Category: Lifestyle

The Spirit Movie Review

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On June 21, 2010

It has become a habit for me to watch movies every weekend on television. A few weeks back, I was able to catch the movie, Teeth, through Star Movies. Last weekend, I was able to catch The Spirit.

When I watched the movie, I initially thought that it was directed by Quentin Tarantino because the style is somewhat the same (without blood and all that gore though). Apparently, the Spirit is an adaptation of a comic book series & it was directed by Frank Miller. If you’ve watched Sin City and 300, you will sense the same feel all throughout the movie, but just a fair warning, don’t expect these movies, expect The Spirit to be really more unique and light.

The Spirit was a flop which was quite surprising because I find it quite entertaining and good. The movie had a great cast too including Samuel Jackson, my favorite Eva Mendes, the beautiful Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King & Gabriel Macht.

Let me share the main characters & their roles before I share the plot in this post, I think it will be much easier to understand that way:

The Spirit (also Denny Colt) – the main character of the movie. Played by Gabriel Macht. He is a former police officer who was killed in the line of duty, but because of a serum that was injected into him, he came back to life and is basically indestructible. He is the protector of the city.
The Octopus – played by Samuel L. Jackson, is the villain of the movie and the arch enemy of The Spirit. He is actually the one who injected the serum into The Spirit, and thereafter also injected himself with the serum. Thus, he is also as indestructible as The Spirit.
Silken Floss – played by the sexy Scarlett Johansson, she’s sort of the sexy assistant to The Octopus.
Sand Saref – played by Eva Mendes, is an international and famous thief. She is actually the childhood love of Denny Colt who has become The Spirit.
Ellen Dolan – the doctor that takes care of The Spirit when he becomes wounded and injured and needs to recover. She is also the current love interest of The Spirit, and to make the connections even more interesting, she’s also the daughter of the police commissioner.

I can describe the movie as a lighter take of Sin City the movie, a fun and entertaining and sometimes over the top movie which I think really does justice to comic books too. The Spirit, the main character of the movie, having been resurrected, is an indestructible crime fighter for the city. He has shown great love for the city and has vowed to be its protector.

He is also known to be charming, having women and girls fall in love with him just by a simple meeting with him. He however has had two great loves, 1 is Sand Saref who he fell in love with when he was very young. Unfortunately, due to Sand’s father’s death, they separated. Sand became a well-known jewel thief and had an encounter with Octopus who is Spirit’s arch enemy. Ellen Dolan, on another hand, is the Spirit’s doctor who is very much inlove with him and patiently waiting for him each time to heal him from his wounds. At the ending, the Spirit and Sand did say goodbye to each other. The Spirit looked to be with Ellen at the end.

Silken Floss is Octopus assistant. They used Denny as their test subject for the serum they created that is supposed to be an elixir of life for immortality. Octopus also took the same serum after the test and now seeks for more power by trying to acquire the blood of Heracles which is in Sand’s hands. During the encounter, Octopus got Golden fleece which was the one that Sand wanted. Sand & Octopus got into an agreement for an exchange.

Towards the end of the movie was the encounter between Sand, Octopus & the Spirit w/c for me is the highlight of the movie. I loved how the movie was played out. Well, I think I’m a bit biased as Eva Mendes is one of my favorite American actresses. I had actually wished for Sand & The Spirit to continue their love affair but I guess superheroes don’t really have a love life coz they are tied to the city they are protecting. And actually in the end, it was Ellen Dolan, the doctor that The Spirit chose, but she realizes that The Spirit has a big burden of protecting the city and concludes that they can never be together. I won’t describe the entire movie in detail, but I can tell you that the plot isn’t overly complicated, it’s basically good guy versus bad guy, and the good guy winning in the end. It’s just a bit different because, just like Spiderman, it seems that the superhero really has to choose between love and being a protector of the city and its citizens.

I would not consider this a must-watch movie but it’s a nice movie to catch when you have time. I think if you go into the movie expecting a very light comic book adaptation, and to not take it too seriously, but just enjoy the sequences, then you will really enjoy it. I think, as a superhero, The Spirit is really brought to life with the way he was portrayed in the movie. The Octopus also was a great over the top character that I also enjoyed. So much life in his character, very corny at times, and the costumes were just a great way of reminding me during the movie that this was indeed a great comic book come to life. It’s supposed to be fiction, and in that aspect, it really was refreshing and fun to watch!

My rating for The Spirit: 4 out of 5 stars.

Beyond Numbers and Words

Posted by Finance Dude On June 20, 2010

To the real fathers’ :

whose wallet does not contain thick moneybills but is thick with pictures of his family and lots of discount cards and coupons.

whose pride is not having lots of women but loving and caring for one in his life.

whose abs are not well defined, but whose childrens’ future is.

whose hobbies are not golf or gulp, but working and making ends meet.

whose dreams are not getting famous, or getting filthy rich. but having a happy family.

Happy Father’s Day!

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About the contributor:
Finance Dude
The writer is a financial planner, investor, speaker and a self confessed cheapaholic. (Cheapaholic- a term he invented to mean someone who is addicted to being very cheap). Send in your questions. He will try to answer any questions you might have, preferably on finance and money matters. Although he does not object to questions on love and relationships, he never had one and due to his extreme cheapness, will probably never have one (In case youâ€™ll send it mistakenly, he promised to forward it to HeaRty).

Disclaimer: Advice posted in this portion is merely opinions and views of the writer. It does not constitute formal advice. The writer will not be responsible for any of your gains or losses. If symptoms persist, contact your trusted financial planner.

A Different View

Posted by Finance Dude On June 13, 2010

During the summer, I had a problem. It was really hot. Our house was made out of four-inch concrete and tiles for floor. I was like a pig in an oven. I canâ€™t sleep well. Two fans just wonâ€™t make it. The cost of an air conditioner is about Php 10,000. But Iâ€™m too cheap to buy one, because I think itâ€™s not just Php 10,000. Itâ€™s more!

When you buy an appliance, you also pay for its electricity. Electricity costs money. The estimated cost is about another Php 1,000 (at least) a month. In a year thatâ€™s Php 12,000. (Php 1,000 x 12 months). Thatâ€™s assuming no increase in electricity will happen— ever! Of course you know itâ€™s not true.

The total cost is about P22,000 and increasing. (Php 10,000 for the appliance, Php 12,000 a year for the electricity.)

How much would I need to invest to make Php 12,000 a year? Letâ€™s assume I could get an investment with a return of 6% a year. (Pause for a while and refresh your math operations to answer this.)

The answer is Php 200,000. Divide Php 12,000 by 6% to get this amount. (Now you know how powerful your fourth grade math is.) If Iâ€™ll have Php 200,000 and invest it at 6% return yearly, Iâ€™ll receive Php 12,000 every year to support my electricity expenses.

But what if electric rates increases again? How will we able to cover our expenses? (Some nose bleed terms of offsetting or covering or matching are: hedging, squaring, netting)

To answer this question, let us ask a simple question: Who gets the benefit when electric rates increase? (This is not a trick question. The answer is not Nobody.)

Answer: Power Producers.

How do we become an owner of power producers? Some companies are traded in the stock exchange. (A stock exchange is a place where stocks, which represents ownership rights of a corporation, are bought and sold.) We could buy the stocks at the right price. The increase in our electric bill expenses would mean an increase of the income of the power producer companies we would own which could then translate to an increase in its stock price and a profit for us. The profit would then be able to pay for the increased electric bill. Sounds simple. But the truth is that itâ€™s more complicated than that.

What did I do? I really canâ€™t take it anymore. Sooooo, on the late summer month of May, I bought the cheapest available air conditioner with the highest EER (A higher EER is supposed to mean more efficient use of energy and a lower electric bill.) Iâ€™m now forced to make at least P200,000 to support it passively (Iâ€™ll give myself until end of this year to make it) orâ€¦ I could become a Power Ranger and look for power producers to own.

(P.S. Two cheap air conditioners I saw are Korean brands. I wonâ€™t tell you the brands until they pay me advertising fees and I donâ€™t own the company who makes them.)

Prince of Persia Movie Review

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On June 8, 2010

I was finally able to catch the movie Prince of Persia last weekend. And oh men, movies at Greenbelt, Makati were so jampacked last Saturday. Would you believe we arrived at 7pm and were already queueing at the movie ticket section? When it was our turn, all 5 theaters were fully booked. Only the last full show had open slots & there were like less than 10 slots left! So we bought tickets for the 11PM showing. After dinner, Jen & I spent time roaming around greenbelt 3 & 5.

You know I was about to ask if we could watch another movie. Just glad we ended up with Prince of Persia. I was in total awe after the movie. I was like, WOW! It was done perfectly. As a viewer, I couldn’t think of anything to make the movie better or even think of anything to criticize it for.

Prince of Persia is based on the video game of the same title, and actually the video games are a trilogy with some cinematic appeal as well. I’ve never played any of those Prince of Persia video games, but I’m thinking that those games must have been some great games too.

The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina & Gemma Arterton (remember the girl I said before that was too pretty in Clash of the Titans? that’s her).

Jake plays an orphan named Dastan, who was adopted by the King of Persia after showing great courage in the marketplace. The king really treated him as his own son. A few years later, all grown up, Dastan together with his foster brothers attacked the city of Alamut because they had learned that the city was illegally providing weapons to their enemies. The attack on the city was eventually successful and princess Tamina of the city of Alamut was captured along with a dagger that would eventually be the centerpiece of this story. Tamina was offered to be the wife of Dastan’s oldest brother, Tus, thus making the city of Alamut as part of the Persian empire.

During the celebration, Dastan was fooled into presenting a poisoned gown to the king. The king died as he was burned to death when he wore the gown, and it was Dastan who was blamed and accused of killing his father. Dastan manages to escape with Princess Tamina along with the dagger. The pair however come in conflict as they have different motives in their escape. Dastan just wants to prove his innocence in the death of his father, the king. And Princess Tamina has the duty of guarding the dagger.

If you’re looking for some great movie action with some great sword fights, and even a little romance between the leading characters, as well as some great movie effect, then you will really love this movie. What’s also important with Prince of Persia the movie is that although it may have been based on the video games, you need not even have played or even know a single thing about the video games to truly appreciate this movie. They did a great job in making the movie able to stand by itself just as a movie and not having to strictly follow the video game structure at all.

I was definitely glued to the screen all throughout the movie & it was actually a first that I didn’t even glance at my watch for even one bit. The great parts of the movie include what the dagger is capable of doing, who the real villain is in the movie, the love story of Dastan & princess Tamina, the genuine love & trust between brothers, loyal friendship between Dastan & his best friend & the overall flow of the story.

Now, I will reveal the importance of the dagger, which is really the great and centerpiece of the movie. With the dagger, the holder can travel back in time and change the past. But the dagger is not only used for time travel, but it is also the only thing that can pierce the sandglass which is located underneath the city of Alamut, if the sandglass is pierced it will unleash the Sands of Time which will mean the end of the world.

The plot is complete, unpredictable & overall entertaining. I came out of the movie happy & very very satisfied. While the movie is still out, I suggest you go watch it. Prince of Persia is a movie you cannot miss! For the guys, I think the action in the movie is just outstanding, the pace of the movie is just enough to keep you engrossed in the film. And for the girls, you’ll love Jake Gyllenhaal. He was too cute! I actually didn’t think he was cute before but after watching Prince of Persia, I’m now a convert! Jake’s hot, hot & hot!! 😀

This movie really does have it all, with a cute leading man, a pretty leading lady, great movie effects, an original plot and storyline gives the viewer one of the best movie experiences I’ve had in a long while. Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s based on a video game, because this movie stands perfectly by itself. It’s a definite must-see!!

My Rating for Prince of Persia: 5 out of 5 stars.

D’ Original Maki Haus

Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On June 7, 2010

Living near Banawe in Quezon City, I’ve often passed by the Maki Haus that’s located there, but just haven’t been able to dine in and try the restaurant until just last week. But boy am I glad that I finally did try because the food is just sooo delicious! And from reading the menu, apparently the recipes that they use go as far back as 50 years ago from their very own ancestors and succeeding generations have tried to preserve these recipes that have been passed on by their ancestors. The result is D’ Original Maki Haus with some of the most delicious and authentic Chinese food that I have eaten.

Their specialty is obviously Maki, so that dish was already one of the dishes that we definitely knew we should get. We also asked the servers what they recommend, and the girl swears that their oyster cake is the best! We followed her advice and I must say, she was right!

Jen said we already ordered enough, but for me, I really always want to try to get as much variety as I can, so we decided to order just one more dish.

We had the ff.:

Maki-Mi (Php 120)

Maki Haus Maki

Maki soup a Chinese soup that is usually made with pork, although sometimes beef is also used. It’s slightly similar to eggdrop soup in consistency, is usually a bit more rich, and the color is brown because of the seasoning and usually because of the added soy sauce that goes into the dish. It is also a cornstarch-based soup which gives it that thick consistency too.

The key to a good Maki, according to those who regularly eat this soup is that the simplicity must never be overdone, and the key to that is to always just use the least amount of ingredients, but always cooked with the right amount of seasoning too. I must say, this Maki soup that we had was just fantastic and perfectly delicious. I can see why they kept their ancestor’s recipe, because there really is nothing to add or take away from it already.

At D’ Original Maki Haus, they have two sizes available. The regular order is at Php 100, but since we were sharing the dish, we opted for the large one. And the serving was generous with ample amount of noodles & meat. I loved the soup though so I asked if they could refill the soup which they did! I loved it! Now, I don’t need to go to Manila just to have the yummy Maki.

Kiampong (Php 35)

Maki Haus Kiampong

Kiampong, for those who don’t know what it is or haven’t tried it yet, is a modified version of fried rice and is actually a marriage of Filipino and Chinese cuisine. It in fact originated in the Filipino Chinese community. It’s really one of those types of fried rice that seems easy enough to make, since it is just fried rice, but always hard to execute and prepare so that will actually come out delicious.

I always miss my mom’s version of kiampong, so whenever I see kiampong in any of the restaurants that I go to, I make sure that I order it. Kiampong is basically rice with meat, mushrooms, onions, and it won’t be complete without the peanuts on top. This restaurant’s version of kiampong did not disappoint, and I was pleasantly happy that the meal was going well in terms of just how delicious even their kiampong was.

Fried Squid (Php 185)

Maki Haus Fried Squid

I love their fried squid! It’s perfectly cooked, breading is not too much and you can taste the wonderful squid (or pusit in Filipino). Sometimes, with fried squid, if the batter is too thick and too much, you don’t really get the full flavor of the squid, and the breading should always just be a compliment to the main ingredient anyway. I liked their style of how they cooked this dish.

However, the sauce was just a little bit off. It tasted good, don’t get me wrong, but just weird in its consistency and flavor. I think they put too much corn starch, which I think can sometimes happen with dipping sauces, and thus it ends up with a starchy taste to it. I think it’s always important to remember that starch is just a thickening ingredient, and should never be tasted in any sauce that you eat. My friend asked for vinegar but I decided to just stick with the red starchy sauce since it still tasted pretty good and went well with the fried squid. 😛

Oyster Cake (Php 155)

Maki Haus Oyster Cake

The oyster cake was definitely my favorite among the dishes we ordered at Maki Haus, and every time that I would bite into it, I just kept thinking that it was great of our server to have recommended this dish. If it were just us deciding on the dishes, I don’t think I would have ordered. Which just goes to show, that whenever you go to a restaurant and you’re not sure of a good dish to try, always ask the servers or the staff since they will probably give you a good idea of what they like or what is popular for diners.

The oyster cake is mainly an oyster omelette. I do love omelettes, and I am admittedly a seafood fanatic, so the combination of these two was just a great dining experience. I think I was able to finish like half of it. I think I’ll try to eat some of those tomorrow. Writing this blog post just made me crave for it. Grrr!

Black Gulaman (Php 25)

Maki Haus Black Gulaman

If it isn’t obvious to you yet, Maki Haus is a Chinese restaurant, and what is a drink that is usually known to be Chinese drink? Well, it’s none other than Black Gulaman! hehehe! I’m really not a fan of just plain water & I decided to quit drinking softdrinks almost two months ago, so I decided to order black gulaman instead.

The dinner was somewhat a late birthday celebration for me, but I still felt so happy coz I was with a long-lost friend. Jen & I had been out of touch for more than 4 years and I missed her dearly. Glad we were able to catch up. Hopefully, we’d get to hang out more often.

This is me with the food. And who wouldn’t be smiling with all that good food in front of you, not to mention a great and wonderful long lost friend to share the dinner with.

Awwww, I already miss eating at Maki Haus. Their prices are reasonable plus the taste of the food is just so good! You must definitely try out this restaurant which is located in Banawe, Quezon City. And don’t forget to try their oyster cake, it’s a definite must-try aside from their famous Maki soup. Such a great restaurant with homemade recipes handed down from generations!

Roch Maki Haus

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D’ Original Maki Haus
683 Banawe Street, Quezon City, Philippines
(02) 411-8767