Are You Ready?
I just can't wait until the film version of
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out. Really! Check out the trailer
" target="_blank"title="HP5 trailer">here. Book 5 is not my favorite of the series, but I'm in too deep to stop caring about J.K. Rowling's characters and wondering how Warner Brothers will interpret each novel. They upped the ante with
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (still my favorite Harry Potter book and movie) which I saw twice at the cinema. I also saw the 4th Harry Potter movie twice.
Not only is the latest Harry Potter film installment coming this July, but the last book of the series is due out as well. To prepare, I've started reading the series again to "review". It's interesting how many hints are dropped in each book that leads to rather shocking revelations in later on. Things as simple as the Weasley Twins' joke shop start in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (the most boring, in my opinion).
There are a lot of good movies (or what we think are going to be good movies) this year, some of which have yet to be released.
300.
Pan's Labyrinth just opened here. Bianca and I are going to watch it this weekend.
Spider-Man 3 is opening next week.
Grindhouse hasn't made it's way here yet.
Ocean's Thirteen is coming.
Shrek the Third.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Transformers.
Stardust.
The Golden Compass.
The Hoax.
Paris, je t'aime.
Fanboys.
Revenge of the Nerds (yes, a remake is due out in August, if I remember correctly).
December Boys. There are a lot of great things to be ready for.
Tantan tanantan tantan tan tan tanantan tantan....
Spartan Love
Got this from my sister on email. I couldn't help imagining Hans saying this out loud. Why Hans? I have no idea. It's just so...Hans!300 film review by a Badinger-ZDi kinaya ng powers ko ang kahotness ng movieness na itetch! It's raining men! (haleluya)! like go go go mga anik anik at ang mga mudramega taray ang haba ng hair production number clothing designer eklavu powerness! kaboom!
It's like go papa spartans! go delisyus fighting karne! i get so weak on the knees i can't hardly breath go go go! spapartans make bugbog the evil persia! make warla the queen xerxes.
At antaray naman ng lolaaaaaa xerxes mooooooo! nagmamaasim ang fingerlets ng hinawakan si spapartan head papa! ang entrance pang vilma with matching solid gold dancers itetch! with diamente ala maricel! wiiinnneeeeeer! ang eye brows ha! mega shoot to the stratosphere sa katarayan!
Ang warlahan ditetch daig pa ang rineregla sa dami ng vlood! at ang nacut neck na cutie spartan...nag cryola aketch! di kinaya ng emoticons ko ang death by tamponess ng cutie spartan. huhuhu.
I'm sure proud si mother ricky dahil ang ganduuuuuuuuh talaga ng moviengitetch. like super mega walang halong chorva!
PERO LYER SILA! binilang ko ang mga papa...di umabot ng 300. 127 lang ang mga spapartans! etchos!
Sucker
As if I didn't know my own personality. Or what other people think of me. Johari's Window and all that. And now this!
Who am I kidding? I thought I was shoe-in for Anakin. Close enough. Redemption, remember?
Here . Take the test (Dexter, are you reading this?). May the Force be with you.
Goodbye, Shanghai. Hello, Delhi.
Yes, it's true. My meeting in Shanghai, China has been moved to Delhi, India (long story. Something about encrypted data stored in laptops and flash drives). We all know how I feel about India thanks to the
Amazing Race and my former officemates. I do want to see the Taj Mahal, though.
So aside from "Don't drink the water" and "Ask them to take out the ice", what suggestions would you have?
Reflections
We were fortunate enough to have a five day holiday. It started on Maundy Thursday and ends today, Easter Monday, which also marks the anniversary of the Bataan Death March. The 9th of April is known in the Philippines as The Day of Valor, and is sadly not "celebrated" or remembered as it should be. I heard that World War II veterans in the US and their families/relatives commemorate this day as the beginning of the end of the Pacific troops' suffering under the Japanese in the northern Philippines. Over here, it's just another non-working holiday and most Filipinos have no idea whose valor we are celebrating.
I find it interesting that this little vacation of ours starts and ends with a journey through suffering and redemption. Believers walk with Christ as he completes his mission, and many soldiers are remembered for their courage. Whilst in a state of introspection, this begged the question, "To uphold my religious beliefs, to show that I do remember, what could I do?". Apparently, not much.
Last Tuesday, Bianca and I went to the our parish for confession. While waiting in line, we ended up listening to a priest lead the second day of recollection. He asked the congregation, "Why do we need to go through all these activities during Holy Week? What is the point of arrival?". In case you don't know the answer either, it's to renew our baptismal vows (among other things...). I wish I had taken down notes. The priest was good; his talk was inspiring.
Altough we missed the first day, we decided to attend the third and last day of the recollection which was led by Bishop Jessie Mercado who was once a parish priest in our neighborhood. Apart from reviewing the past two days' discussions, Bishop Mercado pointed out, "Your breaking point may be the prelude to your strongest moment." Suddenly, my "point of arrival" was the realisation that what I know and what I can do can only take me so far...and it's not exactly as far as I want to go. I've been humbled by the horrible mistakes that I've made trying to get where I am professionally. It's time to drastically change course. It's time remember all the other aspects of life that are just as important, or even more important, than having a fulfilling job.
One of my best friends attended a mass where the priest's sermon was short, simple, and effective. He said, "Some of us will go to church and pray. Some of us will go to the beach and play. Some of us will go to the beach and pray, too. Or even Baguio. It's up to you how you want to spend your Holy Week. Just remember to look at the man infront of us who died for all of us."
I'm saving up for a trip to Spain in September which includes a couple of days in Santiago de Compostella, Galicia in the northwest. I have many reasons for making a sort of pilgrimage to Santiago, but at the end of the day, my pilgrimage is a series of prayers. Many of them will be prayers of thanksgiving. Others will be prayers asking for help, asking for peace, asking for calm, prayers for my family and friends, prayers asking for forgiveness, prayers to teach me to forgive others. The most important of those prayers will be for my cousin Maia who has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Prayers worked for my friend Pogs. Prayers should work for Maia, too. I'm also praying for my dad. He can't walk anymore. Not without pain. Things are not looking too good. I know I'm not on the road to sainthood. Yet I must do what I can. I'm not privy to God's plans.
So what is my own "point of arrival"? Forgiveness, peace of mind, and a better way of living.
Not all of us are Christians. Not all of us are soldiers. But all of us have saved at least one other in our lifetime, and all of us have been saved. We all do what we can. Like the Spartans of old, many of us do not retreat, we do not surrender. We fight The Good Fight. We all carry a cross. Remember that.
Shanghai Calling
As early as now, I'm planning my first trip to mainland China. My old job (and my parents' old business venture) sent me to Hong Kong several times in the past. My current post will have me attend a series of meetings over a period of 5 days (yes, 5!) in Shanghai this June. This will also be my first international travel date for the year.
I've been asking the XB's what to do and what I should expect to see. Joby insists that I see a Chinese Acrobatic show (some Cirque de Soliel type experience). And of course, I was told to walk along The Bund. I've surfed the web for things to see and do around the area where my hotel is. I've also checked out a few possible tours. I think it's all very exciting!
I might be arriving a day earlier than scheduled, with my trusty Nikon F2 in tow, so I can orient myself and explore. I'll probably take a city tour or walking tour. I'll definitely extend my trip as well and stay with my old Bangkok travel buddy Angela and her husband Rob. Instead of travelling back on the 9th like everybody else, I'll be taking advantage of the Philippine Independence Day holiday and flying back to Manila on the 11th. Anj suggested that we take a day trip to Suzhou, a "water town" outside Shanghai that's been described as being similar to Venice. She said if I remember that scene near the end of
Mission Impossible 3 where Tom Cruise is running like a madman, that's Suzhou. I hope the experience turns out better than my Cheena's trip to Thailand's Floating Market outside Bangkok. It looked so beautiful in the pictures and the descriptions were fascinating. The actual Floating Market was something else. But all our pictures came out great! I guess that it was...uh...photogenic?
Unfortunately, all this travelling means that I will miss Bianca's birthday and will be back in time for Tita Girlie's. If anything, they already know where their birthday gifts will be coming from. I've read that shopping in Shanghai is not as fulfilling as shopping in Hong Kong, but I'm sure I'll manage to find a little something for everyone in my family. I wish I inherited my father's ability to shop for the perfect
pasalubong for everyone back home in under two hours. I doubt that it's a learned skill. It must be a gift!
So...any of you out there ever been to Shanghai? Any suggestions, tips, must do's?
I just can't wait until the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix comes out. Really! Check out the trailer " target="_blank"title="HP5 trailer">here. Book 5 is not my favorite of the series, but I'm in too deep to stop caring about J.K. Rowling's characters and wondering how Warner Brothers will interpret each novel. They upped the ante with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (still my favorite Harry Potter book and movie) which I saw twice at the cinema. I also saw the 4th Harry Potter movie twice.
