Movie: Lone Ranger

Been dying to see this movie and didn't have a chance to watch it in theatres so I downloaded it from the net and watched it (an HD version, mind you).

I won't tell you happened in the movie. So the movie started and as it progressed, I got the impression that this a movie typical of Johnny Depp reminiscing his Pirates days. Got a high expectation on this one. I was thinking this is a serious movie. But not. In short, I didn't like it as much as I would love to like it. If they treated this one a little seriously, this would be a good movie. I mean the legend of the Lone Ranger reached us. Yes we don't who he was but nevertheless we know him or know about him.

Posting Again...

I've been out of touch for 2 months. ^__^

What's new?

1. Bohol and Cebu was devastated by earthquakes. I won't go into details about the damage as it will just depress me to see those people displaced from their homes.

2. Paypal permanently limited my 3 accounts. How's that for news?

My househelp went home and was gone for more than a week already. I had to do all the chores. :-( I hate doing laundry. It's a never ending work. Sigh....

Movie: White House Down

I watched White House Down today. So here's the big revelation. I love action movies. I was choosing between Pacific Rim and White House Down. I'm not very keen on Sci-fi movies so this one won.

So here's a little review.

John Cale, a Capitol policeman, applied for Secret Service, got a pass to tour the White House with his daughter, and the same time, it was also his interview for his application.

While touring the White House, some unknown men set off a bomb inside the White House. Then the story begins. I won't go into details about the movie though. All I can say is:

It means it's okay. I like it but it's not that great an action as I expected. I was a little bit disappointed because I expected more depth in the story base on the cast. If you have Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum, I expected a little more explosive action movie, but alas, it may have good moments but not great. The story is predictable but some of the dialogues are quotable quotes.

SSS Monthly Contribution

I'm now starting to pay, again, my SSS and HDMF (PAGIBIG) contribution as a voluntary member. I already paid 27 months in my SSS. I'm paying P780, equivalent to salary credit of P7,500.

For HMDF or PAGIBIG, I already paid my June 2013 contribution as a voluntary member. For PAGIBIG members, the lowest contribution is P200 for voluntary members. Now, I need to process the consolidation of my contribution from my previous employers. The thing is, when you change employers, you need to go to PAGIBIG and asked them to consolidate your previous employer's contribution. Here's the steps on how to do it when you go to PAGIBIG:

1. Ask the guard for a queue number for Verification and the form for MERGING of records. It's the guard in the door who keeps all the forms.
2. Fill up the form.
3. When your number is called, you explained to Verification that you want your records to be merged.

That's it.

Learning Chinese...

I'm searching the net where I can find a good school for learning Mandarin....until now, I haven't find any. Sigh...Ni hao ma?

Family and celebration of life...

For the past days, I've been receiving emails from friends. A friend just lost her sister over cancer and now two of my friends, a member of their immediate family, also have cancer. I was dismayed and sad. Losing a loved one is very difficult indeed but knowing that a loved one is sick and is suffering is very traumatic experience. I hope and pray that my friends' family members will recover in their ordeal.

Life is really short. We don't when our life will end and how it will end. We must appreciae what we have and always celebrate life. Praying will be our comfort in times of difficult times. To God be the Glory.

Georestrictions in purchasing ebooks from ebooks sites...

I sent an email to kobobooks.com to ask if I won't have any difficulties in purchasing from their site if I'm outside the US. Barnes and Nobles has georestrictions in all of their online products. Amazon.com has none, in my area. Diesel also has georestrictions. I can only purchase Harlequin books. Kobo customer care replied and said some of their ebooks have restrictions but most of them are available for purchase by international buyers.


To sum it up:

Amazon.com (US Site) - None in my area but UK residents can't purchase from US website.
Barnes and Noble - only US-residents can purchase and you must be physically in the US to be able to purchase.
Kobo.com - some books are restricted. Kobo customer care said this is not their fault but of the publishers.
Diesel - Most of their books are restricted in my area. I can only purchase Harlequin ebooks.

Updating list of books in Calibre

I've been updating my books in Calibre, checking one by one and as of 6:40PM, July 7, it's running up to 16,241 ebooks checked for format quality and deemed to be Good to Retail Quality.

I know I can't read it but since I'm a bookworm, I know I wouldn't be able to sleep if there's a book out there that I can't see in my collection. 

Coffee and me

I'm a regular coffee drinker of 2 cups per day. What's your favorite coffee? Mine is this.

It's a 3-in-1 instant coffee. Label said Brazilian Arabica. Not sure how true is this but this is not a local brand. Only Robinsons carry this one. You can't find this in any SM Supermarket. What I love this coffee is its strong flavor. I like the bitterness. Unlike local 3-in-1 instant coffee, this is not too sweet nor too bland. This is just the way I like it.

2013 Reading Challenge

My reading challenge for this year is 150 books. 50 books more than my goal last year but I'm now 10 books behind schedule. :-(

My categories for reading this year:

• No short stories
• Full novels only
• Harlequin books qualify for a read
• Erotic romance doesn't qualify

I'll do a marathon reading before the year ends. 

Currently reading...Memorial Day by Vince Flynn

I'm currently reading Memorial Day by Vince Flynn, the 7th book in the Mitch Rapp series. I've been reading this for about a week already and I still haven't finished it!

My genre is Suspense/Mystery/Thriller. I seldom read other genre except when I want to take a break. I'll post a review after I read this one. Not really an in-depth review but just what I think about the book.

Jollibee Cheese Yum Meryenda

I went to Jollibee last June 26 just to grabe some bite since I hadn't eaten lunch yet. I ordered a Value Meal of:

• Cheese Yum
• Regular Fries
• Regular Softdrink (I got Coke)

The value meal costs around P85. I'm not really fond of Jollibee but eating there brought back happy childhood memories. I remember the time when all the children in my neighborhood would dream eating at Jollibee. :-D