The Time Traveler's Wife

3/5 stars

Beautiful, romantic, tear-jerker but insufficient in many ways, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” just wasn’t enough.

Henry (Bana), is a librarian with a genetic disorder that lets him travel through time. It’s an uncontrollable disorder that throws him in the past or in the future naked, and totally lost where he is. One thing though was constant in his time traveling…Claire (McAdams). Claire first met Henry in her childhood, in the meadow near her parent’s home. From then on, Claire was a recurring character in Henry’s time traveling. By chance of fate, one day, they finally met when Henry’s not time traveling, in the library where Henry is working. They soon fell in love and got married but how can their romance go on with Henry’s genetic disorder causing him to always disappear and making Claire wait till who knows when he’s coming back?

First and foremost, I wasn’t able to read the book. In a way, I’m glad I didn’t because there’s still a little satisfaction left in me to give this movie credit for an attempt to depict Audrey Niffenegger’s masterpiece into the big screen. I’d like to believe that the epic theme of Claire and Henry’s romance diminished in the movie adaptation. There are just so many untied loose ends totally disrupting the movie’s romantic element. The development of romance wasn’t executed very well thus leaving the audience in a rush to follow the character’s build-up from falling in love to “I Love You”. The story in general is a little confusing with the use of the concept of time traveling. Gladly, the idea that Henry was naked when he time travels saves the audience from further confusion. At least you know that there’s something constant and that when he’s naked in the scene, that means he’s time traveling. Direction was passable but if the director was more technical about the effects maybe he could have executed the time traveling clearer. In such a way that it doesn’t add more bizarreness to the already complex storyline. Because of the plot’s complexity, the confusion that arose from Henry’s constant travel back and forth makes the movie a little mind-boggling but nonetheless, the romantic element was still intact.

What’s very very commendable about the movie was its cinematography. Wow! I specifically loved the part when Claire and Henry’s daughter was born and to save running time while showing the years that passed, frames were interconnected to each other that simply created a delight for the eyes. As I’ve said I wasn’t able to read the book but I am not very happy about the movie’s script. In my opinion it wasn’t written very well causing flaws in the build up of romance as well as in the movie’s over-all development of tension in the plot. Also, the script lacks a lot of important dialogues that will draw the audience flow with the plot. If this movie was trying to pull off a “show! don’t tell” case, I dare say it wasn’t successful at all.

Rachel McAdams, I think is our generation’s Meg Ryan only, with better acting. She was perfect for the role of Claire and her facial expressions are admirable. I love the fact that McAdams was able to convey different emotions with just her facial expressions. She doesn’t have to be hysterical but by just looking at her, you’ll be able to feel her pain or any other variety of human emotions needed in a particular scene. Eric Bana wasn’t superb in his acting but rather okay. There were scenes that his acting was insufficient that’s why some scenes appears to be raw if we’ll talk about the emotions that should be conveyed. What I have to say about him is how HOT he is. As in OMG!!! If only for his hotness, I am so drawn to this movie. One star in my rating is actually for Eric Bana’s hotness!

In many ways, ”The Time Traveler’s Wife” is still worth the watch. I am not saying it’s superb but it’s ok. It’s confusing and mind-boggling at times but concentrate on the romantic element of the plot and surely, this movie is very much enjoyable. It’s very heartfelt and touching. I was actually super crying during the last 30 minutes of the movie. Once you get the flow of the plot, you’ll already be drawn to the character’s love story which in my opinion is true love in its truest form.

After watching “The Time Traveler’s Wife” I realized that we all wait for true love. We all dream and wish for it but sometimes love takes a lot of effort. A lot of times loving breaks all conventions that we human beings are all just bound to adjust for love. They say at one point, we all have to wait. But there’s no denying that waiting is never easy and it’ll never be easy in any situation. But I guess what the story of “The Time Traveler’s Wife” is trying to tell us is that ultimately, SPACE AND TIME IS THE TRUEST TEST FOR TRUE LOVE. And no matter what happens, no matter how long, no matter how painful, your true love will wait for you.

Marley & Me

5/5

Marley & Me is the first movie I’ve seen in the grandeur of a movie house this 2009. I went to watch it at Gateway Cineplex a week after its premiere. I am not an animal lover especially, dogs. I grew up fearing dogs; considering them as a threat that could end my life anytime. I know that Marley & Me is a story about a dog but when I saw the trailer in late December 2008, I told myself that I’m gonna watch this movie because underneath the central story of a dog, the movie hits a couple of valuable lessons that are all close to home and are inspiring in their own ways.

Based on an autobiographical book essay collection of columnist John Grogan, Marley & Me followed the life of John (Owen Wilson) from the time he and his wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) got married, the glory days of his career as a columnist, to the time they had children and moved to another state. The highs and lows of the story started when the couple isn’t ready yet to have a baby and so they adopted a dog and named him after the singer Bob Marley. Beyond the lovable features of Marley, he turned out to be the world’s worst dog. Unruly and stubborn, Marley humps to people and chews almost everything in his way. Even a trainer has given up on him. But despite this downside, the movie balances Marley’s bad behavior with candid and tender dog and human bonding moments. As the family grew, Marley learned to adjust with it too. Being a constant companion in private family moments, his presence though at times annoying became a must for John Grogan’s family. Their moments with Marley also became the most cherished moments of their lives. Years passed and with the help of the boisterous behavior of Marley, John and Jenny’s family learned some of the valuable lessons in life coupled with precious family memories they will all carry in their hearts forever.

I refuse to be technical about Marley & Me for it is good as it is. Instead, I’ll share some of the lessons I learned from the movie:

1. Sometimes, the worst characteristic of a person is what makes us love them. At times, we think we hate it, we hate them, but as we dig deeper, we’ll realize that these qualities are actually the magnet that draws us to them and makes us love them whatever their flaws are.

2. Relationships, specifically marriage entails with it responsibilities that doesn’t only require love and understanding but most importantly, commitment and dedication in the most profound sense of the words.

3. Letting go is as important as the air we breathe. Nothing is permanent in this world and as we live our lives, attachments, whether it is physical, emotional, or psychological, at one point in our life, has to say goodbye and we have to be ready for it. This doesn’t mean not allowing yourself to experience these emotions but knowing when to stop and say goodbye is the key.

4. Lost is a tool for us to be better. We’ve all experienced loss. Loss of a once magical love, loss of a loved one, loss of victory. Loss. It’s never easy and we may not understand the analogy there is but these failures that caused damage in us are nothing but instruments for us to struggle and be the best that we can be.

5. Family. We may not approve of them all the time. We may not always be in harmony with each other. But at the end of the day, we are still thankful that we all belong to one. For no matter how crazy we are, in the midst of whether stability or turmoil in our lives, they are the ones who have and will forever make us feel special and extraordinary.

Marley & Me will surely make it to everyone’s list of favorite movies for it is a movie that hits close to home. Everyone can relate to it one way or the other. It’ll not only make you laugh and cry at the same time but with its heartfelt story, it’ll surely touch everyone. THIS MOVIE IS A MUST WATCH!

21 Things I’m looking forward to do now that I’m 21

It has been a year and almost two months since my last blog post. Those 13 months (July07-August08) of my life can be best described as a total roller coaster experience. Those subscribed to my fantxt knows this. I have been up and down. I have fallen in and out of love. I have triumphed and failed. A lot has changed in my life since July of last year and I believe as time pass by, I have also evolved and matured in so many ways.

I celebrated my 21^st Birthday last Friday. Now that I’m 21, I can say that there are a lot that I want to accomplish in this lifetime. There are so many things I wanna do, I wanna change, and above all, I wanna prioritize. So as I turn another year older, I want to share with everyone THE 21 THINGS I AM HOPING TO ACCOMPLISH NOW THAT I’M 21.

1 I’m going to maintain my current physique. I would say that 2007 was my fattest year to date. I don’t know if I was just stressed out that time and I resorted in eating to cope up or I just simply want to eat. When I started writing my thesis early this year, I started losing weight also. By the time I finished my thesis, I went from 147 lbs. to my current weight now which is 130 lbs. Though it is not easy, I will continue on my diet to maintain this. It’s not easy to lose weight especially if you love to eat but if you look in the mirror and see the change, it’s all worth it!

2 I’ll indulge myself to reading. I’ve been very busy with my studies during the past 13 months that I have deprived myself of leisure reading. Last July when we moved to a new house, I’ve realized how many books I have horded already so now that I still don’t have work and I have the time to read, I’ll read them one by one. Some of the titles that I’m going to read in the coming months are: Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello, The Devil and Miss Prym, Like The Flowing River, The Zahir; The Death of an Ordinary Man (Glen Duncan); Orosa-Nakpil Malate (Louie Mar Gangcuangco); James Patterson’s Mary Mary, Honeymoon, The 5^th Horseman; Candace Bushnell’s Sex and the City; and Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ “Love in the Time of Cholera”.

3 I will now read the entire Harry Potter series before watching all the movies.

I will also read the latest craze among book readers, Stephanie Mayer’s Twilight saga. My best friend Reese said it’s a true guilty pleasure and so I’m really excited to finally meet Edward Cullen.

4 I will pay tribute to Dr. Jose Rizal by reading his two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. I have Leon Ma. Guerrero’s english translated version; I have always dreamed of reading the two novels that played a big role for the independence we have today.

5 I will watch the entire first season of Gossip Girl over a weekend DVD marathon. They say it’s sexy and totally irresistible. I can’t wait!

6 I’ll catch up with my DVD addictions, Grey’sAnatmoy (season 4), Desperate Housewives (season 4), Brothers and Sisters (season 2), Ugly Betty (I’ll watch the first season na, promise!), Prison Break (I have the complete first season already), and One Tree Hill (I have the complete first three seasons).

7 I’ll try to change my sleeping habits. My insomnia has gone from bad to worst. I now sleep at 5am or worst, 9am. I do believe that I already need medical help regarding this so now that I’m already graduating, I will seek professional help at the Medical City’s Sleeping Disorder Institute.

8 I will try my very best to drink 2 liters or more of water everyday. I love salty foods, if I can, I’ll munch on potato chips every minute but I can’t. Lately I have been having problems with my kidneys which will be taken care of next week also at Medical City.

9 I’ll try to be more giving. I am a believer of the saying to whom much is given, much is expected in return. I look around me and there are just so many people in need of help especially financially and materially. I’ll try helping to the best that I can. If I can, I’ll join a charity. Oprah’s Big Give really inspired me.

10 I”ll continue collecting jeans! I love love love maong jeans. Whenever I’m down, stressed out or I just want to feel better, I buy jeans. I don’t know how many I have at this point in time; I just know that it’s close to a hundred.

11 I’m going to write and write and write more. I’ve recently watched an Oprah episode wherein her doctor friend and show’s house doctor, Dr. Oz was guest and he said that making writing a daily habit can make your life 5 years longer since it releases stress and tension. More so, it produces healthy cells in our brain.

12 I’m going to learn how to cook. My mom loves to cook and she has been forever nagging me and my sister that it’s very important that we know how to cook. Indeed, I have realized that living in this globalized world is still not a reason for you to just leave a sumptuous meal to fast food chains or restaurants. They say that cooking is a very fulfilling hobby and so I want to try it. I know that it takes time to learn how to cook but for a person like me who helps his mom in the kitchen every Christmas eve, I’m sure it won’t be hard. This likeness to learn how to cook was awakened when my friend Jammy told me that after graduation she’s going to Singapore to study culinary. I was really inspired. And also, I realized, isn’t it a plus point for you to your future partner if you know how to cook?

13 I will try to regularly watch the live telecast of The View airing weekdays at 11pm on Sky Cable’s Velvet. I super love Barbara Walters. (I am watching it right now while doing this)

14 I’m going to catch up with my favorite talk shows on TV that I’ve been missing these past few months since I was very busy doing my thesis, moving to a new house, and finishing my internship. From Boy and Kris to The Oprah Winfrey Show to Ellen, I’ll be a talk show freak now!

15 I will watch Regine Velasquez and Lani Misalucha’s back-to-back concert at the Araneta Coliseum on February 2009 entitled, The Main Event: The Duel of the Divas.

16 I will never tire to learn and discover things. I believe that it is the pursuit of knowledge that makes every human being truly noble and the absence of this passion to learn is the signal of death.

17 I will look for a nice and decent job that pays good enough to provide for my needs and wants. Of course it has to be something I love doing.

18 I will tell the people I love how much I love them as often as I can. I want the people I value the most to feel how much I appreciate and value them. Love should be expressed as often as we can for it might be too late for you if you let a chance slip away.

19 GOODBYE ONLINE GUYS! I won’t entertain any guy who’ll message me in the World Wide Web anymore wanting to know me better and the usual getting-to-know-each-other chow chow. I’ve been there; I’ve done that and look at me now. I’m still alone. What have I got? Heartaches and yes, lessons but let it stop there. I’m done with this. Let’s just face it, internet is not the best place to find a man to have and to hold. Though it’s one of the ways, it’s just not for me. I mean this. And for the record, I DON’T HAVE AN ACCOUNT IN ANY OF THE GAY SITES IN THE WEB.

20 I will be open to falling in love, to men (not from the internet), to new lessons I’m going to learn from future relationships I’m going to enter. I will not be afraid to be hurt for it is through pain that we learn. I will welcome love in every possible way. Only now, I will TRY to be more rational about love. I will TRY my best to not always put my heart above my head.

21 I’ll be more positive towards life. I will be grateful for every day of my life. I will embrace every experience and cherish every encounter. I will apply lessons I’ve learned in the past. I will not be afraid to take risks. I will live life to the fullest. I will live my life without regrets. Life is short and I want to make the most out of it.

My first JOY list

JOY, as defined by my computer’s Encarta Dictionary is something that brings happiness: a pleasurable aspect of something, or something that is seen as a source of happiness.

Right now, I am very very busy and I have the most demanding schedule I’ll probably be having in my entire college life. There are times that I just really wanna cry to release all the pressure and stress that I’m going through. At times like this, I learned that it’s best to cling to the things that bring us happiness. For it is through these things that we could draw the strength to carry on. At this point in my life, I wanted to remind myself of all the things that brings joy to my heart and helps me relax after a hard day. Big or small, I believe that we should celebrate joy wherever, whenever, or to whoever we find it. I must agree with Kris Aquino that “focusing on what elicits joy rather than what causes sorrow really makes life so much more pleasant.”

Now, I want to share some of the things that make me happy at this point in time. Also, I want to encourage all my friends to have their own “Joy List” for it’s so much fun writing it. It will make you realize how mababaw a person you are and how blessed you are.

1. New issues of K Mag! It thrills me a lot the moment I hear that a new issue of K Mag will be out soon. And the moment I see one in a magazine stand makes my heart want to jump. I love Kris Aquino so much and it delights me to death that she has her own magazine now. No, I am not yet obsessed. It’s just that, Kris has always been my idol. Even before I became one of Regine Velasquez’s most avid, I’m a Kris Aquino fan first. If my memory serves me right, I became her fan when I was in grade 3 and since then, I have followed her career. Knowing that she has her own magazine now where she can share more of her thoughts is just so wonderful.

I got myself a copy of K Mag’s latest issue last Sunday (third day from its release). I make it a point to buy the magazine’s latest issue on the first day of its release but if I don’t have time that day, I always grab a copy as soon as I can.

2. Seeing the rain. Ironic as it may seem but I love it when it’s raining. I know studies show that rainy season causes a lot of people to get lonely making it the time when depression rate increases. But it puts a smile in my face. It feels so great that once in a while, we get a break from the really hot climate in this tropical country and experience a cold temperature. And come on?! Isn’t it great to wear and parade your jackets? Hehe. It also when it rains that I reminisce memories, both good and bad ones. And it just feels so great to go back and remember old times. Or maybe I’m just really weird…

3. Reading John Lapus’ blog. He is one of my favorite local celebrities ever. I admire his confidence and his ability to ignore his critics’ opinion. I love his “if you don’t like me, I don’t like you either” aura. Perhaps, life in this world will be more pleasurable if we will just ignore what other people are thinking about us. I read John’s blog every time he has a new entry. He updates his blog once a week. He writes it in taglish cause according to him, he’s not good in English. But mind you, he writes really well and you’ll see how a deep person he is. His blog is so refreshing! It really takes away my stresses. Haha!

4. Listening to “Pare Ko” and “Hotel California” before sleeping. Moralists won’t be happy upon reading this but I’m so sorry, they’re my lullaby. I love this two songs so much. I listen to “Pare Ko” when I am so stressed and I just wanna shout “putang ina” to all the people or things that causes my stress or my pains. I prefer Sponge Cola’s version of the song from the Ultramagnetic album. For one, I love Yael and his husky voice. And I’m so thankful that the band’s version retained the foul words unlike the other versions of the song which tamed it down a little bit. On the other hand, I listen to “Hotel California” when I want to feel relaxed, when I want to just float in the clouds and rest. The song is so hypnotizing for me.

5. Seeing my potato chips! Yes, I love potato chips and I don’t care if they’re junk. I buy my own potato chips cause my mom won’t buy me. I know that they’re bad for my kidneys but what can I do? I love salty foods and potato chips are delicious. Come on, give me a break! I don’t eat chocolates because I’m allergic to it so potato chips nalang. My chichiryas are all in my bedroom, beside the entertainment cabinet. It gives me joy to see them there when I get home from a very stressful school day.

6. Buying new books. Next to my computer, books are my best friend. I love bookstores so much! My trip to malls won’t be complete without a visit to Powerbooks or National Bookstore. Now, I have a new home when I’m waiting for my mom and my sister to finish their long hours of mall strolling, Bestsellers at Robinsons Galleria. That bookstore is so serene and all the books are arranged properly. Not to mention, they’ve got a really big area so almost all the books available here in the country are all there. The likelihood of unavailability is very thin. Not of course if the book is out of stock everywhere. Anyway, it’s not a secret to everyone that I love reading and I worship books. At times when I feel so sad and tired, I buy a book and it totally elates my heart. The last book I bought was Mitch Albom’s newest paperback, “For One More Day”. My mom paid for it and told me it’s her advance birthday gift to me. Right now, I’m saving for the coming bookstore sale this August and September. The titles I’m going to buy are: “The Devil and Miss Prym”, “Like Flowing River”, “The Witch of Portobello” all by my favorite, Paolo Coelho. Other titles I’m saving for are: “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting” by Milan Kundera, “The Death of an Ordinary Man” by Glen Duncan, “Written on the Body” by Jeanette Winterson, and “The Baker’s Apprentice” by Judith Ryan Hendricks.

BTW, my birthday is coming so some of you might want to give me one of those books as your birthday gift. Just tell me you’re giving me that title so I won’t buy it na. Hehe!

7. Enjoying a Bubble Tea. We (meaning my mom, my sister and I) are so addicted to these teas that came all the way from Japan. The Bubble Tea is a Japanese franchised restaurant that recently opened at SM Megamall. They’re menu are mostly beverages (hot and cold) but they also offer some sandwiches, pasta and rice bowls. With the name itself, you would know that the restaurant’s specialty is in teas. They’re teas come in varieties of milk teas, milk shakes, ice tea based, fresh brewed black teas, tea slush, and hot teas. What make these teas extra scrumptious are the bubbles or black sagos (similar to the sagos they put in the Zagu Pearl Shakes before) that they put on it. They’re all great but I must say that my top favorites are the Coffee Milk Shake, Taro Milk Tea, and nothing will beat the Black Sesame Milkshake for me. We enjoy these bubble teas every Sunday after attending our church’s service. What a perfect way of completing our weekends. (As of now, they only have two branches, the one at Megamall and the one at The Block)

8. Catching Oprah on TV! These days, I don’t get the chance to watch The Oprah Winfrey show as often as I want to because of my very inconsiderate class schedules. I hope Star World will be more considerate for people like me. Why not a primetime replays at 11 or 12am or perhaps a weekend marathon during midnights if they can’t accommodate it during primetime? I love talk shows so much. Today, I’m so glad to wake up with The Ellen DeGeneres show at ETC 2^nd Avenue with Christina Aguilera as her guest. It really relaxes me every time I watch talk shows and it is my dream to have my own in the future. I really feel that I was born to talk and interview people. Other talk shows that I watch are Private Conversations with Boy Abunda, Boy and Kris, Korina Today, Larry King Live, Tonight with Jay Leno, The May Lee Show, etc.

9. Coming to school early for my first class. It rarely happens so I’m glad if I’m able to wake up early, there’s no line in the fx terminal, and the mrt and lrt are not prima donnas that day.

10. Seeing Kris Aquino back on TV. It feels so great that she’s back on TV after her three months of maternity leave. I just admire this girl so much that even though I don’t like Deal or No Deal, I watch it because of her. For me, Kris is the host to beat! I want to be like Kris, I want to talk like her, dress like her, and be as influential as she is. I have high respects for this lady because of her unbelievable talent (in hosting), her intelligence, and being the controversial A-list celebrity that she is. I’m also very excited about her new show in ABS-CBN that will start running on August entitled “Weekends with Kris” every Saturday at 5pm.

11. Daily Lunch with Korina. We’ve been doing this for 2 years now and it feels so great to talk and share anything, everything under the sun with your best friend while having a sumptuous lunch at are favorite canteens/restaurants.

12. Being able to watch 2-3 episodes of Desperate Housewives. I am currently watching the series’ season 3 and it’s so much more addicting than the past two seasons. I missed Wisteria Lane so much and I’m just so glad that I have the complete third season DVD already. After Desperate Housewives, I’ll be watching Grey’s Anatomy Season 3, Ugly Betty, then go back to Sex and The City. I’m also gonna watch Brothers and Sisters, Dirt, and Heroes soon.

13. Burning my downloaded songs and videos on CD. It delights me the most when my burner does not hang up when I’m burning those.

14. Sleeping early during Fridays and Saturdays. Ever since this term started and I had to deal with this class schedule, my Friday and Saturday nights are spent sleeping. It’s an advantage for me cause I get to sleep early. I’m really not a morning person so it feels great that during weekend mornings, I get to feel how it is to eat a “matinong” breakfast and accomplish things early in the morning.

15. John Paul Abellera read my review. He’s the scriptwriter of “Paano Kita Iibigin”, the latest movie of Regine Velasquez and Piolo Pascual. It made me very very happy when he was able to read my review of the movie in my livejournal. He also left a thank you comment that flattered me big time. It’s the scriptwriter himself! I’m so glad!!!

My Latest Reads!

Here are two of my latest reads this month. The cover of the books I've used in this entry are my own. I personally scanned them cause in my opinion they are very gorgeous!


Veronika Decides To Die by Paulo Coelho

I read this book for just two nights! It's very enthralling! I've always found Paulo Coelho books as a one-sitting-read; and this particular book is not an exeption. This is about a 24 year old girl who took sleeping pills to end her routine but very promising life. She felt like there is nothing special about this life for her to still continue living. Eventually, when she grew old, she'll lose her youth and will only be battling with a disease as she comes closer to death. But she failed to end her life and instead woke up in a mental hospital and found herself as a guinea pig of a Doctor who's experimenting on the genuine cause of a person's insanity.

I started reading Coelho books last year when i was so infatuated with this 'lit-guy' and "By The River Piedra I sat Down And Wept" happens to be his favorite book. And so, I read; feeling so kilig thinking about him!
Some of my favorite Paulo Coelho books are: "The Alchemist", "By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept", and of course (my favorite book)"Eleven Minutes".



The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I feel so exuberant to be able to have the limited edition cover of this novel. I bought the book 2 years ago at Powerbooks Megamall during the hype of the theatrical showing of the novel's movie adaptation. I always opt for these promotional covers instead of the usuall book covers (paintings and pictures). My copy of "A Walk To Remember" is also donning the movie poster of its adaptation.

Sparks' debut novel, "The Notebook" is the love story to beat! It doesn't have the kilig-kilig factor that other books have but sure it will make you daydream and wish for a similar love story on your diaries.

Noah Colhaun and Allie Nelson's love story is the best. I've read numerous romance books and nothing can compare to this beautifully crafted story. It'll lead every reader to wonder if a love story like the one portrayed in the book is still possible nowadays. Well, never lose hope! I mean it's fiction but I know for a fact that there are still couples today who can still be compared to Noah and Allie.