in a few days, barring any storm or any other form of mishap, we (me and several theater-loving pals) are going to watch Cats. meow.

despite my avowed hopes of watching a few stage plays, the only stage musical that i had ever actually made efforts to watch is Cats — because it looks fun, whimsical and as bit over-the-top.

and now that it’s almost here, i can’t help but anticipate how they would present the Rum Tum Tugger, possibly one of (if not) the biggest attraction of this show. and when you think of Rum Tum Tugger, there’s no other stage actor who has inhabited this character as well as John Partridge.

i just got back from watching Inception, and to recap this experience in 4 simple words — i was blown away.

Inception is one of those rare screen gems — a movie that you can enjoy in many levels, and one that makes you think. it also leaves you to conclude for yourself which is real (reality) and which isn’t (dream).

and just when you think you’ve arrived at a suitable conclusion, you begin to realize things aren’t as clear-cut (relatively speaking) as they seem. so you begin retracing your steps, and the whole process begins again. some critics advise multiple viewings, and i plan to do just that. i suppose it would be fun to watch this in iMax.

offhand, i’d say Inception, which stars Leo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy), reminds me of Mission Impossible and The Matrix, only with better actors. great cast, awesome director (Chris Nolan), mind-boggling story, fantastic SFX — a winning combination

anyway, i advise to you waste no time. go see it. there are 3 or good movies that i’ve missed (which leaves me unmoved for some reason), but Inception is in a different league.

there’s nothing like watching a vampire series to restore your equilibrium — or what’s left of it after another busy week.

every night, while waiting for sleep to overcome my wayward thoughts i would watch a couple of episodes of The Vampire Diaries (you know, that other popular vampire series on TV?). at first, it was out of curiosity, but after the first episode “i got bitten” (pun intended).

while fans of the Twilight series may have the advantage in terms of number and intensity, i think that in terms of pacing and plot, The Vampire Diaries is actually better (of course, the fact that it’s TV series may account for that). some of its characters have more depth and compelling qualities aside from their obvious physical attributes. Vampire Diaries has its own share of absurdities though, and i sometimes wish the producers had opted to prioritize talent over looks when they chose the cast (here, even the non-vampire characters look good). still, most of the main cast are doing a decent job — especially nina dobrev (Elena/Katherine), paul wesley (as the brooding, conflicted Stefan Salvatore) and ian somerhalder (as the dangerous Damon Salvatore).

The first season of The Vampire Diaries (22 episodes) ended about a couple of weeks ago. CBS had also recently announced that a second season for this series is in the works.

hmm… i don’t know why i’ve been reading and watching a lot of supernatural books and DVDs lately. truth to tell, i’m still a little hung up on Angelology. i think i might reread the whole book again this weekend. well, as soon as i’ve caught up on my sleep, that is.

for a number reasons, i haven’t had much time to read lately. truth to tell, there hasn’t been that much reading material that could tempt me beyond a cursory run-through. that is, until i came across danielle trussoni’s gripping Angelology.

after reading a favorable TIME review of this novel, i decided to dig up some more. at the end of 3 reviews, my gut instinct kicked in. i knew i had to read this book. (i had this type of reaction several times in the past and it hasn’t failed me yet.)

i made a few phone and online inquiries and quickly learned that local bookstores have run out of copies of Angelology, which was released only in March 2010. after a more thorough and patient search, i finally managed to find an unsold copy (which was ready for pick-up the next day).

i started reading Angelology on my way home and didn’t stop until 5:45am. (i showed up for work bleary-eyed and yawning.) despite the book’s minor drawbacks, the tale simply held me enthralled. i guess the reason why this story resonates with me can be traced to one of my favorite X-files episodes (All Souls), which dealt with the concept of nephilim (lit. “fallen ones”).

my verdict? i liked it! more importantly, i couldn’t put it down. Angelology is described as a supernatural thriller in the tradition of Dan Brown, although i think it’s more in the style of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. think of a gripping, multilayered gothic tale with biblical roots and tinged with intrigues and conspiracies. at its core, it tells of a centuries-old struggle between nephilim, the hybrid offspring of rebellious angels and human women, and a secret group of humans who study and oppose the nephilim (angelologists).

so if you have an abiding interest in angels (and not just the good kind) and don’t mind reading lengthy text on art, history, Greek mythology, various biblical texts, etc., Angelology shouldn’t be a challenge. if you’re a catholic, it’ll probably be easier to digest this premise (although Ms. Trussoni also makes liberal references to Jewish and Muslim religious texts to substantiate her point). at any rate, you will learn a lot of things about how humans have viewed angels throughout the past centuries.

i am currently re-reading parts of this book. for some reason, i keep going back to the scene where one of the characters (a nun) conducted a “summoning” ceremony. i am also fervently hoping that Ms. Trussoni will soon continue this tale with a worthy sequel.

and here’s an interesting fact, the film rights to this book have already been purchased. so i guess we can expect a movie based on Angelology in the next few years.