Captain America

Next movie up on our holiday watch list--Marvel's big budget version of Captain America: the First Avenger!  Now there was that feeble attempt to create a show during the eighties (two TV movies starring Reb Brown), and then a more decent 1990 Albert Pyun screen version (starring Matt Salinger) came along, but this 2011 version is a definitely a true blockbuster.  Cinematography was meticulously made to show a believable Second World War backdrop, and the actors were topnotch (Stanley Tucci projects a kind grandfatherly image, Hugo Weaving delivers a megalomaniac's Oscar, while Tommy Lee Jones is a natural as a gruff army general).  The comic book was first launched by Jack Kirby in the early 1940s a moral booster for the American forces, and in the Silver Age of comics (early sixties), Captain America enjoyed a new round of popularity as the head of The Avengers--the A Team of the Marvel Universe.  

I can't wait to see the next Marvel presentation, "The Avengers." as the protagonists (The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America) team up to fight a bigger enemy.

As they say, stay tuned to the same bat-time and bat-channel!  Oooops.... wrong universe.... hehehe.....

Cars

Spent some holiday time watching movies and one of these that we picked was Cars 2, which tells of the adventures of not only Lightning Mc Queen (voiced by Owen Wilson)  but also his best friend Mater the Tow Truck (Larry the Cable Guy).  As Lightning competes on the Japanese and European circuits, his best friend gets caught up in some international espionage, and of course, the fireworks begin!  I've had a soft spot for the series, as the first movie had lots of what I call the "possibilities, pride & redemption" phases in a storyline.  Young rookie speedster has the possibilities for greatness, but pride takes control, bringing him down.  But he finally realizes the really important dimensions in life--friendships, loyalty and giving--and thus ultimately finds redemption in the eyes of his friends and his girlfriend.  You can find more of this theme, though lighter in tone, in the second installment--Lightning Mc Queen thinks his best friend is an idiot but realizes the mistake when the unseen espionage becomes apparent.  I'm an absolute sucker for redemption stories!  As I watched the movie, another thing crossed my mind--the wonder of digital animation!  The views of the racing circuit (Tokyo, Italy and London) are captured in such a life-like fashion, that I could have sworn this was a live action film!  You must see it to enjoy the digital artistry of Pixar at work!

The Atlantic Foundation

Chuck Feeney

Yesterday, I read a news article with a sense of awe.  After the kilabot feeling we experienced upon hearing about the flash floods in Cagayan De Oro, Iligan and Dumaguete, reading this news article did a lot to uplift our spirits.  This story tells about the anonymous donation of US$350 million to Cornell University, and the startling philosophy of billionaire Chuck Feeney, who founded Duty Free Shopping chain of retail stores (sold later to the LVMH group of luxury brands).  Apparently, Mr. Feeney was already worth US$2.5 billion in the mid-1980s, and despite his riches, always travelled coach (economy section), still wears a US$15 watch, and does not own a house nor a car.  Already in his eighties, his goal is to become a pauper when he dies, leaving the Atlantic Foundation, a professional managed organization, to receive his estate and administer the disposition of his wealth to worthy causes that he has identified.  When asked why, he simply answered "I decided I had enough."

Hats off!

Vargas Kitchen

The Vargas Kitchen has three branches located at the Rustan's outlets in Makati & Rockwell, and at South Supermarket in Alabang.  Vicky was lucky to have been gifted a giant VK butter cake and I must say that while I am more of an ice cream & gelatin person than a cake & pastry person, I truly enjoyed this butter cake.  It was soft and very flavorful; when you open the box you can actually smell the rich aroma it exudes.  In fact, if you take a look at the picture on the left, you can see that we had already finished around three fourths of the cake before I remembered to take a picture!  Actions speak louder than words--what more can I say?

Jack's Loft

I realized that Jack's Loft was the sister restaurant of My Thai when the bills came--there was a separate food bill coming from My Thai and the drinks (beer) were billed by Jack's Loft.  I guess that it made business sense to keep the alcohol license with just one entity, rather than having to pay 2 annual fees for 2 sister companies.  We decided to chit-chat a bit more and from the My Thai restaurant at the ground floor, we went up to the 2nd floor where Jack's Loft was located.  The cool December wind felt a bit like the Tagaytay breeze, and we didn't mind the open-air layout of the the place--really much like a loft.  We had a few alcoholic drinks and coffee, but didn't get a chance to taste the desserts that the place was known for--they had a display full of chocolate cakes, caramel cakes and cheesecakes, and from what the waiters were telling us, some patrons take desserts as the counterpoint to their alcoholic beverages.  Maybe next time!  In all, good place to "chill" as the youngsters put it...

My Thai

Going Thai seems to be the popular thing these days, and my friends set some business discussions at the My Thai restaurant along Wilson St. in Greenhills.  We arrived at around 7:30 pm; parking was easy and aside from another couple, we were the only ones in the place, which was a pleasant surprise--even though it was a weekday, we had expected the Christmas rush to set in. We started off with catfish salad and quickly moved on to the viands--green chicken curry, stir fried squid, shrimp pad thai (noodles), sauteed kang kong--with lots of bagoong rice.  I found the food portions on the small end of the spectrum though, but I had no complaints as the food was tasty and was delivered fresh and hot.  The cook also heeded our request for mild spice, and for some dishes, the chili peppers were served on the side.  For dessert, we had taco (coco pandan pudding) and sticky rice with mangoes.  Quite reasonable at P500 per head, exclusive of drinks, which came in from their sister restaurant, Jack's Loft.

Chicken List

Talking about the family's top 10 chicken list, here it is folks, in no particular order (it's really difficult to grade and rank them):

1.    Aristocrat's Honey Chicken (as differentiated from their chicken BBQ);

2.    Max's

3.    The Original Savory or The Classic Savory (different owners, same chicken recipe)

4.    Chooks To Go

5.    S&R

6.    Bugong

7.    Shakey's Golden Fried Chicken with Mojos

8.    Country Chicken (the one along Quezon Boulevard, not the one in Australia)

9.    Sincerity (Monique insists this should be included--her favorite!)

10.  Chicken Bon Chon (I think the serving portions are small, but Monique loves the taste)

Some chicken stores that have closed shop would have been on the list--Kobe Chicken (the store with the glass enclosed rotisserie, not the chicken raised in Japan), Chicken Benedict (they had great chicken bottoms), Popeye's (the one in Binondo, not the one in Louisiana), Chi's pugon-baked paprika chicken in Sucat and last but not least, Myradel in Paco (brings back the memories of booze time with Vicky's brothers).