Quarantine Stories Part 21

New Fitbit Achievement Unlocked: I recently received the London Underground Badge. This now means that I have walked a total of 402 kilometers since getting my Fitbit. I did the math and this means that I have been walking more than 7 kilometers a day since I got my Fitbit. That's very (pleasantly) surprising!

My London Underground Fitbit Badge

I also just planted a new tree in my GCash GForest! While my original goal was to be able to plant a Yakal Tree because it requires the most G energy. However, it is marked as Limited Edition and it hasn't been available in more than a year. Since I wasn't sure whether it would ever be available again, I decided to get the tree that requires the next most G energy to plant: the Bakhaw Lalake.

My Bakhaw Lalake GForest Certificate

This is now the fourth tree that GCash has planted (or will plant) on my behalf. It is also the the first tree that will be planted in a mangrove in Tanon Strait. Cool!

Description of Bakhaw Lalake

I also only recently watched a movie at the theater for the first time since the pandemic. I saw Top Gun: Maverick and I'm really glad I did because it was absolutely fantastic! The original Top Gun is a cult classic and everyone I know who had seen the sequel have raved about it so I really wanted to catch it during its theatrical run. Thankfully, it lived up to the hype. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading or skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know more about the film. Top Gun: Maverick is action-packed and intense, with incredible jet sequences and edge-of-your-seat dog fights. I loved the Star Wars-esque missile drop (even Rooster's successful hit despite not having his missiles guided by laser was reminiscent of Luke Skywalker's use of the force in blowing up the first Death Star.) It also has its fair share of nostalgia, paying homage to the original movie. One of the my favorite scenes was the one with Maverick and Ice, played by Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer who reprised their roles from the first movie. I knew that Val Kilmer survived throat cancer but that illness damaged his voice very badly so I was very pleasantly surprised to see that he was in this sequel. I also have to say that Jennifer Connelly is such a goddess and is still absolutely radiant. I'm really happy that I've finally been able to see a movie at the theater again.

I was so happy, in fact, that I went back to the cinema very soon after that to watch Thor: Love and Thunder. I had heard some not-so-good reviews from people who had seen it before I did but because Thor is my favorite superhero and I'm a sucker for big blockbuster action flicks, I still wanted to see it. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading or skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know more about the film. A lot of the negative feedback I've heard is that it's too comedic and some people felt that maybe the film didn't strike the right balance between funny and serious. I get that, but I still enjoyed it. It was nice seeing Natalie Portman again and I loved the surprise twist of her becoming Mighty Thor and being able to wield the Mjolnir (which we already saw in the trailer). I was a bit surprised that Gorr, the antagonist in the film, was able to lift Stormbreaker, but apparently this weapon doesn't have the same special magic that Mjolnir does, so that means other people can actually lift the axe. I especially love how Thor now has Odin's ability to bestow the power of Thor to others (for a limited time!) and this makes me wonder what other powers Thor has developed over time or whether he will use this particular one again in future films. It was also interesting finding out the meaning behind the movie title. Make sure you stay for the mid-credits and the end-credits scenes.

On Netflix, I got to watch Rescued by Ruby. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading or skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to know more about the film. It's a light, feel-good, easy-to-watch movie that people who love dogs will enjoy. What I didn't realize until the end, however, is that it is actually based on a true story. While there are some embellishments for cinematic effect, the big twist in the end that left me absolutely stunned is all true! That was some amazing positive karmic fortune! While I have spoiled things a bit already, I am choosing not to reveal this major climactic twist and I recommend that you go see Rescued by Ruby if you can.

I am also happy that my HBO Go is now working properly on my Smart TV. I had problems with it ever since I set it up on relatively new TV late last year. Each time I would play an HBO Go show, it would hang after several seconds, making the viewing experience very unpleasant. I initially thought it was my internet speed, although I never had a problem with Netflix. Recently, my Smart TV prompted me to update my app and that seemed to fix the issue. I have since used my TV to watch a few films on HBO Go, including Paycheck and Kindergarten Cop (I've seen both films before, but that was many years ago so it was nice getting to see them again). The Batman is available on this streaming platform so hopefully, I can find time to see it soon.