The Complete Substitute for All Forms of Sociability

He's alive!!!! Called it. This is the new promo poster for Games of Thrones Season 6 . Spoiler alert. The last time we saw Jon Snow, he was lying in a pool of his own blood in the snow after he was stabbed by his brothers of The Watch. We're supposed to think he's dead but I've been following some of the spoilers from production and I knew that Kit Harrington is still in the show. Anyway, I still don't know how alive he is. There are rumors he's coming back as a wight or he gets resurrected by Melissandre. Whatever. I'm excited for the new season. April is so far away n.n

It's rare to find this place deserted. Usually, the place is full of travelers who come to this place for a brief stopover before going on their merry way. If it's not travel season, it's still no surprise to find a few stragglers here -- bikers, motorcyclists -- sipping on plastic cups of instant coffee and munching on famous delicacies of other towns. They sell milk at the Milk Station. Cow's milk, carabao's milk, goat's milk. They're sold pasteurized or raw. If you want it raw because you think you're Ramboo, you gotta specify your order. Otherwise, they'll give you the pasteurized ones that's been in the fridge for a day or two.

I have a soft spot for wuxia, that genre of Chinese literature and films that deals with chivalry and martial arts. I love most of the martial arts movies I've watched and enjoyed the few martial arts novels I've read. So when I heard about The Assassin , the movie immediately got my attention. The Assassin is directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, who won Best Director for the film in the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Shu Qi stars as the eponymous assassin, Nie Yinniang. I'm not familiar with Hou's works so I have no frame of reference. The only other Shu Qi movie I've seen was So Close , which I enjoyed but this movie is very different from the former so there's no comparison. THE STORY The Assassin  is loosely based on a short story by Pei Xing. You can read the English translation here . The film follows Nie Yinniang, a young woman who serves as an assassin under orders of her master who is a nun. Her victims are corrupt government officials. However, when N...

Pictured at left is the Philippine promo poster of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 at SM City Cebu. I watched this movie today with my good friend, Liv . I enjoyed the movies and loved the books. I was actually looking forward to this, being the last installment of what should only have been a trilogy. The studio however made the marketing decision to divide the last movie into two because that's what all the big franchises did -- e.g.  Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hobbit (this should have been only half a movie). Part 1 was good; there was a lot of revelation (District 12 is gone! District 13 exists! Peeta is alive! Peeta is evil!) and plenty of action. Part 2 in contrast is a slumber party. I'm not saying it's boring, it's just that it lacks an oomph factor. The reason I think is that we're already through the climax and the last movie is really just the denouement. In the end, Part 2 was entirely faithful to the book. But what worked for the books does...

Most of my shows will air their new seasons next year. So I've been looking for new ones to watch. I stumbled upon this one while looking for BBC America shows. Humans is a UK TV show that explores the possibilities when you combine artificial intelligence with our gadget-crazy world. The result is a mass-produced android that looks human, can perform simple tasks and even comes with upgrades and adult options. Since they're high-tech, functional and extremely user-friendly, people buy them from stores like the latest iPhones and use them to perform menial tasks like housework. The androids, or synths as they're called in the show, work as newspaper boys, shopping assistants, fruit pickers, personal trainers, healthcare providers, you name it. John Hawkins buys one on impulse when his wife goes on a work trip and doesn't come home for several days. His wife, Laura, objects to it, saying that the synths could mess up the kids. Her concern is perhaps legitimate. ...

On my way to Moalboal, Cebu yesterday, while driving along the South National Highway, along Minglanilla, Cebu, I saw this little bugger weaving around the heavy traffic in the area. I didn't realize what it was at first but the strange contraption on top of it piqued my interest. Upon closer inspection, I saw the logo on the driver's side window: GoogleMaps. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Google Streetview car. Amazing. Never thought I'd see one in my little corner of the world. It's pretty awesome when I think about it. So I think we're finally getting accurate streetviews of our provinces. :) I googled streetview cars and I found out that Google apparently updates its streetview pictures at least once a year to ensure accuracy of the information. Very cool.

This episode is called "Separation Anxiety," written by Chip Johannessen  and Ted Mann and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. The episode title is a direct reference to Carrie's new life away from the CIA and the psychology and emotions that goes with it. I know this is a long time coming. (My god, I can't believe I totally missed the season's premier!) But I'm going to try to catch up to the show. I'm so excited to find out that this show is airing already. Just the other day, I was looking at the air dates of the usual shows I watch and they're all due for next year. I totally forgot to check this one out. Anyway, now that, we're here. On to the episode. The season starts two years after Carrie left the CIA. She's now in Berlin, working as head of security for the During Foundation, a philantrophic organization. She's quite domesticated now. She sends Franny to her playgroup on a bike and has a new guy, a lawyer at the the Founda...

I bought this book on October 22, 2014 in Mall of Asia in Manila when I was there to get my US visa. I took the interview at the US embassy with my parents and was approved along with them for multiple entry valid for 10 years. The interview was on October 20, 2014, a Monday. That was supposed to be the day I work full time for my previous firm. But I asked beforehand to get the day off for the aforementioned visa interview. While we were there, the boss called and asked me to attend a mediation-conciliation conference before the RAB IV in Calamba, Laguna. So I stayed in Manila for a couple of days while my parents went on and took a flight back to Cebu. I stayed in the boss' condo in BGC, where I felt like I was in prison. You see, I hadn't meant to stay an extra two days and hadn't expected that I would be required to work. I did not bring my laptop, just my iPad which is pretty useless for writing contracts. Besides, the condo had no internet connection and I had t...

Dude . I didn't even know they were making a movie about it. Ever since James Cameron's Avatar  came out, I've long dreamed of a movie about this videogame. Seeing the CGI work so well in that movie made me have faith that a movie based on the Warcraft games by Blizzard Entertainment shouldn't be too far in the future. And now, here, we have a trailer! And it's as beautiful as I imagined. I am soooo excited. Now, if only they would make a movie about Diablo . :D

Picture from here . This short film was written and directed by a friend of mine, my classmate from college, Clanch Dayve Belleza .  At the 2015 International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) in New York City, USA, Clanch's opus garnered an Honorable Mention and a Best Actor Award for Albert Chan Paran, who plays the titular character, Julie. Being a short film, it clocks in at barely thirty minutes and it's available for free streaming at VIDDSEE . Click on the link. Watch it. Share it to your friends. Then come back here to talk about it. THE STORY Julian Capoy -- Julie  to most people -- didn't mean to be a construction worker. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted to do. But having found his forte in this ultimate man's world, Julie tries to navigate his way through this sea of masculinity while hiding his true self from all but those closest to him. But can a person live like this for the rest of his life? Should  he? In this short glimpse at a turnin...

So last April, the S.O. came to visit and it was a thrilling, 8-day summer fun! CLICK FOR SLIDESHOW

Welcome to my home office! So after like a month of deciding, moving furniture and adding accents here and there, it's finally finished. I must say, I like the overall result. And I'm glad I didn't do anything drastic like buy that super expensive printer, shelf, table and chair set for P30k. It turned out I didn't need any of it because the glass table does just as well as an office table and I transferred my, uhh, pirated books to my room, away from public view. Yes, those were books I bought with my hard-earned money while still a law student. But I can't honestly face my clients with that poor man's collection of law books. So to the attic with you, my children. I bought a cheaper printer unit by Brother that will serve its purpose for now. Work is slow for now. It's why I'm also actively job hunting to help cover my daily expenses. More about my job hunting experiences later. But, yes, welcome to my home office. :)

I'm baaacckkkkk! With a brand new spunky new template and a rebel title. Eheheheh. The title is a quote from Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, one of my favorite books of all time. Don't ask me why. I don't know why it's my favorite book, considering that it is very depressing. It's basically about this 50-year old guy who is trying to commit suicide. But it's an extremely quotable book and I laaaaaabbbb eeetttttt. So, what's up with me? I've been to hell and back. Tell you all about it later. The important thing is, I'm back! Am I right or am I right? Aww yiiisss.