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.

"And so it goes with God."

I was finally able to finish Life of Pi last week, and I must say that unless another book of this caliber ends up on my shelf (whether part of the loot of the upcoming MIBF or after), this will be my favorite book for the year. I was in tears when it ended.

The title of this blog post came from that part where I lost all composure. I don't want to spoil anything, but that answer made sense of the impossible, of the incomprehensible.

My copy of this book came with a reading group guide, and one of the questions was this: How does it (the last few lines of the story) relate to the claim that this is a story "that will make you believe in God?" My answer to this is quite simple - this book will make you believe in God because it is an impossible story, and God is a God who makes all things possible.

One thing common about the religions dabbled upon in this book is that each of them had its own story, and with these, they brought to the table its own unique traits. Hinduism was about continuity and connectedness. Islam was all about brotherhood and devotion. Christianity was about love and undeserved grace. All of these elements were touched upon in this book, and in my perspective, did not give one preference over the other.

For me, that was the beauty of Life of Pi. It wasn't a "religious" book, for what I saw was a guy who got stranded on a boat with a tiger, a hyena, a zebra, and an orangutan (plus some rats and cockroaches) who knew well enough that he wouldn't survive the ordeal. But instead of giving up, he surrendered his life to a Higher Being, and made use of everything in his surroundings in order to survive. What was put on a pedestal here wasn't the religion, but rather, the relationship that person had with God. And in the end, it was never about religion. It was all about the relationship.

This was a story of faith - that even if it's the size of a mustard seed, we could command the Bengal tigers of our lives into submission. This was a story of waiting on God, knowing that what had been promised will come to pass; a story of expectation - that we could have such wild hope over something that was unseen. This was a story of love - that we could love an unseen, and yet true God, who loves and cares for us more than what we deserve.

I SUPER TO THE DUPER HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. =D Oh, and even better, the movie comes out this year. =D

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I watched The Phantom of The Opera last Saturday. And like with Life of Pi, I CRIED.

It was AWESOME. The only coherent thing I can say about it now is that it's worth every centavo. Just GO AND BUY YOUR TICKET, and don't fret over the price, because it won't disappoint.

My favorite part, as I have already raved on FB, was when "The Phantom of the Opera" was sung. It was EPIC - stage design, vocals, acting, the orchestra (HNNNG THE ORCHESTRA) - everything. When the song ended, I wiped my tears and let go of the railings from which I've been holding on to furiously. 

I wonder though why I didn't cry in the finale. The people whom I've talked to who have watched this told me that that part got to them so bad. Apparently, another part got me. XD

I truly hope this won't be my last Broadway show. When Les Miz comes here, I will DEFINITELY WATCH, being my namesake is there. =D

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Here are some other awesome things that happened since I last posted:

• The Project Wendy photoshoot happened. If you're in the Tom Hiddleston fandom, you'd know what this was for. We had so much fun. Personally, I've never been more proud of the photos I've taken with this shoot. I also finally got to go to Paco Park (being the Rizal fangirl that I am, it would be an absolute TRAVESTY if I didn't set foot here), which was OSAM. 
•  THRANDUIL ELVENKING WAS FINALLY REVEALED. I was a mess last Friday. I was weeping (sincerely!) from all of the emotions. Lee Pace looked so bad-ass and ethereal at the same time. Just. HNNNNNG. He will definitely be something to look forward to in this super extended movie version of The Hobbit. I wonder though, if Thranduil will be on all three movies. Hmmmmm...
• Finals for me will officially end tomorrow with our presentation for E-marketing. I'm preparing myself, in case we have to dance GANGNAM STYLE to get the attention of our panel. I hope that this won't push through (LIKE HECK YES PLEASE SANA NGA)
• I've been writing my book. =D
• I'm on leave from stage ministry.

And...that's pretty much it! 

"I want to stay single and let my hair flow in the wind as I ride through the glen, firing arrows into the sunset!"

I was FINALLY able to watch Brave last night. With company. (You win at life, EK. Slow clap for you.)

This is my favorite movie this year, after The Avengers. However, I must admit that I was kind of misled into believing that this movie was an adventure of a warrior princess that was of epic proportions, and that the theme of the movie is to create your own "Brave" story. For me, it was hardly that, but something more raw.

On rainy days and Hollow Crown feelings

Ang saya-saya talaga kung umuulan, diba? (I'm not being sarcastic here.) Okay, di bali nang baha sa paligid mo, di bali nang hindi ka makakalabas ng bahay kasi baka hindi ka makabalik (o hindi ka rin makakarating sa pupuntahan mo). Basta ang importante ay nasa bahay ka kung umuulan.  Sapat na ang lahat. 

Alam mo kung bakit? Kasi, panay na bukambibig ng tao kung umuulan ay "sana nasa bahay ako ngayon, sana nakahiga ako sa kama ko, sana meron akong champorado (at tuyo)..." Kaya, kung nasa bahay na kayo at umuulan, i-enjoy niyo na lang! Wala nang drama na "OMG hindi ako makakalabas", lalo na kung nung mga araw na may pasok ay nagsasabi kang "sana nasa bahay ako, ang sarap matulog kasi". Tama na ang drama - mag-enjoy ka na lang!

Katulad ko - dapat pupunta ako sa YC, eh dahil baha hanggang tuhod sa Leon Guinto, at malamang mas malalim sa Singalong, eh di nag-ayos na lang ako ng hard drive at nag-marathon ng Lord of the Rings Extended Version! Ang saya, diba? Nakipag-drinking game pa ako sa sarili ko (sa bawat headshot ni Legolas, sumigaw ng "WOOOO!" sabay inom ng hot choco). 

So yeah...masaya ang weekend ko. Saksakan ng saya. Tuwing umuulan at kapiling...ang sarili mo. XD

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Okay. That's enough Tagalog. Hahahaha! Ang sagwa ko talaga mag-Tagalog! Mea culpa. 

I think time spent to write about The Hollow Crown (and all the feelings that have surfaced from watching the same) is time well spent.  So, I shall!

Before I begin, let me just say that prior to watching this, the only Shakespeare play that I seriously studied was A Midsummer Night's Dream from grade school (one of the very few things I'm thankful for when I studied in St. Scho, now that I look back on it); and quite indirectly, Hamlet (cause The Lion King is Hamlet). I'm not going to go all lit-freak on this (cause I'm not going to try to be someone I'm not...lest I embarrass myself!).

Let me begin by saying this: Richard II = Henry V > Henry IV, Part 2 > Henry IV, Part 1.

Questions

I just came home from watching Prometheus. More than it being a Ridley Scott movie, and even more than Michael Fassbender being one of the main actors, it was a movie that I didn't want to miss because it was supposedly made as a prequel to Alien. I absolutely love sci-fi movies. 

Having said all of that, I totally recommend this film! The effects were mind-blowing, and the acting was way above par. My only misgiving for Prometheus was that it didn't give any answers to its most compelling questions by the time the movie ended. This is also not a feel-good movie (so if you don't want to feel depressed, DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE!). 

If I could sum up this movie in one sentence, it will be in the form of a question: How far would you go to get the answers to your questions? Maybe not all questions were made to be answered, and we'll simply have to live with that. But when you flip this argument around, and say that we deserve answers to the questions we deem important, then how far will we go to get them? At what point can we say that the search for answers has become meaningless, or has brought  contentment? This was Prometheus for me. 

Fassy was phenomenal in this movie. I don't want to spoil anything...but really...he is just BEYOND! (And I can't even end this sentence properly!)

*sigh* Randomness (I'm really sorry, I cannot think of a better title)

...but I can guarantee that this isn't the what-is-this-I-don't-even kind of randomness.

Words must be said in favor of The Red Necklace, which I finally finished last week. A book like that (a very easy read, with a large font size) would have usually taken me less than a week. I have no less than the audiobook to thank blame for my sluggish pace. Like, for real...I had to pause and contemplate on my fragile existence wonder how could all of those characters with varying accents and voice timbres could have been voiced by A SINGLE MAN. Dangit, Tom Hiddleston. In my mind, I have inducted you into my hall of fame, which is pretty much the list I keep in my head of people whom I wish I were related to by blood. Hahahaha! Can I call you Kuya? Please? XD I can be a nice sibling. You can ask my brothers.

Anyway, it was historical fiction-slash-fantasy - two categories of fiction that are very well within home base, so it was a very fun read. I think if someone would have recommended it - SANS existence of audiobook -  I would have picked it up as well.

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I went to Fully Booked GB5 last Thursday, and while looking for my next book, I saw this copy of Genji Monogatari.

LOOK AT THAT. LOOK AT HOW THIN THAT IS. I've said this on Tumblr, and I'll say it again - the sheer thinness (or lack of pages!) of this version slightly offends me. I had to endure more than a THOUSAND PAGES over the course of nearly a whole year with the deluxe version, and suddenly this comes out! OH COME ON.

Then again, I don't know how this version can wholly capture the poetry that's in the deluxe version - and the poetry occupies like...30-40% of the book. So...yeah. I think I got the better end of the deal with owning the deluxe version. I just wish that it was a more easy read though. /sigh

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Next book to finish is Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre. =)  

I don't really know what to expect from this. First off, it's not my home genre for fiction, and I'm only at Chapter 4 (no time to read, le sigh). But I wanted to veer away from my comfort zone this month, hence this.

I was actually deciding between this and a deluxe edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I chose this book because it was cheaper. WORKING STUDENT PROBLEMS. /sigh

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Last na ito!  Today, I wore this awesome flower/feather headpiece made by Kristal. She went back to Canada this weekend, so I wore what she made for me just so I could feel that she’s with us still. =) True enough, it worked - a lot of people were asking me, “That was made by Kristal, right?” 
 Kristal, if ever you do read this, you are seriously missed =) I’m not sure if she could ship to the Philippines, but you could check out her work here. 

Lists

IT'S FRAAAIIIDEEEYYYYY /freakout

I'm in the mood for making a list. So, I shall make one.

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A reading list, that is! Probably this book has got something to do with it. I'm now halfway through Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto, whom I've met last Saturday (the post, in case you missed it).

Romance isn't really my home genre when it comes to books, so you could just imagine me sighing with relief when I found out that this book isn't the typical romance novel. It's fantasy, which is totally in my home court. XD

It's been a good page-turner so far. Getting into the flow of the story was hard for the first few pages though, because I couldn't keep up with the descriptions. I'm like...oh wait, she has diarrhea? When did that happen? and so my eyes scan the page again to see what I missed. I eventually got used to it, and now I'm progressing at a very comfortable pace.

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Oh oh, and I got my first audiobook yesterday - The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner, as narrated by Tom freaking Hiddleston. ALL YOUR ARGUMENTS ARE INVALID. 

In spite of Hiddleston's awesomesauce tulo-laway voice, I still long for the written word. My carnal fangirl tendencies make me concentrate less on the story and more on the voice behind the audio book - which isn't so bad because Hiddleston's voice is like HOMGTHICKDARKCHOCOLATE THAT YOU CAN HAVE AND YOU WON'T GET ANY ALLERGIES. With that being said, I think I'll have to buy the book and read it while listening to the audiobook; otherwise, I'll be lost in the story (and instead be raptured in Hiddleston's voice - whether it may be the girl character or the Scottish one or the Count...bwahahahahahahahaha).

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Dear Weather sages, 

Please make up your minds if it's going to rain or if it's going to be sunny.

Achoo,

JC

RDJ/Opera

Hello, people who read this blog.

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The April 27 event went quite well. There were things that didn't exactly go the way I planned or intended, but overall I'm relieved that it's over.

Like...YOUHAVENOIDEAHOWRELIEVEDIAM relieved. XD

Up next on my pipeline is the author event on May 5. I'm more excited with this event than the one last Friday, but I have a feeling that there is more work for this one than the other.

I also have to buy myself a copy of Before Ever After to get that awesomesauce autograph. XDDD

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Guess what. I HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE. I just have to try harder at it.

I watched The Avengers last Saturday. It was PERFECTION. Everything was awesome and nothing hurt. Though I did initially feel bad that Edward Norton won't be reprising The Hulk, it didn't dampen my expectations for this movie at all. This was also the first movie I watched this year with a group. 

I would like to officially induct RDJ to my list of Papas, along with Johnny Depp and Lolo Ken Watanabe. Because. He is RDJ. 

Oh, and I get to watch it again tomorrow. For free. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

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About an hour ago, I bought myself a ticket to this Broadway show coming to this country on August! I got a decent Balcony 1 Center seat on September 1, and I'm not complaining. I need some opera in my system, and I should at least get my butt out to watch one opera in my lifetime. 

The only letdown I see with this is that I don't have anymore money to buy a decent ticket (read: AT LEAST LOWER BOX) for the NKOTBSB concert that - read this - may have Kevin Richardson joining BSB again for good! Then again, I've already watched a BSB concert, and Phantom or the really good Broadway shows don't just come around here often. 

You reap what you sow

Reaping time has begun.

KWATRO.

(with hagod)

I wish I could call this a repeat of the First Term Epic Grand Slam but it really isn't...first of all, I only have one subject this term, whereas during the first term, I had a full load for a part-time student. But looking at the bright side, this term also had its own brand of "epic grand slam", in the sense that I had to handle a full load of work and ministry, along with school. 

The real test though happens when I go full load again next term. /sigh I hope I can deal with it.

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Anyway, I have two events coming up, and if perchance you are interested in any of these, please leave a comment with your email address so I can send you more details :-) 

• Friday, April 27: The Happy at Work 2.0 Conference 2012. Happy at Work is an event that seeks to share best practices on employee engagement and happiness in the workplace. Recent studies on positive psychology have shown that it is happiness that fuels success, and not the other way around. We've got really good speakers (award-winning), so it's definitely value for money.
• Saturday, May 5: Project Author. This is BIGGER than the one last December. We actually have Samantha Sotto as one of our speakers (yes, the Samantha Sotto who wrote Before Ever After). Also invited are Grace Chong (her talk is wonderful, believe me), who's an amazing down-to-earth person in spite of her five Palanca awards and 30 books; RJ Ledesma (It Only Hurts When I Pee and three other books), and Larry Gamboa (Think Rich, Pinoy!, and two others). We also invited Flipside Digital Publishing's Honeylein De Peralta, and her talk's a must-listen if you want to get the lowdown on e-books, a publishing route that's established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

Again, if you're interested, please leave a comment with your name and email address so I can send you more details. We've got discounts available, plus these are two events that have wonderful content. You won't be disappointed.

Please also pray for me - these three weeks will be very tough on me (it's kind of like hell week last December). 

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Now reading: A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. I knew this had to be included in my reading list after last year's happenings. I think it will be very interesting to see how the famous apologetic dealt with grief, and how he wrestled with God throughout the entire grieving process.

I tried to keep a grief journal. I was dead serious with doing it that I even bought a notebook for it. But, I only got to write a few pages. It was tough writing about my personal grief story. Finding the words to describe how you feel is both a fearful and challenging ordeal. Fearful, because in many ways I wasn't prepared to face my grief, and instead opted to put layer upon layer upon layer of protection (work, getting more work, getting more and more work) over my true feelings at the time, and shedding all of it would be like opening a can of worms. Challenging, because putting words to describe "grief" on a page is like limiting the definition of my personal grief. One word, like "depression", or maybe "longing" puts limits on the overall scheme of things. 

Until today, many pages are left blank. 

By the way, I highly recommend The Case for Christ. Like, mark it as one of your must reads before you turn 30 or before you turn agnostic/atheist...or something. XD

Book buy this month (and probably the only buy, because I have stuff to pay for) is...finally my own Maxwell Leadership Bible. If you've been to the bookstore, you know how much this costs - over P1000 bucks (when I went to the MIBF last year, it was P1200 I think). I got mine - a brand new copy - for a price that screamed YOU'LL SO REGRET NOT BUYING ME SO BUY ME NOW.

There was a time I got second-hand, yet very good condition leather bound Bibles (like BIG ones) for a thousand bucks (got my big NIV and NASB from that source). But this ... I got for much cheaper than that. *grin*

In which I do some comeback fangirling - Shinhwa 10th jib review

On repeat for the past two weeks - Shinhwa's 10th album. Can I say it again? TENTH. Twice the number of albums H.O.T released. TEN.

I noticed that there aren't too many blogs/sites that say how good this album is...I guess they're too busy focusing on the more younger, recent artists that they're forgetting those who have legendary status like Shinhwa. Who knows? I think a comeback of this magnitude can be considered valuable for air time.

Anyway, this is my humble contribution to the appreciation of all things Shinhwa. =)

1. On The Road*
2. Hurts*
3. Venus*
4. Red Carpet
5. Move With Me
6. Let It Go*
7. Stay*
8. Welcome*
9. Be My Love*
10. Re-love
11. Breathin'*
(everything asterisked are songs that I liked)

After two weeks of listening to this album straight (not skipping, mind you!), I think my favorite song for now would have to be On The Road, followed by (yes, you guessed it) Venus.

I cannot really comment on the content of the songs, but I will assume that they're love songs (duh!), but I'm very glad that they decided to update their sound to something that's more recent (i.e. use of the dreaded autotune), and can very well compete with the stuff that the juniors are releasing.

My only reservation (and it can be ignored) about this album is that maybe, just maybe, it sounds like it wants to fit into the mold of the tried, tested, and trusted formula - meaning it did not go against the grain, or it did not try to set a trend. It was...safe. *shrug*

Overall, I don't have a problem with a "safe" album, because what they set out to do was in no way safe (releasing a 10th album after four or so years of no new material, doing a comeback concert, performing in a string of shows against juniors, etc) for a group that consists of their ages (30+ is too old for the standards of their industry - how I wish K-pop could develop their talents even if they're beyond their teenage years). I just thought that it would have been EPIC if they started a trend in terms of musicality, but they did prove that a group from the 90s can survive for 14 years and still release good, solid material.

I  hope that other groups will follow suit. *ehem*H.O.T*ehem*

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Since I touched a bit on the junior-senior thing, I guess I might as well post my thoughts about some memes I've seen on Tumblr that say [young artist] + [young artist] = [older artist]. 

Case in point (and this is the one that occurs most often): Si Won + Zhou Mi = Kangta

I must admit that I get really peeved when I see these posts up on my dashboard. I’m not discounting the similarities between these people (because there are similarities), but I always get the feeling that Kangta is a lesser artist with these comparisons/additions, or he is only equal to the combined “awesomeness” of more recent, popular artists. He isn’t. He’s a freaking SENIOR for crying out loud. He paved the way for these younger artists today. Get it right. 

If there’s anyone who should be added up to Si Won or Zhou Mi, it should be him, not the other way around.

Now, if you mean that the awesomeness of Si Won and Zhou Mi combined equate to Kangta, then I have no qualms with your math. XDDDDD

You got to deal with it: The Obligatory Fangirling-about-The-Legend-of-Korra Post

Aang is dead. 

Since last week, I've been spazzing on the awesomeness called The Legend of Korra. Knowing my country, it will be a while before the series reaches our shores, so I took the liberty of seeing the first two episodes for myself.

 I regret nothing.

February seems to be my book month so far

Yesterday, I finished The Feet of of Juan Bacnang by F. Sionil Jose. My copy is autographed by the author himself (and I couldn't help but feel giddy being inches away from the illustrious F. Sionil Jose). One of the assignments of the author class was to see how a book launch is done. There's no better way to experience that than to buy the book being launched (this book was one out of two being launched that day) and fall in line to have it signed.

It was worth the P450 (got it at P50 off, hahaha) and waiting in line to have it signed. I'm not really a fan of Philippine lit per se, and I'll probably blame it on the way I was taught Philippine literature over the years (it was in no way thought-inspiring or nationalism-building). Until now, I try reading Noli and El Fili and no matter how much I invoke my fangirl love for Rizal, I end up stopping in the middle.

Anyway, the story of Juan Bacnang could be the story of any rags-to-riches business tycoon in this country - or  most of it. The themes of this book are akin to the current social and political state of this country, and I love how it shamelessly connects its major themes to the country's age-old problems. The first part of the story was rather hard for me to relate to, simply because I am not Ilocana and I cannot relate to being clannish or with the food and customs of the time. But when the protagonist of the story went to Manila, that was when I finally picked up the pace.

In spite of the realism, it is still a work of fiction. If you've read The Picture of Dorian Gray, you'll be able to see certain parallels to that in Juan Bacnang. At one point when I was in the middle of the book, I was speculating that the protagonist will have a Dorian Gray-esque ending. Whether that happened or not is something that you'll have to find out.  

Next book in my reading stash is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I wasn't supposed to buy this, but it didn't cost so much in Powerbooks, so what the heck. It's a classic anyway.

Excuse the sleepy pic. I fell asleep in the car going to work, and I've been drifting in and out of sleep since then. Le sigh.

Primera-Segunda-Primera | Short story

It has been three months since I bought the latest Murakami, and as of this writing I am in page 783 out of 925.

Usually, I breeze through reading a Murakami, especially when it came to my favorites (i.e. after dark, A Wild Sheep Chase, The Elephant Vanishes, etc.) 1Q84 is probably the only exception. I find myself skipping entire paragraphs, sometimes even pages. It was rare that the pace of the story was fast - it was like primera going to segunda, and back to primera again.

I think one of the reasons for this is the sheer length of the book. It's too long. I've read reviews that 1Q84 is the culmination of the themes and ploys Murakami often used in his stories, and I am inclined to agree, but the length of it is just waaaaaay too long for me. I recall that this was released in Japan in three parts. If this happened for the English release, then maybe it would overcome my primera-segunda-primera feeling.

I finally felt that the story break through the primera-segunda-primera monotony when Aomame met Leader and Tengo had that night with Fuka-Eri (am trying my best not to spoil), but when that was over, it went back to segunda, and, yeah - primera. I don't mind the emotional dynamic of the story, but once you go tercera, or cuarta, it's quite difficult to go back to primera after you have built the story up to such heights - unless you have a pretty darn good reason for doing it. In the other Murakami books I've read, once it reached a climax, it didn't go back to a relaxing pace - you're always wary that something else might come up. I don't get the same intensity thus far with this book (at page 783). Sure, there is a sense of discomfort, but not enough to induce page-turning. In other words, you can procrastinate. Nothing makes me more enthusiastic about a novel than the feeling that it must be finished with a sense of urgency.

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I've been working on something the past two days. It's kind of rough, but I'm satisfied with it for now. :-) Mabuti na yung may nasulat kesa sa wala. I think this is my first [finished] short story. YAAAAAY. (Ye gads if you saw how many unfinished stuff I have on the computer or on the notebook...le sigh)

I don't think it merits a warning, but if underage smoking would suffice, then...yeah. XD

Randomness

First movie of the year - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. IT'S SO DARN GOOD. My only misgivings (which are pretty minor) are the music - I think the first movie was better; and Rachel McAdams getting so little screen time. Other than that, fan-freaking-tastic.

I don't want to give any more details lest I spoil the whole thing.

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So, for work, I was asked to join this mentoring program for aspiring authors. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? I really wanted to freak out when I heard, but being at work, I had to keep my cool and downplay my reaction...but I think I overdid it. ("Hindi po labag sa loob ko," in a really toned-down voice. Imagine that!)

That aside,  I'm really excited about being a student slash-alalay. The sessions start next Tuesday. Being the person managing the program, I still have to prepare the handouts, make reservations, contact the participants, etc. etc., but I find it rather fun that I'll be participating. Last year when I was preparing for this program, I was thinking of how awesome it would be if I could afford to join something like this. Turns out...I could join for free! *epic freakout dance*

Out with the WOW, in with the fun

Yes, this blog post will join the rest of its kind in cyberspace that talked about the new DOT's slogan for the international market.

I'll spare the pleasantries and just say this - I think this campaign will work. It's not WOW PHILIPPINES-superlative, yet this slogan could possibly be better than a superlative - because it's comparative! To those who are still not quite over the WOW PHILIPPINES campaign, I think it's time we tried something else, cause I think if this campaign here is executed well, we could topple something as epic as Malaysia Truly Asia (which is my favorite Asian tourism campaign). 

Regarding the slogan copying the 19-something Switzerland ad, all I can say here is that nothing is new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:8-10 - my favorite creativity-related verse). All of us were influenced by somebody. Artists have their influences, so do politicians and scientists. What's important is if we make everything that has influenced us into something we can call our own. This slogan, I believe, is something we can make our own - if it's executed right.

Since social media will be the main driver of this campaign, one challenge that I see is that the slogan will be subject to the interpretation of many people. You can only hope these people who FB/tweet about it have good intentions, otherwise if any of it goes viral, you may as well kiss this campaign goodbye. But knowing Pinoy mentality, they will rally towards a cause that will awaken their pride, or their Photoshop skills. XD

Asante sana, Disney 3D

As (I have) promised (myself) in an earlier post, I watched The Lion King 3D tonight. I actually was planning on watching it tomorrow, but when I looked at the schedule, I didn't think it would be a good idea. So, I decided to go for tonight instead.

OHMAYGASSS GAIS IT WAS EPIC. THE GRASS WAS GREENER, THE SMOKE SMOKIER, THE STARS STARRIER!!! EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME AND NOTHING HURTS. 

I know I’ve got a big TLK bias, this being my all-time favorite Disney movie, but if you’ve watched the movie countless times like I have and you think you’re getting the same (asante sana squash) banana, you’re not. They added so many layers of detail to this movie, so much so that it’s as if Zazu’s wings popped out of the screen when he was flying towards Mufasa, the stampede scene became even more ravaging, the stars actually sparkle (and it was very believable too - when Mufasa said, "Look at the stars," I actually stared at the stars for the rest of the sequence), and the rising sun scene at the start of the movie … ye gads, I got goosebumps all over. The colors seriously pop out of the screen - they don’t look faded or worn over compared to when you see it on DVD or Disney Channel.

I almost cried when Simba found Mufasa dead. I almost cried when Circle of Life was coming to an end. And the "Simba, you have forgotten me" sequence - TEARS. Some things never change. =)

The 3D version is so awesome that I think I will always refer to the 2D as substandard from here on in. (HOHMGIWANTBLURAYNAO)

As expected, part of the crowd tonight were families with small kids. After Circle of Life ended and the loud beat of the drum sounded off and the title in red over black showed on screen, I heard a kid ask his parents: "Tapos na?" I had to smile, because that was the exact same reaction I had when I first watched it 17 years ago (wow, it was that long na pala...)

Fast forward to after the stampede - when the screen showed that Mufasa was dead, the same kid (I'm assuming) blurted out, "He's sleeping!" Again, I smiled (while trying not to cry - which surprisingly, wasn't so hard) because that was what I thought at first too when I watched it as a kid. Looking back on it now, it was not actually Mufasa's death that was traumatizing, it was Simba's reaction to it that scarred me for life.

After Simba was banished by Scar, not a sound could be heard from the kids watching. I wanted to see if any of them were crying, but I was just so engrossed with the added detail that I couldn't afford to look away.

Anyway, again...if you loved TLK but you're thinking twice of watching it on 3D - DON'T THINK, JUST DO IT. I don't think you'll have any regrets. =)

"It's so magical that words cannot describe"

For this post, indulge me/yourselves by listening to this song sung by this awesome man to the left. This was taken from the 2011 SMTown Winter album (when was the last one released? LOL I can't even remember).

Was I expecting a ballad? Of course I was.

Was I expecting an English song? HOLY MOLEY GUACAMOLE NO. You could just imagine what my reaction was (in the office, to boot!) when I heard "I loved you the first time I saw you" - it took every ounce of dignity and professionalism for me not to freak out and say "HOHMYGODBBILOVEDYOUTOOTHEFIRSTTIMEIHEARDYOU" or something like that...hahahahahaha!

Okay, the song has its rough edges -  the rs and the ls aren't as distinct in some parts, there are a few words that I couldn't understand at first (granted the accent). The song is, again, the template power ballad you'll expect Kangta to sing - complete with the piano intro and strings that drive said template power ballad into predictable positive results. The lyrics of the song are predictable, not poetic to say the least (in one word - commercial).

Having said the negatives, I CANNOT KEEP CALM WHEN I LISTEN TO THIS SONG. The way he sings the song sans accent, r-l differentiation fail and fool-proof song formula is fan-freaking-tastic that I can't find the words to express it. The dynamics, the vocals, ohhh myyy starrrrsss. The"design" and the "cannot" parts in the chorus are just...beyond!

And this, people who read this blog, is exactly why Ahn Chil Hyun-sama (ORZ ORZ ORZ) is one of my muses. It's not just random one-volume singing, it's about knowing when to be p, to be pp, or to be ff or f, or to do the < or > (hahahahahahaha!). I'm rambling, but if there's anything that's just as important as proper breathing and placing of vocal cords, it's dyna-freaking-mics.

I'm so tempted to do a meme that says something like this:

EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT SINGING
I LEARNED BY LISTENING TO AHN CHIL HYUN 
or something like that...

It's not really the whole truth, but ye gads, listening to how he sings and applying the same principles makes so much difference, you have no idea. Secret: When I have to sing a song, especially when I'm singing it for the first time, the first thought that will always come to my mind is WWKD - What Would Kangta Do? By the way, this includes church songs. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In the words of Austin Kleon, you steal like an artist. 

Movie time

As (I have) promised (myself) early this year, I watched The Adventures of Tintin today. It was supposed to be yesterday in 3D, but stuff happened. So today, I got to see it but in 2D only. I think the experience would have been complete if it was in 3D.

Anyway, IT WAS AWESOME. Watching this series as a kid and seeing it rendered with such detail (even in 2D the rendering was so beautiful, everyone looked near-human) made the Php180 worth it. Personally, seeing Snowy chew through the rope had nostalgia written all over it.

Now, I'm not really a Tintin purist. Yes, I've read the comics when I was in grade school, but I'm not so much of an addict that I can remember if I read the comics from which this film was adapted (which Wikipedia says is a combination of The Secret of the Unicorn, Red Rackham's Treasure, and The Crab With The Golden Claws). Some say that it didn't stay true to the comics, which is (of course) not really surprising - it's rare that a Hollywood adaptation stayed true to its novel/comic roots anyway.

Having said all of that, being someone who watched this on TV and read some of the comics as a kid, this was such a treat watching on the big screen. I did feel that the Thompson/Thompson slapstick could have used more effort, but everything else was very satisfactorily done. If there's a sequel, I'm definitely watching it. I hope there will be more characters in there, like Professor Calculus.

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The next movie to watch on my list is my favorite Disney movie of all time - in THREE-FREAKING-DEE! The Lion King 3D opens tomorrow! I really want to watch on opening day, but alas, I have commitments. I intend to watch it on Saturday lunchtime (which I can do since finals is over and done with).

I wonder if I'll cry watching Circle of Life, or watching Mufasa die, or the Mufasa-in-the-clouds-saying "Simba, you have forgotten me" - in 3D...gosh, just thinking about it right now makes me want to watch it even more! 

(By the way, when I watched this for the first time as a kid, those were the three scenes where I cried. Not even Finding Nemo came close to this.)

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The last two days have been nice. I go back to work tomorrow. I hope to have more consistent posts this time around. =D

Two weeks of survival

This thing right here? IT IS FINISHED.

December 3

• School: I have a reporting on product placement, specifically in movies and games. While I was reading the material, my top-of-mind examples were [1] the Panasonic phone that Cloud used in Advent Children and [2] the futuristic Nokia smartphone that was installed in the car that young!Kirk was driving. This isn't really hard, but there's pressure involved because there's ...
• Work: I have to manage an afternoon-to-night event for aspiring authors, which is happening in Makati. I'm really excited about this event since I get to meet authors who have won the Palanca...plus a person that I have idolized before I took up marketing in college (rubbing elbows kind of interaction, oh the perks of this job). I have to take off early from class to go to the venue. Hay, the wonders a working student can do. #bibidibabidiboo

December 9

• Work: I've got a golf event to manage. I know NADA ZILCH NIL about golf, and this event has not made me a convert. I'd rather play jackstones than golf. Or read Twilight than golf---OH SNAP! (LOL) The event will begin during the wee hours of the morning towards very late in the evening. This is a very big problem because on ...

December 10 

• School: IT'S FINALS DAY. HOLY MOLEY GUACAMOLE. Seriously. I don't know how I'll survive. I have to make up a strategic plan for some make-believe company with make-believe market conditions within two hours. And as if that's not enough I've got a ...
• Raket: I have to sing for a wedding in the afternoon, and it's a Lea song. And I haven't practiced for it.

I survived, and I know I couldn't have done it without God's help (it's amazing what prayers can do...nearing these days I had none of those sleepless nights, plus I was completely confident that I had done everything I could to make all of these things happen in the smoothest, uneventful way possible) plus the people around me who have been so understanding (thank you =D) and yes I really had to copy the entire thing for emphasis XD

It's amazing that in spite of the hullabaloo, I was able to keep up with my reading: I think I've been driven to read out of sheer desire to get away from the chaos and find a means of escape. For the past weeks, I finished three Murakami books in a row.


A Wild Sheep Chase is probably my third favorite Murakami book - the first one being after dark, next Kafka on the Shore. I'm still figuring out if I like this one better or The Elephant Vanishes. 


And on this note, I think I'm more partial to Murakami's style of fantasy than his love stories. I liked Norwegian Wood and South of the Border, West of the Sun but you just don't get sucked in to the story the way his fantasy work does.

Next on my stash - which is still part of my MIBF loot, is Norwegian Wood. It's probably (so far) the Murakami book that I least appreciate. Having said that, I still could relate to what Watanabe is going through, especially when it came to depression due to a suicide-related death. Some of his thoughts were so real to me, it's like my innermost thoughts that I couldn't express myself put into a page. This book has got quite a number of dog-ear marks of quotes that I loved. (I know dog-eared folds on a book is a pet peeve of some, but I think this is better than highlighting books, right? I don't have a notebook handy always...)

I'm also not a sucker for the errr...love scenes. XD That's not really not my cup of tea when reading a book.

South of the Border, West of the Sun was better than Norwegian Wood, in my opinion. Though both of them were open-ended, this book was more profound that the other. My takeaway for this story is that we don't really appreciate what we have until it is taken away from us (or in this case, nearly taken away).

While I was reading this book, I was thinking, "how many times have I wanted for something else and yet not have the slightest feeling of being grateful for what I do have?" Norwegian Wood, though a book that's very relatable to my current circumstances, only seemed to sympathize with me rather than stimulate.


Next book in the list: 1Q84. =D =D =D

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On to the work stuff.

My December 3 event went really well. It was an aspiring authors' event, and since writing and reading will be two of my forever passions, this wasn't really a pain in the butt to organize and run.

I personally assisted author Grace D. Chong, who was kind enough to autograph my copy of Solo Flight. Oh, and if you check this entry in her blog, you'll see me. =D 

I also finally got my first marketing book autographed by the guru himself (oh be still my fangirl heart), Dr. Ned. I told him, "Dr. Ned, bago pa po ako nag-Kotler, ito muna ang binasa ko," sabay pakita ng book niya. He gladly signed it with my Sharpie (buti na lang nakabili ako ng Sharpie, hahahaha XD)

The golf marathon, which was last Friday, was quite something. It rained almost the entire day, but the participants were still game with finishing their assigned rounds of golf. They seemed to be pretty happy with their accomplishment (I mean, 72 holes in one day - with rain?! Who wouldn't be?).

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Oh, and the wedding song went pretty well. For me it was kind of pitchy at first, but then again I didn't really expect the song to be super perfect because [1] it's a Lea song and [2] I barely practiced it - the wedding day was the first time I sang it with a mic. Everyone else thought it was good (parang CD lang daw - which surprised me, as usual). I simply tried to do the song justice (and not shame myself). 

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And that's it, pansit! I'm looking forward to a happy Christmas and new year (more of a choice, really =D). I've got two days off from work to rest and recuperate, so all will be well. I intend to watch The Adventures of Tintin in 3D tomorrow, and probably *squeal* The Lion King in 3D sometime this week. It must NOT be missed. 

Also, new layout. =D

Boo

I have not been updating. I am sorry. *facepalm*

This sorry state is about to be remedied.

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I turned 26 two Saturdays ago. Twenty-six is a good age (I think I don't look 26 - I certainly don't act like  26!), but it's a few years shy from 30. Not so good. =/ I don't think I fit into the "thirties' mold right now, or anytime soon...

Anyway, I decided on a Guy Fawkes birthday theme this year. Apparently, not too many people in my circle of friends knew about Gunpowder Plot Day/Guy Fawkes Day/Remember, remember, the 5th of November day. I keep on telling people in the days leading to November 5 that it is a holiday declared in my honor and that they should page homage to me by sending cash gifts or in kind. They simply knew my Guy Fawkes mask as the V mask from V for Vendetta, which is close enough.

I cut up a bunch of Guy Fawkes masks and gave it to the people whom I was with during the day, and I shot photos of people, including myself, wearing the mask. It's kind of like a mature children's party, if you will - wala nga lang party hats. I decided on not having pasta for my birthday dinner. Instead, I had some risotto and fish & chips. *shrug* 

The only major detail I missed was the bonfire. /tsk

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I finished reading this book last month. It took me a whole frigging month to finish it. /le sigh Things haven't exactly been smooth-sailing the past two and a half months, which explains the whole hiatus/drought of posts that this blog had experienced. Kafka is a good writier, although I feel that his writing style isn't engaging enough. 

The Hunger Artist remains to be my favorite Kafka story, as well as this other short story included in this collection, the title of which escapes me at the moment. In the Penal Colony was nice in its own disturbing way. I usually am very partial to those kind of stories but my imaginings of the Bed, the Designer and the Harrow were too detailed. By the time the climax happened, I was cringing.

Now, I'm reading A Wild Sheep Chase by - you guessed it - Haruki Murakami. This is the first of three Murakami books that I bought during the MIBF, and on top of this I've got other readings for school to do...but the great thing about Murakami's books is the way his stories draw you in, that you don't realize that you've read this many pages until you glance at how many pages you have actually read.

After this book, I still have Norwegian Wood and South of the Border, West of the Sun from my MIBF stash to read. After that, I will move on to to this ...

1Q84 BABY!!!!!! ZOMG KEYBOARD SMASH ASFOPHSDIOCVNASDHV9PAWEYFHP0IO!!!!! All my kuripot-related arguments have become invalid. /le sigh

Already I'm getting requests if this book can be borrowed after I'm done reading it. I'm okay with lending, but I'm not really sure when I'll be able to lend it. This is the thickest Murakami I've ever laid eyes upon. It doesn't help too that I've got other Murakami books in the pipeline, plus real life and everything else in between.

On the subject of lending, I think I ought to be making a list of the books I have here so they can be lent out. Hmmmm...that might be a good project. 

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This year, I am officially grandparent-less. Tatay and Nanay (side ni Papa) passed away just over a week apart last month. It's really sad, and for a while the family was in a state of funk. 

On both occasions, I was asked to look for a solo picture of both of them to be displayed during the wake. Looking for a good photo wasn't hard, but when I did that I realized that I have no recent photo of me with my grandparents, or even with one of them beside me.Ako kasi lagi ang tagakuha ng picture. That really depressed me for a while. But, when I shared this to one of my titas, she chastised me: "Hay naku, JC. Kung hindi dahil sa iyo, wala tayong magandang picture na maipapakita ng sa Nanay at sa Tatay, at wala rin kaming  magandang kuha kasama sila kung hindi dahil sa iyo." Though the thought of that was quite relieving, I still wish I had a recent picture with them.

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A few years ago, sinabihan ako ni Tatay na bilhan ko siya ng libro. I always knew that he loved to read - kadalasan nga mas updated pa siya sa showbiz happenings kesa sa akin. Mwahahahahahaha. 

Tinanong ko sa kanya kung anong klaseng libro ang gusto niyang bilhin ko. Very specific ang sagot niya - gusto niya yung mga biography. He wanted to read the life stories of the likes of JFK, Nelson Mandela, etc. I was fully intent on buying him a brand new book (as in hardbound - I remember even looking for a good enough biography, choosing between JFK, Winston Churchill, and I think even Adolf Hitler) but I was convinced by the parental units to try my luck at second-hand bookstores.

That's where I found that book - the unauthorized biography of Frank Sinatra as written by Kitty Kelley. It was the perfect book - laging kinakanta ni Tatay ang My Way (aka second national anthem ng Pilipinas) at New York, New York tuwing magka-karaoke. I bought it without giving a second thought, and gave it to him nung sunod na uwi ko sa Calumpit. He was able to finish the book within days. When I went back, kinuwento na niya sa akin ang buong libro (it fascinated him that Sinatra was part of a mafia of some sort, but admittedly, I don't really care about the mafia, I just like listening to his songs XD). 

The book was damaged because of Pedring, hence the not-so-good condition in the photo above.

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Nung namatay ang Nanay (nauna siya sa Tatay), ramdam mo kaagad na wala na siya. Lagi kung umuuwi kami sa Calumpit, pagka-mano mo pa lang tatanungin ka na kaagad: "Nag-merienda ka na ba?" or "Nasaan si [insert name of kapatid/pinsan/tito/tita na absent on that day]?". Nung umuwi ako for the first time since namatay siya, walang nagtanong sa amin nun. It was downright depressing.

One of the reasons why Ondoy became bearable was because pinahiram niya kami ng maisusuot. Actually, na-enjoy kong suotin ang duster niya. Hahahahaha! Tsaka, we were very well fed for a storm like that. As in walang de lata or instant noodles kind of food - we had real food that day (birthday celebration kasi ni Tatay kaya maraming pagkain, but I think even without the birthday we'd still be decently fed). All of the beds available in the house had mosquito nets over it because of her. Lahat kami nagkaroon ng unan nung matutulog na kami because she prepared our beddings. Sa umaga, meron kaming sinangag at hotdog dahil maaga siyang nagigising. Or, during very special days, may gatas ng kalabaw pa. Haaaaaaaay. 

She was the one who told me to put ice on my skin asthma in order to relieve the itching. I got the idea of putting my arms/legs/face in front of the aircon whenever I have a skin allergy attack from her. Naiisip pa nga niya at times, lalo na kung may ulang na ulam kung may dala pa akong gamot (at naalala niya pati ang pangalan). Hardcore. 

I guess that pretty much explains my hiatus of sorts. There's nothing really "happy" to post about. For a while, everything was in shades of gray, and if something were colored, the hues were faded. I wasn't also in the mood to meet with people - even for birthdays. Heck, I even toned down my own birthday celebration (I didn't have a bonfire XD). It's just...le sigh. 

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I know, November is NaNoWriMo, but I haven't got time for that - add that to the fact that every time I joined NaNo and crossed 50K I have to have MAJOR THERAPY done to my back. Not good. 

Plus, I don't really know how to do 50K with my workload + grad school + everything else in between. It's next to impossible right now. 

Most importantly, I don't have a plot. So yeah.

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I want a new header image. I was doing a vector awhile ago but scrapped the idea. Whatever it is, I know it will come sooner or later.