reading murakami

i'm rereading haruki murakami's norwegian wood before i finally return it to pam come the next up cinema ga. discounting the fact that murakami can actually write a hilarious narrative as evidenced by the hilariously account of storm trooper's character, the roommate of the narrator during his early college years, i find this novel really depressing. besides the deaths - all are suicides, something which is common among the japanese even today - what is even more depressing is that after all the narrator and main character has been through and is able to do, he is reminiscing some twenty years after the events he was relating, and it seems nothing much has happened with his life. if ever, he's on a level lower than the life he previously led. you know, a guy with so much abilities and knowledge can go places. but then, if you choose to live in the memory of the dead and the what-could-have-beens - basically, your past - nothing's bound to happen to you. and so at the end of the novel, i was so damn depressed i didn't want to read another story like it again.

but then, murakami is a great writer. however, some critics didn't give favorable reviews for this particular novel because it was not the usual work you would expect from murakami, in fact, calling it somewhat autobiographical but not entirely the usual fare you would expect from murakami's genius. well, i'm not to say that this novel is below par, because it was excellently written. however, i do agree that this is not the usual story that murakami would engage in. let me qualify that. i've only read four books of murakami all in all. i first read the wind-up bird chronicle (i was attracted to this author when i first browsed through the pages of this book at national bookstore), then sputnik sweetheart, followed by norwegian wood and finally, dance dance dance. and from what i've read so far, this has got to be the most straightforward of all his novels, the more realistically occurring. yes, that is totally true; there's the sheep man living in an alternate universe that's located in the same world you are living in today, a person who can pass through walls and get an orgasm with a psychic prostitute, a character whose hair turns white overnight after seeing her an exact copy of herself living a life of its own in a room atop a ferris wheel. there also are vanishing elephants and wild sheep chases, hard-boiled wonderland, a boy named kafka and the different impacts of a local earthquake to a number of the residents (subjects of other books by murakami). details and storylines are
not entirely easy to explain. it's up to the reader to interpret what to make of the different occurrences in the novels. there's gotta be some brain exercise for one to be able to understand what murakami is trying to say. and i tell you once again, that circumstances were not entirely the same with his book norwegian wood.

this book, however got me intrigued regarding f. scott fitzgerald's the great gatsby. it's a book the main character and his friend like to read. murakami is not limited to reading books and listening to music which are commonplace or are in the mainstream. in fact, he is a jazz aficionado and the books he's mentioned in his novels span european and american literature (contemporary or otherwise - don't argue with me about time since i do not know the exact dates of publication of the books he's mentioned). so if you must know, i'm watching out for the books this author's mentioning. he's also got me intrigued regarding jack kerouac - quite a staple among the avant-garde if i may
say so from impressions i have formed from reading various articles which mention him (even his name screams eccentric). aside from these learned and a-notch-above-the-rest (not necessarily in terms of financial matters) lives his characters lead, murakami is also prone to island settings - malta, greece, hawaii, young, teenage girls entering the lives of thirty-something males (albeit, not in a malicious way) and who do so because they are different from
other people their age and their sensibilities match that of the older male, characters who drink beer often and regular enough it's just so alarmingly ordinary (at least for me, who's not exposed to that kind of lifestyle, i mean,
drinking is for relaxation done in a place where you're with friends, or else by your lonesome when feeling blue), attractive and intriguing japanese women and, characters losing something along the way which turns into the ultimate quest of the major character, resolved side by side with the various issues besetting the characters of the novel. it's one big psychological show, and i'm not a person who's too big on psychology (analysing math problems is already difficult for me, what more if you analyse a person and i'm sure, i'm not adept at picking up clues).

but however his stories turn out, they are great reads. i'm looking forward to his south of the border, west of the sun, another book of his that i'll be borrowing from pam. i also really wanted to buy this, as well as kafka on the shore (his latest before his new release of a collection of short stories) - the former because i was attracted to the jacket blurb which cites it as a work where murakami at his most wise and compelling, and the latter because i liked what i read when i browsed through the first page.

after all that i have read and seen regarding the japanese and their culture, i've come to the conclusion that the japanese are a very serious people, with no peep of comic relief, not even just a single funny situation involving themselves. nope, no funny stories from japan, only horror movies and more social dramas. no funny literary works. yes, there may be some in anime but then, funny circumstances are anime are due to the characterization of the players themselves. i've never heard of a japanese creation wherein a character finds himself in a situation where absurd things happen to him, and he would, thus, have to resort to silly or absurd actions to get through to the next
scene. what movies have i watched? as of now, i can only remember two: high and low by kurosawa, and battle royale. the former, a detective story aiming to catch the kidnapper and the ransom money he got from a rich businessman whose life unfolds along the way; the latter, a brutal program to instill responsibility and a sense of survival to japanese youngsters who only know to wreak havoc at school. only must survive after three days or else, everyone is dead, and there will be no winners of the game. this is a pretty cynical view, how orwellian (forgive my mentioning this author - all i've read is 1984). imagine, a class of middle school kids looking to kill each other off so that they'd be able to get out of an isolated island alive. a misunderstood bunch, and ones who also misunderstand the adult world. well, we're not seeing the whole picture here since you only get the adults' point of view, but nothing on the students. and like murakami's writing, there are hidden symbolisms, meanings, to be deciphered by the discerning viewer. and oh yeah, i remember i've watched the ring too.

anyway, what's with all this seriousness? is this an effect of what japan has gone through during the second world war? it may have been, plus the spillover effect of the culture japan has had, being isolated from the rest of the world
for so many years before the war. this is what i get from the psyche of the urban japanese. however, being the "frustrated japanese" that i am, i am actually drawn to japanese culture itself. it's so mesmerizing actually - the geisha, the samurai, the cherry blossoms. everything's just so beautiful. i've been drawn to this country from a long time ago, probably ever since i first saw kenshin himura in the animated movie.

the urban psyche may be troubled, or else, seriousness is what keeps them going all through their days (as long as they don't resort to suicide). anyhow, i'm anxious to get a headstart on my nihonggo lessons and visit japan real soon.
today's the 31st of december. i've to sleep now, the family's going to mass this morning since it's sunday already.

*started at 12:35 am

**wishing**

the night may turn out to be a memorable one. being with him under the stars, in this nice, dimly lit place with nice music. for once, she was dressed up, the feminine side of her showing, for a night of celebration. bring a date she did, and she had no want of anybody else by her side that night but him. they've gotten off to a good start, him keeping up his end of the conversation. it must have been a good night for dancing couples, but he didn't seem interested.

finally, the weight on his mind started to pour out. girl trouble, whether he should still pursue her or not. she patiently hears him out, the conflicts inherent in his situation and playing in his mind.

it might have been a perfect night, a very good start. but then, there's nothing she can do. all she can hold on to at the end of the night is just a passing dream, a fleeting fantasy.

day out with HS friends

today, i got together with my high school friends. i wasn't able to see them during the sembreak since i was stuck at the pilot food plant curing meat and such. the last time i saw these guys was probably before the start of the first sem classes. yes, it's been that long. since some of us are studying in metro manila, we only get to see each other during sembreaks, summer breaks or christmas breaks. however, most of us took to having summer classes so well, there you go.

this time around, we didn't proceed to city mall right away after meeting up at LNU, an act which we have invariably been doing ever since we started meeting up after our high school days. for a change, we went to quattro grill and restaurant, located beside the dagupan bus station in arellano. there were five of us who met up at school - ice, cookie, mafe, al and i. however, only four of us ended up going to quattro since al had a lunch outing with his family. it's been awhile since i saw this guy. ever the hardworking, success-driven marketing student (college does bring out the best in some people), i'm sure he'll soar to great heights when he graduates from college. although he tells me, he's planning to take up masteral studies first.

so there we were at quattro. when our orders arrived, ysa arrived. now, she's the only one among my high school batchmates whom i see in metro manila since the rest are studying in schools in manila while the both of us are studying in up diliman which is in qc. new hair. i liked it. i'd like to have a haircut which is not one of the usual layered or straight cuts i often get. anyhow, ice and i got sisig and nilasing ni hipon. the latter was quite interesting - ice even had a comment about the vinegar, something about it being stronger than usual. we also had bottomless tea. ysa didn't eat because she said she had a heavy breakfast. art arrived a little while later, having just come from comelec for the voter's registration. then jajo arrived sometime later. so there we were, we're complete.

we are the usual ones who meet up during these breaks. sometimes, some people would hang out with us like kris or al, but these two were not available this time. i'm not sure how we started to stick together, but we were good friends in high school. it's now after college that during get togethers, the seven of us would almost always be present.

so there at quattro, we had nice conversation, learning stuffs about ourselves and our other batchmates. the most surprising revelation of all was ice. i knew there was something when i asked her the question during a phone call i made this break. i didn't expect "it" to be that far along. but anyway, i was smiling (from ear to ear) the whole time i learned all about "it." i was really happy for her, and excited at the same time, since this friend of mine has finally got her own. anyway, she didn't let us in in many details, just a few good points. well, i'm intrigued, and i'm curious.

as for the rest of us, we're still in the same situations the last time we saw each other. art is still with lynn, for a whopping 1 year and 2 months already, mafe's still single, cookie's still a hit with the guys, ysa's had some things going, jajo's still on the lookout and on the action, and i'm still part of the nbsb club.

after this, cookie and mafe proceeded to zari-zari studio for pictures cookie had to get while the rest of them accompanied me to nepo mall because i had to return some vcds i borrowed at video city. then we went to the city mall - of course, where else would we end up? when we got there, we first proceeded to national bookstore. there we saw some ednasian batchmates: maricar, jennifer, glori anne, and i think the other one was named macris, a cousin of driggy's. then noel, my highschool thesis partner, came along and what a change. for one, well, he's nagkalaman and his face has gotten bigger. it's his birthday today.

we separated when the rest of us went to the worlds of fun to play some arcade games all the while waiting for mafe and cuks, while noel went to smoke with his cousin. well, that's the last we saw of him. to cap our stay at the worlds of fun, we rode the bump cars. unfortunately, i got on the car that was so slow so i didn't enjoy it that well. but sure, there were a lot of bumps as everyone made the most use of the bump cars. after that, we finally got to get some chairs for our group at the cafe near the internet shop. so we sat down to some chips, some more conversations, and picture-taking.

well, that ended the day. it was around 6pm and some of us had to leave already, so the group decided to leave altogether. after seeing cookie off, the rest of us rode a lingayen jeepney. ice and jajo got off at her place. the rest of us got off near the victory bus terminal. art's going home to caranglaan while mafe will be riding a bus to malasiqui. since m.h. del pilar st. was closed, ysa and i walked to jollibee to wait for a bonuan-bound jeep, this after she bought stuff at mercury drug and looking for a lotto betting station.

so there, the day ends. the next day we'll have like this will probably be in march already. by then, ice and art will have graduated from nursing school, and cookie from accounting school in st. scho. how fast time flies. in less than a week, i'll be back in up to face the rest of the semester, even though i'm not yet totally prepared to go back to school work, and the rest of the stuff that comes with staying in up. a number of my batchmates will be graduating by march 2007, this being our fourth years. they will then be facing the prospect of finding jobs in our country and eventually, abroad, that is, after passing their respective board or licensure exams. priorities, circle of friends, available time will change. it'll be a whole new experience.

the future is wide, full of the unexpected, just out there. but for now, we have the familiar faces we can go back to, and the memories we may hold on to for as long as we like, reminding us of where we have been and the people who have shaped us and been there for us, for our future selves.

christmas 2006

the boys are still at city mall's internet/gaming cafe, while the rest of us are already here at home due to an emergency by dad's which resulted in him not being able to buy some clothes nor the rest of us to stroll around.

this christmas, we were not able to give our homemade cards to our parents. it was partly due to the fact that karen and i took charge of preparing our fare for noche buena. karen is usually the first one to start making a card, and since she was not able to do it, nobody started it up. anyhow, i think it's okay since we were the ones who prepared the crema de fruta (which still remains harder than the ones i get to eat which other people prepared), ham, sparkling salad (which was originally gulaman+pineapple+nata de coco, so we added sago and corn kernels), and chicken spaghetti a la creme. the spaghetti tasted good, except for the fact that there was a smaller amount of chicken than i expected. it's a good thing really, considering the fact that i do not really cook nor stay in the kitchen at all except to cook rice or clean up dishes. this spaghetti had a number of ingredients, including bacon, beer and all-purpose cream.

our christmas tree has also gotten smaller, since our bigger one is all but bereft of its leaves. there are also no more gifts under the tree. we've received our presents earlier, through trips to the mall.

so well, this is our christmas. a few changes. at least i'm enjoying staying here at home. i've sent my greetings to everyone i know in my mobile's phone book. i got at least a week more before i go back to up.

eraserheads nostalgia

when i'm here at home, the music i love to listen to is that of the eraserheads, particularly their albums aloha milkyway and natin99. the latter is my most favorite album of all. i actually have vinyl tape copies of both albums (which makes the more easily accessible ones to play in our home with no cd player) plus sticker happy. however, the tunes i like most are in the two so sticker happy gets less of airtime here. hehe... anyway, its christmas time. i feel the need to play the eheads' fruitcake album.

the eraserheads ranks on top of my list of best and favorite bands ever. listening to their songs brings memories of their genius. seriously, a reunion concert where they just play their old songs would be just a blast...

thoughts at dawn

i seem like a nocturnal animal. i get at least an hour's sleep at night, then when i wake up, it seems like daytime. i'm not sleepy, so either i watch tv or stay in front of the pc. the latter is what i've been doing most times. and i'm awake till 4 or 5 am, which time i go to bed. then i wake up around 8 or 9 am. this must be caused by all those times i've stayed awake till dawn back in up.
...
i went to the christmas party of subol. it's been awhile since i've been with the subolites. i usually see some of them around at school. anyway, we did not number to 20 this afternoon. and it's great to see how org relationships and friendships have grown. ate jhet's and july's youngest sibling, chitbog (did i spell this right?), was with us. it was quite fun having him around. it's the first time i've seen him so talkative; at least he was, on the way back home. it's also amusing to see this powerplay among siblings, with july usually at the receiving end of ministrations or threats. well, that's because you've got the older sister and the youngest sibling and they kind of gang up on july, of course, with the hand of ate jhet guiding the little one. *evil grin*
...
i got to watch the nu rock awards on myx thursday night. it was a spectacular show, though i didn't get to watch it from the beginning. if you paid the P350 ticket, i must say it was worth it. there were lots of performers, at least one after every award given out. the performances were great, and the energy in the whole place must have been awesome and overwhelming. kamikazee went home with most of the awards, including artist of the year. itchyworms bagged the album of the year award for noontime show, an album which has been given acclaim since its release during the last month of 2005. sandwich was also nominated in many categories, though i'm not sure if they won in any. but still, sandwich remains my most favorite among all the bands ever nominated in the nu rock award. their music is quite a genius, not sounding at all like their previous efforts. marc abaya's departure and the entry of mong alcaraz may have steered the band to new directions, and allowed each of the members to contribute more creatively. i definitely have to get a copy of their five to the floor. i might have to wait for awhile to ensure that no special edition comes out, what with a song they contributed to the supernoypi soundtrack. i really like the sound they've produced in this album.

i also like up dharma down, and a copy of their album fragmented nowhere can be found. i also intend to get a copy of it. i've only seen up dharma down perform once, when they have not yet attained this kind of success. they were already on their way, that i'm sure of, but still quite a nobody. it was upmc's anniversary gig at the educ theater. of course, i didn't remember the songs they performed then, but they had a really interesting sound. what label do the music critics place on their songs anyway? they were in good terms with nika, makopa's vocalist and since nika liked them, i thought they were some kind of acid jazz since makopa's main repertoire is acid jazz. i still don't know till now, but surely, one cannot deny the fact that armi millare is oh-so-talented and beautiful. great voice, great keyboard-playing skills and the looks. i remember my orgmate mia was a classmate of hers in a college of music-based ge class. i want to know what it feels like to have some famous person (for all the right reasons) as a classmate.

well, with all that's happened (i mean look at the list of nominees), i must say the pinoy rock scene is really making waves, flooding the industry with ingenuity and true pinoy sensibilities.
...

just thinking...

i think it would be really nice if one's boyfriend knows how to dance, those type of dances where a partner is required. why this thought? just got to watch the second half of shall we dance. and at the end, richard gere was just dancing with his wife played by susan sarandon in the kitchen and it was just so...nice, sensual in a way, manifesting the fact that they really looked in love with each other. hmm, i'm going on with the boyfriend thing again...

you know what's sad, or pitiful? a girl spending time with two guy friends and these two friends of hers just laying bare their innermost desires regarding a girl, who's too beautiful she's just gotta be the prize. even though you know that mere looks don't at all get you a man, you still need some of it for a man to come talk to you in the first place and set off all the spark needed. and you've got a mild thing going for one of your guy friends, and no matter which angle you look at it, you just can't seem to think that you have a chance. not one, not in heaven nor in hell. especially when you know that guys would really look out for at least great looker or hot mama - then couple with a great personality - and then you could just die.

haha. talk about self-pity.

just got the thought going on and, i'll just look forward to christmas.

it's been awhile since i wrote. i missed writing and being able to read my thoughts on particular subjects in the future. anyhow, i'm still plain old me, albeit with aditional stuff to do, but nontheless, determined to enjoy the vacations.

till the next post... ciao!