The Reel Deal: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

One of the things Jay and I do whenever we have our dates is we go and watch a movie. For tonight, it was a choice between "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" and "So Undercover" Obviously, the former won. But yes, the latter will still be in our To Watch (Together) List. <3

I'm a fan of Magicians. Who in their right mind wouldnt be, anyway? I have always been amazed by their swift hands and how they can make things appear and disappear right before your eyes. So when I saw the trailer, I knew I just had to watch it!

The movie is about Burt Wonderstone's (Steve Carell) life as a Magician -- from his roots, to his glory, and to his worst times. It also tells about the value of friendship, of not just leaving the other especially when times have become rough, and of course, of still having your bestest friends such as Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) just when you thought you have no one to go to. Rance Hollaway's (Alan Arkin) role as well as Jane's (Olivia Wilde) had also been pivotal in making Carell's character realize these.

Also, Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) added up spice to the movie with his crazy and death-defying stunts and antics. But yes, some of it were hard to believe and were quite out of this world.

Negative points for me in this movie include some medical mistakes. The noise that Hollaway was making was not indicative of stroke (Jay and I found this disturbingly untrue haha) and the presentation of Gray with his last stunt was also not indicative of what he was trying to portray. Forgive us, seeing medical presentations done wrong is one of our pet peeves. :)

A 3/5 perhaps?

Tell me what you think about the movie!

How to: Claim Your Voter's ID

Today, I've finally picked up my Voter's ID. I know there are lots of people asking how and when and where to get theirs, so here it is.

First, determine if your voter's ID is already printed because there's a big chance that your ID is not yet printed. Well, for my case, I had myself registered at October 2009 but upon inquiring, I found out that they had only printed my ID last Feb 2012. Such fast system, huh? In order to find out, go to this site then fill up the necessary information. Upon doing so, something like this should appear. There you'd find out if your ID is ready for claiming or not.

Just click to enlarge! :)

Oh yeah, if you've quite forgotten your residential details (like me! Haha!) such as your barangay, it will also be seen once you've used the precinct finder.

As you can see above, there is a disclaimer. Which means you still have to verify whether you can claim your ID already at your local COMELEC offices.  (Click the link in order to see the contact details of such offices)

Second, call your local COMELEC offices and ask them whether your card is really ready for claiming. When I called, they asked me my Full Name & when I registered. I asked if there is a need for any verification IDs upon claiming and they said I just needed to bring myself (but I suggest you still bring any ID for verification). And so I did. :)

For Manila Residents, our COMELEC office is situated near LRT1 Central Terminal at the back of Bgy Bureau. Once in the right level (see Directory link above), enter the room and just say that you're claiming your Voter's ID. They would again ask you for your full name and registration date.

They will then ask you to verify the details that you've first given when you registered. Then, if you'd like, you can ask them to laminate the ID for you since it's quite manipis and malambot for a fee of P15.00 Talk about business. Grr.

For the curious cats, here is how the new Voter's ID looks like:

Totally not mine. haha! Just wanted to let you guys see. :)
Credits to owner!

Tell me if this helped! and if you were able to get yours. :)

Hugs!

PS. Btw, be reminded that they do not and will not deliver voter's ID nor will they send it to your barangays. Just a heads up, aryt? :)

Officially a Thomasian Alumna

Yesterday was our Solemn Investiture. Yung katuparan ng limang taong paghihirap namin. Yun yung araw na   sa wakas, our tassles were flipped over which means that we have been conferred with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. It was not an easy task. It was not an easy 5 year-course.

Powerpoint template for the event. :)

Before I entered college, I knew I wanted to be a Doctor but I didnt know where to start with. Thinking that my sister\s also a student of Physical Therapy in the UST, and thinking how I liked studying the human anatomy, I chose Physical Therapy as my first choice. Luckily, I got in. And there began my 5-year long journey.

Having to dissect a frog was not difficult but having to dissect a shark, a turtle, a pigeon and a cat? it became challenging. How much more dissecting a cadaver? Having to study tons of books and manuals and reviewers, sobrang nakakabaliw. Having to memorize all those things and having to apply them in the correct manner was pure craziness. Having to study books from cover-to-cover for written revalidas was truly excruciating and Having to bring out everything you know during your oral revalida is beyond words. Having to write countless drafts of Initial Evals, Re-Evals, Initial PT Notes, Discharge Notes, Endorsement Notes, Endorsement Cards were tiring and energy-consuming.

But it was all worth it. That moment when your name is called to be given the degree? Nakakakilabot. Tapos yung time na luluhod ka and then your tassle was flipped over? sarap sa feeling.

Kakaiba pala yung pakiramdam na pagkatapos ng ilang taon mong paghihirap, naabot mo na yung tagumpay tsaka yung dulo nung race. :) I'm happy I was able to experience receiving my degree and awards with my family. :>

Here are some of the pictures from yesterday's event. :)

The conferment of our degree. :>

As I lead the newly graduates into the reading of The Thomasian Pledge

As I received my special award: 2nd Best Physical Therapy Intern. :)

Cum Laude. <3 

with my group. =)

That's it for now!
Hugs :)

The Reel Deal: The Croods

So the animated movie I've been waiting to be shown since the year started has finally arrived! and the best part is that I get to watch it with my boyfriend (well, sino pa bang kasama ko, diba? haha) It's great that I dont have to drag my boyfriend into watching movies such as this or chick flicks because he has a natural love for them. HAHA! He isn't gay, okay?

Anyway. ever since I first saw the trailer of the Croods in cinemas, I instantly got hooked and I literally wanted to watch it ASAP. Well, first, the trailer is cute and is catchy and second, the trailer is cute! Haha! especially when Eep (Emma Stone) tried on her shoes! Swear it was the cutest. And yes, Guy (Ryan Reynolds) was also cuteeeee. :D Here's the trailer! Ain't they lovable?

Basically, the movie tells the story of The Croods family and their journey after their home aka cave has been destroyed by what Guy calls as the "start of the THE END." It tells the story of how by trying to survive, we forget how to live.

What makes this movie great is that you can get  to experience all types of emotions -- I laughed, almost cried, smiled yet there were also moments when I was agape and when I was actually afraid. Also, since it's a movie involving a family, it had a whole lot of "family" things in it. Though "not saying I Love You and not getting an I Love You" is already a cliche storyline, it still has the same effect on the viewers -- that same poignant feeling.

Also, the movie has lots of quotable quotes and relatable ones too! :) I suggest that you watch this movie with your family and try to find out who you are in their family, because youd definitely find someone you can relate with. :) Also, watch it in 3D! Why? Because the graphics are amazing. I caught myself trying to avoid rocks because it seemed as if it were going to hit me and I tried following the fire, too! :)

Tell me what you think about the movie! :>

Hugs!

It's a Girls' Day Out: Pink Parlour!

The third of the Girls' Day Out saga. :)) click for our teriyaki boy experience and for our our body tune spa experience

Probably the best part of this Girls' Day Out is our Mani Pedi. <3 After having our massage, we again went out to look for a place to have our manicures and pedicures done. Okay, ang hassle ng graduation. sabi nga nila, graduation's a rare occasion so kailangan magpakabongga. Kaya, eto. Besides being our girl date and pampering day, it's a part of the graduation preparation. Taray!:))

From the outside, kikay tingnan ng Pink Parlour. This is what you'll see from the outside going in.

The whole place is pink-inspired. <3 Which made me love it easily!

Jem and Diana inquiring.
Plus points: Super friendly receptionists!

and then, they have this graduation special, which we obviously availed of. :>

Then they have a cutie patootie set up plus a wide range of nail polish colors!

After going through their services, Jem and I decided on getting the Princess Treatment which according to them included manicure and a spa+pedicure! :) Diana, on the other hand, chose to have pedicure only. :)

(L-R). Diana and her bagong gising look, Jem. and Me. 

Since I was going to wear black on my graduation day with accents of gold, I chose gold as my nail polish, as suggested of course by the manicurists and my friends. After about 3 hours I guess? Which, did not notice, maybe because of the video being shown and the kwentuhan we had, we were finally done. Here's a picture of my nails. :)

Cutiee!

Positive Points:

• Good ambiance. Very Kikay! and pink <3
• Nice and accommodating. Very friendly and makwento.
• Comfortable couch complete with pillows and blanket.
• Wide range of polish.
• We were told that "hindi kami pwedeng manugat" :)
• They had a flat screen TV which shows chick flicks
• Free hot tea!
• Meticulous with the spa. Ang tagal matapos ni Ate sa pag-spa ng paa ko cause I said I wanted it nice and clean. :)) 
• They had a base coat first before applying the polish itself.
• They have a 7-day shiz for our pedicures.
• It was cold. :D
• In total, I only had to pay P625.00 for all that was done. 
  Its original price is as follows:
  - Princess Pedicure: 800.00
  - Speedy Manicure: 450.00
  should have spent around 1250 but only spent 625. :> Good deal for me! :)

Negative Points:

• Small! Anim lang yung pwedeng magkasya in one time.
• Mejo matagal yung service. There were many times wherein we, the customers, were left alone O__O
• Super lamig. :))))

What to Look Forward To: 

Besides their hand and foot services, they also offer waxing as well as tanning. Being a "loyal" customer of laybare, the way the manicurist explained their waxing style had me hooked. I'm looking forward to trying their waxing service for my underarm. :)

Also, what makes everything great is the fact that they are about to open a branch in SM San Lazaro! Yahoo! But the one in Pasig Branch is first to open:)

Last thing is that they also offer Hen Parties as well as Movie Nights (or something like that)! :> I'd refer this place to my church friends :)

Verdict:

Definitely going to come back and have my nails done again, as well as to try the waxing service. :) I'd bring my sister and mother along, too. :>

4/5 perhaps? 

Pink Parlour

http://www.pinkparlour.com.ph/

http://www.facebook.com/pinkparlourph

SM North The Block 5/F 

(02) 7097093, (02) 7097155

GF Unit 112A A-Venue Event Mall Makati Ave, Makati

(02) 6219836

Hugs!

It's a Girls' Day Out: Body Tune Spa!

Continuation of our Girls' Day Out. Read our Teriyaki Boy experience by clicking here. 

After eating, we immediately went out to look for a massage place. What made it hard for us to find the right place was that there were three of us and that we wanted to be treated all at the same time. We tried looking at the rates of The Spa, but I swear that it's superduper expensive. Well, granted that they do provide quality service, and its ambiance is so perfect. However, hindi kasya sa budget namin. Kaya we went on to look for another place. Let's Face It had decent rates but unfortunately, they only had one masseuse. We tried to look for other Spas in Trinoma but to no avail. Therefore, leading us to The Block.

Again, what I loved about The Block is that it had all its health and wellness boutiques in a single floor, thereby we did not have to go across the mall just to find a good place. After considering our budget and our need to be treated altogether, we chose Body Tune Spa. 

Body Tunes Spa Logo on the left, and their Services Menu on the right.

Being Physical Therapists that we are, we are always labeled as masseuse, right? But lo and behold, I am telling you. I have no idea what the massage services that they are offering are. There was a whole lot list of massage services that we had to ask the receptionist their differences. Good thing is she obliged happily. Having described the services, the three of us decided to take the Balinese massage for 1 hour. 

According to yogawiz site, Balinese Massage is defined as: The massage therapist uses long strokes that are performed in a rhythmic manner. A Balinese massage dissolves nodules related to tension. It is an excellent technique that helps and pampers the body. It also makes use of acupuncture techniques The circulation to the heart and the lymph are triggers.

Basically, we chose Balinese massage because the receptionist said that it focused more on the back but is still a whole body massage. Because Diana just came from her Final exams and Jem and I are both in need of a good back massage, we chose this. It was also nice that we did not have to wait very long to be accommodated.

L-R. Diana. Jem. Me.

The exteriors were great and it somehow gave us a feel of serenity and peace. But when we went in, we were kind of disappointed when we were individually ushered into small rooms. Well, I guess we weren't able to consider that we were not going to be treated in a room that can fit three people. So yeah, goodbye chika moments. 

(Top-Bottom, L-R) Light outside, Stones outside, the bed, the shorts, the locker, iced tea, towel and the tip envelope.

We were also given shorts, which were kind of big. When asked where to place our belongings, we were told to put it inside the lockers or under the bed. (Sorry for the blurred picture). After a short while, my Balinese Massage session began.

My masseuse named Helen was quite good. Though I expected a harder back massage. But then again, I think she did not find much nodules that's why she did not give much pressure. What I liked the most about this massage experience is when she massaged my back using her forearm. 

Maybe I was too tired or maybe the massage was really good because I fell asleep and i was only awakened when she asked me to turn. But then again, I fell asleep shortly after. 

After the massage, she asked me if I wanted iced tea and so she gave me along with two hot towels. She also offered to open the lights, which unfortunately, were broken T__T She then said that there was a tip envelope. :)

Positive Points:

• Price range was okay. 
• I loved the back massage.
• Music was also good and was also relaxing.
• My masseuse was not so ma-chikka and so, I had a time to relax
• The bed was actually soft
• Free iced tea!

Negative Points:

• Small room.
• I didnt like the smell of the pillow. T__T I dont know if I'm just picky or what.
• The shorts are big.
• My locker had no key.
• My lights were broken.
• The CR was not so clean.

Verdict:

I think I've had better massage experiences than this with a lower price range. Though I really loved the back massage. But then again, considering my experience, I dont think I'll be visiting them again, soon. Maybe if I'm at Trinoma, again, with no other place to go to, again. 

2.5/5 perhaps?

Body Tune Spa

SM North Edsa The Block

5/F

Hugs. 

It's a Girls' Day Out: Teriyaki Boy!

Throughout my stay in college, I can say I've had four closest girl friends -- two of which, I was able to go out on a girl date with. yung dalawa (chelsea and rieka), missing in action. and yes, I miss hanging out with both of them. :)

Our date started out at around 12:30 noon. We've said that we'll meet at 12 noon, but knowing my dear girl friends, hindi talaga sila dumating on time.=)) and knowing me, I arrived at around 11:45, I guess? So nag-ikot-ikot muna ako sa Trinoma. I have gone to the place countless times but have not really familiarized myself with it because whenever I go there, I just usually go to the movie house. Then, we met up sa Powerbooks. Where, I saw one (i meant, Three) of the greatest comic books in history, okay exaggerated ako. Haha!

Archie Comics Collection: The Married Life

But really, when I saw the compilation of Archie Comics, i wanted to buy it instantly! But then, ang mahal. and I had to buy the three comic books for me to be able to complete the The Married Life series. Gaah. I wanted to know what happened after Archie chose Veronica! I'll definitely put that comic series on my next wish list. <3

Moving on, after looking around, my "kambal," as we fondly call each other arrived. and then we went to the electronic map thing where we can look around and decide where we will eat. After looking through the restaurants available, we decided to eat at Teriyaki Boy. Yes, I'm a big fan of Japanese food. :> Doon na rin namin inantay dumating si Jem. 

First off, before anything else, we had the honorary group picture taking via my Xperia's front camera and its self-timer. Meet my friends! :)

(L-R) Me. Jem. Diana.

Being the gluttons that we are and having temporarily forgotten our diets, we've ordered the following foodies:

(Top-Bottom L-R). Shake Sashimi. Iced tea and Mango Shake. Miso Soup.
California Maki. Wafu steak. Ebi Tempura

We just had to! Haha!

Positive points:

What I like best about Teriyaki Boy is that ever since it opened, its food quality had always been the same. My family is a family that is a Japanese food junkie and I can say that through the years, my taste bud has been trained to determine which Japanese food is better than the other. With T-boy, although it's not a fine dining restaurant, its food can be compared to those authentic Japanese restaurants such as Tanabe and Furosato. Also, what I like about Teriyaki Boy is that though it has expanded its branches, it had never compromised its food quality and had not stoop down to being a "fastfood" level, unlike some Japanese resto I know. Plus, I think the food is value for money. :) All in all, we paid P1527.00 for all we've eaten and paid P509.00 each. :)

Negative points:

But I guess the downside of this particular Teriyaki Boy branch is their service. They were attentive at the start, and yes, they were friendly. But we had to call them several times before we were attended to and before we had our orders taken. Also, when Jem and Diana wanted a refill for her Iced Tea, she had to ask three times, and I had to ask twice. But even though we asked several times, we still did not get an iced tea refill, though that was what we paid for. :( Boo for that. I guess they can use what Banawe branch had, the one where you can press something if ever you needed service. 

Verdict:

Teriyaki Boy will always be a great place to dine in; and as I said, it is one of the best Japanese restaurants at present. Maybe the service that a particular branch will be giving will serve as a dealbreaker. 

I didnt want to give my readers an information overload, so yeah. I'll be making several blog entries. :)

Hugs!