Thursday, June 28, 2018

Movie watching in June

Incredibles 2


The Incredibles is one of my favorite animated films so when this sequel was announced, on the one hand I was excited to see what would happen but on the other hand I also had a bit of trepidation that this second outing wouldn't live up to the greatness of the first. Thankfully, it did. In fact, I find it to be a perfect sequel in that its story integrates seamlessly and effortlessly with the first. In fact, I feel that if you watch both movies one after the other, it would be like you're watching just one film. The script and the characters are all very well-written. Jack-Jack proves to be a bit of a star here but everyone has their moments, including the very cool Edna Mode. I also loved the introduction of many new heroes and the fight scenes and action sequences are very well-choreographed and executed. Considering that I watched so many good movies already this year, this might just be close to, if not at, the top of my list of favorite films I've seen in 2018.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom


I am, and will always be, a sucker for dinosaur films so I made sure to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom even if it wasn't getting very good reviews. The movie takes the moral question of the creation of life to another level with the impending destruction of Isla Nublar and the debates as to whether the dinosaurs should be saved or left to perish. Aside from that, the story is pretty simple: sell dinosaurs for indecent amounts of money and create even more monstrous, genetically-engineered ones. For the most part, I really enjoyed the movie, although I will say that the greater moral dilemma about genetic engineering that is tackled towards the end of the movie was, for me, a bit out of place (I mean, it's a very good topic for discourse, except I wasn't expecting it in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom).
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Friday, June 22, 2018

Eden Cheese: Drayber

I remembered this video because it was Father's Day last Sunday. I saw it a while back and I was moved by it for many reasons. It's a commercial for Eden Cheese entitled "Drayber" and I think it was released last year.


video uploaded in youtube by Eden Cheese PH

What I liked about this ad was how it pays homage to single mothers who also take on the role of father to their children. But beyond that, I was tremendously moved by its vivid imagery of how life is for many people who are not born into privilege. The mother has taken on many jobs, all of which require a lot of physical, mental, and emotional energy, just to make ends meet. She then comes home to her children who prepare a special meal for her: giniling that is made even more special by cubes of Eden cheese added to it. It was that scene that actually hit me. To many people, giniling is a regular meal that they can easily have on any given day. And here, this family prepares giniling as a celebration dinner. It just makes you realize that many things we take for granted are things that are very special and of great value to many others.

I'm not sure how this family came to become a single-mother family. If you look at 0:09 of the video, you will see a picture that seems to include the father so I don't know if he passed away, left them, or if his absence is due to some other reason. In any case, I found it tremendously heartwarming to see the great love this family had for each other. I stupidly ended up looking through the comments section and saw so much vitriol spewed against this ad - from homophobic remarks to anger that it wasn't a real father who was being celebrated in this video. In my opinion, those people seemed to have missed the point of what I thought was a very well-made commercial. Kudos to Eden Cheese and the advertising team for creating and releasing this commercial.
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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

French Open #11!

Congratulations Rafa Nadal for winning the French Open for a mind-blowing 11th time! He just keeps on adding on to the records he holds and it is just incredible to witness. Rafa just refuses to relinquish his throne as the King of Clay.




Let's break down just how phenomenal Nadal's win is:

  • Rafa is now in a tie with Margaret Court for the most titles won in a single Grand Slam tournament (Court won the Australian Open 11 times).
  • Rafa now has 17 major titles. A decade or so ago, it seemed unlikely if not impossible for a male player to get close to the singles Grand Slam count of tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Now, Federer has passed them and Rafa is just one shy of tying them. Amazing.
  • His record at the French Open is 86 wins and 2 losses. That is just unreal.
  • By defending his title, he retains the ATP #1 ranking.
  • He has now won three tournaments eleven times. No other male player has won an event 11 times and now Rafa has achieved this three times.

Given the way that he is playing now, barring any injury, I think he still has a good chance to add more Roland Garros singles titles in the future. Many people thought would not be able to stay at the top of the game for too long given how physically exhausting his playing style is but he has continued to defy the odds and show the world the importance of passion and hard work.

*****

I am also happy that Simona Halep finally shakes off the "best player never to have won" a Grand Slam title by coming from behind to beat Sloane Stephens in three sets in the final. She lost three Grand Slam finals - 2 of them at the French Open in 2014 and in 2017  and one at the Australian Open earlier this year - so I was rooting for her to win. By beating Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals, she also ensured that she would remain #1.




That said, my second favorite moment in Roland Garros (Rafa's win was obviously my favorite) was seeing Nicolas Mahut's son run on court and jump into Nicolas' arms to celebrate the doubles title that Mahut won with his partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert. It is just such a beautiful moment:




Congratulations to all the French Open winners!
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Thursday, May 31, 2018

Airbnb find in Tagaytay: Casa dlF

My friends and I initially planned to have an out-of-town overnight trip last December but it didn't push through because people's schedules were tight. I suggested we instead head out of town during the summer so last March, I revived that plan and I started looking for venues in Airbnb that could comfortably house our entire group. I then saw Casa dlF, a 3-storey Rest House in Tagaytay. The pictures in their Airbnb listing looked very interesting and it looked like the place had more than enough room to house a group our size so I shared it with my friends and everyone thought it was a good idea. I decided to book it immediately.


When we got there, I have to say that our already high expectations were exceeded. The place is beautiful! My friend's daughter even said that she was very happy that we chose this place. Cool! For the first half hour or so of me being there, I think I just kept going around all three floors plus the rooftop taking photos (I ended up taking more than a hundred over that weekend LOL).


The place is also huge! The second floor was already very spacious and there are three floors. There are also many windows and the doors allow lots of light to come in. The first and second floors had two doors each, and we kept them open to allow the fresh Tagaytay air to come in.


As if the space of the common areas wasn't enough, even the bedrooms were big. Each room has multiple beds. The 2nd floor alone can probably house up to 20 people. (There are two more bedrooms on the 1st floor and another one on the 3rd floor. Up to 30 or so people can actually stay overnight here). All rooms are air-conditioned and each one has its own bathroom.


While the second floor common area has a bit of a more "normal" design, the ground floor common area showcases more of the Moorish inspiration. There are more seating options here, both inside and outside. I also think it's pretty cool that there is a fountain at the center of the room.


The first floor seating areas are very plush and are decorated with colorful and intricate tapestries and fabrics.


Adding more personality and uniqueness to the ground floor is the bathroom, which has walls that are covered in irregular glass pieces. We didn't get to use it but it was really very interesting. :)


To go up and down the three floors, you can choose to use the indoor stairs or the outdoor steps. All of them are decorated with beautiful tiles.


The primary attraction of the third floor is the very big veranda. We spent a lot of time lounging about here in the afternoon. My friend also played board games with the kids using the huge table at the center of the space. The 3rd floor is also the only place in the house where you can get a good mobile signal.


You can head up to a section of the rooftop via a metal staircase. There are some pretty awesome views of the gardens and greenery from there.


You can also see the Moorish-inspired dome that is directly on top of the indoor staircase.


The multi-colored windows allow light to come in to illuminate the stairs. Inside the dome is this very interesting decorative art piece.


Casa dlF doesn't have WiFi and the mobile signal is weak except on the 3rd floor. There is a TV somewhere according to the info on their Airbnb listing but we didn't use it. As such, this is a perfect place for groups to hang out to enjoy each other's company. Given its size, I would say it is also ideal for large families or groups of friends that are traveling to Tagaytay together (e.g. for an outing or to attend a wedding). There is also a lot of parking.


When I shared a picture on social media, I got a few questions from people asking for the details of this place. It really is very photogenic, both during the day and at night.


I have to say, apart from being big and beautiful, this place has so much personality and charm. After taking a ton of photos, I realized I didn't get to take one with me in it so before we left, I had to address that situation. :)


While renting this place is not cheap for small groups, it does become quite affordable for bigger groups (15 and up). I definitely recommend staying here, and maybe my friends and I (or even a different set of friends) will get to book this amazing house again in the future.

Casa dlF - a 3-storey Rest House in Tagaytay
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5033810
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Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story

My streak of watching Star Wars films on opening night or during advanced screening continues as I got to see Solo: A Star Wars Story on opening night. This streak goes all the way back to 2002 when Attack of the Clones came out. In fact, from Attack of the Clones all the way to Rogue One, I always got to see the midnight advanced screening. Too bad they stopped this practice starting with The Last Jedi. Of all the Star Wars films that have come out, Solo was probably the one I was least excited to see. With all the main films, I wanted to see how the story would develop. And with Rogue One, I was curious to see how the rebellion would manage to get the blueprints of the first Death Star. However, this latest movie was a backstory of Han Solo. That said, it is a Star Wars film and any Star Wars film will always excite me enough to want to watch it as soon as I possibly can. :)


Spoiler alert: please stop reading if you don't want to know anything about the movie.

So what did I think of the film? I am quite happy that this was a relatively light and mainly feel-good film. The last two - Rogue One and The Last Jedi - were both quite heavy, with some deaths and near-deaths of some critical characters in the Star Wars saga. While Solo starts off with a bit of a tragedy, the general tone of the film was quite upbeat.

Friends of mine who watch the Clone Wars animated series said that fans of that show will appreciate Solo a lot more due to the many Clone Wars references. I personally don't watch the Clone Wars (maybe I should) but I still found the film to be quite enjoyable. I liked seeing how Han and Chewbacca became friends. I also loved that train action sequence, although the early departure of Thandy Newton's character Val was a bit unfortunate. It was exciting to see Darth Maul again but  I had to think about the implication of his appearance. When exactly was he supposed to have died? It was when Anakin was a kid so Han wouldn't have been born yet so if this was decades after he was cut in half, how did he survive? I also like how they showed Han winning the Millennium Falcon in a game of cards and how his relationship with Lando was established. I also love how the lead pirate was a child. Seeing her face when she took off her headgear was quite surprising. I loved that Warwick Davis was there! Warwick played the ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi. Another cool thing about the movie is how it shows Han not being officially aligned with the rebellion yet somehow still helping them, which is the same thing that happened in A New Hope. I also though that Alden Ehrenreich did quite well, considering that he had to play an iconic character who was brought to life by the one-of-a-kind Harrison Ford. The one down side for me is how C-3PO and R2-D2 didn't seem to be in this film. (Either that or I just missed them.) If they weren't, then this is the first Star Wars feature film that didn't have the 2 droids in it.

All in all, Solo: A Star Wars Story is a lot of fun to watch and cool addition to the Star Wars franchise.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2018

The Lost Bread

I've been going to Megamall a bit more frequently recently. On another trip there, I yet again wanted to try a restaurant that I hadn't tried before. So when I passed by The Lost Bread and saw that it had both savory meals and a lot of desserts, I knew I had to try this place.


I believe this restaurant is primarily a dessert place but it does feature four "Affordabowls": Sriracha Chicken, which is apparently their bestseller, Truffled Sisig, Sinigang Sukiyaki, and Beef Tapa. I initially wanted to try the Sriracha Chicken but I was told it was really spicy. I could ask them to make it only mildly spicy but I was worried the spiciness would ruin my taste for dessert after so I decided to go with the Sinigang Sukiyaki (P168) instead. This fusion dish is like a deconstructed sinigang with the beef having a bit of a creamy texture and served with the usual sinigang vegetables on top or rice that is prepared risotto-style, steeped in sinigang soup. I do think the rice was steeped in too much sinigang soup though, I would have liked it to be less soggy. But flavor and concept-wise,  it was a good dish (and affordable too).

Sinigang Sukiyaki Affordabowl (P168)

They don't serve normal soda drinks but they do have their own special sodas. I decided to try That Peachy Bum (P140). It was light and refreshing.

That Peachy Bum soda (P140)

I was initially planning to try their Sub-Zero ice cream, with its interesting blue color, but when I saw a variety of shakes, I decided to go with that instead. I went with their Bonfire Baby Overshake (P140), which seems to be a S'mores-inspired shake with its torched marshmallows, and graham cracker dust. Conceptually it seemed really good but I actually found it a tad sweet. (It's called a baby overshake because it is smaller than their regular-sized premium overshakes.)

Bonfire Baby Overshake (P140)

While I did think that two of the items I ordered that might had room for improvement, I am actually still interested to revisit this place and try the other items on their menu. Maybe next time I will be a bit more adventurous and try their Sriracha Chicken (mildly spicy version) and partner it with a Sub-Zero ice cream. If (when?) I do, I will write about it again.


The Lost Bread is located on the 4th floor of the SM Megamall Fashion Hall. They have another branch in StrEat Maginhawa Food Park.
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Monday, May 28, 2018

My first Ippudo experience

I finally got to try Ippudo, which is reputed to be one of the best ramen places in the Philippines. I was able to try it because I was in Megamall one evening and while thinking of where to have dinner, I decided to eat at a place I hadn't tried before. Thankfully, when I got to Ippudo, there were still available seats.


I decided to go basic with my first even ramen order by selecting the Shiromaru Tamago which is Ippudo's original tonkotsu broth with ultra-thin noodles and topped with pork belly and pork loin and salted soft boiled egg.


I actually also ordered the Pork Bun which is pork belly with Ippudo's special sauce and Japanese mayonnaise. I forgot to take a photo of it though because I was so hungry that I ate it as soon as it was served. I kinda think that it was easy enough for me to get a seat because I got there in the late evening so most people might have already finished eating by that time. (Despite this, the place was still pretty packed when I ate there.)


While I did enjoy my food, I do think that from a ramen standpoint, I actually like Ramen Nagi better. I also like Ikkoryu better, at least when it was new (I kinda think the quality of the broth in Ikkoryu sort of deteriorated since it first opened in Manila). The pork bun was also good but I actually like the Kakuni Buns of Ramen Bar. I don't think there is still a Ramen Bar in the Philippines since I haven't seen a Ramen Bar in ages but I actually loved their Kakuni Buns and I always ordered it with my ramen when I ate there before.
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Sunday, May 27, 2018

New TV

When I visited my family last Sunday, my mom asked if I was going to the mall because she wanted to get a new TV. Apparently, one of our two TVs at home - and the last remaining working picture tube TV we had - finally conked out. Now normally, when an appliance breaks down, you have it repaired. However, this was a picture tube television, which is pretty much obsolete. To have it fixed would probably cost as much as, if not more than, an inexpensive new TV. So it just made better sense to get a new one. Thankfully, there are a few inexpensive but decent brands now.

I ended up getting a Skyworth LED, which is the same brand that I got for my grandmother a couple of years ago. While the plan was to replace the broken TV on the 2nd floor, we realized that the new one I got is a bit bigger than the one we had in the living room. I left it to my family to decide whether they would set up this new TV in the living room or on the 2nd floor. I guess I'll find out what they decided to do when I visit again this weekend.
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Friday, May 25, 2018

Reunions galore

2018 seems to be a year of reconnection for me because I continue to have so many opportunities to spend time with friends, including those who now live abroad. The last weekend was clear proof of this. It started out with lunch on Saturday. My college buddy Nemboy and his family were in Manila - I can't recall now but I believe it was because they were on vacation - and we met up with him in Elias in Bonifacio High Street. Despite the relatively short notice, a handful of us were able to join the mini-reunion. We spent a couple of hours in Elias before moving over to Single Origin next door for coffee and dessert. I would have wanted to have a waffle but I overate in Elias despite the fact that our sinigang was too salty LOL so I ended up just splitting the smaller Cappuccino Lava Cake with Letlet. But not after taking Nemboy's wife Kamela and their daughter to Piandre because their daughter needed to have a haircut. I decided to take them to Piandre since I needed to walk off a bit of what I just ate LOL.

It was late afternoon when we parted ways. I didn't go too far after that though because I had game night in the Taguig area that evening. We played several games, including a couple that I got to try for the first time. Burgle Bros. is a really cool cooperative game while Queendomino is kinda like Carcassonne in terms of how scoring works but not really in terms of game play. We very narrowly lost in Burgle Bros. but I'm happy that I won Queen Domino. We also had a belated birthday celebration for Tobie. Because he liked dark chocolate and peanut butter desserts, I decided to get a Garth Vader cake from Salt Bakery/The Noodle Bakes since that dessert is a peanut butter sponge with a cream and chocolate ganache frosting. Thankfully Tobie liked it. Game night for me ended in the wee hours of the morning and given that I was up quite early on Saturday, it meant that I had a very long but very fun and fulfilling day.

The next day, I had drinks with my English friend David. I used to see David quite a bit when he was based in Australia because he would have occasional trips to Manila but he moved to Costa Rica a few years ago. I think the last time I saw him may have been in 2014 so when he said he would be coming to Manila for a business trip, I made sure I would be able to meet him. We ended up having drinks in Samba, which is the restobar at the pool area of Shangri-La in BGC, which is where he was staying. Both of us had early days on Monday so we called it a night at around 11pm, but not after a really good discussion about our future plans, both short term and long term. I realized I actually miss having those kinds of conversations.

Thankfully, I still had some energy the next day because after work, I had to drive all the way to Tomas Morato to join my ex-colleagues from my first job for our reunion with Raych, who was visiting Manila from Australia. I'm happy that we now get to see Raych about once a year; in the past, I think we would only see her about once every 2-4 years. Bett suggested we have dinner in Fleur De Lys. I was very familiar with this place because I am a big fan of their Florentines (which I forgot to order as take home when I left, probably because I was yet again very full from our meal).

After three consecutive days of reunions and get-togethers, I had a short break before the last reunion that week, which was dinner with some of my ex-colleagues in Skinny Mike's on Thursday. When we selected the date for our reunion, Jody suggested that we just have dinner in Skinny Mike's because he had a gig there on the date that we set. Initially, it seemed like a good idea so that we would get to see Jody perform live but once the first band started playing, we immediately realized that it wasn't exactly the ideal venue to catch up because we couldn't really hear ourselves over the live music. We actually ended up like millennials since we decided to chat on messenger while the bands were playing so we could communicate without straining our voices. It was a really funny and unique experience and we were all laughing about it as we were doing it. :) Apart from getting see people I hadn't hung out with in a while, it was also the first time I went to a gig in ages. Thankfully, the bands that performed were good. My old boss was also there so I got to catch up with him too. All in all, it was a great night and a great way to end a series of pretty awesome reunions with great friends.
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Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Nadal wins Italian Open #8

The King of Clay is at it again. After losing to Dominic Thiem in Madrid in the previous week, Rafa Nadal returned to form and won the Italian Open in Rome, beating Alexander Zverev in three sets to win the title.



This is Nadal's 8th title in Rome. What's interesting though is that of all the clay court tournaments in the lead-up to the French open, this is the one in which he is least successful. Yes, this is his 8th Italian Open title, and only a scant few people have won the same event 8 or more times. However, the last time Nadal won here was in 2013. He lost to Novak Djokovic in 2014 and only got to the quarterfinals from 2015 to 2017.



This win allowed Nadal to return to the #1 ranking after dropping to #2 when he lost in the quarterfinals in Madrid. He and Roger Federer have switched places at the top of the tennis world a handful of times this year already. I can't say this enough but it's truly amazing how these two legends are still the top 2 players in the world.



The Italian Open title definitely strengthens Nadal's chances of winning at Roland Garros which starts next week. I'm hopeful that by the end of the French Open, Nadal will yet again be the last man standing.
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Monday, May 07, 2018

Petron Blaze Spikers win the PSL Grand Prix

Congratulations Petron Blaze Spikers for winning the Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix. They exacted revenge against F2 Logistics, who beat them in last year's Grand Prix final.



Petron seemed to be the heavy favorites early in the tournament since they were undefeated in the first half of the eliminations, maintaining a streak that included a win over F2. Their air of invincibility was shattered, however, when Sta. Lucia upset them in straight sets. With F2 going on an undefeated run of their own, it was interesting to see how the final would unfold.

In the end, the firepower of Petron's new import Kath Bell (who replaced an injured Hillary Hurley) and the leadership and will-to-win of their captain Lindsay Stalzer proved just enough to give Petron the trophy. Stalzer in fact was declared tournament MVP, making her the only two-time MVP in the Grand Prix.



F2 Logistics actually dominated the individual awards, taking 5 out of the 10 awards given out. While most of the awardees were imports, three of the awardees were local players: Kim Fajardo was best setter, Aby Marano was best middle blocker, and Mika Reyes was second best middle blocker. Amazing how all three local player awardees are from DLSU and how all of them actually played together in the UAAP.



Petron and F2 Logistics seem to have taken a step further than most, since these two teams played against each other in the last three PSL tournaments. That said, the Grand Prix featured a lot of tough, close matches and a large chunk of the games went 4 or 5 sets, including some pretty interesting upsets and come-from-behind victories, so there's no telling how things will turn out in the future. With Jaja Santiago graduating from the UAAP, she may be able to focus more on her PSL career and if she remains teamed up with her sister, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, they could very well make Foton more formidable than they are now. I am definitely looking forward to see what happens in the next PSL tournament.

Congratulations, Petron Blaze Spikers!
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Wednesday, May 02, 2018

DSLU Lady Spikers Repeat the Three-peat and the NU Bulldogs Win Again

Congratulations to the DLSU Lady Spikers for winning the UAAP Women's Volleyball Championship! Add this to their titles in the previous two seasons and you have another three-peat. La Salle has now achieved this remarkable feat three times - S66 to S68, S73 to S74, and now S78 to S80. They have also won the title 7 times in the last 10 years and they have competed in the finals in each of those 10 years. That is impressive.




The Lady Spikers had two losses in the first round - against NU and Adamson - but proceeded to win all of their games after that. They faced FEU in the finals after the Lady Tamaraws beat the Ateneo Lady Eagles in the semifinals, marking the first time in the last 6 years that Ateneo failed to the reach the finals. FEU captain Bernadeth Pons played inspired volleyball the entire season and while it helped the Lady Tams get to the final for the first time since S71, it wasn't enough against the DLSU juggernaut. In fact, the Lady Spikers were so dominant late in the season that they didn't drop a set in the semifinals against NU and in the finals against FEU. Dawn Macandili made history yet again for being the first libero to be awarded Finals MVP in the UAAP.




DLSU will need to replace some incredible players next year since Dawn, Kim Dy, and Majoy Baron are all graduating. In fact, this trio are so impressive that they each have a UAAP MVP award - Kim was finals MVP in S78, Majoy was season MVP in S79, and Dawn is finals MVP this year. Wow!




On the men's side, National University finally came out on top against Ateneo, the team that brought them heartache over the last 3 years. While NU won the title back in S76 against Ateneo, the Blue Eagles with the help of volleyball legend Marck Espejo, beat NU in the finals in each of the last 3 years. ADMU seemed to still have the edge over NU in the first round but NU finally broke a 13-game losing streak against their rivals to end the second round. There was no looking back after that.




Not to say the road to the trophy was easy. Ateneo played tremendously well in Game 2 of the finals after NU beat them in straight sets in Game 1. The game was so close that both sets 2 and 4 went way past 25 points. NU won set 2 with a score of 31-29 and they also won set 4 with an even more incredible score of 33-31. In the end, it was NU's wider range of scoring options that got them the win.

Bryan Bagunas was awarded finals MVP but I have to mention the fact that Mark Espejo achieved something that may not be achieved by anyone else in my lifetime (or ever): he won season MVP in all five years that he played in the UAAP, including during his rookie year. In fact, he also got at least two awards in each of those playing years. Phenomenal!

Congratulations again to the DLSU Lady Spikers and the NU Bulldogs!
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Tuesday, May 01, 2018

Nadal wins Barcelona #11

Another week, another record. As if winning one tournament eleven times wasn't enough, Rafa Nadal repeats his achievement last week at Monte Carlo when he took home the Barcelona title for the 11th time. That is just astounding.




By winning the title, Nadal manages to retain his very slim 100 point lead over Federer to remain at the top of the rankings for another week. This is also his 77th title, putting him on equal fourth place (in a tie with John McEnroe) for most singles titles won. By winning the Barcelona title without dropping a set, Nadal extends his current streak to 19 wins on clay and a whopping 46 straight sets won on clay. That he does this when he is 31 years old on a surface that is arguably the most physically taxing on a player is just absolutely extaordinary.




I don't want to get my hopes up too high for the French Open but I'm hoping Nadal can maintain or even improve upon his current form. Congratulations Rafa on your 11th Barcelona title!
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Monday, April 30, 2018

The Lion King in Manila!

I am very happy that I finally got to watch The Lion King with my family. I bought our tickets several months ago and I had been looking forward to seeing this show since then. While I did get to see it in London back in 2001, it's always a different experience seeing a major musical in the Philippines and with your family.


Once the news came out about a year ago that The Lion King would be shown here, I decided to start saving money. I wanted to get the expensive orchestra seats, specifically orchestra aisle seats, because I knew that some "animals" would be parading down the aisles during the opening Circle of Life and I wanted us to be up close to them when they passed by. My research told me that the elephant would pass by the left aisle (left when you are facing the stage) so I made sure to get seats there. I gotta say, I was really excited when the elephant passed by. :)

The great thing about being seated at the aisle is that a few more performers do pass by. Another highlight for me was during the opening number of the second act right after the intermission, several performers walk down the aisles and stand in different parts of the venue. One of them stood right next to us and while we could hear the entire ensemble sing in harmony, we could also hear her voice quite clearly and it was beautiful.


I really wanted my family to see The Lion King because it is such an incredible production. The opening Circle of Life just so powerful and jaw-dropping, it is almost worth the price of admission. The animal costumes are so beautifully and intelligently designed and the performers move the same way that the animals do. The cheeatah, the giraffes, the gazelles, the elephant, Zazu, and all the animals were all just so incredible. Add to that the incredible voices and the brilliant stage design and colors and you have a life-affirming opening number. Words can't really do justice to its brilliance so it's better to see it in action. This video of Circle of Life is from the Life Helpmann Awards. Check it out.


video uploaded by Thais Persico

Other highlights from a production value standpoint include the stampede sequence and the scene where Mufasa's spirit talks to Simba. Musically, while I do love the songs from the movie, the songs that were added to the musical that weren't in the film give the live show even more soul - Shadowland, Endless Night, and He Lives in You. (I want to get the CD of the musical because I really do love these additional songs.)

What made The Lion King in Manila even more special to me is that we got a South African cast. Given how the musical is set in Africa, having a cast that is mostly from that continent just made the story and the performances even more meaningful and gave the show even more soul.


Speaking of the cast, I thought they were all fantastic. Ntsepa Pitjeng as Rafiki, Calvyn Grandling as the adult Simba, Noxolo Dlamini as the adult Nala, Antony Lawrence as Scar, Jamie McGregor as Timon, Pierre Van Heerden as Pumbaa, and Andrew Jewson as Zazu along with the rest of the cast were all superb. The revelation to me were the Filipino kids in the cast, Julien Joshua M. Dolor Jr. as the young Simba and Uma Naomi Martin as the young Nala, both of whome were amazing. I also love how the cast injected some Filipino words and even Filipino cultural items into the dialogue, specifically Timon's.

I have now see all but one of the musicals that had an impact on me twice: Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Wicked, and now this. (I have even seen Chicago twice as well.) The only one I haven't seen twice is Miss Saigon. I am hoping it gets shown here again. If not, maybe I will get a chance to see it again somewhere in the world.

The Lion King has extended its Manila run until May 27. Tickets are going by very quickly. If you want to see it while it is still showing, go get your tickets now.
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Thursday, April 26, 2018

Four Movies in April

I got to see a handful of movies at the cinema this month.

Avengers: Infinity War


Obviously, this is one of the movies I was most looking forward to seeing this year, especially after the build-up over the last 10 years. This film has gotten some great reviews and multitudes of people who have seen it have been greatly affected. People have said that most audiences are left speechless at the end of the film. I've seen Infinity War criticized by some for having too many characters and being too overcrowded but I actually thought the screen time for each character and their interactions were done very well. Despite this, I was very strangely and surprisingly underwhelmed. Was it because I was expecting too much? I don't know. In any case, while I say I was underwhelmed, I will of course still recommend this movie.

Spoiler alert: please stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled!!! The opening scene was so powerful. In fact, I love that Thor had such a key role and that he was god-like here (Thor has always been one of my favorite superheroes, even pre-Marvel movies). I got really pissed off at Starlord and I feel like it was his fault Thanos ended up getting all the infinity stones. I personally didn't like the Thanos backstory. I somehow didn't find his love of Gamora all that believable - he tortured her after all - so when he cries for her, it just felt really out of character and out of place. I also didn't quite like the Hulk-saying-no scenes. I thought it was a bit corny. I really loved the Black Order or the Children of Thanos (I didn't know that is what they were called; I only found out later on). Speaking of the Black Order, I was surprised by the death of Ebony Maw. He was so powerful going up against Thor and Doctor Strange and yet he couldn't save himself when he was suddenly pulled into outer space. In summary, practically everyone I know who has seen it was "shookt" but strangely enough I wasn't. I guess for me, I knew that Thanos destroys practically the entire universe in the Infinity Gauntlet comic book series so it should've gone without saying that there would be a ton of casualties in this film, including many with whom we have grown attached over the years.

Pacific Rim Uprising


This film has been panned by audiences and critics alike, with sub-50% scores on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences. Even my nephew who watched it with me said that he felt it was missing something. Strangely enough, I actually really enjoyed it. (So I found Infinity War underwhelming and Pacific Rim Uprising entertaining; there is clearly something wrong with me LOL.) I will agree though that this sequel is not as good as the first one and I felt the build-up here took a little longer than I would have wanted, unlike in the first film which almost immediately opens with a Jaeger-Kaiju combat sequence. I did enjoy the tension and the sort-of-bromantic relationship of the two lead characters played by John Boyega and Scott Eastwood. I also enjoyed the visuals here a bit better. I guess that is because in the first one, all the battles were done in the dark (either at night or underwater). In this second one, the battles are done in daylight so you can see the robots and the monsters better. I guess the reason why I enjoyed this film is that I didn't really care too much for story, I just wanted to see Jaegers battle Kaijus (which I did).

A Quiet Place


I initially thought that this was a horror film but a friend told me that it was more like a sci-fi thriller. To be honest, I wasn't all that interested to see it but I kept on seeing amazing reviews; of the four films I watched this month, this one has the highest critics score on Rotten Tomatoes at 95%. I will say though that this film requires a great amount of suspension of disbelief since the premise is quite bizarre and it is quite easy to poke holes at the story and the concept. I have a friend who found it all too incredulous but I myself found it easy to accept the premise. I gotta say, Emily Blunt put in such a strikingly brilliant performance. If she doesn't get nominated for Best Actress next year for this, I will be greatly disappointed. I am also pleasantly surprised that John Krasinski (who happens to be Emily Blunt's husband not just in the movie but also in real life) is a very capable director.

Mazinger Z: Infinity


I was a fan of the Mazinger Z cartoon series back when I was a kid so when I saw that this was showing, I had to watch it. Interestingly enough, most other viewers at the cinema seemed to be my age or older. :) I didn't know what this film was going to be about but, similar to my basic expectation in Pacific Rim Uprising, I was just expecting to enjoy robot battles. I thought it was cool that the film featured both Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger as well as the characters of both series like Koji Kabuto, Sayaka Yumi, Tetsuya Tsurugi Dr. Hell, Baron Ashura, and Count Brocken among others. Despite all that, I can't say I enjoyed it. I guess the problem for me was that instead of robot battles, the film went all metaphysical as it talked about the destruction and creation of parts of the multiverse. It kind of reminded me of the popular Japanese sci-fi animation film Akira. I guess I am not such a fan of metaphysical discussions. I can't quite say I would recommend this movie but if you are a Mazinger Z fan and you don't mind paying money for a  movie ticket, I guess you can go and see this and somewhat enjoy the nostalgia amidst the strange storyline.
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Monday, April 23, 2018

Nadal wins Monte Carlo #11

Wow, Rafael Nadal just continues to defy logic. The King of Clay is not showing signs that he is ready to relinquish his throne as he wins his 11th Monte Carlo Masters title. No other male player has won an event 11 times in the Open Era. The amazing thing about this win is that Rafa was at great risk of dropping back down to #2 in the world if he didn't win the event, and his title allows him to stay on top one more week. Nadal has now ranked #1 for a total of 171 weeks, moving him past John McEnroe into solo 6th place in terms of total number of weeks at #1.




Not only did he win the tournament, he did so in utterly dominant fashion. He didn't lose a set and in fact, he didn't even lose more than 5 games against any opponent. That includes Dominic Thiem against whom Nadal had his one loss on clay last year. Here's a print screen I took of the scores by which Rafa won all his matches. This is simply staggering.


As if the record 11th championship isn't enough, this is also his 31st ATP Masters 1000 title, moving him past Novak Djokovic and making him the current solo record-holder for most ATP Masters 1000 titles. Amazing.


Nadal has a lot of points to defend over the next few months, which means he may lose the #1 ranking by the time we get to the French Open. Still, I am already running out of superlatives to describe Rafa's incredible achievements. I am not expecting too much but I will continue to hope that Rafa can still add to his records in the next couple of months.
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Saturday, April 21, 2018

Slade House

Slade House is the first book that I started and finished reading this year. I actually finished another book, City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte, last February but I started reading that last year. I can't recall the last time I finished reading two books in the same year so I'm really happy that I am able to read a bit more.


I actually became interested in this novel when I picked it up from a shelf in Fully Booked and read through blurbs published at the back of the book maybe a couple of years ago. What caught my attention was what Anthony Doerr said: "A Dracula for the new millennium, a 'Hansel and Gretel' for grownups, a reminder of how much fun fiction can be" That piqued my curiosity but since I felt that I didn't have time to read books back then, I didn't get it yet. A few months later, I was still really thinking about it so I decided I should go out and get it. Unfortunately, on my next trip to Fully Booked, I realized I didn't write down the title. I tried searching online for a book that was like a Hansel and Gretel for adults since that was what I could remember from the blurb. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a correct hit online. Luckily, after racking my brain as hard as I could, I somehow suddenly remembered that there was 'Slade' in the title, then I immediately remembered Slade House. I was absolutely impressed at myself for remembering. :) After that, I decided to get it.

Slade House is the first non-classic fiction book I read that didn't exactly have a happy ending, for lack of a better term. I don't really want to spoil the story further so I will just leave it at that. As my friend Lala told me, the book must be good if it affected me that much. And it really is good. Different chapters were written from different points of view and always in the first person, and that made the storytelling a lot more engaging and the horror more real. You could really feel the emotions, confusion, hope, and fear of the character from whose perspective the story was written. The author, David Mitchell, also wrote Cloud Atlas which was made into a film back in 2012.

I gotta say that I am really happy that I am getting to read a lot more now. Part of it is just the comfort and relaxation provided by sitting at a cafe enjoying coffee while reading a book. Part of it is enjoying the slow and deliberate way a story unravels when reading and how I find myself turning the pages more quickly as I get closer to the end. Part of it is also the way reading stimulates the brain. And I guess part of it is knowing that I have a lot more time for myself now if I am able to read. I got four books from my friends last Christmas and I have one more that purchased for myself a few years ago. I'm hoping I get to read at least a couple of them before the year ends.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Graduation Dinner at Ooma

Congratulations to my nephew on his graduation! I was a bit late for the ceremony since it was scheduled on a work day but I still arrived early enough in the program so the only thing I missed was the entrance of the graduating students. Apart from this incredible milestone in my nephew's life, the ceremony was made even more special by two things. First, my mom was asked to give a talk to the students. Normally, this is a role reserved for parents but in this case, they had a grandparent give the speech. The second thing was that during the second song number of the graduates, my nephew actually played guitar. Cool!

My nephew said he wanted us to have our dinner celebration in a Japanese restaurant so I thought it would be cool to bring my family to Ooma. We ordered a whole lot of dishes on the menu. My favorite was probably the Tuna Tataki (P198). The tuna was fresh and the whole dish was packed with amazing flavor. I ended up ordering two of these.

Tuna Tataki

The Hanger Steak (P498) is a sous-vide hanging tenderloin with sauteed mushrooms, white truffle oil doesn't seem like your traditional Japanese dish. I guess this is kind of like a fusion version of Kobe beef. It looks very appetizing and thankfully, it tasted just as good as it looked.

Hanger Steak

The Buta Kakuni (P370) or slow roasted pork belly was really tender. The coconut gave the dish a sweetness that worked well with the pork.

Buta Kakuni

My photo of the Tempura Soft Shell Crab Maki (P295) is unfortunately horribly unfocused but we did enjoy eating it.

Tempura Soft Shell Crab Maki

Of course, we can't go to a Japanese restaurant without ordering the requisite Ebi Tempura (P390). While it still comes with the usual tempura sauce, it is also served with a couple of other dipping sauces that were quite interesting to try.

Ebi Tempura

There were a lot of other dishes we ordered that I was unable to take photos of, such as the California Taco-Maki and the Tori Kara-age. The sad thing that night was that they didn't have salmon in stock so we couldn't order any salmon dishes such as the salmon tataki. Still, Ooma does serve really good food and I'm glad I was able to take my family here.

Ooma
http://momentgroup.ph/ooma-our-establishments/

 Ooma Megamall
SM Megamall Mega Fashion Hall, EDSA cor Julia Vargas Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong, 1550 Metro Manila
Phone: (02) 656 4591

Ooma BGC
Bonifacio High Street Central, 7th Ave, Taguig, Metro Manila
Phone: (02) 621 4052

Ooma Rockwell
1209 28 Plaza Dr, Rockwell, Makati, 1209 Metro Manila
0917 631 6769
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Monday, April 16, 2018

Hello and Goodbye

One of the highlights of April so far has been a double reunion with one the first teams I was part of in my previous company. We were called DDC and a lot of the people in that team left many years before I did and I hadn't seen them in ages. That all changed this month. It started out with a smaller reunion, with some of the people I am still regularly in touch with. Seven of us - Elbert, Joseph, Bains, Acky, Gerry, Adrian, and myself - had dinner at Venice Grand Canal mall. I posted a picture of our get-together on social media and many of our other ex-teammates commented, including Reg who is based in Sweden but is in Manila right now and our ex-boss Jon. Both of them suggested we have another reunion the following week with the more complete group so that's what we did. This time, there were 12 of us, including Jon, Reg, Orange, Acky, Bains, Elbert, Joseph, Julius, Kate, Jeff, and Peejay. It was such a great reunion, especially since I hadn't seen many of them in such a long time. In fact, the last time I think I saw Peejay and Jeff was right before they left the team. Dinner was in Ponte Rialto and it started at 7:30pm and if not for the fact that the restaurant closes at 11pm, we would have still stayed. Almost 4 hours of catching up and it was still not enough. Another of our friends, Armi, might be coming home from the US so we may organize something when she gets here.

Sharon also revisited the Philippines but most of her time here was spent in the islands. There was only one night that she was free to meet up in Manila and thankfully, I was available that night. She was staying with Mitch so we decided to meet for dinner in Ortigas. We ended up choosing Lartizan in Ayala the 30th. I had only eaten pastries there before so it was my first time having a savory meal here and it was really good.

I also got to enjoy brunch with Kathy and John shortly before they moved to Netherlands. I used to see Kathy a lot until they moved to Alabang. Last year, they decided to move back to Makati due to many reasons, including to prepare for their planned emigration to Holland and I did get to see her a few times since then. Unfortunately, I had a prior engagement on the afternoon of their despedida but thankfully, Kathy scheduled her party for the entire day, starting at 9am. I arrived in the morning and I stayed there for a couple of hours before saying farewell. Hopefully I get to visit her and John and the rest of the family in Europe.
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Sunday, April 01, 2018

Sans Rival in Dumaguete

Being the sweet tooth that I am, I made sure I visited the famous Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries in Dumaguete. In fact, I actually visited this place on five of the six days I was there, including right before I flew back to Manila LOL.


There are at least two Sans Rivals that I saw, although two of them are next to each other. The main one is Sans Rival Bistro which is right along Rizal Boulevard at the corner of San Jose street (and on the side of the Bistro along San Jose Street is a smaller Sans Rival take-out shop). There is also another one inside Robinsons Place Dumaguete. I was able to visit both.


As I visited this place quite a few times, I was actually able to try many desserts. One of them was the Date and Walnut Dacquoise (P94/slice, P650/whole cake). It was a unique dessert that I hadn't seen anywhere before so I made sure to try it. Unfortunately for me, I think the slice I got was a really old one since the meringue was already tough and very chewy and the dates were really hard. When I shared this with some other people who had tried this dessert, they said that it was supposed to be really good and it was their favorite. I guess that means I have to try it again if I have a chance.

Date & Walnut Dacquoise

The Choco Cream Banana Cake (P79/slice, P420/whole cake) is ideal for people who enjoy bananas in their dessert and who love chocolate.

Choco Cream Banana Cake

I also tried the Mango Mousse Torte (P73/slice, P480/whole cake). It was good but it'd probably not something I would get again since there are other mango-based desserts that I absolutely love such as the Mango Torte of Dulcelin. There are also other desserts in Sans Rival that I enjoyed more so I would probably go with those instead.

Mango Mousse Torte

The silly thing is that I didn't take pictures of my two favorite desserts that I tried here: Cookie Monster and the Frozen Brazo. Cookie Monster is a really good chocolate cake while their Frozen Brazo is actually prepared with vanilla ice cream. If I get to revisit this place, I would probably order these two again.


Of course, this place is known for its sans rival and silvanas. However, since we do have House of Silvanas in Manila which serves these two same items, I decided to try other items that are not served here. (The owner of House of Silvanas is the granddaughter of the owner of Sans Rival; read more here).

*****

Update: apparently, Sans Rival has now opened in Manila. A facebook post went viral, sharing that Sans Rival from Dumaguete opened a branch in Glorietta 4 near Food Choices underneath the escalator leading to the cinema. That is actually the same spot occupied by House of Silvanas. My guess is that House of Silvanas will be rebranding to carry the name of its mother company since that same facebook post was edited to say that two more branches of Sans Rival are opening in Manila: one in Shangri-La Mall and another one in Robinsons Magnolia. These are the exact same malls where House of Silvanas has shops. I guess Sans Rival is the more well-known brand so it makes sense to leverage its popularity.
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