Bruno (movie)

Steven and I watched "Borat" a few days before watching this one so that he would have an idea of how far Sacha Baron Cohen would go to make people laugh. But then I was not prepared to what I have seen.

This is not a movie to be seen by anyone who has a shred of conservatism in his blood. It is sexually explicit and very graphic. If you think having sex with a ghost is not possible then you should think again.

Compared to "Borat", "Bruno" does not have a direction. It does not have a clear ending and it seems to go from another stunt to another. But don't get me wrong--"Bruno" is a lot funnier.

Sacha deserves a commendation because he is really convincing as a gay fashionista. He has researched on this character very well. Though his German is not that good, Sacha is really really funny.

Of course, this is still funny on DVD but the energy inside the cinema makes it even funnier. I do not know how Sacha will top this one.

Singapore Airlines (Manila to Adelaide)

The price was really tempting and I thought I would have less quality than Qantas since Qantas is more expensive than Singapore Airlines. But I was dead wrong. Singapore Airlines is much much much better than Qantas.

In my confirmation letter, I was encouraged to check in and print my boarding pass online. I did not have a printer in Manila so I was only able to check in but it was OK. I was given priority at the airport just because I checked in online.

The economy seats were roomier and they were well-maintained. I was lucky to be able to stretch myself as I was a few rows away from other occupied seats. I had cocktails (mixed on the plane) and much wider variety of movies.

Then we landed in Changi Airport. That place is amazing. It is high-tech but it is not in your face. It is big but not excessive. It has trams, automatic water fountains and machines that massage the passengers' legs for free.

After that, I had to board for my flight to Adelaide and Singapore Airlines did not ask me to pick up my luggage and transfer to another terminal (hello Qantas!). To my surprise, I was upgraded to business class!

There is a huge difference between economy and business. I had huge a huge widescreen monitor and seats that go as flat as a bed. The staff are very attentive--I had a problem with my seat and it took them 20 seconds to come to my aid. The food was fantastic--chicken and lamb satay!

Best of all, we arrived earlier than scheduled (hello Qantas!). It is good to have this major airline travelling direct to Adelaide (hello Qantas!)

Missing Steven

My trip to Manila was a physically and emotionally demanding task. I had to fly to Sydney for my connecting flight to Bangkok. In Bangkok, I had to pick up some of my personal things and meet a few friends in just one day. Afterwards, I flew to Manila and run several errands.

I terribly missed Steven. For two weeks, I slept very very little because I kept on thinking about him. I was worried for his safety as we have some security issues in our flat.

I am very dependent on this person and this is something new to me. Steven told me on Skype he had experienced the same things. We are facing a lot of challenges here but I am very happy that we are facing these with each other.

I am so blessed to have this man in my life.

Balut-eating baby can sing karaoke

I know I have been very secretive since I moved to Adelaide but there is good reason. I will tell you more about this in later posts.

Anyway, I was able to visit Manila and be with my family who spoiled me. I asked for seafood and I got a seafood dish a couple of hours after.

But I want to tell you about my niece Danica Mejia. I know I am not an uncle who is slanted because she is my niece but she is a special child. She loves to talk and she cannot keep her mouth shut even for five seconds. She is only 3 years old and yet she can communicate in complete sentences and enunciate every syllable correctly.

Here she is singing karaoke. You have to watch the ending of this one.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I am not a big fan of this series but I am a big fan of comparing books to their movie versions. I read this book three years ago and it was just exciting to read the kids grow up to become wizards and witches with love interests.

I admit that their acting skills have become better, including Daniel Radcliffe's but some are scene-stealers like Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) and Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave). They are just very funny minor characters. I would have liked to see more of Luna Lovegood though but we will see more of her in the next two installments.

Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore is really good especially in the scene where they have to get one horcrux. Alan Rickman's Severus Snape is also very good although there are differences with how he was portrayed on the books. Snape is more cryptic in the books but the movie's Snape gives an idea of what the viewers should expect in the next movie.

The visual effects are superb: the Quidditch matches are well-rendered and look very realistic. The death eaters destroying everything on their path look impressive as well. There is not much action in the latest installment but the next one should be action-packed.

Last Ride (movie)

"Last Ride" stars Matrix villain, Hugo Weaving. It is about a father who tries his best to be the best one that his 10-year old boy can ever have. But was he able to succeed?

Kev has done something very wrong and his son does not know about it. They spend a long time escaping from something that will be revealed in the latter part of the movie. The movie is predictable but how it nears the outcome is gripping.

It must be a terrible shoot for the young actor Tom Russell as it involves a lot of violence and the setting is not exactly friendly. They had to brave the elements in the outback to show the huge gulf between the father and the son.

The behaviour of the child presents many questions--is he really capable of it? Is Kev a really good father?

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (movie)

As a child, I was a big fan of the cartoons. I knew the main characters when they were still all two-dimensional cartoons. My mother could not afford to buy me the original toys but I had a few similar toys. Like any other kid, I wondered what would happen if toys could talk.

But then this latest Transformers franchise crushed every good memory of what I have. The story is—well, I am not sure if there is one. I thought it was going to be about the Autobots leaving earth. Then the Autobots stayed and Shia’s character was having this vibrator-in-my-ass fits which did not really develop into anything.

Shia LeBouf is a good actor but he really cannot save this movie. Megan Fox looks good but that is all. I do not think she will last a long time in this business as she has no talent. There were far too many robots to relate to any of them.

The action sequences were just way too confusing. Sometimes, I do not know which one is a villain and which one is a hero and which one is the human that got crushed. I honestly fell asleep during the desert battle scene. I was desperately waiting for it to end.

I am sure there will be a Transformers 3 but this franchise has already lost its magic.

Samson and Delilah (movie)

Samson & Delilah is a simple-looking love story between two aboriginal teenagers. They are put in very difficult situations with very dramatic twists.

I have been living in South Australia for 8 months but I have not made friends with any aboriginal. Perhaps, it is because I am surrounded by white Australians and the animosity between the two groups is still alive. This movie presents a probably realistic portrayal for what it is like to be un-Westernized amongst the dominant Westerners. It also shows how aboriginal life fits the country and how odd it is to have these Westerners in their country.

The male lead Rowan McNamara has yet to learn more about acting but the story is so good that he can be forgiven. But Marissa Gibson is very powerful and beautiful as the more mature half of the pair. Mitjili Napanangka Gibson as Delilah's nana is endearing and memorable.

The contrast between the big towns and small settlement areas is very stark. But the pair's refuge is not even with their own families but their own world.

Puking On A Date

Steven and I have the same idea of a perfect date--pigging out in a buffet which we did last night. We just love stuffing our mouths and I guess that will give you an idea of how we would look when we get old.

We went to Charlie's Diner and we had some pseudo-Asian food like Hokkien noodles, tempura, spicy beef casserole, prawn crackers, etc. They also have a spread of Western meat dishes like lamb's fry, steaks, and mashed potatoes. There were also some sinful desserts like pavlova and chocolate pudding.

I could barely walk but we were able to leave the restaurant. In the carpark, I told Steven that I was so stuffed that I could throw up. He did not believe until he saw me heaving my stomach on the street. I saw and tasted the last two trips I had.

I am sure people passing by thought that I had too much to drink but I had too much to eat.

By the way, Steven ate twice the amount that I did and yet he was OK.