| Thursday, October 28, 2004 |
| new lay-out |
I don't know if I was bored or just felt like changing things a bit but I've decided to tweak this lay-out. Maybe next time I'll make my own lay-out once again.
Maybe.
***
I caught White Chicks this afternoon and I haven't laughed as much as I did watching that movie in the last couple of months. I was bit disappointed with the last Wayans movie (Scary Movie 3) so I was expecting this to be a little like that, too. Good thing this was funnier.
A lot of people were saying it's a bad film because it was racist daw. I didn't think it was. I mean, it's a comedy movie, an exaggeration of the things that are happening nowadays. I just think people are becoming too uptight and are starting to forget how to let go and have fun.
Start with this movie. It's so funny! I was laughing from start to finish. It won't disappoint. I swear. C'mon, I know you want to watch it. ;) Yihaa!
***
 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Fine. Sue me. But I got curious. I wanted to find out what the big deal was. And, well, I liked it. No wait. Scratch that. Reverse. I loved it! And now someone's selling Books 1 to 10 for only P2500 (around $50)! I mean, I can't find any copies of Book 2 anywhere! Should I buy it? I wanna buy it! I probably will buy it. We'll see next week.
But it's a good book. I hated Count Olaf. He was so mean! But the kids were so lovable and adorable. I just wanted to go inside the book and adopt all three of them just so they can have the best of everything. Basta, it's good. Bummer lang because it's supposedly going to have thirteen volumes. Damn. That's going to be a lot of money. Gotta save up! |
posted by Jax @ 10:00:00 AM   |
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| Tuesday, October 26, 2004 |
| Halloween and Superblessed |
I have a costume for Halloween!
I'm dressing up as the scary dude from Jeepers Creepers. Hehe.
I can't wait!
***
Ganns has made me smile once again. Jax Place has been chosen Most Enjoyable Female Filipino-Christian Blog for SuperBlessed Christian Blog Awards 2004 along with Maan of mysilverchair.
Thank you, Ganns. I am humbled once again. :)
Congratulations to the other winners! |
| posted by Jax @ 11:26:00 PM |
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| Sunday, October 24, 2004 |
| TAR All Stars |
According to Cha, there are rumors of an upcoming The Amazing Race All-Stars. Ayos!
And following Cha's lead, I am attempting to write down a list of the teams that I want to be in this show.
*These are all in random order.
1. Flo & Zach - Admit it. Flo made the show not boring. If everyone just got along well, well, that wouldn't be exciting now, would it? And besides we need the nice guys to have more exposure to show to all girls that there are still some in this world.
2. John Vito & Jill - I love Jill. She's so sweet and so pretty but so tough. She's like that Joy tissue commercial: "Softie, also a toughie."
3. Ken and Gerard - They provided so much comic relief in the movie while staying on top throughout almost the entire game. And besides, they're my favorite team. Would I dare not include them here?
4. Teri and Ian - I do not like Ian. I didn't want them to win because of Ian. But you gotta admire them for their determination and perseverance. In a season dominated by the younger teams, they have paved the way for "older people" to actually excel in this kind of show.
5. Kami and Karli - They played hard. And they played fair. You can't say the same for almost all teams.
6. Linda and Karen - They were bowling moms. They weren't someone you'd expect to last, much less, end up as one of the final four teams. Maybe next time, they can do even better.
*I did not include teams from the first and second season because I never got to watch these shows.Labels: tv |
| posted by Jax @ 8:39:00 PM |
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| Wednesday, October 20, 2004 |
| can ladies be detectives? |
 The No. 1 Ladies' Private Detective Agency
By: Alexander McCall Smith
I've been hearing too many people reading this book and I've been seeing it for so long in different bookstore all over the Metro. It caught my eye one day (the colorful cover helped, too) and since I was looking for new authors to read, I bought and read it.
One thing that also peaked my interested was that the book was set in Botswana. I've read many books but I've never read any book that was set in Botswana. And it's not even a book about a foreigner trying it out in Botswana but about a local Botswana woman putting up a private detective agency in Botswana.
It's an easy read. At first you'd think it was book for children or, at the most, a young adult. But it's surprisingly for older people simply because storylines are too sensitive for the younger people. It's almost like reading one of those Ghostwriter books, except it's not as simple as that.
It's a great way to pass the time and to relax the mind. It takes you away from wherever you are or whatever state of mind you're in. In a way, it stops time. It's meant to be funny yet introspective and educational at the same time. Mma. Ramotswe is interesting and different. And that's probably why I was drawn to reading her story.
There are already around five or six books published in the series and all are probably available at your local bookstore. Check it out. What have you got to lose? |
| posted by Jax @ 3:39:00 AM |
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| Tuesday, October 19, 2004 |
| takeshi kaneshiro and house of flying daggers |
I kept telling my sister that, after watching House of Flying Daggers, I now had the biggest crush on Andy Lau. I was wrong. I had a crush on Takeshi Kaneshiro pala. But, yeah, I have a new crush! -- to add to my already long list of crushes, which has become very international, indeed! Hehe. I'm so tempted to post the list here. Maybe some other time. That's going to take a whole entry. Or two.
The movie was good. Actually, no, it was beautiful. As usual, I loved how Zhang Yimou played the colors around and used it with the whole story. And, at first, I thought that was the only thing I was going to like about the whole movie but as I was watching Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Leo (Andy Lau) fight, I realized that maybe it wasn't so bad afer all. The love story was a bit confusing, at first, and I thought it was a bit forced. Then I realized near the end that maybe Zhang Yimou was asking himself and us, "How do you know that it's love? How far would you go for love?" Although, I still didn't like how he ended it. Too many loose ends for me.
But it's still a good movie. Not a great one, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Here's another picture of Takeshi Kaneshiro with Zhang Ziyi. Gwapo!
 Labels: american idol, movies |
| posted by Jax @ 6:39:00 AM |
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| Sunday, October 17, 2004 |
| the weekend |
The bad news: I was suffering from the worst case of hyperacidity attack yesterday. I woke up at around 11am (I had a late night or early morning, depends on how you look at it) to some gut-wrenching, tear-inducing pain that's so strong, it can make a grown, mature man call out to his mommy with a whimper. It was that bad. It was a cross between menstrual cramps and labor contractions (not that I've experienced labor contractions, I'm just guessing here). I had to skip out on some birthday celebrations because of it.
I guess it was a direct result of the "less food, more beer" attitude I had the day before, which brings me to...
The good news: My cousins and I painted the town red (does anyone even use this expression today? oh, I think I still keep saying this, hehe) Saturday night which started with dinner at Tempura, Tomas Morato. We went to have dessert at Jack's at the Fort Strip (I don't recommend it, overpriced too much, go to Bizu instead) and then videoke at Red Box at Greenbelt 3.
Surprisingly, it's pretty affordable at Red Box. If you go in between 3p to 7p, you pay P199 per head. If you go in between 7p to 12am, you pay P399 per head. And if you go in between 12am to 3am (which we did), you pay P299 per head. All of them come with 2 free drinks plus it's sing all you can! Plus they have all the latest songs! Can you tell that I want to go back? And soon! |
| posted by Jax @ 11:42:00 PM |
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| Friday, October 15, 2004 |
| coffee, superblessed, reality TV, penguin copter and blog explosion |
Knowing me, then you'll know this piece of news is definitely big for me.
I discovered a new place to go to. It's called Coffee Geek, a place where people talk about coffee, espresso, machines, grinders, crema, blends and all that! It was such a coffee geek moment!
Only one thing dampened my mood. One writer talked about the Asian coffee scene and said that it was so behind the US. I disagree. But I do have to consider the fact that the article was written last year, when coffee, espresso coffee, was still being introduced in Asia. Hopefully, more than a year later, we've improved.
But I'm still so excited over Coffee Geek!
***
Once again, I am humbled. Thank you for the nomination, Ganns! Jax Place has been nominated once again at the SuperBlessed Christian Blog Awards 2004 for Most Enjoyable Female Filipino-Christian Blog.
Ganns took an unexpected leave from the blogging world to focus on developing and making his dream a reality: to launch the Filipino-Christian magazine, Live the Life (watch out for that!). He was surely missed by the Christian blogging community (I know I did) and I'm just glad that he's now back. Visit SuperBlessed to know what I'm talking about!
***
As much as I want to deny it, I know deep in my heart that I can.
Hi. My name is Jax and I am a Reality TV-aholic.
Hi, Jax.
It all started with Survivor: Australian Outback. My sister was telling me about the first Survivor and I decided to check it out via the second season.
Three years later and I'm still hooked.
And now more and more reality TV shows are being conceptualized and produced everyday. Some are good, some are interesting and a lot are just awful. Of course, I have my personal favorites.
*The Apprentice
*For Love or Money
*The Amazing Race
*Survivor
I know that in the days to come, more and more reality TV shows will be developed and shown on TV. And being gullible sucker that I am, I will probably watch these shows at least once.
***
Check this out!
***
I discovered this website via a link from a blog while I was bloghopping. They say it's a way to increase the traffic of your blog. But for me, it's another venue to discover more blogs to visit, which I love to do.
Interested? Check out Blog Explosion!Labels: tv |
| posted by Jax @ 6:42:00 AM |
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| Thursday, October 14, 2004 |
| blogging and what it's about |
What is a blog? Is it a personal but public (or private, depending on your software) diary? Is it a venue for dialogue? Is it a place for quiz results? Is it a way to practice writing (for the writer)? Is it a narcissistic way of looking at oneself? Is it a list of links? Is it research? Is it another venue to find out about more news?
It can be all of this, yes. But every blogger knows it can still be so much more.
Wikipedia.org defines weblogs as a web application which contains periodic, reverse chronologically ordered posts on a common webpage. Well, yes, technically. But it doesn't really say what goes on in a weblog. Personally, a blog is a venue where I can express my thoughts freely and where people are free to comment on it. But that's me. That may not be what other people think a blog is.
There have been talk about INQ7.net's newest feature, Talking Points where readers can give their comments about a given topic. Some bloggers have been saying it's not a blog but a Letter to the Editor column really. While I do agree on some of their points, I honestly believe that they overreacted. And I mean both sides.
Yes. As a blogger, I believe that Talking Points is not really a weblog. BUT it can still be a blog. Remember this is still the maiden issue. There is still room for improvement.
However, I do agree that INQ7.net still has the right to use blogging features to reach out to other people on the web.
In the end, I believe that no one can really determine what a blog is supposed to be. A blog isn't supposed to be this or that. It's this AND that. Just because one thing is not what we're used to doesn't mean that it's wrong. It could be wrong. But it could be right. Why limit ourselves to one thing? Are we not just contradicting the spirit of blogging? We hate it when other people say negative comments about our posts because we always say that they're judging us when they only know a little about us based on our posts. But are we not doing the same thing by judging prematurely?
Maybe instead of reacting "violently", we could stop and talk and learn from each other. Because isn't that what life is about? To learn. All the time. Everytime. About anything. About everything.
I honestly believe that a blog is a diary. It is a venue for dialogue. It is what you want it to be. There's so much more that can be discovered out there than what we're used to do. Let's think out of the box and realize that maybe what the other is saying may be right. In the end, remember the golden rule.
But anyhow, that's just me, stating my opinion. After all, that's what a blog should be, too, right? |
| posted by Jax @ 6:53:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, October 13, 2004 |
| Progressive Me and Mark Anthony |
***
I was at Bag of Beans this afternoon and my sister and I were going down the stairs to the garden when these kids selling espasol came up to us, trying to make us buy their products. I never buy or eat those products but when kids come up to me, I find myself giving in to them.
Anyway, my mind was working too much and I didn't want to decide right then and there if I wanted to buy from them. And one of the kids, I think, saw that because when I was about to go down the stairs to the garden of BOB, he said, "Ma'am, pag-isipan niyo ah (Ma'am, please think about it). Remember my name, Mark Anthony". I couldn't help but smile and laugh inside. I told my sister who also laughed. We kept looking up the stairs and saw the same kids, waiting patiently for us, I think.
And when we came back up to leave, they were waiting for us. And when we reached the top of the stairs, Mark Anthony came up to me and said, "Ma'am, napag-isipan niyo na po ba? (Ma'am, have you thought about it?).
Best sales talk in my opinion. |
| posted by Jax @ 9:00:00 AM |
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| Monday, October 11, 2004 |
| death and carnivale |
What a sad week. It seems like a lot of people passed on.
Christopher Reeve has passed on at the age of 52.
Rodney Dangerfield has also passed on at the age of 82.
Rio Diaz-Cojuangco has also passed on.
And my friend's mom, Tita Len, has also passed on at the age of 56 last Wednesday.
But I know they're all happy since they're not suffering anymore. They're with God now. And He'll take care of them.
***
I caught the premiere telecast of Carnivale last night on HBO and it looks good. I just hope I stay up long enough to finish the show since they'll be putting it in a rather late time. Labels: tv |
| posted by Jax @ 6:31:00 AM |
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| Saturday, October 09, 2004 |
| Halloween, Buffy and Michael Moore |
Halloween is 21 days away and I still don't have a costume!
***
I finally caught the final two episodes of Buffy Thursday night and it wasn't very fitting. For me, at least. I just think it didn't fit the supposed big showdown between Buffy and the First (did that even happen?) that was being hinted all throughout the entire season.
But nevertheless, Buffy is still one of my favorite shows and I will be collecting the DVDs from Season 3 to 7 (I already have the first two seasons).
***
I caught the controversial movie by Michael Moore the other night. Finally! Michael Moore is a very, very good documentary filmmaker. And kudos to his researchers and archival producers. I cannot imagine how much sleep they lost trying to come up with all the footages they got. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a definite eye-opener. And it's up to the viewers whether they will believe it or not. Before I watched this, I was never a fan of George W. Bush. And after watching this, I became even less of a fan.
***
I feel sorry for Americans (well those who are registered to vote anyway). They have to choose (for President, at least) who is the lesser evil and not who is the better candidate.
At least when we had the Presidential elections last May, we had good people for choices. Americans only have two. I say, good luck to them on November 2! Labels: tv |
| posted by Jax @ 8:38:00 PM |
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| Thursday, October 07, 2004 |
| bourne supremacy |
If you haven't yet, watch Bourne Supremacy starring Matt Damon. I think it's still showing in theaters.
It's a good movie, if you like action. If you're looking for a story, then you've come to the wrong place because the plot is quite forgettable. When the movie ended, all I can really remember was all those car chase scenes and fight scenes. Kudos to the director. It was very well-made, as an action film.
I feel sorry for Jason Bourne (Matt Damon's character) though. It's been 2 years already and he still hasn't regained his memory. It's gotta be hard to truly move on when you can't even remember a past that you can move on from. I have a feeling they're going to do the third book, too. FYI: Bourne Supremacy is the second of three books from Robert Ludlum. The third is called The Bourne Ultimatum, if I'm not mistaken.Labels: american idol, movies |
| posted by Jax @ 8:21:00 PM |
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| Wednesday, October 06, 2004 |
| debates, colombia, rodney, yimou and cha |
I caught the US Vice-Presidential Debates earlier on CNN. And I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. It seemed like no platform was ever discussed during the debates. Or maybe I missed it when I changed the channel a few times too many. But from what I saw, I liked Cheney. Confidence really is something else and that's what Cheney had. Edwards used his charm too many times and it really irked me. He tried to inject some humor to the debate but frankly, it fell flat on his face. I'm not very familiar with the candidates' platforms but Edwards came off as having no backbone and, I hate to admit it, Cheney seems to know what he's saying. Even the debate hosts had a hard time figuring out who had the advantage after this debate. I don't think Americans will know until after the Nov. 2 elections.
***
While watching the debates, I decided to take a break and change the channel and came across a National Geographic Channel feature on Colombia. No matter how down the Philippines is now, I'm glad that we haven't been as "unlucky" as Colombia. Did you guys know that growing and selling cocaine have been something that they cannot let go because it has become a "part of their economy". Several politicians and well-known anti-drug citizens have been assassinated by drug lords for speaking up against them. Colombians live in such a dangerous world, where one wrong step can mean the end for them.
***
In entertainment news, Rodney Dangerfield has passed on at the age of 82.
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I am so looking forward to watching Zhang Yimou's latest movie, House of Flying Daggers.
***
And I just have to sneak this in:
Cha! Jovan! I can't believe it's only 7 months til the big day! |
| posted by Jax @ 5:07:00 AM |
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| Monday, October 04, 2004 |
| Feng Shui and other updates |
I caught Feng Shui starring Kris Aquino last night with my co-trainees. And I never expected it to scare me like that. I've never been that scared since, well, Ringu. The TV was on the whole time last night because every small sound, my sister moving on her bed, the wind and the trees outside, EVERY SOUND, would make me tense up and imagine the worst possible things. I kept my eyes closed and forced myself to think of different things that will hopefully enable me to sleep finally.
But enought about that, the movie was surprisingly good (obviously). Cinematography was amazing but I can't say the same for the editing. Whether it was deliberate or not, I think the editing could use a bit more polishing. The script was ok naman but the lines were too unnatural for me. (Ironically, the scriptwriter was my professor in scriptwriting last summer. Hehe. Does that say something about what he taught us?) The sound editing was also good.
But all of cannot make up for the fact that they made one really terrible and HUGE MISTAKE: when they cast Kris Aquino to play the lead role. Although that may have been deliberate since people in the audience were grateful for the "distraction". Everybody was laughing so hard whenever Kris appeared on screen. I wonder what Fr. Nick Cruz is saying about Kris in this movie? I'm guessing that short stint of an acting workshop in New York did not do wonders for Kris Aquino. I wonder why they chose her for the lead role? It's not for her acting abilities, that's for sure!
But all in all, it's still a good movie. It's not spectacular but it's still good. Just a note of advice: Try to watch it during daylight. I think it's less scary that way. Or maybe I'm wrong. Either way, Kris Aquino's acting will still leave you rolling on the floor, laughing your ass off. Hehe.
***
On a side note: I'm finally finished with all the training for Mocha Blends! Finally! |
| posted by Jax @ 10:48:00 PM |
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| Friday, October 01, 2004 |
| natural high |
Even though there were certain events that I could have done without, this day ends with a natural high. I got the results of my barista training and guess who made it as #1?
Nothing beats a natural high. ;) |
| posted by Jax @ 6:33:00 AM |
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| 13 to 1 |
THIRTEEN RANDOM THINGS YOU LIKE:
13. Long Black Medio
12. Cafe Latte Medio
11. Flat White Medio
10. Chocolate Mousse
9. Chicken
8. Reading
7. Shopping
6. WWE
5. Watching Movies
4. Walking around alone
3. Drinking Coffee while reading a book
2. Sleeping
1. Watching the sun rise.
TWELVE GREAT MOVIES
12. Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit
11. Gladiator
10. Todo Sobre Mi Madre
9. Lucia
8. The Pianist
7. Hero
6. The Hours
5. Three Seasons
4. An American In Paris
3. Lost in Translation
2. Waking Life
1. Bayaning Third World
ELEVEN GOOD BANDS/ARTISTS
11. Kings of Convenience
10. Bamboo
9. Norah Jones
8. Joss Stone
7. Elliott Smith
6. Jamie Cullum
5. Alanis Morissette
4. Jason Mraz
3. Annie Lennox
2. Rivermaya
1. Maksim
TEN THINGS ABOUT YOU
10. I'm a leftie.
9. I'm an Atenean and a Knoller.
8. I love reading books and watching movies.
7. I'm a people person but sometimes I'd rather be alone.
6. I aspire to become an independent filmmaker and author.
5. I love coffee!
4. I want to live in Europe while I'm still unattached (read: before I get married and have kids).
3. I love my friends very much!
2. After watching Cheaper by the Dozen, I suddenly wanted to have 12 kids also. But later realized that it's not really economically logical.
1. I love Gael Garcia Bernal, Jude Law and Josh Hartnett!
NINE FRIENDS NUNG KABATAAN
9. Rhona
8. Ida
7. Ara
6. Chelle
5. Ara
4. Abi
3. Con
2. Pia
1. Tin
EIGHT FAVORITE FOODS/DRINKS
8. Long Black Medio
7. Chocolate Mousse
6. Curry
5. Durian
4. McDonald's French Fries
3. Chicken
2. Siomai rice
1. Crab
SEVEN THINGS YOU WEAR DAILY (aside from clothes)
7. contact lenses
6. earrings
5. bracelet
4. bag
3. moisturizer
2. lotion
1. lip balm
SIX THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY
6. seeing my nephews
5. coffee
4. books!
3. movies!
2. seeing my friends
1. my bed
FIVE SHOWS YOU WATCH
5. WWE
4. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
3. Buffy
2. Will and Grace
1. Sex and the City
FOUR THINGS THAT IRRITATE YOU
4. Deliberate slowness
3. Judgmental people
2. Traffic
1. Slow service
THREE CELEBRITIES YOU ADMIRE
3. Viggo Mortensen!
2. Bono
1. TONY LEUNG!
TWO PEOPLE ON FRIENDSTER WHOM YOU INVITED FIRST:
2. my sister
1. my younger cousin
ONE GREATEST FEAR IN LIFE
1. not to fulfill my mission in lifeLabels: surveys |
| posted by Jax @ 5:47:00 AM |
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