Even when I was still a young girl, I have already shown preference for bright-colored outfits. My mom used to dress me in lots of yellow and pink clothes, and even when I was in school uniform she made sure my hair is decorated with colorful clips or scrunchies. One of my favorite childhood memories involves me and my mom customizing one of my Barbies' faux leather pink dress with sequins, beads and colorful glue. Oh man, what I'd give to experience that again *cue wistful 90s theme*.

It was a fun trip down a yellow-bricked memory lane for me when I went to the SM KIDS Toon Fest event held at the Makati Shangri-la Hotel last Wednesday!


My camera gave up [for good] on me that day so I don't have photos of the yummy centerpieces or the delicious dessert buffet, but thanks to Paul I can show you some photos of the super adorable kids who walked the ramp wearing the latest finds from SM KIDS!

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims in the Colorado shooting during the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises last night that left 12 people dead and 58 injured. I hope the people reported missing have now been found safe.

What went in to the mind of this deranged man who thought he could just go into a shooting spree and end other people's hopes and dreams? Murder. There is no crime more foul. What a heartbreaking and senseless tragedy. It makes me so sad and angry that this happens in a supposedly civilized society.

The thing that particularly resonated with me is the death of Jessica Ghawi. I didn't know her personally - until today I have never even heard about her. But what struck me is the fact that she narrowly escaped another mass shooting at Eaton Mall in Canada just a month ago. Here is an excerpt from her blog:

I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening.

I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.

I feel like I am overreacting about what I experienced. But I can’t help but be thankful for whatever caused me to make the choices that I made that day. My mind keeps replaying what I saw over in my head. I hope the victims make a full recovery. I wish I could shake this odd feeling from my chest. The feeling that’s reminding me how blessed I am. The same feeling that made me leave the Eaton Center. The feeling that may have potentially saved my life.

I don't mean to cheapen her death in any way but I couldn't help but think morbidly of the Final Destination movies after reading the news piece about her. To think that she was even tweeting excitedly about seeing the movie around twenty minutes before the movie. Heartbreaking. If anything, this reminds us all that life really is so fragile. Make each moment count.

The premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in Paris has now been cancelled in light of this tragedy, and there are even talks of stopping the screening in some cinemas. The Dark Knight Rises is an excellent movie, and I hope the memory of this abomination does not mar it because a man took it upon him to play god and take innocent lives.

Christopher Nolan said, "I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me."

I am glad that James Holmes was caught before he turned his guns on himself like other murder-suicide cowards do. This offers little comfort to those who lost their loved ones, but I really pray justice is served. May you all rest in peace.

*Post title is one of my favorite lines from Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. It is the line Thomas Wayne told the young Bruce after saving him from a well, and the same line Alfred reminded him when he was already an adult.

{This post is spoiler-free!} I literally just came out of the cinema from watching The Dark Knight Rises and went straight to a computer shop here in the mall just so I can start writing this post, while my heart is still pumping and my adrenaline is high. I will not be writing a review yet though because I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone, nor affect what you might think about the movie (although I have already sent a dozen friends an SMS saying what I thought about it mehehe).

For those who, like me, have been waiting for it since the ending credits of The Dark Knight rolled, the wait is very much worth it. The three movies starting with Batman Begins is like a wonderful gift, and The Dark Knight Rises is the ribbon that tied everything together. I laughed, I cried, I clutched my heart, I pinched the right arm of my friend Jam who was beside me numerous times because I couldn't take the excitement and awe anymore. Never have I seen anything like it, and I'm just really glad and honored to have been a witness to this spectacle. It makes me sad that there won't be another Nolan-directed Batman sequel to watch out for, but I do think the ending gives way for another superhero to emerge. (That being said, I'm happy one of my theories about the movie was proven right!) What a perfect ending. Bittersweet.

Christopher Nolan is one of the best movie directors whose movies I have had the privilege of seeing in this lifetime, and I really admire his vision and dedication. What an exceptional trilogy his Batman movies are, and I'm not just saying this because Batman is my favorite superhero. It's actually one of my secret dreams to work with him just to see genius in action!

I would love to see it again! Anyone who wants to watch with me? I promise I'm not one of those annoying people who explain every single scene even when I've already seen it ;)

PS: Allow me one teeny-tiny trivia: the lines lifted from a book that were used towards the end of the movie are also the same lines that inspired J.K. Rowling while writing the ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

I have always had fond memories of Batman. The first movie I ever saw in the theater is the 1992 film Batman Returns featuring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/ Catwoman, and Danny DeVito as Oswald Cobblepot/ Penguin. My mom even bought me a Batman doll and I have fond memories of him (my Batman doll) going on a lot of dates with my Barbies at the time :)

I was in college as Batman Begins was showing in the theaters, and as an assignment our Film professor made us watch and compare all the Batman films made. I went to the nearest Video City to rent VCDs and spent one whole day watching them. This renewed my love for the popular superhero, but Christopher Nolan made me love him even more.

Batman Begins: The Visual Guide by Scott Beatty

When I saw The Dark Knight, I remember palpitating and not being able to stand up for about five minutes after the ending credits have started rolling because I was so awed by the movie. I also remember feeling so bad when it wasn't even nominated for Best Movie at the Oscars that my officemates had to console me for days hehe.

He is a handsome multi-millionaire and apparently very, very smart. What's not to like? But the reason I love Batman is because of the fact his being a superhero is a path he has chosen even when he knows how dangerous it is. Unlike other superheroes whose responsibility to save other people were thrusted to them because of their extraodinary strength, or their ability to fly or shoot webs, or do things beyond what normal people can do, Bruce Wayne chose this path because he is motivated by his need to make sure no one else suffers the untimely and unjust death of a loved one. From the book The Forensic Files of Batman by Doug Moench, "Murder. There is no crime more foul. I despise its perpetrators. Using every means and method of detection, every forensic tool at my disposal, and every fiber of my physical being, I will solve murder and stop murderers." He could've gone to the bad side and wasted his parents' money on drink or drugs, but he made sure their legacy is not put to waste by training and studying hard and using his inheritance in securing the most advanced gadgets for fighting crime.

Of course I know Batman is a product of imaginative and creative minds, but would it be a crime to wish there really is a superhero like him? The world has become more cruel, cynical and sinister, so sometimes I can't help but wish he is real.

Later I will watch the 3:05PM screening of The Dark Knight Rises and personal bias aside (because I LOVE Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, and JOSEPH "ohmygorgeousyummyboy" GORDON-LEVITT), I know it will be amazing. This is the last of the trilogy Christopher and Jonathan Nolan have created, and I just feel so honored to have been born in this generation, that I am able to watch movies like this. I will watch the Dark Knight rise later, and I will definitely cry.

I know a lot of people have grown weary of my endless blabbing about the Caped Crusader in the weeks leading to today, but I can't help it. It's good to have something I am passionate about because it makes me feel alive. If you can identify then that's great. If not, then let's just respect one another's interests ;)

The Harry Potter book and movie series has ended, and after today the next movies I will look forward to are Catching Fire (November 2013), Monsters, Inc. prequel (2013), Despicable Me Part 2 (2013), Mockingjay Part 1 (November 2014), Mockingjay Part 2 (November 2015), and Finding Nemo 2 (2016). Oh my, such a lot of waiting.

Last night I went to my friend Dianne's house for Niel's birthday celebration. Dianne's house has been our official go-to place for group projects, rehearsals, sleepovers, mini parties, and just plain hanging-out since high school, and it's good to know that even after all these years, some things never change.

Most of our other friends weren't able to go because of work, pretty understandable as it was a Monday night. Anyway, we craved for different kinds of food so we called for delivery then went outside to buy more.

We stayed up all night until almost 3AM just reminiscing, talking about a lot of things and catching up on what's new with our lives. I really cherish moments like this, not only because they have become few and far between, but because these people are the friends who've always been - and will always be - there for me no matter what. They keep me grounded, and I know that whenever things get a little bit too crazy I can always run to them for extra support and a tight hug. But if something happens and I'm the one at fault, I can also depend on them to tell me the cold hard truth and at times, to tell me off and talk some sense into me. 

During these crazy changes and transitions that are happening around us, we need true friends to remind us where we've been and where we want to go. A lot of of 'friends' can steer us towards the wrong direction so, as my other good friend Ed said, it's important to have a core group of people you know will be there for the long haul. I found this from an article in Thought Catalog and related too much with it that I share it with my friends/ chums/ acquaintances when the situation calls for it:

I sometimes ask my friends jokingly why they update Facebook very rarely and don't have Twitter accounts, and then I realize that our friendships have started waaay before these social networking sites were even invented so I shouldn't let the fact that they don't update me with every minutiae of their lives bother me that much. I read somewhere that the more social networking sites there are, the more lonely and disconnected we feel. I don't know about you but I've been feeling this more specifically these past couple of weeks. I'm not saying that Twitter-friendships can't be as good as see-each-other-in-real-life friendships, but you have to admit it is sometimes hard to discern other people's intentions if you just see that online persona they've created. (Of course I am blessed to meet some great and awesome people online, whose friendships I will be forever thankful for. But there are some instances wherein that's not the case.) Simplest example off the top of my head: I could type "LOL" here now and put dozens of emoticons but you wouldn't really know if I'm giving even the slightest hint of a smile. LOL.

I know my posts sound morose these days. I am not depressed, but the past two months have been riddled with lots of changes for me and the people around me so I'm just trying to ride these waves out and come out standing in the end. That, or maybe life has been full of epiphanies for me lately, on who I was and who I am becoming. Life is a constant case of figuring things out, and as long as I am with true friends while I'm in this journey then I am good with that.

Please know that there are much better things

in life than being lonely or liked

or bitter or mean or self-conscious.

We are all full of sh*t.

Go love someone just because,

I know your heart may be badly bruised,

or even the victim of numerous knifings

but it will always heal,

even if you don't want it to

it keeps going.

There are the most fantastic, beautiful

things and people out there,

I promise.

It is up to you

to find them.

(via)

Rest here. For a minute. It's okay.

I don't know if it's just 'old age' starting to creep up on me, but I feel like I've changed a lot within the last couple of weeks. I don't know, maybe I am just [as always] reading too much into it and I am just exhausted (•ิ_•ิ)? I am looking forward to having some much-needed rest and relaxation tomorrow and on Tuesday.

Here are some of the things that made the first half of my July extra-awesome.

I hope the rest of July will be awesome! Anyway, with The Dark Knight Rises showing this week, I'm sure it will be. I hope the rest of the month willl be amazing for you, too! ヽ(∀゜ )人( ゜∀)ノ