Mamma Mia!

It's a girlie flick. Pang barkada, mother-daughter bonding! Guys will enjoy it too-- granting if they're Musical fans or about my age (hehe); or were dragged along by their girfriends or wives.

Pierce Brosman was a surprise. Never thought I'd see the former James Bond belting out tunes. Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried had voices very much Abba. Bagay na bagay.

I'm having last song syndromes with this movie. Mama Mia will work for you if you are a huge ABBA fan (like me!). I think I still have Abba's 33RPM-long playing record hehe... it was a christmas gift (naku, grade school pa ata ako non) and I was gaga over 'Nina Pretty Ballerina' and 'Mama Mia' that time.

High School Musical Ice Tour

Watched Disney's High School Musical The Ice Tour with Andee as a sort of mother-daughter-bonding thingi at the Araneta Coliseum. I was not able to get tickets beforehand so we LRT'd over to Cubao Gateway and got our tickets an hour and a half before the start of the second show at 1pm. Good thing we did, and went in, as the tickets we got were 'free seating' tickets. The moment we got past the ticket turnstile, 2 or more buses arrived at the Coliseum's driveway. Astig nga eh. Field trip ng St. Mary's Academy (of Guagua, Pampanga -- if I read it right). Kakatuwa. They all (teachers, students, parents and chaperones alike) sat at the same section we were. Ang dami kaya nila!

It was fun, mainly because literally everybody (including parents!) knew the songs. And why not if Disney Channel has reruns of High School Musical 1 & 2 almost every now and then! The cast are near look alikes of the original shows' main characters, like Troy, Chad, Miss Darbus, Sharpei, etc. The only thing is, Gabriella's character doesn't seem to come off as well as the others. Very poor characterization. Actually, it was rather boring, her character.

Overall, everybody had fun. Andee had fun. And as if we didn't get enough... we followed it up with Brendan Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth at Robinson's Metro East :-)

Go, Speed Racer, Go!

What can I say?

It's a dizzying kaleidoscope of colors. Fast action, and a touch of humour!!!Makulay ang buhay ika nga. Watched the movie with Diego as my date after our dentist appointment the other day.

This live action "Speed Racer" is an English adaptation of the Japanese anime Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo, Mahha GōGōGō) which centered in automobile racing (more on Wikipedia) . Mach GoGoGo was first created and designed by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida as a manga series in the 1960s and made the jump to TV as an anime series in 1967.

The 2008 movie adaptation showcased the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge story-telling of the Wachowski Brothers (creators of the Matrix trilogy). I swear, the scenes would literally take you breath away (well, my breath, that is..). One just had to be keen in understanding the storyline because there are a lot of storytelling in between as well as flashbacks. Diego sat through the movie with eyes glued to the screen! We would laugh at certain scenes as well. Too bad we were not ale to watch it at IMAX. Wow, siguro duling-duling na kami nun! hehe!

Manaoag trip

As Abner's special birthday wish , we went on a trip (my first!) to The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan. The trip was a bit tiring, clocked it at 5 hours-- went to the Dagupan Bus Station straight from my shift at around 6am. The day before was Andee's enrollment and I got home with a burning fever. Thanks to good 'ol paracetamol, I was able to go to work last night and of course, make it to the bus station this morning---probably also because of the mere thought of going on this trip is enough to get me so enthusiastic and excited!

When we finally reached our destination, I was pleasantly surprised that it isn't as crowded as I imagined it to be.. well, Wednesday naman kasi eh. It was around 11am. I was expecting pilgrims and devotees spilling out of the church into the courtyards, but the church was just half full. Towards the entrance to the courtyards, were the usual vendors with images of santos, religious artifacts, rosaries of various colors, sizes and materials, and of course, tupig, puto, and what was that you call?-- patupat?! We first visited the shrine's store where similar items were being sold, as well as prayer books, pamphlets, medallions, etc., bought a few pasalubongs and had them blessed after the last morning mass. After this, we lighted candles for our petitions at the Candle Gallery and stayed a while, observing visitors from all walks of life.. yes, even tourists! Nearby, you'll see the Our Lady of Manaoag carved out of a big tree.

It has been quite a long time since I had a 'good talk' or even reflected on what my goals or wishes are in life for my family, kids, friends, special people, or myself.. kakaiba. (I should be doing this more often.) Had lunch in one of those roadside eateries.. and ang pinakamasarap was an ice-cold glass of coke!!!! (We actually ordered a 1.5L) GRABE! with the heat and all!--heaven!

Sonya's Garden

I spent my post-birthday lunch yesterday at Sonya's Garden in Tagaytay with Abner. The trip took almost two hours (South Super Highway is undergoing rehabilitation), but once you've reached and passed the Sta. Rosa exit, everything is a breeze! This is one trip where you'd leave your car windows open to feel the cool air. No pollution, no smoke belchers.

Sonya's Garden is a place where one can't just say, 'just dropping by', since it is tucked away from the main road and you'd really have to exert extra effort to get there. It was overwhelming! Perfect for quiet moments, conversations, relaxations and what-nots.. any nature-lover will go gaga with the country settings, numerous flower gardens and trails, and secluded garden nooks, coupled with the very cool fresh air Tagaytay is famous for.

Here I found and was so excited in seeing a red caballero, as Manila would have it mostly in orange, or yellow. We had to ask permission from the gardener if we can just have one of its pods. I'd like to attempt to grow one at home! For sili or chili lovers, we were amazed to see multi-colored, what looked like siling-labuyo, planted near the cottages. Parang christmas lights!!

Hopeless romantics, according to their website, sees the garden as, and I quote, "a wonderful haven of romance, love blooms in Sonya’s garden like flowers of an eternal spring.... and have found it to be a popular spot to disarm, to court and to propose." I don't blame them. If you have all the time in the world, and would like to engage into simple conversations-- no frills... then this is the place!

The food is very filling! Their lunch include unlimited freshly squeezed dalandan juice, a garden salad, whose ingredients are freshly picked from their vegetable gardens; freshly baked, oven-hot wheat bread with dips, as well as their pasta with their signature sauces. And if you think that was all, you'll be surprised with their dessert of sweet-boiled kamote (yummy!) banana rolls (turon!) and very moist chocolate cake. Lunch, by the way, also took us almost 2 hours! With the kind of food they serve, you'll be talking and talking in between! How's that for conversations?

I'd certainly would like to return. Ahemm..parinig lang.