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lundi, janvier 28, 2008 Y 12:26 AM
hollywoodland mood: tired  song: Love Song - Sara Bareilles i really think i should put up a separate 'showbiz' blog, with the barrage of hollywood-inspired posts that (thankfully) overshadow my --- as any moviegoer would say, i can't wait for the Oscars. it's been my annual tradition to look up the nominations and anticipate for the winners (and so far, i haven't missed a telecast since 1997). one of the good things about awards seasons is that (well, aside from the politics and the aggressive campaigning) 'quality films' get noticed. hollywood isn't just about blockbusters and romantic comedies and sequels. there are movies that have a lot of passion and character in them, and if they're good for the jury, then it must be something. it's just sad that not much of these movies drift by the country (most are shown here really late. others run for a limited screening only, and others simply don't exist. better look for dvds!). with this thought, the first two movies i've seen this year are quite worthy of accolades. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is one bloody sweet musical. the 1979 Tony Award-winning play by Stephen Sondheim has been adapted to the screen by the dark loving hands of Tim Burton and his equally dark loving collaborator Johnny Depp. at first i was unfazed about the movie, since i wasn't really fond of musicals and dark loving stuff (!). but in the middle of macabre hell week (just after taking two exams in the morning), mom persuaded us to watch it (right.this.moment.!) so the gang went to the nearest theater about 3 hours later. with my senses still reeling badly, i sat there with an exanimate feeling. some time after, the sado-masochist in me started kicking in (nyahaha) and smiled ridiculously at the blood gleefully splashing across the screen. i started thinking Johnny can actually sing! his baritone can be very moving, i was tingling (it was the "My Friends" part, i think). the lyrics are so funny and lovable and well-thought out... Sondheim is a genius; you can definitely call its music as the story. after watching its entirety did i find the gore disturbing. and the cast was superb... blast from the past with three "HP" characters in there! Alan Rickman is always amazing, i was surprised when he sang too haha... and the boy playing Toby is an angel. (never mind the lovebirds - merely eyecandy!) ... this film is visually spectacular as well as a feast of melodic wit. we saw American Gangster yesterday and wondered why it didn't fare well at the Oscar noms. perhaps it was reminiscent of "The Departed"? this topbills Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe (respectively Best Actors both) in a 1970's-set crime drama. it isn't my preferred genre either but interestingly enough, blood (as with the former) was a great enticer. (ok, so i'm set to murder people now!!! ^^;;) ... the story was effective. both of them delivered solid performances... somehow Denzel is good with playing baddie roles (like in "Training Day") but he's still as sleek as ever. as the movie was based on actual events, it's nice to think that things like this happen: the glory of telling the truth. --- finally, the Oscar nominees roundup notes: so, the movie list catches the fever: H's Movie Guide (updated 01/27/08): Libellés : movies mercredi, janvier 09, 2008 Y 2:16 PM
infinitesimal mood:  geekyhas it been a week since new year's? it feels like an awfully long time ago. right now the exhaustion's creeping up, partially due to not having had a proper relaxing christmas vacation. but i'm glad that i was able to make the most of it. with the lack of kilometric blogging, i'm opting to make a summary (and not a novella!) of my goings-on last month, to save you the good parts. =D there's no reason why december isn't my favorite month -- mom's birthday starts it all... the dine and whine! my launch into wisdom went fortunately well -- i got to spend neat chunks of it with my intimate friends (ha!) and my family, but most of all it became an impetus of my life realizations, and i began my personal campaign for finding my purpose. i believe that 20 is going to be a significant year for me. :) the d-day for every wannabe writer of uste... i finally joined this year's Gawad Ustetika (almost didn't for the third year running, but since i promised anne i'd write... i did!), writing about my favorite topic = me. (haha. updating The Portfolio soon) ... wildly enough i was able to beat the deadline and getting all the technicalities done, when 10 days before that i was grappling with a topic. a month later, my favorite girl and i went to the so-called 'awards night' at the university's quadricentennial park. the evening was a throwback to 'something like prom night': with a number of ladies and gents dressed to the nines, soft bossa nova playing, the rhythmic fountain springing, and beautiful strobes adorning the trees. the attire was semi-formal, but i looked like a prof with my long sleeves! the program was good; there was some honoring, some entertaining, and some winning of course. it's funny that in our table of five contestants, three of them won -- and not just that, one of 'em bagged three, including the Rector's Literary Award! (congrats again Khristine!) ... the night wouldn't be complete without the dinner culminating the event, as we were treated to a sumptuous buffet (paella! lechon! bolognese! salmon! dessert!). i don't feel bad about being empty-handed... i was glad to be able to join this competition, and be surrounded in the company of thinkers. (major ego boost eh? *kidding*)... i'd definitely enter again next year (if not for the food! =p) our class christmas party was enjoyable as always... it was pretty much equal to last year's, as we had a lot of games (now improved) and a lot of food (plus ice cream!). i like the effort the officers made so that we could have a nicer bond. the secret santa took on a whole new meaning for me this time, as i had to give a real special present to A., whose wishlist was a donation to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) . i've never given a more inspired gift than that, so i took on the challenge. no small thanks in part to mom and ms. marian from paws, wish granted! mine was fulfilled too, as i was given a set of foreign language phrasebooks. merci / danke schoen / grazie / arigato, L.M.! giving in to the persistence of laarnie, i attended this year's Paskuhan for the first time in my existence. i came early to meet des for some catching up, who shocked me with the loss of her phone. to drive away the blues, we went around and chatted and met some batchmates of ours. at the grandstand, we were impatiently waiting for the festivities to really start, when a few minutes later lo and behold, firecrackers started firing just 15 feet behind us! it was a stunning spectacle, seeing the lights right in front of your eyes. it lasted about 10 minutes, and by the end of it des and i was grinning from ear to ear. that was one marvelous show. unfortunately she had to leave early, and so about an hour later i met up with laarnie and her friend. due to really bad signal traffic in the campus, we weren't able to meet our other blockmates, leaving us short of people. it was fun anyway, with the food, freebies and picture taking just about anywhere... our customary practice at home when the year-end kicks in was to do some spring cleaning. obviously our house was one hell of a mess for a year's worth of semi-neglect, with piles all over the place (mostly by yours truly!) ... discarded all the useless clutter, gave away our clothes and stuff, and tidied up the rooms. i promise myself i won't make my desk look like a compost pit -- clean living right on! after all the fixing up, we were finally able to breathe well, rewarding ourselves with Starbucks (Frap in a bottle!) and choco-walnut cookies. throw the slob act away! serendipitously enough, i got a chance to do actual accounting work! my mom's office was short of people to do the bookkeeping last december, so i kinda scrubbed in. so for the 30-something hours i spent hobnobbing around, i encoded the receipts into their accounting system. those terms i kept on droning on from the books came to life, and even the database brought back (not-so-fond) memories of (murderous) tinkering my visual basic program! it was relatively easy save for a few hesitations and triple-checking. i'm happy i was able to have this work opportunity, even if only for 4 days (i felt welcome in the office... they were generous enough for the 1100 php... thank you!)... because chances like this are few and far. sure beats counting cobwebs and doing nothing at home! :) apart from the annual new year's eve family gatherings we have, the folks and i -- for the first time in years -- decided to go the extra stretch and spend the last day of the year for some serious fun! after the lunch feast, we first stopped over to SM Mall of Asia (went people-watching, window-shopping, sunset-viewing, sandwich-munching -- we even took a free tram ride!) ... and when night fell, the manic sheep in us flew and crossed over to the Global Fun Carnival! it's been my wish to go there, not having gone to those things for about a decade already... i want to feel like a kid again! i guess i pretty much rode everything -- the Wave Swinger (twice -- like EK's Flying Fiesta), the Ranger (thrice -- like Anchors Away, only it rotates upside down! my favorite =D), the Flipper (which made me really dizzy), the Carousel (twice! haha), the Bump Cars (twice! i suck at driving xp), the mini Roller Coaster, the Space Invader thing, and let's not forget the Ferris Wheel (four times!) ... the most memorable was when we ran for our lives to it at 11:50pm just so we could catch a ride atop in time for 12 midnight - New Year's Day! i believe we were destined to, since we were the last passengers to be let in for that duration... and we even had an extended 4-minute ride! we saw Manila popping all over, with the many firecrackers lighting up parts of the sky... it was so surreal. i was saying breathlessly "this is so perfect!". i'm thankful we were able to experience it. i'm proud of my parents, for being so game to do this with me. :) we were in the carnival for a total of seven hours, and by the time we got home it was already 2:30am... so exhausted but totally overjoyed. =D --- a lesson i learned last 2007 and constantly keep to mind is: If you want something, do all means to have it, and you will get it. it's The Secret itself, more known as The Power of Attraction. no, i haven't read the book, but i think this is the essence of it. when you really want something to happen, be positive that you will be able to attain it. don't cloud it with any doubts, and make an effort into making it possible. the mind is a truly powerful thing, i tell you. that's what i realized with these events, so enough of my guru-ness... try it! =) vendredi, janvier 04, 2008 Y 12:14 PM
you've got to hide your love away  mood: jubilant one month in the making... introducing the most simplified version of schizoesque, v10 - mademoiselle featuring the delightful Keira Knightley. it's all down to one box with little trimmings. i wanted a classic look, so it's a smattering of black, gray, white and red hues (i didn't take down what's left of the christmas template... a little more refurbishing)... brushed are the lines from the song "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" by Diana Krall to delight the senses. another new thing would be the mood theme -- Dr. James Wilson is in da House! xp so little time, so much to post. :| Libellés : template love mardi, janvier 01, 2008 Y 11:42 AM
N.O.W.  Starlight, starbright: A view from the top on New Year's Day '08, 12:01 am @ the Ferris Wheel, Global Fun Carnival The 2008 Gameplan: NO OPPORTUNITY WASTED! happy new year everybody! =) |
miss pollyanna.  Ellie. legally mature but not acting quite like it. a number-crunching gal who'd take gigs on broadway any day. erstwhile essayist, currently a bum. will become a useful student of tomorrow... yeah, right! ;p playthings. idiosyncrasy. Me @ 2BU! The Casual Observer En Français En Chinois doppelganger. speakeasy. as seen on.  lovely people. Des // Jubi // Bern // Shuri // Tea // Peach // Mysh // Steph // Hazel // Raissa // Kathy // Sel // Kaira // Kim // Tiff // Cathy // Diana // Vic // Ozy // Pau // Well // Maxi // Mark // PJ // Rich // Mervs only yesterday. mood: tired song: Gravity - Sara Bareillesdear loy... let's go summer Maroon 5 @ March 5: won't go home without it good vibrations some hearts hollywoodland infinitesimal you've got to hide your love away N.O.W. it's the most wonderful time... memoirs. mars 2005 avril 2005 mai 2005 juin 2005 juillet 2005 août 2005 septembre 2005 octobre 2005 novembre 2005 décembre 2005 janvier 2006 février 2006 mars 2006 avril 2006 mai 2006 juin 2006 juillet 2006 août 2006 septembre 2006 octobre 2006 novembre 2006 décembre 2006 janvier 2007 février 2007 mars 2007 avril 2007 mai 2007 juin 2007 juillet 2007 août 2007 septembre 2007 octobre 2007 novembre 2007 décembre 2007 janvier 2008 février 2008 mars 2008 juillet 2008 reprise. on IE 800*600. code. design. face. stock. ifx. Blogroll me! Who links to me? |