What
Mere musings from a part-time animanga fangirl, part-time high school student, full time dreamer and slacker.

Who
Mia Marci, otherwise known as Ami, Miyami, and other netnicks.
Filipina, resides in Indonesia, speaks fluent english and has a working knowledge of tagalog. Currently learning Bahasa Indonesian and Japanese.
Likes anime, manga, books, designing, writing, j-music, and chocolate.
Can be contacted via e-mail and has a homepage right around here.

Layout
High on shoujo art, SPEED, and school coming around in a week or two. Character from 'Graduation', image borrowed from Anime Genesis, lyrics and translation of SPEED's 'My Graduation' taken from J-seek.

Archives
11/3/00 - 12/4/00
12/20/00 - 1/1/01
1/4/01 - 1/17/01

Zutto wasurenai hanaretemo kujikenai
ikite iku kyou kara
yasashisa to yu-ki wo kureta yo ne
Ai ga mebaeta July
saisho no Kiss
Futari no aizu
nakanaori shita yoru
Hontou ni aishiteta
Itsuka mata meguriau
Owaranai kyou wa watashi no
my graduation

Wednesday, January 24, 2001 / 09:20 p.m.

Micaela observes that when it comes to me having a crush, how I act is tame in comparison to my immense admiration of horses, dogs, and bishonen.
And I for one, am not denying it. >:D

I mean, I keep whatever I think of a certain handsome real life individual to myself at first. Then I just make complementary observations on this, and that - and just casual conversation with his name in...every other sentence. Thats not so bad, is it?

With horses, bishonen and dogs on the other hand:
"OH MY GOD! He's gorgeous/cute/adorable - awwwwwww ('aiyaaahh', if watching anime or reading manga)!"
They're less of a heartbreak. And they don't mind if you start eyeing other creatures of equal beauty (this exempts my dogs - Cino starts growling when I take a liking to other labradors, Helga whimpers when I pay attention to someone or something other than her).
With animals and bishonen, who needs a boyfriend, really? I mean, how can I have time between Cino, Helga, my usual anime dosage - and that certain someone I likelike so much?

Of course, matters of the heart always manage to crush such secure little contentments. All it may take is a look, or a word or two. Then your principles could go straight to hell, and you just won't realize it.
But bishonen are hard to part from. Just don't let the guy of your affections know that you have still have a fancy for two-dimensional characters and Asian guys in dresses. What they don't know can't hurt them. Really.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone. :)

 

Tuesday, January 23, 2001 / 08:40 p.m.

I suddenly remembered I had another online journal. I didn't use it much due to time constraints, and the format isn't as nice as that of pitas and blogs.
Anyway, I made use of it again. I've had some very personal issues pressing on me for the last few days, and I didn't know where else I could vent. So I had them locked away right around here. No, I'm not giving out my private message passcode to just anyone. :P

Misats, I miss you. ;_;
Benj'niisama, I haven't seen you online lately - where are ya?

Megumi, for some reason my pics were going beserk since yesterday when they were on internettrash.com. O_o' It was irritating not to see my own graphics on my comp, so I just had to move them. It assures me that my page works 110% a-okay!
If that doesn't sound like an ad, I don't know what does. ^.~ Oh, and no - I'm not moving from pitas just yet. As said, it's just so good to me! I hope it stays good too. *feeds pita a cookie* Ooh...Sano looks really, really good on yer pita, by the way. ^o^

 

Tuesday, January 23, 2001 / 06:47 p.m.

Ah, my senator has spoken. Heed her call. =)

I feel like commeting. So thus I shall comment.
1) Humanity is sheep, nuff said. Trends can be annoying, depending on the effect on the subject at hand.
The blind sheep who get tired of this and that because "oh damn, it isn't popular anymore" must get their heads checked.

2) Hikaru Midorikawa can sing. Or at least, as Heero he can. :D Oh well, I don't dislike Midorikawa but I can say I have similar sentiments - I have this certain 'no duh' look anytime someone declares Ogata Megumi as his or her favorite seiyuu. After being in anime fandom for goodness knows how long - why doesn't one's favor for Ogata-san surprise me? And well, she is a really good seiyuu. Compare Eagle (Magic Knight Rayearth) or Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho) to Emeraude (Magic Knight Rayearth). Can you believe that's really, seriously Ogata? Yes, that is her as Emeraude. Fall over in shock.

I don't have anything else better to do. So nyah-nyah. :p

 

Tuesday, January 23, 2001 / 10:15 a.m.

Whew, got the graphics working again. I uploaded them at my geocities account. The online file manager is not good. :P Since it won't cooperate with me, I simply opened my FTP application. I uploaded, no problem at all.

Is it obvious that I have this sadistic mind that links shonen anime and manga to Sailormoon? I nurture evil thoughts of bishonen in sailorsuits, Gackt (or Hyde) in a sailorsuit, and this reminds me of something Naoko Takeuchi would do. Too bad it isn't Kenshin himself though, tsk.
Image from The Akabeko.

 

Tuesday, January 23, 2001 / 09:49 a.m.

Okay - why aren't my graphics loading on this page?! And for some reason, I try to upload my graphics on a geocities account and they say something about an invalid file?! THEY'RE .GIFs dangit!

Dont tell me, I have to sign up for another piece of useless webspace just for this blog...*sigh* thus my search begins. Or maybe I should just sign up with blogger.

But pitas is so nice to me...;_;

 

Monday, January 22, 2001 / 02:03 p.m.

If for some reason, the images on this page fails to load - please reload the entire page, or just bear the broken images. Internettrash.com, and pitas does act funny on occasions. Or for all I know, it could be my ISP. Gah.

Oh, and Rei? The Kenshin New Year's banner is still on my server. :) Click here if you'd like to see it for whatever reason. ^o^

 

Monday, January 22, 2001 / 01:33 p.m.

Selamat Datang Selene-san! :D Ouch, sorry to hear about your sprain. Ehe, my Mom just recovered from a sprained ankle herself - hellish, I have no doubt. Get well soon!

Y'know, I've been more in tune with Philippine politics than that of Indonesian politics? Besides the complaints from my much pessimistic Indonesian classmates and friends - I have zero clue as to what's going on in GusDur's little head. ^^'
From what little I hear though, Indonesian politics and Philippine politics sound quite alike. Down the corrupt officials and seizures of ultimate stupidity. Must be the distance. ;]

Yesterday, I had lunch at the M's house. The M's are a Filipino family that lived in Jakarta for over thirteen years or so. Mrs. M is my Mom's boss, Mr. M is an artist notorious for his corny Pinoy jokes and well-renowned for his paintings. They have two kids, about a year or two younger than me and they study at Jakarta International School. The kids have only been to the Philippines during the more important events of the year (christmas, new years...) - and they understand Tagalog, though they speak it with more than a hint of an American accent. Not surprising, considering they study at JIS - but my Mom guesses it's Mrs. M's karma for making fun of her accented Tagalog when she was still new in the advertising buisiness.
Anyway, as I predicted - the lunch was mostly discussion on the Estrada presidency, predictions for Macapagal-Arroyo, and how they got updated on the news. They say this: people gathered at the Edsa Revolution through text messaging. As soon as they made it clear that the envelope with the bank documents are not going to be admitted as evidence, people were texting each other and telling their friends to gather at Edsa for the rally.
Then of course, when CNN covered the whole People Power revolution - the cameras caught frantic waves and beaming, happy faces of Filipinos marching down the street. Filipinos naturally mug for the camera, one with no sense of irony whatsoever would not even think of the scene shown on their TV screens as a revolution. Ah, the optimistic Filipino. What can I say? We have fun, and we do get our point across.

Oh yes, oddly enough GMA7 here in Indonesia was blocked from particular cable programmings. Mrs. M wonders if GusDur has become that paranoid, or if it is indeed technical problems. It was fixed in time for the march to Malacanang though.

It sucks to be a bookworm in Jakarta. There's a wonderful bookstore that just opened around the Kemang area, that I thought was the answer to my serious craving for books. The whole setup and concept of the place reminded me of Powerbooks Manila, where you can leisurely browse the books with a cup of coffee by your side. When I first entered Aksara bookstore in Kemang, I thought I had found the answer to my prayers.
Then I looked at the price for 'Memoirs of a Geisha'.

110, 000 rupiah?!

Almost perfect, but not quite. Oh the humanity! Yes, it is most certainly like the bookstores I could call my home away from home in Manila - but without the reasonable prices. Ow, ow, ow.

 

Saturday, January 20, 2001 / 08:42 a.m.

Me: 'Ramos says People Power 2 is more successful than People Power 1.' Well, what can you do - you're up against an idiot!
Mom: I know. I mean, Marcos vs. the People - it would be like a Grisham novel, wits against wits. This, on the other hand-
Me: It's just like Voltes V.
Mom: I know! It's like Batman! It's a cartoon!

*Mother and Daughter start adlibbing the words of 'Erap Resign', to the tune of YMCA*

 

Friday, January 19, 2001 / 06:35 p.m.

Yeheyyyy!!! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Erap has broken down! Snap elections, yes - if the constitution can wrangle it, and according to the inquirer, it can't. Whatever. Basically, Erap has dug in. Chunk goes the pride. Hooray!

Ah, but things are still getting even more interesting! Where do they go from here?

 

Friday, January 19, 2001 / 06:23 p.m.

Ahh, interesting link: Pinoys Telling Stories on the Web.
I knew that there are a lot of Filipinos with weblogs, but I didn't think its popularity would merit attention from a Pinoy e-zine. Interesting, no?

Tin - "Sandrock Crystal Power, Make Up!" ^^;; Eeek, what did I just do?! I will not think of the wing boys in sailorsuits, I will not think of the wingboys in sailorsuits...

 

Friday, January 19, 2001 / 01:53 p.m.

Yuko Sasaki-samaaaa...

I've been addicted to 'Pray' from Seraphim Call, and now Himiko Den's 'Pure Snow', both sung by her. She has this adorably whispery, youthful voice. The tune is unrepentant, bubblegum jpop - but to hell with it - its CATCHY. And I've always been prone to female anime voices and characters for some reason.

Uhm, hi Kuwami'sensei-sama!!! ^o^; *nervous that sensei-sama may bop her repeatedly for her praises towards shoujo ;D*

I noticed most anime-related blogs have bishonen on them, or rant a lot about bishonen. I, on the other hand keep to bishoujo. I have no idea why, I just do so involuntarily. I do adore bishonen as much as any fangirl (Quatre! Aoshi! Vash! *sighs*), but I seem more...shoujo-friendly. ^^' Look at my current layout for crying out loud.

To make, or not to make that shoujo animanga page...hmn...

Hekiru Shiine versus Yuko Sasaki now. Who would prevail? I've long deleted my Hekiru Shiine mp3s, though she remains a sentimental favorite of mine. Who the heck says she can't sing? Her voice isn't particularly musical, but it can carry a tune no da! And more often than not, her tunes are catchy. So there.

When all else fails to amuse me. I just blog, is that not obvious? Well, now I'll be off to Napster. More Yuko Sasaki! With extra sauce! ;p

 

Friday, January 19, 2001 / 10:47 a.m.

Thanks for your comments, Wami. :) Woohoo! CDs!!!If only I was as rich as you dear. ;D In the meantime, its just me and my mp3s...till Napster starts charging their users that is. Ah well.

Of course, the president will always have opposition. Anyone will try to overthrow one president or another, even if he had the cleanest conscience and did the best job ever known to his people. It can't be avoided, its a yin and yang of things. I do think Estrada is incompetent for the job, and good if he is ousted from power. If not, well, I've stressed my point in earlier entries - I'll say it one last time: bear with it. Democratic election, people's vote, people's man, people's mistake. Just sit back, and watch the sparks fly. I'm keeping myself up to date at inquirer.net.
My Mom's boss is thinking of organizing the Filipino community here for an anti-erap demo, Though my mom half-joked "But they'll think we're demonstrating against GusDur! We'll be arrested, probably deported!"
If it does push through, we will be joining. It's the least we could do.

Could it be, that the People Power 2 is like a gift for this generation? I believe writer Jessica Zafra once wrote in an essay for Asiaweek magazine - the now generation of Filipinos are evolving to be yuppies: spoiled, pampered, with a lesser care for the world. Maybe this is a rebirth of spirit, mind, and pride for my generation - and with even more hope for the next.
Provided that this People Power 2 does work. Which at this point, I can't tell if it will. Estrada has proven himself to be extremely proud and stubborn, at whatever cost. It may take more than hollering, marching and praying for the point to get across.
May bloodshed be a final resort. I have faith in a peaceful, bloodless revolution, but still...the chance of a bloody coup is there. May it not get to that, I hope.

On the surface, the rallies are pretty much street party and concert. What, with most of our entertainers on TV and movies prancing around and declaring their loyalties to one side or another - how could it not be? It's amusing, but it also has that drip of disgust. We are SUPPOSED to be taking the situation SERIOUSLY.

"No wonder people are anti-erap! Who could resist the free food and drinks?" -- My Mom

I suspect Nora Aunor has ambitions of her own at play, with the 'perfect' timing of her tales and willingness to testify in court against Erap.
There's also that Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada drama, tears in their eyes and loving sentiments. Koishii in #pinoy_otaku yesterday kept egging on for some sort of yaoi to unfold between them. Heehee, slashing Philippine politicians - aren't we so kooky? >:D
Maybe I ought to major in filmmaking or media so I can make a film or documentary of these events, provided Carlo Caparas or some other hotshot Filipino director/producer/whatever doesn't beat me to it.

 

Thursday, January 18, 2001 / 11:38 p.m.

My Mom's in advertising. She's creative director of an advertising company, so of course she has to be up to date with what's hip, what's not - she occasionally asks me for current music that she may be able to use for a commercial or so. Earlier evening, it was one of those. She asked me to look up Napster or any lyrics archive for songs related to changes.

Napster was a bit more successful - What turned up was 'Changes' by Tupac, and 'Changes' by David Bowie. She's now requesting for me to buy both albums, and seems to be leaning more to Tupac...oooh...

She also asked me to download Emniem (sorry if I got the spelling wrong)'s 'Stan'. She heard a lot about the song, the story behind it...and well, she had to hear from her song. So I downloaded, she listened, and cringed at the sound effects of screaming and the car crashing - but in the end, she said..."Wow. Galing [Great]! Did you know that was a true story?"

I love my Mom no da. :D

"Most parents wouldn't even let their kids near this music, you know..."
"Oh? Oh yes, I'm a parent. Mia! Turn that thing off!"
"Mo-om..."

 

Thursday, January 18, 2001 / 02:55 p.m.

Gambatte ne, Tin-san, and to whoever else rallying at Edsa - whatever be the outcome, Gambatte. :)

 

Thursday, January 18, 2001 / 11:41 a.m.

Pico Iyer wrote about the Philippines during the 1980s. He was in Manila long enough to hear about the snap elections and the move to impeach Marcos.
When he first wrote the excerpt below - I had taken it into mere consideration, unnecessarily the truth. Only now, reading reports from inquirer.net, that I can fully comprehend his text. It saddens me, as much as it had saddened him.

From 'Video Night in Kathmandu' by Pico Iyer:
At the rally, as so often in Manila, it was the happiness of the Filipinos that left me saddest.
Carefree and irepressible to the end, they reminded me of one of those beautiful tennis players - Yannick Noah, say, or Vijay Armitraj - who delight their audiences with the sweet fluency of their shots, and light up the court with their grace and daring, and dazzle even themselves with their own lovely insouciance.
...'We Are the World', was especially popular, I suspected, because it was the ultimate anthem of pop idealism. It suggested that bright tunes could redeem politics; that high spirits and good intentions alone could bring food to the starving; that where there was music, there could be no misery.
...And I could not help thinking that even as the unguarded, sweet-tempered, friendly Filipinos kept on singing that they were the world, and they were the children, their own world was falling apart and they were too much the world, too much the children to resist.

This was written around the tail end of the Marcos regime. Now, as the Philippines is in full-swing with the Erap impeachment...I'm just here, reading Iyer again and thinking 'Same old, same old'.

 

Thursday, January 18, 2001 / 09:47 a.m.

Yosh, new layout! I rather like how this one turned out, and it has some personal sentimental value to me.
Looks a lot like Megumi-san's blog though, ne? ^^ Ah well, Megumiii~! My inspiration! ;D

Almost everyone's in arms over Estrada, there are rallies breaking out all over Manila and a whole lot of people are rightfully pissed. I still say it's democracy's fallacy at play, as it was a public, democratic vote that got Estrada in his seat in the first place (thus it is, you have to admit - those who voted for Erap that got the Philippines into this mess)- but I can't fault the public for being pissed, what, with all the abuse Estrada has done, who wouldn't?
I can already hear what the Filipino community here will be buzzing about for the next few days or so.

I dislike pirated anime VCDs. My copies of Trigun and City Hunter screwed up. Trigun, thankfully, is the series so I'm not missing anything in the 2nd disk. City Hunter, on the other hand, is a SPECIAL. And I'm missing the freakin last 15 minutes! Argh!

Thanks to those who linked to my blog, by the way. ^^ Mizu, Rei, Eddy...I must get used to hyperlinking people's names. Unlike my earlier entries...ehehehe....

I'm hungry. I haven't had breakfast yet. Must go eat.

 

Reads
Freetalk
Sunday Morning Call
Wahmeeh
The Daily Error
DocMegumi's Diary
Freudian Slip(s)
Otaku Tale
Rei-chan's Rants
Speaking Up!
Erap's Secret Diary
Evil Hotaru
Manifest Destiny
Morte et Debo

Haunts
Anime Web Turnpike
J-seek
AnimeLyrics.com
Icebox
Napster
Egroups
Ircle
Google

Random Lists:
I like...
- Shoujo manga
- Trigun and City Hunter
- Seraphim Call
- NJ's company

I dislike...
- Pirated VCDs
- Cleaning Up
- My dogs not getting along

Get
A pita - its fun and yummy. :D

I'll never forget
Even if we're far I won't give up
I'll live on from today
You gave me kindness and courage
July when the love sprouted
The first kiss
Our little signs
the night we made up
I loved them all
Someday, we'll meet again
Neverending, today's my graduation