Status:  It's Complicated

More Pictures Taken During the SM Southmall IMAX Launching

The invitation

The signage

The IMAX Theatre at SM Southmall

At the registration area

Before the press conference

The IMAX Theatre logo

SM Cinema

SM Southmall IMAX Opens July 14, 2011

IMAX! The World's Most Immersive Movie Experience!

Moviegoers in the southern part of Metro Manila are in for an ultimate movie experience as SM Cinema opened its latest IMAX Theatre at SM Southmall, Las Pinas on July 14, 2011.  The IMAX Theatre features crystal clear, larger than life three-dimensional images and state-of-the-art surround sound, allowing moviegoers to have a truly immersive cinematic experience.

On July 13, 2011, Wednesday, SM Cinema held a private event to launch the IMAX Theatre at SM Southmall, which was attended by VIPs, members of the press, brand partners, and other special guests.  The event, which was held at the new theater's lobby, started with the blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a press conference that was led by Asia Pacific IMAX Corp. executive Jessie Chou and West Ave. Theatres Corp. senior vice president Edgar Tejerero.  The two executives addressed questions asked by the media, explaining the unique features of the IMAX Theatre, its difference from other digital theaters, and the reason behind the decision of SM Cinema to establish an IMAX Theatre at SM Southmall.

Asia Pacific IMAX Corp. executive Jessie Chou and
 West Ave. Theatres Corp. senior vice president Edgar Tejerero

At the press conference

After the press conference, everyone was treated to cocktails that lasted for an hour.  Guests were then ushered back to the lobby for an audio-visual presentation about the IMAX technology and for the closing remarks delivered by Chou.  The entire program was hosted by disc jockey John Boncan.

At about 7:30 P.M., the doors of the IMAX Theatre were opened to the guests for the very first time for the special screening of the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2."  3D glasses were, of course, provided for the complete IMAX Experience.  Free snacks were also provided to all guests.

Holding a special screening of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" in conjunction with the launching of SM Southmall IMAX indeed made the entire event a very successful one.  Congratulations, SM Cinema!


Announcements & acknowledgment:

- The upcoming films to be released in SM Southmall IMAX include:

Cars 2  in August 2011

Real Steel in October 2011

Puss in Boots in November 2011

Happy Feet 2 in November 2011

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
in December 2011

-Special thanks to SM Cinema Marketing Services Manager Haidie M. Esmero for the invites.

-Special thanks to Pinoy Bloggers Nica, Trish, and Sef for their participation.

-More photos at http://valveecaptureonlineworkerscorner.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-pictures-taken-during-sm-southmall.html.

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The author is a blogger working for Valve eCapture.  She may be e-mailed at valve.ecapture@yahoo.com or valve.ecapture@gmail.com.

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Featured Blog: Certified Foodies

Hi, everyone!  Please check out the Certified Foodies site :)

http://www.certifiedfoodies.com/

Teaching Toddlers the Value of Reading

Are your toddlers fond of using your smartphones, laptops, or iPads but they do not have the same interest in opening and reading REAL books?  Read on to know that there is still time to change and improve their reading habits.
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I have a three-year-old son enrolled as a nursery pupil in one of the pre-schools situated near our house.  Just like most children, he also loves to play, watch TV, and learn new things.  One of the many things that he loves doing is mimicking my actions, his father's, and the actions of all the other adults he sees each and every single day.  In my son's case, he always sees me using the laptop at home that's why he loves using it, too.  To make sure that he is learning while using it, I decided to download an online education program specifically created for kids.  I let him use it everyday and true enough, he learned many things like the alphabet, phonics, and shapes.

However, I noticed that his enthusiasm in using the laptop to study was not the same as his enthusiasm in using real school books.  With just a little pondering, an answer to my question suddenly dawned on me:  My son never saw me read books the traditional way.  Yes, I read books and magazines everyday because it's part of my job but I use the laptop or an e-book reader to read, instead of real books and magazines.

This realization prompted me to adjust and change my reading behavior in front of my child.  Now, I make sure that he sees me read REAL books.  As soon as I open a book, he comes up to me to ask what I'm reading.  Whenever he's around, I make it a point to grab a book.  Even if it means I have to pretend, it doesn't matter as long as he thinks that I'm totally engrossed in what I'm doing.  I just want him to realize that reading books is a normal thing to do.  Ever since I started showing him my interest in such activity, I've noticed the growing interest in him, too.  Hopefully, I will be able to instill in him the true value of reading books the old way.

With the emergence of the Internet, we have started to be surrounded by modern technology, and it is quite surprising how our children and gadgets seem to have a special relationship developing between them.  I don't think there's anything wrong with it since they will also be using these technological devices as they grow old.  In fact, computers have been a part of students' lives for how many years now.  These gadgets such as laptops and mobile phones have long been considered as necessities.  However, I believe that we parents should not forget to teach them the approaches that we used to apply in the past to learn things, especially if these approaches are not yet passe or obsolete like reading real books.  Gadgets such as e-book readers may have improved our reading experience but we have to take into consideration the fact that we are teaching our tiny tots the basics of reading.  We know that our children is always watching us, so let us first expose them to the basics of life in order to better prepare them to the next level.

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The author is a blogger working for Valve eCapture.  She may be e-mailed at valve.ecapture@yahoo.com and valve.ecapture@gmail.com.

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NOTE:  Photos/images used in this article were not taken/created by the author.  All photos/images were downloaded from the Internet.
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"Transformers: Dark of the Moon": My Ultimate IMAX Experience

Ok, so I had to digress from the usual format I use in writing articles about films.  I was so excited to watch the advance screening of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" yesterday that I decided to take pictures of my travel from Las Pinas City to SM Mall of Asia with my husband.  It wasn't our first time to watch at the IMAX Theater but it was indeed our first time to watch a "Transformers" film in 3D.  So, to all you readers, sit back, relax, and may you enjoy your travel with me!





One fine day. June 28, 2011...

Along Roxas Boulevard.  Yay! The COASTal is clear!  SM MOA, See you in a few!

At the stop light along Macapagal Avenue.

That building is the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs along Macapagal Avenue.  This was taken while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

That building is...  you guessed that right! A Metrobank office!  This was taken while waiting for the second traffic light to turn green.

Finally, the SM Mall of Asia!  That is the famous huge bronze globe  resembling that of the Universal Studios Theme Parks and the Unisphere in New York.

    
Not satisfied with merely taking pictures, I took a short video of the travel going to the IMAX Theater:

Hello, IMAX!

While waiting for our turn to enter the car park.

As soon as we stepped inside the IMAX Theater lobby, we saw Optimus Prime in real flesh, er, metal, and the other robots starring in the film.  I immediately hauled my smartphone from my purse to take pictures.  I was so exhilarated, I totally forgot that I still had to meet a friend for our movie passes.

At the IMAX Theater lobby before the cocktails.

Finally!  My movie pass!

And my husband's!

My husband and I were totally famished but we chose to take pictures first before proceeding to the cocktails, which were served at the lobby at 5:00 PM.  Ironically, we forgot to take photos of the food.

My husband with Bumblebee

That's me with Bumblebee!

I bumped into Optimus Prime!

After my "pictorial" with Optimus Prime, my husband and I headed to the cinema.  At the entrance, we were given 3D glasses and were then guided by the friendly staff of SM Cinema to our seats.  Special thanks to SM Cinema Marketing Services Manager Haidie M. Esmero for reserving perfect seats for us.

Once ensconced inside the cinema, I wanted so badly to take pictures and videos of everyone wearing 3D glasses but using cameras inside the movie house is strictly prohibited.  Lest SM Cinema guards would drag me out of the theater, I decided not to violate the Anti-Camcording Law of 2010 and to just deplete the free pastries I grabbed from the lobby.

As soon as the film started, everyone inside the cinema simultaneously wore the 3D glasses.  There were several "whoa's" and "wow's" and "cool!" and hands clapping in the background during the screening -- an indication that I wasn't the only one in awe.

So, what can I say about "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"?  Great plot, great action, great cinematography.  Everything is indeed AWESOME!  I highly recommend it, and it is undeniably best watched at the IMAX Theater.

Watch the trailer:

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This photo blog is dedicated to Mrs. Glai Pace and Mrs. Michelle Renner.

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The author may be e-mailed at valve.ecapture@yahoo.com and valve.ecapture@gmail.com.

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Source Code

"Source Code" is a film about a time loop program wherein Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is tasked, without his knowledge, to be part of a mission to discover the bomber (Michael Arden) responsible for a train explosion.

Directed by Duncan Jones, the story of "Source Code" begins one sunny day when Stevens wakes up and finds himself riding in a train and sitting across a woman named Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan), who addresses him not as Stevens but as Sean Fentress.  After eight minutes, the train explodes and Stevens finds himself in a small geodesic dome.  While strapped inside the dome, he finds himself talking to U.S. Air Force captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) who explains to him the need to go back to the scene using the identity of Fentress, through the Source Code program, in order to locate the bomber and prevent the occurrence of  a second bomb explosion.  Goodwin tells him that he is to go back in time to relive the last eight minutes of his life over and over again until he is able to find the bomber.

Jones succeeded in creating a great American science fiction-techno-thriller film.  Aside from the great plot, Jones and his team also did a good job in choosing its cast members.

"Source Code" was released in April 2011 by Summit Entertainment.

Watch the trailer:

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The author is a blogger working for Valve eCapture.  You may e-mail her at valve.ecapture@gmail.com or valve.ecapture@yahoo.com.  Thank you.