Operation Rescue Gary

Early Wednesday morning, bursting with emotions, I tweeted this:


You can probably tell that I’m a bit pissed. Okay, maybe a lot.

He’s not dog-knapped of course, he was impounded. No, wait, he was definitely dog-knapped! I have never heard of an impounding scene happening right in front of your gate, while your father is parking the car!
It’s crazy. Baloney. Nuts. And all the synonyms you could think of.

The city that I live in, Makati, has got to be one of the most strict cities in the country. They don’t want any stray dogs running around or walking about. Everyone that they see without a leash, they get. And boy, are they sneaky.  Kinda like a ninja-dog-knapper.

What’s worse is you have to pay an exorbitant fine if you want to get your pooch back. Yeah, it’s all money talk.

Gary is quite an eccentric dog. He doesn’t wear a collar because he hates it. He just likes to run around our garage all day. No need to walk him around on a leash either; as long as you feed him, he’s fine. I think he might be gay too. The littlest of sound scares the crap out of him. I can only imagine when they captured him with force – poor thing

~
Dad: “I’m not gonna get him!”
~

I think I made a face so sinister, it’s hard even for me to describe it.

So without breakfast and bath; me, my sister and a friend decided to get Gary back from the City Pound:



We do love him of course, just as much as we love Wafer, our Lhasa Apso. Gary has been a good and loyal house dog for 4 years now. He is, as what we say in Filipino, an “Askal.”

What’s an Askal? Well, the term was basically coined from “Aso” meaning dog, and “Kalye” meaning street. A dog from the street, “asong kalye” or Askal. Basically, the origin of the breed of these Askals are so mixed up that it’s impossible to identify. It’s kinda like the Australian Dingo.

You better read this for more info on Askals http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askal

To cut our long story short, We got Gary back. And we didn’t even have to pay the entire fine either. We got friendly with the City Pound personnel, see? Charisma goes a long way my friends.

I figured they were just doing their job, the city pound folks, no need for hating. (though they pissed me off big time!)

In a way, maybe it’s a good thing that this happened. We realized how much we care for Gary and also how much we’ve been neglecting him. At the end, we have formally registered him under our name. And he was also given an annual anti-rabies shot.

Good on ‘ya Gary-bells!

To end this, I’ll share with you a pic

“The dog has been esteemed and loved by all the people on earth and he has deserved this affection for he renders services that have made him man’s best friend.”
― Alfred Barbou

The Bourne Legacy - A review

as Posted on August 20, 2012 via Wordpress.com



I went to the cinema having no expectations at all. I’ll tell you just how clueless I am  – I thought Renner was playing Jason Bourne (HAHA) Not only that, I kept calling him Hawkeye all throughout the film.


Earlier that day, I’ve read a couple of tweets and FB posts that some people didn’t like the movie, but some people do. So I wanted to see it for myself. And the verdict is…

I did like it. I was pretty surprised myself that I ended up liking the movie, maybe I was expecting worse. It was a good movie. I honestly can’t think of a single negative thing to say about it. If there is one — it ended too soon. It kinda leaves you hanging like: “That’s it?” I want more!

I get why some people didn’t appreciate the movie that much  – Matt Damon is not there. Move on people, seriously. Matt, for whatever reason, decided not to do the movie. End of story. Jeremy Renner did an awesome job, give him a chance. I thought his acting was strong and compelling, just plain bravo.

Renner played Aaron Cross who is also an agent, just like Jason Bourne. In this film, their program is being terminated; thus killing all genetically enhanced soldiers, called Outcome. Since they each are dependent on a green pill that enhances physical abilities and a blue pill that enhances mental abilities, Eric Byer (played by Edward Norton) ordered to replace all blues and greens with a single yellow one which kills them automatically.

“Edward Norton?!” I didn’t know he’s in this film. No idea.

(Better read the summary in Wikipedia, I can’t include everything here.)

The plot wasn’t overly complicated compared to the other Bourne films. That statement might be positive or negative, depends on you. Actually, this doesn’t feel like a Bourne film at all. That too, could be good or bad. Again, depends on you.

I told my movie buddy, “wouldn’t it be nice to see Manila in the big screen? Let’s go watch it!” And to my delight, the Manila scenes were awesome. Eventhough they shot mostly in depressed areas, I did get the feel that I thought they wanted to convey. Two strangers lost in a foreign land, with only each other for comfort. Nice.





I heard some fellow Filipinos were quite unhappy since the movie showed the ‘ugly side’ of the Philippines — slums and all. I’d like to tell them to grow up and stop being so narrow-minded. Just be thankful that Manila is featured in a major Hollywood film. And didn’t you see that the filmmakers tried to showcase  Filipino hospitality? What about the gorgeous shot in Palawan at the end?

Side Story: one of my friends was an extra on this film. She did tell me that she’s one of the “reactors” at the EDSA chase scene. What’s a reactor? that was my question as well. She goes. “you know, you just gotta react.” Funny. So when the chase scene was on, I was like, “Jean? was that Jean right there?” hahaha…



Again, I was side-trailed…

Going back to my review, if you judge it as an individual film, by itself it’s good. Now is it a good Bourne film? That’s arguable. The feel is quite different. I think it’s the editing. At the start it’s all establishing scenes — snow, guns, guys in suits, wolves — you won’t quite get yet what’s going on. Then it slowly starts making sense as the movie progresses, which I think is a fresh way of story-telling. But it might not work for others.
I remember telling my movie buddy, “the people behind this movie knows what their doing.” For I think they have successfully showed us what they wanted to, the way they wanted to.

Some say a movie is good if it’s debatable. In this case that may be true.

The last scene on the boat was quite nice; It’s got that Pirates-of-the-Carribean feel  to it. I kinda wish there’s a part 2. If there is, does it mean it’s gonna start in Palawan?

=)

Just wanted to share this article:
‘BOURNE’ ACTRESS AWED BY PALAWAN: “I CAN LIVE IN PALAWAN FOREVER”

P.S. I just went to Palawan last February and the waters look better in person than it is on film. So beautiful indeed. Cheers.

A nameless enemy

as Posted on August 11, 2012 via Wordpress.com

September 26 2009, Metro Manila, Philippines experienced the wrath of Tropical Storm Ketsana, more commonly known as “Ondoy.” It was probably the most devastating and heaviest rainfall experience in the history of our country. According to sources it left a damage of about $1.09 billion and 747 fatalities.
That was BARELY 3 years ago.

Ondoy, 2009:





Nameless monsoon, 2012:



A pretty similar sight.

What’s happening to the world?

We probably thought it wouldn’t happen again, right? And we were wrong. For here is another ravaging beast. This time it’s not even a typhoon, it’s just some nameless monsoon that we can’t even curse if we wanted to.

Damn you monsoon-with-no-name!

But we Filipinos know better now, right? We should.

#BangonPilipinas has been trending last Tuesday and Wednesday when the flood was at its meanest (in English it means ‘rise Philippines!’) to keep everyone’s spirit up. Not all areas in Manila were gravely affected as the others, that’s why some people rushed to social media sites such as FB and Twitter to update, help and even inspire each other amidst this time of crisis.

There was even an SMS that spread about comparing the date of the flood, August 7 2012,  to the bible verse Genesis 8:7-12. The verse shockingly talks about ‘The Great Flood’ and Noah’s ark. It might be purely coincidental, yes. I’ll leave it to you to decide. I also found this Yahoo! article that I thought I might share:

Link: ‘Genesis 8:7-12 and 8-7-12: A mere coincidence’

For donations:

Philippines: Manila Flooding 2012 Where to Donate, Emergency Numbers and Relief Centers

There was a pang of guilt in me when I started writing this post last Wednesday, for I only saw it in the television how bad the flood was. I, and some other colleagues, braved the heavy rain and still went to work that night of August 7 — despite the Presidential decree cancelling work for all public and private offices, including BPO. Don’t ask me why and how, but we do have work that night. In all fairness to our company and to other BPO’s, they provided shuttle service, food, clothing and of course they had to pay us a little extra for showing up. And they had to, unless they will be reported to DOLE (Dept. of Labor and Employment).

My mom told me to “stay indoors and don’t go to work!” However, I thought since there was no flood in my area, sure I’ll go. And only a handful of us made it to the office. I didn’t mind the extra tasks that I had to do, for it was kind of my way of helping out my colleagues who were stranded and stuck in the flood.
I’ve no idea how to conclude this, really.
When Mother Nature gets pissed, it’s pretty bad for all of us.

What will happen, happens.

We just need to be ready when it does.

“Constant vigilance”
- Alastor Moody

Infosys 2012

"Work hard, play even harder!"

Powered by MyPicstory.com

Catching Fire

"Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!"

This is Katniss Everdeen's famous line in the 3rd installment of the Hunger Games series by Suzzane Collins, Mockingjay. Here, she is taunting the Capitol in one of her TV propaganda for District 13. Where in simple words it might just mean "we die, you die too."
I'm obviously meaning to discuss Catching Fire in this post judging from the title of it, the second book of the trilogy, and not Mockingjay. However I felt the introduction was necessary  since you won't find  the phrase 'Catching Fire' anywhere in the entire course of book 2. Which I think is pretty cool.

For a bit of a plot:
Katniss is now 17. Having won the 74th Annual Hunger Games last year with fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta Mellark, they try to go back to their usual lives before the game.

The thing is, they couldn't. I suppose this is mainly what book 2 is all about. There's no going back. The person you were before you entered the Hunger Games arena, is not the same person that comes out of it.

You might have won the game, yes, but a part of you has died. No more innocence, only survival.

That's what it's like for Katniss, the nightmares explains it all. Not for Peeta, though. His character contradicts normal human instinct - to fight, to kill, to survive. He remains pure amidst a violence-filled situation. He's like the pillar of virtue in the book.

You're now a victor, you've just successfully outlived 22 other kids, congratulations to you.

However, the trauma, the impact of this brutal game in their lives surpasses the bruises and the wounds that they've collected - which can easily be erased by state-of-the-art medicines provided by the Capitol.

It's a burden that they will forever bear.

Kinda like Frodo being stabbed by one of the Nazgul, and being the ring-bearer at the same time. There is that physical and emotional wound that somehow never fully heaed.

There are perks to being a victor though: the incredible wealth, the new house at Victor's village, the status. And isn't that just the best thing about the Hunger Games series? It's so satirical.

I will spare you some of the details. I won't be discussing the Quarter Quell, the wedding proposal, the secret plot to overthrow the Capitol. If you haven't read it, Wikipedia it or better yet, start reading.

On the lighter side, new characters will be introduced in this second book. Some of which will greatly impact Katniss' life up until the 3rd installment -- Finnick Odair, Johanna Mason, and Plutarch Heavensbee, to name a few.

Now if we are to discuss the romance part of the novel, I think in this book it will be apparent to the readers who among Peeta or Gale Katniss has true feelings for.

To conclude this, I have high hopes for this book being translated to the big screen. With Sam Claffin being casted as Finnick, Jena Malone as Johanna, and Phillip Seymour-Houffman as Plutarch, I say its gonna be pretty exciting.

One my friends who's also an avid reader of the series once told me that Catching Fire is his favorite among the three. It's funny, it's light, it's sarcastic, it's exciting. Considering how dark and depressing Mockingjay is for me (in a good way though), I think his point is valid.

Definitely a must read.

A nameless enemy

September 26 2009, Metro Manila, Philippines experienced the wrath of Tropical Storm Ketsana, more commonly known as “Ondoy.” It was probably the most devastating and heaviest rainfall experience in the history of our country. According to sources it left a damage of about $1.09 billion and 747 fatalities.

That was BARELY 3 years ago.

Ondoy, 2009:

Nameless monsoon, 2012:

A pretty similar sight.

What's happening to the world?

We probably thought it wouldn’t happen again, right? And we were wrong. For here is another ravaging beast. This time it's not even a typhoon, it's just some nameless monsoon that we can't even curse if we wanted to.

Damn you monsoon-with-no-name!

But we Filipinos know better now, right? We should.

#BangonPilipinas has been trending last Tuesday and Wednesday when the flood was at its meanest (in English it means 'rise Philippines!') to keep everyone's spirit up. Not all areas in Manila were gravely affected as the others, that's why some people rushed to social media sites such as FB and Twitter to update, help and even inspire each other amidst this time of crisis.

There was even an SMS that spread about comparing the date of the flood, August 7 2012,  to the bible verse Genesis 8:7-12. The verse shockingly talks about 'The Great Flood' and Noah's ark. It might be purely coincidental, yes. I'll leave it to you to decide. I also found this Yahoo! article that I thought I might share:

Link: 'Genesis 8:7-12 and 8-7-12: A mere coincidence'

For donations:

Philippines: Manila Flooding 2012 Where to Donate, Emergency Numbers and Relief Centers

There was a pang of guilt in me when I started writing this post last Wednesday, for I only saw it in the television how bad the flood was. I, and some other colleagues, braved the heavy rain and still went to work that night of August 7 -- despite the Presidential decree cancelling work for all public and private offices, including BPO. Don't ask me why and how, but we do have work that night. In all fairness to our company and to other BPO's, they provided shuttle service, food, clothing and of course they had to pay us a little extra for showing up. And they had to, unless they will be reported to DOLE (Dept. of Labor and Employment).

My mom told me to "stay indoors and don't go to work!" However, I thought since there was no flood in my area, sure I'll go. And only a handful of us made it to the office. I didn't mind the extra tasks that I had to do, for it was kind of my way of helping out my colleagues who were stranded and stuck in the flood.

I've no idea how to conclude this, really.

When Mother Nature gets pissed, it's pretty bad for all of us.

What will happen, happens.

We just need to be ready when it does.

"Constant vigilance"

- Alastor Moody

Make a wish, Harry!

Harry's 11th bday cake

I want to share a funny coincidence.

The other day at the office, my computer got locked out for no apparent reason and I had to reset my password.

"Not again!" I thought.

I couldn't think of anything. I was running out of cool Anime characters' name to use.

Then it popped out, "mischief managed!"

I.T. guy goes, "Harry Potter?"

I said, "Yeah" and we both laughed.

He's obviously a fan as well. What was the coincidence then?

It was July 31 that night, Harry Potter's birthday.

According to the book, Harry was "Born as the seventh month dies."

Funny.

Potterfans, where you guys at?

The Dark Knight Rises - a late review

Posted on July 31, 2012 via Wordpress

Hang on, this will not be a straight-up review but more of a
blog-slash-review instead.

Why?

First of all, I know this is kind of late. Secondly, it’s not easy to make a
review of a film with this magnitude. Say one negative comment and avid fans
will terrorize you.

Side story: I saw the film last July 21, so this is kind of a back track.

We all agree the movie was great, yeah? They say it was epic; best Batman
movie ever; Nolan should direct every action hero film – In short, it’s
gotten generally positive reviews.

And I agree. I enjoyed it immensely. It has all the elements that you’ll be
looking for in a good movie: superb action scenes, touch of drama,
bit of comedy, love story, struggle, triumph, everything.

It was a bit too long, yes. But I thought the story was well-written that it
was forgivable. The casting was good too. Tom, Joseph, Gary and Anne
stood out. Oh, and Marion of course. She’s always great in every film, love
her.

In short, you’d have to be crazy not to see it. It’s a good conclusion
to The Dark Knight series. What more could a Batman fan ask for? Nothing.
Nolan gave us everything.

I’m sure we all noticed that almost the entire Inception cast was there. In the
cinema I was like “Tom? Joseph? Marion? Cillian? Inception?” Then I remember
that Nolan directed it too! Why not get the actors you’re already familiar
with, right? I’d do that too if I was the director.

And I’ve also read that Nolan initially wanted The Riddler to be the antagonist of this last film, but opted for Bane instead. Good choice there since Bane was like the ultimate enemy — brains and power combined. Plus, he wanted Leo to play Riddler? Woah! that would’ve been like Inception part 2. LOL

Now let’s talk about what we didn’t like about the film, shall we? This is a
critique after all 

*drum-roll*

I personally think that some of the dialogues were a bit lengthy. C’mon, Alfred had like what? 3 long and teary moments? I like his character but I felt that they had to squeeze in a LOT into his lines – seal the loop holes.  I get that they had to establish how much he loves Bruce; how he wanted him to live and surrender the cape etc. And how come he almost didn’t say anything
in the old Batman films and now suddenly become so talkative?

(Just my opinion, don’t get mad at me)

Moving on to Robin, he has so many unnecessary and lengthy lines as well! And not to mention way too many close-ups! (I know Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a good looking chap, but…) Yeah, yeah they had to establish his story too so the next
Batman movie (if there will ever be) can pick up from it. But some parts were boring…

Bane was great. However the story of him and the prison-with-no-escape was a bit
dragging. Do they really have to show it over and over again? (We’re not dumb, we get it, it’s hard to escape from that prison)

Bruce’s recovery was a bit of a drag too (sigh…) The underground prison scenes where they tell the story of Ra’s al Ghul was a bit forced. (or maybe it’s just me?)

And those police were trapped underground for 3 months? (Okayyyy…) If I were trapped underground for 3 months I would probably have removed my badge, cap, uniform and be walking around on my underwear. I’m not even kidding. ( This scene was way fictional)

Anne was a delight to see since she’s so gorgeous, that’s given. Safe performance. (Or maybe Michelle Pfeiffer was just so damn creepy  in that cat suit it hard to forget?)

*Let’s shift the gear now 

On the lighter side…

I think Batman’s motorcycle and flying car was beyond cool. I also like the
humor between Catwoman and Batman. Since there were very little humor in the
entire film.

“So that’s what it feels like” at the rooftop was hella funny.

Over-all verdict?

I would still give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. The movie started in a slow pace,
but the plot thickened towards the end. They could have edited it better, and
deleted unnecessary scenes. But nevertheless, it just may be the perfect ending for
our caped-crusader, our Dark Knight. Gotham has finally accepted Batman as the hero
that he truly is and he in return, he’s been able to live a normal and happy
life.

 :)

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld

watched TDKR when it was raining heavily outside. I was so dressed-down :)