Movie Review: Letters to Juliet

I have always been fascinated with Italy. It seems a very romantic and adorable place. From what I see in movies, Italy has a certain charm that captivates almost everyone. With its country wine vineyards, cobblestone walkways, palatable dishes and beautiful language, who would not fall in love with it AND in it.

Shot in Verona, Italy, Letters to Juliet is as endearing as the country view of Italy. Starring Amanda Seyfried, of Mama Mia and Chloe, the movie tells of a story of finding your one true love and fulfilling the promise of a love once lost.

An article published in Manila Times, a Philippine broadsheet, aptly describes and sets the tone of what the movie is all about:

The One That Got Away
(Mark J. Macapagal, The Manila Times)

In your life, you’ll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special and ones who will always mean something. There’s the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you’re with…and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it’s that person with whom everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person nor flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn’t fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without even realizing it? When you’re not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn’t matter who you’re with, it just doesn’t work. Small problems become big; inconsequential become deal breakers simply because you’re not ready and it shows. It’s not that you and the person you’re with are no good; it’s just that it’s not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you’re ready. You really are. And when this happens you’ll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it’ll work because you’re ready. It’ll work because it’s the right time and you’ll make it work. And it’ll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you’re finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want and you’ve become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there’s no telling when this day will come. Hopefully, you’re single or be in a long-term relationship, or be married with three kids…it doesn’t matter. All you know is that you have changed. And for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about.

You’ll think about them because you’ll wonder, “What if they were here today?” , “What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?” .The one that got away is– the biggest “What if?” you’ll have in your life.

If you’re married, you’ll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you’re mature enough to realize that you’re already with the one you’re with and this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you’ll think about him/her every so often, but it’s alright. It’s never nice to live with a “might have been,” but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who’s already married. In which case it’s the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you’re old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, then it’s different. What do you do if it’s not yet too late? Simple –find him or find her. The very existence of a “one that got away” means that you’ll always wonder…what if you got that one? Ask him out to coffee. Ask her out to a movie. It doesn’t matter if you’ve dropped in from out of nowhere. You’d be surprised, you just might be “the one that got away” as well for the person who is your “the one that got away.” You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won’t make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it’ll all just fall into place somehow. It would be a great feeling in the end, to be able to say to someone, “Hey you, you’re the one that almost got away.”

To watch the movie, click to play on the video below:

"'What' and ‘if’ are nonthreatening as words can be. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: ‘What if?' 

'What If?'

 What If I don't know how your story ended. But if what you felt then was true love, then it's never too late. If it was true, then it why wouldn't it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart.

 I don't know what a love like Juliet's feels like. A love to leave loved ones for. A love to cross oceans for. But I'd like to believe if I ever were to feel it, I would have the courage to seize it. 

 And if you didn't, I hope one day that you will." 

- Letters to Juliet, 2010

SeatSale: AirPhilExpress 600PHP Seat Sale

Air Philippines Express, the budget wing of Philippines' flag carrier Philippine Airlines, is on a sale rampage. Set to conquer the budget airline industry, AirPhil Express has been very aggressive in its sales and marketing campaigns these past few months. Seat sale after seat sale, they are slowly eating up the market share of the budget airline industry that is currently dominated by Cebu Pacific Air.

And now, they are again on the surge of offering travelers budget airfares with their new seat sale promo.

AirPhilExpress' re-entry to the budget airline industry is advantageous to everyone, expecially to travel-holics. This will eventually pave way for more flights within the country, and possibly outside of the country, and offer Filipino and foreign tourists more domestic flights which will help boost the tourism industry of our country. Most important of all, AirPhilExpress' aggressive airfare promos and prices will help other competing budget airlines to do the same which will eventually help drive lower the cost of airplane travels. Thus, this will give more power to consumers to choose because of several options and air transportation monopoly will no longer be very evident in the Philippines.

TV Series: Glee Season 2 opens with Charice

For Filipino Gleeks (Glee addicts), this season will be definitely the most anticipated.

Charice Pempengco, more internationally known as 'Charice', is set to guest star in this Emmy-nominated series for its season 2 run. Charice will play Sunshine Corazon, a character who is an exchange student from the Philippines. She will become Rachel's rival in the episode. Charice's episode will be the pilot for season 2. Almost all Filipinos are excited for Charice since this is the second time only that a Filipino artist has guest-starred in a Hollywood TV series. The first Filipino artist who was able to do this was Lea Salonga in the ER TV series.

Other interesting episodes to catch in the season 2 are Britney Spears' appearance wherein she will be reprising some of her famous hits. Other actors that are said to guest star are John Stamos and Javier Bardem.

TechUpdate: IPhone 4.0, cheapest in Singapore and Hongkong

Ever since the IPhone was launched, everyone has been dying to get one. Now that the Iphone 4.0 is already out and will be released soon in the Philippines, more and more people are getting on the Iphone bandwagon.

With its 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, HD Video recording and editing, 3.5 inch widescreen multi-touch display features among others, this IPhone 4.0 has gotten all tech-savvies drooling for several months. And now, it has finally reached Asia Pacific.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been marketed yet in the Philippines. Singapore is the closest country to have launched the IPhone 4. The Iphone 4 is already available in Apple SG store and units are sold UNLOCKED. Yes, that's correct. Singapore laws prohibit the mobile manufacturers to lock their brands to particular telecom providers. Basically, it's all about freedom of choice. Same goes to Australia, New Zealand, and Hongkong (other countries that sell officially unlocked IPhone 4.0 units are listed here: Officially Unlocked iPhone 4 Countries List). It's different in the Philippines because IPhone units have been locked to Globe telecom, a local telecom provider. Not to mention, IPhone prices in the Philippines are really expensive which is 50-60% higher than when it's bought outside of the country.

According to several Iphone experts and blogsites, Singapore and Hongkong are the two countries that offer the cheapest price for officially unlocked IPhone 4.0 units. (Data retrieved in this site.)

I checked on the Apple SG site and true enough, they sell Iphone 4 units (16GB Black) for only 888 SGD (that's roughly 30,000 PHP converted using OANDA rates). The 32GB Iphone 4 is being sold at 1,048 SGD.

I also checked Apple HK's online store and their IPhone prices are also very cheap (comparing it to prices in other countries and considering that these units are officially unlocked IPhone 4s). Iphone 4 units (16GB Black) cost only 4988 HKD which is roughly 28000 - 29000 PHP. The 32GB Iphone 4 is being sold at 5888 HKD.

 

Now that the Iphone 4 is already out, everyone is scuttling to own it. Since Iphones generally cost a lot in the Philippines, a lot of Pinoys are getting their units in SG or HK. There are a lot of forum sites already that discuss how to order outside of SG and ship it to Manila. One common practice is to find someone (a friend) in SG whose address they can use in doing their online purchase for the Iphone 4 from the Apple SG online store. Apple accepts online purchase only so that they can track Iphone orders. In SG, there is also a maximum count of only 2 Iphone orders per person/credit card. That friend, then, can just send the Iphone via courier to Manila or hand-carry it when he/she comes back to Manila for vacation. 

So if you're one of those itching to own the new Iphone 4, one tip is to order from Apple SG online store and just use your friend's SG address in the purchase order. You can have the unit couriered to Manila. Last time I heard, LBC can do this at a minimal price. Or you can either personally go to SG to pick it up yourself. There's nothing more satisfying than  getting it personally, opening the box and sniffing the smell of a brand new gadget. You can also do some sidetrip in SG while you're there. ;)

If money is not an issue with you and feels hassled to do the purchase in SG while you are here in the Philippines, you can keep yourself in the loop for the IPhone 4 release in the Philippines by signing up in Globe telecom's Iphone 4 alerts.


P.S. For those planning to get their Iphone 4.0s in HK or SG, Citibank has a promo that will allow you to pay for your IPhone 4.0 in 12-month installment payments. :)

Book Review: Mockingjay

Finally after the long wait, I have now gotten Mockingjay. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that I pre-ordered the Mockingjay book in National Bookstore. The last book of the Hunger Games trilogy came into my knowledge because of an officemate's suggestion, Jam. She lent me the first book, Hunger Games, and the rest is history.

Following up on District 13's rise from oblivion in Catching Fire, the second book of the trilogy, Mockingjay details the elaborate plans of District 13 to sabotage and bring down the Capitol under President Snow. District 13 is being led by President Coin who wishes to take down the Capitol and take over the entire Panem. Peeta being captured by the Capitol at the end of the second book, is rescued by troops from District 13 as Katniss wishes to be with him. But even before Peeta is rescued, he is  tortured and injected by the Capitol with tracker jacker venom which alters his memory of Katniss and makes him delusional in killing Katniss. Upon knowing this, Katniss is heart-broken and asks to be involved in battle to topple down the Capitol. Together with Gale Hawthorne, Katniss' hunting partner, and other members of the District 13's Star Squad, they set out on a mission to seize control of the Capitol and capture President Snow. They were able to gain control over the Capitol and their revolution was a success. However this triumph costs Katniss the life of Prim, her younger sister, falling prey to the ill effects of bombs during wars. After the siege of the Capitol, Katniss is given the opportunity to kill President Snow herself. But then she learns of President Coin's real motives and kills her instead using her bow and arrow in the supposed to be public execution of Snow. President Snow is killed by a rampage of people after the incident. Katniss is pardoned by the new Capitol government and is ordered to return to District 12, her original home. She is accompanied by Haymitch, her Hunger Games mentor. Peeta soon follows to District 12 to be with Katniss after he recovers from his delusions. Gale Hawthorne, becomes a troop captain in District 2. Katniss and Peeta married after Katniss has fully recovered in her depression and anxiety attacks brought about by the death of her sister. Katniss and Peeta produced two kids and they remain in District 12 under Panem's new government.

The thing that I liked about the book is its concept of war and peace - how it is inseparable - and the repercussions and effects it brings to everyone - the society and its people. In reality, governments are either good or bad. How we define good or bad depends on how we perceive the government in doing its job. History dictates that the evolution of society is brought about by the concept of command and conquer. As depicted in early civilization and even in the modern world, every nation or country in the world has been conquered once in its history. War is not a loved idea in almost all societies but inevitable given its circumstances. Its opposite, the concept of peace, is also an idea that every civilized country tries to embrace but fails in its attempt to imbibe its ideal meaning.

For me, the story of the Hunger Games is a depiction of who and what we are. It is a mirror of the old and the new. Today, the concept of command and conquer still lingers and there will come a time when the concept of Hunger Games becomes inevitable.

Over all, the book is a good read and stays true to its fast-paced plot. I recommend this to everyone and it's definitely worth your time. ;)

"It feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I'm afraid it could be taken away. That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetitive." - Mockingjay,  Suzanne Collins , ©2010

Movie Review: Grownups

Reminiscing my earlier school years was what I found to do while watching Grownups. This 2010 movie, which stars Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James, gives each one of us a walk down memory lane and let us remember what we used to dream of back when we were still kids. In the movie, these five kids are what you would call as the 'next big things' after having won their basketball finals match in their middle school.  Fast forward 30 years after, these five used-to-be basketball champs now lead very different lives. Adam Sandler plays Lenny who is a very accomplished and famous Hollywood talent agent. Kevin James plays Eric who is recently laid-off from his work but hides this from his friends. Chris Rock plays Kurt who is a stay-at-home husband without any work. Rob Schneider plays Rob who is a three-time divorcee and married someone who is 30 years older than him. David Spade plays Marcus who is a single womanizer. After they have found out that their basketball coach before has died, they all decided to attend the funeral services together with their own families. It is in this rendezvous that they reconnect again and rekindle their friendship and bring their families closer to each other.

Even if Rotten Tomatoes rates the movie 10% only, I still find it entertaining complete with a moral lesson. Sometimes, we feel that life has it going for us already - nice career, nice job, fat bank account, famous friends. But we fail to look at the basic foundation of our lives - our family. We may be successful in our work and social life but if our personal family life is crumbling then everything that we have accomplished for ourselves would become useless. It is our family that molds us to who we are, inspires us to get to where we want to, rejoices with us in our triumphs AND cries with us when the whole world frowns at us.

Indeed, this movie is a nice watch and entertaining, as what we always expect from Sandler movies.

If you still haven't got the chance to catch this on the big screen, I'm giving you the treat of watching it here.

Enjoy! ;)

Air Asia's Mindblowing USD1 Seat Sale

Air Asia, known as the world's best low-cost airline of 2010 because of its budget-friendly rates, is again proving the world that they really deserve the top spot.

If you're planning on traveling to some of the best Asian destinations next year (April-August 11, 2011) and planning to do it with a tight airfare budget, then this seat sale is definitely for YOU.

Air Asia is offering a 16PHP one-way fare to almost all of the Asian countries. Air Asia docks in Clark Pampanga airport and travels straight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. But even if you are thinking of going somewhere else other than KL, you need not fret. Air Asia services other flights from KL to Vietnam, Bangkok, Cambodia, Laos, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei and many others. So if you are thinking to have that great Asian backpacking trip alone or with your friends, then this is definitely a sign for you to GO for it.

Seat sale starts on August 10 and ends on August 15, 2010.

What are you waiting for? A promo like this is surely a travel addict's answered prayer. :)

As for me, I might just pursue that Asian backpacking trip suggestion. 

Hi-ho, hi-ho! Asia, here I go! ;)

Cebu Pacific launches another seat sale

Cebu Pacific, the number 1 low-cost airline in the Philippines, launches again another seat sale today. This is in celebration of Cebu Pacific Air's acquisition of new airbus carriers.

Seat sale starts on August 10 and ends on August 11, 2010. Seat sale travel period will be from October 1 - November 30, 2010.

For those travelholics, this is another chance for you to catch the next flight to your next adventure destination.

Hmmm... I'm thinking, where should I go next? :)

Music Review: David Guetta's One Love

Being a pseudo-dancer sometimes, I am always on the lookout for new dance beats and groovy soundtracks. When I first heard of  Kelly Rowland's smash hit 'When Love Takes Over', I instantly liked the song. When I knew that she collaborated with David Guetta for this song, I immediately googled who this guy is. I later found out that he is one of the best producers of house and dance songs today. He also collaborated with other artists for the popular songs 'I Gotta Feeling', 'Club Can't Handle Me',  'Commander' and 'Sexy Bitch'. 

I downloaded his entire 'One Love' album and started listening to all of the songs. I must say that this album totally rocks. I loved it! Every song has a certain vibe and groovy feel to it. They make you stand up and just gyrate and swivel from left to right. My personal favorites in the album are 'When Love Takes Over' with Kelly Rowland, 'Sexy Bitch' with Akon, 'Club Can't Handle Me' with Flo-rida, 'Gettin Over' with Chris Willis and 'Missing You' with Novel. The other songs are also too good for you to miss. Proof of my adddiction to Guetta's music is constantly playing the entire tracks in this album when I go to the gym and run the treadmill. It keeps me on the groove.

Just some of the music videos of David Guetta's songs:










As for me, I strongly recommend this album to everyone who likes to dance, party and groove even when you are inside your room, your car or your bathroom!

Get it now! ;)

TV Series: Feasting on Vampire Diaries

Ever since the advent of the Twilight series of Stephanie Meyer, a lot of vampire books and chronicles have started surfacing. Vampire fiction has long been here already but the vampire-human-werewolf saga of Meyer has fueled a new fascination for the modern-age treatment of vampires. My first vampire movie, as far as I can remember, was Interview with the Vampire which starred Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst. For books, my first vampire book read was the work of R.L. Stine which was heavily popular during my high school years. Today, not only do you have vampire saga in books but Hollywood has taken a lot of these books into the big screen. Talk about Vampire Mania!

I got to read the Twilight saga and also watched the Twilight sequels. But this is not about that. This post is about its predecessor, the Vampire Diaries. 

The Vampire Diaries are, originally, book series that were written by L.J. Smith.

Because of the tremendous money that Twilight raked in both for books and the silver screen, the Vampire Diaries screen franchise was brought to life. But this time, it was made for TV.

I haven't really read any of the Vampire Diaries books. I first heard of the Vampire Diaries TV series from a friend and read good reviews about it. The Vampire Diaries is always compared to Trueblood, which is also a vampire TV franchise. I was also hooked with the first season of Trueblood but later on got unhooked with its following seasons. So I decided to try the first season of Vampire Diaries without any expectation at all.

In a nutshell, the Vampire Diaries TV series is about the sibling rivalry of two vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon. Back in 1864 in Mystic Falls, they both fell in love with the same vampire, Katherine. Because of both brother's love for Katherine, they agreed to be turned into vampires by Katherine. Upon knowledge of their father that Katherine is a vampire, the townspeople imprisoned Katherine and her other minions to be locked up in a tomb forever. Fast forward to 2010, Stefan finds out about Elena who is a carbon copy of Katherine. Elena is human and is an orphan with both her parents killed in a car accident. Stefan falls in love with Elena and Damon later on finds out about Elena and her stark similarities with Katherine. Stefan does not feed anymore on human blood and has already an 'animal-blood' diet because he does not want to be guilty of killing innocent people. Damon, on the other hand, is still remorseful about what happened to Katherine back in 1864 and vows to bring her back to life because of his undying love for her. Elena has two bestfriends who are Bonnie and Caroline. Bonnie is a witch while Caroline ends up with Elena's ex-boyfriend Matt. Matt is bestfriends with his football teammate Tyler, who is sort-of frenemy of Jeremy, Elena's brother.

The season evolves around the lives of these people and the Council of Mystic Falls whose members are descendants of the people who imprisoned the vampires back in 1864. As the season progresses, it is revealed that Katherine was not at all imprisoned in the tomb because she has escaped. Elena's biological mother is a vampire, Isobel, who later on had a plan to kill Stefan and Damon because she fears that they will turn Elena into a vampire too. She does not want Elena to suffer the consequences of having to live an 'undead' life forever and feeding on innocent people's blood. 

At the end of the first season, it was revealed that Katherine is already back in Mystic Falls. Her motives are not yet clear as to why she is back. Damon realizes, as well, that he has strong feelings for Elena even if he knows that Elena loves Stefan. Bonnie has fully developed her witchcraft skills and warns Stefan that they should not kill innocent people anymore, especially Damon. The season ends with Elena coming face to face with Katherine at their house.

Overall, I liked the first season so much. I wasn't expecting a lot in the storyline but I got what I could have expected. There was meat in almost all of the characters' personalities, which I think Twilight lacked. Among the two brothers, I empathize more for Damon. Sure he is a badass but the guy's got some heart, too. I like his sarcasm and quick humor. Seldom do you meet vampires that are like that. If I would be a vampire, I would definitely want to be like him. LOL! I also liked Elena because she is a feisty heroine. Unlike Bella who is a wimp, Elena is strong-willed and very independent. She carries herself well and has a positive disposition amidst her life's losses. I also liked Bonnie. I find her very gorgeous and sexy. She looks like Bangs Garcia, a Filipina actress, in some of her angles. 

Now that the season 1 has ended, I would definitely catch the second season of this series which will premiere on September 2010. I can't wait already. My personal wishlist for season 2 includes Damon to be still badass but more emphasis on his human side, more Damon and Elena love angle and Stefan to turn into the dark side. Now that would be a good twist.

As for my recommendation, this series is definitely a good watch especially for those vampire love story fanatics. 

For online streaming of season 1 episodes, you can go to the link below.

Watch Vampire Diaries Online

You can also follow some of the lead casts in Twitter: 

Nina Dobrev

Ian Somerhalder 

Katerina Graham

Zach Roerig

Michael Trevino