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It's the third of Richard Linklater's "Before" trilogy. There's still a signifying thread with the first two. I figured it out. It's long walks and conversations. I vaguely remember the first two. Maybe one of these days i'll arrange to watch the first two again. Just to get an overall sense of this movie. But if this movie was separate, it would seem like a family movie. Or just the daily comings and goings of parents; a brief insight of a married couple in the middle of their lives. As always, the conversation between partners and other couples are insightful. I think that's the biggest lure in all the three movies. You actually feel like you're learning something. If this is a possible future one could have. It's not so bad.  I now realize more than ever, there is no perfect person. No perfect relationship. You are going to have rough stretches.

Once This movie is awesome. I can't even begin to describe how much heart this movie has.  There's a screaming subtlety to it. Like, do you ever catch yourself in times when you feel like everything's active. Like everything's clear and calm. I made a term "a quiet kind of happiness." There's no big plot twists. No major turns. It actually seems real.  This is easily a favorite. Begin Again The characters were great; Very well rounded. I could easily identify with them; or at least know they're good people. I think that's important that the watcher gets to have some sort of connection to the character.  I don't get Levine's character though. I don't know. The story was great. A bit like Once, but highly Americanized, I think. I was wondering what would happen between the two main characters. It's built for you to be on their side. And the ending was good. Reminds me of a business move Louis CK made with his specials...

It's hard to put your finger to what really happened. In no way whatsoever does the story offer any clue to why things are happening. They are just happening.  And you are being told as events unfold right at the middle of it. Your perspective is Raymundo "Mong", A person in the broadcasting industry, seeking to fulfill a promise to his dead mother. He goes back to his roots, Magapok.  There he finds people from his past, the new town, and his old childhood love, Filomena. Other themes are given light: local politics, a career in the media, the military, etc.  While these topics are given a brief life, the events unfold without failing, without reason. Just about when you thought you've figured out what's happening. You haven't.  "Maybe this is that. No, it's isolated." You find yourself cursing at what's happening.

Christmas is just around the corner. I have some of my best memories around this period. Maybe it's the time spent in that period. Maybe it's the people around. Maybe it's the food, the gifts. Maybe. Anything you feel throughout the year, this is amplified through this 2-3 week stretch. That's why it's easy to feel sad, or even depressed during this time.  It's not impossible that some people spend the holidays away from home.  There are parents working outside of the country. There are brothers or daughters sacrificing for their own sons and sisters.  There are people in graveyard shifts in the Outsourcing industry, whose Christmas or New Year's leave is denied. There are families who may have lost a parent, a son, a daughter or a relative. There are people that are alone. They need warmth the most during this period.

I happen to be browsing Youtube. Found this interesting interview. The following are excerpts from Piers Morgan's interview with Bear Grylls. On being a son (What were the values do you think he instilled in you?) He just really encouraged me to love something. You know and when he saw that i loved to climb. He really encouraged that.  On being a father (Of all the things that you've achieved in your life. What do you think he would have been the proudest of?) Our boys and the fact that i'm still married to Sharra.  Genuinely you know, I think the other stuff is so transient really. You know people go "oh you climbed to the top of this. you served that". You're always much more interested in things like the SAS, Everest than i am to be honest. You know it's part of my history. I'm super proud of it. I'm proud of the relationships, But the pride of my life isn't that stuff. It really isn't. You know, the pride of my ...

My internet connection's terrible right now.  It's like a version of a Chinese water torture where the victim is held, while inconsistent droplets of water fall to the head. Except in this case, the connection is the droplet. It could also be psychologically. I just realized if you focus on a purely external output, the connection is the reward, the disruption is the punishment.  It's a buildup of a terrible impulse. This feels bad. Now what? I don't know why the Telco's are acting like this.  A version of what Louis CK may have said. "You're losing nothing. You just feel bad." That's true in this moment. Grrr. Pesky connection.

Money rents happiness. It doesn't buy it. What truly buys happiness? I dont know. I think that if your meaning of happiness stems in Money, you will never have enough .

Events have an incredible power to change us. Problem is we don't always control them. And we don't have the capacity to do that. Our circumstances change whether we like it or not. Our beliefs and how we interpret those events shapes much more than the event itself. We worry about a lot of things. We can be afraid. We become selfish and annoying. We get angry. But we can also look past that. I think that's a great human quality; To see past one's imperfections and failures and keep on living. Keep on trying.

and i'm now 24. I'm still young enough to mess up and make up for lost time, but old enough to know not to. I try and look back at what my past 24 years has been. That's easier nowadays, i think. To look back, i n this day and age of social media.  Especially if you've documented every few days of what's happening with you.   But as they say, it's only the bright sides you see on social media. Which I believe is mostly true.  I think I've learned more importantly, that life isn't always the bright sides. Because really, it's not. Yes, to look on the bright side as a focus is a good thing. But to expect everything to be that is not. We will never have everything we want. There will always be failures. There will be disappointments. There will be bad days. But the idea is to never stop trying. because, what else is there? I think i'm more aware now than when I was younger. But i also think i don't know as much as when I would be olde...

Under Gregg Popovich's wing right now, is italian basketball coach Ettore Messina. It appears Messina's a great fit with the Spur's system as he has similar philosophies with the Spur's ideals. Here are excerpts from Ettore Messina's interview with Above the Rim: Rules of Life On Leadership You cannot be a dictator because people think, and people have their own opinions, at the same time we cannot make a vote every time  that we have to make a decision two seconds in the floor, so sometimes somebody has to take the decisions. and at the same time you can have two kinds of discipline . Discipline that you force with strength and power and the discipline that people accept to put on them-self  because they are responsible. Usually the great teams, are those teams where self discipline is based on a strong sense of responsibility and these teams usually win and have great success for a long time.  Sticking with the system I think at one p...

This has been a fairly good month. I got some movement in my work.  We finished CLS for the year. I'm slowly getting comfortable with bigger tasks. I made some new friends, at work and in the community. Musically, I got into listening to a lot of Peryodiko, Deftones, and Mabuhay Singers. I just realized there is no coherent identifier in those three groups. But it's all good, I'm learning something new. I get to appreciate different genres of music. In terms of books, right now I'm alternating between Watership Down by Richard Adams, and Tatlong Gabi, Tatlong Araw by Eros Atalia. Film, I haven't watched much this month. Other than Interstellar, which is amazing by the way. Christopher Nolan is easily one of my favorite writers/directors. I can only imagine the amount of thought that went into his latest film. I've been digging the Ted Talks videos in Youtube. I've only watched a few. The content is incredible. There are a couple names that stan...

This is like being coached about life from a person, hundreds of thousands of miles away. The influence Gregg Popovich gets and given freely by people. A true mark of a leader. On overcoming adversity and failure: "In today's world, if you don't win the whole thing, whether it's football or basketball, or this and that, people have a tendency to paint you as a loser or act like you just robbed the cookie jar. Well that's baloney. "You guys have got it," Popovich told his team. "It's there. You've got the will, you've got the determination, you've got the fiber to do this again. And Game 7 proved it. It didn't happen for us, but is everything going to go your way in life? You think you're on the Earth and everything you want to happen to you is going to happen to you positively? The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn't go our way. " "What we didn't want to do is have them h...

Some snippets from Louis CK's interview with Rolling Stone Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/louis-c-k-comes-clean-20130425#ixzz3JnLawWY1  Asked a question, about appearances and what other people say about it No, I don't wake up and think that, ever. I've never had that thought. I don't worry about what people say [...]. It's not my concern. It's their problem. On grudges No, I don't hold on to grudges. I don't have a grudge in my life. I forgive people. I just don't believe that you owe anybody in your life a relationship. It's healthy and fair to opt in or out, and it's actually more fair to do that than to hold people's feet to the fire for everything they've ever done Parenting Yeah, "because I'm your father" is just a cheap cop-out, and it robs the kid of an opportunity to understand something. I engage them. A lot of parents don't talk to their kids. I learned that from my mo...

ruminating, reverting to old ways. Don't. let it hang, but don't let it stay

Some of the best movies take you to a different time and place. Interstellar is one hell of a travel. It's like a movie on its own league. The closest i can remember is 2001: A space odyssey. If Stanley Kubrick saw it, I would think he'd be proud. There are recurring themes from past Nolan films. Inception for one, the way time and space is portrayed. Symbols, and relationships. New concepts like frozen clouds, ocean waves hundreds or thousands of feet high; gives you a sense that we are really little in this universe. There are planets beyond our existence. There are lands outside of our consciousness.  It's hard to put into one whole compact thing. This movie is an incredible journey. Really brilliant. I need to see this once more. The first time, with these kinds of movies, is to try and understand. The second time, is for pure entertainment.

I got this. Still pretty much a blur. Like a camera just about to refocus. But I got this. I don't expect everything to be easy. I'm half expecting things to get a little harder as the months go by. I don't mind. I can't predict the future but I can always plan for it. New goals, new year.

The term "get more out of life" should be retired. "How do i get more out of life?" Life doesn't owe you anything. You're lucky if you're even alive. If anything at all, it's your responsibility to give something to it.

I've grown to associate this song with good memories over the years. One of the sweetest songs you will have heard.

"an anticipation, an optimistic expectation, a sense of hope" -the daily show

"Yes, being offended is a choice. Choose not to be offended"  - Scott Weems, Ph.D. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-s-so-funny/201411/eight-steps-becoming-funnier-person

I admit I watched this film because of the lead actress. I squirm at themes of prostitution, especially underage ones.  But at it's core is a good story. It's kind of hard when you've built a bias over pretty faces. The ending was not as strong as I thought it would be. But it was still worth the watch. I just realized in western romance stories, the dude is usually a player. In Asian stories, the dude is usually more reserved. In western films, one or both couple usually mess up on their own. In Asian films, one or both couple is under an event that is out of their control like death or a disease Maybe I'm generalizing, but that's that. Back to the film, If i had any hand in the ending. I'd have the dude survive the operation and prolong his life but it's still time bound, they spend time together. They prepare for the end. They cherish the moment. The girl learns more about life along the process. She keeps his memory forever in her heart.  ...

Last week's NBA feature: Champions Revealed 2014 San Antonio Spurs. The character that is built by the San Antonio Spurs is something really to be heralded for. The values they instill are truly world class. Often we get so engrossed at what we do and we forget what really matters. Here are a few snippets of thoughts shared by Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker On life and perspective Tony: “… cause you always talk about, Pop, like life is bigger and there’s more important stuff in life” On being direct Pop: “i've always been a believer that players react better to the truth than blowing smoke at them or trying to manipulate them or uhh you know, tell them something so that they'll do this or that, but if you tell them the truth  and you really go after it, that assumes one thing, that the people you're telling the truth to have the kind of character that you guys have so you could deal with it and not blame other peopl...

The onset of new responsibilities. Hey, I can build a case why I can be cynical, but that'd be a waste of time. There are people who don't get the same opportunities that I get to have. And that's why it's useless to complain.

The blur that is 2046. The ending is finite, but still open for interpretation. “Everyone who goes to 2046 wants to recapture lost memories, Because in 2046 nothing ever changes. But no one knows if that’s true because no one ever comes back.” One could either come back because they've captured lost memories  or simply didn't want to capture lost memories anymore. It could be that no one ever recaptures lost memories. The last scenes goes. Remnants from the previous two films. He admits to Bai Ling he’ll never land, like the legless bird on Days of Being Wild. He takes a cab leaning alone, contrasting to In the Mood for Love, when he was with Su Li Zhen, and they share the cab together. That was the memory. That was his one true love and now he’s a legless bird. Will you always become legless bird when you've lost your one true love? Charting the stories in 2046. There’s the science fiction arc with the narrator and...

These are just some of my beliefs that I've learned and have stuck with. And like any intangible thing, anything is open for agreement and disagreement. Some beliefs I had growing up, didn't stand the test of time, like some here may not be relevant in next years to come. I think it's important to know that we as a whole are guided by our ideals. But if it hurts other people, it needs to be reconsidered. 1.        The soul mate, it doesn't exist. At least the concept of it, Shouldn't. What is a soul mate really? The idea is that there is one special person for you in the world. Your soul’s irrevocable bond with another soul. Only one. While there is nothing wrong with that and I believe in monogamy. The soul mate is a mystical thinking trap. It creates this search for a perfect person. 2.        Go to your failure. We've been taught and...

Rule#1 pretend you don't like her Rule#2 forget rule#1 Rule#3 darn it men, cant help you. you're on your own Rule#4 seriously though, just ask her out Rule#5 Go! Now.

Growing up's good. Every day you get an opportunity to learn something new. To participate. To contribute. Sure, some days are better off left alone, or sped up. But don't let it bother you. Be resilient.

This year's turning out not too shabby at all. I guess I'm managing elation relatively well.  Or it just hasn't sunk in yet It's nice to be hopeful again. 

I can't remember now how many times I've seen In the mood for love. "If there's an extra ticket, would you go with me?"  Again, at missed connections. i think it's a bigger tragedy than unrequited love. A missed connection suggests that, a love could have flourished. both people want it, but for whichever reason, the connection never quite contacted. Looking deeper into the last few scenes. Mr. Chow, decides to leave for Singapore. Leaves a message for Mrs. Chan. "If there's an extra ticket, would you go with me?" Mrs. Chan, goes to their old hotel room and finds she's too late. 3 years later in Singapore, Mrs. Chan goes into Mr. Chow's apartment, looks at the room and phones Mr. Chow. She connects. He answers. She doesn't talk.  Why? Why doesnt she answer? She spent that whole time looking for Mr. Chow. We'll never know why. Sayang! 3 years later, Mrs. Chan returns to their old apartmen...

Can I just say it? I think people put too much on emphasis on what they think they ought to have. what they think they deserve. "you deserve the best" "you deserve someone who will treat you like the universe" no wonder kids are never content. It's weird because what does that really mean? "The best"? Especially if its personal relationships Who are the best? The ones that treat you like the universe? Well what if you're a dick to people so no one treats you like the universe. I'm not saying the idea is wrong and that i'm right. I'm just saying that that statement is flawed because the attention starts with you. "what you deserve"  try and shift the tone outwardly. "what they deserve from me" instead of "find someone who treats you like the universe" how about "find someone who you could treat like the universe" go much further than that "treat everyone like they ...

If I'm correct, these are the stories in the movie. or at least the relations we get to see. Su li zhen and York Mimi and York Mimi and York's friend Su li zhen and Policeman Policeman and York Step mom and York I don't know what these short snippets of stories inside stories are supposed to be called.  But they're an amazing tool in keeping color to story. There's a snippet in the film. about a legless bird,  or a type of bird that can only land once, and the only time that it lands is when it dies. So it never lands.  It's a metaphor for the guy in the film. He jumps from one woman to another, never content, never landing.  It's then explained, or he's actualized that he's always been dead. At least in the metaphorical sense of the legless bird.  It may also be a matter of upbringing. it's also explained that he was given to his step mom when she was young to take care of. She will be  given money every month until the boy was 18...