Entry #260
“Dreams really do come true if you believe…”
Sixty frosh articles, a hundred and twenty-six sophomore journals, thirty junior posts and forty-three published senior entries. That made up nearly two hundred and sixty articles that made up the lifeline of The CSB Experience.
Continue reading
I can’t help describe how exactly 2010 fared for me. A lot of stuff happened, both good and bad, interesting twists and life-sized developments I never expect would happen to me. I’ll see if I could run all down the events that made marked my 20th year of life so awesome @’10.
JANUARY
-The then seemingly-unending second term of the previous school year (2009-10) finally concluded. The students of CSB got to move on from a term that was marked by natural disasters, term extensions, wrongful decisions from the higher-ups, and a lot more than we could imagine.
-I discovered someone‘s true colors and I was pretty disappointed to what he/she has become.
-The long-awaited Montessorian reunion 8 years in the making finally materialized in the form of RECONNECTIONS.
FEBRUARY
-I applied to be a part of the RT30 Countdown (99.5RT’s weekly chart show) as an intern which I got in eventually (On the same day I was applying for a similar job at their next door neighbor, Mellow 94.7).
-On the day of hearts, Jeco posted a very awesome pic showing me, MR, Dianne, Chamy, Yoko and him taken exactly a year ago. It was really sweet and awesome which inspired me to write a blog about it the same day.
-Knowing I won’t be in school long, I tried for the third time applying to be a part of the school’s frosh orientation program.
MARCH
-I went to a retreat with a bunch load of my friends and would be friends in Tagaytay. No tear-jerky sessions occurred throughout the whole ordeal but we forged new friendships and reinforced new ones (in memory of Dims). LOL
-It’s not everyday you’re friends with almost the whole batch of the SDA Chef’s station. I owe that to Nikko and for his introduction of their signature dish: COFFEE JELLY. Piaya times baby!
APRIL
-This one’s a shocker: I was let go from my internship in RT30. But my relationship with RT didn’t end there because…
-I applied to be a part of RT’s The Farm, a radio-training program. I got to meet some really awesome people indeed.
MAY
-The seemingly unending school year finally drew to a close and just when we thought we’re only going to get 2 weeks of vacation, we finally had a whole month off!
–Something for a change, I took up the courage to meet my idol. It paid off.
-It’s time for yearbook pictures and when I got to see my pictures, I wasn’t satisfied with the results so I asked for a retake a month later.
-FOP time! I was shuffling between FARM training and orienting froshes for almost 2 weeks straight, it was nerve-wracking hehehe.
-The launch of The CSB Experience 4: The Final Experience.
JUNE
-Jenny from the Block passed away. 🙁
-I attended my last Mediamax orientation.
-The trip to Singapore finally pushed through and it was 5 days of pure awesomeness!
-I had my Frosh Nite experience re-lived when me and the rest of the Sessionistas reunited to welcome the new batch of Benildeans. (Mga di pa nagbabayad, bayaran niyo na ako :D)
-OMG, the pet project of The Farm was a huge success.
-Hours before heading off for OMG, I decided to pay a visit to Max FM, where I got to be DJ for an hour with Johnny Chase/Mondo while waiting for Quich Lorraine/Raine.
-I started The Pursuit.
JULY
-Graphika Manila, FINALLY! After three years of trying, fourth time was certainly a charm.
-Extra-ordinary did I manage myself into hopping for my class’ Malarayat field trip due to extra-ordinary circumstances.
-I got word from an industry insider online about Max FM’s pending format switch and I wasted no time visiting the booth for one last time.
-Kadugo!
AUGUST
-Me and a load of callers kept Raine company on her unexpectedly final day on the air and I got it on tape! YESSH!
-My ears turned red on the biggest mess I made but managed to clean it up.
-I bid my Teenage Dream goodbye as I turned 20 @ ’10. Unfortunately, the planned 20@’10 reunion among my GS friends did not materialize. Too bad 🙁
SEPTEMBER
-September marked the day I officially marked my one term extension in school and at the same time, a critical period for me to pass every single subject I have for the second trimester.
-I was an orientor again for the 2nd term’s FOP. But due to some misunderstandings, me and a few others ended up orienting not so-frosh students, but it was still fun because I really had a good time talking with members of the school’s Deaf community.
-Got my wish into visiting the U92 booth in Silver City and met The Brewrats!
-I started to understand more and more about trade secrets that aren’t secrets to everyone else.
OCTOBER
-I had a strong reaction with Studio 23’s recent scheduling changes as of late when they had their signature US programs pushed to late night in favor of a daily nightime movie block on primetime. I ended up having a “creative argument” with 23’s Program Manager Vince Rodriguez (who we share an unknown connection with Cheenee in more ways than one). Up til now, I still disprove of what they did in favor of airing two daily movie blocks. It’s a betrayal to long-time viewers like me.
-I never thought I get to be heard on the air again but Oct. 28 proved me wrong. A reunion with my fellow Farmers, a concert happening at the Venice Piazza at McKinley Hill, and meeting famous faces front and center….What more can I ask for?
NOVEMBER
-I started production for the pilot “episode” of my thesis film, An Almost Affair starring Demy Cruz, Shiena Labay, Sam San Jose and also starring Paw Castillo.
DECEMBER
-The cousins came home after living in the US for 9 long years thus the yearly Christmas celebration of the Sibucao clan was more than the usual this year.
-I got myself a sorta-new Nikon D40x which was owned originally by my sister’s college friend. Only problem is that it doesn’t have a USB cable for me to upload my pictures to a PC.
-I started another creative argument with another guy from ABS…This time with the channel head of MYX, Andre Allan Alvarez. LOL, bigtime na nga!
That’s all folks!
As much as I was homesick back then during my year-long stay in a foreign country, adjusting to new surroundings was a really difficult task. There are things that I have to get used to like speaking English all the time (at least we could still speak Filipino within the household), getting used to the colder-than-cold climate and unseasonably unpredictable weather, and yes…overcoming culture shock.
Eventually, somehow it all paid off. I was able to gain new friends and learned a lot of stuff along the way. There were a lot of firsts: My first Thanksgiving, my first Halloween, my first Kwanzaa, and among so many is my first sleepover at a friend’s house.
It was a little around March or April 2002, spring was at its full blossom, the temperatures hovering between 44 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a new student in our class, Koji. He’s been in with us for a good number of weeks already, it didn’t really took long before all of us in the class got really close with him.
One time, I was having this idea of having a friend sleep-over at my apartment for some “getting-to-know-you” bondings. It was actually hard, asking someone about it, because I don’t know how I could blurt it out. By some unexpected twist and I don’t remember exactly now how it happened, I was able to get Koji convinced of having one of us sleep-over at the other’s house. Although I was hoping he could sleep at my place, turns out I was the one who’s going to his place for the overnight. Both our moms agreed to what the two of us cooked up and set the day of the sleepover at Friday.
On the day itself, I couldn’t help myself feeling all excited. Maybe because then I was thinking “Yeah finally, I’d be able to do those things kids do on TV…SLEEPOVER!”. My stuff were already prepped up and packed. I just need to get back home right away from school so I could get them and wait til Koji and his mom arrives to pick me up.
I was able to meet his mom, and she’s a really nice and cool person. I thinking though that like Jonathan (our other classmate who lives just a couple blocks from my apartment), the Takagi’s are just the two of them. Turns out Koji has siblings who weren’t around at the time and his dad is out working.
They live in a quiet neighborhood near Hutchinson..seemingly a secluded and peaceful place, except for the occasional noise coming from the main thoroughfare. for the rest of the day, we played soccer at the front yard and we were joined by a neighbor’s kid.
We had dinner that night where Mrs. Takagi cooked up some rice meals (note though I may not be a hundred percent accurate of what I’m writing here. I’m trying to dig up as much dirt in my mind as I can). As they were telling me stuff about themselves, I also share to them mine. It’s a quite the cultural exchange I must say. I learned a lot of new stuff about Japanese culture and hopefully they learned a few stuff from mine.
Curiously, later when we were watching baseball (a game I will never seem to understand except for my bunso), Koji asked me this very odd question: Why do I act like an adult?. I was actually surprised he said that. He even expounded that the way I speak the way I see things, the way I know current event, it’s something not typical for a kid my age.
Trying to be open-minded about it, I kinda explained to him it’s something not uncommon considering that it all falls down with the way kids are raised in different countries. Back home, I don’t engaged much on after-school extra-curricular activities (except for Fridays) and in addition, kids back home are always, in one way or another, in the know of current events.
It’s very complicated, I pointed him out and the discussion ended on that note.
The following morning, I was pleasantly surprised what Mrs. Takagi prepared for breakfast. MILO: The Olympic Energy Drink! Turns out, Milo or the way they pronounce it, “Mi-roh” is also sold in Japan. They, in turn, were surprised as well on how I prep my own Milo drink. I poured a tablespoonful of Milo powder into my glass and poured water in it before stirring it.
That gave me an idea.
I showed them what my mom taught me on consuming Milo a different way. On a small plate of rice, I poured several teaspoonfuls of Milo powder on it and mixed them all up. The result: MILO RICE.
The sleepover was a big success and in effect, it became a learning experience not just for me but for Koji I guess as well. I don’t know how he thought about it but I’m sure it made his day.
Such a highlight of my stay in the US is something I won’t ever forget.
As I write this, I’m listening to an online stream to a station I used to listen to back when the family were spending a year stateside, WIHT, DC’s Hottest Hot 99-5.
Since it’s Christmas Day already, I guess I should tell you guys about the Habitans’ first and possibly the only Christmas we spent outside of the country.
One thing’s for sure, the Virginia winter is harshly cold and unfriendly. The average daily temp would often reach as low as 19 degrees Fahrenheit (several degrees below 0 Celsius). Some temperate greeneries would get frosted every morning while trees are completely devoid of leaves, signifying that winter is near.
If in Hollywood Christmas films, you’d see scenes of neighborhood engulfed with inches and inches of snow and heavily decorated with Christmas ornmanents, you could count this one out. Most of the houses in my neighborhood don’t exactly put up decorations the same way we do things here in the Philippines.
For one thing: No “parols”. Second: Not much Christmas lights placed outside their houses. Remember however that this was in 2001, and the country is still in a state of shock over the horrific events of September 11. Fox 5 continues to air their coverage on the “War on Terror” while NBC still had Katie Couric on the Today Show.
Another thing we didn’t see during the cold month of December: SNOW! No thanks to climate change, the DC area was left out of getting some good ol’ snowstorms throughout much of the winter season. It only snowed a month after Christmas and the snowstorm lasted for only a day. I learned that it has something to do with this natural weather system called the “Gulf Stream”.
Winter fashion was a dread for me. Having already gained a peak of 120 pounds, basing from my frame then is a bit overweight, I have to wear three different layers of clothes before going outside. First, it’s the regular t-shirt followed by a long-sleaved sweater, then a very thick jacket that when worn, I could hard reach my back when I needed to scratch it when itchy. Got to wear winter gloves and a scarf as well.
But despite the odds, the Habitans found a way of celebrating the holidays the old Pinoy way. First of all, my dad kinda “came home” to us after making an LOA from his work in the Philippines so the whole family could spent Christmas together. (Some people thought my parents are divorced because of this 2-year arrangement with my mom being a rep to the World Bank at the time while my dad had to remain in Manila for obvious reasons)
Second, he brought a parol along so we could hang it outside the balcony of our apartment, facing Haycock Road for all people to see. I think we’re the only ones in the neighborhood with that kind of a bright decoration considering people did kinda notice that colorful star shining outside the building.
Third, we got to spent Misa de Gallo/Simbang Gabi at the neighboring parish a few blocks away from where we live despite the harsh cold. Imagine the distance of going there from home with the distance of going from UST’s design and arts building going to the college of law. We had to call for a taxi to pick us up.
My nose turns red the moment it sense a drop of temperature outside our apartment, talk about harsh.
One thing I noticed, the way they celebrate a Christmas Mass seems to be more solemn than how Filipinos do things. And not much people crowding an otherwise small building. Choice of songs sang on Mass are either English or Latin and the people wear really formal clothing, as opposed to how we usually dress up for a regular Sunday Mass at home.
At home, we had our noche buena. Forgot what food we prepared for the occasion but I remember that all in the family are enjoying every bit of that moment.
A legacy of our first American Christmas is still visible in the household especially during the holiday season, our big Christmas tree. It’s been with us for the past 8 years and still going strong.
Amidst the cold Christmas night the family spent in the US, a sense of warmth kept us together, both figuratively and literally.
That’s because I remember that later after Misa de Gallo, my sister took me for a warm comforter and hugged me for some warmth. LOL!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I know that I wrote about this before but still, the thought that it’s been 8 year made me want to make an update on what I wrote more than two years ago about my time in the US when the terrorist attacks occurred on September 11, 2001. Hopefully, this ones more grammtically correct than the first. 😛
I remember my mom waking me up around 7 in the morning. The TV was turned on to Fox 5 Morning News (WTTG-TV) and as usual, I’m the first to take a bath while my little brother is given the privilege of getting a few minutes more to sleep. Ate and Kuya already left for school earlier (attending high school and middle school respectively).
After getting dressed, we ate breakfast and watched some good TV (ABC Family) until the clock strikes 8:20am. That’s the time when my mom would accompany me and Jorge to the nearest bus stop. There we would meet up with our schoolmates, including two classmates of mine, Andy and Jonathan.
Just turned 11 two weeks before and experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend school in a foreign country, I was at the time already overwhelmed with the things going on around me back then. The one thing I only hated during my stay there is the feeling that things become much of a routine.
But on that very day, the 11th of September, things changed not for the better but on the other way around.
Every 9am, we start the day by listening to the daily morning announcements followed by the pledge of allegiance then is concluded by a moment of silence before we could proceed to life in the 5th grade. Everything seems a-okay for a lot of us.
Nothing significant or anything occured except one parent who called in to pick up one of my classmates early. I thought his/her family must have some personal problems thus the reason he was sent home early. After that, class went on as we normally would.
As the day progressed I started to notice that one by one, my classmates are being pick up from school early. Me and a friend both agreed that something’s really odd but I just can’t put my finger on whatever is going on, completely unaware of what would be known to history as the event that changed the world forever.
By the end of the day there were only 12 or less of us left in class out of about 25 students. And looks like we weren’t the only one: even those from the other classroom, a lot of kids were sent home early that day.
I later learned the shocking truth when Jorge and I came home that day. Kuya and Ate were watching TV, with their eyes glued to horrific images of two tall buildings burning before an airplane crashed onto one of them, leading to their collapse. I thought it was a movie but when the TV started to show images of the Pentagon with one of its wings destroyed on a large scale I was completely speechless.
Thank goodness my mom was okay, having been sent home earluyby the World Bank with the rest of her colleagues after the attacks were committed. Later, the news reported another plane crash in Pennsylvania and reported that no one survived.
Devastating news indeed but I didn’t know how I would react with these shocking events. My mind kept thinking about this field trip we were supposed to go to the next day (which is at the same time, Jorge’s 9th birthday). Kinda cold-hearted but then again, I’m only 11, how I react?
The next day, the school formally announced the suspension of classes (not through TV but through Mr. McClain’s voice message on the school’s hotline) and while news about the attacks continue to fill our TV screens nonstop (especially WTTG).
I’ve no idea if Bush declared a state of emergency in the DC area or even in the nieghbouring suburbs but I remember that I went with my mom and Jorge to celebrate his birthday anyway by going to Tyson’s Corner, a popular mall a bus ride away from our apartment. That day became like any other day for most people as I noticed there were noticeably many people when we went to the mall.
Eventually, the feeling of fear and loss starts to sink in and I thought there’s going to be a world war (Which it did become months later).
I started to read newspaper articles related to 9/11: about near-death experiences, loved ones making tearful farewells through phone class and text. There was one article about a group of DC-based students and their teachesr who were among those who perished in the Pentagon crash. I also learned of inspiring stories about sacrifice and hope, about teamwork and love for country. It’s these small wonders that made the pain left by the attacks more bearable.
Eight years after the attacks happened, the world became completely different. We don’t know for sure of who’s reallywinning on this endless “war on terror”. But let us see this in another light: why must there be blood, violence and wasted lives for this “war” to win over. Why can’t pople just get alonga nd respect on whatever people are free to believe in. Why must we judge people based on who or what they are? Why can’t there be peace and diplomacy instead of mere tactics and badmouthing?
There are questions that needed to be answered while there are answered gthat needed to be questioned.
In order for us to attain true peace is to remember that to achieve it is to avoid an event like 9/11 to ever happen again.
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Movies |
| Genre: | Drama |
Finally, I get to watch a movie initiated by me and watched solely by me. The moment I saw the trailer of the movie, Gran Torino, on Studio 23’s News Central, I knew that once it’s out in theaters, I’m watching. Too bad that because of me being so excited and anxious, I read a spoiler over the internet which kinda ha me already knew what the ending may look like. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed the film.
I failed to watch Gran Torino at the very beginning but was able to at get to the film’s developing storyline. The movie is about Walt, a typical cranky old man who lives next door. He’s a former Korean war veteran who hates people who touches his property, including his prized Gran Torino. His wife recently passed away and his immediate family, from his two sons to his grandchildren, shows no respect whatsoever to him nor his late wife. Later in the movie, he regretted being unable to know his own kids (which led to his kids’ total show of disrespect towards their own father). He lives in a neighborhood that is increasingly becoming populated by immigrants from different parts of the world. Many of his neighbors are Hmong, a hill people from Southeast Asia.
Everything changes when a gang of Hmong delinquent had a young teenaged Hmong named Thao undergo an initiation by stealing Walt’s Gran Torino. Walt was able to caught him while he aims a shotgun towards the “gangbangers”. In order to pay of his crime, Thao spent 2 weeks to serve Walt by cleaning his housek hsi neighbor’s house, garden, wash his car, the works. Eventually, the two got close, almost like a father-and-son relationship. Walt also brokered a firendship with Thao’s sister, Sue, who explained to him the ways of the Hmong.
Things turns nasty when the Hmong gangsters went to Thao for revenge and had a still burning cigarette butt marked the poor boy’s face. Walt retaliated by ganging up against one of the members, presumably Thao’s cousin. The gang fired back, literally, at Thau’s house. He almost got shot while Sue was unknowingly attacked and later raped by the same gang.
Unable to forgive himself for what happened, Walt (who by that time, knew that he’s suffering from lung cancer) made a clever plan on pinning down the gangsters without blood being spilled other than his. He made it looked like as if he was reaching for a gun beneath his jacket to the gang without them knowing that he was merely reaching out for his lighter to light his cancer stick (while at the same time performing “Hail Mary”). Unknowingly deceived, they shot him several times before he collapsed to the green lawn in a “crucified” position, complete with blood spilling from his hands.
The gang got arrested after witnesses around the neighborhood saw what happened. In his final will, Colt passed down all his properties, including the Gran Torino to his friend Thau (much to the dismay of his family, who never really cared for the poor old man). The film ends as Thau drives away with his “new” car.
——
Review:
I’m all praises with almost everything about the film. The characters, the story, even the production values embedded into the film. You can’t call Clint Eastwood a director for nothing!
I like the quirky interactions between the character Walt and Sue as well as the familial bond formed between him and Thau. His interactions with the largely multicultural characters also contributed with the development of Walt, from becoming a cranky old man to a caring and humane individual.
Speaking of humane, I could see hints of Clint Eastwood itching to do some action pack stunts at any given moment of the film but fortunately, it was cleverly avoided as Clint’s character was never shown using his gun other than merely holding it. This is a vast departure to the actor’s past portrayal of characters that always go for gold with the guns, goons and sex. Plus, as comic relief, we see that other than his constant irritation with his neighbors, he has this failing for chicken dumplings :D.
The two other central characters, Thau and Sue, were also convincing, proving that there are young actors that could also go to the same intensity of effectively portraying characters with an essence of realism. (The character Sue looks like Gaby dela Merced if you ask me). In the case of Thau, the kind of talent he has is still kind of raw but given the opportunity to portray offbeat roles in future films, he can do wonders.
On the technical aspect, I noticed that the film is about 80% percent void of music scoring. Having no background music could bore viewers but the film was able to fill that void with fast and effective pacing , with BGM added when necessary. The use of cool colors as hue greatly supported the mood and setting of the movie (living in a town somewhere in the Midwest).
I also noticed though a kind of time transition between certain scenes. There was this scene which is set to a day after the previous sequence then after less than a minute, proceeded to the next sequence set a day later. It’s not exactly a negative nor a positive thing but I feel like either one of the scenes felt unnecessary to be included on the final cut. The two sequences are: 1)the one where Thau repeatedly pressed the doorbell while Walt was in the bathroom, coughing up blood, and 2) we are forwarded to a scene where we see Walt coming out from his truck that he had just parked it outside his home.
Unlike other mainstream films produced by the US, Gran Torino’s cast are 90% non-white, showcasing the reality of America’s changing dynamics (which began with the influx of non-English immigrants in the United States, if you recall your world history), becoming increasingly diverse, shaping American society as a whole (Never got tired of saying that). Clint did the same thing when he had a predominantly Japanese cast (and those of Japanese-descent) for “Letters from Iwo Jima”)
Nonetheless, I’m satisfied with what I saw: the smooth and well-paced flow of the movie, never a boring scene nor an action-packed sequence that Clint Eastwood fans would usually expect from the award-winning actor/director/producer, and the ability of Clint Eastwood himself to really dwell on unfamiliar territory, drama (although his potential to do drama was already seen in his two previous films, “Flags of Our Fathers”, and “Letters from Iwo Jima”).
“Gran Torino” is definitely worth your money!
Once two students took physics
They made silly jokes all day for kicks
Disproving gravity
No our childhood wasn’t depravity
We just liked learning
And as the Earth kept turning
We just kept asking why
And we’ll be searching ’til we die
‘Til we meet the Spirit in the Sky
He’ll tell us the final digit of pi
No answers to us will He deny
So take up the quest, and you too try
Off science, that’s how we get high
So long, and thanks for all the fish…
| Rating: | ★★★★ |
| Category: | Other |
Hehehe, after ten episodes of watching The CW’s 90210, I’m now ready to make my post-premiere review on how the show is going.
So far, 90210 has maintained its momentum on keeping up with the different stories it had unraveled since the Wilson stepsiblings’ transfer to West Beverly High School. One of the siblings Dixon recently entered to a relationship with Erin “Silver” Silver while his sister, goody-good girl Annie is now in a relationship as well to Ethan Ward although in secret because he recently broke off (for the second time) with bad girl Naomi Clark (the not-so-sixteen year-old-looking hoodlum in curls). The Wilson patriarch, Harry, was surprised to know that his ex-high school fling (Naomi’s mom Tracy) had a son with her and that she hired a private investigator to locate their child, much to the dismay of Harry’s wife Debbie who want Tracy to be out of their lives completely. Meanwhile, “sniff-and-lick” druggie Adrianna Duncan almost died after having an overdose from “Coke” and had recently entered rehab. Helping her recover is Navid Shirazi who finally proved his usefulness in the series. After directing the school play, Brenda Walsh decided to leave Beverly Hills for the time being while Kelly Taylor, after receiving a phone call from ex-flame Dylan McKay, decided to take his son for a vacation with his dad.
For the plus points:
1. I finally get the chance to appreciate the character of Navid because he’s been a dormat character for pretty much the first quarter of the show’s first season. I just hope that the writers would be able to keep the dynamism infused to Navid throughout the show’s run.
2. “Hithit-at-tikim” Adrianna was recently given series regular status after public interest towards her grew. I like how within ten hours, this particular character grew and made viewers understand the kind of situation that she is. Being a former child star with an aggressive stage mom as her manager, it’s hard to imagine on what she’s going through right now.
The climax of her addiction to cocaine on the 8th episode was artfully done well and it was made in good taste! While it’s too early to tell if she’s going to leave her past as an addict behind completely, I expect a lot of twists going on around her especially that boost given to the character needs to stay as long as possible.
3. Unlike the original adaptation where there weren’t much of a storyline given for the Walsh twins’ parents, Jimmy and Cindy; those of the Wilson’s have one. Given that the number of premarital sex and teenage pregnancies have been on the rise for the past 10 years I think it was a good move to put this issue into light, especially on how the thought of having another sibling affected not only Harry and Debbie but also to Dixon and Annie. Since the missing kid appeared at the end of Episode 10, this ought to make an interesting plot for the characters to resolve.
4. I could also see an early friction of ideologies between Harry, who’s the principal of West Bev High, and the campus “crush ng bayan” teacher, Ryan Matthews. This conflict would culminate in a decision on how the school should be run, especially how Harry handled the drug trade problem (even having to hired a teenage-looking female cop in disguise who got the hots for Mr. Matthews). I would like to see this dwell on further in order for the show to remain realistic.
Minus points:
1. It’s sad to see that Jessica Walter, who’s playing “Hip Lola” Tabitha Wilson was demoted to recurring status. I love seeing her in scenes where she get to say such witty lines, and is pretty much of a comic relief. But given still of a lack of an ongoing storyline dedicated to her, she’ll only be seen on scenes where she is most needed (mostly concentrated within the Wilson mansion).
2. Again, the realism of the show is still not seen among the younger actors especially on how they deal with their ongoing love triangles and the like. A) Dixon-Silver is still playing safe on their relationship especially that the former is still pretty much have a lot of ‘first times’ yet to be met. B)Naomi’s reaction towards the blooming relationship between her ex and half-sister Annie is b*tchy in the sense that she has too much insecurities around herself. Yes, I know that she has a lot of things going on around her, but the way she’s acting is so not how a sixteener should act. C) Annie’s being too naive among her other traits is what pulling her down as a character. Not a good thing if she is supposedly the one of the main central characters in the series. I just hope that her being a 2D character would end once she bore the brunt of Beverly Hills life. Among all the characters she’s the weakest. I won’t be surprised if Shenae Grimes, the girl who portrays Annie Wilson, is being compared as a “carbon copy” of Shannen Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh in the original.
3. Another aspect that needs to be given more emphasis on is having 90210 remain a teen-oriented show not only in terms of how young the characters are, but also in terms of how they deal with their lives as actual teenagers. I’m looking for something as extreme as date rape, sexual harassment, cliques, peer pressure, and student suicides as well as not so extreme as actual classroom conversations, high school dilemmas, basketball,prom, actual involvement from the school administrations, an existing student council girls talking about how big their pimples are, and even barkada trips among other things.
Over-all, 90210 improved in some aspects but there are other sectors they need to improve on. If the producers want to show issues that truly affect the youth then they should show it. What I’m seeing now is what the original BH90210 looked like in their later seasons in the setting of tis first season. I’m looking forward on how the rest of the 24-episode season would fare.
Raise your voices, sing your praises
“Believe in yourself and create your own destiny. Don’t fear failure”
One of the best Toonami ads aired on Cartoon Network. Aired sometime from 2000-2002, this is probably one of the most inspiring infomercials meant for the youth.
Featured clips include: Outlaw Star, Gundam Wing, Dragonball Z, and Tenchi Muyo