Movie: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

My sister and I rushed to catch the last day of showing of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug this year. The last because on the 25th the cinemas will be showing nothing but entries to this year's Metro Manila Film Festival.

The cinema is packed.  I didn't mind.  I didn't want to mind anything.  Not even the shrilly toddler in the row in front of us that her own mother doesn't seem to notice.  But then it was hard to ignore this:

Why on earth do people insist on watching movies that are part of trilogies, or prequels to other movies, then ask for the back story inside the theater?  Why do you do that??

So this middle aged man sits in between a teenage girl, who was next to me, and a boy of about ten.  The odd thing was that the kids knew jack shit about the story.  Seriously, in this day and age I would have thought the kids are always on the pulse of popular culture.  Every ten to fifteen minutes one of the kids would ask a question about the story, what's already happening in the movie, or what's going to happen in the movie. If you want to know what's going to happen could you just watch the movie?  This movie is PG, but this is ridiculous.  And they do this, all three of them including the adult, without even trying to lower their voices.  Does this look like your living room?!

While the first movie feels a bit stretched thin, The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug feels a bit 'meatier'.  It explores new characters, history and places, giving more life and dimension to Middle Earth.  Through backstories, we are given an idea of how the inhabitants of Middle Earth lived and how they related to other races.  There are also new places shown like Mirkwood, where Legolas comes from.  Before this movie, I always sort of just lumped the elves together. I've never really looked at them as different groups possessing differences in attributes.

I liked how this film constantly teases Bilbo, and the audience, with the Ring.  Will he use it or won't he?  Will he fall prey to it's temptations and it's power?  Will he tell Gandalf about the Ring?  With the Lord of the Rings Trilogy behind us these questions don't really matter as we already have a pretty good idea of how the story of the Ring would end in this trilogy.  It's like an open secret that you still want to hear the nitty gritty details about anyway.

The movie has nice pacing with lots of action, and a love triangle.  I definitely did not see that coming.  It's amazing how they managed to fit that in but I like it.  The visuals are good but it still find it weird sometimes how ridiculously smooth the orcs are (since they're computer generated).

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Movie

So I went out with my sister to finally see Catching Fire, the second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy.  Because it was already evening there were really no plans to do anything else.  Except eat.  Hahaha! Hunger Games is making me hungry.   Seriously, there is so much food listed and described in that book I've now added Lamb Stew with Dried Plums to my bucket list.

Popcorn and sugary drinks while watching the starving citizens of Panem. 

I don't have a copy of the books, only the audio books, and only 'read' the beginning part of Catching Fire before watching the movie.  I did this because 'reading' the first then watching The Hunger Games only left me disappointed.  Not only were a lot of elements from the book missing from the movie, but the movie left out key points that were essential to the story.  If you didn't read the book, you'd be confused at what was going on or why the characters acted like they did.  The movie felt choppy; it was like the scenes bounded one after the other and didn't flow too well.

I was much more satisfied with Catching Fire.  I didn't feel like I missed much in terms of detail even without reading the second book.  I was pretty much able to follow what was going on, the scenes flowed well, and it didn't feel like I was missing something that I should have read first in the book. Of course, I had the basics down from reading the first book so I had a very good idea how everything worked but still, it wasn't like Harry Potter where if you missed reading the book you'd be somewhat confused by something when watching the movie.

I'm so glad they decided to make use of Jennifer Lawrence's acting skills in this movie.  In the first movie she looked like she was trying to channel Kristen Stewart with that poker face, sometimes missed, and went Lucy Lawless instead.

For a bit I think Kristen Stewart would've fit as Katniss Everdeen for the first movie.  And I know that's a sacrilegious thing to say for a fan of- anything, really.  But the nearly blank, bored face, the dismissive air, it's just like how I see Kristen Stewart in every red carpet photo or interview.  Good thing she wasn't because Catching Fire had Katniss showing a whole range of emotions, from fear, to pain, that she might not have survived.

I'm so glad Josh Hutcherson's Peeta looked hotter in this movie.  I didn't think it was fair to have Liam Hemsworth be Gale because of course if you didn't read the book you'd instantly root for him instead of dear, dear Peeta.

Effie Trinket still as adorable as ever!  I couldn't stop thinking how amazing it would be to recreate her outfits, but probably shouldn't since they're Alexander McQueen.

Haymitch was a character I liked better now that I didn't read the second and therefore have no preconceived notions of how he's supposed to be.  Same goes for Cinna.

Catching Fire had several new characters and touched them briefly but it didn't feel too little or too out of place.  Nice pace and great visuals, combined with the story, made for a very entertaining movie.  I think the rest of the theater would agree, because apart from typical reactions (ahem, Jena Malone!) everyone was pretty much silent, obviously glued to the screen.

The JLPT N5 Experience - The Epic Fail

I did something yesterday I probably shouldn't tell anyone I did, in the same way that a child who broke a glass knows to slip away quietly before he's found out.

I took the JLPT.

In a way this is embarrassing for me.  Like, how can a person flunk the easiest JLPT level?  Sheer talent, lol.
In a quick google search, what I found were positive reactions to the experience, mostly underscoring how ridiculously easy it was.

Could've been.  Maybe.  I wouldn't know.  I didn't study for it.  I went over my notes and a few days before the test but obviously that wasn't enough.  Especially since in between that time I had close to nil exposure or practice.

In the time that I passed my application form I already knew I wasn't going to be able to study for it.  (It was one of those days... )  But I did it anyway because I felt I needed something to somehow keep me going.  I was afraid I'd give up on the language entirely.

I wasn't able to take my the practice tests because they ran out of slots so the actual exam was my very first introduction to the JLPT.  This was my practice test.  Awesome.

Where I took the test

The test was held at De La Salle University.  This was my first time to set foot in this campus.  (Ugh, I should have brought a camera.)  The line to get inside was ridiculously long.  The examinees were separated by levels, then divided into several rooms.  As I was walking towards the building we were supposed to be in I heard somebody say, "Lasallista na ako!"  Hahaha!  I recalled a similar reaction with an old schoolmate.  He told me he and a few others were told that they couldn't take a summer class for a certain subject in our school, but that they could take the same subject in Ateneo.

There was probably at least a thousand of us from all levels.  We weren't allowed inside the building until 12:30pm so everybody just waited outside.  There were books and notes everywhere.  One girl was standing with an open laptop in her arms.  Me?  Peg of the day:  Come as you are.  Hahaha!  I had no notes, reviewers, nada.  It's a testament to how I feel about the whole thing.

I saw somebody there from my Japanese class.  She said she hadn't studied either.  But she could already converse in Japanese so she'll probably ace the listening part of the test.

We got into the building and into our assigned rooms.  We were seated by registration number.  I found myself right in front of the proctor.  A little briefing, a little chit chat.  A lot of the examinees came from JSAT.  I have never heard of JSAT before this but from what I heard from their conversation, I assumed that they were prepped for this.

The test experience- where it all begins to crumble

We were given a set of three pages of answer sheets.  When I got mine I was a little confused thinking, 'Is this a practice answer sheet?' I had taken tests before with answer sheets that were nearly filled to the brim with those numbered circles.  This one looked like a rectangular box divided into sections of rows of circles.  It looked less than a fourth of the page!

The test answer sheets and test papers were in separate string-tie envelopes that were taped at the flap.  The first part of the test was Vocabulary.  Disaster.  Kanji was among the last lessons we had and I didn't really have a grasp on it.  I still don't.  So I am familiar with only 30 Kanji, ten of which are numbers.  Lol!  I think we were supposed to know about a hundred?  Yep, that didn't go so well.

Since I lacked practice, my reading skills and comprehension dropped.  And I'm a beginner, so that's terrible news.  At one point the proctor says, "Last five minutes." I look at my answer sheet and I realized I wasn't even at the last section of the test!  And before I could stop myself I blurted out, "Ang bagal ko!" Ffff.

There was a 30-minute gap right from the end of the first test to the start of the second test and another one at the end of the second test to the start of the third test.  The proctor packed the answer sheets and questionnaires back into their envelopes, wrote something on the envelopes, then took them out of the room.  Everything seemed very strict and systematic that it oddly felt like an election or something.  When she came back she had another string-tie envelope with a taped flap containing the questionnaires for the second test, Reading.

Going faster downhill

I thought my biggest hurdle would be the Listening part.  In one listening test in our language class I could barely follow what number we were in.  In one dialogue all I got were "refrigerator" and "shelf".  Wth am I supposed to do with that?  Afterwards, my classmates were discussing it and apparently there were food and drinks in a shelf in the refrigerator and you're supposed to answer what shelf it was on.  I didn't even get that far!

Back to Reading.  As I was saying, I thought my biggest hurdle was listening, but I was way, waay off.  In the Reading part, I couldn't even get past the instructions!  There was this section with that had sentences with four blanks and a star sitting on one of them.  I couldn't figure out what to do with it.  I couldn't even calm down long enough to actually understand the instructions because I was pressed for time and already reading everything at a grandmotherly pace.

Same drill after the test: questionnaires and answer sheets are packed and taken.  When the proctor came back she had a radio for the Listening test.  I think the cassette tape was also in an envelope.  The cassette tape itself was even wrapped in plastic!  Wow.  Who makes these things?

Anyway, I was bracing myself for the test when a girl asks, "Can we use a scratch paper?"  WTF?  What do we need a scratch paper for??  What? Are we doing computations? What?

Full-blown silent panic.

Then we start.  And surprise, surprise- I can somewhat follow what's going on!  I'm still missing words so my answers are questionable but it was definitely better than what I had expected.  Hell, I was just happy I was able to follow what number we were on!

I still don't know exactly why they need the scratch for. To write down what they hear?  I'll find out someday.

And that was it.  My very first JLPT experience.

Obviously, I'm not proud of what I did but in a way I was a bit glad I did it.  I don't think I'd be giving it up after all.

The test is divided into three sections:  Vocabulary, Reading and Listening.  There is a 30-minute gap in between tests.  I don't remember the exact numbers but there is probably no more than 50 questions per section.  In Vocabulary, part of the test alternates between Hiragana and Kanji: the word is in Kanji and you're supposed to find the Hiragana of that word, or the word is in Hiragana and you're supposed to find the Kanji.  The questions are carefully constructed so that the differences in possible answers are small and you can't simply guess the right answers.  In Reading, the sentences aren't that simple.  There are combinations of sentence patterns.  Knowing how to transform verbs is not enough; understanding transformed verbs at a glance is essential.  You won't have time to transform them.  In Listening, you must be able to follow the whole scenario.  Again, the differences in the answers are small and if you miss some words you might choose the wrong answer.  For example (this is not a question from the test, just to illustrate what I'm saying) Three people walked in the bar.  Two men and a woman.  Then two people walked into the bar.  A man and a woman.  How many men walked into the bar? 1) five 2) two 3) three 4) four

Cosplay Mania '13

I'm not in the best spirits to be out and about these days but even a hermit might need to take a break.  Whatevs.

So!  I went to a cosplay convention.

Probably lots of happy people there.  I'm just stating the obvious so I can psyche myself on what to expect so the sheer amount of strangers' happy vibes won't overwhelm me.  It's best to prepared.

The whole area was divided by the three halls they rented: the first was an open space that had a couple of stalls, and the ticket selling area.  Second was the exhibitor space.  The third space was for the shows I think.  I'm not sure what went on there because I didn't go there.  Access to the first space was free, access to the second space was Php150 and access to the third space required an additional Php100 (a full access ticket cost Php250).

I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to the third space.  I was thinking back to all the time I had been to events like this and trying to secure a place to watch a show, and the shoving, pushing and general annoyance that comes with it, was the last thing I wanted to deal with it.  Instead of upgrading my ticket I just aimlessly walked around the second space.

Tiny Army

Japanese Embassy Booth, I think

I passed the DFA booth, I got a brochure. At least that saves me some effort on inquiries.  I got a tiny soap.  I got hair wax and facial wash.  From Gatsby.  Apparently I look like a man.

I also got some pictures of cosplayers which aren't that good because I didn't ask them for photos.  In a typical photobomb, the photobomber sneaks in the frame of the subject being photographed.  Well, I sneak in behind the photographers of the subject I want to photograph.  This leads to a whole lot of blurry photos!  My photography skills are close nil and you have to make a quick getaway so people don't notice.  Though I did have a couple of cosplayers just stare at me while I did this.  Busted!

I went full idiot mode while taking pictures. Lol.

Probably the only thing I regret not doing is trying the gachapon.  They had a row of multiple gachapon dispensers and out of all of these all I wanted was the Evangelion.  I never tried one before and I was thinking what if I don't get a figure I like?  So I hesitated and I said to myself I'll get one before I leave.  And then I forgot.  Hmp.

How I Survived the Non-Aircon Bus

It's been sixty something days since class ended and I'm still at a loss with what to do with myself.

Anyway, one very important life lesson I garnered during the experience was tolerating the non-aircon bus.

Before starting class I hated non-aircon buses.  I still rode them, but I'd avoid it if I could.  The thing about non-aircon buses is that most of them had doors on the side.  Because the passenger wouldn't have to walk all the way to the front to get off, most of these buses wouldn't stop that long while you got off- or on.  One time, me and my sister was getting on a bus like this and because she was in front of me I couldn't get on the bus fast enough.  The bus jerked forward and I nearly lost my balance.  So if I was jittery about these buses before, after this experience I was close to boycotting them completely.

But because I wasn't familiar with the area where my classes were held I had to contend with using buses to get to class.  Unfortunately, the buses that plied my route were few.  One time out of desperation, I boarded a bus that was full.  Full as in I was in the doorway. And of course, the door was open.  I was scared.  I kept thinking that if we were going to be in a slight accident I would be dead because I could easily get bumped off into the road and ran over by other vehicles.

I was clutching the bars as tightly as I could when, at the next bus stop, a guy tries to board.  People try to make space for him so now he was at the edge of the doorway instead of me.  I was ecstatic!  If something happens he's gonna die first before I do!  Hahaha!  He had one hand on the same bar I was holding on and the other hand palm-down on the side of the bus.  On the outside side of the bus.

As if things weren't bad enough the conductor manages to get close enough to our area and ask the new passenger, "Bayad nyo po?"

He's hanging on for dear life and the conductor wanted him to pay NOW?  With what hand?

But the guy begs off, "Pare, mamaya na, mahirap e."  Understatement of the year.

Fortunately, several minutes later a few people get off and I quickly squirmed my way inside.  I'm guessing the other passenger did the same.

Anyway, at least now I've got the hang of riding ordinary buses.  If there's a door in the front I try to sit near that door so I can alight there.  That way the driver can see me get off.  If I'm getting off at the side door then I scream my head off, "Sandali lang!  Sandali lang!" until I'm actually off the bus.

You learn something new everyday.

Hooray for Little Victories!

I got my training certificate on the 1st of July, 2013.

It was two months worth of effort, of anxiety, of sadness and joy.  Finally getting to the end of it, this wasn't how I'd expected I'd react.  It was just one of those days...

The things that happened in the past couple of days however got me thinking that however I am now it doesn't really change my reasons for doing this in the first place.  This is something.  It's something that I did, and now it's something that I have.

Last day of class

Later today is my very last day.

I don't know how I'm supposed to be.

I think I just had a little too much time on my hands.  After a few weeks of just trying to be on time, and trying to catch up, I get a break and I'm going nuts.  I'm just so tired.  I wasn't as confident in this last test as I was during the "mid-term".  Well, I wasn't confident with anything I did anyway.

My conversational skills was close to nil.  There is a disconnect between what I've learned and actual self-expression.  I absolutely suck at explaining myself in my native tongue, so why am I even surprised?

I had a "listening" test which was way more horrible than the speech and conversation tests.  I'm already a little hard of hearing and that with every other problem I had- utter disaster.  I couldn't make out anything.  I was lucky if I could understand a couple of words.  A whole sentence?  Ha!  I wanted to hug the speakers.

I worry about how I'm going to continue this when I already have so many problems while still in class.  How am I going to fare on my own? I still can't shake the feeling that I don't know anything at all.

We're coming to a close.  I still feel painfully behind everyone else.  A couple of weeks ago I was looking for  something related to what I was studying and found this quiz.  I thought I'd try it.  Then the page opens to a wall of Hiragana and I gasped!  I was shocked!  I was scared!  And two seconds later I realized I can actually read it.  Hahaha!

I think there exists a huge gap in what I'm doing and what I think I can do.  So far, I've done okay in tests but I still feel like I know nothing.  I look at everyone else and wonder why I can't seem to be able to apply what I've learned like they do.  If they ask me something in Japanese, in my head I jump like a startled cat.

At some point in the last couple of weeks, I've thought to myself that I should find a way to bridge this gap.  But now there's just no more time to get it accomplished before the class ends.

So right now, all I want is to be able to enjoy this until it ends.  With my history, just the fact that I started this is already a cause for celebration.  Whatever happens, however it turns out, I'll set my sights on what's happening now and savor this moment.

2013 Philippine Elections

Later today I will be going out to vote.  Frankly, I don't care much about voting and I have considered not going through it at all.

I don't know if I'm disheartened by the system, the politicians, or by society itself.

I know it sounds cynical, but I think of it this way: Why run for office?  Running for office requires a lot of money, connections, and it involves risking your safety and the safety of everyone around you.  In that case isn't it reasonable to assume that those who run for office are those whose possible gains greatly outweigh all the risks and losses?

Sure, I'd love to think that somebody out there thinks that a noble principle or cause outweighs the risks but I'm also realistic.  They're probably near extinct and not running for office.  If they are running for office they're unlikely to win.

I was just talking to a friend who was telling me about three politicians in her area.  Two of them are reportedly buying votes and there's even proof that one of them was actually doing so.  The problem here is that people were unlikely to vote for the third candidate because they think it's a waste to vote for someone who is going to lose.

My goodness, this is not a horse race, people!  You don't cast your vote for someone because you think he's going to win!

Now, I've seen people cast 'strategic' votes but this case isn't it.  And people taking the vote buyer's money because they were going to vote for him anyway are confusing the hell out of me.

In the past months  there were a lot of propaganda regarding doing the 'right' thing.  I think that's well and good, except that people have very different ideas of what exactly is 'good'.  Now is the time more than ever for people to feel incredibly omniscient.

I will say that I voted for Erap in the last election.  That's not a popular vote in the 'educated' crowd.  (Though if I could I would NOT vote for him this time. Wth, why can't you just retire and live in peace?) Seriously, in this country voting is like shopping for clothes.  The brand you choose to wear- and flaunt- is taken to be reflective of your status.  So, who you choose to vote for is taken as reflective of your status, if not your intellectual capacity.

I once had the displeasure of reading an article on a student paper where the writer criticized the smarts of the people who didn't vote for his candidate on a mock election/survey.  It's amusing to note that the people who voted were also students of the same school.

We don't know these politicians!  They smile at us, shake our hands, but that doesn't mean they're good people.  That doesn't mean they know what they're doing.  One decision they make that we agree on doesn't mean we'll agree with everything they do.  But that doesn't stop people from bashing other people's choices like they know better.  Our own friends do or say things that sometimes surprise us. Why is it that we tend to think we know these politicians better?  Who can say who are deserving to win?  How can you be so sure your chosen candidate is the right choice?  Close kayo?

It's nice to think that we are capable of discerning the best candidates but who are we kidding?  Politicians are products that are carefully branded and marketed.  They are glossy, palatable versions of their actual selves.

Voting is gamble.  You make your choice and cross your fingers that your Chosen One doesn't disappoint you too much.  If he does then you don't vote for him next time.  There is no foolproof way of doing this.

Nobody is completely good or completely evil.  We whine and rage against our politicians all the time.  It's easy to speak about them by their stereotypes.  Too often we speak of them like they're this distinct breed of people separate from us, but sometimes I wonder if people have forgotten that these politicians are like us, that they are part of us.  Consider them as grains of sand taken from a beach:  They have individual characteristics but they are also representative of the sands on the beach that they were taken from. Our politicians are samples taken from the whole.  They are representative of who we are. Their flaws and ills could very well be ours.

Language Classes: The 1st Week

Finally!  I've been looking into this opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do and for a long time I've been putting it off.  When I finally wanted to do it, other things got in the way.  This time it pulled through and I was able to pass all the requirements but I was still feeling a bit anxious that something else might come up and get in the way.  But now that I'm through with the first week I can say for sure that I am taking a language class.  

Celebratory cupcake looking a little worn out

It's a basic class, about 150 hours.  I applied for it late last year but I got so sick that I didn't read the text message in time notifying me that I had an interview to get in the class.  This time around I was determined to not botch this.

So, overall I felt like my interview was an oversell.  I didn't want to do it and I'm not comfortable doing it but people say that you should not say anything negative about yourself in an interview.  In my mind I was thinking, 'I'm so not going to give you any reason to turn me away.'

Most of the questions were pretty basic like what are my hobbies.  I said, "mag-Internet?"  How lame is that?!  I could not think of anything.  I should really get myself a hobby.

Then I was asked why I wanted to take this class and I said it was something I wanted to do since I was a kid.  I didn't mention anything about it being due to anime because I don't watch them as often now and I don't know if it might seem weird.

I was asked, "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you want this class?" Immediately I said, "Ten!" So I was asked, "Why ten?"  Crap!  So I said, "It's something that I wanted to do since I was a kid," which by now is sounding ridiculously repetitive so I hastily added, "It's just something I want to do before I die..."  And the teacher said, "Wag naman ganon..." Okay, not what I intended!  So I quickly said, "It's on my bucket list," which is what I had intended to say.

I was asked something about health problems.  I said, "None?"  None that's life threatening, I mean. Again, I just didn't want to give them any reason to say no to me.  Well, I don't have dire health problems, I think, so it's not like I'm going to collapse in the middle of class and disrupt the lesson.  At the very least I could excuse myself and collapse outside the door.

It's a week in and there's a lot of things to get adjusted to.  First is a steady schedule.  Second is the whole being in a class thing.  I was a little surprised that I needed a pencil.  I don't think I've ever used a number 2 Mongol pencil in years. 

It's a lot like being in grade school but I guess that's because it's a language class.  It's like learning to talk and write again for the first time.   

Movie: Warm Bodies

The first time I saw the trailer for this movie I got excited because I love zombies!  I heard somewhere that zombies are the new vampires.  Uh, I hope not, because I'll have a hard time accepting the existence of a sparkling zombie.  So it freaked me out a little when I saw a close-up of the lead blonde actress:



"Is that Kristen Stewart?"

I racked my brain thinking if I read anywhere that Stewart is starring in a zombie movie but then I thought, "That can't be Kristen Stewart; she looks so... alive!"

Last week I was finally able to see it.

Warm Bodies is horror-comedy-romance.  My sister calls it a chick flick.  WTH.

Warm Bodies explored an old idea in the zombie genre and gave it a different approach.  It because of this that I see it as a horror movie than a chick flick.  The zombie state is essential to the movie and not merely a backdrop for some sappy love story.  It's heartwarming in more ways than one.  If anybody wants to nitpick there's also a bit of commentary on the kind of zombies we are today.

While the love story itself will never reach The Notebook proportions, it's still cute and entertaining.  It's not annoyingly sappy.  I like the humor and the story moves along at a nice pace.  If you're not overly strict with your zombies then this can be quite entertaining.  This movie shouldn't be so easily dismissed because it's not grim, dark, or gory like typical zombie fare.  It's light, but has guts.  Hehehe.

There's an inconsistency with the zombies as another moviegoer pointed out, "O, nakakatakbo naman pala e." Indeed, these zombies can't decide if they're fast zombies or Romero zombies.

Spoilers

I've been reading some threads on IMDb and some people are arguing over Warm Bodies not being a zombie movie, turning zombies into pussies,

The idea of a zombie that can be turned back is not new.  This was explored before in Day of the Dead and Survival of the Dead.

I don't believe that Warm Bodies deviates from the zombie lore as how Twilight did.  In Twilight, the vampires shunned daylight because they sparkled.  That deviates from the more common idea of death by sunlight.  I'm not irked because of the deviation, I'm irked by how silly the deviation is.

In Warm Bodies, the zombies deviate from the common idea that zombies are very dead, mindless, flesh eating people by having monologues, language, and the capability to reverse their condition. Here, we're seeing things from a zombie's perspective.  Most movies on the subject focus on the human perspective but doesn't automatically mean there can't be something to be seen from the zombie side of things.  I liked it.

Okonomiyaki and a Movie: Upside Down

Last Sunday we went to Little Tokyo for Carmie's post-birthday celebration.  We were supposed to meet at the MRT Magallanes Station at 11am.   I was late (again! crap) but at least not super late as I thought I would be because I was trying to cover up a zit before I left.  On any other day I wouldn't have bothered but knowing that we'll be taking pictures I wanted to look at least semi-decent for photos.  The frustrating thing was make-up is hit or miss for me, with way more misses than hits.  My concealer kept showing no matter how much powder I put on it and I went home with a light cream spot on my face.  I don't know which is worse- sporting a red spot or a cream spot.  Either way, I can't win.  Someday I'll figure it out.

We boarded a jeepney for- somewhere.  I don't know.  I keep forgetting where exactly we're going except that it's right next to Makati Cinema Square.  A lady with a kid got on the jeepney after we did.  She was loud and kept fussing over the kid.  She wasn't the kind of person you'd typically expect to converse in English but converse she did.  I'm not hating.  I actually applaud her for that because I can't do that.  I don't speak in English and I do horribly conversing in any language, if at all.  But the things she said was undoubtedly entertaining.  At one point she switched to Filipino and said to the kid as she wiped his face,

Di bale nang madumi ang katawan basta malinis ang mukha.

My goodness!  Naman, Teh!  Lilinisin na rin lang ang mukha, di ba pwedeng idamay na katawan?  She said something about the face being the thing that people look at but what kind of idea is that keeping your face clean while the rest of you isn't?  Maybe they don't have the means to clean the whole body?  Still, if you have the means to clean up the face it doesn't make sense to not include the body.  That kid is going to grow up with really messed up standards.

I have no idea what it says.  But it looks nice.

So we arrived at Little Tokyo a little before noon I think.  This is about the third time I've been here.  It's always a little awkward because I keep thinking, 'Damn, I should have practiced using chopsticks before I came her.'  Still, I used chopsticks because I figured I might as well get some practice.  We had okonomiyaki as usual which tasted great as usual.

Lunch:  Made possible by Carmie!

We were waiting for Daryll as we ate and I kept saying she wasn't coming.  Salbahe ko.  Hahaha!  It wasn't like her to be that late for our meet-ups.  It would have been a different story if it was me.   Hehehe!

Okonomiyaki costs about PHP250-300

After our lunch at Little Tokyo, we went to Market! Market! at Tessa's suggestion.  She got us tickets for Upside Down!  We owe her the pleasure of seeing this movie.

----- Review:  Upside Down -----

Adam is an orphan residing in a cold, dilapidated city.  In this place called Down Below, people are poor and considered lowly.  On an errand to pick pink pollen he meets Eden from Up Top, a world for the wealthy where energy and modern comforts abound.  Separated by worlds and gravitational pulls, their young relationship ends in tragedy as an incident causes Eden to fall and bleed.  Not knowing what happened to her, Adam continues his life concocting a face cream while vowing vengeance against the company that continues to make life difficult for the world Down Below until he sees Eden alive and well on a tv screen...

This movie is not for the nitpickers.  It's just something that's meant to be enjoyed at the moment and bitched about later.  Like, "Why in the world is he making face cream of all things?"  Seriously, if you're complaining about the injustices committed by the powers that be would you think, "Hey!  I know how I change the way society works.  I'll make an anti-aging cream!"  Could you imagine Rizal making cosmetics instead of writing a book?

Questioning the science and logic of what's in this movie is a futile exercise.  Trying to wrap your head around the given 'science' will do nothing but distract you from the rest of the movie.  So instead of getting confused about why matter, like metal, in contact for some time with another matter from another world burns but people's bodies don't, I chose to focus on other things like the beautiful scenery, Harry Potter's friend Ron Weasley's rat-turned-wizard, and Kirsten Dunst's face.

Upside Down is just in time for Valentine's (In this country at least).  It's a romantic movie that makes a girl look at her date and ask herself, "Why am I with this guy?"  Hehehe!  To be fair to all the other guys out there, Adam is unrealistic.  Please, am I supposed to believe that a guy would still be hung up on a girl after ten years?  Knowingly put himself in harm's way to meet  and date her?  To risk his life for her?  Well, come to think of it there wasn't a singular girl his age shown in his side of the world so maybe he didn't have other options.  

It has a good idea, quick pacing and a bit of suspense thrown in.  It's sweet without being sickening and it's romantic without being too sappy.  It has stunning visuals and, if a person chooses to exercise imagination instead of logic, can be very entertaining.

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After the movie we bought drinks at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at the Bonifacio High Street.  I had the Ice Blended Almond Biscotti.  I had mixed feelings about it.  It was really sweet but there was a flavor to it that I like but wasn't consistent in the whole drink.  I don't frequently buy drinks like this so I don't know if they intended it this way.

 Coffee shop patrons: Dogs of the same color flock together

A hospital visit

I feel a tiny bit disoriented.  I spent the past hour staring at I what I wrote yesterday trying to remember my exact line of thought before my sister cut in to check her messages.  So much for that...

I've recently recovered from another bout of illness.  I was sick free for about fifteen days when I got another fever and cough.  If I get the cough anytime soon I'm officially calling it a relationship.  I'm sick of being sick.  

The silly coincidence is I was at the hospital before I got sick.  Getting sick so often makes me think of trying to think more of my health.  Think, because I'm pretty stubborn so the actually-doing-something-about-it part is going to need a bit more work.

So in the spirit of trying to be more mindful of my health I went to the hospital to have moles checked out.  As usual there were plenty of pregnant women in the lines to get processed.  There was this old guy in line with us, tall, medium-built, who was making really loud commentary on everything.  We were in a long line that was cut by the weird layout of the waiting area so one of the nurses instructs the people in the second part of the line to watch out for people trying to cut in the first part of the line then loud guy says,

Pag sumingit tadyakan mo!

I was thinking, 'Haven't you noticed they're pregnant?'  And as though he read my thoughts, moments later he said,

Yung mga trese anyos sa lugar namin hindi matuto.  Turuan mong mag walis, hindi matuto.  Turuan mong magluto, hindi matuto.  Pero hindi mo naman tinuruang gumawa ng bata, ngayon buntis.

Hahaha!

I stood outside the dermatologists' door and as the door swung open, my goodness!  The lady doctors stood there looking really pretty.  Nahiya naman ako!  But come to think of it, if I can come out of this looking like that why not?  Hahaha!

The doctor assigned to me was a petite chinita.  I was looking at her and marvelling at how great her skin was and I thought, 'Why can't I be this pretty?'  It was so frustrating.  Getting to look just as good would be like climbing a mountain at this point because I haven't been taking care of myself as I should.  It would take time, it would take money, it would be tedious, it would be bloody.  As she started talking to me about my concerns I noticed that she had a light, easy personality and I thought, 'Why can't I be this nice?'

...

Scratch that.  Let's do something about the pretty.

She examines me and she notices the brown spots on my stomach.  I've had these spots since I was kid and I never thought they'd ever go away.  The doctor pointed at them and said, 'This doesn't bother you?'  And hope swelled in my heart and I said, 'Can it be removed?'  And she said, 'No.'  I got heartbroken in a second.  *Sigh.*

The doctors took a look at my face and said something about exposure to the sun.  When I was very young I stupidly thought that people who freakishly avoided sunlight were just fussy.  I'm now paying for all those years when I shunned sunblock and boldly faced the sun.

It turned out that my moles were just that and were nothing to be concerned about.  I got a prescription for a Tretinoin which I haven't bought yet.  And was told to use mild soap and sunblock, and something about it and the word sensitive.  I didn't hear correctly because it cracked me up inside.  I look like a freaking mountain troll- sensitive and me don't match.