French Festival 2011 in Cebu - UPDATES

The 16th French Film Festival will take place right here in Cebu (Ayala Center Cebu Cinema 4, to be exact) from the 23rd to the 25th of June 2011.

Here are the five films featured this year along with a short description and the screening schedule for each one.

Les Enfants de Timpelbach (Trouble at Timpeltill) - 95 minutes
Directed by Nicolas Bary

This is a family adventure film about a village called Timpeltill, which is inhabited by children who spend their time playing pranks on the adults as well as themselves. To teach them a lesson, the adults left them on their own. Although the parents intended to return at the end of the day, certain events resulted to the children getting abandoned for real. Two of the gangs in the village confronted each other with the goal of gaining full control of the entire village.
June 23(Thursday) 4:35-6:10PM
June 24(Friday) 4:35-6:10PM
June 25 (Saturday) 2:45-4:20PM



Arthur et la Vengeance de Maltazard (Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard)- 93 minutes
Directed by Luc Besson

This is the sequel to Arthur And The Invisibles. In this action animated feature, our hero Arthur gets reunited with his beloved Princess Selenia. This happens after Selenia sends a distress call to Arthur, so he comes to rescue the Mimoys from the hands of Maltazard.
June 23(Thursday) 2:45-4:20PM
June 24 (Friday) 1:00-2:33PM
June 25 (Saturday) 1:00-2:33PM



Un Poison Violent (Love Like Poison) - 90 minutes
Directed by Katell Quillévéré

This French drama revolves around how a young woman's life starts to change after she gets home one summer from a Catholic boarding school and find out that her father has left. Since her mother is with the local priest, she has no one else to cling to for comfort but her grandfather. Her faith is shaken as she befriends a teenager who does not share the same amount of faith in God as she has.
June 23(Thursday) 8:20-9:50PM
June 24(Friday) 5:25-7:00PM
June 25(Saturday) 10:00-11:30PM



Dans les Cordes (On the Ropes) - 90 minutes
Directed by Magaly Richard-Serrano

Since they were kids, Angie and Sandra have been into boxing. When they fight each other during the French Championships, the equilibrium maintained within the family is shook as a rivalry forms between the two boxers and sisters.
June 23(Thursday) 1:00-2:30PM
June 24(Friday) 2:50-4:20PM
June 25(Saturday) 10:00-11:30PM



Le Marquis (The Marquis) - 88 minutes
Directed by Dominique Farrugia

This is a comedy film about a small-time salesman who is arrested for minor charges but ends up pretending to be "The Marquis" to acquire his inmates' respect. The Marquis is actually a highly popular thief who has remained anonymous over time. Before the salesman is released though, he is taken out of prison by an armed robber who breaks into it just to take "The Marquis" with him to the Philippines to be a part of a robbery. This was partially shot in Cebu.
June 23(Thursday) 1:00-2:30PM, 10:05 – 11:35PM
June 24(Friday) 2:50-4:20PM, 7:30-9:00PM
June 25(Saturday) 4:30-6:10PM, 8:15-9:45PM

The Power of Our Thoughts

Nothing beats the human mind when it comes to encouraging and empowering an individual. Hence, it is recommended that one start the day thinking about the good things in life and just how lucky we are to be alive.

Here is a sample by Jessica.


And like her, I love everything in my life, and I can do anything good from everything that I have! Let's keep the good energy flowing.Aja!

French Festival 2011 in Cebu

As someone who enjoys watching films of all kinds (although I tend to veer away from the scary and gruesome ones), I get super excited when it comes to foreign film festivals taking place here in Cebu. Despite the fact that these movies are rarely in English version, and I have to spend time reading the subtitles in order to understand everything, such efforts can easily be made up for by the movies themselves. They are usually unusual, making each one a wonder to watch. Some even let the moviegoers make up the ending. All in all, they are worth the time and the risk I have to face when going home very late at night.

This coming June 23-25 is the French Film Festival 2011.


Here is the trailer of one of the delights this year brings. One of the many I personally look forward to watch.

Cancelled Donation..Unexpected Celebration

Due to my monthly visitor's presence, the scheduled blood donation was canceled. In lieu of that, the company celebrated its anniversary. Dinner and videoke (with overflowing food and drinks) along with games and a cash raffle draw made the entire evening uberly delightful. To cap it off, our traveling expenses to and from the said celebration were shouldered by the company. Everyone in the team was definitely happy and satisfied.

Being A Blood Donor

I've donated blood two times already in the past couple of years. A busy schedule and a couple of glitches here and there have kept me from giving another bag or two since last year. I am excited to be doing it again today.

Blood donation is not a necessity for women because of our monthly menstruation period which eliminates all the bad stuff in our bloodstream (or something like that). However, the idea of giving something that can prove to be highly useful for another person is certainly motivating me to do this.

A couple of days ago, I found out that an acquaintance's son is need of blood after experiencing a serious injury in a motor-accident. Since the hospital where the patient is confined is located a couple of blocks away from the office, I texted the said acquaintance and made an offer to donate blood. Unfortunately, I have been very busy since that day up until yesterday. I simply did not have the time to drop by the hospital to go through the procedure. Good thing I don't have a lot on hand today, so I will be out to do something significant for another person before the day ends today.

The thought makes me feel so good!:)

Alo Catering Cebu: Highly Recommended

This is just one of the dishes I delightfully consumed last night (consciously forcing out my mind all thoughts related to friend's upcoming wedding) during the blessing of my friend's parents' house. Although I arrived an hour late after the actual dinner started, there was still a lot of options available for me to choose from, and the one in the photo above is just one of them. There was also some lasagna, breaded fish, sweet & sour pork, kalderita and lechon. Desert was mango float. All of these savory delights, minus the lechon, were brought to us by Alo Catering in Guadalupe, Cebu.

Referred to us by my friend's auntie, who thinks highly of this provider, Alo Catering did not seem very accommodating and friendly when we first talked with them on the phone. Despite that, we were confident on what the auntie had to say, so we did stick with Alo. We had a little apprehensions as the date of the house blessing approaches but still held on to it.

And we definitely made the right decision. The waiters during the entire event were nice, polite and smiling. This is very important because a rude server can easily ruin a diner's appetite. Their food was the best. The shrimp was perfectly done that each time I bit into the meat itself, I can feel the spiciness and juiciness of it. The kaldereta was yummy and not smelly at all. I bet my grandmother who does not eat goat meat will get it on with that dish simply it was delicious. Probably the best thing about their food service is how they arrange their package. Although we paid for a specific number of people (70 to be exact), more than 70 people we able to eat because they did not count it per serving. They simply prepared the dishes good enough for 70 people, so the guests get to decide whether they want more, less or none of a specific dish, which the other guests might also prefer. Less goes to waste, and more people end up satisfied and happy like ME!

For those who are having a celebration of any sort, I highly recommend Alo Catering in Cebu for an appetizing and satisfying experience for the celebrants and guests alike.Cheers!

PS. Here is their FB page
http://profiles.friendster.com/47197041

Wedding Means Dieting

One of my bestfriends is getting married next month, and I am set to be one of the bridesmaids. This is really exciting since she is the first one to be wed out of my billion, more or less, girlfriends. Hand in hand with the excitement though is a feeling of bitterness because I am the largest out of the girls chosen for her wedding entourage. I know I cannot lose the pounds I need to get rid of in just a month's time, and it makes me sad. I'm trying to think of the positive side though. Sometimes, it just does not work. Despite that, I'm still excited for the big day, my friend's big day.