Couch Potato: Suits

Hey guys! School officially starts tomorrow. And guess what? I am not excited. Haha. I used to look forward to going back to school. But that was before I went to law school. This time, I'm more excited about something else - Suits!

Two weeks ago, I asked my Twitter friends if this television series is worth watching. Surprisingly, many of them replied to my question with a YES! and a SUPER! and a SOBRA! Haha. So I gave it a try, and finished the first season in just two days! That's how good it is.  (Plus the fact that the first season only has 12 episodes. Too bad.)

Suits is a legal "dramedy" about a brilliant college-dropout (Mike) who gets hired by one of the senior partners (Harvey) of New York's best law firm.   The story revolves around Mike and Harvey's struggle to keep the firm from discovering Mike's secret and keeping him in the office, all while addressing their multi-million dollar clients' legal problems. To read more about the series, click HERE.

Here are two of my favorite Suits moments:

Videos uploaded from YouTube

I fell in love with Suits (and I'm obviously obsessing about it now) because of its plot, its characters, its witty lines. Actually, all of it. I like how it makes legal stuff super easy to understand. You don't have to be a lawyer or a law student to get this show. Plus, it has my kind of witty humor. All of the characters are funny in their own way. There's always something to laugh about in every episode.

And it doesn't hurt that the characters are good-looking. I mean, guys who wear suits are really attractive. The corporate wardrobe pieces of the female characters don't hurt either. In two words, aesthetically pleasing.

The second season of Suits premieres on June 14 in the U.S. That's two days from now! And I can't wait!

Side Trip: Salcedo Weekend Market

It's our last hurrah before school starts! And before going home to Lucena to spend the remaining days of my vacation, we dropped by the Salcedo Weekend Market in Makati. (More on the reason why we decided to check out this weekend market on my next posts.)

It was my first time to visit the weekend market in Salcedo. There's something about weekend markets that make you giddy and excited, no? Siguro, especially if you're a shopaholic na pati simpleng weekend market papatulan mo. Haha.

We got there at around half past ten in the morning and the place was already swarming with people. It's a good thing the park is huge, and that it's covered with trees so the shoppers need not worry about the scorching heat.

We were in a hurry that day (and this was only a side trip as the name of this blog post suggests), so I was able to explore only half of the park. And I was able to take very few pictures. I didn't even treat myself to anything. Sayang. Di bale, I plan to go back there soon!

Here are a few tips to remember when going to the Salcedo Weekend Market (or to any weekend market, for that matter):

1. Bring an umbrella. Most, if not all, weekend markets are set up in huge open spaces. If you worry about sunburn, it's better to hide under your sunnies and umbrellas.
2. Prepare for long walks. Like I said, huge open spaces. Oh, and bring a bottle of water if you tire easily.
3. Bring lots of cash and self-control. Haha. You never know what you'll find in a weekend market, so it's better to be prepared. You wouldn't believe the goodies they have there. You actually have to control your impulse-buying nerves so as not to go broke.
4. Go there hungry. This is actually a self-serving tip. Haha. There are lots of food items to choose from. To be honest, I hated myself for eating breakfast before going to the weekend market. I should have eaten there instead.

The Salcedo Weekend Market is open every Saturday from 7:00 in the morning to 2:00 in the afternoon.

Happy shopping!

Bookworm: The Confession

I am a self-confessed bookworm. Nancy Drew was my first favorite. I think I read all the Carolyn Keene books in the library when I was just 12 years old. I have to admit, Nancy Drew was my favorite crime-fighting heroine and my first inspiration to be a lawyer. O di ba, bagets pa lang, gusto nang maging abogado dahil lang kay Nancy Drew. Haha.

When there was no more Keene book to read, I switched to thicker paperbacks and fell in love with Erica Spindler, Dan Brown, Heather Graham, James Patterson, and the like. It's not hard to guess that I enjoy psychological thrillers and suspense/mystery. Don't get me wrong. I also read romance novels (depending on the story, of course) and I've read all Twilight books.

Papa tried to talk me into reading John Grisham when I was in high school. But at 14 years old, all those legal terms were still lost on me. I tried reading The Firm then, but I couldn't understand most of the words so I just gave up on it. Fast forward to nine years later: I decided to give Grisham another try. I started to read The Confession seven months ago, and I only finished reading it last week.  In all fairness to Grisham, it's a really good read. I was just too busy with school that it took me that long to finish the book. Here's what I have to say about The Confession:

Note: There might be spoilers :)

The Confession is a story of a wrongfully accused man about to be executed for allegedly abducting, raping and murdering a high school cheerleader nine years ago. The real killer decides to show up and own up to his mistakes four days before the execution. Question is: will he make it in time to stop the execution and will they believe his confession?

For a more comprehensive summary of the book, click HERE.

The protagonist in this story is Robbie Flak, a defense attorney convinced of his client's innocence and hell-bent on getting him off the death row. Among all the characters in the story, I like Flak best not because he's the bida, but because of his interesting personality. He's a tough guy who enjoys filing lawsuits and suing everyone who crosses his path. He's actually funny because he makes a habit out of suing people, which is often pointless and just downright time-consuming. And because even though he's tough on the inside, he's just a big marshmallow when it comes to his client. Lawyers don't get too emotionally attached to their clients, but Flak makes an exception in this story. 

The Confession is an interesting take on the death penalty. We don't have the death penalty in the country anymore, but it's still interesting to look at it from the perspective of a country or a State which implements it. We usually speak of the death penalty in terms of its purpose or its consequences. More often than not, the debate is about whether or not it should be implemented. It's nice to read about something that ponders on what happens if you implement the death penalty, but wrongfully execute an innocent man. It's not a new perspective, but it's a little unexplored compared to the others. Grisham deserves a round of applause for this one. Personally, he was able to make me question the Texas government's policies on punishment, without me even noticing. Cool.

I also love how, with so many characters, I didn't get lost in the story. Usually, I get confused when the author tries to add so many characters into the story, and the said characters turn out to be irrelevant to the plot. Grisham's work isn't like that. Even if there are hundreds of characters in his story, he knows how to shine the limelight on the bigger characters and dim the lights on the smaller ones - just so his readers don't get confused.

The ending wasn't all that spectacular, but everyone got their happily ever after. Like every good book, The Confession will give you that heartbreaking feeling that the story's over so you have to get back to the real world. And it'll make you want to grab another Grisham book. Haha.

So now, my nose is under The Client. And I'll let you know how that works out :)

Dine In: Kamayan sa Palaisdaan

We had lunch at Kamayan sa Palaisdaan last Sunday. Located in Tayabas, Quezon, it's more or less a 30-minute drive from our house. For years, it's been our go-to place for special occasions or big family gatherings. Well, there wasn't really a big celebration last weekend, but school starts in two weeks and my brother had to go back to Manila for work. So, my parents called my closest aunt and invited her to lunch.

We got there shortly before 12 noon, and surprisingly, the place wasn't packed. We expected lots of people to be there since it was a Sunday. And so, we found seats really fast. 

BUT, it took us a good 20 minutes or so, I think, to order. We tried getting the attention of different waiters so we could place our orders, but everyone was telling us to wait. Funny no, kasi they're the waiters, but they're the ones making us wait. Hindi lang yun. The same thing happened when we asked for the bill after eating. The two-hour lunch could have been cut down to just an hour if the waiters were paying attention. Hay, that's what you call bad service. 

Mama asked one of the waitresses if there was ever an instance wherein some costumers left without paying the bill, and she said yes! Pano ba naman, the customers can sneak out without anyone noticing.

Anyway, enough of the bad vibes or you'll end up thinking that lunch wasn't great. Haha. Like I said, I've been to this place a hundred of times so I knew what to expect. As usual, we went home with happy tummies because the food was really filling. We ordered Ginataang Tilapia, Inihaw na Porkchop, Inihaw na Tilapia and Sisig. That's quite enough for a group of six. And for dessert - Naku! You have to try the Pilipit! Pag di ka pa naman natakam sa picture na 'to, ewan ko na lang. Haha.

You can eat using kitchen utensils, but it's much more fun when you eat using your bare hands. Duh, Kamayan sa Palaisdaan nga di ba? 

Look at all the grilled food!

That's Sisig and Ginataang Tilapia for you :)

Overall, I'd still say that lunch was great. Naman, it's not everyday you get to eat inside a floating kubo while fishes swim around you, di ba? If you're after good food and the perfect nature-ish ambiance, this place is right for you. Never mind the bad service. Just be sure to bring lots of patience when you come by for lunch or dinner. Happy eating!

Rockband: Gig sa Taguig

Let's pretend baby... to know how to play pool ;)

Aminin n'yo, witty yung title ng blog post ko. Haha.

These are pictures from last week. One of my closest cousins is getting married soon. And her fiance invited us to his house to play Rockband. That's what you call "getting to know the family". Haha. 

Take a hint, guys :)

Nostalgia: Kid Movies

I don't know why exactly, but I've been thinking about my childhood a lot lately. Maybe because I'm currently surrounded by "younger" people - for the nth time, I'm back in UP for two summer courses. It pains me to realize that I'm classmates with "kids" six years younger than me. Pains talaga? Haha. Kasi naman, their student numbers start with 10 or 11. Who wouldn't feel conscious about that? I have to constantly act their age, just so I can blend in. Di bale, young at heart naman ako.  And humor me, I don't look 23 years old. :)

Anyway, thanks to my newfound friends, I've been taking a lot of trips down memory lane. And one of those trips led me to this: FAVORITE 90s FILMS!

When I was still little, Papa would take us to video rental stores. Yes, uso pa ang video rentals non. Torrent downloading was a thing of the faraway future. Think Video City or ACA Video. Oh, the memories.

So, without further ado, here are the ten best movies from my childhood (in no particular order because I can't decide which of them is the best-est):

1. Baby's Day Out (1994)

This is the story of millionaire Baby Bink who got kidnapped or baby-napped. He escaped from his kidnappers, and spent the day touring the city using the pages of a baby book he committed to memory. Even if this movie is just one step closer to being impossible, I say: Go Baby Bink! 

2. Home Alone (1990)

Can you believe this movie was released 22 years ago? Feels like yesterday when Macaulay Culkin was accidentally left at home by his family over Christmas vacation. He was just ten years old then! I wonder how he looks now.

3. Richie Rich (1994)

Hindi naman obvious na I was a Culkin fan. Haha. Culkin looked so much like the cartoon version of Richie Rich; it was like the cartoon was patterned after him. He played the lead role in this film so well. Nainggit ako sa yaman n'ya, for real. Having your own McDonalds was the bomb. Ikaw na. Ikaw na talaga.

4. It Takes Two (1995)

I'm a self-confessed Olsen fan. Mary-Kate and Ashley were adorable as Amanda and Alyssa, as they switched places to experience living each other's lives. I still stop to watch this movie whenever it airs on HBO. 

"It's got to be that can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff..." - Amanda on getting a husband for Diane.

5. Jingle All The Way (1996)

I liked Arnold Schwarzenegger even before I could spell or pronounce his name. As if I can now, without Google-ing it. Haha. This is a story about a father who goes to hell and back just to fulfill his promise to his son of spending Christmas Day with him and getting him the coolest robot in the market. Plus, who doesn't love Christmas movies?

6. The Little Rascals (1994)

You're not a 90s kid if you don't know Alfalfa, Darla, Spanky and Waldo. Naku! Shame on you! Haha. Seriously now, this movie was the best during those times. 'Twas the complete package: love story, action-packed car racing scenes, the unforgettable "dear darla" speech, and the best friend fight!

"Dear Darla, I hate your stinking guts. You make me vomit. You're scum between my toes! Love, Alfalfa" - Buckwheat, as he reads Alfalfa's hate letter to Darla.

7. Matilda (1996)

Where is Mara Wilson now? She was the coolest little telekinetic grade schooler back then. Imagine being able to lift objects and make them fly just by looking at them. That was cool for an eight year old, mind you. Plus, she was able to defeat her terrorist teacher with her "superpowers". Cooler than cool, yo.

8. Once Upon A Forest (1993)

Abigail, Edgar and Russell - a mouse, a mole, and a hedgehog who risked their lives to find a cure for their friend Michelle who was poised by men. Don't be fooled by the cute graphics. This one's a real tearjerker. To friendship!

9. Space Jam (1996)

Because of this film, Michael Jordan is the only basketball player I know. Haha! For an eight year old, the only thing cooler than Matilda is a human being talking to a cartoon. Think Jordan and Bugs Bunny. The soundtrack didn't hurt either. Cue For You I Will and I Believe I Can Fly.

10. The Parent Trap (1998)

Please don't shoot me when I say I actually thought Lindsay Lohan had a twin. I was ten. How was I supposed to know? By the way, the whole twin acting was good ha. Very convincing. And her accent when  she was acting as Annie? Too cute.


There. I hope you liked my list. I'm gonna go download copies of 'em from the Internet. Ciao for now! :)


* All photos and info grabbed from Google Images and Imdb.com.

Happy Mommies' Day!

Celebrated Mother's Day a day early. Had dinner at Serye Cafe Filipino and played bowling after. With 76 points, I won 2nd place. Haha! Not a pro; I definitely need more practice.

To my Mom, Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for being my blog's number one fan. Haha. No matter what, I'll always be your little angel. I love you more than I can ever express. 

Hugs and kisses.