'gotta love mornings.

 So it would really be nice to take a month-long beach vacation.

 So...

It's amazing that you can be stupid so many times over- and over the same thing.

It's amazing that you can ask God to answer a question that you've been asking- and, the moment you get back home- the answer's there, waiting for you.


Nuts.

 i have met them, and they are people better than me in every way. how do you compete?

you don't. you stay where you are and be yourself, not what others say you should be.


i dreamed of...

... a train wreck. lots of train wrecks, actually. on one track. hmn.

 we make assumptions so that we can take away the tedium looking for other factors which may affect our equations. we make assumptions so that we can decide a course of action and not worry about wasting time to find out how other factors or actors are doing.

maybe, just maybe, we should take time to drop our assumptions and ascribe good faith to most everyone. (and have our own tiny worlds shatter as a result.) 

Dear Lavender,

The cold. Yeah, I Hope it lasts. It's such a nice climate_ just the right temperature.

Your diploma! I'm not surprised that you got yours after so many years. I haven't even gotten mine yet. Think I could still get My Econ diploma after_ twelve years?

Twelve years. Ogod, it's been That long.

I haven't seen the new Registrar's office yet. Is that the one across HE? Looks like a big warehouse? Ü

Yup, they're fixing UP. In line with the Centennial. They still haven't stopped renovating and building. I'm just glad we got out before the tuition rose. But I'll be back. I'll get a Masters in Econ. Maybe next year.


Re the Starbucks planners_ do you Use them or do you just collect them? Is it true that I can buy one?


I saw the pictures you posted. Ogod- you're pregnant! Ogod_ you're actually married! Wow. It hasn't been that long since we just graduated- hasn't it? Wow....


An ultrasound. Haha. Yes, a friend showed me an ultrasound of their baby. It looks like a small blob, really. When he was pointing the limbs out, I thought he was just faking knowhow. I mean, it's just a blob, haha.

But I'm constantly amazed at the (good) effect kids have on their parents
(my friends). I'll have one someday, I know....


Inkdeath. I'll look it up.


Keep in touch.


Red

Dear Lavender,

I think I missed one of your letters. Haha.

Oi, long time no hear nga. Hehe. Kamusta kayo?


The Starbucks Planner. I haven't seen it. I haven't been a Starbucks person lately.... Though I have heard other people say that it was ugly and wasn't worth the effort to get one. 

To think that I was a Starbucks habitue when the franchise first got here. But when people started to go to it to_ gab (make chismis), I realized that I couldn't afford to lose my peace and quiet so I just up and left it for_ McDonald's, I think. I used to frequent Starbucks to read. Nothing but. But it was_ annoying having to read while all around you there are gasps of, "Ows? Ba't ka iniwan, eh ang pangitpangit nu'ng guy?" or, "Pare, nabasted ako, pare, cheers."

And_ I don't have a Starbucks planner, not a one. It's thievery, how they con you into ordering drinks just to get a "free" planner. It wasn't worth it. I'd rather buy a new phone. (Which I do. Haha.)


Next. Uy, ang baby, malapit na.    =)


I wouldn't know, really, if what you're experiencing is normal for a firsttime mother. It probably is, considering that it'sboth a blessing and a burden to have to conceive and carry a baby. I'm just glad that I don't haveto.... Hehe. Peace.   =)


Uy, pero_ will you post pictures of him ba? Puwede na ba'siyang i_ultrasound?


Gotta love QC, 'no? Malakas ang hangin; malamig- lalo tuwing hapon. Sometimes, I just go home in the afternoons just to read, while the wind blows. (The office is a ten-minute drive from the house.) You never know when this part of the world will heat up again. (I hope the weather stay this way here forever....)


Speaking of going home_ no, I'm not being a workaholic na.   =)   One of the issues I resolved during the break. I was_ confused for a time, especially last December. I couldn't understand what it was I was working late nights for. Then I decided to take it easy. I'm_ I feel happier for that decision.   =)   I don't need the extra money, anyway. i don't have a family, etcetera, etcetera.


Ay, and thanks for recommending Dark Materials. I loved it. Much.  =)


Benjamin Button. HolyCrapBatman_ Wow. Best movie writing I've seen/ heard in a looong while. Seeing it is like reading a book_ if that makes any sense. (You have to see it.) Screenplay is by Eric Roth, who also wrote, among others, Forrest Gump, Ali, The Insider, and Munich. Goodgood_ excellent writing. No one could have written the movie better.

I'm heaping praises on it, ha, even while_ I was ready to skip the movie altogether because of Brad. I'm glad I didn't. Five stars!   =)        *****


So. Davao? Hmn.


Red

 So apparently, there're rumored moves to oust Chief Justice Puno out of the Supreme Court.

Add a pinch of governmentofficialswon'tdeclareofficiallythatitdoesn'tintendtostayafter2010 and-

- a whole lot of spice and suspicion.

Of course, how do we react to this but with- what else- blatant disregard.

Since we're all unwilling to show any outrage at any issue, maybe we should all just pack up and leave, yeah?

*****

The trilogy (Northern Lights/ The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) deals with a fate which befell two twelve year-olds, Lyra and Will. Lyra is from a parallel dimension; Will is from here. As the story progresses, much is said about the power wielded by organized religion (the Chruch/ the Authority) and waging a war against its stranglehold by challenging "god". The trilogy climaxes with the loss of innocence of these two children.

The book deals with parallel universes, witches, armored bears, and daemons but (it's) not strictly a children's book (caveat: I've only seenThe Golden Compass, not read it. Yet.) because of the subject of the book (a retelling of Paradise Lost)- or maybe it Is, but as Lyra and Will age, so does the subject matter (with its readers, probably). With each turn of the page; with each installment of the book.

Northern Lights won the Carnegie Medal (outstanding book for children and young adult readers) in 1996- and was voted the best of all the Carnegie winners ("the Carnegie of Carnegies"*) throughout its 70year history. The Amber Spyglass won the Whitbread (2001) award (an adult book award, one voted on by the writer's peers**) and was shortlisted for the Booker.

Very wonderful reading.



* From the interviews in Disc 2 of the DVD of The Golden Compass. The poll was conducted in 2007. (To be verified.)
** From the same interviews_... condensed- paraphrased.

*****

The film's synopsis from nausicaa.net (image is also from the same URL)-

Nausicaä, the princess of a small nation, lives in a world devastated by a holocaust called the "Seven Days of Fire". She tries to stop other warring nations from destroying themselves and from destroying the only means by which their world can be saved from the spread of polluted wastelands.



Miyazaki is a frikkin' genius.

One of my favorite movies of All Time.


Haha. How glib.

Nausicaa was ahead of its time in environmental issues. You can still show the film today and it would still be relevant. Why can't we make thoughtful, smart, heartfelt movies such as this these days? Sigh.

 I like to have Plans A, B, C, and D going into hearings. A lesson learned the hard way. In the beginning, I only had a Plan A. That last time my Plan A failed, I was reduced to a mumbling idiot in court. Wonderful.

Monday, the judge asked me if I was ready. I said I was. I should have said I wasn't, pride be damned.

The thing is, when you know that your case is a losing one, and that you're only_ let's just say, biding your time_ you have to commit yourself to it.

I couldn't....

So that day, my Plans A to C failed_. Judge didn't like my Plan A. He disliked my Plan B. He really hated my Plan C. You could literally hear the gears in my brain grind to a halt. What to do? Ah, Plan D.... 

The frustrating thing about coming to court is you get to realize that the Rules aren't always followed, something a professor wanted us to realize on our own. He asked us to attend hearings. We had a checklist.

Rules, in real life, are malleable, subject to the fair dictates of_ the interest of justice. Which, suffice it to say, is subjective, and one that depends on which side you're representing (or earning money from). Just tiis, a friend of mine, car15, quips.

So, where was I? Ah, Plan D_. which is just crappy. And it was. Plan D: Mumble like an idiot. I hate that Plan. 

focus

 *****

Ugh.



A bunch of alien civilizations decide to wipe out mankind_ to protect the planet earth from its inhabitants.


O-kay. Maybe the 1950s version was better_. For its time. The producers changed the theme of the original (the cold war), flipping it to one that's_ shall we say, eco-friendly.


The day I decide to like this film will be the day the earth stood still.

Stay at home, kids. Just play with your XBox or something. Or, deargod, Socialize instead. To think that I braved a migraine to see this film. Tsk. What a waste.


Stars Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith.




(Image of poster from Wikipedia here used to aid in mere commentary of the film and not for profit, Copyright is the studio's or the publisher's)

***** 
Angela (Jennifer Carpenter- The Exorcism of Emily Rose; Dexter) and Scott (Steven Harris- The Practice ) are at a firestation filming about the typical day/night of a firefighter. They join two firemen who are dispatched to respond to a 911 call at an old apartment complex. At the apartment, they find a wheezing old woman who is covered in blood. The woman attacks a policeman, biting him, before she is subdued. 

When they take the bitten policeman downstairs to seek medical attention, they find the building quarantined by the authorities. No one was telling them the reason for the quarantine. They are about to find out the reason for themselves....



A new twist on the zombie genre. Terrifying. So long as you can last through screening. The movie is shot in the tradition of The Blair Witch Project. If you can't stand Blair Witch, you probably won't be able to last through this one. But it's worth sitting through the movie. Just don't eat too much before you see it, else you'll hurl your dinner on the cinema floor, Hehe.



(image of the pormotional poster from Wikipedia here used to merely aid in commentary of the film and not for profit. Owner of the copyright is either the studio or the publisher.)

***** 


Bella is forced to move in with his police chief Dad to the small, dark, and wet town of Forks, from hot and sunny Phoenix. Little did she know that she wasn't the strangest person in town. A family of vampires lived in Forks; Bella was going to become madly in love with one of them.


It was probably a bad thing that I read the book a day before seeing the movie. I liked that the screenplay set up the appearance of the tracker vampire James. That was a weird part in the book, when he suddenly shows up. However_ the editing was bad. There was no chemistry between Stewart (Bella) and Pattinson (Edward). Stewart's acting was okay; Pattinson's was a little tentative. Literally, at times, like he couldn't believe that he was the character. The studio should have upped the budget, which I've no doubt they'll do, seeing how the movie grossed. The studio may also do well to change directors_ someone who's more comfortable with big films_ and with Meyer's vision. (Sorry Hardwicke.)





(Image of promotional poster from Wikipedia here used to aid in mere commentary of the film and not for profit. Owner of the copyright is either the studio or the publisher.)

 *****

Meh.


Cute novel. Became weird towards the end, though.

The Vampire Chronicles (Anne Rice) for young adults.



Still_ couldn't put it down, though, Haha.






(Cover: Gail Doobinin Design; Roger Hagadone Photograph)

OR: HATING ON THE KERR PORTER OFFENSE 


Today, Phoenix hosts Miami. It'll be Shawn's first return to Phoenix after the Shaq trade. I expect that he'll be greeted with an ovation. But there is still that fear that he'll be greeted with boos.

First off, I Hate the Phoenix offense. It was a joy to watch under D' Antoni. under Kerr Porter, it'll oftentimes become stagnant. What, can't everyone retain the 7SOL offense while infusing a better defense? It hurts to watch Phoenix these days. They don't look like a contender. The only good team they've beaten is Portland. (San Antonio was minus Manu; Detroit was at the end of its road trip and had just beaten the Lakers). Kick Porter out? Nash and Bell aren't exactly feeling the Shaq-centered offense. Amare isn't either. The team was built to run. They should frikkin' run.

I mean, it's heartwarming to see Shaq's resurgence, but man, he's not even playing half the time (sitting it out on backtobacks). ActandReact, Phoenix coaches people. Mind the strengths of your personnel and build on that.


Next, I feel for D'Antoni, I really do. All everyone is talking about these days is Marbury. They should just kick him out. Stephon's not doing hiumself any favors these days, anyway. rocking the boat too much. He'll have difficulty being traded. The smart thing to do would have been to just play when he was asked to play and show the league that he can still be of help to a team. 



 

 *****


Watchitwatchitwatchit.

Watchit before you do Twilight. Bolt'll be worlds better.


Bolt (John Travolta) is the star of his own teevee show, starring opposite his person(/owner), Jenny (Miley Cyrus). In this show, Bolt is a geneticaly modified/upgraded dog with superpowers. He is accidentally shipped to New York, where he discovers that he is only an ordinary dog. ("But if I don't have superpowers, what am I?")

Bolt makes friends with Mittens (Essman), an alleycat, and Rhino (Walton), a ball-encased hamster Bolt superfan (whew, mouthful), who help him make his journey towards California to look for Jenny. 


If you have to see Bolt, see it in 3-D. It'll be worth it.

If you love dogs, see Bolt.

If you think dogs are cute, see Bolt.

If you love pets, see Bolt.

Heck, even if you hate animals, see Bolt.

It's funny, cute, and endearing. (ANG CUTE!)



UPDATE! Apparently, Bolt is released in Disney Digital 3-D. Ö



(Image of poster from Wikipedia, here used to aid in mere commentary of the film and not for profit. Copyright owner is either Disney or the publisher.)

 *****

Billy (Manalo) and Bob (Bayola) are swindlers who fake insanity to escape Bilibid. They are sent to a mental institution where, after being witness to several weird_ happenings, they start to wonder whether they're sane or not.


Forced into a dark untrodden path by the hordes of Twilight moviegoers (exaggeration: I hardly saw any at the SM cinemas), I stumbled upon a local flick. Starring Wally Bayola and Jose Manalo in their movie debut, Scaregivers is_ it's a nice diversion. It's a twisted play on Catch 22, whether intended or not.

I'm not althogether sure who's supposed to get first billing but the tandem works. I don't watch noontime shows so I hardly know these guys from Adam but, suffice it to say, that I'll be cognizant of them from now on. The movie's all of bad plots and storylines (not to mention the bad acting of the rest of the group) but Bayola and Manalo somehow make it work. The movie's funny, surprisingly. Why am I surprised...?


See it if you've time. And enjoy. 

 Somewehere else, or maybe here, but years ago, we'll all have reacted differently to the legislative inquiries held yesterday. Which is to say that we would have reacted. Now_ not so much. We've all become inured to corruption and the abuse of authority that these days we tend to shrug them off as being in the normal course of things. Ganu'n talaga dito (That's how it is here). Or we dismiss them with a, Wala ring mangyayari diyan (Nothing will come out of that).  These days, we're not even cracking jokes about these things.


A lawyer was passing a note to Western Visayas DA Regional Director Ricardo Oblena during the Senate hearing on the so-called Fertilizer Scam. The senators caught the act. Senate President Richard Gordon directed Oblena to read the note aloud. He read, "Tell the truth".

At a time when lies are passed for the truth, being asked to tell the truth- and by a lawyer at that- is just, as Gordon would say, Amazing.


Meanwhile, it's really annoying to hear anyone, much less a congressman, say that the President is just like Jesus Christ. Makes you want to consider agnosticism, yeah? I'm surprised that we're not hearing the bishops weigh in on this.

Finally, Atty Colmenares reveals that a plan to postpone the 2010 elections was inserted in a resolution pending before the House Committee on Constitutional amendments. Wonderful. No-el for Christmas? Tsk.