Leglessbird leisure guide

Filipino Philippine Tagalog DVD You Are The One (buy from Amazon)
Romantic Comedy, Philippine, 2006

Director: Cathy Garcia-Molina

My rating: 3
Key actors/actresses:
Toni Gonzaga ... Sally Malasmas
Sam Milby ... Will Derby/Vernard Garcia

Story:
Sally lives and works in Manila while her parents and elder sister live in USA. Her family wants her to join them in USA, she is not so sure but she applies anyway because her mother is not well and needed to be taken care of. At the US embassay, her application was rejected by the US officer Will, who is young and handsome. While she has a crush on this young man, she also hates him for rejecting her application. She has her chance of revenge, Will was adopted by US parents and he needs to look up some information on his biological parents, he ends up at the department where Sally works and she plays tricks on him at first. Eventually, she actually goes out of her way to help him and the two of them starts on a journey to look for Will's real parents and romance is in the air, but things are never so smooth as it first seems...

My review:
I got this DVD as a gift from a friend in Philippines. It is very funny and entertaining, old fashion clean fun (well, most of the time anyway), with a warm touch.

Cuisine: Shanghaiese in Central
My rating: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 2
Price per person: HKD 100

Address and tel.no
Shop 1, G/F, Car Po Commercial Building, 18-20 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central
21267266

Review:
It is okay for a quick meal with friends or colleagues at mid-price range. Lamb is good.

Be With You (Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu) - DTS (buy from Amazon)

Japanese 2004
Director: Nobuhiro Doi

My rating: 4
Key actors/actresses:
Yuko Takeuchi ... Mio
Shido Nakamura ... Takumi
Akashi Takei ... Yuji

Story:
Takumi lives with his 6-year old son Yuji in a small quite town. His wife Mio passed away not so long ago, when she died she promised that she would return in the next rainy season. So Yuji prays that rainy season will come sooner. One day, Takumi and Yuji were taking a walk in the country side and saw a woman that resembled Mio but she had no recollection whatsoever as told who she was. As she lived and cared for Takumi and Yuji, she learned about her relationship with Takumi and fell in love with him all over again, and also her love towards her son. While she heard from Takumi his side of their love story, she discovered a diary that she left for herself that told her side of the same romantic story, their feelings were definitely mutual. But rainy season is coming to an end...

My review:
A nice simple touching story of an ordinary family. Nothing too extraordinary, but that's why I like it also, moving, down to earth and good acting.

Dis-moi oui (buy from Amazon)
French 1995
Director: Alexandre Arcady

My rating: 4
Key actors/actresses:
Jean-Hugues Anglade ... St?phane
Julia Maraval ... Eva

Nadia Far?s ... Florence
Claude Rich ... Professeur Villiers
Val?rie Kaprisky ... Nathalie

Story:
A young 12-year old patient is in love with her pediatric doctor, she expresses her affection and he cannot accept because she is too young and she is his patient. The young girl is in need of a critical neuro-operation, would she survive? Would she win over her doctor?

My review:
I watched this movie in 1997 and I happened to be working on a business consulting project for a medical company that sells the apparatus for the neuro-operation described in the film, what a coincidence.

Interesting plot and funny story. Quite enjoyable.

Japanese 2004
Director: Isao Yukisada

My rating: 5
Key actors/actresses:
Takao Osawa ... Sakutaro Matsumoto
Kou Shibasaki ... Ritsuko Fujimura
Masami Nagasawa ... Aki Hirose
Mirai Moriyama ... Sakutaro Matsumoto (High School)
Tsutomu Yamazaki ... Shigezou Matsumoto
Kankur? Kud? ... Ryunosuke Ooki
Kanji Tsuda ... Johnny
Issei Takahashi ... Ryunosuke (high school student)
Rio Kanno ... Ritsuko (girl)
Tetta Sugimoto ... Aki's Father
Katsutaka Furuhata ... Johnny (high school)

Story:
"I thought I might be using a lifetime's happiness in a moment. I was that happy and she was that beautiful."

In 1987, a beautiful story about two 17-year old classmates, Aki and Saku who fell in love during one summer and how they soon realized Aki has leukemia and died during Autumn of the same year.

17 years later, Saku has not forgotten Aki for a single moment, he still carries her ashes with him, he re-tell their story to a woman that he loves today on how he and Aki met and spent time together until Aki's final moment and her dying wish was to see the blue sky of a place in Central Australia where the aboriginals believe to be the centre of the world and people who rest there after they die, their spirit will flow from there into another world and be reborn.

My review:
Simply a beautiful story, I love this TV-drama and the adapted version of the movie both based on the same best-selling book of the same name "Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu". A pure romantic love that happens during teenage years with a sad ending of death of incurable diseases, though the idea is not new, this story will still touch your heart.

Cuisine: French in Central
My rating: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Price per person: HKD 500+

Address and tel.no
G/F 17 Aberdeen Street, Central
2559 0737

Review:
We discovered this nice little French restaurant when we were looking for something new to try. The atmosphere was very nice and food was tasty. We had asparagus, beef, fish, chocolate cake, wine, tea and coffee. Guests usually set their own menu. There are 2 set dinner options, $350 or $450, if you don't want to set your menu. A la carte does not provide many choices. It's a good place for private party. It's easier to locate this place if you walk down from Hollywood Road.

The signature dish is the crab meat :-)

Cuisine: Vietnamese in Central
My rating: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Price per person: HKD 150-200 (Lunch)

Address and tel.no
2/F California Tower, 30-32 D'Aguilar Street,
2869-7399

Review:
We ordered 3 set lunch and shared among 5 people and tried a variety of food, all very tasty.

Cuisine: Japanese in Macau
My rating: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Price per person: HKD 200

Address and tel.no
Hokkaido Food Complex, Cape Town, Macau Fisherman's Wharf
+853 725 631

Review:
Very nice and freshly prepared right in front of you. We had scallops, thin-sliced beef wrap, goose liver, mushrooms, fried rice, etc and ice cream!

Cuisine: Italian in Macau
My rating: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
Price per person HKD 500+

Address and tel.no
Grand Lisboa Hotel, Macau

Review:
Nice Italian restaurant in the newly opened Grand Lisboa Hotel, we had duck breast, lamb, Artisan Made Orecchiette, chocolate dessert, "impressionistic view of expresso". On each table, there is an interesting glass decoration.