minamimusings

I've been a desktop baby for years. I didn't want a laptop. When I realized I needed one, everyone recommended the Macbook. I got one in 2007. He's black. I call him Sirius.  My very first mp3 music player was a pink iPod mini. I called her Relena. She was followed by a product RED nano I called Heero.  I didn't want to get an iPod Touch, but my husband bought me one for Christmas 2009, and then the latest model for Valentine's last year. We originally called the first one Padfoot. When he gave me the second one, we christened that Padfoot (2.0) and nicknamed the first, P-chan. I didn't want an iPhone, but my husband (again) gifted me with one this year for my birthday. Afterwards, he got himself an iPad.  The first thing I reach for in the morning and the last to leave my hands at night is Padfoot. For my husband, it's his iPad. (He didn't touch his laptop -- not a Mac but we ironically named it "Mac" -- for a while since getting his iPad. The...

Hoping I get to drop by Fully Booked Boni Hi Street today as they have a sale. I know I have a shelf full of books I haven't read yet, and I probably won't be adding titles to that, but I might be tempted to pick up more for this one. You can tell what my dream destinations are. I guess if I haven't mentioned it yet, my husband and I are expecting next month, which means that for most of this year I was grounded. (First baby and all that.) Still, doesn't stop me from dreaming. Half of those guides I bought on previous sales in various stores. I figure, there shouldn't be that big of a change when I eventually visit those places, so there's no harm in buying a book or two and reading about them now.

Cosplay.Ph held their second Tournament of Champions at the SMX last weekend. For those who aren't familiar with it, it's a big event they started in 2010, where they had mini-cosplay contests in select provinces and the NCR. The winners from those events would then be brought to Manila to participate in a grand showdown during Cosplay Mania. This year's tournament, affectionately nicknamed "TorCh", is made doubly special as they were able to include more provincial legs. The roster included Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Baguio. There were also three chances for the people from NCR to get a spot in the finals via competitions in SM North Edsa, SM Manila, and SM Southmall. But the clincher is that Cosplay.Ph was able to tie up with the Singaporean event, Anime Festival Asia or AFA. So whoever wins the grand finals of TorCh gets to represent the Philippines at AFA's Asian Regional Cosplay Championships (ARCC) this November. This means that costumes A...

I've been meaning to post the photos I randomly took using the iPhone, of things that capture my fancy. :) I used to have a separate blog on wordpress for this, but, ah heck. I couldn't even update this one. This was in Pollo Loco in SM Mall of Asia, one early weekday morning. The little guy was just flitting about, I don't even know how he got in.  I believe this is a shop for sabong fans? Correct me if I'm wrong. They must have made a killing when the movie came out. We saw this in a small restaurant in Serendra at The Fort. (Oh gosh, I forgot the name of the place now... starts with "A".) They're tucked in the corner right next to A Different Bookstore and serve mostly organic (?) Filipino food. Anyway, I just LOVE their  ensaladang mangga .  But, back to the photo. I have no idea why this is "Forbidden" yet. Maybe I should ask.  My table's decor at Cafe Mary Grace in Serendra at The Fort when I dropped by there for a snack one afternoon....

You may sue me. I am a Robert Pattinson fan. As such, I decided to woman up and accept that his status as current "Hollywood IT Guy" will inevitably pair him with various actresses and he might never star in a film with Kristen Stewart again. (I'm guilty of still not having watched Remember Me though. BUT I *DID* sponsor tickets. So I *DID* contribute to sales! There!) Anyway, that's why I looked forward to Water for Elephants. Weeeelll, also because I like Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz is my new idol villain. I like it. I partially read the book before watching, so I went in the theater with an idea of how the story would be like. (Yes, and I skipped to the end! Guilty.) The backdrop of the movie was the 1930s, when traveling circuses were popular in the U.S. The set production was beautiful. The costumes, the lighting, makeup. It was a wonderful representation of the time period. I have no clue as to how accurate it was, but I definitely felt the fantasy of ...

I did actually go through quite a few movies since my last movie entry. I'll try to catch up. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides I loved the first three films so much (both Paul and I favor the second more), that it was just obvious we'd be so in for this. Who wants to miss out on Johnny Depp as the incomparable Jack... I mean, CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, yeah? And as always he brings it brilliantly. Everyone, in fact, was actually quite amazing. I did think there were some pitfalls. One of the things I adored about the first three films was the dialogue, those snappy comebacks and witty one-liners that even made the lowliest of the supporting characters pop. In Tides, Jack had them, yes, but they were sparsely present. I was laughing and then stopping and then laughing... and I was just expecting it to be more consistent? And the story... I felt like it took them SO LONG to get to the fountain, that when they did, it was deflating. The entire time, I wanted them to just ...

So, this is exciting: My favorite Japanese band will be going on another international tour next year! More importantly, their stops include Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand, places which are pretty near and accessible from the Philippines. I remember the first time we went to see L'arc was in May 2008, during their Trans Asia performance in Hong Kong's Asia Expo. I think I wrote about it in my multiply... oh, here we are . Now, first off, we wait for them to announce actual tour dates. Determine who will come with. Then watch for promo sales on Cebu Pacific. Set accommodations. And finally, ACQUIRE BUG EYES WAITING FOR TICKETS TO BE SOLD ONLINE! Looks like we have one travel plan mapped out for next year already. I hope my baby will forgive me for leaving him/her with the grandparents for a weekend or so. :P

I have fond memories of The Chipmunk Adventure movie when I was a kid, so I was eager to see how they would bring in the Chipettes. They were cute. Part of the draw to this film was also Charice's appearance in the talent show. (I think it's a psychological need to be interested in something that involves Filipino fame and talent. We're a small, so-called third world country, and therefore, quite insecure. We look for pride and significance in the little things.) She felt kind of out-of-place in that movie. But that's just me. Anyway, story was pretty predictable by the time the bad guy (who was also the bad guy from the first movie) popped up. Had to fast forward a couple of times, mainly to see where Charice came in. I'm now missing the Chipmunk movie. Plot was original, all the songs were fresh and fit the standard Chipmunk voice without being annoying. It was very entertaining. (Plus, cartoon Dave was cute! Like a mature, high-strung, regular guy, non-...

A movie I caught on HBO, about a newly-moved fourth grader who starts at a new school and gets bullied by a group of mini-"Mean Girls" in her class. Two of whom are blonde. One is Indian. Guess which one grows a conscience later on in the movie. I didn't watch this thoroughly the first time. Personally, I don't like movies that humiliate the lead characters. It stresses me out, emotionally, so I tend to avoid them. Paul finished watching it though, and he told me how the happy ending eventually came about. So when I switched to HBO a few days later and saw it on, I decided to stick around. I won't talk so much about the movie anymore as I think most of the production values are moot for its type of film. It's a, I'm assuming, made-for-TV family drama. The point isn't how good it is, but how well it delivers its "moral lesson". In this case, the story was about being strong against bullying. I grew up watching American shows, and bullying has ...

Before I start with describing how the movie was, two things. First, this movie was part of our usual Saturday night movie dates. I thought we were going to watch Limitless, the one with Bradley Cooper. I found out about the change the day of, wondering, "What?" because I've never heard of the movie before. Never saw the trailer. Saw the poster when we arrived in Greenbelt, which made me raise my eyebrows. "Why are we watching this? There's Hop on cinema 5 and Source Code on cinema 2 if Limitless wasn't available." But really, my reaction was because of the poster. You know how I tend to prejudge movies by their trailers? I do that, too, on a lesser scale, but with their posters. (I'm a preconceived-notion-bitch. But I'm open-minded. Eventually. I guess that should be contradictory somehow.) Which brings me to the second thing: That poster. I googled that pic for this blog post and imagine my surprise. You see, the one that hung in the theater ad...

I should be aware of the pitfalls: It's ANOTHER Three Musketeers film. It's in 3D... which, by itself, should say how overrated it's going to be. It's by Paul Anderson. It stars Milla Jovovich. You watch the trailer and Logan Lerman, who plays D'artagnan, does a Leo from Man in the Iron Mask in that he is un-accented among the bevy of beautifully-accented actors. But, I will be watching this for him. Matthew Macfadyen will be playing Athos in this movie. In fact, he narrates most of the trailer. Because Matthew seems to be choosy with his film projects, I've rarely gotten to see him onscreen. The last time was in Robin Hood with Russell Crowe and he was barely there. His other major film, Frost/Nixon , was probably too serious and too obscure a part of American history for non-Americans that they didn't think to show it here. Death at a Funeral was a British production. Incendiary , I think, went straight to DVD. So, I'm glad that I'll get to see ...

Noticed lately how a lot of people seem to be conflicted over Sucker Punch. My two cents... It is visually stunning. The special effects are great, the action scenes are almost flawless. It's complete fantasy. I remember thinking that some of the scenes reminded me of japanese anime or games. There was that aura thingie that surrounded Baby Doll during the fight with the huge samurai that just screamed "Rurouni Kenshin" (particularly his "Ama kakeru ryu no hirameki"... I just really wanted to say that.) Then Rocket's slow motion move while they were on the train felt like something out of Final Fantasy. I seem to recall seeing the exact same move in one of the FMVs. Storywise, I guess it was ok? The plot was simple enough, but I think the movie worked because it wasn't too convoluted. Basically, a girl, to escape the tragic events that have unfolded in her life, escapes into her mind and deals with her real life demons in fantasy. So instead of us watchi...

  One of the first things my husband said when the movie started was, "Jho should really watch this." Rango is the story of a lizard. Well, he's a chameleon, but the point is, he's a lizard. Incidentally, my sister hates lizards. I could probably go on and on sharing anecdotes about all the times she freaked out regarding anything lizard-related--I think our uncle is to be blamed for the trauma--but we'd be diverging too much from what this post is supposed to be about, which is the movie. Anyway, so, Rango is the story of a lizard. Set like a Mexican Western. And voiced by the incomparable Johnny Depp. I heard it was number one in the U.S. Also, our theater was full when we watched. Who KNEW that even looking nothing like himself, and as a scaly, icky, uncool reptile no less, people would STILL flock to watch Johnny. That's real stardom right there folks. I certainly didn't think I'd watch it. Even if it IS Johnny. Going back to my history of judging ...

Never heard of it? Here's a brief history of how we got this movie... My husband, Paul, and I, one day decided that we should collect disaster movies. And not just any disaster movie. We would collect "End of the World" [insert ominous BGM here] movies. So we made a list of the popular ones we've watched so far and bought their original DVDs. While we were in Astrovision, Paul saw these "other" titles, which, very obviously, went straight to DVD. I said, well, why not? It wouldn't be a collection if we were choosy, right? So we bought them. Then last night, I said, "Baby, let's watch one." Ho boy. Did I regret saying that. --- I should have known things would just go downhill when we popped the movie into the DVD player and were treated with trailers of movies like, "Alien VS. Hunter" (a movie that was like Aliens VS. Predator) and "Monster" (a weird mashup of Cloverfield and Godzilla). Needless to say, Paul couldn'...

Paul: *reads link* NASA has found evidence of alien life. Me: Oh, yeah, I've read that. From Mits. Me: So, do you agree? That we should contact the aliens? Paul: There's a bigger question. Me: What? Paul: Who's their god??? Paul: Ito iniiwasan ng Church eh. Me: Ah... Paul: Sino gumawa sa aliens? Paul: Christianity, Islam, Judaism... all... eleven ba? First books of their bibles are the same. Me: Yeah, kasama Genesis... Paul: Kasi hindi naman nilagay sa Bible kung kailan ginawa ang mga aliens. Paul: Kaya dapat may Paul-eontology. Me: Oh, you mean, Paul-tology. *thinks* Ay wait. It means a study. The suffix "ology" nga pala means "the study of". *cites examples* Ornithology, the study of birds. Ichthyology, the study of fish... Paul: Eh, what about Scientology? Me: The study... of... crazy people who jump on couches! [Regarding Paul-tology or Paul-ism: remnants of conversations past when he mentioned he should just create his own religion. LOL.] Postscript...

I know. It's horribly unoriginal. Can't they make another movie? Have they run out of ideas? Why didn't they make this for straight-to-DVD? Blah blah blah. But, c'mon. It's Puss! Tell me there are people there who can't resist him, especially when he makes those eyes... Can you resist that, huh? Can you???  And he'll be pulling those eye charms on us in 3D! I hope they make them pop! I swear I'll swoon! Seeing Puss makes me remember Fufu. So I ask that we take off our hats and boots (keep your clothes on though... only cats can pull off the nekkid-thing... let's not get arrested for indecent exposure.) and use  this time to remember all the lost little kitties. In particular, I'd like to honor my sister's very own version of Puss... just not in boots. Doesn't he just look like a live version of Puss??? He was such a huge big-ball-of-fluff, terribly soft and docile. I'm assuming this explains how he just went with the nasty people who ...

The things you succumb to because of Twitter. I found out about this from Targrod, a Huff (lol, like David Hasslehuff... *coughcouldn'tresistcough* moving on...) and fellow PHP'er. The challenge is to watch and then document 500 films you've watched since accepting the challenge. More details can be found if you click on the image above. Admittedly, I'm not a major film buff. I'm actually selective with the movies I watch. But, that changed with the presence of my husband, Paul. Where I used to skip meals because of my reading--telling my mom, "I eat books."--he apparently would eat movies. I think if you tell him that if he could have one channel his entire life, he would choose HBO. (Or, *shudders* CinemaOne.) When we stayed in the condo and I decided not to apply for cable TV, we would buy DVDs almost everyday. Plus, our friends have developed a Saturday night habit of hanging out every week to watch a last full show at Greenbelt 3. (If you've ever ...

Was up this morning to watch the 83rd Academy Awards. There were several draws to it for me this year, despite them being unable to get any of the Twilight trio to guest. One was James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting. Another was that I've watched four out of the ten films nominated, and am looking forward to seeing three more. (We get some of the films later here.) Lastly, Colin Firth! <3 Also, Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer... I am happy that most of my favorites to win, won. But then again, Colin Firth and Natalie Portman were such shoo-ins for Best Actor and Actress, it was bordering on boring. LOL. The fight really was in the Best Picture category, except, apparently, that was a lock for The King's Speech, too. At one point, I thought maybe The Social Network or Inception would at least have a chance? I guess not. Personally, I was rooting for Inception. The Social Network was brilliant, of course. The screenplay was just a beautiful batter of wor...

I don't celebrate Valentine's. I did when I was a kid. I think I also did back in college. But later on, when I was part of a couple, was when I saw what all the single people saw about the day. Isn't that ironic? Kurt from this week's Glee VDay episode said it best: "It's a simple excuse to sell candy and greeting cards on a holiday." In fact, I think the scriptwriter quoted me somewhere, because I remember writing something like this on my LJ. LOL. But it's true. Why relegate yourself to one day a year to show affection? My husband surprises me with little things even though there's no occasion. I think those times matter more than a huge bouquet or a bucketful of chocolate on February 14. Anyway, here's a blog I found that shows you where to buy anti-valentine's shirts. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not against the day. I just think it's overrated.

Dear Blizzard, Have you ever thought of building a World of Warcraft Theme Park? Hear me out. It's not totally ludicrous. In fact if you search Google , you'll find that the idea isn't even original. There were rumors that the Chinese had plans of making one , though I'm sure considering all the technicalities, it won't come to fruition. If it does though, I'd still rather you be the one to do it. I mean, it's CHINA. I'm sure it's going to be unlicensed and illegal and the rides will be poorly-improvised and poorly-executed. If you need ideas, there's this post I found, which has some pretty interesting stuff, if you ignore the sarcasm littered here and there. For example, I like that he suggested the prizes for carnival games be faction marks, but instead of the ones from the Burning Crusade, they be from either Alliance or Horde. Your mascots can be all the faction leaders. There'll be spots like in Disneyland where people can have picture...

After Tuesday's patch, my husband and I logged on to see that the Alliance had control of Tol Barad, the contested PVP area past-level 85. Paul expressed concern upon hearing that Blizzard was going to make defending the fort harder than attacking it. Before the patch, Horde had held TB for about 2 weeks, so we wondered if that had anything to do with the slight change. (NAH. LOL.) Last night, we joined a raid. Taking it back should be easy, right? But we couldn't, for some reason. We'd get two forts and just as we're attacking the third, the Alliance would regain one of the two we had acquired. I remember thinking of it as their revenge. They probably felt like this last week, when they couldn't seem to get a foothold of Tol Barad and the Horde, well, whenever I was on, anyway, would literally hoard all of TB's dailies. "Hah, now they know how it feels!" It was quite frustrating being on the other end of the winning-losing spectrum. One of the raid me...

... was 93 minutes of INTENSE. Going in, I had a vague recollection of what it was about, having only seen the trailer the week before. I knew it starred James Franco and it and he were both nominated for Oscars. (Though, Franco has a lot of competition with Colin Firth this year.) I knew it was about an adventurer, Aron Ralston, who got stuck in the middle of practically nowhere because of a boulder that crushed his hand. And those 127 hours? The amount of time he spends struggling... with his fate, with his emotions, with his decisions, with the choice to live or die. Crudely, I can compare what he experienced with the five stages of grief: Denial. (You've GOT to be kidding me. Did this just happen?!) Anger. (WTF! STUPID ROCK!) Bargaining. (*chip chip chip* *grunt* *lasso rock and try pulling*) Depression. (*records on camera* Hi Mom, Dad. I might not make it. Just so you know, I love you.) And later on, Acceptance. You would think that to spend almost 2 hours in a cinema watchin...

Saw this on Citibank. I haven't been to one yet, so it should be worth a visit. More details on the event's site here .

They're going to make a How to Train Your Dragon 2 ! XD Excited mainly because of this guy... Cutest dragon ever.

I learned a new word today. Pusillanimous . (From Merriam-Webster.com ) Definition of PUSILLANIMOUS : lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity — pu·sil·lan·i·mous·ly adverb Examples of PUSILLANIMOUS 1. pusillanimous politicians who vote according to whichever way the political wind is blowing Origin of PUSILLANIMOUS Late Latin pusillanimis, from Latin pusillus very small (diminutive of pusus boy) + animus spirit; perhaps akin to Latin puer child — more at puerile, animate First Known Use: 1586 Related to PUSILLANIMOUS Synonyms: chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered [archaic], poltroon, cowardly, recreant, spineless, unheroic, yellow Antonyms: brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gutsy, hardy, heroic (also heroical), intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous I guess whoever invented the term "Pussy", whether it's the sh...

Among the things that made my first time out of the country memorable was that, for once, I went with something I loved, and chose to go to Japan where most would opt for the U.S. Another was the presence of my husband (then, boyfriend), Paul. It was fun because, while we weren't strangers to traveling, doing so without tour guides and just one other person for company was new, especially for me. We found that the first 24 hours was already a wealth of experiences. Our flight was delayed leaving, which is normal for the Philippines, I think, despite the plane being Cathay Pacific. Naturally, we had to disembark and take a connecting plane in Hong Kong, but since we were late, by the time we got there, it was about to leave and we were two of the few people it was waiting for. The ground stewardesses at HK International hurried us to our next boarding gate. Paul and I headed directly for the sign that read ECONOMY PASSENGERS. As we ran through the jetway, we looked at the windows ou...

This is one of the scenes that really touch me in Disney's new film, Tangled. The look on Rapunzel's father's face before they were to send out their lantern on Rapunzel's 18th birthday. He seems more heartbroken than the mom. :( I was relating that to friends of ours this evening over dinner. My husband, Paul, spoke up and said, "Kaya siya guilty, kasi siya dapat nagsarado ng bintana nung gabing yun." (He feels guilty because he was supposed to close the window that night.) If you haven't watched Tangled yet, go see it to find out why. Tangled is currently showing in local theaters. You don't have to watch it in 3D, but I suggest doing so just for the lantern scene. Pascal wants YOU to go and see their movie!

I just caught myself saying this to my husband about Blizzard's new promo: "Hey! There's a new promo! *click clicks* Something about a core hound? *gets excited* *clicks some more* *reads* If your account is protected by a Battle.net authenticator yadayadayada... *skims* We'll be picking two of the most memorable images each month in 2011 and awarding the winners with a brand new iPad... Oh. Meh. It's just an iPad. I thought it was about a pet. *closes window*" I know. I've got my priorities ALL WRONG.

Well, since it's going to be an impossibility at this point, might as well tell you. I was planning on going this year. (Thus, the whole "changing my passport" thing.) But, meh. Looks like it's not gonna happen. I guess that just makes one less Twilight fangirl at the con, to the joy of the attendees. Although I was hoping to cosplay, too, (not Twilight, of course) since that would have been so cool.