What separates books from movies is imagination. The reader's or audience's imagination, that is. Books generally have an infinite sense of possibilities. Anything written can be interpreted in any way. The main character may even be imagined as the reader herself-- which often happens to me ;-P. With movies, the imagination becomes limited because it is already translated into a two-dimensional pseudo-realistic portrayal of a story. So it is often a struggle of sorts for a reader to accept and love a movie version of her favorite book.

Most of the time, it becomes disappointing. Since the movie is limited by time, space and budget, crucial storylines may be cut short or even left out altogether. What was funny in the book, may not inspire some lips to twitch at all. The hardest audience to please are those who know the story from end to end, backwards and forwards; those who have imagined a different reality than the movie version. Many books-turned-movies have disappointed me, including The Deep End of the Ocean. I love Michelle Pfeiffer and goodness knows I had a crush on Jonathan Jackson in High School. But they weren't enough to redeem the dramatic and emotional value of that film.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was different. This one, I really liked. It deliberately took out a lot of scenes and Peeves, the resident Hogwarts poltergeist, is still missing in action, but I still loved the movie.

Daniel Radcliffe, while not emotionally-lacking, can improve. He's doing a fine job, mind you, and to act side by side British bigwigs is something to feel jittery about. He just needs a little bit more oomph. But not too much, like Emma Watson. Her facial expressions have gone from theatrical to just plain twitchy. Every word she says has an accompanying nose twitch or lip twitch or something. Rupert Grint... I didn't notice. Hehe. But I noticed that Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) played the Headmaster a little too harsh and strict. While Richard Harris, the original Dumbledore, was serene and patient, Gambon's was always yelling and moving around. I love Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, perfect for the role! And Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort is just amazing.

Because I'm getting tired of writing at the moment, let me close this entry. I just want to say that no Potter movie has left me laughing as much and gaping as much as this one. The scene where Voldemort and Harry were dueling was so intense I found myself slack-jawed throughout that scene. But I didn't like the ending though. Too.. kiddie. Plus, I wonder how they'd start working on the bitterness between Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic in the fifth installment of the movie, when it was hardly touched in this one at all. We'll see. I didn't like the fifth book so much, it was the most boring of the series, so I hope the next director would do miracles to keep up with the first four.

***
POST SCRIPT
A digital "spot removing" technique was applied in the post-production of the movie Harry Potter to clear up some of the more severe teen skin problems, since make-up tested poorly for close-up shots in particular.

I never knew what Thanksgiving Day was for. All I knew was that Americans treat it as a much bigger celebration than Christmas. And that you eat a poor turkey for dinner.

Consequently, when I asked my American co-workers to explain to me the meaning of this affair, they replied in shock. Why, don't you in the Philippines celebrate Thanksgiving? I said, no. We have All Saint's Day in November and Christmas in December. Imagine their shock at this travesty. But imagine my shock when I found out that it was to give thanks to the forefathers who helped free America. Right, we should be celebrating your freedom from monstrous British oppression.

It was only later that it evolved into something less American, and more universal, as this country is now a melting pot of cultures. These days, it also symbolizes giving thanks to anything and everything one should be grateful for.

So since I am here, and since I am forced to celebrate Thanksgiving day (no work, no malls, no nothing today!) I might as well write a Gratitude list to all the people/animals I am thankful for.

***

My Family
Ours is a common tribe. We may not live in the inner Philippine jungles, we may be clothed in the finest our meager moolah can buy, we may be too 21st century to be called a tribe, but still the Salem-Almoite family still functions as a tribe. A clan. We follow tradition, we respect and consider the decision of our elders, we move together, stay together, bond together. Well, more like we're stuck together. That's what I love about this family. Our cousins are like a big barkada. Eternal cousins!!! It's just not the same without being together. So I'm thankful that I belong in a family that first and foremost taught me the value of having a family. Squabbles are everywhere, misunderstandings strain the fiber sometimes but at the end of the day, we come home to our big and beautiful family.

My Cheekyboy
It's human instinct to find human companionship far beyond mere friendship. It's the way of the world. You will always find yourself in a situation where you want to know if there's anyone out there who fits with you. This one is my exact opposite. He's an extrovert, I'm an introvert. He's outspoken, I like to keep my thoughts within. He'll explode, I'll implode. He's left, I'm right. He's up, I'm down. And yet dismissing all those facts, it turns out we balance each other. We are not the perfect couple, but who is? Nobody's perfect. Anyone who claims to be are just fooling themselves or are just totally warped. Vincent and I belong in a perfect imperfect union and we rock! I'm thankful to him because more than learning about being in a relationship, I learned about myself. Every single time. And that's the most important thing. For where will we be if we have lost ourselves in the journey? Thank you, Cheekyboy!

My Friends
You meet hundreds, if not thousands of people in your lifetime. Most of them will just pass you by and you can't even remember their names the next day, nevermind their faces the next week. But there are people who make a lasting impression on your life, who touch you, who have connected with you and these are the people who are part of who you are now. As you grow old, you don't spend most of your time with your family. You have to go to work or school. There you spend time with your friends. I'm thankful for these friends from whom I have learned the good, the bad and the ugly-- without going through them myself. I will not declare myself a scarred soldier who have been through many epic battles in my lifetime. I have not. But a lot of my friends have. And from their experience and inspiration, I have learned an awful deal. From their courage, I have spawned courage of my own. Thank you, guys.

My Pets
When I was growing up, I always thought that you will receive in return from what you gave. And then I had my first pet. A white male cat named Keating. This kitty taught me the value of unconditional love. I was a rebellious, confused, struggling teenager then. And everytime I cried, it's as if he hears me and he comes to me to comfort me, as if telling me that everything's going to be fine. And then came a host of other pets, including Buffy and Trining. I believe that having and being able to take care of a pet is a huge responsibility because you have to take care of them, feed them, love them when frankly,it will be hard to compare them with a human companion. With pets, you need to learn to be selfless. Just love them as they are. And when you love them enough, when they're happy, you'll feel happier. Thank you, pets.

My Teachers
I have had many teachers in my lifetime but I'll mention those who have made a great significance to me 23 years of existence. In order of consequence: 1.Mrs. Fronda. 5th Grade. You believed I could shed a tear when all I could do was crumple my face and utter some dramatic words. And because of that you helped me be in that CCP/PETA acting workshop and consequently, the play Bernardo Carpio. You have stirred the creative soul in me. And I never got to thank you. 2.Mrs. Pambid. 6th grade. You steered me in the best direction I could ever find myself in. I thank you for telling me that I know how to write. Thank you for honing my skills. Thank you for training me for all those competitions we both won. We won, Ma'am. We both did. You have changed my life forever just by telling me that you believed I could make it. 3. Miss Barayuga. Freshman High school. I met you at Speech class. It was not a good time for me. I was new, I was troubled and I have made an enemy of myself.But in that school, you were the only person who truly TRULY made me feel special. I was a somebody to you. While you gave everybody else a 78, you gave me a 98. Thank you for recognizing me. 4. Sir Ron. College. More than being ka-berks, you are my most favorite teacher of all time! It's partly because all the subjects you taught were my favorites... but mostly because you taught in the way you knew. And you didn't take any bullshit. Your classes were fun and I had soooo much fun being in them. Thanks! 5. Miss Sayson. College. I love Miss Sayson because I felt that more than a teacher, she is a friend, a psychologist, a listener who would take what you had to give out and have nothing but comfort to offer. You have helped me through my low times in 2004. In ways you never knew. Thank you.

My Lord.
I feel guilty because my views on God and religion is relatively New Age. I believe that religion is merely a human organization. It survives merely through faith. It is disputable that there is a God. People will always dispute his existence. Yet this does not mean that I don't believe in a God. He is everywhere and he is nowhere. I believe that whatever is good and right, must be God. I believe that God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Brahma.. I believe all of them are one and the same. They were given many names and yet at the heart of it all, the religions that gave birth to these gods have common goodness at the core. So what's the fuss all about? I thank the God that I believe in that he listens to me and keeps me in a direction that I should be in.

*****

These views are my own. I'm sorry if I offend any of your beliefs. But where I am and where I stand, it's a free world. I can say whatever I want to say. Let's just agree to disagree, shall we?

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS LONG-WINDED ENTRY.

I dunno about you, but special days for me are important. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas, New Year's Day... I like to celebrate these occasions and feel, well, special.

***

San ka pa? Eskimo ititch!

Ngayon, Filipino time yung snow. Late dumating. Kahit yung mga pinagpipitagang meteoroligists sa TV nagkamali sa pag-predict kung kelan nga ito darating. May excuse na sila: unpredictable daw ang first few days of winter. Yeah right. Buong weather naman, mapa-spring, summer o fall, unpredictable. Malalaman mo na lang na may bagyo sa labas kasi ang lakas ng hangin at ulan. At malalaman mo na lang na may snow dahil malamig at ang puti na ng kalsada. Binalakubak. Big thanks ha.

Nakakita na ko ng snow dati. Pero patapos na. Yung tinatawag na "flurry" na lang naabutan ko. Yun mas maliliit at mas maninipis. Parang ulan lang pero yelo pala. Parang balakubak talaga. Pero eto ngayon, ung totoong snow. Di ako handa. Paglabas ko ng trabaho, naka-parka ako (ung jacket na makapal), thermal boots at gloves. Akala mo ready for action. Pero paglabas ng mukha ko. Sapul! Derecho sa mata ko ung malaking snowflake! Aray!!! Samamabits! Di ako handa dun ah. Wish ko lang, pagbigyan ng konti ang mga nakikituloy lang sa bahay ni Uncle Sam at hindi sanay sa malamig na panahon... wish ko lang.

Pero kahit papaano, ayos pa naman. Siguro pag nasa -0 degrees na ang temperatura, baka mas marami na akong expression na mahihiram kay Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah!

***

YAKKED SOMEWHERE: Looking out the window, on the snowy front yard, my little cousin Aaron sings, "Twingle bells, Twingle bells, Twingle all the wayyyy..."

If you read my profile, it'd be obvious I'm crazy about cats. We've had sooo many cats, our lifetime can't match their nine lives. For now though, we only have two. It's an economic and practical choice. If it were up to me, I'd keep every single one and all the babies my kitty-factory (her name's Tutip) would make. But then all the other people in the house don't like cats. They decided to keep these two just coz they know me and my sister love them too much. Ahh well.

Why do I love cats? Cats are independent. They do what they want to do. If you don't give them attention every free minute or so, they won't mind. They like their space, thank you very much. Cats are good sympathizers. Because they like to be stroked, whenever you feel down you can talk to them and they will come to you in sympathy. Our first cat, Keating, did that to me all the time. Whenever I feel sad, he'd come to me and sit on my lap, as if offering sympathy. Cats are soft. They look delicate. But when it's time to strike... OUCH! Mee-owww!

So here's my two favorite kitties in the world... Buffy and Trining!