The Post Depression Outing

Eating and drinking

Sight-seeing and walking.

These are the simple things are really could soothe my mood.

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I do think I need them again as they are so many rejections in my life (and in Yoong's life too) nowadays. I wonder if because we are THE COW (属牛) and we have total bad luck this year (犯太岁).

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I'm always hoping that there would be rainbow after rain, or light at the end of the tunnel, but somehow, it never seems to come. I'm trying not to be depress here, but circumstances had forced me to feel otherwise.

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Cheer up, or Gengki desu neh, or Gambatek, or 加油, or perk up, or terus berusahalah, or 嘎摇啊 is really what I need to hear now.

The Decade List: 'R Xmas (2001)

'R Xmas - dir. Abel Ferrara

Obviously, the US doesn't know what to do with Abel Ferrara. All three of his last films (Mary, Go Go Tales and Chelsea on the Rocks) had their theatrical releases canceled, and one of his best films, The Addiction, still hasn't seen a DVD release. He's unquestionably a commanding voice in American independent cinema, so why is he so disrespected? 'R Xmas, which I must thank Girish Shambu, Andrew Grant and Jeremy Richey for convincing me to finally watch, is incredible, and yet it barely received a theatrical run before being thrown onto DVD, in the hopes of appealing to the Sopranos/Scarface crowd.

Pre-dating HBO's The Wire by a year, 'R Xmas takes a similar approach to its crime yarn, concerning a high-on-the-food-chain Dominican drug dealer (Lillo Brancato, Jr.) and his wife (Drea de Matteo) during four days around Christmas. There's a kidnapping and a double cross that follow, but Ferrara doesn't concern himself with plot devices or narrative expectations. It is, like most of his films, a skewed portrait of American dreams, but what separates 'R Xmas from many of his other films, other than The Addiction of course, is that he places a woman (de Matteo) at the center, which alleviates some of the usual aggravation that repels most of the people who hate his work. de Matteo's character, who is never named, doesn't suffer from the same Catholic agony the characters of his male-centered films do. She's faced with the same sort of moral gray area but spared the sort of misanthropic tendencies that plague the protagonists of The Blackout, Bad Lieutenant or Mary.

It's not often that a film calls to mind The Wire without suffering from the comparison. Ferrara not only distances himself from his characters but also from glorifying or condemning their actions. What prevails is a question of "doing the right thing," and it really is a question, not a pursuit. Leaving things beautifully unresolved, Ferrara suggests a sequel, concerning a Giuliani era chronicle of crime in (and off) the streets of New York City. Outside of an amateurish performance from Ice-T, 'R Xmas is remarkable, one of the overlooked masterstrokes of one of the under-appreciated American artists.

With: Drea de Matteo, Lillo Brancato Jr., Ice-T, Lisa Valens, Victor Argo
Screenplay: Abel Ferrara, Scott Pardo, based on a story by Cassandra De Jesus
Cinematography: Ken Kelsch
Music: Schoolly D.
Country of Origin: USA/France
US Distributor: Artisan

Premiere: 9 May 2001 (Cannes Film Festival)
US Premiere: 5 October 2001 (Chicago International Film Festival)

Awards: Best Feature Film, Best Actress - Drea De Matteo (New York International Film & Video Festival)

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Dear Readers, (and the few staunch Miss California fans)

This is not going to be pretty for Miss California.
I'm so glad this freak of nature lost the Miss USA Pageant.
This video shows how undeserving she is to hold such a title.
You have to be beautiful, but you must have a brain as well.
She can barely put a sentence together.
Miss USA should NOT be homophobic.
Because once the gays turn on you honey.... it's over.
She had to read off her piece of paper words somebody else obviously wrote.
Another right wing bible thumping blond bimbo siliconed chested hate propaganda pawn.
Miss California obviously left her brain at home in the fridge next to the swelling pack she used for her plastic boobs. The RNC will love her. She may even become a Governor.

I know one thing for sure....
We'll see her on FOX News real soon y'all

Yee haw!

And I think she gets uglier every time she's on the television.
Ugly hateful heart, you can tell.
Bitter and angry.
NOT Perez Hilton's BFF.

What about this shocker?
Miss California demanded that the Miss USA Pageant PAY for her silicone breasts prior to the pageant.

Apparently she thought her boobs were too small.
So she had them stuffed with silicone prior to the pageant.
Mmmmm, natural beauty?
Hahahahaha. Never.

She is so fake, it's ridiculous.
On the inside and the outside.

FAKE FAKE FAKE

15 Questions for DJ Montano

DJ used to claim he had a trust fund. But his mom didn’t trust him so there wouldn’t be a fund if there’s no trust diba? And there’s really no money to put in a fund. Better to put whatever they had in an ATM. There are some without the required ADB. They’re really not rich. Probably before, but now, they have no money. They’re the old rich but not rich anymore. The stigma of being rich just stuck with them. They’re really poor now. Believe me. What socialite lives in a godforsaken village in Paranaque?

Dear Readers,

I found the list of questions below in Victorina and was written by the 'Pilgrim'.
I had to share it here on my own blog.
I was overwhelmed because it's my life here and it's still a bit shocking.
I still can't believe it has gone this far because before I met DJ, I was not even on google.
Google me now. It's insanity.
I never imagined or wanted people to know me in this way, because of this.
I personally never dreamed my life could indeed take such a drastic 'cyber' detour.
It's more like a nightmare really with no end in sight.
This was not the plan I had for my life when I decided to pick up and shift stumps to the Philippines. But as you all know, life throws us so many curve balls and we just have to fly with them. Right peeps?
I'm so grateful and emotional from the support I receive.
I love my supporters and my defenders.
Without my readers, I would have shrivelled from this long long ago.
Filipinos actually run this blog and determine it's content.
My energy is completely reliant upon their love and support for both myself and my objectives.
Without it, I am nothing.
It was always my intention to let the people have a voice where before they may have had none.
I'm only the conduit to an alternative way of looking at things.
That's all.
Peace out.

Thank you,
B.

15 Questions for DJ, Celine Lopez and GG Posse
by The Pilgrim

* 1) Were you and Brian Gorrell lovers (as opposed to “friends”)?

* 2) You said the money Brian sent you was for the “bills.” Brian said he lived on Boracay only for a few months. Even if we assume that the monthly upkeep was 100,000 pesos and let’s assume that Brian spent that amount each month for one year — that’s still short of the nearly 3,000,000 that he claimed he sent you over several months. What happened to the rest of his money? He HAS proven his claims against you now. Unlike before.

* 3) Did you tell Brian that Marcel Crespo and Celine Lopez had promised to invest in the restaurant that, according to Brian, you and he were going to put up?

* 4) Did you resign from the Philippine Star or were you fired?

* 5) Have you ever used your position as a writer of the Philippine Star to gain favors, such as free hotel accommodations, as alleged?

* 6) Did you use your position in the Philippine Star to send the police to Brian’s hotel room that night that you had a fight and, allegedly, you cleaned out his safety deposit box?

* 7) What other sources of income did you have in order to support such a lifestyle?
Allegedly, your businesses folded up but you were always in Boracay, which can be quite expensive. So if you were not using Brian’s money, as you claim, where were you deriving your income? Does the Philippine Star pay so well so as to afford such a lifestyle?

* 8.) Why would an HIV-positive man, who sold his property in Australia to be with you in the Philippines and who requires expensive medication in order to survive, squander all that money just to live like a king, as you and your stepfather put it? If he did, did it ever occur to you to stop him, knock some sense into him?

* 9) Is it true that you also owe other people millions and that, as alleged by Brian, you also scammed these people?

* 10) Is it true that your mother, as reported by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, was involved in the PEA-Amari scam?

* 11) As a socialite, you live such a public life. You open your life up to the public the moment you allow your name and your picture to appear regularly in the papers. How can you claim privacy now? I mean, if you value privacy, why flaunt your lifestyle?

* 12) Don’t you think that far from Brian being the one insulting Filipinos, the sins that you allegedly committed have done far worse damage to the image of our country and our people?

* 13) You claim that Brian is just using his blog to extort money from you. Normally, an extortion act goes like this: the extortionist calls up the, uh, extortionee and demands that if the extortionee doesn’t pay up, he will expose the skeletons in your closet. In his blog, Brian has exposed so much dirt about you that it would make a fertilizer factory extremely happy. Why would he risk his chances of not getting that money from you, if indeed it was extortion?

* 14) And if indeed it was extortion, why threaten to sue him with libel and defamation, and not extortion or some such related crime?

* 15) You claim that you came out because you felt the issue had gotten out of hand. Weren’t you concerned that by coming out, you are doing exactly what Brian wanted — lend his story some credibility? Before this, people actually thought this was just a person seeking attention. By coming out now, by confirming essentially Brian’s story, you’ve just added fuel to the fire. Now, the mainstream press — which exerts far more influence than all the blogs put together (contrary to their delusions that they can now change the world) and which had protected your identity for so long — can write about this without NOT mentioning you or bleeping your name.

Who advised you to come out?
*********

Thank you to the Victorina reader who put these questions together. I was impressed and I'm grateful as well. Seeing it all there is a bit shocking for me ...still. I hope it reminds DJ what is really going on here. I also hope his 'lawyer' might see it. Everyone needs to know that I will NOT go quietly.

The Decade List: 40ish Great Performances (2000-2001)

In no particular order.

Naomi Watts - Mulholland Drive
Isabelle Huppert - La pianiste [The Piano Teacher]
Nicole Kidman - The Others
Dover Koshashvili, Ronit Elkabetz - Late Marriage

John Cameron Mitchell - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Piper Perabo - Lost & Delirious
Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, Marisa Tomei - In the Bedroom
Renée Zellweger - Nurse Betty, Bridget Jones's Diary

Stockard Channing - The Business of Strangers
Brian Cox - L.I.E.
Emmanuelle Devos, Vincent Cassel - Sur mes lèvres [Read My Lips]
Tilda Swinton - The Deep End

Javier Bardem - Before Night Falls
The entire cast - The Royal Tenenbaums
Juliette Binoche - Code inconnu [Code Unknown]
Charlotte Rampling - Sous le sable [Under the Sand]

Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung - In the Mood for Love
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Janet McTeer, Romane Bohringer, Lia Williams - The King Is Alive
Lauren Ambrose - Psycho Beach Party, Swimming
Björk - Dancer in the Dark

Eric Bana - Chopper
Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Coolidge - Best in Show
Christian Bale - American Psycho
Jamie Bell - Billy Elliot

Daryl Hannah, Jennifer Tilly, Sandra Oh - Dancing at the Blue Iguana
Reese Witherspoon - Legally Blonde
Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith - Gosford Park
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss - Memento

John Goodman, Paul Giamatti, Robert Wisdom - Storytelling
Lupe Ontiveros - Chuck&Buck, Storytelling
Mike White - Chuck&Buck
Aurélien Recoing - L'emploi du temps [Time Out]

Maribel Verdú - Y tu mamá también
Mark Ruffalo, Laura Linney - You Can Count on Me
Willem Dafoe - Shadow of the Vampire
Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast

Sergi López - Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien [With a Friend Like Harry]
Albert Finney - Erin Brockovich
Anna Thomson - Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes [Water Drops on Burning Rocks]
Brooke Smith, Glenn Fitzgerald - Series 7: The Contenders

The Decade List: Awards (2001)

As April comes to a close, naturally I haven't gotten around to all the films I'd like to, but I've added the films I've already discussed on the sidebar of this blog. More will follow. I've also started a regular feature on Film for the Soul's Counting Down the Zeroes, which goes through the major film awards of each given year. I've already gone through 2000, and 2001 will close sometime next month.

Of course, in relation to the films of 2001, it's a pretty infamous year as far as awards are concerned, not least of which being at the Oscars, where they dropped the liberal card and played it safe at the very same time. Ron Howard beat out Robert Altman (for one of his lesser, but fine, films), David Lynch (for one of his best efforts), Peter Jackson (who would win when the third LOTR rolled around) and Ridley Scott (whose Black Hawk Down forgave Hannibal, for many people) in the Best Director race. The Academy introduced the long-overdue Best Animated Feature prize which decided to nominate Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius over Richard Linklater's Waking Life (the first Shrek would be the first winner in this category). And then, there was Denzel Washington, Best Actor winner for a medicore genre film where he would spend less time onscreen than Best Supporting Actor nominee Ethan Hawke, and Halle Berry, who actually beat out Sissy Spacek. Despite the love shown for Amèlie in its native country, at the Independent Spirits and at the box office, Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land routinely topped it at both the Golden Globes and Oscars. And the Razzies once again showed that they don't really "get" it, with Freddy Got Fingered sweeping the awards Mariah Carey and a bunch of apes couldn't. Tom Green would be the first person to show up to receive his "honors," though I heard the year's Best Actress Oscar-winner did the same for Catwoman.

Cannes

Palme d'Or: La stanza del figlio (The Son's Room) [d. Nanni Moretti]
Grand Prix: La pianiste (The Piano Teacher) [d. Michael Haneke]
Best Director: (tie) David Lynch - Mulholland Drive; Joel Coen - The Man Who Wasn't There
Best Actor: Benoît Magimel - La pianiste
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert - La pianiste [unanimously]
Best Screenplay: Danis Tanović - No Man's Land
Technical Grand Prize: Tu Du-Che - Millennium Mambo
Camera d'Or: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner [d. Zacharias Kunuk]


Venice

Golden Lion: Monsoon Wedding [d. Mira Nair]
Grand Special Jury Prize: Hundstage (Dog Days) [d. Ulrich Seidl]
Best Actor: Luigi Lo Cascio - Luce dei miei occhi [Light of My Eyes]
Best Actress: Sandra Ceccarelli - Luce dei miei occhi
Career Golden Lion: Eric Rohmer


Toronto

People's Choice Award: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie) [d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet]
Discovery Award: Chicken Rice War [d. Cheah Chee Kong]
Best Canadian Feature: Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner [d. Zacharias Kunuk]


Berlin

Golden Bear: Intimacy [d. Patrice Chéreau]
Best Director: Lin Cheng-sheng - Betelnut Beauty
Best Actor: Benicio Del Toro - Traffic
Best Actress: Kerry Fox - Intimacy
Jury Grand Prix: Beijing Bicycle [d. Wang Xiaoshuai]
Jury Prize: Italiensk for begyndere (Italian for Beginners) [d. Lone Scherfig]
Outstanding Artistic Achievment: You're the one (una historia de entonces) [d. Raúl Pérez Cubero]
Honorary Golden Bear: Kirk Douglas
Teddy (Feature): Hedwig and the Angry Inch [d. John Cameron Mitchell]
Teddy (Documentary): Trembling Before G-d [d. Sandi Simcha Dubowski]
Teddy (Jury Award): Forbidden Fruit [d. Sue Maluwa-Bruce, Beate Kunath]


Sundance

Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic): The Believer [d. Henry Bean]
Grand Jury Prize (Documentary): Southern Comfort [d. Kate Davis]
Director (Dramatic): John Cameron Mitchell - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Director (Documentary): Stacy Peralta - Dogtown and Z-Boys
Special Jury Prize (Dramatic): In the Bedroom, for Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek
Special Jury Prize (Documentary): Children Underground [d. Edet Belzberg]
Cinematography (Dramatic): Giles Nuttgens - The Deep End
Cinematography (Documentary): Albert Maysles - LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton
Audience Award (Dramatic): Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Audience Award (Documentary): (tie) Dogtown and Z-Boys; Scout's Honor [d. Tom Shepard]
Audience Award (World Cinema): The Road Home [d. Zhang Yimou]


Academy Awards

Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind [d. Ron Howard]
Best Director: Ron Howard - A Beautiful Mind
Best Actor: Denzel Washington - Training Day
Best Actress: Halle Berry - Monster's Ball
Best Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent - Iris
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind
Best Original Screenplay: Julian Fellowes - Gosford Park
Best Adapted Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman - A Beautiful Mind
Best Cinematography: Andrew Lesnie - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Documentary: Un coupable idéal (Murder on a Sunday Morning) [d. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, Denis Poncet]
Best Foreign Film: No Man's Land [d. Danis Tanović]
Animated Feature: Shrek [d. Aron Warner]
Honorary Award: Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford


BAFTAs

Best Film: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [d. Peter Jackson]
Best Director: Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best British Film: Gosford Park [d. Robert Altman]
Best Actor: Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind
Best Actress: Judi Dench - Iris
Best Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent - Moulin Rouge!
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind
Best Original Screenplay: Guillaume Laurant, Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Amélie
Best Adapted Screenplay: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger S.H. Shulman - Shrek
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins - The Man Who Wasn't There
Film Not in the English Language: Amores perros [d. Alejandro González Iñárritu]


European Film Awards

Best Film: Amélie [d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet]
Best Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Amélie
Best Actor: Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert - La pianiste (The Piano Teacher)
Best Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel - Amélie
Best Screenplay: Danis Tanovic - No Man's Land
Best Documentary: Black Box BRD [d. Andres Veiel]
Discovery: El Bola [d. Achero Mañas]
Screen International: Moulin Rouge! [d. Baz Luhrmann]
Audience Award (Actor): Colin Firth - Bridget Jones's Diary
Audience Award (Actress): Juliette Binoche - Chocolat
Audience Award (Director): Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Amélie
Life Achievement Award: Monty Python


Independent Spirit

Best Feature: Memento [d. Christopher Nolan]
Best First Feature: In the Bedroom [d. Todd Field]
Best Director: Christopher Nolan - Memento
Best Male Lead: Tom Wilkinson - In the Bedroom
Best Female Lead: Sissy Spacek - In the Bedroom
Best Supporting Male: Steve Buscemi - Ghost World
Best Supporting Female: Carrie-Anne Moss - Memento
Best Debut Performance: Paul Dano - L.I.E.
Best Screenplay: Christopher Nolan - Memento
Best First Screenplay: Daniel Clowes, Terry Zwigoff - Ghost World
Best Cinematography: Peter Deming - Mulholland Drive
Best Documentary: Dogtown and Z-Boys [d. Stacy Peralta]
Best Foreign Film: Amélie [d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet]
Someone to Watch Award: Debra Eisenstadt - Daydream Believer


Golden Globes

Picture (Drama): A Beautiful Mind [d. Ron Howard]
Picture (Comedy/Musical): Moulin Rouge! [d. Baz Luhrmann]
Director: Robert Altman - Gosford Park
Actor (D): Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind
Actress (D): Sissy Spacek - In the Bedroom
Actor (M/C): Gene Hackman - The Royal Tenenbaums
Actress (M/C): Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge!
Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent - Iris
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman - A Beautiful Mind
Foreign Film: No Man's Land [d. Danis Tanović]
Cecil B. DeMille Award: Harrison Ford


Césars Awards

Best Film (Meilleur film): Amélie [d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet]
Best Director (Meilleur réalisateur): Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Amélie
Best Actor (Meilleur acteur): Michel Bouquet - Comment j'ai tué mon père (How I Killed My Father)
Best Actress (Meilleure actrice): Emmanuelle Devos - Sur mes lèvres (Read My Lips)
Best Supporting Actor (Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle): André Dussollier - La chambre des officiers (Officer's Ward)
Best Supporting Actress (Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle): Annie Girardot - La pianiste (The Piano Teacher)
Most Promising Actor (Meilleur espoir masculin): Robinson Stévenin - Mauvais genres (Transfixed)
Most Promising Actress (Meilleur espoir féminin): Rachida Brakni - Chaos
Best Screenplay (Meilleur scénario): Jacques Audiard, Tonino Benacquista - Sur mes lèvres
Best Cinematography (Meilleure photographie): Tetsuo Nagata - La chambre des officiers
Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger): Mulholland Drive [d. David Lynch]
Best First Film (Meilleur premier film): No Man's Land [d. Danis Tanović]
Honorary Césars: Anouk Aimée, Jeremy Irons, Claude Rich


Razzies

Worst Film: Freddy Got Fingered [d. Tom Green]
Worst Director: Tom Green - Freddy Got Fingered
Worst Actor: Tom Green - Freddy Got Fingered
Worst Actress: Mariah Carey - Glitter
Worst Supporting Actor: Charlton Heston - Cats & Dogs, Planet of the Apes, Town & Country
Worst Supporting Actress: Estella Warren - Planet of the Apes, Driven
Worst Screenplay: Tom Green, Derek Harvie - Freddy Got Fingered
Worst Remake/Sequel: Planet of the Apes [d. Tim Burton]

Victorina CSI

part one intro


remember this readers.......


Where is DJ Montano?

Dear Readers and DJ Montano,


Victorina Blog has launched it's official HUNT FOR DJ MONTANO.

Victorina Blog has posted a 'reward' for information leading to DJ Montano's whereabouts.

Our “High-Society” reward with PRICE tags (all donated and will be shipped via Western Union) fit for the lifestyle pages of Supreme:

1 pair of Chocolate cord Sass & Bide Jeans $ 170.00

1 Calvin Klein denim $199.00
1 Ted Baker Halter print top Retail Size small $139.00
1 Escada 100% lime green skirt $899.00

1 diamond pendant $200.00

LOVE IT!

We need to find DJ Montano and return him to the Philippines to face my charges.
You might want to read Victorina before you read my entry.
I'm sad today and it shows.
I'm angry but I make zero apologies.
Live love and laugh?

It's not always so easy readers.
When I get sick, I remember.
I need my money.

http://donavictorina.blogspot.com/
click to join the hunt

On that topic of DJ, PLEASE allow me to rage for a few minutes because mummy always said, "Oh Brian, it's better out than in."

I am so fu--ing ANGRY readers.

I've begged and pleaded with my ex boyfriend for my Western Union money and my Royal Bank bank transfer money (all of which I have posted on the blog) which I sent many months before I even moved to the Philippines. My ex had me on a transfer 'plan' only weeks after meeting. The money was for our 'restaurant' and travel booking business which I was to operate on beautiful Boracay.

DJ Montano will have to show where my life savings went.
I sent so many thousands of dollars to his sister Marvili as well.
WHERE is my money Marvili Montano?
I've had enough with this disgraced Montano clan bullshit.

I'm SUPER pissed off and I want my money back!

When I lived on Boracay, I lived on my Australian pension which was 22 thousand pesos every two weeks which paid for my room and my precious Yaya. Still to this day, she is the most trusted person I have ever met. I trusted Yaya with EVERYTHING.
I paid 8000-12000 for my room and her salary and our food. We did live well. On 44000 pesos a month.
I did live like a king... ON THAT!

I KNOW REALLY AMAZING FILIPINOS.
BEAUTIFUL HONEST TRUE ONES.
I'm overwhelmed.
I love the Philippines.
My heart aches for it.
I want to return.
But I can't.

44K a month.....THAT was MORE than enough for us to live on. My Yaya Rose was VERY good with my money. I also sold my truck for back up money.
I received not ONE single cent of my money back from DJ. I did send him 3000 dollars once which WAS for my domestic arrangements which was three months advance rent and my wifi hook up. THAT'S IT.

HOW THE FUCK CAN ONE PERSON SPEND 70 000 IN SEVEN MONTHS MONTANO? I DO NOT HAVE A COKE HABIT! THAT WAS YOU!

I paid for EVERYTHING else from my own money.
DJ, YOU know it and your family knows it.
Your mother bloody well knows it.
So come off it Montano and give me my fucking money back you bastard.
Stop hiding out in America.
Time to face up and PAY UP!

The entire Montano clan went on television and DJ said that we had NO businesses together. He told Korina and MoTwister that he gave me every penny of my money. It's hard to watch it. All 70,000 dollars. That's ten thousand a month.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
DJ spoke to my mother on the phone and told her all about out travel business... JUST BEFORE I sent him more money.

It's ok DJ, no worries.... I have all the e mails mate.

See you in court mate.
You should have just paid it back.
NONE of this would have happened.
I told you.
I warned you.

You do NOT fuck with me.

The sole reason I moved back to the Philippines (apart from the fact that I loved it so much) is because I thought the businesses were real and my future was going to be amazing. What's wrong with that? I didn't know the GG. I had no idea how it all worked. I mean come on, I was coming off eight years on a rural property.

I mean, you can't even imagine how I was duped with fake documents and 'pretend' e mails. They were not real businesses at all.
It was all a scam. Plain and simple.
Celine and Marcel were never going to be our business partners.
It was all lies.

The day I finally asked for bank account proof, my world collapsed.
My abduction from the hotel still haunts me to this day.
The day DJ put his master plan into action.
And here we are today.
The spoils and riches of his pure evil.

Some have called me a 'scorned lover'.
You're damn right I'm scorned. Scorched actually.
Am I sounding dramatic?
Good.
And if anyone thinks for one second that I'm going to let that slimy little free loading social climbing wannabee get away with his crimes against me......
You're mad.
Mad I tell you.

Other still say.. move on Brian.....
Get over it.

Really?

HA!

I borrowed ten thousand dollars from my mom which is one thing that causes me pain because who wants to borrow from their mom who only has 30 000 to her name? And when I did not get it back, she stressed out way too much. For this , I continue to fight. For my mother's honor. I paid mummy back with interest and then some. I would NOT let DJ interfere with my relationship with MY mother anymore than he already had. He stressed her out for months and still does. Motherfucker.

I did not want to borrow the money from mummy, but the pressure from Montano was enormous and overwhelming.
Meanwhile, his own mother Aurora is LOADED!! "What is seventy twousand dollars?" the mother said.
Instead of getting his mother's money, DJ got MY mothers money!

DJ claims to love his mother but he did not care that I owed my own mother ten thousand dollars. I asked him, "DJ, how can you do this?" His response was a million times, "I don't want to talk about the money".
His inheritance was a big lie.
I wailed on the phone to Aurora. I begged, I PLEADED with her NOT to make me a victim of her son's methods and ways.

When I forfeited my share of Bethel Park, I vowed I would not ever stop my pursuit of justice and my life savings. Although I am welcome back there whenever I want....
Bethel Park is not MINE anymore.
Not a single share.

The profits DJ claimed we would make were just a big fat lie.
Everything was a lie.
He never even loved me.

Look, I'm NOT Filipino. That is plain to see.
I am NOT afraid of these people as most others are.
I'm an outsider and will always be one.
The way I like it.

When I come back to Manila, I will look them all in the face.

I will look at DJ's mother and I will smile.
She told me once that truth always prevails.
Aurora Montano will eat those words.

I just want my money back so I can move on with my life.
It's simple. If it has to go to court.... shall be it.
I don't want to do it this way.
But I need my money back.
I really do.

When I was told Celine only just helped DJ buy his car, that was it for me.
My nerves were shattered. I never stood a chance against them. I was simply a stupid white mark from day ONE.

Please read Victorina blog today (and everyday).

The Hunt is on for DJ Montano.

PS- One more thing dear readers, because I always like reminding my ex boyfriend....

Montano,

YOU emptied my hotel safe motherfucker before you had me kidnapped from my fucking room.
You STOLE my passport!
YOU STOLE 250,000 pesos AFTER I gave you 60,000 that VERY afternoon at Tina Tinio's mothers sushi restaurant.(which SUCKED BTW, closed now)
YOU STOLE my shit from MY ROOM.
You will NOT give me back my stuff and you think I'm afraid of LAWYERS you bloody idiot.
YOU STOLE my plane ticket Montano!
YOU STOLE my shoes Montano!

You STOLE my security and the future I had planned when you screwed me blind.
I still suffer Montano.

Now pay attention grifter man.
When I get my money back, only then will I close my blog.
AND ONLY THEN.

GOT IT?

Well, DO YOU?

POOR Mar

Fuck This Shit

To every bad thing that happen around me.


And Cheers This Life


To every goodness that's taking over my life.


**Not gonna write a long post here. As I need to do something serious later**
**Todaloo**

Calling All Ken Russell Fans!

Apparently voting is the way to go these days, for both the Warner Archive Collection and Criterion Blu-ray, and now MGM. Check their page to vote for a DVD release of Ken Russell's The Music Lovers, his take on the life of Tchaikovsky starring Glenda Jackson and Richard Chamberlain, and any of the others you want to come out. Ken Loach's Ladybird Ladybird, Nick Broomfield's Diamond Skulls, Mark Romanek's Static with Amanda Plummer and Sergei Bodrov's The Prisoner of the Mountains (which is actually already on DVD and still in print as part of MGM's 'World Films' series) are other options. I'm pretty sure Russell's woefully underrated The Boyfriend belongs to Warner now (though I could be wrong). Make it count! Us Russell fans have been suffering too long. Thanks, Eric.

Pick Flick

While scoping the Amazon page for this movie's Blu-ray release, I noticed a promotion from The Criterion Collection in which users can vote for which, out of five choices, film you'd like to see Criterion release in high-def format. The films are all solid, deserving choices: Louis Malle's Au revoir les enfants, Jim Jarmusch's Down by Law, James Ivory's Howards End, Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan and Peter Weir's Picnic and Hanging Rock. It was strange to see Kwaidan among the picks, as its DVD release is one of the more notorious in the collection (the DVD is not the complete version of the film). So, happy voting to you.

Hey, Let's Go Catch A Movie...

Or maybe not....

As http://www.soloden.com/ had introduced a fantastic site to watch movies online....

The magnanimous site http://mymovees.com/

Award from Elle. Thank you very very much. Its so nice looking. Therefore, the generous me intend to pass it on to other bloggers.

Hui Leng, Sis, Ying Sing, Yian Wei, Vialentino, Yiling Lim, VVV, Zwet. I think that's about it. I won't be including their websites as am too lazy to type them...hehe...

Tired from working 9 hours today. Another 9 hours for tomorrow.

Is there a day where there's absolute peace?? No misfortune or bad luck cursing the life of mine?? Sometimes, its really exhausting to stay optimistic all the time and keep on telling myself that there would be a better tomorrow.

But hor, I really don't wanna sound so down because the actual fact is that my heart is strong from all the mishaps and my emotion is still intact. I'm just trying to find a way to terminate the desperate-ness deep down in my heart.

"If you ask me whether I am willing to stay just for you, without thinking, I will say I would, that's how important you are to me"

Wicked Game(s)

The Informers - dir. Gregor Jordan - 2009 - Germany/USA - Senator

I've been toiling around with writing about Gregor Jordan's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Informers for the past couple days. I've tried defending my liking of it, but the words just aren't convincing. The Informers is a mess, which may or may not be a result of the studio's decision to reject the director's three-ish hour long version, and yet, in my eyes, it's the most successful attempt to bring Ellis' vision to the screen. Of course, it doesn't have a lot of competition. Less Than Zero is an abortion, and both American Psycho and The Rules of Attraction are inspired failures. Jordan does have an advantage over the other filmmakers in choosing Ellis' hands-down worst book to bring to the screen, a loose collection of sordid tales of LA decadence that feel more like B-sides to his better stories (and not the good and/or sought-after type of B-side).

I can't decide if its bit of casting is inspired or if it simply uses the availability of its somewhat absent-from-the-screen stars. With Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Chris Isaak and Mickey Rourke (before The Wrestler placed him back on the map), all four would have a dream line-up in Hollywood's eyes had the film been made shortly after it was set, but in 2009, it may have been the only work those actors could find. In Isaak's defense, he was only a part-time actor, though I've always held his turn in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in high regard. So, like Rourke in The Wrestler, each of the performances exist in an alternate level of reality: Basinger as the pill-popping beauty, Ryder as the disrespected TV anchor, Isaak as the alcoholic flirt who missed every opportunity to connect with his son (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Rourke as the former bodyguard blacklisted from Hollywood after "an incident with that actress." And, really, each of their performances, along with Billy Bob Thornton's movie producer ex-husband of Basinger, are quite potent, much more so than their younger counterparts.

Visually, Jordan captures Ellis' world perfectly in its glassy, cloudy, empty sheen. Though the implications are glaring, the sweeping aerial shot of the Hollywood sign, ominous from a distance and graffiti-ridden up close, is absolutely radiant. Jordan avoids the showboat approach Roger Avary took to capturing The Rules of Attraction and sticks to lens filters to tonally dress the frame. What vanishes though, aside from a number of the book's characters, is Ellis' sense of humor, despite the fact Ellis wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Jarecki, director of the James Toback documentary The Outsider. His humor isn't completely absent, seen best when a woman plays her son's favorite song, Pat Benatar's "Shadows of the Night," at his funeral, but the straight-faced desolation of The Informers manages to work on some level, something Less Than Zero, the film, didn't come close to accomplishing.

Despite the fruitful attempts by Jordan and the senior members of his cast (though, really, all of the younger actors, except for Austin Nichols as music video director Martin, are effective in their hollow poses), I think I fall into the camp of people who don't believe Ellis' work could ever be successfully translated onto the screen. With money comes a level of restraint that his novels never showed, though it's perhaps notable that The Informers left its characters' (bi-)sexuality intact (though only in mention, not in practice), whereas Less Than Zero turned Robery Downey, Jr.'s character straight and The Rules of Attraction made Ian Somerhalder's gay, both differing forms of simplification. A certain explicitness, as well as an understanding of its purpose in Ellis' world, is necessary to convey the author's ideas, and that will probably always remain the greatest obstacle between the written and filmed works. We may never see Jordan's intended version of The Informers, in the same way US audiences have never officially seen the unedited cut of The Rules of Attraction or its counterpart Glitterati, but somewhere within its current shape, there are moments that suggest the "outstanding movie floating out there somewhere" that Ellis alludes to in Scott Tobias' interview with him on The Onion's A.V. Club, and those moments, particularly the final shot, really knocked me out.