Practical Solutions For the Insomniac

Sleep problems seem to be prevalent in our family. Either we sleep too much or sleep too little.

I sleep too much. But my brother is an insomniac. Most nights he would stay up just playing games on the computer just to pass time as the night goes on. There are nights when he wouldn't sleep at all and go directly to school in the morning.

I decided to scrap out some tips on how to combat insomnia from the Web. I looked for practical solutions, just everyday habits that you need to have, in order to avoid becoming an insomniac.

1. Sleep and wake up at the same times.. Keeping to the schedule will help your body clock adjust itself to what you want your body to do. When this becomes a habit, your body will automatically tell you that it needs to sleep. Same goes for when you wake up.

2. Don't eat anything heavy within 4 hours before going to bed. A heavy stomach doesn't do well when you lie down. If ever you get hungry, go for light snacks or some crackers. I would also suggest hot milk, or maybe even hot choco.

3. No caffeine or alcohol before going off to bed. We know how caffeine works. It will only disrupt your sleep. Alcohol is also a no-no because it can wake you up at a wrong time, even if it makes you drowsy. Remember that sticking to a schedule is important.

4. Relax yourself. It's hard to sleep when you're troubled or stressed. Try some breathing exercises or do some stretching to get rid of some of the burden and relax your body.

5. Take a hot bath. Bathing with lukewarm water can have soothing effects on the body. You'll also feel clean and light, and wanting to go to sleep.

I guess my brother is wrong in not taking the initiative himself to make a schedule and relaxing himself to get to sleep. He just waits for his eyes to get drowsy. Maybe I should be pushing him to do what's on this list.

The Different Sounds of Pachelbel's Canon

After reminiscing on classical music and such, I still find Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major to be one of my favorite music of all time. I don't think I'm the only one. Canon in D is Pachelbel's most popular music. For us here in the Eastern side of the globe, especially those who aren't really into classical music, I think the Canon became more popular with it being the soundtrack of hit Korean movie My Sassy Girl:



Canon in D major was made in the Baroque period, and was scored for three violins and basso continuo paired with a gigue. It usually has a slow tempo but has had faster renditions.



But the music has been adapted to other arrangements and other instruments:

Piano solo:



Violin, Cello, and Harp:



I'm not sure (I think this is an organ with guitar, but I'm no expert..):

La Corda D'Oro Quotes, part 2

"We are still both students. Moreover, you've just entered high school. From now on, you'll be attracted to other different things, experience various encounters, and improve yourself. You'll be doing such things, and if you think about it after that, you'll learn it's not too late."
- Yunoki Azuma, episode 14 -

"You want the person you love to look only at you, right?"
- Hino Kahoko, episode 14 -

"Kreisler's lie taught a lot of people the wonders of music as a result. What about your lie, Yunoki-senpai? Hiding your true self and deceiving the people around you.. Doesn't it hurt you, senpai?"
- Hino Kahoko, episode 14 -

"Come to think of it, I might've been just in love with love. I was such a child."
- Sakimoto, episode 15 -

"You've gotten kinder than before, huh? I wonder whose fault it is?"
- Sakimoto, episode 15 -

"If the lie pains me, I have no choice but to become real. If that's impossible, I have no choice but to become closer to being real."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 16 -

"Besides that, no matter what kind of secret you have, that's not what's important to me. What matters most as a participant is your attitude towards music."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 16 -

"It's naive to just like the violin. I can't catch up to them like that."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 18 -

"If you love music and enjoy performing from the bottome of you heart, the violin would easily play beautiful music. However, when you're really impatient and irritated, the sound will get warped."
- Lili, episode 18 -

"You seem so overconfident, for you take being compared to a flower so seriously."
- Yunoki Azuma, episode 19 -

"Take the weight off your shoulders, step back, and have a good look. If you do that, the wrinkles on your forehead will disappear."
- Kanazawa-sensei, episode 19 -

"When did we stop telling each other the truth?"
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 19 -

"I wonder if there will be a time when just liking music isn't enough?"
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 19 -

"The sound of perfection is such a distant thing, is it?"
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 19 -

"To not have a new door open up for you is likely to be painful."
- Kanazawa Hiroto, episode 19 -

"When I listen to your music, I feel like I'm just about to catch and get a hold of something. Something very important.."
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 20 -

"They say that when we look at the city from a high place like this, we can understand how tiny our existence can be. But, conversely, I understand how great and wide the world is and I get excited.. There are countless people in this wide world. And when I also think about how there is countless music that can be played, I get really excited."
- Ousaki Shinobu, episode 20 -

"Everyone's been doing their best. And when you see that, you realize music isn't such a special thing.. especially classical music. It appears to be a high-leveled and advanced thing, but I think it's the same as normal things like talking, laughing, and just having fun."
- Ousaki Shinobu, episode 20 -

"Though you seem worried, you shouldn't press yourself for the answer. I think there will come a time when the answer will come out naturally."
- Ousaki Shinobu, episode 20 -

".. I'm a bit relieved. That there are things even you can't answer."
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 20 -

"It's harder to fool oneself than to fool others, huh?"
- Yukino Azuma, episode 20 -

"Strings are called corda in Italian, and corda has a meaning of 'a bond.'"
- Lili, episode 20 -

"It's not over when it's broken, huh?"
- Hino Kahoko, episode 21 -

"Violins are hand-crafted. One is never the same as the other, so repairs take time. Your violin is also the only one of its kind in the world."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 21 -

"I love the violin. That's why it's okay to start from the beginning."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 21 -

"You know, Tsuchiura, I only wanted to know your resolution. Competition in the worlds of sports and music is fierce. If you don't focus on one thing there's no way you could win.. If you're going to do it, then win!"
- Soccer Captain, episode 21 -

"I knew that competing wasn't the essence of music. But at that time, it seemed like the whole of me, the whole of my music, was rejected."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 21 -

Hihara:
But competing with others isn't what music is about..

Kanazawa-sensei:
The one you're competing with isn't others, but yourself, right?.. Using up all your power, exerting effort to become a little better than now.. Not making excuses for yourself.. Eventually, you'll be proud of what you were yesterday.

"The sound of the trumpet resounds in one's body. It's like the cells in the body vibrate and give power. I also received a lot of energy from your music!"
- Hino Kahoko, episode 22 -

"I want to make the people important to me happy! That's right! That's my music!"
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 22 -

"When I see you being so earnest, whether you win or lose, it feels like you're going to attain a ranking different from what I expect, or something like that!"
- Mori, episode 22 -

"Let them say what they want. It's just a matter of making them eat their words when they come to the auditorium."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 23 -

"I'll be lying if I said I'm not afraid. But because of this violin.. it let me encounter music, and you guys, too. I want to stand on the stage with the violin that gave me all that."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 23 -

"This camera may be old, but for me it's my good partner."
- Amou Nami, episode 23 -

"When I see you doing your best, I think of myself as pathetic for always living in the past."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 23 -

"I think it's basic for me to play what's written in the music. The sheet music has the composer's intentions and feelings in it. I was thinking of expressing it a little more that way."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 24 -

"When I see you guys doing your best, my wounds heal."
- Kanazawa Hiroto, episode 24 -

"Sweet things are good when you're tired."
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 24 -

"There's music waiting to be born from this fingers. Treat them with more care."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 24 -

"Everything your heart has felt is shining through your music. The melodies born from the bottom of your heart.. that's your music.."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 24 -

"It's the last after all. I have to enjoy it a lot so I won't have any regrets."
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 24 -

"I'll play music that speaks about who I am rather than just focusing on the sheet music."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 24 -

"The more rivals, the more interesting it'll be."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 25 -

"As long as you make it your performance, it's okay."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 25 -

"I had tough and tearful moments, but right now all those are dear to me."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 25 -

"Life is short. Young girls like you should love!"
- Kanazawa Hiroto, special -

"You didn't give up in the middle, but went through it till the end. It's not such a simple thing to do."
- Kanazawa Hiroto, special -

"You hear the same tune differently when it's played in a different place. The mood of the song depends on the feelings you put into it. So I thought the one and only tune is one you can't hear anywhere else but at that moment."
- Hino Kahoko, special -

La Corda D'Oro Quotes, part 1

"Music is supposed to be enjoyable to everybody who hears it. Don't you want to be able to make music like that?"
- Lili, episode 1 -

"It seemed as if the high notes became transparent. It somehow seemed to pierce my heart. I had no idea that the violin can make such beautiful sounds."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 2 -

"Just making sound come out is different from playing it."
- Lili, episode 2 -

"Don't be hard on yourself. There must be a reason why you were chosen."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 2 -

"Just play like you always do."
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 2 -

"You just have to enjoy yourself more."
- Hihara Kazuki, episode 2 -

"Yeah, if I don't enjoy playing it, then I'm not doing it justice, right?"
- Hino Kahoko, episode 2 -

"Whether you hate it or love it, such sentiments are worthless."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 3 -

"If I'm aiming for the same victory as she is, I would only like to compete to get a higher level and rank than her."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 3 -

"What you should play is not important. What's important is the story your performance is telling.. how you express it."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 4 -

"Music is something everyone can enjoy."
- Lili, episode 4 -

"It sure is strange. When you turn these written notes into sounds, it becomes so beautiful. How should I say it.. It seems that the performer is resurrecting the notes."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 4 -

"Isn't music written with 'sound' and 'fun' all over it?"
- Lili, episode 4 -

"It's about the attitude we have towards music. Are you really serious?"
- Tsukimori Len, episode 5 -

"Let's look past little mistakes."
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 5 -

"[playing 'Tristesse'] If you close down the way to your own path, it will always open up. That's why this isn't a song of ending. It is a new encounter. A song of beginning."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 5 -

"[about Kreisler] Then the reason why his compositions are still liked right now is because it must've been a good lie result-wise, right?"
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 6 -

"When I play, I do nothing but play.. When I play, my fingers move skillfully and when a beautiful sound comes out, I become very happy. I think it would be good to be able to play such an ideal sound."
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 7 -

"Music is something you have to enjoy and also something you have to make other people enjoy."
- Hamai Misa, episode 7 -

"[on Yunoki] He has a good appearance and is also smart. He has a smile that never goes away and he's really popular. There isn't a single bad rumor about him. He's a perfect honor student. How do you call him.. He's too perfect that, conversely, it's suspicious."
- Amou Nami, episode 8 -

"We're rivals now! If I'm going to do it, I don't intend to lose to anyone!"
- Tsuchiura Ryoutaro, episode 9 -

"But I can't keep relying only on others. Whether it's Tsuchiura-kun or the magic violin.. I must do something on my own.."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 9 -

"Hearing other people's music makes me think of a lot of things. Why is it different from mine? Why do they perform like that?"
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 9 -

"Besides the fact that there is a concours, the manner of being strictly on time is an absolute thing that must be observed no matter what the reason. If he can't do that, he certainly doesn't have the capability to participate."
- Tsukimori Len's Father, episode 10 -

"There are plenty of things I could learn by observing the other participants as well."
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 11 -

"Now I know.. it's got a gentle sound.. Is that why I thought I wanted to hear it some more?"
- Shimizu Keiichi, episode 11 -

"Results are results. You're second, I'm last. Results are everything. Everything happening so far has been a result of the effort you exerted."
- Tsukimori Len, episode 11 -

"I've decided to do my best. That's why I can't quit halfway now."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 12 -

"I think the concours is like feelings that are always changing.. like everyone. But the important things never change. I want to everyone to enjoy. That's all."
- Ousaki Shinobu, episode 12 -

"I only thought about myself, huh? Not having time to pay attention to others around me, I wasn't able to become kind."
- Hino Kahoko, episode 12 -

"It's not good to practice with cold-hearted feelings, Hino Kahoko."
- Lili, episode 13 -

"I want you to play the violin with honest feelings."
- Lili, episode 13 -

Here's How I Get Back on the Blogging Track...

It's been almost a week now, and I haven't made any blog entry until this moment. I guess the simple explanation would be that I lost some of the drive for blogging. The reasons for this would be more complicated of course.

This is mostly due to the fact that our monitor broke down. We took it for repair but it took so long that we decided to just get a new one.

I was getting restless about the thought of not having to blog at home. I ventured on my other interests to take up some of my time. I watched movies and TV series --- had an NCIS and anime marathon. If I couldn't find anything else to do, I just slept (which only cranked up my body clock).

Now that we have a monitor (a new one), I'm slowly getting back on track with blogging and Web surfing. It takes some time for me to go about blogging again, though. The monitorless break took so long that everything I wanted to blog about became a little hazy in my head. We can consider it as some kind of a writer's block.

So how do I get back on the blogging track? I work on two things: adjusting my body clock again, and getting something to blog about.

Adjusting my body clock wasn't so hard to do. Getting back into the pace was something I wanted anyway. The second thing was a little bit of a trouble. Like I said earlier, I was experiencing some sort of a writer's block --- there were ideas in my head but it's like I couldn't writer them all down. What I did was to go back to stuff I usually want to blog about: mangas and anime. My addiction to these proved helpful.

I first read mangas and filled my head with words and imagined scenes --- helps with creativity! Then I went about watching animes and writing down some quotable quotes. If I didn't have anything else to blog about, might as well post some quotable quotes! Haha!

And now I'm back. (",)

World of Soundtracks Indeed!

I was scourging the Web for music downloads of The Replacements soundtrack. It took me some time to find a source; I guess soundtracks of movies that weren't so popular are very hard to find.

Luckily, I found a blog that knew exactly what movie 'n music buffs like me wanted:

http://worldofsoundtrack.blogspot.com/

Just as its blog name says, the blog is full of soundtracks from small-time movies to the popular ones. I'm gonna be paying a lot of attention to this blog --- it's a gold mine for me. ^_^

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

My friend sent me a picture of the famous Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I guess the product is back in demand in the market because of the latest Harry Potter movie.


I dared my friend to eat some (she ate one but I forgot what flavor it was) and see if she could eat the vomit-flavored or the earwax-flavored ones. She refused. I wonder if her Bertie Bott's Beans will ever be eaten.

What Was Wrong With The Mummy 3?

A lot was wrong with the movie. In its production and promotional stages, I did have a feeling that The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor wasn't going to be entertaining and thrilling. The trailer wasn't very catchy, and the public details about the film itself raised some eyebrows of The Mummy fans.

1. No Rachel Weisz

I was disappointed in hearing that Rachel Weisz wasn't going to reprise her role as Evie. She and Brendan Fraser were so compatible with their roles. She knew how to act ditzy and intelligent at the same time, and she knew how to exude humor in her role.

I have never heard of Maria Bello before this film. She has talent, but I would not have traded Rachel Weisz for her. She managed to almost sound like Rachel Weisz, but I noticed something stiff in her tone. It almost felt forced, whereas Rachel was so natural.

2. No Oded Fehr

This was a given when news came out that the setting for the new movie was ancient China. Didn't the film makers know that Oded Fehr brought a lot of charm to the previous The Mummy movies? Casting him out was a loss on their part.

3. China and Chinese mummies

When I hear the word "mummy", I immediately think of Egypt. China would be so far out from my mind. India would've been closer, perhaps. But China?

The Chinese emperor, or the Dragon Emperor (Jet Li), didn't even become a real mummy. The emperor and his army just happened to become terracotta figures. Their insides weren't taken out and they didn't undergo mummification. They were more like sand warriors to me (and even as sand warriors they are way down below the dog warriors of Anubis in The Mummy Returns).

4. Alex O'Connell looks like his just his father's age

Just who did the casting for this film?

I do not doubt that Luke Ford would have clinched the role of an adventurer. But to be the 18-year-old adventurer son of Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello was not a good role for him. For starters, he doesn't look 18. There would've been no problem if he looked 18 even though he is in reality 27 years old. But he looks like Brendan Fraser's buddy instead of his son.

There should've been no shortage of younger actors fit for the role. What were the casting directors thinking?!

5. Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh

I love them. They're great martial artists and great performers. But I didn't like their performance in The Mummy 3. They were both stiff. Maybe it was because of their roles (Chinese nobility and honor and all that), but I would have liked to see some more spirit in their actions.

It was said that they choreographed their sword fight scene. After I saw it, I wished Jackie Chan was a part of the movie. He could'v helped with the action choreography because that one-on-one was lame.

6. Jet Li's No Dragon

Leave the dragon to the Lee and not the Li. Jet Li does not exude the menace of a dragon, much less a three-headed one.

7. Bad 3D effects

The dragon was bad, and the skeleton army was more than messy. The yeti were cute and I would love to cuddle up with them. But to rate the special effects in its totality, I'd give it 2 out of 5 stars. The dragon transforming back into Jet Li had a lot to do with my rating.

8. Lame Humor

The third film just didn't get into the level of previous The Mummy movies when it comes to humor. In The Mummy 3, it felt like the humor and the punch lines were injected forcefully. Even Brendan Fraser's facial expressions and intonations couldn't make me snicker even a little.

9. The Pace

It was so obvious that the director for the third film was not the director of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. Stephen Sommers can make you enjoy the ride of the movies. Rob Cohen, on the other hand, shifts from one scene to another like he was trying to squeeze the movie in two hours. Hey, we can handle more than two hours of screen time (just look at the box-office hits of The Dark Knight and Spiderman).

Really.
If ever I want to watch mummy movies, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor won't be on the list.

Lawn Tennis: Warming Up

I hit the tennis courts early Monday morning in an effort to get my body back into shape after feeling my body bogging down a bit. It was a perfect morning for the exercise --- not too hot, not too cold.. The kind of temperature where you feel like working your body out is a comfortable thing to do. It kind of feels like stretching your body when you wake up in the morning to get out of a relaxing sleep and get into gear.

I hadn't played in quite a long time. I think it might have been more than a year already before I went out to the courts that Monday morning. I had to go to work that evening, so it was imperative to me that I don't tire my body out with the exercise.

Sadly, I was too excited in holding a tennis ball and racket again that I pounded on the wall with some shots immediately. I failed to do the proper thing: warm up before going into the game or practice. And now, two days later, my body is still stiff and aching. My right arm feels like it's carrying steel, and I walk like a board.

So get this and get this right: warm up before playing!

Warming Up

There are only three steps in warming up your body before playing. The main purpose is to get your body charged slowly for the game or practice. The warm-up is all about conditioning your body for the heavy physical activity ahead.

1. Walking, light jogging, and moving your arms and legs a bit... You can move your arms around in a circular motion, or shake them a little, as you walk around the court. Your legs will be slowly conditioned when you start walking. Then you pace it up a little by some light jogging. Then if you want, then you can do some side-jumping.

What I do is walk a little for a while, then start jogging after two or three rounds of walking around the tennis court. Then after two rounds of jogging, I would include some side jumps in my next two rounds of light jogging. I do the side jumps whenever I reach the serving areas of the court.

2. Stretching... after the walking and the jogging, it's time to stretch your muscles. The general order of stretching is to start from rotating your head to stretching your legs. But I would usually start from my legs because I feel like moving it a little bit more after the jog.

When stretching, don't push your body so hard. One of the mistakes I made when stretching before games is to stretch my muscles hard enough to feel some pain. But this isn't the real way to go. Stretching your muscles is all about getting them to be flexible with your movements later on. This means that comfort should be present. We can say that the purpose of stretching is to relax your muscles and get used to your body enduring the whacks in the game later on.

3. Doing some lawn tennis moves... Of course, this is imperative. You should also have your body familiarize itself with specific movements in the game. What I do in lawn tennis is to practice my forehand and backhand shots (without the ball). This includes fixing my pose, with one feet in front, the body in position, and getting that forehand and backhand curve right.

Do this step as many times as you like, until you get the movements in your system. Eventually, your body and muscles will be well-charged for the practice ahead.