Wanderland 2013: You Can Never Have Too Much Music

May 18. Circuit Makati.



Wanderland 2013

Being the first of its kind, Wanderland promised to be the "ultimate sonic playground for summer". An annual music and arts festival that debuted last Saturday, Wanderland featured several indie pop/rock bands, both local and foreign, plus known acts such as Up Dharma Down, Neon Trees, Nada Surf and The Temper Trap.

First Impression

The line-up reeks awesomeness but I'll be honest, I thought the price was a bit too expensive. But after a few days of thinking about it, for the number of great bands playing, it's all worth it. There's Up Dharma Down, Taken By Cars, Yolanda Moon and The Temper Trap!

The Venue

Wanderland 2013 was held at Circuit Makati, formerly the Sta. Ana racetrack. The place itself is not done yet. It seems that it's still on its early stage of construction. But the event grounds itself looked awesome. The half-dome stage is painted white and looks pleasing to the eye. The ground was covered with grass. It looked like a locally held Woodstock. Or something like that.



















The Lows

Wanderland 2013 is Wanderland's debut. It's bound to have some flaws and upsets.

The gates were supposed to be open at 11AM. We went there at around 10AM to be able to get the tickets and hoped to grab at least a decent view of the bands. We were allowed to get in at around 12.30PM, if I'm not mistaken. A lot of people did not bring food and water and so many ended up hungry and thirsty.

The bands did not start playing until around 2.30PM. It was all cool at first because we were able to walk around, check the stores, grab some food, drinks and merch. However, Taken By Cars only played three songs. Were they under time pressure because the event started late? Are they really set to play just three songs? Who knows. They're one of the bands that we came for and it's disappointing for them to be cut so short. Same goes for Pulso.



The Highs

One of the best things that I like about the production is the placement of the stalls. Portalets were scattered around the grounds to be able to cover large areas. Stalls were aplenty and were placed such that each side would be able to cater food, drinks, beer, merch etc. Too bad we were not able to check the artsy stuff.

Security was a bit laxed but understandable. The Bouncers seem to enjoy the event as well. I saw one of them head banging to Up Dharma Down LOL!



The Crowd

Hands down one of the best crowds I have seen. It's good to see them cheer for the band and join the others even if they do not know the song. Almost everyone in the VIP section were dancing, jumping, clapping and singing. It was a wild, wild crowd!

Final Thoughts

Aside from a few hiccups, it was a blast to be a part of the first Wanderland. There were so much emotions that it's impossible not to be overwhelmed. It promised to be the "ultimate sonic playground" and it delivered. It delivered in a spectacular fashion. Fuck the heat. Fuck aching arms and legs. Fuck trembling knees. It was all worth it. Wanderland 2013 was a wonderful event that celebrated music, art, love and friendship. It gathered people across the city in a single sphere and united them with probably the strongest force in the universe, music.

Wanderland 2014

Hoping to see Phoenix, Of Monsters and Men and The Hush Sound next year!

Fear not Hell. For if it exists, you shall find yourself in good company.

Got the image from the Facebook Group, We Fucking Love Atheism. Uploaded it here for safekeeping :)

No Ordinary Summer... Last Night

There was a lingering thought in my mind since last night: I wish I had known more Queso songs.

I wish I had known more Queso songs then I would have been able to sing along when Ian points his mic towards the crowd. I wish I had known Insekta then I would have been able to chant "Mokhamiyasaymokameh!".

Last night was one of the best concerts I've been to.

No Ordinary Summer: A Cross Fade Initiative featuring Urbandub, Queso and Franco was held on April 13, 2013 at B-Side, The Collective.

Me and my girlfriend were stoked when we learned that Franco will be having a performance on that date, April 13. She was informed about it by a colleague and I saw it from philippineconcerts.com. It was a perfect day for us as I had taken a leave off of work to go to Komikon which was held at an earlier time.

We came at around 9pm. We were a bit worried that tickets will be sold out but was relieved to see that they're still selling. When we came in, I was surprised to see that there were fewer people than I expected. B-Side was not even crowded. Not sure, maybe they took a break or maybe just ninjas lurking in the dark. Anyway, Salamin was playing, making it obvious that Dhruva Tara was the first band to perform. After a few more songs from Salamin, I decided to claim our free beer. All of sudden, the crowd went wild. It became apparent why the crowd suddenly got fired up; Franco will be playing next.The crowd now starts to get thicker and thicker as the rest of Franco tests their gear. The ninjas are now coming out of the shadows.

I forgot the first song, I think it was Renewal off of their latest album, Soul Adventurer. A few more songs from Soul Adventurer followed such as Muse, A Beautiful Diversion, Better Days, Moonset and To Survive. Few are singing along but majority of the crowd is just banging their heads slightly. It's apparent that they're not that familiar with the new album. The people then got pumped up when Franco started to play a bit of the familiar tunes from their first album such as Next Train Out and Song for the Suspect. More and more people are now raising their hands in tune to the songs. 

Franco's performance was superb. His voice is great as usual. It's solid and sustained. Also, I was impressed by the drum tracks. I felt it was more powerful compared to the album. Or maybe everything just gets better when performed live. It was a treat for us to finally see Franco play again. It was great. It was an awesome night.

It's still hot and we were sweating like some Tae Bo instructor. But... doesn't matter, had Franco. I grabbed some more beer as we wait for the next band to play.

I said it was an awesome night. But then it got better when the next set came.

Flashed on the wall from a projector was "Next Band is Queso". My girlfriend was a bit apprehensive because, well, it's Queso. Who knows, some fans might get carried away and start a pit or some crazy shit that hardcore fans do. But I assured her that it will not happen. I noticed that there were a lot of couples, like us, gathered on the left side of the open ground and it seems that the "more hardcore fans" were gathered on the other side. There were even some people that wanted to go to the back of the area to avoid a possible "islaman".

It's been a while since I listened to Queso. The last song that I listened to is Mottaka, when they're still known as Cheese. Then some other bands came and went into my life and they were thrown into the dark corners of my brain, forgotten. But not for long.

They played songs that I'm not familiar with. Still, I banged my head, bent my knees and raised my fist. I'm enjoying it. Ian's stage presence is something that I began to love, in a manly way of course. I really don't know how to explain it exactly but seeing him sing, dance and do some weird and crazy things is very contagious. His antics, facial expressions and mannerisms will make you appreciate the man and the music. That was one of the best performances I have seen.

And here's one of the things that I will never forget about that night: Ian's infamous flip!

Note: I do not own this. This amazing photo was taken from Roxanne Nebres Photography.

Why I Stopped Foruming

Online forums can be a great place provided the members are as awesome as you would think you are (and should be fairly moderated IMO). You can find friends and learn lots of things. You can share ideas and discuss topics about anything, from the most mundane of things to the craziest ones, from online games to zombie apocalypse survival. But just like life, it has its bad parts, maybe even harsher.

Backtrack to around 2005, I found a great online forum. Moderators are respected. Members interact with each other as if they're brothers. The number of members online at any given time is big. Debates and healthy discussions are aplenty. In short, it's a lively community. I even made some friends. Of course, there would be those occasional trolls but none that would destroy the harmony of the forum. But to job and access issues, I lost access to that forum (which is now offline, may it rest in peace).

Forward to 2011, with my new job allowing me to access the internet, I was able to frequent the internet world. I learned new memes, watched new YouTube videos and got hooked to competitive Dota 2 tournaments. I decided to, maybe, start checking some forums again. Playdota was out of the question. I no longer follow the DotA 1 scene and as far as I know, the dota-allstars.com trolls and nazis live there. I decided to check out joinDota.com. It's forum seems to be a bit small, with threads mainly dedicated to Dota 2. I tried to reply to some of the interesting threads but holy shit, the level of trolling is ridiculous. Several unnecessary threads are being opened everyday. The level of rage and hate against players and against each other is painful to see. Plus, the moderators are not getting the love they deserve. Little by little my interest in interacting with other netizens are diminishing and I find it troublesome to reply already.

I tried interacting with the YouTube community but damn, it's much much worse. Everyone there seems to have god complex. And what's funny is that most of them already fucked either your sister, your girlfriend or your mother. Even a simple comment will be responded with "Fuck you! I hope you have cancer and die!" Seriously.

I thought that during the days when I was at the peak of my internet life, everything was way better compared to the level of trolling these days. It's possible that somewhere in the other corners of the internet world, it's already like this. But it's hard for me to accept what has become of the internet today. Everyone seems to be hating and raging. Everyone acts like a teenager with some behavioral issues. Not to mention Facebook is becoming a breeding ground for idiots and attention whores, but that's a different story.

I've mostly given up on forums. I still check the joinDota website for updates about the team's matches and scores but I rarely look at the forums. Sometimes I would see an interesting thread and I try to reply with a few inputs but that's just it. I would still see its usual dose of trolls, hate, rage, flames etc., but I don't respond anymore. I guess I'm tired of all this foruming bullshit. Or maybe I'm just more matured now.

I still visit Facebook and play Candy Crush, the manliest game ever. I also read a few twitter feeds, some occasional tumblr and instagram. The place that I enjoy the most these days is 9gag. Yeah, yeah, it's 9fag and the funny posts are diminishing but still, one does not simply visit it without scrolling down a bit further. No matter how fail a post is, you will still scroll down hoping to see a gem. And a few more. And a bit further.

Nyan!

I am Satan, bitches! I will eat your soul tonight!

One of my Facebook friends posted this video and described it as "kinda scary". The title is a bit interesting "Beyonce, The Super Bowl, Sasha & Satan". With the "kinda scary" in mind, I immediately thought that it's one of those videos talking about celebrities worshiping Satan. It's not the first time it happened. Lady Gaga was once a trending topic in twitter-verse. So I decided to watch it and... I was not wrong.

At first, I thought it was a satire. I mean the narrator does not really sound like he's serious about it and is obvious that he's reading it from a script. But I looked at the description and the name of the uploader and I was like "okay, that explains a lot". And because this video is in YouTube, one does not simply watch a YouTube video without checking the comments section. It's freakin' hilarious. It's like they are all rejoicing that this "revelation" was made but at the same time it seems that their "victory" is so volatile that one small blasphemy would trigger them to panic. If you look at the comments, the ratio of rational people to blind bible freaks is probably 10:1. One critical comment would be bombarded by several other comments about Jesus, god and some verses from the Bible. If you're not in the mood for some lulz, then you will surely facepalm.

Now, let's see these so-called symbols that made Beyonce a "satanist". These symbols are originally not intended to be symbols of evil but as we all know, the Church smeared them in order to gain more followers and to "defeat" those who dare stand against them.

First, the Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus or Udjat or Wedjat is oftentimes attributed to the All-Seeing Eye. The All-Seeing Eye is supposedly the eye of Lucifer and the symbol of the Illuminati. But, the Eye of Horus is an Egyptian symbol for power, health and protection. The All-Seeing Eye or the Eye of Providence on the other hand means that "god watches over mankind". So now they are saying that the ancient Egyptians are also worshipers of Satan. LMFAO!

Second, the Inverted Pentagram. The Inverted Pentagram is supposedly the symbol of Satan, with the two points representing the horns. It is also regarded as the symbol of Baphomet, a figure of Satanism. However, Baphomet is intended to be the symbol of divine perfection, a union of all the things that exists in the cosmos. And the Inverted Pentagram is a symbol of male and female, with the point on the bottom symbolizing the male penis and the two points up symbolizing the female vulva. The female symbol is at the top giving respect to women with their roles of being a mother.

Third, the Hindu Goddess, Kali and the Hindu Supreme God, Shiva. Supposedly, they represent death (Kali) and destruction (Shiva). Modern retelling of their story seemed to have confused them with the other gods, Agni and Rudra, giving them their ferocious and fierce persona. But they symbolize Mother Earth (Kali) and the Universe (Shiva). Oftentimes, they are depicted with Kali stepping on Shiva's body. It is said that it means nature is above everything for if there's no nature, the universe will not exist.

And lastly, the Gemini. The video obviously gave it their own meaning, with the Gemini supposedly symbolizing "full-blown demonic possession". Gemini is Latin for "twins". And as we all know, they are widely used in astrology, being the third sign. Not much can be said about the Gemini really, except they are for "full-blown demonic possession". LMFAO!

There are more hilarious content in the video such as Beyonce' costume, all these edited quotations from her and Jay-Z, Beyonce being possessed on stage by her alter ego Sasha Fierce and Beyonce "looking like a man". I'm sure the last one will make the internet community laugh. Beyonce's Super Bowl pics went viral in Facebook, Twitter and humor sites such as 9gag.

Regarding the video itself, I'm not really a fan of Beyonce. I know she can sing really well and she can dance really well but that's just it for me. The problem is these kind of people that made this video is not really doing public service. They are scaring people by spreading fallacious information like this. I mean, let's say that Beyonce is really a Satanist. Is Satan real in the first place? And they didn't even made any effort to contact Beyonce and clarify these things. What can she say about this? Is it true that she worships Satan? Really? Seriously?

The only real problem I have about her (Beyonce) and most of the mainstream female performers is their skimpy outfit and it's effect to teenagers and kids. Not that I'm complaining because I don't like them. Hey, I can have a few minutes of my life get spent just to see Katy Perry's boobs. Well, I guess it's a marketing strategy or showmanship. Buuuuuut.... it's an entirely different topic.

So yeah, we have other problems in the world yet we find the time to criticize Beyonce's "Baphomet-inspired outfit". We, as humans, always ask what is the purpose of life yet we waste our time worrying about trivial things such as this. Maybe there's no purpose. Maybe we just need to enjoy it, who knows. I enjoy my life. I am happy with my life. Are you?

I am Satan, bitches! I will eat your soul tonight!

Reminiscing The International 2

Arguably the biggest Dota tournament to date, The International 2 was one of the most anticipated tournaments of 2012. With a huge prize pool, it's expected to see the world's top teams bring out their A-game to get the grand prize of $1M. And it did not disappoint. The whole tournament was filled with tension, drama and excitement.

I have started following the EU competitive Dota 2 scene right after The International 1 concluded, having watched Na'Vi versus EHOME. I have loved Na'Vi ever since.

Na'Vi didn't have a good early run. Seeing them get crushed through the group stages made me feel a bit sad. They are the defending champions and it would be shameful if they didn't reach at least top 4. Of course, no one can deny that the top Chinese juggernauts like iG and LGD will dominate but I didn't expect to see Na'Vi to play bad during these early parts of the tournament.

Then lo and behold, coming out of a 2-6 slump, they managed to make it to the upper bracket with a record of 8-6. And the excitement didn't end there.

During the eliminations, they were to face DK in the winner's bracket. DK is a strong team as well and I had bad feelings about the match-up. I was not watching it live because I'm at work so I just check joinDota from time to time to verify what the results are. Na'Vi defeated DK 2-1. It was a good day.

Their next opponent is Invictus Gaming. One of the top 2 teams in China, the other one being LGD. The streams are live and I was checking the comments of the viewers. Game 1, 16-min GG from Na'Vi. It looked bad, really bad. A few hours had passed and I checked the game results. I thought that even if Na'Vi lose, they can still make it up to the grand finals via loser's bracket. Albeit a harder path but there's still hope. The results were out, Na'Vi defeated iG 2-1. They made a comeback and won the last 2 games. I literally slammed the table in celebration. I took my lunch with a big smile on my face.

So it is time for the winner's bracket grand finals. Standing in their way is LGD with 0 losses. They have not dropped a single game. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that it seems impossible for Na'Vi to defeat them and I was trying to cheer myself up by thinking that they still have the loser's bracket. Again I was checking the comments and LGD won the first game. I was sad. Again, after a few hours, I checked the results. Na'Vi defeated LGD 2-1. They did it again, winning the last 2 games. They fucking did it again, I said to myself. They're going to the Grand Finals! It was a glorious day.

Grand Finals came. iG managed to beat LGD and grabbed the final slot. I was hoping that Na'Vi wins again but at the back of my mind, I said they've done enough. I was pretty sure iG will not let Na'Vi defeat them again. iG won the $1M and defeated Na'Vi 3-1.

I was happy that Na'Vi managed to defeat the Chinese teams. They were the last hope for the western teams and seeing them bring the challenge to the Chinese teams is already a big achievement. And I thought that getting to the grand finals is one hell of an achievement already. It was enough and it's time to take a rest.

After the tournament was done, I still go back and watch the matches. Haters will hate and fans will rejoice, but they can't deny that Na'Vi brought the drama and excitement that made TI2 the best tournament of 2012. They were the last hope for the EU scene and they had to carry that scene on their backs. It's not just the outcomes that made it memorable, it was the plays as well. The teams are so determined to win and become world champion that they had to push their limits. LGD against Na'Vi Game 2 is so fun to watch because of lots of epic plays, especially LightofHeaveN's Enigma. And who would forget Na'Vi's counter to iG's Song of the Siren + Vacuum + Ravage combo.

I have followed Na'Vi's path from the group stages to the grand finals and it's like watching your favorite superhero get beaten up only to become stronger. Na'Vi definitely shown that when they're on top form, they can take on the Chinese giants.

Up until now, when I don't see any match that interests me, I either watch the International 2 Documentary or re-watch the other TI2 matches that I missed. And when I watch Na'Vi's matches, I still get excited. The commentators, the plays, the crowd, everything is just epic and overwhelming. Even though I was not part of it, I felt a certain type of connection with them. And like what they said, I am with them in spirit. LOL!

And at the same time, I felt this huge and overwhelming happiness inside me. I feel that eSports can be as big as this. Yeah, it's not like The Olympics but it can be as an awesome event that a fan could ask for.

There are a lot of good tournaments for Dota 2 but The International 2 will always have a special place in my heart.

Emma Watson is Windrunner

If ever there would be a Dota movie, then we know who will play as Windrunner.

A New Dawn for Natus Vincere

It has been announced. Finally.

I kind of feel sad because Ars-Art is such a great support. His Lesrach stuns, Jakiro Ice Paths and overall support skill has been excellent. He's, as others put it, Na'Vi's unsung hero.

But there seems to be some kind of conflict between him and Puppey and him leaving is probably good for the team.

A part of me though, is happy to see Funn1k joining them. I am a big fan of Empire, especially Funn1k. With his exceptional Batrider and Clinkz play and seeing him join the ranks of Na'Vi makes me more excited to see how Na'Vi will do this time. I hope they can redeem their recent slump and get back in shape to defend their Starladder crown.

I do hope that they retain Lost. There seems to be more roster change since ZeroGravity said that this would be their "first" announcement. Rumor has it that Kuroky will be replacing him.

I hope it's wrong.

Na'Vi back in TI2.

UPDATE:

Well, it has been finalized. Kuroky will be joining Na'Vi as Lost goes Inactive for 2 months.

New Na'VI lineup:

 Clement "Puppey" Ivanov (c)
 Alexander "ХВОСТ" Dashkevich
 Gleb "Funn1k" Lipatnikov
 Daniil "Dendi" Ishutin
 Kuro Salehi "KuroKy" Takhasomi

Square-Enix's Guardian Cross

I'm not really a fan of mobile/handheld games. I like a few iPhone/iPad games like Jetpack Joyride, Temple Run and Paper Toss and I play them just to be able to kill some time.

Until a few days ago, I decided to check if there are some games made by Square-Enix. I was quite surprised to see that indeed there are and they look pretty cool. I saw Guardian Cross and the description got me.

I'm a sucker for good artwork and a big fan of SE's artworks, particularly from Final Fantasy so I decided to download it. Plus, it's FREE! :D

I thought it was just some application that lets you view artworks of all the Final Fantasy summons, eidolons, aeons, guardian force or whatever you like to call them. But turns out, it's a full online game.

From the Square-Enix site:
"Guardian Cross is a creature-based card game that features a fully unique battle system in which players take on the role of “tamers” who capture, raise, and control powerful beasts known as “Guardians.”In addition to quests to unlock the secret of why the Guardians have woken after a millennium of slumber, other features include a coliseum system that allows players to challenge other tamers from around the world in head-to-head combat."

I tried it and immediately got hooked. As always, SE made a game that looks excellent. The game reminds me of Magic: The Gathering. I was glad that a game like this exists on the iPhone. I did some googling and found out that there's even a fan forum about it. I've been playing it for just 2 days but I already love it.

I was just casually playing it at first, just enjoying the pretty artworks, shooting some guardians, got some rare 3* cards that made me more excited and got some rare 4* cards from friends.

Then I tried out the colosseum and had 5 winning streak when all of a sudden my Level 10 Fast Angel was eaten alive by a Level 55 Jormungandr. That made me more excited. I immediately thought that people are playing this seriously and that there's some serious metagaming going on. That's what prompted me to search for guides and tips and found out about the forum.

For now, I'm keen on getting a Valkyrie and will level it up. I will continue leveling up my player and will see if I can fare well on the colosseum next time I enter it. Need to stack up some GP and Silver Slimes.

She Took An Arrow in the Knee (Life is Such a Great Troll)

It was a great birthday. My girlfriend agreed to come home with me to the province over the weekends. My brothers will be coming home as well. My mother will cook pasta and barbecue. She rented karaoke so we can sing our lungs out while drinking beer and getting wasted. My cousin will be there too, to sing and drink with us. We also planned to fly some skylanterns come nighttime. I received a present from my brothers. I see a good weekend on the horizon.

But then, Life got bored and decided to troll me. First, my cousin got attacked by asthma (or maybe from too much singing). He can't breath properly, thus can't drink and sing anymore. He decided to go home and just rest shortly after we started the "party". We wanted to fly some skylanterns but the wind was blowing hard. It is dangerous because it might get caught in a tree or get blown towards some of the neighbors' house and start a fire. So we dropped the idea. My brother is suppose to take a medical exam the next day. We learned that he can't drink because he might fail the test. With a few more bottles, we decided to just call it a night.

The next day when we were about to go back to Manila, my girlfriend tripped over a small fence at the door. It's a small fence that acts as a barrier so that our dogs won't go inside the house.

She got injured and had to get 3 stitches just to close the wound. So of course, she's having a hard time going up and down the stairs and all of the usual stuff that requires leg movement. She can't bend her knees fully because the wound gets stretched and it's painful for her. Even riding a cab is a chore.

I feel sad to see her having a hard time moving around. If only I can just take it away, of course, I will. But I can see her enduring it and fighting it. And I thought that it's better that way, let her handle it and let it make her stronger. That's one of the things that I like about her, she's strong.

But despite all these things that happened, I am still happy. I am an optimist. I know what happened was bad but it could've been worse. Worse than opening a fridge with an angry gorilla inside. That was random.

Best Birthday Ever!

Refer to title :)

Coz I Don't Wanna Lie in a Poorman's Grave

This song has been in my mind for a few days now only to realize that I would be dedicating it to a man who died because of hunger. Yes, starvation.

His name is Juanito. I forgot his last name. I have known him since I was a kid. He's an all-around worker. He used to tend to my grandparents' rice farm. He would remove the weeds, fix the field dike and take care of the irrigation. He can also climb coconut trees, remove dead leaves and get young coconut fruits. You can also have him cut the grasses in your backyard and paint your fences, he would gladly do them all. He also, occasionally, takes care of my parent's farm.

He's illiterate. As far as I know, he can't read or write. He doesn't even know which one is his right hand and which one is his left. This is the reason why he can't get a decent, stable job and would constantly rely on "on-call" field jobs.

There's one thing that I would never forget about that guy. It would always make my mother laugh whenever we remember it. We used to have a small fish tank with a handful of fishes, some decorations and an oxygen pump. One time, while eating lunch and watching the TV, he said, "Buhay na buhay yung mga isda. Ganyan talaga gusto nila e, yung kumukulu-kulo pa." (The fishes are so lively. That's what they really like, when the water's boiling.) It's funny but at the same time, shows his innocence about how the world works.

He died a few days ago, the date I'm not sure of. My mother said that he died because he has barely eaten anything the past few weeks before his death. She noticed that he was very thin, easily gets tired and walks like a zombie. She asked him if he's sick and had seen the doctor. Well, the answer should be obvious. He hasn't because he doesn't have any money. She then learned further that his wife is not giving him any money for food. And he's not being taken care of by his children.

You see, he's madly in love with his wife. He gives her all of the money that he gets. But her wife, it seems, just spends them on paying her loans and buying lipsticks and make-ups.

Neighbors said that he was seen asking some folks for a few pesos just to be able to eat rice porridge. He even asked my mother to climb the coconut trees again in exchange for a few pesos. But my mother declined because she saw that he's not capable of doing it anymore. Had she known that it would be his last days, she said she would gladly give him some money, for food and medical attention.

You can tell he's trying to survive. You can tell he wants to live. He would not be dragging his limping body, asking people for money if he already gave up on life. His mind was tough. But his body gave up on him.

I would normally not be bothered by this. People die around us and we can go about in our own lives and give zero fucks. They can die of accidents, natural causes, old age and hunger but we barely give them attention if they're not dear to us. But this man, I have known him since I was a kid. We do not have any special manly relationship, you know. The guy, probably, barely remembers my name. He might even call me using my brother's name. I do not exactly know why I am bothered by this. Probably because we have some sort of connection, no matter how small it is. Or probably because I have never imagined someone close to me, dying of hunger. And by close, I mean someone from our place. Not from another city. Not from another country. Someone I have known for so long. No form of special relationship or whatever. Just someone I have known for a long time.

Or probably because his wife and children did not take care of him. He was not given enough love. He was not given food. He was not given medicines. He was just there, spending his few days, wandering around looking for money. Or probably lying in his bed, dreaming of better days. Or probably thinking of only one thing, "I don't wanna lie in a poorman's grave."

To live...

DISCLAIMER: This is not mine. This was written by The-FallenAngel of DotaPortal.com. I'm posting it because of its awesomeness and the intention of having more people read it.

To live...

by The-FallenAngel

___

"Ughh... Where am I? What is this place?" the girl though pitifully through her nausea. The last thing she remembered was being out on the town with her boyfriend having a good time like all young couples do now days, if you know what I mean. She then began to recall seeing a flash of light and a splash of red before everything faded into darkness. “Eh, getz outa za way whore!” With her head spinning she was in no mood for such attitude but even less so for a fight as she quickly moved to the side of what appeared to be a side walk. As she was recuperating she observed her new surroundings and was rather shocked by what it had to offer. Spanning as far as the eye could see there were buildings lined up in various shapes and sizes with just as many different people, designs, and languages.

“Weird…” she commented, after all she was only use to traditional 21st century architecture from the city. Having only been raised within the city with in a devout Catholic orphanage but never having been adopted she had lead a very sheltered life. That was until she could not take it any more and ran away from there with her first boyfriend and lost themselves in the city. She could never take their oppressive rules nor could she ever conform to their proclaimed wisdom granted by God. “To hell with their stupidity, I won’t be denied my freedom!” and with that she never looked back.

Wait… why was she suddenly reminiscing on such events now of all times? “You must be new here, welcome to paradise. I am…” the person suddenly looked somewhat puzzled and contemplative “… bleh, my name is too annoying, just call me L.” “All that thought just for your name!?” the girl thought exasperated by his audacity and his obvious attempts at hitting on her. But wait… “There is no such thing as paradise in the world, where am I?” The girl questioned with obvious doubt as her nausea had just faded into just a bad memory. “Ah I see you are one of those… Well no matter, let us have a stroll and chat a bit.” Said L happily and obviously ignoring the question presented.
“Who does this fucking weirdo think he is…” thought the girl, “Who wears that gaudy full black attire in the middle of a spring day and a hood and feathered cloak to boot.” Having already taken a couple of steps down the road L then suddenly looked over his shoulder down at the girl and said “By the way everything is just a matter of perception, what is weird and what is not, what is good and what is bad, what is holy and what is not, all that you look upon is based on your perception of that thing.” A chill ran down the girl back as L’s eyes met her own while saying this. His gaze was colder than the void itself. Unable to look away and unable to deny what had been said she merely looked on in shock. “So that’s why I’m no weird! Oh and by the way I never caught your name.” Having lost all seriousness in his tone and having put on such a happily dumb expression it was hard to believe that he could make anyone frightened.

Perplexed by his sudden character changes and still stunned from the earlier one all the girl could do is respond “My name is Stella.” A smirk crept up along L’s face, “What an endearing name you have there. Now shall we have our walk?” and with that they took off. “So… Stella, are you familiar with the Bible?” She knew his look; it was the look of someone whom wanted to bestow their great wisdom upon lesser beings than themselves. “Yes, but I don’t know why you want to talk of fairy tales.” Letting out a chuckle the merry L quickly responded “Well just humor me a bit then.” grinning from ear to ear. “I would much rather you tell me where exactly I am and how I can get home.” not having forgotten that he side stepped her question earlier. “Well humor me and I will answer your questions.” L said slyly looking at her with a wide grin still. “Fine, preach away.” Stella had already resigned to take this like another Sunday school lesson.

“Hehe, thank you. *cough cough* ehem Well once there was an Angel in Heaven, one whom was greater than all other angels. His power was so great that in fact he wished to oppose God and create his own kingdom in Heaven. The great angel of the morning star then lead a rebellion against God and was thus struck down by the almighty one and banished forever to a desolate wasteland for his prison. But not contend to just idly sit by he transformed his prison to a sanctuary for all of the other angels in Heaven that rebelled against the teachings of God and a place for all humans of whom could not follow in the teachings of God and were deemed sinners.”

Coincidentally they had just passed a rather large Church with many people praying as L paused to let this sink in. “God… Everyone knows the tale of Satan… Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to this…” With an all to knowing smile spreading across L’s face as she thought this he resumed his lecture.

“Well that is all what the bible says, who knows if what they said is the truth. There are always two sides to a coin after all one says insurrection the other says liberation. Who’s to say that this Angel merely did not agree with what God had proclaimed to be good and evil and fought believing such a things but was banished and declared evil by the higher power.”

With this the girl was taken aback. This was the very same thoughts that she had when she decided to run away. But quickly she retorted “Well that is to say if any of this was true in the first place. Christianity after all was just a collection of various different religions fused together to make it more acceptable and palatable for people in the ancient days. Even the story of Satan himself was never heard of until far later in their history. The Bible is merely a story created by man and as such has the flaws of man’s stupidity woven into it. What was deemed an act of God in the past has been shown to be nothing more than a collection of various events. As Science progresses there is little use for God in the modern day. I can sin to my heart’s content and I will never be punished by God simply because he does not exist.”

Applause from L soon followed the completion of Stella’s declaration. “Bravo, bravo; that is indeed a way to look at the world that you live in. It is rational and based on what you can quantify and measure. It is precisely how to live. Even the Seven Deadly Sins have no meaning because each has its own two sides of the coin. On the one hand Sloth is laziness and unproductive but on the other hand it is efficiency and innovative. Envy on the one hand is the emotion to desire what someone else has and to fret about what you don’t have; on the other hand it is a motivator for you to work and get what you want. Gluttony is excessive desire for food but in truth what is excessive cannot be judged on a universal scale and can only be taken on an individual basis; what is excessive for one person may not be for another. Pride one side is merely an excessive love for one’s self and on the other side it is holding one’s self to a higher value to be magnanimous to all things. On the one hand Wrath is merely rage, unnecessary destruction against a person or object, an unnecessary hate; while on the other hand it is retribution for an unjust deed that has occurred it is Justice. What is Greed but the desire for things, on the one hand it is a want for more than what you already need when you already have; on the other hand it is the desire to attain more and more, to progress further and further. And then there is Lust, the satisfaction of cranial cravings of the flesh but on the other side what is this but another aspect of Love? You may look upon someone and see him as brave and his enemies look upon him as prideful. You may look upon someone and say they are Wrathful but he will say it is Justice. You may look upon someone as Healthy but others may look upon him as Gluttonous. People may look at you and say you are Lustful but you merely look at your companion and call it Love. Who is anyone to judge you because of what God said is right and what is wrong!”

And with that last sentence what was once believe to be a feather cloak unraveled to reveal a pair of jet black wings. “Now ask me any questions that you desire and I shall answer it.” Shocked at what she had just witnessed Stella could only manage to whisper “Who are you?” With a smile he responded gently “I am the Great Angel of the Morning Star, I am the Fallen Angel of Lore, I am Lucifer.”

Revealing eyes that spoke only of sorrow and gentleness Stella was able to stay calm but only for a moment before she realized what this meant and asked with utter fear, “Ttt thhennn ttthiiiiss pppplacceeee issss…” With a deep sigh Lucifer slowly nodded “Yes indeed, this is the place considered to be the barren wasteland, the prison of the hottest flames and the coldness of the void, the place for all souls that have sinned against God. You have already died and can never return to your world. That is the truth you seek.” With that Stella could only collapse where she stood and weep over the life that she had lost, "why me, why me."

Stella cried until she could cry no more and remained curled up in silence. Then after some time without even looking up she asked with her despair ringing in her voice “So because I have sinned I am evil?” To that Lucifer could only once again nod his head, “Yes, because you have sinned you are evil, because you did not follow God you are evil, because you had decided to live you are evil.”

Stella then looked up with the silver streaks of tears still apparent on her face but with an expression of contorted rage “THEN WHY DID YOU CALL THIS PLACE A PARADISE?” To that Lucifer could only sigh and ask “Were you not listening? Everything is what you make of it, it is of your own perception what you make of it, nothing more nothing less. I rebelled against the laws set down by God because there was nothing in that stale world that some call paradise, no ambition, no desires, no love. Heaven is a place devoid of all such things you could deem as evil, it is a perfect world for all those whom reside in it and yet it is devoid of what you would call love. So I ask you, is that still a place you wish to spend eternity within? Is that still your paradise?”

Drying her eyes upon the cloth presented to her by the now kneeling Lucifer she responded. “No I would not wish to live in a place like that, a place that can be called perfect can also be called stagnant, nothing changes, absolutely nothing, because it requires absolutely no change. I wish for a world that is full of excitement, surprises, sadness happiness, hate, love, I wish for a world where I can feel alive and live.”

Lucifer could only smile his all knowing smile “You really are just as your name suggests, you burn brightly and beautifully within the nights sky. To live is to be evil hence you are a devil because you have lived. I welcome you to Hell.”

Life is a Curse...and a Blessing. Thoughts about Children Who Chase Lost Voices *spoilers included*

The first time I was introduced to Makoto Shinkai's works was way back 2007, I think. I regularly visit an internet forum, especially the anime and manga section. I was still very active in reading manga and watching anime at that time. One thread was about 5 Centimeters Per Second. I got curious because the thread starter said "I cried manly tears". I had to see it.

And after a few years, I finally was able to watch his latest creation: Children Who Chase Lost Voices.

One thing to note about Shinkai's works is the luscious background/art. It is beautifully done. Very detailed. Very captivating. I had to pause on some of the scenes just to let it all in.

It is the same here on Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Although not as beautiful compared to 5 Centimeters Per Second, it is still very well crafted. However, because the film contains adventure and a bit of action, the scenes sometimes move too fast that you don't have time to appreciate the art. Good thing we still have the pause button :P

The world of Agartha was beautifully presented as well. From the Guardians to the Villagers, everything is well crafted. I am always fond of old and lost civilizations. And I had the same kind of fascination with Shinkai's version of Agartha. It kind of reminded me of Shadow of the Colossus.

Storywise, I think it's ambitious and epic. At least for me. Some say that the story is too grand that the film failed to deliver all the necessary details for it but I felt otherwise. I think that there were so much going on in the story that you don't have time to absorb everything in just one viewing. And that accounts its replay value. The story is just too massive (or at least, it tries to) that you can't give it justice if you just watch it once. And that's why I'm going to watch it again later :)

This film gave me the same kind of excitement and epic feeling that I had when I first saw Spirited Away. And Makoto Shinkai will always be one of my favorite anime directors.