9th Italian Film Festival

Yay! It's back, the 9th Italian Film Festival officially kicks off today!  Admission is free once again so the usual long lines are to be expected.  But hey, from the looks of the screening list, I must say it's got to be worth it.  See you all at Shangri-la Mall.

SCHEDULE:

October 20
7:30 p.m. - Three Men and a Leg (by invitation only)

October  21
1:30 p.m. - If I Were You
4 p.m. - Hard Boiled Egg
6:30 p.m. - The Girl by the Lake
9 p.m. - Good Morning Heartache

October  22
1:30 p.m. - We Can Do That
4 p.m. - Ginger and Cinnamon
6:30 p.m. -  Different From Whom
9 p.m. - Unsane

October  23
1:30 p.m. - Almost Blue
4 p.m. - Ask Me if I'm Happy
6:30 p.m. - The Stendhal Syndrome
9 p.m. - Such is Life

October 24
1:30 p.m. - Night Before the Exams
4 p.m. - Unsane
6:30 p.m. -   Ginger and Cinnamon
9 p.m. - Three Men and a Leg

October  25
1:30 p.m. - Good Morning Heartache
4 p.m. - The Stendhal Syndrome
6:30 p.m. - If I Were You
9 p.m. - Ask Me if I'm Happy

October  26
1:30 p.m. - The Girl By the Lake
4 p.m. - The Feast
6:30 p.m. - Such is Life
9 p.m. - Almost Blue

 Schedule taken from: spot.ph

Shanghai World Expo 2010 (part 3)

Day 2. Country Pavilions. Finally! Here are some of my favorites:

China Pavilion

"The roof is made of traditional dougong or brackets, which was widely used in 770 BC-467 BC. In the dougong style, wooden brackets are fixed layer upon layer between the top of a column and a crossbeam. The result is interlocking wooden brackets"  

Yes, that entire tidbit is brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Wikipedia provider. *claps*  Despite not going inside we were still able to appreciate the massive 7 story Pagoda style structure by China.  After the Beijing Olympics, they are truly screaming to the world how much they've arrived.  I love how they managed to integrate the traditional style with such a sleek design. 

Canada Pavilion

It is said that the pavilion is about the size of 2 1/2 NHL ice hockey rink. And, that Cirque de Soleil will be performing.   Me thinks, the overall pavilion design was plain awesome.  Very nice architectural details, clean straight lines with a monochromatic light color that showcases the every inch of the design even more.

Shanghai World Expo 2010 (part 2)

It took us a little under an hour to get to the expo.  Trying to hail a taxi cab successfully during Mooncake season in China is almost as likely as me seeing Brad Pitt in person any day of the year.  And so, walk we did to the nearest bus station.  Unfortunately, the bus took us to the Gate 1 stop, which as previously mentioned is home to the Corporate Pavilions.  After recovering from the initial shock of not seeing any familiar Country Pavilions, we decided best to just take everything in and go back the next day for more.

Corporate Pavilions, according to my trusty Expo booklet, are participating enterprises with good solid reputations.  Located in the Puxi section, they occupy around 110 square meters of the entire expo and has around 16 showcase pavilions that are either sponsored by their industry association or independently built.  Mostly, they showcase hardwares, product commercials and such.  I took solace in the fact that I was extremely loving the interplay of lights on the structures.

 The Expo Axis at night

Shanghai World Expo 2010 (part 1)

First things first, let's get two things out of the way: Yes, the pavilion lines, at times, feel like it's about as long as the Great Wall, and yes, rude China men can make anyone scratch their heads in bewilderment.  But if you can get pass such minor cultural inconveniences then you just might find yourself enjoying one heck of a spectacular architectural treat before your eyes.

This Week in Manila: Film Festivals all around

My former film student self is salivating over the wide array of fabulous movies coming out this week.  And there's just so much to choose from.  If you're into European Cinema, there's currently the Cine Europa Film Festival at Edsa Shangrila Mall.  Tickets are free but you have to be there 2 hours before the screening, cause lines tend to go a little crazy, and they only give out 1 ticket per person.  So no mooching friends asking you to line for them.

Hubby and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to last night's screening of An Education (United Kingdom), starring Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligen.  Just as I expected, I loved it. I'm so thankfully I get to be married to someone who is starting to share my passion for cinema.

30 before 30 Checklist

My To-Do-List Snapshot

White Water Rafting in Davao

One of the highlights from our Davao trip for sure.  Water was raging and paddling was hell, but all in all everyone had an amazing time.  We started the day rather early, around 8am. Good friends Ed, Tong and Lloyd dropped us off at Davao Crocodile Farm, where our adventure would soon begin.

NBA Oldies vs PBA 2010

I got dragged into the NBA Asian challenge show by Dear Hubby.  One of his friends backed out at the last possible minute. And not wanting to waste a perfectly good seat he unwittingly brought his silly wife along.  Truth be told, I was never not a fan, in fact back in the 90s, NBA was huge in our household.  I remember watching the playoffs year after year with my dad, each of us rooting for our own separate teams. So come Friday night's game, I wasn't totally clueless about the identities of the oldie NBA guys playing in Araneta Coliseum. However, I was in for a not so pleasant shock when I saw them versus my 90s recollection of their:  A. physique B. skills C. overall appearance.

Topgainer Shoot

A few months back, I was given the opportunity to shoot for the 2010 catalogue of Topgainer, a local men's clothing company.  Here's your first look:

Chelsea Market at Serendra

Hubby took me to Chelsea Market, along Fort Bonifacio, for my birthday last June.  Being a complete newbie to the place I was pleasantly surprised to see that it's not a fancy little American/Italian restaurant that I have come to associate it with for some reason, but a quaint little gourmet food market/deli type of place.  I've read somewhere that Chelsea, Manila was inspired by a one stop food haven in New York aptly called NY Chelsea.

MassKara Festival 2010

Festival Schedule

October 1, 2010 Opening of the Festival Site ( * Public Plaza * SM MassKara Village)
October 9, 2010 Bacolod MassKara Queen (* University of St. La Salle Coliseum)
October 15 & 16, 2010 Electric MassKara (* Tourism Street, Lacson Street.)
October 16, 2010 MassKara Street Dance Competition 2010 – School Category (* Araneta St. to Public Plaza)
October 17, 2010 MassKara Street Dance Competition – Barangay Category (* Araneta St. to Public Plaza)
October 18, 2010 Countdown to the Charter Day Giant Street Party Celebration (* New Government Center)
October 19 73rd Bacolod Charter Day Anniversary

I just checked Cebu Pacific and they have flights ranging from Php 2300 ++ to Php 3400++ depending on when you plan to arrive. I'm looking at October 16 to 19 though as that seem to be when most of the action will happen.

Photo cred: Out of town blog

Philippine Street Food

I'm super excited for our upcoming trip to Shanghai this September.  Having been to China only once before and traveling to a not so well known small town of Chong Sun, which is few hundred kilometers away from the bright lights of their famed progressive city, gives me even more reason to look forward to this trip.  

While waiting for the chance to scour the city for great cultural finds and gorge on sumptuous Chinese food, here's a compiled list of equally yummy Filipino street food.  I shall try in the next few weeks to document my attempt of feasting everything off the list.

Forever 21 in the Philippines

 

Finally! I made it to the doors of Forever 21.  It took awhile. I know! I blame hectic work schedule for ruining my shopping life.  But all is well now that I have officially made my first purchase at this oh-so-cheap retail Nirvanna.

Cats the Musical

Last week, Hubby and I watched one of the longest running musical of all time, Cats at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It was pouring hard and parking was shit as hell, but we did manage to get in before the 8pm curtain call.

Usher in Manila

Hubby was more into Usher's music than yours truly, truth be told.  But I did have a fantastic time.  Save for that not-so-wise decision of wearing my red high heeled boots to the concert.  But hey, we got our tickets for free there's no way I could possibly not enjoy myself.  Illogical fashion decisions aside.

Christopher Nolan's # 1 Fan

I've decided to dedicate an entire page for Christopher Nolan. Why? Because he's my director crush and he deserves that and so much more!

Last Monday, Hubby and I were fortunate enough to get free tickets for the advance screening of Inception (thank you, universe!)  And let me tell you, this movie was MIND BLOWING!  A definite must-see in anyone's list.

Just like all of Christopher Nolan's movie.

From Backpacker to Briefcase

I'm back! Sorry I haven't been able to blog the last couple of days.  I just recently started work again after a year and half of hiatus from the corporate world.

I'm now part of the country's top telecoms company.  And while I surely miss the family friendly atmosphere of working for a health and wellness corporation, it's starting to get really exciting now especially with all the new developments that we're about to come out with. So I do hope you forgive my absence for almost a month.

But upcoming post shall include: bobbing to Usher's music in his recent concert here in Manila, how Cebu Pacific sucks big time and how incredibly fantastic Inception is!

Surfing in La Union

On our trip to Hawaii,  Happy Feet and I relish the thought of hitting the waves and standing on those damn long boards.  Fortunately we were able to cross this one off our bucket list.  So on our just concluded road trip to La Union, I made sure that Hubby gets to experience the same awesome feeling that is surfing.

Trip to Poro Point

Another one of those on a whim kinda trips.  After seeing the gorgeous photos of Thunderbird Resort from a friend's Facebook page, we immediately fell in love with this Greek-inspired paradise nestled in a scenic cliff in La Union and decided to book ourselves a 3 day getaway.

Best Travel Movies

I have been bitten by a serious case of the travel bug.  And while I have always loved to travel especially with Hubster and friends, this year the Hubby and I have been exploring different countries, cities and provinces on an almost monthly basis.  And it has given silly blogger yet another wishful dream for a life occupation: Lady World Traveler.

And so in memory of our recent road trip to Poro-Point, La Union, here are some of my favorite backpacking/travel movies.

1. Lost In Translation - The ultimate finding-oneself-in-a-foreign-land movie.  I love how even the most sublime of encounters is given a hint of subtlety by Coppola.  I was a huge fan of Japan way before the film was released but seeing all the different craziness in that country from this movie made me fall in love with the Orient of the Pacific even more.

SEAIR now flies to La Union

Friends and I are going on our much awaited Poro Point trip this weekend.  We're doing the whole 5 hour drive to get to La Union.  The blow of butt aches from prolonged car seat exposure is being cushioned with the thought of the awesomeness that is Thunderbird Resort.  However, while web surfing, I found out that there is a better/faster way to get there.  SEAIR is now offering direct flights to the following locations:

Wowowie!  For surf afficionado this means saying bye bye to 5-6 hours worth of leg cramps and hello to sky high swells in just an hour.  They have three schedules that leave in a week, every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Although interesting enough it seems their flight timings are better suited for laid-back wanderers than corporate slaves.  Friday departure is set at 10am and Monday arrival at 11:35AM, meaning you still have to take a leave from work if you want to do a weekend getaway.  Either way, still a great news!

Just 3 more days, can't wait!

30 before 30 Checklist

 My to do list snapshots 

Trip to Penang, Malaysia

My very first trip to Malaysia back in 2007 was not to their world-famous capital, Kuala Lumpur.  Instead, my friends and I spent a whole day discovering the much low keyed city of Penang.

15th French Film Festival

Yay. It's back.  The 15th French Film Festival officially kicked off last June 3 at the Shangri-la Cineplex.  Admission is free for those planning to watch it, just be sure to be there a few hours earlier.  It's on a first come first served basis.  Since there's a serious drop in Hollywood summer blockbuster films coming out this week, the festival is such a welcome relief for movie buffs like yours truly.

30 before 30 Checklist

   My to-do-list snapshots   

# 10. Surfing Safari.  When in Hawaii, you must hit the waves.  I think even I was surprised that I got to stand up on the board.  Awesome feeling while riding the waves, not so much when your face hits the water upon wiping out.  For only $50, the whole experience was definitely worth it.

#11. Scuba diving.  There was a little pressure on my ears on the first dive.  Good thing, we tried it again the next day.  Really made me appreciate all the wonderful under the sea sights.

Check out the rest of the 30-before-30 Project.

Sex and the City 2: On the Red Carpet

This week is going to be Huge for the ladies!  Sex and the City 2 will officially open in Manila this Wednesday.  Me and the girl friends will no doubt be there come opening day. But while waiting, here's a little something to get us by: hot fashion from the stars at the world premiere of SATC 2.

Dashboard Confessional Live in Manila

There's just something absolutely thrilling about seeing one of your favorite bands perform.  If you've ever been a fan you would get this.  You stand in line for the longest of time, you stand some more for the duration of the entire show, you glow buckets of sweat, but in the end, when they come out, you pump your fist up in the air like everyone else and scream as loud and wildly as you can.

I remember watching Incubus a few years back.  I got my phone stolen by the end of the night, but it didn't really matter, it never diminished the music-high I got from Brandon Boyd's oh-so-hot performance.

So last night, the Hubby and I rushed to Trinoma grounds to get us some Dashboard loving.  Silly blogger's fan-mania was at its highest.  Having just listened to their songs in the car on the way to the concert grounds, Hubby and I were definitely ready to pump it up.

Conquering Pinatubo

Since I'm on house arrest tonight (damn you stomach cramps!), thought it best to post some much overdue past trips.  This one was taken over a year ago.  One of Hubby's friends organized a hiking trip and probably didn't know any better than to invite sloth-like Wifey.  

There was a 4:45am call time.  And obviously, being the only sane couple in the group, we were the last to arrive.  NO ONE should be perky at this ungodly hour.  But whatdoiknow, I remember Hubby's friends acting like a bunch of Energizer Bunnies, in stark contrast to my very own Dead Man Walking, that morning.  Where do they get all the energy? I wonder. 

It was a three hour drive to get from Manila to lahar zoned Pinatubo.  Good thing though, got to spend the entire time sleeping in the car.  And most likely cursing self for agreeing to hike at this hour!

Dining at 7 Corners

I'm all about buffets.  More so, if it's a hotel buffet.  Lately, despite constant ranting of unwanted pounds, the Hubby and I have been on a rather regular foodfest schedule.  And so 2 weeks ago, we were treated to another pound-worthy meal at 7-Corners, Crowne Plaza.

Week in Review

Random stuff that made me smile this week.

1. Yummy-won't-break-the-bank shabu shabu at Thousand Cranes.  They have individual shabu shabu sets for only around Php 280.00.

2. Hanging out with friends at Pammy's 25th redux.

3. Discovering a new must-see TV series. V, a remake from a 1983 mini series, is what's keeping me and the Hubby sleepless for the past few days.




4. Going back to yoga finally after a month of vacation.  Need to get back into shape for #5.

American Idol: Lee DeWyze

I've said it before, I'll say it again, this year's batch of American Idol hopefuls seem a tad short of that star-making quality previous season's contestant like Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, heck even Anoop Desai just bring to the stage.  But for the past few weeks, one particular Idol hopeful has been making this silly blogger one of his biggest fan.

And last night, with his rendition of Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah, Lee DeWyze has cemented himself and his raw raspy voice as my American Idol bet for this year.



I almost got a little teary eyed in the end too! Love it!

Rafe's Dream Weaver

I am loving Rafe's 2010 Spring Collection.  Dream Weaver boasts of sophisticated handcrafted bags and totes that showcases the work of a Philippine ethnic tribe T'boli.  According to Rafe Totengco, this particular tribe is known for their craftsmanship in brass casting and traditional weaving, which creates a unique fabric called Tanilak.

 

The Katherine, $275

 The Karolina, $275


Gorgeous!

"The fabric is characterized by rhythmically repeated geometric patterns of 

highly stylized human and animal forms, some of which are said to 

represent human figures in traditional housing structures. 

The T'boli weaves this cloth using fibers from the abaca plant, 

a variety of the banana family. The fibers are extracted from the inner 

section of the wild banana plant, dried and separated into strands, 

then joined into long threads needed for weaving."

Photo creds and info: Rafe Totengco

Election 2010

Our very first semi-automated election in the Philippines. Woot!  I am super happy that many friends and acquaintances have exercised their right to vote and took part in this historic event.  According to ABS-CBN news, this year's election had the most number of voter registration EVER with 57 million strong not including overseas registration.  Glad to see that people are excited for a change.  And yes, there were long lines and some confusion but that's expected.  And really now, what is a few hours compared to the next 6 years of our lives right? Hee. Although my lucky sister voted late in the afternoon and it took her only 15 minutes. Drats, mashado kasing excited e. 

Hubby and I voted on separate precincts.  It took us just a little under 2 hours to vote.  Ipod and magazine helped.

Poll watcher: Natapos mo na basahin yung magazine mo noh
Jakers: (carrying two magazines) Pangalawang ulet ko na po tong binabasa
Poll watcher: *shouts to other poll watchers* Sabi ko sa inyo e dalawang beses na raw nyang nabasa! 

I thought it was rather awesome when I inserted my ballot and the machine said "Congratulations, you're vote has been counted."

Hey, maybe next 2014, we could have the registration automated as well!  Here's hoping!

Hilarious Rumor

After waking up at an ungodly hour for a friend's engagement party, it was pretty much a lazy Sunday afternoon for the Hubby and I.  But of course, this silly blogger couldn't let her Hubby sleep in peace.  While watching The Buzz I saw the picture of my oh so cute newly-born nephew splashed across the screen. *My low pitch shrieks wake up the Hubby*  Before happy fingers began speed dialing my sister's number.

Turns out, a picture of my brother-in-law's friend carrying his baby was picked up by news agencies and totally run with the "whole" story despite shall we say, umm, lack of an actual story.

Totally hilarious and gave my nephew his 20 seconds of fame.

Here's the clip from The Buzz of Iya Villania clarifying the nature of the photo.



Update: Today a friend emailed me that Baby Cody's on the front page of Yahoo.Com.Ph.. Totally bananas!

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/abs/20100504/tel-iya-villania-denies-giving-birth-336e25d.html

Siquijor: Mystics and Magic

 

When I was young, I heard a lot of scary stories told about this enchanting island.  Mainly by silly maids, who if memory serves me right wanted nothing more than to scare the living daylights out of prepubescent teens. *sheesh*  A decade later, that memory still haunts me.  The maid's, not her wild stories.

But true enough, growing up I would hear countless more tales about the island's supposed eerie-ness, the home to mangkukulams, sorcery and other Regal Films inspired B-movie plot line.  Fortunately, we were traveling with someone from Dumaguete, who branded silly tall tales as nothing but utter myths and such.

Trip to Dumaguete

While waiting to reach our next travel destination this June, please indulge this silly blogger as she takes a look back at some of her past exploits.

Dumaguete. Negros Oriental. February 2009.

Dashboard Confessional's LIVE

Finally! The band who sang my all time favorite "Hands Down" and uber emo alt/love song, "Stolen" is coming to Manila! *dances like a school girl!*.  Dashboard Confessional will be performing live this coming May 27, 2010, 8pm in Trinoma, Mindanao Open Parking.  Thank gawd it's a holiday tomorrow.  It gives silly blogger and the Hubby plenty of chances to go to TicketWorld and hoped that the reserved seats are still available!

For more info go to Ed Arevalo's blog,

EARLY BIRD – Get 20% Discount (Until May 3, 2010 only!)

Available on internet purchase and over-the-counter outlets at TicketWorld.

Ticket Prices:

EARLY-BIRD (Until May 3, 2010 only)
VIP PhP 3,256.00 (Reserved Seating)
Gold PhP 2,432.00 (With Seats – FCFS)
Silver PhP 1,236.00 (Standing)
Bronze PhP 580.00 (Standing)

REGULAR (Starting May 4, 2010)
VIP PhP 4,070.00 (Reserved Seating)
Gold PhP 3,040.00 (With Seats – FCFS)
Silver PhP 1,545.00 (Standing)
Bronze PhP 725.00 (Standing)

Update: Woohoo! got our tickets! See you guys on the 27th!