FR-f-ff--ffrer---freee-zing

Can't say much now, other than I'm in Chicago staying at Emark's cousin Gleason's house, and shivering so much I'm having trouble typing.

San Jose Digs

Stayed up 'til the early hours of Friday waiting for 5Kim to take Mark and Me to the train/bus station for the bus ride to Seattle (and subsequent train ride to California). Thanks to rushed packing on my part I ended up leaving my shades, SIM card and video camera but brought the vidcam accessories. Extra weight I don't need. Border crossing was routine.

After an exhausting 25-hour train ride (only because it took awhile to find a comfortable sleeping position on those 2 seats in coach) I arrive at San Jose 1 hour 45 minutes late. Emark disembarked one stop earlier at Oakland. Amtrak didnt' even apologize. There to greet me at the station was Dulcie and (to my surprise) her husband Mark, a native of Vietnam who moved to the US when he was nine, though his accent could pass him off as Vietnamese with a Southern twang. For lunch they took me to Jollibee, with it's $4.99 Chicken Joy Meal (well, it was served with mashed potatoes, more rice and a bottomless beverage). After lunch we headed for (and crossed half of) the Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe it was the searing heat, but I wasn't that impressed with it. Dulcie and Mark seemed surprised that I wasn't taking more pictures. Next stop, the Exploratorium, where they filmed the scene between Sean Connery and Claire Forlani in The Rock. (Turns out there's no bench in the center spot where they sat.) Lots of people having their wedding pictures taken there, though.

Next up was Fishermans' Wharf and Pier 39, where I saw sea lions, shops and shops and shops (probably should've brought the vidcam), and bought a new pair of shades ($7.99 + tax) for myself and 2 bracelets for Rachelle ($10). We then headed for Coit Tower, a lookout point to see the downtown San Francisco and the Bay Bridge. We probably would've seen more had we actually climed the tower but none of us wanted to pay the $3.75 fee. Last stop of the day was Chinatown, where after some window-shopping we ate at a (what else) Chinese restaurant once visited by the likes of Jackie Chan, Nicholas Cage and Emeril Lagasse. Mark ordered enough food to feed (IMO) 5 people. I was stuffed and was getting a migraine from all the walking we did. Trooper that I was I didn't let on about it.

Now I'm typing this on Dulcie's roomate Eloisa's (aka Balut) computer. After checking my email (12:03am), I find that a couple of my Ebay auctions got bids, and it closes in a couple of hours. Eloisa and Dulcie (and 3rd roomate Joel) have a couple of friends over and are currently watching an F4 concert (is there no escaping these dorks?) on VCD. I just had 2 glasses of Corona beer with lemon, and I feel fine.

Bad New Pours...

First, I had trouble making calls from my cellphone, despite having loaded about 500 bucks in credit. After calling up Globe I find out that I ran out of credit due to the 50 bucks a minute incoming call charge, 80 bucks for outgoing calls and 15 bucks for text messages. That 35 free text messages thing and 40 cents a minute thing don't count abroad and for prepaid users, apparently. I started regretting all those non-essential text messages I sent (damn Yolanda for asking be for Maritess' number).

Second, Ebay removed my Smallville CD set from auction. Well, that I kinda expected. The amount of attention it got (up 41 dollars from last count) was bound to raise some red flags.

So Much for Comics Sales, But...

Talks with Mile High Comics didn't go as expected. Will Moulton offered my 70 bucks for 22 tpbs, but passed on the box of comics. As for my Ebay auctions, it's still 0 bids for any of the comics. On the bright side, the Smallville VCD set is doing great. In fact I even received offers to make copies. Just having trouble figuring out how much to charge them, with CD's costing about 50 cents (Canadian, or about 20 bucks) apiece. Went out with 5-Kim and Emark to Staples to buy the supplies: CDs and CD pouches, but settled for "envelopes" and used boxes on the latter.

"Day of Rest," My @$$

Vancouver weather is funny. Funny strange, not funny "haha." After 3 days of straight chilly rain, now it's bright and sunny. And warm. Don't need the jacket now. I'm actually sweating. Then again maybe it's because Emark and I just finished lugging 4 cartons of bottled water up 5-Kim's parent's apartment. Ten minutes after we got home I went out with Erson and Delwin to work out at the gym for about an hour. Afterwards we raked leaves. NorthAm "Tour" Week 1 is done.

Just When Ya Thought It Was Safe to Go Out...

Rained in again. News reports say the downpour's a record. I couldn't care less. Just stop #$*ing raining already!

NorthAm "Tour" Day 4

Heavier rains today. Stuck in house all day. Spent it researching Ebay auctions.

Okay, went out for a while with Delwin to the local gym... and again for dinner out with 5-Kim's family friends.

NorthAm "Tour" Day 3

Day 2: Me and Mark took a trip to the train station to check out the schedules for the impeding trek around America. After getting forms we headed downtown for and window-shopping (okay, got a couple of issues of Wizard at 99 Canadian cents each) and lunch .

Today, it's freezing and drizzling. Still decided if we're going to check out the Metrotown Mall.

(....)

Okay, we hitched a ride with 5-Kim to Metro Mall. Walked around for an hour before taking the train home. Freezing drizzle on the subsequent walk (4 blocks) didn't help. About 90 minutes later all of us (sans Erson who had an exam) went out again for dinner at 5-Kim's folk's apartment.

NorthAm "Tour" Day 1

Past 6pm in Vancouver (about 9am back home) and I am feeling tired. Turns out to be Thanksgiving today in Canada. After so many meals on the plane (w/c I almost threw up due to damn turbulence) and fried rice for a late lunch I'm not sure I'm up for more eating. First time I had pasta on a plane, though (courtesy of Cathay Pacific).

Goal: get rid of my 70+lbs. box full of comics. Avoid: getting fatter and heavier.

"Hey, That Bloopers Show is On."

Just finished watching the new local comedy(?)/drama(?) Single Girls, and I use the term watching lightly, or, conversely, with effort. Show about 3 single girls living it up in the city, (specifically Manila, though with the aerial shots you get the impression it's Makati) along with their obligatory single gay male friend. Sex & The City without the sex, natch. Also without the wit, feel, humor, production value... A for effort, and this is a "pity A."

Can't really comment on the script too much because the sound was soo bad (either get better microphones or loop the damn dialogue) I couldn't hear what the characters were saying.

That dating show Match TV is one of the sponsors/ producers of SG, and the "actors" of the latter look like they came from the former. Won't be surprised if I'm right.Bad pacing, blocking, editing, directing... wow, I feel like a COMARTS professor. Just tearing this show apart. Not that it doesn't deserve it. It this was a thesis, I'd fail 'em.

BUT, being a pilot episode, if they follow the American formula for pilot episodes (hell, they've been attmepting to follow the American formula for everything else) the future installments of Single Girls have the opportunity to improve. Not holding my breath on that, though.