Independent Films grace MMFF 2010

This year, Metro Manila Film Festival showcased independent films as prelude to the opening of 8 mainstream films which will open on December 25, as part of the tradition.  Five independent films will be shown from December 16-20, 2010 for exhibition only (in selected theaters) and will not be included in the competition.  Take a sneak peak.

1.  Nasaan si Hefte?

Cast: Darryl Shaw, Anna Luna
Directed by: Jonnah Lim

Watch the trailer:

2.  Slow Fade

Cast: Diether Ocampo, Precious Lara Quigaman, and German Moreno
Directed by: Rommel Sales

Watch the trailer:

3.  Rindido

Cast: Chanel Latrorre, Vic Tiro
Directed by: Noriel Jarito

Watch the trailer:

4.  Senior Year

Cast: Dimples Romana, Ina Feleo, and RJ Ledesma
Directed by: Jerrold Tarog

Watch the trailer:

5.  Presa

Cast: Anita Linda, Jodi Sta. Maria, Rosanna Roces, Tetchie Agabayani, Ina Feleo, Perla Bautista, Daria Ramirez, Cherrie Madrigal, Liza Lorena, Angeli Bayani
Directed by: Adolfo Alix Jr.

 

Presa Poster

Having these independent films in the MMFF is a very good way of showing support to independent film makers.  It also provides moviegoers an alternative to pop cinema.

These films feature depth and artistic concepts but still not warmly received and patronized.  Why do you think Pinoy Indie Films normally get more attention and recognition outside the country than here?

BSP releases the new Philippine Peso bills

Just recently, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank) or BSP made it public that they’re releasing new Philippine Peso bills just in time for Christmas and before 2011 begins.  Take a look.

Beinte Pesos – The 20-peso bill is still orange though more vibrant.  It still has Manual Quezon and the Banaue Rice Terraces and Palm Civets on both sides.

Singkwenta Pesos – The 50-peso bill has Sergio Osmeña with the Taal Lake and Taal Volcano with Maliputo (Giant Trevally) on the other side.  Still red in color but deeper. 🙂

Sandaang Piso – Still violet, it has Manuel Roxas on the facade with the Butanding (Whale Shark) and Mayon Volcano on the other.

Dalawandaang Piso – The new 200-peso bill has former President Diosdado Macapagal and at the back is Bohol with the Philippine tarsier.

Limandaang Piso – the new 500-peso bill is now yellow which has I think the most noticeable change compared to the rest.  Aside from having former President Corazon Aquino beside former Senator Ninoy Aquino, it has Palawan’s Subterranean River National Park and the blue-naped parrot.

Sanlibong Piso – Still in the 1,000-peso bill are Josefa Llanes-Escoda,Vicente Lim, and Jose Abad Santos.  At the back are the  Tubbataha Reef Marine Park, the South Sea Pearl and the Tinalak.

It looks like it is another campaign to promote Philippine tourism which I personally think is a good move.  Maybe this is a rebound from the much criticized “Pilipinas, Kay Ganda” slogan.  I really can’t say anything about the new bills other than I guess, “It’s something new”.  Mahilig pa naman ang Pinoy sa bago.. 🙂 And as long as they fit my wallet at hindi madaling mapunit, okay na yun..

The new bills are already available..  Just simply exchange your old bills if you’re too excited to have the new ones.. I’ll rush to bank now!.. lol 😛

What do you think of the new bills?.. 🙂

NOTE:  Made some corrections on the 50-peso bill.  Inserted the front face of the new bill.

Lunch @ The Pavilion in MMLDC

I had the chance to visit The Pavillion, MMLDC’s food hall (I stand corrected, read the rest for the correction), through the invitation of Ms. Peng. Besides, it’s lunch time (and it’s her treat.. thanks Mam!)  🙂  “The Pavilion” is a Balinese-inspired Al Fresco restaurant within the lush facilities of The Meralco Development Center or MMLDC.  It is a deli, bar and restaurant that offers an a la carte menu of fusion and Filipino favorites, including grilled specialties. Pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches round out the offerings, with delight dessert options to complete your savory meals.

Before we go to the details, some of you might be asking what’s MMLDC and what was I doing there? 🙂

MMLDC’s Institutional Profile

MMLDC is an Educational Foundation that specializes in providing training solutions within a total learning ambience. The success of our business activities helps us to give back to society through the provision of training and development interventions in our advocacies of Technical Expertise, Environmental Stewardship and Responsible leadership.

Inaugurated in 1999, MMLDC opened its Academic and Residence Halls nestled in the natural rolling terrain, densely covered with more than 3,000 trees of an Antipolo property. From year 2000 onwards, various facilities were added to expand the capacity of the Center. This includes:

– a Food Hall to accommodate 325 diners

– the Creativity Hall for upgraded dormitory accommodations,

– the Rainforest, MMLDC’s unique and complete team building facility

– the Paintball area which now also offers Laser Tag Combat

A total of fourteen classrooms, ranging in capacity from 15 for small planning sessions to 200 participants for general assemblies. Various break out rooms and outdoor areas are also available for out-of-the box learning activities. It has also a library, a business center and a multi-purpose hall. Comfortable accommodations for 239 guests are available in either the hotel-like Residence Hall or at the Creativity Hall. The Center also features a pavilion with an adjacent swimming pool, a grotto with an image of the Virgin of Antipolo, an aviary of rare and exotic birds, a chapel, a lounge, a clinic and a gym. For more info, please visit the official website.

I’ll take a look at the different facilities once I go back (hopefully.. :))

I’ve heard quite a few positive feedback about the Pavilion’s food offerings and this already made me curious if this will satisfy my palate.  Apparently, it did! 🙂 With a selection of pizzas, salads, cakes and sandwiches in their menu, the Pavilion is also a place to chill-out either with a bottle of beer in your left (hand) or a cup of coffee in the other.  I just didn’t notice the presence of WiFi but their site tells it has.  Ms. Peng asked me what do I like to order and the “shy-type” me said the typical, ANYTHING.  🙂 But I think it’s very inappropriate to say so that’s why I just asked what’s the Pavilion’s best-sellers.  And here comes what landed on our table:

 

Diablo, Solo: 150Php; To Share: 205Php

Okay, why Diablo? – I don’t know 🙂 Probably because this kind of oil based fettuccine with shrimp and bacon is so spicy that you’ll feel you’re in hell in total hotness. 😛 At least I was able to get Ms. Peng affirm it hehe just kidding. Aside from being HOT and STRONG, I still wonder what’s in it that made it a best-seller.  I’m not a fan of spicy food but I don’t hate it as well.  Normally if it’s pasta you can have it in white or red sauce and it only taste either a bit sour (bcoz of the tomato sauce) or a bit sweet and salty (bcoz of the cream).  But this one has a unique taste which is not bad  at all.  The parmesan cheese helped lessen the piquant taste. 🙂  To share is good to up to 3 people.

 

All Meat Lovers Pizza, 205Php

It’s not a family-sized pizza but the serving is good to up to 4 people already. Topped with ground beef, pepperoni and chopped ham, this pizza is very flavorsome which could make your stomach full in just minutes. 🙂  Indeed, one of their best-sellers.

 

Strawberry Milk, 75Php

This strawberry milk shake is a knock-out! The creamy taste of milk blended well with the strawberry.  Indeed another best-seller in the refreshments category, it will never fail to satisfy your healthy cold drink craving.  I’m now thinking of substituting it to our frequent Starbucks Coffee frap sessions – lol.

I’ll definitely go back and try out other selections in the menu.  A 10-minute ride from home when going there won’t hurt :P. After all, the food is reasonably priced plus you can roam around to see the aviary, the rain forest and the chapel after a heavy meal with your friends, family or loved one.

P.S.  The shots were c/o my Nokia 5800 Xpress Music smartphone, will do better next time using my real camera 🙂

10 Fun Things I can do with a New Lenovo Laptop

1.  CHANGE – I’m trying to do something different in my daily routine “for a change”. So I guess, I’ll go online and open www.facebook.com. 😛

2.  PLAY – Since the question is about the FUN things I can do, I’d prefer playing Starcraft, Virtual Tennis, Need for Speed or other 3D games using this new high end laptop.  I guess no one will disagree because fun is all you get when playing.  (But still depends if you’re cheating because you’re also getting yourself into trouble! 😛 especially when you’re in a computer shop)

3. POST PROCESS – I always find it fun to do the things that I always enjoy doing (Who doesn’t? :P).  In this case, I enjoy editing pictures that I’ve taken during a photo-walk or photo-shoot using Photo-editing software like Adobe Lightroom and the ever popular Adobe Photoshop.  Yes, I’m a Photography Enthusiast 🙂

4.  VIDEO EDIT – Looking at my edited (post-processed) pictures are cool but playing it around with animations and videos is way way cooler!  I’ll try the latest software versions of Maya, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas.  In that way, I’m also honing my video editing skills.

5.  VIDEO CALL – It has been a month since my parents migrated to the US and the only way we can keep in touch with each other is through Yahoo Messenger.  So while I’m post processing pictures, editing videos, playing hardcore games and uploading pictures in FB, I’m talking to them. 😛 Talk about multi-tasking eh?

6.  NEWS AND GOSSIP – When I get bored in doing numbers 1-5, I’ll go over Google and search for news of all kinds.  Normally right after checking my yahoo mail, I sign out. Then it brings me to the Yahoo Home Page and from there I start to hop into the featured news section whether it be political, business, sports or entertainment.

7.  DOWNLOAD – How could I even forget doing this when I’m online? 😛 Eversince highschool (I think that was last year.. lol :P) I always download songs from the internet and still keep them intact up to now though dial up internet was still famous that time.   Just imagine how long it took me to download a 4MB size MP3 – 20 minutes if I’m lucky and 1 hour if I’m not.

8.  WATCH – Since the time I got myself an external hard drive, I always make sure that I fill it with TV shows and movies that I’ve always enjoyed watching – may it be new or old.  Though it’s much more comfy to lay down in the couch while watching TV, seeing it on a laptop with headphones on makes it more enjoyable because I can easily put it back or forward to the part that made me laugh or didn’t understand.  If it’s How I Met My Mother, I always put it back to the part where I can hear myself laugh out loud! 🙂

9.  VIDEO STREAM – I began doing this before the Pacquiao versus Morales fight.  Let’s admit it, all of us want to watch the action LIVE.  Not all can afford to watch it in cinemas for 500 bucks or more.  Why do you have to pay if you can have it in the comfort of your own home? 😛 But most often, there’s a catch – most live streaming sites are illegal that when it’s caught, it will just shut down in front of you, compromising your excitement of watching the bout.

10.  BLOGGING – I’ve fallen in love with this type of activity for a year now.  And after that, I realized a whole new perspective in using a laptop or a desktop computer.   Expressing your own thoughts through blogging is one of the best you’ll ever feel.  Blogging has evolved in so many kind of ways and I experienced that myself.  I got a new netbook for free because of it but it’s just a bonus I must say.

There goes the 10 FUN things I can do with a NEW Lenovo Laptop.  Pretty much the same things I can do with other laptops or the desktop I’m using now, but I think I could write 10, 20 or hundreds more if  I could bring that NEW Lenovo laptop home with me.  🙂

This is my official entry to the Yugatech’s Lenovo Laptop Giveaway.  For contest mechanics, click here:

Witness Batanes

Breathtaking view of Batanes

Short and not really a master of geography, I only know one thing about Batanes – it’s there up north! 🙂 Kidding aside, I’m about to know more about Batanes because I’ll join this contest thrown by SeAir for bloggers and travel enthusiasts who want to witness BATANES (there goes my title.. hehe)

With the help of our friendly and ever reliable world wide web, there are a couple of things (well, a lot I must say) that I’ve read about Batanes.  Fasten your seatbelts!

– There is NO Gas Station there! Hep.. hep.. hep.. This is the first thing that I read once I pushed the Search Button in Google.  I didn’t bother to wonder because come to think of it, it’s a million kilometers away from the civilization. No pun intended and yeah it’s exaggerated.  Okay, seriously, I don’t really know if that’s true.  Let’s see what’s next I’m about to find out.

– That this place has 4 seasons (not the drink) where the rest of the 7,106 islands are experiencing two only!  You can experience winter in Batanes from September up to mid February.  As they say, it’s not really a winter wonderland where you can make a Frosty out of the snow but the temperature drops to 7 degrees.  It’s such unbelievable that a tropical country like the Philippines has a place that can be that cold.  For the other three seasons, Spring happens from March to May, Summer from June to August and Autumn from September to November.

– Since it’s just 190 kilometers away from Taiwan, the people listen to some Taiwanese radio stations.  Isn’t that cool? Well if they do understand Taiwanese then that’s c-o-o-l.  If they don’t, it’s still cool – 7 degrees Celsius right?.. LOL 😛

– We call them Ilocanos if they’re from Ilocos.  We call them Bicolanos if they’re from Bicol.  We call them Cebuanos if they’re from Cebu.  If they’re from Batanes, what do we call them? Ivatans! (I think I heard someone say Batanuenos or Batanesons.. hehe) I suddenly remembered my HE-KA-SI (Social Studies) teacher in highschool – she knows every dialect used in the Philippines, and what the locals are called.

– That transportation is dominated by bicycles and scooters.  Jeepneys for hire are quite few but Jeepneys for rent are abundant. One travel blog said that the roads are not that wide to accommodate two lanes for four wheelers.  For the more physically fit, walking long distance is quite popular.  When Ivatans say that a place is “walking distance”, don’t be surprised if you end up always saying, “Are we there yet?”.  😛

– Honesty Coffee shop – A coffee shop like no other – in Manila hehe.  It’s like a convenience store for it also offers the things that you can pretty much see in a convenience store but minus the storekeeper.  That’s why it’s like no other in Manila J You just have to choose what you need to buy inside and leave your payment in the money jar.  Would there be a change for your money, you have to get it inside.  Otherwise, pay the exact amount or else no CHANGE! J Hence, honesty is really the best policy.

– It’s really very costly to fly up to the north-est part of our archipelago.  6,000Php one way? NO WAY!.. Are you kidding me?? (I hope you are.. but apparently NOT! :P) But travelers say that it’s really worth every peso spent.  Though getting there is one hell of a challenge, you will really fall in love with the beauty of the place and kindness of the people.  Now I can’t wait to see it for myself!

– SeAir is the only airline which can bring you up there.  I don’t know why other airlines does not offer flights to Batanes.  One reason I can only think of is that the airport might be small and the runway is shorter than usual.  I guess that’s it.

There are still a lot of things to know about Batanes.  Aside from the breathtaking views, a number of boat ride transfers, cool breeze, frequent raining, astounding rock formations, historical landmarks and buildings and the famous Marlboro Country, I heard their culture is rich as well.  More and more people are dreaming of getting there one day – obviously, I’m one of them.  Before, I can only hear “Batanes” from the Eat Bulaga (Daily Noontime Show) jingle.  ♪♫ Mula Batanes (instead of Aparri), hanggang Jolo. Nasaan ka man ay halina kayo. Isang libot isang tuwa, buong BANSA ~~~~ EAT.. BULAGA! ♫♪

It looks like after reading blogs for one night my knowledge of Batanes increased. Hopefully, I’ll be able to add more trivia about this place once I experience it myself.  So, SeAir please fly me there!..  😛

To know more about the contest and other SeAir offerings, please visit:

SEAIR website: http://flyseair.com/

SEAIR Facebook Fan Page:   http://www.facebook.com/flyseair