Sunday, December 30, 2007

New Year’s Resolutions

Yes, another year is ending. And everyone's up making their new year's resolutions already... or are they? Well, like I said in my previous post about resolutions, we can make them any day of the year. And I'd like to call it reassessment, since most of us make the same resolutions every year (right?). My only wish is that I get closer to my goals every time... and 2007 for me was a good start. I'll just have to continue these resolutions for the next year:
  • eat less junk food (gotta!)

  • exercise at least twice a week (I'm getting there)

  • learn or relearn the following: guitar, Photoshop, photography, video editing, Spanish (just wishful thinking), Math, tennis (please! anyone?) and

  • (this is the hardest) think before you speak (in other words, zip! I used to be good on this one when I was a kid. Why not now?)


Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Outsourcing Disadvantages

Check out this news article about the costs of working in outsourcing companies, or BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing).

India's outsourcing industry faces growing health problems, from obesity to depression

These are the results of a survey in India, but I'm sure it can be applied to the Philippines. It's true that the long term benefits for employees of these companies (I think home-based workers like me are not excluded) are just not good. In the long run, your health will be your investment. What would happen to us if we're already not fit to work in our 30s? I tried this graveyard shift (from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.) and it just does me no good. They mentioned my health enemies: "facing sleep disorders, heart disease, depression and family discord". Add to that my ever growing eyesight problem...

Waaaahhh! I need to think...

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas!!!

To all who love movies, music, the arts, anime, books, books and more books, Merry Christmas!!! Hope you have a blessed one with your families. Peace!

P.S. And those who love Math, Maayong Pasko! (Merry Christmas!)

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Amazon purchased The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the BardAmazon has purchased J.K. Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard at an auction held by Sotheby’s in London.

You can read Amazon's reviews and summaries of the five stories in the handwritten book in their web site. Here's the link: http://amazon.com/beedlebard 

Photos of the book are also shown. Have a great read!!

The Dark Knight Trailer is out!!! 

Alright! The full length trailer is finally out!! Two days ago I watched this six-minute clip from Youtube entitled My Safari Trip To Antartica when it actually was the first six minutes (I think) of The Dark Knight. And the comments were hilarious. They all said something like "What a great trip!", "I want to go there!" LOL. Well, the video's deleted now. =)

See Heath Ledger's Joker in action!!!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Great Talents: Charice, Arnel and Emile

First I'll post my new discoveries of Filipino talents. (I love my own LOL)

Filipinos are known for their love of music. Hence a lot of us (ehem) can sing. And a good number have excellent singing voices. I just found out that 15-year old Filipina Charice Pempengco is making waves in Korea, the United States and the world. Was it just recently that she was a finalist in Little Big Star? Maybe this is the prize for not winning that contest. Search for her in youtube and you'll find several videos of her performances. She also came out as a guest in the Ellen DeGeneres show last December 18.

Then after that big discovery, lo and behold, another big one popped up. Cover band The Zoo singer Arnel Pineda was just hired to be the new lead vocalist of The Journey. Now isn't that cool or what? Just like how Ellen discovered Charice, Arnel was discovered by Journey via cover videos of Journey songs posted on Youtube. Wow, the world is really getting smaller...

Emile HirschEmile Hirsch

Emile Hirsch, whom I just recently saw in the movie Lords of Dogtown, was nominated for a best actor SAG award for his work in Into the Wild. Although he wasn't nominated for a Golden Globe, the SAG's choices supposedly have more chances of being nominated for an Oscar. Let's hope Emile gets an Oscar nod. And let's hope the cinemas here get to show that film.

If you haven't seen any of his movies yet, go find one. People say he's got the intensity of Leo and/or River Phoenix (looks like them, too), which you will eventually observe. It's hard to find a good actor his age these days. (I would like to mention he reminds me of Whitfield Crane, Ugly Kid Joe's vocalist.)

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P.S. Quentin Tarantino wore a barong Tagalog in Golden Globe's nomination night. Astig! Hahaha really, really makes me proud!!!

Peter Jackson to produce 'The Hobbit'

New Line Cinema and MGM Studios have announced that they have reached an agreement with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh to executive produce a film version of 'The Hobbit'. A director has yet to be named, but it has been confirmed that there will be two films, shot simultaneously: 'The Hobbit' and a sequel; filming is expected to begin in 2009, with the films slated to be released in 2010 and 2011 respectively. It was also announced that the legal dispute between Jackson and New Line over earnings from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which had put Jackson's involvement with the project in doubt, has been resolved. Read more at the Official Hobbit Movie Blog.

Source: Council of Elrond

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince sneak peek

I can't wait!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Songza: Music Search Engine

Another music site to love! Songza is the most hassle-free music search and play site out in the web. From what I've explored, there's no need to sign up that's why it's so convenient. Like Pandora, it saves a playlist by computer. However, I think you can only make one playlist.

It loads fast and has several functions to share the music. You can email it to a friend, link to the song, embed it on your website, and watch a corresponding video linked to Youtube! Very convenient eh?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The Joker: New Pic!

Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight
So what do you think? Will he outplay Jack Nicholson?

Monday, December 10, 2007

ayre

A friend came home last week. He was our team leader in Mitandi, an art group I joined in school. While he was here, he made a project for himself (most probably just out of boredom). He asked me to shoot his photos so he could make a photo montage video. Last Friday, we went to both ends of Davao to shoot, from UP Mindanao to the old Sasa Airport. He wanted a place that’s wide open and somewhat deserted. Saturday morning he went back to Cebu and I uploaded the photos online. By 11 pm, the video was done. Remember that this is his first real editing job (using Microsoft’s software I think). I thought that was fast, but the video was great!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Magallanes Street

Magallanes St. is part of Davao City’s old world. Though old buildings are slowly being replaced by new ones, the memories of this street marks its every corner. It is where the City Hall, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, City Engineers office, a new Museum, a hospital and a hotel is located.

One particular block was an interest of mine as a child. It wasn’t occupied by a structure then. The whole year, this small portion of land would be a field of grasses except in times of festivities like the Araw ng Dabaw, Kadayawan and Christmas. Either way, it was a playground for kids. Whenever there was a celebration in the city, they would put up a ferris wheel, booths and some other small rides. You would know this place because the Grand Men Seng hotel rests on top of it.

The old Brokenshire hotel once stood there, too, before the great fire which engulfed San Pedro and Magallanes Streets. Hmmm… I’ve heard there were ghosts in GMS hotel.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Monte Cristo vs. Jean Valjean

I just read The Count of Monte Cristo and the whole time I was comparing (or contrasting) Dantes (Monte Cristo) to Jean Valjean of Les Miserables. There are points of comparison and contrast for both characters.

Setting: 19th century France

Both were imprisoned. Monte Cristo was not guilty. Jean Valjean was guilty.
Both got out of prison.
After prison, both got rich. And both had hidden treasures to support them.
Both were influenced by a priest (and faith).

But while Jean Valjean was aiming towards reform and his salvation, Monte Cristo was plotting revenge against his enemies.

This was the part that got me confused. This hero (though more of an antihero really), played god. With his knowledge, power and wealth, he destroyed all his enemies, though he planned it so he himself would not do the act. You can say he was disguised as an angel. Then after all the evil he has done, he sought for a sign from God that what he did was right. Should I admire this character? Well all I know is he's no Jean Valjean.

Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul IILast Sunday, I had the opportunity to watch the movie Pope John Paul II. The last time I've read about this movie was when I researched about The Princess Bride, which starred Cary Elwes. It's all on IMDB, so on Cary Elwes's page, I found this title and he played the younger Karol Wojtyla. When my father told me the Church was going to play a John Paul II movie in the cinema, I had the feeling it would be the one with Cary. I was right!

The movie was very informative and, quite unexpectedly, fun to watch. I liked the portrayals of Cary (who was always the prince and now a Pope) and Jon Voight, whom I'll always remember as a villain in movies (wait, I recall he played a President). The Pope's transformation from healthy and athletic to someone who can barely move, walk and talk was impressively captured by Voight.

From that movie, I realized that JP II is somewhat similar to our beloved companion, Gandalf: the old age, wisdom, a playful or childlike nature and, of course, a staff (hehehe). He's a real-life Gandalf, someone you can always turn to for teachings, support, companionship, courage, adventure, love.