The 2013 Watch List

Seems like the world decided to celebrate its survival from various doomsday prophecies by providing us with the best films. Twenty-thirteen definitely gives us plenty to look forward to, with all of the most highly anticipated sequels, the best animated films, the most intense horror stories and the most unique stories. Here are my picks for this year’s watch list.

We aren’t including write-ups for the expected sequels of film franchises, and the already heavily-advertised films throughout the previous year. The films are listed by chronological order of known USA release dates, and all posters and art belong to their respective production/distribution companies unless otherwise stated.

January 11: Struck By Lightning

Genre/Themes: Coming-of-age

    

Struck by Lightning comes from the creative genius Chris Colfer, who wrote, co-produced and starred in the film. Directed by Brian Dannelly, the film premiered April 2012 at the Tribeca Film Festival, and will show in cinemas January 2013.

It is a coming-of-age story, of a young Carson Phillips (played by Colfer), who dies from lightning strike. He narrates the entire story of how he blackmailed his classmates into contributing to his literary magazine, all from the grave.

January 25: Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters

Genre/Themes: Fantasy, Action

Fifteen years after the Gingerbread House story, siblings Hansel and Gretel grow to become bounty hunters, ridding the land of witches, and are commissioned by the mayor of Aubsburg, Germany to defeat an evil sorceress who intends to sacrifice children in a ritual within two days. Hansel is played by The Avengers’ Hawkeye, Jeremy Renner, and co-starred by Gemma Arterton as Gretel.

January 25: Movie 43: Truth or Dare

Genre: Comedy

Directed and produced by Peter Farrelly, Movie 43 is a twelve-way comedy film. What’s interesting about it? The cast is nothing short of amazing. Names like Chloe Moretz, Emma Watson, Justin Long, Halle Berry, Anna Faris, Gerard Butler, Kate Winslet, Uma Thurman, Richard Gere, Hugh Jackman and so many others already make the film worth seeing.

February 8: Side Effects

Genre: Thriller

Director Steven Soderbergh and star Channing Tatum make a well-known formula for brilliant cinema. Add in Jude Law and Catherine Zeta Jones, and the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo’s Rooney Mara, casting alone makes the film a fullproof hit. We’ll be witnessing the life of a young woman, left alone by her husband thrown into jail. As she waits for his release, she messes with prescription drugs. A thriller story, set in pharmacology—something to look out for.

February 28: Stoker

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Drama

If this isn’t one of the most interesting films we’ll encounter this year, then I wouldn’t know what is. Stoker is three things: a horror film, a family drama, and a psychological thriller. The Stoker family loses the father, leaving the mother Evelyn Stoker (played by Nicole Kidman) an emotional wreck. Uncle Charlie Stoker (Matthe Goode) moves in with them, and though the young lady India Stoker (played by Burton’s Alice, Mia Wasikowska) finds him suspicious, she is oddly drawn to him. The screenplay was written by Wentworth Miller, and Stoker was voted into the 2010 Black List of the 10 best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Directed by Park Chan-wook, this film is his first English-language film. He takes with him cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon.

March 1: Jack the Giant Slayer

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Jack the Giant Slayer is a fantasy adventure film, of Jack (Nicholas Hoult), who opens the gateway between the world of giants and our own, and he must defend the Earth in a territorial war. The film is based on the Cornish fairytale Jack the Giant Killer set during the Arthurian legends. From I Am Number Four director D.J. Caruso, the cast also includes Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor.

 March 8: Oz The Great and Powerful

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Disney takes one of its own classics to create its prequel, directed by Sam Raimi, director of the Spider-man Trilogy. Oz the Great and Powerful is set before the events of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where circus magician Oscar Diggs arrives at the Land of Oz. Three witches Theodora of the West, Evanora of the East and Glinda of the South doubt that Oscar is the powerful wizard. As he is called upon to solve the problems of the inhabitants of the Land of Oz, he grows into a better man. Oscar Diggs is played by James Franco, who worked with director Sam Raimi in Spider-man before. Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams play Theodora, Evanora and Glinda respectively.

March 14: Carrie

Genre: Horror, Supernatural

A supernatural horror film directed by Kimberly Pierce, a remake of Brian de Palma’s Carrie in 1976, and a more faithful adaptation of Stephen King’s 1974 novel, Carrie is a film about Margaret White’s sheltered daughter, Carrie White. Margaret protects her daughter from a group of high school mean girls dubbed “The Ultras”, of which, Sue Snell feels guilt and asks her boyfriend, school heartthrob Tommy Ross, to take Carrie to prom. Anger? Hatred? Pressure? All these trigger an inner, uncontrollable power within Carrie, which drives her to unleash what can only be worded as telekinetic havoc. Starring Chloe Moretz as Carrie White, and Juliana Moore as Margaret White.

March 22: The Croods

Genre: Family, Adventure, Comedy, Animation

A 3D animated family adventure comedy film from DreamWorks, about the world’s first prehistoric family, co-directed by Chris Sanders, who was a big name in How To Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch. The adventure begins when Grug and his family are forced to leave their home due to a powerful earthquake. The voice cast is amazingly put together, with Nicolas Cage as the voice of the overprotective father Grug. Ryan Reynolds’ character, Guy, threatens Grug’s manliness and position as father, as he prefers to use brain over brawn, on coming up with revolutionary ideas. Emma Stone plays Eep, the daughter of the family, and sister to Thunk voiced by Clark Duke (who you may remember as Marty from Kick-Ass, and Jacob from Hot Tub Time Machine). Mother of the family Ugga is played by Catherine Keener (you may remember her to be Percy Jackson’s mother Sally—always the mother role.) And lastly, Grug’s mother-in-law Gran is played by living legend Cloris Leachman, eight-time Primetime Emmy Award winner, familiar to the younger generation as the voice of Farmworld Marceline from Adventure Time, Noriko from Ponyo, and Hydia from My Little Pony: The Movie. With such credentials, starting from directors down to the cast, one can only expect the best from this film.

May 3: Iron Man 3

May 10: The Great Gatsby

May 17: Star Trek Into the Darkness

May 24: Epic

An adaptation of the children’s book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce, Epic is a 3D Animation film that cannot be missed. Directed by Chris Wedge of Ice Age and Carlos Saldanha of Rio, in a story that is reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, and with a voice cast starring Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Beyonce Knowles, Colin Farrell, there’s nothing better you can ask for.

May 24: The Hangover III

June 28: Kick-Ass 2

Lionsgate thought that Kick-Ass didn’t need a sequel, so it’s now in the hands of Universal to prove them wrong. Although they didn’t seem to invest as much in this film, as I’ve heard Kick-Ass 2‘s writer/director is “cheaper”. I’m watching this film because I’m worried about it. I loved, loved, loved Kick-Ass.

June 21: Monsters University

The decade-late revivals of Disney-Pixar classics have been good to us, so the prequel to Monsters, Inc. where Mike and Sulley are in college should make for a good film. Plenty of skeptics were nervous about this, since we all know that they’ll be friends in the end. But it seems like a good call for Pixar, because Boo! growing up just destroys the enchantment of childhood.

June 14: Man of Steel (Superman)

July 26: The Wolverine

July 3: Despicable Me 2

Potatoes, bananas, minions, and fluffy unicorns. We’ve been waiting for so long, that putting this on the list needs no explanation.

August 16: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

August 30: Insidious Chapter 2

From what I gather, Dolton’s father is both him and not him. It doesn’t make sense, yet. And we’ll just have to watch the movie to find out.

September 13: I, Frankenstein

There’s still very little news about I, Frankenstein, but this horror-thriller written and directed by Stuart Beattie stars Aaron Eckhart as Adam Frankenstein, the monster created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein played by Aden Young. I have no idea what Bill Nighy is doing here, but I’m certainly excited.

September 20: Rush

An interesting biography of a Formula 1 champion racer who almost died in a crash in 1976, but later on tries to challenges an enemy in another race. That enemy will be played by our favorite Thor, Chris Hemsworth.

October 25: The World’s End

Remember The Adventures of TinTin? Voice actors for Thomson and Thompson, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, are coming in as Gary King and Andy Knight in a British science-fiction comedy.

Upside for the BBC fandom, Martin Freeman is in this one. Written and directed by Edgar Wright, writer and director of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

November 1: Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a 3D animated comedy adventure film by DreamWorks, directed by Robb Minkoff, director of Lion King and Stuart Little films.

The characters are based on Peabody’s Improbably History, from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, famous 1960s animated television series.

November 8: Thor: The Dark World

November 22, 2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

November 27, 2013: Frozen

Frozen is an animated film, and a loose adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s longest and most critically acclaimed story The Snow Queen, of a young girl Anna voiced by Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) who must find Elsa, the Evil Snow Queen, voiced by none other than the most magical voice alive, Idina Menzel.

Joining the cast is Jonathan Groff, popularly known as Jesse St. James from the Television series Glee and Melchior from the musical Spring Awakening, who plays Kristoff, a mountain man who accompanies Anna in her journey. Anna will be the twelfth in the official lineup of Disney Princesses, as Frozen is set to be the 53^rd in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series.

The following are some truly breathtaking concept art from the blog of Scotty Jo.

December 13: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

December 27: 47 Ronin

Keanu Reeves as a Samurai? Need I say more?

The Legend Continues; Avatar: The Legend of Korra

[UPDATES:]

• Season 2 Previews from Comic Con 2012

• Season 1 Finale Rant

• Favorite Episode Review + Stills: Turning the Tides (1-10)

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then all of that changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all the four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new avatar, An Air Bender named Aang. And although his air bending skills were great, he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone.

But I believe, Aang can save the world.

Cue ominous music and paper parchment with inked calligraphy. Book number. Chapter. Title of Episode. Bamboo flute sound.

Everyone who’s been around long enough has grown to know the voice of Katara, the humble southern tribe female water bender that discovered the missing child-Avatar, helped him complete his training, and ultimately defeat the Fire Lord Ozai, restoring peace to the four nations after the Hundred Year War.

Now, Aang and the rest of Team Avatar is dead. It’s been seventy years since we last saw them, and only Katara is left in her old age to tell the story. We reunite with Katara in the first episode, finding her in the Southern Water Tribe where the teenage Avatar, Korra, stays to train. She has now mastered water, earth and fire. Katara and Aang’s son, the only air bending master, Tenzin, comes to the area to announce that he will not be able to stay teach Korra, and she would have to postpone her air bending training.

Tenzin is a councilman at the capital of the republic of the four nations, where Avatar Aang centralized his efforts to reunite the nations in rebuilding the peace. There has been trouble recently with the Equalists, a propagandist group of non-benders who advocate against bending. Their leader, Amon, says that benders have used their unnatural advantage over non-benders to abuse, overpower and oppress them. After Tenzin postpones Korra’s training, he returns to republic city to address the situation, but Korra follows him to Air Temple Island, located outside of Republic City, where he resides.

And so the story begins there.

I’ve mastered the elements a thousand times in a thousand lives before, and now I’m here to do it again.

Our new Avatar, Korra, is possibly everything Aang was not. She is feisty, rebellious, impatient, hot headed, and talented from the very beginning. She was found by the White Lotus, tasked by Aang to search and protect the Avatar after he passes away. In her earlier years, she can already bend water, earth and air, and only needed the training to refine her skills. Air, however, was something she was never capable of bending.

She’s Katara, minus the skirt, plus a little more boy.

She’s Katara, minus the Aang, plus a little more Zuko.

It feels as if Korra was meant to be the reincarnation of the Zutara shipping, one of the most popular ships of the first series. Like how CLAMP made Tomoyo and Sakura end up together because their mothers didn’t. Now, Korra gets into a little love trouble with an orphaned fire bender, Makko, who looks a lot like Zuko with a decent hair cut with no scar and no cash.

Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist reincarnated into a different universe.

Yes, love. Makko is a pro-bending athlete with his earth bending younger brother Bolin in the team with him. Also, in the same triangle with Korra.

Love? Seriously? This is what the new series is about? A young adult rom-com of a rebellious young Avatar?

Nope. Well, at least I hope not. Well okay, you’ll see a lot of it, but there’s more to the story. The Legend of Korra centers on governance, politics and society, and the power of modern technology and its potential, if not already manifested, hazards on humanity , the “death” or societal disregard for spiritual rites and traditions and old culture.

Top to Bottom: Bolin, Makko & Korra. “The Fire Ferrets” Pro-Bending Team.

Where bending is now even less of an art, and more of a sport.

With the world of Avatar completely evolving, there is no more war. There are no kings or separate nations. The only enemy that attacks the unified nation now is its own citizens. Much like how in world history, the kings and the wars didn’t last forever. But soon after, we hear about civil wars, and coups, and evil dictators. And revolutions where the poor are angry at the rich for oppressing them—and maybe non-benders going against the benders. (Come to think of it, why is there no non-bending representative seated at the Council? Where is the justice!) Avatar: Legend of Korra, no longer plays bad guy-good guy. There is no evil Fire Lord. Just a man named Amon, and a group of people who believe they deserve freedom. And it sounds entirely legit if not for what Amon plots to do, which you will find out when you watch the series. Because you will watch the series.

As the world of Avatar has evolved totally seventy years after the previous series, the entire setting now introduces new technology like cars called “Satomobiles” designed and manufactured by now millionaire Engineer Sato. Bending is now a sport, and a huge arena with a gym serves as a setting for pro-bending matches. The police task force is now headed by Toph Beifong’s daughter, Chief Lin Beifong, who must have inherited the role of keeping the school of metal bending. The police are now Metal Benders and patrol the city via air ships. And the Equalists use chi-blocking techniques, stun guns, gas bombs and other technology to keep themselves competent against the benders. I swear, the only thing you wouldn’t see here now is an iPhone 4S.

It’s all great that they tried to stir away from the past Avatar, and it’s absolutely inspired that they managed to let that universe grow and show how much potential and just how flexible it can be. But I’d have to admit, I miss all the spiritual-ish oldies Asian culture stuff. The hidden underground libraries with talking owls and giant sun-dials, the koi fish ponds, the boating water-way streets of the Northern Water Tribe—it was why Avatar was special, because it was an American produced “anime” series, if you’re one of the people who freely call it that, that perfectly combined all the traditional Asian elements. The Earth Kingdom was China, the Fire Nation was Japan, the Water Tribes were Malaysia/Indonesia/India/Philippines and the brown races, and the Air Nomads were like Thailand. The bending techniques all came from a sort of Asian martial art. And the concept of the Avatar itself was a Hindu belief.

It made Avatar huge, and by modernizing it, it makes it feel like it was shrunken down. But I guess they wanted us to feel that, how Asia, having some of the richest cultures in the world, is now the most technologically advanced—especially Japan! And I’d suppose they wanted us to feel that in the Avatar universe too. We have bartered our wisdom for knowledge, our tradition for trade. We have killed our gods and built new ones with iron and steel. I don’t know if that was the point, or if that was all I saw with the transformation of the setting. I mean, the Avatar couldn’t even meditate. She always just wants more action and never sits down to listen to the spirits.

I think our parents felt this way watching us grow up in a time where technology suddenly blasted out from the nothingness.

L-R: Bolin, Korra and Makko, being insufficient reincarnations / replacements. I’m sorry.

For the casting of voice actors, none of them were as iconic or as memorable as the first. Korra’s voice actor was okay but not as “I will perpetually recite the opening sequence in your head” as Katara. But I also couldn’t think of any other voice that will fit Korra anyway, so what the hell. For Makko, I think they really were trying to find a voice that would sound near to Dante Basco’s, but a bit less angry and a lot more chill. (Did you hear? Dante Basco will return for a role in the series.) And Bolin, trying to be the comedic relief of the pack cannot and never will be as memorable as the voice of Jack De Cena’s Sokka. Bolin’s voice was made to be a lot smoother and deeper, which made it easily funny when he says something stupid, and truly believable when he says something nice.

It’s both a good thing and a bad thing that they made the character design more mature for this season to keep up with its fanbase growing older. It’s well thought out that people may be bored if the heroine were to be another twelve-year-old, or something the fans could no longer relate to. However, giving you Alfred from Ghost Fighter, Roy Mustang and a tanned Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist doesn’t help.  But the risk is that it centers less now on adventure. I think it’s a huge compromise. I don’t know. I’m unsatisfied.

But as much as we will miss the first series, simply because it is an unmatched masterpiece that even the original creators cannot keep up with, they did manage to have replacements that actually fit. Warm fuzzy animals. Our Avatar’s animal guide is a Polarbeardog. YES. A polarbeardog. A polar bear, with the head of a dog. But it’s a polar bear! WITH THE HEAD OF A DOG! And it’s huge and fluffy and strong and always hungry and loveable. IT’S A POLARBEARDOG. They could have been more creative, because the flying Bisen couldn’t be beaten. BUT IT WAS A POLARBEARDOG. And I think that it would be enough. (Maybe they watched an episode of iCarly and saw the Pandapig.) And for Momo, we have Pabu, a red Mozilla firefox. I mean ferret. It’s a ferret that looks like a red raccoon.

And it does circus tricks. In terms of coolness and originality factor, they lose to the mascots of the first series. But in terms of absolute manifestations of extreme fluff and adorableness? Avatar 2 wins, hands down.

It’s also a disappointment to know that Avatar 2 won’t be travelling much around the world now, as they did before. That means, we don’t get to see how the rest of the world evolved, and if the places outside Republic City maintained their oldies vibe. Or if they’re just living in poverty because of capitalism. Also, less beautiful city designs and costumes and differing cultures. It’s all just Republic City.

And although it’s been seventy years, we all still can’t help but miss the original Avatar series. Avatar: The Legend of Korra is expected to have 26 episodes, which is an ideal length. But six episodes into the series, and it’s still a bit bland, throwing out the love story too early into the game. In a list of analogies, Avatar and its sequel are like Darker Than Black seasons one and two. Or to be more accurate, Avatar 1 would be Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood with compact but creative and thrilling adventures leading up a big finale. Avatar 2 would be Blue Exorcist, turning into a semi-shoujo anime from a shounen manga and wasting episodes with plotless events to kill time and get viewers.

That’s how it feels like so far.

But you will watch the series.

“For the greater good of mankind,” Amon says. “You will watch The Legend of Korra!”

Why? Because Nickelodeon Studios has to feel that Avatar: The Legend of Korra is so huge that they will have to add in more episodes which could allow for a more intricate plot, and hopefully would encourage them to invest more in the production.

So far, I am torn in between great love and great disappointment. I am in love with what they’ve written, but the production feels underwhelming, especially after Avatar: The Last Airbender. (It’s like DiMartino and the writers are the only ones truly passionate enough to get Avatar back out there. It feels frustrating! Feel my frustration with these keyboard smashes a;ksldhja;lksdjf;klsajdfl;kasjdf;l;;;;;!!!)

So for the first fourth of the series released thus far, I’d give a rating on 7.5/10. Good enough, but giving it any higher would be a shame to the entire franchise.

Together, We Can Conquer the Word: Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief

It’s Germany.

It’s Nazi Germany.

And the sky is the color of Jews.

In The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak in 2006 we join the voice of Death as he retells the story of the life of a girl named Liesel Meminger, the orphaned daughter of a communist. The story begins as Death first encounters Liesel Meminger stealing a book in the snow where her brother dies, right before she is transported to her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, at the very humble address of 33 Himmel Street.

Hans Hubermann is a kindhearted, loving, patient and level-headed man who, though simple minded, has quite a lot of luck on his side. The story takes you down to their basement where Hans keeps his paint cans and drop sheets for his day job. And down there, he teaches Liesel how to read and write. Rosa Hubermann is loud-mouthed and scornful, frustratingly strict, and surprisingly a very passionate mother. There are other characters that will enter Liesel’s life as the book takes you five years through it. But in those five years, no one could be a more consistent companion to our heroine than her school friend, Rudy Steiner, a dirty little boy who excels in academics and athletics, and is as much a good a thief as Liesel herself.

We’ll give him seven months.

And then we come for him.

And oh, how we come.

The five years starts from Liesel at age nine, and ends with Liesel at age 14, until Death meets her again. But I won’t tell you how and when. Although here, Death does not hesitate with spoilers. He will give you the details all too early. Death admits, it’s not because he’s being evil or mean, but he tells you all the events beforehand so that it wouldn’t be as painful when he has to tell the full story later on. This unique, almost non-chronological order of the narration—in fact, the unique narrator himself—effectively puts the story in such a perspective where the point-of-view itself is something new to explore. Most books written nowadays are written as if though a movie, something that so quickly and so vividly flashes through your mind. They narrate you with scenes that start and cut off like a film reel. But what The Book Thief offers you is a new friend to sit down with for story time and tea. Rather than display a show, it paints you a picture. And the narration does this because the narration itself has character—the narrator is a character. Given, he is omniscient, but he lives is own life—a life as Death himself. At first, he would seem sinister, possibly enjoying his work or embracing his unique identity as Death. But he will later on try to let you understand what it’s like to be Death, especially in the dark times of World War II in Nazi Germany. And that, in itself, is a new experience.

“When Death tells a story, you really have to listen.”

It contributes greatly to how you get attached to the characters. In fact, you won’t only be attached to the people—you’ll be attached to the setting, the entirety of Himmel street. And you’ll be attached to the words, both English and German, and you’ll learn a good number of them as you read along. At some point, you’ll feel that it’s unnecessarily lengthy for a narration, and you’ll think that there are just parts of Liesel’s mundane life that Zusak could’ve just left out because it takes too long to get to the point. But you’ll be thankful in the end. They say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. In the same way, when the Book Thief ends, everything comes back at you and hits you like a strong white flash of magnesium-burning light. The pain you’ll feel at the end of the story will not be the fanatical type of pain when parting with a book or a character. It will be the kind of soft, almost sincere and genuine pain, for remembering all of the memories that were never yours to begin with. And that’s usually so difficult to achieve. For something that uses language in its most unnatural manner, what with all the translations or the mesh of colloquial speech with symbolism, it gives you the most natural, and most immediate emotional impact.

The use of words in this book is just so unique and interesting, that the only flaw I could seem to point out is the struggle a reader might have to get used to it. It’s simplistic, but artistic, in such a way that if you read it like you would any normal-sounding piece of prose, then there is a lot of it that you will miss. And if you do try to slow it down and take it all in, if you’re just a casual reader, then it might need a bit of getting used to. The only difficulty I had with the text was imagining them all speak in English with a German accent, really. But if you get passed that, you’ll enjoy the change in the way things are described. Clouds like tightropes, suns that drip and cardboard lips. The words just come so naturally from Zusak.

And what with all these words? The Book Thief is powerful, not because it’s another wartime Germany survival story. But because it shows you the power of words—the power Hitler gained from using them, and the exact power that Liesel wanted to steal, to take back and return what is rightfully the people’s. That’s the reason why a plot as simple as this takes so much time to build up: because the book itself is an entire lesson, like how we get to watch Liesel learn to read for the first time. The Book Thief progresses like a school that teaches you freedom and control over your own opinions, and use your words because you have a right to do so.

The Book Thief is incredibly ambitious as a novel as most other critics have said about it. But it is an ambition that Zusak was able to reach. Over-all it is a must-have, must-read, and there is no age for it. It’s simple enough for kids to understand, and brilliantly inspired enough for adults to appreciate.

As with the book covers, most of them are just simply trying to illustrate Liesel as she reads, or the face of Death. He still comes in the black Grim Reaper costume and the scythe like how most people imagine him to be. Later on as he narrates, he’ll admit that he’s quite amused with how we see him, but he’s not like that at all. The most recent reprint cover, however, is my most favorite which I think best captures the story entirely–Dominoes. Right now, it doesn’t make sense. And when you read it through, you might not realize it. But at some point, you’ll just come back to it and realize, that the time when dominoes were falling was the time they could’ve made the decision to save someone’s life. Even one, at least. And they were playing dominoes so innocently, you really wouldn’t suspect how crucial this point of the story was. But as with all dominoes, once you tip them over, there’s no stopping what will happen. The story of Liesel Meminger is an entire domino effect of back stories and the business of people that shouldn’t have mattered to her. But it all leads to an end where everything is but a messy floor of toppled rectangular tiles.

8.5? 9? 10/10? I can’t put a number on it. The words have greater power, and I’m afraid that The Book Thief has stolen mine.

IronMan & Friends Show: Marvel’s The Avengers 2012

If we can’t protect the Earth, then we can damn well avenge it.

- Tony Stark

I am not kidding when I say that almost every single cinema only shows The Avengers right now. I think all the other productions made a unanimous decision in avoiding the formidable box office sensation. Who would dare go up against the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes anyway?

Marvel’s The Avengers stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, our choice villain for this show. Chris Hemsworth as Loki’s brother Thor. Jeremy Renner is Clint Barton/Hawkeye. Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, because we need a woman to keep things in order. Samuel L. Jackson as Nicky Fury looking like a Matrix character. Chris Evans returns as Steve Rogers/Captain America. Mark Ruffalo is new in the crew bringing us a fresh take on Bruce Banner/ The Hulk. And last but certainly not the least, the star of the show, the genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist, Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark/IronMan, because Marvel needs a Batman counterpart.

L-R: Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr. (Ironman), Chris Evans (Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)

The entire thing starts with Loki wanting to rule the world. Like usual. He steals the Tesseract, a powerful source of energy, then later on uses it to develop a big-ass portal in the sky. The said big-ass portal is for his extraterrestrial allies to help him wage a war against the Earth. In exchange for their assistance in his conquest, he promises to give them the Tesseract.

Of course, Morpheus Nick Fury won’t let that happen as the head of the Earth protection agency called SHIELD. He calls upon The Avengers for help, and they save the day after much bickering as per usual. The rest is spoiler-free history. Just go watch the movie.

What’s good about this movie is that it’s fast-paced and witty. It has a pretty decent action scene to dialog ratio. Movies like Transformers 3 have a too long, too overwhelming fighting sequence, that the viewer gets lost and essentially bored or tired. Every action sequence in this film is well-choreographed and very entertaining to watch. Not too much, but not too simple.

In essence, I’m saying it’s all brilliant.

Graphics and effects are top class. Things look very realistic. I couldn’t find any flaws. Watched this in an IMAX 3D theatre and I tell you, the experience is just amazing. This is the right kind of movie you’d need an IMAX for. You can feel the Alan Silvestri music in the air. Glad to have him back after Captain America. It’s good to get a chance to feel his music, literally, vibrating through your theatre seat.

Also, it’s a very comforting thing to know that Joss Whedon directed and wrote this movie (along with Zak Penn, of course). If anything, Joss Whedon knows his comics. And he definitely knows his script. Thoroughly enjoyable, everything was.

The only thing that really gets to me is the ridiculous amount of RDJ Screen Time. The entire thing feels like IronMan 3 Plus Amazing Back-Up team. You really have to change the title to The Iron Man & Friends Show. IronMan fixes the ship when it falls. IronMan is the first to find out SHIELD’s hidden agenda. IronMan tries to shut off the portal. IronMan gets a sass-off with Tom Hiddleston’s Loki-disguised ass. I know Tony Stark is a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, but did he buy the show?

It isn’t all that bad. I love Robert Downey Jr. And I thank the old gods and the new for the past three/four years of just pure glorious RDJ action. I know that the producers know that we all just love ourselves some RDJ. But you guys, I came here to watch The Avengers. And if you ask me, there’s too little Hawkeye in this film. And I need a bit more Thor.

I mean, look at the damn poster!

The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!!

Whoops, wrong poster. I meant this.

Ironman 3: The Avengers

There we go.

SEE THAT. Up front, right smack in the center, the biggest face you’ll see is RDJ. I love you, but it’s unfair.

Don’t ask me what Gwyneth (Pepper Potts) is doing here. I just don’t know.

Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) & Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) playing with their LEGO Counterparts.

Well it looks to me, they all like the other poster better.

Makes it easy and suitable for child’s play. Which the movie sort of is. It was so easy for RDJ to just put Loki down like that and crush him on the floor. Loki disappears for a few minutes, the entire fight sequence continues, the portal gets destroyed. The Earth is safe, yay. It was an easy win. And I get it, it’s a super hero story. But they were up against an alien fleet. The moment the portal was closed, the giant bony dinosaur just falls, and every one of the aliens die like the main power source just got cut off. It just doesn’t feel right.

Aw, Loki. You’ll get your superstar attention one day.

via gingerhaze.tumblr.com

Tom Hiddleston tweeted this the other day. Made by illustrator Noelle.

I think the story wasn’t able to tell us Loki’s side of things.

Anyway! To wrap things up:

Story: 7/10

Effects: 9.5/10

Music: 8.5/10

Casting: 10/10

Script: 8.5/10

 

Over-all Rating: 8.7/10

 

I’ll leave you guys with a bit more Jeremy loving.

Matcha Madness

We’re back here to rave about one of my newest flavorful obsessions, Green Tea Matcha.

Matcha is a certain way tea is served in Japan. Whereas usual green tea is just plain “hot leaf juice” (Prince Zuko, from Avatar the Legend of Aang), green tea matcha is a preparation method where finely milled or traditionally stone ground green tea leaves are in the drink as well. Thereby, the drinker consumes the leaves completely, maximizing the anti-oxidants and flavors of the tea.

And this is exactly what I love about Matcha. It’s richer in flavor and deeper in texture. Taking it hot is a truly relaxing experience, putting more focus on the texture. Taking it cold focuses more on the flavor. It still is green tea though, so nothing new or scary there. But it’s also a somewhat different experience, elevated in many ways, than drinking any regular green tea.

Though I won’t be able to tell you how to prepare Matcha on your own, I will give you a current list of the top five best Green Tea Matcha drinks I’ve had around.

5. Green and White Matcha Mousse — Moonleaf Tea Shop

I know I said drinks but let’s start of with food. I know there are a number of good cakes that incorporate Matcha, but this is something different. Mousse.

Moon Leaf Tea Shop’s Green and White Matcha Mousse has two layers, one consisting of the usual ivory-white creamy traditional mousse. The second layer topping the first is that of a pastel green mousse, lightly flavored with Matcha, making sure it doesn’t disappear, but doesn’t overwhelm the entire dessert with its distinct flavor.The mousse is of slightly firm pudding consistency, but still has that melt-in-your-mouth feel. Sweetness? Moderate.

Not exactly the best in the world, but it’s one of the most enjoyable treats I’ve had in the past few months!

Image via Wikipedia

4. Green Tea Latte / Cremé Frappuccino – Starbucks’ Coffee

A perfect start for Matcha first-tasters, the Green Tea Cremé Frappuccino. For one, it’s a frappuccino–generally a crowd favorite. It’s light, sweet and fun. For those who take their drinks a tad more seriously, the Green Tea Latte is just as good (and in my preference, better) and having it iced but not blended is possible.The consistency of the Matcha is thick, mostly with cream, but the taste isn’t overwhelming. You can still taste it, but it doesn’t grow bitter to the tongue.

3. Crunchy Cocoa Matcha with Brown Sugar Jelly — Happy Lemon

If I had to award ‘most interesting way of serving matcha’ to any of these, number three would absolutely win it.

Who would’ve thought of a creamy Matcha-based Milk Tea mixed with crunchy bits of chocolate with brown sugar jelly resting at the bottom of every cup? It’s absolutely genius, and goes at the top of my list of faves when it comes to Happy Lemon drinks. This drink is not as thick and creamy as your Starbucks frappé, but holds the consistency of the regular milk tea. Despite the cocoa and brown sugar, instead of over-powering the drink, they compliment the taste of the Matcha and make it even more rich and flavorful without making it bitter.

If only there wasn’t a Metro-wide black out when I went to Happy Lemon, I’d have a fully charged camera to snap a shot for you guys.

2. Matcha Mousse ( with Adzuki Red Bean ) – ChaTime

The first time I tried out ChaTime, I couldn’t decide on what to get myself. As a personal rule, when sampling something new, buy what seems familiar, and compare to your usual favorite from a different brand. So I did.

ChaTime’s Matcha Mousse had a distinct layer of mousse on top, sprinkled with a bit of what seems like Matcha powder, and beneath it is a dark green sea of lovely water-based Matcha tea. Iced of course. But unlike the previous few items, it wasn’t blended in with the milk or the cream or the mousse. Your first sip will be of pure Matcha goodness. Strong with a hint of sweetness.

If you try to taste the mousse before mixing it in, it is thick. It is only lightly sweetened, and there seems to be a pinch of salt (which I had first suspected to be . . . cheese? Hmm . . . ) which, like most good dessert chefs now, helps to bring out the taste of things.

Knowing Matcha Tea, I paired it with an additional topping, Adzuki Red Bean. It’s saccharine, but with a deep, earthy taste to it. Also, the beans give a little thicker texture to the drink. It’s a perfect combination that deserves a try.

1. Green Tea Matcha Latte — Blenz Coffee

And to cap of my list, we go back to the basics: a Green Tea Matcha Latte blended by Blenz Coffee. This is actually where I started my mini-obsession with Matcha. The right kind of creaminess of the latte perfectly highlights the rich and intense Matcha flavor. But not to shock the drinker, there’s a calming kind of moderate sweetness that envelopes every sip. It is truly relaxing, and nothing short of a wonderfully uplifting tea experience.

If thick, deep, rich and intense tea flavor has never been your kind of thing, it’s high time to reconsider. Matcha is an entire adventure on its own.

Alarm Clock Immunity

I don’t know if being immune to the hellish daily disturbance we know as an alarm clock is a super power or a disorder. Or both. But whatever it is, I have it.

I awoke this morning, blinking through rays of dim light escaping from behind my sister’s drawer where the lamp had stood guard in our bedroom all night. I checked the alarm clock. Seven o’ clock. What?! I have class at eight, and university is an hour commute away.

I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, washed my face, combed my hair. I hopped into the first pair of jeans I could find and wore the first shirt off the rack. I grabbed my grey Toms and slipped them onto my feet.

I was running late. Again.

“Why didn’t anyone wake me up? Did you turn off the alarm? I remember setting it at five.” I asked my sister in frustration.

“I didn’t.” Her monotone voice was diluted with sniffs. She awoke with a bad cold that hindered her from going to work. “Maybe you just turned off the alarm clock.”

“I don’t even recall hearing it. It’s been like this for the past few days.” I set the alarm, and wake up an hour later. All the time. I don’t understand if there’s a sort of alarm clock fairy that turns off all alarm clocks just before they happen to ring. Not to mention, I did not only set the clock. I also set my phone. When I ignore that alarm, at least when I see it, it tells me that “5.00am alarm” was dismissed. But the familiar message that usually mocked me, telling me I overslept did not appear on the screen.

“Maybe you did, and you were just too sleepy to remember.”

Was I really that tired, that unmotivated to get up that it’s been installed in my subconscious to turn off the alarm and go back to bed?

Maybe I am.

I am constantly being plagued by this state of mind of unmotivated frivolities and uninspired, monotonous living. It seems like no cup of coffee can cure this social disease of constantly feeling tired. We lack a sense of urgency merely because we lack a sense of purpose. What am I doing this for, and why am I wasting my time on this? Everything just seems so pointless.

I’m usually the biggest pep talker of them all. I’ve talked people out of quitting on things, especially math majors and other university undergraduates who’ve lost sight of what their goal was because the journey’s been long, tedious, horrendously difficult, all too challenging and definitely disheartening. I’ve managed to encourage friends to soldier on with their daily turmoil with their peers, family, and their unreachable dreams.

I’ve basically been the big sister figure, always telling people that there is always, always, always a point, and that there is still beauty in things if we just look into them hard enough and with a hopefully greater, renewed sense of conviction. I’ve always been the one to remind people how strong they are, and how much stronger they can still be to hold on, to keep marching on, to fight the good fight.

But I’ve been having difficulty doing that for myself lately.

I feel like a failure, simply because I am. And when society tries to rub that in your face, the best way to survive it is to ignore the sneers and jeers and just go on. Ignoring works for the most part, but desensitizing yourself from insults and snide comments also deafens you from the wake-up call.

We’ve all had someone to slap us in the face or pour ice down our pants, figuratively, telling us that there’s something wrong in our lives that we have to change, to fix or to improve on. Whether it’s a bad attitude, an academic concern, bad grammar, social awkwardness, horrible work ethic, an overly extensive fit of post break-up bitterness, unhealthy grievance or mourning over a death, or a druggy-drinking, throwing-up-everywhere excessive partying kind of problem, someone’s been there to tell us that we have to set things right. But, like all life changing decisions, that’s always easier said than done.

Waking up with a sharp blast of ringing in the morning from a fairly peaceful sleep feels nothing short of shit. But being woken up from being a failure, being told that you fail in your pathetic excuse for a life and you have to suck it up, stop being a baby and do something about it, would make you want to give your life’s personal ‘wake-up call’ person a pat on the back. Very forcefully. With a wooden paddle.

But no matter how painful things may sound, by the end of the day, no opinions matter. Just facts. And if people’s views on you contain more grains of truth than bias or prejudice, then it’s time to consider their insults as very hard-hitting, truthful, unedited pieces of constructive criticism. No more changing topics. No more pretending. No more denial. It’s time to sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up. And listen.

The Wake-Up Call Apathy Syndrome, the Selective Hearing Disorder or the Alarm Clock Immunity Disease is an illness in a staggering majority of people, but it can be cured. It can be diagnosed with the manifestations of the following symptoms:

• Not wanting to listen to anyone’s advice.
• Not caring.
• Having little to no motivation to get up, or accomplish anything.
• A constant feeling of being a failure.
• A lingering sense of lack of self-worth or purpose.
• Being too afraid to change things.
• Taking the easy ways out.
• Pushing people away.
• Always wanting to find something to do.
• Always wanting to have nothing to do.
• That unshakeable feeling of being insatiably tired, sleepy or bored.

Treatment starts when the patient consciously submits himself, puts down his pride and admits that he has a problem, and is in need of help.

Hearing your alarm clock, getting up and getting a move on, no matter how groggy you feel, is the only way you’ll be able to start the day and continue living your life.

Step two, prepare the coffee.

LIFE101: How to be a Student

Before having to memorize contents off a book, analyze a poem, run a math drill, write essays and chase deadlines, the real challenge of being a student is learning how it is exactly to absorb information. Determining different techniques and learning styles and developing habits suited to the type of knowledge being acquired–these are the first few most fundamental steps to learning. Yet, they are the very steps we tend to forget.

Learning how to learn.

There are also more general trains and habits we must develop to optimize our learning capabilities. Keeping organized and managing one’s time is fundamental for a successful learning experience. You don’t have to be a natural born genius to top a class. You just have to be a good student. Most of the time, it’s the right attitude towards learning that gets you to the top.

Keep a planner.

A planner makes sure you keep your life in-check. With a universal notebook that holds all the key information of your life, it ascertains that you stay on top of things. On a daily basis, write down what you have to do. For every class on every day, make an update on what lesson was tackled, what goals were accomplished and what activities were done alone with the scores. Note down the things you have to do, things you must prepare for and the things you’ve already done. The moment an announcement is given or a plan is proposed, jot it down and mark the date.

Wear a watch. Have a sense of urgency

Don’t give me that “cell phone clocks are sufficient” excuse. Your cell phone is not sufficient. Having to pull a phone from a bag or a pocket to check the time is never enough.

Thirty minutes ahead is never too early. Come to class before the start of the period, and use that time to go over your notes. Clarify with your classmates. Make sure that you have all your requirements prepared. Ask questions. Make sure you’ve mastered the previous lesson before you move on to the next.

Keep in mind that a lot has to be done—homework, projects, that paper you have to write, those math drills you have to practice, that classmate you have to tutor, that boyfriend you have to maintain, that blog you have to update—and there are other things you still want to do (read books, play video games, listen to music, talk to friends, party—the extra things that make you human).  And on top of all that, you need to get some sleep too. So when you have something to do, do it. Quit dawdling. You can’t wait for inspiration unless it’s an art class or a creative writing project that you have to work on.

Learn to take a break. (But don’t stretch your luck.)

Never do it in the middle of a task. Once you’re done with one thing, take a breather before you do the next. You can grab a bite, talk to a friend, check your messages, stretch a bit, update your tweets, or play a videogame even. Or update your blog. Whatever floats your boat. Just make sure you can snap right back into reality and continue working.

Claim your sanctuary.

Find your space and own it. Working and studying for hours on end will imply flattening your ass on one seat. Have a desk or a standard study area. Make sure it holds everything you need, and all your materials are just a bend and a reach away. Keep a jar of cookies, if you want. Have a pull-out calendar and a stack of post-its. Make sure that everything is just how you like it. Lighting. Music. Position. Cup of Coffee Fundamental to Your Existence. Your call.

Remember the rule of thirds. (Three is to one.)

Three hours of study outside the classroom for every hour spent in class—my professor never gets tired of reminding us.  Although this may seem a little exaggerated. It doesn’t apply to all classes, just all the hard ones. Just make sure to maintain a one-to-one ratio for the lower priority subjects. The 1:3 Rule doesn’t mean you have to sit down and read for three hours straight. “Study” includes comparing notes, asking questions and talking it over with friends.

Have companions. (You can’t do it alone.)

“You are to be held accountable for the performance of your friends.” Sir Tristan Reyes said today. You need someone to ask help from, to clarify with. But you also need someone to teach, someone who depends on you. Being entrusted the responsibility for someone else’s performance is highly motivational. It helps you not to slack off. “I have to understand this, so I can teach it later.” Ask plenty of questions. The things you learn may prove to be beneficial for someone else.

And also, the thought of someone actually trusting you to help them out makes you feel smart already. Feeling smart = acting smart. And when you act smartly, you actually do the things that will make you smart. End result? Being smart.

It isn’t really allowing yourself to be used. And it’s definitely not using your friends as practice subjects. It’s about giving your studies an immediate purpose, more so than graduating and getting your dream job, dream house and whatnot. All of that is still intangible. This is something actual, something immediate: learning, and learning for the sake of others—so you could all ace the next quiz, together.

And lastly, feel like a student.

Enjoy the pressure. Use your books. Take down notes. But don’t be too hard on yourself. Live a little. Sneak a couple shots in the middle of a school week. Party.

Four Weeks.

Twenty-eight days.

Six hundred and seventy-two hours.

Forty thousand, three hundred and twenty minutes.

Two million, four hundred and nineteen thousand, and two hundred seconds.

I haven’t been in her car for almost a month. She always kept a bag of sweet-corn flavored snacks and a box of other cookies and biscuits. She had a pink bear in the back seat to accompany her often heavy luggage. In the morning, the car smelled like freshly poured coffee.

Before, we’d be together in the morning ride to campus, during lunch, after class, in meetings in the evening, and in the car ride back home. And this was on every day, even on Fridays and Saturdays when we both didn’t have scheduled classes. We went to campus to study together, from morning ‘til evening. There was even a time when she stayed over for two nights. We became unaccustomed to being away for a day apart, even missing a car ride would feel kind of iffy.

What troubles me now isn’t how long I haven’t seen Abigail. What troubles me is that I’ve stopped counting the days.

It isn’t that big of a deal, really. Abie’s not off in a different country, fighting in a war. She’s not lost or kidnapped. She’s at home, only five minutes away from mine, and she’s been enjoying her Christmas break. So it doesn’t make sense for me to have a need to think about a friend who’s safe and sound in the comfort of her own home.

But that’s just it, I haven’t.

I haven’t talked to her in a while, or tweeted, or even slightly cared about how her vacation is going. And now that I realized just how easy it is for me to be alone, how easy it is for me to let go of friends when they’re not around, it’s a discomforting thought.

It’s discomforting to think that I can live my life without these people. It’s discomforting to think that I’m okay. It’s discomforting to think that I’ve done this before, to so many other friends. Should I even be called a friend? Or am I just a passing phase? Or are they just a passing phase in my life?

How many people have I let go of? And how many friends did I forget?

What is a friend?

Is a friend a person who makes an effort to see you on a regular basis, or at least try to arrange a reunion despite the difficulty? Or is a friend a person that is just effortlessly there in your life, that, without trying, has found a place with you?

After all, if I have to work for it, then it wasn’t meant for me, right?

But what about all the people who tried so hard to hold on to me, those who tried to find a way, and those who did make an effort to give me a spot in their lives—did I lose them because they left, or did they leave because I pushed them away?

I was afraid.

I was afraid of being loved, or to even be thought of by such good people, and to be given so much of their time and effort for our friendship to survive. And I was afraid of being loved this way, not because I was afraid of getting hurt, but because I honestly believed that there was nothing of me to be loved, and nothing that I have which I could give back to them.

Or perhaps I just didn’t want to. Or just that I didn’t want to learn how.

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is to love, and be loved in return.”

(from Moulin Rouge, 2001.)

 

Let’s Be Friends

Break-ups can be painful and scarring, but no one can deny that they’re part of life. They shape us just as much as relationships do. We’re built up, not only by the things we take in, but also by the things we let go of.

I’ve received a series of similar questions from anonymous askers via Ask.FM, and these answers pretty much sum up how I feel about ex-boyfriends.

What does it mean if your ex wants to be friends with you?

In general, I’d suppose it would depend on the manner and reason for the breakup. For the most part, an ex trying to be your friend would just mean that he perhaps wishes that the relationship didn’t happen, that you would’ve been good as friends before. Or he feels guilty for doing something, and hopes you could find a peace with each other. It would only mean that he wants to get back together, if the reason for breaking up wasn’t really worth losing you over. Other than that, an ex wants to be friends, because he wants to be friends.

Either that, or he wants to seem like friends, because he wants to keep his reputation clean and want to look good and innocent to other people.

Would you want to be friends with your ex after the break-up?

Like, right after the break up? No. I’d like to be left alone. When I’m fine, we can be friends again.

The only person who asks to be friends right after the breakup is the person who cares more about his reputation and just doesn’t want to look like an ass in front of people.

“Friends to lovers, possible. Lovers to friends, never.” Agree? By lovers, I mean those who are in a relationship.

Disagree.

Why do you disagree?

This is about the lovers to friends thing, right? Well, because not all breakups are painful and horrible. In some of them, you both just realize that you didn’t want to be in a relationship. Just because you guys were super close before didn’t mean you should have been together. And upon realizing that, it’s not such a bad breakup. It could hurt, because then you’d realize how much time you wasted trying to build or fix a relationship that wasn’t really meant for you both in the first place. Other than that, you’ll get back just fine. The small details about your life that you let only him know would still be there, and even though you’re not together, you at least make a good friend you could even end up trusting more than others.

How long does it usually take someone to move on?    

The rule is usually half the relationship period. But if you ask me, it kind of takes five to eight months.

How do you make your ex regret leaving you?

Well the first step is to not think about making your ex regret leaving you. If you do think like that, everything you do will be done for that ex. The trick is to do everything for yourself. Get back on your own two feet, live your life, learn to not be dependent on another’s love to survive.

What if I’m the one who broke up with him and right after the break up, he keeps on INSISTING to be friends with me? EVen though the break up’s been a month already   

Maybe he didn’t like the way things ended for the both of you. Why, do you think he’s trying to find a way to get back?

No. I was actually thinking that maybe he wasn’t as hurt as I am cause he can stand being friends with me and he even insists it. 

If that is true, that doesn’t give him an excuse to force his terms on you. Ask him to give you your time and space. Tell him that what he’s doing is insensitive towards you, and that if he really is your friend and cares about your well-being, then he has to learn to leave you alone. If he doesn’t really care about you as a friend, and is insisting on this friendship just so that being together in the same room/group of friends won’t feel “awkward” anymore, or so it wouldn’t make him look like a jerk to have a new relationship, then he can learn to fuck off.

Do you think it’s possible to move on from a broken relationship within a month, if you’ve been with that person for almost a year?

If the past few months of that relationship was all about falling apart and breaking away, then it’s possible. Are you the person who has an ex that insists on being a friend? If you are, your ex might have seen this breakup coming from a while back, and managed to prepare himself for the fall. Whereas you tried to work hard to keep things together. So at this point, you might feel that it’s unfair. Why is he not so hurt, and why does he want to be friends? Why do I feel so alone? Why does it feel like I was the only one doing everything? I feel exhausted, used, hurt. Why do you not feel this way? Why are you okay with everything when I’m a total wreck? Those kinds of things. What you should know is that the other person must have felt like this too, but gave up long ago.

Why do you think badly of ex’s that want to be friends right away?

When I say that they want to be friends right away, to protect a reputation or to have a ‘go’ signal that they can date other people again, it comes from experience. I’ve been that person, sort of. I’ve been the person to pretend that we’re friends, or ask to be friends, even though I know that “you” aren’t okay yet. I’ve been the one to somewhat force “you” into a situation to act like you feel better about everything, when “you” were still hurting. Because, you know, I didn’t want to have to walk the same hallway and not say hi to you. I didn’t want to leave the same set of friends. You should know that as much as I forced you to be okay, I was forcing myself to learn to be okay with it too.

But I’ve also been the person on the receiving end of it. “We’re still friends though, right?” ended up as a way to make sure “he” didn’t look bad in front of other people, especially when he was trying to court another girl. It also gave him an excuse to say “she’s totally fine with us dating; we’re friends” to this new girl.

And I realized, it’s not just me. With the friends I’ve listened to, maybe like you, dear Anon, if you’re the same one asking the questions, it happens all the time.

I guess I’m not really angry at these ex’s. I can understand. They’re just as confused as we all are, and to the best of their judgment, being friends is something they think they should do. If there’s one thing I learned in this world, there are no villains, only victims. People who hurt us do hurtful things, because they believe it’s the best way to protect themselves. Still, learn to protect yourself too. Be angry if angry; express pain if you’re hurt. You can’t begin to forgive someone before you’ve let them know that they’ve done you a great deal wrong.

So now that you now what ive been going through, would u give me some advice on what i should do now?    

Well, for starters, tell that person the reason why you aren’t ready to be friends just yet, if you’re ever to be friends at all. Also, if you have common friends who may be affected by this separation, let them know. Take your time to grow and heal, and learn to take care of yourself without depending on someone else. You can go on dates, if you like. But remember that not all dates have to become relationships. Only enter a new relationship when you feel like you aren’t going to look at this new person, and hope that he fills up whatever gaping hole the previous one left behind. Whether or not you become friends with your ex at the end of it all is totally unrelated. By friends, I mean close friends who regularly meet and hang. But you /should/ be on good terms with him.

Do you know about the Three Month Rule? Do you believe in it?

I don’t know anyone who’s ever dated and never knew about the three month rule, haha. So yes, I know it. I don’t believe in it, but it’s a damn good rule to establish. A lot of people just go and wreck themselves over the notion of love and eternity without even thinking about what happened to them in the past, so they date new people and repeat the cycle of what hurt them in the first place. But I don’t believe in the three month rule in a sense that there are mature people who know what they’re getting in to, and there are also people who are only casual daters, so it doesn’t really matter if they date someone new a day after the breakup.

What can you say about couples who get their names tattooed on each other, but break up only in a matter of months?

They’re impulsive romanticists. I don’t want to judge them. It’s not that they’re doing anything wrong, really. So they fell in love and fell out of it, what now? I’m sure they feel pretty stupid themselves, so I don’t want to add to their humiliation. I’m kind of proud of them, actually, to learn to let go of their fears that they’ll end up broken apart soon, and just fall recklessly and freely in love with each other regardless of that fear.I don’t know. I think society’s dumb for calling people like these dumb, or too idealistic, like having dreams is ever a wrong thing. You know what renders people incapable of getting back up after a break-up? All the scornful people who told them to wake up to reality, because happy endings are only in fairytales, that’s what. Why can’t we all just congratulate them on trying to find love in an otherwise hopeless world, right?

Taxi Cabs, Condoms, and Catholicism

Why is it that, in the Philippines, Taxi Cab drivers are picky when it comes to their customers? And on a side note, why do beggars complain when they get small donations?

Because the traffic regulation system in the country is totally shit, so some trips are less profitable than others. Taxi drivers should retain some right to choose the trips, I think. Like a lot of the taxis we see in central Manila park at Valenzuela, and that’s fucking far. If you ask the driver to take you to Las Pinas via service road during rush hour, then that makes them waste gas because of the bad traffic, it’s going to be one hellafa long ride home for them, and worst of all, they wouldn’t get that many customers there. So it sometimes gets irritating, but I sometimes want to take the side of the cab driver. If only I were rich enough to pay a fixed rate of five hundred bucks whenever I have to take a long cab ride. So if you aren’t rich, the solution is don’t take a cab, take a fucking bus, a train, a jeep and an FX.

 As for the beggars, wellllll, the world hasn’t treated them fairly, and in fact, they’re suffering. We’re going to do a small favor for them, and we’ll do it half-baked? They’re just people who are tired of the injustice of the world, and tired of the fact that they were born helpless and without the opportunity or capability to get out of their situation. Sometimes, it isn’t really their fault.

I’m a firm believer in the underdog, hahahahaha.

What if giving donations to beggars isn’t the answer to injustice?

And so if it isn’t? Because it really isn’t, you know. I know what I said about how they have every reason to react badly to a donation of a peso or something. But I didn’t say that they even had the right to beg in the first place. Begging is illegal anyway, and why inconvenience the upper classes with the burden of having to provide for those incapable of contributing to society?

But the thing is, as much as we shouldn’t give to them, they can’t provide for themselves. (Because if they could, why the hell would they beg, right?) So what I’m getting at is, that it isn’t their fault. They beg because they’re poor, because their parents couldn’t provide for them, because they don’t have proper jobs, because they weren’t provided with good education, because their own parents were total shitfaces back in their day.

So we can’t solve these kids’ problems today, and right away, but we can contribute to making sure that it doesn’t happen to the millions of kids to come in the future. What we can do now is build the foundation for better quality and more affordable education programs, and more employment opportunities.

So do you think the Reproductive Health Bill is the answer to poverty?

One of the steps, yes. Not exactly the answer to poverty. It takes a lot of different things to prevent and alleviate poverty.What I think is important to remember about the RH Bill is that it isn’t meant to be a direct answer to poverty. The principle behind it is that we who have money can buy our own contraceptives if we wanted to, can go see doctors to consult, and avail of health services when we need them. We, who have money, have a choice. It’s as if saying that if you have money, you have freedom. And if you’re poor, you don’t have freedom. What the RH Bill ensures, more than anything, is the closing of that gap. You’re free to choose what to do with your body, whether you’re rich or poor.So what the RH Bill ultimately becomes is not limited to giving contraceptives to the poor so they’ll have less children. It becomes a way of granting the poor access to the rights and resources the rich have, at least in terms of reproductive health services. And isn’t that the first step you take to eradicate poverty?

It took me like six years of my life to see it this way.

What are your views on being Catholic but doing a lot of non-Catholic things (being pro-RH, swearing, all the like)?    

 There’s a specific reason to certain issues, like the ones you pointed out, why I think they’re okay, and sometimes even, possibly in line with what I believe in as a member of the Catholic Church. Being pro-RH, for example, is just me believing in equality and the value of freedom (if you’ve read my previous explanation).

Swearing, on the other hand, is what I think to be a contextual thing. The words ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ still are bad words to use, mind you. But in the context of our language, and how English is growing in this day and age, a lot of it is used more of an adjective/adverb than to actually mean fornication and fecal matter. Using ‘fucking’ to mean ‘very extremely’, is easier to understand for most. I like learning about words as much as the next bookworm, but in this day and age, I think people would find me weird to say “superlatively” or something else. At the end of the day, it isn’t the word that’s wrong, but how you use it. If you aren’t talking to your elders or children, it’s fine. I think the only reason why elders and children would find those words offensive would be because in the context of their age, it should be. If you think about it, telling someone that you wished they were thrown into a pit of ravenous beasts for them to die an extremely painful death is still a worse thing to say than “Dude, I think this pie you baked is fucking delicious! This shit’s amazing!”

As for the other things that may seem un-Catholic, the only other thing I have left to say is that Jesus is kind of a radical. He believed that man is naturally good, and people should not adhere to the laws of man, but to the laws of God, and that we shouldn’t trouble ourselves with keeping the technicalities of these laws, but only to love God and neighbor. Jesus didn’t bother with following the rules when it came to, like, following the certain way of washing hands. And even when he met a whore about to be stoned to death, Christ was the first to tell us that it’s not in our hands to say what is right and wrong for that person. What matters is we don’t hurt each other, and we promote a culture of love around us. I mean, he took the most ungodly people to be his disciples, and he came from a long line of sinners. He’s here to make us believe that whoever we are, wherever we come from, and whatever we do, He’s going to be here to love us, and His only request is that we love others too.

If you think about that, what right have you, or anyone, as part of this Church, to tell me that I’m going to hell for the things I stand for? If I promote the RH Bill, or Homosexual Marriage, if I’m anti-dress code? Isn’t it less Christ-like to promote hate and prejudice? An important thing to think about.

I’m a huge sucker for prompts. If you want to leave me questions, you can do so at Tumblr or Ask.FM.

WordPress on Windows 8

If you see this article, don’t mind me. I’m just checking out the new WordPress.com app for Windows 8. Having recently joined the Microsoft Student Partners program in our university as a Junior Partner, I was able to avail of a free copy of Windows 8 Pro even before the official release date, since we’re developing apps for the Store. And I’m telling you right now that this thing is absolutely beautiful. If you could buy a copy of Windows 8, do so, because Microsoft definitely intends on changing the way everything works. We’ll all be working on touch screen everything. By the time the Surface is out, people will no longer have separate tablets for playing and laptops for work. It’ll be just one: compact, light, but fully functional.

Now, about WordPress.com as an app

I put that in bold because I couldn’t select the type settings like how it is normally available on the website, neither was the option to view the HTML of the post. There are lacking features, but I think the app was designed for basic functions. Reblogging posts and writing on the go is the objective, and it’s not even the primary one. The app is centered on content, but limited to the Freshly Pressed page. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty happy about that. I didn’t like how they changed the front page of the website to one that advertises the benefits of WordPress.com. I wanted my daily dose of Freshly Pressed once I go on the site, and that was taken away from me. Plus, it was a bonus for the writers who get featured. People join WordPress because they want to write and be read, and Freshly Pressed captured that. But since I don’t have that on the website, I’m glad I have it here: one click on the Start menu and I’m good to go.

Beautiful, as Always

One of the main perks of WordPress.com is how beautiful it’s always been. All the themes in the showcase are the best you can find, whether it’s free or paid for. I bet that the people at WordPress.com are the first to know the true importance of a good theme or layout. The layout of a website and how content is presented to you affects so much of how you read it. Fortunately, the reader for the Freshly Pressed section makes everything look like a beautiful webzine. It’s a familiar layout, though. If you’ve used Google Currents on an Android Tablet, then you know how it looks like.

But wait, there’s more!

No, no. There isn’t. That’s all that there is. With a download size of 144KB, what I got for the app was pretty damn amazing already. I know apps that download for how many MB but have horrible functionality. But as a dedicated member of the WordPress community, here I am wishing that this app was complete, that all my writing tools are available to me. I wish that I could view my stats on the site, see the pending comments and receive notifications. Basically, I wish my entire dash was here. I wish I could edit my post after it was published. I wish I could access my media library, or choose a featured photo, or insert them into the post with ease. I wish I could choose the categories and add tags to them when I write, instead of having to go back to my dash via a web browser just to fix it. I wish I could edit my site, and view others’. I wish I could see the blogs I follow, instead of just Freshly Pressed. There is so much awesomeness offered on the website itself, and what a wonder it would be to have WordPress.com available at the click of a mouse or the tap of a screen. To be able to flip open a Surface, or dock a tablet on a keyboard and just type away.

SDCC12 Korra Panel

Fresh from the San Diego Comic Con, the Legend of Korra Panel announced yesterday, July 13, 2012, that the LoK fandom is finally getting everything they asked for. Primarily, an additional 26 episodes, giving the series a total of 52 episodes–that’s four books in all.

After Book One: Air aired its season finale, fans were outraged by the rushed and crudely cut storyline. Book Two will be aptly titled Spirits, and will mostly be focused on Korra going through the spirit world. The story will pick up 6 months after Book One, starting with a celebration at Korra’s hometown, the Southern Water Tribe. It was said that Team Avatar was set for an adventure to the Southern Air Temples which were never really explored in The Last Airbender.

Heartless Spirit Being

Among the announcements were the new characters introduced and their designs. This new set will feature some of Korra’s family members, namely her uncle Unolok and her cousins, a pair of brother and sister twins.

Korra’s Uncle Unolok

The Unnamed Twin Brother, Korra’s cousin, Unolok’s son

The Unnamed Twin Sister

Faces of the twin sister

The concept art for the twin sister’s faces seem to hint a very quiet, deep-thinking character. The upper-rightmost face is showing a violent reaction. Will she be possessed by some spirit monster? Will she try to evoke some emotion from Korra through arguments? I wonder what her role will be.

As part of getting to know her family, her mother Senna and Father Tonraq will be here too. Their amount of screentime was not said.

Korra’s mother, Senna

Avatar Korra’s Father, Tonraq in full Winter Gear

A younger version of Tonraq and his Chris Hemsworth body was revealed as well. I don’t know why we’ll be seeing Korra’s father’s earlier days. Perhaps a flashback, or a Spirit World thing?

Young Tonraq

One of the new characters announced is a man named Verick, whose role is yet to be revealed. It was said that he’ll have a good relationship with Bolin. Maybe this is the answer to the cry of the Bolin fans asking for some excuse to give their favorite Pro-Bender some time in the limelight?

Introducing: Verick

Maybe. But we don’t really know what he’ll be here for yet. His costume is perhaps the first most westernized outfit (with the exception of war/military uniforms) and seems most possibly a part of the elite.

The Many Faces of Verick

Tenzin’s sister Kya will also be playing a major role this season, and will have a good relationship with Jinorra.

The only daughter of Katara and Aang, Kya, sister of Bumi and Tenzin

Bumi, who showed up at the last episode from the previous season, will make a reappearance with a kicking set of some badass pink earmuffs.

Because fluffy pink earmuffs are just the thing for a general of the Fire Nation.

The entire Team Avatar will have to re-stock their wardrobes for the cold winter down south, so everyone’s getting a costume change.

from the San Diego Comic Con 2012, Legend of Korra Panel. Avatar Korra gets redesigned, with arm warmers and a darker colored top.

I did not see any General Iroh 2.0 redesigns, but they did give us a second Asami costume, as the heiress of Future Industries.

Asami looking all Amelia-ish in her second new outfit, as she’s expected to inherit Future Industries after her father’s downfall.

There is nowhere online yet to watch the full panel, but you can read the article on IGN’s Comic Con hub. All of the Panel photos are from one of the fandom’s top list, the PabuCast‘s co-host OwlDee’s tumblr–check for more of the concept art especially for the scenery.

You can watch a summary of the panel announcements here:

And the panel impression from IGN here:

It is expected that the fandom will be posting the full panel on youtube late Sunday or early Monday.

The KORRA Reaction

Book One ended with its final two chapters, 11- Skeleton in the Closet and 12- The Endgame, together in a one-hour season finale during the previous weekend. The entire fandom fell into a mad scramble, with the majority feeling disappointed, claiming the ending of the season to be “half-baked”, rushed or underwhelming.

Everyone I knew was on the edge of their seats waiting for Korra to go into Avatar State, just like how Aang did in ATLA during Siege of the North. However, if you’ve watched the finale already, you’d know that it never happened. Personally, I still can’t get over that ending. And it feels like I want to throw the television off the same cliff Korra was contemplating at.

I don’t intend to spoil people about the ending if they haven’t watched it yet, so let me warn you that the next things I am about to say will discuss the ending in its entirety. If you haven’t yet (which is unacceptable–you HAVE to watch it), go to avatarchapters.tv before you read on.

Now that you’ve done that,

DO YOU FEEL MY PAIN?

So many fans complained about that season finale, and almost every LoK blog out there criticized Bryke for it. But tumblr fandom blog polarbeardog and its followers blogged as a response to the bashing that everyone should be thankful for Nickelodeon even releasing a sequel to ATLA, and just savor every moment of it. Of course, this spurred an incredulous debate, sending a good number of disappointed fans off into the world of fan-fiction. Online writing community Figment.com changed its front page just yesterday to showcase the Legend of Korra fanfiction available in their library.

NOW THEN. Among the top things that ruined it would be Mako’s confession of love and being a general douchebag, and arguably even the Avatars coming in to save Korra at her lowest point–it didn’t make sense. And Tarlokk just blowing up the boat he and his brother were escaping in. Though we’re all relieved that our favorite Lin Beifong got her bending back, it really didn’t keep me completely satisfied.

And again, Mako, you ruined the ending.

Seriously.

A LONG NICKELODEON RANT YOU DON’T NEED TO READ:

I won’t complain about the story being rushed, because it is, and I’m pretty sure Bryke knew about that. They even admitted before that there were no filler episodes–which are, unfortunately, great for character development. CliqueClack, in a review by Julia Hash, sums up this argument quite nicely. You should go read it because I have no intention of reiterating her points.

We all have to understand that Nickelodeon can’t spend that much money for extra episodes. Having lost their team of writers for Spongebob Squarepants to Disney’s Phineas and Ferb series in the past years, and losing some of their best talents, and being unable to produce a decent Butch Hartman cartoon (I have a lot of heartbreaking feelings for Nickelodeon right now) I can imagine that Nick is on a steep descent. Imagine the cost of 20+ episodes–for them to bank on Korra would be a huge risk, one that Nickelodeon’s finances cannot take, especially without the reassurance that it would live up to the first series. Especially with the ATLA Live-Action Film being a flop in the fandom, if Nick Studios invested in that, I can imagine a good deal of money being lost.

Okay, so I’m basically assuming that Nickelodeon is keeping tight finances–it might not be true, so don’t take my word for it. But that’s how I see things. I don’t think Big Time Rush or Korra or Tuff Puppy are keeping them as stable as before. I don’t think Nickelodeon can take risks right now, and if what I’m thinking is true–well, then.

SO BASICALLY, that’s why I’m not complaining about how rushed everything is. Bryke gave me twelve episodes–I gladly took those twelve episodes.

Before we continue, can we just take a moment to appreciate Liu, the true hero of the revolution?

NOW ABOUT THAT ENDING

We all know that Tarlokk killed off himself and his brother in the sea. But I have no reason to believe that he’s actually dead. Let’s all remember that Korra and the others never knew he died, and will most likely try to look for him or prepare for his return when the second season comes back up. It looks as if Bryke made the episode look pretty damn conclusive to surprise anyone. And if I’m right, then I’m sorry for ruining the surprise. Just please, if it does happen, take the liberty of imagining me saying “I told you so”.

One of the hints to this comes from the advertisement for the season finale. After having watched Chapter 10 Turning the Tides, they aired an ad for the season finale, saying, “Korra and Amon will go head-to-head for what is possibly the last time.” FOR WHAT IS POSSIBLY THE LAST TIME, and what is arguably a plot device.

Besides, what self-respecting writer would kill off such a brilliantly thought out antagonist? A blood-bender who doesn’t need to channel the power of the full moon, can control beings without even having to lift a finger–a bender who started a revolution against bending. THE MAN IS HITLER, believing his purpose to be justifiable, if not noble, and does it in the most totalitarian way possible. Although, Tarlokk might represent the coward half of Hitler who decided on dying instead. But then Cersei Lannister-Baratheon almost took that position during Blackwater.

I really do think that Amon will return in one way or another, and Bryke just made it to seem like this arc of the story is dead. However, I think there’s someone bigger than Amon–someone above him. He’ll come back, but he’s not our main antagonist. He could even jump ship and turn into a good person, ala Zuko becoming an ally to Team Avatar.

TO NITPICK AT THE BAD WRITING

I did just say that I thought that horribly and unnaturally conclusive ending might mean for a surprise in season two. But why did they have to give Korra’s bending back?! WHY? Or at least, not in that way–not in a way where she just cries, a tear falls off a cliff and then, like magic, every Avatar reincarnation comes back to return her powers. What, is this Disney’s Tangled? You cry on Flynn Rider’s face and it makes everything better? “It is at our lowest point that we are open to the greatest change,” Aang said. BUT WE DIDN’T SEE KORRA IN HER LOWEST POINT, THAT’S MY PROBLEM, BRYKE.

I didn’t see her gather the lost benders, and talk to their families, and all of them coming together to think of a way to get by with their lives. I didn’t see her in danger of some sort, trying to protect herself solely by airbending when she couldn’t even master it. I didn’t see her run and fumble in the snow, crying in anger and frustration that she lost the only thing she dedicated her life to. I wanted her to scream in the pain of loss and know that no matter how much she called out for her bending, it wouldn’t come back. I wanted her to be so desperately lost, even spiritually, that she couldn’t get herself to talk to Aang–to feel forsaken and betrayed by her own past lives. I wanted Mako to try to hug her while she was in agony, or hold her back from running off, or try to get her to calm down after she’s been so angry at the world–but fail at it. I wanted Mako to ask himself what it is he can do for Korra, and I wanted him to realize that there isn’t anything at all.

I didn’t see her go home to visit her parents to tell them what happened. I didn’t see a point in her life when she felt so numb about not having her bending. I didn’t see her look at water and be unable to bend it, to look at her blue tribal clothes and rip it off and say, “I’m a water bender that can’t bend water.” If Aang was the last airbender, Korra’s last bending was air.

And then I wanted her to watch that water she no longer have no control over, and surrender to it.

And while she’s drowning, asphyxiated by the pressure of the water on her, I wanted her to enter the spirit world–because returning to that water, she was at peace. And I want her to find out for herself how she can come back.

It is at our lowest point that we are open to the greatest change.

Then she just will.

And that’s how I thought it should have gone, even if they just cut off the season with her losing the bending, and then start the next season with her spiritual journey to find it again.

That’s all.