What are you doing the rest of your life?

Tonight, my favorite American Idol contestant of the season, Amber Holcomb, sang the Barbra-Streisand-popular-version of What are you doing the rest of your life?; a song included in Streisand's The Way We Were record and only sung live once, impeccably if I may add as you would expect from Streisand, 20 years after, in her 1994 concert.

Although it was Streisand's version that became popular and iconic, probably because of her stature and how flawless and grand she interprets the very essence of the song, it wasn't her original. The song was originally sung by Michael Dees for the 1969 movie The Happy Ending, music composed by Michel Legrand and lyrics by the husband and wife team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

With or without Streisand's magnificent voice carrying it, I suppose the song is truly destined to be a classic, if only because of how cleverly and profoundly the song was written. This is probably the most intellectual and yet emotional way of telling the love of your life to stay with you; asking What are you doing the rest of your life? - to 'spend all his seasons and times of his days' with you - to make his life yours and your life his.

Which smartphone to buy?

I'm gearing to buy a new smartphone in the next few days and I'm twisted between the iPhone 3Gs and the HTC HD2. Both are beautiful and powerful. The features are almost the same, so I'm confused and twisted. What to choose?

Being Alive...

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing. (Agatha Christie)

Hope, courage and heroism

Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even if in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow. (Dorothy Thompson)

Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired. (Erik Erikson)

Bon Appétit!

Is there a role/character that Meryll Streep can't portray excellently? Because in my book, she is clearly THE best actress in the world and watching her graciously (and sometimes surprisingly) shift from one character to the next in every movie is such a delight.


I just finished watching Streep in Julie & Julia and even if i do not know who Julia Child was before the movie, I still watched, because she (Streep) is in it. The movie is adorable and Streep is outstanding in it. The hand gestures, the voice, the accent, the facial expressions - Streep was just perfect. And even if you're not exactly a fan of French cooking or does not know who Julia Child is, Streep's acting is an enough treat to watch the movie. 


Plus, watching the movie will definitely teach you a thing or two about French cooking. As for me, i got hungry after watching it and wished I would be able to taste Julia Child's signature Beef Bourguinon. Hopefully i can find a decent French restaurant in Manila serving it when i get back home.

Video: The Story of Bubble Boy

Found this video a few days ago and the theme spoke to me. It tells about BubbleBoy and how his inner demons and his past has affected the way he views the world and therefore, himself; limiting his potentials - the possibilities and opportunities of life seemingly unreachable.

The intentional eerie atmosphere and tone of the short film has given it more character and perhaps, helped in vividly communicating its message.

The Story of Bubble Boy


Synopsis: In a stab-happy world, a sad outcast wrestles with his demons. The story of bubbleboy is a film about being trapped by the past and redeemed by the future.

Director: Sean Ascroft
Producer: Sean Ascroft Karl Mather Kristy Fransen
Writer: Karl Mather
Cinematographer: John Simpson
Sound design: Danny Grifoni
Composer: Hylton Mowday
Editor: Sean Ascroft
Key Cast: Andrew Supanz Nina Pearce

Video: Love on Post-Its

Saw this a few days ago and it's totally adorable; an office romance sprung forth by the use of post-its. I know, using post-its to create a collage of love messages isn't exactly earth friendly, but hey paper is recyclable anyway and when you're in love, one tries to get the message across in any (so long as they're legal and decent) way possible.

So, watch you guys.

Cheers. ☺

Saw this first in BitRebels.

10 Meaningful and Amazing Animated Short Films

I find short animated films to be a forward-focused medium capable of greatly affecting its audience even though it could only run for a few minutes. They are short but powerful and mostly mind blowing. In fact, i believe that it is the time constraint that essentially helps the message become pure and heartfelt.

Further, the kind of work, the amount of time, effort and creativity that these people, the animators, put out to produce these outstanding animated films is absolutely admirable .

In this breadth, I have decided to share with you 10 animated film treasures and my favorites that are mostly leaning on the more sentimental (I'm a sucker for sentimental themes); those that make one reflect about love, hope, the triumph of the human spirit, desperation,dreams. These videos are incredibly meaningful and has struck something tender and lonely in me and I hope that you take the time to watch them and hopefully be moved by them as well.

The Artist's Model by MattCarter



The Clocktower By Arenyth (Pls click the title to play off site)



Fireflies by Juusan13



I Know You by Robertas



Clouds by FargalEX



Colored for Life by TSnow



Entropy by RhubarbZoo

365 days left to save the world

Great video directed and animated by Ubik, reminding us of the effects of global warming to this one planet we call home.

3650 from Ubik on Vimeo.

Global warming's tipping point means that if we don't do something in the next ten years, it will be too late to do anything at all. So, there are just 365 days left to save the world... and counting.

Whitney Houston: The Wait Is Over

Finally, definite album news and release date for one of the world's greatest and most affecting voices, and my greatest singer of all time, Whitney Houston. Whitney's new album will be released worldwide September 1, 2009 on Arista Records. This is Whitney's 7th studio album. Since her 1985 self-titled debut, she has built an illustrious career that has generated over 170 million combined worldwide sales of albums, singles and videos. Cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as music's most awarded female artist of all time, with an unsurpassed tally of 411 awards, inclusive of 6 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 23 American Music Awards and 16 Billboard Music Awards, Whitney remains a singular force in music today. Be sure to visit www.whitneyhouston.com regularly for up-to-date album information, exclusive photos and more exciting news!

And to remind us how great a singer Whitney Houston truly is, below are two exceptional performances that showcases her ability to richly interpret a song and touch people through it -no qualms, no lip-singing, no dance brouhaha - just the voice and a phenomenal stage presence that makes you stop and listen.

"Sorry I'm Late" & "Little Big Love" Short Films

Award winning short films done by brilliant London-based Motionographer Tomas Mankovsky. Watch the making of the videos here and here.

Little Big Love from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky on Vimeo.

In support of Cinemalaya 2009

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film competition and festival that aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity. It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. Each year, ten fresh talents are given a seed grant in order to create the film of their dreams. These films are then featured in a nine-day long festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines every July and compete for the coveted Balanghai Award. Awards are also given in twelve other categories, as well for the best efforts in short narrative features. The film festival begins on July 17 until July 26, 2009.

These are three short films made to promote this years festival.

"Saan Nagtatago Ang CCP?" (Looking for CCP) Stars Dino Jalandoni.


"Candelabra" (The Candle Holder) Stars: Erik Matti and EJ Galang


"Ang Kapatid Ko'ng Nagpupumilit Makita Si Ricky Davao" (My Sister Wants to See Ricky Davao") Stars: Ina Feleo, Cinemalaya 2007's Best Actress, Ricky Davao, and Coco Martin

Google Chrome: The Evolution of Simple

I am a fan of Google Chrome and i can't wait for the Mac version to be finished.

YouTube Cannes Young Lion 48 Hour Ad Contest

Vote for Filipinos Katrina Encanto and Apol Sta. Maria in the YouTube, Cannes Lions & Oxfam's 48 Hour Ad Contest.





(Via Plus63)

Great McDonald's TVC's from all over the world

For inspiration and fun, i have gathered some of the best and most memorable McDonald's TV spots that i found over at YouTube. Most of these are really fresh, fun and heartwarming - the direction that all McDonald's commercials seem to take.

McDonald's is one of those global brands who has gone beyond race and geography and has reached a global mass appeal that is phenomenally unbeatable. And these kind of TV spots have helped in creating and empowering that global appeal.

The Ball

Directed by Orlando Mesquita (Mozambique). Since 1984, Orlando Mesquita has edited, directed, and produced over 20 films, including features, educational programs, and documentaries. His projects explore the many facets of Mozambican life such as the role of women and war, refugees, and demobilized soldiers. In 1999 he won a Kuxa Kanema Best Video Award for his work as a co-director and editor on Community Stories.

Lea Salonga at the Earth Hour Celebration in the Philippines

Filipino Tony Award winner Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Cinderella and The Flower Drum Song) performed two songs during the Earth Hour celebration in Manila, Philippines.

The Boy With The Incredible Brain

Daniel Paul Tammet is a British high-functioning autistic savant gifted with a facility for mathematical calculations, sequence memory, and natural language learning. He was born with congenital childhood epilepsy. Experiencing numbers as colors or sensations is a well-documented form of synesthesia, but the detail and specificity of Tammet's mental imagery of numbers is unique. In his mind, he says, each number up to 10,000 has its own unique shape and feel, that he can "see" results of calculations as landscapes, and that he can "sense" whether a number is prime or composite. He has described his visual image of 289 as particularly ugly, 333 as particularly attractive, and pi as beautiful. Tammet not only verbally describes these visions, but also creates artwork, particularly watercolor paintings, such as his painting of Pi.

Tammet holds the European record for memorising and recounting pi to 22,514 digits in just over five hours. He also speaks a variety of languages including English, French, Finnish, German, Spanish, Lithuanian, Romanian, Estonian, Icelandic, Welsh and Esperanto. He particularly likes Estonian, because it is rich in vowels. Tammet is creating a new language called Mänti. Tammet is capable of learning new languages very quickly. To prove this for the Channel Five documentary, Tammet was challenged to learn Icelandic in one week. Seven days later he appeared on Icelandic television conversing in Icelandic, with his Icelandic language instructor saying it was "not human." Article from Oddee

The longest way from a daydream to a dream

On November 9, 2007, photographer and student, Christoph Rehage started the longest journey of his life from China to Germany. By walking.

Although, he was not able to finish his original goal of reaching Germany as he stopped November 13, 2008. He has already achieved a very significant feat. He walked 4646 km for a year - passed the Gobi Dessert, various travel issues with local authorities, unlimited beard and hair growth and apparently zealous watchers who posed with him as he took pictures of himself during the journey.

I could just imagine how enriching this journey has been for Christoph; to travel and see the world not through the fast and dynamic advances in transportation, but through the most basic form of travel. This is a remarkable journey that only an equally remarkable man could do.

The title of this post is inspired by Christoph's statement in his website ..." There are longer ways, and many people have walked them before. So what’s the point in calling this “the longest way?“ It’s actually quite simple. Some take walks and others do other things. Nevertheless, this goes for everyone - it is the longest way from a daydream to a dream." Know more about Christoph Rehage at his website The Longest Way.

The Sound of Music's Do-Re-Mi at Belgium Central Station

This is a magical moment. Somehow, it causes one's seemingly unflinching despair to ebb away - to drown into warm childhood memories, when life is simple - when red means love and blue means peace.

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. With just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! Those 4 fantastic minutes started the 23 of march 2009, 08:00 AM. It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music".