The Cinemalaya Entry "1st Ko Si 3rd"

Do you still remember the first time you loved someone? I do. Mine was requited, I was young, she was famous, I was crazy about her, but she didn't even know I loved her. Well, I was reminded of that a few days ago when I met the people behind the film "1st ko si 3rd" (My 1st is 3rd) - an official entry to the 2014 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. It's a movie that I'd surely like to watch.

1st ko si 3rd. Artwork as done by renowned artist Tokwa Peñaflorida

This is the first title role of Ms. Nova Villa, and it's about time I say! She plays the role of Cory, a married woman who just retired from work. Like I mentioned, she is happily married, spent years working and attending to her family, but she always had one thing at the back of her mind... her first love. His name is Third, played by former Senator Freddie Webb. There were times that I remember their old shows,  back when Ms. Nova and Sir Freddie were paired in different programs in the 80's... though in this project, the young Director Real Florido wanted to present something like an "interrupted love" and hope he gets to show what a woman in that age would do if she gets to meet him again. Would it be complicated to do that if they had no closure and married to different partners?  Would you do the same if you were in their shoes? Trust me, some of you would probably deny it but in the back of your mind, you would love to do it in a heartbeat.

Director Real Florido tells us about 1st ko si 3rd in the exact same coffee shop where the characters first met.

"This is the point where there are lots of uncertainties in life, after all these years of working she wonders what she wants to do in life... what's waiting for her? It just so happens that it was the same time that she met Third again. It brings another life crisis, of finding self worth, of finding her identity again. All the memories came crashing back to her. She sees and in some way scrutinized herself. She then took time to make herself beautiful, because they wanted to see each other again... to seize the opportunity to have that first date that never happened." says the film's Director Real Florido.

"It's a common story, just like us. It's not a usual love story though. This one's not so dark. It's the first time Ms. Nova Villa is on a leading role. After almost two decades this is the first time that she and Freddie Webb is back on screen, but it's a first together in a movie." says Ms. Katrina Golfo who hosted us that afternoon.

Vian Seranilla, one of the film's producers.

Jon Versoza, the Production Manager also told us about how their chemistry worked. Ms. Nova and Sir Freddie actually talked about it on the first day to make their roles believable, they needed to play as real husband and wife even off cam. That formula worked for them during the 80's and you'll see more of this on this film.

RJ Agustin isn't just one of the actors on this film, he's also one of the Producers of 1st ko si 3rd (My 1st is 3rd).

RJ Agustin says it was a little hard to actually play one of the characters and produce the film. You kinda go into a trance thinking of how you'll give superior performance up to the standards of the director and think of how much a day of production costs (we laughed a little about that). He says though that in these kind of films, you don't really think much of the ROI... you kinda think about the love for the art... the love for the craft too. "It was hard to actually make this because it was doubly hard to keep their cool while filming" says RJ. They've had no small arguments doing it hence that statement. He's glad that this is a well thought out film. 

Ken Chan plays the young Freddie Webb/Third in this film.

Cinemalaya first timer Ken Chan plays the young Freddie Webb/Third on this film. He says he used to watch Cinemalaya in high school and back then it was all about gays, violence and darkness. He feels so blessed that he's now in the production where he's proud of the story, production and cast. He deemed this as an honor to work with veteran actors like Ms. Nova Villa, Mr. Freddie Webb and Mr. Dante Rivero (who plays Cory's husband). In a nutshell, he says it's a wonderful experience for him.

Denice Barbacena of Protege fame is also part of this film. She couldn't believe the time she heard that she's actually going to be a part of this project. She only used to watch entries in Cinemalaya and never thought to see the lead stars with her during the press conference. She really wanted to be a part of it and glad to also see her GMA compatriots in the cast. She even marveled looking at Mr. Freddie Web who freakingly looked good at his age. 

1st ko si 3rd (My 1st is 3rd) stars Ms. Nova Villa, Dante Rivero, Freddie Webb, Ruby Ruiz, Lara Morena, RJ Agustin, Denise Barbacena, Coleen Borgonia and Ken Chan. I wish I could get to talk to Ms. Nova Villa and Freddie Webb next time. They all believe in this film and the production could only say good things with the artists. The dedication they put in this just speaks a lot. I'll see them on the gala night. You can quote me on that. You should too as they'll be showing from August 1-10 in CCP and selected Ayala Malls.

Here's the screening schedule:

Here's the full trailer!



See you there!

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1st ko si 3rd

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http://www.cinemalaya.org

Archery Right In The Heart Of Makati: KODANDA

We went to Makati Cinema Square a few days ago to try one of the things that I have on my bucket list. I'm quite sure someone has got this on theirs too. This is the Kodanda Archery Range. When you get to Makati Cinema Square, just go down in the center and you'll see the range at the edge of the stairs. It's one of the few places in Metro Manila where you can try the sport in it's fullest form. I'd like to say that this is easy, but when I held that bow and arrow last week, I had a hunch it was going to be difficult. There are a few rules to follow, something similar to etiquette in other sports. The perk in this place though is that they've got air conditioning and it's indoors so you don't have to worry about the wind like in outdoor ranges.

Before you start, you'll have to sign a waiver because of course.. if you shoot someone else on the range.. that'll really hurt!

Suiting up is easy. I think the only thing they don't allow is wearing slippers because of safety reasons. Other than that, you can just fasten the strap on your waist and go shoot. Remember to put your feet in between the line and stand up sideways. Two whistles means start shooting, another whistle means you can pick up the arrows back from the target.

The range has got around 5-7 lanes, so if you have friends with you it's the best activity to vent out happiness, stress or anger with. I felt really calm all throughout though. I laughed profusely at how some of my shots went above and beyond the target, but I had some good ones which landed the bulls eye. They can set the target to 5, 8 or 10 yards away but I'd recommend the nearest one so you can master the basics first. Once you get the hang of it, you can ask them to put the target a littler far and get comfy with it again.

The tip of the arrow is sharp but it's not like the ones you draw on paper or see in cartoons. It's also got a notch on the tail end of it and it snaps into place on the bow's center. You can use a leather protector for the fingers but I didn't like how it felt so I used my fingers to pull the arrow. You can do that too.

My friend Reg made easy work of it. Here he is mounting an arrow on the bow.

The Bow wasn't as light as I thought it would be. It was a little heavy that sometimes, you'll want to put it down if you're not shooting arrows or in between.

The one thing you'll need is the protector that would be wrapped around your forearm. It's there to protect you from the whipping action of the bow. Believe me, you'll need it. Oh and if you're right handed like my friend here above, you'll need to close your left eye so you can take a look at the target with the right one.

Make sure you also take note on how he pulls the bow. It goes up way in front of his chin and you have to release it within 2 seconds so your other arm won't get tired. I had a problem with that because it takes me a while to pinpoint the target. There's a small adjustable notch on the front that helps called the "Sight". The staff helped me adjust that and indeed, it made my shots better.

I felt a little sad though because I thought I was going to be better at it but no, I only had 3 bulls eyes on an hour of archery. I thought I had all the experience because I am Sagittarius. It would have been better if I went back a few more times so I can practice. The people there said it's not that bad for a first timer. They were too kind.

For those who want to get serious about Archery, Kodanda Archery Range will make it easy for you. Aside from the range services, they have tutorials that you can opt for which will cost you 6,000 bucks. It's a one on one thing with the instructor plus you'll get 10 sessions with that price. An hour of archery costs around 550 bucks but I think it'll be better if you get the sessions first. The professional grade bow and arrow set would cost around 25K with the accessories included, but I suggest you try out the range first. I superbly enjoyed my time in Kodanda Archery Range and it's just around a kilometer walk or less behind Greenbelt 1. I'll surely go back when time permits and of course... I'll bring my friends along!

Need something to do these days? Maybe a round of archery would get your interest. You can get more information on the links below.

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Kodanda Archery Range

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kodanda.archery@gmail.com

Better Audio and Home Cinema Systems From Philips

We started with a feast for the eyes that afternoon and yes I did really enjoy that part. What we were here for though is a similar thing.. a taste of the Philips brand of exquisite visual and sound quality. Have you heard of the Philips Golden Ears Academy?

Mr. Jason Chang, General Manager for WOOX in Asia Pacific says that they are proud to introduce these new Audio and Video devices to the Philippine market. WOOX is a Philips owned subsidiary that focuses on audio and video products. Now that they are bringing these gorgeous pieces of hardware in the country, ordinary users and audiophiles will surely enjoy their well researched and developed new line of UHD LED TV's, Wireless Speakers, Soundbar Speakers, Blu-ray Home Theaters and Surround on demand speakers.

Ivan Lui the Regional Product Manager (APMEA) for TP Vision introduced and discussed to us the Ultra High Definition TV's and how the new Ambilight feature enlarges the TV viewing experience by 10 percent. If you can also see above, the TV actually seems like it's floating no? This is because they've got experts from Europe designing these all for them. Aside from that, they've won countless awards for innovation and design in various bodies like CES, Reddot etc.!

Right here is Thomas Peeters, the Sound and Acoustics Architect from WOOX Innovations Hong Kong. He's involved in sound engineering, project management and the development of new product concepts. He also took part on Philips Research and the European Space Agency. His undeniable expertise in music and audio engineering has brought him to the offices of Philips to take charge in the development of headphone sound, acoustics and comfort. That afternoon, he delved much on the process of certifications done in the Philips Golden Ears Academy. The program was designed and developed for sound engineers in Philips. We were shown several exercises to actually depict every track whether it's bright, dark and show the minute differences of every frequency. It was a little mind blowing to see what they had to go through in order to achieve the perfect sound quality that only Philips can introduce. Taking these exams would make them connoisseurs of sound and will make them certified in four levels of difficulty namely Basic, Bronze, Silver, Golden Ears. I think there's even a Platinum one but the frequency change was too minute to even hear from where I was so I'm sure everyone's going to have a hard time passing that. If you want to see it for yourself, take the exam at https://www.goldenears.philips.com/en/signup.html

The unit on top just below the TV is the new Philips 5.1 3D Bli-ray Home Theater. The sound quality and all in one feature shows a sleek, masculine but convenient look in every angle. The things they do to research and develop that perfect standard for sound is even impressive. 

The brilliant picture quality also encompasses devices because it evenly stretched the streamed phone display in this Ultra HD TV. The multi core ultra pixel HD engine gave us great depth and clarity.

The sound bars were really interesting. Don't let the small and sleek lines fool you because as far as sound goes, it packs a wallop. You can even remove the two side speakers and put them around you. The surround in demand thingy is something unusual for me though because I didn't even think about putting one at home. It made total sense though. The Fidelio line especially, it was sound perfection. You can also check out the Philips Soundbar HTL6140 which we experienced that afternoon.

I was also amazed on their capability to have these things networked. They've got proprietary frequency connections on their devices that makes setup an ease. All you need to do is plug it into power and have wireless connectivity on them do the work. It's also got the audio really good even if it's in that format. I know some people who don't actually believe you can get wireless sound this good.

We also saw their brand new Philips M1X DJ Sound System. It's like a party in a box. They have launched this late last year as they partnered with World #1 DJ Arvin Van Buuren. You can mix, play and share everything in one device. You can attach your Apple Device on the lightning cable and get the party started anytime, anywhere. Pair it up with heart thumping HIFI systems like the NTRX500 or NTRX700 and you can turn this all into a freakin concert! Play the tunes and it'll mix it up for you without any effort. Press the button and it can even highlight the best part on your chorus. 

Unbelievable that they can do this without any professional DJ in place. Other than that, take your DJ dreams into reality by getting the A5-PRO professional DJ headphones that's distortion free even at high volumes. Isn't that a dream? Check their channels below for pricing and more information.

For more information about their brand:

Philips Sound Philippines

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http://www.philips.com.ph

The Smart - Deezer Launch With Rico Blanco, Ely Buendia and More!

Listen. It's the only thing that you have to do to enjoy one of the biggest and strongest tie up ever brought to Philippine shores. Smart Communications, the country's biggest network and Deezer, one of the world's biggest web streaming services just recently launched their partnership at the posh club Raven in BGC.

The event was hosted by rockstar royal daughter cum VJ/DJ Sanya Smith. Deezer had so many things to offer Smart subscribers and that only spells 30.6 Million tracks as of this minute, the ability to create and customize playlists of your own, share that to millions of people and have it in almost all your gadgets. 

To start off, we were treated with music from indie band "The Ransom Collective". They played a few originals and covers. Pretty sick. What puzzles me is that they're still in high school... would you believe that? Their album is also available in Deezer so check them out there.

Deezer's Business Development Manager for Asia Steven Frank says there's no opportune time to actually do this but now - because people are hungry for more music. Deezer's 30 Million songs would be the perfect thing to have for the millions of Smart subscribers in the Philippines.

Ms. Kathryn Carag, Smart's Postpaid Marketing Head also announced the packages meant for subscribers. Smart will also be giving Unlisurf Premium Plan early birds a P175 bill rebate for six months. Aside from that, existing Postpaid subscribers can take advantage of Deezer Music Packs that includes Deezer Premium. Subscribe to Deezer Daily for PHP 25 which you can do 1 day Deezer access plus 25 SMS and 10MB of mobile data for Deezer streaming. Or you can opt for Deezer Weekly for PHP 125 for 7-day Deezer access plus 125 SMS and 50MB of mobile data which you can use for Deezer streaming. Or better yet try Deezer Monthly for PHP250 so you can get 30 day Deezer access plus 250 SMS and 100MB of mobile data for streaming. These and more offers for Smart Prepaid subscribers will be also available soon. 

Cheers! Here's to a strong partnership with Deezer and Smart Communications. On this shot, Deezer's Business Development Manager for Asia Mr. Steven Frank, Mr. Charles A. Lim Smart's EVP and Wireless Consumer Division Head, Ms. Mellissa Limcaoco from Smart's Innovation and Product Development Group, Ms. Kathryn Carag Smart's Postpaid Marketing Head, the gorgeous Ms. Gina Daryanani Deezer's PR Manager for Asia and Ms. Dona Inthaxoum Deezer's Label Relations Head for Asia & Oceania.