(May contain spoilers)
Watched Wanted today. It was cold inside the cinema (or maybe I was just chilling from the rainy condition outside and I just had a cold drink). Good thing I had the sense to buy a cup of steaming coffee from Burger King. The coffee is more than OK, by the way. I was glad that the line at Starbucks was so long; it saved me almost half the price of coffee.
Anyway, back to the movie. I must say it’s one worth watching at the cinemas just for the fun of it. Because it was cool, wicked fun, and I’m not one who usually line up for action flicks. I’m not sure if it’s fair for me to say that the movie has no substance whatsoever. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed being inside Glorietta Cinema 3 (which I’ll again promote for being one of the best cinemas out there; I paid P160 at MoA when I watched Kung Fu Panda and the extra P10 for this THX cinema was so well worth it for the immense difference in overall viewing experience) for the duration of the film, although a few hours after watching, there’s nothing much to look back and get excited about anymore. Wanted is all action; it’s about the adrenaline rush, the Matrix-like scenarios, the impossible stunts; it’s about guns and knives, fast cars and trains; it’s about people beating each other up and killing in cold blood; it’s about Angelina Jolie. I do like James McAvoy (loved him in Becoming Jane, liked him in Atonement) and he was a good fit for the character Wesley. Morgan Freeman is, well, Morgan Freeman. But it is Angelina Jolie who lights up the screen. She gives us another kick-ass heroine that is as believable as the choreographed fight scenes. But no matter how underdeveloped the character is (which doesn’t really matter because of the film’s very simple plot), you’ll pine for her. I swear I heard more than a few swoons when in one scene, the camera pans to Fox (Jolie) giving out an amused, condescending smile, head tilted and body all poised and confident. Team Aniston must be weeping when they saw that. It is a testament to Jolie’s star power that in this film where anybody can die as fast as you can swat a fly, Fox cannot be killed, unless it’s by her own hands. I think people don’t really expect substance from this movie. But if you’re expecting to see a bare-back Angelina Jolie, you won’t leave the movie house disappointed.
When Justine Henin retired barely a month ago, I was sad that I no longer have someone to follow in women’s tennis. Sharapova brings out both the fan and the hater in me, so I’m counting her out. Her little-known opponent in the second round apparently played the best tennis of her career to take out the 2004 champion because she doesn’t like Maria’s tuxedo-inspired outfit. Unless she does a Marion Bartoli (last year’s surprise finalist who was also beaten in the 3rd round, incidentally), I don’t have to mention her name here yet (I’m too lazy to check; I can’t even pronounce it when I read it earlier).
So Ana Ivanovic won Roland Garros and is the current world no. 1. She passed the first-round test with flying colors and the second round with tons of luck (the net cord saved her from her opponent’s matchpoint); third round, her luck, and gas, ran out. I felt a little worse for Ana so I guess I like her a little better than Sharpie. If one of the Williams will win this, let it be Venus. Let it be Venus, pretty please.
So long as we’re talking about women players, here’s something that not only raise gender issues but question common courtesies as well. Justin Gimelstob, a former player I never saw play, called Anna Kournikova "a bitch", among other things, and threatened to physically harm her when they play against each other in a doubles exhibition. As if that isn’t enough, he also launched a sexist tirade against current women players in an hour long radio show. Well, he did apologize publicly after. That doesn’t make his comments any more excusable.
I felt that there must be something amiss when I asked my seatmate at work, out of the blue, if there’s such a word as "worser" (worse, worser, worsest). She didn’t even bother to laugh. Well, at first. She told me to go home already. But I was still following Wimbledon scores online then and didn’t expect that the worst thing can happen to Novak Djokovic’s Wimbly campaign - he crashed out of the tournament, by the second round, in straight sets.
You won, Marat! (Toink!)
Copyright Getty Images/R. Pierse
Well, Marat Safin is a Grand Slam champion and a former number one, but nobody probably expected that result. The online updates said that Nole was having all sorts of problems from the onset and wasn’t playing like the world no. 3. So much for the hyped Federer-Djokovic semifinal meeting.
Another sign that I should’ve stopped working by that time was when I turned to my seatmate again (poor Miss N) and asked if she’ll call Jonas Bjorkman a "Swedish person" instead of a Swede.
Going back to the Serbs, Ana Ivanovic, the women’s top seed and world no. 1, barely escaped the fate of her compatriot. She won her secound round match against Nathalie Dechy of France 6-7, 7-6, 10-8. Ivanovic is also known for her blast serves. Shouldn’t she be called Serbish? Hee heh. Worry not; I’m already home.
Teamwork? Who ever made a fortune by teamwork? There’s only one way to make a fortune, and that’s to down the fellow who’s up against you." - M. Somerset Maugham from Cosmopolitans
Finding this quote couldn’t have come in a better time. I walked up to my cramped and crowded space in the office this morning and there I found on top of my keyboard a sort of a memo that instructs me to attend a seminar/training on Monday dubbed "Making Teamwork Work."
Suppressing a smirk, I pinned the paper somewhere within my field of vision so I won’t forget. Reminding myself to be thankful for having a reason to go to work hours earlier than I’m accustomed to, which will give me time to play badminton by night, I braced myself for the thought of eight excruciating hours I’d rather spend … wait, I’m actually bored of editing articles, or checking somebody else’s edits, day after day anyway. OK now I’m prepped! Time to practice my poker face.
Which brings me back to the above quote, which is actually a passage about poker. A game where you don’t need teamwork to win, because here "your hand is against every man’s, and every man’s is against yours." I stumbled upon that while surfing about Texas Holdem poker online. Texas, what? Apparently, it’s a variant of poker that is being played as tournaments worldwide. Texas Holdem online is the virtual version of that. Not that I’m saying that if I won’t show up on Monday in the training room, I’ll be home playing online Texas Holdem.
In case you noticed, I’m posting a number of advertisements in this site for the past few days. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get some more gigs in the coming days. That’s because I’m trying to save up some cash for these:
I actually planned to watch Cinderella only, but continually browsing through Ticketworld to check if the tickets are still within “Excellent” availability, I got wind of Alicia Keys’ (I watched her first concert at Araneta and had a blast!) return to Manila and then researching for details brought us to Lifehouse’s concert, also this July. I’m still deciding which tickets to buy. Free seating might be a real hassle but reserved seats for A. Keys and Lifehouse are quite pricey. Check out Ticketnet and Ticketworld for details.
Here’s one for U.S. residents. In a place where having your own car is a necessity more than a luxury, having a car insurance is also a must. Imagine the headache and the costs of having to mind and pay for repairs whenever you run into road mishaps. In the U.S. especially, having car insurance is compulsory before being allowed to drive in public roads. Penalties vary by state but often involve fine, registration suspension or revocation, or even possible jail time. But where to find cheap car insurance? Maczoop just might be the site for you. For every thing you need to know about getting an auto insurance policy, their site is making all the details available for you. Resources are just a click away; in order to get a quote, all you have to do is to enter the zip code where your vehicle(s) is/are located. You can apply online with no obligation to buy. The site also provides insurance rates comparisons and matches you up with insurance agents in your area.
For his Wimbledon gear, world no.1 Roger Federer is again sporting the classic look, this time trading the blazer with a cardigan.
Times Online photo
Earlier this week in the practice courts, he’s been making a statement, too, by wearing this shirt (it reads: “Pain Is Only Temporary. Victory Is Forever”)
AFP photo
Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova reportedly will wear “man shorts” and shirt in place of her usual body-hugging tennis dresses. Her full suit deserves a look. You can see it here.
If you think processed foods are only for humans … Actually, I’m not really sure why anybody would think that. Those who will get to read this have most possibly seen pet foods in stores one time or another.
I was watching a recent episode of Desperate Housewives and couldn’t help but chuckle on the scene where Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) mixed dog food in the supposed “beef stew” she was preparing for her (again) husband Carlos Solis. Carlos didn’t make it clear that his loss of vision is permanent before they took their vows, again, so the girl had some bone to pick with him. This scene is also reminiscent of a similar situation in the movie (and book) The Prince of Tides, where the wife, pushed to the limit by her abusive husband, cooked a can of Alpo and served it in the dining table. That shouldn’t have been funny, but for the recipients who are generally unsympathetic characters, it was hard not to find something to smile about their situation. Well, I guess, it’s not really harmful. Who knows, those might be some kind of holistic pet foods that are actually nutritionally sound. I might have to ask a vet to confirm that though. No one will find that thought comforting, I’m sure. No matter how much of a dog lover you are, you wouldn’t share your dog’s meal even if was labeled as holistic dog food. And you may love your feline companion so much as you call him/her your “baby,” but you won’t dare have a taste of the most holistic cat food you can get your hands on. There’s a reason why they’re called “pet foods.”
On our way to Tagaytay to attend a friend’s wedding, we passed by several vacation houses overlooking Taal Volcano. A friend who’s seating beside me in our rented van bemused how great it would be to build a house there – great view, great weather, far away from pollution in the city. Of course, you’ll also miss the busy night life, the malls, and all the hustle and bustle, but that’s kind of the point, right?
The last time I visited an aunt, she asked me why I keep on renting apartment spaces when I could start investing on a house of my own. Well, I’m not going to start to explain my pathetic excuse and my actual inability to do just that, but that got me into thinking that someday, I might have to consider it – by getting a home loan or something. Now, home loans may not be the perfect way to do it but for those of us who are not lying on our backs in money, home loans may be the only option if we want to get a house of our own. Of course, the location is a matter of utmost importance. Would I want a condo unit? I used to dream of that but now I’m not so sure. As I get older and as I am wasting away my time here in the city, I’m starting to really miss the rural life and how I used to plan to live in Los Banos, Laguna, within the U.P. campus there, forever (or at least through my lifetime). Only time will tell. I can keep on dreaming for now.
Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic were named top seeds at Wimbledon, which starts this Monday (June 23). RFed may be feeling the heat, in the shadow of his crushing loss at Roland Garros just two weeks ago. The man who beat him, Nadal, meanwhile won his first title on grass by beating Novak Djokovic at the Stella Artois tournament last Sunday. Roger is still undefeated on grass, extending his streak to 59 matches, but Rafa’s continued dominance and the grass-court adaptation of his game are giving way to speculations that TheFed will not make it to six (he won the title from 2003 to 2007).
The Djoker, on the other hand, is continuing to proclaim that he just might end Federer’s reign as champion. Apparently, he will have his chance as he is drawn to Federer’s half of the draw. Their potential semifinal meeting will, perhaps, answer the question as to how Djokovic’s game is measured against Federer these days.
Much as I appreciate Rafa and his humble ways (and he’s really quite charming, too, I admit), I really can’t agree that he’ll win the title this time, after two years of trying in the finals. That’s almost blasphemous for a self-confessed Federer fan. It’s like me admitting that Monica Seles’ mid-90s absence is a huge stain in Steffi Graf’s records. I.Just.Don’t.Think.So.
