Friday, November 20, 2015

My Thoughts on MockingJay

Off the bat thoughts? I didn't like it.

Out of the 4 movies produced for this trilogy, I'd say MockingJay part 2 was the least likeable. Hunger Games was good, Catching Fire was better, MockingJay part 1 was uneventful but substantial. I think it would be better if they just created one movie instead of having it in two parts. There were just so many dead moments. I can only imagine how it was like to watch the movie if you've never read books. Conversations were too long and it lacks actions.

When I read the last book, I was quite at a loss in imagining the final scenes - the journey to the Capitol, the pods scattered all around, the underground escape. So I didn't have a solid picture in my head on how it looked like but I did like how it was interpreted and presented in the movie. At least cinematography was good. My biggest issue, however, is that the movies failed to show the great love story between Peeta and Katniss. They simply lacked intimacy and chemistry. The story line focused on the uprising and the war so much that they failed to show Katniss' pain when Peeta wasn't himself, Peeta's struggle with his feelings for Katniss which were clouded by torture and the journey they had to go through together when they were fighting in the Capitol. It was seriously the best love story in all the dystopian books I've read. But at least they put in my favorite line in the entire trilogy:


One last thing, Finnick's death was so underwhelming!!!!!!! :( His death will always be one of the most painful fictional deaths I'd ever have to live it. 

I was obsessed with this trilogy once. In fact, I also made movie reviews of Hunger Games (here) and Catching Fire (here). And now that it's over I'm a little nostalgic. Maybe I should re-read it for nth time?

Love, Paola xx

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Sadness and Everything in Between


Throwback to a particularly candid and happy photo of me because I spent my morning being sad today. It was one of those please-don't-talk-to-me-or-I'll-burst-out-crying days but by lunch time, I was all out of tears and I was so hungry to even care about my own sadness. I read a quote once that tells us to embrace our sadness and everything that comes with it. There are times when I get depressed over the little things and non trivial matters create a big impact on my disposition. It's frustrating, really. You tell yourself you have no right to lament over this or over that so you get depressed even more because there's nothing worse than not being able to explain how you feel to others, much less to yourself. But I think I'm learning not to belittle my sadness no matter how minute my reasons are. It's meant to be released anyway. So when I'm sad, I give myself time to mourn then after that I get back to regular programming and I'm okay again. You start to realize that in the bigger scheme of things, your worries are nothing but just spec of colors in an intricate painting. It's a #blessed life afterall.  

I'm spending my night with my ultimate lonely cure: food and Taylor Swift therapy. Right now, she's singing We Are Never Getting Back Together as I enjoy my Chef Tony popcorn, cause Taylor knows just which songs you need to hear. So if your sad over the tiniest things, whether it be because of the inconvenience APEC has brought us, or because you will be working through the long weekend, or maybe because a certain person hasn't replied to your text for days, be sad then get over it and be thankful instead. 

Love, Paola xx

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Night Owl No More


I am a night owl and now, I am bothered by the fact that I can no longer sleep my way through the day. This Sunday I woke up at 6:30 am. It has been happening for quite a while now, me waking up past 6 am on a weekend, looking at the clock, realizing the time, going back to sleep again and finally getting up at 9:00 am. How very #firstworldproblem, I know.

So like every social media savvy of our generation, I took this dilemma Twitter only to find out that a few my friends are also already getting a head start on their day. Is this a sign that we're finally maturing? Is maturity measured in time - when you start waking up like a normal adult? Or is it measured in preference - when you prefer to wear to loose, white polos over tight fitting bandage skirts that your closet is full of? It might be measured in concern - when you trade your favorite blogs for CNN.com because you crave for knowledge on what has been happening to the world lately. Maybe it's also measured in decision, like when you decide to finally accept the fact that sometimes you won't get what you want and you've got to be okay with that. 

Cryptic thoughts. Something I've gotten out of waking up early. 

Love, Paola xx

Friday, November 6, 2015

I'm Writing Again


Late Friday night thoughts - I have a gazillion of them right now. But probably the loudest one is that: Sometimes you feel loved, sometimes you feel lost. Its a win-lose situation but maybe that's okay.

Maybe its quarter-life crisis, maybe its the amaretto sour, maybe it's the heartfelt talk with a friend or maybe its the fact that I'm so happy I'm with my dog again after another work week. But whatever it is, I'm writing again. I'm so happy I'm writing again. It's my solace for as long as I can remember - from poems, to unfinished novels, to diary entries, to lengthy letters I don't give, to random notes on my phone. It's been so long, but here I am, writing again. 

That's it for now, but I'm writing again. (Can I say it one more time?)

Love, Paola xx