TRAVEL TO PLACES: PHILIPPINES-- ICEBERGS SKY GARDEN

My Personal Experience: I went to Icebergs in Sky Garden last year December 26, 2019, together with my former office mate. We went there to follow up our dining since we're both in the same place and continue seeing each other- be food buddies until this become our hobbit:) Icebergs Pork Chops are the best we enjoy the bountiful meal love the thickness and juiciness!

Icebergs Sky Garden 

Iceberg Restaurant is one of the best in town. They have a variety of Halo-Halo with Ice cream especially the banana split their famous product. They have also a filipino favorite the palabok delight. Their services is very good. Among the branches/stations i visited were Timog Avenue, Quezon City, Mall of Asia in Pasay and Trinoma in Quezon City. That's all Icebergs is the best:) When you feel the heat of summer.. Iceberg is the best place to go. To quench your thrist, they have wide variety of ice cream, halo-halo, mais con hielo, & other fruits con hielo etc. For hungry stomach there are sandwiches, pastas, palabok, rice meals, tacos. Came here for dinner. Icebergs which is known for desserts, halo halo and ice cream, now has complete complements of dinner. There dinner menu like sisig, beef tapa, steak, and add lechon kawali:)

Source: https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUserReviews-Icebergs-Quezon_City.html

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: THE SILENCE OF THE MARSH

Director: Marc Vigil

Cast: Pedro Alonso , Nacho Fresneda , Carmina Barrios , Àlex Monner , José Ángel Egido , Raúl Prieto , Zaira Romero , Maite Sandoval , Javier Godino , Enric Benavent , Miguel De Lira

Plot: "Q" is a former journalist reconverted in a writer of crime novel books. Man of success respected by his fans, in real life Q is a cold-blooded psychopath and lonely man with any feeling or empathy by any other, with a bad relation with his younger brother Nacho and living with a compulsion to kill that eventually he translates to his novels, writing about it as fiction. After the excellent critics of the latest work about the murder of a taxi driver, Q's wish to write a new story with a more important victim make him to chose Ferrán Carretero, teacher of Applied Economics in the University of Valencia and former politician of long carrier, recently involved in a scandal of corruption.While researching corruption for his new book, a successful crime novelist shades the line between fiction and reality.

Sources: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/el_silencio_del_pantano

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8743032/

My Movie Review: The movie is a tense ambiguous thriller that weighted heavily on suspense rather focusing on developing the story to be more compelling' results in flat generic showcase! The Silence Of The Marsh is a Spanish import of Netflix latest begins interestingly enough as a mysterious man standing at the eponymous marsh giving us a killer vibe we'll intrigue to follow! Pedro Alonso is the main reason you've watch it specially us still have Money Heist hangover a very perceptive actor as we loved his brilliance and scene-stealing performance as Berlin here doesn't show much but still have poise and high tone look as writer merging fiction with reality:) Others think it turned into something with no sense and you get lost in what they are trying to show mostly disappointed towards the latter part but I find myself puzzled and amused until the last seconds I admit it's not the best and I don't get the story much still I like seeing either way:)

Critics Consensus: A vibrant thriller, loses tension... as the plot progresses. The Spanish thriller has become a brilliant genre as well as a frequent one in our theaters. Fails to adequately maintain the mystery - Is this real, or just in the writer's head? And messing around with that "reality" as the closing credits are about to roll is just a cheat, and dumb to boot. It's a relatively taut 92 minutes, but it's a scattered narrative, in need of more scenes or less characters.An extraordinary and raw thriller with an exceptional performance from Pedro Alonso. He types away in his waterfront warehouse rental, conjuring up merciless revenge for minor offenses and vigilante murders that tidy up Valencia’s politics. But the fellow is actually committing the crimes he’s writing about. That’s not the only conclusion we can draw from Marc Vigil’s film of the Juanjo Braulio novel. “Reality” and “the writer’s imagination” are blurred, all the way to the anti-climax. The hero’s murders are routine. At least the villain, the menace of “The Silence of the Marsh” gives us something to chew on while he's chewing up his scenes:0)

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/el_silencio_del_pantano

TRAVEL TO PLACES: PHILIPPINES-- BURGOO GATEWAY CUBAO

My Personal Experience: I went to Burgoo Gateway Cubao last year December 11, 2019, together with my former office mate. We went there to catch up and dine with high quality food! Sometimes it's nice to splurge a little beyond your usual spending to taste the goodness of life specially during holiday season this area is a nice venue to do it you'll get to indulge in flavors:)

Burgoo Gateway Cubao

Yummy without a doubt, this place is amazing.. great ambiance and delicious food. although place is a bit dim (pics for Instagram) it is still good to take photos for the food. Burgoo a place to eat- excellent food at very reasonable prices. I've been for breakfast, lunch & dinner which allowed me the opportunity to sample their large selection of meals as I ate here regularly over my stay in Quezon city and found it a relaxing and a joyful experience. Both the quality of the food and the staff's service was impressive not to mention the cocktails list and non alcoholic beverages you can try. I would definitely return on my next holidays to Quezon City Philippines!

Source: https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/Restaurant_RReviews-Burgoo-Quezon_City_html

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: EXTRACTION (2020)

Director: Sam Hargrave

Cast: Chris Hemsworth , Golshifteh Farahani , Randeep Hooda , Marc Donato , Manoj Bajpai , Sam Hargrave , David Harbour , Derek Luke , Fay Masterson , Geetanjali Thapa , Shataf Figar

Plot: Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose when his skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. But in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers, an already deadly mission approaches the impossible, forever altering their lives both Rake and the Boy:0

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/extraction_2020

My Movie Review: The movie is full of awesome big action with intercultural aspects around it! Extraction is a bloody violent than expected keeping the action sequences with high impact in Sam Hargrave’s kidnap thriller starring Chris Hemsworth make up for its thin story-line and one layer generic characters so still a worth watch with unexpected twist cut short in the last parts:0 I like the villains here though the boss with a gang of boys to train bad-ass right almost cut the kid who shot Rake in the end, the bodyguard who we don't know which side his in and former friend who wants to kill the boy being kidnap happened to be David Harbour who's huge man:)! If Chris Hemsworth lives and still save the kidnap boy this would have a better high rating and the story take a different turn maybe go to another country cause another place means another adventure as symbolizes hope or a new found romance its good but it could gone been better:(

Critics Consensus: Spectacular stunt work, an electric performance from Chris Hemsworth can't save Extraction from being dragged down by its aimless violence. That slip of a setup triggers breathtaking and outlandish action sequences, one of which is a dazzling 11-minute, sorta one-take spectacle. There's even an emotional payoff at the film's end. Extraction is bold not only for the way it tells its story but the medium in which it has chosen to tell it. It's all very kinetic eye candy, beautifully lenses with an array of saturated colors capture the teeming population with steamy verve. But exhaustion eventually sets in. All told, Extraction is a reasonably entertaining, extreme action flick, although you can tell it is more cheaply made than a big-screen movie. It's such a fun ride...very early on, it establishes just what it is, and man, the action is true artistry. Chris Hemsworth is convincing even when the story isn't selling! It's a shame this real crowd-pleaser won't be playing to crowds, but it still works as a Friday night, pop-the-popcorn, living room entertainment. Extraction is effective and more than a little exhausting but in a way the smaller scale helps. Pure, Overpowering thrills, Extraction delivers!

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/extraction_2020

TRAVEL TO PLACES: PHILIPPINES-- THE SOUQ PAMPANGA

My Personal Experience: I went to The Souq Pampanga last year October 26, 2019, together with my parents and relatives. We went there to eat/ celebrate the Christening of Luke Kristoff:) The first baby of one of my cousins in the father side I was a bit surprise that they chose this location as a reception since my sister and I were planning to visit as she saw the rave online:0

The Souq Pampanga

The Souq Pampanga which means “marketplace” in Arabic, is indeed a melting pot not just of gastronomic delights but also of ideas and inspiration. Glenda Quiambao, who co-owns The Souq with Allan Bituin and Shy Bala of Pampanga-based furniture shop More Than A Chair, explains that the restaurant was inspired by the Souk Madinat in Dubai. Constructing the restaurant took only three months, albeit only partially. It was officially opened to the public upon the completion of The Souq Dining. In the latter part of 2013, another area at the back was added. If the main dining area has a somewhat glamorous feel, the area at the back is casual and rustic. A small garden occupy the rear with cozy seating spaces for Intimate events!

Source:https://www.realliving.com.ph/lifestyle/eclectic-and-glamorous-restaurant-in-pampanga

TRAVEL TO MOVIES: SERGIO

Director: Greg Barker

Cast: Wagner Moura , Ana de Armas , Clemens Schick , Bradley Whitford , Brian F. O'Byrne , Garret Dillahunt , Will Dalton , Alice Assef , Pedro Hossi , Nick Donadio , Sahajak Boonthanakit

Plot: Charismatic and complex, Sergio Vieira de Mello (Wagner Moura) has spent the majority of his storied career as a top UN diplomat working in the world's most unstable regions, deftly navigating deals with presidents, revolutionaries, and war criminals for the sake of protecting the lives of ordinary people. But just as he readies himself for a simpler life with the woman he loves (Ana de Armas), Sergio takes one last assignment in Baghdad, newly plunged into chaos following the US invasion. The assignment is meant to be brief, until a bomb blast causes the walls of the UN headquarters to come literally crashing down upon him, setting into motion a gripping life-or-death struggle. Inspired by a true story, Sergio is a sweeping drama focused on a man pushed to his physical and emotional limits as he's forced to confront his own divisive choices about ambition, family, and his capacity to love.

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sergio_2020

My Movie Review: The movie is a worthy biopic that give us glimpse of paradise in a seconds! Sergio is mostly retelling of the life and tragic death of a celebrated Brazilian diplomat thanks to Wagner Moura and Ana de Armas who gave strong performances it became just watchable:) Sergio Vieira de Mello’s life was spent helping the downtrodden "A Man Of The World" that deserves to be recognized too shame it ended in such truck-bombing in Iraq UN Headquarters! Wagner Moura is so good I thought his the real Sergio the way looks and how he command his action, his presence scream more Sergio than Wagner his fits this role perfectly and precisely:) Ana de Armas is just fantastic she exhibited extraordinary screen presence and brings a hint of earnest effervescence to some bland, occasionally dour material she's a ray of sunshine here:) Some shadowy undressing and lovemaking between Carolina and Sergio in warm, orangey mood lighting makes the summer hot both beautiful you can have man-crush and girl-crush on!

Critics Consensus: While the real-life story that inspired Sergio is certainly worthy of a biopic, its misguided approach to its noble subject adds up to a disappointingly shallow drama. The new "Sergio" isn't as seamless or as powerful as Barker's work in the nonfiction arena, but it takes chances and finds some real lyricism along the way. It was good to be reminded of this man and the good men trying to make the world a better place. Even Moura and de Armas' sizzling chemistry presents its own problems to an already hobbled feature; why, after all, is this biopic about an exceptional human built mostly around a love affair? "Sergio" honors a man whom not everyone knows, but should. Yet its dry telling and skewed emphasis on his love life trivialize a man whose life was much more than skin deep. Barker and Borten have chosen to retain the documentary's framing device of the rescue attempt... Here, it feels abstract, disjointed from the scenes with him and Carolina, weakening and muddying the story!

Source: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sergio_2020