An "Iron Man" Article I Wrote

Here's another "test" article I wrote for a job poster from whom I never heard again... Just in case...

Iron Man’s Ammunition

Many proclaim Iron Man (Hollywood Movie) as a superhero film finally done right. Released on May 2,n 2008, it made a killing in its opening weekend grossing more than 98 million dollars and ranking third among the highest-earning opening weekends of 2008. Giving a less comic page-derived feel than the usual underdog-turned-mutant offerings under this category, the film veered away from dark drama or cartoony comedy to create a crowd-pleasing mélange of action-packed scenes, serious themes and comic deliveries. There are certainly many factors that contributed to the movie’s massive success. From the casting and script to the effects and gadgetry, Iron Man (Hollywood Movie) is armed with many winning elements.

Dynamite Lead

Robert Downey, Jr. brings maturity and a wonderful balance of gravity and lightness into the character of Tony Stark. Given to an actor who’s not ripe for it, the role would not have been portrayed with as much charisma and pizzazz. Downey was able to turn Iron Man into a multi-dimensional and endearing character. He is backed in Iron Man (Hollywood Movie) by a stellar cast including Gwyneth Paltrow as the plucky Pepper Potts, Jeff Bridges as the villainous Obadiah Stane and Terrence Howard as the indefatigably reasonable Lt. Col James “Rhodey” Rhodes.

Spectacular Effects

The director Jon Favreau wanted the movie to be believable. It was important to him to make transitions between the computerized and the practical to be as subtle as possible. He found the team to make this possible in Industrial Light &Magic. ILM was also responsible for the marvelous visual effects in movies like “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Transformers”. The story of Iron Man (Hollywood Movie) is set in the current. However, some very advanced technologies factored in the plot, hence the need to make the movie as realistic as it could be even with the infusion of futuristic components. ILM remained true to form and even garnered a nomination in this category at the Academy Awards.

Stunning Script

Iron Man (Hollywood Movie) is filled with witty quips and clever quotes. Coupled with the masterful timing and delivery of the actors, the dialogues were extremely enjoyable. The plot itself is very much derivative. After all, it was originally penned decades ago, albeit the effort to make it more relevant in the screenplay. It’s still about the playboy genius millionaire who escapes death and builds an iron suit. However, with the right lines and exchanges, the movie’s script was able to achieve novelty.

Smashing Music

The official soundtrack of the movie is one of the coolest ever put together. Spearheading the list is Black Sabbath’s Iron Man. There are also tracks from AC/DC, Audioslave, Ghostface Killah, etc. Overall music is by Ramin Djawadi, a true-blue Iron Man fanatic and heavy metal buff. He and Favreau agreed that there would be a lot of crushing percussions and distorted guitars.

General reception for Iron Man (Hollywood Movie) has been enthusiastic. It even earned Saturn Awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Science Fiction Film. It received nominations from a wide range of award giving bodies, from the American Film Institute to the Kids’ Choice Awards.

Just in Case It WAS a Scam

I think I may have been scammed into writing these articles. I'll delete these if I get paid, but I'm not holding my breath.

Task 1: OFWs Channel José Rizal

José Rizal led such an extraordinary life both as a private and as a public figure that it’s quite hard to think of ordinary people comparing to him. He was a certified genius. He had a brilliant mind and possessed many skills. He excelled in both the sciences and the arts. He had tremendous courage, which showed itself distinctly during that very special time in history. Indubitably not a paragon, he had his faults, but his virtues were clearly emphasized both in his life and in his death. José Rizal was a man of singular character, but he remains to be such an inspiration that his noble traits still echo in many of our modern day heroes. Considering this, for instance, we can identify the parallelisms between his life and that of an OFW’s.

Leaving Country and Family to Better Serve Them

José Rizal first went abroad to further his education in 1882. He knew that if he bettered himself, he could be much more useful in service to his own people. A few years later, he also completed his eye specialization so he could operate on his own mother. Like the OFWs of today, he withstood loneliness and the absence of most things he held dear, knowing that a sacrifice in that respect was necessary. Where José Rizal was able to contribute greatly to the Reformation Movement and acquire skills that enabled him to help his countrymen, OFWs give financial support to the nation, greatly influencing its economy for the better, as well as provide a much more comfortable life for their families.

Loyalty to the Philippines

He was clearly besotted by the charm and beauty of many of the European cities he stayed in and visited, but José Rizal remained true to his country. No matter the exquisite loveliness of the literal and figurative flowers of Heidelberg, the Philippines kept its place in José Rizal’s heart. Our OFWs, on the other hand, are able to experience and enjoy the better conditions and higher standard of living in the first world, but they continue to long for home.

Giving Glory to the Philippines

Like José Rizal, our OFWs impress other nationalities with their skills and hard work. Rizal was without a doubt an impressive man. Every time he manifested excellence, the glory bestowed on him is reflected upon his country. The same is true for our OFWs. Many of them coming from a place of hardship and poverty, the OFWs know how to work hard and well. They acknowledge better than people from more affluent nations the blessing of employment. This is why their employers appreciate them. José Rizal was also driven by the needs of his country and with this higher purpose, he performed better than his contemporaries.

Task 2: Getting to Know José Rizal

Today’s youth are burdened with so many newfangled contraptions that their attentions tend to lean more toward high tech materialistic pursuits. It is true that they are distracted. Everything comes so much more easily nowadays that the values have been modified. What was relevant 20 or 40 years ago may not have as much bearing on their lives as it did with their parents and grandparents. For many young people, it is mostly about the present and the future. You wonder if they look back and bother to know about the past. José Rizal is definitely part of the past, but he made such a mark in national history that he should be part of the present and the future as well.

Do Kids Today Still Know José Rizal?

The Department of Education is making sure that today’s pupils still learn about José Rizal. The curriculum dictates it. José Rizal is discussed in Social Studies, Sibika or whatever the current terminology for the subject is. Philippine history classes must mention him. Many universities still require Rizal classes as a general elective, such as Philippine Institutions 100 in the University of the Philippines. The question is how in-depth the knowledge is about this fascinating historical figure. Do kids today still have the lines of “Mi último adios” memorized? How do they feel about Rizal? Is he becoming more and more like a character in a story or does he remain real? Are they in awe of José Rizal? There was a time in Philippine education when Rizal was presented almost as a god. Most kids today would probably find an iPhone more impressive than a person from the distant past, no matter how wonderful.

Would They Think He Was Cool If They Got to Know Him?

José Rizal was extraordinary in every way. He was a man of many facets. His life was spent campaigning for change and his death sparked a revolution. The man was responsible for the course Philippine history took. Other figures contributed, but he was the most dominant character during that time. He truly deserves the honor of being the national hero. José Rizal was a fascinating man. He was a scholar, an artist and an athlete. His brilliance wasn’t dorky. It was his intellect that produced those novels of hard realism and those poems of marvelous romanticism. He was attractive to the ladies and he clearly wasn’t immune to their charms. He was popular and at ease at social gatherings. He evidently had plenty of charisma.

What Would It Take to Get to Know José Rizal Better?

The man must be presented as the interesting character that he is. More than the typical history lesson, discussions should also give due attention to his literature. The writings of José Rizal are very revealing. His poems are very moving and his novels very reflective of his philosophies. To reach the current generation, he must also be presented to the youth in the media and technology familiar to them.

Page Rank Troubles

Sigh. I had some trouble with one of the paid post programs I subscribe to. They assigned me an opp and then rejected my post on account of my blog's 0 page rank. There was some confusion as to my blog's actual page rank. The change had not registered in their system in time. It had to do with getting my own domain, aargh. Sometimes I really regret doing that. Anyway, I'm working on boosting Spinning Lovely Days' page rank. I want those opps!

Speaking of moneymaking, I'm bidding on this project that involves ghostwriting an ebook. The application process is quite long with the competition quite stiff, I believe. The compensation is quite sizable, so it's all worth the hassle. I hope I get the assignment.

I Can't Write for Demand Studios

How's this for dumb? I hear about Demand Studios. I hurry to sign up for it. I accomplish the online form, attaching necessary writing samples, résumé and URL links (for which I took time to pick, edit, and update). I get to the writing authorization part and choose "None of the above". I click "submit" and am told that they do not accept my kind of writing authorization. I guess you have to be from the US, Canada, or UK to be eligible. I wish I had seen that note somewhere before I went ahead and wasted all that effort. Argh. Even my argh is weary. The energy intended for it had gone to all that signing up trouble.

Writing Woes

Jobs have been slow going lately. Mostly because I haven't been seeking them out. I better snap out of this. I need to get back in my Odesk streak. I really just haven't been checking. I guess I found it frustrating, to check everyday and not find anything that I thought to be priced well. Also, the ones I bothered applying for all expired. I would have preferred for them to just have gone with another provider instead of to have expired. With the former, at least my efforts would have been worth the while since there was an actual job... Anyway, in the meantime, I continue writing my novelette, which is seriously going nowhere fast. All those dialogues and the plot still not perceivable (it's already formed in my mind though). Sigh. At least, I like working on that.

Bukisa Articles

Hey, listen. Here are my articles on Bukisa. Please show me some love and read them, so they'll start earning more than a few measly cents.

Ten Tips to Tap into the Artist Within

Tips on Diminishing Bouts of Forgetfulness

Achieving the Ultimate Chocolate Experience

Btw, if you have articles there, let me know. Maybe we can connect there and support each other. :)

Pointless Writing

I'm writing a story. I suppose it's a novella. Scratch that. I'm writing a series of really funny, witty dialogues. My intention was for them to lead to a certain point. As of now, the actual point is still missing, which makes the endeavor... I wouldn't exactly call it pointless, but close. The thing is I've already spent a lot of time on it and I don't want to just give it up. And what I've got so far is really funny (according to me), so since I tend to be attached to funny things, well, this work (if it can be called that) is not to be abandoned. I guess what I'm trying to say is I need to sit my tush down and come up with a writing process that works for me, that has me generating actual publishable drivel and not just a bunch of silly dialogues that may have myself and my sister in stitches, but are essentially POINTLESS. Gah, WAHMIvy, go get some actual work done!

Not Very Productive

Hmmm, some issues:

No work from Odesk - not really diligently applying, but I'm used to being approached for interviews by buyers (er, contractors now, I think)

No paid post opps coming my way... hate this. Just when I'm doing something to boost traffic...

Some nice available tasks on MyLot, but I'm a little leery because the task provider rejected something I had submitted in the past for no good reason... I mean it - NO GOOD REASON. It might just turn out to be a waste of time again.

Submitted something new at Bukisa... I don't know why... the last article I'd sent earned exactly 8 cents in the number of months it has been up.

I'm working on a story and I haven't completely figured out the plot yet. I can't seem to stop coming up with dialogues though. I've written so much pointless dialogue that the thing is the length of an entire story now... except the plot is still absent...

Sometimes, the WAH life really sucks.

Another Day in the Life of This WAHM

The sky is dark. Looks like rain. That's why the ants are going berserk again.

Just submitted a writing assignment. New client. Hope it passes muster.

Was able to chat with the publisher of the anthologies my stories were included in. She asked me if I had a fantasy love story. I can make one. First time though. I've never written a fantasy story before. It's not really my genre. It'll probably be fun though.

I'm praying for something. Really fervently. If it's not meant to be, I'm sure God has something better in store. Hope I remember that in case I find myself overwhelmed by the clouds of disappointment. Ah life.

Where Do You Go to Learn How to Chill

I just scored another writing assignment. I know it's a blessing and yet I always panic when this happens. I know I can do it and I'm certain that I can do it well. However, I'm a dork, so I fuss and fret. I do not thrive on pressure at all. I always rise to the occasion, but without the necessary jovial spirit or grace. This doesn't reflect in the end product. It does affect my personal life though. For instance, I have yet to clean up and I was not able to prepare a decent breakfast for my family. The thing is, I have 7 days. The other thing is, I was always the person who submitted things days ahead of the deadline. I like getting assignments out of the way (no cramming for me) because while they're there, my stress levels get all whack. So yeah, I do give myself unnecessary stress. Will I ever learn how to chill and just take on things in a calm and collected manner? Which reminds me. I'll be out tomorrow and the entire weekend. Remembering this has me palpitating like some would-be victim in a horror movie. Oh Lord, please give me grace.

To Start or Not to Start (Bidding on Projects)

I created another blog, but it's a private one. That's really for potential Odesk clients who want to view samples of my work. It has links to articles I've written for a couple of broadsheets as well as actual press releases, keyword articles, web content, etc. I've produced. It can be viewed only by selected readers, so hopefully that won't conflict with sites that had stuff I'd ghostwrittern. I want to get all gung-ho about applying for jobs there (I haven't started at all), but I'm terribly busy at this point, so I don't know if I should just wait or tell myself, screw it, I'm tired of your excuses, go make some money...

A Career in Blogging

I started another blog. It's over at Momcenter. I'm not certain it was such a hot move since I can't monetize it. I do enjoy writing the posts, but with my limited time online (self-imposed since I obviously have other, more important things to do), maybe it's not very smart time (and writing effort) investment. I have included hyperlinks to my personal blog, so hopefully, it would at least generate hits. Anyway, it's not like I update it everyday, so I guess it's basically okay. I'm thinking of starting two more blogs (monetized ones, of course). I've had the idea knocking about in my head for months now, but procrastination is a hard habit to break. I'm thinking about trying out wordpress, but I'm not sure if I have the energy to learn features and stuff. Not that I already understand all of Blogger's.

Time to Use a Pseudonym

Okay, this has happened before. I wrote a story for a magazine and the staff edited my story in a way that left it brimming with grammatical errors. Anyway, I more recently wrote an article about, well, something. I suppose it was pretty lengthy and in the process of cutting it down to a shorter read, some grammatical errors managed to creep into the article. I immediately checked my original to see if it had actually been me who had made the error, but, no, I had written it differently. Oh, well, c'est la vie and all. I'm just cringing because it has my byline. Sigh.

Must Win Contest

One of my to-do things for this year is to enter and win a contest. So far, I got contacted by A****** P**** Hotel that I'd won a consolation prize. I got the choice of staying for free at a hotel in Bali, in Bangkok, and in the US. Of course we had to shoulder the fare and everything else. I initially thought we could do the US one, but upon further thought, I've been around long enough to suspect that there was a catch somewhere. When the representative contacted me about it, I repeatedly asked if there was a catch and he was very insistent that there wasn't. However, upon further research, I found this.

Anyway, other than suspicious raffles, I haven't won anything yet. I meant to join writing contests this year, but the process of sending entries is such a hassle sometimes. Honestly? I've had that winning a contest item in the past three years' to-do lists and I have yet to do it, so I'm not sure how seriously I'm taking this thing.