SALT – A movie review

Salt is an action spy film starring Angelina Jolie whose name in the movie was Evelyn Salt, hence the title. She plays an American secret agent being accused as a Russian sleeper spy so she decides to run and clear her name. The movie begins with Salt being tortured in a North Korean prison on suspicion of espionage. Soon she is traded for a North Korean prisoner and released to the custody of Winter, her CIA boss and into the waiting arms of her scientist boyfriend, Mike. She later learns that it was thru Mike’s persistence/petitions to find and release her that she had been allowed to be set free. Two years later, Salt and Mike are set to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They plan to hold a simple dinner at home but as Salt and Winter are walking out of the office, a Russian defector comes in claiming to have valuable information for them. Salt and Winter return upstairs and proceed to the investigation room to listen to what the defector had to say. He begins by saying that his name is Orlov and narrates a story of a Russian program wherein Russian children had been trained to become sleeper spies some day. They are either exchanged for kidnapped American babies or sent to the US to be adopted. He further narrates that said spies are codenamed K-12s and shall keep their identities secret until Day X comes which begins with the murder of the Russian president during the US Vice-president’s funeral the next day. The mission will be over with the US president’s assassination a day later and the Russian domination shall begin. The agents do not believe the defector’s story and so as Salt was walking out the door, he calmly states that the sleeper agent tasked to assassinate the Russian president, was named Evelyn Salt. Salt walks out and proceeds to the viewing room where Winter and the other agents were, she sees that the lie detector scan confirms the defector’s story. But Salt insists on her innocence and gets upset when she is asked to remain inside a locked room as the others discuss what to do with her. Orlov is escorted by two CIA agents but when they enter an elevator, he proceeds to kill his two escorts and calmly walks out of the CIA building. Salt, meanwhile, was allowed to use her phone and when she attempts to call her husband, Mike, all she gets is the recorded message in their answering machine. It was then that Salt realized that she and her husband are in danger so when she saw that the other agents were distracted with Orlov’s escape, she sets out to make an escape of her own. She gets trapped in an empty floor and concocts an explosive weapon using the leg of one of the tables (traces of MacGyver here eh?) and escapes the lockdown and team of agents running after her. She reaches her apartment and sees evidence that Mike was kidnapped. She then proceeds to pack her bags and take their dog and some of Mike’s spiders with her. She climbs out the window just as a SWAT team enters her home. She climbs down to a neighbor’s apartment and changes clothes but as she was walking out the building, Winter spots her and a chase ensues. They almost corner her at a bridge so she jumps off it and lands on a truck and jumps from one truck to another until she finally reaches the ground safely, steals a motorcycle from a passing rider and safely escape her pursuers. Salt proceeds to New York and rents a hotel room where she extracts venom from a spider and dyes her hair black. She is seen studying a blueprint of tunnels to the cathedral and some flashbacks reveal that she is indeed a sleeper agent and makes plans to enter the church where the US VP shall be honored during his funeral. The next day, as the Russian president speaks, she explodes the floor where he was then standing on causing him to fall down to her level. She shoots the Russian president just as CIA agents come in and surrenders to her colleague Agent Peabody. On the way to the hospital, the Russian president was confirmed dead. Salt is handcuffed and transported through the city but manages to disable both her escorts even the driver and makes the vehicle flip and fall down to the street below. She escapes in the ensuing milieu. She proceeds to the barge where Orlov and the rest of the Russian sleeper agents are hiding. Thru flashbacks it was established that Salt grew up and was trained in Russia along with other children by a master who turns out to be Orlov. Orlov informs her that the next step of their plan is to seize nuclear weapons and stage a war between Russia and the US. She sees Mike being held captive in one portion of the ship but Orlov sought to test her loyalty and kills Mike while she watched unmoving. He then escorts her into his office where he informs her about her rendezvous with another agent the next day. They celebrate with wine and then Salt proceeds to cut Orlov’s throat with the wine glass they were drinking from, gets some guns, grenades and kills everyone on the barge. The next day, Salt meets a NATO officer, another sleeper spy who sneaks her into the White House disguised as his male aide. The NATO officer then launches a suicide attack so that the Secret Service and Winter take the President into the bunkhouse for his safety…or so they thought. Salt follows them underground and takes out the Secret service agents that block her way. Inside the bunkhouse, the President starts to raise the terror alert since Russia seemed intent to fire their nuclear weapons at the US to avenge their President’s death. Winter then starts to shoot everybody else in the room and introduces himself to the President as Nikolai Tarkovsky, another Russian sleeper agent. When the President refused to launch the missiles, Winter knocks him out and aims missiles at Mecca, Saudi Arabia and Tehran to unite Muslims against the US. Salt persuades Winter to let her inside since after all they were on the same side but TV reports revealed that the Russian president was still alive and had recovered after being injected with the spider venom that Salt used. Winter got mad at Salt for falling in love with Mike thus making her unable to push through with her mission. He told her that it was their intention to kidnap Mike as insurance because they do not trust that she will push though with the mission. Salt is able to enter the bunkhouse and manages to wrestle the control switch from Winter and aborts the firing of nuclear weapons. At this point, secret service agents have arrived and they handcuff Salt while Winter was being treated for his wounds near the staircase. When Salt saw an opportunity, she jumped to the stairway, strangling Winter and breaking his neck with her wrist cuffs. Agent Peabody takes her on a helicopter ride to custody and he asked why she killed Winter and her only response was that someone had to do it. She proceeds to tell him her story about the sleeper agents and why they had to be stopped. At first, Peabody refused to believe her but later on realizes that she did not really kill the Russian president and himself…she only wants to exact revenge on her fellow Russian sleepers since they took everything from her. Then he receives a confirmation that Salt’s prints were found at Orlov’s barge so he became convinced that she would stop at nothing until all of the K-12 spies are killed. He removes her handcuffs and jumps from the chopper, escaping into the river and running freely into the woods. The movie had great action scenes which were quite remarkable since they say some scenes Angelina Jolie did herself, with the help of a trainer. But, of course, with these kinds of films, you have to suspend disbelief for a few moments and just accept the implausible plot and flawed premise that is being presented…even for just the one and a half hour of viewing the film. Still it was entertaining and truly action packed!

NEW BUNNIES!

I went on leave today so I could attend my daughter’s Linggo ng Wika presentation at school. My daughter and I ate a leisurely breakfast then we got ready for her program – bath, dress, fix her hair, then make-up. Left at around 11 but it turns out their program will be starting at past 12 pa! She can’t leave pa naman so I could feed her something to eat kasi their dance number was last pa! The program ended by 3 and off we went (after dressing up, of course!) to eat at a nearby Jollibee store ….but the real highlight of our day today – WE BOUGHT SOME CUTE BUNNIES – at a nearby rolling pet store! YIPEE! I just knew the hubby is not going to like this but hey they were just so adorable…my daughter still do not know what to name them but I just knew we are just gonna have fun with our new pets!

P.S. By the way, here's a pic of my daughter in costume for their Linggo ng Wika event...hehehe

THE HEIGHT OF STUPIDITY…or my two-cents worth on the hostage-taking incident in Luneta!

The country is once again in the eye of the storm these past few days because of the seemingly inadequate government response to a hostage-taking incident that happened a few days ago, last August 23, 2010. It happened when a tourist bus was boarded by a disgruntled police officer at Rizal Park in Manila. The bus, then carrying 25 people, mostly tourists and a tour guide from Hong Kong was hijacked by a cop hoping to get reinstated as he felt he was summarily dismissed in 2009 for allegations of corruption. However, ten hours into the stand-off (yes it took them that long!) negotiations broke down when the police arrested the cop’s brother and incited him to open fire. The bus driver escaped but Mendoza and eight of his hostages were killed and several others injured. I guess what really got everyone’s ire was the way the Manila Police District SWAT team conducted its ‘rescue attempt’, which took around 90 minutes and showed to the entire world just how inept and bumbling Philippine cops truly were. The incident commander on the ground was Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Superintendent Yebra was designated as the negotiator but the hostage-taker kept in constant touch with media man Erwin Tulfo. He at first demanded that the Ombudsman review his case and by afternoon, Manila Vice-mayor Isko Moreno personally delivered a letter from the Ombudsman to the hostage scene. But Mendoza did not like that the Ombudsman refused to reinstate him but instead just promised to review his case. Another thing that went terribly wrong was the fact that they allowed live media coverage of the event and since the tourist bus had a TV on board, Mendoza was able to learn about the presence of SWAT teams and snipers in the vicinity. Mendoza became further agitated upon witnessing his brother get arrested on TV while hoping to negotiate on his behalf (they said he was seen carrying a gun, that was why he got arrested). Mendoza demanded that they release his brother or he would start executing hostages. At this point, some shots were indeed fired and later on they learned from survivors that two hostages were shot point blank by Mendoza. It was during this stage that the SWAT team showed its total incompetence when it surrounded the bus and attempted for so many minutes to break the windows with sledgehammers…but they took so long because apparently the windows of the bus were made of Plexiglas…well, they could have done some research first right!?!? So they won’t look outright bumbling to the rest of the world!?!?!Imagine…their attempts to board the bus took ONE HOUR! The attempt to open the door of the bus was also laughable – they tied a rope to a police vehicle and it resulted to the rope snapping – WTF!?!?! For a while, there I thought I was a watching a police comedy show!!! Finally, they were able to do something right coz when Mendoza attempted to go out the door and shoot back at the cops, a police marksman shot Mendoza in the head. By then, eight hostages had already died, including the Hong Kong tour guide while the others were brought to nearby hospitals to be treated for minor wounds and injuries. Sentiments on social media about the affair ranged from shame, sadness and sympathy for the hostage victims, anger at the police for their bumbling response, annoyance at the media for their overzealous coverage, rage at the seemingly inadequate government response during and after the incident. But most of all, there was overall concern over the damage the incident would bring to the country’s image as a tourist destination. But I guess more than that, the government should learn from this sordid affair and start with the basics with regards to handling crisis. This is not the first and last time that an incident like this may happen…let’s just hope that the government would do better the next time. P.S. A few more months later, both the Philippine and HK governments conducted separate investigations into the incident. Their findings both revealed that the victims had been unlawfully killed and identified some lapses in the way the Philippine government handled the incident. Among the findings include – failure to activate the crisis management committee, lack of involvement of the DOJ, the arrest of Gregorio Mendoza that triggered the hostage-taker to become hostile, the absence of Mayor Lim and MPD Director at a ‘crucial time’ during the negotiations, the lack of training, equipment and tactical competence of the SWAT officers, the lack of vital information about the bus, the rejection of the use of the PNP SAF and failure to preserve the crime scene, and failure to block televised proceedings. The Hongkong government issued a ‘black travel alert’ for the Philippines as a result of the affair. A few more months later, Deputy Ombudsman Gonzales was dismissed for his inordinate and unjustified delay in handling Mendoza’s appeal.

FIRED!

I learned some distressing news today…my son had been fired from his job at NKTI. He had been working there since 2008, more than two years already so it’s a bit depressing that he had to be fired…yup that’s the correct term, I guess his ‘ninong’ (the one who hired him there in the first place) got fed up with his shenanigans and could not anymore cover up for him so he had to be let go… So I guess it’s back to job-hunting once again for him…or maybe he wants to return to school again, who knows what the future would bring. I knew I just had to be here for him and support whatever decision he may choose to take…

ELEVEN STITCHES!

The day started out like any other lazy Sunday at our home…we woke up late, ate a late breakfast at around ten. After that we watched some TV and napped a bit, the kids played with the computer while the hubby did some carpentry work for Kit’s cabinet in the garage. By 1:00 p.m., I started to prepare our lunch…I cooked the rice and was waiting for it to simmer 30 minutes later when all hell suddenly broke loose… I am writing this now…about two days after the incident happened…I guess I couldn’t bear to write it all down immediately after – the pain was still so vivid, the images in my mind too raw that I couldn’t bear to write it down just yet…this is one experience I hope no mother would ever have to endure --- I just knew the moment I heard the urgency in my son’s voice when he uttered just one single word – Tay! And my husband responded with an expletive…my heart suddenly felt like it fell to the ground. I immediately asked them what happened…alarm in my voice. But they never got to respond. The two of them immediately entered the house and proceeded directly to the kitchen…all that was left for me to see was the red trail of blood droplets that followed them…I asked the hubby and he confirmed my worst suspicions – my son is going to need some stitches to ‘repair’ his right hand – yup…that’s how worse it was – it needed to be repaired! I immediately sprang into action, went upstairs to get dressed, get some money, and as I was twirling around downstairs thinking what else to bring and discussing with the hubby what hospital we should bring him to…I was stopped by his seeming silence and I saw him slumped on the sofa, his face ashen and pale and he said – I don’t think I could drive…my son was by then sitting beside him, seemingly also on the brink of collapse. And so we waited a few minutes until the color returned a bit on both of their faces and I went about cleaning the droplets of blood just to keep myself busy. We left and finally decided on the Sapangpalay General Hospital. Upon arrival, I was overwhelmed at the huge number of people inside the emergency room and I was getting worried that my son might bleed to death. But the nurses were sympathetic and recognized that ours was an emergency case and so they prioritized my son. I decided I could not stand being in the emergency room and so I opted to stay with my daughter in the van (we don’t have any help with us kasi so we can’t leave her at home). But, in a little while, I asked them how they were and the hubby texted me that he was already being ‘stitched’ but that he was also getting dizzy and so I had no choice but to go there and take his place…there I was with my son’s head on my shoulder, my hand holding his other hand and my eyes carefully averted from what the doctors were doing on the table. But I did get one glimpse of the hand and it reminded me of one thing – lonnganisa – one that was quite puffed and split open in the middle – uh-oh I don’t think I would be able to eat longganisa again after this… I was doing fine naman except for the little pinch in my heart every time my son whispers aray! and presses hard against my palm. So I asked the doc why he is feeling some pain, and he answered that the anesthesia must be wearing off…It felt to me like eternity already and since I can’t bear looking at his hand, I asked Keith why it was taking so long and he says that they are just only stitching the second layer…not yet the skin…my God! I could not imagine how much longer I could take this…then the final straw that broke the camel’s back came when a new patient of a motorcycle accident arrived. He had broken legs (which thankfully I did not see) but I guess it was too much for me to take…so I texted the hubby to come replace me and he did… It was just so hard for me to see my son in pain…and I feel so helpless knowing there was no way I could help ease his hurt…I know he had always been like this around knives and all other sharp instruments (he gets cut more often than not when using those darn things!) but he never learns his lesson. I guess now he would surely be more careful when using a cutter. I am just glad that his entire thumb was not cut off, coz even if it was his right hand (he is a lefty) he would still find it difficult to move around with missing appendages…thank you Lord for saving his hand…

FAMILY GET-TOGETHER AT LOPEZ FARM

To celebrate my brother’s homecoming this year, my dad opted to spend an out of town weekend at Lopez farms somewhere in Cavite. We dropped by Project 4 to pick up my brother and current beau before proceeding to Makati to go to Cavite in convoy with my dad’s vehicle. We left at around 12 and reached Cavite some two hours later. The place was quite pretty indeed. It is filled with so many trees and hammocks that make the place so utterly relaxing. The main house is also quite a marvel – made entirely of wood and filled all around with windows, making it quite airy and spacious, too…not that it needed to expand its space since the place is already big, as it is.

At around three in the afternoon, the kids took a dip in the pool while I just lazed around the house reading a book. When night started to fall, I helped the hubby and their current hired helper (Ateng went home e!) cook the grilled meat and we had dinner in a while. The dining area filled up the back part of the entire house. It had a very long table…which was just right for a big family like ours. It was a truly satisfying meal we all shared and afterwards, since the place had no TV, we made small talk and exchanged stories in the sala…amid the background of a tuko croaking somewhere in the trees that surround the place.

In a little while, we retired to our bedrooms. We were given rooms downstairs – one room for us and the other bedroom for my brother. There was one airconditioned bedroom upstairs, beside the sala for Papa and Tita E. The other was just a fan room which was reserved for an aunt who did not come…instead it was my stepsister’s family who slept there. Papa’s room was quite big and could accommodate us if we wanted to sleep there but it was a bit cold and so after I used his laptop a bit inside the room, I went down na rin to our room…but aside from the four bedrooms of the main house, they had a dormitory that could house about fifteen to twenty people…just right for a teambuilding session.

The next day, we did nothing much…they swam a bit, ate a lot, laughed a lot, slept some more and basically enjoyed our stay in that very peaceful and restful place. Sometimes, it's nice, too, to get away to a place like this...without any television and just nature at its most basic...well, we have electricity but at least we spent much time just TALKING with each other, getting updated on what's going on in each other's lives instead of just staring inanely at the boobtube...we also got to reminisce about our past vacations...happy times we spent together...it was a fun and meaningful time for us...if not for the proliferation of numerous insects, this would be one good place to return to...

INCEPTION – A movie review

If I were to use just one word to describe the movie I guess I would choose – BIZARRE. Because basically, the plot is just so different from any other movie that I have watched in my lifetime… it just blows my mind to think that something like this could really happen. It’s a step into a realm of the unknown – stepping into a person’s psyche but thankfully the directors and writers were able to craft this movie in such a way to make it fully riveting and still quite intriguing. But let me start at the beginning…the movie is a story about espionage thieves led by Dominic Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) who infiltrate the subconscious of their targets and extract the needed information while dreaming. But this time around, instead of just getting information, Cobb had the difficult task of ‘implanting an idea’ into a target’s mind. The movie introduces the ‘dream within a dream’ concept that some may find confusing. The plan they devised to execute their mission was well-crafted, the players all ready to play their parts…but there was one hitch. Cobb had left the memory of his wife (who committed suicide while in the dream) in Limbo and it is her memory that has kept disrupting the plans they have made…Cobb explains to his newly-recruited dream architect Ariadne that the reason why he cannot go home is because of her…Mal committed suicide and put the blame on him so he is wanted for murder. The team executes their plan to ‘implant’ while onboard a plane and Ariadne helps Cobb get over his guilt over his wife’s death thereby ensuring that their mission is a success. The ending of the movie shows Cobb getting off the plane in Los Angeles and successfully getting through customs and he knows that his client made good on his word to give his life back in exchange for his successful ‘inception’. Cobb gets to see his children once again but before he does, he takes out his totem – a black top – and spins it…but before it fully stops, the top wobbles slightly and then the screen goes black. This ending, I think, was meant by the writer and director to confuse the moviegoers and at the same time, give the moviegoers something to talk about…it lends a sense of mystery not knowing if, indeed, in that last scene, Dominic is REALLY with his children or if he is still in a dream. It’s a brilliant brain-twister ending to what is already a very confusing and mind-bending film! (picture grabbed from IMDB)

OYSTER BOY TREAT AND HEAVENLY FOOT SPA!

Yesterday, my brother and his estranged wife treated us to lunch at Oyster Boy (Cubao Rustans branch). It was my first time to eat there and I was never really a huge fan of oysters although I already tasted it as a child (since it’s my dad’s fave)…but boy oh boy the oysters they served were truly truly delish! The other dishes included in the festival plate (I think it was Ati-atihan fest and another one from Visayas DInagyang, I think) were also quite appetizing…so sorry though but we weren’t able to take any pics. I guess we were just too hungry to bother with taking any photos…besides the interiors of Oyster Boy were a bit dark so pic-taking isn’t really appropriate. Then, after the sumptuous lunch, my brother took the kids shopping and playing video games at SM Cubao while his ex-wife treated us to a foot spa (someplace in QC near Scout area, Beijing Foot Spa, I think?). It costs around PhP500 per pax but it was oh so heavenly to have your feet and entire leg pampered and massaged while we relax or watch our preferred shows with our individual TV consoles. After an hour at the spa, we went downstairs to indulge in some cakes and coffee for dessert! Around five, we all headed home (after a brief stop at their house in Cubao to wait for my brother and the kids) to our home in the boondocks totally satiated and happy with how our day was spent.

My little brother is back home…


The title is a misnomer actually…coz he’s not so little anymore. In fact, he’s physically much taller than me now and he’s home for a vacation after spending more than two years as a layout artist/graphic artist for a big-time advertising outfit in Abu Dhabi so that makes him pretty much a BIG TIME GUY! Coz he earns a 6-figure salary …about 5 times more than I make in a month!

And truly…I find that ironic…Since back when we were younger, my brother was the one who usually gets scolded for having failing grades…he regularly attends summer classes …and gets a tongue lashing for coming home with his notebooks devoid of lecture notes and his books often left behind inside school classrooms, cafeterias or even during his jeepney rides home. Instead, his notebooks are filled with drawings of cartoon characters and other famous super heroes back then…I guess, he truly wasn’t into REAL STUDYING even back then…real according to normal standards of schooling, which is why he was always on the brink of failing although he did manage to finish high school.

Then, in college he went against my father’s (subtle) wishes to follow his career path of entering military school…well being the only son it was more or less implied that he would follow in Papa’s footsteps to the PMA and have that military career he never truly had. But instead, my brother chose to follow his heart’s true desire – to DRAW. He also sported long hair, tattooed back and arms (some of which he himself drew) and indulged in music (drums and electric guitars) My father never openly opposed any of his whims but he was disappointed and it shows through in not so many ways…still, he just let him be. In fact, my brother did not even finish his college degree because he did not want to take up ROTC because he’d have to cut his long hair short. He worked in small advertising firms and generally lived a musician bum’s life for quite some time…jamming with friends, chicks and booze.

Until he sired a kid…and I guess that’s what changed him…made him truly look at life seriously this time. He began to hold serious jobs, and for a time had a family – with wife and kid. But it was temporary – like most things in his life… just another thing he took seriously but only for a time until he got restless again…and he moved on. Except for the fatherhood thing – that is one thing I believe he would never renege on. And I guess it’s what pushed him to seek greener pastures abroad.

He’s been working in Abu Dhabi for more than two years now and I’m glad he’s making good there…now at least he can provide well for his family (he has 2 kids na though he’s long been separated from the mom…don’t ask me to explain coz he can’t either…) And he can also afford to indulge in his hobbies – photography and music during his lonely times working abroad…Now, he can also afford to shoulder some of Mama’s needs (even whims!) and can give generous gifts to his siblings (including me!), pamangkins and even friends.

But I guess more than the financial stability that he has achieved… I guess my bro can now lay claim to being ‘successful’ in his own way despite all the pitfalls and insecurities he had as a child. And in spite of all what the doomsayers and naysayers may have said about his future as a rebellious child. Now, he can thumb his nose at all of them and just be proud of what he has become…but I don’t think it is in his nature to do that… I guess what matters to him now is the recognition and importance granted to him now by my father – who is in a way, quite mighty proud of what he has achieved…coz no one ever expected that the one among us who did not finish college would be the one most successful!

God truly moves in mysterious ways…For what someone may lack in diligence and intelligence in studies, He would more than make up in talent and grit…and I guess these my brother had in abundance, and it paid him off very well…I can say without a hint of envy (okay maybe a bit) that I am also quite proud of what he has become. I just pray that he would continue to take advantage of all the opportunities that comes his way…that he would not just splurge all his earnings on highly technical non-essential gadgets and instead set aside something and plan for his and his kids’ future. I know that despite the good pay, it is hard to live and work abroad, staying too long away from the family – and I hope God continues to give him the patience and tenacity to survive loneliness and whatever hardship he may face there. Be strong bro… we’ll always be here for you!