My Helm's Deep environment arrived yesterday. Yey! I'm going to save up for Edoras and the Mines of Moria environments, and hopefully, Minas Morgul as well. On another [LOTR] note, I'm still not done with the ROTK EE DVDs. I can't bear to watch the last disc. I don't want to say goodbye to one of the most amazing movies of all time. It has been a wondrous journey ever since I opened the cover of the Hobbit and travelled to Middle-earth. To watch the last disc of the ROTK EE, I fear, would be unbearable for my part so yeah, I think I'll postpone watching it and leave it at that. Insane, I know.



The Christmas madness is finally over. Thank God. I don't think I can handle any more of the craziness. Don't get me wrong. The meaning of Christmas is not lost on me. It's just that I was hoping for a simpler celebration. Sometimes, I think, I kind of dislike Christmas because of the commercialization and hype of the whole shebang. Then again, as soon as my family migrates here, I have plans of spending our first Christmas together with all the works, from a giant, real Christmas pine tree to Christmas lights and dinner to loads of presents. Hehe.



Just when I thought 2004 is fairly disaster-free, tragedy struck. As of this day, the deaths caused by the tidal wave that hit Southeast Asia has risen to more than 56,000. From the archives of CNN.com, I read that the recent earthquake, a magnitude 9.0, was one of the most powerful since 1899 and the the largest in 40 years. According to reports, the said earthquake "shifted huge geological plates beneath the sea northwest of Sumatra island, causing a massive and sudden displacement of millions on tons of water." It is unfortunate that the people were not warned of the tsunami since it is predictable, unlike an earthquake. [more at CNN.com] Haay, hirap na nga ang buhay sa Asya, madadagdagan pa.