Running

"Look back. Nobody is chasing." I always say it to pace myself whenever I jog. Yes, I jog now. Not everyday, mind you, and not intensely but I jog more frequently now than at any other point in my life.

My friends in this "small" city had always invited me to jog with them. And I always declined. I said I don't like to jog and that I prefer to take a walk. And I did walk (daily at one point) for a time. After work, I walked within the lush, green and peaceful Chinese and Japanese Gardens at Lakeside. It was convenient because the gardens are located between where I work and where I stay. And then I noticed something. People around me were running and cycling. I was the only one walking.

"Maybe I should run, too."

And run I did. I bought shoes and shorts and shirts for running. I wanted to run on the same path around the Chinese and Japanese Gardens. But I thought it was too cumbersome to bring running gears to work so I settled in running around an old track near my place. That was four months ago. I'm still running now. Not daily, only whenever I'm not reading something or playing badminton in the evening, but I'm still running.

I hope I'll have the motivation to continue finding time to run even if I stay in this slow pace; to look back and find nobody chasing me whenever I'm impatient to finish the activity.

Hobbit and penguins

Hobbit 3

I've anticipated to see this movie for almost a year and expected too much that when I finally saw it I was underwhelmed. How could I not be underwhelmed? It was barely a movie despite its 144-minute runtime. The only scenes that I really liked were the ones near the last 30 minutes. I'm beginning to believe that they only had that much remaining movie and that the rest were fillers to get to that ending. I've read in the past that they only planned two movies. And based on what I saw, that may have been the case. Be that as it may, I don't begrudge Peter Jackson for making 3 movies instead of the planned 2. In my own industry some things also don't go as planned. But I question stretching it to 144 minutes if he only had about 30 minutes of story to tell. People will complain of paying full price for a 30-minute movie for sure. But why not trim down the other 120 minutes by half? What is so wrong with having a movie that's shorter than 120 minutes if you really only had that much to tell?

On a side note, this reminds me of another movie I saw this year that I thought was stretched out purposely to make an extra movie. That movie was  Mockingjay Part 1. I also did not like that movie as much as I liked the previous ones in the series.

On another note, the line, "Why does it hurt so much?" in Hobbit 3 and how it was delivered was cringe-worthy.


Penguins of Madagascar

I had no plans to watch this movie, but the company picked it for a free movie outing. So I got to see it for free. And it was fun! It won't be a classic any time soon, but it was fun to watch.

What if?

Photo from What If Facebook Page

1. Daniel Radcliffe needs a better American accent. I like his acting. He reminds me of Keanu Reeves, so if there's any plan to reboot the Matrix (reboot, Matrix, get it?), Daniel is the one. I believe he improved a lot over the years since taking on the role of that famous wizard Harry Potter. I hope he will appear in more movies (American or British). But for Hollywood, he needs a better American accent.
2. His role in this movie is actually a Londoner, but I just want to state #1.
3. How in the world is their city showing "Princess Bride" in a movie house in 2013? I've read the book in the past and I've seen the movie on my laptop, but if I was in their city, I'd also go see it in a movie house and also alone if nobody wants to go with me.
4. I'm a sucker for movies where characters write each other in complete sentences using email (You've Got Mail). It's the next best thing to using a pen to write something on paper, putting it in an envelope and posting it in a post office. And, to top it off, it's also the next best thing to tearing an envelope, unfolding a piece of paper, and reading a note from your friend written on paper using a pen.
5. I don't think #4 will ever happen again, so it's just me reminiscing.
6. That scene in the rain with the umbrella. Huzzah!
7. Zoe Kazan plays Chantry who is an animator with bangs and looked good in glasses. I know another actress who'd look good as an animator with bangs wearing eyeglasses: Zooey Deschanel.
8. Zoe and Zooey are probably not pronounced the same way. But I'm just guessing.
9. Good night, Chantry.
10. Option 5.
11. Dublin (in Ireland, just in case there's another Dublin) looked nice. Roads were made of cobblestones. I like the idea of me walking on something like that one day. In 2015 if I have my way.
12. I know that scene! I've seen both-looking-for-each-other-at-opposite-place countless times in the past. Corny, yes. I still like it.
13. That airport scene near the end, what was that all about? Why wasn't it edited out? Some crazy writing there.
14. 18 months later is not needed. The movie could have ended "earlier".
15. Daniel and Zoe could be the next Tom and Meg. But if this was "You've Got Mail", they need a "Sleepless in Seattle". 
16. They should "Sleepless in Seattle".

(Grade: B+)

Creativity, Inc. and other books

I was surprised to learn that I read less in 2014 than I thought I had. I assumed I was still a voracious reader like in the past. Sadly, a quick look at the year that's about to end and it's not the case.

The following were the books I finished reading this year (not in chronological order):

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

My library contains a few others, but I won't list them here because I have not yet read them completely. At the moment, I'm listening to the audio book Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. I listen to only small bits at a time, so there's a good chance I won't finish it by the strike of midnight on the last day of the year.

Of the six books I read in 2014, my favorite is Creativiy, Inc. by Ed Catmull, the only non-fiction book I read this year. I always liked Pixar because they consistently produced films that I and, judging by their box office performance, millions other people like. The first Toy Story (also their first feature length release) and Finding Nemo remain my favorites among their movies. I believe in Pixar, the brand, so much that I decided years ago that I'll watch every film they produce at least once in theater. Creativity, Inc. is a fascinating read for a fan like me. I got to see an overview of how things are run inside the studio, a bit of how they produce their movies, and a bit of their history as well (from Lucasfilm, to the time Steve Jobs bought them, to the time they merged with Disney). I recommend this book to all fans of Pixar. It's a worthwhile read.

Here's hoping I read more books in 2015.

Paddington

Sometimes while walking you get lost and stroll into a park unplanned and your day got a lot better. That’s not what happened to me in the circumstances upon which I got to see the Paddington movie. But the feeling is similar.

There are only two movies that I planned to watch this month. This was not one of them. I didn't even know that this movie existed even though Hugh Bonneville (I regularly watch Downton Abbey) was in it. But then I have a friend who loves her salads and the salad place had a promo where you add 2 bucks to get a cup of coffee and a movie voucher. She’s into salads and coffee, not so much into movies, so I got the voucher (I paid for the $2, of course). And with $2, I was ready to watch any movie. I chose this one.

Paddington is sort of an origin story of a popular plush toy of the 1950's that I learned was based on children’s books of the same decade. The story started in Darkest Peru where an English explorer was commissioned to find a specimen of odd stuff in his expedition. He found a couple of rather civilized bears and was awed that instead of capturing them, he took care of them and in return the bears cared for him. Fast forward to many years later, there was an earthquake and a tragedy in Darkest Peru. A young bear was sent to London to have a new home and a better life. Except that London was not as the explorer described. It was not warm and welcoming. It was cold and cold. Will the bear find a home in London?

I love just about everything about this movie. The phase at which the story moved forward was brisk. The colors were vibrant. The animated Paddington was endearing. The score hit the right notes at the right time: jolly, sad, quirky at all the right places. There were things happening in the background that while not important to move the story forward made it a visual treat. The cast gave inspired performances, especially Hugh Bonneville’s “Mr. Brown”. His comic timing, especially with the dry British humor, was impeccable.

If you need (or perhaps just want?) to lift your spirits up this Christmas, go and see this movie. Watch it with your family, or with friends, or even alone. This is going to be a future Christmas classic.

Looking back on 2014

Inspired by my old year-end list of 2005 where, among others, I listed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as my favorite book of that year (I can't believe it's been 9 years!), I thought I'd do another list this year for posterity's sake and for a nostalgic read 9 years from now.

Television

For the first time in years, my free time was not mostly spent in watching TV shows. At the start of the US fall season, I only followed four tv shows: Downton Abbey, Gotham, The Big Bang Theory, and The Amazing Race (now in its 25th season!). As of this writing, Downton Abbey has ended it's 5th season, and I lost interest in Gotham (not enough Batman) and Big Bang Theory (no longer funny like the first few seasons). I'm down with one remaining show, The Amazing Race, which in itself will end its 25th season this Friday. Between the two, Amazing Race and Downton Abbey, I don't really want to (and don't need to) choose a favorite. Both are clearly my favorites seeing that they're the only two shows that I watched in its entirety. Side note to TV: I also watched season 6 of Master Chef Australia. I like the Australian edition of Master Chef better than the US one: less politics, no trash talks, simply mentoring and cooking competition.

Movies

In the big screen arena, I also saw only a few movies in cinemas this year compared to last year thanks in large part to my big move to a "small" city. I loved How To Train Your Dragon 2 (as good as the first one). I also loved Big Hero 6 (Pixar-level Disney movie). Lastly, I loved Paddington, an origin movie of sorts for that famous plush toy from the storybooks of the 1950's. The movie was great. The plot progressed briskly with both light and emotionally charged moments, especially the notion of being lost and then being found. Side note to Paddington: LOST: 2 main stars left Downton Abbey 2 years ago to pursue movie careers forcing the writer to kill off their characters in the TV series. The movies they pursued were not memorable. FOUND: Hugh Bonneville (who plays the Earl), on the other hand, did not leave Downton, but found time to be in this good movie. The take away here, I believe, is don't leave Downton.

Books

I'll write about my favorite book (or books) this year  some other time. I'm writing this in my coffee break at work so I don't have much time. Au revoir, for now.

Where do you want to go today?

Below is what I wrote on the first day of 2013, sitting in my drafts folder all this time.

*****

If you were to ask me on new year's day of 2009 if I would be traveling outside the country before the year was out, I'd answer with a smile, "Travel, what do you mean travel? I don't even have a passport!" Fast forward to new year's day 2013 and I've been to six countries (Mauritius, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, and Korea). Not that I traveled often, or traveled so many places. But I was able to travel, which was not something that I thought I would think about 4 years after thanks to the promo fares of the country's biggest budget airline.

Why travel?

It started with my three-month assignment to the beautiful island of Mauritius. I got my passport only two weeks before I was scheduled to depart. It was so in the nick of time that I got my passport in the morning and then ship it out in the afternoon for visa processing. I got it back, stamped with a visa, at the airport on the day of my departure. Maybe it was the beautiful beach that is a walking distance from our apartment, or perhaps it was the cool weather, or maybe it was just the mere thought of me actually in another country. One day it just dawned on me. I will grab the opportunity to travel while still working and not after retiring.

And travel I did since. Not extravagantly, mind you. Just on backpack and piso-fares. But I'm happy. I'm glad I took them. Where do I want to go today?

Maleficent

Promotional photo of Maleficent. (c) 2014 Disney.

1. Maybe it's just me, but I thought Maleficent didn't have much "conversation". She had plenty of dialogue, of course, after all she's the titular character of the movie. But it seemed to me she said some bleeps here and some bleeps there. This is a shame because Angelina shines through when given enough dialog.
2. As short as the run time was at 1 hour and 40 minutes, the story felt too long starting out with exposition from Maleficent as a child and well into after the proverbial true love's kiss. They crammed too much into 100 minutes. To me it felt like a slideshow where the presenter was in a hurry showing each slide with not so much an explanation but "and this happened". Click. And this happened. Click. And this happened. Click. And this happened.
3. If they wanted to stick to 100 minutes, they and us the moviegoers would have been better served if they just drop Aurora/Sleeping Beauty from the movie and concentrated on Maleficent's formative years ending at the giving of the gift. And then if they really wanted to, another 100 minutes for the Sleeping Beauty story line in the sequel.
4. Look at Wicked: only brief appearance of the Wizard and I don't even remember seeing Dorothy. Would have served them well if they saw Wicked and imitated it.
5. Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning were great. 
6. The one who played Stefan, though, didn't have much chemistry with Maleficent. Probably it was a result of cramming too much in 100 minutes that his character wasn't fully developed. 
7. Several times in the movie (especially in the Moors) I thought it sounded a lot like the 2003 live action adaptation of Peter Pan. Then in the end credits I read, Music by James Newton Howard. I like JNH's take on fairy music in both Maleficent and Peter Pan.
8. I saw it in 3D. Do yourself a favor, skip the 3D and see the Moors in full color instead.

Seven years ago

Old Note

Cleaning up and throwing away unnecessary stuff from my room in preparation for that big move. I found this notebook with mostly empty pages, except for the following 3 entries dated October 21, 2007. That's almost seven years ago.

10-21-2007 SUN. Along the road to Happiness you will find a stone called Pain. It's small, but it seems to block the whole path. Go on, pick it up. Throw it away. Wash your hands, dry your wounds. Don't look back. Keep walking.

10-21-2007 SUN. "True happiness comes only when the center of the universe is not yourself." I don't know who said this, but I'm not the center of the universe and yet true happiness is hard to come by. Or maybe I'm just not getting it. Happiness could be as simple as the absence of sadness. The aftermath of pain.

[The third entry, which is also the last one, is apt right now because summer here in the Philippines is at its peak. And it's been a while that summer has been this hot.]

10-21-2007 SUN. SUMMER BREEZE. "Nothing is more powerful than our childhood memories," William Goldman wrote in the introduction to his novel, "The Princess Bride".

When I was nine, the back of the back of our lot was an empty lot. There was a lone mansanitas tree and a lone sereguelas tree. And two guava trees. The rest of the one hectare lot is filled with different grasses, some short, some tall. It is bordered by coconut trees to the east, a group of bahay-kubo to the south, more coconut trees to the north, and of course to the west is the subdivision where I lived, a plethora of houses differently dressed seated in uniformly-shaped lots. Our house belongs to the group at the east edge of the subdivision, or the village as we called it. I needed take only a few steps and I was transported to a world different from what I knew. It's a world where time stood still (sort of) and silence over-sang the noise. I'd go there, sometimes alone and sometimes with my friends, to be in a place where we were the masters, where it took only our minds to conjure a world worth living for.

The guava tree that looked just like any other guava tree transformed into a fortress as I rested on its branch eight feet from the ground. In that fortress I made time stood still. The summer breeze took its time to blow away my worries.

Libera was in Cebu

I attended the Libera concert in Cebu last October 28, 2011 exactly two years after I attended my very first Libera concert in the exact same venue. Surreal. They've improved a lot since their last visit. I simply loved how they setup the stage this time around. There was no screen in the middle of the stage, but there were two large screens at both sides that showed some closeups and panning shots of the choristers during the performance. At the back of the choristers were a string quartet, recorder and keyboard, and percussions. The last time they were here they only had Fiona Pears playing the violin at the side. Also, this time around, I can name majority of the group (all of those that went here in 2009 and some new faces), which made the experience even better.

My favorite song in the concert, if I could only pick one, will have to be "Eternal Light" with a perfect solo by Stefan Leadbeater. He is older now at the concert compared to the one in the Peace CD used in the video below and his voice is even better than the one in the CD. And the soaring harmonies is so uplifting. I thought this is what chorale music should be. To brighten up your day. Stefan is clearly at the peak of his treble career so hopefully Mr. Prizeman will be able to compose some more songs for him and Libera for future CDs.



My second favorite will have to be their special Libera arrangement of a popular Pinoy Christmas song, "Himig ng Pasko". The solo was done by Ralph Skan. Ralph has a different kind of voice that suits this song quite well. Mr. Prizeman, their musical director, knows the voices that his group have very well and assigns them the perfect part of the song for each. I could only imagine what it would have been like if he was our musical director back in high school when I was a member of our school choir. With that kind of training, I probably would have a singing career by now. :)



These two, Stefan and Ralph, were new touring members of Libera (not all of them tour) when they first came here two years and now they practically carry the group. I already have a copy of their Christmas album and looking forward to own a cd that contains their version of "Himig ng Pasko" in the future.