A Day With Books (And Other Things That Make You Happy)

T'was the night after my visit to The 36th Manila International Book Fair.

Because you always need Entrance Tickets to an event...

As a backgrounder, this is actually my 3rd time to go to MIBF, with the 1st happening way before the SMX Convention Center was even built since it was held at SM Megamall. The 2nd time was last year in which I found the greatest answers to my Law subject problems, (courtesy of REX Bookstore). And so for this year, I'm back and more than ready on what to expect.

Like everyone else: My Book Haul! ;)

Aside from surviving the throngs of people and having the patience of a monk when falling in line, I'd say the whole MIBF experience hasn't lost its appeal to me yet. (So watch out for next year, MIBF!)

Add the fact that I also managed to attend a Mini Comics Festival courtesy of Black Ink Comics!

More event tickets...

For those who haven't heard of it yet, Black Ink Comics is an independent publisher of local "manga" or comics.

Disclaimer: Cool GIF taken from their website :3

I still remember how quaint their booth was during last year's Book Fair, though after a year they seemed to have gathered a wide range of readers.

Precious Pages Corp. as their distributor

Personally, my first ever Black Ink comic was Ms. Reira Francisco's "Terropian Princess":

Soooo pretty and colorful... O.O <3

Though part of me guiltily admits that I first bought it for the wonderful cover; before I managed to read the synopsis which further piqued my interest. With that said, I'm really amazed with how far they've gone and look forward to more works from them!

Now back to the Mini Comics Festival, it was a (mini) meet and greet event with the talented artists and writers of Black Ink, in which I grabbed the opportunity to have most of my comic books and novels signed!

Just one...

... of my...

... many...

... few ;)

As well as get exclusive Freebies!

So love my Poster Boy shirt! Another Black Ink comic favorite by Herbs Navasca (writer) and Rica Angela Padullo (illustrator)

Aaaand, guess who I managed to take a picture  with...

Officially meeting the writer of Terropian Princess, Ms. Reira Francisco! It was a pleasure to meet you! <3 :D

In the end, it's not the matter of bringing home the most book hauls, but bringing with you a day full of happy experiences that can last a lifetime.

P.S. Before I end this  blog, I'd like to thank my dearest cousin who patiently watched over my comic books while I almost succumbed to my overwhelming feelings of "fangirliness". Without her, I may have lost a comic book or more. So thank you very much 'cuz! Love yah lots! xoxo

SPY: Do You Have What It Takes?

Hey there folks! It's been a long while since I felt the need to blog about a movie this awesome and hilarious!

In cinemas!!! >.<

Watching this movie started out as a joke when my mom and I happened to see the trailer earlier this year in the cinemas. I remember how I was like, "Pssssst... mom, this is the movie for you."

Moving on to the review, the title of the movie speaks for itself when Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy), the "brains" behind the spies, volunteers herself when her partner, Bradley Fine (Jude Law) dies on the mission. She subsequently finds out that all the CIA agents' identities have been leaked, making the agency vulnerable and at a stand-still on who to deploy for the next mission concerning a nuclear weapon. As it turns out, Operation: Track and Report will give Agent Cooper a chance to prove herself.

Storywise, the plot is easy to catch up with while it gives the audience a healthy dose of both "I'm-holding-my-breath" kind of action and "I'm-losing-my-breath-can't-stop-laughing" comedy.

Though I'd like to point out that the film is rated R-13 since it's filled with swear words, sexual innuendos, and lots of blood. I also don't like the parts when they'd bully her in the premise or make her (and some of the people from the "basement") feel inferior. Maybe it was intended to come across as a form of comedy, but bullying is still bullying. So I'm glad with how she managed to develop and grow as a character, it's actually empowering.

Two other things, that kept me ogling at the screen was Rose Byrne, who plays Rayna Boyanov, who I wouldn't really consider as the "real" antagonist, but the story does mostly revolve around her, and I'm not complaining.

Excuse me while I say, "Rawr!!!" <3

Last one is, unexpectedly, Jude Law!

Hearing fangirl squeals, with some fainting... O.O

Don't get me wrong, I only said "unexpectedly" 'cuz I always somehow pictured Jude Law as someone "dorky"...?

Add the fact that ever since he voiced Pitch Black from Dreamworks' Rise of the Guardians.... Well let's just say...

I'ma runnin' for my life now!

Yeah... Wasn't really keen on seeing him until...

My, my, Bradley Fine, what a "fine" man you are indeed... *insert wiggling of brows*

On another note, Rick Ford (Jason Statham) was honestly an annoying character, and I wasn't used to seeing Statham as such 'cuz, duh! Transporter!

I know right! ;)))

Though you gotta hand it to how game he was in playing the role, so kudos to you bro, and your exaggerated mission spiels!

Also hope this wouldn't be the last time we see Melissa McCarthy in an action movie. (Petition for a sequel perhaps?)

So to wrap it up, "Spy" was a very enjoyable weekend movie to watch, though not exactly family-friendly since it's not for kids. So why not make it a movie night with your special (agent) someone, right?

Until my next post, see yah!

Manners Make a Movie

So it all started with this movie poster:

Talk about boy toys...

At first I thought it would be another mindless action movie with absolutely no creative taste when it came to choosing its actors. Then, I coincidentally got a glimpse of the movie trailer:

And I was like woah... They got me at the "umbrella shield" part and I was like, "Who would have even thought of inventing that?" and "That's bloody awesome!" at the same time. Then I saw something that really got me wanting to watch this film in the big screen:

Oh my fangirl heart... <3 >.<

So technically yeah, they got me there. But it turns out that the film also consisted of "old school savviness":

Kudos to my mum... ;)

So before this blogpost turns into a fangirl tribute, I'll probably move on to the movie review now. First, characters and actors, with Eggsy being this juvenile delinquent... Taron Egerton fits the role perfectly with his boyish charm. Colin Firth showcases his charisma as Harry; and Samuel Jackson distinctly portrays the evil Valentine with his somewhat lisp and borderline, eccentric sociopathic craziness.

Plotwise, "Kingsman" is the cliché "Good guy saves the day". But before we got there, we had these really major twists (which got me a couple of times...).

Special Effects: boy, you're in for a ride! The opening credits of the film shows it. And of course the action, which to me is a fresh approach contrary to protagonists having their asses kicked before their said victory. And our good guys all do these in a pinstripe suit with classy reading glasses, so cheerios to that!

All in all, I can't help but wait for a sequel 'cuz I really haven't gotten enough of those tux-wearing Kingsmen. ;)

The Mind of a Wandering Blogger

So I recently read this book, which I finished in one night. It's titled "Wander Girl" by Tweet Sering which I found out was published by Summit Media back in 2004. That was like 10-11 years ago and I would definitely never have understood this sort of book back when I was only 8-9 years old. This is the sort of "finding yourself" book wherein you're finding out your purpose in life when your also stuck in a pit of "now what?". For some reason though, I'm glad I still found an ebook copy on Amazon since this book isn't available in local bookstores anymore, nor is it available in local e-book markets like Buqo.

Talk about "low resolution"... -.-"

So back to the story, "Wander Girl" starts with our main protagonist, Hilda, and we're given the impression that no self-respecting girl should let any setback stop her from following her heart. That's why Hilda sets off on a journey that takes her through days of pining for the perfect job, over rough series of heartbreak and disappointment (not to mention bad sex), and even into foreign territory: passionate Frenchmen, adventurous half-Maoris, witty Brits. Armed only with an honest map to her own heart, it's a journey that eventually leads her to her true calling, her true self, and true love. (Synopsis brought to you by Goodreads).

So in the end, I found Hilda as a very relatable character. She gave off that nostalgic sense of emotion when talking about her childhood and family, I also found her "eureka" moments amusing. Another character favorite of mine was Hilda's younger sister, Hannah since even though she was at least 5 years younger than our 24 year old protagonist, she still gave off that "old-soul" feel and that she knew what she was talking about. Of course Hilda's whole family was amazing in their own way and they made Hilda who she is as an adult. There was also the awesome best friend, Lulu, who I find amusing due to her spunkiness.

All in all, "Wander Girl" made me cry and laugh at the same time, and it also got me thinking about my own future and my "hilig" as Hilda would call it. Would I be as brave as Hilda too when it comes to following my dreams whenever I'm faced with a wall? I hope so. But one thing I've learned from Hilda when it comes to following one's dreams, it's to follow your heart.

A Student and her Cinemas

So our Cinema Knights Week has just ended, and I got to watch 3 amazing independent films created by our talented Communication Arts students. First off, Cinema Knights Week is a week where at least 8 indie movie entries are shown in the different viewing halls around our campus. The Communication Arts students sell the movie tickets (PhP 25 each) in the lobby area where they've set up different themed booths based on their movie entry. Attached to the tickets are the scheduled viewing times of the films and which Hall it's scheduled to be shown.

Zinema Ticketssss.... O.O

This isn't exactly the first year I've gone to watch Letran's indie films, in fact the first time was last school year (when I was in my 2nd year in college...), where our Marketing professor all but offered incentives to her students who were willing to buy and watch her Communication Arts students' indie films. Not that I needed any additional incentives with my grade and all, but I guess curiosity won me over with what my fellow Letranites had to offer when it came to movie-making. So I guess you could say I was caught off guard. "Vindicaré" turned out to be like a murder mystery short with a who-done-it plotline, adding a sibling-rivalry gone wrong twist. Also "Rainbow X" came as a surprise with its psychological horror genre which even had me (... and ONLY me...) yelping at one scene, albeit embarrassingly. It basically focuses on the life of an award-winning indie actor who leads another life as a serial killer, killing off gays (... and it's not the happy kind...). The horror part? Well, he gets haunted by a bloody one (like literally!) throughout the film!

So backstory aside, that experience was the first time, and would surely not be the last. That's why this year I decided to watch 3 films; namely:

The teaser that started it all...

"The Cramming" is a comedic short which, as the title states, focuses on Ely and Kurt trying to meet their deadline. How they manage to do so is beyond me. Another one would be a romantic short with a surprising twist at the end entitled "Message Sent". It starts with an aspiring musician later finding a cellphone number in a public bus, who later becomes his textmate. Sparks fly while cellular loads are diminished (... unless you know, Unlitxt20 to 8888...).

Because not everything has to be said... <3

Lastly would be "Sabado", which is surprisingly about suicide (... or in a more euphemistic sense, life and death). 

... the washed-out poster should have been a warning...

It starts off with both our protagonists waking up and setting a timer, while they proceed to enjoy the little things in life together for the day. By the end of the day, they're at Jones Bridge with the guy saying something along the lines that, "It takes courage to Die, but it takes more than courage to Live." With the girl replying that she's "not afraid anymore" as they throw their respective timers off the bridge. The End. Yeah it was meant to be open-ended I suppose, as I later found out from the director during the Q & A part at the end of the film.

Cliffhangers aside, all in all it was an enjoyable experience which I wouldn't mind doing again next school year. Kudos to our upcoming movie directors and screen writers! ;) Arriba Letran! :D

Nothing Beats Stress Like School

So it's been a while since I took up blogging... Too many distractions have kept me from posting anything worthwhile I suppose... This day, however, marks the beginning of an end. It's what we call the day of "The Defense," and I'm probably in school right now. I had this post pre-scheduled in a funny attempt to mimic a last will and testament. Call this day Judgment Day.

In preparation for this day, with all the revised paperworks that needed to be done, last week was filled with pent-up emotional stress. It actually felt like a f---ing roller coaster of emotion.. going round and round, up and down the slopes... and other emotional garbages thrown your way. Although I blame it all on hormones and delayed period, that out of the blue spouted out in the middle of a very stressful and hectic week. Damn, never before have I ever felt such anger even at the littlest things that I somehow wished they'd spontaneously combust! I'm not generally led by emotions so it was pretty rough. It's like my head was full of the F word - for this, that, everyone, everything! Why can't they all just die out?!

It's pretty creepy, now that I look back on it a week later. Also had this really annoying incident at our local cinema that same week. I wished the ticket attendant's head would just burst off... It all started with me wanting to unwind for just a little bit. Since I've seem this cool trailer, I wanted to watch the movie in its entirety. Turns out it was an R-16 movie. Well, I'm 19 so that's not a problem, right? Wrong! The ticket lady cared too much that even after presenting my college org IDs (I don't walk around with my college ID), she was still hesitant to print out the tickets. D-UH?!??! That moment, I wanted to rip off her head! I was like, "What gives?!" Just because I'm not tall enough for my age doesn't give her the right to judge! (I previously got to watch an R-18 movie shown in the same week at the same cinema. What the F---?!)

On a lighter note, I should just pray for good results for our "defense" today. I wish and hope for at least a passing mark. I guess stress won't end here, and I'll probably encounter more stress later on in life. That's part of growing up. Just like what my mom always says, "Pray for everything that is not within your control." I guess that's what I'll do... pray for the strength to carry on, pray for wisdom in all my decisions, and pray for more than enough faith to know that at the end of the day, everything will be just fine. ^_^

Talking Back & Dying at the Same Time?

Well, well, well... Look who decided to come back to blogging? Oh that's right, it's me. So yeah, I'm technically back from my 8 month hiatus, though I don't know for how long... But really, the reason why I'm back to blogging is because I realized something. Something so utterly life-changing, it boggled my mind... This realization came to me in the form of a book. Yes, because of all the books that I have read, it suddenly came to me that I had only "reviewed" ONE book here in my blog... Don't believe me? You could always click the "Book Review" tag at the bottom of this post, you know!

So yeah, I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm back for the mean time... I should probably do more book reviews than movie reviews... Hmmm... So! Back to the matter at hand! What particular book will I be blogging about, you ask? Well it's actually a local book, published by PSICOM Publishing, and guess what, this book has recently been adapted into a movie! (Which is actually another reason why I decided to blog again...) But let's concentrate on the book first:

"Talk Back & You're Dead!" by Alesana Marie

There's two of them! @.@

This is the first book of the trilogy, and for all it's worth, the book has also been divided into two parts.

The whole gist of the first book was quite simple, "Poor little rich girl falls in love with a bad boy". So here we've got our main protagonist, Miracle Samantha Perez, and our male lead, Timothy Odelle Pendleton, a.k.a. TOP. Sam's your all-around-good-girl type of gal, she's beautiful, smart and rich. Though her almost perfect world will come crashing down once she meets TOP. Completely Sam's opposite, TOP is your all-around-bad-boy, sure he's said to be roguishly handsome as well as rich, but he is also a "gang" leader. Yeah, I know, the whole story is cliché, but I was expected some action-packed kind-of story when I read this synopsis: 

"May nakilala na ba kayong (napakagwapo) nakakatakot na nilalalang na may kakayahang maglabas ng laser beam sa mga mata kapag nagagalit? Eh ang maging boyfriend sya dahil sa (kabaliwan) kakaibang trip ng mga kaibigan mo?

At ang mapaligiran ng mga (hotties) hot-headed na katulad nya? Ang tahimik kong buhay ay biglang naging parang action movie, may mga habulan at fighting scenes.

Ako si Sam, isang perfect student, maganda matalino at mabait). Boyfriend ko si TOP, isang delinquent, gang leader at cussing machine.

Magtagal kaya kami kung pati teddy bear ay pinagseselosan nya rin?"

I guess it was my fault that I took the "laser beam" thing literally, as well as Sam's life suddenly becoming some kind of "action movie with chase and fighting scenes". Shouldn't have taken her word for it. But still, it was an amusing read in times when you just wanna kill some time. Although, I'd like to point out that book version Sam was a wonderful breath of fresh air. You don't get that much of head-strong females in local writing, so good job Ms. Alesana Marie! (Though Sam does have a bad habit of keeping secrets from TOP most of the time...)

In the end, since I've already read both halves of Book One, I couldn't help but buy the first half of Book Two already! Since there were a lot of loose ends and unresolved pasts left at the end of Talk Back & You're Dead, I've decided to keep on reading until the end of the series. (Support our local writers!)  

Overall, the book had a sense of continuity and a lot of romance; the many characters also had their own side stories going around, which were mostly believable, if not convenient. So I suggest, buy the book. (forget about the movie...) Read it if you plan to even watch the movie version because. Just because.

So now that I'm done babbling nonsense here, I do hope you guys wait for my next post. It's about the movie version. Until next time, cheerios!