Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Not a Movie Review

You know whats better than watching Superman Returns?
Watching Superman Returns in 3D.

I just caught the 9am screening of the film at the IMAX theater at the SM Mall of Asia. One of the editors gave out much-coveted passes the night before and me and my work buddies were giddy with excitement at the thought of watching it on opening day.

Now I've never been a big fan of 3D and the godawful-looking glasses you have to wear to experience it.
But this was definitely something else.
Superman Returns is jaw-droppingly beautiful, especially when your watching it in the biggest movie screen in the country (supposed to be equivalent to the height of an eight-storey building). During the 3D scenes, everying not only leaps out at you, its LARGER THAN LIFE. Our gay friend was literally hugging mid-air everytime Superman was soaring "towards us."

Even though i had already read alot of reviews prior to watching the flick, I still felt it was great entertainment. Clocking in at over two hours and a half, the movie leaves you hankering for more even though you don't leave the theater unsatisfied. It is a long and wonderful journey that intersperses the classic Reeves' superman and Routh's infusion into the character. I think this is a good way to inculcate the generation of today with a classic comic book character. I also like the implied parallelism with Jesus Christ in some of the scenes and the tri-personlaity of Kal-el, Clark Kent and Superman.

Can't wait for the next installment.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Definitely Not My Day

It started out innocently enough, a totally innocuous day.
Or so i thought.

Woke up happy the sun was out (I always prefer the sun to the rain. Maybe because its my kind of soccer-playing weather, but then again nothing beats the fun of playing soccer while your muddy wet and sliding everywhere. Ah, those were the good ole days in Sunken Garden...)

I'd like to consider myself a happy commuter. I don't mind all the harried transferring from jeepney-train or bus-tricycle that my route to the office entails daily. My only gripe right now is that by the time I get to the office, I am all sweated out, not to mention zapped of any energy I should have spent working. PLUS, I perspire to the point that I wish I could just have brought extra clothes. I remember this anti-perspirant commercial that promises to solve all those wet spots. Now I wish they could find a product that could prevent my chest from sweating so much. I hate those damn wet lines!

Well, I usually don't mind, but today was different. I had a presscon to attend in another city for lunch and I was bothered by not feeling so fresh. Not to mention that halfway through my commute, I discovered my water bottle had leaked through my bag and stupid me didnt even notice til my entire right leg was soaked through. I looked like I peed myself! (Technically speaking, the water pattern isn't consistent with a girl having peed herself. It should have wet through the middle and gone outwards on both sides. The wet spot on my jeans would have been perfect for male incontinence episode because it was only wet towards one side. This is my "watched-too-many-episodes-of-CSI Vegas and NY speaking by the way")

So suffice to say, by the time I got to work, I was pretty bothered by how I looked. But still, me and an office buddy attended the event. This again entailed commuting and walking through 3 inter-connected malls (which is fun but the whole walking-through-hot-cold-hot-cold wasn't really good for me). And I was right, halfway through the crowded presscon, I started nosebleeding. Not the trickle down slowly type mind you. It came down in one long gush and I'd like to thank the kikay gods for making me remember to bring extra tissue in my bag for horrid situations like this. Now since the room was packed I couldnt really go out so I tried holding my nose and making the blood clot, but after many excruciating moments of looking like a crazy dork in front of Jericho Rosales (who's endorsing a new line of jeans for Denim Lab), I decided to sneak off to the nearest ladies room.

When we got back to the office I had another nosebleed. Makes me wonder what the heck's wrong with me. Is it one of those weird maladies that Dr. Gregory House loves solving? Will alien antibodies start eating and melting my vital organs til it starts looking like baked lasagna in there? Have I been watching too many episodes of House M.D? Anyway, thank God another pal brought me ice and i used my gym towel to bring my body temp to a cooler temp (I generally have a hotter temp than anybody else I know. Not very good when you live in a tropical country)

So now, here I am finishing off a small cup of spicy seafood instant noodles. Lotsa MSG I know. But I'm holding off til everybody leaves. It's really nice in the office when everyone's gone and the AC hasn't been turned off yet. Very peaceful. Maybe my day doesn't have to end with a rotten egg.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Food-tripping (June edition)

Here's a list of stuff I've never tried before and my (more than) two cents' worth on it.

1. Pringles Guacamole-flavored potato chips
I definitely like this flavor more than any wasabi-flavored chips I've tried. it's tangy , but not enough to turn off those who don't like food that has a bit of a bite. The green tinge on the chips is kinda off-putting (like its moldy or something), but if you can get over that, it's actually pretty good. Best eaten in a dark, dark theater.

2. Pringles Cheezy Quesidillas flavored potato chips
I think it's really great that Pringles keep comin out with new "exciting" flavore (just like Cheetos, except they didn't come out with a new flavor, but a new texture instead. I am saving up to splurge on one big bag of Cheetos cheese Puffs as I write this). This is just a variation of their regular cheese version, but at least it's different.

3.Speedo Sports Water in starfruit flavor
Whenever my godmother in Cali asks me what I want, I always tell her to get me sports-related stuff. Most of the other things I know is available locally, so why make her spend for it right? So I got all sorts of bandages, joint supports, heat pads and sports drinks. Last last year, the newest thing I received was powdered gatorade and this year Speedo water tops the list. I like their thick blue bottles. It's pretty sturdy and re-usable (I just read in a medical magazine why you shouldn't re-use clear plastic mineral water bottles. Apparently, they have toxic stuff inside that could contaminate whatever you refill)

4. Akay-Akay
I'm not a big fan of native rice cakes, but I believe in trying everything at least once (except those recipes that involve okra and bitter gourd), and we went to this deli called Mommy's. Akay-Akay is a form of cassava cake that has red beans in it (which is one of my favorite ingredients. I love mongo bread, hopia and buchi balls!)

5. Green grass rice cakes
Me and a friend were in a hurry to buy takeout from a nearby foodcourt in order to make it to a 7pm showing of The Da Vinci Code (we weren't gonna catch the last full show lest we end up going home in the wee hours of the morn). So what happened was a frenzied scoping out of all the food stalls and haphazardly ordering anything we thought we be remotely un-messy enough to eat inside the cinema. As an afterthought, my friend decided to order this brownish-green rice cake we saw on our way out and had it microwaved for takeout. It was yummy! It had gooey coconut strips inside and wasn't too dry in texture.

6. Pancake Sandwiches
Our main course for that night, we bought at NY Diner (a place originally i just know for its gigantic french fries slices with your choice of a dozen or so dips). We had always wondered about their expanded new menu and although it was a bit pricy (a little over $2 for waffles and pancake sandwiches). So we ordered a ham & egg pancake sandwich for her and a bacon & egg pancake sandwich for me. It is exactly what it is called,a pancake sandwich, just with a side order of fries. I loved it! You pour maple syrup on everything and just slice your way to carbo heaven. Yummy!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Musings

"How about let's not do this ever again in this lifetime okay?
Okay."

This was the conclusion I came to, the endpoint of a running conversation I kept having in my head every few years. The untimely (When does it ever really become "timely" anyway?) death of a relationship. The sad sorry time when you pick up the dregs of your former self and hope to God you haven't lost all the pieces yet. Analytical mind? Check. Ability to emphathize? Check. Self deprecating wit? Check. Ability to love again? Check (Thank God). Self-confidence??? Oh shit. I knew I left it somewhere.

Sometimes you reassess the things you do and wonder why you are cursed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Not that choosing to be in love falls directly under that ill-fated category, but choosing to complicate your life with a love too difficult to maintain can quite easily be viewed as illogical to some people (my alter ego included).

Being a woman (ahem), I really don't think a guy should hold a girl up to the last thing she manages to spout off the last time they fought. Stuff said in the most heated (or emotional) of times are never trustworthy. It's not like going to an ukay-ukay and making a decision then and there because you know you'll never find another piece like it in the planet. You don't have the luxury of time to compare it with another store because by the time you come back, it may be gone forever. No, I'd rather compare it to shopping for a mass-produced commodity found in department store chains. You find something you like, but you hold back because you try to find something better. Same with words, you say what you think (even if it's the stupidest lamest things to say) because you felt like it, but in actuality, when you finally get to rehash what had transpired, more than likely you wish you'd brought a mental copy editor to straighten you up. So you may think you were right in saying what you did right then, but for sure you'll find better ways of having said it once you've reviewed what happened.

That didn't make sense. oh well
That's what blogs are for. paper moons and candy clouds...

Endpoint: I've probably said alot of things I am not proud of. One time a budding relationship abruptly ended because of one stupid phrase he would never forgive me for. But I've learned from it. And I'm more deliberate now. (not exactly always in a good way though).