KanjiGirl

Movie reviews part 3

// December 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Entertainment

UP – This one’s really not what I expected it to be. Well, I actually had no idea what this movie is all about before I saw it but I expected it to be fairly light and fluffy. Instead, I found it very serious and heartwarming with funny scenes sprinkled here and there. I am giving it a 4 because although I liked it the first time I saw it, I got bored the second time around. [4 out of 5]

YEAR ONE – This was a disappointment. I never expected anyone to be brave enough to parody the Bible, but apparently these guys who created this movie were. Essentially, it’s a plot-less attempt to get cheap laughs. At times the dialog redeemed the movie, but still I wish they could have done more to make make this movie more than just a brainless mishmash of scenes. [2 out of 5]

LAND OF THE LOST – This is worst than Year One. Although there was a plot, it was a bad plot. The special effects (if you could call them that) were terrible to the point that I think they did that on purpose. What a waste of movie money. [1 out of 5]

G.I. JOE – If you want your movies action packed, funny, and easy to follow, then this one’s for you. The plot is simple and sometimes flawed, but the action is awesome. I only didn’t like the final twist at the end. It didn’t make sense to me. [4 out of 5]

SURROGATES – This one’s a pretty good, but I saw a lot of flaws in the movie’s main concept (having a robotic surrogate live your life for you). However, I still the found to movie very interesting and action packed. I love the movie’s surprising twists and was never bored throughout the entire movie. [4 out of 5]

FAME – I was looking forward to seeing this movie because of the early hype it received. Maybe I expected too much that’s why I wasn’t that impressed with it. As a disclaimer, I know nothing about the play it was based on. Still, it was just a collection of stories of the kids on this high school. You are basically just taken through their experiences during their short 4 years of high school. [3 out of 5]

THIS IS IT – I’m not a big MJ fan but I really liked This is It. It was really something else. I was totally in awe the whole time! It’s just like watching his concert and at the same time getting all the behind the scenes stuff for every song. Being someone who dabbled into events styling and management, I was really interested in the whole behind the scenes part. The thoughts and effort they all placed into this production really amazed me. [5 out of 5]

ASTROBOY – Again, I knew nothing about the cartoon series this was based on. Despite this, I really liked this movie. It was a good thing too that my boyfriend was familiar with the cartoon so he was able to give me some added commentary. [5 out of 5]

2012 – I have nothing against the whole mass destruction movie concept, but it does get boring at some point. I mean we all know what will happen in the end right? But to this movie’s credit, they did went all the way with the special effects. The did make the end of the world look good. [3 out of 5]

NEW MOON – I read the book this was based on and I didn’t like it. Still, I was curious about how the book would be interpreted so I went ahead and watched it. I think they were able to faithfully interpret the book, which meant I also didn’t like the movie. Still, I loved Jacob’s character on the book and I think Taylor Lautner was able to portray the character well. [3 out of 5]

20 things to never do when planning your wedding

// September 3rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Weddings

Here’s a pretty solid list of tips for planning not just your wedding but essentially any wedding. I found this list on Simply Perfect Weddings and they found it on Fabuluxe Events, Inc. I don’t particularly agree with #11, but of course this matter is totally debatable. I happen to think that the invitation is the most convenient place to put registry information.

Planning your wedding can be fun, exhausting, exhilarating, stressful, exciting and frustrating. Here are 20 tips that you should never do whilst planning the party of the year.

1.) Never book any venue without seeing it. My only exception to this is if you have a wedding planner working your behalf and doing the scouting for you.

2.) Never work with any vendor without a contract. Ever. This includes Aunt Jan and Uncle Marty. Contracts put everyone’s expectations and obligations on paper.

3.) Never start planning or interviewing vendors without a budget. You will waste your time and the time of the vendors you meet. Whenever a potential client says “There is no budget” or something similar, they are not impressed. The red flags go up.

4.) Never start your wedding planning in the “middle”. In other words, start at the beginning and work your way down with tasks and duties. Find a planning timeline to help you figure out where you should be in your planning process. Don’t start designing your floor plan when you haven’t chosen a venue.

5.) Never be afraid to speak up with your vendors. If you have questions or concerns, ask while changes can still be made as opposed to being stuck with something you will regret on your wedding day.

6.) Never take your family and friends for granted. Using the “But it’s my wedding” carte blanche will get very old, very fast. Your bridesmaids and groomsmen will spend a small fortune to participate in your day. Please treat them nicely.

7.) Never believe anything you see on the wedding shows. Ever.

8.) Never choose a dress under the condition you will lose weight to fit in it later. Stress eating is a huge monster during wedding planning. It is easier to take a dress in than it is to let it out.

9.) Never forget what you are planning for—your wedding, which is the birth of your marriage. I encourage you to plaster pictures all over your planning binder of you and your honey. That is your motivation.

10.) Never pick a vendor that has poor communication skills or makes you feel silly, “cheap”, “spoiled, or otherwise about your choices. Period.

11.) Never put your registry information on or with your invitation. Times may have changed and “some” etiquette rules can be bent. I don’t feel this is one of them. You do not want people to feel like there is a cover charge for your wedding. This information needs to be sent word of mouth, on your wedding website/newsletter or with your bridal/couple shower invite.

12.) Never choose a photographer with your budget solely in mind. This is the only thing that will preserve your memories for your special day. Please choose someone with style, talent and charisma so that you can remember your day fifty years from now as if it were yesterday.

13.) Never go to your catering tasting starving. Everything will taste good. You need to be discerning with mingling flavors and scents…and be able to appreciate them.

14.) Never go to your florist without a concept. There are several breeds of roses, lilies, and orchids. Your floral designer will be more than happy to provide you with inspiration, guidance and ideas, but you need to know where the destination is before you get in the car.

15.) Never assume a vendor’s “retainer” is the same as a deposit. A deposit is refundable. A retainer is not.

16.) Never think you will be able to make everyone happy with your decisions. Don’t try to make them all angry either. Ask for ideas, and find ways to incorporate everyone into the wedding. Nothing will make your FMIL beam brighter than to point at something and say “I picked that!”

17.) Never try to micromanage your day while wearing the gown. The day will be a blur anyway, it will go by so much faster (and harder) if you are playing the starring role and the director. Enjoy your day. Save your sanity. Please get a wedding coordinator. If you do, let her/him do her/his job.

18.) Never withhold the final payment from a vendor with the belief that this will pressure them to show up. If you have chosen to hire professionals for your wedding, this will never be an issue. The wedding industry thrives on reputation, and several vendors have reputations that precede them. Many have the philosophy if you do not pay them on the due date, they will not be there, and you will be without the vendor anyway.

19.) Never lose sight of the fact that you will have several hundred people at your wedding with different tastes and likes. While you cannot make them all happy, as a host, it is your job to make it enjoyable and comfortable. Remember this when it comes to design, location and food.

20.) Never forget to read this blog. (ok, I was really running low. Shameless plug over).

Movie reviews part 2

// August 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Entertainment

Here’s part 2 of my movie reviews. In my first movie reviews post (The Last 15 Movies I Saw) I reviewed 15 movies. This time, I’ll just review 6 so the post won’t be as long. Due to my terribly busy schedule, I wasn’t able to watch all the movies I would have wanted to. But at least I was able to see the ones that really mattered (in my opinion at least). ^.^ Here are the movies I saw since June (or was it May?).

ANGELS AND DEMONS – I don’t really want to compare this to The DaVinci Code because they are two different movies and I won’t. Although some of my friends said they disliked this movie, I would have to disagree. Since I didn’t read the book before watching it, I truly enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. I really liked Ewan McGregor’s character; he made this movie that much better for me. [5 out of 5 stars]

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 – In my opinion, this sequel was a hundred times better than the first movie. I almost didn’t want to see this because I didn’t like Night at the Museum. It’s a good thing we went ahead and saw it anyway. And I still enjoyed it the second time we saw it. You really can’t take this movie seriously. It’s light, funny and entertaining. [4 out of 5 stars]

TERMINATOR SALVATION – Would you believe that this is the first Terminator movie I saw? I saw it with my boyfriend who thankfully is a fan of the series and was able to explain to me everything I didn’t understand. And I liked it! In fact, I really enjoyed the movie. I half-expected it to be a bore but it surprisingly wasn’t. [4 out of 5 stars]

TRANSFORMERS 2 – Since the first Transformers was such a hit, it was natural that this installment will have a lot of hype surrounding it. My co-workers and I decided to make an event around seeing this movie and watch it together (all 14 of us). We even had to reserve seats because we were planning to see it on a weekend and we wanted to make sure we can get tickets. It’s a good thing we did because the theaters were packed! Anyway, the movie itself was ok. It started out kinda boring, but picked up around halfway through. However, I really hated how Megan Fox was pimped in the movie. I mean I get it, she’s hot without even trying. So why did they have to try so hard to make her look hot in the movie with rear-end shots, slo-mo running shots, etc.? [4 out of 5]

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE – I was in Singapore when this was premiered and I just had to see it immediately. At first, the Chinese subtitles annoyed me but minutes into the movie I didn’t even notice it anymore. I love this movie! We’ll I’ve loved all the other Harry Potter movies (except the fifth one, that one was just ok) but this one is one of my favorites. I think this is one of the best adaptations from the Harry Potter books (the Prisoner of Azkaban is another fave). [5 out of 5]

THE PROPOSAL – At this point I haven’t seen a romantic comedy in a long time. This movie was just in time. Sandra Bullock is a terrific actress and Ryan Reynolds is awesome as well. Fun fun fun! [4 out of 5]

My fave jpop remixes

// July 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Entertainment

I love listening to remixes and mashups of songs. I wish I knew how to create stuff like these. Well, I actually tried to make a remix of my own, but… well… you’re better off not listening to it. Anyway, check out some of my favorite jpop remixes below… I’ll bet you’ll be amazed even if you’re not a jpop fan.

Do Me A Poker Face (Namie Amuro vs. Lady GaGa) from Masa on Vimeo.

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Before The Girlfriend (Crystal Kay vs. Avril Lavigne) from Masa on Vimeo.

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Sweet LOOK (Namie Amuro vs. Gwen Stefani & Akon) from Masa on Vimeo.

8 Awesome hairstyle tutorials (not for the fainthearted)

// June 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fashion

My friend from highschool is getting married soon and of course, the rest of my friends and I want to get all glammed up for the event. Usually I just wear my hair down at formal events like this but I want to try something different this time. I searched the net for DIY hairstyle tutorials and sure enough, I found a lot that I can’t wait to try. Here’s a collection of tutorials I’m sure you’ll love as well.

Here’s a cute alternative to the good old ponytail. This tutorial is in Japanese but it’s pretty much straightforward and I’m sure you’ll be able to follow even if you don’t understand what she’s saying. [via binosusume channel]

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If you’re more of a pigtails type, this more sophisticated approach might be for you. I like how you don’t have to tie the ends of you hair. I don’t know how long this style will hold up but it sure looks pretty. [via binosusume channel]

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If I do wear my hair down, this ribbon would make a super cute accent. This style isn’t for the faint hearted but I love it! [via binosusume channel]

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I’m not sure if my hair is long or thick enough to pull this off, but I love the look of this big bun. It’s worth a try, maybe I’ll just need to tease my hair a lot. If all else fails, I can always get hair extensions or something. [via binosusume channel]

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Rocker chicks would love this fauxhawk style. It’s not my style but I’m sure it’ll look good on someone else. [via MissChievous channel]

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This tutorial has been done over and over again but it’s pretty good techinique to change up your style. However, for this to work, you have to have the kind of layered hair that’s shorter at the top. [via fordmodels]

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Here’s a modern version of the beehive. Cute, the headband just finishes off the look. [via fordmodels]

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And last but not the least, here’s an Amy Winehouse inspired do. I would totally try this if I could get synthetic hair that matches my haircolor. [via fordmodels]

Simple things that make me feel good

// June 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Random

This is not by any means a complete and definitive list. I was just in the middle of a long car ride on the way home and started thinking of the stuff that make me feel good (like really warm and fuzzy you know what I mean). I don’t want to forget stuff like that so I’m writing it down…

1. Listening to a song for the first time and loving it
2. The first day of a long holiday
3. Going home on Friday after a tiring week
4. A pile of unread books
5. A pile of unread manga
6. Waking up earlier than I’m supposed to and lying in bed to pass the time

I’m sure there are a lot more, I just can’t think of them right now. ^.^

Still listening to 2008 (kpop)

// June 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Entertainment

It’s already mid 2009 and I’m still listening to 2008 songs. Check out these three songs that I can’t seem to get out my head…

1. U Go Girl – Lee Hyori
   This is a cute and catchy song paired with a funny and entertaining video. It doesn’t hurt that Lee Hyori looks awesome in the video too (then again, she always looks great… how I envy her).
2. A.Mi.Go – SHINee
   Here’s another catchy song. SHINee definitely has improved since their debut.
3. Crazy – Son Dambi
   I don’t know why but I looooove listening to this song… it’s simply addictive. I also love the choreography on her video.

These are definitely three songs that are begging to be danced to. I probably won’t get tired listening to these any time soon.

So, what are you listening to?

The Last 15 Movies I Saw

// May 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Entertainment

My boyfriend and I usually watch a movie every week… sometimes two if we’re lucky. I used to write a short review about every movie I saw but to be frank, I haven’t done this for quite some time now. To make up for this, I’m lumping together the last fifteen movies I saw in this post.

Just as a disclaimer, I am not the typical movie buff. I watch movies to laugh and be entertained. I generally avoid movies that are depressing, scary, overly violent or too thought provoking. Most of the critically acclaimed movies usually fall into my avoid list, but I love big blockbusters, comedies and chick flicks.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on the latest movies I’ve seen, starting from the last:

STAR TREK
I almost considered skipping this because I thought that since I wasn’t a fan of Star Trek, I might be alienated from the concepts and characters in the movie. I was pleasantly surprised… I actually liked it! My favorite character is Spock because of the humanity underneath his emotionless facade. The movie also managed to inject a little humor into the story, which is nice because I hate overly serious movies. My only complaint here is that the time travel element in the plot was very confusing. But when did time travel ever make sense? [5 out of 5 stars]

WOLVERINE
Despite the many criticisms about this movie, I really liked it. The characters were all interesting and the story made sense. I didn’t read the X-men comic books nor did I watch the old X-men cartoon so I don’t really mind that the movie didn’t strictly stick to the original material, according to fans of the franchise. [5 out of 5 stars]

17 AGAIN
This is a typical feel-good romantic comedy. It’s cute and funny, a great movie for those times when you just want to enjoy a light movie. There’s nothing notable or original about it, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. [4 out of 5 stars]

DRAGONBALL REVOLUTION
There’s nothing really special about this movie. It could have been cool, considering that Dragonball is a well-loved manga and anime series. However, this live action adaptation reminded me too much about made for TV movies. I don’t know if it’s the script, the effects or the acting. Hmmm. [2 out of 5 stars]

FAST AND FURIOUS
For some reason, Vin Diesel is beefier here but Paul Walker looks too skinny. Paul Walker would definitely loose in a fist fight. I love the car chase scenes but I hate the scenes with Jordana Brewster in it. Her character just has nothing to offer. All in all, I’d say the movie is just average. [3 out of 5 stars]

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
This movie was funny, but it did get a bit boring and predictable more than once. The blob was funny, and so was the rest of the monsters, but somehow the movie as a whole didn’t have that impact a great movie leaves on me. It was just ok I guess. [3 out of 5 stars]

RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
This was probably one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time. The trailers made it seem interesting and funny but it was boring, predictable, and did I already say boring? This movie was a waste of energy for “The Rock”. Even he couldn’t save a lousy plot, lousy script, and lousy co-stars. [1 out of 5 stars]

WATCHMEN
The movie was beautiful yet gut wrenching at the same time. The opening fight scene of the movie gave me serious goosebumps, while the opening credits scene looked super cool. But despite all the great looking visuals, the plot didn’t make any sense to me. To me, it was all style and no substance. [2 out of 5 stars]

STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI
This one’s almost as bad as Dragonball Revolution. I say almost because I think it’s bit better than Dragonball.  However, this too, has the made for TV movie feel to it. But at least there were times during the movie that I actually became interested in it. [2.5 out of 5 stars]

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
I’ve read and loved the book this movie was based on.  Despite this movie not being 100% true to the novel, I still loved the movie. Come to think of it, I think the movie was even a tad better than the book. The character of Becky was more lovable and in a sense relatable in the movie. In the book, there were times when she was just plain annoying. [5 out of 5]

PINK PANTHER 2
This was good for some laughs. I’m not really a big fan of slapstick comedy, but I was able to at least appreciate Pink Panther 2. I think it was because of the accent, hehe. Anyway, if you don’t expect too much you might actually enjoy this one. [3 out of 5 stars]

BRIDE WARS
Here’s the thing with expectations… if they’re not met, no matter how good something might be, you’ll be disappointed. I expected a lot from this movie. The cast was promising and the premise was interesting and original. However, the movie simply did not live up to it’s potential. It was disappointing, really. [2 out of 5 stars]

UNDERWORLD RISE OF THE LYCANS
I wasn’t really interested in this one, but my boyfriend wanted to see it so we did. It was ok, if this was your thing you’d probably love this movie. But dark, grungy movies are not really my thing. Just the fact that I wasn’t bored while watching this one already says a lot to its advantage. [4 out of 5 stars]

INKHEART
This one was ok I guess. I thought it was going to be really cool but it ended up being a bit boring at parts and predictable at other parts (I didn’t read the book this movie was based on). However, the plot was pretty good… I guess it was just the way it was edited or something that was the problem. [3 out of 5 stars]

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE TO AFRICA
I didn’t like the first Madagascar movie but this was hilarious! This is definitely way better than the first movie. I love how they continued where they left off at the ending of the first movie and how at the end, everything fell into perfect place. [5 out of 5 stars]

Ok, so if you’re thinking that my opinions and ratings don’t make any sense, I would have to agree with you. Sometimes I don’t even understand myself, haha. But hey, everyone’s entitiled to their own opinion, and those were mine. ^_^

5 Things I’m bringing on our flight to South Korea

// April 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Random

After countless days of anticipation, our trip to Korea is finally just a (probably sleepless) night away! Right now, I’m taking a rest from packing my stuff for the trip to write this quick post. I was kinda at a loss on what clothes to bring since I don’t really know how cold (or warm) it’ll be when we get there. But to be safe I packed a lot of stuff that I could layer or wear as separates.

Anyway I’m really excited about this trip but one thing I’m not excited about is the long flight. I hate being cramped up in a plane for hours on end. If you ask me, time is slowest inside a plane… the minutes literally just crawl by. Don’t get me wrong, I have no plane phobias or unreasonable fears about flying or anything. In fact, I think I’m the only person besides my sister who loves airplane food (that part I’m looking forward to). However, I’ll be staying in coach (as if I can afford anything classier than that) so that would mean backaches, leg aches and just general discomfort.

I don’t think I’d be able to sleep since this is a day flight, so to make the plane ride more bearable I have this list of stuff to bring:

• iPod Touch loaded with music and videos - This is my trusty standby for those long boring things I have to endure.
• Nice and snug earbuds – I hate noisy kids and babies on planes. The Sennheiser earbuds I borrowed from my boyfriend (it’s not gross to borrow earbuds from a boyfriend) should do the trick to keep those annoying noises out of my head.
• Ouran High Host Club Volume 10 – I’m bringing volume 10 with me on the plane while volumes 11 and 12 will be in my check-in luggage. A trip abroad is always a great time to catch up on my reading (hahaha).
• Laptop - The precious 2 hours of battery life could be time well spent for games or watching a good movie (not those movies that you’re forced to watch on the plane).
• PSP or DS - I don’t have either but if I did I’d definitely bring those along with me
• A notebook and a pen – Who knows? I might suddenly get the inspiration to write something.

That’s actually 6 things but since I don’t have the PSP or DS that brings it down to 5. I guess that’s it. I’ll get back to packing now. :-)

My top 3 eye looks c/o Xteener

// March 18th, 2009 // No Comments » // Fashion

I’ve always been a klutz when it comes to applying eye makeup. Since my eyes are not deep set (meaning I don’t have a crease), I find it really hard to follow most tutorials on the web since these are mostly done on Caucasian models.

It’s a good thing I discovered Xteener on Youtube. She is an absolute godsend. She has tons of makeup tutorials, tips and reviews in her Youtube channel. We have similar looking eyes so I had no problem at all following her instructions. Check out my top 3 eye makeup tutorials from Xteener. These are all dramatic, smokey eye looks, so they’re not really for everyday use… unless you really want some attention! ;-)