Review: The Help

To be honest, I was uniquely intrigued when I saw The Help nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, along with other categories such as Best Actress for Viola Davis and Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. Out of the four, Spencer came out with the win. From what I picked up from the snippets shown during the airing of the Awards, it revolved around a familiar situation of uber-racist proportions.

Of course, this isn't the first drama I've encountered that tackled something as monumental as white against colored people ,or at least the mistreatment of the latter. Rather, it's not the first movie I appreciated so much when it comes to building a bridge between two races. Two others that come to mind are Hairspray, the musical-turned-movie about breaking status quo, and Something the Lord Made, a medical drama TV movie based on true events revolving around the collaboration of two doctors - one white and one colored (who starts off as a carpenter). These two contrast in many ways but come together where it matters most.

Hairspray, being a musical, underscored its plot through song and dialogue. It remains light but has a lot more to say beyond a show featuring the "nicest kids in town". Behind the scenes there's the issue of racism and close-mindedness with typical high class white women who will do anything to keep things where they are.

Something the Lord Made, on the other hand, is a true tale of the complex partnership of black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas (Mos Def) and white surgeon Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman), who work together to solve the Blue Baby Syndrome. Their story revolves around the prevalent racism of segregation where most - well, all - black employees are no more than class 3 employees.

Ultimately, The Help once again brings the issue of black or white to the big screen, with a flavor of focusing on issues revolving around colored help and raising white children. The movie dons powerful insight into slipping through the cracks show and tell the perspective and overall state of the maids during this oppression. It evokes the freedom and courage to speak the truth behind an anonymity in the midst of racist white housewives whose only concern is to mind theirown kind, complain about sharing bathrooms and bridge tournaments.

This story emotionally moved me to understand where these maids were coming from and the bond that formed between these people and the people they worked for, if it ever was something to be cherished. I guess the best thing I can take away from this wonderful move are the words Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) imparts to Mae Mobley, the toddler she takes care of:

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Fifty Shades

When I was browsing through my News Feed on Facebook, I saw a parody cover of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' with Gandalf the Grey and Frodo wearing a ball gag. Granted, it was enough to pique my interest and made me ask the question: "What the hell is that?" And so the search began.

Thanks to Google, I got my answer as soon as I clicked on the Wikipedia entry. To my surprise, Fifty Shades of Grey penned by E L James was in fact a book. Categorized as an Erotic Romance novel catered to mature audiences (or basically anyone who can take reading carefully depicted sex scenes without fainting), Fifty Shades of Grey and the rest of its trilogy is not for the feint of heart.

Saying it that way would in essence answer the unspoken question of whether or not I could handle the topic, let alone all the smut. To be honest I enjoy reading these types of things to help in my so called "research" (take the air quotes a bit seriously but no pressure) for my fanfiction or blog roleplays. Plus it put things - like all those yaoi, yuri and hentai manga - in better perspective with good descriptions like James uses in the book. Yes I've read fanfictions that off the same prowess but there are limited reading materials that 1) use first person PoV and 2) talks excessively about the practices of BDSM which also turns out to be a topic of interest to me.

But don't get me wrong! There is no way you would convince me to suck up my submissiveness and get involved in all that. Again, I take interest in using what I learn through research and reading explicit manga titles like 'Hoshi no Yutaka', as well as the Fifty Shades Trilogy, for character development in my fanfictions and roleplays. Not to mention the general theme of writing out elaborate sex scenes (or lemons) has grown to be a talent of mine as time passes and this book is just helping me along that swimmingly. Fifty Shades provides me with an excellent avenue to explore heterosexual interloping jumping out from the pages of a book, crafted into a story to die for. A great inspiration and ultimately, a niche away from its primary idea as being a mere fanfiction of the Twilight series.

With all these descriptions it may already be obvious that I am in full swing of reading through the three books. I purchased them during my family's trip to the US a few weeks back; the first at Barnes & Noble in San Diego, and the other two at Costco wholesale in San Francisco. I am well into the second book as of this writing, and already there are dozens of ideas to stemp from it. The possibilities are endless.

When time permits, something more than a drabble will rear its head, probably once I've finished the trilogy of books. Here's to that undying splash of creativity!

And looking forward to the upcoming movie! :)

Kyuukyoku no Yume

究極の夢。（きゅうきょくのゆめ）Kyuukyoku no Yume. trans. Ultimate Dream.

Today I was browsing through my little notebook of poetry and stumbled upon this poem I wrote down quite randomly one day a few years back. Hope you all enjoy it. ^___^

Ultimate Dream

Being just within reach,

is what defines an 'ultimate dream'.

Our ideal utopia,

the grandest fruit of our labor.

A dream nevertheless,

requiring an equal exchange.

Surpassing all time,

working for just another step.

A journey, our life truly is,

An everlasting staircase.

Falling down is natural,

getting up is a challenge.

Determination, your ally.

Doubt, your enemy.

Cast away all self-doubt,

for the end to be in sight.

Rookies Sotsugyou #2

ルーキーズ　卒業＃２。（るきずそつぎょう＃２）Rukizu Sotsugyou #2. trans. Rookies Graduation #2.

I have returned with a tabulation of the graduation 'speeches' of the members they dedicated to Kawatou on the baseball field. From Skewed Subs. ^__^ I got teary-eyed with each speech the first time I watched it, including some of Shinjou's epic lines.

Shirota Yuu = EPICSAUCE.

"You're not the only one hurting! We're all hurting. That's also... our Nikogaku's injury... Don't worry. You ain't gonna be left behind. Let's all go... to Koushien." (Shinjou talking about Wakana's dislocated finger)

"I'll hit it with this..." (after promptly tossing away his bat and grabbing Wakana's for his turn at bat)

The Speeches:

"The time when we were running with everything we've got towards Koushien was really the best. But then, as I thought, the best times... were the two years you swiftly ran with us. Thank you for everything!" (Center Outfield, Sekikawa Shuuta)

"So far, you are the first teacher I've ever liked. I like you a lot! Thank you for everything!" (Right Outfield, Okada Yuuya)

"A life's worth... I got a life's worth of memories to be proud of! Sensei... For these two years... Thank you for everything!" (Left Outfield, Imaoka Shinobu)

"Someday, when I find a new dream, once I achieve it, you'll be the first one to know, nya~ Thank you for everything!" (First Base, Yufune Tetsuo)

"I feel fucking relieved I won't be seeing your damn face starting tomorrow... or so I thought...but... You are the best! For teaching me things other than fighting, and teaching me things more fun than that. Thank you for everything!" (Shortstop, Hiyama Kiyooki)

"Hey rookie! Someone who's a passionate nut like you, and believing in people that easily. Crushed with all your might.... and in the end be hurt... But, well... I cannot hate that kind of man. That time... when you made me run around the grounds once again, Thank you for everything!" (Catcher, Wakana Tomochika)

"I will never forget the palm. I will definitely never forget you. I... I want to be someone like you. Sensei! For believing in us 'til the very end... Thank you for everything!" (Third Base, Shinjou Kei)

"Kawatou! I'm glad you met a genius like me who'll change the world. But... I also... for meeting you... I too... I too... I too! Well... Thank you for everything!" (Pinch-hitter, Hiratsuka Taira)

"You taught me... that there is nothing wasted in great efforts. You taught me to have a spirit that never gives up. You taught me how to cherish a dream. I'm really grateful to you. Thank you for everything!" (Pitcher, Aniya Keiichi)

"Just like you said, we were able to graduate with a smile! I'm glad I had confidence in your words! Sensei. For giving us faith, for giving us courage, I deeply thank you for everything!" (Captain, Mikoshiba Tooru)

A Diamond

I was browsing through one of my old notebooks and found this slip of paper dated March 10, 2006. I recognized it at once and thought of sharing it all to you. ^___^ I got this during my sophomore year of high school that our biology teacher left to us when the school year was nearly over. I hope you guys find inspiration just as I did.

A man once found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch the moth emerge. One day a small opening appeared, and for several hours the moth struggled but couldn't seem to force its body past a certain point. Deciding that something was wrong, the man cut the remaining bit of cocoon with scissors. The moth then emerged easily - its body large and swollen, its wings small and shriveled.

The man continued to watch, expecting that in a few hours the wings would spread out into their large natural beauty. That didn't happen. The moth spent its entire life dragging around a swollen body and shriveled wings - it never did fly.

The man consulted a biologist to discover what had happened to the moth. He learned that the constricting cocoon and struggle are both normal and necessary. The struggle actually causes fluid from the moth's body to move into the wings, reducing the size of the body making the wings strong and larger.

The struggle and pressure you are under today is not without value in your life. Don't be afraid of pressure. Remember that pressure is what turns a lump of coal into a diamond. I hope in the next few years, when we see each other again you have become the most expensive diamond this world could ever have. God Bless.

I will disclose my teacher's name for the sake of privacy, but when I, as well as the rest of her students received this very same story of inspiration, I can openly admit that at the time, it brought tears to my eyes. I may not have understood biology as much as I wanted to, but what I did learn from it is that everything has a reason for being done. And it all goes back to the the ideology that 'We are all precious'.

^___________________^ This is going to my memory box.

P.S. Today is my brother's 24th birthday. We'll be having a dinner party for him tonight here in the house. ^___________^v

Advert Inflatus

I believe it started in 7th grade when I had first formally learned about the basics of HTML coding did I have a little dream of designing my own website. I guess it paved the way for me to gain a bit of interest in taking up the course I'm currently in.

Throughout most of my high school life, I've been teaching myself HTML, and when I was blessed with it, consulted with friends who knew a lot more than myself to help me out along the way. After attending the CCS Summer Camp in DLSU last April 2007, I was able to meet a number of friends, many of whom I see around the Ateneo campus, others I chat with online.

But I won't get carried away with thinking back about those days. That would most probably have me making a more lengthly post about my experience then. For now, I want to focus on the website I managed to create.

I recall spending countless hours hardcoding the tags and the content. The layout, I had left to two of my friends who knew a bit of CSS that really helped me out. The hosting was where I had a bit of an edgy beginning. Regardless to say, I poured a lot of myself into filling up numerous pages of my website to the brim with various bits of light information except those that were too personal.

The only thing I would really want to focus on for this blog entry was the title I gave my website (and such a title is still reserved for that space on the web when I can develop that to its full extent). The title I chose to go with is Advert Inflatus, which roughly means to 'refer to inspiration'. Thinking back on it, the main thing i wanted to publicize on the web was mainly the poems I had come to write over these past few years. That was how everything came to be: INSPIRATION.

For me, to be inspired is the ability to give birth to something unique; to be inspired is the talent to overcome any hardship until there is only success; to be inspired is to be ignited by the flames of passion, pushing you to exceed your limits; to be inspired is to BELIEVE in something that will come to be.

^_______________^ v