A film review by Sean O’Connell

Producer: Barbara Broccoli, Callum McDougall, Anthony Waye
Screenwriter: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis
Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini
MPAA Rating: PG-13

After four decades, 20 feature films and five actors in the leading role, the James Bond franchise finally gets… an origin story?

You’d think it unnecessary, as 007’s trademarks by this point have been burned into our memory. We know the trained assassin’s drink of choice, his preferred mode of transportation, and his willingness to invoke the hard-earned license to kill when dangerous situations arise.

But familiarity has bred contempt for a spy that hasn’t ignited movie theaters since the Cold War concluded. A change was long overdue. When last we saw Bond — played by Pierce Brosnan in Lee Tamahori’s Die Another Day — the secret agent was racing across frozen ponds in invisible sports cars and windsurfing on waves created by a melting glacier. Realism isn’t a quality we associate with Bond, yet these adventures had become too ridiculous for even 007’s standards.

Casino Royale marks GoldenEye director Martin Campbell’s return to Bond’s world and performs a succinct Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the flailing series. It strips Bond of his recyclable traits and reinvents him for the next generation. Royale adapts Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel of the same name as it shuttles the character back to square one.

But you don’t care about that. You want to hear about new Bond, Daniel Craig, who has had to stomach a steady stream of negative press since Eon Productions tapped him to succeed Brosnan. The backlash against Craig’s hiring was swift and violent. London reporters began calling the light-haired Layer Cake star James Blonde. The 5′11" Craig was deemed too short (he is the most vertically challenged 007) and too fragile. Rabid fans opposed to the casting launched a website where they critiqued everything from the actor’s ears (too big) to his teeth (too white), and posted disparaging accounts from the film’s set.

It’s all for naught. The latest addition to her Majesty’s secret service is the franchise’s most physical James Bond. Judi Dench, once again playing exasperated MI6 superior M, describes Craig’s character as a "blunt instrument," which nails the actor’s steely presence. However, the hard-hitting and fast-running Craig also serves as a shot of pure adrenaline administered to the deteriorating series, one that has been in desperate need of rejuvenation for years.

Far from your father’s Bond, Craig is vulnerable, mistake prone, arrogant to a fault, and often forced to race against the clock because he has been outwitted by his foes. He isn’t suave (like Brosnan), sophisticated (like Roger Moore), cunning (like Timothy Dalton), or all of the above (like Sean Connery).

Craig’s greatest asset seems to be his ability to take a beating. Since Royale recounts Bond’s inaugural mission as a Double-O, the rookie spy lacks field experience, prompting the headstrong hero to plow into obvious traps and endure multiple strikes from worthy adversaries. In a welcome change, Craig actually allows cuts and scrapes to scar his chiseled face, a clear indicator that we’re not in usual Bond territory. Not only did Brosnan never bruise, his hair rarely looked out of place.

The Royale plot is typical Bond fare, a convoluted smokescreen floated so the filmmakers could ship the spy to exotic locales. Early scenes set in Madagascar, the Bahamas, and Miami build to a high-stakes poker game, where Bond and abnormally sexy accountant Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) must bleed terrorist supporter Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) of vital funds.

Stunt work on Royale will impress you the most. Campbell makes instant use of his younger Bond’s athletic abilities. You’ll understand in the first 10 minutes why Sebastien Foucan receives a "free-running stunts coordinator" credit.

What doesn’t work is the requisite romance between Craig and Green. The film’s final act hinges on the couple’s devotion as it establishes Bond’s eventual branding as a womanizer. But it’s painfully obvious Campbell, Craig, and the three credited screenwriters (Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade) could care less about Bond’s heart, unless they’re focused on stopping it… which actually happens in the film’s most riveting scene.

Where does Craig fit in 007’s lineage? It’s too soon to tell, though Eon and Sony seem content to give the actor at least one more shot, as evidenced in Royale’s final scene. Overall, this is a great start for the actor and a decent re-launching pad for a franchise that had slipped from lethal to ludicrous. Welcome back, Bond.

My comment…. sucked on some scenes, like cheesy moments with mr. bond and skinny lady. Anyway it satisfied me a bit. Don’t buy the DVD.

(Answer to those seeking technical support for Girlfriend 2.0)


Girlfriend 1.0 is already obsolete. Now, there’s an all new and improved Girlfriend 2.0. Your relationship with the former Girlfriend 1.0 was more of a “take-relationship” causing constant crashes and bug reports from the system. You taught you have finally learned your lesson. Then came Girlfriend 2.0. You were advised to keep your interaction with the “software” as purely “give and take” because there will be times when the program will solicit feedback from you in exchange for the functions it offered. Everything was going well for sometime, until, quite recently, it refused to respond in several occasions. Your nightmarish buggy system is beginning to creep back into your life.

Generally, upgrading to Girlfriend 2.0 from Girlfriend 1.0 provides a fresh start. About the features, well, it may or may not provide any great improvements depending on your view of an ideal “software.” With both the Girlfriend versions, knowing which is better is always entirely subjective. Like what was stated, with Girlfriend 2.0, there will be additional features (which may or may not be that necessary and useful for you) compared to Girlfriend 1.0. Both versions require feedbacks and less modifications coming from you, but it is only in Girlfriend 2.0 where this information was specifically stated in the guidelines. It has also been proven after endless tests that modifying (directly or indirectly) both application versions according to your own specifications makes it less responsive and will cause your system to be buggy and less responsive as well.

Here are some troubleshooting tips to help solve a few of your dilemmas with Girlfriend 2.0:

Girlfriend 2.0 will occasionally flash warning and error messages while working. Pay heed and lessen if not totally avoid that particular command or action you made that triggered the messages. Tendency is it will stop responding once you keep on doing your error-riddled actions again and again. When it stops responding, try entering the “((I’m [sorry] will never h-pen a[gain].))” string values into the registry. If that doesn’t solve it you only have 2 more options. Either you have to reinstall it, or you can wait for Girlfriend 3.0 to come out. Makolsoft has just announced that they are launching the beta version of Girlfriend 3.0 for free testing. Reverting to Girlfriend 1.0 seldom yields favorable results and are often riddled with bugs and more bugs.
Expect Girlfriend 2.0 to be buggy after you stopped using it or, at least, seldomly run and test it for a long time. Open “Edit” menu, expand the “Preferences” option, then select “Load Default Values”. If it doesn’t work, from the “Preferences” option, select “Load Custom Value”. Open the “Call_Court_BeSweetAgain.sav” in the “C:/Program Files/Girlfriend 2.0/Solutions/” directory from the file browser window that will pop out.
In time, (definite span of time varies from one “software copy” to the next, indefinite) Girlfriend 2.0 will pop-out comment and suggestion boxes which it will forward to “Femmebot User Evaluation Center”. It’s normal. Be attentive enough in giving comments. Always remember though that you have to keep it sweet, simple and positive. There have been some reports of users experiencing incomplete task performance from Girlfriend 2.0 after being brutally honest with their comments and suggestions.
Using Girlfriend 2.0 everyday or running it for more than 1 week without turning the system off will also cause it to malfunction. For an unknown reason, an error in the application script takes place affecting “Girlfriend.exe”. Some sources claimed it resides in the “Bored.om” file but the claims are yet to receive confirmation and proper validation. It can be solved by running it less frequently.
Girlfriend 2.0 has word and command suggestion feature which is a separate plug-in for Girlfriend 1.0. Basically, it was meant to help you not bug you. As a sort of built-in “advice function”, try using it from time to time. Ignoring it will cause Girlfriend 2.0 to crash depending on how many times you ignore the suggestion pop-ups. If the crashing persists even after using the suggestions, refer to tip number 1.
Girlfriend 2.0 has a “stress outlet button”, albeit how unnecessary. When the stress bar reaches the peak level, press the button. It’s a debugging feature Girlfriend 2.0 is bundled with which actively rids itself of malicious scripts and invalid file paths and registry entries that it had collected during its previous crashes and failed launches at the expense of a huge part of your system resources. But don’t worry it doesn’t take that long; just one blast and it’s ready for another round of action again. Be warned though that it’s not capable of removing all the serious problems. Most of the time, you have to attend to it yourself. Always consider enabling the stress bar’s “automatic discharge” checkbox and schedule the discharging task during your free time.
Drinking Buddies 1.0 will always run alongside any Girlfriend versions as long as you run it in the background and/or you give the Girlfriend applications a high priority compared to the Drinking Buddies which is set low.
You cannot run Girlfriend 1.0, Girlfriend 2.0, and Girlfriend 3.0 simultaneously as they will conflict each other. There are some who’ve managed to use them alternately but it’s always safe to choose one only. Uninstall the present version just in case you’ve decided to install a new one.
And lastly, be careful of second-hand and/or pirated copies of Girlfriend applications. They have been known to be riddled with a risky Trojan known as “EX-bf”. Some users reported losing their system to this dreaded menace. Always keep an updated copy of anti-virus apps. Beware also when you have a copy of Best Friend 1.0 installed. It can possibly corrupt your existing Girlfriend version.

Tagged as: cyber dating, virtual 

According to Wikipedia ; “‘love handles’ is a colloquial or slang term for a layer of fat that is deposited around a person’s midsection, especially visible on the sides, which is believed to have some resemblance to handles.” Love handles are more common in men than women, as the midsection is one of the first regions where fat is stored in the male body (women tend to accumulate fat around the hips and thighs). Love handles generally become more pronounced as a person ages and approaches middle age. Basically, once it blows out of proportion, it becomes a sort of handles around one’s midsection which somehow suggest a place to grab on during love making. That’s why it’s been called that.

You get love handles from lack of exercise and fat-burning activities, excessive drinking and eating, and an over-comfortable lifestyle. Having these protruding layers of fat around your waist is a big eye sore in today’s “healthy and fit lifestyle” which views lean or ultra-muscular bodies as the state one should be or, at least, strive for. There had been exercises built to target these handles and turn them into washboard muscles. Have you ever tried them? There are also other quick solutions like lipo-suction for those who want an instant solution and have the money to spend. Here in the Philippines, slimming teas (mostly from China and hasn’t been certified by local food and drug authority) are also one of the many solutions to burn out these unsightly product of sedentary living.

Which ever way one chooses to remove the love handles in the body, it should always be put in mind that these extra-features we have are there for a reason. You had no discipline in what you get into your mouth; you hate doing simple exercises and move your fat ass off your couch; these and several other reasons are what produced the love handles. And these reasons are what you should focus on removing in order to permanently put a halt on the growth of love handles.

On the other hand, sometimes it is best to just ignore the fact that these love handles make you ugly. Learn to love them and start accessorizing those huge side bumpers of yours to show that you don’t care even if sexy people get more friends and admirers than you, or that they get more respect and authority for the way they look compared to you. “You’re beautiful no matter what they say”; as Christina Aguilera puts it. Dream on and let them go their way and yours your way. Then, after some years of being a total asshole, you begin to reflect on your life and ask; “where did I go wrong?” Oh yeah, it’s only love handles. Why am I over reacting

Tag: love handles , body fat

Gayuma = love potion in" tagalog." More than being a concocted drink or additive, it is also associated with any object that arouses one’s sexual desire towards another person, usually the one who gave or owned the object referred to as gayuma. (my definition)

In the Philippine setting, although accepted as a myth or a superstitious belief, gayuma is still something that most people turn to when it comes to matters of the heart that can’t be solved by courtship or any other means of winning one’s heart. Concocted most of the time from herbs, plant roots, and other stuffs believed to have extra special magical powers, they aren’t hard to find once you know where to look for them (most of the time near prominent churches such as Quiapo church and Baclaran church). Since the early times, its effectiveness, according to its patrons, is proven and will not fail as long as one believes in its mystical properties.

And now, here I am concocting my very own "love potion" in its digital form. Like shamans of time forgotten, I breath magic into my craft hoping it will somehow make Internet people notice at the very least. Carefully, I’m concocting the right mix of mystical ingredients in the form of "content" to my device (blog), slowly but surely learning what is effective and what is a spoiler, what mixes well and what messes up everything when combined. Later, when it becomes a success, who knows what form it will take.


Love = 1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
3.
a. Sexual passion.
b. Sexual intercourse.c. A love affair.
4. An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
5. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.
6. An expression of one’s affection: Send him my love.
7.
a. A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.
b. The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
8. Love Mythology Eros or Cupid.
9. often Love Christianity Charity.
10. Sports A zero score in tennis.

I have come to the frightening conclusion
that I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become
what they are capable of becoming.