Bitter Pills, Breathing Spaces

Part of the perks in our company is that you're entitled to watch their featured movie for each month of the year for free... Well, you would get a no-show penalty if you miss your designated screening for some obscure reason like *cough* last-minute conference call *cough* which is irritating considering you have to weather the lag-time while loading the registration page. That's my sad story with Prince Caspian. I've learned my lesson enough to swear that I'll register for the next available movie I can click my mouse on. Which I did with City of Ember. I didn't know what the movie was and I didn't even see a trailer for it. All I wanted was some form of redemption for my registration faux pas that I didn't care whether the movie sucked or not. Fortunately, this one didn't and I had a blast watching my first company-sponsored movie night screening with a few unexpected yet fun friends inside the cinema.

After doing some minor research, I found out that City Of Ember is a book adaptation! Hmmm... I guess I need to chalk that one to my reading list. It stars Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Tim Robbins (Mystic River), Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) and Harry Treadaway (Control). City of Ember details the adventures of Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) and Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan) at the time where Ember is experiencing terrifying blackouts. Lina's discovery of the box that has been developed by the Builders of the city over 200 years ago shall be the clue that will prompt her and Doon to find a way out of Ember before it self-destructs. The 95-minute film was full of thrills and chills as you rally behind Doon and Lina in their quest to discover the way out of Ember. Acting-wise, I was impressed by the ensemble, especially Saoirse. I can't believe I missed watching Atonement (mental note: rent it when you have time). Gah, I missed a lot of good movies over the last few years. I should hit IMDB soon to get a list of movies I missed seeing. That's going to be some hefty list!

Aside from enjoying City Of Ember, I've learned that it's cool to take advantage of what your company provides to make your work life a bit balanced. So here's to my next free movie night feature this November wherein I got my confirmation just this morning. Yipey! And it couldn't be a more perfect movie to see on a weekday and on it's first day screening...

The movie I'm referring to? It's Twilight!!! Oh, how sweet November is.


c,')

xoxo, l.p.

I have no plans of posting anything today. But I couldn't resist my glee after seeing these sneak peaks. Move away folks, the inner fan girl is coming out. XD

First off, the second US TV Spot for Twilight. The movie is barely a few days/weeks away and if you weren't flooded by all the books that came out this month, here come the TV Spots. I chose not to feature the first one because it barely varies from the full trailer. But this... There are no words! The sexy gray boy shorts got me stumped. Credit goes to Everglow and Lion_Lamb for this jaw-dropping gem. =]



Lastly, the international trailer for Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. I saw this over a friend's YM status but since video streaming is blocked in my office, I waited until I got home to see it. Now, I'm wishing that July 2009 is here. "But I am the chosen one." Genius! LOL.



Hope you enjoyed it. See you at the movies!


c,')

xoxo, l.p.

Despite my weekday chaos, I still thrive in discovering my firsts. And, today did not disappoint. It's really true that age shouldn't be used as an excuse not to learn something new. I did learn more than a couple of things today and I'm damn proud of it.

One of my firsts for this day is French. Today marks Day 1 of my 10 Saturday sessions learning one of the most difficult Romance languages. My brain hurt a lot pronouncing most of the words -- mind you, it's hard to sound nasalized on cue. However, I enjoyed every bit of it. Although I was expecting it, I still enjoyed hearing the infamous French phrase in Lady Marmalade as an example in an exercise. I learned at least 15 conversational phrases and my table mates and I tried to even sing the alphabet song in French. Gah, listen to me talking like an absolute school geek. What can I say, I'm really a perpetual student hiding in a shell of a corporate-battered adult. I'm looking forward to the next session which is on November 8, which will give me about two weeks to practice what I've learned. Tres bien!

The next first on my list is Podcasting. This is with great thanks to my four, new Totally Cool Pals -- you know who you are -- who allowed me to tag along for the ride. From an avid listener to a podcast guest, it doesn't get any better than that. Especially if you're discussing about your passion for a certain black, white & red color-schemed book series which I'll further discuss on my succeeding posts. I wish I can get grasp the tech stuff behind it. Who knows, I might do a Peyton Sawyer or Erin Silver in the future.

The last first on my list is Technology. This is an ironic first because I always know that technology has a way of bridging a lot of gaps. However, it wasn't manifested in the manner that it did today for me. It was powerful yet overwhelming in some ways. The world becomes suddenly smaller for you with all the conceivable social network sites, instant messengers, blogging, etc. So far, I've created and maintained my accounts in relatively few sites and I don't think I want to add anything that would cause more confusion for me. Password management was never really my strongest suit.

To end this post, I'd like to quote this well-used statement.


How true can this get! Cheers to you, hope you enjoyed this post and always seek out your "Firsts" in whatever you do.


c,')

xoxo, l.p.

I'm going to blog about the two most odd subjects for me right now: Gov. Sarah Palin and SNL. Or rather, politics and American humor. Why odd? First, politics was never my favorite conversational piece. I always thought it was career path reserved only for those who can stomach it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not apathetic. I'm concerned in a not so rabid way. I just do my role a good citizen of the country. Whether or not our politicians take advantage of that to further their own personal causes is beyond me. I believe in karma and it can be a bitch when it hits you. Second, I have a love-hate relationship with American humor. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. I can't bare to watch/finish a SNL show even if I tried although I like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. On this occasion though, I'm tipping my hat both to Gov. Sarah Palin and SNL for their October 18 show.

One of SNL's specialties is impersonations. It's nothing new to Pinoys because we have awesome impersonators in this country. However, in the midst of the US Presidential elections, who would've thought that this brand of comedy will play a lot to a candidate's advantage or disadvantage. The moment that Gov. Sarah Palin was announced as Sen. John McCain's VP, everyone suddenly turned to Tina Fey for their uncanny resemblance. Tina Fey's skits on SNL impersonating Gov. Palin were perhaps one of the most watched moments since the fall TV season began. People were looking forward to seeing the often intrigued VP-wannabe on SNL. And she did not disappoint. She appeared on SNL for two skits. Yes, two. And she was a complete sport. You can't help but be amazed at someone who can take a joke and have a laugh too. Check out the videos below and you'll see what I mean. Credit to NBC.com's Saturday Night Live official website.

Skit No. 1 - SNL Opening



Skit No. 2 - Rap



Wasn't that a fun watch? The viewing stats for these two videos ate already above the 100K mark. The first skit, above 200K! Whatever the results of the US Presidential elections would be, I hope it'll help the country be better especially with all the crisis it's facing lately. You can only hope for so much in your elected politicians. Just as long as they serve you and the country well, it's all you can ask for.

What can an American do to exercise their duty as a good citizen especially at this crucial time?

Get out and vote.


c,')

xoxo, l.p.

It's now down to the last three months of 2008 and you'd think it's summer with the amount of US movies that any Pinoy buff would pay to see. Since I'm still enjoying my experiment of embedding videos, I'm sharing to you some trailers/teasers of the movies I'm looking forward to watching in the big screen. Trailers featured below are courtesy of MySpace.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE
When I first heard of Daniel Craig taking on the role of James Bond, I had some doubts. But after watching Casino Royale, I ate my doubts.



THE HOUSE BUNNY
Anna Faris is perhaps one of the funniest girls I've seen on the big screen. Although her movie choices may not fare well with the critics, I'm looking forward to this movie simply for eye-candy and having a ton of laughs. This also marks Katharine McPhee's first on-screen role.



THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
This is a remake of the 1951 sci-fi film and stars two of my favorite Hollywood actors: Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. I haven't seen the 1951 original but from the teaser I saw, I'm hooked.



TWILIGHT
I cannot stress how much I'm looking forward to this movie. This is perhaps my highlight film for the last quarter since I'm a huge fan of the books. It stars two of the most promising actors of this generation: Kristen Stewart (Panic Room, Into The Wild) and Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Twilighters of the world unite! =]



How about you? What movies are you looking forward to this last quarter of 2008? Sound off in the comments section.

c,')

xoxo, l.p.

Hey there! I was in the middle of experimenting stuff with my blog (being new at this and all) and one of the items that caught my eye is the ability to embed videos. This got me to think of sharing some of the videos that I love over the net. And they're often found on YouTube.

To say that the creators of this very popular site are geniuses is highly justified. It has provided a huge medium for people to share their videos and even talents to be discovered through it. Case in point are our very own Arnel Pineda and Charice Pempengco. Even the Cebu inmates got some share of the popularity slice.

However for this occasion, I'm going to embed about six (6) parts of perhaps the most talked-about show uploaded on iTunes created during the height of the Writer's Strike: Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. It stars Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible... Noticing a pattern, aren't you? Yeah, I'm a Neil Patrick Harris fan. I love How I Met Your Mother and of course, Doggie Howser M.D. But I'm not really a huge fan of musicals. My only favorite favorite to date is The Sound Of Music. Now, Joss Whedon has provided me with a new favorite. Gosh, the guy's super creative. Hats off to you!

The total run time for these videos are about 45 minutes long. I know it's a toughie but it's worth the watch. Credit to YouTube user KarikiNeroli for sharing these gems. Click, view and enjoy!

Act 1, Part 1



Act 1, Part 2



Act 2, Part 1



Act 2, Part 2



Act 3, Part 1



Act 3, Part 2



Hope you enjoyed them. Cheers to sheer geniuses!

c,')

xoxo, l.p.

For my first re-post from my clandestine and now, 170-page e-diary, I've decided to make public one of the poems I've written over eight years ago. I don't want to say how and what inspired me to create it but you can probably gauge once you've finished reading it.

I started writing poems and short stories when I was in high school, around junior year. My poems never fell into any acceptable patterns like a sonnet or a haiku. I just wrote. I paused where I needed to. I never cared for any rhythm or rhyme. Even the length. Just as long as it makes sense to me. That was my writing style. It's raw in many ways but like any first-time writers, you begin in that state then eventually grow into where you feel most comfortable. I haven't gotten to that place yet because, like I mentioned in my previous entry, I'm too critical about my own writing that the compulsion to edit sometimes overpowers the context.

Anyway, without further ado, I give you one of my poems entitled "Everywhere But Nowhere." Read on and as always, let me know what you think.



c,')

xoxo, l.p.