HIMYM Finale Rants

I knew the mother was going to die, but I didn't see Ted and Robin getting back together in that way. I didn't like it. I felt cheated.

Ted was a believer of love, but in the end, I felt like he only settled with the mother because Robin has always been the love of his life. And if Robin was the love of his life, it's just so sad that it took them so long to get back together.

The ending makes sense, perfect sense actually. But only for Ted - why he was telling the story... just everything. But the ending did not make sense for Barney and Robin. I'm happy with Barney and his daughter but I was rooting for him to find love too. And Robin, poor Robin, she waited for more than a decade for Ted. That. Is. Just. So. Sad. We followed her story too for years, only for her to end as a back-up wife.

I've already made my peace with how HIMYM ended. A lot of articles defended the ending. They make valid points.  I actually agree with them, especially with this one: 5 Criticisms Of How I Met Your Mother‘s Ending (And Why They’re Invalid)

But that finale was missing one key ingredient: the SPEECH. I hope there was a big speech about Ted's love for Tracy, especially when she died. A speech just like what Tracy did in the episode entitled "How Your Mother Met Me". Tracy deserves it.  There was nothing in that finale that I could hold on to so I could stop  thinking that Ted merely settled with Tracy and that Tracy was somehow The One, even if it was only for a short amount of time. There was no big speech about love. The finale had to be defended by fans when it could have easily been written to perfection just like other episodes.

Still, thank you for 9 seasons, HIMYM. We loved you. It's the end of an era indeed. You will be missed. 

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Hi, Max. It's me. Sorry to interrupt. I know you're probably up there playing baseball with your dad. Uhm, look, I've got a situation here. I think that I have been holding myself back from falling in love again. And I think it's because I can't let you go. But you're not here anymore so I have to ask this: Would it be okay if I moved on? I realize that you have no way of answering that, but.... Oh, okay, I will take that as yes. In that case, I should get back in there. I guess this is it. For real this time. Bye, Max. - Tracy, HIMYM, S09E16

For more HIMYM quotes for the entire 9 seasons, click here.

3 Vampire Series

There was a time that I got addicted to contemporary vampire series. I got sick of them after some time. But rationally thinking about it, I still think they're good enough. I'm not hard to please.

Now that the first part of the last installment of the Twilight Saga is out, I'm reminded of the two other Vampire series I read last year: "The Vampire Diaries" and "Vampire Academy".

"The Vampire Diaries" is now a popular TV series. I think the production steered away from the story of the book -- I'm not sure, I don't follow the TV series. If ever, I'm glad they did. The Vampire Diaries Book Series got so lengthy, boring, repetitive and pathetic.

The "Vampire Academy", I like better. The characters are captivating and their lines are memorable. However, I got very disappointed with its ending. I thought it would end after six  books -- let me repeat, SIX!!! I mean, it's no Harry Potter series. I was wrong! The ending was an indication that there would be another book where the then-minor characters will be the lead ones. I think the seventh book is out now.

The Twilight Series, in my opinion, is an entertaining series. I've read all four books in (figuratively) one-seating, I can't afford to hate it. I think it just got overrated, then gained a lot of haters, especially after the first movie was out. It was not what fans (and non-fans) expected --well, it was not what I expected. After "Twilight", I chose not to watch the succeeding movies in the cinema. The haters gained confidence and the fans lost theirs.

They're good books. But maybe I'm still sick of vampire series, I don't have any plans of reading any vampire book anytime soon.

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I failed to take note of Twilight Series quotations but here are remarkable lines from "The Vampire Diaries" and "Vampire Academy":


THE VAMPIRE DIARIES SERIES (by LJ Smith)


The Awakening

• Evil will never find peace. It may triumph, but it will never find peace.
• She was like fire burning in ice, like the keen edge of a silver dagger.
• And there hadn't been butterflies in her stomach—there had been bats.
• It doesn't matter if you can't say it right now. I'll say it for both of us. And someday you'll learn.

The Struggle

• You’re the mirror?  …You’ve stolen my soul.

The Fury

• This was what the human brain did to itself when faced with something it simply couldn't deal with. Matt had shut down, turned off.
• "You won't let go of me?" - Elena; "No." - Stefan; "Then I won't be afraid." – Elena

Dark Reunion

• But just because it's hopeless doesn't mean it's all right to stop fighting.
• There's no excuse for giving up just because it looks like we're going to lose. We have to try—because the other choice is to surrender.
• The killer would have to shred him nerve from nerve, muscle from muscle, cell from cell to make him leave her.
• Deep down you just want to live your safe little lives in your safe little houses until you go to your safe little graves!
• To go on trying.
• I'm not like you? – Damon; It doesn't matter.-Stefan

The Return Nightfall

• She wanted to put into words all the feelings that were piled behind her clumsy tongue and stubborn mind.
• Boys! ...I mean I know they’re totally necessary and all, but sometimes they Just Don’t Get It. - Bonnie; Just wait till you try men. - Meredith
• And if the car breaks down, I’ll walk; and when I can’t walk anymore, I’ll crawl. But I will find him. – Elena

VAMPIRE ACADEMY SERIES (by Richelle Mead)


Vampire Academy

• You don't keep me around to be nice. - Rose
• Don’t worry. I won’t bite. Well, at least not in the way you’re afraid of. - Christian
• Teach me how to fight. I already know how to run away. - Rose
• If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you. - Dimitri

Frostbite

• Things die. But they don't always stay dead.
• This isn't a Christmas special! This is my life. In the real world, miracles and goodness just don't happen. In the real world, you can make your own miracles. -Rose
• It was one thing to accept that I couldn't have Dimitri. It was something entirely different to realize someone else could. - Rose
• You can't force love, I realized. It's there or it isn't. If it's not there, you've got to be able to admit it. If it is there, you've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.- Rose

Shadow Kiss

• Keeping love buried was a lot like keeping anger pent up, I'd learned. It just ate you up inside until you wanted to scream or kick something.- Rose
• You don't have to keep up with the hard-to-get thing. You've already got me.-Adrian
• Rose is in red. But never in blue. Sharp as a thorn. Fights like one too. - Adrian
• My cigarettes and I are going outside. At least they show me respect.- Adrian
• Everyone likes feeling special. Being part of an elite group is a way to do that. - Adrian; But you weren't part of it? - Rose; No need. I already know I'm special. - Adrian
• With someone you loved, you could be anywhere, and it would be incredible - Rose
• We try to do what's right, or rather, what others say is right. But sometimes, when that goes against who we are…you have to choose.-  Dimitri
• The minutes didn't fly, but they did eventually pass.
• You might be surrounded by clouds, but you’ll always be like sunshine to me. - Adrian 

Blood Promise

• You're burned into my mind forever. There is nothing, nothing in this world that will ever change that. – Dimitri
• I’ll count the seconds until you return - Christian
• As we grow and change, sometimes things we’ve experienced before take on new meaning. It’ll happen for the rest of your life. - Dimitri
• You are young. You’ve barely lived. E veryone thinks their first love is the only one they'll ever have. - Abe
• Don't beat yourself up over what you could have or should have done. The past is gone. Move on to the future. – Avery
• We need to be together. – Dimitri; Why? - Rose;  Because i want you – Dimitri; Wrong answer. – Rose
• I will always love you. – Rose; That's what I was supposed to say. - Dimitri
• Adrian’s Voicemail: I know how devastated you must be to miss me but leave a message, and I’ll try to ease your agony as soon as possible. – Adrian

Spirit Bound

• It's a shame, because if I could dream, I know I'd dream about you. Without dreams, I have to be content with my own imagination--which is almost as good. - Dimitri
• Eternity will be lonely without you- Dimitri
• Rose, nothing in this world could make me hate you. - Adrian
• Don't be sorry you loved him. That's part of you, part you have to let go, yeah, but still something that's made you who you are. - Adrian
• Trying to figure it out was like being on a hamster wheel. A lot of work. No progress.
• You're beautiful in battle. Like an avenging angel come to deliver the justice of heaven. – Dimitri; Funny. That is kind of why I'm here.- Rose; Angels fall, Rose.- Dimitri
• Not just a miracle. A fairy tale. 
• We'd known each other only a year, but we'd lived a lifetime in it - Rose
• Don't you think that if God can supposedly forgive you, it's kind of egotistical for you not to forgive yourself? - Rose
• I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has.- Dimitri
• You can't help the way you feel. - Adrian
• You forget: I have an addictive personality. I’m addicted to you. - Adrian
• Are you real? You're a dream within a dream. I'm afraid touching you will make me wake up. You'll disappear. – Adrian
• I cheat at cards and buy liquor for minors. But I would never, ever force you into something you don't want. - Adrian
• Sanctimonious Bitch! – Rose

Last Sacrifice

• Sometimes the greatest tests of our strengths are situations that don’t seem so obviously dangerous. Sometimes surviving is the hardest thing of all. – Abe
• Tradition demands sacrifice… as does tragedy. 
• You’ve got to take it on faith that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. – Victor
• Enjoy what you have, every little detail of wherever you are. Don’t focus on where you aren’t. – Dimitri
• It goes against every rule of the universe. – Rose
• Some rules are bigger than the universe. – Sydney
• You know, sometimes I think I love you. – Lissa; Sometimes? – Christian; All the time. But I’ve got to keep you on your toes. – Lissa; Consider me kept. – Christian
• It’s an honor to meet you at last. Seeing you from a distance was beautiful. Up close? Divine. – Blake Lazar
• You have good taste. Of course, since you’re dating me, we already knew that. – Adrian
• …anger based on calculated reason is more dangerous than anger based on blind hate.
• Because sometimes, a person can get so caught up in the details that they miss the whole…It’s you. You’re beautiful. So beautiful, it hurts me. – Dimitri
• Behaviors and feeling rarely line up. – Sonya
• You’re so wise in many ways…and so young in others. – Sonya
• I don’t believe in soul mates, not exactly. I think it’s ridiculous to think there’s only one person out there for us. What if your soul mate is in Zimbabwe? What if he dies young? I also think “two souls becoming one” is ridiculous. You need to hold on to yourself. But I do believe in souls being sync, souls that mirror each other. – Sonya
• A queen must possess nothing to rule because she has to give everything she has to her people. Even her life. – Lissa
• That’s how we have survived. We hold on to our pasts and embrace our present. We take the best of it all and grow stronger. - Lissa

3 Idiots: A Must- Watch

I don't own the rights to this photo.

"3 Idiots", a bollywood movie, follows the quest of friends trying to find Rancho who disappeared after their college graduation. It is filled with flashbacks of when the three idiots were in college. The movie showcases how genius Rancho is and how he has changed the lives of his friends.

It is one of my favorite movies because it teaches values in a fun and heartwarming way. The story's theme revolves around (1) how pressure in schools must be reduced; (2) how learning is more important than education; (3) how important friendship is; and (4) how to pursue excellence without sacrificing things that you value.

The following are memorable quotes from the movie:

•  Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down. - Rancho
• Your friend fails, you feel bad. Your friend tops, you feel worse. -  Farhan
• Today my respect for that idiot shoot up. Most of us went to college just for a degree. No degree meant no plum job, no pretty wife, no credit card, no social status. But none of this mattered to him, he was in college for the joy of learning, he never cared if he was first or last. - Farhan
• This is college, not a pressure cooker. Even a cirus lion learns to sit on a chair in fear of the whip; but you call such a lion well-trained, not well-educated.-  Rancho
• No, sir. I wasn't teaching Engineering. You're an expert at that. I was teaching you...how to teach - Rancho
• You're crossing the line. - Farhan

      -No, I'm drawing one. - Raju

• Everyone turns into a yes-man to get the job. - Recruiter
• Aal izz well.

These quotes do not capture the entirety of the movie. It has a lot of memorable scenes, like those in the classrooms, with Raju's and Farhan's parents, the hospital, and many more scenes and dialogues that one has to watch to understand. "3 Idiots" is a must-watch, especially for students, parents and teachers. Actually everyone should watch it. It is a quality movie that would not disappoint.

Thoughts on "Pure Love" Finale

Last night the Koreanovela "Pure Love" featured in ABS-CBN concluded. I think it is the one of the best Koraenovelas I've ever watched. Koreanovela has this way of capturing my interest. It is like watching a Hollywood chick flick every episode. They have a certain formula for "kilig"  - maybe it is the simplicity of acting, the amazing Korean romantic environment, the sense of style in the set or the unfamiliar (compared to Filipino actors/actresses since we can barely separate them from their real lives sometimes) and extremely good-looking characters. I also think that OPM soundtracks used as background songs in Koreanovela complement the scenes.

Pure Love, though, is more on the dramatic side. Pure Love is about a girl (Diane) who had been in an accident and was given a second chance to live if she could collect three teardrops that she could only get from people who love her purely. Easy as it sounds, she had a hard time since there are different kinds of tears and a tear from a pure love is extremely rare. She could not also collect from family members. In the end, she was able to collect three teardrops, but there was a twist: she would not be able to remember her 49-day travel; meaning, the moment she wakes up from being comatose, she would forget what she discovered which is the fact that a certain guy (Dave) loves her - even before the accident happened. The Scheduler gave her a choice between (a) being able to remember her 49-day travel but she would truly die in 6 days or (b) forgetting everything in her 49-day travel and that she would continue to live. She chose the former.

I watched Pure Love to see who will cry for her, who really loves her purely. But twists in the end exemplify what pure love really is outside the collection of the three teardrops. The choices made by Diane herself and the Scheduler show what pure love really means – that is sacrificing their personal happiness, interests and even their lives for the people they love. Diane chose to die so that she would be able to remember that Dave truly loves her.

"Pure Love" shows the love of family, friends and romantic love. It shows Diane, Isabel, Dave and the Scheduler's unconditional love - one which transcends death.

Watching "Pure Love" had been a good way to end my day. I hope more stories would be as captivating.

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"Death ends a life, not a relationship". - Tuesdays with Morrie

For the LOVE of HP Series

10 Reasons Why I Love the Harry Potter Series


1. Taught me how to read an entire book - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was the first ever book I finished. After that, I've read hundreds, but HP will remain my favorite.


2. Been a part of my life for more than a decade - It's been more than a decade of waiting for books and movies to be released, and JK never failed to make the wait more than worthwhile. JK knew, as she had written in the very first chapter, “The Boy Who Lived”, that every child in our world will know Harry Potter's name.


3. The movie cast - You can't help but fall in love with the actors, maybe because they gave justice to the characters and it’s apparent that they also loved the characters they played. The Golden Trio, other starting actors and older high caliber cast did an amazing job. Shoutout to Daniel! Rupert! Emma! And the rest of them! I am sure to support their next projects outside HP.


4. Beyond brilliant plot - When I finished Book 3, I knew I was unto something extremely special. The revelations made on Book 7 made me appreciate every book, every chapter, and every single thing JK mentioned in the 7 books. When I was in Grade 5, I remember myself asking "Why is Bloody Baron bloody?" I knew that someday I would find out the answer. And there it was on Book 7, playing a crucial part to Rowling's big twist on horcruxes.


5. The characters of the books were well-thought of - Each has their own sets of behaviors and values. They all have good and bad sides. The characters are very consistent. Changes on behaviors, like those of Dumbledore, are part of the plot.


6. It’s filled with brilliant quotations - I love quotes!


7. It created a world so distinct and remarkable  - Hogwarts, and other places like Hogsmeade, the Burrow, and Diagon Alley were created vividly. Hogwarts is a place like no other. That's why I’m still waiting to receive my Hogwarts letter,  ride the Platform 9 3/4, talk to friendly ghosts, walk the Forbidden Forest, live in the common rooms of the four houses, watch the Quidditch matches and many many more. What would I not do to experience these?


8.  There's more to HP than what's written in the books - Dumbledore is gay. Ginny's the first female-born Weasley after many generations. Hermione's and Ron's patronus are complementary. Voldemort has no Patronus because he doesn't have a happy memory. The third smell on Hermione's Amortentia [on Book 6] was of Ron's hair. These and a LOT more. Thus, POTTERMORE!


9.  Potterheads are awesome! - There are millions of proud HP fans all over the world and many of us loved the books for a decade and more. You know that feeling that you're not alone when you say that your children will know of Harry Potter? We've witnessed HP Series turn from a children's book to a full-blown masterpiece.


10. The books' underlying message had always been about love - Love for friends, for family, for Hogwarts, for what you believe in and even lost love - that of Snape. Rowling said  that love's the greatest magic there is and this had always been the message of her books, along with courage, friendship, balance of good and evil and many more.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Review

We'll never get enough of HP in movies because that's how amazing the books are. But I still think Warner Bros. did an amazing job given the limited time they need to execute the film and the many characters they had to highlight.

3 days after watching HP7 part 2, I realized how each character I learned to love had their own moments to shine, like the epic Professor McGonagall showing how badass she is. Also, there are particular scenes that I did not expect and I thought were very sublime and subtle. These scenes are forever imprinted in my mind:

-Draco's face when he refused at first to join Voldy's army

-Remus and Tonks' hands

-Fred's last moments. The slow-mo was epic

-Ginny's "I know"

-Snape hugging Lily's dead body

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Yes, we could always go back to the pages and movies of HP, but it's really different when you know there's something to wait for - the next book, the next movie... And that the lead characters who used to be of my age everytime the books were released are now, yeah, older.

It's really the end of our childhood you know? Knowing that on HP's end "All was well". And on my end, I'm still a muggle. Still, it's nice that I have my seven books and movies to visit every time I miss my childhood. And that there’s this JK Rowling/Dumbledore's words that ultimately is a shoutout to all those who loved and will always love the Harry Potter Series: 


"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

So long...