Jumper Movie: A Review

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

 

I’m no movie expert but after watching Jumper yesterday, I find it a must to leave a little note for the viewing people.

 

For starters, I can say that the effects were great. It started off with the story of his (David Rice) first accidental discovery of his ability to jump (teleport) when he fell into an icy pond for retrieving a snow shaker (like this – snow globe - but simpler), after his love interest’s (Millie) boyfriend/suitor threw it. Trapped into the icy pond and nearing death, he was able to unconsciously teleport to Ann Arbor public library. From then on, he felt that the power would “liberate” him from his almost non-existent father.

 

Independent and free, he enjoyed every bit of his power, travelling, until he met another jumper and realized that a group wants all of them (jumpers) killed. One of them is Roland, played by Samuel L. Jackson. His father gets killed when he could not point to them where he, David, is. To protect Millie he went on to hunt Roland.

 

That’s as far as the story goes. Visual effects took most of the movie. Overall, it’s good but if you’re looking for a deeper story, you may be disappointed. My husband and I felt that it lacked explanation on how jumpers came to being, deeper explanation on they were being hunted/killed. But then again, they may be holding these information off for a possible sequel. It’s inevitable especially because Roland lives on.

 

 

 

 

So Long Our Dear Tatang

A grand salute to my old man - Tatang (grandpa) Sixto. He's been ill for a very long time but it was only two months ago when he started feeling the toll. Mommy, his 2nd eldest daughter would constantly bring him to the City for check-ups and confinement. This evening at 7:20PM, Tatang left us.

Now, Tatang will no longer feel the pain he does not deserve, so I salute him. So long our dearest Tatang. We will miss you forever.. WE LOVE YOU...

OctoBohol - A Travelogue

Nothing could have been more refreshing to start the month off than having a good way trip to one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines - Bohol.

Oct 1 - Almost missing our ferry, me and dhad dashed off to Pier 1 (Cebu) to meet all the rest of the gang. We planned to meet up at 5:30AM, but for the first time, neither my alarm clock nor body clock worked for me. The trip from Cebu to Tagbilaran, Bohol was not heaven either because we were seated on the ferry's viewing deck for booking late, but again, it was our fault. So a tip for all you guys planning for a trip, book early. The viewing deck was supposed to provide a good, nice view of the great, wide ocean. Well, it did but the waves were too big that day due to a storm closing in, that soon enough, some of our friends were already wet from the water splash.

Though it started a little rough, the trip slowly became smooth and rewarding once we started touring the island.

Our first stop? The Blood Compact site. This is also known as "sandugo" in native language to mean "one blood". It's where Philippine Datu Sikatuna and Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi compacted a friendship treaty. The next stop was the Baclayon Church, an old church built by the Jesuits in 1602. We had our quiet moment inside the bid dome, as if we were travelled back in time. Its museum was complete with pricess pieces when it was still operational.

The next stops were all on Bohol's pristine forests and mountains. The third stop was to the largest python in captivity. Prony, as the snake is called taken from his captor's name Sopronio, was sleeping when we visited. The tour guide, a fun-almost-too-hard-not-to-notice gay told the history of how the snake became this large. I was not too attentive though so I can't quite recount his words. I was more amazed by how such an animal could grow even bigger. There were other beautiful animals at the site, too. We saw a pair of lemurs and another pair of the endangered and mightly Phillipine eagle. There was an owl, too, a pair of Chinese chicken, a pair of crow and another long-beaked bird.

It was almost noon when we felt our stomachs churn. We were just right on schedule so we decided to try the famous floating resto. The boats are anchored over Loboc river shores until they are full. A musician usually plays a song in all of the boats, and on-board our boat was a guitar man with a local hat, and since we were the majority of the passengers, we did not feel too shy to sing along. It was fun especially when the boat started moving, touring us along the river. At the end of the tour was a small water fall. In sum, it was a great experience.

After lunch, our van driver knew where to drop us next - the Tarsier Sanctuary. Tarsiers are the smallest species of the monkey family. They grow from thumb-size to a maximum size of a big man's fist. They have extremely large and round eyes, because they don't have lids. These amazing animals are nocturnal, and so they are mostly active at night. When we arrived, the owner was feeding one of them with a cricket. He says, one tarsier eats an avarage of twenty crickets a day!

The next stop was a local hanging bridge built from woven bamboo. It looked pretty scary, but when you see all those men crossing through will all their heavy bags, you will feel more relaxed. The walk across was fast and easy, but fun. At the other side was a free show of the famous "Buko King - Bohol version". A buko king is a man capable of peeling of a coconut using only his teeth. There was various local products there too for souvenirs. In fact, anywhere you go, you see these small souvenir shops, but here, they were a bit cheaper.

We were getting excited towards the end of the day because we were about to see the world-famous Chocolate Hills. On our way there, we passed through the Man-Made Forest and it was so beautiful, and I mean really beautiful. The trees go a long way up and they form archways at the top, creating a natural shade of the road.

Finally, we reached the last destination for the day - the chocolate-looking hills. We had to climb a long stairs up another hill to have to a better view of the scene. It was almost rainy when we arrived but nothing stopped us. The climb was worth it because seeing the marvel of the mountains was almost panoramic. It's really a wonder how the hills became how they are now. There were almost 50 of them visible from where we stood, but record says there are over a thousand of them in the area. Such a breathtaking view!

The long day ended with us checking-in in a resort at Panglao, Bohol. We ate a sumptuous grilled or sugba chicken and pork and ate with our hands while looking at the waves just a few feet away.

Oct 2 - Beach Time! We woke up early to watch the sun rise while taking a sip of coffee and strolling the white beaches of Panglao Beach Resort, though some of the guys preferred to over sleep a bit. When the sun was up, we took the dive and enjoyed the beach. It was great because there were still a few other visitors swimming that early, so we almost had that part of the beach for ourselves. The white sand was fine, white and unviolated.

Right after lunch, when our stomachs were unquestionably full again, we finally headed to the port, and via the same ferry, back to Cebu.

Quest for Truth

The road to the truth has been blocked by walls of lies. They say these lies are not bad for they protect a bigger and more important thing – the truth. What is truth then if it takes so many lies to keep it?

I read a story today about a man who’s been hunted down by the police for he has robbed many a bank for many years. That man, called the “Boogey” went home to his town and was known by almost everyone.

Meanwhile, rangers were deployed to track him down and bring him down if he were to escape. One of the rangers found his hometown. He went over the place and saw a bar. There were two men inside, one was thin, playing cards, and the other slouched as if asleep with a hot over his face. The ranger approached the thin man and whispered, “Do you know where Boogey is at this moment? He’s wanted for almost 50 counts of robbery.” The thin man slowly turns his head towards the other fat man who was inside the bar. “That,” he said, “is Boogey”. The ranger immediately but cautiously moved towards the man they call Boogey.

He shouted, “Freeze, you are under arrest for robbery. I can kill you right now but if you tell me where you hid all the money you took, I will spare your life.” Boogey though did not speak English and asked the thin man to translate the message to him. Then he replied, “Go out of this bar, turn right. At the end of the road, turn right again and look for the well. Inside the bar near that well is everything that I have taken.” The ranger could not make of any of the words and asked the thin man what Boogey said. The thin man would have spoken immediately but paused and said, “He said, go ahead and kill me.”

Alas, the greed of man. There is no question anymore. Truth has lost its meaning, its value. It has lost its sparkle to inspire most men.

Alas, the weakness of man. Why would I protect you if I can protect myself by not protecting you?

The greatest mistake of man is to see only the empirical. They have lost the hopes and zeal of a child. The quest for truth should never be a step to hide another truth. The truth should be too valuable to spend your whole life finding it.

Leftover of a Democracy

I never thought that I'd come to this point of totally wanting an IMMEDIATE overall change in this forsaken Country for I am a reformist.

A lot of people have become victims of "stealth assassins", while many others not seeing them become blind of the real situation. What is sad about all these is that some - understatement, many - do see but choose to be complacent and apathetic about it as long as some groups continually see and suffer fighting for it while they watch some good movie a day in HBO and eat good food, not realizing the long-run effect of the situation.

It should not be as bad if not many a good men died to fight for our democracy. It should not be as sad if we did not start at a better state during the early years. It should totally not matter if we were all blind and could not see for we'd have enough reason of not "looking".

These who continually fight for what's left of this Democracy are embodied in the more courageous men we call "militants". They may be proposing a system totally not democractic, still they are the ones who see what we have left and we're ought to fight for.

Balancing Act

When does one know when she is doing a right or wrong thing when the world has turned upside down. Priorities has changed from "what is" to "what ought". Who dictates which is right and wrong? Life indeed is complicated.

In the book I am currently reading it tells about love in its purest form. A person loved is never possessed as the person loving that person must not. Love is when you feel happy and free without the physical body. For one loves the soul and not the body. It is only with that depth that you can truly say that you are loving one person.

Can love this pure be the basis of deciding for what's right? If your love is less pure but is love anyway, does it make it wrong altogether? Then comes your mind, your ever-dictating mind, telling you the pros and cons. Does love and mind then have to meet to find the best decision? If somebody has the answer, send me a comment now.

I have had my adventures in life and have learned lessons more than my experience. For I have been talking with older people and they say that it saves time and pain when you get to learn lessons which they discovered when they were young. It saves you 1 year, 2 years, or more for you won't have to spend the time they spent, you can simply decide because you already know what happens when you do one or another thing.

But life's lessons never end. And at this dead-end, I look back to find answers but none seems fitting. I look now and certainly nothing comes out but confusion. Never mind about future because that's exactly why I am at a loosing end now, to decide on that future.

Pain(ful)

"Why would God let pain take over us if He loves us?", you ask.

Pain makes one think of nothing else but for it to go away. He thinks of all the things he or she would give up just for it to go away. And when that moment comes, when the pain subsides, he/she feels so grateful - but just for a while. In that moment, his/her mind would have an entirely new mode, it's as if the pain was never there, and he/she gets on with his/her life.

It's funny how every moment of pain makes one an entirely different person, loss of all his/her defenses, becomes one of humility and one of little pride that he/she finally seeks God for help. Is it not wonderful how one becomes one with God in these situations? Now, what is it again that you were asking?

Untitled

The town looked ghostly in its slumber. Yet people don’t seem to notice. Children don’t play games together anymore. They stay home with their own computers. Wives and husbands don’t kiss goodnight. They are so tired to care. People stay longer at work than at home with their families. Vegetables beds are now plowed to be part of a commercial establishment. People hide in their own shadows, not facing reality. The town has become ghostly, and people have noticed. They just fail to really look.

Far From You

It's been a blur since you left for your trip, yet you seem like a breath away. You always say that distance is nothing but a concept made by engineers like you who measure every millimeter, and by writers like me, who define it with loneliness and waiting. I would say, we have redefined and conquered it twice, we can.. just again, even how many times over.

The stars are gone this eve and it might rain again, but I smile and think you're just here within me, shining brightly. It's the 47th...

(Just scribbling...)

Planet Rejuvenation

My father always had this idea of an apocalypse, but unlike in the Bible, his idea was simple - a 2-second judgment, vanishing all human beings except for new-born babies. He says God will do the selection of who goes to heaven and who will burn in hell somewhere outside the Earth.

Meanwhile, back in Earth, new-born babies will grow into an entirely new generation of naturally "good" people. They may carry their parents' genes, but no way could their minds be immediately have been polluted by the old generation. There will be no such thing as money, thus food will be free and available under trees and in vast oceans. People will know how to hunt, fish and gather food. Therefore, politics, which may exist sometime soon to take care of organizations, will not be dirty as it is known today. There will only be a society of "good" people caring and growing for each other.

This was my father's idea of an effective planet rejuvenation.

-----
Now I realize, it does not sound so impossible, does it?

Psychedelic

The silence is deafening. No wind is coming in through the open window, not in any gaping hole. Colours faded to gray around the room. The world seemed to have stopped moving, and nobody seemed to have noticed except me.

DropsOfAugust

The music plays loud in my head, but still I can hear the trickle of the rain. It must be the 8th month again.

August always was full of surprises since I was a kid, but there always would be most special in every year - this I make it a point to have. I am aging a notch again soon, and as usual, I seem to have grown a lot than I should, emotionally, psychologically, and a lot more "-ly's" except physically. It must have been a long way.

One thing is for sure though - It will be rainy. I want to share a secret and that is, that I have never had a birthday that did not rain. If the exception happens this year, I should well be prepared.

But it's not always good news. Rain comes in with thunders and lightnings, and sometimes, it's hard not to get hit. But at the end of the day, what's important is not who got hit or not, but how one was able to surpass the day without hurting anybody else, and was able to keep the faith, and the next day will see the rain coming and feel blessed.

Our Shield

The island looked small today. I imagine the vast waters surrounding it and I felt a tinge of fear. But the fear was instantly gone as I saw the sky instead. It covered the land and the waters. Beyond the sky, I imagined heaven and God far greater, far mightier and I feared no more...

Diminishing Reason

Time fly past me. Work has been demanding a lot of time lately, and I watch each day end until I would be ready to close my eyes again for a short sleep.

I am reminded of what the world has become. How many people are like me, letting each valuable hour and minute on important, but not as valuable as spending time with the people they love? The sad reason: the need to survive, the need to keep the job, the feeling to want more and more - whichever is it, the question remains - is it worth it?

One thing though is for sure - I am not as guilty as many people may be. The truth is that I have been hearing this question posted everywhere but it is only when I was in College that I truly learned my lesson. So now, I make it a point to have that sense of balance. I might want to share that experience one time, but as of now, I have to go and meet mydhad. ;-)

Sunday Morning

I had a very good sleep last night. It must have been the long day yesterday.

By the way, we are in our new home now. Everything looks good. I could now see the sunrise peeping through the bathroom windows, which is the best thing in this new crib. The wind coming in is colder here than where we were. Now that's odd, because the old room is just beside this new room (literally) and the wind should come from the same direction. But I don't want to worry about that, do I?

Today, I plan to wash the dishes, do the laundry and later, go to mass. Typical Sunday, eh?

Moving Forward...

It feels good to finally have a blog! This may look simple, but this is exactly how I want it. :) Today, I will start posting anywhere, anytime about anything at all.

Now that I mentioned it, I might as well start talking about this new room we were able to rent for a reasonable price. The size is just right, approx 3x5 sq.m and it has this very tiny comfort room (just right for me), and it has good ventilation.

I guess that's it for my first post! There's nothing much to say, just starting out.. and moving forward.
Ciao!