Staircase Wit

Final Fantasy VII Remake feels like a dreamy and stylish upgrade of the same game I used to play.

Notes on Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (now on Netflix): 1. This is a fun, fun, fun movie to watch. This is Leo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in their element, and this is their kind of movie. 2. Leo and Brad have awesome chemistry together. Rick (played by Leo), a narcissistic almost has-been movie star, and Cliff (played by Brad), his "more than a brother, but less than a wife" sidekick and stuntman. 3. This film features real celebrities--Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, et al. In real life, Tate, Sebring, Folger, and Voytek Frykowski were killed by the Manson family (the hippies who tried to kill Cliff, Rick, and his wife, Francesca). In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the hippies break into Rick's house instead. This movie gives us a fantasy "what-if". 4. Awesome soundtrack. 5. So Brad Pitt's character just easily beats Bruce Lee Bruce Lee, who can go against the Chuck Norrises of this world. Yes, this mo...

City of Girls is a decadent, booze-filled, and sexy coming-of-age novel about New York City, the theater, fashion, and feminism. While it starts off light and fun, it eventually reminds you that the novel is set against the backdrop of World War II, and tells of the somber reality experienced by the war's survivors. Photo credit: Bloomsbury UK

Finally watched Oro, Plata, Mata, Peque Gallaga's obra maestra, and one of the greatest and most important Filipino films of all time. Some thoughts on the film: (No spoiler warning because this is a 40-year old film, pwede ba?) 1. Oro, Plata, Mata is a film about two wealthy families waiting for the end of World War II by living a life of luxury and privilege at a big hacienda in the province, playing mah-jong and being waited on by countless servants. A very timely social commentary considering the war our society is facing against Covid-19. 2. Ronnie Lazaro and Joel Torre were incredible in this film. Lazaro plays a mute guerilla, but he needed no words to express his emotions. Torre's character starts off as limp and weak, but towards the end of the film he evolves into a violent, dark, and strong man. 3. Even more admirable and colorful are the women in this film. They were all headstrong, beautiful, and intelligent in their own way. 4. In the words of Trining Ojed...

GSIS suspended work today, so I stayed home and watched the remastered version of Hihintayin Kita sa Langit. Some notes on this Filipino classic: 1. Sobrang ganda ng digital restoration. 2. And the musical score (arranged by Ryan Cayanyab) is just perfect. 3. This film is an adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Richard Gomez is one smoldering, cruel, darkly handsome Heathcliff. Name one present-day Filipino actor as hot as Gomez in his prime. 4. Intense ang chemistry ni Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta. Their love scenes are sensual but beautifully shot. No wonder they became a couple while they were filming this movie. 5. Nakakakilig man si Gabriel (Gomez's character), one must not forget that he is a violent, abusive, and selfish man. 6. Actually, everyone in the entire movie are selfish jerks, with the exception of the yaya. You can watch the digitally restored version of Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit on HOOQ. I just paid 15 pesos for a one-day subscription.

Just sharing some of the prenup photos taken by Picava Studios. My fiancé really really hates having his photos taken, and he just agreed to this prenup shoot because I want to have prenup photos. Despite his dislike for posing for pictures, Picava's output was still amazing. Their team made us feel comfortable and relaxed. My fiancé and I are into books, graphic novels, and music. Picava's team incorporated all of this in our photo shoot, and transformed a simple hotel room into a nook that featured our hobbies.

Flexing the spoils of my Valentine's Day visit to  # BigBadWolfBooksPH   # BBWManila2020 . A little bit of politics, historical fiction, spy thriller, finance, and of course, chick lit.

Flowers from the fiancé at the stroke of midnight. ❤️

Booked our "mini-moon" and "real honeymoon" trips at super low airfare rates! (Rates include 1 20-kg check-in baggage for all flights). 2 return tickets to Taipei, Taiwan: PHP 9.3K Travel period: August (right after our wedding) 2 return tickets to Tokyo: PHP 12.9k Travel period: December The 2019-nCov outbreak has either ended or gotten way worse by then. But for now, I'm crossing my fingers, taking advantage of the cheap flights, and wishing that scientists will soon find a cure for the entire world's sake.     

Late night talk show host and comedian Trevor Noah writes about his childhood and adolescence in Born A Crime. Trevor was born to a black African mother and a white European father at a time when carnal knowledge between the two races is punishable by imprisonment. Hence, he was, well, born a crime. His memoir is funny and witty through and through, but it discusses surprisingly serious topics--apartheid, racism, discrimination, domestic violence, religion, and poverty. As humorous as it is, Born A Crime is an insightful, touching, and thought-provoking read.

Well, it's a page-turner, and it's quite entertaining dystopian fiction. It reads just like YA. A far cry from the first book, The Handmaid's Tale.

Educated is the remarkable memoir of Tara Westover, who didn't have any formal education until she was seventeen. Despite her lack of formal schooling, she taught herself Algebra, and was admitted to a university. She went on to earn her masters degree and PhD from the University of Cambridge, and was a visiting fellow at Harvard University.

We wore matchy-matchy Pokemon shirts and had snacks and drinks at the Pokemon Cafe at the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX. We even shook hands with Chef Pikachu. <3

Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, fiction's most interesting hacker and investigative journalist, respectively, are back in this page-turner that wraps up quite nicely in the end. It's been almost a decade since I read Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy, but this new addition to the series by David Lagercrantz feels faithful to the original.