The Blind Side

Synopsis: "The Blind Side" depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Rating: 5/5

Comments: I am not a fan of football (I seriously can never understand the mechanics of this game), and I was at a complete loss over what Oher was doing, but I definitely give two thumbs up to this movie.

The story itself was nice, and Sandra Bullock did an amazing job portraying Leigh Anne Tuohy. She really did deserve her Golden Globe award.

The pictures at the end showing the real Oher living with the Tuohys reminded us that the movie wasn't just based on a true story, it is a true story. It gives me hope knowing there are people like that who would adopt a person into their family and change his life. And the bond between Oher and SJ was just touching.

It was a very moving movie.

---

Leigh Anne: Michael, I want you to have a good time but if you get a girl pregnant out of wedlock, I will crawl into the car, drive up to Oxford and cut off your penis.

Sherlock Holmes

Synopsis: After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler.

Rating: 5/5

Comments: Now, this is a movie worth watching. And not only because it stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Great job on the acting. Downey Jr. really did portray Sherlock Holmes as I imagined him to be. Jude Law also did an awesome job with Watson. I'm thinking Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud.

Legion

Synopsis: A dusty diner in the Mojave Desert becomes ground zero for earth’s final showdown in Legion, a startlingly original and terrifying vision of the Apocalypse from director and writer Scott Stewart (Priest). As mankind destroys itself in a savage fury, a small group of people trapped on the edge of nowhere prepare to make a last stand—with the help of a mysterious and powerful stranger.

Unaware of the chaos unfolding around the globe, Bob Hanson (Dennis Quaid), the owner of a remote roadside café, and his partner Percy (Charles S. Dutton) go about business as usual. The restaurant’s beautiful and very pregnant waitress, Charlie (Adrianne Palicki), serves breakfast to Sandra and Howard, a well-heeled suburban couple (Kate Walsh and Jon Tenney) and their teenage daughter Audrey (Willa Holland), as they wait for their car to be repaired by Bob’s son, Jeep (Lucas Black).

When the television goes on the fritz and the phones go out, the group realizes they have lost all communication with the outside world. As they attempt to make sense of what’s happening—An earthquake? A terrorist attack?— an elderly woman (Jeannette Miller) arrives and sweetly orders a steak from Charlie. When her meal arrives, she begins spewing shocking obscenities. In a heartbeat, the fragile old lady develops superhuman strength, launching a grisly attack that leaves Howard critically injured.

A desperate attempt to get medical help ends when an impenetrable cloud of flying insects turns the diner into the only safe haven for miles. As the horrifying truth of their situation sinks in, a stranger (Paul Bettany) joins them with an arsenal of stolen weapons. He informs Charlie that her unborn baby is now humanity’s only hope, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to save it.

The world is about to become a waking nightmare for the last remnants of mankind as rolling caravans of crazed killers arrive in search of fresh victims and an army of warrior angels bent on total destruction follows close behind them in a unique and terrifying glimpse of the End of Days.

Rating: 2/5

Comments: Now, that was one disappointing movie. It was definitely fantasy, somewhat thrilling, not even remotely horror. And I must say, the bitchy Grandma at the start of the movie was a nice touch, especially with her climbing the walls, although Mrs. Ganush from Drag Me To Hell was a much more convincing creepy old lady.

And what's up with angels declaring war on humankind? And since when did angels have wings of steel and machine guns? Just what are they trying to portray?

The ending was also anticlimactic. Sucks all around.

on ear infections, beating boredom, and gleek friends

I finally had my ear checked by my doctor last Saturday and as I expected, I got otitis externa. That's inflammation of the outer ear, which could be cause by swimming. The pain started last Tuesday, and knowing me and my aversion to check-ups (yes, I took up Nursing and hopefully will take up Medicine but I don't like visiting my doctors), I waited till last minute. My Mom called my doctor for an appointment (she knows I won't do it) but unfortunately, she had ORs to attend to on Thursday and Friday, so she couldn't see me till Saturday (yey me!).

By Thursday night, I figured I was gonna be screwed. I was gonna go beg my Dad to take me to the ER because the pain was excruciating. God. I learned at school that ear infections can be painful, but I never really believed it until I experienced it myself. Who knew an ear could hurt that much? I woke up around 2 AM to this intense pain in my ear, and my head felt like the little Irish people were tap dancing in it. I had this weird visions of me going to the OR where they had to operate on my ear because something was really wrong with it (did I mention that I'm just a tad lot paranoid?). I ate some biscuits, took some pain killers, waited for the drugs to kick in, and went back to sleep. Come Saturday, I was only happy to see my doctor.

I've been swimming my whole life and I never had otitis, not once. There was a time when I told myself that I won't go swimming again, but it was the pain talking. So, will I swim again and risk another ear infection? Hell yeah! Coz we're going to Coron, Palawan this summer! Oooh boy, I can't hardly wait. For you Filipinos who keep going out of the country for vacations, shame on you! See the Philippines' beauty first, for Pete's sakes. (Now, I'm not judging, coz I've been to other countries, but hey. This is why they invented the saying love your own.)

---

I was out with Janz yesterday. We were both bored, so we decided to hang at Bo's (it was either Bo's or JK, but we chose Bo's because of the free unlimited WiFi). Then around 3, Jo and Denise came, but Denise had to leave a little earlier. So it was just me, Janz and Jo. We talked about what's going on with our lives - usual stuff. Life and how boring it is, work and how tiring it is, love and about hard it is, money and about how scarce it is, vacations and about how we're not gonna get it.

We also abused Bo's WiFi, coz Janz and I downloaded a bunch of stuff (movies from Torrent and songs from Limewire) to our laptops. I was feeling a little sentimental so I downloaded a bunch of old songs I really loved. Some old ones from the previous generation like Could It Be I'm Falling in Love by the Stylistics and wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham. And some from my generation, like music from The Corrs and 98 Degrees, and etc.

We also exchanged movies, the ones we got on our laptops. And Glee! How we talked about Glee, and their renditions. Rehab kept cracking us up, coz we kept singing it.

At around 6 PM, I went to DWU Church because I was the only one who didn't attend mass. I went back to Bo's after, and we waited for Ishan. We tooked pictures, joked around, talked about more stuff.

Then we ate dinner. Pizza for us all. Yum.

After dinner, we all walked to my house, where they got to harass my dogs.

I can't believe how I missed my friends so much. I guess now that we don't have school (except for Ishan and Denise), we don't get to see each other often. Makes me wanna go back to school, if only I get to see and hang with my friends on a daily basis.

But we made plans for Wednesday, though. Gonna watch Legion. Can't wait.

great weekend

My cousin celebrated her birthday at Kuting Reef. We travelled more or less 4 hours from Tacloban to Maasin. Finally saw Agas Agas Bridge - the tallest bridge in the Philippines. Before going to the resort, we dropped by to my cousin's friend's house first, and ate a late lunch there.

We arrived at the resort late afternoon. We changed into swimsuits, then proceed to take pictures. We then took a dip at their ice cold infinity pool (it's been rainy these past few days, so the pool water was really, really cold). Took more pictures. What's a weekend getaway without a few pictures? Ok, so more than 500 pictures is a lot for a 2-day stay, but who's counting?

After our swim, we had dinner. Then we got vodkas and beer and some Magic Sing fun.

We were supposed to go to Limasawa the next day, but the weather at the island wouldn't permit. So we stayed at the resort. Jetskiing, banana boating, kayaking. It was so much fun when the banana boat overturned. Took a dip in the sea, then we transferred to the pool.

We checked out after lunch. Had dinner at my cousin's house. Drank cocktails, talked, Facebooked. They all went back to Manila this morning.

The weekend was over, but the memories will last a lifetime. ^^

on breaking up, and getting back together..

..after an agonizing 2 years.

Yes, Lex and I are back together. Again. We have this weird on-off relationship when we were together for more than 2 years before. Then we went "off" for a very long time (we'd usually break up then get back together after a few days, laughing over how silly we were, but not that last time). Then we went into this awkward, we-have-the-same-friends phase, where we would get together every semester break, Christmas break, and summer break, making it harder for the both of us to move the hell on.

So it's no wonder we were so hung up on each other that we'd have a hard time looking for other people and entering another relationship.

He tried getting back with me a lot of times over the course of 2 years - but he stopped it during the start of the 2nd year. I guess he figured he'd wait til I'm ready (if I ever became ready) than annoy me and push me further away (because believe me, I was like a bomb waiting to explode whenever he pestered me, or whenever he is mentioned by our friends). That's how bitter I am was. Note the word was.

You're guessing I'm not bitter anymore. Maybe I still am, but I don't let the past bother me anymore. I figured, why not let bygones be bygones? Hell, we were young and stupid then, maybe we still are, but not as young and stupid as before, and that counts for something, right?

I mentioned here that he mentioned the L-word again on New Year's Day (of all times), and completely took me off guard. Not that I didn't know it. I knew. I guess I always did. I just sort of shuffled it to an unconscious part of my brain (I could rant about psychobabble crap, but it would just be a waste of everyone's time).

After that fateful day, we got to talking on the phone every night, it was so like high school all over again, back when I'd still doodle his name over a piece of paper and dream of cute babies with eyes like his and curly hair. We'd also hang out, mostly with friends, but also the two of us. I finally got to the point (again, after 2 years) where I'm once again comfortable being alone with him.

I felt like I was falling for him again - not that I ever stopped loving him. I was on denial after we broke up, I guess it was time I finally faced the truth. It's also the reason why I never had any relationships after ours ended (not that boys were lining at my feet trying to get my attention, but whatever).

Ok, I'm rambling. So there. We're back together. I just hope we'd stop acting stupid this time. They say people change with time - I know we both did. I just don't know if we changed for the better or for worse. I guess we'll have have to take one day at a time and see where it'll take us.

I don't want another long-distance relationship, but with him, I have no choice over that matter. He's in Manila, studying. I'm in Tacloban. He can come home after he graduates this April (I think - I can't guess accurately because DLSU is tri-sem), but by that time I'll be in Cebu (hopefully) studying Medicine. But we're making it work (again) this time.

Whatever. Right now, I'm just happy being in ♥.

you have no right messing my life this way

My life is an effin' mess.

First my Dad won't let me study at Manila. Fine by me. We decided on Cebu. And so I thought it everything was fine. I downloaded application forms for CIM, prepared my letters of recommendation to have them signed by former CIs, requested for copies of my TOR at school, and made plans with Cha and Jin (I'm going to Cebu with Cha and we're staying at Jin's). Things are looking up (after bawling my eyes out over not being to study at St. Luke's or UST), or so I thought.

Life's a bitch.

I had a call from my aunt this afternoon. Our conversation went like this:

She: Alam mo ba kelan uuwi Dichi mo para sa birthday niya?
Me: Ewan, 15 ata. Alam ko lang uuwi siya, di sinabi kung kelan.
She: Pero kelan birthday nya?
Me: 16 pa.
She: Ah baka 15 sila pupunta diyan.
Me: Baka nga.
She: So ano plano mo, Medicine? Tuloy ka pa?
Me: Oo.
She: Saan ka mag-aaral?
Me: Cebu ata.
She: Ba't ka pa magsi-Cebu eh meron naman diyan?
Me: Kasi mas maganda school sa Cebu. Iba na ang RTR.
She: Eh bakit si Dichi mo doon naman marami namang pasyente ngayon?
Me: Iba na nga ung school. Mas maganda dati.
She: Ayaw ng Daddy mo lumayo ka, tatlo na nga lang kayo.
Me: Siya kaya may sabi ng Cebu.
She: Eh ayaw nga nya.
Me: Basta sabi niya Cebu na lang ako.
She: Ay bahala ka. (hangs up)

Then she freakin' hang up on me. What kind of person hangs up on her own neice? What kind of person hangs up on anybody?

Same shit, different day.

Jojo came by this afternoon to copy some movies from my laptop. Then we went to Jolibee for a snack. When I got home at around 8, I told my Dad about our conversation. Then (we were speaking in Chinese, Waray and English; I just translated it to just Tagalog and English):

He: Why would you study someplace else when there's a med school here, ba?
Me: Kay it's different na nga. Lower na standards.
He: It's the student naman.
Me: Ay basta.
He: Tatlo na nga lang tayo, aalis ka pa.
Me: Kay Cebu na nga. Ikaw na nagsabi na Cebu na lang.
He: I thought mag-eexam ka lang.
Me: Klaro sabi ko, Daddy. Sabi ko mag-aapply ako sa Manila, sabi mo Cebu na lang. Wala akong sinabi na exam.
He: (silence)

That's the thing about my Dad, he avoids confrontation with me. He didn't say a word again, so I just walked out. Then I cried my eyes out, again. And I talked to my Mom. She told me she knows my Aunt talked to my Dad, but she didn't know what she said to make him change his mind. But my Mom did promise to talk to my Dad.

Anyway, I didn't make this blog to rant about my misfortunes. This was supposed to be dedicated to my manipulative, overbearing, condescending bitch of an aunt. She doesn't have a husband of kids, but she does support her late brother's adopted son who's not accepted by the rest of my uncle's family. She hates Lito's guts, but claims that he has nobody else. It's an act of charity, but I don't think her heart's in it.

I think deep down, she's lonely. And that made her bitter. She doesn't want to see me happy, that's why she's hell bent on destroying my life. She's so fuckin' bitter that she wants other people to be as miserable as she is.

I just wish she'd butt out of my life!

hair minus 2 inches

I had my hair dyed this afternoon. Something called red mahogany brown. I don't understand why they give names like that. Why can't a dye just be red, mahogany or brown? Why does it have to be something like blue black or black brown or a combination of any other colors? They give people like me a headache.

I also had my usual hairdresser chop off two inches from my layered, V-shaped hair. Just the tip. So now I have U-shaped hair. She kept asking me, "Are you sure?" Because knowing me, I'd bawl my eyes out at the idea of cutting my hair. But I don't want layered hair. I want it straight again, like when I was in high school. And it's not like it's gonna stop being V-shaped by itself. So I just said, "Cut it before I changed my mind!" for I was on the verge of doing so.

And now, I'm willing my hair to grow. Grow little hair, grow. LOL

Thank God I have fast-growing hair. ^^

my life has been nothing but crap so far

2010 was supposed to be a new year, a good year. But why, ever since day 1, have I been faced with nothing but crap?

On the first day of the year, my ex suddenly wanted to get back together. And while it's a tempting offer, I have my reserves. I'm scared. And I don't even know why. Granted I've never been in another relationship after we broke up (same thing with him), and I think it's pretty clear why. We've been together for more than 2 years, and we've broken up for more than 2 years now.It took me almost that long to build up a wall around me so that everytime we hang out together (me, him, and our barkada), I wouldn't be so affected. I finally reached the point where I can answer my friends' question about our past without flinching inside, where I can deflect any teasing from my friends without batting an eyelash, where I can look him in the eye when talking to him. And all my defenses crumbled around me that one day when he admitted he still loves me. My relationship status is still pending (I know my FB says differently. My nephew changed it, but I never realized it would say I'm "..in a relationship and it's complicated." It was supposed to be the latter only. While it is complicated, I am not in a relationship whatsoever. But it was fun though, with my friends commenting and all.) I'm hoping to find some answers.

Then, on that same fateful day after my ex dropped the bomb, I learned that my bestfriend is pregnant. For five months now. And she's due to give birth in April. And I'm the only one who knows. She studies in Cebu, so we haven't seen each other for a long time, and we haven't had that much communication, with us both being busy and all. You can imagine my shock when she told me. I never expected her to be the first in our barkada to get preggers. God.

And finally, what really got me on warpath this year was when my Dad told me, really told me that he won't let me study Medicine at Manila. He has his reasons, I just don't want to listen to them. I know, I'm an only child, and that fact makes this harder, but come on! What does he think, that I'll be staying with until the end of my days?

I really, really, really want to be a doctor. And my Dad is killing my dream! I don't want to go to RTR again - i spent four years of my Nursing life there, and I want a change of place. Why can't he understand that he's crushing my spirit just by letting me stay here? I'm tired of being here.

I've been crying the whole time last night, and I woke up this morning with a throbbing headache. And now Jin said something that got the waterworks started again. I'm so pathetic.

my christmas and new year - summed up

Ok this is a late post, I saved this on my laptop for posting, but I never got around to it.

Christmas Eve I went to church with my Mom (my Dad always goes to church on Christmas Day). We don't do the traditional Noche Buena stuff.. We always celebrate on New Year's Eve because that's when the whole family (everyone from the parents and children down to the grandchildren) is here. After the mass, we got home and I fell asleep almost immediately. I guess the 9 days of waking up at 3 am to attend the Misa de Gallo finally caught up to me. I was really tired - especially since starting the 22nd I was always out at night - leaving the house at around 6 pm and coming home around 1 or 2 am.

Christmas Day Hans and Lex picked me up at home and we went to Bo's. Afterward, we went to Robinson's to meet up with Jojo. And while waiting for him, the three of us piled into Gustavian's to get something to eat - and that's where Jojo caught up with us. We walked around after eating, then we went to Jose Karlo's and waited for Kim there. Finally, we got bored so we decided to hang out at Kim's place. We bought groceries, waited for Ken, then we left. We passed by Jin's first, picked her up, and drove to Kim's. We were supposed to stop by the Christmas House, but it was closed. This was the first time in years that we haven't been to the House. So while at Kim's, we stayed at their balcony. Talked a lot, laughed a lot, ate a lot. It was real fun.

December 30 My aunt, nephews and cousin came home. I stayed at my cousin's place the whole time, until New Year's. It's a like a big, long party. I missed my nephews. I can't believe they're all grown up already. It seems like yesterday when they'd ask me to carry them just because they don't feel like walking, and now they're taller than me.

Early Morning New Year's Day Hans and Kim picked me up at around 2 am, then we picked up Lex, Jojo, Jin and Ken. My New Year buddies. We do this every year - spend the first hours of the new year at Kim's place. This year though, Hans was so tired that he fell asleep on the sofa while the rest of us talked, laughed, sang off-key, ate. It was fun, as always. It's something we look forward to each year. I'm so glad for friends like them.

I hope you guys had such a blast on New Year too! ^^