If you’re a teenage girl who knows how to read, you will probably already have read at least one of the books in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, known every little random tidbit about Robert Pattinson, and cried in front of your parents to seek permission to catch the film interpretation of the first book in the series, which premiered on November 21, 2008.

Twilight is a series of novels (composed of Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn, in that order) which tells the story of Bella Swan, a handsome vampire named Edward Cullen, and the romance they form and share in the rainy town of Forks, Washington. Apparently, the story has not failed to capture the attention, admiration and addiction of people (mostly teenage girls) the world over. It might be the shriek-inducing love between them, it might be the thrill of being the object of a vampire’s affection, it might be the fact that Robert Pattinson is (and I quote) “hot”. Whatever it is, it’s raking in money for Meyer—25 million copies have been sold worldwide,says Wikipedia. The movie adaptation of Twilight, the first book in the series, took in $69,637,740 in the US alone [source], and that number is expected to rise as the film keeps on showing in theaters worldwide.

Marielle and I, bookworms though we are, didn’t really get the whole craze surrounding Twilight. To be more precise, I think we (or at least I) gave it a quick once-over and shunned it at the mention of “vampire”, “teen”, and “love”. My indifference to the novel was only aggravated by my Twilight-addicted classmates’ incessant chatting (squealing, actually) about the story, about how hot that Cullen vampire was, and about how they would storm the local cinema once the movie went out. (Apparently, that kind of stuff ticks me off.)

The cast of Twilight. Credit: http://www.filmonic.com/

Well, last Wednesday, when Twilight finally moved from “Next Picture” to “Now Showing” on our local mall’s Program List, two of my classmates, Misty and Arbee (along with a few boys, I think), rushed over there right after school. It should go without saying that they absolutely loved the film, regardless of whether or not it was actually great.

So, Marielle and I were kinda like, “Dude, the Twilight movie’s out, we’ve got the afternoon off on Friday, and I miss popcorn.” We finally decided to reevaluate Twilight by seeing the movie and then judging whether or not it’s really worth our time. So tomorrow (today, by the time this post goes online), I, Marielle, Misty, Arbee (yes, they’re going to re-watch it—certified Twilight addicts, no?), Zia, and a few other friends will troop to Gaisano Cinema, buy popcorn and Coke, and get as much Twilight as we can.

Shoot me now.

Well, to be honest, I’m not usually this irrationally condescending of literary works, so we’ll see how it works out. When I’m back and fully recovered from the PTSD (Post-Twilight Stress Disorder) that will surely ensue, I’ll try to write an honest critique/review of the film for you.

Toodles.

Well, we’ve got 6 more days to go before November ends, which means that my first attempt at writing a 50,000-word novel during the National Novel Writing Month has been a complete failure. I’m at a paltry 572 words, which means that I’ll have to come up with at least 8,238 words a day from hereon in if I’m going to make it.

November just hasn’t been a particularly writing-conducive month for me. I’ve been pretty busy with stuff—I emceed at a school pageant, went unwired for a whole week in Tandag, and had something quite drastic happen to me in life. My writing mojo’s really ditched me. My winning the RSPC was a Higher Power’s fault, not mine.

The pep talks, albeit well-written and witty, haven’t brought back my mojo.

The historic election of Barack Obama hasn’t massively inspired my novel-writing, either.

Although I’m usually not the type to give up easily (or am I?), I think it’s safe to declare my first attempt at writing a 150-page novel in 30 days a complete failure.

Better luck next year.

(Please don’t follow my example. Go on with your NaNoWriMo article. Just because acheiving the 50,000-word mark by November 30 has become an impossibility in your case doesn’t mean you should stop writing forever. May the Writing Force be with you.)

I’ve always wanted a digital camera with at least slightly better quality than my camera phone. The best my family has ever had, I think, was an Olympus C-350, with 3.2 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and 3.3x digital zoom. It shot OK-quality pictures, but video was audio-less and therefore sucky. It was the only digicam I ever had.

Looking ahead to my trip to Naga City in February of 2009, I know it’s high time for another (hopefully better quality) digital camera. I mean, come on! It’s the Visayas, where scenic spots are just waiting to be visited and memorable moments captured. I’m waiting to propose a purchase to my dad (and hoping that he won’t turn it down).

The question now, of course, is which camera to purchase.

The first debate that popped up in my mind was whether I should get a regular Point and Shoot, or one of them fancier DSLRs.

On one hand, point-and-shoots are much cheaper than DSLRs, although in recent years the price gap has closed. They require less technical know-how to operate, and are in general much less of a pain in the hiney. However, the photos they take are often grainy and noisy, and you can fiddle with your shot less with a P&S than with a DSLR.

On the other hand, DSLRs take wicked photos. You have more control over your picture, and with the proper photography knowledge, your images come out looking more professional. Sadly, DSLRs often burn bigger holes in your pocket and require more TLC than point-and-shoot cameras.

Okay, so I can’t exactly say that I can work an SLR like a pro. I have already tried using a classmate’s film SLR, and basic operation seems fairly simple—you just turn the lens one way or the other to adjust zoom and focus. I’ll have to try to learn the technicals, like ISO and other settings, through online resources, but it’s not like I’ll be taking pictures for a living, so whatever.

If I get a point-and-shoot, things get even easier. I just, uhm, point… and shoot. But then again, issues of image quality and lack of control come to mind… and so does the fact that I’ve been drooling over DSLRs forever.

While I try to figure out which one would give me more bang for my buck (I hope you’ll help me out by sharing your thoughts in the comments), let me show you some of the cameras I’m looking at (both DSLRs and P&Ss).

Canon Rebel XS

Meet the XS, baby brother and cheaper alternative to the EOS Rebel XSi. Sporting 10.1 megapixels, a CMOS sensor, optical stabilization, minimum shutter speed of 30 seconds, and ISO settings from 100 to 1600 as well as auto, CNET says it’s “a good entry-level dSLR, but only its photo quality stands out among the competition”. It costs less than Php30,000 on Amazon (shipping’s free, w00t), but there are only five left in stock.

Pentax K200D

Pentax isn’t exactly the most popular brand when it comes to cameras (it used to be in a much earlier time, I reckon), but when you’re a panhandling, amateur photographer like me, you’ll take anything that’s just a bit more than OK. Enter the K200D. 10.2 megapixels, CCD, same ISO as the Rebel XS sans auto, an entire slew of shooting programs to choose from, and much more. The downside? CNET editors seem disappointed in the K200D’s inaccurate colors and tendency to underexpose images. While it does cost around $29,000—Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens included, shipping free—the lack of vividness in its photos makes me wonder whether or not it’ll leave out the natural color of the Visayas.

Nikon D40x

I realized I couldn’t do away with a Nikon on this list. CNET touts this as a “very nice first dSLR”, despite further admonishing more experienced photographers to get the D80 instead. Its 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor, ISO 100-1600, ISO auto, and more-than-OK 1/4,000 sec. maximum shutter speed sound mighty delicious, although its lack of automatic sensor cleaning is a bit of a turn-off. With a Zoom-Nikkor lens and $14.95 shipping fee, the D40x costs Php33,000—slightly more expensive than my first two options, but still relatively cheap compared to the more packed models out there.

Sony Cybershot DSC-T700

Now, onto the P&S cameras. The CNET Holiday Gift Guide 2008 is chock-full of ‘em, although I’m looking only in the $100-$500 range. First up, the Cybershot DSC-T700, which got a four-star rating from CNET editors. With an ISO of up to 3200, 10.1 megapixel Super HAD CCD optical sensor, shooting programs and special effects aplenty, and the renowned Super Steady Shot, this touch-screen camera sounds like the perfect point and shoot. The only downsides CNET sees in the cam are the touch screen (“not for everyone”, they allege) and “soft images” (whatever that means). Average users seem to be less satisfied with it, giving it three stars out of a possible maximum of five. Sony.com.ph tells me that the DSC-T700′s SRP is Php31,000—just a few thousand pesos below a decent DSLR’s.

Canon PowerShot A590 IS

Canon makes some awesome cameras, and this one is apparently no exception. The A590 gives you an 8-megapixel CCD optical sensor, 4x digital zoom, minimum shutter speed of 15 seconds, and much more. It’s got some neat shooting programs too. Sounds like something that’s right up my alley… if only I could find price listings on the Canon Philippines website.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

I was skimming through the CNET page for this, and my eyes stopped when I read: “Optical zoom: 10 x”… oh, snap. That’s more than that of the DSLRs I listed! While the megazoom might be tempting, I know it’s not everything. (If I really wanted to take a picture of something up close, I’d walk right up to it.) It’s got a 9.1 megapixel, CCD optical sensor, an additional 4 x digital zoom, a plethora of shooting programs, and a minimum of one minute shutter speed, too. Apparently this thing isn’t out yet, as CNET has no price listings. Let’s hope it’s available in stores by year’s end.

I’m also looking at one or two video recorders, but I don’t think the folks will get me one if I asked.

Help me choose!

I know there are more than a few digital photography buffs out there willing to spend some time churning out specs and stats and giving their opinions as to which camera I should get. Help me choose a digital camera by giving your say in the comments below. I’d really appreciate it. I’ll also probably be posting updates, additions, and subtractions to the Hitlist above as time goes on. As that really lanky German model says, one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. Let the search for my next top digicam begin.

Don’t get me wrong—Ubuntu Linux is an incredible operating system. In fact, I’m writing this blog post on Ubuntu right now. I like its lightness and speed, plus the fact that it’s open source and completely free. However, being a certified Windows user since my early grade school days, it has been very difficult to get used to a completely different working environment, which is why I opted to dual-boot with Vista Ultimate (yes, Vista—it’s not all that bad) instead of wiping out the entirety of my hard drive and installing just Linux.

Looking back, I’m thankful I chose to dual-boot. Why? There are just some programs that work a-okay in Windows but refuse to in Linux. And these aren’t programs of secondary importance, either. These are stuff I use frequently and cannot live without. Sure, there might be Linux-compatible programs to replace these, but nothing beats the quality of the real thing.

iTunes

Yes. I run iTunes. It’s painfully slow, but I need it for my iPod and iPhone. It’s the easiest way to sync my music, video, podcasts, photos, etc. into the music player extraordinaire without wrecking it. I’ve tried Amarok (a popular Linux music player) to do that for me, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to restore my iPod because the system kept on shuffling my album art.

I’ve been reading stuff on the Internet and apparently, most people have no problem at all with their iPods and Ubuntu, so I guess my case is pretty unique. It’s also a petty annoyance when you think about it, but it still irritates me a lot and diminishes my music-listening experience. As Linux’s popularity grows, I’m fairly certain Apple will come out with a Linux version of iTunes, hopefully sooner rather than later.

DOES IT WORK WITH WINE: From what I’ve read online, iTunes refuses to run using Wine, which makes it all the more difficult for me to switch. WINE, by the way, is an acronym for “Windows Emulator”. It’s a program that allows you to install for-Windows programs on your Linux machine.

Photoshop

Photoshop is love. I’ve been tinkering with Adobe’s renowned photo editing software ever since I got hold of a digital camera. It allows me to touch up my photos seamlessly, remove zits from my mug shots, and even create my own campaign paraphernalia.

Mock campaign poster for moi, created on Photoshop CS3.

It’s this kind of quality that I find difficult to achieve on Linux’s answer to Photoshop, GIMP. GIMP, which stands for the GNU Image Manipulation Program, comes with a vanilla Ubuntu install, and has been described by many as having features “similar” to that of Photoshop. Personally, I can’t say they’re even remotely alike. GIMP also has more restrictions and is less versatile than Photoshop. I know of people who’ve created works of art using the relatively rudimentary photo manipulation software, but for a newbie like me, Photoshop is still the way to go.

DOES IT WORK WITH WINE: Photoshop CS2 is listed as one of the programs that work swell with Wine on this list on the software’s official website.

MS Office Suite 2007

While OpenOffice might be sufficient enough for most people, I honestly believe it still lacks a lot of the features Microsoft Office has provided throughout the years. I love Microsoft Excel and the many complex functions it can execute in the blink of an eye; Word and its several (not to mention deantastic) formatting options; the fancy animations on PowerPoint; the ease of creating a brochure in Publisher.

OpenOffice.org simply lacks the versatility and functionality I find appealing in MS Office, and while I do believe that the fact that OpenOffice is open-source means that it has a lot of potential, I’ll have to stick with Office until that day comes when it trumps Microsoft’s offering in the office suite market.

DOES IT WORK WITH WINE: See this page; it seems to work fairly well, although some users are reporting a few bugs. This is normal, of course, considering that you’re running a Microsoft product on a Linux install.

Conclusion

Look, don’t get me wrong—I have none but a few qualms about Ubuntu. Over all, it’s a pretty OS, and its *nix-ness is definitely a plus. It’s just that the three programs I’ve mentioned above are critical to my computing environment. They’re stuff I just can’t live (or at least compute) without. Only when they get stable, workable Linux versions will I even consider moving to Linux.

It’s never too late to start reading a classic, so while I struggle to finish Nineteen Eighty Four, I read “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret“, a short, 25-chapter novel by Judy Blume that revolves around Margaret Ann Simon, a 12-year-old who grew up with no religion.

Having one Jewish and one Catholic parent, Margaret grows up without a religion, although she does talk to God all the time (most of her conversations with Him begin with the title’s words). In addition, it features the young Margaret transitioning into puberty and all the hullabaloo associated with it, such as purchasing her first bra and having her menarche. At the same time, Margaret’s paternal grandmother tries to convince her to choose Judaism while her maternal grandparents insist that she was born into the Catholic faith.

Cover of the book's 1970 edition; Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AreYouThereGod.jpg

The novel is written in the first person, from Margaret’s point of view. Blume’s style of writing in the book is very characteristic of a young pre-teen. The protagonist’s thoughts are so similar to those of tweens all over America that the first page of the book boasts that “She (Blume) gets many letters from young people asking how she knows all their secrets”.

I would guess that tweens and teens the world over would love this book, if only because they can relate to it. Even I, a full-blooded dude, found the book interesting and almost unputdownable. From a tween’s first brassiere purchase, to her flipping through her father’s Playboy magazines, to the timeless chant of “I must, I must, I must increase my bust”, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a book to have, a true classic in every aspect.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret gets four out of five thumbs-ups, one thumbs-up being omitted due to the unexpectedly abrupt ending of the story.

P.S. This was the first novel I was able to finish reading in one day.

Hello, all. I’m back from an unwired week in Tandag, Surigao del Sur, where I participated in the Regional Schools Press Conference, the penultimate of the series of press conferences held by the DepED every year. Thankfully, during the said event I won first place for Feature Writing English Secondary, and I’m heading to the National level in Legaspi City come February.

Pictures, they say, are worth a thousand words, so I’ll let these JPEGs do the talking.

San Agustin Beach, en route to Tandag

Delegates from Butuan City walking through Tandag City in the scorching heat.

Delegates of ANHS stop traffic to pose for an emo moment.

Tandag Gymansium during the opening program

Panorama of our billet; PanoLab FTW.

The zodiac sign takes a new spelling on this keychain found in a souvenir stall in Tandag.

The stage of the J.P. Elpa National High School during the broadcasting competition

1st place, Feature Writing English Secondary

Close up of the trophy, the sweetest take-home from Tandag.

The Regional Schools Press Conference commences in Tandag next week, and yours truly will be joining the said competition.

The RSPC brings together Caraga‘s most budding campus journalists in friendly competition to find out who will represent the region in the National Schools Press Conference, which will be held some time in February next year in Legaspi City, Albay Naga City. The theme this year is “The Role of Campus Journalism in Mitigating Effects of Climate Change”.

Because of my participation in the said event, I’ll probably be unwired the whole week. I’ll have my laptop and cell phone with me, of course, but I can’t tether my iPhone without voiding its warranty. Even if I use Safari on it, my carrier’s 3G network is pathetic and won’t allow me to get anything done.

I’ll be keeping my Plurk karma alive by plurking through SMS, but the rest of my social networking life will probably freeze up. I’ll also probably have a gazillion unread items to go through on Google Reader when I get back, and four pages of emails to wade through as well. I can only hope that this sacrifice pays off in the form of safe passage to the nationals. Wish me luck!

P.S. I’ve got a huge backlog to clear up. For one, I don’t think I’ve been writing anything hugely substantial in here lately, so I want to change that. There are also a few blog post topics I’ve been thinking about for RP2010, but I haven’t gotten around to actually putting pen to paper. I know—so much writer’s block for a writer. Facepalm moment. Let’s hope stuff change around here.

We’ve been waiting for this day to come for years now, and finally, it has come to pass: the United States has chosen her next leader in Democratic senator Barack Obama.

This blog congratulates the president-elect. I hope, pray and believe that he can lead America and the world to better days. I know it will take time, as these things often do, but I know just as well that we will get there soon.

God bless America, God bless her new leader, and God bless the world.

(Original image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom)

Oliver Robillo, Mindanao Blogger-in-Chief and organizer of the first ever WordCamp Philippines, recently came up with yet another timely project in light of the general elections, which are coming up in two years’ time. Presenting RP2010, the election watchblog.

The blog’s “About” page pretty much says it all:

The RP2010.com blog endeavors to be the poll watchdog for the Philippine Presidential Elections in the year 2010. As such, we, the bloggers behind it, commit to helping ensure clean and honest elections through non-partisan coverage of election-related news and commentary.

RP2010 aims to bring to the Web what Namfrel has been doing for decades now. Its objective is to be a watchdog (“watchblog”, as Kuya Blogie puts it) for the upcoming elections, ensure that they are fair and clean, and expose any anomalies related to the electoral process.

What’s great about it is that it’s a community effort, so there’s none of the shady business of mainstream media. What RP2010 needs right now are eager bloggers dedicated to the same cause to fill the blog with news and opinion regarding the 2010 elections. If you’re a Filipino blogger who’s interested in keeping the upcoming elections clean and honest, read this post and become active in the project.

Please get involved now, so we can ensure clean and honest elections in 2010. [RP2010 Website]