Movie Review: Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi

September 3, 2011
Glorietta 4

MTRCB Rating: GP
Genre: Romantic comedy

Starring:
Toni Gonzaga
Eugene Domingo
Zanjoe marudo
Wendell Ramos

In a rare occasion, I and my friends/officemates Kat, Vincent, Rachel and Irish got together for a seafood feast at Seaside-Macapagal. After dinner, my female friends dragged me and Vincent to Glorietta 4 to watch this movie. We had 2 options to watch, either Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi or Zombadings: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington. Since I was a Eugene Domingo fan and not into indie films (like Zombading), I chose the first one. Then eventually, everybody prefered it, too. So, Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi it was.

The movie was about two cousins Belay and Precy. Belay was excited with her upcoming wedding while Precy wanted to end hers. Belay was a balikbayan from Japan and went home to fulfill the promise she and boyfriend Oca made that they would get married after 3 years of working in Japan. Oca was being reluctant of the wedding because he was unsure if Belay still loved him or just honoring their promise. Precy on the other hand had monetary issues with her husband Ben. She had a rift with her mother-in-law. Belay and her Oca had also issues with each other's soon to be in-laws. But all was well that ended well. Belay and her Oca got married and Precy and Ben reconciled.

Positive: The idea of teaming up Eugene and Toni was a clever idea with both having a track record of box office hits each in comedy in the past. I think they complimented each other in this film. Teddy Corpus of Rocksteady rocked the house with his punch lines. I loved Teddy here. He was hilarious. Toni did well with the transformation of her character from a reserved, modest and shy teacher to an outspoken, gay-speaking Japayuki. We could learn some of the legalities of marriage like annulment and legal separation.

Negative: Toni could be annoying sometimes. In her attempt to be funny, she overacted her role. Using gay lingo took my brain some time to comprehend what Toni was trying to say. But it did sound funny.

Overall: This film is funny but do not expect it as great as other Eugene Domingo (well, except Ang Babae sa Septic Tank) and Toni Gonzaga films. If you want to forget your problems for a moment, go watch it.

Rating:

Movie Review: Bad Teacher

September 1, 2011
Glorietta 4

MTRCB Rating: R-13
Genre: Comedy

Starring:
Cameron Diaz
Justin Timberlake
Lucy Punch
Jason Segel

I first saw the trailer in a Jollibee store near the office. Jollibee fastfood chain frequently showed the trailer in their flat screen TVs along with their food products. Any movie with Cameron Diaz in it excites me. The movie seemed hilarious so I decided to watch it.

Elizabeth was a middle school teacher who used marijuana, drank alcohol, foul-mouthed her students and showed movies in her class while she slept during the whole period. She planned to quit her job to marry her wealthy fiance but her fiance dumped her leaving with no choice but to resume her teaching post. Elizabeth fancied Scott, a wealthy substitute teacher. But Scott treated her only as a friend because he liked Amy, their co-teacher and Elizabeth's rival. Russell, the gym teacher, expressed his crush on her but she rejected him. Elizabeth wanted her boobs to be augmented but she needed $10,000 for the operation. She participated in the 7th grade car wash wearing sexy attire and kept the money for her own. She manipulated the parents of her students and made them believe their children needed more supplies and tutoring, of course all for a fee. Amy tried to ruin her reputation by exposing her schemes and continuous violation of school rules to the school principal but the principal ditched the idea.

When Elizabeth learned that the teacher who gets the highest score in the state exam would get $5,700 bonus, she became involved in her students studies and forced them to study intensely. But their efforts fell short when they got low quiz scores. She impersonated a journalist and drugged the person who was in charge with the state exam and stole the test papers. When the result of the exam came out, she got the bonus.

On a field trip, Elizabeth seduced Scott but later got turned off by his behavior. Meanwhile, Amy switched her desk with Elizabeth's. She discovered an evidence that Elizabeth cheated with the exam. She informed the principal about it and the principal invited the person in charge with the exam to testify against Elizabeth. But Elizabeth blackmailed him and scrapped Elizabeth's involvement with the leakage. Elizabeth discovered her desk was switched with Amy's and informed some teachers were into drugs. A police K-9 sniffed drugs in Elizabeth's desk... in Amy's classroom. Amy was transfered to another school. Scott wooed Elizabeth but rejected him in favor of Russel, the gym teacher. Her schedule for her breast augmentation was set but she changed her mind. She became nicer to everybody and became the school's new guidance counselor.

Positive: Cameron Diaz. Every comedic role given to her, she always nails it. The characterization of the cast made this a likeable film. Russel was loveable. This is one film that makes a righteous character bitchy ang unlikeable, just like in the case of Amy who had a knack of following rules. There were few good laughs, undeniably.

Negative: The plot was thin. The story seemed to be going nowhere. Elizabeth got away with everything wrong that she did. It would be better if she got caught, took remorse then redeemed herself. I thought it told me that it is OK to do wrong because eventually, you can get around, if not away with it. That's not nice.

Overall: It is entertaining and funny at times. The plot maybe thin but the cast did a good job with their performances which makes this film an enjoyable one. Maybe not that great but still, I was entertained. And that's all that matters.

Rating:

Movie Review: Crazy Stupid Love

August 29, 2011
SM Centerpoint, Sta. Mesa

MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romantic comedy/Drama

Starring:
Steve Carell
Ryan Gosling
Julianne Moore
Emma Stone
Marisa Tomei
Kevin Bacon

Cal's world crumbled when his wife admitted she cheated on him with her co-worker and wanted a divorce. He moved out from their home and got his own apartment. He frequently went to bars and kept talking about his divorce until a young man named Jacob took pity of him and taught him how to be a lady's man. Jacob helped him have a makeover. He eventually learned to seduce women and bedded 9 women. Cal and Jacob became friends. Although he was flirting with women, Cal still loved his wife and visited their home at night looking at her from afar without her knowing it. He secretly maintained their backyard at night since their divorce. Jacob, on the other hand fell in love with a girl and asked Cal for advice on how to become a compassionate man. Cal's and his wife's children made a plan to reconcile their parents. The plan almost worked until the babysitter's father attacked Cal after discovering his daughter's nude photos addressed to Cal. Cal's son despised him for he was in love with his babysitter. Things got complicated when his daughter Hannah showed up with Jacob, her boyfriend. He bacame furious because he knew how womanizing Jacob was. To make matters worse, his wife's co-worker also arrived to bring her the jacket she left during their last date. Cal, Jacob, the babysitter's father, and his wife's co-worker got into a brawl and were pacified only when the police came. At his son's 8th graduation, his son gave a salutatory speech. He bagan talking about not believing in true love and soulmates anymore. Cal interrupted his son and told the audience about his courtship with his wife when they were young. He said he was unsure if it would work out but he declared he would not give up on her to the audience's delight. The couple finally reconciled. The babysitter gave his son the nude photos as a graduation gift.

Positive: It is a romantic comedy that touches the heart of the people who experienced, are experiencing, and will experience love. I admit I'm not a fan of love stories but this film moved me. The idea of fighting for the one you love and getting him/her back gives me satisfaction. The movie tells people deserve second chances, especially the good-hearted people. Some of the lines were witty and funny. The most remarkle line was when Jacob took off his shirt in front of Hanna and show her his abs and told him, "Seriously, it looks like it's photoshopped!" Cal's transformation into a lady's man was also worth commending. The makeover was effective enough to transform Steve Carell into a younger and hotter man. And yeah, the dirty dancing "Time if My Life" scene of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was likeable, too. Boy, I'm starting to have a crush on Emma Stone.

Negative: Hmmm. Let me see. Marisa Tomei's character was unnecessary. The movie could still survive without her. The plot wasn't consistent. I like the first parts. It was romantic yet comedic. The latter part turned out to be more serious.

Overall: The film is romantic, smart, witty, funny and moving. Its story can appeal to every people, young and old. Anybody who will watch it will love it for sure.

Rating:

Movie Review: Ang Babae sa Septic Tank

August 15, 2011
SM Centerpoint, Sta. Mesa

MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Genre: Independent

Starring:
Eugene Domingo
JM de Guzman
Kean Cipriano
Cai Cortez

I heard and read many praises for this film and it got me curious. The trailer on TV seemed promising. It was funny. Two weeks after its premiere on the big screen, I decided to give it a go.

3 young filmakers, a producer, a director and a production assistant were braimstorming about a project; a story about a mother living in the slums who sold her son to a pedophile in desperation to survive. They believed they had the great script, the determination and the drive to win an Oscar award. They visualized many versions of the script: a musical, indie and mellow drama styles. They had an occular inspection of the slums. Finally, they chose Eugene Domingo to star in the film, who in turn gladly accepted the role in the condition that they would get a double for her in the septic tank scene. During the shooting, Eugene got excited and fell into the septic tank. Not wasting any time, the camera started rolling and Eugene had no choice but to to the scene.

Positive: Eugene Domingo, definitely. She is brilliant here and deserves all praises. JM, Kean, and Cai had very interesting characters, too. I love the musical part. The song was very good. I can't believe it is possible to infuse musical to this kind of film. The movie is informative. It shows the the endeavors, the trials, problems and struggles of filmmakers to produce a movie.

Negative: I got bored most of the time. The opening scene where the slums were shown took a long time that I almost walked out of the cinema. But then again, I thought of the money I spent just to see this. The ending was a cliff-hanger. Eugene fell into the septic tank, shooting resumed, then boom! Closing credits. WTF was that? The teaser shown on TV made me curious to watch the film. I was expecting more comedy scenes. The scenes shown on TV were actually the highlights. Unfortunately, nothing more was offered so I was like in an I-already-watched-it-on-TV mood.

Overall: The good cast didn't make up for my boredom. Or maybe I'm just not into indie films. I wasn't entertained. Well, a few of Eugene's scenes were an exception. If not for her, this movie is trash.

Rating:

Food Review: KFC Chicken ala King

I am an avid fan of KFC hot fried chicken and whenever I'm at KFC, I always ordered either one piece chicken with rice or a Fully Loaded meal with one piece chicken and mushroom soup. I never ordered anything else.

Then, my officemate introduced me to KFC Chicken ala King and I liked it instantly. The bowl has 2 chicken fillets topped with creamy sauce. It is boneless that makes eating hassle-free. It is soft and juicy and tastier than KFC fried chicken. There is also buttered corn on the side with a hefty serving of rice. That for a price of P90 for ala carte and P100 with a regular soda. That's a good deal.

Now this is my new favorite.

Rating:

Taste:



Value for money:

Movie Review: Cowboys & Aliens

August 2, 2011
SM Centerpoint, Sta. Mesa

MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Genre: Science fiction/Western

Starring:
Daniel Craig
Harrison Ford
Olivia Wilde

Jake, an outlaw woke up in the middle of a desert with a strange metal band shackled into his wrist. He couldn't take it off and he couldn't remember anything. He went to a nearby town. There, strange aircrafts suddenly attacked the town and abducted many of its townsfolk. Accidentaly, he shot one of the aircrafts with the metal band wrapped around his wrist. Together with Col. Dolarhyde, a rancher and his men, Ella, and some townnsfolk, they formed a posse to track down the base of the monsters that attacked the town. While Jake was visiting his abandoned cabin, he remembered his wife was abducted by an aircraft together with the gold he had looted. They met Jake's former gang and fought them. Aliens began attacking the two fighting groups until Ella was killed. A group of Indians captured them thinking they were responsible for the alien attacks. Ella's body was dumped into the fire but resurrected. It was revealed she was an alien survivor from a distant planet when the invaders destroyed her home planet. She was here on Earth to help mankind resist the invaders. During a trance, he remembered he was also abducted with his wife, brought to the alien base, saw his wife killed in a experiment and how he escaped and how he accidentaly got the metal band in his wrist. With the alien base known, they planned to attack it with the help of the Indians and his former gang who opted to help them. Ella and Jake infiltrated the base with Col. Dolarhyde and the rest of the group tried to fight the overly superior aliens. Jake and Ella freed the kidnapped people. Jake was captured but rescued by Dolarhyde. The rest of the aliens tried to escape and launched their mother ship but Ella sacrifices herself and the ship blew off in midair.

Positive: The fusion of science fiction and old western American elements were great. A fresh new concept with aliens and cowboys. Who would think they could be perfect enemies? And who would think that futuristic CGI effects could be used in film set in the early 1900's? The best part is the last 30 minutes of the film. It was the battle the alien's supremacy, agility, and speed versus the human's will to survive.

Negative: The story became draggy. It got me bored at times. Too many talks not enough action. I'm glad it's only in 2D.

Overall: It's a so-so movie. Not too great compared to other sci-fi movies but great actors fill in its shortcomings.

Rating:

Movie Review: Captain America: The First Avenger 3D

July 31, 2011
SM Centerpoint, Sta. Mesa

MTRCB Rating: GP
Genre: Superhero

Starring:
Chris Evans
Hugo Weaving
Tommy Lee Jones

Captain America, another comic book hero made it to the big screen. He would be the last to complete next year's superhero ensemble of The Avengers together with Iron Man, Thor, and the Incredible Hulk.

In 1942 during World war II, Steve Rogers tried to enlist himself to US military but was always denied because of his health and physical issues. During an expo of future technologies, he tried to enlist again. This time he was accepted as part of the super-soldier experiment. He was injected with a special serum to stop Johan Schmidt, a Nazi leader who suffered a side effect when he took the same treatment long ago. Rogers became taller and muscular after taking the treatment. Dr. Abraham Eskrine, who headed the experiment was killed by an assasin after the treatment. Rogers captured the assasin but commited suicide before the interrogation. Rogers became Captain America, a costume-clad ambassador who toured and gave talks to soldiers at war. In Italy, while on tour, Rogers learned that his best friend and his unit was lost in battle. Refusing to believe he was dead, he ignored his superior's orders and infiltrated the HYDRA hideout and freed the captured soldiers single-handedly. He became a hero when they retirned to their base. Then, they planned to destroy and sabotage HYDRA's bases and operations. They were succesful but his best friend was killed in the process. Captain America battled Schmidt, now known as Red Skull inside a jet. Red Skull was killed while handling a device that dissolved him into bright light. The jet crashed in the Arctic with Captain America onboard. Present day, the jet was discovered. Captain America awakened and ran to New York Times Square. Nick Fury informed him that he was asleep for 70 years.

Positive: The effects was seamless. It fascinates me how a hunk like Chris Evans was turned into a skinny physically unfit lad. What's good about this movie is that the actors was not shadowed by its flawless visual effects. The cinematography was good. It is refreshing to see a WWII setting. I got tired seeing futuristic settings from other superhero movies. The nostalgia was there and it felt good. The action scenes were splendid. The story stayed true to its comic book counterpart. The muscial scoring was fantastic. I like it a lot. Its old fashioned miltary march theme is good to the ears. Of course, Stan Lee himself. Everytime I watch a Marvel film, I'm looking forward to spot Stan Lee among the many extras in the film. And I found him as one of the generals with a few speaking lines. Congratulations to me. And yeah, the short preview of the next film after the closing credits. I like it too even I have to endure the most boring part of every movie.

Negative: Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull was unremarkable. I got bored with this character. There's this one particular flaw in the plot. It was impossible for Captain America to infiltrate the HYDRA organization base alone with a bunch of high-powered trigger-happy enemies. Unless, he was Superman.

Overall: This movie is pure fun with a nostalgic retro feeling. There's message of patriotism here which kiddos of today must learn. A very enjoyable movie. Thumbs up.

Rating:

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 3D

July 14, 2011, Thursday
Glorietta 4

MTRCB Rating: PG-13
Genre: Epic/Fantasy

Starring:
Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Watson
Rupert Grint

The most anticipated movie of the year has finally arrived. The movie picks up where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 left last November 2010. With Voldemort obtaining the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave, Harry Potter must move double time in finding and destroying the remaining horcruxes with the help of his best pals Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Then they must go back to Hogwarts to protect it from the Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The Order of the Phoenix also came on Hogwarts' defense. Harry, Hermione, Ron, the order, the faculty and staff, and students joined forces to defend Hogwarts. But Hogwart's defense was no match for the hundreds of Death Eaters. The defenders had to face the enemies mano-a-mano. Many friends and students died in the siege. Voldemort killed Snape, the new headmaster, when he learned he double crossed him. Harry, Ron and Hermione had to deal with Malfoy, Goyle and Zabini, students who were Death Eaters' kids. Harry had to die and came back to life (with the use of the Resurrection Stone) when he learned he himself was a horcrux. Neville Longbottom killed Nagini, the snake, which was also a horcrux. In the end, Voldemort and Harry faced each other with Voldemort thinking he would eventually kill Harry with the use of the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand of all. It later turned out Harry was the true master of the Elder Wand and Voldemort was finally killed. Many years has passed and it was Harry's and Ginny's, and Ron's and Hermione's kids to go to Hogwarts, including Malfoy's kids.

Positive: The film is very well acted, visually awesome, and emotionally captivating. This installment is the most action packed of all Harry Potter films. And I like every second of it. The Battle of Hogwarts was one of the highlights of the movie. It was epic. It could rival the scenes in the Lord of the Rings maybe even better. I prefer the use of wands and magic over brute force. It is more visually entertaining. The deaths of familiar faces was painful even for the audience. My favorite scene is the battle of Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange saying her famous one-liner "Not my daughter, you bitch!"

Negative: Some of the scenes were altered from the book. The Elder Wand was destroyed by Harry while in the book, Harry returned it in Dumbledore's grave. Malfoy, Crabe and Goyle were the ones who sneaked into the Room of Requirement and not Malfoy, Goyle and Zabini. Voldemort killed Snape at the Shrieking Shack and not in the boatyard. These minor alterations didn't affect the movie at all. Did I mention that a Harry Potter film is critic-free.

Overall: This movie is by far the best Harry Potter movie ever. It is action-packed, has jaw-dropping scenes and emotional moments. I am pretty sure this will be a listed as one of the best movies of all time. It is an memorable movie and can be ranked along with Star Wars, Titanic, Avatar, ET and other epic movies.

Rating:

My First Singapore Experience Part 2

Let me continue with my blow-by-blow account of my recent trip to Singapore.....

Day 5, July 2, 2011, Saturday

This was the day when we checked out the Marina Bay area. First stop... Marina Square. We did some shopping at John Little. I bought a couple of walking shorts for S$ 10 each. A good bargain, I might say. We stopped by Starbucks Cafe to have some rest. A venti Java Chip coffee costs around S$ 7. That's roughly P 240.00. The same size of the same coffee is around P 175.00 in the Philippines. Gee, coffee in Singapore is much expensive than in Manila. This is Mom's first Stabucks experience as well as Chloe's. She used to decline my coffee treat saying it's so expensive and a waste of money. Now she knows the coffee is worth the price. Anyway, Mom brought Skyflakes crackers from Manila! Now there was something to go with the coffee. Starbucks and Skyflakes. One was "sosyal," the other was "jologs." An unlikely pair but goes well together. Ate Yvonne ordered a slice of cheese cake and it was exquisite. Outside Marina Square, we could see the Marina Bay Sands. Marina Bay Sands is a unique structure. It looks like a ship on top of 3 towers. Then, we headed to Esplanade, a complex dedicated to the performing arts. One cannot miss the landmark in this area... the Esplanade - Theaters on the Bay, two buildings intriguingly shaped like a durian fruit.

We hung out by the Esplanade outdoor Theater where we had a full view of the whole Marina Bay area. Man, landmarks and attractions are everywhere in this area. In the east, there is The Helix Bridge shaped like a, well, helix. There is also the Singapore Flyer, the worlds tallest Ferris wheel but some people prefer the term "observation wheel." In the southeast, there is the Marina Bay Sands and the Art Science Museum, which interestingly shaped like a lotus flower. Up north, there is the Marina Square shopping complex. In the west, there is the Esplanade complex. In the southwest, there is the Merlion Park. We were just goofing around, taking pictures and enjoying the view.

Incidentally, Singapore celebrated 46th year of independence with their National Day Parade. It was a miltary show where they showcase their military capabilities. A few paratroopers came down from the sky and landed down the nearby The Float@Marina Bay, the worlds largest floating stage. What a sight! We could hear the cheering of the people in the grandstand. They featured their newly acquired Sikorsky S-79B Seahawk choppers and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) multu-rocket launchers. I wish the Philippines can afford those kinds of weapons.

Merlion Park. One cannot claim he has gone to Singapore without a photo of himself with Singapore's most famous icon, the merlion. It is a large merlion statue with a gushing water in its mouth.

At dinner, we headed to Makansutra Gluttons Bay. The area is a food haven for authentic Asian dishes. We feasted on Mang Kiko's lechon manok (Yes, a genuine Pinoy food), shrimp omelette, buffalo wings and a large serving of kangkong (just like adobong kangkong in PHL), and fried rice.

After food tripping, we went around the bay by foot until we reached The Helix, a curved double helix bridge. There we could see clearly what was going on in The Float@Marina Bay. Oh boy, they really prepared for this celebration. The celebrations theme was "Majulah! The Singapore Spirit." The atmosphere was festive and the grandstand was jampacked. Students from different schools worked together to make an outstanding performance, all in colorful costumes. It was like I was watching an opening ceremony of Asian Games or Olympics. Then fireworks display followed. The scene was breathtaking from The Helix.

At the other end of The Helix, we passed by the lotus-shaped Art Science Museum. Walking further, we reached The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. This mall is soooo huge. In this area, we had the most awesome view Singapore's cityscape at night. The reflection of the buildings in the calm water was so mesmerizing. The night got deeper so we decided to head back home. As we walked the promenade of the Marina Bay Sands towards Raffles Place MRT station, we happened to pass by the Olympic Walk, a marker that commemorates the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. It was a very tiring but fun day at the Marina Bay.









Day 6, July 3, 2011, Sunday

Sentosa.. check. Orchard Road. .check. Universal Studios Singapore.. check. Esplanade.. check. Merlion Park.. check. The Helix.. check. Marina Bay Sands..check. Art Science Museum..check. Olympic Walk.. check. The next place we wouldn't want to miss was the Singapore Zoo. Ticket prices are S$ 20 for adults and S$ 13 for children 3-12 years old. Children below 3 years old are free. Additional S$ 5 (adults) and S$ 3 (children) for those who want to avail the tram rides. Since we knew it would be eventually tiring to roam around the zoo, we decided to avail the tram rides. So, that was S$ 25 for us adults and S$ 16 for Chloe. It is by far the largest zoo I've ever been to. The stars of the zoo are the 3 white tigers. They have blue eyes, creamy white fur with brown stripes, and a pink nose. White tigers are extremely rare animals. The ones in Singapore Zoo belong to the Bengal Tiger subspecies. There were lots of animals, some of them strange, we haven't seen in our entire life. The zoo houses over 2500 animals. Whoah. That's a lot. There are also animal shows. We watched the Rainforest Fights Back play where animals act alongside human actors. Birds flew everywhere, elephants showed up at the back of the
amphitheater, monkeys climbed overhead, lemurs and raccoons ran around, beavers swam. The audience was amazed by the entire show. After the show we had an photo ops with the cast. Unsurprisingly, one of them was Pinoy. He let me hold a coiled snake. I was glad didn't move or else I would unintentionally throw it away. LOL.

We knew it was impossible for us to check out all the animals. We only checked out a third of the entire zoo and our feet ached already. This was where the tram ride came in a handy. We had a glimpse of the animals near the pathway of the tram. The ride was slow giving us the opportunity to have a better look at the animals near the road. The ride took us all around the zoo. Then we watched the elephant show called Elephants at Work and Play. Here they showcased the gentle giants' skills and humor along with their mahouts or elephant riders. It was fun to watch elephants carrying big logs and goofing around with the mothouts. Hundreds of spectators watched this show until Maya and Chloe was lost in the sea of people. The show already ended but the mother-daughter team didn't show up.

At 4:30 PM, I waved goodbye to Mom and Ate Yvonne. They were to wait for Maya and Chloe since Maya couldn't be contacted with her cellphone. I had to meet my friends and ex-officemates at the Tampines MRT station. It was my first time to ride on an MRT alone but I didn't worry since I got the hang of it. After a couple of hours, I met hubby and wifey Mico and Shally. Then Maricar showed up a little later. Incidentally, Shally and Marics didn't see each other for a very long time. Shally took us to her favorite restaurant, Din Tai Fung. Mico wasn't able to join us because he still had to go to work. The food here was so good. I loved it. The catching up was so intense. We laughed so hard that a few customers looked our way. It was on Marics' tab so we thanked her for the splendid dinner. We decided to have some coffee. We went to the nearby Starbucks cafeteria. Mina showed up and our coffees were her treat. Elmer, Estee, and Perf joined us later. Catching up and reminiscing old stories continued. We were the noisiest group of customers but we didn't care. I miss these guys. Being with them is never a dull moment. It would have been better if Fe was with us. But she had better things to do in Malaysia. The next thing we knew was when a barista informed us that they were about to close. This was our cue to wrap things up. It was past midnight. Marics hired a taxi cab and gave me a lift since our houses were near each other. She lives in Toa Payoh and I in Bishan. Damn, I miss these guys so much.

Day 7, July 4, 2011, Monday

Our next destination... Malaysia. The sole purpose of our trip to Malaysia was to get our passports stamped. We crossed the Johor-Singapore causeway via bus. The causeway links two countries, Johor Bahru in Malaysia and Singapore. We passed by Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex. Just across the street from the immigration is the JB Mall. We just had our lunch at Kenny Roger's, did some souvenir shopping, back to the immigration, and then headed back to Singapore. We went straight to Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road to buy souvenirs, t-shirts and pasalubongs. Late dinner was at Marche along Sommerset. Dining here is not just like any ordinary restaurant. It was so much more. But the experience here will be tackled in another blog entry.

Day 8, July 5, 2011, Tuesday

As much as we liked to stay a little bit longer, all good things had to end. Time to go back to PHL. We were due to depart at 8:50 PM and due to arrive in Manila at 12:15 AM the following day. With bags already packed, we headed for the airport late afternoon. Mom, Ate Yvonne, Maya and Chloe took a taxi cab. Caloy and I used the MRT. We arrived at the airport about half an hour later after them. Airphils Express' counter is in Terminal 2 unlike other budget airlines which are in the less classy Budget Terminal. Those in Terminal 2 along with Airphil Express include Philippine Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and many other flag carriers. Ate Yvonne and Caloy just dropped us off the airport. They left as soon as we went to the immigration. They would follow us to the Philippines in 2 days. The boarding gate was not open yet. We were 2 hours early so naturally, we were the first ones in the boarding gate. We haven't had our dinner yet and we ran out of Singapore dollars. We settled for 1 Dunkin Donuts each. We were to board Flight No. 2P 801 of Airphils Express. I had a window seat again. Singapore City by night is an awesome sight. The city is full of lights reminding me the people here are busy and the city never sleeps. The brightness of the city extends to the sea. A few specks of light of ships and boats could be seen in the dark waters. The dark skies tempted me to doze off. It was past midnight when we landed in Manila, took a taxi cab and went straight home. We just ate our very late dinner and slept. The next day, I went to work... my first day of being a JAM.

Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D

July 11, 2011, Saturday
Greenbelt 5

MTRCB Rating: GP
Genre: Science fiction/Action

Starring:
Shia LaBeouf
Josh Duhamel
John Turturro
Tyrese Gibson
Rosie Huntington-Whitely
Patrick Dempsey

In 1961, the Ark, an Autobot spaceship crashed on the moon carrying a weapon that would end the war between Autobots and Decepticons. NASA detected it and it sent a mission to explore the crash site. When the Autobots learned about it, they explore the Ark themselves. They found a near dead Sentinel Prime, Autobot's leader before Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime revived him using the the energy in the Matrix of Leadership. Meanwhile. Sam Witwicky was out of college and was unable to find work. He had a new girlfriend named Carly. As it turned out, Sentinel Prime made a deal before the crash. He believed in Megatron's cause to preserve the dying Cybertronian race. Using his Space Bridge, he would teleport Cybertron to Earth, enslave humanity, and use Earth's energy to rebuild their world. The Autobots were unaware of sentinel Prime's betrayal ultimately killing Ironhide. Misunderstanding between the Autobots and the humans caused the Autobots' exile but the which spaceship supposed to be carrying the Autobots was destroyed by Starscream. As it turned out, the Autobots didn't board the ship at all. Now, the Autobots and the humans joined forces to battle Sentinel Prime and the Decepticons (now increasing because many Decepticons were teleported from the moon to Earth via the Space Bridge).

Positive: The CGI effects were impressive. New characters have been introduced and they were very interesting.

Negative: The story became draggy at times filling a super long 154-minute run time. The robots didn't build their characters much so when Autobots died, it didn't matter. When I was young, I was emotional when Optimus prime died in the animated series because I knew his character. The characters became attached to the vieweres. In this film, it would have been better if the writers play a little on the viewers' emotions by concentrating a little on the lovable characters' deaths. The death scenes were put to waste where it could have been a highlight of the film. Shia LaBeauf's character was becoming less and less likeable. He was again in his screaming acting. This kind of acting is forgivable in parts 1 and 2. But this time, it is annoying rather than cute. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is definitely hot. No doubt about it. But I still prefer megan Fox. BRING BACK MEGAN FOX PLEEAASSEE! The robots were supposed to be the main focus here hence the title. But it turned out, human soldiers did most of the job. Where was the epic battle of the Autobots and the Decepticons?

Overall: Ignoring of the draggy plot, I found it enjoyable to watch. The visual effects filled in the story's shortcomings. I enjoyed it although I would not recommend it. I'm a Transformers fan, you see?

Rating:

My First Singapore Experience Part 1

Last June 28 to July 5, 2011, my Mom, sister, niece and bro-in-law had the opportunity to visit my elder sister who is a nurse in Singapore. At first, I didn't really like Singapore. For me back then, it was OK even if I don't step onto Singaporean soil. I was more excited going to places like Beijing, Hong Kong, or other beaches in the Philippines. In short, I didn't care. But all of that changed when I set foot on Singapore. But first let me tell you about our itenarery. It got exciting with each passing day.

Day 1, June 28, 2011, Tuesday

At around 2 PM, we were already at NAIA Terminal 3. We were waiting for Maya, my sister who would come straight from work from NAIA terminal 1. Killing time wasn't a problem. I was playing with Chloe, my niece, with one of the games she invented right then and there. We were slumped on the floor playing and it was a bit embarrassing with other people looking at us. Our flight was 4:50 PM onboard Airphil Express Flight 2P 800.


We were aboard an Airbus A320-200. It can accomodate 140 passengers. Since the plane was not full, I had the freedom to occupy a window seat. The crews were a mix of male and female attendants. And I could say the stewardesses are at par or even prettier than that of Cebu Pacific's. The flight was over 2 hours. While airborne, I checked my watch. It was exactly 7:00 PM. But wait! The sun was still up! It was an amazing sight. The sun was yet to set in the horizon. It was so serene and very relaxing. I loved the feeling.

7:20 PM, touchdown Singapore! Lo and behold! I was expecting to land at the Budget Terminal since Airphil Express is a budget airline. And whadayaknow. We landed on classier Changi Airport Terminal 2. Nice. Changi Airport is huuugggee! We were met by Ate Yvonne, my sister. Since there were 6 of us, we couldn't fit into a taxi. We were hesitant to hire 2 taxis and none of us (except my sister) was familiar with the MRT system yet. So we decided to hire an Audi van (Yes, you heard it right. Audi!) for S$50 . At 8:00 we were already at Ate Yvonne's apartment in Bishan.

Day 2, June 29, 2011, Wednesday

The plan was to go around Sentosa Island. We stopped by Vivo City Mall where the Sentosa Express, a monorail, was located. But first we went around Vivo City to enjoy the awesome view in the harbor. After picture taking, we boarded the monorail toward Sentosa Island. We just arrived at Sentosa Island when Chloe started to have her never-miss tantrums. She wanted to go home already. All of our blood pressure started to rise because of her whining. We bought advance tickets for Universal Studios for S$66 each and S$48 for Chloe.

We had fun posing in front of the marvelous fountains of Sentosa and the Lake of Dreams which didn't have water coming out at that time. Then we went up the stairs until we were in front of the giant Merlion statue. We bought Slurpees at a nearby 7-11 store and Chloe stopped her tantrums immediately. Still up the stairs and we found ourselves ourselves in front of Tiger Sky Tower, a lift that goes up 110 meters above the ground and offers a scenic view of the whole Singapore. But we didn't take that ride bacause we were more interested in the Luge (pronounced as LUZH), a kind of go-kart which goes down a 650-meter jungle trail. It ends by the beach and in order to get back to the starting point, we had to go up via Skyride, an open air, cable-driven chairlift where you can have a breathtaking panoramic view of Singapore. The experience with the Luge and the Skyride was amazing. I loved it. Then we had dinner at Tastes of Asia, a restaurant that serves delicious Asian cuisine. After dinner, we fell in line for Songs of the Sea and the rain started to pour. The line was soooo long. Even if we were soaking wet, we were mesmerized by the spectacular water and lights show Songs of the Sea. Who would enjoy it better than Chloe?










Day 3, June 30, 2011, Thursday

We were supposed to go to Universal Studios. The plan was put on hold when it rained very hard. We just stayed indoors for most of the day. When twilight came and the rain subsided, we went to Orchard Road. We checked out the Filipino hangout, Lucky Plaza. There we exchanged our money to Singapore currency. We did some shopping at the malls in Orchard Road strip, had an ice cream sandwich in the sidewalk, and tacos, burritos and fried squids in a food festival inside a mall. Some of the sales ladies in the food festival were Filipinos and they were very accomodating. When I was posing for the camera, Chloe kept pushing me and ruining my pictures. Then, Chloe was pissed of me when I did the same to her. She cried, my goodness.












Day 4, July 1, 2011, Friday

It was Ate Yvonne's birthday and we were happy spending it overseas with her. And to celebrate her birthday, we went to Universal Studios! This place is awesome. Just when we entered the theme park, it was like we were teleported to a different yet familiar world. We realized we were in Hollywood! There we met Alex, the lion, Gloria, the hippo and the penguins of Madagascar.


Next, we headed for Shrek 4-D Adventure. The line was super long it took us hours before we had our turn. Shrek 4-D Adventure is a 17-minute 3D film where guests can see, hear and feel the action right from their seats. Chloe had to move her feet up to her seat because she didn't like something"creeping" on her feet.

Then, we watched a live performance in Waterworld based on the film with the same title. The show didn't start immediately. The cast entertained the people with their comedic acts which included getting the audience wet by spraying and splashing water at them. The main act consisted of stunts, and pyrotechnics. I can't believe they could maneuver a jetski in such a limited space. The submerging jetski was jaw-dropping. And a seaplane emerged! That was freaking awesome.

Next stop...Egypt. Maya and I longed for adrenalin rush. We tried Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride. Again, we had to endure another super long line of people. But the wait was worth it. It is a rollercoaster ride with sharp turns and reverse run with stunning visuals and real fire. All of that in total darkness. Well of course when there's fire it is not totally dark. A rollercoaster in the dark was new to me. That was why I enjoyed that very much. After the ride, we searched for the others. And we found them at the most boring ride of all, the Treasure Hunters. It was like a vintage car ride in slow motion. That was it. Nothing enjoyable.

The adrelin wasn't enough and we looked for more... the Battlestar Gallactica: Human vs. Cyclon. It consists of 2 rollercoaster launched simultaneously, the Human and the Cylon. The Human is a sit-down rollercoater which has a drop of almost 14-storey high and can run up to 90 kph. That is fast. But we liked the Cylon better. It is a suspended rollercoaster with the riders' legs hanging in midair. It has 5 360-degree turns and a near miss with the ground. That was the most extreme ride I had in my life. That was wicked!

We went to the New York zone where we witnessed street dancing with ex-Streetboys members. We passed by the new York Public Library and Gotham City's cobblestone streets. We saw awesome vintage cars.

We went back to Far far Away to meet Puss in Boots and the unlikely loveteam of Shrek and Princess Fiona.

Our last ride was the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure where guests were boarded on a raft and then pushed into river rapids. Along the way, dynosaurs could be seen and heard (Yeah, they are moving). The highlight of the ride is when the raft is lifted in an elevator with a T-Rex head waiting in the ceiling snapping its powerful jaws as the raft comes near it. Before the T-Rex could tear the guests apart, a door opens and the raft falls a 40 feet high splashdown. And I was the first man to hit the water so naturally I was the wettest among the 9 riders on the raft. I didn't have spare clothes so I had to endure my soaking wet clothes until we got home.

It was nearly closing time so we did some souvenir shopping. And the finale... the fireworks display.

When you plan to visit Singapore, don't dare not coming to Universal Studios. It is the ultimate getaway in Singapore. Kids will love it as well as the young-at-hearts. Ticket prices are S$ 66 for adults and S$ 48 for kids.

To be continued....