I didn’t even realize it was the end of May already until I checked my Monday schedule to see if I had any client calls to make. And Monday happens to be the 31st too! Whew, how time flies indeed and what a month it was. I have a ton of pending blog entries to write too but here’s a quick summary of what has happened this month from all over.

1. The Worst Oil Spill in History – Louisiana Oil Spill of 2010 threatens to end the livelihood of fishermen (if it hasn’t already) and destroy the marine habitat where the oil still continues to expand and spill over. Experts say over 5,000 barrels of oil are continually being spewed on from the leak in the Gulf of Mexico and the hopeful solution in plugging that leak had failed.

2. PH First Automated Elections a Success? – Amidst all the doubts on how the Philippines could possibly put in place an automated election system that works… it is finally over. And it seems that it the proclamation of the winners this election year should and will be unprecedented. And barring any last-minute whistle-blowing allegations that may affect its credibility, I’m sure many are surprised at it’s success, including myself. Cheers!

3. Lebron’s Cavs bow out to the Celtics – LBJ proves that winning the MVP and having the best record in the league all season means nothing in the playoffs. The seemingly old and raggedy Celtics seem rejuvenated after being called underdogs going up against a seemingly invincible Cavs squad. It may just be the last time Cleveland sees LBJ wearing that jersey and it’s also the stage where Rajon Rondo became a legit superstar in the league without question.

There are other smaller news, like Wowowee host Willie Revillame resigning because some gay guy said some bad things about his show and how he wanted that person fired if not he would leave and threaten that there ARE other networks. It’s not really news but I just wanted to point out how there are such INGRATES in this world. And on a more personal note, I got offered 3 jobs this month haha, but ended up staying in the same place. Hmm.

I know it’s April already but it’s better late than never! Some of these movies have already shown while most of them are coming soon. There are quite a few interesting ones down the line and you can check them out below. So here’s a sneak peak at the posters and titles of what’s to come! Click on the picture to see the hi-res poster!

I’m particularly excited with the new batch of 3D movies coming up as I was blown away with my first experience. If the first two I watched was any indication of how much greater movies are going to be after watching Alice and Clash of the Titans, then I can’t wait to see how Prince of Persia does!

Related Links:
Movies of 2009: What else to Look Forward to?

I’ve never really known what it feels like to have someone dear to me pass away until today. It’s a very numbing, debilitating feeling, that really doesn’t quite sink in even when it happens right in front of you.

My grandfather passed away today at 1:47PM at the age of 99, peacefully, with a heart as strong as anyone out there regardless of age. He joined the Creator 4 days after my grandmother died 27 years ago.

He was critical since the past week began and lost the ability to speak early as they had to do a trach to help him breathe. All week, they put a bunch of tubes in to help pump medicine into his system to fight off his pneumonia, as well as feed him. For the past 10 days he had been bombarded with a variety of drugs and he had a blood tranfusion on both his arms, but his heart was still pumping so hard. I had asked him early this week if he wanted to let go and leave us, and he would vehemently shake his head even though he couldn’t speak and open his eyes anymore.

I stood there watching the machine that told us all what his blood pressure was and what rate his heart was beating at. The doctors said it should only be a matter of time as his kidney had failed because of all the meds pumped into his system and his pneumonia came back. But everytime one of us would go speak into his ear and try to wake him, all his vitals would shoot up and his heart would keep beating and beating. The elders decided to whisper to him that it’s time to let go and that we would all be okay. One by one they did it, and that was the only time his vitals slowly dropped, until he passed away peacefully this afternoon.

Angkong is going to be so missed by our entire clan as he was the reason we would all get together on Sundays and on festive occasions. Without him, we all probably wouldn’t be as close as we all are right now. We are very thankful that he was able to have lived such a fruitful and happy 99 years here with us.

I was watching the Oscars when they were showing the nominees for documentary films when I came across Food Inc. for the first time. So I went out to find a DVD of the movie as I was rather curious because of the tag line it had, “you’ll never look at dinner the same way again.” And they were right.

The film in a nutshell talks about how the food industry has transformed over the years and how in the present, only a handful of corporations actually control the entire market. So when you go to the supermarket and you can hardly pick out a product because of all the variety you see, well, think again. As much as there are so many brand names that give the illusion of variety, these are all made by the same corporations.

The eye-opener in the film was actually how the quality of food has changed. Sure, the quantity is a lot more than it has ever been, but to what consequence? I guess that’s what the movie is trying to get us all to see. And believe me, the consequences are pretty disturbing especially when you realize how and where your food is coming from.

I’d be lying if I said that I knew where, much less cared about how my food came from before, and that would probably be the reason why we are all at this point right now. I think if everyone was made aware of where our food actually comes from, we would be thinking twice about eating what we do every single day. But because we don’t know and because we couldn’t care less, we are all “healthy” contributors to the sad state we are all in right now. Such a shame.

The documentary also points out some of the travesties that have been so glaring in the agricultural industry in the US yet the government turns the other way. Why? Well, because of the money this type of business generates. And while the rich get richer, the farmers who actually have lands that grow these crops and house these animals, are the ones buried to their necks with debt and lawsuits so they are forced to comply or lose everything. Not much of a choice now is there?

I can’t speak for everyone but since I watched “Super Size Me,” which was another documentary that spoke about the fast food industry a few years ago, I’ve been more aware of what I should and shouldn’t be eating. It didn’t stop me from eating fast food though. But this film was a real eye-opener that finally made me do something about what I eat instead of just not giving a damn even after digesting such disturbing information. If you guys have not seen this film, take an hour of your time to do so, and I promise it will do you good.

As a last thought on the matter, I tried to start eating healthy because of this film by taking in more veggies and swearing off on fast food like burgers and the like, but it’s pretty darn hard. You would be surprised why though and it isn’t why you think. I went to the websites supporting the cause (I put them on as links below for reference) and these sites give you the best advice they can on how you should eat. One of them was to eat organic food and buy from farmer’s markets as the products there are not contaminated by all these chemicals and are truly grown fresh. So I went to Healthy Options (a store that sells organic products) to see what they had and now I know WHY people would be hard-pressed to change their eating habits and why it would be practically IMPOSSIBLE to remedy the situation we are all in now.

I’d say I’m in the upper-middle class, to say that I can afford to buy relatively more expensive things if I wanted to. And if you think about it, what could be more important than buying things that can and should make you healthier. But when I went in that store, I really looked at all the products one by one, just to see what all the zero fat, no trans-fat, no chemical, organic stuff, was all about. So great, let’s buy a few, but…

Sure, there was a bit of variety, not a lot though, and you could handpick what you could eat, much less what you wanted to eat, but the problem was the PRICE. And this is where it’s going to hit everyone who watches this film. You may be inspired and your eyes may be wide-open, but can your pockets handle the cost of living a healthier life? If you can buy ketchup in Unimart for P70, why would you go to Healthy Options to buy it for P355? You can count on the cost of everything else in that store to be around that same ratio from your normal supermarkets compared to the organic kind. So I’m at a dilemma right now and I’m sure those who can’t afford it wouldn’t even think twice.

Reference Sites:
Food Inc : Official Site
Eat Well Guide
Food Matters
Organic Food Info

There have been a few big names that went but there were still the ones that stayed. Phoenix never shipped Amare off to the Cavs, which is probably a good thing as the Shaq-Amare experiment was a disaster with both players destroying the other’s value. SO which were the good trades and which teams benefited the most? Here are the 5 best ones in my opinion and who, if any, suffered the most from the changes.

T-Mac to the Knicks - I was never a T-Mac fan because he always stayed safe and stayed down from his injuries. Never a warrior of the week by Kamla’s standards. But this move by the Knicks to grab one of the most talented guys in the league was great for them. They finally got a crunch time player and a veteran leader for this squad and that’s what they really needed. When was the last time you heard MSG chant a player’s name, eh? There is now life back in the Garden!

The red flag will always be his injuries but if he is indeed as healthy as he says he is, the Knicks are going to be tough for everyone after this trade and will make a very strong push for that bottom playoff spot in the East. The biggest loser here is Wilson Chandler as I see his production dipping as T-Mac smooths into the lineup and dominates majority of the possessions he usually gets.

Butler to the Mavs - The Big 3 that the Wiz had is now gone and all that’s left is Arenas with his hefty salary and long term suspension. Lucky for Butler, just like Jamison, he went from the bottom of the East to one of the top tier teams in the very competitive West.

Caron will immediately fill in the spot Josh Howard left when he was traded to the Wiz but will be starting and move Terry back to his 6th man role. This move definitely improves the Mavs in terms of D and toughness. No losers here but Terry or Marion might take a small hit in minutes. No matter how you look at it though, the trade makes a lot of sense for Dallas. Before this trade, they didn’t have a lineup that had a chance.

Jamison to the Cavs - You shouldn’t always buy in to the hype of debuts as Antawn set a historic 0-12 shooting record from the field in his first stint with Lebron’s Cavs. As Jamison said, it won’t happen again, and payback is in the form of the Orlando Magic in their next game.

The most likely loser here is Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao. Jamison and Andy play the same position and he will lose a minutes to Jamison, but the Cavs chemistry might be the bigger loser. Mo Williams might also be affected negatively as he most likely becomes the third scoring option now. I see the Cavs losing a few games with the adjustment but the long term result should be positive. Anthony Parker was practically useless playing a chunk of the minutes, so the addition of Jamison should help a ton in terms of offense and rebounding and will be more efficient than Parker.

Thomas to the Bobcats - Tyrus Thomas must be thanking his lucky stars just about now. There isn’t a happier player after the trade deadline for sure. And if there was a sleeping giant somewhere in the NBA that was waiting to be unleashed, it would be him. Finally released from the Bulls before the deadline, the disgruntled PF looks to wreak havoc in a system where he can finally thrive.

If the first game was any indication, the Bobcats destroyed the league leading Cavs with Tyrus anchoring the D with 12 rebounds and 6 blocks for a sneak peak at what this kid can do for the playoff-bound Bobcats! Look for the same consistent line every game thereafter. If there was a perfect fit for Tyrus to land, the Bobcats are it. Losers here are Nazr and Tyson Chandler, but they had no value to begin with anyway.

Camby to the Blazers - After the demise of Oden for the 2nd straight season and the season-ending injury dealt to his backup Przybilla, the Blazers needed a legit center to help in their playoff push. And boy did they get a center! Marcus Camby comes off the Clippers and will definitely help this squad in many ways. He had a terrible debut, but once he settles in, he should be a great fit in a center-less Blazers squad. No losers here unless you’re counting Juwan Howard.

The Blazers add what they desperately needed and got a ton of boards and blocks while giving away players they really didn’t need. Outlaw was a key piece but with the abundance of young guns they had playing the same position and Travis coming off an injury, it made perfect sense for the Blazers to do this deal. I’m sure it will take a few games for Camby to adjust, but once he gets in sync with the Portland offense, it will be fun to watch with Roy healthy and ready for that playoff run.

Special Mention: Kevin Martin to the Rockets, Carl Landry to the Kings, Josh Howard to the Wizards, Brendan Haywood to the Mavs, and John Salmons to the Bucks.

I was quite curious as to how the tandem of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law would come out on screen as the trailer seemed quite funny. And surprisingly, the movie was humorously entertaining, and probably better than a lot of the movies that were shown in the past year. I really don’t know much about the real Sherlock Holmes, except that he’s a uniquely great detective with a doctor for a sidekick named Watson. And right now, I’m curious enough to want to read some of those short stories of his written by Doyle after watching this film.

The movie starts with an occult-sorcerer-serial-killer named Lord Blackwood being caught by the duo of Holmes and Watson. He is hung but not before scaring the life out of the prison and the entire town. Blackwood then mysteriously resurrects and continues with his killing spree spreading fear all around him. Holmes, befuddled yet unwilling to accept that the occurrences are supernatural in nature, goes on to find the clues only he is capable of unraveling. Add the challenge of figuring out what his past love Irene (played by Rachel McAdams) is in the picture for, makes the plot quite interesting and entertaining.

Robert Downey Jr. played Sherlock Holmes unbelievably well. His witty humor coupled with the exuberance of cunning he showed in his fight scenes were truly unique for a sleuth, as only an actor of his caliber could deliver. And for Watson, Jude Law was also as good. I never liked any of his movies but this one showed his true versatility. His demeanor while half unwilling to help Holmes but the other half totally willing, made the clash within himself hilariously funny. It’s possibly one of the best tandems on screen to date! Talk about best friends for life! This one takes the cake!

The movie was a fast-paced cat-and-mouse hunt and is riveting as well as funny in a lot of aspects. It was a tad bit over 2 hours but I sat there like a little kid enjoying what was quite a masterpiece of a movie. A very unique one that everyone who loves mysteries should definitely go see. I also liked how the movie ended as it closed the book on Lord Blackwood but opened an even more mysterious arch-enemy of Holmes in Professor Moriarty. And how is Irene connected to the mysterious professor?!

I don’t think there was a wittier and more entertaining movie from the past year, and what a difficult act to follow for whatever is to come in 2010. Great directing also by Guy Ritchie! I’m excited to see the second installment of this! Hope it’s very soon!

Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.6/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 7.7/10
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Genre: Action, Adventure
Duration: 128 minutes
Links: Official Site, IMDB