This July, We're A Firework!

July is my project's much-awaited grand performance. The team has been toiling on this for almost 9 months like a baby. Now it's time to birth it out into the world. Hmm, that was not a pleasant picture. Anyway, from the last time I have blogged, my movie and series watching time has been cut off and working on hyperdrive has been a norm. I'm not complaining. I made the effort before to catch-up with my life and this time, I need to slow it down for other important things, too. Yet I'm not all work as I managed to slip in Transformers 3 on IMAX 3D (SM's online reservation is as wonderful as you can think of) and my daily book-reading moments before sleeping have made me finish 2 books (The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Prisoner's Dilemma and Montmorency) and I'm currently internalizing this thick book of complete Sherlock Holmes' stories. Uh-huh. Not to mention I was able to do my 3rd 5K fun run last July 3 at MOA. Yes, it's still a charity run for Ideal Vision's foundation.

Who said I suck at work-life balance? I still owe this blog my Ilocandia Adventure post, as well as a fun run post (or should I wait for my August run?) and tomorrow, I'll be hopping on a plane to Puerto Princesa (Palawan). God bless my soul.


MORAL: Work hard, party harder!

The Roommate is Minka Kelly and Leighton Meester

Warning: Photo alert.


So we're on a roll! We have kick-ass pairs in the movie screen, coming from the previous Pretty Beautiful post. When twin sisters Minka Kelly and Gossip Girl Leighton Meester star in a movie, you want to expect yourself getting confused on who's who at times. And then you add The Vampire Diaries stars Nina Dobrev and Katerina Graham (Bonnie) in the equation, you'll definitely get a chick flick on drugs, right?

Oh crap, sorry to disappoint you. The Roommate is not really a chick flick. It's a psycho-thriller and that's how it should be. Clingy psycho rommate (who looks like you) alert! Dundunduuuuuun.

These are tv stars thrown into a Mongolian bowl of a film. Minka Kelly comes from Friday Night Lights popularity while Leighton Meester is the Queen Bee of Gossip Girl. Then we have The Vampire Diaries kiddos namely Nina Dobrev and Katerina Graham on cameo. Well, the latter are reserved for another entry, once The Vampire Diaries airs its third season soon. Are there really loads of psychos prowling around? Scary world, it is!

Camilla Belle plus Nicholas D'Agosto

Let's hit two beautiful birds in one stone. My brother for some reason downloaded the movie From Prada to Nada and so I plugged it to watch in our television. Two familiar favorites showed up in our screen, the lovely and mouth-watering duo of Camilla Belle and Nicholas D'Agosto. Okay, they look kind of similar, they could pass of as siblings.

Camilla Belle was brought into stardom (or semi-stardom whatever) from When A Stranger Calls showed in the big screen. Then next would be the silent movie 10,000 BC and also from that awesome movie, Push. Yes she has striking co-stars in the last 2 movies mentioned and this time, she has Nicholas D'Agosto for From Prada to Nada. Lucky girl.

Yes we know you have lovely eyebrows.

You already!

Y SO PRETTY?!??!

Nicholas D'Agosto first caught my eye in the movie Rocket Science but you would probably recognize him from the tv series Heroes in season 2. Next would be from the movie Fired Up! which was a little bit annoying but hey, seeing him and his smile was totally worth it.

Y SO GORGEOUS?!

Dios mio!

Now let's all bask in the goodness of nature and how they made Nicholas and Camilla perfect by staring at their photos again.


MORAL: Blondes do not necessarily have all the fun.

Will Still Run for A Cause

My personal choice of joining runs that are for a cause still holds true as a psychotic friend and I signed-up for 2 runs for July and August. The Ideal Vision Center's event Vision in Motion Fun Run on July 3 will benefit their Save Your Sight foundation providing free eye consultation, reading glasses, and other eye care services to poor Filipinos. Another would be on August 7, a company event that would benefit certain wards in Philippine General Hospital. See, there are no problems with the events, it is just that I haven't ran this June and that June 27-July 1 would be a very critical time for my project. Even though it's just for 5K, my July 3 event would see a running zombie - which was initially thought to be anatomically impossible but then Resident Evil and Dawn of the Dead happened. How about the August 7 event? It would be my first time running uphill with a 9-kilometer distance. I would definitely, definitely bring a skateboard or some roller skates when it comes to the downhill part. I remember mentioning my endurance sucks so well like a vacuum cleaner, right? Wish me the best in all the world just like it's my birthday.


MORAL: Sometimes it takes a demented friend to push you out of your comfort zone. You'll never know how far you could go until you try.

Ours is the Earth: If

If

Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you 

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; 

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, 

But make allowance for their doubting too; 

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, 

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies, 

Or, being hated, don't give way to hating, 

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; 

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; 

If you can meet with triumph and disaster 

And treat those two imposters just the same; 

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken 

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, 

Or watch the things you gave your life to broken, 

And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club - Nasugbu, Batangas

Drafted last April 10, 2011 and I know it's June already. No judging! :p
Yes, there are a lot of photos here.

The wonderful pools of the Country Club, with the view
of the still unfinished column of buildings.

See the contrast of the finished buildings and those still under construction.

Hamilo Coast. 

Hamilo Coast goodness of Pico de Loro.

Top-view from the Beach Club deck.

Situated along Hamilo Coast at Nasugbu, Batangas, Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club is an exclusive resort developed by SMDC (yeah, "the good guys"). Thirty minutes farther from Punta Fuego and Tali Beach, it would seem like either you're in the wrong place or this place is at the other side of the world. Definitely a swimming beach and do not have yourself fooled if it's the same with the famous mountain of Pico de Loro. They are NOT the same, I wonder where SMDC got the name.

Overlooking the cove. This is where they bring potential buyers.

Pristine waters.

In any case, to be able to get inside you must either be a member or a guest of a member. I don't get it, honestly. Pay so much for a beach/country club? Just travel to all of the breathtaking beaches around the country if you have that much money to buy stocks in a beach club! Opinions aside, Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club has awesome residential buildings, a man-made lagoon with a boat ride, and of course, the shuttle service (just like in Anvaya Cove, Punta Fuego, etc.) which is just a call away. Amenities are complete for the Country Club, they have lots of courts (badminton, tennis, basketball), gym equipments, a library, and a kick-ass pool.

Country Club at night. :)

In all honesty, Pico de Loro Beach & Country Club is really a very radiant pleasing place having a modern view/feel to it and it is new. Being new is a factor because (I believe that) SMDC has a tendency to overdevelop (or overpopulate) their sites and I am not quite sure of the future beauty of the beach club if they finish the other side of the residential buildings - when we went there, only the other side of the row of buildings were done. We experienced Pico de Loro during April, definitely peak season so throngs of people are to be expected but the number that welcomed us considering that it prides itself as an exclusive resort and only half of the place has been developed, I just hope the cove will be as beautiful in the future as it is enthralling at present.

There are available water sports equipment.

The Beach Club has one swimming pool.

MORAL: When you're out there, bask in the glory of the sun. Sand, sun, and the seawater. The world is for your taking.

Unit where we stayed.

Waterproof tag.

Heavy is the mind that can't be told when it's time to let it go.
Heavy is the heart filled so full with sorrow.

Worry can't help a single thing but when we're out of our heads at least we're out in the open.
The warning signs of a troubled mind, it's all the things we can't see and can't hide.

And all we ever want is to be loved whether sun or stars above.
All our trouble all our toil is towards no greater earthly goal.

Such a beautiful song, The Submarine's"Swimming Pool" is. And all we ever wanted is to be loved. Those last 2 lines really hurt in the gut.

Bandwagon

If you have an online social life (read: Internet), you'll probably be swamped with all the latest news and updates about the NBA and its recently crowned champions, the Dallas Mavericks. A lot are LeBron haters, Lakers-to-Mavs fans, same with the angry Clevelanders hence Cavs4Mavs, and Give-the-Kidd-A-Ring movement supporters. It's basketball, it's sports, man. A lot are tweeting (in case you live under a rock, it's an action done in Twitter) about "bandwagon fans" and how they just became "solid fans" during the Finals (I can feel the "where were you when they were still struggling?" comments). Hello. Bandwagon fans. They're like politicians, always on the side of those winning (or almost winning).

Me? I'm a solid Kobe fan. So when the Mavericks swept away the Lakers like they were dirt, I'll root for the team that demolished me. LeChon can go eat his candy ring.

You might be a loyal fan who stays up late or wakes up real early for the game, but everyone else just watches the 4th quarter (or the final game in a tennis Grand Slam). If you're not a bandwagon fan as you say/claim (whether implicitly or not), you know that. And you probably won't gripe. ;)


MORAL: Live with it.

Mermaids of the Caribbean: On Familiar Tides

Geez, this was actually drafted last May 24, 2011 and as of press time, the last movie I have watched is Kung Fu Panda 2 X-Men: First Class. I'll remember to press the "Publish" button next time.

Work-Life Balance Status Update: 80% [Slightly Off-Track]

Despite the gargantuan amount of work I need to get over with, I've been catching-up with my life recently. Funny that it actually needs effort to be executed. Oh yes, I am improving! I have purchased books (have already finished the first be proud, momma) and a CD (Taken by Cars!) recently. Almost done with my series! Although I still got a lot of that in my plate, not to mention the number of movies I missed over the last few months, one by one I've been covering those holes left open. A great improvement though is that I've been watching movies in the big screen now. Guess who's back to her old tricks! Since I've been punishing and whipping myself dry for missing Thor (and Natalie Portman), I need to get back on the "blockbuster season" and hopefully strike a number of movies from the list. The latest one I have watched as of presstime (or blogtime whatever) is Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. That's a freaking long title. No Keira Knightley nor Orlando Bloom. Just Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz dabbing each other with eye make-up.

No, that's not Amanda Seyfried. That's Gemma Ward, the queen of the mermaids!

The show-stealer were definitely the mermaids. For me the movie was a bit slow-paced (which is supposedly uncommon for Pirates of the Caribbean) but the effects are really worthy of Hollywood. The tails of the mermaids are visually stunning, flowing so gracefully in the water. Their fangs and fury definitely kept me awake. For a moment there, whale hunting was on my mind. Repeat with me: Fish are friends not food. Mermaids are ugh, friends....not food, too? Actually they're the ones who get the jolly sailor boat.


MORAL: The fountain of youth is all but a dream. Only God can grant eternal life. Kudos to the Spaniards.