Author: Vicky

Did he just say that?

So Kris Aquino and James Yap are having some marital problems but what does this do for Noynoy Aquino’s campaign?

Florencio Abad, campaign manager for Aquino tried to put a positive spin on the revelation, saying “The more they mention the name Aquino, (the more it will help Noynoy).”

He went on to say, “Kris has been honest and transparent about it. And the whole idea of a failing marriage is appealing to people because we are pro-institution, we are pro-marriage.”

Seriously, what is “pro-institution”? And how does being pro-marriage add to the appeal of a failing marriage?

The dude should have just kept his mouth shut or stuck to the prepared speech of “This (Kris-James marriage) is more important than my campaign”.

Breathe.Release

Yesterday the office went out to dinner at Chowking to celebrate the Bass’s birthday. Sweet and Sour Pork, Spareribs, Pancit Canton and Shanghai Rolls.

We all had a blast. After a stressful week it was great to have a light and fancy free night. The afternoon’s presentation went pretty well but we were so stressed trying to prepare for any disasters. Anticipating and preparing for failure has a way of keeping you on your toes.

Pia and I are going to watch Ghost Rider tonight with Rabang. Yes we know it is a bad movie but the opportunity for mocking is too good to pass up. And hey, it can’t be any worse than Ultraviolet.

Make it snappy

When you’re a technical writer being told that your writing is “dull”, “boring” and “full of platitudes” is the kiss of death. It’s even worse when you don’t disagree.

I’ve been reviewing my work and the constructive criticism is spot on – the writing is uninspired, full of repetition that makes for really boring reading. If I was looking for instruction with my work, I’d have my head on my keyboard having passed out after reading some of my stuff.

So how do I give my documentation some spark?

I’ve been using a thesaurus to find proper synonyms. I’ve also looking (really looking) at the text and asking myself:

  • “What are you trying to say here?”
  • “Does what you’ve written make any sense?”
  • “Is it in the active voice?”
  • “Can I tighten up the language to make it more accessible?”
  • How does it fit with other text in the section and the documentation as a whole

How do I create a sense of uniformity in the overall documentation but at the same time maintain some creativity in the writing so that it’s not all “Do this” or “In this screen you will see” type blather?

It comes down to focusing on the topic at hand while keeping the mind’s eye on the whole, just like life (platitude not intended).

The Frak-O-Meter

After Pia’s frak-filled rant, I jokingly suggested to her that she needed a plugin to keep score of the number of fraks she uses. She asked me to make it and now I present to you…The Frak-O-Meter.

The plugin just counts the total number of “fraks” in all posts for displaying in the sidebar. At Pia’s request, there’s also a Post Frak Count tag but use it with care because it increases the page load time.

Shiny!

New layout featuring Kara Thrace of Battlestar Galactica.

After much hemming and hawing and deciding what to do I’ve found a plugin to manage my movie list. I’m using WP Movie Ratings which keeps a handy list of movies I’ve seen along with a rating and review snippet. You have the option of linking to IMDB or your own link.

I’m going home now. Happy weekend all!

Top 5 in Movies

Movie meme which has taken me the better part of the day to decide on. Via grrliz.

The rules:

Once tagged by this entry, you list ten movies: your Five Favourites and your Five Guilty Pleasures. Then pick five of your friends and tag them. No tag-backs. This explanation should be included.

I will be ignoring the last part and tag anyone who’d like to participate.

I dusted off my list of ten favorite movies ever (written up in 2004) and updated it. Guilty pleasures were tough to decide on because it was a toss up between true guilty pleasures and dying from shame. I chose my true guilty pleasures.


My Top 5 Movies

  1. Aliens – This is the prime example of how to make a good action movie – fast paced, kick ass acting and moments of sheer terror – Ripley’s dream of being infected with one of the Alien spawn jolts me every time I watch Aliens. This is also where my deep affection and appreciation for Bill Paxton started and is one of the reasons why James Cameron is my favorite writer/director.
  2. Strictly Ballroom – It is one of the first movies I bought on VHS with my own money and I watched it at least 20 times. That moment when Scott’s father shouts “We lived our lives in fear” still gives me goosebumps when I think about it. There is such joy and freedom in this simple, funny tale of being different that has made me loved Strictly Ballroom since I saw in 1989. Who didn’t want to become a ballroom dancer after watching this movie?!
  3. Lord of the Rings – I have to include the trilogy as one because that’s how I appreciate it. Watching the extended edition I especially loved the transition of the landscape and the mood that Peter Jackson evokes with lighting and color. There is nothing more majestic than watching the Rohirrim and Rohan’s fighters descend on Pellinor Fields and when Aragon shouts “For Frodo”, I was on the verge of crying. I don’t think I’ll be able to watch another fantasy movie that will fill me with the same sense of wonder that the Lord of the Rings has stirred.
  4. Chasing Amy – Ben Affleck + Kevin Smith = OTP
  5. Sense and Sensibility – My favorite Jane Austen book translated onto screen. What I find funny now is that I absolutely loved Marianne but here I detested her. But then when she’s near death and Elinor is weeping at her bedside, damn, if I didn’t shed a tear or too myself. It’s hard to imagine that this was Ang Lee’s English language directorial debut.


My Top 5 Guilty Pleasures

  1. True Lies – Spies trying to stop Arab terrorists from nuking a major US city – could there be an action/comedy like this now? True Lies plays for laughs and that’s where the movie succeeds. I was giggling gleefully when Jamie Lee Curtis’s character asks if her codename could be “Natasha” and was told she would be called “Doris”. This is not your typical Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick or a James Cameron movie – it defies categorization but you’ll definately have fun watching this. And Bill Paxton is priceless as a weasley, cowardly car salesman.
  2. The Sound of Music – Come on! Don’t tell me you can’t recite even one song from The Sound of Music. I think I’ve seen this movie at least 30 times in my lifetime and I still don’t get bored. And seriously, singing “Raindrops on Roses” is a good way to learn how to speak with an upperclass Austrian British accent.
  3. Twister – If you’re stuck for something to watch on a Sunday afternoon, rent Twister. It’s not going to win major story awards but the action is decent, the effects are good and I’m sure you’ll derive a perverse pleasure in seeing Cary Elwes being sucked up a twister.
  4. a href=”http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120591/”>Armageddon (and any other Michael Bay movie except Pearl Harbor) – Probably one of Bay’s cheesiest movies but I don’t care. With a cast like Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Duncan Clarke, Ben Affleck, Peter Stormare, William Fitchner and Liv Tyler you can’t go wrong! Check your head at the door, forget about plot holes and enjoy the slick action pieces.
  5. American Ninja – There is no real plot in this low-budget movie but I thought it was the bees-knees when I saw it as a kid. Here’s the synopsis from Wikipedia:

    Joe Armstrong, an orphaned amnesiac drifter with little respect for much other than martial arts, finds himself on an American Army base in the Philippines after a judge gives him a choice of enlistment or prison. The base comes under repeated attacks by local rebels who are after the military equipment that their leader, Ortega, plans to sell to the highest bidder. His top henchman is Black Star Ninja, who runs a training camp to train Ortega’s private ninja army. In the end, Joe must use his secret martial arts skills to defeat the bad guys and rescue his girlfriend, with the help of his new buddies in the army and his long-lost mentor.

    I have one word: Mwahahahahahahaha.