So much info if I’ll still complain about the long lines, heat, incorrect processes and so forth. But it’s the truth and what really happened (so I’ll still complain! LOL.. 
). Earlier this morning in Brgy. San Isidro, Antipolo City, a lot of people stood in line to wait for their turn to vote. Most of them waited for about 4-5 hours (or even longer) just to exercise their right to vote. Since it was temperature high today (36-38 degrees Celsius), I decided to go in the afternoon around 3PM hoping that the lines are no longer a kilometer long. But as expected, there are still a lot of people waiting.
A few minutes after we arrived, we found our respective precincts and stood in line. More than an hour of waiting doesn’t really hurt as compared to what the early birds experienced in the morning. The line is still long but we don’t have a choice but to wait. One good thing that happened while I’m waiting is that the people I’m on the line with are my cousins and relatives so it wasn’t that boring. I also had a chance to take some pictures while they stood on the line for me and blog it (pretty obvious huh!? )
Voters still patient as they wait for their turn
The precincts do not look different from the previous elections. I mean, there’s only one thing that’s new and that’s the PCOS machine which I never thought that it would look like a HUGE black trash can, seriously. Fortunately, the PCOS machines cooperated with the BEI’s and made the casting of votes hassle-free. It only took me less than 10 minutes and I got my pointer finger inked and I’m gone.
The Automated process is promising. We could have prevented the long hours of waiting if the people concerned were prepared and knowledgeable of what they’re doing. Still, I’m all praises to the men and women (volunteers and special mention to teachers) who took time to facilitate the elections. They don’t intend to keep us waiting and they don’t deserve to be blamed for all the hassles. At the end of the day, we are in one with the rest of the Filipinos who want a peaceful and safe National Elections. Whoever wins, I pray it’s for the betterment of us all. It’s about TIME.
It’s a very hottah-hottah Sunday noon and we’ve just finished our Sunday run in UP Diliman. On our way to New Manila, Quezon City something really caught our attention. I saw A LOT (like WHOAH!) of campaign posters along the streets, on walls everywhere and streamers hung like “banderitas” in a town fiesta. See it for yourselves:
Is it a Quezon City town fiesta?
I thought this was only in Quezon City but to my surprise, what I saw in Antipolo was worse Unlucky me I was not able to capture it using my camera phone. tsk!
Yesterday, it was all over the news that the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines failed when a series of tests were done prior to the elections on Monday. It had errors when reading sample ballots that led to replacing or repairing the machines’ software and thousands of CF (Compact Flash) memory cards used. Yeah, most people (including me) are now more worried because this is just an indication of a failure of election. A few days more, 5 days to be exact before that day and still the public has no idea if it will go well or not. COMELEC don’t consider the Traditional or Manual counting of votes as an option at this point despite the reports. They are still positive that automated elections will still push through. Ironically, IT experts (previously working for COMELEC) insists to go for the manual counting. How funny it seems that IT experts themselves are the ones who are giving up on the automated elections where they should be the ones helping out in finding solutions how to make this glitch fixed. I don’t know they’re reasons but changing course is not an option at this point but a repair only – I think.
SMARTMATIC should be able to fix these problems with their machines as soon as possible. They should have done a lot (like hundreds!) of testing before they showed it to the public. This just made people more worried of what’s gonna happen on Monday. It’s not a simple high school project where there’s a big room for trial and error. It’s the country’s future which is at stake here. However, I still believe that they can still patch things up. More so that I wonder, whether it’s just merely a technical glitch with the machines or just part of the whole “game plan”?
Right after a sweaty 6K run and small chit-chats in UP Diliman, we decided to transfer because the sun’s hitting on us already. We remembered that Mark mentioned last week about this new fastfood chain called Mushroom Burger along Katipunan. It’s past 10 in the morning already and we need a place to continue chit-chatting so we decided to check it out.
Obviously, Mushroom Burger is a burger house and I thought that it only offers burgers, nothing more. The place looks new because it is really new. I just read from a page that this was the same spot where Jollibee stood. It’s probably a few months old only and was only the second branch – first is in Tagaytay.
It’s logo has the same colors as McDonald’s but just inverted. The letter “M” is red and the rest is yellow.
Mushroom Burger in Katipunan
I haven’t thought of taking a picture of how it looks inside. The place is clean and what I liked most about it is… *drum rolls….* FREE WI-FI… lol The first thing I look for when we got in is the price of their burgers. My wallet’s only got 200php so it’s pretty obvious why. They don’t offer just burgers but rice meals, breakfast meals and halo-halo as well. This is where I understand that it’s not like Brother’s Burgers because the prices are very affordable. I tried Mushroom Burger Royal. I got it for only 95Php and comes along with a regular sized fries and drink. Taj and Boggs ordered the regular Mushroom Burger and I told them I’ll take a picture of it first before it’s gone in a minute.
Regular Mushroom Burger
It’s plainly served. It’s surprising that the patty does not even match the circumference of the bun. And the bun is only about the size of the ketchup cup. I did not intend to compare the size when I took the picture. I just noticed it when I’m uploading the pictures. I did not ask Taj and Boggs how did it taste like but I presume it was okay since I did not hear anything violent from them. hehe It’s just the patty that awed me. haha
It’s my turn. Mushroom Burger Royal – looks yummy, seriously. When I opened it, here’s how it looked like:
Mushroom Burger Royal
When I saw it, “oh.. OKAY..” It has an omelette with cheese, mushroom patty under with pickles and of course the burger dressing. It tasted okay for me though the bun looks like less ordinary. I just expected it to be bigger. Their fries tastes good just like other fries, hehe. It’s firm and authentic.
Aside from the affordable price (and free wi-fi of course..), nothing really special caught my attention on our first visit. We might still pay a visit again and try other burgers only if we’re on a very tight budget hehe
And that was Friday, April 30. Since it’s payday and a weekend, it’s a perfect time to watch Iron Man 2 – and it’s its OPENING DAY.
First of all, welcome me back because it’s been a month since my last post. Let’s get it on with the review.
Robert Downey, Jr. returns as the industrialist and stubborn Tony Stark in this year’s sequel of Iron Man Trilogy. The movie is 2 hours and 15 minutes long, short of I think almost 2 and half hours run time of the first movie.
Technicals: The movie’s visual and special effects are good. The action scenes are jam-packed and it did not dwell on the usual superhero movie fight scenes throwing up laser beams and thunder-lightning combination. They showed more manly combat scenes which moviegoers like more because it’s more intense and felt. Undoubtedly, the technology used in Tony Stark’s hub is really advanced and I do hope it’s within our reach in the next 3-5 years (I think Bill Gates has that already.. lol) I have yet to find out what it is called. Production design is probably costly because they need to setup the Stark Expo, the futuristic soldiers and to justify the out-0f-this-world-yet technology. No doubt producers allot a $2o0M production budget (wow!).
Cast: The ensemble of the cast is superb. Robert Downey Jr. is just fit for the role and very consistent with his delivery. Same goes with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. I just missed Terence Howard because he was replaced by Don Cheadle which now portrays Lt. Col. James Rhodes. Howard was just perfect for this role though I think Cheadle was able to put it through as well. I heard Howard did not make it to the sequel because of a talent fee issue – that I have yet to find out also. I’m happy that Happy, Stark’s loyal driver has more lines to deliver. His character is always important – the goody buddy sidekick. Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson are both new additions to the sequel and they both introduced Black Widow and Nick Fury to the public well enough. It even showed Johansson’s versatility as an actress. The much awaited appearance of Whiplash aka Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) is one of the highlights of the movie – of course he’s the villain here aside from Justin Hammer, portrayed by Sam Rockwell. Rourke showed a little reserved Whiplash because I thought he could have been a really bad-ass Whiplash.
Overall: I give it 4.5 out of 5. The first will always be the standard of every sequel but this can stand in its own way. It’s very entertaining. I did not see any dull scene along the way that I didn’t even noticed that it ran for more than 2 hours – or maybe I’m just really anticipating. Just the right ingredients to cook up one hell of a BLOCKBUSTER! .
I was asleep that time. I woke up past 2PM and received a lot of text messages about the earthquake. And I was like.. “What the Efffffffff???!!!!” I asked tatay if he knew about the earthquake. He just knew about the news because Ate Anna, working in Libis called home. Though it was not felt in Antipolo, I got worried about my friends working in Makati, QC and Libis areas especially in IBM Building (which is the oldest building in Eastwood).
According to abs-cbnNews.com:
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the earthquake measured magnitude 6.2.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said the quake struck at 1:29 p.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers with an epicenter in the sea, west of Manila.
The US Geological Survey, meanwhile, reported that the earthquake measured at magnitude 6.1. It said the quake took place at 135 kilometers southwest of Manila.
The earthquake was felt at Intensity 4 in Quezon City and Intensity 3 in the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong. With Agence France-Presse
http://abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/03/25/10/62-magnitude-quake-hits-metro-manila
Hope everyone’s fine and no major casualties were done. Let’s pray that no after shocks follow.
I’m about to tweet my latest blog post (before this) that I found out that it’s not letting me. And the message is Twitter/Over capacity with a picture of eight orange birds carrying a whale – Moby Dick perhaps. I laughed at the picture because that’s how much the site is receiving a lot of “heavy load”.
Good thing I’m not much of a tweet-er. I usually open Facebook and interact with my friends there. I hope this won’t happen in FB for a lot of people will be pissed off.
Last week, I shouted out a question on my Facebook status asking for the top 5 places to visit this Summer. Surprisingly, I received a number of responses from my friends and here’s what they think are the best places to go to this summer vacation.
1. BORACAY
Where else? Boracay has always been at the top of the list whenever summer is coming. I’ve been here last October, 2009 and I’ve witnessed why a lot of people including tourists, think this is one of the best spots to spend summer.
Boracay Island
2. Panglao Island (Bohol)
This is one of the places I’d like to go to this summer, or probably not even summer. The serene environment of the place makes it one of the most sought-after spots in the Philippines.
Panglao Island
Panglao White Beach
3. Anawangin
This place is being more recognized because it’s not as typical as Boracay or Puerto Galera beaches. You can reach this place through trekking or by riding a boat. It’s a perfect place for a different kind of adventure.
Anawangin
4. Caramoan
Caramoan is one of the places getting more and more attention nowadays. It’s probably because of the advertisement it received when Survivor France chose it as their spot three years ago.
Caramoan Beach
5. Sagada
Aside from the popular beaches mentioned above, Sagada takes a spot on the list. It’s an alternative route for those who love a different kind of experience this summer.
Sagada
Sagada Falls
Now, pick your DESTINATION and enjoy SUMMER!
Yeah, I’m one of the many who’s somehow disappointed in Arnel Pineda’s rendition of ‘Lupang Hinirang” in yesterday’s Pacquiao versus Clottey bout. Since there had been so many criticisms about the singing of the Philippine National Anthem before, I expected Arnel would do it correctly.
According to Wikipedia:
R.A. 8491 specifies that Lupang Hinirang “shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe.” However, when literally followed, this means that the national anthem should only be performed by a pianist or by a brass band, as these were the only versions that were produced by Julian Felipe. Moreover, because the original version was composed in duple time (i.e. in a time signature of 2/4) as compared to the present quadruple time (4/4), it is uncertain if this will either slow down or even double the music’s speed, making it difficult for singers to keep up with the music.[3] Regardless of this, the national anthem is still sung with the lyrics. R.A. 8491 also states that Lupang Hinirang “shall always be sung in the national language” regardless if performed inside or outside the Philippines, and specifies that the singing must be done with fervor.
The National Anthem is usually played during public gatherings in the Philippines or in foreign countries where the Filipino audience is sizable. R.A. 8491 also provides that it be played at other occasions as may be allowed by the National Historical Institute. R.A. 8491 prohibits its playing or singing for mere recreation, amusement, or entertainment except during the following occasions:
- International competitions where the Philippines is the host or has a representative;
- Local competitions;
- During the “signing off” and “signing on” of radio broadcasting and television stations; and
- Before the initial and last screening of films and before the opening of theater performances.
R.A. 8491 specifies fine or imprisonment penalties for any person or juridical entity which violates its provisions. Public or government official or employee who fail to observe the regulations of R.A. 8491 may face administrative sanctions, besides the penalties imposed by the same law. This warning also applies to persons connected with government-held corporations, public schools, and state colleges and universities.
Regardless of what the law says, STILL – that is not the way we were taught in school to sing our National Anthem. Even elementary students can sing it properly – even if they’re out of tune, at least they are in accordance of how it should be sang. Arnel’s tempo in the beginning of the song is slower but still fine as it progresses. In fairness to him, he uttered each word clearly and meaningfully – giving emphasis to the lyrics. But when the last part came in, he suddenly shifted it to a higher note which made it unpleasant because at that moment you’ll notice that something’s wrong – very very wrong. Because of that, I expect a lot of criticisms will surface the headlines again including mine.
Below is the video clip of Arnel Pineda’s rendition and see it for yourself:
Just minutes after the bout, People’s Champ Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao wins over Joshua Clottey by a unanimous decision. 12 rounds is worth it but most boxing fans all over the world say that Pacman’s previous fights were better than this.
True enough, Pacquiao again makes all of the Filipinos around the world PROUD!
Let’s get ready to rumble!
I’m one of the millions who are just watching the most awaited fight at home. Thanks to my online friends who are generous enough to share Live Streaming links (more thanks to the admins and owners of those websites offering free Live Streaming).
Just trying to check if I can add this one up in my blog.
PACQUIAO vs. CLOTTEY
Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV
Thanks a lot to Ustream.TV
Just refresh the page if the streaming goes slow.
Thanks!
Facebook fan pages are supposed to be for celebrities, prominent individuals, or any earthling, a product, a place or even a thing. Recently, I’ve been seeing unusual fan pages – not for people, events, products or places – but they’re STATEMENTS!
They’re written in Tagalog and are most often funny and true-to-life. This is actually one thing that makes me laugh when I’m on Facebook. See some examples below. I’ll try to translate them in English but they can be read best in Tagalog .
1. This is the most recent I’ve seen:
“Sige Noynoy, Hindi ka na Magnanakaw at Anak ka na ni Ninoy at Cory ” (Alright, we get it Noynoy, you’re not a thief and you’re Ninoy and Cory’s only son) – Politically driven since National Elections is just around the corner.
2. “Kala ko SILA pa, Kami na pala! – sabi ng students na di handa sa reporting..” (I thought it’s not yet our TURN! – says the unprepared students) – this made me laugh. I just remembered my high school days.. hahaha
3. “NAGMAMADALI KA NA NGA,PATIGIL TIGIL PA YUNG JEEP PARA MAGHINTAY NG SASAKAY! ” (You’re already late for work but the jeepney keeps on stopping by to fetch passengers!) – true! and this is the reason why I have to have my own car.. yikes
4. “Nung bata ako, hinihipan ko yung BALA ng FAMILY COMPUTER para GUMANA..” (When I was younger, I always blow the family computer tapes to dust them off and make them work!) – I hope I translated that correctly.. hahaha I did my best there.. hahaha..
5. “Buti Pa Ang Biglaang Lakad Natutuloy, Ang Planado, Hindi!” – hindi ko ma translate!. hahaha
6. “HINDI PORKET MAY DSLR KA, PHOTOGRAPHER KA NA! “ (So you think you’re a photographer?)
7. “Wala akong matapos dahil sa FACEBOOK! “ (When I’m on Facebook, I can’t finish anything!)
8. “GWAPO KA NGA, BOSCONIAN KA BA?” (Yes, you’re damn good-looking! but are you a BOSCONIAN?) – parang ang corny ng translation.. hahahaha
9. “INIISIP KO PA LANG TINATAMAD NA KO” (I’m just about to think about it but… NEVER MIND!)
And lots of others like this are still on Facebook. We can really make fun of anything – even ourselves.
Last Saturday, we set up a pre-nup photoshoot for our good friends, Mark and Rushelle. The venue? – La Mesa Eco Park in Quezon City. I was excited to do the photoshoot but more looking forward to see the Eco Park since that was my first time to go there. I did not complain that I only had 3 hours of sleep and was awake for almost 2 days. I guess my excitement got me really going.
We started the photoshoot at 2:30PM and finished at around 6PM. It was very tiring though I enjoyed taking pictures and walking around the park. We sneaked out of the park by 6:30PM and decided to have our dinner at Pen Pen Restaurant.
Pen Pen is located at 105-C Sct. Castor, Brgy. Laging Handa, QC which is in Tomas Morato area and owned by celebrity Ping Medina. It was our first time to dine here and curious about how the food would taste like. The place is Filipino themed and very simple. No decorations mounted on its walls aside from a few paintings I think. At first I expected it to be BIG because it’s owned by a celebrity (connection?.. 
) The ground floor can accommodate 20-30 people I guess and its second floor is being designed to be a bar. We sat our butts down and ordered. Wait time for our food took roughly 15-20 minutes but not sure. We’re busy looking at the pictures we’ve taken on Mark’s laptop. I thought the price in the menu is quite reasonable and main course dishes are good for 1-2 pax per order. I was a little surprised with the serving especially with the liempo strips and callos. They were served in a little bowl and I didn’t think it could satisfy Jun’s appetite (Jun ordered it by the way..) The food is not served in a sophisticated way – which by the way a good thing for us. I thought Liempo strips is just an appetizer because we compared it with chicharong baboy (peace!)
- Liempo Strips
- Callos
Then came the others.
- Burger Steak
- Chicken Ala Kiev (did I spell it correctly?)
I was able to taste all of these. Chicken ala Kiev is delicious because of the sauce (or dressing? ) and was the best of all the rest on the table. Since it’s the season of Lent, I vowed not to eat pork and pure beef so Sweet and Sour Fish is my thing. Among those served, this one has a bigger serving – you can see it right? Sauce pa lang ULAM na!, I said to myself. Then, moment of silence – all are eating already
- Sweet and Sour Fish
I felt full already after eating one cup of rice with one and a half fish fellet still untouched. I wondered why that happened. I was really hungry when we got there and thought I could finish 2 cups. There’s something in the food that make us feel full. Boggs also noticed it because he did not order for another cup. Well, I don’t know what’s behind it but what’s important is I had a very satisfied tummy. The food is good – period.
Oh by the way, they also offer free wifi so you can bring with you your laptops, netbooks or even desktops (who dares to do so? )
Yesterday (Tuesday), I experienced an out-of-this-world headache because of the SUMMER madness happening in the Philippines – not to mention (but I am about to mention it.. lol) that I’m also craving for some sleep which added “ache” to the headche. I went home at around 11 in the morning where the sun was at its full blast – coming out of the office from a 10PM-7AM working shift – what a good working schedule was that?! Of course I had a hard time sleeping even though I slept in my parent’s room with both the aircon and electric fan turned on. Yeah, we all know it’s EL NIÑO in the Philippines. EL NIÑO or El Niño-Southern Oscillation, often called simply ENSO, is a climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean on average every five years, but over a period which varies from three to seven years, and is therefore, widely and significantly, known as “quasi-periodic.” ENSO is composed of an oceanic component, called El Niño (or La Niña, depending on its phase), which is characterized by warming or cooling of surface waters in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, and an atmospheric component, the Southern Oscillation, which is characterized by changes in surface pressure in the tropical western Pacific. Below are some of the results of El Nino in the Philippines this year.
Okay, enough of the brain cracking definitions. What made me decide to write is because I’m curious what was the temperature yesterday for it was totally H-O-T even in the evening. Before I go to the office, tatay told me it’s at around 37 degrees celsius. “Parang may sinat lang…” says he. What the effff?.. that’s REALLY HOT! I can’t do anything about it so I opted to ride an fx instead of my usual jeepney ride.
Imagine, 37 degrees celsius?… I can’t withstand it already and I won’t be ready if that goes as high as 40 degrees. May be I’ll just stay in the office if that happens or better yet, stay in the pool keeping my cool.
Everyone can now have the Starbucks 2010 Planner by just completing 17 stickers of the promo card. Started on November 4, 2009, Starbucks again offers three designs which I think the most appealing in terms of its look than the previous planners. Last Saturday, I redeemed my first planner and I chose Cherry. Now, on to the second one.. hehe
Now, what’s with the planner? Why do I need to complete those stickers which amounts to 2550Php (average of 150Php /order) if I bought it myself? The answer? - that I really don’t know. I could have paid our electric bill for a month (without aircon… hehe) with that 2550Php. We don’t really need to ask because it’s Starbucks – I think. It’s very expensive primarily because of the quality and its name. Yeah, the planner is good-looking and it contains every day of the year of 2010 until 2011. It has pictures inside as well which showcase the beginnings of the most famous coffee shop. What sets it different from other planners? – Actually, there’s none. This is nothing special, it’s just that it’s nice to have a Starbucks planner – that’s it. Oh I just remembered, the proceeds will by the way go to their Foundation and I think its Spark Hope. As the thank you note says:
“More than 3,000 wishes of a brighter future granted with your planner.”
I really hope that the proceeds will get there. I didn’t realize that I had gone to Starbucks Tagaytay, Eastwood Mall, Frontera Verde, Shangrila and Citywalk II for the stickers.
Ang gastos lang!..
Adidas got along with the bandwagon with their own Mega Sale since Christmas is just around the corner – yey! I just spotted it from www.clickthecity.com. For sure, a lot are excited about this because Adidas merchandise especially the shoes are really costly. Not all can of course avail of having some Adidas shoes or even bags. Their brand has proven to be one of the most competitive and most trusted since then.
The Sale will be open to the public on November, 29 and 30. I just hope that there will still be a lot of stocks and that I have more money to buy the ones I want.
Just got home from Eastwood Cinema and guess what movie did we watch?
Synopsis: A teenage girl in love with a vampire is devastated when the vampire leaves her for fear of the danger that he brings into her life. The girl becomes self-destructive, but in doing so gains the attention of another boy who seeks to protect her, who has a secret of his own.
Review:
Not bad at all. It did not fail the moviegoers to deliver what they expect – a much better sequel and enjoyable than the first. It ran for more than 2 hours which is considered a very long flick. Normally, 1 and a half hours is enough and more than that is already a burden - not in the case of “New Moon”. The storyline and editing of the film are quite consistent and straight to the point. I never realized that it already took 2 hours because every scene was well-balanced and continuous.
The scriptwriter injected lines with a twist of humor unlike its predecessor. Another noticeable part is the delivery of cheesy lines – yeah it’s a teen flick so what could we expect? Kristen Stewart’s acting is consistent so as Robert Pattinson’s. The division of the stars’ exposure is ample in its 2-hour run. Though Victoria has minimal scenes as well as the rest of the Cullens and Dakota Fanning. We’ll see more of her on the third installment – I think. Taylor Lautner (aka Jacob Black) is a scene stealer everytime he shows up. For obvious reasons, girls and “feeling” girls scream (not like Paranormal Activity screams) whenever he shows up shirtless. He doesn’t seem to look 16 years old but yeah, that’s his age in the story. He justified the role of a wolf and showcased a surprising acting though sometimes he sounds and delivers like Pattinson.
Overall, this teen flick won the hearts of both young ones and young once. No wonder it has become of the most anticipated films of the year with $297M worldwide gross after a week of release. Go ahead and see it for yourself – you may pick up some cheesy lines.
Watch the 2012 Movie Trailer (HD) here
Film Synopsis: Hundreds of years ago, the Mayan calendar predicted that the world would end on the year 2012. Now, the time has come, and a chain of natural disasters has left millions dead and cities in ruins. The remnants of this cataclysm make one last bid for survival, pulling mankind together for one last effort. – thank you clickthecity.com
Bago ang review-reviewhan ng pelikula ay may magbacktrack muna tayo 2 hours bago ang showing. Hindi dapat kami manunuod ng 2012 ngayong Friday the 13th. Ded na si Lolo ang dapat naming papanuorin ngunit 6:30 ng gabi ay nasa SM Megamall pa lamang kami. Ang ninanais namin na pelikula ay ipalalalabas ng 7:30PM at sa New Manila, QC pa iyon – kamusta naman? Tinangka pa namin habulin ang oras ngunit sadyang ayaw lang nitong magpahabol. Sanlaksa ang mga taong nag-aabang ng masasakyan, mapa-taxi man o FX kaya no choice kami kungdi i-giveup ang naunang plano. Malamang alam nyo na ang susunod na kabanata…… tumpak! kaya ko sinusulat ang review na ito.
As expected mahaba ang pila sa ticket booth dahil first shooting day ito. Tatlong sinehan (o apat ba?) ang binuksan para sa palabas na ito. Hindi ko nga inakalang ganito naging interesado ang mga tao na panuorin ito – wala masyadong TV advertisement, na-overshadow kasi ng New Moon.
Dumating ang oras ng pagpasok. Kinse minutos para alas-otso pumasok na kami ni katotong Boggs. As expected (again), puno na sa itaas ang mga upuan at no choice (again?) at sa baba kami naupo. Magulo na ang mga tao na para bang masyadong excited sa papanuorin.
Nagsimula ang pelikula.. Tumahimik na ang lahat..
Review Proper:
Maganda ang pelikula.. period.. Typical lang ang istorya dahil sa pamagat pa lang at sa poster eh makikita mo na kung ano ang ending. Adik na lang siguro yung magtatanong kung ano ang mangyayari sa pelikula. Naging curious ako kung anong istorya ang ilalapat ng mga scriptwriter sa pelikula. Again, typical dahil it’s about a family’s story – pamilya ng bidang tauhan (John Cusack). The usual conflicts sa family na may iba ng asawa yung asawang babae (Amanda Peet) nung bida at may mga anak sila. Kagandahan lang ay inilapit pa rin ito sa realidad ng buhay at sa kasalukuyang panahon – kahit na 2009 pa lang ngayon at 2012 na nun. Naging predictable ang ilang eksena ng mga tauhan dahil mabilis mo ng malalaman ang relasyon at koneksyon nila sa isa’t isa. Nagkaroon pa ng love angle sa pagitan ng scientist na nakadiskubre ng paggunaw ng mundo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) at ng anak ng US President (Thandie Newton – na by the way ay hindi ko nagustuhan ang acting dahil parang laging nag-fflirt kahit sa mga eksenang tatay nya ang kasama nya at umiiyak sya, hindi ko lang din maintindihan kung bakit). Dapat tinanggal na lang ung love angle na yun dahil wala naman sa personality ni scientist ang makipagflirt, although binata naman at.. sige na nga! pagbigyan na.. Tumatak sa mga manonood ang karakter ni (Charlie) Woody Harrelson na naging susi para mapagtanto ni Jackson (Cusack) ang magaganap na catastrophe at kung saan makikita ang mga modernong Noah’s Ark.
Harrelson’s acting was short but unforgettable. Cusack’s performance was also consistent so as Danny Glover’s, Oliver Platt’s and Zlatko Buric’s – ang rusong bilyonaryo na may pagka-kups na kahit hindi maintindihan mag-english eh pasok rin sa banga ang karakter. Kakaiba ang istilo na ginamit ng direktor (Roland Emmerich). Di tulad ng ibang pelikula na walang ibang pakay kungdi gunawin ang mundo, hindi nila ginawang sersyoso ang pelikula. Nilapatan nila ng humor ang pelikula sa personalidad ng mga karakter ni Cusack at Buric.
Eto na.. Ang pinakarason kung bakit ko gustong i-blog ang pelikulang ito – dahil sa special at visual effects na ginamit sa pelikula. Walang panama ang Armageddon (kahit di ko pa napapanuod), Deep Impact, Transformers (kahit puro robot lang to), Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow atbp. Malamang todo-todong salapi na naman ang ginasta para lamang sa mga nagbibiyakang lupa, gumuguhong mga gusali, nagbubulwakang mga lava, naglalakihang tsunami at nagsasabugang mga sasakyan. No wonder, estimated $200M-$250M ang production budget ng pelikula. Mabigat sa puso makita ang effects ng pelikula – ibig sabihin, effective sa mga manunuod. Hindi ka titipirin sa kung ano talaga ang pakay ng pelikulang ito – ang sirain ang mother earth at lipulin ang mga tao. Hindi bitin ang mga pagsira sa mga daan at sasakyan. Lalo na siguro kung sa Dolby Surround or I-MAX kami nanuod – baka hindi ko na yun kayanin (ang OA lang.. hehe). May iba lang na hindi pa pulido na halata pa ring effects lang – pero negligible na rin. Kakamayan ko talaga ang mga programmers na gumawa ng effects na yun dahil hindi pa nakikita yun sa pelikula, kung meron man, hindi ko ito pa napanuod at kung meron talaga ummmm… ok fine.
Para sa akin, reaction ng audience ang pinakabasehan kung maganda o hindi ang pelikula – in addition, hindi rin sa dami ng tao. Sabi ko nga, maganda ang pelikula kaya maraming nanuod at naging interesadong panuorin ito. Kahit kami napapa-woohoo sabay tawa (kasi makulet ung pag woohoo namin.. ) sa mga eksenang almost makapigil-hininga. Yung tipong hinahabol ang mga bida ng pagguho ng lupa na parang monster lang. May mga eksenang hindi na lang sana nilagay sa istorya at may mga execution na hindi pasok sa script. Nabigyan pa sana ng ibang atake yung pagsulpot ni Cusack mula sa pagkakatanggal nya nung cable na nag-stop ng hydraulics nung isang pinto ng modernong Noah’s Ark (kaya sila pinasok at muntik malunod sa tubig – tsk! kasalanan pala nila! ) Predictable kasi na lalabas naman sya kasi sya ang kaya ang bida.. hayz… pinatagal pa kasi ng ilang segundo yung pagsulpot nya na gustong ipasuspense pa ng direktor na mamamatay pa sya ( eh patapos na kaya yung pelikula). Anyway, malamang pinagbigyan na yun ng mga tao dahil expected na nga – ang korni lang kasi talaga Sulit naman ang 160php na bayad sa sinehan dahil 2 hours and 45 minutes ang run time.
Ang Hatol: Worth it dahil sa special effects! Pagkatapos ng trabaho, yayain ang pamilya o mga kaibigan at panuorin.. Worth it! (oo nga..kulet! )
Isa lang paalala.. Mas magandang panuorin kung sa Dolby Surround na theater or sa IMAX sa MOA or SM North Edsa para ramdam na ramdam lang… at mag-stock na ng eroplano sa bahay at mag-aral magpalipad nito..
