Magnifico (2003)

This is a short, belated review of the Filipino drama film Magnifico (2003). I've seen it in full only last night and it made such an impact to me that I felt I ought to write this piece.


Faced with life's difficulties at a very young age, Magnifico discovers that her cancer-stricken grandmother is about to die and that her funeral will likely push his family further down into poverty. Magnifico's parents, though very hardworking and caring, barely make ends meet as it is. So Magnifico embarks on finding ways to help her granny worry less about the burden of her own funeral, as he patiently looks after her mentally-ill little sister, too.

The story is told in a very simple fashion yet the film captures so much reality that I almost felt I knew Magnifico personally. What's amazing is that the film is a certified tearjerker without excessively dramatic scenes, and funny at the same time. It does not just make you cry a river but more importantly, it touches your heart and leaves you with something to ponder. It makes you wonder if you could ever be as loving as Magnifico who cares not only for his family but also for other people. Make no mistake though, Magnifico is no saint and he proves it when he fends off a bully friend of his older brother's, and when he disses his own pal for not sharing food with him.

The movie features great performances by the ensemble cast, led by Jiro Manio as the painfully nice kid Magnifico. Albert Martinez and Lorna Tolentino's acting as Magnifico's parents are so believable. Even Celia Rodriguez, who plays the grouchy old lady in the neighborhood and appears in only a few scenes, makes her own impact.

No doubt one of the best Filipino movies I've ever seen, Magnifico doesn't fall short of its title - it is a masterpiece and truly magnificent.

Come away with me on a bus...

When Iris first dropped the idea of a backpack tour to Kuala Lumpur I
didn't think twice and signed in at once. Not long Dan, Iris, Jeff,
Fred and I booked bus seats for a weekend trip to KL. Fred, however, had to beg off
at the last minute because Bangalore, it seemed, was more attractive to
him, don't ask me why. The almost 5-hour bus ride from Singapore to KL was surprisingly enjoyable, for the seats that resembled massage chairs were roomy enough for a comfortable sleep. On the way, we cruised through bumpless roads that bared miles and miles of wonderful palm trees plantation. The soothing sights outside and the faint swaying in the bus helped put me into a relaxing slumber for hours. So pleasing and energizing was the bus ride that when we reached KL I was already looking forward to the trip back home.

After we checked in at the hotel, which was more like a boarding house, we forayed aimlessly into the town. First stop was the Times Square, a huge high-end shopping mall, to exchange some dollars for ringgit. We immediately discovered how some taxis work - no meter, just name your price. Not bothered by the pricey taxi fares, we took taxis most of the time to get around the city. Once, we took the bus to Batu Caves where some Hindu temples and artworks could be found. From the outside, we were already marvelling at the giant statue of the Hindu lord Murugan. Then up we climbed 272 steps to see the limestone caves. The place was also known for numerous monkeys that litter around, but unfortunately we found no monkeys anywhere, not even one.


Back to the city, we squeezed our way through Petaling Street which was a very crowded street known for bargains (read: cheap imitations of famous western brands). For me it was a total waste of time to venture into such crazy place, which I suspect was prone to pickpockets and cheats. Luckily, we managed to get out of the place whole and unscathed.

Hungry stomachs led us to a dinner at SS2 Hawkers which was already a good distance outside KL. We sampled Bah Kuh Teh, Popiah, and Steamed Chicken Rice. I was a bit disappointed because all such food were common in Singapore, though I had been warned not to expect much because food in KL were no different in Singapore. Back again in the city, we almost missed to see the Petronas Towers glow in the dark night sky, for it was barely midnight, and when midnight strikes, we learned, the Petronas shuts its bright lights out.



On the way back to the hotel, we chanced upon an upbeat street with rows of clubs and restaurants teeming with perky young people, local and foreign. The Malate scene instantly came into mind. So they know how to P-A-R-T-Y. But we're not in the party mood, and besides we all looked haggard and tired already from all the walking so we decided to skip the fun and just head back to the hotel to rest.

In the morning we went to the Central Market, our last stop, to buy some souvenirs. It was an old building with an open plaza outside. If not for its historical significance, the Central Market wasn't much of an attraction imho. In fact, the whole KL downtown, it seemed to me, looked like a larger Cubao or Quiapo but with more greeneries and shopping centers. Perhaps the real beauty and uniqueness of KL lie in its ambition to become a great city, which was evident from its excellent infrastructure and some grandiose skyscrapers.

With not much time left, we scooted off to the bus station. The much-awaited ride back home finally commenced as I sit tightly on my seat with nothing but dreamy thoughts in my mind.

homecoming blah blah

After a year away from home I've finally come back, but for a very
short visit only - six days, in fact. I was not so sure I was thrilled
about it though (others in the same situation would normally be). Being
with friends and family again was truly wonderful, but seeing Metro
Manila, as shabby and mussy as ever, was never fun. Spaghetti wires
hanging on the lamp posts, piles of garbage on the streets, ran-down
buildings, unruly drivers, and dingy shanties everywhere.
Why we tolerate such pitiful conditions was really baffling, and even
frustrating.

Well, that's just the big whiner in me talking.

Six days. Paranaque. Tagaytay. Manila. Pasay. Makati.
Shopping with family.

Dinner with some friends here and there.
Movies with the kids (niece and nephew).
Shopping again with family.

Got to see my two baby nieces, born January and May this year. Had so much fun bugging those angels ha ha ha.

One of my closest friends was heavy with her first baby. Never seen her look this flabby... ooops, I mean healthy.
New shopping and dining center right smack in our neighborhood. How cool!
First
time in another new but much much bigger shopping mall not so far away.
I like the overall look, especially the promenade in the center and the
open area overlooking the Manila Bay. Unfortunately, I never got the
chance to take photos.

Rice, and more rice! My appetite suddenly went through the roof.

And then it was time to leave. Not so much had happened, I know, and I'd
say it was rather uneventful. Never expected so much anyway. I was just
happy and content that my homecoming did push through, after months of dillydallying.

And I'm back!

No I didn't go into hiding. I just had more than two months hiatus from this blog. I finally got inspiration partly from people who stay true to who they are, for somehow it makes me feel reassured for being myself.

And what's so significant about the last two months? Well, I've been in Singapore for one full year now, and ought to stay on for at least one more. I've moved to a new place which is nearer to town although not as cozy as before. My stocks have gone better since the last crash. I have a new cute niece (my brother's) and looking forward to another one by my sister in a few weeks time. I've finally got myself my first DSLR camera - Nikon D80, and have since gone to some wonderful places for photo shoots. And thanks to my cool camera, I've made friends with an interesting stranger.

Today is actually my first night in my new humble abode. I've done some unpacking so all my stuff are a mess right now, but perhaps I'll just sort them out tomorrow. It's already late and I'd like to hit the bed but somehow I know I won't be seeing dreamland just yet... hence this blog entry. I'm going to fiddle around in youtube and hopefully get dozed off in no time.

Crash

Swooooosh! I was caught off-guard. I was looking at the numbers and my eyes grew larger in disbelief. I was hoping it was some kind of computer glitch, but no, it was real. It was not entirely unexpected but it came down so swift I barely had time to act. I decided to watch in the sidelines thinking that any move would do more harm than good.

Of course, I'm talking about yesterday's mini-crash of the global stock markets, thanks to overweight China that dragged down markets all over the world, mind you, even the US Dow Jones was spooked. Meanwhile, the Philippines was in its own league again, this time for beating other markets to the cellar. It was the biggest loser yesterday, down as much as 9% in mid-trade and ended just a tad higher from its lowest point thus wiping out gains made since the beginning of the year. The picture gets clearer when we see how other markets fared: Japan (-3.5%), Singapore (-4.8%), Australia (-3.0%), Hong Kong (-3.5%), South Korea (-3.9%), Malaysia (-3.3%). Probably the biggest joke that came out of all these was that the Shanghai index, where all the ripples started, ironically jumped by 4% yesterday, after shedding 8% on Tuesday. It really beats me, big time.

I know, I know, you heard me blabbing a few posts back that the Philippine stock market was bullish again. It still is! Fundamentals remain the same. Pundits say yesterday's crash was just a healthy correction after weeks of racing past record highs, and that markets will remain bullish. Heck, the Philippine stock market just over-reacted. And yes incidentally, feng shui masters correctly predicted early this year that global stock market would encounter some bumpy road. I think this is it. But no worries, say pundits and feng shui experts, because times will even get better afterwards.

Funny I've seen the movie Crash(2004) a few nights ago. It has nothing to do with the stock market, I just felt it a fitting title to this post. A very good movie, by the way.

Anyway, I'm not going to rely entirely on what the experts say. Though I know the market will recover, I'm still going to watch very closely, because in the short term the downward trend may not be over... yet.

The headline ruined it all

I refer to the article "Thousands plant trees, but cutting continues" in Philippine Daily Inquirer dated 26th August 2006. I was disturbed by the fact that the otherwise very positive and inspiring story was marred by a sidestory about cutting trees. The sidestory was not even substantiated as barely two sentences were written about it while the rest of the story was about the tree planting effort across the country. By golly, I could not fathom how it made to the headline. Common sense tells us that cutting will never end as furniture industry is a staple in the country. While it is not a secret that illegal logging persists, for all we know the woodcarvers described in the story were legitimate.

The sidestory about the cutting of trees (or was it woodcarving) was very out of place, lacked substance and maliciously added to sensationalize the article which, I believe, could have been more effective without it. The stakeholders in the tree planting endeavor made a commendable feat and should have been given due credit. Unfortunately, their effort was tainted by unnecessary injection of sensationalism.

PDI never learns. Just last week, an issue carried an article about Jim Paredes where he was headlined to have given up hope in the country when he immigrated to Australia. PDI was forced to apologise to Paredes after he slammed the paper for the inaccurate and malicious headline.

Negative stories are not the only ones that sell. I wish PDI treated the tree planting story with positive light, alas, the headline ruined it all.

Singapore Idol is a singing competition

Singapore Idol is down to its last six contestants with the judges bracing for another surprise, erm, disappointment. Why, last week we saw the exit of Mathilda Da Silva, who was one of the decent idol-wannabe while the obviously weakest singers but girl-magnet clowns - Joakim Gomez and Paul Twohill - stood firm. As it is, the lot are lacking talent of international caliber, even the promising Hady Mirza, who consistently stirs the crowd with his clean vocals and edgy performances, does not come out unique and exceptional. The judges are raving over Jonathan Leong's distinct tone, however, his performances so far have been mediocre and at one point over-the-top. He cannot pull off a stirring performance like Hady, and his otherwise unique vocal quality lacks dynamics. As for Nurul Maideen, she is pretty and stylish and can somehow deliver but she is never competitive and does not seem able to come out with a surprise. Finally, Jasmine Tye, yeah, she is just the female version of Joakim Gomez.

The competition is not surprisingly between Hady Mirza and Jonathan Leong, talent-wise. However, Idol is not a mere showcase of talent but a measure of the ability to get the most votes. Singapore wake up! Or should I say listen up? You don't want to be embarrassed by having a clown as Idol, do you? The TV plugs are right, vote wisely and remember that Singapore Idol, after all, is a singing competition.