Ramblings

My Movie Library

2010-05-09T06:32:00.001-07:00

Evolution

Yet another alien movie, this time with a comedic twist, Evolution does not attempt to line itself with those kick-ass extra terrestrial movies who have got the geeks gushing. This is just a feel-good alien movie, with lots of laughs in between. And of course it helps that the dashing David Duchovny stars in it.

She’s All That

I grew up reading teen romance, and once you’ve read one, you’ve read them all. Hot popular guy falling for a geek, obscure girl. This movie is exactly that formulaic plot. Since the storyline is predictable, the challenge now is to let the viewers stick around to at least finish the movie. In my opinion, the movie failed in this regard because of the bland acting; no matter how good-looking the actors were, that alone isn’t enough to keep me glued to the screen.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

This movie sizzles both in action and romance. I just loved watching the couple trying to kill each other, in the middle of making their marriage work. It was sweet, in a twisted kind of way.

The Alien Saga

2010-05-02T07:38:00.001-07:00

The weekend was spent watching all four installments of Alien which stars Sigourney Weaver. No particular reason for popping in the CDs, except that they have been sitting quietly for a long time on my collection now.

The story begins with a crew of seven on board the commercial ship, Nostromo, bound for earth after a harvest of ores in space. Somewhere along their route, they interrupt what they think is a distress signal from an uninhabited planet. The crew checks it out and this is where the action begins. One of the crew, Kane, discovers strange-looking objects which he describes as eggs covered in leather. When he bends in for a closer look, one of the eggs opens and out comes an organism which lands on his face and sticks to it. Back on the ship, despite objections from Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) due to quarantine regulations, the science officer, Ash, tries to remove the organism from Kane’s face. After several attempts, which included cutting off one of the organism’s ‘finger’ – bad idea, by the way, because it excreted dangerous acid-like substance when cut – Ash decides to just leave the organism alone. Eventually, the organism comes off Kane, and everything is back to normal during dinner. Well, almost, because midway, Kane convulses and out of his chest bursts an ugly-looking creature and before anyone could properly react, it dashes off. A search is organized, and amidst the numerous dark and dank passageway of the ship, the crew, one by one, is being terminated by the creature, and with each termination, it grows bigger and stronger. The only survivor is Ripley, and Jones, the cat.

When the captain of the crew, Dallas, dies, Ripley discovers that Ash is an android, and that he is being ordered by the company to bring in the creature for further study. Ripley learns that the company responsible for their exploration in space rerouted the ship to bring in whatever organism produces the signal the ship was able to interrupt. She also discovers the shocking order that the creature was a priority, and the crew, expendable. Ripley, alone, battles the creature and blows it to kingdom come.

So we are left with an image of Ripley floating through space. 57 years later (I didn’t know it was possible to float through space that long), the shuttle she’s in is accidentally discovered by a salvage ship and she’s brought back to earth, where she is accused of blowing up the space ship. It turns out that the company which commissioned her is somehow the same company which found her. Now, what are the odds? Her explanations of alien existence land on deaf ears, and she is brought up-to-date with the information that the planet, LV-426, where the Nostromo crew found the supposed alien, is now inhabited by space colonists. The problem arises when communication with the colony on the said planet is mysteriously cut-off. Carter Burke, a corporation executive, goes to Ripley with the proposal that she accompanies a group of marines, as a consultant, to LV-426, the one place Ripley does not ever want to go back to. Eventually she gives in with a promise on the part of Burke that if they find aliens on the planet, the creatures will be destroyed. Ripley teams up with a bunch of hard-nosed marine, led by a by-the-book squadron commander, Gorman, with a scant knowledge in combat. He redeems himself in the end, however, but that’s getting way ahead of the story. The group lands on LV-426, and is greeted by thousands of the specie Ripley has met before. Apparently, a mother alien is laying the thousands of eggs which spew forth organisms that immobilize the colonists to be hosts for the parasites. Amid the wreckage, a lone survivor, Newt, is found. Ripley and the little girl forms an intimate bond, so intimate that Ripley is willing to battle the mother alien to rescue Newt when the girl is captured to be a parasite-host. As in the first installment, everybody dies, except for Ripley, Newt, a heavily injured Corporal Hicks, and the android Bishop who, however, is destroyed beyond repair, but he still talks, mind you.

Again, we are left with an image of Ripley floating through space. Her ship crash-lands on a prison planet, Fiorina 161, leaving the rest of her companions dead. Again, she is the sole survivor, who teams up with a motley crew of hard-core criminals to fight off an alien who, somehow, manages to tag along Ripley’s ride from LV-426, and begins feeding on the prisoners, one by one, as in the first installment. Ripley and the gang do the impossible feat of battling the alien without any weapons, but through innovative use of whatever materials they can find in the area. The plot is somewhat muddled here, because I cannot quite understand how Ripley got a creature inside her, more so the queen alien. Anyhow, she is impregnated with this creature, and towards the end, when the company gets wind of the neuroscan, it immediately orders Ripley’s evacuation from the prison planet. Ripley, already aware of what the company really wants, throws herself into the furnace, the alien still inside her. She dies.

Somehow, two hundred years later, Ripley and the alien inside her are cloned by a determined group of government scientists who want to breed the ultimate weapon. From the Ripley clone, a queen alien is extracted and kept in isolation to lay eggs. A different Ripley emerges in this last Alien installment – a stronger, amoral, indifferent Ripley. Now The Betty, a cargo ship docks on the vessel housing Ripley, bringing with them precious cargo. These cargo turn out to be frozen people who are to serve as parasite-hosts. Eventually, these parasites were able to escape – by killing one of their kind and using its blood to melt their metal prison. Surely, you’d think that after more than a hundred years of study of these species, someone would somehow come up with a more effective material which could withstand these creatures’ blood. But hey, where’s the thrill in that eh? Anyway, the parasites escape, and once again, Ripley, this time teaming-up with the renegade crew of The Betty, fight off a faster, stronger breed of these species.

Surprisingly, Ripley survives with some of the crew, and even manages to get back to Earth.

I thought the first and second installments were brilliant depictions of the horror and action involved in space encounters of the third kind. The third installment somewhat fell short, both in horror and action, considering that it trailed such spectacular movies. I commend, though, the efforts of bringing in the concept of fighting off aliens without hi-tech weapons. Thank goodness it was just one alien. The fourth installment, while rehashing almost the whole story of the previous installments, was more visually stunning than the third, and it showed a more mature Ripley in terms of acting.

My Movie Library

2010-04-25T03:55:00.001-07:00

The Man In The Iron Mask
It’s probably more fiction than fact but a lot has been written about the probable identity of the prisoner in the iron mask. No, it isn’t Leonardo DiCaprio. Who would want to hide that handsome face behind a gruesome mask? Sadly though, Leo is just the face, never the actor, in this movie. He did not have enough acting prowess to hold his ground alongside the likes of Jeremy Irons. Still, this is one of my favorite movies.

Edward Scissorhands
I thought this movie was poignant, candy-colored houses and cutely structured bushes notwithstanding. Johnny Depp displayed such depth in his character, you can’t help but feel for him despite the freakish appearance.

Devil’s Advocate
I honestly couldn’t grasp the concept of the movie, so correct me if I’m wrong. Does the movie say that Keanu Reeves’s character is the devil’s spawn? And that the devil needs him to dominate the millennium? Assuming I got the concept correctly, a lot of questions still arise making the plot more muddled than it already is. In my honest opinion, the movie was too ambitious tackling this side of the story when it could have done ok just making the hotshot lawyer an advocate.

The Firm
Is it as good as the novel by John Grisham? I would say it’s passable. Although I thought it unfair for Tom Cruise’s character to have his cake and eat it too. The movie would have had more impact had they stuck to the novel’s plot. It was kind of funny going after the Mafia through mail fraud.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Belatedly honoring Earth Day, I popped the disc on my player and was virtually entertained. It’s CGI at its best, thinning the line between animation and live film. Although the plot leaves much to be desired, I can deal with the fact that the Earth has a spirit and whatever action we do which destroys the Earth, destroys her spirit. Just enjoy the movie for what it is – a breakthrough in movie-making.

Random Images

2010-04-15T07:37:00.001-07:00

For the travel article, click here.

For more pictures, click here.

My Movie Library

2010-03-17T04:46:00.001-07:00

Kate & Leopold

I will forego all attempts to explain the logic of the movie’s plot, and concentrate instead on the actors’ portrayal of their characters. Hugh Jackman, I realized while watching this movie, is the dream man of all those romance novelists who have unknowingly fed me with idealized passion when I was younger, only to be crushed with harsh reality when I got older. Meg Ryan was still the Meg Ryan I fell in love with. I thought, though, that the chemistry between the two was not enough to cause the explosion of the laboratory…only its apparatus.

Sweet November

Again, I will dispense with the explanation of the logic, or lack of it, in Charlize Theron’s character. The deeper I think about it, the more I agree with Keanu Reeve’s character’s observation that this once-a-month benevolence is merely an excuse to get laid. However, I did enjoy the movie, if only because of Keanu Reeves. It’s sickening, I know; but deal with the fact that I am a fan of the stiff guy. Besides, logic set aside, I thought the movie was nice enough to get me through it. It helps that the scenic San Francisco was a sight to behold.

The Swan Princess

It ain’t Disney so don’t get your hopes so high on this one. Nevertheless, the kids will probably enjoy the vibrant colors. As to the story and soundtrack, the adults will appreciate them more than the kids.

Serendipity

This romcom is climbing the charts of my most favorite movies in the genre. John Cusack was simply adorable in this movie, evoking just the right emotion in a man torn between the woman he’s going to marry and the woman who got away. I thought he redeemed Kate Beckinsale’s rather bland portrayal of Sara. I must give special mention to Jeremy Piven – the guy is just so downright funny.

Catch Me If You Can

A light, breezy, and enjoyable movie of lies, truths, and an impressive ego wall. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks were outstanding. The look and feel of the movie felt so 1969, it just swallowed me whole.

Serye V

2010-03-13T01:31:00.001-08:00

February was likewise a socially busy month, starting off with a lunch out at Trellis Restaurant on the 12th. The restaurant is located along Kalayaan Avenue corner Matalino Street, Quezon City. It’s an open restaurant, with a garden right in the middle of it, so the patrons are treated to a relaxing, green atmosphere while chowing on the establishment’s scrumptious dishes.

A colleague celebrated his birthday on the 18th by treating the group to a delightful dinner at Burgoo, Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

The following day was a February celebrators’ birthday lunch at The Office…

The next birthday cum anniversary celebration was held at R Bistro Bar, along Timog Avenue, Quezon City on the 24th. It’s a nice restaurant, bathed in cool lavender, with lounge music. The food was great and the service was impeccable. What was wonderful fun was being able to sing onstage – it was really nice of Joshua, the performer for the night, to allow the group to do solo and duet numbers. That was the highlight of the night; well, for us ladies anyway. I bet the guys’ highlight was when Luningning of Wowowee came and was kind enough to pose for some pictures.

The end of February, the 26th, saw the group again having a lunch out at Trellis Restaurant, this time with our Prosecutor friends. Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer (wink, wink).

March was not as busy, socially speaking. Two weeks into the month and I have only gone out twice – on the 3rd and the 5th.

The first was at Shakey’s Congressional Avenue with my cousins. It was the final game between All-Filipino basketball teams, Purefoods and Alaska. We thought it would be nice to watch the game onscreen while having a dinner party. The hotdog guys won; and I had a delicious pizza and pasta meal :)

The latest was a colleague’s belated birthday celebration at Cabiserra, Congressional Avenue (where we had the group’s ‘09 Christmas Party).

For more Serye V pictures, click here.

My Movie Library

2010-03-07T03:57:00.001-08:00

The Phantom of the Opera

I loved it! It was a feast for both the ears and the eyes. Gerard Butler accomplished a difficult feat with this movie – making the Phantom look hot.

Bridget Jones’s Diary

While the movie did not remain loyal to the book, it was still enjoyable to watch. Colin Firth portrayed Mark Darcy brilliantly, with the right amount of snobbishness only the British can pull off. What surprised me was Hugh Grant effectively portraying the cad, Daniel Cleaver.

Bridget Jones’s Diary: The Edge of Reason

Now this second bit of the Bridget Jones series did not, at all, remain loyal to the book…well, except for Thailand and the drug-busting. It would have been heart-wrenching and heart-warming to see the love triangle among Bridget, Mark, and Rebecca. I’m not at all a fan of portraying Rebecca as a lesbian. Still an enjoyable movie, however, so I forgive those lapses.

Notting Hill

From being a cad to being such a charming, unassuming travel bookshop owner, Hugh Grant can do just about anything…except probably an action movie. This movie is one of my favorites in the romcom genre because it’s so simple and the emotions come out as so real. Julia Roberts shines in this movie and she only has to smile.

Mary Poppins

I grew up watching this classic film and I will let my kids watch this. I almost memorized all the songs from this film, and surprisingly, I still sing A Spoonful of Sugar whenever I feel depressed. I especially enjoyed, until now, the routine on the chimneys.

The Wizard of Oz

Another classic, The Wizard of Oz is oozing with spectacular visuals, wonderful songs, and life’s wisdom.

Random Images

2010-02-20T23:59:00.001-08:00

For the travel article, click here.

For more pictures, click here.

Serye IV

2010-02-02T06:43:00.001-08:00

There’s nothing like welcoming the New Year with a bang!

13 January 2010, Wednesday.

The Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto dinner at Crustasia, Trinoma Mall, for Php350/meal. It’s an eat-all-you-can buffet of sumptuous seafood and Thai dishes.

14 January 2010, Thursday.

This time around, it was a night-out at Laffline, a comedy bar located along Timog Avenue. We had such a good laugh!

15 January 2010, Friday.

Colleagues and I went on an official business at the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in Pasay. Since the errand took us way beyond lunch time, we decided to have a feast at Aling Tonya’s, Seaside, Macapagal Boulevard.

16 January 2010, Saturday.

College friend invited me to his kid’s 1st birthday

18 January 2010, Tuesday.

Had dinner with a former colleague/friend at Napoli, The Block. It was a hefty meal composed of chicken pesto, oil and garlic with Hungarian sausage, onion rings, and the uber delicious four cheese pizza.

22 January 2010, Friday.

Had an advance birthday lunch with my colleagues at Pink Pepper, Il Terrazo Mall, Tomas Morato. Colleagues surprised me with a banapple cake :)

25 January 2010, Monday.

This time, it was Ching’s turn for his birthday lunch. We had it at Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen, Commonwealth, Quezon City. My apologies as I didn’t bring my camera during this day.

27 January 2010, Wednesday.

The birthday celebrators for the month of January (me, Ching, Marvs, and Carol) had a power lunch (wink, wink) at the basement, which means everybody at the Office was invited. Again, I didn’t bring my camera.

29 January 2010, Friday.

Marv’s turn for his birthday lunch, at Gerry’s Grill, Tomas Morato.

The staff of the restaurant, wishing Marv’s a happy birthday. For the video (well, the end of it) click here.

For more Serye IV pictures, click here.

30 January 2010, Saturday.

For the travel article, click here.

For the travel pictures, click here.

Whew.

Serye III

2009-12-22T04:26:00.001-08:00

December is one big affair to remember.

5 December 2009, Saturday.

It was an amalgamation of friends from primary to law school during cousy’s birthday, which she celebrated by feeding children at the Missionaries of Charity Home of Joy for the Sick Children, in Tayuman.

Lunch was at SM, San Lazaro, at A Venetto Ristorante, where every hefty serving of pasta dishes and pizza was delightful to the palate.

Dinner was a family affair, this time at La Mesa Grill, The Block, where every dish, and I mean, every dish is delicious.

By the way, this is just one of those delightful structures at The Christmas Village being displayed at The Block.

6 December 2009, Sunday.

Being a member of the Food Committee for The Office’s Annual Christmas Party has its perks – like this free food tasting at Robert Camba’s Catering.

I’m so excited for the Christmas Party on the 17th because, so far, the food I’ve tasted are scrumptious!

9 December 2009, Wednesday.

10 December 2009, Thursday.

It was a colleague-friend’s wedding, so we had an early lunch at Tapa King, Visayas Avenue Branch, to be able to prepare for the 3 o’clock invite. I loved the establishment’s sweet and spicy tapa (dried beef).

At the wedding…

12 December 2009, Saturday.

For the travel article, click here.

For more pictures, click here.

16 December 2009, Wednesday.

The group from The Office decided to have a separate Christmas Party so we did it in style at Cabiserra, Congressional Avenue. The place is cozy;the song selections, and sound system are top notch. For the budget conscious, this IS the place to go for a delightful videoke session. Plus, the food was good.

17 December 2009, Thursday.

Happy Holidays.

For more Serye III pictures, click here.

Whew.

Relocating

2009-12-22T03:05:00.001-08:00

For some unknown reason, my Multiply site crashed on me too...the same time my techie stuff did (as on Tidbits). Anyway, I've decided to transfer all my pictures over at Picasa Web. For the links, please see below :)

For the travel pictures:

Anawangin Escape (Sun, Sea & Satisfaction)

TreeTop Adventure (Green & Clean Fun)

Zambales Affair (Waves, Sunset & Co.)

Laguna, Two-in-One (Screams, Serenity & Spontaneity)

Pinatubo Trek (Trek, Crater & Beauty)

Vacation Dash

Cool and Colourful Baguio

For the Events (I've placed all past events in one folder):

My Life in Pictures

Home & Wired

2009-11-24T22:41:00.001-08:00

Even as friends and I were going home from our sweet escape to Baguio, I was beginning to feel the symptoms of a flu. Initially, I panicked my guts out thinking not AH1N1! As soon as we arrived in Manila, I made a checklist of the symptoms for the virus: headache, check; diarrhoea, check; fever of sudden onset, check…Damn! I took the Monday and Tuesday off from work, and like an addict, welcomed the relief pills gave me. Wednesday, I was back at the Office and had more energy than the energizer bunny. I had two days of rest, if you can properly call it that, which I don’t because running to the loo every now and then and getting uncomfortable chills from the fever every night hardly make it rest as defined in the dictionary. A day back at work and the headache stroke back with a vengeance. I need a long break. Besides, once I am seated at my work desk, rest becomes a non-existing word.

Happiness was what I felt when my boss affixed his signature to my leave form.

Him: Where are you going to take your vacation?

Me: In my town.

Him: Good, you need to rest. You’re sickly.

Great.

I finished everything days before Tuesday, 24th of November, so I won’t have to panic myself with pleadings and destroy the whole concept of a vacation. So my mind was in a pleasant state of blankness when I seated myself on the bus. I’m going home! I’ve always been grateful to have been born in my town – not just any town, but my town where time seems to be on a standstill. The serenity of the surroundings and the leisurely pace of almost everything moving transport me to a whole different universe. I know once I get back in the City, I’ll be disoriented and it’ll be a whole day before I get my groove back, but heck, an escape to my town is worth it.

~~~~~

Coming home felt different. When I looked out from the window of the jeepney, took in the lush green of the fields, and inhaled the freshness of the cool provincial air, I was hit hard in my stomach with the realization that at one time, last August, I came back to the town with a heavy heart. The ancestral house looked cold and dreary without grandma…

~~~~~

I just paid a visit to Our Lady of Piat. The town of Piat is a 15-minute drive away from my town and I make it a point to visit Our Lady whenever I come home. I took my dad’s white pick-up and while driving it, I got a few smiles and waves from my parents’ acquaintances which I was obliged to return like a politician’s daughter. The drive to Piat proved to be leisurely and uneventful – if you don’t count the stop I had to make while a rafter of turkeys decided whether or not they would cross the street. They eventually didn’t, which made me wonder why the chicken did cross the street? Or the sudden swerve I had to make because a dog thought it cute to shit in the middle of the highway.

Anyway, I’m back home, alone but not at all bored. Movie marathon time ;)

Random Images of Baguio

2009-11-22T03:21:00.001-08:00

For the travel article, click here.

For more pictures, click here.

Side note: some of my pictures couldn't open on my Multiply site, so click here.

Movie Marathon II

2009-11-18T03:27:00.001-08:00

While You Were Sleeping: Gives the heart a nice tug

Sandra Bullock plays Lucy, a lonely Chicago Transit Authority fare collector, who has met the guy of her dreams and plans to marry him. Unfortunately for her, Peter, Lucy’s dream guy, doesn’t even give her a second glance. One day, Peter gets mugged and thrown off the tracks. Lucy rushes to save him and brings him to the hospital. He then falls into a coma. A misunderstanding leads Peter’s family to believe that Lucy is Peter’s fiancee, and somehow, Lucy can’t bring herself to tell them the truth. She falls in love with the family, and for the first time in so many years, she feels truly happy. Enter Jack, Peter’s brother, played by Bill Pullman. His doubts on Lucy’s fiancee claim assuaged, Jack rather spends his time getting to know Lucy. As he gets to be acquainted with Lucy, he finds himself falling in love with her. And so does Lucy with him.

Peter wakes up. Naturally, he doesn’t recognize Lucy; the family, however, exclaims he’s got amnesia. When Peter’s godfather, who already knows of Lucy’s secret but refuses to divulge it, has a heart-to-heart talk with Peter, he made his godson realize the importance of a second chance at life and Lucy’s role in it. Thinking this over, Peter proposes a ‘second time’ to Lucy who accepts it. When Jack gives his wedding gift to Lucy, which is a snow globe featuring Florence, Lucy asks him:

Lucy: Can you give me any reason why I shouldn’t marry your brother?

Jack: Oh…I can’t.

On the wedding day, even before the priest gets to the part where he calls out opposition to the marriage, Lucy blurts out that she objects to being married to Peter. Jack objects too, and Peter is thinking of objecting. Baffled, the family asks why. Lucy admits to being in love with Jack instead. The wedding does not take place, and Lucy is back in the token booth. Suddenly, a ring is dropped into the counter and Lucy finds Jack and the whole Callaghan family smiling warmly at her. Jack proposes, Lucy accepts, and for their honeymoon, Jack brings her to Florence.

The plot is not new but you have to commend the way the movie makes you stay glued on the screen. It’s a predictable romantic comedy, but it did not fail to tickle the heart. Maybe it was Sandra Bullock’s oh-so-natural manner in portraying Lucy; or maybe it was Bill Pullman’s charisma…I really don’t know. But this movie grows into you, and before you know it, you’re smiling goofily at Bullock’s and Pullman’s character when the latter proposed. I never realized Bill Pullman could be so charming! This one definitely belongs in my list of favourite romcom movies.

~~~~~

The Truth About Cats & Dogs: It’s all about wit

Dr. Abby Barnes is a veterinarian who hosts a radio show aptly titled The Truth About Cats & Dogs. She accidentally meets Brian over the phone, when he seeks advice on how to soothe an agitated dog in roller skates. Drawn by her intelligence and soothing voice, Brian asks her out. Abby agrees, but feeling the low self-esteem kicking in, she describes herself as tall, blond, thin: exact opposites of what she really looks like. Abby then stood Brian up. Abby has a neighbour, Noelle, who is a striking model but not so smart. She happens to be in the radio station, on Abby’s seat, when Brian comes up to the station to check on Abby. Brian is smitten – he has found himself a looker with a brain. After Abby explains the situation to Noelle, the latter agrees to help, but inevitably, Noelle falls for Brian. She finds that she couldn’t give him up. The two then vie for his attention via a drinking/photography session. Abby realizes that Brian loves the face, so she gives up the chase. Noelle, on the other hand, misses her best friend, and realizes that she cannot be the woman Brian fell in love with. She gives him up. Brian discovers the fraud, and nurses his hurt feelings away from both girls. Eventually, he realizes he misses Abby, and woos her through his adopted dog, Hank.

I adore Janeane Garofalo, and I simply cannot convince myself that this movie is working on the premise that Garofalo’s character, Abby, is ugly. She is most definitely not; in fact, she exudes charm and wit so strong, it zaps right through the computer screen. She delivers funny one-liners with such finesse, you know she’s made for this. This is her movie; this is her stage. Anyway, that’s the movie’s premise so I guess I just have to deal with it. Having dealt with it, albeit with extreme difficulty, I breezed through the movie. Uma Thurman’s character is a person you cannot hate even if you want her to just drop Brian there and then for Abby. There is a sweetness and poignancy in her that make you want to hug her and assure her that everything’s alright. Brian, played by Ben Chaplin, is charming; but of course he would be, what with his accent. It’s a cute, light, and witty romantic comedy.

~~~~~

Wimbledon: A bit fast for my liking

Peter Colt gets a chance at the Wimbledon, being chosen as a wild card. He has made up his mind, however, that whatever the outcome of the championships, which he thinks is more on the losing side, he will retire from the profession. Lizzie Bradbury, on the other hand, is on top of her game, with her mind set on only one thing – winning. The two accidentally meet when The Dorchester inadvertently gives to Peter the key to Lizzie’s suite. Teasingly, Lizzie invites Peter to a “research” and what is to be a light, fun, no-commitment tryst ends up in a love affair, at least for Peter. Peter then rediscovers his winning form when he suddenly realizes that he has fallen for Lizzie. Meanwhile, Lizzie’s focus is shaken and it takes her a lose at the semi-finals to discover that winning isn’t everything. Peter ends up winning the Wimbledon, marrying Lizzie, having kids with her, and teaching tennis at the club. Lizzie goes on to win two Wimbledon later in her career.

At the onset, I have to assume that Lizzie is a character who likes to live in the fast lane when it comes to relationships. How else would I digest the fact that she proposes “research” with Peter whom she met for the first time? Anyway, that’s what happens in this movie. To give justice to the speed into which both end up in bed, the two eventually end up in love. My only problem is this: I do not see love element coming. It’s like the movie has gone on a fast forward and the next scene I encounter is Peter getting all mushy with Lizzie. It would have been a nice plot except that I ended up seeing no plot at all. Much too fast for plot build-up.

What the heck…Paul Bettany was kind of charming.

Serye II

2009-11-06T05:12:00.001-08:00

28 October 2009, Wednesday.

6 o’clock in the evening

It has been a long time coming, our end-of-the-month massage. So when a colleague suddenly popped the question: When are we going to have our massage? We, there and then, decided on the date. Wednesday, the 28th, it was, because a colleague the group sort of recruited wasn’t free on Fridays. It was a quickie, much to our disappointment. One from the group had to rush off to another appointment. I longed to tear him to pieces.

30 October 2009, Friday.

12 o’clock in the afternoon

It was a recipe for unbridled gallivanting: government declared a half-day; the weekend that was to come was a long weekend, the 2nd of November being a holiday; we just received our salary. I was busy figuring out the puzzle in Mystery of the Shark Island when someone voiced out his boredom. The solution: an unscheduled lunch out.

8 Spices is located inside Il Terrazo Building along Tomas Morato, and it specializes in Thai cuisine. It’s a pricey restaurant so it’s not really ideal for a group lunch out, but we wanted to try it out anyway. I’ve done Thai cuisines before (Power Lunch), and I was blown-away by the delightful taste. Did 8 Spices amaze me? It did to an extent.

The Spicy Seafood Soup or tom yam was deliciously spicy, it converted me into a fan of soup recipes. Yes, it’s that good.

The beef in red curry was how I remembered red curry dishes to be. The beef was uber tender, and the curry sauce was luscious. The chicken dish wasn’t so extraordinary but it’ll do. The pad thai needed a little garnishment because it came out tasting like any ordinary noodle dish. The catfish was amazing, and I will recommend this dish, especially when taken with the establishment’s bagoong rice. In conclusion, 8 Spices is a Thai restaurant worth trying.

For more pictures, click here.

31 October 2009, Saturday.

I had to put this in because I found it really cute! It’s a creation of Crown Bakeshop, Tuguegarao City.

It’s bread in the form of roasted pig, and very tasty even without any embellishments. Every part is edible; yes, including that stick right up the pig’s behind.

4 November 2009, Wednesday.

6 o’clock in the evening

I love to sing. I’m blessed to be born into a family who adores singing. I’m fortunate to have been employed in an office with workers who are fond of singing. Plus, it is our belief that singing helps relieve stress. Any excuse to get us out of the office (wink, wink). Anyway, we haven’t visited karaoke joints in ages, so we thought tonight was the right time.

Havana Family KTV Rooms along Visayas Avenue was suggested.

It has a rate of Php50.00 per head, per hour. They do offer packages for groups of ten and up; ours was at Php5,000.00 for 3 hours, plus food and drinks. On a very tight budget, it can be a bit expensive considering that we know of one nice place with really low rates. On the average, it was ok. The song selection is not that impressive compared with KTV joints along Timog Avenue or Tomas Morato. I’d say it was passable. The food, though, was heavenly, and I will recommend this place if only for its food.

For more pictures, click here.

5 November 2009, Thursday.

12 o’clock in the afternoon

I am one of the basement people: my office is located at the building’s basement. Usually, the basement people aren’t always complete during lunch time. So on this very, very rare occasion that we were, I just had to take a picture.

7 o’clock in the evening

My bosom buddies and I met for dinner – treat of hers who just came home from the UK. There were just four of us available for dinner, and we had it at Cibo at The Promenade, Greenhills. It specializes in Italian dishes, so I was thrilled as I’m a self-confessed pasta lover.

I had the Rigatoni di Bruto – sausage, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper, tomato, and chili pepper. I was a bit disappointed because the rigatoni wasn’t that chewy-soft. I wanted the pasta to be tender enough, sliced with minimal effort. Although I wanted my rigatoni sauce to be spicy, with a lot of zest, I could not complain with the sauce with which my rigatoni dish was served – fresh and with a discernible tomato taste.

I fell in love with the establishment’s Uva Nera or red grape. Just the right amount of coldness (now how do they do that?), and sweetness.

For starters or antipasti, the Spinach Zola comes highly recommended because of its surprisingly tasty spinach dip.

Whew.

Movie Marathon

2009-11-01T01:41:00.001-07:00

When A Stranger Calls: Pathetic

Jill Johnson is grounded for running up the phone bill. Her punishment: babysit for the Mandrakises. In the course of her babysitting, she receives calls from a stranger. Initially, she thought it was just a prank call; but the calls become scary, threatening even. Jill reports to the police, who helped trace the call. What the police tell her later terrify her.

Officer Burroughs: Jill, Jill! We traced the call! It’s coming from inside the house! Do you hear me? It’s coming from inside the house!

Things to do to amuse yourself:

Watch this alone, at night, with the lights out.
Psych yourself before popping in the disc; this mantra could help: I’m going to watch a scary movie.
Turn the volume up, especially when the musical score attempts feebly to make Jill’s every turn suspenseful.
Scream at the top of your lungs, just to let the neighbours know that you’re watching a really, really scary movie.

This is one movie which pathetically attempts to scare its viewers and miserably fails to do so.

~~~~~

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory: Delightful & Dark

Willy Wonka’s chocolates are loved by almost everyone everywhere in the globe. The factory, however, closed down due to spies on Slugworth’s side. Slugworth is Wonka’s greatest enemy in the trade of chocolates. Mysteriously, the factory operates again but not one worker has been seen entering the factory premises. An even bigger surprise is Wonka’s decision to open his factory to five lucky winners of the Golden Ticket he had scattered all over the globe inside Wonka chocolates.

Soon, four children from countries around the world find the golden tickets. Good-natured but poor Charlie Bucket finds the last one, just when he least expected it. As soon as he finds the ticket, a mysterious man, who turns out to be Slugworth, approaches him and offers him riches beyond his imagination in exchange for Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstopper. Now this Everlasting Gobstopper is said to be Wonka’s most secret and deadliest invention; this gobstopper will be the end of Slugworth’s industry.

The five children, accompanied by their guardians, enter the famous Wonka chocolate factory where they meet the renowned but eccentric Willy Wonka. They are then given a guided tour of the factory’s many wonders and secrets. They are also given a chance to try out Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstopper. One by one, however, the children drop from the race, so to speak, due to bad qualities they possess. The last one to remain is Charlie but he is told off by Wonka because he and his grandfather Joe chanced a sip of the drink when they were specifically told not to. In a selfless gesture, Charlie returns his gobstopper. A man steps into the office and Charlie is surprised to see Slugworth, who, it turns out, is not really Slugworth, but Wonka’s trusted man who posed as Slugworth to test the kids. Wonka smiles at Charlie and announces him to have passed the test. The award: the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory itself.

Willy Wonka: So who can I trust to run the factory when I leave and take care of the Oompa Loopa’s for me? Not a grown-up. A grown-up would want to do everything his own way, not mine. So that’s why I decided a long time ago that I had to find a child. A very honest, loving child, to whom I could tell all my most precious candy-making secrets.

A cursory glance will make a viewer think that this is one delightful children’s movie. Imagination runs wild in this adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s a 1971 film, long before I was even born, but the effects have showcased brilliance when it comes to putting together a set worthy to be described a ‘world of pure imagination’. However, a closer look at the plot tells us that this is not just a children’s movie. Adults can learn from the lessons this movie so subtly inserts amidst colourful candy canes, eye-popping gummy bears, luscious chocolates trees, and entertaining oompa loopa’s. What makes this movie a bit disturbing is the seemingly perverse manner in which Willy Wonka punishes those ‘naughty, nasty’ kids. I guess you need this kind of dramatics to drive home a point.

~~~~~

Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Visually lustful

1462: With the downfall of Constantinople rises Prince Vlad, the Impaler, who is to do battle with the invading Turks. His bride, Elizabeta, is left in the castle waiting for her prince’s return. By some twisted act of revenge, the Turks deliver a message to Elizabeta informing her of the death of the prince, when in actuality, the prince and his troops won the battle. Heartbroken, Elizabeta hurls herself to her death. The prince returns devastated, questioning his faith. The refusal of the priests to bless Elizabeta resulted in the prince denouncing God and the Church. He vows to wait forever for his bride.

1897: Jonathan Harker is commissioned by his law office to close the deal on properties bought by the Count who lives in Transylvania. He thus travels to the castle, meets Count Dracula, and by the time he steps into the Count’s abode, he has sealed his fate. When the Count sees a photograph of Harker’s fiancee, Mina Murray, he sees his dead bride from four centuries past, and knows his long wait is over. Count Dracula leaves Harker a prisoner and sets off for London to find his bride.

Mina’s best friend, Lucy, is a free spirited girl. Suddenly, however, she has been showing signs of anemia but Dr. Jack Seward is bewildered as he finds no cause for it. He calls upon his mentor, Abraham Van Helsing, for enlightenment. Soon, Van Helsing’s findings lead him to conclude the existence of vampires or nosferatu. Meanwhile, Mina is entertained and strangely enthralled by the attention given her by Prince Vlad. She feels she has known him for a long time. Back in Transylvania, Harker escapes the castle and seeks refuge at a convent. He writes to Mina for her to travel to the convent where they are to immediately wed. This angers Prince Vlad and he seeks revenge on Lucy, finally condemning her to eternal damnation. The battle with the vampire begins. Mina and Harker return to London, and Harker teams up with Van Helsing to hunt for Count Dracula. Mina, however, has already fallen for the Prince:

Mina: I want to be what you are, see what you see, love what you love.

Count Dracula gives Mina eternal life from his own vampire blood. The battle goes back to Transylvania, where Van Helsing and his men race before sunset to kill Dracula. Harker is able to slit Dracula’s throat, and one was able to stab his heart with a sword. Mina stops them from completely destroying him. She goes with Dracula inside the castle, but it is too late. To finally give him peace, Mina drives the sword into Dracula’s heart and beheads him.

I have always been fascinated by vampires and their history. I guess you can say I hunger for any information about them. This movie, however, did not satisfy that hunger. I already know about Vlad the Impaler, having read about him on a Reader’s Digest book. So there was nothing new in this film, information-wise. The romance angle though has been put into the fore, and it can be a very welcome respite from all the gore showcased in this movie. Do not attempt to see any logic and reason in the story-telling because there are none. What you get are intricate visual effects, and erotic neck-biting and body-devouring. What blew me away was the song, Love Song For A Vampire, by Annie Lennox. The haunting tone emits sadness and longing. Check out the video.

Random Images

2009-10-30T04:09:00.001-07:00

The Day After Tomorrow: Admittedly scary

2009-10-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) predicts that the global warming the world is experiencing today will lead to the new ice age. His estimate is at 50 to 100 years from now. When he gives a warning at the New Delhi climate change conference, the Vice-President of the United States dismisses him, saying that the economy is every bit as fragile as the environment. Back in the United States, Hall receives a call from Scottish meteorologist Terry Rapson (Ian Holm), and the latter informs the former that there have been unusual drops in the temperature off the North Atlantic. Soon, turbulent storms circle the whole planet: tornadoes upon tornadoes rip off Los Angeles; blocks of ice rain over Tokyo; and incessant rains are registered all over Asia and Europe. It seems that Hall’s prediction of an ice age will not happen in 50 to 100 years from now…it is happening at this very moment.

The sudden and drastic change in the climate prompts Hall to propose an evacuation of all people south of the United States. What about the North? Hall thinks it may have been too late for them. The radical drop in the temperature will cause instant death to those who would venture out of their houses.

Earlier, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), Hall's son, joined the mental decathlon in New York. He and his team get stranded there and they, together with other New Yorkers, seek refuge at the public library. On the phone, Sam talks with his father, who advised him to stay indoors, keep warm, ride it out, and wait for him.

Jack (on the phone with Sam): I will come for you, do you understand me? I will come for you.

The Philippines, for the past two weeks or so, was ravaged by two deadly typhoons, which came one after the other. Colleagues and I were discussing about it one afternoon, I think the second typhoon had passed, and we were of the opinion that while the country may be prone to typhoons, two deadly ones were a bit too much. Our talks led us to global warming and climate change. Driven by some masochistic tendencies, I popped in the movie and scared myself silly. The blown-out-of-proportion disasters brought about by the cataclysmic events are stuff made for the movies. I did not bother to analyze the science of it. I will forgive the shallow human subplots. I will even think that this is just a movie.

I will admit though to being scared.

Lunch Out

2009-10-23T06:45:00.001-07:00

23 October 2009

Lunch out was still a week away but we decided to have it earlier. La Mesa Grill caught our attention, and we tried the SM North branch, due mainly to the fact that the establishment is located at the Sky Garden.

The place is not that spacious but there’s a cozy feel to it. And the native decors give you that impression that the establishment serves Filipino dishes, which now brings me to a discussion about the food. Hands down, this is the best grilled restaurant I’ve been to. The dishes we had were simply delicious. I highly recommend the laing with adobo flakes, which is gabi/taro leaves cooked in coconut milk, topped with adobo flakes, and served on banana leaves.

The establishment is known for their Crispchon, short for crispy lechon. I know, not too creative on the moniker but who cares? We had one anyway. The skin and meat of the roasted suckling pig is chopped into bite-size pieces, wrapped in pandan crepe, and garnished with cucumber, wansuy, and leeks.

There are six flavours of sauce to choose from: we had the garlic (I liked this dip), sweet chili, and Rikki’s choice (my colleagues loved this).

Definitely worth another visit!

For more pictures, click here.

Zoolander: In a nutshell, funny

2009-10-22T04:29:00.001-07:00

Three-time Male Model of the Year Derek Zoolander thinks he’d bag the same award for the fourth time. When newcomer Hansel beats him to it, Derek feels he has no purpose in life. He thus retires from the male modelling industry because according to him,

There’s more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good-looking.

Meanwhile, the fashion industry is on the brink of wreckage because the Prime Minister of Malaysia is determined to eradicate child labour in his country. The fashion industry relies so much on cheap child labour. Fashion designer Mugatu has been tasked to deal with this so-called nuisance. The plan is to assassinate the Malaysian Prime Minister. The would-be assassin is Derek. How does Mugatu call Derek from retirement? Offer Derek to model his new line and set up a Derek Zoolander Foundation.

The plot thickens when it is soon discovered that history is replete with male models who were hired to assassinate political figures dealing with slavery, but these male models were also mysteriously killed after. In order to thwart the assassination plot, Derek teams-up with Hansel. Together, they both save the Prime Minister and make the world safe for male models everywhere.

In a word, funny. Not ridiculously so, but there are good laughs in between which sustain the viewer for those scenes that can get a bit dragging. I’m no Ben Stiller fan, and I don’t say that I’ve been converted through this movie, but I give credit where credit is due, and he deserves praises here. It’s a satire alright, but less the harshness. It’s an altogether nice movie to watch if you’re looking for a few laughs.

Notting Hill: Surreal, but nice

2009-10-19T04:15:00.001-07:00

He lives in Notting Hill; she lives in Beverly Hills. He’s an unassuming bookshop owner; she’s the world’s most famous actress. Fate brings them together when Anna Scott wanders into William Thacker’s bookstore. While he tries so hard to be nonchalant about it, still, his whole fibre shouts ‘It’s Anna Scott!’ She leaves. But they meet yet again, accidentally. He spills juice on her clothes and offers his house for her to change in. She gives him a lingering kiss after. And there begins the heart-warming romance between a celebrated film star and an ordinary man on the street.

It’s a charming fairy tale that’s wrought of absolute surrealism. But then again, anything’s possible. A famous actress could fall in love, marry, and happily spend the rest of her life with the ordinary guy next door. Julia Roberts was absolutely glowing in this movie, she with that lovely, lovely smile. Hugh Grant was so natural in playing the timid bookstore owner that he came across as cute, charming even. They look good together; it’s a shame this is their only movie.

It’s a romantic comedy that pierces the heart at times, and it’s on my list of favourite romantic comedies.

I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.

Black Hawk Down: More Than A War Movie

2009-10-18T23:33:00.001-07:00

General Muhammad Farah Aidid, a Somali warlord, has been confiscating U.N. food shipments in Somalia, resulting in the death by starvation of some 300,000 Somalis. The world responds by sending an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers on a humanitarian mission. The task: capture the General’s top advisors in the hopes of capturing the elusive Aidid. The timeframe: half an hour.

Upon reaching the place where the key advisors held their meeting, the US troops encounter unexpected resistance from Aidid’s militia. Two helicopters were brought down by enemy rockets. What was supposed to be a simple 30 minute extraction mission became a complicated 24 hour rescue mission.

I first heard of the movie during an International Law class; my professor was discussing the complexities of war and he suggested we watch Black Hawk Down. I did watch the movie; my understanding of war wasn’t any clearer. Nevertheless, I saw the purpose of the movie, and that was to deliver to its audience the ghastly experience of a soldier during this Somali mission in 1993. It delivered quite magnificently. From the cinematography to the screenplay, the movie made me sympathize with those troops out there . I was glued to the screen for fear that I would miss a single frame; never mind that the movie seemed to be all explosions and gunfire. It helped of course that Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, and Ewan McGregor were there.

Lunch Out

2009-10-16T05:47:00.001-07:00

…to eat lunch away from one’s home or away from one’s place of work.

Colleagues and I planned a lunch out every salary day – 15th and 30th of the month – just to break the monotony of office lunch. I decided to document the same for the fun of it.

16 October 2009

We had our lunch out at Reyes Barbecue, UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub branch. A bit of a background: the UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub, or simply TechnoHub, was once a wide expanse of barren land located across the University of the Philippines, Diliman. Today, it is home to call centre agents. Besides business process outsourcing companies, there are dining, cafe and novelty shops in the area.

Anyway, lunch. The establishment offers grilled dishes, from the simple pork barbecue to the exotic grilled chicken ass. I had the grilled tuna and ice tea for a reasonable price of Php190.00. My dish came with a really tasty java rice and enselada. The grilled tuna was savoury, made even tastier by the establishment’s famous peanut sauce.

For more pictures, click here.

Random Images

2009-09-12T06:28:00.001-07:00

For the travel article, visit http://cinsomniac23.wordpress.com.

For more pictures, visit http://cinsomniac23.multiply.com.

2009-08-04T03:08:00.001-07:00

The Replacements: Predictable, but fun

2009-07-12T02:26:00.001-07:00

Edward O’Neil, the owner of the Washington Sentinels, is in a quandary. His team of professional football players is on strike, with a few more games left for the season. He calls on Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) from retirement to remedy the situation. With the assurance that O’Neil not interfere with his coaching style, McGinty assembles a team of misfits led by washed-out all-American quarterback Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves). McGinty and his motley crew then kick some ass in winning the games left of the season to do something that Washington has not done in seven years – advance to the playoffs.

Said to be loosely based on the 1987 NFL strike that forced the team owners to hire replacement players to rescue the business, The Replacements carries a simple enough story with a predictable ending. It is what happens in between that makes the movie sell, for me anyway. The movie talks about sports, without trying too hard to be a serious sports movie. It has romance in between, but it does not try too hard to be a chick flick either. What the movie does try hard to do, to a fault, is to please. Admittedly though, I had fun. It had Keanu Reeves on it so it should be a good enough reason to sit through the whole 1 hour and 58 minutes. And it’s not everyday that you get to see a bunch of guys line dance to Gloria Gaynor. Bring in the popcorn and you’re in for a relaxing night.

Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.

Serye

2009-07-04T00:03:00.001-07:00

26 June 2009, Friday.

12 o’clock noon:

It was a slow and quiet day, which, for the office, meant no clients to entertain or paper to file. A colleague voiced out his desire to watch a movie. Taking my eyes off the computer screen for the first time since I arrived that day, I suggested Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a choice that was immediately seconded by the rest. So was the movie worth the afternoon sneak from the office? I would have to say ‘yes’ for the simple reason that it’s the nastiest piece of metal action there is.

6 o’clock in the evening:

It being the last Friday of the month, we proceeded to Indulgence Spa for our monthly massage as soon as we arrived at the office. For Php350.00/person (anti-stress massage), we got the steam room, shower, and an iced tea for free. Maybe it was the rather long robot movie, or maybe the weeks prior to this day were just too tiring, that I slept through all those pushing and pulling. The next thing I knew, the masseuse was waking me up.

8 o’clock in the evening:

We decided to have dinner before we head home, and as the strip where the spa is located is lined with food establishments, we picked Pancake House. The servings were still small, the prices were still exorbitant, and the dish I had, Roast Beef Special Set, was not so special. I should have gone for the pasta dishes.

28 June 2009, Sunday.

10 o’clock in the morning:

I had to go to the mall to buy some gears needed for a class I intend to enrol in. All done, I passed by Astroplus (The Block), one of the two stores – the other being Odyssey – I go to for my discs, and got myself Michael Jackson’s 25 Thriller in memory of the King of Pop. Surprisingly, I never had an album of the guy.

1 o’clock in the afternoon:

Lunch was with my cousin whom I affectionately call ‘Krungkrung’, and we discussed about life in general over Jollibee burger value meals. I never hide the fact that I’m a McDonald’s fan, but I visit the Bee now and then. My favourite is their Jolly Hotdog, about the only chow I order when I stop by the chain. But on that day, I had a Cheesy Bacon Mushroom. The melted cheese was heavenly, the bacon was alright, the hamburger patties were kind of dull. I scraped off the mushrooms.

30 June 2009, Tuesday.

12 o’clock noon:

Lunch was at Wok Inn, and I highly recommend their sipa dish – ground beef/pork/chicken wrapped in lumpia (spring roll) wrapper garnished with tasty spices - and for a more flavourful touch, dip these rolls in their special sauce.

3 o’clock noon:

After some official business that could not be delayed, we had refreshments at Eve’s Cafe and Diner. Nothing really extraordinary with what we had – Cookies n’ Cream for me, Strawberry Smoothie for two of my colleagues and Latte for the other.

6 o’clock in the evening:

A bit of a background: The office always makes a bet whenever Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao has a fight. When I was hired in December 2007, I was immediately listed as one of the bettors against Pacquiao. I didn’t mind; I’d vote for anybody versus Pacquiao. The Pacman had two fights since I was hired: Juan Manuel Marquez and Oscar dela Hoya. Both times, the office had dinner paid for by the losers in the bet.

My third Pacquiao bout was with Ricky Hatton. This time around, dinner was at Little Asia (Tomas Morato Avenue), a restaurant that offers delectable Asian recipes. The dishes were very reasonably priced, and we had hefty servings of every viand we ordered.

2 July 2009, Thursday.

5.30 in the afternoon:

I so missed my former colleague and good friend, so was extremely glad when she decided to show herself after months of isolation. With three other present colleagues/friends, I had a dinner-cum-karaoke session-cum-swapping stories-cum-fun. It was at Pork Barrel, Congressional Avenue – the office frequents the one located at Kalayaan Avenue – and while the venue was not as nice and the food was not as good as the one at Kalayaan Avenue, the company more than made up for the flaws of the place.

Whew.

2009-07-03T04:28:00.001-07:00

Blame the rainy season…

Ulan by Cueshe

Lagi nalang umuulan
Parang walang katapusan
Tulad ng paghihirap ko ngayon
Parang walang humpay
Sa kabila ng lahat ng aking pagsisikap
Na limutin ka ay di pa rin magawa

Hindi naman ako tanga
Alam ko nang wala ka na
Pero mahirap lang na tanggapin
Di na kita kapiling
Iniwan mo akong nagiisa
Sa gitna ng dilim at basang-basa pa sa ulan

Pero wag mag-alala di na kita gagambalain
Alam ko namang ngayon may kapiling ka nang iba
Tanging hiling ko sa yo
Na sa tuwing umuulan
Maalala mo sanang may
Nagmamahal sa yo---ako

Lalalalalalalalala...

Random Images

2009-06-16T06:50:00.001-07:00

…In the eyes of a child, there is joy, there is laughter; there is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future;

For the lessons of life there is no better teacher than the look in the eyes of a child…*

*excerpt from The Eyes Of A Child by Air Supply

For the travel article, visit http://cinsomniac23.wordpress.com

For more pictures, visit http://cinsomniac23.multiply.com

Links below =o)

My take on Danny Gokey

2009-05-16T04:41:00.001-07:00

Except for Season 3, I have never followed American Idol as closely as this season’s. From the very first audition date to last Wednesday’s (Thursday in my country) Eliminations, I was glued to the television and hyperventilating over each contestant’s performance. And for the first time in 8 years, I have found my favourite Idol ever in the person of Daniel Jay Gokey.

He came off as cocky, arrogant to some; but, undeniably, he can sing. He may not be the most creative contestant this Season - I take my hats off to Kris Allen on that category, and I hope he wins (hahaha!); he may not be the most versatile – that belongs to Adam Lambert (such a nice guy); he may not have the hottest voice – I’m all for Matt Giraud on that score; still, I find Danny’s charm magnetic, and he drew me like no other contestant did (not even Michael Johns of Season 7 had such an effect on me), enough for me to take the time off everything and write about him on my blog.

His Rat Pack performance was my favourite of his performances, and I totally agree with Randy Jackson when the dude said Danny could record songs in that genre. Plus, he looked hot in a suit.

But why, oh why, did he have to go screaming during Rock night? Granted it was not his type of music, he could have turned that genre to his advantage if he had an ounce of creative juices up his sleeves. But then again, he’s not Kris, so I rest my case.

Ironically, his best performance was to be his swan song. Nevertheless, it was a good season, made even better with him around. I was loving every bit of him – from that really stylish haircut to his trendy glasses. And I’m going to love every bit of him that’ll come.

Danny or no Danny, I’m so looking forward to next week’s episode of the Idol show. And it doesn’t really matter who wins, for me anyway. The top two deserve the spot.

A Walk To Remember: Teenage Stuff

2009-05-11T04:35:00.001-07:00

Landon Carter could not wait to get out of Beaufort. Your typical high school student, he lived one day at a time, with peers who could not care less about school.

Jaime Sullivan, the town Reverend’s daughter, was the most boring person in school: immersed in books, seated alone in the cafeteria, spent the weekend teaching underprivileged kids. Her greatest ambition was “to witness a miracle.”

The two were very unlikely to get together, much less be seen together. But when Landon got into trouble at school, he found himself in Jaime’s company. He asked Jaime to help him read lines after school, for the drama he was unfortunate to have been forced into. Jaime acceded, with one condition:

Jaime: You have to promise not to fall in love with me.

Landon: That’s not a problem.

I need not go on to inform everybody that Landon Carter, hot-shot in his school, fell in love with Jaime Sullivan, the school’s most obscure person. That’s the beauty of the movie: two people who are unlikely to fall in love with each other, do fall in love with each other. The plot may not be novel, but the movie could have been spectacular. Sadly, it wasn’t. The way it was made had in mind those stories from the Sweet Dreams books, books I read when I was in primary and secondary school. Having said that, I am thus disappointed that aside from the names of the characters, and the place that is Beaufort, I lost Nicholas Sparks’ novel. I’m thinking that coincidentally, the movie carried the same title as the novel. So did Nicholas Sparks intend the novel to be for lovesick teenagers? Or did he have the adults in mind too? Because, honestly, all I got from the movie was teenage stuff. Poignant, yes. Sweet, yes. But it spelled TEENAGE in neon lights.

I totally digged the soundtrack though.

2009-04-19T03:54:00.001-07:00

For the travel article, visit http://cinsomniac23.wordpress.com

For more pictures, visit http://cinsomniac23.multiply.com

Links below =o)

Random Images

2009-04-14T04:15:00.001-07:00

Trees

by Alfred Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see, A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest, Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear, A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.

Extreme Adventure of Sorts

2009-04-05T09:35:00.001-07:00

For the travel article, visit http://cinsomniac23.wordpress.com.

For more pictures, visit http://cinsomniac23.multiply.com.

Links below =0)

On A Sunday Afternoon

2009-03-29T01:10:00.001-07:00

On a Sunday afternoon, this house is normally filled with a cacophony of noise: housemates bursting into laughter and stories of days gone by; the television, to a near-maximum volume, spews forth news of people and events; and very loud music can be heard from a neighbour’s house kilometres away. But on this particular Sunday afternoon, I am alone. In the distance, I hear the Muslim chants. In my room the only sounds come from a gray machine emanating cool air in this humid weather, and the tap tap of my keyboard. The usually noisy dogs are still, for a change. And surprisingly, I don’t hear my neighbour’s radio and its tasteless music. It is refreshing to be surrounded by silence – even if for a while.

~~~~~

My copy of Nicholas Sparks’s A Walk To Remember is on my bedside table, on top of all those Time magazines I have not had the time to thoroughly read. I lay on my bed, staring at the white-painted ceiling and my mind wanders to tomorrow – when I will return to the hustle and bustle of the city and the noise – strangely magnified. I make plans for the work which is to greet me, piles and piles of paperwork – endless. I grope for the philosophy which continues to be my mantra when met with huge and seemingly insurmountable tasks – one step at a time. That set aside, my mind drifts off to something else…

I have made a birthday resolution to save up for whatever and, yesterday, having withdrawn funds from the money dispenser for the necessary expenses, I take a peek at that small, white sheet of paper printed out by it – in bank parlance, transaction receipt – and heave a sigh. I got myself, at the incessant prodding of my superior, a jewellery set – ring and earrings – of sparkling diamonds embellished on rich gold. They carry a design of leaves intertwined – classic, and yes, beautiful. I am not into adornments, however, and the quite expensive price of the set makes it more heavy than it really is. The only nice thing in this whole transaction is that I get to pay the jewelleries in instalments, eight to be exact. And I kid myself into thinking – and also to lighten my burden – that it is an investment. Besides, that’s my only expense and I still have much in the bank. That set aside, my mind drifts off to something else…

~~~~~

The noise returns –

28 March 2009

2009-03-28T06:04:00.001-07:00

Friday Night Animation: Simply Mulan

2009-03-21T01:55:00.001-07:00

Mulan, the Disney animation, is said to be based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, who, according to my limited research (read: Wikipedia), is a heroine who joined an all-male army to save her elderly father from the Emperor’s call of conscription. A simple enough story, I will not even care to discuss whether or not the Disney adaptation is close to the legend. Now, for the movie. The design was surprisingly simple: watercolour backdrop, which echoes the theme of the movie. There’s the elaborate designs on the Arabian Alladin. There’s the awesome visuals on the French Beauty and the Beast. And then there’s the simple and invigorating colours of the Chinese Mulan.

The modesty of the animation was a sight for sore eyes, as it presented a novel take into what could be a complicated set-up. I’m glad the production team injected as much Chinese art into the movie as is possible, like the calligraphy in the beginning of the film, and the wonderfully refreshing peach blossoms. What I also loved about this Disney movie are the witty dialogues and funny antics of the characters. I laughed all by my lonesome while watching the movie and that’s saying a lot.

Mulan 2, The Legend Continues, I suppose, has nothing to do at all with the legend of Hua Mulan. Anyway, a month after Mulan saves China from the Huns, Li Shang, Captain-turned-General, proposes to Mulan, which, naturally, the latter accepts. Mushu, Mulan’s guardian, is happy for her until he learns that once Mulan marries Li Shang, Mushu will lose his job as a guardian and will go back to ‘gong’ duty. For selfish reasons, Mushu attempts to break up the couple. Meanwhile, the Emperor calls on both Mulan and Li Shang to escort his three daughters for their arranged marriages to the three princes of Qui Gong for the formation of an alliance between the Middle Kingdom and Qui Gong. This alliance was important for the Middle Kingdom to defeat the Mongols. When Mulan learns that the princesses really do not wish to be married to the Qui Gong princes, and that they haven’t yet seen each other, she defies the Emperor’s orders. She talks sense into one of the princesses to follow what is in her heart, as her duty is to her heart. Later in the evening, Mulan was ecstatic when she discovers that the princesses have actually found their true love in the person of their escorts, Mulan’s friends from the first film, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao. This enrages Li Shang, who is known to be a rigid by-the-book person. Add that to the fact that Mushu has already been fanning the fire between the two. Mulan and Li Shang discover that although difference of personalities is good in a relationship, they, however, are way too different. In silence, they proceed to finish the mission. Upon reaching bandit country, Mulan discovers what Mushu had done to tear the couple apart. When she is about to apologize to Li Shang and explain, they encounter an ambush. In the frenzy of saving the princesses, Mulan and Li Shang are left dangling off a broken bridge. Since the rope can only support the weight of one person, Li Shang sacrifices himself to save Mulan. Not wanting Li Shang’s death to be in vain and not wanting the princesses to be forced into marriages they did not want, Mulan offers herself in marriage to one of the princes of Qui Gong, just so an alliance will be formed. Miraculously, Li Shang is alive, and when he learns what Mulan is about to do, he rushes to stop the marriage. To redeem himself, Mushu pretends to be the Great Golden Dragon of Unity and forces the ruler of Qui Gong to marry Mulan and Li Shang instead, and release the princesses from their vows. It’s a happy ending for Mulan and Li Shang. And Mushu, as well, because he gets to keep his guardian duties as Li Shang was kind enough to combine his and Mulan’s temples.

I have always been critical of Disney sequels that are direct-to-video because they tend to lose the lustre of the first animation. With Mulan 2, however, I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe the simplicity of the first Mulan enabled the production team of the second Mulan to reproduce the vivid colours and refreshing visual of the former. In fact, I think the second Mulan had more vibrant colours. Suffice it to say though that I loved both movies.

A Hair Story

2009-03-15T02:46:00.001-07:00

I was born with naturally straight hair that is the envy of all curly-haired people, or at least those who wish their hair was straight. My cousin envies my hair, and more than once did she tell me that had she been given a hair texture like mine, she would have been a beauty salon frequenter. I don’t fuss about my hair that much, maybe because it doesn’t need the fussing. Aside from shampoo and conditioner, I do not let any other product touch my hair. I go for the local brands with my hair care products because I’ve tried the imported ones and they dried my hair out. The only service I avail of when I go to a salon is a hair cut. Until the day I woke up and decided I wanted a perm.

I’ve had a perm before, when I was 8 years old. My mom liked it so much she endlessly brushed my hair, of course it went back to being straight. I was curly-haired for a good 24 hours. And the most daring I’ve gone on a haircut is a boy’s cut, Demi Moore-style, back when Ghost was the most talked about movie and her hairstyle was the hottest. So I, along with countless other girls, were sporting the same ‘do. But I rocked it the most, hahaha! My aunt played the hair stylist once, and my cousin and I were her customers, so to speak. So I had my hair coloured the deepest shade of burgundy, which I thought was cool especially when the sun shone on my hair and reflected the red. Other than those hair adventures, it was just the usual hair cut and style and colour. Until, like I mentioned earlier, I decided to have a perm.

14 March 2009. I took one long look at the mirror and memorized the face behind the straight hair. In a matter of seconds, I was rushing to David’s at The Block. You may think that I’m overreacting to a simple perm but my hair is what the experts call a ‘virgin’: it has never been subjected to the rigours of a make-over.

Receptionist: Yes ma’am? Can I help you?

Me: Hi. I want to have a perm.

Receptionist: Do you have a previous stylist?

Me: None. It’s my first time in your salon.

Naturally, they gave me the highest-paid stylist. I’ve learned my lesson: pick the lowest-paid stylist and act like you’re long-lost buddies. Anyway, he, the one with the big bucks, came waltzing to the reception desk and asked me what kind of perm I wanted. Huh? There’s perm and then there’s digital perm. Well, I just wanted to have these big curls that fall sexily over my shoulders and back. Let’s do the digital perm, he says. Right on.

Digital perm, I soon learned, will subject your hair to the usual routine of getting a perm. The only thing new are these wires which are sort of plugged into your hair. I felt like I was in the movie Matrix, expecting Keanu Reeves to walk in anytime and in his trademark voice ask: What is the Matrix? Overkill. Minutes later, your hair literally smokes, but you’re protected from the heat by this foam they strategically put on your neck and face. After minutes (or was that an hour? I lost track) of smoking hair, a neutralizer is then sprayed all over your rolls. This time, to avoid the medicine pouring on your designer shirt, they stick a portable sink into your neck. I felt like Queen Amidala of the Star Wars fame. Ok, this does not bode well. Twice now, I felt like I was in science-fiction movies. Does this mean my hair is gonna look science-fiction freaky? I dared not think. When the assistant decided that the smell couldn’t get strong enough with the whole bottle poured over my hair, she rinsed it. Super-stylist then came over and blow dried my hair, tossing it with careless abandon until….the curls fell seductively over my shoulders and back. I am now a fan of digital perm.

This is the machine they used for the perm. Googled it:

An evening of delightful animation

2009-03-14T04:34:00.001-07:00

Beauty and the Beast is my favourite Disney animation. Ever.

With the advent of advanced animation technology, the viewer is treated to all sorts of new-age cartoons. But in its time, Beauty and the Beast was a phenomenon. Blending traditional cartoon with computer generated imagery, Beauty and the Beast has found a niche in the Disney Renaissance era. The first ever animated film to be nominated for an Oscar Best Picture, Beauty and the Beast clearly moved the movie world with its stunning images and engaging songs.

Have you seen that scene where Belle and the Beast waltzed in a three-dimensional ballroom? Splendid, wasn’t it? Notice that Belle’s lovely gown swirls realistically with every turn she makes. Details make this animated movie a cut above the rest.

I haven’t bought the midquels yet, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Belle’s Magical World. I plan to sometime soon. So until then…and I leave you with my most favourite scene from the movie…

Just Like Heaven: A very nice romantic comedy

2009-03-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

Elizabeth, an ambitious medical intern clocks at least a working hour of twenty, and had she not been told off by her supervisor to get some sleep, she would go on and on with her work. The true workaholic, she has no time for herself, to her sister’s consternation albeit relentlessly setting her up with guys. On the night of yet another blind date, Elizabeth meets an accident.

David, a landscape architect, is in search of a new apartment in San Francisco, and his only concern is that the apartment better have a nice couch. After finding a pretty apartment, with a low lease, a spectacular rooftop view, and a comfortable couch, he is free to mourn the death of his wife, Laura. Except that Elizabeth insists he not do it in her apartment. David thinks she is just a creation of his alcohol-infested brain. But it becomes all too clear that Elizabeth, who cannot remember anything from her past, is not a figment of his imagination, but a restless spirit who brought along, even with her death, her control-freak nature.

David ignores Elizabeth but this is hard work, so he reluctantly teams up with her in finding out who she was. A couple of questions from neighbours did not yield any result, Elizabeth being the ultimate recluse. As one neighbour says of her: She was like a cat lady with no cats. An incident at a restaurant, however, jars Elizabeth’s memory and they soon find out that she’s not dead but is in a coma, and has been for three months. What’s more, Elizabeth’s sister was prevailed upon to sign the papers authorizing the hospital to pull the plug. David, now in love with Elizabeth although he does not recognize this yet, is bent on making people understand that Elizabeth is alive and pulling the plug will be a big mistake. When no one would listen, he solicits the help of a friend in a little body-snatching, which would have been successful had not the friend inadvertently pulled Elizabeth’s life support. Before David’s very eyes, Elizabeth’s spirit is fading. Desperate for any action, he kisses Elizabeth and suddenly, the woman comes to life. All should have been well but Elizabeth, now alive, doesn’t remember David.

Months later, Elizabeth returns to her apartment and on the roof, she finds her dream garden. She also finds David there tending the garden, and although Elizabeth tries her best to search her memory for any glimpse of this guy before her, she still does not remember him. Until he touches her hand. A deluge of David images flood her memories, and needless to say, they end up together.

Nice is the word that comes to mind when asked to briefly describe the movie. Nice characters played by really sweet actors, and a nice plot although one has to suspend his disbelief when watching this movie. The trick is to just accept the story as it is, and surprisingly, you’ll find that it’s all too sweet and even funny when you allow yourself to let go the harsh critic in you. Mark Ruffalo, as David, was such the sweetheart in this movie that I instantly fell in love with him. Reese Witherspoon was the perfect Elizabeth and the two made such a lovely pair, it’s excruciating to watch them drift apart. But the winner in this movie was the funny dialogue, courtesy of Peter Tolan and Leslie Dixon.

It’s a nice movie to watch again, probably in three months or so when the stress and pressure of work press on you from all sides. It’s nice to just lounge around the house, pop this into your player, and be carried away by the sweet story of David and Elizabeth.

Righteous.

Moulin Rouge: Spectacular, spectacular

2009-02-21T19:58:00.001-08:00

1899, Paris. Christian, an impoverished writer takes to the streets of London and lands at Montmartre, where he finds himself mingling with the creatures of the underworld. Far from being repulsed, however, he enjoys the environment, associating with the Bohemian revolutionaries and embracing their dogma of freedom, truth, beauty and love. It happens that these Bohemians are in the middle of writing a play for Moulin Rouge, a famous club in the centre of the underworld. Fortunately, or unfortunately, for Christian, he stands-in for a character played by a narcoleptic. Putting his talent and passion to good use, he suggests something which bode well with the group’s leader, Toulouse Lautrec. Lautrec then arranges for Christian to have a one-on-one meeting with Satine, Moulin Rouges’ star and the city’s most famous and most beautiful courtesan. On that same night of the would-be meeting between Christian and Satine, the club’s owner, Harold Zidler, likewise arranged a one-on-one meeting between the club’s soon-to-be benefactor, the Duke, and Satine. Events lead to Satine mistaking Christian as the Duke, and fortunately, or unfortunately, for the two, they fall in love. When the Duke finally appears, a dangerous love triangle ensues. But Christian and Satine hold on to the strength of their love, gallantly fighting the odds, until Satine discovers a shocking truth. Will love conquer?

One word, repeated twice: spectacular. The amazing production deserved the Oscars for Art Direction-Set Decoration and Costume Design. It’s a pity Nicole Kidman, who smoldered in her portrayal of Satine, did not bring home the bald man. Nevertheless, her superb acting in this film, pitted against the innocent and likeable performance of Ewan McGregor as Christian, is going to be talked about for ages. Adding to the spice is the brilliant performances of Jim Broadbent as Zidler, Richard Roxburgh as the Duke and John Leguizamo as Lautrec. Visually stunning, the film revolutionizes musicals in a way that only director Baz Luhrmann can. And if you aren’t blown away with the montage of songs, wait until you hear Zidler’s rendition of ‘Like a Virgin’.

My personal favourite was Roxanne, with its dark and sexy production number.

Random Images

2009-02-18T03:48:00.001-08:00

I pray always for

Strength;

Humility;

Wisdom.

Fight Club: Violent, yet exhilarating

2009-02-07T20:23:00.001-08:00

On top of leading a boring, normal life, Jack suffers from chronic insomnia. To ‘cure’ himself from the ‘disease’, he goes to a doctor who refuses to prescribe him a pill; instead, he suggests to Jack to attend a support group for testicular cancer victims for the latter to experience what real pain is. Jack takes the doctor up on his suggestion, and he gets hooked. Soon, he books every support group there is, finding catharsis in their sufferings, and he’s able to sleep well. Until he encounters another ‘tourist’ in the person of Marla Singer. Jack’s concentration at support groups ebbs at the sight of Marla, and his insomnia returns.

On a business trip, he meets Tyler Durden, an intriguing character and a soap salesman. The two hit it off, and when Jack finds his unit blown up, he immediately calls Tyler for shelter. Out of the blue, Tyler asks Jack to hit him, which the latter did. Soon, the two release their pent-up emotions through a slugfest; Fight Club is thus born. Under Tyler’s leadership, the Club expands into ‘Project Mayhem’, with the sole purpose of creating mischief and anti-capitalist vandalism in the city. When one of the members of the Project dies, Jack desperately tries to put a stop to the chaos. He finds it too late. Tyler has moved the Project into major cities around the United States in a sort of franchise. He has penetrated even the law enforcement. As Jack traces Tyler’s footsteps after his sudden disappearance, he is confronted with a shocking surprise: he is Tyler Durden.

Is Tyler my bad dream? Or am I Tyler’s?

It’s split personality at its best, and performances at their most superb. The movie was done MTV-style and this kept it from sinking into the bowels of boredom. Some may see it as too violent for their tastes; in fact, I had, on some occasions, cringed at the sight of blood and gore. But for all the hostility the movie seemed to have depicted, we did not lose sight of the central theme: the members of the club have become victims of the drudgery of day-to-day activities, and the only way in which they can break free from this is to get in touch with their instinct for pain and violence.

I am Jack’s admirer of this movie.

And so is my quill.

The Big Three-Oh

2009-01-25T01:45:00.001-08:00

So, how does it feel to be thirty?

Honestly, it’s not that a big deal. I turned 30 on the 23rd, and apart from being a year closer to my grave, nothing special happened. I went to work, as is usual, being a Friday; entertained clients, as I was supposed to; did pleadings, otherwise I’d be up to my neck on it if I dallied a day longer. A colleague (whose birthday falls on the 27th, joined me for the celebration) and I threw a simple lunch at the office. My parents came all the way from the province and treated me to a birthday dinner at home, with relatives from both sides as my visitors. Other than those, the day I turned 30 was a simple day. The only glorious thing about it was that I was born into this world, 30 years ago. And that ought to count for something (wink, wink).

I do my resolutions on my birthday, because technically, my year starts on that day. Don’t argue with me; it’s one of my peculiarities. I’m not into resolutions anyway, but I want to make a fuss about my turning 30. So my new year’s resolution is to save up – for whatever.

On my CD Changer: Enrique Iglesias Greatest Hits Album

2009-01-16T22:40:00.001-08:00

I’ve been hearing Enrique Iglesias over the radio ages before I began to like him. And the video of the song Could I Have This Kiss Forever with Whitney Houston did it for me. Liking him first for his good looks rather than his voice, I fell in love with Enrique. His songs stick to you hours after hearing them over the airwaves and one can’t help but tap his feet to the rhythm. I’ve watched a few of his music videos, and only one word comes to mind as a general description: sexy. I love the infusion of Latino beats to his songs, adding a bit of seductiveness to them.

The album contains all of his known pop songs, including one or two that aren’t, which are probably fillers. Give Somebody’s Me a spin, a good guitar song; and that hilarious Do You Know a.k.a. The Ping pong Song, yes that’s probably a ping pong ball that takes the place of a percussion. I like all the songs in the album, but my personal favourites are Away and Tired Of Being Sorry. The album has a DVD of Enrique's music videos and two of his live performances from Belfast.

Track list:
1. Bailamos
2. Away (feat. Sean Garrett)
3. Hero
4. Be With You
5. Takin’ Back My Love (feat. Ciara)
6. Rhythm Divine
7. Do You Know
8. Tired Of Being Sorry
9. Escape
10. Could I Have This Kiss Forever (with Whitney Houston)
11. Not In Love (feat. Kelis)
12. Don’t Turn Off The Lights
13. Love To See You Cry
14. Maybe
15. Addicted
16. Somebody’s Me
17. Can You Hear Me
18. Miss You (with Nadiya)

Bring this CD along when you drive across the country with friends, and sing and sway along with the songs. It’ll be fun.

The Mexican: Good Fun

2009-01-10T04:52:00.001-08:00

Samantha has had enough of Jerry. He promised her that the last job would be his last job with the mobs, but as luck would have it with Jerry, he somehow managed to land the mob boss, Margolese, in jail. To make amends, Jerry has to do an errand for Margolese's right-hand man, Nayman. The task: go to Mexico, meet a certain Beck at a bar, pick up a pistol and bring it back to the States. Screw this up and he's dead. Jerry tries to explain all these to an enraged Sam, but Sam just wouldn't have any of it. Either they both go to Las Vegas together or she goes alone. With death as his only option if he quits the job, Jerry flies to Mexico, while Sam drives to Las Vegas.

Things don't go well for Jerry in Mexico: Beck gets killed by a stray bullet; Jerry's El Camino gets stolen, the pistol with it; and he learns that Nayman is double-crossing him. Meanwhile, Sam is kidnapped by Leroy and held hostage until Jerry delivers the pistol.

A simple enough story but with lots of twists in between, it becomes altogether fun and quirky. I love Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, so seeing them together was a plus for the movie already. Surprisingly, they weren't together for long periods of time in the movie; surprisingly still, it worked. What made the movie entertaining to watch was the offbeat manner in which these two megastars portrayed their roles. They were so comfortable with their characters that it's relaxing to watch. In fact, the other casts blended so well with them, particularly James Gandolfini's Leroy to Roberts' Sam. The movie wasn't a romantic comedy, the way romantic comedies should be; but it was so comical in a romantic sort of way. This is a classic example of a funny movie without the buffoonery; witty dialogues and oh-so-natural antics do the trick.

"I need a lift on your el truck-o to the next town-o."

Beat that.

Director Gore Verbinski and Screenplay writer J.H. Wyman masterfully inserted within the story various versions of the legend of the Mexican, the pistol Pitt's character was tasked to deliver. I had a good laugh when these legends were shown because whatever be the story behind the antique pistol, the setting and the characters were the same, with additions each time the allegedly real story was being told by one knowledgeable about the handgun.

It was fun watching this movie. Smart comedy in ages.

Random Images

2008-12-17T04:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays.

Pride and Prejudice: A Classic

2008-12-15T05:10:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Bennet wants nothing more than to have her five daughters married off comfortably. So when she hears that Netherfield Park is being rented by a man, a certain Mr. Charles Bingley, who has an income of four to five thousand pounds a year, she insists that her daughters get acquainted with him. And the chance comes in the form of a public ball. The Bennet sisters are all in attendance, and the sisters Lydia and Kitty are delirious to be in the company of so many gentlemen. Elizabeth, the second of the Bennet sisters, and clearly the most witty and most spirited, does not give a thought at all on men or getting married. This prompted Jane, the eldest, to tease: 'One of these days, Lizzie, someone will catch your eye and then you'll have to watch your tongue.' And that someone is in the person of the darkly handsome and reticent Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley's friend. While Mr. Bingley and Jane seem to be drawn to each other, Mr. Darcy and Lizzie mutually dislike each other. Mr. Darcy thinks Lizzie 'barely tolerable' and Lizzie thinks him 'miserable'. Events continually bring them together, and Mr. Darcy begins to fall for Lizzie. There is, however, the problem about Lizzie's family, if not her fortune and stature in life: 'the lack of propriety shown by your mother, your three younger sisters, and even, on the occasion, your father.' There is probably attraction on the side of Lizzie, had not her prejudice of Mr. Darcy's personality stood in the way. While out in town, she meets Mr. Wickham, a handsome soldier in the militia. While she and Wickham are having a conversation along the fields of Meryton, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come along to invite the Bennet sisters to the former's ball. A chance encounter between Mr. Darcy and Wickham brings a rather curious reaction from both gentlemen, which impelled Lizzie to ask whether one knew the other. Wickham plunges into a narrative of his relationship with Mr. Darcy and how odiously the latter kept the former's will from him. This information causes Lizzie to loathe Mr. Darcy all the more.

Alas, news come that Mr. Bingley has left Netherfield Park without any intentions of returning. What brought such change of heart? Jane, to recover from the shock of the departure, is sent to London with the Gardiners, a close relations of the Bennets. Lizzie, on the other hand, receives an invitation from Charlotte Lucas, her close friend, who is now married to Lizzie's cousin, Mr. Collins. Surprisingly, she encounters Mr. Darcy and his cousin, Fitzwilliam. They are there to visit their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, whose residence encompasses even that of the Collinses. It is during her stay at Rosings that Lizzie circumstantially learns of Mr. Darcy's participation in the separation of Mr. Bingley and Jane. Hurt for her sister, Lizzie longs to be alone but is followed by Mr. Darcy and unexpectedly, for Lizzie, he proposes:

Miss Elizabeth, I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you...I had to see you. I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance. All these things I am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.

Lizzie, influenced by her prejudice, rejects him, laying down her reasons for doing so: first, Jane, and then, Wickham. Mr. Darcy leaves her with a letter explaining his behaviour to both persons.

Months pass, Lizzie is returned to her home, but she is bothered with the event that happened at Rosings, and her unreasonable prejudice of the man who had proposed to her. For want of fresh air, she joins the Gardiners in their tour of the country, which brings them to Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's estate. Much to Lizzie's relief, she hears that Mr. Darcy is not home. She was mistaken. Hearing someone playing a piano, she ventures to find out who it is, and she accidentally comes face to face with Mr. Darcy, who has just arrived from London. The acquaintance is renewed and the company would have been longer had not news of Lydia's elopement with Wickham reached Lizzie. Devastated, Lizzie returns home and helps calm her family from this shame, until they learn that Wickham had married Lydia. The family finds this improbable considering that Lydia had no fortune to offer Wickham. Lizzie later discovers of the role Mr. Darcy played in this union. She is touched; but realizes that Mr. Darcy is forever lost to her after the rejection at Rosings. And this was apparent when Mr. Darcy seemed to have nothing to say to her when he accompanied Mr. Bingley to propose to Jane. Months later, Lady Catherine de Bourgh visits the Bennets and confronts Lizzie of a rumour supposedly circulated by her that she, Lizzie, is to become the mistress of Pemberley. Lizzie denies this rumour but would not give Lady Catherine the satisfaction of promising that she will not reject a proposal if it will be made to her. Incensed, Lady Catherine leaves. The following morning, Lizzie is walking and is surprised to see Mr. Darcy, himself walking across the field towards her. Conversation ensues and Lizzie thanks Mr. Darcy for what he has done to Lydia and Jane. Mr. Darcy responds thus:

You must know...surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

I love the novel by Jane Austen and I was so happy with the way this movie came out. It is difficult to compress the whole book into a two-hour movie and retain the theme and important moments of the novel, but Joe Wright and screenwriter Deborah Moggach did an excellent job. The breathtaking fluidity from one scene to the next was commendable; the movie did not at all feel like it was chopped considering the numerous subplots in the novel. The casts were wonderfully selected and they delivered most splendidly. Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet was perfect with her enchanting smile and lively portrayal of the heroine. While a newcomer, for me anyway, Matthew MacFadyen added humanity to the rather snobbish Mr. Darcy, and he had just the right awkwardness to make him even more desirable than he already is. He sure had chemistry with Knightley, and that was important. Yes, I expected a romantic movie as the novel from which the same was adapted is a romance novel, but I did not expect the movie to have such an impact. My heart leapt with every scene Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy was in, and I enjoyed the banter and grieved along with Elizabeth when she rejected Mr. Darcy and when she saw him again at Pemberley. I seem to have nothing negative to say about the movie except that I wished it was longer.

My quill wishes it too.

Interview with the Vampire: As simple as that

2008-12-06T06:38:00.001-08:00

San Francisco; the 20th century: Louis decides to tell his tale to young reporter Daniel Malloy. This is his story...

It was the year 1791. Louis de Pointe du Lac, an owner of a plantation in New Orleans, lost his wife, his daughter, and his will to live. He invited death from whoever he meets; but it was a vampire who accepted his invitation. Lestat de Lioncourt gave Louis his life of darkness; and while he was enthralled with Lestat's undead lifestyle at first, he soon abhorred the idea of killing humans for his own sustenance. Lestat feasted on fresh, young women, gilded youths, and delicate-tasting aristocrats. Louis, on the other hand, satiated himself with rats, chickens, and dogs. Louis grew despondent, and Lestat took it upon himself to create another vampire, a child, to keep Louis company. Claudia became Louis' child, and Lestat's pupil. Under both their cares, she flourished into a well-mannered yet ruthless killer. Until the night Claudia saw a naked woman and realized she could never be like her. She was forever a child, with only her eyes to tell the years she had lived. Full of hatred for her maker, Lestat, she arranged for his death, and together, she and Louis fled to Europe, intent on finding someone of their own kind. Armand, a 4oo-year old vampire, found them and invited them to The Theatre des Vampires, where vampires pretend to be humans pretending to be vampires. Louis had questions, and Armand held the answers. Louis felt that Armand would be a better teacher than Lestat, and he longed for his company. But there was Claudia to think about. Armand did not want the girl, and the whole troupe of vampires knew that Claudia broke a vampire commandment - do not kill your own. Just when Claudia was ready to let Louis go to Armand, having found a companion of her own, she and Louis were captured and sentenced to suffer for the death of a vampire: Louis, to spend eternity in a box; Claudia and her 'mother', imprisoned and exposed to the sun. Armand was able to rescue Louis, and when Louis was about to rescue Claudia, saw that he was too late. The 'mother and daughter' were reduced to ashes. Enraged, Louis burned the theatre and the vampires within. Having lost his only reason for living, Louis wandered Europe alone. In 1988, he returned to New Orleans and marvelled at the changes the world unravelled before his eyes. Within the confines of a rotting house, he saw a weak Lestat. Lestat invited him back, but Louis refused.

This vampire craze (with the release of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, and the movie adaptation out in theatres now) got me bringing out my copy of Interview with the Vampire. I will not dwell on the similarities and differences of the vampires according to Anne Rice and those of Meyer's. I will instead focus on what I thought of this particular movie, as it should be. First off, I honestly thought Tom Cruise was an oddity, cast-wise. There are a lot more who could portray Lestat as brilliantly as he should be portrayed. And when pitted together with the stellar, although short-lived, performance of Antonio Banderas, who played Armand, Cruise's lags far behind. As for Brad Pitt's Louis, I thought he was ok. He had his moments of glory but not so when he tries to bring forth the central theme which seemed to be the endless sadness of vampirism. And when you're asked to play this most important part, an 'ok' performance is not good enough. The biggest, and most delightful, surprise was Kirsten Dunst who played Claudia. She held her own court among a sea of famous and talented actors.

Now to the movie's plot. I'm not an Anne Rice reader, neither do I see myself as one in the near future. But I was fascinated with this movie because it depicts a creative look into that mystical world of vampires. More than being a mere Vampire 101, this movie digs deeper into the life of one vampire, who suddenly had moral issues regarding his vampirism. I see this movie as a double standard: for the movie-goers who aren't satisfied with merely being entertained by the movie they have to delve on the philosophical; and for those who couldn't care less about the philosophy talk and content themselves with determining whether the movie is worth their time or not. I was saddened with the life, or lack of it, that Louis was led into by Lestat. People are drawn to vampires, their beauty, strength, and sophistication. But when given the choice between death and eternal life of sadness, isn't death a welcome respite?

I rest my quill.

Random Images

2008-11-26T03:56:00.001-08:00

Friendships forged, laughter shared -

Tears shed, problems aired -

A cup stands witness to these.

My Christmas List

2008-11-15T04:09:00.001-08:00

Cont...

The Decors. Time and time again, I've been fascinated with the decors that spring up every Christmas. I am all for the elaborate and the grand. I gaze with never-ending delight at those towering Christmas trees, with the most extravagant of trimmings. I love the blue and silver combination, although the red and gold comes a very close second. Whenever I visit the malls during the Christmas holidays, I make it a point to drop by that section where they put on display the decors they sell. And their Christmas trees never fail to awe me.

Next on my list is the Nativity Scene of huge proportions and intricate details. The Belen, as it is commonly called in my country, is the ultimate symbol of why we celebrate Christmas. Back home, we have this really cute Belen that plays music, with a minuscule light coming from the star.

Another favourite are Santa Claus figurines, whatever be their size, proportion, and action. Lately, various Santa Clauses-in-action have been displayed in malls and on the streets: Santa Claus climbing down the chimney, Santa Claus in parachute, Santa Claus playing the piano...you get the idea.

Of course, Christmas lanterns, or Parol, are another favourite. Surprisingly, while I'm all for the magnificent when it comes to other Christmas decorations, I deviate when the stars are out. A lantern simply designed sets my heart a-flutter in the same manner that a stately lantern does.

A recent addition to my list is the Lemax Village Collection, which is being distributed in my country by Kaluxe. The collection has all sorts of table accents and figurines, depends on what theme you want to create for your village. As I love everything about Christmas, and I think the village collection comes out in my country only during Christmas, then I guess the village collection belongs to this list. It's a collection of sorts, and I plan to begin the collection this year.

To be continued...

Random Images

2008-11-01T01:47:00.001-07:00

Round, round, round it goes. Does it stop? Nobody knows. Spin, spin, spin it does. Does it break? Nobody asks. The lights, they glare; yet I stare. The motion, it sickens; yet I would not dare

Divert.

Filipinas For Sale

2008-10-20T02:46:00.001-07:00

I borrowed the title of the forum I, and thirteen of my colleagues, attended on 15 October 2008, at the Seminar Hall right in the centre of Quezon Memorial Circle. The place is a stone's throw away from the office.

So what was the forum all about? It's about the sad plight of women recruited as overseas workers, when in fact they do not go abroad for employment but for prostitution. Sponsored by women's rights advocate, Gabriela, the forum actually had for its speakers two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who have experienced this different, but sick, kind of recruitment. It was timely, really, my attendance at the said forum as the day before, a client came and narrated exactly the same circumstances of recruitment and what actually happens once the recruit goes abroad. Under the pretext of being hired as an entertainer, these Filipinas are actually being pimped, in the truest sense of the word. What's sadder is the fact that the recruiting is done by fellow Filipinas. But the saddest, I think, is the fact that the recruiters ask the recruits to shell out big sums of money to allegedly facilitate their employment. With promises of a greener pastures and the chance to alleviate their families from poverty, these poor recruits go to great lengths to come up with the desired sum, even agreeing to loans with outrageously usurious interests.

Once they reach their destination, the girls are housed in an apartment which turns out to be a brothel. And there, they are up for grabs; mind you, no protection, sexually or otherwise.

During the entire forum, I did the easiest thing that could be done: listen and sympathize. I haven't yet picked a placard and lobbied at every government agency. I haven't yet sent the pledge card of the Purple Rose Campaign. It's probably next to impossible that I join Gabriela. But I am aware of sex trafficking; and I try to do whatever I can to help, albeit within the confines of my own world. I sincerely hope that by blogging this, more people are made aware of this biting reality, and do what I couldn't - take an active part in helping trafficked women and children.

Please visit the Gabriela site and help in whatever activities they come up with for the protection of women and children.

P.S. For more pictures on the forum, click here.

Reaching Out, and Giving Back

2008-10-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

In school, I was taught to give back to the less fortunate whatever I could to help alleviate their poverty. To make the 'giving back' more fun, the administrators opted for a Fund Drive - the section which could provide the highest number of goodies will receive a prize. It's not really the prize that drove my schoolmates to rummage for their old, but usable, clothes, nor ransack their magazine rack for old newspapers, nor even to plead to their parents to donate a sack of rice (which, by the way, could give the section more points), but the fact that that particular section will be recognized as the most generous. So, I was oriented with an outreach that merely required the giving of whatever stuff the less fortunate might need. The more stuff, the merrier they'll be.

Come 5 October 2008, a friend of my cousin (whom I consider a good friend too) invited me to a whole different outreach: it involves kids, and it involves me. The outreach I attended was sponsored by CCF (I apologize a hundred times for not knowing what this acronym stands for), a Bible-sharing group. The kids were those less fortunate kids from their barangay (a small community of people), but other members of the CCF likewise brought with them their younger siblings. So it was heart-warming to see these kids from both ends of the wealth spectrum being brought together to enjoy something which transcends social status - the Zoo, and Jollibee, the famous local fastfood chain.

My kid's name was John Paul, and he got so much energy, I had a hard time keeping up with him. But it was all fun, and I enjoyed playing nanny for the day; although by the end of the morning, I was on the verge of giving up, not because I didn't like what I was doing but because it was pretty tiring what I did.

Everybody was asked to assemble at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the barangay, then a bus took us to Manila Zoo. I vaguely remember having visited this zoo when I was a kid, but I explored the zoo like it was my first time. I didn't get to explore much though, what with a hyperactive kid in tow. I plan to go back, if only to explore the place at my leisure. About a few minutes before lunch, we were whisked off to Jollibee, CCP Branch. It was a delightful lunch, being tired and hungry. After we were fed and watered, the kids had lots of fun with the parlor games, and the appearance of Jollibee himself. I have to admit I was kinda delighted with his honor's presence (hahaha!).

The outreach was fun, and fulfilling. It wasn't only giving back; it was truly reaching out, as well. I can't wait for the follow-up come December.

P.S. More pictures are posted here.

Power Lunch II

2008-09-29T06:40:00.001-07:00

As my cousin, friends and I are planning to put up a business, power lunches are to be expected. This time, we had it at Cucina Victoria at Power Plant Mall, Makati. Known for their pastas, we, naturally, ordered a variety of pasta for lunch: pesto (my favourite), lasagna, and pomodoro. Everything was simply delicious, even the pomodoro, and that's saying a whole lot as I'm not that into the basic tomato sauce for my spaghetti. And the lasagna was the creamiest I ever came across. You have to be wary about your budget though, because it is a bit costly. The dishes are good to share when you're a couple; but as there were four of us, we had to order more.

I haven't been to Power Plant Mall in decades. Coincidentally, a Baker's Fair was being held when we went there; as expected, my cousin and friends tried to sample every baked goodies they could sample. They ended up buying a box of brazo de mercedes (creme-filled log cake) from Vargas' Kitchen. The cake was a delight to our palates, except for my one friend who's not a fan.

Then it was off to her place, where we planned menus and stuff. I didn't realize deciding on menus could be so tiring. By the end of the afternoon, my head was aching. Last week, I had to cram numerous pleadings; hence, I was looking forward to a restful weekend. Apparently, this weekend was tiring as well.

P.S. For more Power Plant Mall pictures, click here.

My West Side Story

2008-09-21T04:38:00.001-07:00

I'm no stranger to West Side Story, having watched it countless times on film and stage. My first taste of this wonderful musical was when I was in high school, with my schoolmates as casts. I fell in love with it since. So when my cousin informed me that a friend of hers got me a ticket to STAGES' West Side Story (yesterday's show), I was thrilled. It's no Broadway, but I know I'll be getting performances equal to it.

The musical is to be shown at the Meralco Theatre, running from September to October of this year. Tony, the main man, is played by Filipino balladeer Christian Bautista, while Maria, the lead actress, is played alternately by local singer-actress Karylle, and London West End's Joanna Ampil (a Filipina who has starred in musicals in London). The theatre-going public won't know who plays Maria until the start of the show. Mine had Karylle on it.

The STAGES production of this awesome musical was breath-taking. They really placed a lot of effort into the set, everything was just spectacular. The play does not require a big stage; the charm of it is its being performed beautifully in a compact setting, and this the production was able to magnificently do. They utilized each prop to its fullest extent. Music was superb; lighting was phenomenal; even the costumes were patterned as closely as possible to the movie.

And now, the casts. There was amazing dancing like never before seen on stage, and impressive performances from all concerned. I'm not that blown away by the singing of Karylle and Christian Bautista, though. The songs may be challenging for them, with high notes and all, but well, they were tapped to perform this musical, weren't they? I mean, they should have known the vocal prowess and range that the songs entailed. At any rate, it was a wondrous experience for me.

P.S. The picture is courtesy of Clickthecity.

Power Lunch

2008-09-09T04:00:00.001-07:00

Unknown to me, a friend and my cousin planned Sunday's lunch with an agendum in mind: putting up our business. I will not talk about our business plans on this blog, not yet, anyway. When our plans have been realized, then that will be the only time I will write about it...everything about it. What I'll ramble about though is the lunch.

Lunch was at Som's, a small cafeteria-like establishment, located in Makati. I'm not really sure of the location of the other branches, but since my friend lives at Gloria Street, somewhere near Rockwell, we went to the one located quite near her place, a walking distance, in fact. Surprisingly, the place is famous for its authentic Thai cuisine, but it is far from those high-end restaurants one sees at the heart of the Business District. For one, as mentioned earlier, it looks like a cafeteria. Second, it's quite small, although they've set up tables and tents outside for that refreshing outdoor dining. Third, it's cheap. Seriously. For exquisite Thai dishes, and hefty servings, the price is waaay satisfactory.

We had Tom Yam, said to be the most famous soup dish;

Pad Thai, a dish of stir-fried rice noodles, garnished with various other goodies ;

Red Chicken Curry, and rice topped with beef. For drinks, both had Thai tea, and I had the usual, water.

Everything was delightfully delicious. I'm not a fan of Thai dishes, as I know them to be heavy on the chili, but the ones at Som's are alright, spicy-wise. I really enjoyed the Red Chicken Curry, and the Pad Thai. I loved the creamy sauce of the Curry dish, and I liked the way the sweet-sour blend of the Pad Thai tickled my palate. I'm not quite sure about the Tom Yam, but then one has to consider that I'm not that into soup recipes anyway. Although I've got to say that it's my cousin's favourite and that's saying a lot about the dish, as my cousin usually is hard to please when it comes to food.

Som's is definitely a place worth visiting again and again, and again.

P.S. The pictures are courtesy of Wikipedia, as I forgot my camera so could have done the pictures myself.

Camera Frenzy

2008-09-06T00:06:00.001-07:00

Finally, I got my very own pocket digital camera: a Canon IXUS 90 IS.

My aunt sent it through her colleague from the UK. It costs 199£, which is fairly cheap because I got a free 4-gig memory card. Good deal, I say. Compact and light, the 90 IS measures 91.6 x 56.8 x20.9 mm (3.61 x 2.24 x 0.82 in.) and weighs approximately 155 g (5.47 oz.). Sleek designs it has too. The LCD monitor is a 3.0-inch type, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD (wide viewing angle type), approximately 230,000 dots (picture coverage rate 100%). What blew me away though was the approximately 10.0 million camera effective pixels, which guarantee quality pictures. After looking through the camera the night before, I was thrilled to find that there are numerous shooting modes built inside it, like Sunset, Foliage, Snow, and even Underwater...I just need to buy myself the waterproof case. There's a Stitch Assist, which will help you come up with panoramic shots. And Color Accent, which is great for those close-up shots of nature's wonderful works. Plus, there's a feature that lets you shoot moving images without the blur, which is great because you don't expect your subject to stay still for you, not when it's a jumping kangaroo. There are a lot more features that I can't utilize in one go, but I'll be sure to find uses for them.

I've always wanted to have my own camera, as I want to travel and splendidly document my travel. Or simply click on whatever will catch my fancy. I really saved up for this and I can't wait to try it out. I will be posting some of the pictures I get through the 90 IS as I blog along...

Till then.

Culture Shock

2008-08-25T03:19:00.001-07:00

Annually, the school I attended for my primary and secondary education produces shows, in celebration of the conversion of the Saint after whom she was named. The shows range from plays to concerts, but majority were plays. I've seen Les Miserables and West Side Story, and I even joined the cast of a Filipino play, Walang Sugat. When I was in College, I was able to see a different kind of 'play'...the play which didn't have music and dancing in it; rather, the issues were relayed through angst-driven dialogue and acting.

Lately (read: probably two months ago), a friend invited me and my cousin to watch Avenue Q. I was introduced to a whole new style of theatre. The play was acted out by puppets, with their puppeteers on stage, to be seen by the audience. It was fun watching both the puppet and puppeteer together, and while I ended up watching the puppeteer, there were a few moments when I caught the puppet's acts. I commend the talent of the puppeteers, considering that they, themselves, had to act, but they didn't, even for a second, forget that this was the puppets' show. The action and reaction of the puppets perfectly mimicked those of their puppeteers. The songs were wonderfully funny; I especially liked If You Were Gay and It Sucks To Be Me. My personal favourite was There's A Fine, Fine Line. The play's cut into two parts. I was entertained for the whole first part; I found the second part a bit dragging. All in all, an entertaining show.

After the play, we grabbed a quick dinner at Bacolod Chicken Inasal, as it was the only establishment we found open at that time of the night. I had the Ysabella's Chicken, a dish made popular by the local television drama series Ysabella. It consisted of chicken inasal, garlic rice, and I think there was a veggie side dish, I don't really remember. Tasty dish, by the way. This restaurant is where I go to for my dose of chicken inasal. I frequent the branch located at Quezon City Circle. Now some of you may be asking what the heck is chicken inasal (those who aren't from my country, anyway)? Simply put, it's grilled chicken on a bamboo skewer. I don't recall what my cousin and my friend had, but I do remember we likewise had chicken skin. Never mind the calories; the dish was super delicious.

Yesterday, my cousin, a friend, and I were awed by Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, which starred no less than Lea Salonga. It has been my lifetime wish to be able to see Lea Salonga perform onstage. I'm glad to have had that wish fulfilled. First, the play itself. It's Cinderella, in every sense of the word, with a few minor forgivable changes. Second, the production. The costumes were a-ma-zing! The set was a sight to behold. The carriage that brought Cinderella to the ball was so elegantly designed you would really think it was transformed magically. Finally, the cast. World-class performance from world-class performers. I need not say more. But let me gush for a few more lines about the wonderful voice of Lea Salonga. I could listen to her sing all day! Her voice was so powerful and crystal clear. Needless to say, I loved the play. Incidentally, the play was shown at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines.

We wanted to get a Program of the play, but upon being greeted with various Cinderella merchandises, we ended up being confused as to what to bring home as souvenirs. I got myself a CD of the play, with the Original International Tour Cast. My companions wanted to have the shirt, but the price was way beyond their budget. As we ventured to every corner of the room, my friend and I approached the table selling Lea Salonga's CDs from way back. I immediately searched for her Christmas Album and found the song I had difficulty downloading: Even Santa Fell in Love. Finally, I have the song. Her Christmas Album contains a good selection of Christmas songs, including my favourites ever.

Before the play, we had lunch at Pancake House. The dishes at this restaurant are sumptuous, and their steaks are mouth-watering. The only complaint I have is the price, too exorbitant for such small servings. After the play, we had a nice, relaxing snacks at Icebergs. Initially, my companions were already craving for Halo-Halo. We had a good five-minute debate between Icebergs and Razon's but since my palate is an Iceberg virgin, we opted for the former. We each had a special Halo-Halo (crushed ice with a mix of gelatin, corn flakes, slices of banana, and yummy other ingredients I couldn't decipher; all bathed in creamy milk and topped with scoops of ice cream), and a clubhouse sandwich. Nothing special about the sandwich; but the Halo-Halo was heavenly. And there were no beans! Which I consider really wonderful because I hate beans. Chowking's Halo-Halo has all sorts of beans so I'm not really a fan.

Two Sides

2008-05-11T02:49:00.000-07:00

It is a quiet Sunday afternoon, one I've never had in a long time. I'm seated in front of my computer, contemplating on starting one of the pleadings lined up in my to-do list. But I'm putting it off to spend time with someone, and our talk led to men and women...always two sides, he says.

This statement reminded me of one of my favorite poems, Victor Hugo's Man and Woman*. The title says it all, doesn't it?

Man is the most elevated of creatures; Woman, the most sublime of ideals.
God made for man a throne; for woman, an altar.
The throne exalts, the altar sanctifies.
Man is the brain. Woman, the heart.
The brain creates light; the heart, love. Light engenders. Love resurrects.
Because of reason, Man is strong. Because of tears, Woman is invincible.
Reason is convincing; tears, moving.
Man is capable of all heroism; Woman, of all martyrdom.
Heroism ennobles; martyrdom sublimates.
Man has supremacy; Woman, preference.
Supremacy is strength; preference is the right.
Man is genius; Woman, an angel.
Genius is immeasurable; the angel, undefinable.
The aspiration of Man is supreme glory. The aspiration of Woman is extreme virtue.
Glory creates all that is great; virtue, all that is divine.
Man is a code; Woman, a gospel.
A code corrects; the gospel perfects.
Man thinks. Woman dreams.
To think is to have a worm in the brain; to dream is to have a halo on the brow.
Man is an ocean; Woman, a lake.
The ocean has the adorning pearl; the lake, dazzling poetry.
Man is the flying eagle; Woman, the singing nightingale.
To fly is to conquer space; to sing is to conquer the soul.
Man is the temple; Woman, the shrine.
Before the temple, we discover ourselves; before the shrine, we kneel.
In short, Man is found where the Earth finishes; Woman, where Heaven begins.

*

Update Uplate

2008-03-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last entry. I had wanted to update my blog because a lot has happened since My Christmas List but I've been putting it off, until I totally forgot about it. Tonight, I'm listening to this song that has captured my interest. I didn't think I would be finally updating my blog all because of a song, but there you go.

I'm not particular about my music. Sure, I have my favorites but I sing along to whatever's on the radio, whether or not I know the lyrics, regardless of genre. And like any other girl, I swoon to love songs. I'm not into country music, though, the way my dad is. He loves country music. When he would drive us to the province and back, he plays nothing but country music...to the detriment of my eardrums. It's not that his choice of country songs are in bad taste. In truth and in fact, my dad knows his country songs. It's just the thing with songs - it's lovely to hear them the first time; it's cool to hear them the second time; it's annoying to hear them the third time. The travel time from my province to the city is ten hours. Imagine how many times I get to hear my dad's songs.

Anyway, the song I'm so into right now is a country song. Joke's on me, right? It does not matter. The song's sweet and it tugs the heart. Admittedly, it tugged my heart like no song, country or otherwise, ever did. Maybe because the group who sang it was introduced by a special guy I met over at Skype. Or maybe because the song really is worthy of my notice and reaction.

Sharing with you She's Too Good To Be True*" by Exile:

It's gettin' late

The day's at it's end

My favorite time is right around the bend

It's when the time comes to turn the lights down low

She pours the wine and I lock the door

She takes my hand like so many nights before

That's when I know

Heaven's waiting for me

She's too good to be true

She blows my mind

She's still the one who thrills me time after time

It's unbelieveable

The way she moves me

She's so easy to love

So tender to hold

She touches me like no one I've ever known

The way she moves me

She's too good to be true

The radio plays a melody

One designed especially for her and me

An ol' love song that we used to slow dance to

And when she says how happy she's been

That old familiar feeling comes over me again

I count my blessings how lucky I am

She's too good to be true

She blows my mind

She's still the one who thrills me time after time

It's unbelieveable

The way she moves me

She's so easy to love

So tender to hold

She touches me like no one I've ever known

The way she moves me

She's too good to be true

The way she moves me

She's too good to be true

My Christmas List

2007-12-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

Someone once asked me: What if Christmas were celebrated everyday, would it still be special then? My thoughts? I don't think so. Christmas is special because it's a yearly one-time, big-time deal. The thought of waiting 364 days more before celebrating Christmas again makes the occasion extraordinary. One can argue the same thing about birthdays; but I think there's something more momentous in everybody observing the occasion at the same time rather than in a birthday being celebrated every 3 seconds and only by those who think the celebrator is special. Besides, I don't look forward to my birthday in the same way I do Christmas: Must be the dread of being a year closer to my grave - a morbid idea my English elementary teacher espoused, and which I adopted. Anyway, I love so many things about Christmas that this entry might come in parts. The list begins...

The Songs. Each year, I make a mental note of the first Christmas song I hear over the radio and that becomes my Christmas song for that year. I don't know when this 'tradition' started exactly, but it was inspired by the fact that Christmas in this country starts in September. I thus have four whole months of savoring or tolerating my song. It has not been a good haul this year: Last Christmas by Wham. I didn't think it was that Christmasy, but being the OC that I am, I gritted my teeth and made it my own.

My ultimate favorite is The Christmas Song. Although it evokes an American Christmas with its lyrics of 'chestnuts' and 'jack frost', I still consider it the perfect Christmas song. Simple and short, the song is able to convey anything and everything about Christmas, well, Western Christmas anyway. Indulge me...I love White Christmas. I particularly love Nat King Cole's version with its mix of jazz.

Another favorite is My Grown-up Christmas List, Kelly Clarkson's. I thought the melody was a bit melancholic for lyrics that speak of world peace. Be that as it may, I still love it. I'm not a fan of the song I'll Be Home For Christmas, but Josh Groban's version made me a convert. The song is everything a Josh Groban song should be - soothing voice, perfect delivery - but what I liked about his version are those voice overs by American soldiers who couldn't be home with their loved ones for Christmas. I thought this new addition made the song more significant.

Now on to the local scene, my very own Original Pilipino Music (OPM). Once in my pathetic life did I shriek over Gary Valenciano's Pasko Na, Sinta Ko. I lost interest when the nation adopted it as its National Christmas Anthem. I'm currently swooning over Ariel Rivera's Sana Ngayong Pasko. It's the same sad song as the former, but the latter's more upbeat. The sweetest Christmas love song ever is A Perfect Christmas by Jose Marie Chan. And no, it's not sad. One can go right ahead and think of her special someone while listening to this song without feeling overly dramatic. The melody isn't too slow as to be dragging, neither is the rhythm fast as to destroy the song's sweetness. I'm having difficulty downloading another Christmas OPM favorite: Even Santa Fell In Love by Lea Salonga. It has a nice, easy tune and I find the lyrics heart-warming.

To be continued...

Food & Cocktails

2007-11-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

My dad was a bit concerned with my excursion to the hospital (Sick Sense, November 6 entry), so he advised me to go malling last weekend. I went malling, alright...and more.

Saturday, 12 noon

A guy friend and I had a Burgoo lunch. I'm a regular visitor of the restaurant, and although they serve a variety of sumptuous dishes, I have only tried the pizza and pasta recipes. We had garden fresh pizza (his choice) and baked macaroni (mine), both in regular sizes. Despite their being regular, the servings were hefty so both dishes were meant for sharing. In fact, all of their dishes are meant for sharing. That's how goodish the servings are.

Anyway, the food. What I really love about Burgoo pizzas are their very tasty dough. I notice that some people don't eat the end crust of the pizza, and I don't blame them for wasting away food. Some pizzas merely rely on their toppings for tastiness that the end crusts aren't given much attention. Not so with Burgoo. Whenever I eat pizza at this restaurant, I cut the end crust and save it for later. This part of the pizza is so delicious, you can eat it solo. The garden fresh pizza kind of reminded me of Shakey's veggie version; only the former's vegetables aren't that baked into the bread, so you can still taste their freshness. Although there are toppings you cannot make me eat - green peas, mushroom and black olives - I did enjoy the pizza. True to its name, the cheesy baked macaroni was really cheesy; there were bits of baked cheese oozing out from the pasta's holes. It was tasty too, although I could do with a little more salt.

My latest visit to Burgoo did not change my impression of the place. I frequent the branch located at SM North's The Block. The crew are still exceptionally friendly and the service still superb. What's unique about Burgoo is the doodling while waiting for the orders. The table is covered with white paper and the customers are given crayons to doodle with. One question though: Are the pieces of paper recyclable? After Burgoo, we checked out Beowulf. Although I didn't get to watch it in 3-D, it's the nastiest performance capture film. Ever.

8 in the evening

I met my closest friends at Mr. Kabab's for dinner. I'm not a fan of Meditteranean food, but for this restaurant, I'm making an exception. It's located along Quezon Avenue corner West Avenue, and was first introduced by an old friend, who, knowing my propensity to shun new dishes, insisted I try the restaurant's Keema. I fell in love with it. Whenever I visit the place, I always order Keema, a dish made of ground beef and spices. So it came as no surprise when I ordered Keema for dinner that night. My cousin loves their chicken recipes; she got one for herself. Their fruit shakes are the best...brings to mind that song by Kelis.

When you visit the place though, I suggest you take the cab because of the scarcity of parking spaces. The restaurant is packed on a gimik night too, so if you're an impatient person, this isn't the place for you. A word to the wise: Wait a bit more because it's worth it. Seriously.

10 in the evening

After dinner, my friends wanted to have a few drinks. I was a bit tired, so I wanted to bail out because 'a few drinks', in my friends' lingo, meant 'drinks until the wee hours of the morning'. I was right. We retired from the place at around 3. The place was Pacific Islander, located along Timog Avenue. I'm not into bar-hopping so I have no idea how the rates of cocktails go, but after looking at the menu, my friends declared the prices to be reasonably cheap. Their word is the law. The drinks may be cheap but they were delicious; the place is decent even, none of those rowdy people. The atmosphere is just right for a bar: Not too dark, not too bright. I had fun, I have to admit. I plan to bring my cousins there on my second visit.

I must mention a certain incident about Pacific Islander regarding its valet service. 10 minutes after we ordered, my friend realized that she didn't have her cellphone with her. Racking her brains, she remembered she left it on the passenger's seat of my car. True enough, there it was lying where she remembered it would be. I have to commend the guy who serviced my car; unfortunately, we didn't get his name. Such honest service deserves only the highest praise.

Sunday, 3 in the afternoon

Another guy friend and I went to Trinoma for an afternoon of pizza. Yes, pizza. This time, I opted for Yellow Cab, one of my favorite pizza establishments. If you're in a large company, this is the place to go because of their huge, and I mean huge, pizzas. It's not just the size though; this establishment can boast of yummy pizzas with generous toppings. My favorite from their range of flavors is the New York Classic - it's pepperoni heaven!

I wonder where I'll go next weekend?

Sick Sense

2007-11-06T01:27:00.000-08:00

I hate hospitals. Nothing on doctors, though; it's just the hospitals I hate. Their antiseptic smell has death written all over my nostrils. I don't know why I have this abomination of hospitals. I have not seen anyone die in a hospital; neither do I have any real-life emergency drama, ER style, that has anything to do with hospitals. In fact, I don't remember any instance why I should feel traumatize with hospitals. Half of my family members belong to health-related services, with four more on the way. I can count with my one hand the number of times I have been in a hospital and those instances were merely due to my parents' insistence that I have a check-up. Better safe than sorry seems to be their motto when it comes to health. And those check-ups aren't life-threatening either. Maybe it's just one of those things you grow up to hate, like peanut butter sandwiches.

I find it really funny though, my hatred of hospitals. Up until high school, my greatest ambition was to become a doctor, a neurosurgeon, even. The reason why I took up Law, which is at the other end of the professional spectrum, and gave up my kiddie ambition of becoming a doctor altogether, was because the University where I passed my pre-medical course was too stifling. Meanwhile, the University where I passed my pre-Law course was too spacious - I had to ride a jeepney to get from one building to the other. Lousy way to choose a career, I know. Oh well, I knew I'd suck at being a doctor anyway.

For one, I'm terrified of hospitals, for reasons I cannot fathom. Second, I get queasy with the sight of blood, even my own. There was this one time, well, two times actually, when I had to have my blood taken for tests - one for hyperthyroidism, the other for anemia - I cried...both times. And I was in my late twenties already. Third, I realized that the only reason the medical profession appealed to me before was the starkly white doctor's hospital suit.

I had an emergency room experience today because of chest pains my mom made a big deal about. The process I had to go through was not at all pleasant. I had to share sections with men. Thank goodness for that really considerate intern or nurse, I don't really know the difference, he transferred me to the end of the room where I had a section all by myself. And better too, because the ECG involved sticking whatever to areas near my breast. I don't mind getting nude for doctors (it's an occupational hazard on their part), but getting nude for other patients is a whole different story. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with me except for an inflammation due to stress. Nothing that a nice warm bath and a relaxing vacation can't fix.

I still hate hospitals but I like watching television series pertaining to the medical field. That's probably the extent of my fascination for ERs, or ORs, or whatever else acronyms the health department come up with. But I have a huge respect for doctors, and there are times when I would still imagine myself in those white coat with a stethoscope hanging around my neck. When I meet doctors in hospitals, I cannot stop myself from gazing at them. They seem so...white. Only I prefer power suits and briefcases now. Much more colorful.

The Sweet Month of November

2007-11-04T01:47:00.001-07:00

As of press time (hahaha!), I'm back to the stress and the city. It has been a wonderful vacation of doing nothing.

The month of October has been a good month, blog-speaking. I've managed to write reviews of movies and books. But the most wonderful thing that has happened to my blog is the makeover. Months have it been since my first entry in July and the look of my blog then was a bore. I still can't figure out how to paste pictures in my blog entries but I'm way, way satisfied with how my blog looks now.

As to the real world, still waiting for that job I applied for. I'm thinking of working on a transition job, as I like to call it, while waiting for the go ahead on the other job. Gives me something to do, and some dough to spend, in the meantime.

I've Got Mail

2007-11-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

My parents and their friends were playing mah jong one night, so I had to retire to my room early. Since I only had a few more pages of Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter, I was through in a jiffy. I went to my brother's room (I used to share rooms with him, so some of my stuff's still there) in search of a book to reread. Instead, I found myself opening the dresser drawer and lo and behold! Stacks of letters saved from high school! I emptied the drawer of its contents, sought the privacy of my room, and was immediately consumed by a nostalgic air.

I once proclaimed myself to be the worst correspondent ever. I got relatives living and working abroad but I don't recall having written them letters. I might have sent them cards on occasions. But the letters I found in the drawer - from friends and relatives - is evidence that I was once a very diligent letter writer, at least to my high school friends. I would not have gotten so many missives if I had not written back. Why did the communication end? Who stopped writing to whom?

I recall that I was pretty excited when I received mails from those I left behind in the province; I couldn't wait to write back. I guess my excitement just waned, and the hassle of having to go to the post office added to the decline. While I was going through each letter, I regretted not having continued the communication, or opened it on my end if it had been their side who stopped. Even with the advent of email, there was silence on both our ends. Sure, I receive emails from friends, college and law school; a few from high school. But 'communication' has gone down to emails forwarded from whoever to whoever and which just happened to land in your inbox if you managed to be in somebody's contacts. One may argue that at least messages are being forwarded to me. Thank goodness for small blessings! Yeah, I meant that sarcastically.

There's still something different and profound in receiving a note written in longhand and mailed the good old-fashioned way; as if a lot of thought is put into the letter, into you as recipient.

I want to share a letter from a college friend. I don't remember the exact reason why she wrote me this note though. I might have whined to her about this guy I really liked who, unfortunately for him, did not like me back. Anyway, the letter:

My mother likes to tell me that a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science means very little when facing the real world. Much as I'd like to disagree with her (after all, who wants to hear that four years of frying in the fires of the UP academe amounts to nothing?), I have to admit that at the end of the day, she is right.

For example: One of the things UP never taught us was how to fall in love safely. Safe sex is easy and cheap, to be bought for the price of a condom or a packet of pills. But safe love is an anomaly, an oxymoron. There is no such things as a risk-less love; and even if there were, I'm pretty sure they didn't tell us about it while we were studying Rousseau and the Social Contract.

There are certain things we'd like to believe about love: That there is one person designed especially for us, that we will know beyond all doubt when we meet that person, and that all our troubles will melt away like ice on a hot Philippine summer day when we fall in love. We like to believe in bells ringing when we kiss, in theme songs, in moonlight romances and deep voices crooning everlasting love to the mellow strumming of a guitar.

But one thing UP taught us was how to be practical, and how to face reality. And this is reality:

There are no soul mates, no white knights, and no ideal men. There are no ringing bells, no perfectly-fulfilled fantasies, and no escape routes via the love boat. There is no man who will ever be able to live up to your ideal. No one man can be all you hope and dream of, all you want and need.

But there are men who are willing to try. These are the men you are looking for.

You are a beautiful friend, inside and out. In and of yourself, you are complete, and need look no longer for your 'other half'. There is no other half, only you, and you are sufficient. This is what the man who loves you will have to learn and admire about you.

Enjoy your single life to the fullest. Life as another person's 'significant other' will come soon enough.

My Town, My Home

2007-10-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

I was born and raised in a town where everybody knows everybody, where secret is a non-existing word and where gossip mongers put even the most relentless paparazzi to shame. But for all its people-imperfections, my town is a picture of utmost serenity: Waking up to the sweet chirping of the birds and sleeping to the soft rustle of the breeze; and breathtaking beauty: Lush greens against a sky of the bluest blue.

Life in my town is slow, really slow. My mom complains that progress will never see the light of day here. Honestly, I don't care. After the stress of living in the city, I welcome the leisurely pace of my town.

The church bells ring at 5 in the morning, and the faithful walk to church for the mass an hour later. By that time, my town has woken up to the noise of the roosters and the smell of breakfast. My favorite are the pandesal, literally, salt bread. Then I would dip those tasty bread into a cup of hot tsokolate, chocolate drink made from pure cocoa. Incidentally, it's my most favorite drink ever and nobody does great tsokolate than my grandmother.

The rest of the day, my town displays a sense of busyness. Some of the people go to the nearby city - the province's trade and education center - while the rest stay behind and just go about their daily routine. Whenever I come home for vacation, I immediately proceed to my grandma's house, where a steaming kettle of hot tsokolate awaits me, after breakfast at my own house. The rest of my day is spent lazing about the house, helping my aunt man the store, and listening to my grandma's story of her youth.

The church bells ring again at 6 in the evening for the Angelus, then again at 8 in memory of our dead. By that time, the town is quiet. Rarely do you see people roaming the streets. All other fun activities are done inside the houses. My town is as still as the night.

When I was in High School, I could hardly wait to leave my town and begin my adventure in the city. I likened myself to Belle from Beauty and the Beast: There must be something more to this provincial life. When I finally arrived in the city, I sometimes thought to myself that I will never come home to my town, even during the summer and Christmas vacation. Funny, but after only a year of city adventures, I was counting the days 'til vacation so I could return to my town and relax. It just goes to show that even the best of us have to eat our words. Or the city is just too stressful for my taste.

I try to come home whenever I can, and whenever I want to relax. There were times when I would just come home for a day, then it was off to the city again. It turned out it was more tiring that way. So when it was announced that it was going to be a long Halloween weekend, I grabbed a ticket home. It has been a while since my last visit. And it has been ages since a really long vacation. Right now, I'm in front of my dad's computer...yes, in this town where my mom said there'll never be progress. Of course, I will not equate her progress to mean wireless networks. She means it politically, a topic I will never write about in this blog. Then again, I might.

I'm enjoying this vacation, a treat that'll probably never happen again in another five years. I'll let you know...if I'm still bloggin', that is.

An Arabian Day

2007-10-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

It was a tension-filled afternoon (the cause of which I might write about someday), and to loosen up, I popped the Aladdin trilogy in the player.

Of all the Walt Disney cartoon adaptations of fairy tales and legends I've watched so far, none is as modern as Aladdin, from the dialogues to the songs. You wouldn't expect less from a cartoon where the Genie calls Aladdin 'Al', would you? So anyway, I was later treated to an afternoon of wise crackin', lamp rubbin' Arabian fun.

While the original was everything a Disney movie should be - smooth animation, witty dialogues, and the rich, rich colors - the second and third installments, while with stories as exciting as the original, paled in comparison. The colors were just dull. And what happened to the elaborate markings on the flying carpet? And where were the other thieves? A 40 thieves song-and-dance ensemble would have been pretty impressive. Surely sequels, while only for video release, deserve as much attention to details as the original?

However, whatever disappointment I had with the animation aspect was well compensated by the wise-cracking Iago and the simply funny Genie. The songs were lovely, too. I noticed that while this cartoon has every right to go pop vis-a-vis the songs, the singers delivered wonderfully with just the right amount of pop and classical; so unlike Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, where there was much wailing going on in the singing in a bid to make it pop.

The trilogy is worth the watch if only for those really funny dialogues and delightful songs...well, the second and third installments, anyway. The original: Definitely worth the watch for everything.

Major Blog Makeover

2007-10-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

I had 'overhaul' in my mind for the title, but I thought 'overhaul' was such a strong word, so I opted for the 'makeover'. And what a makeover it is.

I finally managed to have ads on my blog, after a week of 'error on page'. But I cannot, for the life of me, understand why I seem to have difficulty in copying and pasting pictures for my entries to make them a tad more interesting; although my entries are interesting enough as they are, with or without pictures (hahaha!). I added some page elements too, considering that I've kind of branched out a bit to include reviews of my favorite movies and books. So on the right-hand side of my blog, there's a List. Inspired by John Grisham's The Last Juror, I added a Religion Corner, which will consist of Bible passages, or prayers to Saints, or anything that has to do with anything religious. I also added a Currently reading... corner. The title of the said corner pretty much gives you an idea what it is about, doesn't it?

I wanted to add pictures, wallpapers really, of my favorite movies at the end of the blog page, but I had difficulty in making them shrink to fit. What the heck. I might be adding a few more page elements for quotes whenever I feel like it.

Anyway, I like the way my blog looks now. I'm seriously contemplating of changing the template once in a while (read: once a month), just for the heck of it. We'll see.

A Fairy Tale-y Day

2007-10-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

It was a rather boring afternoon. I was looking through my movie collection when my eyes landed on the cartoon section. And there they were: The Cinderella Trilogy. Yes, folks, Cinderella is a trilogy.

I grew up to Walt Disney. My favorites are the fairy tale adaptations. Although Beauty and the Beast is my most favorite of the lot, Cinderella closely trails behind. Imagine then my delight when Disney decided to follow up Cinderella's story with its release of Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and Cinderella III: A Twist In Time. Everybody knows Cinderella's story; who doesn't? Probably the greatest fairy tale ever told, Cinderella has inspired more movies than any other fairy tale. She and the Prince living happily ever after is a good enough end for me. But in the tradition of sequels, I decided to get myself a copy of the second and third installments. It's nice to keep up with your favorite Disney characters.

Cinderella II: Dreams Come True is a collection of stories from the mice's perspective. There isn't much singing going on in this cartoon, unlike the original, but the animation is more luxuriant. The songs have a pop feel to them, but I didn't like them that much because Cinderella is, well, a classic. Leave the pop songs to, say, Aladdin. There isn't much magic going on in this installment either; except for the second story when Jaq, you know, the mouse, wished himself to be human. Other than that, none of those wand waving and 'bibbidy-bobbidy-boos'. Quite a disappointment, really. But still, Dreams Come True was cartoon fun.

Cinderella III: A Twist In Time is an exciting look at what could have happened if the slipper hadn't fit. The Fairy Godmother accidentally knocks her wand away and it lands right in front of Anastasia. Fascinated, Anastasia brings home the wand to her mother, who, instead of just magicking back her family's affluence, seeks revenge. She summons the forces of nature and turns back time to the day of the slipper-fitting. With constant waving of the wand, the stepmother manages to have the slipper fit Anastasia and the Prince to fall in love with the latter. The fun begins with Cinderella trying to convince the Prince that it was she he danced with at the ball, she he fell in love with.

There's sinister magic in this third installment; none of the innocence of the original. But I thought it was what made the cartoon exciting. At least there was magic. It was nice to hear Cinderella and the mice singing again. But what I really loved about this cartoon was the more active participation of the Prince. He was given more lines, more screen time, a meatier role: This was definitely his cartoon.

Next cartoon project: The Aladdin Trilogy.

Food Trippin' Weekend

2007-10-14T02:44:00.000-07:00

It was one of those long weekends: Friday, the 12th, was declared a holiday, it being the end of the Ramadan. Somehow, though, I didn't feel the weekend was long enough. It's almost Monday and I'm like, 'Where did my long weekend go?' Well, where DID it go?

Thursday night was spent watching Season 9 of Friends. I had a blast! I laughed so hard I don't think I can wait long enough to buy the entire series. I laughed until the wee hours of Friday morning so, naturally, my Friday was spent sleeping the entire day off. And now I'm asking myself where my weekend went (rolls eyes).

At least Saturday was kind of productive. I had a haircut at David's, the parlor I always go to for a nice do. Then my cousin and I headed off for SM North and that was when the fun started. Hungry, we searched for a new joint to sample. Tokyo Cafe was right there along the passage from The Block to the cinemas, and the food looked sumptuous, so we dived right in.

I didn't notice the interiors but I do remember that the place was small, cozy small, that is. I noticed the really big Italian backdrop though so I sort of did a double to see if we entered the correct place. Yes, we did. It was time to order.

I'm not a fan of Japanese food, so I went for the safest: chicken recipes. I had the Chicken and Cheese Rolls, which is a new addition to the menu. It consists of fillets of chicken rolls stuffed with melted cheese, a potato something as a side dish, and a tiny bowl of sauce which tasted very much like the sauce of an Italian spaghetti. My cousin had the Shrimp Burger, and it was huge.

My dish was delicious. The chicken meat was tender, and there was no grease, at all. It's tasty with or without the sauce; I opted for without because I'm not that into Italian sauces. By the time my cousin and I were through with our orders, we were stuffed. The servings were meant for sharing and that's quite a relief because the dishes can be quite expensive for ordinary wage earners. Anyway, it was worth the visit and I'm thinking of visiting the place again for its pizza and pasta.

We decided to walk off our big bellies, so it was National Bookstore next. I got myself a copy of the Penguin Classics: Jane Austen's Persuasion and Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Yes, I kind of was influenced by the movie The Lake House. Anyway, I decided to head home because I had a send-off dinner to go to. Food, food, and more food!

That time around, it was Napoli's at Timog Avenue. We had the New York Classic Pizza and Seafood Marinara. It was not my first time to eat at the place. My friends and I frequent Napoli's if only because the servings are quite hefty, it's almost impossible to finish your orders. Of course, everything there is simply delicious, that goes without saying. So I was once again stuffed, which made me beg off Sunday breakfast.

Book focus:The Last Juror by John Grisham ( The Last Juror Paper )

The Lake House: Timeless Love Story

2007-10-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

I am a Korean Wave follower, and one of the Korean movies that I really like is Il Mare. When I learned that the movie The Lake House was a remake of the Korean flick, I was a bit skeptical. For one, I'm not a fan of remakes, particularly the Asian to Hollywood type. Second, bizarre plots are Korean movies trademark, so I seriously doubted whether Hollywood could pull this off. Finally, Hollywood has a tendency of butchering artistically-made Asian films.

Anyway, the movie. The story begins with Dr. Kate Forster leaving a note for the new tenant of the picturesque house on the lake she just moved out from with a request to please forward her mail to her new address in Chicago.

Enter the new tenant, Alex Wyler, who comes across the letter and is somewhat baffled by its contents. Kate's letter mentioned paw prints by the front door, which aren't existing. The letter also mentioned a box in the attic, but the box simply isn't there. Besides, as far as Alex knows, before him, no one has lived in the lake house for years.

So Alex dismisses the letter, until that fateful day when a dog wanders in the lake house, steps on some paint, and leaves prints by the front door. Alex is reminded of the letter and in his curiosity to solve the mystery of the paw prints, decides to personally deliver his letter to Kate in the address stated in her first missive. The thing is, the building Kate is supposedly living in doesn't exist yet. The area has one of those 'On this site shall rise..' signs.

Alex comes to the conclusion that the lady might just be pulling his leg, stating an address that doesn't exist and a date that's all wrong. She dated her letter 2006, when it's the year 2004.

Kate decided to play the 'date' game with him: If he insists that it's 2004, then he better watch out for the spring snow. He scoffs at this, naturally. But then, it snows.

'Can this be happening?' he asks.

The continued correspondence between the two blossoms into a wonderful love affair which would have been perfect if not for a teeny, weeny detail: They live two years apart.

I love this movie, I don't quite know where to begin.

Everything about this movie was so calm - the directing, the actors' portrayals of their characters, the musical score - that I felt soothed despite the confusing premise. My skepticism had nothing to do at all with the perplexing premise. I initially knew that the movie was a remake of Il Mare so I expected the odd plot. Hence, I set aside all logical thoughts and suspended my disbelief; otherwise, I'd go crazy analyzing this movie and I haven't even started on the dog. This movie begs you to simply appreciate it for what it is: A love story with a powerful message that true love comes to those who wait.

My skepticism bordered more on whether Hollywood can pull off a bizarre plot characteristic of Korean movies. I was awed. I am now a remake convert, if just because of this movie. The director, Alejandro Agresti, made this movie his canvass, bringing in really amazing sites of Chicago, blending them with the actors' superb performances, and finishing it off with smooth transitions from the past to the present to the past. Needless to say, this movie was a work of art.

The movie hardly had scenes of Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves together, and this is supposed to be their characters' love story. Still, it worked for me because the actors have an inexplicable connection with each other, apart or together. Take Speed, for instance. In that movie, neither had the chance to at least gaze into each others eyes to establish the romance, but you feel the attraction is there. And if the actors' natural closeness isn't a plausible explanation to the effective love story, just look at the way they portrayed their roles. There was top-notch acting going on in this movie, even for Reeves who's usually stiff. Reeves felt wonderfully relaxed here that he had some quite powerful scenes - the train, Kate's birthday, the time when he browsed his father's memoirs. Both actors shone in this movie and I can't think of anybody else who'd portray their roles as perfectly as they did.

End result: The Lake House won both me and my quill. Why, it can't seem to stop writing praises about it! It was so masterfully directed, it is now my most favorite movie in the romance genre, so far.

The Housewife and The Politician

2007-10-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

The online petition and the calls for apology by an affronted country are enough to express outrage over the racial slur made by the television series Desperate Housewives. I need not join the fray. But when my cousin swore she heard a local politician say 'Teri Tatcher' on air, I just couldn't let it pass without giving my two cents' worth. Here goes...

First, the housewife. I, who am located at the extreme end of the political spectrum, was personally insulted by the tasteless remark. And that's because I happen to be a Filipino. Imagine then the insult Filipino doctors might have felt considering that the remark pertained to them.

For those who say that we're overreacting and that the remark was just probably a joke - nice try, fellows. Sure, I can take a joke, even if the joke's bordering on insult, provided that the person who delivers it is a true blooded Filipino. Teri Hatcher's character in the series is not a Filipino; hence, insulting a nation to which she does not belong hardly qualifies as a joke.

Let's look at it from the series' perspective: This doctor informs Hatcher's character that she's undergoing menopausal stage. Hatcher's character might have found this insulting given the stereotype and her ignorance on the concept of 'menopause'. So she insults the doctor back with a remark where she thought it'll probably hurt him the most - his education. The intention then of the character was not to make the doctor laugh. There was a clear intent to insult the doctor. Call me dense, but I cannot locate the joke there.

The scriptwriter had an array of retorts laid out before him but he went right ahead and used that which would insult a nation over a trivial thing as menopause, a process every woman goes through.

The network handling the series had already issued an apology and I fully quote the article:

"The producers of Desperate Housewives and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offence caused by the brief reference in the season premiere," a statement said. "There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines. As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting sensitive and respectful images of all communities featured in our programmes."

Thanks for even mentioning The Philippines in your series but if you have nothing nice to say about it, then leave our country alone (Chris Crocker mode on)!

Now, the local politician. He used to be an actor. Actor-politicians aren't new in my country. They breed, this particular specie. Anyway, he represents a beautiful Southern province. He doesn't really strike me as intelligent, but whatever my opinion on his intelligence is worth, it's probably less to the good people of this province. This gentleman rose from the ranks - councilor, a few positions more, then Congressman. He is probably a very efficient public servant for the people in this province to elect him as their representative.

So, what seems to be my problem with him? Well, he has already earned my displeasure for a statement he made on a certain issue (not the Desperate Housewives thingy). It's more of his meddling on an issue that's beyond his jurisdiction than his remark that annoyed me, really. Now, he gives his opinion regarding the racial slur and I'm cool with that. He's just doing what politicians do best - jumping into the bandwagon. But I'm thinking, 'what the heck?' The more people voice their outrage on this Housewives remark, the better. However, his saying the wrong name on air really irked me: 'Teri Tatcher'? C'mon! Ok, Congressman, repeat after me: Teri Hatcher.

Word to the wise: Be more knowledgeable of the facts of the issue you're commenting on; otherwise, just shut up.

I rest my case.

The Saint: Espionage or Romance?

2007-10-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

A saint is someone invoked by Catholics to intercede for them. In my limited, yet accurate, knowledge of the lengthy process of Canonization, a truly remarkable person, living or dead, must perform at least three miracles to be canonized a saint. Vatican has yet to determine whether the miracles performed are, indeed, miracles.

Russia is in the midst of a political turmoil, and on top of that, its citizens are dying from extreme cold. What Russia needs is a miracle, and billionaire nationalist Tretiak is willing to perform that miracle. But to do so, he enlists the help of master thief and elusive disguise artist Simon Templar. The latter's assignment: Steal the cold fusion notes from Dr. Emma Russell, the genius behind the scientific phenomenon that could change the world. I will not even pretend to understand what this science mambo jumbo called cold fusion is all about.

Anyway, the assignment seems like a walk in the park for our very suave espionage hero. After doing a background check on his victim, discovering that she's one lonely romantic with a fascination for magic, Templar poses as dashing debonair Thomas Moore and seduces his way into Dr. Russell's brassiere - where she keeps her cold fusion notes. Piece of cake. What Templar wasn't ready for, which, however, was predictable from our end of the spectrum, was him falling in love with his prey.

In the game of cloak-and-dagger, surrendering your heart is one dangerous move.

At the end of the day, The Saint is a love story. But thank goodness for its espionage theme. And thanks too to the director for squeezing in thrilling chases and fascinating disguises just when the scenes between Val Kilmer's and Elizabeth Shue's characters become cheesy.

I am not underplaying the remarkable tactics and suaveness of Val Kilmer's character, which the actor portrayed impeccably. Neither am I disregarding the espionage theme of the movie, which I find really enthralling. The point is, Kilmer's character did a 360 degree turn when he meets Shue's character. From being cold and cynical, he becomes this dashing hero intent on protecting his woman. Remember the scene in that icy cold river? If a man can dive under that to save my medicine bottle, I'll marry him in a heartbeat.

And why am I gushing about this movie that's classified as an action thriller like it's some chick flick? Two words: Val Kilmer. This guy is hot! Sequels, please.

When a person constantly changes his name, personality and appearance, he may lose sight of the person he truly is. This movie appeals to me because of the subtle message of not being afraid of your past and your pain. Kilmer's character is running away from his past, from his pain, afraid that he will not be able to love and be loved. So when Shue's character was able to 'strip him naked', so to speak, he was afraid, yet fascinated. Who is this woman who does not know anything about him and yet knows him? And how did she find him, when even the best of the Interpol couldn't?

Simon Templar uses the names of Catholic saints to aid him in his close-call escapes, which are, in themselves, miracles. But the miraculous thing that ever happened to him is Dr. Emma Russell loving him, in spite of everything.

Ok, I'll stop here...it's getting a bit cheesy even for my quill.

Pimp My Ride and Public Commute

2007-10-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

New York has the Subway. Hong Kong has the MTR. The Philippines has the MRT or Metro Rail Transit. I've ridden the MRT countless times but I can never, for the life of me, understand why I can't seem to get used to it.

I drive a 1992 Toyota Corolla XE. It has been in the family for 15 years. And in a culture that's a staunch believer of hand-me-downs, my car is a hand-me-down, from father, to brother, to me. I'm not complaining though. Except for minor scratches, which are barely visible unless you're nose to nose with the car, my car can still fetch a good amount when sold. Not that I have any plans to sell it. My mother won't let me. Being the first family car, it is protected by what we call 'sentimental value'.

I didn't get the car straight away. I had it only when I was in second year college. My parents decided that I should experience the wonders of public commute during my freshman year. This declaration was received in panic. Yeah, I rode public transport when I was in the province but this was the city! The city, for crying out loud! Do they really think I'd survive those jeepneys running like mad in the streets, those cabs that charge triple the regular fare? Turned out I was being overly dramatic. The jeepney rides weren't that bad. Except for my hair being in a constant mess when the jeepney roamed the Metro like there's no tomorrow, I was grateful that I had to put up with it for only 15 minutes, my house being so close to my University. The cab rides weren't all worked up as I pictured them to be. In fact, the drivers were quite friendly and rarely did I come across one who charged me an excess fare.

When I was finally given the keys to my car, surprisingly, I wasn't that excited. Sure, it would mean the end of my public commutes, but other than that, there was nothing else to it. I'm a homebody, and so is my car. When my destination does not have decent parking spaces or is somewhat new to me, I take the public transport. Other than these though, I drive whenever and wherever, which are far and between anyway.

Then came the MRT, a transport I highly recommend if you're not a fan of bumper to bumper traffic. The only problem, too many people. This is one huge matter in my case because I'm afraid of crowds, and I'm a self-proclaimed claustrophobic. Back when I was riding the MRT to work, I would go to the station an hour earlier so I could have the luxury of waiting for a vacant carriage.

It has been months since my MRT rides but I was forced a trip down my public commute memory lane because I rode the MRT yesterday. What's more, the station where we, my cousin and I, got on and off were full of people. Where did they all come from? The wonderful thing about the MRT, however, is its link to the malls. I was thus spared the horrors of being shoved by the crowd to the noisy streets of downtown Cubao.

I still prefer to drive to my destination, traffic notwithstanding. I'm patient anyway.

The Prince & Me: A Fairy Tale & More

2007-10-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

The movie has the makings of a fairy tale: Dashing, handsome Eddie meets and falls for pretty, ordinary Paige Morgan. Of course it helps that Eddie happens to be the Crown Prince Edvard Valdemar Dangaard, a fact unknown to Paige.

Prince Edvard is every inch the irresponsible heir to the throne. To the utter disappointment of his parents, the King and Queen of Denmark, he whiles away his time racing cars and chasing women. In short, Prince Edvard is a paparazzi's dream.

Paige is from Wisconsin; a simple girl with a simple dream: To enter Johns Hopkins and work for Doctors Without Borders. She is every parent's dream child - intelligent, independent and responsible.

Their worlds collide when Prince Edvard, not quite ready to take over the 'family business' yet, decides to fly to Wisconsin, where he hears the girls are wild. He poses as Eddie, a foreign exchange student, and has a disastrous initial encounter with Paige: He, thinking she's just another wild college girl; She, adamant that he's a 'royal pain in the ass'.

The two get long eventually, as is to be expected from people who are constantly thrown into each other's company. They got along too well, in fact, that they find themselves falling in love. It is during this time that the now mature Eddie is recalled to Denmark to take on his princely duties, as his father is terminally ill. Stunned, Paige has to decide whether to stay and pursue her dreams or abandon her future and follow Eddie across the Atlantic.

The movie may be classified as a romantic comedy but it manages to be more than that with its theme of female empowerment. It's easy enough to say that this movie is a fairy tale: An ordinary girl finally meets her prince charming, who, in actuality, is a prince. But the movie is not your ordinary fairy tale because we have a character, in the person of Paige Morgan, who does not dream of castles or princes, but dreams of medical school and working in places that aren't exactly tourist destinations. In fact, Eddie himself admitted that he finds Paige intimidating; he, of the royal blood, who has had a fair share of intimidating people.

The fact that Paige and Eddie ended up together in the end does not lessen the female empowerment theme the movie carries. The DVD has an alternate ending which, I later learned from director Martha Coolidge in her commentary, was the originally intended ending. In the alternate, Paige turned her back on Eddie, returned to Wisconsin, and realized her dreams. Some, and even I on occasions, think that this is the appropriate ending given the movie's strong pull towards women who realize their dreams. But Coolidge decided to have the lead characters back together because of their strong love for each other. And I must say I totally agree, not because I'm a sucker for happy endings. The movie laid down the love foundation perfectly that the fairy tale ending looked like the originally intended ending and the alternate, well, just an alternate. Besides, the prince was willing to compromise so all is well. It is possible to have your cake and eat it too.

Another factor for the fairy tale ending would be the sizzling chemistry between Julia Stiles and Luke Mably. Anyone who saw this movie cannot just ignore the obvious on-screen attraction and opt for the alternate ending. I surfed the net for news of an off-screen romance between the leads but Stiles already has a boyfriend and it isn't Mably. Still, I was thrilled when I came across this interview on Mably:

Thinking back, what’s your favorite memory from shooting "The Prince & Me?"

Lots of it. There was so much to do in the movie, but I really enjoyed doing the stuff with Julia. I really miss seeing her face every day. I think she’s a really special actress, a very exciting actress to work with. (Source)

I'm not laying down my quill on these two just yet.

Octoberfest

2007-09-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

September being the Bar Exam month, naturally, all entries in my blog for the month of September have been anything and everything about the Bar Exams.

From September 1, a Saturday, and the next Saturdays thereafter (for four Saturdays), I had been driving my cousin to the Manila Diamond Hotel, where her school's barristers were billeted. Then on Sundays (for four Sundays), I had been waiting for her at the EGI Tower, a commercial/residential building right beside the bar exam venue. The first Sunday was spent entirely at the Tower; I got really bored. Luckily, the cafeteria I was waiting at sells second-hand books and I got myself a copy of The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. The second Sunday saw me roaming the stalls of Harrison Plaza. I spent a good 3 hours scouring for books at Book Sale and National Bookstore. I roamed the whole of the Metro on the third Sunday for a church that said mass at 2 in the afternoon. Unfortunately, there wasn't one nearer the bar exam venue so I had to drive all the way to St. Peter's, a church located in front of our subdivision. The last Sunday, I got lost after buying flowers for my cousin. I couldn't find the road that will lead me right into Espana. I drove straight from Dangwa, until I found myself caught in traffic at the area where Chinese General Hospital is located. After a few more wrong turns, I stopped for directions and I was able to keep my mind mentally clear this time for the directions given by a friendly gasoline attendant. Whew.

So what will the month of October bring me? Hopefully, an appointment at that job I applied for; more interesting entries; and a more open me.

Bench & Bar III

2007-09-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last Sunday of the Bar exam. Highly anticipated by everybody from the law profession, this last Sunday of the bar was as raucous as ever, the 'noise ban' notwithstanding. I wondered earlier how the Salubong would be this year, considering the order from the Supreme Court (SC) that all kinds of noises be prohibited, as the bar exams are to be regarded with respect and dignity as a court proceeding. But, hey, you cannot put a good party down.

It was the Salubong I have witnessed through my years in law school - bands, beer, party, noise, noise, and more noise. As early as 4.30 in the afternoon (exams officially finish at 5), I can hear shouts from across the street as fraternities, sororities, and schools cheer for their barristers who are emerging, one by one, from the exam venue. The rain did not hamper the festive spirits. When the clock struck 5, all hell broke loose, so to speak. The many school bands lining Taft Avenue started playing their respective music, the result of which were discordant sounds. I could not make out any particular tune. In fact, I did not think these bands even had a tune in mind: Play any tune; the louder, the better.

I opted to wait inside EGI Tower, our (my cousin and I) meeting place. My cousin warned me the week before that she and her friend would not emerge from the exam venue until the Salubong is over. From where I was sitting, I could see people running with beer cans in tow - to pour on their barristers; as if the barristers weren't wet already (it was raining). Ladies were scurrying with bouquets in their arms. Children from the Tower came down to watch the spectacle, dancing to the beat of the drum, their eyes alight with all the noise around them, thinking, maybe, that this event is one big parade.

The street party has considerably died down when my cousin and her friend came out. There were still vestiges of the event, though. Schools singing their hymns before proceeding to wherever to continue their party. Barristers and their supporters taking last minute pictures along the avenue; I even witnessed this group who stalled traffic for a good camera angle.

It was fun, the Salubong. I was expecting a subdued crowd, with the SC order and all. But I guess you cannot break a good tradition and this is definitely a good tradition.

This Worm's Books Nooks

2007-09-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Being a bookworm, the very first thing I visit when I find myself in the mall is a bookstore. Rarely, however, do I go out of my way to haunt a bookshop, unless I'm itching to get myself some books. Below is a list of the bookstores and shops I visit, and by visit I mean browse for, and sometimes, buy, books, whether I just happen to be at their locations or I go out of my way to visit them.

National Bookstore. Of course, there's always reliable, ol' National Bookstore, where you can find all the books you ever want, if they have it on stock, that is. But more often than not, they have your books on stock. They're celebrating their 65th anniversary, by the way, and thus going on sale until the 16th. Anyway, the branch I often visit is the SM North branch. I grew up buying my school stuff from this bookstore, as it sells not only books but school and office supplies, decorations for every occasion, and even movie and music discs. Yes, it has become a variety/convenience store, but still the place to go for brand-new books. The noise, however, prevents you from browsing in peace. The best you can do when you shop at this bookstore is have a title or author in mind before you enter the shop, ask a saleslady where the book's located, and immediately pay for it.

Fully Booked. It's the recently-opened bookshop at the same mall, SM North. I like this bookshop better than the former because it's library-quiet, and it's a bookshop. Thousands of books are properly lined up along shelves that fill up the entire shop. You're free to browse for as long as you want if you don't mind standing for hours while doing so. There's a children's/young adults' corner that gives off a cozy atmosphere, one can actually sit on the carpeted floor and start reading. There are more interesting titles, and I don't know if the books are more pricey than those at National Bookstore. I never got to comparing the price. I'm looking forward to a lasting partnership with this shop though. Yet another shop to go for brand-new books.

Books for Less. I visit the one located at Commonwealth Avenue. It has a safe and convenient parking space, right in front of the shop. Don't expect newly-released bestsellers to be on hand though; and if you're looking for famous titles or authors, you'll be in for a bit of a disappointment. The titles and authors sold by this bookshop are somewhat unheard of. But once or twice, I see a few names and titles I'm familiar with. The books are a bit pricey for a second-hand shop but they are in good condition so the price is probably worth it. Although I'm reluctant sometimes to shell out such amount for a book who's author I haven't heard of. They also serve you coffee when you've purchased this much amount of books, although I can't enjoy such freebie as I don't drink coffee. But you're free to while away the time in the shop (it has tables and chairs), and that's what I like about it. You can even read your newly-bought book inside the shop while having a cup of coffee. I don't know if a shopper ever finished a book in the shop, though. I think whiling away your time that long is unacceptable already.

Books & Mags Ever Gotesco. Again, I visit the one located at Commonwealth Avenue. The shop, if it can be properly called a shop, as it consists mainly of shelves of books situated at the far side of the mall's 4th floor, sells second-hand books at really low, low prices. I got a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island for $0.19. That's how ridiculously low the prices are. But you have to take the risk when you buy from this shop. The books have the names of their previous owners written on the page; yellowed parchments; sometimes, underlined or highlighted texts; and if you're unlucky, torn pages. Word to the wise: thoroughly check the book you're holding to assure it's the least damaged of the lot. Plus, you have to really scour the shop for quality titles because those that stand-out are romance novels. Still worth a visit though, if you're feeling a bit stingy. As to the books' condition...nothing that a plastic cover can't fix.

University of the Philippines Bookshops. I got two: one located at the University's shopping center; the other, at the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP).

The former: It's located on the 2nd floor of the first stall to your right when you enter from the University Cooperative side. It sells really good titles, but a bit pricey for a student on a meager allowance. The books look and smell old. It's worth the visit and the price if only because of the quality titles. And if you don't mind an old-looking and -smelling book.

The latter: It's located near the orange-painted cafeteria, at the back of the CSSP. The store owner's friendly and will even give you further discounts if you're an old or returning customer. I like to think of this shop as a cheaper version of the pricey bookstores listed above. The books look like they're brand-new and some of the books I bought from this shop look like their pages have never been turned. It's quite hard to believe they're second-hand. Thus, the price is well worth it; never mind if it's just a hundred peso cheaper than the price of a brand-new book. It's open only during weekdays though and that's quite disappointing because I only have time during the weekends to gallivant. But if you really want to own books that look like new for a lesser price, hurrying over at 6 in the afternoon during weekdays is a walk in the park.

Rude Awakening

2007-09-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

It was the second Sunday of the bar. I joined the queue at the hotel's registration desk to check-out. And so there I was, minding my own business, when I heard this foreigner complaining about his registration in a voice loud enough to drown the hotel lobby's noise.

It was nasty the way he shouted and berated the front desk attendants, saying awful things like 'You don't understand English!' From the little that I could catch of their exchange, it seemed like it was the travel agency's fault why the rude foreigner's registration had gone awry. Things got a bit heated up prompting the front desk attendants to call security. The foreigner scoffed at the security guy, even challenging him to 'go right ahead and cancel me!' I don't know what he meant by 'cancel'.

Anyway, the security guy just stood at one corner of the lobby in case things got out of hand. His presence however didn't help ease matters and even made the foreigner angrier than ever. He even said the 'F' word to the attendants! So rude! This foreigner was with a Filipina who, pardon my discourtesy but I'm just stating facts here, didn't seem sophisticated. She was trying to appease the foreigner and I sensed a bit of embarrassment on her part for being in this predicament. I was not able to stay longer than I would have wanted to see how things turned out but I do hope, for her sake, that she apologized to the attendants in behalf of the foreigner.

The incident irked me big time because, admittedly, I admire the courtesy and discipline of foreigners and sometimes compare them to Filipinos, especially when I'm stuck in traffic, with my countrymen being at the lowest level in the comparison chart. Yet here is one proof that there are exceptions to the rule. Here is one proof that foreigners can be pretty nasty. I had spent two Sundays at the hotel in question and the staff had been nothing but friendly. And to insinuate that they don't understand English is the biggest blow. English is this country's second language. Not that I'm comparing or anything but let's face it - this country speaks better English than any of its neighboring countries. In fact, the citizens of this country can speak better English than those from English-speaking nations. And the 'F' word! One thing is sure, that foreigner was no gentleman.

My day didn't stop with the hotel incident. It extended to the late hours in the afternoon.

I was patiently waiting for my cousin at the exam venue when these fraternity guys had a near altercation. I recognized the guys as belonging to fraternities from the only law school at Mendiola (hahaha!). These two fraternities have always been on each other's nerves since time immemorial. I thought I would be experiencing a full-blown brawl, but cooler heads intervened, plus the place is always swarming with security.

I don't understand why fraternities have to hate each other. Is this an unwritten rule - 'Thou shall love only thy fraternity brothers and hate all who do not belong to our fraternity'? Absurd.

Anyway, I can't say that it was a boring Sunday. Although I was hoping that the incidents which broke the boredom could have been more pleasant rather than enveloped with rudeness and hatred.

Bench & Bar (Part II)

2007-09-03T00:34:00.000-07:00

Two of the most exciting events during the duration of the Bar exams are the send-off and the salubong. The former begins on the first Sunday morning of September, which is the first day of the exam, and takes place every Sunday morning thereafter; the latter, on the fourth Sunday afternoon, the last day of the exam, after the barristers have tackled their very last subject, Legal Ethics.

What happens during a send-off? When the barristers are lined-up along Taft Avenue to enter the exam venue, their schools send them off with as much hoopla as they can possibly manage - street dances, school bands, confetti, and the ever reliable shout-yourself-hoarse. It's one street party out there during the first Sunday, when the send-off is at its noisiest. I remember my very first send-off as a law student. It was raining then. My friends and I hailed a cab from the hotel where the barristers were billeted. By the time we got to Taft Avenue, a street party was in progress. The barristers from different law schools were lined-up already and their well-wishers were shouting their support. When we spotted our school's barristers from the entrance line, we shouted ourselves hoarse wishing them good luck. It was crazy fun that not even the rain can stop. Only when all the barristers have entered the exam venue would there be quiet. Some well-wishers would choose to stay at the 'camp' site, designated rendezvous point, for the whole day to wait on their barristers; others would while away the time by going to nearby malls, then return to the site at 5 in the afternoon; others would just go home, never to be seen for the next two Sundays, then return with a vengeance during the salubong.

What happens on a salubong? Salubong is the Filipino term for meeting someone at a certain place on a given day and time. This is what happens during the last Sunday of the bar. At 5 in the afternoon, supporters, family members and friends of the barristers gather along Taft Avenue, waiting for the examinees to emerge from the exam venue. The salubong is crazier and noisier than the send-off. It's a street party like you've never seen before. Schools would outshine one another with different gimmicks, the most rambunctious of which would be a concert right in the middle of the street. But the most watched gimmick, until the higher authorities banned it, was the 'freedom run' by members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, wherein naked guys would run the length of Taft Avenue in the name of whatever national issue comes to mind. Imagine a packed street and guys running naked along that street. It's more like walking as these poor guys cannot find enough space for them to run. I would say spectators got an eyeful.

This year, however, the send-off was unusually quiet. In yesterday's news (The Philippine Star), it was reported that the Supreme Court "issued a guideline prohibiting the conduct of noisy activities in the perimeter" of the exam venue. I quote fully the newspaper report:

"According to the Supreme Court, the standard to be followed during the examinations will be that of a court hearing."

The news report went on further to say that the guideline shall be strictly enforced and "those who will be caught in violation could be cited for contempt of court."

This guideline did not stop the friends and families of the barristers to go to Taft Avenue and wish their barristers good luck anyway, although with lesser noise as possible. I wonder how this year's salubong would be like considering that the "prohibition will be enforced during the examination hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for four consecutive Sundays"?

Bench & Bar (Part I)

2007-09-01T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hello September!

The month of September is significant for three reasons:

First, it's the start of the Christmas season, at least in this country. I don't know why this is. Maybe because this month is the first month that has the 'ber' stuck to its end.

Second, on a more personal level, this month signals the start my spiritual growth. I have resolved to exercise the spiritual gift of self-control.

Third, the significance of this month is felt more than ever by the people in the law profession. September is what we call 'Bar Month'. During this month, for four Sundays, and as early as 5 in the morning, thousands upon thousands of hopefuls line up along Taft Avenue to take the bar exams. And while the examinees are inside De LaSalle University, the exams venue, students and professors from law schools all over the country wait outside and join in the mad festivities called the 'Bar Operations', or barops, in legal parlance (wink, wink).

I have participated in the barops since my first year in law school - as a volunteer for the first two years, and as a member of the Academic Committee for the remaining years. I am once again thrown into the barops, this time as a runner for my cousin who's taking this year's bar. I was told that the bar operations was conducted from way back, but by fraternities. So blessed were those who belonged to fraternities, for they were taken cared of by their fraternity brothers. Then someone decided to make the bar operations a school activity. Before long, schools have been conducting their Centralized Bar Operations, comprised of student volunteers. I don't know if this information is precise, and I will not bother to verify. All I know is that from the time I started law school, the Centralized Bar Operations was there.

It's crazy to be a part of the bar operations. Barops covers a lot of fields: hotel, review materials, logistics. When I was a volunteer, I had it easy because I was merely required to be in the hotel where my school's barristers were billeted, just in case I was needed for an errand. There wasn't much errand to run then. But when I signed up for the Academic Committee, I lost precious sleep for four Saturdays. Being in the Academic Committee meant not sleeping on a Saturday night because we had to listen to lectures and take notes. From these lectures, we would deliberate which were the most important points that need to be placed on the Last Minute Tips. The Last Minute Tips are review materials we would distribute to the barristers at 4 in the morning on the day of the exams, before the barristers leave the hotel for the exams venue. Then, and only then, could we go home to catch up on some Zzz's. Mind you, we still had graded recitations on Mondays.

For those barops members stationed at the hotel, their Saturday noons would be devoted to barristers registration. Their evenings would be spent running errands for barristers with special requests. Sleep would probably be a few minutes nap. Then it's off to wake-up calls and breakfast deliveries. The fun does not stop when the barristers are off to the exams venue because these members have to stand guard over the barristers' luggage until check-out.

Despite the sleepless nights and bitching barristers, the barops is something that every law student should experience. In my honest opinion, you're not a genuine law student if you haven't experienced at least a Sunday of bar operations.

Goodbye August (A Month's Worth of Blog)

2007-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have spent the whole month of August feeding bits of information about myself to the World Wide Web. And I must say: so far, so good. While it was not my life's mission to spill the beans on myself when I started this blog, this has been the closest I can get to an autobiography. Besides, I'm still hiding behind the name Crazy Insomniac. I was, and still am, apprehensive to be writing about myself, my thoughts, my deepest secrets over at the Internet. I don't even keep a diary. But I want to think that I'm finally opening up, albeit gradually. Easy does it.

Anyway, my life's not that interesting to warrant a blog. But hey, it's a free world and the blog's free.

August is almost over. And what have I done for the past month? Nothing much. Still waiting for the approval of my job application. And to make the wait tolerable, I read books, watch movies and surf the Net - the usual stuff. I also run errands for my mom in between.

I'm currently reading John Grisham's The Chamber. It's a 1994 novel, I know, but I haven't read this one yet. I'm collecting the author's works, remember? I'm just through with The Broker, and while it may not be Grisham's best, it's still a good read, thanks partly to the witty dialogue.

When I feel lazy opening a book, I pop in videos, but it's mostly Walt Disney these past days - Beauty and the Beast (my favorite) and Aladdin. I'm contemplating Mulan later in the day.

Television? Not much. Internet? Just surfing. I'm looking into Julia Stiles and I plan to write something about my favorite romcom movie The Prince & Me soon. I know my reviews are over at the other blog, but I can't help it with this movie. I'll probably be writing reviews of what I find worthwhile in this blog once in a while.

Anyway, this entry looks like a summary of the past month and a taste of my entries for the next month. Hmm, I think this is going to be a monthly thingy. I hope September will be more eventful so I can have an interesting summary.

My Last (Or Latest) Indulgence

2007-08-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

I finally got myself a copy of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the last installment in the phenomenal Harry Potter series. The urge to get myself a copy was so strong that although the book was way beyond the thousand peso mark, I went ahead and got one anyway. Incidentally, it's probably P47 to a dollar, so the book costs approximately 28 dollars. This installment happens to be my first ever Harry Potter book, one I can call my own. I've read all six installments but they are all owned by my cousin. I intend to get myself the complete series, now that National Bookstore, the pricey bookstore I go to, is on sale. There's also a new bookstore at the mall I frequent, Fully Booked. I'll probably be writing an entry on the bookstores I get my books from soon.

I'm not a cheapskate. I'm not wanting when it comes to money. I was just taught to live frugally and I guess I exercise sufficient control when it comes to spending. There are times when I shop impulsively. But then again, I don't shop much. The only time I splurge on clothes is during the Christmas season. Whenever I feel like shopping, it's usually for books, CD's, and Vcd's/DVD's, my indulgences. But even with these, I exercise control. I don't jump right ahead and buy them as soon as they're out on the market. I wait for them to go on sale. As I've said in my earlier entry, I scour second-hand bookstores for quality titles. There are good finds in excellent condition you'd think I bought them from a pricey bookstore. As to Vcd's/DVD's, I wait until they go on sale, then I buy by the bulk. The most expensive DVD I have is 300, bought two weeks after its official release. For the sum of 16 dollars, I get a free movie art book.

I take special care in handling things that you wouldn't hesitate to lend me your rarest titles. Which is why I hate it when people return my stuff and I find pages puked on or discs mutilated - I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.

My biggest indulgence would probably be completing the Friends series. I got the ninth season, courtesy of my aunt. A series costs about $20, so it'll probably be a slow project as I'm willing to shell out that amount once a month. I got nine more seasons to go, and at the rate of a season a month, my collection of this television series will be completed in nine months. Not bad. Slowly but surely, I always say.

The OC

2007-08-22T03:54:00.000-07:00

No, this is not about the television series; I have not watched a single episode of it. Neither is this about the Orange County. This entry is about my obsessive-compulsive behavior, or what I proclaim to be my obsessive-compulsive behavior.

According to my not-so-extensive research,

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an illness that causes people to have unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and to repeat certain behaviors (compulsions) over and over again. We all have habits and routines in our daily lives, such as brushing our teeth before bed. However, for people with OCD, patterns of behavior get in the way of their daily lives.

Most people with OCD know that their obsessions and compulsions make no sense, but they can't ignore or stop them. (Source)

The article enumerates some of the common obsessions and compulsions, among them 'concern with order, symmetry (balance) and exactness' and 'ordering and arranging items in a certain way', respectively. Admittedly, I have certain obsessions and compulsions that are a bit odd when compared to a 'normal' person, all of which concern order, symmetry and sometimes neatness. I have not gone to the extreme of the behavior, however.

I arrange my CD's, Vcd's/DVD's alphabetically, and get irked when people do not return them in their proper places after borrowing them. I am a strong advocate of the saying 'A place for everything and everything in its place'. But like I said, I have not gone to the extreme. I can live with the fact that my Babel DVD is still in my cousins' room weeks after they have finished watching it.

I plan to arrange my clothes according to color: one shade on one side, another shade on another side...you get the picture. I say plan because my cousin (whom I share rooms with) and I have the intention of overhauling our room. So this color-coding scheme of clothes will have to wait until I buy the closet I want.

I don't know if it's just me, but I never watch a movie sequel unless I've watched the previous installment, the sequel's story having absolutely nothing to do with the previous story notwithstanding. The consequence: I miss out on the movie in the cinemas, but I don't go to the cinemas that often anyway. Not much of a loss there. In fact, I'd rather watch movies on DVD in the comforts of my home.

Finally, I get irritated when items are crookedly positioned - a ball pen on the table, books on the shelf, pillows on the bed. My cousin's idea of fun is to disarrange items in our room and watching me with delight as I fight the urge to fix them. Needless to say, I always lose.

This OC behavior does not extend to my life, I'm so glad to say. Yes, I make plans and I stick to them as much as I can. I do not go berserk however when things do not go as planned. In fact, some people describe me as spontaneous. Now that is not the trait you would want to attach to a person who is a self-proclaimed order freak.

Oh well, I guess people have their peculiarities.

Picky Eater

2007-08-19T05:58:00.001-07:00

I love to eat, and I'm fortunate to have been blessed with a body that does not bloat despite my pigging out. I likewise enjoy watching the Lifestyle Network's chefs in action, particularly Jamie Oliver. Boy, that hot guy can whip up dishes in my kitchen anytime. Surprisingly, I hate to cook. There's a teeny weeny cooking bone in my body that says 'can fry eggs.' Sadly, that's the extent of my culinary skills. And nope, I don't have any plans of enrolling in a culinary school ever. I pity the guy I'm going to marry.

As is so clearly mentioned in this entry's title, I am a picky eater. My friends and I like to sample different restaurants, but I only choose those innocent-looking or -sounding recipes on the menu. I don't have an adventurous palate. Once I've tried a dish, and liked it, it'll be that dish for an eternity until I'm brave enough to try out a different one. The safest that someone can offer are burger and fries. For sophistication, it's anything Italian.

Incidentally, I was browsing the McDonald's website and am quite surprised to see that nowhere in the search bar for country/market is Philippines found. I mean, this country practically has a McDonald's in every available nook or cranny. After a few seconds of relentless searching, I found the local McDonald's website. Don't bother clicking on it: HTTP Error 404. Why did I mention this chain? This is where I get my monthly dose of burger, fries and sundae.

I'm contemplating writing over at the other blog about the food and restaurants I've tried and visited. I don't think it'll be effective though, being a picky eater. Besides, if ever I do eat out, it'll probably be the same restaurants, and the same dishes, as before. Hence, there isn't much to write when it comes to topics of food and restaurant. Whatever I've eaten and wherever I've eaten it, I'll just probably write it here as a diary entry.

My Dream House

2007-08-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

I want a place of my own, that's for sure. A friend or relative might have mentioned ages ago that it's not really important for the girl in this country to have a place of her own; nor would she be chastised for still living with her parents even when she has reached the age when she should have moved out, as per Western standards. In fact, neither is it important for the guys. It's usual in this culture to have families stay in one roof. I belong to a closely-knit family so I know what I'm talking about. It's less appealing if the guy were still living with his parents and so much more dreadful if you move in with him though. I'd definitely go for a guy who has his own pad but despite the independence, still manages to keep in touch with his family.

I grew up at my grandma's (mother's side) house, and though my parents have moved out and built a house of our own, I can still be found at my grandma's. My family would have breakfast at home, then it was off to grandma's for the whole day. Right now, I'm living with my elder brother and my cousins, all from my mom's side of the family. During my primary and secondary years, I lived with my aunt and her children, and some of my other cousins, who went to the same school I did. So I guess you can say I practically grew up in a crowded house. They may be family, but still, I long for the time when I could have a place of my own,with just me in it. Plus, I have this really crazy idea that having a place of my own means I have somewhere to go to in case the relationship with my guy doesn't work out - sort of a sanctuary.

Anyway, this country's getting a bit liberal so it's not really surprising for a single woman to have her own house. So, how would my dream house look like? I'm caught between a luxurious mansion and a cozy cottage. When I watched The Holiday, I fell in love with Kate Winslet's house. The house and everything around it felt like it ought to be on a Christmas card. I'm picturing myself bundled up on the sofa, with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. Then when they showed Cameron Diaz's house, I was awed by the design - simple and modern. I envied the media room, with its state-of-the-art flat TV and countless DVD's lining the shelves. So my dream house would be a hybrid of modernity and coziness, with a nasty media room containing a really cool entertainment system, and a cozy study with shelves and shelves of books.

I'm currently looking at different designs here. They got a wide range of collection, many of which caught my eye. It'll be a long way before I get to buy my own house, but I'll get there.

My Favorite Things

2007-08-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

I was watching The Sound of Music days ago and, of course, came across the song My Favorite Things. The movie made me pop The Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story into the player, the result of which was my treating myself to an afternoon of musical. While I was watching the Phantom, I tried so hard to convince myself that the lead actor played King Leonidas in 300. Maybe it was the mask and the fact that in 300, Gerard Butler sported a beard, that I found it difficult to see the similarity and gave up angling my head from side to side just to get the view I wanted and convince myself that, yeah, they look the same.

Anyway, my favorite things. There's none, really. Unless I take into account the fact that I'm a collector, although not in the strictest sense of the word. I mean, yes, I collect DVD's and Vcd's of my favorite movies or movies I think are worth immortalizing in my CD cases. I collect Cd's of my favorite music artists. I collect books written by my favorite authors or books which I consider to be good reads. It's not so much as collecting as buying, though. I would want to think that I'm simply buying these things because I want to watch the movies all over again, or listen to the songs one more time, or read the books yet again. I was not a collector to begin with. I just want to collect when I feel like collecting then give up after a few days. The end result: I haven't collected anything that's worthy to be called a collection. Except maybe the DVD's, Vcd's, Cd's, and books I got for myself.

I started buying or collecting DVDs/Vcd's when this guy from somewhere (not from the Philippines; another story for another day) gave me Vcd's as a form of pasalubong - tokens you give to someone when you've gone traveling or when you're from a place different from the recipient. Apparently, he's a DVD aficionado. And I sort of caught the bug. I started buying Vcd's for myself; then I progressed to DVDs. My limited financial resources affect my decision on whether to buy the DVD or just the Vcd of the movie though.

The music came with the former. But I don't buy Cd's as much as I buy DVD's/Vcd's, mainly because I hear the songs played repeatedly over the radio, plus I can download the music anytime. So the choice of Cd's are usually limited to the most favorite artists.

My mom's a bookworm. I don't know if you can inherit that but I've definitely been a bookworm for as long as I can remember, and I'm crediting my mom for it. As much I loved to read when I was younger, I didn't buy books for myself then. So the books I read were borrowed from friends and, of course, the books my mom let me read. Whenever my mom and I would pass a bookstore, she would persuade me to go find a book of my own but I'd always say that I'd just borrow hers when she was through. The collecting started when my cousin's guy friend lent me a John Grisham book. The next thing I knew, I would scour second-hand bookstores for quality titles. I also buy my books from those really pricey bookstores but not if I can help it.

I do plan to start collecting articles; what those articles are, I do not yet know. I'm thinking different Santa Claus images. I'm thinking snow globes. I'm thinking match box cars. Oh, I almost forgot: I got two movie posters, both gifts. I don't know if that'll count. And there's something else: I haven't got any space to put the articles on once I start to collect. The DVDs/Vcd's/Cd's are crammed in one corner of the room, neatly arranged in their cases. The books are stuffed in storage boxes as there's no space for a decent bookshelf. Maybe the reason why I haven't collected collectible articles yet is because I have no place to display them. Or maybe I'm just making excuses for not starting to collect. Or maybe I'm not really a collector collector.

Around The World

2007-08-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

In the movie The Prince & Me, Julia Stiles' Paige Morgan had a world map on one side of her bedroom wall. She had color-coded pins tucked to the map - red (I don't really remember the colors), were for those places she had been to, and green were for those she wanted to visit. By the way, the movie is my most favorite in the romcom genre.

Anyway, I like to travel. The extent of my 'travels' though has been a tour of Hong Kong a month before the turnover ten years ago, and that has been the only instance when I went out of the country on a tour. The rest of my travels were local - the recent being a weekend getaway to Cebu and Bohol with my friends, the memorable trek to Sagada with my dad and my brother, visits during summer to cool Baguio, a boat ride to the Hundred Islands of Pangasinan, and a view of the Ilocos Region from the back of my dad's pick-up.

I want to see more of this country and definitely more of the world. I long for the time when I can just jump on the plane and let it whisk me off to some really cool place and I would document everything. I don't want to simply click around with my camera; I want to know something about the place. I want my travel scrapbook to be a travelogue.

Of course my desire to travel is just simply that, a desire. I can't afford to travel. Not yet. But when I do land the job I applied for, I'll be saving a portion of my salary for travel expenses. In fact, the very first thing I'm going to buy with my salary is a digital camera. What's the use of a travelogue without one?

Another idea that fascinates me is to live in another country, alone. Not permanently, though. I know The Philippines will always be home. It'll just be cool to live anywhere but here for a while.

Afraid Of The Dark

2007-08-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

I don't how or when it happened; it just did. I am a self-proclaimed night blind person. One day, I was pretty confident walking around in extremely dark places. The next day, I'm afraid of entering a dark room, even with a dim light on.

It makes it quite difficult for me to drive at night even with my high beam on. I couldn't go to the cinemas alone, not that I would want to go alone, takes out all the fun. The point is, in the cinemas, there are lights just bright enough to guide the viewer to his seat. In my case, I can't see a thing. I stoop really low so I could see the stairs, or I have to have someone guide me through the steps.

I share a room with my cousin, so even if the lights are turned off, I could get some sleep. But when I spend the night alone, I leave the lights open, or I have a night light on. Since my cousin is on vacation, I had the lights turned on full blast since Sunday. And to assure myself of a good night's sleep, I watch movies or read books. So far, so good.

Skeleton In My Closet

2007-08-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Several, if not all people, have skeletons in their closets. I know I have one rotting away in mine. I want to get rid of it -yank it from my closet and bury it deep, deep in the ground.

I know of a woman who has more than once posed as a guy over at a chat room. She created this smart, aloof chat guy and soon women were flocking. A few seriously wanted to have more than a chat relationship with this cyber guy, but she was able to hold them all off. Except for this most recent victim. Their relationship transcended the borders of chat rooms. She was able to talk to her, and how the latter manages to sound like a guy I could barely fathom. But they talk. And the talks led to something else, something sexually else.

It's not normal, at least in my standards. Questions abound, the first and probably most pressing is: Should she tell the other woman that she's a, well, woman herself? Or cut communication altogether and live by the adage that what the other woman doesn't know won't hurt her? Naturally, the woman created a whole new universe for this cyber guy she created and she fed it all to her victim, who was gullible enough to believe everything. The victim has even gone too far as to fall in love with the cyber guy.

Another question: Why pose as a guy in the first place? And why take it this far? She should have stopped when things got a bit steamy. I mean, how could one possibly be aroused by the fact that the person on the other end of the line is of the same gender as herself? If you belong to the third sex maybe, then yes, but this woman is straight - likes men and men alone. It's a bit sick, really. No, let me take that back. It's major sick. I don't ignore the possibility that she could be a lesbian, or have the tendency to be, but I know her through and through. My knowledge of her personality makes me confident enough to say that she is straight.

She should kill the cyber guy and erase his universe from her thoughts. She should live her life in the real world and not hide behind these imaginary people her creative mind conjures. Maybe she needs psychiatric help.

I've put this into writing in the hopes that should she feel the urge, she just has to check this blog and fight that urge. I'm burying the skeleton. I hope she doesn't undig its grave.

Home Sweet Home

2007-08-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm a homebody. My idea of fun is reading a good book within the confines of my home. Or watching a decent movie in the comforts of my room. Or surfing the net in the safety of my abode. Sure I go out once, maybe twice, a week. And the extent of my going out is visiting the mall located in front of my house, or the one located in the heart of where all the traffic is - a good 20-minute drive from my place. Not to give the impression that I'm a bore, because I'm not, I also have fun with friends. And 'fun with friends' is an occasional lunch or dinner during the weekends, when we can squeeze it in our schedules. But given the choice of hanging out or just staying home, I'd choose the latter, hands down.

I had my share of wild days. Back when I was in college, the hardest liquor I drank was tequila and the wildest adventure I had was the gay bar. My friends and I would go to karaokes located all over the Metro and order hard drinks. Gone are those days. I guess when you age, your interests change. And what was then the ultimate fun is now the ultimate bore. My friends and I prefer a tranquil lunch or dinner in a decent restaurant, then maybe grab a Starbucks coffee later to catch up on gossip.

Anyway, yesterday was spent watching all three installments of The Lord of the Rings in my room. I really love this movie. Hard to believe it has been 4 years since the last installment. Today will probably be another marathon of...Harry Potter perhaps.

All About Me

2007-07-31T00:07:00.000-07:00

Call me Crazy Insomniac...for now. If we become friends, then you can call me CI. I'm 28 years old, a female, and currently unemployed. I'm a lawyer, by the way.

I while away my time by reading books, surfing the net, watching movies and the television (if there's something decent on air). Right now, I'm half way through with John Grisham's The King of Torts. Something 'bout the American mass tort system. Good read. This morning, cousins and I watched 300, nastiest CG I've ever set my eyes on. As to television, it's mainly 24. I simply adore Kiefer Sutherland. I've liked him even before he was hot-shot Jack Bauer.

Anyway, right now, I'm in front of my computer, making a blog. I've never done blogs that hold a personal content before. Something 'bout spilling my thoughts over the World Wide Web which scares me to bits. I have a separate blog for my movie, TV series, and book reviews.

But this blog will be all about me.