LG Scarlet 32LH70

Finally, I got my projected, dream TV. Haha! A month ago, I was researching what 32" LCD to buy. I was planning to have my own TV to place inside my room. My desktop PC monitor just got busted up recently so I was planning to use my new LCD TV for PC purposes too, besides PS3 gaming, cable, and movie watching.

Based from what I gather from PinoyDVD Forum, probably the largest Pinoy forum regarding TV/DVD resources, the LG LH70 was the best pound for pound LCD TV for the 32" scale.

Why is this the best 32" LCD TV, in my opinion? For me, it is because of these features:

Bluetooth connectivity - connect any Bluetooth capable gadgets to your TV, like headphones, headsets, data storage devices, music players, etc.

USB connectivity - stick your USB device to play music, photos, and movie files (DIVX) on your TV.

Besides these two features, the most surprising feature for me is the TruMotion 120Hz. I wasn't paying much attention about it, but it was pretty stellar when I finally tested the TV myself. Kitang kita mo yung flow at galaw ng mga tao sa TV. I can't really describe it because I'm not that techie in regards to TVs.. basta parang napaka-dynamic nung projection. I connected my PS3 and was blown away. Lutang na lutang ang graphics as compared to my parents' 32" Sony Bravia which was just LCD ready.

Last but not the least, the LG LH70 is in Full HD. With all these features, plus the device being full HD, its a great buy for an LCD TV under 30K.

To say the least, I was blown away by this TV. I decided to buy from an online Multiply seller (who had a lot of great feedbacks from the LCD community). So if you're planning to buy an LCD TV, I highly recommend Remal Sales. They have the cheapest prices, and they offer FREE DELIVERY (within Metro Manila, i think). I had mine delivered yesterday. The delivery crew arrived as early as 8am. Kinatok na nga lang ako nung katulong namin kasi tulog pa ako.. kakahiya kasi naka briefs lang ako dahil sa init! Hahahaha!

Anyhoo, I highly recommend the LG Scarlet LH70 if you're looking for a GREAT 32" LCD TV. There are probably better options if you're looking for something above the 32" scale... but like I've said, this is the best 32" LCD TV in my opinion.

On the Boob-Tube

These are some of the gems I managed to catch on TV late at night while I was trying to make myself sleep a few weeks ago.

The Education of Charlie Banks

Directed by: Fred Durst (yeah, the Limp Bizkit frontman)
Starring:
Jesse Eisenberg
Jason Ritter

The story is about Charlie Banks, a typical neighborhood kid who witnessed a brawl involving Mick Leary, the neighborhood bad-ass. In the fight, Mick nearly killed his opponents so police was involved. Charlie is now ridden with guilt if he should point Mick to the police. He was hesitant because Mick is also a friend of Charlie's best friend, Danny. Another thing is that Charlie fears Mick's wrath in case his betrayal will be discovered. After a few urging, Charlie decided to betray Mick to the police. The movie fast forwards a few years later where Charlie and Danny are now college students living in the school dormitories. One day, Mick gives them a surprise visit. Charlie is now clustered as to why Mick is there. Does Mick know that it was Charlie who betrayed him years back? What is Mick's motive?

I didn't expect the movie to be good. It was one of those things where you take hold of the remote controller, start channel surfing, then landing on a channel to see a movie that's currently playing. It just so happen that I tuned in right when the movie started. Right from the start, I was hooked with the main characters' performances and decided to stay on and finish the movie. Eisenberg really did a great job as Charlie Banks. My favorite, however, was the troubled individual, Mick Leary, played by Jason Ritter. You'll keep guessing what he'll do next, and what he's really after. The movie is good, but its not perfect. There are a couple of pacing problems, and it keeps presenting scenarios that the movie doesn't really builds upon. It kinda acts as a coming of age film, but then it doesn't. Even though, I really enjoyed the movie. Kudos to Fred Durst for his first foray in film directing.

--

Charlie Bartlett

Directed by: Jon Poll
Starring:
Robert Downey, Jr.
Anton Yelchin

Wow, I just realized that the two movies I'm writing about features a character named "Charlie!" Amazing.

I wasn't able to start "start" the movie (my mom was the one watching), but I tuned in just in time to be "into" the movie. The story is about the titular character, Charlie Bartlett, a rich kid who got expelled from his private school because of an illegal act (i think he was making counterfeit ids, or so my mom told me). He transferred to a public school where he couldn't relate. Actually, he really couldn't relate to anywhere and anything because he's a teenager with issues. His dad is behind bars for unpaid taxes, and his mom doesn't discipline him much because she's afraid that he might rebel. Charlie just wants what most teenager wants in this point of their lives: attention. So, Charlie proposes a business deal with the school bully to start a campus psychiatric club where they listen to the students' problems, and supply them with the necessary drugs (yes, he's dealing prescription drugs inside campus). In a short while, Charlie becomes the most popular guy in campus. But there's more to it. He meets a girl who turns out to be the daughter of the schools principal, played by Robert Downey, Jr. The principal is the only person standing against Charlie's business. And the thing is, even the principal have his own case of problems and emotional baggage.

For some reason, I really enjoyed this movie. It's a clunky, coming of age movie but I got drawn with the cast of characters. Yelchin was okay as Charlie Bartlett. Robert Downey, Jr. was also in his excellent form (this is post-Iron Man era RDJ) as the school principal who deals with his daughter's rebellion, and his jealousy towards Charlie's bigger influence on the campus students. Great stuff. Like the 'Charlie Banks,' this is not a perfect movie, but a good one specially when you catch it by channel surfing at night.

--

Misery

Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: Stephen King
Starring:
Kathy Bates
James Caan

Now this movie, I saw it years ago when I was still a kid. I remember a couple of years ago, I was trying to recall the title of this film. I could only remember the scenario, but I always remember it as one of the most excellent suspense film that I watched. Then a few days ago, I lucked out. I caught this one playing on Cinemax! And the title... Misery.

Paul Sheldon (played bu James Caan) is a famous writer who penned the romance novels starring a character named Misery Chastaine. He was on his way back to New York when he had an accident. He was driving in the middle of a snow storm when his car fell into a cliff. He was rescued by a former nurse, Annie Wilkes (excellently portrayed by Kathy Bates). Paul broke his two legs and his right shoulder, luckily for him, Annie rescued him and took him to her place. As Paul recovers, Annie introduces herself. She reveals herself as "Paul Sheldon's number one fan!" She's a fan, particularly of Paul's character, Misery. She informs Paul that she has already alerted the police and that help is on the way. Days go by, and the police still haven't arrive. At first, Paul thinks that Annie is just one of the typical, middle-age woman who's a fan of his works. It turns out, Annie is an obsessive psychopath! As days passed, Annie reveals that she has not alerted the police and that Paul is more or less a prisoner in her house who's tasked to re-write the last novel wherein Paul killed the character of Misery. Talk about obsession!

Like I've said, this is one of the most excellent suspense thrillers that I've ever watched. Stephen King really created a masterpiece with this one. The fact that the story is believable and could happen to anyone is enough to keep your attention. Just imagine a famous author, JK Rowling for example, getting into an accident and rescued by some lunatic. With broken limbs, she can only rely on the lunatic to survive. She's practically at the mercy of the lunatic who demands things like "Why did you kill Dumbledoooooore!!!!!! Write another book about Harry Potter!!!! Bring back Dumbledoooooorrrreeee!!!!!!!! Or else I'm gonna break your legs... again!" That's exactly what happened to James Caan's character in this movie. Being a captive of an obsessive fan of yours is really frightening indeed.

The biggest gem of this movie, of course, is Kathy Bates. She was excellent as the psychotic and obsessive Annie Wilkes. Although you can argue that James Caan was also great, Bates really stole the show. Also, I don't know if its just me but some of Caan's facial expressions in this movie is better suited for comedies like National Lampoon. He's got that 80s comedy punchline facial expression going on. That's my only gripe though. He was believable as the captive Sheldon.

A really great film. I highly recommend it if ever you have a chance to see it.

Kick-Ass

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Produced by: Brad Pitt
Starring:
Aaron Johnson
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Chloe Grace Moretz
Nicolas Cage
Mark Strong

After the Tagaytay trip, the five of us (Jem, Che, Pilep, Oninz, and me) decided to watch Kick-Ass the next day. I've been hearing raves about the movie so I was all out for it. So there we were in Trinoma, the next day. True enough, Kick-Ass was kick ass.

The movie revolves around Dave Lizewski, your typical comic book nerd who's unpopular to everyone besides his equally unpopular friends. On their way home, they got mugged (again) by some thugs. Lizewski had enough of it, so he decided to dress up and become a vigilante to stand up to criminals even without powers or proper training. He orders a scuba diving suit and a pair of batons, and uses it to fight crime as the masked vigilante, Kick-Ass. In his first exploit as Kick-Ass, he got stabbed and ran over by a car. Undeterred, he decided to continue his plight. One night, on a mission to save a cat, he ran into a group of thugs beating up an individual. He decided to help the victim by fighting the thugs. Coincidentally, a group of kids managed to record a video of the incident and posted it on YouTube. Kick-Ass became an overnight sensation, and before he knew it, he's busy with missions. On one of his exploits gone wrong, he was saved by another vigilante named Hit-Girl... a pre-teen in costume who easily dispatches enemies with guns and blades. He also get to meet Hit-Girl's partner, Big Daddy. All is well until they discovered that the guys they messed with are thugs of a big crime boss. The story expands from there.

First off, I have to admit that I've never read the original comic book version of Kick-Ass by Mark Millar (same guy who did 'Wanted'). With that out, I must say that I'm pretty much impressed with this movie adaptation. The pacing is great, the story is great, the characters are great, the script is great... heck, even Nicolas Cage was decent in this movie.

I really appreciated the movies sense of humor. Also, the shock factor was great. I didn't expect it to be this violent. Just imagine Hit-Girl, a pre-teen who curse like a sailor and pulls of headshots like she's playing Modern Warfare! It's amazing! Actually, I can go on and talk about Hit-Girl because she literally stole the show. Chloe Moretz really did a great job portraying the ultra-violent vigilante. It's no wonder that Hit-Girl has become so popular overnight.

Overall, I really recommend this film. Again, bear in mind that I've never read the comic book. So if you're one of those comic book purists, you're bound to be disappointed (AS ALWAYS!) because I heard that the movie changed some things from the comics. But if you're a casual movie goer who doesn't mind the ultra violence, and the dark and crude sense of humor, then Kick-Ass is a really great movie! I must say that this is the best movie, SO FAR, that I've watched in the cinemas this year.

Myk's Homecoming!

Finally, Myk has come home to the Philippines for the first time since he left for Singapore to work. He decided to get us all together and go to Tagaytay for an overnight trip!

Myk was planning for this weeks ago. He even called us one by one. When he called me, he changed his voice into a 'bombay' like individual... "Hello, is this Fil?! I'm calling in regards to the sex site membership." Pota, akala ko totoo! Hahahaha! Parang bombay talaga yung boses. Halatang sanay na si Myk sa bombay ah. Hmmm.

Back to the Tagaytay sleepover, Myk set it on a Friday (last Friday, actually) since he's going back to Singapore on the next day. Kitakits nalang daw sa Shell Magallanes. Since we're 8 all in all, we decided to bring two cars and split up the people. The people riding with me were Che, Pilep, Oninz, and Jem. With Myk were Anthony, Pay, and the always late, nigga Dale! Haha! I was actually surprised that Pay came with us! Most of the time kasi, hindi pinapayagan siya kasi strict yung dad niya. It was really great that she was able to come. :)

Sayang nga lang at hindi nakumpleto. Dom had work, and Drey had other plans. Sayang at hindi nakauwi sina Mark and Ed. Otherwise, it would've been a perfect barkada trip. ;)

Anyhoo, on the day of the trip itself, I only had 2 hours of sleep. I didn't even wake up to the sound of my alarm, but rather I woke up because of a bad dream! Haha! I immediately took a bath and headed to McDo Q.ave to meet up with CHELIPS, Jem, and Oninz. Once we're set, we immediately headed to Shell Magallanes to be able to avoid the harsh Edsa rush hour traffic. And as expected, intayan na naman ng matagal kasi may na-late na naman... SINOOOO KAYA YUN!?! Hmmm!! "D" ang simula ng name! Hahaha!

Myk arrived to greet us. It's the first time I saw Myk since he left for SG last year. Parang namayat ng konti. Pero ganun pa rin! He still had his trademark sense of humor and LAUGH OUT LOUD (as in literal) antics! Hahaha!

Once we were complete, we headed out to Tagaytay! It was easy going and no traffic. It was a really pleasant trip. After a while, we finally got to Tagaytay, and to the rest house that Myk rented! It was really great! It has 4 bedrooms, and each room had its own bathroom. Really good. When I asked Myk how much did he pay for the house, he told me it was 10k for a night... but he was able to haggle it down to 8k since "weekday" naman. Haha.

After settling down, and resting for a bit, we decided to go out and check the area. The place villa had a basketball court and a pool right at the middle. We decided to play some ball wherein I think I pulled something in my back area. I found myself writhing in pain for a while. The last time I experienced this was in highschool! Haha! Thanks to Pilep for massaging my butt! "Ahhhh, Pileeeeeep!" Hahaha! Thanks pre! Haha!

The girls decided to join in the ball game, so it was me, Pilep, and the girls versus the others. Of course walang rules yung girls kaya nanalo kami! Hahahaha! After a while, we got hungry. We decided to go out, and eat at Leslie's! Grabe, andaming food. We had fried fish, chicken barbeque, sisig, laing, and BULALO! The best ang bulalo ng Leslie's.

After eating, we headed to Robinson's grocery to buy booze and snacks. This was supposed to be Dale's treat since hindi siya nag-treat nung birthday niya. Haha! After that, we headed back to the rest house. Relax mode muna. Magic cards, Tekken, card games... it was all fun.

Si Anthony nakalaban ko sa Tekken, natalo ako sa simula! Akala ko magaling talaga, yun pala nanibago lang ako (ang yabang ko talaga! hahahaha!). Once I got back to my usual moves, hindi na nanalo ulit. Pinasa na sa iba yung PSP. Hehe. I also fought against Myk, pero halatang nanibago sa PSP controls kaya iba yung laro niya. Pilep is still the fiercest Tekken rival.. I barely won against him.. chamba lang talaga yung panalo ko. Bakit nga ba once lang kami nag laban that time? Onga pala, adik ang mga walang hiya sa Magic kaya nag Magic nalang sila! Hehe!

While the others are playing Magic, Che, Pay, Jem, and I were playing card games. Black Jack muna, tapos Myk joined us kaya naging "1,2,3...Pass" yung game! Ang ingay ni Myk! Haha! Palo raw sa kamay yung punishment pag ikaw ang matalo. Hehe. After a while, I borrowed Pilep's PSP and played 'Fat Princess!" Naadik ako! Hahaha! When I came back to the room, nagsisigawan na ang mga walang hiya ng mga mura at bastos na body parts! Hahaha! It turns out they were playing a new card game! ;p

Later that afternoon, we played basketball again while the girls headed to the pool. After the game, nag-swimming na rin yung iba. I skipped on the pool because I was feeling really tired and strained. I decided to rest it up inside, and then took a bath.

Come night time, we decided to go out and have dinner at Yellow Cab. We ordered 3 large pizzas. Sarap!


Once we got home, hinay hinay muna then inuman na! We had Jose Cuervo and a couple of beers. We decided to have card games, and have the loser take a shot! Haha! I think the first game was "1,2,3,Pass." Ang saya! Mas marami pa yatang nainom yung mga violators kesa dun sa mga actual na natalo sa game! Hahaha! Then to speed it up, we incorporated the drinking game into Black Jack. The winner of a set will pick who will take the shot. Haha! Ayun, napabilis na ang Cuervo, so we relied on beers after.

Later that night, the others went to sleep na. Those of us who were still awake had kwentuhan pa. I think it was Che, Myk, Jem, Oninz, and me nalang. All we had were beers so inom pa ng konti. I was a bit tipsy na rin that time. After a while, nag-room hopping pa kami para bulabugin yung iba! Haha! We ended up sleeping on different rooms. Si Anthony lang yung naiwan dun sa isang room! Haha!

When I woke up the next day, the guys were talking about an incident nung early morning daw. May nag-iskandalo raw sa labas ng villa gate. I must be really in deep sleep kasi hindi ako nagising. Haha!

Also, hinatid pa namin si Dale sa rotonda so he can get a bus back to Manila. He had an office outing so he need to go back early. When we came back, I slept again. Around 10am, we packed up our things na because we needed to go home.

So, we bid Myk goodbye. He was to go back to SG later that afternoon. The next time we'll see him will be on October. Uuwi raw sabay sabay silang tatlo nila Mark and Ed. I really miss those two na rin. Also, Pay and Anthony were riding with Myk so we bid them goodbye too. CHELIPS, Jem, and Oninz rode with me again as we headed back to Manila. We had a little stop over at Paseo in Laguna to check the Nike Outlet store.

Haay, ramdam na naman ang init pagdating sa Manila. After getting home, I found that my whole family left on a road trip. They had their own overnight trip! Haha! So I was home alone, and slept most of the day.

--
Pics courtesy of Che..

Mizuno Infinity Run 2010

"Can you beat your time?"

That is the question!

If I only knew it was a time trial (with a prize!) right off the bat, I would have done a hell of preparation! Hahahaha!Just like last year, Pilep and Che invited me to join them on the Mizuno Infinity Run. This time around, Oninz joined the fray.

I was too busy with meeting deadlines the night before the race, and I was supposed to go to a friend's party. I decided on not attending the party nalang baka kasi hindi ako makaalis. And besides, with all the work I was doing that time, I should be at home working. I ended up getting a 3 hour sleep before I woke up at the sound of my alarm. When I looked at my phone, may texts na si Oninz. Excited ang bakla! Haha! --And speaking of Oninz, naghanda nga talaga siya for the marathon. He bought a pair of running shoes (which I would've too if I didn't opt on buying a TV) and he was running in Ultra as part of his preparation weeks before the marathon.

So I immediately took a bath and fixed my things. I drove to Oninz' house to pick him up, and then headed straight to Pilep and Che. Wow, 4:30am palang! 6am pa yung race! Haha! Well, I guess it was better to be early this time. Late kasi kami last time.

When we got there, I think it was just a little past 5am. We had a lot of time to prep ourselves up for the race. Also, Che's friend Ana rode with us onwards to Global City. We waited for Che's other colleagues to arrive before going to the actual starting line.

I noticed something different with Che. Weeks before, she was making jokes in Facebook na sa finish line nalang daw magkita-kita! Akala ko joke lang! Eh nung sa starting line, I noticed that she keeps inching closer at the start of the line... parang gusto talaga manguna! Hahaha! It turns out, she has a goal to beat her previous time. Nauna nga ang ungas! Haha!

I was doing great when the race started. At the 1/4th mark of course, I started to burn out! Hahaha! I was never really good with cardio to begin with. During that point, I started running at a slow pace. I was surprised to meet Pilep. Akala ko kasi nauna na. He was running at a medium pace pala, which was actually a great tactic. He was kind enough to accompany me onwards the whole race! Haha! So yun, we had the chance to talk a little about his work. Pilep really came a long way since college days. Super responsible na talaga. I really envy him. ;)

On the race, we eventually reached the finish line. I was so drenched in sweat! Haha. As expected, Oninz and Che finished early. And given na if you're with Che, marami na namang photo ops yan! Hahaha! We even had our picture taken on the stage, courtesy of a man whom Che's friend Jess proposed a deal the guy couldn't refuse: "You picture us, we picture you!"

Hahahaha! Straight to the point! ;p

After getting our free race jerseys (my favorite part! haha), I wondered why we were still there. It turns out Che was waiting for the results of the race! Hahaha! Sabi ko, "ang OA naman ng babaeng 'to! Talagang meticulous ah! Gusto talaga makita yung race results!" Haha!

So, we waited until the people started to leave. Eventually, the host started to announce the 'Best Improvement' winners. Imagine our surprise when the host announced that Cheryl was the winner for the Best Improved time for the 5K women runners!!! Amazing!! Hahaha! Kaya pala gustong antayin ni Che yung announcement of winners because she knew deep down that she has a big chance of winning! And so, she won!! She ended up winning an Oakley sunglasses, a Suunto watch, and a Mizuno jacket! If you tally all that, it would be worth at least 10k pesosez! Good job, Che! Bigay mo na sa akin yan! Hahaha!



As we we're walking back towards the car, Che's victory still hasn't sank in to me. I can't believe she really won for the most improved category! To say the least, na-inspire ako! Naks, Che! Hahaha!

When we got to the car, hindi muna kami umalis. We decided na pasingawin muna ang init. We decided to tune in the radio... it turns out, Che's brother was a radio DJ! At ayun, pina-broadcast kaagad ni Che na nanalo siya sa Mizuno Infinity Run! TSK! YAAAAABANG! Hahaha! jk

After that, we headed to Ortigas na. We had breakfast at McDo El Pueblo. As soon as SM Megamall opened, we moved there to attend the Ozine Anime Festival. It was disappointing, to say the least. Two Megatrade Halls, and barely nothing worth seeing (at least on my part). The only thing I really liked was the Otakai booth where they featured some of the rare toy collections. BTW, I also met up with my pal Richard in Ozine. Anyhoo, we left early din because we were REALLY tired (me, at least). I dropped CHELIPS and Oninz off, and headed home myself. I was so tired that my eyes are closing on their own while I was driving. Badtrip. Mas mabuti pa mag-drive ng lasing! Haha! Once I got home, I slept the day... once I woke up, I decided to finish my remaining work.

All in all, it was a great and satisfying day. We were able to do something productive and healthy, and we enjoyed it. Since I was really inspired by Che's performance, I will really prepare for the next marathon--complete with running shoes. Bumigay na yung Nike All-Star Kobe 1 ko! Natanggal ang takong! Haha! And hindi rin talaga advisable mag-basketball shoes on a marathon (like, duh! haha). Daming kalyo ng ankles ko. ;(

'Til the next race! ;)

Heeeey, check out my new ride!! ;p

Clash of the Titans

Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Starring:
Sam Worthington
Liam Neeson
Ralph Fiennes
Gemma Arterton

Just got back from Trinoma to watch Clash of the Titans. True enough to the other reviews, it kinda sucks. The whole film felt like a traditional popcorn movie, complete with a "rocking sound" during action scenes. Yeah, it's Hollywood bastardizing classic stories again. You've seen it before, now you see it again. In this case, it's Hollywood bastardizing a classic Greek mythology... that of Perseus. You'll question some scenes, and you can only go "yeah, because its a HOLLYWOOD movie."

To its defense, I think the sci-fi effects were on par to today's standards. A little bit on "The Mummy" side (READ: kinda plastic looking CGs.. the Medusa scenes reminded me of the Scorpion King from 'The Mummy 2'), but decent enough. On the cast, I think they did a mediocre job. They did 'okay,' but it could have been better. The only highlight was Perseus himself, Sam Worthington--okay, maybe I'm just biased because I like Sam Worthington. I think he's a cool guy. Liked him from Terminator Salvation (he's the only good thing in that movie, in my opinion).

To sum it up, this movie is a good proof that Hollywood bastardizes any classic myths that you let them have their way with. The movie felt like 'Kull The Conqueror," an old medium budget movie starring Kevin Sorbo. I loved that movie. But the thing is, Kull The Conqueror is an B-list movie and never took itself seriously... Clash of the Titans, on the other hand, is an A-list big budget movie (at least, they're marketing it as one) who thinks its doing a great job.

Pass on watching 'Titans' if you're looking for a good movie to watch. If you just want to pass the time and enjoy a 'Hollywood' popcorn movie, go ahead and watch.

--

After watching the movie with my mom and sis, we headed out on the parking lot. On the way, we window shopped around The Mac Store. We're talking about Singapore, and my mom remembered my friend, Rix (who was my companion in the SG trip). Kinakamusta niya sa akin. Then on the way to the parking, we decided to window shop on Nike. Lo and behold, there's Rica! Haha! Speaking of the devil! ;p

She was busy on the phone so I decided not to bother her, so I just greeted her by hand gesture. We needed to go narin kasi since we're going to Shopwise (Commonwealth) to do our weekly grocery. I was just amazed by the coincidence.