The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells the story of a man who grows younger as he ages. Benjamin (Brad Pitt) had an odd childhood (if that's what you may call it) -- born having the physical attributes of an old man and being around the elderly in a nursing home, raised by foster parents. As a pre-teen with the appearance of someone in his 70's, he met a young Daisy Fuller. They parted ways though, when Benjamin decided to go with the tugboat crew he worked with.

With the ongoing wars, Benjamin experienced the harsh realities of life at an essentially young age. He met his biological father, Thomas Button, not knowing it was him; fell in love and had an affair with a married woman; and had seen death in a different way than what he was used to. Benjamin then decided to move back to his hometown, New Orleans, back to the nursing home. He then got to know more about himself, then decided to pursue his love for Daisy (Cate Blanchett). And when the two finally got together, life became just a bit more complicated.

 
I did not fangirl over Brad Pitt in this movie; not a bit. TCCoBB was too much of a Dementor for me to even notice how good-looking the actor was. For one, there were too many deaths in the movie -- deaths that came naturally, but had great impact because of the characters' relationships with Benjamin Button. The movie gripped Jer's and my heart all throughout. My tears literally went on cue, and it had been so long since this last happened in a moviehouse!


(And onto the spoilers:)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was almost 2.5 hours long, but it was engrossing from beginning to end. Shots were scenic pati. Given the premise that Benjamin aged in reverse, we'd just have to let go of disbelief and take in the concept of that disease. (Kahit far-fetched na siya sa ending ng movie na nakaka-"woooo wag ka na!" na.) After all, the movie was more about life, and how it'd turn out depending on how you decide to live it. As Benjamin Button said, "Our lives are defined by opportunities, even those we miss."

January 17-18 was Bamba's Playmates' pig-out weekend. Tsktsk, Playmate Maddie should have been there! And engga Kriska too. hahahaha and everyone else! =P

But since it was just me, Rozz, Jay, and Jer... we had more food to ourselves! Yeah! hahaha.

Saturday
- Chicken Baked Roll from SnR for the road for me and Jer
- Late lunch at Buon Giorno - Pizza & pasta... and burger for Jer. Karnal!
- Zombie & Margarita pitchers at the Knuckles Bar
- Bulalo & Crispy Pata @ Leslie's (dahil karnal talaga kami)

Sunday
- left over Crispy Pata for breakfast! hahaha.
- Real sit-down breakfast at some carinderia along the road
- Banoffee Pie from Starbucks for the road for me and Rozz

And chips in between, of course!


This was supposed to be Rozz, Jay, and Jer's Baguio trip. But when plans changed and they decided to go to Tagaytay instead, why not sumama ako diba? At samantalahin ang lamig! Eh bilang taghirap days ngayon, di na kami nag-hotel. We found a room for rent near Picnic Grove for 2k a night. So when we finally found a place to stay (and finally decided na hindi na kami uwian), larga na para kumain!

Grabe, from one resto to another ang drama namin. Walang sightseeing, walang photoshoots. Just plain chikahan over meals -- from wholesome kwentuhan, to that-chismisan-we-do, to downright obscene discussion! Grandest pig-out weekend talaga. hahaha. Even if it's just the four of us. Aba, mabuti nga natuloy eh!

At ako naman, bilang on leave ako hanggang bukas, ay eto, kumakain pa rin. Internet at chicha. Lovett. Lovett since I've been haggard for the longest time. And I need this rest.

Toodles!

Sometimes, people write the things that they can't say.
- Haley Scott, One Tree Hill 5.18


Sometimes, we do, but we don't publish.
Because we still can't tell.
Sometimes, we can't even get ourselves to write down the thoughts.
........
Or maybe, we just don't write well. haha.

I've changed. I think.

Naglilinis kasi ako ng Mailbox folders tapos nire-reread ko yung exchange of emails ko with friends over the past year. Basta from my bum days after grad, to early stages at work, to current email chikas.

I was really a dork when I was in school. Puro acads-related ang nasa mailbox ko nung mga panahong yun. Walang forwarded emails; dinedelete ko kasi most of them basura lang. At hindi ako madaldal sa email noon. Because I had my blog where I can rant and rave about anything. Those were the days when I still had the time and the drive to write. When I got a job, for some reason, I went into creativity drain. To think na pwede naman akong magsulat during breaks. At mas marami nga akong napupuntahan nung may work na ko, pero wala lang, di ko maisulat. Naiinis ako tuloy. Promise. Naiinis ako sa fact na puro pics na lang ang pina-publish ko to tell the stories. Viewable by selected people pa! Gusto ko text!

O anyway, moving on...

Nakakatawa lang, na ang usual topic ng emails ko ay movies and must-share funny topics. Yan ang consistent. And of course, updates for and from my friends from other time zones. Before 2007 ended, puro goodbye emails ang laman ng mailbox ko.

May evolution ang discussion: From long goodbye letters, thesis hangover (Selfworth!), excited kwentos, sumbongs that could have been told through gritted teeth, mga bilin regarding unfinished business, mga pabili, exchange of "ingats," love for taking photos, video projects and video messages, travel plans, fangirling, batchmates...

to goodbyes ulit, career paths, goals in life, how to sustain wants, frustration, revelation of "blind items," friends having boyfriends, friends getting married, friends having babies... and love advice, too, no matter how bitchy and heartless they may seem. haha.

And they just go on like a cycle. What has changed is the way I expressed my thoughts on such things. Inaasar ako nun ng friends ko from work na mataas ng IQ, mababa ang EQ. Then for some reason, my "inner Binibining EQ" is gradually emerging. Nacoconscious tuloy ako pag pinapansin nila; in person or through email. Eh ayaw nyo? Sige lang! Well anyway, at least I get to say such things now. Or at least, write them down. Hindi naman kasi talaga ako showy, gaya nga ng sabi ko sa People Always Leave and Caregiver entries ko, na kelangan mong pansinin talaga, Charm, diba? hahaha.

Hmmmm... pero namimiss ko tuloy yung dati kong writing style. Yung carefree. Yung puro kwento lang na can-relate lahat. Hmp. Ayoko naman kasi na puro movie reviews na lang.

O anyway... I just had to share na yun nga, I just noticed and I just realized that I've changed. Because the way I write has changed. Less creative yet more in touch with my emotions. Even the way I talk has changed. (Ikaw ba namang may Kriska & Jerome na kasama araw-araw. hahaha.) Kaya hindi ako nakakapag-blog na. Because I want everything I post here to be readable. Ayokong parang personal diary. At ginawa ko talagang pang-justify yun no? Kaya eto, sa email na lang ako dumadaldal muna.

Having said those things, kelangan ko lang ishare na favorite emails ko pa rin yung One More Chance review at yung 11Y vs. 26B (HKG trip in Apr na walang nagreply! Hmp!). Aside from the effort put into composing these messages, they just never fail to make me smile. Fun reads kasi. Parang sila yung essence ng love ko for movies and yung fun moments ko with my CX friends.

And Kriska, included in that One More Chance email is this:

Yung My Girl nila.... may episode/s na kinilig din ako dun! As in! Yung nasa taxi sila at natutulog si Gerald. Sabi ni Kim, wag kang gigising ha, para masabi ko yung mga hindi ko masabi pag gising ka. Para hindi na ako magpapanggap & magsisinungaling. Parang ganun. My god, tumi-teenager ako!

HAHAHAHA. And now there's Tayong Dalawa for such discussion.
And another *bleh* entry for you all. Oh well. Nevermind.