Yes. Go ahead and laugh.

It was actually the movie trailer that caught my attention. I was amazed at how crisp and clear everything was. The combination of the real and CG objects looked totally seamless and I just had to wonder what technology the producers were using to come up with such effective lighting. Must be the pork barrel talking. Heh.

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t delude myself into thinking that Filipino movies would improve their storytelling. I knew that I was going to see something that would look great but feel like crap. Our mainstream films aren’t really known for their profundity. Well…

It’s really more of a hit or miss in many aspects. Let me just enumerate:

1. I was shocked that the scenes from the trailer that got me into buying that ticket did not look as well-lighted in the actual movie. The crispness just wasn’t there anymore. Still, there were scenes that actually looked great, especially the ones that resemble the dessert areas of Final Fantasy XII and the ones that were shot inside the villains’ headquarters. Like I said, it’s a hit or miss. Most of the time, though, you just wish Bong Revilla would get off the frame so you can drool at the mechs.

2. Beveled text outlined with outer glow should not have a place in any scene that shows rapid movement. Oh, wait. Beveled text outlined with outer glow should not have a place in any frame, period. They used these for the opening credits when they could’ve just used the elegant but sci-fi-looking typefaces of the end credits.

3. There are so many actors in there that you can hardly keep track of anyone, resulting in very little character development. (The hilarious thing here is that the villains instantly know who Crisval and Angelo are among the many armor-clad dudes in the camp just by looking at them.) This overpopulation also results in funny blocking, like they were lined up and ready to be shot. Fuego! In relation to blocking complaints, I wonder when we’ll ever get rid of scenes where one person goes to the front and talks to the person behind her without looking back. Do we talk like this in real life?

4. Too much drama. With very little character development, I couldn’t care less what happened to the people. I came here to watch 3D mechs blast each other to pieces, not see Bong Revilla romance Jennylin Mercado. Ew! Honestly, their scenes together made my skin crawl.

5. The musical scoring is amazing! Many of the BGMs are so good, you’d feel goosebumps rising. What the movie lacks in foreshadowing, the music makes up for. This is one of Resiklo’s strongest points…up until the ending where they got someone to sing a ballad that sounded awfully like something out of a GMA/ABS-CBN Christmas commercial. Please, people. This is an action movie. Can we keep the cheese in our hamburgers and off the screen? I thought songs like these were left back in the 80s Regal flicks!

6. The armors looked pretty useless. Yes, get plates to cover your chests, wrists and shoulders but keep your solar plexus, abdomens and groins vulnerable to attack. Didn’t even see them ever use their textured wrist bands to defend themselves or bash someone’s head in.

7. Some of the actors are either acting for theater or TV, forgetting that they’re supposed to be on the big screen. Come on, I’ve seen Multimedia Arts students hire no-name actors and those no-name actors could perform so much better for so much less the amount the actors here were obviously paid. On the other hand, I did see some decent acting in Resiklo but like I said, I couldn’t keep track of the people in there.

8. Many of the elements were obviously inspired by Star Wars, Final Fantasy (I can even identify who Aeris, Tifa, Rinoa and Quistis are), Prince of Persia, Front Mission, Transformers, Aliens, Predator, Mech Warrior, The Matrix, among others. That’s well and good. But we don’t really have to rip everything off and just dump them altogether in one package, do we?

9. If you’re going to make mechs the main attraction for your movie, well…be prepared to show mechs in action. I only saw them for like 1/4th of the movie.

10. Remember Morpheus’ tiresome monologue in The Matrix Reloaded? Remember the critics’ and reviewers’ reaction to that? I guess the scriptwriter forgot, since Bong Revilla attempted to re-enact that even though he’s not nearly as charismatic as Laurence Fishburne.

11. The action scenes remind me of those old G.I. Joe cartoons where the enemies shoot at the Joes repeatedly but the Joes never get hit. Resiklo brought it a notch higher. The heroes would stand in the middle of crossfire while the enemies would hide behind drums and yet the enemies get hit while the heroes remain unharmed. This gets even more amusing when you see Bong Revilla hanging from a rope right in the middle of crossfire and doesn’t get so much as a scratch!

12. The characters’ names are very original. [/sarcasm] I wonder if they took a page off Terry Goodkind’s series and thought it was all right to name a sci-fi/fantasy character Bianca.

Wow. I narrowed everything down to 12. I could swear I had a side comment for every scene. (”Yes, stop for a bit before escaping so that you can listen to two men recount their life story. I’m sure the villains will wait for you to finish your session before figuring out that you’re trying to escape.”)

In all fairness, however, we really have improved by leaps and bounds when it comes to lighting techniques. I’ve got to hand it to that group. Resiklo’s CGs don’t look as awkward as those used by the other film fest entries.

Many fantasy stories begin with a seemingly ordinary man embarking on an extraordinary mission and Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth is no different. We have Richard Cypher, a regular forest ranger, who begins his quest when his father is brutally murdered by a powerful wizard. In his journey, he meets the exquisite Kahlan Amnell, his future life partner, and together they experience tales upon tales of sorcery, mythical beasts, and magical boundaries…for Richard is named the Seeker, the one who is destined to hold the Sword of Truth. As such, he struggles with the responsibility of bringing order in a world that’s about to be engulfed in darkness.

Richard and Kahlan’s epic story spans eleven novels, namely:

1. Wizard’s First Rule
2. Stone of Tears
3. Blood of the Fold
4. Temple of the Winds
5. Soul of the Fire
6. Faith of the Fallen
7. The Pillars of Creation
8. Naked Empire (portion of the cover scanned here)
9. Chainfire
10. Phantom
11. Confessor

I had just received Confessor as a Christmas gift and I must say that I liked how the story ended. But before that, I would like to warn anyone who wishes to try this series that the first book is a trap. It leads you to read the second book, then the third, then the fourth…until you have already so helplessly entangled yourself in the lives of Richard and Kahlan that you’d find yourself forced to finish the series.

Ironically, Wizard’s First Rule can stand pretty much on its own. Besides Richard and Kahlan, it introduces a bevy of highly intriguing characters like the powerful First Wizard Zorander, the Sorceress Adie, the feisty red dragon named Scarlet, the smart child Rachel and the Witch Woman Shota. Wizard’s First Rule is probably the most action-packed of the entire series, as the plot is complete with all the necessary elements required in a movie trilogy. It even has the perfect ending. Who’s not to say that Goodkind didn’t intend for it to be a series initially?

The sequel, Stone of Tears, is equally riveting. Goodkind introduces more interesting characters like the beast Gratch, the thousand-year-old prophet Nathan, and the Sisters of the Light. Most of the characters I find myself drawn to were those that came from the first and second novels. Unfortunately, by the time Temple of the Winds came out, I was already starting to lose interest. None of the next installations that followed — with Pillars of Creation being my biggest disappointment — are as intense as the first two, but by the time I had come to realize it, I had already wanted to see Richard’s ordeal finished. Chainfire and Phantom are the most cruel teases, as the author managed to dangle cliffhangers twice with these. Both had me waiting until the next year to find out what happens next: one year from Chainfire to Phantom and a year and a half for Confessor.

Confessor, however, managed to salvage what was left of my waning attention span. It has a weak beginning, though. The first half is filled with annoying talk. Every chapter discusses the same topic, except that they are discussed by different people. I found myself getting frustrated until Goodkind began describing how the sport Ja’La dh Jin (The Game of Life) gets violent and gruesome. Something about metal balls smashing into an opponent’s face got my blood pumping. That was the only time I actually began to get into it. The pace picks up halfway through, with twists and turns that would delight any Terry Goodkind fan or those that have awaited characters that hadn’t appeared since Blood of the Fold. The ending is satisfying and I couldn’t help but marvel at how every little detail — from the drop of an ink to the passages of a blank manual — work to get such an amazing conclusion.

If there’s one thing I’d like to commend Terry Goodkind for, it’s how he creates such impressive female characters. This attribute can be considered both good and bad. Good because they grip you so tightly, you almost feel like not letting go. Bad because Goodkind has a tendency to not write about some of his best characters for a very long time. While I’m not too impressed with Richard himself — being so “default” despite his very few shortcomings — the women are so gloriously flawed and powerful at the same time! Take Rachel, for example. I am not overly fond of kiddie heroines, but she is probably the first one to make my heart race with her misadventures. To name a few of my other favorites: Kahlan, Adie, Scarlet, Shota, Sister Nicci, Sister Verna and the Mord-Sith Cara. All female. All with traits that make you want to delve into their backgrounds far beyond what the series can offer.

I won’t exactly recommend Sword of Truth to conventional fantasy fans. Many tend to compare it with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Robert Jordan’s works, or other sagas like Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis’s Dragonlance. While Goodkind’s works, in fact, are under the fantasy genre, I noticed that he waxes philosophical. Sometimes overly so. His concepts aren’t exactly new to fantasy enthusiasts, but the way he tells it makes me feel like I could apply the Wizard’s Rules in real life.

If you want to know if the series is worth buying, all I could say is, “Get the first three books then the last three. Rent everything in between. Unless you plan to collect.”

Ever since I’ve become obsessed with everything organic, I felt more and more desperate over finding good organic products in this country. My options are severely limited. There’s A’Kin and Organic Pharmacy in Essenses, Juice Beauty in Beauty Bar and Lavera in Marionnaud. Most of them are out of the way and it’s depressing to find that these local stores don’t sell the good stuff that you find in their respective websites. To make matters worse, most of the credible online stores that have them don’t even ship internationally.

Abi Mapua, a colleage, told me that I should go to Healthy Options if I wanted to find organic products. Took me three weeks before I could actually schedule a visit to the Healthy Options branch in Rockwell. Goodness! The moment I entered it, I felt like a kid in a candy store! I went straight to the back and read every ingredient in nearly every bath and body care line. This healthy grocery store offers many things from vitamin supplements to cereals to health beverages to chips (I no longer buy popcorn and iced tea for movies but instead pick up Kettle potato chips and a can of ginger ale every time) to bath products to lip balm. The list is endless.

Here’s the thing, though. There are some products on the shelves that would claim to be certified organic — some even listing as many as three third party certifiers — but when you look at the back, you’ll see parabens, sulfates, PEGs etc. Some would say that they’re paraben free, but you’d see sulfates. Some would say they’re paraben and sulfate free but then you’d see propylene glycol. Apparently, many “organic” companies actually just mean that some of their ingredients are certified organic, but the rest of their listing are synthetic chemicals. It’s nuts. And it’s deceiving. (Here, Snow White! Have an organic apple. It doesn’t matter that I coated it with poison since the apple itself is certified organic!)

There are, however, brands that differentiate between “natural” and “organic” and would not haphazardly use one term in reference to the other. One such brand is Jason. I also found some other interesting goodies that I had long been looking for, like rose-milled soap and that Kettle potato chips that my former student Hazel recommended. You can even pick up really bizarre products like Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap. I couldn’t see the ingredients listing immediately because the bottle label was peppered with passages from the Bible, the Koran, and even Shakespeare’s plays.

What I like best about Healthy Options? Their loyalty card. You get it with a minimum purchase of PhP1,000 and you get a point for every PhP10 you spend. (SM Advantage people, are you reading this?) Accumulating a total of 1,500 points (PhP15,000) in three months nets you a discount card that opens the door to many more benefits. That’s still a far cry from SM’s measly PhP120 reward for the PhP24,000 you spent. What’s more, they handed me a Healthy Options rebate voucher that gives me a PhP50 discount for every PhP1,000 single receipt payment. Since I spent PhP2,000, they’re giving me a hundred peso discount on my next visit.

Lastly, I was automatically subscribed to their newsletter. The recent one gave me a lot of insight as to why my body has started reacting negatively to certain food and bath products. There were even diet recommendations for different behavioral problems like ADHD, which I suspect I am afflicted with. Seeing the list of food to avoid made me decide to live with ADHD, though. Heh.

I’ve definitely decided to be a regular Healthy Options visitor. I love the ambience, the variety and the overall atmosphere. Anyone who puts value on his health should, too.

I’ve already written about many of my favorite products, but I’ve never written a full blown review for my ultimate favorite brand, Japan-based Shu Uemura. Instead of doing a blow by blow account of how each item in my vanity bag works for me, I only have this to say: I am addicted to anything Shu Uemura. Whether it’s the UV Liquid Foundation, that’s best for sporty girls like me, or those mega-expensive Pressed Eyeshadows, I can never go wrong with this brand.

The Drawing Pencil glides like frosting on cake; the Precise Volume mascara makes your lashes thicker without clumping; the Sweet Lip Gloss makes you want to kiss yourself…I could go on and on and on. I tried downgrading my eyebrow pencil once, when I went to TheFaceShop’s counter, and not only was their pencil hard on the skin, it also broke while I was applying it. Shu Uemura is a wallet buster, but it already destroyed all other brands for me. I can’t go back.

My sister, again the recipient of all my attempts to downgrade (she inherited my TheFaceShop mascara when I realized it wasn’t as good as Shu Uemura’s), once told me: “Feh! I think the only reason why you buy Shu Uemura is that no matter how dumb at make-up you are, it still makes you look good.” She’s right. It is idiot-proof. Though I kind of stopped using the lash curler because I always end up crying. There is a limit to what it can do for beauty dunces, after all.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not a huge fan of putting gunk on my skin. I’m all for the simplification of any boring ritual and actually enjoy my make-up-free days. It’s just that with all the pretty colors and possibilities Shu Uemura has to offer, you can’t help but find the application highly therapeutic. Also, what’s great about it is that you only have to dab a small amount to get a bit of color on an otherwise pale visage, making your jars/tubes/bottles last for more than a year. They’re also very light and gentle on your skin. Meaning, I don’t get allergic reactions, considering my skin isn’t very easy to please.

What’s keeping me from giving Shu Uemura a perfect 10? I had just begun going semi-organic recently — it’s a slow process that involves finishing up all my non-organic bath and beauty products — and I saw the words “paraben” and other synthetic stuff in their ingredients listing. It’s a good thing I don’t wear make-up that often so there’s not much to worry about.

What’s in my kikay kit (in this picture):
Sweet Lip Gloss in Nectarine Jam, Mark Cealer, Drawing Pencils in Metallic Black and Matte Brown, Precise Volume Mascara, Fiber Xtension Mascara Extra Black 01 (unused as of this writing), Limited Edition Color Mousse in Air Bronze, UV Liquid Protecting Water Resistant Foundation (SPF 25), Powder Foundation Natural Glow Finish 564, Pressed Eyeshadows.

Other Shu Uemura products I own that are not in the picture:
Silver Eyelash Curler - Rave reviews everywhere; it’s every girl’s not-so-secret weapon…only I don’t know how to wield it.
Skin Purifier in Fresh (Pink) - Totally removes all traces of dirt and grime on your face…even waterproof mascara.

Unlike my lips, which had not been very happy with Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, my hair is a lot more cooperative. I’ve been a long time fan of coconut conditioners — ever since I discovered the wonders they could do for my temperamental scalp — and Kiehl’s Extra-Strength Conditioning Rinse for Dry or Damaged Hair (with added Coconut Oil) is by far the most effective I’ve ever used. Even when using a harsh anti-dandruff shampoo before it, it still manages to make my hair feel soft and pretty. Also, unlike other conditioners, it doesn’t leave my hair feeling limp and heavy. It doesn’t hurt that it has a scent that isn’t purely coconut. It smells more like milk-coconut-vanilla, which makes bathing extra fun as I absolutely adore dessert-oriented fragrances.

The only thing that I know will keep me from buying this again is that its price is a bit too steep for a bath product. As of this writing, a small 125ml bottle costs PhP875 (roughly $20), which is about $7 more expensive than its US counterpart. But don’t mind me. Right now, I’m already thinking of buying virgin coconut oil and using that as my conditioner instead. Crazy, huh?