Sublime

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sublime was an American ska-punk band that originated in Long Beach, California. Sublime consisted of three members: Bradley Nowell (vocals and guitar), Bud Gaugh (drums), and Eric Wilson (bass guitar). Former members include Joe Gomez (drums) and Michael Happoldt for a very short time (guitar). The band achieved major mainstream success with their self-titled third album; however, Nowell died of a heroin overdose in his hotel room on the west side of San Francisco shortly before it was released, resulting in the band's split in 1996.[1] Worldwide, Sublime has sold 17 million albums,[2] including about 10 million in the U.S. alone.
Career
Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson were childhood friends, having grown up in the same Long Beach neighborhood; in fact, Eric's father, Billy Wilson, taught Gaugh how to read music and play the drums. Bud and Eric, together with future Sublime manager Michael Happoldt, formed a three-piece punk band called The Juice Bros. during their high school years. It was also during this time that Eric and Bud first met Brad Nowell - they both jammed with him on several occasions, albeit separately, while he attended high school in Long Beach. Brad left to begin college at UC Santa Cruz in 1986, but during a break from school in 1988, the trio (Bud, Brad, and Eric) got together and Sublime was formed. Brad transfered to Long Beach State, but dropped out regardless in 1989 to focus solely on the band.
The band played its first gig on the Fourth of July in 1988 in a small club in Long Beach, California, reportedly (and somewhat famously amongst the cult following the band has since garnered) starting the 'Peninsula Riot' which led to seven arrests. For the next several years, the group focused primarily on playing at parties and clubs throughout Southern California, although they were able to record a few songs and put forth a number of short demos, the best known being Jah Won't Pay The Bills containing several songs which would appear on later releases.
Eventually, Sublime gained a large following within California; after concentrating on playing live shows, the band released its debut album 40 Oz. to Freedom in 1992 under lead singer Brad Nowell's record label Skunk Records. The record established Sublime's unique blend of reggae, punk, ska, and hip hop, and helped to further strengthen the group's growing SoCal following. Initially being sold exclusively at live Sublime shows, the album became widely known in the greater Los Angeles area after rock radio station KROQ began playing the song "Date Rape" from the album. The radio exposure led to Sublime being signed to MCA in 1994 to release Robbin' the Hood, which was regarded as having a more experimental type of sound deviating from the style of Sublime's debut album.[1]
Sublime was signed to Gasoline Alley/MCA records in June 1994 by Jon Phillips who was doing A&R for the label, and subsequently became Sublime’s manager. Phillips later started Silverback ManagementOfficial Website, with his brother Matt, in 1998 while managing Long Beach Dub Allstars and Slightly Stoopid respectively. Long Beach Dub allstars formed in the aftermath of Nowell’s death by Sublime’s remaining members Eric Wilson and Floyd Gaugh, and Slightly Stoopid was signed to Skunk Records as teenagers and was produced by Bradley and Skunk Records co-founder Michael “Miguel” Happoldt. Nowell actually appears on “Slightly Stoopid” Official Website, the band’s first album on skunk 1996.
The band toured extensively throughout 1994 and '95, their popularity increasing gradually beyond the West Coast as "Date Rape" began earning radio play. While their live shows were often a ferociously powerful and gloriously imperfect mash-up of thrash punk, dub, improvised dancehall lyricism and psychedelic rock, the band (Brad in particular) were well-known for being "hit or miss" live. Many videos, publicly available online, of Sublime playing live show Brad's tendency to play heavily intoxicated, sometimes not even able to play the guitar. In 1995, the band co-headlined the inaugural nation-wide Vans Warped Tour. Sublime was easily one of the most popular acts on the tour, but their chaotic, self-sabotaging behavior and unabashed drug use and drunkenness led to tension between the band and the tour management. During the tour, drummer Gaugh was arrested several times for possession of marijuana, and the band's famed practice of bringing their dogs with them everywhere (even on stage) led to concert-goers being bit. Sublime was actually kicked off the tour for some time before crowd demand forced the Warped Tour decision-makers to reconsider and bring Sublime back. After the Warped Tour, and the subsequent Three Ring Circus Tour (famous in Sublime folklore), the band was pressured to begin producing new studio material as a proper follow-up to the suddenly-prosperous 40 Oz. to Freedom. In February of 1996, the band began recording the material which would comprise their major label debut album.
Lead singer Bradley Nowell died of heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 in a hotel room[3], just two months before the release of their self-titled third record, which became a hugely successful release from the single "What I Got", which was featured on the soundtrack for ESPN's X Games.[4] The self-titled album earned the band worldwide fame, and has since gone five-times platinum. Several singles, aside from the #1 Modern Rock Chart hit "What I Got", received heavy airplay, including "Santeria", "Doin' Time", "Wrong Way", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)".
A number of posthumous releases followed, among them Second-Hand Smoke in 1997, and Stand by Your Van and Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends in 1998.[1] By the release of their Greatest Hits compilation in 1999, it had been noted that the band had released as many albums after Bradley Nowell's death as they had when Nowell was still alive.[5] A box set of demos, rarities, and live recording, called Everything Under the Sun, was released on November 14, 2006.[6] Following Sublime's demise, its surviving members, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, began a new band under the name "Long Beach Dub Allstars" that included many frequent contributors to Sublime, including Michael "Miguel" Happoldt, Todd Forman, and "Field" Marshall Goodman and disbanded in 2002, when Gaugh left for the rock supergroup Eyes Adrift with Krist Novoselic of Nirvana and Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets. Bud was also in the band Volcano with Curt and Miguel (Michael Happoldt).[7]
Musical Style
Sublime utilized a genre-blending style which incorporated elements of dub, reggae, ska, punk rock, dancehall, hip hop, psychedelic rock, and acoustic rock. The band is most usually classified as ska-punk, although likely their most prevalent influence, dub reggae, is not attributed in such a classification.
Sublime's music was highlighted by smooth bass-driven grooves, reggae rhythms, elaborately-cadenced rhyme schemes, and the ability to seamlessly transition between paces and styles throughout a given song (sometimes alternating between furious thrash punk, ska, and slow reggae within the same song). Sublime's musical versatility and willingness to experiment with their sound allowed for a wide range of appeal. Their music often contains psychedelic, harmonic minor-based, or blues-oriented guitar solos, rhythmically-improvised bass solos or dub-lines, turntable scratching, and rolling drum transitions.
Sublime's most appealing attribute, however, was the vocal and lyrical abilities of Bradley Nowell. He proved himself not only as a deeply soulful singer, but also as a talented rapper, dancehall improvisationalist, and scat singer. His lyrics have been praised as humorous and emotionally deep by some, and criticized as immature by others, but it is undeniable that his crooning voice, cadenced rhyme schemes and dancehall-tinged rapping ability were among the biggest draws for the band.
From the band's MySpace:
Rolling Stone writer David Wild has this to say about the band: "The singular sound of Sublime, alternately polished and rough and ready, finds stoner rock, rap, punk, and hip-hop funk blended with doses of ska, rock steady, dancehall, and every other pungent flavor of reggae. The result was a beautiful, warts-and-all brand of poetry - a powerful new blend of street sounds and party music. In Nowell, Sublime had as astounding singer and lyricist who created his own edgy but expressive underground vernacular. And in Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, Sublime was fortunate to have an agile, rock-solid rhythm section that could cover the entire musical waterfront. They were musical counterparts that created their own signature rhythmic foundation, creating the ultimate canvas for Nowell to embellish."
Legacy
Even over a decade after Nowell's death and the band's break-up, Sublime remains immensely popular throughout the United States, especially in its state of origin, California. The renowned Los Angeles alternative rock radio station, KROQ, listed Sublime at #3 during its Memorial Weekend "Top 106.7 biggest KROQ bands of all time" list in 2007, behind only the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana[9]. With over 17 million units sold worldwide, Sublime is unquestionably one of the most successful ska-punk acts of all time. Although many reggae purists refuse to accept Sublime as an integral part of reggae history, Sublime has undoubtedly played a large part in the re-emergence of reggae in mainstream music, as they were perhaps the most widespread and prolific reggae-incorporating act since Bob Marley.
They are considered as a preeminent "party band"; their music is extremely popular at high school and college parties throughout the United States, due to their often narcotic-related subject matter and their dance-worthy, jumpy or grooving feel to their songs.
Discography
Albums
Released Album Notes
1992 40 Oz. to Freedom
Certified 2x Platinum by RIAA[10]; peaked at #15 at Top Heatseekers in 1995 and #140 in Billboard 200 in 1996[11]

1994 Robbin' the Hood
Certified Gold by RIAA[10]

1996 Sublime
Certified 5x Multi Platinum by RIAA[10]; peaked at #13 on Billboard 200[11]

Tribute albums
Released Album Notes
2005 Look at All the Love We Found[12]
Featuring covers of Sublime songs by the likes of No Doubt, Jack Johnson and Pennywise

2006 Forever Free
2003 LBC lounge- A Tribute to Sublime
2006 Livin's EZ - Hawaiian Tribute To Sublime
Compilations and live albums
Released Album Notes
1995 Badfish (EP)

1997 What I Got (EP)
Peaked at #169 on Billboard 200[11]

1997 Doin' Time (EP)
[11]

1997 Second-hand Smoke
Certified platinum by RIAA[10]; peaked at #28 on Billboard 200[11]

1998 Stand by Your Van
Peaked at #49 on Billboard 200[11]

1998 Sublime Acoustic: Bradley Nowell & Friends
Peaked at #107 on Billboard 200[11]

1999 Greatest Hits
Certified gold by RIAA[10]; peaked at #114 on Billboard 200[11]

2002 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Sublime
Certified gold by RIAA[10]; peaked at #190 on Billboard 200[11]

2005 Gold
Certified gold by RIAA[10]; peaked at #165 on Billboard 200[11]

2006 Everything Under the Sun
Four disc box set
Bootleg and unofficial releases
Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100
US Modern Rock
US Mainstream Rock
Adult Top 40
UK

1995 "Date Rape"
- - - - - 40 oz. to Freedom

1996 "What I Got"
#37 #1 #11 #39 #71 Sublime

1997 "Santeria"
- #3 - #38 - Sublime

1997 "Wrong Way"
- #3 - - - Sublime

1997 "Doin' Time"
#87 #28 - - - Sublime

Great Movie!

Legends of the Fall: (James Horner) The 1994 film Legends of the Fall is for the big screen what romance novels are for old ladies. It is limitless, brute romanticism against the painted skies of Montana, primordial in its appeal and doomed by those who are not swayed by tear-jerking character dramas. If anyone doubted that director Ed Zwick was trying to yank at the emotional chains of audiences with his 1989 stunner Glory, then Legends of the Fall is proof that you can succeed at it not just once, but twice. Heroic and tragic, honorable and sorrowful, Legends of the Fall combines the most potent elements of a British period production with the vast expanses of Big Sky Country. Its cast was remarkably strong, led by a headstrong and painfully humorous performance by Anthony Hopkins as the father of three adult sons split by ideals, ambitions, and one woman. As he had accomplished for Glory, composer James Horner matched Zwick's engrossing melodrama with an unashamed powerhouse of a score, and while the music for Legends of the Fall doesn't quite equal the ethereal qualities of Glory, it comes damn close. The early 1990's were a time of few hits and numerous misses for Horner, scrounging around in the trash bin of video-quality animated films and failed light dramas. With Legends of the Fall came a sudden and overwhelming resurgence that would launch the composer into a year of incredible success in 1995, led by Apollo 13 and Braveheart. These three scores together would yield two Golden Globe nominations and two Academy Awards nominations, and yet none would win either award. Still, these three scores together (and you can even throw in the decent Casper and Balto in the middle of the timeline) represent one of the greatest periods of production that any composer has ever enjoyed. As the first in line, Legends of the Fall caught listeners by surprise with its sheer weight of performance and rich variety of themes.

Horner has reveled in his fair share of dramatically thematic scores, but never before or since Legends of the Fall did he accomplish the same level of gravity... not even with Titanic. He composes several major themes for the film, almost all given significant development and repeated statements, and each resounding with the majesty of the landscape. It's a score that may have Richard Wagner in a distant corner of the conscience, but rather than relying on the plethora of classical influences that plague many of his other scores, the most direct connection this score draws from, surprisingly for Horner and unsurprisingly for the genre, is John Barry's Dances With Wolves. The straight forward, simplistic romanticism of Barry's trademark sound for major dramas in the 80's and 90's seems to be the template on which Horner builds Legends of the Fall. The pacing is slower, the counterpoint is held to a minimum, and the players of the orchestra burst forth with magnificent string performances aided, as with Barry's work, by supplemental horns. And it's the strength of the themes in Legends of the Fall that leads to its success. The meaning behind Horner's several ideas for the film overlap in conceptual use on screen, so the following labels for the purpose of this review could be up for debate. The title theme, introduced in the latter half of "Legends of the Fall" is the broad representation of the story's overarching mores and location. It accompanies the beauty of the land and is the soul of the score. It isn't heard perhaps as much as the second major theme of the score, but it definitely bookends the proceeds with a lovely and extremely deliberate performance at the very end of the film. That secondary theme is the one that ties the Ludlow family together, used most frequently by Horner as the story constantly reminds the viewer of the bond that culminates in bitter vengeance and sweet victory at its conclusion. This theme receives the same string-dominated weight as the primary theme for the landscape, and the two interact in a few places. Softer variations of the theme for piano and fiddle are a melancholy representation of Hopkins' austere character.

The themes for each of the three brothers aren't quite as distinct, typically overwhelmed to some degree by the Ludlow theme. A short-lived, somber variant for the youngest brother, Samuel, is primarily stated twice after his death. The restrained and refined theme for Alfred is logically overtaken in "Alfred Moves to Montana" by the Ludlow theme. The representation for Tristan, the Brad Pitt character that mostly weaves the story together, is perhaps the most impressive of all. Its use in "The Changing Seasons/Wild Horses/Tristan's Return" and "Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend..." is equally powerful. The first cue features the theme over a bed of percussion as robust as Trevor Jones' Last of the Mohicans and the latter cue offers the theme with a very haunting shakuhachi accompaniment at about six minutes into the cue. The themes for the three boys would be pieced together with a beautifully somber tone in "Goodbyes," a cue that offers some of the more personal string layers of Glory. Other motifs meander throughout Legends of the Fall, including one that makes strong use of the shakuhachi in several cues. Horner used the Japanese wood flute with interesting success in Thunderheart a couple of years prior, and he extends the same spirit to Legends of the Fall. As before, an ethnically propulsive, throaty rhythm is used to accentuate the very basic emotions of the story, including suspense, fear, and death. The score opens with a few bursts of rhythm that anyone might confuse as coming from Thunderheart. For two of the score's most prominent cues (as heard in the film), this rhythm incorporates more of the streamlined pacing and auxiliary instrumentation of Patriot Games, a score that also relied heavily on these sounds. At the end of "Revenge" and especially in the pivotal start of "Alfred, Tristan, The Colonel, The Legend...," Horner adds synthesizer and solo female vocal effects that stand well apart from the rest of the score. Given how consistently heavy the ensemble performances of theme are in Legends of the Fall, these rhythmic cues are a welcome diversion.

One of the strengths of Legends of the Fall is the fact that every moment of thematic development is conveyed with the same heavy heart. The orchestration work of Thomas Pasatieri and Don Davis presents the London Symphony Orchestra in a form that eclipses even the Americana spirit of Dances With Wolves. One of Legends of the Fall's more poignant moments is in the second minute of "Off to War," which rumbles with soft timpani that very much resembles Barry's famous score, especially with the weighty ensemble performance of the title theme that results from its slowly building construct. When you step back and admire the awe and magnificence that Legends of the Fall creates, you realize that the score not only unfolds in convenient concert-like cues on album, but is a nearly perfect match for the film. Horner's technique for the final confrontation scene works wonders; while the story on screen shifts between multiple positions with elegance, Horner's strong progression doesn't attempt to jump along with it. The continuity that his music provides the film, not only in this remarkable scene of suspense, but also in the larger, flowing themes, is one of its best assets. Another important point to consider with Legends of the Fall is that despite the connections to the shakuhachi rhythms in the aforementioned previous score, this work is relatively unique in Horner's career. There are interludes for tinkling percussion and piano that would foreshadow The Spitfire Grill and the opening of "Samuel's Death" would mirror the frantic action of the "Master Alarm" cue in Apollo 13. A later, more harmonious line of action in the same cue would resemble the finale of Balto. But these similarities are not as obnoxious as they tend to be in many of Horner's other large-scale scores. The album for Legends of the Fall continues its strangely "cult" status more than a dozen years after its release, branching out well beyond the normal Horner collector base in its appeal. An isolated DVD score track has added more material to the bootleg market, but the 75-minute commercial album provides more than enough magnificent material for all film score collectors to sink their teeth into.

Step Up 2 (The Streets)
Sequel lang pala to ng Step Up 1


Two Thumbs Up! Kahapon ko lang napanood ehe! Astig ng final Scene!

Marlboro is a brand of cigarette made by Altria. It is famous for its flavor, billboard advertisements and magazine ads of the Marlboro Man. In 2001 it was the most popular cigarette brand in the U.S.

Philip Morris, a London-based cigarette manufacturer, created a New York subsidiary in 1902 to sell several of its cigarette brands, including Marlboro. By 1924 they were advertising Marlboro as a woman's cigarette based on the slogan "Mild As May".

The brand was sold in this capacity until World War II when the brand faltered and was temporarily removed from the market. At the end of the war, three brands emerged that would establish a firm hold on the cigarette market: Camel, Lucky Strike, and Chesterfield. These brands were supplied to US soldiers during the war, creating an instant market upon their return. But Marlboro, when reintroduced with marketing that tapped into the new popularity of the romanticized cowboy in the 1950s, was able to increase sales by 5000%, returning as a formidable market force.[citation needed]

During the same era Reader's Digest magazine published a series of articles that linked smoking with lung cancer. Philip Morris and the other cigarette companies took notice and each began to market filtered cigarettes. The new Marlboro with a filtered tip was launched in 1955.

The brand is named after Great Marlborough Street, the location of its original London factory. Richmond, Virginia, is now the location of the largest Marlboro cigarette manufacturing plant.

Bleach (ブリーチ, Burīchi?, romanized as BLEACH in Japan) is an ongoing manga series authored by mangaka Tite Kubo. Since its debut in 2001, Bleach has been adapted into an anime series, two OVAs, two anime films, a rock musical, and numerous video games. Compilation volumes of the manga have sold over 39 million copies in Japan.

Bleach follows the lives of Ichigo Kurosaki, who is a high school student with the ability to see ghosts, and a shinigami (Soul Reaper or, literally, "death god") named Rukia Kuchiki, who crosses paths with Ichigo while hunting an evil spirit known as a hollow. Rukia is wounded during the ensuing confrontation with the spirit and is left with no choice but to transfer her powers into Ichigo. Thus the adventures of Ichigo and Rukia begin. Together they search for hollows and perform soul burials on wayward souls, cleansing the spirits and sending them to Soul Society. The early parts of the story focus mainly on the characters and their pasts, rather than the actual occupation of the shinigami. As events unfold, the story begins to delve deeper into the world of these gods of death on the "other side" called Soul Society.

INTRODUCTION:

Ichigo Kurosaki is a rough-and-tumble teenager who has always had the special ability to see spirits. The story begins with the sudden appearance of an oddly-dressed stranger in Ichigo's bedroom. This stranger is the shinigami Rukia Kuchiki, who is surprised at his ability to see her. Their resulting conversation is interrupted by the appearance of a hollow, an evil spirit. After Rukia is severely wounded during battle while trying to protect Ichigo, she decides to transfer half of her powers to Ichigo, hoping to give him the opportunity to face the hollow on an equal footing. Ichigo unintentionally absorbs all of Rukia's powers instead, allowing him to defeat the hollow with ease.

The next day, Rukia appears in Ichigo's classroom as a transfer student. Much to his surprise, she now appears to be a normal human. She theorizes that it was the unusual strength of Ichigo's spirit that caused him to fully absorb her powers, thus leaving her stranded in the human world. Rukia has transferred herself into a gigai — an artificial human body — while waiting to recover her abilities. In the meantime, Ichigo must take over her job as a shinigami, battling hollows and guiding lost souls to the afterlife.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護, Kurosaki Ichigo?) Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
The primary protagonist of Bleach, orange-haired high school freshman Ichigo Kurosaki is forced to become a substitute shinigami after unwittingly absorbing all of Rukia's powers. His cynical nature at first makes him ill-disposed towards the duty, but with the passage of time he comes to accept and welcome it, recognizing that even if he is not able to save everyone, he can at least use his skills to protect those close to him. Later, when Ichigo loses his powers as a substitute, he chooses to risk death in an attempt to become a full-fledged shinigami.

Rukia Kuchiki (朽木 ルキア, Kuchiki Rukia?) Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)
Rukia Kuchiki is a shinigami who was sent on a hollow extermination patrol in Ichigo Kurosaki's hometown. Though her physical appearance is that of a teenage girl, in reality she is over a hundred years old. Rukia is forced to transfer her power to Ichigo and assume a temporary lifestyle as a regular human. She registers at the local high school and takes up residence in Ichigo's closet, while teaching him how to be a substitute shinigami in her place.

Orihime Inoue (井上 織姫, Inoue Orihime?) Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)
Orihime Inoue is a long-time classmate of Ichigo, closely linked to him by mutual friend Tatsuki Arisawa. She is effectively an orphan, as she and her elder brother Sora ran away from their abusive home at a young age, and her brother later died. Though initially devoid of spiritual powers, she begins to develop spiritual awareness and later possesses one of the most powerful healing abilities in the Bleach universe, able to completely restore a body to its previous state regardless of how severely it is wounded.

Yasutora "Chad" Sado (茶渡 泰虎, Sado Yasutora?) Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese), Jamieson Price (English)
Yasutora Sado, better known as Chad, is one of Ichigo's few friends at school. He is a half-Japanese, half-Mexican student who towers over his classmates. Despite his imposing appearance he is quite meek, and refuses to fight unless it is for the sake of another. He does not have awareness of ghosts at first, but when he witnesses a group of children being attacked by a hollow he discovers a unique ability that strengthens and armors his right arm, enabling him to fight hollows.

Kisuke Urahara (浦原 喜助, Urahara Kisuke?) Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), Michael Lindsay (English)
A mysterious and cheery man, Kisuke Urahara runs the Urahara Shop, a candy store that also sells supernatural items to shinigami. Despite his sanguine nature he is one of the most significant figures in the Bleach universe, bearing immense knowledge of the spiritual realms which he uses to mastermind the operations of the protagonists.

Uryū Ishida (石田 雨竜, Ishida Uryū?) Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama (Japanese), Derek Stephen Prince (English)
Though on the surface nothing more than the solitary class genius, Uryū Ishida is actually a Quincy, descendant of a line of priest-like hollow-hunting archers. He bears a deep grudge against all shinigami, including Ichigo Kurosaki, but comes to view Ichigo differently over time, eventually becoming an ally and friendly rival.

Renji Abarai (阿散井 恋次, Abarai Renji?) Voiced by: Kentaro Ito (Japanese), Wally Wingert (English)
Renji Abarai is an elite shinigami bearing the rank of 6th Division lieutenant, making him second in command of a sub-branch of the shinigami armed forces. Although first introduced as a deadly enemy, he has conflicting loyalties between his job and Rukia, with whom he grew up. A brash and driven man, he holds both a deep respect and animosity towards his immediate superior, 6th Division captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

CHARACTER TYPES:

All Bleach characters are "souls". Living humans contain souls within their bodies, while disembodied souls, or spirits, have a form composed of particles of spiritual energy called ectoplasm (霊子, reishi?), which otherwise mimics human anatomy, aside from slowed aging. This form encompasses all of the spirit's being; there is no distinction between mind and body. There are a variety of different types of spirits in Bleach, each with a differing visual theme and approach to combat. The specific types are described below.

* Human: The humans of Bleach are much like the residents of modern Japan, and most cannot see or sense disembodied spirits in any way. Spirits can, however, inhabit artificial human bodies called gigai which are visible to ordinary humans. One in 50,000 humans is a medium with some awareness of nearby ghosts, but only a third of these are able to see them clearly, and only the strongest of mediums are able to speak with or touch ghosts.[14] Certain unique humans naturally have both the power to sense and the strength to fight with spirits. Ordinary humans can gain the ability to interact with spirits by spending time around a large source of spirit energy.
* Plus: Benign ghosts in Bleach are known as pluses (wholes in the official English editions). A plus is the spirit of a person who has died. A chain, known as the Chain of Fate (因果の鎖, inga no kusari?), protrudes from the chest and binds the plus to a location, object or person that they felt close to in life. The soul can move about freely if the chain is broken, but this also causes the chain to corrode. Normally, pluses are sent to Soul Society by shinigami in a ritual called soul burial (魂葬, konsō?) before this corrosion becomes significant. If the Chain of Fate is corroded entirely before a soul burial can be performed, a hole will form in the chest of the soul where the chain was once anchored. Such souls are driven mad and become evil ghosts known as hollows. If the Chain of Fate is torn out deliberately, this also leads to spiritual degradation.
* Shinigami: Shinigami (Soul Reapers in the official English editions, Death Gods in most subtitled versions) are the psychopomps of Bleach. They are souls with inner spiritual power, recruited from the ranks of the residents and nobility of Soul Society. Like all spirits, they cannot be detected by normal humans. Shinigami use their zanpakutō, supernatural swords that are the manifestation of their owners' power, to perform soul burials on pluses. Shinigami also use zanpakutō and magic known as kidō to fight their archrivals, the hollows. A group of shinigami known as the vizard have also obtained hollow powers through illegal means, gaining removable masks and access to certain hollow abilities.
* Hollow: The hollows are the major antagonists of Bleach. They are evil ghosts who reside in Hueco Mundo but travel to the living world to feed on the souls of the living and dead alike. Like shinigami, hollows are made of spiritual matter and cannot be detected by ordinary humans. While the majority of hollows can be overcome by the average shinigami, there are some which surpass even the most elite shinigami in strength. All normal hollows wear white masks, But a small group of hollows have broken them, becoming arrancar. By shattering their masks, these hollows regain the ability to reason, obtain a humanoid form, and gain access to shinigami powers.
* Artificial soul: Artificial souls are a type of soul mass-produced by the shinigami. Issued in pill form, they are used to force shinigami out of their gigai during protracted stays in the living world, and also to evict pluses that refuse to leave their bodies after death. They come with a pre-programmed personality that animates the host body until the owner returns. In addition to the mundane versions, a series of experimental souls authorized and created by shinigami researchers exists. Known as modified souls, these were meant to hunt hollows by possessing soulless human bodies and supercharging a particular aspect of them (for example, strength or speed). The shinigami decided to scrap the project due to the inhumanity of forcing dead bodies to fight, and ordered the destruction of all modified souls.Only one modified soul exists in the manga, but there are three more such characters in the anime.

Quincy with their distinctive bows
Quincy with their distinctive bows

* Quincy: The Quincy are a clan of spiritually aware humans who once fought against the hollows, using weapons composed of spiritual energy to slay them. As opposed to shinigami, Quincy absorb and channel energy from their surroundings to fight. Unlike the shinigami method of killing hollows which allows the hollow to enter Soul Society, the Quincy technique simply destroys the hollow's soul entirely. This method has the propensity to shatter the balance of the universe, because when souls are destroyed, the number of souls entering and leaving Soul Society cannot remain equal. This issue prompted the shinigami to conduct a campaign to exterminate the Quincy about 200 years before the main storyline. At least two Quincy still remain.
* Bount: Exclusive to the anime, the Bounts are a clan of human beings with high spiritual energy and special powers. They were accidentally created by shinigami scientists looking for a way to create eternal life. Bounts consume the souls of human beings to survive; theoretically, a Bount could live forever by doing so. Although the Bounts have a strict rule to consume only the souls of the dead, the final group of Bounts chose to drain souls from living humans in order to become more powerful. Each Bount uses a "doll" in combat, a type of familiar possessing its own special abilities. Every doll is unique and is a manifestation of the user's power. If the doll is destroyed, its owner is destroyed as well.

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Kneeling down, I utter my night prayer. Hoping that in the depths of the corners of the four corners of my room she would hear my prayer. Because I know that when night time falls, there would only be the two of us. Even though all this time she wouldn’t speak a single word or even a single movement, and even though all this time she remains unnoticed, I have faith that there would come a time when our eyes would finally meet. How I wish that even in our moment of silence that would seem like eternity for me, she would hear what my heart whispers.

Lying here, I gaze at the dark velvet sky. The moon smiles sweetly down upon me. Reminding me never to lose faith. Reminding me that one day she would come. One day my angel would come, my sweet angel. A day would come that she would warp her wings around me and we would both cease to exist and she would bring me to a place called heaven. Then I’ll be off and gone from this bitter world. She would catch me whenever I stumble. She’d fill me up whenever I’m empty. She’d clean the messes I’ve made. And she’d stay with me even though everything else around us has changed. No ocean could even come between me and my angel. She won’t even let me cry a river like I am now. And my bitter world would be nothing but a paradise.

Looking over the horizon, words keep running thru my empty head. My best bud use to enjoy a good laugh at me whenever we went over this topic. He said I was hysterical. I just keep quiet at times he caught me off guard. He always tells me that I am wasting my time. For him, he was just trying to lift me up while it wasn’t too late yet. He was trying to pull me before my hopes would let me fall into a bottomless pit. He was trying to put the pieces together because he doesn’t want to see me shattered. And whenever I’d try to put up an argument with him, he’d tell me:

“Angels do not come down from heaven, for they do not know how to walk here with us…

They only have wings to fly, but they do not know how to cry…”

With these words I’d stop. What’s with him?! Can’t he just be upbeat about the only thing I care about?! What is he so afraid of? I know he’s just trying to be a pal. But he’s never been thru what I’m going thru now. He doesn’t feel this bliss I feel just with a single thought of her. I couldn’t understand what he was trying to save me from. Not until days, weeks, months, and years passed and still not even a single feather to let me know she was watching from above.

How could she be so cruel? All I ever wanted now seems to be a castle in the sky. How could my angel bruise me? How could she bear seeing me in vain? How could she leave me from these fast phase world? Especially now that things aren’t the way they used to be? Isn’t she aware that everything could change with a blink of an eye? Was my friend right all these time? Now I know what he was trying to save me from.

So I went on living as an apparition. What good am I now? I’ve become the worst thing I could ever imagine. Torn apart and wasted. I had vanished into existence. And it gave me moment to think and look back at the frames of my life. To the time I was so obsessed with finding my angel. In my unexplained dismay and torment I saw you in each of the frames. You were there waiting with me. You were there waiting to be noticed. So now, tears fall ‘coz you’re gone. Nowhere to be found. I’m drowning all the pain inside me. This is what an imprudent person deserves, don’t I?

Angels do come down from heaven. They set foot on the hearts of those who believe. If only they know where to look. Angels may have wings to fly, but their wing could easily be broken and even your mortal tears are not enough to patch them up. That’s the time they have to walk. Barefoot, alone, and unnoticed. Your mere human eyes can’t even see them cry. Yes, they do cry. They silently blubber and hold back all the pain until slowly they would grow feeble and fragile. Then they would go back up to the stars. Back in oblivion.

Just like what happened to you and me. You could have been my angel if only I turned around. I could have been yours if only you called my name. Now it’s too late. We’re both fading. But not to worry, I know we’ll see each other. We’ll meet again. But this time I’ll be with the stars. And you’ll be smiling with the moon.



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To the person that made this article possible… may you find you angel before its too late.. =)

Nagising ka nalang isang araw ng ideneklara na pala ang Proclamation No. 1017. Hindi mahalaga sayo kung ano mang batas ito o ano mang tsutseburetse na ang nagyayari sa ating bansa. Ang mahalaga sa iyo ay walang pasok sa lahat ng unibersidad,kasama na ang UP, sa buong NCR. Hindi mo na proproblemahin ang nalalapit mong finals sa math 17 na sa dami mo ng itinake ay pang doctoral mo na pala ito.

Nagsisitalun ka ng marinig mo sa antigo mo ng radyo na walang pasok sa buong Metro Manila. Ang importante sayo ay apat na araw nalang ang pasok mo sa linggong ito. Eh ano ngayon kung wala rin pasok sa noong nakaraang biyernes?

Naplano mo na ang gagawin mo sa buong araw. Magbubuhay baboy ka na lang buong araw. Ibababad mo na iyong sarili sa harap ng telebisyon at papanorin ang "brokeback mountain" at tatanungin sa sarili mo kung meh cowboys nga talagang mga bading? Lulunurin mo ang iyong sarili sa dont-worry-there's-no-sugar mong inumin at msg rich na junkfood.

Lingid sa iyong kaalaman, tuloy parin ay buhay ng karamihan. Tuloy parin ang pagpasok ng mga magulang mo sa kanilang opisina. Hindi mo alam na dadaan pala sila sa Edsa Shrine sa gitna daw ng "lear and present danger" ng chinichismis ng Arroyo administration.

Hindi mo alam na mahigit na pala sa isang-daan na ang political prisoners ang pinagdadakip sa buong isla at isa na rito sa iyong Professor na si Randy David sa isang mong na-drop mong subject ng hindi pa nakakalahati ang 2nd sem. Hindi ka manlang nagtataka kung bakit wala siya nung isang araw. Akala mo ay on-leave siya o gumigimik sa kanyang mga tambayan. Bakit? hindi ba naglalakwatsa ang mga matatanda?

Hindi mo alam na lugmok na pala sa utang ang ating bansa at tumaas na ang singil sa krudo ng mahigit na isang-daang beses simula ng manungkulan si GMA. "Overkill" nga daw sabi ni Tabacco Boy yung nangyari. Bakit sa 9 coup plots na naranasan ni Cory na minsan ay muntik na kumitil sa buhay niya ay nagdekalara ba siya ng State of National Emergency?

Ngunit sa kabila ng iyong pagbububulagan, ikay parin nakatihaya sa malambot mong kutson. Walang kang pakiaalam na mahigit na kalahati ng ating kababayan ay lugmok sa na kahirapan. Ikaw ay naglalaway at hinahayaang umikot ang mundo na hindi ka kasama.