Saving Sally

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Marty (Enzo Marcos) and Sally (Rhian Ramos) first meet in high school when she steps up and gets back at the bully making his life miserable. They have become inseparable since then. As best friends. But he wants to be more than that, despite her remaining oblivious to the fact. Just when he finally musters the strength to admit his feelings before graduation, she surprises him with her own announcement. She has a boyfriend. Nick (TJ Trinidad) is buff, a decade older, and has a cool job. Marty sees him as a nuisance, literally a giant dickhead blocking the way to his best friend’s heart. On the contrary, she sees him as her ticket out of the miserable life she has to deal with back home. As Marty becomes the couple’s secret messenger, he begins to visualize a story for his comic book gig based on the real-life heartaches he is experiencing, a tale of unrequited love amidst monsters terrorizing the world.

Oro

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Elmer (Joem Bascon) mines gold for a living. His girlfriend Linda (Mercedes Cabral) is pregnant, but hasn’t told him yet because she does not know how he’ll react. Both are contemplating marriage, but neither one wants to take the initiative to propose. Kapitana (Irma Adlawan) has been heading her small island village for the last two decades. She is also in charge of playing the role of intermediary between the townsfolk and the central bank, buying the gold and selling it on their behalf. The local livelihood is brought to a standstill when armed men arrive and arrest the miners, claiming to be working as part of the government’s environmental protection group. Kapitana then enlists the help of the mayor and DENR, but the armed men won’t yield, citing the governor as their backer. What follows is a political tug-of-war between the oppressor and the oppressed, culminating in a bloodbath that the town has never witnessed before, all because of gold.

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: Forever is Not Enough

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Coming up with a script for their new film called The Itinerary, director Rainier (Kean Cipriano) and line producer Jocelyn (Cai Cortez) attempt to woo demanding actress Eugene Domingo (Eugene Domingo) to headline their new feature. She invites them to an all-exclusive spa where they discuss various aspects of the movie from the choice of leading men all the way down to the selection of a theme song. Director and actress do not see eye to eye and square off from time to time, causing some friction in the negotiation which Jocelyn and production assistant Lennon (Khalil Ramos) try their best to mediate. On one hand, Eugene wants her comeback to be a financial success, and thus pitches ideas based on mainstream formula. On the other hand, Rainier feels that he will lose the essence of the story, based on his very own crumbling marriage, if he succumbs to her demands.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 13

푸른 바다의 전설: 제13회

Joon-jae’s mom and Shi-ah’s sister-in-law have a heart-to-heart talk over soju, the former about her ex-husband and the latter about her investment issues with his stepmother. His father is tricked into affixing his stamp on a doctored last will and testament. Later that day, he falls down the stairs and slips into a coma. Shim Cheong is on cloud nine after he invites her to sleep next to him. He and Park Moo disagree over his reluctance to do more scams because of her. Shi-ah then takes his mother to his house, not knowing that the two are related. They are welcomed by Shim Cheong, who saved the woman earlier from a pickpocket. Shi-ah discovers the connection soon enough, seeing a mother-and-son photo in his room. They hurry up and leave before he arrives. Another hypnosis session shows him how Dam-ryeong was sent to exile, but convinced the royal guard to turn around just in time for him to save Se-hwa from their enemy’s spear. Seeing her dead lover, she thrusts the spear into her body.

Vince & Kath & James

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Vince (Joshua Garcia) and James (Ronnie Alonte) are not just cousins. They are the best of friends, and this despite the similarities that they simply do not share. One is athletic and is the archetype of the varsity jock every girl on campus swoons over. What the other lacks in sportsmanship, he makes up for in words, authoring a blog called Da Vinci Quotes where he pours out his love frustrations behind the comforts of anonymity. But they do have something in common, which is their crush on Kath (Julia Barretto), the pretty Miss Engineering titleholder who is as dashing in a gown and a tiara on her head as she is valuable with a wrench and screwdriver at hand. One cousin gives way to the other and acts as a bridge instrumental in setting up the couple for a budding romance, but how long can he keep up the charade when his very own feelings start to betray him and act as his very own saboteur? Will his next blog entry be entitled Follow Your Heart or Bros Before Hoes?

Die Beautiful

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After bringing home one first-runner up sash too many, Trisha (Paolo Ballesteros) finally wins a coveted title, that of Miss Gay Philippines. As the queens pose for a final group picture, he feels nauseated and ends up collapsing under the weight of his crown. Rushed to the nearest hospital, he no longer wakes up. What follows is an argument on who should bring home the body. His father (Joel Torre) and sister Beth (Gladys Reyes) both want to bring his corpse back home and bury him as a man, but his best friend Barbs (Christian Bables) won’t budge, arguing that he and his adopted daughter have been his only family ever since they disowned him when he came out of the closet. A glamorous life deserves a fabulous death, and Trisha’s only wish is to be transformed into a different celebrity for every night of his wake. He died beautiful, will he still be on the day of his interment?

Sunday Beauty Queen

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Being one of the few foreign destinations that can be reached from Manila by plane in under two hours, Hong Kong somehow serves as the baptism of fire for budding travelers from the Philippines daring to go international. But not every Filipino who flies there does so with the intention of sightseeing or shopping. There are almost 200,000 documented domestic helpers in HK, usually in a live-in arrangement with their employers. Most of them are expected to work day and night, six days a week. But on Sundays, they are free. If ever you’ve experienced the ex-British colony on a weekend and wondered what the influx of Filipinas in the streets is all about, then this film will answer that question for you. Here is their reality. As is. No filter.

Sense8: Episode 13

13. Happy F*cking New Year

Will and Riley are in hiding somewhere in Iceland, but his reliance on heroin to shut off his connection with Whispers is not enough. He can still track them and he also extends his threat by visiting his father back in Chicago. Nomi and Neets suffer the same fate, but count on close friends to hide their tracks. Capheus’ matatu explodes, but he gets a brand new one from his benefactor to repay him for saving his life. Sun is still in prison, not getting enough support because her brother keeps on interfering with her legal representation. Kala and Rajan head over to Positano for their honeymoon, but her constant visions of Wolfgang come between them. Wolfgang is wooed by different factions to be their new leader as the consequence of his uncle’s murder leaves a great void that needs to be filled. His stalwart refusal results in more danger not just for him, but also for a recently recovering Felix. Lito and Hernando experience the backlash of their scandal going viral and must deal with the consequences to their respective careers.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 12

푸른 바다의 전설: 제12회

FLASHBACK: A royal decree places Dam-ryeong under house arrest, putting Se-hwa’s life in danger. In modern day Seoul, Shim Cheong is also left vulnerable after Joon-jae’s arrest. She boards the Murderer’s taxi and is drugged. He convinces the police to trail the taxi, leading them to an abandoned hospital where the Murderer attempts to prove that she’s a mermaid. She threatens him with a curse, causing him to flee right before Joon-jae locates her. He bargains with the police, telling them he will cooperate in catching the Murderer, since they can’t charge them with anything concrete anyway. He keeps on stalking her thoughts, but it becomes burdensome as she thinks non-stop about his real intentions. Chi-Yeon asks about his real lineage after hearing his stepfather modify his will for everything to go to Joon-jae. Joon-jae’s mother heads to the hospital to pick up some meds. She runs into her ex-husband but he doesn't recognize her due to his failing eyesight. Chi-yeon gets drunk and warns Joon-jae that he can’t protect his father anymore.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 11

푸른 바다의 전설: 제11회

Contrary to Shim Cheong’s belief, Joon-jae pursues her even after discovering the truth. The Murderer dreams about Dam-ryeong about to behead him with his sword. Shim Cheong runs away and spends the night at a jjimjjilbang after seeing it done so many times in Korean dramas. When bullies steal her bag to get her money and turn her phone on, Joon-jae is able to track her, only to find his stepbrother there with her, who was the one who brought her there the night before. Joon-jae stays with her there but irks the other guests with him being overprotective of her and her aversion to water. Ge goes out with her on a date and asks her to wait as he picks up a gift. He gets caught by the police, as the Murderer sets his sights on Shim Cheong. Digging deeper into the Murderer’s records, it’s revealed that he moved in at the same time with a woman who married twice and got widowed twice, with both husbands going blind before they died. That woman is Joon-jae’s stepmother, and it looks like she’s at it again with his father now going blind.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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Forced to abandon his daughter because of the crucial role he is going to play in the development of what would be referred to as the Death Star, weapons expert Galen Erso (Mad Mikkelsen) is abducted by the Empire after Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) shoots his wife to death. More than a decade later, his daughter Jyn (Felicity Jones) is in prison for various petty crimes. A deal is brokered when the Rebel Alliance offers her a mission in exchange for her freedom. The agenda is to team up with intelligence officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in tracking her father in hopes of stopping the “planet killer” he devised in being used against them. After narrowly escaping the obliteration of Jedha in a test run of the armament’s might, she gains some important intel on how to destroy the thing, but it would require the full cooperation of the rebellion. However, not all of them are ready to wager their resources on a rebel nobody with no hard evidence in hand. Is this the end of the resistance?

Mano Po 7: Chinoy

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Wilson (Richard Yap) and Debbie (Jean Garcia) Wong celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with a lavish party. In complete attendance are their relatives, as well as their two lovely daughters Catherine (Jana Agoncillo) and Caroline (Janella Salvador). High, Wilson Jr. (Enchong Dee) arrives scandal-ready, blabbering incoherently before collapsing on the cake. A few days later, his mother sends him to rehab, much to the chagrin of his father who thinks he is a failure. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Under the surface is a brimming stew of family issues ready to boil over anytime. After all, you don’t reach your silver wedding anniversary without dealing with the requisite challenges that characterize a marriage. Overlapping with unresolved matters of the past, the Wong family will have to work together to weather this storm out, but not everyone is in a cooperative mood.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 10

푸른 바다의 전설: 제10회

Joon-jae asks Shim Cheong about her dream where he saves her, but she lies about not remembering it. She brings the little girl she befriended home because she cut school not wanting to go, given how the other kids bully her. She later finds out that the kid can hear her inner voice, and makes her promise not to tell anyone. Joon-jae teaches Shim Cheong how to drink alcohol and she gets drunk, blabbering incoherently before admitting that she is “not human”. Her hangover recuperation capability proves to be really fast, snapping out of her drunken stupor every time she’s about to admit that she’s a mermaid. The gang heads to Shi-ah’s home to carry out their scam. Shi-ah almost catches them when she comes back until Tae-Oh steps in lying to her saying that he loves her just to divert her attention. They get out of there before she comes back. Shim Cheong catches up, thinking but not telling him that he is a con-artist, not knowing that he can also somehow hear her inner voice. She admits to him that she’s a mermaid before she runs away.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 9

푸른 바다의 전설: 제9회

Joon-jae asks Shim Cheong not to leave, before he collapses due to his wounds. Unconscious, he meets Dam-ryeong in his dream, who warns him that history will repeat itself and that he must protect her. The gang identifies their assailant as Ma Dae-young (성동일), the escaped murderer. Because of this, he becomes overprotective of her, even criticizing her friendship with the neighborhood hobo. Joon-jae, his stepbrother, and his father all cross paths at the hospital. Emotions run high and heated words are exchanged between father and son. As he relives all the pain of their separation, he rejects every move he makes towards reconciliation. Shim Cheong becomes his crying shoulder and confidante. They kiss. The next morning, he cooks for her. Shi-ah drops by with more intel on the site of Kim Dam-ryeong’s family home. In the past timeline, he buries a clue for Joon-jae, his future self, to find. Shi-ah finds it at the excavation site and shows it to him, putting his doubts to rest.

Moana

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When shapeshifting demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) steals the heart of island goddess Te Fiti, it unleashes one too many monsters lured by its power to create and nurture life. The mishap leads to his downfall and exile on a far-flung island without his fishhook, which gives him his supernatural abilities. A thousand years will pass before the ocean chooses a young girl to oppose the will of the big blue abyss to head back to Te Fiti and return her heart. Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) is next in line to inherit her father’s mandate as village chief. Life on Motunui has been peaceful and nature has been generous to the island folk, until they are faced with fishless seas and rotten coconuts. Desperate for solutions, the young chieftain decides to take their local mythology seriously. And so she ventures into the great beyond in search of the demigod, and she does find him. But a millennium without practice has made him less powerful than he used to be, and the odds of beating the lava monster Ta Ka who guards Te Fiti are no longer in their favor.

The Super Parental Guardians

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Running into her BFF after a long time, Sarah (Matet de Leon) entrusts the safety of her two young sons Melvin (Awra Briguela) and Ernie (Onyok Pineda) to Arci (Vice Ganda). Working for an influential politician, he seems to be the better option for child custody as opposed to her brother Paco (Coco Martin), a gang leader in the dangerous slum area where they reside. When she inevitable ends up dead with a knife on her torso and a placard on her body saying “Balut Addict”, Arci steps in and attempts to fulfill his promise, but Paco does not yield. He eventually does when he realizes that he can't really provide for his two nephews. Together, the three relocate to Arci’s house and form a rather non-conventional family, until danger knocks on their door again with some grim memories of the recent past.

[VISA] China (24-hr Transit)

I’ve transited in Beijing thrice this year so far, with the first two going smoothly with Air China. Both times they just gave me all the boarding passes upon check-in and my luggage went straight to my final destination. With Hainan Airlines, I took the risk. They began plying the Beijing – Las Vegas route a few days ago, and for just USD287 for a Las Vegas – Beijing – HK flight (via Hong Kong Airlines), it’s the cheapest trans-Pacific flight I could find for the holiday season. And so I booked it on Priceline at once.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 8

푸른 바다의 전설: 제8회

Figuring out that Shim Cheong must be naked in the pool, Joon-jae doesn’t look and he doesn’t find out that she’s a mermaid. Shi-ah shows him the Joseon era vase with the mermaid drawing on it. He consults a doctor regarding short term memory loss and they use hypnosis for him to seek what he’s trying to find. Shim Cheong wonders how long her heart can last before it falters. She asks him directly if he has any plans to love her in the future, but he responds that it is not that easy. Nevertheless, it gets both of them thinking about the weird phenomenon that is love. Shi-ah asks about Joon-jae’s mom after being counseled that the way to win his heart is by befriending his mother, not knowing that it’s the same woman she is mistreating at home. The murderer tricks Joon-jae into meeting him. He recognizes him from his past life. A fight ensues, but he comes prepared. Shim Cheong’s merman friend finally succumbs to heartache. She meets the human he fell in love with and they get to have a heart to heart talk.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 7

푸른 바다의 전설: 제7회

FLASHBACK: Dam-ryeong finds Se-hwa bound in a stockroom. He takes her away and tells her about a dream he had in which they were born again and found a way back into each other’s arms. At present, Shim Cheong tells Joon-jae about a good guy she met, him not knowing that it’s actually him she’s referring to. He dreams about Dam-ryeong’s friend just as his dad’s right hand man figures in a car accident orchestrated by the murderer, who almost gets caught by the police. A flashback reveals how Joon-jae started as a con-man, with his mentor tricking him at first when he pretended to be a private investigator helping him find his mother. Shim Cheong meets a merman living as a lifeguard who gives her valuable advice: the tears they shed become pearls and can be used to get money. He also warns her that she has a time limit and that her heart will soon harden if the person she loves doesn’t love her back. As the gang heads out for another day of scamming, she takes a dip in the pool, not knowing that Joon-jae has come back for his phone.

[NEVADA] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 6 December 2016

Volaris (Mexico City - Las Vegas) - 125.98

Airbnb (1 Night) - 17.00

RTC Bus (2-hr Pass) - 3.00

Max's (Daing na Bangus + Large Rice) - 18.92

RTC Bus (24-hr Pass) - 5.00

USD169.90

[CLARK] What Happens in Vegas

I haven’t been to Vegas, but the prospect of going there has always been brought up whenever I am in Los Angeles. I guess I’ve been delaying it for quite a while because I know that I would love to indulge on my slot machine addiction, which you cannot really do if you are not loaded at the moment. It didn’t matter, because the time has come when I found some really cheap airfare on Kayak via Hainan Airlines’ newly launched Beijing – Las Vegas route. USD 287 one-way for Las Vegas – Beijing – Hong Kong! Beat that.

[MEXICO CITY] Budget and Itinerary (3)

ESTIMATES

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Spanish Course) - 7,910.00

Airbnb (x7 Weeks) - 6,190.00

Food Allowance (x7 Weeks) - 8,400.00

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (CELA) - 970.00

MXN23,470.00

[PUEBLA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 3 December 2016

Estrella Roja (Mexico City - Cholula) - 126.00

Airbnb (1 Night) - 240.00

Toilet (Zona Arqueológica) - 5.00

Water (Zona Arqueológica) - 10.00

Chicken Town (Chicken Tender w/Fries + Water) - 69.00

Uber (Cholula - Puebla) - 95.96

MXN545.96

[CHOLULA] The World's Biggest Pyramid

15 KM west of Puebla, Cholula is one of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos. A small university town with a young population, tourists mostly just skip it in favor of its bigger neighbor, which happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even then, a lot of people who have several days to spare in Puebla make it a point to go to Cholula on a daytrip. The reason? Well, it houses the world’s largest pyramid. Okay, I see some raised eyebrows there. The disclaimer is that it is the biggest in terms of volume, whatever that means.

Underworld: Blood Wars

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Hunted by both werewolves and vampires because of her hybrid blood that can give extraordinary abilities to both groups, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is on the run with David (Theo James) until the eastern coven grants them amnesty and refuge. In exchange, power-hungry elder Semira (Lara Pulver) asks her to train the young death dealers of the clan so that they can match the growing threat of an invasion led by Marius (Tobias Menzies), the most powerful Lycan leader they have come across yet. When true intentions are revealed and alliances are shifted, Selene finds herself in a precarious position of protecting her daughter whose whereabouts she’s not even aware of. With the help of David’s father Thomas (Charles Dance), the two head north to seek help and answers from the northern coven, not knowing that they are leading the enemies right at their very doorstep.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 6

푸른 바다의 전설: 제6회

FLASHBACK: Se-hwa is saved last minute by one of Dam-ryeong’s friends, hiding her in a cave before falling off a cliff to his death being pursued by their enemies. In modern day Seoul, Joon-jae finds Shim Cheong’s flyers and phone scattered at the Namsan complex entrance, figuring out that something must have happened to her. She was brought to the hospital by his stepbrother, but can’t be identified due to lack of ID’s. Searching around, he finally finds her unconscious and cold with a body temperature of 29C. She goes into cardiac arrest as he watches, but wakes up minutes later after he holds her hand. His sidekicks in crime, mentor Park Moo (이희준) and hacker Tae-oh (신원호) arrive with a fake ID for her so they can get her out. The stepbrothers meet at the hospital, prompting a confrontation. The gang targets one of the hospital’s greedy officers, making him admit the truth to a woman seeking justice for her daughter who died of maltreatment. Joon-jae takes Shim Cheong to a ski resort so she can experience snow.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 5

푸른 바다의 전설: 제5회

FLASHBACK: Dam-ryeong brings Se-hwa home, but a nasty rumor is circulated by his enemies blaming the town’s misfortune on an evil mermaid. A swordfight ensues, and the arrival of a shaman puts her life in danger. Back in modern day Seoul, Joon-jae disregards his own safety and speeds through the checkpoint to save Shim Cheong, who is almost caught by the murderer sent by his stepmother. He lies to the police and gets away with what he has done. When Shi-ah comes over to visit, an altercation occurs between the two women. He tells her that she has to leave if she insists on not telling him what really happened to them in Spain. She promises him that she’ll tell the truth if he meets her at N-Tower during the first snowfall. He gives her a smartphone with a tracking device so he’ll be aware of her whereabouts all the time, stalking her and making her hobo life easier for her. As she hurries up to Namsan when the first snow falls, she is hit by his stepbrother Chi-hyun’s (이지훈) car who is secretly trailing him.

Un monstruo de mil cabezas

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Sonia Bonet’s (Jana Raluy) husband is dying, and his only hope is the approval of an expensive operation supposedly covered by their health plan. But the insurance company is not keeping its side of the bargain. Desperate and sick of her struggle against bureaucracy, she takes matters into her own hands by stalking everyone responsible and forcing them to cooperate with the help of her pistol. Her son Dario (Sebastián Aguirre Boëda) is unwillingly dragged into the ruckus but decides to help his mother fight for the right of his sick dad. As they come closer to achieving their elusive goal, so is the police as they track their whereabouts based on the last victim that they leave behind. In this fight between an ordinary citizen and a multinational company with a lot of clout, who will come out on top? What will happen to the losing party?

Elvira, te daría mi vida pero la estoy usando

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Waking up in the middle of the night to a crying baby, Elvira (Cecilia Suárez) calms her children down and tells her husband Gustavo (Carlos Bardem) that he should get used to it. He excuses himself and heads to the nearest pharmacy to buy some cigarettes. He never returns. Concerned, she files a report for a missing person, even though it is quite clear after rummaging through his things that he has run away. With another man. Investigating further, she finds out that Adrián (Luis Gerardo Méndez) is working with him at the office and that the two have fled to Acapulco. Low on funds and needing to maintain her household, she seeks the help of her friend Eloy (Angie Cepeda) who manages a funeral parlor. There she starts working as a professional mourner to make ends meet, and crosses paths with Ricardo (Luis Gerardo Méndez), one of the staff members who is a dead ringer of the guy her husband left her for.

[QUERETARO] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 27 November 2016

Pegasso (San Miguel de Allende - Queretaro) - 69.00

Uber (Bus Terminal - Centro) - 46.41

VIPS (Parillada w/ Fries & Coke) - 187.00

Querebus (Tranvia 6) - 80.00

Taxi (Centro - Calzada los Arcos) - 40.00

Starbucks (Choco Cream Chip Venti) - 70.00

Uber (Calzada los Arcos - Bus Terminal) - 46.80

Primera Plus (Queretaro - Mexico City) - 286.00

MXN825.21

[QUERETARO] UNESCO World Heritage Daytrip

Querétaro was not really in the itinerary. In my head, I was thinking that I should just spend two days in San Miguel de Allende. But I knew that small towns easily bore me regardless how magical they are. Given how Querétaro was on the way anyway, I decided that it merited at least a daytrip. Fine then, we will stop by on our way back to Mexico City, and that’s exactly what I did. I thought the city would be just like SMA, but it surprised me. It happens to be a good mix of the old and the new.

[GUANAJUATO] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 26 November 2016

Primera Plus (Mexico City - San Miguel de Allende) - 410.00

Airbnb (1 Night) - 190.00

Toilet (Central Terminal) - 5.00

Pesero (Central Terminal - Centro) - 5.00

La Finestra (Alfredo + Cold Choco) - 187.00

Comida China (Beef w/Broccoli & Rice + Prawns) - 62.00

MXN859.00

[SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE] A Town of Magic

When I saw La vida inmoral de la pareja ideal, I was really impressed with the setting of the adult Lucio and Martina storyline. The vibe felt uniquely European but with a Mexican twist. When the credits started rolling, I found out that the town is called San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato not far from Querétaro. Without thinking twice, I added it to my priority list before leaving Latin America this December. Well, now that I’ve visited the place, I’m really glad that I did!

No sé si cortarme las venas o dejármelas largas

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Nora (Ludwika Paleta) aims a pistol at her husband, asking him “how many times”. Aarón (Raúl Méndez) responds with “many”, which doesn’t help much in calming her down. Next door, has-been football player Félix (Luis Ernesto Franco) wallows in depression. He cocks his gun and points it at his head. Moments later, two gun shots are heard echoing throughout the building. Eight months prior to the incident, young couple Lucas (Luis Gerardo Méndez) and Julia (Zuria Vega) welcome their new neighbor. He is immediately smitten with him and is eager to prove that maybe he is gay too. She warns him not to be so obvious, given how he’s not out of the closet just yet. In fact, they just married each other for convenience, a way for him to evade rumors and for her to pursue her singing aspirations, which her parents frown upon. The couple next door bicker nonstop about everything from her being too dependent on prescription drugs and him lacking the intimacy that they used to enjoy. When the new neighbor invites everyone to his place for dinner, their individual issues begin to surface, forming an intricate web of complications among the five of them.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 4

푸른 바다의 전설: 제4회

FLASHBACK: Se-hwa surfaces and ventures inland to look for Dam-ryeong, her one true love. She is subsequently attacked by the men of her original captor, but he comes to save her. In modern day Seoul, Joon-jae also comes to Shim Cheong’s rescue, pretending to be a police investigator to get her out of the aquarium break-in incident. He presses her for answers, but she won’t divulge anything. She follows him around anyway. He is dismissive, but now he can’t get rid of her. Again. He brings her over to his house with the intention of eventually getting the information he needs from her. Shi-ah comes over and meets her. The two then suddenly have equal disdain toward one another. Now it’s Joon-jae’s wicked stepmother sending goons to kill him, breaking out a murderer from prison to go after his stepson to make sure he doesn’t get the inheritance he deserves. Apparently, he is a chaebol heir, but decided to run away from his father as an act of rebellion because he sent his mother away.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 3

푸른 바다의 전설: 제3회

FLASHBACK: Young mermaid Se-hwa met Dam-ryeong when they were kids. Given how mermaids can’t produce legs until they are older, they had to part. When he drowns himself in grief, she rescues him and plants a kiss on his lips. A mermaid’s kiss erases memories. Back in modern day, Shim Cheong’s kiss does the same for Joon-jae, although she leaves him her bracelet as a remembrance. Back in Seoul, he struggles to remember how he got the piece of jewelry, but his memory is wiped clean of everything about her. She decides to swim all the way there to follow him. Once on land, she relies on a hobo lifestyle to survive and heads to the one place she remembers him mentioning: 63 Building. Lost inside, she finds the aquarium and jumps in. His admirer, KAIST researcher Cha Shi-ah (신혜선) brings him seaweed soup for his birthday which his lost mom, who now works as her maid, cooked herself. Haunted by past memories, he goes to 63 Building’s aquarium where she used to take him. There, he crosses paths with Shim Cheong once again.

Keeping Up with the Joneses

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Living the stereotypical suburban life, Jeff (Zach Galifianakis) and Karen (Isla Fisher) Gaffney distract themselves from their everyday routine by taking on hobbies such as brewing their own ale or remodeling the bathroom by adding a urinal. When perfect couple Tim (Jon Hamm) and Natalie (Gal Gadot) Jones move in next door, the Gaffneys immediately get fixated on them and how ideal their marriage seems to be. Inviting them over for parties and bonding with them a bit, Karen soon suspects that there is something off with their new neighbors, although Jeff is quick to dismiss her distrust as something fueled by an odd mix of curiosity and jealousy. She keeps on spying on them anyway, until it is eventually revealed that the two are actually working as secret agents. But now that covers have been blown and secrets have been revealed, this ordinary couple’s otherwise boring existence is now going to take a turn for the adventurous, whether they like it or not.

[TLAXCALA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 19 November 2016

Sierra Atah (Mexico City - Tlaxcala) - 140.00

Toilet (Tlaxcala) - 3.00

Colectivo (Tlaxcala - San Miguel Del Milagro) - 9.00

Store (Snacks) - 21.00

Colectivo (San Miguel Del Milagro - Tlaxcala) - 9.00

Toilet (Tlaxcala) - 3.00

Sierra Atah (Tlaxcala - Mexico City) - 140.00

MXN325.00

[NATIVITAS] 50 Shades of Maya Blue

I was supposed to go to Taxco but some last-minute schedule changes meant I had to come up with a backup plan. Puebla is closer but I need at least two days to explore both the city center and Cholula. And so one alternative candidate came to mind. Why not Tlaxcala? The journey time is almost similar to that of Puebla and the itinerary can fit in an easy daytrip from the capital. There was a problem, though. What is there to see in Tlaxcala? It doesn’t really figure that much in the tourist circuit, now does it?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

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When a young wizard is forced to suppress his powers instead of harnessing it, he produces a malevolent entity referred to as an Obscurus, while the child himself becomes the host, an Obscurial. Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) arrival in New York coincides with one wreaking havoc in the city, subjecting the magical world to a constant threat of exposure. It doesn’t help that Gellert Grindelwald, one of the most notorious dark wizards of all time, is on the loose and with a bad agenda in mind. Newt’s suitcase hosts a plethora of wild beasts that he has taken in and cared for from different parts of the globe. In fact, his trip across the pond involves finding yet another one to add to his collection. When he openly uses magic to tame his beasts in public, he catches the attention of ex-Auror Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston). Things get more complicated when he crosses paths with No-Maj Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), an American muggle eager to start his own bakeshop. Together with Queenie (Alison Sudol), Tina’s Legilimens sister, the quartet must find a way to protect the beasts while dodging a combo of political and magical attacks from Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), a high-ranking Auror who has accused them of being responsible for the American wizarding community’s recent dilemma.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 2

푸른 바다의 전설: 제2회

Joon-jae brings Shim Cheong back to his place because she doesn’t seem to know anyone and he is worried about her. What he doesn’t know is that the same smartphone he’s been using all along has been tracked by the Myeongdong Capital CEO that he scammed, and she has sent a rather large delegation of gangster loan sharks all the way to Spain to pursue him at all costs. And so the mermaid gets entangled with the con artist’s bleak immediate future. She proves to be an asset, though, serving as a fighting machine defending him from his assailants. Her superhuman strength is really effective in warding off the goons, but the chase continues along the Mediterranean Coast. On the way, they manage to squeeze in a scam involving religious worshipers before they end up at the Tower of Hercules, on the other side of the Iberian peninsula facing the Atlantic where he was abandoned by his mother as a child. There, the duo is cornered, until she takes his hand and forces him to jump with her into the deep blue sea.

The Legend of the Blue Sea: Episode 1

푸른 바다의 전설: 제1회

1586. A fierce typhoon ravages a village in Gangwon, and the townsfolk enjoy a windfall of fresh fish, including a mermaid who gets stuck in a cave. The young new town head frees her from captivity. As he rows his boat and she swims beside it, she reaches out her hand for him to hold, which according to superstition could very well be as lucky as it is bad fortune. Flash forward to modern day Seoul, Heo Joon-jae (이민호) is the "Harry Potter of Con Artists,” achieving his material needs through scams. His latest venture brings him to an exclusive resort on the shores of the Mediterranean. A trail of food items leads him to his closet where Shim Cheong (전지현), a modern age mermaid, has sneaked in after a storm maroons her inland. When he realizes that she’s wearing a 400-year old jadeite bracelet worth $6 million, he does his best to get his hands on her jewelry, taking advantage of her cluelessness. When his conscience kicks in, he comes back for her. As their hands touch under the pouring rain, a new story begins.

[HIDALGO] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 12 November 2016

Ovnibus (Autobuses del Norte - Tula) - 126.00

Ovnibus (Tula - Autobuses del Norte) - 126.00

MXN252.00

Estimate of MXN1 = PhP2.60

TOTAL – PhP655.20

[TULA DE ALLENDE] Toltec 1000's

I think Tula is just fine and doable as a day trip from Mexico City. The trip takes an hour and forty minutes on a really comfy Ovnibus departing from the capital’s North Bus Terminal (Autobuses del Norte). Getting there depends on where you are in DF. It took me another 50 minutes on the MRT coming all the way from the south. Once you get to the terminal, head to platform number 7 and look for the Ovnibus counter. Ask for the direct trip to Tula and pay MXN 126 (~PHP 325) one-way. Enjoy!