A Mother's Prayer

A clip from the animated movie Quest for Camelot. The song is called "A Mother's Prayer" and it's Celine Dion's voice. I haven't seen the movie yet but I heard it did not fare well at the box-office when it was released in 1998. It's really unbelievable that a movie with beautiful songs in it has actually performed poorly at the ticket sales. I really have to find out for myself. The movie also featured a duet version of Leann Rimes' "Looking through Your Eyes," the first song that usually comes up to my mind whenever I'm hit with the urge to sing.

Chocolat

Chocolat by Joanne Harris is the second book I successfully acquired from Bookay-Ukay. I can't remember how long I have wanted to read this book because of many positive reviews I've read of it in Amazon. I was also excited about it because its plot is infused with food. However, after reading it, I felt a great deal is missing from this book. First of all, let me give you an overview of the story. Vianne Rocher and her child Anouk came to the town of Lansquenet to open a chocolate shop. The people in Lansquenet are the most pleasure-starved kind of people as they were brainwashed by their priest on everything that is sinful--colorful clothes and most of all chocolates. The town's pastor was livid at Vianne's attempts to tempt the people of her confections. Vianne and the priest was in constant battle over their beliefs.


Sure, there is just no denying that I enjoyed the descriptions of various chocolate creations in the book. They made me crave for chocolates on several occasions. But I was just not thrilled with the flow of the story. I also became confused with the many characters introduced as Vianne's customers. Maybe I was not in the best of condition when I read it. Anyhow, I must say I will not give up on this book. I'll try to read it again next time. Maybe then I'll see Harris' novel in a different light.

Orange peels

Do you know that orange peels can be used as a natural remedy for repelling mosquitoes? Yes, mosquitoes can't stand the fragrance of orange peels. Just lightly rub them onto your skin and voila, they'll avoid you for hours. Its a great and cheap alternative to insect repellent lotions like Off, which is expensive, and burning mosquito coils, which can be harmful for people with asthma.

Puffer fish

My mother came to visit us last Friday and one of the things she brought for us was a Tupperwareful of cooked puffer fish or loko-loko as we call them in Bantayan. The last time I ate this dish was in 1990s. I was still in college then. To say that I terribly missed eating loko-loko is an understatement. My first mouthful of the round fish is akin to the experience of a vegetarian convert who ate meat for the first time after decades of meatless sustenance. Okay, I'm a bit exaggerating here but I must tell you that my first time to eat loko-loko in such a very long time was a gastronomic delight.

Anyway, lets go back to puffer fish. Many lives were snatched by eating this fish. I don't quite know if its because those hapless souls ate the wrong type of puffer fish, or its because the fish they ate was not cooked well, or its because its just their time to die. But there's just one thing I'm most sure of, loko-loko is one the most tastiest fish I've ever eaten in my entire life. When I was a lot younger, my mother would always cook them with a bunch of libas leaves and a small knot of lemongrass. The most delicious part of this fish is its huge liver. Why a small fish like loko-loko would need a huge liver for its size is something that has always baffled me in the past. Maybe there's an evolutionary purpose to that. Whatever its cause, I am most thankful that loko-loko is made that way. People are putting their lives at risk everytime they eat this notorious fish. It's also one reason why my prayers have always been intense whenever I eat loko-loko. (Photo courtesy of Ryann Garcia.)

A very special movie

Okay, before I start, let me just inform everyone that I'll try to be objective as much as I can with this review. I am a fan of Sarah Geronimo so the following comments about her movie might be tinged with biases. And oh, this post contains spoilers.

A Very Special Love is not an art film. So, for those people who are looking for films that will make them think, please just go and watch The Dark Knight instead. JZ, an esteemed journalist of "The Philippine Star," has just lambasted AVSL in her blog and provided several reasons why the movie appealed to so many viewers. Her review has given me an impression that the people who went and "actually" enjoyed the movie have mediocre level of intelligence. Anyway, I will not refute her review. She is highly artistic and she is entitled to her opinions.

A Very Special Love is a movie for anyone who just want to have a fun and clean entertainment. For her first leading role in a movie, Sarah Geronimo did so well as Laida, a girl who harbored strong romantic feelings for her boss, Miggy Montenegro, played by John Lloyd Cruz. Miggy is a boss from hell. Everyone is scared of him. He is such because he is highly pressured by the inevitable closure of his publishing company because they cannot seem to make it to the top spot. But more than anything else, he has become a cold person because he felt he was never accepted by his family. Miggy is the son of the mistress of the Montenegro patriarch. Laida's love for Miggy was tested to its utmost limits during her stint as one of Miggy's harassed employees.

All in all, AVSL was a fun and refreshing movie. Sarah's comedic moments in the film did not appear forced. Maybe that's because she is a bubbly person in real life. I also do not find Sarah's and JLC's "kilig" scenes corny. Star Cinema's decision to launch the untested tandem of Sarah and John Lloyd was a success.

Something to look forward to

The Tales of Beedle the Bard will be released on December 4, 2008. This is J. K. Rowling's collection of fairy tales which were mentioned in the seventh and last book of the Harry Potter series. The Tales of Beedle the Bard will give readers the experience of reading a copy of an artifact pulled straight out of the last Harry Potter novel. A copy of this book was left by Albus Dumbledore to Hermione Granger in his will. Hermione had no idea about the stories in the book as she was raised as a Muggle. Dumbledore gave the book to Hermione in the hope that she helps Harry find the clues on defeating Lord Voldemort. The Tales of the Beedle the Bard is meant to give readers a more in-depth understanding of the Harry Potter stories. I am truly excited about this book.