December Happenings

December may be my most favorite time of the year. Aside from my birthday, Christmas and New Year also comes in the same month. And living here in the UAE means that practically half of the month of December are holidays (no kidding!). This may be one of my most memorable Decembers in recent years. Much to our surprise, my aunt’s family from the UK gave us a short visit and decided to spend Christmas here. While my cousin Dingdong wasn’t able to come with them, we still had a good time while they were here. Here, I shall recount each event with a picture.

This is me blowing my 24th birthday cake

By the Christmas Tree at the Mall of the Emirates

Me with my cousin Jae and Tito Edwin

My second moms

This is going to the Atlantis Hotel at the Palm Jumeirah, I had to go there to interview the CEO of D-Link

This is thew lobby of the Atlantis Hotel at the Palm Jumeriah

This is the entrace to the lobby of the Atlantis

The poolside of the Atlantis. You can tell you are in an island when all of Dubai's skyline looks sos far away.

This is the Atlantis Hotel.

The aquarium inside the Atlantis Hotel kinda looks like the one at the Dubai Mall.

My cousins Mhalli and Jae enjoying the articifical snow at Ski Dubai.

Christmas Night, inside the church. The celebrant had a very heartwarming performance of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". Reminds me of how much I miss home. Good thing I have another family here to celebrate Christmas.

After going to the Church, we went to Al Ghurair City and ate a hefty Christmas dinner at Nando's.

My two Tita's.

This is us enjoying the dinner. The chicken was superb.

My aunt's family. Though my cousin Dingdong wasn't able to come with them.

The morning after Christmas, we went strolling around Dubai Festival City Mall.

A shot of the original Ortiz clan at the Festival City Marina.

Me and my super 'makulit' cousin Jae.

This my family here. Aunts, uncles and cousins who live all over UAE.

Despite being a muslim country, the UAE still manages to allow people to celebrate Christmas. Definitely, I'll be looking back at this month and how it reminded me that everything is fine as long as you are with your family.

GITEX Technology Week 2008

With all the amount of work I have to do every now and then, I barely have time to update this blog. Anyways, last October 19-23m 2008, GITEX Technology Week was recently held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. While most high profile companies were noticeably absent from the show and only a handful attended the event, there were still a lot to see during the show. Here are some shots:

Me looking bored... after hours of walking.

Big-ass phone!

My new favorite notebook, the Acer Gemstone Blue 6920G

Yes, my friend Hazem modeling a gold-plated hard disk.

Me and Hazem

Our friends at the LaCie stand.

Playing with the Emirates Towers!

The Convention Centre

Me and Irish

By the fountain... woohoo!

Jeez, and I thought this was only used for refrigerators!

The exhibition hall seems empty...

That's Panasonic's 150-inch plasma TV!

This was at the Samsung stand, where a guest artist was offering 'cartoonized' sketches.

Samsung's Blu-ray home theatre

Sanyo's waterproof camcorders

Panasonic's new G1 digital camera

Ideas for life.

HTC's stand... but I didn't see the Google phone (HTC made the phone)

Yes, we're looking formal!

Some Harman/Kardon home theatre systems.

Still alive and kicking!

Yes, and I also want that Acer Predator desktop

The Fog

While trying not to emulate John Carpenter's horror flick, I felt that I needed a little release from all the pressures and deadlines I would have to meet. Just yesterday, a thick blanket of fog quickly enveloped Dubai. It may due to the weather changing since Winter is already coming. I do hope so since all this heat is driving me insane. See the pic? Everything feels like you're in Silent Hill. Since it wasearly in the morning I felt like running around the parking lot and enjoying the fog. I think for me it is the only way I could enjoy myself with all the work we had to do. Starting next week, GITEX will take up most of my day. It's scary since you have all these interviews to do and transcribe, but still fun since you will get a preview of some of the latest technologies each company has to offer. I hope I can make it through next week, and probably reward myself with another DVD purchase. Or even a Grande Mocha Frappucino with Caramel Drizzle from... guess you already know where.

Summer Movie Review 2008 # 12: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hellboy is back and better than ever. Big red now battles enemies from the unknown in this second installment from director Guillermo Del Toro. Showing hints from creatures in Pan's Labyrinth, he creates another mystic world of the supernatural. He mixes humor with action combined with great storytelling. Truly, he is one of the better directors fully capable of doing these types of films. Ron Pearlman was a great character playing Hellboy, and Selma Blair compliments by playing fire starter Liz. Their chemistry was fun and full of humor. The story seems a little reminiscent of Blade II’s storyline. Still, it is one of the better comic book films to come out this year. A definite must watch for fans of the first one. Hellboy II: The Golden Army 8.5/10

Summer Movie Review 2008 # 11: Tropic Thunder

Hands down, this is simply one of the best comedies I've seen in a while. With an all star cast top billed by Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr. It's hard not to laugh at some of the dire situations these people put themselves in. They play actors making a war movie in the mountains of Vietnam. When their prima-donna attitudes costs the director to lash out at them, veteran soldier Nick Nolte advises the director to take it to the extreme - have all the actors on set and film the movie in real life, only that it got too real. This is actually one of the better films I've seen this year. It's not the typical comedy where something happens and the audience laughs, it's made funny because of the situations and lines the characters engage in. With a load of cameos from Tom Cruise, Matthew Mcconaughey, Jason Bateman, Tobey McGuire, Alicia Silverstone and Jon Voight - this is a definite must-see for everyone. Applauses definitely go to Robert Downey, Jr for playing 'a dude playing another dude disguised as a dude'... Honestly, I can't stop laughing from start to finish. Tropic Thunder: 9/10

Summer Movie Review 2008 # 10: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The O’Connell’s are back… with a new mummy… and a new Evy? While veteran Mummy actor Brendan Frasier still came along with John Hannah, a new bunch of cast members joined in for the new Eastern adventure. The plot talks of a Dragon Emperor entombed by a sorceress which, as always, was awoken again by the O’Connell’s. The story was typical and yet something was lacking in the way it was written. The film was written by Alfred Cough and Miles Millar, responsible for the Smallville series and the superb Spider-Man 2. However, this film feels like it was written with the action sequences in mind. Sure those scenes are spectacular, but it didn’t match the fun it had that the past two movies had. The performances were average and the new characters were actually just offered well nothing new… yes even the great Jet Li didn’t feel so great. It is a fun watch the first time, but that’s about it. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: 5/10

Summer Movie Review 2008 # 9: Kung Fu Panda

"Everybody wants kung fu fighting..." That song actually only reminds me of those Jackie Chan films, which feature out of this world martial arts. It may seem that this film is another animated flick deemed especially for kids, but it seems the creators wanted something for adults too. While the story was typical of any animated movie (outcasts turns into the hero in the end), it was executed in a fun and funny way. The voices were also great. Performances by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman and most especially jack Black gave life the cute furry characters featured in the film. It was definitely a fun movie, and a good break from all the smash blockbusters shown this summer season. Kung Fu Panda: 7.5/10

Summer Movie Review 2008 # 8: The Dark Knight

My most awaited movie of the summer turned out to be my most favorite film of the year. In this sequel to Batman Begins, we find Bruce Wayne dealing with the increased political and corruption in Gotham City. Along with that, a new kind of smile is lurking in the streets and he must stop it before he ruins the city. The story’s premise is simple yet it expands in a way that it shines a light on everyone’s desire to make Gotham City a better (or worse) place. The movie’s main quote “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” is played vey well throughout the film. As one tries to keep making the rights things, eventually in the end it’s him who becomes the villain. Watching this film definitely was fun, it combined a nice mix of action, great performances and storyline. Director Christopher Nolan definitely has a talent for writing and taking the Batman franchise on a darker tone. Performance need not to be mentioned as they were all superb. With an all star cast, each actor definitely gave their best for the part. Christian Bale was awesome as the Dark Knight, yet I still find it weird that he has a much lower voice when he’s Batman. Michael Caine has a less prominent part in this film, yet every scene that he’s in makes up for it. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox was the all time creator of Batman’s weapons and armor and he plays the part with intellect and seriousness. Rachel Dawes is now played by Maggie Gyllenhaal taking the role previously played by Katie Holmes. I think Maggie played a better role in this, emphasizing that she’s no damsel in distress, even when she is. Detective Gordon played by Gary Oldman has a bigger part in this film and this clearly shows that he’s the right man for the part. Harvey Dent or most commonly known as Two Face, has an appearance in this film and Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal is another one that you shouldn’t miss. And who wouldn’t forget Heath Ledger’s excellent performance as The Joker? He simply breathed more life into the character. His no empathy for killing combined with slapstick humor makes it one of the most memorable performances in the film. Surely everyone agrees with me as this is one of the best films of the year! The Dark Knight: 9/10