Month of Travel

I actually have quite a bit to say.

But I’m also too lazy to write it out.

And since I’m perpetually lazy, I’ll probably write a whole lot less.

But that doesn’t mean I have little to say.

Because I do, actually.

But that’ll have to wait, until I can get my fingers working.

Or you could always ask me, then I’ll have a reason to write.

As for now, I’ll soon be breaking the 2,000th kilometre mark.

On land. In a month.

Where did that come from

I’ve been doing reasonably fine recently, and to be honest I was beginning to enjoy how things were moving along. It even peaked at one point I daresay - something that I have not felt in a long, long time.

But out of nowhere, when I least expected it, I got a kick in the balls.

It makes me think that I’m in a big, bad joke and someone’s in the shadows waiting to pop up and shout GOTCHA. If I catch him, I swear I’ll kill him.

You don’t joke with these kind of things.

Feel 100%

Feel 100% is a romance comic from Hong Kong, and I finally had the chance to finish reading it.

The significance? The author took FIFTEEN years to complete 16 books. The last volume was out in June 2007, and I suppose it took a while to get to our shores, translated, censored and whatnot. A highly popular manhua in Hong Kong, it has been adapted into 4 movies and 1 TV series, way before the comic was actually completed.

Having just finished it, I was reminded why I zealously followed the series for a whole fifteen years. Because it’s that good.

Unlike other comics I’ve read, this series is relatively short. That said, it is also one of the most memorable one. The premise is simple - two best friends going after the same girl.

What sets it apart from other comics is that it everything is portrayed in a realistic manner, one that anyone could easily relate to. It’s not just the art - the characters, the settings, the events and most importantly - the emotions, are all believable. No fantasies. No live-happily-ever-afters. Just live. A very probable one.

So attached I was to the series and characters that I didn’t had a problem remembering what happened in the previous volume while I was reading the last one. The thing is, I read the second last volume years ago. I still remember how I was cursing the author as he made it a major cliffhanger. Having to wait years to find out the ending of a story that you’ve been following for a requires a lot of patience. A lot.

I read the last volume again. And again. And again. The ending was expected and unexpected at the same time. I expected something like that to happen, just not that way. I wouldn’t say it’s the best possible ending, but it’s an ending alright. Loose ends were tied up and fans (read: me) were satisfied (at least I was).

I still can’t get over it.

It had ended. But now I wish it hadn’t. But if it hadn’t, I’d wish it would. Gah I’m confused.

Under normal circumstances, I would insist that you go to your local book store and get the books but unless you’ve been following the series for at least a decade, I’d say tough luck. You might have just missed out on one of the best romance comics around.

Now excuse me while I go read Feel 100% again. From the beginning.

Popcorn Baby

I went to see Kungfu Panda a few days back, but I came back remembering a baby more than the movie.

She was seated right beside me, sharing her dad’s seat. No more than a year old at best, she sat on her dad’s lap like a bucket seat. Odd it may seem, but she seemed perfectly content, barely making any noise while staring happily at the screen throughout the movie.

Strangely enough, her attention wasn’t entirely captured by the movie, which I thought was pretty strange since if a bunch of kungfu animals don’t, what would? Anyway, she was looking around the cinema when she turned to me. I saw her staring at me and so I gave her a big grin. She returned the favour with  a heart-melting tiny smile.

What happened next was worth the entire movie ticket. She put up her tiny hands as though saying "wait ah" and turned to her other side. She reached for a popcorn and handed it to me. I’m not sure what prompted her to do that, either I have a really poor man’s face or she’s an awesomely generous little girl, she actually gave me a popcorn. If your heart isn’t buttered by something like that, I’m not sure what will.

She didn’t just stop after that. She checked back once in a while, seeing that I no longer have the popcorn in my hand (I really did eat it, after thinking quite a bit what to do with it), she handed me more. Her dad saw her doing that, and he started restraining her. But she didn’t stop. I didn’t had the heart to stop her myself.

Again, she checked back once in a while, making sure I had a constant supply of popcorn. It was really strange, considering the fact that an animated movie with a big fat panda was on screen, and a little baby was more concerned about handing me popcorn rather than watching the movie. Heck, I’m pretty sure I was more engrossed in the movie than her!

After a while, her popcorn eventually ran out. She turned to me and said "no more" and had a dejected look.

If I could, I would’ve bought her another box.

That night, Kungfu Panda was only a sideshow.

Minimum Size, Maximum Cuteness

This post is long overdue but oh well, better never than late late than never. I have two new family members. Taa daaaaaa.

Their names are Mini and Maxi. Pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think? Maxi has more Persian blood in him/her, so he/she acts all high and mighty most of the time. Not a very sociable kitty, very fluffy though. Doesn’t like being carried by people - something which seems to be an apparent trait among purebreds since the Siamese at home acts the same way. I suppose he/she would grow up and be real pretty some day. And possibly clog my vacuum cleaner.

Mini on the other hand is quite a generic kitty with no distinct features. Not physically at least. A hyper, hyperactive kitty. Never tired of running around doing dirty (literally) things like crawling in the drain and sleeping on mud. This little fellow is more tolerant to being carried around, but like an ADHD kid he/she never stays still long enough. Requires cleaning the most as he/she thinks playing with mud is fun. Was tempted to dunk him/her into the pail when I had to clean his/her feet.

Honestly, I’m not too sure of their genders. With kittens, it’s not quite as easy as flipping them over and checking… stuff out. Then again, it doesn’t really matter. Regardless of their gender, they’re really a handful. There was once when my whole family had to chase after the little fellows because they didn’t want to go back their cage. Yes, we do cage them but only at night. My grandpa is very concerned of their well-being so it’s better to keep them in check when no one’s watching. We let them out during the day so they do get plenty of time to play.

Plenty to say, little time. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s three thousand words!

Gotta run.