A BATTLE OF WITS: LIGHT VERSUS L

"This isn't divine judgement, it's the work of some childish killer who's playing at divine retribution, that's all." -- said L.

L’s suspicions that Light is Kira grows stronger and now he suspected Misa. Light must do something and the only way is to eliminate the biggest obstacle in his path to achieve the utopia he dreamed. He must kill L.

But how can he do that? He doesn’t know L’s real name.

Two geniuses must battle against each other… a battle of wits and there will be only one victorious in the end.

As L’s suspicion is increasing, he finally decided to enroll at the same university where Raito enrolled. The two geniuses and the only two who ever achieved perfect score in college entrance exam finally met face to face. Since Light doesn’t have the shinigami eyes, he must use Misa who must met L and Light must arrange a very thorough plan for Misa to meet L and let her see L’s true name. On the other side, L invited Light to join the investigation team because he was amazed that Light thinks the same way as himself.

L’s guesses were quick. After the numerous announcement of the second Kira for the first Kira thru Sakura TV, L guessed that whoever met Raito in the place specified by the owner of the voice aired thru the said television channel must be the second Kira. Later, L came to a conclusion that Misa Amane is the second Kira after realizing the strange closeness between the popular actress and Light.

When Misa went to visit Raito in his school, at that time, Raito was with L. Raito got the chance for Misa to see L. It was victorious. L introduced himself to Misa as Ryuuga Hideki. Misa doubted the mention of the name because she sees L’s true name through her shinigami eyes.

Raito quickly rang Misa’s mobile phone after their meeting, but Raito was surprised when L was the one who holds Misa’s mobile phone. Luckily, Raito didn’t ask direct the question.

Driven mad by L’s intelligence after mentioning that Misa might be the second Kira, Light devised a very clever plan in order to eliminate L.

With Misa and the two shinigamis, Light instructed that Misa might be captured and brought to questioning as well as himself. Light instructed Misa to forfeit the ownership of the Death Note and let her loss the memory as the owner of the notebook of death. Light added that he too will subject himself to questioning and imprisonment like Misa and if the two death gods heard the word “forfeit” they must left them both even the fact that the memory of ownership will lost to them. Light buried his Death Note somewhere in the forest where no one will be able to know its whereabouts except him. After the imprisonment, they’ll be found not guilty and he will be recruited to the investigation team without any memory of himself as Kira but as the normal Yagami Raito. Light will wait until his hands touches once more the Death Note completely. But at the time, he will pass the power of death to someone else—the third Kira.

It happened. Misa and Light was captured. Both forfeited the ownership of the Death Note because few weeks after their imprisonment, the killings stopped and began again. L suspected that there’s another Kira on the loose with only slightest doubt that the first and second Kira passed their powers to the third one to mask themselves from being labeled “guilty.” But L doesn’t have any solid evidence until he realized how Kira kills.

In Yotsuba Company, Misa’s former notebook was in possession of Higuchi, the third Kira. Since Higuchi is not as witty and cunning as the first Kira, he was caught off guard. Despite with the shinigami eyes he traded for survival, he failed.

The shinigami Rem was in deep love of Misa, tore a piece of paper from the Death Note, and revealed himself once more to the woman she loved. Misa’s memory of the Death Note cannot be regained by a piece of paper; she must touch completely the notebook of death. Despite a tons of explanation Rem provided, Misa is still clouded with uncertainties of her past, only very little memory returned to her with slight doubts.

When Higuchi was captured, the existence of the Death Note and shinigamis revealed.

Police officers including L touched the Death Note which revealed the shinigami Rem to them. Light, the first and former Kira, also did the same and the lost memories of being god of the new world returned to him once more. Quickly without any eyes watching, he killed Higuchi by writing his name on a piece of paper from the Death Note hidden in his wristwatch.

L with other police officers realized that by writing names and recognizing victim’s face will instantly kill the person.

Light’s plan succeeded but the shinigami Rem placed in tough decision. Misa was put to a terrible danger. After Higuchi’s death, Light instructed Misa to retrieve the Death Note to a place he instructed her. Consequently, Misa’s memory as bringer of death returned and traded shinigami eyes with Ryuuku. Rem was aware that Misa’s life span decreased again by the deal (she had a deal once with Misa and now Misa’s life span decreased to another half). She’s aware that L’s suspicion will lead to Misa as Kira once more. If Rem killed Light, Misa will lose all the will to live. Rem was cornered. She must kill both Watari and L so Light will lead the investigation team and the suspicion will not turn to Misa.

She loved her. She must do it.

For a shinigami who loved a human as Jealous (the owner of Misa’s Death Note), Rem did what the first shinigami had done. She sacrificed her life by extending Misa’s life span and killed both Watari and L.

Two names were written down on Rem’s Death Note.

The first was Watari’s real name was the famous inventor Quillsh Wammy.

And L’s real name: L Lawliet.

Light was victorious. But the victory doesn’t end here.

KILL WITH THE EYES OF SHINIGAMI

"I can't go on in a world without Light." -- Misa Amane

As L and the few remaining Japanese police officers are busy chasing Kira, somewhere in Japan another Death Note was dropped not to a man—but to a woman.

Misa Amane, a popular celebrity girl was followed one night by a man who attempted to rape her. Suddenly, heart attack befalls the man who trailed Misa and then another notebook of death was dropped beside her. She touched the notebook without knowing what consequences will lies ahead of her upon possessing the Death Note.

The shinigami Rem appeared to Misa and the second Kira was born.

Rem explained that the notebook of death which Misa owned was the property of another death god, who died for Misa’s survival. This shinigami was known by the name Jealous and according to Rem, Jealous watched Misa for a long period of time for he had fallen in love with her. Upon realizing that Misa is in terrible danger, the shinigami decided to extend her life but the cost was death of the shinigami. But Jealous decided to sacrifice his life for the human he loved and thus the Death Note was passed to Misa.

Furthermore, Rem added about the deal between the death god and a human. With the eyes of the shinigami, human who possessed the Death Note will have another extra powers, he/she will be able to see people’s true names (if they’re using the fake one like most agents do in fear of Kira) and their life span. Additionally, a human who has the eyes of the god of death will be able to kill just by looking at the person’s face. Any human who agreed on this deal will have his/her life span reduced to half but in exchange was terrible and far greater power.

Misa accepted the deal which makes her more powerful than the original Kira.

In addition, Misa knows the existence of the first Kira and she did her best to meet Light. Somewhere she met Light and quickly recognized him with her shinigami eyes because whoever possesses the Death Note doesn’t have life span labeled when the person who has the eyes of shinigami look at them. The same was experienced by Misa.

She let Light touch her notebook and Light met shinigami Rem as well as Misa and Rem met Ryuuku and Light. The two teamed up to create the Utopia which Light dreamed.

However, L suspected that the second Kira is... Misa herself.

CODE NAME: L

“Justice will, without fail, prevail,” said L.

Death tolls are increasing and heart attack is the main cause. The whole world is in riot and people are starting to believe that judgment has finally bestowed to evildoers. Japanese start to believe that Kira has finally descended to earth and brought judgment. Police officers and special investigators around the world couldn’t even solve the puzzle of these mysterious deaths. This brought the world’s greatest detective to start his move.

He was first introduced through connected computers to the Japanese police because he believed that the culprit was in Japan. However, there were other police officers who feared the lost of their dear lives in the hands of Kira which led to their resignation to solve the case. With only few remaining members left including Light’s father, they requested to meet personally, the greatest detective of the world who solved many difficult cases without any single miss.

Watari, a special agent and assistant of the world’s greatest detective informed them that they’ll meet him finally in one hotel somewhere in Japan and the detective is very pleased to inform the Japanese officers that they got his trust.

L finally revealed himself.

L was quick in his guess. He quickly decided to monitor the movements of two families where Souichirou Yagami’s family was included. But Light was aware of that someone is watching over him.

It happened once when Light realized that he was being followed by one of the twelve FBI agents who introduced himself as Raye Pabner. As Light was bothered by Pabner’s sudden appearance and continuously tailing him as well as the eleven other FBI agents, he quickly decided to use Pabner to eliminate the eleven agents and then killing Pabner at last when they met at the train station. Kira also killed Naomi, the wife-to-be of Pabner.

Light’s wit was felt by L and realized that Light is not a person easy to be tricked for he grew up with strong influence from his father, and knows how the police and investigators moves.

Knowing that it will cost his own life, L has only one option left. He must reveal himself to Light without revealing his name.

Will L succeed in capturing and proving that Light is Kira without losing his own life?

DEATH IS JUSTICE: LIGHT IN DIFFERENT LIGHT

"This world is rotten. Rotten people should be killed off to cleanse the world,” Light said.

With the Death Note in his hands, a very powerful instrument of death, Light begins to create a new world and eliminated all those he wanted—the criminals and whoever stands in his way.

Light Yagami is the son of a chief police officer named Souichirou Yagami and a bored 17-year old but extremely intelligent student.

In my own perspective, Light grows in a society where violence and crime are both widespread like a contagious virus. Numerous reports of crime and violence incidents often reached his ear from his very own father and like some people out there who hated crime and violence, he may too wanted to do something to get rid of it. The madness of the world and the way it rotates shaped Light in a different light after acquiring the Death Note. He sees the world as a place that polluted by evil which is rapidly increasing and there are so many humans who shouldn’t necessarily live in this world and should be erased. They are humans who painted the world with unnecessary colors that ruined the beautiful masterpiece of art the world has once became.

Hence, Light used the Death Note as his instrument to create his own ideal world. It is a world. By using the Death Note, he will reshape the world by eliminating those entire he thinks doesn’t necessarily live; the evil humans who destroyed the world. In Light’s eyes, when people start to see that death is the consequence of doing evil they’ll stop doing it and the world will rotate normally once again. Many people feared death and if death is the judgment for those who are evil other people will never imitate evildoers.

Light remained firm on this goal and brought judgment to evildoers. For this reason, he became Kira the god of the new world.

In Japanese fiction, the name Kira means “light” or “shininess.” It can also mean any good qualities in a person.

A single question arises as Light becomes Kira, the god of the new world.... Can Kira bring light to the world?

THE DEATH GODS

“Humans are so interesting,” said Ryuuku.

Shinigami literally means “death god” in Japanese language. In the series, the shinigamis live in their own world watching the humans and choosing which human name should they write on their own Death Note and die. It’s their job or a boring job (as Ryuuku mentioned).

Each of them possessed their own notebook of death and also they have their own rules to abide in order to keep themselves alive. One of those rules is continue writing names on the Death Note which extend their life span. Any shinigami who didn’t write names on the notebook of death for a long period of time will surely die.

There were at least four shinigamis introduced in the series. Ryuuku is the first, a bored shinigami who dropped his Death Note on the human world and picked by a bored genius named Yagami Light (Raito Yagami). He is the shinigami who love apples. As Light become the owner of the Death Note, Ryuuku became his companion and partner in crime.

The other was Jealous, a death god who had fallen in love with Misa Amane and therefore sacrificed his life to save Misa when she was in terrible danger. A shinigami may die if he/she extend human life whom he/she had fallen in love with and it is done willfully by a shinigami—a sacrifice.

Rem, another shinigami did the same thing as Jealous. She was a female death god and tricked by Light by bringing Misa to danger where the only way left to save her is Rem to write the true name of L and Watari on her Death Note and kill them instantly. But the price to pay is her dear life which she offered willfully just to save Misa.

Shidou is the chocolate-loving shinigami introduced in the series. He was the true owner of the notebook which Ryuuku dropped and picked by Light. The notebook of death which Shidou really owned was now in Mello’s use but later returned to the shinigami who really owned it (Shidou) after raiding the Mafia headquarters which believed to be the hiding place of Mello. The raid was led by Light who succeeded L. However, the terrible price paid in the raid was the death of Souichirou Yagami, Light’s father.

On my next post, I'm going to expose the main character of the series, Yagami Raito (Light).

A NOTEBOOK THAT KILLS

“The human whose name is written in this Death Note shall die.”

It is the first rule of the Death Note and whoever founds it and read the first rule may laugh and consequently jump to a conclusion that it was a silly joke created by its original owner scare anyone who picked the notebook… but heavens no! It really kills. Raito (Light), the leading character in the series have the same impression when he picked the dropped notebook and tested it by writing a criminal’s name. The next day, he was totally shocked after learning that the criminal whose name he had written on the Death Note died of heart attack.

Things began to change as the story progress as well as the character of Raito. He finally decided that he will use the Death Note to eliminate anybody he feels that doesn’t necessarily live in this world. In addition, Raito dreamed that with the Death Note, a powerful instrument of death in his hands, he will be able to create his ideal world, a world where crime, violence and other forms of evil don’t exist. He called that world Utopia.

On that world which he dreamed, he stands firm and declared himself as the god who will bestow judgment to evildoers.

The notebook of death which came to Raito was dropped purposely by a bored death god and he’s the true owner of the Death Note. But, not just one, there are many of them.

They are the shinigamis or death gods.

A NOTEBOOK FROM THE DEPTHS OF DEATH

“Inside your heart, is there anyone you wish would die?”
–Death Note,
Volume 0

Death Note… sounds scary? Or sounds funny?

I can’t really recall where and from whom I first learned about those words. Maybe from my anime freak brother (like myself) or from a friend, I can’t say. But it caught my attention when my friend repeated the words to me. The next day, I browsed many internet sites typing the words “death note” in a web search engine and also tried You Tube for any possible video clips from the movie. Well, You Tube is really amazing because the trailer caught my attention. It also aroused my interest.

On the day after yesterday, I hurriedly went to different branches of Comic Alley… in Megamall, Cubao, and Mall of Asia and browsed different stuffs of Death Note. Few days after the death of my mobile phone due to a freak accident (huhuhuhuhu), I went to SM Manila to buy the notebook of Death Note. Thanks to the salesman there, I found it hard to choose between the small notebook and the big one. There were two package boxes; the small one contains a small notebook, a pen and DVD while the big one has the big notebook (the original one like in the movie), a pen and also DVD. The salesman told me that the big one is the original and the best. It may be expensive but I can’t stop myself. I bought it without any second thought then went home to Bulacan to spend at least one day vacation.

As I am carrying the Death Note which was inside the plastic bag, a sense of dread crept over me. I didn’t really know why but maybe I was thinking too much. But it was really weird; I felt that something is going to happen as I am carrying the notebook of death.

And it really happened! Though it was not worse… thanks goodness!

While riding a jeep amidst the long North Express Way going to Sta. Maria, the jeep where I was ran out of gas and parked at the side of the toll way. Luckily, the jeep was just only few meters away from the gasoline station. I waited for thirty minutes for the driver to come back and refill the jeep with little gasoline. Whew! At last the engine roared once again and came back to life… the driver drove us to the nearby gasoline station and refilled again the jeep gas tank and finally we’re off. Two hours after, I finally arrived home safe as well as the notebook.

But while I was in the jeep waiting for the driver to come back from the gasoline station, I couldn’t stop thinking why it happened because it never happened to me before. I asked myself: “Is it the note?”

You may call it just a coincidence or no sense at all but for myself, I could not throw away the theory that the event transpired was not happened by coincidence… there must be some weird things behind it. I am going to point my ruddy finger to the notebook of death which I carried on that day when it happened.

I asked myself, “Is there a shinigami following me?”

Any person who owns the Death Note dropped or passed down by a shinigami will be able to see the god of death who originally owns the notebook, and that person will have a miserable life. But behind those miseries lies an unimaginable power—a power to kill.

But I think that it would be better if I’ll just put aside the thinking of it over and over again… I don’t want to be mad.

In my next posts, I am going to dive deeper in the story created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

So keep visiting!

LOVE CALCULATOR VIRUS

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That was my first reaction after numerous disgusting comments from my friends after they were fooled by the "Love Calculator" link I sent.

I received the Love Calculator link from a friend in friendster... at my first thought... it was just a normal love calculator like the others circulting in the internet where you'll just put the name of your crush and the internet itself will tell you the percentage of you and your crush to be fit with each other.

But it was different. The screen showed me three blank boxes where I should put the names of three persons which I truly admire. I put my name then click the link "calculate." I thought it will just calculate the best one among the three... but gooossshhh!!! I was wrong... instead of calculating the best... it was sent directly to the original sender--which means he saw the three persons I typed in three empty boxes.... geezz!!!! But, luckily... I was not serious at that time...

See---I'm indeed L. HEHEHEHEHE!

Like I mentioned, I created the same link and forwarded it to my friends... few days after... the great L received numerous disgusting and rude comments... my friends are overreacting... they probably thought the same way when I first saw love calculator...

Good gracious heavens... finally... I have something interesting to put in my blog... and you guessed it right... I'M GOING TO REVEAL THEIR ANSWERS... but I'm not going to make it easy to guess...

If there's anybody who wants me to reveal directly the answers of any person that I fooled... the price to pay is not so demanding... I JUST WANT APPLES as an exchange. Red apples... I want red apples. The redder, the yummier!

Now, let me begin.

These are the list of the person whom I fooled:

ANDREF DE VEAS

LOVELLA CATALAN

MACKY CALBAY

LESTER LAGOS

MARY JANE LUAKIAN

RAPHY DOMINGO

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD UY

RICHARD SUNICO

ROSALYN RAMOS

ANDREW JORDAN

GUY NOEL GANADOS

JENNIFER BALAN

Victims... first of all, I am deeply grateful for the great trust you put in me by answering the love calculator without any second thought. GRAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

And now, the list of their loved ones... but, remember I'm not going to make it easy... IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE ANSWER OF ONE OF MY VICTIM... YOU NEED TO GIVE ME APPLES.

Their loved ones are:

piotr halczuk
jens buchholz
paul lambert

sheila
junette
myline

jay sunico
camilo mendez
john sala

JM Cobarrubias
Humphrey Rice
Randy Lim

dave
brad pitt
tommy

Raniel
Marvin
Daichi

janice andera lim
anna andera lim
jessica andera lim

Sheilyn Ong
Lovella Catalan
Catherine Alonso

Caya
Joji
Melo

Maria Paz David
Karen Avila
Sonya Cartwright

Lynette Bunac
Bobby Baylon
Anna Manahan

rhona rodriguez
mary jane luakian
richard sunico

dennis balan
dennis balan
dennis balan

TERRIBLE FINDINGS:

Now, I am going to share my own view after finding the names from the victim's answers.

1. After their broke-up one of my victim is still in love with another victim... Tsk... is this how love works? Pft!

2. One of my friend has a dark side... goooshhh... the suspicions which I remained firm for long was finally right!

3. One of my friend is in love with my other friend who is the ex-lover of my other friend. Tsk... too complicated!

4. Two of my victims are loyal to their now found love.

5. One of my victim also loves the two guys I almost loved... though that love is forbidden.

HWEHEHEHEHE!!! Soon, there'll be more fun...

HUMANS ARE SO INTERESTING!

A Tribute to a Viking King

One rainy Friday morning, I was busy surfing the internet looking various accessories for my new mobile phone. The computer screen showed to me different bluetooth devices compatible for my mobile phone... a wristwatch for an example (yes! a wristwatch!).

Suddenly, another eccentric (but educational) question came to my mind... I asked "Bluetooth? Hmmm... Why this technology was named Bluetooth?"

Many of us might be asking the same question too. Actually, I didn't have any idea that I will be enlightened by the website of Sony Ericsson mobile phones. After few minutes of browsing bluetooth devices I noticed a link "Bluetooth." Without any second thought I clicked the link and it brought me to the web page dedicated to Bluetooth technology.

I scrolled down until the bottom of the page... then... there it is... I noticed a Viking helmet.

Yes! A Viking helmet.
And it said... "Why it is called Bluetooth?""Ohhh... I asked that question to myself load of times... finally the answer is here."
Though the explanation posted on the website was short... it still roused my curiosity. It said:

"The Viking king Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark. He was renowned as a great communicator, skilled at bringing people together to talk to each other – but he would never have guessed that a thousand years later a powerful technology would be named after him!"

Well... we're finally enlightened now... King Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark which is like how the powerful Bluetooth technology "unites the worlds of computers and telecoms."

I added some additional information (from
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dasgupta/bluetooth/history.htm):

"Harald I Bluetooth (Danish Harald Blåtand) was the King of Denmark between 940 and 985 AD. The name "Blåtand" was probably taken from two old Danish words, 'blå' meaning dark skinned and 'tan' meaning great man. He was born in 910 as the son of King Grom The Old (King of Jutland, the main peninsula of Denmark) and his wife Thyre Danebold (daughter of King Ethelred of England). Like many Vikings, Harald considered it honorable to fight for treasure in foreign lands. When Harald's sister Gunhild was widowed after the death of the violent Norwegian king Erik Blood Axe, she came to Denmark to seek Harald's help in securing control of Norway. Harald took the opportunity to seize control himself. By 960 he was at the height of his powers, ruling over both Denmark and Norway.

He was baptized by a priest named Poppo, sent by the German emperor. He then created a monument that read: "King Harald raised this monument to the memory of Grom his father and Thyre his mother. Harald conquered all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian". These words were also carved in stone called rune stones. Harald was killed in a battle in 985. Harald completed the country's unification begun by his father, converted the Danes to Christianity, and conquered Norway. The expansion begun by Harald in Norway was continued by his son Sweyn I, who conquered England in 1013. Under Sweyn's son Canute there grew up a great Anglo-Scandinavian kingdom that included parts of Sweden.
Old Harald Bluetooth united Denmark and Norway, Bluetooth of today will unite the worlds of computers and telecom (hopefully longer than the few years Harald's Viking kingdom survived). In 1994 Ericsson Mobile Communications initiated a study to investigate the feasibility of a low-power low-cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories. In Feb 1998, five companies Ericsson, Nokia, IBM, Toshiba and Intel formed a Special Interest Group (SIG). The group contained the necessary business sector members - two market leaders in mobile telephony, two market leaders in laptop computing and a market leader in digital signal processing technology. It is estimated that before year 2002, Bluetooth will be a built-in feature for more than 100 million mobile phones and several million communication devices ranging from handsets and portable PCs to desktop computers and notebooks."

A Tribute to a Viking King

One rainy Friday morning, I was busy surfing the internet looking various accessories for my new mobile phone. The computer screen showed to me different bluetooth devices compatible for my mobile phone... a wristwatch for an example (yes! a wristwatch!).

Suddenly, another eccentric (but educational) question came to my mind... I asked "Bluetooth? Hmmm... Why this technology was named Bluetooth?"

Many of us might be asking the same question too. Actually, I didn't have any idea that I will be enlightened by the website of Sony Ericsson mobile phones. After few minutes of browsing bluetooth devices I noticed a link "Bluetooth." Without any second thought I clicked the link and it brought me to the web page dedicated to Bluetooth technology.

I scrolled down until the bottom of the page... then... there it is... I noticed a Viking helmet.

Yes! A Viking helmet.
And it said... "Why it is called Bluetooth?""Ohhh... I asked that question to myself load of times... finally the answer is here."
Though the explanation posted on the website was short... it still roused my curiosity. It said:

"The Viking king Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark. He was renowned as a great communicator, skilled at bringing people together to talk to each other – but he would never have guessed that a thousand years later a powerful technology would be named after him!"

Well... we're finally enlightened now... King Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark which is like how the powerful Bluetooth technology "unites the worlds of computers and telecoms."

I added some additional information (from
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dasgupta/bluetooth/history.htm):

"Harald I Bluetooth (Danish Harald Blåtand) was the King of Denmark between 940 and 985 AD. The name "Blåtand" was probably taken from two old Danish words, 'blå' meaning dark skinned and 'tan' meaning great man. He was born in 910 as the son of King Grom The Old (King of Jutland, the main peninsula of Denmark) and his wife Thyre Danebold (daughter of King Ethelred of England). Like many Vikings, Harald considered it honorable to fight for treasure in foreign lands. When Harald's sister Gunhild was widowed after the death of the violent Norwegian king Erik Blood Axe, she came to Denmark to seek Harald's help in securing control of Norway. Harald took the opportunity to seize control himself. By 960 he was at the height of his powers, ruling over both Denmark and Norway.

He was baptized by a priest named Poppo, sent by the German emperor. He then created a monument that read: "King Harald raised this monument to the memory of Grom his father and Thyre his mother. Harald conquered all of Denmark and Norway and made the Danes Christian". These words were also carved in stone called rune stones. Harald was killed in a battle in 985. Harald completed the country's unification begun by his father, converted the Danes to Christianity, and conquered Norway. The expansion begun by Harald in Norway was continued by his son Sweyn I, who conquered England in 1013. Under Sweyn's son Canute there grew up a great Anglo-Scandinavian kingdom that included parts of Sweden.
Old Harald Bluetooth united Denmark and Norway, Bluetooth of today will unite the worlds of computers and telecom (hopefully longer than the few years Harald's Viking kingdom survived). In 1994 Ericsson Mobile Communications initiated a study to investigate the feasibility of a low-power low-cost radio interface between mobile phones and their accessories. In Feb 1998, five companies Ericsson, Nokia, IBM, Toshiba and Intel formed a Special Interest Group (SIG). The group contained the necessary business sector members - two market leaders in mobile telephony, two market leaders in laptop computing and a market leader in digital signal processing technology. It is estimated that before year 2002, Bluetooth will be a built-in feature for more than 100 million mobile phones and several million communication devices ranging from handsets and portable PCs to desktop computers and notebooks."

NEW BOOKS FROM POWERBOOKS

Thanks to a colleague in CSB (Ms. Nicky) who reminded me of Powerbooks Sale... Finally, I bought three new books which I'm dying to finish these days... I just bought three but I knew that those three are all fantastic... Finally... after Harry Potter fever... I'll have another stories to be traveled next.

After reading Steve Berry's THE ROMANOV PROPHECY... I began to like him and his stories... and this is his latest novel which came out last January (I think)... whew... a library lost for many centuries... what could it be??? i'll have to find it out.


Wow... the second part of Inheritance Trilogy... the first was ERAGON... wrote by the Tolkien of the new age (yeah! for me paolini must be influenced by tolkien's masterpieces--the lord of the rings)

"Edgar Allan Poe is dead... and the mystery begins..."


Hahayyy... can't wait to finish all...

TARANTINO THRILLA IN MANILA

I woke up early on Wednesday morning and noticed that my colleague in school sent me a message in my mobile phone that classes were suspended due to heavy rains caused by the typhoon Chedeng. My yawns turned into a wide smile and went back to sleep. As I closed my eyes, I planned carefully what to do in the afternoon and avoid to be killed by boredom in the apartment which I stayed.

It was 10:00am when I'm finally wide awake. I gave myself a bit of rest then did some work inside the apartment like cleaning because my t-shirts and other school stuffs were located elsewhere. After an hour I went out and bought my lunch---I know it's too early to eat by 11:00am... but hunger will kill me.

I went out of apartment around 4:00pm going to SM Megamall. From there I bought new books in Powerbooks because there's a nationwide sale in all Powerbooks branches. Gateway was my next destination because I've not visited the place so often after my family moved to a far away place. Upon arriving there I felt that I'm once again close to my true home but remembered that I'm already living far away. I decided to skip the drama and continue exploring the mall looking for something new or anything that will amuse me.

Upon reaching Figaro, I noticed a sign posted near the escalator "9th Cinemanila Film Festival." My jaws dropped, I knew it and I just forgot that there's important visitor for this year in the country. Like a mad dog I was when climbing the escalator towards the Gateway Cineplex. Upon arriving there, I noticed that there were people partying and I learned that it was the opening day of 9th Cinemanila Film Festival and they have special guest. Someone I really admired... my idol... he's here.

Another banner bearing his picture caught my attention and aroused my interest. It said "TARANTINO THRILLA IN MANILA."

"Wow! Quentin Tarantino!" I said.

Since I cannot see Quentin in the opening cocktail... I decided to get the cinema schedule and watch at least one film of his during this year's film festival.

THEN Friday came.

After I prepared the lesson for my Monday class, I quickly left and went to Gateway Cineplex. I quickly bought ticket for one of Tarantino's film that will be shown on that day, it was "Reservoir Dogs."

Hunger crept over my stomach after few minutes of waiting but I want to eat during watching the film. The film will start at 7:15pm according to the schedule but later I noticed the sign that the screening will start at 7:30pm. As I stroll around the place my eyes didn't miss the usher at Cinema 5 which I believed the screening venue of the movie that I'll watch.

Few minutes passed the usher started accepting tickets from the audience which means I can finally enter. I quickly bought a combo meal--popcorn, large coke, and hotdog on sandwich. Then I get my ticket from my pocket and hurried to Cinema 5. Upon my entrance the usher tapped my shoulder and told me something that I don't understand. He showed to me my ticket and told me that I WAS IN THE WRONG CINEMA!!!

Ohhh... I should be at Cinema 4 not 5. Excitement led me to shame! Tsk.

Without looking back, I went to Cinema 4 and asked the usher (by speaking) that if it is possible to enter the cinema by that time. Sadly, the usher told me to wait until 7:20pm.

Too bad! I was standing among the crowd of moviegoers with a popcorn, hotdog sandwich and a drink waiting for entrance. But since I couldn't stand hunger, I decided to start eating amidst the crowd. Five more minutes passed after I finished eating the usher announced that we may enter the cinema. I didn't mind the foods and keep focused on seeing Tarantino's film.

I quickly take my seat and noticed that the cinema is full which means that Tarantino is indeed a very popular director. I first knew him through his two volume films KILL BILL and it was really great! Then I gave myself a bit of background reading about Tarantino. According to what I read, he was just a counter in a video shop then later turned into a great director after the success of Reservoir Dogs. He also directed many films and one claimed the prestigious award of Cannes Film Festival, that film is "Pulp Fiction."

It is only my first time to watch the Reservoir Dogs... so maybe despite there'll be no subtitles... I'll keep on my seat because something great and unexpected happened.

QUENTIN WAS THERE!!!

Yes! He's indeed there inside the cinema where I am. I QUICKLY LEFT MY SEAT AND RUN TOWARDS HIM AND WE SHAKE HANDS. He spoke something to my but I didn't understand it... I just smiled in return. I wish to take picture with him but I was not permitted... I knew the reason... the screening will be delayed because there're too many of us in the cinema. But it is enough that I see my idol in person.

The film began and completed after 100 minutes. I clapped hard... though I didn't fully understand the film... I admired it too... bloody and gruesome....

While riding a jeep going back home I couldn't forget one of the great and memorable event of that day... meeting the international acclaimed director which I admired and wished to meet for a long time... finally my wish was fulfilled... I see him, face to face.

I wish that... I'll be the next... THE NEXT QUENTIN TARANTINO!

( http://www.cinemanila.org.ph/2007/index.html )

WHEN THERE WAS ME AND YOU

From High School Musical

It's funny when you find yourself
Looking from the outside
I'm standing here but all I want
Is to be over there
Why did I let myself believe
Miracles could happen
Cause now I have to pretend
That I don't really care

I thought you were my fairytale
A dream when I'm not sleeping
A wish upon a star
That's coming true
But everybody else could tell
That I confused my feelings with the truth
When there was me and you

I swore I knew the melody
That I heard you singing
And when you smiled
You made me feel
Like I could sing along
But then you went and changed the words
Now my heart is empty
I'm only left with used-to-be's
And once upon a song

Now I know you're not a fairytale
And dreams were meant for sleeping
And wishes on a star
Just don't come true
Cause now even I can tell
That I confused my feelings with the truth
Because I liked the view
When there was me and you

I can't believe that
I could be so blind
It's like you were floating
While I was falling
And I didn't mind

Cause I liked the view
Thought you felt it too
When there was me and you

HOGWARTS: A History

HOGWARTS FOUR

Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago (the precise date is uncertain) by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built Hogwarts together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered severe persecution.

For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out the young who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.

-- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

WAITING ON THE WORLD TO CHANGE

First of all, I would like to thank Carol for sharing to DAC this wonderful sign language music video... I'm really inspired by this.

http://www.d-pan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=45

HORCRUXES

During his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry was given extra lessons with Dumbledore which he gladly accepted. The lessons was not practicing defensive magic useful against Voldemort or brewing useful potions that will help him survive when he confronted the Dark Lord. It was all turned out to be diving deeper into the life of Tom Riddle, the boy who became Lord Voldemort.

As Harry and Dumbledore finally draw to the near end of their lesson, Harry was assigned by Dumbledore an important assignment which was to extract the true and important memory from Horace Slughorn. Harry managed to get it and one of the important parts of the epic series unfolded. Voldemort tore his very own soul into seven or in short, he made seven Horcruxes.

A Horcrux is a "receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a part of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality.” It is one of the deepest, darkest and most evil branches of dark magic. In addition, Voldemort became less human because of the mentioned seven Horcruxes he had made which he believed will help him revive and achieve immortality.

According to Dumbledore, Voldemort made six where Harry already destroyed one and he also destroyed another which left only four while the seventh and final Horcrux resides with Voldemort himself. The Horcrux which Harry had destroyed was the diary of Tom Riddle. In his second year at Hogwarts encountered Tom Riddle through the mysterious diary owned by Tom himself. The diary was originally handed to Ginny where she confessed to an anonymous friend dwelled inside every pages of the diary her deepest and darkest secrets. Later, the diary found Harry and Tom himself revealed that a part of himself dwells inside that diary. Harry on the other hand managed to destroy it through a basilisk’s fang and the Riddle in the diary was destroyed.

Dumbledore on the other hand, destroyed the ring which owned by Marvolo, a pure descendant of Salazar Slytherin. He’s also the father of Merope, the woman who gave birth to Tom Riddle. However, the cost of destroying the ring was tough because Dumbledore’s right hand (which is his wand hand) was blackened.

The two journeyed to a place where Voldemort concealed another part of his soul or in short, another Horcrux. It was the silver locket owned by Merope Gaunt. Both managed to get the Horcrux but the price was Dumbledore’s death. Harry then realized that the locket was just a duplicate copy and the original locket was stolen by a person who introduced himself through his initials “R.A.B.”

With his greatest protector death, Harry accepted the mission that he must now track the remaining Horcruxes. This is part of the plot of the seventh and final series. Harry didn’t return to Hogwarts in order to seek the four remaining Horcruxes and destroy them before confronting Lord Voldemort. The four remaining Horcruxes are: Hufflepuff’s cup, Slytherin’s true locket, Nagini and something owned by whether Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.

In The Deathly Hallows, we learned that Rowena Ravenclaw’s lost diadem was made into Horcrux by Voldemort himself when he found it somewhere in the forest of Albania. Harry on the other hand, realized that the original locket was stolen by Regulus Arcturus Black (R.A.B.) which was later in possession of Mundungus Fletcher who sold it to Dolores Umbridge. The locket was successfully destroyed using the Sword of Godric Gryffindor by Ron and the locket was no longer a Horcrux.

The cup owned by Helga Hufflepuff was destroyed by Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets using the remained fang of the basilisk.

Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem was said to be lost but Harry discovered that it was stolen from Rowena herself after the confession of the Grey Lady of Ravenclaw, a ghost in Hogwarts. The Grey Lady confessed that she is Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw. Harry found the diadem inside the Room of Requirement and later it was destroyed by Fiendfyre cast by Vincent Crabbe and also killed Crabbe.

Nagini died in the hands of Neville Longbottom when he pulled the Sword of Godric Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat and consequently beheaded Nagini.

But, it is surprising to say that Harry was totally astounded by the revelation from Dumbledore that he is the seventh and final Horcrux. Voldemort is unaware of this or probably the connection between them and Harry. The boy who survived the attack of Lord Voldemort through his mother’s sacrifice became famous and recognizable through the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Voldemort’s defeat brought joys to the Wizarding community and praised the young boy thus called him a hero. However, as Harry grew up, entered Hogwarts and encountered Lord Voldemort his scar prickled with pain for a reason he didn’t fully understand except that the brief explanation or opinion it only hurts when Voldemort is near him.

During his fifth year, he was haunted by terrifying dreams of seeing himself inside Lord Voldemort. He, in addition, able to sees things which Voldemort sees and feels what Voldemort feels. This incomprehensible connection between Harry and the Dark Lord brought Harry to the hands of Snape who taught him Occlumency, another complex branch of magic which deals with blocking the mind of one from being penetrated by another. Dumbledore too had sensed this which is the reason why he kept avoiding Harry during his fifth year because every time he looks upon Harry, he sees Voldemort stir from Harry’s eyes. The scar itself connected Harry to Voldemort; he inherited some powers of Voldemort after the failed attempt to kill him.

When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse to Harry during their final confrontation in the place where Aragog formally resides somewhere deep in the Forbidden Forest, Voldemort was unaware that he destroyed the final part of his soul which resides in Harry himself.

The result, Voldemort once more became mortal.

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
(Never Tickle A Sleeping Dragon)

Goodbye

It was 21^st of July and I woke up so early around 5:30am despite my eyes were still too lazy to open widely. I forced myself to get up then ate a simple breakfast, brushed my teeth and took a bath. After an hour, I double checked my things and quickly sprinted towards National Bookstore near the place where I work.

I reached the place but went first to the nearby ATM Machine to withdraw some cash I needed. After that, I quickly went to the bookstore and found myself standing with two ladies and an old man who were also waiting for the bookstore to open. It was 6:45am. You might be probably wondering it was too early for a bookstore to open its doors to their customers at that day since, most bookstores around the city usually opens 9:00am or 10:00am.

But that day was special. It was a special day to not only the four individuals standing outside the door but to another people around the world. Because it was the day when the seventh and final installment of JK Rowling epic tale of Harry Potter was released. The book was titled “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Yes, it was the last and the long story must end there. Harry’s destiny is at hand.

I admit that excitement crept over me when the release date of the final book was announced. As the date is drawing closer I was restless and couldn’t help myself to consult countless internet sites looking for possible and believable clues of what will happen in the final part of the series. I too busied myself in browsing different interviews on JK Rowling about her final book trying to get some important clues out of her during her interview that I hoped might slip… But she’s very careful with her words—careful enough to prevent spilling direct information related to the final book. It was her style.

With little difficulty of solving the puzzle by connecting her hints to the opinions of others and my opinion, I decided to remain firm in one theory of what will happen in The Deathly Hallows. Harry must (or will) die as well as Voldemort. I remained first on that conclusion and also added to myself that I should also keep my fingers crossed though I disliked the idea that Harry himself must die.

It was 1 minute left to 7:00am and I saw the bookstore ready to open its doors. I straightened myself up and prepared.

“The destiny is finally at hand,” I said to myself.

Then, the clock announced that it’s 7:00am and the security guard opened its doors. I looked back before entering; there were not so many people there. In my own opinions, maybe because the place was not popular as I heard that there’ll be going a whole day celebration in Fort Bonifacio Global City where Harry Potter fans will gather to celebrate the release of The Deathly Hallows.

I quickly walked towards the Customer Service corner and presented my reservation receipt and finally… the final installment of the series is clutching tightly in my hands. But a weird sensation crawled over my whole self. I felt that something was not right within me as I’m holding the book.

I looked upon its covers and it was exactly the same one I saw over the internet. Then, I opened a few pages to read the different names of its chapters and looked shortly at the drawing on the first chapter. Then, I closed the book and left.

While I was sitting in the canteen lingering my eyes to the front cover of the book, I felt a different sensation inside my own mind as it was like I’m seeing the whole thing clearly as I’m looking to the cover of the book. I saw Harry smiling, standing proud and waving goodbye later joined by his two closest friends Ron and Hermione both of them waving goodbyes too followed by the students, faculty and staff of Hogwarts next by the Wizarding community and finally Albus Dumbledore. Together they disappeared slowly beneath the front cover of the seventh and final book which I’m holding. What I felt at all was half joy and half terrible sadness.

A single tear came out of my right eye. I felt the bitterness of parting from the book which I loved. It is the book that pushed me into reading and taught me to love reading. The feeling was like I’m parting to one of my closest friend.

I do not know when I will read stories about Hogwarts or the Wizarding community again as the author already laid down her pen to rest after long years of hard work.

But I will keep the memories of this enchanted world always alive in my mind.

The magical world I entered is now at peace.

“All is well.”

DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS

Finally the long wait is over... million Harry Potter fans around the world dashed to their favorite bookstores to get their own copy of the seventh and final installment of JK Rowling's epic tale about the boy wizard. This 21st of July the book HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS is finally released.

The destiny is finally at hand after the long wait when I first opened and read the first installment six years ago. I was totally enchanted by this boy wizard and allowed me to dive deeper into his full and complex world. As the story progress from one sequel to another the wizarding world is starting to plunge again into another darkness as the avid readers of this book realized that the most powerful dark wizard who haunted Harry's dreams came back. When the author announced the release date of the final installment, many theories and speculations spread through the internet and by hearsay about the events that will lead to conclusion of the epic tale of Harry Potter.

There were few theories that Harry himself will die in the end which followed by million protests from the fans around the globe begging Rowling to save the boy from the hands of death and Lord Voldemort. Rowling later mentioned that one of our favorite character dies. She just hinted the favorite character which the readers of her book already loved and the one who should say farewell. The author also added that she might definitely kill Harry to avoid others authors to write about the world she created. In addition, Rowling also hinted that she might return to Hogwarts or probably will write another story after giving herself adequate time to relax and brew another story that will captivate the minds of her readers.

In line of the seventh book, Harry with his two loyal friends Ronald Bilius Weasley and Hermione Jane Granger will embark on a dangerous journey to track the remaining Horcruxes of Lord Voldemort which will turn him into human again when Harry and Voldemort duel. However, the story will also take us to the complex biography of Albus Dumbledore.

What happened next is what I will post next to this blog...

FOR BOOK LOVERS

Just got the idea from Ms. Nicky's multiply site...

The rules are simple. In the following list of a hundred books, copy and paste it in your multiply blog.

Bold the ones you’ve read, mark in blue the ones you want to read, mark in red the ones you don’t want to read, italicize the ones you’ve never heard of, and don’t do anything with the ones you feel indifferent towards or that you wouldn’t mind reading but aren’t dying to.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (J.K. Rowling)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (J.K. Rowling)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J.K. Rowling)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J.K. Rowling)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (J.K. Rowling)
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien)
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (J.R.R. Tolkien)
10. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (J.R.R. Tolkien)
11. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
12. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
13. The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)
14. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
16. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and his Boy (C.S. Lewis)
17. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (C.S. Lewis)
18. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis)
19. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair (C.S. Lewis)
20. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis)
21. Inheritance Trilogy: Eragon (Christopher Paolini)
22. Inheritance Trilogy: Eldest (Christopher Paolini)
23. Animal Farm (George Orwell)
24. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
25. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupery)
26. Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
27. The Vampire Lestat (Anne Rice)
28. Queen of the Damned (Anne Rice)
29. The Pearl (John Steinbeck)
30. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexander Dumas)
31. The Romanov Prophecy (Steve Berry)
32. The Alexandria Link (Steve Berry)
33. The Amber Room (Steve Berry)
34. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
35. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
36. Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy)
37. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
38. The Man in the Iron Mask (Alexander Dumas)
39. Brave New World Revisited (Aldous Huxley)
40. Movers and Shakers: Deaf People Who Changed the World (Cathryn Caroll and Susan M. Mather)
41. Living Legends: Six Stories about Successful Deaf People (Darlene Toole)
42. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
43. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
44. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)
45. David Copperfield (Charles Dickens)
46. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
47. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
48. Memories of My Melancholy Whores (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
49. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
50. Six Characters in Search of an Author and Other Plays (Luigi Pirandello)
51. Dora: Fragment of an Analysis of a Case Hysteria (Sigmund Freud)
52. The Interpretation of Dreams (Sigmund Freud)
53. The Metaphysics of Morals (Immanuel Kant)
54. Oedipus Rex (Sophocles)
55. Brokeback Mountain (Annie Proulx)
56. Swann's Way (Marcel Proust)
57. Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf)
58. The Uses of Literature (Italo Calvino)
59. Girl Interrupted (Susana Kaysen)
70. The Satanic Verses (Salman Rushdie)
71. The Ilidad (Homer)
72. The Quest of the Holy Grail
73. After Eden (Arnold Arre)
74. The Mythology Class (Arnold Arre)
75. V for Vendetta (Alan Moore)
76. Ang Kagilas-gilas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsa Zsa Zaturrnah (Carlo Vergara)
77. Bulaklak ng Maynila (Domingo Landicho)
78. Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Edgardo Reyes)
79. The Trilogy of St. Lazarus (Cirilo F. Bautista)
80. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
81. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
82. Ulysses (James Joyce)
83. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)
84. Arabian Nights
85. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Eleanor Coerr)
86. The Devil Wears Prada (Lauren Weisberger)
87. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
88. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
89. Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)
90. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
91. The Historian (Elizabeth Kustova)
92. Diary of a Madman (Nikolai Gogol)
93. The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende)
94. Dekada '70 (Lualhati Bautista)
95. Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
96. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
97. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
98. The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail (Michael Baigent,Richard Leigh,Henry Lincoln)
99. The Poe Shadow (Matthew Pearl)
100. THE BIBLE (unfinished...)

Let the fun begin...

Behind the Superstition

Days are traveling fast. The sixth month in our calendar finally arrived. Many may have noticed or probably not noticed the date of the second Friday of the sixth month. Yes, you’re probably starting to look up on your calendar now and glanced the number 1 and 3 which is the number 13 is Friday on second week of July.

Superstitions in different parts of our country and maybe around the globe believed that Friday the 13^th is unlucky day. For believers, the forbid or warn others to be careful on this day because something unexpected or “unlucky” might befall them or their loved ones. We might start to ask ourselves: why Friday the 13^th is unlucky day? Where the belief originally came from? What different myths, legends or stories which believed as origin of the said worldwide superstition? Is Friday the 13^th unlucky?

The Historical Context

There are no historical records identified or explained regarding the beginnings of Friday the 13^th. It was just; the number 13 was considered unlucky number. In some cultures, Japan for an example believed that the number 4 was unlucky number also the number 9. Why it is so? In Japanese language, the number 4 (“four”) is pronounced “shi” which means “death.” On the other hand, the number 9 (“nine) is pronounced as “ku” which means “suffering” or “torture.” For the mentioned reasons, the numbers 4 and 9 are considered unlucky by Japanese people. Aside from this, some Japanese also inherited the beliefs of many Christians around the world that the number 13 is unlucky. In line with this belief, Japanese people avoid putting the numbers 4, 9 and 13 in any rooms, elevators or even seats.

The Wikipedia explains that Friday the 13^th was first documented in the early 1900s. It might be probably during the dawn of the 20^th century, different stories, theories, myths and legends regarding the origin of Friday the 13^th began to circulate elsewhere. We will first turn our attention to Norse Mythology.

The Legends

Freyja is the Norse goddess of fertility. She was also the goddess of war, death, magic, prophesies and magic. Additionally, Freyja was also said to be the bringer of fruitfulness to fields and wombs. Friday is the sacred day for Freyja as well as the number 13. For Christians who reject the idea of polytheism considered both Friday and the number 13 as unlucky because it is related to the belief which they do not accept.

In Christian world, it was said that Jesus Christ himself has twelve apostles. When the day of his crucifixion is approaching, he gathered his apostles into one small room where they celebrated together the Passover. But, the Holy Scriptures explained that Judas himself was not present during that time. He had gone away to betray Christ and sold him into his enemies for 30 pieces of silver. In popular Christian belief, Jesus died on the stake on Friday where many Catholics yearly celebrate during the Lent and which was popularly known as “Good Friday.” In addition, Jesus himself has twelve apostles and if Jesus is added to the twelve, they’ll be thirteen. Therefore, Friday and the number 13 was again considered unlucky.

The last example is taken from the popular fiction of Dan Brown which was titled “The Da Vinci Code.” According to the book, the Knights Templar was originally formed to protect the tomb and secrets of Mary Magdalene, the sacred feminine. In addition, the Quest for the Holy Grail means a quest to kneel in front of Magdalene’s bones. The Knights Templar was hunted down by France’s King Philip IV and by the Church because they become powerful, rich and opposed the Church. They are condemned as heresy because the Church feared that if the Templars reveal the secrets of sacred feminine and the ancient truth which the Church itself denied will bring an end to the Church and since it was the Templars who guarded the secret, they decided to eliminate them so the secret will die with them. It was October 13, 1307 when the Knights Templar was tortured and executed. It was Friday.

Coloring the Legends

After exploring some selected related myths, we can start asking ourselves whether to believe that Friday the 13^th is unlucky day. Could that day and date was considered unlucky just because it is special to a belief which Christians condemn? Different religions and cults around the world have various special celebrations of their own in different days and dates. For an example, in Nick Joaquin’s The Summer Solstice the Feast of the Tadtarin is yearly celebrated in Obando, Bulacan every Feast of St. John the Baptist which is every 24^th of June. The Tadtarin is celebrated in three consecutive days and always started at the feast of a Catholic saint. Women dances during the procession of the Tadtarin where they gain supremacy over men. The story also explained that those women are the dominant figure while men were just slaves. It reminds us of the sacred feminine in the books published like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

We clearly see that the celebration which took yearly at Obando is blended with non-Christian tradition. Why we Christians didn’t condemn it as we see clearly that it is intertwined with a non-Christian belief. We criticized the Norse mythology by considering Friday the 13^th unlucky because it is special to their goddess Freyja without looking into our own celebrations with non-Christian traditions.

On the other hand, do we really need to consider Friday the 13^th unlucky because our Savior was betrayed by the 13^th person (Judas Iscariot) and consequently died on Friday? When Christ was resurrected, he didn’t condemn the day he was crucified or his betrayer. In addition, Christ himself is aware that he must shed his blood in ransom for the sins of many. He was sent to the world to preach the Word and died as a ransom for our sins which opened a new covenant between us and the Almighty God. Moreover, the Holy Bible doesn’t mention that the Friday the 13^th is unlucky or even condemned it.

In connection with the Knights Templar, is the Friday the 13^th considered unlucky because of its connection to the murder of the guardians of Mary Magdalene seven hundred years ago? If Mary Magdalene is an important person then her death should be considered more important than the death of her protectors. There were countless persons in all fields of learning like history, science, medicine, technology and others who changed our world died on different days and dates but we never considered the dates of their deaths unlucky nor it become a widely superstition like what many believed about the Friday the 13^th as unlucky day.

There are so many myths regarding why Friday the 13^th was considered unlucky. But would we allow ourselves to live the modernized life believing that Friday the 13^th is a cursed day? Superstitions may be a hindrance to our life’s development and progress. From various sources that I’ve read there are no strong reason mentioned on why Friday the 13^th is unlucky, not even one. Most of my sources just tell fictions which is probably or surely from myth-makers.

Therefore, Friday the 13^th is just a product of different fictions made by man.

(Michael T. Vea)