Cinemalaya - Busong

Last night was my 2nd time to watch a Cinemalaya film, like it's becoming a tradition with Lou since we checked out Cinemalaya 2010, where we watched Limbunan -- Yes "a friend" in that post is actually Lou! haha! Anyway, this time we watched Busong, another artsy film about the Filipino culture. This time, setting's in Palawan. Almost the whole time, I was comparing it with Limbunan - both were stories showing native practices, and both had long unnecessary scenes. The whole time I was thinking, Seriously, should all indie films be like this?! hehe.

However I can say, Busong is a lot more worth it. It was like 3 stories within one big story, showing off Palawan's nice beaches and forests. Overall, cinematography was good. Subtly it was their way to promote tourism, and their advocacy to stop the nickel mining. Story-wise, it was interesting, as it was all about an ailing girl and those who helped her along the way, who each had a little story. The story generally exuded each one's Busong, or Palawan Fate. (It's only now that I knew, Palawan is how they used to call their natives, and it's pronounced as pa-lawan. not pa-la-wan.)





I do remember suggesting that before watching an indie film, research on reviews first or at least research on what it's all about, to somehow get an idea of the movie experience ahead. Having watched 2 indie films already, I can also say that, if it's dramatic or related to Filipino culture, expect very long scenes, with ethnic background music. haha! And, if you can't get the movie you want (like us, we initially wanted Ang Babae sa Septic Tank but tickets were sold out), go for the movie that will be shown in Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, the Main Theatre of CCP. It has a large seating capacity - chances are, it's a good Cinemalaya entry, and/or it has a short speech from the producer/director/casts after the movie.

Also, do watch in CCP instead of Greenbelt. CCP has a really artsy and patriotic aura, having all students, yuppies, film buffs, theater actors in one place. Plus it has the exhibit of all entries! (or okay, that's just our preference. Gotta reminisce about our 2nd date eh?)


Cinemalaya 2010. Time flies!

So... that's it - my little contribution this year to our own film industry. Cinemalaya, see you next year! :)

not the usual weekend

I spent the entire weekend in Bulacan. Had/Did a lot of stuff!

Saturday, I started with my driving lessons (c/o Lou. Cie, you're right, this means a lot of fighting. hahaha!). It was both fun and scary. fun -- coz I can't believe I'd manage to drive around 3 blocks straight ...and I must admit, it really felt good knowing I went through all of it! scary -- coz it seems like I won't be able to memorize all the rules (of a manual car), I still can't run smoothly on an uphill road ...and I feel like there's something in Lou's car that I'd ruin anytime soon. haha! It's been just 2 days anyway (and just an hour per day) so... there's a lot more to learn. But, while I know that I need to learn this and that I had a good start, I'm NOT really looking forward to our next session. haha!

In the afternoon, we went to Ortigas for lou's officemate's kid's 1st birthday. bibbo kids, yummy food! Sorry but I really have to share this -- I was a bit stressed out with the emcee that had a humor for adults. Thank goodness the kids were bibbo, smart and high EQ-ed. hahaha!

Then we had dinner/drinks at Krokodile Grill, Shangri-la, with my fort boni childhood friends! It was really nice to see them again after a reeeeallly long time. time flew quickly, one dinner isn't enough for us to catch up for the lost years! But I went home really happy. (the entire ride back to Bulacan, Lou had to listen to my stories about my teen years in PAOville. hehe!)

Sunday, I was finally able to show Leo (Lou's brother) the system I'm doing for their clinic. It was just a prototype actually, just to show him how some manual processes will change. He seemed happy so far, as I explained how searching for patient/lab records will no longer be tedious. At the same time I got more specs that will require me to re-design a bit. It's a lot of work, but I'm actually excited, coz I'd be able to practice my Java, SQL and designing skills again. (been doing purely client-side programming at work, mostly for bug fixing, for over a year now. I feel like I've been missing a lot!)

I also watched several movies with Lou's family: Saw 7, Streetdance and Limitless. Thanks to the CC freebies of Leo - we had the latter's cinema tickets plus pizza hut plus DQ sandwiches - all FOR FREE!!!

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Oh I feel so tired and satisfied. :)
 

Early BER fun stuff!

Backlogs backlogs...

Sep 25 - Outing at Lago de Oro, with my HS friends. Nothing to do, except wakeboarding and swimming (in the pool. Beach's dirty, but photogenic during sunset at least!). And perhaps pigging out with 'smuggled' food and booze, because there's corkage and food inside's really pricey!


Calatagan Sunset :)


group pic! a lot weren't able to come actually.

But I did enjoy this one. Not that I loved the wakeboarding experience okay! I never went beyond 3 meters, and muscle pain woke me up the next day. plus, the soil underneath felt gross, too squishy (I remember Roger saying, "Parang tae ng sheep!" haha!). gaaah! Wakeboarding sucks!!! I just loved the fact that finally I was able to try this famous adventure ...then realizing as early as now that this sport IS NOT FOR ME! Hahaha!

Oct 9 - Outing at Zambales, with Lou's family. I thought I'd be a party pooper, having slight fever from friday night to saturday afternoon, but no. Thanks to bioflu (hehe), I was able to swim, pigout, and bond with everyone (up till now I'm hoping I did not make any booboo for them to dislike me. Hehe)





We stayed at Canoe Resort, which was good - clean and not crowded (or maybe it's the rainy season). The weather wasn't good on our first day btw, so we weren't able to island-hop ..which I've been looking forward to. Good that the resort had a pool, and sunday's weather was good, I was able to enjoy night swimming, then the beach the next day! I LOVED the beach, the sand, and the landscape. That, plus the thought of island hopping, makes me want to go back! (Zambales, anyone?)

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Back in Manila... (yeah, by now, my skin's 2 shades darker!)

Last week, I was supposed to watch Eat Pray Love with the girls. But since I heard that it's dragging, Bev and I watched Petrang Kabayo instead. Very hilarious! One line I'll never forget: walang taong pangit. Depende lang yan sa katabi. hahaha!

AND finally, I'm slowly getting back the energy! The other night I attended a cycling class, after around 8 months of no gym, 4 months of no regular tennis, and perhaps 3 years of no cycling. So can you imagine?! It was really exhausting! I think I shed a bucket of sweat (haha!), I felt like I'll have a heart attack, then pass out anytime soon, but I just kept on going because I was in front, and Toby, the instructor, seemed so strict. I survived that 45 minutes of hell! But that really felt good afterwards! I'll definitely attend a cycling class at least once a week!!! (OT: I saw Venus Raj at the gym - very payatut and maitim, but wow she has sexy curves and she's prettier in personal!)

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Things I'm looking forward to, still in October:
(oh I really love ber months!)
- Chad's wedding
- Del's outreach program
- Halloween party with my HS friends, as the tradition goes :)
 

Cinemalaya - Limbunan

Last saturday was my first time to check out Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival (yet another "first" on my list this year. kudos, leda!), also my first time to enter CCP -- no kidding! haha! The whole thing made me giddy, even though I'm not an artsy film buff ...maybe because I'm a bit patriotic, and I do appreciate art in some ways ...really. Plus the whole thing's something new! I LOVE trying out new things lately, apparently. hehe.

So anyway, while I wanted to see ALL films (20 plus, I think), a friend and I watched only one - Limbunan, one of the full length films, that's all about a fixed marriage in a Maguindanaon-Muslim Culture. I can't deny — IT. WAS. DRAGGING. Dialogues were very few, there's no much story apart from the life of the bride (Ayesah) days before getting married, AND there were a lot of unecessary scenes ...or maybe I just didn't understand the meaning behind those scenes. haha! But somehow, it's interesting, when I've had questions in my head about fixed marriages, polygamy, and what women really feel about it.

I knew only two stars in the film - Techie Agbayani and Joem Bascon. The actress who played Ayesah isn't popular, neither that awesome. But I guess it's because Ayesah was a safe role. I liked Techie Agbayani more, also her role — Ayesah's bitter aunt whose lover was killed as her father (I think) wasn't in favor of their relationship.

Though it was dragging, it had meaningful content, something you won't see in typical love stories. If I contemplated deep enough, (correct me if I'm wrong) the film says: Never insist something that's not right. Even if it is painful, carry your burdens unless you can take a lifetime-long regret. think DEEP, pare. DEEP! hahaha!

Another thing I learned: Check out reviews before choosing an indie film. Yes, I believe not all indie films are dragging. Perhaps next time I'll go for comedy films, like Two Funerals. Main actress is Tessie Thomas (I think) — it's really interesting, but it didn't look sulit as it was under the short film category. I also wanted to see Emir, a Filipino movie musical directed by Chito Rono. I've seen it before in trailers, but I thought all along it wasn't included, as it wasn't posted on the blog we checked before going there. Oh well. I'll definitely see the next Cinemalaya indie film fest, whenever that is!

Oh, and I think "LALIM NON A" is now an outdated line. Once I hear a deep filipino phrase, I'll now say "WOW! Cinemalaya indie film line yan a! DEEP, pare. DEEP!" hehehe!

The Last Song

Verdict: I'm soooo thankful I watched this solo, otherwise someone could've seen me cry big time, over a chick flick movie. hehehe. All in all, I liked it! seriously! No, not because it's a hannah montana miley cyrus film (I admit I'm a fan. hahaha!) but because the story moved me. love... breakup... piano... AILING FATHER... aah sh#t.

I Resigned!

As my big boss browsed through my letter, I remembered ANTON EGO of Ratatouille, as always -the look, the voice, the perfectionism, but not the cruelty. Anton is a heart-less critic! Don't get me wrong though, Anton Ego is one of my most loved disney characters!



This time it was like hearing Anton's final speech: "...there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new". Yes, I'm that employee who traded AC for independence. For the first time I didn't see that aura I've dreaded — "YOU CAN'T DO THIS", "FINE, JUST DON'T TRANSFER TO A COMPETITOR OR YOU'RE DEAD MEAT!" I was wrong, he's a good boss, not as harsh as I thought!

Instead, he gave me a confused, supportive, fatherly smile and ended everything with the line "you're different. I've never heard of such resignation reason before. well... ganon talaga ang buhay. we always make decisions" ("that's life", "c'est la vie!")

I guess I gave acceptable reasons, with no lies, at the right time ...or maybe I had the "puss in boots" kitty eyes. HAHA. I'd like to think too that my performance's not fit enough for their definition of disappointment. OR simply, it was because of my prayers last night, and the prayers of those who cared. Prayers move mountains! ...and bosses too! whatever the reason is, thank you Lord. I'm soooo done with all the work drama! I'm done with ranting, I'm done with grudges. I'm proud to say that after all the fears and possibilities, I'm ending my work in AC peacefully.

Now I could eat, sleep and enjoy the upcoming holidays, without thinking of what my bosses' reactions, anger, moves, whatsoever. I am so happy! ...maybe until I realize that my "bumhood money" can no longer sustain me. Now that's a different matter to think and pray about. haha! For now, PARTY TIME! =)
 

Planet 51

"Don't be afraid of the unknown." - Captain Chuck

2012

Contrary to what most people say in forums.... 2012 isn't dragging! well, at least for me! I loved the thrill! let's say it's a combination of Titanic, Dante's Peak and Armageddon, plus really fantastic visual effects. hehe.

The plot's just a bit typical though, like in most disaster movies where there's a lil touch of romance, a selfish villain, a bad guys death, good guy's death too, a last minute heroic act, and a happy ending. Oh, and the forever famous destruction of The White House!

Expect those too perfect scenes btw. Like that scene when the plane was about to take off, with the sinking runway right before the plane's tail, or that scene when they drove during earthquake with splitting roads and collapsing bridges. Still, none of the actors died. haha!

The movie is too long (over 2 hours!) but all in all it's worth your time. If you opt to watch it in DVD instead, you'll miss the excitement, the almost real thing in THX: the earthquakes, tsunamis, and all those heart-pounding stuff you could think of in a sci-fi disaster movie.

Review: In My Life

A MUST SEE MOVIE! (no spoilers in this review, promise! hehe)



I watched this movie primarily just to see how John Lloyd and Luis Manzano would carry the gay roles, while I thought, everything else will be the usual and predictable as shown in trailers –Vilma will do good as a “kawawa” mom, John Lloyd and Luis will take extra steps in acting with their gay roles, Luis will die of cancer, blah blah blah. But NO, this movie did well beyond my expectations.

Vilma did well as a kawawa mother AND a first-time OFW. John Llloyd and Luis did VERY well with their gay roles and heavy drama at the same time considering that John Lloyd was originally for leading man roles and Luis for comedy and hosting. And the plot! It didn’t turn out as I expected or as you would upon seeing trailers! The movie also had a touch of comedy, from Vilma’s carabao english to Vice Ganda’s bakla hirits. It was generally full of surprises: from actors to cinematography.

Though for those who are squeamish when it comes to gay scenes, skip this one (you’ll miss a lot though!) not that this movie had bed scenes nor torrid kissing but I myself had lots of gritting moments on holding-hands scenes. I remember grasping my seat’s cushion tightly in the most gay scene, which I'd rather not describe to keep you curious. hahaha!



Again, I won’t write spoilers so I’d just say: surprise yourself, watch this very nice movie!
 

High School Musical 3

 
THE SENIOR YEAR was cute, sweet, really great! I loved it! ...no matter how many times my boss would say: "maybe you watched it with a bunch of 12 yrs old kids" or "your taste is the same as that of my son". haha!
 

short term memory loss

last night 50 First Dates was shown on Jack TV. I love the movie, super. I watched it N times already, but still watched it last night... then guess what. It made me cry still. I love how sandler had to make all sorts of moves to make barrymore fall in love with him over and over (as she’s suffering from short-term memory loss). So sweet! *sigh* you really can’t be a crybaby and a hopeless romantic at the same time! hehe

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Anyway, I was still having that short-term-memory-loss-thoughts hangover coz of the movie (that time when you just ask yourself if super-short-term memory loss is possible, or if such exaggeration really exists, etc etc) when I encountered a Lucy Tom up close.

Remember 10-second Tom? That character in the movie who’d say “Hi! I’m tom!” over and over? I thought he’s not for real till I got the chance to have a little chit-chat with my ortho’s secretary. She’s so like him ...but with a better memory. She’s the 1-minute version. Seriously.

She narrated N times how her mother died. On her first version, her mother died at the age of 97. on the 2nd version, her mother died at the age of 96. on the 3rd version her mother died at the age of 93. I know she isn’t a pathological liar since on her 4th to Nth version, he narrated consistently how her mother died peacefully in the arms of her sister.

She got surprised TWICE when she learned that I’m the daughter of Dr. Cabrera –she delightfully asked “ay anak ka pala ni Dr. Cabrera?” over and over. Then upon realizing that each time, she asked where my mom’s clinic is. Exage talaga! Super hilarious! =)

She admittedly told me though that she’s suffering from a serious case of Alzheimer’s disease (which she stressed out a zillion times that she got it from over-anesthesia). Well, she’s lucky enough to have a job huh?

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After getting cash from my wallet to buy some meds in mercury, I realized that I only had 2k in my wallet. I was so bothered since I knew so well that last Sunday I withdrew 4k from the atm. It’s so impossible that in a span of 2 days I spent 2k instantly!

So when I got home, I immediately recomputed my weekend expenses: las paellas. Phone card. Wai-ying. Figaro. Belgian choco cake. Monterey. Fiorgelato café. And so on.

Guess what. They summed up to 2k ...and I was complete unaware.

Alzheimer’s shouldn’t be contagious right?!

and I shouldn’t be a spend thrift. I almost forgot I’m under rehab!

sex and the city

tomorrow I may not have a job anymore. seriously. and so to have some bumhood money to spend once it happens, I just decided to postpone my Banaue trip. it's a bit really frustrating, but it's the best move for now. loooong story. I want to write it all down now but I'm just too sleepy!

wait, I haven't posted anything about Banaue right? geee, dami ko na pala backlogs haha. oh well, I shall post those stories some other time. hehee. for now, all I could share is this.



I watched SEX AND THE CITY alone! --sumhow to give justice to my postponed trip. I was so excited about it that I bought a big bag of Ruffles. for me ALONE. yes, a big bag of calories, to cheer me up while I know my job's at risk. hahaha!



it's a nice nice nice movie. I love the four. as always, funny and sexy ...and made so much sense, much more than I thought (I'm not actually a sex and the city fan before). I got so many insights!

and oh my, I cried. would you believe that? napaiyak ako ng sex and the city? ang babaw ko talaga ...or more of a hopeless romantic ..hehe. go watch it girls! :)