If you don’t understand why everyone is going ga-ga over that certain planner a certain coffeehouse is selling or giving away after you’ve turned fat, broke or insomniac, welcome to the club. Well, there’s nothing wrong with it actually. If you always buy coffee, then it makes perfect sense to avail of the planner in question. In fact, I admire the passion and determination of others to the point of skipping lunch or dinner or both just to grab their copy of that planner every year. (I even know a couple of kids who ask money from their parents and…
From Entertainment
Movie Review: ‘The Hangover’ and the Headache That Didn’t Come With It
Last Thursday, Globe and Warner Bros Pictures invited me to the special screening of “The Hangover” at Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. The people were friendly. The cocktails were fantastic. The movie was entertaining. Entertaining. Hmmm. A good friend asked me if “entertaining” was enough for me to actually like a film. I answered him with a confident “of course.” “Sometimes,” I told him, “I just want to see a movie to be entertained. I have a habit of checking my Film graduate self at the theater door before watching. I don’t expect to be bothered or hope that the…
My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 3)
On with the third batch! If you missed the first two parts, simply click here and here. Note that this is a personal list. These songs may be those that affected me immensely, became an anthem of a certain period of my life, or just personal favorites. Click the title to see the music video or listen to the song. Links will lead you to YouTube. I’m also posting lyrics to the songs. 70. All Saints – Never Ever I love All Saints. I was at the front line on All Saints’ side during the height of their rivalry with…
Andre and the Passersby
SM Megamall Andre, Shy Guy and I were walking around looking for a place to have dinner at when we passed by Petit Monde. The store’s facade is covered with huge posters of Carmen Soo. Yoshke: Nagagandahan ba kayo kay Carmen Soo? Shy Guy: Oo. OK lang. Bakit, ikaw? Yoshke: Oo naman. Ikaw, Andre? Andre: Oo namaaan. Iba kasi eh. Simpleng ganda lang. Parang… parang… parang ako. Hala. Maganda daw sya! Trinoma Days after the Carmen Soo incident, Andre and I found ourselves in Trinoma. I forgot why we were there (but I swear it wasn’t bird-watching). Anyway, this time,…
My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 2)
OK, moving on. If you missed the first part, simply click here. Note that this is a personal list. These songs may be those that affected me immensely, became an anthem of a certain period of my life, or just personal favorites. Click the title to listen to the song. 85. The Pussycat Dolls – Stickwitu I first heard this song when it hit no. 1 in Top of the Pops. The Pussycat Dolls performed it. And I was so blown out of my chair not because the performance was amazing but because I could not believe it was a…
My Top 100 All-Time Favorite Love Songs (Part 1)
After compiling my favorite films of all time, now it’s time to list down the songs that are memorable to me. However, this chart is limited to love songs for I am also planning to feature other types on a separate list. Note that this is a personal list. These songs may be those that affected me immensely, became an anthem of a certain period of my life, or just personal favorites. Click the title to see the music video or listen to the song. Links will lead you to YouTube. I’m also posting lyrics to the songs that I…
Movie Review: Milk (2008)
Genre: Drama; Director: Gus Van Sant Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States. Well, the film is about that. Oh yeah, it’s so timely. With Obama now the President (not that Obama is gay) and the Proposition 8 issue and all. And since it’s a biopic, you know what to watch out for — acting performances. And man did Sean Penn deliver a divine one. It’s probably his best ever. His every twist and turn is so swishy convincing, even…
Movie Review: Revolutionary Road (2008)
Genre: Drama; Directors: Sam Mendes Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon Suburbia. Boring as it seems, suburbia is a deep well of materials for film and TV. The loneliness and grief found in suburbia, as shown in films such as American Beauty and The Safety of Objects, make me wanna thank God I’m living a cosmopolitan life despite EDSA and MMDA. Wala lang, nabanggit ko lang. Revolutionary Road is about two people who are trapped in a predicament called “family.” Personally, I know so many people who call that walled place they stay in a “prison,” rather than a…