Guess Who Is Back in Town?

Welcome to the Coffee House Chronicles.

I've never really left. 

It's just that it has been a very long, long while since I last posted here and to be frank about it, thoughts of shutting down this blog have entered my mind. In the end though, I elected to leave this space in cyber be for just a wee longer until I get into that state of mind where I would have the drive to write again.

My last post in the CHC was a day and a year ago and it was a review of a book. Thereafter, I've been re-miss in the upkeep of this site but as friends and acquaintances would know, I've been keeping myself somewhat visible on Facebook but never too engrossed that I find myself refreshing my FB timeline every 10 seconds.

I've kept myself busy with family and work, of course. And the move to our new place last year took also quite a bit of my time what with adjusting and all to the new environment. 

On those times that I've found some little time for myself, I've managed to read a few genre books and I've rediscovered my love for comics -- actual, physical, tangible comics -- thanks to Facebook where I was able to find individuals of the same interest. 

I've started to rebuild somewhat my comic collection from the 1980's which numbered roughly about 50 or so pieces of variously titled one-shots but I've found myself now to be in possession of over 300 pieces of comics. Many of these, I've not even read yet (like many books in my disheveled shelf that have yet to be crackled open).

I've also developed a fondness for the genre TV series, many of which are of good production value. There's been a massive explosion of genre shows on the small screen on the other side of the globe and thanks to the internet, we're hearing of them even though they're not being shown locally (well, many are shown on the local cable, truth to be told). 

While I haven't really dived yet into the Game of Thrones fever (read the first four books already though, A Dance of Dragons remains TBR), I've already finished binge-watching Doctor Who starting from the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), 10th Doctor (David Tennant), and partially, the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith, still haven't quite gotten to Series 6 yet). I've already finished the 12th Doctor's first run so you could say,I'm pretty up to date with space and time-traveling Gallifreyan.

BBC's Sherlock TV series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as PI Holmes and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson is another winner in my books and I've also managed to finish all 5 seasons of weird sci-fi series Fringe which is probably one of the best TV series I've ever watched. 

Other TV series that I've grown to love and look forward to the past several years include Falling Skies (on its final season this year), Arrow, Continuum (starring the lovely Rachel Nichols aka Scarlet on the GI Joe movie franchise), Penny Dreadful, Person of Interest, and Warehouse 13. Other recent favorites are Gotham, The Flash, and 12 Monkeys. 

So, you could say I've been keeping myself quite busy and this a reason why I haven't written one post for an entire year.

Let's try to change that this time around as I'll try to post something here every now and then. Something funny, something serious. There'll be genre, of course -- there's no avoiding that but we'll try to keep that to a minimum. I'd like to be able to do reviews though -- movies and TV series I've watched, books and comics, I've read, places I've been to -- as that would add variety to our Monday Mumblings, Tuesday Tidbits, Wednesday Warbles, Thursday Tattles, Friday Frolicks, and to our Weekend Whims.

Stay tuned, folks. 

monday mumblings: iloilo trip -- batchoy, brian, and coffee; comics on the reading list

I've not been reading any books of late because I've been rather hooked to reading (backtracking) on the events in DC comics. Right now I'm working on getting through the pre-Infinite Crisis series of books. As can be seen on the right side of this blog, I'm currently reading The Return of Donna Troy, one of the books that tie-in to the whole Infinite Crisis and after this 4-issuer, I'll get on to Villains United before I finally read Infinite Crisis proper and the ensuing 52 (and 52 Aftermath).

When I'm done with 52, I'll be proceeding to Final Crisis.


The unfortunate victim of my sudden turnaround to comics is A Game of Thrones which continues to be unread despite having traveled with me to Iloilo and Roxas City last week.

* * * *

Desk-work brought me back to Iloilo City last Wednesday.

My last visit to the place was I think late 2004 when I went there with the then RP National Basketball team coached by Boycie Zamar and bankrolled by Cebuana Lhuillier, my former desk. We were in Iloilo for the "Try-Outs ng Bayan" along with then the young national players of which I remember only Dennis Madrid, Celino Cruz, Marc Pingris, and Cyrus Baguio.

Last week, work again found me in Iloilo albeit for a quick stay (unlike the 2004 stay which was, if I remember correctly, 5 days). I had to visit our Iloilo branch and see what improvements can be done on the marketing-advertising side. I planed into the city on the noon-time PAL flight and was at the branch by 2:30pm. After an hour and a half and a dozen or so photos of the branch, I then had to kill time before meeting up with my pal, Brian, later that evening.

So, I undertook a mission I had promised to do -- sample the local coffee shops.

I was aiming to sample at least a couple of coffee shops but due to time constraint and the fact that the night plans changed abruptly, I was only able to check out Coffeebreak.

Near the Desk's branch was a branch of Coffeebreak which I promptly went to for a late lunch (I had just realized that I hadn't had a proper lunch as the flight was right smack in the middle of lunch-time).

Hazelnut coffee with passion "brownie"

I ordered their brew-of-the-week which was Hazelnut and also ordered a pastry which CB called Passion.

Passion is a moist choco-cake slice that is more brownie than cake with a choco-layer in between and almonds (or were those walnuts?) on top.

I'm not much a connoisseur of coffee but the CB brew was quite good and brownie was filling. Since I only had enough room for one coffee-type, I didn't have the chance to sample their iced or frapp coffee versions. Next time probably.

Aside from the great coffee and brownie was the free wi-fi at CB. 

Access to wi-fi granted!

I finally got the chance to test out the wi-fi capabilities of the PSP I brought along and after finally getting it configured, I simply asked the barista for wi-fi access and in minutes I was happily surfing away.

Using the PSP to connect to the internet shows one that not all websites have been configured to work on all mobile devices. Maybe the sites would work well on most tablets and smartphones but websites like Yahoo and even this blog did not display properly on the PSP screen. I could not even access the CMS of Blogger.com which made on-site blogging impossible. Fortunately, the mobile website versions of Twitter and FB worked well. Maybe I just need to install another internet OS on the PSP or upgrade it.

Just like any other coffeeshop, Coffeebreak's counter was easy to understand although they were more colorful than your usual green, brown, mocha variant shops.

Aside from passion, there were a lot other pastries and sweet stuff to chose from. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for a sugar-load. The other delicacies will just have to be tested on another occasion.

* * * *

It's always good to see Brian. 

Brian relocated to Iloilo several years back, got married, had kids, and has settled in his home province for good. So, it's quite seldom that we see each other, the last time being on the sad occasion of our friend's death.

Despite my trip to Iloilo being just a one-nighter, I still checked up on him and we agreed to meet later in the evening. He picked me up from my hotel around 9:30pm.

Deciding that coffee was the last thing on his mind that evening, we went instead to a small watering hole just off Loney Bridge (I think) for two bottles. While the videoke was blaring with tunes sung by the other patrons of the bar, we talked about life, careers, future plans, diabetes cares, and other stuff including reminiscing old times. 

After the two bottles and a song each, Brian proceeded to give me a tour of the city. I was surprised that at before 11pm, Iloilo was already relatively quiet, not unlike Cebu which at midnight was still roaring with life.

See you on my next vist, bro.

* * * *

The next day, I got up early, had breakfast at the hotel's resto, packed up my stuff and headed to the bus station for the trip to Roxas City which I'll chronicle on a next post.

* * * *

Everyone knows that Iloilo is famous for La Paz Batchoy. And when it comes to batchoy, the name Ted's easily comes to mind.

Deco's La Paz Batchoy

So, I evaded Ted's even though it was just around the corner and instead tried the La Paz batchoy at Deco's.

I ordered their special which promised a whole lot of extra stuff that would turn-off my doctor. This was dinner, some 30 minutes after I just had my mid-PM/late lunch at Coffeebreak. 

Along with the batchoy, I ordered four pieces of pre-war pandesal. The digit-sized pandesals were more interesting than the batchoy, sadly. These pandesals were bite-sized and were packed. You could use them as pamato if they were flatter. Despite their diminutive size, they were surprisingly filling. And they were baked well -- firm, packed, solid, yet easy to munch on. More like soft biscuits only thicker.

Going back to the batchoy ...

If my tastebuds remain accurate, the batchoy at Ted's was tastier. Although both stores used the same ingredients and are cooked the same, it all boils down to the sabaw or the broth. Ted's sabaw was the more superior one IMHO.

late night musing on how i got started on comics

Well, despite it being displayed that I'm now reading DC Comics 52 series (yes, late-bloomer), I have yet to really start reading the series. But the series is ready and primed and all I got to do now is sit down and actually read it. 

I'm backtracking obviously, trying to retrace DC's major storylines this past decade or so before I delve into their reboot this month. DC's plan of wiping out all their titles to start with a clean slate of 52 comic titles all beginning as Issue No. 1's is an obvious gamble and it might just pay off as it has gotten a lot of interest from guys like me who have been hovering in the peripheral trying to determine the best way to jump back into a hobby that I've somewhat outgrown when I hit mid-high school.

* * * *

I've never been so much of a collector mainly because like other hobbies that I have seemed to have picked up growing up, comics-collecting is expensive. As a student and with both parents working to support a brood of three, comics was a luxury. My parents would rather spend on a book than a comic. The only  comic I could afford back in my elementary days was Funny Komiks, which I eagerly anticipated every Friday (badgering my mother to buy me a copy on her way home from the palengke).

But I did get to read a lot of comics thanks to schoolmates and friends who were generous enough to lend me their copies. One neighbor comic junkie was a Marvel Comics fan so I got to read the likes of Captain America, Spidey, Iron Fist, the Micronauts, and Daredevil from him. One memorable comic issue was this Captain America issue where the secret origin of the Red Skull was revealed to Cap by no less than Red Skull himself. Other friends, like myself, preferred DC and while I do not recall reading Batman or Superman comics from those early years, I did get to read Aquaman, the Doom Patrol, and others I can no longer remember now.

* * * *

By skimping on meals, I did get to buy my own comics. But not on a regular basis as subscription was obviously  not feasible. Instead, trips to bookstores (back then, I wasn't aware there were shops that specialized in comics) where comics were sold meant choosing the comic that had the best art, and hopefully had lots of costumed guys in it.

So, I went for "team" comics and if I recall correctly, the first comic I ever bought was Tales of the Teen Titans (see the cover on the left) that pitted the Titans against an alien, I think, and this was where we learned that Cyborg's dad who works for STAR Labs, was the one responsible for making Cyborg, well, a cyborg.

Other team comics I purchased included a copy of Legion of Super-Heroes -- the one with the iconic full-page scene of Mon-El single-handedly trying to lift a floating city that just lost its ability to float, an Infinity Inc - Outsiders tie-up, Outsiders, and a Justice Society of America issue that was still set in World War II.

The only Marvel "team" comic I ever bought was this issue of the Avengers with Spiderman in training and they were battling Nebula out in the cosmos.

* * * *

In due time, I discovered there were other comic publishers and titles outside of DC and Marvel. And that some were edgier. Titles like Sun Runners and Axel Pressbutton were indeed edgy as their content was "For Mature Readers" only. Not only did these titles contain cuss-words, they also were free with their depictions of the bodily wonders of females, alien or human alike.
Then there were also the THUNDER Agents -- Dynamo, No-Man, and Menthor -- as well as other heroes from Archie Comics' superhero rosters including Shield, Black Hood, and the Web in a team called the Mighty Crusaders.

Of course, I did eventually manage to get issues of the staples of team comics like Justice League, the Avengers, the X-Men and their related groups. 

* * * *

I was in third or fourth year high school when Superman "died" at the hands of Doomsday.

A classmate of mine was an even more fanatic than myself and he regularly had a supply of comics with him (deep pockets and all) and it was through his purchase of "The Death of Superman" that we learned that DC was unbelievably killing off its iconic hero. 

We mourned Supes death, just like the rest of the world, little knowing that death and resurrection are requisites to being superhero. Apparently, in this business, no one dies forever. I remember a short 3-panel comic from a Marvel magazine. Some people visit the X-Men's mansion, the butler answers the door and the visitors ask for Jean Grey (at that time, I think the X-Men were involved in the Phoenix Saga, if I'm not mistaken). The butler replied, "She's dead. Come back next week."

* * * *

My seeming knowledge of DC comics comes not from reading DC title after DC title but because somehow in the late 80s, I managed to get my hands on two issues of DC's Who's Who -- what was supposed to the definitive guide to all things DC. 

While I only got the successive issues 18 and 19 that covered heroes and villains from Phantom Girl to Pursuer, and Puzzler to Roy Raymond, respectively, you still learned a whole lot about DCU and its citizens. Notable entries in the two issues include Robin, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Reverse-Flash.

Nowadays, I can do research on just about any comic character off the web.

* * * *

When Image Comics formed in the 90s, my friend Brian and his brother, Mark, got crazy and started acquiring Image title after title -- including Youngblood, WildCATs, and Stormwatch. Bri's favorite however was Todd MacFarlane's Spawn series which was indeed a visual treat. We eagerly awaited the new issue every month for that first volume.

Thus, with the exception of Spawn, which in my opinion was magnificently drawn, I was introduced to the exaggerated art of the comics of the 90s that had the pre-requisite superhuman dressed in invincible armor or spandex and he sported a variety of weaponry that is almost always never used. Of course, the super-heroines didn't have such protrusions except for the anatomical ones. For the female heroes, the skimpier the costume, the better (think Voodoo, Zealot, and Diva and you know what I mean).

* * * *

Nowadays, it's more practical to buy the collected editions. 

musings on dc's new 52 reboot

Today, August 31, DC Comics, that big comic company over the other side of the globe, jumpstarts its entire product line with the release of Justice League #1.

JL#1 will just be the tip of the iceberg as DC has cancelled all its product line and will be relaunching 51 other comics in a bid to make comics relevant to the current market whose interests, I suspect, are more attuned with stuff like computers, handheld gaming consoles, iPads and iPhones, mobile phones, and a social networking site called Facebook.

I haven't had time to delve into what-has-really-been-happening-that-has-led-to-DC-relaunching-everything but I feel that it has to do with not being able to capture a new audience. I understand sales of comics has slipped a notch or two and it has been fighting a losing battle for readership with more immersive media. And then there's also the possibility that new readers are not getting into comics because they feel there's so much history to backtrack that they'd rather take on something else.

Marvel Comics, if I understand correctly, tried to counter this with their "Ultimate" series and as far as I've read online, they've succeeded in getting new readers interested.

DC has taken the bolder step, IMHO, and decided to drop everything and instead relaunch its titles in what it hypes as the "New 52", starting with what is supposedly the flagship title -- Justice League.

From what available teasers and materials I've seen so far, JL#1 seems to be a re-telling of how the Justice League, composed of DC big-wigs Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and curiously, Cyborg, got assembled. It's going to be the same for several of the 51 other DC titles that'll be launched this September. There are however some titles that'll be somewhat continuations from their previous incarnations. And according to online sources including Wikipedia's entry on the DC reboot, much of the history and legacy of DC will remain intact such that storylines such as Blackest Night, Brightest Day, and Batman: The Killing Joke are part of the continuity.

So, will this reboot fly? I certainly hope so for DC's sake. Much of DC's universe is so convoluted that it certainly needs a reboot. The past "Crises" stories didn't succeed in cleaning up the mess so an entire sweep, just like this reboot of its entire line, might just be the right stroke for DC. It will also allow new readers to come onboard. For fans like myself who have not paid that much attention to what has been going on, the reboot serves as an invitation to once again take a peek into what's "new".

Am I interested? Certainly. But I'm not about to go off and spend thousands of pesos on all 52 titles. A quick visit to the comics shop recently told me I have to spend some Php 150 - Php 200 on a new ish. More if the comic title was in demand. With those prices, a collected edition might be more practical (and that's the most likely path I'll be taking). But I'll certainly be keeping tabs on what people will say about the new 52 DC titles.

Of the 52 titles that have been PR'ed, the ones that have piqued my interest include:

Justice League - with powerhouse tandem of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee joining forces on the flagship title.

The Flash - with Francis Manapul writing and drawing, this might be interesting

Action Comics - will star a Superman from his early days as a super-powered do-gooder and what makes this series more interesting is that it will be written by comic book rockstar, Grant Morrison. I'm not so taken with Rags Morales' artwork but hopefully it'll be better than the work he has done on Identity Crisis.

Legion of Superheroes - with Paul Levitz back in the writer's helm of this series, it can get interesting. I've been a long-time Legion fan (even creating my own version of the Legion in the 90s) so this will be one series I will most likely follow ish-per-ish.

Stormwatch - I'm 50/50 on this although I'm picking this only because I always have an interest on anything Stormwatch. It will be interesting to see how this former Wildstorm title makes it in the DCU continuity -- and with no Weatherman at that!

Grifter - another former Wildstorm title taken into the DCU fold. How will anti-hero Cole Cash survive in a world inhabited by the likes of Supes and Bats? Makes for an interesting storyline, hopefully.

For more of the low-down on what will happen to the DC universe you've come to love, head on over to Tor.com where Tim Callahan breaks down each of the new 52 DC titles and dissects them complete with his reco to buy it or not. You may not like his recommendation (especially if you're a fanatic of a title or two, or three) but you'll get more insights before you decide to spend the pesos (or dollars or yen) on a title.

tuesday tidbits: resurrecting the 6680, abe lincoln is a vampire hunter, freakangels, the bibliophile bug itch

There is this post that I've done last week before I left for Kidapawan about my frustrations here at the Desk. I've debated about posting it for public consumption and finally sealed it as "DEFERRED". My feelings about the issue remain to this day (I am still very much frustrated) but I'm keeping the post in reserve for when I finally have had enough of the stupidity and absurdity of things.

On now to other stuff ...

* * * *

Since it will be some time before I get hold off an Android-powered phone (unless some good soul gifts me with one), I'm resurrecting my Nokia 6680. The main reason why I decided to forego it a whiles back was because of the fast battery drain. Over lunch, I got myself a new battery for it along with a spanking black housing. It still worked! However, after just an hour of use, the battery was already draining and it's supposed to last three days on standby mode.

Remembering how the old battery became discharged and bloated, I did a quick search online with a query of "6680 battery draining fast" on Yahoo Search and I was rewarded with an answer -- battery is draining fast most likely because the phone is "shorting" it. This would be the likely case, says the forum answerer, if your battery looked bloated. Which was exactly what my last battery looked out. The solution was to have the phone checked and the short-circuiting fixed. Otherwise, I'll just end up buying battery after battery.

Hopefully, the local repairmasters here in the P.I. would be able to fix this dilemma so that I can get back to using my trusty 6680. And then I'll likely hand over the SE T303 I'm currently using to my sis-in-law so that she can replace her old 3100.

* * * *

I surprised myself recently by finishing a book in less than a week, more specifically just under five days. This is such a rare feat by yours truly as the last time I've finished a book that quick was in 2005 when I was out of work and staying at home all day long.

The book I'm talking about is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith, a mash-up (new term for me too, folks) which I bought last June 29 and finished reading last Saturday afternoon, July 2.

I've seen the book before on previous trips to bookstores I frequently haunt and was always curious what this was all about since the front cover had the portrait of old Abe Lincoln standing all regal and elegant but the back cover had him holding an ax and a severed head of a vampire. I finally bought the book last week because I wanted to satiate my curiousity and that this could be a good reference of sorts for a new personal project I'm working on. I didn't count on the book being a mash-up though.

Have to admit that I'm a sucker for history stuff, even fictional ones (like the chronological listing of events following the War of the Ring that can be found on the back of The Return of the King), thus I guess that's the reason I finished this book in record time. Add to that, Abe Lincoln was probably one of my earliest historic heroes -- I was exposed to the American president's exploits before I even heard of Jose Rizal (unfortunately true, honest). And this is my first vampire book, ever. I've never been fond of vampires and stories about them even though Twilight and Ms Stephanie Meyer made vamps sexy. But the way how the book was written -- ala diary entries of Abe Lincoln about his vampire-hunting days on his "secret journals" -- saved the book for me and I found myself enjoying it.

Will try and do a review of the book soon while the story is still fresh on my mind. Imagine the wickedness of the author to mash up a historic figure such as Abe Lincoln with something extra-ordinary such as vampires and vampire hunting. That's cross-genre, indeed.

* * * *

Like I said earlier, I went to Kidapawan for Desk work.

Didn't get to go around the city as much as there wasn't really much to go around to in the first place. While Kidapawan is categorized as a city, don't expect to find the comforts of city life here. Local shops abound but the only branded establishment that one would recognize would be Jollibee. When people wanted to shop for branded stuff, they took the trip to Davao (4 hours via public commute, 2 hours by private vehicle).

However, the idea that Kidapawan is a dangerous place is, in my opinion, a bit exaggerated. While I didn't stay long (only one night), the city was generally peaceful during my stay. There was a bombing incident that took place earlier last week but our branch personnel said that the incident happened some ways out of the city proper and that the bombers just abandoned their getaway vehicle within the city limits. Nevertheless, our branch personnel weren't taking any chances and they insisted on bringing me to the doors of my hotel when we finished our pre-event meeting at 8pm.

Well, better safe than sorry, I guess.

* * * *

As mentioned on the upper right corner of this blog, I'm currently reading FreakAngels, a free, weekly web-comic written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Paul Duffield.

The web comic follows the lives of the FreakAngels, 11 individuals with telekinetic, teleportation, and psychic powers who caused armaggedon to happen and what happens to them thereafter. According to reports, Ellis got the idea from John Wyndham's The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as Village of the Damned).

I'm a fan. If you're not, head on over to FreakAngels.

* * * *

The bibliophile bug is itching.

After finishing Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I found myself at Fully Booked Rockwell last Saturday purchasing a copy of Kevin J. Anderson's The Edge of the World, the first volume in his Terra Incognita series. I had to restrain myself from also buying the sequel.

I think before the week is out, I might end up buying another book or two. And just to satisfy the craving while keeping within means, I think a trip to Booksale is in order.

wednesday warbles: manny pacman, i found my galaxy, superman's next director

Over at RingTV.com, boxing writer, commentator, and boxing correspondent Ted Lerner has written an interesting three-part story on Manny Pacquiao's preparations for his upcoming fight versus Antonio Margarito this coming November 13.

Lerner is in Baguio City (as of the article's 3rd part) where he is one of the dozens of boxing scribes covering Pacquiao as the Filipino boxing icon works on his goal for an 8th division win.

The first part of Lerner's story deals with Pacquiao, head coach Freddie Roach, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, and the rest of the Team Pacquiao posse starting camp initially in Metro Manila before moving on to Baguio. The second focuses on Ariza's role in the triumvirate that includes himself, Pacquiao and Roach and the success that the formula old school (Pacquiao) + old school (Roach) + new school (Ariza) has brought the trio. The third part of the series then focuses on multi-tasking Pacquiao and the seemingly unending energy he has to do lots of stuff -- that despite being in rigorous training, he is still indirectly doing his duties as a congressman, and still very much a father to his daughter, and doing wacky stuff like getting hooked on Plants and Zombies.

Interesting read even if you're not a boxing fanatic. For your benefit, here are the articles from Lerner and RingTV.com:

Pacquiao in Baguio City: Training Camp Begins

Ariza: Integral Part of Pacquiao's Formula for Success

Pacquiao in Baguio City: Serious Sparring, Boundless Energy

* * * *

I found my new phone. Take note, found. I've yet to buy it.

While doing the rounds of the tech-shops at SM Megamall's Cyber Zone last weekend, I drifted over to the Samsung shop to drool over the Galaxy S -- as previously blogged, a prospect phone -- which I know I will no longer buy because of a) the steep price, and, b) because it wasn't comfortable to handle for me. But right beside the Galaxy S, unbeknownst to me all this time (all this time I've been looking at Nokia and Sony Ericsson smartphones) was the little brother of the Galaxy S -- the Galaxy 5!

Little brother because of its size (which I can palm perfectly) but definitely not lacking the punch as this Android-powered smartphone boasts of features that can be seen in the otherwise larger Galaxy S. With such features and at a price range of somewhere between P10,290 and P11,400 (I canvassed the mobile phone shops for the best price) the Galaxy 5 bowled me over and instantly became my prospect phone.

Let's look at the tech-specs:

• Android Eclair (upgradeable to Froyo) -- woohoo over 100,000 possible apps from the Android Marketplace (that's what the advertising says!)
• Internet: HSDPA 7.2mbps / HSUPA 5.76mbps plus WiFi
• EDGE / GPRS
• Display is a crystal clear and brilliantly bright HVGA AMOLED at 3.2"
• Multimedia: 2 megapixel camera, video (MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV), audio (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, RA), FM radio
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, MicroUSB
• Storage: can use an mobile memory card (forgot which one) up to 16GB

And since it's running on Android, it comes packed with all the necessary Google apps and services including Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Search. With the GPRS and Google Maps, here's to hoping one doesn't get lost anymore. And I can just imagine the tons of books I will be able to carry -- electronically, that is -- when I go out of town (and probably I can even download comics for mobile with it).

Aside from the geeky stuff, the comfort factor is a plus. If the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S had been smaller, I still would consider it even with the tag price it had. However, it was too bulky for my rather dainty hand. The Samsung i7500 Galaxy 5 however was a perfect fit! It handles like my recently-deceased Nokia 6680 and now all that I would have to adopt to is the use of touch screen technology.

With the following factors -- comfort and ease of use, superior tech-specs, and of course, the reasonable price for a smartphone -- the Samsung Galaxy 5 is a no-brainer as my next phone.

I just hope there's still stocks left when I finally purchase it. Maybe next month. Maybe December.

* * * *

While we're at it talking tech ... another prospect to purchase for me and my wife is a netbook. Why?

For mobile computing and browsing, of course (but if I get the Galaxy 5, I won't really need a netbook if only to browse, right?).

And among the netbooks currently out in the market, I'm looking hard at getting us a Gateway -- the AMD-powered one that comes with ATi Radeon graphics card. That's serious computing power for a netbook -- you might be even to play serious games with that (Cafe World and Baking Life excluded, thank you).

And at around P19,000 - P24,000, the price is just right -- a steal even because you're getting one heck of a machine.

Hay, I really need to get those sidelines running if I'm ever to purchase the Gateway (and the Galaxy 5)!

* * * *

Hollywood will soon be re-booting Spiderman (again) but another comic-book hero is also set for another re-boot. Not the Hulk, but the big, blue cheese himself -- Superman.

I know that isn't new news but what's new is that reports on the 'net have revealed that producers of the upcoming Superman re-boot, Christopher Nolan (of Batman Begins / Dark Knight and Inception fame) and David Goyer (screenplays of the Batman films as well as the new Superman film), have chosen Zack Snyder to helm the film.

Comic-book-turned-into-movies buffs will recall Snyder as the director of the film version of cult comic classic Watchmen as well as the graphically-graphic retelling of the Spartan's last stand against Persian invaders in 300. Yahoo Movies has a report on Snyder being chosen to direct the new Supes flick as well as an analysis on why Superman is a difficult comic-book character to portray on film.

Re-boots have become sort of the norm, especially when a film touted to do well in the box office bombs out. In other cases, even if the film does well with tickets, the big bosses still insist on rebooting the franchise (case-in-point: Spiderman -- Tobey Maguire is out as Spidey and a new Spidey/Peter Parker in the person of Andrew Garfield is set to step onto the characters webbings in a planned reboot -- how many ways can a film show a radio-active spider bite a geeky teenage photographer that turns him into a web-slinging superhero?). In the case of the recent Superman Returns which starred Brandon Routh, film execs at Warner and Legendary Pictures pointed out that while the film generally received positive reviews, it was a "disappointment" in the box office as it only earned roughly US$391 million worldwide -- expected returns from the film was at US$500 million. This caused Superman Returns director Bryan Singer to react "I don't know what constitutes under-performing these days."

Well, Singer is off the project and now the trio of Nolan-Goyer-Snyder have the gargantuan task of making sure the next Supes flick grosses (overgrosses more preferable by the studio execs for sure) while at the same time delivering something worth one's while. As I understand it, execs want more action in the next Superman re-boot to cash in on the aggressive hormones of a young male movie-going audience but with Nolan around, let's hope it'll indeed be something worth all our whiles.

And oh, I liked Superman Returns.

While it was not as action-overlaid as say X-Men or Spiderman or as dark and gritty as Nolan's Batman flicks, the storytelling was well-done and the balance of action and drama (in the vein of Christopher Reeve's Superman series) was good. Like many critics, I felt Kate Bosworth was not Lois Lane but Kevin Spacey was great as Lex Luthor. Routh's acting was good ... not perfect, but good enough for the film (there's not much acting to be done once you don the Superman costume -- that's like being a god but his Clark Kent portrayal pays homage to the bumbling Reeve characterization of Supes' alter ego). It would be good to see him return to the role which he says he would be happy to play again.

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This entry was written over two days, in spurts, in between work at the Desk :)

monday mumblings: frustrations at work, jetpack, walk-xercise, unread books, job opening

How long does it take to upload a website page if the website has been existent for eons and the page in question is a mere 23kb? In my experience, no longer than 5 minutes. So, why does it take more than 3 days for people here at the Desk to do it? Up until this writing, the page in question is still not updated. To top it all of, I had to fill in a request form and email the persons concerned but it still this doesn't get done.

I hate to compare but in my previous gig, I was in-charge of updating the websites and when we needed to update a page or an entire website even it didn't take more than an hour to do so. And we did it with less paperwork at that -- helps save the trees even. But here at the Desk, it's a different story altogether and I don't know if the paperwork -- the actual and the virtual -- really works or if they are just exercises in futility.

This is just frustrating. That's why my website project at the Desk isn't taking off.

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A quick cyber surf yields an interesting bit of news straight out of science-fiction: jetpacks are coming!

Over at Digital-Trends, Ryan Fleming reports that jetpacks may soon be heading out of the sci-fi books and comics and onto consumers' backs as aviation company Martin Aircraft looks to make jetpacks commercially available.

The Martin jetpack doesn't look like the jetpack used in Rocketeer or the one used by Adam Strange of Rann or even Flash Gordon which are all sized as big as your average backpack. The one being developed by Martin looks more like one that Ace McCloud of Centurions fame might don (weighs at least 250 lbs). But heck, it's a jetpack and a working one at that. However, it won't be readily available to the average consumer yet as it's quite pricey at US$100,000 but for sure, as technology advances, this jumbo jetpack will eventually be scaled down to manageable size and the price will surely drop.

Here's an excerpt from Fleming's story:

"Currently Martin Aircraft Company is fulfilling an order for 500 jetpacks to be used by emergency services, as well as four unnamed defense companies. As of right now, the company's focus is to produce jetpacks specifically for governmental purchase, but they are seeking funding to build at least one new factory with the purpose of producing jetpacks for the average (extremely rich) customer.

The Martin jetpack comes in two models. One is pretty much what you would expect a jetpack to be- it is a device that can carry a person to infinity and beyond, assuming that infinity is less than the 8000 feet ceiling or the 31.5 miles distance that travelling at the maximum regulated speed of 63mph will take you. With a full tank of gas, that would last roughly 30 minutes, although Martin Aircraft expects that to improve as the manufacturing process becomes more efficient.

The jetpack operates the way you would imagine it. You strap it on, you fly. The principals aren't all that difficult to comprehend. That might be a little bit of an oversimplification, and possibly a touch insulting to the extremely bright and dedicated engineers that have spent years working on the project, but really, how much convincing do you need that a jetpack is a good thing? You put it on, and suddenly you can fly. Everything else is details.

If you are one of "those" people that absolutely needs to know the specs on the combustion engine that you might one day soon be strapping to your back, the Martin jetpack uses a gasoline powered V4, 2.0 liter engine capable of producing 200 hp. In fact, the name "jetpack" is actually a bit of a misnomer, as there is not jet involved. But "Enginepack" just isn't as sexy. It is a carbon fiber design that weighs around 250lbs before adding safety equipment, and at maximum thrust it can carry more than 600 lbs, so even the bulky NFL player that just signed a multi-million dollar contract extension can get in on the action. Can you honestly see Terrell Owens NOT buying one of these?

The standard equipment for the jetpack is slightly unique. While Ferrari might give you a hat or a lovely keychain when you purchase one of their products, they probably do not include a flight and engine display, a harness, a retractable undercarriage that absorbs energy, or a ballistic parachute. All of which come standard with the Martin Jetpack."

Head on over to Digital Trends to read the entire story or click here.

Photo is a copyright of Martin Aircraft. All rights remain with them.

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Just had pre-lunch or mid-morning snack (depends on your POV) of home-made tuna sandwich. Breakfast was a mango donut (300 calories!) and a cup of hot choco. I also had 7-11 Vanilla Cupcake gourmet vendo coffee which will probably up my current calories to somewhere around 1,000 and I have a 300 calorie lunch coming up. That leaves around 700 calories for meryenda and dinner as I'm trying to ensure I don't go over 2,000 calories a day.

There are days, of course, that it can't be helped but generally, I've been able to keep myself at below 200 lbs. Credit that to all the walking I've been doing at every possible opportunity. Having a car helps with mobility surely but it has reduced the amount of time I used to allocate to walk-xercises. These days, I try to find time to do this so as to make sure I get enough activity to burn off the fat and the excess sugars.

UPDATE: Just had lunch -- leftover menudo from last night with rice and a banana. Like I said, 300 calories roughly for lunch. Now, need to walk downstairs at least 10 times to lose this!

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One book that I would like to read (as in read) is Neal Stephenson's Anathem -- unfortunately, I find it hard to get going. I'm still at the opening pages and the book has yet to enthrall me so that I'll keep on reading. It's probably because it's a heavy book -- heavy, meaning you've got to be ready mentally to absorb and think and process and analyze what the book is all about. After 9 or so hours of daily grind, I don't think I have energy left to tackle a book demanding such.

Hence, for easy readings after a hard day's work at the Desk, I'm re-reading Butch Dalisay's Barfly -- a collection of columns that appeared in the defunct Today broadsheet (Today has since merged with Manila Standard) written by Palanca Hall of Famer Jose Dalisay who incidentally was my professor in the basic Creative Writing course I took up as an elective during my junior year in Peyups.

I'm not yet in that state of mind where I'll appreciate a complex storyline from a spec-fic book so aside Barfly, I'm also re-reading Lester Wunderman's Being Direct, which from previous posts I'm sure I said is a source of inspiration for my chosen career path.

And oh yes, I've mentioned I've been reading a lot of comic books of late as well.

When I have the time and the right state of mind, that's when I'll be able to tackle Stephenson's Anathem and other books that still are waiting to be unwrapped like the anthology Extraordinary Engines, The Difference Engine, and Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors short fiction. I'm sure there are other unread books still waiting to see the light out there in my bookcase and I'm sure I'll continue to add more and more books because -- I don't do drugs but books drug me :P

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Work is piling up at the Desk. I need help.

We're looking for an Ad & Promo Assistant, preferably with at least a year's experience in either of the following: advertising, marketing, or corporate communications.

The biggest factor is that the person we will hire should be able to write and write well. We're talking about someone who can write ad copy for brochures, flyers, and streamers; and come up with a script or a spiel. He/She should also be able to write news and feature stories as he/she will be an integral part of the company newsletter. Oh, if he/she has web copy experience that would be a plus.

How old? Preferably younger than me as he/she will have the unfortunate luck of being under my auspices. Don't worry. I'm no hard taskmaster but I do expect results to be delivered!

Interested parties may get in touch with me via my Desk email rlragandan(at)veteransbank.com.ph. Be prepared to showcase your writing portfolio and be prepared to take a writing exam to test your skills!