* Creating Enchantment *

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The poster already has these details, but I’ll say it anyway. The Filipinas Heritage Library is holding an Art and Writing Workshop from June 7 - 28, 2008. As much as I want to join, I can’t because it conflicts with my Japanese classes. It’s too bad really, I’ve gone on one of their workshops before (Travel Writing & Photography) and it was lots of fun. This one is also something I’m really interested in, but oh well, maybe next time. I’m putting it up here anyway in case anyone else is interested.

There’s so much to do!

At this point, I think I’m going to believe that we all have different definitions of what being “productive/unproductive” is. Take playing computer games, for example. I’ll bet that to a mom, a kid playing games is a kid being unproductive. But to a graphics designer, playing games is just like research, right?

So what brings me to this line of thinking, you ask? Only the fact that I have so much stuff lying around, which I always think I’ll get to do when I have free time, but then another thing comes along, and I end up neglecting them. Why was I born irresponsible, anyway?

The thing is, the tasks I leave lying around aren’t even “work” at all. They’re hobby-related fun stuff. But I get distracted to easily, I don’t know which fun stuff to do first!

1) Scrapbook - I bought a scrapbook from the bookstore, along with some accessories for it, colored paper and other art materials, planning to finally arrange all the memento I’ve collected from the places I’ve been to (e.g. ticket stubs, boarding passes, receipts — yes, I’ve kept those, too). I actually find things like that fun, but because my room is a mess right now (well, it usually is), I don’t want to make it worse by spilling glitters on the floor or whatever other accidents that might happen (I’m really clumsy) while I’m doing this project. So at the moment, the empty scrapbook is still in the plastic bag it was put in when I first bought it.

2) Books - I’m really unreliable, aren’t I? I start reading a book, but stop reading it in the middle and start reading an entirely different book before I finish it. The result is, I have about half a dozen books with bookmarks in the middle, and I’ve almost completely forgotten what the story is before those points with the bookmarks are. I’ll have to start them all over! It’s not that they’re not interesting that’s why I get distracted in the middle of reading them. It’s just that, the other books are really really interesting as well.

3) Computer - So I bought a computer and had my friend install the programs I said I wanted, but now comes the hard part: I have no idea how to use it! I mean, I haven’t had a computer for so long that I feel that the only thing I know now is how to check my e-mail and how to blog! I know that knowledge on the other programs will come around after exploring them, but I’m worried that I might do something idiotic that’ll cause my hard drive to crash or something. And I just can’t find the time to read all the tutorials on the net! I mean, I have fun exploring the programs but it’s really hard sometimes when you have no idea what’s going on, or how to repeat an action you did for example.

4) J-Drama - I’ve finished downloading Orange Days already and have seen ’til Episode 2. I’m loving it so far, but I can’t watch it consecutively, which is weird, considering watching dramas isn’t like homework. It’s something people do to relax or unwind, but somehow I’m not doing that.

5) Nintendo DS Lite - So I’m really happy about it and all, I’m enjoying playing the games and stuff, but between reading my books, watching the J-dramas, surfing the net, blogging and talking to my friends, I can’t find the time to play it either! Even if I really really want to.

6) Fanfiction - Here’s another thing distracting me from reading my books– there’s just so much fun stuff to read on the net! And there’s also my sister’s story that she asked me to read. And I want to read it, too. But at the moment I’m blogging, which takes me to

7) Blogging - Oh yeah, I’ve been updating this blog nearly everyday. But guess what, I have several more entries in the Drafts, which I didn’t publish, because people might tell me I have way too much free time because I blog everyday. It’s not like people check on me everyday, so if I blog everyday, naturally, the people who read are bound to miss some entries. And I don’t want that to happen because, well, because entries deserve their time to shine. They should all be treated equally. I’m not saying everyone reads all my entries, but for me personally, I like it better when an entry stays more than one day on the main page, because it gives me more time to absorb what’s in it, as opposed to if the entries change too quickly, then you barely have time to think about or react to what the blogger has said, right?

8 ) Out-of-Town Getaway - My officemates and I are on our way to Cagayan De Oro this Friday. We’re leaving really early in the morning, and I still haven’t packed single thing! I can’t even remember what time our flight is! It’s not that I’m not excited, it’s just that I’m so confused as to what to think about first, that I’ve somehow neglected getting excited for the trip. @_@ Does that make any sense?

9) Fangirling - See, I can’t even research about NEWS and Tamaki Hiroshi and Takeshi Yasutoko anymore because I have the DS games and Harry Potter fanfiction and House episodes and the Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries and Speed Racer (I haven’t seen it yet T_T) and writing to think about. But… but… I miss them!

10) Puzzles - I just received some puzzles from my sister. She sent me a package (all the way from NZ!) with the card game that I like and a jigsaw puzzle of the world map with pictures of the flags of different countries behind it. (Yeah, she’s a nerd. Haha!) And I want to try it out– so I’ll know if the world map in my brain is accurate. And I want to play the card game, too. But who will I play with? And, where will I build the puzzle? I’ve run out of empty surfaces in my room. O_O

There’s actually a lot more, but I’m really too tired. Isn’t it just a little weird that I’m having a hard time picking between the activities that are supposedly what make people “unproductive”? It’s not that I don’t have free time, it’s just that I don’t know what’s the first thing I want to do with it. This is also why I’m lacking sleep, by the way. Because I watch J-dramas ’til the wee hours of the morning, and then play games after, and then read the Battle Royale novel after that. My eyes hurt, and I’m already dizzy as hell, but I’m just so curious what will happen next, how I can get to the next level, and what the lyrics are to that Asian Kung-Fu Generation song…

And I haven’t even begun thinking of all the anime I want to watch.

Just so you know, this isn’t going to be a movie review. I don’t think I know enough about the topic to give a good review of it, but it will be related to my watching the movie, which is why this entry is titled so.

This is the proof that I’m really not girly-girly. Or maybe it’s the geek in me, but I really really really liked this movie. I mean, it’s like sci-fi, but it’s so realistic– it’s a good example of those “fiction but doesn’t seem like fiction” stories. It’s absolutely wonderful.

I loved it, which is weird, considering I don’t like action movies, much. I’m not very fond of explosions and guns blazing and all that war stuff, but now I really believe that if a story’s good enough, or at least one of the elements of the movie (in this case, it’s the technology– both the fictitious technology included in the story, and the technology of the movie magic in making the film) is really very good, then one will learn to appreciate the other parts that one wouldn’t normally like. In my case, because the special effects, concept, and story of this one was just so cool, that I didn’t mind at all how there were so many explosions, and scenes with cars (I don’t like cars much). Towards the middle of the story, I didn’t even mind anymore that Robert Downey, Jr. isn’t exactly someone I would call “cute” or “handsome”. And I’m willing to overlook how “comic-book-y” Gwyneth Paltrow’s character’s name is. I mean, Pepper Potts? That’s straight from a comic book writer’s mind, right there. (Well, this movie was based on a comic book after all.)

Anyhow, I watched this with one of my friends J (who is a girl), and she didn’t like it much. I can tell. Even if she said it was okay. I think she didn’t hate it, but she didn’t like it too much either. I think it’s because it’s a guy film, even worse, it’s a geeky guy film, which is probably why she didn’t like it all that much. Anyway, it’s such a contrast to me because I loved it to bits.

I’m not stereotyping here. I know a lot of other girls who really loved the movie as well, I just still think that it’s mostly a guy film. Because it’s really quite violent. Anyway, the reason I think I like it, other than because it’s kind of a sci-fi flick with all the gadgets, is because in some ways, it seems kind of like an anime. I mean, the mecha-type anime. There’s this scene where the bad guy puts the glowing power source into the armor’s heart– doesn’t it just remind you of the dragu-energists in The Vision of Escaflowne?

I mean, American mecha just used to be Transformers and other kinds wherein the robots are also beings themselves, and not hi-tech machines controlled by humans, which is why this is a refreshing change for them. And for us as well, because it’s the first time I’ve seen a story set in the U.S. with believable mecha.

Okay, I’m not going to continue with that line of thinking (See! I told you all my movie reviews eventually end up comparisons of the East and West). And just spaz some more about the movie like the geeky fan girl that I am. Hehehe.

IRONMAN! Whee!! XD I haven’t really been loving the Marvel stories too much. Spider-man 3 was disappointing for me (despite the presence of James Franco, Topher Grace and Tobey Maguire). Fantastic Four is also nothing very interesting. Well, it had potential, but in the middle of the story they explored an angle that I really didn’t like (I’ll tell you what it is: It’s Silver Surfer’s motivation. Can’t they think of anything else for him to act the way he did, other than having lost his family (and his remembering his wife because of Invisible Girl and so he’s kinder towards her is just ugh!!)? Come on! I’m sure there are plenty of other reasons out there, why reuse this old and boring one?!). And with the X-Men series, I only really liked the last one. But this one (IronMan) seems to be off to a good start, so hopefully they don’t overdo it, and the next ones will be really good as well.

Hollywood seems to be relying on some hits and misses, I think. I mean, some movies (like this one) turn out really really great, but others (most, actually) really really suck. I just saw trailers for the new The Incredible Hulk. I didn’t see the first one with Eric Bana, but seeing Edward Norton involved in this one makes me have high expectations for it. Well, it should be good considering it’s already a remake of a remake. And then there’s My Sassy Girl, which I was against at first, because we all know that that kind of story would only really work in a Korean setting (it was really weird watching the two American actors slapping each other at the train station. It’s just not cute, like it is in the original My Sassy Girl.), what would they do with the “school uniform” part? But again, I think I’ll be watching it because I like the cast– Jesse Bradford, I love!! XD And what else…? Narnia, Batman: The Dark Knight, and Indiana Jones 4! Well, we all have high expectations on that… Oh, I also saw the Teaser for a new Star Trek movie. I didn’t even know there was going to be another one! Kind of a coincidence for me because I was just researching yesterday about it and found out that the actress whose voice they used for the “computer” in the series was actually Gene Rodenberry’s girlfriend.

Anyway, good luck to Hollywood! I really hope the upcoming movies turn out great!

It occurs to me only now that I haven’t yet plugged this book here, when this is supposed to be my main blog. So, I’m posting this again, in case you missed it in the other blogs I posted it in.

BUY THIS BOOK!

Ignore the fact that I am a biased plugger as the author of this book is my sister.

Instead, please note that I’ve also been following the Chick Lit scene in the Philippines and have so far not read anything that is remotely close to the kind of writing this book has. Meaning, so far, this is the best local Chick Lit book ever published in the Philippines, so you have to buy it and read it.

And no, that’s not my biased opinion (although you would probably think that it is no matter what I say). Just see for yourself.

It’s available in National Bookstores (hopefully nationwide), and I also found out recently (just today, in fact) that it’s available in Filbars too. (And if you know any other bookstore that carries it, I hope you let me know so I can plug it some more hehehe. ) Enjoy!!

Summary: How long is five days? Sometimes longer. Especially when you’ve been conned into being someone’s boyfriend, like Chris. He has never really been one for spontaneity. Managing his father’s resort in the remote outskirts of Puerto Princesa is not exactly the most eventful job in the world.
Until Mia Garcia checks in. Mia is from Manila - impulsive, unstable, mildly neurotic-hardly Chris’ type. But when she asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend for exactly five days - no more, no less, no strings attached - Chris rationalizes… Five days. What’s the worst thing that can happen, right?

It’s also available online via the publisher: PSICOM Publishing

In case you were wondering, the answer is yes, I’ll be posting my Movie Reviews here as well, instead of my Movie Review Blog, because, well, because WordPress has Categories. (That is, the reason I’m here after all, instead of other blog hosts.) It’s just so hard to maintain several blogs, yeah? So now I’m trying to maintain just this one, even if it is on a variety of topics. Besides, I didn’t think it was fair if my reviews on other Asian stuff are here, but the Filipino stuff and Hollywood stuff are in a different blog. I should treat all works equally, right?

Yeah, yeah, there’s no need for justification… Just get on with the review already! (Wait–why am I talking to myself!?)

****

When Love Begins ( 2008 )

So sometimes it’s a good thing when a movie is realistic. Because audiences will be able to relate to the characters easier, right? But there are also times, wherein a story (or dialogue) is too realistic, that it makes for a very boring film. Such is the case for When Love Begins.

The story goes like this–An environmentalist lawyer named Ben (played by Aga Mulach) meets the rich daughter of a land developer, Mich (played by the beautiful Anne Curtis) in one of the loveliest islands of the Philippines–Boracay. They go out, they like each other, but there are two things that’s holding them back from the grandeur of love: 1) They’re both tired of commitments and don’t like taking relationships too seriously; and 2) The company (which plans to cut trees and destory a river in a provincial town) Ben’s environmentalist group is protesting against is owned by Mich’s father

I’ll admit it. What got me interested in this movie, is reason no.2 (Hey, we should all care about the environment!), which is why I was disappointed when it didn’t happen to be the focus of the story. Okay okay, we all have different tastes, and since this was marketed as love story, then it was well and good that it focused on the “romance” aspect, but that’s exactly why I think it doesn’t work for me.

The relationship between Ben and Mich is too real– from the way they met, to the dialogue they spoke, the activities they did, the places they went to. Nothing was larger than life, nothing very dramatic. I know it was probably meant to be that way, but set against the somewhat unrealistic backdrop of “rich girl, poor guy” (although Ben wasn’t exactly poor– his family’s house is huge, but I say “poor” because there was a part in which it was implied that he wasn’t sosyal (Um, I think that’s “high class” in English, I’m not so sure), with the ‘too coincidental to be true’ idea of having rich girl’s father be the one poor guy’s protesting against, well, it just makes me confused on what to think of the movie.

Is it one of those movies wherein you condition yourself to take all things as fiction, and so it’s just fun to watch all the “what if” scenarios, or a movie wherein you’re supposed to believe that the events really happen in real life, and so the issues are real, and that you should reflect more on its message? (Yes, I believe romantic comedies have “messages”, too.)

I know not everyone will share my opinion on this, but for me, I just wished there was more drama. I mean, I go into the cinema to escape from real life. If I watch something that’s as normal as one of the stories my friend (who just got back from her summer vacation) would tell me, then I might as well just have talked to my friend and not see the movie. I expected fireworks, laugh-out-loud moments, witty quotable quotes, and cheesy-disgustingly-sweet moments, big romantic gestures (like Mich taking a stand, and defying her father for being so careless about the environment), but unfortunately, the movie has none of it. It didn’t even have enough wide-angle shots of Boracay, which makes the place seem like just another beach in the Philippines instead of “The” Boracay.

The only quotable quote I got was Mich’s line: “It’s not enough that you accept me for who I am. But you also have to accept me for who I’m not.” (Or something like that, again, I’m quoting this from memory so it’s not exact.) Other than that, there was nothing that made too much of an impact to remember. Or, wait, Anne Curtis’ performance was actually great. She was really believable as a character. It’s a shame the other elements are so boring, I think her growth as an actress seems wasted.

So, in my list of summer movies (and when I say “summer movies” I mean those movies that have beach settings, and not necessarily the movies that open during the summer), I think I’d much prefer Summer Holiday over this. Mostly because that was more entertaining. For some reason, this one made me feel like I was watching someone’s home video. But I don’t know, I think with all the reality shows nowadays, people like things like these better now. Oh well.