película: the 8th spanish film festival

more films are set to come your way next week, as instituto cervantes unveils the biggest película spanish film festival yet.

this year, película pelikula will show films in three different venues:

greenbelt 3 cinemas play host to 21 recent and awarded spanish and latin american films. admission is P65. check the película screening schedule for greenbelt 3.

the CCP, meanwhile, will be showing 12 spanish and filipino documentaries. check the película screening schedules for CCP.

finally, the college of saint benilde-school of design and arts will have two different sets of screenings, the first being "cine en construccion," where viewers can watch 5 different indie films from latin american countries. the other set of films are dubbed "spanish cinema in 8 films," and features 8 classic films, perfect for students who want to see the progression of spanish cinema. admission is also free. check the película screening schedules for CSB school of design and arts.

there will also be exhibits, workshops, and performances, so just check the película website, which also features trailers of the films and event schedules.

taking a walk in makati

i've always liked walking, even in the streets of manila. somehow, the perils of such thin and unwalkable sidewalks and the dirt and grime that threaten to cover my feet haven't succeeded in dissuading me from using my feet to get around.

during the august 21 long weekend, i found myself without plans to go out of town, so i thought, "why not just explore and try something new?" so from work, i took the MRT and got off at the buendia station, which is just a few meters away from jupiter. from there, i let my feet take me places.

my first stop was o'sonho, this new portuguese restaurant along jupiter, makati that i've always wanted to try. service wasn't all that great, though. i walked into the restaurant, and no one was there to greet me or to tell me if there was still a table available. i still had to walk up to the counter and ask for the menu before i was offered a seat.

i decided to try out their salmon (that's all it was called--no fancy names for this resto, i guess):

salmon in o'sonho

it was just okay. the sauce was sweet and made it taste different, but the rice was meh. i don't think i'll be going back here any time soon. there just wasn't anything about the dish that was spectacular.

after dinner, i kept on walking, and decided to stop off at off-price, a large clothing store, still on jupiter street in makati:

off-price in jupiter

they had a lot of clothes, and they were pretty cheap, too. unfortunately, nothing specific caught my fancy, but i'll check it out again.

i get out of the store, and keep walking. soon, i end up at max's, and decide to confirm one thing. i go up to the facade and true enough, there was a small plaque that confirmed that the irish consulate was indeed, holding office above max's restaurant:


after that, i walked to makati avenue, then took a right at h.v. dela costa street, turned left at tordesillas, then passed through the park, and eventually ended up on l.p. leviste street.

one lafayette square, the building that houses the restaurant apartment1b, is also home to a new terry's deli and bistro, which looks pretty fancy. susie and i went there last week, and i went home happy after having my tortilla de pamplona.

also along l. p. leviste street is gonzo's, which replaced oliver's. the friendly waiter was handing out menus that night, and the offerings are pretty tempting, and well-priced, too!

my last stop for the night was tonton massage, which was actually the whole point of my "journey." i decided to treat myself to a one-hour full body massage. while i have always enjoyed my tonton massages, that night, it didn't go so well. i had a feeling the masseuse was already tired, from what i gathered of the quality of massage that i got. next time, i should just opt for the foot massage. that always hits the spot.

this weekend is another long one, but the weather's not being cooperative enough for a walk. but when i do get a chance, i'll walk again, and share my discoveries with you once more.

cine europa '09 at shang cineplex

i can't believe it's time for cine europa again. :) i missed last year's screenings, but i'm hoping i can catch at least one film in this year's line-up, specifically the demons of st. petersburg.

this year's batch of films are an assortment of genres, running the gamut of family entertainment, horror/thriller, drama, romantic comedy, and war/action. it's a pretty promising line-up.

if you have nothing to do this weekend, troop over to shangri-la mall cineplex, queue up for your free ticket, and watch a film at cine europa. just click on the link below to access the schedules and synopsis:

cine europa '09 line-up and schedule.