Couch Potato After Five

 My 2nd week in MDP (Management Development Program) in GSIS wasn’t that hectic yet. In fact, I enjoyed it most of the time, doing process observations, research and presentation preparation (the movie maker way). I was even able to go home early on some occasions. So I used my free time to watch the DVD movies that’s been on my TV shelf for so long. I wasn’t able to watch everything I wanted but here are my take on those that I saw…

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Are you ready to change the way you live? This was the question asked at the end of the movie, An Inconvenient Truth, about GLOBAL WARMING.

This is Mt. Kilimanjaro then and now. 

I thought this movie will bore me to tears, hearing the same things I’ve learned way back in elementary, high school and college. But I was surprisingly mistaken. Yes, it presented the same general pieces of information but the quantitative data have changed daramatically since then. If this was a battle, we’d be in red alert already. And it is a battle… a battle for LIFE… a fight for good, clean, and long life, that is. Red alert or not, if things don’t change, we will be facing the next ice age very, very soon. Haven’t you seen the signs yet? Major typhoon killers, catastrophic tidal waves, deadly drought… the list is scary and endless. And I am scared. This movie got me scared.

Our ice cap is melting and polar bears will be extinct  soon…

So what are we to do? Am I ready to change the way I live for our planet earth? Yes. I’ve thought of things I can do, namely:

-         stop smoking

-         stop using products that emit CFCs

-         prevent our car from smoke belching by having it checked annually

-         recycle materials

-         reuse  and renew resources

-         start planting trees

-         spread the word

click to enlarge

These things are easier said than done. BUT, they are doable. Actually, I’ve been doing most of them since I was a kid. I’ll just have to keep on doing them and think of more contributions I can make for the environment.

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I’ve been told that this movie will make me cry. So the whole time I was watching it, I tried not to be too emotional. I simply enjoyed the movie and learned the lessons being presented since it’s a true-to-life movie. But, I somehow failed. At the end of the movie, when Chris Gardner (Will Smith’s character) was chosen for the stock broker position among the 20 interns who went through the rigorous training process,  my eyes welled up. I went to the bathroom and even before I closed the door, I gave in to my emotions. I didn’t only cry, but I sobbed buckets of tears! Chris Gardner’s life was unbelievably amazing! Having faced a series of unfortunate events and experiences, he was still able to rise above the rest. A true rags-to-riches/father-hero story… From literally sleeping inside a train station washroom with his son to earning multi-million dollar deals. Inspiring!!!

The movie simply tapped into the unforgotten pains of my past, having experienced a life of deprivation. I remembered how I wished to be happy and comfortable in life. So the only thing that mattered then was to be able to finish my studies (because it’s the only form of wealth that cannot be stolen from me). Even if I didn’t have food to eat then (leading to my peptic ulcer later on) or an allowance to sustain me for the day; … even when my parents fought frequently, my dad committed suicide, my brother almost killed himself too and my sister rebelled, I still managed to focus on my education and graduate with flying colors. And I was proud of myself. Now that I am living the comfortable life I’ve always dreamed of,  I feel guilty for sometimes taking it for granted.  Like this MDP thing that I am beginning to feel stressed about again because the next several weeks will involve A LOT of studying on  my part (and I am aware that I’ve become lazy on this aspect of myself the last couple of years) . The movie made me realize that I should be grateful for it and I have absolutely no excuse to not pass this thing.

Basically, Chris Gardner’s life inspired me to cherish my life more and appreciate the little blessings that come along the way… like Erin Brockovich! Remember her back in 2000? I hope  I’ll always remember his life every time I slack  off.  People like him  must be honored. They’re life’s little jewels.

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This one’s a funny and shallow film. It’s good for spending a lazy night at home with popcorn and coke. I didn’t have to think much about it or analyze its lessons.  I just simply watched and enjoyed the flick.

“The setting is at this cavernous store called Super Club, more like Price Smart and Makro in our country.  And the most coveted honor for all its workers is the “Employee of the Month” award, and having one’s photo immortalized on the wall of fame in the staff lounge. Enter Zack Bradley and Vince Downey, two ultra competitive Super Club workers whose ten years of employment have resulted in drastically different career paths. While Vince–with the aid of his trusty sidekick Jorge–has advanced to become head cashier and winner of 17 consecutive “E of M” awards, Zack is the ultimate slacker whose scruffy appearance and laid back attitude has made him popular with his colleagues, but kept him stuck in the lowly ranks of the store’s box boys. The duo’s longtime rivalry comes to a bitter head when Amy–a beautiful new cashier with a reputation of only dating “Employee of the Month” winners–transfers to the store, immediately becoming the object of both Zack and Vince’s affection and often comical gamesmanship. While Vince instantly impresses Amy with his crowd pleasing, flamboyant style behind his checkstand register, Zack’s feeble attempts to charm his beautiful new co-worker quickly backfire against him. With the race to win Amy’s affections slipping away, Zack determines his only chance rests in winning the store’s next “Employee of the Month” award. “

Review Courtesy of:  EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

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Brazil? Surf and Sand? Sexy women? Who wouldn’t want to see this? But as the movie progressed, I said to Peter “Baby, let’s not go to Brazil.” Hehehe…yeah, it got me scared a bit. I mean, yeah, we travel A LOT. But we haven’t encountered yet this kind of harrowing events. Oh well, if there was one good thing about this movie, it’s the fact that their lady characters were so sexy and gorgeous that it got me so horny, Peter and I ended up having sex on our couch! Hahaha!

Review courtesy of TURISTAS:

Brazil. Beautiful women, pristine beaches, a friendly, open culture. Alex is accompanying his sister Bea and her best friend Amy for their first time abroad–young Americans who have come to exotic Brazil for fun, adventure and the promise of foreign pleasures. On a rickety bus rocketing up a twisting mountain road, they meet the beautiful Pru, who speaks the native language Portuguese, and Finn and Liam, in Brazil for the sole purpose of experiencing the beautiful Brazilian women they’ve heard so much about first hand. After enduring a harrowing bus crash which strands them in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, Alex, Bea, and their band of traveling companions attempt to salvage their day by seeking out a cabana bar on a nearby beach rather than wait an endless amount of time for the next bus to come by. The discovery of the beautiful and secluded beach gives way to a day in the sun and surf, an afternoon at the bar, and a night of exotic liquors and hot dancing with the locals. It’s everything their vacation is supposed to be, until they wake up face down in the sand the following morning, drugged and robbed, their possessions gone, and the trace of very real danger in the air. The farther the group travels into this mysterious and isolated Brazilian community, the further they are from the possibility of escape–and the closer they come to the dark secret that waits for them in the lush jungle and underground caverns of the Brazilian jungle, and they must fight a primal battle for their lives in the most terrifying of all human traps.

MTV Ziggy Marley Reggae Fest

Sofitel Philippine Plaza was jampacked with rasta peeps that night! 

The MTV Ziggy Marley Fest was indeed the Reggae Fest of the 1^st quarter! Too bad that Brownman Revival wasn’t included in the line up of guest bands (I surmise that Papa Dom of Tropical Depression and Jotay, the Manager of BMR are not in good terms). Oh well, that’s life! 

 With our reggae gurlfriends Koryn and Jowi

We watched the whole thing from 6pm to 11:30pm. Several Reggae bands played three songs each before Ziggy Marley came out on stage and reggaed the night away with his own songs and his father’s (Bob Marley) hits! Yoohoooooo! In spite of my hunger (I’d feel worse if we buy their 300 peso burger or their 300 peso shawarma) and tired legs, I managed to finish the whole thing together with Peter, Koryn , Jowi & her gf Tata.

Even people from a private yacht nearby was witnessing this once in a lifetime reggae fest. 

With Jowi’s girlfriend Tata…(the one in pink)

Tired from dancing, we sat on the grass in between sets. 

Here are snippets of videos of some bands who played:

Reggae Mistress

Tropical Depression

Milagros Dance Hall

Indio I

Kudos

AND NOW, HERE’S THE CLEAREST VIDEO WE GOT OF ZIGGY MARLEY: