Ningyo Hime

When I posted the lyrics of Raison D'etre (Reason To Live) last June 9, 2004, Adrian gave this comment: "Mas gusto ko po yung Ningyo Hime! Hehe...mas sad kasi ang tune nu'n..."

Well, Adrian was right...

I was surprised to hear the second ending theme of Chobits at the end of Episode 14. The episode which ended with Hideki seeing Shinbo and Shimizu-sensei embracing in the rain...

I really didn't know the title of the ending at first...as I progressed with the next few episodes after episode 14, the sadness of the song started to sink in....until I searched the lyrics of the song at Animelyrics.com.

Well, how sad was it really...

The lyrics, based on the English translation, are bereft of pain and longing...The manner it was sung by Rie Tanaka contributed to that melancholic effect....

And just like the song Alone from Gensoumaden Saiyuki, Ningyo Hime just struck me...

And so, without leaving you again., no matter how much I hurt inside, I'll always be near you...

Sheeesh.....

Here are the lyrics of the sad sone, along with the English translation, courtesy of www.animelyrics.com:


Ningyo Hime (Mermaid Princess)
Artist: Rie Tanaka
Second Ending Theme From Chobits


Romaji Lyrics:

yoru no machi ha shizuka de fukai umi no you
tsudzuku michi ni tada ATASHI hitori dake
tooi koe o tayori ni aruite yuku no
zutto sagashiteru sotto hikaru aoi hikari

nee ATASHI o mitsukete soshite yonde KOKORO de

donna ni hanareta toshite mo kikoeru kara

gin no akari ga tomaru sorezore no heya
kitto doko ka niha iru to negai nagara aruku

nee ANATA o mitsukete
soshite nido to wasurezu
donna ni mune ga itakutemo
soba ni iru no

tsunaida te o
hanasanai kara

nee ATASHI ga ANATA o mitsukete
soshite nido to wasurezu
donna ni mune ga itakutemo soba ni iru no

zutto
zutto



English Translation:

At night, the town is quiet like the bottom of the ocean
I continue down the road by myself
Guided by the distant voiceI keep searching for the soft blue light

Hey I discovered myself within
And my spirit calls out to me
No matter how far away I am, I can hear it

The silver light burns within every room
I walk around hoping for it anywhere, surely

Hey I found you
And so, without leaving you again
No matter how much I hurt inside
I'll always be near you
I'll never release
Your hand that I held

Hey I found you
And so, without leaving you again
No matter how much I hurt inside I'll always be near you

Forever
Forever

Forwarded Thoughts

I was "cleaning" my e-mail when I stumbled upon this message forwarded by my friend Monse. I thought the message would be worth sharing.

The original message was in paragraph form, but I decided to enumerate the thoughts contained in the message to make it a good read.

May we all be inspired by the following thoughts.... ^_^

1. LOVE starts with a SMILE , grows with a KISS , and ends with a TEAR.
2. DON'T cry over anyone who won't cry over you.
3. Good FRIENDS are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.
4. You can only go as far as you push.
5. ACTIONS speak louder than words.
6. The HARDEST thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else.
7. DON'T let the past hold you back, you're missing the good stuff.
8. LIFE'S SHORT. If you don't look around once in a while you might miss it.
9. A BEST FRIEND is like a four leaf clover, HARD TO FIND and LUCKY TO HAVE.
10. Some people make the world SPECIAL just by being in it.
11. BEST FRIENDS are the siblings God forgot to give us. When it HURTS to look back, and you're SCARED to look ahead, you can look beside you and your BEST FRIEND will be there.
12. TRUE FRIENDSHIP "NEVER" ENDS. Friends are FOREVER.
13. Good friends are like STARS You don't always see them, but you know they are ALWAYS THERE. DON'T frown.
14. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.
15. What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry? Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them. Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.
16. Most people walk in and out of your life, but only FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart.

(Re)Classified Odd: Another Letdown?

It was quite a letdown all over again...

...and I was not alone this time.

I remember quite well THAT professor who gave me the "letdown". He advocated CRITICAL THINKING, but he didn't think twice in denying me the chance to apply for reclassification last summer for the lame reason of me having a non-PhD-able graduate course. (Read my blog on the Lecturer Letdown for some backgrounder).

Now, a sem has passed, and I applied again, this time with another lecturer who was incidentally a MS Applied Math major like me. Her advantage, though, was that she was already prepared to start her master's thesis. My predicament was my LOA for this sem but I applied nonetheless, ready to answer any query that will result in my academic status.

After submitting my grades online, I immediately composed a lengthy appication letter addressed to our chairman, then went to the Admin office to submit it with my TCG. Ate Guey then scheduled me for an interview on the 27th at 4:30 pm. That day was also the demo-interview of new applicants. My co-lecturer was scheduled also on that daw, after my interview schedule.

Days passed before the interview...I really prepared myself to the extent of thinking all possible questions that would be thrown at me, planning the nicest approach and the sweetest smile to the panel (even if that prof would really give me shivers of anger and fear if he would be present), even asking my students to wish me luck to alleviate my nervousness. My teacher-friend who was reclassified this semester even gave me some tips during one of our YM chat sessions.

Then a shock came to both of us on the day of the supposed interview.

The day of the interview came. Well-wishers still filled my cell phone with encouraging messages (I had no prepaid load then so I couldn't reply to them). My room mates at Room 106 reduced my nervousness by cracking jokes and other silly stuff about my application and other things. I had frequent visits to the john due to nerbiyos. I was really a bit uneasy but at least there were my colleagues to lighten me up. I even remember Ate Guey reminding me to go upstairs by my scheduled time and wished me luck.

A few minutes before 4:30 I prepared to do the decisive climbing of the stairs leading to the second floor, and the crucial walk toward the conference room where the interview was supposed to take place. When I went out of the room to go upstairs with two coteachers, I saw tmy other co-teachers going down already from the second floor. Was the interview supposed to go on till 6 pm, I asked. Did the committee forgot that there two souls waiting anxiously to be grilled?

Then the shocker came from a co-teacher who went to our room.

For some reason or another the committee tasked to screen teaching applicants decided not to interview us on that day. That co-teacher just told us that after a moment of deliberation the committee decided to disperse the crowd and scrutinize first our SET's (Student Evaluation of Teacher) and other feedbacks. They will notify us later for the next scheduled interview. A text message from the chairman confirmed the decision.

After learning that decision I just sat down my corner in the office full of disbelief... I didn't know what to react....So many things filled my mind then. What the heck happened there? Why such a sudden change of mind? Was there an underlying motive for such move? Should I feel paranoia? Will that chance really come? Sheesh...

A pinch of optimism still remained after that, though.... Who knows, that interview might come true just as our chairman has said. Although I no longer had the same anxiousness and enthusiasm as before, I would wait again...

But the wait might be in vain. Days passed since then. The enrolment will end soon... No sign of anything....

And they already hired three new teachers....

So, what does it mean for us?

Now, my feeling of disbelief is as strong as ever.... I feel a sense of distrust and helplessness....

But there's nothing we can do....

Well, I guess I have to accept it.

...and move on.