SinagMaynila films continue to make waves here and abroad

Independent film festival SinagMaynila was born from the vision of Solar Entertainment Corporation, CEOWilson Tieng and renowned festival director Brillante Mendoza’s wish to have a festival that not only inspires but educates and enlightens Filipino movie audiences. Made up of five homegrown filmmakers handpicked and closely collaborated with by Tieng and Mendoza, the festival produced feature films that presented social issues currently faced in Filipino culture. After a successful run last March, the films have gone on to garner attention both in the country and abroad thanks to their compelling narrative.

Winner of the Best Picture Award at SinagMaynila, “Imbisibol” by Lawrence Fajardo was invited for a screening at the Stockholm International Film Festival in Sweden last November 11. It also premiered at the 40thToronto International Film Festival (TIFF) at the Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Toronto, Canada as it vied to win in the Contemporary World Cinema Programme last September. A screening was also held at the 28^th Tokyo International Film Festivaland Focus on Asia Fukuoka International Film Festival in Japan.The film trains the spotlight on four undocumented Filipinos in Japan and their plight to escape deportation. The cast is led by JM De Guzman, Ces Quesada, Bernardo Bernardo, Allen Dizon and Ricky Davao.Imbisibol will have screenings in Iloilo: Dec 1-6Davao: Dec 15-20 and Baguio: Dec 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 30.

Another SinagMaynila film “Balut Country” by Paul Sta. Anais invited for a screening at the All Lights IndiaInternational Film Festival in India this November. It also premiered at the 28^th Tokyo International Film Festival last October which was also attended by the film’s main actorRocco Nacino. He stars as an heir to a duck farm left to him by his late father in “Balut Country”. The movie follows his difficult decision between selling the property for his own financial peace or keeping the land and sparing the farm’s loyal caretakers from displacement.

“Bambanti” by Zig M. Dulayrecently won best film at festival international du film de Brussels. Ithas also been invited to compete in a series of film festivals this November— Ourense International Film Festival in Spain, the Asian Panorama film competition of International Children’s Film Festival in India where actor MickoLaurente won The Golden Elephant Trophy for Best Actor, Festival Des 3 Continents at Nantes, France, and in the Ajyal Youth Film Festival in Doha Film Institute, Qatar. The film bagged the Best Film award in the recent Festival International du Film de Bruxelles.Bambantilooks at the prejudgment of the rich towards the poor as mother and son embark to uncover the truth behind a missing watch. Stars Alessandra de Rossi, MickoLaurente, Julio Diaz, ShamaineBuencamino, and Lui Manansala.

Invited at the recent Minsk International Film Festival in Belarus was “Swap” by RemtonZuasola. This film is the only Asian film to be invited for screening at the Zabaltegi section of the 63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain last September 18-26. Swap is also poised for another international screening in Japan for the upcoming Tokyo Filmex. Shot continuously with no cuts, the movie narrates the tale of a young father who is torn between solving a crime and committing another crime in order to save the life of his kidnapped son. Dionne Monsanto, Matt Daclan and Mon Confiado star in this action-drama.

The 2nd SinagMaynila Film Festival will run in May 2016. For more updates, look for SinagMaynila on Facebook (SinagMaynila), Twitter (@sinagmaynila), and Instagram (@sinagmaynila).

My|Phone A919i Duo over Iceberg

 After several days of contemplation, I finally gave in to My|Phone A919i Duo! The same day they launch the latest flagship smartphone - Iceberg.

Why did I choose A919i Duo over Iceberg?

It's cheaper. Although I love these

Myphone Iceberg Full Specification

• Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean)

• 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 Processor, Cortex-A7

• PowerVR SGX544MP GPU

• 1GB of RAM

• 16GB of internal storage

• microSD support up to 32GB

• 5.7-inch HD (720x1280) IPS capacitive display

• 258ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 panel

• 12MP autofocus camera with BSI and LED flash

• 1080p Full HD video recording and playback

• 5MP autofocus front-facing camera

• Multimedia Player / FM Radio

• Dual SIM / Dual Standby

• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n / Wi-Fi hotspot

• Bluetooth 4.0 / GPS with A-GPS support

• GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (quad-band)

• 3G/HSPA+ connectivity 850/1900/2100

• HSDPA 42Mbps / HSUPA 21Mbps

• microUSB (USB-OTG) / 3.5mm audio jack

• Light, Motion, Proximity, Magnetic Sensor

• 2,600mAh Li-Ion Battery

• 161 x 82.5 x 8.9mm (dimension)

• 220g (weight)

Myphone Iceberg Features

Aluminum Body - Yup, the first among the rest. With the full integration of Aluminum body, Myphone Iceberg will not just be durable but also cool and sleek looking.

Clever Motion Feature - More like O+ air shuffle or Samsung' smart gesture that lets you control your phone using sensors like waving your hand to capture images, wave to dim, flip to mute, and clever dial.

 

Wireless HDMI - I'm not quite sure how it works, but according to Myphone the wireless display accessory will be sold separately, and by the way wireless display means showing your phone display on TV or LCD TV.

Anti-Theft Technology - A pinoy technology built for Myphone also known as Theft Apprehension and Asset Recovery Application or TARA, using these technology you can freely control your smartphone whatever case  may happens.

Corning  Gorilla Glass 2 - An upgraded version of Gorilla Glass, which basically means more scratch endurance.

Jelly Bean 4.2 - The latest is always the best, higher version means more compatibility and that's the best way we can have the most of Myphone Agua Iceberg.

16GB Internal Memory - I don't think you'll ever gonna need a microSD, but if 16GB is not enough for you then just use an SDcard .

I'm so satisfied with these, its cheaper and besides 5.7" is too big for my liking...

MyPhone A919i Duo Specifications:

•      Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

•    5-inch HD (1280×720) IPS Display, 16M colors, ~294 ppi pixel density

•    MTK MT6589 1.2GHz quad-core processor, Cortex-A7

•    PowerVR SGX544

•    1GB RAM

•    4GB internal memory

•    microSD support up to 32GB

•    8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash

•    720p HD video recording at 30fps

•    2-megapixel front camera

•    Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot

•    HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 11 Mbps

•    Bluetooth v4.0

•    microUSB v2.0

•    USB OTG

•    GPS, A-GPS

•    Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity

•    Dimensions: 144 x 74 x 10.7 mm (5.67 x 2.91 x 0.42 in)

•    Weight: 156 g

•    Li-Ion 2000 mAh battery

Read more mobile technology tips and tricks at http://www.mobile31.com

What I got? 

Sorry for the crappy photos... it's too dark in here and a 3.2MP won't do well or good. 

For your sake this is exactly what I got!

via

Same white (I prefer white for a sleeker matte casing just like my My|Phone A818 Duo) A919i Duo including battery, same white earphone and USB connector and head charger (Php9590.00)

plus,
Screen Protector (Php150.00)
Jelly Case  in a transparent pink color (Php300.00)
16GB SDCard (Php2500)
Total Cost should be a whopping Php12,540.00 but Marlon of My|Phone Robinson's Galleria gave me 50% off on the SD card
Php90 off on the gadget and
jellycase and screen protector for free! #happydance
I only got my goods for only Php10750 only! #winwin!

How I fell in love with this unit is because of this review right here from Noypigeeks! :)

So there yah go!
The phone has 7 days replacement warranty, one year maintenance warranty while the sd card has one month replacement warranty.

Nichido Travel Brush Set

Good quality doesn't always mean expensive! That is what I believe and I already have proven this for  a couple of times now. :) As you can tell on of my favorite drugstore brand is Nichido, I already had some several posts regarding their products - Finishing Powder and Eyebrow Palette. Now that I am collecting makeup brushes and is always on the go - travel and site inspections - I would not pass trying out their own, so I decided to get this Nichido Travel Brush Set in faux leather case and the Nichido Travel Makeup Brush Kit in plastic case that I'll be posting soon (when I get extra time again to blog :P).

This is what it looks like:

Nichido Travel Brush Set (Php 270.00)

It is so cute, handy, classic. It's good that its case is black. Each brushes are in separate sturdy pouches and is individually wrapped in plastic and the clip button is magnetic.

Here are the brushes included in the set.

Blush Brush

Eyebrow and Eyelash Comb

Lip Liner Brush

My favorite brush - which is the real reason why I say yes to this set -

Flat Angled Brush

perfect for defining the eyebrows and for applying gel liner! :D

Eyeshadow Brush

I love that I don't see the sponge tip brush in this set that I usually see on some local travel brush set. Every brush is uniquely for different uses, not redundant. :) I just wish that all their Nichido Travel Brush Set in faux leather case have the same brushes inside because... watch out for my Nichido Travel Makeup Brush Kit in plastic case. #hint

If you are planning to get this, you might as well check it out and open the set first just in case. :) More brushes coming up! For the mean time, share your favorite local brands of make up brushes below!

Ever Bilena: Face Sunblock, Body Sunblock and BB Cream

Finally, I kicked myself in the butt hard enough to get me some sunblock goodies from Bello, SpectraBAN60 of Steifel and Ever Bilena. Obviously in this post Ill be sharing about the latter, its EB face and body sunblock! Local cheaper brands doesn't mean not worth trying, sometimes a gem is camouflaging in the sea of pebbles. Gee, I suck!

Cut to the chase, the face and body sunblock from Ever Bilena have almost the same exact ingredients, only cyclomethicone is present on the face cream while cetearyl alcohol is included on the body cream

aside from that both products contains Vitamin E, shea butter and licorice extract that helps lighten and brighten skin.

The only downside of these are that they are not paraben free, methyl paraben and propyl paraben are included inside and it leaves white streaks on the skin if not blended well. So make sure to use small amount and just add if you feel needed, and avoid squeezing alot at once. you get the gist. 

Aside from sunblock, it also helps prevent my skin from drying because of the shea butter...

I was looking for Myra-E tinted moisturizer when I saw this...

I can't believe it at first, but why not. I wanna save time hence I'm on the hunt for the 2-1 moisturizer and foundation from Myra-E, and it's always out of stock... To end my dilemma, I just pick this up and pay it on the counter. Besides, it has the same Oriental shade from my favorite drugstore liquid foundation.

Ever Bilena BB Cream comes in two packages. The pink BB Cream and the purple one. I'm opting for the pink one because it has anti aging but doubt because the shade is far of my own.

This BB Cream is a whitening, moisturizer and foundation packed in one bottle. Saves time when you are on the move. And I think this is good for everyday use. :) Perfect matched with my Nichido Final Powder!
In the end, i just wish I picked up the pink one because im really not into whitening and would rather give my skin some anti ageing love.

Should I get the pink tube too?

Jack's Restaurant

Ow Em Gee double You HKP! Is it sad that I don't have time to go roam around when I was in college? I guess my subjects got the best of me, or was it just because my highschool life used to be so much fun, higher than my tolerable level, that I don't have to do much in college?

In any case, I wasn't able to explore Baguio that much, there are some parts of Session Road that I still wasn't aware of, and sometimes, I got silly lost for a couple of minutes inside the public market! *blushes* WTH!!!

But, I'm not so much of a sore loser, SMH *building self-confidence again*, I discover some "awesome" finds here, that I'll be bragging about soon... :) If Cebu's famous local is Ato Ato Barbeque and Restaurant, then I could say, this is Baguio's bet!

Let's kick start with a laid back local restaurant with an indigenous touch and one of my oldest and cheapest finds that my hubby introduced me to: Jack's Restaurant!

:)

When your touring Baguio, in a short budget and you wanna try an extra ordinary dine experience then you must check this out! ;)

I find the place cozy enough for a chichat! Forget about Starbucks! You could order a cup of hot coffee during foggy afternoons with your choice of sliced cake, and you could chat away!

Or, if you're like my hubby, who eats heavy! (Sorry Hon, just stating facts! :P ) You could order a delicious rice meal in a rock bottom price! He's paborito (favorite)? Of course, it's the Famous Jack's Rice!

Jack's Rice: Roasted Chicken, Chopsuey, Sliced Lechon, Fried Egg and Rice

Mind you, I find the story behind this meal EPIC! Here goes my version:

"Jack the farmer arrives every afternoon to lunch Cook Baruga's complete diet meal in different covered plates. Jack is a farmer, and a farmer goes hungry after a day of sun-bathed work and he doesn't wanna spare extra time to open each covered plate with a growling belly! (Can you imagine that? hehe)

In short, Jack suggested to cut the servings by putting the meals in one plate! (Jack is a smart farmer! ;P )

Since then, the cook arrange the portions of the meal and serve him in one-big-yellow plate!

One day, a very curious customer saw a waiter serving Jack his meal and demanded to have the same order. The clueless waiter tried to explain "Para ken ni Manong Jack laeng didiay." (It's for Mr. Jack only.) BUT, the curious customer whose also a persistent-demanding customer said "Kayak met nga agbayad uray manu didiay, ikanak iti maysa. (I can pay for it, give me one)"The rest is history!"

*Sorry for my poor translation, but you get the gist. :3

Thanks to the rule that "customers are always right", especially to the curious-persistent-demanding customer, Jack's Rice was now open to public! :P

We ate here like a hundred times, and even when the restaurant's menu gets larger, all my hubby wants was his Jack's Rice with his original sawsawan (sauce) of mixed catsup, soy sauce, calamansi and red hot chili. :)