. Books can be easily searched and can then be classified to three categories( books that you have already finished reading, books that your are currently reading now and books that you plan to read ). I like how it doesn't need to refresh every time you categorize a book. It makes classifying books a breeze.

To register go to www.shelfari.com

If you have nothing else to do, give my book list a visit at www.shelfari.com/arvinsim. ;)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Quote for the Day

A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it
- G.K. Chesterton