Saw Transformers 2, 'Revenge of the Fallen'. If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading here. Spoilers follow.



I'll start with what I liked about the movie. I trooped to the theater because I wanted to see the Autobots again and I sure wasn't disappointed. There's an early fight scene at Shanghai with Optimus Prime and the rest of the autobots(sans Bumblebee) stalking and bringing down two decepticons with the help of a secret US-lead international taskforce under Major Lennox (Duhamel). Back at the US, Bumblebee had a scene all his own terminating mini-monsters.


Here's the rest of my take on the second Transformers movie.

Crossword puzzles, anyone?

Never got the hang of it though. Tried to do some but I always give up in under 15 minutes. I am looking for hobbies to pick up and next to learning to swim and playing the guitar, finishing crossword puzzles places last on my top three.

Found this on Times online. Nothing there though that anybody who has grappled with crosswords don't know.

Was sitting on a bus on my way to Beitun yesterday when I saw this mini. Taken through the bus window pane with my Sony W660i phone.

Cloudy and chilly day. What better thing to do than curl up in front of the computer and read online magazines no?

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series' first novel, 'Twilight' spawned the movie of the same title. Robert Pattinson played vampire Edward romancing the human Bella played by Kristen Stewart. Second movie in the works. Alan Ball of HBO liked the books of "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" so much that he successfully created the TV series 'True Blood' on HBO (with the nod of author Charlaine Harris).
What is it about blood-sucking night creatures feeding on humans that generations of readers and viewers alike find irresistible?

Here's an article on the history of vampire literature. From scholars' successive annotations of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' as arguably the most widely-read work that shaped the development of the genre. The layers of meaning bringing readers closer to just why we find vampires fascinating. Quite a read.

Valentine's Day came and went. I'm a chocoholic so I kinda made my wishlist of chocolate shops I'd travel to. Special thanks to forbestravel.com for the tips.

Went to my friend's daughter's first birthday celebration, that was fun. Time really flew. Seems to me that just a few months ago Angeline was this cute baby and now's she's 1. Jeanne and Bob's son Dawson is turning 2 in March. Adorable kids. My niece Inno is turning four months, too. Time seems to pass by so quickly.

Of the many countries around the world Filipinos flock to in search of greener pastures, Dubai was a glittering oasis. Apparently the oasis is turning into a mirage. The woes of Dubai's foreign workers here.

A touching story about a brave firefighter and a baby he saved
forty years after.

David and I were at WenXin Park February 1st. Taichung's Lantern Festival for the Year of the Ox feature Ling Ling and Niu Niu, mascots of the Sinon Bulls baseball team. The park wasn't that crowded yet but already families with young children and adults alike wait their turn to take photos of lanterns shaped like animals, flowers and trees. Even musical instruments.






The Lantern Festival officially started February 2nd. There are gourmet food booths, activity areas for families and street performances. 10,000 Year of the Ox mini lanterns will be given out to visitors, too.

Children will love this. Even the not so young ones will find it interesting as well.




A prosperous and happy new year to all from this side of the world.

January 2009. How time flew! I lot of things happened the past year, some good, others not so. With the new year comes new hope and a renewed sense of promise. May 2009 bless each and every one of us good health, closer family ties and a strong heart to face the challenges ahead. I would like to call for world peace as well and a swift end to the current Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Four weeks into 2008 and the Lunar New Year is just around the corner. Where I'm now, I get to greet the New Year twice! Imagine another go at assessing the year past and planning for the coming one. What's more, I can make a list of my New Year's resolutions - which I've completely put off the first time around - I get another clean start. Just what I need, another start.


I was shocked and saddened by Heath Ledger's untimely demise. I'm with those who think it was an accident. A young man with an adorable daughter and a string of projects lined-up wouldn't think of ending his own life. Rest in peace, Heath.

Found Elizabeth Gilbert's very engaging book on her travels, "Eat, Pray, Love" last Thursday at Caves Book. It is part travel, part account of her search for spiritual enlightenment, part autobiography. I'm just so amazed at how engaging a storyteller she is!


Discovered Bossa Nova through Rita Lee's beautifully done cover of such Beatles hits as
"Hard Day's Night", "With a Little Help from My Friends" and my personal favorite, "If I Fell". "Bossa'n Beatles" is an excellent album to listen too if you dig jazz and the Beatles. It's a great introduction to Bossa Nova.

That's it for now. Ciao!

I've been away for more than a month! The job is turning alright and I'm having a wonderful time. So here I am again, collating articles here and there so I can place them at my blog. Enjoy!

Listen to this short piece on NPR about the perception one's accent create on other people in the US. Does speaking English with an accent affect one's career? You decide.

Ah Sweden! Read all about its second most famous city here.
Norway is on top of my list of cities to visit, now Sweden is a close second.

Something to read on a hot, humid day like this.

Currently going through all the emotional hassles of rejoining the work force after more than a year of living under a rock. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

A study that has 'Power makes people stupid' as one of its major premises. Provides insights on the effect of power on those under it as well. Ignore the 'Rich' title, as the findings apply more to those in positions of power than anything.

The 15 British navy officers and marines tell their story after two weeks of captivity. Whatever propaganda or media coverage puffed-up Iran got out of the stand-off is irrelevant; all I am for is a peaceful resolution. Thank God that's what happened in the end.

I'm not in the mood for bad news so I'll skip the local newspapers for now.

Here's one article that takes a look at the level of dependency in relationships. Read it here

It's cold and rainy here in Taichung while a friend told me that it was migraine-inducing hot back in Manila. The weather really is screwed up.

Click here for news on Daniel Radcliffe's much anticipated theater appearance in the West End's revival of the play, 'Equus'

A long, insightful read as scientists theorize on the reasons - biological or evolutionary - on why belief in God is so pervasive. Read it here.

Have you seen this interesting video at Yahoo! ?



Ingenious, no?

" Listening four or five times a day to newscasters and commentators, reading the morning papers and all the weeklies and monthlies - nowadays this is described as "taking an interest in politics". St. John of the Cross would have called it indulgence in idle curiosity and the cultivation of disquietude for disquietude's sake."
- Aldous Huxley

Quoted him for what he said rings true for me. Hmm ... there I was thinking I was trying to know what is going on around the world for surely, knowing helps one understand, right? I wasn't even doing it for the sake of 'interest' but merely to comfort myself with the thought that I at least am abreast of what is going on outside.

I remembered an old Sufi story I read somewhere about a man on his knees on the street looking for something. Another man passed him by and asked what was wrong. The first man said he had lost his key. And so the second man helped him look. This went on for a while and when they couldn't find it on the street, the second man asked the first man where he had lost the key. "Inside the house" came the reply. The second man asked him in turn what the heck he was doing looking for the key out in the street. The first man then replied, "Because it is bright here".

If only I wasn't so predisposed to thinking too much ...

This alarm clock is something that's bound to wake you - it's won't stop ringing or rather it would be difficult to stop it from ringing until you're fully awake since you'll need to locate it and stop it from beeping.

I wouldn't want one - it will be such a waste to smash a $50 clock so early in the morning don't you think?

I was quite shocked when I read about the death of Anna Nicole Smith. I wasn't a fan but who hasn't heard of Anna Nicole Smith? The accidental death of her son a few days after the birth of her daughter was such an unnecessary tragedy. Then came the media circus that was the question of her daughter's paternity. Here's a better way to sum up the bits and pieces of her public life. May she rest in peace.

It's such great fun to be a young kid these days. Take a look at what toy makers have in store for boys. As a child I never did like dolls and these toy cars and flying wings would have made my day anytime. I got to get one of those Tyco R/C Terrainiac!