Hello.

I am back. /epic flailing

Actually, I have been up and about (in case this, this and most recently, this weren't sure signs of me still living a life). It's just that with the forced hiatus (due to stupidity on my part), plus life for the past two and a half months flew by at breakneck pace that it was impossible to have done a decent blog. Nope. Nu uh.

So, this will be like a monster posts of sorts, just to tie in the past two and a half months to the present.

Here goes everything.


BOOKS. I have not finished my MIBF loot. That's how busy I am.

In fact, aside from the MIBF loot there are at least four more books that I bought that have been read/slightly read/not been touched yet. Finishing a book is easy for me, but the past few months have been CRAZY.

From this stash, I am done with The Elements of Style (AWESOME BOOK. LEARNED A LOT. GET IT) and The Hobbit, which I told myself I should read before watching the movie (and speaking of which, I'll talk about AUJ later =P).

The other books that are keeping me busy are the following:

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. OMEGED. BUY THIS BOOK. Like, for serious. It's like reading my own thoughts on religiosity and spirituality on paper - thoughts which are slightly of the devious, anti-religion kind which I'm sure will not be well-received by older folk, and yet are so full of truth and relevance.

I have always believed that the church of Jesus Christ (LOL it's the first time I'm using this term) cannot be made irrelevant in spite of changing social, economic, or political circumstances - simply because the Head is a real, living being. But, it's the people who call themselves followers of Jesus - those bring the reality of Jesus in the world - they spell the difference. This book is just full of truth after truth after truth. It's the best "religious" book I'm reading, and soon, read.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Lady of Avalon. I've loved the Avalon series since college, and this book I bought for...P150? It was a great bargain. I'm alternating this book with Blue Like Jazz. It's the first time I'm reading two books at once, and it's not my thing, really. I'll probably always be a mono-reader, if that's the proper term.

This book is good. Well, not as rich as The Mists of Avalon, but it has the flavor of it. If you love the Avalon series, this is a good supplement to Mists.

Oh, and if you haven't watched the movie adaptation of The Mists of Avalon, then WHY HAVEN'T YOU? (oh gosh it's sooooo good)

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[From L-R]

• I celebrated my 27th birthday last November. Si Aldo, his 26th.  It was nice. We treated the fambam at Nanbantei. And we haven't had photos together in a LOOONG time. Ako, I haven't had a decent picture in a while (yeah I call this decent XD)
• I'm still leading music in YC, which for me is a surprise. I'd probably be chastised for saying this, but I didn't think I'd last this long for a bunch of different reasons, insecurities, and idiosyncrasies. The truth of the whole matter is this: I just love to sing, full stop. Everything else I'm doing that's not singing is...well...cumbersome.  
• Went to Tagaytay last November. It was great being back in the south again.
• The YC Christmas party's theme was cosplay. I got to be Rinoa again. Mark was Tobi. Oh yeah.

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MOVIES.  The last two months were epic.

In November, I finally watched my first - AND LAST - Twilight movie. The only reason I watched it is because the super special awesome shy and awkward Lee Pace was in Breaking Dawn 2. Lee Pace has nothing but invaded Tom Hiddleston's seat on the throne of my heart, but you know how fickle I can be. =P

Breaking Dawn 2 was a BAD MOVIE. I'm totally not judging you if you're head over heels for the Twilight saga, but let's be honest - IT'S A BAD MOVIE. Acting was bad (sans Pacebomb, okay - even Stephenie Meyer liked him!), the transitions from one scene to another looked like transitions you use in a Powerpoint deck (THAT WAS SO BAD haha), and the script was horribly done (but you can't put the blame on the scriptwriters cause the source material was already bad to begin with), and the score - ye gads, my ears were bleeding (figuratively).  

I would be remiss if I didn't thank the two Teres for being there to experience the few, but epic highs and the MANY LOWS of this movie. I nearly fell asleep in the theater, but when the Pacebomb arrived, oh bless the theater gods. He was glorious.

Remind me that I want to make "You are an amazing woman" my ringtone. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was my single, most anticipated movie for last year (more than The Avengers; in fact, screw the Avengers, I want me some Elfses!). It was like high school/college all over again, and having followed the Tolkien legendarium since high school, watching this movie felt a lot like a homecoming.

Let me say once and for all that I did not expect to see hot dwarves in The Hobbit. They're supposed to be, in my head, 40% hair, 60% body. But Kili (right) defies all known laws of Dwarves, I guess. He must be some kind of Dwarf woman dressing up as a Dwarf man. XDDD I'm not complaining, though. He was a welcome distraction from the lack of screen time my favorite race had in this first installment.

And...speaking of my favorite race...

Image from here

THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS.

I was UNDONE in the cinema. UNDONE. If I could do gross sobbing the first time I watched this, I would have done so without shame. It was a "so bright, so beautiful, my preciousssssss" moment of epic proportions. 

One of the main reasons why it was so epic seeing Thranduil in this first installment was that I wasn't expecting him to be there. It was revealed that AUJ will only be until Out of the Frying Pan and Into The Fire. Thranduil is first mentioned  in Flies and Spiders in the book (as the Elvenking). So, that GEM OF A PROLOGUE (which was, by the way, the most beautiful prologue after FOTR in my opinion) was upped so many notches with Thranduil being there. 

I'm not so much of a Tolkien purist that I'll argue that the Elvenking shouldn't be there because the book doesn't say so; I actually think that him coming to Erebor to see the Arkenstone isn't farfetched given his known love for gold and jewels. This was a good twist, and it effectively established Thorin's utter distaste for the Elves, especially for Thranduil of Mirkwood. =P

Image from here

And while I'm on the subject of the Elvenking, can I just say how Lee FREAKING Pace nailed all TEN SECONDS of Thranduil's appearance in the movie WITHOUT ANY DIALOGUE? He was immaculate! It did have the Lee Pace touch because of the head tilts, but it totally looked like something Thranduil would do, given his obvious abundance of nobility and sass. (LOL what a combination, but should you need proof for the sass, I recommend watching this particular elf called Legolas XDDD) He wasn't an Elvenking - more like an ELVENGOD. /hnnnnggg

In those ten seconds, you really got the feel that this particular Elf had an attitude. He wasn't like Galadriel who;s the epitome of grace and power (although in an article, Thranduil was likened to a male Galadriel), or Elrond who exuded wisdom. This was an Elf who's perfectly comfortable with his identity of being a King, and answers to nothing and no one, except if it concerns the safety and welfare of his kin. Oh...and don't make me go to the subject of his being overprotective of his kin, cause that will bring out so many feels.

Thranduil aside, I think AUJ was paced well, given that it was only until Out of the Frying Pan and Into The Fire. I would have preferred that it ended in Barrels Out of Bond as originally planned, simply because the climax was more gripping in that chapter. Everything else I have to say about AUJ can be seen here.

By the way, I've only seen this movie THREE TIMES in the cinema. It's obviously not enough. =D

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On New Year's Eve, or rather, the days leading to New Year's Eve, I did a marathon of the LOTR extended versions. It seemed to be the most logical thing to do after watching The Hobbit. I livetweeted everything (it was crazy XDD). Oh, and just for the feels, scenery, and Lee FREAKING Pace, I watched The Fall. If you haven't watched it, then WHY HAVEN'T YOU? XD It's a fanfreakingtastic movie, a feast for the senses.

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I am so bummed that I can't do the "year in review" kind of post. I simply don't have time. But looking back, 2012 was a year full of unprecedented events:

• Possibility of becoming a legit author first surfaced
• Winning People's Choice in my first ever battle of the bands
• Leading worship for youth for a full year
• Getting in trouble in church for sheer stupidity
• Meeting so many AWESOME people

It's true what they say - when you're at your lowest, there's nowhere else to go but up from there.

So, cheers to you, 2012! My 2013 is off to a somber start, but it can only get better. I know that this will be a great year for movies, plus a new Tolkien book is coming out this year. It's going to be AWESOME. =D