I've been at Solaire North during Oktoberfest and the start of the Christmas Season, and yes, I've been overjoyed with their way of celebrating every occasion. This New Year's Eve is going to be different because it will be so much BIGGER, as the show will be headlined by world class Filipino acts, reality show champions and an international multi awarded singer songwriter.
Christmas season is in full swing so there will be performances by the Regina Coeli choir, the Ambassadors of Christ Chamber Singers, OPM hit makers The Company, The Leading Ladies who will perform at the Oasis Garden Cafe, and the jazz trio calle Baihana. During Christmas eve, home bar Waterside will be having the Bellissima Party Band. For those who are dining over at Finestra Italian Steakhouse, you will be entertained by the talented Jenny Garcia all month.
Santa will also be stopping by for the kids come December 24 and 25 while you get in the mood for more Christmas music with the UP Singing Ambassadors plus the Quezon City Performing Arts Development Foundation Inc. Choir evenings at the Atrium of Solaire North.
At the Ultimate Solaire New Year's Eve Party, the one and only Lea Salonga, Concert King Martin Nievera, Bituin Escalante will be with you at Solaire Resort Entertainment City. At Solaire North, you get the chance to see NeYo, the Jabbawockeez, my personal favorite quirky dance group Avantgardey, Beast House and DJ Soda. There will also be performances by BGYO, Billy Crawford, DJ Mars Miranda, Kat DJ and more. If you see this the apt way to welcome 2025, you can get tickets via Ticket World 0917114 7317, or 0999954 5922. You can calso inquire via 8888-8888 or their website solaireresort.com for more information about these events!
When I first looked at the entries for Cinemalaya this year, I took interest in this one. It was just fate when we had to take the trip down south to watch KONO BASHO, produced by Project8 and Mentorque Productions, written and Directed by Jaime Pacena II. One that talks about grief, acceptance, building or re-building relationships.
Kono Basho literally means "This Place". The story is about two sisters who met during their biological father's funeral in Rikuzentakata, a city in Northern Japan. For those who don't know, this city has been ravaged by the huge earthquake and tsunami that hit the Iwate prefecture in 2011. In a sense, they really haven't fully built things like how they were, but are now experiencing something even more tragic... plus the feeling of awkwardness because the sisters really didn't know much about each other.
Ella is Filipino via her Mom with her Japanese Father, whilst Reina is born to a Japanese mother (one that was kind and understanding). Friction between them was quite a lot, young women that were both damaged by their past, circumstances and distance. Rikuzentakata might have symbolized what they went through in the story, they both lost their Dad, with unequal memories of him because Ella never experienced life with him.
This starts their journey together, in a partly civil, kind, but definitely torn in a lot of ways. It's great how the director never forced the conversation in Filipino or Japanese. It felt natural, and fitting. You could feel their pain, their longing for love, and how much they wanted to find it from other people, and hopefully, with each other.
This has depression and all the things related to it. They also gave a glimpse of kintsugi, an art form of pottery where they use gold to put broken pieces together. It symbolized how fragile they were. They will take you in on that story, where you continue to hope if they'd be able to fix it. It shows their spirit, their community, and how you could move on from heartbreaking parts of your life.
Gabby Padilla isn't new to the business, and she showed how one could carry intellectual and emotional conversations like a light switch. You could say much of the conversation revolved and evolved around her, but it was done with intricacy, understandable diction, as she played an educator in the film. We asked her about her experience shooting the film especially since there's a language difference the actors had to endure. Her previous films actually helped!
As for the level of distraught you'll get from the film, Director Jaime Pacena said that they actually had a different treatment. You'll learn more about it as you watch the film. Even if the topic was so serious, it still felt quite refreshing to the eyes because the views there, were all just amazing! This is also the comeback film of Dan Villegas, one of the finest cinematographers in the country.
While the Japanese cast (especially the Mother and Reina) performed quite remarkably in this film (I've seen their previous projects and even shows on NHK), Gabby was up there with them. If you've got the opportunity to catch this film while Cinemalaya is still there, you should. I think they're planning to have this released internationally, and by the looks of it... they're certainly qualified. Those wide indoor and outdoor shots, photography alone, is crazy good.
Congratulations to the men and women who made this film, you should definitely have this be exhibited in festivals elsewhere!
I've been recommending a lot of places to live in and sometimes it just is getting a little expensive to do because instead of just plainly recommending it, I'd mostly be contemplating to do investments instead LOL. Why? Because sometimes you get the nitty gritty details that are just too attractive to pass on. Case in point is Kizuna Heights, an urban residential mecca right in the heart of the university belt.
As the name suggests, it's a Japanese inspired condominium project that's situated in Taft Avenue. This place is very near De La Salle University, College of St. Benilde, UP Manila, Letran, Adamson, so it's pretty good for families with students in tow. It's a great place tor receive your next course or do graduate studies if you're looking for opportunities like that. It's also near business establishments, churches, banks, and the cultural district of Manila.
Ms. Teresa Tumbaga the property Division Head says "Living here is like taking part in Manila's rich history, you get to visit parks, iconic places because of its close proximity to Kizuna Heights. The address is highly sought after, and we are giving the chance to live in an urban metropolis, and have a life that they deserve at this address."
If you're looking for investments, you know where to go! Visit their official website vistaresidences.com.ph/properties/kizuna and their social channels to get more information.
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