What I am Learning As I Write? Am I Really Learning? Am I Really Writing?

It began as an idea which brought upon a story, after a year or two, a decision was formed - it was to write my first novel. Then the actual writing process began...yaiks! Wait, before you think otherwise, let me say this - I enjoy writing, it provides me with a wonderful positive experience. Most especially when all the stars align and everything is in place, when all my chapter scenes strike a perfect balance of logic and sentiment, when the words I write evoke the precise emotion I need to impart...when that happens, I will let you know. Right now, and as what my wise and supportive husband suggests, I am enjoying the ride as I look forward to my destination and gain as much knowledge along the way. With that, let me share one nugget that I've learned and have been doing lately.


Keep Writing

with David Morrell



with Jayne Ann Krentz



I've had the wonderful opportunity to meet several highly respected NY Times Best selling authors like Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell, Stella Cameron, David Morrell, to name a few (and I have pictures to prove it). They gave similar pointers and were consistent with that advice, "Keep Writing." 

Personally, I've come across this challenge:  how I see the story in my mind does not always translate well when I write it, the lesson there remains the same - to keep on writing. Another challenge is, what if it seems like I have nothing to write, again, just keep on pounding those keys and inspiration will strike. I must say, blogging helps me a lot. Lately, I've blocked out about an hour a day to do this. This was also as per the advise of my instructor who is also an accomplished author, James Thayer.

Since I am on this journey and there are many life lessons along the way, then, I will continue to blog what I learn as I encounter them, consider this blog part one of a series of knowledge. Also, this may seem simple but when praticed it will truly benefit you.

If in case you have any additional tips, please feel free to share them as well.

Movies We Saw The Week of 10/18/2010

Tekken
As you may know, this movie, was based on the popular video game tof the same title. What maybe you did not know is that this brought back a lot of fun memories to me.


For Bong's 2001 birthday (the one he celebrates every November), PS2 was released and it was sold out. After searching high and low, we found out that the Toy's R Us in 440, Jersey City had a very limited stock, we immediately had one reserved and drove as fast as we could (legally) to get it. One of the first few games we bought was Tekken and I was hooked! I love this game and I was the undefeated champion amongst our friends during that time. My favorite character was Martiall Law and my second favorite (if there was a four player game) was Yoshimitsu. I remember playing all night and beating everyone who stood in my way (in the game world that is).


After several video games being turned into movies (like Street Fighter, Mortal Combat) I did not have high hopes for this and of course the film did not prove me wrong. I must say this, if you enjoyed playing this or are familiar with the game, then, you will appreciate several parts of the film. The actor who played Jin Kazama was a good choice, we especially enjoyed the scene where prior to the final fight, Jin has a half body shot with his right arm raised which is exactly like in the game cover! Also, in the fight scenes, they did several unlocked moves, which once in my life I did know how to do.

If you are not into this game, then, it may not be an enjoyable film.

When In Rome
Is about Beth, a workaholic curator for the Guggenheim who travels to Rome for her sister's whirlwind wedding and there she meets Nick, a fellow workaholic. During the wedding and after several mishaps, Beth was slightly drunk as she picks up four coins and a poker chip at the fountain of love. Legend has it that whoever gets the coins from the fountain will have the owner (of the coin) fall in love with him/her - in this case Beth. She dismisses this and goes back to her busy schedule in New York, the four men (coin owners) tries to win her love and then there was Nick. Beth loves Nick but is worried that he may just be in love with her because she think he was the one who owns the poker chip.


The movie had several wonderful photographic shots of Rome as well as the Guggenheim. As for the story, it  was not cohesive and it was very predictable. There were several failed attempts at humor which made the movie more annoying. The movie had Josh Duhamel, who to me is a dashing, good looking and wonderful actor but it still did not help the film. I'm just being honest and want to save you about an hour and thirty minutes of your time.
















Robin Hood
This is the story of Robin Longstride who fought side by side with King Richard during the crusades for ten years until King Richard's untimely death in the hands of a French cook.  This tells how Robin and Lady Marian of Loxely meet and fall in love and most importantly, how Robin Hood became the well known outlaw who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. The movie which was about two hours and thiry six minutes long (this is just in my opinion) could have been shortened to about an hour and fifteen minutes. There were a lot of cinematic scenes that made feel like an epic film but I think Russell Crowe could have been King Richard and they could have cast a youner actor to play Robin and a younger female for Lady Marian, again, this is just my humble opinion.
 

A Review Of Let Me In The Movie and The Book

Let Me In (the Movie)

When we decided to see the film Let Me In, aside from it having Chloe Moretz as the lead, we had no idea what this was about, (if you haven't seen Kick Ass, just so you know, she played hit girl - a young and innocent little girl who was just about to hit her tweens, the difference between her in comparison to girls her age is that in that film she curses like a sailor - or even worst and can kill a batallion of bad people using any weapon available). I digress, so half way through this movie, we realized that this was an adaptation of the Swedish movie Let The Right One In which we saw in its fowarded version (meaning, it seemed really slow so we expedited the process to end it as quick as possible). The U.S. version directed by Matt Reeves is a well made movie from beginning to end. I am not much into horror films and this was not scary as much as it had heart. It is story driven and despite the lead characters being twelve, one wiser and more experienced (since she/he or it is a vampire and has been twelve for a long time). Overall, viewers will  feel Owen's pain - he is a victim of bullying in school is mostly alone and its understandable that he needs Abby. Abby too needs Owen as her a protector. We enjoyed the film so much that we recently saw the Swedish version again. In addition, I also just completed reading the Book.

Let Me In (the Book) by John Ajvide Lindqvist

The book is much darker than both films as it tackles deep human issues such as bullying, alcoholism and much more. If you think that this is a European version of Twilight, then, please know that it is not. I will give you more details of the book, so just be warned that there may be spoilers from this point onwards. The novel provides a lot of insight and back stories of the characters with I truly appreciate since I have seen both versions of the film.  Oskar, the lead character is being bullied in school, his parents are divorced and his dad is an alcoholic. Oskar has dreams of being a killer and keeps a scrapbook of newspaper clippings of violent murders and photos, also, he is twelve years old. Eli is an odd little girl who does not get cold and befriends Oskar, she inititally tells him that they cannot be friends but her actions seem otherwise. At one point when Oskar asked if they could be together (as boyfriend - girlfriend), Eli said no because she isn't a girl nor a boy. Later on, Eli reveals that she was a boy castrated by a demon about several hundred years ago. That being said, the story is fresh and  truly engaging, there were some parts where the details were too much, but overall, I truly enjoyed the narration. I would have been content with the movie but I don't regret reading the novel. For a halloween novel (and if you're up to it), this is a good read.

Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover, Judge It After Reading It Via An E-Book Reader...

When the first version of the Kindle came out, despite me being a voracious reader (or maybe because of that fact) I did not show even a slight hint of interest. Then, Bong incepted the idea that having an ebook reader might have its advantages, he also reminded me that we had fifty boxes of books in our tiny 700 sq. ft living room apartment which meant that we literally did not have a lot of space to walk on - that was three years ago. Now, I have a Kindle 2 which I love that I take with me anywhere, all of the time, no joke.  I also have several signed by author books in my book shelves (in addition I have about two boxes stashed in our garage)  - not bad for a book lover/collector, right?

This is our library. 
When Bong brought me to work that day, this room was bare.
I then went home to this perfection.

If you are like me who is a avid reader and a geek who enjoys toys also known as gadgets, then, the perfect balance is to have a state of the art eBook reader (the more added features, the better). I came across several options that you may find appealing as well.

If you have time, here are several questions, do you prefer reading books in its original format? Do you  currenly own or would you like to have an ebook reader? Do you have a preferred brand? If what you had in mind is not listed below, then please share what it is and why.

Kindle

iPad

Kindle DX

Entourage Edge

Movies We Saw This Week of 10/11/2010

1. Did You Hear About The Morgans
It begins when Paul and Meryl Morgan, both equally successful in their field of expertise are shown as a couple who have been separated due to Paul's infidelity. As he tries to woo Meryl back, they both witness a murder. Since the killer is on the lose,  they are sent to Ray, Wyoming as part of the witness protection program.

Ray, Wyoming is a small town and here they rekindle their past, as they were getting past the main issue of their break up, another one was revealed and then the killer finds them. But all is well that ends well.

The story was simple and entertaining. Hugh Grant had really good lines in the
 film. Both actors had great chemistry.  It's a good enough movie if you are in the mood for something light hearted.

2. The Expendables
Directed by Sylvester Stallone, this is a about a group of highly skilled mercenaries comprised of an all star cast headed by Sylvester Stallone with Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Gary Daniels, Steve Austin, and Jet Li. Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger had cameo roles.

The movie was surely not story driven and the action sequence were far reaching. If you have nothing better to do and want to see Ivan Drago and Rocky in another film, or all the above actors in one movie, here's your chance.



3. Get Him To The Greek
Aldous Snow (played by Russell Brand) is a popular rock star who released an album with his single African Child that became a world wide flop. Since then, he broke up with his girlfriend of seven years, Jackie Q and went back to drugs and drinking.

Aaron (played by Jonah Hill) is a big fan of Aldous and was assigned by Sergio (P. Diddy) to pick Aldous up from London and take him back to L.A. for Aldous' tenth year live concert at the Greek.

From the time that Aldous and Aaron meet, they get involved in several fun yet compromising situations. Aaron also has some issues of his own as he had a fight with his live-in girlfriend, Daphne.

It was from one mischievous and comedic adventure after another that bonds both Aldous and Aaron and they eventually turns their life around and become friends.

I judged the film even without watching it as something that I would not like and I was wrong. This was funny to the point that Bong and I would even pause the film in between scenes because we could not stop laughing! It is not the best film out there since drugs, alcohol and sex played a huge part in the story, but still it was very engaging. If you saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall, then, this is somewhat spin off of that film.

What have you seen lately?

A Review Of The Chronicles Of A Midlife Crisis by Robyn Harding

The book begins when Trent explains to Lucy, his wife of almost twenty years that he needs a break and walks out on their marriage. There seemed to be no big issues except for the fact that he was attracted to his co worker, Annika. In his mind, Trent thinks that leaving his wife/family would be the best way to have a better life which of course was the worst thing he did.

Lucy on the other hand was broken and confused but despite the tragedy of losing her husband she tries to balance her career as a production costume designer/purchaser and to be a parent to their daughter, Sam who was deeply affected by their separation. In addition, Wynn who is a heathrob enters her life. To add to the mix, Lucy's daughter has a big crush on Wynn.

The story is presented in both Trent and Lucy's points of view - this provided the reader (me) great insight especially on how generally speaking a man goes through mid life crisis - and to think they say the that women are complex. The novel has heart and humor, it is a light and easy read as the story flowed smoothly.

I am extremely thankful that I won this book through the Chic Lit Central Blog, did I mention that the book was signed by Robyn Harding!

What Happens In Vegas, Stays In My Blog

Bong's french maid - me.

What Happens in Vegas, Stays In Vegas! Well, since I went to Vegas primarily to attend a conference, then, might as well blog the highlights of the trip. I will be as succinct as possible and not bore you with mundane details such as the hot, sultry, steamy ... weather that surrounded Vegas when we were there =)

A Room With A View
Paris is known to be the most romantic city in the world and that was were we stayed - at the Paris Hotel in Vegas that is. We were on the 21st floor and had a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower, the Pool and the captivating Bellagio fountain which provided us with a lot of entertainment as they put on a water/light show every fifteen to thity minutes depending on the time and day.

The Shows

What is Vegas without the shows, right? We saw not one but two! During the first night, we headed to the Venetian to see Phantom which is an updated version from what we saw about a year ago at the Paramount Theater. With that knowledge, the chandelier scene was such a draw dropping vision especially from where we were seated, it was indeed magical. In addition, there were some high tech fireworks which made it more impressive. Since the show was entitled Phantom, my take on the lead character was that he was not as engaging and I found him to be somewhat overacting. Overall, the experience was wonderful and the music was still superb.

After the show, we walked from Mandalay Bay to Paris.

On Tuesday, October 5th, we went to Mandalay bay to see the Lion King. I saw the movie a while back and had no idea how this was going to be translated into a play. I was in for a wonderful treat. It was a pleasant surprise that our seats were at the third row close to the aisle (an upgrade for getting the tickets through the company website), this meant that when the cast were performing by the aisle, we were within touching distance. I truly enjoyed this fun show which was the best I've seen in a while.



Darth Vader walking along the strip.

The People We Met Who Met Other People

At the conference, I met this lady who was a part of the Kindle vs. iPad commercial, I saw that which made it really cool that she mentioned this to me.

We met a taxi driver who drove Bart Conner, when they reached their destination, Bart called his wife, Nadia Comaneci and let her speak with her fellow Romanian - the driver, Nicholai.

I met someone who said that short hand is in demand! Please don't ask as I won't say more about this =)

Planet Hollywood

We had a two for one massage coupon at the Mandara Spa in Planet Hollywood. The massage was not at all memorable nor did it provide relief. While at the spa, I was reminicent of the wonderful service, the elegance and possitivity of the folks at the Spa at ProClub. I had a deeper appreciation for what we have here.

Our Last Night

We had several options on how to spend our last night in Vegas so we first walked along the strip and decided to do what we love and since it was our first time to do it in Vegas then it was really a splendid way to spend our last night - we saw the movie Let Me In. It is the American adaptation of the Swedish movie Let The Right One In that was based on the Swedish novel of the same title. I will provide a review on a separate blog because this is such a well made movie which we highly recommend.

Book

Anywhere I go I make it a point to read, that's why I love my Kindle. :) Months ago, I downloaded a free Kindle version of Eternal Pleasures by Nina Bangs. I will also post a review of it as soon as I can =)

That was how we spent five nights and six days at the Entertainment Capital.

Just a curious question, when did you last go on a trip and where? If you had an ideal place to visit, where would that be, please share.