Up, Down and All Around

The big giveway

A very rich person should leave his kids enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing.
-- Warren Buffett in a 1986 interview with Fortune Magazine.

Now, 20 years later, the second richest man in the world puts his money where his mouth is... by donating 85% of his fortune (amounting to roughly US$ 37.4 billion) to five charities.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, currently the largest foundation in the world, will receive US$ 31 billion of that donated amount. The remaining US$ 6.4 billion will go to foundations that are run by his three children, and another foundation named in honor of his deceased wife.

The numbers are utterly mind-boggling.

Tags: Money

Posted by CF at 4:50 PM 0 comments

Movie Extremes

Looks like RPN9 will start showing a whole slew of art films on Monday nights. I think I caught a glimpse of Amelie in the ad that I saw a while ago. Should be fun!

***

Speaking of fun movies, it was a whole lot of fun (but on the other end of the spectrum) to watch the original Disney movie High School Musical, (official site) which had its Asian premiere last night.

All the songs are very pop, and the choreography is a lot of fun -- especially the cafeteria number (Stick to the Status Quo). There's a great message there for people who are afraid to try something new, and an equally strong message for all the people who tell you that you can't be anything more than what you already are.

The duets are sweet and remind me a lot of At the Beginning (Donna Lewis and Richard Marx), the theme song from Anastasia.

Should be fun to see what other stuff Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens get into in the way of future roles.

***

I also caught Luc Besson's Wasabi in the Crime/Suspense channel the other night. This one stars Jean Reno.

As if dealing with one foreign language (French) wasn't difficult enough, we also had some scenes where the characters were speaking in Japanese! Made me realize how little I know about foreign languages because at times I couldn't even figure out if they were speaking in French or in Japanese! haha!

It was a funny and fun little action flick. Watching Hubert (Jean Reno) deal with the unexpected discovery of a 19-year old half-Japanese daughter, a $200 million deposit in a bank account, and the unwelcome interest of the Yakuza was pure entertainment.

Tags: Movies

Posted by CF at 6:30 PM 0 comments

Kingdom of Heaven

Finally got a chance to watch Kingdom of Heaven yesterday on DVD.

I must admit that I really didn't feel like watching it at all because I wasn't in the mood for another period, blood-and-guts, chest-pounding movie. But surprisingly, I found myself liking it because it was well told, the pacing was good, and the effects were entertaining.

One thing that really stood out for me while watching this flick was the fact that life was really hard back then. It was set in the Middle Ages, during the Crusades, so I guess it's to be expected that people would be brutal and militaristic. I don't think I would have survived living in that time. Things were left to chance (or to God) too much. Man had so little control over his day-to-day existence. The uncertainty would be enough to drive me crazy, I think.

There were several scenes that brought the Lord of the Rings trilogy (1, 2, 3) to mind, particularly the siege of Jerusalem by Saladin. I think if we had not previously been exposed to Peter Jackson's epic, the battle scenes in Kingdom of Heaven would have been much more impressive.

Orlando Bloom impressed me also with his portrayal. I guess I wasn't expecting that much from him, but my view of him changed as the movie progressed. In the same way that Balian grew over the course of the movie into knighthood, Orlando sort of grew to fit into the acting shoes that he had to fill (at least in my mind). By the end of the movie, you saw a hardened, battle-weary, and accomplished knight... not a blacksmith.

Tags: Movies

Posted by CF at 11:30 AM 0 comments

To Love or Not To Love

Beatlebum's heart-felt entry today reminded me that I've never really been in love before. While I truly sympathized with his situation, I must confess that I couldn't quite completely relate to the anguish he must feel.

What I can relate to, instead, is saffron's post, also from today, where she talks about being forever stuck in sub-zero.

Relationships are complex things. I've never pretended (nor do I wish to pretend) to understand just how it is that some people fall in love, or why it is that some people also manage to fall out of love.

It does not help that in the past eight months alone, three couples I know personally went through divorces. That's three separate marriages that failed so miserably that the people involved couldn't even bring themselves to stay married. I can only shake my head in utter disbelief whenever I think of them.

It is frightening to hope for, to long for happiness, marital bliss, and happily-ever-after.

It's no small wonder then, that one of my biggest, secret fears in life is that I will one day wake up and realize that I've become one of those sad, lonely women who feels worthless unless there's a man at her side. If it is my lot in life to remain single, then by golly, I hope to be enjoying every moment of it.

Tags: Relationships

Posted by CF at 11:40 PM 1 comments

Crash Course

There's nothing quite like the stress of having to learn something new very quickly.

I'm coming to the conclusion that there's a limit to what the brain can absorb in a short amount of time... and that no amount of cramming can make you an instant expert in a subject matter that's utterly foreign to you.

Coffee and other caffeine-laden substances can help keep you focused, but it sure makes it difficult to fall asleep at night. haha!

Tags: Personal

Posted by CF at 11:40 PM 0 comments

Storycatcher

Saw this book at National Book Store the other day and I almost, almost bought it.

Just stopped myself because it was a bit pricey, and frankly, I knew I wouldn't have enough time in the next couple of months to really read it properly.

But it's getting added to my "wish list" and hopefully I'll find the time to read it before the year ends.

Tags: Books

Posted by CF at 9:50 PM 0 comments

And two more make five

As of today, I now have five god-daughters! Got two new ones today. How did that happen? Especially when just a few short years ago I didn't have any! hehe!

Strange how none of my godchildren are boys. Hmm... Maybe Kris Aquino was wrong when she said there are more males than females in the Philippines!

Tags: Personal

Posted by CF at 8:55 PM 0 comments

Rude Awakening

I'm the last person on earth to consider myself an expert on everything.

But there are some things that I do happen to know quite well -- things that I can say are in my [ahem!] "domain of expertise."

So it's very disconcerting to realize that while I've been smugly resting on my laurels and feeling confident about my skills in a particular area, time has been passing and I've not been keeping up.

I do not want to ever experience this feeling again.

Tags: Personal

Posted by CF at 11:20 PM 0 comments

The Lake House

Watched The Lake House today.

Came out of the theatre with a lot of mixed emotions. I was happy with the story, in fact, it has all the great things that make time paradoxes really enjoyable. But I couldn't help but feel there was something missing from it... some little extra ooomph that could have taken the movie from a touching chick-flick to a truly great love story.

I guess there were too many things that were just barely hinted at, but not fully explored. For example, there's that whole relationship between Alex (Keanu) and his father, Simon (Christopher Plummer). Their scenes were always begging for more to be said, or more to be shown. It may have been deliberately designed to be like that -- for the scenes to be a reflection of their relationship -- but it really just felt like it was off for some reason.

I'm still glad I watched it, though. And I wouldn't mind watching it again, if only to peel apart more of the time paradoxes that exist in the story. ;-P

Tags: Movies

Posted by CF at 10:15 PM 1 comments

The Call

So the next phase starts for me today.

Over the next four months, I am stuck with responsibilities that I really don't want to have, and will have to be dealing with people I'd rather not interact with.

Duty is such a four-letter word!!

Tags: Personal

Posted by CF at 11:10 PM 0 comments

Inside Man

Went to the theatres on Sunday afternoon to watch Inside Man because I learned that it starred Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster.

I hadn't realized that Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe, and Christopher Plummer were also in the movie until I was watching it already, and that was just icing on the cake. hehe!

I remember reading somewhere before that Jodie Foster is obsessively selective about the roles that she accepts, so I was curious about the movie. She had a great role in it. Tough, mysterious, and smooth.

Anyway, I remember having some mixed emotions after watching this film, because the good guys in the story aren't really that good (morally speaking), while the bad guys in the story are portrayed as not being completely bad.

It's another one of those movies where you've got a mishmash of characters who run around wearing gray (not black, not white) hats. So how you feel about the ending does reveal which side you sit on the moral fence.

Morality analysis aside, I really enjoyed it. :D

Tags: Movies

Posted by CF at 11:30 PM 3 comments

Failure to Launch

Missed several of the summer's big blockbuster movies, so I was absolutely itching to get to the theatres yesterday to catch Sarah Jessica Parker's latest movie, Failure to Launch.

Walked in without expecting too much and therefore enjoyed it, in the same way I walked into the last Sarah Jessica Parker movie (The Family Stone) and enjoyed that one as well.

After watching these two movies, I'm starting to get the impression that SJP is fast becoming the leading lady of choice for the older, working woman type of role.

Anyway, the subplot involving the secondary characters was cute and entertaining, so it was fun to watch even though it failed to really connect in any meaningful way to the main storyline. haha!

The other great thing about going to watch this movie -- I caught (for the first time) the trailer for The Lake House, which immediately got added to my must-see list! It will be fantastic to see Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock together again. Wonder if they will still have the chemistry they had 12 years ago in Speed.

Tags: Movies

Posted by CF at 11:15 AM 2 comments

Wait Forever

The song that I've been listening to over and over the past couple of days is Gary Valenciano's "Wait Forever" from the newly released album Relevance.

I first heard an excerpt of this song during a scene in Bituing Walang Ningning, and by golly I loved it right away! So off I went a day or two later to buy my own copy of the album at the nearby music store, where by the way it is listed as their #9 seller. Considering that the album had only been released late May, that's pretty darned good.

[ Incidentally, the DVD/VCD of D' Lucky Ones was #4 at that store. hehe!]

Anyway, I've now updated my sidebar with this song and even though gasgas na gasgas na talaga 'to sakin, I think I will still be listening to it for a few more weeks.

My hats off to Mr. Pure Energy for still being "relevant" after all these years.

Tags: Music

Posted by CF at 10:00 PM 0 comments

Expected Winner

Tuned in for the PBB Teen Edition Big Night which was telecast from the Aliw Theatre last night.

It looked like a real, all-out extravangaza! haha! I'm sure a lot of the live audience members enjoyed themselves immensely.

As I expected, Kim won hands down with an incredibly comfortable margin. By the time only four were left, it was obvious who would be the Big Winner. I also correctly predicted that Clare would be #4.

The gowns they were wearing that night made it even more predictable, IMHO.

Tags: TV

Posted by CF at 10:15 AM 0 comments

High Maintenance

One of my older friends decided a few years ago that she wanted to become a missionary and bring Christianity to the people of Nepal, and after a lot of uncertainty, praying, and waiting, her dream finally came true last year.

So off she went, and I have to say I admire her for having the guts to give up a fairly comfortable life and brave the unknown for her beliefs. I had a lot of opportunities to talk with her in the months prior to her departure, and so I really believed in her ability to achieve her personal mission.

In fact, I believe in her so much that in the past few months, I'd been donating some cash to her missionary fund. It's not a lot in absolute amounts, but it's nothing to sneeze at either, especially in relation to the money that I have. But that's how much I believed in her. You might say I like to put my money where my mouth is.

Anyway, last week, I get a phone call from her, asking me if I can meet her for coffee. Turns out that she's back in Manila for a visit and said she can't leave Manila without seeing me and thanking me.

I was flattered that she would take the effort to stay in touch, so at great inconvenience to myself, I figured out a way to meet with her at Megamall. And that's when things went downhill.

I learned that although she was leaving Manila again in two days, she had actually been in town for two entire months already!! Man! I was surprised and at the same time so incredibly disappointed that she waited this long to get in touch.

To add insult to injury, she tells me that she can only spend half an hour with me because she had asked another friend to meet her at the coffee shop in 30 minutes -- apparently, she was cramming all of us into that single evening, half an hour at a time.

I dunno... I never really thought of myself as a high-maintenance friend. I was surprised to realize that I had this expectation that I should warrant more than a squeezed-in, photo-finish half-hour just two days before departure, especially since she had been here for two months.

Ay, ewan. Basta, sumama ang loob ko. And I am yet to figure out whether or not I have the right to feel bad in the first place.

Tags: Personal, Relationships

Posted by CF at 9:35 PM 0 comments

Resolution Recap: May

For some reason, May has been a tough month as far as blogging is concerned. It was hard to stay motivated, to reflect, to interpret (and sometimes over-interpret! hehe) the daily mundane events of life.

There's too much going on that's simply not important. There are things that have been demanding my attention which really shouldn't take up that much time, but they do.

I'm really starting to believe in the mantra that Less is More.

And to cap things off, I've not really thought much about my resolutions this month. Consequently, I've strayed so far from my targets that I am so totally dreading this entry.

Oh well. Here goes.

1. Lose my holiday weight gain
Was doing so well with my workouts the past month. But I'm also eating more, so it's no surprise that I haven't lost weight this month.

2. Stop Cursing
Hmm... Have been an abject failure here. I'm slipping.

3. Be Less Judgmental about People
Can't remember jumping to any snap judgments about anyone this past month. Hurrah!

4. Read at least 12 books of the Bible
I'm now three books behind. God help me!

5. Identify 5 friends with whom I've lost touch in 2005 and re-establish contact throughout 2006
I think I've hit my quota already for the year on this one. So far so good.

6. Watch at least one movie in the Theatres Each Month
Yup. Watched X-men 3, although I learned too late that there's a little scene that's like a little epilogue after all the credits, which I didn't get to see at all! Aaarrgggh.

I still haven't seen MI:3 and The Da Vinci Code. Maybe I'll find time to squeeze one of them in this coming week.

7. Read at least one work of fiction a month
Ah!! I did incredibly well in this area. Found a dog-eared copy of Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke at home, and finished it one afternoon.

And I'm now reading through another book, although it's not fiction, entitled The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, which is a highly readable look at how modern technology is changing the way we work. I picked this one up at the insistence of a high school batchmate, who said I absolutely had to read it. Am half-way through it now and it is definitely eye-opening.

8. Attend a live JaRla event
Nope. I'm starting to think this will be unachievable.

9. Complete my Christmas Shopping on or before Nov 30.
Nada, zip, zilch, zero. * sigh *

Tags: Personal

Posted by CF at 9:50 PM 0 comments

Interpret This

What does it mean when a guy you met only once exchanges frequent text messages with you for a week, sends you a cake on your birthday, stops texting you for three months even though you didn't have an argument, texts you again, sends you another cake for no reason, and then stops texting you once more?

I don't get it. And I'm beginning to suspect that he doesn't get it either -- meaning he's not really thinking about what he's doing or why he's doing it... it's just one of those spur of the moment things. Either that, or he's being pushed into doing it.

People can be strange sometimes.

Tags: Relationships

Posted by CF at 2:20 PM 2 comments