Steve Berry Live Chat at BookTrib on 7/1

I received an invite for a Live Chat with Steve Berry over at BookTrib. This is about his latest book, The King's Deception. We don't have this book yet, but sooner or later we will. :)

About the book:

New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Steve Berry returns with THE KING’S DECEPTION another Cotton Malone thrill ride, which takes readers to the heart of England, uncovering a secret that threatens to rock Great Britain to its royal foundations.

When Cotton Malone’s 15-year-old son, Gary, is kidnapped in London, Malone stumbles into a high-stakes diplomatic showdown—an international incident fueled by geopolitical gamesmanship and shocking Tudor secrets. At its heart is the Libyan terrorist convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103, who is set to be released by Scottish authorities for “humanitarian reasons.” An outraged American government objects, but nothing can persuade the British to intervene. Nothing except, perhaps, Operation King’s Deception—a CIA operation that aims to solve a centuries-old mystery that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire 45-year reign of Elizabeth I. With assassins, traitors, spies, and dangerous disciples of a secret society closing in, Malone is caught in a lethal bind. To save Gary he must play one treacherous player against another—and only by uncovering the incredible truth can he hope to prevent the shattering consequences of the King’s Deception.

Man of Steel (2013)

Henry Cavill aka Clark Kent aka the Man of Steel. SuperMan.

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a480823/man-of-steel-henry-cavills-superman-tests-limits-in-new-tv-spot.html

I am so thrilled to have met you. You are my superhero! Haha. Ang pogi mo!
Thanks to NuffnangPH and WacoalPH, I got to see Man of Steel on opening night, at the Newport Mall Cinemas. 

There are probably very few people who are not familiar with Superman's story, but this year's movie took the time to allow us to get up close and personal as he struggled to get to know and accept himself.

Having been directed by Christopher Nolan, also famous for his Dark Knight trilogy, Man of Steel has quite the same dark feel (albeit not so dark) but only in the sense that you knew you were seeing the story unfold. Some scenes were dragging, and the boyfriend actually dozed off, but I didn't mind. 

I also liked their depiction of the events in Krypton that led to the babe Khalel's journey to Earth. I never really paid attention to that part of his story before.  There were very touching scenes with the Kents too - at school when Clark could barely concentrate and he learns to focus on his mother's voice; the struggle of holding back when bullies went after him; and, the death of Jonathan Kent and Clark being helpless because people were watching.

Amy Adams also makes a spunky Lois Lane. Even before Superman comes into the open, she launches into an investigation of the mystery man who goes around saving lives. She finds the secret identity even before the public one is revealed but she chose to keep it secret. I was waiting for a Men in Black type of trick that would wipe off her memory of who the real Superman is, but it never happened. There was a scene like that in one of the Christopher Reeve movies right?

Watching the film got me interested in reading the comics. I know there's more than one story line now, so DC fans out there - do you have any recommendation for where to start?

Anyway, if you have yet to see this film, go out and watch it. It's over two hours, but well worth the time if you're a fan. :)

NBS: Project Aral 2013

National Bookstore is again running it's Project Aral to provide much-needed school supplies to children who need them. Although there are minimal fees in public schools, the things that a student needs are not all free.

Your 25 pesos can purchase a kit containing the following:

1. 2 notebooks
2. 1 pencil, and
3. 1 sharpener or 1 eraser

Sacrifice your Magnum treat and get two kits. Or better yet, set aside one night's Starbucks frappe and get four or five kits. 

We first supported NBS Project Aral 2 back in 2009. I haven't kept track how many times we've done it since, but we'll be sure to check in to an NBS branch soon to do it again. You won't get to bring home any of the kits, but you'll get to sign it and drop it in the marked donation boxes. 

It would probably be nice if NBS sets up a page where we can all see where the kits end up in, or a list of schools they support. I checked the bookstore's official website but didn't find any. Perhaps they'll post something on their Facebook page once distribution has been done.

If you've got money to spare for a pair of Ray Ban aviator shades, then surely you can afford to give this gift too. :)

Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

What do you do when you get free passes for Fast6? Well of course, you sit tight, and enjoy the movie. That's what we did.

Source: http://www.hdwallpapers.in/fast_and_furious_6-wallpapers.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlike our experience at the Oz screening, we got to Shangri-la mall that Friday night with plenty of time to spare. Still, we found we had very few choices for seats, and ended up at the top-most row (row M). It seemed like there was a one-hour wait time before the doors opened to let us in, we spent it sampling the free finger food and cookie nibblers we bought at the Mrs. Fields kiosk. I was very tempted to swing by Starbucks for coffee, but I kept telling myself the cookies were an indulgence already, enough for the night (it's considered a treat for two reasons: the cost, and the caloric content).

I really enjoyed the movie. Someday I hope to drive so fast and drift, even if in a controlled environment. I like how it sounds and I can imagine the exhilaration. I drive an A/T car so I don't really need to switch gears unless I'm going up/down a mountain or something, and I only need one foot on one pedal at any given time, so I feel like the driving experience is lacking for me. Know what I mean? Someday, I'll learn to drive stick, and try to race. If I had a bucket list, that would be on it.   

So in the sixth installment to the Fast and Furious movie franchise, Letty re-emerges. For fans who saw Fast5 already knew that much. But she was believed to be dead, so this film sought to explain how she came to be alive, and what her involvement is with a big-time criminal organization that Hobbs was after. 

One call from Dom and the crew reassembles. No one hesitates, everyone signs up to go get Letty back. In exchange, they get full pardons so they can finally come home. Alfred and I kept on wondering, who's going to die next? Someone's got to die. I really hoped there wouldn't be any fatalities, but I won't spoil the film for you and let you find out who dies. 

The opening scene itself was already exciting, with Dom and Bryan racing like old times. We also see Mia give birth to their baby. Sweet. They seemed to already be living a quiet and happy life in Spain, with their own big houses and fast cars. But they longed for home. 

I thought Mia looked quite anorexic. She's way too skinny and she was way lovelier when she was younger. But that's just me. Letty, on the other hand, is more beautiful than ever. She still looks quite feisty, but a lot sexier too. 

Expect to laugh at Roman's antics. He still is a loud mouth and a glutton. Gisele and Han are still together, and were really pretty tight. I love them as a couple. Would you ever have imagined Han being cheesy? Ha!

The crew did a lot of stunts here, and not just while driving. This is the film where they tried to fly! 

Source: http://blog.beliefnet.com/moviemom/2013/05/fast-furious-6.html

Okay so they didn't really fly. But doesn't look as if Roman is flying off to Bryan's car! He came from the white car which was already being run over by the tank. And if that wasn't enough, Dom does a heroic save of Letty who gets thrown off the same tank. I can't describe it and can't find a photo right now, but it was so amazing. Letty asked him later on how he knew there was going to be another car to break their fall. Dom says he didn't, and that some things you leave to faith. Isn't that true for so many things? Many times in our lives we are presented with choices and we don't always know how things will end up, but we take the risk anyway. 

During the movie we talked about how the previous films lead up to this one and we  originally decided that Tokyo Drift had no connection to the succeeding films. Neither Dom nor Bryan played a role there (except for Dom's cameo at the end). But by the end of the film, we changed our minds. That same ending scene, also gives us a preview of what to expect for the next movie: Shaw's brother will avenge his death. 

If you haven't seen this movie yet, brush up on movies 1-5 first, and then go see it. I wish I did.

Much thanks again to Nuffnang and Kettle Korn for the free movie passes. :)

Free Passes for Fast6!

As if getting free passes to a one good movie this year was not enough, we get to see another movie for free on Friday, yay!

Thank you so much to Kettle Korn and NuffnangPH for making this possible. :)

If you don't believe me, check out the announcement at the Nuffnang blog, my name is definitely there. Haha. :) I am taking the boyfriend of course, I will need his strong arms for balance and getting up and down stairs (I sure hope there aren't any). This will be the first time I'll go to a movie house since the operation. Hope all goes well for me. Hah!

We will have to go there earlier than we did for Oz, so we can have better seats. Does anyone have a recommendation for a dinner place at Shangrila Mall?

Are there any BC Bloggers going? Don't be a stranger!

 

Brave (2012)

Merida is officially my favorite Disney Princess. She goes right up on that list next to Rapunzel. :)

Source: http://www.wallpaperdev.com/wallpaper/1280x720/brave-movie-hd-wallpaper-41224.html

Merida is a young Scottish princess who would rather have adventures than spend her time  learning to be a prim and proper lady. Most of her time are spent on boring lessons, mostly from her Queen mother. What she looks forward to the most are those days when doesn't need to be a princess. When that day comes, she gets on her horse and takes her bow and arrow and rides out until it's time for dinner.

On those days where she gets to enjoy, you can just see the difference in her. Her red curls seem more curlier, and her face lights up. She takes pride in what she can do out there, relishes the freedom. 

But her Queen Mother,Elinor, has other plans for the brave princess. The other clans of their kingdom have been invited to send their sons to compete for Merida's hand in marriage. The idea is repulsive to the young princess, but what can she do? While she ponders this out in the woods, she sees mythical will o' the wisps. These are blue-white flickering orbs that are said to lead travelers astray - to their fate, good or bad. Merida follows them, and sees a way to change her fate.

With respect to readers who may have yet to see the film, I'll stop narrating what happens next. So on to my thoughts, shall we?

Certainly, Merida isn't the first young woman to ever wonder about seizing her own destiny, and changing her fate. However, there would be a lot more girls wishing they were princess, and I imagine fewer princesses wanting to be just normal girls. I could be wrong though, I do not after all have their life. 

But resisting a betrothal with a young man she hardly knows is just one way that Merida shows spirit. For me, that wasn't even the focal point. She differentiates herself from other Disney princesses because she has a wildness in her. She has her own weapon, and knows how to use it expertly. She rides a horse really well too. 

And when she realized her mistake, she was willing to make amends, and to do all that it took to make things right. A lot of young people do wrong by their parents, but not everyone owns up to it to even say sorry. Merida more than just said sorry. She stood by her Mum and didn't leave her side in her time of need.

Source: http://www.wallm.com/brave-movie-stills-3d-desktop/

She has three little rascals for brothers and they were so cute as little bears too! Haha. It was a bit of a wonder why they were more free than her but then I realized it was because Merida was first-born. I guess in her culture, heir to the throne didn't need to be male, but the eldest child no matter the gender.  

I wonder what happens in her future. Who will come back to win her heart? Will it even be from among the boys of the clans? No matter though, Merida is in for a life of adventure. 

Kettle Korn: Poppin’ Fun All The Time!

If I were to star in my own movie, I would star in Taken 3 (no, I have not seen Taken 2). I was a full-pledged NGO worker against child trafficking once so I'd like the theme of the movie to be a crack down on human trafficking syndicates.

Source: http://1001moviequotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/0016-taken.html

In the movie, Liam Neeson becomes part of an International NGO fighting trafficking. I would be the fearless but humble advocate that works with him. Haha. 

But I won't be doing action scenes. I'd just be coordinating stuff at the office, and maybe meeting with victim/survivors and their families. Kinda like a social worker. 

And of course, in this movie, we would rescue Filipino women and children trafficked to Malaysia (for example) and put the perpetrators in jail. 

Source: http://www.movie-cine.com/fama/

Or maybe I'd star in another Fame redo. I'd be too old to be a student, so I'll settle to be the teacher who could have been the star, but didn't go out and get it when she had the chance. Haha! Well this is just for me to live out my artsy fantasies. I used to think I could really be a good performer. I loved the stage. 

Imagining yourself as a movie star can be fun. I'm sure it's hardwork too, but apart from the money, it's really the opportunity to portray different roles that draws me to wondering about having such a lifestyle. :)

But since I'm not a movie star, I'd just continue enjoying matching movies while munching on popcorn. Popcorn can be a healthy snack, and not having additives makes Kettle Korn Poppin' Fun All the time :)