Eagle Eye Candy

Whether it's three or four weeks of going to the mall just to check if the movie's showing, it doesn't really matter. All the wait and wasted effort proved to be worth it, though, as Eagle Eye is generally as good as Hollywood films get.

Owkay, good things first. Cinematography and editing, direction and sound effects - they're all good, nothing to say against them. Basically, there's no dull moment in whole 2hours of playing time, although I'd admit that the story's predictability is way too much that one can really expect what to happen next. I think this fact is rather advantageous, as the viewers are left to concentrate more and more on each scene - and each scene is really well-caught on film.

Well, apart from Wanted, this is another movie that had me yearning to watch another re-run after finishing the first (but didn't due to time constraints). But like Wanted, this movie's biggest flaw lies on the story itself.

(NOTE: I wrote this review after reading other interviews of the movie) It seems many critics think that preposterous is but too soft a word to describe the plot - and I do have to agree with them. It doesn't take a telecommunications engineer (such as myself) to figure out that the main idea behind the Eagle Eye program is not just unlikely, most possibly such a notion will be nipped off the bud the moment someone suggest to turn all mobile devices into BigBrother-able sound receivers. Technically, it's not gonna happen soon (with soon here meaning the next 100 years or so) because everyone and their mothers will most probably object to the idea.

No, cellphone companies will not market handheld devices that can relegate their controls to a foreign entity. And yes, technophobic, it's still safe to buy that phone you're eyeing for so long.

Absurd plot elements or not, Eagle Eye is generally great. There are lapses, yes, but the whole movie experience makes up for it. And for a movie that tries hard to make the viewers as dumb and technophobic as possible (whether or not it succeeds is a non-issue), I'm still satisfied with the ticket price and the hassles of dropping by the movie house week after week just to check. Although I'm not keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel, I'd still give the movie an 9.0/10.

Driving logs

Out of necessity, I usually drive to go to work. (But please don't ask what brand, model, etc., I'd rather keep that a secret) =P

So for the past six months, I've been plying the 20-km highway connecting my town to the nearby city where I work at least 10 times per week. And of course, that is regardless of the weather condition (for example, I've been through an awfully strong rain in the middle of the night), and time of day. I've got to work, and I've got to get there on time.

I can say that each trip is an experience worth blogging, although I can't say for sure if what I'll write is... pleasant. XD This is why I'm adding another label (Driving Logs) to my posts, please expect these blog updates to be road-related.

Through my eyes

About two or three months ago, I decided to try my luck on one of the many contests I saw on TV (c'mon, I'm sure we all did, one time or another, right?). The rule was so simple, yet ultimately complicated at the same time. XD

Oh yeah, the contest I'm talking about is Nat Geo Asia's Genius of Photography. Basically, the contestant is made to choose, among a set of photos, the one picture that the original photographer liked best. A very simple rule, right?

Well, the hard part is guessing the person's rationale. Choosing the right photo is one thing, finding out why he liked it is an altogether different and totally mind-boggling task. C'mon, how will you know what a stranger is thinking, when you don't know him in the first place?

Seeing there's no chance of actually guessing the right one, I chose to just put my own thoughts into it. I was thinking, well, we might be thinking the same thing anyway. But of course, we weren't, else I'd be blogging about my winnings, right? XD

Anyway, for me the best among those photos is the one entitled, "Multicolored Reflections." Here's my reason:

"Color greatly attracts the eyes, and Multicolored Reflections does command attention. Aside from showcasing how light play can truly spice up photographs, this picture also tells how things may be seen in "a different light" - that is, that a thing's beauty is multi-faceted and that looking at something in various angles and lighting conditions may reveal something more than the eyes can see. Furthermore, Multicolored Reflections leaves a strong imprint upon the beholders - a forceful declaration of how photographers ensure that a thing's beauty, captured at the precise moment, may be given its own place in eternity."

Thinking about my words, I come to realize something I had been missing all along - the reason why I love traveling and taking pictures. I may have been too distracted to the point that I was just going with the flow of activities, and not really doing what I really wanted to do in the first place - taking photographs that will let others see, in my own perspective, the true beauty of those places where I had been.

Nothing much in this post

I've been procrastinating again, and the list of things I should have done is getting longer. There are the topics I should have blogged about several weeks ago, as well as the revisions I should have effected on this blog's template and on my friendster profile page. Then there are also the endless computations and projections, project studies and implementations, and the whatnots in between - arrgh!

Owkay, my body clock got messed up because of several events during the past few weeks. I'm still pushing myself to get back on track, but still failing at it 'coz of several side activities that are draining my diligence. XD

Two Out of Three

Two days into my 3-day mandatory leave, and I still don't feel like I'm taking a break. XD Maybe it's 'coz of the unusual amount of the_usual_chores that I do almost on a daily basis, but I could swear that that wasn't two whole days! Pfffft...

Or, perhaps, I'm feeling this way because I'm really excited to go to LU Live!? I dunno really. I'm going on the second day, though, since I don't have that much of a budget for it.

Anyway, I just thought about not having some R&R despite the fact I'm on mandatory leave. I do remember that back in ACeS, the 3-day mandatory leave was something we look forward to. But then again, in that team we can extend the mandatory leave to as long as 10 days of utter bliss. HAR! HAR! HAR! (I only stretched mine to 8 days, actually, although I was the schemer behind my teammate's 10-day vacation last year) =P

Well, as my mom puts it, I feel this way because I had been passing time the same way as I do on a regular work day (particularly when doing the graveyard shift). Yes, it's probably due to the length of my stay in ACeS that I still haven't gotten the hang of how I do my work around here (ie., merely spending 8 hours on the office and staying at home for the remaining hours of the day).

Still, over-analyzing and ascertaining the root cause of this situation doesn't change the fact that tomorrow's the last of my 3-day mandatory leave for this year. And I'll still be busy on the next two days after that to actually have time for some R&R. ~_~

In Four Days

I certainly know not what events can transpire in the next four days. I cannot say that the world economies will recover - no, stock markets are not my thing. I also cannot predict whether the weather will truly be fine or not - I'm not a meteorologist. But one thing I do know will hold true is this: I'll be 25 years old in four days' time.

Yes, the fourth day from now is my 25th birthday. And it never rains on my birthday. =P

Now, I do not know why it never rains on my birthday - I just noticed it, and I do hope it stays that way. I only like rains for my plants to flourish well, but my natal day happens but once a year, so the downpours can take that day off. ^^,

The month of October is one of the peaks of the stormy season; many of the strongest typhoons devastated the country on this month. But no matter how great the weather disturbances could be, they always stayed away from my birthday. Quite great, isn't it? ^_^

A Better Approach

Poverty is a global problem with enormous implications in our pasts, presents, and futures. It is an ever-growing predicament that continues to engulf more and more individuals, especially in the world we are in right now.

Let's face it - poverty is everywhere, and it is developing as a threat to what must be a bright future for us. It brings complications far worse than many give it credit for - as issues like terrorism and dissent are largely due to an increasing number of people caught within it's grasp.In order to move forward, it is crucial that everyone takes part...

While it is true that more and more of the poorest of the poor are being entrenched into living lives of violence, I still believe that there are ways to turn all of these around. And I also believe that, in order to move forward, it is crucial that everyone takes part in countering this otherwise adverse trend.

Yes, governments all over the globe are trying their best to eliminate poverty, particularly in their areas of sovereignty. However, I highly doubt that all of their deeds are really for the best - after all, they only work for what they adjudge as best serving their own nation's interests.

It is precisely because people and governments are not collectively addressing poverty that I am getting more skeptical as to whether their actions will be all for the best. Because in doing so, they tend to sacrifice those they could just to attain their desired ends.

I'll just use a certain market example to show my point. Let's just say that most people would like to buy their necessities in as cheap a price as possible. Many will pay less for their food if they just could. Surely, their government will likely try to "protect their welfare" and keep the food prices down. The downside? How about those farmers that produce the goods, must their "own welfare" be sacrificed so that consumers will get the cheapest-priced merchandise?

There are other better examples, I think, but I'll just use that one since it makes the illustration a little less complicated. Of course I can google up some bits of information, and come up with cross references to how the current first world governments had, at one time or another, exploited the poorest of our nations today. But that is beyond my point.

Thing is, the better approach to solving this burgeoning dilemma is collective action aimed at uplifting EACH and EVERY INDIVIDUAL in the world. Merely creating jobs for the unemployed WILL NOT END POVERTY, especially if we're talking of salaries in the bare minimum levels. Getting all kids to have primary education is also not as effective, since schooling doesn't necessarily mean the future generation will have a future.

The journey towards the eradication of poverty is one in which the voyagers must travel together with complementary cadences.If we are to put an end to poverty, we can only do so by joining hands and taking the proper steps TOGETHER. Everyone, from the members of the highest social strata down to those living below the poverty line, must do their part in an approach that is better than separate, and totally unrelated, courses of actions.

Now if the members of the upper class will cease exploiting those in the lower classes, and if the lower members will stop trying to bring down those in the higher levels, there will be a clearer path for everyone to follow. That path is a road that must be traversed with all the people walking side by side towards the common goal of development.

Truly, the journey towards the eradication of poverty is one in which the voyagers must travel together with complementary cadences.

Spaghetti month

It began as an excuse, and then turned into a challenge. And before I know it, a month has already passed.

At first, I was just too lazy to come up with any update. A few days onward, I thought I'd challenge myself with how long I can keep my thoughts to myself. Couple those with some facts like crappy work schedules, tons of house duties, and a renewed addiction to gardening, gaming and interior decorating and that would likely explain the inactivity around here. XD

Moreover, I had also entertained the thought of quitting. For the past month when I wasn't writing down anything, I felt wonderful without the pressure of having to come up with something worthwhile for my (I hope not so) few readers to read. But no, a pressure-less existence just isn't my thing. I really must continue writing, because I need to.

So enough with procrastinating - updates are already long overdue. I also should post something relevant to this year's Blog Action Day's theme (poverty) - the day is just around the corner, because it's already October.

Oh yeah, it's already October!

Nah, I haven't forgotten about that since there are lots of reminders to keep me posted. And those reminders come in the form of noodles mixed with red tomato/ketchup sauce. Neighbors are flooding us with that that I hereby dub this month as "Spaghetti Month" ^^,

(And yeah, I'd get even in a few days - I'll also be send my neighbors some spaghetti on my birthday).