wednesday warbles: initial thoughts on a.g.o.t., religious stuff with ikai, toxic at the desk, 200

Still breathing, folks :)

Over the course of the last two weeks, my to-do list at the Desk has ballooned from 20-plus to over 35 items late last week. Today, Wednesday, I have managed to trim it down to 25 ... so far ... but the deadlines are on the hound. 

However, before I go insane though, I decided to take a break and write a few warbles (it's a Wednesday, after all) and to let you know that I'm still here, alive and kicking (and getting a caffeine fix to get the gray matter going).

* * * *

Initial thoughts on George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones?

I'm only on page 184 of the mass market paperback edition but at this early in the reading, I could say that the plot (and plots and sub-plots and counter-plots) is already beginning to thicken. We're already beginning to see the pieces of the entire machinery of the series starting to move and it could only get more complex (and complexer) as the series progresses. We're getting hints of motives and motivations, of the politics and intricacies of ruleship that define the reign of King Robert Baratheon, of the incoming conflict that would result in the power struggle all amidst the drapery of an incoming winter spell.

Brilliant! Brilliantly written and that GRRM is one heck of a writer. I do hope the rest of the series doesn't disappoint. But judging from the praise the series has received all over (resulting to a TV adaptation), there's little to doubt that the series will disappoint. 

After reading the opening chapters, I definitely need to get my hands on the next set of books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series to avoid the "bitin" syndrome.

* * * * 

How do you explain religious differences toa 4-year old?

I was posed this question earlier this morning by my daughter. Apparently, one of the assignments given by their teacher is that all students should bring a rosary everyday (Ikai goes to St. Paul's College - Makati, even if she is Protestant-christened). And being the 4-year old she is, she has said that she has to bring a rosary because all her classmates were bringing theirs.

I told her that she doesn't need to bring a rosary because she was not Catholic.

"What is Catholic, Papa?"

Uh-oh, cornered. 

After a few seconds of thinking about the best way to answer a 4-year old, I sat beside her and proceeded to explain religious schism. I told her that all people prayed and believed in only One God. That everyone believed in Jesus as well. However, I told Ikai that not all people prayed and believed in God and Jesus in the same way. There are groups of people who are called Catholics who pray to God in one way and then there are others called Protestant who pray to God another way. It just so happened that she goes to a Catholic school even though she is a Protestant.

I told her that she doesn't have to follow how her classmates pray to God but that there's no harm if she wants to follow as well.

A bit too much to digest but I think Ikai understood. She's a bright little girl after all.

But to comfort her, I got her diary and scrawled a note to her teacher asking if Ikai, being a Protestant, needs to bring a rosary as well. I told Ikai she has to show her diary to her teacher and that her teacher will answer. If however my daughter still wants a rosary (it's hard to feel different from the rest of your classmates, of course -- she's only 4 after all), we agreed that she will ask her grandparents (my parents, of course) for a rosary.

"May rosary naman sila Lolo Ely sa car, di ba?"

I think someone little is being too tad observant and has one heck of a memory :)

* * * *

Walking along the same lines, I think our daughter is having a bit of crisis of faith, in her own way of course. And that's probably partly our fault as we enrolled her in an all-Catholic school.

As it is unavoidable, Catholic students do Catholic things -- pray specificied prayers and do the sign of the cross. They're even taught that. Ikai of course, wasn't taught those things. Even in Sunday School at the UCCP Cosmopolitan Church, there were no set prayers or sign of the crosses. They pray, they sing praises, they do Christian stuff -- the Protestant way.


So, it's a bit confusing for her right now so I guess that's why the talk about Catholics and Protestants this morning might help.

I just thought about this a few secs back because I remember when I accompanied Ikai on her school field trip last month, before the bus left, her teacher led the prayer -- "In the Name of the Father, the Son ..." and I espied Ikai minutely doing the sign of the cross, taking care that I didn't see her making the Catholic prayer gesture. But the small movements caught my attention and she looked sheepishly at me, embarassed at being caught as if doing something wrong. 

I smiled at her and told her it was alright if she wanted to do the sign of the cross. No harm done. None offense taken. 

* * * *

I saw my weighing scale this morning after I got out of the shower. So, I said to myself, let's see if all the calorie-counting I've been doing the past several weeks has been helping.

I adjusted the knob so that the needles points exactly to "0", stepped on the scale and voila -- 200lbs?! I can't farkin believe it. So, I get off again and on again and the needle still points to 200. 

So, I step off again and for the third time step on the scale and this time the needle went 202 lbs. Repeated attempts resulted to 202-ish marks. That settled it.

Still an improvement from my 206 lbs. a month ago. I need to rev up the walking regimen and keep on calorie counting.

* * * *

Right, time to get back to work now. Ciao!

the field trip

Unfortunately, there are still formatting issues with this template I'm using :(

I still encounter the double-spacing in between paragraphs and I have to edit the HTML to delete the extra spaces. Hopefully Blogger (or the developers of this particular template) will do the necessary corrections to the template and update it automatically.

Until then, I have to keep on editing the format of each and every post ... like this one.

* * * *

That's me and Ikai, on the bus during her field trip last Saturday. The photo was self-taken even before the field trip started and it was a long day indeed.

Our Saturday started around 4AM when we had to wake up and prep for the field trip. As per reminder on Ikai's diary, we had to be at St. Paul College - Makati early in order to get good seats. They were implementing a first come, first served basis and latecomers were accommodated on other buses mixed with the other latecomers from the NKP (nursery-kinder-prep) levels. Of course, I wanted Ikai to be with her teacher and her classmates so we were at St. Paul at 5:45AM, 15 minutes earlier than the assembly time. Even at such an early time, we were already number 7 on the line.

The itinerary for the day -- Museo ng Katipunan in San Juan, Goldilocks branch in Mandaluyong for a cake-decoration session, Tiendesitas for lunch, Meralco Museum, and finally Mall of Asia for the Science Discovery Center and the fireworks.

The trip was tiring from the start. That's because the first stop was already a crowded affair. When we got to Museo ng Katipunan, other field trippers from other schools were already there and we had to wait for almost an hour just to do the 10-minute trip inside the museum. It was a harried and hassled walk inside the Katipunan museum with largely nothing registering as memorable. The wait on the line was longer than the time it took to tour the museum. IMHO, a complete waste.

Ikai and her mamon cake

We then moved to Goldilocks in Mandaluyong, fronting their factory, where the kids and their chaperons had a chance to do some decorating. However, it wasn't a cake that was decorated but mamons (puffy chiffon cake). Each person -- kid and chaperon -- were given a mamon cake each, icing was provided, and additional decors were given.

While the decorating session was interesting enough, what would've made it more fun was if the number of people participating was reduced. We were like over a hundred pairs packed sardine-like in the Goldi branch (for the duration, they didn't accept walk-ins and dine-in customers) and the kids didn't get to handle the icing bags themselves. There was an actual demo being done by one of Goldi's decorators but the facilitators of the tour didn't "teach" the kids how to decorate their mamons. Each pair had to rely on their own creativity.

After Goldilocks, Tiendesitas was the next stopover ... for lunch. A lot of the field trippers brought their own baons just like us. And I noticed, that just like us, many had adobo-like viands on hand. Adobo is the ultimate ulam because it is food that stays fresh for quite some time.

After lunch, the troop headed to Meralco Museum for a lesson in the history of electrification in the Philippines.

The picture on the left is a tranvia which Meralco operated in the early 1900s. Running on tracks on the streets of Escolta, it was the first mass transport system at the turn of the century, decades before jeepneys became the kings of the roads. Thinking about it, the tranvia would've made more sense, in my opinion. Imagine today's EDSA running a tranvia track -- of course, the coaches would be air-conditioned now and probably faster but at least old Calle Hunyo 19 (the first name of EDSA according to our tour guide) would be congestion-free and we won't have the eye-sore that is the MRT track overhead and under. Future planning for our mass transport system should've been undertaken eons ago.

And since I have a burgeoning passion for old cars (of the 1:64 scale), I can't help but snap a photo of this old Meralco service truck.

If I'm not mistaken, it's an old Ford -- reconstructed and reconditioned. I would've liked to have my photo taken with it but alas, with over 50 kids running all over it, I had to content myself with photos.

Just a thought -- Meralco is now owned by the MVP group ... if they also manage to bag the MRT and LRT operational concessions, then it would bring electricity and tracked mass transport together again under one umbrella. Meralco can again become the Metropolitan Railway and Lighting Company.

From Meralco, we headed to MOA for a trip to the Science Discovery Center which I think all the kids enjoyed because of the interactivity of the different science galleries. There were mini-classes held before the kids were released to enjoy the different amenities of each learning module. However, with so many kids and just a few amenities, there were a lot of grumpy kids. Ikai herself wasn't able to play with a lot of the gadgets as other kids managed to get their hands on these first. She complained to me that the other kids didn't want to share but there was nothing I could do.

Ikai with the astronaut statue

She especially got pissed when kids didn't give her a turn on using the tongs to pick out a bone from a "patient" in the Grossology gallery. She got irked again when she wasn't given a turn on the flight simulator and nearly cried when she wasn't able to hold one of the "interactive screens" of the Vibal-sponsored iPlay iLearn Hub.

Ikai thoroughly enjoyed the gallery Spaceship Earth where she and her classmates virtually helped Baby Polar Bear cross the broken ice floats to get to its Mother Polar Bear. She also got her kicks out of the motion-detector-powered modules such as the SMART Media Center, and one of the interactive features in the Grossology gallery.

We did miss out on the fireworks.

It rained by the time we reached MOA but the main reason we missed the fireworks was because we were still inside the Planetarium Digistar Theater when the fireworks were unleashed. Unfortunately, SM did their fireworks on time and by the time we finished the Sesame Street film showing, it was already 7:15. The fireworks happened 15 minutes earlier, on the dot.

It was a tiring trip, no doubt. It wasn't a completely fun trip but I think Ikai enjoyed it somehow. Especially since she got to ride the ferris wheel.

However next time, I do hope there'll be better places to visit. The Museo ng Katipunan would've been worthwhile if there were only a few people and the visit was maximized. Ikai's field trip to the Krispy Kreme factory last year in her old school was better than the Goldilock's one. The trip to the Science Discovery Center would've been funner if again, there were fewer kids (including other field trippers from other schools) and there was enough stuff for kids to play with. If, for example, there was only one school going to the SDC, I would've broken the entire class into groups of fives and dispersed these groups to the different galleries -- not the entire class sitting in one module because what you wanted the kids to enjoy was the experience.

More photos of the field trip on my FB photos page.

late review: path of the sun

After what seemed like eons, I've finally read the 24th chapter of Path of the Sun by Violette Malan and in the process ended reading the book.

Well, I generally liked it although the ending was a bit of a disappointment, at least for me.

As this is the first Dhulyn and Parno novel I've read, I'm zero as to how their previous adventures had prospered and ended. From hints within the book, the previous adventures of the duo and their friends Gun and Mar were more engaging, I believe. It would seem to me that by the time Parno and Dhulyn appear in the Path of the Sun novel they've already achieved Steven Seagal-ish qualities in that they're in their ultimate forms -- Dhulyn already a tad more experienced with her Vision and Parno with his Pod sense along with their extra-human fighting skills as Mercenary Brothers. That is what's evident for me.

The book is a detective case, in truth. Charged with protecting their employer, Parno and Dhulyn, are however unable to ultimately to do their jobs and have to seek out the killer of their employer to exact some form of "revenge". Using skills learned from their years of training and field experience as Mercenaries, the duo (who have the penchant to call themselves affectionately as "my heart" and "my soul" while exchanging playful yet punishing blows) enter the mysterious Path of the Sun and emerge in a mirrorworld not unlike their own and thereby track the killer who, eventually as always, gets caught after a bit (yes, only a bit) of a scuffle.

There's no heavy undertones in this book, just plain straight, cop-work set in a medieval setting. Of course, the killer's motives are politically-charged -- someone feels that he should be sitting on the throne but his claim has been effectively nulled with the birth of a rightful heir. The mastermind hatches a plan that'll bring the throne to his hands and recruits the killer. Killer kills the wrong people -- Mercenary Brothers --and the Mercenary Brothers love their own -- so enter the dynamic duo of Dhulyn and Parno to solve a string of murders and in the process right the wrong in the succession.

And while the ending is unavoidable -- the mastermind will get lynched, the wronged prince gets the throne, Dhulyn and Parno live happily ever after as far as their Mercenary lives allow -- Malan doesn't tell us that. She ends the novel at Chapter 24 with Dhulyn and Parno still stuck in the mysterious labyrinthine Path of the Sun but we, the readers, know that because they have the blood of Steven Seagal, they'll move on to their next adventure in probably a couple of years or so.

A sure different way to end it, with a try at wry humor but personally, I would have preferred it if Dhulyn and Parno eventually reunited with Mar and Gun and the prince gets crowned and gets the girl who loves horses. I'm sucker for such endings that spell it out for me so I was a bit surprised when the book ended so suddenly.

But that's more of an idiosyncrasy than a real flaw in the work. The ending, despite not suiting my taste, does not deter the fact that Path of the Sun is a exceptionally-written tight piece of fiction. Despite its brevity, it tells a lot and as I've mentioned before, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the earlier adventures of Parno and Dhulyn if they become available locally. It's also quite refreshing for me as instead of your usual magic-laden novels, the magic stuff in the novel is subtle, at many times uses dreams as its medium. We don't see lightning being summoned or fire blasts appearing out of calloused hands. Instead the magic is innate -- it's in the characters themselves.

Path of the Sun was a good read. A bit slow-paced yet engaging and definitely sustained my interest throughout.

Final Rating: 4 / 5 - If you get the chance, read it as it's worth it!

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.

late review: contra tiempo by sandwich

Contra Tiempo - Sandwich

PolyEast Records 2010

12 Tracks on the CD:

• Lapit! Lapit! Lapit!

• Lakad

• Takbo

• Stranded

• Pera Pera

• Sugatan

• Putik

• Sulputin

• Bisikleta

• Downhill

• Dispalinghado

• Siesta

Memorable and melodic guitar riffs. Right mix of synths, distorts, and percs. The distinct Raims vox.

The Sandwich sound that defined the band since Raimund Marasigan took over vocal duties in 2005 continues in their latest offering, Contra Tiempo, Sandwich's sixth studio album.

Ever since Marasigan became the frontman of the five-piece band, the Sandwich sound has become frenetic, punkish, quirky, pop-rockish, and at times lighter than their heavy, grunge-influenced era with former vocalist Marc Abaya. Defined by melodic and memorable licks and rhythms, the Sandwich sound of today is a bit of a departure from their distortion-heavy days (Grip Stand Throw, 4-Track Mind, and Thanks to Moon's Gravitational Pull) but despite that, they have maintained their edge and rawness that still puts them well categorized as a rock band.

Contra Tiempo, as an album, evokes movement or motion (or the lack thereof) -- obviously evidenced by such tracks as Lakad, Takbo, Bisikleta, Downhill, and Lapit! Lapit! Lapit! While the other track titles might not seem like it, listening to the lyrics and the melody of these tracks also makes one think that they adhere to the album's "motion" theme. If this theme was deliberate or not, I don't know but it works as each track moves you to the next, evoking a progression.

If you're weary of that really heavy rock-metal sound and wish for a distraction that is lighter yet edgy then this album is for you. Keeps you awake while driving and it grows on you. After a few spins of the CD, you'll find yourself mumbling memorable choruses and verses because that's how addictive the music is. Sandwich fans (yours truly included) have no doubt in my mind, that this is the same, true-blue Sandwich we've all fallen in love with. Don't look for any underlying symbolisms behind the lyrics because there's probably none. The songs' lyrics are pretty straightforward. These are not just songs, they're stories and the authors (Marasigan and company) have chosen not to complicate the listener's enjoyment behind symbolism, innuendos, and stuff. They sing their stories with catchy tunes and oh-so-easy-to-remember lines.

Despite the English titles in some, all 12 tracks are in Filipino / Tagalog. Are they unable to write English songs, some might ask. As someone who has dabbled in songwriting, writing in your own tongue allows one to be more creative and witty. I guess the same is true with Sandwich. But don't get me wrong, Sandwich has done great English songs in their past albums.

There's nothing really starkly differentiating Contra Tiempo from previous Sandwich albums. And in this case, that's a good thing because that mainly tells us that Sandwich is consistent -- consistently good -- dishing out another superb album for people to enjoy.

Memorable tunes for me include Lakad, the Ondoy-inspired Putik, the LSS-inducing Pera Pera, and Stranded. Even my daughter, Ikai, has already learned to mumble the chorus of Stranded -- "Stranded sa airport, stranded sa airport" evoking curious looks from her Auntie who can't fathom what song her niece was singing.

Sandwich fans will have another killer album to add to their collection. New listeners who have never heard of Sandwich before will most likely try to get their hands on earlier Sandwich albums.

The album title is a line from their song, Sulputin.

Final Rating: 5/5

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

monday mumblings: goodbye leila, new rig, new book, new way to escape traffic to tagaytay

Last week ended on a rather sad note.

Last Saturday as I was getting ready for a day at the mall, I received a text message from a former colleague that another former colleague of ours, and a dear and wonderful friend, Leila Luna-Cacanindin, had just passed away.

Leila had been battling a form of ovarian cancer for about 7 months now. Unfortunately, her body, already weakened by the ordeal wasn't able to last any longer but as narrated by her mother and her husband, she was still being funny and her usual jolly self towards the end. And according to her mom, she just slept and didn't suffer any pain when she relinquished her hold on life early morning of Saturday.

Yesterday, a group of Leila's friends and colleagues (present and former) including myself and Elvie trekked to Tagaytay to pay our respects to our dearly departed friend and console Lei's loved ones.

Our condolences to Leila's bereaved loved ones, including her mother, her husband Obet, and her daughter, Yshia.

* * * *

Our entourage to Leila's wake included a certain 4-year old with a knack for asking questions that demand rather hard-to-explain answers.

While Ikai primarily went with us because she wanted to see Ate Yshia (Ikai attended Yshia's seventh birthday last January), she also got to see a a departed person in a coffin for the first time in her life. While she did not show any fear or apprehension, she of course was curious about all that was happening inside Yshia's home.

Before the wake, we had already explained to her in as simple terms as possible the circumstances about Leila's death, euphemizing death as "the sleep you never wake up from". We told her that Yshia's mom is already in heaven with Jesus and that people are going to be sad and some might be crying because they won't be able to be with Yshia's mom. I even tried explaining to her using science -- explaining that the spirit is like the phase of matter gas -- can't be seen and that this

spirit/gas has already went to heaven leaving the solid / body behind.

Arriving home last night from the wake, Ikai got me cornered and peppered me with more questions.

Apparently, she thought that heaven was the rectangular box Leila's mother was in so I had to explain that the coffin wasn't heaven and that heaven was somewhere else. She asked where and I said no one knows (a hard answer to say to a child, mind you). I again tried to explain that sometimes people sleep forever and never wake up and that they leave loved ones behind and reunite with them later on (as in really later on and not just like next week or so)

I believe in the course of that 20-minutes-something conversation I may have used words such as death, dead people, spirit, ghost, heaven, after-life, etc. etc. but I don't think I made the notion of death any clearer to her.

However, when I closed my eyes for a bit, Ikai suddenly shook my arm and said in a rather alarmed voice, "Bakit mo close yung eyes mo, Papa?".

I ended the conversation (before it turned morbid) by saying that things like death and dead people she will understand when she gets older. Ikai started to say why again but I cut her off with a basta and again told her that when she gets older, she'll understand.

* * * *

The big red car is missing one mudguard so while in SM Megamall last Saturday, I found myself inside Concorde, the car accessories shop hoping to score a new mudguard.

After a few minutes of going around the shop, I found the mudguards but they had no Innova '07 mudguards on display. I went to a store personnel and asked where I could find '07 Innova mudguards and after receiving a baffled look, he directed me to another part of the store and pointed to door sunvisors and promptly left me for another customer. Egad!

To their credit, they had a lot of customers that time so I guess they were hilong-talilong so I forgave the first chap and proceeded to get the attention of another store personnel. I went to one and asked if they had the mudguards I needed. He motioned affirmative and led me to another area in the store, pointed at the shelf and left. Unfortunately, he pointed to those decorative fiber glass

stuff you could put on your vehicle's hood. What I needed went under the car, not above it.

Seeing that getting the right mudguard would be pointless at that time, I left the store but not before commenting to the lady security guard that their store personnel needed additional training.

* * * *

There's a new rig in the apartment.

That was the main reason for the trip to Megamall as we had ample resource to buy a new rig.

But it wasn't a full laptop that we purchased but a netbook, an Asus Eee PC which we scored for a very friendly amount. Albeit, the downside is that it didn't come with an OS so before the 30-day trial lapses, I need to get the netbook installed with a full Windows 7 OS. I asked if it were possible to install Windows XP on it but the personnel at Complink told me that the netbook's drivers were meant for at least a Windows 7 OS. I guess that settled it.

The new Asus is a decent enough machine -- 1 GB DDR3 memory with a 250GB hard disk. It runs on an Intel Atom N450 processor with integrated video graphics. I don't expect to play Sims 2 on this machine but it had no problem running the FB games I play. It's not as fast as I had hoped it would be but then again, the machine does what it's meant to do -- surf the net, connect to wi-fi, and well, although untested yet, I think it'll be able to do your usual MS Office stuff: word processing, MS Excel, and probably Power Point.

For the meantime, this netbook will have to do. We're still looking at purchasing a full laptop but it's not a priority right now.

* * * *

A day after writing that I was meaning to buy as my next book purchase James A. Owen's The Search for the Red Dragon, I contradicted myself and bought instead the second installment of The Mysterious Benedict Society.

In all honesty, I already had The Search for the Red Dragon in my hand at Power Books last Saturday and was on my way to the cashier (with my daughter, Ikai, in tow after we purchased a couple of activity books for her) when I espied the second volume of Trenton Lee Stewart's series hawked on the stands at a irresistably lower price.

I immediately looked again at the price of the book I had in my hand -- Php 379 -- and looked again at The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey on the display -- Php 279 -- and after a few seconds of thinking of buying the two books, I sheepishly returned the higher priced book to its shelf. Sorry, James. Next time.

I still ended up paying Php 295 for the Stewart book. Why? Because I overlooked their ad -- they were selling the book for Php 279 if you bought it with a Citibank credit card. Since I bought the book in cash, I didn't get the discount (on most occasions, the promo works the other way around, you get a lower price if you pay in cash).

And here's the clincher ... I found myself at Fully Booked Greenbelt over lunch today and smacked my forehead with my hand in utter disbelief --- Fully Booked was selling the same Stewart book for a freaking Php 280! I've been had!

* * * *

Incidentally, Fully Booked also sells the third volume of The Mysterious Benedict Society series entitled The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma at a slightly higher price -- Php 285. Resisted the urge to bring out the wallet and hurried myself out of Fully Booked before my impulsive book-buying self emerged.

* * * *

Dreading the weekend traffic to Tagaytay on the usual route?

Take the alternate -- via Aguinaldo Hi-Way.

It's not a shortcut. It's a longer route but it gets you to Tagaytay faster (for now) because you avoid the traffic hassles of Paseo de Sta. Rosa and Nuvali (both ways!).

From SLEX, exit either at Southwoods or Carmona and head off to Governor's Drive. Drive the route all the way to SM Dasma and then turn left on Aguinaldo Hi-way. It's then a straight travel up to the Tagaytay rotunda. Saves you some 40 minutes of travel time and when you drive a stick shift like I do, you would want to avoid the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay road traffic jams at all cost!

It's actually not a new route. It's actually an old route but people have generally by-passed it in favor of the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road because the latter is shorter. Unfortunately, like I said, the developments along the shorter route to Tagaytay have compounded the traffic jams that made traveling the shorter route take a longer time.

late review: stranger in a strange land

A claim that a book or novel "the most famous science-fiction novel ever written" is too subjective.

Personally, I don't think Stranger in a Strange Land is the most famous science-fiction novel ever written. It is certainly, without a doubt, one of the most famous sci-fi novels ever written (never going out of print, according to Wikipedia) but not the most famous because, like I said, claiming something that encompassing is a bit of a stretch given each individual reader's personal bias or preference.

The novel presents an interesting scenario: a human born on Mars, raised the Martian way by Martians, returns to Earth and after experiencing the human culture teaches humans how to live a better life. While such a scenario might not seem out of the norm of sci-fi books and movies nowadays, back when the novel first saw light in the 1960s, it was revolutionary. The story itself and ideas Robert Heinlein presented in the book were revolutionary as they would've been viewed as anti-Church, anti-government, and immoral by the societal standards then. Heinlein's timing of publishing the book however was perfect -- the world was just at the cusp of a cultural revolution that in latter years spawned hippies and made the flower and the peace sign icons of the times. Cultural-revolutionists grokked Stranger in a Strange Land as the book of their times and I cannot argue -- the book was published at the right place, and at the right time.

Thus, it would be difficult for yours truly to understood the depth at which this sci-fi novel helped usher the counter-revolution of the 60s and 70s. I wasn't born then. I read the book too late. What were once revolutionary ideas back when the book was first published are now common place and I speak of ideas, scenarios, and actual objects described in the book.

But let's take a closer look at Stranger in a Strange Land in the context of a read.

It's an interesting read.

Firstly, there's the language in which the novel was written. While it's certainly English, it's English circa the 1960s and one will encounter the jargons, idioms, and sayings of the times that might make reading the story a tad difficult. But not too difficult that you can't understand it. For the entirety of the novel, I didn't consult a dictionary or the internet for a jargon or idiom I came across and instead relied on contextual reading to grok the entire sentence or paragraph. If you do however like to read your books in contemporary, colloquial English then this might not be your cup of tea.

The novel can categorically be divvied up into two parts.

The first half introduces us to the protagonist, Michael Valentine Smith (Mike), the human born and raised on Mars and the conflict of getting him away from the manipulative clutches of the government. This half of the novel presents the first climax of the story when Mike's defenders (Jubal Harshaw, Jill Boardman, et al) successfully obtain freedom for Mike from the government.

This event leads to the second half of the novel where readers are taken on a road-trip by Heinlein as to what Mike does after he obtains his freedom: from his fast-tracked human education, to religious debates with other characters, to Mike's imparting of Martian influence particularly the ritual of water-sharing, and his eventual leaving of Jubal's household to find out things in the world. Readers are then treated to Mike (and Jill as his guide) trying to grok what it means to be human: becoming a magician and using his telekinetic powers to perform genuine tricks, to his delving into religion, and his eventual founding of the Church of All Worlds that eventually leads to his death or discorporation.

Heinlein used Stranger as a vehicle to voice his opinions and ideas on -- essentially what he thought of -- government, politics, art, religion, and sex. Yes, the last two items I believe would've caused the most of uproars back in Heinlein's time. Most of the points raised by Heinlein, notably in dialogue exchanges between Jubal and Mike, would've been called "progressive" or "immoral" elicitting strong emotions then but reading them in the context of "today", one can't help but be passive.

But passive as they might have come across, one can't help but linger for a bit on each and every dialogue that dealt with what was a controversial topic -- government, politics, art, religion, and sex. The novel, where such topics appeared, invited you to rethink your own beliefs and value-system and juxtapose them with the prevalent societal norm. Here was a voice from the past, harkening ideas that continue to be thought and talked about even today.

I particularly liked Jubal's treatise on "art" (if I recall correctly, this was a dialogue exchange between him and Ben Caxton) which I have to admit, I agree with completely.

The sex "scenes" were rather tastefully done which surprised me. I expected raunchiness as the book was a target for moralists but instead the sex, even though it was central to the fullness of water-sharing, was muted. If you were expecting something hot and torrid, you're better off buying an issue of FHM or Maxim.

Over on the sci-fi side of things, one gets the feeling that the story isn't too far off in the future although this could be because of the half-century that has passed since the novel was written. What was scientifically-futuristic then might not be applicable today such as that I was jarred when Caxton was describing a bugging device to be as big as a lighter when nowadays' depiction of bugging devices are so minuscule. But that can't be helped. Heinlein did present to us a plausible future (as Heinlein was a proponent of sci-fi where sci-fi things worked and had scientific basis) where there is one single government on Earth, of one where exploration to Mars is finally achievable, and where the human psyche when developed properly can be a powerful weapon.

Overall, Stranger in a Strange Land is a selective read in that not all who read it will grok it and like it. Personally, I liked it. It was a deviation from more recent sci-fi reads of the Legends of Dune. However, I felt that the first half of the story was the stronger of the two halves as the second half sort of hurried through the scenes. I don't know if this was due to the original novel being cut down prior to publication in 1961 but the second half lacked the depth and the action that propelled the story to climax to that showdown between Jubal and Secretary-General Douglas. I believe the second half lacked ummph, even the discorporation of Mike wasn't as powerful as it was supposed to be.

Would I recommend reading the novel? Surely ... to those who like some diversity in their sci-fi readings and not to those inclined to read just one sort of sci-fi.

Final Rating: 3.5 / 5

thursday tattles: issa is 4 months, driving, phil-spec-fic-antho, comics stuff, busy, busy, busy

I got sucked into a black hole and had to crawl out of the other galaxy hence the seemingly long absence from the Coffee House.

Black holes aside, I've been quite busy with work at the Desk especially coming from a 5-day sojourn way down south. And I expect to travel again late next week down south again for another branch inauguration. In fact, I might be island-hopping a bit later this month as a couple of our branches are due to be officially inaugurated and I'm the advance party in both cases.

And after City of Dreams and Nightmare (which I reviewed in my last post) I haven't had enough time to read something that's bound to get reviewed. Oh, well, to be honest, I haven't been reading a book but I have been reading comics :)

On the downside, I have not been writing either (hence the black hole excuse).

the designated driver

One major change to my family's lifestyle is a presence of a car. Not my car, mind you, but my parents' (to be more exact, my sister's as she was the one who purchased it) late 90s Mazda 323 Familia.

I've been driving the souped-up car (the Mazda is lowered, has body-sculpting, a spoiler, and lots of other bells and whistles) for a little under a month now. My parents are currently visiting my sister in California and will be away until next month, and, I've decided to keep the car with me in the apartment (than leave it at Laguna as a possible target for the akyat-bahay gang).

Driving is a new option for me and the family and while I do not use the car on a daily basis, it is used for family affairs -- like when we went to spend Holy Week at Laguna and on Sundays when we go to church. This is also practice for me as I prep to get my own vehicle in coming weeks.

I still need more practice in driving but I'm more confident now behind the wheel than I was when I first drove the car without my father by my side. I do still have some lapses in judgement and still familiarizing myself with traffic rules and situation but I know I only will learn these with actual experience. So far, the farthest I've gone on my own is from Makati to Calamba in Laguna.

Incidentally, I already have been issued my very first traffic violation ticket -- for disregarding traffic signs. This happened just last weekend on our way to church in Ermita when I was stopped by MMDA officers for driving on the wrong lane. I was meaning to drive straight but the lane I was on was designated only for turns. That violation meant Php150 and while I cannot promise not to be caught again, I fervently hope never to violate another traffic rule again.

issa is now four ... months!

For a four month old baby, Issa is sure a big girl. She now weighs 7.6 kilos (about 15 pounds). In contrast, our eldest reached 8 kilos when she was 6 or 7 months. So, you can just imagine how big little Issa is.

We celebrated her fourth month with a simple cake and spaghetti party in the little apartment. As is the monthly routine, we took pictures of Issa with her cake.

brown plus brown

Last Sunday I bought myself two new shoes. And the good thing about it is that the cost of the two new pairs was for just one pair -- buy one, take one 'ika nga.

It was my wife who spotted the promo over at Manel's in Glorietta 5 and seeing a buget bonanza, I pounced on the chance and used the plastic to buy the two pairs. The other good thing about the purchase was that the two pairs I bought were brown shoes.

I don't really keep a lot of footwear -- a pair of rubber shoes for rugged wear and anything athletic, one pair of Chuck's, a worn-out Crocs, and three pairs of black shoes for everyday office wear. I have an old pair of browns that I don't really use anymore and my wife indicated I needed a pair for those earth-toned office attires.

So I bought browns -- two pairs of them for just around P2,000.

The Manel's promo of buy one, take one worked this way: you chose two pairs of shoes (your pick, you can even buy one pair for you and another pair for your wife) and you pay only for the higher-priced pair.

In my case, I bought almost identical brown pairs that were priced the same.

Unfortunately, the promo at Manel's was a one shot. When I asked the lady cashier how long they were running the promo, she answered it was only good for that Sunday. There were no announcements, no print ads announcing it.

It was just luck and chance we were at the mall when the promo happened.

Will be on the lookout for Manel's promo next time and get myself another pair ... or two.

mothballed comics project

I had to delay (aka mothball) my personal comics project indefinitely as work and work-related travels have necessitated a change of plans.

And I haven't been drawing for quite some time now, my Sketch-A-Day habit has sadly been mothballed as well. The sketchpad and pencils are quitely tucked in a backpack that has slowly been gathering dust since my trip to Pagadian a couple of weeks back.

Hmm, will have to remind myself to use a bigger office bag and bring on a daily basis the sketchpad and pencils for those downtimes at the Desk.

summer komikon 2010 is this saturday

Speaking of comics, Summer Komikon 2010 is happening this Saturday, April 17, at the Bahay ng Alumni in Peyups - Diliman.

Unfortunately, I might miss it as their are other stuff to do this Saturday as well. I can try and see if I can squeeze it in but for those who would be fortunate enough to attend, the program is as follows:

10:00 AM - OPENING / Registration: Comic strip making

10:30 AM - Video loops / games / trivias

11:00 AM - ANVIL: Renaissance Book Signing

12:00 PM - 12:30PM - Animadreams / Close Registration for Comic strip making

1:00 PM - ANVIL: Renaissance Book Signing

1:00 PM - Start: Comic strip making contest

2:00 PM - Sponsor Time: UR 107.9

2:30 PM - games / trivias / komikon debate / video loops

3:00 PM - GUEST: Rod Espinosa

4:00 PM - games / trivias / komikon debate / End: Comic strip making contest

4:30 PM - Group Spotlight: Bayan Knights

5:30 PM - games / trivias / komikon debate / video loops

6:00 PM - Announcement of Komikon contest winners

6:30 PM - games / trivias / komikon debate / video loops

8:00 PM - End of SUMMER KOMIKON 2010

New comics that are set to debut on Saturday include "Laban: A Love Story" by Jose Gamboa -- a Ninoy and Cory Aquino comic which promises the unexpected, Josel Nicolas's "The El Bimbo Adaptations", the Komikero Artist's Group Anthology -- issue 6, "Proud Callboy" by Hazel Manzano, the 4th installment of Bayan Knights, "Yew Stupid Bastard" from Ed Tadeo, a new title from Gerry Alanguilan called "Umlauts and Atom Bombs #1", and lots more good stuff.

For a preview of what other great reads to expect on Saturday, head on over to the Mababang Langit blog which has all the spills on titles coming out on Saturday.

I'm sure going to miss out a lot :(

philippine speculative fiction 5 book launch

Another event I'm sure to miss (as I will be flying in on the same date from GenSan) is the launch of Philippine Speculative Fiction 5.

Here are a few words from Dean Alfar about the book:

"Philippine Speculative Fiction has become one of the country’s most consistent and highly-anticipated yearly anthology series, showcasing the continuing development of the exciting field of speculative fiction writing. This fifth volume, edited by Nikki Alfar and Vincent Michael Simbulan, collects a broad spectrum of short stories that define, explore, and sometimes blur the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and all things in between—featuring the work of both literary luminaries and very new voices, from across the archipelago and the globe."

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it but I submitted an entry to this anthology last year but sadly, it was not selected and I received my rejection slip by email from Vin some weeks later. Nah, didn't feel bad about not making the cut. I knew (and still know) my writing still had lightyears to go before it becomes publishable.

In any case, if you're free and got nothing to do on that Saturday afternoon, drop by Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street at 3PM for the launch. As for me, as soon as I'm able, I'll head to the nearest Fully Booked branch and get myself a copy of the antho.

busy month-end

My calendar towards the end of April is filling up rather rapidly.

Late next week I'll be off to Koronadal (via GenSan) and then the week after it'll probably be to Cebu and Tagbilaran. The month will be capped off with a Tarlac inauguration. Much as I've missed traveling, it becomes tiring when you get to do it on a weekly basis. And that's what I'll be looking forward to in the next three months as there are about 10 more branches that needs inaugurating. And since I'm the most able-bodied person in the group, I have to do most of the travels.

So, I'll be prepping my travel bag for continuous use until June. That's when we expect to wrap up things.