the-movie-that-must-not-be-named is utter disappointment

November is always special for me. Not only because it’s the month where this tiny speck in the universe (that’s me) came into being, but also, it’s the same month where that movie based on J.K. Rowling’s ultra-super-mega hit book is usually being rolled out. As an aside, Book 6 is my No. 1 favorite of the seven part book about the boy wizard. Imagine my anticipation when I heard the news that filming for the sixth part is done and is about to hit theaters soon. I thought November 2008 would be the date but no, they pushed it until August this year so imagine my excitement when it finally opened in theaters.

I saw the movie yesterday and…pffft!

To say that I was not happy with the movie is an understatement. Disappointed would probably be the most apt word to use and here’s why: I don’t have such stratospheric expectations about this movie to begin with. I don’t expect good acting from the main cast because since first part of the movie came out, that’s kind of a given already. I worship the book so much that whatever movie version of it is made, I most likely will appreciate. Also, Quidditch is so spectacular that any movie with a Quidditch match in it is enough to make Darwin happy.

So, why the rant? First, the movie was so dull I could crack open a kilo of “butong pakwan” if I had some, while watching it. Second, the execution of suspense and comedy that has been done so astonishingly in the book was done in a so-so manner in the movie. Moreover, the much anticipated teen romance and sappy love angle among the main characters is strangely superficial considering the characters are ripe for it and the movie going public longs for it (as early as now, Ron and Hermione’s kiss in book 7 is already being talked about).


Book 6 is also about strong build up for the upcoming main event in Book 7 which is the final duel between the boy who lived and he-who-must-not-be-named. I never felt any such build up in this movie. The only thing they built up so well is frustration on my part.

There are some things I liked though. Two things to be exact. It’s Quidditch and Emma Watson. The former because it was done so amazingly in this movie that I find myself longing for more. The latter simply because she is so pleasing to look at. I just wished there were more scenes of Quidditch and Emma in the movie, then I would be happier.

Over-all, the movie did not live up to its hype. It's not bad, it's just an utter disappointment. I’m still a big admirer of the book and author JK Rowling. It’s just so sad that after watching this movie, the respect I long had for this franchise started to diminish. I am now re-reading Book 1 and planning to finish it all the way to Book 7.

I want to relive the magic that the book brings…

Opinions? Violent reactions? Post a comment or email me at whoisdarwin@gmail.com Continue Reading...

i know it's hard to believe but...you matter!

Video posted by Darwin. Follow me on Twitter.

Talk by Rick Warren, author of best-selling book, Purpose Driven Life. The guy sounds a bit proud but he makes a lot of sense.

Continue Reading...

what is the essence of blogging?

Post written by Darwin. Follow me on Twitter.

Reports are varied but some estimates put the number of blogs out there runs in the hundreds of millions. And it’s increasing by the minute. By the time I finish writing this sentence, there would have been 812 new blogs created. OK, I just made that last one up. But I’m sure it’s many.

Different people have different motivations for blogging but I think I will not be wrong when I say money is one of the popular reasons. Another is money and yes, there’s money. That is why bloggers are getting more and more sophisticated nowadays. Fancy themes, killer headlines, reader-centric contents. All of this translates to money (read: pay per click).


But what is the essence of blogging? The other day I was reading an article at Copyblogger (one of my favorite blogs), in which I made a comment. “Won’t being too conscious about your writing take away the fun of blogging?” Don’t get me wrong, I salute these fancy sites. I see the hardwork that was put in and many of them are really helpful. But once in a while it’s also nice to visit blogs that represent its true essence – raw, honest, personal.

One of the blogs I enjoy of late is Memoirs of Aline. I appreciate the non-fancy theme and the spontaneous writing based on personal experiences. Last I checked, the blog says “having an identity crisis,” maybe going through some site redesign of sorts. I hope the site will not succumb to typical “pop blogs” as once you get down that road, it will be a whole new ball game and you might not find the same joy in blogging anymore.

As for the purpose of this blog? I have yet to figure it out. In the meantime, feel free to click on my ads :-p
Continue Reading...

the proper way to sing the national anthem is...complicated!

Post written by Darwin. Follow me on Twitter.

I can’t understand what’s the fuss all about. So Martin Nievera sang the national anthem in the recent Pacquiao vs Hatton fight, which is one of the greatest boxing matches of all time, and that includes Thrilla in Manila and Rumble in the Jungle. Anyway, before I get sidetracked. Where was I? Ok, Martin Nievera.

So our dear friend Martin, Philippines’ Concert King, gave his rendition of the song Lupang Hinirang before the millions (billions?) of people watching the fight. I don’t know about you but for me, not a big deal I thought. After all, I was watching a boxing match, not a concert. So no offense to Martin, but my attention is not really focused on him but on the guy with the gloves.


Anyway, the fight went great and it ended gloriously for the East (Battle of East and West). Not a week passed by and here comes the guardians of national anthem criticizing Martin for the wrong rendition of Lupang Hinirang.

Some quarters say Martin sang the first stanza softly and slowly, then sang the last line with prolonged, high notes. This is wrong, they say. In the past, other artists / singers such as Sarah Geronimo, Kyla, Lani Misalucha and Bituin Escalante who also sang the National Anthem in different international events were also criticized for singing it incorrectly. I don’t know, maybe due to high notes, low notes thing as well.

Am I missing something? Is it just me or these people give off an impression that singing the national anthem is a complicated matter therefore should only be done by “experts.” We are making way too big a deal out of this thing that the moment we show glory to the world (through Pacman’s victory) we snatch it back by criticizing one of our own. The song was fine. Maybe not sang in the exact same way that Julian Felipe (Lupang Hinirang composer) would have wanted it but so are the millions of elementary kids all over the country who sing it every morning in their school grounds. If anything, singing the national anthem should be encouraged, not criticized.

Now, if you forget the lyrics, that’s another matter. Christian Bautista, maybe we should talk. Continue Reading...

7 not-so-dumb reasons why manny pacquiao should avoid politics

Post written by Darwin. Follow me on Twitter.

As with millions (billions?) who witnessed the fight between the Hitman and the Pacman billed as “The Battle of East and West” last 2 May 2009, I was both thrilled and ecstatic when Manny Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton on the 2nd round of their fight. The fight was so action-packed I delayed my breakfast (something I NEVER do) until the fight, yes, including the commentaries and replays, is completely over. Even then, we still conducted our own analysis at home so breakfast turned into a late lunch that day.

So, Manny Pacquiao is this generation’s greatest boxer, if not sportsman. He’s an inspiration to many and I don’t only mean Filipinos. Just less than a week after his victory, I read that he’s forming his own political party. What?! Run for politics? But why?

Of course, Manny is free to do whatever he pleases but in a remote possibility that Pacman or one of his advisers are reading this blog, here are the 7 not-so-dumb reasons why politics is not a good idea.


1. Politics will destroy your image. By its very nature, politics is an adversarial process. No matter how good your intentions are, opposition will always be a part of the equation. It’s role? To destroy your hard-earned reputation so they can score political points.

2. No one is good at everything. You’re good, actually, great in boxing. Spare the politics to someone else.

3. You cannot, must not lose one more time. With a previous defeat in politics, you cannot, must not lose one more time. Not that you will, but politics is a very unpredictable game. Having a “winner” reputation, a loss, even if it’s political, will not be good for your morale.

4. You forfeit the chance to be a living hero. With your outstanding successes, you are already considered a hero, a living one at that. Let’s just keep it that way, shall we?

5. People look up on Manny Pacquiao and look down on politicians. This is obvious.

6. You’re already a part of history. Don’t opt-out. Only a few people get to be remembered for heroic things they’ve done. As such, they become a part of history. I think it’s safe to say that you’re already a part of it. Please don’t opt-out by entering politics.

7. You can help your country just by being you. Just by being Manny Pacquiao and letting the world know that you’re from the Philippines makes us all mighty proud already. We are eternally grateful to you because of that. Continue Reading...

will facebook.com be a thing of the past?

Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t referring to Facebook – the world’s largest social networking site. I was referring to facebook.com – the URL. With recent announcement of Facebook that it is opening parts of its code to the public, third party developers can now build Facebook applications that will let users interact with most of the elements of Facebook (status updates, sharing of photos and links, etc.) without ever visiting Facebook.com itself.

For my layman brothers having trouble understanding the concept, this is like Twitter in action. If you are an avid user of Twitter, you will know that there is multitude of ways to post your messages (tweet) aside from visiting twitter.com site itself. There’s tweetdeck, twitterrific, twitterfeed among others.

Anyway, using the Facebook Open Stream API, software developers can build different (thousands, millions) websites and integrate Facebook functionalities into it. This thing can be a boon or a bane depending on which angle you look at it. Some say it will mean loss of advertising revenue for Facebook while some developers like the idea as it can leverage on Facebook’s “viral” power – an effective tool to market a product or service.


The way I see it, Facebook will not do this if it will not tremendously benefit from it. (not just plain jane benefit but tremendous!). Maybe the obvious loss of advertising revenue can easily be gleaned at this time as major bulk of its revenue comes from advertisement. However, times are a-changin’ and I see some genius behind this idea. By opening up to more developers, Facebook will become more and more ubiquitous shielding itself from irrelevance and mediocrity. And when it happens, business model will come, trust me. When Google started, nobody can also figure out how an internet search company will generate a profit. Google did not pay attention to its critics and it just proceeded with generating a great user experience. Look at where Google is now.

Currently, Facebook is arguably the top social networking platform that has been able to integrate third party applications (gaming, business, events, etc) very well into its site. This time around, Facebook might want to do it the other way around.

At the end of the day, Facebook.com (the URL) is still not shutting down. In plain and simple terms, it’s just launching an attack – front and back. Clever.

Continue Reading...

saturday night live presents the rock obama (video)

Post written by Darwin. Follow me on Twitter.

Saturday Night Live is making some noise again – the usual funny and entertaining noise. Remember Tina Fey as Sarah Palin? That skit single-handedly made the Alaskan Governor and then vice Presidential hopeful, famous and infamous at the same time.

This time, the skit showed an angry U.S. President Barack Obama. In real life, that almost never happens, not in the usual way at least. President Obama is known for his unflappable and cool image. The public sometimes, wonders: What is it like when he gets angry? Really angry! This video will give you an idea.

Continue Reading...

paano ba maging masaya? ikatlong yugto

Sa panahon ngayon, di lang bawal magkasakit. Bawal din ang malungkot. Sa totoo lang, kung malulungkot ka pa, sa dinami dami ng problema sa mundo ngayon – nandyan na ang global warming, financial crisis, terrorism isama mo pa yung asungot mong ka-opisina na sobrang epal – ay masisiraan ka na ng bait. Mabuti na lang ang mga Pilipino, mababaw ang kaligayahan. Makita lang si Pokwang, matatawa na. Makatanggap lang ng Facebook comment, masaya na. Yun naman ang maganda, yung madali tayong tumawa, ngumiti at sumaya.

Pero kahit marami sa atin, mababaw ang kaligayahan, meron pa rin tayong mga kaibigan na mala-Pasan ko ang Daigdig ang drama sa buhay. Pag nakakapanood sila ng Maalaala Mo Kaya, iyak ng iyak kasi pakiramdam nila sila yung bida. Api, malungkot, nag-iisa. Tanong nila, Paano ba maging Masaya?

Sa inyong lahat, heto pa ang mga kakaibang tips na nakuha ko. Maganda kung mabasa mo rin ang part 1 at part 2. Tingnan mo baka me mapulot ka sa mga ‘to:


9. Manood ng Wowowee. Nasubukan mo na bang manood ng show na ‘to ng milyonaryong si Willie Revillame? Maaaliw ka. Di dahil kay Willie kundi dahil sa mga ordinaryong tao na sumasali sa programang ito. Dito mo makikita na ang mga pinoy kahit sobrang hirap ng buhay at walang katiyakan kung me kakainin pa bukas ay makakasayaw pa rin ng “Lambada” sa gitna ng stage.

10. Mag-reunion kasama ang mga kaklase mo nung College / High School. Isa sa pinaka masayang kabanata ng ating buhay ay ang buhay estudyante. Kaya nga pag nagkasama-sama tayo ng mga kaibigan natin nung college o high school, parang bumabalik lahat ng masasayang alaala at andun uli tayo sa kabanata ng ating buhay na puro saya lang at walang kahit anong problema.

11. Matulog. Oo ganun kasimple. Matulog. Marami kasi sa atin ngayon, halos di nakukumpleto ang tulog sa magdamag. Lalo pa kung sa call center ka nagta-trabaho. Isa sa pinakamasayang bagay na gawin ay yung matulog ng mahabang mahaba at walang kahit anong iniisip. Yung tipong paggising mo di mo kailangan bumangon agad at meron ka pang pagkakataong magmuni-muni. Maglaan ka ng panahon para magawa ang bagay na ‘to – matulog. Tingnan mo, sasaya ka.

12. Magbigay ng testimonial sa ka-Friendster mo. Simpleng bagay pero maniwala ka, sa panahon ngayon na bihira na ang nagbibigay ng “meaningful message” sa isang kaibigan, ang simpleng Friendster testimonial ay makakapagbigay sa kanya ng ngiti. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam pag alam mong me napasaya kang tao. Ang resulta, ikaw din Masaya.

Meron ka rin bang mga kakaibang tips para sumaya? Wag mong sarilinin, share mo sa amin. Pasayahin natin ang mundo:)

Continue Reading...