Some Like You (review)

Nope this is not a review of Adele's famous song, which I love by the way, but of a movie released in 2001 with the same title that stars Ashley Judd, Greg Kinnear and Hugh Jackman.

It is not just about the usual romance, nor the comedy, but what we get from the plot. I believe some of us know of it already, but often times we needed to be reminded.

You would think that Jane Goodale (Judd) has everything going for her. She is a talent scout in a popular talk show which has recently gone nationwide and their new dashing executive producer, Rey (Kinnear) has her asked out. What makes her life more unbelievable is that Rey has said I love you only after six weeks, and has asked her to play house with him.

After picking out the right apartment, wanting to sign the contracts and having her current place rerented, Rey suddenly backs out, not answering any of Jane's calls

Enter womanizing colleague Eddie, who had asked Jane once before if she would think about being his roommate, and there right in front of Rey, Jane says she will move in with Eddie.

Jane then now has a new place to live, and also a hobby to pursue on which is why men are the way they are. Apparantly, less than five pecernt of the male species are monogamous. And she also come up with a theory called the new cow. A bull makes love to a cow only once. Even if that cow's smell may change, the bull knows who that is.



Her bestfriend Liz turns this hobby in to a living by proposing she becomes a columnist in the men's magazine that she is working for. Jane then becomes an overnight sensation, with the penname Dr. Charles.

Not knowing of her journalistic success, Rey tries to make peace with her.

Jane is a cynic, and with all her cynic ways she then finds out that not all men are alike. As clicheish as it may sound. You can find the nicest guy in the unexpected places---like in a hospital room, telling his wife how beautiful she is even after an accident.

I did get to watch this great film in the movie house and I have it on VCD. I recommended it on my friend who is still hung of on her ex, and I do hope that she did get to learn a thing or two from this flick.

Selfish

Why are people selfish? It is not just all about the excess love of oneself. It is a different kind. The lack of concern for someone. We see it. Yeah maybe, that they are giving to others, but then to us there is always a barrier of what it is they give. They expect so much from us, be it in material things or emotional investment. They always expect us to bend over backwards---to always admit to them that they are always the ones who are right, to give what should have been ours, because after all we earned it. We sacrifice our own happiness just to see that certain person smile. But, then we do not even think about how many times have that person done the same for you?

Horrible Bosses (review)

Admittedly, I am a Jen Aniston Fan. So, I have been waiting for this movie ever since IMDB said pre-production. Even more so, when it had gotten good reviews from the critics, and Jen receiving praises for her performance.

But this movie is not just all about Jen, who plays Dentist Julia Harris. This movie also features Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, Charlie Day, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx.Horrible Bosses as the title implies is all about three friends (the two Jasons and Charlie Day) who have bosses (Jen, Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell) making their life miserable. So they plot out to kill their bosses. They look in the internet for murderers. Then they go to a bar, where eventually they find a murder consultant ( Jamie Foxx).

So do they succeed in ending their misery? You have to watch the movie and find out for yourself. I swear you'll have your money's worth just laughing off at these three guys antics and what happened to them.
As for Jen, I can understand why it was such a positive response. It was a new character fo her. No only because oof the dark hair, but also the way she played it, You would see her in wearing nothing but her panties and her lab coat. I do wish that she would do more movies like this, well not exactly playing a maneater, but more of those which are outside her comfort zone.

I do hope that Wanderlust, the one that she is shooting with her boyfriend Justin Theroux would be as good or even better than Horrible Bosses.

Work Hard, party harder

by Ana Valenzuela

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer.” Studies and surveys show that productivity level of employees increase when they return to their jobs after enjoying time off—be it a simple dinner with the family or meeting friends after office hours.

However, most people do not get the chance to recharge and bond with their loved ones. They sometimes have to render overtime, often blaming the bosses who would first put into consideration petty stuff or staff members who always seem to have excuses. But, are you sure you should be blaming your bosses and employees and not the machines you use at work?

Canon recently launched a new range of business solutions designed to make work simpler, thus achieving a better work-life balance.

“What we’re trying to give our consumers and users is a balance in the work life,” says Jose Abelardo Bolima, director of Canon‘s business imaging solutions group during Canon’s latest press launch held at White Space.

“When people are stressed, they can't give quality time for family and friends. With this kind of automation in your office, it cuts your work time.’’

“Usually, there is a lot of overtime in the workplace because the work has not yet been done, but with the new automatic system, it saves a lot of money and increases the productivity of the people. You become more efficient and productive without really suffering,” he shares.

The automation that Bolima speaks about is Canon’s Business Imaging Solutions which are technologically-advanced machines designed to enhance an organization’s manpower efficiency and productivity, which, in turn would improve both the company’s revenue without sacrificing employee satisfaction.

Canon’s Business Imaging Solutions has four product groups to fit the company’s requirements; these include multifunction copiers, laser multifunction and single-function printers, imaging managing systems, and production and graphic arts.

As every company has different needs, Canon sets out to visit the offices to do an in-depth analysis of the workload and recommend what systems would help save cost and increase productivity.

One of these products is the image ClassMF8350. This is a cost effective print, copy, scan and fax machine that is already network ready. It can surely save time at the office as it prints page at eight seconds per page, and fax documents at three seconds per page. Another would be the image PRESS C7010Vp which produces exceptional image quality.

“As we install every machine to client’s premises, we conduct end-user training for several employees to properly orient them on proper usage, basic troubleshooting and other canon solution features that would help them in their daily grind. All these are for free,” says Tin Dolovino, assistant manager for marketing of Canon‘s business imaging solutions

Bolima stresses that Canon’s new devices would surely assist companies, even those who are into cloud computing. “Integrators who are offering services through the web like Google apps among others, this kind of solution is the in thing now, as it helps save a lot of money especially for the SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and even for the big companies. With cloud computing, you have to put up your system in the net and access it through our machines, meaning you can access your files from the copier, you don’t need another computer connected to the internet and print it from our machine,” he says. “You can never equate it with value, because what we are selling is work efficiency.”

Canon Marketing (Philippines) president and chief executive officer Alan Chng adds, “More than just high quality equipment, Canon’s advanced simplicity transforms the way people work in order to create more leisure time for a healthier, more productive workforce, which translates to productivity.”

Now, there is no need for overtime, as you are using top of the line machines that seem to multitask like you. The only thing you need to do is clock off and unwind.

Forget My Fries Not

Fast food is everybody's go to food stop anytime that they are hungry and could not decide what food to eat. So, I guess it is only right for me to commend these establishments which have been working on their customer service.


Earlier on during the day, I met my friend Ms. Lulu at a Jollibee near our house. Sitting waiting for me, she was already done eating. But before I can take a seat next to her she diverted my attention towards a piece of paper on her table. Apparantly it was a survey form of the fast food chain aimed at improving their services. However, Lulu did not want to answer it as it contained personal information such as: Saan ka nangaling? Saan ka pupunta? How is my answers going to improve their services, she asked. Well, I thought it was more a marketing survey for the company to know what type of market are they catering to. Somehow the answers would lead for the comapny to find out about its customer's financial situation. Still, she refused, leaving it unanswered and gave back the paper to the one in charge when he checked on her.

Also, during the day, my mother was surprisingly asking me if I wanted some burger mc do. Of course, yes. I also loved the cheeseburger, I mean who wouldn't as my brother did say Mc Do's cheese burger is the best. Apart from the cheese, it has pickles on it. But, this is not about the cheeseburger. Why of all a sudden would my mom ask all us if we wanted some McDo?

Apparently, she's going to send my little sister on an errand at this fast food joint. My sister is not just going to buy us food, she's going to pick up something which is some forgotten fries.My mom went to Mc Do , yesterday or the day before that, and had her meal upsized. According to her she asked the girl for some extra ketchup, which the girl said, meron na daw.
The girl may not have forgotten this condiment, but she sure did forget my mother's fries. So my mom called up the customer service( not 8mcdo), the number found in the receipt and reported the incident.

The Customer Service Assistance was very apologetic about the situation, as my mom said they even offered to have that certain fries delivered. But, as you know my sister picked it up.

Live and Let Live

by Ana Valenzuela
Published Manila Standard Today September 8, 2011

When looking to buy property there is an age old rule: Location, location, location. This means one must consider a property’s accessibility to main thorough fares, proximity to school, churches and hospitals and shopping outlets, and whether or not it is in a flood-free area.

However, for many of us it isn’t just a dwelling place that we are looking for but also for breathing space. As the metro gets jammed, developers show their resourcefulness with condos that offer lush greeneries for tenants. Nowadays, it isn’t just a condo unit with a pool and gym but with green, open spaces with lush, shrouding trees, jogging paths that allow your kid to run around, and often even clubhouses to enjoy life. One such developer is SOC Land’s Anuva at Muntinlupa, which offers 80 per cent of open space for greeneries, and other amenities such as a lazy river, lagoon, lake, themed parks and gardens, and a yoga meditation garden.

“We have 80 percent open space. What does this mean? We are actually three times the industry standard of 30 per cent standard,” says John Paul Reyes, SOC Land president. SOC, maybe a newbie in the Real Estate biz, but it has all the backup it needs, as it is a subsidiary of South China resources, an affiliate of construction companies such as Puyat Steel Corporation, International Pipe Industries Corporation, and Puyat Flooring products.

Anuva is strategically located in Muntinlupa, along the east service road of SLEX, one kilometer from Sucat Interchange and about 10 to 15 minutes away from Makati and Alabang. Recently, the condo project had its ground breaking, vice president and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) chairman Jejomar Binay was present at the event.

He says, “It is nice to know that here is a developer who invests in high rise. Our (HLURB) idea is that from Pampanga to Manila, Manila to Calamba is that the development would be medium rise so that the land would not be put to waste. If you build single detach, the land would not be maximize. But if you go with medium rise or high rise with open spaces and basic facilities are added then land would not be put to waste.”

Also present was renowned landscape architect Paulo Alacazren who is working on Anuva.

“For Anuva we started with understanding what cosmopolitan Filipinos needed and wanted, and what would make the project distinctive and delightful at the same time. The formula we developed includes the ingredients of extensive green spaces, expansive water in ponds, pool and fountains, and extremely fun and fascinating amenities,” he shares.

“The extensive green includes over 300 shade trees and palms, close to 100,000 shrubs and close to 3,000 square meters of lawns and ground covers. The expansive water includes several fountain, ponds and pools totaling 1,800 square meters. The extremely fun and fascinating amenities including play courts, playgrounds, jogging paths and lanais and al fresco nooks in between buildings cover another 2,000 square meters or so of wonderfully open space accessible and distributed among all the units of the development,”adds Alcazaren.

Aside from the open spaces, Anuva would have its distinctive look as it would be in tandem style, 14 and 20 floor residential towers. The units would range from 22 square meters studio units to 54 square meters two bedroom units. “The second biggest feature that we have, if you noticed some developers give you a rectangular shaped unit, what we have are square units. It makes for an easier problem, if you want to call it that. The problem of furnishing, it’s difficult to find good furnishings at an affordable price, and then you also have a problem with furnishing your unit,” says Reyes.

The square units provide better ventilation and would be a lot easier to furnish as condo units would be delivered to buyers bare. This, according to Reyes is another advantage of the projects. Clients can choose the interiors that are more suited to their needs, plus it would not be part of their mortgage, unlike in furnished condos.

Space is now something to consider when signing for a check for a real estate buy. Picture your children frolicking around the condo’s amenities without you having to worry while relaxing in a comfy residence. Spacious indeed.

Friends with Benefits (review)

Some may think that this might be a rip-off of the Ashton Kutcher-Natalie Portman starrer as it involves two friends casually having sex, no strings attached, ehem. The main story line might be similar, but how the plot and the story runs are completely different.


Dylan (Justin Timberlake) is a top art director who is headhunted by Jamie (Mila Kunis) to work for GQ in New York. Being new in the city, the only friend he has is Jamie. They somehow agree on having a relationship based on friendship and sex, without comprising and overlooking the former. To the point that they even went out with other people.the chemistry between the two leads give the movie a whole different twist. The Ashton movie involves him having feelings from the start with Natalie, however, the two leads here only realize their emotions after a series of events.

Patricia Clarkson, Jamie's mom is a delight. I've first noticed her in Easy A, where she took on another mother role, but hey, this is another mom role, where in she is a whole different person. She makes you guessing (or maybe not) and laughing on who Jamie's father really is.

The on going plotlines of friends casually having sex, only reflects on how today's society works. Somehow, it is like that. There are people who operate like that who do not have that five date rule and would call on a friend when he or she is in need of a good time. Well, this may not be the first time this happened, as one character commented, 'this is like the 70's'. Free love.

One Day (Review)

This is the story of a boy and a girl, Dexter and Emma, who after graduation met, had an intimate time, but then decided to be friends, or to be more exact the best of friends. Scenes are shown through out the film centering on the improvement or the pitfalls of the two leads in one day (July 15th) for every year since that day they met.

Since the poster clearly suggests it to be a romance, me as an audience would always wonder when would they get together? Would it be when they vacationed, just the two of them? They went skinny-dipping. Would it be when Dex's (Jim Sturgess) career hit a snag?

When the two leads do get together, it somehow made me think that it is for ever after. Well, that's what my friend thought and she quickly commented," that's it, corny."

But then, it does not end with the big kiss. All there is a foreshadowing of things to come, but still an awfully big surprise of how things end up with Emma (Anne Hathaway, who played the part British).

I guess somehow, the movie gave me a few realizations of my own, that cliche-sh time is gold. Apparently, love does figure in that age old saying. No one wants to be lonely, maybe that's why sometimes we pretend to be happy--with ourselves, or even with someone. But the at the end of it, we are yearning for something else. You may never know it, but the one who's meant for you maybe your bestfriend and you might be taking him or her for granted.

Loving Indonesian fare

by Ana Valenzuela

Published Manila Standard August 24

An archipelago located south of our country, Indonesia offers the same variety in taste and flavor as the Philippines. “Indonesian cuisine is similar to that of the Filipinos—mostly in the taste and in the use of rice,” says Sous Chef Ovan Prahoro during the recent media launch of Diamond Hotel’s Indonesian food festival Selamat Menikmati: A Culinary Journey of Indonesia’s Best.

Chef Ovan, together with two patisserie chefs, Chef de Partie Asep Marthy and Chef de Partie Agus Setiadi are in the country until 28th to serve the best Indonesian cuisines. The three masters of the kitchen flew in from Indonesia specifically for the food festival hosted by Diamond Hotel. This is part of the hotel’s plan to hold an international cuisine festival every quarter. The Indonesian food fest, Selamat Menikmati: A Culinary Journey of Indonesia’s Best coincided with Indonesia’s celebration of Independence Day last Aug. 18.

“Indonesian cuisine is unique because of the rich use of herbs and spices,” says Chef Ovan. “This is also what makes it different from Filipino dishes, because it is a lot spicier. Filipinos do not like spicy foods that much.”

“Since I come from West Java I think the the mie goreng jawa, gado gado, and the rendang daging are the best,” Chef Ovan says when asked which food should we try. He assures us that these dishes would fulfill our stomachs to endless delights. Mie Goreng Jawa is fried noodles, gado gado is vegetable with peanut sauce, while the Rendang Daging is beef simmered in Coconut Milk.

As for the desserts, Chef Agus quickly suggested surubaya, “It came from Surubaya, Indonesia’s second largest city. It is a layer of Sponge cake,” the chef says and guarantees that it would bring no less than smiles as it his specialty.

Chef Ovan also said that it would be a sin for our taste buds not to try the oxtail soup. Apparently this dish is popular in Indonesia, “Go to any place in Indonesia and you will find it,” the sous chef chuckled.

“What we want the world to see is Indonesia and its cuisine,” says Chef Ovan who honed his cooking skills in countries like Riyadh, Dubai and Bahrain. “We want to make Indonesian dishes more popular. There are plenty of Indonesian cuisines. I simply cannot choose just one.”

Selamat Menikmati would be featured at Diamond Hotel’s Corniche restaurant until the 28th of August and could be availed for a buffet. Some Indonesian dishes are available at the Diamond Hotel’s a la carte menu.

Colombiana (Review)

A young girl, Cataleya ,who once wanted to be like Xena, warrior princess has a change of dream to a killer when she witnesses her father and mother murdered. Zoe Saldana played this role beautifully. I always thought that she is African-American. Then Cataleya is Colombian which got me to thinking what her ethnicity really might be. It turns out she's perfect to play a Latin American. Her dad is Dominican while her mom is Puerto Rican. All throughout Zoe oozes charm with minimal makeup (just dark eyeshadow) and her natural beauty stands out.

This isn't your usual hitman for hire movie. The trauma of how Cataleya could not live to get close to any body even her boyfriend (played by Michael Vartan) was shown. Michael Vartan's age is also evident (although probably not intended), as the guy isn't as hot as before (Monster-in-Law, Alias).

Cataleya, seeks the help of the US embassy in Columbia so that she gets her passport to the US. After reaching the US, Little Cataleya escapes the authority to her uncle in Chicago, and then grows up to be stone called assassin. The movie is filled with action sequences, that is played beautifully Although the last gun shooting scenes lacked impact. where and then out of nowhere was Cataleya in the back. The fight scenes and assassination sequence were better though. Inside a jail, she had to kill a conman eluding the police guards and the camera. Plus, she did not only use guns to kill. She used her wit, sharks to kill her prey.