Sweet Escape Joys


In September 1939, Władysław Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist, has his radio station rocked from German bombing with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland and the subsequent outbreak of World War II. Hoping for a quick victory, Szpilman rejoices with family at home when learning that Britain and France have declared war on Germany, but the German army defeats Poland and captures Warsaw. Living conditions for the Jews deteriorate, as they are allowed a limited amount of money and later must wear armbands with the Star of David. By November 1940, they are forced into horrid and humiliating conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto, where Szpilman's family—including his father and mother —witness how the SS raid an opposite apartment and kill everyone there. Soon the family are rounded up for deportation to Treblinka extermination camp, but Szpilman is saved by a friend in the Jewish Ghetto Police.
Szpilman becomes a slave labourer working on the "Aryan" side, where he survives a random mass execution. Szpilman learns of a coming Jewish revolt and helps by smuggling weapons into the ghetto, narrowly avoiding a suspicious guard. He then manages to escape and goes into hiding with help from non-Jewish friend Andrzej Bogucki and his wife Janina. In April 1943, Szpilman observes the rise and fall of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising from his window near the ghetto wall. A year goes by and Szpilman is forced to flee after a neighbor discovers him. In a second hiding place provided to him, he is shown into a room with a piano but forced to keep quiet, and suffers jaundice.
In August 1944, Polish resistance mounts the Warsaw Uprising, attacking a German building across the street from Szpilman's hideout. A tank shells his apartment and he is forced to flee and hide elsewhere as fighting rages around. Over the course of the next months the city is destroyed and emptied of the population and Szpilman, entirely alone, searches desperately for shelter and supplies among the ruins. Eventually, he is discovered by the Wehrmacht officer Wilm Hosenfeld, who learns that Szpilman is a pianist and asks him to play on the grand piano nearby. The decrepit Szpilman plays Ballade in G minor, which moves Hosenfeld, who then allows Szpilman to hide in the attic of an empty house and regularly brings him food. As the Germans are forced to retreat due to the advance of the Red Army in January 1945, Hosenfeld meets Szpilman for the last time and promises to listen to him on Polish Radio. He gives Szpilman his greatcoat to keep warm and leaves, which is almost fatal for Szpilman when he is shot at by Polish troops liberating Warsaw, who apprehend him and realize he is Polish.
Elsewhere, former inmates of a Nazi concentration camp pass a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp for captured German soldiers and verbally abuse them, with one ranting that he used to be a violinist. Hosenfeld, now a prisoner, asks the violinist, if he knows Szpilman, which the violinist confirms and asks if Szpilman can return the favor. The violinist brings Szpilman to the site, but it is only a grassy field. Later, Szpilman performs Chopin's Grand Polonaise brillante to a large and prestigious audience.
The epilogue states that Szpilman died at the age of 88 in 2000, while Hosenfeld died in Soviet captivity in 1952. - wikipedia.org
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In 1947, banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, based on circumstantial evidence, and is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at Shawshank State Penitentiary. Andy quickly befriends contraband smuggler Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), an inmate serving a life sentence. Red procures a rock hammer for Andy, allowing him to create small stone chess pieces. Red later gets him a large poster of Rita Hayworth, followed in later years by images of Marilyn Monroe and Raquel Welch. Andy works in the prison laundry, but is regularly assaulted by the "bull queer" gang "the Sisters" and their leader Bogs (Mark Rolston).
In 1949, Andy overhears the brutal chief guard Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) complaining about taxes on a forthcoming inheritance, and informs him about a financial loophole. After another vicious assault by the Sisters nearly kills Andy, Bogs is beaten and crippled by Hadley. Bogs is sent to another prison and Andy is not attacked again. Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton) meets with Andy and reassigns him to the prison library, to assist elderly inmate Brooks Hatlen (James Whitmore); a pretext for Andy to manage financial duties for the prison. His advice and expertise are soon sought by other guards at Shawshank and from nearby prisons. Andy begins writing weekly letters to the state government for funds to improve the decrepit library.
In 1954, Brooks is freed on parole, but unable to adjust to the outside world after 50 years in prison, he hangs himself. Andy receives a library donation that includes a recording of The Marriage of Figaro. He plays an excerpt over the public address system, resulting in his receiving solitary confinement. After his release, Andy explains that he holds onto hope as something that the prison cannot take from him, but Red dismisses the idea. In 1963, Norton begins exploiting prison labor for public works, profiting by undercutting skilled labor costs and receiving kickbacks. He has Andy launder the money using the alias "Randall Stephens".
In 1965, Tommy Williams (Gil Bellows) is incarcerated for robbery. He joins Andy and Red's circle of friends, and Andy helps him to pass his General Educational Development examinations. In 1966, after hearing the details of Andy's case, Tommy reveals that an inmate at another prison claimed responsibility for an identical murder, suggesting Andy's innocence. Andy approaches Norton with this information, but the warden refuses to listen. Norton places Andy in solitary confinement and has Tommy murdered by Hadley under the guise of an escape attempt. Andy refuses to continue with the scam, but Norton threatens to destroy the library and take away his protection and preferential treatment. After Andy is released from solitary confinement, he tells Red of his dream of living in Zihuatanejo, a Mexican Pacific coastal town. While Red shrugs it off as being unrealistic, Andy instructs him, should he ever be freed, to visit a specific hayfield near Buxton to retrieve a package.
The next day at roll call, on finding Andy's cell empty, an irate Norton throws one of Andy's rocks at the poster of Raquel Welch hanging on the wall. The rock tears through the poster, revealing a tunnel that Andy had dug with his rock hammer over the previous two decades. The previous night, Andy escaped through the tunnel and the prison's sewage pipe with Norton's ledger, containing details of the money laundering. While guards search for him the following morning, Andy, posing as Randall Stephens, visits several banks to withdraw the laundered money. Finally, he sends the ledger and evidence of the corruption and murders at Shawshank to a local newspaper. The police arrive at Shawshank and take Hadley into custody, while Norton commits suicide to avoid arrest.
After serving 40 years, Red receives parole. He struggles to adapt to life outside prison and fears he never will. Remembering his promise to Andy, he visits Buxton and finds a cache containing money and a letter, asking him to come to Zihuatanejo. Red violates his parole and travels to Fort Hancock, Texas to cross the border to Mexico, admitting he finally feels hope. On a beach in Zihuatanejo, he finds Andy, and the two friends are happily reunited. - wikipedia.org
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In 1939, the Germans relocate Polish Jews to the Kraków Ghetto as World War II begins. Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), an ethnic German businessman from Moravia, arrives in the city hoping to make a fortune as a war profiteer. Schindler, a member of the Nazi Party, lavishes bribes upon Wehrmacht and SS officials. Sponsored by the military, Schindler acquires a factory for the production of army mess kits. Not knowing much about how to run such an enterprise, he gains a collaborator in Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), an official of Krakow's Judenrat (Jewish Council) who has contacts with the Jewish business community and the black marketers inside the Ghetto. The Jewish businessmen lend Schindler money in return for a share of products produced. Opening the factory, Schindler pleases the Nazis and enjoys newfound wealth and status as "Herr Direktor", while Stern handles administration. Schindler hires Jewish Poles instead of Catholic Poles because they cost less. Workers in Schindler's factory are allowed outside the ghetto, and Stern ensures that as many people as possible are deemed "essential" to the German war effort, saving them from being transported to concentration camps or killed.
SS-Lieutenant (Untersturmführer) Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) arrives in Kraków to oversee construction of the Płaszów concentration camp. Once the camp is completed, he orders the liquidation of the ghetto and Operation Reinhard in Kraków begins, with hundreds of troops emptying the cramped rooms and arbitrarily murdering anyone who is uncooperative, elderly or infirm. Schindler watches the massacre and is profoundly affected. He nevertheless is careful to befriend Goeth and, through Stern's attention to bribery, Schindler continues enjoying SS support. Schindler bribes Goeth into allowing him to build a sub-camp for his workers, so that he can keep his factory running smoothly and protect them. As time passes, Schindler tries to save as many lives as he can. As the war shifts, Goeth is ordered to ship the remaining Jews to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Schindler prepares to leave Kraków with his fortune. He finds himself unable to do so, however, and prevails upon Goeth to allow him to keep his workers so he can move them to a factory in his old home of Zwittau-Brinnlitz, away from the Final Solution. Goeth charges a massive bribe for each worker. Schindler and Stern assemble a list of workers to be kept off the trains to Auschwitz.
"Schindler's List" comprises these "skilled" inmates, and for many of those in Płaszów, being included means the difference between life and death. Almost all of the people on Schindler's list arrive safely at the new site. The train carrying the women is accidentally redirected to Auschwitz. Schindler bribes the camp commander, Rudolf Höß, with a cache of diamonds in exchange for releasing the women to Brinnlitz. Once the women arrive, Schindler institutes firm controls on the SS guards assigned to the factory, forbidding them to enter the production areas. He encourages the Jews to observe the Sabbath. To keep his workers alive, he spends much of his fortune bribing Nazi officials and buying shells from other companies; he never produces working shells during the seven months his factory operates. He runs out of money just as the Wehrmacht surrenders, ending the war in Europe.
As a Nazi Party member and a self-described "profiteer of slave labour", in 1945, Schindler must flee the advancing Red Army. Although the SS guards have been ordered to kill the Jews, Schindler persuades them to return to their families as men, not murderers. In the aftermath, he packs a car in the night and bids farewell to his workers. They give him a letter explaining he is not a criminal to them, together with a ring secretly made from a worker's gold dental bridge and engraved with a Talmudic quotation, "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire". Schindler is touched but deeply ashamed as he leaves, feeling he could have done more to save lives, such as selling his car and Golden Party Badge.
The Schindler Jews are awakened by sunlight the next morning. A Soviet dragoon announces that they have been liberated by the Red Army. The Jews walk to a nearby town in search of food.
After a few scenes depicting post-war events such as the execution of Amon Goeth and a summary of what happened to Schindler in his later years, the Jews are shown walking to the nearby town. The black-and-white frame changes to one in color of present-day Schindler Jews at Schindler's grave site in Jerusalem, where he wanted to be interred. A procession of now-elderly Jews who worked in Schindler's factory set stones on his grave—a traditional Jewish custom denoting gratitude to the deceased. The actors portraying the major characters walk with them. Ben Kingsley is accompanied by the widow of Itzhak Stern, who died in 1969. A title card reveals that at the time of the film's release, there were fewer than 4,000 Jews left alive in Poland, but more than 6,000 descendants of the Schindler Jews throughout the world. In the final scene, Liam Neeson places a pair of roses on the grave and stands over it. - wikipedia.org

MY SAY: This is the first movie I've seen tackling the holocaust during the World War II.
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Ichigo Kurosaki is a teenager gifted with the ability to see spirits. His life is drastically changed by the sudden appearance of a Soul Reaper—one who governs the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlife—named Rukia Kuchiki, who arrives in search of a Hollow, a dangerous lost soul that absorbs energy from souls. When Rukia is severely wounded defending Ichigo from the Hollow, she attempts to transfer a part of her reiatsu (霊圧, literally, "spiritual pressure") energy to Ichigo so that he can defeat the Hollow. However, Ichigo takes almost all of her energy, transforming into a Soul Reaper and allowing him to defeat the Hollow with ease. With her powers diminished, Rukia is left stranded in the human world until she can recover her strength. In the meantime, Ichigo must take over Rukia's role as a Soul Reaper, battling Hollows and guiding souls to the afterlife realm known as the Soul Society (尸魂界 (ソウル·ソサエティ) Sōru Sosaeti).
As some time passes and Rukia has yet to return to the Soul Society, her Soul Reaper superiors learn about her whereabouts and actions and sentence her to death for performing the illegal act of transferring her powers. This however had ended with two high ranking Soul Reapers (Shinigami) injuring Ichigo and taking Rukia to their world The Soul Society. Although he is unable to stop Rukia's departure to the Soul Society, Ichigo resolves to rescue her with the aid of several of his spiritually aware classmates, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora (Chad) Sado, and Uryū Ishida, and the ex-Soul Reapers Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara. Once in Soul Society, Ichigo and company battle against the elites of the Soul Reaper military and strive to reach Rukia before her execution.
It is revealed that Rukia's execution and Ichigo's rescue attempt both had been manipulated by a very high-ranking Soul Reaper, Sōsuke Aizen, who was previously believed to have been murdered, as part of a far-reaching plot to take control of the Soul Society. Aizen betrays his fellow Soul Reapers and allies himself with the strongest of the Hollows, the Espadas, whom he enhances. Aizen thus becomes the main antagonist of the series, and the Soul Reapers form an alliance with Ichigo.
At this point, Bleach chronicles the war between the Soul Reapers, the Espadas, and Aizen. After Aizen defeats the Soul Reaper captains, Ichigo undergoes intense training with his father Isshin, who turns out to be a former Soul Reaper, in order to become strong enough to battle Aizen alone. As Aizen is weakened by his battle with Ichigo, a spell that Urahara had previously hidden within him activates and seals him, thus ending the conflict and leaving the Soul Society to imprison him. As a result of using an incredibly powerful attack in order to defeat Aizen, Ichigo loses all of his Spiritual Pressure and becomes an ordinary human.
Seventeen months later, Ichigo meets "Xcution", a group of humans possessing Fullbring powers based on Hollows and want Ichigo to absorb them. Ichigo starts training to regain his Soul Reaper powers by first developing his own Fullbring following the appearance of Shūkurō Tsukishima, the former leader of Xcution who is targeting his friends. After developing his Fullbring, Ichigo is betrayed by Xcution's current leader Kūgo Ginjō, a former Substitute Soul Reaper who had his memories rewritten to act as Tsukishima's enemy and help Ichigo gain powers to steal them. With help from Soul Society, Ichigo regains his Soul Reaper powers and starts fighting Ginjō's group alongside Soul Society's forces. The Soul Society forces end victorious with Ichigo defeating Ginjō and presumably killing Tsukishima.
Following these events, a group of Quincies called the "Vandenreich" declares war on the Soul Society. Ichigo once again ventures to Hueco Mundo, which has also been invaded by the Vandenreich; at the same time, the captains in the Soul Society battle a powerful group in the Vandenreich army known as the "Stern Ritter". During the invasion several Captains had their bankai stolen by the Stern Ritter. Meanwhile Captain Yamamoto took revenge on the Quincy who stole Sasakibe's bankai and then immediately sought out their leader who he identified as "Juha Bach" who up till now was referred to by the other Quincy as "His Majesty". Despite using his bankai to attempt to kill him, Juha surprises Yamamoto by stealing his bankai, then instantly kills him using his abilities. Ichigo then arrives to take on Juha Bach and has his bankai subsequently destroyed and origins called into question. During the aftermath, the Royal Guard arrive to take Ichigo and several of his comrades to the Spirit Palace. - wikipedia.org

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Twelve years before the start of the series, a powerful creature known as the Nine-tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the leader of Konoha– the Fourth Hokage– sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside the newborn Naruto Uzumaki. Konoha, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the current Kage, the Third Hokage, forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone else. This included Naruto, who was not aware of the demon inside of him. Years later, Naruto is tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll that would teach him a secret ninja technique, but he is stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino. When Iruka almost dies while protecting Naruto from Mizuki, who also reveals that he is the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto uses the Jutsu he learned from the scroll that creates multiple clones of himself, Shadow Clone Technique, to defeat Mizuki.
Naruto is assigned alongside Sasuke Uchiha, whom he often competes against, and Sakura Haruno, whom he has a crush on, to form a three-person team named Team 7 under an experienced and severe sensei, the elite ninja Kakashi Hatake. Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 is charged with completing missions requested by villagers, such as doing chores or being bodyguards. After several missions, most notably their mission to Wave Country as Tazuna the bridge builder's guards, Kakashi allows Team 7 to participate in a ninja exam in which they can advance to a higher rank, and thus, take part in more difficult missions. During the exams, Orochimaru, a criminal at the top of Konoha's most wanted list, attacks Konoha and kills the Third Hokage in an act of revenge. This forces one of the three legendary ninja, Jiraiya, to search for his former teammate Tsunade, who has been nominated to become the Fifth Hokage. During the search, it is revealed that Orochimaru desires to acquire Sasuke due to his powerful genetic heritage, the Sharingan. Believing Orochimaru will be able to give him the strength needed to kill his brother Itachi, who destroyed his clan, Sasuke eventually joins him after a humiliating defeat at his brother's hands. Tsunade sends a group of ninja including Naruto to make Sasuke return to Konoha, but Naruto is unable to defeat him and bring him back to the village. Naruto does not give up on Sasuke, however, and he leaves Konoha to train for two and a half years under Jiraiya's tutelage in order to prepare himself for the next time he encounters Sasuke.
After the training period, a criminal organization called Akatsuki attempts to capture the nine powerful tailed beasts that are sealed within people—including the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed inside of Naruto. Several ninjas from Konoha, including Team 7, fight against the Akatsuki members and search for their teammate Sasuke. Although they manage to save Gaara, the host of the One-Tailed beast, Akatsuki is successful in capturing the other seven creatures whose hosts die in the process. In the meantime, Sasuke betrays Orochimaru and faces Itachi to take revenge. After Itachi dies in battle, Sasuke is told by the Akatsuki founder and leader Tobi that Itachi was ordered by Konoha's leadership to destroy his clan. Saddened with this revelation, Sasuke joins forces with Akatsuki to kill Konoha's superiors who orchestrated the Uchihas' elimination.
Meanwhile, as several Akatsuki members are defeated by the Konoha ninjas, their figurehead leader, Pain, invades the village to capture Naruto. However, Naruto defeats him and convinces him to abandon the Akatsuki. With Pain's eventual death, Tobi-disguised as one of Konoha's founding fathers Madara Uchiha-announces that he wants to obtain all nine of the tailed beasts in order to perform an illusion powerful enough to control all of humanity. The leaders of the five ninja villages refuse to aid him, and instead, join forces to confront him and his allies. This results into a fourth ninja world war between the unified armies of the Five Great Countries collectively known as the "Ninja Alliance Army" and Akatsuki's forces. During the conflict, it is revealed that Tobi is actually Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's former teammate who was supposed to be dead, but he was saved by the real Madara Uchiha and has been working under him ever since. - wikipedia.org 

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The series begins with the execution of Gol D. Roger, a man known as the King of the Pirates (海賊王 Kaizokuō). Just before his death, Roger announces that his treasure, the One Piece (ひとつなぎの大秘宝 (ワンピース) Wan Pīsu), will be up for the taking, causing the Great Pirate Era (大海賊時代 Dai Kaizoku Jidai) to begin. As a result, countless pirates set out to the Grand Line to look for the treasure.
Twenty-two years have passed since Roger's execution, and Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate inspired by his childhood idol and powerful pirate Red Haired Shanks, has since set off on a journey from the East Blue Ocean to succeed Roger and find the legendary treasure. In an attempt to organize his own crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, he befriends a swordsman named Roronoa Zoro and together, they sail off to find the One Piece. They soon meet Nami, a navigator and thief; Usopp, a sniper and a liar; and Sanji, a womanizing chef; leading to confrontations with Buggy the Clown, Captain Kuro and Don Krieg. Later, Luffy encounters Arlong, a fishman and member of the former Sun Pirates who thinks that fishmen are superior to humans. After Luffy defeats Arlong, Nami joins Luffy's crew and the Navy places a bounty on Luffy's head. After making their way through the Grand Line, the group meets Nefeltari Vivi, a princess who wants to help save her country, the Alabasta Kingdom, from the crime syndicate Baroque Works. They later befriend the doctor and anthropomorphized reindeer Tony Tony Chopper while in Drum Island.
The Straw Hat Pirates make their way to Alabasta, leading to battles with Baroque Works and their leader, Sir Crocodile. Luffy eventually defeats Crocodile, liberating Alabasta. Soon after, Nico Robin, an archaeologist and former member of Baroque Works, joins Luffy's crew. Also, Luffy's bounty increases while Zoro gains a bounty after Crocodile's defeat. They soon meet the rookie pirate Blackbeard, whose dream is also to become the King of the Pirates. After going up to the floating island of Skypiea, the crew gets involved into a war between the Skypieans and the Shandorians, leading to a confrontation against the island's ruler Enel, who has power over electricity. Luffy defeats Enel to save Skypiea and end the war. The crew soom meets the navy admiral Aokiji, who reveals that Robin was involved in searching for Poneglyphs, stones with markings left by an ancient civilization. The group goes to Water 7, confronting the cyborg shipwright Franky. However, Cipher Pol No. 9, the World Government's intelligence agency captures Robin, and the Straw Hat Pirates team up with Franky and declare war on the World Government, resulting in battles between CP9 and its minions. The final long battle with CP9 comes to a close when the crew saves Robin, and Franky joins their crew. Soon after, the crew helps a musician skeleton named Brook find his shadow, which has been stolen by Gecko Moriah.
The crew later prepares to sail off to the New World, the second half of the Grand Line, after landing at the Sabaody Archipelago. While there, they befriend Silvers Rayleigh, a former member of Roger's pirate crew who plans to coat their ship so they can travel underwater. The crew eventually gets separated during a battle with Bartholomew Kuma at the Sabaody Archipelago, with Luffy being sent to the all-female island Amazon Lily. When he learns that his older brother Portgas D. Ace has been detained at the government prison Impel Down, Luffy goes there and liberates several people from the prison, including the fishman Jimbei. Luffy soon learns that Portgas D. Ace is at Marineford to be executed. However, war breaks out between the Navy and a group of pirates led by the legendary pirate, Whitebeard. In the ensuing chaos, Whitebeard and Ace are killed. At Rayleigh's suggestion, Luffy has the Straw Hats undergo rigorous training regimens, some under the tutelage of prominent figures. Two years later, the crew regroups at Sabaody Archipelago and journeys to Fishman Island to enter the New World. During this time, a group of fishman pirates appear, seeking supremacy against humans. They hold a coup d'état to decide the fate of the island. However, after Nami forgives Jimbei for releasing Arlong into the East Blue, the Straw Hats defeat the fishmen pirates, saving the island. The Straw Hats leave Fishman Island and finally reach the New World, but not before starting a feud with one of the four major pirates in the New World, Big Mam. Their first destination in the New World is the half-burning and half-freezing island, Punk Hazard. - wikipedia.org

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The story goes about the 17-year old high school prodigy Shinichi Kudō also known as the Savior of the Japanese Police Department (日本警察の救世主, Nihon Keisatsu no Kyūseishu) who frequently helps the police force solving complicated cases. After the incident at the famed theme park named Tropical Land at the roller coaster, he was investigating one of the two suspicious looking men that where been seen as suspects at the incident. He got attacked by one of them who's code-name is Gin and his partner named named Vodka. After hitting Shinichi knock-out Gin gave him a drug which is later known as APTX 4869 that was meant to kill him. The poison has in fact a rare side-effect which transform Shinichi into a body into that of a child instead of killing him.
After the crucial incident, Shinichi went home and adopted the name Conan Edogawa after being put under pressure by his childhood friend Ran. Shinichi managed to hide his secret identity to the ones he cared to investigate the Black Organization, but some of them figured out who he really is and a member of the Black Organization either. He pretends to be a child to gather evidence to apprehend the secret organization to get the antidote to transform back into his original body. Conan enrolls his former school the Teitan Elementary school and form the Detective Boys with his three other classmates: Ayumi Yoshida, Genta Kojima and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya. Conan also stays at the house of a moronic detective Kogorō Mōri which is Ran's father. He gained fame as the Sleeping Kogorō (眠りの小五郎, Nemuri no Kogorō), after getting help from Conan using the gadgets invented by Hiroshi Agasa, Shinichi's neighbor.
Later a girl named Shiho Miyano flees from the Black Organization after taking in her own creation and currently stays at Agasa's house. The Organization is still searching for her and tries to annihilate her for her escape from the organization and her betrayal for leaving it. - detectiveconan.wikia.com

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One April summer day, I and my officemates invaded Tagaytay. We don't have our own ride but we manage to reach this beautiful place just by commuting. We met at Robinson's Galleria by 8am then rode train to Taft Ave. where we took a bus to Olivares Tagaytay. It costs less than P100 and we travelled for 2 hours, more or less, due to heavy traffic. Reached Olivares at noon and we had our lunch. After that, we then rode a jeepney to the market and transfer to another one which will take us to the Palace in the Sky, as the locals called it (really, its name is People's Park in the Sky). 

I'd really thought that I will see a palace but it's an old abandoned guest house. The park also housed PAGASA-DOST Doppler Radar Station. Though it seems that the building will collapse anytime soon (cracked pavements, broken windows, rusty posts, etc), there's one part of this place that captivated me. It's the Shrine of Our Lady, Mother of Fair Love (haha, for those seeking of fair love, you should go here) and the statue of Christ with open arms. It feels like closer to heaven in this place, with an overlooking view of Taal Lake, Balayan Bay, Laguna Bay and Manila Bay, this place is one good destination when exploring Tagaytay.

Then we headed to the famous Picnic Grove. There, we leisurely walk around and enjoy the greens we see (hehe, 'cause in Manila you'll never see much forest greens as in this place). We rented telescopes but I didn't see Taal volcano clearly. (Gosh, what's wrong with my eyes or the telescope?! hehe) We went to the hanging bridge and climbed over fences too. There’s also zip line but we weren't able to try one because of the long line of people who wants to ride and the sun's already setting.

We bought some pasalubong along the way. Head back to Manila via bus and that ends our one short yet enjoying day at Tagaytay. =)






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Indeed, the magic is here at Enchanted Kingdom and I never get tired of going back here again and again (actually, it's my 4th time! hehe) I and my officemates explored E.K. last January 2011 (soooo late post!). Got lucky to have some complimentary tickets as prize for winning in one of our company's contest.

The day started in a meeting at Robinson's Galleria at 8 AM. Then, we took bus ride to Timog Ave. where we have our ride to Enchanted Kingdom via Balibago, Sta. Rosa bus trip. At drop off, we rode tricycle and reached Enchanted Kingdom.
We waited till the theme park opened at 10 AM. We rode the Space Shuttle Max first and foremost! hehehe. I was kind of hesitant because that will be my first and honestly, I have fear of riding a roller coaster (even in my dreams, it scares me!) But with the encouragement of Ate Lyn and using some of my baon na 'lakas ng loob', finally, I give it a try! (hehe, I don't want to be the only one in the group who will not ride it!) Because of giving roller coaster ride a try, I no longer dreamt of roller coasters! Yehey!

We also tried Flying Fiesta and Rio Grande Rapids (this made our clothes soaked in water but it's so fun!) at Portobello, Jungle Log Jam and Swan Lake at Jungle Outpost, and Kart Trak at Spacesport. Witnessed the Parade at the Cobblestone in the afternoon. The rest of the day, we strolled and we just splurge on photo ops!

The rain poured heavilly after dawn leaving us like wet chicks?! (hehe, 'basang sisiw' in other words! lol) We just waited for the rain to stop in a souvenirs shop near EKstreme Tower Ride. Enjoyed while watching brave teenagers still trying the tower ride while it rained hard. This one I think is too extreme for me but who knows, just like the Space Shuttle Max, I might give it a try in the future?! hehehe

When the rain subsided, we then took our way home through a bus bound to Manila carrying all the memories of our one kiddie fun day! =)

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The film revolves around the Bellas, an all-female a capella group from Barden University. Reeling from a humiliating loss at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, the group struggles to find new members the next year. Beca, a Barden freshman, has no desire to go to college, but is forced to attend by her father, a professor at the university. Wishing to instead move to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a DJ, she takes up an internship at the school radio station, where she meets fellow freshman Jesse. When Beca's father finds out that Beca has not been attending classes, he offers to let Beca go to Los Angeles if she joins a club and proves that she wants to be involved. After some persuasion from Aubrey, the group leader, and Chloe, she joins the Bellas, along with a group of other women who do not fit the Bellas' typical mold.
At practice, Aubrey's controlling nature gets on the nerves of the other girls. She is constantly critical and insists that they use the same set list the Bellas have been using for years, which clashes with Beca's contemporary style. Meanwhile, Beca hangs out with Jesse—who has joined the Treble Makers, the Bellas' main rival—despite Aubrey's warning to the group not to get involved with Treble Makers. Beca plays several of her own mixes of contemporary songs for him, and he compliments her for her talent. He then tries to get Beca to watch the ending of The Breakfast Club, his favorite movie, after Beca tells him she does not like movies because they bore her and she never gets to the ending.
Despite their issues, the Bellas attend the regional a capella competition. On the way to the venue, the group stops for gas where Fat Amy is hit by a burrito by Bumper, a member of the Treble Makers in their own bus. After the other girls clean her up, they continue on to the venue but run out of gas since Fat Amy forgot to actually put any in the bus. They're then forced to call the Treble Makers to drive them to the venue. In spite of their bland set list, the group manages to place second at the regional a capella competition.
At the semifinals, Beca notices how bored the audience is with Aubrey's traditional arrangement, so she provides impromptu back-up, mash-up vocals. The Bellas come in third in the competition behind the Treble Makers and another group. Even though the audience was pleased, Aubrey was not and Beca quits the group. The Bellas make it into the Nationals after the other group was disqualified because their lead singer was discovered to be in high school, not college. They get together after Spring Break, but this time, Beca is not included.
During this time, Beca begins working as a DJ at the university radio station, playing her music on the overnight shift, and also steadily distancing herself from Jesse. She finds a copy of The Breakfast Club and watches it. She realizes how much she needs the Bellas in her life. Her father convinces her to rejoin the Bellas, who she finds falling apart. The now complete again Bellas have a heart-to-heart and decide to kick things up a notch with Beca's 21st-century mash-ups. At the National Competition, the Bellas sing a piece arranged by Beca, including "Don't You (Forget About Me)", the theme from The Breakfast Club. The Bellas win the competition and Beca and Jesse reunite with a kiss. -- wikipedia.org

MY SAY: I've always loved musical movies and Pitch Perfect is one underrated movie here in the Philippines. In fact, I've only seen it once in TV ads, and never heard anyone talking about it except me and my chingu, JenJen. But, this one's a very good movie. The acapellas' more edgy, yet the soul of the songs used are still intact. I like the fact that they were singing without instruments just their voices which I think is one great way to know one's singing prowess. I so love their rendition of mash-up song by Bruno Mars 'Just The Way You Are' and Nelly's ' Just A Dream'. Also, I enjoyed the 'Riff-off'. It is the clash of the music groups in Barden University through spontaneous performance of songs under a chosen category, in other words, 'dugtungan ng kanta ito!' but in a hard way, since it must be acapella and group effort. The winner will be the crowd's favorite. hehehe. This Glee-like movie is worth watching for. =)


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