Your Saturday Night Movie

Tonight was dinner night. Movie night. Booze night. Overnight.

Okay, 2 outta four ain't bad for these things.

My guest list shrank as the day went by, leaving me worried about having too much food and not enough people showing up. (Ooh, déjà vu...) I prepared tacos and corkscrew pasta served w/ chicken in marinara sauce (oh, and ice cream). Cathy (Yao) and her sister Mona (Lisa, seriously) brought lumpia shanghai. Dee brought cakes and KV brought a minibar.

We helped ourselves to dinner while six cans of San Mig Light and Schwepps tonic water rested in the freezer (but sadly remained unopened in the course of the evening). When I mentioned that KV emcees and the Yao sisters baked for bucks, the guests got to talking about business prospects. Dee, with all the manic energy of a female Tim Yap heaped praise on home-based food businesses, specifically cakes. The louder pair of guests (guess :p) also wanted to hook up for conversational Chinese language lessons.

After the ladies toasted on cranberry vodka (KV had scotch) we headed for the living room for tonight's main feature, REC (voted by majority over Superhero Movie). I've now become so desensitized that the scary scenes came off as "Cool!" rather than "Gaah!"-- almost like when I ride roller coasters. On the other hand from the paralyzed look on the sisters' faces I'd say it worked on them. We ended up watching Superhero Movie to dilute the memory of Spanish zombies. Now for this my belief that dick and fart jokes cheapen a decent parody, so thank god there weren't that many. It also helps to watch it w/ a group, as you somehow ride w/ their energy on the laughs. It's hard to describe, but there's some jokes you just find funnier when a specific person (or group) likes it, too.

Three AM already? Go to bed. Head's killing you. Parting shot, so to speak:

Body of Work

Had my first professional massage tonight. (Hmm, that sounded dirtier than necessary.) Juliet does house calls and our live-in secretary is her usual client, but I wanted to give it a go, if only to see if she can get that knot out of my semi-sprained shoulder. After a bit of Tae Bo and a shower it was my turn under her knuckles.

As I lay on my stomach in my A.B.U.s I couldn't tell what she used to scrape the soles of my feet, but I did discover that my tuchus is ticklish. When she got to my upper back and shoulders she kept hitting that nerve cluster I associate w/ the Vulcan Nerve Pinch. I didn't lose consciousness, but wincing was the word of the day. She also had to tell me to go limp several times when she tried to rotate my arms or bend my head forward so much I almost kissed myself on the chest.

If the masseuse's goal was to crack my joints the way people crack their knuckles, she was only successful insofar as cracking my toes. And speaking of w/c the toe-pulling was my least favorite of her moves, but she was successful in treating my shoulder. Still, better lay off any plans to get back to weight training to be on the safe side.

Strangely enough she managed to make my calves feel like I've been walking on tiptoes all day. When I showered again (to wash the Efficascent Oil off) my skin felt tender, w/c wasn't surprising considering that she kneaded me like week-old dough. All worth it.

'Rent-Free

It's now Day 2 (or Day 3 as it's past midnight) of No-'Rents Week. During this time things slow down around the house. Less lights are turned on at night. Almost everyone goes to bed early, while conversely I get to go down to work at 9AM instead of 8:30. (Guess what? Work's still there, Ma.) And no big meals are cooked either for lunch or dinner.

And how nice of Typhoon Karen to show up as they left. Rainy day.

Spent my morning trying to watch downloaded copies of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies (good chunk of the video concentrated on the parade of nations, so I skipped that) and Sleeper, w/c I'm sure wasn't Woody Allen's way of describing what you'd end up being while watching it. And finally after watching the first two episodes of Hotel Babylon I'm convinced I can play the show on the background while doing something else on the PC.

Another perk to having the house to myself is being to leave it at odd hours (odd for this family, anyway). For instance, tonight I met up w/ Dee for a late dinner at the Museum Cafe in Greenbelt 4.

On a side note, I have 2 bones to pick w/ this cafe's design aesthetics:

1) Fine, the regular lumpia-roll style of presenting a wet towel is cliche at best, but someone should tell them that utilizing instead the shape of dog turd won't exactly invoke images of good hygiene.

2) Ok, so the artistically-cut pads of paper conceal the ugly metal vase, but why place it near a lit candle? Hell, let's make it an even more obvious fire hazard by turning the vases into candle holders.

We had tandoori chicken pizza (thankfully not as spicy as expected) and mojitos. For my first time taste of the latter I can say it was a bit tasteless. Maybe it was partly because Dee ordered the non-flavored (by kiwi or lychee, it seemed) versions, but otherwise all I could taste were the mint leaves. After dinner I treated her to gelatto.

Ah, without the Contessa around only Dee can get me to get out of my comfort zone.

My Thoughts on Wall-E

Saw this today w/ Lola in Greenhills. (Also had my first taste of Quickly Iced Taro. Chewy...)

From my Facebook Flixster review:

Grrr, Jemps stole my line about the almost-no-words-to-describe-this-movie thing. ;) I'll talk around it, instead.

I like recognizing the voice talents involved (guessed right on Jeff Garlin, Kathy Najimy and John Ratzenberger but missed on Sigourney Weaver), so I was surprised to learn the electronic voices of Wall-E and EVE (doesn't she look like something Apple should sell and call the I-Bot?) were done by real people.

Andrew Stanton always makes my favorite Pixar films (no offense, John Lasseter and Brad Bird), even though his latest tale was veering towards my not-so-favorite Dreamworks Animation's "techniques" of using pop-culture references (okay, "retro-culture") and real humans.

Am still unsure why they'd mix footage of actual and CGI people, though. Either they didn't want to waste using Fred Willard or they couldn't find that many fatties.

While the grownups saw the underlying message of environmental destruction and the storytelling legacies left by Asimov, Dick and Clarke, my kid nephews and nieces simply saw the love story of boy robot meets girl robot. I envy them, sometimes.

Lost Then Found (Updated)

Day Before Yesterday: Office PC monitor finally gave out, so right now we're having to make-do w/ second hand monitor Boit brought over from his office. Brightness/contrast adjustment has been difficult and it hurts to look at for more than a few minutes at a time. It's almost as if it was meant for those w/ already poor eyesight (i.e. BoiT). At the very least it will induce it.

Yesterday: After getting my haircut at H Salon (Ma's treat) I speed-walked to SM Appliance Center 'coz Sis said she saw those Creative Zen cases that have long alluded me. Those I found before were not for sale but instead came free when you purchased said mini-media player. (Bad enough the Japanese store overpriced their products, but they weren't big on the concept of freebies, either.) The cases on sale were the 3-in-1 Skin Pack (w/c sounds like a facial package) and the Clear Case w/ keyring attachment. Since the former had 2 more skin wrappings than I needed (reminds me of those extra sets of lenses that came w/ my Rudy Project sunglasses), I chose to buy the latter. It had 2 things going for it: first it was cheaper (and obviously more available) than getting it on Amazon, and second the case was hard acrylic and not the plastic book cover-like material I thought it was.

And speaking of the latter latter, I then stopped by NBS for some plastic covering, and was surprised at how much the price of gauge 6 (or 8) type went up. It was almost 40 bucks a meter (P38.25, to be precise), and again I overestimated by asking for 6 meters worth. Even though I knew I would use this all up eventually (hardcover book purchasing won't go away anytime soon), given that plastics will still be here when I'm long gone I wish I bought huge rolls of it when it was half the price it is today.

(Yes, petroleum products are not limited to crude oil, cooking oil or gas. Plastic covers are also affected by rising oil costs.)

* * *

Today: After I dropped the 'Rents off the front entance of Sta. Mesa Market, instead of using the main parking area I drove up to the spot nearer the fruit stands. I wanted to park in reverse (front facing the street), but a bum (the type locally known as Taong Grasa) was crouching in front of the post between the parking spots. Not wanting to risk hitting the guy I opted to drive straight through (front facing the market) and settled in to read the Sunday papers I brought w/ me.

No sooner do I start reading does TG Guy walk to the front of the CRV then point and rant about the license plate numbers. He wasn't speaking in Tagalog, but his disheveled look and nonsensical ranting was enough for me to think he was a few bulbs short of a Bat Signal. I kept on reading, hoping either he'd go away or at least when he's done deciphering the Da Vinci code in the license plate not hang around near the back door of the car when the meat and veggies come in. Eventually he disappeared, leaving me in suffocating safety inside the car (open a window/door already!).

UPDATE: On a completely related/unrelated note (relatively): BoiT brought in the replacement monitor. It was gorgeous looking ASUS VK191 series LCD. After opening and setting it up I immediately wished I ordered one that was 1-3 inches bigger. And the speakers are crap so I had to reattach the old ones.

On the plus side, images on the screen are brighter and sharper than ever before. And since it's in widescreen multi-tasking (i.e. typing while watching videos) looks less cluttered, and I can display my comic 2 pages a time now. On the other hand I should probably adjust the brightness before I go blind/burn my face.

President GMA a Skrull?!?

From this month's Secret Invasion #5:

If you recognize (and can name) everyone in this 2-page spread, go take a geek shower, you otaku, you.

Mmm, Free SPIT

All this month S.P.I.T. was waiving the P200 entrance fee for their shows, so naturally my cheapskate self jumped at the chance to catch it.

I picked up Lola at her place, then we went to fetch Dee at the Dusit Hotel. Arriving a wee bit early, we had to drive around the hotel entrance half a dozen times (security finally recognized us by round 4 and skipped vehicle inspection) before she finally came out. Off to Mag:Net Cafe on Boni High Street. Dee called KV, who said he'd catch up.

This would be Lola's first time to watch (or even hear of) S.P.I.T. , and after the elevator brought us to the 2nd floor (Dee hates having stairs meet high heels) we were "greeted" by the team warming up with something akin to a Black gospel choir and campfire song mix. Whatever helps bring the funny, I guess.

Place was packed, so we made do w/ the smoking section patio table. View wasn't so great, and did I mention the smoking part? Glass panels separating us from the main floor made for bad sound reception, and having Joel Trinidad (one of the performers) block our view for awhile as he checked out the videotaping didn't help. Still, despite alla that (and missing female cast members), the show wasn't too bad. As usual the beauty contest portion brought the biggest laughs. The song improvs fell flat again, but I still gave them an 'A' for effort, as that sh*t ain't easy.

I did get annoyed when they started late and finished early, but I guess they were that eager to start their "Disney-oke" session. The first couple began w/ A Whole New World (Aladdin), followed by another duo who sang There's Something There (Beauty & the Beast). KV and I were determined to go onstage, with him undecided w/c songs he wanted to sing but didn't know the lyrics to (or wanting to sing non-Disney songs). As for myself I was undecided between Hakuna Matata (The Lion King) and Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid), so long at least one funny Disney song was sung before it all got too sappy.

Some castmembers of a local production of Mulan, Jr. went up and did Be Our Guest (nothing hides a bad voice like singing w/a crowd), but their tempo was slowed down to an oompa oompa beat, like something you'd hear on Oktoberfest in a German pub. Worse, the guy who did "Lumiere's" voice --half-empty Pale Pilsen bottle in hand-- couldn't sustain the accent. Too busy being sloshed, probably.

When we finally approached Gabriel Mercado to put our names on the list of wannabe singers, he told us to go onstage and browse thru the sheetmusic books scattered behind the pianist. Unfortunately KV took too long in long and picking a song (and Gabriel was kinda picky of singers, too) and like Cinderella had to go once his watch struck midnight. See ya around, chance for fame.

(On the bright side, when I got home I found out I couldn't exactly hit the higher notes called for in Hakuna Matata. Close call, then. Grr, shoulda picked Under the Sea.)

The 'P' Stands for Pain: My P90X Review

(NOTE NON-GYM BUFFS OR WORKOUT NON-ENTHUSIASTS: The ff. blog entry may either bore you or give you the impression that I'm a narcissist.)

Last week I completed the P90X Classic workout course. Ninety days and 12 videos of resistance training, cardio and yoga. While I agree that this program isn't for amateurs, as an experienced workout guy even this had me wanting to pass out (or throw up) in the first few weeks. The results:

CHEST: What I found telling is how my chest muscles "inflate" and "deflate" easily, whether from barbell presses, or in the case of P90X, multiple pushup techniques. I'd look pumped immediately or during the workout (this is the male underwear model's secret in looking buff on the catwalk or on photoshoots), but in 24-48 hours I'm back to where I started.

BACK: The difficulty in achieving the Y-shaped torso was from a lack of proper upper-back exercises, w/c in turn comes from not having proper equipment. My Nike workout bands weren't working (pros in the video could be seen managing only 20 tugs or less, yet here I passing 30 reps, so either I did it wrong or these "maximum resistance" bands are rubbish), and with no chinup bar, the best I can do was to place my barbell stands at maximum elevation and lift myself with resting barbell. This modification was definitely a cheat, because instead of muscle strength lifting I was using the momentum of my upper arms and shoulders in a diagonal upward thrust. (And as such our teacher's warning of "If you cheat during a test you're really cheating yourself" comes true.)

SHOULDERS & ARMS: My triceps didn't get much in terms of shaping or definition, and I think I sprained my left shoulder, w/c made the last few weeks difficult. But I learned a lot about rep sets (8-10 for bulk, 12-15 for toning), and the fact that w/ a sprained shoulder, bicep curls on resistance bands hurt more than w/ a dumbell.

LEGS: My old Muscle & Fitness leg workouts did a better job of shaping my thighs than P90X, w/c seemed to furthen maintain my chicken legs look. P90X has better calf exercises, though.

CARDIO: For my money, nothing beats Billy Blank's first Tae-Bo Advanced and Ultimate Bootcamp workouts, but P90X's Plyometrics (or jump training) and Core Synergistics came awfully close. I still need to run to get rid of love handles, but treadmill's on the fritz right now.

YOGA X: As a first-timer, let me say that I will never mock yoga again. This sh*t can get hard. Due to lack of heavy movement the video is 30 minutes longer than other 1-hour workout vids, but after 12 weeks I've yet to perfect my Warrior Three, Half Moon and Crane poses. It also had me wishing I had full length mirrors (or a proper yoga partner/instuctor) to check if I'm doing it right.

X STRETCH: This one bewildered me at first. Why would someone want to stetch for an hour? Beats having to pay for a massage if you're a cheapskate like me, but come on. It even had stretch excercises for the wrists, w/c I admit were hard, but I doubt it made my future pushups any easier.

AB RIPPER X: I first tried out this 15-minute exercise on its own before starting the program. Turns out this was supposed to be done after a resistance training video, and not to be done everyday. While it was tiring, I think my abs "plateaued" on this workout after the 8th week.

Overall, I liked how P90X kept me on a regular exercise schedule. I just wish it did more for me physically than previous workout programs. I think another mistake on my part lies w/ not following the diet program (w/c isn't all less-carbs-more-protein), and proabably why I have trouble maintaining muscle mass. And since I'm too cheap to buy their Recovery Drink I make do w/ a tall glass of cold Ovaltine (3 big tbsps, no sugar). Also by Week 11 I was experiencing workout burnout instead of "muscle confusion."

After this I'm supposed to follow-up w/ a P90x+ Program, lest all my hard work be "undone," but I'd better give the shoulder time to heal, sans wearing a splint.

Musical Monday

Watched 2 amazing musicals today, but unfortunately neither of them at the theater.

I was at first wary of seeing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, as the title evoked a 70's hippies feel that I had enough of w/ Jesus Christ: Superstar. And to watch Donny Osmond? Willingly?!?

So thank God (no pun intended) it was good. And fun. And funny. Great catchy songs, ironically by the guys who made the previously maligned JC:S, Andrew Llyod Webber and Tim Rice. Even though Osmond played the title character, it was almost as if he was a supporting player in this film, and most of the cooler musical numbers (evoking a mixture of genres like country western, reggae, disco and Elvis, among others) went to the Narrator, the Pharaoh and brother Simeon.

Other name actors like Sir Richard Attenborough, Joan Collins and Ian McNeice weren't given much singing lines, w/c was just as well. Look what it did for Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia!:

(Move to 00:46 to listen to the horror)

But I digress. Next!

My copy of Wicked was courtesy of a diligent patron who diligently recorded the entire performance on a camcorder from the view of the theater balcony. Sure , it got shakey sometimes and I swear I heard someone sniffling at the final duet between Elphaba and Glinda (crybaby...), but the whole play was recorded (and uploaded-- thanks, Demonoid!), and it was spectacular. And since I also watched my last live musical from the balcony I was used to the angle. Stephen Schwartz's music and lyrics here more than makes up for the insomnia curing Disney versions of Pochahantas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Then again, it was the movies that sucked, not the music. Focus, man. Focus.)

From what I've read it's only faithful to the original novel by way of the outline, but still I loved the foreshadowing w/ the origins of the Tin Man and Scarecrow, and did not see that bit w/ the Cowardly Lion coming. Favorite line: "Well, we can't all come and go by bubble!"

Lazy & Spontaneous Sunday For Now Means...

...availing myself of the WiFi (but not the electricity, as there seems to be no easily accessible electrical outlets --unlike in Starbucks-- for my laptop) at Alexa's Deli in Makati, waiting for Dee and listening to the last chapter of David Sedaris' audiobook When You Are Engulfed in Flames. She seems to excel at riskier forms of multitasking, e.g. grooming while driving or using her cellphone while parking her Honda CRV. We ordered 2 iced lattes and one molten chocolate cake, the latter living up to its name when the waiter served a melted piece of pastry they overthawed in the microwave. I could practically taste and feel the sugar granules and wished I could move that to my apparently tasteless latte (another plus to S-Bucks), but I settled for their sugar packets instead.

The spontaneous part of the blog title comes from my having no plans on what to do other than drink lattes w/ Dee and hang out. Laptop battery was dying, so web-browsing was pointless. For her part she was busy preparing a PPP on Pan Pacific for some DLSU-CSB marketing honchos, while at the same time taking calls from male clients and playing armchair love therapist while they discuss their social lives (or lack of). While listening to Sedaris I find myself thinking that I preferred her grooming-while-driving.

When a davidbriantiu YMs her, I wondered if this was the same Brian Tiu who was my nursery and kindergarten classmate in back in SJCS (I have strange long-term memory). When he says he doesn't remember me I started to have my doubts, but when I found out his brother was Terence Tiu (i.e. brother Wilbert's classmate in SJCS, and coincidentally worked at the Marketing Dept. of DLSU-CSB), that clinched it. Well, that and the F'Book and F'ster search I did when I got back home. I barely recognized the longer hair, squarer jaw and darker complexion, but the eyes haven't changed. And he gets around online. (No, I'm not stalking the man. The links are to prove a point.)

After her work was sorta done (low batt) she was set to visit another male client on a non-travel-agency related matter, but didn't know how to get to 6th Street in New Manila. And guess who did...?

So off went our short Honda CRV convoy, crossing Mandaluyong bridge and driving thru Shaw and Aurora Blvd and finally to Broadway Avenue. After I left her at 6th street I saw 2 white mini-coopers of the same make and model meet up at the intersection of E. Rodriguez and whatever street that Jollibee E. Rod branch is on. Also noticed that one cooper driver was more reckless than the other. Country Cooper and City Cooper, I thought. I could've followed them had they not beat the red light at the E. Rod - Araneta Ave. intersection and made their right turn on the latter. The things I do to satisfy my curiosity...