Memories of Matsuko

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

*** It was the last day of screening of Eiga Sai at the Shang, and I went to the last movie shown that day with some of my friends. Lucky that it was really a good one. It was an experimentation of different themes - what does it take to make life really meaningful, the concept of the tenet, God is love, how people rise if they fall, and of the appreciation of life no matter what position you are in.

I can call it a comedic tragedy, it had its way of making you laugh when tears would begin to fall -- funny antics popping out of dramatic scenes. It presented the beauty of life amidst despair. And only a naivete like Matsuko could achieve this appreciation of and contentment in life.

(More points to follow.... :P)

Memories of Matsuko (嫌われ松子の一生, Kiraware Matsuko no Isshō?, "Life of despised Matsuko") is a 2006 Japanese film written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. It is based on a Japanese novel by Muneki Yamada.

It has not yet received North American distribution, though in its North American premiere at the 2007 New York Asian Film Festival, the film received the Audience Award with an average rating of 9.2[1]

The story begins with Sho cleaning out the remaining belongings of his recently deceased aunt Matsuko. Sho gradually learns many details of his aunt's life, and it is through his investigations that the audience learns the story of Matsuko's past.

In the early 1970s, Matsuko was a popular school teacher. However, when one of her students (Ryu) committed a theft, and Matsuko took the blame for him, this had terrible consequences for her life.

The film also reveals some details of Matsuko's earlier life, including troubled childhood, when she struggled to gain the attention of her father. Matsuko's father's affection was mostly dominated by her chronically ill sister, which created an imbalanced rivalry where Matsuko's needs were less likely to be met.

Matsuko's relationships with men were generally troubled as well. She moved from relationship to relationship with men who gave her some inkling of affection, though it was often accompanied by abuse. She often found herself abandoned by the men she loved, who couldn't cope with her neediness. She continued to pursue her dreams of perfect love, even as her life spiraled down, and she found herself working as a prostitute, and even imprisoned.

When Matsuko met later in life with Ryu, whom she saved from the charges relating to his theft, she found that he held affection and admiration for her. She saw in him another chance for true love. But Ryu, by this time, was deeply entrenched in a criminal life. He decided that it would be best for him to disappear from her life, to protect her from the risks of life with a gangster. This final abandonment was disastrous for Matsuko, who never knew to what extent she impacted the lives of the men who loved her. (Wikipedia)

Friends et. al...

portraits
solos
paired
stolen

laugh and laugh

Tatawa ako for 24 hours.

Hahahahaha

Ang espiritu at espiiritu..

Letter to Insanity

Dear Monica,

I don't really know how to tell you this, I dislike your eyelashes. I think I realized it last year when you peed your pants outside of your office and I saw you sit on My illegitimate child in Ghana. I'm sure you're middle-class enough to understand that I get turned on only by garbage men. I'm returning your Hannah Montana underwear to you, but I'll keep your photo with the moustache drawn on it as a memory. You should also know that I told my psychiatrist about the bruises and I have a passionate interest for mice.

Love always,

Diana

 

Here's how you do it:

Dear (someone you recently talked to),

I don't really know how to tell you this,(1). I think I realized it (2)(3) and I saw you (4)(5). I'm sure you're (6) enough to understand (7). I'm returning (8) to you, but I'll keep (9) as a memory. You should also know that I (10) and (11).

(12),
Name


Equivalent to the numbers are an array of sentences for your choosing. See below.

1) What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - I'm in love with your cat
Red - Our affair is over
White - I’m joining the Convent
Black -Our romance is over
Green- Our socks don't match
Grey - You're a leprechaun
Yellow - I'm selling myself for candy
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - Purple hedgehogs want to destroy you
Other -I dislike your eyelashes

2) Which is your birth month?
January - That night you picked your nose
February -When I quoted Forrest Gump
March - When your dwarf bit me
April - When I tripped on peanut butter
May - When I threw up in your sock drawer
June - When you put cuffs on me
July – When I saw the purple monkey
August - When you smacked my ass
September - Last year when you peed your pants
October - When we skinny dipped in the bathtub
November - When your dog humped my leg
December - When I finally changed my underwear

3) Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - When we skinny dipped in the bathtub
Chicken- In your car
Pasta - Outside of your office
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad – As you were eating Kraft Dinner
Lasagna - In your closet
Kebab - With Jean Chrétien
Fish - In a clown suit
Sandwiches - At the Elton John concert
Pizza - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a street light
Other - With George Bush and Stephen Harper

4) What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Ignore
Red - Put whipped cream on
Black - Hit on
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - bit of
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the pants off of
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive over

5) What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My boyfriend
White - My father
Grey – The Catholic Priest
Brown – The Montreal Canadian’s goalie
Purple - My corned beef hash
Red – My knee caps
Blue - My salt-beef bucket
Yellow - My illegitimate child in Ghana
Orange - My Blink 182 cd
Pink – Your ‘My Little Pony’ collection
Other --The elephant in the corner

6) What do you prefer to watch on TV?
One Tree Hill - Senile
Heroes- Frostbitten
Lost - High
Simpsons- Cowardly
The news - Scarred
American Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Open
Top Model - Middle-class
Other -shamed

7) Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful you are
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That I get turned on only by garbage men
Angry - That your smell makes me vomit
Depressed – That we’re related
Excited - That I may pee my pants
Nervous - The middle-east is planning their revenge on you
Worried - That your Ford sucks
Apathetic - That you need a sex-change
Silly - That I'm allergic to your earlobes
Cuddly - That Santa doesn't exist
Ashamed - That there is no solution to you being a dumb kid
Other - That your driving sucks

8) What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your toe ring
Yellow - Your love letters to me
Red - The pictures from Vegas
Black - Your pet rock
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - Your car
Orange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your nose hair clippers
Grey - Our matching snoopy underwear
Purple - Your old New Kids on the Block blanket
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your Hannah Montana underwear

9) The first letter of your first name?
A/B - My virginity
C/D - Your photo with the moustache drawn on it
E/F - Your neighbors dog
G/H - The oil tank from your car
I/J - Your left ear
K/L - The results of that blood-sample
M/N - Your glass eye
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X – Your sucide note
Y/Z - Your credit cards

10) The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Love your sweet, sweet ass
C/D - Always will remember the pep talks
E/F -Never will forget that night
G/H – Will not tell the authorites that you stole the whale from the backyard.
I/J – Mocked you behind your back constantly
K/L - Hate your cooking
M/N - Told in my confession today about the moose poaching
O/P - Told my psychiatrist about the bruises
Q/R - Always wanted to break your legs
S/T - Get sick when I think of your feet
U/V - Will try to forget that you broke my heart
W/X - Haven’t showered in a month
Y/Z – am better off without you

11) What do you prefer to drink?
Wine- Our friendship is ruined
Soft drink – I’m off to lead a new life as a lemon
Soda – I will haunt you when I’m reincarnated as an Eskimo
Milk - The apartment building is on fire
Water – I'm scratching my butt as you read this
Cider– I have a passionate interest for mice
Juice – You ruined my attempts at another world war
Mineral/Vitamin water – You should get that embarrassing rash checked
Hot chocolate – Your Cucumber-fetishism is weird
Whiskey - I love Oprah Winfrey
Beer – Thanks for the Cocaine
Other – you should stop picking your nose

12) To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand – Warm tingly sensations
Australia - Best of luck on the sex change
France - Love always
Spain - With tears of sadness
China – You make me sick
Germany – Please don’t hurt me
Japan - Go milk a cow
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
USA - Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt – Kiss my butt
England - Go drown yourself

Focus

I need it, i need it and I mean it.

 

For the whole day, I continually failed to achieve focus.

Repost: an unknown kesso vs. Edward Cullen

Actually, hindi ko kilala si Kesso. But since this post really gave me hell of a good laugh, irerepost ko siya with copyright from my able writer-former classmate-thesis groupmate-friend, Rowena Cahiles. Hehe.

Posted by whenzki on Dec 12, '08 10:24 AM for everyone

siya si clarence aka kesso. ang may pakana ng list na ito. ewan ko ba kung dahil sa sobrang kabadtripan niya sa twilight kaya niya nagawa ito. hahahaha. pero effective kase may mga chicks na gusto na siya idate dahil dito. oha! baka kayo gusto niyo na rin siyang idate! hahahaha.

peace tayo clarence! :D

Edward Cullen would say: “You are my life now.”
Kesso would say: "My life is for you now... And for forever."

Edward Cullen would say: “The Lion fell in Love with the Lamb”
Kesso would say: "I fell in love with you. Bigtime."

Edward Cullen would say: “Your hair looks like a haystack but I like it.”
Kesso would say: "Your hair looks like haystack, and i love you."

Edward Cullen would sing you a song he wrote for you while playing the piano.
Kesso would sit beside you, won't sing. Would stare at you. And would tell you he loves you. A lot.

If you die, Edward would kill himself cause life without you isn’t worth living.
If you die, Kesso wouldn't kill himself because he knows you wouldn't like it.

As you leave the house Edward Cullen would say: “Come back to me, love.”
Kesso would be the one to be at the girl's house because it's more gentlemanly.

As you come back to the house, Edward Cullen would be welcoming you by playing the piano with a song just for you.
Edward sucks. Kesso wouldn't let the girl and just watch her while playing the piano? He'll let you in, holding your hand and telling his Mom you're there.

Edward Cullen would make you breakfast everyday.
You would cook breakfast for Kesso. He would eat it with you and would tell you it's the best breakfast he ever had each and everyday.

While you are both out for dinner, Edward Cullen wouldn’t even notice the waitress was a female.
While you are both out for dinner, Kesso would notice every female in the restaurant and would tell you that you're way gorgeous than any of them.

Edward Cullen, while driving, would keep one hand on the wheel and the other attached to yours.
Kesso, while driving, would keep both hands on the wheel so the trip would be safe. But he would hold your hand and kiss you on the cheek when the traffic lights turn red.

While far apart in different places, Edward Cullen would say: “It’s like you’ve taken half myself with you”
While far apart in different places, Kesso would say: "I miss you. I know you're far but you're still here in my heart."

Edward Cullen would sing until your nightmares went away.
Kesso would be by your side. And when your nightmares wake you up, he would stare at you, then hug you, and then he would kiss you on the forehead. And smiles. He knows you can't sleep so he would talk to you, laugh with you even though he hasn't slept yet because he is watching you the whole night.

Edward Cullen only does it with one.
Kesso only does it with the one he loves BUT wouldn't insist.

Edward Cullen buys you a car.
Kesso buys a car for both of you and would fetch you everyday.

If you see a subject phrased this way in your inbox, what would you do?

"mary.albert44 [nusphilippines] Which Educational Do You Want To Choose? Let Me Know"

I would roll in the dust and break my neck.

It is a spam message that caught my eye and helped me to have a good laugh!

 

ü

School is Cool

Some shots of a young sunshiney teacher.

Life is a beach!

Bangin at iba pa

Pag tumalon ka sa rumaragasang agos ng tubig, hindi mo na maikukuwento ang lahat ng nangyari pagkatapos.

Pag lumipad ka nang inaakala mong ikaw si Superman at wala ka palang pakpak, given the law of gravity, babagsak ka.

Naranasan mo na bang tumawa ng napakalakas, hanggang sa maubos ang hininga mo at biglang maluluha dahil alam mong pagkatapos nito haharapin mo ang mundo mag-isa?

Kanya kanya lang tayo. May iba't iba tayong pamamaraan upang maranasan ang extremes ng buhay. In the middle of all this, you'll realize that you have to be alone and that alone, you'll find what you need to find.

Maturity, achieving it. That's the greatest puzzle that I have to solve. how come na sa lahat ng mga pinagdaanan ko sa buhay, di ko pa rin ito nabubuo?

I need comfort. I don't know where to find it.

I want to go far. Far enough that the only person who will find my way back is myself.

Struggle. Contradiction. Kelan ko ba pinag-aralan na i-handle ito?

Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)

Everybody's Free (to wear sunscreen)

Mary Schmich Chicago Tribune

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97... wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are NOT as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen.

Why I will stand up for my President

YOUTHOPIA
By Marylaine Louise Viernes
Why I will stand up for my President

 
NOWADAYS, people seem to do nothing but plan futile protests and demonstrations that don't achieve anything politically substantial. Or, they'd talk endlessly about the iniquities of our distinguished President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and lambaste her allies and family. It sickens me to the bone when those who had been partly responsible for her rise and residence in power bash her and try to wash their hands clean.

We should commend our dear President for not only teaching but also living out the virtues we Filipinos must live by. Here are just some of Her Excellency's most noble traits; let us aspire to emulate them:

True friendship. PGMA is the epitome of a true friend. Even if she holds the reins to this country, she never ceases to check on her friends once in a while. She even asks favors from them once in a while. And she's willing to reciprocate their favors, too! Talk about generous! So what if she said "Hello" to Garci? What are friends for?

Environmental awareness. She got into a lot of trouble for prioritizing the environment here, specifically with her focus on the fertilizers that will make our soils fertile and rich! It was no simple Joc, putting our lands into consideration! She even entrusted the Bolantes, a special kind of earthworms or bulates in carrying out this task! Now, a lot of people can benefit from our lands! Bolantes and fertilizers . . . talk about growing pockets . . . pockets of land, I mean!

Leadership and task delegation. They say that a great leader is someone who is able to make her people move. The fact that most of our armed authorities would literally kill for her means that she is an exceptional leader, loved by many! Now it is only proper to change the expression, "the Filipino is worth dying for;" because in this administration, "PGMA is worth dying for!"

Studiousness and creativity. The mark of a brilliant student is not only her academic proficiency, but also her creativity! She has defied the usual basics of learning that alphabet starting with ABC… for we are now learning our lessons with ZTE.

Mercifulness. Learning that she pardoned our former president, who was also very distinguished, brought tears to my eyes! She abides by the act of mercy! Not only did she free him; she also realized his value! I'm not saying that she can use him for her interests, though! Now, whoever said that, "ang magnanakaw ay galit sa kapwa magnanakaw?"

Charity. So what if she is related to a pedicab driver named Jose Pedal? Let's not be discriminating here! Jose Pedal may be very poor, but he is related to her and so she has an obligation to help him end his plight! Besides, we should learn to practice charity at home and start with our family. I am so happy that Mr. Pedal now has his own bank account.

Generosity. So what if she didn't invest enough in economic services? At least, Filipinos are forced to work abroad to keep our economy afloat. She has also ended the classroom shortage. Instead of having 50 kids in one classroom, now there are over a 100 starving kids per classroom. Talk about dedication to education! I hope she could run again. Run away!

Knowledge of the law. So what if she made an executive order to block government and military officials in congressional hearings that investigate her anomalies? Just because you are ignorant of the law does not mean you can complain whenever someone becomes smart enough to find a way through it. And she knows the laws so very well, that they call her a liar, I mean a lawyer!

Discipline. They keep on talking about how she uses her Violent Calibrated Preemptive Response for demonstrations. Whatever that means! Sometimes, we just have to employ an iron fist for the greater good. No one defines discipline the way she does!

Pride and self-esteem. So what if she's short? I mean, come on; a lot of you are getting too personal, hitting her below the belt. No one can take this much criticism and still stand tall!

She makes me so proud to be a Pinoy! Now, whoever said that power corrupts a person?