X-Men: The Last Stand

I saw X-Men 3 yesterday with my fellow sci-fi buddy, Jessica. I'd invite Hassan, but he has a thing against movies that contain any of the following: wizards, Hobbits, witches, magic, monsters, fairies, and especially mutants.

Where or where do I start? Yahoo news announced today that X-Men 3 had the largest opening for the Memorial Day weekend and the FOURTH largest opening EVER. All I could I think was, there are millions of poor souls who have WASTED their money this weekend.

I don't know who to blame: the writers, the director, or BOTH?!??! Maybe I should blame myself...perhaps I had high expectations for a third X-Men movie that virtually had all of the same characters returning.

Note: The follow comments may contain some spoilers. On second thought, if you've seen the previews, you basically have seen the best parts of the movie. The spoilers may even save you some money...

1) Writers tried too hard to ensure that there WOULD NOT be a 4th X-Men. My God! In order to make sure that there couldn't be a 4th movie, they did the easiest thing possible. They killed off key characters! And they twisted the plot so far off the actual X-Men comics that it was ridiculous. (I'm not a X-Men junkie, but it seemed like that some of the X-Men were written out of character) Jean Grey killing Cyclops with a death kiss? Then, the Phoenix killing the Professor by literally shredding him into millions of molecules?!?!? Then, Jean Grey being killed herself by Wolverine? I barely had time to mourn the death of the Professor! Rogue volunteered to be "cured" because she wanted to make-out with Iceman. Wasn't she supposed to be sassy and a semi-feminist?

2) Too much going on and too little time. This movie was spread too thin...there were so many story lines that I felt like I was watching a soap opera.
-Cyclops mourning the death of Jean Grey
-The split-personality struggle between Jean Grey and the Phoenix
-The Professor's attempts to control the Phoenix
-The love triangle between Iceman, Rogue, and Kitty Pryde
-Archangel's personal crisis with his father wanting to cure him
-Rogue's personal crisis of not being able to touch people
-The "cure" being used as a weapon against mutants
-Rescuing the mutant boy that took away the powers of mutants
-The on-going rivalry between Iceman and Pyro

3) Along the same lines of too much going on, there were too many characters! With too many characters, most mutants barely got any screen time. Virtually, the main characters of this movie were Hugh Jackman and Halle Barry. Hmmm...gee, I wonder why! Anyways, the fight scenes were sub-par, but I have to give credit to Kelsey Grammer who was the perfect "Beast". His fight scenes were awesome, but I wanted more!

The face-off scene between Iceman and Pyro absolutely predicable, lame, and pathetic! The whole thing lasted only a minute with Iceman head-butting Pyro after a "tug of war" scene!!! They should have done a fight scene between Juggernaut and Collosus! Instead, Juggernaut had a one-on-one with the puny Kitty Pryde...what good was she!?!?! AND, with so much attention in the previews about Archangel, where was he?!?! He barely "stretched out his wings" in the movie. How disappointing was that?!?!

On the enemy side, it seemed as if writers were making up characters to fill up holes. There are other villians besides Magneto...what about Apocalypse?!?!?! And, I thought that the Sentinels were going to get more screen time! Instead, they were only holograms in the "Danger Room" for training purposes!

4) Unfinished story lines: with so much going on in only an hour and 43 minutes, I think the writers forgot to end some of the story lines. Rogue's crisis abruptly ended when she was able to touch Bobby without a glove. What happened after that?!?! Did she leave the school? Is she still with Bobby or does he have his hands full with Kitty? Who won that triangle?!? What happened to Mystique after she was shot by the vaccine? AND, the biggest unfinished story yet...what happened to that bald boy the rescued from the research facility?!?! Is he a loner since no mutant wants to get near him?!?!

By the time I finished this movie, I was in complete denial. I refused to believe that the Professor was dead and that Magneto had lost his powers. For God' s sake, he was playing chess in the park by himself! So much had happened, but not to the detail I wanted to see it in. The fight scenes were short and predicable. The only mutant powers we really saw were those of Storm, Wolverine, and the Beast. I wanted more! I wanted to see more Iceman and more Rogue! Jeez, we didn't even see Cyclops fire a single heat ray...he died in the first 30 minutes! I don't think Collosus even turned into metal! All he did was hurl Wolverine into the air. He barely had 3 lines in the movie!

Sigh...I'm sad that there won't be a 4th so that they can get another chance to do it right. If they do, devote more time to the fight scenes and mutant powers. I didn't care about tying up loose ends...that attempt totally ruined the movie.

Sigh...

Kodak v570

Well, the time has come and gone on our very first digital camera. Geez, it took us about 5 years to actually get one, but now it has said good-bye. After Showieb's trip to Guatemala, our Pentax Optio 555 is now sitting on a lonely white cloud with wings. How cute.

Anyways, Has and I were at BestBuy yesterday admiring all the new televisions. I even got a chance to watch the Mission Impossible scene in "Shrek 2". Hilarious! We swung by the camera section to browse. And there it was...

...the Kodak v570 Dual Lens! I had seen nothing like it! First of all, it had not ONE, but TWO lenses. Why two lenses, I have no idea why, but I'm sure it has something to do with the zoom. Secondly, it was black. And finally, it was small and skinny! Like a man in the lingerie department, I usually look, but never touch. This time, however, I was pressing every button and snapping pictures left and right. The neat feature is that it's a 5x zoom without you actually having to zoom in before snapping the picture. After you take your pic, you can zoom in or out 5x!

"I want it!" I whined to Has as I clung onto his arm. I half-heartedly walked out of the store empty handed.

"You can do some research on the internet first, " Has said as he tried to calm me down. Damn him. Why does always have to be the voice of reason? He was right, though. I pretty much fell for the looks and dazzles of the Kodak v570. I was hesitant to read reviews about the camera because I was afraid that it would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

After researching the Kodak v570, I found that it's overall a good camera. One review mentioned that for a 5MP camera, it took excellent 4MP pictures. Hmmm... Highlights include: easy of use, quality of pics, and an option for the user to select they type of focus or flash depending on the scenery. For example, if you are taking pictures on the beach or in the snow, you select your scenery and the camera will auto-adjust depending on the amount of light in the background. Neat, huh? No more guessing...you just select your scenery type. Cons include: short battery life and weak flash.

Has anyone out there seen or own this camera? What are your impressions? Was it truly love at first sight or a complete waste of money? What cameras out there are better? Any suggestions?

6/7/06: After MUCH research into other cameras, I actually decided to get our Pentax repaired. I didn't realize the value of our camera in terms of monetary value and quality of pictures until after I had compared it to the other cameras. The price of repair would be not completely "total" the Pentax!

While I Wait...

I'm waiting for Hassan to come home after a week's long business trip in Chicaaago. His plane has been delayed...twice, so now he'll be home later than expected. So while I wait for the door to open, I thought I'd blog about some randomness...

My mother is on the "Sunglass Hut's Most Wanted List". No joke. I always new my mom was a shop-a-holic, but this takes it to a whole new level. Besides, do you thinkTanookie moments only happen to me? My goodness, then you haven't met the original Tanookie: my mom!

So the story begins with my mother purchasing a pair of Dolce&Gabbana sunglass (remember, she's a shop-a-holic) from the Sunglass Hut. She doesn't like them because they're "too dark" when you look through them. So she exchanges them with another, more expensive pair of D&C glasses. No problem, but then 30 days later she realizes that she doesn't like this new pair either because "they make lines on her face". So, she attempts to exchange the pair after 30 days, but the manager refuses to do it. Huffing and puffing, she goes to another Sunglass Hut in hopes that they'll have a different policy.

When she gets to the store, there is a young worker eager to help my mom with her exchange. However, she has to call the manager to approve this exchange and unfortunately for her, it's the same manager as the previous store. She's speaking on the phone, "Mmmm, Mmmm" she says. "Mmmm, Mmmm, " she nods. My mom claims that the manager is giving the worker a description of my mom. Turns out that my mom's customer number has been "entered" into the computer system and they have been keeping record of her transactions.

"Sorry, but we can't exchange this sunglass," repeats the once eager worker.

So now my mom still has these Dolce&Gabbana glasses that put marks on her face. Tommorrow she'll attempt to return them at the Sunglass Hut located in downtown Baltimore...after my graduation. Wish her luck...

Update 5/19: My mom successfully exchanged her sunglasses for a more practical, not-so-dark pair!

Another Update 5/20: My mom confessed to Hassan that she didn't exchange or return these sunglasses twice, it was actually FIVE times. Hmmm...

Happy Mother's Day

After getting married, one of the hardest things that I had to learn was spending holidays 50/50 between families. This Sunday was Mother's Day and it was no exception. Why can't days be longer on days like these? Sigh...

Hassan and I spent the early afternoon with my family at Great Seneca Park. My Auntie Evelyn hosted a "surprise" birthday party for my mom and Mother's Day Picnic. "Surprise" because my mom figured it out last weekend when a family friend called and said that they couldn't come.

The late afternoon was spent with Hassan's family. AmiGee's present was a day off from cooking. Showieb was chef of the day and whipped up some heavy beef-cheese quesadillas. (He denies any Guatamalan influence in his cooking.)

Anyways, welcome to the world of Filipino parties...where it's always a hybrid of two celebrations. In this case, it was Mother's Day and the birthdays of four other people. (Although my mom's name got to be on the cake!)

Here are some highlights...

Our BBQ site for the day...

Me and Mom

Note: I think this is my new favorite picture of everyone.
Has, Me, Edgar (little bro), Mikey (middle bro), and Shanna (Mikey's roommate, I swear)
Edgar just finished his THIRD semester at Penn State. I still can't believe that he's in college! Mikey is undergoing a career change. He's planning to apply to nursing school in the fall. (Watch out , Greg Focker!)
BTW, both of my brother's are single...

All the Mother's of the Day...Mom is the one sitting in the middle with the jean jacket and my aunt is seated to her left. Aren't they the cutest? Katrina's mother is to the right and above my mom in the pink sweater. (You better believe I had to deny any reports that I would be in this picture any time soon!)

One a serious note, Mother's Day Sunday was the best way to end a wonderful weekend. Saturday was spent in the company of new and old friends in celebration of Zehra's graduation. Sunday just completed the circuit between friends and family. I love you, Mom! (Sniff, sniff...I'm getting very sentimental and listening to Nick Lachey's What's Left of Me doesn't help a bit!)

Happy Nurse's Week!

To my fellow nurses...HAPPY NURSE'S WEEK!

It's hard to believe that 5 years ago I graduated from nursing school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Since then, I have been working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). I entered the PICU directly after graduation and haven't regretted it since. I learned the basics of nursing in a fast-paced, high adrenaline setting. It was a great opportunity to work with other dedicated and motivated nurses. It was a great opportunity to grow professionally and gain self-confidence.

I always wished that people could see what I have seen at work. It amazes me what research, technology, and medicine can do to a human being. I've seen the worst of the worst and the best of the best; in some sad cases it can be the same thing. Think of the following statements as a confessional over my past 5 years...I never kept a diary about these things. Maybe because it make me sad to think about it, but at the same time it makes me proud of what I had to endure to become the nurse I am today...

I have seen the real beating heart in an infant's chest and manually squeezed the blood out of it.... I've seen a mechanical heart beating outside of a patient's body.... I've bottle fed infants who were born at 22 weeks gestation.... I've seen patient rooms turn into mini-ORs because the patient was too sick to leave the room.... I've dressed the wounds of an 8 year-old child whose mother threw him into a bath of scalding hot water....I comforted his shaking body as best I could when the morphine wore off and the pain returned.... I've wiped the feces off the floor belonging to an 18 year-old battling cancer.... I took care of a 5 year-old girl who nearly died twice and spent 6 months in the hospital. I also sent her home with her mother...healthy.... I've played Super Nintendo with a 5 year-old who was diagnosed with depression.... I've sang "Happy Birthday" to a child who stayed in the hospital.... I've danced in a room with one of our "frequent flyers"....

I've cried with families who have lost their children unexpectedly over the weekend.... I've pulled the breathing tube out an 8 year-old who was struck by a car and died.... I've given her lifeless body to her father and watched him gently cradle her like a newborn.... I wiped away the blood that oozed from her mouth and onto his shirt.... I've cried alone in storage closets because there was too much sadness at the bedside.... I've heard the cries of mothers who have lost their children....It's an eerie cry because no matter what culture or language, the cry always sounds the same...like a wounded animal.... I've hugged grandmothers who should have been real the mother instead.... I've taken care of teenage mothers and their premature infants in the same week.... I've attended more funerals of patients than I have of my own family. I've picked up a mother who collapsed in the hallway when she learned she was 30 minutes too late.... For families, I've cut locks of their dying child's hair for them to have as a keepsake.... I have been the last one out of the room when their child has died....

Next Friday, I will be walking again to officially receive my Master's in Nursing in the presence of my friends and family. While one chapter is slowly closing, the next chapter of my nursing career will begin in about a month when I join a gastroenterology practice as a nurse practitioner. I'm excited to start because this will be a different role and huge leap from the comforts of bedside nursing....

Cheers to those dedicated nurses....here's to more years of memorable nursing...

"Execute"

Forget about being a nurse practitioner, I want to become an IMF secret agent!
Over the weekend, I saw the third installment of "Mission Impossible". Tom Cruise may be the king of all CrAzYs in real life, but as Ethan Hunt, he is AwEsOmE!!!!! The movie overall was GREAT...the best of all three. It had a great story line, breathtaking action scenes, and the coolest gadgets ever! I have to give Tom Cruise credit because I heard that he did about 90% of his own stunts; which in this movie is absolutely phenomenal, especially for a 43 year-old man!

This by far, was one of the best action movies I have seen in a while. By the end of the movie, I felt like I had gotten off a rollercoaster because the movie generates and regenerates enough adrenaline to keep you awake! There are 3 "mini-missions" in this movie and each one keeps you wide-eyed and wanting to see more!

What made this movie better than the other two were the team of characters and gadgets. This time around, there were a team of young (and might I add, VERY fine-looking) agents aiding Ethan. In past movies, I felt like it was only Ethan running solo, but this time he's accompanied by equally skilled agents. Ving Rhames returns as Luther, the loyal technician, who functions as the eyes of the whole operation from an always "abandoned" van. I shouldn't say "always", he did scuba through some tight tunnels and prove that black people CAN swim!

The first hottie of the team is Declan, the lead transporter for the MI team. You might recognize him as the skinny soccer coach in "Bend It Like Beckham", but he's totally buffed up now! I hope they feature him in more MI movies because he definitely has the looks and capability to develop his MI character...maybe even take over for Mr. Hunt?!?!?! MY hero...

Next up is, Zhen and she's not your token Asian chick! Usually I'm a hater when it comes to female action heros (gag...Elektra), but she is an awesome character! Smart and sexy...she definitely pulls her weight in the movie.

Anyways, I hope I didn't give away too much, but I hope it's enough to make you interested to watch the movie sometime soon! Forget the couches he has jumped on, the bizarre interviews, and the flat-out strange PDAs that Tom Cruise does in real life...on the big screen, he's a different person...literally!