Athrun Zala Soldier of ZAFT

While my blogging is on a roll, I might as well get this out of the way. Many people, my wife included, would ask me this question: Who the heck is Athrun? It sounds like Athlon, the PC processor brand, my wife would always say in jest. Athrun Zala is one of the main characters in this Japanese cartoon I am so hooked on for quite sometime now. Heck its Gundam Seed just so you know. He is one of those kids, along with Kira Yamato, who pilot the famed G-weapons of the Cosmic Era aptly named GUNDAM. I know I am talking gibberish so those who can't relate may want to just Google it for their sakes.

All I know is from the moment I first saw early in 2004, almost instantly I got addicted to it. To me its not just your usual and average lean mean fighting machines. More than the nasty robots with cool gadget and weapons, the story behind their creation and the conflict upon which they are attached to got me on the hook. It is a story about war and what is it the people are fighting for? It is also a story about friendship and how our ideals may get in the way but in the end, the life that we value still matters. Quite melodramatic to many especially the hard core blood and gore type of cartoon fans but to me, its catchy and relevant...philosophical even. One could debate me on this but this is just how I see it and for the time being, I'd like to think it that way.

One thing I must admit though, Athrun Zala is not my favorite character in the series. I do like the character but there are others who are more notable the him. The name just stuck to me the first time I heard it on Cartoon Network. Quite a catchy name, and thank goodness to whoever thought of naming the character that way. For that, I was thinking of naming my future son (should I have one) Athrun.

I must admit, blogging is not my thing...

That was before, I hope. Back then, I don't even like the idea of having your thoughts being read out by many people more than half of them you do not know. Although I sometimes get kicks from hearing or talking about other people's lives, but this comes mostly in the form of chismis or informal chat with friends and foes alike. Then there is this idea of reading somebody else' blog. My then girlfriend, now wife (yiheee!!!) would alway prod me to read the posts on her blog. Then she also made a blog for both of us, on which I have one post hehehe, before our wedding. At times, I had to drag myself to check that and wouldn't even think of checking it out. I only do so when Christine (yup, she's the one) is on the verge of throwing a tantrum or worse giving me a silent treatment. Just kidding my dear...

Anyway, I never really thought that I would also one day be hooked into this. Its just that one crazy morning while I was besieged with LBM and had nothing better to do while waiting for it all to pass out that I thought, "Hey...why not give blogging a try?" Yup, give it a try I am doing. Maybe something good will come out of it...or maybe, this blog will just be like those junk Americans throw out in space...float itself into oblivion. I do not know for sure.

I am here to give it a try just the same.

My fascination with robots started way way back when I was a kid. I remember it being a treat for me watching cars turn into walking, sometimes even talking, machines saving the earth or a certain planet. Saturday mornings are always looked forward to if not for the Autobots, Decepticons, Voltes V and Voltron in the morning; afternoons are reserved for Bioman and Maskman and some other Japanese teenagers riding vehicles that combine into...robots!

Things did not really change as I went into puberty, adolescence and now, I hate to admit it: adulthood. Robots got better today because it is not almost always about the machines but sometimes even more about their pilots and society, that is why I go gaga of Gundam Seed so much (but more on that in some other post later).

For some reason I cannot take my eyes off the TV if a catch some sword wielding machine battle it out with a monster, even when I am only channel surfing as I am about to sleep. My wife would always kid and sometimes scold me if she's sees my eyes glued on the screen mesmerized by those weird sword fighting boxes. She just doesn't get it. To them she looks the same no matter how much I explain the difference. But to me, they are my little fairyland. Some sort of a box where you can shove yourself into when you want a break from it all.

When things go crazy and the stress of it all starts to take its toll on me, I can always grab a DVD and board the Archangel or launch myself inside the Freedom. They take me away even just for an hour or two and when I get back, I am fresh and once again ready to face it all. They keep me sane and to some extent, relaxed. People and some who tend to psychoanalyze may say that what I do is too escapist or even childish but for me, it's one coping mechanism I can not live without, apart from the love of my wife of course. She, I cannot even think of living without!