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Jax Place
"For Our Feature Presentation"
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
updates
Yes! We won! We won! The Ateneo Blue Eagles won over the Dela Salle Green Archers earlier this evening! We will be battling the FEU Tamaraws for the championship on Thursday.

On a sad note, though, another fight was prevented by security and officials after the game ended. It's just sad that the victory ended on a horrible note.

***

Have you guys seen the full trailer of the Return of the King? I have. And it was amazing! I can't wait! You can view the trailer here. Got the link from loryces.
posted by Jax @ 4:55:00 AM   0 comments
Monday, September 29, 2003
Is there something wrong with Blogger? Everytime I try to access this blog, a different blog pops up. Damn man.
posted by Jax @ 1:17:00 AM   0 comments
Sunday, September 28, 2003
boston
Boston, Massachussets, USA

Ah, Boston. I was supposed to go here for grad school for Fall Term 2003 but God had other plans for me.

I've never been to Boston. But people have been telling me that Boston is such a beautiful city. Well I can't confirm that so I'll take their word for it.

I went online to research about Boston and this is what I found out.

Some of the places a Boston visitor should go or do.

* Beacon Hill

Boston's National Historic District Neighborhood. This is the ideal neighbordhood for a walk in Boston. There are two historical Beacon Hill houses.

- the 19th Century Nichols House Museum still has the well-worn furnishings and traditional decor of an "upper crust" Boston family of that time.

- the Harrison Gray Otis House is the Headquarters of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities and it is still decorated in the style maintained by the wealthy, important family that built it at the end of the 18th Century.

- Louisburg square has a collection of beautiful row houses still inhabited by wealthy families, including Louisa May Alcott's house at No. 10.

Information from Beacon Hill Online.

* Newbury Street

Boston's own Rodeo Drive. It is lined with expensive boutiques and galleries, as well as outdoor cafes for watching the world go by.

* Harvard Square

This is the place for serious people watching. Lined with so many bookstores and unique stores, Harvard Square has become an overgrown Anymall, USA. Oh and it's surrounded by the historic buildings of Harvard University.

By the way, did I mention that Boston is a coffee town?

Information from Boston Online.

***

Donald O'Connor is dead! One of my most favorite movies is Singin' in the Rain, mostly because of the tandem of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor. And now they're both dead. What a sad thing for Hollywood.

***

The GK777 Concert
Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo
October 4, 2003, Saturday, 7p
GK777 Expo Site, Fort Bonifacio, Global City


Featuring: Gary Valenciano, Kuh Ledesman, Apo Hiking Society, Rachel aljenadro, Geneva Cruz, Nyoy Valante, Nina, The Ambivalent Crowd, Hot Legs and more!

Tickets at P5000, P2500, P1000, P500 and P300

Concert proceeds will go to the GK777 Movement - to build 700,000 homes for the poor and create 7,000 peaceful communities in 7 years.

For tickets, please call 0916 557 9875.
posted by Jax @ 9:46:00 PM   0 comments
Saturday, September 27, 2003
belgium
I've scanned pictures from my travels over the years. You can look at it here.

***

Brussels, Belgium

There are two attractions that you should not miss when you are in Brussels.

* Grand'Place

The Grand'Place is the heart of Brussels. This historic square is the focal point of the city's social and civic life. The most important ceremonies and festivals are held here.

Within this square, you will be able to see the Royal Palace and the House of Parliament. At the south is the Palace du Grand Sublon and at the north is the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.

Information from Visit Belgium.

* Manneken Pis

A few feet away from the Grand'Place, you will see the famous statue of Belgium: the Manneken Pis. The Manneken Pis is the statue of boy, well, pissing.

No one knows the real story behind this but there are myths. One myth/story is that this kid, in an effort to rid their city of soldiers (there was supposedly a war at that time), peed on the soldiers.

Information from trabel.com.

Pictures of the Grand'Place and Manneken Pis can be found here.

***

Okay, here I go again.

In case any of you have an account at My Space, feel free to add me (hazpafis [at] yahoo [dot] com).
posted by Jax @ 1:37:00 AM   0 comments
Thursday, September 25, 2003
more on australia and UK
Gold Coast, Australia

I first came across the Gold Coast when I was watching The Amazing Race 4. Gold Coast was one of their pit stops.

Anyway, details about Gold Coast.

Gold Coast is located around 75 km south of Brisbane. It is renowned for its remarkable beaches and rainforests.

The Gold Coast is also home to the best theme parks and attractions Australia has to offer. You can go to Seaworld, a marine zoological park, where you get to see amazing dolphin and sea lion shows. You can go to Movieworld, where you can see real movies being made, watch stunt shows and experience virtual reality. Go to Dreamworld, where you can view the Bengal tigers, take a drop from the Tower of Terror. Enter the Wet'n'Wild Water Park, where you can enjoy a giant wave pool and a seven-story speed slide. There's also the Currumbin Sanctuary and the Fleays Wildlife Park for the nature and animal lovers.

Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane, the "City of Sun Days", is Australia's only sub-tropical capital city. It enjoys great weather, a relaxed pace of life and a cosmopolitan bustle of a major urban city.

Moreton Bay offers plenty of water activities. It's protected waters are home to about 155 islands, (More than our One Hundred Islands of Pangasinan!) where you can escape to for a holiday.

If you're a lover of the arts and culture, you can head down to the South Bank, home of the Queensland Museum and Queensland Art Gallery, where you can view a magnicificent collection of artworks and artifacts. You can also catch performances from international theater companies and performing artist with Australian performers at the Performing Arts
Centre.

If you love sports, you can go to the stadium and watch the local rugby league champions, the Brisbane Broncos, in action.

Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne is the capital of Western Australia and is home to the Melbourne Cup horserace. It is the second largest metropolis in Australia and is known as the Arts and Culture capital of Australia. It is home to the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open Tennis and the Australian Grand Prix.

One of the best ways to learn more about the city is by taking a cruise down Yarra River.

* Royal Botanic Gardens - located at South Yarra, it is home to a vast collection of exotic and Australian native plants.


* Victorian Arts Centre - the premiere performing arts centre in Melbourne and is the focal point of the city's social and cultural scene.

* National Gallery of Victoria - home to world class collections of Australian, Aboriginal, Asian, European and Pre-Columbian art.

Information from australia.com.

***

Several catalogs for UK universities and schools have arrived and now another application process is about to begin.


These schools include:

* London Film School
* Goldsmith's college
* Bournemouth University
* Leeds Metropolitan University
* National Film and Television School

Wish me luck, guys!

***

I added a new section called authors featuring, who else but, my favorite authors. If you're looking for new books to read, I suggest you read books by Nick Hornby and Richard Russo. Very good.

Have you heard about the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990 - 2000?

There is. And the list includes A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'engle, and Blubber & Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume. Can you believe that? I can't imagine why.
posted by Jax @ 11:03:00 PM   0 comments
australia and some grips
I was watching City Cabs over at the Discovery Travel and Adventure channela few hours ago. The host will tour a city through the eyes of a local cab driver. I like this show. Cab drivers often give us a peek of what the city really is instead of just showing the usual tourist attractions.

Anyway, that's not my point.

My point is that I should start learning more about different cities. I should learn more than were the best shopping places are. (Yes, it's true. I tend to focus more on the shopping side of a city.) That's why I will start posting some of the facts I will start reading about different cities all over the world.

First City: Canberra in Australia

Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is home to around 313000 people. Most people are employed by the government but more and more people are now working for the private sector.

You can see wild kangaroos around a minute or two from the city centre and within twenty minutes, you can watch shearers at work.

Because Canberra has now become a multicultural city, owing to the number of immigrants living here, there are a variety of cuisines being offered in the city. But if you had to define a "typically Australian" food, it would be "Pacific Fusion Cuisine". They fuse Australia's fresh food with ingredients and cooking techniques from the Mediterranean and Asia.

Australia adopted its form of government from Britain. They have a parliamentary democracy but the power of their parliament is limited by their constitution. The Queen of England is also the Queen of Australia. But the Queen's authority is represented by the Governor General, whom she appoints. The current government is led by Prime Minister John Howard.

From the largest national park in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the Namadgi National Park, you'll be able to see most of the mountainous areas of the Brindabella Ranges. But about two hours from Canberra, you'll be able to see the highest peak in Australia, Mt Kosciuszko. at 7213 ft above sea level, the top is accessible to any reasonably fit person.

Some of the must-sees in Canberra:

* High Court of Australia - with three courtrooms and an impressive public hall, interpreting and upholding the Constitution is one of the important functions of the High Court.

* National Museum of Australia - a place to explore the stories of Australia, it uses state-of-the-art technology and hands-on interactive exhibitions. You can visit its website at http://nma.gov.au.

* Parliament House - marks the place where Australian law begins. Because it belongs to the people of Australia, it is open to the public seven days a week.

Information from Canberra Tourism

***

Around 4 o'clock this afternoon, the Final Four match-up between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Dela Salle Green Archers started. It started great actually, with a clean game of basketball. Well, 1:31 left of the game, a fight broke out between the two teams. I was so pissed!

This is the first time I wasn't proud of my college team. Btw, they lost, 72-76. And if they win Game 2 and play FEU in the finals, I really hope they lose coz they don't deserve to win.

This coming from me: Ateneo's biggest fan! Well, that's how I much I despised what they did earlier this afternoon. Geez.
posted by Jax @ 6:52:00 AM   0 comments
Sunday, September 21, 2003
desires
When I was still studying, I always told myself that I would get married only when I've turned 29 and I will start family at that age. I told myself that I still have a lot of things to do and enjoy before I really settle down. (for reference, please see "Thing to Do Before I'm 30" portion on the right column.) I always told myself career should come first before I even start a family.

But you know what? I finally realized and accepted that nothing in life is certain. That the only really constant thing in this world is change. And I have changed my mind. I'm 22 years old. In less than two months, I'll be turning 23. I'm still young. There are still so many things I can do.

Well I was watching Parenthood this morning, and it got me thinking. It got me thinking a lot. It got me thinking that there is nothing more that I want in this world than to have a family of my own. That eventually, the whole essence of my being and to feel complete as a woman is to finally have a family of my own. That I know, deep down in my heart, when I do have my career, I will leave it to take care of my family. And I really hope that the next guy I meet will be the one for me. So that we can start having a family.

I just hope that the next guy I meet is Orlando Bloom. Haha!

***

I was able to catch a performance of Tanghalang Pilipino's performance of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. While I didn't like their, um, version, Merchant of Venice still remains one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Among my favorite Shakespearean works include Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo & Juliet. No matter what anyone says, Shakespeare is still the best playwright there is. I love his works and I will always love it. I went to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's birthplace, last year and I swear, I could have stayed there all day. Since we couldn't buy too much stuff (since it won't fit in our luggage anymore), we had to resist every temptation and pick carefully through it. Well, we went inside this shop that sold books about and written by Shakespeare, souvenirs featuring Shakespeare and the like. Well I saw this beautiful leather bound book that contained the complete works of William Shakespeare. It only cost around 50 pounds and I wanted to buy it so much! But since it was heavy and we didn't have space for it in our luggage, I had to let it go.

I guess it just means I have to go back there and get that book. Yes. Yes. Exactly.

By the way, if you guys know any upcoming local Shakespearean plays, let me know about it. I love to watch those plays!
posted by Jax @ 12:00:00 AM   0 comments
Friday, September 19, 2003
LOTR
We just received our copy of the Special Extended Edition DVD of the Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring yesterday. And I haven't stopped watching it since. There were so many extended scenes and is definitely a must-have for every LOTR fan. It also includes the Council of Elrond scene that MTV, um, "re-did". It was hilarious! The Special Extended Edition DVD is available at PARC Online for only P2600. (This is Region 1)

***

Speaking of LOTR, Orlando Bloom is part of my Friends list at Friendster! Haha! I'm such a loser. :)
posted by Jax @ 4:31:00 AM   0 comments
Thursday, September 18, 2003
Courthouse Rock
Check out Courthouse Rock. It's an interesting article about the latest case of RIAA against MP3 downloaders. Is there such a word as downloader? Anyway, since they started it, the RIAA has sued thousands of Americans for file-sharing. While I do believe in the cause, I do believe the RIAA, record companies and record stores should also listen to the consumers and realize why consumers are doing what they are doing. They should go to the root of the problem and work from there.

***

I read this article called The Virgin Notes published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer last Wednesday. All of us are virgins of some sort and not just sexually. We've all got our own stories of "first times". Let me ask you: what kind of a virgin are you?

As for me, I am a smoking virgin. I've never tasted a cigarette or a cigar, ever. Even if it's just to try it out for the first time. I've never done that. Nor will I attempt to do it. But I have been a victim of second hand smoke, though.

***

Oh, before I forget, I have this funny story about my two-year-old nephew, Kaleb.

Kaleb and his brother, Karlo, were here at home last night. While Karlo and my mom were at another room, my sister, Kaleb and I were in my mom's room, watching TV. Kaleb has this habit of taking off the phone in my mom's room off the cradle and playing with it. When he does that, I automically remove the phone line cable so that the line could still be used. Kaleb was holding a toy earlier, which he placed on my mom's bed before he took the phone. I picked up the toy and tried to lure him to take it back so he would drop the phone and I could put it back. Well it worked. But he dropped the phone on the floor. Since I wanted to teach him to start putting away the stuff he took in their right place, I told him to give the phone back to me. He just pointed at it and said something like, "Ooh!" I kept telling him to give back the phone to me and he just kept pointing at it and saying, "Ooh!" At that time, he was tugging at his shorts and I just thought he was pulling at his diaper. At that point, he started backing away and, since I wanted to watch what I was watching on TV, I decided to just pick the phone up and put it back. I looked down to pick it up and you know what I saw? POOP! Yes! It turns out Kaleb, um, pooped and, since he wasn't wearing any diaper or brief, the poop fell on the floor! All that time I thought he was saying, "Ooh!", he was saying "Poo!" Geez. Good thing I looked down. If I didn't, I would have - oh I don't even want to think about it! Goodness gracious.

The adventures of having a kid in the house.
posted by Jax @ 7:48:00 AM   0 comments
Monday, September 15, 2003
request
Do you guys know any Filipino celebrity or a famous person (Fiipino) who is adopted or adopted a child? My friend needs the names for a research. If you guys know anyone, please leave the names via the zonkboard, shout out or guestbook. Thanks!

***

Blogger Power has prevailed! Keiko wrote a letter of apology. You can read the letter at Pam's.

***

Hey guys! I'd like to invite you to come to

MUTINY
Anton del Castillo
Thesis Exhibition
Opens September 20, 2003 at 630pm
Tanghalang Huseng Batute
Cultural Center of the Philippines
Roxas Blvd. Pasay City

Exhibit runs from September 20 to 27, 2003.


You can view the invitation here. Please tell everyone you know. Thanks!
posted by Jax @ 8:47:00 PM   0 comments
pia & moe
I just read the testimonials of my friends, Pia & Moe, for each other and I could cry. They're friends from college and I've both known them for a long time. They've gone through so much and are still together. Even though I don't have anyone like that in my life, it kind of feels like I do because I have them in my life and they have each other. Pia, Moe, if you are reading this, I pray to God that He bless you and protect you. I love you both and I wish nothing but the best for you.
posted by Jax @ 5:31:00 AM   0 comments
updates
Okay, first things first. Condolences to the family of Johnny Cash, who died last Friday, and John Ritter, who died last Thursday. It's always sad when somebody dies. No matter what the cause of death, it's always a shame that the world has a lost another meaningful person. But I know that God had his reason to take away these people. In time, everyone will realize why they had to go. But for now, do not forget to grieve.

posted by Jax @ 12:00:00 AM   0 comments
Thursday, September 11, 2003
tagaytay!
I'm off to Tagaytay for the weekend! Woohoo! Cold weather, here I come!
posted by Jax @ 8:37:00 PM   0 comments
changes
Yes, Alba, I forgot to add Hugh Grant to the list.

Actually, I was talking to my sister last night and we added some more hot men to the list.

16. David Beckham
17. Daniel Day-Lewis
18. Hugh Grant
19. Bruce Payne
20. Sean Biggerstaff
21. Dougray Scott
22. Chris Martin

Again, this is all in random and not final. If you want to add someone, please let me know. And remember, this is a list of hot men from UK only. List for hot men from other parts of the world will follow.

***

Friendster update (told you I was addicted): I rediscovered an old friend from grade school. Grade 4 to be exact who left for the US that same year. I just love Friendster, don't you?

***

I'm watching Enemy at the Gates on HBO right now. (Isn't Jude Law so fine?) It's a pretty good movie. Don't like love stories in war movies though. (Except for Oliver Stone's movie, Heaven & Earth) But it's still a pretty good movie. I'd watch it again.

I also watched Death to Smoochy with Edward Norton (!) and Robin Williams and I loved it! First time I watched it because I've heard talks that it wasn't good. But I love it, I do. It's so psychotic but with a lesson. If you haven't watched it, try to catch it when it's on on HBO.
posted by Jax @ 9:53:00 AM   0 comments
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
updates
I've added a new section to this blog called fashionista to satisfy fashion enthusiasts, like me. Yes, I love clothes. It may not be obvious at times but I love to dress up. Right now, I am infatuated with hats. I'm trying to add more to my collection but with a limited budget such as mine, it's not really easy to move forward. Included in the list is two of my most favorite stores, Marks & Spencer and Top Shop, and my favorite fashion shows from the Style Network. If you're a fashion enthusiast like me, or just want to check out what's new, go on to these links. Top Shop has a great new collection in their site.

***

Can I just tell everyone once again how much I love Friendster? It is just so amazing. For the past two days, I've reconnected with three friends who are now living abroad and one friend who has gone MIA since high school. How cool is that? If you've got an account at Friendster or would like to make an account, add me! Just add my email address, hazpafis [at] yahoo [dot] com. I swear. It's so much fun talaga!

***

My next rave is about my most favorite director. He is a certified genius, my guru (I wish!). He is Pedro Almodovar. He is the only person in this world that I can think of that I would gladly stalk and, eventually upon discovery, would beg to let me work for him. I would, I swear. He is that good. He is responsible for movies such as Habla con Ella (Talk to Her), Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother), Atame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) and Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown). In my opinion, he started the revolution for independent cinema. His movies have never been for the mainstream but always just the product of his thoughts, imagination and experiences.

"All my movies have an autobiographical dimension, but that is indirectly, through the personages. In fact _I_ am behind everything that happens and that is said, but I am never talking about myself in first person singular. Something in me -probably a dislike of cheap exhibitionism- stops me from approaching a project too autobiographically." - from The Internet Movie Database

I was lucky enough to catch his latest movie, Habla con Ella, in Metro Manila cinemas last week. I was not disappointed. Almodovar has a way of bringing you into the world of his movie. When you watch any of his movies, it was almost like you were part of the movie. And the actors. I don't know how Almodovar does it but his actors act superbly. It was almost like their characters were made for them. It never fails. Never.

If you can get a copy (legal, of course), watch his movies. Pedro Almodovar is such a superb story teller. He is an amazing director and writer. One that I hope to accomplish in the years to come. I wish I can go to Spain and work for him. He is a genius and he is my idol. I just love the guy. I love the way he tells a story. And I love the way he enthralls his audience into loving the story. Amazing. Amazing.

***

Last night, Nicoffeine and I were talking about one of our similarities, our "affinity" for men with accents, i.e. hot men from UK. We actually came up with a tentative list of 15 people. Now, this isn't final yet. We just couldn't think of anymore due to sleepiness. And this is all in random order.

Presenting:

HOT MEN FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM

1. Ralph Fiennes
2. Joseph Fiennes
3. Jonny Lee Miller
4. Colin Firth
5. Ewan McGregor
6. Orlando Bloom
7. Jude Law
8. Cillian Murphy
9. Gary Oldman
10. Christian Bale
11. Jeremy Northam
12. Sean Bean
13. Alan Rickman
14. John Taylor (Duran Duran)

Last but not least,
15. Sean Connery (in a list of Hot Men around the world, you cannot exclude Sean Connery, the hottest man alive)

What do you guys think? Who should I add here?
posted by Jax @ 11:27:00 PM   0 comments
Sunday, September 07, 2003
for the weekend
First things first

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAMA MARY!

***

Spent the weekend at Tagaytay and had hella fun! I went with my mom, and my tita and her daughter (who are both visiting from Davao) and her grandson. Went there so I could write and relax, which I both got to do. Sayang nga lang I wasn't able to visit Leslie's and Starbucks there (which is just five minutes from our house) because of the numerous people who go there. Ho well.

***

I'm currently watching the Senate Hearing on the Jose Pidal Scandal over at ANC and wow. I hope I never commit anything on a national scale (unless it was something I had to do) because some of the senators are scary! Especially Joker Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Serge Osmena and Nene Pimentel. Gosh. But if I were in their shoes, I'd get pissed, too. The people they're "asking" are so infuriating! Hay. I just hope this goes somewhere, you know. I don't want to say anymore.

***

I'm still working on my new script. It's so hard to develop and I'm kind of bad when it comes to dialogues. Ack! Hope I get to finish this, though.

***

I LOVE FRIENDSTER! I opened my account last night and you know who I "discovered"? My classmate in the 7th grade that I haven't seen since 1995 and haven't talked to since 1998! Wow! I hope I'll get to see my other classmates from back then again.
posted by Jax @ 10:38:00 PM   0 comments
Thursday, September 04, 2003
thoughts
I am just so tired of people saying that something is hopeless, that something will not work. Like, for example, this whole Keiko plagiarism thing. There have been "replies" that the whole movement is pointless because what would we do when we found her, beat her up?

And this is what I gotta say. It doesn't matter what we do to her. The whole point of this is that we just didn't accept what she did, we did something about it. So what if we don't find her? The whole point of it is that we tried.

When people say "Don't do this. It's hopeless", it's so disheartening. How do they know it's hopeless? Have they tried it? Besides, we learn from the mistakes that we make, from the failures we experience. Because in every bad thing, there is a hidden good thing there.

To quote a delivery truck I saw in Makati a couple of weeks ago, Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino pa? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa? (If we don't do something about, who will? If not now, when will anyone do something about it?)

The whole point of every experience, whether you succeed or not, is that you tried. You have to at least try.

Side note: I've been having so much grammar checks lately. And I call myself a writer? Geez.
posted by Jax @ 11:37:00 PM   0 comments
Plagiarist of the Year
Thanks to Pam, results are in for Plagiarist of the Year and it goes to Ms. Yamashita Keiko! Did you think you'd be this famous? Criminally famous, that is.

Okay, just some updates about the fight against blog piracy.

1. Blogger Power - formulated to fight the battle against plagiarism.

2. Apparently, Gabby, Steph and Pam aren't the only victims. She also took some posts from a couple of other blogs.

You might be wondering how everyone found out about this though. Thanks to Cindy who wrote to Pam that she noticed something fishy about the two blogs. She wrote to Pam and the rest is this.

Some people have been saying that yes it was stealing but that it, as bloggers who post our thoughts and even works on the net, is a risk we have to take. I don't know about him but copying someone's post and passing it off as his own is just not a risk that everyone should go through. Yes stealing is stealing no matter what its form is. It's not just a matter plagiarising but a matter of principle. Why would any decent person do something like that? Stealing is stealing. And stealing can never be justified.

And if you don't want to have your text copied, go here to prevent your text from being copyied.
posted by Jax @ 5:08:00 AM   0 comments
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
movie marathon
Yesterday was such a tiring day. I spent the whole day in Robinson's Galleria watching the latest movies. I got there at 10am (yeah! opening time!) and left at 830pm (30 mins after closing time) and got home at 9p. I was exhausted. I swear, I slept like a baby last night!

***

First up was The Italian Job starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize
Theron
and Edward Norton. It was actually your typical action, cars-chasing movie about thieves. Which is actually kind of scary, if you think about it because the thieves in this movie planned their heists seamlessly, with no flaws. And if modern-day thieves are really like them, then we've got a lot to worry about. Anyway, back to the movie, it's not the greatest movie but it has its strengths. I gotta admit, the movie was funny, thanks to Seth Green, who provided the comic relief in this movie. ("I should have been on the cover of Wired! I came up with Napster!") Haha! It's almost similar to Ocean's Eleven by Steven Soderbergh (my idol!), only Mark Wahlberg and co's motivation was revenge. On a side note, I gotta say I like Ocean's Eleven better but The Italian Job is still good though. Since this is a remake, I'm curious about the original The Italian Job starring Michael Caine as Mark Wahlberg's character, Charlie Croker. Speaking of Mark Wahlberg, omigoodness. He was totally gorgeous in this movie! Oh wow. Too bad I can't say the same for his acting, though. Oh well. Can't have them all.

***
Next up was Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and, my latest boytoy, Orlando Bloom. The movie starts out with the discovery of 8-year-old Will Turner at sea by Captain Norrington, Governor Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth and
Elizabeth's very first encounter with pirates when she sees the Black Pearl sail off. The movie is about a pirate who tries to set things straight by helping out a guy rescue his friend/crush/love interest. Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) was kidnapped by a bunch of pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Not being able to depend on the British Navy, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) enlists the help of Captain Jack Sparrow (played magnificently by Johnny Depp) to hunt down these pirates. To tell you the truth, I did not stay in the movie house for more than two hours because of the story. I stayed for two reason: Orlando Bloom (of course!) and Johnny Depp. Orlando Bloom was pretty good. Despite a badly-written character, he gave it a personality. (And it's not just because I think the guy's hot!) But the true star of the show: Johnny Depp. He was so magnificent as Captain Jack Sparrow, the drunk, lisping, spaced-out pirate that was left in a deserted island by the crew of the Black Pearl. Migoodness! He kept the movie going. The movie was so funny because of him! He stole the freaking show, man! I tried to look for photos of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow but they all don't do him justice. You all gotta watch the movie, mga dude. Because of this, I think I might be watching all of Johnny Depp's movies from now on. And now I think he would portray Willy Wonka perfectly. Paul, are you reading this? I watched it na! And I wanna watch it again!

***

Last on my list was Pedro Almodovar's Habla con Ella (Talk to Her). I love Almodovar's last movie, Todo Sobre mi Madre (All About My Mother), and was looking forward to his next movie, this one. Almodovar never ceases to amaze me. His movies were never mainstream. It was almost like the stranger, the better. And I like it. And always, always, the actors in his movies are great. They move me so much. Javier Camara, who plays Benigno Martin, was so good as the male nurse in love with his comatose patient. Even Dario Grandinetti, who plays Marco Zuluaga, a visitor who befriended Benigno, was exceptional. On the outside, their characters seemed like ordinary people. But Almodovar tells us that there's really more to a person than what you see outside. And Camara and Grandinetti shows that to the audience with their performance, that there's so much more we need to know about them to really know them. Over time, Benigno and Marco develop a friendship that only the two of them can appreciate and understand. Once again, it was such a sad movie but so amazingly well done. It's not just well done, it's amazingly well done! I can't wait for his next movie, La Mala Educacion (Bad Education) starring Javier Camara and Gael Garcia Bernal (another hottie!).

***

I think I'll "stay away" from movie watching for now, since it cost me a good amount of money yesterday. This movie marathon will probably resume again after September 17, when Hollywood Homicide starts being played in regular cinemas here. Josh Hartnett! Hehe.
posted by Jax @ 11:05:00 PM   0 comments
Monday, September 01, 2003
gossip
I heard from a friend that our schoolmate was pregnant. She is currently a senior in college. Then I heard that the same girl is not only pregnant but she also contracted an STD from her boyfriend, who got her pregnant. Goodness. And my friend tells me that her boyfriend cannot be "depended on on things like this". Oh man. I hope she gets through this. She only has one sem left before she graduates. Now she'll have to postpone it to give birth. Goodness.

***

After months of "uncreative thoughts', I am writing a new script. The idea came to me while watching my TTT DVD (Orlando Bloom!) the other night. I wonder how long this is going to be. I've only written 1/11th of it. I haven't even given the characters names yet! As of now, I'm referring to the lead girl as "Girl" and the lead guy as "Guy". Yes I know. How original. I'll give them names when I'm finished with it.

***

Found out from Gabby, Steph and Dawna that this girl has been plagiarizing posts from Gabby, Steph and, found out from an e-mail I got, Pam. How low can you get? She's been modifying the posts and making it appear that she wrote it. The nerve! I'm glad she never took anything from me. She even has the nerve to write this in her blog:

On a different note, I think I should be copyrighting my hirits here sa blog ko. I hate it when someone passes it off as her own pero disaster strikes, the delivery of my comments are not good enough, so there you have it palpak.

-- got this from Gabby's site --

I'm paranoid now. She never got anything from me but you can never be too sure. So I went to Creative Commons and I'm having all this and my other blogs copyrighted. That means if you copy any of my posts without telling me or giving me credit, I can sue you. I suggest anyone who posts original thoughts in their blog do this: get licensed.
posted by Jax @ 7:51:00 AM   0 comments
About Me

Name: Jax
Home: San Francisco, CA, United States
About Me:
See my complete profile
I am a freelance writer, editor and blogger.
I write from home and I write from the
coffee shop I manage. I am also a graduate
student at AAU, studying film.
I have never been more stressed in my life.
And I am loving it!
To know me and more about my writing services, drop me a line at
jtabergas [at] yahoo [dot] com.
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