Stepford Wives

Nicole Kidman + Bette Middler + Glenn Close + Matthew Broderick + Christopher Walken = FANTASTIC!!! FANTASTIC!!! FANTASTIC!!!

The first time I watched Stepford Wives, I fell in love with it. The movie is both freaky and funny.

The acting is impeccable. I just love, love, love the reaction shots of Nicole Kidman. I was blown away by her acting when she was fired. Better Middler played a character similar to her character in The First Wives Club, but I don't mind coz I simply adore her. Matthew Broderick fit his role to a T, but I think he is already too typecasted into those kinds of roles. Directors should really give him another type of role for a change. Christopher Walken was scary but Glenn Close was the freakiest of them all. Her perfect smile and unruffled stance is just that, perfect! Props should also be given to the extras who played the perfect Stepford Wives.

The story was good. The final scene made me gasp, literally. It was that good. The scene with the "ad" for the Stepford Wives was damn funny, but eery at the same time.

But really, I think it's the production staff that makes the home run. Everything is perfect, perfect, perfect. The costumes were rightly over the top and so was the Martha Stewart-ish homes.

Stedford Wives is a must-see for fans of dark comedies.

Survivor: EXILE ISLAND

Mark Burnett and CBS recognize that after 12 installations of Survivor, something new has to be done to keep viewers interested. Thus, Survivor: Exile Island is nothing like its predecessors. Although, like two previous Survivor seasons, it is set in Panama once again, the man-made forces are very much different this time around. The first Survivor in Panama had Rupert to keep viewers glued. The second one had an All-Stars cast. This one, has four tribes and an actual exile island.

Yes, you heard me right. Instead of the usual two tribes, Survivor: Exile Island will have four tribes. One tribe is be composed of four young men, another is composed of four older men. The third tribe is composed of four younger women and the last tribe, of four older women. And after a contestant has be outwitted, outplayed and outlasted, instead of enjoying the lap of luxury, he/she will spend the rest of the time in an "exile island." OOOHHHHHH! Interesting...

Meet the contestants...


The Young Men:
ARAS Baskauskas - 24 years old; a yoga instructor from Santa Monica, California
AUSTIN Carty - 24 years old; an author from High Point, North Carolina
NICK Stanbury - 25 years old; working as waiter while applying for law school; from Tempe, Arizona
BOBBY Mason - 32 years old; a lawyer from Los Angeles, California

The Old Men:
BRUCE Kanegai - 58 years old; a karate instructor and high school art teacher from Simi Valley, California
DAN Barry - 52 years old; a retired astronaut from South Hadley, Massachusetts
SHANE Powers - 35 years old; owner of an entertainment marketing company from Los Angeles, California
TERRY Deitz - 46 years old; an airline pilot and retired navy fighter pilot from Simsbury, Connecticut

The Old Women:
CIRIE Fields - 35 years old; a registered nurse from Walterboro, South Carolina
MELINDA Hyder - 32 years old; a singer from Sevierville, Tennessee
RUTH MARIE Milliman - 45 years old; Director of Retail Leasing from Greenville, South Carolina
TINA Scheer - 45 years old; a logging sports promoter and performer from Hayward, Wisconsin

The Young Women:
MISTY Giles - 24 years old; an engineer fro Dallas, Texas
DANIELLE DiLorenzo - 24 years old; medical sales representative from Pompano Beach, Florida
COURTNEY Marit - 31 years old; a performance artist from Los Angeles, California
SALLY Schumann - 27 years old; a social worker from Chicago, Illinois

Notes:

• the age difference between the young groups and the old groups are not that big


• for both male and female groups, the young group members are generally in their 20s except for one (each for the males and the females) who are in their early thirties


• the men are generally older than the women

Survivor: Exile Island premieres this Thursday, February 2, 2006 in USA. In the Philippines, it will air, via satellite, over at Studio 23, this Friday, February 3, 2006, at 1 pm. Primetime Replays will now be on Saturdays, 7:30 pm.

Yahoo Avatars

I was bored this afternoon so I decided to tinker with my Yahoo Avatar.
And I had so much fun. I got to virtually try on different outfits, different styles, different accessories and even travel a bit. Hehe...

Sometimes

Sometimes, I wish I could turn back time.

Sometimes, I wish I could change things that can't be changed.

Sometimes, I wish I am not who I am.

I know it's not healthy and it's not good to be dwelling on the past and the present that is not or never could be.

But still, sometimes, doing so is the only thing that can make me smile.

Sometimes, I wish that I don't have to wish anymore.

American Idol

So it's American Idol's fifth installment. So far, nobody has really surpassed Kelly Clarkson's success. Will this year be any different???

First stop: Windy City... Chicago, Illinois.

A handful of talent.

A lot of un-prepared gits.

A whole lot of untalented publicity-hungry exhibitionists.

WHY THE HELL DID THE PERKY GUY GET THROUGH?!?!?! Are Paula Adbul and Randy Jackson totally nuts??? They let go semi-talented people, but let that guy through? He seemed like he was smoking something illegal [rhymes with deed... ;)].

My Favorite Fastfood

Jollibee: fried chicken with rice and gravy, burger steak, dalandan juice, choco mallow pie, peach mango pie

Mc Donald's: cheeseburger with lots of ketchup, twister fries with ketchup, pomelo juice, caramel sundae, chicken nuggets, mc chicken sandwich

KFC: original fried chicken, crispy fillet sandwich, ceasar go-go sandwich, ceasar salad, crispy fries

Greenwich: chicken ala king baked rice, garlic mozarella pizza, pearl coolers

Expressions

Here are some expressions / catchphrases that me and my cousins/friends use:

CHARMOS DAIMOS - a mutation of Charmos Ginamos

SEH! - like shooing away a pest

Ka-B! - as in ka-baho, ka-buang... ka-anything at all :P

HUWHAT?! or HUWHANG?!

K!

OMG with a B.Y.E. - used when folding in texas hold 'em poker, hehe

HOLLER! - a mutation of HELLO! and HELLER!

GALET! - as in galit, as in grabe, sobra, OA

OKIESH - as in OK

CHAR! NICHOLAS! - mutation of char

SOPHER! - its the way the help pronounces super, hehe

Acknowledgement for 2006

Plenty of thanks...

To my friends, Neil, Mae, Catet, Angie, Ken, Joey (kahit di ka masyadong nagpaparamdam), Bbboy, Kate and Weng, for being somebody to laugh with and even emo with.

To my "berkz" Ate Ina, Ate Jo, Tinky, Luan, Tricia and Gwing, kasi wala akong choice, magpipinsan tayo eh. :P

To the "maestro" who helped me navigate through the perilous world wide web, Drokemoth.

To my other cousins, Odette, Cindy, Cha, Brian, John and Mae, for the late nights at Wheels and More, Whistl'top and elsewhere.

To Cherry and Aimee for the chismis and the laughs.

To my LJ friends, monix, dearth, extraenchanted, selloutgirl, kingroll, newspaperboy, wittypinai, etc for making me smile, laugh and emo.

To the PCIJ and MLQ3 for inspiring me to blog harder.

To the Buzz people, you fill me life with sooo much useless and stupid crap which I undoubtedly enjoy.

To my newfound friends and to the old ones, special shout-out to Legends '99, who fill my world with intrigue, laughter, and everything else in between.

And to my non-existent BF, nasan ka? JOKE! or not... :P

PUH-LEAZE!

I watched Mulawin and I even enjoyed it a bit (I won't deny it). At the very least, it as worth my P70. I never did watch the TV series and I don't like the two lead actors, nonetheless, I think the movie was entertaining enough. This entry, however, is not really about the movie. This is about Angel Locsin's character, Alwina, wearing the "probinsiyana" uniform of a shirt/blouse combined with a long, flowing skirt which usually has a godawful print. THAT REALLY IRRITATED ME!

For crying out loud, it's 2006 and yet local filmmakers and even TV show makers still dress up "probinsiyanas" like jeans and shorts are not being worn outside Metro Manila. DUH! Even Kristine Hermosa's character in the pending teleserye "Gulong ng Palad" (and even in her past teleseryes) wear the same outfit. GRRR... I have been to the boondocks and the most remote areas of the country and not once did I see a "probinsiyana" frolicking about in the farm fields or mountainsaides wearing flowing skirts.

Even more irritating is the way they typecast characters from outside Metro Manila (aka "the city") as being timid, mahinhin, conservative, uneducated, lovestruck and naive. Not that these are neccesarily undesirable characteristics.

Our movies and tv shows might have gone a long way in terms of technology and technical quality, but still they follow and perpetuate the same archetypes and conventions which are not only boring and tiring, but also irritating and totally false. It's about time the industry focuses not just on the "special effects" and the use of technology but also more on their storylines and characterizations. Archetypes and conventions of the past should be re-evaluated and thrown out if needed. For sure, there are more to "probinsiyanas" as being dull, conservative, lovestruck leading ladies.

January 2006 Goals

Specific goals for this month:

Academics:

1. Prepare well for Educ reporting
2. Research for Soc Sci reporting
   

___________

Tutorial / Remedial:

1. Check student's 3rd quarter grades
   

__________

Blogs:

1. Update all blogs regularly
   
2. Promote all blogs aggressively
   

__________

Finances:

1. Earn at least PhP 10,000
   
2. Save at least PhP 2,500
3. Pay cellphone bill on time

__________

Health:

1. Sign up for gym membership, ARGH! Mahal!
   

__________

More Work:

1. Finalize plans for Davao site
2. Promote Kuweba.com through text, email and through the blogs

__________

Recreation and Entertainment:

1. Watch Memoirs of a Geisha, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Rent
   
2. Watch 3 MMFF movies (aside from the ones I already watched)
3. Finish reading My Fair Maladies
   

__________

Game na! AS IF! :P to myself!

2006 Goals

Instead of listing down resolutions or ways that I would change myself, I am listing down quantifiable goals which I want to achieve by the end of 2006. Furthermore, (CHAR! parang thesis) I will list down some additional goals every month which I would have to achieve within that month. I will evaluate my progess in attaining these goals quarterly on April 1, July 1, and October 1, 2006, and on January 1, 2007. WISH ME LUCK (lots of it)!

GOALS for 2006:

Academics:

1. 2nd Sem, SY 2005-06 General Average: 1.30 or higher
2. 1st Sem, SY 2006-07 General Average: 1.20 :P
3. Attend classes REGULARLY (lame excuses not accepted)
4. Submit ALL requirements on time
5. Prepare well for ALL reports and/or presentations

___________

Tutorial / Remedial:

1. Prepare lessons beforehand
2. ALWAYS be on time
3. Check attendance ALL THE TIME
4. File ALL quizzes, exercises and other activities
5. Check on the progress of ALL STUDENTS
   
6. Submit DTR within the first five days of the month

__________

Blogs:

1. Update Politics at least three times a week
2. Update Livejournal at least two times a week
3. Update Random Ria at least once a week
4. Update Pinoy Reader at least twice a month
5. Update My Davao at least once a week
6. Promote all blogs aggressively
   
7. Buy domain name

__________

Finances:

1. Earn at least PhP 7,000 per month
   
2. Save at least PhP 2,500 per month
3. Have at least $500 in my account
4. Pay cellphone bills on time ALL THE TIME
   

__________

Health:

1. Eat vegetables at least once a day
2. Limit intake of softdrinks, juices, iced tea and similar drinks
3. Lose 30 lbs by December 1, 2006
4. Work-out for at least 3 hours per week (lame, I KNOW!)

__________

More Work:

1. Submit resume and sample work to three local dailies
2. Establish and stabilize Davao website by March 2006
3. Establish and stabilize another site by June 2006
4. Create a viable business plan for a simple business venture with maternal cousins (riiight!)
5. Garage sale during the summer and during the Christmas season 2006
   

__________

Recreation and Entertainment:

1. Limit TV viewing to 5 hours per day on weekdays and 10 hours per day on weekends :P
2. Limit surfing the net to 30 hours per week
3. Watch at least 3 movies per month, at least one of which should be a local film
4. Shop once a month
5. Read at least one book per month
6. Check email at least thrice per week
   

__________

I am hoping to attain all these goals this year. Wish me luck and don't hesitate to tell me if I'm being bad. ;)

2005 Resolutions

These were my "goals" for 2005 and the results:

1) be in the DL (ga not below 1.99 & no grade lower than 2) this sem and next sem - YES! OF COURSE!

2) have a gen ave of 1.75 or higher this sem, gen ave of 1.5 or higher next sem - YES! and YES!

3) submit all papers/requirements on time - ;)

4) lose 10 lbs by dec 30, 2005 - HAHA!

5) earn at least P2,000/month (earnings in excess of P2,000 for one month will not be added to next months' earnings) - fortunately, YES!

6) submit my resume, letter of intention and sample works to at least 2 local newspapers - BOOOOO!

7) approach at least 5 companies to buy my cousin's product - NOT! :P

8) save at least P1,000/month - NGEK!

9) watch at least 1 tagalog movie per month, even if crappy ones are being shown - almost

10) write at least one article per week for my cousin's website - NOT! but I did maintain 4 blogs so...

11) solicit from at least 2 companies for my aw2spec's events - NOT!

12) attend all classes unless there is a valid, real reason - YES!!!

5 out of 12??? Good but not good enough! I should do better this year... ;)

How I Spent My Vacation

Since I am too tired and LAZY, this will be in bullet form and in no specific order...

• Played and lost while playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker
• Listened to the OST of Wicked, The Last Five Years, and my fave: Rent
• Got scolded for nothing
  
• Actually shopped for my own clothes na pinagsisisihan ko na ngayon; I bought stuff from Folded and Hung and Plains and Prints
• Bought gifts for my manitos and my cousins, my mom and my nieces and nephews, and my godchildren
  
• Played Warcraft Frozen Throne DOTA a couple of times
• Pigged out more than enough times at Lachi's and some other places
  
• Watched King Kong by myself and liked it
  
• Watched Mulawin and Ako Legal Wife
• Got hooked on Law and Order on the Crime/Suspense channel
• Sang along (off-key) with videoke machines
• Neglected my blogs, BOO!!!
• Won P2,000.00!!!
• Lost my wallet but got it back after a couple of days
• Attended (but not organized :D) the Christmas Party/Reunion of my HS batch (PSHS-MC '99: the LEGENDS!) and ENJOYED IT!!! ;)
  
• Got a Moonflower set ;)
• Got a pair of Havaianas
• Got a new book: My Fair Maladies edited by Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo :D
• Bought cute new undies
• Hated somebody sooo much more
• Loathed another person
• Decided to really lose weight (AS IF!)