One year already?!

Yes, just a year ago I started this blog with this entry: http://tinyurl.com/yazsvdn

A hundred and sixty-five tags, seventy entries, twenty-one reviews made up of three books, eight movie, and ten albums, and twelve months later, the blog’s still standing! I think this is my oldest surviving blog. Most of them make it through less than a year. Actually, others make it to over a year, but are half dead, since I don’t update them anymore.

Just a year ago, I was ecstatic to see Twilight, and now, well, I’ve seen New Moon. Let’s leave it at that. In the past year, my music collection has grown. I think it more than doubled its size, and still growing! I’ve watched more movies than I have when I was in college. And I’ve blogged more than I have in the years back. I’ve read more books too. It’s just insane how much books I have now, most of which are still unread. It’s almost a good thing that a friend of mine borrowed my old stash of books because I have absolutely no idea where I’ll be keeping them. I have no room for my current stash as of now, so I just don’t know where the others would fit.

I’d like to say I’ve grown so much in the last few months alone. I recall a few months back that little light bulb moment I had that totally changed me. And you wouldn’t believe what started it all. They’d probably think it’s weird, but this group of people I followed on twitter made me realize a few things. It was that realization that led me to this set of choices I’ve made and am still making this past few weeks. My priorities have shifted. I have learned so much in all these things I’ve gotten myself into, and despite all the odd messes I thoughtlessly put myself in, I have no regrets. So thank you, wild tweeps I followed. You may never read this at all, but thank you. Beneath all the insanity that is your cyber life, you’ve inspired someone.

There are a few people involved in the changes I’m making now. At some point you’d realize that you can’t hold on to someone’s words, or promises, or whatever. You have to make the change yourself. And so I am.  And once again, in a long long time, I am excited to face the new year. Because this time, I know I call the shots, and I’m taking one hell of a leap. And if this turns into one hot mess, it’s cool. I know I’ll have one stellar time while messing up. Does that even make sense? I’m always oddly sentimental on birthdays.

So here’s to a stellar 22 years. And more awesomeness in the years to come. Peace!

2009 Holiday Wishlist

This is a pretend top-of-my-head wish list. Because my birthday’s this week, and Christmas is not too far. Feel free to refer to this in case you’re looking for some way to get into my good graces. Although I don’t know if anyone needs to get to my good graces right now since I’ve been all cheerio lately. Or, maybe the thought of me sqee-ing like a little kid is something that appeals to you, then go ahead. Anyway, I’ve categorized them, because I’m OCD that way.

MUSIC: Katy Perry Unplugged CD/DVD [–Thank you Paola!!!]

All I have are youtube clips. It would be awesome to watch this on a bigger screen and a better sound system. I absolutely love her performances here. Super blown away. I looooooove Katy Perry.

LITERATURE/BOOKS: Nina Garcia books

They’re not exactly “literature”, but I’ve been wanting to collect her books. I have her first one, it’s just the other two that I keep putting off. But I want them silver and golden books. I really really do! I think I should file them under “Practical Stuff”, but then again, it’s subjective. But this is a practical thing. You wouldn’t want to see me horribly dressed, yea?

LITERATURE/BOOKS: Audrey Niffenger, Her Fearful Symmetry [–Thank you Shelly!!!!]

Although as some of you would know, I can acquire almost anything and everything online, nothing beats the smell of a new book, fresh from the bag. I’ve been a major fan of hers after reading A Time Traveler’s Wife, which was, I guess about a year ago. So anyway, HFS is much much different from her previous novel, but it’s awesome. How’d I know? Read a few chapters off an open copy at Powerbooks.

LITERATURE/BOOKS: Mitch Albom, Have A Little Faith

I’ve been reading his books since I got a copy of Tuesdays With Morrie. I love his books. It always stirs something in me. Makes you look at things differently. Thus without a dout, this book’s on my must-have list.

PRACTICAL STUFF: Moleskine 2010 Red Pocket Hardcover Weekly Planner - Twin Set

Gone are the days where I drink a hot cup of Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks to collect enough stickers for their precious planners. I want something different, and not the same planner I had this year. The coupons are great, but it’s just too huge for my taste. Thus, this handy thing. And I love red, thus the color specification.

SERIES: The Tudors Season 1&2

I’ve been watching this on TV for a while. I love Henry VIII. Did you know that my dad was named after him? I was named after my dad. So technically, I was kinda named after him. Now isn’t that dandy?

SERIES: LOST Season 2-5

I started getting lost in the whole story when I started skipping episodes in Season 3. Now I have so much catching up to do.

SERIES: FRINGE Season 1

Yes, I am a major JJ Abrams fan. His series are always one I do enjoy. From Felicity, to Alias, and now, Fringe. This series is just beyond fascinating. I’d watch this over and over any day. This one’s just exciting and gripping, although not as intense as Lost.

There you have it, lovely people! Items may be handed over personally, or shipped. Kindly coordinate amongst yourselves which ones you’d be getting so I won’t have more than one of the same item. Hahaha. This is so shameless of me! *embarassed*

New Moon Rising (A movie review)

Finally, one of this year’s most anticipated movie has finally hit theaters! Cue screaming fans, and giddy girls eager to see RPatz take his shirt of, and Jake (plus wolf pack) show off those wicked abs. Abs which, by the way, are just beyond wild. At last, the movie adaptation of my least favorite Stephenie Meyer novel hit the screens, and I can finally see it, and be over and done with it. Or so I thought. The hype was intense, especially as the date closed in, and thankfully, camping in for midnight screenings aren’t exactly a thing here. We have sureseats for that, clever kids, where you get your tickets and reserve your seats long before you can get your sleeping bags ready. And bless my hardcore friend for getting those tickets in advance, because the whole thing totally slipped my mind. Long story short, I got to see it, opening day, with a mate. Word to the …erm…well…wise(?), for whatever reason you have for seeing New Moon, watch it with a friend. Lol-ing is much more fun when you’re with someone you know.

I’ll jump right in. I love Chris Weitz, and I watched and re-watched The Golden Compass, and I think he’s awesome. Rotten Tomatoes helped me level my expectations, so here’s to going easy on it. Let’s start with what I loved about it.

At last, justice to the creatures. I love how CW brought to life the vampires’ little “markers”, such as super speed and the sparkle under the sun thing. It probably isn’t the best out there, but it’s the fanciest I’ve seen thus far. True Blood’s super speed to me, is quite comical, Twilight’s was just horrible, and the rest were, typical. I am a sucker for special effects, and CW did manage to meet expectations. The movements of the vampires were fluid, and well, awesome. So when some random kid goes “I wanna be a vampire” after seeing those moves, I’d totally understand. The wolves were definitely better than that cameo in its prequel, but not as stellar as, say, Narnia’s creatures. But it’s not bad at all.

Another thing I liked in New Moon is that most of its key characters had lines! Finally, I hear a line or two from Jasper. So much better than that memory of his constipated face in school, and that potential hotness in that baseball scene. Also, at last, their abilities are shown better. Jasper’s emotion mojo, Alice’s visions, Aro’s mind reading, Jacob’s super strength, etc. What I wish there was a bit more “something” was Edward’s mind reading. I mean, he was sorta reading Jacob’s mind in that scene. The whole “stay out of my head” line does not suffice. And a very clever ending this movie had indeed. I think they got their intended reaction, and that’s all I have to say. It was very clever. Although I was wondering, when Eclipse hits theatres, will there be a “Previously on the Twilight Saga…” voice over, dubbed by KStew? Or will it be Glee-like, where Bella’s voice goes “Here’s what you missed in The Twilight Saga…”? I very much prefer the first one, but I guess we’ll all find out soon enough, since the next one hits theaters in July. Or is it June?

Now when I said that Rotten Tomatoes helped level my expectations, I meant it. I heart CW, and seeing the film, I believe I have good reason for that. But the reviews were in, and they were bad. Seeing the movie, I understand why. But I think that a director can only do so much. These things are always a team effort, and one person can only do so much. The cast definitely showed some improvement in their acting skills, although quite honestly, I am still not convinced. Then, there’s the writing part. (I see a common denominator!) I was sincerely hoping that I’d be sympathizing at the breakup scene, but I ended up being frustrated instead. There were quite a number of key scenes that failed to compel, or at the least bit, affect anyone. Part of the cast were quite detached from the moment. It’s like they get it, but they’re not really in it. One such scene was Bella’s birthday. There was no fire, no intensity, and no hunger in Jasper’s eyes. It was disappointing because this was one major event in this movie’s storyline, and he has like, 3 minutes to suck everyone in. And it fails. His face on the website looks a lot more starved that his face in the movie. Yes, I did check out the talking website. Another thing that was disappointing is that the rest of the family were just standing there. And E? He was just standing there with an “Oh crap, I totally blew it” face. You more than blew it kid, your love interest was an almost appetizer, and you stand there after pushing her bad?! This and other key moments in the movie lacked intensity that I am starting to believe that it is no longer the director’s fault that the actors fail to get into character, and into the moment. Which is sad, now that the cat’s out of the bag. They’re more convincing as a couple off screen than on-screen. To make things even worse, the pacing is all messed up. Some scenes were too fast, and others were painfully slow. In others, you’d think “did they forget their lines?”. Long pauses, dead air, and cliche lines are what the audience gets. And it’s annoying because it makes the moment even more unconvincing. As if we need more of that.

What saves this movie would be the audience’s sense of humor, as some scenes tend to get unintentionally funny. This is why you should not watch this alone. What really saves this movie is Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning, and that Volturi fight scene. Michael Sheen was charming, and convincing. Like either way, he’d creep the hell out of you because you know he has something devious brewing somewhere. And you can tell Dakota’s loving her badass role, although I’m curious if she’d get more exposure (although I highly doubt it) on the next film. The fight scene was well, can I just say, a real fight scene?? The last one was so horrible I literally asked if that was it. Super speed, slow motion, motion blurs, flying, flipping, marbles cracking and breaking. This is what makes a fight scene bring a big smile on my face. And it does just that.

In the end, what’ll make me see this movie again are the inside jokes, and laughs me and my mates will have with all the misses and cliches this movie has. Although without a doubt better than its predecessor, I have reason to believe that the writing and acting skills of its leads, particularly B and E, require some serious work. Clearly review proof, if you love the books, you’ll enjoy the movie. If not, this one wouldn’t come in highly recommended. If you’re straddling that fine line in between, maybe this article by Jen Yamato may help.

I rate this:

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

A few hours ago, I got to see Roland Emmerich’s nth take on the end of the world, via 2012. The geeky, CG, visual effects hungry side of me rejoices, as I tweeted about it.

The thing about 2012 is that, like every other end of the world movie, it is usually focused on the USA. Like it’s always about them. No offense. On the bright side though, they had the Mayans, the Lama, and India on the side note. And seriously, the whole “the world is going to end” has been an overused plot that has been treated in almost every possible angle. Insert aliens, massive earthquakes, and tsunamis. What you’ll see in 2012 is nothing new. Solar eruptions? Oops,spoiler. Sorry. But clearly, this is nothing new. Just add that to the “why the world will end” handbook.

Sad to say, but the story’s cliche. With the president dying a hero, and people coming together in the end. Plus the family drama, and an effort to give the audience that element of suspense as a key character disappears for 15 seconds, is nothing new. Everything’s been used and reused, dolled a bit to look almost new, but fails.

In the end, what kept me, and pleased me, was the visual effects.It must’ve been fun creating those island sinking, buildings collapsing, and more stuff blowing up scenes.

Rating:

Fashion Compulsion

Despite the mockery, I am no twi-hard. Let’s get that thing straight. And I meant no offense to all them twi-hards out there.

Never have I been so compelled to post this. Because the amazing Cesare Paciotti shoes just had me smitten!

I admit that despite my issues with fashion, it is mostly a love-luuuurrve affair. Fashion is something that inspires me. Sometimes all it takes is one outfit to inspire me to get into a photoshoot planning frenzy! I am not fortunate enough to have a real stylist in shoots I have, so that leaves me digging something off everybody’s closets to get something fancy and pleasant for a photoshoot. *sigh* I miss the days indeed.

Below is the twitpic I posted, because I just had to share. The Prada ensemble is just divine! It’s not to hardcore grungey, but it has a hint of that. And it’s not too girly either. I absolutely love the colors. Probably cliche for the theme, but it made the whole red and black combo so classy. Now the shoes! I’ve probably said this a million times today, but I LOVE them! I am officially starting the shoe hunt. At the moment, I have no idea where I’ll use them when, but it’s good to have it anyway. The gown, which I would have absolutely no use for, is just gorgeous! Very red carpet-y. And I have this feeling like I’ve already seen it somewhere. Rachel Zoe Project perhaps? Garments are divine.

Photos were shot by the amazing Mark Seliger for Harper’s Bazaar.

Recycled Air

For the awesomeness that needs no defense, and the feisty-ness that’s been craving exposure since 1867.

No significance on the date though. That was completely random. Lately, an electro-indie-pop act has surfaced and dominated the charts. You know that when that happens, mild chaos begins. The moment I heard Owl City’s Fireflies, I was like “Ben [Gibbard], is that you? Or is that your protege?”

It is undeniable that Adam Young sounds a LOT like Ben Gibbaard. And although it is to some, debatable, Owl City is no Postal Service. They’ve been getting a storm of comparisons as of late, and although I understand the root of it all, it’s just sad. One, The Postal Service is beyond AWESOME to be compared to a hype act. Their music has similarities, yes. But I’ve been listening to TPS for years, and I guess it’s either you have a good ear on things, or have been listening to TPS for a while, that you see that despite the similarities, Owl City and The Postal Service are very different in sound. To make you debate happy kids, I say Owl City is TPS lite. It’s light in nature, sound, and content, that you’d say it’s quite cute. What’s impressive is it capturing the fancy of the masses, with it topping the charts and all. But that is no basis for an artist’s greatness. I say Owl City has what it takes to be all hardcore and amazing. But for now, what it has is a series of tracks that are light and breezy. It is not profound. It’s lyrics require no critical interpretation. You take it as it is, and stop saying it’s shallow. Depth is subjective. And please cease the comparisons to TPS. It’s painful. Okay, so it is quite a huge compliment to Adam and his music. But The Postal Service is a whole other box. Someday, Owl City will grow and possibly fill in the big stilettoes that is the TPS comparison. For now, it is what it is, kids. A breath of fresh air from all the hip-hop alternative grunge emo rock acts and bratty teen pop songs that dominate the airwaves. Refreshing is not always perfect, but it is something generally welcomed openly. Enough hate, more music.

Now the album review.

With all the hooplah that is Fireflies, I got myself a copy of Owl City’s latest album Ocean Eyes. Ocean Eyes would be a slightly more mainstream version of the kind of music I generally listen to. Electric, experimental, happy, upbeat. It straddles the line between indie and pop. Almost like a pop act waiting to be signed under a major label, on its way to becoming the new JoBros. It’s a fine line. And I cringe when I said JoBros. In a nutshell, it’s Ben Gibbard + electronic laptop synth + sugar teen pop.

Ocean Eyes is basically a pop album. I find the music fitting for long travels. You know, the kind you play while on the road. The tracks sound pretty much the same though, so chances are, if you didn’t like Fireflies, you won’t really like the album. Ocean Eyes is pretty much a feel good album though, so I’m pretty sure this one will be enjoyed by a vast majority of them pop lovin’ people. Odd enough, I really really did enjoy The Bird and the Worm. I find it rather sweet, and cute…for a love song. The lyrics are not profound. I’d say…simple. It’s something relateable and is ultimately charming, with the objective of really lifting your mood letting you swoon, and making you smile.

And for that, I rate this: