Sam-thing to look forward to

I've been binge-watching a series of real-life content on FB lately. And it's created by this awesome guy.

His name is Sam, and he goes to underrated but deserving restaurants in the US, creates content about them, and promotes them.  And very often, his content draws people to those restaurants, saving and increasing their business.

Whenever I'd see his videos, the smiles (and almost tears) keep coming. It's so nice to see so much goodness in people, and in the world.

Bless you, Sam. May you help more people and keep on doing what you're doing.

It’s a Wrap

It’s official!

I’m done with all my Christmas wrapping this year! With 2 days to spare.

It’s going to be a very chill Christmas Eve.

It’s All That!

When they announced the gender-swapping reboot of "She's All That," one thing was certain. It was a must-watch film for me.

I'm a fan of the original film. It's an iconic rom-com which was well-acted and had a lot of memorable moments. 

Who can forget the "Kiss Me" song playing as the newly made-over Laney appeared from the stairs after Anna Paquin did her magic.

With all these fuzzy-wuzzy memories about the film, the weekend was well-spent watching "He's All That." And re-watching the ending a few times the same day.

The reboot is as wonderfully made as the original. But of course, this was now updated to the trappings of the present time. Now, there are angles on being influencers, live streaming, on-line presence and approval, LGBTQIA+ representation, and the ubiquitous presence of mobile phones - something that wasn't there in the original film.

But there were also very familiar story facets that they retained. Like the "Prom King and Queen" angle, and the "Dance off" that's part and parcel of teen films of that era.

And what made this film even cooler was the appearance of 2 of the original cast members of "She's All That," In different and updated roles, or course.

The original film's headliner, Rachael Leigh Cook who played Laney Boggs, was back as the Mom of the lead character, Padgett. This is the answer to my question 3 years ago.

Then, there's Matthew Lillard who played Brock Hudson in the original film, now back playing Principal Bosch.

Needless to say, this film is going to be on my "Netflix Repeat" list. Heck, I've already re-watched the ending 3 times already.

Yup, this film is all that.

Good Show

The past few months, whenever we’d eat lunch, Mom would tune in to the noontime show on TV5 entitled “Lunch out Loud!”

One thing I noticed about this show is that it’s remarkably different from the usual noontime shows that we’re used to.

For one thing, they usually greet their guests and contestants with “God Bless.” In every show, they acknowledge the presence and contributions of the Lord. They have a segment where they talk about what they’re thankful for today. 

That makes for good and refreshing noontime television. Plus, their segments and contests are fun to watch, too.

Then, on one episode this week, they did something that was new and wonderful. They had a closing prayer before their episode wrapped up.

Good show, Lunch out Loud. Good show.

Let the Children's laughter...

Among the things that Alejandra wanted to accomplish while she was in Cebu was to visit and orphanage and spend time with kids.

Thanks to the speedy efforts of Kevin, he was able to coordinate with The Little Sisters of Christ The King - an orphanage and shelter being run by Franciscan Nuns in Talamban.

Both Ale and Kevin pooled their resources to buy lunch for the kids, as well as supplies that was much needed by orphanage. Since they're not funded by the government, they need all the help they can get for their daily living. Sister was saying that the rice, sugar, canned goods and other goodies will go a long way in helping them help the 24 kids under their care.

All the 24 kids introduced themselves and shared their dreams for the future. In the room, there were aspiring doctors, teachers, lawyers, flight attendants, accountants, chefs and journalists. Amazingly, their dreams were aligned with who we were, and this was a source of thrill for the kids.

Then, they had a dance number which was all about love and sharing love. It was so apt for the company and the prevalent feeling in the room that morning.

This was followed by lunch, and almost an hour of just talking to and interacting with the kids. It was so gratifying to hear the children laugh and enjoy the time they spent with us.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and it was time for us to go back to the city. Our flight was in a few hours and we still had to fix our stuff. 

It was bittersweet because we all wanted to spend more time with the kids of The Little Sisters. But as I promised one of the girls I spoke to, we'll be back soon.

Natural Colors

Every Saturday, I'm out of the house by 6am to make it to my 7:30am class.

The best part of leaving super early is getting so see and appreciate the colors of nature. Just like this morning's view:

I'm loving how the greens of the trees and the blues of the sky seem to blend seamlessly.

Nature is an amazing thing.

Fun in flight

Just as I'm a huge fan of planes and plane rides, I'm also a huge fan of airline safety videos.

Yup, I'm one of the few people who actually watch and relish the in-flight safety videos. To a point that I critique them and have my personal favorites.

Top of mind favorites are the quirkiness of JAL's in-flight video, the Glee-inspired version of Virgin America, and the simple elegance of Cathay Pacific's video.

Yesterday, I saw the new in-flight safety video of PAL, and I was super duper amazed!



Theirs was a new and inclusive concept that not only showed the safety aspects of the flight, it also showed the beauty of the Philippines and the charm of our people! I can watch this video over and over again. (Which I probably will.)

Well played, PAL. Well played.

That kind of a Monday

It's always nice to start the week with positivity. And you don't get any more positive and feel good than this music video. It's aligned with my personal philosophy that a little act of kindness goes a long, long way.



Here's to an awesome and kindness-filled week!

She's got it maid!

As I was randomly surfing youtube, I came across this wonderful video about a project called "Prank it forward." It's a group who does good things for deserving people, and these things usually come in the form of a surprise.

The video I saw was about a maid who's so used to working that she hardly has time for herself.

That was until the day she got pranked.



This is such an inspiring and touching video. We should do something like this here in Manila.

Cold and Warmth

I'm not a huge fan of hidden camera commercials, but I must admit that this one tugged my heartstrings.



More than the advocacy that this was advertising, I admire how the people reacted to the boy in the cold. Their innate kindness is enough to warm your heart.

Pitch Perfection

One of the favorite topics of my Journalism class last semester was a film entitled "Pitch Perfect."

Every week, they'd talk about it, sing about it, and even re-enact scenes from it. It was one of those "sleeper hits" that really made a strong impact on the audience - young and not-so-young alike. Heck, even some of D' Frendz talked and raved about this film at one point in time.

After seeing the film, I see why it resonated with the audience so strongly. It was a classic David and Goliath story, with the Barden Bellas as David and the Treblemakers as Goliath. And as we all know, by the time the Barden Bellas sang their finale, David triumphed again.



This last performance is perfect. The song was great, the choreography was fun, and best of all, the feel-good factor is high. Heck, I was misty-eyed after watching this scene because I felt ecstatic at how good the group was and how they triumphed against the front runners.

That does it. "Pitch Perfect" makes it to my list of the best feel-good movies ever.