Dr. Carlisle

A friend in Dublin got the chance to get this close to a certified vamp. And not just your ordinary vamp. The handsomest kind! Even Stephenie Meyer would agree. ;)

He is so goddamn hot!!!

I would not mind being bitten myself.

Dr. Carlisle (Peter Facinelli)

I might go crazy if I get this close. Good thing my friend (and her sis) were able to keep their sanity. ;)

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Photo credit: K. Valencia (permission pending reply granted!)

Best Finds 2008: Twilight Series (Books)

It used to be that the internet has totally gobbled up the reader in me. Before the net became second nature, my free time would be spent lost in a book. But technology has taken over (shouldn't) until Twilight bit me. Big time.

Twilight, and its sequels, brought back what I had long lost - enough interest in a book that I could not put it down. For the longest time, no book I've come across had captured me enough to want to finish reading in one sitting. And I kinda missed the experience. But Twilight cured me of that.

Twilight Musings and Twilight Series (labels) are testament to what the Twilight series have become in my life this year.

Twilight Twice

It's a Thursday-workday-night, and the movie is on its 2nd week, so, imagine my surprise at finding out that there were only a few seats left at a 6:30 PM show this evening. And these seats were mostly the first two rows to the screen!

One of the reasons I wanted to watch again was the theory that maybe, I didn't like the film for itself the first time because I sat too close to the screen. Ah, excuses.

Luckily, I was able to get a seat far enough for me not to be exposed too much to the vamps' powdered faces (make-up: thumbs down). Nothing has changed much from my original opinion of the film but there were some parts that I appreciated more. Those were the parts where I almost forgot about the book and simply let myself get carried away by the movie.

Still, I hope for a better New Moon.

(Regardless of my regard for the film, I grabbed this great CD on my way home. I really love the songs:)

Fave tracks:

1. Supermassive Black Hole (Muse)

2. Full Moon (The Black Ghosts)

3. Tremble for my Beloved (Collective Soul)

4. Eyes on Fire (Blue Foundation)

5. Flightless Bird (Iron & Wine)

Two Words

Low budget. If that still doesn't make sense, here are two more words: artistically disappointing.

I and four other twilighters trooped to Greenbelt last Wednesday to catch the midnight showing of Twilight - the one thing we all have been waiting for. I and the other twilighters left that theater unanimously feeling like we've been had.

The make-up was horrible. The script was flat. The scoring did not score. The special effects were not special. The editing needed more. The acting did not move me. The whole film was amateurish.

Twilight, was, the low budget film that it was. IF not for the books, I may never watch it again, as I will this weekend. ;) [A fan is a fan.] :)

Twilight Musings: Stars

Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward Cullen

Did I expect the actors to be anything like the Cullen kids in my mind? Hmmm. Well, I do not think I really had a face for any of them so it was quite easy to fit the actors' faces to the characters'. I had the easiest time with Rosalie, because women who are said to be outstandingly pretty in the books are often portrayed by blondes like the actress playing her. The Bond Girl who played Jane Bennett in Keira Knightley's Pride and Prejudice is an example.

I had the hardest time getting used to the on-screen Jasper (what's with the hair!) but I think eventually, the image stuck and actually gave more character to the character. Haha.

I think Ashley Greene fits Alice so well - the spiky hair, the cool fashion. =) Kellan Lutz, well, that bod explains all of Emmett's love for a good fight.

And Rob? Hmmm, no question on the messy hair - it's character itself. I think Rob is not as striking as the Edward I expected but it seems he did act so well, he gave Edward life on screen. But, regardless, I embrace anything and everything in that movie. Can't wait to finally see it. (The premiere buzz is cruel. My EQ, or what's left of it, is being tested to its limits.) =)

Light on a Manic Monday

Just when I thought Monday would go by without much to be especially glad about, dear ol' Ely would drop me an invite for that tease of a movie, Twilight. =) Finally, Ely, you have heeded my calls! Hehe. This just proves that being a Twilighter is a very good thing. Apart from the literary pleasure, it can also gather long lost friends. ;)

Looking forward to the movie and talk. =) You better fill me in on your law years or I'll sue. Hehe. Kidding.

P.S. #1 Ynnah, newly-born Twilighter that you are, is it already definite you can't make it?
P.S. #2 Hmmm, I wonder if Popo has already started the read...

Green

Aren't those eyes pairs of lovely, lovely green?

Twilight Musings: Dangerous

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STOP! If you have NOT read the Twilight books, stop reading NOW. This post and posts with this same foreword are my own thoughts on the series. They may contain SPOILERS and I know nobody wants to be spoiled in this respect. I'd also hate to be the one to kill the excitement for anybody who happens to drop by and read. So, in the words (and style) of author Stephenie Meyer: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
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Two things from the final pages of Breaking Dawn have been bugging me: Aro's wedding gift to Bella and Bella's newfound ability to lift her self-shield to let Edward see her thoughts. I feel something sinister about these two developments.

We know how Aro is. A schemer. Power-grabber. Cheater. So why would he send Bella an important jewelry for a wedding gift with nothing in it for him? I doubt he cared for Bella's or the Cullens' affection. Well, it may be possible that he wanted to simply be on their good side but he didn't have to send such a priceless gift. Unless, there's more to it for him.

I distinctly remember his words when he saw Bella wearing the gift at the battlefield. The book did not make a fuss on his words, but I fear that they were lethal: "I should have sent a note along with that gift". What could he have meant? My fear is, the gift is meant to do harm. Aro's comment was filled with sarcasm and malice.

And as for Bella's act of love, i.e., lifting her shield off herself so Edward could see how much he meant to her, I think it's an act of death as well. It's one thing for her enemies to know they could not touch her because her shield is natural and permanently attached to her, it's another for them to know that it could be lifted. It would take just a threat to Bella's loved one's life to get her to unshield herself.

Ah, Twilight can set a dormant imagination loose!

Twilight Musings: Alice

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STOP! If you have NOT read the Twilight books, stop reading NOW. This post and posts with this same foreword are my own thoughts on the series. They may contain SPOILERS and I know nobody wants to be spoiled in this respect. I'd also hate to be the one to kill the excitement for anybody who happens to drop by and read. So, in the words (and style) of author Stephenie Meyer: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
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Among Edward's siblings, I am most fond of Alice. Her special talent is quite useful, yes, but it's the way she uses it that makes her extra special. Her intentions are always to help, be kind, support. In Breaking Dawn, I think that it was her who saved the day, or equally with Bella at least.

I love the stubbornness. She may drive Bella crazy sometimes, but it's those moments of persistence (the birthday party, the clothes) that bring in the affection. She's a classic I'll-get-my-way-no-matter-what girl but it's the kind that let's you like her more because she is so only if she firmly believes getting her way is best for all.

I think, she is the best sister and potential sister-in-law that Edward and Bella, respectively, could have. She welcomed Bella like a true friend and sister, and stood by the lovers in their many times of need. I particularly loved the way she connived with Edward to keep Bella from coming to La Push at the height of the Bella-Jacob story, the fact that she took care of Bella when the latter was recovering from James' attack, and her frustration at Bella's fashion style.

Now that I think of it, though, I cannot recall if Alice's story - past - has been sufficiently told in the books. Ah, I would have to re-read. =)

The Problem

The problem with being teased to the max (see preceding post) is it changes your normal way of living.

As a rule, I don't buy hardbound books. I believe that if I had patience, I could save myself half the price for something that will have the same content regardless of the cover. And so, I usually end up getting myself the paperback.

But --- not this time.

Breaking Dawn has to complete the set. And so, it did:

Teased to the Max!

It's out. Yep, Twilight's final trailer has debuted and it is killing me. I am dying to watch the movie.

Go to MySpace Trailer Park for a wider screen experience. Fantastic!

Countdown to Twilight

With all the mess of the financial troubles in the US, you would think the future looks so bleak, there's not much to long for anymore, especially with any other stuff that comes out of that country.

But then, there's this and all you think is how far November is and why doesn't it come sooner:

Uh well, at least they've moved the release date from December to November. Further, we'll be able to watch it ahead of most countries because it'll be here November 20th, a day earlier than the US premiere. Ah, we're still lucky. I am. =)

Eclipse

Got this hardbound gem from Ynnah for a birthday present:

Cool, eh? Ah, there is no escaping the Twilight saga.

I was totally unaware of the books until I chanced upon this weird picture of an extremely pale, seemingly-dangerous, good-looking teener with the especially notable eyes and hair, in another friend's Facebook. I had to ask who he was, what the picture was about and why she was raving about it much. That's when I came to know about Edward.

The first book, "Twilight", was indeed a good read. I couldn't put it down. The thrill of the book for me, is not really the love story (I think Bella sometimes really gets way ahead of what it means to be 'devoted') but the anticipation of what's going to happen next. The book's basic story may be nothing new but unlike other books where you more or less know what's ahead, Twilight abounds with possibilities.

Then came "New Moon" which further made me think Bella is taking her relationship with Edward to unreasonable levels. Still, the book got me hooked. =)

And now, the third installment: Eclipse. Ah, I wonder what awaits.

Thanks, Ynnah.