In the End, It’s Overdrive

The Reunion won last night when I was thinking of what to watch from my pile of Pinoy movies. It was recommended by Elise, someone who is more in the know when it comes to Pinoy movies, and so I took her advice. I had to say it was the right decision. I actually really wanted to see this when it was out on cinemas because I liked the music of the Eraserheads, which featured prominently in the movie, and I have always had a bit of a crush on Enchong Dee. On top of that, I have always been a sucker for coming-of-age type of teen flicks so this was really my kind of movie.

Anyway, the premise of the movie seems simple enough: a group of guys who were friends since high school discover that they needed to make a change in their lives and the way to do it was to retrace their steps and make something “right” from the past. Of course there’s more to it than that. That’s the bare essentials of it, really so I encourage you to see it for yourself to really see what’s going on.

If you’re a fan of the Eraserheads’ music, then you’ll probably find it cool as E-heads music comprises the soundtrack of the movie plus there are the references all over the place to the songs, too. I love the atmosphere that the music sets for the whole movie. It makes the characters and their situations all the more relatable for me because I grew up listening to the Eraserheads even if I only really got to appreciate their music later on. It was very familiar and it was a great, freeing feeling to be singing along to their hits as you watch. It’s like going back to those days when everything was simpler and carefree.

As for the actors, they were okay. Most of them played their parts very well, though I have to say that Jessy Mendiola and Julia Montes could have done better. They both seemed a bit stiff and expressionless to me. The boys did a great job. You can tell that there is a chemistry between the main four guys. It really feels like they’ve known each other for a long time. Enchong Dee’s talent isn’t surprising and he’s proven once again that he’s not just a pretty face and body. Meanwhile, this is the first time I’ve seen Xian Lim act and I have to say I was really impressed by his performance. I particularly liked his story line and this thing he does when he sings his own version of “Sampung Mga Daliri”. ‘Gets me every time. And I was surprised to see Matt Evans there too. He’s trying to be versatile, I think, since he played a gay character and I guess it was okay. Yeah. Matt Evans has shown that he’s got some talent so I don’t know why he went on to make this movie with that part. But he was fun as always. It was nice to see him onscreen.

The movie ended in a satisfying note and I felt good and bubbly and worry-free about staying up late to watch it. Maybe later on I would forget all about this movie and I won’t remember it when I’m made to think of the movies that have left a significant impact on me, but I don’t think that was what this movie was aiming for. It was a road trip with friends, including the joys and trouble that one encounters during such a trip, but it’s all in good fun and the Eraserheads just made it a sweeter ride.

Ang Pelikulang Pinoy

Lately, I’ve become more interested in Filipino films. I’m not really sure why. I mean, I actually wanted to see Vice Ganda’s This Guy’s In Love With You, Mare when it was out in cinemas and that’s hardly ever happened before. Maybe it’s Cinemalaya making me realize that there are actually Filipino movies worth watching. Maybe because it seems to me that filmmakers are actually trying harder to make quality movies. Maybe there are just better actors to watch nowadays Maybe it’s also a change in taste. I’m not really sure, but I do like to think that nowadays the Filipino movie industry is trying to make things better.

For the longest time, it seemed that Filipino cinema was bombarded with movies that were more extended product commercials or just plain stupid or formulaic. Sure, people watched to be entertained, but surely there must be something wrong about them if they do nothing but make you lose brain cells as you go along. There were just too many so-called “bobo” movies with big movie stars who are only doing it for the money.

I like to think that the mainstream movie industry is trying harder to impress its moviegoers. They’ve got huge competitors not only from the US and other foreign countries, but also locally. Indie films aren’t anything to scoff at and they’re getting more and more attention. Cinemalaya movies are getting spots in local cinemas outside of the festival. And while the Cinemalaya Film Festival only happens once a year, no one can deny that it draws a huge audience and slowly, it’s also becoming more commercialized but I think that’s good in a way. More funding for unknown and talented filmmakers who would like to tell a story! I think that’s definitely good.

So now I see that mainstream cinema is doing its best to face the challenge of the times. GMA Films is trying out new technology and then is able to produce Tiktik: the Aswang Chronicles. Star Cinema is trying to make more dynamic and meaty stories and screenplays like it did with No Other Woman. Nowadays, we’re treated to a more varied selection of genres, too. It’s not just sappy, love-team-centralized romantic comedies. Now we’ve got comedies and horror movies and coming of age stories, et cetera. The industry is also sticking to some tried and tested strategies like using big name stars like Eugene Domingo and Vice Ganda and putting them in movies that would effectively showcase their comedic chops. There’s a mix of the traditional and the experimental and I’m actually finding myself looking forward to what else would be released in the cinemas soon. The Metro Manila Film Festival is just around the corner too, after all.

But anyway. I guess there’s more to talk about later when the MMFF is upon us and I’ll be making my selections on what to watch. Meanwhile, I’ll de-stress here and try to decide whether I should watch Praybeyt Benjamin first or go for The Reunion instead.

Relevant Questions for Today

1. Why do Mondays freaking suck?
2. How did my Monday turn from “dude chill” to “OH NO FFFFFF—-“?
3. Why does this have to happen?
4. Why do I keep worrying about things I have no control over?
5. “Why can’t [they] value you more?”
6. When is this day ending?
7. Why must earning a living be so hard?
8. Why do I have to have a period?
9. Why can’t I drink a toffee nut latte when I want to?
10. Why can’t I eat another toffee nut banana McFlurry now?
11. Why does peanut butter have to be so expensive?
12. Why is The Avengers so awesome?
13. Why can’t I RP like I used to?
14. What is writing motivation?
15. Why did I only write all this down now?
16. Why do we have to sleep?
17. Who said that was a good idea anyway?
18. Why can’t we have more hours in a day?
19. Who doesn’t want to go to work tomorrow again?
20. Do you think I should actually try and answer these questions tomorrow?

Dear You,

I wish there was a way for me to make you feel better, to make you change your mind. Things could be different as I just told you and I wish you’d listen because things aren’t as hopeless or as bleak as they seem. I know you’re going through a lot and I know you think I’m only here for one thing only, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It’ll take time, it’ll take trust and the will to change. I don’t know if you have all three, plus patience and effort, but I wish you would. I think you’ll be happier if you just give it a try.

I know you’ve been hurt before to the point that you barely want to try again. I know you think things will never stay the same and friendships will always change. You told me before that it’s something that will always be and while I agree with you, I also don’t in some ways. Friendships change because we let them. Friendships last because we work on them–we keep in touch, we try to understand and we learn to trust. Maybe it all started on something random and superficial but it can be more. You just have to give it a chance.

I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear this from. Aren’t I one of those people who have hurt you? And haven’t you hurt me? Driven me crazy? Made me think if it was even worth it anymore? Why do I even bother? Sometimes I do doubt if you care about me at all, if I even matter to you as much as you matter to me. At times it feels like you’re so bad for me it physically hurts. But you’re there and I care and I wish things were better for you. For us who want to keep on being around as your friend.

I don’t think you’ll really change. I don’t think you’ll really listen or try to do anything about all that I’m saying, what I have said before. I just keep repeating myself and nothing seems to be coming out of it. I don’t want to give up on you but again, I have to wonder. Is it even worth it?

If we stop talking, interacting then things have changed though it makes me sad that it would have to. Maybe you’re right, that I’ve only gotten used to you being around and I’ll get used to not talking to you soon enough. But for now I don’t want to.

I wish being your friend were easier, really. But it’s very hard and very sad, especially on really bad days.

I really wish it’s not like this at all.

Elevation

This used to hold an entry of a list of things that I am currently packing to take with me to Tagaytay. It contained about 9 items and included things like my iPod and my Kindle, you know, things I usually bring with me anyways. And this was a topic that other people have written about before in a much more enthusiastic and personal way that I now currently feel like I couldn’t. So I had to delete it.

I couldn’t handle it.

It actually felt painful and shameful that that entry existed and there was this intense, visceral, dirty feeling as I let it sit on my blog for the few minutes that it did.

I wrote it down just because it was something I was doing at the time.

I didn’t feel like writing today at all. I didn’t feel like I could do it. Nothing was coming to mind and all I wanted to do was hang out and just not think about writing anything.

So I wrote something just to say that I posted today. I typed it up quickly (no sweat at all, really) and then posted it. Even if it felt ickier and ickier as I went along. Even when it felt totally wrong and not me after I finished and clicked that blue button to the right. It was worse than posting up a picture and typing down some words under it.

At least those pictures and words, minimal as they were, actually sounded true and relevant. Something I really wanted to say and something I felt that needed to be said.

I think I’ve gone beyond blogging just for the sake of blogging now.

I realize this now and I have a feeling things will never be the same after November and NaBloPoMo.

Who would have thought?

Relax…

I think, after a crazy, draining work week and a huge tofu burger in potato bread with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic cream cheese, pesto and mixed mushrooms AND mozzarella sticks, I deserve to just lounge about in my pajamas and not think about anything at all.

Here’s to a happy weekend and I promise, there will be a real entry tomorrow.

Media Club~ :D

Media Club toniiiiiight! 😀

Thanks for the discussion and the laughs, guys.

Until next time.

 

We Wanna Party But We Got No Soul

The next media club meeting is tomorrow and as usual I am cramming our subject of discussion. It’s a bit easier for me to do that this time as it’s Elaine’s turn and she gave us Lene’s 2003 debut and only solo album, Play With Me. And yes, I’m talking about Lene from Aqua who were responsible for this:

And this:

It actually still boggles my mind how they are able to work with two different genres of music, but they really were able to do it well. As for Lene here, I really didn’t know what to expect when I started on listening to her album. Actually I forgot that her album is the one that we’re going to be discussing tomorrow, so I was a bit surprised about it when I unzipped the file. I kind of braced myself for what was to come. Will I jump out of my seat and start dancing like it’s COME ON BARBIE LET’S GO PARTY? Or will it bring me back to Singapore with Kuya Josh as he led us through the mysterious pathways of the MRT and he happened to sing Turn Back Time (my brother didn’t know the song. He is so from another generation)?

I’ll be saving my actual thoughts on this for tomorrow, maybe even make a blog entry out of them, but I have to say this: people from my generation will most probably enjoy this record and so would you young ‘uns who have never heard of the movie Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Lene’s Play With Me is worth checking out.

Play With Me

 

PMS Most Probably Played a Huge Role in the Crazy Today

Today was kind of a yo-yo day. You know, that kind of day when one moment you’re high and the next you’re low. Today was like that and it was kind of exhausting.

I woke up feeling kind of inexplicably awful. Nothing aches or anything like that, but I just didn’t feel good. As I went through my morning routine, I just started thinking about work and effortlessly worked myself up to a bad mood. ‘Work’s been crazy nowadays. I’ve got so many things that I needed to do and not enough time to do them all, much less take substantial breaks. Good thing I was sort of distracted by Chef Bourdain’s Tumblr so I didn’t end up whipping myself into a fine, frothy rage before I even stepped into the office.

Work started out as it usually did. There was work and I slowly got down to being productive, but then my boss called and asked me to do something. Of course that wasn’t anything new but today it felt doubly irritating. I was going to be handed more work to do because someone was being sloppy about doing a job that was supposed to be theirs. I took deep, calming breaths and just went ahead and got started. I was pissed off, but I followed through. What else could I do? And then a few minutes later my boss called to say no need to do it as she did it already. You would not believe the feeling of relief that washed over me at that.

Lunch rolled around and it ended with an excellent half cup of coffee. Add this 90’s Pop and Dance Playlist and I was well and truly distracted but feeling quite happier than I was just a few minutes earlier. This happy mood carried me on through some meticulous and painstaking accounting work until I had to leave the office. I didn’t mind this errand so much as I knew it wouldn’t take long. I was done in under an hour, so I was soon going back to the office.

On the way back, though, I was almost swiped not once, but twice by speeding jeepneys. Pasay, I have a question for you. What are sidewalks? I bet your answer is “I don’t know” seeing as you lack them! UGH! Pasay. Why must you be so deprived of a lot of good things?! Gone was my good humor as I trudged back to the office.

Until I spied plushies being sold by the street. This cute little Iron Man plushie only cost P120 and a poor, forlorn, dirty (but washable!) Cinamoroll plushie was P75. Maybe I’ll come back for them come pay day. I like plushies even if I never really do anything with them. And did you know that McDonald’s now has Toffee Nut McFlurry?! I can’t wait to try one!

And then more bad news when I arrived at the office. More work was being heaped on me. My boss talked to me and said she knew how much work I was already doing but this added work was really, really important. I listened to her talk about things that I knew and understood, but just couldn’t accept then and there. I listened and tried my best not to cry. It was just too much already and I felt so sick of everything. I practically work non-stop after timing in and I hardly take breaks. Despite that, I barely get to finish enough of everything as it is. Now I had even more work on top of everything else…

No, today wasn’t really a good day though it had its moments. At least it ended with me laughing with my Mom…

I hope things are better tomorrow.

Looking Forward to Christmas :D

It started with a craving for xiao long bao and it ended up into a plan for a Christmas party with friends. I love how the Christmas season has really kick started the sales for stuff, including food. My friends and I are planning on having our Christmas party over at Shi Lin, a Taiwanese restaurant.  I was hooked by their 50% promo for dumplings and noodles and then it snowballed from there as my friends became interested. I hope it pushes through as it’s been a while since I’ve seen my friends and I do want to have a Christmas get-together as we usually do. I do wonder if we’ll do Kris Kringle again this year, though, haha.

Troika Christmas Party 2011! I hope our get-together this year is as happy and delicious as last year’s.