red riding hood

I've read so many versions of the Little Red Riding Hood. My favorite is the one with the evil, sadistic, and manipulative Red Riding Hood, tricking the Woodsman that the Wolf was the bad one. In the end, it was the Wolf who actually tried to protect the Grandmother.

I like that version simply because I love animals and abhor children.

Additionally, I am also a sucker for werewolf movies. That being said, I didn't even have the heart to torture my senses by seeing any of those Twilight movies. I did watch Wolfman, though and thought it was brilliant. Then again, Emily Blunt can't do anything wrong.

So naturally, I was excited to see Red Riding Hood. I mean, Gary freakin' Oldman is in it. Virginia freakin' Madsen is in it. And then Amanda freakin' Seyfried is in it. I totally ignored all the bad critics bashing the movie.

I should've taken heed of the warning.

I sat through a grueling 1 hour and 46 minute acrid fest of sweet love. I mean, oh my God. I'm eating right now so I don't really think I can write a review about it.

Let's just say that Red Riding Hood had such a promising write-up. Maybe I was a wrong target audience. I should've realized that it was meant to be yet another tween-teen-romantic-witchcraft-magic movie. Like freakin' Twilight. (Oh God, I'm using "freakin'" repetitively. I'M TURNING INTO A TEENAGER!! MY BRAIN'S A MUSH!!)

Even the lead love interest of Amanda Seyfriend's character (Valerie, alias the Red Riding Hood) looks a lot like Robert Pattinson's rip off. He's all sparkly and dark (he's so sparkly and wears all black ensemble) and he's not even (SPOILER) a vampire nor a werewolf! Well, (MAJOR SPOILER) he becomes one in the end.

I really wonder why anyone actually produced this movie. Twilight Series have a cult-like fan base. You can't rip the market by putting up another lame product. I mean, at least make the guys look a lot different than the Twilight guys. I don't think it's going to attract non-Twilight fans either because those sane enough not to like Twilight should be sane enough not to like Red Riding Hood.

And I'd like to just say this: MY GOD, VALERIE, YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE A HOT GUY BECAUSE YOU'RE BETROTHED TO ANOTHER HOT GUY. MANY OF US AREN'T THAT LUCKY YOU KNOW SO STOP THE DRAMA.

I have to balance my brain by watching a completely difficult and brilliant movie. Like The King's Speech. Forget Rango. I need my long due dose of Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter.

spring break

Spring break is almost over. I didn't go to Las Vegas, nor to San Diego, nor to Los Angeles. I almost went to Seattle for Cues and Tattoos, but FCBD's class was full to the brim, so I'd rather stay at the hostel.

It's been raining on and off and today it's sunny.

I haven't blogged for ages but my Acer laptop just died all of a sudden (motherboard problem) and my Samsung R540 laptop arrived yesterday night. My head is filled with so many issues I have to write about, so I think I'll rant on.

No, I haven't been to the Golden Gate, the China Town, the Alcatraz, or even the Indonesian restaurant not 15 minutes away from the hostel with bus. I was simply enjoying the time off. The hostel is very quiet and internet connection is very fast. Then again, there have been big groups that are understandably very loud. And the French... Well, they're boisterous as ever.

However, I went shopping... ONLINE, that is. Amazon is good to people in the US of A, what with its Free Super Saver Shipping and their return policy (no wait, I think Amazon's return policy is also available for international customers, but I could be wrong).

I went shopping for stuff I didn't really need. What's amazing about Amazon is that it always has good bargain. The key is to know what you need, not what you want. And no, I'm not smacking my head as I'm writing this.

When my Acer laptop was still working, I made use of my lazy days going online, browsing for cute items. And I found this: a Pamela Love's Tribal Spike cuff (bronze, USD 645). And you know, many "fashion forward" bloggers reviewed it as completely original.

Umm... The same "Tribal Spike Cuff" has been owned by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance since ages ago and the magnificent design and work belong to the Kohistani tribe whose women wear the spike cuff as protection against stupid people. The spike cuff is also called Gokhru cuff, since it is designed after the Gokhru seeds and leaves. Here is the original and antique Gokhru cuff from TribalSouk.com (antique silver, USD 600).

Now, my .02 is that as far as I know, the Kohistani tribesmen still manufacture such cuffs and embellishments. And then there's some "fashion jewelry maker" who makes the almost exact replica but using bronze instead of antique silver, and selling the cuff for USD 45 more! Talk about rip off.

However, if you happen to be an exec at a cheap knock-off fashion manufacturer like Forever 21 and TopShop, you might want to sell this for USD 40. And so I ordered a pair of "Warrior Spike Cuff" along with two wicked costumey necklaces from TopShop.

Now that we've got that sorted out, I have to confess that I didn't really show a sense of solidarity with my friends in Indonesia. I went to see two movies (and I think I'm going to see three more and be broke at the end of the week. I really want to see Rango, King's Speech, and Red Riding Hood).

The first movie I saw was Battle: Los Angeles, starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and a bunch of hot marines *giggles*. Michelle Rodriguez was right when she said it was a cross between District 9 and umm... something else that I forgot. It was not Avatar in that it wasn't beautiful or scenic or anything (just ruins). It was a bit like War of the Worlds (the one with Tom Cruise), but not that jarring or gory. War of the Worlds also has its scenic moments. It is not as gory as District 9, but just as emotional although in a different way. I have to be honest here: I cried when watching Battle: LA. That scene where (SPOILER) Hector's father died was just so powerful. Hector's such a good kid actor.

Battle: LA has some inspiring moments and quotes, such as, "Marines never quit!" (I can totally use that level of discipline in my own bellydance regimen).

The second movie was Adjustment Bureau. I never really cared about Matt Damon, but I love Emily Blunt. Now this movie is amazing. I'm going to say that the plot can be cliche (you create your own future) and atheistic (even God will follow what you say if your will is strong enough), but its romance is strong, and one can learn so much about waiting and let Chance trigger a little catalyst. The rest, paired with our will, is what's going to define our future.

I have seven minutes to get dressed, walk five blocks to AMC Theatre and catch Red Riding Hood.

The question is, do I really want to?

it never rains in california

Today is the second day of the two-week Spring break and it's raining. I've cancelled all my plans (going to the cinema, going shopping, getting a haircut).

On my way up to my room after a very late lunch, I found a tiny pink rose. I don't know if it's still a bud or not since it's bloomed and it smells good.

And yes, I've also changed the blog's header and the background. I like the new look. It's less gloomy.

"Pink Things on My Window Sill"

Photos taken on Tuesday, March 15 2011

Using Olympus Mju 850 SW

people say the strangest things

During EF Graduation Day Ceremony for Late Winter 2011 Term:

A friend asked me to take a photo of her with one of her teachers. I don't know the teacher, though. So, click click, and this conversation happened:

Teacher (to my friend): So, are you leaving?

My friend: Yes. I'm going back to my country.

Teacher (to me): How about you?

Me: Oh, I'm staying until June.

Teacher (to my friend): I hope you wouldn't leave. (then looked at me and said to my friend:) I hope he'd leave, not you.

And I had that WTF moment. I mean... This guy is a new teacher and he didn't even know me. Am I that dislikeable?

In a Godiva Store in Westfield:

Supernice Salesgirl (to my friend): Here, why don't you try this? It's a new product! (handing a chocolate sample from her tray)

My friend: Oh my God, this is so good!

Supernice Salesgirl (to me): Here, you can try one too!

Me: Oh, no, thank you. I am prone to break-outs.

Supernice Salesgirl (to me): Oh, that's wonderful!

Right.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Veronika and I went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade up on Market Street this afternoon. We were... late. Bahahahaha...

So we only got to see the last bits of the Parade. But it was fun. I got to see some of the shops on Market Street like the Westfield, which surprisingly was dark and kind of gloomy. I prefer malls in Jakarta. Then again, I don't know why I need to go to the malls here for.

Which reminds me... While I was there, why didn't I go to MAC (the make-up, not the fruit) to get the Strobe Cream? Ever since Princess Farhana recommended the cream. And I just feel that my facial skin needs some glimmer booster.

Oh, well... I've got plenty of time to go shopping later. Meanwhile, here're the pictures from St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Photos taken on Saturday, March 12, 2011

Using Olympus Mju 850 SW

broken things

In addition to being the week of the finals, which I think I've done pretty well, it's also the week of broken things.

To start with, I accidentally flicked open the W key on my notebook's keyboard. It began in the wee hours of Thursday morning while I was giving myself a crash course on GRE Math (test was on that day). I didn't know what happened, but I was in bed, working with my notebook placed on my lap and the big GRE book on top of the keyboard. I hastily get off the bed, I think to turn off my cellphone's alarm, and when I came back, the W key was already flicked open. I was already panicked because I hadn't studied well for the GRE Math test and then the incident happened. Turned out, there's no Acer service center in San Francisco, just generic computer services. So I took my tweezer and tried to get the pieces together with a tape. It's a bit awkward (and hard) now when I need to press the W key, but at least it's still working.

And then, I found a hole on the left knee part of my jeans. I've had these jeans for only a year, so I don't know what happened. Umm... okay. After reminiscing, I think I know. Back in Jakarta, I was on my way to a place and there was this kitten running in the street. The traffic lights turned red and it just stayed under a truck. So I got off from the car, crouched under the truck, took the kitten, and put it on the pavement. When I got back to my car, my left knee felt hurt. I guess it took a while for the jeans to get a hole. Oh, well. I'll get a patch.

After a hard day at school, I went back to the hostel and found my room opened. I almost screamed bloody murder. Apparently, a Mexican guy was fixing the plumbing system of the room above mine. I had to wait for two hours to get

back to my room that day. The Mexican guy came back again on the next day to fix the ceiling of my bathroom. He didn't really fix it well, though. I hope it's going to be temporary.

Well, it's spring break time. I really haven't planned anything... But I think I'll have to comb different parts of San Francisco every day. I have two weeks.

Then maybe, just maybe, I'll go to Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Then again, probably not.

it's the finals

I know I'm lagging behind. I haven't posted anything in a while BUT I'VE GOT GOOD REASONS!

First it was "the trip". And then I got sick and had so much homeworks. And the exact next week (which means this week) after I got back to school, it's time for final exams.

There's going to be a two-week break right after the finals week. To tell you the truth, I don't know where I'm going to go, though I do know I'm not going to go out of San Francisco. I mean, I haven't even seen the effing Golden Gate!

So I'll probably take the BART and the MUNI and just go around town using my ClipperCard. I guess I'll have more photos to talk about on a daily basis.

Well, wish me luck on my studies.

Oh, and I got a 4.5 for my GRE essays (maximum point is 6). Not a good score, I know.