Bencab Museum

It's a sunny morning and my sissy and I both agreed yesterday that by hook or by crook we'll visit bencab museum (asin road) today 'cuz we've been yearning to do that since our last vacation here in baguio last August. We're just so squeamish to have coffee at the onsite cafeteria called cafe isabel  but it was so packed when we got there so we needed to cross that out from our list.

Baguio marketplace...

As soon as we saw the jeepneys bound to asin road km. 6,  we immediately hopped in without asking anyone where the hell the jeep is headed and we're willing to take our chance regardless. The woman asked me (in local dialect) something and since i don't speak their language i was lost in translation hadn't this other local woman asked me in tagalog where we're headed. I told her we're off to bencab km. 6, the lady said the jeep is not headed that way as it's headed uphill and bencab is downhill. So, we immediately stepped out and just decided to take the cab to BenCab (wow that rhymed). We thought asin road is just few kilometers away just and realized we were wrong again and the was quite far. Good thing, there were signs along the road that led us to bencab since the cab driver wasn't so familiar with BenCab neither. The lady in the reception was foreigner and told us that there's a Php100 entrance fee which we're already aware of based on our research. As soon as we're inside we then scoured the entire museum and took photos. The artworks were really amazing since we also draw and paint ourselves so we did not go there just to solely take photos but meticulously check out the murals and awesome wood carvings. We frenzied over each and every painting adorning the white walls of the museum, art at its finest.


We were drawn to this wooden statue made by an artist Junyee. It was a male life-sized carving from recycled wood with red paint all over it's face and body adorned with tribal tattoos. The sculpture's teeth is all black which represents the igorot's fondness with 'nganga' (chewing of betelnut). Attached at the back of the wooden sculpture is a computer motherboard, how cool is that? After checking out all the artworks, we decided to have lunch at cafe isabel. we noticed that there's only one person at the counter  and it will take long for everyone else to be accommodated so we instead decided to have lunch downtown and as usual it was crowded.

*baguio's busy sidewalks*

It took us almost an hour (if am not mistaken) this morning getting a ride bound to Baguio city.

Our house is 13km away from the city and since it's holiday season, all buses bound to baguio are packed. Geez. I only had sandwich this morning and was already starving waiting for whatever available ride we could get. Fortunately, this non air-conditioned Amianan bus came to our rescue or god must've heard us complaining. The fog must've come and go due to the gruelling hours we spent waiting for a ride. The fare was P20/head, not bad as we're desperate after waiting an hour just to get a bus ride hello?

Ok, so as soon as we got to the city we went straight to this Ukayan across prime hotel. The same place we go to every time since we've been going back and forth to Baguio for many years now. The entire building has wooden floors, walls and yes very fire hazard, three storey if am not mistaken.

The building is housed to multiple ukay-ukay stalls or a place that sells vintage clothes which you more often  needed to rummage to find best buys. It's crazy around for you'll find everything from costumes, socks, wind breakers, puffer coats, vintage figurines, toys and what-have-you. For people who appreciate unusual stuff to the weirdest degree, Baguio's ukayan is the best place to go. I saw a lot of winter clothes because most of them (if not all) came from the U.S. meant to be sent primarily to salvation army. Other country's trash is another country's source of living. Isn't that interesting? at least they don't go to waste.

Moving on, the ukayans barely allowed us to haggle. Let's just call it the season to skyrocket cost for almost everything contrary to the real meaning of the yuletide season. Not that i meant it negatively, just partial, lol. We got the cheapest tees for P80 a piece and the most expensive at P130. Let's just set aside the cost considering they're pre-owned stuff. What really drew me and my sister to Baguio's ukay-ukay would be our penchant for really unique and cool finds you won't get anywhere else. I mean, where can you find a tee less than P300-500 nowadays inside the mall unless you go to Divisoria or Baclaran?

Time to grab a bite. 
we had lunch at our new found fave spot along session road called Oh My Gulay. The vegetarian resto/artists haven (that looks like a jungle) in the middle of the city atop la azotea. My sister had their anak ng putanesca pasta (with red & chilly sauce) for a very affordable P120 (yet the serving is enough to stuff you up) and dayap brewed iced tea for P60 ;) I ordered their alpesto for P110 and mango juice P60. We also had their kung fu crepe P70 for dessert topped with blueberries. Yum! Let's do the math--just add 10% for service charge by the way so all in all we only spent P462 for everything. T'was well worth the wait and at the same time a simple yet sumptuous lunch. Wrarr!

Btw, I bought myself a cute ear flap hat for P100 also across prime hotel. I really love it because it keeps my head and ears warm. To end the day, we bought home dozen of donuts. Our Mom cooked some bilo-bilo (sticky rice balls) and a family friend brought some fiesta ham for the new year's eve perhaps. Nytie..


Related Posts:

• If a picture paints a thousand words
• kidlat tahimik: Oh My Gulay!
• everything else...
• Bencab Museum
• Solitary Nook
• Diplomat Hotel
• Foodie Time
• A Time To Take Time
• Garden in the Sky
• A Day in a Life
• Hill Station @Casa Vallejo
• Baguio Freak Shakes

christmas bunnies

it's cold here in baguio and it's zero visibility along the highway. there seemed to be a white out minus the snow.  i cough out every night because it's really cold even if i've doubled my blankets. i even asked my sister if i could borrow a comforter just to save me from freezing in the evening. i have a really sensitive back, i cough if my back is all sweaty and or the coldness already seeped through my blankets. i really feel lazy today. the cold is making me sluggish. my sister and i opted to stay home and let the christmas rush pass. it's really gloomy outside.
we opened our presents yesterday morning. mom and dad gave us little bunny coin banks. this coming 2011 would be year of the rabbit and that explains why anything bunny is blanketing the flea markets. mom said she'll give us gifts every christmas which would symbolize the year to come. they were delighted with the digital frame that we gifted them and in fact were awed to see our photos there. our little niece gabrielle loved her new pink pair of boots care of grandma and grandpa. my sister gifted her a cute pair of leg warmers she bought online. my sister is so engrossed reading 'true ghost stories' our teenage niece kept somewhere in the house. internet connection is a challenge by the way, we barely get HSDPA signal using our prepaid dongle (wireless usb modem). all i can do for now is blog lol. i miss our postpaid broadband in our flat though. hohoho! merry christmas though!

pre-xmas stuff

our house is overlooks the ocean 

so, my sister took a zoomed photo 

of this and it was breathless.

the long bus ride to baguio seemed short last night since me and my twin spent almost the entire trip chit chatting and quite a few naps. we left the victory bus terminal bound to baguio few minutes past 6pm last night. we always take turns as to who will sit beside the window, both our fave spot everytime we travel out of town on a bus. i so love my backpack, it was the most useful backpack i've had considering it was really affordable. we arrived past 12MN and mom and dad were excited to see both of us since it's very rare that we go home for a vacation break. i was glad that we are complete this christmas, not a single person left out. the new room is finished.  our youngest niece gabrielle (2years old) fell asleep waiting for us and we weren't able to see her until this morning with her new haircut. i missed the cold pillows a lot and the really huge space because our flat is really cramped up. going back late last night, as soon as we arrived we continued wrapping our presents for the two kids since we just carried them along in out backpacks and decided to wrap them once we're home so the paper bags will not crumple. we had spaghetti for noche buena. too bad slumberland is calling so we won't be up until midnight for the gift giving thing so we'll just hold it for tomorrow morning i guess. i found my nieces 'true ghost stories' books, they'll keep me busy these holiday season.

habits

i just would like to share the effects of fashion nature slimming coffee based on my experience after drinking it for quite sometime now.

good 

• losing weight is really dramatic. in a matter of days try checking the weighing scale and i assure you obviously it works really quick.
• you don't get hungry at all so no tendency of binging on food

bad

• i experienced difficulty breathing after taking it 3-5 days in a row.
• i felt restless and had difficulty sleeping in the evening.
• parched throat
• even if you stopped taking it the effect continues--as in your appetite is never normal. 
• difficulty breathing.
• palpitations.

but then, just be advised that dietary products has different side effects on people. for example, i have a friend who's weight is 170lbs, i recommended curvy slimming juice to her since she's not a coffee drinker. obviously she's plus sized so curvy did not have any harmful effect on her and she's even delighted she's lost weight dramatically. if you don't really need it just stick to the usual dieting measures such as working out and be mindful of what you eat. no rice diet really works for me but let's not forget carbohydrate is also important.

in my case, i can say the coffee had quite a few not so good side

effect on me. i'm happy with the result so far since i lost roughly 10lbs to boot and i bought myself 2 new pair of jeans because the old ones do not fit anymore.  i still work out and do boxing during the weekends because it's an excellent cardio work out. don't really solely on diet products do your part as well. eat healthy and keep your body moving. 

the vizconde massacre verdict

it's been years since the ruthless murder happened (that was way back 1991). the trial began four years after and the final verdict was announced today, roughly 19 years after. the accused partly paid for their crime and the trial of the century is finally over. they can now walk with their head up high like a freeman. let's call them 'lucky.' so, who's really the perpetrator/s? who cares now. the poor lauro vizconde fainted in dismay. where's justice? may god be the verdict.

see The Vizconde Massacre

solace mode.

there are days when you're sad for no reason. i just enjoy solace today. and there's no reason why, there's no reason for everything at all times. maybe, it's just the early morning shift.. i really find december mornings so gloomy. i can feel the christmas breeze now but it doesn't have anything to do with my gloomy-ness today. there are days when you just wanna be left alone and just be silent in a corner, for no reason, you just want to. today, i enjoyed the early morning bus ride to work whilst listening to franco's castaway and the like. i'm just sad.

sometimes, it's difficult to be different, to be unusual, to be weird, to be eccentric, yeah i know they all mean the same. people most of the time just couldn't respect the fact that you're just being yourself. some people are just too superficial to understand you while it's just easy to understand that if someone doesn't wish to talk just respect that. nothing personal. when you're quiet in a corner it seems like your silence will kill them. i'm not trying to be cool when i don't talk or every time i ignore the people around me, this is just the way i am and i don't think i even need to explain. 'normal' people just wouldn't and couldn't 'get' it. i'm not suicidal and i guess if my silence is a killer, the hell i care. it's hard to deal with mediocrity, i guess. but i'd rather not. i'd rather stand in the middle of the crowd whilst the world spins around and or sit somewhere and watch whilst the leaves dance with the wind in circles. i love the word poetic justice. i'm burn out with my job i guess. gimme some space. i feel like being underwater and i need my oxygen tank real quick, breathe....air..wind..hangin! i'm digging Portishead right now...

the amazing race asia 4

i'm not a big fan of the amazing race asia. as a matter of fact i don't watch it and if ever i do it's possibly because i have nothing else to watch. i just hate the endless running and all the stress involved. TARA (the amazing race asia) was created by the same people behind SURVIVOR, the famous reality based tv show. then, why the hell i watched TARA episode 4? whilst channel surfing, my sister chanced by AXN and saw richard herrera in TARA 4 so i figured it must be interesting because he's really cute. this is the first time the philippine team won. i've known quite a few pinoy teams who joined tara in the past but only finished in the 3rd and 2nd place so winning the first place is really a feat for the filipinos. the richards did a very great job. they never argued about anything but always agreed on which challenge to take without so much ado. theie team work is admirable compared to their female philippine team counterpart Jess & Lani. 

IMAGO galore

At first, I thought probably not but most definitely is the best imago album ever because i did not anticipate they will break away from the same music i've known them for.

probably not but most definitely was their very first album. i loved it as their music was one of the most unique i've heard back in 1997. imago back then was the first filipino indie band i've heard which infused violin to their music. then, their violinist michelle pritchard left prioritizing her love for car racing (i heard) and their drummer also left because of other priorities.
then came imago's 2nd album take 2.


at first, i thought the band took a different direction by going for a more commercially viable music. the first time i listened to the entire album i noticed the huge difference between their 1st and 2nd album. i think i just miss the violin parts otherwise they're still as awesome as ever. listening to take 2 was a different experience. it's like tasting a new flavor for the first time. the 'imago' touch was still there especially with the tagalog tracks, still very aia. the poetic lyrics still blew me away as usual. i think the album was better off without the 'danceable' tracks. but t'was a good try though.

blush--i knew imago is really going commercial when i saw aia transformed from the hippie look to glamorous since she lost a lot of weight. the band then made jingles and became endorsers for tokyo tokyo so it's understood they really need to look good. i saw it coming because that's usually the case with signed bands, they tend to become product endorsers once famous as in the case of shirley manson of garbage. since shirley manson also took a different path after garbage by becoming a cosmetic brand endorser and now a movie star. Going back, blush carried out the track  'sundo' which was a personal fave. their music video is still eccentric which showed the band's character. 'taralets' was quite different though.

after a pretty long while, but not really a hiatus, here comes effect desired none. imago's latest this year. i was curious as a cat as usual especially when my sister told me they have a new music video called 'Huling Yakap Ng Mundo.' another poignant one from the band that gave us equally poignant tagalog tracks. i'm just glad they're back and i really couldn't wait to hear their new baby so i scoured the net to listen to quite a few tracks in advance. as usual, i liked their carrier single Huling Yakap Ng Mundo not just because of the video (which featured my crushie model who played the part of aia's lover) but because it was melodic and poetic at the same time. what to expect from a very prolific songwriter like aia but profound lyrics and poignant melodies. i liked the tagalog tracks and i think aia is so good in writing tagalog songs. so...expect a different and fresh imago in their new album Effect Desired None. here's the vid...i enjoyed it immensely.

the yuletide season

my sister gifted me this black rose ring she bought online (multiply.com) and i loved it. my officemates loved it as well as it was really unique.  my clay earrings are growing in numbers.

digital photo frame
as a christmas present, we bought our parents this digital photo frame. you can either plug it to a wall outlet or use batteries for it work. nonetheless,i'm happy to watch the pictures as if a slide show. i just hope we could scan our old photos and upload them. i know my parents would be really delighted to see tons of childhood photos there. hmm..we'll see how it goes,


 i can't wait for xmas break...

watched harry potter and the deathly hallows yesterday, it was lengthy and the whole british accent thing gave us a hard time comprehending the movie. 

keep them coming!

i've been really busy lately shopping online.

i just recently bought some cute accessories from ZNEAKS (she's into doodle art) and yes she sell amazing pieces. name it, necklace, earrings, skimmers, cellphone and psp charms and many more. i got my cute red star stud earring & star ring for a really affordable price + shipping = less than P300. the ring was actually out of stock but zneaks made one for me and i was really glad. my sister recently got her plants vs. zombies key/bag chain from EARTH & GLASS and i got envious so i also ordered mine and i'm willing to wait although it'll take 3-4 weeks. some of them are meant as gifts whilst i keep the rest for myself lol. i also ordered a new steam punk inspired ring from CLAYFUL CREATIONS for P170 + 50 shipping and i'm expecting my new baby to arrive any day this approaching week. gadh, i have another one to add to my collection teehee!

shopping online is like a fine frenzy for me.

caturday whereabouts

i'm so stoked shopping online and it all just started last year when a colleague at work told me purchase stuff online and i found them really unique and cool. we have this little gift-giving thing going in the office and my monita specifically asked for a laptop bag. i scoured multiply.com and found this online shop called punchdrunkpanda that sells laptop sleeves and bags. i really do not have any use for multiply back then except i need to have a login to purchase stuff online. after the laptop bag i got engrossed with earrings and cocktail rings and the rest is history.

moving on,  i just bought this orange slimming juice called 'curvy' to deal with weight loss and at first i thought it was just an ordinary 'orange juice. after drinking curvy for three days, i noticed my abrupt weight loss which what seemed like 1LBS a day which became quite scary.
curvy will kill your appetite for food. you know you're starving but your mind is not telling you to take in food. i got mine for Php300/pack (12pieces) and upon researching further i learned another online seller sells it for P200. the only negative thing about it was, it made my throat parched and made me unusually thirsty. it's just best to keep a water bottle handy. i weigh this morning and yeah, you'll lose weight in a snap. i'm not advertising it of course, it's just that i was shocked with the result. nonetheless, i suggest you consult a specialist first before you take it as it may not be suited for people with medical conditions. so just a heads up.

kPOP! soaps are bubbly...

that's what i hate about watching korean tv series/soaps, i get addicted.

my name is kim sam soon
2005

i started watching that darn tv series yesterday. i started with episdoes 8-11 then i missed out 12-15 simply because this online site that hosts the videos no longer have the rest of the clips. i was so disappointed. so, i ended up watching the very last one which was episode 16. fine. as long as i knew that t'was a happy ending i'm ok with it though am still yearning to go to quiapo once of these days and look for the dvd lol. who wouldn't like hyun bin right? his pretty face and killer bod.

i miss boxing!

photo credit to crispyparty.

i went boxing this morning and boy i missed it. i missed the speed ball and jumping rope. working out is always good for the heart. i owe my weight loss from boxing. i know i always talk about boxing here in my blog but hey for all femme fatales out there you girls should try it. it's not corny. with boxing, one should be a quick thinker first off because during sparring sessions, if you're not alert, you'll get punched for sure. second, you should be quick in throwing punches or you'll miss the punch mitts and hit your coach.  i realized i've been boxing for 10 months and i must admit i enjoy it. i started boxing in elorde shaw (in front of puregold & liberty center ) but it closed down if i'm not mistaken august this year. my sister and i had been boxing in elorde-libertad since before the one in shaw closed down.  elorde in libertad is literally a gymnasium. if your interested you may check out their site first http://elordeboxinggym.com/ for starters the annual membership fee is P500 and every session you pay P200 then it's up to you if you want to give tips.

letters to juliet (2010)

i just finished watching letters to juliet (2010) earlier which stars Amanda Seyfried, Chris Egan, Vanessa Redgrave, Gael García Bernal, and Franco Nero. it's a romantic comedy shown early this year. sophie, portrayed by amanda seyfried, is a budding writer and works for the new yorker magazine as a fact checker. sophie with her fiance victor (gael bernal) planned a trip to verona, italy for a supposedly pre-honeymoon. victor, a chef by profession, upon reaching verona, got so caught up looking for suppliers for his brand new restaurant in new york. he was so passionate about the whole thing that he eventually forgot about the real purpose of their travel, the honeymoon. sophia instead went sight-seeing by her lonesome and came across this house where juliet capulet used to live. sophia became curious when she found women weeping and writing letters afterwards insert the scribbles in the bricked walls. sophia waited for all the people to leave and watched as this lady collect the letters. she followed where the lady headed like a spy and she was led into a house where the letters are gathered. she found that juliet have secretaries who writes back to those with 'love problems.' the story started when sophia found a  letter (which dated back fifty years ago) hidden in one of the bricked walls. the letter was about a woman named claire, troubled because she turned her back on the man she love the most fearing her family might not approve of him. sophia thought, although it's been 50 years, to respond to the letter with an aim to find some closure on the letter sender's end. an english man came to juliet's house asking who wrote the letter sent to her grandmother claire. sophia with so much enthusiasm admitted she was the one who responded to claire's letter but to her surprise the bloke even blamed sophia because his grandmother is now on a quest to locate his true love named lorenzo bartolini. sophia did not give up and followed charlie, the english man who crashed in juliet's house. she even volunteered to join charlie and claire to find lorenzo to charlie's disgust. off they go to find lorenzo. claire learned sophia was abandoned by her mom while she was 9, charlie's parents died because of a car accident and claire, married another guy who happened to be charlie's grandfather. to make the lengthy story short, sophia and charlie fell in love after getting to know each other. claire found his lorenzo, sophia left and went back to victor even though she was unhappy and heartbroken to be apart from charlie. charlie then chased sophia but when he saw from afar she was with victor he left broken hearted as well. back in new york, sophia presented the story (based on claire's tale) to her boss and he then eventually agreed to publish it. she received an invitation to claire's wedding to be held in where else but verona, italy. sophia then realized her engagement with victor is not working thus she decided to call it quits. during claire's wedding sophia mistook patricia as charlie's ex-girlfriend because of the namesake. sophia again was broken hearted but she learned charlie's with his cousin patricia not his ex. she then professed her love for charlie and it was a happy ending.

nokia firmware update disastah!

as a stress reliever i got myself
 a new ring because i thought it
was really cute.

i updated my e71's firmware yesterday and it was a disaster. i thought it would be THAT easy since my sister never complained about any drawbacks after she updated her phone's software few days back. i was excited so as soon as got home from work, i started reading through forums check latest firmware available for nokia e71. i thought it will fix all the bugs if i update it.  so, i backed up all my files to the memory card prior to downloading the latest firmware but as soon as i restored them all from my memory card, all gprs settings (internet, mms) ceased working as if the settings were erased from my e71! the worst thing of all was when i requested for gprs settings from globe, all i got was  'unable to open' and 'unsupported format'  yeah right.

my head really hurts since this morning and it just subsided as soon as i got the problem fixed omg. thank god.  i found on one the forums the exact type of issue i'm having with my e71 after firmware update. according to the resolution i should'nt have restored everything including the gprs settings from my mmc because that aggravated the whole situation since it's like incorporating the old with the new firmware whilst there were stuff from the old version which will no longer work with the new version. I got the 500.21.009 version and i used to have the 400..something version. the resolution stated on the forum did not help 100% as it did not state that if the rest fails better NOT restore anymore and just face the fact that i already lost all the previous data saved on my phone. i actually re-installed the firmware 3 times and it worked the 3rd time when i finally decided not to back up my files anymore and just copy my active notes to my mmc instead. i lost my calendar stickies and profile settings (the ones i customised) but i'm no longer choosy because that resolved the problem oh my goodness. i can finally sleep sound tonight i guess...this was the toughest issue i've resolved so far.

manual set up for e71. download here.

ELF blusher

went to the boxing gym this morning. been trying to catch up with my sister's work schedule so we could go to the gym together. it's just boring to work out alone.

elf's blusher (tickled rose)
my sister said it's giving my cheeks the natural rosy glow so i think i should stick to it for the time being aside from it's really affordable P250 (less than $5).

zenTeazzz

I don't really enjoy drinking tea because it's so bland and tasteless until i found Zentea. I love the blueberry flavor.

useless survey...

1. Favorite breakfast is: apple
2. The movie I’ve watched the most number of times is: may (2002) and coraline
3. Least favorite subject in school: when i was still in school..chemistry.
4. I spend my leisure time by: blogging, fb
5. Worst smell: body odor, stench of a dirty creek
6. If I could have any car in the world, what would it be? a trailer van
7. Favorite household chore: cooking, cleaning the house
8. When I was a kid, I dreamed of becoming a/ an : doctor
9. Favorite colors: purple, black
10. Favorite performer/s: the sundays, tegan & sara, cynthia alexander
11. When I die, I’d rather be cremated or buried: cremated
12. If I could repeat college, I’d take up: fine arts major in Photography? or music?
13. One thing I can’t leave home without: mobile phone
14. First thing I bought with my first salary: honestly, i can't remember anymore. geesh.
15. I’d like to be remembered as: someone kind hearted, treats people with partiality and cares for animals.
16. If a book was made into a movie, would you still bother buying the book? yeah, out of curiousity. i love books anyways.
*If a movie was made into a book, would you still bother watching the movie? nope. books are usually turned into movie adaptations and not the other way around!
17. Specialty in cooking? pasta
18. First crush? i don't recall...
19. Favorite hangout: oh my gulay!(session rd, baguio cty), amici--caramia
20. Best place to shop? vintage shops
21. Do you like to watch plays? yeah
22. Favorite place in the house? terrace
23. Best gift you’ve given? bodyshop stuff
24. Weirdest gift you’ve received: a soap shaped like a *eni$.
25. Gift that you want to receive at this moment: mac cosmetics
26. Gift you want to receive on Valentine’s Day: aww...cheesy..

i love weekend...

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)

Synopsis: In the age-old battle between cats and dogs, one crazed feline has taken things a paw too far. Kitty Galore, formerly an agent for cat spy organization MEOWS, has gone rogue and hatched a diabolical plan to not only bring her canine enemies to heel, but take down her former kitty comrades and make the world her scratching post. Faced with this unprecedented threat, cats and dogs will be forced to join forces for the first time in history in an unlikely alliance to save themselves -- and their humans.



despicable me (2010)

Synopsis: In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unknown to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal's new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.The world's greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Synopsis: In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead leads them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap.

sunday flick picks

the virgin suicides (1999) 
setting: Grosse Pointe, Michigan 1974.
the lisbon girls : Therese (Leslie Hayman), Mary (A.J. Cook), Bonnie (Chelsea Swain), Lux (Kirsten Dunst), and Cecilia Lisbon (Hanna R. Hall)

the movie is about the strange lisbon sisters who were raised by religious parents yet had a very huge urge to commit suicide. the story ended tragically, the five sisters all committed suicide. Therese took sleeping pills, Bonnie hanged herself in the basement, Mary stuck her head in the gas oven, and Lux died of carbon monoxide poisoning by leaving the car engine running in the garage.

my sister's keeper (2009)

anna, was born to become a genetic match for her sister kate, who's dying from Acute promyelocytic leukemia, cancer of the blood and bone marrow. she was conceived to keep her sister alive and that's how the movie title was came from. when her sister kate turned 15 and had renal failure, anna was aware that she would be forced to donate her kidney to her sister so, anna sued her parents for medical emancipation or the rights to her own body. Lawyer Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) agrees to work as Anna's legal counsel/ guardian ad litem. Sara (Cameron Diaz), their mother, who's also a lawyer, stopped practicing law since she devoted her life keeping kate alive. she was very upset of anna's decision. Anna's father agreed that they might've crossed the line since anna was left without any choice since birth. during the trial, it was divulged that kate herself asked her sister Ana to consult a lawyer and sue their parents because she has accepted her fate and is willing to die.  Anna and Atty. campbell won their case giving anna the right to her own body. the story is really meaningful because every character has a story to tell.

angela's ashes (1999)
setting: Limerick, Ireland,
1930s and '40s

anyways, i watched angela's ashes and boy it was lengthy. if i'm not mistaken it took roughly over two hours.

the family was forced to move back to their homeland ireland from the U.S due to lack of means to survive. the head of the family struggled to get a job amidst having so many kids because he was a drunkard. the only daughter, after 4 boys died few days after she was born. one of the twins died then the other one followed leaving them with only two boys left.  the film narrated the young mccourt's life in Limerick, Ireland, during his childhood in the 1930s and '40s, the difficulties that ensued, and finally Frank's way of earning enough money to return to the land of his dreams: America.

Y tu mamá también (English: "And your mother too")
2001 Mexican drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and co-written by Cuarón and his brother Carlos. The film is a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys taking a road trip with a woman in her late twenties;

The story itself focuses on two boys at the threshold of adulthood: Julio (Gael García Bernal), from a leftist middle-class family, and Tenoch (Diego Luna), whose father is a high-ranking political official. The film opens with scenes of each boy having sex with his girlfriend one last time before the girls leave on a trip to Italy. Without their girlfriends around, the boys quickly become bored. At a wedding, they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú), the Spanish wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano, and attempt to impress the older woman with talk of an invented, secluded beach called la Boca del Cielo ("Heaven's Mouth"). She initially declines their invitation to go there with them, but changes her mind following a phone call in which Jano tearfully confesses cheating on her. Although Julio and Tenoch have little idea where to find the promised beach, the three set off for it, driving through poor, rural Mexico. They pass the time by talking about their relationships and sexual experiences, with the boys largely boasting about their modest exploits, and Luisa speaking in more measured terms about Jano and wistfully of her first love, who died in a motorcycle accident when she was a teenager.  The two later on found that Luisa died, they learned that she was dying when they met her.

BE5842B4-79B4-2806-E505-3C6E9B7CE010

1.03.01

moviethon

 dear john

dear john was called as such because the story evolved around two lovers who kept their communication line open and relationship going despite the distance by simply writing each other. john (a young sergeant from the Army Special Forces) met savannah (a conservative college student) while vacationing in his hometown. savannah was with her friends in the beach when scott (savannah's rich neighbor) accidentally dropped her sling bag in the water. the first time john saw savannah he couldn't take his eyes off her. he then took the opportunity and jumped off the bridge without any hesitations and fished savannah's bag from the deep blue sea. the two became friends and eventually turned into lovers in such a short period of time. john introduced savannah to his queer dad. savannah, having dealt with an autistic child herself (tim, savannah's close friend has an autistic kid) told john his dad might be autistic. john took the comment negatively and reacted violently. john realized how wrong he was so he decided to show up and write savannah a note apologizing for what happened. tim gave the note to savannah and she later on dropped by at john's place to personally say goodbye before she head back to school. john and savannah's long distance relationship went on for long and then suddenly savannah ceased writing him letters until one day john received a letter from her saying goodbye and breaking up with him because she's already engaged without explaining further with whom she got engaged with. john was upset of course burning all her letters and decided to extend his service further with the force to preoccupy himself. a lot of things happened in between, john was shot in the middle of an encounter, he was hospitalized and eventually survived. everyone else in his team/force has moved on except for john. he refused to go home until a news about his dad's illness reached him forcing him to head off home swiftly. john's dad had a stroke and died soon. he decided to pay savannah a visit after his father's wake and he learned savannah married tim, who's ill and dying soon due to cancer. savannah's still in love with john as revealed by tim himself. savannah was in deep financial turmoil and she was honest about it with john. john decided to end this chapter in his life with savannah on it thus refused to see her again. it was not known to savannah that john sold his dad's coin collection and donated the money for tim's hospitalization even if he's aware his life will be short lived. after tim's death savannah and john's love story continued. t'was a happy ending. everything about the movie was heartbreaking. john's relationship with his dad, the gap there was. his dad showed his love for his son in a very discreet manner had only john seen or felt. john and his dad reconciled though even before his dad passed away. john wrote all his thoughts on a piece of paper while his dad was bedridden and read everything to him. tears welled on his face. sigh. the movie was really poignant in general because there are facts about life that you just can't acknowledge at times because you're afraid to do so.


Antichrist is a 2009 drama/horror film written and directed by Lars von Trier, about a couple who, after the death of their child, retreat to a cabin in the woods where the man experiences strange visions and the woman manifests increasingly violent sexual behaviour. The film features only two actors, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe. The narrative is made up of a prologue, four chapters and an epilogue. The film was primarily a Danish production, but filmed in Germany and co-produced by companies from six different European countries. just check it out in wiki, i didn't like the movie. it's definitely for adults due to the sex scenes. it's more of an art film should i say because it didn't give a damn if the viewers will appreciate it or not and yes the film bagged a lot of awards and controversy after it's released. it was really despairing. i like gothic movies and stuff but it was really heavy and depressing.


The Class (2008), a French movie dubbed in english. the story was simple, a french teacher and a power struggle with his annoying and disrespetful bunch on inter-racial students. the movie really stressed me out. why? the entire movie evolved around the four corners of the classroom and rude students raised possibly in a neighborhood surrounded by people without any respect for each other. why teach students who wouldn't respect and believe what the hell you're saying? i don't think they need to go to school. i think kids like that should stop going to school and waste their parents money. i was really pissed off watching how the students acted in front of the teacher and how difficult they were.

kidlat tahimik: Oh My Gulay!

 Today's national heroes day and I woke up early because of the loud radio. I'm on leave only just for couple of days and will be heading back south soon. 

morning has broken.

I then had coffee and god knows how coffee taste in the morning especially in this kind of weather, sunny yet it's very cold. Mom cooked spaghetti and my sister and i helped out. Went for a walk this morning and the weather is so damn nice. 

OH MY GULAY is situated on the 5th floor of la azotea building. the walls are adorned by beautiful artworks made by local artists. The place was awesome, from the chairs, stairs etc. Tons of really interesting pieces such as paintings, collage and wood carvings. We sat right next to the window which showcases an overlooking view of the city. We had mango juice (P60), lumpia vegetable salad with asian dressing (P110) plus their super sosy crepe topped with whipped cream. The crepe was stuffed with mango and peach then glazed with choco syrup.

We both loved their lumpia vegetable. The place is owned by a renowned baguio artist, kidlat salamat. The same person who also owns Ili Likha (along assumption road also in baguio city). We were both happy with the food and of course the place was the coolest we've seen in baguio so far. Thanks to my sister since t'was her idea. Rain, rain go away...come again after our vacation.