Glee Season 2 kicks off

Before I write about the particular subject, I'd like to give a shout out to Google. Hey, my blog, Inspired Weddings, is NOT a spam blog. You know why it's got links there? It's because I want to help readers to get more information on something that might interest them. I don't earn from those links; I do this because I'd like to help other people plan their big day. So there. I'd done all the verification stuff and am waiting for your reply. Hopefully I can get back my access to my blog in 2 days, as you have promised.

Whew!

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Back to topic...

I almost failed to watch the first episode of Glee's Season 2. Good thing ETC had a rerun of the said episode at 9PM (it was shown 4PM yesterday, also on JackTV).

The McKinley High Glee Club is back, and even after losing to Vocal Adrenaline in the Regionals, they couldn't care much less. But with the loss of 1 member, Matt (Dijon Talton,whom I still have no idea why he's not on the show anymore), New Directions needed to recruit more members for the Nationals.

They almost lost hope, until Sam (Chord Overstreet) and Sunshine (Charice) come along. But will they be on New Directions? The 1st episode did show that one won't be in the team because of, er, "bribes."

Another new face appears also on this episode: new football coach Bieste (Dot Jones). And because she's cut the Cheerios' budget, she's Sue Sylvester's new archenemy! I want to see how the show will tackle the Sylvester-Bieste rivalry and if Dot Jones will get cool lines like Jane Lynch does.

Of course, Pinoys have long anticipated Glee's Season 2, not only because their favorite show is back, but because a Filipina is getting a break on a well-loved show.

Charice can definitely rival Lea Michele's vocals, though during her "audition" piece, Listen, I was kinda distracted by her arms flailing about everywhere. She looked more theatrical that Lea does (her facial expressions when singing were bordering OA to me). Well, here's hoping her character will be trained to lessen the arm-jerking actions a bit.

Overall, the premiere episode of Glee's Season 2 was okay. I hope they stick more to the plot than let the story be run by the songs. Let's see what happens in the coming weeks.

Falling for the Harumika Mannequin

I've been ranting at hubby about wanting to have a hobby. Lately, I've been feeling a bit stressed that I needed an outlet. He has his gaming consoles and toys. I wanted something other than taking care of the baby.

Making chocolates would be one, but then a trip to Toys R Us gave me another idea.

Since I was a kid, I've been a fan of Barbie. Nowadays, it seems to have a rival to my attention: Harumika.

It's like dressing up a doll, but instead you're actually creating clothing from pieces of fabric. And the best part, there's no sewing needed! All you need to do is secure the cloth on the back of the plastic body form and you're all set. Great for people like me who almost failed to pass Home Economics because the sewing machine and I can't get along.

The Harumika Starter Set

They also sell just the pieces of cloth, no body form. So if you already have the Starter Set, you can just buy the Accents.

I forgot their prices, but I'm pretty sure they won't be hitting Php1K.

But this one I really like:

Harumika Mannequin

It's not a body form -- it's almost a doll! This one's priced at Php1.4K (a bit expensive), but because it comes with a head and limbs, I want it.

Starting today, I'll be saving up for the Harumika Mannequin and its accents. Well, you know, I got a kid and lots of responsibilities, so this one has to wait a bit...

Question now is, if I get to buy it, where will I put it...?

The Payless Megamall experience

Ever since I heard that Payless ShoeSource was opening outlets here in Manila, I was really looking forward to the day that I would be going in the store and coming out of it with a box of shoes in my hand. That came into fruition last weekend when my husband and I dropped by Payless ShoeSource in SM Megamall.

The Payless Megamall facade, taken with hubby's camera phone

I always thought that I had to wait for the Shangri-La branch to open, since they put up their billboard for everyone to see. Was surprised to find out Megamall was the 2nd branch to open (next to Festival Mall -- if I'm not mistaken) because they weren't advertising it. Or so it seems -- the Payless billboard was placed INSIDE the mall, covering the elevator area, which was under construction.

Anyway, we failed to get a picture of the interior because we might be reprimanded for it. But to give you a taste of what to expect, here's a rundown of my own observation:

1. It's not as big as Forever 21, nor near is it half its size. I think the store that occupied this before was Celine, so it's pretty wide but the depth of the store is not that, er, deep.

2. Aisles are arranged by shoe size. And they have half sizes! Wee! Good for people like me who's not really a 5 but not quite a 6. The aisles, though, are a bit narrow, so if you're in the aisle with co-sized people, it'll probably get a bit crampped up.

3. Speaking of shoes, one thing I observed is that bigger sized shoes have more styles compared to the ones with smaller sizes. This observation goes with the women's sizes, though. I saw a pretty pair of yellow ballet flats at size 8 but didn't see the same at the size 5 aisle. There was also a pair of red ballet flats that I kinda liked, but it was in size 6. But not to fret, kindred ones, because even the smaller sizes have really pretty designs. I had a hard time choosing what I actually wanted that day.

4. Probably because it's new, the ventilation wasn't really okay. It was pretty hot inside, with the narrow aisles and the number of people inside (it was a weekend afternoon, so there was an influx of shoppers). The salespeople can feel it, too. I saw some at the inner end of the store fanning himself because it was humid. I guess that's something to improve.

5. Of course, I'd have to somehow touch on the price. Going by the name "Payless" and branding itself as a discount shoe store in the US, you'd probably want to know if it really offers shoes at lower prices. To give you an idea, here's our loot for that afternoon:

State Street leather shoes for him, priced at around Php1,250.

Predictions sling-back peep-toe wedges for her, priced at Php995.

I would say that for an imported brand, it's priced fairly. We also looked at the Airwalk shoes sold in Payless and compared the price of the same brand and similar style sold in department stores. It seems like the one sold in Payless is less expensive, by about a few hundred pesos. So yeah, I would say the store lives up to its name.

All in all, the Payless ShoeSource experience was a great one for me. For "Imeldifics" and fashionistas, here's a new store to go to. They'll be opening more branches soon, so watch out, there may be one near you.

The Expendables: Same can be said about the plot...

Yeah, it's a pretty late review. I only saw this a couple of days ago because I heard lukewarm reviews about it from others. If not for the free passes that were given to me and my husband, we would've waited for this on DVD.

Most of you already know the plot: a group of mercenaries, led by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), hired to take out people that other people don't like. For their latest mission, the task is go to Vilena, an island off South America to assassinate the dictator. But when Ross and Lee Christmas (Jason Statham) go there for reconaissance, they learn that the one they're really supposed to take out is a rogue CIA agent who's controlling the whole island.

From the cast alone, you know it's going to be an all-out action movie. As one of the producers, Stallone did want this to be a bad-ass action flick, the kind of movie that would remind you of the golden days of action, complete with blood, broken bones, dismembered body parts, and lots of explosions and fireworks. I think he enjoyed doing the latest Rambo movie that he wanted to do the whole action bit again.

But with his age, I guess he knew he couldn't do much of the action sequences required. And that's why Statham really shined in the stunts department in this movie. It's almost like he did Stallone's "dirty job."

The problem, though, with having a huge ensemble packed in one movie is that one, or some, may have less highlights than the other. For example, Jet Li's moment was when he kicked Dolph Lundgren's butt. Dolph Lundgren's moment was when he kicked Jet Li's butt. Same goes with Randy Couture and Stone Cold Steve Austin (MMA wins over WWE?). Terry Crews' moment was... probably beating the lights out of all the minor characters. Mickey Rourke -- well, he had a moment, and a dramatic one at that. Complete with blue lighting. Hmm, still making a killing out of your Oscar nomination?

But one high point for this movie is that after watching all the action sequences and explosions, you'll be going out of the cinema feeling super macho, reminiscent of the feeling the movie 300 gives you minus the "Awoo!" yell. If only for that, you have a reason to go and see this movie. Never mind the plot -- too superficial, one thing that's probably "expendable" about the whole movie. But it's still entertaining. Just keep in mind to not mind the plot and concentrate on the action itself.