Traveling to the northern part of the Philippines is one of the things that makes me feel so excited. While other people get bored traveling via land for up to five hours or more, I find it relaxing and I seldom go to sleep in order not to miss the views on my window. Early this month, I had the chance to join a team building activity at Thunderbird Resorts Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union. It is a huge village and is greatly inspired by Santorini, Greece. At the main hotel, we were amazed by the white and blue structures, a dazzling 5-star hotel where we we slept for 2 nights! So far, this is the best hotel experience for me, with the world-class amenities, services, excellent cuisine, fresh pool and beach and the best people of course. :)

By next week, me and my officemates are scheduled to have our teambuilding activity  in La Union, at this time we are cramming for swimming/wake/surf gear. A few days back, we got curious when we saw a tarpaulin about Stoked Inc. warehouse sale, unfortunately the promo ended last February. So yesterday, we've decided to drop by that nearby warehouse here in Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong to see if there are still supplies (particularly rash guards) that remain from the sale. What we saw was more like Stoked Inc.'s office because there is just a small space where they have display of their items for sale. They also distribute brands such as RipCurl, Billabong, Hurley, CWB Board Co.. Although the price is slightly lower than mall price, there are only few choices unlike in their mall branches where you can choose different colors for gear/clothes.

Since we haven't found what we are looking for in Stoked, in the same compound is the showroom of Regalong Pambahay, we also checked if there are good finds. It is spacious and there are so many items to choose from like accessories, bags, pillows, cabinets, home decors, etc., slightly lower than their mall prices. It can be a haven for home decorators, interior designers and craftsmen.

World War Z
Paramount Pictures


Rating: ★★★★★

When I first heard about this movie, i thought it was an action film that would bore me and just because it was Brad Pitt in the lead role so I must watch. Before we head to the cinema, I've been reading a lot of tweets and FB posts that it is such a good film so those convinced me to watch. At the very start of the movie, the character of Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane was shown as a family man, with wife and two kids, both girls. He was so handsome with his long blonde hair and clear blue eyes. Then came the zombie outbreak... yes.., at the beginning of the movie it was already full of suspense and thrill. Those who were bitten by zombies will become one as well in a matter of 8 seconds. Gerry's journey began when he needs to find a cure to the pandemic and discovered that a 'camouflage' was the answer. He found out that the zombies only feed on healthy human bodies and ignore people with deadly disease. In the end, a vaccine with deadly but curable pathogens were developed and was injected to the people and to the troops that are battling against the mass of zombies.

Although there were lots of zombie apocalypse movies out there, I still find this one enjoyable and thrilling because it has a different story. Plus factor is that Gerry Lane is such an ideal husband and father, who will do everything for the sake of his family.

In just 2-3 weeks from now, sad to say, but we must say goodbye to summer and say hello to the rainy season. Being in a tropical country like the Philippines is so much fun, I'm sure filipinos can find rainy day activities that are enjoyable too. But before summer officially ends and since this weekend is considered a long one, I'll start to post blogs of my summer adventures. :)

Last April, I've been in Boracay for the third time, for me, I still find it as the best beach in the Philippines. Aside from sunbathing and swimming on its powdery, white sand beach,  4-5 days of stay is not enough to experience all the activities the island has to offer. I've already blogged about my experience in this paradise last year (see archive). This time I'd like to share some activities I've tried for this year.


1. Picture Taking at Trick Art Museum

One of the activities which will not require too much of your energy. You'll just need to pose with the paintings on the wall, snap wonderful photos and let everyone's imagination be trickled.
    
    


2. ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) Ride

Although there is an orientation on how to drive these vehicles, everyone must be very careful when driving ATV as there are lots of slopes and curves on the way to the highest peak of the island. We've signed a waiver that the atv company will not be held liable for any accident that might happen. But I swear, this activity is worth the risk, on the spot you'll learn how to control the speed, the turns and the breaks. Tip: Keep your focus on the road and always wear your helmet!




3. Zorb

Another risky adventure, an air-filled gigantic ball with up to three pails of water poured inside, you'll surely slide as it rolls from the top of the hill downwards. The anticipation and the nerves makes it more exciting. It only lasted for more or less than 25 seconds with maximum of 3 persons per ride. Expect to get wet! :)




4. Skycycle

A environment-friendly ride for not-so-acrophobic people, it doesn't require any electrical power, only through manual pedaling in order to move forward. Each car is composed of a pair of bicycles attached to an elliptical railings several feet above the ground. Tip: Take a deep breath and never look down! :p




5. Parasailing

One of the expensive activities in Boracay, this is the most breath-taking and worth the money experience. You'll get to ride in a parachute for 15-20 minutes while being pulled by a luxurious speedboat with music. You'll get to see the whole shore and the wide blue sea while relaxing, enjoying the wind on top of everybody.




6. Swimming/Picture-taking at Puka Beach

Since the white sand beach of Boracay is highly commercialized and crowded especially during summer, you can still find a serene and quiet beach on the other side of the same island. Puka beach is another natural wonder, although its white sand is rough compared to the sand in the main beach because of the abundance of puka shells.

IRON MAN 3  - IMAX 3D
(Marvel Studios)

Rating: ★★★★






Watching movies... one of my favorite stress-reliever. I can say that watching movies is a hobby. I could've saved a lot of money if i prefer to stay at home instead of watching movies. But who cares?! I'll never get tired of going to the cinemas because this keeps me relaxed and happy, with all the stress that I'm getting from work. I know that it is a routine that every Saturdays, if I don't have other appointments, me and 'the boyfie' will watch together, he enjoys it a lot too. Although it is a 'routine', we ensure that every film we watch has its own distinctive plot so it'll never bore the two of us. Because there's numerous movies in a year, sometimes, I forget what exactly happened in a movie if I have to make a flashback. Since I have this blog, I've decided to create my own movie review portion. This is not to critize or spoil any film or anyone, I just want to list down all the movies I've watched and their highlights.

The first on the list will be Iron Man 3. I'll be doing a review based on the perspective of a young woman who hasn't watched the prequels, Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Surprisingly, yes, I haven't watched them both!! (Tao nga ba??! Hehe) .. Indeed, Iron Man is an international phenomenon, an American superhero film based on Marvel Comics.

Robert Downey Jr., is one of the hottest man in his age, playing the lead role as of course as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Tony Stark is best described as 'The Mechanic', genius inventor, billionaire, playboy and a superhero when in his Iron Man suit. The story started showing  that Tony has been obsessed in creating multiple Iron Man suits and Pepper, his girlfriend, portrayed by the ever beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow, was fed up with it. She wants more time with Tony, and it's like a love triangle between her, Tony, and the suits. Another conflict starts with a flashback of 1999 when a crippled scientist Aldrich Killian wants Tony's backing in his founded company AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics). Tony, obviously avoiding Aldrich,  let him wait for long hours without showing up. At the present day, Aldrich has became rich and develops Extremis virus, it can heal wounds, regenerate body parts affected by crippling injuries, produce extreme heat and breathe fire. He infused it to several soldiers but it has a flaw that the person might explode if not metabolized properly. To cover up the imperfection, he made believe the people that the explosions were attacks made by terrorists. He destroyed Tony's mansion, and JARVIS, Iron Man's Artificial Intelligence brought wounded Tony to a rural area many miles away, and the people believed him to be dead. He met a 10-year-old boy Harley, whom he became his sidekick in investigating local explosions.

Aldrich has kidnapped Pepper and injected her with Extremis. He has also attacked the President, aboard Air Force One.Tony to the rescue, came to save Pepper, while James, his bestfriend, the 'Iron Patriot', came to rescue the President. Tony summons all his suits, controlled by JARVIS, to help him with the battle. Before he can save her girlfriend, Pepper fell from 200 ft., he thought she was dead.  He had a one on one fight with Aldrich. Because of the Extremis, Pepper had survived the fall and at the end of the day, she, with her superhuman strength, was the one who saved Tony and killed Aldrich. After all the chaos, Tony instructed JARVIS to destroy all the suits in order to devote more of his time to Pepper. Pepper through surgery had removed the Extremis from her body. Tony had decided to remove his arc chest reactor and threw it to the sea. He believed he can be Iron Man even without the suit. In the post-credits scene, the words, "Tony Stark will return" appeared on the screen.

In my opinion, I was able to catch up with the story given the fact that I wasn't able to watch the prequels. All the scenes are amazing and the special effects are perfect especially if you'll get to watch it on IMAX 3D. With the crystal clear images, I even saw Gwyneth Paltrow's pores, but indeed, she is so beautiful in her corporate attire. I like her abs too, showcased when she was wearing a sports bra while kidnapped. For the first time, It was also nice to have Tony Stark teaming up with a kid, Harley. Their conversations put a comic relief in the movie. I believe this movie will have another sequel, so I'll just wait for this one. Two thumbs up for this movie!! :)





















 

I would like to share how I became a fangirl for a day. I'm not really into watching gigs and mall shows but one time when my mother and younger sister were at the mall, we witnessed a crowd at the event center of SM Marilao. We got curious and knew that it was the band Callalily who will perform. My sister really admires Callalily (especially the vocalist Kean Cipriano) and insisted that we should watch. In order to get a seat, we had to buy their latest CD, 'Flower Power'. The event coordinator was kind enough to allow the three of us to enter because the usual allowed per CD is up to two persons only. Surprisingly. the front act of the said mall show was Gracenote. It was my first time to hear their songs and see them perform live. I was amazed by their musical talent and give-all performance. Eunice Jorge, the vocalist of Gracenote was so good together with Kean. Callalily performed almost all the songs in their latest CD, it was a blast and everyone enjoyed their performances. I see myself standing on a monoblock chair right in front of the stage and the guard was asking me to go down. **fangirling**