Conrado L. Venzon, IV (Birthday)

"TwenteenTwo"

Sponsors: Thank you CakesRUs for the Cupcake

and Pizza Hut for the Sundae ^^

Sa dinami-dami ng instant ngayon, pati pala surprise celebration instant na rin.

Suntok sa buwan ang pagprepare ko ng celebration na 'to. Kumbaga, humahagulgol si kuya ng 2pm, 7pm, may surprise na ako. Kamusta naman ang 5 hours, e nanggaling pa ako sa trabaho?!

I don't know. I just had this sudden urge na i-surprise ang iyakin at ever kuripot kong kuya... Happy Birthday kuya Nikko! ^^ Sana natuwa ka, hihi...

It's been a while since I last surprised a person. When I do that, there must be something special para pagtuunan kita ng pansin. Mas gusto ko kasi na ako ang sinu-surprise e. 

Looking back, it's been five years na rin pala nung una kaming nagkakilala ni kuya. Yeah, he was the first "man" (hindi ko akalaing iko-kowt ko 'to :p) na kinaiinisan ko dati. We're not close. We're just part of the same circle of friends. Pero most of the time, hindi kami magkasama.

 

Nikko, Gaze Mac at Paragon whatever event ('di ko na maalala, hoho)

Mac, Gaze, Nikko at Trinoma or SM North? Basta sa escalavator 'to!

Our circle of friends at Trinoma or SM North?

Kaming tatlo talaga 'yung madalas magkasama, pero mas close ako kay Macoy. Hanggang isang araw, naiwan kami ni Kuya Nikko sa isang teambuilding. Ang nasa isip ko n'un... "Ayoko! Gusto ko si Macoy ang kasama ko." (o di ba, meldi lang :p)

Bus going to Caliraya, Laguna. Paragon Leadership Training and Teambuilding

While in the trip, hindi naman kami naging close. Mas naiinis pa yata ako n'un sa kanya e. Kahit hanggang makabalik kami ng Manila.

But I don't know kung anong klaseng ihip meron ang hangin at dinala kami sa isang relasyong mas malalim pa sa inaakala naming mangyayari...

Ang kontrobersyal na holding hands. Haha!

Syempre hindi naging kami, duh? We treat each other now as family. Pinakilala pa nga niya ako sa buong angkan ng Venzon...

Gaze, Jaja, Nikko at Venzon's Family Reunion

Nakakatawa lang kasi akala nila kami talaga. Tinuturuan pa nila akong magnecktie. Kamusta naman? Being close with this freak guy na hindi nagpapalit ng medyas (peace kuya!) has never passed my mind. Maybe, these kind of events are the spices of our lives. They give a kicking taste in a way you never expected. With this, it's a memory worth to be treasured, not buried but shared.

Ayan, sa paglipas nga ng mga araw, mas naging close pa kami... simula nung may buhok pa siya...

Random picture at FEU

Random picture at FEU

FilmSoc General Assembly: X-men costume

After ng sayaw namin sa Audie

Nagregaluhan kami ni kuya ng chocolate nung Valentine's Day ^^

Sumbrero peg shot

Reviving Paragon

Random picture inside the classroom

Random picture inside the P.E room

At Trinoma. Birthday ni Eden or ni Mona?

...hanggang sa unti-unti na ring nakita ang bunbunan ni kuya...

Radio Tour sa DZXL RMN558, Radyo Mo, Nationwide!

Sa LRT... ito yata 'yung galing kami kina Barney because of Journalism?

???

Wala tayong recent picture kuya?! Yung truly? Magkasama pa naman tayo kanina!

...to follow na lang 'yung picture ko with kuya's shining, shimmering bunbunan. :)

And 'yun nga. For this eve ng Birthday ni kuya, I bought a simple cupcake for his birthday. Was planning lang sana ng music from Pizza Hut na 'Happy Birthday', then blow the candle. Pero mas naging bongga pa siya kaysa sa inexpect ko. Thanks talaga Pizza Hut!

After buying the cupcake... I reserved two seats sa Pizza Hut. That's the time that I requested for the simple surprise. Pagdating ni kuya, hindi pa sila ready, so I asked him to cover his face with the menu... Then bigla na lang nabulabog ang buong Pizza Hut nung nagkantahan na ng 'own version' nila ng Birthday Song 'yung mga staff, with tambourine pa! Nagulat na si kuya (pati ako), kaya sinindihan ko kaagad 'yung candle sa cupcake. Nakakagulat din 'yung bata na lumapit after ng birthday song, akala niya yata siya 'yung magbblow ng candle :p

Masyadong mabilis 'yung pangyayari. Hindi ko man lang nadocument kasi hindi talaga ako prepared (lowbatt 'yung phone ko!) kanina. It was a simple yet a remarkable one (pinuri ko talaga 'yung sarili kong surprise?! XD)

Smiling kuya... yey! ^^ Mission Accomplished!

Birthday ko rin? hihi...

Only one wish for you kuya. Matupad 'yung wi-nish mo kanina. God bless! I love youuuu! :***

Always remember, maraming nagmamahal sa'yo, minsan talaga may conflict, may awayan, may tampuhan. Ganun talaga, pero at the end of it all, what matters most is 'yung pinagsamahan niyo.

Ang family, parang sundae na binigay ng Pizza Hut... walang kapalit. :')

PS.

Happy 3 months dearest blog! :')

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (Movie)

"I speak for the trees, too"

Futuristic as it may seem, but with the situation we have right now, I won't be surprised if we reach the year where planting trees can only be done in Farmville, and where healthy, furry animals can only be pet in Petville. Sooner or later, Thneedville will be a reality. Do we still need Dr. Seuss' The Lorax in order to realize our lost?

The Lorax (voiced by Danny Devito) is a mystical creature, guardian of the forest who speaks for the trees. Living in a town that is plastic and fake, Ted Wiggins (voiced by Zac Efron) did his best effort to impress Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) and ended up facing a responsibility of bringing real life and real air to Thneedville. As Onceler (voiced by Ed Helms) takes another journey back to his past, each message was unleashed, giving meaning to the Lorax's message, UNLESS.

According to a research, at least 19 storms visit the Philippines every year. Unfortunately, some of the storm does not just pass by unnoticed. Some of these storms become deadly and floody every year.

When Typhoon Ondoy came and destructed Metro Manila, they said that it was an isolated incident that exists only once in whatever years---then came "Habagat", an unnamed storm, because it's not a storm either, that brought too much flooding in Metro Manila just like what Ondoy did.

This is no longer an isolated incident, this is the new "natural". Too much heat and too much rain. Environment wise, everything is changing now. For me, we shouldn't just accept this "natural" thing, we must do something. Fortunately, we all know the cause of this climate change.

One of O'hare's man who proposes for a bigger income for him said, "Our research shows that when you put something in a plastic bottle, people will buy it." In the recent times, we don't need such research to prove that. Thing is, we prefer using plastic bottles for mere convenience. Ironic as it may seem, the more we say "save mother earth" through reusable bags, inside it were plastic bottles, plastic wrappers, plastics, fakes.

We cut trees because we produce something out of it. We need a tree, but basically it wasn't created to be something else. It was created to be a tree, just as it is.

There's nothing wrong in cutting 'some' of the trees, especially if it's for a worthy purpose. But we all have a different view of 'some'. We cut but we never plant a new one. There's no cycle of death and life---only continuous death.

Thneed, as the very symbolical element in the film, would mean excessive buying of something that is not needed. In the film, it doesn't even imply a shape or anything else. A product that can do a job of thousand does not exist. It is too good to be possible. Most of the time, when we take the easiest road, it seeks for bigger pay. The film wanted to imply that it's nothing. That we can even live without those 'thneeds'.

It may be a trendy hat or a tightrope for acrobats,  yet does it matter more than fresh, free, air? Does a net for butterflies or something used for exercise, better than a beautiful nature?

No.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not," Dr. Suess.

The world is never going to be better, unless we care. We need to care because it is all that we've got. We are the caretakers of nature, and in return it also cares for us by providing our needs. Since we are destroying them, no wonder why it also destroys mankind. You only reap what you sow.

Let's build a new world, let's plant our own seed. 

It's A Mens World (Book)

"Isang sulyap sa mundo ng alaala (Isa lang ha!)"

"Manghihinayang ka, tapos maiinis ka sa buhay tapos maiiyak ka tapos magagalit ka. Tapos mare-realize mo, wala ka palang magagawa. Hanggang ganyan lang ang papel mo: ang makaramdam ng ganitong emosyon sa ganitong pagkakataon," Bebang Siy, Emails, 158, It's A Mens World.

Alaala ang nagsisilbing patunay na tayo ay dumanas ng kaginhawaan at kahirapan. Ito ang saksi sa pagbabagong ating napagdaanan sa ilang taong pamamalagi natin sa mundong paikot-ikot. Walang kasawa-sawang umiikot at iniikot ang buhay ng mga taong nakatira sa kanya. Bawat alaala ay may matamis at mapait na kwento. Bawat luha at tawa ay may kaniya-kaniyang pinagmulan. Ngunit higit sa lahat ng ito, kung sino ka 'ngayon' ay nagmula sa 'noon'.

Halu-halong istorya ng buhay na bumuo sa mapa ng Maynila ang nilalaman ng It's A Mens World ni Bebang Siy. Iba't ibang istorya na may kaniya-kaniyang flavors kulay (ideya mula sa Pinyapol, 38) na siya namang papatok sa panlasang pinoy with a touch of chinese.

Magmula sa lugaw hanggang sa pagnanakaw, pangingidnap, pakikipag-date at piso, nailarawan ni Siy hindi lamang ang Maynila kun'di pati na rin ang mga binibigay ng mundo, pananaw ng mundo, paningin ng mundo, panlasa ng mundo, kahit ang third sense ng mundo at ang uncommon common sense ng mundo patungkol sa mga babae. Lalo't higit pa sa buwanang dalaw. Sa pagkakataong ito, sa wakas! Babae ang bida sa Mens World.

Hindi nakapagtataka kung ang mga kuwentong ibabahagi natin ay patungkol sa kagandahan ng buhay. Kay dali nga namang i-kuwento na nagpunta ka sa Disneyland at nakipag-hotdog kay Mickey Mouse. Masaya nga namang alalahanin ang mga wapak na bonding niyo nina nanay at tatay. Higit sa lahat, hindi mo ba ipagmamalaki kung hahalikan ka ni Johnny Depp sa pisngi? Pero sa librong ito, hindi nagpunta ang bida sa Disneyland kun'di sa Divisoria, hindi rin si Mickey Mouse at hotdog ang kasama niya kun'di si Manong na may binubutingting sa tenga at ang malamig na pinyapol. Ang wapak na bonding niya sa kaniyang mga magulang ay ang pangingidnap sa kanya ng tatay niya na tila nakikipaglaro ng pingpong sa nanay niya---sila ang bola. Lalo't higit hindi si Johnny Depp ang humalik sa kanya. Naisip ko tuloy kung may mens ba siya noong sinusulat niya ito. Siguro oo, dinatnan siya ng regla ng buhay.

Lahat tayo may mens. May maruming dugo. May maruming alaala na kailangang mailabas dahil hindi na natin ito kailangan. Ang mens ng buhay ay parang pagpapatuli ng lalaki, pwedeng isahang beses lang. Pwede rin namang buwan-buwan. Taon-taon. Unti-unti. Ang mahalaga ay mailabas ito.

Ang mga bagay na ito ay mga alaalang hindi na makakatulong sa kung ano tayo ngayon. Para silang mga dugong minsan nating ginamit para mabuhay, pero dahil marumi na ito, kailangan ng ilabas para mapalitan ng bago. Ng mas bago at sariwang ikaw.

Para magkaroon ng mens, maraming bagay ang dapat isaalang-alang. Gaya ni Colay, dapat bibo ka, malakas kumain, at mahilig sa softdrinks. Pero ang pinaka-importante sa lahat, dapat handa na ang iyong katawan. Handa na ang puso't kaluluwa mo na humarap sa mens. Hindi lang ang panahon kun'di ang sariling kahandaan mo rin ang magdidikta ng mens mo.

Gusto mo ba magka-mens? Ako, gustong gusto ko. Hindi ko nga lang alam kung kailan, irregular kasi ako e.

Maaaring maging iritable tayo bago pa man harapin ang mens, 'wag mag-alala, PMS lang 'yan. Pre-menstrual syndrome, HINDI pre-marital sex. Ang kailangan lang natin gawin ay tiisin ito. Ganun talaga, parte 'yan ng paglalabas mo ng lahat ng marumi mong dugo.

Bago lumabas ang dugo, marami pa itong pinagdadaanan. Tulad ng mens ng buhay, marami kang dapat malampasan bago mo masabing kaya mo na talagang bitawan ang mga mapapait na alaala. Kung ano man 'yung pagdadaanan na 'yun, hindi ko alam. Hindi kasi ako mahilig sa science, basta ang alam ko, may dugo (ang iyong alaala), masakit sa puson (oo, masakit ang pagdadaanan mo, pero kailangan mong masaktan para malaman mong kailangan mo na itong bitawan, minsan kasi may pagka-t**** din tayo e. Kailangan pang masaktan bago matauhan.), at kailangan ng napkin (kung sino man siya na tutulong para saluhin ka habang pinagdadaanan mo ang malakas na agos ng pagsubok).

At dahil dito, iniisip ko tuloy. Sa dalawampung istorya na mayroon sa libro, gaano kaya kadaming dugo ang nailabas ng may-akda? Sa lahat ng ito, tibay at lakas ng loob ang kailangan. Para siyang si Captain Barbell(a). At ang tibay din ng napkin niya.

"Mas naintindihan ko ang sarili ko. Mas naintindihan ko ang nangyari. Biktima ako. Hindi ko kasalanan ang nangyari sa akin. Hindi ko ginusto ang nangyari sa akin. Wala akong ginawang masama. Hindi ako marumi, ibulong man ng sanlaksang daluyong ng malamig na hangin. Pero kahit nalaman ko ang lahat ng ito ay hindi pa rin natanggal ang imbisibol na pabigat sa puso ko," Bebang Siy, Sa Ganitong Paraan Namatay Si Kuya Dims, 111, It's A Mens World.

Minsan, hindi sapat na maintindihan mo lang ang mga bagay para masabing tapos na ito. Minsan, kailangan din natin ng closure. Minsan din, ang closure ay hindi lamang natatagpuan sa sarili.

For the "First Week-sary" special of my blog, I chose this book as the review because it is one of the books that inspires me, not just as a writer, but also as a person. Looking at the brave work that Ms. Bebang did in revealing the mysteries of her life, and looking at how she turned out to be now, little by little, it pinches my heart, reminding me of how beautiful the future will always be.

Past never defines our entirety, not even our future. Not only the book but the author herself has inspire my life, and surely others' too. No one could reach immortality unless one has able to mark into other's life, and able to prove it with their remarkable work-of-art. With this, Ms. Bebang Siy is one of the goddesses who's punished to be a human in order to share their powers to mankind.

One thing I desire the most now is to make a Wedding Review of this candid author. How I wish... Still, best wishes in the future, soon-to-be Mrs. Verzo. hihi. :)

Soul Surfer (Movie)

"Waves of Fears"

Spoiler Alert! Some words might give clues to what happened in the film. I tried my best not to! :)

The world is a chaotic place to live in. You dream, it destroys. You fight, it finds weapons to defeat you. You surf, yet it tries to drown you. But life is a matter of perspective. If things aren't seen clearly on this side, why not try the other view? Dreams are not destroyed unless you stop dreaming; defeat doesn't mean you lose,it only means 'another chance'; and surfing won't drown you unless you let the waves eat you. By finding a good perspective, you'll see that the world isn't that chaotic as what we thought it is. Breathing life to Bethany Hamilton's real life, Sean McNamara tried to splash the movie industry with a big and perfect tidal wave.

A true story of a mermaid with feet, Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) reaches for her dream of becoming a professional surfer. Her competitive journey starts at a very young age, having two elder brothers, Noah (Ross Thomas) and Timmy (Chris Brochu). With Alana (Lorraine Nicholson) on her side, her best friend since birth, her boyish and girlish attitude are balanced well that developed a strong attitude of Bethany towards life. With her family as her guide, and as God as her possibility, she faces a more challenging role, not just a surfer, but also an inspiration to the people all over the world. Hugging her destiny with one hand, Bethany finds her perspective in line with God's plan in her life.

If there's this one thing that you just wanted to do all your life, and in a snap, was snatched away from you, how would you face your new world? Soul surfer is an inspirational movie, made to give courage to its viewers on how to deal with life.

God has his own perfect plan to everyone. Every part of our life story is personally-made by God, that we may grow into a person he wanted us to be. Every trial that we encounter is strategically put in the calendar of life, giving us the chance to experience the joys and the pains of living. Every single detail was put into purpose, thing is, when bad things happen, we no longer see the very purpose of such.

Crashing through the waves of fear, our only weapon to go up against it is our surfboard of faith. We don't need to understand, we just need to believe that the best has yet to come.

The attitude of acceptance and forgiveness is very explicit in the film, highlighting God as the center of joy for the Hamilton family, despite the struggles that they went through because of the incident that took away nothing from them. Nothing, because they didn't let that incident snatch anything from them.

If there's one thing that we must learn from the film is that, if you lose one thing that matters to you, imagine other people who lost everything they had. You never lose your life, so why give up on dreaming? It only takes one requirement to dream: breath.

Waters can be peaceful and harmful at the same time. It gives life and it kills. But despite its bipolar characteristics, "just let the surfing do the talking". Anyway, faith is an action word. You get to choose how will you define a 'water' in your life.

God did never plan for harm, it's always to prosper, to give hope, and a bright future. So unless you're there, then definitely, you're not yet on God's plan.

Just as what Bethany said, your passion for something will always get you through all odds. "Love is bigger than any tidal wave or fear."

Cicada Summer (Book)

"A Soundless Cicada"

The loudest noise is silence. It shouts louder than a scream, it dreams bigger than a nightmare, and it pleads more than a beggar. The sound of silence is the most mysterious sound of all, because among all the sounds, it is the soundless that resounds. Andrea Beaty's Cicada Summer connects the drive path from lies and secrets to acceptance and friendship that will make noise and put into an end the silent summer.

Warm breeze signals the summer, but in Olena, Illinois, the troubling sounds of the Cicadas signaled the start of summer. The people in Olena hated the Cicadas for its troubling sound, specially Ricky Fitzgerald who says that the Cicadas attacked his grandma's tall, round, and cave-like hairdo.

Two summers have already passed, aside from the sticky heat and cicadas, there's one more thing that has not change---Lily's silence. It was after a tragic incident that she vowed to herself, never will she use the words that she has kept, that could have saved Pete. Not until Tinny's sneaky attitude came to disturb Olena and Lily's entire being. As she steal not only the candies but also the attention that Lily appreciates deep within, Lily became too serious in protecting Fern, Nancy Drew books, and her secret in the cottonwood tree.

Opposite to a Cicada's noise to attract mate during summer, Lily's silence attracts Tinny's curiosity that led to a brawl of eye contacts and threats through lollipops between the two. Lily's view about invisibility has been one of the point of transition in the story, making the reader watch out on until when can Lily keep her eyes away from others and her voice from telling the truth of the past?

Each of us has always that 'Lily' imprisoned inside. The silent us who keeps all the burdens inside because we're too afraid that an old, rotten past will come to life and haunt your brain, again. Time doesn't heal, acceptance do. We can never move forward if our head is tilt backward. The shackles of the past tighten as time consumes another day. It is only through acceptance that we finally let go of it.

And just as what Tinny does, though sneaky, her curiosity released the secrets that have been kept for a long time. In comparison, we also have this certain incident that will help us to let go of everything and anything that we keep on holding back. If not an incident, one person will always make it possible for us to once again, believe in the future.

Lily said, "I think trouble finds it way without any help at all". Yes, it does. But only us could find the way out of the Cicada's troubling sound and hear the music behind its buzz. It's only a matter of perspective.

Naermyth (Book)

"Never were they myth"

Filipinos, being a uniquely-formed race, has various cultures that hones the Filipino generation of today. Despite the modernization that the fast generation perceives in order to catch up with the fast-growing globalization, one can never forget that once in their childhood days, together with the palo and the sermon, is a story that will bring every Filipino child under his blanket, holding their rosary, and praying that it won't eat their liver---a story of lore and folktales. A myth that lived through the imaginations of Karen Francisco's Naermyth, for her, what if?

The prophecy about end of the world has come. But this time, it does not work with natural disasters or second coming, but about a myth that came to life. What the people thought was just a "human-made story" has turned out to be "human-hunters". All men were hunted down up to the last one standing, with only two options: be eaten or be tortured.

A coalition born to save the remaining mankind was formed, the Shepherds, vowed to save the human race, inspite of little hope. Aegis (her shepherd name, must be careful on dropping names, might be victimized by the Rumpelstiltskin Anomaly; but her real name is Athena Abigail Dizon) is one of the best shepherds, having been trained by the late shepherd, Greg Benevidez. But as she continues her hatred to the aswang race, and as the journey gets more complicated with the revelations and visions she had when Dorian came to her life, and as River played a more important role in saving her, little by little, things are taught to her, on what monstrosity really is as she turns her back from every 'human' thing she has.

In a world where we live in uncertainties, how would we know that what we thought was not, was. Naermyth is a fantasy story set in the Philippines, giving life and details to different folktales that are heard during the Filipino's childhood days. In this book, Dwende and Nuno sa punso are kings of the streets, Aswang and Manananggal are the mistresses of the sky, Undin and Sirena are the princesses of waters, and Diwatas and Kapres divide the mountains---a world where shadows would mean death and captivity. Prayers and bawangs are no longer effective, even the "Tabi, tabi po" chant is not accepted, salted blades are used to kill these monsters.

Monsters? This was the whole idea of the book. When does a monster become a monster? In life, we got to label what a monstrous thing really is. Would it settle into the standards of the world, or would it reside into the standards of the heart?

Sometimes, things are meant to look bad, because they are like angels in disguise. All aswang creatures may come and torture our entire being, but there would always be an angel, maybe not that of a sort, but a Wing Wight that would fly us away from all the killers and torturers. Together with this is a salted blade, in which in real life we may refer as courage, to face all these 'real' monsters away.

The challenge of this, is how we are going to identify a monster from a wing wight, if both seem to look harmful? To whom should we throw our salted blades, what if we had the wrong choice? This is where we have to define then what a monster could be in our own terms and conditions.

We've got a millions of monsters in the whole world, but we get to choose which one is our Wing Wight. "Monstrosity was the same way, a notion we all knew but could never peg," Aegis, Naermyth.

Sinepiyu 2010, Shorts A (Movie)

"From Scratch to Art"

Marking a life of misunderstood and ignored, gangsters are known to be one of the unwanted groups in the society because of the troubles they usually get into. Oldies do not understand their advocacies and yuppies of their age ignore them. James Mulyon was able to portray a gangster’s life through his piece Pangarap ng Makata. The film revolves around a gangster who chose to push his dreams to immortality through his songs. If his world even denies his soon to be ‘famous life’, will he throw the key to the door of his success? Wriggly camera shots were able to show the gangster’s scruffy life. Although, subtitles were not able to justify the film’s thought, and served as distraction in the film.

If only saving a file in the computer is as easy as saving your future, life might be easy. Twisting the story into surprising revelation was the game for Mona Liza Sumaya’s Bibero. A cat-dog fight of two students who were doing their assignment lead to the revelation of the past that has something to do with their present situation, and made an avenue for a decisive moment that would change their future. The screenplay was able to surprise the audience and satisfy them with the story. Shots were clear, and the setting was so close to the audience due to familiarity.

Looks are deceiving; what seems to be nice could be bad, and what seems to be right could be wrong. Metro of D Cortezano is a film about different person’s personality that leads to the reality of their attitudes as brown out takes place in their area. The film was good in justifying the character arcs of every character involve in the story.

Lucks can be caused by unexpected situations in life. Yet there are people wherein luck seems to be against their way. Simply comical and full of adventures was Cj Villaver’s Sablay. Akuya who faced all the bad lucks he had just to get the very important thing in his life. Sometimes, fighting for something important in our life would take our life’s risk, yet, it wouldn’t matter if at stake is the happiness of the ones we love.

Life is miserable if you make it worst, for it us who chooses our own path. Every pages of our life is different from the other, yet, history repeats itself. Pahina by Hazel Benavaente is a story of a student who undergoes family problem. His situation reflects a ghost in a library wherein the same fate ended up his life. The screenplay was clear and was able to separate the past from the present happenings. The film was clear in its message but it lacks scoring to surprise the audience from its horror attempt.

As the saying says, “Good things come to those who wait”; Waiting Shed by Bryan Aquino was able to execute symbolically the virtue in patience. A girl sits at the waiting shed for the whole day. While waiting, he encountered different people who wait for someone or something that made them happy. The shot was simply focused on the waiting shed and the characters in there. The screenplay was clear with its message that sometimes, waiting does not imply a happy ending, and this means waiting for another whole day.

Love knows no boundaries. Crossing the world of death and life was not a hindrance for two lovers in Cristina Aquino’s Puso. A man and his girlfriend reminisce their first times as it is juxtaposed to a man running, to a dog lying on the floor, up to the revealing surprise of the story. Their love was not the typical story and the screenplay was able to execute a remarking end. Truly love does not depend on the physical realm but extends up to the 'other world’s' dimension.

3-Iron (Movie)

“Silent Zero”

Behind the smiles and the frowns, the sadness and the joy in tears, is an emotion that no words could ever explain. Done with the ordinary days, for love could turn a normal world, upside down. Kim ki-duk’s 3-iron gave a hard grip onto reality and dream’s transportation tunnel, which made the viewers left hanging in space and shout their emotions in silence. A true sample of knowing the rules and breaking it, for the ‘absurdism’ of the film made it more explicit and one of a kind.

A homeless young man (Hyun-kyoon Lee) breaks into empty houses and lives there until the owner arrives. He sleeps, eats and even repairs broken things in return for the owner’s unknown hospitality. His life became more serious when he met a woman (Seung-yeon Lee) who is ready to leave his abusive husband and live a ‘quiet’ life. Struggles hurdled their way until they were unexpectedly, silently falling in love, and this made an avenue for noise in their soundless relationship.

Crossing between the norms of reality and dreams, the screenplay made it unable for the viewers to identify which is which. Therefore, it leaves to the audience whether it was a happy ending or not. Also, script was not visible, making it more challenging to understand; and since emotions can speak far from what words can say, it is truly an effective strategy to capture one’s heart. The film was not just understood, it was felt.

Simple shots were made, giving importance to the character’s emotions. The close-up shots of every sentiments, may it be the face or the gestures, made it possible for the audience to understand every situation in the film. The setting was just a simple place in Korea, which suggests a simple living for the young man. The title 3-iron gives a lot of indications in the film; in the field of golf playing, 3-iron is the hardest club to use, which gives the idea that life is like playing a golf using the 3-iron, it may be hard, it may be impossible to win by using it, but holding on to what you have, makes it possible to win the game of life. Sometimes, sudden stop is necessary, but holding on to the unspoken promises gave him the strength to continue. Also, the young man breaks into houses and repairs things seems to implicate an idea that his life was not better, and repairing these things represents his want of fixing his life, but was not given a chance. Lastly, the zero in the weighing scale was a very surprising element, the zero that shapes like a circle portrays that love has no beginning or end, it just happens and you’ll never know when it will stop. And in mathematical equations, zero is neutral. For in love, you’ll not know when you are right and when you are wrong.

Suggesting a ‘life less serious’ by the young man’s smiling face despite the challenges that was thrown to him, was a good idea of taking the positive sides in the midst of all the negative happenings. His stay in jail made it even possible for him to train himself just to be with the one he’s fighting for, and it is certainly worth it.

Polishing this all, 3-iron was able to express the emotions that it wanted to convey more than the words that it can express. For above all, life is not just about playing the game, it is about winning something, may it be a dream or a reality.

It may be hard to tell whether our world that we live in is a reality or dream, but what important is, we seek, we find, and we smile.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Movie)

“The best kind of prize is a surprise”

Oozing with irresistibly, creamy, sweet-filled world that anyone could ever imagine is beyond the bars of the big, steel gate. It is a white castle with lots of colourful surprises inside. Assorted candies, gums, chocolate falls and fudge, whipped cream, jellies, and all sweets are like cloud nine in Willy Wonka’s factory – a factory that came to life as Tim Burton put into visuals the writings of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the chocolate factory. It is a story that brings its viewers back to their childhood days and to their greatest cravings for sweets. This is truly an irresistible treat for all ages.

Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) is an ordinary child who lives with his parents and grandparents in a crooked, old house. It was the season of snow when Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), a chocolate whiz and a magician of sweets, decided to open his chocolate factory to public after 15 years of closure. In line with this, he launched a contest for five children and scattered five golden tickets to an ordinary Wonka bar all over the world, and whoever gets it will have a once in a lifetime chance of tour inside the mysterious factory. Also, a surprise prize that is beyond their wildest imagination awaits the winner. Willy Wonka’s traumatic childhood days was revealed during his flashbacks, which exposed the real score for him being an amazing chocolatier.

Charlie and the chocolate factory is a fairytale-like musical that highlights family values and true happiness. The story is a mixture of fancy and satire – from a fantasy world of ‘dream come true’ to Hitchcock’s famous shower scene in Psycho, the story was able to make it sumptuous not only for kids but also for the ‘kids at heart’. John August (Screenplay writer) applied flashbacks of Willy Wonka in the film, giving the viewers an overview of Willy Wonka’s family background. Being a little bit comical makes the film more appealing for the viewers. When Charlie was introduced in the film, he was described as the ‘luckiest boy in the entire world’ only, he just don’t know it. This phrase silently tells that Charlie is lucky because of the loving family that he has, even without money, for it is something that no amount of money can afford to buy. Also, the songs and dances of the Oompa Loompas were a playful highlight in disobedience that the four stubborn kids do.

The Chocolate factory is a representation of Charlie. It is plain and simple in the outside, but within lays a colourful dream that will only come to existence if you’ll know the big difference between having money and finding true happiness. Charlie, just like every one of us is in desperate need of money, in one way or another, we are in need of cash, yet above all these material things, there are dreams that even billions of money can’t buy. It is only true happiness that could bring us to our beloved chocolates, our family.

In a wrap, Charlie and the chocolate factory is a film that uses its production design to interpret the characters. Willy Wonka’s factory is as wacky as his personality, so as the snow that depicts Christmas, a gift-giving season, which could be the reason for Mr. Wonka’s golden ticket giveaway. The crooked house is an exaggerated approach of Charlie’s poor status and the golden ticket served as his key to an improved life.

There would be a time when we have to choose between a golden ticket and a 500 US dollars; let us not be a dummy and treasure the golden ticket that once lost, can never be replaced, for in every ordinary, hides an extraordinaire.