Hello Ghost: A "You'll-Laugh-Then-Cry" Movie (Spoiler Alert!!!)

I can only count with my fingers the movies with ending that really surprised me. One of these movies is HELLO GHOST.

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A South Korean film released in 2010, Hello Ghost is not your typical spooky movie. It is actually a romantic comedy starring Cha Tae-hyun who is also known for his acting prowess in My Sassy Girl.

Photo source: www.dramafans.org

The movie opens with futile attempts of Sang-man (Cha Tae-hyun) to end his life. He tries overdosing on pills and jumping off a bridge but is saved in both instances. He is eventually brought to the hospital and there, he suddenly discovers that he can see ghosts, four of them to be exact - a fat smoker, a crying lady, a hyperactive kid and a pervert old man. Upon his discharge from the hospital, the ghosts follow him back home.

Unable to extract anwer from the ghosts why they would not leave him, Sang-man visits a shaman and is advised that the only way to get rid of the spirits is to help them fulfill their unfinished businesses.

In the course of helping each ghost, Sang-man gets into trouble but he carries on as he badly wants to get rid of them and have his normal lfe back. But the silver lining of it all is that the ghosts inevitably open opportunities for him to get closer with nurse Jung Yun-soo (Kang Ye-won) whom he met back at the hospital and fell in love with.

A subpart of the movie is about Yun-soo and her father who is also a patient in the same hospital where she works. It becomes apparent as the movie progresses that she despises her father for a certain reason. Yun-soo's father eventually dies and he lets himself be seen by Sang-man (so that makes him the 5th ghost that Sang-man encounters in the movie). He asks Sang-man to deliver a message to his daughter and inform her about the gift that he has hidden in one of the hospital's nooks.

Sang-man relays the message to Yun-soo but she reacts negatively towards him. At one point though, Yun-soo discovers her father's gift and then realizes that Sang-man is not merely playing with her emotions.

On the other hand, Sang-man harbors a feeling of rejection and he blames the ghosts for it. He demands them to go away since he is already done helping them fulfill their desires. This time, the ghosts relent and finally disappear. 

With his life now back to normal, Sang-man goes to the hospital and asks Yun-soo to  eat lunch with him. She accepts the invitation.  Over lunch of gimbap, they discuss about a patient who recently died and how he lost his memory due to extreme trauma. Out of the blue, Yun-soo asks Sang-man something about the way he prepared the food  and he remembers his mother who taught him just that.

Suddenly, Sang-man stops eating and this is where the movie transforms into a real tearjerker. Sang-man experiences an intense memory surge and then he reminisces everything that has happened leading to the accident which claimed the lives of his family members. The movie then reveals that he is the sole survivor of a car crash.

The fat smoker is actually his father. The crying lady is his mother. The hyperactive kid is his "hyung", or older brother and the pervert old man is his grandfather. 

Sang-man goes back to his apartment and demands for the ghosts to return. The ghosts reappear and what is then seen onscreen is a moving and  heart tugging reunion of Sang-man with his family. It is made clear in such scene that his family has never left him. They are always present, though unseen, to guide Sang-man in each stage of his life. Alarmed with Sang-man's suicide attempts, it is disclosed in the end that the ones who actually made the move to stop him from meeting death are these ghosts, a.k.a his family.

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Call me crazy but I have seen this movie quite a number of times already and I still feel my heart constrict every time. 

I recommend this movie to everyone especially to those in search for a surprising movie (well not surprising anymore because of this spoiler LOL, but you'll love it still :D) and more importantly, full of life lessons. 

I guarantee that HELLO GHOST will leave viewers appreciative of their families and of love, more than ever.

Boracay + Howie D. of Backstreet Boys = Fantastic Workcation

Just a few minutes ago, I was browsing through my old files and I caught sight of this particular folder with photos of an unforgettable "workcation" (work plus inevitable vacation) which happened during the last week of September 2008. The experience was so fantastic that I now find myself taking a walk down memory lane.:D

September 23, 2008 (or wait, was it 24? anyway...), my feet first stepped on the dazzling white sands of Boracay. 

Boracay is one of the small islands in the Philippines which overflow with unspeakable charm and beauty, making it one of the country's popular destinations. Its White Beach, with clear blue skies that seem to reflect in the waters, is among the things that entice a lot of people, locals and tourists alike, to visit it all year round. The ambiance can either be serene or boisterously fun, depending on one's exact location in the island at the moment.:)

The White Beach is divided into 3 stations:

Station 1 is considered as the "high-end" part of the stretch and it is said that sand is at its finest in here.  The hotels too are the posh ones in this area. 

Station 2 is the center for parties with its bars and restaurants. People flock here especially at night to eat, drinks, and well, be merry lol. 

Station 3 has budget accommodations which obviously are less expensive than the ones in Station 1.

My 2 and a half day trip to such paradise was made possible by my former company (<--- click the link and like the page). I would like to emphasize that the primary reason for sending me there was work and not pleasure, oh yeah!:D. I was part of the trio (Hello Dianne and Duds!) who had to accompany special foreign guests and make sure everything's alright during their stay in the island. 

Because of our dear guests, we had to be housed in no less than the luxurious (and quite new then) Discovery Shores located in Station 1. That alone was enough to make my first time in Boracay a fantastic one:

MY 4-YEAR OLD PHOTO MEMORIES:

Picturesque facade of Discovery Shores

 Some of the welcome goodies: Waterproof Bag, Souvenir Bracelet and Foot Spa. 
We were also given sunblock, body mist, beach bag, among others.

Our suite.:) 
The bed was so large that the 3 of us were able to fit in comfortably. 
There's Duds at the back, in yellow. That's me 4 years ago in pink 
and Dianne on the phone.:)

                            And this is the wonderful view we're talking about! 

                            I'm not referring to my bare back ok??? LOL!!!!:)        

More of the breathtaking scenery. Never mind Mr.Sun who had us squinting.:)

The relaxing pool and jacuzzi in Discovery Shores --- 
a perfect alternative to those who don't want to bask in the sun just yet.:) 
And yeah, during our stay, we were served with a snack of 
sweetened banana while in the pool.

 My tastebuds were just as happy as I was during that "workcation" because of these and more!

Welcome treat from Discovery Shores Boracay.

On the second day, a staff brought to our suite 
this too-beautiful-to-be-eaten leche flan.
We ate it anyway haha.

Our drinks during the day from our hotel. 

And our munchies at night bought at a food station in Station 2.

And the best part of the whole experience?

(UP MUSIC: Quit playing games with my heart, with my heart, with my heart. I should have known from the start...lalala baby...)

HOWIE D. of BACKSTREET BOYS!:) With his wife LEIGH.:) Yeah! He came to the Philippines to promote the single "I'll Be There", a duet with Pop Princess (or better yet, Queen) Sarah Geronimo from her album "Just Me". Part of his itinerary was to see what has once been acclaimed as "Best Island in the World" by a travel magazine. 

Once upon a time, before the K-POP era, I was one of the zillion fans adoring Backstreet Boys from afar. Little did I know that 12 years after, I would be face to face and actually speaking with one of "the boys". I would have died if it had been Nick Carter though haha. Prior to the meeting, I really thought that I had already outgrown the BSB fanaticism. Apparently, I was mistaken.:)

Fangirls LOL!

But then, as always, a wonderful adventure (especially if it's a "workcation" to begin with) is not without stress and crucial decisions to make from beginning to end. But what I would rather remember now are...the nice things.:D 

And that wraps up my reminiscence for today teeeheee.:D

Grave of the Fireflies: A Retro Post

Since it's a long weekend for us here in the Philippines, (thanks to All Saints Day and All Souls Day strategically falling on a Thursday and a Friday, respectively), here's a movie recommendation from me. 

If anybody wants to watch a seriously overwhelming film with a story that's sure to bring about heart constriction to any viewer, well then this is definitely the one. This is an old film, by the way, so I guess the only access to this would be youtube or other video supporting websites.:) 

I was really affected after I watched the movie way back 2009 that I could NOT not write even just a simple review and post it on my previous blog. There are actually 2 versions, one done in live action and the other, animated. I have not watched the animated version so this review is that of the former.

Correction: There are 3 versions of this movie so it can get quite confusing looking for links. The initial release was in 1988 and that was done in full animation. Two live action versions were made after, first in 2005 (the one I've watched) and another in 2008. Thanks to a friend, Mr. Valdes, for pointing this out.:)

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Have you watched Grave of the Fireflies? How has it affected you?