This is going to be a very short post I brought my fiancee home to her place which is the total opposite direction of where I live. It takes around 45 minutes to get home without traffic and pass around 12 stoplights. It’s kind of deja vu, but this happened to me just one time since I started driving, which is around 15 years ago.

I was going at a constant 100 km/h in an old Corolla, and for some reason, all the stoplights I passed were either already green or all turned green just when I was about to hit them. So I never hit the brakes, and it took me just 30 minutes to get home! I know it’s a weird thing to notice, but those of you who have driven half your lives know that this is a most wishful driving scenario! That’s all I wanted to share, hehe. Goodnight!

The last time I watched an incredibly refreshing animated movie was when The Incredibles hit the theaters in 2004, and long before that, Monster’s Inc back in 2001! The others that came out were pretty mediocre. Finding Nemo, Cars, Shrek, I really didn’t like those at all.

When I first heard of Kung Fu Panda, the first thing that came in my head was that Shaolin Soccer movie for some reason. The trailer was okay, and it wasn’t really something provoking that got me really excited to want to watch it. Dreamworks never really hit the right spot for me in terms of their animated films, especially Shrek, which I really disliked. Sinbad, though, was pretty good, so why not, it would be interesting to see how Dreamworks would try to pull off a Panda that could do Kung Fu. To say the least, when I got out of the theater after the movie was done, I had a stupid smile on my face. Something I usually look for when people come out because you would know if the movie was good or not. And this was definitely one of the finest, not to mention most hilarious animated movies I have ever watched.

The movie starts out rather epic, hehe, with Po the Panda, dreaming of his own greatness in being a true hero, a Kung Fu Master. He wakes up to the voice of his duck of a father, who asks him to come down and help him start the day in their noodle shop. Right from the beginning, I was already in awe, of how clean and well drawn the graphics were. And even from the start, I had already began laughing especially when Po was trying to run down the stairs but had to try and shoot a ninja star into his wall… and failed horribly, haha! While serving customers, a legendary tournament of fate was posted in their restaurant, and everyone rushed to the temple to witness who would be crowned the Dragon King, amongst the Furious 5, shown above

This is where the story really begins. The Furious 5 being the greatest warriors of the land, would battle it out to see who the Dragon Warrior would be. Whoever that is, would battle Tai Lung, that vicious tiger, or is it leopard, you see down there, who has escaped from the most secure prison in the land, to claim the Dragon Scroll! The sequence of how Tai Lung escaped was also very alluring, 1000 guards, one way in, one way out, and one prisoner. While the Five were battling, Po struggles to get in the temple, and finally drops from a firecracker chair he made, right in front of the Master Oogway (translated to turtle), who was about to appoint the Dragon Warrior by pointing at him. Of course, it was Po who dropped in front of his finger, and thus, his story begins. The Five are annoyed at the sight of Po, and made his life in the temple miserable so he would quit. The scenes that follow are rather priceless, and Po’s journey to being the Kung Fu warrior he had always wanted to be ensued. I won’t talk about the next scenes anymore so those who haven’t seen this movie can enjoy it as much as I did

The dialogue in this movie, especially those by Po, were just utterly hilarious. I don’t recall ever laughing as hard, or as much, in any movie I’ve seen this year. The concept of having a Panda as fat as he is, be able to TRY and do Kung Fu, was really fresh. The scene when Po was in the Peach Tree location and Master Oogway found him was hilarious.  And the parts where Master Shi Fu was finally training Po for real, was a joy to watch, and was also very funny.  This movie definitely proved a lot of critics wrong, and I can bet that there aren’t a lot of people who will come out and say that this movie was not worth it to watch

The cast was very strong. I had intentionally not looked at who was starring as the voices, so all I knew was that the Panda was Jack Black, who I don’t like either. But when you hear all of them in the film, you’ll realize that their balance was perfect. Dustin Hoffman’s voice reverberates very strongly as Master Shi Fu and the voice of the calmly slow and tissue-box-quote-filled Master Oogway, played by Randall Kim, are really amazingly fit for both roles. I was surprised to know that Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu were also voice talents in this movie, but none more surprising than the fact that even Jackie Chan was one of the Furious 5

In the end, this movie rocked, and totally exceeded my expectations. An animated film that was able to pull off amazing graphics with hilariously funny dialogue, along with a little twist of drama, definitely will be a worldwide success. If you’re bringing your kids to the mall to drop them off to watch this movie, make sure to go watch it with them. I can guarantee that you’ll come out of the theater with a smile on your face, just like your kids will.

Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.9/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 7.8/10
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu
Genre: Animation / Comedy / Action
Duration: 92 minutes
Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes

It has been a very, very stressful two weeks. Funny thing is, I was feeling this way because of two “blessings” that came my way! I guess sometimes life throws you good things and they turn ‘bad’ for some weird reason. I guess they weren’t meant to be… or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

First instance, I was offered a great position in an equally great global company. I’m 7 months into my current job, which I love, so it was very difficult to decide. I was weighing between grabbing an opportunity that may not come my way again (and of course the perk of being offered more money), or stick to where I was now because I was happy and was still being paid pretty well. Everyday was really quite heavy as my heart was not 100% into what I was currently doing because I could very well move out the week after.

So I told myself my decision should be made this week, and I finally decided not to take the leap ahead yet, and develop myself further in the current role I am in now. Whether that is a good decision or not, I will see in the next months or so. Hopefully, I made the right choice.

Second instance, I joined a game show I never thought I would be in. I went through 3 screening processes and got accepted and was scheduled for the taping of the show. The feeling was amazing, and it was one heck of an experience. The screening was hilarious as the people handling us were driving us nuts with their antics. When the decision came as to who was in and my name was called, it was an awesome feeling.

When taping day came, there were 3 mock games that came before the actual game. It was practice to loosen up. I had won all 3 games and the two people who were up against me were quite fearful, honestly, as they openly said it to us all. When the game came, excuses aside, the winner was just unbelievably lucky, and I was the one who ended up with no money at all.

I thought to myself, what a shame, but I really had no control over what was happening. Circumstance had let me run through the game with only 4 chances, and I never got another one. When I got home, I tried to tell myself to simply accept the defeat, but I knew I couldn’t as my ego and pride were really damaged (hehe). So because of the denial, I dreamt about this damn game every night until the day it showed on TV, which was today. And am I glad it’s over.

Sure, I got the messages from friends making fun of me and all that, but it was still an experience I enjoyed thoroughly. It would have been great if I had won, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. When the show ended, it was like a boulder was taken off my chest, and I could finally breathe again

Whether or not those “blessings” I got were meant as tests, I’ll never know. But what has stuck with me after both instances have passed, is the fact that they were unique experiences I doubt most people will ever be able to go through in their lifetime. And that mere fact, makes it all worth it

One of the most popular cartoons back in the 80′s, when I was still around 10 (hehe), was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I even remember that a movie was actually made on it with Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and I had a ton of action figures with me. Those cost quite a lot now too, unfortunately I don’t have them anymore

In any case, the new movie is called Grayskull: The Masters of the Universe, and the script is somehow leaked online already and a script review can be found HERE.

Below is also a prologue of what the movie offers, and it sounds pretty darn good. When you start reading the link on the script, you’ll even be more excited if you’re a fan

At the beginning of time, the blacksmith Eternus forged the Sword Of Light, a blade so beautiful that its spark created all life as we know it. After the blacksmith saw what perfection he’d built, he tried in vain to duplicate his mold. Eventually he fell into madness. Angered by his failure, he forged one last blade before he died. The mirror opposite of its original. The Sword of Darkness.

Both blades, being born of magic gave amazing powers to anyone who held them. And so they were sought after.

Over thousands of years, the swords faced each other’s army many times…

…until one battle changed it all.

It will be interesting to see how the movie goes, but after reading the script, it seems pretty clear how it starts off. The word Origins has always been a very nice tag to attach to movies as it speaks of the myth behind the legend, and how everything came about. Currently, another movie in the works that is of the same line is X-Men: Origins, which also drives a very interesting line to the movie. But as this goes, for Masters of the Universe, it will be indeed very interesting to see how the history of the swords of light and darkness came about, and what caused the swords to be separated, and how He-Man and Skeletor were borne.

The movie is in the works, and its showing supposedly in 2009 or 2010, which is quite a long time from now. But considering the script has already been read, and looks very intriguing from the review, should give fans something big to look out for.  It will also be interesting to see who they cast as the characters for the movie.  So hopefully, we get even more details on this movie soon

There is nothing better than playing a ‘free’ online game and winning prizes as you go at it against a huge base of players from different countries. It’s even better when it’s customized to your preferences, and records your history ever since you start the game. You add the fact that it’s put on a GUI that is one of the best and most user-friendly out there, say that it’s for hold’em poker, and voila! You’ve got one of the best online card games I have ever come across.

When hold’em poker first came out on TV a few years ago, it was an immediate hit. It’s popularity grew instantly, and even back here in the Philippines, there were tournaments everywhere, and that’s in your local casinos and in your own backyard! So I tried looking for an online game that would let me play this game at home, and I actually tried those big name gambling sites, all to no avail as the draw from how it looked and felt was just not right. Then I came across Triplejack and never played anything else after.

This developers of this site have created one of the best online games out there. Very light-weight, and I believe running on Java, it allows you to play hold’em poker online and it’s a ton of fun. I say ‘free’ up there, because there are a few ways you can actually win prizes without having to pay for anything. In the game, there is such a thing as a power player status, which allows you to play the game with all the bells and whistles, just like those who actually shelled out cash to play it that way. The difference is, if you’re good enough, there are free tournaments within the game itself that allow you to win this kind of prize. And if you do, you’re allowed to play like a paying player, and be able to win prizes just like they can.

You may ask how much the game is if you wanted to actually play it with all the features included. It only costs $5.95 a month as a basic package. There are $29.95 packages for 6 months, and $54.95 for a year. That’s actually very cheap for the kind of experience you will have when you play this game. I guarantee you that you will LOVE this game, and you’ll come back and thank me after hehe!

Take a look at the screenshots above for a few good looks at the game. Registration is of course free, really fast and very simple. The greatest thing about it also is that there are daily free tournaments that allow non-paying players to join and win actual cash, and options to be a power player, or win other kinds of prizes (see above). The schedules are also on the site itself on the exact date and time. It’s just hands-down one of the best game environments online, so just click HERE and try it out!