Amazing, Impressive Ukrainian Hopak

A friend of mine shared this video to me a while back and I was absolutely blown away when I watched it. Hopak (or Gopak) is the national dance of Ukraine To quote wikipedia: "Much of the seemingly improvised parts involve solo dancers, usually male, performing visually and technically amazing acrobatic feats. These include jumps and spins and are usually the highlight of the performance." You definitely get to see these highlights in the video. The leg and knee strength, the jumping ability, the athleticism and the artistry, and the ease with which they do everything was just astounding.


video uploaded in youtube by Денис Печененко

The title of this video in English is "Incredible Ukrainians in the Virsky Ensemble. Hopak." Gotta say, they definitely are incredible.

Movie weekend

After kicking off the month by watching three movies in five days, I now end the month watching two movies in two days. Cool.

Paki

photo from the Paki Please/Care facebook page

I haven't really had a chance to watch Filipino indie movies so when my friend suggested that we go watch Paki which was written and directed by her nephew Giancarlo Abraham, I decided to find the time to see it. This movie had a very, very limited release as part of the Cinema One Originals festival but I managed to find a schedule that worked for me. The cast was led by Dexter Doria whose character Alejandra is the center of the story that features complex family dynamics and fragile relationships. This movie was interesting but what stood out to me the most was the performance of the cast. Dexter Doria and Noel Trinidad, who portrayed her husband, were especially good, but the rest of the supporting cast put in solid deliveries too. A lot of scenes were devoted to shots of Alejandra in her moments of contemplation and retrospection - Dexter pulled these scenes off really well - and I felt it was a good way to show how someone can be surrounded by so many people yet still almost have a sense of loneliness. I do think that the pacing was a bit on the slow side and that a couple of the confrontation scenes were a tad rushed or underdeveloped but it was a good movie overall. I'm happy I was able to see it and support a local indie film. I should really find more time to see other local indie films.

Justice League

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League_(film)

I have been hearing negative reviews about this latest DC movie but I still had to see it. Now that I've seen it, I have to say I actually enjoyed it. SPOILER ALERT: Please stop reading if you don't want to know more about this movie. I guess the challenge that DC faces is that it gets automatically compared to Marvel, which did a fantastic job in slowly introducing each of its heroes in individual movies before putting them all together in the Avengers movies. DC hasn't really done that for all its characters in Justice League, with the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg all being introduced at the same time. I didn't really mind that. There's enough of a backstory for Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman (I won't reveal what kind of appearance Superman makes so you will have to see it for yourself). I gotta say though that as cool as Cyborg is, I'm still not quite sure exactly what his abilities are. It will be interesting to see more of him in the future. Also, Wonder Woman's durability is absolutely impressive. She may not be as strong as Superman but boy, can she take a hit and get back up afterwards. I also really liked the final post-credits scene. While a lot of people may not be as interested in the upcoming DC films, I think I will continue to watch. :)

Game nights are back. And with a vengeance.

Last October, I didn't have any game nights for the first time in a couple of years. This November, I ended up having a game night practically every week. :) The cool thing about this month is that I got to play a lot of new games.

My first game night was with my casual gaming friends (plus a few more serious ones). We first played Clank! and I won again. I have now played this game four times and I have won three of them. I really love this game and the fact that I do well in it makes it even more enjoyable to play. We then played Century Spice Road (which I also won) and by then, there were already a lot of people so I pulled out my new game, Steampunk Rally. I hadn't played this game before but I got it because up to 8 players can play it so it is ideal for big groups. There were 7 of us and all were first time players so gameplay was quite slow but it was really interesting. In the end, I managed to place second - I was actually in a tie for first in terms of points but to break ties, the person with the most machine parts wins and I had less parts than Cla who ended up winning. We wrapped up the night by playing Stockpile - another one of my new games which I played for the first time - and this one I ended up in last place out of five players. (And by a large margin LOL.)

Steampunk Rally

I joined my second game night of the month a week later and once again, my evening consisted of a mix of new games and games I had played before. The first one I played was the expansion of Splendor which is Cities of Splendor. This one was pretty interesting because there are four expansions and we got to try two of them - the Cities and the Orient. Tobie won all three rounds we played. After that, Tobie introduced us to Tzolk'in: The Mayan Calendar. It was my first time playing this game which has a very beautiful board and some pretty awesome art. I actually really enjoyed this game and I would definitely like to play it again. Afterwards, we played Orleans which I had played many times before but which Tobie (and I think Tania) had not played before. The sad thing about this was that I gave an incorrect instruction that may have cost Tobie the game - eep! my bad! - but at least Tobie still enjoyed it. Mitch owns this game and lent it to me so I may just bring it again on our next game night in December. We capped off the evening playing Santorini, which Tobie also hadn't played before. Cool.

Tzolk'in

The last two games night of the month actually happened within a few days of each other. Mike had just returned from a trip to Europe that included a stop in Essen where one of the biggest game fairs was being held. He came home with Clans of Caledonia which he really wanted to play. One the first night, we started out playing a couple of rounds of Century Spice Road before moving to Clans of Caledonia. This game is actually a really good worker placement game and I ended up winning. Mike really enjoyed playing this game and so we agreed to play again a few days later.

Clans of Caledonia (photos taken by my friend Myna)

The second time I played it, the scores were a lot closer. I was assigned a different clan with a different strength so I had to take a very different approach in playing. Thankfully, it still worked since I ended up winning, but this time by only 3 points (I won by maybe 20 to 30 points the first time around).

I still have more games at home that I haven't played yet so I am looking forward to having more game nights and getting to play my new games. And trying out other games that my friends have. The popular game among my serious gaming friends right now is Terraforming Mars so hopefully I get to play that one soon.

November hodgepodge

My high school friends and I met up at Novotel in Cubao (next to Araneta Coliseum) to celebrate Iona's birthday. I don't get to go to Cubao very often so I didn't know that there was a Novotel there. The hotel buffet spread is pretty good and I ended up overeating as I tend to do when I go to all-you-can-eat places. I also finally got to give Joyce my birthday gift to her - a Spot It! game - and she ended up playing it with Iona's kids after dinner.

I also finally got my SSS Unified Multi-purpose ID! When I applied for it about 4 months ago, I was told to expect it within 3 to 6 months. I was expecting it to arrive closer to 6 months so I am quite happy to have gotten it sooner than that.

A bit of unfortunate news. One night, I parked my car right next to a waist-high metal post - the kind they hang ropes on to cordon off an area - and I completely forgot it was there when I drove out. Since I left the parking lot very late at night, there were no other cars next to me so I just swung the car wide heading towards the exit. It was then that I heard the metal post scrape against the right side of my car. Crap. The sadder thing is that it scratched two panels. Not sure how much the paint job will cost me but at least the car repair man will earn a bit of extra money in time for Christmas. I just have to view it that way so I don't get too dismayed.

I also got to try Uberpool for the first time. I wasn't in any rush and I was having difficulty getting an UberX so I decided to try Uberpool and I managed to book a car quite quickly. Cool! I tend not to be a very sociable person while traveling - I don't particularly like talking to strangers while in transit, and yes, that includes people sitting next to me on planes - so I decided to sit in front (I was the first to get picked up). Not a bad experience apart from the fact that the guy we passed by wasn't at the pick-up point when we got there (the Uber driver had to message him to say we were there) but I did save about P100. I guess I will try Uberpool again in the future on days or nights that I am not in a rush.

Nadal is the ATP year-end #1!

This post is a month late but I can't let the month pass without congratulating Rafa Nadal for clinching the year-end #1 ranking. This is the fourth time that Rafa ends the year #1. He also achieved this feat in 2008, 2010, 2013 and now in 2017. He is the only player so far - male or female - to regain the year-end #1 ranking three times (interestingly enough, he has never been the year-end #1 on consecutive years). Way to go, Rafa!

For the 4th time in his career, @RafaelNadal reigns as Year-End No. 1 in the @emirates ATP Rankings. 👑 https://t.co/LUyV8b9xrA pic.twitter.com/VZsb0JszAX

— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) November 1, 2017

Nadal now also holds the record for oldest year-end #1. I do have the feeling though that with the way Roger Federer has been playing, he may actually take this record from Rafa at some point early next year; Roger is just 1000 points behind Rafa right now. I still find it incredibly impressive that Rafa and Roger are at the top of the rankings again this year, and by a pretty good margin (Grigor Dimitrov is #3 but more than 4,000 points behind Roger).

The 2017 Year-End Top 10 in the @emirates ATP Rankings! 🙌

Nadal & Federer in year-end Top 2 for 1st time since 2010 as 5 new faces finish season strong ➡️ https://t.co/4EgR0LdTn5 pic.twitter.com/LEQlDLjR9i

— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) November 27, 2017

Hopefully Rafa Nadal can maintain or stay close to his 2017 form. I would love for him to stay at #1 for a bit longer and win the French Open again. Whatever happens in the remainder of his career though, there really is no question that Rafa is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Congratulations, Rafa!

Sugarbee Sansrival Chips

I discovered these Sugarbee Sansrival Chips while in Powerplant Mall one weekend. They usually have a space at the weekend Baker's Dozen at the basement of the mall during weekends and I have purchased cakes and cupcakes from them before. In fact, I was there to get a Salted Caramel cake to bring to a game night with my friends. While there, I saw these Sansrival Chips on the display and I asked the sales person what they were. Apparently they are meringue with cashews. I was offered a free taste and upon trying it, I immediately loved it. Naturally, I had to buy a big container for myself (I think it's about P280).

The problem with these sansrival chips is that they are tremendously addictive. :) Try them when you can.

Sugarbee
https://www.facebook.com/SugarBeePH/
Tel#: 85-0557, 502-1150
Mob#: 0905-378-4774

Kitchen Disaster

Now that I have my kitchen stuff sorted out, I decided to try cooking more proper food. (By that I mean something that isn't instant mac and cheese. :)) Unfortunately, my first couple of attempts were miserable failures LOL.

I had a couple of supposedly simple recipes. One was for steak and the other was for mustard pork chops. The mustard pork chop recipe I had was from more than a decade ago: spread dijon mustard all over your pork chops, coat in a good amount of salt and pepper, then fry. I was actually able to make this successfully a couple of times in the past and in fact, I cooked it for other people one time when I was assigned abroad. As such, I was fully expecting to be able to pull it off again this time around. Unfortunately, I did not. My mustard pork chops ended up being too salty and the pork didn't get the depth of flavor I wanted it to get.

The steak recipe I used is from Jamie Oliver and I decided to go with the simplest version: olive oil, salt, and pepper. Unfortunately, this turned out a lot worse than the pork chops. I think it all stemmed from the fact that my steak wasn't as properly thawed as it should. As such, the outside was cooked but the inside was practically more than rare so I had to cook it much longer than expected. The steak ended up being overcooked, tough and rubbery. Yuck.

Not one to throw away any pseudo-edible food, I still ate everything I cooked. I paired both dishes with tagliatelle pasta cooked in bottled bolognese sauce. Even the first batch of pasta I prepared didn't turn out very well since some noodles were not fully cooked. Thankfully, the second batch was better. If the improvement in my second batch of pasta is any indicator, then hopefully I will learn from my horrible mistakes with the pork chops and the steak and cook them better next time. Wish me luck!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi "Awake"

OMG I cannot wait to see this!!! Just a few weeks to go...


video uploaded in youtube by Star Wars

Rest in Peace, Jana Novotna

This is very sad news for tennis fans who followed the sport back in the late 1980s to 1990s. Jana Novotna, the 1998 Wimbledon champion and winner of multiple Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles titles, passed away. She sadly succumbed to cancer at the age of 49.

photo from http://www.wtatennis.com

Jana achieved a career-high ranking of #2 and her mastery of the serve-and-volley style allowed her to remain competitive throughout her career. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005, six years after her retirement. While most other players are remembered for their major wins, Jana gained fame from her 1993 loss in the Wimbledon final to Steffi Graf. Jana was up 4-1 in the third set and was a point away from going up 5-1 before having monumental collapse and allowing Graf to regain control of the match and rattle off the next 5 games to win the championship. Jana could not hold back her tears during the awarding ceremony and she ended up crying on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent. She lost another Wimbledon final in 1997 to Martina Hingis before she finally achieved success on her third final appearance.



I join the tennis world and her family and friends in mourning her loss. Rest in peace, Jana.

Three movies in five days

For the first time this year, I watched three movies in a single month. In fact, I watched them all in a span of just five days. I think it's because I knew Justice League was coming out in mid-November and I figured that by the time it hit the cinemas, two of three movies I really wanted to see would no longer be showing. As such, I had to make sure to catch them while they were still being screened.

Bad Genius

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Genius

This is hands down my favorite movie of the year. I learned about this Thai movie through word-of-mouth. It was supposed to be this really good film so I did a bit of research and I saw that it won all sorts of international awards. I knew then that I had to see it. And now that I've seen it, I can say that it exceeded my already high expectations. Bad Genius is smart, edgy, fast-paced, and well-written. The film is inspired by real-life news of students cheating on the SAT and I first thought that it would be like the 2004 film The Perfect Score but it turned out to be much more complex and layered. Despite reading about all its awards, I didn't think I would feel as tense as I did watching it, which is even more impressive because I still felt the intensity despite having to read subtitles. You also can't help but root for the lead character Lynn, who is portrayed so incredibly well by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying. Apart from the amazing storytelling and the great performances (I also loved the performance of Thaneth Warakulnukroh who portrayed Lynn's dad), what made this film powerful and compelling is its underlying social commentary. I was so blown away by this film that I was so tempted to applaud once the credits started rolling. :) Seriously, if you get a chance to watch it, you should.

Loving Vincent

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_Vincent

I didn't know about this film until my friend mentioned it to me. Shortly after, I saw the trailer and I knew that I had to see it as well. Not only is Loving Vincent the first fully painted film, it is painted in the very unique and recognizable style of legendary Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh and many of the characters and scenes in the movie are inspired by his art. The film is set a year after Van Gogh's death and the story is about the lead character's search for truth regarding the artist's demise. I am a somewhat familiar with Van Gogh's art (I am fortunate to have been able to visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam) and the fact that he had mental problems and that he took his own life but this film provided me with more glimpses into his life and the challenges he faced due to his condition. It also provided a bit of intrigue and doubt that kept me really interested to see how the story would unfold. Loving Vincent has its own fair share of awards and I'm really happy I got to see it. Read more about this film in their official website: http://lovingvincent.com/.

Thor: Ragnarok

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor:_Ragnarok

November hasn't all been about award-winning artistic films. I also got to see a blockbuster in Thor: Ragnarok. I think Marvel has figured out its formula of using lots of solid superhero action sequences framed by many comedic moments that don't take the superheroes too seriously and the same is true in this third installment of the Thor franchise. Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song is played in the major fight scenes, adding a tremendous amount of edge and oomph. Cate Blanchett plays Hela, the goddess of death, and she is a great addition to the film. I also love how Loki, despite being a supervillain, is able to switch quite seamlessly between good guy and bad guy while still maintaining his character's integrity (credit to Tom Hiddleston for being able to pull this off). Thor has always been one of my favorite superheroes so I love how he seems to grown into his power over the last few films. I'm in the minority in that I'm still a bit partial to the more serious superhero film styles so I think I still like the first Thor a bit more than this one but I definitely like this a lot more than the second one. I have to say though that I thought the final post-credits scene was not worth staying in the movie theater for. :)