Pacino and De Niro

Actually, expected more from “Righteous Kill.” Imagine, De Niro and Pacino sharing the big screen. Yes, they were together in “The Godfather” but they really didn’t have scenes together. While in “Heat” I think the biggest scene was the street shoot-out.

Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz, the story is about two NYPD investigators hunting a vigilante killer.

Was it worth the trip to Edsa Shangrila to watch the movie? And my buttered popcorn and Chief's hotdog sandwich and the 300 pesos movie tickets? Maybe not? Could have been better as it was really just like a TV movie or a two-hour episode of NYPD Blues or the coming new season two-hour premiere of "24" entitled "Redemption." That, we have to watch at home with nachos.




I told Chief that I expected a shootout between De Niro and Pacino at the end of the movie or between Detective Perez played John Leguizamo and Detective Riley played Donnie Wahlberg. But I guess, both respected Academy Award winning actors are too old for any "run and gun" action scenes.

Still, their presence on the big screen is worth a 2-hour stay at the cinema.

Photos and movie poster from Righteous Kill Pictures.

Heroes from 9/11

Last September 3, 2007, Officer Frank Macri of NYPD died of lung cancer that spread throughout his body. His family argues that the cancer is a result of hours of exposure in ground zero.

Officer Macri joins 23 other officers from NYPD and 341 FDNY firefighters whose presence during that fateful day gave their lives for their country

Thousands more men, women and children who lost their lives in 2001 when four commercial planes attacked different locations in the United States. Today, those events are called 9/11.

Chief and I were in our 1st Greenhome at Tran Nhat Duat, District 1, Ho Chi MInh City when CNN broke the news that the World Trade Center had crumbled to the ground, the Pentagon had been attacked and a third plane crashed in the fields.

We had just returned from work and couldn’t believe what was happening across the United States. We quickly thought of our cousins who were based in New York City and stayed up all night glued to CNN.

Much have been written about the men and women who died that day, specially the members of FDNY and NYPD. Documentaries and even a movie had been made in their memory. Am sure more entries in thousands of blogs on-line have paid tribute to these heroes.

Yes, the passengers American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93 are among these heroes, together with the other men and women on the ground and the buildings struck by these planes. Photo credits from U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Eric J. Tilford.

They represented over 90 nationalities across the world. Even today, people, including rescue workers suffer from lung disease brought about by extended exposure to dust from the WTC rubble.

Nadal's Presence at the Olympics

What begun in the grass courts of the French Open, extended to Center Court of Wimbledon and climaxed at the medal’s stand of the on-going Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Last Monday, August 18, 2008, Rafael Nadal of Spain won the Olympic gold to his streak of Grand Slam victories. Between the trophies of the French Open and Wimbledon, I would say that the Olympic Gold to be more prestigious, as it happens only every fours years. London would present the next challenge for today’s top ranked tennis players.
Photo of Nadal from REUTERS/Reinhard Krause (CHINA)

Nadal defeated Chilean Fernando Gonzalez in the men's singles final. He also earned the world number one ranking for the first time. He has won four consecutive French Open titles and his first Wimbledon this year, which pushed him to the top of the men’s ranking in tennis.

"It's more than my best dreams so I want to enjoy the moment. I know how difficult it is to win these things, especially here. Winning for me is unbelievable," says the 22-year old Nadal (from Yahoo News).

During the 2004 Athens Olympics Games, the Spainiard was an unknown. These days, his presence is one of the most sought-for in the Olympic Village.

Go Toni!

Here's wishing the best of luck to Antoinette 'Toni' Rivero as she fights battles Sandra Saric from Croatia. Isn't that Vlade Divac's country?

They will meet at the Science and Technology University gym in Beijing tomorrow morning. Toni would need four straight wins to bag the gold and three for the silver.

According to Yahoo news, if Rivero defeats Saric, she will meet Hwang Kyung Seon. She is South Korea's two-time world champion. Rivero lost to Hwang four years ago during the Athens Olympics.

Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) president Robert Aventajado, said Rivero has become a more mature fighter since the setback. "Toni was only 16 in Athens," said the PTA head. "Besides, she was coming off a loss in the semifinals and had to fight Hwang right away with little rest. Hwang was a lot fresher."

Filipinos will surely pray hard to make Toni's presence be felt strongly in Beijing!

Phelps Gold

Michael Phelps is today’s most popular athlete competing in the Beijing Olympics. And is probably on his way to breaking the record of Mark Spitz in the Olympic Games. Photo from http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Called the “Baltimore Bullet,” he was born in 30 June 1985, in Batimore, Maryland. Now, where was I during those years? Hmmmm, still with the Manila Bulletin.

As of this day, Phelps has won the Olympic Golds in 400 m individual medley, 4 x 100 m freestyle relay, 200 m freestyle, 200 m butterfly and 4 x 200 m freestyle relay.

Four years ago in Athens, he also won golds in the 100 m butterfly, 200 m butterfly, 200 m individual medley, 400 m individual medley, 4 x 200 m freestyle relay and 4 x 100 m medley relay, plus many other medals.

47 reasons

There are many reasons to celebrate today, but the most important reason is the life and love that I share with Cecile Gabutina-Velez, more fondly called Chief. I have shared the last 7 years of my life with Chief, from Tagaytay, where our best friends first witnessed our relationship to Saigon, where we shared our first Greenhome at Tran Nhat Duat to Hung Vung 3 at the outskirts to Ho Chi Minh City to our present Greenhome at the heart of Makati City.

47 years ago?

Yup, 47 years ago, today, the eldest child of Hector and Meya Velez was born! Can I scream Yahoo! But we didn’t have Internet during the 60s nor heard of brand called Yahoo! Now, 47 years later, I am working on that brand.

Am sure my Lolo Perico Velez was happy and Lola Fermina was smiling from the clouds. Tatang Sotero (my mom’s dad) was also surely happy.

Gosh, I need to look for baby pictures and upload here.

Soon.