Suddenly It's Magic summary and review

The summery of the story is simple enough to grasp in a few sentences. Thai superstar gets burned out at work, wants to relax, unwind in a place where no one knows him so he decides to go to the Philippines. He meets a pretty, down to earth Filipino who has her own struggles and pains. They fall in love and deal with the difficulties of being together.

Despite its plot's simplicity, I was one of those people gushed, oohed and ahh-ed during Mario Maurer and Erich Gonzales' sweet, sappy moments. There's just something about Mario's face, smile, and over-all charisma that's disarming, beguiling and totally charming.

Mario Maurer pic

Got this pic from the net here

So what can I say about the story as a whole? Some might think the plot was formulaic, but I appreciated how it deviated from being a total cliche in certain scenes. For example, when Joey (Erich Gonzales) walked in on the press conference and was seemingly hurt by it, Marcus (Mario Maurer) stood up for her and recognized her as his girlfriend in front of the press without a second thought.

One scene I found a  bit ridiculous though was when Joey started tasting all the cupcakes in the eatery when Marcus said they were sad-tasting, and then she started to choke. Haha but really?

The gay role of Joross Gamboa was funny at first but the his high pitched sounds became a bit overdone in the end. Supporting casts were great especially Marcus' Filipina housekeeper.

Although, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of scenes that showed Thailand. It seems as though the only place where they managed to shoot it in Thailand were the temples.The view of Ilocos was lovely though and it made me want to visit there soon.

Also, some lines to ponder from the movie: "Can you give up the life that you love, for the love of your life? Or the love of your life for the life that you love?"

I enjoyed watching the movie. Even got the last song symdrome of Suddenly It's Magic:

I feel so free,

It's like a fantasy

Havin' you next to me

Suddenly it's magic

One look, one touch

Words just don't say enough

When you fall in love

Suddenly, suddenly it's magic

Get the full lyrics here. 

Poison Princess - Kresley Cole

I'm a huge fan of Kresley Cole. All her books, especially the Immortals after Dark series, have never disappointed me, but I was a bit doubtful at first when I first scanned the synopsis, as well as the first pages of the book.

It is written in the first person POV narrative.
The character were in their teens 16-18 years old, I believe.
It was a post-apocalyptic book.

But as I flipped through the pages, I became so engrossed with it, I could hardly put it down. Now I wish the next book was out because I want to know what happens next.

Here's a bit of a summary of Poison Princess;

Evangeline Greene is one of your 'popular' girls. But she's not mean. She's hiding a secret though... she's been having hallucination that sent her to an institution for one summer to have her 'cured'.

Her hallucinations though were visions of whats to come. A major wipe out of everything, they call 'Flash'. In the new world post flash, water, food and female are scarce. Because of the lack of food, some people have become zombies or rather they call them Baggermen (will recheck this one).

Think Resident Evil x the Walking Dead x Mari from Wicked Deeds on a Winter Night (cause the heroine reminded me of her) x Tarots x High school of the dead (anime)

There's also a love story thrown into the mix as well as a lot of heavy choices, the heroine has to make.

Though the ending was a cliffhanger, I didn't feel cheated by it because a lot was happening throughout the whole book. Grab your own copy now.

This Guy's in Love with You Mare - movie review

Remember that popular song, "this guy's in love with you pare," where the singer is in love with his best friend who he treats like one of the guys. Well, that's how I remember interpreting that song.

For a brief summary of This Guy's in Love with you Mare:

We have three main characters, Mike, Lester and Gemma. Lester is the rich gay who has a relationship with Mike for 3 years. After 3 years, Mike breaks up with Lester. It turns out that for a year already, Mike has been seeing Gemma and wants to propose to her already.

Lester, heartbroken, devises an evil plot to make Gemma fall in love with him and cause her and Mike to break up. He pretends to be a guy and begins to court Gemma.

Gemma, the unsuspecting lady, begins to develop a tendre for Lester though she still loves Mike. But in the end, all plots are revealed. So who gets to be with whom?

Though it's pretty easy to understand the plot, what made the movie worth watching is how they deliver. Gemma (played by Toni Gonzaga) and Mike (Luis Manzano) were too saccharine when they were acting as a couple but I guess this is to amp up the comedy effect of the movie.

I didn't laugh as much as I expected to...maybe because I saw the trailers a lot on TV. But it was a fun and enjoyable movie. It had a plot, it was a comedy and in the end it teaches us that if you did something wrong, you have to learn how to say sorry.

On a side note, my sister and I were trying to figure out the title. Who is the Guy? And who is the Mare in the title of the movie, This Guy's in Love with You Mare?

Is it Luis for Gemma? Luis for Lester? Or Lester for Gemma?

The New Kfc Mac and Cheese bites review

I love cheese! Whenever I see a new food creation that is oozing with cheesey-ness, I just have to give it a try. I don't know if this is deserving a whole new blog post but I was so hyped up when I passed by KFC and saw their new KFC Mac and Cheese bites, I was salivating to get a bite out of it.

When I found out that it only had five pieces per order, I ordered two. It was hot off the oven so I waited a few moments to give it time to cool a bit.

When I took my first bite.... it was disappointing. It tasted bland and unappetizing, just one bite was enough. It wasn't even very fulfilling.

I struggled to think of what this taste reminded me of. Alas, it reminded me of their previous creation, cheesy pops! Only with cheesy pops, I remember there was a dip given to chase away the blandness, the mac and cheese bites didn't even have that.

The cheese pops didn't last, so I don't know how long this one will last either. Bleh.

___

On the other hand, I also just recently tasted Pizza Hut's garlic bread with parmesan cheese. Now, that was tasty, full of cheese goodness!

Google Picasa - Create your photo collage easily!

PICASA - it's FREE

It was months ago when I labored for hours trying to make my "amateur-like" collage via photoshop.

With Picasa, what I spent hours laboring over, was quickly done in just a couple of minutes!

Compare my previous collage

And a new collage I made

Sea World Pics

I guess I'm a little behind with these programs. But happy I've discovered it now! now I hope I can find a program to make personalize pic/quotes like this one... which I also spent hours with at Photoshop  If you know a program, let me know.

Will add a detailed review of Picasa once I get the hang of it. 

St Vincent Hospital email

If you received a text or email like me from St. Vincent Hospital, it's a SCAM.

My email started out this way....

REMINDER: Please READ & UNDERSTAND our email message, it is advisable for you to PRINT it.

After evaluation of your resume thru online job posting, we are pleased to tell you that you are SELECTED for the position of a Staff Nurse (Philippine Board licensed) and/or Caregiver (unlicensed Nurse & medical allied course graduate) for St. Vincent’s Hospital in Australia

You must attend the FIRST & LAST St. Vincent’s Hospital Embassy Interview Coaching for the year 2012 on September 15 &16, 2012 (Saturday & Sunday) from 9:00AM-5:00PM. WE, EMPLOYERS ARE NOW HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES since September 09, 2012 (Sunday) together with our very own Canadian Trainers.

Call us for inquiries strictly from 9:00am-5:00pm Sunday-Friday (12:00-1:00PM Lunch Break/3:00-3:30PM Coffee Break):
Landline no..: (02) 509-2622
Cellular No.: 0927-557-0536 (Company Mobile Phone)

I also received a similar email a month ago from Sydney Adventist Hospital with the same content. It was reported on Bandila that it was a SCAM.

Check out this news from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/07/25/12/poea-warns-nurses-new-job-scams for a full report.

So if you didn't get the email a month ago from Sydney Adventist Hospital and got one now from St. Vincent Hospital, do a little background check and don't pay the training fee.

You know what they say, if it's too good to be true....

Be cautious!

I have heard from a friend that a few months ago they used another hospital name Riverside Hospital in Canada. 

Hope this gets stopped. 

Fallen Angel Books by Cynthia Eden, Angel Betrayed

When Twilight became popular, a lot of vampire books suddenly became popular too. With the Twilight Saga craze everyone seemed to be looking for more vampire books to read.

When vampire books became a bit overdone, Fallen angels suddenly seem be to the new 'IT' book after vampire books became passe. Try typing 'Fallen' on Amazon.

While most of these fallen angel books are directed towards young adults, try reading Cynthia Eden's sexy version of fallen angels.

Though I enjoyed her first book Angel of Darkness (The Fallen) the story of Keenan, Angel of Death and Nicole st. James, newly turned vampire, I enjoyed her second book Angel Betrayed (Fallen), Sammael (Sam) and Seline's story even more.

The story line of the books revolve around the Angels falling from heaven because they disobeyed their orders. These Angels have began to feel, anger, envy, desire.... and they're not supposed to. In the first book, when Keenan chose not to take Nicole's life but took her attacker's instead, he fell. Confused of his new life as a fallen, he finds his way back to Nicole figuring she is the key for him to return to the heavens... but does he still really want to?

Sammael, a major bad-ass angel, was shrouded in mystery in the first book. Is he a good guy or not? Some of his actions were mysterious in the first book, but it turned out he had his own reasons for acting that way.

The story reminded me of an old movie, City of Angels (1998) starred by Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan. But compared to watching a movie, you could really feel the emotions more if you're reading a book especially when it's written emotionally well like in Angel Betrayed.

(Spoilers) When Seline died, you get to really feel Sam's desperation. It kept me guessing on what will happen next. Does Sam return to heaven after sacrifice? Or will Seline fall? It also makes you question, what is heaven really like?

After reading Angel of Darkness and Angel Betrayed, I'm starting to look for more of Cynthia Eden's book. Though this post is a bit delayed for her contest, I still want to share her that her new book Howl For It has just been released. If her writing is as good as the two books I had read, then this is a must by!

Howl For It

Oh btw, try listening to Goo Goo Doll's Iris while reading Angel Betrayed/Angel of Darkness. I kept humming and singing the song  to myself after reading, lol.

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan review

If you want to read the synopsis, you've probably been to Amazon and have read it there. If you haven't, here's the summary of the Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

The start of a new series from New York Times bestselling author Courtney Milan...

She will not give up.

Three months ago, governess Serena Barton was let go from her position. Unable to find new work, she’s demanding compensation from the man who got her sacked: a petty, selfish, swinish duke. But it’s not the duke she fears. It’s his merciless man of business—the man known as the Wolf of Clermont. The formidable former pugilist has a black reputation for handling all the duke’s dirty business, and when the duke turns her case over to him, she doesn’t stand a chance. But she can’t stop trying—not with her entire future at stake.

He cannot give in.

Hugo Marshall is a man of ruthless ambition—a characteristic that has served him well, elevating the coal miner’s son to the right hand man of a duke. When his employer orders him to get rid of the pestering governess by fair means or foul, it’s just another day at the office. Unfortunately, fair means don’t work on Serena, and as he comes to know her, he discovers that he can’t bear to use foul ones. But everything he has worked for depends upon seeing her gone. He’ll have to choose between the life that he needs, and the woman he is coming to love…

My review:

1. The characters
These are not your usual prince, princesses, dukes and duchesses. Serena Barton and Hugo Marshall are actually common people.  And yet, despite not having an illusion of grandeur on these characters, Milan still writes a compelling tale of two people falling in love in the historical times.

2. The reality
Not all people are good people. In usual regency novels, we read about the fat, greasy looking, old or not so old  earl/duke/viscount assaulting the governess, chamber maid or some other poor random people. But we never got to meet that person. What ever happens to her?

3. Love vs Ambition/Wants/Practicality

Will you give up your lifelong dream for love?  How much do you want it?
Here we see a reality of choosing and finding out what really matters the most.

4. This book only costs 99c! It's a short novel but meaty. ^_____^

I.Link Optical Mouse Review

I often get motivated to review items I just bought/ regularly use/ discovered. Mostly because I consider myself as your basic average consumer. I'm not too techy but I get the hang of new items. I'm not a perfectionist but I appreciate quality and I look at the price tag.

I bought a new optical mouse on a whim. This Ilink optical mouse is sold at SM City for P299.75
I bought it for its catchy design and one of its features that caught my attention is:

Ilink mouse size

Motion on Virtually ANY Surface.

Here's what I thought:

Pro: It really works on most surface even without the mouse pad.

Cons: The 3D wheel does not roll easily. It feels stuck.
It is also thinner than I thought it would be so it's a bit uncomfortable for my hand use.

Here are some Ilink Mouse pics.

Ilink Mouse Back

Ilink mouse pic

Iphone auto-complete - how to turn it off

Tired of your iphone finishing your messages for you?

When you're used to shortcut messages in text, this feature could be annoying.
I sometimes cringe at the messages I send, when they're way off on what I really meant to say.
I was a bit bummed when I first googled the answer to this problem. When I went to the first hit on google, this forum conversation told me that there was no way to turn this off. When I read the posts though, they were posted 2008.

Four years later, here's the solution for this problem:

How to turn off Auto-Complete

1. Go to SETTINGS
2. Go to GENERAL
3. Go to KEYBOARD
4. Then Switch Auto-Correction OFF

Check out Funny Texts caused by Auto-correct.

For more funny messages go to http://fyouautocorrect.com/

IV Insertion Video

Reviewing IV insertion Youtube Videos

Whether you're a nurse, doctor or other professionals in the medical team, inserting an IV line is tricky and requires some skill that can only be brought about by experience.

Learning about IV insertion procedure through books and lectures may not be enough. With the advent of Youtube videos, our method of learning has improved. Now, we can see actual demonstration of starting an IV line.

Though watching this video is not a guarantee that you'll get it right on your first try, it will give you some helpful tips when starting your IV line. This could also help refresh guidelines and procedures for those who have done this before.

There are a lot of youtube videos about IV Cannulation, IV insertion, Starting an IV line. However, there are a lot of videos that are grainy, have unclear sounds, not ideal and incomplete. I found these two videos that I think are most helpful in starting an IV line.

It also includes things to watch out for or the complications that may happen when you insert an IV line incorrectly.

Peripheral IV Cannulation 1 - uploaded by amola36

Peripheral IV Cannulation 2 - uploaded by amola36

This picks up where part 1 ended. Both are uploaded by amola36.

How to Pay GCASH when you're a SMART user

GCash

How to Pay GCASH for online purchases when you're a SMART/SUN/Talk and Text user or other subscribers.

Requirements:

1. Bring photocopy of valid I.D.
Not sure if back-to-back is required, but I just made sure mine was, so that I don't have to back and forth to have it photocopied again.

2. Make sure you know the NAME of who you are sending it to, NOT just the NUMBER.

My experience:

I was trying to pay for an online purchase. And here are some points to consider:

• The queuing is way too long so once you have a number you can come back for it. Just make sure you don't go PAST your number.
• I had to go back and forth cause I didn't have a photocopy of my I.D.
• I had the wrong name of the person to send it to so I had to postpone my transaction.
• There's a 20 pesos fee. 

Oiran Girl, Manga

I love reviewing things I'm passionate about. And now, I would like to share my newest Manga discover from MangaFox, Oiran Girl!

Oiran Girl Cover Pic

Tsubaki was a rich merchant's daughter when her family lost all of their money because of a fire that burned down everything. She was sold and now lives in Miuraya, a courtesan house in the red-light district. She now aims to become the top courtesan, beating Takao her mentor. Unbeknownst to her, Takao has a secret. Takao is a man and he is also Shin, Tsubaki's former servant, her first love and the one who destroyed her heart by his cruel words.

It's really quite fun! After the first chapter, Takao's secret is revealed to Tsubaki and things get interesting.

If you like Hana-kimi, Tokyo Crazy Paradise then this is for you. Aside from the gender bender tag, this could also be an ojou-sama type manga.

What is an Oiran? (From Wikipedia)

Oiran (花魁^?) were courtesans in Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yūjo (遊女^?) "woman of pleasure" or prostitute. However, they are distinguished from the yūjo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day.

Oiran Girl (2010) Manga was written or made by Hibiki Wataru. It is being scanlated by Doko Demo Doa. Here's their Forum.

Hope they can finish this manga.

Earning Online by a Beginner

Earning Online by a Beginner

I wrote this for my Triond page awhile back and now I'm thinking of trying Triond again. It seems my link is missing though. Hope this link works.

Which is better Wordpress or Blogger?

I'm not so techie so I could not easily compare the two. At first I like Blogger because I could easily navigate it. Then, I looked up some "how-to" in the net for my wordpress so I was getting the hang of it. I was building up content for my wordpress blog when I realized I couldn't add any Adsense, Clicksor or Chitika on it.

There's NO PLUG-IN available for WORDRESS.COM

Usually, when I look up "how to add plug in for wordpress"  on google, I get a response. But these are for Wordpress.Org usually. You have to pay for it.

I like wordpress better because it's easily seen by search engines and I usually get a lot of hits as soon as I post something interesting. While with blogger, It usually takes 2-3 days more with my blogger.

Here's the post if you have questions about adding Chitika, Adsense to your Wordpress.com site.

LINK TO SUPPORT

In other words, you CANNOT add them. They have an alternative called Adwords. But, to be eligible for this you need to have a custom domain. Thus you have to pay for it. Bummer.

Sydney Adventist Hospital Email - Scam or not?

WARNING: DON'T SEND MONEY

When I first received this email, I was surprised, excited and then a little bit wary. Being a Google fan, of course I quickly looked it up and found the very, credible looking website of Sydney Adventist Hospital. 

So I posted it in my other blog and was hoping that someone can leave a message if they got the message too.

Is it a crime to be hopeful and optimistic? I mean, I post my resume online for the purpose that employers could see it, so like an answer to a prayer, it just might be possible that an employer/employers would pick out my resume among a million of other applicants and include me for this opportunity.

Here's the email from Sydney Adventist Hospital that they sent me. Broke it up into parts.

Human Nature in Iloilo - go Organic

I've been seeing a trend in organic products. Everyone wants to go organic. Organic has a lot of meanings, but I think what people mean when they say organic is "Simple, healthful, and close to nature". 

I joined Human Nature not just because of the organic trend but also because of what the company stands for. It's Pro-Philippines. Pro-Environment. And Pro-Poor. I think the Philippines has a lot of untapped natural resources that just needs to be marketed properly.

Human Nature Website

If you want to be a dealer, they have 3 packages for you to choose from.

I got the P799 package. Included with the membership are free products. Here's what I got:

(From Left) Kids Shampoo Tangerine Tarsier, Baby Wash, Moisturizing Shampoo with Cream Foam, Peppermint Lip Balm, New Day Moisturizer 15 vitamins and Minerals, Sunflower Seed Beauty Oil

Missing from the pic: Balancing Facial Wash, Feminine Wash, Juicy Burst Sanitizer, Bug Shield Lotion and Healthy Lotion Berry Bliss

I've been getting dry skin so I really wanted to try this moisturizing day fluid. Already bought the sunflower oil but I keep forgetting to use it. 

When I first inquired for the dealership, they presented me this P800 pack and another worth about P2000. Prices are a little less like 799 pesos, or 1799 but I'm just rounding it off. What the guy forgot to tell me was that you have to have a maintaining product purchase of at least 800 (since I got this package) every month! 

They said it can be accumulative and that there's a 3 month grace period for you to comply. (Glum, glum, glum). Not really much of a seller at the moment. I got about an equal amount of items to what I paid so it's not really a loss. 

Also for minimum dealership you get 15%. If you get the P2000 package the discount is higher at 25% (i think). 

Still want to try their lipsticks and/or lip balms. Hope it doesn't have an ugly smell since I'm particular about that. (Lipstick)

Hope these products are as good as they say it is, because I think it's really marketable world wide. Prices are affordable and they have a great story.

Location for Iloilo branch: 2/F Jesena Bldg. It's near San Agustin school. Jeepneys passing San Agustin street are Lapaz jeep and Mandurriao jeep.

How to win at casino slots - thoughts and links to nice reads

I recognize the gambler in me. While I could control it, if I'm in front of slot machine I might spend more than what I said I would. There must be that gambler gene in all of us that makes us believe that the next bet will bring us the jackpot.

With the opening of a casino in my city, thought about looking up these articles.

Psychology of Casino - by Barry Borsboom

Psychology of Casinos by Jonah Lehrer

The Psychology of Gambling

While most of those articles talk about how the casinos lull you into staying longer and playing more, the 3rd one has a few intersting tips.

1. Slots that pay more can be found in more popular sections where a lot of people can see you win. Stay away from obscure ones. Might try this tip the next time I visit. Fingers crossed.

2. Read the pay table. If there are a lot of combinations that return wins, this might have a higher win frequency.

3. Check the pay ratio.(This is why I always bet the lowest but with more lines.)

Location of Loose Slots

Another interesting site I've found. This might work on big casinos in las vegas. Lost some money when I went there. I don't think I won there at all. I don't know if it will work in our local casino but it's quite interesting. Still with the same concept - more wins to attract more people to play.

EDIT: 6/29/12 Tried the location trick... didn't work for me.
Going to try the time trick next time. Or maybe it really is just a matter of chance. lol

Kindle vs Nook

E-book Readers
Revolutionizing the way you read


E-books
Book of the future. Let's save paper. 

Competing for the title of best e-reader (best ebook reader from CNET) look no further than Kindle or Nook. Kindle by Amazon and Nook by Barnes and Noble.





I own this version of Kindle, although there are a lot of models to choose from right now. Compared to when I bought mine a year ago, they now offer touch screen kindle and fully colored (Kindle Fire). 

For my sister, I bought her NOOK Color.

Photo by Barnes and Noble

Why I like my Kindle:
* They are focused on the world wide market.
I can get free e-books sent to my kindle without registering/linking a credit card. I could not do this for my sister's Nook.

*My free Amazon 3G internet works here in Iloilo, Philippines. Since it's not the capital city, I'n happy that there's a connection.

*Very light weight.

*Durable
I dropped it maybe twice. there were some problems physically (pressed it back together) but no problems internally. (sometimes it does hang up though).

Why I like my sister's Nook sometimes.

*It has COLOR!

*Can access most sites like facebook, or neopets with it's free wifi.

Summary: Don't bother with other readers. Get either a Kindle or a Nook.

Maybelline Watershine Lipstick - p11

Got to have it!

Ever experience that moment when you fall in instant lust with an object and you can't take it off your mind? You want to have/acquire/own/possess. You just got to have it.

Saw this lipstick ad on Facebook and though I don't usually share/comment on stuff, I did so with this one. Bought another shade same brand last Saturday, but I'm still itching to buy this one. Didn't buy this one cause I thought I owned a similar color.

Aura by Swarowski Vintage Rose

photo from Britishbeautyblogger

P11 of Maybelline is lighter though and I realized the one I bought Maybelline b24 is more similar in shade to my vintage rose. Here's a review from another blogger of maybelline b24. anonymous-reviews.blogspot.com

Will probably buy P11 when I have extra cash again, or when it goes one sale. Got my B24 for P299, but I read in another blog that she got it for only P209.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment.

Wordpress vs Blogger

There are a lot of free sites nowadays that you can choose to be your online home. I've had an account at Xanga, Weebly, and most recently at Wordpress. I've dumped the first two and only update my wordpress now. I'vee seen some decent blogspot blogs and was debating on whether I should switch back to blogspot, remain at wordpress or try and update both.

As of today, here are my thoughts:

Easy to Use: Winner: Blogspot
Statistic and feedback: Winner: Wordpress
Money making site: Not sure yet


Trying to be committed to both sites for now. One for more personal, random posts, another for a themed post.