After watching again the two seasons, I shall now write this review-slash-outpouring-of-emotions-for-the-series. As best as I can. Without going suebpgiwebgrhbvri.

[Warning: Spoilers and images and GIFs ahead. None of these images are mine.]

So. BBC’s Sherlock. Where do I even begin? Hmm. Just that it’s probably one of the most brilliant adaptations of Sir Conan Doyle’s famous detective.

At first, I was honestly a bit skeptic about the setting being in modern times, but I think that turned out quite well. In fact, it became easier to relate to the story since we’re more familiar with the technology they’re using.

I liked the show for two things, which are mainly: the mysteries of the cases they encounter and the relationships of the characters, though it was more of the latter. It was pretty interesting to watch Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he made his deductions, especially when the words appear, to help the audience follow with his thought processes. Though his speaking and thinking was very fast [I found myself repeating these parts the first time I was watching everything], I just chalked it to being part of his character since he is supposed to be one step ahead of the other people around him.

Now for the characters. Hmm. I don’t think there’s one that I really really hated. Sally Donovan and Anderson come to mind. I’m waiting for something like this to happen in the third season.

Anyway, aside from those two, I don’t dislike any of the other characters, even Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott), actually. In fact, I think he’s a very brilliant and effective villain. [Though I was partly amused during his first meeting with Sherlock.] I’m still somehow amazed at how every case was properly orchestrated to fulfill in due time his master plan. After all, he was able to use the police’s dislike for Sherlock and his “showing off” and making the police force look like idiots to his advantage. Then again, he isn’t Sherlock’s rival for nothing.

I really liked Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), probably because she just seems like such a warm person. She’s a sweet lady but she could also be strong, and you could see that Sherlock has affection for her. Molly Hooper‘s (Louise Brealey) pretty much the same. She’s also sweet and nice but she’s willing to do everything she can for Sherlock. At first I couldn’t help but facepalm whenever she would do something in hopes of getting noticed by him [Well, he does notice, but he doesn't know the reason behind it because he's not good when it comes to feelings.], but I soon learned to like her because I could relate with her. And I couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration for her since she still does everything she can for the person she likes. As for Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), she..intrigues me. Somehow, I’m still a bit baffled why she becomes an important character in the adaptations when in the original, she merely beat Sherlock Holmes. Well, ok, that’s somehow a big deal. But still..

Moving on. There’s Greg Lestrade (Rupert Graves) whom I’m also liking a bit more now. Probably because of these.

On a bit more serious note, though he isn’t like Sherlock who can easily see the evidence that matter and make deductions from them, he is still Sherlock’s most trusted officer in the force. In turn, he might not be too fond of how Sherlock makes a fool out of the officers, but he still respects and acknowledges Sherlock’s skill.

And then there’s Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss), the British government.

Err. ‘Nuff said. XD

So that leaves us with the two main characters: Sherlock and John Watson (Martin Freeman). This post is already long so I won’t gush about how I feel about them [and their actors]. Just that I think Sherlock’s as brilliant as he is in the stories and John’s less of an idiot as he is usually portrayed. And one more thing about John [and Freeman himself, I guess]: I still firmly believe that he’s a man made of kittens.

As I said earlier, one of the two things that I love about this series is the relationships of the characters, mainly Sherlock and John. And now I shall release my emotions regarding that.

“You take this cold, remarkable, difficult, dangerous, borderline psychopath man, and you wonder what might have happened to him had he not met his best friend, a friend that no one would have put him with – this solid, dependable, brave, big-hearted war hero. I think people fall in love, not with Sherlock Holmes or with Dr. Watson, but with their friendship. I think it is the most famous friendship in fiction, without a doubt.” - Steven Moffat

As said above by one of the show’s writers, Steven Moffat, meeting John greatly changed Sherlock. And to quote a friend of mine, “He’s more human, compared to the books.” Truth be told, I don’t really mind that. It just shows how much their characters slowly change in the course of their friendship.

I find it funny that just about every other character assumes that they’re together. I also find it funny that in the beginning, John would always correct these assumptions, but as time passed, he just gave up on making people think otherwise.

There was even one instance wherein Adler herself said that John and Sherlock are a couple, which he, of course, denies. Shipper heart aside, I agree with her. The two might not be exactly boyfriends or whatever but they have a strong relationship that probably can’t be given a proper name. For example, before, Sherlock was only all about his work and the thrill and challenge it presented to him. Other people, especially the emotional aspect of things, were never of importance to him. But after meeting John, he seemed to have mellowed a bit. Meanwhile, after Afghanistan, John never really had anything of importance: no place he considered home, no significant person, and most of all, no excitement in his life. But after meeting Sherlock, he was finally doing something, and it was like his life had finally been given a purpose. So in a way, they had become two halves of a whole – two individuals who complement each other so well and fill each other’s shortcomings. And here, Adler’s probably pointing that out to John. That yes, he and Sherlock are a couple in a sense that they have a special bond that weaved them together.

That said, I would just like to release all my emotions ever since the last episode of the second season, The Reichenbach Fall episode.

So I shall just sit here and try my best to wait patiently for the third season. All the while sobbing.

I recently started [and finished] watching the second season of BBC’s Sherlock wherein I fell in love with the two main characters Sherlock Holmes and John Watson played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman respectively. So while I am trying to somehow get over my Reichenbach feels [which shall be elaborated on in another post], I decided to go watch another show starring one of the actors from the series. I think most fans of Sherlock like Cumberbatch more. Though I also like him, I think I like Freeman a bit more. Despite being a 40-ish year-old man, he feels..I don’t know..squishy and adorable? Must be all the jumpers he wore in the series. Haha. And his “F*ck you, I won a BAFTA” is simply priceless. [Sorry, getting carried away now.]

Anyway, hence Boy Meets Girl.

[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

Basically, a guy and a girl switch bodies because of being hit by lightning. They’re the complete opposites of one another: the girl [Veronica, played by Rachael Stirling] is a successful fashion journalist while the guy [Danny, played by Freeman] works at a DIY store and does a few petty jobs/crimes from time to time for money. So what happens when they switched bodies? Complete and utter chaos. Well, somehow.

After the switch, “Veronica” finds herself in a hospital with her best friend Siobhan and boyfriend Jay who were clearly concerned for her. Confused as to why there were people she didn’t know, she finally knows what has happened when she looks into a mirror and finds out that she wasn’t exactly what she used to be. And so, long story short, Danny in Veronica’s body had to figure out how to wear a bra, dress properly, write fashion articles, turn down Jay’s advances, and all the girly stuff that had to do with being Veronica. Along the way, she finds out that she was actually cheating on Jay with Siobhan’s boyfriend Ali and that she estranged her own parents. And so, she set out to find her real body, asking for help from Pete and Fiona, her friends when she was Danny.

Meanwhile, “Danny” lost his memories after the accident and had to roam around the city begging for change. It was only when he read a newspaper article about “Veronica’s” accident that he remembered what happened. And so he tried to get in touch with “Veronica”, all the while searching for a solution to get back to their own bodies, trying to convince Jay who he really was [and failing miserably], being hit on by an older man, and being forced to commit a crime in order to pay for his debts.

For a show with only four episodes, I actually liked it. I only felt a bit bad that the show focused more on Danny in Veronica’s body [hence less Freeman screentime]. I also felt that if anybody from the show was supposed to learn a lesson from this, it was supposed to be the real Veronica. After all, she was practically lying to everybody, what with her affair with her best friend’s boyfriend. And come on, she estranged her own parents and never even told any of her friends about them.

But it was kind of fun watching “Veronica” act clueless and confused sometimes, with Freeman’s voice as her thoughts. And then there’s “Danny” being lost and confused and “I’m Veronica!!” I also liked how the real Danny [who finally got to be in a relationship with Fiona, the girl he liked, only he was still in Veronica's body then] eventually broke things off with Fiona because after all, it was inevitable that he return to his own body. And he was still technically lying to her, no matter how many times he urges that “She likes me for who I am inside”.

So yes, in the end they do return to their original bodies, with the real Veronica eventually breaking things off with Jay, who had already proposed to “her”. I actually felt a bit sorry for him since he genuinely liked her. As for Danny, he learned that the high-status life that he and his friend Pete imagined wasn’t exactly easy and comfortable. And so they set on a journey, determined to make something more out of their lives.

[..did I confuse everyone enough? Hehe.]

The sequel to the Sherlock Holmes movie in 2009 arrived last December 2011. Honestly, I almost forgot about the sequel if a friend hadn’t reminded me about it a few months before its airing. The curious thing is that when that friend reminded me, I happened to have just started on reading all Sherlock Holmes novels and stories. Coincidence much?

[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

Before watching A Game of Shadows, I watched the previous movie first to “refresh” myself and to somehow get myself even more excited for the sequel. And when I finally watched it..

At first, I immediately liked it. Though there was less deduction and mysteries and more gunfire, action, and explosions, I still enjoyed it. Of course, a big factor was Holmes and Watson‘s..partnership. Hehe.

I liked the females in this movie, though I was surprised that they killed Adler so early on. Madame Simza was a strong and badass woman. Meanwhile, though I didn’t like Mary much in the first movie, I appreciated her here more as she became a badass as well. As quoted from a post I saw on Tumblr:

The lady is a straight-up badass.
A guy comes into her train car and tries to kill her and her husband on their honeymoon?
She grabs a gun and gets the situation under control, because Mary Watson will not take your sh*t.
Gets tossed out of a moving train into a river?
Snarks about the guy who did it instead of panicking.
Walks into a room with a naked man?
Keeps calm and carries on like a boss.
She deciphered Moriarty’s little red book and took his ass down, laughing at the inspectors that couldn’t keep up with her.
To sum up-
Mary Watson: kicking ass, taking names, and being more badass than you since 1891.

Yes, Mary Watson did not take any sh*t from anyone in this movie. And that was what made her awesome.

Moriarty was..somehow the way I expected him to be. He looked like the perfect gentleman, one whom you wouldn’t expect to be the bad guy behind everything, until he sticks a hook into the shoulder of the main character. All the while, singing opera, even.

And now let us go into the part that I enjoyed the most: the bromance. I apologize but I just have to let it out. Haha.

The wedding, the train scene, the dance, the looks exchanged between them. Everything. Everything just made me go “squeeeee” in delight.

Holmes [this time] taking care of his best friend because the latter was too hungover when they arrived at his wedding. Holmes’ look as his best friend was getting married. Watson’s look when he saw Holmes slowly walking away after the wedding.  The entire train scene. Watson’s feels as he was trying to revive Holmes whom he thought was never going to wake up during the second train scene. The dance wherein the two of them actually didn’t bicker for the first time [and where it was also revealed that Holmes was the one who taught Watson how to dance; the female steps for the dance].

And that part before Holmes threw himself and Moriarty to the falls. Once he saw Watson, he closed his eyes so that his best friend would be the last thing he saw. Asdfghjkl. I swear, my heart hurt then and I was tempted to scream out “NOOOOO!” even though I knew it was part of the story for him and Moriarty to fall.

But all the feels for Holmes’ “death” was gone when he made an epic appearance at the end. I swear I did not see that coming. I mean, come on, disguising as an armchair? So he’d actually been there while Watson was ‘typing’ the story?

I wonder how he would let himself appear in front if Watson. At least now Watson knows that he’s alive, while in the original story, he never knew until Holmes actually revealed himself. Hmm. I guess we’ll just have to wait for the third movie then?

For some reason, I was about to visit the Guerrero boys [as far as I know, they are: Clemenz, Joey, John, Kevin, Macky, and P.Ross].

..in a military jeep..thingy.

I don’t remember who was driving and how many people were with me, but I do remember that Joey was there. And Kristan too. If the military jeep wasn’t odd enough, we were supposedly riding through streets of abandoned buildings. Most were made of concrete, the outside walls covered with green algae in every surface imaginable.

We pulled up into a large lot with a huge concrete building also covered with algae here and there. We parked in an inclined area and were preparing to descend the vehicle.

Kristan jumped down first, and I don’t what the hell happened but she’s suddenly slipping down a roof, wherein where she would fall was a mystery to us. Everyone around me was shouting out of concern for her but I couldn’t hear what they were exactly saying; all I could hear was an odd ringing in my ears. To add to that, it was as if everything was going in slow-motion.

~

I woke up after that, once again feeling weirded out by another dream. I wonder if it means anything?

I was with my high school friend Eddie inside a large and dark presentation hall that looked similar to a theater. We were seated around the middle area, not very far from the front rows, and waiting for the event to begin.

After a few more minutes, it finally started. The emcee greeted everyone and said that there will be three parts of the contest. The first part was a question-and-answer kind. Obviously, the emcee would ask someone from the audience a question and if he/she got it right, they would receive a prize.

The emcee called out someone from the first few rows. I didn’t hear the question but apparently, the answer given was wrong. When I asked my companion, it seemed he didn’t understand it much as well, but he did hear that the question was about what the name of someone’s mother was, and that the correct answer was said to be Deedee from the cartoon show Dexter’s Lab. I was puzzled at this and asked if he must have heard wrong, but he stood by what he said. Apparently, I was the only one confused by this so I decided to ask no further questions.

The second part started. There were three machines set up at the front. Looking closely, I saw that they were game machines wherein you press a button to ‘hit’ the rubber ducks that passed in a line. (I was greatly reminded of the same game my friend Aaron and I played once.)

The players were assembled and asked to stand beside their machines. When the signal to begin was given, sounds of button-punching and the audience’s shouts were in the air.

As the minutes ticked by, I noticed that the middle player’s machine seemed to be broken because even though he was pressing the button, the ‘hand’ inside that would hit the ducks remained motionless. However, he didn’t even complain to the emcee and just continued pressing the button, as if hoping that it would work soon. I shouted to get the emcee’s attention and pointed out that the his machine wasn’t working. Unfortunately, I was simply ignored, but I still kept shouting.

My shouts were only ‘noticed’ when there was only around 20 seconds left into the game. Two large men appeared and held the player back. They ‘fixed’ the machine even though they were actually only looking at it and poking it.

When the countdown reached 0 and the winner was announced, I didn’t even care because I was too upset at the turnout of events for the second player.

Finally, the third and last part of the game was to start. But before the emcee could announce what it was though, two large floats appeared out of nowhere and crashed on the tall beams on the right side on the hall. The people panicked and  started running to the exits. I did too but not before looking back one last time and noticing that the floats were that of Dexter and Deedee from the same cartoon show from earlier. With that observation , I went outside.

~

When I stepped out, this time I was with my roommate Camille. We were both carrying a plastic bag with a few concealers and one other make up item whose name I didn’t know.

We started walking away from where we came out, which looked eerily similar to where the entrance of National Bookstore in Robinson’s Ermita was supposed to be.

As we were walking inside the mall, a long-legged woman whom I recognized to be a saleslady at the shop where we bought the make up products walked with us. (I kept looking up because she was so tall!) She said that we didn’t buy the “Step 2″ of the make up regimen that they had, whatever that meant. But Camille and I just said that we were simply trying out the products first because we weren’t familiar with using make up yet.

We finally reached an area inside the mall which now looked eerily similar to the Watson’s area inside SM Molino. By then, the saleslady walked ahead of us and this time, talked to Jess and Chantel who happened to be walking in front of us. After a few minutes of talking with them, she walked away.

When the saleslady was finally out of earshot, Camille and I caught up to the two and asked them what they thought about the woman. The only comment I remember making was, “She’s really really tall, huh?”

Outside the mall, we noticed that there was a shop to the side that was attracting a small group of people. Curious, Camille and I decided to check it out. Upon looking closely, we noticed that Nemie, Mel, and a few other familiar people were there as well. In front of Nemie was Siwon who was smiling, dressed in his Kyochon CF outfit. I merely stared as Nemie was smiling shyly and attempting to touch him.

Meanwhile, Camille was peeking inside the shop using the crack that was on one side. As she was looking inside, she suddenly screamed. I asked her what was wrong but she just replied that she saw Kyuhyun waiting some tables inside. She then peeked again, this time mumbling something about asking Kyuhyun to be more near where she was so she could see him more properly.

~

I woke up in bed with a start. Upon realizing what kind of dream I had, I immediately went online on Facebook to tell Nemie about it. Apparently, she was online and we had a good laugh about it.

~

I really woke up after that and was weirded out. A dream within a dream?

The first one’s the characters from D. Gray-Man, Kanda Yuu and Allen Walker, and the characters from No. 6, Sion and Nezumi. I find it amusing that these characters [Kanda and Nezumi & Allen and Sion] look very similar, especially their hair colors. Also, Allen and Sion both have marks on the left side of their faces.

The second one’s Riou and Nanami [with Mukumuku] from one of my beloved RPGs, Suikoden II. The paper looks yellow because of the lighting from the lamp. Hehe. My last drawing for 2011.

The last one’s a drawing of two characters I don’t know; I just got the photo somewhere online. And I sorta changed the girl’s clothes because..I just felt like it. XD My first drawing for 2012. Not that satisfied with it though. :/

Anyway, I hope my drawing skills improve, even a little bit.

BTW. I posted the first two drawings above on Tumblr, and both got a few notes. Just a little more than five notes each, but I was still happy. ^^

Day 2: How much have you changed overall in 2011?

Day 3: A person who has impacted your life in some way this year.

Day 4: Something you’ve learned this year.

Day 5: Describe an adventure you had this year.

Day 6:  Any words of wisdom/advice for anyone?

Day 7: 10 things you want to say 10 people.

Day 8: Things you hope for in 2012.

Day 9: What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Day 10: Anything you wish to say to end 2011/start 2012.

Dear Christa,

I hope you’ll actually follow the things you’ve said to yourself. Stop being a hypocrite and follow the same advice that you give to people. You’ve screwed up enough already; now’s the time to actually do something to right all the mess you’ve done. It’s alright to be depressed once in a while, but that’s it. Don’t dwell on the past too much. It might be hard but I know you can do it.

Make 2012 count.

Wow. I actually managed to finish this! Haha. It’s not yet 31 where I live right now, but I really hope I can do all the things I’ve written for the 10 days of this.

Happy New Year everybody!

Since I told myself that I’ll try drawing once again after I finish writing a chapter of the fanfic I was writing, I did so a while ago. And this was the result.

Note: The art itself is not originally mine; only the drawing is.

To be honest, I’m not very satisfied with it, though it’s probably the most decent thing I’ve drawn lately. First, I didn’t have proper coloring materials so I just decided to try putting ‘shadow effects’, at which I most probably failed. Second, their noses and foreheads didn’t end up touching, unlike the picture I based it on. And Nezumi’s head looks a bit larger than Sion’s. o(>< )o

Anyway, I’ll try drawing a bit more, if I have enough motivation. Just seeing fanarts are making me sad all over again. To think I still plan on reading the novel, which they said was much more emotional than the anime. ;__;

*Edit: Because I was requested to post up the original, here it is. Credit goes to whoever owns it.

My drawing looks nothing like it, huh? XD

Wah. Wait! I didn’t notice Sion was blushing in the photo! I couldn’t see it when I was viewing the original on my phone. >_<

Day 2: How much have you changed overall in 2011?

Day 3: A person who has impacted your life in some way this year.

Day 4: Something you’ve learned this year.

Day 5: Describe an adventure you had this year.

Day 6:  Any words of wisdom/advice for anyone?

Day 7: 10 things you want to say 10 people.

Day 8: Things you hope for in 2012.

Day 9: What are you looking forward to in 2012?

More time with my parents.

Another chance at making things right.

Meeting more people.

Day 10: Anything you wish to say to end 2011/start 2012.

Day 2: How much have you changed overall in 2011?

Day 3: A person who has impacted your life in some way this year.

Day 4: Something you’ve learned this year.

Day 5: Describe an adventure you had this year.

Day 6:  Any words of wisdom/advice for anyone?

Day 7: 10 things you want to say 10 people.

Day 8: Things you hope for in 2012.

Good health for my parents, family, and friends.

An education and/or a job.

More communication with my family and friends who are far away.

Day 9: What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Day 10: Anything you wish to say to end 2011/start 2012.