Finally, the movie premiered at Tribeca in New York.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Magnum!
I finally tasted it after a few weeks of just looking curiously at the posters in a nearby 7-11 store.
What can I say. Yummy!
So far I've tasted almond. There's two more flavors : chocolate truffle and classic chocolate
But it is being sold around worldwide for several years now.
Magnum is an ice cream brand owned by the British/Dutch Unilever company, and sold as part of the Heartbrand line of products in most countries. It was originally made by Frisko in Aarhus, Denmark. The original 1987 Magnum (later rebranded as Magnum Classic) consisted of a thick bar of vanilla ice cream on a stick, covered with white or dark chocolate, with a weight of 86 grams (120 ml). In 1994 the company also started selling Magnum ice cream cones, and in 2002 an ice cream sandwich.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnum_(ice_cream)#Varieties
According to their facebook page
Launched in 1989, Magnum was the first chocolate covered ice cream for pleasure seekers. Today, Magnum is one of the world’s leading ice cream brands, selling 1 billion units annually worldwide, and is the biggest brand of Unilever ice creams.
I think the local ice cream industry has some competition. I have been hearing our nearby 7-11 has been running out of supplies by late afternoon and summer is just peaking.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
It's Summer and I love to drink!
Just discovered recently this awesome drink. It's called Mogu Mogu.
Waaah. Love the color, love the chewy nata. Love everything about it. It comes too in different flavors.
Check em out on their fb. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mogu-Mogu-drink/301030024031
I think this would be my best alternative to milk tea. Since my tummy is lactose intolerant, well, most of the time. I can stil take ice cream and halo halo. But with cheese I get uncomfortable. It's been in the world market for sometime and now it's right here in our own drinking country. Yes, we love to drink don't we.
You can find them in one particular donut and coffee shop. A famous chicken fastfood, a foreign franchise, was where I first discovered it.
It's a bit pricey compared to your usual bottled sago/gulaman but it is all worth it.
Check out their cute commercial.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mogu-Mogu-drink/301030024031
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
It's Pinsanity!
Arnel Pineda's Heart of Rock Concert (Live @ Rockville 2-14-12)
Watching Arnel perform live in another acoustic setup that night was like watching Jeremy Lin make those shots one after another or Babe Ruth or Pele making homerun after homerun. It was like the Pacman
doing his rapid punches. And I mean one after the other. Save for the two slow and rather obscure songs that served as a break for my nerves and that of the audience, the thrill I felt that night for every song he sang was like watching an Ateneo-LaSalle basketball championship as they battle it out in a do-or-die game. If I can describe it in one word, it would be 'Pinsanity', with apologies to the guy who came up with the word Linsanity.
I was never more amazed than that night. This must be my third review and I hope I don't bore you with my superlatives. That night he displayed mad, mad vocals. And as I would often say, this was better than the last one, even as I feel that the last gig was a hard one to top.
Starting off slow with another great rendition of that famous duet of Olivia Newton-John and Bryan Adams' "Best of Me", which he did in an earlier gig last December, Arnel showed full control and confidence like he always did.
Hearing a well-rested, happy soon-to-be daddy of first daughter was absolutely phenomenal. That night, not only did Arnel prove to have the strongest set of lungs a performer can have - even with his size - he also had the courage to take on songs quite different from the genre that people are used to hearing from him.
Arnel also made sure he did not divert much from a song's arrangement just to suit his comfort zone. There is always that danger in doing covers when the performance becomes more about the singer rather than the song. In Arnel's case, he stayed close to them and enhanced certain notes only to add his personal touch but without overdoing it. Like how he ended Adele's award winning song "Rolling in the Deep." That is what you call respect for the original artist.
Talking about singing songs which I thought were outside his genre, Arnel went on to sing that classic southern rock favorite Creedence Clearwater's ditty "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." Another favorite of mine as well as my husband.
Another big surprise was when he did a mind-blowing version of Richard Harris' cover of MacArthur Park. Who would've thought! How about singing "The Prayer" next time?
But this song, gave me even more goosebumps. Nazareth's "Love Hurts." Crowd was delighted as you can hear.
Now there are bands whose music I didn't really care much about at that time it became popular. This was one of those songs I ignored back then simply because it reminded me of noisy drunken neighbors and loud jukeboxes from smoke filled bars that I abhor. But when Arnel sang it that night, it was like love at first sight. Just awesome. As soon as someone uploaded the entire song on youtube, I immediately converted it to mp3 and listened to it for God knows how many times for the next few days. Arnel has that uncanny ability to make me fall in love with songs I didn't care much about, until he sings them. Just exactly what he did with his rendition of Journey songs.
There were also the mainstays on his playlist like Air Supply's "Making Love out of Nothing at All", Bryan Adams' "You Don't Have to Say the Words", Styx' "Don't Stop Me Now"
He also sang a couple of Pinoy songs of his band (Ammo or Zoo). The new arrangement of "Ewan Ko Ba" was really cute and so was he as he performed it.
Then there's a new one written by Monet Cajipe called "Hindi Mo Lang Alam" I hope he gets to record this one, too.
It seems that an AP concert will not be complete without a song by Sting. That night he played the less popular but perhaps fitting for the occasion "Shape of My Heart". This is a beautiful, haunting song. However the only drawback for me is , the venue being a bar, the noise emanating from the surroundings which makes me wish that someday I'd like to see him perform in an auditorium or theatre sans noise from moving chairs, dishes and people looking for seats or chatting about their good ol' days or the traffic. If it is even possible at this venue, how about making an arrangement where serving food would stop once the performance starts. But that would be the OC in me.
I am among those who just want to listen to his voice, including the nuances, the cracks whether intentional or otherwise, if any, the breathing, occasional jokes he throws into the audience. Arnel has that tendency to talk fast and in a lower tone, that a few times I have to revisit the video on youtube to listen to what he said. And that is why, when rewatching them I would rather play the songs with my headphone on rather than turn on the speakers.
As the show drew closer to the finish line, one would expect him to slow down and end the show with less vocally challenging songs. But the exact opposite happened. I could see the crowd was in awe as I was. Instead he sang the crowd favorite Heart's "Alone" as he alone can belt it other than the original singer Ann Wilson. And then looking like he's just starting to have fun, went on to belt another nerve-wracking version of Sweet Child of Mine. Bezzzusss! We thought he was going to blow off the roof. Looking at the people around me, I could see heads shaking in disbelief. Some had that look as if in awe. Speechless. People were already standing up by then and waited to let him finish his last song. There were still calls for encore after the third one but he's got to preserve that voice for the upcoming show in Nashville.
The original setlist included a two-song medley as tribute to the late Whitney Houston who died just the day before the Grammy awards night. Yes Whitney Houston songs. Boy doesn't just have big lungs but a brave heart. However, the audience had been demanding of songs they'd love to hear him perform again. He sang instead Air Supply's Making Love out of Nothing at All. I thought someone almost died as you can hear from this video. This was also the part where he proves to me how strong his lungs were. Everyone knows how difficult this song is, not just for the high notes but for sustaining that voice at that octave. Whew.
Indeed that night, I see a more mature, more confident Arnel - unstoppable, impeccable. I find myself at a loss for adjectives. For sure his four years of working with a team of pros, his big brothers with Journey and its management, certainly paid off. The setlist was an excellent proof that he can master any song in practically any genre that requires honest-to-goodness singing. Rap may be a different genre but I doubt it requires real singing. Which is why watching his gig is, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, 'like a box of chocolates. You'll never know what you'll get.'
Once again, Arnel delivered an unforgettable performance that lingers in the hearts and minds of his audience for days. It's no longer just Arnelitis of staying too long on youtube watching his videos on repeat, but watching him live and eagerly waiting for the next gig to happen to see what more surprises he can give, listening to his golden voice try out new songs whether covers or originals. It's a kind of madness that he creates among his listeners. I doubt if any walked out of the venue not being a fan after watching him perform live for the first time. And it's just a sitting-on-a-stool Arnel Pineda that they witnessed. Wait til they see him perform with the big boys, flying in the air with his now trademark Air-nels. I am waiting for my turn. A little of him that he has shown in that little stage and yet he drove us all mad. It's P-I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y. With such a truly unique and gifted artist, I hope the rest of the world that has yet to be won over will catch it.
*For the complete setlist and link to other videos, click on this link.
http://arnelpinedarocks.com/forum/index.php?f=45&t=3249&hilit=heart%20of%20rock&rb_v=viewtopic&start=20
Major thanks to all who shared their videos : Ferdie Arquero, lenargin, journellsky, garakyut, VivaArnel among others.
Watching Arnel perform live in another acoustic setup that night was like watching Jeremy Lin make those shots one after another or Babe Ruth or Pele making homerun after homerun. It was like the Pacman
I was never more amazed than that night. This must be my third review and I hope I don't bore you with my superlatives. That night he displayed mad, mad vocals. And as I would often say, this was better than the last one, even as I feel that the last gig was a hard one to top.
Starting off slow with another great rendition of that famous duet of Olivia Newton-John and Bryan Adams' "Best of Me", which he did in an earlier gig last December, Arnel showed full control and confidence like he always did.
Arnel Pineda - The Best Of Me from Ferdie ArQuero on Vimeo.
With my slr and my point and shoot camera which I occasionally used, I was holding back screams and omg's about a dozen times. When he started out with the lines " I have climbed the highest mountains" my brain almost exploded. I was screaming inside, scrambled to take video, missing a few seconds of the beginning as a result. I thought I would lose it. Are you kidding me? This is my 2nd favorite U2 song! Even Bono would admit that this is one of the more vocally challenging songs in their catalogue. Yet he nailed it and spared no notes in the adlibs. His falsettos and improvisations were perfectly placed. Bravo, bravo, bravo. You can hear the audience reaction afterwards.Hearing a well-rested, happy soon-to-be daddy of first daughter was absolutely phenomenal. That night, not only did Arnel prove to have the strongest set of lungs a performer can have - even with his size - he also had the courage to take on songs quite different from the genre that people are used to hearing from him.
Arnel also made sure he did not divert much from a song's arrangement just to suit his comfort zone. There is always that danger in doing covers when the performance becomes more about the singer rather than the song. In Arnel's case, he stayed close to them and enhanced certain notes only to add his personal touch but without overdoing it. Like how he ended Adele's award winning song "Rolling in the Deep." That is what you call respect for the original artist.
Talking about singing songs which I thought were outside his genre, Arnel went on to sing that classic southern rock favorite Creedence Clearwater's ditty "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." Another favorite of mine as well as my husband.
Another big surprise was when he did a mind-blowing version of Richard Harris' cover of MacArthur Park. Who would've thought! How about singing "The Prayer" next time?
But this song, gave me even more goosebumps. Nazareth's "Love Hurts." Crowd was delighted as you can hear.
Now there are bands whose music I didn't really care much about at that time it became popular. This was one of those songs I ignored back then simply because it reminded me of noisy drunken neighbors and loud jukeboxes from smoke filled bars that I abhor. But when Arnel sang it that night, it was like love at first sight. Just awesome. As soon as someone uploaded the entire song on youtube, I immediately converted it to mp3 and listened to it for God knows how many times for the next few days. Arnel has that uncanny ability to make me fall in love with songs I didn't care much about, until he sings them. Just exactly what he did with his rendition of Journey songs.
There were also the mainstays on his playlist like Air Supply's "Making Love out of Nothing at All", Bryan Adams' "You Don't Have to Say the Words", Styx' "Don't Stop Me Now"
He also sang a couple of Pinoy songs of his band (Ammo or Zoo). The new arrangement of "Ewan Ko Ba" was really cute and so was he as he performed it.
Then there's a new one written by Monet Cajipe called "Hindi Mo Lang Alam" I hope he gets to record this one, too.
It seems that an AP concert will not be complete without a song by Sting. That night he played the less popular but perhaps fitting for the occasion "Shape of My Heart". This is a beautiful, haunting song. However the only drawback for me is , the venue being a bar, the noise emanating from the surroundings which makes me wish that someday I'd like to see him perform in an auditorium or theatre sans noise from moving chairs, dishes and people looking for seats or chatting about their good ol' days or the traffic. If it is even possible at this venue, how about making an arrangement where serving food would stop once the performance starts. But that would be the OC in me.
I am among those who just want to listen to his voice, including the nuances, the cracks whether intentional or otherwise, if any, the breathing, occasional jokes he throws into the audience. Arnel has that tendency to talk fast and in a lower tone, that a few times I have to revisit the video on youtube to listen to what he said. And that is why, when rewatching them I would rather play the songs with my headphone on rather than turn on the speakers.
As the show drew closer to the finish line, one would expect him to slow down and end the show with less vocally challenging songs. But the exact opposite happened. I could see the crowd was in awe as I was. Instead he sang the crowd favorite Heart's "Alone" as he alone can belt it other than the original singer Ann Wilson. And then looking like he's just starting to have fun, went on to belt another nerve-wracking version of Sweet Child of Mine. Bezzzusss! We thought he was going to blow off the roof. Looking at the people around me, I could see heads shaking in disbelief. Some had that look as if in awe. Speechless. People were already standing up by then and waited to let him finish his last song. There were still calls for encore after the third one but he's got to preserve that voice for the upcoming show in Nashville.
The original setlist included a two-song medley as tribute to the late Whitney Houston who died just the day before the Grammy awards night. Yes Whitney Houston songs. Boy doesn't just have big lungs but a brave heart. However, the audience had been demanding of songs they'd love to hear him perform again. He sang instead Air Supply's Making Love out of Nothing at All. I thought someone almost died as you can hear from this video. This was also the part where he proves to me how strong his lungs were. Everyone knows how difficult this song is, not just for the high notes but for sustaining that voice at that octave. Whew.
Indeed that night, I see a more mature, more confident Arnel - unstoppable, impeccable. I find myself at a loss for adjectives. For sure his four years of working with a team of pros, his big brothers with Journey and its management, certainly paid off. The setlist was an excellent proof that he can master any song in practically any genre that requires honest-to-goodness singing. Rap may be a different genre but I doubt it requires real singing. Which is why watching his gig is, to borrow a line from the movie Forrest Gump, 'like a box of chocolates. You'll never know what you'll get.'
Once again, Arnel delivered an unforgettable performance that lingers in the hearts and minds of his audience for days. It's no longer just Arnelitis of staying too long on youtube watching his videos on repeat, but watching him live and eagerly waiting for the next gig to happen to see what more surprises he can give, listening to his golden voice try out new songs whether covers or originals. It's a kind of madness that he creates among his listeners. I doubt if any walked out of the venue not being a fan after watching him perform live for the first time. And it's just a sitting-on-a-stool Arnel Pineda that they witnessed. Wait til they see him perform with the big boys, flying in the air with his now trademark Air-nels. I am waiting for my turn. A little of him that he has shown in that little stage and yet he drove us all mad. It's P-I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y. With such a truly unique and gifted artist, I hope the rest of the world that has yet to be won over will catch it.
*For the complete setlist and link to other videos, click on this link.
http://arnelpinedarocks.com/forum/index.php?f=45&t=3249&hilit=heart%20of%20rock&rb_v=viewtopic&start=20
Major thanks to all who shared their videos : Ferdie Arquero, lenargin, journellsky, garakyut, VivaArnel among others.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
He sang one of my favorite U2 songs!
Arnel Pineda sang "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". It's one of U2's greatest hits from it's no. 1 album Joshua Tree which is also my favorite U2 album. It's the best cover of this song I have heard so far. Bono would be so proud of him when he hears this.
Here's proof.
From another angle.
More on Arnel's amazing Valentine's concert later. I left the venue (his bar called Rockville) with my feet floating in the air so yes it took quite a while to settle down.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Lammayo: Palawan's answer to Daing and Tuyo
So what's a better alternative to the usual dried danggit? Why it's no less than danggit but prepared in another way. It's fresh danggit marinated in vinegar, ginger, pepper and garlic. It was served as breakfast during my trip to Palawan with friends. And since then I've been addicted. I searched everywhere for it and to my surprise, it is sold at the tiangge in Salcedo Village every Saturday. I am sure this is also sold at other organic markets in different places around the Metro. It's a must try. I swear you'll be addicted to it after tasting.
I forgot to take a photo of this delicacy so I searched the net for it.
I forgot to take a photo of this delicacy so I searched the net for it.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Palawan... A Paradise You'd Love to Retire To
Okay. First off. I'm not quite close to retiring yet. But that is exactly how I think of Palawan the very first time I visited the place less than a year ago with hubby and some friends. Both my husband and I were thinking about the same thing. We even got to talk to the tour guides and asked them how much the cost of property is, the availability of electricity (this is a remote island after all in a third world country!) and safe drinking water, health services... the staples you need when you grow old. Heck I wouldn't want to fetch water 200 meters away ya know in my advanced age! :) Not so much concern about breaking a hip but more concerned about not remembering how to get back. bwah!
Now here's some photos I took with my bff. I'd like to call him Konyo. No he's not a bratty friend or relative. He's actually a dslr, my good ol' reliable Nikon D40x.
Palawan has lots of these mangroves
The entrance to the underground river. *Click thumbnail photo to see larger pic.*
A friend took a photo of us on the boat.
A stalactite.
The best restaurant with the best view would be Badjao Seafront Resto. Well, food is just average. I don't really expect haute cuisine in a seafood restaurant by the sea. I'm fine it being cooked in a way 'au naturel' with little garnishings and spice. Like you just cooked them yourselves along the beach and added a little spice just for taste.
The hanging lamps were neatly adorned.
There's a picture hanging on the wall sa proof that it has been visited by royalty. No less than Prince Andrew, the Duke of York himself at that!
Then there are the cute tricycles for travelling to short and long distances.
We did ride one from the place we stayed to Lotus Garden Restaurant and back. It has great Asian food. The sushi buffet was yummy!
A visit to the crocodile farm is a must. I think it's the only one of its kind in the country.
Baby crocs at the nursery.
Some breath-taking views.
A short trip is definitely not enough. I got to visit only one side of this long island. It has to be Coron next time and hopefully soon.
Now here's some photos I took with my bff. I'd like to call him Konyo. No he's not a bratty friend or relative. He's actually a dslr, my good ol' reliable Nikon D40x.
Palawan has lots of these mangroves
The entrance to the underground river. *Click thumbnail photo to see larger pic.*
A friend took a photo of us on the boat.
A stalactite.
The best restaurant with the best view would be Badjao Seafront Resto. Well, food is just average. I don't really expect haute cuisine in a seafood restaurant by the sea. I'm fine it being cooked in a way 'au naturel' with little garnishings and spice. Like you just cooked them yourselves along the beach and added a little spice just for taste.
The hanging lamps were neatly adorned.
There's a picture hanging on the wall sa proof that it has been visited by royalty. No less than Prince Andrew, the Duke of York himself at that!
Then there are the cute tricycles for travelling to short and long distances.
We did ride one from the place we stayed to Lotus Garden Restaurant and back. It has great Asian food. The sushi buffet was yummy!
A visit to the crocodile farm is a must. I think it's the only one of its kind in the country.
Baby crocs at the nursery.
Some breath-taking views.
A short trip is definitely not enough. I got to visit only one side of this long island. It has to be Coron next time and hopefully soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)