Tuesday, June 30, 2009

lowe beton

my friend cesar forwarded this to me via mail, looks like a grab from giselle's blog. though i didn't have the time to look for her site, i'm sharing this one with you. katuwa. tawa ako ng tawa while reading. i just hope that the ofw part is true.
.
Ang Pekeng LV (Louis Vuitton) ni Giselle Sanchez
.
Fourteen years ago, I was also in the same place, but I was not smiling like this. The Spanish Steps is a very popular place, especially to tourists and Europe ’s Rich and Famous, because this is where all the designer shops are located. Fourteen years ago, I was also invited to hold a comedy concert for the Filipinos in Rome through a group of Batangeño producers.
.
Pagkatapos ng concert ko, sumama ang sosyalita kong kaibigan na si Cutie del Mar sa akin para mag-bakpak at libutin ang buong Italya. Palibhasa, hindi ako sanay na isang bakpak lang ang dadalhin ko para sa isang linggong paglilibot. ‘Di ko yata kayang magsuot ng parehong Tshirt sa loob ng tatlong araw. YUCK! Ang baho na nun ng over! Kaya dinala ko ang isang Louis Vuitton na hand carry. Pero, ito ay isang Louis Vuitton na peke, japeyks, class triple-A, galing Greenhills.
.
Alam ko na mali ang bumili at gumamit ng peke pero sana maintindihan ninyo ako. Fourteen years ago, nag-uumpisa pa lang ang career ko. Kapiranggot lang ang kinikita ko at nagandahan lang ako dun sa maleta kaya binili ko. Wala pa akong malay sa brands noon. Kaya ganito na lang ang pagkukutya ng kaibigan ko sa akin.
.
Cutie: Oh my god! Is that a fake… I see!
Giselle: Sorry, hindi ako anak ng Congressman tulad mo!
Cutie: Giselle, ano ka ba! Giselle Sanchez ka na! You can’t be seen with a fake! You already perform for the rich and famous not only in the Philipp ine s but all over the world! When In Rome , do as the Romans do! Halika, punta tayo sa Louis Vuitton diyan sa Spanish Steps and buy yourself an original!
.
Ang bilis lumakad ng sosyalera, wala ako choice kundi sumunod kahit wala akong planong bumili. Plano ko lang tumingin at bilhin yung usong model sa Greenhills uli. O.A. kaya ang presyo ng Louis Vuitton bags. The cheapest, smallest bag will cost you P25, 000. Regular bags range from P35, 000-90, 0000. And the big and real nice ones cost P125, 000-P180, 000. Sa pinakamurang bag, mapapakain ko na ang pamilya ko nang limang linggo. At sa pinakamahal na bag ay mapapa-aral ko na ang kapatid ko ng college! Ako pa naman ang breadwinner ng pamilya.. Why would I waste my money with such over priced bags?
.
Eto na, pumasok na kami sa napakarangyang Louis Vuitton Shop. Siyempre, hindi ko naman maiwan yung peke kong maleta sa labas, so sama si japeyks sa loob. At pagkakita ng mahaderang manager sa bag ko, bigla akong nilapitan, inikutan at tinignan mula ulo hanggang paa.
.
LV manager: Excuse me, but what is your Nationality? Giselle: I’m Fil…(hindi pa nga tapos)
LV manager: (whispering but loud enough for me and Cutie to hear) I knew it! You Filipina maids come in here to copy our designs. Get out of my store!
Giselle: Excuse me! I am not a maid! I am an actress and I came here in Italy to perform for these “maids” you were referring to. And don’t you ever call them that! They are called Overseas Filipino Workers. Do not look down on our OFWs because they have dignity in labor. Do you work on commission, what’s your most expensive here?
LV Manager: (Points to this type of a cabinet where the bags are displayed). This one! It cost ___ million lira. (Nakalimutan ko na yung value, basta million-million kasi lira yung currency. Basta halaga ng tatlong buhay ko.)
Giselle: Ganun! What’s your second most expensive?
LV Manager: (Points to a luggage na kapalit ang dalawang buhay ko)
Giselle: Forget it! You! (pointing to a cute salesman in the counter) I will not buy from you, Mr. Manager. I will buy from him so he can take the commission! I’ll buy this, that, this, that, and this! It’s too bad I’m not an overseas Filipino worker because they can buy more than what I can!
.
So what is the price of dignity? P500, 000.00—maxed on my credit card; paid slowly for three years; with my mom screaming on my ears every now and then.
.
In fairness to these overpriced bags, they are very durable. I started using them fourteen years ago and I still use them up to now! People think I’m so classy using coordinated Louis Vuitton handbags, make-up kit, and shoe bags. Little do they know that Giselle became classy because of her being crassy. Moral of the story, kung di niyo kaya, huwag mang gaya at baka mapahiya. I never realized that paying for your sins can be quite expensive! Di bale, basta mapagtanggol ang dangal ng minamahal kong Overseas Filipino Workers! Mabuhay kayo…kahit mamatay na ako sa utang!
.

Musicvideo "Better On The Other Side"

Punk chick

Partners in crime


Members of my first graphic novel team revealed!!! :D

Monday, June 29, 2009

We won!!!

Hi, everyone! If you love to play games, join our team on IWon! We earned $2,000.00 for the Best Friend's Animal Society. We were ranked #2, but just for playing and having fun, that is great for the animals! Join us today...just click on the banner in my page, or go to IWon and sign up there. Hope you are having a great day.

In Her Closet: Tiia Vanhatapio


Here on our city chic friend Victoria (VictoriaClors)
we can see this gorgeous Tiia Vanhatapio dress
(from Fashion Rocks Stockholm),
in a beautiful ensemble with a bright fedora, a Vivienne Tam coat,
Marc Jacobs shoes and a Hermés Birkin bag.

(Thanks Ninsku92 for the pics!)

Check out Tiia Vanhatapio here


29-June-2009

Claude Kelly - Inside (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Rock City feat. Chris Brown - Ransom (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Ne Yo - Round & Round (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

What a weekend!

Hi, everyone! Wow, it has been a hot weekend here! 101 degrees several days. Prissy, the gang, and I have been inside most of the weekend. The humidity is too much even for us pets!

Mom stayed home this weekend, too. The a/c in the truck went out, so until she gets that fixed... I know she will not be taking me on any drives around town. I hate not being able to go for rides, but I will definitely wait! What can I say...I am spoiled to a/c just like she is! (That is why mom installed a misting system out back several years ago...to help keep me cool when we are outside. Hey, it was either that, or to shear my beautiful hair, and I was having none of that! Even though I teased her about it in another writing.)

Mom is going to be working evenings soon, so we will be able to enjoy the days together playing. It is cooler in the mornings, so I don't mind being outside then. Speaking of that...got to run for now. Play time!!! Have a great day everyone!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

'Mu Dan' by Lincoln Chia (FLARE 2009)

Imagine a film that could stir you up and make you lose your sense of a framework in terms of appreciating it. ‘Mu Dan’ is a audacious attempt by Lincoln to explore and even exploit what his actors have and where they will bring him (rather than the other way round). I guess this is why despite the fact that his characters are near-theatrical, I was in full suspension of disbelief. To be blunt, it’s like porn – we forgive all the inconsequential stories and dialogue. We just sway along.
I can imagine ‘Mu Dan’, with its subversion, is hidden somewhere in the fantasies of any imaginative director. But Lincoln has taken it a step further to play it out, in good taste though. A middle-aged mother is driven on the brink of loneliness and starts getting cranky. It does not help that her mildly rebellious son brings home his object of affection, a blonde-wigged Chinese girlfriend, to her disliking. This is where Lincoln defies the rules of behaviour and explores what we really want deep down inside as humans. After having a wig hurled at her by the enraged girlfriend, the mother makes a 180 degree turn, delighting the audience.
Not all have the magnetism of Li Xie, a seasoned stage actress. Actually, there is only one Li Xie. Slithery and seductive, the mother unleashes a new persona to the outside world……in that blonde wig. While Li Xie’s been anchor for the plot before this, now she actually drives it. Every action counts, it seems. They are performed with such intensity (and it felt like every muscle was clenched) that it was easy to read the nuances. They have been many ways local directors have justified camp (read : Hock Hiap Leong by Royston Tan) and in this case, Li Xie justifies it single-handedly. This is not to discredit Lincoln the director. After all, we did move away from Li Xie to the son’e girlfriend who is actually a lingerie model. In a single flutter of her glitter-dusted eyelids, she looks up at something, drawing my attention to uncanny parallel with the born-again mother, widening the reference in the film’s title.

'Respirator' by Michael Tay (FLARE 2009)

Michael shared that he has a penchant for telling stories that carry a fantastical component. In ‘Wet Seasons’, there was a moving skeleton, in ‘Respirator’, the titular object is the centre of the story. The ‘Respirator’ is a revolutionary medical device that can replace a heart. In Chinese, the word used is ‘Metal Heart’. I guess a more romantic sounding name in English would be ‘Respirator’. What I felt made both work is that the human issues interlocked with the fantastical devices are really what props up the drama.
In ‘Respirator’, a child is on the brink of death and the only way to save him is a heart transplant. A doctor pressures his ex-wife (who is the real mother) into doing the operation for guaranteed financial sustenance for an indefinite period. Poor helpless mum, her seeming lack of education about things traps her into a grotesquely complicated looking ‘respirator’. Never mind if I spotted the look of silver paint on cardboard, the issues were riveting (pardon the pun) and the characters throbbing with life. Careful casting paid off well. The mother is a bag of anxiety and her untrained and frail voice is subtly affecting. Boon, the boorish brother redefines ad-libbing with his choppy and crude speech.
I also like Respirator for its brave attempt at a neo-scifi genre, something very much out of reach for many short filmmakers due to budget reaons. In fact, it is not just a brave attempt but a very shrewd and smart attempt. After all, the actual device, at its cheapest could be a composition of materials from your DIY store sprayed with lots of silver paint. But Michael’s clearly milked a fair amount of drama out of it.

'Kitchen Quartet' by Nicole Woodford (FLARE 2009)

‘Kitchen Quartet’ is Nicole’s take on the 6 degrees of separation. The common element in the different stories is something close to the hearts of many Singaporeans – food. The film deserves some credit for adding a more uplifting touch to the usual working class survival issues. Apart from a happy ending, the film also has a slightly saturated look that perhaps serves to make the food in the film more appetizing!

Shu An, a young chef gets fired by the manager because an important food critic, in one of his moods, found the food difficult to stomach. The novelty of this cause-and-effect type of plot makes it easy to neglect the giving meat to the characters. But delightfully, in ‘Kitchen Quartet’, the four characters are as full-bodied in flavour as the hokkien mee that everyone seems to like! We could almost name this film Hokkien Mee too.

Through well-paced relevations on each character, we trace the all important connections between the characters. Food critic secretly likes Hokkien Mee but gets his maid to buy. His son discovers it and starts cooking it for his father. Meanwhile, Shu An tries to cook it for her Hokkien Mee hawker mum after knowing her mum will never grow to like haute cuisine. They finally converge when the critic openly brings his son to the stall. In between all that, personal contradictions and dilemmas are exposed, sometimes comically, sometimes, in a heartwarming way. The bottom line is ‘Kitchen Quartet’ never slips out of ‘major key’ while dealing with gritty, real-life ‘minor key’ issues.

'Promises in December' by Elgin Ho - FLARE 2009

There is something in practiced strokes of the taxi driver Alan’s cleaning motion or the sense of homeground surety in her Bahasa chatter on the phone that tells me Elgin understands his subjects well. In Elgin’s study of two characters who cross paths, he explores deeply both the behavioural and the contextual aspects of the characters.

In Alan, due attention is paid to poignant back story behind the chatty front of the taxi driver. Alan is seen to do much housework e.g. cooking despite already being the breadwinner. On the other hand, he has a wife who is obsessed with praying at temples, often in desperation. In this, Elgin shows how personal good-natured beliefs can bring a family apart. And instead of the usual Christian examples, this one is slightly different. While Raymond anchors the role fairly well (except for some moments reminiscent of his TV days), it is Janice Koh who surprises with her short but emotionally charged moments.

In Siti, due to the geographical barrier, most of her story has to be imagined. Actually this could be potentially more gripping if Elgin has left some doors half open. What we know about Siti’s own life in Indonesia is mostly from her accounts to the taxi driver as well her bits and pieces of information dropped here and there. In the final scene, we also get a glimpse(an imagined one?) of her living conditions in Indonesia. In terms of gaining proximity to her world, I personally felt her spoken moments in the taxi and even some moments of silence brought me further than actual re-enactment of her shanty town life. I also felt the first-hand sounds of the tsunami where a little implausible, almost adding nothing to my empathy for the character. Maybe the imagined is always more vivid than the actualization.

But in all, this film took on a very ambitious issue of the tsunami. Though not always easy to bring out what really cuts in such an epic event, Elgin has at least done a substantial amount of ground work.

My Underwear,My World-Danny Lim(Flare 2009)





My first impression to this film.Did the screenplayer used to did that in the past?
The boy seemed to remind me of the childhood memory where we used to catch Power Rangers on our Television in the past.

A comical film that foster the bond between the father and the son.
Because of the comical conversations they had and the 'underwear' kid reminds me of the Childhood memory of the director(in a way or another).
In the film, the father intend to try to close up with his son,but instead it fails.
(Sort of reminds me of a scene in Jack Neo's I not Stupid 2 where the father mentioned the same thing and the son was stunned).

I like the visuals presented in the screening.Great Animation and visuals presented.

Simply enjoyed this film and it leaves me a very deep impression of it.



Neighbourhood Ghost-Felice Tang(Flare 2009)

What will happened when a blind man meet a nerd along the street and the nerd bumped onto him by accident?

The Blind man assumed that he is dead in the car accident,but in reality he was survived and he assumed that he had a ghost kid following him behind him,but actually it was the nerd who is behind him at all times with his white cane and he wished to return the cane to him.He assumed that he can find his friend who did not say farewell to him and attempted to find the friend and give him a scolding.

Kitchen Quartet-Nicole Midori Woodford(FLARE 2009)

In this film, the food Critic tasted this particular promising female chef and gave a bad review on her unknowingly,which lead to her suspension from the Restaurant.

As such,the Female Chef forced to questioned her culinary skill,she re-examined her relationship with her mother,who is a Hokkien Mee seller,while the Critic's son is yearning to spend time with his father,and uses food to connect the relationship between him and his father.

Unexpectedly,after patronizing the stall for the past 20 years,the Critic mentioned that the plate of Hokkien Mee is the best ever he had ever patronised for the past 20 years.Unknowingly,the Critic commended to the Hokkien Mee Fryer,whom is the one who he gave a bad Review on in the High Class Restaurant.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Vibrant Curiosity in Valletta




This week Kurt visited Malta and saw the Vibrant Curiosity in the Grand Harbor of Valletta and took two photos , see also the Rainbow Warrior of Greenpeace , beautiful photos Kurt


Deze week was Kurt op bezoek in Malta , en zag de Vibrant Curiosity liggen in de Grand Harbour van Valletta en heeft er twee foto's van genomen , eentje van dichtbij en van wat verder , met linksachter
de Rainbow Warrior van Greenpeace , mooie foto's Kurt

Gucci outfit & French Connection dress @ Louise Brooks


Gucci outfit


French Connection dress


(Thanks David73000!)


Gucci jacket @ Amy Lee


Shoulder pads!
(Thanks David73000!)

In Her Closet: Ivana Helsinki


Here's our friend Chloé (Balenciaga)
wearing a very stylish Ivana Helsinki dress
with YSL heels, Marc Jacobs bag,
DKNY hat and Angel Jackson belt.

Check out Ivana Helsinki here


Respirator-Michael Tay(FLARE 2009)

To Save her son from dying from a rare heart disease,a Single mother has to undergo a bizarre operation but recovers from it only to learn of the terrifying Consequences.

If you are the mother in the film,will you make sacrifices to your dying son?
In this Film,I can feel the mutual bond between the biological son and the Single mother.
The agony of the mother with the weird looks from the trainee Doctors and miserable expressions(Practically which the mother had to bear).

With Some comical scenes in the film with the Taxi Driver,known as Mr Boon and his Sister.
It act as a catalyst to neutralise the dry content of the film to a mild comedy film.

27-June-2009

Riz - Lights Went Out 2Nite *Michael Jackson Tribute* (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link


Pyrakeet

Black or White


"It doesn't matter if you are black or white..."
A tribute to the legend, MJ.

Tools used: Brush, inks & PS.

Friday, June 26, 2009

there goes the king

So most of the world is mourning from the sudden death of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. Children and teenagers might not know who this king is but to most baby boomer gen like you and me, he’s the one who shaped the pop culture of the 70’s.

I – or we- grew up to the tune of his billie jean, dangerous, thriller and many other of his upbeat tunes. At one point in my geeky young life, I also tried once to imitate his moonwalk but soon realized i’m destined not for the spotlight but for other more mundane endeavors.

What’s more endearing to me though are his slower songs like ben when he was still a cute, black 10-year old boy and the later heal the world and man in the mirror when he’s already on his way to being a white, zombie-like creature.

And that’s where I’ve fallen off the MJ fan wagon. I just thought he was spiraling down after being on top for the longest time. I watched with amusement, sometimes with disgust as papers and television splash ugly headlines about the once-golden boy of the entertainment industry.
.
The baby-dangling stunt in Germany, the sleepovers with young boys, the court trials for sexual abuse, the news of financial debts and as a whole, the disintegrating grandeur of his entire iconic persona. I just don’t believe it’s worth following someone who’s obviously on the path of self-destruction. Besides, I didn't find his crotch-grabbing dance move amusing.
.
But whatever scandal, intrigue, malicious rumors and accusations hurled against him, we can’t deny the fact that he’s one musical genius who has graced the surface of the earth. His name will forever be etched at the halls of the greatest, probably alongside John Lennon and Elvis Presley. Afterall, he still owns the record of biggest selling album of all time. 65 million copies. And nobody comes even close.
.
And oh yes, everybody will forever be thankful to MJ for making moonwalk possible anywhere, you don’t have to go to the moon to do it.
.
Rest in peace you MJ.

26-June-2009



James Fauntlleroy - How Does It Taste (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Jarvis - Rockin & Rollin (R&B)
Check it out !!!
Listen/Download Link

Krave feat. Flo-Rida - Go Crazy (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

50 Cent - Where You Are *MJ Tribute* (Rap)
Check it out !!!
Listen/Download Link

Rock City feat. Akon - When I Get On (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Thursday, June 25, 2009

This Too Shall Pass - Ang Aik Heng (SIFF 2009)

With a strong, award winning background in television documentaries, Ang Aik Heng has quite a bit under his belt when it comes to documentaries. This Too Shall Pass has the air of a well thought out and planned documentation of an elderly gentleman's soon-to-be demise from nose cancer and his family's struggles through his dying days.

Mr Lee is diagnosed with nose cancer and his daughter Ellen Lee and himself, make the decision to allow this documentary to be shot in order for Mr Lee's story to be told, as well his family's. Through the documentary we see the relationships he has with his various family members, especially his eldest daughter- the aforementioned Ellen Lee- and the torment he faces with his estranged son, all in the face of death.

What do you do, when death comes knocking at your door? For the Lees, a means of peace was the document their fathers' dying wishes. This means the documentary lays it all out on the table. Nothing is left to your imagination. The one thing that struck me about this film was Mr Lee's liberal and unabashed behaviour, even in front of the camera. Lee seemed more reserved at the beginning of the film and the audience can see him beginning to open up towards the end of th film.

Lee was an odd choice for a character, risky even, I believe. At first the film resembled something of a home movie, with great technical skill. This was mainly due to the fact that the characters, especially the character the story was centered around, Mr Lee, was mainly sullen and quiet. However, with a bit of clever editing and placement of Mr Lee's lively and honest eldest daughter, (who has one of the most approachable demeanors I have seen for a woman being followed around by a camera everyday) the beginning of the film became far less drawn out than I had feared. Lee seems more reserved at the beginning of the film but begins to open up towards the end of th film.

As the film progresses, Mr Lee becomes more candid and at ease with the camera. Death is universal and watching the demise of a fellow human being is never easy. In a gut wrenching scene, Mr Lee shows the audience the quality of his life by showing us an everyday activity of his, that being eating. As the audience watches on in horror, bits of food fall out his nose,into a bucket he places at his feet while he eats. He tells the camera he is in pain while he swallows. If the beginning of the movie hadn't solidified this enough, you get it now. This man is going to die.

The film focuses on other parts of Lee's life as well, like his wife and his estranged son, both of whom he has an extremely rocky relationship with. His son never appears in the movie, not even once but is mentioned as a cause of conflict throughout the entire movie. At certain points in the film I did wonder about the credibility of the son's atrocities but he seemed to be a common "villain" in the family that made them bond. A documentary is a story, and every story must have a villain. Part of the success of the documentary was the "villain" aspect. Unfortunately, this was fulfilled by his son.

Death is an easy issue to deal with in films. It is easy to evoke an emotion from the death of a fellow human being. This is especially so if the character is undeserving of the pain and suffering he or she has to go through. In the documentary genre however, it is amplified more so. Ang was able to make use of this emotion to create and honest piece of work that was in no way egoistic. Although it did play on the cliche of human emotion to send its message across, it did so effectively. Ang was the vessel through which the Lees told their story and his ability to let go of a directors control and build a rapport with a family he barely knew and allow them to tell their story is definitely commendable.




25-06-2009

Mya feat. Bun B - Show Me Soomething (R&B)
Check it out!!!
Lilsten/Download Link

Ace Hood feat. Jeremih - Love Somebody (R&B)
Check it out!!!
Listen/Download Link

C-Ride feat. T-Pain - Money Round Here (Rap)
Check it out!!!
Listen/Download Link

Adonis - Wishing Well (R&B)
Must Download!!!
Listen/Download Link

Brandy feat. Ne Yo - Too Little Too Late (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Ray L - Same Ol Kelly (R&B)
Check it out!!!
Listen/Download Link

Lee Charm - Magnetic (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Tay Dizm feat. Jay Lyric - Hood Celebraty (Rap/R&B)
Check it out!!!
Listen/Download Link

Young Cash ft. T-Pain & Tay Dizm - Get Lower (Rap)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link

Ne Yo - Can't Do That (R&B)
Check it out!!!
Listen/Download Link

Johnta Austin - Supreme *Brandy Demo* (R&B)
Must Download !!!
Listen/Download Link