My City. My Pride.

Having lived in Manila for almost 6 years, I only get to see my hometown for brief periods of time.
And I can't believe I've missed to witness the past 5 Dinagyang Festivals. I hope I get to go next year in January. *fingers crossed*

But I am, and will always be, proud to be born and raised an Ilongga. :)

 

Punk. Genius. Billionaire.

If we're Facebook friends, you would have known I've been rambling about The Social Network movie for a few weeks now. If we're friends even before Facebook, you would also know that I didn't jump into the this hype until only about a year ago, when I finally (finally!) created an account, much to the amazement of pals and acquaintances.


I bet before the movie's marketing hit mainstream media and it being released on Oct. 1st (Oct. 27th here in the Philippines), not a lot of folks knew much about Facebook's founders. I was one of them. I only knew that a couple guys from Harvard started this worldwide social phenomenon. After seeing the very interesting movie trailers, I started posting the clips on my Wall until my boss noticed and promised free tickets! The power of Facebook, right there! *wink*


And he did make good on that promise this past Wednesday by treating me to an LFS screening of The Social Network at the sleek Ultra 7 cinema at Eastwood Mall. Movie-watching is as luxurious as it gets, with spacious reclining seats and a butler taking your popcorn and drinks preference. This is the life! Haha!


I read a few great critiques on this movie online since it was shown earlier in the US and the UK but I didn't want to raise my expectations especially after Avatar last year. I know I'd probably get stoned by saying I didn't like James Cameron's movie that much. :)


Well, Fincher and Sorkin didn't disappoint me this time around. Sorkin's take on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich was snappy, witty and so sharp, it can cut through diamond. Fincher's direction was impeccably done, it felt like a suspense thriller with pumped-up scenes every 30 seconds when in fact, once broken down, the scenes were really just a series of legal settlement negotiations and some flashbacks on the characters' college experience. Although I had to keep in mind that probably a lot of those scenes were exaggeration of what happened in real life, just to make the story apt for Hollywood.


I also thought Jesse Eisenberg did a thorough job in portraying Mark Zuckerberg as a smart-alecky genius who is 'trying so hard to be an assh*le'. And excuse me Justin Timberlake's fans out there but I thought his performance was just a little too N*Sync-y for my taste. I also did fall in love with the soundtrack and yeah, maybe a little bit of Andrew Garfield. Haha!


So in my own words, the movie rocked and I would probably watch it again the next time I get the chance. Two thumbs-up here so go and see it! You'll leave the theater with a smile on your face, guaranteed.


And probably a couple daydreams of what you'll do if you were the one with $6.9 billion at the age of 26. LOL! ;D

Gimme A Massage! : Pearlsacho Massage and Wellness Center

Tired. Body aches. On and off colds. Those were my unrelenting rants this week that Vin finally decided to go and get some stress-relief with me.


Vin and I are suckers for cheap but relaxing massages. We always find ourselves on the hunt for 24/7 places (due to our crazy work schedules) that offer great massages but won't hurt our pockets. Nothing beats an honest-to-goodness full body massage after a crazy week at work.

When I was still working and living in the Makati CBD area, I have been a huge fan of Mont Albo Massage Hut (http://www.montalbomassage.com/site/). It was right next door to where I work and a couple blocks away from where I lived and were open 24/7. Unfortunately, they moved their spa and training center just right across the street but changed up their operation hours and only stayed open until 12:00 am.

We had no choice but try and look for a place that's still open in the wee hours of the morning (it was around 3:00am, right off work for me). Vin mentioned passing by a place that is usually open on his way home.

We found Pearlsacho Massage and Wellness Center in Pasong Tamo that's still open. We stepped inside and were welcomed by a friendly receptionist who immediately took our preferences. The rates were good, Php350.00 for a one-hour full-body Combination massage. We decided to make it 1.5hrs (yes, we were extra-stressed. Haha!) for Php525.00 and were directed by 2 female therapists to the second floor.

I was a little dubious at first because I think the facilities could use some further improvements. The couple's room we were delegated to consisted of an airconditioned bare room with 2 massage tables. The poor soundproofing sent streets noises of cars and jeepneys passing by through the closed windows. I thought to myself then, 'the massage better be good'.

Well, I was not disappointed. Ate Marlyn , my therapist, started off with slow, sure strokes and asked for my pressure preference. And in the next one hour and a half, I was treated to a relaxing and calming massage that loosened my tired muscles. Halfway into our massages, they placed heating pads (or maybe those were heated towels) to lie on, which felt very soothing. I found myself drifting off towards the end of the massage, during my shoulder and head rub. I rarely fall asleep during massages and this is an indication that it indeed was good, I was lulled to doze off! :) Needless to say, we tipped very generously on our way out. We were offered hot and cold tea upon paying for the services too.

Again, I won't recommend this if you're used to a place with spa facilities like a jacuzzi, a sauna, or a reliable hot shower. I suggest you just get home service, which they offer too. But for affordable, really-need-a-great-massage-now situations, I'd definitely bring you there. :) They're currently open at 4:00pm-4:00am but we were told that they're planning to be open 24/7 soon.

You can visit Pearlsacho Massage Center at Davila St. cor. Pasong Tamo, Makati City. It's near Shopwise, just right before you get to the PD Inquirer's head office. They can be contacted at 895-6205 and 0907-3251530. I believe they also have a Vito Cruz branch but you can just inquire. ;)

Happy stress-free week ahead!

A Despicable (Me) Date

There's been tons of buzz on the new Steve Carrell movie, Despicable Me, even before it hit the Philippine theaters. Carrell had me chortling in 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' in 2005 and 'Evan Almighty' in 2007 so I was pretty excited to watch how he'd lend his comedic chops to an animated character.

Dragging my bodyguard-slash-bestfriend-slash-pakner late Saturday night, we caught the last full show in the 3D theater at Power Plant Mall. It was a little bit pricey especially for me who is not a big fan of watching animated movies in cinemas but in the end, I thought it was money well-spent.


With some time on our hands, we hunkered down on some Chinese food at Mongkok Dimsum and Noodles. There goes my diet after cleaning our plates. LOL! :D


We brisk-walked our way back to the cinemas coz I wanted to catch the previews before the movie started. I think I'm the only person I know who enjoys the previews as much as the movie I paid for. I actually shriek and be giddy with happiness when a new Harry Potter movie trailer comes on. Haha!

We grabbed some FIC ice cream before going inside the theater. Vin had our favorite Pistachio while I opted for something new and had Raspberry Rapture. Sigh. Happiness in a cone. :)

FIC's Raspberry Rapture

Putting on the 3D glasses had me dizzy for a moment but eventually got the hang of it.

Me and my bodyguard with the 3D glasses on. Camera-shy yung bodyguard ko eh. Haha! :D

Lights dimmed and out came Mr. Gru in the screen. Five minutes into the movie, we were laughing like hyenas. The movie was hilarious, heartwarming and had a solid, funny plot. Carrell's take on Mr. Gru's character is damn amusing; he practically had me gasping for air after laughing so hard.


Agnes is soooo adorable; I could hug a little tyke like her to pieces. :) I'm not going to give away the plot here for the sake of the folks who're still planning to watch it. *wink*

Does this count as annoying? :D

Overall verdict – definitely a must-see. And watching it on 3D isn't so bad either, since there are outer space scenes that made me really appreciate seeing it on 3D. I'd recommend experiencing that for yourself. :)


A Despicable (Me) weekend date with my lovable pakner. It's so good I'm gonna die!!! :D

Kwentong Kaladkarin # 04: Anilao Adventures

Da Where: Mt. Gulugod Baboy and Philpan Resort in Anilao, Mabini, Batangas
Da When: Sept. 4-5, 2010
Da Who: me, Vin, Archie, Vince, Paolo, Lene, Wesley, Germaine, Ferdie, Mico, Lynn, Lem and Kuya Emil, the van driver
Da Trivia: a.k.a. Inter-Company Training Team Friendship Climb ;D
Da Word for the Day: Like! :)


View from the top of Mt. Gulugod Baboy