There were multiple lessons I’ve learnt from this long weekend. What’s funny was the source of these lessons were a handful of movies that I watched with my girlfriends last Friday — we had a pirated movie marathon at AT’s house, and it was pretty cool spending the night with the girls. On our list were:

* Because I Said So – Mandy Moore and the always-turtlenecked Diane Keaton (have you ever noticed she wears the same outfits)

* The Last Kiss – Chick flick… NOT!

* Turistas – Gore galore!

* Evan Almighty – Funny, but the teaser is even funnier!

* 28 Weeks Later – The horror continues…

This doesn’t include the nice berry cognac concoction our host made for us, and some kikay face masks to show off our girlie side.

The evening with the girls is a nice touch after a tiring week after work. It’s really different if you can leaf through magazines (instead of business publications), finish a beauty regimen and talk gossip.

The choice of movies were also interesting. Full of gore and horror, I couldn’t help but shut my eyes during the icky parts (am still a girl after all), but what’s even more interesting was that Because I Said So and The Last Kiss were not your typical chick flicks.

Because I Said So features an overbearing mother (Diane Keaton) who tries to matchmake her daughter to her ideal notion of a good husband, up to a point that she posts an ad in the Internet. The actress of Gilmore Girls makes a terrific addition to the heartwarming cast.

Believe it or not, I was screaming foul by the end of the movie.

Don’t get me wrong — it was wonderfully done and Diane Keaton was as usual, witty and conservative. However, I didn’t agree with some of the values reinforced by the movie.

For example, I disliked the fact that it ended happily ever after when in reality, situations like these are messy and just WRONG. When you hurt people you love, it’s inevitable that you’re ever given a second chance.

That’s just WRONG.

It’s like Knocked Up — touted as one of the funniest movies of all time by MSN Movies, I was dying to see it when it was released. Instead of expecting a movie that will made me laugh out loud like the time I watched The 40-Year Old Virgin (same creators), my mouth was agape the entire time, mostly because of Debbie (Katherine Heigl’s married sister in the movie) overcontrolling and border-psychotic ways.

You don’t train your husband — you love them.

You don’t call him “a selfish prick” and asshole and expect them to stay.

Oh no no no.

Despite being a conservative, I’m a firm believer that you get what you deserve. If you treat your husband like sh*t, I don’t blame him if he divorces you — and rightly so!

A surprising find was The Last Kiss starring Zach Braff and Rachel Bilson (who played an innocent yet convincing co-ed).

I should’ve known — written by the Academy Award-winning writer of “Crash.“

Half expecting a chick flick, I was surprised on how REAL everything was.

How a man runs away from his perfect woman because he was afraid of permanency and the future…

How another man has to deal with the realities of a contemptuous wife and a handful baby…

How another man can never change… despite finding the one that’s perfect for him, runs away at the first hint of commitment…

How women are when we’re seducing men…

This movie had a huge dose of reality all over it.

It makes me NOT want to be married… NOT want to have kids…

It’s great, but it’s when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to someone else that we hurt. We make choices that hurt ALL the time, and some people don’t think about it. But our choices hurt.

Scars are still there.

AT also cooked some lovely Pinoy food — chicken adobo and sizzling bangus for lunch. They were heavenly. Hahaha, she totally is wife material. I unfortunately am not as domestic as she, but am still happy to reap the benefits!

Anyway, gotta sleep.

Just to wrap up my weekly report, it’s been a busy weekend altogether.

There was Barcode where we hooked up with a lot of good friends and then a brief stint at Room 18 last night. As for today, went to Ikea Taoyuan which not only featured mom-and-baby bathrooms:

Ain’t that cute?

But also featured a nice cafeteria that sold reasonably-priced Swedish food. Check out the nice prices posted on the boards — NT$200 for pig knuckle, NT$100 for salmon salad and NT$180 for salmon fish delight. The chocolate almond cake was also a steal for NT$55!

The cake consistency was like eating coconut bits and it was yummy that I finished the entire pie (with some help) despite the calories!

including my all-time fave, Swedish meatballs at a cheapy NT$99 for 10 (NT$130 for 15 I think:

Though Flavor is still way better as an eatery, you do get a lot for what you pay for! Jeez, NT$99 for 10 pieces? That’s just a steal!

Looks yummy doesn’t it? I just love the jam that goes along with it — sweet!

Sure, you may get lost getting there (like my friend did and we ended up at the Taoyuan International Airport) and spend 2 hours roaming around, but if you’re in the area, why not?

However, if you’re just there for the furniture, save your time and shop at Ikea Asiaworld instead. It’s a bit more crowded but the goods are more or less the same.

Okay, am getting sleepy. Gotta rest.

Still a productive day tomorrow!

Night night!