House of Memory

I didn't get the chance to look up anything about this film that I just recently watched. The old-fashioned poster, adorned with half-body shots of the actors, immediately signaled that it was perhaps an Indian movie. After finishing “Slow,” a Swedish film (I believe), I felt the urge to explore another foreign film—something beyond my usual choices. I went to Reddit and hopped on some old discussions about Asian cinema. Among the recommendations, “The Lunchbox” caught my eye in one of the comment threads. Intrigued, I decided to download it offline, along with other Asian films that piqued my attention based on their title. First, I tried to watch “Barfi,” another Indian film. Regrettably, even after giving it half an hour to grow on me, I still struggled to connect with it. Similarly, my initial experience with “The Lunchbox” left me also feeling disconnected. However, I knew I needed to give it more time, so I paused the film after about 15 minutes. Exhausted from switching betw

It's been a damn long time since I made my last entry here.  Life, that relentless juggernaut, has a way of shoving you into the margins of memory. I’ve tucked you away there,  where at times, without any grand promises of return. Whenever I am nowhere from being miserable, I bury you like one of my deepest secrets that even myself is ashamed to revisit. You might have seen and noticed the pattern, and I confess, I'm more than guilty of only seeking you out during my darkest hours.  Remember those nights when I craved the company of Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath? Their words, like lifelines, pulled me from the abyss. And when I felt like rotting, I'd hit desperately that retweet button on depression-laden tweets, as if sharing collective pain could somehow lighten my own.  But today, I come to you with a different intention. Not to wallow in melancholy, but to share an embarrassing secret: I've been less sad lately. Strange, isn't it?  So here I am, baring my soul

I never expected that 'Upcoming Summer' would leave such a lasting impression to me. It has been nearly a week since the credits rolled, yet there are moments when my mind replays Coldplay and The Chainsmokers’ “Something Just Like This,” instantly transporting me back to that scene. They stood side by side amidst the pulsating crowd—people hopping to the beats, neon spotlights painting the air, and breaths echoing with so much euphoria. And there they were, leaning into each other, exchanging hushed whispers, and sharing their deepest secrets. After that, the credits were rolling. My eyes remained fixated on the fading black screen until they filled with words: We hope we can face ourselves with more honesty. We hope we can be braver.   I was almost convinced that ‘Upcoming Summer’ would be easily forgettable. After all, I only gave this film a chance because I wanted to see Leo Wu once again after ‘Amidst a Snowstorm of Love.’ However, I remained confident that anything with

Having recently completed a 30-episode drama series, I thought it would be some time before I could immerse myself in yet another Chinese drama. Spanning 36 episodes, more than two regular K-drama series combined, Lighter & Princess literally had me skeptical. There was no way for me to finish a series that feels like a lifetime to watch UNLESS it would be something truly spectacular, even greater than my then current C-drama favorite, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love.  First Impression Debating whether to invest 65 pesos for a month’s worthy subscription on Youku, I clung to the uncertainty.  Would this series captivate me as much as AASOL, or would it fall short of my expectations?  Initially, I jumped into this drama with only a vague notion of its premise.  The title itself led me to believe it was a fantasy romance drama. The opening credits reinforced this impression, playfully hinting at magic and fairytales. From the title, I envisioned “Lighter” was a prince of lightning, while 

Last year was a real struggle for me. I couldn’t manage to put together my year-end countdown of favorite songs. Workload consumed my days, leaving no room for my beloved music. It felt like a crime to indulge in leisure during office hours. I constantly reminded myself to stay focused and finish on time, fearing another late night at the desk. So, that’s the backstory of my 2022 song list failure. But here we are now, a tad early for this entry. Still, I’ve adopted a rebranded motto: “better late than never.” After all, it’s better to be ahead of schedule than perpetually behind, right? Enough blubbering—let’s dive into my Top 5 Songs of 2023: 1. I GUESS THIS IS JUST ANOTHER SONG 'BOUT TOKYO? TOKYO LOVE HOTEL - RINA SAWAYAMA The first time I heard about Rina Sawayama was during a random YouTube interview with New Jeans. I didn’t know much about her at that point, but perhaps I had caught a passing glimpse of her during a Head in the Clouds concert clip in my feed. And that was the

It has been almost about three weeks now since I made a promise to visit you. I was able to, but after just my second try, I vanished again.  I have been really busy, you know. Busy in a sense that I have also been occupied with a lot of personal things. I was almost close to breaking down as I felt that darkness again hovering nearby. I don't know but I had a couple of episodes where I was drowning in my own emotions. Things have been pretty rough lately and although the feeling was once familiar to me, it is still scary. I guess, loneliness will never be a stranger to us. It will come and pass by, but it will crash the composure in you— the composure you are still building up.  Despite the waves of loneliness, I still took a courage to swim in the uncertainty. It was overwhelming, oxygen-depriving, but I had to force myself to go along the current and play with the flow.  September 14. My sister woke me up in the middle of the night. It was past 12 am and there were specks of blo