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i can't believe it took me this long to come up with my next post... in any case, i've been so busy with other things so i guess, this will be quite short, too.
at the moment, i've just finished the 3 Temeraire books. i practically raced through them -- i found them engrossing and quite charming in places. the premise (using dragons as presursors of modern-day planes) is singularly refreshing!
i suppose i can write a summary or a book review by now (for the 3 books), but i'd rather go through them a second time before i commit myself. all i can say is Temeraire (a Chinese celestial) is certainly one of a kind!...
lately, i've also dipped my toes into photography, not enough to call myself a real photographer but it's a nice enough preoccupation when you don't really have that much time. i have uploaded some of my pictures at triond. a few of them are centered on max, courtesy of my good friend maki who took these pictures: the affable fellow, sure knows how to play up to the camera.
some pics were taken from our brief trip to boracay, where i saw this quaint LOTR-theme pub (sure to delight tolkien's fans). there's also a couple of snaps on taal lake... some of these pics are in this page (just click on 'em folks.)
at the moment, i've just finished the 3 Temeraire books. i practically raced through them -- i found them engrossing and quite charming in places. the premise (using dragons as presursors of modern-day planes) is singularly refreshing!
i suppose i can write a summary or a book review by now (for the 3 books), but i'd rather go through them a second time before i commit myself. all i can say is Temeraire (a Chinese celestial) is certainly one of a kind!...
lately, i've also dipped my toes into photography, not enough to call myself a real photographer but it's a nice enough preoccupation when you don't really have that much time. i have uploaded some of my pictures at triond. a few of them are centered on max, courtesy of my good friend maki who took these pictures: the affable fellow, sure knows how to play up to the camera.
some pics were taken from our brief trip to boracay, where i saw this quaint LOTR-theme pub (sure to delight tolkien's fans). there's also a couple of snaps on taal lake... some of these pics are in this page (just click on 'em folks.)
ay-ayyy-yay! the recent news that peter jackson ( LOTR trilogy, Heavenly Creatures) had optioned the rights to naomi novik's Temeraire series just perked me up right up to the stratosphere!a few months back, i made this deal with myself that -- in order to save a few bucks, and free up some space in my attic -- i'd lay off buying books (with very few exceptions), at least for this year. to my own surprise, i was able to observed this "moratorium" (i bought only a couple of small ones [on sale] since this january).
and now this!
i guess it's no longer a case of whether or not i can save a few $$$. the question is, will i be able to stop myself from buying these books? and after knowing that PJ is already thinking about the possiblity of turning these mind-boggling volumes into movies?!
are you nuts? of course, i'll be up early this saturday and scamper to the nearest mall to grab my own copy of His Majesty's Dragon, Throne of Jade and Black Powder War. i just hope this won't turn into a Wheel of Time-type money-waster.** at any rate, i've already read some excerpts, and i just know i'm gonna love these books. just as much as i had drooled over susanna clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.**p.s. [uh-oh, here comes the rant]**
i don't think a series/multi-volume saga needs to be exhaustively long in order to be compelling or interesting -- which is one reason why i was turned off by robert jordan's Wheel of Time series. by the time i was on book 7 (which i valiantly struggled to finish), i was already feeling fatigued and overwhelmed by his overwrought prose and this growing suspicion that i was being suckered (more books = more $$ for him and his publisher)...
hmm... i guess ben affleck is finally getting the favorable notice he needs in order to get back into the game. winning the critics' collective nod to bag the best actor award in the recently concluded Venice Film Festival, the resurgent actor, who is married to Alias star jennifer garner, is poised for further press exposure due to the good buzz generated by Hollywoodland.based on a slew of early reviews (mixed, but generally good), the film may even find its way into the oscars (gasp!), barring the arrival of better material -- although it's too early to tell of course. this low-key biopic follows the mysterious death (murder/suicide?) of george reeves, who used to play Superman on TV back in the 1950s. Hollywoodland also stars adrien brody, diane lane, bob hoskins and robin tunney.
yep, i guess ben does deserve this, after seeing his stock nosedive due to a series of critical clunkers that he's been associated with in the past 3 years. let's hope he'll be more mindful of his career moves this time.
and so federer claims his third consecutive US Open title (vs. andy roddick, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1). no surprise there.the match of course was enlivened by the presence of several sports personalities, the most notable of which was tiger woods, who (along with his wife) sat in federer's camp. both are nike endorsers
awww, say it ain't so schumi...
it looks like racing legend michael schumacher will be retiring by october (he has been hinting at this for the past few months). schumi (ferrari), the most successful career driver in Formula One's 56-year history, broke into the racing scene in 1991 and has since then won so many of his races that seeing his name in the list of participating racers is practically equal to turning that race into an anticlimactic event.the intensely private 37-year-old german is currently working towards an unprecedented 8th F-1 title. his win in the recent italian grand prix moves him closer (2 pts away) to current leader fernando alonso. the three upcoming races will be staged in china, japan and brazil. still plenty of time, if you ask me...
well yo-hoo-ho, bring out the rum me 'hearties...64 days after its release (july 7), Pirates... 2: Dead Man's Chest breaks into the exclusive $1-billion club (membership by invitation only folks; there are only a couple of films in this corner: Titanic and Return of the King [yayy!]).
to date, it's global haul has already reached $1,002,597,000 (est.) according to boxofficemojo.com.
ay-ayy-ay! bring on the third film please (At World's End)... what? it comes out in may 2007? let's see, how long 'til may... aw heck, i can't count with my fingers dancing over the keyboards. [blogarama]
Glamour girl maria sharapova finally proved her point by winning this year's US Open title (women's singles), 2 years after she had famously burst into the scene by wresting the wimbledon title. she handily defeated justine henin-hardenne 6-4, 6-4.being the champion grunter that she is, sharapova (naturally) squealed and did this giddy gig to celebrate her triumph... (i suppose this means her sponsors can now
rest easy and come up with more endorsement deals).and so, it's finally down to roger federer vs. andy roddick to slog it out for the men's finals after all. hmmm... i like this development; it definitely spices things up a bit. even federer is in favor of this match-up.
federer, as expected, made an efficient demolition job of davydenko (6-1, 7-5, 6-4). roddick had to work a bit harder to subdue youzhny (6-7(5-7), 6-0, 7-6(7-3), 6-3). while roddick (seeded 9th in this tournament) has the home court advantage and jimmy connors at his camp, many observers believe that federer, at his current level of playing, would eventually come out the stronger.
what was that all about?
this thought has been bugging me ever since i read a snippet about this supposed 'romance' between jessica simpson and john mayer (*cringing*). i would've gleefully ignored that except for this picture...
before i could even draw up a half-hearted (aw come on!) list of reasons why that couldn't be, a couple of developments sort of pushed themselves into the limelight.
first, someone from john m.'s camp let it slip that he wasn't too pleased about the rumors that had been leaked the press (apparently the handiwork of ms. simpson's overenthusiastic publicist Rob Shuter, who was fired just today i think).
and then ms. simpson herself revealed on The View that she wasn't actually dating the man. well some people are hinting that she was more or less constrained to make this succinct denial because there were already some reports that john m. had 'dumped' her. some insiders hinted that he felt he was being used by her camp in order to drum up additional attention for the launching of her latest album, A Public Affair.
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this thought has been bugging me ever since i read a snippet about this supposed 'romance' between jessica simpson and john mayer (*cringing*). i would've gleefully ignored that except for this picture...before i could even draw up a half-hearted (aw come on!) list of reasons why that couldn't be, a couple of developments sort of pushed themselves into the limelight.
first, someone from john m.'s camp let it slip that he wasn't too pleased about the rumors that had been leaked the press (apparently the handiwork of ms. simpson's overenthusiastic publicist Rob Shuter, who was fired just today i think).
and then ms. simpson herself revealed on The View that she wasn't actually dating the man. well some people are hinting that she was more or less constrained to make this succinct denial because there were already some reports that john m. had 'dumped' her. some insiders hinted that he felt he was being used by her camp in order to drum up additional attention for the launching of her latest album, A Public Affair.
over at the ongoing 2006 US Open (Flushing Meadows, NY), it looks like andy roddick's collaboration with former tennis champ jimmy connors is paying off. powered by 17 aces, roddick spiked lleyton hewitt's (australia) guns by beating him 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
another bonus for roddick, who has had to deal with a relatively lackluster court showing in the last 6 months, is that he won't have to face rafael nadal. The 2nd-seeded Spaniard was tripped by 54th-seed mikhail youzhny of Russia at 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1.
roddick and Youzhny will meet this saturday (sept. 9). meanwhile, in another important match leading to the men's semi-finals, roger federer (switzerland) will be facing james blake of the US.
on the women's side, jelena jankovich (Serbia), who summarily dispatched elena dementieva of Russia in 2 sets (6-2, 6-1), will meet the winner of the match between lindsay davenport (US) and julienne henin-hardenne for the semi-finals.
update (sept. 9th): it's maria sharapova vs. julenne henin-hardenne for the women's finals. for the men's singles, it's going to be decided today. stay tuned folks...
another bonus for roddick, who has had to deal with a relatively lackluster court showing in the last 6 months, is that he won't have to face rafael nadal. The 2nd-seeded Spaniard was tripped by 54th-seed mikhail youzhny of Russia at 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1.
roddick and Youzhny will meet this saturday (sept. 9). meanwhile, in another important match leading to the men's semi-finals, roger federer (switzerland) will be facing james blake of the US.
on the women's side, jelena jankovich (Serbia), who summarily dispatched elena dementieva of Russia in 2 sets (6-2, 6-1), will meet the winner of the match between lindsay davenport (US) and julienne henin-hardenne for the semi-finals.
update (sept. 9th): it's maria sharapova vs. julenne henin-hardenne for the women's finals. for the men's singles, it's going to be decided today. stay tuned folks...
i'm going to start a thread on celebrities because some news are just too delicious and eye-catching to be ignored...
suri cruise (tomkitten?), scion of supercharged celebs tom cruise and katie holmes, has made her public debut on the cover of Variety and on CBS Evening News no less (a timely windfall for Katie Couric, who's also making her CBS primetime debut).
already the news vultures are gleefully picking over innocuous-looking details you didn't even know mattered... i have a feeling i should be more sympathetic to the couple except for this nagging feeling that -- like everything else that's been coming out of their camp this past year -- it's somehow 'staged' (just like his apology to brooke shields).
and also, since they have more or less invited the whole world into their little (err, grandiose?) 'affair', it seems somehow fitting that they should have a surfeit of media attention -- you know, like getting more than you bargained for..
let's see what happens next on this ongoing soap...
suri cruise (tomkitten?), scion of supercharged celebs tom cruise and katie holmes, has made her public debut on the cover of Variety and on CBS Evening News no less (a timely windfall for Katie Couric, who's also making her CBS primetime debut).
already the news vultures are gleefully picking over innocuous-looking details you didn't even know mattered... i have a feeling i should be more sympathetic to the couple except for this nagging feeling that -- like everything else that's been coming out of their camp this past year -- it's somehow 'staged' (just like his apology to brooke shields).
and also, since they have more or less invited the whole world into their little (err, grandiose?) 'affair', it seems somehow fitting that they should have a surfeit of media attention -- you know, like getting more than you bargained for..
let's see what happens next on this ongoing soap...
i really should have posted this note a few weeks ago, but for the life of me i was just too darn busy i clean forgot about it until a friend reminded me of it yesterday...okay, rather than ape the critics (i'm hopeless at it anyway) and write a long discourse about this cinematic gem (this film is definitely a must-see; i expect i'll be seeing more of it as soon as the DVD version is out), i'm just going to concentrate on a few things -- mainly the cast.
Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestley)
what else can you say about this superlative
talent that hasn't been said before? suffice it to say that whenever she portrays a character onscreen, it's easy to forget that you're only seeing an actress plying her trade (and not the real thing).as the Great Arbiter of Good Taste and All Things Fashionable, Miranda rules her kingdom with an iron fist (encased in a diamond-encrusted velvet glove, of course). she issues her decrees in a bored, disdainful upper-crust whine. when she snaps her fingers, her minions jump in all directions (preferably out of sight).
Anne Hathaway (Andrea Sachs)Anne H. is tailor-made for this role -- she is the right age and has the looks to ensure her celluloid presence. the way i see it, it's a good thing she looks this good; otherwise, she'd have gotten swamped by the sheer brilliance of movie's powerhouse cast.
Emily Blunt (Emily)
another perfect fit. she nails down the little details that make Emily's neurotic personality as incandescent as the rest of the major characters. very effective and downright believable (reminds me of somebody, in fact)
Stanley Tucci (Nigel)
As Runway's charismatic creative director, Tucci is just as formidable. Although physically different from his counterpart in the book (supposed to be a very tall British guy), Tucci nevertheless makes a deliciously perfect foil to Meryl Streep's Miranda.
As for the production set, the clothes, the accessories, everything -- they're a visual feast!
Five minutes into the pilot episode, i knew i was going to love this series, without prior knowledge of how the story was going to unfold. What prompted me to buy the series (26 episodes) though was the consistently good buzz it generated from various sources -- reviewers, fans, etc. The series starts on a funny-bittersweet note. You just can't help but instantly empathize with Tohru Honda, a recently orphaned 16-year-old high school girl who unwittingly sets up camp (literally) in the wooded vicinity of the Sohmas' house. After a series of interesting events, she eventually became part of Shigure Sohma's (an author of steamy romances) household, which consisted of Yuki Sohma and Kyou Sohma, who went to the same HS as Tohru. In exchange for room and board, she worked as a housekeeper for the colorful trio.
It wasn't long afterwards that she stumbled upon the family's well-kept secret (and what a funny scene that was -- you ought to see it to appreciate the slapstick humor), and -- in the process of interacting with the riotous, fascinating members of this chaotic family -- manages to teach everyone that there was more to strength than stoical toughness.
However, the road is not smooth for our slightly ditsy protagonist. In the course of the 26-episode story, Tohru learns to cope with jealous schoolmates (Yuki's rabid fan club) and judgmental relatives, and to survive the chaotic, mind-boggling and hilarious reactions of various 'cursed' Sohma clan members. Her major stumbling block is Akito Sohma -- the frail, but bitter and manipulative leader of the Sohma clan. Fortunately for Honda (for all her quiet resilience and unquenched optimism), she has two protective and devoted friends, Hanajima and Arisa, who are both a study in mental toughness themselves. She also forms an unlikely but strong bond with Yuki and Kyou, who in their own touchingly awkward fashion, try to help and
shield Tohru from the worst of Akito's vengeful wrath This is one series where the characters are sharply delineated; despite the huge cast, it's easy to single out and identify a character, mostly due to the concept of Jikkan-Juniishi (based on the Chinese zodiac, which comprises 12 animals that each 'cursed' Sohma clan member correspondingly personifies), and the way the show's creators deftly handled the story. The fact that it is based on a hugely popular manga series (still ongoing, i think) in Japan also works hugely in its favor.
just a couple of things before i sign off for today...
for all his flashy and unconventional antics, i think that steve irwin's untimely demise at 44 is marked by paradox.
++ It's rather ironic that after, having survived exciting (foolhardy, too) encounters with crocs, snakes, and a few other things, he had to meet his end through the defensive action of a relatively harmless sea creature like the stingray
++ also, i find it rather ironic that he had to die before other aussies finally came out of the woodwork to claim him as one of their own (he's more popular offshore; in his native land, Irwin was aware that some of his fellow aussies regarded him with some measure of disdain)
ah well...
okayyy! on to a more positive topic.
tiger woods claims his 5th consecutive win (which includes two major PGA titles) by wrenching the lead from the feisty Vijay Singh in the recently concluded Deutsche Bank Championship (Norton, MA) yada yada yada...
[i've run out of superlatives for this guy's feats so i'll just keep this to a minimum]
in any case, his latest triumph is all over the planet by now.
the way's he's playing now, it's more than likely that he'll be breaking more significant records in the next few years. since he's already earned loads of $$$ (prize money and endorsement deals), has a lovely wife and a couple of charming dogs, the only worthwhile mountain left for him to climb is rewriting history books.
go get 'em tiger!
Out of a few dozen anime shows (movies, tv series, OVAs/OAVs) i've watched throughout the years, i have more or less settled on a list that of my favorites. the list varies from time to time -- some of them get nudged off to lower positions (or out of the list itself entirely) as newer items appear -- but basically i have a soild idea of what i really like. they're not ranked them in any particular order, but here they are: Miyazaki gems like My Neighbor Totoro, Laputa Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa, Porco Rosso; i also like Trigun (yeah Vash!), Fruits Basket, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Samurai X, The Slayers, Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Panic, Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar, and Full Metal Alchemist.
Miyazaki is really head-and-shoulders above everyone else. Aside from the top-notch animation quality of his movies, the way his films grab you is something else. They just blow your mind away. It's like he gives you this comfortable reason to be a child again...
I generally prefer comedy/adventure/fantasy (in movies, too), which should account for some of my choices, particularly those with memorable characters like Vash the Stampede and Nicholas Wolfwood in Trigun, or Lina Inverse in The Slayers. Sometimes, some producers manage to churn out a potent blend of drama and comedy -- as in the case of Fruits Basket, Trigun, Samurai X and Full Metal Alchemist. Occasionally a great story is highlighted by fantastic animation (e.g., Full Metal Panic, Tiny Snow Fairy Sugar); some are basically a visual feast, that you only need to see a few frames and then you're hooked (definitely-not-to-be-missed FF VII: Advent Children).
that's all i'm willing to commit to... for now. i mean, who knows, what's out there round that bend. in a year or two, Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli could be offering something to blast me out of my seat again. you never know...
for a while there i really thought he was going to pull it off (i really wanted him to win the US Open this year. It would have been a nice send-off). but in a heartbreaking match against germany's benjamin becker, he finally bowed to the inevitable at 7-5, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4, 7-5.
oh well...
even as he exits at 36 (he seems to be pretty much in physical pain, too), agassi remains as a charismatic figure on the court. he also leaves behind an impressive legacy: he is one of 5 men who managed to capture all major titles (Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, French Open)
Two huge star-studded movies, helmed by two top-notch directors (Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorcese), are poised to strike this fall: The Prestige and The Departed.
The Prestige boasting a heavyweight cast composed of Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, and Andy "Gollum" Serkis -- is a tale of two rival magicians (Bale as Alfred Border and Jackman as Ruper Angier) who plied their trade in London around the turn of the century. Their fierce competition turns increasingly dangerous, prompting Angier's mentor (Michael Caine) to suspect that Border has real magical powers.
What makes this film interesting is that both Jackman and Bale have recently played comic book heroes: as Wolverine and Batman, respectively. The Prestige, based on a 1995 book bearing the same title, alludes to the residue that remains after a magician has successfully performed his trick.
The same dual dilemma is also evident in The Departed, which topbills Jack Nicholson as mob boss Frank Costello. A remake of the popular 2002 Hong Kong thriller "Internal Affairs", the movie also features Leonardio DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, etc.
DiCaprio stars as an uncover cop (Billy Costigan) who infiltrates the criminal syndicate headed by Costello, in a parallel move with Matt Damon (Colin Sullivan), a criminal figure who joins the police force as a "mole" for the mob. Both undergo intense stress and fine-tuned tightrope walking as they gather information for their respective sides without divulging their real identities.
Incidentally, this movie also marks the third time that Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorcese have worked together.
whoop-de-doo!! I can't wait...
p.s. for other notes on movies, please check out 9/11 movies over at triond. thanks
The Prestige boasting a heavyweight cast composed of Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie, Piper Perabo, and Andy "Gollum" Serkis -- is a tale of two rival magicians (Bale as Alfred Border and Jackman as Ruper Angier) who plied their trade in London around the turn of the century. Their fierce competition turns increasingly dangerous, prompting Angier's mentor (Michael Caine) to suspect that Border has real magical powers. What makes this film interesting is that both Jackman and Bale have recently played comic book heroes: as Wolverine and Batman, respectively. The Prestige, based on a 1995 book bearing the same title, alludes to the residue that remains after a magician has successfully performed his trick. The same dual dilemma is also evident in The Departed, which topbills Jack Nicholson as mob boss Frank Costello. A remake of the popular 2002 Hong Kong thriller "Internal Affairs", the movie also features Leonardio DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, etc.
DiCaprio stars as an uncover cop (Billy Costigan) who infiltrates the criminal syndicate headed by Costello, in a parallel move with Matt Damon (Colin Sullivan), a criminal figure who joins the police force as a "mole" for the mob. Both undergo intense stress and fine-tuned tightrope walking as they gather information for their respective sides without divulging their real identities.
Incidentally, this movie also marks the third time that Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorcese have worked together.
whoop-de-doo!! I can't wait...
p.s. for other notes on movies, please check out 9/11 movies over at triond. thanks
Gosh, i just had to insert this... Various online news organizations are abuzz with what CNN "Live From" anchorwoman Kyra Phillips -- who accidentally left her wireless mike "on" during a toilet break -- did (or rather, SAID) while US Pres. Bush was delivering his live speech for the first year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Ms. Phillips, who was conversing with a female colleague amidst a background of urinals being flushed, tapwater running and zips being opened/closed, raved
about her hubby and described her sister in law as a 'control' freak. Bush's voice was easily drowned out as the two talked for on about 90 seconds, right until another woman pointed out that Kyra's mike was still on...Ouch!! ... Now that is one journalist nightmare material right there.
Well! After an hour of racking my comatose brain i finally got it. whew!! am i stupid or what?! it was right there all along, right under my nose. ugh! just when i think i couldn't get any slower...
okay... what's next on my list?
why, slip in some pictures of course! at least, there'll be something to look at while i'm reorganizing my thoughts and overturning my mess in the attic. hope you like these snippets.
I think the one on the left is a scene from My Neighbor Totoro (Studio Ghibli), definitely one of my favorites. There's something
about this scene this makes me wish i'm a child again.
The one on the right is a delightful vignette from Kiki's Delivery Service, another Miyazaki masterpiece.
The fact that i'm already putting up anime images this early in the game should be a dead giveaway. yep, i'm going this blog my anime depository. just give me some time a tweak a few knobs here...
That is, of course, as soon as i can sort out the things i've scrawled so far. i seem to have rewritten from the ground up... now i can't make heads or tails of the things i've noted down.
until then, be cool and stay out of trouble...
okay... what's next on my list?
why, slip in some pictures of course! at least, there'll be something to look at while i'm reorganizing my thoughts and overturning my mess in the attic. hope you like these snippets. I think the one on the left is a scene from My Neighbor Totoro (Studio Ghibli), definitely one of my favorites. There's something
about this scene this makes me wish i'm a child again.The one on the right is a delightful vignette from Kiki's Delivery Service, another Miyazaki masterpiece.
The fact that i'm already putting up anime images this early in the game should be a dead giveaway. yep, i'm going this blog my anime depository. just give me some time a tweak a few knobs here...
That is, of course, as soon as i can sort out the things i've scrawled so far. i seem to have rewritten from the ground up... now i can't make heads or tails of the things i've noted down.
until then, be cool and stay out of trouble...
