Thursday, July 30, 2009

Blast from the not-so-distant past.

Remember THIS?

I finally got the guts to try and have some healthy food delivered here, for a change. Haha. Yes, I'm a self-confessed-fast-food-delivery-junkie. I ordered some lunch for dad and I for tomorrow. 

Can't wait! Will tell you all about the Tossed food tomorrow :)

Monday, July 27, 2009

CInemalaya Closing

Cinemalaya is finally finished and what better way to end the season by giving wonderful awards!
The hosts for the night were Ricky Davao and Eugene Domingo

Zoe Sandejas sang Madinig Sana, from the film Kung Dinig Sana Kita. Zoe is actually the director's daughter :)

Radio Sago Project gave a short "intermission" performance

I'm so sorry for the poor pictures. I wanted to leave the theater immediately so I chose the farthest seat (even if it was free seating) and you can also blame my poor camera. Promise, I'll save up for an ultra cool DSLR soon! (Click picture for a bigger image)

So here's the list of winners:

Best Film, Full-length Feature
Last Supper No. 3, directed by Veronica Velasco and Jinky Laurel

Best Film, Short Feature
Bonsai, directed by Borgy Torre III

Audience Choice Award, Full-length
Dinig Sana Kita

Audience Choice Award, Short
Tatang, directed by Nico Hernandez

Best Director, Full-length
GB Sampedro, Astig

Best Director, Short
Dexter Cayanes, Musa

Special Jury Award, Full-length
Colorum, directed by Jon Stefan Ballesteros
Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe, directed by Alvin Yapan

Special Jury Award, Short
Blogog, directed by Milo Tolentino

Special Mention
Engkwentro, directed by Pepe Diokno

Best Actor
Lou Veloso, Colorum

Best Actress
Ina Feleo, Sanglaan

Best Supporting Actress
Tessie Tomas, Sanglaan

Best Supporting Actor
Arnold Reyes, Astig

Best Screenplay, Full-Length
Vic Acedillo, Nerseri

Best Screenplay, Short
Mark Philipp Espina, Behind Closed Doors

Best Production Design
Benjamin Padero, Mangatyanan

Best Cinematography
Pao Orendain, 24K

Best Original Scoring, Full-Length
Dinig Sana Kita

Best Sound, Full-length
Astig

National Council for Children's TV Award
Dinig Sana Kita, directed by Mike Sandejas

NetPac Award
Baseco Bakal Boys, directed by Ralston Jover

So that's it! I was surprised to hear Last Supper No. 3 announced as the best picture but I'm super glad they won! Cinemalaya is really for Independent Film makers. It gives equal opportunity to all! So, I guess no one will ever doubt a Comedy film winning a film award from now on. Congrutulations!

Hep hep hooray to Lou Velasco and Colorum! I knew you'd do great!

I sure hope Cinemalaya Cinco isn't the last Cinemalaya I'd get to see. Please, please, please! (silent shout out to the next CCP president)

See you again next year!
xoxo,
NJ

Who is Sliimy?

A few days ago, my celebrity twitter friends were all tweeting "Who is Sliimy?" Of course, I didn't know too! But it was enough to stir my curiousity especially after seeing Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Jordin Sparks and Katy Perry among others asking the same thing. I was too busy with Cinemalaya that it is only now that I had the chance to investigate and so I finally reveal to you all who Sliimy is!

Sliimy (pronounced as Sleemy) is a French artist, making his first signing under Perez Hilton's company, Perezcious Music. He was discovered by Perez after receiving Sliimy's cover of Britney Spear's Womanizer last December. His debut album will drop on September 14. But already he is lucky enough to be opening some dates on both Britney Spears’ and Katy Perry’s European tours.

SRSLY. This guy has got talent!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Beauty Seminars :)

NJ and I have both been trying to learn about make-up and other things related to beautification since forever! Hehe. I remember one summer wherein we were both frantically looking for an affordable make-up, hairstyling, or dressmaking class but we weren't able to find any that was near enough or cheap enough. One of the schools that caught my attention back then was the Australian College of Hair Design and Beauty. I tried searching for this then but no location for such a school in Manila came up.

Recently, my desire to enroll in such classes got revived and when I searched for the said school, it finally came up in Google! When I went to their location in Podium (4th floor) to ask about their short courses, the pretty receptionist eagerly told us about their classes and offered to give my best friend and I a tour. Hah, talk about knowing how to make their possible students feel really welcome and at ease! She showed us the different lecture rooms, make-up room, hairdressing room, nail spa room, foot spa room, massage room, and the students' pantry and library. She told us that besides being an internationally accredited school, their classes consist of 25% theory (thus the lectures) and 75% application (hands-on practice).

I really loved how helpful she was because she told us this other really helpful fact. She said that every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 2 or 2.30 pm, they have free workshops on Make-up Artistry and Hairdressing. All you have to do is to call ahead and reserve seats. If we are curious on what and how they teach their classes, we should go and try to attend one of the workshops. I was supposed to go last Tuesday but I arrived late so I'll try to go next Tuesday instead. Who knows, I might actually get really into it and enroll.

Wanna reserve a seat too? Call them up now at 637.99.67, 557.6384, 0917.804.9811, or 0922.802.5870.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Spa party, anyone?

My sister is about to turn 18 and she still doesn't have any definite plans on what she wants to do on her special day. If I was told to prepare for my party (to be held a month from now) I'd easily choose between a tea party or a spa party. What's so special about these two types of parties, you ask? Simple, really. Both are easy to prepare for and both have the comfy, laid back vibe I'm aiming for.  However, I'm leaning towards the spa party more because of the available help I can get. Yuh-uh, there are spas out there that offer party packages and one spa I chanced upon is the Caprichosa Spa. I looked at their website, and now I can hardly wait for a good cause to celebrate, Caprichosa Spa style!

Honestly, at first I got 'lost' in their site and thought that the party package was expensive. As it turns out, I wasn't looking at the packages, I was looking at the add-ons. Hehe. So when I got to the correct window, the 'Indulge more, Save more' packages, my eyes lit up. They actually have reasonably priced packages! For example, a group of 6 could get 60 minutes of Shiatsu/Swedish Massage OR 60 minutes of Hand&Foot Reflexology PLUS Hand Spa AND Foot Spa. You wouldn't have to worry because all their packages come with spa decorations, spa equipment, a gift certificate worth 500 bucks, robes and slippers, a tea selection, and gift bags. I was wondering though if they'd offer facials any time soon because surely that would definitely up the ante. Also, you can decide where to have the celebration. You can do it at your home or rent an open area.

Cool add-ons such as a personal chef and bar service can also be availed for a price if you want to escalate your party's elegance. What I find so cute and exciting about the Caprichosa Spa is that they also offer Themed Parties and Custom Design. You can go for a Teen Princess Spa party or you can customize the treatments you want for you and for your guests.

*Sigh* If only it was I who will be celebrating her birthday soon. Haha! No worries, I'm sure I'd be able to come up with an excuse to celebrate and have my Caprichosa-fied party any time soon. :)

P.S. Interested about their party packages? Go visit them by clicking--> HERE or contact them at 776.95.76 :)

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Cinemalaya update

So sorry for the lack of updates, we've been very busy this week especially since we try to squeeze in a Cinemalaya film each day. Soooo... let me give you an update and also a heads-up on which films to watch out for especially since weekend is here and it's your last chance to catch a screening!



There are a total of twenty competing films but just twelve screenings to see as the other ten, which are short films, are grouped into Shorts A and Shorts B, each with five entries. As of the moment, we've seen 7 out of the 12. So it's definitely crunch time if we want to see all competition films!

Here's a lowdown of what we've seen (and heard) so far about the films. We'll keep this part sweet and short, if you want to know what each film is about, kindly check the synopsis here

Ang Panggagahasa kay Fe- Interesting story and surprising a bit scary! Quite interesting to see at Cinemalaya

Mangatyanan- Another interesting film but a little bit predictable. The direction and story though shows promise. Definitely one of the bets to win.

24k- Seriously? Total blah. I agree with the reporter beside me, the producer should have explored the possibility of just going for the short films category. The story was not deep enough for a full 2 hour show.

Sanglaan- As the french says, Comci Comca. It was okay. Not great but okay. Tessie Tomas did a great job though. I'm rooting for her for an acting award!

Astig- I know this had a lot of press work prior to screening. Everyone was excited to see the film co'z it looked cool. Besides, there are a LOT of celebrities in it which is not typical of an Indie flick. BUT I have to say I'm quite disappointed with it. The stories were good and the acting superb but it was not original--at all. Still, good film to catch especially if you wanna see MORE of Dennis Trillo (spoiler alert: love scene with Glaiza de Castro!)

Colorum- One of my personal favorites! The title and trailer might not be catchy but the story screams CINEMALAYA in every way! It had a lot of texture and layers if you know what I mean. The story was realistic but deep. Totally blew me away! (plus! we got to see Alfred Vargas up close at the screening which adds to its appeal! hehe)



Dinig Sana Kita- The buzz! film at the festival and our personal buzz film too! Good story. Good direction. Good acting. You name it! It was perfect! If it was a meal, I'd say it had an appetizer, main course, dessert...then MORE! A must-see!


What others say: (films we have yet to catch)
Last Supper No. 3- Super funny film! If you want to be entertained and have a good laugh, this film is for you.

Engkwentro- Haven't heard much about it. Only that it's much like last year's Tribu which was about Gang Wars in Manila. Although I would love to catch this because its director is the youngest one among the contestants!

Nerseri- Does not stir much controversy. Don't have much feedback about it but I think the synopsis is interesting, not sure though if it lives up to it.

Shorts A- They say Tatang is excellent! This batch has a lot of good shorts to offer. and MusaWat Floor Ma'm is also creating buzz among the audience.

Shorts B- Although most prefer Shorts A over this, they say that Si Bok at Ang Trumpo is really good too.

So that's it for now! Fresh updates from your Cinemalaya reporters S & NJ :)

Guess we'll be seeing you at the Closing on Sunday!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Have you tasted this? JW Choco Banana Spread

I'm a fan of spreads. Name it: peanut butter, jam, marmalade, even butter! Blame my laziness but I always find myself putting simple spreads on my bread. I'm always on the lookout for something to try and lookie what I found:


Yep, you read it right! Chocolate and Banana Flavour Breadspread! So how was it? Well, the chocolate part was good, quite up to par with Nutella but the banana side was a little too commercial for me. But overall, I think it makes for a good pairing. What I like to do is to spread them on separately, putting the chocolate layer first then topping it with banana. I don't know but I think it tastes better in that order :P

How about you PK girls? Do you like spreads too? What's your favorite? :)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Yellow Cab's Dear Darla Pizza

I first heard about this from Lucy Torres and I wanted to taste it immediately. Good thing S heard about it too so the first chance we got, we ordered the Dear Darla Pizza from Yellow Cab!

What is it exactly?

Dear Darla is the newest offering of Yellow Cab. It is unique because instead of the usual triangular pizza slice, it is cut into strips! It comes with arugula and alfalfa which you add on top. You then roll the entire strip, then dip it in hot chili oil! Interesting right?

Here's the entire set!Pizza cut into strips
Arugula and alfalfa leavesSome hot chili oil for dipping

Now that you have everything ready, you can go to the fun part: Preparing your own perfect slice!
It's really fun to do! Very interactive! I like playing with my food and using my hands so you can bet I enjoyed rolling my first slice. Hihi :P

The taste
Ho-hum. I've never really liked Arugula before co'z it's bitter so I didn't expect much. Well, disappointment was entirely what I got. First the pizza itself was not spectacular. Honestly, it lacked taste. If you don't add a lot of chili oil, you won't taste anything. The arugula and alfalfa were mediocre, I honestly could have done without it. As S puts it, "lasang dahon" Seriously. I think it would have been better if it had tomatoes or if it was more garlic-y or had grilled vegetables instead. I don't know, the pairing was just unspectacular, even adults with more mature tastebuds wouldn't go crazy over it.

The verdict
Although I'm used to eating vegetables and all that, I honestly think it falls short in the taste category. I would go with Shakey's Thin Crust Vegetarian pizza over this any day!

Pros: The pizza was thinner than the usual Yellow Cab slice; It was fun playing with it
Cons: Mediocre taste and seemingly, dumb ingredient pairings

PK rating: 5/10

Saturday, July 18, 2009

David & Goliath goes online!

Here's one for net shoppers out there!

Perfect for the rainy days when leaving the house is just so hard to do!

Go to http://davidandgoliathtees.multiply.com

Friday, July 17, 2009

UAAP Babies, literally!

Continuing with the UAAP fever, let me show you the cutest college-inspired baby apparel on the market: Urban Baby Apparel!


Is your child a future Lasalista?


Or maybe a future Atenean?


Well what about the State University Instead? (I absolutely do not like that it says, "aktibista", so not nice! I know it's for parallelism purposes but hey, Isko or Iska is parallel enough I think) --or simply Iskolar would be nice

I know most of you girls do not have kids yet and I know that topic is off limits to us for now but these outfits are just so cute, I had to share it to someone! Besides, this could be a very good gift for a tito or tita's baby. So adorable! :)

Check out the site here

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Hello, kitty!

We were shopping this weekend when I saw this really, really cute wet napkins:


I just had to get them! So cute!!! It's a steal too for 35php each :)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

UAAP Style!

It's UAAP season once again and for most it only means one thing: ONE BIG FIGHT! Haha! Kidding! :P

I've only been to one UAAP game and ironically, it was between UP and Ateneo. We were for there for S' Atenean friend but of course, we couldn't turn our back on our alma mater so we came in both school's color: VIOLET! Get it? Maroon+Blue = Violet :)

It was one of the funnest basketball experiences I've ever had although I have to admit, I was really torn which team to root for. Haha :) I sorely wish I was just a die hard UAAP fan and could come in my own school's colors without feeling awkward or embarassed by it-- and I reaaaaally wished I saw this a year before, that would have probably prompted me to go to more games!

Introducing, the coolest in UAAP Fashion: Jersey Dresses!


Wear your School's colors loud and proud by sporting these ultra sporty and chic Jersey Dresses!

Go traditional with a sleeveless dress or go modern with an off-shoulder style:

The choice is yours! You can customize all you want! Just get a design, choose a number, add your name and voila! Perfection :)



Isn't it exciting? It's so adorably cute! You have to get your hands on this! Even if you don't actually go to game, this makes for a great souvenir!

For all the details, check them out here

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Restaurant Review: Spaghetti Factory

I am a BIG pasta person. Part of the reason could be that my mom ate a lot of spaghetti while pregnant with me (you know, "pinaglihi"). Or it could obviously be because pasta is lalalalove! :)

One saturday I found myself in Glorietta 5 and know what I found? A Spaghetti Factory-- Literally!
We spotted the resto from G4 and right then and there, we decided we HAD to eat there!

The menu was so big! They had a lot of choices for pasta lovers. They even made it customizable with you choosing a pasta firt: spaghetti, penne, angel hair, whatever comes to mind THEN choosing your sauce! You're literally creating your own pasta dish!

Penne in 100% Pinoy Sauce (Ground pork, sweet tomato sauce, hotdogs, bell pepper & parsley) 159.00php

Angel Hair in Popeye's Secret Sauce (Spinach in white wine cream sauce) 159.00php

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Location
The Glorietta branch was a very inviting location. When we came there, it was packed for lunch that we literally had to squeeze in this tiny little space for two just so we could try out the food. I think the place is too small especially with the lunch crowd. I can't even begin to imagine how it is during dinner.

Food
I was amazed at the menu! It was perfect! They had everything you would expect in a spaghetti "factory". It was also very vegetarian friendly which I absolutely loved! But then, here's the downside: The food was blah.

Total bummer right? It looks so exciting and perfect but the taste just doesn't compare to... anything! It was unremarkable! I think this is one of the fatal mistakes resto owners make. They try to give customers everything and in the process, they forget that taste always comes first.

Service
The service was okay. The waiters were unremarkable so okay is the perfect word for them. One thing that we did not like though is how they completely forgot to give us our change! Not that we're after the change since it was a few coins anyway but I think giving back the receipt is the most important thing. When we finally asked for the receipt, the waiter even asked us if we got our change back. Goodness, they totally forgot about it! When we got the receipt, it was stapled at the top and had writings on the back so we figure they already kept it in their file totally forgetting about us! So not delighted by it.

The verdict
A total disappointment :( Disappointment is the perfect word for it co'z we were really excited about the whole concept. I personally was very excited, I even intended to return to try out other things in the menu (the Vegetarian Lasagna sounded good!) but after our experience, I don't think I'll be making the trip to Makati anytime soon.

I think the really (and possibly only) good thing we could say about them is the size of their iced teas:

So big for a mere 45 pesos. You do get your money's worth with this.

PK rating: 5/10

Monday, July 13, 2009

Go Independent!

S and I are big Cinemalaya fans! We even find ourselves skipping classes to watch a screening (sorry!) We set our plans around the Cinemalaya schedule trying to see all the competition films. I even found myself asking a professor to cancel her class for the day just so we could catch a screening of last year's "it" film, Boses. Well, she didn't let us and even took my request as rude (nyah, but you can't blame a girl for trying)

This year though, I am making sure I'll get to watch ALL the competition films!



Opening night will be on Friday night with the Premier of Piolo Pascual's Manila. You can bet on us being there! We will also be updating you on which shows you MUST watch so next week is going to a very fun, and exciting week for the film buffs in you ;) See you all there!

Click here for the schedule and to read synopsis of the films :)

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Eureka!

I finally found the elusive nail polish Lady Gaga used!

Introducing the incredible, the wonderful, and the very expensive, Minx Nail Coverings!

Minx nail coverings are nail "films" that are applied with heat (so only a professional can do this!) There are no chemicals used so your nails will be safe from any harm! It comes in my favorite, metallic colors (gold and silver) and other prints like animal, paisley, stripes, and other textures. Although I don't suggest you go there as it could look very tacky. Let's just stick to the metallics okay? It's more classy and chic.





Vogue magazine has recently dubbed Minx nails as the "Manicure of the moment" with fans such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Blake, Jordin Sparks, and Lauren Domingo. This is definitely du jour!

Minx nails are only done by professional salons. Only registered salons can purchase a kit and only one trial kit is provided to first time salons. Minx tries to keep the quality of their product so they make sure the salons who provide this service has their approval.

Rumor is, a manicure using Minx costs $50-$80 which is approximately 2500=4000php! Wow! The sad thing about it is that it doesn't last that long. Definitely not for everyday use, just maybe for some event or a party. Bummer.

I'm really happy I finally found what product Lady Gaga used but somehow finding it also makes me sad especially now that I realize it's impossible for me to get them @_@ Still, no one can stop me from pinning over those glorious shiny shades!

image source: thenailworshop, davidscottsalon, luxaholics, celebritybeautybuzz

Friday, July 10, 2009

Have you tried this? Swiss Miss Fat Free Marshmallow Lovers

Roasting marshmallows on an open fire may be too American a tradition for us but surely we've all been able to smell perfume with the scent of toasted marshmallows in it, right? I don't know about you but one thing I love to do with marshmallows is to put it in hot cocoa. But sometimes, it's just too much of a hassle to buy miniature marshmallows for the hot chocolate. One product that made this hot-cocoa-with-mallows-treat easy for me was the Swiss Miss Marshmallow Hot Cocoa.  I just had one problem with the regular Swiss Miss with Marshmallows, the hotness of the chocolate, melts the mallows quickly. Then I saw the Swiss Miss Marshmallow Lovers Hot Cocoa. I loved it! The hot water for the cocoa melts a few of the mallows but a handful still remains on top of my drink for me to enjoy.

But my mom kept on teasing me that marshmallows are too fattening. I couldn't let that thought pass so I researched if it really is fattening. I found out that mallows are actually fat free, however the sugar it contains can be stored as fat if you're consuming too much calories.) So when she saw this in the grocery, she immediately bought it and bragged it to me! Haha.

SWISS MISS FAT FREE MARSHMALLOW LOVERS HOT COCOA.
Perfection.

Now the only thing I'd have to worry about is putting the right amount of water. :)

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