Goodbye, Rogers. Hello, Bell!!!

After two years and 10 months, I finally upgraded my BlackBerry Pearl to a BlackBerry Torch.

Boo-yah.

Last Friday, I went to the mall after work. I wanted just to upgrade to the best BlackBerry - so far - but the Torch was sold out at the Rogers Wireless store! It was sold out at the Wireless Wave too. The salesperson did offer me a Torch, but with Bell Mobility. For $50 a month, I can get 100 local minutes, 100 bonus local minutes, 500 MB of data, unlimited local calls on weekends and nights, unlimited sent and received text messages, extended hours (5 PM to 7 AM), and unlimited calling and text with 10 contacts across Canada. The Message Centre Express and Call Display Bundle costs only $10 a month. He also threw in a phone pouch, car charger, LCD screen protector, and screen cleaner - for free!

So the choice was between staying with Rogers Wireless for two months (CAD$90+) and switching to Bell Mobility for three years (CAD$60).

I obviously chose the latter. Hah!

I am loving my new phone! Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were preloaded. The touchscreen and the slide-out keyboard are amazing. The Social Feeds feature is very helpful and fast. A 4GB media card is included - which adds to the awesome speed. The 5 MP camera is a giant step-up from my old Pearl's camera. Instant messaging applications are also preloaded, as are memo, task, calculator, word/sheet/slideshow to go, files, password keeper, and voice dialing apps. Also, when I connected the phone to my laptop, it appeared as a portable drive (like a flash drive). I only had to copy and paste my ringtones and pictures to the Torch. Copy and paste, dudes!

What did I do with my old phone? I downgraded the plan to the basics and the data plan (because I don't want to pay $75 early termination fee) so I don't have to pay the $100 early termination fee. I'm also giving it to my mom. A BlackBerry Pearl in the hands of a 66-year-old woman should be fun.

*Sigh* I love my Torch!

The BlackBerry Torch Arrives in Canada!!!

Amid a super busy day at work, my ol' BlackBerry Pearl buzzed with an e-mail from the RIM/BlackBerry peeps announcing that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 is available on Rogers Wireless starting today.

Oh, yeah!!!

I've checked out the newest - and best? - BlackBerry a bunch of times after its release in the US. Every time I do, I want it more and more. Who wouldn't want a touchscreen and a sliding QWERTY keypad in the same device? And the social feeds? Oh, my gosh. My Facebook, Twitter, foursquare, GetGlue, and GoMiso updates in one feed would be freaking awesome. Also, I'm excited to play with the Wi-Fi and 3.5G capabilities.

The only things stopping me from upgrading to the Torch as soon as I could go to a Rogers Wireless store? The fact that my current contract expires in three months and the handset will cost me at least CAD $199.99 to upgrade now. If I wait until my contract expires, the Torch may cost less. On the other hand, RIM may release something better by then.

A cheaper alternative is the BlackBerry Curve 9300. It has the same features as the Torch, but it will only cost me $49.99 to upgrade. Did I mention that it's available in Smokey Violet?

So should I get the BlackBerry Curve 9300 instead of the BlackBerry Torch 9800? What do you guys think?

LOST Snubbed at the Emmys

If y'all followed me on Twitter - or if you're my Facebook friend - you'd know how I felt about this year's Primetime Emmy Awards. Particularly the last 10 minutes.

Apart from last week's Creative Emmys win for the LOST editing team, the show was shut out of the major categories. Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad took the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series award, instead of either Michael Emerson or Terry O'Quinn (who deserved another Emmy for his dual role in Season 6, as Flocke/The Man in Black and Sideways John Locke). Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad achieved a three-peat on the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series race, beating Matthew Fox, who was phenomenal as Jack Shephard during the final season. Taking the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series award, Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy's writing for Mad Men beat Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse's excellent crafting of the LOST series finale. Steve Shill's directing of an episode of Dexter earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, beating Jack Bender's incredible direction of the series finale. The most painful loss is in the Outstanding Drama Series category, which Mad Men won.

I would be very happy if I woke up from this horrible nightmare or if I found out that LOST won all the awards for which it is nominated in an alternate timeline.

*Sigh*

The night started well, actually. Glee's Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, Amber Reilly, Chris Colfer, 30 Rock's Tina Fey, LOST's Jorge Garcia, and The Vampire Diaries's Nina Dobrev were included in Jimmy Fallon's opening number. That was fun. Then Eric Stonestreet of Modern Family won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Then Glee's Jane Lynch won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy. Then Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory - so deservedly - won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy. Archie Panjabi of The Good Wife surprisingly won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award.

Thankfully, the rest of the LOST fandom on Twitter complained about the Emmy snubs as much as I did. And after the Outstanding Drama Series upset, we comforted ourselves with the fact that LOST will remain the best drama series for us in 2010 and for the six years it was on air.

I know I said that I'll be happy with the 13 nominations even if LOST didn't win anything. Of course, one win out of 13 is better than nothing. But this is the last time the Emmy voters could honour LOST for its greatness. There'll be no more chance for them to honour the series with another Outstanding Drama Series award, because the show is done. The Emmys even staged a funny musical tribute for shows that just ended, including LOST. That is not enough to recognize a show like LOST.

You have no idea how much I cried after the Emmy telecast. I am incredibly sad that the Emmy voters failed to recognize LOST for the outstanding show that it was. Even Modern Family's Outstanding Comedy Series win didn't ease the pain of LOST being snubbed tonight.

LOST was robbed tonight.

Oh, well.

To make us all laugh after tonight's depressive Emmy Awards, I leave you with the Season 6 bloopers from the Season 6 DVD/Blu-ray set. Thanks to user glennD for making the video embeddable.

Twenty-seven Is Clearly Better Than 26

The best gift I could get on my 27th B'Day?

A day off!

I had a great B'Day on my Work Share Day. I woke up at around 2 PM (I slept at around 3 AM, so don't judge me! Hehe...) and saw a B'Day card from my mom. Then when my sister came home from work and from picking up her kids, she handed me a red envelope containing a gift card from Spa Utopia!!! Hehehe... I've been giving my family hints like, "I need a freaking spa day," or the like. Well, after all the crap I've gone through - and probably will go through in the next few months - I do need a spa day. Heck, I need a spa year! I haven't looked at the service directory, but I will definitely schedule a spa appointment soon.

Then we had an Italian dinner - i.e. spaghetti that my mom cooked and meat lover's and Hawaiian pizzas from Pizza Hut - at home at 4 PM, because the Cs needed to leave at 5 PM for Miss KC's awards assembly. My nephew/godson prayed before we ate and we all had a great chat over dinner. Then we took out a small chocolate cake with small Oreos on top (that my mom bought) and a medium-sized cheese cake from Costco. Everyone under 30 years old loved the chocolate cake and everyone above 21 years old loved the cheese cake.

After dinner, I settled in front of the living room TV to watch three of the four Glee episodes I had missed. My niece convinced me to open the pink gift-wrapped box that the Cs gave me during the "Laryngitis" episode. The Cs gave me the Pretty as a Picture Fragrance Value set from Elizabeth Arden!!! The box contains a Pretty Eau de Parfum Spray, a Pretty Body Lotion, and a Limited Edition Elizabeth Arden Charm Bracelet. It's sooooooooo pretty! There was also a letter from Miss KC. Very sweet and sincere.

I ate some more pizza and went back to my room after the "Dream On" episode to watch the FlashForward series finale. It was amazing, explosive, and mind-blowing. It's a shame that ABC cancelled the show. And that the finale had to air on my B'Day.

Thanks to everyone who sent B'Day greetings on Facebook and Twitter. I felt the love because a lot of people I haven't talked to actually greeted me.

The other best thing about my 27th B'Day? I wasn't sick! I got sick two weeks ago and I did my best to get better before the LOST series finale. I got better, but all the crying I did during "The End" made me cough again. But I wasn't coughing yesterday so it's all good.

Thank You, Lord, for the past 27 years. I raise a glass of Canada Dry ginger ale for the next 27 or 54 years (at least).

Freelance Writing Rates Ready

I have finally finalized the freelance writing rates. Thank God!

I have also announced it on the website, Facebook page, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I've also added it on my iFreelance provider profile page.

I'm also done creating a quick quote template and adding the rates on the QuickBooks company file.

Now I can focus on bidding and working. Hallelujah!

Freelance Writing Too?

Purely editing projects are rare, even on iFreelance.com. Most projects that are open for bidding deal only with the writing, particularly articles and copy. Because my provider profile is under the Writing/Editing category, the project match alerts I get include writing projects. I have also received a few requests for my freelance writing rates.

But I don't have rates for my freelance writing! I have only set up rates for my editing services because I meant to focus on the editing. But I need supplemental income so I decided to offer freelance writing services too.

I hope to set up the rates before next week. They should be on the official website, iFreelance profile, Facebook page, and Twitter soon.

A Complete Online OPM Store: Is That Even Possible?

In case y'all didn't know, I immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in February 2002. I brought my Original Pilipino Music (also known as OPM) and import cassette tapes, since compact discs in Manila are expensive to an 18-year-old unemployed university student and online music downloads were then way out of my radar, when I came here.

Anyway, I started friending (sorry, Lake Superior State University Word Banishment Committee) Filipino celebrities on Facebook last year. Roselle Nava, the singer known in the Philippines as the Sentimental Diva, is one of them. Before Kelly Clarkson came in my life, Roselle was my all-time favourite singer. I bought all her records and enjoyed lip-syncing to her songs, since I couldn't - still can't - sing like she can. Unfortunately, CDs are affordable here so my cassette tapes, especially my Roselle Nava tapes, are now collecting dust. (If someone can convert my cassette tapes into mp3s, that's great!) Roselle has released three albums since, including Forever Love Songs, released under mega-record company Viva Records.

Unfortunately, Roselle doesn't have an official website. Her only songs on the Canadian iTunes Store are those part of movie soundtracks. My eBay and Amazon.ca searches turned up nothing. So I tried Googling her name and found myself going through several online Filipino stores (e.g. Kabayan Central, ABS-CBN's Starry Starry Store, and Divisoria.com). There are also online music download sites, but most of them are free mp3 download sites that may or may not be legit. I usually pay for my music, unless I'm absolutely desperate for an album or a song. Anyway, only some of Roselle's albums are available on these sites. For example, her two recent studio albums, Bare and Forever Love Songs, are available on Kabayan Central; the cost for each CD is USD$12.99, excluding shipping and handling. On the other hand, her first four albums are available on one online music store (whose name and website I can't remember).

Will there ever be a complete online store - physical CD or digital music - for Filipino music? It's exhausting to search for a certain discography, especially when the artist has no official website and you're an ocean apart. It took me hours looking for a site where all Roselle Nava's music is available, and yet I didn't find one.

I can, of course, purchase a CD at a time, but shipping and handling fees may cost more than the CD itself and it takes at least two weeks for the CD to arrive. On the other hand, digital music downloads cost from zero (for free mp3s) to the physical CD's cost. But there are no shipping and handling fees and it only takes an hour or two to download an album.

I've tried iMesh before, but I had to quit it because I don't want to pay $8.95 a month when I don't even buy music from the site. By the way, it took iMesh a month and a few e-mails (one of which to convince me to stay with iMesh) to cancel my subscription. Although, I wonder if I can get Roselle's last three studio albums for free, now that my paid subscription is cancelled. Hmmm...

So, should I buy the CDs online? Or should I take a chance with these digital download sites, whether free or not?

Snap Emmy Judgments from a West-Coaster

It's Emmy day!!!

Of course, West-Coasters are usually the last to know in North America about award show winners. So tweeting or changing my Facebook status as winners are announced is obviously futile. Plus my Twitter timeline and my Facebook news feed would be very spoiler-iffic.

I am still holding out hope that LOST will win something, considering it went 0-for-2 (Single-Camera Picture Editing and Sound Mixing) at the Creative Emmys that was held last week.

Snap reactions to the winners:

UNTELEVISED AWARDS

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special: The 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors
Didn't see this one. Congrats anyway!

Outstanding Reality Program: Intervention
Well-deserved. It's a show who tries to help addicts and the like turn their lives around and live a better life.

COMEDY

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies

I was hoping for Kristen Wiig or Amy Poehler. They were extraordinarily good. They were both robbed!

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS WAS ROBBED!!! 'Nuff said.

Outstanding Lead Actress: Toni Collette, United States of Tara

Well, she plays four characters in her show. That is all I need to know. I would be happy if Tina Fey or Julia Louis-Dreyfuss won, but I'm so happy for Toni!

Outstanding Guest Actress: Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live

She's awesome. 'Nuff said.

Outstanding Guest Actor: Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live

Eh. Whatever. Kidding. They said he was hilarious, so I'll just take their word for it. (Who's "they"? *Wink wink*)

Outstanding Lead Actor: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Oh. My. Gosh. JIM PARSONS WAS ROBBED!!!

Outstanding Director: Jeff Blitz, The Office
Congrats!

Outstanding Writer: Matt Hubbard, 30 Rock
I think I saw the "Reunion" episode for which he won. That was an awesome episode. Congrats!

REALITY

Outstanding Reality or Reality-Competition Host: Jeff Probst, Survivor

Congrats, Jeff. (Y'all know I'm not a fan of reality shows.)

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race

I can never get tired of this show. Booyah!

TV MOVIES/MINISERIES

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Shohreh Agdashloo, House of Saddam

Wow. I know this actress is good. She sounds like she's wheezing, though. Just sayin'.

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Ken Howard, Grey Gardens

Congrats, Mr. Howard. (Don't know him, sorry.) I love the end of his acceptance speech - when he dedicated his award to his wife, who's celebrating her birthday today. Called her Sunshine too. I want a man just like that.

Outstanding Lead Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm

Congrats, Mr. Gleeson.

Outstanding Writer(s): Andrew Davies, Little Dorrit

Writers rule! (He wasn't there, so Jennifer Love Hewitt and Patricia Arquette accepted the award on his behalf.)

Outstanding Director: Dearbhla Walsh, Little Dorrit

Congrats, Ms. Walsh. Love your name.

Outstanding Lead Actress: Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens

Congrats, Ms. Lange!

Outstanding Made-for-TV Movie: Grey Gardens

Well, it's the most buzzed-about TV movie. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Miniseries: Little Dorrit

Congrats!!!

VARIETY

Outstanding Director: Bruce Gowers, American Idol

Congrats, Mr. Gowers. (I didn't see that episode. Duh, LOST was on.)

Outstanding Writer(s): The Team from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

OMG, The Daily Show is probably one of the best shows ever produced. They all deserve it. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics: The Team from the 81st Annual Academy Awards, Hugh Jackman Opening Number
Uhm, hello? The most fun Oscar opening number EVER! I love you, Hugh Jackman - and Anne Hathaway.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
WOOHOO!!!

DRAMA

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Michael Emerson, LOST

OH. MY. GOSH. HE FINALLY WON! HE WASN'T ROBBED THIS TIME!!! YAY!!! (I'm crying, BTW.)

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Cherry Jones, 24
Congrats!!!

Outstanding Guest Actress:  Ellen Burstyn, Law and Order: SVU
I love her! Congrats!

Outstanding Guest Actor: Michael J. Fox, Rescue Me
Dude's awesome. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Director: Rod Holcomb, ER
He's not there!

Outstanding Writer(s): Kater Gordon & Matthew Weiner, Mad Men
Oh, crap. How can you not recognise Damon and Carlton? The Emmy voters suck.

Outstanding Lead Actress: Glenn Close, Damages
She's freaking awesome. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Lead Actor: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
OMG, he won again. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance: When Bill and Sookie met, True Blood
I was hoping Kris Allen's surprise win in American Idol would win, but I guess a lot more people have gone True Blood-crazy. Whatever.

FINAL TWO

Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock
OMFG, How I Met Your Mother was ROBBED!!!

Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men
UNFAIR! UNFAIR! LOST WAS ROBBED!!! THE EMMY VOTERS REALLY, TRULY SUCK!!!

There you have it. Let's hope LOST gets more love next year.

Nevertheless, congratulations, Michael Emerson!!! You rock!

Wait a minute... Check this out:

Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media (Fiction): The Dharma Initiative, DharmaWantsYou.com
I count this a win for LOST, since this was supposed to be a LOST ARG anyway. Yay!

See? Expect the worst, but hope for the best!

Bathtubs and Laptops Still Don't Mix

Someone loves Twitter a tad too much. Well, loved. She's dead.

A teenage Romanian girl died while reportedly plugging her laptop into an electrical outlet in the bathtub. She was updating her Twitter status ("tweeting" or "tweetering") while in the bath. It is unclear what exactly happened, but we know from watching too much CSI that the electric shock killed her. And she was only 17.

OK, I love Twitter, but I'm not obsessed enough to bring my computer in the tub - or shower, as I'm not really a soak-in-the-tub kind of girl - to update my status. I've learnt that social networking can wait while I'm in the bathroom, for example.

I wonder what her last tweet was. Has anyone found this girl on Twitter?

Anyhoo, just a friendly reminder, people: bringing your computer in the bathtub is a stupid idea. It will kill you.

My B'Day Wish: Extra Strength Tylenol!

I had imagined my 26th B'Day to be the same old thing that my B'Days have been. Take last year's for consideration: I woke up and my mom handed me my gift. I had breakfast and went to Metropolis at Metrotown to do a little shopping. After spending $108 on clothes and what-not (it's true, I'm not kidding), I went home and waited for everyone to come home so we could have my B'Day dinner. Boring as it was, it was fine.

Except that I'm sick this year. Actually, I've been ill since Saturday, May 23rd. I've been coughing, running a fever, and sneezing for six days now. And my co-workers are freaking out and blaming me for their little sniffles, little sneezes, and little coughs.

Seriously. Worst B'Day ever.

But all was not lost. People cared enough to greet me on Facebook - and my best friend didn't forget my B'Day this time! (Hehe.) Some are still sending me belated birthday greetings! A few people even sent cards!

I got great gifts too. My mom gave me an emerald-and-diamond ring a few weeks ago, and then she gave me clothes too. My sister gave me my very first Coach purse when they came back from Orlando, FL a couple of months ago; she said that was my early birthday gift. My niece and nephew/godson gave me Lipstick Jungle Season 2 DVD set (because The Big Bang Theory Season 2 DVD and Fringe Season 1 DVD aren't released yet) and a digital photo frame/key chain. Then the C's gave me my very first Guess purse, a Salvatore Ferragamo perfume, and a little poem/note from Miss KC.

We had spaghetti carbonara, baked chicken, two sets of pizza, and Pepsi. Then my niece took the DQ ice-cream cake for dessert.

Yes, they didn't listen to me when I said I don't want an ice-cream cake for my B'Day. No LOST-themed cake for this B'Day girl! (Humour me, it was my B'Day.)

Eh. Whatever. I was already having the worst B'Day ever.

The best B'Day gift ever? Ironically, it came in the form of a non-B'Day gift: a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol!!!

I took one caplet and I fell asleep at around 9:30pm. When I woke up at midnight, I felt slightly better, although it still took me two hours to get back to sleep. When I woke up at 5:30am, there were less coughing fits, which lasted the whole day!

Anyway... Overall, I had a fine B'Day. It wasn't as great as my 25th or my 21st, but it will do. I'll just think of my Guess purse and Salvatore Ferragamo perfume.

Buy a Subway Sandwich, Save Chuck

I do not watch Chuck - come on, how can you resist CBS's The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother? - but a lot of people say it's an awesome show.

So supporters of the show have started a Facebook campaign to get everyone to buy a sandwich from Subway, which has a placement deal on the show, and write on comment cards that NBC should give Chuck another season or two or that you are participating in the Chucktv.net campaign. You can do it for your lunch, dinner, or both.

I may buy a footlong for my dinner, since I brought my lunch. I may not watch Chuck, but the support that it has is enough for me to believe in it. Who knows? Maybe I will actually watch the show.

There's a Thief in the LOST Fandom... GET HIM!!!

Oh, this is truly horrible: Erika Olson's recaps are being used word-for-word by a YouTube LOST vlogger!!!

Last Thursday, E, one of the top LOST bloggers, told her Facebook friends and Twitter followers that she was very upset that someone "has been using [her] recaps as their own". I thought, "Who the heck would even dare do that?" E has a copyright statement at the bottom of her blog; so this guy either never scrolled down to the very bottom or ignored it. Well, according to Oxford dictionary, the word ignore means "to disregard intentionally" (the emphasis is mine). Seeing as how Seanie B reportedly brushed E off in her attempts to personally confront this thief, the best bet is that he ignored the copyright statement. I can't believe this guy has the balls to produce a LOST recap vlog (or video blog), take E's words from her own blog, read it out (or memorize it), and claim the recap as his. Whatta SCUMBAG!!!! And his fake-recaps are featured on TVGuide??? UGH!!!!

Of course, everyone who commented on her Facebook status/Twitter update suggested one, two, or all of the following:

• Confront the thief - which she did, unsuccessfully;
• Report him to YouTube;
• Sue him; or
• Sic the Smoke Monster on him.

Fortunately, DocArzt published this piece on his blog. Hopefully, this will inform the LOST fandom, and the rest of the world wide web, that original ideas are being passed of as someone else's own, and it is wrong. This is plagiarism and it's a crime, plain and simple. The fact that he refused to admit that what he's doing is wrong and criminal makes my blood boil.

I seriously wonder how this guy can live with himself, knowing that he is stealing someone else's ideas and denying that it is wrong. Shame on him!

If you think that this guy is a scumbag for plagiarizing E's work, then please spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, your own blogs or websites, and the method of communication of your choice. Also, please Digg DocArzt's article on this matter and keep it on the forefront of Digg's home page. Let us all stand up against plagiarism, among other cybercrimes.

P.S. The title of this post is NOT - I repeat, NOT - meant to encourage mob mentality and doing harm to this jerk. It is only meant to get everyone - LOST fans, anti-plagiarists, media, everyone else - to unite against this crime.

My Life Would Definitely Suck Without Kelly Clarkson

Is Kelly Clarkson reading my journal and/or my thoughts?

I just finished downloading Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted (Deluxe Version) from iTunes. Actually, I'm already on my second run of the entire album. And I love it already!

Despite its stark contrast to My December's moodiness and darkness, I actually like it. Both albums reflect my current thoughts and feelings regarding all aspects of my life. While My December helped me through my lengthy depressive period, I think All I Ever Wanted will be my soundtrack for the next few months. (I don't actually know what's going to happen in spring/summer; it's just a gut feeling.)

My favourite songs so far:

• "My Life Would Suck Without You;"
• "I Do Not Hook Up;"
• "Cry" - I just about wept when I first heard this song;
• "All I Ever Wanted;"
• "If I Can't Have You;"
  
• "Whyyawannabringmedown;"
• "If No One Will Listen;"
  
• "Tip of My Tongue;" and
  
• "Can We Go Back"

Will any of these songs beat "Maybe" as my favourite Kelly Clarkson song of all time?

More Unresolved Mysteries and Questions for Season 5

We all know that LOST is the kind of show that poses several questions for every mystery that it answers. I did not find a relevant article that posed the pre-Season 4 questions, so I did not do a recap like I did for Season 3.

I found this article from Yahoo! Canada, which posed five major questions that may be answered at the end of Season 5.

1. What happened to the Island?
2. How does Locke become Jeremy Bentham?
3. What's going on with Widmore and Ben?
4. Who the heck is Jacob?
5. What happened to Claire, Jin, and Michael?

What happened to the Island?

In the season-4 finale, "Other" boss Ben (Michael Emerson) turned a frozen wheel and - poof! - made the island disappear, along with Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) and other "Lost"-aways; the Oceanic Six fled on a helicopter. Ben - landing in North Africa - aimed to protect the island from arch-nemesis Charles Widmore (Alan Dale), who seeks to control it. The show has been exploring the space-time continuum, and that theme will be heightened this season in the search for the island.

Based on filming reports, cast interviews, and hints, it is very probable that the Island moved both in time and in space. Where it went is still unclear even with spoilers, but it is possible that the Island moved to the DHARMA Initiative heydays. Team Darlton has mentioned that Season 5 is about the DHARMA Initiative, whose members were killed in The Purge. Any ideas on where the Island moved?


How does Locke become Jeremy Bentham?

The cliffhanger revealed that Locke was "Jeremy Bentham." Under that alias, he apparently died after visiting Jack and some others who left the island with troubling news: They need go back. While visiting Locke's casket, a cryptic Ben tells Jack they must rally his fellow crash survivors - and return with Locke's lifeless body. Lucky for Jack, Ben always has a secret plan. Emerson tells New York magazine his bug-eyed alter ego will "carry on what seems to be his calling or his life's work or his war, whatever it is - I'm not sure exactly what it is." But it includes orchestrating a survivors' reunion.

I have no idea! But speaking of Locke, EW's Doc Jeff Jensen has a theory that is plausible and makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't be surprised if his theory turned out to be correct.

What's going on with Widmore and Ben?

Widmore is the wealthy industrialist who staged the fake plane crash of Oceanic 815 and ordered a team of mercenaries on a mission to find the island and kill everyone on it. Widmore and Ben appear to have a deep-seeded rivalry, deepened further after Widmore's agents murdered Ben's daughter in cold blood. Off the island, Ben recruited Oceanic Six survivor Sayid (Naveen Andrews) as an assassin; he also dropped by Widmore's home in the wee hours, vowing to kill his daughter as revenge. Whatever game they're playing, it has rules - and Ben says Widmore has broken them. One possible rule: Widmore and Ben cannot kill each other. That would be a very Harry Potter/Voldemort-esque plot twist.

My theory is that Widmore is either a descendant of Magnus Hanso or one of the original Hostiles. Either way, he was forced to move the Island and is, therefore, banished from it. Of course, this theory is based on Widmore's declarations in the last scene of episode 4x09, "The Shape of Things to Come" ("I know who you are, boy. What you are. I know that everything you have you took from me," and "That island's mine, Benjamin. It always was. It will be again."). But I don't think Widmore would say those if they were baseless, would he?


Who the heck is Jacob?

We've never seen Jacob, though he seems to be the all-knowing island messiah. The shadowy character lives in a creaky cabin that moves around a lot, hates technology and has communicated to the Others through Ben. Last season, Ben brought Locke to the cabin; Locke could not see Jacob but heard him say, "Help me." After Widmore's men stormed the barracks, Ben and Locke visited Jacob again - this time, Jacob spoke to Locke through a representative, Jack's ghost-daddy Christian (John Terry), who said to move the island. Ben, sensing that he'd been replaced by Locke, did the deed and peaced out. As far as we can tell, Jacob has unknown powers, dead people for friends and a cabin fever that keeps him locked in. Online theories abound: Is Jacob an ancient supercomputer, a divine entity, a superhuman being? Expect the unexpected, and expect to see more of him this season.

All I know is that we would see Jacob's likeness in some way. We may probably see more of him in Season 5. It is actually hard to tell because we've seen very little of him. Right now, I don't subscribe to any theory regarding Jacob. Let's wait and see.


What happened to Claire, Jin, and Michael?

Claire (Emilie de Ravin), who we recently learned is Jack's half-sister, seemed to survive a house fire - but then things got weird. She walked off in the jungle with her (un)dead father Christian. The next time we see them, she's in the shack with Jacob, acting creepy. As for Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) and Michael (Harold Perrineau), they presumably died on the freighter when it exploded. In an earlier flash-forward, Jin's wife, Sun, was shown at his memorial in Korea. Some bloggers speculate he'll turn up in early episodes, dead or alive, this season. If he perished in the blast, maybe we'll see him cavorting with Jacob, Christian and other ghost people.

Michael is definitely dead. In Season 4, he told Sayid that he was on the freighter to die. Before the freighter exploded, our favourite Undead Daddy Christian Shephard told him, "You can go now," which presumably meant that the Island is letting him die (he has attempted to kill himself several times after he returned to Manhattan). However, being dead on LOST doesn't mean that the character will never be seen again, right?

Claire and Jin's fates, on the other hand, are not so definite. Claire may or may not have died when an RPG destroyed her house in the Barracks. Mistaking Sawyer for Charlie when she came to and ghostbuster Miles's behaviour toward her make it difficult for the audience to tell what really happened to her. It is also baffling that Claire left her son Aaron in the middle of the jungle and her demeanour in Jacob's cabin is not helping either. I think I'll have to wait and see.

Jin seemed to die when the freighter exploded. He may have jumped into the ocean just before the freighter blew up; he may not have. But as I mentioned before, I think Sun would have a stronger motivation to go back to the Island if Jin is indeed alive. I did see something on one of the Dharma Special Access videos that may validate my theory (i.e. that Jin is alive). Either way, he will appear on Season 5 - based on rumours and filming reports anyway. But I still maintain the belief that Jin is alive!

Well, there you go. Hopefully, at least one of these questions will be answered by the end of Season 5. After the season finale, I will go back and recap any answers that the show gave for these questions.

Incidentally, LOST blogger Jopinionated just posted an extensive list of theories and questions for each character. Check it out, y'all! Apparently, "extensive" is an understatement. Hehehe...

LOST Season 5 begins in two days! Remember, it starts with a recap show at 8/7 central on ABC. The season premiere, "Because You Left," begins at 9, followed by episode 5x02, "The Lie".

I can't wait!!!

Thank God for House and The Dark Knight!

I gotta say this now:

FRINGE WAS ROBBED!!!

But, of course, I am biased. It is my favourite new show, and I cannot get enough of it! Personally, The Mentalist has nothing on Fringe.

Anyway, as much as I loathe popularity-contest type of awards or shows, I was so glad Hugh Laurie (as Male TV Star), House (TV Drama), Carrie Underwood (Female Singer, Country Song for "Last Name," and Star Under 35), Robin Williams (Scene-Stealing Guest Star), Tina Fey (Funny Female Star), Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Online Sensation), and Gary Unmarried (New TV Comedy) won!

I was also glad for The Dark Knight, which won all the categories for which it was nominated. Duh. Although I am torn between The Dark Knight and Iron Man as the best movie of 2008, I think The Dark Knight is very deserving of all the awards and recognition it is getting.

But still...

FRINGE WAS ROBBED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Trip to Oahu Next Fall, Anyone?

I am going to Oahu next October.

But of course, that is not for sure. What is ever finalised in my life?

A little bit of background: I've been planning to go to Oahu, Hawaii, since spring of this year. I hoped to be there this fall (October). Why? Because LOST films in Oahu and filming for Season 5 began in mid-August! But then, I got laid off and my practical side opted to put it off and go looking for a job.

I started in my new job last month, so I am eligible to take a vacation after 1 October 2009 (assuming, of course, I'm still employed there). I thought, "Hey, perfect. I can be in Oahu while they're filming the final season!"

Then, one of my favourite LOST bloggers and Facebook friend changed her Facebook profile picture to this... (I recommend that you look at the pic first before you scroll down.)

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Yep, the one, the only, Terry O'Quinn.

Now, I am more resolved in vacationing there next fall. I probably won't get to duplicate her experience. (What would I do if I met Foxy or Michael Emerson? Hmmm...) But what have I got to lose? I'll be in one of the most beautiful places on earth, I'll be able to take part in the Kos tour, and I'll be able to relax. Meeting any one of my favourite LOST stars would be the icing on the cake.

I just need someone to go with me.

Dude, I'm serious. I'd take either fellow LOST fans or friends who are supportive of my LOST addiction. Heck, I'd take both.

Will you go with me to Oahu next year?

P.S. I am dead serious. I will send Cerberus/Sayid Jarrah to kill all those who spam me or punk me.

The Official Countdown Begins...

Mark this date on your calendars: 21 January 2009.

I know I will. I, in fact, have.

On this day, I will not work overtime. I will eat my dinner shortly after I get home. I will do my BrainAge training early. I will be in front of the TV by 19:00, at the latest.

Because at 20:00, the three-hour season premiere event of LOST Season Five will begin!

It's official! DarkUFO reports that LOST will come back on 21 January 2009, at 8/7 central. Apparently, his source was the update on the ABC Inner Circle Twitter account. Who knew ABC had a Twitter account?

So, this is what's gonna happen in those three hours...

1. A one-hour recap special - Too many things have happened. I wonder how they can fit all that in one hour...

2. Episode 5.01 - The much-awaited "Because You Left". Who would be the centre - or centres - of the premiere?

3. Episode 5.02 - "The Lie." Wow. Who could be the central character(s) in this episode? Rumour has it that Hurley takes this one.

Another awesome news: for Season 5, LOST's regular timeslot is 21:00 on Wednesdays! Hmm... Will ABC move Private Practice to a new time/night? But, still. Yay, LOST is back on its old timeslot!

*Sigh* It totally made my day. I was so busy at work that I didn't know about this until I saw Doc Jeff Jensen's status on Facebook.

See y'all on 21 January 2009!!!

There's A New Multiply Community Member

Me!

I now have profiles on the four major social networking sites: Facebook (see my badge on the right), Friendster, MySpace, and Multiply. Whoo.

If only my best friend joined Facebook, then my Facebook experience would be complete... (Har-har-dee-har-har)

I'm very lonely on Multiply, by the way. I only have one contact. :(

If y'all have a Multiply profile - especially if you're either my co-worker, classmate, family member, org co-member, online buddy, etc., at any time in our lives, please add me!