Sleepless

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Gem (Glaiza de Castro) works as an outbound call center agent. Her repetitive daily routine consists of waking up to her alarm at 7 AM, taking the dreaded cold shower, commuting to work, selling broadband plans to irate customers, and taking the MRT back home before she settles on her bed alone to end her day. One morning she is introduced to Barry (Dominic Roco), a newbie agent who will shadow her for a week or so in order to get to know the demands of the job. They later realize that they reside at the same condominium. Both agree to meet at the rooftop and share boring anecdotes and random stories to battle their insomnia. As they get to know each other better, an unexpected friendship is formed. Could it develop into something more?

Невеста (The Bride)

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In the 1800’s a Russian scientist gave a talk on how photography could capture the soul of a dead individual. Although such claim was met with ridicule by the academic community, it sparked a strange practice of taking a picture of a deceased loved one and keeping the negative safe in order to preserve their spirit. When a professional photographer engaged in such practice is caught unawares by the sudden death of his young bride, he kidnaps a small-town virgin and buries the two together, in hopes of transferring her soul to her body. Many decades later, Olga’s (Мария Арнаут) great grandson Ivan (Вячеслав Чепурченко) takes his wife Nastya (Виктория Агалакова) home to meet the family. Little do the newlyweds know that they will soon be entangled in a century-old practice that will spell doom not just for their marriage, but also for their very existence.

Bliss

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Jane Ciego (Iza Calzado) always knew that she wanted to be a star. Treading the typical child actress path, she ends up burned-out and drowning in dreams she’s not even sure are hers. Producing an indie horror flick in hopes of earning respect from her peers, she figures in an accident while shooting a crucial scene, falling 20 feet and landing head first on a wooden headboard. She wakes up on a wheelchair in an unfamiliar house accompanied by her bum husband Carlo (TJ Trinidad) and placed under the care of a deranged nurse named Lilibeth (Adrienne Vergara). She soon finds herself caught in a vicious time loop, starting the day with the sight of the smoke alarm on her ceiling followed by her husband preparing breakfast before asking her to sign a cheque to fund his “restaurant equipment”. It doesn’t take long before she begins responding to the name Abigail and seeing her husband replaced by her co-star Joshua (Ian Veneracion), who insists that she must be hallucinating. It dawns on her that she is not just stuck at Abigail’s haunted house, but rather she’s also forced to live the life of the character she is portraying onscreen, over and over again.

Dear Other Self

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Rebecca (Jodi Sta. Maria) is a source of inspiration for aspiring travelers, what with her famous travel blog and 10k followers on Instagram. She traces her success story back to her decision to resign from her 9-5 job and fly to Thailand to fulfill her dream of travelling solo. There she meets Henry (Xian Lim), a Filipino-Canadian backpacker who becomes her companion as she braves her new world. An alternate reality unfolds where she does not quit her job and becomes successful career wise, even developing a romantic relationship with her co-worker Chris (Joseph Marco). However, she is constantly hounded by her family’s dire financial situation as well as the what-if scenario of leaving every responsibility behind to follow her dreams. The two Rebeccas experience their respective ups and downs, lending two distinct perspectives on living the same life, but through a different lens.

[PORT MORESBY] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 12 May 2017

Qantas (Brisbane - Port Moresby) - 795.00

Airbnb (2 Nights) - 345.00

Digicell (Sim Card + Top-up) - 50.00

Taxi (Airport - Airvos) - 30.00

Yellow Captain (Carbonara w/Coke & Chicken Popcorn) - 45.60

City Pharmacy (Water x4) - 6.00

PGK1,271.60

[PORT MORESBY] A Papua Kinda Staycation

The thought of visiting Papua New Guinea was highly hypothetical at first. I knew I needed a way to get back to Manila from Australia, and a cheap Cebu Pacific flight via Sydney seemed to be the perfect idea and the cheapest alternative. Nevertheless, I toyed with the idea for a while despite the lack of prospects. The Wikitravel page already warned me that the flight tickets alone would already be expensive on their own and that I wouldn’t be seeing a lot if I opt to just stay in Port Moresby.

[QUEENSLAND] Budget and Itinerary

TUESDAY: 9 May 2017

Virgin Australia (Auckland - Brisbane) - 195.50

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 120.00

Conxion (Airport - West End - Airport) - 36.72

AUD352.22

[BRISBANE] Breezy in Brissy

Queensland was intentionally left out of the itinerary when I made my debut down under last year. It’s just that all the cheap Air Asia X flights land in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney back then. This made Brisbane or Gold Coast a bit too inaccessible for me because I’m such a cheapo. But that is no longer a problem now. With Air Asia X now serving the state via Gold Coast, coming back is an issue of when rather than if. And now the dilemma, which city should I choose given the limited time frame?

[AUCKLAND] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 6 May 2017

Air Asia X (Kuala Lumpur - Gold Coast - Auckland) - 305.00

NZD305.00

[AUCKLAND] The Devonport Detour

Patrick opened the door. I woke up startled and wondered what the fuck my Airbnb landlord was doing in my room. Coming to my senses after five seconds or so, that question was quickly converted to what the fuck was I doing in that room. I grabbed my phone involuntarily and checked the time. It was 10:10 AM. I should be on an Intercity bus that left Sky City two hours ago. And then I immediately had to pass on the blame because that’s what I do. “What time do you leave?” asked Patrick.

[AUCKLAND] CBD + One Tree Hill

Waking up at 3 PM, this is probably my most appropriate anecdote for the woke-up-like-this crowd. After rushing to brush my teeth, wash my face, and fix my hair, I then went out wearing the same clothes I slept in. It was a waffle shirt/jogging pants combo, which I guess was the reason why I got some weird stares that translated to “But why is he in his pajamas?” But then again, this is Auckland. To the mixed crowd that I encountered on Queen Street, I was probably just the hobo with the good hair.

[AUCKLAND] The Interrogation

There are no direct flights to New Zealand if you are coming from Manila. PAL flies to Auckland, but they have a technical stop in Cairns and the fare is expensive AF. The cheapest way from Southeast Asia is via Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia X, with an hour and fifteen minutes of transit in Gold Coast. A New Zealand visa is free for Philippine passport holders and you can apply, submit your documents, and receive the visa copy online. But you still have to go to the embassy to show your passport, which kinda sucks.

[VISA] New Zealand (Multiple Entry)

If you hold a Philippine passport, you can apply for a visa for New Zealand online. You submit the documents online. You don’t have to pay because the visa fee is waived if you are staying for 2 months or less. The caveat is that you still have to go to the embassy to present your actual passport for verification before they give you the visa grant letter. The good thing about this is you can already apply even if you’re out of the country. Just make sure that you’ll be back when they are done processing.

Sense8: Episode 23

23. You Want a War?

When the detective arrives to arrest Sun’s brother for fraud, he creates a diversion and shoots him, prompting Sun to go berserk. A chase scene in the streets of Seoul follows suit, resulting in a car crash. Cornering her brother, Sun drops her weapon eventually and lets him go. She’s arrested by the police, orchestrates her own crash, and is whisked to safety by Riley’s Sense8 friend. Neets and Nomi propose to each other. Rajan comes clean about a corruption investigation he’s involved in and sends Kala to Paris, giving her the perfect excuse to run away with Wolfgang. As he packs his bags, Lila (Valeria Bilello) barges in followed by Whispers, capturing him. The other seven scramble to get to London as he is tortured. They defy all odds. Will tricks Whispers into believing that he’s just visiting him when in fact he is physically there for real. He beats him up and takes him hostage with the help of Kala, Lito, and Riley while Sun, Capheus, Nomi, and Neets take care of Jonas. They drive off with the two in tow, off to rescue Wolfgang.

Sense8: Episode 22

22. If All the World's a Stage, Identity Is Nothing but a Costume

Capheus’ rally draws in an overwhelmingly supportive crowd, but the strong political rhetoric ends in violence. He almost gets assassinated. Kala tries to develop her own blockers for the cluster. She and Wolfgang plan to run away together, neither to Mumbai nor to Berlin, but somewhere nobody knows them. Lito’s audition coincides with Sun’s bartending demo. He prepares her drink. She reads his lines. She gets to keep her disguise and he ends up getting the role of a lifetime, rubbing elbows and boxers with famous Hollywood personalities and his three-time Academy Award winning leading man to be. Will wallows in grief following his father’s death. Whispers takes advantage of his vulnerability and taunts him. He shapes up just in time for Riley’s return and the realization of Sun’s vengeance plot. As her brother enters the party venue, the cluster gets together and attempts to device a foolproof plan to finally end the source of her misery. Are they going to succeed?

Sense8: Episode 21

21. What Family Actually Means

Nomi, along with Neets, attends her sister’s wedding and reception. She makes a moving speech highlighting her struggles and their relationship despite her mother’s blatant discouragement. A last minute hack saves her from Bendix crashing the wedding in a attempt to arrest her. Wolfgang goes into hiding. Kala ruminates on the secrets she and her husband are keeping from one another. Capheus faces more threats as his political campaign goes on full swing. Lito sulks in bed in an endless movie marathon. Daniela finds a Hollywood script and scores him a Hollywood audition. Riley is still in Chicago and makes some headway in finding the woman who gave her Whisper’s address. She breaks into a house and gets flashes of Angelica and her cluster-related activities. They find the woman there, who just committed suicide, apparently triggered by Jonas’ appearance. She also visits Will’s dad who lies on his dying bed at the hospital. Whispers defends his position at BPO.

Sense8: Episode 20

20. All I Want Right Now Is One More Bullet

Will watches helplessly as Whispers and family are whisked to safety after Jonas’ interruption, who is apparently alive and well. He takes some confidential dossiers with him from his vault after Wolfgang picks the locks. Riley visits the Chicago police station for further investigation of their lead. Lito bemoans the fall of his career and gets a dose of realist advice from Sun, who is hiding in a love motel. Kala assists Will with his drug dependence problem while venting out about her marriage. Capheus’ political campaign kicks off, enjoying wide support from his community despite stark opposition from the incumbent. The Berlin underground gets a bit more dangerous for Wolfgang as the flirtatious Sense8 from the other cluster puts his life on the line in their little game of cat and mouse. He tries to get rid of her once and for all but is lured into a trap. Neets and the gang go on full throttle to help him in his predicament. As tables are turned, two clusters clash, only to be broken off by the arrival of the police.

Sense8: Episode 19

19. I Have No Room in My Heart for Hate

Kala confronts Rajan about his pharmaceutical empire’s questionable practices. Capheus makes up his mind to run for public office, much to the chagrin of his mother. Lito, Hernando, and Daniela celebrate in Rio but their fun is cut short when her parents arrive along with her ex. Back in Mexico City, Lito is dropped by his agency. Sun visits her parents’ tomb and gets not just advice, but also encouragement from her cluster. There the detective finds her and they engage in a rematch. Neets’ family hosts her and Nomi and they try to relax as Will panics over Riley’s trip to Chicago and her fake ID. He apologizes to his friend and persuades him to help Riley. He accompanies her to the scene of Angelica’s suicide where she finds an inhibitor capsule and a glass of water. After losing contact with the other seven, she is greeted by Angelica’s colleague, who gives her Whisper’s address. As Will, Sun, and Wolfgang prepare to attack, Jonas suddenly appears asking him if they are really ready to kill a man in cold blood.

Sense8: Episode 18

18. Isolated Above, Connected Below

The Irish Sense8 Riley connected with warns her on their train trip back to London about how being so trusting can lead to their downfall. Sun leaves her guru’s abode. Lito decides to push through with his São Paulo trip, prompting excited giggles from Daniela and Hernando. He gives out a heartfelt speech, openly declares that he is gay, and introduces Hernando to the crowd as the love of his life. Nomi and Neets enjoy their clean slate and move back to their apartment. They later discover the location of Angelica’s cabin, but finds out that it had been burned to the ground. Kala musters the courage to act on her desires, finally giving in to Wolfgang. Capheus sleeps with the reporter and a new love story blossoms. More and more people are persuading him to run for public office. Riley and Sun connect again and have a quiet conversation, reflecting on their life choices from way back. The former ends up gaining the Irish Sense8’s trust, and learns more about BP, its promising origins, and the its eventual shift to the dark side.

Sense8: Episode 17

17. Fear Never Fixed Anything

The cluster mourns Jonas’ death. Three politicians knock on Capheus’ door in an attempt to persuade him to run for office. Sun returns to her guru and is now the subject of a nationwide manhunt. He whips her back to shape in preparation for her revenge. Kala tries to convince herself that her life is perfect despite the obvious reality that she is not satisfied. Nomi and Neets meet a mysterious guy who claims to know about them and also wants to take BPO down. He gives them a Key Death USB which wipes out all of their police records. Lito bemoans the end of his career, and is hesitant to accept an invitation from the organizers of São Paulo’s gay pride parade. Wolfgang continues to deflect the other Sense8’s advances. Whispers visits Will and tries to justify his motives, declaring humanity as a threat to their existence as Homo Sensorium. Riley goes public through a rave party in a thinly veiled open call to all Sense8s to bond together against their common enemy. They narrowly escape the police, but are successful in their cause.

Sense8: Episode 16

16. Polyphony

Will makes a quick exit from the bloody outcome of his Rijks Museum meetup as Sun fights off the guards and Lito stages a hysterical distraction through Riley. Wolfgang breaks the news of his encounter with another Sense8 from a different cluster, prompting a subtle tinge of jealousy from Kala who starts sending him mixed signals. Capheus and she are caught in a riot in Nairobi and Mumbai, respectively. He becomes some sort of a local celebrity thanks to his grassroots advocacy and is interviewed on national TV. Whispers is back, having one of his men tail Neets as she comes back home from work. Lito revisits the house of the Mexican Sense8 from Jonas’ cluster, retrieving a VHS tape showing lethal experiments made on members of their cluster. Jonas is wheeled into a room for his final operation. He manages to visit Will for his last goodbye, apologizing for failing them. As Will and Nomi panic on what to do to help him, they realize it’s too late, standing there helplessly and watching one of the doctors slice his forehead.

Sense8: Episode 15

15. Obligate Mutualisms

Will’s cluster celebrates their victory, mocking Whispers and going full-on with their investigation. With Whispers officially off their case, they now have to deal with his boss at BPO. Their momentary euphoria is cut short as Sun is escorted to what is supposed to be her execution. As all eight feel the jolt of the tasers, they are rescued by an unexpected ally. They use the opportunity to successfully break her out of prison, and she goes into hiding in Seoul. Lito’s movie deals start to fall apart and they begin to feel the pressure. Wolfgang and Felix are constantly bribed with luxurious gifts by their new friend, who proposes an international money laundering business partnership. He is seduced by his assistant, a gorgeous Sense8 from another cluster. Jonas reappears and they discover that he is the last of his. Will meets up with Whisper’s boss, who explains that there are factions within BPO that want a more peaceful future. Just as he is offering him an olive branch, Whisper’s assassin ambushes them and kills him on the spot.

Sense8: Episode 14

14. Who Am I?

Will gets a glimpse of the initial stages of the Sense8 experiment involving Whispers and Angelica. The two try to outwit each other into giving away their location, but are caught in a deadlock. Riley asks for Kala’s help to stabilize his condition, but his health continues to decline. Nomi and Neets delve deeper into their research on Homo Sensorium all while trying to hack Whispers, but to no avail. They visit the mother of Sarah, the “ghost” of the girl Will often saw as a kid, and discover her connection to the Sense8 program. Lito attends his movie premiere with Hernando and Daniela and gets grilled by the press, just as Capheus is interviewed regarding his matatu’s glorification of violence and white supremacy in Nairobi. Wolfgang, joined by Sun, visits the zoo and reminisces about his mother. All of them rush to Will’s side just in time for him to ambush Whispers, who is caught unawares visiting one of the company bigwigs in London. His location is a dead giveaway and is left with no choice but panic as Will promises that they will come for him.