Confirmed/Plausible/Busted

There's something devilishly satisfying about having FOUR seasons of Discovery Channel's Mythbusters in my Videos folder. Downloading, as an invention of man, is right up there with the wheel and fire on my list. LOL.

And Kari Byron?
H-O-T

Jay~

Hating Kapatid

Before you guys think it's about disliking someone named "kapatid", the title is Filipino for "Divided Siblings", as near as I can manage to translate it. My Filipino language skills are admittedly not the best, but that's close enough. :)

It's also the first full-length local movie here in the Philippines that I have willingly gone to watch (watched it with PJ, since she's a bit of a local movie buff) and I must say it was a lot more tolerable than I expected.

A note in advance: I'm a little more critical than usual, seeing as this is my first full experience of the local movie industry, and my observations are, just like all entries in this blog, absolutely mine and reflect only my opinions :)

The plot, while a little predictable, was good in that I believe many Filipinos could relate to it. I certainly could (it was about OFW parents and their children growing up without the physical presence of their parents), so I enjoyed the build up. The conflicts were all predictable, but the acting really took the cake, especially from Judy Ann Santos. Now I understand why she's one of the best talents in the local film industry; her acting was actually very commendable. I cannot say the same for the other cast members though, and a reasonably alright movie experience was ruined around the middle when product and brand endorsements came at an avalanche.

It seemed like the movie became a brand vehicle, using the actors' lines and circumstances to peddle whatever products the said actors were currently helping endorse. The fact that it was there wasn't the problem; the sheer cheek to make it so damn obvious was. It reached a point that brand after brand was coming at you. It was like being pelted by a paintball gun with stinkbombs for bullets. Disgusting.

Still, after learning to desensitize myself from the advertising, the movie was really quite enjoyable, and good enough for a boring day at home.

6.5/10

Jay~

Skittlez Crew Remix'10 Try-Outs

We've just really grown into one massive crew that the adage "necessity is the mother of invention" strikes true for us.

We're going to have try-outs for the twelve slots in our Remix 2010 competition team.

I wish everyone, myself included, good luck on this one :)

35% Attendance
30% Skills and Abilities
30% Contribution and Attitude
5% Grades

Jay~

Economic Conundrum

Give me wars, human conflicts, historical progression of politics, theories, concepts, and dates.

Just don't give me anymore economics.

Gah.

Jay~

Final Term Blues

For the first time in my entire academic life, I have very low motivation to attend classes and even study.

For sure, I drag myself to class.. but therein lies the problem. I see my going to classes as 'dragging myself'; I don't seem to have the fire that has sustained me for the past three years, the fire and drive to be one heck of a smart-ass in my major. I suppose it's because I don't like my minor subjects, and I'm taking the real crappy ones this term.

With the exception of Economics (struggling) and Biology (amateurish), I am not enjoying my academic college life at all. Thank God for the once a week judo practices where I get to release all the stress.

Bad timing.
On my final term, I feel this.

Jay~

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The much anticipated and most recent game-to-movie film so far has delivered well, and with class and style, in my opinion.

At first glance, I thought that PoP would be a terrible sword-and-sandal adventure flick; pretty-boy lead actor, inspiration from a game (my God, we've had lots of bad ones, haven't we), and an ancient setting. Surprisingly, I was glad to have had my expectations shattered.

Jake Gyllenhaal was not in his usual fare of films, and I never really thought he was much of an actor (he was not stellar in PoP as well) but this one was one of his better performances, and one of the better performances in this genre. He looked the part of the Prince of Persia, which is never a bad thing as the game does have quite a loyal fan-base, myself included, and it added a tad bit of 'realism' that it was the game.

Scenery, 3D effects, costume, and props were top-notch, and I appreciate the film for giving justice, at least to that, to the original game. The Prince's moves and weapons were also classics, and it was good to see they tried their best to remain faithful to the original concept. Props for that.

The only dodgy thing in my opinion was the choice of the particular PoP game. Sands of Time was never one of my favorites, and I actually think the movie could have been a lot more if they used another game (the first one wouldn't be a bad choice). Still, it is a good watch on a quiet afternoon. Popcorn is a welcome companion.

7/10

Jay~

PJ's 20th

First of all, happy birthday, girl :)

The celebration was strung out over three days; a nice, alone-time birthday dinner where we had some pizza, a house party at her place where I showed off some manly skills with the grill - and thankfully, her friends loved the food; PJ's a pesco vegetarian, so boo you :P - and an AMAZING day at Enchanted Kingdom theme park.

No pictures of the birthday dinner at Brooklyn Pizza, but it was a little marred by the fact that twice, the power went out at the place. The emergency lights were pretty bright anyway, so it didn't really ruin anything. We ordered a little too much food though, and ended up really full, and with some take-home pizza and pasta. :)

The second day's celebration was pretty fun as well. I manned the grill, and did my thing. I was pretty proud of myself that the liempo (grilled pork) I made was a hit, as well as the squid. Yay :P Good amount of fun and partying that night, and I really enjoyed spending the day with most of PJ's close friends. Some pictures of the party:






The big one was the Enchanted Kingdom trip. I am NOT one into rollercoasters, but since the birthday girl requested, all of us who went had to go on this monster:

(Picture courtesy of Leonor's Diary)

The Space Shuttle is a pretty extreme 'coaster; it takes you up really high (I assume it's about the height of a 10-storey building) then drops you down. You go through three loops forwards.. and then it hits the end of the tracks, and slides back and loops you yet another three times. Insane. And I rode that monster. TWICE. :D Actually, after the first terrifying ride, I now understand why some people LOVE the adrenaline rush. It was crazy, but it felt so damn good.

On the way to EK :)

Pictures around EK.





They also made me try the bungee trampoline, and it was fun (I did a few flips, and it was funny seeing other people try after that - it's almost impossible without the right technique :P) until of course, the general groin area started hurting.. :/


We also played paintball, but unfortunately for PJ, the paintball that struck her leg failed to explode.. resulting in a pretty spectacular bruise. It kinda resembled the solar system :P



Happy birthday PJ, and I'm happy to have been a part of your 20th :)

Jay~

Skittlez at the SBS Dance Factory 2

Skittlez Crew performs at the second summer dance workshop recital of Step-by-Steph Dance Studio at Tanghalang Pasigueno, Pasig City, Philippines.

Skittlez performed alongside the SBS students, Groovejackz, Stellar (the women of the Philippine All Stars), Krumpinoy, Funkin' Styles, Pilento, the La Salle Dance Company - Contemporary, and Unschooled Dance Crew.



Jay~

Summer..

It's just so good to be happy.
Our journey together starts. <3

Jay~

The Fourth Year

I'm fourth year now, but in a funny way, I never finished third year. :P It's only my eight term in DLSU-M, and with three terms a year, I think I am finishing my course a little too fast. LOL.

Well.. See you in class, ID 110s :P

Here comes the old guy.

Jay~

And Who Turns 22?

Definitely one of the best birthdays ever!

Thank you to the hundreds and hundreds of people who greeted me on Facebook, through text messages and phone calls, as well as email messages. I have never felt more remembered in my life. :)

It's scary, thinking that I am already another year older (jeez, who among us cannot remember our last birthday?) but I am sure I am pretty prepared for the next batch of challenges this year. It will be my graduating year, and (hopefully) the start of a satisfying and fulfilling career.

Looking back through my blog posts since I started this thing, I really see how much I've grown; it's a beautiful realization. My birthday wish this year is to never lose that awareness about my own life. It is only when we are aware of what we are doing when we are doing it, where and with who, and especially why, that we can truly grow as great people.

Thank you again, everyone!

Jay~

Goodbye, Acer Travelmate

My trusty laptop since 2007 has finally given its last breath of digital air. It refused to even start. I should have seen this coming.

Goodbye as well to over 50GB of data; pictures, videos, university files, and other random things. :(

Jay~