Bitter Pills, Breathing Spaces

I laughed my heart out the first time I came across that quote. I mused at how cool it was of Simon to make that comment. In a way, that inspired me to create this blog post.

I don’t normally buy planners but when I brought my Navi 2010 planner more than a year ago, I swore than one of the things I wanted to do with it was write down the movies I watched. As I took out my old planner to be replaced by a new one (still a Navi), I decided to look back on what movies I watched and I was surprised with what I saw. It’s not much but I’m proud to say that I’ve seen quite a number and I’ve got the ticket stubs stuck on my planner to prove it.


January 9 – Sherlock Holmes
January 14 – Sherlock Holmes
(With movies I like, I normally catch them at least twice in the cinema. Hope this doesn’t surprise you as you may see similar entries below.)

March 4 – Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief
(I remembered wanting to borrow the books after I watched this because I was amused despite that one musical segment. To date, I’ve read all 5 books and I felt really disappointed with the adaptation the moment I finished Book 1.)

April 17 – Date Night

April 29 – Kick Ass
(I became a fan of Chloe Moretz after seeing this movie. However, this hasn’t made me brave enough to watch Let Me In when it was released in Philippine cinemas several months after.)

May 1 – Iron Man 2
(I confess. I love Robert Downey Jr. since Chances Are, thus I hated it when I wasn’t able to see Due Date with Zach Galifianakis.)

June 5 – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
(I remembered hedging to watch this because I’m not a Jake Gyllenhaal fan despite loving Brokeback Mountain. I came out enjoying it.)

June 29 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
June 30 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
July 2 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
July 3 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
(I’m a Twilighter so this is normal. I watched Twilight 11 times during its run in Metro Manila cinemas last 2008. Expect the same trend when Breaking Dawn Part 1 comes out late this year.)

July 6 – Toy Story 3

July 13 – Inception
(Inasmuch as I would’ve loved to catch it more than once inside a cinema, my head hurt after watching this in IMAX. It must’ve been all those mind-bending SFX and sequences.)

July 17 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

July 20 – The Last Airbender
(Jackson Rathbone was my saving grace in this movie. Enough said.)

July 21 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

July 24 – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
(Another movie I hedged watching but I thoroughly enjoyed after exciting the cinema. Not exactly a Nic Cage fan; sorry folks. The movie, however, allowed me to rediscover my love for One Republic.)

July 26 – SALT

August 19 – Vampires Suck
(Any Twilighter worth his/her salt should be able to laugh at his/her own fandom once in a while. Besides, when a franchise is spoofed, it only means one thing -- you're already part of pop culture history.)

November 13 – Unstoppable
(This was one of those movies that I felt had the most compelling script, acting & direction. I was emotionally compromised… err… engaged all throughout.)

November 19 – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
November 20 – Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
(While I am also a Potterhead, I didn’t watch this one more than twice because I had some issues with it -- specifically all the Harmonian themes of the movie. I’m just glad that my first screening was with a theater-full of Ron/Hermione shippers. I plan to change this when Part 2 comes out in the middle of this year.)

December 4 – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
(This pains me. I wanted to watch it more than once because, of all the three movies in the franchise, this was the only one that made me cry a lot. And yes, it didn’t hurt to see Ben Barnes in 3D. No sir.)

December 27 – RPG Metanoia
(The lone Filipino movie I watched for the year… in years, to be honest. I hardly watch Filipino films even if the MMFF is an annual event. The last MMFF movie I watched was Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo. Too bad I only caught RPG Metanoia once and in regular format. To say that it was awesome would be an understatement. RPG Metanoia gave me something to be proud of -- that Filipino filmmakers haven’t lost its touch when it comes to telling stories. It doesn’t hurt that the quality was beyond satisfactory for a first 3D Pinoy animated film.)

Hopefully, 2011 would bring more movies for me. So far, the line-up is exciting. I kicked it off last Saturday, January 8, by watching The Tourist. And yes, the ticket stub is already stuck in the new planner.

2010 went by without so much a fanfare. It was typical yet assuring; cynical yet validating; comical yet disheartening. There was so much I wanted to say about 2010... so much I wanted to blog about... but I wasn't able to. Perhaps, it was meant to stay that way. 2010 would be another unspoken year, but still unforgettable despite its utter simplicity.

When 2011 stepped in, I welcomed it with no foresight. A first in over a decade. I still did my customary birthday song hum... I still marveled at the fireworks (and morosed at the smoke)... However, a certain degree of calm settled over me. As well as fear. I know for certain that there will be changes but I can hardly see anything. I can only act, hope and pray... for a better year, a better decade... because, heaven knows, I deserve something better for myself.

It's pretty much the question I'd ask if English were a real person, not a language. When I attend external training activities, I always love it when I take a lot of answers rather than questions. However, it was not the case after I attended a language conference about the state of Philippine English last week.

English, like any other language, is evolving. That is a fact. No matter how many people would like to dispel this phenomenon, it cannot be stopped. The new words being added to Merriam-Webster's coffers, even to Oxford's, is staggering proof. Nothing is indeed permanent in this world except change. And with so many events that shaped our world over the last generation, English as a language has evolved but more so now. The standards most linguists hold on to are starting to get, if not already, blurred to the point that they are almost begging to be thrown out of the window. For most people, we only know two main variants of English -- American and British -- by which we all mostly base our standards on. However, will you be prepared for a time when a Chinese English dictionary will hit the shelves of your favorite bookstore in 30 years or so, if I were to consider David Graddol's prediction? There is an Australian English Slang dictionary, which makes the prediction rather plausible than absurd.

What does Mr. English think about all of this? With every country speaking English as a lingua franca or a second language is introducing some innovations in its use, does he mind being having altered versions of himself walking in every part of the world? Spanglish (or even Taglish) used to be frowned on but is now gaining acceptance as a form of English unique to Spanish-speaking citizens. I felt the weight of the responsibility for Philippine educators of English. They have long subscribed to a standard -- something that majority are still struggling to live up to -- that is slowly collapsing under the pressures of economic and global trends. Where will they be in this shift?

While I dread the implications, I am cautiously optimistic. However, if I could name one thing the conference gave me, it was the comfort of validation -- knowing that what I've done so far as an educator and my beliefs in English as a language were sound, that I'm on the right track. But there's a part of me that still prefers the feel of strong pillar -- that there's something that I can hold on to or look up to -- when there's seems to be nothing else of merit. How strong that part is, I don't know.

Considering all intents and purposes, English was singled out as the language for global business communications several decades ago -- a means to unify rather than polarize. If I were to consider the challenges and ideas presented in the conference, it hardly seems to be the case.

Dear Mr. English, where do you stand now?

No words can describe how I seriously miss blogging. My life has been such a whirlwind since my last post that I'm either tired or pre-occupied to blog. Adding to this blogless existence is the death of our home PC, which served us for more than 5 years. While I'm able to do some of my net stuff lately, I feel it's not enough. I yearn to own a laptop but the timing and funds are my major issues. Add to the challenge is the rapid pace of technology that makes you think twice about what gadget to invest on. The ironic part is that I know what I want in a laptop, and it's definitely not going to be a mini-note, which would take some serious amount of Gs before I can get one.

Right now, I can't complain. I'll have to take full advantage whenever I can even if it's for around 2-3 times a week, if my own schedule permits. I need a long vacation where I do nothing but sleep, binge, watch shows and read books. For now, I'm just going to enjoy updating myself about all things Twilight.

Here's hoping this post won't be the last within the next few days. Perhaps, I can write something more substantial. Until then.

I had to chuckle at this quip by Jake Sully when he was asked by Dr. Grace Augustine about the amount of training that he had for the mission on Pandora. It reminded me of a similar dialogue in The Big Bang Theory when Sheldon asked Penny about her knowledge of science. While dissecting frogs can be messy enough to make you feel like you gutted a deer, reviewing Avatar won't be. In fact, this is going to be a swift one since I'm generally impressed by the movie.

I watched it in IMAX yesterday with a friend. When I found out that it was available in 3D format, I knew that was the only way to watch it. I'm pleased by that decision despite shelling out a few hundred pesos for a ticket. Absolutely no regrets.

The moment I put on the 3D glasses, I knew I was in for a visual treat and James Cameron didn't disappoint. The level of detail was astonishing -- from the base of the RDA corporation to Pandora's flora and fauna. While there were some bits that were seen in other movies, say for example the mech suit used by Col. Quaritch, these seem to blend well with the movie's overall environment.

Despite its sensory brilliance, Avatar was one of those movies I wouldn't pay to watch again. For one reason: the simplicity of the plot. Don't get my wrong. The plot is good. I easily understood it and had no questions. However, it didn't have a lingering effect, the elusive IT factor, that would make me watch it over and over again until I'm sated. Only three movies did that for me this year -- Star Trek XI, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Avatar didn't move me emotionally as well; Up and District 9 filled those shoes quite nicely.

Aside from the plot's simple nature, the acting may have contributed to it as well. To be honest, I like the cast (Hello Giovanni Ribisi! And Sigourney Weaver!) but their performances were a bit off or somewhat needed a little push in the right direction. Those who stood out for me were Joel David Moore (Norm Spellman) and Zoë Saldaña (Neytiri). Seeing CCH Pounder's name in the end credits was a welcome surprise to me. Sam Worthington had the right look for the part but there were instances when I was expecting more emotion, more depth from his face which looked blank at times. Michelle Rodriguez was being... well... Michelle Rodriguez.

Overall, I still recommend that you watch this. If you love movies, Avatar is something you should never pass up. I will suggest though that you watch it right, especially if you just plan to see it once. Check it out in IMAX 3D, no less. Don the glasses because if you're going to see it in regular format, you will miss a lot.


Rating: 4 out of 5 kilos of unobtanium

Apologies for the gap in between blog posts: it's part work-imposed, part lazy bones. All I could afford now is to share the things I look forward to. And these two movie trailers I'm sharing are definitely going to be on my watch list this 2010.

Most of my friends know that I'm a fan of Kristen and Robert long before they found themselves connected to the Twilight franchise. Don't get me wrong, I love that they're Bella and Edward incarnate. But I'm looking forward to seeing them in movies outside of the franchise. While each have films shown between Twilight and New Moon -- namely: Little Ashes, Adventureland, The Cake Eaters, What Just Happened, The Yellow Handkerchief -- these were shot before they became Hollywood's stars on the rise. I've been itching to see them shoot other films in between and boy, I got my wish. So far, these teaser trailers featuring the duo are awesome in my book. Let's start with...



Looks like 2010 is shaping up to be another excellent year for movies. Bring on the popcorn! :D