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| Well, I've been fortunate to have some semi-long weekends for the past three weeks and I've spent every free time doing paper work for school while watching LORD OF THE RINGS EXTENDED EDITIONS TRILOGY. LOL.
In the same vein, I've found myself watching films in the actual movie theater more times than I have in the past two years. Heh. I guess I'm becoming more of a movie buff than I'd imagined I would be. It's no surprise really since nothing on TV ever interests me anymore -- at least not on a Imustseetheshownomatterwhat basis.
Anyway, that being said, I just though of coming up with a list of movies I plan to watch or re-watch if and when I finally get over my Lord of the Rings additction (which may not be anytime soon, by the way).
FILMS TO SEE ASAP ONCE HAVE THE TIME: (aka after my LOTR fling is over)
1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE: Gaddangit! I've downloaded the movie months ago but haven't found the time to watch it. It's been winning awards left and right. I just hope I get to see it before it finally bags the much-coveted Academy Award.
2. FORREST GUMP: I've seen it before and can't wait to watch it again especially after seeing Benjamin Button. The copy I bought is still covered in plastic waiting to finally be opened and appreciated.
3. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS: I'm a WW2 film buff. I would watch anything with the theme of WW2. Add the angle of innocence of children and I'm a done deal. I just have to find a site to download it from. Any help?
MUST SEE FILMS IN THE MOVIE HOUSE:
1. Doubt: It seems like a thinking movie. My problem now is finding someone who's willing to see it with me. It's about a nun who tries to prove that one of the priests in their church has been molesting children. Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour-Hoffman? How could you not watch it?
2. Confessions of a Shopaholic: Why not? It looks fun and I fell in love with Isla Fisher after seeing her in Definitely, Maybe. I've seen the trailer and it definitely has that Bridget Jones' Diary vibe to it. I can't wait for it to come out.
3. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen: Just because I was an 80s kid, I went out and saw Transformers. I'm not much of an action-flick girl but when I heard Optimus Prime speak in the movie, I felt shivers down my spine. Bwah! Nothing beats bringing back your childhood favorites to life.
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: This was one of my favorite books from the book series. I hope the movie doesn't disappoint. I've never particularly liked any of the movie versions because they simply don't do justice to the book. Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure that the HP fan in me will make me watch this movie on the very first day of showing.
5. Star Trek: Yep! I'm a closet Trekkie! 'Nuff said.
SORT OF MUST SEE FILMS IN THE MOVIE HOUSE:
1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Who can resist the sexiness that is Hugh Jackman as Wolverine? It's not the same team of X-Men but with my favorite character Gambit in the movie, I may end up watching it just the same.
2. G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra: I think I can still sing the theme on any given day. I may flub the lyrics here and there but the melody plays on my mind like a broken record. Hey! My Barbie dolls used to date my brother's GI Joe action figures. Haha! I've seen the sneak peek. It's not looking that good but I still may end up watching. Who knows what can happen when Channing Tatum is there. Hehe.
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| Kill me now! 
After a four-day break, I accomplished absolutely nothing for work. I am actually feeling nauseated at the fact that we have to go back to school tomorrow. I am literally shaking... LMAO. My new mantra must be... 'I must finish the grades.' I doubt it will help but hypnosis may prove to be my last desperate attempt to push myself to start working. I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of paper work. 
I hate that this happens at the end of every quarter. *bawls*
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| I met up with some friends today. 
The day started out right with my brother and I waking up at around 7:30 am. (I took him with me because no one would be left in the house). We had to leave earlier because I wanted to hear mass at The Shrine of Jesus near MOA. I've never been there and I thought it best to attend Sunday Mass there since our meeting time was 10:30 am at MOA. We were a bit late arriving just in time for the First Reading. I was surprised because the Church was jampacked with people. It was my first time to go there and I really liked it because the mass was very solemn. Even the songs that were sung weren't the usual ones. 
By 10:30, Mich and I met up at McDonalds. As per usual, we were the only ones who arrived on time. Bwah! We had to wait until 12:00 noon before we left for Dampa. Lui and JP did all the ordering and we just waited for the food. I am a seafood lover so this was one rare occasion where I barely talked during lunch. LOL. Usually, you could not stop me from blabbing but today, they were all surprised as I did nothing but eat nonstop. I love my shrimps so much. Hee.  After lunch, Lui, JP and Pauleen had to leave so the rest of us went back to MOA to talk some more. Lots of pics were taken especially since it's been so long since we all got together. It sucks though because almost half were absent for whatever reason... 
Now, why did I use the title "Life of something like it?" Hmm... I guess because even after all the happy stories we shared over lunch, it all had to end with a bit of sadness yet again. One of my friends called me up. She was crying and talking about her problems with her hubby. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. It was the sure sign that the reunion where we pretended to be students again was over. Now, we were back to reality. I was actually pretty shocked with some of the stories I heard. I felt like a manang again. LOL.
I am rambling now because I really don't know what to say anymore. I've always been the sort of big sister of the group but after all these years, my head now begins to hurt when we talk of problems. Gone are the petty misunderstandings and the like. Now, we have life-altering decisions... family problems... emotional garbage and the sort. I guess we may want to stop life from happening but at one point in time, we just grow up. We never can pinpoint the exact moment but it happens. And, we have to suck it up and live through it no matter what. What's interesting is (this is a baduy moment), I watched a video of Anne Curtis' interview over at YouTube and as young as she is and as crazy showbiz is, she actually said something that made sense... "... you go through so many trials. Nobody said it was going to be easy pero laging i-she-shake ni God ang life natin pero in the end, it will be as beautiful as a rainbow." I believe that and for me and my friends, I know the rainbow will come sooner than we think. *hugs friends*
Funniest moment of the day: Lhot asking me if my 17-year old brother was older than me. LMAO! Either I look too young or he looks old... BWAH! 
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| When
I was a kid, I used to love watching scary movies. My favorites were
Poltergeist and the Freddy Krueger Series... Hee... I was also quite
addicted to the scary TV shows like The Twilight Zone...
Today,
I think I should get back into the scary business and start with this
list I found. I am pretty psyched to see Psycho. I just finished
downloading it. I also am intrigued by Erasherhead. Thank heavens for
bittorrents. Now, I can just download the movies and watch them anytime
I want.
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Top 10 Scariest Movies
1. "Psycho" (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock's
blueprint for contemporary horror: More than just a film, "Psycho" was
a cultural slap in the face. Censors wanted to ban it, while screaming
audiences couldn't get enough of it. Hitch employs all of his tricks --
shifting audience sympathies, killing off the main character halfway
through the film and a ton of macabre humor -- but more importantly he
makes the horror internal. Norman Bates isn't a monster in the classic
sense; he suggests that the greatest evil can lurk beneath the
quietest, most pleasant surface.
2. Repulsion (1965)
Director Roman Polanski did more horror afterward, with "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Tenant," but this -- a menacing, nightmarish profile of one woman's descent into madness -- may be his most realized effort. Catherine Denueve
embodies sexual repression as a young woman left alone in her apartment
-- and to her deluded fantasies -- for the weekend. The film is nearly
silent, creating a mounting mood of dread. Try watching it alone with
the lights off and see how long you last. 3. "Night of the Living Dead" (1968)
A group of kids get trapped inside a farm house by an endless stream of flesh-eating zombies. Sounds silly, but director George Romero
takes his simple premise and redefines the genre with a shoestring
budget. The amount of sadistic gore, the claustrophobic tension, the
rising levels of hysteria and an increasingly deflated awareness that a
happy ending is impossible make this a nasty classic. There is no hope
here, only suffocating terror. 4. "Suspiria" (1977)
"Suspiria" is a full-on sensory assault by Italian horror master Dario Argento,
the cinematic equivalent of an anxiety attack. A poor American ballet
student arrives in Europe and Argento berates her with weather, grisly
murders, a possible coven of witches, his virtuosic camera, and
possible the freakiest score ever conceived (by the director himself).
The plot barely makes sense, so just let it terrorize you. 5. "Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)
Before dream-killer Freddy Krueger became a quipping pop-culture
reference, he represented the most twisted monster unleashed on the
public since Halloween's Michael Myers. Seeking vengeance by
slicing and dicing the children of the parents who murdered him, Freddy
scared the hell out of Cineplex audiences. His on-screen entrance
remains terrifying, as does much of director Wes Craven's surreal, smart and shocking masterpiece. 6. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974)
A
group of annoying teens make a wrong turn on a road trip through Texas
and encounter the most dysfunctional family imaginable. It's a teen
exploitation flick shot like a documentary. Wonderfully grim, mean and
inhumane, director Tobe Hooper's
debut doesn't spill much blood, instead opting to giddily, relentlessly
torture and chase its audience (much like Leatherface treats his
victims) for 80 minutes. It feels like days. 7. "Don't Look Now" (1973)
Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie
head to Venice to forget the tragic accidental death of their child.
However, it's impossible to forget when the dead child keeps
reappearing. Nicolas Roeg's
labyrinthine film is rich in dreamlike atmosphere and works on a purely
psychological level: It disorients, frustrates and builds to a horrible
climax, reminding that tragedy can never be forgotten ... and neither
can this film. 8. "Halloween" (1978)
John Carpenter's
film is blamed for the rash of slasher films that destroyed the genre
in the '80s, but "Halloween" possesses a style and intensity that most
of its copycats lack. From the opening sequence -- when we see through
the eyes of little boy Michael Myers as he stalks and murders his
sister -- onward, the film relies on suspense rather than
sensationalism. Our fear is caused by what might happen rather than
actual events, as Carpenter spends a good amount of time in darkness,
making us see things that may or may not be there.
9. "The Exorcist" (1973)
The
real terror of "The Exorcist" may not involve Satan and possession, but
the helplessness of a parent trying to save a child. Of course, a ton
of harrowing special effects and director William Friedkin's somber respect for the supernatural subject matter doesn't hurt either. It's horror for grown-ups.
10. "Eraserhead" (1977)
David Lynch's
cult classic is the closest thing to being stuck in a nightmare: Not
much makes sense, but you get the feeling that nothing is quite right.
Lynch employs dinners that walk off the plate, eerie silences that
become deafening and an infant that makes Rosemary's baby seem cute and
cuddly. So chilling it's damn near unwatchable.
Just missed: "The Shining" (1980); "Jaws" (1975); "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991); "Dead Ringers" (1988); "Seconds" (1966); "Audition" (1999)
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| Things happen for a reason.
Whoever came up with that line must have known what he/she was talking about. Let's face it. We can't control everything that happens in our lives. As much as we want to, things don't always end up the way we want them to. We may have the best of intentions but sometimes, circumstances just ruin all of our plans. As such, all we can do is just accept everything and learn from our mistakes. This past week, so many things have happened that I can't even begin to digest all of it. I don't know when but I definitely believe that the answers to my many questions will unfold in time. A big part of me is still sad and bewildered about recent events but I guess that's that for now. All I can do is smile.
Enough of that... Let me just talk a bit about our recently concluded 375th Anniversary celebration. I know I must be saying this because it's my most recent experience but it is indeed very likely that the last two weeks have been the most tiring and testing weeks of my professional life. I have never been under so much pressure to do well, to please other people and to maintain my sanity all at the same time. I didn't even have time to complain anymore because the activities were overlapping. Truth be told, I felt like a robot.  I can't even remember what happened anymore. Everything is just a blur.
The long week ended with our much a awaited Faculty Immersion to Bicol. Gosh! It was like joining Extra Challenge from the get go. The bus ride was uncomfortable as we had to fit 46 people in a 30+-seater bus.  I just have to laugh out loud thinking about it right now. It was pretty tiring but we were all troopers who found a way to entertain ourselves for the 12-hour trip. When we arrived at the place, we had to walk down a hill with our big bags. Then, we reserved slots in a classroom where we were going to sleep. Once we were done, we had to go back up the hill. It was pretty crazy because it was so steep. All we could do was laugh and take pics of our "uphill" battle.  The rain kept pouring as we waited for our ride to the relocation site. Once we got there, it was already too muddy to go around. So, all we could do was talk to the families. After that, we had our lunch and traveled back to our temporary home. We slept for a bit and then woke up to find our quarters being flooded by rain.  Some of us had to evacuate to another room. The next day was more fun as we went around some of the sites in Bicol. Still, we were worried that we could get stranded because of the floods. Thank goodness we were able to go home safe and sound... all thanks to Kuya Jutay and Kuya Arman. Hehe.
We didn't get to spend much time doing our immersion but like I said... things happen for a reason. I'm pretty proud to be part of the BED Faculty. No one ever complained and we all enjoyed just being around each other. I also got the chance to spend time and to bond with the Grade School teachers. For that alone, I'm pretty happy. I miss the craziness of it all... It was tiring but well worth it.
Up Next: Our Institutional Retreat...
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