GEO Magic Color HC-101 Violet + Lens Care

Hey guys! Whooo! Last post I mentioned that part of my prize from Celline's contest was a pair of soft contact Lenses from the wonderful Dull to Doll online shop. This post is a rundown on the product, and a few tips for preparing and caring for them, as well as the scientific basis behind them. *tips glasses, I am such a nerd*

I'm not a stranger to contact lenses - I've worn contact lenses as a prescription for my near-sightedness and astigmatism since my 4th year of high school (although I've been sticking to just my glasses recently). But I never really got into the colored contact lens fad. I did however, appreciate it thoroughly in Japanese magazines and blogs when all these cute girls pulled off such large-eyed dolly looks. As popular as these looks are among Japanese and Korean women I can't help but wish it could be the same in the Philippines hahaha. While the use of circle lenses, colored lenses, etc is a growing trend, I never really had the courage to try wearing lenses as a fashion statement, but secretly, I wanted to try it haha.

So there. I've said it. I am a colored/circle/fashion lens virgin. Pass your judgment upon me, do it, but at least I can say that I have fulfilled one of my secret wishes with this post haha.

Product Description

The lenses that were sent to me were from GEO Magic Color Series - Hurricane HC-101 Violet. The GEO Magic Color Series in Hurricane comes at a diameter of 14 mm, perfect, apparently, for people who are just starting out with lenses. My normal lenses are 13 mm so one millimeter wasn't a daunting feat. I've seen lenses out there with larger diameter (even 16.5 o_o) not sure if I can handle those. The base curve of these lenses is 8.60. My usual lenses have different base curves, my right being larger than the left (which is normal), so I was worried about an uncomfortable fit on my right eye and at worst, the lenses coming off because they just wouldn't fit. The good thing about these lenses, however is that they're 38% water, a normal to relatively high percentage which make the soft lenses more adaptable to your eye by increasing cohesion by surface tension. The higher the percent water, the softer the lens, and supposedly the more comfortable the fit. This lens came in PLANO (no grade), but I hear you can pre-order graded lenses accordingly.

Packaging and authentication

The lenses came to me in vials. While there are still a few distributors that sell their GEO contacts in blister packages, there has been stigma against them because almost all production of lenses in blister packs has been ceased, begging one to speculate that those still going around are fake. Be warned! GEO lenses come with an authenticity code which you can check at either one of these sites: www.geo21eye.com (for lenses in Korea) or www.fw1860.com (for those distributed elsewhere). There are fake authenticity check sites out there for fake distributors who have their own database of codes, so always check those out as well. For more tips against false lenses, this is a good source: http://twinklebeautyy.blogspot.com/2010/01/fake-geo-lenses.html

Needless to say, I didn't have any problems with these lenses and the codes checked out, so yay! It's not always bad to be paranoid once in a while haha

People may have trouble opening vialed lenses, but if you've been dealing with normal medicinal vials, this shouldn't be too different. For those who still need a bit of help however, this video is quite useful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iad2JdZQH4c This is especially of note if you have long brittle nails. Beware. These vials can be your worst enemy haha.

Preparing your Lenses

Aren't they just beautiful? They're such a shocking color and the design, though it looks pixelated at first, really brings itself out when worn. Before you can do so however, there are a few steps you may need to take to prepare your lenses for wearing.

I say 'may' because I've trained myself strictly with my prescription lenses and I'm basing my routine off my optometrist's advice. There are less strict regimens out there for lens care and cleaning, but I like to stick to what I know.

It is of general practice and general recommendation that you let your lenses soak for at least 6 hours  in your own lens solution after taking them out of the vials. This is because the saline in the vials was designed for storage and not wear. And while you may not necessarily go blind if you wear them directly from the vials, they may be uncomfortable because lenses are not fully hydrated in the concentrated saline in the vials. In other words, the amount of water in the saline in vials is less than what should be when worn on the eyes.

What I do is I take my lenses out of the vials using plastic tweezers and into this special lens case/neutralization apparatus recommended to me by my optometrists - AOSEPT Plus Cleaning system. I've been using this product and method since high school and I have yet to come upon an eye infection or any irritation.

This case has two compartments, each labeled left and right for each lens. It works because the original solution is acidic whereas the lens case contains a neutralizer metal the catalyzes with the solution to make it saline. What I like about this is that as the reaction proceeds, gas is released and the bubbles that float upward help clean the lenses by dislodging dirt particles, while the originally acidic conditions remove contaminants and the saline that results keeps it sterile. I also prefer this to pre-prepared multi-purpose saline solutions because in those solutions there are chances that the salt can precipitate out of the solution over time, causing abrasion and loss of sterility of your solution. But if the saline is created on the spot, you can be guaranteed that your saline is fresh.

The lenses can be stored in the resulting saline for 14 days, just like in normal multi-purpose saline and are otherwise ready to wear from there. You can also transfer the resulting saline into a different container of choice if you want to bring your lenses out or store them somewhere else. I highly recommend this cleaning system, but you as I am aware, you can only get it through a licensed optometrist here in the Philippines, or you can try searching for it online.

Note: Not all types of solution are appropriate for storage, cleaning and then wear. Some solutions are only for storage, some only for cleaning, and some only for washing before wear. Read the bottle carefully before choosing your own solution.

After soaking for at least 6 hours (I prefer overnight), the lenses should be ready to wear. I wanted to make a tutorial on how to wear lenses, but it was extremely difficult. For tips, there are hundreds of videos on the topic online hahaha.

Beginner tip: If this is your first time wearing lenses EVER. Exercise your eyes by first wearing your lenses for 1 hour on the first day, 2 hours on the next day, then 4 on the next, and finally 8 hours. This will help your eyes get accustomed to the feeling, lessen irritation and make wearing lenses a better experience in general. It's not recommended to wear your lenses more than 8 hours a day. Also, allot even just one day a week for your eyes to rest, and don't skimp on the eye drops (only use drops that are appropriate for lenses though, and don't use your multi-purpose solution as eye drops, that's just wrong).

The Lenses
Now that the boring part is done, we can finally get to wearing the lenses! This was really exciting for me (don't judge me, I have shallow joys). I tried putting on one lens first just to see how much different one eye looked from the other and wow, was I surprised. So surprised, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture *facepalm* But I'm pretty sure you can tell even without the side by side comparison how much different my eyes look below.

These lenses are supposedly only color lenses at 14 mm diameter, but despite that still have a slight enlarging effect. It's perfect for beginners because it's really comfortable and easy to wear, and not too unnatural looking where enlargement is concerned. The color, however, is a little striking, especially with flash and under harsh lighting. I finally realized my dream of being an anime character for a few hours haha.

I wouldn't mind wearing these lenses out to a party, but I don't think I could wear this everyday, considering also that these are plano and my actual lens grade is -1.25 for both eyes. They are really pretty though and they deserve some camwhoring :P

My eyes will bore into your soul.

I was planning on doing a dolly look but didn't have time to cut and prepare my lashes. You guys will have to wait for a different post on that and just deal with this pseudo-creepy-anime look for a while hahaha.

Whew! That was a long post. So I hope you guys enjoyed this run-through of my lens care routine and my virgin experience with non-prescription lenses hahaha. I'm sure most are laughing at my shallowness.

If you're looking to find good quality and collection of circle lenses, color lenses, costume lenses, etc here in the Philippines, why not try out Dull to Doll? Visit and like their facebook page by clicking the image below.

Ada, signing out.

Review: The FACE Shop Aqua Tinted BB Cream

Yay! Another review! A few weeks ago I reviewed FairyDrop's Candy Bar BB Cream, which is one of my fave BB creams for special occasions, and in that review that although it's definitely a good buy, it's not exactly something that can replace my staple permanently.

So today I'm going to review my go-to BB cream. My favorite one in fact -- The FACE Shop's Aqua Tinted BB Cream in Natural Beige.

As you can probably tell, the bottle is pretty old. I actually got this way back when in June 2012 and just got straight to using it, not even thinking to properly review it first haha. But now that I have the time, I thought I'd share it with you because I just love it so much!

The Packaging
The product comes in a somewhat metallic blue inverted tube with a matte finish, which like I said before, tends to get dirty quite easily (see above picture where it no longer looks metallic and just looks dull because of powder that's transferred on it). The tube itself is useful for product regulation and because it's upside-down doesn't really require a lot of fuss to get the product out. Each full-sized tube comes with 40mL/1.35 fl. oz. which is surprisingly a lot considering how little it takes to cover your entire face. To put things in perspective, I had the smaller size tube before and it lasted me a year with intermittent but frequent use hahaha. I wonder how long it'll take me to finish this one -- it's already been six months since I've bought it and I haven't even made a dent lol.

Claims
Sorry guys! Since I opened this one up a long time ago, I've gotten rid of the box. I really only have the tube to go on and most of the stuff is in Korean. What it does say on the tube though is this:

"With a 70% Moisture Content, including DEEP SEA WATER,  light application provides a sense of coolness, and freshness the moment it touches the skin"

The description actually says most of it. It's very moisturizing without being oily and cake-y. It's light and you barely feel like you have it on. I can go on for ages about the benefits of Deep Sea Water, but if you guys are interested, this page sums it up quite well. In a nutshell, real deep sea water is the bomb. I say real because I'm not sure if what's in this is actual deep sea water, but there's other good stuff about it too.

UV Protection
Unlike the Candy Bar BB Cream, this BB cream doesn't really have that much gimmick attached to it. In fact, it's honestly one of those classic finds that just work well on a daily basis. This BB cream also has SPF20/PA++. What exactly does this mean?  SPF, which stands for Sun Protection Factor and is essentially a measure of how well a product protects from UVB, which causes sunburn. Obviously, the higher the SPF, the more protection the product affords. Additionally, some products may list PA, which is a measure of how well the product protects against UVA, which rather than sunburn, can cause long-term skin damage, pre-mature aging, epithelial cell mutagenesis and extreme cases skin cancer. You can see now why these values are so important.

As a person, I'm not very conscious of the sun. I couldn't actually be bothered to even carry around an umbrella for shade, and I'm not exactly fond of the white cast and sticky feeling that sunblock causes. There are other BB Creams out there with higher SPF, but in all honesty, I like this one the best, because despite having SPF and PA, it still maintains a thin light consistency, as opposed to more SPF-heavy creams which tend to apply like heavy foundation. So essentially, I get protection and a nice finish.

Consistency
To elaborate on how this BB Cream fairs consistency-wise.  It's actually rather runny -- not serum runny or anything, but it definitely feels like there's more water in there than oil, and that's a good thing for people oil problems. You can definitely feel the water content in there and the pigment itself seems suspended in a colloid of mostly water as opposed to cream. So at the same time it's still good for even people with somewhat dry skintones as well. The consistency thus allows for excellent blendability and lightweight wear (you can't even tell it's there!).

Coverage/Color/Finish
The coverage I'd say is light to medium. It's buildable, but it definitely won't be able to cover more noticeable blemishes. A little goes a long way with this one. In fact, I only use a pea-sized amount for my entire face. Two dollops if I want a little bit more coverage and I'm set. The product itself is able to even out my skintone quite well and the reflectiveness gives my skin a bright look.

There are (to my knowledge) only two colors available at the boutique. Obviously, I chose the darker one (Natural Beige) because of my darker tone, but it still comes off as a bit light on my face. After awhile the product adapts to my skintone, but doesn't necessarily oxidize on my skin. There's definitely still that white cast as a result of this product having SPF, but it's easily fixable with a little bit of finishing powder and bronzer.

 Below you can see the difference of my skin with BB cream and without. You can also see my ginormously huge my nose looks without contouring. Now you know my secret guys! I look so alien-like in the below picture without my eyeliner and brows. I hope you guys aren't scared :P Back on track, I set the BB cream with a powder that's exactly my skin-tone just to lessen the whiteness, and additionally (not shown), apply a bit of bronzer where appropriate to bring warmth to my face. You can tell by the difference in color from my neck and face how the color blends in eventually.

The finish itself is still somewhat dewy, but as compared to a lot of BB creams out there can almost be considered semi-matte. It's definitely not as dewy as some of the Etude House BB Creams out there. At the same time, this stuff does not go cake-y on me at all, and I've tried and tested this out for almost half a year in school on 12 hour shifts with no blotting at all. But then again, I don't exactly have the oiliest skin out there.

Effects
I think I can personally testify to the effects of this BB cream on my skin, since I've been using this since my first year of college. My skin it less dull, less prone to flaking and my pores have been minimized. I'm sure this is attributed to the BB cream and not other skincare products because I'll be honest: I don't even use facial wash -- I use shower gel on my face for Pete's sake. So IMO, with continued use, this BB cream can do absolute wonders~ Again, that's just my experience haha.

Beauty Tip!
One of my other secrets that makes use of the BB cream is when it comes to lip color, especially with lip glosses and sheerer lipsticks out there. I use this BB cream as a lip concealer as well (you can see in the picture above). The reason it works so well is because while normal concealers that aren't designed for lips tend to dry them out, this BB cream is actually quite moisturizing and manages to cover redness quite well. Try seeing if your BB cream works well as a lip concealer some time as well!

The Verdict
As a full time student, I absolutely love this BB cream and it suits me just perfectly. But again, we all have different skin types, requirements and tastes and I can't assure you you'll like this as much as I do.

Pros:
Lightweight
Moisturizing without being oily, heavy or cake-y
With SPF
Blends really well
Doesn't Oxidize on my skin
Lasts pretty long on my skin
Doesn't break me out, in fact helped with my Acne!
Semi-matte finish!
Supposedly contains deep sea water (pfft lol)

Cons:
Matte packaging gets dirty easily
Only two shades available last I checked
Still has that white cast

So, what do you guys think? Have I converted you? LOL. If I have, if I've at least made you curious, do let me know in the comments below :)

Ada, signing out~

Mixtape Mondays: Songs for Scientists

Hey guys! Welcome to another Mixtape Monday, where I come up with a list of songs for any mood, for any occasion. If you missed the last one, you can find it here.

This week's playlist is an attempt at getting my mind out of the gutter and concentrating more on my studies. Nope, I'm not going to hit you with a study playlist - I'll save that for another day. Instead, I'll bombard you guys with some songs I hold quite close to my scientifically-oriented heart:

Songs for Scientists and the Scientifically-Minded

The doctor would be so proud.

To skip the banter and go directly to this week's playlist, click here.

This songs on this playlist aren't strictly nerdy-know-it-all songs that only people in the field of science. Rather, they're songs probably anybody can enjoy but seem to have enough of that wonderful tinge of thought. Here at Mixtape Mondays, each post is dedicated to exposing the readers to songs they wouldn't have cared to listen to in the first place. It may seem a little bit hipster, but it's true. These songs are basically the songs I often find myself listening to whilst racing for the deadline of one of my formal lab reports, or probably just browsing my cell culture textbook and wondering what the hell I'm doing with my life. After all, science isn't exactly the first choice of many where making a living is concerned. This playlist is dedicated to all the aspiring scientists out there who have no idea what they're doing and all those people who've made the world how it is now. You guys don't get enough love.

Let's kick this playlist off with a song that brings back a few memories of why I even chose to pursue a career in science in the first place. Rogue Wave's Good Morning (The Future) has that fresh beat and the  familiar tone of any cynical scientist in the making.

Good Morning (The Future) - Rogue Wave

I don't know about you guys, but when I was a kid, I always associate science to the future. Being the young optimist that I was, I wanted to be part of that future. Fast forward to now and like the words of this song echo, "The future isn't what it used to be." Heck, I'd thought we'd have flying cars by now, or at least cured cancer, but such advancements are much too far off as I've come to learn in my studies, but that isn't really stopping me, is it?

The indie rockband Rogue Wave isn't letting anything stop them either. They always seem to have the brunt of all the worst of the music industry, their songs being plagiarized and used commercially without consent on many occasions, but aren't we all glad they keep making music? I know I am.

That aside, the next song is one that seems to have a more direct relation to our theme, the title in itself screaming "stay away from me, I might hurt your brain". Chemistry by Semisonic was one of those songs I'd hear on the car radio and instantly scream to my parents to turn the volume up higher.

Chemistry - Semisonic

I'll be honest - this was one of the songs that I'd pretend I understood when I was a kid, but really didn't, and only upon rediscovery of this song in my second year of high school in a school dedicated primarily to sciences did I come to appreciate it to the fullest. I think anyone who's fond of chemistry can probably relate to this song. The lyrics pertaining to getting burned and "memorizing everything" "so I can teach it when it comes my turn" struck a particular chord within me and I was practically sold. While this song is about someone who pursues science for the sole sake of getting the girl, to me it's a song about pursuing something you really love and learning to love something else in the process. That is my life story as an aspiring scientist right there.


Fast forward to the modern day. This particular song, To Modern Science by The Black and White Years is definitely one of my favorites of this playlist as it is one of the songs that seems to glorify my chosen profession where all others fail. Call it the theme song of my kind if you will.

To Modern Science - The Black andWhite Years

I think the lyrics of this song are as pertinent as the topic it speaks about itself. It speaks of science as a means of progress - "nothing is impossible" while acknowledging its limitations as well. It presents both sides of the story so well - that some think that science is the solution to all your problems (it isn't), and that some dismiss science as a hindrance to cultural and human advancement (it definitely isn't). The song so affectionately calls scientists the "glorious sons of Cain", putting science in the opposite spectrum of religion, and while that might not be entirely correct, historically, yes, science has often been portrayed as contrary to most religious beliefs, but meh, you wouldn't be here on your computer sharing thoughts on the internet without us, would you? Hah.

And now after that nose-bleed chunk of a paragraph, a song that really isn't related to science at all, except by the Physical Science-oriented nature of its name. When you guys listen to Muse's Supermassive Black Hole, you really don't have to think much. Just listen to the song and enjoy.

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

I think the only downfall of this song is that it had to fall to the hands of the mainstream train wreck that is the Twilight Saga. I was perfectly comfortable with this song being relatively popular in the U.K. and the U.S. but now whenever I listen to the song with family the topic of Twilight always seems to come to play. Thanks for ruining a perfectly good song, Summit.

Hipster rants aside, this particular song, I have no qualms about being mainstream, overused and sold out. This is the second time I'm featuring a song of Barenaked Ladies in Mixtape Mondays and I have no problem with that. That's just how awesome they are. Add to that the fact that The History of Everything is the main theme of one of the most awesome shows out there right now, The Big Bang Theory and you can pretty much see where all my bias comes from.

The History of Everything - Barenaked Ladies 

The song in itself is pretty self-explanatory. This is as simple a retelling of the history of everything as it gets, all packaged in a catchy, wonderful tune very characteristic of the tone of many of Barnaked Ladies' songs. Anyone who doesn't enjoy this song is either a grumpy batch of sourdough or one of those anti-science extremists.


Let's end this playlist with something solemn and slow. Arguably the most celebrated song in this playlist, Coldplay's The Scientist isn't as strictly a song about science as it is about experimenting, asking questions and living life by the same process a scientist would approach any problem. Same goes for relationships as well, apparently, as the video so graphically portrays.

 Coldplay The Scientist

As cliche as it sounds, sometimes we all get caught up in the science of things, trying to put things in logic and perspective when really all we need to do is look at something and take it as it comes. For all those scientists out there, don't forget you're human once in awhile, okay? And I'll try to remember not everybody's as taken with science as I am :P

That was rather abrupt, but what can I say? That's the end of this week's Mixtape Monday.  If there are any songs you guys deem fit for this playlist, leave a comment below. I'd love to hear about you guys' awesome taste in music.

To view this week's full Mixtape Monday on playlist mode, feel free to visit my YouTube page or go directly to the playlist here.

Stay tuned for more Mixtape Mondays and comment below for next week's theme suggestions!

Review: Daiso Skin Products Part II

So like I said in my earlier post, in Part II of this Daiso Skin Product review, I'll be reviewing the Daiso Natural Nose Pack and Charcoal Natural Pack

So first let's start off with a little background on the products.

Daiso Charcoal Natural Pack
Description: Forumlated with the natural ingredients from Oak trees, it removes oils and all dirt and deeply clean the pore, leaving your skin clearer with less visible pores. *Do not use more than twice a week.


Daiso Nose Pack
Description: Natural extracts remove oils and all dirt and deeply clean the pore, leaving your skin clearer with less visible pores. 

So I think the description of the Charcoal natural Pack implies that the activated charcoal essence used in this natural pack is obtained from oak, however, the 'natural extracts' mentioned in the Nose Pack are completely unknown to me. That's the difficulty in Japanese products is that although I do know a significant amount of Japanese, I  can't seem to decipher the ingredients list on this thing, so I can't be entirely sure. And this is where the leap of faith suddenly rides because for all I know, these products could end up badly inflaming my skin and leaving me permanently scarred. But that's probably the worst case scenario.

Scientific Basis:
This pack supposedly works under the premise I explained in my earlier review, without the physical abrasiveness factoring into its formulation. How most face packs or peels work is through chemical adhesion and tightening of skin through the drying of whatever formula they use. Because of this fact, in stark contrast to the Charcoal Cleansing Cream, these peels end up badly drying your skin if used excessively or left on for too long, so fair warning. Because I don't exactly know how the white skin pack works, I can't say much for how it's backed up chemically or scientifically, but what I can tell you is that the stuff smelled like flower scented Elmer's Glue, and surprisingly the Charcoal Natural Pack has a much more tolerable smell than its cleansing cream counterpart. In fact, I'm not afraid to say that it smells almost pleasant haha.

So the Charcoal Natural Park is meant to be a full-facial peel whilst the White Nose Pack was meant for use on the, doy, nose. But because I don't have much trouble with other parts of my face, I decided to concentrate on just my nose. Take my word for it, my nose is horribly problematic skin wise. There are times when it's terribly oily and I'm plagued with blackheads, and other times when it's just as dry as a desert and while I don't have to worry about blemishes at those times, I end up having flakes of skin that peel off randomly. I know, it's horrible.

So as a basis of comparison of the efficacy of both, what better way than to place them both on my nose for a side-by-side comparison?

You look like an idiot, Ada.

Directions:

After cleansing your face, evenly apply on the nose area and let it dry for 10-15 min. If completely dried out, peel it off starting at the bottom, pulling toward the top. *Do not use more than twice a week. (Nose Pack)


After cleansing your face, evenly apply on the nose area and let it dry for 10-15 min. IF completely dried out, peel it off starting at the bottom, pulling toward the top. *Do not use more than twice a week. For sensitive skin, apply facial essense before using and slowly peel it off starting at the top toward the bottom (Charcoal Natural Pack)

Okay, on the get go, the Nose Pack (white on the right) dries much more quickly than the Charcoal Natural Pack (black on the left). But I stand firm on my observation, the Nose Pack definitely has the consistency of thickened glue haha. One thing I noticed about the Charcoal Natural pack is that when it dried, patches of skin would peer through my application, even after layering it on to get them covered up. I was worried that the splotches would mean patches of my nose would end up being left untouched, but that's what reviews are for right? To see if something works or not.

Upon drying and peeling, I noticed that the white pack was much more elastic (again, like glue) than the black pack when peeling. In fact, the black charcoal felt more like paper and I didn't feel much adhesion when pulling it off. To put it simply, the white pack was 'hurt' more peeling off than the black one. I put quotations on 'hurt' because there wasn't actually any pain to be specific. It just felt more sticky and uncomfortable to pull off.

Those splotches of uncovered skin on the black pack turned out not to be uncovered after all. In fact, the product just happened to be unevenly distributed due to the differences in oil concentration on my nose. In other words, there wasn't much to cling to there, so it went to other places where there was more oil or organic matter to cling to. Whoo, science.


Warning, gross pictures ahead.

click to enlarge

I doubted the effectiveness of the Charcoal pack at first because I didn't feel much tension on my skin, but lo and behold it still managed to pull out some peach fuzz and pesky blackheads. The trick to reviewing these things and to see how much of the dirt in your pores it actually removed is to stretch the peel that you removed from your face. You'll see after stretching tiny little bits of dried up and oxidized sebum. If you don't see those, your face is either immaculately clean and perfect OR your product did absolutely nothing.

click to enlarge

The white pack did a pretty good job as well, and if I may say so myself, was much more hardcore. You could feel the little beads of sebum slowly being extracted from your skin haha.

All in all, The Charcoal Natural Pack seems to be a gentler formulation than the white Nose Pack, which happens to be more adhesive. Upon further inspection, I suspect that the White Nose Pack is better for the nose and t-zone where sebum tends to end up being more deep-seeded whereas the gentler formulation of the Charcoal Natural Pack makes it ideal for more sensitive parts of the face.

So yeah, they pretty much do what they say they'll do, and for 85 PHP a piece, they're well worth it.

So while my pores don't exactly look any smaller, my face looks a lot cleaner and it's pretty obvious that my blackheads of cleared up significantly. I think with diligent use I can actually keep this up. Oh yeah, again pardon my pictures in this post and on the last one. No-makeup face Ada is a bit of an odd, if not horrid sight haha.

Overall: These products both get a 3/5 It's just like any other drugstore nose peel, but for a fraction of the price. Hope this review helped y'all :P

Now if only I can get my hands on a good lip balm for my ugly chapped lips. Any suggestions?

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (Pt. 2 of 2)

So last Friday I went to watch The Amazing Spider-Man on a special screening granted to me by the wonderful people over at Nuffnang Philippines. This is Part 2 of my review, recap and take on the new superhero movie.

You can find Part 1 over here.

Now before I say anything else, a word of caution, there are in fact spoilers ahead so read on at your own discretion. 

So picking off where we last left at Uncle Ben's death, Peter finds out that the man who killed his uncle was the very man he had let go just moments before, thus driving him to pursue a personal vendetta against the man which escalates into nightly night searches and unintended crime fighting.

Only when Peter gets owned by a few men does he realize that if he's going to do any real pursuing, he's going to need to do it with a disguise, lest he be identified like the very man he's been looking for. The irony.

Insert SuperHero training/costume-making/self-discovery montage here. I'm actually really happy they portrayed Spidey's web powers the way they originally were in the comic book - a product of his ingenuity and his own skillful engineering instead of a side-effect of his genetic mutation. The movie never really does explain where he gets all the money - although it's presumed he gets it from Dr. Connors, because while he pursues his night antics against crime, after school during the day he's busy at work with Dr. Connors trying to create a serum for limb regeneration. I mean, you can't work and not get paid right?

I'll be truthful here. If Oscorp was a real company, it'd probably be on the top in my list of places I'd want to work after pursuing my PhD, even despite its reputation for spawning some of Spidey's and the Marvel Universe's worst villains haha.

OSCORP - The World's Leading Enterprise in Research, Development and Villain Cultivation

Meanwhile, as Peter's going around making quite a name for himself on the streets, as well as with the local Police department as a public menace, all the while dealing with his personal angst and his new reputation in school as the broody kid whose only father-figure life died, Gwen Stacy seems to be growing a spine (woman empowerment ftw) and has actually asked him out to dinner? Where? Over at her house of course! Why does this seem like it's the best idea in the world? Kudos for you if you got my hint of sarcasm.

Of course, Peter couldn't be more elated, as elated as he could be considering his uncle died of course. But before that, let me sidetrack.

While I do enjoy the snarky dialogue the writers have so dutifully included to give the Peter Parker they have created any semblance of charisma, this charisma only seems to push through when he's in a mask. I especially loved his little altercation with a man and his small knife, sarcastically falling to the ground in mock fear of the tiny weapon. That was a nice touch writers, it truly was. The other times though, our Peter is just a socially awkward mess. It's such a stark contrast that I can't help but feel that the writers are trying too hard to match up the wit and humor of other recently highlighted Marvel characters (e.g. Tony Stark), no pun intended.

Oh no! You've found my weakness! It's small knives!

Now back on track. Fresh from a trip of taking out the figurative trash, Peter makes his way to the home of none other than Gwen Stacy for his much awaited dinner, only to find out that the father of his object of interest is in fact the very same police chief that's been on his tail. It's no wonder then that they get into a heated debate as to the true intentions of masked vigilante and the level of threat he imposes on the city.

Meanwhile, Dr. Connors is in some of his own heat when an Oscorp executive/representative/some Indian guy pressures him to begin human trials on the serum that they found to be successful on a bunch of lab rats. Like a true ethical scientiest. Dr. Connors refuses, that is until Peter Parker is brought into the equation and a small threat to his life is imposed. Dr. Connors seemingly stands firm, but you can tell in his eyes that he's startled, caught in an internal debate and the responsibility he feels toward his old colleague's son after all of those years of leaving him unattended. Thinking Connors is a lost cause, the man leaves, telling Connors he can conduct clinical trials elsewhere, say a general hospital with willing patients lining up for a chance of any type of recovery. Dr. Connors is visibly jolted, but before he can change his mind, the man tells him he is relieved of duty and that's that.

Connors juggles with the idea of human trials, ultimately succumbing to the idea, presumably to spare the patients in the hospital from any possible adverse reactions, as well as to protect Peter, even if it is just a side thought in the process. The point is that Connors intentions were good, and we shouldn't forget that. And so he injects himself with the serum, inducing in himself a state of catatonic shock. There's a little bit of suspension of disbelief required here because let's face it - gene expression doesn't happen that fast, but meh.

The road to villain-dom is paved with good intentions.

Dr. Connors wakes up from his serum-induced mini-coma to find that he has regenerated a new arm encased in what looks to be reptilian skin. Awesome, right? Nope, not really, because later after calling the same investor that had fired him before and finding he's being ignored, a sudden rage overcomes him and we find out that uncontrolled rage is just the trigger his now mutant genes need to transform him into one of Spider-Man's more formidable enemies, The Lizard.


Meanwhile, Peter's up on the roof tongue-wrestling with Gwen Stacy after revealing to her that he is in fact Spider-Man. The way he tells her is a lot more interesting than the awkward kissfest. And if I'm not mistaken, Peter actually webs Gwen Stacy in the butt to stop her from leaving.

"Did you just shoot a web at my butt?" "Never mind that. Shut up and kiss me."

But the awkward teen kissing is interrupted by mom - of course it is. It always has to be. And instead of following Gwen back into her apartment, spurred by his newly developed Spidey Senses, Peter goes off abruptly on another call for crime fighting, and a cut scene shows Gwen's dad doing the exact same thing. Ooh, a conflict of interests, oh what shall our poor Gwen do?

But of course when Peter gets to the scene of the trouble that he's alerted to, he finds it isn't any old robbery. Nope, it's Dr. Connors in eight-foot lizard-human-mutant form in a vengeful quest to kill the man who forced his hand to inevitable, but of course, Peter doesn't know this and instead gets The Lizard angry, and as such earns himself a new nemesis making himself out as a threat. It's noteworthy to mention that even at this point, Dr. Connors still has good intentions, albeit he can't actually control the actions that are a result of his intentions.

In the hullabaloo of the fight, The Lizard finds himself weakened, a result of a faulty serum which doesn't allow the sustained regeneration of his limbs and superhuman abilities and Peter's left to clean up after The Lizard's mess, including saving a kid who get stuck in a car seat as the minivan plummets to its doom. Sometimes, I think car seats are more trouble than they're worth >_> In a touching scene where Peter gives the kid his mask and urges him to climb up the van, he realizes what having powers is all about. It isn't just about his revenge, it's about using them to help people - just like Uncle Ben said his dad used to do. And when the kid's grateful dad asks him who he is, he answers confidently, "I'm Spider-Man". Chills.


Of course, there are people less than pleased with Spider-Man's antics. Gwen's Dad who's pissed that the Spider-Man is gathering a cult following, Aunt May who's worried sick that Peter comes home everyday bruised and beat up, Gwen, knowing how much trouble he gets into everyday and now, Dr. Connors, who has returned to his human form confused and seemingly developing a split identity very much like the Green Goblin had in the last installment.

This guy's just bought himself a one-way ticket to the loony bin.

Dr. Connors, spurred on by the voice in his head, develops a fixation with the serum, exploring its properties beyond its healing capabilities and into the prospect of creating a perfect Utopian society free from outcasts, and weakness, not by eradicating sickness bur rather by eradicating the human race itself in favor of a far more superior species much like his human-lizard alter-ego.

Good thing (or not so good thing), Peter catches onto the changes in his mentor's attitude when it notices patches of lizard-like skin on his neck. He finds an empty canister of the serum on the doctor's desk and deduces that somehow Dr. Connnors' self-administrated serum had gone terribly wrong and his hunch is affirmed when he sees the same mouse they had conducted preliminary trials on now mutated into this gruesome creature reminiscent of the rat monsters from Phantasy Star 4. Again, a comment on the CG. It's really bad. The shadows are off and the rat looks horribly fake.

Peter takes it upon himself to stop the doctor from causing any more harm but keeping the occupation of his new-found girlfriend's father in mind, he takes it to the authorities first. When they dismiss his warnings as talks of madness, he searches for his own evidence, catching the trail of lizards which seem to be gathering underground, leading him to the sewers where Connors has set up his own Mad Scientist Laboratory. Again, another comment on the CG, the lizards suck too. We find out that Dr. Connors has doubled his dosage of the serum in an effort to prolong its effects, which is totally a good idea Doc. Surely, adding more of the serum instead of reformulating it will get it to work. Totally. *sarcasm*

Seems like a great idea to me.

This of course only transforms him into The Lizard once more, even without provocation or tense anger.


Meanwhile, Spider-Man sets up an intricate array of webs designed to alert him of approaching danger as well as to capture his intended prey for a nice little picture for evidence. And he almost succeeds too, but The Lizard manages to sneak up on him and get in a few blows before Spidey's forced to retreat, in so doing, leaving his camera aptly labeled with 'Property of Peter Parker' at the scene for The Lizard to pick up. Smart move, Peter, smart move.


Injured and let's face it, feeling a bit useless, Peter struggles and finds his way back to Gwen's place. In one of my favorite scenes with Emma Stone, Gwen tries to deter her dad from entering her room by telling him she has cramps. Good going Gwen, now all the guys know that 'cramps' are just our scapegoat excuse. Either way, she heals Peter's poor ego, with a little bit of making out. Forget the deep wounds on Peter's chest which she only tends to with a light scrub. Nope, he doesn't have any time for that. Instead, he suggests they go out and have a little bit of fun, which they do by swinging around the city on his web. You totally forget that only seconds ago, Peter was writhing in pain.

Ah, the miraculous healing powers of teenage, hormone-driven love.

Little does Peter know that Dr. Connors now has it out for him and the next day at school is the day he's ambushed by the doctor in lizard form, livid that the Spider-Man dare meddle in his efforts to convert the human race into something more than just weaklings. And so yet another fight ensues, which brings The Lizard and Spider-Man into a library where Stan Lee cameos as an oblivious male Librarian, jamming to some classical music as the two genetically modified humans have it out behind him, leaving a wake of destruction behind them.

We salute you, Stan.

What I like about this fight scene is that instead of running away in fear, our little leading lady makes herself useful and actually gets her hands dirty trying to distract The Lizard from potentially mauling her boyfriend. Of course, she doesn't do much, but it's the thought that counts, and it buys Spidey just enough time incapacitate the man-lizard before literally throwing Gwen out the window and 'cushioning' her fall before she hits the ground. You see, this is ironic, because in the comic book, Gwen dies because of being caught from a fall in such a manner, the sudden halt causing her neck to break. Knowing that Peter has the habit of stopping falls like that, it's no wonder it happens. Is this some sort of foreshadowing? :o Let's hope not.

Anyway, as the police approach, The Lizard retreats and Peter follows his trail, leading to the doctor's lab. Peter finds out through the doctors daily vlogs that he plans to administer the serum to a wide land area, presumably enough to cover the entire city in an effort to mutate the entire population into man-lizards. He quickly calls Gwen and asks her to make her way to the OSCORP tower to develop an antidote to the serum in the hopes of stopping The Lizard in his tracks. How she's going to be able to make that serum in less than an hour is beyond me, but little does Peter know that the doctor plans on using the device he and Peter's father invented to administer the drug. And guess where that device is? Yep, right in OSCORP tower, putting Gwen in the frontline of grave danger. When Peter realizes this he tries to coax her into leaving but Gwen reasons that the antidote is almost done cooking. Good job Gwen! You're an awesome strong female role in a male-centric movie. I love you so much.

Oh stop it, you.

So Peter ends up dealing with cops who are so desperately after him, even a midst an eight-foot lizard man reeking havoc on the streets and transforming their fellow officers into lizard mutants. Way to get your priorities straight, police force. At this point, I'm wondering why the hell they haven't brought in the tanks. Maybe they're too busy evacuating the entire city. That explains things.


Still injured from the previous fight and avoiding police, helicopters and cars at the same time, Spider-Man falls from a height in what might be a little bit too much butt exposure for my taste. Seriously? The angle of the light as he falls hits his butt so the suit looks almost transparent. And when he falls, his butt actually jiggles. It friggin JIGGLES.

"DAT ASS." I'm pretty sure this counts as indecent exposure.

So Spider-Man finds himself cornered by the police and is eventually demasked by Gwen's father himself, not before kicking some major police butt first of course, but still, it happens. He begs the chief to let him go, using his daughter as the reason, well at least one of the reasons, because we sure as heck know the police can't bring down the lizard-beast themselves. And so the chief gives in, but before Spidey can make a break for it, an idiot cop shoots him on the leg.


Injured, tired and with nothing to aim his webs at to swing from, Spider-Man's about twenty blocks away from where he wants to be - at OSCORP tower. 


This is what I like about this reboot. In the last Spider-Man franchise, Spidey just mindlessly swings from one place to the other and nobody even wonders where the heck he's shooting his webs from because god knows there aren't that many surfaces his web has to adhere to which will allow for horizontal pendulum-like travel. PHYSICS, PEOPLE, PHYSICS.

Because you sincerely have to wonder where the hell he's hanging from in pictures like these.

 In this movie, Spider-Man has just that problem and ends up having to literally crawl his way to the scene.


Until the guy whose son Spider-Man saved earlier on (he just so happens to be a crane operator) sees him on the news and decides to return the favor by calling all his friends and getting a sequence of cranes ready for him. Call it deus ex machina or whatever, because I'm pretty sure that many cranes in sequential order is hard to come by, but damn, that was one of the coolest scenes ever. Now that Spider-Man has the cranes lined up and ready for him, he finally has somewhere to anchor his web to swing from. 


Cue epic fight scene with The Lizard. I'm not even going to go into detail about this. It's just one of those things you actually have to see in theaters to appreciate. I'm just going to go ahead and say one thing (yet again), the CG is still pretty bad. It's better than before, but still pretty bad. 


Meanwhile, Gwen has completed the antidote but is unable to give it to Peter for him to use, so instead leaves it in her father's hands. He tells her he knows about Peter and his alter-ego and my heart wrenches at this because I'm pretty sure they're going to kill her dad off in this movie.

So you mean to tell me I die in this movie!?

So like the badass police chief he is, he goes up and shoots the heck out of The Lizard, affording Spidey some time to aim some Liquid Nitrogen at him and freeze the creature. Apparently, this is super effective because he's cold blooded. Chief Stacy tells Spider-Man he can handle The Lizard and hands him the antidote. Peter contemplates administering the antidote directly to the doctor to keep him at bay, but knowing there are other people out there who've been mutated, goes off and tries to switch the serum for the antidote. It becomes quite apparent that the chief can't hold The Lizard off for any longer when the liquid nitrogen runs out and I cry for the second time in the movie when The Lizard deals the final blow to the chief with a jab of his sharp nails into the chief's stomach.


Peter is just a few moments too late when the device finally detonates and releases the antidote, healing those mutated and reverting the Doctor to his weakened form. But the damage from their earlier fight has Spider-Man falling off the building, seemingly plummeting to his death - not until Doctor Connors, now fully aware of his actions saves him and pulls him up to the building. It's reinforced in this scene that Doctor Connors really did care for Peter, much like Norman Osborn and Otto Octavius from the other films did before they went bad. Before Peter even has a chance to process what just happened, Connors tells him to go check on the chief, whom he is sure he had injured in some way.


Peter makes a mad dash for him, but he's too late, and is only in time to promise the chief to watch over the city and to leave his daughter out of his trouble. What can Peter do than to agree? Peter makes his way home before the cops can catch him on the scene, making sure to pick up the carton of eggs his aunt asked for on the way.


So the days pass and so does George Stacy's funeral. Doctor Connors is put behind bars and Peter isolates himself from Gwen just as he promised. But with a little bit of encouragement from Aunt May, he realizes that some promises were meant to be broken and quite stupidly, he resolves to patch things up with Gwen. Hopefully, this doesn't result in her death some time in the future.

I may have just indirectly killed a girl.

The End.

Well, not really.


A post-credits reel shows Dr. Connors talking to a shadowed figure about the real fate of Peter's parents and who exactly Peter is.

Which begs the question, why exactly did interspecies genetics work on Peter when all other clinical trials have resulted either in death or unsightly mutations into lizard-human hybrids?

In the comic book, Peter's parents were special agents or spies, if you will, but the writers introducing them as having a part in some scientific conspiracy and somehow involving Peter with his special genetics puts a whole new twist in the story in a universe far apart from that of in the comic book.

It is for this reason that I am sorely looking forward to the sequel of this movie, much more than I did the sequel of the last Spider-Man installment, because now there are actually legitimate questions left unanswered and not just questions of whether or not the girl and guy will get together.

So what do I have to say about this movie all in all? It was entertaining, the dialogue was better than I expected and I'm glad they retained elements from the comicbook that I valued very much. I hated the CG, abhorred it to bits, and I'm pretty disappointed that Uncle Ben had to die over a measly 2 cents, but that was necessary.

I hope this review, recap, summary or synopsis helped you guys or entertained you in some way.

Until next time,
Ada, signing out!

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (Pt. 1 of 2)

So last Friday I went to watch The Amazing Spider-Man on a special screening granted to me by the wonderful people over at Nuffnang Philippines. And while I initially had no keen interest in the abrupt reboot of the popular Marvel superhero series Spider-Man, my shallow self basically jumped on the opportunity at a free movie and some on-screen time with one of my favorite actresses to date, Emma Stone.

To start things off, I think I should say that if people came to watch this movie with the expectation of having it pick up where the last Spider-Man movie left off, they are sadly uninformed/mistaken/living under a rock. If the sudden change in the main character's love interest from a quirky freckle-faced redhead with a passion for drama to a smart scientifically oriented blonde (ooh, breaking stereotypes like a badass) wasn't enough of a clue in the trailer, I'm pretty sure the total reformulating of the way Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield)was bitten and the sudden reappearance of Uncle Ben addresses that issue (unless of course Uncle Ben's a zombie. That changes everything.)

Yes, this is a total reboot people, and I can't seem to get enough of people wondering where the heck Mary Jane went or why she dyed her hair. People, Gwen Stacy was Peter's original love interest and personally, I'm glad the writers set things straight.

Preach.

Now before I say anything else, a word of caution, there may be spoilers ahead so read on at your own discretion. 

And while I'm going to try a serious as I can whilst recounting this movie, please allow some leeway for a little sarcasm and snarky comments here and there. It's just the way I am.

So quite aptly, the movie starts off with a scene explaining the disappearance of Peter's parents. Well, not really. It doesn't actually explain a thing, like why his parents are on the run in the first place. It's basically a retelling of how Peter was essentially 'orphaned'. In the end, we don't even know if his parents are alive or not and Peter just grows up to be a stereotypical introverted geeky guy who just so happens to be awesome at skateboarding to boot. He's at the bottom of the high school food chain, pretty hipster with his old-school camera and so totally in love with the perfection that is his high school crush,  Gwen Stacy.

I'm the geeky guy all those Facebook girls say they want, but not really.

I think the first thing that I noticed whilst watching this movie was how awesome the soundtrack and the songs used for the movie were. I'm not enough of a contemporary music buff to know exactly what songs from what bands they used for the movie, but I'm totally hoping they release an album separate from the original score because really, their song choice was just that awesome.

Music aside, Peter in this story draws a parallel to the comic book in that the story starts off with him in high school as opposed to in college in the last series. In general, this movie follows the flow of the comic much better than the last installment did and you'll see more of that later.

In the mean time, can we please focus on how awesome Emma Stone is? I don't remember Gwen Stacy being as charismatic in the comic books. I don't know if its the good dialogue written or if it's just Emma Stone's natural charm, but I immediately found myself liking Gwen a lot more than I did Mary Jane of the last franchise. Sorry MJ-lovers, but it's just how I feel.

I'm single-handedly bringing wide headbands, sweater vests and knee-high socks back in. 

Eat your heart out Rachel Berry.

And then Peter confronts Flash Thompson, the typical high school jock/bully/meathead who just so happens to be played by the awesome Chris Zylka who also played Joey Donner in ABC Family's TV adaptation of 10 Things I Hate About You. He definitely seems to be typecast as bully preppy type character, meh. I'm not complaining. Needless to say, Peter's affections don't seem to be so one-sided after all. And in one of the more touching scenes in the movie, Uncle Ben gives Peter a little bit of encouragement, so far as to drive Peter to even say that Ben was 'a great dad'. Cue simultaneous 'aww's in my heart.

Peter's need for parental love seems to have quite conveniently brought him to just the thing he's needed to find after all of these years - a file containing his father's most valued work, a rate decay algorithm. Okay, so to set thing straight, apparently his father was a researcher who worked alongside Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans). This is a bit of a long shot from the comic book, but hey, I'm not complaining. At least I won't know exactly what the hell the writer's are hiding. He finds the files in a hidden compartment in his father's old suitcase (classy), along with some awesome hipster glasses which he trades his contact lenses in for.

And by the power that these hipster glasses have bestowed upon me, I become... 

MOODY MISUNDERSTOOD TEENAGER!

So like the curious kid Peter is, he goes ahead and investigates and at the same time he gets to spend a little bit of one on one time with Gwen Stacy who just so conveniently had to be an intern at the very company Dr. Connors works at, Oscorp. Sounds familiar? Yep, it's the same company from the last installment and it seems we'll be seeing more of the Green Goblin in subsequent movies (if there will be any)

Getting back on track though we get some background on the actual research Dr. Connors (and presumably his father) used to work on: Interspecies Genetics.

NerdMode Activate. 

(Skip if you aren't a nerd)

Interspecies genetics seems like such an unthinkable thing to a lot of people, so much so that they dismiss the fact that it's actually something that is being done IRL and confine it to the world of comics/movies/fiction. And while the research conducted in interspecies gene expression isn't as far out as enabling superhuman strength proportional to that of an arachnid's, successful interspecies splices have already been done, but the ethics of using the same methods in humans, much like that of in this film, are a heated topic of debate.

The scientific implications aside, apparently, Peter's father spent a majority of his life research on an algorithm, or sequence of equations, pertaining to exponential decay. It's actually quite an underwhelming feat  considering all the other barriers to successful gene integration around, but hey, this is the movie-verse were talking about. In the context of Peter's father's research, the rate exponential decay seems to have something to do with how long the genetic expression of a gene can be expressed and retained in the body. But I'll go ahead and say it - THIS MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL. If I were a molecular geneticist/biologist who wanted to express a gene that allowed immediate regeneration of limbs, a rate decay equation would be the least of my worries, because in all honesty, exponential decay has more application chemistry than molecular bio. What determines whether or not a gene can be expressed properly is PROTEINS. If your DNA can make mRNA that is successfully translated into proteins with whatever you're trying to achieve, then you're set.  This of course takes a lot of work, but I still have no idea how the heck rate decay factors into all of this. Side effects like horrible mutation or unpleasant reactions happen because of incorrect transcription, translation, glycosylation, maybe even improper targeting of the drug or some kind of adverse immune response, not because of anything decaying. Someone, PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME because this part of the movie's plot is NOWHERE in the comic books and doesn't even make sense in modern times contextually D: Of course, I may be wrong in my assumption and maybe decay has EVERYTHING TO DO with why Dr. Connors can't get the damn serum right, but because I'm still in my third year of undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology and I don't actually know, I won't let this ruin the movie for me. I won't. I definitely wont. I hope. Grah.

EDIT: (from a helpful MBB student. Thanks! :3)
"Since the introduction of a foreign gene can either result to transient or permanent gene expression. The rate decay equation probably tells us about how long the recepient species can express and integrate the foreign gene before its effects wear out. However, I can't really say how a corrective effort towards an equation could help out with the successful execution of a human cell transformation."

And still, the rate decay equation doesn't seem to factor in correctly with that being said either.

Dr. Curt Connors: Still Trolling real Molecular Biologists since 2012

NerdMode Deactivate

Okay, nerdy rant over. Now onto the pivotal point in Peter Parker's life, next to his parents abandoning him of course, his radioactive spider bite. Except now, the spider isn't radioactive, it's genetically enhanced instead. Why does it feel like my childhood was shot down in an instant? Owell. I guess it's just the passing of the times. When Spider-Man was originally created, it was Nuclear Energy and Radioactive exposure that was the big thing. Now it's GMO's and genetic enhancements. It says a lot about the current trends in science if you ask me.

Let me take some time to complain now about the CG, as it was a recurring observation I had throughout the film. The CG Sucks and is mediocre at best. The spiders look fake, the other animals look fake, heck, even Spider-Man swinging from his web later on looks fake. It's like production was rushed and we're faced with the bad CG of X-Men Origins Wolverine all over again.

And in possibly one of the funniest superhero ability discovery montages ever created, Peter finds out that the bite wasn't just any old bite when his reflexes start getting the best of him and he ends up knocking out all the men who so much as literally lift a finger at him on the subway, in the process of doing so, unintentionally sexually harassing a poor woman at the same time. It's like the awkward pubescent changes we all go through all over again, except more awesome and badass and a hundred times more hilarious to watch than those health documentaries that we were forced to view at some point in our life. And instead of zits, B.O. and hair in unsightly places, Peter gets a whole slew of awesome superpowers and spidey senses. But it's still just as awkward though. Really awkward.

Oops. Sorry! I didn't mean to dropkick you in the face. My bad.

I find it even more hilarious that when he gets home, you can't help but speculate that he's on some type of drugs, probably marijuana (Mary Jane, get it? get it? AHAHAHA), or some other hunger-inducing drug because he manages to clear out his aunt and uncle's entire fridge because of his new-found appetite. And then there's a scene where he ends up waking up to an alarm clock not knowing his own strength and smashing it to bits instead. I'm sure we've all wished we could smash our alarm clocks against the table with such prowess and grace as Peter Parker had in the movie.

Drugs. It definitely has to be drugs.

Worried about whether or not these side effects would have an adverse effect on his being, he takes the matter straight to the only person he knows can help - Dr. Connors himself. At first, the Dr. meets him with animosity, but upon finding out he's the son of his former colleague, you can see his hardened exterior melt into something that almost seems like concern and genuine care for the boy. At the prospect of having some semblance of a connection to his estranged parents, as well as through a little flattery on Conners' part, Peter ends up foolishly handing the Dr. the equation his father spent years working on just like that. Peter, for someone made out to be such a smart boy, you can be really daft sometimes. Doesn't make it better that he practically took all the credit for it as well - that's PLAGIARISM Peter, PLAGIARISM!

Meanwhile, Peter finds better things to do with his new found powers, including mastering some awesome skateboard tricks, climbing walls and beating bullies in a manner reminiscent of the basketball scene from 17 Again.

In the abridged immortal words of Zac Effron: People are bullies because they have small wieners.

After Flash's public humiliation by the hands of a more confident (and thus more attractive) Peter, Gwen takes an even more heightened interest in our protagonist. Too bad that at the same time, Uncle Ben is all over Peter for being a bully himself. But Peter's not having any of it. Like any other rebellious teenager out there, he storms off, but to his credit quite politely, and instead spends the rest of the day helping out Dr. Connors with his new serum, all the while forgetting the errand of picking up his Aunt that Uncle Ben had left for him. So not surprisingly, Uncle Ben lays the smackdown on in his lack of priorities.

And then the movie throws in a typical father-son fight about responsibility and your heart starts beating really hard because you realize that the inevitable scene is coming and you're not sure if you can deal with it on the big screen for the second time in your life. While Uncle Ben doesn't blurt outright the iconic words that become Spider-Man's mantra int he last franchise as well as in the comicbooks (With great power comes great responsibility), the point's made clear and you can tell a chord's been struck in Peter, which causes him to bring out a guilt-trip card of his own. If responsibility was such a noble thing why didn't his father think it was his responsibility to be there for him? Basically, he slapped the fact that Uncle Ben wasn't his real father right before running away like how all hollywood orphans do when confronted with issues on their real parents. Low Blow, Peter, low blow.

And of course, Uncle Ben just has to go after him and at this point your heart starts to wrench because you know what's going to happen soon.

In a convenience store, Peter gets into an altercation with the cashier when the rather douche-y employee refuses to let a measly 2 cents go and refuses to sell Peter his milk. In a scene we're all familiar with, after this little encounter, the cashier is robbed and the robber throws Peter his milk, sort of a thank you for not calling the cops or anything and like the bitter teenager Peter is, he lets the thief go in spite. In your head you're screaming WHY PETER, WHY!?!?!?!? And just like you all expected, the thief ends up being the very guy who kills Uncle Ben when like the good man he is, he tries to stop the thief from reaching out for his gun, but instead gets himself shot.

It never gets any easier. T_T

You know what makes this scene a hundred times more powerful than the last installment's version? It's the fact that Uncle Ben had to die over Peter's spite for a measly 2 cents. That and a combination of identity crisis, abandonment issues and a rough day at school is the recipe for one of my favorite characters' death. It's so sad and I'll be honest. I was in tears at this scene. Ssorry about the picture - it doesn't do the scene justice but I couldn't find a good screencap so until then, you guys'll have to wait or see the movie yourself to experience the same heart-shattering pain.

Oh God this is far too emotional for me to handle. Should I just cut it off here? Yeah, I probably should. It's getting late anyway.

We're halfway through the movie, and I can say with confidence that judging by the length of this review, The Amazing Spider-Man was a whole lot better than the last movie I saw.

You can read Part 2 of my review/recap of The Amazing Spider-Man by clicking here.

Ada, Signing out.