Hanging out at Naxional

Hanging out at Naxional

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

“X” marks the spot, the spot being in Uptown Parade in Bonifacio Global City where you can get some really good grub.

For South American diner Naxional, “X” also represents 10 of the continent’s nations, introducing a wide range of comfort food developed straight from home cooking recipes of Latina mothers.

With the Philippines’ undeniable Hispanic roots, most South American dishes may come off as familiar, but there are a huge number of dishes with festive flavors that remain uncharted—and yet easily welcomed—by the Filipino palate.

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#DisneyBeat: Talking to Elena of Avalor

#DisneyBeat: Talking to Elena of Avalor

Monday, November 21, 2016

Aimee Carrero as the voice of Princess Elena

AFTER about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how international conference calls work, I accepted defeat and decided to have a phone operator intervene.

Our landline at home rang, and rang again.

And echoing how Belle sounded when she first entered the Beast's castle, I let out a few hellos, waiting for silence at the other end of the line to be interrupted.

With a bit of a delay, a cheery voice finally greeted back. It was Aimee Carrero, the woman behind the voice of Princess Elena, the lead of Disney's newest animated TV series.

"I think it may giving myself a bit of a compliment, but I think I give her (Elena) a bit of personality," Aimee tells me.

"I think that some of Elena’s silliness comes from my personality and luckily the creators of our show have been very responsive to humor and comedy and try to write it in whenever they can and whenever it’s appropriate," she adds.

The 5-second delay between our responses turned out to be quite an advantage as I processed the same thought during the entire 15-minute interview: Damn, I'm talking to a real Disney princess! On the phone.

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Under the spell of Doctor Strange

Under the spell of Doctor Strange

Friday, November 18, 2016

TO DESCRIBE “Doctor Strange” as otherworldly is both a cliche and understatement. 

It introduces a new breed of superhero to Marvel’s cinematic arsenal, one that is not characterized by metal weaponry or spandex suits. It has begun redefining what a superhero is, and even more so, what a superhero can do, in the context of the Avengers.

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Alesso made me lose my mind

Alesso made me lose my mind

Monday, November 7, 2016

WHEN Alesso was announced as one of the international headliners of the Ultra Music Festival Philippines, I told myself there was no way I’m missing the Swedish DJ spin live.

And Sebastian Ingrosso’s protege didn’t disappoint, there was definitely no sitting down during his set in the Manila leg of the Ultra Worldwide Tour in Mall of Asia Arena on Sept. 17.

Alesso knew exactly what he was doing—the crowd never dancing long enough to a certain beat, shuffling distinct tracks that transform into one smooth eargasm.

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