TV review: Modern Family season 2 episode 12: Our Children, Ourselves

I just saw an ad that Fox8 will be showing Modern Family in 2012.. Woohoo! Now a chance to really get to know the families from the beginning! I can't wait..

The whole episode was laugh-out-loud hilarious, although the winner would be Cam & Mitchell's story.. This is one of my fave episodes now. Oh my, where to start with this episode?

Pritchett-Dunphy: Alex reminds me a bit of me, I was always competitive when I was in school so I get it when she felt bad about getting the 2nd highest score in class for a test, hehe.. But what was nice about this subplot was Claire & Phil's relationship.. I dunno, I just love this couple. Claire's OC personality is completely matched by Phil's laidback goofiness.. The partnership works and I love them..

Phil: Why do I have to watch a French movie? I didn't do anything wrong.

I loved it that Phil ditched Claire to watch the monster movie instead of sitting through (or in Claire's case, sleeping) a movie that might be highly acclaimed but he couldn't care less for.. Claire stayed, of course, because she wanted to prove a point - she's not a stupid parent.

Claire: Honey, look at how long it just took us to figure out she's insulting us.

There's not a lot of funny subplots for this couple, but I just love them because Ty & Julie just knows Phil and Claire so much and plays them perfectly..

Delgado-Pritchett: Gloria has befriended a couple when she & Jay were on vacation and the couple has now dropped by to see them. Jay was rude with them during dinner and it's caused awkwardness because he didn't know that Gloria invited them to spend the night at their house. Jay's unimpressive golf skills became a subtext to his "deteriorating" mind, a lie that Gloria told their guests because she felt bad about them leaving their house when they took time to get her a book signed by a favorite author.

And the winner in this episode: Tucker-Pritchett: Who knew that Mitchell had a girlfriend in highschool? I loved everything about this subplot: the meeting with Tracey, the dinner confession, especially Cam dramatically sliding against the wall to have his "reaction" and finally, the introduction to Bobby. The last bit just got me practically rolling on the floor with laughter (I can't even stop laughing while writing this because I kept picturing it over and over in my mind). Oh *wipes tears from eyes* Cam & Mitchell, I just love you guys..

Mitchell: You're so gay you can't even think of real girls names.

An episode I won't mind seeing over and over again. Til then! 

Book review: Room by Emma Donahue

Imagine thinking that the whole world is the small enclosed space that you live in. Imagine thinking that the shows you're seeing on TV are other planets. Imagine being a 5yr old who thinks that his world consists of just him, his Ma, Old Nick and all the inanimate objects in the room that he treats as friends.

That's how it is for Jack. He lives in Room, sleeps in Wardrobe and is wary of Door.

There's a lot about this book that tugged at my heart. Jack is such an innocent character that I just want to weep and pull him in for a hug. For him everything is either this or that, no in-between. He can't picture a world where other people are named the same as him, in his mind how can that be when he's Jack? He panicked when he saw on TV a bottle of the same meds that they have in their closet. How did TV get hold of their bottle?

I'm getting ahead of myself..

The Characters:

Jack's Ma is amazing. Sure, she's not perfect, but you can certainly feel the strength of her character, how she tries to hold herself together for Jack's sake. There are days when she zones out, but I can't fault her for that. She was thrust in a situation and she's tried to make the best of it so her anger and pain won't get passed on to Jack. For Jack, except for the days that Ma zones out or the nights that Old Nick comes in Room, everything is perfectly alright in their world.

Speaking of Old Nick, oh, what a despicable character! Even Jack's 5yr old's perspective can't hide his evil nature.

And Jack? He's intuitive, intelligent, mature for his age and it's easy to sometimes forget that he's only 5yrs old. He knows words I don't but he says 'bringed' instead of 'brought'. And I don't think it's because he's only 5, I think it's more to do with the fact that for him, like I said earlier, it's either this or that. I mean, the most common form of a word's past tense is when we add a 'd' or 'ed' at the end so for Jack, how can it be 'brought' then? What I admired most about Jack is his resilience. When Ma told him the truth, it got too much for him to understand, but he ploughed on..

My thoughts:

The book is all told from Jack's perspective so we're treated to hearing a 5yr-old's voice throughout the book. While that was different and ingenious, a small part of me wished that the narrative was told alternatively between Jack and his Ma. It would have provided a contrast to how Jack thinks their life is compared to how it really is as seen or heard from his Ma's perspective. Because Jack is only 5yrs old, we can't really trust how he views things.. While it was mostly endearing, at times it was tiring.

Granted that Jack's world revolved around Room, the author was still able to paint a vivid picture of their life with carefully crafted words. While I was reading the book, I was there in Room with them and I sure did feel Ma's frustration at the confinement. And as I said, because Jack is the narrator, you learn to read between the lines and then feel so sad for them. The narrator may be innocent, but the underlying narrative sure isn't.

All in all, this is a good book, wonderfully written. It is a study of human nature, growth, adaptation, courage & a mother's relationship and love for her child.

*Recommended by the same awesome friend who introduced me to Kat & Peeta & Gale, thanks Sweets!

Til then!

Book review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Warning: Spoilers!

We've had hobbits, wizards, vampires and werewolves. I think that the next thing to hit pop culture would be angels, haha. I heard there's talk of making this into a movie, so who knows? Maybe it's time for the never-ending battle between good and evil (angels vs angels) to restake their claim.

As for this book, I didn't have to force myself to finish it and I enjoyed it to a certain degree (I like books with angels), but frankly, I couldn't wait to finish it.. Sadly, the main character irritated the hell out of me. For me, the book was saved by the supporting characters (by such a small margin), Daniel's struggle and, well, that's it really.. As for Luce (short for Lucinda), she could die and I wouldn't shed a tear. I didn't like her, period. If I was in reform school with her, I would unhesitatingly punch her in the face.

This here is a line from one of the characters in the book and really sums up how I feel over Luce:

"In this lifetime you're nothing more than you appear to be: a stupid, selfish, ignorant, spoiled little girl who thinks the world lives or dies on whether she gets to go out with some good-looking boy at school. Even if your death wouldn't accomplish something so long-awaited, glorious, and grand, I'd still relish this moment, killing you."

I wish that happened. But, like I said, she's the main character so she lived. She should have just died. I can't remember a time where I was actually rooting for the villain to just kill the heroine already.

What I also disliked was how we're told page after page after page that Luce feels she's known Daniel from somewhere. I mean, c'mon! Every single time they're in contact with each other we're reminded over and over again by Luce (and by extension, the author) of how she feels a zap, a connection, a history with Daniel. Alright, already! As if the whole concept of reincarnation has not been presented on the very first page of the book! Does the author think her readers won't get the link between the prologue and the body of the book? Is that why she kept on writing about these 'familiar feelings' that Luce experiences every single time she's with Daniel? Really?

I know that that target reader of the book are tweens.. I read a lot of children's books and teen fiction so I don't think I have outgrown reading about teenage angst so it's definitely not the reason for my irritation with Luce. She's, I don't know, pitiful. Like I said, she always (always! I don't think I can stress that enough because the author kept pointing it out to me) feel that being with Daniel is familiar, that there's a feeling that they've shared something deep. And you know what happened when Daniel finally told her their sad story? She ran! Unbelievable! She said she ran because she got scared and that she ran because when she said she felt she's known Daniel from somewhere she meant like seeing him in a mall or something. What?! Seriously, what?!?

Daniel, the main love interest, barely passed as acceptable. I do understand how he had to act the way he did with Luce. I felt his sorrow, but I guess the author could have done a much better job describing why Daniel is being like that. Okay, I get it that he was trying to push Luce away for her own good but a bit of background information about the whole thing would have been nice. But I guess the author was saving all that for the sequels.

There was no world-building, there was no character development, and there was almost no plot. But I'm willing to give this series another chance. Yes, against my better judgement, I have reserved the next book, Torment, from the library. I hope the title of the next book would not reflect how I'd feel about the book or the series for that matter..

Til then!

Book review: The Confession by John Grisham

I have always been a big fan of Grisham books. I've read most of his books except those that were not law-related (don't ask me why, I just want to read the ones that are law-related). I've always felt that the fact that he's a lawyer himself adds a degree of credibility to the books he's written. I'm not saying that one has to be a vampire to be a successful author on that genre.. What I'm saying is that because he's a lawyer, he knows what goes in the minds of the lawyers he's writing about, know what I mean?

Here's a summary of this book written on John Grisham's website. It details what the book is all about:

An innocent man is about to be executed.

Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row. 

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

Pulls you, doesn't it? The summary should also say how Travis enlists (or manipulates? take your pick) the help of Reverend Keith so he could drive him from Kansas to Texas in a race against time to try and save Donte (the innocent teenager who served Travis' sentence for him) from the death penalty. Did they succeed? Won't say..

The book may have been used as a platform of the author's view about the death penalty. But aren't most, if not all, books serve as a voice for something authors feel strongly about? Personally, I don't agree with the death penalty. What if the system ends up executing an innocent person? You can't take it back, you can't apologise and say 'oops!'.. Also, I think governent-sanctioned killing of criminals takes away their chance for redemption, their chance to change.

The book is fiction but you can't help but feel and know that this happens in real life. Innocent people do get sent to jail and are sentenced/punished for something they didn't do. You'd think that if the system is going to send someone to the death penalty that the people involved would have exhausted everything in their power to see that justice is indeed served. But no. Sadly, the characters in the book that sealed Donte's fate exists in the real world. Characters like the judge, the prosecutor and the detectives that don't think twice about circumventing/manipulating the law just so they could get a 'win'. Characters like the elected official who couldn't care less about the case except when it puts him on a good advantage to get votes for re-election or higher office. Characters like the TV guy who also couldn't care less about the innocent man in jail as opposed to making sure he gets high ratings. Even the characters who were racist and didn't care that the circumstances of Donte's imprisonment were more than a bit questionable.. It's all sad..

Luckily, the book also makes you feel that all hope is not lost when you have characters like the reverend and his wife who were willing to make sacrifices to save another person's life. And then there's Robbie Flak, the defense attorney who went all out to prove his client's innocence. There were also the boys in the football team who made a small gesture that spoke volumes. They also exist in real life and you can't help but admire them.

As for Travis, he's despicable.

If I had one thing to point out in this book, it is its lack of notable twist and turns. The characters are who they are when you first "meet" them.. Sure, there was a bit of a deception with Travis, but it was more or less expected because he wouldn't have survived that long if he didn't know how to fake a lot of things about him. It is a page-turner, don't get me wrong, but it's got a what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach to it so you know who to blame and who are in the right.

All in all, I'd say it's still a good read. Til then!

Movie review: Brokeback Mountain

I think I'm one of the few people (who doesn't care about the movie's content) who hasn't seen this movie. Well, that's now been rectified..

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Astounding. Heartbreaking.

Such a myriad of emotions flitted through my mind after seeing the movie. First, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway - amazing performances.  And then, there's Heath Ledger who was just in a class of his own. Every time I see a movie Heath was in (I never tire of A Knight's Tale & 10 Things I Hate About You no matter how many times I've seen it) I just want to cry.. Such talent. Such unbelievable talent gone too soon..

Against such a beautiful backdrop, we were brought to see the underlying truth this movie was trying to make: LOVE HAPPENS. You can deny it, you can fight it, you can hide it, you can do whatever you want to do to pretend that it doesn't exist, but when it hits you, brace yourself.

TV review: Other shows last week & this week (27/11-10/12)

Things were boring in tv land when all my fave shows are in hiatus, for some reason, all at the same time!.. No new Big Bang. No new The Mentalist. No new House. No new Modern Family. No CSI (this week, there was one last week). Luckily they're showing reruns of Modern Family and Ringer is still on (until this week, there's no Ringer on Sunday).

Mother Tucker (Modern Family) - I didn't enjoy this episode much.. Aside from the chuckles when Gloria shouted 'I'll never forget you Jay!', I was bored with the episode.. Sure, it made me smile what with the whole self-diagnosis thing and Phil's feminine jacket, but it was just a bit weak..

Dance Dance Revelation (Modern Family) - Now, this was funny! I love how Julie Bowen just makes Claire work with her little quirks, her expressions, her semi-craziness.. She's just awesome.. I also loved the bathroom scene where Claire and Gloria hash it out with their 'revelations'.. And how about Cam's song to Lily about biting, huh? Oh dear! This show just drives me crazy with all the funny stuff.. And it's not just the dialogue, per se, it's how all, and I mean all, the characters deliver them in perfect timing and and tone.. Luke is just special, I just love him among the Dunphy kids, or all the kids on the show for that matter.. And the last scene where we find out that the guy that Phil just went berserk on was a friend of Cam & Mitchell just made me laugh out loud.. Awesome writing, awesome actors!

Slow Down Your Neighbors (Modern Family) - Another good one.. Where do I start? Luke (again!) with his timing & believability? Claire's usual semi-neurotic-ness? Or how about the guests this week? I loved the TV show Still Standing and to see Jami play Laura on the show reminded me that her old character (Judy) was like Claire in more ways than one.. Also great to see on the small screen is Cyclops (James Marsden) and the fight with Cam inside the princess castle was hilarious! Not my most favorite episode, but funny, nonetheless.. I can't get enough of this show..

Crime After Crime (CSI) - Just a few more episodes til Willows is out.. :( They have mentioned a possible explanation as to why she's leaving (a new job away from Vegas) a few episodes back (I forgot which) so in a few weeks it'll be sayonara Willows.. No Grissom. No Willows. Who's next? :(

What fascinated me with this episode is not the seemingly unconnected murders but the difference between the reactions of Brass & Russell. The victims in this episode are people who got away with murder and have now been murdered themselves in the fashion similar to the original crimes. Brass thinks that they have it coming but Russell thinks that no matter what they did, they still have rights that needed to be protected. It reminded me of SVU's season finale and the questions it has posted.. My opinion? I really can't say.. It's tough.. I want to say an eye for an eye, but something in me says it's not right, that it's not the solution.. I love it that shows like CSI and SVU makes me think about these kind of things, make me look deep in myself and see what I think..

Maybe we can get a dog instead? (Ringer) - I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't get the whole stepdaughter/schoolteacher subplot. In fact, I don't get the importance of the stepdaughter's school life, period. True, it's nice to see her standing up against the classmate bullying her, but how does her woes in school relate to the whole show? Maybe we'll know, maybe we won't.. Anyway, I'm glad Malcolm's now in the same place with Bridget. Also, the solution as to how Bridget can explain the whole 'I'm not really pregnant' thing was the one I thought they'd use.. And Bridget has another 'character' to play (Cora) now that they boytoy in Paris has been called back by the boss (although it didn't make sense how he didn't wonder that 'Cora' who he now 'knows' to be the boss' wife didn't have funds to pay for her hotel in Paris). You'd think that something's unravelling but it just goes further and further away from your grasp.. Why shouldn't I just stop watching? I don't know.. I don't know..

Shut up and eat your bologna - Don't ask me about the titles.. They're lines delivered by one of the cast and in my opinion the line 'What if doing the right thing costs us everything?' would have been a much better title.. Anyway, Gemma's alive! That was the only good thing I can think of in this episode. And also how I'm now starting to feel sorry for Henry.. And how I think Malcolm is the only character in the show that's above reproach.. I know it's only the first season but Siobhan and Bridget are getting on my nerves. I'm wishing for the showdown to happen already..

*Sigh* That's it for the two weeks, luckily I had books to keep me company.. And next week they're going to start showing Nikita on Fox8, should be good, I love Maggie Q..

Til then!

TV review: Law & Order SVU: Season 12 Ep: 19-24

I can't begin to describe how much I love this show.. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it in consecutive order because TV1 would show one season then before the finale, it'll switch to an older season without telling me, haha.. However, I heard that before the 13th season started that there were talks that both leads will not be coming back.. Then I heard that Detective Stabler will no longer be returning.. *sniff*

'Smoked' was the final episode in season 12 and I don't know how they're going to start season 13 without Christopher Meloni's character.. It just doesn't feel right because it's alwasy been Elliot & Olivia.. :(

Sadness aside, I was lucky to catch the last 6 episodes of season 12 with Network 10 showing two episdoes per week.. Let's start with episode 19, Bombshell.

Book review: Betrayed by PC Cast & Kristin Cast

Betrayed is the 2nd book in the House of Night series.. I think it opens a few weeks after the events in the first book (I say 'I think' because it doesn't really say). Zoey's now the leader of the Dark Daughters and she's thinking what to do to change things. Her lovelife also takes on more complications and we're hit from out of nowhere with a death of one of the troops (I won't say who, I promise..). It just surprised me that a major character died on the 2nd book (the first death in the Harry Potter series happened in the 4th book when Cedric died and he wasn't even a major character (although Robert Pattinson did go on to play a more than major character in Twilight, hee..)) so I'm dreading the losses the good guys will have in the books to come..

*Just a side note, while writing this post, Spice Girl's The Lady is a Vamp starts playing, haha..*

Movie review: Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest - a movie where human actors were asked to help save an alien planet because the aliens thought that the characters they played and the space adventures they had on their TV series (Galaxy Quest) were real. This is also my blast from the past movie this week..

The movie was shown in 1999 and was obviously a parody of space shows, Star Trek being the one that comes to mind.. I think it was also a good play casting Sigourney Weaver as Lt. Tawny Madison (more on this later).

Never give up, never surrender. - Jason Nesmith, Commander of NSEA Protector

Yeah, that was quote from the movie (or the tv show in the movie, to be precise) spoken by Tim Allen. His line "To infinity and beyond!' from Toy Story got it beat, but I think it's still a solid one. Do you think Tim Allen got bit by space fever? Toy Story in '95 & Toy Story 2 in '99? LOL!




My thoughts:

a) The movie is funny. I'm not a Trekkie but I do understand how to love a TV show or book so much and be very passionate about it.. So I really laughed so hard when the 'nerds' actually knew more about the "ship" than the actors because they  studied and understood the science of it.. Justin Long's character, Brandon, along with his own crew (complete with costumes at the show's convention) was such a lovely tribute to us nerds who'd go through lengths to support a show we love so much..

I found this in Wikipedia where Patrick Stewart expressed my thoughts exactly:

I had originally not wanted to see Galaxy Quest because I heard that it was making fun of Star Trek, and then Jonathan Frakes rang me up and said "You must not miss this movie! See it on a Saturday night in a full theatre." And I did, and of course I found it was brilliant. Brilliant. No one laughed louder or longer in the cinema than I did, but the idea that the ship was saved and all of our heroes in that movie were saved simply by the fact that there were fans who did understand the scientific principles on which the ship worked was absolutely wonderful. And it was both funny and also touching in that it paid tribute to the dedication of these fans. — Patrick Stewart

b) How funny was the contrast to Sigourney's character in Alien to her character in this movie? Female action hero vs a lady whose job it was to "communicate" with the ship's computer, essentially just repeating what the computer says? I think Gwen is brave in her own way, but Ripley would have beat up the enemy alien on her own in less time it took for the good aliens to bring the entire TV cast to space.. If only they saw that 'historical document' instead.. haha..

Gwen: Computer, is there a replacement beryllium sphere on board? 
Computer: Negative, there is no replacement beryllium sphere on board.
Gwen: [to crew] No, there is no replacement beryllium sphere on board.
Tommy: You know, that is really getting annoying!
Gwen: [shouts] Look! I have one job on this lousy ship, it's stupid, but I'm gonna do it! Okay?
Tommy: Sure, no problem.

Oh gosh, how that cracked me up..

c) Practically everyone on the movie is funny but for me it was Sam Roswell and his portrayal of Guy that just cracks me up everytime he's on a scene.. He played the character who was so convinced he'd be the first to bite the bullet because he had a minor role in the TV show and was killed off, even pointing out that because of this, his character didn't deserve to have a last name so he was just called 'Guy', LOL!.  The irony was not lost, of course, when on the scene where Sarris pretended to be Fred, he was the only one left standing..

All in all, a very good movie.. If you haven't seen it, please do so.. Til then!..

Book review: Marked by PC Cast & Kristin Cast

book cover from Wikipedia

(I don't think there are spoilers, but just in case, be warned!) 

I went to the library to pick up Catching Fire when I decided to go up and see if there are other books I can borrow.. Since the children & teen's section is on the 2nd floor, I started there.. My eyes were immediately drawn to this book.. I have never heard of the series and the authors (a mother and daughter team) so I was actually just going to borrow the first book and leave the other 2 I saw beside it.. I thought about reading the first book first and if I liked it, to just come back and borrow the rest.. But then, as I was moving towards the check out counter, I just picked up the other books as well..

When I got home, I realized I had books 1, 2 & 4..

After reading the first few chapters of the first book, I had to stop because I was scared that because I was rolling my eyes to much that it'll get stuck that way.. I love it when characters narrate books, I love the perspective it gives me.. But after reading the first few pages of the book, I just couldn't stand Zoey Montgomery.. I kept rolling my eyes at how the authors tried soooo hard to make her witty it annoyed me so much..

And then Zoey Montgomery became Zoey Redbird and then my eyes stopped rolling and I continued reading.. And then, I was hooked.. Boy, am I glad I didn't stop..





Summary (of sorts): In Zoey's world, vampyres and humans live together.. There is fear & discrimination, yes, but certain rules were established for peaceful coexistence.. A human becomes a vampyre not by getting bitten by one but by being Marked (scientists have not yet figured out what it is about a human that gets him/her Marked) by a vampyre called a Tracker.

Zoey is a 16-yr old girl living a normal high school life when it all turned upside down the day she was Marked. Getting Marked means moving to live in the House of Night, a school for fledgings (Marked students) where they will be trained in becoming adult vampyres by their vampyre teachers. A fledging has to move in the House asap, otherwise he or she will die because fledgings need to be surrounded by adult vamps.. Zoey immediately went home to ask her mom to take her to the school but her mom and her super-conservative and religious stepdad wants to keep her at their home so they could banish the "evil spirit" out of her (they know they can't and they know that Zoey will die if she doesn't get to to the school, but it was a "risk" they were willing to take)..

Zoey then runs to her only ally - her grandmother. Before she sees her grandma, she stumbles and has a vision of seeing the vampyre goddess Nyx who told her she's special and will be the goddess' eyes and ears in the school. She wakes up in the House of Night where her grandmother has brought her and discovers that her Mark, which was only an outline at first, was now filled,which was a big thing because now she's the only fledging in school with a filled-in Mark (only adult vamps have filled-in Marks). She also meets the High Priestess (someone like the principal in a normal school) Neferet who has agreed to become her mentor.

She makes new friends, new enemies and meets a new love interest (she has a human ex-almost-boyfriend named Heath who's Imprinted with her. An Imprint happens when a fledging drinks the blood of a human thus binding him/her to the fledging).

The first book ends with Zoey replacing Aphrodite (the "it" girl before Zoey came along and ex-girlfriend of Zoey's love interest, Erik) as the leader of the Dark Daughters because Aphrodite almost got Heath & Erik killed when she made a mistake in her ritual and called viscious, ancient vamps in her circle during Samhain (Halloween)..

Unsolved mystery: A fledging living in the House of Night doesn't necessarily "grow up" into an adult vampyre. A fledging could still reject the Change between the first four years of getting Marked. Two of Zoey's "batchmates" died because they rejected the Change. Zoey saw one of them and thought she saw a ghost. However, her next encounter with the other dead fledging was not as uneventful. The supposedly dead fledging attacked her so she started wondering how it was possible.. Also, Zoey seems to be favored by the goddess, why?

My thoughts: I am not blown away by the book, to be honest. But I am hooked.. The plot is more than just the usual new girl vs bossy leader of popular clique.. Cleverly written between the lines is the mounting tension, a feeling that something wrong is happening, something is not right and it's more than just Zoey vs Aphrodite over the Dark Daughters' leadership and Erik.. No, as the book progresses you get the distinct feeling that something's happening in the background and the Zoey vs Aphrodite thing is just a prelude to the dark times ahead. And that's what got me.

Also, I am a big fan of books where the main character has a solid, wacky and loyal set of friends and this book does not disappoint.. Zoey's circle of friends are the type of friends that you wish you have for your own.. 

As for Zoey, like I said, I really was irritated by her at first, and then she started having substance. A change in name has brought out a more mature side of her and it's a startling contrast to the old Zoey.. (Update: Now that I'm really thinking about it, I think the reason of my irritation was misdirected.. I don't think I was that irritated with Zoey, it was more because I thought that I was going to be stuck with her then-bestfriend Kayla for the rest of the book.. Kayla got on my nerves, I just didn't like her.. When Zoey moved to the House of Night and Kayla was left in the "normal" world, I still found myself rolling my eyes at Zoey, but not so much as at the start of the book..) 

The book is not a teenage romance novel, but there is, of course, a love angle.. Nothing's definite yet, but we do know that there's Heath and there's Erik.. Human vs vampyre.. I hope it won't turn into something so sappy and cheesy.. That would be disappointing..

All in all, I think the first book is gearing up for a smashing series.. I read earlier that the 9th book was published just last October so it is indeed going strong..

"Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again!

TV review: Other shows last week (20/11-26/11)

What a delight the past week was! One hitch was I wasn't sure if it was me or a technical malfunction that caused the next episode of House (Dead & Buried) not to be recorded that Friday night.. Grrr..

Anyway, I'm still hoping that it had something to do with the network airing it (yes, you Network Ten!) because there's no House this Friday, for some reason..

Here's a rundown of some of the shows I saw last week:

Pink Tops (The Mentalist) - Nothing happened in this episode, Red John-wise, although Lisbon tried to talk to Jane about what happened in the previous episode. But knowing Jane, he's sidestepped the conversation before it even began... The case was about an undercover narcotics cop who was killed trying to expose the leader of the drug ring.. You'd think the drug lord or one of his minions have killed her, but sadly, it wasn't so.. Except for the fact that Cho may have found somebody who's gotten past his aloof, I-have-no-sense-of-humour exterior (do I smell romance for Agent Cho?), it was a 'Meh!' episode for me.. Hope things pick up in the next episode..

Brain Doe (CSI) - DB Russell's lesson for the week was on the power of observation by sharing another short story and asking 'What's the color of the horse?' While there were no horses involved in the episode, there were 3 dead guys and a brain without it's owner's head or body for that matter.. I like DB (Ted Danson) and I don't like Morgan. Maybe because she's the newest female on the team and the show wants us to get to know her but I'd rather have more of Sarah and/or Catherine.. A 'Meh!' episode for me because while the mystery of the extra brain was okay, the ending was predictable.. I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I think Ted Danson was a great addition to the cast, but I sure do miss Grissom.. Hope he makes an appearance soon..

A Fishbowl Full of Glass Eyes (Two and a Half Men) - Am I really such a loyal person that eventhough I'm really starting to not like this show I still watch it every week? Haha.. Whatever the reason is (and it's definitely not Ashton Kutcher), I still have the series set to record every Tuesday, still hoping that one day they'd actually produce an episode I'd be glad I watched.. Sadly, I'm still waiting.. Anyway, this episode doesn't even merit a 'Meh!', it was more like 'Blah!', it just wasn't funny.. It didn't even produce a single chuckle out of me, not even a grin! I mean, the show isn't really laugh-out-loud funny but at least I got a few laughs when Charlie was still in it.. But now..

Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them? (Ringer) - I still don't get why a storyline is wasted on the stepdaughter, how is she important? What foundation is being laid by us knowing about a possible romance brewing between her and her teacher? Anyway, we finally know who's the voice on the phone keeping Siobhan updated with what Bridget is doing. It wasn't that I saw it coming but I had my suspicions.. We finally have an idea as to what's happened to Gemma (I think they've killed her off but I cling to the hope that she's still alive somewhere). And we'll finally know in the next episode how Bridget will lie her way out when the ultrasound shows that she's not pregnant.. Also, I'm curious, what will happen when the boy-toy in Paris comes back to the US and see Bridget? I'm sure he'll think she's Cora (Siobhan) and that'll add more complications (of course!) to Bridget's already super-complicated life.. Okay, the show's got me asking all these questions so I guess I'm still interested..

Frozen Planet - One of the highlights of my tv-infused week.. This is a 7-part series and I was brought to the edge of the earth right there on my living room.. Spectacular! Amazing! Unbelievable! The documentary took me both to the Arctic and Antarctic regions where animals were shown living in harsh enviroments.. Then there was an episode showing the people who live there. Then they showed the making of Frozen Planet. Finally, there was Sir David Attenborough himself sitting on the snow while a penguin casually passes him by while he talking about how the changes to the temperature are affecting life in the North & South Poles.. The whole series was just one wonderful surprise after another.. I mean, I know most of the fauna but this is the first time I've ever heard of and seen a narwhal..The killer whales on the photo fascinated me and when the showed the Northern Lights, tears just formed, it was just so breathtaking.. I also found out that Antarctica has an active volcano.. All in all, it was a great series.. I now definitely have seeing the Northern Lights in person in my bucket list..

Finale Junior Masterchef Australia - Was I right, or was I right? :) Another highlight.. Poor Jack didn't stand a chance.. I'm not trying to be mean but when the second dish was served, the winner was clear from the start.. I wish I could whip up spectacular dishes like these kids.. When I was 12, all I remember doing in the kitchen was washing the dishes, hahaha.. These kids are special, they're only going to get better and better as they grow up.. It was a great second season and hopefully I find the time to go to the website and try out some of the kids' recipes.. I know that whatever I end up making will not be in these kids' caliber (I'm a lousy cook, but in my defense, I think I've had a moment or two where something I prepared actually turned out okay :p) but I know that I'll be having fun, and in the end, isn't that what really counts, well, I mean, aside from the taste, that is..

Til then..

Movie review: Little Miss Sunshine

This doesn't mean that I have only watched this movie recently, although I have seen it again only recently, hence this post..

I love it, i just love it.. No matter how many times I've seen it, I end up falling in love with the movie all over again.. The part where they all danced on stage together just cracks me up everytime..

It was a cast that worked well together.. Steve Carell is just hilarious even without saying anything.. It's like the fact that he's there is just funny in on itself..

And the characters, what else can i say? They all were a little crazy, but then again, who isn't? At the start you're introduced to members of the family and learn about their quirks.. Then it shifts to a life on the road which always takes me back to all the road trips I had with my family (sure it's cramped and uncomfortable and just your luck if the aircon is malfunctioning - but the stories, oh the stories and the memories will be something that you'll always take with you. You may forget particular instances of the where, what and why, but it'll leave you with the nice feeling of knowing that you had fun and experienced it with the whole family). Along the way, the family experiences disappointments and loss but they soon realize that they're all in it together and that they have to stand together as a family..

Once the Hoover family reached their destination, the movie shifts a bit from the family's struggles by poking fun at kid pageants with the little girls' big hairs, heavy makeup, adult-like swimwear and physique and compares all that to little Olive who's a bit on the chubby side, wears big glasses and hair done in a simple ponytail (it scares me and makes me sad just thinking if some of the girls in the movie are living that way in real life.. I just hope that they have sensible parents who will guide them and not use them)..

Then, there was the dance number.. I loved it.. For me, it was the highlight of the movie..

If you haven't seen it, please do so.. Til then!

Book review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Spoiler alert!

Second book, awesome sequel..

The title was apt because I really felt that I was catching fire when I read this book as I blazed right through it, turning page after page after page, lost in my second adventure with Katniss and Peeta..

I was back in the Games and it didnt disappoint, not one bit..

Before delving further, I just want to note that I was pleased that Gale got more 'screentime' this time around.. I have to tell you that it did make me waver - I guess a girl's natural attraction to bad boys - and I almost, almost, changed my mind (especially when I saw who was playing him in the movie, hahaha..) but in the end I still stuck with Peeta.. But did Katniss? I guess you'll just have to see/read that for yourself..

Book review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Warning: Contains spoilers.

When I first saw Harry Potter, I was tickled because the initials were HP and when I saw this book with the prominent HG caption behind Katniss, I was, you guessed it, tickled again.. Love it when I see my initials on somethingspectacular.. LOL!

This is the first book I've read of the author so I didn't know what to expect. I was reading some books but not really getting too excited with them when a good friend of mine recommended it. As soon I started reading, I literally had a difficult time putting it down.. I wanted to finish it in one seating and if I wasn't playing a responsible adult who needs to go to the store to buy food or wake up early to go to work, I definitely wouldn't have to put it down.. I was inside the arena.. I was surviving with Katniss.. I was in the Hunger Games..

TV review: Other shows this week (13/11-19/11)

Alright, here's a rundown of other shows I saw this week:

Junior Masterchef - The finale is coming.. My bet is that it'll be Greta who'll win.. She was just on fire, winning one challenge after another in the States.. And how good was it that they got to visit Disneyland? I was sad to see Miraede go, though.. She was always willing to help out Lily in any way that she can and she looked so sweet.. A funny moment was when the chef helping out the boys' team in the tag team challenge started making spaghetti instead of fettuccine, hahaha.. Felt sorry for the girls coz their fish brought them down, they were such shoo-ins for that challenge.. And Max Brenner, how cool is that? Again, these kids are such inspirations.. I wish I could cook as well as they are.. Can't wait to see who will win this competition.. Go Greta!

Frodo's Headshots (Two and a Half Men) - I honestly don't know why I'm still watching this.. At first, I was curious how they're going to play out Ashton's character but now, it's fast becoming tiresome.. He's acting like his character on That 70's Show, it's bordering on irritating.. Anyway, 9th episode in and I'm still waiting for the show's old charm.. Maybe it's gone for good because Charlie Sheen is no longer in it.. I think it's saving grace is Conchata Ferrell (Berta) as she was fun to watch in this episode. And cmon, it was so obvious that it was a dream from the very beginning.. (Update: Because of the announcement of his divorce to Demi this week, I guess I might just continue watching the show because I feel sorry for Ashton.. Can't have his show fail just after his marriage, right? Even though the divorce might be deserved..)

The Poor Kids Do It Everday (Ringer)- The premise seemed interesting but 6 episodes in, I'm getting restless.. I can't point out what's bugging me about it but I'm pretty sure it's not Mr Fantastic or Richard Alpert.. Oh, on 2nd thought, I now think I can - it's supposed to be about the twins Siobhan and Bridget but all I'm seeing week after week is Bridget with a few snippets of Siobhan.. Why haven't they brought in more background as to what drove the sisters apart in the first place? Something to do with a kid, yes, but what exactly? Was it Siobhan's child and Bridget's irresponsibility killed him or something? I dunno.. Maybe I'm the only one who can't see it because I'm starting to not care.. Also, why the focus on the step daughter's plight at school? Are we now going to be following her experiences at school with a potential romance with a teacher? Why? What has that got to do with the title characters? It's supposed to be about both Siobhan and Bridget, right? Maybe the teacher is connected to Brig/Siobhan.. Or am I not getting it again because I'm really starting not to care? Here's the thing, alright, I bite, what happened to Gemma?

Freaks & Geeks (CSI) - I loved this show from the very beginning but when Grissom left, it just didn't feel right to me so it kinda stopped being fun.. And now I found out that Marg Helgenberger (Willows) is leaving next year.. *sigh* Ted Danson as the new supervisor seems to be a good fit.. I like his leadership style, hopefully he stays for long.. The episode, a mom claims to be protecting her child from the monsters/weirdos/freaks of the world but blind to the fact that she's the monster for killing her sister out of jealousy.. (Update: Just read that there's talks to get Elizabeth Shue to replace Marg Helgenberger when she leaves the show.. Interesting!)

Blinking Red Light (The Mentalist) - Patrick Jane scared me in this episode. He has just proven that he will stop at nothing to catch Red John to the point of sacrificing somebody, albeit a serial killer, to get Red John to tip his hand. Panzer didn't care about the lives he took so Jane didn't care about his, but was it a stroke of genius on Jane's part to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak? He now knows that Red John is still out there and he's made Red John kill a serial killer.. Whatever the answer is, I'm still hooked on the show and will keep on watching it til Jane finally gets what he wants no matter what the cost..

The Isolation Permutation (Big Bang Theory) - I enjoyed this episode. The other relationships that sprang up during the course of the series are in no way getting in the way of what the show is about. Instead, it changes them, brings them closer and develops the character, most notable of course are the changes it's brought to Sheldon. Another series I'm still not getting tired of..

Parents (House) - "All parents screw up their kids" was House's snippet of wisdom this week. They couldn't determine what was wrong with the patient near the end of the episode when House met one of the patient's parents and the secret the mother was keeping was indeed a bomb.. Again, the dilemma, is the truth worth knowing if it'll screw you up in the long haul.. Again, no right or wrong, how can there be? All families have their own dynamic and in the end, it's the family's decision because while they may not know best, they know all the people in the circle..

And becuase of that nugget of wisdom, House is out to prove that he knows his team best but comes up blank with how Adams was screwed up by her parents.. The scene at the lab where we thought she has finally confided to Chase was fun. In the end, House still got to prove his point. He is all-knowing, after all.. :)

Taub's situation is mirrored by the episode as well because he's grappling with the thought of losing one of his daughters, who coincidentally have the same names (Sophie & Sophia) when his ex-wife announces a possible move to a different state. I feel for Taub, he's being a great dad and he's good with both his kids..

After Taub, can there be more of Chase? I hope..

The yucky part was House sampling a clinic patient's urine sample to test if he has diabetes, i think it made me a bit green, that was disgusting! The faces on Taub & Chase expressed my sentiments exactly.

The humour this week was House trying to get to Atlanta with Wilson so they could watch a boxing match, ring-side, courtesy of a patient of Wilson's. The last scene was hilarous! I saw it, knew it, was sure of it, when Foreman told Wilson why it's important for House to accept that Foreman is his boss and Wilson his friend. Poor Wilson, going to Foreman to fight for House's case and ending up losing his tickets.. Oh Wilson, you're such a good friend.. When will you snap? LOL..

That's it for this week.. Can't wait for what will be shown next week.. Til then!

TV review: Glee season 3 episode 6 - Mash Off

1 - 0 to the Troubletones..
I think this is my favorite mash off episode since the series began.. The mash up of Adele's Rumour Has It and Someone Like You was so great.. I loved it, I just loved it..

TV review: Modern Family season 2 episode 8 - Manny Get Your Gun

I know, I know.. I'm a recent convert of the show.. I could've watched the first episode when they first aired it, but I chose not to, thinking I won't like it.. Big mistake.. Well, I'm making up for it and I'm hoping for a Modern Family marathon soon.. In the meantime, I'm glad that channel 10 is showing 2 episodes per week, the new ones for the new season followed by an episode from previous seasons..

And so I came upon this great episode..

It's Manny's birthday and in the Pritchett household, Manny is trying to make up for his lost childhood by prank calling and mixing different flavoured sodas while his mom Gloria is busy finding her car keys. Meanwhile, at the Dunphy's, Claire and Phil decided to race to the restaurant to see whose route gets there faster.. As for Cam and Mitchell, they are in the mall looking for a present for Manny..

Delgado-Pritchett: Gloria wielding a BB gun gangsta style at the end was awesome, haha.. 

Pritchett-Dunphy: Claire, in the car with Luke, deals with the fact tht Luke would opt to be with his dad should his parents separate. Phil, in the other car with Alex and Haley, deals with his daughters outgrowing their daddy..

Tucker-Pritchett: Cam decides to be spontaneous and tried to help who he thought were star-crossed lovers but who turned out to be, quoting Mitchell, the most adult adulterers ever, LOL! Also, Mitchell's love letter via dance didn't get the reaction he was hoping for.. 
There's a lot of laughs in this episode and it would take time to point them out because the whole episode is funny.. But what I really, really loved about it was the flash mob scene.. I found this video in youtube.. I just looooove how Cam just tries to join in.. Hilarious!

*they showed more of the flash mob during the credits that's why this video shows more even after the dance has ended*

TV review: HOUSE season 8 episode 5 - The Confession

Finally, an episode of House that reminded me of what the show is all about.. fun but with a dose of morality/ethics questions that, if you're like me, leave you pondering about what your answers would be long after the episode has ended..

Don't get me wrong, the first four episodes were great, especially the first, and while I'm proud that a Filipino was cast as a main character, I just didn't enjoy thoset as much as this latest instalment..

First off, welcome back Chase & Taub.. While Thirteen has come and gone, it's a great relief to see two more familiar faces in the team.. Old team (guys) vs new team (girls).. I think this will is an interesting dynamic that House is sure to exploit to satisfy his queer sense of humor..

Channel surfing..

Last night, I channel-surfed looking for the perfect show or movie to kick off my weekend. HOUSE was currently recording and I didn't want to watch it until it's finished so I can fast forward and not catch the ads.. Then I clicked on the planner button of my remote and saw that the series finale of LOST is still there.. then i thought, why not?

Of course, I ended up crying my eyes out. The debate about the finale has been put down to rest, I think, and I will no longer add to it.. I've said my piece, albeit on a platform that is no longer available, but please allow me to say, it was a great finale.. it was an awesome finale..

What rewatching LOST made me realize was that I have been remiss in not putting my thoughts into words for quite a while now..

And thus this new blog.. A dedicated blog filled to the brim with my reactions, my feelings, my thoughts and my opinions..

Let the journey begin...