Is one’s life only but a dream – a recurring nightmare that simply has no end? Don’t you just wish that there are certain moments in your life that you could just bring to a halt and re-do all over again with knowledge of disastrous effects if you make a certain choice? What if you experience a certain jolt and wake-up and realize that you’re still eighteen and haven’t finished college yet, when you could clearly remember that before you felt that jolt you were on your thirties? You have dreamt the next twelve years of your life.
Think for a moment what your life would have been if you made a different choice sometime in your past. Would you still end up in the same place or situation you are now? Would your life be better off or be more pathetic? Would you be just as fulfilled or be just as unsatisfied?
As for me, had I not accepted the job offering here in Singapore: I probably would have gone to another country, or maybe be also here in Singapore but arriving later than 2000, or I might still be single in the Philippines, not earning much and kicking myself for not accepting that offer or even daring to get out of the country. Here’s another one: had I chosen that company which is about to start the SAP application over the company that is about to start using AS/400, I probably am earning a lot more than what I am earning now. What would have become of me had I chosen to stop my studies after my Dad died? I probably am a huge disappointment to him and a humongous burden to my Mom.
Nevertheless, life has neither rewind buttons nor click wheels to hover your finger with; it’s in steady play mode which you couldn’t pause and only stops when you’re at the end of your road.
The New Year is up ahead. It’s about time to do some renewal (if you haven’t done so this Christmas).
I wish you all a prosperous new year!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Entering a new world through an old wardrobe
My family watched the first instalment of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, on Christmas day. I’ve been waiting for this film since I’ve heard the news that they’re shooting the first book on C.S. Lewis’ famous children’s book series. I have not read the books then, but after reading the sixth Harry Potter, Half-Blood Prince, I bought the compiled version of the Chronicles of Narnia.
In C. S. Lewis’ timeless adventure, we’ll see how the four Pevensie siblings stumble upon the magical world of Narnia, where animals talk and winter never ends, through an old wardrobe in a country home of an old professor. They would then meet Aslan, the untamed lion, whom the White Witch fears and revered by Narnians.This is not a Lord of the Rings movie, as what the viewer might expect after seeing the fast-paced trailer with sweeping landscapes and great battle scenes. The world of Narnia was created wonderfully by Weta Studios with the same craftsmanship they did in the Lord of the Rings movies. The monsters or creatures under the witch’s wing are so ugly and some are even scarier than the Orcs. This army, however, reminded me so such of the Uruk-hais of Saruman and Sauron’s minions. Shooting this film in New Zealand made the over-all look like a copy of Peter Jackson’s films, even the final battle scene between the White Witch and the supporters of Aslan rang too much of the grandeur of what we have already seen in the Two Towers and The Return of the King. I wouldn’t be surprised if I see Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli running through those rocks and meet Eomer and his army.
The moviemakers might have been aiming for the splendour of the Lord of Rings, but one problem got really in the way in terms of the story. Whereas, Peter Jackson tried to re-tell the story of Tolkien for cinema, this movie of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was like an illustrated copy of the book – the dialogues were exactly lifted and the characters; it followed the book religiously; the film adaptation didn’t add anything new to the story itself. The only thing that you won’t see in the book was the first part – the war scene and at the train station – after seeing that, I thought that this was going to be a different experience from reading the book, but I was completely wrong; from then on, it was like the entire book was the movie’s script.I know that the book is short and mainly aimed for kids; but targeting this movie as a kid’s movie was a huge mistake. The fan-base of this series of books aren’t kids anymore (they were first published after the second world war!). Presenting this in movie form was supposed to introduce this old series to whole new set of readers (like me); but this film didn’t do it’s job right. With the whole world of Narnia already laid out in the seven books, the filmmakers could have further expounded on that. Being a kid’s book, there isn’t much of a character development and that’s plain dull if you watch it on film. Like what I have said in my previous post (after reading the first five books), the four kids in this story are a bit superficial and bland and this showed up in the movie as well; the characters weren’t given any depth at all, even the White Witch Jadis (Tilda Swinton) and Aslan the lion.
The girl Georgie Henley, who portrayed Lucy Pevensie, was fantastic and showed so much promise as an actor. The other scenes, however, have no such drama. Edmund (Skandar Keynes) was supposed to be a fantastic character, because he was the only one in there who has changed, but the viewers couldn’t feel it. The coronation of the two Daughters of Eve and the two Sons of Adam as kings and queens of Narnia were so bland and impersonal and reminded me of the ending scene on the Phantom Menace (Star Wars Episode I). This was supposed to be the summit of the film and the turning point for the entire series; King Peter (William Moseley) of Cair Paravel will forever be mentioned with the same reverence as Aslan himself, but you don’t feel that. Speaking of Peter, I think this young actor is hot. I don’t know what is it with me and young, pretty boys.Not that I totally abhor this film adaptation, there are good things that needs pointing out, too. The visuals are stunning almost as the same levels as in Lord of the Rings; the animation of computer-generated characters was seamlessly done – amazing (I like the beavers very much and the humour added to them – they even have more depth than the human characters!). I also liked the foreshadowing of the hunt for the white stag when Lucy was having tea with Mr. Tumnus.
Is the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe a biblical allegory? If you’re a Christian and have not seen the allusions to Jesus Christ in this film, I don’t know which version of the Bible you have been reading. Just wait for the Magician’s Nephew (if they ever plan of filming that); it will smack you in the face.
I’ve compared this film to the Lord of the Rings a lot, but – oh, well – the books then were also compared so many times. The authors, Lewis and Tolkien were very good friends and belong to a small society called the Inklings; Tolkien isn’t a big fan of Lewis storytelling style, and Lewis isn’t a huge Middle-Earth fan, either. These two series of books share fan-base, but I doubt if the fans of Peter Jackson’s films will turn out to be great fans of this Narnia film version.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
The most wonderful time of the year
The shopping malls are filled with busy shoppers; the stores are decorated with holiday trimmings; the carols could be heard all through out the centre; there are long lines at the payment counters – even at the gift wrapping counter; columns and columns of chocolates from around the world abound in the grocery section; it is that time of the year again when Christians celebrate the joyous holiday season of Christmas.
Is that all there is to it? Is Christmas just all about Santa Claus, trees with blinking lights, presents, hams, carols, feasts or crackers? I do hope that amidst the frenzy of the holiday rush we never forget the true meaning of Christmas – the heart of it all –, which is Christ.
So, when you pick-up that gift for a friend, say a prayer for that person; when you queue-up for gift wrapping, say a prayer for the person at that busy counter; when you receive a gift, say a prayer for the person who gave you one; when you partake in a feast, say a little prayer for the people who prepared the food. A single line of prayer – just a “thank you for a wonderful friend” or “bless their family, Lord” can go a long way.
Happy Christmas to everyone!
Is that all there is to it? Is Christmas just all about Santa Claus, trees with blinking lights, presents, hams, carols, feasts or crackers? I do hope that amidst the frenzy of the holiday rush we never forget the true meaning of Christmas – the heart of it all –, which is Christ.
So, when you pick-up that gift for a friend, say a prayer for that person; when you queue-up for gift wrapping, say a prayer for the person at that busy counter; when you receive a gift, say a prayer for the person who gave you one; when you partake in a feast, say a little prayer for the people who prepared the food. A single line of prayer – just a “thank you for a wonderful friend” or “bless their family, Lord” can go a long way.
Happy Christmas to everyone!
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
The King is Kong
I have finally seen Peter Jackson’s latest film, King Kong. As for my take on how does this rate against all the other movies ever made, I’m a little mixed up: story wise, it’s great; the effects are brilliant; the characters are wonderful (so as the ape); the setting is awesome; but I’m not going to say, “it is the greatest movie ever!”
This is a story of man’s never-ending quest for mysteries – the insatiable thirst for the unknown – and his response to the revelation of an equivocal unknown. So, here is a movie director/producer, who has heard of an island that was uncharted and unexplored, carrying along his movie crew for a production of a film that has never been shot before; little did they knew that they were up for an adventure and scare of a lifetime.
This island was not actually unknown to some – only that only a handful survived to tell their tale. It’s a ferocious world that has to be sealed with walls and all I can say is that it is a lost world better than Jurassic Park’s sequel. The dense forestation is creepy and further enhanced by the creatures living within it.
The group of people in Weta Digital, who awed us with the fantastic special effects in Lord of the Rings, further up the ante in the science of the movie magic. The movie is visually awesome! I love the dinosaur stampede – reminiscent of the Mumakil attack in The Return of the King, but even better. The royal rumble between the big ape and the T-rexes was equally a feast in the eye of a movie person.
Each of the characters was great, and, most of all, the persona behind the 25-foot tall ape; though I can’t say they were correctly casted. I can accept Adrien Brody as a playwright; but as a hero who rescues the girl, I think not. Jack Black’s character is so devious but I simply can’t shake-off the image that he was Shallow Hal. Naomi Watts simply glowed on the screen as the damsel who cared for her captor. I take my hats off (if I ever wear a hat) to Andy Serkis, together with the graphic artists, who gave King Kong a personality. It was so believable; every twitch of his nose, every wrinkling of his brow, the opening of his huge mouth, the glint in his eyes, they are all realistic and so convincing, which made the audiences connect with this monster emotionally.
I only have one pet peeve with this movie: why must it be three hours long? There are scenes that could be shortened or parts that need not be included. I could sit through a three-hour-forty-five-minutes long Lord of the Rings or even a three-hour Harry Potter movie (which the producers dare not try to venture into) but three hours of a humongous ape (actually he wasn’t in the first thirty minutes) is such a stretch. I actually dozed off during that scene at the top of the Empire State building for probably a minute – twice. I hope we won’t get an extended version on the DVD (there are scenes in the trailer which were taken off the theatrical release), because if you watch it at home, you’ll probably go to sleep after King Kong was captured and never get to learn the ending.
This film, however, is the perfect example why we go to the movies: to see things we don't regularly see in real life for a small price of a single ticket.
This is a story of man’s never-ending quest for mysteries – the insatiable thirst for the unknown – and his response to the revelation of an equivocal unknown. So, here is a movie director/producer, who has heard of an island that was uncharted and unexplored, carrying along his movie crew for a production of a film that has never been shot before; little did they knew that they were up for an adventure and scare of a lifetime.
This island was not actually unknown to some – only that only a handful survived to tell their tale. It’s a ferocious world that has to be sealed with walls and all I can say is that it is a lost world better than Jurassic Park’s sequel. The dense forestation is creepy and further enhanced by the creatures living within it.
The group of people in Weta Digital, who awed us with the fantastic special effects in Lord of the Rings, further up the ante in the science of the movie magic. The movie is visually awesome! I love the dinosaur stampede – reminiscent of the Mumakil attack in The Return of the King, but even better. The royal rumble between the big ape and the T-rexes was equally a feast in the eye of a movie person.
Each of the characters was great, and, most of all, the persona behind the 25-foot tall ape; though I can’t say they were correctly casted. I can accept Adrien Brody as a playwright; but as a hero who rescues the girl, I think not. Jack Black’s character is so devious but I simply can’t shake-off the image that he was Shallow Hal. Naomi Watts simply glowed on the screen as the damsel who cared for her captor. I take my hats off (if I ever wear a hat) to Andy Serkis, together with the graphic artists, who gave King Kong a personality. It was so believable; every twitch of his nose, every wrinkling of his brow, the opening of his huge mouth, the glint in his eyes, they are all realistic and so convincing, which made the audiences connect with this monster emotionally.
I only have one pet peeve with this movie: why must it be three hours long? There are scenes that could be shortened or parts that need not be included. I could sit through a three-hour-forty-five-minutes long Lord of the Rings or even a three-hour Harry Potter movie (which the producers dare not try to venture into) but three hours of a humongous ape (actually he wasn’t in the first thirty minutes) is such a stretch. I actually dozed off during that scene at the top of the Empire State building for probably a minute – twice. I hope we won’t get an extended version on the DVD (there are scenes in the trailer which were taken off the theatrical release), because if you watch it at home, you’ll probably go to sleep after King Kong was captured and never get to learn the ending.
This film, however, is the perfect example why we go to the movies: to see things we don't regularly see in real life for a small price of a single ticket.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Nothing happens by chance, my friend... No such thing as luck
I’m not a person who has luck at raffle draws, except if it’s a draw wherein everybody wins – even in that, I don’t win the major prizes. When it comes to games, my team don’t normally win either. Last Saturday was a different day; an anomaly perhaps. I have never ever felt that lucky in my entire life.
It all started the Wednesday before that when I was busy reviewing the list of clues of all the codes used in our Kris Kringle. Every year (for three years now) in Maybank, for our exchange gifts we all have codes we keep dearly to ourselves. Each week, we give out a clue pertaining to our code together with a little gift to our babies; this clue, however, is broadcasted to everyone. The main aim is that during the revelation day, each one has a shot at guessing all the codes. This time, last Thursday was the dateline for the submission of our guesses. Whoever has the most correct answers win; if by chance that there’s a tie, the person who sent the answers earlier gets the prize. This is a high stake competition, for the main prize is an iPod (maybe not new, but is from a generous person who regularly updates his techno gears); so, the competition is fierce. Some codes can be easy to guess, while others are excruciatingly hard; aside from that, the selection list has bogus codes (8 out of 30). People, who have the time, gave gifts to their babies and therefore revealing that that code is a possible answer. Just imagine the pain that not all of them gave gifts? It’s a good thing for the receiver, because his code could never be on the radar of possible answers; most especially, if he gives hard clues.
It’s Wednesday and everyone is cramming to get their answers right. There are those who even formed alliances and shared to each other their take on each code – explaining each clue (even giving ridiculous reasons just so it could fit into the code). I was having a problem with three sets of clues because my list of possible answers is one code short; and I can’t think of any code that would fit to one set of clues. But lo and behold, one generous Mommy/Daddy gave a set of gifts to his/her baby on that fateful day (maybe just to spite that person); thus, revealing another code that was not on my list. From then on, I was able to match all the clues with their corresponding codes. In another twist of fate, one person approached me at the end of the day so that we could share answers. Luckily for me (unfortunately for him), he gave me his code (one of the hardest to identify). I actually have guessed it right but it was purely based on pure elimination (the only set of clues without any answer and the code without any corresponding clues). So, I went home that Wednesday night with a smile on my face (I didn’t reveal my code to anyone, of course) knowing full well that I got all the codes sitting neatly with their corresponding clues. All that was left to do was a few googling to confirm my answers. And so, at 2 am Thursday, I confidently sent my entry thru email to our game master.
You don’t know the sleuthing I have to go through just to get those codes right. I guess all the “reading between the lines” in the Harry Potter books helped. And sometimes being such a conniving bitch helps, too. I know my code could be guessed by elimination, but fate was on my side, for another set of clues can fairly point to my code as well. There are a few clues that can’t be explained, of course; but if you’ve got five or six clues out of twelve fitting in one code, it’s definitely a go. So what I did was hammer on that. I pretended that I don’t have a clue on who is Monsters, Inc (that’s my code) either; then stir them into that other set of clues and gave logical explanations on how they could fit into my code.
By Thursday afternoon, when all the entries got in, our Game Master released the set of bogus codes; from there, I was able to tell that I’m on the right track, and that that iPod is within my grasp. Then came the Saturday party, and little did I know that my winning streak was still on its high gear. On the first game of the day, I knew that I’m not gonna be raking any prizes except for that raffle draw where everyone wins and that Guess the Code contest (I may not win the grand prize, but there’s the second and third place to hope for). Wheels started turning again when I became part of the team that made a ridiculous Santa with a humongous head and looks like an elf and won. In the Taboo game, I know we were dreadful (I know I am); but having luck in my pocket, our opponent spouted taboo words like a whistling kettle and giving us points instead.
Then the ever awaited Game Ka Na Ba? started, and I knew then that I can never ever enter the big eight for you need to guess 1980s songs from lyrics given by the game master. I’m not good in music trivia – in any decade. I tried hard though to recall those years when I was but a young lad. The six slots were already filled and the game master blurted the lyrics of my favourite Michael Jackson ballad, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. You guess it right, I got in. First category I picked is movies, and I named the six Bagets cast members out of eight possible answers. The second category was countries beginning with T (picked by the opponent); I only bid three, he said he could name four. I called his bid and knew right away that I’m out in the running when he named the first country that’s not on my easy list of countries. But by heavens! To my surprise he was only able to give three, and so I moved on up the ladder. Last and final challenge was to name the presidents of Singapore. I said I could only name one and was completely bluffing the whole time because I could not even recall the name of the current one – much more even pronounce it correctly; my opponent was even looking at a piece of Singapore dollar, where you can find the image and name of the first president. So when he said he could name two, I relented and surrendered all hope of ever winning the contest. Again, by goodness! He was only able to name one correct answer. So I won the other coveted iPod prize for that day.
The revelation of the codes came and my answers were confirmed that they were indeed all right. The third placer got one code wrong; then the game master announced that the second placer got the perfect score (I knew it was me for there were others who submitted their entries way ahead of me). But then it was another name that was called, so I got that other iPod again. Finally, the best in character costume, where I also won third place for the Mike Wazowski eye made by Josh’s nanny, Che-Che.
It was a huge horde and my family and I went home with a huge smile on our faces as Mike has.
We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like? – Jean Cocteau
It all started the Wednesday before that when I was busy reviewing the list of clues of all the codes used in our Kris Kringle. Every year (for three years now) in Maybank, for our exchange gifts we all have codes we keep dearly to ourselves. Each week, we give out a clue pertaining to our code together with a little gift to our babies; this clue, however, is broadcasted to everyone. The main aim is that during the revelation day, each one has a shot at guessing all the codes. This time, last Thursday was the dateline for the submission of our guesses. Whoever has the most correct answers win; if by chance that there’s a tie, the person who sent the answers earlier gets the prize. This is a high stake competition, for the main prize is an iPod (maybe not new, but is from a generous person who regularly updates his techno gears); so, the competition is fierce. Some codes can be easy to guess, while others are excruciatingly hard; aside from that, the selection list has bogus codes (8 out of 30). People, who have the time, gave gifts to their babies and therefore revealing that that code is a possible answer. Just imagine the pain that not all of them gave gifts? It’s a good thing for the receiver, because his code could never be on the radar of possible answers; most especially, if he gives hard clues.
It’s Wednesday and everyone is cramming to get their answers right. There are those who even formed alliances and shared to each other their take on each code – explaining each clue (even giving ridiculous reasons just so it could fit into the code). I was having a problem with three sets of clues because my list of possible answers is one code short; and I can’t think of any code that would fit to one set of clues. But lo and behold, one generous Mommy/Daddy gave a set of gifts to his/her baby on that fateful day (maybe just to spite that person); thus, revealing another code that was not on my list. From then on, I was able to match all the clues with their corresponding codes. In another twist of fate, one person approached me at the end of the day so that we could share answers. Luckily for me (unfortunately for him), he gave me his code (one of the hardest to identify). I actually have guessed it right but it was purely based on pure elimination (the only set of clues without any answer and the code without any corresponding clues). So, I went home that Wednesday night with a smile on my face (I didn’t reveal my code to anyone, of course) knowing full well that I got all the codes sitting neatly with their corresponding clues. All that was left to do was a few googling to confirm my answers. And so, at 2 am Thursday, I confidently sent my entry thru email to our game master.
You don’t know the sleuthing I have to go through just to get those codes right. I guess all the “reading between the lines” in the Harry Potter books helped. And sometimes being such a conniving bitch helps, too. I know my code could be guessed by elimination, but fate was on my side, for another set of clues can fairly point to my code as well. There are a few clues that can’t be explained, of course; but if you’ve got five or six clues out of twelve fitting in one code, it’s definitely a go. So what I did was hammer on that. I pretended that I don’t have a clue on who is Monsters, Inc (that’s my code) either; then stir them into that other set of clues and gave logical explanations on how they could fit into my code.
By Thursday afternoon, when all the entries got in, our Game Master released the set of bogus codes; from there, I was able to tell that I’m on the right track, and that that iPod is within my grasp. Then came the Saturday party, and little did I know that my winning streak was still on its high gear. On the first game of the day, I knew that I’m not gonna be raking any prizes except for that raffle draw where everyone wins and that Guess the Code contest (I may not win the grand prize, but there’s the second and third place to hope for). Wheels started turning again when I became part of the team that made a ridiculous Santa with a humongous head and looks like an elf and won. In the Taboo game, I know we were dreadful (I know I am); but having luck in my pocket, our opponent spouted taboo words like a whistling kettle and giving us points instead.
Then the ever awaited Game Ka Na Ba? started, and I knew then that I can never ever enter the big eight for you need to guess 1980s songs from lyrics given by the game master. I’m not good in music trivia – in any decade. I tried hard though to recall those years when I was but a young lad. The six slots were already filled and the game master blurted the lyrics of my favourite Michael Jackson ballad, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. You guess it right, I got in. First category I picked is movies, and I named the six Bagets cast members out of eight possible answers. The second category was countries beginning with T (picked by the opponent); I only bid three, he said he could name four. I called his bid and knew right away that I’m out in the running when he named the first country that’s not on my easy list of countries. But by heavens! To my surprise he was only able to give three, and so I moved on up the ladder. Last and final challenge was to name the presidents of Singapore. I said I could only name one and was completely bluffing the whole time because I could not even recall the name of the current one – much more even pronounce it correctly; my opponent was even looking at a piece of Singapore dollar, where you can find the image and name of the first president. So when he said he could name two, I relented and surrendered all hope of ever winning the contest. Again, by goodness! He was only able to name one correct answer. So I won the other coveted iPod prize for that day.
The revelation of the codes came and my answers were confirmed that they were indeed all right. The third placer got one code wrong; then the game master announced that the second placer got the perfect score (I knew it was me for there were others who submitted their entries way ahead of me). But then it was another name that was called, so I got that other iPod again. Finally, the best in character costume, where I also won third place for the Mike Wazowski eye made by Josh’s nanny, Che-Che.
It was a huge horde and my family and I went home with a huge smile on our faces as Mike has.
We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like? – Jean Cocteau
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Every little thing she does is magic
He’d seen her chomp her food, wiggle her nose, stroke her hair hundreds of time – even thousands; yet why is watching her now gives him such an overwhelming feeling? Everything she does now is permeated with greater meaning; every move is precious, accompanying a welling-up feeling inside him.
He wanted her. To grab her. Feel her. And taste her.
Then it ebbs away.
But then it wells up again whenever she chomps her food, or wiggles her nose or strokes her hair.
He wanted her. To grab her. Feel her. And taste her.
Then it ebbs away.
But then it wells up again whenever she chomps her food, or wiggles her nose or strokes her hair.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Don’t judge my brother; he is not a book
I have seen the trailer of Peter Jackson’s latest film, King Kong; from it, I can’t really say that I’m excited to watch it. But, hey, like books we can’t simply judge a movie from its teasers; take The Village, for example: the trailer was great and it looked scary, but the entire film was a total disappointment. Nevertheless, I trust Peter Jackson, for he is one filmmaker who tells great stories (Lord of the Rings, people!). Trailers, however, could give viewers the wrong impressions. This film, in particular, has a trailer that is aiming to awe and shock the audiences about the monsters you’ll see in the film, the spectacular actions, and the splendid special effects; however, what is not shown in the heart and soul of the entire film: the character development.
Based on the premier showings of King Kong, critics are lauding that this is another box office hit and that the movie is great. This is not another monster movie or the big ape the king of the jungle either; there is more to the movie than that. It’s been said that the movie works in various levels: a lot of action, humour, best special effects, and most importantly, the relationship between the beauty and the beast is believable.I have not seen the entire 1933 original version, though I’ve seen some bits of it; and now, I am wondering what Peter Jackson took from this favourite movie of his. I’m looking forward to the awesome gorilla brought to life by Andy Serkis and the special effects team who gave us the schizophrenic Gollum.
King Kong opens today.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
The sky is falling!
I watched the latest Disney animated film Chicken Little at the theater with my son, Josh. He became a fan after he saw that diminutive chick dance in its trailer during the Batman Begins showing. Since then, whenever it is shown on TV, he’ll try to dance with the chick, which is quite often, as most of the time our television is tuned-in to the Disney channel.
The movie starts off with the widespread panic Chicken Little caused when he mistakes a falling acorn for a piece of the sky. In the hopes of reviving his reputation from the embarrassing chaos he cause and winning back the respect of his father, the young
The film’s story is an outtake from the classic British children’s tale and was further twisted: what if the sky is really falling. This is the first attempt of Disney to produce a computer-generated animated feature without Pixar. It may have solid laughs that could amuse a small child, but hardly any humour aimed for grownups, which made Pixar’s The Incredibles and Dreamworks’ Shrek huge blockbuster hits – clicking effortlessly on all levels. One could sense how forced this movie is – trying for a universal appeal, which I believe made it fell flat on its face. Young kids may go giddy on the first two-thirds of the movie but would later turn freaked out when it changes into a junior War of the Worlds.
It still delivered the Disney essentials: comedy, adventure, and music; there are, however, only a few original songs in the soundtrack unlike most Disney animated features. The visuals are fantastic! It’s funny in some ways, but not something one would consider a classic to watch over and over in your DVD player. Could it because the story is just too simple or not a sturdy children’s tale that needs retelling?
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Tackiness can go a long way
How would you categorize a person who hates an artist but likes her songs? I don’t like Britney Spears voice because – need I explain it? – it’s not the greatest (not even the best – synthesized) out there. I like her as a performer, though; she’s a great dancer, got a nice face and nice bod (pre-marriage). I simply like her songs because they’ve got good melodies and are danceable and the videos may be tacky and raunchy, but, hey, they’re nice to look at.So, is she an artist? For me, she isn’t; a performer or entertainer, maybe. As to acting, heaven forbid! I’m glad that Crossroads flunked in the box-office, because her acting was flat even in her videos.
My favourite Britney song is Overprotected, and I bet guys are closet fans of I’m a Slave 4 U; for who would find that bawdy video and hearing Ms. Spears give an orgasmic purr and saying “I’m a slave for you”?
It's only with great vulgarity that you can achieve real refinement, only out of bawdy that you can get tenderness. – Lawrence Durrell
Monday, December 05, 2005
Clipped wings
Oh gee! Why would one feel so out of reach if he doesn’t have an Internet connection? Back in the days when they use typewriters in the office, people never felt that way. In my new job, I don’t have Internet access nor my email can send outside correspondences; so I felt like I am out of the loop. It’s not that I depend on the access at the workplace to connect to the World Wide Web – I have a connection at home – it’s just that, when at home I have to attend to other things that would require me to stay away from the PC station.
During the times that there isn’t any internet, did people ever felt they were out of touch, uninformed, or isolated? Well, there’s only the television then and the good-old telephone – it doesn’t even have to be a mobile one. Why then in this age, when most people have earbuds stuck in their ears with music blasting from their iPods, phones or PDAs not giving a damn of what goes around in their place, people care so much about having an internet connection so that they can connect with their friends from far flung places? Has the little world that surrounds them became so constricting, aloof, impersonal that the only way to feel is to connect with someone from a far off place?
Maybe in some instances, it is; but life here in my new job is light and the people are warm. Maybe in another week or so, I can soon be acclimated to this new change.
Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. – Charles Dickens
During the times that there isn’t any internet, did people ever felt they were out of touch, uninformed, or isolated? Well, there’s only the television then and the good-old telephone – it doesn’t even have to be a mobile one. Why then in this age, when most people have earbuds stuck in their ears with music blasting from their iPods, phones or PDAs not giving a damn of what goes around in their place, people care so much about having an internet connection so that they can connect with their friends from far flung places? Has the little world that surrounds them became so constricting, aloof, impersonal that the only way to feel is to connect with someone from a far off place?
Maybe in some instances, it is; but life here in my new job is light and the people are warm. Maybe in another week or so, I can soon be acclimated to this new change.
Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true. – Charles Dickens
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Subscription is great!
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Then came the princess
Almost twenty years ago, my Mom surprised us with the news that she’s pregnant. I was a huge news because, well, my brother is ten and I’m already… Oh! You thought I’m going to divulge my age then so you could do your maths. All right, to spare you the calculation, I’m thirty-one, which makes me twelve around that time. Just imagine, a middle-aged couple with two kids entering their teens, and here comes another one. What a great shock! My brother and I never thought that we could have another sibling again.
When my Mom returned home to San Jose a week after giving birth in Quezon City Medical Center (we were all born there), we were so excited as we waited for them at the airport. I couldn’t believe that I have a baby sister – my very own breathing, little doll! And, of course, she became the darling of everyone.
My Mom gave her the name Renee Joyce. Renee was taken from my Dad’s old nickname, Rene; while Joyce because she’s born in December. She was supposed to have Nenee for her nickname, but my Mom changed her mind because I might turn into a Nene. My Dad lovingly calls her Poponggay (ask me not where he got that) or Pops or Pongay for short. We even named our pet parrots while we were staying in Puerto Princesa with endearing nicknames. But now, she’s either RJ or Buday (ask me not about this one, too).
Well, imagine now; she just turned nineteen yesterday. Our little girl has grown up. Gone was the tyke whom I would buy clothes from Cinderella and one who would wear the little costumes I had sewn and piece together. She’s a courageous young woman like my Mom; more than I am.
To RJ: You may not remember the times you have spent with Dad, you were barely five when he left; you’re always with him wherever he goes – always sitting on the front passenger’s seit of his car. He might be gone, but he’s with you all the time. Mom, Kuya Gie and I may not be there always, but Dad is and he’s just a whisper away. We love you.
Happy birthday!
When my Mom returned home to San Jose a week after giving birth in Quezon City Medical Center (we were all born there), we were so excited as we waited for them at the airport. I couldn’t believe that I have a baby sister – my very own breathing, little doll! And, of course, she became the darling of everyone.My Mom gave her the name Renee Joyce. Renee was taken from my Dad’s old nickname, Rene; while Joyce because she’s born in December. She was supposed to have Nenee for her nickname, but my Mom changed her mind because I might turn into a Nene. My Dad lovingly calls her Poponggay (ask me not where he got that) or Pops or Pongay for short. We even named our pet parrots while we were staying in Puerto Princesa with endearing nicknames. But now, she’s either RJ or Buday (ask me not about this one, too).Well, imagine now; she just turned nineteen yesterday. Our little girl has grown up. Gone was the tyke whom I would buy clothes from Cinderella and one who would wear the little costumes I had sewn and piece together. She’s a courageous young woman like my Mom; more than I am.
To RJ: You may not remember the times you have spent with Dad, you were barely five when he left; you’re always with him wherever he goes – always sitting on the front passenger’s seit of his car. He might be gone, but he’s with you all the time. Mom, Kuya Gie and I may not be there always, but Dad is and he’s just a whisper away. We love you.
Happy birthday!
Friday, December 02, 2005
The best thing you've got going for you is individuality
My new work has begun. The work area given to me isn’t the best, but heck! it’s far better than the slums we had to make do with in UOB. I just have to learn to adapt to the freakin’ stinking wonderful smell that emits from my cubicle mate. My PC is pretty fast – way, way faster than my old PC in FITAS team (Dell computer, Pentium 4, 256 RAM, 30Gb HD, Windows XP Prof), but the sad part is that I can’t customize my wallpaper and screensaver. Ugh! I can’t see my baby Potter. Now, I was thinking of putting my poster here if I can’t find a way to customize my desktop.
What do you think?
All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity. – James F. Cooper
What do you think?
All greatness of character is dependent on individuality. The man who has no other existence than that which he partakes in common with all around him, will never have any other than an existence of mediocrity. – James F. Cooper
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Midnight, and the clock strikes, then we pig out
That’s that the Noche Buena, a traditional Filipino Christmas eve; misa de gallo comes first, of course. I love these midnight holiday feasts; I know that Christmas is twenty-four days far from now, and New Year is about a month, but I can’t help but start planning on what to put on our table during those coming overindulging moments.
I will again miss the Purefoods Fiesta hams, so the only way make-up for that is by ordering an even bigger ham from Cold Storage. I think they offer the best hams here in Singapore, aside from the preposterously priced hams from hotels. So I made a choice yesterday between these four good-looking, succulent, weight-gaining pieces of meat and placed my order. With that already set, I think I’m already halfway through my preparation – as they say in our country: “It’s not Christmas if you don't have a ham on your table.”
I will again miss the Purefoods Fiesta hams, so the only way make-up for that is by ordering an even bigger ham from Cold Storage. I think they offer the best hams here in Singapore, aside from the preposterously priced hams from hotels. So I made a choice yesterday between these four good-looking, succulent, weight-gaining pieces of meat and placed my order. With that already set, I think I’m already halfway through my preparation – as they say in our country: “It’s not Christmas if you don't have a ham on your table.”
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Somewhere in your career, your work changes
I spent my last half-day in UOB last Monday (more than half a day, actually); it was a somber mood. Not that there was a bawling episode, I was simply too excited to face another chapter in my career life. Tomorrow, I’ll be starting on my new job; I’ve just heard from friends that my desk is waiting for me – completely cleaned by my boss.
As for my other friends who are thinking of changing companies, good luck on your attempt; I do hope it pushes through. To another who’s moving to another country, all my best wishes on your next adventure. Here’s what I leave to you from my good friend Jane Fonda:
If the career you have chosen has some unexpected inconvenience, console yourself by reflecting that no career is without them.
As for my other friends who are thinking of changing companies, good luck on your attempt; I do hope it pushes through. To another who’s moving to another country, all my best wishes on your next adventure. Here’s what I leave to you from my good friend Jane Fonda:
If the career you have chosen has some unexpected inconvenience, console yourself by reflecting that no career is without them.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Christmas Begins
Josh saw the Batman show in Raffles City, one of the malls here in Singapore, last weekend. So he’s pretty much in the Batman mood right now. He still got the Batman tattoo in his forearm, and pretty much says that he wants to see Batman every time he wakes up. Oh! And he even brought his little Batman figure in church.
Harry Potter lives in our house! Josh simply loves his Gryffindor jump suit that it is so hard to convince him to get out off it.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate
When someone is about to leave work for another, why do they treat you like a fattened calf off for an execution? I’ve been treated to some hearty, succulent meals these past days because – well – I’m about to leave the company.
After two years and three months working in the Trade Finance team in the Business Solutions Department of UOB (United Overseas Bank), I’m off to go back to the previous company I worked with, Maybank. Why is that so? Call it whatever you want – expanding my horizons, career advancement – but, really, it all boils down to the fact that I got a better offer, and that I’ve had enough of the crappy people I deal with in my current job (not my Filipino colleagues though). I still have one more workday left, and I pretty hope I have turned over all the outstanding stuff I had been working on this past month (that’s for you, Santi *wink, wink, budge, nudge*).
Am I the first to leave the team? Nope, more like the third. It did wonders to my good friend Vincent; he’s gaining some weight now for the less stress he had to deal with at work – even if his work place is far from his home. Life is indeed great, huh, Enteng? However, I have no hopes of gaining weight, I am planning of losing them, actually. What, with all those free meals and the holidays coming, who hasn’t gained some additional pounds?
Ironic isn’t it that the title of this entry was lifted from the story of the Prodigal Son?
After two years and three months working in the Trade Finance team in the Business Solutions Department of UOB (United Overseas Bank), I’m off to go back to the previous company I worked with, Maybank. Why is that so? Call it whatever you want – expanding my horizons, career advancement – but, really, it all boils down to the fact that I got a better offer, and that I’ve had enough of the crappy people I deal with in my current job (not my Filipino colleagues though). I still have one more workday left, and I pretty hope I have turned over all the outstanding stuff I had been working on this past month (that’s for you, Santi *wink, wink, budge, nudge*).
Am I the first to leave the team? Nope, more like the third. It did wonders to my good friend Vincent; he’s gaining some weight now for the less stress he had to deal with at work – even if his work place is far from his home. Life is indeed great, huh, Enteng? However, I have no hopes of gaining weight, I am planning of losing them, actually. What, with all those free meals and the holidays coming, who hasn’t gained some additional pounds?
Ironic isn’t it that the title of this entry was lifted from the story of the Prodigal Son?
Thursday, November 24, 2005
He Who Must Not Be Named
Just who is this Dark Lord that’s terrorizing Harry’s life? We saw him living off as a parasite on the back of a professor’s head on Harry’s first year. In the Chamber of Secrets, all we saw was his sixteen-year old memory from a fifty year-old diary – is it just a memory? He’s been silent on Harry’s third year at Hogwarts; but, now, he has put the boy who lived under a terrible danger – an elaborate plot to finally kill the boy who hindered his rise to power.
Who is Tom Marvolo Riddle, the one who fashioned himself to be called Lord Voldemort? When do we finally get to really know him? Is he pure evil or just a poor boy gone bad? Oh, you’ll have to wait for the sixth film, but here are some quick facts. He is, indeed, a descendent of Salazar Slytherin (as he claimed in Chamber of Secrets). His mother, Merope Gaunt, is a witch, while his father (Tom Riddle) is a rich Muggle who abandoned his wife upon learning who she really is. The young Tom was raised in an orphanage in London after his mother died an hour after giving birth. According to Dumbledore, “he is one of the most brilliant students Hogwarts has ever seen."
For now, just be scared that he is finally back, and wait for his remarkable duel with Dumbledore on the fifth movie, Order of the Phoenix. See him here after his rebirth, and how fabulous Ralph Fiennes is.
Why is it such a big thing when Voldemort said that he could touch Harry now? Well, the young boy was protected by an old charm when his mother died to save his liFe (as explained by Dumbledore in Philosopher’s Stone). The blood of his mother, which runs through his veins, protects him – the same way that he has to stay with the Dursleys, for his Aunt Petunia, the only sister of Lily Evans, could protect Harry from the dark wizards. In taking the blood of his enemy (Harry’s), Voldemort is now sharing that same blood with Harry.
People have asked why is he so freakin’ after a young baby? Blame Trelawney – that hag professor of Divination whom you have met in Prisoner of Azkaban. She made her very first prophecy, and somebody overheard it and told Voldemort.
“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ...
Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ...
And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.”
The sad thing is that Voldemort only heard of the first two lines.
Who is Tom Marvolo Riddle, the one who fashioned himself to be called Lord Voldemort? When do we finally get to really know him? Is he pure evil or just a poor boy gone bad? Oh, you’ll have to wait for the sixth film, but here are some quick facts. He is, indeed, a descendent of Salazar Slytherin (as he claimed in Chamber of Secrets). His mother, Merope Gaunt, is a witch, while his father (Tom Riddle) is a rich Muggle who abandoned his wife upon learning who she really is. The young Tom was raised in an orphanage in London after his mother died an hour after giving birth. According to Dumbledore, “he is one of the most brilliant students Hogwarts has ever seen."
For now, just be scared that he is finally back, and wait for his remarkable duel with Dumbledore on the fifth movie, Order of the Phoenix. See him here after his rebirth, and how fabulous Ralph Fiennes is.
Why is it such a big thing when Voldemort said that he could touch Harry now? Well, the young boy was protected by an old charm when his mother died to save his liFe (as explained by Dumbledore in Philosopher’s Stone). The blood of his mother, which runs through his veins, protects him – the same way that he has to stay with the Dursleys, for his Aunt Petunia, the only sister of Lily Evans, could protect Harry from the dark wizards. In taking the blood of his enemy (Harry’s), Voldemort is now sharing that same blood with Harry.
People have asked why is he so freakin’ after a young baby? Blame Trelawney – that hag professor of Divination whom you have met in Prisoner of Azkaban. She made her very first prophecy, and somebody overheard it and told Voldemort.
“The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ...
Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ...
And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives.”
The sad thing is that Voldemort only heard of the first two lines.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Exorcism of Singapore
Singapore is a country known for its strict rules and a heavy-hand in the enforcement of its laws. This is a country where one could be caned for drawing graffiti on the walls. A place where in 2001, it’s a big news that there was a total 4 murder crimes committed for the first quarter of that year, which is a huge jump from the previous year.
As the government try to loosen up, and as the economy have finally risen up from the slack brought about by SARS and Asia’s economic downturn, crime in the state seem to have risen as well. Did the times change the people?
It’s a common story to hear maids mistreated by their employers – not given enough food, not given any proper sleeping area, sexually harassed by their male employers, or even physically assaulted. To see in that news that an employer pimps her maid is a new and shocking story.
Murder crimes are even becoming more gruesome: victims’ bodies are chopped up and scattered all over the island; a child raped and stored inside a small box to rot.
The only saving grace in this country is that crimes don’t go unsolved and that the implementation of justice is fast.
As the government try to loosen up, and as the economy have finally risen up from the slack brought about by SARS and Asia’s economic downturn, crime in the state seem to have risen as well. Did the times change the people?
It’s a common story to hear maids mistreated by their employers – not given enough food, not given any proper sleeping area, sexually harassed by their male employers, or even physically assaulted. To see in that news that an employer pimps her maid is a new and shocking story.
Murder crimes are even becoming more gruesome: victims’ bodies are chopped up and scattered all over the island; a child raped and stored inside a small box to rot.
The only saving grace in this country is that crimes don’t go unsolved and that the implementation of justice is fast.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Finding heaven in another world
Life is full of second chances. You can leave behind a sad memory in your past and try to live a life anew. Old memories may haunt you, but the promise of a renewed tomorrow tides you over.
A very good friend took the plunge for another chance of finding love’s true happiness, and I truly hope that he finally finds it.
We pray that the home you will share has much joy and laughter, and be filled with a special kind of love that will last forever. Congratulations on your new life together.
A very good friend took the plunge for another chance of finding love’s true happiness, and I truly hope that he finally finds it.
We pray that the home you will share has much joy and laughter, and be filled with a special kind of love that will last forever. Congratulations on your new life together.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Here comes the anorak
I read last weekend a write-up about geeks having a field day this holiday season with the onslaught of blockbuster films based on books. Just because I read JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and JK Rowling, can I be called a geek? I’m no nerd (supreme nerd, that is).
Okay, I have voiced-out some of the things I wish they should have shown in Goblet of Fire, but I’m not screaming sacrilege for what the filmmakers have done. And I don’t spit out page numbers of books to refer to some scenes. I don’t belong to that group of people who would look so surprised that somebody doesn’t read these books either.
I am the type who would be willing to share information and explain things that non-book readers would find beguiling in the film versions. Here’s one in GoF:
Bartemius “Barty” Crouch, Sr (the one who has the moustache of Hitler and has a seemingly small voice for a man) is not the Minister of Magic; he’s the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. In the days of Voldemort’s rise to power, Crouch Sr. is famous for tracking down dark wizards (as you may have seen in the courtroom scene). He captured and imprisoned wizards in Azkaban without a trial – even his very own son Barty Crouch, Jr (who was reported to have taken part in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom). From then on, he fell from grace. When his wife felt that she was dying, she convinced him that she would take the Polyjuice Potion to take the form of their son and die inside the prison. And so, everyone in the wizarding world believed that Barty Crouch, Jr. had died inside the walls of Azkaban. Crouch Sr. kept his son inside their home under the Imperius Curse and care of Winky, their house-elf. Thinking that he still can control his son, he even allowed him to watch the Quidditch World Cup under an invisibility cloak (yes, you’ll soon learn that not only Harry owns that type of cloak) with Winky; and amidst the fanfare of the game, he took Harry’s wand.
When the Death Eaters caused mayhem after the games, it was Barty Crouch, Jr. who conjured the Dark Mark in the sky (as shown in the film) but it was unbeknownst to anyone except Winky. From then on, Barty Sr. lost his son, but told no one; Barty Jr. then met-up with his Dark Lord and helped in the plan of kidnapping Harry Potter: he impersonated Mad-Eye Moody, who was to become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during Harry’s fourth year, and manipulated the Triwizard tournament by putting in Harry’s name in the cup and did his best to help him. He turned the Triwizard cup into a portkey to carry the winner (Harry) to Voldemort.
Crouch Jr. killed his own father in the Forbidden Forest. When his true identity was revealed and told the whole tale under the Veritaserum (truth serum), Cornelius Fudge (Minister of Magic) arrived and sent a Dementor to administer the Dementor's Kiss to Barty Crouch, Jr., leaving him worse than dead.
Okay, I have voiced-out some of the things I wish they should have shown in Goblet of Fire, but I’m not screaming sacrilege for what the filmmakers have done. And I don’t spit out page numbers of books to refer to some scenes. I don’t belong to that group of people who would look so surprised that somebody doesn’t read these books either.
I am the type who would be willing to share information and explain things that non-book readers would find beguiling in the film versions. Here’s one in GoF:
Bartemius “Barty” Crouch, Sr (the one who has the moustache of Hitler and has a seemingly small voice for a man) is not the Minister of Magic; he’s the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. In the days of Voldemort’s rise to power, Crouch Sr. is famous for tracking down dark wizards (as you may have seen in the courtroom scene). He captured and imprisoned wizards in Azkaban without a trial – even his very own son Barty Crouch, Jr (who was reported to have taken part in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom). From then on, he fell from grace. When his wife felt that she was dying, she convinced him that she would take the Polyjuice Potion to take the form of their son and die inside the prison. And so, everyone in the wizarding world believed that Barty Crouch, Jr. had died inside the walls of Azkaban. Crouch Sr. kept his son inside their home under the Imperius Curse and care of Winky, their house-elf. Thinking that he still can control his son, he even allowed him to watch the Quidditch World Cup under an invisibility cloak (yes, you’ll soon learn that not only Harry owns that type of cloak) with Winky; and amidst the fanfare of the game, he took Harry’s wand.When the Death Eaters caused mayhem after the games, it was Barty Crouch, Jr. who conjured the Dark Mark in the sky (as shown in the film) but it was unbeknownst to anyone except Winky. From then on, Barty Sr. lost his son, but told no one; Barty Jr. then met-up with his Dark Lord and helped in the plan of kidnapping Harry Potter: he impersonated Mad-Eye Moody, who was to become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during Harry’s fourth year, and manipulated the Triwizard tournament by putting in Harry’s name in the cup and did his best to help him. He turned the Triwizard cup into a portkey to carry the winner (Harry) to Voldemort.Crouch Jr. killed his own father in the Forbidden Forest. When his true identity was revealed and told the whole tale under the Veritaserum (truth serum), Cornelius Fudge (Minister of Magic) arrived and sent a Dementor to administer the Dementor's Kiss to Barty Crouch, Jr., leaving him worse than dead.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves
I’m a huge fan of the TV show Lost, which is now on its second season. Though season one is not yet finished in the local channel, I’ve already completed the whole first season ages ago. I’ve been totally excited waiting for the start of the second season in the States. Since the first episode aired, I’ve been downloading each episode a day or two after it aired.
We’re in episode seven now, and all I can say is that this show never seem to stop to amaze me. What I really like about this show is that it has a fairly large cast of different personalities, and the characters were thoroughly fleshed out through flashbacks of their previous lives making the relationships they were building with other survivors more complex. Seeing these past lives show the viewers that these strangers have a certain connection in their pasts and that somehow led them all to the island.
The mystery of the island is all-together a different matter; it’s intriguing in its bizarreness – along with the creatures on it.
Can people really turn into savages when left to their elements? This show is just too reminiscent of the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, only that there are more challenges and the characters here are adults. Is man inherently tied to society, and without it, he would likely return to savagery?
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Teenage angst in the magical world
I’ve been giving way too much space for the latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so I guess let me finish it off by giving a thorough review of the movie. If you don’t read the books and only watch the films, please be warned that I’d be giving away major spoilers. If you read the books and want to be surprised when you watch the film, then by all means, don’t read this; because you are up for a series of spoilers. But fret not, it’s not like I’m going to give you a blow-by-blow account of what happens in the movie.
So here we go.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) just turned fourteen and he’s spending the last weeks of summer before his fourth year at Hogwarts with Hermione (Emma Watson) and the Weasley family; they went to one of the most awaited sporting event in the wizarding world, the Quidditch World Cup. In here, they get to meet the famous Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski)
and the Death Eaters (followers of Lord Voldemort), and for the first time in thirteen years, the dark mark is seen again. Before such incident, Harry’s scar had been hurting and had a dream of Voldemort inside an old house with his loyal minion Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) and pet snake, Nagini.
Peter Pettigrew? Yes, Ron’s (Rupert Grint) rat, that animagus (used to be a friend of Harry’s father) that escaped during that scuffle in Prisoner of Azkaban. (I’m going to discuss here something that was left out in film three.) Remember the map given to Harry on his third year? Weren’t you surprised that Professor Lupin knows that that bit of old parchment is a map? Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are friends and very much familiar with Remus Lupin (David Thewlis). Moony is Lupin, because – well – he’s a werewolf; Wormtail is Peter, of course, because he turns into a rat; Padfoot is Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who can turn into dog; and Prongs is Harry’s father, James, who has a stag for an animagus – stag is Harry’s patronus, ever noticed that?
Back to the fourth year, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) welcomes back the students and announces that there won’t be any Quidditch for the school year, but there’s going to be a Triwizard tournament instead. This is a very dangerous competition of three famous European wizarding schools and it will be held in Hogwarts, and – oh – students from the Beauxbaton Academy and Durmstrang Institute will be spending the whole year in Hogwarts. Just so you know, Beauxbaton isn’t an all-girls school, but in the movie the girls were so feminine that they fart butterflies (that’s from John Noe of Leaky Cauldron); Durmstrang isn’t an all-boys school either.
Though Harry and Ron wanted to enter the tournament, they can’t, because of the age limit, and besides it’s the Goblet who decides who’s going to represent each school. Like in the Harry Potter tradition during Halloween (first year, troll in the dungeons; second year, first attack of the basilisk; third year, Sirius Black enters the Gryffindor tower), a curious thing happened during the triwizard selection. After spitting the three names of the champions: Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattison) for Hogwarts, Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) for Beaubaxton, and Viktor Krum for Durmstrang, another parchment off-shoot from the goblet and Dumbledore shouts: Harry Potter!
This made Ron angry and jealous, of course, because Harry got in the limelight again; only Hermione believed that Harry did not voluntarily put his name in the cup, and was terribly worried for him. Someone is definitely rooting for Harry to die in the tournament, and so the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor “Mad-eye” Moody (Brendan Gleeson), was asked to keep an eye on Harry.
The movie’s backbone is the three tasks that the champions will to go through in the tournament. The first task is getting the golden egg from a fire-spewing dragon; the second task is diving into the Black Lake to rescue the “thing” they’re going to miss the most from the merpeople; and the last task is going though a maze of tall, vicious hedges with mini-tasks in each turn. In this final task, Harry was finally brought to face his nemesis, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), in his newly created body.
Interspersed with all this danger is another kind of daunting task Harry has to face – the opposite sex. The Yule Ball is at hand, yet our famous hero can’t find the courage to ask the pretty but older Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang (Katie Leung), whom he’s got a crush on since third year. On the other hand, Ron finally notices that Hermione is a girl, and who is getting the attention of the famous Quidditch player and triwizard champion, Krum. Though, Harry is pining for Cho, he spends most of his time with gal-pal Hermione, which led Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) to believe that there is something far deeper between these two than friendship.
This is the best Potter film, and Mike Newell (Four Weddings and A Funeral) did his job well – when Alfonso Cuaron transformed the franchise for the better (more artsy), Mike took it one step further. Steve Kloves did an amazing job in condensing the 700+ pages of the book into one amazing movie experience. Patrick Doyle contributed so much with the musical score keeping the theme started by John Williams and further enhanced with pop overlay. Five years since the release of the first Potter film, the three lead young actors have finally blossomed into their roles. Though we have already much of the Hogwarts grounds, viewers were treated with the all-new, beautiful owlery, and, of course, the vast sets for the world cup and the humongous maze.
Hard core book fans might grimace while watching the film, please remember that all the 700+ pages couldn’t be crammed into a two and a half hour film. Don’t fuss over the minutiae. Okay, you missed the Dursleys and seeing Dudley with a swollen tongue; or Winky, the whiny elf of the Crouch family; or Dobby the free elf, who helped Harry with the gillyweed and giving Harry socks for his Christmas present; or Hermione going on and on about the elves welfare; or the visit at a cave with Sirius Black and Buckbeak; or Bill Weasley meeting his future fiancé Fleur; or Mrs. Weasley worrying about the twins; or Percy Weasley being such a pompous ass; or the whole Quidditch game between Ireland and Bulgaria; or the magical creatures inside the maze.
There was never a dull moment or scene all throughout the movie; the first fifteen minutes of the film already covered more than one hundred and fifty pages of the book. The Dark Mark was awesome, both in the sky and in the Death Eaters’ forearms, only that Barty Crouch, Jr (David Tennant) conjured it late in the mayhem at the Quidditch cup; it was suppose to be during the attacks of the Death Eaters, which caused them to stop and scamper, and it was Harry’s wand that was used. One thing I miss though is hearing Fleur speak.
We don’t get to hear her say, “But evidently zair ‘as been a mistake. E cannot compete. ‘E is too young.” She was supposed to be arrogant and Hermione hates her. Or Krum, who only have two speaking lines: “You ‘av no right to be ‘ere, only the champions ‘r allowed inside the tent.”. I wish they showed how he’s having a hard time pronouncing Hermione’s name: “Vare is Herm-own-ninny?”
The first task was amazing; though it wasn’t in the book that the dragon’s chains snapped and that it chased Harry all over the Hogwarts’ grounds. You can tell from that scene that Harry was a goner, only that you know there are three more books to cover.
I love that they have given more thought on Neville’s (Matthew Lewis) plotline, and that spiel “Oh no, I killed Harry Potter!” was hilarious. The Patil twins looked okay, but I wish they look more gorgeous. In the movie, it was implied that they belong to the same house; Padma is actually a Ravenclaw. We also get to see the bookworm Hermione – finally! Hermione looked gorgeous at the Yule Ball, but hard-core fans were screaming that she’s wearing the wrong colour. She’s supposed to wear a periwinkle blue dress and Harry a bottle-green robe – colours of the house the sorting hat first thought of putting them in (Ravenclaw and Slytherin). 
Speaking of Slytherin, I love the ferret scene; I bet it will set off a thousand fanfictions. Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is turning to be such a suave; I wish we got to see him in his all-black outfit during the Yule Ball as a treat for all those fangirls.
The actress who played Cho Chang was chosen for her heavy Scottish accent, and you could see right through her that she got the hots for Harry. She looks so sweet and all, but if you read the books – well, we all know how a horrible person she could be (a human hosepipe). The underwater second task looked great. They made the bubblehead charm look chic, but the persons they have to rescue beneath the lake looked so unreal (obviously they used dummies). The merpeople looked scary and so are the grindylows. Even though I missed seeing Dobby giving Harry the gillyweed, it’s logical to replace him with Neville.
I wish they have given more depth to the fall-out between Harry and Ron, than just saying things like “You’re a great foul git, you know that!” I wanted to see Harry terribly angry at Ron’s jealousy that he threw a badge at Ron and wished him to get a scar of his own. We don’t get to see much how Ron was so jealous of Krum after the Yule Brawl that he ripped his Krum toy figure. Rupert Grint did a good job in this film, gone are his scared-yucky facial expressions, and his comic timing was spot-on. Speaking of comic, this is the humorous among the four films, though ominously dark.
Seeing Cedric’s character go inside the maze almost made my heart skip, and I finally broke down when Harry returned with his body after the graveyard incident. The return of Voldemort (pronounce it with a silent T please) was excellent. It was everything as I have imagined in the book – even how he looks like. One thing that bothered me was that You-Know-Who didn’t have a hard time making Harry bow down with the Imperius curse; but the Priori Incantatem phenomena was just as how I pictured it.
The Moody sub-plot was well presented; it was way too obvious for the book reader but a good surprise for those who only watch the films. Hmm, I wonder what’s he drinking from that flask, bet it’s not pumpkin juice. The Prefect’s bathroom scene was so hilarious, and for one moment I was scared for Daniel’s modesty. Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson) was so funny and she was close to making the film rated R18. 
We miss the kiss on Harry’s cheek from Hermione, though; but who cares? It’s not like they’re going to get together. Right now, even if I have a Harry loves Hermione bracelet, I’d root for Moaning Myrtle and Harry getting together. You know, Harry dying in the last book and he goes back to Hogwarts as a ghost and he and Myrtle spend most of their time at the bathroom – only that Myrtle is dating some boy now during Harry’s sixth year, that stuck-up snob. Whee! There's another dropped-out part wherein Krum comfronts Harry about Harry and Hermione's relationship, who cares? It doesn't matter; they're not gonna end up together, anyway.
Seeing Dumbledore saying to Harry that difficult times lie ahead for him almost made me cry one more time. Yes, Harry is up for more deaths. If Cedric’s death here can break you to pieces, wait for the coming death in the Order of the Phoenix and that other momentous one in the Half-Blood Prince.
Goblet of Fire was made to be a blockbuster movie and it is. I would love to watch it one more time in the theater and again and again in DVD.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask; I’d gladly clarify some things for you. I have more pictures, but if I post them all, you’ll be seeing the entire film.
So here we go.
Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) just turned fourteen and he’s spending the last weeks of summer before his fourth year at Hogwarts with Hermione (Emma Watson) and the Weasley family; they went to one of the most awaited sporting event in the wizarding world, the Quidditch World Cup. In here, they get to meet the famous Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski)
and the Death Eaters (followers of Lord Voldemort), and for the first time in thirteen years, the dark mark is seen again. Before such incident, Harry’s scar had been hurting and had a dream of Voldemort inside an old house with his loyal minion Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) and pet snake, Nagini.Peter Pettigrew? Yes, Ron’s (Rupert Grint) rat, that animagus (used to be a friend of Harry’s father) that escaped during that scuffle in Prisoner of Azkaban. (I’m going to discuss here something that was left out in film three.) Remember the map given to Harry on his third year? Weren’t you surprised that Professor Lupin knows that that bit of old parchment is a map? Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are friends and very much familiar with Remus Lupin (David Thewlis). Moony is Lupin, because – well – he’s a werewolf; Wormtail is Peter, of course, because he turns into a rat; Padfoot is Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who can turn into dog; and Prongs is Harry’s father, James, who has a stag for an animagus – stag is Harry’s patronus, ever noticed that?
Back to the fourth year, Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) welcomes back the students and announces that there won’t be any Quidditch for the school year, but there’s going to be a Triwizard tournament instead. This is a very dangerous competition of three famous European wizarding schools and it will be held in Hogwarts, and – oh – students from the Beauxbaton Academy and Durmstrang Institute will be spending the whole year in Hogwarts. Just so you know, Beauxbaton isn’t an all-girls school, but in the movie the girls were so feminine that they fart butterflies (that’s from John Noe of Leaky Cauldron); Durmstrang isn’t an all-boys school either.Though Harry and Ron wanted to enter the tournament, they can’t, because of the age limit, and besides it’s the Goblet who decides who’s going to represent each school. Like in the Harry Potter tradition during Halloween (first year, troll in the dungeons; second year, first attack of the basilisk; third year, Sirius Black enters the Gryffindor tower), a curious thing happened during the triwizard selection. After spitting the three names of the champions: Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattison) for Hogwarts, Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) for Beaubaxton, and Viktor Krum for Durmstrang, another parchment off-shoot from the goblet and Dumbledore shouts: Harry Potter!This made Ron angry and jealous, of course, because Harry got in the limelight again; only Hermione believed that Harry did not voluntarily put his name in the cup, and was terribly worried for him. Someone is definitely rooting for Harry to die in the tournament, and so the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Alastor “Mad-eye” Moody (Brendan Gleeson), was asked to keep an eye on Harry.
The movie’s backbone is the three tasks that the champions will to go through in the tournament. The first task is getting the golden egg from a fire-spewing dragon; the second task is diving into the Black Lake to rescue the “thing” they’re going to miss the most from the merpeople; and the last task is going though a maze of tall, vicious hedges with mini-tasks in each turn. In this final task, Harry was finally brought to face his nemesis, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), in his newly created body.
Interspersed with all this danger is another kind of daunting task Harry has to face – the opposite sex. The Yule Ball is at hand, yet our famous hero can’t find the courage to ask the pretty but older Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chang (Katie Leung), whom he’s got a crush on since third year. On the other hand, Ron finally notices that Hermione is a girl, and who is getting the attention of the famous Quidditch player and triwizard champion, Krum. Though, Harry is pining for Cho, he spends most of his time with gal-pal Hermione, which led Rita Skeeter (Miranda Richardson) to believe that there is something far deeper between these two than friendship.This is the best Potter film, and Mike Newell (Four Weddings and A Funeral) did his job well – when Alfonso Cuaron transformed the franchise for the better (more artsy), Mike took it one step further. Steve Kloves did an amazing job in condensing the 700+ pages of the book into one amazing movie experience. Patrick Doyle contributed so much with the musical score keeping the theme started by John Williams and further enhanced with pop overlay. Five years since the release of the first Potter film, the three lead young actors have finally blossomed into their roles. Though we have already much of the Hogwarts grounds, viewers were treated with the all-new, beautiful owlery, and, of course, the vast sets for the world cup and the humongous maze.Hard core book fans might grimace while watching the film, please remember that all the 700+ pages couldn’t be crammed into a two and a half hour film. Don’t fuss over the minutiae. Okay, you missed the Dursleys and seeing Dudley with a swollen tongue; or Winky, the whiny elf of the Crouch family; or Dobby the free elf, who helped Harry with the gillyweed and giving Harry socks for his Christmas present; or Hermione going on and on about the elves welfare; or the visit at a cave with Sirius Black and Buckbeak; or Bill Weasley meeting his future fiancé Fleur; or Mrs. Weasley worrying about the twins; or Percy Weasley being such a pompous ass; or the whole Quidditch game between Ireland and Bulgaria; or the magical creatures inside the maze.
There was never a dull moment or scene all throughout the movie; the first fifteen minutes of the film already covered more than one hundred and fifty pages of the book. The Dark Mark was awesome, both in the sky and in the Death Eaters’ forearms, only that Barty Crouch, Jr (David Tennant) conjured it late in the mayhem at the Quidditch cup; it was suppose to be during the attacks of the Death Eaters, which caused them to stop and scamper, and it was Harry’s wand that was used. One thing I miss though is hearing Fleur speak.
We don’t get to hear her say, “But evidently zair ‘as been a mistake. E cannot compete. ‘E is too young.” She was supposed to be arrogant and Hermione hates her. Or Krum, who only have two speaking lines: “You ‘av no right to be ‘ere, only the champions ‘r allowed inside the tent.”. I wish they showed how he’s having a hard time pronouncing Hermione’s name: “Vare is Herm-own-ninny?”The first task was amazing; though it wasn’t in the book that the dragon’s chains snapped and that it chased Harry all over the Hogwarts’ grounds. You can tell from that scene that Harry was a goner, only that you know there are three more books to cover.
I love that they have given more thought on Neville’s (Matthew Lewis) plotline, and that spiel “Oh no, I killed Harry Potter!” was hilarious. The Patil twins looked okay, but I wish they look more gorgeous. In the movie, it was implied that they belong to the same house; Padma is actually a Ravenclaw. We also get to see the bookworm Hermione – finally! Hermione looked gorgeous at the Yule Ball, but hard-core fans were screaming that she’s wearing the wrong colour. She’s supposed to wear a periwinkle blue dress and Harry a bottle-green robe – colours of the house the sorting hat first thought of putting them in (Ravenclaw and Slytherin). Speaking of Slytherin, I love the ferret scene; I bet it will set off a thousand fanfictions. Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is turning to be such a suave; I wish we got to see him in his all-black outfit during the Yule Ball as a treat for all those fangirls.The actress who played Cho Chang was chosen for her heavy Scottish accent, and you could see right through her that she got the hots for Harry. She looks so sweet and all, but if you read the books – well, we all know how a horrible person she could be (a human hosepipe). The underwater second task looked great. They made the bubblehead charm look chic, but the persons they have to rescue beneath the lake looked so unreal (obviously they used dummies). The merpeople looked scary and so are the grindylows. Even though I missed seeing Dobby giving Harry the gillyweed, it’s logical to replace him with Neville.
I wish they have given more depth to the fall-out between Harry and Ron, than just saying things like “You’re a great foul git, you know that!” I wanted to see Harry terribly angry at Ron’s jealousy that he threw a badge at Ron and wished him to get a scar of his own. We don’t get to see much how Ron was so jealous of Krum after the Yule Brawl that he ripped his Krum toy figure. Rupert Grint did a good job in this film, gone are his scared-yucky facial expressions, and his comic timing was spot-on. Speaking of comic, this is the humorous among the four films, though ominously dark.
Seeing Cedric’s character go inside the maze almost made my heart skip, and I finally broke down when Harry returned with his body after the graveyard incident. The return of Voldemort (pronounce it with a silent T please) was excellent. It was everything as I have imagined in the book – even how he looks like. One thing that bothered me was that You-Know-Who didn’t have a hard time making Harry bow down with the Imperius curse; but the Priori Incantatem phenomena was just as how I pictured it.
The Moody sub-plot was well presented; it was way too obvious for the book reader but a good surprise for those who only watch the films. Hmm, I wonder what’s he drinking from that flask, bet it’s not pumpkin juice. The Prefect’s bathroom scene was so hilarious, and for one moment I was scared for Daniel’s modesty. Moaning Myrtle (Shirley Henderson) was so funny and she was close to making the film rated R18. We miss the kiss on Harry’s cheek from Hermione, though; but who cares? It’s not like they’re going to get together. Right now, even if I have a Harry loves Hermione bracelet, I’d root for Moaning Myrtle and Harry getting together. You know, Harry dying in the last book and he goes back to Hogwarts as a ghost and he and Myrtle spend most of their time at the bathroom – only that Myrtle is dating some boy now during Harry’s sixth year, that stuck-up snob. Whee! There's another dropped-out part wherein Krum comfronts Harry about Harry and Hermione's relationship, who cares? It doesn't matter; they're not gonna end up together, anyway.Seeing Dumbledore saying to Harry that difficult times lie ahead for him almost made me cry one more time. Yes, Harry is up for more deaths. If Cedric’s death here can break you to pieces, wait for the coming death in the Order of the Phoenix and that other momentous one in the Half-Blood Prince.
Goblet of Fire was made to be a blockbuster movie and it is. I would love to watch it one more time in the theater and again and again in DVD.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask; I’d gladly clarify some things for you. I have more pictures, but if I post them all, you’ll be seeing the entire film.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Here comes the dragon!
One more day to go and you could finally watch the Goblet of Fire. Actually, I'm going to watch it tonight, and I'm pretty excited. Hard core fans, who have seen the premiere in London and New York, are saying that "hands down, the best Potter movie yet." Okay, It was Mr. Mugglenet – Emerson Sparks – who said that.
You'll get my review soon – like tomorrow.
You'll get my review soon – like tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Tell me where it hurts
Herman scheduled us last night for an hour of full body massage. I haven’t had a full body massage for years, so I was pretty excited to have an hour lying in bed and a masseuse kneading my flesh. So I laid face-down in bed and placed my head right smack into that hole; then a thought came to me. Why can’t they put a mini-video screen below that bed? It can be pretty boring just staring at the floor beneath you; luckily my masseuse got nice toes.
Forty dollars down the drain and my whole body now aches.
Forty dollars down the drain and my whole body now aches.
Monday, November 14, 2005
It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air
Christmas is in the air – in our house, that is. We already finished putting all the trimmings in our Christmas tree; and I have already completed wrapping up all the presents for kids. I feel so proud of myself! Only gifts left to shop for are for adults and for the kris-kringles.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Parcel for you, Mr. Weasley
Parents these days may be wondering if it’s okay to bring their children to the theater to watch the latest Harry Potter film. Seeing the trailers in the local network, TV mobile, and even in the MRT, one knows that the movie has its shares of intense moments – not to mention that it is rated PG13, unlike the previous three.
Keep in mind that Harry is getting older and as the story progresses it becomes more sophisticated – the magic and fantasy moments intensifies. The older he gets, the greater the challenges become; more tragic things to overcome. So some old-fashion common sense is needed on deciding whether your child is ready for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
I know mine isn’t; he’s even scared of the full trailer. Though he didn’t freaked out inside the theater when he saw it shown during the Batman flick; he could probably go through with it when the DVD version comes.
Although, here’s one clip from the film he loves to watch over and over again – probably forty times the least. I can’t still point out which part he likes the most: Ginny saying “I’m not wearing that. It’s ghastly!” or Hermione giggling.
Keep in mind that Harry is getting older and as the story progresses it becomes more sophisticated – the magic and fantasy moments intensifies. The older he gets, the greater the challenges become; more tragic things to overcome. So some old-fashion common sense is needed on deciding whether your child is ready for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
I know mine isn’t; he’s even scared of the full trailer. Though he didn’t freaked out inside the theater when he saw it shown during the Batman flick; he could probably go through with it when the DVD version comes.Although, here’s one clip from the film he loves to watch over and over again – probably forty times the least. I can’t still point out which part he likes the most: Ginny saying “I’m not wearing that. It’s ghastly!” or Hermione giggling.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The mettle of a hero
The eagles! The eagles are coming!
Ooops! Wrong movie; maybe even the wrong book. Oh shite! It’s the wrong series.
The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire mania, the fourth book to be made into film, is up in high gear. Its worldwide release is on the 17th of November. The world premiere, which was held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London last November 6, was a huge success. It’s had its French premiere last Tuesday, November 8, and the US premiere will follow on Saturday, November 12 at Ziegfeld Theater in New York. Critics have said that this is the best Potter movie yet.
The film is rated PG13 for some frightening scenes – well, there’s at least two murders in the book. Like I’ve said before, the books are getting darker and darker, and definitely we’ll expect the films to follow suit. The production team faced a daunting task of putting a huge book (600+ pages) into one compact, interesting movie – not to mention that this is considered to be one of the favourites among fans.
The Goblet of Fire is one of my favourite HP books – probably second on the list. Considering that this is the middle book in the series, everything that happened in here changed the world of Harry Potter upside down. This is the arc, the turning point, the slingshot, and the ominous thing that makes one feel that difficult times lie ahead. This is the book wherein Harry finally became the hero, for in this year he had gone through tests that measured his worth.
So what would one expect from this film? Viewers will be given one thriller ride of dragons, underwater tasks, duels, Quidditch world cup, deceptions, murder and hormonal urges.
Here’s a low-down of what you’ll miss:
1. Dobby the house-elf from Chamber of Secrets and the new “she” elf Winky
2. The Dursleys (that family Harry stays with during the summer)
3. The House-Elf Liberation Front or SPEW
4. Sirius Black as Padfoot (the dog) – though you’ll get a sight of him like a molten lava
5. The other Weasley brothers (Bill, Charlie and Percy)
And here’s what you should look forward to:
1. Quidditch World Cup
2. The Hungarian-tail dragon
3. Harry in a bath-tub with Moaning Myrtle
4. Harry swimming like a fish
5. The Yule Ball (Hermione’s transformation)
6. The Yule Brawl
7. Harry asking out a girl
8. Hagrid falling in love (yucks!)
9. Voldemort (He Who Must Not Be Named)
Get you tickets now! I know I bought mine for the digital experience on the 16th. Yes, you got that right – a day earlier than the release.
As for the first line... Peter Jackson, when do you plan on working on The Hobbit? I miss Middle-earth.
Ooops! Wrong movie; maybe even the wrong book. Oh shite! It’s the wrong series.
The Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire mania, the fourth book to be made into film, is up in high gear. Its worldwide release is on the 17th of November. The world premiere, which was held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London last November 6, was a huge success. It’s had its French premiere last Tuesday, November 8, and the US premiere will follow on Saturday, November 12 at Ziegfeld Theater in New York. Critics have said that this is the best Potter movie yet.
The film is rated PG13 for some frightening scenes – well, there’s at least two murders in the book. Like I’ve said before, the books are getting darker and darker, and definitely we’ll expect the films to follow suit. The production team faced a daunting task of putting a huge book (600+ pages) into one compact, interesting movie – not to mention that this is considered to be one of the favourites among fans.The Goblet of Fire is one of my favourite HP books – probably second on the list. Considering that this is the middle book in the series, everything that happened in here changed the world of Harry Potter upside down. This is the arc, the turning point, the slingshot, and the ominous thing that makes one feel that difficult times lie ahead. This is the book wherein Harry finally became the hero, for in this year he had gone through tests that measured his worth.
So what would one expect from this film? Viewers will be given one thriller ride of dragons, underwater tasks, duels, Quidditch world cup, deceptions, murder and hormonal urges.
Here’s a low-down of what you’ll miss:
1. Dobby the house-elf from Chamber of Secrets and the new “she” elf Winky
2. The Dursleys (that family Harry stays with during the summer)
3. The House-Elf Liberation Front or SPEW
4. Sirius Black as Padfoot (the dog) – though you’ll get a sight of him like a molten lava
5. The other Weasley brothers (Bill, Charlie and Percy)
And here’s what you should look forward to:
1. Quidditch World Cup
2. The Hungarian-tail dragon
3. Harry in a bath-tub with Moaning Myrtle
4. Harry swimming like a fish
5. The Yule Ball (Hermione’s transformation)
6. The Yule Brawl
7. Harry asking out a girl
8. Hagrid falling in love (yucks!)
9. Voldemort (He Who Must Not Be Named)
Get you tickets now! I know I bought mine for the digital experience on the 16th. Yes, you got that right – a day earlier than the release.
As for the first line... Peter Jackson, when do you plan on working on The Hobbit? I miss Middle-earth.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Pabaon sa Paglisan
Don’t you just hate it when one member of your team is about to leave, and your boss comes to tell you that you have to handle some of the jobs of that person leaving? Life sucks! You’re already juggling between projects, and here comes another wherein you know nothing at all. I’ve been there one, too many times, and I know one friend who’s about to go through with it. Here’s what I have got to say to Kuya Gorgeous, “Don’t fret! DiDi will be there to help you, for sure. Bwahahahaha!”
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Zoned Out
I’ve been gone ages, haven’t I? Things were pretty much hectic on all fronts that I haven’t got the time to really think things over (yeah, right, like I do that!). What have I been up to lately? Nothing much, just read a few books, and I’m still recovering from a few sick days that really pushed me to stay in bed (Don’t you love being under medication? Everything is a blur.)
I finished a complete re-read of the Half-Blood Prince (if I haven’t mentioned that yet). Well, I’ve finally appreciated how wonderful the story is. It may not be one of my favourites, but it is way up there. There’s just many questions answered, but there are still new ones raised.
I’ve started reading C. S, Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia; well, because the movie is opening on December and partly out of curiosity because the Harry Potter books are pretty much compared to this series. I read them not in the order the books were published, but according to the author’s preferred order – in chronological sequence of events. I’ve already finished The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, and only got a few chapters left in Prince Caspian; three books more to tackle, that is. I completely understood now why the religious people laud about these works – right from the first book published, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. We’ll see if it is pretty much obvious in the film adaptation.
It was a different world but totally not far from the worlds of Tolkien and Rowling – all riddled with witchcraft and sorcery, magic and pure evil; although in Narnia, I don’t think the White Witch Jadis is something you can compare to Lord Voldemort or Sauron or Morgoth.
The characters in Narnia aren’t truly drawn out – bet the filmmakers are going to have a hard time – they were there like pawns for a brief moment of time in the land not leaving much of an scratch on the reader’s mind. Not so much as the characters in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, wherein they shape the story and the geography of the place. Lewis’ world is parallel to our world today (maybe in the 1950s) – in a different plane; whereas, Tolkien’s is somewhat ancient – like the reader could feel that these may be the stories of his predecessors (far, far away but possible).
Not that I am saying that Narnia is not any good; it may not just have reached the level of what I am expecting from it. It is, after all, children’s books. Maybe if I read it before I read Tolkien’s works, then I could have appreciated it in more. But hey! I haven’t finished the whole series yet – so I’m still hoping for some redemption in the next three books.
Books can mean anything the reader would want them to be. When one sits down to read a book, somewhere in his mind he had an idea of ‘what kind of book he is holding’, and that affects his reading of it. All books are complicated things: muttering to the readers in different contradictory voices, refusing to stay the same when we go back to them; tying them down robs them of their magic.
I finished a complete re-read of the Half-Blood Prince (if I haven’t mentioned that yet). Well, I’ve finally appreciated how wonderful the story is. It may not be one of my favourites, but it is way up there. There’s just many questions answered, but there are still new ones raised.
I’ve started reading C. S, Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia; well, because the movie is opening on December and partly out of curiosity because the Harry Potter books are pretty much compared to this series. I read them not in the order the books were published, but according to the author’s preferred order – in chronological sequence of events. I’ve already finished The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, and only got a few chapters left in Prince Caspian; three books more to tackle, that is. I completely understood now why the religious people laud about these works – right from the first book published, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. We’ll see if it is pretty much obvious in the film adaptation.It was a different world but totally not far from the worlds of Tolkien and Rowling – all riddled with witchcraft and sorcery, magic and pure evil; although in Narnia, I don’t think the White Witch Jadis is something you can compare to Lord Voldemort or Sauron or Morgoth.
The characters in Narnia aren’t truly drawn out – bet the filmmakers are going to have a hard time – they were there like pawns for a brief moment of time in the land not leaving much of an scratch on the reader’s mind. Not so much as the characters in Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, wherein they shape the story and the geography of the place. Lewis’ world is parallel to our world today (maybe in the 1950s) – in a different plane; whereas, Tolkien’s is somewhat ancient – like the reader could feel that these may be the stories of his predecessors (far, far away but possible).
Not that I am saying that Narnia is not any good; it may not just have reached the level of what I am expecting from it. It is, after all, children’s books. Maybe if I read it before I read Tolkien’s works, then I could have appreciated it in more. But hey! I haven’t finished the whole series yet – so I’m still hoping for some redemption in the next three books.
Books can mean anything the reader would want them to be. When one sits down to read a book, somewhere in his mind he had an idea of ‘what kind of book he is holding’, and that affects his reading of it. All books are complicated things: muttering to the readers in different contradictory voices, refusing to stay the same when we go back to them; tying them down robs them of their magic.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The biggest problem: getting to work
We are born; we study; we work for almost half a century; we retire and get our pension; after a couple of years or three, we die. That’s how mundane one’s description of life is. I got that from one episode of The Office (British edition).
People at work come and go; some workers even find it hard to leave that one place that has nurtured them because of the friendships they had established. And so they make such passionate resignation letters telling their immediate bosses how much have learned throughout their stay in the company, or how sorry they are to leave the firm were it not for the HUGE offer they got, or yada-yada-yada.
What do you get in return? Not even a thank you after years of making use of your brain. Days before your very last day, they might invite you for a lunch-out with the whole team at some posh all-you-eat diner or a sad get together in the conference room with some buckets of KFC chicken.
Work as if you were to live a hundred years. Pray as if you were to die tomorrow. – Benjamin Franklin
People at work come and go; some workers even find it hard to leave that one place that has nurtured them because of the friendships they had established. And so they make such passionate resignation letters telling their immediate bosses how much have learned throughout their stay in the company, or how sorry they are to leave the firm were it not for the HUGE offer they got, or yada-yada-yada.
What do you get in return? Not even a thank you after years of making use of your brain. Days before your very last day, they might invite you for a lunch-out with the whole team at some posh all-you-eat diner or a sad get together in the conference room with some buckets of KFC chicken.
Work as if you were to live a hundred years. Pray as if you were to die tomorrow. – Benjamin Franklin
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich
Does one’s religion really matter? I just heard (catching up on previous shows) the podcast of Father Roderick covering the faith of Batman because the question on what was Batman’s religion – whether a Catholic or Buddist or Episcopalian – was raised in the forums of his site.
Sometimes – most actually – religion is the root of fighting between tribes, between factions, between countries; it was shoving each other’s beliefs down each other’s throat. Maybe it doesn’t really matter which religion you adhere to but what matters is that you have a belief in something – that there is an omnipotent, omniscient being that one has to answer to at the end of all things. People might call that being in different names: Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Yahweh or Jehovah; that being still is a God. We all die anyway, and there’s a fifty percent chance that we are either right or wrong.
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is. – Albert Camus
Sometimes – most actually – religion is the root of fighting between tribes, between factions, between countries; it was shoving each other’s beliefs down each other’s throat. Maybe it doesn’t really matter which religion you adhere to but what matters is that you have a belief in something – that there is an omnipotent, omniscient being that one has to answer to at the end of all things. People might call that being in different names: Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Yahweh or Jehovah; that being still is a God. We all die anyway, and there’s a fifty percent chance that we are either right or wrong.
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is. – Albert Camus
Monday, October 10, 2005
Spiritual Chic
I just stumbled upon the hippest priest on the planet these days. I wasn’t in search of some religious awakening – more like looking for more Harry Potter related podcasts to subscribe to. Yes, Virginia, couldn’t even believe myself that Harry Potter would lead me back to Christ. I recently subscribed to “The Secrets of Harry Potter” and was surprised to hear that it was produced and hosted by Father Roderick Vonhögen; it wasn’t even his only podcast. Father Roderick started podcasting (Catholic Insider) shortly after Pope John Paul II became ill before his death. His third podcast is The Star Wars Chronicles; now, isn’t that cool?The Secrets of Harry Potter podcast explores the ancient themes imbedded in the book series and gives spiritual insights about them; on the other hand, The Star Wars Chronicles is a podcast that takes you to the galaxy far, far away where Anakin wields his lightsaber and discover the religious themes beneath the saga. As for the Catholic Insider, it tackles pop-culture and non-Catholics could even subscribe, too. It, likewise, features audio tours inside a church or even spending an afternoon in Rome.
In his latest episode of The Secrets of Harry Potter, Father Roderick discussed the one thing that the Daily Prophet (newspaper in HP magical world), Yoda, some people in the Matrix and John the Baptist have in common. He is bringing the gospel to the youth and I admire him for that – associating the gospel with pop-culture is the better way to introduce to youngsters the word of God.
Oh, you can also turn your portable mediaplayer into a PSP (Praystation Portable); by subscribing, you can download a daily morning and evening prayer.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
A Journey of Faith
We went to a special exhibit in the Asian Civilisations Museum on Empress Place; it is a collection of historical artworks from the Vatican. What is amazing about our little culture trip, was that not only were we treated with Catholic heritage but also of different religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.
It isn’t a huge collection, but visitors were gifted with works of some famous painters such as Raphael, Veronese and Guido Reni. One would get to see the lavishness of the Papal garbs and articles.
The exhibit followed the journey of Christianism: from the travels of Peter and Paul until it reaches the shores of Singapore. There were artifacts from the early Christian catacombs; the role of Constantine the Great and his mother, Helena, in the building of the Church was highlighted; and the series of architectural plans for construction of St. Peter’s Basilica was displayed.
I saw a few relics from the Philippines (highlighted as the only country in Southeast Asia with the high percentage of Christian population) – santo or puon in our dialect. One thing I’ve noticed in a couple of those statues was their noses, and that gave me an idea that they were indeed at least a century old. It was mentioned in one of my Theology classes that one would notice a butchered or smashed up nose of old religious statues in our country. How is that so? It was part of the Philippine revolution.
We all know that Christianity was brought in our shores by the westerners – Spaniards, to be precise. In our indoctrination, we were introduced to images of saints with thin noses – far from the flat nose of an indio. After three hundred years of colonization and being under the clutches of oppressive padres, the revolutionary people fought for their freedom, and smashed the high noses of the symbols inside their church and houses for they so much remind the people of the colonizers.
My grandmother had a statue of the Virgin Mary in her own room. It was quite old, as she said that she was still a young girl when it was given to her; though, she’s not sure how old. Its nose was chipped, but I’m not sure if it was as old as Bonifacio; for all we know, it could have been knocked off by a strong gust of wind and fell flat on its nose.
It isn’t a huge collection, but visitors were gifted with works of some famous painters such as Raphael, Veronese and Guido Reni. One would get to see the lavishness of the Papal garbs and articles.The exhibit followed the journey of Christianism: from the travels of Peter and Paul until it reaches the shores of Singapore. There were artifacts from the early Christian catacombs; the role of Constantine the Great and his mother, Helena, in the building of the Church was highlighted; and the series of architectural plans for construction of St. Peter’s Basilica was displayed.
I saw a few relics from the Philippines (highlighted as the only country in Southeast Asia with the high percentage of Christian population) – santo or puon in our dialect. One thing I’ve noticed in a couple of those statues was their noses, and that gave me an idea that they were indeed at least a century old. It was mentioned in one of my Theology classes that one would notice a butchered or smashed up nose of old religious statues in our country. How is that so? It was part of the Philippine revolution.
We all know that Christianity was brought in our shores by the westerners – Spaniards, to be precise. In our indoctrination, we were introduced to images of saints with thin noses – far from the flat nose of an indio. After three hundred years of colonization and being under the clutches of oppressive padres, the revolutionary people fought for their freedom, and smashed the high noses of the symbols inside their church and houses for they so much remind the people of the colonizers.
My grandmother had a statue of the Virgin Mary in her own room. It was quite old, as she said that she was still a young girl when it was given to her; though, she’s not sure how old. Its nose was chipped, but I’m not sure if it was as old as Bonifacio; for all we know, it could have been knocked off by a strong gust of wind and fell flat on its nose.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
You went away but haven’t bidden me goodbye
You were my ally – my calming voice amidst the heavy thunderstorms, my steady hand when the world shook, my guiding hand in the middle of the deep blue sea, above all you were my rock. Never have it occurred to me that you would leave me that early; I was hoping for more years of adventures with you. Yet life can play its silly tricks on us and whisked you away.
You were gone in an instant, all alone inside your car just a few steps away from the hospital doors. Why must you leave us without bidding your goodbye? Why must you leave by your lonesome when we were always there for each other at most times? Maybe you don’t want us to see your suffering or your countenance when the realization hits you that that was the end.
You don’t like seeing me cry but I can’t stop the tears flowing from my eyes. I felt cheated. We were cheated of a life filled with more promise. You were a great man – a man of God and a man of the people, a man of great courage and intelligence, and a man of conviction and integrity. You were taken when there were others who deserve death earlier than you did. But who am I to judge who should go and who should stay? Maybe that’s the reason for your leaving early on, that you legacy shall forever be untarnished.
Like what I have said before: “We shall meet again.” No goodbyes for us.
Today is a special day for my family: though this is one day wherein we could never feel simply being happy or sad. My brother is celebrating his 29th birthday, while we are also commemorating the 14 years of our Dad’s passing.
You were gone in an instant, all alone inside your car just a few steps away from the hospital doors. Why must you leave us without bidding your goodbye? Why must you leave by your lonesome when we were always there for each other at most times? Maybe you don’t want us to see your suffering or your countenance when the realization hits you that that was the end.
You don’t like seeing me cry but I can’t stop the tears flowing from my eyes. I felt cheated. We were cheated of a life filled with more promise. You were a great man – a man of God and a man of the people, a man of great courage and intelligence, and a man of conviction and integrity. You were taken when there were others who deserve death earlier than you did. But who am I to judge who should go and who should stay? Maybe that’s the reason for your leaving early on, that you legacy shall forever be untarnished.
Like what I have said before: “We shall meet again.” No goodbyes for us.
Today is a special day for my family: though this is one day wherein we could never feel simply being happy or sad. My brother is celebrating his 29th birthday, while we are also commemorating the 14 years of our Dad’s passing.
Monday, October 03, 2005
By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day
Ten years ago, on the first Monday of October, I started my life of a working-class citizen. Yes, Virginia, I’ve been slaving it out for ten years now – a decade of paddling, yet I feel like I’m getting nowhere. Vigorous thrashing and waddling brought me to Singapore, after working for four years and nine months in PhilamPlans; since then I’ve worked in three banks.
Today, another Filipino analyst/programmer in our area left UOB to join yet another bank. We call him Manong Ric, though he looks far from being old (babyhead face nga, eh), and in his farewell email he spoke of following one’s “personal legend”. This made me think and question myself: “What is my personal myth?” To be a mother and a wife with a little career on the side?
Back when I was a child, when asked what I would want to be when I grow up, I never really had a definite answer – sometimes I wanted to be a teacher like my Mom, sometimes I thought being an Engineer like my Dad was cool, sometimes I get mesmerized with the brilliance of a doctor, or sometimes I’d simply whisper that I wanted to be an entertainer. I may be a child of the current – one that is following the flow or waiting where the water would take me; but I endure.
As for my personal legend, I don’t have one yet and maybe it’s time to start making one; through that, I might find the true meaning of happiness and of fulfillment.
Today, another Filipino analyst/programmer in our area left UOB to join yet another bank. We call him Manong Ric, though he looks far from being old (baby
Back when I was a child, when asked what I would want to be when I grow up, I never really had a definite answer – sometimes I wanted to be a teacher like my Mom, sometimes I thought being an Engineer like my Dad was cool, sometimes I get mesmerized with the brilliance of a doctor, or sometimes I’d simply whisper that I wanted to be an entertainer. I may be a child of the current – one that is following the flow or waiting where the water would take me; but I endure.
As for my personal legend, I don’t have one yet and maybe it’s time to start making one; through that, I might find the true meaning of happiness and of fulfillment.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Shattered
You have been dreading this day to come, but you knew all along that it was looming up ahead. No matter how much you’ve tried to avoid for you two to be in this situation, current circumstances had pushed you forward, unprepared. So, you approach her as she waits for you in your favorite bench, and gives you an unnerving smile; you shudder at the thought of what you are about to do.
You hold her hand and finally say: “I’m sorry to end this relationship, but I don’t want to hurt you in the long run.” You stop and wait for her to react violently; she blinks and stares back at you. And so you continued. “You will meet someone better than me.”
She sighs, taps your hand, and says, “I know.”
You hold her hand and finally say: “I’m sorry to end this relationship, but I don’t want to hurt you in the long run.” You stop and wait for her to react violently; she blinks and stares back at you. And so you continued. “You will meet someone better than me.”
She sighs, taps your hand, and says, “I know.”
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture
This week (24 Sept – 01 Oct) is Banned Books Week; it’s mission is to emphasize the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. Banned Books Week is observed during the last week of September every year since 1982, and was started by the American Library Association, the oldest and largest library organization in the world. Most books featured during this week aren’t really “banned” but merely “challenged”. They were target for attempted bannings, but most of them were not banned, due to the efforts of librarians. Books are challenged with the intention to protect others – mostly children – from difficult ideas and information; these are the top three reasons for challenging materials are that they tend to be sexually explicit, contain offensive language, or unsuited to a certain age group.
Frequently challenged books includes:
- Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
- Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
- Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
- Forever by Judy Blume
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- Carrie by Stephen King
Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody reads. – George Bernard Shaw
Monday, September 26, 2005
Tripping on a rock while walking down the memory lane
I had a huge smile on my face this morning after I opened an email from an old classmate; okay it wasn’t just a huge smile, I was practically crying from too much laughing. My good friend took the time to scan through an old slumbook (or autograph book), and picked-up the best definitions of what love is for a sixth grader (copied word-for-word).
Here’s my very own entry: "Love exist in our heart." I can’t believe that I am that clueless back then. Here are a few more, but I’m going to withhold their names. If you are an alumnus or alumna (just to be safe for those who object to masculine forms) of Divine Word College – San Jose, Occ Mindoro, you’d get to know who they are if you join our yahoo group and you will also be directed to our forum.
Aaa said:
"Love is surrounded by water, which no one can enter except your lover"
Jjj said:
"The measure of love is love without measure"
Rrr said:
"Love is part of your life"
Ddd said:
"Love is an imitating of two person, two heart enchange"
Vvv said:
"Love is like an hamburger that has everything on it"
Ooo said:
"Love is the way to be married and the hearts are tied together"
Ttt said:
"Love is a feeling when you eat a banana"
Now, don’t come to me asking why you didn’t felt anything anywhere near being in-love after eating a banana, because I will simply tell you that it all depends whether it’s a Filipina banana or a Filipino banana.
How I wish now that I had a slumbook of my own then, and asked my classmates to write on it, too. That piece of ragtag notebook could be priceless today! One thing I do remember is that my favorite motto was “What is beauty if the brain is empty?”
Now come to think of it, isn’t that a maxim of a nerdy girl who isn’t pretty?
Here’s my very own entry: "Love exist in our heart." I can’t believe that I am that clueless back then. Here are a few more, but I’m going to withhold their names. If you are an alumnus or alumna (just to be safe for those who object to masculine forms) of Divine Word College – San Jose, Occ Mindoro, you’d get to know who they are if you join our yahoo group and you will also be directed to our forum.
Aaa said:
"Love is surrounded by water, which no one can enter except your lover"
Jjj said:
"The measure of love is love without measure"
Rrr said:
"Love is part of your life"
Ddd said:
"Love is an imitating of two person, two heart enchange"
Vvv said:
"Love is like an hamburger that has everything on it"
Ooo said:
"Love is the way to be married and the hearts are tied together"
Ttt said:
"Love is a feeling when you eat a banana"
Now, don’t come to me asking why you didn’t felt anything anywhere near being in-love after eating a banana, because I will simply tell you that it all depends whether it’s a Filipina banana or a Filipino banana.
How I wish now that I had a slumbook of my own then, and asked my classmates to write on it, too. That piece of ragtag notebook could be priceless today! One thing I do remember is that my favorite motto was “What is beauty if the brain is empty?”
Now come to think of it, isn’t that a maxim of a nerdy girl who isn’t pretty?
Friday, September 23, 2005
Blowing butterfly kisses to the wind
My little son, Josh, would accompany me every morning of a workday to the bus stop near our condominium. I would normally give him a kiss on his chubby cheeks before I go, but yesterday morning he did something he has never done before. He tugged my hand and told me, “Mommy, kiss.” So I obliged by hunching forward to his level and let him give a kiss on my cheek. I melted into a puddle of goo. Not that he hasn’t kissed me before, but it was because that’s the first time he initiated one in public.
I’ll still have, probably, two years of those unabashed kisses, then it’ll be, “Not here, Mom!” or “I’m a big boy now.”
On second note, international posters of the latest Harry Potter film are out now and they look awesome!
I’ll still have, probably, two years of those unabashed kisses, then it’ll be, “Not here, Mom!” or “I’m a big boy now.”
On second note, international posters of the latest Harry Potter film are out now and they look awesome!
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