It seems like even Hello Kitty is getting in on the Halloween spirit. Look she’s even featured here in Halloween costumes! 
The series is made entirely of LEGO bricks and is featured in schfio’s Flickr gallery. Take a look, I think Frankenstein is my favorite.
If there was one man alive that I can name at the top of my head when prompted about who could be the master of things macabre and yet still make them charmingly loveable then Tim Burton it is. Frankenweenie is the latest animation from TIm Burton which tells about the heartwarming tale of a boy and his dog.
I can relate just how much pain it is to lose a beloved pet, young Victor was the same way. He sought to bring his dog Sparky back to life but with a few minor adjustments. Of course, Sparky was never the same dog that he loved and his problems came about when he managed to get out. The film appears to be in monochrome which is very true to Tim Burton’s style and as a break from the standard CGI movies, Frankenweenie is a stop-motion film rendered in 3d. The film’s voice cast will be lead by Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer.
Well, the long weekend officially started yesterday (which was a Saturday) and I’m really grateful for this break. If you’ve noticed I really haven’t been able to write posts as often as I used to, blame it on a really frantic schedule and roller-coaster ride of personal issues for the past two weeks. I’m counting on this break for me to be able to get my writing groove back and hopefully get a massive load of posts out.
Halloween is almost upon us and I know some who are already into the Halloween spirit. As for me? Well, scary movies are lined up but not too much though. I get scared easily. Haha. I also almost don’t want to face the nightmares I’ll be having for the next few nights.
So here’s to a welcomed break, the possibility of new changes and on a more personal note, wiping the slate clean and of starting over for a more fulfilling, fruitful and meaningful month.
Oh and before I set off to do my tasks for today like reformatting my desktop PC and re-installing programs plus blogging the day away, let me leave you with a word quote…
The polar ice caps are melting as a result of global warming. The global warming is accelerating a climate change that all of us are now experiencing. Believe it or not, it IS happening and we’re in the thick of it. As a result of the polar ice caps melting, polar bears have been included in the endangered species list. They have involuntarily been the most identifiable symbol of climate change all around the world since they’re the most affected by the global warming.
The melting of the ice caps means the loss of natural habitat that these polar bears thrive in. The slabs of ice that float around the ice caps provide a natural perch for the bears to climb in when they swim out to hunt. With them melting however, the bears have to swim farther and most of the time cubs and adults don’t make it. They just drown. The right thing to do is not to let this just happen to these majestic creatures. They’re helpless to solve the problems themselves that’s why we must step in.
In a project called Arctic Home, two well-known players in perhaps separate industries have joined forces to save the polar bears. Coke is known for its vibrant red color and it’s well-known font typeface while the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) can be remembered by the panda on its logo. While Coke has worked long and hard to establish its branding in the worldwide market, it has agreed to commit 1.4 billion of its red cans to don on a brand new white skin. Other drinks from the same company will also get white caps.
The white cans will be released starting November of this year until February of next year. The cans will also be sporting a mother polar bear and a cub. The project aims to raise awareness about the seriousness of what’s happening in the arctic. The money generated from this effort will go to the funds for the creation and protection of a polar bear sanctuary in the north. This is where the polar bears will be relocated.
In also another gracious move, Coke has pledged $2M for the polar bears through the WWF and has also promised to match consumer donations from March 15 up to $1M. Will the efforts of Arctic Home save the polar bears? I sincerely hope so, it sounds like a long shot but it’s definitely a GREAT start. Let us not be indifferent anymore. Help me spread the word about these efforts.
I’m sure that by now there is a prevalence of Halloween decor everywhere. I’m also sure that you’ve noticed Halloween costumes for sale too. Well, the Android Market is also littered with games that have been given updates for Halloween but I’ve scoured it for dedicated fun apps instead. Here’s a collection of free android apps that will give you more fun this Halloween.
The decent list of sound clips here are not to be scoffed at, all of them are really good and scary too! Listen to a witch’s cackle, a girl ghost talking and a lot of other spooky sounds. What’s great is you can assign these sound clips to a contact or make it your ringtone.
This app supposedly reads energy signatures within your phone range. When it reads something similar to an ectoplasmic energy, you will see it on the radar. When I tried it there was a glowing dot on the screen. Haha. Uhoh.
My advice is to speak loudly into your phone at the initial recording, this is so that you can apply the sound effects more efficiently. I’ll leave it up to you where you’d be able to use this. My initial try turned my voice into a convincing scary mummy.
Don’t worry, you won’t really be shooting the picture of someone with a ghostly presence. You can play a prank on them instead. It’s best to choose the manual mode so that you can choose which ghost is appropriate to the picture you’re taking. Some of the ghosts here are recognizable. Have fun scaring unsuspecting victims!
“You can't stop loving or wanting to love because when its right, it's the best thing in the world. When you're in a relationship and it's good, even if nothing else in your life is right, you feel like your whole world is complete.”
Warning: There may be SPOILERS in this post.
I just saw the first episode of The Walking Dead season 2 last week and man, the long-wait was worth it. It’s true that the anticipation for the series’ return started just as soon as the season-ender aired last year. It was just six episodes with no plans of a second season but because of it’s success, fans can’t wait for more zombie gore.
My favorite part in the first episode will undoubtedly be the zombie herd. It had me on the edge of my seat, well truthfully, I was squirming and giving tiny squeals of fright. It was all I can do not to blurt out - “Hurry up!” or “Don’t move!”...then again maybe I did say those things out loud. Episode one also showed heroics from the person you would least expect it to show from. Daryl was admirable here.
The cliffhangers weren’t as frustrating as I thought it would be. Sophia got lost. Where in the world could she have gone off to and is she still alive? Carl also got shot..the question is by who? Well, I wonder what’s in store for us in episode two. I seriously expect more gore next time. Another thing though, where will Shane go when he eventually decides to leave?
Just when I thought the people at Rovio would just recycle their old Halloween concept for this year, they came up with a genius ploy to renew the interest of fans. They’re calling this update as Ham-o-ween AND with a new bird to boot.
As usual, they’ve redesigned the opening screen for the game with the Halloween theme.
They’ve also categorized the updates into their corresponding years.
The game has the same spooky background, pumpkins and lanterns.
As for the new orange bird however, as soon as you tap the screen when it’s airborne, the bird swells like a puffer fish and explodes on impact.
Well, the folks at Rovio did it just right, this maybe renewed my interest in the game. Now I can’t wait to see what they’ll do for Christmas.
You can download this new update for Angry Birds Seasons from the Android Market by clicking on the picture below.
Everyone seems to be in a Halloween mood nowadays. I see it everywhere on the games that I play in Facebook especially Sims Social and in Mousehunt. Even games in the Android Market are getting a makeover update to join in the festivities. Toys aren’t exempted too. Just take a look at this Barbie Collectible Doll.
I love the Elvira-like do and take note of the fangs! Oh and that’s one sexy vampiress outfit if I may say so. Who says you can’t be a vampire and fashionable at the same time? This doll can be bought HERE.
My first encounter with a book written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child wasn’t even personal, I just noticed a man on the aisle beside me reading a book while we were enroute to Singapore early this year. Then while roaming through the big bookstores in SG, I noticed those books written by the author team-up again. Sadly, I came back to Manila without making a purchase. When I got back though, it was several months later that I remembered searching for the novels in GoodReads. A few clicks brought me to a page with a whole listing of the novels which I eventually learned belonged to a series. Scrolling down the reviews page, it looked promising, the reviews were good.
Now I’ve read five books from the Pendergast series. I started with the book entitled, Relic which reminded me so much of the TV show Fringe which I’m also currently obsessing about. Maybe this is why I loved Relic so much. The novel blew me away, I expected it to be good but I had no idea that it would compel me to read through the next novels of the same series.
Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human...But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who-or what-is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?
Reliquary was the sequel to Relic, which brings back the star cast from the first novel but with the addition of new characters that I would soon read about in the next books. One review said that Reliquary’s story was in steroids, I believed that it was. It was more fast-paced than the first book and the conclusion much more explosive.
Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Hidden deep beneath Manhattan lies a warren of tunnels, sewers, and galleries, mostly forgotten by those who walk the streets above. There lies the ultimate secret of the Museum Beat. When two grotesquely deformed skeletons are found deep in the mud off the Manhattan shoreline, museum curator Margo Green is called in to aid the investigation. Margo must once again team up with police lieutenant D'Agosta and FBI agent Pendergast, as well as the brilliant Dr. Frock, to try and solve the puzzle. The trail soon leads deep underground, where they will face the awakening of a slumbering nightmare.
The Cabinet of Curiosities was the first book in the series which kicked off FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast as the main character. As boring as the subject could sound, this book made me especially curious about the early beginnings of museum. You’ll be surprised at how skillfully the authors made this subject very interesting.
The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
"In nineteenth-century New York, the public flocked to collections of strange and grotesque oddities called "cabinets of curiosities." Now, in lower Manhattan, a modern apartment tower is slated to rise on the site of one of the old cabinets. But when the excavators break into a basement, they uncover a charnel pit of horror: the remains of thirty-six people murdered and gruesomely dismembered over 130 years ago by an unknown serial killer." "In the aftermath, Museum archaeologist Nora Kelly is visited by an enigmatic, silver-eyed FBI agent who is obsessed with the mystery of the bodies. Together, Special Agent Pendergast and Nora Kelly embark on an investigation that will take them from the gleaming skyscrapers of midtown Manhattan to the crumbling archives of the Museum, from a mass grave under a Chinatown brownstone to a house of abominations on Riverside Drive. Their search unearths the faint whisper of a mysterious doctor who once roamed the city...a genius who carried out medical experiments on living human beings." But just as Nora and Pendergast begin to unravel the clues to the century-old killings, a fresh spree of murder and surgical mutilation erupts around them...and New York City is awash in terror.
I skipped one book (which I fully intend to read later on) and I’m currently reading through the Diogenes series. This time it’s all about the mysteries of the world’s greatest violin, making a deal with the devil and diamonds. The reader is introduced to wonders and sinister facts about the Pendergast family line. The series’ most-loved characters return once again and the twists kept coming at well-planned plot points that I couldn’t guess anymore what would happen next.
Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Art critic Jeremy Grove is found dead, his face frozen in a mask of terror. His body temperature is grotesquely high; he is discovered in a room barricaded from the inside; the smell of brimstone is everywhere...and the unmistakable imprint of a claw is burned into the wall. As more bodies are discovered--their only connection the bizarre but identical manner of death--the world begins to wonder if the Devil has, in fact, come to collect his due. Teaming with Police Officer Vincent DAgosta (The Relic), Agent Pendergast is determined to solve this case that appears to defy everything except supernatural logic. Their investigation takes them from the luxury estates of Long Island to the crumbling, legend-shrouded castles of the Italian countryside, where Pendergast faces the most treacherous and dangerous adversary of his career.
Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
FBI Special Agent Pendergast lives! Following the New York Times bestselling Brimstone like a one-two punch, Dance of Death pits Pendergast against his most personal foe yet -- his brother Diogenes. Praised as a "ruthless descendant of Holmes" (Publishers Weekly), Agent Pendergast has become one of crime fiction's most endearing characters. His greatest enemy is one who has stalked him all of his life, his cunning and diabolical brother Diogenes. And Diogenes has thrown down the gauntlet. Now, several of the people closest to Pendergast are viciously murdered, and Pendergast is framed for the deeds. On the run from federal authorities, with only the help of his old friend NYPD Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta, Pendergast must stop his brother. But how can he stop a man that is his intellectual equal -- one who has had 20 years to plan the world's most horrendous crime?
The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
FBI agent Pendergast and his demonic brother, Diogenes, continue the savage tango begun in Dance of Death. Diogenes returns the stolen gem collection of the New York Museum of Natural History, but this hoard of priceless jewels has been reduced to mounds of powdery dust. To neutralize the bad PR, the museum reopens the Tomb of Senef, an ancient Egyptian temple that has remained behind closed doors since the 1930s. For Diogenes, however, the new exhibit only raises the ante of his psychotic sibling feud.
There’s no question that I’ll continue reading the series for as long as there are books on the list. One of the reasons why I like it is because of the very good set of characters that the authors managed to create. Their personalities are very distinct and each stands out on his/her own. For each novel that they appear, they offer something new on the table that just keeps the readers loving them more.
The style of combined writing is definitely outstanding. Each adjective, verb and phrase put together makes the reader feel as if they’re experiencing the events first-hand. Chapters leave off at the right moment, keeping you in suspense with just the right amount of teasers to keep you thinking and guessing without feeling frustrated. They also manage to skillfully right the thoughts of victims before they fall prey to a sinister crime.
Most importantly for me, I’m learning a lot which makes it very worth-while to read through the novels. The mix of arcane, sci-fi and marvelous fiction writing makes me just want to get lost in the world of Pendergast. Although the book covers are not that great (I wish they could think of better designs for future novels) but the story itself makes up for it.
If you like sci-fi novels combined with a good crime plot, then you’ll like the Pendergast series. I can’t commend the authors enough for writing such a brilliant piece of work.
2011 seems to be a pretty good year for Ryan Gosling who was pretty inactive for several years. I’ve enjoyed his comeback in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Now in Drive, he plays a Los Angeles stunt driver by day and a wheelman for hire at night. Believe it or not, that character’s name is Driver. They should have chosen a more apt name. We’ll see Ryan explore the character traits of a loner whose world will change as soon as he meets Irene played by Carey Mulligan.
Ryan is said to have been intrigued by the character he played because of the complex emotions he had to act out. Director Nicolas Winding Refn has nothing but praise for his star, even saying that Gosling is real rarity. “He has the charisma and good looks of a leading man and the gravity of a Method-trained, master class performer.”
It is also interesting to note that Drive was a winner at the Cannes Film Festival.
No human being is exempt from the act of lying. It may be the quick fix to get out of a potential mess at one moment but sooner of later the truth catches up to you. No matter the reason or the situations that provoked it, there's always one conclusion - it is an act of betrayal of a person's trust and as a result will cause undue pain and hurt.
To save themselves.
People have a tendency to act selfishly especially when their own happiness or well-being is on the line. It's sad to say that very few people actually consider themselves the least priority when it comes to hurting other people. Think of this, you can't justify a selfish act, it is a choice and in that decision, you chose yourself.
To shield a loved one from getting hurt.
I think this is the noble alibi and slightly twisting it away from selfish intentions but when you get to the root of it, cases of lies with this reasoning behind it, almost always don't end up doing any good. In fact, this does more harm when the truth comes out. No justification is ever going to outweigh the feeling of betrayal.
To solve an issue or a problem instantly.
This applies especially to a person rooted on the spot and the automatic response of the brain is to lie and make the issue at hand go away for a little while. Or in a panicked state, the mind jumps to the most absurd solution it could blurt out in a heartbeat. Well, for me, if the problem is really grave, a quick-fix isn't the answer. Solutions should we bell thought-through, minus the lies.
For bragging rights.
I had a friend who everyone thought was a real brag, I never noticed. That was until we had the chance to sit down and just talk over coffee. The absence of the other people around us made me notice finally how much he bragged about everything. The bad thing was, I knew the truth. So too bad for him.
Maybe not. It's so inertly embedded into human nature, unfortunately. However, I believe all of us are conscious enough to be able to think first about choosing to lie. In an ideal world, it would be nicer to have the truth instead. At least, I would prefer that instead.
I've always loved movies crammed with so many A-list stars and the same director of the movie Valentine's Day, Garry Marshall is doing it again with the holiday flick New Year's Eve. Yes, again the focus is on one of the important holidays of the year, one that is looked forward to or scorned by some.
New Year's Eve stars Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Academy Award® nominee Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, two-time Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Ryan Seacrest, two-time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara. The film is shot entirely in New York City.
We'll see if this movie will also charm its way into our hearts. Coming pretty soon during the holidays of this year brought to you by Warner Bros.
The other week, I had to go to Batangas city for work. There was a showroom that I was designing there for the office and we had to do an ocular of the site itself before proceeding with the construction drawings. While Batangas is known for its bulalo and kapeng barako, we had little time to enjoy those instead we had to eat within SM City Batangas itself. I really didn’t want to eat at the more popular fast food dining places like KFC, McDonalds etc. Bigg’s Diner seemed like the logical choice.
My officemate told me that this originated from the Bicol region and it was my first time to try their food. I liked the overall feel off the diner’s interior. It had the “diner” style down pat, complete with vintage displays of toy cars.
Ordering requires you to go to the counter and the food will be served to your table. We didn’t have to wait long and the fast food attendant was very friendly and prompt. My order was grilled spared ribs (Php 177). When it was brought to me, it didn’t look like any spare rib that I know, it kinda looked more liked pork belly. I missed out on the grilled taste, my impression that it was just boiled then fried. Still the serving size was pretty okay for that price and it tasted good too, just wasn’t what I expected basing from what the dish was called on the menu.
The other designer ordered a California Tuna Sandwich (Php 67) which was served clubhouse style.
Our senior architect ordered a Tuna Salpicao (Php120) which was gone by the time I was on the third bite of my meal. I’m guessing that it tasted good. The tuna cubes looked like pork cubes.
The breaded pork chop with Taro leaves was new to the menu. I loved the fact that the pork chop was paired with a side dish (Laing), that’s really Filipino.
The food at Bigg’s Diner was a hit and miss, leaning more towards a hit. It was good to know that it would soon open branches in Manila, then maybe I could order a Bicol Express next time. For updates, check out their website.
The education and reference category in the Android Market is littered with more than a hundred apps but to make it easier for you, I've scoured it for the most useful ones and compiled it here in this post. It's good to keep them handy at times of need.
To be honest, I don't know how to. If a boyfriend asks me to do it, I wouldn't have a clue and looking at this app made me realize just how easy it could be. I also never knew that there were different ways and kinds of knots for the tie itself. The how-tos are presented in drawing format with easy to understand instructions at the bottom of the screen.
Have you ever noticed those warning symbols on cleaning bottles, spray and the like? Well sometimes I can't identify some of them. I think this is when this app will come in handy. Not only it identifies the symbol for you, it also keeps you informed about the dangers that are associated with that symbol and it also tells you about preventive measures.
Here's another how to site that you can browse or search topics for. This requires you to have an active internet connection though.
This app might be handy if you're the type who likes to trek, hike or do outdoor extreme sports. This is highly informative as well, it's better to read through this too incase you might need the tips in a tight fix.
ANDROID MARKET LINK
Suited for physics students or professionals who will like a handy reference of known formulas. The good thing about this is there's also an accompanying short explanation and formula illustrations. The formula list is searchable and are sorted into categories.
My favorite subject when I was in highschool was chemistry. This nice app not only gives you a reference for the Periodic Table of Elements, it also gives facts about each, audio clips to learn how to pronounce the element and you can even test your chemistry knowledge via the quiz mode.
This is great for musicians and for students. The app shows the notes, formulas for the chords and scales and it also shows the position of the notes on a virtual piano keyboard.
An app that is exactly what its name suggests. The knots are divided into categories for easier searching. There are diagrams to show how the knot is made.
Have you ever tried to follow a recipe from a cookbook and found that you can't recognize the measurements use there? This app will make the necessary conversions for you.
This is the app that I'm most excited about because I can use it in my profession. Although I have already memorized most of the dimensions needed to make floor plans, there are some that aren't usually used and those are the ones that I sometimes need to look up. The only drawback is that the units are in the English system, I use Metric. It's great that there's also accompanying illustrations when checking dimensions. The app needs an active internet connection to work. When searching for a particular item, it is made simple by the categories presented when opening the app.
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