Secondhand Serenade main vocalist, John Vesely visited Cebu and held his acoustic live concert at the Ayala Terraces last night, March 30, 2009. Recently, Boyce Avenue held its concert at the SM Northwing. Ayala shots back with another International Artist live concert to please its crowd.

Few of the songs performed were Your Call, Vulnerable, Broken, Maybe, Awake (one of my favorites) and Fall For You, which he sung while playing acoustic with organ keyboards. Other songs were played and sung by John Vesely with acoustic guitars. The guy is a real talent that he can pull it off even by going on solo.

The crowd was also great. Most of them were young students, it was not that hard for my friends and I to blend in. We look much more younger that the students there! *lol*. I can’t help but reminisce on my college days when I can still afford not to miss any concert of my favorite local bands. Now, I barely have time. But being able to attend live concerts of International Artists is very much an improvement, though. *wink*

Slumdog Millionaire was set and filmed in India, which tells the story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” that brought amazement to people and suspicions to the game show crew and law enforcement officials. It was based on a novel Q&A (2005) by an Indian Author and diplomat Vikas Swarup. An International film that was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 2009 and won eight, including Best Director and Best Picture.

This is one of the most-talked about movies in town. I remember my roommate mentioned about her enthusiasm to watch this one especially because she is working in an Indian-based call center company. It has a unique type of story that depicts the contrasts between depression and hopefulness with a mix of the classic long-lost-and-fought-for-love story. The love story part is the icing of the cake. It had served as an inspiration for the slumdog to conquer the 20 million rupee win. As what the character entails, the young man from the slums never thought of money as the reason for him to join the game show, but only to reveal his whereabouts to a missing girl he truly loved.

Life in the slums may seem so oppressive and dark with all the riots, brutal murders and gangster wars. But this movie appeared to have made slums look more fun. Its apparent how the filmmakers managed to fill the screen with brilliant colorful pictures behind every torture or murder scene. It teaches us more about positive thinking. No matter how shitty life gets, just catch up and rise from the rock bottom with a smile on your face and you’ll surely win your prize, or perhaps the girl of your dreams.

 (model <right>: my friend Hazel *lol*)

The AsiaTown IT Park in Lahug is one of the most promising business industrial places in Cebu. It is surrounded by mid-rise buildings built for IT-enabled companies. The Walk was specially built to serve as a stress-releasing haven for the call center people who works here overnight. Some of its resident stalls are Mooon Cafe, Makan, East West Cafe, Casa Verde, Mercury Drug, McDonald’s, Tapa King, Shakey’s, Barbecue Joe, Figaro, Pier One Bar and more!

 (Christmas Season decors at The Walk’s lobby)

The Walk’s lobby is usually anointed with shiny and shimmering decorations during Christmas, Valentines and on all other special occassions. People come here to take pictures with family and friends. It’s such a great sight especially during nightime. I wish I could post more pictures here, but I don’t have a DSLR camera to capture its picturesqueness. *sigh*