FS Picks of the Week, Feb 16-22

Every Monday, Frustrated Sosyalera will try to bring you the best of the week to come -- called FS Picks of the Week. If I get the movie schedules wrong, I'm sorry. Sometimes the showing times aren't final 'til Wednesday, so tough. =P

Looks like it's book week at the cinemas where Confessions of a Shopaholic (yeah, yeah I didn't get the Gucci bag nor the free movie tickets so shut up already) and He's Just Not That Into You opens and Gran Torino finally makes it to Manila. Read on for details.

~oOo~ FILMS ~oOo~

Confessions of a Shopaholic


Starring
Isla Fisher
Hugh Dancy


Plot
A college grad lands a job as a financial journalist in New York City to support where she nurtures her shopping addiction and falls for a wealthy entrepreneur. Based on the novel "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella.(imdb)

RottenTomatoes Rating: 21% rotten (gulp)






He's Just Not That Into You


Starring
Ben Affleck
Jennifer Aniston
Drew Barrymore
Jennifer Connelly


Plot
Based on the wildly popular bestseller from Sex and the City scribes Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He's Just Not That Into You tells the stories of a group of interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirtysomethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life, trying to read the signs of the opposite sex... and hoping to be the exceptions to the "no-exceptions" rule. (rottentomatoes.com)

RottenTomatoes Rating: 42% rotten (passable?)





Gran Torino


Starring
Clint Eastwood
Christopher Carley
Bee Vang
Ahney Her



Plot
For his fourth directorial feature in the span of two years, Clint Eastwood tells the story of a grizzled Korean War vet's reluctant friendship with a Hmong teenage boy and his immigrant family.


RottenTomatoes Rating: 77% fresh (not bad!)

~oOo~ CONCERTS ~oOo~

Gary V Live at 25 (The Repeat)

20 February, Friday
8pm
Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City

Ticket prices are between Php 158 to Php 3,150 (via TicketNet)

I'm set to ruin your farkin day

Happy Valentine's Day, people!!!

May you all drown in hearts wherever you may end up.




Mwahmwahkisskissandalltherestofthatsheet. Hehe!

My Shopaholic Confession

Hi, my name is Emz and I'm a shopaholic.

There are two kinds of shopaholics. There's one who shops too frequently and one who shops compulsively. I belong to the latter.

I wasn't always this foolhardy with my money. It all started when I moved to the UK for a time. I was single, earning a reasonable amount, had virtually no friends and homesick (a very, very DANGEROUS combination of elements).

I had only ONE friend at the time and she taught me the ways of the obssessive shopper. I had a mentor, wouldjabelieveit???





Our motto is this:

If you find something you like, go home and sleep on it. If you can't sleep thinking about it, buy it the next day, or someone else could beat you to it and then you'll be bawling your eyes out.

I've never ever forgotten those words. It's rubbish advice,but somehow it has made its way to my subconscious and never left.

So now, when I know I want something and I know where to find it, I think about it all the time (To buy or not to buy?). I spy on it in the shops every chance I get. I daydream about it day AND night. I inject it into conversations even if they don't fit.

For things like clothes or shoes, this will only take a couple of days before I reach a decision. For more expensive stuff, the whole process will take weeks, even MONTHS before I take action. That may seem wise, but only on the outside. Because more often than not, I'm building a list of excuses to buy the darned thing. So by the time I've built up my list of excuses, I finally convince myself that I need the thing to function properly as a member of society.

So even if I save my money, I will find a way to get rid of all my savings in one go. There was a point when my uncle had cut up my Next store card because I had bought too much stuff with it. A store card is a kind of credit card that you can only use in a specific store. Stay away from them, they are eeeeevil!


And the fruits of this addiction-slash-obsession? Behold:






A £70 cardigan that I can only imagine wearing here in the tropics.






Shoes that have never left the bedroom since they arrived from the shops.





A netbook that I thought I needed. But now that I've got it, I don't get a chance to use it. Pfttt.

Clothes that don't really fit (because they were bought online).

A Php 39,600 bill on my credit card...

And a yet-to-be-built condo unit. (This purchase is the best example of my shopping instincts gone haywire, because I've decided on a whim. Whoop-diddle-dee-doo.)


I've been seeing the book "Confessions of a Shopaholic" scattered all over the bookstores long before this contest and was on the verge of buying it (if not for my towering credit card bill), because I'm curious if Rebecca Bloomwood fares better than I do. But as the film is being shown soon I might as well just skip the book and see the film first (my wallet will thank me for it).



Catch "Confessions of a Shopaholic" in cinemas on February 18, 2009!

Sometimes, all you need is a Hug.

I've been subjecting myself to a (strict) diet for the last several weeks, and I'm pleased to say that it's the first time something has worked for me.

I've been living on wheat bread (1 slice at a time ONLY), hardly any rice, crackers, a little meat, salads, fruits & unsweetened pineapple juice for 6 weeks now. It's a killer, I'm tellin' you. Of course, I take a break on weekends or when going out with friends during the week.

I've lost more than 8lbs so far. I'll keep going until I lose 20lbs, maybe.

I don't exercise yet. I can't be bothered to get up early to go to the gym because I love what little sleep I get (my friends know I have problems falling asleep).

However, I find that I struggle more during my PMS days. I feel hormonal -- down, moody and just plain bitchy (the urge to bite someone's head off is rather strong this week).

So I cheat on my diet with this:




It's funny how just one Hershey's Hug a day lifts my spirits up. Chocolate is a God-send.

FS ChowNow: The Stock Market, Bonifacio High Street

The bf and I had spied on this brightly-lit restaurant at Bonifacio High Street called The Stock Market one night and decided to have a go at it.




I quickly realised it was like going inside a mind obssessed with pineapples -- they were everwhere!

Tons of photos ahead, so don't say I didn't warn you!






Pineapples on the centrepiece.





Pineapples on the wall.





Pineapples on the shelves.





Heck, there were pineapples in picture frames on the shelves!


Then I found out why...



This restaurant is owned by Del Monte. Hehe!


Well, I didn't mind that there were so many pineapples. I was actually amused and thought that the restaurant ambience is so homey and felt like a luxurious version of my auntie's kitchen.





I NEVER skip trying a Ceasar's Salad at every new restaurant I go to. For some reason, I believe that if a restaurant can make a proper CS, then I would know that my food will be good. It's silly, I know! And just to confirm that with you, this one is excellent!





The Peach fizzy drink is refreshing -- highly recommended!






The Ravioli of Cream Cheese, Parmesan & Pine Nuts is so creamy and feels like it's melting inside your mouth. It could do with a bit more kick, though, I think.






However, I think the Pulled Pork Barbecue is the star of the night. The meat was very tender and I nearly exchanged my Ravioli for it (but the bf wouldn't budge).


Wallet damage
Overall, the service and food were good but I'm a little disappointed to say that I feel eating here is overpriced. It will cost you at least Php 400 to eat at the Stock Market and I can think of many other places to spend that amount of money on a little plate of food.

Still curious? The Stock Market can be found along Bonifacio High Street at The Fort, right next to TGI Friday's.