“metro manila” gets sundance award

a film by sean ellis

metro manila, a film by british director sean ellis gets the world cinema dramatic audience award in the recently concluded sundance festival.

it’s piquing my curiosity how ellis tackled the issue of a destitute life in the philippines.  for most of us, the exodus from the province to metro manila, the hand to mouth survival, the danger of living among scofflaws is just another everyday story. 

the reviews i’ve read were a bit telling of some flaws in the film, but the actors were given high praises. i believe in the acting prowess of john arcilla who is one of the most respected actors in the industry. he also did a cameo for bourne legacy (which i found a bit disappointing). 

i’m saving my two cents and i hope i get my hands on this one, and many other indie films that i missed, soon. 

john arcilla in metro manila

production companies: independent, chocolate frog

cast: jake macapagal, john arcilla, althea vega

director: sean ellis

screenwriters: sean ellis, frank e. flowers

producers: mathilde charpentier, sean ellis

executive producers: sean ellis, enrique gonzalez, celine lopez

director of photography: sean ellis

production designer: ian traifalgar

music: robin foster

editor: richard mettler

no rating, 114 minutes

sundance film festival, sean ellis, metro manila, john arcilla, jake macapagal, althea vega, philippines

my goodreads challenge for 2013

what's your number?

my tendency to harry -- well,  me,  led to another challenge for the year. nope, i’m not running in a marathon, although i think it’s impressive that a lot of people i know have suddenly become runners in the last few years. i can only manage tai chi on some days and dance on other days and now i have to do a lot of reading on most days. i fantastically failed last year’s goodreads challenge because i got stuck in nicholi’s “question of god”.

how many books for this year? oh, i picked out a good number and that number is 37. i wonder how other people choose a number for the goodreads challenge. does it have anything to do with their reading speed? do they factor in their workload? for lack of mathematical skills to compute hours and books, and the dearth of creativity, i chose my age. so there, 37 books for this year.

gone were the days when i could read two or more books in one day. those were the days when time was not a strange thing…when 24 hours felt like 24 hours. the world was so much less demanding sans two kids, a husband, a writing career, a household to manage and homeschooling. i may sound like i’m complaining but i’m not. i wouldn’t have it any other way. 

i do my reading before i retire at night. more often than not, i drift off to dreamland after a couple of pages, but don’t scoff at my 37 books. these days, 37 books for me is the same thing as running one mile in red stilettos.

i began my challenge this year with richard paul evans’ timepiece. a relaxing read that will set me out on a smooth sail in this year’s challenge. if your hands are free right now, please send loads of luck and energy my way.

goodreads reading challenge, timepiece, richard paul evans, question of god

levi roots' reggae reggae barbecue sauce

“put some music in your food”

"i will never forget that little paradise in jamaica and my saintly grandmother, who helped to make me the success i am now."--levi roots

we all have rock stars in our kitchen.  mine happens to be a barbecue sauce that flew in all the way from london a couple of years ago. if the husband didn’t come back with a rockin’ bottle like that it would have been a tad difficult to forgive him for being gone for three weeks. i was at that time a ginormous pregnant woman with a 40-inch waistline. 

our reggae reggae barbecue sauce by levi roots has since then been flirting with our roasts, and we made all kinds of excuses so we could also use the sauce in many other different dishes. none of them ever turned out disappointing. we’ve even used it on vegetables, and yah man, the sauce turned them into happy, yummy little greens!

"i loved the music, the food, the colours."

the now huge brand reggae reggae jerk sauce had its humble beginnings in the kitchen of levi roots in brixton where he got help from his seven lovely children. in 1991 at the notting hill carnival, “rasta raunt” was born when levi created a fusion between his two passions: food and music.

for 15 years, banks and investors closed their doors on levi because they thought that the brand was “too black”.

one day, he was spotted by a bbc researcher who invited him to appear in dragon’s den, a show that he’s never heard of before. his kids begged him not to go, telling him that the show would just “tear him to pieces”.

but following his mother’s wishes who asked him to go and come back as a “dragon slayer”, levi went to the dragon’s den with a huge chunk of faith in his heart. he did leave the show as a dragon slayer.

the levi roots brand is now sought after for its table and cooking sauces, chilled meats and whatnot.

“i want to spread the word that if a black brixtonian rastafarian can make it with just a sauce, then you can make it too.”

levi roots, barbecue sauce, jamaica, brixton, dragon's den, kitchen, raggae, table sauce, rastafarian

ricky lo’s interview with anne hathaway goes cruddy

 

what a way to choke on coffee

anne hathaway, les miserables

ricky lo, showbiz commenter

if i was somebody from the philippine showbiz industry or a friend of ricky lo’s, i’d also probably call anne hathaway a bitch. it’s called loyalty around here. if i was hathaway i’d probably be thinking, “who is this guy and why is he even doing interviews?” for somebody like me who has made no psychological, physical and emotional investment in the showbiz circle since birth, i’m thinking, lo didn’t do his homework and should work more on his speech.

in a recent interview with anne hathaway, veteran showbiz commenter ricky lo was at the receiving end of hathaway’s forthright answers leaving him a bit flustered in front of the camera. he’d probably never get that from a local celebrity because getting an interview with him means you just got a shot at stardom. being asked very personal questions is the norm and interviewers never get a “no” or “i will not answer that” from people in the philippine showbiz industry. 

the first 20 seconds of the interview was already off-putting with lo asking hathaway how she lost 25 lbs. ooops. any filipino actor would have no problem answering that question and would even be glad to divulge the nitty-gritty details if it’s the wish of the interviewer.

so what went wrong?

lo would not be the one to offend any actor because he has decades of experience under his name and whatever flub he made in those four minutes was obviously not a conscious effort. what filipino interviewer would have the audacity to do that to an international star anyway?  but there are so many ways for an interview to go wrong. based on experience and observation, starting off on the wrong foot goes a long way, and the boat will not stop rocking unless as an interviewer you make a colossal redemption of yourself or counteractively ease an agitated interviewee.

unfortunately in the case of lo’s interview with hathaway, it ended with what to me was a lampooning “why don’t you invite them? i think they’d rather much hear it from you” when lo asked hathaway to invite her fans. when he also asked her for her message for lea salonga, hathaway said, “oh, we already talked about that.”

again, i’m sure lo meant well when he asked hathaway how she identified with her character in les miserable. when hathaway expressed confusion over the question, lo explained further by asking her if she ever had “an experience to be hungry, to be poor…” to that, hathaway curtly answered, “that’s a very personal question.”

lo’s questions were somehow fair and valid, but the manner of asking, what with his limitations in the english language, turned it into a disaster of sorts.

if say, lo asked that question to a filipino actor, we know we’d be treated to a historical account of what life was like prior to showbiz and specifically what it was like being poor. what could be a better human interest story anyway?

the interview was a thorny four minutes that made me cringe in so many places. oh well, my coffee did taste a bit funny this morning.

anne hathaway, les miserables, ricky lo, showbiz, hollywood, filipino actor, interview, manila, philippines

 

hitting icebergs –- along timog

what business did my son and i have traveling 17 kilometers to get to quezon city on a humid thursday?

we wanted to hit icebergs.

i was scheduled to do an interview with a revered feng shui practioner for an article that i was developing for the magazine. my son also wanted to try the famous frozen offering of icebergs so off we went on a horribly humid day. on our way to timog, dr. ang called to say he'd be an hour late. his prior appointment kept him and he couldn’t take another step without having lunch first, unless i was okay with him passing out on me during the interview.

that’s what i call a fortunate unfortunate event because that gave us an hour to discover icebergs. the restaurant has been around since 1986 and started out as a small shop with only five tables offering cold delights. business picked up quickly and the rest was history.

we voted to have a second lunch (a sure win, with the first one taken three hours before the trip) and icebergs’ menu had a lot to offer for weighty lunches. to help us decide quickly, we narrowed down our list to the “bestsellers”.

my son ordered sisig (broiled and chopped pig ears and cheeks) and i went for the tacos. sisig might sound like something that you wouldn’t want to put on your plate but it’s as popular as the president here and could be quite unforgettable -- if you find the right chef to cook it for you, that is.

icebergs' sisig

the sisig lived up to its bestseller reputation. the meat was tender and was not dry, certainly a pleasure to the bite. sisig could be a pretty versatile dish so there are several versions of it. i’ve tried the sweet, dry and spicy versions. icebergs’ wasn’t sweet and what a delight that was. i’m generally not a big fan of sweet dishes. i know how cole’s sisig tasted because i reached out across the table and dug in.

my tacos were a different story. i wasn’t too thrilled with the soft shell, and the absence of cumin, paprika and jalapeno pepper didn’t hit the spot for me. it was not bad, it just was too different a version of tacos and more like good spaghetti sauce with veggies stuffed in taco shells. i like my tacos sinful with spices and the whiff of mexican chilies.

tacos sans the chilies

the oreo banana split will speak for itself. the server forgot to top our delectable oreo banana split with oreo of all things, and yes, we really had to get them. so he came back with a smile and this time with the lovely duo on top of our dessert.

oreo banana split

budget for two: php 400-500

branches

tutuban center mall, santana grove, harbour square (near picc)

quezon city

banawe, timog avenue, metrowalk complex, trinoma

sm branches

sm city north edsa, sm fairview, sm moa, sm by the bay

robinsons branches

robinson's galleria, robinson's place ermita, robinson's midtown

contact number: 415-6778

icebergs, food review, sisig, timog, banana split, tacos, manila, dessert, lunch, philippines, quezon city, fast food

mommypatch lemon drops mood alchemy

guiding in the good vibes 

ever wondered how people from the ancient times dealt with bad mood? when i get into a huff i bug the husband; i make me a good cup of tea; i mope around the house; i turn on the boob tube and get angry at anyone on the screen; i grab a book and yell at the characters that i don’t like. or, i practice what i preach and go back to my list of simple pick-me-ups. but in most cases, the husband runs out to buy me a huge burger and peace comes to motherland. but how about them in the past whose diplomatic solutions did not include eating greasy burgers?

 

scents work miracles and miracles aren’t always contained in bottles. mother nature showered the earth with plants and flowers that appeal to the senses, to calm, soothe and give everyone an over-all sense of well being. scents have been doing their job since the beginning of time. 

in one of my trips to an organic store (a cute, well-contained space under the escalator of a mall), i found this interesting  card-type sprayer neatly tucked away among other divine scents. you wouldn't miss it because of its unique packaging. the clerk held my wrist up and gave it two quick sprays. thirty seconds later, i was a giddy owner of mommypatch’s lemon drops mood alchemy.

my reasons for loving mommypatch’s mood alchemy spray perfume:

• tart and citrus scents are mood-friendly and i like to keep them close more than any other scent (the perfume spray also comes in dark vanilla, olive dream, merry berry and silk tea)

• the scent reminds me of colognes that i grew up with and have remained my favorite to this day like bien-être, denenes, nenuco, para mi bebe, gotas de oro and clair matin

• it stays on longer because it is concentrated and not alcohol based

• the packaging is dainty and the card-type spray even fits among my bills in my purse

• it’s heaven-scent and reasonably priced at php 180 ($4)

the secret: book review

what positive thinking can do for you

poor health, an empty bank account, arrogant bosses, gossip mongering officemates, low-paying job and a career that can’t get a ride to success top the list of incessant complaints thrown by people from all races, cultural and psychological background. you, being the hapless victim you think you are, complain endlessly, an addiction that comes as naturally as dependence on caffeine. the inquiries you make on life improvement prove futile. what gives? what if on one ordinary day, 24 of the world’s best teachers go up to you and tell you, “you can change all that and design your life to perfection. the secret has been with you for so long”. would you take the chance and ask to know it?

the secret, authored by rhonda byrne, remains one of my best-loved books after it became a bestseller in 2006. byrne, who created the film prior to the book, does not present a chesty self-help guide from a personal awakening but brings together publishers, authors, designers, ministers, and filmmakers to account for the power of the law of attraction. it is a life guidebook that shares what great thinkers like plato, socrates, victor hugo and sir isaac newton among others knew about the secret to a life of financial abundance, excellent health, meaningful relationships and the path to success.

the secret is a compelling revelation of how each one of us can make use of our energy to send the right message to the universe—where our thoughts are sent out to through a frequency. the law is far from complicated. positive thoughts bring about positive manifestations while negative thoughts bring about negative manifestations. if you wonder why something you don’t like keeps on manifesting, like for instance that inebriated neighbor who keeps showing up on your doorstep, the law will tell you that it is you who has been attracting that person to your home by sending out the wrong message to the universe. part of the secret is nixing the use of negation in your statements because the universe cannot process negation. the moment you invest on thoughts and emotions, the universe will simply give you what you’re asking for. instead of saying, “i don’t ever want to see that person again,” (which the universe will only hear as “i want to see that person) do something that does not require energy: simply stop thinking about your oppressor and rid yourself of negative thoughts.

the secret embosom the power of forgiveness; not by befriending a foe but letting go, and the intriguing power of laughter as a cure-all. patients have laughed their way out of cancer by doing away with the daily news of the unfriendly world and watching only what makes them laugh. one patient did nothing but laugh and invest on happy thoughts for three months and discovered all her cancer cells gone. the testimonials in the book are engaging and empowering that you would want to bring the secret anywhere you go and open a page whenever you need meaningful answers to your questions.

bank, bestseller, boss, career, forgiveness, gossip, health, job, life, poor, positive, publisher, rhonda byrne, secret, success, the secret, universe

is your marriage failing?

married to a tree

blue beach park. photo by alexander young

all of us must have loved a tree or hugged a tree, whether it was from a distant past or a few days ago (a chance that people like me who live on the 23^rd floor don’t get a lot). it brings back all the positive energy that our daily grind strips away from us. love a tree, hug a tree…all that for the good of the soul.

but have you ever been married to a tree? i know, that doesn’t even sound like a valid question. but if you sit long enough to continue reading this, i’m sure you will begin to realize that, yes, trees in the guise of breathing, living, working, and even cooking men do exist. 

i enjoyed an hour-long conversation over the phone with a good friend today—yes, the one who’s married to a tree. you see, this moonstruck analogy began when she started describing the purportedly love of her life in an elaborate kind of way and in a tone that is not to be used when you are in some state of bliss. for instance, she told me she got sick a couple of months ago and when she told him that she was running a fever and had a nasty cough, he responded with a wintry “okay”. okay?

a few more cases presented and there i was, able to bring forth my slice of what i thought was an astute analogy: “that man, my dear, is a tree.”

you know you are married to a tree if...

• you know he is alive but he does not respond to most of your  questions nor to your romantic advances.
• you know he’s breathing life in him but when you start begging him to talk, he stands still and leaves you more frustrated than you’ve ever been.
• his libido is pushing up daisies.
• he lets you know he’s there for you but in some sort of enigmatic kind of way that you can’t decipher most of the time. right, like a tree.
• you know that somehow he appreciates things that you do for him but he keeps you guessing all the time.

i asked my friend how long his man's been acting like a tree.

they’ve been together for 12 years and i can’t imagine how far a woman could go living with somebody whose emotions you need to yank out from him all the time—and still fail. there must have been that magical moment at the beginning of the relationship when she didn’t necessarily play the role of fanny (of enid blyton’s “the enchanted wood”)and when everything was happy and fun. we all have our beginnings —- that happy place, the prelude to every love story.

and i was right. her tree once brought laughter in her life. he was her best friend, he was her everything.  there was romance and his tenderness gave them so much reason to be together.

“when did all of that change?” i asked.

“my goodness, a long time ago when we moved in together.”

there it is, the formula that does not work wonders for all. living under one roof is a make or break situation; a death defying act; a flamenco step that you can never get right no matter how hard you try. the demands of living with a partner is no picnic. in some sad cases, either one or both turn into a seemingly unfeeling living thing as years go by – yes, much like a tree.

how much longer this friend of mine is going to stay in the relationship remains a question. they are now living away from each other hoping sense could be made and a relationship could be saved.

we all must love a tree, but must not marry one, maybe. daily confirmation of love saves a lot in life. a simple touch of the hand, unexpected “how are yous?”, one long kiss before bedtime, a peck on the cheek, a tight hug…they cost nothing but they are knipschildt’s chocopologie for relationships.    

12 great songs for your playlist

sound-a-dozen: delight daily

do you know of that one person who’d shriek annoyingly when her best-loved songs suddenly played on mtv? that one person you’d be so delighted to shut out of your door because you couldn’t contain her abstruse convulsions and you’re afraid that she’d suddenly die an unforeseen death in your presence and you’d have no way of knowing what killed her? uh, well…that’s me during my mtv-crazed days. but i solemnly swear i started mellowing down when i began collecting my own cassette tapes and got oriented to the word “rewind”. in college, i declared unofficial ownership of my father’s cd player, so i was stripped off my rights to scream because the one-click replay button presented itself and life was never the same again.

  

here are 12 songs that silently cause me blissful convulsions (a medical term in my la la land). in my humble opinion, getting stuck in a single genre of music (and hating everything else)is the same way as allowing yourself to acknowledge that there is only one star in the entire galaxy. if you find yourself stumbling upon the words “manic” and “eclectic” then yes, you're in my room.

would love to listen to your playlist. care to share? 

this plays whenever i have dinner with dr. martin, dexter and private detective hercule poirot

"i don't think about you anymore but i don't think about you  any less" -- hungry ghosts

my morning kick off

"slow and steady"  -- of monsters and men

i destroyed the replay button on this one

"voce" -- ive mendes

is it possible to feel happy and sad at the same time? it's a "yes" whenever and wherever the sundays is concerned

"here's where the story ends" -- the sundays

my little girl's lullaby. hummed it to her all the time when she was a newborn. now she beams whenever she hears this and asks for a hundred replays

"en kort en lang" -- lisa nilsson

this one's for my girl friends

"beneath the surface" -- incognito

been listening to this song for decades and there isn't a single moment when i get tired of it

"noi" -- mike francis

my first job ever on this beautiful planet was  at a radio station as a dj. this brings back the best memories of the 90's

"shimmer" -- fuel

i just love how this one bores a deep, deep hole into my heart and brings me back to a place i don't have a name for. such sweet insanity

"wise up" -- aimee mann

been in love with this since it came out in 1989, and since then i dreamt of watching them perform live. when it finally happened in 2007, there's no telling how i went flying to a hundred heavens

"lately" -- workshy

i can't justify why i fall in love everytime i hear this song. i worked inside the library for six months doing research and for the strangest reasons, this kept me sane

"stereo" -- america

how far could you run when you're running real fast inside your head? don't you just love what dishwalla could do to you?

"counting blue cars" -- dishwalla

music, best songs, hungry ghosts, of monsters and men, ive mendes, the sundays, lisa nilsson, incognito, mike francis, fuel, aimee mann, workshy, america

how to feel better when you're down

5.5 simple pick-me-ups you can’t ignore on some bad days

a couple of days ago, i woke up to a familiar tune. it was a tune that told me that day was not going to be as pretty as the day before. have you had days when you wake up to some sort of premonition about how your day’s gonna go? rarely happens, really, but when it does it makes me want to push the fast forward button so tomorrow would slide in and kick today’s butt off.

there is no fast forward button.

when i opened my e-mail the first thing that i noticed was the absence of notifications for new comments on “running in red stilettos”. when i checked my stats it sure looked like a forlorn place, a playground for zombies. that stung a bit. all the photos i took that day mysteriously turned out to be disastrous as well. both my kids woke up on the wrong side of their beds and little people who are unusually in a bad mood are like a 10,000-piece puzzle. when i sat down to continue working on a story on counterfeit makeup that i was developing for the magazine, my mind went blank, dot dot dot empty. it was a situation not new to my bank account.

empty is my least favorite word.

with a bad day confirmed, i thought  there was no use fighting against nature. so i made me a cup of tulsi (the indian tea i’m currently crazy about), went out to sit on the hammock in the balcony and rested my eyes on the clear sky that sat on top of the blue mountains and the not-so-distant lake. right that instant i was seized by a sudden pang of conscience for allowing myself to complain even before i counted my blessings.

however, bad days are real as real could be and none of us could really run away from them. here’s me sharing my 5.5 pick-me-ups that i hope would work for you, too.

#1 kiss the sun.  we’ve grown to become “sunphobic” over the years after getting more acquainted with studies that reveal the harmful effects of the sun. there is, however, nothing that could replicate the mood-enhancing effects of the sun.  the big yellow ball activates our endorphins, the neurotransmitters known to induce euphoria. just make sure you keep it at a safe level, which means avoiding the sun after 9 am and before 3 pm. 10 to 20 minutes out there will yank the grouch out of you.

#2 dance. exercise does wonders to the body and dancing offers nothing less than miracles to the mind and soul. it’s a way of reconnecting with your inner self, and tapping unused energies so they don’t go to waste. if you’re quite bashful about moving those heels and swaying your hips, find yourself a place where you could not care about a thing in the world. play a tune you love moving to then permit yourself to get lost in the beat.  i’d bet my blueberry cheesecake you’ll be smiling before the fourth song.

photo by alexander young

# 3 give sweet tooth a chance. chefs didn’t name those luscious delights “death by chocolate” for nothing. and well, some experts also said chocolate was better than sex and i wasn’t ready to accept that until studies showed that eating chocolates release substantial amounts of endorphins, thus giving you that much needed “oomph!” when you’re stuck in the dumps.

# 4 lather with lavender. when you’re feeling low and slow, a shower would do you good. you’ll feel fresher afterwards with a renewed sense of energy. running water over your body also symbolically washes away anguish and letting that water flow away from you means you’re allowing negative energy to leave your body. choose a scent that relieves you. lavender is known as a mood enhancer so you should keep a bottle handy. now go, lather with lavender and don’t call me grandmother.

# 5 dare yourself and look for something new to do. it doesn't have to be anything outrageous like skydiving or rappelling. i mean, who just suddenly goes out through their backdoor to do that anyway? it can be as mundane as getting to know a new author, experimenting on a new recipe, trying out a new restaurant, exploring genres of movies you didn't think you’d ever like. if your bad day happens on a weekend, then great. that means you have time to go out, get lost and discover what’s around you. trust me, you’ll find something that’s been there for the longest time and you didn’t know it because you were too caught up in the real world to see that there’s actually a better side to it. two months ago i found a withering row of plants and when i bent down to see through the lifeless stems, i was whisked away to my own narnia.(will post that photo here as soon as i unearth it from the cavern i also call my files)

.5 remind yourself that the purpose of your existence is not defined by the number of virtual likes you get. you are a tiny speck in the virtual world and if you’re able to put a smile to a few faces through your writing, that should mean the universe to you because that’s what you intended to do since the beginning.

okay, so .5 is for me.

endorphins, sunlight, chocolates, tulsi, indian tea, lavender, mood enhancers, dance, exercise

nameless comes nightly

photo by alexander young

thirty-five of you,

i’ve seen come nightly

i’d lean over to feel you

and fail,

the hands, not mine,

move constantly away

choosing to chase uncertainty.

you wear the frequent, nameless gloom

long before i step outside to hail you

are you loneliness?

you shy away from an answer, looking stern, unscathed.

i go on filling you with words,

the wind goes on taking them all away

and with liberty--

but are you loneliness?

orange, yellow, gray, pitch-black almost

at the back of my head i’m guessing.

i look up from my fiction, there i see you again

the one from last night but never acting the same

steal another night or so from my children

i tucked them tight and tender

so move the way you do—catlike and deep in poetry

so no one hears you- -loneliness?

some nights i meet you so quietly

though you bring the same glow

here, and where my eyes can’t see.

no you don’t scare, you don’t.

you bring nameless gloom, i always say

come, let me look at that face you’re wearing tonight

for if loneliness, it’s you again,

i ask that you don’t come tomorrow night

and hide in the name moonlight.

moon, poetry, penthouse view, cypress towers, ants, mystery