Highlights from the 67th Grammys
The Grammys once again came and went. From Kanye West parading his wife in the Empress’ New Clothes to Trevor Noah amping up the vitriol in his fifth return as host, here are the highlights from the 67th ceremonies, culled … Continue reading Highlights from the 67th Grammys
So, This is 40.
Much has been said about Pluto in Aquarius pushing us out of our comfort zones.From what I’ve been told, the transition started last November and will remain that way for at least 20 more years. Come to think of it, … Continue reading So, This is 40.
Make Mine Mystival
I’ll skip how I ended up there that day on the grounds that it’ll sound quite convoluted (and creepy). Let’s just say it had to do with a dear friend who passed away last September, and a good-natured woman I … Continue reading Make Mine Mystival
Hong Kong, My Incidental Healer
I’ve conceded that retail therapy would always make it to the plan. It’s impossible not to in a place like this, where shopping constitutes its lifeblood. True enough, with no stringent itinerary, we found ourselves Lantau-bound once again, this time … Continue reading Hong Kong, My Incidental Healer
HK After a Decade, Part 2: Mid-Day at the Midlands
It’s been more than three decades since Chungking Expresswas released. Even before this trip came into plan, I’d been thinking of visiting Wong Kar-wai’s filming locations(the readily accessible ones, at least). Alas, we didn’t really have the luxury of time … Continue reading HK After a Decade, Part 2: Mid-Day at the Midlands
HK After a Decade, Part 1: Discovering Discovery Bay
We start with this curious parallel. It was on January 23, 2015 when I arrived in Hong Kong with Marga. We were stationed in Yau Ma Tai, Kowloon for a five-day stay, one highlighted by a visit to Ngong Ping … Continue reading HK After a Decade, Part 1: Discovering Discovery Bay
Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 5: Taipa and Cotai Send-Off
Crossing over to Taipa took longer than expected, considering how close A-Ma Temple was to the sea. I guess it boiled down to the bus’s route. The one we boarded still had to take detours up North. Luckily, traffic wasn’t … Continue reading Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 5: Taipa and Cotai Send-Off
Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 4: A-Ma in the A.M.
The initial plan was to visit A-Ma Temple the day before. There was something emblematic about starting the tour in a spot so ancient, it even pre-dates the colony. It was a promising sequence. But then, given the proximity of … Continue reading Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 4: A-Ma in the A.M.
Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 3: The Fortress Up the Hill
After squeezing through the town center for three hours, we took a cab all the way to Avenida Sir Anders Ljungstedt, where Dom Galo is situated. This was where we finally had our Portuguese food fix, after 12 hours of … Continue reading Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 3: The Fortress Up the Hill
Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 2: All Roads Lead to St. Paul’s
So, this is how it feels to wake up in Macau. In our specific case, the crack of dawn revealed two exciting views outside our window. To the left is the colossal Macau Tower, which I’ve visited in my first trip. … Continue reading Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 2: All Roads Lead to St. Paul’s
Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 1: Ponta e Horta After Dark
Let’s start with a quick pandemic throwback. One of my early lockdown highlights happened in June 2020, when I immersed myself in We Are One. It was a joint effort between Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube, held in lieu of that … Continue reading Sessenta Horas em Macau, Part 1: Ponta e Horta After Dark
Notes from a Two-Time Miss Teen International Philippines Judge
For the second straight year, I was asked to judge Miss Teen International Philippines by its pageant director, film and TV writer Charlotte Dianco. Once again, the contest was held in Tanghalang Pasigueño, with actor Lance Raymundo taking over as … Continue reading Notes from a Two-Time Miss Teen International Philippines Judge
Tarot Tandem Turns Ten
From the get-go, there already was that unspoken kinship. And it’s not just because our respective school publications shared one room. In the first place, Timmy Potenciano was already hard to miss, much more ignore deliberately. Even before we started … Continue reading Tarot Tandem Turns Ten
Applause for a Little Flea: St. Vincent in Manila
I first wrote about St. Vincent in 2021. Specifically, that was when I acquired Daddy’s Home on vinyl. Such was my predilection for that album, I even paid to access her Down and Out Downtown concert online. Of course, as … Continue reading Applause for a Little Flea: St. Vincent in Manila
Stop Motion Vindication (A Review of “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”)
Creator Nick Park hinted that he was done with full length. In 2008, the British animator shared the challenges of making the first Wallace and Gromit feature, 2005’s The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The most glaring, perhaps, was being told … Continue reading Stop Motion Vindication (A Review of “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”)
My Monthly Dig: “This Fire” by Paula Cole
I always felt Paula Cole deserved more. And this goes beyond her once being called the next Kate Bush, or the Best New Artist Grammy she won in 1998, same year she also became the first female Producer of the … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: “This Fire” by Paula Cole
My MMFF Re-Immersion (Part 1)
I wasn’t exactly the most immersed in MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) before. That changed in 2018, when I landed that social media manager stint in Solar Pictures. Two entries were under their distributorship then. There was the RC de … Continue reading My MMFF Re-Immersion (Part 1)
The (Non-)Deliverance of Scares
It’s not a remake of the 1972 John Boorman caper, as one might be led to believe, though it does aims to scare just the same. Yet apart from the gratuitous addition of the article “The”, there’s really a world … Continue reading The (Non-)Deliverance of Scares
Reunited Behind Bars: A Review of “Daughters”
It might as well be narrative; with how it poetically pinpoints every nuance and gently basks in the emotional highs and lows. We don’t always see this in documentaries. But rest assured, nobody’s acting. Everything you see here is real. … Continue reading Reunited Behind Bars: A Review of “Daughters”
30 Years a Pageant Geek
Whenever I’m asked about my pageant obsession, I tend to answer the “when” and not the “why”. See, I always dreaded the thought of having to rationalize a passion. But if I were to indulge, it all began in the … Continue reading 30 Years a Pageant Geek
Planet Chuckie 