Analyze

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T01:47:00.001+08:00

A Merry Christmas to all! May the Good Lord continue to shower His blessings upon us.

Film Review: 17 Again and X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2009-05-08T22:11:00.012+08:00

17 Again (2009), Offspring Entertainment
D: Burr Steers
S: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Thomas Lennon, Leslie Mann

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), 20th Century Fox
D: Gavin Hood
S: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston

Zac Efron’s latest film, 17 Again, apart from triggering recalls of images of the actor as a high school basketball star in a recent trilogy of teen musicals, has a very familiar plot. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is also familiar as it follows the fairly recent X-Men trilogy that also featured Hugh Jackman as the mutant Wolverine.

The question posed, therefore, is whether or not either of the films provides anything new. Mike, the protagonist of 17 Again, is played by Zac Efron as a teenager. As a grown-up, he is played by Matthew Perry. The casting of the film was actually a concern of mine (and of a friend too I think) given that I initially did not see much resemblance between Efron and Perry. Much surprisingly, however, I was later able to notice similarities in diction and mannerisms between the two. This can possibly be a credit to Efron’s acting ability.

The premise of 17 Again, for one, closely resembles that of the 1988 film Big, although in reverse. Big showed how youth can triumph over the materialism, competitiveness and selfishness of the grown-up corporate world. 17 Again reverses this as it demonstrates how the experience and hard-earned wisdom of age can solve serious teenage issues. In 17 Again, because of some strange occurrence, Mike somehow grows younger practically in an instant. Perry thus becomes Efron, and, as with Big, Mike’s best friend doesn’t recognize him at first. Mike then goes back to high school as Mark. In one favorable scene in the film, Efron as Mark bravely expresses his stand for abstinence—a position I very rarely see in media today. His character fights for this with such emotional intensity, primarily for the sake of his daughter (Michelle Trachtenberg), that the entire classroom is moved and inspired to follow Mark’s example. Unfortunately, other points in the film sort of negate this. As John Mulderig wrote in his review, the film has important messages but has elements in it that limit who can watch the film.

17 Again, by extension, can also fall under the category of such films as Freaky Friday (1976 and 2003) and Vice Versa (also 1988), although this related set of films involves a switching between a parent and a child. Interestingly, according to IMDb trivia on Vice Versa, 1987-1989 saw the emergence of five films with similar premises, one of them actually titled 18 Again!.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, meanwhile, also comes from a long, if not longer, line of comic book hero movies. Two recent and very successful films, in particular, make the situation challenging for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

“This film [‘The Dark Knight’], and to a lesser degree 'Iron Man,' redefine the possibilities of the 'comic-book movie',” writes Roger Ebert in a review.

I personally liked Iron Man (2008) very much, and although I haven’t seen The Dark Knight (2008), a lot of the feedback on it that I received were positive. One could then say that X-Men Origins: Wolverine had a lot to live up to. Now, the character of Wolverine, as my father says, is in itself interesting because of the tension between his animal instincts and his human morality. It would be unfair to say that, after The Dark Knight and Iron Man, every comic book film must then entirely shun and abandon the classic format of the genre, but considering Ebert’s statement, which I must say I agree to, I found X-Men Origins: Wolverine lacking in that its plot didn’t seem to be as solid and as structured. Furthermore, like 17 Again, there are parts of X-Men Origins: Wolverine that I wouldn’t want younger kids to watch.

Mulderig uses the words “unremarkable” and “formulaic” to describe 17 Again, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was not as interesting as Iron Man was for me. So what therefore is the answer to the question posed? Do they indeed provide anything new? Maybe a little, but more would have been much better.

Mirrors

2009-02-17T19:21:00.003+08:00

Patty Lazatin's nagging days are finally over. Patty, aka woodycakes, is a proud LJ user, and her blog (ahem)...I mean, LJ has been a source of comfort, entertainment and companionship for many like me. Her love for LiveJournal, however, is directly proportional to her hatred for Blogger, which is unfortunate because I've a been a happy, proud and content Blogger user since 2004.

She's attempted many times in the past to convert me, in vain of course. That is why it may come as a surprise to her that I have finally decided to get an LJ. She's not the only friend I have who has wooed me to move to LJ unsuccessfully, but her cries have been the most fervent.

So what was it that finally convinced me?

A little bit of compromise.

I hope that she is willing to meet me in the middle here as I have decided to mirror this blog in LiveJournal. Thus, I shall be maintaining both sites as identical blogs to appease both LJ fanatics and Bloggers who might feel betrayed.

Transfering my Blogspot posts over to LiveJournal was made possible through Paul Cooley's Blog2Blog application. I would like to acknowledge him here because it made the transfer very easy.

So here's to blogging!

CASTING CALL!!!

2009-01-24T16:21:00.006+08:00

AUDITIONS for Student Thesis Short Film

We are casting actors for the following roles:

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Tom- troubled, aimless youth in late teens or early 20’s

Harriet- hardworking nurse and family breadwinner in her 30’s

Dr. Ricardo- small-town orthopedist in his 40’s with a moral dilemma

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Tom’s mother- upper-class type in her 50’s

Harriet’s Husband- househusband in his 30’s

Remy- powerful local businessman in his 50’s

MINOR CHARACTERS:

Aling Lena- landlady

Atty. Attico- prosecutor

Jun- Harriet’s 7 year-old son

Nurse 1

EXTRAS:

Nurse 2

Waiter

Taxi Driver

VOICE TALENTS:

3 Boxing Commentators

Radio Announcer

WHEN:

January 31, 2009, Saturday;

10am to 3pm

WHERE:

Room A107-A (beside Film department),

College of Mass Communication,

UP Diliman

THIS IS FOR A short student thesis film TO BE SHOT mid-February 2009.

If interested, please contact ANNA (0917 4782598) or PATTY (0917 6095141).

Walk-ins are very much welcome.

This is open to pros and non-pros.

Nizzle n Pizzle Episode 105

2008-08-09T18:33:00.000+08:00

Lucky Number 8
by Ana and Patty

Nizzle and Pizzle are wondering why they aren't wearing red on such an auspicious day as 08.08.08. They talk about the many superstitious beliefs that their elders or they themselves subscribe to and just how inane some of the old sayings really are. Also listen up for the latest installment of "Ask Anna" wherein guest sage, Double Nizzle enlightens Nizzle and Pizzle about a thing or two -- sans a Magic 8 Ball. Listen to them go not so super serious about superstition.

Nizzle n Pizzle Episode 104

2008-08-02T23:11:00.002+08:00

Wannabe Vegetarians Eat Some Meat
by Ana and Patty

Nizzle and Pizzle hang out in the kitchen while waiting to eat chicken and fries. They discuss just how undiscriminating they are when it comes to food. Though Ana can cook, Patty can't light a match to save her life. And watch out for the special guest who drops by! Listen to them rave over the mouthwatering food they see on Asian Food Channel and Discovery Channel Travel and Living -- cause if you can't do, you watch it on TV.

Nizzle n Pizzle Episode 103

2008-07-25T23:42:00.004+08:00

Boy Local
by Ana and Patty

Nizzle and Pizzle gab about the different boys they've crushed on. No, they're not that shameless to discuss real boys. Instead they divulge how obsessed they were over boys from the Bagets to Smokey Manaloto. And for ther record, JC De Vera (also known as John Carlo De Vera is OLDER than both Nizzle and Pizzle by a year as he is born in 1986). Listen to them ramble about all the men they've not so shamelessy crushed on over the years on Nizzle and Pizzle at Posterous!.

Nizzle n Pizzle Episode 102

2008-07-20T14:01:00.002+08:00

Could've Been, Wannabe, Gonna Be
by Ana and Patty

Nizzle and Pizzle reminisce on what the kid version of themselves wanted to be when they were kids (think engineers and beauty queens!); to what their present selfs are doing now (taking film and broadcast communication too seriously); and what their future selfs could be one day (nowhere near what they're studying). Listen to them ramble about all the what ifs and might bes if Ana and Patty took different paths in life on Nizzle and Pizzle at Posterous!

Nizzle n Pizzle Episode 101

2008-07-12T22:47:00.005+08:00

by Ana and Patty

On their maiden voyage, Nizzle and Pizzle (aka Ana and Patty) talk about cheap icecream, microwavable food from Ministop, and just how much Ana loves Abba and musicals. They also try to solve a conspiracy they've been bothered with for days! Listen to them babble and buzz about very very random things on Nizzle and Pizzle at Posterous!

Acknowledgements

2008-07-10T19:18:00.003+08:00

Thanks to The Blogger Guide for helping in modifying this template and to Gabriel Lau for the random image header script.

AJDE ANCI!

2008-06-09T15:43:00.005+08:00

Alongside the champion and the runner-up was Justine Henin, whose surprise retirement came only a few weeks before this Grand Slam, her beloved Roland Garros, was to begin. She was, however, back at the awarding ceremonies for the 2008 French Open Women's Singles final, but it was no longer she who was carrying in victory the trophy that she had brandished many times before.

It was now Ana Ivanovic.

A year ago, Henin and Ivanovic were also on the pedestal after the French Open final, but it was a different story back then. Henin was la numero une mondiale and had won that tournament for the fourth time. This time around, it was Ivanovic who was French Open champion and was to be announced as the new World No. 1 (regardless of whether she had beaten Dinara Safina or not).

The first time I mentioned Ana in this blog was almost a year ago, and she was World No. 6 then and had just reached her first Grand Slam final. She did so again at the Australian Open early this year (though lost to Maria Sharapova), and now she's made her dreams come true, and we fans are super happy for and proud of her.

Over at the men's side, Rafael Nadal has vanquished Roger Federer once again in this turf. It's always epic when these two men play for the trophy, especially at Roland Garros. It's like Obi-Wan Kenobi battling Anakin Skywalker or Professor Dumbledore facing Voldemort. I'm not saying that someone between Rafa and R-Fed belongs to the dark side, but they're just the best of the best right now, and a match between them is almost always exhilarating. You can never really tell for sure who'll win it.

Photo courtesy of French Lover from the anaivanovic.com forum

Film Review: Iron Man and Speed Racer

2008-05-19T23:46:00.005+08:00

Iron Man (2008), Paramount

D: Jon Favreau

S: Robert Downey Jr., Terence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges

Speed Racer (2008), Warner Bros.

D: Andy and Larry Wachowski

S: Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Fox

It’s that time of the year once again, and the summer blockbusters have already hit the
cinemas. There are a number of films I want to watch this season, a circumstance that is the direct opposite of walking into a multiplex and realizing that there isn’t any movie I want to see.

Two of such blockbusters are Iron Man and Speed Racer. The former, a screen adaptation of a Marvel comic book series which my father thinks was most popular during his childhood and thusly, quite unknown to me and my sisters. The latter, also a screen adaptation, is a tribute to the well-loved Japanese animated series that was dubbed in English, therefore gaining a following in the United States and even here in the Philippines, at least for me and my sisters, via Cartoon Network at the turn of the century.

The Iron Man movie revolves around the change of heart of billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark, played excellently by Robert Downey Jr. This change occurs due to an unfortunate experience that fortunately transforms the formerly alcoholic swinging bachelor into someone with a noble purpose in life. He is abducted by Afghan militants and is imprisoned in a cave with a fellow prisoner, Dr. Yinsen (Shaun Toub), who saves his life by installing some crude electronic device into his chest.

Speed Racer, on the other hand, centers on how the young hero, yes, Mr. Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), fights for his principles in a racing industry that has just, in his eyes, changed and turned upside down. The movie chronicles the story of Speed and his family, including the tragic tale of his older brother and idol, Rex (Scott Porter).

Both films have Asian elements, with Speed Racer obviously having its Asian roots evident in the film. Korean pop star Rain plays the racer Taejo, whose father is involved in some fishy race-fixing scheme tied to a company stocks scheme. A funny segment of the film shows Spritle (Paulie Litt) and the chimpanzee Chim Chim (Kenzie and Willy) watching and imagining themselves in an Asian cartoon.

Asians are also represented in Iron Man through, unfortunately, the abductors who torture and hold Stark captive. Interestingly, most of the Asians in both Iron Man and Speed Racer are illustrated as belonging to the dark side, which should be uncomfortable to me as an Asian, until I realize that the “evil” Asians in both films are only “evil” by their association with the Caucasian villains of the films (Jeff Bridges as Obadiah and Roger Allam as Royalton). Thus, while some of the bad guys are indeed Asians, the roots of the evil in both films remain white.

Glenn Kenny wrote in Premiere that Speed Racer contains an “anti-capitalist” theme. This theme plays in how the Racers’ family-run racing team wins over the schemes of big time companies. In one scene, Allam woos Speed and his family, proposing to have them sponsored by Royalton by pretending that, in spite of being such a huge company, Royalton remains “independent” at heart.

Similarly, the Obadiah character in Iron Man may also serve as the anti-capitalist force by having him portrayed as an über-capitalistic man. While Stark is more hands-on in that he actually works and experiments to develop new technology for his company, Obadiah is focused more on the business side of running the company, working towards keeping it as successful and lucrative as it can be, even at the expense of any moral and patriotic considerations they may have.

Downey is surrounded by a good cast. Aside from Bridges, there is Terence Howard as Rhodey, Stark’s buddy in the military and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper, Stark’s unfailing, indispensable assistant. At first glance, I thought the film had its casting all wrong. I didn’t think Downey fit into the Tobey Maguire-Brandon Routh category, although Stark is, after all, a different kind of superhero. Still, I was more accustomed to seeing Howard in a more dramatic role, I was surprised to see Paltrow in a supporting role and Bridges isn’t exactly the first person I think of when I say super villain. Then, I watched the movie and realized that, once you cast excellent actors, miscasting isn’t going to be much of a problem. The actors knew the respective characters really well and executed their roles comfortably.

As for Speed Racer, the physical resemblance of the characters to the cartoon originals is amazing. Who would’ve thought that Hirsch would look so much like Speed? For someone who used to watch the cartoons, this makes the show additionally enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed Iron Man for several reasons, but the thing that I most liked about it was the kind of chemistry that went to on between Stark and Pepper. In an interview with Superhero Hype!, Paltrow explained that Jon Favreau, the film’s director who ”Hitchcocks” himself by appearing as Stark’s chauffeur Hogan, wanted the relationship between Tony and Pepper to be like the ones in ‘40s “screwball comedies.” The interaction between these two characters was reminiscent of Cary Grant or actually, even Bond and Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny. They certainly achieved their aim, and I appreciated it because it was a very sweet and charming way of creating the relationship—sadly a rarity nowadays.

Iron Man isn’t escapist in that it touches on the current conflicts in the Middle East and even condemnations of the evils of war. Stark’s moral development and growth is also a merit of the film. These high points have reflected well in the box office as Iron Man did incredibly well. This I attribute to my theory that, if Iron Man really is most popular among the baby boomers, then it definitely is going to make a lot of money since it is the baby boomers who hold most of the money. Even if we Gen-Yers would want to watch it, we would likely get our money from our baby boomer parents who will decide if we get to watch it or not.

Speed Racer, for me, is a mainly a treat for fans of the original series, mostly from Gen-X if I am not mistaken. I have heard several negative reviews of the film, and it’s sad yet quite understandable. Speed Racer may be suffering from the same thing that Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow suffered. These two films, I actually enjoyed, but both were not received well. The thing is, I think both films are, first and foremost, tributes. Sky Captain is a tribute to the science fiction of old. What Star Wars fan would not appreciate Jude Law and (again) Paltrow swooping into a docking station à la Han Solo and Princess Leia in Cloud City about to meet Lando Calrissian? Likewise, what Speed Racer fan would not appreciate Speed Racer jumping, practically flying out of the Mach 5 after winning a race and whipping his arm across into the air à la the classic pose of Speed in the cartoons? People from outside the fan circle will not appreciate these details, but the fans most probably will.

For those who also caught the “Mock 5” episode of Dexter’s Laboratory, which parodied the animation style of the original series, the Speed Racer film becomes more fun because there are sequences where the characters say so many things really fast. When Hirsch did the Speed Racer pose after one race, I squealed with delight like I did when I saw the opening credits of Superman Returns and heard “Can You Read My Mind?” in the score. Aside from the fan treats, the theme of a good man battling it out in a corrupt society and coming out triumphant is also high point of the film.

My reservations on these two films would mostly be on the “not-for-kids” parts which, apart from the fact that I personally do not like them, seem misplaced in films that are billed as family films. As a Marvel movie, Iron Man will attract kids. With the atmosphere that the visual effects designer John Gaeta described to the New York Times as “poptimistic” and the fact that it is based on a cartoon series, Speed Racer will also attract kids. Both films have mature elements (Speed Racer was rated PG-13 by the MTRCB), and I find those as low points and blemishes to otherwise pleasant and fun summer flicks.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T15:10:00.000+08:00

I apologize for not having posted since July.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

God bless!

Wimbledon 2007

2007-07-07T12:50:00.000+08:00

And that was Ana Ivanovic's journey through Wimbledon 2007. Because Destiny cable doesn't have Star Sports, I haven't been able to watch any of Ana's Wimbledon games. Tonight's game, however, was crucial for many reasons, so I had to watch it somehow. I settled for Radio Wimbledon and Wimbledon.org's live score updates and PointTracker system. The latter one is, I think, a new technological innovation. You can view computer animated paths of each ball hit in a particular match in real time, if I'm not mistaken. That worked for a while, but then it wasn't available all the time (maybe it's my internet connection or something), so Radio Wimbledon sufficed. I felt like I was in the 1930's. It was fun actually. The commentators were funny, and I could hear audience members screaming support for Ana.

I was hoping this match would turn out like her match against Nicole Vaidisova yesterday wherein she lost the first set but won the last two. It was thrilling for me because I haven't really followed a tennis player like this before. It was funny because after Ana won an exciting but nerve-racking (for her fans in particular) set when Venus was on the verge of winning, I had to put the headphones down and drink water.

So it's Venus Williams versus either Justine Henin or Marion Bartoli. The Henin-Bartoli game is on right now, and Justine won the first set, although it's 2-1 in favor of Bartoli in the second. Now, I shall start reading again because it's not like I don't have chapters waiting to be read. :)

photo courtesy of Quack from the anaivanovic.com forum

Shot

2007-06-16T21:59:00.000+08:00

I was just talking about SingShot and kSolo with Patty and Anna this morning and realized that I haven't blogged about it yet. You see, one day, I wanted to sing some karaoke. Not in public of course. Just me and my imaginary audience. I have bouts of that, you know. I start singing and wish I knew the lyrics to the song. Of course, there are song lyrics online, but sometimes I need some sort of musical accompaniment, even if only for the sake of not looking weird. I figured that maybe somebody out there had already invented a kind of online karaoke system. I then proceeded to search for online karaoke sites, and lo and behold! There are actually several of them in existence.

The most professional looking ones that offer services for free are SingShot and kSolo. SingShot seems to have a wider song selection, and it is home to Geoff52. He's a 53 yr.-old Briton whose rather popular takes on such a varied list of songs, from "Funkytown" to the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," have gained him quite a following. He's recorded over 400 songs in SingShot. You see, with these online karaoke sites, you can record yourself (audio-visually or audio only) and upload your recording for other members to critique. And you have nothing to worry about because I haven't uploaded and don't intend to upload in the near future a recording of mine.

Anyway, I hear that kSolo has just been bought by Fox Interactive, which makes a kSolo-American Idol tie-in less improbable. In the words of Fred Perry, that's "very clevah."

Speaking of tennis, I am now officially an Ana Ivanovic fan! I first heard about her last year in Roland Garros...live via satellite, of course. (We weren't actually there.) My sister and mother "discovered" her, and we all thought she was very pretty. Then, Roland Garros ended, and I didn't get to watch any other tennis tournament after that. A year went by quite quickly, and the French Open season started again. My father was watching a women's singles match and commented that this girl who was reminding him of Jordin Sparks was leading Maria Sharapova, 6-2, 4-0! Of course, I looked and realized it was Ana. I've been a fan ever since. And it's not because my father thought she looked like Jordin. She actually reminds me, when she smiles, of my other favorite tennis player, Martina Hingis, whom Ana incidentally beat last year in the Canada Masters final. Of course, Ana won that match against Sharapova 6-2, 6-1, paving the way for her first ever appearance in a Grand Slam final. She eventually lost to the Queen of Clay Justine Henin, but no matter! Ana is now no. 6 in the world! And losing to Justine on clay is like losing to a snake in a staring contest.

Snakes don't blink.

It was forty years ago today...

2007-06-06T10:35:00.000+08:00

...that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released.

Actually, that would be forty years and five days ago for the UK and forty years and three days ago in the US. I only discovered it today. This is probably why the American Idol finale Beatles tribute was drawn primarily from Sgt. Pepper's. Or maybe not.

And it was my best friend Patty Rodriguez's birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday, Patty!

Atticus

2007-06-04T15:33:00.000+08:00

I would like to introduce you all to my new pet finch, Atticus. He's a zebra finch of, most likely, the fawn variety. I made him a little seed pot with my toy pottery wheel, and I intend to use up the rest of my air-dry clay a little bird bath dish. I got him a water tube and a little cuttlefish bone (which he poked viciously this morning), some seeds and a perch. My sister and I also a made him a nest box out of cardboard box card and have tried feeding him tomatoes as diet supplements. At around 6pm everyday, he gets into that nest box and gets ready for bed, at which point he becomes absolutely adorable as he snuggles up into the corner of the box and squishes all his fats and feathers together. He becomes a cute ball of feather with a beak and two tiny black, beady eyes.

There are probably a gazillion finches in the world named Jem and Scout or even Atticus. If I get a mate for Atticus, I might name her Frances after Harper Lee's mother. Then, I can hope for little chicks and name two Jeremy Atticus or "Jem" and Jean Louise or "Scout." Then Jem and Scout can befriend a maya bird named Charles Baker "Dill" Harris...

...and it could go on and on.

Of course there is also the temptation of naming them Blake and Jordin. Heehee.

Atticus, as pinpointed by someone in the FinchWorld forum, has poor feather condition. I hope its just poor diet and not lice or mites.

_________

In other news, MME was finally canonized yesterday! Hooray!

_________

Enrollment starts tomorrow, and I have yet to figure out how realtime enlistment works.

Final Thoughts Before the Finale

2007-05-24T00:32:00.000+08:00

The next American Idol will be declared in a few hours, and although Patty Lazatin may not speak to me again after she reads this, Jordin was always my bet. Now, this is particularly important for me because this is the first time since I started watching Idol that my bet has actually reached the finals! Of course, it would have been entirely different if it were three years ago when I was a nearly rabid fan of Camile, but I am nevertheless excited. It's strange though because I'm a Jordin fan, but I really wanted Melinda to win, if only out of respect to her immense talent. Melinda's skill--what I feel is a combination of the right genetic makeup and formal education (She had voice lessons and majored in music from Belmont University, which I think is known for its music program.)--placed her in a league of her own, and I kind of felt that it was an insult to her that she did not even get into the finale.

Anyway, what's done is done, and what I'm writing about isn't quite relevant at the moment. Jordin did really well tonight, though Blake charmed the audience enough, so while Jordin seems to have the edge...

...you never know.

Licensed to Wheel

2007-05-04T22:55:00.000+08:00

I would like to take this opportunity to announce to you all that I, Ana Alcala of Quezon City, am now a licensed non-professional driver.

I must admit that I barely passed the exam, but I made it and even have one of those little green plastic thingies where one inserts his/her license and receipt to protect them from the elements. The practical exam was not smooth at all. The engine died twice, and the person conducting the exam jokingly warned me that I might end up having to take a retest if I don't redeem myself. To compound the situation, after successfully getting off the vehicle without injuring anyone, I had to take this "walk of shame" from the driving area to the waiting area where onlookers who have been observing me fumble with the clutch and shifting were free to watch me salvage whatever was left of my dignity. Of course, that could all have been part of my imagination.

One of the reasons why I find it important to have a license at my age (I'm turning twenty) is because I often imagine myself in Bruce Willis' situation in The Kid. I can now tell my 8 yr.-old self that I already have a license as planned. Of course, she would be disappointed to know that I am not yet a registered voter and nor have I grown any inch above 5 feet, but I can at least brandish my driver's license to her.

My father accompanied me to the LTO office and proudly told me that now that I have my driver's license, all I need is this tax number thing. I am of legal age, but I hardly qualify as such in my 7 yr.-old sister's eyes, so this license may serve as some proof to her that I really am 19 and not kidding about it. Oh, and there is also this head ache that I've been having for the past few days. Maybe that's a grown-up thing, too.

El Romperedes

2007-04-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

It was 85 years ago today, in a football game between Spain and France, that Paulino "El Romperedes" Alcantara kicked the ball into the goal so hard, it ripped through the net.

Alcantara was born in Iloilo, Philippines to a Spanish soldier and an Ilongga. He played for Catalonia, Spain and the Philippines and holds the highest goal-scoring record for FC Barcelona. After retiring as a player, he became a doctor and club director.

Sources:
http://www.philfootball.info/romperedes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulino_Alcantara
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_de_llegenda/alcantara.html

April 15

2007-04-16T18:00:00.000+08:00

April 15 this year is the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's Major League Baseball debut. Upon Ken Griffey Jr.'s suggestion, players of various MLB teams wore Robinson's retired number, 42. Robinson is, of course, the first to break the color barrier of the MLB. He was the first African-American Major League player of the modern era. Apparently, according to Encarta, there wasn't any baseball segregation yet in the 19th century It's nice to see that HBO seems to be joining in the celebrations. It's airing Soul of the Game right now, which, according to synopses, is about Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson aiming to be the first modern-era African-American Major League player.

The First Post of Summer

2007-04-13T19:46:00.000+08:00

Today, I cleaned out my study table and threw away a couple of years of memories. You see, up until this afternoon, I had not really thrown away my third year and fourth year high school and freshman university stuff. I had around four bulging envelopes under my desk containing notes, quizzes and projects from 2003 to 2006. I'm sure most of you have thrown out your stuff years ago, but I somehow didn't have the heart to do so until today. It was a very poignant experience. Before letting go of them, I looked through some. I made sure not to browse through them too much lest I end up keeping all of them again. I managed to salvage a couple of projects and decided to randomly pick out a page for posterity. I picked out a page from my Physics notes. It had something to do with circuit diagrams and voltages.

I actually started this blog in the summer of '04. That was the summer of entrance exam review classes, SCB-A and short, hair gelled hair. That was also the summer when I was so into American Idol, when I became a huge Camile Velasco fan. I have not really been able to follow the show with the same enthusiasm that I had in 2004. I still watch it, but not as much as before. I used to tape episodes back then and make daily visits to American Idol message boards. I was really a big fan, and I blogged about it a lot.

My take on this season? As with the Oscar Predicter Contest, there is a difference between who you like, who you want to win and who will win. This season, I think that vocally and talent-wise, Melinda should win. I like Jordin Sparks. She reminds of America Ferrera, who I also like. Blake, however, seems to create the most noise every time his name is uttered on the show. I don't know if that should be taken as a indication of victory, but he definitely is a contender. It doesn't hurt that he's a good singer too. As for Sanjaya--well, he's not as bad as people say he is. He can sing. It's just that he's not as competent as a singer as the other contestants are.

But for really in-depth and regular Idol coverage, I recommend Patty Lazatin's blog...I mean LiveJournal.

The 5th Annual Oscar Predicter Contest

2007-02-23T11:46:00.000+08:00

OPC Teaser

2007-01-03T14:24:00.001+08:00

Visit the site.

________________________________
The Oscar Statuette is a trademark of A.M.P.A.S.
The 5th Annual OPC is in no way affiliated with A.M.P.A.S.

Welcome 2007!

2007-01-03T14:06:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year! :)

Hohoho!

2006-12-26T17:18:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas everybody!

:)

I got published!

2006-11-28T19:44:00.000+08:00

Woohoo!

The kind people at The Philippine Star published my essay on To Kill a Mockingbird. It appeared in the Lifestyle section, page I-2 last Sunday, November 28.

I might upload it here one of these days. This blog is in dire need of more non-meme entries.

Moneypenny Monday: Eva Green

2006-11-20T20:36:00.000+08:00

Six Degrees of James Bond

Casino Royale finally premiered last week, calling for a special Moneypenny Monday. Today, we will feature one of the three latest Bond girls featured in the film: Eva Green.

Green starred in Kingdom of Heaven with Liam Neeson.
Neeson played Leonardo DiCaprio's father in Gangs of New York.
DiCaprio was Tom Hanks' target in Catch Me If You Can.
Hanks played Geena Davis' coach in A League of Their Own.
Davis played Hugh Laurie's wife in Stuart Little, its sequel and a fully-animated, straight-to-DVD part 3.
Laurie was in Spice World, and so was Sir Roger Moore.

Networking

2006-11-12T21:37:00.002+08:00

Titles edited May 27, 2009

Last Friday night, I received a call from someone I didn't know.

And, somehow, I entertained the call.

The caller started off by saying that he got my number from a high school classmate of mine (whom I won't name for now because she's really nice to me). Then he goes on by saying that I was highly recommended by her, saying that I was supposedly "outgoing" and "easy to work with." Then he threw a question at me and asked if it was indeed true--was I really outgoing and easy to work with?

I said, "Well, I hope I am."

Then he goes on to explain that an American company is interested in recruiting students from UP, Ateneo, La Salle, etc. and asks what school do I go to. I said UP. Then he asks for my course. I said Film. Then he asks about my extra-curricular activities, and I said I used to write for the Philippine Collegian but that I quit months ago.

Then, it was his turn. He explained that he was from a blah-blah-blah, working for blah-blah-blah and was looking for blah-blah-blah. The blah's were interspersed with words like "business" and "marketing" or something. He then asked me to attend this seminar or meeting to see if I was interested and if I was the kind of person they were interested in. He emphasized that this whole thing was non-committal and that there was financial compensation involved.

In as much as the words "financial compensation" were very attractive to me, I knew that there was something fishy about his proposition. In fact, the reason why I don't remember much of what he said is because I tend to block out things that I find questionable and suspicious. I wanted to get over the conversation as quickly as possible.

Eventually, he told me to meet with him in his office at the 15th floor of the Ericsson Building along San Miguel Ave. in Ortigas. He made me choose between Saturday afternoon or Monday night. I picked Saturday, and he made me promise that I would go by saying that "I'm sure you're a professional, and you wouldn't just back out on appointments such as this," and that his oh-so-packed schedule cannot accommodate any indecisiveness. He then instructed me to come in business attire and simply approach anyone in the 15th floor because the whole floor was apparently his office. As if to convince me further (I did put on an indifferent tone), he explained that he was an executive--a position that merited an office with a huge floor area.

After that call, I immediately researched on the matter. Apparently, there really is no building called Ericsson along San Miguel. There is, however, an Octagon Building that has a huge Ericsson sign on it. The 15th floor of this building is occupied by Nu Skin, Inc., and a little research on this company made everything clear to me.

Nu Skin is a network marketing or direct selling company. Several blog entries have already related similar stories of strange phone calls and promises of money. Some call it a scam while some insist that it is just an alternative form of marketing, but either way, it's still pretty weird.

Now that I think about it, his phone call had all the qualities of a scam. He started off by complimenting me by indirectly calling me outgoing and easy to work with. He was talking very fast and vaguely, and his insistence on my attendance seemed more threatening than inviting. Also, a few days before that, a guy with the same name as this caller had already called up when I was out, claiming to be my classmate this time around.

The following day, he called again to confirm our scheduled meeting, and I, more enlightened by that time, called off the meeting and told him that I was no longer interested. He understood and asked if I had any two people in mind to recommend, preferably ones even more skilled than "outgoing" and "easy-to-work-with" me.

And in case you were wondering, no, I didn't recommend anybody.

Friday Flashback: 1969

2006-11-10T16:37:00.000+08:00

this day in lava history

Sesame Street premieres on PBS.

Star Wars Screen Tests II

2006-11-07T23:41:00.000+08:00

A sequel to that funny SNL sketch I posted in this blog months ago. This features Norm MacDonald as Burt Reynolds auditioning for the Darth Vader role , Ana Gasteyer as Barbra Streisand for Princess Leia and Kevin Spacey as Jack Lemmon for Chewbacca.

Moneypenny Monday: Mads Mikkelsen

2006-11-06T13:52:00.000+08:00

Six Degrees of James Bond

With the premiere of Casino Royale less than two weeks away, today's chosen one is Mads Mikkelsen, who will play the latest Bond villain in Le Chiffre.

Mikkelsen starred in 2004's King Arthur, where Kiera Knightley played Guinevere.
Knightley was in Bend It Like Beckham alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Rhys Meyers starred in Velvet Goldmine where Toni Collette played his wife.
Collette stars in this year's Little Miss Sunshine with Greg Kinnear.
Kinnear played Harrison Ford's younger brother in a remake of Sabrina.
Ford played Sean Connery's "Junior" in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Friday Flashback: 1971 and 1978

2006-11-03T20:21:00.002+08:00

this day in lava history

In 1971, Clint Eastwoood thriller Play Misty for Me, featuring one of my many favorite songs ("Misty"), premiered. In 1978, NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes premiered on this day as well.

Sembreak '06 - Baguio

2006-11-02T21:50:00.000+08:00

The pics are up!

Click here.

A-ha - "Take On Me"

2006-10-10T19:47:00.000+08:00

One of the BEST music videos ever!

Friday Flashback: 1977

2006-05-12T16:50:00.000+08:00

On this day in history

The 4th Daytime Emmys were held, and Pink Floyd had a concert in London, the first quadrophonic (sound transmitted through 4 channels) concert.

I don't know whether to say "Shazbot!" or "Aaayh!"

2006-05-05T00:42:00.000+08:00

Look what I found in YouTube!!!

aaah....brings me back to that summer when I made Trisha Cordero record episodes that I would miss during out of town trips. There was even a time when I couldn't watch them for some reason, so I called Trisha on the phone, made her watch Mork & Mindy and give me a live scene by scene description of the episode, occasionally placing the phone by the TV speakers so I could listen.

Thanks for all that Chandy :) What a true Friend (which, by the way, is another favorite TV show of mine).

Where in Sam Hill...

2006-04-24T14:35:00.000+08:00

...is our high school yearbook?

Star Wars Screen Tests I

2006-04-08T17:29:00.000+08:00

A funny bit from SNL. Kevin Spacey plays Christopher Walken auditioning for the role of Han Solo and the late Walter Matthau as Obi-Wan Kenobi, plus Darrell Hammond as Richard Dreyfuss auditioning as C-3PO.

"Open Letter to Our Leaders" by S.C. Austero

2006-03-15T20:06:00.000+08:00

Originally posted in his blog, Out of my mind.

Dear Tita Cory, Senators, Congressmen, Businessmen, Media people, Leftists, and all Bleeding Hearts Out There:

I am angry. And I know that there are many out there who are angrier than I am for the same reason. And that reason is simple. I am sick and tired of all you guys claiming to speak for me and many Filipinos. I feel like screaming every time you mouth words about fighting for my freedom and my rights, when you obviously are just thinking about yours. You tell me that the essence of democracy is providing every citizen the right to speak his or her mind and make his or her own informed judgments, but you yourselves do not respect my silence and the choices I and many others have made. In other words, your concept of democracy is limited to having your rights and your freedoms respected, at the expense of ours.

I am utterly flabbergasted that you still do not get it: we already responded to your calls, and our response has been very clear - we chose not to heed your calls to go to EDSA or to Fort Bonifacio not because we do not love our country or our freedoms or our rights, but precisely because we love our country even more. Because quite frankly, we are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward. You may think that is not correct, you can tell me all the dire warnings about the evils of authoritarian rule, but quite frankly all we see is your pathetic efforts to prop up your cause. You tell me that you are simply protecting my freedoms and my rights, but who told you to do that? I assure you that when I feel that my rights and my freedoms are at a peril, I will stand up and fight for them myself.

You tell us that GMA is not the right person to lead this country because she has done immoral acts. As someone who sees immorality being committed wantonly in many ways every day and by everyone (yes, including the ones you do), I may have become jaded. But you have not been able to offer me any viable alternative, while GMA has bent over backwards many times to accommodate you while continuing to work hard despite all the obstacles and the brickbats you have thrown her way. From where I sit, she is the one who has been working really hard to move this country forward while all of you have been so busy with one and only one thing: to make sure she does not succeed. So forgive me if I do not want to join you in your moral pissing contest. Forgive me if I have chosen to see things from another perspective. You say she is the problem. I say, we are the problem, more to the point, I think you are a bigger problem than she is. Taking her out may solve part of the problem, but that leaves us with a bigger problem: you. That is right, YOU!

While I felt outraged that she called a Comelec official during the elections and that she may have rigged the elections, I have since then taken the higher moral ground and forgiven her. Yes my dear bishops, I have done what you have told me to do since I was a child, which you say is the Christian and moral thing to do: forgive. Especially since she has asked for forgiveness and has tried to make amends for it. Erap certainly has not apologized and continues to be defiant, continuing to insult us everyday with his protestations. Cory has not apologized for her incompetence but we have forgiven her just the same because like GMA, she has worked hard after all.

I know you do not think that GMA's apology was not enough, or that she was insincere, or that that apology should not be the end of it, but please spare me the hypocrisy of telling me that you do so for the sake of protecting the moral fibre of society. The real reason is because you smell blood and wants to go for the kill.

Well, I have news for you. I do not like her too. I did not even vote for her. I voted for Raul Roco. But as much as I do not like her, I do not like you even more. I may not trust her, but guess what, I do not trust you even more.

You know why? Because all you do is whine and sabotage this country. You belittle every little progress we make, conveniently forgetting that it is not just GMA who has been working so hard to achieve them. Every single day, we keep the faith burning in our hearts that this country will finally pull itself out of the mess and we work so hard to do that. Every little progress is the result of our collective effort, we who toil hard everyday in our jobs. Yet, you persist in one and only thing: making GMA look bad in the eyes of the world and making sure that this country continues to suffer to prove your sorry point. In the process, you continue to destroy what we painstakinly try to built. So please do not be surprised that I do not share your cause. Do not be surprised that we have become contemptuous of your antics. You have moved heaven and earth to destroy her credibility, you have convened all kinds of fora and hearings and all you have done is test our patience to the core. For all your effort, you have only succeeded in dragging us further down. I say enough.

Don't get me wrong. I am not asking that we take immorality lying down, or that we let the President get away with anything illegal. But you have tried to prove your accusations all these time and you have not succeeded, so it is time to let things be. Besides, you are doing something immoral as well if not utterly unforgivable. The Magdalo soldiers are consorting with the communists - the same people who have been trying to kill democracy for years. Cory has been consorting with Erap and the Marcoses.

So please wake up and take a reality check. In the absence of true and genuine moral leadership, many of us have decided to cast our lot with the President, even if we do not like her. A flawed leader is better than scheming power hungry fools who can not even stand up for their convictions in the face of an impending arrest.

Your coup attempts and the denials that you have consequently made only underscore what we think is true: you are spineless and unreliable people whose only defense is to cry suppression when your ruse do not work. You are like bullies who taunt and provoke, but cry oppression when taken to task for your cruelty.

I would have respected you if you took the consequences of your actions like real heroes: calmly and responsibly instead of kicking and screaming and making lame excuses. You say you are willing to die for us, that you do all these things for the country and the Filipino, but you are not even willing to go to jail for us.

Come on, you really think we believe that you did not want to bring down the government when that is the one and only thing you have been trying to do in the last many months?

We love this country and we want peace and progress. Many among us do not give a f*&k who sits at Malacanang because we will work hard and do our share to make things work. If you only do your jobs, the ones that we elected you to do, things would be a lot simpler and easier for every one.

The events during the weekend only proved one thing. You are more dangerous and a serious threat to this country than GMA is. We have seen what you are capable of doing - you are ready to burn this country and reduce everything to ashes just to prove your point. If there is something that we need protection from, it is protection from you.

Originally posted by S.C. Austero in his blog, Out of my mind.

The Simpsons, Live!

2006-03-14T21:07:00.000+08:00

a live action version of the famous Simpsons opening

Moneypenny Monday: Philip Seymour Hoffman and Reese Witherspoon

2006-03-04T11:53:00.000+08:00

Six Degrees of James Bond

Today is a special day for the movie world, so this Moneypenny Monday will be a double feature. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Reese Witherspoon were announced as the winners for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively in this morning's Academy Awards for excellently portraying two famous American personalities.

1. Philip Seymour Hoffman starred in Patch Adams opposite Robin Williams, who played the title role that movie.
2. Williams starred with John Lithgow in the film adaptation of John Irving's The World According to Garp.
3. Lithgow was in Footloose with Kevin Bacon.
4. Bacon starred in Apollo 13 opposite Tom Hanks.
5. Hanks was with Meg Ryan in two films: Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.
6. Sir Sean Connery was with Ryan in The Presidio.
---------------------------------------
1. Reese Witherspoon starred in Legally Blonde, which also featured Luke Wilson.
2. Cameron Diaz was with Wilson in Charlie's Angels.
3. Leonardo di Caprio starred opposite Diaz in Gangs of New York.
4. Tom Hanks chased Di Caprio in Catch Me If You Can.
5. Hanks played Sally Field's son in Forrest Gump.
6. Field was with Pierce Brosnan in Mrs. Doubtfire.

Last Call for the 4th Annual Oscar Predicter Contest!

2006-03-03T23:26:00.001+08:00

The last day of registration is March 4, Manila Time (March 4, 12nn EST/10am CST).

To those who have registered, the ballots are due on the same date.

Register and vote now!

A Fish Called Cleo

2006-03-03T22:24:00.000+08:00

I have a pet fish named Cleo. Named after Geppetto's pet goldfish from the 1940 Disney classic Pinocchio and not the famous queen of ancient Egypt, Cleo is a female swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) which I bought at the UP Shopping Center pet fish store for 10 pesos as a gift to myself. She actually costs as much as her food since a packet (a sachet, if you will) of her flakes cost 10 bucks as well. In fact, if I had opted for the fish pellets which cost 20 pesos, she'd actually cost half her food.

Anyway, I take care of Cleo more or less religiously. I feed her two tiny flakes a day. I placed her tiny bowl in a saucer with water because I once saw ants crawl into her bowl (which killed them because, duh, the bowl's filled with water). I change her water as often as possible. These exercises have led me to many observations, the first of which is that she has suicidal tendencies.

You know Blubber? Amelie Poulain's pet fish? Yep, Cleo's like that. When we change her water (I usually ask for help), she jumps whenever we try to catch her. Sometimes, she jumps so high, she actually lands on the dry kitchen tiles, literally brushing herself with death. It's peculiar. Perhaps she doesn't fully realize that it's all for her own good. She is probably unaware that changing her water is necessary for her own survival, though traumatic procedures such as being scooped out of her liquid surroundings must be taken.

I have also observed that Cleo is anorexic. Whenever I drop her flakes into the water, she doesn't eat them right away like my previous pet fishes. She doesn't even sniff, poke or taste them. Nothing. Nadda. Zilch. During the first few weeks, I'd leave her like that and come back a few minutes later to see that the flakes have disappeared, leading me to assume that she had already eaten them and that she prefers to eat in private, like a human being. But the alarming thing is that, lately, I would come back and find the flakes soaked and left untouched by Cleo.

The weird thing is, not only is she anorexic but she is also bulimic! I watched her eat once and noticed that she would "sample" the flake, then eat it whole (the flake, half her size, would literally disappear in an instant into her mouth), then spit it back out!

My mother says I've placed Cleo in an oppressive environment, given that her bowl is so small, it carries only a cup of water. She says this may have caused her to go berserk. She also hypothesizes that these psychological illnesses may only mask the rebellion that she has against me, the one who has enslaved her.

Well, she is a tiny fish. With a bowl that small and fish that size, I figured I may have hit upon the perfect apartment-friendly pet.

Maybe Cleo wants the pellets. She may even be Epicurean after all and tolerates only the finest food! That being the pellets for fishes. Maybe I'll buy the pellets...

Friday Morning Fire

2006-02-18T12:39:00.000+08:00

Before I went to bed that night, I made sure that my cellphone would wake me up on time. Little did I know that, indeed, I would wake up with a jolt the following morning, but not because of my phone.

I moved to my parents' room at dawn because my sisters, who were getting ready for school, were noisy. I went back to sleep. An hour or so later, as I recall, I heard crackling sounds and people shouting. I was slightly irked but was too sleepy to do anything about it. Maybe the neighbors are fighting again, I thought. I explained the crackling sounds as rain or a hail storm (when you're asleep, you believe in certain things...). I don't know how much longer I slept, but Ate Rosselle suddenly burst into my parents' room and screamed my name. She told me there was a fire.

I sprang out of bed in an instant. I ran down the stairs because it was human instinct to run away from danger. I was wearing my floral pajamas with ruffles. Somehow, I still had the sense to cover myself up. Luckily, an old UC Berkeley sweatshirt was left on the dining table, and I wore it as I rushed outside.

Outside, I saw that our neighbors were already evacuating. I went to the front yard and looked up to the roof of our house. There was a cloud of smoke climbing higher and higher into the air, the source of which we inferred to have to been at the back of our house. We were informed that it was the other row of houses behind our row that was on fire.

As I watched the ruckus that had formed in our driveway, I realized that I also had to take out valuables from our house. I was constantly taught in school, during those fire drills which we liked because they delayed classes, that if there were a fire, we should leave our things and just move out because our lives were the top priority. This time, I rushed back into the house and fumbled for a moment. I walked back and forth, frantically deciding on which of our belongings were the most valuable. I had finally finished Walden the night before and thought, has Thoreau's message of fronting only the essentials gotten over me? Do really think that my life and the clothes on my back were all I needed to save? Well, my mind eventually took control of the situation, and I immediately grabbed hold of my schoolbag (which contained my orgranizer, notebooks, iPod, etc.), other notebooks and my Film 110 photographs. I went back and got my diary/journal, my wallet, my readings, my school records and a box containing the only 3 medals I had received in my life and pre-war photographs of my grandfather. I rushed upstairs and took out my whole drawer of mementos (which included my old diary, a VHS tape of 2 Mork & Mindy and 2 Happy Days episodes, the commemorative Philippine Centennial Swatch watch, my unfinished novel from 6th grade...) and a box of my toys (my Lego Studios, my Silly Putty, my X-Ray vision glasses...).

I paused for a moment to regain my strength out by the front yard. I was thirsty, so they gave me water to drink. I stood for a while longer until we realized that my father was still inside. I rushed back upstairs to look for him. I found him dumping my mother's jewelry onto a blanket that he had laid out on the bed. He told me to follow suit, so I ran to our room, grabbed the bedspread of my sister's bed and laid it out on the floor. There I dumped what I felt were things that money could not buy--old family photographs.

After I had assured myself that I had taken out everything that was of utmost importance to me, I rushed back upstairs to watch the fire. I approached the window closest to the burning house and felt the heat penetrate the glass. I saw, a mere 4 meters away from me, the source of the crackling sound that had bugged me while I slept soundly in my parents' room minutes ago. I managed to make mental notes of everything that I observed that morning and knew immediately that the image of those orange flames would remain vivid in my memory.

I sat out by the front yard, knowing that there was nothing else for me to do but pray. I looked around me and saw our neighbors whose house was right behind those flames that I saw earlier. The grandmother prayed the rosary (reminding me that I should do the same), the mother cried and the daughter (my old playmate) did too. I realized that I had not really seen her face to face in ages, perhaps a decade. And here we were once again, in the same driveway where we used to play during the summers of our childhood, now encroached by firetrucks, drawn out of our own indoor worlds because of same alarming incident.

When the firemen arrived, they rushed into our neighbors' house, flooding their ground floor. Better water-damaged than fire-damaged. I rushed back up and watched how they tried to kill the fire. They walked over the roof right in front of me and my father, prompting us to leave the room. I thought that if they saw us there, they might think that they had to save us when there were more urgent things to do. I learned later that a firewoman got hurt in the operation.

Mediamen arrived immediately, and I realized how quick these people are at looking for stories. I saw the firemen's faces, serious but obviously used to this kind of thing. Some of them were even smoking! Maybe it was just me, but I felt then that a fireman smoking in the middle of an emergency was like fraternizing with the enemy. At that time, the alleged culprit was an air conditioner, though I still don't know the real cause of the incident.

In the end, our house was not damaged. We were saved by my father's quick, calm thinking (the first thing he did was to call the fire department), and the firewall behind our house. That wall, which served as the perennial view from our parents' room, where I wanted to paint a vine with one last leaf just like Mr. Behrman did for Johnsy. That wall saved us.

Looking back, I realize that the experience taught me a lot about myself. Grabbing my schoolbag first showed that my studies were my priority right now. I recall seeing boxes of clothes being taken out by our neighbors. It didn't even cross my mind at that time to take out clothes.

I remember, when everything started to settle down, sitting in my parents' room. I listened to the sounds. Amidst the spraying water from the firetruck's hose and the bellowing of the firemen, I heard a bird happily chirping away. I looked over the window and saw it perching on one of the air conditioner railings.

Rosie's Diner R.I.P.

2006-02-12T12:15:00.000+08:00

I had heard about this sad piece of news from my parents months ago, but it was only yesterday when my family headed home from the 10th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta that I saw with my very own eyes the remains of Rosie's Diner.

Words cannot describe the heavy, depressing emotion that tugged my heart as I gazed upon what was left of that diner. It was once gleaming with neon lights, blaring out invitations to customers hungry for both food and a little nostalgia. I can still remember first walking in and stepping onto their black and white tiles. I remember sitting by the diner tables or the stools by the counter, ordering a chocolate milkshake and a burger and fries. I remember playing The Beatles's "Can't Buy Me Love" on their jukebox for a peso or two, waiting for my order. I remember the waitresses skating down to our table to serve our dinner. I remember the phenomenon that would occur every time I would get out of that diner, satisfied gastronomically, emotionally and intellectually. It was always as if I was stepping out of the 1950's and back into the present.

On trips to Clark, eating at Rosie's was always the last stop before heading for Manila. Last night, we continued that tradition, but we didn't go beyond the dark and empty parking lot. Rosie's was no longer bright with neon lights. Waitresses were no longer skating inside. The jukebox was no longer playing any hit from yesteryear. Nostalgic customers were no longer slurping the milkshakes and chomping on their burgers.

An ironic, washed out "Rosie's Diner" sign painted in front of the lot was all that was left of the place. There was no way of seeing what was inside because the once inviting windows were now blocked with hostile plywood boards. It was desolate. It was quiet. It was gloomy. It was no longer Rosie's Diner.

"People don't know what they missed," my mother mumbled morosely.

I agreed with her.

As we took a final glance and sped away, I was comforted by the fact that, though a lot of people may have never experienced Rosie's, at least I did. And for few hours, every couple of years, I was able to travel back in time, into a world where I belonged.

Scout and Dill

2006-02-07T23:04:00.000+08:00

I find it every bit amusing.

I've been looking forward to Capote since I first heard about it from Ebert & Roeper late last year. I was able to watch the first few minutes last week, and I'm sooo excited to watch the whole thing...yes...I know...because Harper Lee is there...but also because it has been a highly-acclaimed film and Philip Seymour Hoffman is my pick to win the Best Actor Oscar. Based on what I've seen, it's as good as people say it is.

Now, it's very interesting to note that this year, there is another Capote-In Cold Blood movie coming up. Entitled Infamous, it will feature Toby Jones (voice of Dobby the House Elf among other things) as Capote and Sandra Bullock as Miss Lee. And no, this isn't about the two characters growing up in Maycomb--I mean, Monroeville, Alabama. It is actually also about the time Capote spent researching for and working on In Cold Blood!

Very amusing how Hollywood is churning out two movies about the same event practically within the same year.

Nevertheless, I now have a new upcoming movie to add to my list. As a Vanity Fair article pointed out, this coincidence(?) should be seen as something good, albeit unusual. It'll be interesting to watch and compare both films.

NOTE: I hear they're also making a biopic on Harper Lee herself! *jumps up and down, clapping*

bACkstroke: Be a Lifeguard

2006-01-26T23:06:00.000+08:00

AC Fair 2005-2006

When: Friday, Feb. 3; Gates open at 4pm

Featuring Performances by:

UrbanDub
Daydream Cycle
UpDharma Down
Kala
Juan Pablo Dream
Giniling Festival
Bloomfields

and...

mACrophone III: Battle of the Bands

plus...
AC Dance Troupe
AC Hardcourt
AC Pep Squad

Tickets at P150 each

The 4th Annual Oscar Predicter Contest

2006-01-18T14:23:00.000+08:00

The OPC website is now up!

Log on to www.geocities.com/sgtpepper72687 for this season's much-awaited event!

Lazy Sunday

2006-01-18T14:18:00.000+08:00

An SNL digital short starring Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell (who, incidentally, played that guy who mistakes Chandler as Toby in that Friends episode...*wink wink*).

The Chronic-WHAT?-cles of Narnia!

Hobbies

2006-01-08T14:08:00.000+08:00

Jess was in town for the holidays, so we went out with Olivia, Lizzie and Temi (Elizabeth's beau). Jess finally paid back what she owed us from a bet. Hahaha. Naw, that was just Jess being Jess, generous and all. We had a bet last year on whether or not Jess would pass the UPCAT. It was one of those unnecessary bets since there was an obvious outcome. Nevertheless, Jess passed, and she owed us Starbucks...

I gave her a paper model of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, a gift I was wishing she would open in front of MaraGar. Hahaha.

Speaking of paper modeling, I have a new hobby! Aside from pottery (after I coaxed my parents into buying me this toy pottery wheel in Pricesmart...which really works! Woohoo!), I am now hooked into paper modeling. Yes, making small scale replicas of famous landmarks, monuments and vehicles out of card paper. After my frustration over plastic ship model kits (I never got beyond unfinished models of the Titanic and the Charles W. Morgan), paper modeling seems to be the realization of that unaccomplished dream.

And how did I get into this? Well, for Eng 11, we had a Christmas reading list which included Henry David Thoreau's enigmatic Walden. It's not difficult to read in the sense that it's peppered with symbolisms and requires extensive knowledge of ancient vocabulary, but it's just hard. Somehow. So I searched the net for easy-to-read booknotes. I found a couple, but the most interesting was this whole site dedicated to Walden and Thoreau. They had this link to the "Walden Express," which was a page that gives the beginner Thoreau reader a brief introduction to the text and how to attack it. Then, it gives you a selection of chapters to read, if you don't want to read the whole thing. Also, if you're really pressed for time, it gives you the essence of sorts of each chapter, so you can actually finish the "Walden Express" in 15 minutes.

Although that's not enough for my class, the website did provide a link to a paper model kit of Thoreau's Walden cabin. And the rest is history.

As for my other hobby, I acquired yesterday, with my sister, a vinyl recording of Beethoven's 7th Symphony. There was this box of vinyl records for 25 pesos each only, and I just had to buy it. I haven't listened to it yet, but I can already say that this was an undeniably great bargain.

Goodbye MMV!

2005-12-29T14:18:00.000+08:00

2005 was, among other things, the World Year of Physics, the Chinese Year of the Rooster and the Catholic Year of the Eucharist.

I kind of thought it was the Hollywood Year of Anorexia, until I figured maybe I was just watching too much ET.

For me and my buddies, 2005 was our year because we belong, after all, to The Class of 2005. This means that most of us turned legal this year, and we all capped off high school and entered university this year.

What's in store for 2006?

Well, for starters, it's the International Year of Deserts and Desertification, the Rembrandt Year, the Mozart Year, the Tesla Year and the International Asperger's Year.

A lot of magazines, websites and TV shows will present their own take on the Year That Was, but none of those will be able to capture MMV the way you will remember it.

CHEERS!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T18:30:00.000+08:00

Friday Flashback: 1969

2005-12-16T21:02:00.000+08:00

This day in lava history.

First of all, I would like to apologize. I have been restricting Friday Flashback to 1970's history, when the very icon/symbol of this meme is the lava lamp, the popularity of which dates back to the late 1960's (it did capture the psychedelic movement of the time); therefore, I will now extend the coverage of Friday Flashback to as early as 1965, the year the lava lamp was introduced in a Hamburg trade fair. So, today in lava history....

The British House of Commons votes 343-185 to abolish the death penalty.

Kettle Corn

2005-12-16T10:53:00.000+08:00

Kettle corn is a fairly easy snack to make, except for this one step in the procedure. The only ingredient you wouldn't normally find in your kitchen cupboard is the popcorn kernels, which can be bought in any grocery or convenience store.

Ingredients:
popcorn kernels
sugar
salt
corn oil

Procedure:
Take one cup of the kernels and place it in ample-sized pot...a kettle if you will...Take the corn oil (though I hear corn oil and canola oil have a lot of toxins...) and pour enough to cover all the kernels with a thin layer of oil. Place the pot under medium heat. HERE'S THE TRICKY BIT: When the kernels start to get "excited" and are just about to pop, cover the bed of kernels with around half a cup of sugar or more. Putting the sugar in too early would cause the sugar to scorch while putting them in too late would result in grainy sugar bits. When you've popped enough, take the pot away from the fire right away and sprinkle the popcorn with salt.

REMINDERS: I myself have not yet perfected the recipe. Firstly, I get scared that them kernels might start popping while I'm placing the sugar in, so I tend to add the sugar too early. Also, I had this habit of trying to pop most of the kernels, so I end up with burned results. Remember that you are NOT supposed to pop all the kernels. Err on the safe side, and pop only a little. You'll only a have little, but a perfect serving of kettle corn. For the when-to-put-the-suger-in dilemma, well, it's a leap of faith, I guess.

Masala Chai

2005-12-16T10:31:00.000+08:00

For the past month, I have been addicted to a beverage called chai. We were treated to Starbucks by my grandmother, and while drinking, I picked up those brochures they have at the condiments counter or whatever you call it. There was this brochure on tea, which made me happy. I read it and came across chai. I immediately craved for it. The following day, at Seattle's Best (I guess we were commercial coffee shop hopping), I decided to order their chai. I loved it. A few days later, I went to watch a movie with Ina at the Promenade, and I decided to try Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's chai. I loved it as well, but seeing how my pocket will not be able afford regular servings of chai from these commercial coffee shop chains (Seattle's was like 80 pesos and Coffee Bean's was 99 pesos), I decided to research on chai recipes.

Chai is actually an Indian word for "tea," so saying "chai tea" is like saying "pizza pie." Anyway, chai or masala chai is basically tea prepared Indian style. It's composed of black tea, milk, sugar and spices. I have been concoting the following recipe for a month now. I'm not claiming that this is an authentic chai recipe (I hear the real one requires only two spices at most), but I've become quite the addict.

Ingredients
black tea leaves (I prefer Oolong though...well, I don't really have much of a choice since Cherry's only sells oolong, jasmine and green tea leaves)
Spices: star anise, cloves, a chunk of dried ginger, cinnamon, whole black pepper
To taste: milk and sugar

I boil the tea leaves with the spices, and I add the milk and sugar later on, when I'm about to drink it. Some recipes say that you should add the sugar and the milk, and then boil it again. I didn't give any proportions to the ingredients since it really depends on how many cups you're making and how strong you want it to taste. I decide on the right amount by "feeling" it.

Remember: tea LEAVES, not tea BAGS

Teaser

2005-12-05T22:57:00.000+08:00

The 4th Annual Oscar Predicter Contest is not affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Oscar Statuette (c)AMPAS. The word "Predicter" is purposely misspelled.

An Ode to An Era

2005-11-28T23:17:00.000+08:00

"You'll never want to leave this place."

That particular TCM slogan is a perfect introduction to this next entry. Yes, my friends. Turner Classic Movies in back. For those who don't know what TCM is, TCM was the channel formerly known as TNT which aired classic, Hollywood movies. It was indubitably my favorite channel. Actually, it wasn't even a channel. Every 9pm, this jester-ish cartoon character would "switch off" Cartoon Network and consequently "turn on" Turner Classic Movies. The clown did it every 9pm, much to my delight and to other people's disdain.

Anyway, the clown disappeared eventually, taking with him my beloved channel, but now it's back (sans the clown...kinda miss that little fella now that I think about it...). The following essay of sorts was something I wrote right after my wonderful discovery. I was very emotional when I wrote this piece, so don't laugh:

OMG! TCM is back! OMG! Turner Classic Movies has returned after five long years of seemingly futile anticipation. A lot of things have happened since the last time TCM broadcasted on Philippine TV. Five years ago, I was nearing the end of my elementary days, and TCM disappeared from the cable programming, leaving me brokenhearted and alone. Now, I'm a college freshman. I have changed physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, and my interests have broadened in scope, but TCM is back in the form of a test broadcast which heart-warmingly brings back memories and reminds me of the very reason of my being as a student right now. The classic film fan is now a film student; after five long years, I have come full circle.

For a few hours everyday, beginning at 9pm, I was transported miles and decades away, into a realm of imagination and fantasy, where the opening credits were longer than end credits and movie theatres were not located in shopping malls. Nothing ever really filled the void left by that channel. It's just fitting that the first thing I see on TCM after so long a time is the last part of the 3-part documentary on the fabled MGM film company which I religiously watched back in 1999. Things have changed. I have changed, but I never did forget Gene, Charlton and Judy. I never did leave Kansas, Burbank and Casablanca. It just so happened that I met new people and traveled to other places, but the spirit with which I lived at that Golden time in life, I took with me wherever I went.

That's why every time a man tap dances in a sailor suit, or whenever someone suddenly bursts into song, or every time the MGM lion roars, I once again experience that familiar, old feeling. That's why people like me never really felt like we belonged to our generation because people like me see realism in studio sets, experience worlds for 100 minutes or so, and view the whole spectrum of the rainbow in flicks of black-and-white.

No one may understand this, but TCM was the channel that whet my appetite for the Tinseltown of days gone by. It's quite safe to say that this channel was the direct reason for me taking Film & AV Comm. Yes, with this in mind, one sees the tremendous life-changing impact that this channel has had on my life, my planned career and the passion that I have for this art. Seeing this test broadcast now after half a decade moves me to tears. This was the world that I lived in for a few hours each day--a world a lot of people have never thought existed. It feels good to back. After all, "there's no place like home…"

____________________
TCM is airing on Destiny Cable, Channel 86.

DSL, Solitaire, Halloween and How to (and How Not to) Spend the Last Days of Sembreak

2005-11-02T21:17:00.000+08:00

After a major glitch and a couple of minor ones, we finally have DSL! Woohoo!!! Now I can download songs by the album, TV show episodes, podcasts and movies all in record time. I can now listen to LAUNCHcast without the song having to buffer for eternity, watch trailers of old movies, sample music from Amazon.com without, again, the long buffering, view the live audio and video streaming from the Times Square EarthCam...and the list goes on. And my mother won't ever have to make me disconnect again to use the phone!

**********

Anyway, I have also become addicted to Solitaire. My father came home with one of those fake 10-peso Bicycle cards one time, and I started playing Solitaire. I have been addicted ever since, and I have infected everyone else in the household.

**********

It was Halloween once again, and I decided to sport my custom-made saddle shoes (I sell by the way), and so, I went as a Bobby Soxer. I didn't have a petticoat and a poodle skirt, but I did have a blouse with a Peter Pan collar and a scarf to tie my hair with. That was swell.

We also went to Loyola Memorial Park yesterday to visit Lolo and his parents. Something about those candles unleashes the inner pyromaniac in children.

*********

We had a Collegian workshop last Sunday, and I slowly realized that sembreak is nearing its end. As usual, I planned to do so many things this October, most of which I never actually accomplished. Now, I'm required to submit an article next next Saturday, and I am still wracking my brains on what to write about. Help me...

In The Eraserheads' "Sembreak," the lyricist expresses his deep desire get back to school because sembreak has bored him to death, and he misses Kim. Well, it would have been a perfect theme song for this month, except for the fact that I'm not as eager on going back to school. Oh well, I still have a few days to wrap things up. :)

My Apologies to Nike

2005-10-23T21:43:00.000+08:00

A few nights ago, I was watching Oprah with my family. Lance Armstrong and Sheryl Crow were her guests that night, and the whole Oprah set had a LiveStrong theme. Although I have become aware of the wristbands’ noble cause, it wasn’t always that way.

A couple of years ago, Patty started sporting one of those yellow wristbands, back when they were not yet in vogue in Manila. I examined the rubber accessory, saw the Nike swoosh trademark engraved on in, and immediately concluded that it was another one of those Nike marketing tactics. Patty explained that it had something to do with cancer, but I turned a deaf ear on her. Because of what one teacher of mine told us, I had this unfair habit of thinking of Cambodian children forced to work in Nike sweatshops whenever I see anything Nike. (I’m dead if Maria reads this) By the time I reached 4^th year, the whole yellow wristband fad caught on, and I was fully convinced that it was a perfect example of Key Concept of Media # 4 (or something) and of Myth of Media # 6; I believed that the wristband was part of Nike’s profit-driven marketing and placed Nike in the guise of a company concerned for the welfare of everyone.

That’s Media Ed for you.

Anyway, the real purpose of this post is to serve as a public apology. Seeing what the wristband has done for cancer patients, cancer awareness and cancer research (this is an Oprah moment), I have been consumed with guilt. I was wrong for thinking that the wristband was a mere marketing tactic. Whether or not Nike actually gives the money to the Lance Armstrong Foundation is not my business, although I’m pretty sure they do. Having experienced the passing of two batchmates because of cancer, I should appreciate the level of popularity that those wristbands have achieved. More than anything, they have made thousands of people more aware of the disease and have given hope to those who are currently battling the sickness.

And so, my apologies.

CRS Blues

2005-10-18T22:03:00.000+08:00

It's pre-enlistment season once again. Pre-enlistment is the online prologue to the odyssey that is enlistment/registration. The annoying setbacks that I have encountered for the past weeks are mere foreshadowing of the horrors and joys to come before school starts once again. If you haven't noticed, I've been updating my blog more often for the past few days now because I'm on sembreak. I am currently busying myself with matters of bumhood; however, I am also in the process of waiting for my grades and, as aforementioned, enlistment. Oh! I am also currently working on a script for my first official film. It will be an experimental short, hopefully to be produced by Marcala Productions, Ltd. and edited by Mara Garcia. Interested parties should contact me ASAP.

Okay. Enlistment. As a blockmate put it, after 30 years, our UP Webmail accounts were finally activated, allowing us to enlist and email people whilst brandishing that fact that we go to UP. So, I pre-enlisted. I decided to take Geology 1 because it was highly recommended, meaning it is not as threatening. I also enlisted in Archaeology 2. I get various kinds of reactions when I mention this. Some people laugh; some people give me this look where they try to be polite but are clearly weirded out. Of course, some people find it cool, prompting me to smugly smile inside. Not many people know this, but when I was a high school freshman, my ambition was to take up Archaeology in college.

I've also enlisted in English 11. English 11 is "Literature and Society." Now, if ya'll remember, I took English 12 last sem. That was "World Literatures." Now, I never intended it to be this way, but by the end of this year, I might be a Literature major.

Next sem also marks my first real taste of film education. I'm taking Film 100 and Film 110. Film 100 is "Introduction to Film." Film 110 is "Basic Photography." Woohoo!!!

Now, I was fortunate enough to have gotten all these subjects. My only real problem (so far) is PE. I underestimated the difficulty of getting a PE class in UP. I've always heard stories about the horrors of PE enlistment, but I brushed them off as rare, occasional occurrences. I chuckled, It can't be that hard. I mean, I'm a freshman. I was told that they prioritize freshies in enlistment. Oh Ana. Innocent, naïve Ana.

Further thoughts on pre-enlistment shall be continued tomorrow on Ana's Rants…

I'll be in Taft tomorrow. Hope to be bump into high school buddies in DLSU.

Moneypenny Monday: Pierce Brosnan

2005-10-17T15:12:00.000+08:00

Six Degrees of James Bond

When Daniel Craig was announced as the new Bond, I was furious at first because I was happy with Pierce as Bond. I wondered, How could such a handsome 007 be replaced by a blond, erm...less-hot Englishman? Then I did some research. Apparently, Craig is a spitting image of Hoagy Carmichael, whom Ian Fleming once wrote as the physical model for James Bond. Also, Craig looks more like the illustration of Bond authorized by Fleming. Now, I'm still not fully convinced because the filmic Bond is admittedly different from the literary Bond and that Gerard Butler or Clive Owen would have been more suitable, but I am willing to concede to Sony and EON under one condition--they must dye Craig's hair.

Well, as another Bond era draws to a close, it is just fitting that we make if-only-he-was-twenty-years-younger Pierce Brosnan as this week's chosen one.

Brosnan starred with Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, which will have a sequel next year.
Williams was with Michael Vartan in One Hour Photo.
Vartan played Drew Barrymore's love interest and Literature teacher in Never Been Kissed.
Brittany Murphy played Barrymore's best friend in Riding in Cars with Boys.
Murphy was in Girl, Interrupted with Angelina Jolie.
Jolie played the title character in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider opposite Daniel Craig.

Craig, Daniel Craig

2005-10-14T20:52:00.000+08:00

After much anticipation and speculation, Daniel Craig was officially unvelied today as the next James Bond. He will be in next year's Casino Royale. I'm not particularly happy with the decision, but I obviously can't do anything about it. This of course has a direct effect on this blog for Mr. Craig will now be added to the list of Bonds for my Moneypenny Monday meme.

Yada Yada Yada

2005-10-11T00:07:00.000+08:00

My sister was watching Mickey Mouse & Friends on Disney Channel while I ate lunch the other day. I decided to watch along with her. There was nothing particularly unusual about the episode we were watching. There was good ol' Mickey Mouse teaching Minnie how skate. There was Goofy...goofy as always, and of course, Donald (my favorite in the lot) who was once again out to experience another bad hair day.

I was watching in my normal leisurely manner when it suddenly hit me--those 4 Disney characters bear uncanny similiarities to the 4 main characters of Seinfeld. I was watching the sitcom earlier that day and watching Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy reminded so much of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer (in that order).

Jerry, like Mickey, is the main character after whom the show is named. We all know that Mickey's love interest is Minnie and though Jerry shares a generally platonic relationship with Elaine throughout the show's run, the two characters did date prior to the show's pilot.

George is so Donald. George's violent emotional outburts, reactions to his seemingly hapless existence, are so similar to the loud and angry quacking of Donald Duck whenever something aggravates him (which happens often).

Kramer, for me, is the character who most resembles his Disney counterpart. The parallelisms between them amuse me. They're both tall and gangly. They both take life in a pretty positive way. Both get into trouble a lot, but the easy-going and optimistic manner in which they deal with those problems manage to get them out of those situations alive. They're both...well, goofy.

Maybe I should do a paper on this...

Just to set the record straight...UP ako

2005-09-30T16:03:00.000+08:00

I just realized recently that a number of people think that I go to Ateneo. Me. Me of all people. Just to set the record straight, I go to UP Diliman. It's not that I have anything against Ateneo. It's just that Ateneo might not want other people to think that they breed bozos like me. That's all. :)

Lassie Come Home

2005-09-29T21:53:00.001+08:00

I finally have a car of my own. Woohoo!

It's my late grandfather's ol' bronze Ford Laser. His name is Lassie. It was shipped from Bacolod, and now it's back in the streets of Diliman, it's hometown. It's radio system is so retro! You know those radios controlled by knobs? The ones that aren't digital and have this thin red stick moving from left to right as you turn the knob? It has that! Now I remember that episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? where the haunted old car tuned the radio by itself to a frequency that doesn't exist. Mwhahahaha....

www.themarcalapost.tk

2005-09-07T00:46:00.000+08:00

The Marcala Post is now up. It's still under minor construction, but we'll soon be posting on it.

The Marcala Post is your access guide to the cinema of the region and beyond. For film reviews, gossip, and information, log on to www.themarcalapost.tk.

Think Ebert & Roeper...with a touch of Olivia.

Moneypenny Monday

2005-08-15T23:00:00.000+08:00

I was able to acquire a second-hand copy of Ian Fleming's Thunderball yesterday for 50 pesos. It's in very good condition. Thunderball is technically the first Bond book adapted from a Bond screenplay, though it was published 4 years before the movie was actually made.

I'm not going to plays six degrees for today. It's pretty late, and I'm quite tired. I'll probably play next week. I want to write, but I can't. It's a pity because today was also a very interesting day. Oh well...

Happy Assumption Day!

Friday Flashback: 1975

2005-08-05T19:09:00.000+08:00

On this day in the 1970's

Stevie Wonder signed a 7-year, $13 million contract with Motown. It was, at that time, the largest contract ever in recording industry history.

Friday Flashback: 1975

2005-07-15T18:09:00.000+08:00

The Soyuz 19 and Apollo 18 are launched. They rendezvous 2 days later.

Do you know anything that happened on this day in the '70s?

"July 15 Events in History." Brainy History. 15 Jul 2005 <http://www.brainyhistory.com/days/july_15.html>.

Spam

2005-07-12T22:31:00.000+08:00

Spam has now grown more complex and has even penetrated so deeply into our personal computer systems that they (referring to those scheming yet awesomely talented spammers) actually know a few personal stuff about us.

Take, for example, this spam message I got a few days ago. Yahoo! immediately filtered it out, but it's interesting to note that it is, by far, the most eye-catching spam I've ever received. It was an email from a certain Thaddeus Oliver with the subject, "FW: Receive all da pherma prods you naed to-day assumption." Interesting, no? Let me dissect this for you. Let's analyze it like we're in CW 10.

Thaddeus has a variant spelling with one "d." For you M.D. fans out there, Thadeus Ragan played Trent Lloyd, St. Joseph Medical Center's hot intern. Oliver may refer to many personalities. Jamie Oliver. Oliver Twist. Another angle would be the fact that Oliver is the male version of the name "Olivia," which would definitely refer to Olivia Ledesma...or Olivia Newton-John.

"Receive all da pherma..." da. Mr. Thaddeus Oliver must be Jamaican. Ah! A clever allusion to my being a reggae fan.

"...pherma prods..." prods. This is definitely a reference to Patty Rodriguez. I nicknamed Patty "P-Rod" in 1st year high school. I patterned it after New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez's "A-Rod" moniker. When Patty created yet another Yahoo! account, she dropped the dash, resulting in "prod."

"...you naed..." Okay. This part is just pathetic. "Naed" is not even a word, and don't try tricking me with the Greek "a" after "e" thing. It just reminds me of my little sister who used to spell "head" as "haed."

"...to-day assumption..." I don't understand the dash between the word "today." It sounds so Medieval nursery rhyme-ish. In closer analysis, this dash may be the dash that was missing in the word "prod." The author may be emphasizing a connection between these to words. Maybe Mr. Oliver wants me to call Patty up today. It's too late then because the "today" referred to in the mail is now a day gone by. Finally, the reference to my alma mater is clearly and explicitly stated in the email subject.

Now apparently, two days after that, I received another spam message, this time from Ray Youngblood. The subject was almost identical. "FW: Receive all the pherma prods you naed to-day aspartic." Hmm... "Ray" may refer to the Ray Charles biopic Ray. "Youngblood" probably refers to the Philippine Daily Inquirer section that I've been meaning to contribute to. I don't even know what "aspartic" means. Is that even a word? Hold on, let me check...Okay, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, aspartic acid (in Biochemistry) is "an acidic amino acid present in many proteins and in sugar cane, important in the metabolism of nitrogen in animals and also acting as a neurotransmitter." Whatever that means. The only words that mean anything to me there are "sugar" and "cane." I remember gnawing on sugar canes in Bacolod.

That's spam according to me.

Moneypenny Monday: Albert II of Monaco

2005-07-11T18:38:00.000+08:00

6 Degrees of James Bond

This week's chosen one is Prince Albert II of Monaco, who will be officially invested tomorrow as Monaco's new ruler. A few days ago, he confirmed through his lawyer that the son of Togolese stewardess Nicole Coste is in fact his son. You can all read about that somewhere else.

Prince Albert was an extra in the film One Man's Hero. The movie starred Tom Berenger.
Berenger played a sergeant in Oliver Stone's Platoon. The movie also featured young Johnny Depp as a private.
Depp starred opposite Antonio Banderas in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
Banderas lent his voice as Puss In Boots in Shrek 2. The title character was voiced by Mike Myers.
Myers played Austin Powers in the Austin Powers movies. Michael Caine played his father in Austin Powers in Goldmember.
Caine aka Sir Maurice Micklewhite starred opposite Sir Roger Moore in the comedy Bullseye!

Friday Flashback: 1978

2005-07-08T21:11:00.000+08:00

On this day in the 1970's

At the 92nd Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Bjorn Borg beat Jimmy Connors (6-2, 6-2, 6-3).

Do you know anything that happened on this day in the '70s?

"July 8 Events in History." Briany History. 8 Jul 2005 .

The July Common Cold

2005-07-06T11:58:00.002+08:00

Titles edited May 27, 2009

I have a cold right now. You know…the colds that come with phlegm. I hate it. I'd accept it if it made my voice temporarily raspy, allowing me to sing in a beautiful, husky tone, but it doesn't. I am so annoyed right now because I don't fully understand my Math lesson in modular arithmetic because I had to blow my nose all the way through the last Math session. I used up a roll of tissue paper, making those icky, nose-blowing sounds that have probably grossed out my seatmates forever. And you know what's funny? This happens every year! It always comes during school opening season! And you know what's even funnier? My sickness reaches its peak during Math class! Unbelievable! I was thinking this through on a jeepney ride home, and I have concluded that the main reason for this sickness is the season. It just rained non-stop yesterday. I probably encountered every kind of mud and rain puddle yesterday, rushing to catch my next class a la UP Mountaineers. I used to think that the reason why I would get sick every start of the school year was because of Makati pollution. I thought that after 2 months of fresh-aired summer in QC, I'd get bombarded with all sorts of urban diseases in Makati (no offense, folks), resulting in my sickness. If that were true, however, why then would I be sick again now that I'm in UP? This has led me to conclude that the only common factor between both scenarios is that they both occur during the rainy season. The common Math class factor only heightens the sickness because both my AC Math classroom and my UP Math classroom are air-conditioned. In conclusion, I will bring a sweater tomorrow.

Moneypenny Monday: Clive Owen

2005-07-04T16:23:00.000+08:00

6 Degrees of James Bond

This week's chosen one is Clive Owen. He also happens to be one of the rumored Bond candidates. He actually reminds me of George Lazenby.

Clive starred in last year's Closer with Julia Roberts.
Roberts starred opposite Albert Finney in Erin Brockovich.
Finney played old Ewan McGregor in Big Fish, which also starred Helena Bonham Carter.
Bonham Carter starred in Howards End with Anthony Hopkins.
Hopkins played Catherine Zeta-Jones's real father in The Mask of Zorro.
Catherine Zeta-Jones starred opposite Sean Connery in 1999's Entrapment.

Monkey Man!

2005-07-02T16:37:00.000+08:00

I was riding an Ikot jeep last week on my way to the Main Lib. The jeep passed through C.P. Garcia, the road that goes straight to Katipunan. Suddenly, the driver stopped the jeep in front of a sari-sari store along the road. He ordered Sarsi from the tindera. Feeling drive-thru. Now, I didn't really notice the whole thing because I thought that he stopped because this peculiar-looking man was blocking the way on the road.

It was Monkey Man.

Monkey Man, as I have dubbed him based on a character in Hey Arnold!, was a poor, skinny fellow dressed as a superhero. Out of scrap pieces of cloth, our modern-day urban warrior fashioned a pathetically respectable superhero costume. He cut out eyeholes on a piece of cloth and wore this as his headgear. He took a dirty, starched, green cloth and used it as a cape. He also wore the signature superhero grin on his face. If I remember correctly, I think he even had gloves.

At first, I was terrified. Upon sight of him, I secretly clutched my Bronco self-defense spray in my bag. You never know. He's mental for crying out loud! He was throwing punches at the electric post! How was I sure he wasn't going to suddenly grab me from the jeepney window, thinking I was the reincarnation of his arch-nemesis, Dr. Doom?

Although I was scared at that moment, I now look back at that incident with laughter and fondness. I don't know if he's really harmless, but he was a sight to behold. Apparently, Monkey Man is a common sighting for Ateneans who take that route. They've already dubbed him as "Batman." I don't know about you, but I refuse to call him "Batman." Bruce Wayne was the sole heir to the Wayne family fortune, allowing him access to the finest and most hi-tech gadgets around. Hey Arnold!'s Monkey Man, however, had nothing but his undying passion to fight crime and banish evil from the city streets...and a verbal twitch.

So, if you happen to pass through C.P. Garcia and see a strange bozo walking around in a homemade costume, you now know that it's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's Monkey Man.

Friday Flashback: 1973

2005-07-01T17:17:00.000+08:00

On this day in the 1970's

Jesus Christ Superstar ended its run in New York City after 720 Broadway performances.

Do you know anything that happened on this day in the '70s?

"On-This-Day.com - July 01." The History of Today. 1 Jul 2005 .

Moneypenny Monday: Bo Bice

2005-06-27T17:22:00.000+08:00

6 Degrees of James Bond

Moneypenny Monday: 6 Degrees of James Bond is a new meme that I've come up with which will, obviously, be a regular Monday occurrence in my blog. Named after my favorite Bond girl (yes, I consider her a Bond girl), Moneypenny Monday will feature, every week, a chosen one whom I will link to James Bond by 6 degrees. By James Bond, I mean the character itself, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, or Pierce Brosnan. I have a feeling someone will be added to the list soon because, just a while ago, there was this headline in Yahoo! Entertainment on the next James Bond.

This week's chosen one is Bo Bice.

Bo Bice finished 2nd in this season's American Idol. Paula Abdul is one of the show's regular judges.
Paula Abdul provided her voice in this year's Robots. Paul Giamatti also lent his voice for one of the characters in the film.
Paul Giamatti played a sergeant in Saving Private Ryan which also starred Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks played Carrie Fisher's husband in The 'Burbs.
Carrie Fisher starred in 1977's Star Wars as Princess Leia. Her character was rescued by Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford.
Harrison Ford last played Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade where Sir Sean Connery played his father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.

Feel free to post your own attempts in the comments section. If you have any chosen ones in mind, feel free to dare me.

University Life 101

2005-06-26T14:42:00.000+08:00

Well, I finally got to update my blog's theme. As some of you may know, I change my blog's design every season. The first one had a red & purple theme. The second one had a mod '60s look. The third one had a Rasta summertime feel to it. This one? It's kind of like another funky '60s design. I guess the second one was early '60s. This one's more of the late '60s.

I always get so revved up when I redesign my blog. In the course of the season though, I slow down and barely post.

It's been more than 2 weeks since my university life started. It's been great. Even emotional. I've been dreaming of this moment ever since I pushed my Oxford dreams aside and dreamt more realistically. It's very moving to see your dreams come true before your very eyes.

I've enjoyed all the commuting and walking, but I must admit I get really tired. It's hard to relate everything that I've been through for the past few weeks, but here's a peek of what it's been like for me.

I wake up Monday morning at 7:15. I take a bath and get dressed. I watch Friends on ETC while I eat breakfast. If the van arrives at 8 am from Assumption, I ask the driver to drop me off at AS. My first class, Kas 1 under Prof. Jaime Veneracion, at 8:30 is at the topmost floor of AS. By the time I reach my classroom, I've probably already lost a pound. I was first annoyed that I had to take Philippine History in Filipino, but apparently, our professor speaks English more often. In fact, I don't think he's ever taught in Filipino yet.

After the class, I have an hour and 30-minute break starting at 10am. I usually walk around to mask the fact that I'm a loner most of the time. I have a block, and that's where I met my posse, but except for Jazmine in Math 2 and that girl in CW10, I don't really have classes with my blockmates. Suffice it to say, blocks in UP really don't mean anything aside from the fact that it provides the freshman with a group to get to know. Other than that, you're really on your own. You have classes with total strangers from upperclasses.

After wandering around aimlessly, pretending that I have somewhere to go to so I wouldn't look like a loner (my posse and I rarely meet because we have different classes and breaks), I attend Math 2 under Prof. Natividad in one of my 2 air conditioned classrooms. I'm so happy I took Math 2. Math 2 is Practical Mathematics, and it involves the different mathematical concepts that take place in nature (i.e., the lives of bees, the number of seeds in a sunflower, etc.). They say it's much more fun than Math 1. Well, I'm just happy I'm not taking the dreaded Math 17.

That's pretty much Mondays for me. That's also my Thursday schedule.

Tuesdays and Fridays are another story. Those are my "hell" days. I have four subjects, which include P.E. I'm glad I have no classes the following day.

My first class also starts at 8:30, so I have a daily regimen. On these days though, I eat breakfast with Hey Arnold! on Nickelodeon. The driver drops me off this time at the College of Arts and Letters. I have English 12 under Prof. Rivera there. I took this class, World Literatures, because I thought it would be fun. It's great and all, but it's boring sometimes. Plus, it doesn't help that I had to go all the way to Powerbooks Greenbelt to purchase the Robert Fitzgerald translation of Homer's Iliad and finish the book (2 inches thick) in two weeks which would have been useless anyway because it wasn't discussed in detail. What's cool though is that the next class in the same classroom is Mikey Atienza's Medieval Literature class.

I have an hour break before another gruelling session of archery. Yes, archery. The sport that many of my friends don't even consider a sport. My old bow was much lighter than the bows we use now, so my previous experiences with this sport pretty much don't matter at all. He's gotten us doing push-ups and handstands with our bow arms. As of this moment, I am still nursing my sore muscles. Next sem, I might just decide to take chess, Scrabble, or scuba diving instead...then again...

After sweating my way through an hour of archery, I get an hour-long respite before my next class. An unfortunate and interesting thing happened to me last Friday. After PE, I rode a jeep to the library to meet up with a CW10 classmate because we had to write a poem for our groupwork. Before the meeting, I changed into a new red shirt. While discussing the poem, he points out that I'm wearing red. He then informs me of the Red Shirt Day thingy of the anti-Arroyo rallyists. They had posted the previous days that those who were going to join the rally should wear red. I slapped my head. Dagnab it!! Now everyone's going to think I joined the rally. In one of my grossest moments, I decided that I had no choice and changed back into my sweaty white shirt. I want to remain apolitical and neutral here! You must understand! Of all colors to decide on, why red? Because it's a Communist thing? Of all days to decide on this "Red Shirt day," why Friday? Of all shirts to pick, why did I pick this?

Afterwards, I went off to my next class. After waiting for an eternity for a Toki jeep, I decided to walk. Luckily, I encountered a Toki on my way. My next class is Physics 10 or Physics for Pedestrians. The course title make Jess Qua Hiansen laugh. Here's a funny (but annoying for me) story: They informed us that Phys 10 would be in Palma Hall Rm 4234. Expecting it to be at the topmost floor (4th floor), I went up and maybe lost a pound again. A few minutes before our first meeting, I couldn't find the room. I immediately switched into panic mode. After asking the guard and the people at the Freshman Assistance Booth, I found out that it's in a whole different building that's somehow still considered part of the AS Building. After running to the room (I thought I was late), I took my seat in a, luckily, air conditioned room. After waiting for 30 minutes, we realized that the professor isn't coming. In UP, you're given a 15-minute grace period. The professor is given a 30-minute grace period. If after 30 minutes, he or she is not there, you all can leave. This went on for 3 meetings. No prof. No classes. It was only 15 minutes before our 4th meeting that I saw this announcement saying that our class was transferred to the new NIP building. This was bad because I didn't know where the new NIP was, and when I found out where it was, it happened to be in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, I made it in time. I, and most of my classmates, then realized that they've been having meetings there already for the past 3 meetings. Aargh! Well, it's been a fun class. It's all about astronomy which I've always loved. I had my first quiz in UP in this subject. What makes this class horrible however is that, right after, I have CW10 in CAL which is all the way in the middle of UP. Remember, the new NIP is even farther than the Math Building (which is, as I have said, in the outskirts of Diliman). Worse, my CW10 class is on the 5th floor!!! For the love of--! And somehow, Carlo Alonzo, my Physics 10 instructor who looks like Jimmy Fallon, gets carried away with his subject and dismisses us on time. Some profs arrive 15 minutes late and dismiss you 15 minutes ahead of time, but noooo! Not Jimmy Fallon! Well, it's not his fault really. It's just my bad luck.

CW10 or Creative Writing for Beginners was one subject that I thought would be tremendous fun; however, I've been hating it lately. Francis Martinez, our instructor, chose Poetry as our first topic. This is bad because I don't like poetry. I don't enjoy reading it, and the more I hate writing it. I'm more of a prose person. Anyway, we're having narratives in the next half of the sem, so there's still hope.

CW10 ends at 4. By the time I reach home (by commuting), I could barely move...but you know what? It was all fun.