Sunset Daze

okay… its been too damn long since i posted a new blog. working at a "hellish" hospital is not exactly fun and its taking a toll on my body. im constantly contemplating whether i should stay or quit. but anyways, im bored now.. so i thought id write a movie review.

well, we have lots of blockbuster hits for this summer, thats for sure. i enjoyed pirates, spidy, harry, transformers, you name it. but if i have to give an award for summer movie of the year, it would definitely go to the bourne ultimatum. *applause please*

while we see movies based on fantasy, and those packed with super-cool special effects, the bourne ultimatum is the movie that keeps it real. no other secret agent/spy movie is as good as this one. jason bourne is the best, and i mean THE BEST! ^^

in this movie, jason bourne comes out of hiding to seek a british reporter thats writing a story about him and exposing the controversial "blackbriar". one of the best scenes i have to say was the part at waterloo station, where bourne choreographed the reporter’s every move just to save his ass from the CIA guys who’re after him. of course, bourne is still saddened ’bout the loss of his girlfriend, and as always, he went from one location to another trying to fill in the missing pieces. hmm.. i guess he must be packing up those frequent-flyer miles.. hehe.. another terrific scene was the chase at tangier. it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat as bourne jumps from window to window, hoping to catch "desh" (the assasin) that was going after nicky (played by julia stiles). it was so good and so believable.

there were some flashbacks from the previous bourne movies, and also, the great joan allen returns as the CIA deputy chief, Pamela Landy. this part suits her so well, and in the end, she was a big help to jason bourne.

overall, if you love the bourne identity and the bourne supremacy (as i had.. im such a big fan!), this third installment is easily at par with the previous two. they are shot at beautiful locations, with clever and exhilirating action scenes, as only bourne can deliver. id give this movie a 4.5 out of 5.

- Dec. 25, 2006   …Reflecting…

this time each year, i usually have a list of resolutions ready for the new year. but I’m going to stop the trend with this year. what’s the point? after the new year rolls around, I won’t even think about the list much less try to resolve it.

this past year opened my mind to a lot of new experiences. for one thing, you can not and should not take anyone’s word without hard, concrete evidence. as appearances go, you can never trust it. instead, go with your instincts and don’t let your perceptions be swayed by any personal relationship.

trust is hard-earned and once it’s gained, it should be treasured. sometimes though, you have to think the worst of people because trust tends to be taken for granted after it’s received.

2006 taught me to be grateful for these ppl by my side:

My family

_{as with all families, there is always one squabble after another. having more brothers to grow up with means you either become a tomboy in order to get along with them or a b*tch for standing up to them. despite all the moaning and whining i make for all the headaches / stress / and complications that they constantly involve me into, I love them. bypassing the tough guy images that they portray to the world, i know they love me too. generally, when I give them the impression that i’m annoyed, it is the truth and it is not to an extent, it makes me feel useful when my family come to me for advice. it pleases me that they would consider, consult, and fit me into their life as we are not affectionate with words or touch.}

My friends

_{a girl is fortunate when she has someone besides her S.O. and family to turn to in times of happiness and sadness. over the years, i have made and lost friends and plenty more acquaintances. but the people that matter are still by my side. my friends & i don’t always share the same views and interests but that’s what makes us friends. our various personalities give us different perspectives on everything, from the little matter to the large. i’m fortunate to have these FEW people by my side.  ^__^}

it was an unforgettable day at the Saitama Super Arena. it seemed only fitting that when the announcer called out the names of the players before sunday’s FIBA world championship finals, the first person mentioned was Pau Gasol.

Pau Gasol was the biggest reason spain had a chance to get their first world title. when i heard the news about his fractured left foot in their semifinal victory against argentina, and that he was not to play in the finals game.. i was almost sure greece would bag the title. but i was wrong yet again. Gasol watched the game from the bench, and even without him, Spain did win. i guess u could say they’re the best team in the basketball world today. woohoo!!! its a fiesta!!! ^_^

so greece got the silver medal and team USA, despite hoping to return to the top of international basketball after finishing 6th at the 2002 competition and taking bronze at the 2004 olympics, however once again had to settle for 3rd place in japan.

oh gosh.. i was devastated when team USA lost to greece. it just wasn’t their best game. sure, carmelo anthony scored most points for the US while dwyane wade chipped in too. but overall, i always thought they struggled from the 3-point range and worst, from the free-throw line. and lebron james’ cockiness wasn’t helping at all. but hey, i still believe in the talent, the versatility and the power of this team. hopefully, they would qualify for the 2008 beijing olympics, and bring home the bacon for good. and u can bet i would be one of the spectators there, cheering on for carmelo anthony and the rest of team USA. oooh.. im so excited just thinking about it. hihihi ^^

once again, congratulations to the big champions, Spain. and 2-thumbs up to Gasol, who also earned the world championship’s MVP trophy!!! ^_^

i struggle with the fact that i’m often disappointed or angered by the actions of others, whether it is a lack of manners, a lack of intervention when they see a wrong, or a lack of consideration for others.  sometimes people are just plain rude.

and let me just add that pushing me into talking about something when i dont feel like it, is way rude. so if i dont wish to speak, dont force me to. and please, quit your stupid self-pity and spare me the emo bullshit. its all totally useless and wont help solve anything. learn to embrace subtlety coz if u continue to put up with this kind of behavior, u will be the victim of utter rudeness and blatant bashing yourself.

i hope you get what i mean…

life is moving along very smoothly and quickly for some; while others are facing road bumps and obstacles that test their strength and endurance. each breath that we take, the clock ticks away in rhythm to it. in my present state of mind, i question which road takes me where, when, why, and how. i constantly look over my shoulder and wonder what the next day will bring… how it will add to my current pile of problems and the depth of its impact on my life. *sigh*

i was watching "In Good Company" with some friends the other night, and came across this really beautiful song, which had been included in the movie’s soundtrack. i then googled it over the internet and found out that it was sung by a band called Iron and Wine, and the song was called "Naked As We Came". and it goes like this..

She says wake up, it’s no use pretending
I’ll keep stealing, breathing her
Birds are leaving over, autumn’s ending
One of us will die inside these arms

Eyes wide open
Naked as we came
One will spread our
Ashes round the yard

She says if I leave before you darling
Don’t you waste me in the ground
I lay smiling like our sleeping children
One of us will die inside these arms

Eyes wide open
Naked as we came
One will spread our
Ashes round the yard

we all fell in love with the song. and the day after, it became a topic of discussion among us during our coffee session. different views and perspectives were expressed. this song embodies a lot of things. it might seem like a simple song at first, but somehow, it means more than what is perceived at first listen.

what makes it extraordinary for me is that this song talks of love, life and death, and not fearing any of them. it’s about being so happy in your love for each other that even the knowledge that one of u will die before the other is strangely comforting. it is such a beautiful and poignant song, but i sometimes cant help but find it a li’l disturbing, as i’ve never experienced a love as powerful as described.

oh.. and do check out this youtube link > Naked As We Came (Grey’s Anatomy). it has clips from season 1. i really love the charater of Dr. Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) ..and who could resist the charms of Dr. "McDreamy"?? (played by Patrick Dempsey) i sure in hell wouldnt mind being cut open by Dr. Shepherd. lol. ^^

..i close my eyes and try to forget all the words that were floating in my head and only succeeded in letting them stay afloat. it seems easy to plan everything.. the who, what, where, when, and how. when it comes down to the execution, all thoughts disappear and my mind is empty. ><

since the rise of the internet, many ppl have posted their pictures online in hopes of meeting someone special, re-acquainting with missing loved ones, or to make new friends. as cameras get more digitalized, more ppl become familiar with photoshop and various other photo editing tools. with the click of a mouse, blemishes are erased to reflect a porcelain complexion and heavier weight ppl lose their pounds to showcase a thinner figure. aside from the skin infomercials, it is rare these days to find pictures reflecting a person with uneven skin tones or love-handles…awesome, isnt it? it is no wonder technology is the rage. but is looking good on paper (or on the screen) really all that? can one’s self esteem remain boosted after someone meet him or her in person for the first time and note that his or her online pictures reflect an entirely different…face? looking good in a photo only lasts so long as the editing skills you have. more importantly, being pretty picturesquely doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re, err.. pretty. ><

oh my goodness!! that baked ziti from sbarro was delish!! sure hope i can get another take-out this weekend. im such a sucker for pastas… ^_^

oh well.. i guess its another one of those boring rainy friday nights. i would have been hanging out and doin’ some discussing/posting at the iris forums at this time of night, but unfortunately, it closed down 2 days ago T_T i guess the forum was turning more into a cesspool anyways, full of sabotaging and trashtalking, not to mention the "tupperwares". and no matter how much the admins/mods put their effort to stopping this, they just cant quite contain these idiotic people. i guess u cant fix stupidity after all. so yeah, it closed down. i hope its only temporary though… and i hope they do consider the "no tolerance" policy when the boards go online again, for everyone’s sake. hehe.. just my two cents. ^_^

oh, one more thing.. ive been reading quite a few poetry the last couple of months. i didnt exactly appreciate the beauty of poetry growing up (seeing as i was more into the power rangers, and spent too much time on those archie comic books.. lols) but im starting to grow rather fond of it. and if u guys are in to it too, check out the works of T.S. Eliot, or E.E. Cummings. its good stuff! ^_^

P.S. belated happy birthday to Jason Wade of Lifehouse!!! \m/

im not exactly a fan of movie adaptations from video games. come to think of it, we have all kinds of stinkers in the past like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Doom.. etc etc..

so what about Silent Hill?? err… i have to say the movie was pretty okay. im a li’l impressed about the game adaptation. maybe one of the better ones compared to the others i mentioned.

the movie opens with music lifted straight from the game itself. in fact, the entire movie contains original tracks from the game. but i have to say, the background music works very effectively on screen, just as it was fantastic in-game.

as for the film itself, the presentation was decent. there were times in the movie where it can really get ur attention, and keep u guessing what’ll happen next. but there were also some scenes that seemed a lil long and draggy. and im not sure about the acting or the script writing either.. i thought one of silent hill’s most glaring problems is its laughably-bad dialogue. i remember my cousin & i found ourselves chuckling at certain serious moments where characters speak and act with such ignorance that u cannot help but wonder if the screenwriter actually thought this sounded believable.

but fortunately, silent hill does have some redeeming values in its visuals. the whole creepy foggy locale in the game was beautifully recreated, along with its grotesque monsters. the pyramid-head guy didnt play as much of a role in the movie, contrary to what i had expected. all in all, the special effects was quite good. a word of warning though.. the violence is pretty gruesome.

for gamers, the movie will not be a dissappointment since it is well adapted. for horror freaks, u’ll love the creatures and the visuals. but for casual movie goers expecting a deep movie about the relationship between mother n daughter.. ur in the wrong theatre. hihihi =)

and lastly.. just a thought: we’ve seen the comicbook-turned-movie genre grow and improve by leaps and bounds in the last 5 years, and isnt it about time that video games do the same??