Twilight Opinion

High on caffeine from drinking too much iced tea caused me to lie awake until the wee hours of the morning. Even after finishing off two books, sleep eluded me. Since I had to entertain myself anyway I opted to replay some of the videos on my trusty iPod until the sandman saw it fit to put me to slumber. For some reason, I ended up re-watching Twilight.

I honestly don't know why that movie was such a hit. Those that followed might have been better than the first but they were still (IMO) bad. Usually the books from which movies are adapted entertain me more. Since they have more to the movie storyline, I suppose the Twilight saga did but...let's just say that even the books didn't really call to me much when my sister first introduced them to me.

Despite my finding the movies wanting and the books overly cheesy, I have the Twilight movie on my iPod, New Moon in a flash drive, Eclipse in a link I've bookmarked, the pictures of the Breaking Dawn cast in my netbook, a couple of ebook copies stored somewhere, and now, I'm actually waiting for part 2 of Breaking Dawn to be released so I can watch part 1. Huh!

Twilight (the movie) was immensely popular when it came out. It certainly propelled the lead actors to overwhelming popularity eventhough the acting was poor and the sequence of events was unremarkable. Funny but I found that the parody of it was a lot better. In any case, every time I watch reruns of the the Twilight movies it makes me cringe how they (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and most everyone else) portrayed their characters. I think the only ones I found credible were Peter Facinelli, Michael Sheen, Billy Burke, Elizabeth Reaser, and Dakota Fanning.

Is it just me or is there really something wrong with the way they express supposed feelings? I totally found it awkward. Was it the directors' fault for not guiding the stars accordingly? or were they just as oblivious to the terrible scenes? Could they possibly just have been cashing in on what they were seeing to be the trending topic in the book world? Either way, I guess that doesn't really matter anymore as it proved compelling enough for the people...myself included--though for the life of me I have no idea why.

This isn't the first time I've blogged about this franchise and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if I managed to generate a number of anti-fans if any of my blogs were made public. Still, every time I return to it I find myself needing to write a blistering commentary on almost every scene. I think I need to air this out with someone who can argue with me and/or someone who'll second my views. Anyone game?

Reading Discoveries

It's not often that I feel right doing nothing but since my last day from work, I've enjoyed having my days to myself and doing what I pleased. Of course, there was that trip to Makati to have one of the signatories "clear" me but dinner, coffee, and tea with a friend and acquaintances made it worth the trip out.
Anyway, I've been re-reading the trilogies and sagas of one of my favourite authors and found it interesting and just a little baffling that there are errors in the time lines of the books. Though these books are supposedly checked by the writer and the editor prior to their publication, there are still those inconsistencies. Names of certain characters are not always the same but then again, these could be mere typos rather than a mistake in identity. In any case, I also found it nice that even N. Roberts does cross-overs/mash-ups in her books. I discovered that Darcy Gallagher of the Gallaghers of Ardmore trilogy made a "cameo" in the Chesapeake Bay saga. Then there's the appearance of the stunning and talented O'Hurley sisters in the Stanislaski Family series. One of the things I love about book series is that it allows me to keep track of characters I previously liked or even hated. Learning these small things were pleasant bits of revelation.
Of course, like all other times when I pick up a book and immerse myself with the story, scenarios pop up in my head and make me think about how I'd do things if it was me in the character's position. It's certainly a roller coaster of emotions but it's because of it that I can acknowledge just how moody I can be. I find that I can float on that cloud of happiness and contentment for days if I envision that long abiding in love stage, and then I can be downright crabby and surly when what I've read puts me in a position that pushes at me wrong. It's funny when I reflect on it because often I find I'd have thought me a schizo if I wasn't me. I mean, talk about a multiple personality disorder! It's fun though. I'm a sucker for romance so most times my thoughts tend to linger on the happy moments. Reality can be depressing enough so consciously--or unconsciously for that matter, I try to think of plots that please me so I face my days on a positive note.

The downside of delving into books though, is that I lose myself in them too much--enough that I sometimes forego eating, lose track of time, and disassociate myself with the rest of the world in general. Perhaps readers are artists in that way. We hole up and hide ourselves in the world our imagination has put us in, snap at anyone and anything that makes us lose our concentration, and when we resurface welcome the fresh view we have of our surroundings.

From One "Beotch" to Another - TMR

At a little past 6AM today, I tuned in again to TMR "on Manila's Monster Radio, RX93.1" as I was curious to know what topic Chico and Del had cooked up. Fortunately, it was one I'm well familiar with since the key word for today's theme was "beotch". Okay, so maybe not quite since the root word would be that which is often referred to a canine of the female kind--a word I so often use that it's even in the by-line of my signature in ymail.

The given: What do you say to a beotch who says to you, "Alam mo (You know), b*tchy ka (you're a b*tch)."

Most liked answers (by me, of course!):

- "The next time I need your useless opinion, I'll ask for it."

- "...only to you"

- "Next time, tell me something I don't know."

- "Bakit? Nakalimutan ko?"

- "Oh wait, nobody told me. Since when did your opinion start to matter?"

- "Is this my cue to fake that I'm hurt?"

- "Alam mo, it's painful talking to idiots."

- "Pasalamat ka wala kang leeg. Kung hindi, sinakal na kita."

- "And yet there are still people who hang around me. And you...?"

- "So aside from stating the obvious, what else can you do?"

- "Twinkle, twinkle little snitch. Mind your business little b*tch!"

- "Talk to me again when I become dumb enough to listen to you."

- "Even though we're birds of the same feather, we are NOT flocking together."

- "Yes, I am...a Beautiful Individual That Challenges Hoes."

- "Talk to the hand...and for complaints, consult my middle finger."

-->I listed more than the usual 10 because I thought they were catchy and totally useful later on...(~_^) *wink*

Like I always say, "I'm a sweet b*tch, go figure." (^o^)y

Making TMR A Daily Habit

I really enjoy listening to Chico and Del of RX 93.1 (Monster Radio)'s The Morning Rush (a.k.a., TMR) every chance I get. They rarely fail to disappoint me. Their comments and segues on their Daily Top 10 are so random and funny that a lot of their listeners would agree with me when I say they make my face hurt from laughing. Yesterday's topic was another winner. I managed to catch some of the entries sent in even though I was at work and feeling a bit woozy from meds I took for my allergic rhinitis. Other people might not necessarily concur but I think it's really better when Chico does the impersonations involved. Del's reactions also add flavour to the segment so s'all good. Some of these may seem old but I'd like to share them anyway so...read on.

The topic: Top 10 Things A Saucy Yaya (househelp/nanny/maid) Would Say

10) Yaya goes to her employer and says: "Madam, I quit. I resign. I'm moving to the neighbour's house. And if you're asking why, the answer's too obvious. They have WiFi!"

9) Madam calls out, "Yaya!" The one being called comes up to the madam and retorts, "I have a name, you know!"

8) Madam comments on Yaya's profile picture in Facebook. "Wow, Yaya! Your so pretty in your profile picture!" Yaya smugly replies, "Of course! Only Adobe touches my skin."

7) Madam has a party to attend and is looking for her boa (aside: not the snake). Yaya condescendingly verifies, "Oh, you mean the faux fur that retails for 100 pesos?"

6) Madam brings Yaya to the US. Madam tells Yaya, "We have The Filipino Channel here. Do you want to watch Wowwowwee (popular Philippine variety show)?" Yaya sniffs and says, "Hello! We're in Chicago. I prefer Oprah."

5) Yaya's friend comes to her to demand payment for an old debt. Yaya witheringly says to her friend, "It's not my fault you don't have PayPal!"

4) Madam calls Yaya and gives her three thousand pesos. "Here's three thousand pesos for market." Yaya eyes the money in her hand and asks, "Three thousand? Seriously?!"

3) Yaya walks up to madam and declares, "Madam, the San Miguel stocks are doing very well now. It'd be a good idea to sell some to gain profit. I've already sold some of mine. Have you?"

2) Yaya calls madam from the province through Skype after having received a text message from the latter. Madam angrily asks, "Yaya, why didn't you say you were going home to the province?" To which Yaya defensively replies, "Duh! I posted it on Google+!"

and the topper to the Top 10 Things A Saucy Yaya Would Say

1) Madam commends Yaya for a job well done. "Yaya, you did a really good job. How ever do you do it?" Yaya simply acknowledges this and says, "Madam, expertise without integrity is empty. Integrity without expertise is ineffectual. Expertise and integrity without service is irrelevant."

Now don't you think a dose of TMR is one of the best ways to start your day with a smile?

Rain and What It Brings

There are perks to living in a tropical country. One of them is having just two seasons to deal with, rain or shine. Literally. It being late July, waking up to the patter of rain is normal. Of course, since I have to go work, my mind went into overdrive into thinking what to wear. While I have three pairs of boots that I enjoy flaunting, only one is sturdy enough to brave the weather. I would love to sport those today, but then I remembered buying another cute pair just for this occasion during my visit to Korea.

To me, they seem more like galoshes than boots. There really isn't much of a difference but I like to make the distinction. The former is more of an accessory to preserve what is possibly a great and valuable pair of footsies during the rainy season, the latter an absolute necessity to any individual's wardrobe, rain or shine. While the boots I bought are adorable, finding the right outfit to go with it is a challenge. (I'm "girl" that way. Sue me.)

Anyway, to help that decision along, I opted to search the web for possible looks that I could copy. Although I didn't find any due to my available wardrobe goodies, I did see some very interesting items that I would REALLY love to have. One, is the funky pair of boots from Chooka that they used to do in collab with Simone Legno's Tokidoki, and another is the fabulous pair by Tretorn I recently saw at the mall which retails at the same price of my fave Sanuk brand.

I'm now alternating between thinking these things are a godsend...or really hating the timing since I'm trying to cut back on luxury expenditures.

Observations of a Not-So-Travelled Traveller

Filipino time is certainly something else. Either I’m of another race in my previous life or the real-time business that I’ve worked with for 9 years just completely rubbed off on me, but either way, I’ve become a stickler for being on-time…most of the time. The day of my trip to the US was pock-marked with a lot of time issues. For one, if the cab driver I’d contracted to take me to the airport had arrived on the dot as he’d promised, the 20 minutes wasted waiting for him might have kept me from standing in queue during check-in for an hour. Another is the delay in boarding and the lack of proper procedure for it. Had they echoed the process of the Royal Brunei Airlines in calling out passengers according to rows instead of sections, the plane might not have had to taxi so long as it waited to be cleared for take-off. Although it cannot be helped and no longer can be delimited to Filipinos alone, there was likewise a delay in the serving of meals en route to New York as very bad turbulence was encountered almost as soon as the plane went airborne.

In the handful of travels I’ve made over the years, I’ve never been overly impressed with the food served on board. Today’s fare was no different as it remains exactly the same as what I had a year ago. From Manila to Narita, breakfast choices were spam with egg and beef. I remembered having to choke down my breakfast of last year which was the spam and egg combo so I opted to take the beef and egg bit. While that was a smart choice, I forgot that I was among the first served so the food was too hot for me to handle. I ended up coughing through my first few bites, natch, but managed to regain control of myself. For the meal from the Narita to New York flight, I went for the Korean-style bibimbap. It lacked the pepper paste but it was still alright. One thing about the food though, is that it’s complete. They served a complete 4-5 course meal which was filling enough. Entrée was fresh green salad with a dressing that I actually liked very much then the main course comprised of the bibimbap and breaded chicken. The latter wasn’t something I finished since one of the two pieces carried with it the flavor of the ginger slices on the side (and I don’t like ginger). Desert was a chocolate mousse cake which I found so-so. Lastly served was the roll with butter. When we neared our destination, snacks were served in the form of a pineapple pastry puff, yogurt, and some mixed fruit. Since I don’t eat yogurt and was not feeling up to eating the fruit, I finished off the pastry.

We landed and docked on time at JFK International and though my itinerary said I’d be at Terminal 1, I ended up at Terminal 3. I really wanted to give the airport the benefit of the doubt and that the terminal would look better than last year however, that hope was killed when the immigration set-up remained the same. The place reminded me of the old domestic airport in Manila though the biometrics was more high-tech. It was a bit surprising to see how lax security was seeing as how I could have walked out of that airport with someone else’s luggage. No one bothered to check if the baggage ticket I had matched the one attached to my wheeled duffel. There was a bit of confusion on my pick up because my family followed my itinerary to the T and then it took us longer than usual to arrive at Clifton, New Jersey due to roadside whackos asking for death. We circumnavigated and found ourselves in downtown Manhattan before my aunt became familiar with the “back roads” to Clifton. When I was asked how my flight was, the only word I could think of was ‘turbulent’. It’s always interesting what happens whenever I travel and though it may be frustrating sometimes, it does bring a wealth of possibilities.

Finding Comfort in Retail Therapy

Very recently I went on another shopping spree to relieve myself of some stress. Staying long hours at work, worrying about visa applications, and contemplating what to bring to the US all took its toll on me. I had not originally intended to shop, really, but since the opportunity was there, I didn't bother to control myself...much. Sanuk was on sale with a 50 for 50 deal or what they call Happy Half and though the pairs they put on sale were limited, I still ended up with a purchase. I never regret my buys from that place as I know that my feet will thank me for the pairs that I get from there. Travel-buddies, Mitzie and Christine, agree with me on this as they, too, have a growing collection of Sanuks.

Anyway, to prep me for my long vacay, I had thought to get myself some undergarments. Divisoria had a lot to offer in that department but I was iffy about the quality of stuff I'd get from there. It is, after all, intimate and delicate apparel. Although they'd be more budget-friendly, they might fall apart on me after the first few washings. Since I was happy with my previous tops from Bench Body, I decided to get myself another set at their branch in Trinoma. Luck was on my side as they had a 2-for-1 kind of offer. I'd never been very good at estimates so it took me awhile to decide on what pair I wanted to get. I ended up buying a cream and blue pair though I'd promised myself that I'd return for another if they

should still have the promo when I got back. With my purchases swinging on my arm and my wallet already free of some of its content, I walked around the mall some more. I happened to come across a Sale sign at Soda so natch, that drew me like magnet. I don't really need another blouse but most of what I have are tees. It's rare that I find something in my size in boutiques like those but I was pleasantly surprised to find one that fit me. What ordinarily would have cost some four or five hundred was marked down to two hundred. Another bargain. Although I'd told myself to hold off on the shopping, there's a sense of achievement that I had not spent as much I would have because of the promos. I was tired and a few hundred pesos less by the end of the day, but I was happy.