first class

The bestest movie of the franchise thus far.

grenade

Personally, I much prefer music from the 60's and the 70's. I remember my Tatay playing his records on full blast to get me and my siblings up and out of bed for school. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, the Carpenters, Abba, Elvis and some of the artists of Motown served as our alarm clock each morning. Their incredible songs were a great start to my day. Eventually, I got acquainted to Johnny Cash, The Who, Billy Joel, Elton John and other amazing artists from that era.

Which is why I don't really know much about today's music. Most of the artists now, I don't get. I even asked Ketty, "Why is everyone gaga over Gaga?". But this is not a critique on contemporary sound. You see, I don't even have a radio in my flat. Never had one since I moved to the UK and I've stopped watching MTV for almost a decade now. Everything changed when I started my not-so-new-job in London. They play FM in the office. And now, I know the Top 40.

There's one particular song that caught my ear at the moment. The funny thing is, this tune ain't exactly new. I learned today it was released in November last year. Anyway, Grenade by Bruno Mars is one heck of a song. Full of melancholic melody and its lyrics brimming with angst and despondency, the song is brilliantly composed. And to make it even more hauntingly poignant, the half-Pinoy(!) kills it with stunning vocals.

i'm all over it

LQ in the time of 3G.

Hands down, one of the cleverest, cheekiest and most charming adverts on TV today.

wtp

wat da pak?

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2011

This is why God created HD.

any movie, any time

I am chuffed!

Because I am not one to pass on a good deal, I signed up for a Cineworld Unlimited card. For £13.50 a month (a movie ticket usually costs £8), it is the ultimate movie lover's card where you get to experience unlimited tears, unlimited horror, unlimited laughter, unlimited fear.

Going to the cinema is one of my favorite things. It is also one of the million and one things I miss back home where a movie ticket is, still, cheaper. And this sweet little thing is just the answer to my homesickness.

Get this, in the last 2 days I have seen more movies than I have in the last year. So yeah, I went to see 127 Hours, Black Swan, Rabbit Hole and The Fighter. Amongst the four, kay Ana, ako napatingin (lame? eh, can't help it. hehehe) I enjoyed The Fighter the most. It is a stirring tale of a small town boxer whose reputation as just a stepping stone prompted him to work hard and make his way to the top. Predictable, yes but worth seeing because of the outstanding performances especially from the supporting cast.

Christian Bale as a washed-up boxer, sullied by drug addiction, and Melissa Leo as the white trash mother are breathtaking. It is easy to make someone look dirty and filthy in pictures but these two actually reeked of filth, you can smell the rotten stench of their characters beyond the celluloid. You root for Mark Walhberg's (he had Pacquiao in mind when doing this role) Mickey because you feel sorry for him for having a crackhead for a brother and a crazy skank for mother.

The Fighter is a compelling film, with drama, comedy and some really good fights!

f*** you

Although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
F*** you!
Ooo, Ooo, Ooo

This is one of the best songs in the entire world.

happy halloween

Donnie: Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?
Frank: Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?

Who says you need a costume this Halloween?

Donnie Darko is a trip.

brill

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, IMHO, is probably the hardest, if not one of the hardest songs to sing. Watch The University of Santo Tomas Singers as they kill it during the recently concluded Cork International Singing festival.

My alma mater's official singing ambassadors are currently touring Europe and winning first prizes in Ireland and Poland. Twice proclaimed as the “Best Choir in the World”, firstly at the 49th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, United Kingdom in 1995 and secondly, at the 2001 World Choral Festival in Puebla, Mexico; they are expected to win more prizes as they continue their concert tour and participate in other international choral competitions in key cities in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom.

piss pot

The video below is gross. But it's really funny so y'all have to watch it.

I remember this joke I first heard when I was still in uni. I'm a proud Thomasian and is on neither side. Just saying.

It was the UAAP Basketball finals between La Salle and Ateneo. During halftime, two men from the said universities met in the gents. Both took their spots at the opposite sides of the piss pot and relieved themselves quietly. The La Sallian finished first and as soon as he zipped up, he walked to the sink to wash his hands. As he was doing this, the Atenean buttoned his fly and made his way out of the toilet. Before the latter reached the door, he heard the La Sallian say, almost mockingly, "We, at La Salle, are taught to wash our hands after we use the toilet." The Atenean, obviously not amused, looked at him blankly and said, "Well that's good. But we, Ateneans, have the common sense not to pee on our hands."

24: the final hour

Like all good things in this world, 24 has come to an end.

Was the finale what I expected? Yes. It was fast-paced, thrilling and poignant. A friend told me once that he thought that the show, although cutting-edge, is a bit too formulaic thus making it's unpredictable twists "predictable". I concur. The show is far from perfect. There were a lot of stories that didn’t make sense and situations that defied physics and logic. But that was all part of its charm.

And by the way, I too felt that the ending was a wee bit rushed. I guess it's okay because at the end of 24 hours the day, I’m comforted by the thought that Jack Bauer lives to fight another day.

how difficult is it to smile?

One of my favorite songs in the world. Did you know that the music was done by Charlie Chaplin?

It's funny that a song called Smile doesn't always bring joy to its listeners. I say that because everytime I hear the song, I can't help but get choked up a bit. It really is ironic that I find the song full of melancholy despite it being about finding comfort and happiness in life.

The simplicity of the song is stunning. And the truth that its words speak is beautiful. The song is haunting, poignant and all in all, wonderful. It tells us that life, from time to time, it bites, sucks ass and makes us feel blue but a simple act of smiling can turn it all around. And yet as simple as it is, sometimes we can't bring ourselves to do it.

Some experts believe that it takes something like 43 muscles to frown and only 17 muscles to smile. But why is it that the simple things in life usually are the hardest to do?

killer voice

If there is reincarnation, I want to come back with Jack Bauer's voice. There's something about the tone that's menacing and sexy at the same time. It's silky smooth and yet grimly brutal. It's the sort of voice that can make your enemies drop dead in fear and the ladies drop their knickers. LOL. I'll be the ultimate action hero. Do you think drinking copious amount of whiskey and smoking large cigars will do the trick? I doubt the missus will approve.

Watch the hilarious video below as Jack Bauer terrorises Father Christmas.

The new season of 24 is on at Sky1 every Sunday at 9PM.

the future is here

It's the last day of the first month of 2010. We are in the future. Except that it is actually known as the present. Can y'all believe it's been more than 10 years, a decade(!), since Y2K? It really was much ado about nothing!

If we were to believe some of the sci-fi movies from our not so distant past, our date with aliens are in the offing. We have, after all, sent them a message. The Beatles' "Across the Universe," for that matter. Who could argue with such a well-meaning, positive initiative?

Before y'all become overwhelmed by panic, fear not because I don't think they're that bad. As long as we remember not to do this, I think we all are going to be allright.

* a friendly reminder from the bunny suicides.

bayani

"... you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be."

why do I love glee?

Let me count the ways. (Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

1. A diverse cast of relatively unknowns but with,



2. as Randy Jackson would put it, mad talent. Pipes, check. Moves, check. Acrobatic skills, check, check, check.



3. Cool tunes. And an even more amazing musical score.



3. Brilliant dance sequences.



4. Inspired performances and production numbers. This is my favorite thus far!



5. Wicked sense of humour.



6. Great quotes and clever story.

7. The New York Times called it "blissfully unoriginal in a witty, imaginative way". Whilst the Entertainment Weekly gave the show an A, posing the question: "Has there ever been a TV show more aptly named than Glee? It both embodies and inspires exactly that quality."

8. It's freaks and geeks meets a Cameron Crowe movie set in High School Musical on crack. For the record, I've never seen the latter. And not planning to either. Seriously.

9. And even if it may be implausible at times, the show has enough reality to make it believable. Moments on the show that make one ask oneself, why don't I do that in real life? Inspire, I think, is the word.

Some people believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is to find something mundane, like a really boring task, and make it fun to do. Everyone in glee seems to have fun. And as a viewer, the fun part kinda rubs on you.

10. "With my lost saints, --- I love glee with shallow breath,
dog smiles and crocodile tears, of all my life! --- and, if Fox choose,
I shall but love glee better after it is axed."

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If you can't follow it on tv, watch the episodes here.

horn dog

A man's bestfriend he is not. This one is a woman's very, very best mate.

I am assuming this was done in good nature. Otherwise, someone would've helped the poor old woman surely, right?

9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers

"Still are thy pleasant voices, thy nightingales, awake.
For death he taketh all away but them he cannot take."

Last night, I caught 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers on Channel 4. The exceptionally powerful and incredibly poignant and affecting documentary features previously unheard voice recordings of those trapped in the Twin Towers after they were hit.

After the film, I wondered if I would have had the strength to have not made that call if I was in that situation. Would I have been at peace to say goodbye and assure everyone everything would be alright, or would I let my voice betray the fear and desperation that would be engulfing me and let them live with the memory that I could not be saved?

Goodbyes are always heartbreaking. But if you make your every living moment an opportunity to make all those who are dear to you how much they are loved, they would have known you left with love in your heart for them without having to share the pain of your passing.

That's easier said than done. I couldn't have not made that call.

Watch the film here.

bolt

How is that even possible?!? I can come up with a thousand and one things a man can do under 10 seconds but I wouldn't even think of this.

Living up to his name, Usain Bolt shatters the world record with a new personal best time of a mind blowing 9.58 seconds!

amazing

I'm easily pleased. And it's not because I'm mababaw. I just know what I want. And when these things are achieved, I'm always impressed.

The great iconic music + the amazing voice and an ingenious production and musical arrangement; this video knocks my socks off. I can't believe that even after numerous views, I'm still blown away.

Enjoy.