“Eclipse”, the third part to the “Twilight” saga, directed by David Slade and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Dakota Fannig may just be the best one yet…

It is action packed (as far as the story allows it) and although some of the scenes featuring Bella and Edward are slightly too cheesy and a bit prolonged (I’m assuming to satisfy the love-struck teenage viewers), one can still enjoy watching the film.

In this installment of the saga, we get to learn Edward’s family members past and what made them who they are as well as how the warewolves (actually shapeshifters, but nobody seemed to notice that little slip) came about. However, here the film losses in comparisson with the book because we never get to see the tormented Leah (a new additon to the pack) and the role she will later play in the battle. Morever, the battle itself, although not too badly shot and edited, still leaves you wanting more. More of the action, which unfortunately ends too soon… And the culmination of the movie seems too abrupt, almost as if the team ran out of steam…

All in all, it is worth watching for the fans (who, as it is their perogative, are totally partial), for others- well, if you don’t mind a few borderline boring scenes (which are not so in the book but lack the same intentisty in the movie) and ejoy the conflict between the supernatural creatures, go for it… You may find that the money spent on the ticket might have been worth it. The desicion is entirely yours…

And it wasn’t peachy, I can tell you that much. It started on the day we we re supposed to leave Sicily but the flight was delayed a whole day… That trickled down like a domino effect and we missed some other connecting flights… So, of course, we ended up paying for another set of tickets because the American airline industry is so ‘helpful’…Not to mention the horrible customer service that we were subjugated to…

As if that wasn’t enough, we spent over a month in a crappy hotel (and over $1200.00! not to mention money spent on food and such) since we were waiting to close on the house we found… I tell you one thing though: if you want to buy a house, you need to be prepared for a lot of paper work and arm yourself with a lot of patience.

But all is well that ends well and we are finally in the new house. I am connected to the world again and thus can start writing more….

So stay tuned…. I will see you here real soon…

“Breath and Bone” is a second part to a two-part saga telling a story of a rebellious magician and diviner, Magnus Valencia de Cartamandua, who refuses to conform to the limitations and restriction his parentage and the long lines of diviners have established for him.

In “Flesh and Bone” (the fist volume of the saga), we get to meet Valen (as he prefers to be called) and witness his struggles with an addiction to an enchantment that turns pain into pleasure and his mothers prophecy foretelling his doom. And we get to see how, despite of himself, Valen learns that friendships and loyalties are sometimes far more important than his own feeble life.

In “Breath and Bone” we see Valen sold to the terrible prince as a part of his heirloom while the land of Navronne sinks deeper into war and bloodshed. While Valen risks both  body and soul to save an innocent child in the surrounding chaos as well as heal the dying land and bring it to its rightful king, he runs into many that would like nothing more than put their hand on this one of a king sorcerer. And what is the secret behind his extraordinary powers? Will he discover where his abilities come from and how he can use them in time to heal the land of Navronne and help his king? Or will he fail, unable to resist the constant hunger for nivat and the release it brings?

Both books are written in a beautiful English that resembles the 19^th century novel writing, which makes reading them an exciting and pleasurable experience. Berg’s narrative is intense and suspenseful while the characters are well-developed and three-dimensional, which is an important detail for the fantasy novels.

“Breath and Bone”, as well as “Flesh and Spirit” are filled with sorcerers, magic, intrigue, dark secrets and characters both noble and weak. One of the most endearing qualities to the novels are the vividly depicted details. AS Sharon Shinn (author of “The Thirteenth House”) writes: “Berg brings to life every stone in a peaceful monastery and every nuance in a stratified society, describing the difficult dirty work of ordinary life as beautifully as she conveys the heart-stopping mysticism of holiness just beyond human perception.”

“Lies and illusions”, directed by Tibor Takacs and starring Christian Slater and Cuba Gooding, Jr., tells a story of a self-help book writer whose long-time girlfriend gets kidnapped and killed. Upon her death, Slater’s character finds out that not only did his fiancée had a house he knew nothing about but also an account and a safety deposit box, which one of the mob bosses is after.

Yet again, we have the story of a poor schmack, who is dooped into thinking he knows the woman he plans to spend the rest of his life with only to find out that the person he fell in love with did not exist. This time, however, the story is told in such boring fashion that you feel like poking your eyes out 20 minutes into the movie!

While the beginning is somewhat promising with its similarities to the ‘50s Bond movies and the French detective films, one quickly realizes it is not to be so… The story drags, the actors fail to portray the dilemma and the tragedy a person would experience in such situations and there is nothing there to keep you from turning it off.

And if you think that both Slater and Gooding will make a good movie, you are sorely mistaken. I’d say: don’t waste your time and two thumbs down!!!!

I woke up congested and with a terrible headache and simply did not feel like getting out of bed at all. It took me about half an hour to convince myself I should (since I already paid for the trip I was supposed to attend). I finally dragged myself out of my warm and comfy bed and somehow got ready for this trip (which, at this point, I started to dread). And off I went…

As it turned out, my friend (who, by the way, convinced me to go in the first place) was also not feeling too chipper herself (we both shared symptoms of either common cold or flu, who knows…). And thus, we found ourselves sitting at the back of a van, sneezing every so often and drinking water to stay hydrated…

Perhaps it helped because by the time we got to the orange farm, we forgot about the cold or flu (or whatever it is) and actually started having a good time. However, the good time was just beginning…

The nice farmer and his wife welcomed us to their home as if we were part of their family. Then we went orange picking–the whole reason for the trip. It was an experience in itself, especially for someone like me, who likes nature but more form the distance than first hand. And here I had a chance to experience it first hand, not only covered nearly up to my knees in mud but also walking in weeds almost hip high just to get a chance to pick my own Sicilian blood oranges. Crazy, isn’t it? How I didn’t end up covered in ticks is simply beyond me… But I did end up having a time of my life,even though I had to carry my bag of oranges (that most likely weight about 10 lbs) up the muddy hill!

As if that wasn’t fun enough, we had this wonderful Sicilian lunch, which included lots of home-made wine and freshly-squeezed orange juice waiting for us at the farm. This was the perfect ending to a very adventurous morning. And the day that began dreadfully, turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.

The funny thing is, I think you can only experience something like that only here in the Mediterranean. People are simply so friendly and they welcome you as if you were not this stranger but part of their family, which gives it a different meaning. And makes it far more special…

First of all, I can’t believe Kitty has cancer. The episodes when she found out she had lymphoma and was battling it made me cry like a baby. And then her problems with Robert… Thank God he saw the light and came around. I would hate to see them split. They make such a wonderful couple… And the fact that Rob Lowe is so incredibly hot has nothing to do with it (oh well, maybe just a little…)

Then there are Scottie and Kevin trying to have a baby..   Tell you the truth, I don’t quite know how I feel about it… Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against gay couples having children… It’s just that Kevin has become a bit of a control freak and I’m just not sure I like that side of him. And Scottie is simply way too understanding… But I suppose that comes with love, right?

The one thing I am still wondering about is Holly and whether she will fall for Dennis’s trap or perhaps ahe will find out what the heck he’s up to… That may be interesting to watch. i only hope that Walkers will not suffer on the power struggle between their nemesis… Although I really thought that Holly came around… But I guess we will ahve to wait and see…

It’s been over 20 years in the making and the story is still kicking! This latest part to the saga of John Connor and his resistance to the SkyNet and their machines only gives is justice.

Directed by McG (who also made “Supernatural”) and starring Christian Bale as John Connor and Sam Worthington as Marcus Wright, is a fast-paced and keeping-you-on-the-edge-of your-seat kind of a movie that is true to the spirit and nature of the previous Terminator films.

The year is 2018, which really is not such a distant future and as far-fetched as the idea of machines taking over the world may seem, it really is not so impossible. John Connor is trying his best to stop the machines and listen to his long-gone mother’s advice, which guides him in the fight against SkyNet. His main objective quickly becomes finding young Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) and protecting him because without Reese it all may be in vain. Along his struggles, he finds an unlikely ally, a stranger whose origins are quite obscure.

Will Connor find Kyle and keep him alive long enough? Will he be able to survive himself before the machines find him? Will he become the salvation that everyone is waiting for? Or is humanity’s salvation something else entirely?

“Terminator Salvation” is as unexpected as it is good and even if you’re not a fan of the Terminator saga, you still may enjoy this film for its excellent use of technology in the film-making process and the suspense and fast-paced action. And if you’re a fan, well… judge it for yourself…

Here we go again. 2010! The new year and a new chapter begins. For some it means resolutions and new hope of making them come true. For others, it is just another year in their calendars. Nothing special, nothing any more promising than all those years before.

For me, however, (even though I do not believe in making resolutions), a new year is always full of possibilities. And while some reflect on the year past, hoping to learn from the mistakes made or simply make amends with the past, I look into the future with bright eyes. The future always looks good and the glass is always half full!

So let’s drink to the 2010 and may it be the best year of your life! Whatever that may be…

I can’t believe it has been five years already! And this season… WOW! I can’t believe Kitty has cancer and that they left for the holidays with her not breathing on the beach at Justin’s wedding.

Speaking of Justin’s wedding- do you think it will ever happen? It seems like everything is conspiring against those two. But I do hope they will finally be able to vow to each other, however it’ll happen.

And as for Nora, I have this sinking feeling that guy Simon has stolen her money and ran and I don’t think she will see him again. And I do hope she wasn’t foolish and  naive enough to give him a blank check! Man, that would have been dumb!

Sometimes I feel as if I’m walking on eggshells. I don’t really know what to expect. I may be under the impression that we are getting along just fine, only to find out that my co-worker has ratted me out to our boss and I have absolutely no clue why. Or I come to work one day just to find out that she re-organized the whole room (behind my back, mind you) after we supposedly agreed that none of that was necessary.

She seems like a nice person at the first glance and many people at work don’t seem to see that side of her but I simply cannot trust her as far as I can throw her and I must work with her for eight hours every day…Personally, I am not the type of a person to exchange pleasantries if I don’t like someone, much less can trust them so trying to get through the day can be quite difficult at times… And I’m simply at my wit’s end trying to figure out how to talk to her and work with her…

Have any advice?