17 posts tagged “photos”
I am SO excited Christmas is only a week away.. December sure did go by pretty quickly. I'm a little sad that this year I am really struggling w/my finances to where I can't buy anyone a gift, not even myself. I hope next year will be better, for me & for everyone else who is also in my shoes. Thank God it's only temporary.. things will look up in due time, it's just a matter of being patient to get through it because WE WILL.. we always do. We had our work Christmas party yesterday afternoon & let me tell you we had FUN! It was held at this place where they had billiards, dart tables & a lot of room for us to have our party. They had good food, our white elephant gift exchange & KARAOKE! I was really pumped up about it because it's been awhile since I got to do karaoke. I did 2 songs, Lady Gaga Paparazzi & Mariah's Obsessed, haha.. good times. I didn't know I was being recorded on video when I did Mariah's song so here's a clip of what they sent me.
I bought candy for my white elephant gift, & I felt bad but I am honestly so broke that that's all I could afford :( I ended up getting a cute photo album though & I thought it was ironic because one of my New Year's resolutions is to print all my photos I have stacked inside my digital camera & put them inside an album. We did a raffle & I won a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card, which was SUPERB because I need to get a good book that I can read on the plane to Paris. So last night I went with Selena & I bought this book called Sarah's Key. It has French history & the novel is fictionalized within it.. it's about a girl who puts her little brother in a bedroom cupboard to protect him because they are Jewish & the police were making arrests in the middle of the night. Then 60 years later, a journalist investigates what happened back in the 40's which linked her to Sarah's story.. so it has a little suspense there. This book has been rated 4 out of 5 stars, so we'll see how it goes, I'm excited to read it. You can see the Eiffel tower very faintly in the background, love it!
I started working out again this week.. so far I worked out 3 times this week & I'm gonna go again tonight. It feels good to get back into my workout routine & I wanna shed at least 20 more lbs. I've been able to keep the weight I lost off, so now it's just a matter of keep going to the gym & watching my diet. I hope everyone has a very fabulous weekend ? XOXO, me ;)
I don't even know where to begin with reviewing this movie. I definitely want to see it again. I wished that I wouldn't have read the book first though, because somehow I felt disconnected from the characters. I went with my friends, who were all crying hard during a few of the sad scenes & I couldn't cry! So frustrating. I don't even think I cried reading the book either, I just got teary eyed. Maybe it was the writing style, I have no clue.
I loved how close the movie was to the book. I already had in mind what scenes they were gonna leave out cuz I thought they were boring & made the book drag on so I was pretty pleased with the scenes they did keep & some that they added that were very creative. Rachel McAdams was flawless & just amazing playing Claire. Eric Bana, wow, what a nice body he has! haha. I liked how they kept him exactly how he was in the book, nude in his time travel.
I found it so admirable how these two were fighting to be with each other despite the obstacles they had with Henry's condition where he time travels without his controlling it. The movie did have some funny parts, especially at the wedding. I loved the whole concept of the time travel & I think even though it's an old concept, it was able to be made modern & it was all about love.
"I wanted someone to love who would stay: stay and be there, always." - Claire
I did cry at the very end though, so it's definitely a tear jerker, tragedy type of love story, which I am a sucker for. If you've seen it, what did you think about it? Have you read the book?
Saw Watchmen this past weekend. I think I should read the novel sometime because I noticed that people who read the novel loved the movie. I, on the other hand, was not walking away like, "wow, that was amazing!" LOL. I did like the action & the special effects, but I like substance in a story & this movie lacked that big time. I know the director Zack Snyder wanted to keep it close to the novel, but they could've expanded a little more on what happened during the falling out the Watchmen had with each other because all they showed was the aftermath, how they reunited or whatever. I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan in his role, albeit he was evil & crazy, I still loved him. I wanted to see more of him & I was disappointed that I didn't get to. Carla Gugino was great! she's a great actress & I wanted to see more scenes of her kicking butt or something, but it's all good. Laurie played by Malin Akerman (the girl Ben Stiller married in The Heartbreak Kid) was great! I loved her & she did a really fine job. My most favorite was Rorshach, he killed it! I liked how he drove us through the journey & he wrote in a journal so that's all good with me :) Patrick Wilson looked damn hot in his costume, but when he wasn't wearing his costume, I was like, "Eww, Laurie, what are you doing with him?" LOL. He was such a nerd.. he did a great job though. Dr. Manhattan played by Billy Crudup did well & omg, blue penis! haha, awesome.
Anywho, I know I've abandoned Vox & it's so hard to keep up with my blog here & then on Livejournal & then on my site! AAAHHH, too much to keep up sometimes.
I've been working out again.. this time I'm sticking to it cuz I want to shop for clothes soon & be a little more lean. I gained my weight back since I lost it in the fall & I can't have that. It helps that I'm broke & don't have enough right now to buy groceries, so I've been getting by here & there. I started a new job (I love it!) & so with the whole transitioning, I'm super broke. I can't wait for my first full check, I may do a little spending.
I'm still trying to get used to this daylight savings time, it's rough. I can't wait 'til Friday! That's all for now, until next time, peace!
Please Note: This review turned out to be quite longer than what I had expected. So make sure you have at least 10 min to read it, or longer if you are a slow reader ;)
It was Friday night, & my friends & I were all going to have dinner first & then head over to the movie theater. We went to an Italian restaurant, & on our way there we were listening to the Twilight soundtrack, which I love! At the restaurant, a few people approached our table because we were wearing our Twilight t-shirts! Haha. They would ask if we had already seen it, & how they want to go see it too. We would tell them we were going after dinner, & they would nod & smile. Everything was going smooth & we finally arrived to the theater & went to the box office to have them print our tickets since we purchased them online. I gave the guy my confirmation number, & he tells me that I picked the wrong theater, so I had to buy my ticket again & maybe get a rain check from the other theater. I was disappointed of course, but eventually after talking to the manager, he was nice enough to give me a rain check card for next time.. so I just may use it to watch Twilight again!
We waited in line, for what seemed like forever. We went to the late show, 10:30pm, so there was an older crowd waiting in line with us. There was a guy next to me that was finishing up reading Twilight, LOL. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t even done with it! But it was cool that he was determined & was all into it. So the tweens came out of the previous show & some of them made their own t-shirts. Some of them had shirts that said, “Team Cullen.. Team Edward.. Bite Me.. & my favorite “Vamptastic” LOL. A few of them were squealing & jumping up & down.. it was quite amusing to see. My t-shirt just said “Twilight”. We finally got seated at 10:25pm, but we still got good seats.
Finally, the movie begun & I was almost
hyperventilating, LOL. I warn you now, I will have spoilers so if you
haven’t seen it, then stop now. Otherwise, here I go. Overall, I loved
the movie, like, a lot! I had no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t love
it. There were somethings I wished would’ve been in a few scenes, but I
am really happy with how Catherine Hardwicke did a fine job with this
movie. I didn’t know she previously made the movie Thirteen, in which
Nikki Reed (Rosalie), was in it when she was younger. I really liked
Thirteen, even though it had a few rough scenes to watch. As far as
Twilight, I think the cinematography was utterly amazing, &
breathtaking. One of the first scenes of the movie
was
Bella’s move from Arizona to Washington, & they showed the Arizona
desert, & it was really pretty. As far as the scenes in Washington,
I loved the scenes in the meadow, & when Edward & Bella would
roam through the woods, & go from tree to tree, & the baseball
game scene with Edward running to catch the ball. The scene that really
moved me was when Bella went to visit Edward & he took her from his
bedroom to the woods & in the midst of that her lullaby came on.
Somewhere between the music & the scene of them being
together in the trees, made me feel gloomy & I teared up while he
played the piano, & how beautiful the scenery looked, it was like I
was thinking of everything they went through throughout the series, I
couldn’t help it. Talk about a hardcore fan! LOL. I asked my friends if
they cried, & they said no, so I felt silly. I guess I just felt
for them because their whole dilemma was that they wanted to be
together, but they just didn’t know how to even begin.. they just knew
that they fell in love despite all the obstacles around them. I think
that alone is even a miracle, how different they were, yet love was
able to come about & it was inevitable.
I loved the whole cast for this film, I think they picked them well. I couldn’t help but squeal when Edward first showed up on screen. A few girls in the back were squealing too, & some people shushed them. Rob Pattinson is so gorgeous in this movie, it was inconceivable to actually witness such beauty.. just exactly how Bella describes him in the book. I think he completely recaptured the agony Edward was going through when he first laid eyes on Bella. It was so funny to see his reaction in the cafeteria as Bella was looking at him. Usually in love stories, when the two lovers first see each other is like love at first sight, & in Stephenie Meyers’ story, when Edward & Bella meet, is the total opposite. He seemed so uncomfortable at the sight of her & even more so in the Biology class. I really love the book because you know why he’s reacting the way he is, & I’m not sure the movie really explained why it was so difficult for Edward to be around her. For example, when they were in the meadow, he tells Bella that she’s his brand of heroine, yet it doesn’t explain like it does in the book, how her blood is like the finest cognac for a recovering alcoholic who is locked in a room & the smell of the fine cognac permeates & it could make the alcoholic give in.
It’s good to go back & read the books again because often times you find things that you didn’t notice the first time you read through the book. So I re-read the meadow scene & I was shocked to find out that when the Cullens first found out from Edward about his dilemma when he met Bella, specifically Esme, told him to do whatever he had to do (killing her was an option, or fight himself), in order to not expose them because she knew the truth. Carlisle & Alice were the only ones who were against him killing her. So when he would spy in people’s minds to see if Bella would tell someone what she knew, he was surprised that she kept her word. The more he got to know Bella, & him trying to deny himself, the more he fell in love with her & couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her, or living his life without ever seeing her again.
Besides Rob Pattinson, I think Kristen Stewart did a really good job. One scene that comes to mind is after she was bitten by James, she was moving & panting as if she was turning into a vampire, so I thought she did good in that scene. Also, when she first met Edward, you could see the yearning in her eyes to want the same kind of attention she was getting from the other guys to also come from Edward & you could see her disappointment when that wasn’t the case. Ashley Greene was absolutely perfect to play Alice, & Nikki Reed did a really good job on hating Bella like Rosalie did in the book. Not sure why, but neither Emmett or Jasper had a prominent role in Twilight this time around. Then again, I don’t recall them in the book as being much of a role either. Hopefully, we’ll see more of them when they make New Moon or Eclipse.. Jasper for sure in Eclipse. Dr. Carlisle was indeed handsome. Esme is so pretty.. I only wished they would’ve shown more about her story besides one small glimpse of how Dr. Carlisle turned her. Jacob! OMG, I love him.. I think Taylor did a good job & I’m looking forward to seeing him in New Moon (I hope they still keep him, but I wonder if they’ll have to use effects to make him so tall like he is in New Moon, cuz right now he’s a shorty). Charlie was cool, though I pictured him more heavy set than what the actor actually appeared to be in the movie. Of course, James, was the total opposite of what he looked like in the book, but nevertheless he did alright. He’s not, by any means, my favorite character (I’m sure I’m not alone on this one).. even though he is good looking. Laurent & Victoria were alright too. Jessica & Angela were so cute, I think they were perfect for their roles. Mike was so adorable too, & Eric, I didn’t really care for him, but he was quite funny when he needed to be.
The one thing that I was disappointed about was how Edward didn’t mention to Bella the gifts that the Cullens had. Sure he told her he could read minds, but he didn’t tell her Jasper’s gift, or Emmett’s (even though it’s not totally known what his gift is.. maybe super strength), or Carlisle’s gift of self control and compassion. He did vaguely explain what Alice’s gift was, & how her visions change depending on the decisions people make.
The special effects were really neat. I liked the shimmer effect of Edward’s skin against the sunlight. Some people complained about it, but I was quite pleased needless to say. The shimmer reminded me of a multifaceted prism of a rainbow from a fish’s scales when light hits it. I was reading my Twilight movie companion book & it talked about how the shimmer effect was something the director had a hard time picking, because she wanted it to be very close to how it was described in the book. Finally they found a company that came up with the idea for it, the way she wanted it to be, & they described that it was like the way light reflects from a fish or jellyfish’s scales. So I thought that was cool, because that’s what I took from it when I saw it in the movie.
I digged the baseball scene, the movements the vampires would make. For example, Edward running so fast & throwing the ball.. or when Alice would throw the ball really hard, I loved how her leg would go up so gracefully like a ballerina dancer.
I loved the part where Bella’s apple falls down & Edward bounces it on his foot like a soccer ball & it falls in his hands like the cover of the Twilight book! Eek!, too cool!
The fight scene: It was shocking in a few ways for me. The part where James smashes her leg, like he does in the book.. I guess it made it more real to me & I jumped in my seat when it happened. Alice breaking his neck by twisting it around.. didn’t see that one coming. Seeing Bella shaking & reacting to the venom seeping through her veins was kinda shocking too, cuz it was sort of foreshadowing what’s to come.
As far as the music from the soundtrack, I thought it was very fitting how Rob Pattinson’s song “Never Think” was in the background at the scene of the Italian restaurant. I don’t recall if they played Paramore’s “Decode”, though I do remember it playing when the credits rolled. I did recall “I Caught Myself” in one of the scenes though. I loved Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole” in the baseball scene. I loved Blue Foundation’s “Eyes On Fire”, while Edward was away & Bella would look for him the days he was gone, but no Edward. Of course, as I mentioned earlier “Bella’s Lullaby” when they were roaming through the woods, & him playing it on the piano. Mutemath’s “Spotlight” when Bella walked into school with Edward by her side & it was known to everyone they were together, eek! The Black Ghosts’ “Full Moon” when Bella was moving from AZ to WA. Iron & Wine’s “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” was really fitting at the prom, when Edward & Bella were in the gazebo dancing alone. The other songs, I don’t recall where they were played, & I didn’t really care much for them. “Leave Out All The Rest” by Linkin Park was the only one that I liked that I don’t think it was played in the movie, except when the credits started rolling.
I hope you guys noticed Stephenie Meyer did a cameo in the diner scene (she was sitting at the bar) where Bella & Charlie were having lunch.. in case you missed it, I’m sure you’ll see it again & you’ll catch it.
So that was my review. I can’t believe I wrote so much, but there was a lot of things I wanted to go over. I’m sure there’s more I’ll want to cover later on, but this is it for now. I can’t wait for the DVD! Finally, I’d like to add that I think it is amazing how this creation from a mother of three could come to fruition from a dream she had three years ago. I am a Twilighter for forever!
It's been a century since my last post, so I'm not quite sure what I will do here. For now, I want to welcome & say hi to my new neighbors! I already know some of you guys from your own sites, but hello again :D
& of course I got some gifts for myself too! what? I couldn't help myself.. one for you, one for me, one for you... you get it. So I went shopping today on my day off & I got some cute stuff for Sid. I was proud of myself for staying within my budget.
He has a nick for dark brown/cherry wood decor since he has a brand new couch in dark brown & other accessories around the house like that, so I thought this clock would be perfect. He likes Linkin Park so I got him the new album.
Here are the treats I got myself;
Mr.Coffee coffeemaker.. it was about time I finally got a coffee maker. I bought some Starbucks house blend coffee, I figure I would save some money that way.
Kate Voegele.. someone recommended her music so I gave it a shot. She reminds me a little bit of Michelle Branch.
Last weekend I got myself a Starbucks mug on sale & it's perfect because it's a Valentine's theme.
Anywho, I am stoked about tomorrow. We don't really have any definite plans but just to be with each other is all I care about. I think he's getting sick so we may just chill at home. It sucks that Vday is on a weekday, but I'm sure it will be a good Valentine's.
Yay! this month is gonna be a good one, I know it! For once, I start the month off right by being debt free! granted I still owe student loans, but as far as credit card debt goes, I'm free! also I paid off my car completely last week, eek! I'm so happy that I will get a chance to save money & get out of financial ruin! At least I realize I am poor & I shouldn't be trying to live above my means. I filed my tax return last night so I should get it here pretty soon. I plan on putting it all into my savings account. It's gonna hurt doing that because I really wanna splurge on a new phone, but I know I need to just sacrifice if I don't wanna be back to square one again.
Thanks to you guys who added me to your Vox neighborhood! I plan on updating here more often & get more involved. Livejournal is starting to bore me to death.. too bad I paid a full membership through October of this year. I've been contemplating getting my own Wordpress blog like Laurie & Ana have done. I know I have to pay a host, etc & I don't really know all the details so maybe I'll look into Wordpress for Dummies, lol. If any of you know of a site that gives you more info, link me to it on a comment.
Hope everyone has a great weekend & great month!
I leave you with a photo of me with my burgundy hair color I recently dyed, but it washed off already :( I'm definitely gonna have to get that fixed soon.
Ciao!
Woah I haven't updated in a minute! haha. Happy New Year! even though I'm all late. This is my first post for 2008. I hope to get more friends on here because I don't have as many on here as I do on my Livejournal. I update Livejournal more frequently, so if you are on there, add me! the link to it is on my links list.
So anyways, life has been quite the rollercoaster ride for me & this month has been very challenging for me so I hope that by the end of this month, things will start looking up. There's a lot of uncertainty right now with my job situation, where I live & where I want to move.. everything's up in the air. I hate feeling like I can't do anything about it, but until an opportunity presents itself I'm in limbo. This week I think I need to be more assertive & see what happens because I refuse to sit back & wait.
Recently my boyfriend & I got back together, but it's been really hard working on our relationship. Sigh. We have a long way to go.. just last night we got into an argument & things don't look good. I think our break helped in some ways & now we see each other so much that I think we each need our space. I'm stressed out from my family, & my own life's problems that I think I may have taken it out on him without meaning to.
Other than that, I've been working out more regularly. I met new neighbors & one of them is now my workout buddy. I didn't see her all this week though since she's been busy studying for her nursing license, so hopefully I'll see her this week. I only worked out twice this week so I hope to pick it back up again next week.
I have new photos on Flickr so feel free to check 'em out. Here's my new wallpaper, which I love :P
*besitos* .. peace!
So a couple of weeks ago my neighbor Margaret cut her hand pretty good. She was scared to look & once I saw it I told her "Ooh, you're gonna need some stitches". So I drove her down the street to the hospital which was really close to us & I waited with her. I was surprised we didn't have to wait that long, so once we went in they gave her a tetanus shot & gave her 8 stitches. She was so glad I took her & she almost didn't go if it wasn't for me.. she kept talking herself out of it. I told her she must be crazy, she needs immediate care. So I'm glad I took her & she's so sweet she got me a few gifts.. more than what I expected, as a Thank You. The stuff came in these 2 Bath & Body Works bags. I'm glad that her & I live next to each other because we can keep each other company. She knows I liked M&M's so she got me those :) I told her I'm excited she got me these because my birthday is coming up anyway, haha.
Sebastian is doing well after his dental work done last week. I'm taking him to the vet again tomorrow for his follow up. He got an ear infection & I've been applying some medication for him so I hope it's getting better. I don't want him to go deaf on me. He's been good as far as his potty training. I haven't seen any accidents & I think we finally found some common ground. He's so playful & I enjoy having him around. I want to get him a costume for Halloween. If not this year, definitely next year. I took some pictures of him earlier this week. He needs a haircut, but I want to see if I can let his hair grow longer so he can actually look like the breed that he is. Check out his pictures that I took of him under My Photos or go to My Flickr.
I'm getting my hair done tomorrow & I'm thinking of going dark..especially since it's fall season. I am thinking of doing like a brownish color. I'm also going to get my hair trimmed & I want bangs. I think they are so cute & I want to look slightly different. I already have layers but I'm going to add some more.
Since I'll be booked tomorrow running errands I think on Saturday (which will be my birthday) I will go get my nails done. Hopefully they'll give me some type of discount since it's my birthday :P Here's what my hair looks like now. I used a Photoshop filter so they can look more vibrant because they actually are. I'll get highlights again come spring/summer. Oh yeah & my boyfriend says bangs are so 80's.. but I don't think so. I think they are always in style & gives your face some mystery. I want to be mysterious, haha. Maybe cover up my mole.. lol. I get embarrassed when guys point it out & some even dare to tell me they think it's sexy. It's alright.. sometimes I wonder if I should remove it.. it's not cancerous or anything so I think it's gonna stay :P It used to be smaller though & it grew to the size it is now. I think as long as it doesn't grow, I'll be alright :)
Well, gotta get back to work. This is probably the fullest update I've ever posted on Vox, haha. Happy Anniversary Vox!
In a few minutes I'm heading out to meet my hair stylist to fix this unruly hair of mine. I want to dye it dark brown, which is my natural hair color because the mid part of my hair is lighter than my roots since I didn't dye it & just let my hair grow. I graduate tomorrow so I don't want to do anything drastic because if I end up disliking it, I don't want to put myself in a position like that, especially since tomorrow is an important day. I desperately need a trim so I will ask Janie to trim my split ends. I don't wanna cut it short or anything, I wanna let it grow longer.
I wanted to get a pedi done also, but I can do it myself. I think I'm doing the French thing..so it will take me awhile.
Sid is in Austin right now..his friend is also graduating so he went to his friend's graduation party last night. He will be back probably this afternoon & he told me he wants to do something. I really miss him, it feels like I haven't seen him in over a week..which is probably the case since I was busy with finals.
Finals are officially over, btw. I can breathe a little easier now. I can't believe school is really over for me. Well, for now because I want to get my Master's, but I seriously need a huge break :)
Here's a pic of us on our 6 year anniversary weekend 3 weeks ago, chillin' at the bar. My flash was so bright it blinded him.
