Top 10- Best Horror Movies of all Time

Horror movies have been a part of a lot of folks’ Halloween tradition. Halloween is a favourite holiday for scary movie fanatics such as me. It means that it’s that time of the year again when the television channels are flooded with ghost and supernatural documentaries and TV shows. Moreover, it’s the time to get together with friends to have a horror movie marathon. There are different kinds of scary movies. There’s the horror-comedy, the slasher flick, the supernatural, the psychological thriller, etcetera, etcetera. The point is no matter how good a movie is, in the end it all comes down to what the viewer likes. So if you are scavenging for something good to watch this Halloween, here are some recommendations. (This is solely based on my own opinion, I know there are a lot of great movies out there but I guess they just didn’t make the cut for me);

On Number 10: Ringu (2000) – Yep, the birth of our favourite antagonist, Sadako. Not many people have seen this film. It’s a little less scary than the original; however, it is so much better than that nonsense stuff that was Ring 2. What I like about this is that it gives a background story about how it all started. In this instalment of the Ring Series, you get to empathize with Sadako and maybe cut her some slack for being evil and all.

Number 9: Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Anthony Hopkins and Jodi Foster at their best. Psychological thrillers are my favourite because even though some of the scenes are unlikely to happen in real life, at the back of your mind you just can’t shake off the thought that (how unlikely may it be) it is not entirely impossible. There may be some sleeper moments in this movie, but not to worry because it’s an essential part of tension building, and you will be scared (believe you me).

Number 8: Night of the Living Dead (1990) – Note: I haven’t been able to watch the 1968 version. With all the zombie films coming out these days, the Night of the Living Dead remains to be the best. If you’re into extreme gory kind of stuff, this is the film for you.

Number 7: Patayin sa sindak si Barbara (Scare Barbara to Death) (1974)– As the title may have given away, this is a Filipino film. I know, many of you may not even heard about it, but since I warned you earlier that this list is mainly out of my own perspective, I guess you just have to listen to what I have to say don’t you. The protagonist (as the title clearly stated) is Barbara. She has a sister named Ruth. Ruth killed herself because she thinks her husband is having an affair. When she died, her spirit found out that Barbara is her husband’s mistress. So, you probably guessed what happens next, right? Ruth becomes this vengeful spirit going after her sister and trying to kill her. Oh, I forgot, there’s also a creepy doll named Chelsea, and a creepy possessed girl named Karen. And that’s about it, one of the best on my list. Now was that really so bad?

Number 6: Child’s Play (1988) – Ok, this one is really good. I mean a sadistic killer doll which was supposed to be all cute and cuddly. How scary is that. What with the innocent looking everyday object turned into something evil. This is the only likeable Child’s Play movie. It’s not boring like Child’s Play 2 and 3. And it’s certainly not the joke that was Bride or Seed of Chucky. Talk about commercialism over quality.

Number 5: Pet Sematary (Stephen King) (1989) – This movie is so scary because it takes away from you all the sense of security that you may have in your body. The plot takes the idea of having a loving family and turns it into something awful. This is not one of the more popular horror movies, but it’s definitely one of the best.

Number 4: April fool’s Day (1986) – This is just another slasher flick. Or is it? This movie isn’t all that scary. It’s not the kind of movie that will give you nightmares or get you into temporary paranoia and stuff. Then why in the world did I include this on my list? Beats me... All I know is that I loved it. Enough said.

Number 3: Ring (Original Japanese Version) (1998) – Aside for the fact that you get yourself into the hassle of having to read English subtitles, this is still, the best Asian horror flick to date. It is one of the more recent horror movies that took a regular, everyday object and turned it into something cursed (and horrific). The plot, although very unfathomable in so many levels, still gives a lot of people the creeps. It also led to my unreasonable fear of my television.

Number 2: Sixth Sense (1999) – Now if you are one of the ten people who haven’t seen this film, I have something to say to you... Are you kidding me? This is only horror at its best. I can’t put into words how to describe it. So, get up there and rent a copy or download it or something, for heaven’s sake. The Sixth Sense and the number 1 on my list are two very different things. They scare us in two very different aspects. They both are really good and really, really scary, and they simply are best in their own rite. But when it boils down to which one is THE best, the choice for me, is very, very clear...

NUMBER 1: The Exorcist (1973) – Talk about over the top scary (but in a good way). It’s horrible (but in a good way). It’s sickening (but in a good way). The guys who made this are crazy (OH YES! IN A GOOD WAY). One thing about a great horror movie is that it’s supposed to be effective in sending chills to the viewers through the screen. And I’ll tell you how effective this movie is. I’m getting freaked out now just writing about it, seriously. The imagery of this film becomes tattooed in one’s mind like a stench that won’t come off. It’s there permanently that whenever you hear the word ‘horror’ that image vividly comes right back into your vulnerable little mind as it feeds on your deepest fears. I think that the Exorcist is so scary because it set no boundaries. It basically corrupts the central pillar of human survival, FAITH. It is scary because, it’s quite impossible to happen in reality but you have that nagging thought at the back of your head that IF it DOES happen to you, you will be completely helpless. This movie my friends, is a breakthrough in horror genre. It really lives up to its title ‘the scariest movie’ of all time. Yes, there are many great movies about exorcism that has come up after this, and yes, some are pretty good as well. But as far as I’m concerned, for now nothing is as great as the EXORCIST. (Geez! Is it just me, or did I just sound like I worship this movie?) And again if you haven’t seen it yet, for crying out loud, please do! Oh and one last thing, the director’s cut, although very entertaining and added a little more zest to the original release, kind of ruined the overall feel of the film. So there you have it, ten of the best horror movies of all time (in my opinion, of course). Enjoy!!!

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Why scary movies aren’t as scary as they used to be

I love watching horror films. Although I am easily scared by the simplest things, I am still a fan of the genre. Maybe that’s even the actual reason why I love it so much. I don’t know if most of you have noticed this, but I just realized that more than half of the horror movies coming out nowadays are not even close to being as scary as they used to be. Gone are the days when I sit down in a theatre (or my living room), watch a scary movie, and actually become ‘scared’. I miss the adrenalin rush and the goose bumps. I guess I became jaded with the never ending parade of the same old predictable storylines. Well, from where I’m standing, I can see clearly that the reason for this is the continuous blossom of technology, which in my opinion ruined everything that is pure and good about horror films. Let me explain this further. The earliest attempt to scare the bejezus out of audience had been very successful. This is due to the fact that there isn’t a lot of technology to help the film makers to produce a somewhat decent film. This leads to them relying mainly on what they actually have; creativity and imagination. I was born in 1986, but there is a bunch of great horror flicks way back before I was even born. Take for instance, ‘The Exorcist’, released in 1973, and is widely considered as the best horror movie of all time. Imagery is very important, and the latter provides viewers all the imagery that they could (or could not) handle. But this is history. Isn’t the movies today supposed to be better than those from 30 years ago. Yep, technology... since there is much you can do with technology now, especially in adding SFX in a movie; film makers tend to overdo it. What I noticed with the horror films coming out nowadays is that they have the best special effects though these effects seem to not convey anything to viewers other than disappointment. Maybe the effects are so clean and believable that it makes the entire movie quite boring. As for remakes, most of the time when viewers compare the original with the remake, the original is almost always the better choice. Well, that’s about all for this topic. For now, I’ll just sit around and wait for that ‘special movie’ that will scare the living daylights out of me... again.

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THE KEY TO MOTIVATION

“Never for a moment doubt that you can succeed, but never for a second believe that you can’t fail…” –ABL

This is my new motto in life. If I were to tell you something negative about me, it would be that I am a short-lived enthusiast. In a simpler description, I start something with much enthusiasm. But that would only take me about a month or so before I get bored or frustrated (whichever comes first), and leave what I started in a heartbeat.

Uh-huh! Bad habit, indeed. I knew I had to change that about me. So, instead of looking for inspiration anywhere else, I came up with my own maxim thus, the intro of this article. I thought that I would more likely to stick with this “change” if the inspiration came straight from the horse’s mouth.

Now, I’m not really an expert, but I managed to come up with some things that might help you succeed. If you’re starting a new hobby, business, or study habit, or trying to reach a dream, whatever it may be, this applies to all (at least I think it does) I hope this helps;

> Be Positive. When you’re beginning a new venture in life, you’ve got to know in your mind that ‘this will totally work out’. Positive thoughts are likely to yield positive results. Go figure!

> Expel all negativities. Whenever negative thoughts start pouring into your head, never entertain them. Try distracting yourself. I don’t know the formula of success, but I know that one sure route to failure is skepticism.

> There’s always a room for improvement. Even if you must consider yourself an expert of something, you’d have to come up with new ways to improve your craft. This will keep you from losing interest from what you do.

> Be your number-one critic. The most important opinion belongs to you. Although little negative criticisms from others won’t hurt, and can actually help you, don’t let these things get you to the point of discouragement.

> Do not try to please anyone. Whatever you’re doing, always be sure that you’re doing it because you WANT to, not because others want you to. Whatever makes you happy makes you a better person, and whatever makes you unhappy practically destroys you. If you think that what you do is worthwhile, then it will be worthwhile.

> Relax. Watch a movie. If you feel that you’re starting to get frustrated, that all your hard work amounts into nothing or you’re starting to say “This is not working at all.” Take a break. It’s just a phase. You’ll get over it. Instead if thinking how much more works you need to do, why not think of how far you’ve come. You wouldn’t want to let all those hard work go to waste, would you? Ever heard of the cliché “Try and try until you succeed”? Well, here’s what I think, it wouldn’t have become a cliché if somebody actually had a sense to try and follow the advice.

> The best source of Iron is liver. Don’t worry, you’re still reading the same article. I just want to prove a point. Iron is an important mineral in the body. There are a lot of food source where you can get iron like meat, fish, eggs, fruits, and green, leafy vegetables, etc. But the best way to get sufficient iron is through eating liver. Now get ready for this. In this analogy, you are the LIVER. The other sources that was mentioned earlier maybe your family, friends, special someone, etc., from which you get support and probably your motivation. But get this. Since you are the best source, there will be little need for you to get motivation from other sources. You don’t have to be dependent on them, because you, alone are sufficient. Yes, external motivation is very important, but not as significant as self-motivation. If you don’t have the latter, you won’t be able to learn to be independent in your endeavors. Even if you get enough motivation from other sources, it wouldn’t matter if you yourself have the faintest belief in what you’re capable of. You keep looking for inspiration in so many places when in fact the only motivation you’re ever going to need is the one you provide yourself with.

Maybe now you’ll be going like; “What in the world are you babbling about? I already know everything you just said!” Well, I think repetition leads to mastery. What’s the point of knowing all these information if you don’t put them to good practice. Like I said, I don’t have the formula of success. But who knows, I may hold the key to motivation.

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MARUNONG KA BA MAGTAGALOG?

Sa US Embassy, isang lalaki na hindi marunong mag-english ay may kasamang interpreter sa interview....

American Consul: Why would I grant you a visa to the United States, you don't even know how to speak english?

(tinagalog ng interpreter para sa lalaki)

Lalaki: Bakit ikaw, nasa Pilipinas ka marunong ka ba magtagalog?

(iningles ng interpreter para sa consul)

Resulta: Multiple entry Visa

"Marunong ka ba magtagalog?", 'yan ang madalas kong tanong sa mga kababayan nating Pinoy na laking Tate. 'Pag sinabi nilang "oo", sasabihin ko, "hay salamat! 'kala ko dudugo na ilong ko e!" (sabay tawa). 'Pag sinabi naman nilang "No." o "Just a little.", sasabihin ko, "Bakit??" (kunot-noo).

Oo, alam ko! importanteng marunong kang mag-ingles. Katunayan, karamihan ng sinusulat ko ay nakasulat sa katagang ito, para maintindihan ng nakararaming tao. Pero may mas hahalaga pa ba, na kahit ikaw ang pinakamagaling na tao na pwedeng makipag-chat kay John Doe, na marunong ka ring managalog?!

Pilipino : Tagalog Amerikano : Ingles

Maliwanag naman 'diba. Paano mo nasabi na "I am Filipino, and I am proud to be one." Kung ang isa sa pinakamahalagang katangian ng Pinoy ay wala ka.
Kung Amerikano ang kausap mo, nararapat lang na mag-ingles ka. Pero kung ang kaharap mo ay si Juan Dela Cruz, hindi ba't nararapat lang na kausapin mo s'ya sa lengwaheng alam n'ya?

Kapatid, kung marunong ka lang sana magtagalog, maiintindihan mo sana ang gusto kong iparating......... Kaso hindi.........

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LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT

(I wrote this for speech class when I was a sophomore at the University.)

"Hakuna Matata",-- a phrase that might be familiar to you. Short... but full of meaning. It literally means "no worries", but what does it really imply? Have you ever stopped and think that you may be worrying too much about how to live your life? Aren't you just thankful that you're here... alive?

It's true that living life is not easy, that some are afraid to actually live it. I, for one, regret almost everything I've done in my life. Anxious about what to do because I'm usually bothered by how will other people think about me. Some of us live in hatred. I remember when I was in highschool, I had a bestfriend whom I treated like a sister. Until she pulled the greatest betrayal I could ever think of. You could only imagine how much I hated her. My hatred followed me through my first year in college, long after I have last seen her. Only recently did I realize that I failed to notice that my life has long been in a halt. My hatred had become the focal point of my life. I've been focusing so hard on her that I was missing the greater things coming my way. It only goes to show that you can never change the past, and there's no point in worrying about it. You just have to accept it for what it is, because everything happens for a reason.

The kind of people whom I'm most envious of, are the people who are free from anxiety. People who are living life as it is. People who are happy about who they are and what they have, or however their lives turn out. People who doesn't care about what other people think about them. People who have experienced downfall in life, but are strong enough to stand up, smile, and say... "I'm ready to face another challenge. It may be difficult, but there's nothing I couldn't bear". In short, these are the people who embrace life. And it's from these people, that I really learned that if you're too afraid to live, life is a ghost that will haunt you. If you give up on it, it's nothing but a game in which you couldn't work yourself through to get the grand prize. But if you learn to embrace it, it's a priceless gift that you learn to accept joyfully, for whatever makes you happy, makes you a better person. You cannot say that the path that you've taken seems to be not the perfect one for you. Life is not a matter of fate or destiny... It is a matter if choice, which means that if you are determined enough with whatever you do, you may and will very well succeed.

Life is simple, but very complicated. What does it mean? It's for you to decide. And so I say to you, live life everyday as if it were the last, for you might never know what lies ahead. But never regret anything you have done, because it will be the foundation of your future. Remember, that the strength of a structure will be measured through the disasters it had withstood. Don't worry about what might have been. Just look straight ahead, and you will see that life is good... so live it!

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IRONY IN THE LIBRARY

Only recently did I find the library as a place to read and study. When I was still a Nursing student, The library served me and my friends well. Not to study, I can do that at home. It was the perfect place to kill time through chattering with each other. All those years I spent in the University, I can say that I've had a fair share of reprimand from the librarian, for creating noise. I don't know with you, but in the main library in the University from which I came from, The librarian has her own style. She doesn't just utter "Shhhhhh...!" like any normal libarian would.

First: She hears soft buzzing sound of students' whispers which you may commonly encouter. If she notices ---(I use 'she' because most librarians are female) If she notices that the buzzing is getting louder and louder by the millisecond, she rings this bell she has on her desk... as if her life depended on it, and to call everyone's attention saying "Please shut up!"--- without even speaking a word. This 'general approach' works for about 30 seconds, until the silence gives rebirth to yet another buzzing sound.

Second: The librarian spots the exact group producing this more pronounced (needless to say, more annoying) sound than everyone else's. And as if on cue, she storms to your table and next thing you know she already placed this huge place card at the middle of your table which reads: "Observe silence". And everybody else stares at you and your friends as if you did something criminal. And if that's not embarassing enough, here's the

Third: If she spots this person who insists on muttering inside her library, she will approach this person and tell him/her to leave the premises, (well, at least that's what I think she said, this never happened to me) because the 'culprit' immediately leaves the library.

Anyhow, now that I've already graduated, I need a place to study for the State Boards. So I stay a lot in the same library (to study, of course!). But as the irony of life would have it, the students wouldn't shut up. They remind me of, well... me! hahaha., I never thought I was THAT annoying. Today, I was at the library, totally absorbed by what I was reading, when something happened which I found very amusing, ironic even. This incident is in fact the inspiration of this essay. The librarian accidentally dropped something heavy to the floor, (i'm guessing it's a wooden box, i really wouldn't know) but it made a very loud, crashing sound. Then, to my surprise, almost every person in the library, as if evrybody mentally agreed that the moment of revenge had finally come, the crowd uttered a very loud, very long, and very distinct "Shhhhhhhhhh.....!"

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SHOEBOX

I keep my thoughts in a shoe box
under the bed where no one can see
I intend to keep them hidden
afraid that someone might disagree

I keep my dreams in a shoe box
where all ambitions are gathered
tucked safely from anyone's reach
in a place where it will never get shattered

I keep my heart in a shoe box
because not one will ever understand
the unusual way that it's beating
awaiting cure from a magical hand

My whole life is in a shoe box
much less precious than diamonds and gold
but if anyone should find what's in that shoe box
I insist that I be told...

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The Legend of the Old, Crappy Guitar

As a huge music lover, I enjoy listening to-- you guessed it--- music. I love anything from the classics, to the 70's and 80's hit songs, especially the ever nostalgic 90's music genre which I consider the best decade when it came to musical history. There are also a lot of talented new artists today. I just don't get it why they always opt to revive previous songs instead of just creating their own. You see, I'm the person who thinks that the best version of "Crazy for You" is the one made by Madonna (you do get what I'm trying to say, right?). So anyway, before I go farther and farther from the actual topic of this post I'm going to stop the criticisms, and go on to my story. Less than a month ago, staying at home, and having nothing productive to do (you know, being a bum and not having a job, and all), I decided that I want to learn how to play the guitar. And when I say 'want to learn', I mean --'really, seriously learn it'. You see years ago, my mom bought me this guitar and a keyboard, but I haven't actually got the time to learn them. So now that all I have is time, I looked for my old, crappy guitar, and I found it engulfed by a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. I went to look in the internet for free guitar lessons. I don't want anyone teaching me. This is something I have to do on my own. So then I tried out my old guitar, with a new found enthusiasm in my heart. But my old crappy guitar, so to speak, is actually, very old, and unbelievably crappy. I'm not kidding, if anyone heard me playing it, they'd want to me to stop doing so. Believe me, even if you have no musical gene whatsoever, you'd know that something was seriously wrong with that thing. It sounded terrible. When I looked at it closely, some parts of the edges where the sounding board is attached to the rest of it's body were apart (I guess that explains the awful sound). And so, I begged my dad to buy me a new guitar. It didn't matter what brand, all that mattered was that it was new. But my dad seemed not too excited about getting me a new one. So I had to put up with the old, crappy one. I thought I was condemned never to get to learn to play until.... one day, when I put my guitar down because I had to do something, as fate would have it, it fell to the ground and got broke right at its nut. So then I had my old, crappy, useless, and broken guitar. (hooray!) Now, I swear I didn't break it on purpose. My dad even told me that he would've gotten me the new one I was asking for without me purposely breaking the one I had (Yeah, right!). I guess it's just one of those lucky coincidences. Ok, so then two days after that incident, I went to get a new one. It is quite cheap, but better---wait--- sooooo much better than the old, crappy one.

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FORGIVE ME JESUS

Ungrateful words of hatred
were plenty on my mouth
my weary mind was clouded
by an endless string of doubt
Facing every problem
through the darkness I can't see
it's amazing how You showed the light
to a fool as blind as me...
Forgive me Jesus
if at times I may have lost my way
believed that You were not beside me
through my darkest days
now it's clear to me
only when I felt Your sweet embrace
Forgive me Jesus...
to You I give my praise...

-- Believe it or not, I got the inspiration to write this song one night while I was doing laundry. I don't know why, but this line just popped into my head "you showed the light to someone as blind as me". So, I left what I was doing and hurried inside the house to find a pen and something to write on. I started writing a song, working off that line I was talking about. After about 2 and a half hours, I already created the entire song (yes, with a melody). I didn't post the whole song though, just in case...

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