Devouring Seafood at Allan's Talabahan

          If there’s a place where I could feast on seafoods while not hurting my pocket, Allan’s Talabahan in Oton, Iloilo would be the perfect spot. This is the right haven for a weekend eating experience most especially for barkadas who still depend on their parents for their allowance. Just like me, saving a part of my baon when I was a student was so “sulit” since aside from walking out of the simple yet cozy resto with a full stomach, you  got to smell, taste, and gobble down your favorite ocean delights.

          And what can I say? I am a “Pantat” boy. Thumbs up to their oh-so-meaty grilled mudfish, if you really call it a mudfish. I didn’t even taste a hint of soil. To tell you the truth, my friends and I devoured it up to the last bone. Dipping it in my toyo with calamansi made it more gratifying.

         Though I am not really a fan of talaba, theirs abided with my palate satisfactorily. Of course, I had to fully masticate it because the first time I ate talaba in a friend’s birthday party, I didn’t chew it properly that I ended up having diaarhea the next day. And I thought a softdrink was the remedy to my watery disease. Haha!!!

          What you shouldn’t miss in this humble seafood house is their baked talaba. The melted butter that surrounded the flesh and the seasoning that came with it made the sweetness irresistable to partake. Mind you, its smell was already satiating. What more with taste, right?

          My all-time favorite grilled squid was also available. Its juicy and delectable savor was heightened by the onions seasoned to it. Perfectly manamnam!

          If one isn’t craving for seafood like my friend, Angel, the restaurant also offered scrumptious porkchop and other preparations aside from seafoods that are surely to be enjoyed.

         After half an hour, our table seemed to be cleanly swept. Turned out we really had a satsifying fill. When we went out of the place, we laughed as we compared whose belly was the largest of all. Aside from the delicious meal Allan’s Talabahan offered us, the company of good friends made that day more appetizing to eat. I will definitely come back here soon.

Amigo Plaza Iloilo Made Me Smile

            The renovation of Iloilo Amigo Plaza Mall made it hipper and more spacious for its customers to shop in. It is actually filled with fashion boutiques from which you can choose a variety of trendy clothes, shoes, and accessories. Branches of Mang Inasal, Bench, and Blue Jay Cafe' are also located inside. Adjacent to it is a grocery stop where I love to eat siopao for a quick fix to my hungry stomach.
            If you want to sit for a bit to stretch those tired feet, there is also a small bakeshop situated within where you can take a break and munch a yummy bread or two. I just love how this simple pasyalan looked so fresh and relaxing to the eyes. If you want to cool down from the heat and pollution brought by the city, anyone can just pass here and stroll for a while. And yes, I admire its comfort rooms - clean, wide, and stylish. A sort of a lotto game is also played here where you can get lucky enough to go home with big bucks. I tried to play twice but sorry, luck wasn't on my side on that certain day. It's funny how you wish all the numbers you've marked will show up on the screen.

            I kind of missed the old Amigo though. When I was in highschool, my friends and I bought our flutes for our music class in one of the Chinese stores housed here before. And we also used to purchase some cheap exchanged gifts in a store located on the 2nd floor of the Old Amigo. Unfortunately, I don't know where those shops transferred.
            With the cool ambience and lots of finds to scour, plus the company of great friends, Amigo Plaza surely made me smile.

Film Review: No Other Woman

          Killing script. Relateable story. Hot actors. All-out drama. These are the ingredients comprising the movie, “No Other Woman”, making it click to the Filipino audience. Anne Curtis, needless to say, even promoted her movie by doing a chant with the madlang people in Showtime that goes like this at the end “….kiss me and don’t ever fall in love with me…No Other Woman (in a husky voice)…Showtiiime.” The whole studio just laughed after that. Following Curtis’ crazy antics, who wouldn’t?

            And how relateable can the film get.  As I was watching it in the big screen, I even heard a woman sitting behind us empathizing on the plight of Sharmaine (played by Cristine Reyes). Maybe because like the character, her husband or boyfriend is also having an affair with another woman. “Men like him (pointing to Derek Ramsay’s character, Ram) should really be crushed and trampled to death,” she bitterly said.

            I understood how he hated Derek’s role so much. With a mistress like Cara (played by Anne Curtis) persistently seducing your husband, you, the rightful wife, will absolutely fire up to the highest level. Curtis portrayed her role very well- stubborn, irritating, pushy, wicked. Her fearless eyes emanate greed and ambition the moment she looks at Cristine. Her pouty lips, sizzling voice, and suggestive body language were effectively executed to show how desperate she was to put Derek into her trap. I guess her acting prowess stood up from the rest of the actors in the film.

            I liked how Cristine did her job as the conservative housewife as her character diametrically oposed that of Anne. She wears fine Sunday dresses and she always carries a down-to-earth and timid facial expression. I loved how she pulls off her killer lines towards Anne. This added humor to very serious scenes.

            I also admire how Derek Ramsay showcased his mature acting ability in the film. It’s a good thing he proved he is not only equipped in taking off his shirt since he sure displayed the actor in him in this movie.

            “That’s impossible to happen in reality,” commented the woman at my back as the movie concluded. Bitter much? Maybe hers is not a happy ending. Maybe she has not yet forgiven the man who has hurt her. Or she could be right – that not all absurdities work out well in the end. But I guess, the film tells us this message: Forgiveness can change lives for the better if we only give it a try to courageously forgive.

While the Time with Horrible Bosses

           Horrible Bosses, a film directed by Seth Gordon, is adrenaline rush! It is energetically a mixture of comedy, action, and a bit of suspense. You can just laugh your heart out on your seats as you follow the three main guys fight and bicker one another as they investigate on how they can pull off a clean strategy of killing their arrogant bosses.

          Take for example Dale (played by Charlie Day), who,  after saving  Mr. Harken’s life (played by Kevin Spacey) from an allergic reaction to nuts  by continuously injecting him with the syringe the latter was bringing in his pocket, realized it was a stupid mistake. Dale’s two buddies, Nick (played by Jason Bateman) and Kurt (played by Jason Sudeikis) , were pretty disappointed with him because at first, their goal is to dispatch their bosses. Mr. Harken is Nick’s boss who never promotes him despite the former’s promise to upgrade his position as long as he works before sunrise and after sunset. Nick was so angry towards Mr. Harken because he was called in his office just for being a minute late, blackmailing him so he can’t quit. Well, for Dale, we can’t blame him for giving Mr. Harken another chance to live. He doesn’t personally know him and he was just being nice to a stranger who needs emergency help.

          I loved Jennifer Aniston’s portrayal of the lusty maneater dentist, Dr. Julia Harris DDS, Dale’s boss who always seduces him despite her knowledge that Dale is already engaged to someone.  She was really convincing  for you can really get irritated by the way she uses  Dale as the object of her sexual fantasies. One time, she took pictures of her and Dale appearing they were having sex when Dale was in deep sleep due to the anaesthesia she has given for his tooth extraction.

          Colin Farrel was also a plus point in this film. He plays the role of Kurt’s boss, Bobby Pellitt, the inheritor of his deceased father’s chemical factory business. Pellitt is an ultimately mischievous boss, sniffing cocaine, sleeping with prostitutes, and manipulating Kurt, the manager of the company, to fire even the dedicated workers just because of their disabilities that don’t really affect their work. Farrel’s physical appearance in the film is way different from the usual heroic, knight in shining armour roles he has played in most of his movies. His hair is thinning, his forehead is as wide as the back of the casserole, and his upper body is too narrow for his bulging belly.  He totally showed  how flexible he was when it comes to roles.

          The three main characters, although unfamiliar to me, made me smile towards their chemistry. They just compliment well each other despite their obviously distinctive personalities. For this, their friendship and bonding in the film came out more realistic. Nick is more of the silent and serious one. Dale is one hyperactive guy.  Kurt fools around attractive women most of the time.

          There are many elements added in the movie which allowed it to raise the comically adventurous vibe higher. One is the car’s direction monitor that actually talks as if you’re conversing to a true person. Its voice sounds like an Arabian man. The device can also record sounds for a certain amount of time. In fact, it has an important role in solving the main mystery in the film.

          Bored? This movie is just the right solution to while away time.