tala @ so-phobic

… is the one in our minds. The one created by our imaginations as we flip from one page to the next, from book 1 to 6 (and soon, 7).

I watch the movies out of curiosity. I watch for the special effects. I don’t go in as a purist, because, well, that defeats the purpose of enjoying a Hollywoodized book. But I must say, every single Harry Potter movie has been a disappointment as a whole.

I do love me some Luna Lovegood. And some Umbridge, Gary Oldman, and Alan Rickman. Thank the gods for these fantastic actors. And all the Neville scenes. But I love them as separate parts. As a whole, the movie was a letdown. The special effects were common. And Sir Ian McKellen should have accepted the Dumbledore role after Richard Harries died. He didn’t have to worry about being typecasted for wizard roles. He’s already proven himself as an actor. Sayang.

Oh, and the dude who plays Ron was actually good in this movie. Hermione’s lines were just wrong. She sounded like she was doing an infomercial several times: “This is the Room of Requirement. It appears when it’s needed. But wait, there’s more! Call now and you get a free lesson on producing a Patronus from the Boy Who Lived.” Scriptwriters: Stop stating the obvious and take us into the adventure!

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The last book. Wow.

I’ve been a Harry Potter fan since 1999. I remember blowing my allowance at merchandise and collectibles. Let’s see, there were the pens, notebooks, stickers, stationery (including one set that had the scar-shaped stamp), and journals from National Bookstore. I even have the journal with the little night light for scribbling adventures in the dark. Then there were the tee-shirts and socks and bedsheets from that old toy store at Robinson’s Galleria. Fantasia, I think it was called. It was on the topmost floor, where that new arcade is now.

I also bought the board games! I have the first Trivia board game. I remember going to the National Bookstore at Katipunan every Saturday for the elimination round of the Trivia contest they had going on that time. I got into the finals. The finals were held at the old Powerbooks branch along Pasay Road/Arnaiz Avenue. They had like 3 floors of books and an in-house coffee shop. I remember that that was also the first time I got to see Rustan’s U, and that it was my birthday that day. I wore my grey Roxy shirt, dark green Levi’s cords, and bowling shoes. Hahaha, I still remember what I wore! I didn’t get the second Trivia game because I was broke (it cost Php1,700.00), but I did get the Mystery at Hogwarts board game because I am both a Harry Potter and Clue fan.

I also spent a ton of money on the Harry Potter Trading Card Game (TCG). I gave up Magic: the Gathering for it! Shit, I would go to the old Pojo.com site almost everyday to look up deck construction and trading card values (Harry Potter foils!). I even made my very first website (ugly as hell!) because of the TCG. My favorite card has always been 4 Privet Drive:

I used to go to Glorietta 2 every Saturday to play. There’s a store there beside the Neoprint booth called Pocket Collector (sold cards and toys) that hosted both Pokemon and Harry Potter TCG games. They had tables and chairs in the area in front of their store. We used to arrive at around 4PM and we would shoo the Pokemon players away and commandeer the tables and chairs. Hahaha! We were meanies. I used to win a whole lot with my Hermione deck. I was never a Creature deck player (except in MtG), so I used the Quidditch and Charms cards a lot.

I also still have the key chains and the House bracelets. And the CD case and the 2 Fossil watches! I’ve started wearing the watches again.

Shit, now I’m nostalgic. See you all on the 21st at Fully Booked - High Street. I’ll be there before 7AM, just like the last time. XD

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Old song, new memories.

Sway - The Perishers

I talk to you as to a friend
I hope that’s what you’ve come to be
It feels as though we’ve made amends
Like we found a way eventually

You gathered my dreams in
When they all blew away
And then tricked them back into me
You saved me I was almost dead

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Warning: Contains spoilers

Did anybody see that coming? No, no, not his death, but Snape as the Half-Blood Prince! I only guessed it when Draco got hexed with the Sectumsempra spell and Snape asked for Harry’s books. But that’s like, mostly obvious at that point.

I would like to believe that Dumbledore isn’t dead, and I’m basing it on this:

He cannot kill you if you are already dead. -Dumbledore to Draco Malfoy, page 591

But then again, maybe he is dead. Killing him off removes the deus ex machina that is Dumbledore, the only wizard Voldemort has ever feared. Not bringing him back to life in book 7 will prevent any references to Gandalf. I rather thought that the Cave chapter with the invisible silvery arc was a lot like the gate of the Mines of Moria.

And for Fawkes’ sake, who the hell is R.A.B.? I’ve been trying to figure this one out the whole morning! A little help here, Potter fans!

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