Review: The Great Debaters

My love Nald and I watched it on DVD last weekend. It's one of those feel-good movies. Though some of the plots were predictable I still liked it because it was simply inspiring.

The Great Debaters is based on a true story of the Wiley College debate team. Set in the 1930's when discrimination was very prevalent, it showcased the challenges three students had to go through in their quest to establish their school as one if not the best debating team in the US. They have emerged not only as the first black college to debate in the Harvard University, but they've also become the first to have won in 10 consecutive years.

Perseverance, selflessness, and respect are some of the many beautiful messages of the movie. The A-1 cast of Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, together with newbies in the Hollywood industry, portrayed their roles to the hilt. This is one of the best movies I've seen last month.

Produced by a group of big leagues in Hollywood, among them Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey, the movie aims to help promote and get support for a number of financially-challenged colleges and universities in the States to establish or re-establish their debate teams.

Beautiful, just beautiful!

Review: Entourage

My love Nald introduced me to this TV series sometime 2006. I thought it was just an ordinary show that wouldn't catch my fancy. But I was wrong. After the first episode of season one, I got hooked.

ENTOURAGE is all about the lives of four male good friends - Vince (Adrian Grenier), Drama (Vince's brother portrayed by Kevin Dillon), Eric (Vince's best friend and manager portrayed by Kevin Connolly), and Turtle (Eric's best friend and the group's comedian portrayed by Ferrara) and their exploits as individuals and Hollywood celebs. It's just like a male version of the Sex and The City, with some twist.

Their lives intertwine with various characters such as Ari (Vince's agent portrayed by Jeremy Piven), Lloyd (Ari's assistant), and other eccentric characters sometimes typified by Hollywood artists and celebs through cameo roles.

As a woman, the show is not only entertaining, it is "educational", too. It presents how and what the male species truly are, their "raw" state - what they think and talk about, what they keep themselves busy with, how they live their lives.

Aside from this, a different perspective of the Hollywood arena is exposed in the series, which gives its viewers a realistic standpoint of the US movie industry.

Already in its fourth season, ENTOURAGE continues to amuse me with its characters' antics and fascinating plots.

I'd definitely continue to watch these boys!

Me, Myself, and I

It took quite sometime for me to draft this, Rachelle’s blog was a constant reminder, so here it is, at last!

Lady in the Attic

That’s what my love Nald would often call me. Not that I’m anti-social, except that I consciously create my bubble in places I consider very private – like at home. I have my personal nook where I do all the stuff I like to do – read, write, surf the net, do my crafts, etc. And it is understood by everyone at home that when I’m at my corner, I couldn’t be disturbed. I am also not that sociable with neighbors, I choose to be that way because I find it weird that in order to be called “friendly” I’d have to knock my brains off just to think of topics for conversation or worse case is finding something in common, when obviously, there’s none. In addition to this, I often choose the occasions I attend – if I really do not know the people who’d be attending, I’d rather not go. I know, I know, it seems like it’s not the Miami perhaps my co-workers and friends know, but I’m telling you now that I’m like this, ha-ha!

Arty

That’s right, not “arte”, huh! I don’t know where I got this, but I’m thankful I have it in me, anyway! A few people know that I’m creative and I didn’t realize I had a special talent not until a friend of mine admired my sketch of my wedding venue several years ago. I guess, it was brought about by the fact that when I was a kid, I often played alone, thus apart from the toys I had, I made myself busy with what I could further do with pencils, crayons, and papers. I specially like sketching faces and nature. I also like small projects such as those “paper art craft” and “figurine painting” you see in malls – I have gazillions of them at home, some I’ve finished already, some I’ve stocked for future use. Lastly (I just discovered two to three years ago) I love sketching shoes and bags. This was further fueled when I took my Entrepreneurship subject in my MBA class. I’m now thinking if I could turn it into a lucrative business, tee-hee!

Brutally Frank

Since I was in my teens, I was often regarded by friends as such. At first, I reacted negatively towards it and forced myself not to be so, but I always ended up being the same. Until now, I still am “wicked”, but I’m not evil, LOL! I do not mince my words with anyone, no matter who the person is. But as I matured, I have tempered this trait of mine in a way. In the professional world, it’s a must; otherwise, I’d end up elsewhere! With my friends (very few and very true), I freely speak my mind. It’s my advocacy to help people know the truth, so no matter how hurtful it may be, I’d let one know what he needs to know.

Hilarious

I find delight in laughter and that’s why I share with people anecdotes or real-life situations that are outright funny or comical. I may not be the best person to tell you this, perchance my friends from way back and my circle now would attest to how humorous moments with me would be. I may be serious when I’m alone or when I’m at work (he-he), but when I’m surrounded by friends and family, I could pass for a stand-up comedian. Many of my friends have been volunteering to manage my so-called other career and they’ve been forcing me to join contests. I still have to muster my courage to do that, whoah!

Rebel Yell

Yes, I am often described as one. I am an advocate of justice – in any way. I rally for rights and I abhor “bad” people and their ways. Though at times, my idealistic views of anything put me in trouble, I relish in the fact that it opens people’s worlds of what is to be done, in a different way, the right way. In the past years, I’ve done a lot of things that other people may find radical, and I look back with a smile because I know that on one hand, I’ve paved the way for things / situations to improve. That for me is a wonderful achievement.

Pure Heart

I may be drastic, comical, and often thrive alone but I’m proud to say that my heart is untainted and I only wish for the best in everyone. Not only my family members and close friends say this. I’d often get this comment from people I’ve interacted with in the past and present. I help out whenever and in whatever way I can, whether it be for an individual or group of people, whether it’s for the improvement of the person, or as grandiose as helping a group of people. Whenever I do something, I make sure I do it with all my heart.

MAC Trivia:

• I love crabs, shrimps, pancit, and yang chow fried rice. I’d eat everything until there’s no more, ha-ha! This accounts for my constant “yo-yo” weight. I love food. Period.
• OC-OC to the max. I like things organized and clean. My workstation says it all.
• I love to read and write. Would you believe that I wrote my first book when I was in second year high school?!? Too bad, I gave my one and only copy to one of my friends. I wrote it using a classic and ever-reliable typewriter. I patterned it after the then famous “Sweet Valley High” and “Sweet Dreams” books. I haven’t written any book after that, though. Nor have I had any articles published. This blog is a start - to work on one of my life goals, which is to be a contributor to a magazine or a newspaper.
• Tech Savvy. I won’t claim I’m a wizard but I would often be able to troubleshoot simple PC issues, TV, DVD, and what-have-you’s at home and at the office. It complements my husband’s dislike for such stuff. He admits it’s not his competency, too!
• I swear by the following stuff and services: Body Shop’s Grapeseed Extract, Vitamin E Moisturizer, and Loose Powder (fair); Avon Glazewear Lipstick in Perfect Brown; French Tip by Nail Station in Robinsons Galleria; Haircut by Jonel of Jessie Mendez Robinsons Galleria; Diamond Peel, Body Scrub, and Swedish Massage by Glenda of Pamper People (home service, all for P800 only!).

There you go! These are the things I’m basically made of!

What My Name Means ...

Yes, yes... my name is Maria Lourdes... well, my real name, that is. My parents got it from my Grandma's. But well, what do you know... the name's full of spunk, LOL! What was mentioned in the 'thingamajig' are true, too...
har-har!

***What Maria Lourdes Means***

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily.
You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light -hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy.
Spread your luck around a little to people who need it.

You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat.

Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.