Quite a tiring day actually. But rewarding.

First off, kawaii Angela said hi to me. Gomen I forgot your name. I'm bad with names, even though I'm a stalker. =P

Had to go off to Makati to buy Hazel a birthday present. Apparently, Music One of Greenbelt 3 has a set of L`arc CDs. The ones that are released internationally, except for Clicked Singles Best. FYI, Japanese CDs costs Y3,000, which comes around to P1260. International releases are those not sold in Japan but are exclusive to countries like Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Philippines. Not all Japanese artists get this treatment but usually happens to those artists whom the company wants to market like L`arc, Glay, Utada Hikaru, Globe, Speed, etc. to name a few. In countries like the Phil. where there isn't a high demand for it (oh sure, there are cliques and groups that acquire those kinds of CDs but when I talk about demand, I mean the masses, or at least majority of thoses who have purchasing power), the company usually coerces stores to acquire a CD or two on their shelf as part of a business deal. Which is why you'll only see three or four L`arc CDs of a particular kind at any one time in a music shop. They [the record shop] can always get more but they'd rather finish their stock before acquiring more titles. The only exception to this was probably L`arc's Clicked Singles Best which ran out in a short time even though there were like two dozen in outlets like Tower Records and Music One. I am a stalker (this is reliable info, hehehe).

Back to the topic, yes, got Hazel a L`arc CD, as she probably knows by now since me and Ria had trouble contacting her (Ria, on the other hand, got two other L`arc CDs she didn't have, with me paying for it). And Hazel's actually playing it smart by not answering my text messages or calls when I ask her what she wants for her birthday. =P

To those interested, the Hero OST is now available at Music One Greenbelt. That and CSI. Oh yeah, jrock fans should be sad... Shop 88 has closed down.

Before heading home, ate dinner at KFC in the MRT station. I was hungry. But knowing me, I bought the cheapest meal, the one with the P20 hamburger.

Since my boasting of being a stalker never ceases, my stalker powers were again at work as I ran into Janni. And then later into Robert. After some chitchat for one and a half hours, ran home to watch CSI in time.

Finally remembered my other pet peeve: series's that never seem to end. To me, what makes Western comics and shows weak is the fact that they never seem to end. I mean it depends on the genre and shows like The Simpsons are okay since it's only taken half-seriously. But if you want something melodramatic and has a great climax, you can't keep telling the same story on and on for the next fifty years. Sure, comics like Batman and Superman have their own storyarcs, but eventually, the only way to refresh it is to portray the characters in a new light. I like how they eliminated Hal Jordan from Green Lantern. At least that, in Hal Jordan's story, had a melodramatic effect when he forsake his vows and turned into Parallax. The Green Lantern now, Kyle Rayner, while he bears the same "Green Lantern" label, tells a different story. But Clark Kent has always been Clark Kent as well as Peter Parker has always been Peter Parker. Whatever dramatic tension they make in an existing story arc, it is somehow overshadowed by the next successful story arc. (Yes, I'm not telling the whole story, but I don't really want to expound on this in a short journal entry.)

In contrast to anime series that do have a definite ending. Kenshin's done and finished. So is Yu Yu Hakusho. Even Gundam and Ultraman tells different stories, having different protagonists or if they do, they're changed from their previous incarnation. And eventually, those protagonists die, making way for the new.

I'm not saying that Marvel and DC should start killing off all their superheroes. But for dramatic purposes and tension, you can't repeat the same thing over and over again. Parallel dimensions and multiverses can only stretch so far. There's also the saying "quit while you're ahead". Extending something beyond its normal lifespan can kill the setting, the character, and the mood. Sure, there are reinventions right now like Marvel's "Ultimates" series but over time, you can't always do that. And while there are some comics that succeed in toppling its previous successes (e.g. Batman: Knightfall, Batman: Dark Knight Returns, Batman: No Man's Land, etc.), somehow, you get the feeling that in the end, things will turn our semi-okay and the main character still surviving. And that takes away a bit of the suspense.