How to Get Away with Murder (ABC): Episode 10

10. Hello Raskolnikov

The police interrogation regarding Sam’s “disappearance” commences, and Annalise lies about the circumstances. In a flashback, she tells Wes that her husband deserved to die, and then instructs him on how to get rid of the body. He becomes her accomplice, the only one who knows that she knows. Annalise pins Stangard’s murder on Sam and drives everyone to prove a motive, which they all willingly do because it’s their only way out. The DNA results are out, implicating Sam. Annalise’s relieved reaction confuses Frank, who asks her for an explanation. She tells him the truth, and he later confronts Laurel about it, but she plays dumb. Connor persuades Michaela and Laurel to turn themselves in, but they find Annalise and Wes waiting for them in front of the police station. Now that they all know that she knows, she assures them that she will protect them. The charges against Rebecca and Griffin are dropped. Hannah Keating (Marcia Gay Harden), Sam’s sister, arrives in town, and tells the police that her brother is not a murderer.

Hindsight: Episode 4

4. A Very Important Date

Lolly and Becca do a mock interview, before the former makes out with Jamie again, who is getting tired of their secret relationship. Becca eventually finds out, but decides she is cool with it. Lolly begs her to say what really happened in the future, and she admits that when the two break up, Jaime will commit suicide and almost won’t make it. Becca gets several job offers despite the bad economy thanks to her advanced tech skills gained through “17 years of experience”. With Melanie being Simon’s new bitch, Becca gets the chance to flirt with Andy at the Halloween Party. Her night is ruined when Sean arrives and is revealed to be Paige’s (Drew Sidora) new fling. And then Todd, her one-night stand also drops by, making things awkward. Lolly and Jamie go as Beavis and Butthead, but don’t get along well because he got high and paid more attention to his friends. Melanie arrives just in time to see Becca and Andy, and creates a scene ending with Sean punching him in the face. Becca turns down all her job offers and takes her chances with a basement startup company.

[BALI] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: January 22, 2015

Air Asia (Kota Kinabalu - Bali - Kota Kinabalu) - 108.00
MYR108.00

Taxi (Airport - Kuta) - 25,000.00

CX Hostel Bali (Capsule Bed/1 Night) - 128,000.00

IDR153,000.00

[BALI] The Half Naked Men Were Chanting

By half-naked, I mean middle-aged men with a red flower on the left ear. I just wanted to make that clear, lest your imagination paints you a different scenario, like that of a portion of Orchard Road when Abercrombie is on sale. No, it was nothing like that. The chanting went something like "Kecak, kecak, cak, cak, cak, cak." I thought they were just prepping for a traditional Balinese version of Let It Go, but they never veered away from the "Kecak, cak, cak" lyrics that they were reciting with conviction.

[BALI] Monkey, Monkey, Tanah Lot

For a while there, I really, really felt very bad for our airport. To say that Ngurah Rai amazed me would be an understatement. Did I mention that I find the special counters for ASEAN nationals very amusing? It makes me feel special, somehow. The airport was also replete with Caucasians on a holiday, and since this is Bali, every white person you encounter would be Aussie unless proven otherwise. With my carry on in tow, I headed towards the exit, right after getting a green brochure for Fabulous Bali Tours.

[BALI] CX Hostel Bali Kuta

I guess I should no longer be surprised by the wealth of options when it comes to accommodations in Bali. After all, this is a very popular playground for Australians and many other tourists from around the world. CX Hostel Bali has three branches, and the one nearest to the airport was where I stayed longer. For my one night transit, though, I stayed in their Legian branch. All I can say is that the capsule beds look the same regardless which branch you end up in. What I appreciate most of all is the sort of pseudo-privacy you get thanks to the blinds.

[DILI] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: January 23, 2015

Sriwijaya Air (Bali - Dili) - 1,390,000.00
IDR1,390.000.00

Coke (Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport) - 0.50

Taxi (Airport - East Timor Backpackers Hostel) - 10.00
East Timor Backpackers Hostel (Bunk Bed/3 Nights) - 36.00
Taxi (East Timor Backpackers Hostel - Cristo Rei) - 5.00
Mineral Water/Snacks (Cristo Rei) - 0.50
Taxi (Cristo Rei - Timor Plaza) - 10.00
Burger King (1 pc Chicken w/Rice & Pepsi) - 4.95
Burger King (BBQ Bacon Burger w/Fries & Pepsi) - 5.50
Mikrolet (Timor Plaza - East Timor Backpackers Hostel) - 0.25

USD72.70

[DILI] East Timor Backpackers Hostel

There seems to be no other option when it comes to cheap accommodation here in Dili. Booking with East Timor Backpackers was easy because they were quick to respond to my queries online. As for payment, you do it upon arrival. Do not expect much because the rooms are quite cheap, although you would be getting way better ones for the same price in other parts of Southeast Asia. A dorm bed costs USD12, while a single room is USD20. As usual, I forgot to take pictures of the room and the toilet, which means we would now be relying on your powers of imagination.

[DILI] Around the City

Walking around East Timor is an option if you do not have a fixed itinerary in mind. You can do this on the first day or on the last day, or whenever you are free. Dili is not really that big, and you could see most of the notable landmarks in just a few hours. However, make sure that you have the necessary protection. The weather in Dili is hellish and the sun could be quite merciless. Apply enough sunscreen in the morning. Apply enough mosquito repellant in the evening. You are all set!

[DILI] The Atauro Day Trip

I only had two things in mind coming to Dili: meet Jesus; and go to Atauro. Coming from an archipelago of more than 7000 islands, I am pretty hard to impress. The thing is, there is nothing much to see in Dili and since you are already there, might as well see what the island has to offer. Atauro is still part of Dili, and you do not have a lot of transportation options for that trip.

[DILI] Jesus on the Cliff

Occupying the eastern side of the island of Timor, Timor-Leste was once a province of Indonesia when the latter invaded the former after the European decolonization of Southeast Asia. The Indonesians did not leave until 2002, when East Timor finally declared itself a free nation once again. As the youngest nation in the region, the country is not yet fully opened to tourism and lacks good infrastructure. Suffice it to say that it wouldn’t be on your travel map unless you love collecting immigration stamps.

Hindsight: Episode 3

3. I Never...

Becca’s purple Doc Martens prediction comes true, convincing Lolly a bit further about her I’m-from-the-future alibi. Lolly asks her how Andy’s kiss was like, and she cites the kiss in The Notebook, which wouldn’t come out until a decade later. Her future knowledge still keeps a wedge between Lolly and Jamie, though. Jaime bonds with Lolly’s boss over pot and film. Andy apologizes about the kiss, saying he doesn’t want to throw away the eight months he and Melanie (Jessy Hodges) have had together so far. Lolly suggests that maybe a one-night stand is what Becca needs to celebrate the new her, and so they head to the bar, but she just can’t find a good match. She and Lolly end up fighting because she refuses to tell her exactly what ended their friendship in the future. Both of them end up getting laid, and meet the morning after at the same bar. Lolly says that she’s fine not knowing why they are no longer friends in the future, but asks her to promise that she won’t let it happen in that timeline.

Taken 3

♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Lenore (Famke Janssen) is murdered in Bryan Mills’ (Liam Neeson) flat and he automatically gets the blame for the death of his ex-wife. As usual, he must seek justice, which he could obviously not do if he is behind bars. Thanks to his decades of experience and mad skills, he escapes successfully, contacts his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) to tell her about the bad news, and promises not to let Lenore’s death be in vain. Clues about the frame-up point to a Russian ex-spy who has been having business deals with the ex-wife’s new husband. Dodging authorities this time around has proven to be a rather difficult thing to do because of Franck Dotzler’s (Forest Whitaker) involvement in the case. Amazed by Mills’ history, the inspector seems to be just as intrigued as he is effectively knowledgeable of the fugitive’s game plan, but still arriving one step behind him every time.

Hindsight: Episode 2

2. Square One

Sean follows Becca to the bar and a confrontation ensues. Lolly tries to find movies about time travel at the VHS rental where she works, and they end up with Back to the Future. Becca now has a trauma when it comes to sleeping and using elevators, fearing that she might suddenly wake up back in 2015. She dares her boss to make her a VP, but it doesn’t work. She quits. Her parents chastise her for costing them a lot of money for canceling the wedding. Lolly makes out with Becca’s brother Jamie (John Patrick Amedori) again in spite of Becca’s warning about her breaking his heart. Becca sends back all her wedding gifts, but brings back future-second-husband Andy’s (Nick Clifford) herself, then kisses him before she leaves. Lolly goes over to Sean’s place to pick up Becca’s stuff and finds a devastated ex-groom. Becca meets the guy from 2015 who uttered the Buddhist proverb before she time traveled, but he seems to have no idea what’s happening. Sean pursues Becca one more time, asking for a second shot.

Edsa Woolworth

♣♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Edsa Woolworth (Pokwang) works primarily as a masseuse and has no time for other endeavors because she is also taking care of her stepfather Frank (Steven Spohn), which is why she is torn when a potential love affair with Chad (Lee O’Brian) starts to blossom. Her gay brother Boni (Ricci Chan) just got out of a five-year relationship, and he thinks it would be a good idea to put their stepdad in a nursing home where he would be given the professional care he needs. Their adopted younger brother Paco (Prince Saruhan), on the other hand, is busy stalking his biological father. Needless to say, the old man is becoming more and more of a burden to all three as each day passes. This is where cultures begin to clash. Would it be okay for a Filipino family, regarded for its strong and intimate ties, to succumb to a common practice in the west that is considered to be the norm?

Tragic Theater

♣♣♣/♣♣♣♣♣

Tragedy struck in 1981 when the Manila Film Center, which was then in its final stages of construction, collapsed and buried more than 100 workers in quick dry cement. Rumor has it that the Marcos Administration intentionally delayed rescue operations due to various reasons. Since then, the building has been the subject of many urban legends claiming that it is haunted by the restless souls of the men who died there. Tragic Theater gives its fictional take on the real event following the story of Annie (Andi Eignemann), an employee of the Department of Tourism tasked to make sure that the building is spiritually sound before they attempt to rehabilitate it. She asks for the help of a Parish Priest (John Estrada), who in turn seeks the assistance of a Bishop (Christopher de Leon) to exorcise the place. What they do not know is that there is a more sinister entity waiting inside to ambush them.

Hindsight: Episode 1

1. Pilot

Nearing her 40’s and getting married the second time around, Becca (Laura Ramsey) can’t help but feel that she might be committing yet another mistake. On her way back to her apartment after the rehearsal dinner, the elevator breaks down and she loses consciousness. She wakes up the next day in 1995, October 8 to be exact, the day of her wedding to her first husband Sean (Craig Horner). Seeing VHS tapes, a Discman, and a pager, she starts to think of everything as a dream. When it becomes clear that it isn’t, she goes out to find the only person she knows would believe her: Lolly (Sarah Goldberg), her BFF with whom she hasn’t spoken in the last 10 years, in the future where she came from at least. She doesn’t believe her at first, but eventually does so hearing some secrets she wouldn’t have known otherwise. She is now confronted with a huge dilemma. Should she change the past and correct all of her mistakes? As she faces her soon to be ex-husband at the altar, she takes her best friend’s hand and they run.