I put off writing a review of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One movie after I saw it at the premiere because I didn't want to spoil it for the other fans who've been anticipating it. This has been sitting in my Drafts for quite a while now but I haven't gotten around to publishing it, no thanks to how busy the past couple of weeks have been ;D

Anyway, I saw the movie again with my friends/ officemates Mich and Dane during the 5:00 PM screening on the first regular showing day, November 18, at SM North EDSA's IMAX Theater.

I'm sure a million other posts have already been written from fans and critics alike (like everyone has already said that the movie is much darker so I won't say it anymore), so I would just like to add my two cents:

• I cried at least three times. First, during the scene when Harry went to his old room, the cupboard-under-the-stairs, and just stood there for a few seconds. That scene alone has a lot of goodbyes imprinted all over it. Second, when Harry asked Hermione to dance when he saw her looking very sad and dejected in a corner. That was a particularly touching scene (one of my favorites, actually). Third was,  of course, when Dobby died. "Such a beautiful place, to be with friends." Sniff.
• Hedwig! NO!!! Having read the book I was already expecting it, but it still made me *sniff* a bit.
• Ron and Hermione ♥ Rupert Grint and Emma Watson should get married and have beautiful babies together. Or if that fails he can always marry me XD
• I love that the director David Yates really gives focus on the friendship between Harry, Ron and Hermione.
• Yates' dementors look really creepy and more scary as compared to Cuaron's.
• Helena Bonham Carter is a very, very good actress. Her portrayal of Bellatrix Lestrange should win an award for Best Villain of All Time! Every look, every line just reeks of pure evil.
• Fred and George ♥ So charming!
• Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley is still the best actor among the trio. Kudos goes to Emma Watson too, I think her acting chops have improved so much! And, I read that the scene where they drank Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Harry took about a hundred takes to fully capture each character's quirks. That's a lot of patience, Daniel Radcliffe!
• Fan or not, you cannot argue that it is amazing how the trio has grown right in front of our eyes :)
• I have already noticed Yates' method of directing the movies from the time he made the Order of the Phoenix movie until this latest one.
• I especially liked the animation shown when Hermione read to them The Tale of the Three Brothers. It made the story much more interesting, methinks, as opposed to if she just read it out aloud to them without accompanying visuals. 
• I cannot imagine seeing the movie without reading the books or watching the first films. I personally think that It will be hard  to understand the movie without at least a mini introduction to the Harry Potter universe beforehand.
• I love how they did not waste the chance to be faithful to the book as much as possible. Splitting the movie into two is an excellent idea as they were able to fit plot essentials that might have been easily overlooked if they tried to do just one movie.
• Excellent casting!!!!! Yes, the four extra exclamation points are worth it ;)
• Perfect cliff-hanger ending.

Prior to seeing this, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was my favorite HP movie. However, The Deathly Hallows Part One seriously made me to question that choice a bit. I have to watch the OotP DVD and DH again so I can completely decide what my top choice would be! :D Prisoner of Azkaban remains to be my favorite HP book, though.

Such a great movie, and very much well worth the long wait. To David Yates, the production crew, the actors, and basically everyone behind the movie, THANK YOU. Now I am equally looking forward to and dreading July 2011, when the second - and final - part will be shown.

What is your favorite Harry Potter movie? Book? Or are you not a fan? Do share!

*Photo source.

PS: I'm spreading Christmas cheer and sending out cards to everyone who'll want them! Just send me an email at krissyfied[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address.

After more or less three years of online friendship, I finally got to meet Regine in person. We met way back when my main blog was still my Multiply journal and when I have just started getting addicted to online shopping. She used to have an online shop and I bought a couple of accessories from her, and then she started replying to my blog posts (especially when they're about books). It was so easy to be friends with her since we had common interests, plus our courses in college were kind of related. She is actually the one who introduced me to the wonderful universe of Neil Gaiman by recommending Stardust to me. I agree with her wholeheartedly when she say it is one of the best love stories she has ever read :)

This is the nth time this year that I have met an online friend in person. I am getting really good at this, don't you think so? ;)

We talked about lots of different things, and I am continuously amazed at how I am so fortunate to have been blessed with the chance to meet all these amazing individuals like Rej. It was so easy to gab with her, it was as if we do this catching-up over food thingie every week.

We did what we love best: shopping! I also gave her a copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love as a very early Christmas present :)

And of course, what is a day with a girl friend without dessert?

Such a lovely day spent with a lovely friend, one which I am sure will be repeated very soon! Calling all my blogger friends based in Manila, how about a Christmas party? Yes I am looking at you Ana, Ava, Mai, and Jessica. And Rej, of course! It wouldn't even have to be a full-blown party, it can be just an afternoon bonding over dessert and/ or candy canes ;D

... for my family. Theirs is a love that keeps on giving. The support they have shown and are showing every hour of my life has been outstanding. Really, words are not enough to express how grateful I am to God for giving them to me. It's true that we cannot choose the family we're born into, but if I have the choice, I would still gladly choose to be a Cruz.

... for all my friends who've been there for me, no matter what. This blog post will not be enough to name each and everyone of you, so: friends from when I was still very young; friends from all levels of school; friends I met in the workplace; friends I met through friends; friends I met via different online groups/ message boards; friends I met through blogging, you are all proof that one can meet friends ANYWHERE. Thank you for the gift of friendship; you are all my angels without wings.

... for the gift of writing. As I said in a previous post, I express myself best through writing. If I didn't have writing as an outlet, I think I would've gone insane! I never imagined my blog would attract readers I haven't met personally, let alone followers and subscribers who always leave the sweetest messages. Thank you for letting me express my creative side and for appreciating the things I post. It has been a very fulfilling journey, and I don't have intentions of stopping anytime soon.

... for the gift of education. My parents have always instilled in me that education [aside from morals and dignity] is the one thing no one can take away. I have always been a conscientious student, thanks as well to all my former teachers, instructors, and professors. I believe that education does not stop when you leave the classroom and I am thankful that I have met people I consider my mentors even when I have already left the academe.

... for the people who broke my heart, not only in the romantic sense of the word. They have shown me that fragile as I think I am, I also have a strong spirit that they cannot easily break. I may have been damaged, but I am far from destroyed.

... for words of wisdom thrown my way just when I need them. Just last night while I was distraught, a friend told me, "Not because you are nice doesn't mean other people will be nice to you as well. The world does not work that way." with much conviction that I couldn't help but agree with him.

... for modern technology for letting me enjoy e-mails, Facebook, blogging, and Twitter. You have made my life so much easier, my world smaller [since almost everyone is almost at reach], and my social circle wider.

... for the gift of awe, curiosity and sense of wonder. I am a person who never gets tired of learning. I have always been inquisitive and insatiable when it comes to trying to acquire more knowledge and wisdom.

... for the opportunity to travel, take pictures, and create new memories. These are just some of the ways I can enrich my mind and my life, and I am grateful I can do it while I am still young and able. Someday, when I am old, gray, brittle-boned (but still fabulous), I will look back at the photos of our Singapore trip and smile at how I was able to explore the Lion City, walking most of the time but not seeming to tire.

... for books and their amazing authors, for letting me experience different worlds and for opening my eyes to the other dimensions I can reach via my imagination.

... for movies. Nothing de-stresses me more than watching a movie at the cinema. Fact.

... for TV shows like How I Met Your Mother, Glee, Sex and the City, The Big Bang Theory, Survivor, and Ugly Betty. They make my boring days much more bearable.

... for the music. Because really, who can live without it? I ask in all honesty, what would life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we?

... for chandeliers, cheesecakes, and charm bracelets. For ice cream, tigers, the mysterious side of the moon, funny horoscopes, candlelight, mirrors, and crayons. For fairies, musicals, and Peter Pan.

... for the gift of sharing. I'm sure you will be happy to share in the comments section what you are thankful for as well. :)

♥♥♥

Most of my friends and officemates who've met them have told me that I have cool and kind parents, always looking out for the welfare of their children. Well yes, I really do. Raising three kids [plus my cousin Jerico whose parents are both working overseas] is no joke, and they really did a good job, judging by how we turned out. I love them so much, and I hope that when I create a family of my own in the future we'll also be an excellent team like them.

Anyhoo, tomorrow I'll hit the mall for stuff I can personalize my new apartment with. My new house is actually very small but I don't mind. It has always been my dream to live in a Polly Pocket you know, so it's perfect! I can't wait to krissyfy it. Any ideas you might want to pitch in? :)

PS: I'm spreading Christmas cheer and sending out cards to everyone who'll want them! Just send me an email at krissyfied[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address.

With Christmas just around the corner, bazaars have started to pop up around the metro to offer one-stop shopping for the perpetually busy consumers. I am not perpetually busy per se, but I love going to bazaars because you are always bound to find something unique that you can't find at the malls.

I wasn't able to go to the Brown Bag Market last Saturday because of our overnight swimming party that lasted 'til morning. Too bad because reading Ana's and Ava's posts about it made me feel a wee bit jealous as it was obvious that they had fun! Good thing Mich and her bestfriend Jonas asked me to go with them to the Esprit de Noel Bazaar the following day so I still got my bazaar fix for the month ;D

The bazaar was held at the A.Venue Events Hall in Makati (where this year's Candy Fair was also held). I went crazy looking at the different stuff for sale that I totally forgot to take photos :( The entire hall was filled with booths selling clothes, bags, shoes(!), different kinds of knick-knacks, even cars and appliances! Coming from me, consider it a compliment when I say that I'm glad I deposited my 13th month pay in my non-negotiable savings account already, leaving only a couple of thousand pesos to spend on myself :)

As I said, with the number of goodies available, you are bound to find something you'll like. If you are lucky and have a good eye for great steals (like me hah!), you'll even manage to get hold of fabulous pieces without mortally wounding your bank account ;)

Would you like to know what I got? I really wanted to get some booties and was planning to check the malls later in the week, but thanks to Tinsley Online's booth at the Esprit de Noel Bazaar I wouldn't have to search high and low anymore. There were lots of other fab designs available and I had a hard time choosing at first, but after trying them on one by one, I can proudly say that I found it!

Isn't it just GORGEOUS??! And what's more, I got it for such a very low price! From the relatively low price of P999, another 30% was knocked off so I bought it for only P699!!! I don't think you can find booties in the malls at that price. Plus points for the seller and her mom who were very accommodating. :)

I also got a pretty light-colored denim dress (with a big bow! and ruffles!) from the same booth but I cannot seem to take a good photo of it, so I'll just post a picture when I'm wearing it already.

Have you started making your Christmas lists already? I'm sure there are more bazaars coming up in the next coming days. You might see me there, scouring for gifts for family and friends ;)

PS: I'm spreading Christmas cheer and sending out cards to everyone who'll want them! Just send me an email at krissyfied[at]gmail[dot]com with your mailing address.

Remember I told you a couple of posts ago that I would have something new today? Well I did get something new, but it was not really what I expected. Nevertheless I feel like I have made the right choice. Intrigued? Here comes the story :)

If you have been reading this blog for quite a while now you'd know that I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. I love that it's thick and wavy, but I hate that it's too thick and wavy! I swear, almost every day is a bad hair day! But then again, I am not really too bothered with my hair. I am the type of girl who just wears a pretty headband or ties my hair up in a ponytail; I don't care too much about my hair so long as I have pretty shoes on ;D

But these days I've become more mindful of my physical wellbeing and the way I carry myself. Two years ago, I decided I wanted to have my hair permed. It took me a long time to arrive at that decision so when I finally did, it broke my heart to learn I couldn't have a cold perm because I had my hair relaxed before. The hairstylists I talked to then advised me to just have my hair digipermed. Another year came and went, and today was supposed to be the day I would finally have it done. I went to Tony and Jackey in SM North EDSA - Annex with my friend Mich, my heart full of hope that I would emerge from the salon with lovely curls tumbling down my back. However, the hairstylists advised me as well that due to the harsh chemicals used when the hair is relaxed, the digiperm might not work for me and I might just waste my money. I appreciate that they offered me that advice even though it somehow meant a loss for them (the procedure does not come cheap, you know).

I didn't want my visit there to be in vain though. I was determined to do something with my hair, and so after an hour in the salon under the fabulous hands of Seven, my Korean hairstylist, I went...

to this!

I am not joking, it was the first time I actually felt hot! By my own standards, I mean. I've always felt I'm too skinny, too geeky, etc., but you gotta admit that hairstyle looks perfect with that one-shoulder top :D I also realized how much my hair was weighing me down; my head feels so light right now! :D

What was I thinking while Seven was snip-snipping my locks away? I didn't feel sad because I know my hair will soon grow long again, actually. I felt... Hmm. I felt excited and happy when I realized I would be turning 25 next year, so what better time to do things like this than today? Right?

Pizza Hut for dinner :)

After a hearty meal, Mich and I went to Watson's and the Health and Beauty Section of SM North EDSA for my new hairstyle's needs. With new hair comes new responsibilities (and I know shorter hair actually means higher maintenance), so I got these:

Vidal Sassoon blow-dryer and pink paddle brush. It is my first time to buy a blow-dryer (don't judge).

A tub of CreamSilk Precision Repair Treatment (I hear it's good!) and freebies

Straight a-head Hair Straightening Serum and Professional Shape Shifter, both from Bench Fix

Not exactly for my hair but I got a lipstain in Fashionista and a cream eyeliner in Ivory from elf

I remember having Victoria Beckham's short bob before. I really liked that on me but didn't want to go for the same hairstyle again as I wanted something new this time. A drastic change, but not too drastic as having my hair cut like Emma Watson's hee.

What do you think?

I'd like to thank Mich for coming with me. She always makes these things fun :)

What about you? Any drastic changes lately?

PS: Whenever I was asked what my biggest regret in life is, I always answer I have none, but now I think I may have an answer already: having my hair relaxed! XD

This may sound very superficial of me, but one of my main frustrations of living in a tropical country is that we don't have winter here. It would be nice to have a white Christmas and experience making snow angels at least once, you know? And the winter clothes, of course! As much I would want to wear thick coats, tights and boots, I know it would just elicit unwanted stares. Plus, I might just die because of the heat x_x

Pictured above are Whooga Ugg Boots. Whooga is widely recognized as the world's fastest growing boutique brand of ugg boots. They are made with the single purpose of being the warmest most luxurious sheepskin boots available.

Me being Krissy, you just know that the pink one stands out for me :) Want to win your own pair? Just click here to visit their site and join their giveaway just by subscribing in the newsletter. Winners are drawn at the end of each month and the giveaway is open to everyone from all over the world. Aaand here's a special offer I am sharing with you! Enter the exclusive discount code 903KRISSY to avail of 10% discount, valid for a whole week ;)

It's official: I have been awake for 37 hours now. I never imagined I would last this long without sleeping, but here I am, prolly running on sugar rush :D

Yesterday after work my teammates and I went to Green Nature in San Mateo, Rizal for our teambuilding. A couple of months ago we just ate out but this time we opted to make it more extravagant; we had an overnight swimming party!

This is actually the first time we were able to go out of town again as a team because of the differences in our respective rest days so I made sure I made the best out of it. The whole night was spent swimming, eating, drinking strawberry vodka, and laughing to our hearts' content. I am also glad I got the chance to have a little heart-to-heart with my friends Watcher and Mich. When it was already 2AM and there were only our five of us (me, TL Carlo, Watcher, Dane, and Mich) still awake, we sang in the videoke and had a blast! It was awesome! After a couple of hours singing our throats out (I sound like a toad right now, very hoarse and croaky lol), we went back to the pool and bonded over stories until 5AM. I believe this is one of - if not the - best team buildings I've attended :)

I wish I can share photos, but I left my camera in the room after a few snaps. The photo above is of me in Jollibee happily eating my Breakfast Joy meals of Beef Tapa (with sunny side-up egg and fried rice) and pancakes with Mich, Dane and Watcher at 7o'clock this morning. My camera loves me as I looked decent in the photo even though I haven't had any sleep the previous night. The rest of the photos are with TL Carlo and I already reminded him I'd be borrowing his memory card tomorrow. I hope he won't forget to bring it. :) Aaand the reason why I wasn't able to sleep after breakfast this morning is because I still had to go to the office for a four-hour shift. So yeah, I'm feeling pretty tired right now.

So there, this is just a quick post to remind myself of how much fun I had last night. The very last song we sang in the videoke is South Border's Rainbow. There is a line there that says, "This is such a wonderful place to be..." and last night, surrounded with good friends, good conversations and good songs, I couldn't help but agree. Yes, yes it is.

Now I gotta go get myself some much-needed shut-eye. It's just 4:54 in the afternoon here right now, but my bed is already calling me. Good night ;)

I've been wanting to get myself a new wallet ever since the awful robbing incident months ago but never found the will to do so. I don't know, maybe it's because I'm afraid it will just get stolen from me again, maybe I'm too stingy to part with my money (yeah, right), or maybe I'm just plain lazy. For the past few months I've been keeping my money in the small pockets of my bags or a small coin purse that always manages to open by itself. Bottomline is, my money gets strewn around my bag so I tend to rummage every time I pay for something. It is also hard to keep track of how much I still have when I cannot see them.

Last week I finally got myself this strawberry-red wallet from e.g.g. It has lots of compartments inside for bills, coins, and cards, it has a handy wrist-strap that you can opt not to use, plus the color is pretty. I originally wanted the one in cerulean blue but there's a small dot at the back that looks like it's about to peel off and it was the last stock remaining so I got this one instead. Pretty cheap at P550, too. Here's hoping it'll be filled with money all the time ;D

Random thought: now I'm on the lookout for the perfect planner. I've been buying Belle de Jour planners for the last five years but now I suddenly grew tired of it. Everybody seems to have it now. In any case I don't use the discount coupons anyway so it's not too much of a loss for me. End of random thought.

Got lots of activities lined up for this coming work-week! Tomorrow I'll watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 again (this time on IMAX, after watching the premiere on Monday). Friday is reserved for an overnight swimming party with my officemates. On Saturday I'll visit the Brown Bag Market to support my fashionista blogfriends Ana, Aisa, Denise, and Melai. Hope to see Ava there also =) On Sunday we'll be in Alabang (ugh) as our Quezon City office will have its annual whole-day maintenance. Then Monday! I'll have something new on Monday which I'm very excited about!

Anyway, we'll get out 13th month pay on Friday. Last year I got myself a netbook. This year, well I'll use half of it on the "something new" that I'll get on Monday, while the other half will be deposited to my bank account for Christmas presents. Days are zooming fast and I know I should get going with that Christmas shopping. Also, last year I sent Christmas cheers to my friends scattered all around the globe and I would want to do that again this year, so you people who would want to receive a Christmas card from me, post a comment below or drop me an email at krissyfied(at)gmail.com with your mailing address Fairly easy, huh? ;)

Gotta go and catch some shut-eye now, it's gonna be a looong week! I hope you're enjoying yours! =)

Last night is probably one of the most memorable nights of this month - nay, this year. I got to watch the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 movie at the premiere night sponsored by Warner Bros. Pictures and Studio 23 THREE DAYS before the regular screening on the 18th!!

I actually have tickets to the 5:00PM screening at the SM North EDSA - IMAX theater already, but who can say no to free premiere night tickets? Big, chocolate-coated and candy hearts-sprinkled THANKS to my friend Dewi! Dewi's best friend from college Eden also went with us, as well as our college Film professor, Sir Elvert Bañares and his partner Jet. It was so great to see him! I learned so many things from him; the things I know about film production, I learned from him. And of course, the life lessons he inevitably threw our way during our sessions are much appreciated as  well.

The event was held at the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell. They were very strict when it comes to anti-piracy rules (and rightly so) that all attendees were required to surrender all phones and cameras before entering the cinema.

And because I am not a prick and I don't want to be mean, I am not going to say anything about what I thought of the movie. I'm going to let you see it for yourselves first and won't spoil it for you. Maybe I'll post my reactions to the movie next Monday, hmm? :)

And get this. I was actually interviewed for a quick TV spot! I was asked what I thought of the movie, my favorite Harry Potter movie, and my favorite character! Please believe me when I say I fervently pray they edit my segment out. I am not telegenic! x_x

Anyway...

I still can't believe I was finally able to see it. Pretty understandable seeing as how much I anticipated it :) See you at the theaters on Thursday?

We weren't able to watch the parade of the new Coca-cola endorsers spearheaded by Kim Chiu and Enchong Dee [with teen celebrities Empress Schuck, Joseph Marco, Matt Evans, Kris Bernal, Steven Silva, Rocco Nacino, Diva Montelaba, as well as the housemates from Pinoy Big Brother Teen Clash of 2010] because it started at 3pm (which was the time our shift at work ended). We knew it was going to be a long day so we ate at McDonald's first and then roamed around the adjacent mall, Gateway. When we went back, the program was about to start so off we scurried to find seats after taking quick photos of ourselves at the photowalls.

ÜÜÜ

The giant Christmas tree waiting to be lit up

A mini program started at around 6pm. Local singer Kitchie Nadal opened the show with two songs, plus her version of Coca-cola's Christmas 2010 theme which is originally sung by Train. Kim Chiu and Enchong Dee also addressed the audience to the delight of their fans. It got too crazy that Mich and I were forced to transfer seats since we were sitting very near the teenagers who I believe are members of their fan clubs XD Radio tandem Nicolehiyala and Chris Tsuper of Love Radio 90.7 were hosts of the evening.

The only decent photo of Kim and Enchong I was able to take.

After a quick message by Coca-cola's CEO and countdown participated by everyone, the Christmas tree was lit up while a beautiful fireworks display started simultaneously. It was enthralling and guaranteed to shake the Grinch off everyone! I actually took a video of it but I'm having problems uploading the video x_x

After the lighting of the Christmas tree, it was the ABS-CBN stars' turn to take the stage as they presented Once Upon a Christmas Tree, a show featuring performers from Sunday noon variety show and actors from their primetime block. I am not really a big fan of local showbiz in general but you gotta love the way they performed with so much energy. Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Karylle, Carol Banawa, Yeng Constantino, and Juris were just some of the celebrities who graced the stage and performed by singing much-loved Christmas carols. And! I never thought I'd get to say this, but when I saw Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Venus Raj in person, I got suddenly insecure of my weight! The lady is sooo thin! And tall! :D

Another friend from college, Dewi, arrived just as the show was wrapping up. It was so great to see her! :)

We just waited for Ed to finish up with some of his tasks, then we went to Gateway to have dinner at Pizza Hut. We exchanged stories over delicious food. Our range of topics included: my and Dewi's recent trip to Singapore and Ed's future trip to Thailand, our other friends in college, Mich's and my officemates, and plans for Ed's birthday party. :)

I got home at 11:30PM but managed to not be late for work the next day :) It was indeed a memorable night! My personal countdown to Christmas has officially started!

I'm going to leave you now with Coca-cola's Christmas 2010 Commercial because I totally love the song. I hope it inspires you to shake it up and wake up the happiness! :)