First thing’s first: Carrie’s Mac is still very much present. It’s the exact same pre-unibody Macbook Pro that she had in Sex and the City: The Movie, so I’m a happy camper. Not only that, Charlotte’s iPhone figured quite prominently throughout the movie, too. The only HPs I spotted on the movie were Samantha’s, and none of them got enough screen time to offend this Apple fan girl, so, no, I didn’t spontaneously combust with rage or anything like that.

There were so many things that I loved about the movie (and I’m not talking about the clothes because that already goes without saying), but what I probably loved most were – to name just a few – Charlotte’s bra-less nanny angle; the delightfully gay choir at the wedding (whose, you’ll have to see for yourself); Miranda’s huge career leap; the hormone and testosterone booster-filled Samantha’s Lawrence of My Labia joke; Aidan; the attempt to encourage – or at least, imply – women empowerment in the Middle East; and Carrie and Big’s Mr. and Mrs. Married dilemma.

The last one hits particularly close to home as I am deathly afraid that The Husband and I will turn into an old, boring married couple before we know it because really, it does get to be a bit of a chore to get off the couch and leave the house sometimes. Not only that, I love how Carrie and Big have zero plans of having children because – guess what? – so do we! And it annoys us to death when people start tutting about it – but that’s another story.

Anyhow, it always feels good to relate to Carrie, and this time around is no exception. And how Mr. Big-like is The Husband, whose very existence seems to revolve around his TV (apart from me, of course)? But mind you, there will be no gallivanting with an ‘Aidan’ for me because all my ex’s are much too icky for words. I’m perfectly happy with my Mr. Big, scary attachment to the TV notwithstanding.

Of course, it wasn’t a perfect movie. There were some off moments, but very, very few, in my opinion. And the girls, although older, still look incredibly fabulous – probably even better than most women my age. The whole Middle East thing didn’t quite work for me, however, because I really do not care for that part of the world and its inhabitants very much (let’s leave it at that). I still would’ve preferred more of New York, especially more of Carrie and Big’s fabulous new apartment. But it was still a hell of a lot of fun, and I really cannot wait to see it again! I plan on seeing it a couple more times at the cinema, and of course, buying the Blu-ray the moment it comes out. It would be fantastic to see it uncut; I’m quite annoyed at how the movie has been clearly butchered to give it an R-13 rating. Shame on you, MTRCB.

I don’t know if they’ll ever make a third Sex and the City movie, and I think even they don’t know, either. If they do, I will be ecstatic. I will be right there, front and center on the very first day of screening to see my girls again. If they don’t, it’s okay, too. I will be content to imagine that Carrie and the girls all lived happily ever after. That we all will.

Now, Carrie has always had a Mac. From the PowerBook to the iBook G3 Clamshell to the Macbook Pro – you name it, she’s had it. Because of that, I’ve always associated Macs as a ‘writer thing’, and I have drooled and fantasized about owning one since, thinking that it’s going to make a better writer out of me, or at least, inspire me enough to write more. The moment I could afford it, I got my first Mac, with the second – and current – one hard on its heels. And true enough, the switch did inspire me to write more and write better, probably because I no longer had to suffer the constant headaches that my PCs and netbooks of old used to plague me with.

But I digress. I guess what I’m trying to say is Carrie’s Mac, whatever model it may be, is a freakin’ Sex and the City institution. It’s a character in its own right, and replacing it with an inferior HP – or any other brand, for that matter – is nothing short of sacrilege. Really, this isn’t just the Apple fan girl in me speaking; this is me being a Sex and the City fan girl. And I’m sure there are plenty of other Sex and the City fans out there – Mac users or otherwise – that feel the same way as I do about the switch (or downgrade, the way I see it).

I wonder how much HP paid to get their product placement in? Well, whatever ridiculous figure it might be, they are surely getting their money’s worth, even with the new advertisement alone, featuring not only Sarah Jessica Parker, but also the aptly named HP Envy, the so-called Macbook Pro clone. Capitalism has no shame, indeed. I must admit (albeit grudgingly), however, that it (the advert, not the laptop) does look really good, from its general concept, down to the lighting.

Still, this will not, in any way, stop me from being at the cinema bright and early on opening day to watch my favorite girls and their latest shenanigans. I can barely sit still from all the excitement! I’m loving the whole Middle Eastern angle and the return of Aidan and the idea of Samantha on a camel, to name just a few. With that sort of entertainment to look forward to, I guess I can forgive this, umm, desecration.

But then, I probably would forgive Sex and the City anything, truth be told.

]]> http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/21/sacrilege/feed/ 1 http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/19/summer-of-2010/ http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/19/summer-of-2010/#comments Wed, 19 May 2010 15:55:52 +0000 Iris http://goddess-i-am.com/2010/05/19/summer-of-2010/

I’ve always loved summer. I love its promise of beaches and cloudless skies and sun-kissed days. All the summers of my life have always been fun and full of promise, so it’s no wonder why I never want it to end. Usually.

Well, except for this summer, that is.

The few fabulous trips we’ve taken notwithstanding, I think the only thing I’ve managed to do the past couple of months or so is soak in my own sweat all day and all night. It’s the dripping kind, too. In fact, I’ve been sweating so much that I didn’t even know that I – or anyone, for that matter – could be capable of sweating as much as this. Frequent showers, baby powder, and even air-conditioning do not seem to be helping at all. So all I can do is soak, sweat, and soak some more in this wretched heat.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, there seems to be no end in sight for the oh-so vile power outages that seem to be occurring more and more often now. Every day, like clockwork, usually between 9 AM and 1 PM, I find myself cursing VECO to the heavens. Seriously, why do they always turn off the damned power when the sun is at its hottest? And why is the company so backwards that it can’t see the benefits of weatherization training for its employees?

Strangely enough, The Husband (he who has been used to snow and ice and the awful cold of London) is faring a lot better than I am – and I’ve lived in the tropics forever. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s actually enjoying it. But then, life’s not fair that way.

Really, it’s hellish, this summer. And for once, I would be very glad when it’s over. Here’s hoping it won’t decide to extend its stay this year. I’ve had enough. Really.

In the Philippines, grown men act like animals and pee on walls and rocks and anything that stands still long enough, people who have no income to speak of breed like mice, teenagers wear unsightly hip hop clothing, and Erap gets to run for President again and almost wins.

Do you feel as hopeless as I do sometimes?

Practically all my life, I’ve never been political. I could never be bothered to care who was running what and when. Politics – especially Philippine politics – is so messy, dirty, and downright exhausting that it’s hard to keep up, so I never really bothered.

Until now.

I look around at the mess that is my country, and it’s impossible and undeniably selfish not to care. Now, more than ever, we need good, sound, well-grounded leadership, and I believe with every fiber of my being that there’s only one man for the job. That is Gilberto Teodoro, Jr.

I could list a thousand reasons why G1BO deserves to be the next President of The Philippines, but I think I’ve done and said enough on Facebook and Twitter for the past couple of months or so. And at this point, a mere hours before polling officially starts, I don’t think it will make much of a difference.

All I want to say right now – and pardon me for the rather worn-out cliché – is VOTE WISELY! Whatever does that mean these days?

I say it’s looking beyond your personal circumstances and thinking about what this nation needs as a whole. (And really, I’m not talking about how half the population now needs the best fat burners. This country’s needs are a lot more serious than that.)

I say it’s casting aside ridiculous emotions, and recognizing the ones who are deliberately preying on those emotions for no other reason than these are the only aces up their sleeves, the only thing that they can exploit to further their ambitions because they’ve got no skill and no accomplishments to speak of.

Finally, I say it’s voting for someone you truly and steadfastly believe in for the right reasons.

Tonight, I will say a little prayer for My President, My Country, and My People.

We’re being given another chance to do things right. Let us all take it.

Day Three

The night before, we made arrangements for a van to take us back to Legazpi City where we had to catch the 14:40 flight back to Cebu, and since we didn’t have to leave until about 11AM, we decided to sleep in. The Husband woke me up with a shower of birthday kisses and greetings – definitely one of my favorite ways to wake up. We were hoping to wake up early enough to get breakfast, but unfortunately, we got up later than expected. We were sharing the van with 3 others, so we really couldn’t dilly-dally.

Our companions – Fiona and Jade (a couple from Australia) and Rod (also from Australia, I believe) – were quite the fun bunch. We’ve seen them around the resort the whole time we were there, but we never spoke to each other until then. We exchanged stories about our Donsol experiences, and as it turned out, they went out for another morning of butanding interaction just that morning. Now why didn’t we think of that? The Husband and I were pretty bummed about that, especially when they told us they saw nine – nine! - sharks that fine, clear morning. Oh, well. I’d be sourgraping a bit when I say that I needed the extra sleep anyway, but I’ll let the puffy eyes that not even the best under eye cream can sort out speak for themselves.

But I digress. Like us, they haven’t seen Mt. Mayon yet, so I asked the driver to stop someplace where we could get a decent view of the mountain. He stopped somewhere on the highway, but unfortunately, half of the mountain was still behind a thick cloud. But at least we managed to see most of the base this time.

Since we still had nearly two hours to kill before our flight, The Husband and I asked the van driver to drop us off at McDonald’s so we can get some food. After all, one should not be starving on one’s 28th birthday. He dropped us off at a mall in the middle of Legazpi City, and he told us we could easily take a tricycle back to the airport. After 2 days of eating mediocre food in Donsol, I was craving for Chicken McNuggets big time (weird, I know), so that’s exactly what I had.

We walked around the mall for a little bit afterwards. It was like a slightly smaller SM, and it had a Metro Gaisano. The Husband left me outside National Bookstore while he bought me a birthday card. My birthday presents were waiting for me at home, but he just had to get me a card, too, because he can be romantic like that. While waiting, I asked the security guard how much a tricycle ride to the airport would cost us, and he said it was about P50. I automatically assumed that it was P50 per person. When I asked the tricycle driver, however, he told me it was P50 for the whole ride. Wo-ow. He had every opportunity to overcharge us, but he didn’t. Yes, there are still some honest people in the Philippines.

We saw a bit of Legazpi City on the way back, and it was such a lovely place that I couldn’t help but wish we were staying longer. Methinks we’ll be staying in Legazpi longer the next time, and maybe even go on a trek to Mayon. It reminded me a lot of Cebu City when I was younger, back when it was nicer, cleaner, and less crowded.

We made it to the airport in record time. Checking in was a breeze, too, and I loved the no-nonsense staff. Why, they even let me in with my bottled water! Practically all the airports I’ve been in always made a fuss about that, so that was a tad shocking.

We had to wait a while for our flight, but we didn’t really mind because we were sitting in what is officially the most scenic airport in the country. We were literally facing the Mayon Volcano, which was only about 12 kilometers away. While waiting, The Husband sort of kept watch near the windows, waiting for the clouds to clear up enough to get a good photograph of the mountain.

Luckily, it did at some point, and we were able to get some good photos. Why, we even saw the smoke pouring out of the crater! That was really, really cool.

Before we knew it, we had to board our plane back to Cebu, and it was officially the end of what is – without a doubt – one of our best holidays ever! We’re already planning our next trip back. ☺

Here’s a rundown of how much the entire trip cost (for two people):

Rountrip flights (Cebu-Legazpi-Cebu) via Cebu Pacific – P2,821.21 (seat sale, baby!)

2 nights at Amor Farm Beach Resort – P3,600 (P1,800 per night for a standard air-conditioned room with hot and cold shower)

Private Van to and from Donsol – P1,200 (P300 each on a van shared by 5 people, one way; it’s about P60 per person on a passenger van)

Registration fee for butanding interaction – P400 (P100 for Filipino, P300 for foreign nationals)

Butanding Interaction – P1,167 (P3,500 divided by 6 people)

Firefly River Cruise – P500 (P1,250 divided by 5 people)

Meals – about P2,000 (for the whole trip)

Tricycle ride to airport from a mall in Legazpi City – P50

Airport Terminal Fees – P460 (P200 per person in Mactan Cebu International Airport; P30 per person in Legazpi City Airport)

Souvenirs – P300

The total? A little less than P12,500, or nearly US$280. Not a bad price to pay for an awesome life experience, eh?

More photos of the trip can be found on Flickr.

Let me clarify. I found Rome entertaining enough. I loved how the show and its characters looked, how they sounded, the costumes, the language, the set, almost everything – except for the fact that the writers completely butchered the characters of what is probably the most fascinating part of history. I watched 4 episodes –  and I just couldn’t watch anymore. With the risk of sounding a tad sanctimonious, I just found the inaccuracy quite painful, and I simply couldn’t stand having to exclaim indignantly every few minutes or so.

Here are the reasons why, in no particular order:

1. Quintus Pompey. Simply put, there is no – nor has there ever been – a Quintus Pompeius. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus’ (Pompey the Great’s) sons were Gnaeus Pompeius (the admiral) and Sextus Pompeius (the pirate). That’s common knowledge, and one does not need degrees from a multitude of online degree programs to know that.

Even Quintus Pompey’s Wiki pretty much stresses that he’s a baseless character without a real purpose. Why, oh why, couldn’t they just use one of Pompey’s real sons to make the show a bit more credible? It wouldn’t have been a complete hardship to do so.

2. Atia. If the real Atia Balba Caesonia could see what the writers of Rome did to her character, she would turn in her grave. (Or at least, in her urn – Romans preferred cremation.)

Augustus’ mother was a quiet woman who was devoted to her sickly son to a fault. Right about the time the events of Rome were unfolding, she was still very much married to Lucius Marcius Philippus, her second husband. Atia was never promiscuous, nor was she as evil as the show made her out to be. In fact, she was one of Rome’s most well-loved matrons, and like a true Julia (as women of the Julii were known), she was quite above any suspicion.

That part where she supposedly sends her son – her sickly son, I might add – to Gaul to deliver a white horse to Caesar and he gets kidnapped is possibly the worst Hollywood fabrication I’ve ever seen. Poor Octavian couldn’t even be around horses until he was well into adulthood because of a lung condition, and that trip probably would’ve killed him right there and then. There goes the Roman Empire!

The only slur on Atia’s character occurred shortly after Philippus, who was a lot older than her, died. She ended up marrying Philippus’ eldest son (also a Lucius) – her stepson – well before the accepted mourning period was over. And her son, who by then was known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (or Octavian), disowned her.

3. Servilia. Now this woman was pure evil, even as a child. In fact, the show’s portrayal of Atia would’ve been more appropriate for the famous Servilia Caepionis. It made my blood boil watching how they made her look like a poor, wronged woman for half the show when really, she’s absolutely vile.

Which brings me to her son . . .

4. Brutus. Ahh, where do I start with Marcus Junius Brutus?

In Rome, he was portrayed as a close confidant of Caesar’s who served with him in the Gallic wars. Not only that, he was meant to have looked on Caesar as a father. What utter rubbish!

There was no love lost between the real Marcus Junius Brutus and Caesar. This particular Brutus was once engaged to Caesar’s daughter, Julia, but Caesar broke off the engagement so Pompey the Great could marry Julia instead, which broke young Brutus’ heart. This and the fact that he was very close to his uncle Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (a lifelong enemy of Caesar’s) indicates that he disliked Caesar enormously.

Not only that, the real Marcus Junius Brutus was a coward. He NEVER served with Caesar in the Gallic wars. He was too busy making money in Asia Minor. In fact, the first time he ever picked up a sword in battle was in Pharsalus. And coward that he was, he immediately surrendered to Caesar after his side lost to spare himself. Moreover, Marcus Junius Brutus was butt-ugly, which makes Tobias Menzies completely wrong for the job of playing him.

Now there was, in fact, a Brutus who served with Caesar in Gaul. This particular Brutus did see Caesar as a father and really was quite devoted to him for a long time. This is none other than Decimus Junius Brutus. Oh, and his mother was Sempronia Tuditani, not Servilia Caepiones.

I’m thinking the writers of Rome confused both Brutuses big time, probably because both men figured in Caesar’s assassination later. Methinks some people really need to brush up on their history – maybe in an online university perhaps?

5. Octavia. And yet another woman wronged by the butchering of Hollywood writers. Octavia was the darling of the Roman people. She was famous for her virtue and her kindness, practically a goddess, and to be portrayed as a dishonored woman in Rome was simply sacrilegious.

One of the episodes showed her being offered to Pompey the Great as a bride by her mother Atia, and he even got to have sex with her before he rejected her for Cornelia Metella! Oh, I saw red, I tell you!

For one thing, the Octavia offered to Pompey the Great by Caesar (not Atia, mind you) was Octavia Major – Atia’s stepdaughter and the eldest daughter of Gaius Octavius from a previous marriage. Pompey the Great rejected her outright because she wasn’t a true Julia. Oh, and there was never any undue fornication because these men were much too honorable for that.

For another, Octavia Minor would’ve been too young to get married (or to have been married, for that matter, as she was portrayed in the show). In fact, she was probably no more than 15 years old. Really, these are things that a little bit of research could easily uncover! Why, a simple Wikipedia search would even do it!

And don’t get me started on Spartacus and Cleopatra. Really, I truly, truly hate Hollywood sometimes. It’s a shame, though, because the show really did look and feel authentic, and I probably would’ve enjoyed it, if I didn’t know any better.

Would I ever live to see the day that Hollywood finally got something right?

Yes, I’m very grumpy indeed. I haven’t had time to blog, get my nails done, and most of all, take pictures, which really, really, REALLY pisses me off because I received my spanking new 35mm f1.8 prime lens in the mail 3 days ago and I’m DYING to take it for a spin.

Sigh.

On the bright side, I did get to spend a long Valentine weekend with The Husband in Bantayan – our first holiday since – goodness! – July. And though I haven’t had time to post-process and upload the pictures from that weekend, I did manage to squeeze in my first ever attempt at HDR.

And just like that, February doesn’t seem so dreary now after all.

Still, this doesn’t mean that I own Apple stuff aplenty. Most people would be surprised to know that apart from Octavian (my Macbook Pro), an Apple remote, and a grubby old iPod Classic, I don’t own any other Apple gadget at all. I don’t own an iPhone, for one, all because I find the price too exorbitant for my taste. Neither do I own a Magic Mouse because I just don’t have any use for it.

Now I wouldn’t mind spending so much on a gadget, if I knew I can – and will – get the maximum mileage out of it, like poor Octavian, my meal ticket. An iPhone, on the other hand, is about as useful to me as a natural colon cleanser, and I could not, for the life of me, be made to shell out nearly half a month’s salary on one. Oh, I came close many, many times, yes, but my delicate (haha) sensibilities always got the better of me each time.

And I’m thanking all my lucky stars for my good sense (haha) now that the iPad is out. Many people are running it down for being just a big iPhone or iPod Touch, but for me, it was love at first sight. This is the reason why I never did get the Kindle or the iPhone or the iPod Touch. I suppose in my own way, I knew Apple was going to come out with something that would have everything I ever wanted in a gadget, and the iPad is IT.

It’s the PERFECT size for an ebook reader (at least, for me). It has email and music and video. It can do documents and spreadsheets with reasonably priced iWork apps. From what I’ve seen so far, browsing is a joy, as well as gaming. Apple really outdid itself with the multitouch. Best of all, the price is actually reasonable, considering it’s Apple. And if you take the time to compare the overall benefits with that of the iPhone, you’ll find that the iPad is more worth its price tag.

On the downside, it’s not widescreen, which makes it a no-go for serious hi-def movie fan boys like The Husband (I had to endure another lecture on aspect ratios and stuff while he argued his point). Flash support is non-existent. Typing can be potentially cumbersome if you’re not in the right position, but I find that can be easily fixed with the iPad case (I’m hoping it comes with the package). It does seem impossible to use when you’re walking or standing upright, though.

Oh, it doesn’t have a camera, too, which is a negligible omission in my opinion. Just imagine trying to take a picture with it, ugh! But the name . . . Really, couldn’t they come up with a better name than iPad? It sounds like a freakin’ tampon.

For me, however, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, and the iPad is as good as sold in my book. The iPad might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me. I read A LOT and I read quickly, so this means I won’t have to take 20-odd books with me when I’m traveling. I can check my email and edit documents quickly if my boss needs me to when I’m away from Octavian. It’s so skinny, I can easily stuff it in a handbag. And the 10-hour battery life means I will never, ever be bored again – or at least, I won’t have any reason to be.

Oh, April can’t come quickly enough! I will, of course, do my best not to cave in and get the wifi one in March, instead of waiting another 30 days for the one with both wifi and 3G. Hopefully, I can pick up a 32 or 64GB on my Singapore trip. I think I shall name Octavian’s new best friend Agrippa, after the real Octavian’s real best friend.

Know more about the iPad here, if you haven’t already.

Update: So the 3G version needs a ‘micro’ SIM. For the moment, none of the Philippine telecom providers have this technology. It looks like I really might be going for the wifi model, after all.

it’s always a comfort to know

that some things will always remind you where you came from.

Note: I’ve always loved the look of lomo. I had a rare free day, so I thought I’d give it a try. It was a lot easier than I thought, thanks to a Gimp lomo script that I found. (Yes, I use Gimp.)

I’m now trying to teach myself Photoshop (it’s about time, I know), so I can go beyond my little lomo script. One of my new goals is to finish this list.