one of the things i dont like on facebook

one of the things i really hate is an opinion that reeks of incompetence. wait...not incompetence but something quite like it. its an opinion that looks intelligent but its really not. in theory its plausible but in reality, its just downright stupid.

i read a status message on facebook yesterday. its an opinion of someone i dont know but upon checking his or her profile information, he or she is a member of the academe from a good educational institution. thats what really surprised me. i find it appalling that a person with such an educational background would make such an opinion. at first glance it seems like a good opinion but upon closer scrutiny, its really devoid of any basis (except that its reasonable. but that wont do anything to make an opinion increase its worth except to make it appear coherent). it was like a comment uttered when one's emotions are high. or a statement that was recklessly given. if that was the case...well, given his or her educational background...its still unacceptable. a political science major...or someone who takes political science seriously, would have doubts and try to verify the truthfulness of such statements (so this means the comment was a political one or at least involves politics). or at least make sure that its realistic enough (or based on existing circumstances, taking into account the various surrounding factors). i know its vague to discuss the opinion like this but im not the type that openly attacks other people's opinion. well, not yet. i have a self-imposed gag order and im just waiting for that period to expire. once that period expires, i would still have to assess if im capable of controlling my sharp tongue (whether i can limit my comments to what are necessary and not go overboard). if not, then i will have to assess whether i can risk voicing out my opinion (there's a lot of things i really want to say and no one will like it. i could end up like the person im criticizing right now. dishing out opinions that are worthless. sometimes, its really better to just shut up). the gag order period is meant to gain experience and adjust to the new environment im in. as usual, i do things systematically and treat myself as some sort of clinical subject for some research. sure it sucks the fun out of everything but well, im an addict for self-improvement through self-control.

anyway, everyone's entitled to their opinion but i just find it hard to accept opinions that are just so stupid (its as annoying as people who miss the goddamn point. give them hints and clues, and they just keep missing it. sometimes i wonder if im really the slow one as some of my friends suggest. or maybe my hints are too complicated to decipher?). i also hate it when they think they're absolutely right or their opinion is really as good as they think it is. sometimes i wonder if im this kind of person. but i dont think so. sure, im arrogant and stubborn so i might appear as someone who thinks my opinions are absolutely good but being the skeptic that i am, im also the first one who would attack my own opinions and try to contradict it with an opinion that would overturn it.

loose bolt on a leash

last weekend, i had a discussion with a friend where she said that i like things done the way i want them with no deviations. if this is how i want it, i really mean this is how i want it. she made that comment after i pointed out that i have a plan that i need to follow.

i admit, i am serious and rigid when it comes to some things (actually, i think its most things now), especially matters that involve my future. i need to have a plan. i need to be prepared for everything. i wouldnt say thats how i naturally am because i wasnt like this before. before, i just do things mindlessly (and it was fun). therein lies the problem. i cant do that anymore. or i must not do that anymore.

having plans serve as my leash. it gives me control over myself. not full control but enough control to make sure i dont do stupid things 90% of the time (or so i would like to think). i need to restrain myself because my uninhibited self is really crazy and out of control. cant let myself run loose and go wild. some might say im paranoid but if people can just see what kind of thoughts run in my head, they would agree that i need restraint. i need to make sure i dont act on those thoughts. having a plan that i must strictly follow somehow gives me some peace of mind that im putting myself away from regrettable mistakes. during the bar review, my self-restraint diminished over time and midway through the review, i did something idiotic. so idiotic that i still cant forgive myself for allowing myself to do such a thing (i didnt follow my curse of foresight simply because my self-restraint was too weak to stop myself). ive got enough mistakes and problems ive done in the past. i cant let that list grow any longer. im still not done paying the price for those shit. given the grave mistakes and regrets ive done, the only way i can sleep at night is through my persona that doesnt care about anything at all. and this persona needs to be restrained too since obviously, if allowed to run loose, the least it can do is injure random people with every fit of rage (found out that im still a rageaholic. luckily, im alone in my room when i realized that, so no repeats of the injuries ive inflicted on others back when i was a high school student)

the only way i can relax is when im with someone who can control me. someone that i recognize as having some form of ascendancy over me. someone who can serve as my "cage". i can have more space roaming inside a cage than wearing a stupid leash. usually, a hot chick can control me but thats only temporary. its only a matter of time before i snap out of her hypnotic effect. so the "cage" isnt strong enough. there are only two people who are candidates that could serve as my "cage" (one has the status of "whereabouts unknown". the other is filed under the status "out of coverage area". there's a third one but her will isnt strong enough to really restrain me. thats why i decided to "discard" her. thats the only thing lacking with her. a strong will. if not for that, she would have been perfect, beyond the two current candidates. there could have been a fourth one but she went away before i could test if she's good enough).  unfortunately for me, they're not interested.  so i will have to settle with wearing a leash. i doubt another "cage" will come along. its rare to find a girl that i cant avoid following even if im fully aware im being controlled. actually, i even ask them to control me. thats why i havent found someone who is willing to put up with restraining me and make sure i behave.

right now, im starting to become reckless. my decisions are faulty and my reasoning doubtful. i need to have a more concrete plan in order to make sure i pull myself away from things i know will harm me in the future. so enough with the distractions. i need to address this problem head on. i guess, its time to wear a stronger leash.

a song dedicated to the ultimate problem solver

nine days

its been nine days since i passed the 2010 bar exams.

the waiting period was torture (the period from the day after the last bar exam until the day the exam results were released). no exaggeration whatsoever. i dont think other people would understand what we went through. im not saying the feeling is exclusive to bar examinees because its not. what im trying to say is that its a feeling that cant be imagined by just anyone. working hard for years and knowing that one's career, one's future depends on that one exam. to fail it means to lose another year...at least. its also demoralizing for some. it also doesnt follow that taking it again would make the exam easier. the level of difficulty of the bar exam varies every year. passing it is a very big deal, especially for those who truly want to become lawyers. 

taking the exam itself is also another torture. its draining mentally and physically. until now, my left hand hurts when i use it to write something down. i cant grip a pen in a certain way because it would send a sharp pain that radiates up to my left arm. thats how much effort it is to write down those answers. well, for me its an effort because im not the type who writes stuff down. i almost never take down notes during class. back in college, i always buy a new notebook but i rarely use more than 1/6 each semester. i managed to finish law school with only one notebook and i wasnt even able to use half of it. im really not a pen and paper guy. ever since i learned how to use a computer, i shifted to the electronic way of writing.

well, march 17 came. the day the results were to be released. two days prior, i got out of the office early and decided to drop by the nearby KFC to check the new Twister. while in line, i received a text message from a friend saying that the results were going to be released by the end of the week, either thursday or friday. after reading that message, fear just consumed me then and there. i wanted to sit down for a while but it was already my turn at the counter. fortunately, i already knew what i was going to order so i just had to switch to autopilot mode. i knew the routinary questions asked at the counter and i had my routinary answers, nods and polite smile for every rejected suggestion. when the transaction finished, i went to the nearest vacant seat i can find and just let the message sink in. part of me was also trying to "enjoy" the feeling since i rarely feel nervous. my palms were already sweaty when i managed to send a reply. by the time i got home, i tried to forget about the news because i really didnt want to think about it but it was impossible. its on the online news and people were also informing me about it.

thursday came. i tried to do the things i normally do on a thursday. so i went to work. my officemate was surprised that i came to work that day. she said most people would be somewhere else. well, im not most people. but i have to admit, my mind kept zoning out because as every minute passed, i got more worried so as some form of defense, my mind shuts down from time to time. by lunchtime, i was staring blankly into space. my officemates were already telling me to go home and sleep. but i just went to my office room, sat there and tried to distract myself with whatever online stuff i can find. by 4pm, i received a phone call from my cousin telling me its time to go to the launching of the worker's foundation. so i left the office, dropped by my cousin's house and then went to UP for the event. it was during this event that i learned that i passed. while seated inside the function hall, i received a phone call from a friend (the same friend that texted me two days earlier). he was the first one to inform me about it. i was happy of course. i couldnt believe it at first because i really felt my chances of passing was 50%. sure i was confident during and right after the bar exams but as months passed, my level of confidence diminished so by the time March came, i was so unsure on how things will be. i was happy for a few minutes. after that, i just felt relieved. i can finally move forward.

adorable kid leader

video made by ferrerorocher09

time stopped today

well, my wristwatch stopped today. it stopped at exactly 9:25am (which was really 9:05 a.m. because its always 20 minutes ahead of "internet time"), not a second earlier, not a second later. i found out it stopped a few minutes before noon. and i remember the last time i checked it before it stopped. it was 9:05 a.m. (8:45am in "internet time")

im very mindful of time. i remember back in high school i told my friends i have a very good sense of time. to prove it, i said that i can tell them what time it is after a few minutes by just looking at a watch or clock just once (just to make a reference and serve as my starting point in calculating how much time has expired since i last looked at the clock). so i looked at the watch to find out what time it is and then we started having our normal conversation. then after a few minutes, one of them will disrupt the conversation and ask what time it is on the watch and i would quickly say the time correctly (i dont compute it in my head, i was just simply aware of how many minutes have transpired since the last time i looked at the watch). they did this for almost an hour, asking in different random intervals while we were talking about other stuff. and i said the time correctly in all instances. its not much of a feat but back then, i was happy to know that i have a good grasp of how much time has gone by even if i dont really focus on the time. its like im fully aware of how many seconds have passed or how many minutes have expired without giving it much thought. i cant do that now. when i start guessing the time, im usually off by five minutes. it just shows how much my sense of time has deteriorated over the years.

going back to my wrist watch, it was my graduation present when i finished high school. so its more than a decade old and this would be the third time i will replace its battery. the original battery lasted for more than half a decade. the second battery, the one that just ran out of juice today, took only three years. now im thinking if im going to get an original battery or just another cheap one. if im going to get an original battery, might as well have its scratched surface fixed. i remember where i scratched it. it was at the stairs of Ateneo SEC 1 back in 2001 (cant remember the month though). i remember how pissed i was because the scratch is really obvious. and im the type of guy who likes watches and clocks (aside from knives and gadgets). i try not to look at wrist watch stores so i can stay loyal to my wrist watch and not be tempted to replace it. ive been wearing a wrist watch ever since i was in grade school and i always broke it because i was a very active kid back then. my current wrist watch is the only watch that lasted this long and was able to keep up with me. and im a very demanding person so it means this watch has been through a lot. there was a time when i didnt take it off even when i go to sleep (its not until a person im sleeping with complained that i should not wear my watch while in bed). i dont take it off when i go to the beach (its water resistant up to 50 meters anyway and i have no plans of going that deep. people always tell me that i still have my watch on when im about to hit the water and i just reply that its ok).

anyway, since i wont be able to get a new battery anytime soon, my cellphones and laptop will have to fill that void until then.

and im getting so high!

Saw this music vid in Arirang. or was it tvN? i already heard the song months ago but it was only a few days ago that i saw its music video. i think everything about this music vid is perfect. the song, the girl (especially the girl), the style of the vid. i just really like it. the song wasnt bad. that's why i remembered it but the music video is what really caught my attention. i think the video fits perfectly with the song. the music video reminds me of the euphoria one feels or the feeling of being consumed by euphoria. i also like the way Wikipedia defines euphoria (colloquially, its "an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment")

nothing continues to happen...and i dont mind

things have been routinary lately. i wake up, go to work, then go home. nothing much to write about. well, there's the baby python last friday. its unusual but its not really that interesting on my part.

i was working on something on my desk when i heard something move in a pile of case files on my left. when i looked at the source of the sound, i saw something shiny and white. at first i thought it was some big lizard's tail but then i wondered, how come its white? i dont know any common lizard that's as white as powder (and i doubt there's a rare specie lurking in my office room). and its not the albino kind of white (pinkish white). anyway, it disappeared and then seconds later, i saw the head of a mouse appear from underneath the case files, wrapped in a snake's body. a snake that's not white at all. maybe when i first saw it, the angle of the snake's body reflected the light from the room that's why it appeared white to me.

the mouse was still alive since it was squeaking but it was only a matter of seconds before the baby python squeezed the life out of it. thats when i realized it was a python and not a venomous snake because of the manner it killed its prey. at first i thought i would wait for it to finish its "brunch" but i decided to tell my officemate about it because it might finish eating without me noticing it and starts to slither away. when i informed them about it, they thought i was talking about a small snake the size of a worm (because i approached them and asked in a calm manner if they knew how to catch a snake. i didnt want to catch it because i dont know how to catch a python myself). they werent expecting a 1.5 foot baby python that can eat a mouse. well, ive had a bunch of pets before (and i used to have an extensive knowledge of animals and dinosaurs when i was in grade school. now, i just pretend i dont know much and let people debate by themselves. i dont want to be seen as an "animal expert" anymore because people dont really take the information seriously except as a "fun fact". i dont want to be like the "crazy person inside the bus" like Ted Mosby) so i dont get "excited" with animals, even the unusual kind. ive had dogs, budgies, freshwater aquarium fish (from arowanas to mollies), white mice, water snake, iguanas, mini-lobsters and turtles (and i always hit the encyclopedias and do some internet research on how to properly take care of it aside from asking tips from pet store owners). there was a point i had all of these pets all at the same time. but i stopped having pets because i dont have the time anymore. cleaning and maintenance can be time consuming and expensive especially when you do it as a hobby.

going back to the python, so there it was, a baby python eating a mouse in my room. my officemates caught it and one of them brought it home. that was that. a road accident might be more interesting to witness.

cheerful and lovable shikshin

silence is in the bullet of the shooter

Angelo Reyes is dead. this news surprised me yesterday. well, not the fact that he is dead but the fact he apparently committed suicide. i learned about it around 9:30am while i was on my way to work. i stopped by a nearby store to buy some cellphone credits when i overheard the news in an A.M. radio station. the news was about Honasan making a comment regarding the death of Reyes. at first, i thought i must have heard it wrong. he killed himself? that cant be right. why the hell would Reyes commit suicide? i dont know the guy personally but ive read and seen him in the news for years and one of my professors personally know him. based from how Reyes projected himself in the media and how my professor described how Reyes was like as DoE chief, it wasnt in his character to do such an act that reflects weakness. so i wondered yesterday what could drive a strong man to end his own life?

suicide is a form of escape. weak-willed desperate people commit this. usually. some commit suicide as an extreme form of political protest while some kill themselves so they can die with honor, like the seppuku. i dont know where Reyes would fall in. i imagined putting myself in Reyes' position and asked myself, what would make me kill myself? the answer i got is, when its the only way, or the best way, i can protect something. what that is for Reyes, i wouldnt know. we can only assume what he thinks needs to be protected. if Reyes is as strong as how he have shown himself through the years, i think thats a good reason why he would do such a thing. he literally took a bullet for something or someone he wanted to protect. if such is the case, what he did is honorable yet not necessarily admirable.

another possible reason i can think of is, he lost his strength to fight obstacles. what could drain a strong man of his strength? one thing i can think of is the realization of being alone against insurmountable difficulties. to have no one to turn to or no one to rely on especially from the people he thought he could expect to provide some form of help. another is to realize that one is a victim of a rotten system that he merely inherited and in a way accepted because that's the only way he knew how he could operate and perform his functions. going against the flow isnt something we teach in schools. well, the schools ive attended always say its difficult to go against the flow. they neither discourage or encourage (its like, dont blindly conform but at the same time dont be a non-conformist. going against the flow will, and should always be, a personal decision and not something dictated or taught in order for it to retain its value). im not saying Reyes is in fact a victim nor he felt victimized. the question im trying to point out is, assuming he did what his accusers allege, how many would not do the same thing? how many would go against what seems to be an accepted "tradition"? assuming the allegations were true, i guess he wasnt that man who's meant to "rock the boat". normally, no one wants to rock the boat. also, we have to take into consideration military culture. admirable men would do something about it of course but not anyone can do it. well, this is what i can gather from the little piece of information i receive from the current events reported in the news. from what i know about politics, there's always something that's not reported that changes how we perceive things from how things are portrayed by the media.

if Reyes didnt kill himself and continued to fight, it would have been admirable but at the expense of his honor. his reputation is already tarnished even if he ends up clearing his name. there are just some things that cant be restored. if the way i see things are true, i guess he chose to have the honor he has left rather than being admirable. to some people, there's no point doing something admirable when youre all alone or it means going against the people that are close to you or could lead to the destruction of things that matter or close to one's heart. for some, its better to have the respect of your close peers than the admiration of strangers.

being unhealthy is burdensome and restricts my freedom.

i wouldnt say im health conscious. i would say im more mindful of my health now compared before (a friend would react and say "so its a question of semantics?" i always contradict him by just rephrasing his statements). years ago, when my blood condition was being closely monitored, i really didnt care about my health status. my mother even requested my cousins to pester me to be more concerned with my health condition then (because some crazy doctor prescribed some chemotherapy pills that caused my mother to worry too much). now that things seem to be more ok than before (not much skin allergies, no longer closely monitoring my blood, lungs seem to be better), why have i become more concerned about my health? why now when things seem to be normal? i wondered why the sudden concern and i came up with this (while walking home a while ago, asking this question): its not the fear of death or the fear of dying. its more of the fear (well, not fear but something quite like it) of not dying. ever since college, i tell my friends that death or dying isnt something worth worrying about. when a person dies, everything ends. all his worries, problems, etc. vanishes in an instant. when youre dead, you wont feel bad about leaving people and things behind. you simply just cease to exist. so why fear it when you wont feel or know anything after it occurs? so the problem lies in not dying. or not dying fast enough. or to be more clear, to be on the verge or in the middle of life and death and to be in a constant state of not dying. thats the scary part of it. i think. with this in mind, i said to myself, if im not going to die soon (because ever since high school, ive thought that i wont reach the age of 30. now it seems only an accident will prevent me from reaching 30), i wouldnt want to be unhealthy while waiting for death to come. its like gradually moving towards death in a burdensome pace and not quite reaching it because death wont reach out unless it wants to take you. thats torture. so its not the uncertainty of living (although it could wield some influence) but the discomfort and pain it brings that bothers me. i dont want to be in some pain, discomfort or some restriction due to health concerns (not being able to eat what i want to eat or not do what i want to do). i think this is the simple reason why i became more mindful of my health.

maybe its temporary. maybe its just a phase or something

my attachment to my cellphones has substantially declined lately. before, it was the first thing i see in the morning and the last thing i check before i sleep. its always within arms reach from my bed. even while half asleep, when it rings, i can easily grab it with eyes closed because i know where it is exactly (even if its position changes every night. it seems my brain can easily picture its position in the room since its the last thing i check before i sleep). this has been the case since, if i remember correctly, 2004 (when i replaced my 3210 with a camera phone). and until 2006, i bring my phone with me in the shower. back then, 1/4 of the time, when i step out of the shower, there's always a text message or a missed call and i was the type who always replies promptly. when my old cellphone broke down and when its replacement was stolen, i quickly bought a new one. its like i cant function normally if i dont have a cellphone. that's how attached i am to my cellphones.

i dont know how this attachment developed. i just noticed that i have this intense attachment to most of the current essential gadgets. when i was in grade school, i was attached to my walkman (a walkman or a portable music player is essential to me. i always bring with me my mp3 player). i brought it to school when i have the opportunity (even if i only own two cassette tapes at that time. The Lion King OST and Michael Jackson's Dangerous album). ever since i took possession of my sister's laptop (which i promised to replace by buying her a new one by the end of the year), its been almost inseparable from me. a friend commented that im weird because we were at the beach and my bag was full of gadgets and wires. im more likely to forget to pack clothing than to forget to pack my cellphones and its chargers.

anyway, i just noticed that lately (lately means more or less three weeks. maybe more), i havent been mindful of my cellphones. when i check it, there's a text message or text messages that ive received half an hour or hours earlier (this is not normal for me since i always hear my cellphone ring because its always with me or within arms reach and the only time i dont reply promptly is when i dont have phone credit). i was also surprised that i have a draft message that i was supposed to send to people as a christmas greeting. i forgot about it (actually, i dont even remember saving it. just saw it this week). i was also supposed to send text messages to greet people last new year's day. i didnt (and its because the next thing knew, new year's day was over. life has been a blur lately). there are times i forget to check it before i sleep. its no longer the first thing i look for in the morning. its like one day, i woke up and im not attached to my cellphones anymore. but even if thats the case, i still dont forget to bring it with me when i leave the house. its already part of the "routine". there are things that i always have with me when i leave the house and its become a strong force of habit that i dont have to consciously think of checking if i have these things with me. like my watch for example. my right wrist feels bare when i step out of the house and im not wearing it. someone made a recent comment that i have lots of stuff in my pockets. i think it adds a pound or two (thats why i only weigh myself when im wearing indoor clothing).

not that i feel any different now that im not as attached to my cellphones as before. it just bothers me a bit that one day i can wake up and things arent the way they were before and i might not realize it. a change that might be significant but hardly noticeable. i think im going to miss my old attachment to my cellphones in a few days or in a few weeks now that i noticed the change.

i have a terrible headache. my nose is slightly congested. i caught another cold.

my theory is...its because of the coffee. ive been drinking coffee daily lately since i think ive found my default brewed coffee brand.

ive always felt that coffee weakens my immune system. thats why i should only consume it in moderate amounts. 2 cups of the 8oz mcdonalds coffee or a starbucks grande cup would be a moderate amount for the entire day. if i go beyond that, i start to feel drained the day after.

usually, brewed coffee either perks me up or makes me sleepy (instant coffee has no effect). if the coffee wakes me up, i feel all my "potential energy" has been transformed into "kinetic energy", thats why i feel drained once the effect of the coffee goes away. no more energy left.

now, why do i think the coffee is the culprit for my cold? its because ive been consuming almost half a liter of brewed coffee lately (i have a half a liter mug. and a half a liter drinking glass). not that it wakes me up but like i said, i think i found my default brewed coffee brand. i like its taste. ive been drinking it daily for a week already and last monday, when i brought home some work, i consumed another half liter of it (it would be my third half liter within a week. in one sitting). the following day, tuesday, i wasnt feeling well and felt that im going to get a cold (i wore a jacket inside my office and the airconditioning wasnt even on. this is weird because i always feel hot). by tuesday night, i already have a sore throat and by wednesday morning, i already have a cold. i cant think of any other reason how i could have acquired the cold virus since i only go to the office then walk straight home (no contact with strangers). my theory is i have a weak immune system caused by drinking too much coffee. i take multivitamins and 500mg of vitamin c everyday. i eat fruits every other day. i always get 7-8 hours of sleep. im not stressed either. but i guess its no match against overconsumption of coffee.

another possibility is...im just old. im not that old but im not as "healthy" as my younger self. comparing my physically unfit 27 year old self to my physically unfit 25 year old self, my 25 year old self will come out as healthier. growing old sucks.

woke up with a loose bolt

went to gilmore yesterday to buy an external hard disk drive. i needed the additional storage space and i need to make a back up for some files. for some strange reason, i was deprived of my basic knowledge of computers. i guess there are days when you wake up but your brain forgot to follow.

all i remember is that i had my lunch at 2pm then i was at gilmore by 330pm (lately, life has been a blur. again! like the early scenes in Scott Pilgrim vs the World). i did some canvassing and looked for the cheapest internal 500 gig seagate sata hard disk. there wasnt much price difference in the different stores i went to. i initially wanted a hitachi but since 3 out of 4 of my hard disks are seagate, i decided to have some brand loyalty (i dont know what's the brand of the other hard disk. i think its samsung. i wasnt there when it was installed). when i finally decided which store im going to buy the internal hard disk, i then went to CD R King to buy an external hard disk enclosure. this is where i did something idiotic. i bought the enclosure for a laptop hard disk instead of a desktop hard disk. at the back of my mind, i knew that i was buying the wrong enclosure but since i didnt explain to myself well enough why it was the wrong enclosure, i didnt listen. it was a very stupid mistake to commit. i was canvassing for an internal desktop hard disk, why the crap will i buy a laptop hard disk enclosure? right from the beginning, i knew what i was buying. how can i make a mistake in buying the wrong enclosure? anyway, i managed to get it replaced with the right one. i just felt really stupid for making the mistake.

when i got home, i checked if the hard disk was working. the PC and laptop can detect it but i cant open it because it doesnt have a designated drive letter. stupidity number two. ive bought hard disks before and installed it too (except for one of the hard disks in the PC because i was at my "despedida" party. so i just gave instructions to the computer repair guy, over the phone, about the hard disk i want). its very basic that i have to format the hard disk first! it took me half an hour to remember that.    

slept last night feeling retarded.

movies for 2011

i dont think i made a movie checklist for 2010. i wonder why? when i come up with a movie list for the year, i really try to watch everything on the list. for 2010, i managed to watch Inception, Resident Evil, HP7 and Tron. Inception was ok, Tron was simply a visual delight (good thing Olivia Wilde was there to make it more bearable) and Resident Evil wasnt worth recommending to be seen in 3D.

for 2011, these are the movies i intend to watch (got the movie plots from IMDB):


1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers' final battle.

why im going to watch it: the 2nd installment was a big disappointment. but im not giving up on it yet. i hope this one will be much better than the 2nd and if its not too much to ask, i also hope it will be the best of the three films. i want to be blown away like the first film. its hard for sequels to pull it off but im still hoping its possible.

2. Ip Man 2
Centering on Ip Man's migration to Hong Kong in 1949 as he attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun martial arts.

why im going to watch it: its Ip Man once again. and i really liked the first one

3. Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides
Jack Sparrow and Barbossa embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too.

why im going to watch it: i like this film series. even if i dont like penelope cruz. i didnt even attend a class in law school just to watch it in a movie theater. not that im a fan of the film series. i just thought watching it wont be a waste of my time.

4. Bad Teacher
A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague -- a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher.

Why im going to watch it: Jason Segel is in it. not much of a reason. didnt even notice he was in Despicable Me (the same way i didnt notice Jason Lee in The Incredibles)



5. Jeff Who Lives at Home
When he leaves his house on a seemingly banal errand for his disgruntled mother, Jeff discovers that the universe might be sending him signals about the nature of his destiny.

why im going to watch it: again, jason segel. thats why im thinking if im going to watch Gulliver's Travels. i used to like Jack Black. but some of his films just doesnt work for me (like Year One, Tropic Thunder and Be Kind Rewind. i didnt find it as funny as most people did. i liked Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny and his films before that. Kung Fu Panda was good too but its an animated film).

6. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
A journalist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing -- or dead -- for forty years by a young female hacker.

why im going to watch it: for some reason, im drawn to the concept of a girl with a dragon tattoo (and im seeing a girl with a ____ tattoo on her left ____). im just curious i guess and the plot seems very interesting. going to read the novel before the american film adaptation comes out. might watch the swedish version first too after reading the novel. once i get myself a copy of the trilogy.

7. Burke and Hare
Based on the true story about the famous murderers, 'Burke And Hare' follows the hapless exploits of these two men as they fall into the highly profitable business of providing cadavers for the medical fraternity in Nineteenth Century Edinburgh, then the centre of medical learning. The one thing they were short of was bodies

Why im going to watch it: Simon Pegg is in it.

8. Captain America: The First Avenger
After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals.

Why im going to watch it: im a fan of the Marvel universe and its a movie based on a Marvel comics superhero

9. Thor
The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

why im going to watch it: again, Marvel superhero.

10. X-men First Class
Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-MEN

why im going to watch it: even if the Xmen film series has been a big disappointment, since this is a marvel superhero film, im going to watch it. hopefully, they get it right this time. i do hope they dont mess it up the fourth time.  

11. Green Hornet
By night, debonair newspaper publisher Britt Reid fights crime as a masked superhero known as The Green Hornet. At his side is martial arts expert Kato.

why im going to see it: the trailer made the movie seem interesting enough. actually, i didnt want to see this until the trailer convinced me otherwise


12. Fast Five
Dominic and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again as they try to switch lanes between a ruthless drug lord and a relentless federal agent.

why im going to watch it: why wont i watch the fifth installment when ive seen the four other fast and the furious movies? like my friend said back in college, you dont watch it because of the plot.

13. Green Lantern
A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

why im going to see it: im not a fan of DC universe superheroes except Batman. but this movie might be worth watching. 


14. Contagion
An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Why im going to watch it: i like "outbreak" plots. and marion cotillard and kate winslet is in it (i just realized that i like kate winslet's full name. i like the name "kate" and the word "winslet". i think i like the name more than the actress). 

15. John Carter of Mars
Civil War vet John Carter is transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior.

why im going to watch it: might be a good sci-fi film

16. Cowboys and Aliens
A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all that stand in their way.

why im going to watch it: Olivia Wilde and Ana de la Reguera. and its cowboys vs aliens!

17. Paul
Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.

why im going to watch it: i like the plot. and its simon pegg with nick frost.

18. Crazy, Stupid, Love
A father's life unravels while he deals with a marital crisis and tries to manage his relationship with his children.

why im going to watch it: emma stone. and steve carell is funny enough.

19. A Dangerous Method
A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.

why im going to watch it: i miss keira knightley

20. Larry Crowne
After losing his job, a middle-aged man reinvents himself by going back to college.

why im going to watch it: havent seen Tom Hanks in a while

21. Everything Must Go
When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.

why im going to watch it: curious if its as good as Stranger than Fiction

22. Friends with Benefits
A guy and girl try to keep their relationship strictly physical, but it's not long before they learn that they want something more.

why im going to watch it: i miss harvard graduate Natalie Portman. 


23. The Rite
An American priest travels to Italy to study at an exorcism school.

why im going to watch it: anthony hopkins in another thriller 

24. Priest
A priest disobeys church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.

why im going to watch it: looks like an interesting sci-fi flick, Maggie Quigley is here and its a priest that disobeyed church law.

25. Rango
A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.

why im going to watch it: seems interesting.

26. Rise of the Apes
An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

why im going to watch it: i like sci-fi films. and freida pinto is also here

27. Sherlock Holmes 2
Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their fiercest adversary, Professor Moriarty.

why im going to watch it: Mycroft and Moriarty finally appears in the film. ive read most of the short stories and some of the novels.

28. Your Highness
When Prince Fabious's bride is kidnapped, he goes on a quest to rescue her... accompanied by his lazy useless brother Thadeous.

why im going to watch it: natalie portman with zooey deschanel. and this completes the three films of natalie portman for 2011.

29. Source Code
An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

why im going to watch it: another sci-fi film that looks interesting

30. Fright Night
A remake of the comedy-horror picture about a teenager who discovers his new next-door neighbor is a vampire.

why im going to watch it: i dont know. might have some entertainment value.

31. Hangover II

why im going to watch it: aside from i liked the first one...Jamie Chung is here! might watch Suckerpunch too because of her.

32. Hanna
A 14-year-old who was raised by her father to be a cold-hearted killing machine connects with a French family who look to help ease her into a more conventional life.

why im going to watch it: looks interesting.

33. Hugo Cabret
Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

why im going to watch it: looks interesting too

34. Immortals
Greek warrior Theseus battles against imprisoned titans.

why in going to watch it: might be interesting. will wait for the trailer.

35. Kane and Lynch
A pair of Death Row inmates, a mercenary named Kane and a schizophrenic named Lynch, escape during a prison transport and team up to retrieve a stolen fortune. Based on a video game.

why im going to watch it: bruce willis and jamie foxx and its an action flick. not a good enough reason but a not so bad one either.

36. Kung Fu Panda 2
Po joins forces with a group of new kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy with a deadly new weapon.

why im going to watch it: its kung fu panda.

37. Movie 43
A feature-film comprised of short comedy segments.

why im going to watch it: might not be good but it has an interesting cast

38. One Day
A romantic comedy centered on Dexter and Emma, who first meet during their graduation in 1988 and proceed to reunite one day each year for the next 20 years.

why im going to watch it: might just feel like watching it.

39. Super
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills.

why im going to watch it: rainn wilson with ellen page. reminds me of their conversation in Juno.

40. Super 8

why im going to watch it: might be a good sci-film. no plot details yet.

41. The Tree of Life
The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence.

why im going to watch it: looks like an interesting drama/fantasy film

42. Unknown
A man awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one, (not even his wife), believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is.

why im going to watch it: might be as good as Taken.

43. Vanishing on 7th street
When a massive power outage plunges the city of Detroit into total darkness, a disparate group of individuals find themselves alone. The entire city's population has vanished into thin air, leaving behind heaps of empty clothing, abandoned cars and lengthening shadows. Soon the daylight begins to disappear completely, and as the survivors gather in an abandoned tavern, they realize the darkness is out to get them, and only their rapidly diminishing light sources can keep them safe

why im going to watch it: i like the plot

44. The Way Back
A fact-based story centered on soldiers who escaped from a Siberian gulag in 1940.

why im going to watch it: looks like an interesting film

45. Zookeeper
The animals at one particular zoo decide to break their code of silence in order to help their lovable zookeeper gain the attention of one particular woman.

why im going to watch it: i dont know.

getting physical

i dont understand why people insist that ive lost weight when the weighing scale says otherwise. ever since the bar exams ended, i did not significantly lose any weight (since fluctuations of plus or minus two pounds occur due to food intake). i actually maintained my end of september weight until the end of november. by the end of november, i started to gradually gain weight (a bit earlier than expected since my previous observations have shown that i gain weight after three months of more or less consistent diet). i monitor it with our weighing scale which isnt defective. a number of people use it, even my cousin (our weighing scale has been consistent so far, so no reason to doubt its effectivity and validity of its reading). i have now fully gained the weight ive lost during the bar review. now comes the more difficult part of gaining more. i need to gain more since im more or less 20 pounds underweight. and as i try to gain more weight, i need to improve my coordination and maintain my agility. why? because even if im physically unfit, my coordination has not substantially deteriorated and my agility remained fairly good. these two things are some of the things im going to miss as i grow older. i would like to make use of it while i still have it or while i can still do it and i expect it to become poor as i gain weight unless i intentionally improve it.

right now, i think ive injured my left hand due to the bar exams (writing a lot of essays really wore out my hand). i feel a sharp pain on my knuckle area when i hold something in a particular way and its a bit more difficult to clench compared with my right hand. as for my right hand, its prone to the carpal tunnel syndrome.

Nooooo!!!

earlier today, i dropped by the nearby korean convenience store to buy some samyang ramyun. there were very limited stock of the cup noodles and they said its been weeks since their last delivery of samyang. and they dont know when they will have new ones! now im thinking of looking for it in other korean convenience stores. i tried eating other cup noodles but i really liked the samyang brand. and its not because its soshi endorsed. i only learned they were its endorsers after i got hooked to the noodles (but i will have to admit i was influenced by them in finally deciding to buy chucks). anyway, i bought two of the few remaining stock of the samyang cup ramyun and my brother bought from me one of the two cups i bought (well, i wouldnt just give it away freely). just when i already found my default cup noodle brand and was about to get attached to it, it gets taken away from me. at least i still have my default potato chips.

leave it to chance

the random DVD pick. last sunday, i was at the xmas bazaar of a nearby church. one of the stalls sold DVDs (why do sellers of pirated DVDs have a distinctive black plastic bag? the plastic bag makes it so obvious to everyone that you just bought pirated DVDs). my sister was checking the korean titles when she saw My Girlfriend is a Fox. she thought it was some lame film because of the title and she showed it to me. i said its a good TV series and she should buy it. she just gave me a puzzled look (since its difficult for most people to determine whether im joking or not). the vendor backed me up and said its really a good program. she was only half convinced so i ended up buying it. the reason i knew about the program is because Hyomin is in it (one of the cast members of Invincible Youth and one my favorite cast member). as for the random DVD pick, i asked whether they have Hayao Miyazaki films. the vendor had no idea what i was talking about. i said its an anime film. she showed me the anime column. they didnt have it. but when i first looked at the anime column and randomly picked a DVD, i got an Audrey Hepburn movie collection. nice! i have no idea why it was in the anime column but i was glad to have randomly picked it. even if i didnt get what i was looking for (well, i got it a week later anyway when i went to UP), i still got something i like. 

the lost rubber fitting. earlier today, i thought of listening to my mp3 player while walking in UP (while thinking of where to go next after buying DVDs). when i put my earphones on, one of them didnt fit right. when i checked it, i learned i lost the rubber fitting of the earbud. i checked my pocket, it wasnt there. i tried using it without the rubber fitting but it just couldnt fit snugly in my ear. so i placed my mp3 player back in my pocket. since i really wanted to listen to music, i tried looking for cheap earphones in the nearby bazaar. i could have just looked for the rubber fitting but i thought what if i didnt lose it in UP? i always have it in my pocket and i could have lost it days ago without noticing it. anyway, i didnt find any earphones so i decided to get some lunch. when i decided to go to SM to window shop, i thought of going back to the place where i took out my mp3 player from my pocket since its nearby. to my surprise, i saw the rubber fitting. it was very dusty so i thought someone must have stepped on it. i gave it a quick wash in a nearby restroom (the shopping center restroom). would i dare use it? the water's a bit dirty and im going to put it in my ear? well, i tried to wipe it clean as much as i can. when i placed the rubber fitting, i found out it wasnt the rubber fitting i lost. the size is different. so where's the rubber fitting i lost? anyway, its still good enough and i was able to use it. when i got home, i replaced it with my spare rubber fittings. what are the chances of finding someone else's rubber fitting for an earbud on the same location i lost mine? now that i think about it, it was really very unhygienic. i dont even lend my earphones to other people and i used one that i just picked from a dusty ground? well, i really wanted to listen to music and my right ear does not seem to be infected or anything. i have the tendency to be reckless when i want something so much.

the pizza that never came

this contains the sad story of a highway accident i saw earlier today. well, i didnt witness the accident as it occurred. i saw it when the road accident was all done and all the participants that could have been injured have been injured.

i went to UP earlier today to buy some DVDs and look at the xmas bazaar near the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice. i was looking for a DVD of Invincible Youth and Hello Baby. there was none. fortunately, there was a DVD of Hayao Miyazaki films. its not complete (it doesnt have Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service) but it has most of the titles ive lost (i lent my copies of Hayao Miyazaki films to a friend and he never returned them) including My Neighbor Totoro. i also bought a DVD of Cowboy Bebop TV series. at least this one is complete. i think (i havent checked).

then i went to UP Shopping Center to get me some lunch. ive been looking for jajangmyeon but i cant find a place that sells it so i settled for jajang rice. it wasnt good but its not that bad either. i would probably voluntarily eat one again if i have no other choice. thats what i mean when i say its not bad. there's still a possibility that i might eat one again.

after eating lunch, i decided to go to SM and do some window shopping. while riding a UP Philcoa jeepney, i saw the road accident i was talking about earlier. along Commonwealth Ave near the u-turn slot, there were several motorcycles parked around two men. one man was sitting with knee bent, cringing in pain. the other man was lying face down. he was either unconscious or paralyzed. the man lying face down was a delivery guy for local pizza chain. the accident wasnt bloody but looking at one of the injured men, it really looked serious. its a bit amusing that the other motorcycles that were surrounding the injured men were delivery guys from different fastfood chains. since i was riding a jeepney, didnt know what happened to the injured guys.

after seeing the road accident, i started wondering about the person who ordered the pizza. he or she wont get it within the usual reasonable time (he or she might not get the delivery at all if its for a specific event). will the pizza chain inform him that the delivery guy met an unfortunate accident? what if it was for a party? think of the hungry party attendees. will the delivery guy spend his christmas in the hospital? what about the hospital bills? road accidents suck. road accidents involving fast food deliveries suck more. if i was the person who ordered the pizza, not only will i not receive the food, im not entitled to get pissed either. its damnum abseque injuria even if i ordered pizza for a big event.

i have a nice title but i didnt write a good story for it. not in the mood to take the pizza delivery guy's point of view and come up with a story. besides, after seeing the accident, i decided to go home since i really felt bad for the injured delivery guy (christmas is just around the corner and he would probably spend some hard earned money for his injuries). i was no longer in the mood to window shop.

i miss the original G7

season one of Invincible Youth has ended (well, about to end). havent found good quality subs for episode 33 onwards. hope they go ahead with season two next year. and if they do, they should try to bring back the original G7. but i think the chance of that happening is slim.

well, i will have to settle with My Girlfriend is a Gumiho for now.