Much A-d'oh About Cloning

Hey, my first (I think) op-ed blogger entry. Am turning into (ugh) a regular blogger!

A new-agish guru with a UFO recently announced they successfully created the first cloned human. As fascinating (and naturally unbelievable as this sounds since this nutjob's not offering any proof save his word--and we all know how credible a guy who owns a UFO can be) as this sounds, in terms of practicality I'd place this scientific event along with teaching apes sign language and breeding stripeless zebras. Sure, it sounds cool (well maybe not the stripeless zebra) but now what?

What practical use does human cloning have at present? Organ harvesting? No more rejections for that heart, kidney or hand transplant, sure, but unless scientists have also mastered accelarated growth, what use would for a 70-year-old man have for fresh, 1-year-old heart? What about full human reproduction? Why? Has the present from of procreation become so abhorrent? Sheesh, even people in Star Trek are shown (thought not literally) having sex and making babies the old fashioned way!

Nope, seems these scientists cloned a human just because they could. They didn't have to do it, nobody demanded another person be brought into this already overpopulated planet, and Dolly the cloned sheep wasn't looking for a playmate. I half-expect Jeff Goldblum to barge into their labs wearing his trademark (at least in Jurassic Park) black shirt, pants, leather jacket and shades and give 'em hell.

Xmas Gifts and Pains

Forgot to mention: my brother Wilson and wife Jocelyn arrived from Hong Kong and made it to the Xmas party on the 24th. They got me the Stomp Out Loud DVD and a couple of VCDs for Pa. Sis got me an electric toothbrush while Boit gave me 50 blank CDs. No more swiping from his drawer, then. Everyone else gave cash. Sweet.

Yesterday 5-Kim held a Xmas lunch party at her house in Marianas, underestimating the number of guests that would arrive. After finishing off her lamb chops and steaks she finally had a can of Spam opened just to accomodate the appetites. Wilson brought carrot cake. Since 5-Kim and the kids were heading off to Naga later that evening so Ma decided to take everyone out to Gloria Maris for dinner. Parking wasn't too difficult, but the place was packed, nonetheless. We ended up with tables in the farthest section on the 2nd floor because someone was celebrating his 90th birthday in the main dining area. Ran into Irene Uy (who's now working at SJCS's administration office), Marilyn Abella and Aranet Cheng (who's now sporting a Manchurian-style pigtail). While conversing with the ladies I was carrying my niece Mia. I didn't know how long that took, and I know I was using my left arm to support her but for some reason my right shoulder is kiling me. The pain is similar to what I experienced a few months ago, minus the crooked stance and sore neck. The self-applied BenGay and massage last night helped, which is more than I can say for those painkillers I took.

Xmas Come and Xmas Go

This Xmas was bittersweet for 2 reasons. First: when 5-Kim and family arrived from Canada they didn't bring any of the comics I ordered online...since May. That's a lotta books. Second: Albert dropped off my Ebay item I ordered -- A Bug's Life DVD. Unfortunately I ordered the regular edition when I wanted the Collector's Edition (stupid Golden Collection label). When you're as picky as me when it comes to original DVDs you'd appreciate the world of difference that distinction makes. (Argh! Paid $15.50 for that thing, free shipping notwithstanding.)

The cellphone text greetings from friends helped, plus the phone calls to Rachelle (who's sporting a nasty sore throat) and Cheryl (who broke up with her boyfriend). Our annual Xmas party went off without a hitch. No games this year, though. Just a lot of wine drinking. Man, does my head hurt. Think I'll go check on the presents.

"IN-sert...in-SERT..."

Rachelle and I just finished the last half of the language CD for Mike Lim. This project consisted or pronouncing single words, then words that sound alike. I was surprised to learned the "correct" pronunciations of words I used to take for granted. Can't remember any of them at the monent, though. Oh, well. Forty-two pages (I did odd and Rachelle even pages) and 2 sessions later we did it. Much better than the first CD where the enunciated conversations had me sounding like Stephen Hawking.

After this a group of DLSU ComArts students want to hire me to voice their animation (thesis) project. I'm set to play an chicken egg named... Egg. All animal characters. Noticed a few plot holes in the script, but hey, I'm the talent, not the defense panelist.

Weekend Update

Saturday: Nothin'.
Sunday: Attended b-day party of my cousin Ogi's daughter Karina, who turned 5. Good food, sorbetes for desert and I even got to paint plaster Santas, which I wouldn't have done had I no been bored out of my skull. Afterwards we stopped over at home so Boit could pick up his swimming trunks, then along with Sis and her kids went to Wilson's place for a little pool recreation. Well, them, anyway, not me. I opted to just have the Shakey's cheese 'n' garlic pizza Jocelyn ordered. Surprise of the evening: an email from long lost in Spain friend Carol Chua a day after I wrote her. A day. If you knew her you'd appreciate the significance of this.

Everybody Be Shoppin'...!

Went to Virramall this afternoon for a little Xmas shopping. First I got some hairclips for my niece Mia. Second stop: watch repairman to get a new battery for my Swatch (ironically out of stock at Gift Gate's Swatch booth). Some comics on stop number 3 (this month's Doom Patrol, first 2 issues of Superman/Batman Generations 2, last 2 chapters of Garth Ennis' Spider-Man's Tangled Web storyline and Captain Marvel #33), then long and winding search for a MIDI cable to give to Rachelle that finally bore fruit at Brochure (800 bucks!). On the bus ride home I stopped by SM Centerpoint for a snack at Wendy's and bought a set of "semi-panties" (as if regular panties didn't lack enough fabric) for Sis. There was a brief (no pun intended) awkward moment when the casheier asked me if the panties were mine. After the brief awkward moment I realized she was asking in terms of whether I was the purchaser, as opposed to user of the box of underwear. Had the aforementioned box not already been placed in their standard SM shopping bag it could've gotten...awkward. Anyhoo, I ended the day with a haircut. Damn newbie barber never listens when I tell him to go easy on the crown area. I already have a receding hairline, you idiot, so why make it more conspicuous? I still tipped him, anyway.

Credit Where Credit's Due, or I Spent HOW Much?

Took Aimee Uy out for a birthday lunch at the Mylk restaurent in Greenbelt 3. When she informed her fiance Richard Chong via text message and his replies were, "Why?" and, "Don't do it again." Geez, protective much? They're already getting married next July and it's not like the guy's got any reason to be jealous. Anyhoo, the food was so-so, the bill not so-so and dessert definitely so NOT (as I found out when I ate it at home).

Sometimes I scare myself with how much money I spend online. I just checked and I've spent close to ten thousand bucks in the past 3 months on comics and DVDs alone. A couple of days ago I was experiencing trouble making an online credit card payment on Ebay. I checked and my credit balance seemed fine. Turns out I didn't account for the online purchases I made on Discount Comic Book Service, my favorite online comic store before I had the advantage of Ebay (and Jeffrey Co's California home as a shipping address). The fact that DCBS sent a couple of books via the expensive UPS (note to self: don't put "ASAP" in future requests for shipping the books) to the California address didn't help.

I just cleared my bidding watchlist for the rest of the year, but not before winning the Planetary Vol. 2 hardcover. Geez, I'm turning into a shopaholic. Think I'll opt for monthly shipping from DCBS, and a separate credit card, as well.

Voices Off

Busy day yesterday. I went to DLSU for a voiceover job Rachelle managed to get for me and herself, a English language lesson series produced by Mike Lim for his "client," a Chinese student. I arrived an hour early (12 noon) to have lunch with Eileen at Pancake House (she mentioned something about Carol coming home for good from her waitressing job in Spain). Afterwards she showed me her office in the College of Saint Benilde's student publications, which she heads. We met up with Rachelle as she came in CSB (she later gave me Christmas gift and a friendship band she got during her vacation in Baguio last week, though I've yet to buy her that MIDI cable she wants) and finally went to see Mike at the multimedia room where he was in a thesis defense panel. The thesis students being "grilled" made a website for what looked like a "CrossGen" alternative story world, where local comic writers or artists can submit and read their stuff. Long story short: the website sucked, their students ill-prepared to answer Mike's questions, and they have to re-defend their thesis.

After all of that Mike, Rachelle and I headed for DLSU's Miguel Building (ah, the old homestead) for the 3pm recording that should've started at 1, but then again I'm just hired help so who am I to complain? We had some hilarious moments while recording and finding out I was actually reading a female part. Sometimes the conversation pieces read like the prelude to a porn flick ("Could you help me? The zipper on my blouse got caught."), and it came to pieces that needed 3 people, Rache and I took turns changing our voices, with her laughing at mine more than I did hers. Hey, it isn't easy changing character voices without the benefit of a exaggerated accent. The session went on 'til 9, no breaks, and we managed to finish the conversation book, but there was still the word pronounciation manual. Since Mike had a deadline and couldn't make use of the room again before that (and that fact that Rache and I were paid in full and thus obligated to finish this), I volunteered the use of my office's recording room for next week. Good thing I have a handle on the Edit Pro program. Got home around 10 minutes before 10, and X-Files was a rerun.

Worst Suspect

Couple of days ago I couldn't find my Moulin Rouge DVD. I was running out of "suspects" (Sis already watched it here and Wilson already borrowed and returned it before) and in a state of paranoia wondered if anyone who attended Ma's birthday party 2 weeks ago might have taken it. I asked Wilson again if he's sure he didn't have it again. That time he said "I don't know." Very helpful. Not.

This morning (a holiday, as we're "celebrating" the last day of Ramadan) Aissa informs me that the DVD's been found. Turns out it was with Wilson and he just brought it back today. I called him a schitzo.

Party Night and Day

Last night I met up with Charmaine, DJ and Vince at Glorietta 4 for a little birthday dinner for 'Dee and Vince (her birthday was on the 27th, Vince's tomorrow). Pazzo pasta restaurant was our first choice but we finally decided on Soul Food at Greenbelt 3. The walk across to Gr3 was amusing in itself because Dee volunteered to drive us there (she hates walking). We already ordered when Becca and Victor finally showed up (nanny came through at the last minute). Food wasn't great, but it hardly mattered for me 'coz the company the the jokes and conversations more that made up for it. A minor lack of transportation emergency was averted when Vince offered to drive me home. After a few pictures were taken we parted ways, save for me and 2 birthday celebrants as we had a nightcap at Starbucks.

This morning I called up Joy for help in choosing a Broadway CD on Ebay for her gift. (Her birthday's on the 27th, too). Somehow the conversation turned to me meeting her (and her old college friend Nicole Cue) for lunch at Gr3. Problem was I already packed (and ate) lunch, so I just watched both of them have pasta and oysters (I had 1 of the latter). I think the plan was that I treat her to lunch, but Joy said since I didn't order anything she'd pay and I get her a CD at MusicOne. Got her the Sunset Blvd. 2-CD set. Though I had to rush back to the office (I asked Rachelle and Vince to come in for a few voice icon recordings) the traffic forced me to walk back (a first for me). Once again I took advantage of Vince's generosity (and access to a car) as he offered to drive me to the MRT station after work.

Hey, I'm on TV! Don't Look!

So while trying to get a ride home (just got off the MRT QC station) I noticed a cameraman and a reporter for NBN 4 standing by the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue. Part of me was hoping that they were there to cover the traffic violations being committed by the commuter buses that picked up passengers at the corner "no loading/ unloading" area (w/c, strangely enough, wasn't happening today, probably because said drivers noticed a cameraman and reporter standing on the corner). When she approached me (eep!) I found out that they getting "man on the street" opinions on the recent bribery allegations of Congressman/ fatcat Mark Jimenez to Secretary of Justice Hernando Perez. With my allocated 20 seconds I said Congressman's Jimenez's timing for his "bombshell" was suspicious as the man was scheduled for extradition to the US (on charges of making illegal campaign contributions to the Clinton administration); and since he said that he had the information for quite some time now, why wait so long before revealing it? In hindsight I should've mentioned an article I read earlier today on the Hong Kong bank where Jimenez said Secretary Perez deposited the bribe money denied that Perez was a client of theirs, and no such deposit was made. Slipped my mind, though.

Later that evening NBN 4's 2-hour news broadcast Tele Dyaryo (as a goverment-owned station it had plenty of airtime to fill and kill) showed my piece and my face, scarred nose and all. Ugh. My voice my still deep, and my head big. Good thing everyone (save Annie and I who watched it in the office) else was either having dinner or watching Who's Line Is It, Anyway?

Date Another Day

So Wilson once again drops free premiere tickets on me on the same night the movie's screening, and I again scramble to find someone to watch it with. Finally it came down to a guy, my friend Aldwin from the China Group. So it was off to Robinson's Galleria to watch Die Another Day. Once again I almost go deaf from the THX sound. Over the top movie, too, but not too brainless.

Ma's B-day

Ma's birthday party tonight was pretty successful. Lots for people, lots of food, lots of kids... man, it was like our annual Xmas party, only a month early. Good thing there wasn't anything good on television tonight, 'coz I wouldn't have been able to watch.

Birthdays Galore

For lunch if was at 4-Tsiak Cong's house for his 90th birthday. The midday heat reminded me why we prefer doing this at night. As for 4-Tsaik Cong, he's having difficult recognizing faces, not because of senility but of poor eyesight. Well, at least his mind's still sharp. For dinner it was at the EDSA Shangri La for Alan Hao Chin's grandfather's 83rd birthday (though for some reason the birthday candles were an '8' and '2'). In both events we had buffet meals. All this and I still failed to call up Rachelle to congratulate her for winning in the recent KATHA music awards.

Stange Dreams and Santa Claus

Weird dream last night (is there any other kind?), this one a result of watching too much Malcolm in the Middle and reading Green Arrow before bedtime. This one involved Reese fixing up the landscape from the side yard (the stoney side) and making a terrace all the way to the back yard. I panicked because any nutcase could now go over the back wall. And just like that a nut comes in, bow and arrow in hand. Jungle animals came in as well and I fought them off with water from the garden hose while screaming for Pa. Enter Pa with with his bow and arrow, shooting at the nutcase. I'd try remembering what happened next but it's too weird.

Delivery guys just dropped off a 5-foot Santa Claus statue, courtesy of 3-Ku. I assume it's made of resin because it's so light, which was more than I could say for the packaging-- big-ass box with enough newspapers too mummify The 3 Stooges. Now there's the question of where to place it since Boit moved his TV cabinet into the old living room. And then there's the Xmas tree on the second floor. Yup, this house is getting crowded.

Lights Out, Get Inside

By tonight a curfew in Manila will be enforced. Minors are to be off the streets between 10PM and 4AM. How cops will manage to keep track and round up all those street gangs, prostitutes, beggars and drunk school kids is something even Batman would go nuts trying to figure out. Exempted from the curfew are night school students and employees (prostitutes?). Also, this curfew is only from Sundays to Thursdays, which means those punk wannabe kids can still spoil the Malate club scene on weekends.

This evening's event has just concluded...

...and it was lively and intimate, mainly because there were only 5 of us: Barbara Ng, Lisabelle and her husband Gilbert Teng, Rafael Young and myself. Illness and work precluded the attendance of the other expected guests, but that's okay. We had fun nonetheless.

Tonight was supposed to be for Barbara, who came in from Australia this Halloween for a vacation. This would be the first time I'd see her in person. Dinner was my spaghetti and Tramway food. Dessert was cake from Lisabelle and Bebot. Evening's entertainment was old high school Senior Year videos (man, were we skinnny back then). Sheryll called to say hi and apologize for not being able to attend, which was a lot more than what everyone else who couldn't make it did.

Sorry, last minute bitching. Well, more food for lunch tomorrow.

Something's Missing

The Inquirer's 2BU! section (for teenagers) today featured gays in society. Gay movies, books about gays written (probably) by gays, how gays are portrayed in contemporary mass media, "How do you know you're gay," etc. All these topics of seeming interest (not to me) and yet not a single written word by its "silent mascot" Tim Yap. You'd think the most prominent gay writer of 2BU! would submit at least one piece even if it's not Thursday yet. Don't ask, don't tell, I guess.

Post Weekend Stuff

Boit and I woke up around 11AM, air conditioner still on. Without the 'rents, who usually come in the room and turn it off around 9AM, getting lazy's pretty easy. Not that there was anything to do. Weather was rainy, but Ma and Pa managed to come home safe and sound. They bought lots of stuffed animal toys (as opposed to real stuffed animals) for the kids, as well as real (decorated) ostrich eggs. The eggs felt like porcelain, but the smell and texture on the inside indicated they were the real deal. They got a couple of painted ones and a couple of blank ones for Boit and me to work on. Right, like my fabric paint's gonna see the light of day again for a hollow ostrich egg.

It was still early in the evening so I called up Barbara Ng to ask about the get-together our high school bathmates are suppose to be giving her. At first I got the impression that her accent was a cross between Austalian and California surfer, but as we conversed the thicker Australian accept crept in. She's been shopping the past few days, mostly for bootleg DVDs. If the party's held at my place I hope she brings a couple.

Pre and Current Weekend Stuff

Thursday: Trip to Manila Memorial was hot and I ended up with slight sunburn (i.e. red but not painful). No 'rents this time, just me, Boit, Bebot, Wilson and Jocelyn (with Francis driving). Food this year was improved as it came from my aunt and uncle's Tramway restaurant. Dropped by Mercury Drug (and dropped off Wilson and Jocelyn at The Landmark) because Boit needed some syringes to refill inkjet printer cartriges. Day was still young when we got home so I watched some Malcolm in the Middle episodes and Reservoir Dogs (finally).

Friday: Got up late, so I spent what was left of the morning watching the supplementary material of the Moulin Rouge DVD. After lunch I started updating the Batch web pages, particularly the photo galleries. Today (Nov. 2) was Aissa's birthday so she took us out for dinner at the new Italiannis at Greenbelt 2, where all the new "beautiful" people hang out nowadays. Saw Emerson Jao with my groupmate from Taiwan whose name escapes me (the one that hung around with Charlzen and Paul at the museum), as well as Mitch Katigbak. Achi and (entire) family was there so I introduced Mia and Hans to Mitch (sort of). While ordering Rachelle texted me to ask if I could tape tonight's episode of Six Feet Under. Obviously I wasn't home so I had to text Bebot (who was) and ask her. After dinner we walked around the park section, which is where I got the impression that this is where the new "beautiful" people hung out. With it's own Club Havana and Cafe Breton, it's like Malate, only cleaner and with more parking spaces. When we got home I found out Bebot set the VCR to Channel 37 (Cinemax) instead of 31 (HBO). I remedied it late so I'm afraid Rae's brother will have to watch 15 minutes of Carnosaur. Finall I was about to start this entry when Lisabelle Chan called up to ask about the reunion-in-the-making with Barbara Ng, who's here from Austalia. Told her nothing's set in stone as of yet but that I'll keep her informed. Did some catching up (she's 33 weeks pregnant), yadda yadda, and here I am.

Boo!

For a couple of days now my voice has been on the Touch Mobile voice icon selection, specifically the Halloween greeting. Rachelle provides the introduction (and "extro"duction afterwards) to the voice icon, then you hear my "monster voice" impression. Wasn't easy on the throat, lemme tell ya. Good thing it only took 2 takes. As always I can only brag about it here because no one I know even uses Touch Mobile.

Watch out for "Alyas"

Good news (for JJ Abrams fans) is ABS-CBN is airing Alias starting tonight. Bad news is it's in Tagalog. Sheesh, why does Channel 2 insist on copying Channel 7's "let's air Tagalized English language shows on primetime" scheme? It's fine for your upteenth Mexican soap opera or Japanese cartoon, but Alias ain't broke, so don't fix it. All I can say is I'm glad I watch it from Imesh.

Long Weekend

I actually went to the office yesterday to burn a CD. Being a VCD, it took about 4 and a half hours, which I passed by watching Not Another Teen Movie and the remaining episodes of the first season of Scrubs. I ate lunch at around 3 PM.

Today I joined Sis to Unimart to shop for food to start off her 3-Day Diet. Okay, it was Virramall for me where I purchased Transmetropolitan and Tangled Web trade paperbacks at a discount at Filbar's because they thought I was a member (wink wink), and 3 rolls of gauge 6 plastic wrap (the thickest I've bought so far) at National Bookstore. Hans was with us and with his hankering for noodles we stopped by Luk Yen's for lunch. Sis didn't like the food so we stopped by Jollibee at Ortigas afterwards. Our final stop was at SM Centerpoint where Sis bought lettuce while the rest of us passed the time making paper Jack o' lantern cutouts at the front of the mall where SM was holding a show. We missed out on seeing the Elmer's Glue Mascot and whether or not we (meaning I) won the jack o' lantern making contest. No biggie.

Sis and family (sans Herman) is spending the night here (Day 2) because her house has no water. Wilson's here (sans rest of his family) and as of this typing Boit's still not home. He spent the whole day in a booth for a Wedding Gala at the Mandarin Oriental hotel and called up earlier this evening to say he's gonna be home late because he has to work on a client's computer.

Nuthin' Much

It's Day One of my parent's vacation in South Africa. For the next 10 days they'll be going around Capetown, Sun City and whatever other tourist spot that's been featured on E's Wild On!

On an off note, my brother Boit pees in (proposition used with reservation) the toilet like a blind man. I read in comic book that the alkaline content in urine can damage the finish of a car's paint job. Who would've thought the same could be said of the paint job on a toilet seat. The man spatters so much I'd wish it were blood, 'coz I think that might be somewhat less disgusting to wipe off the seat when he's done. Apparently that Post It note to remind him to lift the seat isn't working.

Road Tripped

Yesterday I asked Charmaine to come to the TeleAd office for an emergency voiceover session of Halloween voice icons for Touch Mobile. After the taping she insisted I leave with her since she needed to go to QC. It was an hour earlier than my usual departure time, but a free ride's a free ride. Unfortunately we had to take the traffic-prome EDSA route. All it took was a navigation faux pas on my part (stupid overhead signs) for a cop to flag us down. Amazingly Dee was able to talk her way out of a ticket. (The fact that she had a get-out-of-trouble-free PNP "courtesy card" probably helped, too.)

For today it was Rachelle's turn at the mike. Same as Dee, she had to do pieces of a sexy voice and a hypnotist for the voice icons. It took several "meows" for her to get the sexy, Catwoman-like voice I was after but she did great. She was even nice enough to give me my long-delayed birthday gift (Stick, by Ellmore Leonard) and take me out to lunch afterwards. Strangely enough I lost the Pacific Star guest ID as well as my chance of getting my old DLSU ID back. Ah, well. Looked like I was choking in that picture, anyway.

Got to talk to Mona again, who sounded all pooped from all the wedding preparations she's been doing. The big event's for January 2003, and hopefully won't clash with my (parent's) plans of sending me to China for 6 months. She was looking for an emcee and wedding coordinator, so I recommended my friend from college Joy Alano.

Where IS Everbody?!?

I have this 3 Phone Call Rule for myself. The rule is: if the first 3 people you call on the phone aren't available, forget about calling the fourth, because chances are that person's not around, either. At times the thought depresses me to the point I want to kick myself for making such an effective rule. I've been given the Invisible Man treatment many times in my life and I hate it when it happens on a non-visual level. Not only am I being ignored by sight, but I'm not being heard, either. This is why I hate using ICQ or Yahoo Messenger, because I only get to see how many of my friends on NOT online when I am and vice-versa. And If both of us are online, there are times when chats become one-sided. It's been one of those weekends for me.

Then I had a dream this morning that I ran into the people I failed to contact last night (save one) in a restaurant. We got to mingle a little. I woke up happy. Not smiling or exhilrated, but definitely better than how I felt last night. Just goes to show you: when reality lets you down sometimes your subconscious cheers you up.

Oh, and for final(?) proof Aldwin's cousin Jen isn't interested: I texted her suggesting she pick a time and day for us to chat on the phone, since I've had no luck in that endeavor. No reply. Kind of rude.

Geddafuckoffalready!

I hate hurrying to catch a ride on the MRT only to discover once I get inside that the air conditioning is off. But that's what happened. I had about 15 seconds before the train doors closed and I'm sardined with the other sweaty passengers. Wuss that I am I didn't get off, but after some cranky old lady (maybe early 50's) got on at the first stop, I wish I had. She immediately chastised a young lady who was seated and trying to guilt her into giving up her seat for some other old lady. She went on and on about the posted courtesy signs, her "girl scout" days, questioning how the seated girl's parentage(!), and so on. I was not the target of her tirade but in that cramped space it was excruciating to endure, nonetheless. I tried to continue reading Kyle Baker's Why I Hate Saturn (funny stuff from Baker, as always) but found myself unable to even move one page. When I looked up and discovered we were only on our 3rd stop. With all the yakking that old b*tch did the trip seemed to go on forever. Thankfully she got off that stop as well, unsuccessful in her bid to unseat the young lady. Well, nyah, nyah! Bad enough I had to ride in a moving sauna without her using up precious oxygen? Would it have killed her to just ask the lady instead of going off on some self-righteous, holier-than-thou lecture about how Manny Pangilinan gave up his seat in the MRT? She may have meant well but her approach sucked.

Argh! Nngh!

The first "expletive" is because: On me and Ma's fist appointment with our physical therapist (guy, 'coz the girl's on leave) Ma decided to use my room for the session. I opened the windows to let the air in (as the PT smelled a little ripe). When I left the room a sudden cloudburst kicked in. When I went back to the room the floor and cabinet by the window (along with part of the couch, the coffe table and the fan) was soaked. Apparently "Twight" (yes, that's the PT's name) had trouble closing the windows and Ma couldn't help since she was hooked to some device. Lame as the excuse sounds, the damage was done. The floor was water-resistant, but not the cabinet. Water damage set in and now it looks like the way it did before: wrinkly and just plain bad.

The second "expletive" was for the workout regiment Twight gave me for strengthening my knees. Oy, once again muscles I never knew existed tightened and strained. I believe it may be the first time my calves are gonna be sore by tomorrow.

Today (and the Day Before)

Yesterday the family went to the See Compound in Lagmay, San Juan to attend the post-baptismal party of JohnX2 and Jen's son Matthew. Small affair, kinda like a backyard barbecue. We even came too early (that's what Ma gets for not calling ahead). As a "housewarming gift" I gave Johnx2 my copy of the JFK DVD (w/c turned out to be the regular version of the Director's Cut, not the one with all the extras). Later I borrowed a bunch of his bootleg DVDs, but not before previewing them first, and it's good that I did as a couple of them turned out to be defective.

Before heading home Ma and I dropped by SM Centerpoint. She got some shirts for Christmas and a new fruit peeler while I bought all the rolls of Dura Seal clear adhesive I could get my hands on. (Why take chances? They seem to come and go).

When I got home I tried to watch The Score DVD, but it turned out to be more defective than I thought. I then went for the "most likely boring" Mulholland Drive DVD. Man, talk about a mindf*ck. I swear David Lynch's brain could fill up its own X-File. I went in thinking Well, I've read enough Vertigo books to be able to sort out complicated storylines in my head. After Mulholland I realized I either needed to read more Vertigo books or just give up on comprehending Davind Lynch. To get over that experience I watched the less cerebral Jackie Chan flick The Accidental Spy (which coincidentally describes his role in the latest film The Tuxedo.)

Now for an update about Aldwin's cousin Jen: Getting her on the phone has proven to be difficult. Not sure if this is being done on purpose, but it wouldn't hurt if she herself volunteered a good time for me to call-- which she didn't and hasn't. This says to me that she may not be into this whole "getting acquainted" thing, at least not in her heart. Passing interest, maybe. When I mentioned I would try her e-mail instead she replies (it was a text convesation) she only checks it about once every 2 weeks. I'm a patient guy but I don't like being screwed around with.

* * * *

Today the family went to Makati Shangri-La for the first birthday party of cousin Jennie's and Jaime's son Jedrick. As with their first son Jeremy the party was like something reserved for royalty, the only difference being Jeremy's was in EDSA Shangri-La. Singer Jamie Rivera (and her kids) were guests! Unfortunately she didn't entertain and we just had a juggling unicyclist. Good buffet, though. Went straight home afterwards...well, me, anyway. Everybody else went out.

Do You Want Me to Know or Not?!?

Blogger is offering some kind of "an admin panel for Blog*Spot Plus sites that will allow you to, among other things (soon), password-protect all or part of your site." I think you have to pay to protect parts (or all) of you Blog page so some people won't be able to see. That puzzles me. I you don't want people to know your thoughts then what the @*$! are you placing them in here for? You want privacy in venting go see a shrink. And, guess what, they might even precribe you something for it.

In comics news, a all-female jury ruled in favor of Neil Gaiman in his suit against Todd McFarlane.

Even Busier the Next Day

Yesterday the annual Mooncake Dice Party for Ma's high school alumni chums was held. I wasn't as lucky here as I was last week at my cousin's game. Raymond (Aissa's husband) won the grand prize of 10 thousand, a portion of which he used later in that night when he treated us to dinner at Teriyaki Boy (Tomas Morato). Sightings included Frederick and Genevieve Yeo, cousin Edwin and Raymond Reaport (with their respective dates). During dinner I was busy corresponding via text with Aldwin's cousin Jen, whom Aldwin had been wanting to introduce me to in the past.

Busy Night

Two things were supposed to happen today. One: go to the launching of FCCY's latest album at Xavier school, then have dinner with Russell and Beth afterwards. EXCEPT Russ called last night and said they couldn't make it, so neither did I. Two: possibly watch the premiere of the new Jackie Chan movie The Tux with Boit (he was manning a wedding booth at Megamall and Aissa gave him a couple of tickets courtesy of Wilson). EXCEPT no one could take me to Megamall (not that I really wanted to, anyway, hence the previous "possibly"), so that idea was out.

In hindsight it's good I never left the house, otherwise I wouldn't have been around for the two other things that happened instead. One: Albert stopped by the house with all the Ebay stuff I ordered that Jeff's in-laws brought back from California. Sweet! Even the Fight Club DVD was among the packages! (Mental apology to "dashopping.") Two: After watching Ice Age (care of Imesh, because the Changing Lanes file turned out to be freaking Dungeons & Dragons) I caught the rat that's been running around the office. I trapped it with the floor rug just as it was about to escape through the sliding doors. I was like the kid with his finger in the dike as I waited for Pa to get a pair to long-nose pliers to grab the rat with. Instead he got the longsaw we use to cut the branches of the mango tree. I went to get some insecticide (Pa's idea), then Pa later got the wire cutters that looked like tongs. With the saw I ended up eviscerating the rat. In the end I put it in a plastic bag and tossed it over the other side of the house, only bag got caught on the barbed wire. Man, all this action and I've still got to get some exercise.

Hot as F#*%

I just came back from a workout at the gym, which was surprisingly more comfortable than this office, whose air conditioning system ran out of freon today, so now it's like summer with a blackout in here. (I would've used a sauna analogy but I've never been in one.)

As downloaded movies go I finished O Brother Where Art Thou last Saturday and Monty Python & the Quest for The Holy Grail this morning. Both were okay, but as for the latter in hindsight I'm glad I didn't win that Ebay auction for the DVD a month ago. As much as I like parodies for the most part jokes where they break the 4th wall don't work for me. Stick for ironies, double entendres (did I spell that right?) and sight gags but keep away from "Look, it's the narrator for the movie!" or "Hey that wasn't in the script" kind of dialogue. And as far as British humor goes they like a milk a single gag for all it's worth, thus dragging the joke longer than it should at times. It's almost as if the writers of Filipino sitcoms honed their "craft" by watching British comedies.

Finally I've been experiencing this dull ache in the part of my abdomen where my appendix should be. Been there since last Friday. Ruled out cramps from sit-up excercises. Hope it's not appendicitis. Besides, I haven't had the usual symptoms, like fever and nausea. Am now waiting for both, as well as loss of appetite and abdominal swelling. Do have constipation and cramps. Uh oh....

San Jose and Mooncakes

Last midnight I made a long distance call to my friend Dulcie, who's currently working in San Jose, California. At first she wouldn't accept the collect (well, it was an office). When she finally confirmed it was me she returned my call with a phone card, instead. Nice chat, and her English (and accent) has greatly improved. Wish I could say the same for her TV viewing habits (she watches "reality" shows and American Idol...shudder...).

Tonight the See family had a Mooncake Festival dice-throwing game at their place. I was surprised to have "wins" on all my dice throws (except for the ones where the prizes in that "category" ran out), which more than made up for the 500 bucks I still owe Ma as of this journal entry. Boit got the biggest (i.e. priciest) in the family with the foot massager. I'm not sure yet what to do with the medium-sized plastic container and the glass and pitcher set, but the bag of Chips Ahoy! and Grape Juice I'll keep.

Me Snooze Me Lose

For some time now I've been screwing around with this idea about a private detective who works in a land populated with fairy-tale characters. Hell, this was one of my ideas for a screenplay thesis. When DC Comics came out with Fables, a book about fairy-tale characters interacting with the real world, I wasn't discouraged. Their idea was similar, but nowhere near, mine. I wanted my own land, the animal characters to stay animals, make it more of a comedy than a mystery book, etc.

Then today I read this article in ComicBookResources.com:
MAX HAMM: FAIRY TALE DETECTIVE is a new book from cartoonist Frank Cammuso, who works a day job in New York State as an editorial cartoonist. This is a story about a place called Storybookland. Picture Roger Rabbit's Toon Town, but inhabited by Mother Good and the Grimm Bros.' fairy tale creatures and you have the idea. Our lead character is one Max Hamm, the owner of a private detective agency with his partner, Humpty Dumpty. Together, they run the Eggs and Hamm Detective Agency. But when the femme fatale, Li'l Bo Peep, loses her sheep, things get a bit hairy. And then the egg gets whacked, and things turn personal.

Man, what a piss-off. Hopefully this book is only a one-shot. I've either got to flesh out my ideas more or get an agent.

D'oh! TV

Whereas last weekend was spent as a Alias marathon, this weekend was devoted to The Simpsons. I just realized I'm only less than a dozen episodes away from having watched every single episode in all (at present) 13 seasons. That's more than I've done for any long running TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, included. Okay, I'll stop this line of thought now before I sound any geekier.

Tonight I was again chauffer for the 'Rents for yet another wedding reception for another "townmate" from China I don't even know. It was held at The Century restaurant, which made the evening even less appealing. It didn't help that I had already finished reading the Punisher: Warzone trade paperback I bought this afternoon, thus having nothing to help pass the time. When's the new Michael Critchton (probably didn't spell his name right) novel coming out?

"I, I Do Want More Scrubs..."

This new series I Imeshed, Scrubs, can be described as Doogie Howser, M.D. meets Ally (not Ally McBeal, as the show's only a half-hour) meets Parker Lewis Can't Lose, only funnier than all 3 shows. The latter 2 show comparisons apply due to Scrubs' fantasy sequences and first person narration, which I've noticed how most comedies nowadays become hits in their first seasons. If medicine could be funnier than this, I've yet to see it.

Alias Overload

Let's pretend today is Sunday (it's 12:19 am and I should've updated earlier). It's Day 2 of No Parents since they're in Naga City for the inauguration of my uncle's (3-Ku) new SeaOil gas station, but they ought to be back by tonight. It's funny how having at least 1 family resident (or in this case 2) out of the house causes house activity to decrease significantly. Sometimes we go to bed earlier, or turn up the TV volume more. In my case I had the opportunity to watch most of the episodes of Alias I downloaded over the past few weeks, something I've been unable to do because the office was always busy (i.e. noisy). Boy, watching 5 episodes straight (plus the feature-length pilot of Justice League) feels like nothing by when you have nothing else to do. I thought about saving a few episodes but those darn cliffhanger endings kept popping up. Only 4 shows to go, and just when I just found out that Studio 23 is planning the air the series in the near future(!) Man, I stopped downloading Malcolm in the Middle for that reason, but RPN 9 is replaying the 1st season yet again. That show's really having trouble finding an audience (i.e. advertisers). I'd start that again, but I wanna go with the Simpsons downloads first.

We Suck at 77

Transparency International, a Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog group, recently released its annual Corruptions Perceptions Index. Out of 102 countries listed The Philippines ranked #77 (along with Pakistan, Romania and Zambia) in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. After seeing the number I thought Man, they must not know us very well. A second glance reveals that list is from least to most corrupt. Okay, so they do know us. Finland is #1. Who knew the country where Santa Claus lives would be perceived as the least corrupt? The most corrupt? Bangladesh. So much for my travel plans.

I was supposed to talk about an audition in Mandaluyong City, but that didn't push through so I watched a movie instead. The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon and Franka Potente (she of Run Lola Run fame). For a remake this was a good action flick. Intelligent, even. (How often does that happen?) I was surprised to see Brian Cox in the movie (w/c only shows what little attention I payed to the TV commercials), but only because I didn't plan of seeing him in any film before the X-Men sequel.

One Lucky Bitch

Famed reporter Jessica Soho just returned from her assignment in Afghanistan, where she and her crew were near fatal victims of a landmine. It was all on tape (and television). Jessica and crew were walking behind an ambulance that was carrying 5 people and a dead "de-miner" who minutes earlier was a victim of his job. As the ambulance careened foward it hit a vehicular landmine. (That might explain why the de-mining crew thought it was all clear to pass, as a normal person's weight wouldn't have activated it.) Cameraman was knocked down. Jessica picked out tiny pieces of sharpnel from her hair and the heads for people surrounding her. People and ambulance dead. Already dead de-miner no deader. About 20 injured.

All I can say is I'm glad it wasn't Sheryll.

Misson: Dull

Side note: Lala told me there was an earthquake around 10 PM last night. Guess Law & Order: SVU was that good, since I didn't feel anything.

Watched the pilot episode of Mission Hill via Imesh download, an Adult Swim feature in the US-- one of those cartoons for mature audiences, like MTV's Downtown. It's original name was Downtowners, but it was changed to avoid confusion to MTV's show. Too bad the creators didn't do the same for the storylines (at least for the 2 episodes I watched). Few funny bits, a bit predictable, and altogether nothing to write home about. Lacks wit, which should be prerequisite for "mature" cartoons. Style isn't enough. I deleted the other 7 episodes unwatched.

The Gang's All Here...Sort of

Yesterday fellow China traveller Beth invited the "gang" for a little get-together at Robinson's Place (Manila) for some bowling. After a major travel faux pas (turned right when I should've turned left) I arrived late. As expected, I was not alone in that area. What was a surprise were the new faces. They were from this year's batch of those who went to Xiamen, China, some apparently the younger siblings of my group-mates, Beth and Heidi in particular. Even a bigger surprise were the familiar faces I saw/ ran into while I was walking around with the group (Karen Yam, Ann Marie & Karen Cheng, Gayle Ong the Supermodel, Charmaine's guy pals Ryan and Jay and someone who looked like Mina, formally in charge for payroll from work). With a couple of people late we had forgone bowling (and a movie) for just dinner later in the evening. TGIFriday's. I had a chicken sandwich.

Recording for Teachers and Credit Card Bills

Left the office early and went to Rachelle's "studio" (actually they're just sharing office space with a sanitary services company) to do some voice work for some teacher seminar tribute at the end of the month. Sort of like automated talk show announcer. All in all it took about 3 hours plus. For all my bravado of being a "professional" voice talent admittedly I have a lot to learn, emoting, for one. "Soft sell" is a lot harder than it looks... uh, sounds. Afterwards I got a talent fee, they fed me lunch and gave me cab fare for the trip home.

Got a copy of the credit card statements regarding my Ebay purchases. So far (save the PayPal registration fee) it all seems okay, except for the transactions that got charged to card with the more expensive exchange rate (Citibank) when I specifically chose to pay with the less expensive one (BPI). Turns out my brother-in-law, who physically had the card (while I just did e-shopping) used it to pay for a recent family dinner. With that expense plus my Ebay purchases the BPI card quickly went over the 20,000 limit. For some reason Billpoint carried over my remaining transactions to the Citibank card. Long story short: I got charged more than I should've. I'd like to contest this matter with Citibank but I'm wondering it it's worth it.

The Bone Doctor, and Offended Dates

I went to see a bone doctor with Ma yesterday at Cardinal Santos hospital. She went to check up on her bone density readings while I wanted my bad knee looked at. We saw a father-son pair of doctors, though the father has his office on the ground floor while sonny has his on the second, and it was decidedly more crowded. (That's a paradox to me. You'd think more people would like to see the older, wiser doctor. Maybe they think the younger one's more up-to-date with technology and whatever the ailment du jour popped up while the elders weren't paying attention. Oh, well.)

After almost 2 hours of waiting (with a brief interlude of Ma seeing the father doc and both of us reading almost of the Time magazines in the waiting room) the son doc finally saw us. Within 3 minutes of talking to Ma and reading her bone density report he immediately scribbled away a couple of prescriptions for her. Like she wasn't much of a pill-popper now. Then again, what am I complaining about? Isn't this a sign of scientific progress? No physical therapy, no surgery. Oh, wait, the doc said her bone density had nowhere to go but down, so this popping of painkillers and calcium, vitamin D and anti-fat absorption pills might just be delaying the inevitable. (Oh, and she's sixty. How embarrassing: I didn't know what year my own mother was born 'til the doc asked her. May this piece of information now make it easier for me to shop for presents.)

Then the doc checked out my knees. Good news is he says I can run and do aerobics if I wanted to. ('Bout time. I've been feeling the "annual bulge" creep in since I stopped after the accident.) The tender, slightly numb portion of my bad knee is a callous, the biggest I've ever seen. Worse case scenario: x-ray and physical therapy. WorST case: prodding and surgery. Right now he has me taking the same painkillers he prescribed to Ma.

On the way out of the hospital Ma shared some interesting information about the Sunday night dinner with Che's friends. Turns out they (including Che) were offended by some of the stuff I said (all in jest, I assure you), my teasing Jeannie about taking the restaurant coasters among them. (Hey, she brought that quirk up.) For someone who takes criticism well (or at least with civility) that revelation bugged me the entire day. I just couldn't understand. I was being myself. I was under the impression the evening went fairly well. They were laughing sincerely (or so I thought), for God's sake. Save for that one almost foot-in-mouth moment with Jeannie for which I said, "Biro lang," surely they didn't expect me to end every sentence that way? I wasn't even wearing my serious face. How could they not tell I was kidding? I'm not sure what ticks me off more: that fact that they gave fake laughs or that I sort of ruined an evening in which it wasn't "my" date to begin with. Also, Ma said I was the only one they complained about. Evett and Oti? Nothing. Well, at least I made an impression.

Note to women: If you are offended by what your date says, PLEASE GIVE US A HINT. Don't give a convincing laugh then complain about it later. Christ. And they wonder why men find them hard to read and understand.

To get some further insight into the matter I called up Tina. After postponing our movie plans for today I asked her if I was offensive. As expected, since she knew me long enough and was used to my attitude she said not really. What did irritate her about me (or at least about our phone conversations) was that I don't let her get a word in edgewise at times. Sadly, this was true. When we chat a dozen topics sometimes go through my head and I feel the need to interrupt her train of thought, 'lest I forget them, in complete disregard for her own train of thought. It was amusing back then but now when I think about it, it was just plain rude. Lesson learned, I apologized to her and promised not to do it again.

Maybe I should stop wondering why it's so hard for me to get a date. "Sense of humor," my ass...

Well, according to the Microsoft Word's spell-check function my typing skills are improving. Either that or my proofreading.

DVD Run Done

As of this morning I'm the winner in the auction for the Moulin Rouge DVD. My primary wish list is complete: Snatch, Fight Club, The Usual Suspects, JFK and MR. Okay, there's a matter of settling the payment with the TUS DVD but that should go well. 'Course, the one thing that's ticking me off is how I'm winning auctions at a time when the Peso-Dollar exchange rate is at an all time high, or low (52:1!).

The Week That Was (Sort Of)

As it turned out dinner last Sunday was at Green Eggs at Blue Bacon, located in New Manila. Boit and I had dinner with Sis, Aissa, Evett, Che Che and her friends Sandy and Jeannie, also from New Manila. At least there was a slim chance of getting lost. The purpose of the whole dinner thing was to introduce Jeannie to Evett. I just came along for the food. The lively conversations were a plus. As for looks, Sandy and Jeannie were okay. And as further proof of how small this world is turns out Jeannie works in the same office as Dulcie, who's currently stationed in the US. Sandy's into action flicks. Jeannie (not even sure that's how her name is spelled) seems sensitive to my side comments (I'd like to call them "over-witticisms"), maybe it's because after I make the comments I don't say "I'm kidding" afterwards (which I was and which I did that one time because it turned out that the person I made fun of was her mother). If you didn't know me well you'd think I was outspoken, which I'm not. Anyway dinner ended well and now the ball's in Evett's court, so to speak.

My Ebaying by proxy bidding turned out well, with 4 out of 5 "must have" DVDs now in my grasp. Now I have to stop soon as the current exchange rate is 55 pesos to the dollar and I've already spent more this month than I have all year. Probably.

Did I mention the Imesh program at the office is working again? Now I may finally get to complete my downloading of Six Feet Under and The Sopranos. And maybe a few movies along the way.

Lessons Learned

I'm a half-hour away from getting a call from Aissa to inform me and Boit what tonight's dinner plans are. Presumably it's with my sister-in-law Che Che and friends. Whatever. A dinner out is a dinner out, and it matters even less when I'm not the one paying for it.

Learning more and more from my Ebaying, like the concept of proxy bidding. I used to think it meant that someone else could access my Ebay page and bid for me when I'm not available, which I thought was a hassle since that same someone might screw up. Turns out it meant than I can place the maximum amount I'm willing to spend on said item, then Ebay would place it for me anonymously. That way even if the current bidder beats the current bid (but not my maximum bid) I win the item. It also meant no more getting up at ungodly hours and getting butterflies in my stomach watching the last few minutes of auction time go by while guarding against "snipers" (Ebay's term) who outbid you at the last minute. I did that last Thursday and all I had to show for it was one Daredevil GN.

Yet further research indicated that "snipers" may not exist, and my constantly being outbid instantly simply meant that I bid lower than whasisname's maximum proxy bid. Man, that's a load of stress off my mind. I will miss the adrenalin rush of watching against them, though, just not during the aforementioned ungodly hours.

Slow Week

Aside from getting a lot of issues of Captain Marvel and Wizard from the SM City sale and playing with my nieces Mia and Jasmine, nothing else came up last week that I'd consider worth mentioning. Okay, there's the 3 big wins on Ebay, but those items weren't exactly on my "must get" list... more like "I got them at bargain prices (Alias hardcover, Green Arrow hardcover, 2 Daredevil and JSA trades at almost half the price)."

Received an email from Paul Eric So Tiu (aka Pest), who's currently living in London and from what I can gather is rubbing elbows with so many celebrities the sleeves on his suits have worn out. (I kid, I keeed...) I've told Eileen of Pest's exploits and she thinks he's making it all up. I'd prefer to take his word on it, since it's nice to think at least one other batchmate aside from Tim Yap is living the high life. Still, it wouldn't hurt for him to email me some pictures.

Speaking of friends abroad, it turns out Cathy Sy is now stationed in Hong Kong. Guess that's why she didn't reply to my text invitation for lunch this Friday.

Chicken Run

Philip and his friend Dee stayed over for dinner, so we ordered a bucket of KFC. When we sat down for dinner the chicked tasted like it was laying under the restaurant's warming lamp for quite a while, then tossed into the styrofoam bucket in a hurry. No biggie, I thought, as long as it wasn't spoiled or some shit like that. Ma, on other hand, thought otherwise. She wanted to call KFC and have the chicken replaced. This after we've already eaten more than half of the order. Forget it, I said... like I had any real say in the matter.

After dinner she did end up calling KFC. After being given a slight runaround by that branch's staff, not only did she get the "bad" chicken replaced but she got a whole new bucket. As a consolation she wrapped up 4 pieces for Philip to bring home. I'm taking some with me for lunch tomorrow.

Maybe KFC did it because they thought they were in the wrong. Maybe the did it to shut Ma up. Either way, it's funny how things clucked...er, worked out.

Ebay (Mis)adventures (No Thanks to Paypal)

Well, two days ago Paypal rejected my application, even though the items I won on Ebay would go either to California or Vancouver. Guess where the money's coming from is more important than where the stuff the money's paying for going. Billpoint, on the other hand, is less troublesome.

My current dilemma is how to pay for the items that won't accept Billpoint. No Paypal; money order's too expensive (Pay 30 bucks to send 10? Forget it.); cheques are risky; giving the buyer my CC number even riskier. I may have to open a dollar account. One that isn't stuck in a time deposit.

Lessons learned? Well, for one, don't bid on items right away. Put it in a watchlist first, and then see how it goes. If it gets too pricey delete it from the list, so your Ebay page won't get cluttered. It also saves you from either regret for bidding too high, or disappointment from being outbid.

Second? Until Paypal accepts applications from The Philippines pay attention only to items that go for Billpoint or Ebay Payments via Billpoint.

Third: Cheap DVDs are harder to come by than I thought.

* * * * *

Speaking of lessons, my sister is learning a hard one: her son Han's Chinese assignments. All those years of studying (and forgetting) Mandarin in Saint Jude Catholic School, we Santos kids wondered when would any of it ever prove to be useful. Apparently it's when you want your kids to learn (but not forget) Chinese as well. Something like this might strengthen my resolve to either find a G.I. girlfriend or just have any future kids learn a European language, instead.

Ebay-sive Action

A couple of days ago after establishing a "base of operations" (Joceyln's brother Jeff in California), I starting bidding on items on Ebay. Like the first time I experienced ordering comics online, a small twinge of excitement came over me. This feeling had to be coupled with self-control as I wished to avoid going overboard. Cheap or not, I'm still paying with dollars that I technically don't have as it still has to be converted into pesos when the bill comes. And there's the risk of making what I call purchasing mistakes: stuff that looked cooler in the "catalogue" that it did in real life (i.e. Superman hardcovers, B&W indy comics and other things I regretted buying in the end).

It wasn't that easy setting up. For a while I considered acquiring the services of Johnny Air Cargo, with it's (what I thought was) enticing price of $9/lbs. per shipment. Turns out that price excludes other freight charges, which totaled $20 minimum. Suffice to say that would wipe out any cash I sought to save, not to mention defeat the purpose on shopping online. I opted for looking for a kind sucke...uh, soul who'd let me use his/her address in the US to drop the stuff at. And of course there's my relatives in Canada, as well. After registering at Paypal I was (almost) ready. (As of this blog entry I'm still 4 membership numbers short of completing my registration, no thanks to Paypal for taking so freaking long to send it to me.)

As with real auctions there's the matter of being outbid. Orange on Ebay is quickly becoming my least favorite color as it's always that dreaded orange text that tells me I've been OUTBID BY ANOTHER BIDDER. Personally I couldn't believe that someone else online wants that copy of Going Simpsonic with the Simpsons CD as badly as I do. Why I Hate Saturn was giving me trouble too. Not surprising, though, considering that it's currently out of print.

My real goal? Getting good quality DVDs cheap. Ironically from all the stuff I'm currently bidding on not a single DVD is among them. Hey, with all the piracy that's going on I've yet to establish what constitutes as "cheap," particularly for the complete 1st and 2nd season set of Sopranos DVDs.

* * * * *

Just finished watching the premiere episode of Project Greenlight on Cinemax. Cool stuff so far, in an I-was-a-film-student-so-I-can-relate sort of way. I do not envy these guys' (and girl, the co-president of production on Miramax, which made her the biggest kahuna of the bunch) job of having to pick out 10, then 3 then 1 screenplay from literally thousands of entries. I already knew who won but it was still fascinating to watch the process, particularly because it was like my screenplay thesis all over again. Same wrecked nerves, same deconstruction and intense scrutinizing of the screenplay in front of the finalists, same hey-it-sounded-cool-at-first-but-in-the-end-it-wasn't-actually-that-great ideas and vice versa. Brian Bendis was right on one thing: this is all a crapshoot. The right script and the right time get you the job. So that simultaneous feeling of envy and contempt (like I feel for Tim Yap) is around a lot for winner Pete Jones. His screenplay (from what I can tell) would probably mesh well as a Hallmark movie, but it was his zeal (and necessary arrogance mixed with enthusiasm), coupled with his felt-scripted-but-was-probably-the-editing speech to the panel at the end that got him the job.

Rachelle doesn't get Cinemax. I should tape this for her.

Ass of U and Me

It's 8PM and I'm still at the office because Boit failed to pick me up...because Bebot called him telling him Ma was in the Makati area...so he just assumed I was going home with Ma. All of this would make more sense if any of them told ME about it. Granted when Bebot called I was at the gym sans the cell phone. But the point is: when I want someone else other than Boit to pick me up I DO THE CALLING. I make the request. When everyone starts assuming that one person talked to the other except to the person they should've talked to this shit happens. If it seems like I'm babbling it's because I'm "stranded," pissed and hungry.

How I Spent My Weekend

SATURDAY-- Scheduling a date with Annette was about as easy as organizing my own birthday party: never works out as planned. Russell was supposed to join us for dinner at Country Waffle, but in the end scheduling conflicts (and the fact that she was too pooped from walking around all day after her appointment with her dermatologist) made it impossible. I opted to drive the 'rents to a wedding reception at Gloria Maris, instead.

As the evening dulled itself away, the maid of honor approached me and said she recognized me from college and said we were once classmates. She was cute, so who was I to doubt that claim. I thought finally, a reason to be glad I came here. I thought about asking for her phone number. I thought about wanting to get together with her in the future. I thought about how her friendliness to me that night was either an "exclusive" thing or just in her nature. I thought about a lot of things. Never did a goddam thing about it in the end, but it's the thought that counts. Right.

Driving home I slightly panicked while driving through floodwaters and made mini-tsunamis along E. Rodriguez Avenue.

SUNDAY--
Philip and Erson drop by with Philip's Caucasian friend Dee (also deaf) after flying in from Vancouver last night. Erson didn't have any extra comics at hand, which reminded me to strangle Delwin when I get my hands on him. Stayed home all day watching Time and Tide (convoluted Tsui Hark movie), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO sitcom starring Larry David, the inspiration for Jerry Seinfeld) and more Alias. I resolved to "reserve" spots for future downloads of Alias and Six Feet Under.

Yeeeeooooowtch!

What could be worse than having a painful, ugly gaping wound? Try having to shave the surrounding hair on that same painful, ugly, gaping wound. From removing ingrown hair popping zits on places other than my face, it seems self surgery is turning into a specialty of mine. With a high pain threshold (the secret: tell yourself it will all end soon) my now bald left knee is just begging to be soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Actually the shaving was less painful than expected as more hair than flesh (as well it should be) came off.

For lunch my co-worker Drake Co's girlfriend Giselle Uy treated all staff to lunch at the 18th floor in celebration of her birthday. At 25, she said she's been occupying office space for quite some time, since her parents work there. Cubicle (as opposed to Army) brat. She's only been an official employee for 3 years, give or take. Her desk has no computer, which has me wondering how boredom hasn't driven her insane yet. It's not like Drake's the most exciting guy in the world, either. Maybe she likes things quiet.

Saving the World Before Bedtime

Watched The Powerpuff Girls movie (after getting a long delayed haircut) and as I expected, it was cool. Shorter than I expected but cool. The Dexter's Lab cartoon "first act" was very Bill Wray in terms of animation, almost a departure from past (and current) DL cartoons. ANYway, the movie's not really there to impart social lessons to kids. It's more for the devoted fans, like yours truly (hope that doesn't come off as kinda gay). When I entered the cinemahouse it was full of parents and kids. I worried about these parents that equate PPG (and Cartoon Network in general) as to "safe kid viewing." Then again I may be underestimating a kid's intelligence when it comes to being able to tell that the PPG's beating up of malevolent super-monkeys bent on world conquest doesn't mean that violence solves anything.

In the end, it's all make-believe. The Parental Guidance kind, mind you, but make-believe all the same.

And to end on a stupid note: I tripped badly while getting off the jeepney on the commute home. Left knee now a freaking mess. Ma doesn't think x-ray is necessary. Easy for her to say.

True Faith for Free

Tonight (and by that I mean a few hours ago) Lynette invited me to watch a True Faith concert at Onstage in the Greenbelt Mall. Ma wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea as it was raining hard again and the concert would most likely start and end late into the evening, so I might end up stranded. I was able to convince her otherwise. The show wasn't too bad (front row seats), as I found myself familiar with the band's songs but unable to muster up the proper amount of excitement I would have had, say, The Corrs been performing. The real fans went nuts. Three women even went up onstage and boogied (or jiggled, to be precise) to lead vocalist Jun Dizon's (had to look his name up) rendition of Satisfaction and Just Can't Get Enough. Thelma came, as well. Ryan Agoncillo was the only "celebrity" sighting of the evening. I missed the one last encore song (slow one) just as Ma came to pick me up. Close calls with the floods on the drive home but (obviously) we made it.

Earlier in the workday Rachelle showed up to audition for the Touch Mobile voice icons. For a mousy voice she sure can do sexy. Charmaine came in the day before for the same. Little off in comic timing but otherwise okay.

Drowning in Books and Loving It

When I got home yesterday a bunch of trade paperbacks and graphic novels were on top of the filing cabinet waiting for me. Eleven books, half of year's worth of orders from the Discount Comic Book Service Shop December to May. Books that would've arrived earlier had my cousin Delwin not mixed them up with the comics I gave him to put up on Ebay for auction. But I can't bitch about that now 'coz the books are here! Sweet was all I could think of. Sweet. As usual though when I'm faced with this many comics I can't get worked up to read any them right now. Information overload.

Let's see, there's Powers: Roleplay, Murder Me Dead, Safe Area Gorazde, Captain Britain, Jar of Fools, You Are Here, Queen and Country, The Complete Copybook Tales, Definitve Goldfish, Definitive Jinx and Spider-Man's Tangled Web Volume 2.

Sweet.

Rain, Rain, Go Away....No, Just GO.

Make that 4 days of almost non-stop rain. The gusty winds creeped me out for fear it would take the power out...and I was right. From 1:00 to 8:45 yesterday we had no water or electricity. (In an off-topic peeve, my downloads of Six Feet Under won't play properly if I adjust the video's brightness. It only plays right if I leave the original screen setting, which in this case is Too Freaking Dark. My guess is either I'm using up too much disk space, or anything that's 300MB up won't play well.)

Fortunately the power came back before 24 was about to air. The series is gripping with suspense, probably because I let my guard down and allow myself to fully enjoy it, meaning I might freak out if a miss a single episode. I do the same with Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Who's Line is it, Anyway?: shows where I actually laugh out loud.

Unfortunately the DSL was out, but while in the midst of trying to watch the too freaking dark download of SFU on the computer I saw a tail sticking out of the crevice of the office air conditioner. Instinctively I grabbed, and it turned out to be a mouse. (Gotcha!) To keep it from biting and crawling on my hand I twirled it around like a bola until I pinned it under the office chair (the one without the wheels) and crushed its thorax like a rolling pin.

...What? They're filthy.

Rain and RAN, RAN and Rain

Large storm clouds hover over Luzon, bringing almost non-stop rain for 2 days now. Stuck at home, not that I had other plans to begin with. Wonder if the SJCS Alumni Bowling finals pushed through today.

Asian Cinema premiered last night on AXN, featuring Ran by Akira Kurosawa (Shadow of the Vampire was on the night before last, but I missed the first "screening" and just recorded the second). Compelling, if ultimately depressing, movie. Lady Kaede was one evil (or vindictive) bitch. After some research I found out that Ran was based on Shakespeare's King Lear. I thought the story felt familiar. Honestly, though, I have no right to say that since I've never read Lear. Not even the Classics Illustrated version.

Something about rainy days (or the inability to leave the house) compels my mother to start cleaning out the bodegas. As with my organizing my plastic bags and backing boards, if not done quickly I lose interest in it just as quickly and just toss everything back in. Status quo. This time we managed to label some boxes ("plumbing equipment," "porcelain decors," etc.) and shred some office documents before I started to get bored. By this time I should be working out (soreness in neck almost gone now) but the treadmill's acting up. That makes it 3 whole days of no proper exercise. I feel my gut expanding as I type. 'Course it might be the fish fillets I had for dinner.

Ze Pain, Ze Pain!!!

Woke up this morning with an excruciating crick on my neck (and a slight tingling just below my right shoulder). After dismissing the possibility of this being karma for not going to the office (telecommuted today), I tried getting up. God, did it hurt. There's never one of those neck braces you see on TV around when you need one, or the Batman mask that prevented Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney from moving their head. Two Salompas plasters and Tiger Balm provide little relief. I moved like a malfunctioning C3PO. Couldn't lie down without going, "Ungh."

After lunch, Pa brought me to a manghihilot (part masseuse, part physical therapist without the license) in Binondo. After slapping on the massaging oil the old man worked on my back and right arm, and his (I assume) knowledge of pressure points almost did me in. For an old guy his fingers sure moved fast, like Jacky Chan's mentor in Drunken Master. I didn't pass out from the pain, but I was ticklish on the arm and was wincing and giggling at the same time. It was like being speed-pinched by The Flash. After the session I was thinking how all that muscle kneading would've made a good torture technique.

Now I'm supposed to take some Alaxan tablets and not shower for today. Great. In pain and smelly. Worse, if I get better I won't be sure what did it: the drugs and the speed pinching.

For good news (not related to me): Russell's wife Beth gave birth to a healthy baby boy. C-section.

Bored, From Manila, It's Saturday Night!

As a mentioned before, trying to get a date was about as enjoyable as picking on an ingrown hair on your chin. Seems I used up all my good fortune after finding my driver's license and that hard-to-find issue of Top 10 #9. Everyone I asked had other plans ('cept for Caren J. Sy and Robbylyn So, who didn't reply at all). Out of a whim when my sister called the house I asked her if she wanted to watch Amelie with me. Surprisingly she said yes, but I had to drive. Fair enough. With our secretary Bebot, we picked up Sis at her place and headed for SM Manila.

The cinema was almost bare (w/c irritates me since Sis had me buy balcony tickets), but at least that meant I could put my feet up. The film was quirky but nice, though Bebot and Sis called it weird, I term I'd reserve for David Lynch's films.

Tripping Over the Steps to Dating (or Just Getting a Date)

Forget first date jitters. That's nothing compared to pre-date nervousness. Building the nerve to ask someone out is the worst, but the feeling of relief when she accepts (or humiliation when she declines) is emotionally proportional to it.

It depresses my when I think about the last time I asked someone out on a date, where the girl is not “just a friend,” and you had hopes of seeing her more on a social basis. Way too long.

Lately I've been leaning on the philosophy of "Regret is worse then embarrassment or humiliation." “Better to have tried to as ask her that not to speak at all.” Tell her about it, as Billy Joel once sang. Seize the day and talk to the girl, or you’ll end up a 26-year-old virgin with no social life whose “soulmate” is out prancing in Paris. Wanna ask her out? Then ask. Her. Out. If you’re going to dilly-dally about, don’t take too long. Just don’t not do anything, because that feeling of uncertainty and “What if” will haunt you the rest of your life. A bad memory that bugs you more than the itchiest itch, that nastiest sore, the most persistent stomach cramp.

If a girl declines my invitation for a date, that’s fine, especially if she already has other plans. Decline away. Just don’t thank me for the invitation afterwards. Personal pet peeve of mine. Wanna thank me? Then accept the invitation. It’s a date, not a diamond ring. That your can decline but thank me for, anyway.

Sometimes declining the invite (if she didn’t other plans) is sign of hesitation on her part. Another is her asking if her brother/ sister could come. (A pseudo chaperone? What is this, 1955?) Then there’s when she says she’s busy for the whole week. Personally I think that’s overkill but at least you get the message (i.e. not interested). Finally is when she doesn’t respond at all even though you know she heard the question. Not too rude, I don’t think.

Why People Don't Suck Most of the Time

A week before Father's Day Pa lost his cellphone. Seems while riding a cab home the button latch of his cellphone holder came off and it was left inside the cab, with the phone of course. I felt partly responsible because the cellphone holder was actually mine and I took his newer one with the more secure button latch. Guilt-ridden I took a chance and sent a text message to the phone (it was still ringing when I called it) saying it was considered missing/ stolen and to call my house if found and maybe inquire about a reward. Grasping at straws, I know. Or so I thought.

Come Father's Day I see Pa with a cellphone and cellphone holder. I thought Ma got him a new set as a gift (w/c she didn't charge me for). A week later I check out the phone and to my surprise it had the label stickers I made for him in case the phone got lost. It was the same phone. Turns out somebody found the phone in the cab, called the house and Aissa met the guy at his office in Makati to retrieve it. She gave him an envelope with 500 bucks in it. Seems low, which is why I'm glad I didn't mention a specific amount for the reward.

Oh, and I found my lost-for-a-week driver's license. For now, all seems well the world. : )

Win some, lose a lot.

The good news is the home PC is fixed again (not that I had any time to despair over it crashing this morning as Boit brought it with him to work and brought it back good as new). The bad news is in the process I lost my "downloads in progress" of Six Feet Under and Part 10 of The Sopranos Season 1 via IMesh. (Okay, there was Tia Bella too but I was done downloading her weeks ago.)

Of Shaolin Babies and Terrorist Attacks

This thing gets updated the day after the fact because I do this in the office (work time well spent, I know), but better than nothing.

My 1-year-old niece Jasmine got her head shaved recently (to encourage the future growth of what would hopefully be thicker, shinier hair) so now she looks like one of those little Shaolin kids statuettes that grace our stairway. And wouldn't you know it, the moment she's bald her head gets scraped after tripping, but not on the shaven area, which dimishes the level of irony somewhat. Traffic jam when you're already late. A "No Smoking" sign on your cigarette break.

Watched the HBO/CNN tribute film about the 9-11 terrorist attacks on TV. Every time the film showed footage of the planes hitting the World Trade Center (it was a good/bad time to a video camera nut) a small pang of despair hits me. Small as I lack the emotional attachment to New York City. But when they played phone messages of those calling from inside the WTC (a few from the actual floors where the plane hit) and showed close-up shots of those who lept from the building I almost wept. Almost as I am not much of a weeper. What surprised me was finding out that a third building collapsed (designated WT building # 7) and that Mayor Guilliani and his staff were nearby when the second (North) tower collapsed. It was like a scence from Dante's Peak (I regret using a bad movie reference for this) as the huge clouds of ash and smoke headed towards them, and like Lot's wife they looked back when they should have been running foward. They even showed a Filipino teenager (even if the strap of his backpack obscured it, I'm sure that was Philippines printed on his shirt) showing TV news cameras pictures of his mother the day after the towers collapsed. She worked there.

According to the film the 9-11 incident was the most documented event world of all time, which shouldn't be surprising. World War II or the JFK's assassination didn't have the benefit of satellite news, the Internet or the Handycam. Almost as if everyone was there.

The Night We First Met...Again

Last night after dinner at the Steak Factory, courtesy of 3-Ku (my 2nd time there after Boit's b-day celebration, but I again ordered the Hungry Man's Steak 'coz the only other "filling" choice of Rib-Eye was too pricey), the family took a stroll around the Podium Mall. My high school classmate Rachel wasn't at her "post" at their family's optical shop.

While looking around the second floor I caught a glimpse of a lady I knew-- by face if not by name (story of my life) -- having dinner with someone at the Banana Leaf Curry Shop. Feeling gutsy (and bored from the walking) I headed for the restaurant and took a seat next to her. Jean (on the business card she gave me) doesn't remember how we met, either, but it was okay. She introduced me to her "dinner date" Christy. A real cutie, by any standard. At that moment I really regretted not having any calling cards at hand. We chatted for a while as other familar faces cames in eat, Judy Ann Santos among them. She's a lot lighter-skinned than I thought. Several other faces I recognized from college (Annette Yap's cousin, for one) also came.

Actually Juday's just one of several celebrity sightings for me that night. Ana Roces had dinner with friends at the Steak Factory, and after my little chat with Jean and Christy I saw Former PNP Chief Director General Edgar Aglipay eating with his family at a cafe on the ground floor.

A not-so-boring night, all in all. Too bad it's ruined by the fact I had to come in the office the next morning (today) for an "ocular inspection" by the Touch Mobile people.

"Months later, he returns."

Yes, it's been a while. Wonder how long I'll last this time. Since my last entry, I:

- Stopped updating the office journal
- Saw my office workforce go down from 60-something people to 5 (Yup, no more call center. Just Touch Mobile. Only I, Joy, Lala, John and Nonoy are left).
- Attended two wedding receptions for my old high-school classmates
- Got a new backpack (zipper on the old one broke)
- Got Dad a DVD player (not with my money alone, of course)
- Celebrated my birthday with a little bowling party
- Got turned down for a date thrice.
- Found out where my ex-girlfriend is "hiding." (France)
- Became a godfather to my niece Mia.
- Watched 18 movies (5 in the theater, the rest via VHS, VCD and DVD)
- Went out on 1 real date and one group date
- Did a buch of other stuff that won't register at the moment but who cares.

Oh, yes: I've moved up to the 3rd floor bedroom with my brother while the house goes under major renovation. They got rid of the carpeting. Floor's all shiny now, but not scratch-proof, so no more footwear allowed inside.

Life's too short. Must consider dating more often. Getting rejected more often isn't considered but makes its way into the equation, anyway.