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. 

late review: sucker punch

I have been meaning to write a movie review on Sucker Punch for quite some time now but given the tons of review people on the 'net have done about this Zack Snyder flick, it might be an exercise in futility. Nevertheless, let me give you my personal thoughts on this film.

All-girl action. Fish net stockings. Corsets. High heels. Female leads skimpily dressed. A Russian-accented dance seductress. Cabarets. Erotic dancing.

A porno-flick, maybe?

Not if you add guns of all sorts and sizes from hand-held pistols to MP5s to a rattling machine gun, a samurai sword, stick grenades, a B-17 Super Fortress, a time-activated city-leveler bomb, World War I era bi-planes, bayonets, and other weapons that cause destruction. And to add even more confusion to an already chaotic scene, add in dragons, knights, orcs, German Nazi zombie-like creatures, and an enigmatic Wise Man cum sensei cum military commander cum bus driver.

That's Sucker Punch.

But the story's not as chaotic as you think although you do have to make sure you start the film from the beginning otherwise you'll be hopelessly lost in the midst of the action, the drama, the dancing, the music, and the violence within the film.

This latest offering from director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) is a rollercoaster ride. It's a story within a story within a story. In this film, a 20-year old girl is placed in a mental institution by her stepfather after she accidentally killed her kid sister (and we all know why, because the stepfather wanted to do something nasty to the girls after their mother died and she (the mother) left all her money to her two girls). The girl, Baby Doll, then retreats to a fantasy world where the mental institution becomes a cabaret where she and other girls are being held against their will by the club owner. However, within the cabaret fantasy world, Baby Doll further retreats into another world, a more fantastic one, that is forever pitting her and the other girl protagonists into action, and she is induced into this secondary fantasy world when she dances in the cabaret-inspired first fantasy world. Her actions however, in both fantasy worlds, have an impact to the real world of the mental institution where she and her girl-friends are able to reveal the ugliness of the institution. Baby Doll however makes the ultimate sacrifice (she is lobotomized) but her actions have allowed a fellow inmate to escape the hell they were in.

Sucker Punch is a visual geek fest. This films combines elements from manga, anime, mecha, sci-fi, fantasy, and yes, even eroticism (fetish more likely, the young-girls-in-short-skirts type) in 120 minutes of reel that, in my opinion, depicts pages from a futuristic Warhammer comic. And the musical score is probably one of the best ever done for a film. The man Snyder and his musical scorers not only made this a visual geek fest but also a fest for audiophiles.

The film's use of fantasy within a fantasy within a fantasy allows for the mixing of elements from different genres. Where else can you find machine totting girls in sexy military uniforms storm an Orc-filled castle aided by a B-17 Super Fortress? Add a dragon, a bullet train with a doomsday device, a 1940's cabaret-fronted prostitution den, and you've got a kaboodle of ideas.

But Sucker Punch is not an easy movie to follow and to be honest, I had read a synopsis and a summary of the film even before viewing it for fear that I might not get into the meat of the story. For those who like their movies linear, the complexity of Sucker Punch's progression is a bit hard to digest as the film leaps from the reality to the fantasy to another fantasy.

And looking at how netizens, movie buffs, and critics have dissected the movie, it's obvious you either hate it or love it. The sentiment for the movie is so polarized that at this early critics (both for and against Snyder) are already forecasting the outcome of the reboot of Superman which Snyder is set to helm.

Personally, I liked the movie. Not because of the story which I think could've used a little more tightening and probably another 15 minutes or so of reel time (felt hurried towards the end) to build up a more powerful (err, dramatic?) climax but because of the visual flair, the action, the soundtrack, and all the other elements that make up a good flick. Of course, the story or the script or the screenplay should've been the most important element but where the screenplay falls short all other elements come in and rescue the film. Sometimes you just have to appreciate the movie for the entertainment value. It's not always that you look for a film that wrenches you to tears or awakens a strong sense of something in you. Sometimes, you just go into a movie-house, watch a film, and enjoy it. Come on, Iron Man wasn't that too deep a movie to watch, right?

Don't look to Sucker Punch to bring home any screenplay or screenwriting award but for an overdose of action delivered by femme fatales then this movie should kickstart your butt.

Final Movie Rating: 3.5 / 5

friday frolics: christmas at home, ebooks, 9, ruin and resolve antho

Well, what do you know? This entry is being written on the 25th of December, right smack in the late afternoon at that -- Merry Christmas to all!

This year's celebration of the holidays is made more special with the birth of our second daughter, Rissa Kristelle, last December 13. My wife's OB had estimated an expected delivery date of December 26 (which would have made little Issa share her birthdate with her Lola Myrna, my biyenan) but she came much, much earlier, determined no less to spend her first Christmas with us.

The birth of my daughter also meant we are celebrating the holidays in our little apartment, on our own -- a break from the yearly tradition of trekking to San Pedro, Laguna to spend Christmas eve and Christmas Day with my folks at the old place in Pacita. So, this year for first time we did our groceries for the noche buena, wrapped some gifts and put them under the Christmas tree (which for the first time was more meaningful as well), and cooked the noche buena feast :)

When the clock struck 12 midnight last night, only Elvie, Ikai and myself were awake with actually only me and my wife partaking of the noche buena (Ikai was already cranky but trying to fend off sleep with her usual Playhouse Disney fare on the tube) while our other house-mates zzz'ed the coming of December 25.

New Year's celebration will again be held for the first time in our apartment in Makati :)

* * * *

My Christmas break began much, much early this December as the birth of Baby Issa meant the automatic availment of the government-mandated paternity leave. However, after the paternity leave break, I had to report for work last week as I still had many loose ends to tie up (they remained loose unfortunately). I won't be reporting for work again for the last two work days of 2009 as I will then be availing two days of my mandatory four-days leave (in the process most likely forfeiting the two VLs unless I be allowed to avail them next year by the powers that be) so that meant I had just fulfilled five months of work at the new desk.

There is still much to be learned at the new Desk and even five months of stay isn't enough to learn them all. And even though there has been a lot of things being done and work being worked on, there are however more work waiting to be fulfilled. My year-end appraisal actually doesn't look good and I am not expecting any additional rewards for that.

But I've accepted that fact already (the hazards of being the new guy in a new place -- you're an idiot basically until you learn the playbook and the politics) and hope to do better in the next grading period (otherwise I won't be earning my full keep!).

* * * *

In between the Christmas rush and making sure the needs of Baby Issa (and Mama Elvie, of course) are met, I am managing to do some spec-fic reading.

I've finally managed to install an ebook reader, a free Mobi Reader, on my Nokia 6680 (the E71 Pro is just waiting around the wings though) and with two full novels in it (advance reading copies from Angry Robots -- Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon and The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar -- both of which I hope to do a review (amateurish no doubt but still countable as a review from a common reader of spec-fic) and the Usok Anthology, this will be good for passing time where holding a physical book would be difficult -- like when you're SRO on the MRT with one hand holding the rail or if you're in a boring meeting with twenty other creatures where you holding your mobile phone won't be dismissed us rudeness.

I am also in the midst of digesting the first issue of Expanded Horizons which I've printed out and ring-binded for personal consumption (and not meant for commercial exploitation I assure you). I still prefer to read the old-school way -- that is, holding something tangible in your hand -- so printing out the PDF was a no-brainer when I finished downloading it from the EH site.

So, why install a Mobi reader on my cellphone? Well, for those instances where I find myself with no book to read (like when I'm dressed to the nines and holding a book is detrimental to the overall fashion), at least I have something on hand to read, spec-fic wise. Otherwise, I'm way, way happier with a good old-fashioned book in hand.

Barring any legal complications for doing so, I plan to print out all issues gradually and assemble them into ring-binded "thin books" for inclusion in shelfing in my forthcoming bookshelves.

Bookshelves will be contracted around June.

* * * *

The problem with the CGI-driven film, 9, is that it's a bit lacking in depth and substance. You do achieve the "ooohhs" and "aaahhs" with the design and film aesthetics but at the end of the film, you find yourself asking "Is that it?".

I'm not much of a film critic but I guess I had higher expectations with 9 with its post-apocalyptic premise of a world dominated by animated dolls terrorized by mechanicals. The basic idea is a step beyond the more familiar man versus machine theme -- we don't see man in the movie's present day but instead see man (or more appropriately the last man -- the Scientist) in flashbacks, telling us of how mankind fell -- we see humanoid dolls instead (stitchpunks as they've fondly become known online) versus machine.

The Scientist brings to life this doll-like creatures who are then tasked with the responsibility of ushering in world after man. The Scientist hopes that his creations would be more worthy of the world than Man ever was and that they explore the world and make it better.

Doll Number 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) however awoke the old evil -- a spider-like Master Machine responsible for bringing about the end of mankind and still driven to create world dominated by machines (traces of Terminator and Dune here) -- and the stitchpunks had to grow up fast, work together, and learn human values and do some actual decision-making to remedy the situation.

The whole story was no different from the millions done before -- that of good versus evil, freedom versus oppression -- but the use of pseudo-humans made 9 appealing ... at least before you got to actually watching the film and finding out that despite the opportunity to expound and deliver a fresh rehash to the age-old theme the makers decided to go the safe route by doing away with levels and nuances that would've enriched the story.

But kudos to director/writer Shane Acker for developing the idea of 9. The film is beautifully eerie in its depiction of a post-mankind world. There is no doubt to the visual prowess of the film. However, the story could've done a bit more work.

Here's to hoping James Cameron's Avatar doesn't fall under the same malaise.

* * * *

Rocket Kapre's contribution to helping the victims of recent typhoons that have wrecked the Philippines comes in the form of a digital anthology entitled "Ruin and Resolve". With 19 stories and five poems from the pens of today's well-known Filipino spec-fic writers, editor Paolo Chikiamco states that all the works contained in the anthology "deal with the two faces of every disaster, and the paradox inherent in the fact that, sometimes, it is only the midst of the most crushing adversity that our brightest human qualities arise."

Some of the names in the anthology include Rochita Loenen-Ruiz, Nikki Alfar, Kenneth Yu, Vin Simbulan, Crystal Koo, among others. Ruin and Resolve will be available for digital purchase on December 28 over at Smashwords.

thursday tidbits: hunt for precious, turin book, w3888, write stuff, free coffee

hobbit appetizer: hunt for gollum
Excitement over the forthcoming "Hobbit" is starting to gain momentum and if you can't contain your excitement, head on over to the Hunt for Gollum website for some appetizer.

The site is a movie site "made by fans for fans" and the idea behind the site is a creation of a movie (for online release only) that will last about 45 minutes. The movie will revolve around that chapter in Tolkien's Middle-Earth between "The Hobbit" and the "Lord of the Rings" storyline, specifically Aragorn's search for the creature Gollum. Low-budget yet quite interesting, this should be a good enough filler until the Guillermo del Toro-helmed Tolkien flick comes to town next year.

The site has got a full trailer and a couple of teasers online so head on over there.


sleeping with turin turambar
Before taking 40 winks for the past few nights alongside my cute but uberly kulit daughter (her mama has been on graveyard duties the past couple of weeks), I've had a chance to re-do a habit of mine -- reading to sleep. Although the problem is that instead of being lulled to sleep, my mind and imagination is awakened with the book I am reading -- The Children of Hurin.

The book, a hardcover US edition, is a personal gift of my sister, Rochelle, and was part of the balikbayan package she sent last month (along with a couple of cook books for diabetics). For non-Tolkien fanatics, the books is not your Lord of the Rings type -- it's more likened to reading Homer's Iliad or Odyssey (or critics likened it to Finnish folklore legend/hero Sigmund) so it's not that easy a read. Think of it along the lines of our own Filipino legends -- Ibong Adarna or Florante at Laura -- but in the case of The Children of Hurin, it's a tragedy (like Oedipus Rex). Unlike Ibong Adarna or Florante at Laura, the book ends in sadness.

The book harkens back to the earlier Ages of Middle-Earth, some 6,000 years before the events of the Lord of the Rings, back when Men were just newly-awakened and the Elves were the dominant race. Sauron was just a henchman of the original Lord of Darkness Melkor aka Morgoth.

If you've read The Silmarillion and liked the book, then you'll like The Children of Hurin. If you didn't like it, maybe wait for the movie version because I've heard and read that there are plans of turning it into a movie as well one of these years.


w388
I've switched phones.

But don't get me wrong -- I remain loyal and very much attached to my Nokia 6680 and in all likelihood I will return to using that phone as soon as my "trial" period with this Motorola W388 is over.

Rather than let it rot in the corner of my drawer, I'm temporarily using this Motorola W388 unit which I won from the company Christmas Party last December. And after more than a month in repair (it had an LCD problem), I finally got it back late February and have been using it as my main phone for about two weeks now. Incidentally, my 6680 is the one currently rotting in the aforementioned drawer.

After sporting the gadget for the said period, I am now ready to assess it -- I'm sticking with my ole trusty Nokia but keep this one as a back-up.

The only good mark on the W388 on my personal benchmark is its music -- it is after all, a music phone. Great speakers and an FM radio are the plus marks it gets. But then again, I want more out of my phone than an FM radio. I miss the Bluetooth capability, there's no video or voice recording on this one, no notes, and the camera sucks at a dismal 640x320 pixels and that's already high!

Texting is also another matter because the response time of the phone is slower and erratic. Hitting the key twice to generate the needed letter or punctuation is not guarantee you'll get the correct one. This makes texting on the W388 twice as long.

But this one will serve well as a back-up and can be used as an entertainment device when doing my "walk"-xercise. Who needs an MP3 player or an iPod when I have this on hand? And anyway, it's quite norm nowadays to carry at least two phones (to compliment your netbook, iPod, PDA, and nifty lazer gun).


writing venues
Thanks to Bibliophile Stalker and Philippine Genre Stories, new writing venues have been discovered:

Crossed Genres - now accepting Western-themed SF; but with a March 31st deadline it looks like I'm going to miss this one especially since I've learned about it only today. If you think you can beat the deadline, read the guidelines here.

Here's one with a longer deadline:

Catastrophia, a planned anthology - open call for submissions (started September 9th last year) for catastrophe and disaster short stories. Think War of the Worlds, The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Jericho (TV Series), and now condense them into at most 8,000 words. Deadline is on May 31. Rules can be found here.

Plus, be reminded of other calls for submissions -- Farthest Shore on April 15 (to get some out-of-this-world spec fic done during the Holy Week alongside religious obligations, of course), and Destination: Future on June 30 for SF writers out there.


free starbucks
Ever had a free Starbucks beverage before?

I had one last December and another due soon just as soon as I step inside a Starbucks outlet.

And all it takes is just a series of clicks, and, oh yes, internet connection.

Starbucks it seems is still doing a global customer satisfaction survey and if you’re a lucky SB addict, the receipt you get from your latest purchase of a frap or hot coffee might be one that asks you to take their online survey over at www.MyStarbucksVisit-ph.com. If you complete the survey, you get a Beverage ID and you use this ID (along with the complete receipt, of course) to claim a free drink!

Here’s a screenshot I took of the complimentary beverage ID I received just about after I completed the survey. Just so nobody claims my free SB, I blotted out the actual ID number :P.

watchmen news

Yahoo Movies' Matt Daniel reveals the faithfulness of Zach Snyder's (300) onscreen adaptation of famed and cult-favorite comic book Watchmen (written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons and Alan Higgins) in a recent article at Yahoo! He tells us that Snyder has done a terrific job of condensing the massive comic book epic into a 2 plus hour spectacle, all the while remaining true to the grit and heart of Watchmen the comic.

Daniel and some other lucky fellows were also invited last week to a private screening of some 20 minutes of footage from the film and he has liked what he has seen which, in turn, heightens the hype and anticipation for the film. Will Snyder do justice to one of comic-dom's most beloved works?

Here's the latest trailer for the Watchmen. The movie is set for release in (sighing here) March 2009:

monday mumblings: dark knight, fare hike, super-hero flicks, vtr, new eats

the dark knight returneth
As I've remarked in my other blog, Elvie and I watched Dark Knight last Saturday (leaving Ikai with her grandperes) at SM Muntinlupa at Cinema 3's first screening (which meant standing up to holler Lupang Hinirang as was the practice for first and last full shows of the day) and had a blast.

It was one helluva good, good movie. The 2.5 hours was worth the ridiculous ticket price the movie fetched. And as fellow blogger and former office-mate mentioned, the movie is indeed two thumbs up.

And a couple of time during the flick, I thought the movie was ending only to find the action picking up again.

Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman-Joker match-up is as gritty and as dark and as sinister as its counterpart in comics (not talking abou the 1950s Batman though when everything was cheesy and tongue-in-cheek). My wife who isn't a particular comics fanatic remarked her surprise and wonder on the depravity of the Joker character and that someone like him could be so evil. I answered, yes, Joker as portrayed in the darker and grittier Batman titles is indeed uber evil.

The Dark Knight is an awesome continuation from Batman Begins two years ago. The first Nolan installment of the Caped Crusader was good with some notable ho-humm and zzz parts. This latest Batman promised more action (indeed more action) and more characterization. In the first Batman, we were treated to the development of the Batman character. In Dark Knight, we were treated to the development of Batman's archnemesis, the Joker and the idea that the Batman-Joker tussle is tantamount to the idea of yin-yang -- that one cannot exist without the other.

In the words of Joker uttered to Batman -- "You complete me!" a reprisal of that famous line from Jerry McGuire in its most despicable application yet.


more superhero movies lined-up
DC and Marvel have stepped up the competition and moving to the new battlefield -- live-action movies.

While superhero movies are not really new, the movies that come out these days have actual substance -- they have good scripts, are becoming more and more loyal to the comics, and are their worth in ticket prices.

We've already seen X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, Batman, the Fantastic Four, and Spiderman grace the silverscreens several times with sequels (Batman being the most recent with its Dark Knight) and more recently, Iron Man has finally come to the big screen plus the resurrection of the last son of Krypton in Superman Returns.

If internet news are to be trusted along with hints and clues of current movies, a long list of superhero flicks are still to be awaited.

Marvel Studios, the TV and movie arm of Marvel Entertainment, has lined up the following sourced from Wikipedia:

Punisher: War Zone (2008) - Marvel's favorite hard-hitting vigilante is back
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) - obviously about Logan's origins
X-Men Origins: Magneto (2009) - explored briefly in X-men 1
Iron Man 2 (2010) - sequel to the highly-successful Robert Downey starrer
Thor (2010) - the Norse God of Thunder comes to the movie screen
The First Avenger: Captain America (2011) - another shot at an ole Stars and Stripes movie
The Avengers (2011) - incredible if they can pull this off
Spider-Man 4 (2011) - the fourth installment with Tobey Maguire in the lead

On the other hand these DC Comics characters, are slated to come out in live-action films although not all of them are produced by Warner Bros., DC's sister movie company:

The Spirit (2008) - the masked vigilante Will Eisner created in comics comes to life under Frank Millers screenplay and direction and slated for a Christmas release
Superman: Man of Steel (2009) - the sequel to Superman Returns with Brandon Routh still donning the blue and red costume
Watchmen (2009) - highly anticipated Alan Moore comics gets a loyal rendition in film
The Flash (2010) - enough with the numerous TV series, DC hopes to get the Flash running in theaters a couple of years from now
Green Lantern (2010) - reports say it's going to be a Hal Jordan story not a Kyle Rayner one nor a John Stewart or Guy Gardner one
Wonder Woman (2011) - no Linda Carter here
Justice League (2011) - after several shelvings, Justice League is finally back on track in development, we hope

Other hero-flicks to watch out for include:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) - sequel to the 2004 movie starring Ron Perlman
Spawn (said to be 2008) - according to reports, this is a reboot of the character and not a sequel
The Witchblade (2009) - from the Top Cow comics and TV series of the same name
Madman (2009) - the Mike Allred comics


fare hike
During the bus trip to Laguna last Friday evening, I learned from the conductor that bus fares were going up starting supposedly today.

For instance, the one-way fare as of last week from the Buendia-Taft terminal to San Pedro, Laguna is P45. Starting today, Monday, bus fares went up to P60!

Egad!!!

I guess the fare hike was expected anyway because of soaring oil prices. As early as two weeks ago, a new fare matrix was announced for the Laguna-based bus companies plying the EDSA route.

I remember when I was studying in Peyups a decade ago and decided to forego with a dorm life and decide the life of a traveler, the one-way fare from Quezon Ave-EDSA to San Pedro (aircon bus) was P30.In the most recent fare matrix, the fare for the same route is already P97!!!

Back then, my daily baon was roughly P130-150 (about 70 pesos for fare). If I were a student nowadays going home to Laguna daily, my daily baon should be around P350 with about P250 dedicated to fare (bus two-way + tricycle + jeep) and the remaining P100 to be allotted for food and other expenses.

Sheesh! When my daughter grows up, how much will she take to school for baon? A thousand pesos a day??

Hard times, folks, definitely hard times.


vtr
Good news for us excited parents of Rika Antoinette.

Well, actually the entire family from both sides are actually quite excited with the prospect of Ikai appearing in a commercial one of these days.

I've sent the photos to one of the best child handlers in town and she has agreed to take on Ikai under her wing.

She has already asked us to prep Ikai to act (Ikai cry, Ikai laugh, Ikai sing, Ikai dance) and be ready to mingle with semi-strangers as our toddler daughter is to be scheduled for a VTR this coming September!


pilar and petra
Offimate and free spirit Paolo introduced me to Pilar and Petra today, a new eatery located along Urban street at the back of Burgundy Tower.

The place looked classy and pricey with its Minimalist styling but lest you think you're entering a resto ... you're not.

It looked classy enough to be thought of as a fine-dining establishment but much to any cono's disappointment, it's actually a glorified canteen/cafeteria and in the worse possible synonym -- carinderia.

You line up at the counter and choose your viand(s) and order your cups of rice. You are then directed to the cashier where you order your drinks, pay and then get a number.

It still retains its resto-feel not only because of the look but because the food you ordered gets served at your table. Plus, the tables are decked with placemats and they prep it up with your usual implements -- a napkin, a spoon and fork, plus a knife.

In one corner of the resto-canteen is a deli shop selling meats and cold cuts, wines, and some bottled foodstuff (pickles and fermented stuff I believe) which lends to the whole classy feel.

The look kinda reminds you of the former Restaurant 12 that once graced Greenbelt 3.

The food is actually great-tasting and in generous portions, and while not really worth its weight in pesos, it's an ok splurge once in a while.

My lunch -- kalderetang baka (P130), ginataang langka (P45), rice (P20) and Coke Zero (P45).

no life if microsoft takes over yahoo

I personally hope the deal between Microsoft and Yahoo doesn't materialize.

I hope, as reported in tech news all over the web today, that Yahoo will fight off any attempts of a Microsoft takeover and remain independent.

I certainly am hoping Yahoo's Jerry Yang can find a way to turn things around for Yahoo and please stakeholders who only have their own interests and their pockets at stake.

That's because I certainly don't want to lose my Yahoo mail account. I've had this account for almost 10 years and to loose it will be a nightmare.

I have no problems with Microsoft itself. I admire Bill Gates and the company that made PC computing a daily part of life. I use Windows and MS Office and once in a while use Windows IE (for now, am content with Firefox though) and believe that Microsoft products are great.

But I don't want them taking over Yahoo because they'll change my internet lifestyle.

Firstly, I'll lose my Yahoo account because there's no assurance in the Microsoft proposal that they'll retain the Yahoo brand if and ever they buy the company for a reported $44 billion. That means now more @yahoo.com.

There's also the possibility that whatever benefits and privileges Yahoo users are enjoying now will no longer be free under a Microsoft-run enterprise. Expect fees and subscriptions and a whole slew of other restricting stuff.

In the infancy of my internet life, I was a proud Hotmail-user. When Microsoft bought out Hotmail, I lost my account inexplicably (can no longer log-in with my username and password, no less) and lost interest in getting a new one. Instead I switched to Yahoo and ever since then enjoyed the service.

If Microsoft takes over Yahoo ... no that can't happen ever. There's simply no life if Microsoft takes over Yahoo.

uss enterprise flies anew

The entirety of Trek-dom is buzzing with excitement with the announcement that a new Star Trek movie is just on the horizon -- to be precise, about 11 months away on a Christmas Day. Alas, here in the P.I., I will most probably be shouting my invective P.I.s to the organizers of the Metro Manila Film Fest as the launch date of the 11th Star Trek movie coincides with the MMFF. Similar to the movie launches of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this meant the new ST movie will be deferred until probably the 3rd week of January (now, that's crap!).

As mentioned, this installment of the Gene Roddenberry franchise is the 11th and rather than move forward into the timeline, the movie simply entitled "Star Trek" (fondly called Star Trek XI by Trekkies) goes back in time to showcase a younger USS Enterprise crew of Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty and Sulu.

According to websites I've read, the new movie will deal with the earlier adventures of the Star Trek crew captained by James Kirk, back to the Romulan wars which according to the Star Trek timelines where just about the time USS Enterprise was launched.

Expect no William Shatner in here as the young Captain Kirk will be played by Chris Pine (Just My Luck) and the young Spock will be none other than Heroes supervillan Sylar aka Zachary Quinto. On the other hand, LOTR veteran Karl Urban (Eomer) sheds his Rohan armor for a Starfleet issued-uniform as Doc McCoy. While Shatner will not be in the film, the original Spock will be. Leonard Nimoy reprises his role as Spock (the opening voice-over is Nimoy's saying the iconinc "where no man has gone before") in what is presumably a flash-back sort of intro for the film. Other notables in the new film are Eric Bana (lead villain of the film), Winona Ryder, and Ben Cross.

After an absence of two years on both the small and big tubes (the last being Star Trek: Enterprise), Star Trek returns anew and Trekkies all over the world are getting giddy. And what makes this version of the film more anticipated is that it is being produced and directed by J.J. Abrams, the well-known writer, producer, director of such greats as Forever Young, Armageddon, Mission Impossible 3, and most recently, the monster thriller Cloverleaf. On TV, he's the success behind popular series Felicity, Alias and Lost.

Here's the trailer for the latest Star Trek flick: