What are you doing the rest of your life?

Tonight, my favorite American Idol contestant of the season, Amber Holcomb, sang the Barbra-Streisand-popular-version of What are you doing the rest of your life?; a song included in Streisand's The Way We Were record and only sung live once, impeccably if I may add as you would expect from Streisand, 20 years after, in her 1994 concert.

Although it was Streisand's version that became popular and iconic, probably because of her stature and how flawless and grand she interprets the very essence of the song, it wasn't her original. The song was originally sung by Michael Dees for the 1969 movie The Happy Ending, music composed by Michel Legrand and lyrics by the husband and wife team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

With or without Streisand's magnificent voice carrying it, I suppose the song is truly destined to be a classic, if only because of how cleverly and profoundly the song was written. This is probably the most intellectual and yet emotional way of telling the love of your life to stay with you; asking What are you doing the rest of your life? - to 'spend all his seasons and times of his days' with you - to make his life yours and your life his.

Russell Crowe and the presumptuous Superman

Okay, let me get this out of the way first and say: this is as testosterone-charged as a Superman movie could ever get! Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Henry Cavill and produced by Christopher Nolan? C'mon!

While i have no doubt that this destined to be another Nolan blockbuster, i just find it (well, the trailer at least) too presumptuous and overbearing featuring lines like:

1. Russel Crowe (Superman's father) in his usual Gladiator-creepy-voice telling Superman's mom "He'll be a god to them." before they send baby Superman to Earth.

2. Russel Crowe (again!): You will give the people of Earth and ideal to strive towards. They'll race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.

Thank you Russell Crowe's Man of Steel character for single-handedly making the movie appear as presumptuous as can be.

In books, i like the I's and the We's

Last night i started reading Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire, the second book to the popular book-turned-movie The Hunger Games, that is currently on-schedule for its theatrical release as well.

Although i am not exactly a big aficionado of 'pop' fiction books, especially those that have received and benefited from massive media attention and promotion (not saying that these 'pop' books are no good, it's just, well, a matter of personal preference for which i am totally entitled to, thank you), i decided to give the book a try before before seeing the movie and face the possibility of spoiling the integrity of the book for me.

And i was pleasantly surprised. Reading the first few pages, i found it actually interesting and most likely worth the reading time. How do i know it's good? Or entertaining at the very least?

It has something to do with how the author, in this case Collins, opens the book. Over the years, i came to realize that i am attracted to books using the first person perspective. So there goes a lot of I's and We's. The book has to stand upon something and come directly from somebody. I don't like it when the 'driver' of the book is also a spectator; i want to be the only spectator and not feel like there's another person watching how the books unfolds with me.

I think reading a book is a very personal thing and that the experience that one gathers in the journey of the story is very exclusive to the one reading it.

I don't want somebody else telling me about the characters dilemnas; i want to hear and know it from the characters themselves.

I don't want somebody else telling me how blissful and passionate they made love; i want to know the details first hand.

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On other news: There's a sadness that seems to have swallowed me whole today.

Terrace Grille at Marriott Hotel

Inviting me out for dinner at a fancy restaurant every month end has been sort of a regular thing now for 'the Tart', for which i am of course so sweetly enamoured by. Last month we dined in The Globe (Faisaliah Tower), a place that we have always wanted to try out and experience. Well, The Globe did not disappoint. Wasn't able to make a post about it because i did not get any one decent picture at that time.

But i digress.

So yesterday, 'the Tart' invited me for dinner again, this time in the Terrace Grille in Marriott Hotel. Marriott Hotel is quaint, first time to really go there.

Terrace Grille's ambiance is nice; i just wished they had more space to make the seating arrangements more private, i mean we were dining beside some group of Ladies, and in this part of the world, that's a bit unconventional.

We ordered Black Angus Tenderloin and Rib Eye. Mine's supposed to be the Rib Eye but i implored 'the Tart' to let me have the Tenderloin because i just didn't find the presentation of the Rib Eye delectable at all.

Here are a couple of pictures that i took. (Sorry for the crappy pictures, it was dimly purplish inside the restaurant and i never bring my DSLR when we go out to dine in restaurants because 1) i think its impolite to just shoot food pictures to my hearts content and 2) i'm not a food blogger. )

Black Angus Rib Eye

Decorative Hanging Light Unit, a bit old-ish i think.

Just a lamp.

Random Thoughts: When you love...

When you love, love fully and wholeheartedly, otherwise don't love at all.

Yes, i'm Jailbroken. So what?

Using the beautiful Ayecon Theme with Iconoclasm, Springtomize 2, Kuvva, NC Settings and some other apps from Cydia.

Note: Kuvva is a paid app filled with great looking wallpapers downloaded from iTunes.

Amour: A three movement symphony

This movie is a grand three-movement symphony.

Beginning in a powerful, arresting note that makes you stop; catching you, making you anticipate and hope that the following melodies would keep you listening, sustaining your interest. And it does, and oh how beautiful it does it that by the time the second movement unfolds, one gets to notice each note, understand the flow of the melody and establish a connection that surrounds your heart's beating in a graceful embrace.This is where in the movie that George and Anne's characters are solidified; this is where their characters are connected to the story and the message that the movie, this wondrous symphony, would soon convey in a beautifully sad but liberating third movement that goes deep to your heart and makes you realize that "Amour" has taken you into a journey of love that transforms, possesses and teaches you about letting go.

Do i recommend you watching it? Most definitely.

Amour is a 2012 French-language drama film written and directed by the Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert.

Holy Week blues

Holy Weeks for me have always been memorable and very introspective. Since college, which is about an eon ago, I and my family always visit different churches in Metro Manila. It's our way of connecting to the One above and also spending quality times together. My memory of those times are still very vivid and they still make me melancholic.

A lot of things have changed. I miss the simplicity of my life, i miss my life with my family. It is truly the most raw and simplest of things and moments that linger and touches us.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lacie's Philippe Starck External HD

You know who Philippe Starck is, right? If not, well, he's just THE man responsible for putting the New Design style at the forefront of consumer consciousness. His designs range from spectacular interior designs to mass produced consumer goods like chairs, tables, watches, motorbikes and yes, even toothbrushes. Chances are, even if you are not aware of him, you have seen and admired one or many of his works and even the products that have been inspired by his original designs (yes, imitation).

And now Starck has another design to boot. This time, an external Hard Disk Drive for Lacie. While it may not be the fastest HD in the market, you can't deny that it's just beautiful and if you're wondering about the price, expect to pay a premium on a Starck-designed product.

Comes in 320GB and 500GB flavors. Embedded USB 2.0 cable with automatic back-up software.

The LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive is the result of a collaboration between LaCie and world-famous designer Philippe Starck. Its sturdy 2mm of aluminum casing keeps the LaCie Starck from overheating, and helps it to be very resistant, enhancing its overall dependability. The polished aluminum exterior is stylish and tough, but also light enough to transport, making the LaCie Starck both completely chic and completely mobile. A convenient aspect of the LaCie Starck is its embedded USB cable, which allows you to maximize its compact nature and portability. It’s easy to extract your cable, as well as coil it back inside of the drive. In addition, it guarantees that you’ll never lose your USB cable—a feature that underscores Philippe Starck’s commitment to practical and usable design.

iWant.

These are exciting times for a gadget geek (like me); a lot of great things are being released and will soon be released in the months to come... and just when I told myself to stop lusting for more gadgets because it isn't healthy to my bank account, here comes new things that *enraptures* me...

#1 Windows Phone 7 Series + HTC

Forget the long and awkward name. This new smartphone OS is just too revolutionary to ignore. And as much as i love my iPhone3Gs, WP7s just makes it so dated. I am gearing to get this when it comes out hopefully before the year ends. And I hope HTC would release a device worthy of this amazing new OS from Microsoft; well, judging from the current HTC portfolio, it looks like I, and a lot others, will not be disappointed.

#2 HTC Desire with Android

I know. I don't need this. I have my iPhone 3Gs and when WP7s comes out, I am sure to get it. But one can just *want* right? While i love the look of the HTC Legend more with all its unibody awesomeness, this baby just makes it more desirable because of its beefier processor. Plus of course it's running the latest Android 2.1 OS which i must say just makes one go to geek-heaven.

#3 Sony DSC-TX5

When it comes to capable digital cameras, I have always been a Sony fan. I have had three Sony DSC's and though I don't have one right now as I have donated it to my sister, all of my Sony cameras have been very reliable. And while I am itching to upgrade to a DSLR or maybe a very good  point-of-shoot, this one is very, very tempting.

The Sony DSC-TX5 is one very capable digital camera packed with a 10.2 megapixel "Exmor R" CMOS low light sensor, is waterproof and shock resistant. Of course, I still have to consult my partner whether this is the one to get or an entry-level Nikon DSLR.

Preparing to watch...

New York, I Love You starring Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Rachel Bilson, Blake Lively, Orlando Bloom and a bunch of other beautiful people.

New York, I Love You is a collective work of eleven short films, with each segment running around 10 minutes long. It looks like a good, light-hearted movie and a perfect conclusion for a good weekend (i mostly just sleep during the weekends). Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint.

Which smartphone to buy?

I'm gearing to buy a new smartphone in the next few days and I'm twisted between the iPhone 3Gs and the HTC HD2. Both are beautiful and powerful. The features are almost the same, so I'm confused and twisted. What to choose?

Beautiful...

Anne Curtis is just so beautiful (and intelligent too). My kind of girl.

It's National Geographic's 122nd Birthday

One of my fondest memories about my father was when he shared to me his collection of National Geographic magazines. It was back in the mid-80's and i'm still a kid, not more than 8-years old. I have that moment frozen in the cloud of my memories. That one moment stirred my love for reading. That one moment showed to me how incredible the world is. 

So National Geographic has been integral in how i saw the world; on how i perceive it until now. National Geographic is a personal icon. And even if i did not continue my father's subscription to the magazine, I have become addicted to the NGC (Thank you for television!).

But of course, nothing compares to that exciting sensation of flipping through the pages of a physical, tangible magazine and devouring all the pictures, all those amazing photographs that continue to reflect how our world continues to evolve.

Below are some of the covers (compiled and featured by Wired) to celebrate National Geographic Society's 122nd Anniversary yesterday, January 27. 

From the article:
The National Geographic Society celebrates its 122nd anniversary on Jan. 27. The first issue of the magazine was published nine months later in 1888. Though the early issues had rather drab academic-looking covers, by 1959 they were consistently adorned with eye-catching art and photos.

Here we’ve collected some of our favorite covers from 1959 to 2000, including a penguin with a high-tech backpack, a self-portrait by Koko the gorilla and a shark attack.

Read More 

Inspiration Showcase #3

As a lover of many forms of visual communication, I always find inspiration from other artist's work among many others. When i see an an art work or a design, i study it and try to understand its story. I believe that every art work, in whatever form tells a story, if it doesn't, then the purpose of the work is defeated. Because a work of art is suppose to communicate something; its supposed to rouse a certain spark of life in the spectator.

It is in this breadth that i have compiled some works that i have come across in the past weeks that i found to be in this category; works that not only reflect a distinct concept but are innovative, affecting and beautiful.

The Umbrella (By Luminatii)

Lemon (By sa-cool)

Yellow Brick Road (By Larafairie)

Rain (By Antonisfes)

Music (By Jonl521)

Delirium HighSpeed (By Hicky2)

Music Power (By Waver-H)

Claustrophobia (By Black-Nemesi)

No Smoking (By Mohammadamiri)

THE (By Skryingbreath)

Please feel free contribute your own inspiring art works/videos either through email or via twitter (twitter.com/johnluarca). Please put #Inspiration" in the subject line or before your Twitter message.

Underwhelmed about the iPad

Except for the iBooks feature of Apple's iPad, the apparently "oh that's fast" CPU speed and the crazy thin body, there's nothing truly surprising about the device.

I think Apple is still not giving us all the iPad's power just yet though. I think Steve and his boys are still cooking up something. I hope so. Because it's a little disappointing, really.

In the meantime, I think the iPad looks like a Digital Photo Frame. Seriously.

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The Man in the arena

Watched Invictus a few days ago. Good movie. Morgan Freeman is good.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

What i think about Apple's latest creation, the iPad

Obviously, this is not a hands-on review. These are my first impressions while tuned in to Apple's much-hyped launch of its latest creation, the iPad, Cupertino's version of the tablet.

The iPad is the culmination of Apple and Steve's hard work and still-to-be-proven-successful attempt to combine the powers of the iPod, the iPhone, the Netbook and Kindle. The iPad features a 9.7-inch capacitive multitouch display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, compass, speaker and mic. This is also the first device to have the "Apple A4" processor. Battery life is declared to be at 10-hours.

Aside from the expected and "normal" features common to the iPod Touch and iPhone like multimedia capabilities and internet, the iPad can also play games (more efficiently than the iPod Touch and the iPhone i suspect) and run various applications (again, much better than its smaller touch siblings). It also has iWork for those quick and on-the-go office needs.

But what excites me though about the iPad is the iBooks, the iPad's eBook (ummm, no its ePub for Apple) reader. I think this will be what's "huge" in this device. I mean, i don't see it appealing to those people who already have iPod's and iPhone's (Apple fanboys aside) but to those who love to read, like me (hahaha).

What i like about the iPad...
1. Large enough screen to watch a movie decently.
2. Large enough screen and power to handle cool games (not my cup of tea though, but still a +).
3. Battery life; 10 hours and what (?) a month on standby?
4. iWork (but with the portable keyboard accessory; sorry Apple i don't type as accurately as I would hope on touchscreens for long documents).
5. iBooks (this is biggest seller among all the features to me).

What i DON't like about it...
1. The name. C'mon Apple! iPad?
2. The design. Not too enamored by the design, yes, its crazy thin, but the screen just looks awkward to me. It doesn't look seamless. But thats just me.
3. No 3G, well, if you want 3G and Wi-Fi, it'll cost you more.
4. The price. $829 for a full-packed (wi-fi+3G, 64GB) iPad? Seriously.

My verdict...

I'm underwhelmed.

iPhone3Gs Supreme:The world's most expensive phone

Honestly, i find this too frivolous and tasteless. And even if I have the money, I would not buy this. But that's just me.

This is the iPhone 3Gs Supreme priced at £1.92 million designed by Stuart Hughes. According to their website it took 10 months to make, the whole casing created with 271 grams of 22ct solid gold, the front bezel housing 136 flawless diamonds. The rear logo in solid gold has 53 flawless diamonds amounting to 1ct and the front navigation button is home to a single cut very rare diamond at 7.1 cts. The chest which houses this unique handset is made from a single block of granite, in Kashmir gold with the inner lined with Nubuck top grain leather, weighing a massive 7kg. 

Being Alive...

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. (Agatha Christie)