tuesday tidbits: issa, cap'n harris, neil gaiman, sketching --- not!!!

Week 2 of my Sketch-A-Day didn't go as planned as work caught up with me at the office. And Week 3 isn't turning out productive as well. I tried doing some sketching ysterday but I ended

up erasing more than actually drawing. Rather than tear up the page, I decided to stop trying to sketch. Today, I didn't have time to even hold my pencil and sketch pad as meetings and coverages and little to-do's needed prioritizing.

Here's hoping to accomplish something for S.A.D. this week.

* * * *

I did come out with three sketches last week, two of which I hope to post one of these days. But I'm posting this:

Here's my tribute to the recently deceased Captain Phil Harris. When I read the news online that he had died due to complications of a stroke he suffered last January, I felt inclined to do a portrait. This sketch was based on the portrait that appeared on the Discovery website.

For those wondering who the heck this Cap'n Phil is -- he was one of the more popular captains of several crab-fishing boats that are featured on the Discovery show "Deadliest Catch". Rough, and gruff, Cap'n Phil was probably the most entertaining of the skippers on the show, guiding the Cornelia Marie (their crab boat) and its crew as they fish for crab in the Bering Sea. He is my favorite cast on the show and his absence in next season's series will be sorely missed.

* * * *

I am once again over the 200-pounds.

Got carried away again over the holidays and in a short span of weeks, my girth was back to 40". I am now finding it hard to fit into XL clothes I bought when my weight went below 200 lbs. I'm now back to wearing my XXL clothing.

I am now once again trying to win (or more aptly, lose) back the pounds but it's so, so, so difficult. But that needs to be done as this is quite a dangerous situation for me with possible complications because of the D.

* * * *

Our second daughter, Issa (Rissa Kristelle), turned two months last Saturday and she is a big girl :) Imagine this -- Ikai, our eldest was about 6 kg when she was four months ... Issa is 5.7 kg at two months!

And what's in a name? Why Rissa Kristelle?

Elvie and I actually did some research when it came to naming our second. But while the nickname came first in Ikai's case (Ikai is Rika Antoinette), the opposite was for Issa in that the full name came first.

Rissa Kristelle is a variation of Risa Kristine. Risa according to BabyCenter and BabyNames means "laughter" or "happiness". On the other hand, Kristine means "follower of Christ". She was initially expected to arrive about Christmas Day and thus giving her a name that was relevant to Jesus Christ. So, combining both meanings, Issa's full name means "laughing or happy follower of Christ".

Picture above is of Issa in a state of merriment taken a few days ago.

* * * *

If you look at the right column, you'll see that there's a section called Writing Needing Caffeine. It's a listing of writing contests and markets that are open to submissions and I've put it up there not only for my readers to see and hopefully be of interest but also as a personal reminder to myself (I'm probably my own number one fan of this blog).

So far, my venture into writing hasn't produced anything yet for 2010 but with paying markets and contests aplenty, for sure I'll be churning a spec-fic story or three soon enough.

* * * *

And fans of the "rock star" of fiction will be celebrating.

Neil Gaiman, the globally-popular author of such works as Stardust, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, and Coraline is dropping by the country this March for REVELATIONS: Stories of Light and Darkness - The 3rd Philippine Graphic / Fiction Awards (in coordination with Fully Booked bookstore).

The event, to be held on March 17th at the Rockwell Tent at the Power Plant Mall in Makati City, will see Neil and Fully Booked award the winners of the prose fiction, comics and short film contest. An anthology of winning and selected entries of the contest and its earlier incarnations entitled Philippine Graphic / Fiction Anthology will also be launched.

Read the news about it here.

* * * *

Wish I could update this blog more frequently ... wish, wish, wish. Ta ta, folks!

insane indeed was the komikon 2009

In the words of Gerry Alanguilan, "Komikon 2009 is insane".

And insane it was when I went there last Sunday about 1pm with my nephew-in-law in tow (hoping that all the comics and artists and enthusiasm for the genre would somehow inspire him) and saw throngs and mobs and flocks (with cosplayers to boot) of comics enthusiasts, professionals or not, hopping from table-to-table.

It was absolutely insane and some of the reasons why Komikon 2009 was indeed insane:

The launch of Francisco V. Coching's El Indio graphic novel. A beautiful graphic novel collecting the pages of Coching's El Indio, painstakingly restored and collected in one volume. This graphic novel harkens back to the age of classic komiks!

Loads and loads of international comics from your favorite publishers such as DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and indies selling anywhere from P10 to P100 for individual issues and from P500 up for graphic novels and sets. Mangas were also available.

Lots of local komiks for browsing and sale from established outfits and indies boasting such titles as Elmer: Collected Edition, Where Bold Stars Go to Die (both published by Komikero Publishing); Underpass, Summit Media's first Filipino graphic novel; Trese 3 by Budjette Tan and Ka-jo Baldisimo; and Bayan Knights 3 from Sacred Mountain. Self-published comics by indie groups and individuals such as Mannix Abrera, Greepo Comic Group, Atomic Underground, and Abono Comics were also everywhere.

Komik writers and artists abound -- buy your komiks and have it signed right away by their creators!

Full-blown exhibits of artworks and sample pages by Filpino classic komiks illustrators such as Francisco Coching and Alfredo Alcala, and by more modern artists.

Toys, collector figurines, and other memorabilia related one way or another to comics. All discounted, of course.

Auctions of original artworks and illustrations by famous artists including one by Marc Silvestri and Whilce Portacio. All proceeds from the auctions were for Ondoy flood victims.

Awards of recognition to the following:

Best Graphic Novel / Anthology: Martial Law Babies by Arnold Arre

Best Comic Series: Cast by Jamie Bautista, Nautilus

Best Comic Magazine: Mangaholix by Groundbreakers, Inc.

Best Comic Strip Compilation: Pugad Baboy by Pol Medina Jr.

Best Webcomic: Kubori Strips for the Soul by Michael David (www.kuborikikiam.com)

Best Cover: Cast issue 11 by Arnold Arre

Best Comic Creator/s: Arnold Arre

Best Cartoonist: Hazel Manzano, Callwork

Best Komiks Character: Michiko of Ninja Girl Ko!, Mangaholix

Best Comic Scene: Ces’ Poem from Will, Cast issue 10 by Jamie Bautista & Arnold Arre

Grassroot Awards:

1st place: Life as Viciously Impossible by Daphne Martinez (Lambchild)

2nd place: Nurse Macho Origins by Mangaholix

3rd place: Kalayaan by Gio Paredes, GMP Comics

Comic Aid Award: Elbert Or and Japan Foundation Manila

Sadly, I only had about a couple of hours "window of opportunity" to enjoy the insanity at Komikon 2009. It being the first time I've ever visited a Komikon, it was a pleasant experience and well-worth waiting for. However, despite having only 2 hours to wander was enough to go around the entire space for at least 3 or 4 times trying to figure out what else to buy.

As I've mentioned earlier, my target purchases that day included Where Boldstars Go to Die, the collected Elmer and Underpass (all three still awaiting when I will open them although I have browsed through WBGTD given it was a bomba komiks, go figure!). And I bought them all on my first round of the tables, adding Foldabots Volume 1 for my nephew-in-law to the shopping bag. Alas, my second and third and fourth trips yielded nil as I was looking for other graphic novels, not issues.

There were a lot of mangas, both international and locals but I have yet to get infected by the manga fever so I just glanced at the comics and moved on to the next tables. Maybe next time :)

The comic bins were a spectacular find but since I wasn't really looking anything in particular, I really didn't know what to look for in those bins. I did attempt to see if I could get all 16 Blackhawk issues done by Martin Pasko and Rick Burchett from 1989 to 1990 and Stormwatch but these series were lacking. I also tried to look for some issues of DC's Who's Who but there were none available. I was also looking for some specific graphic novels but none from my list were available.

But I did see some interesting titles that will be included in my virtual shopping list. I do hope Trese and Bayan Knights get collected in graphic novel forms one of these days as I think those would be worthwhile buys. The Skyworld titles by Ian Sta. Maria looked promising but I stumbled upon them too late (he shared tables with the Trese team which was perpetually mobbed) and had not enough time to look over the materials. Add to that, my nephew was asking us to go because he had to go -- to the bathroom.

The Komikon 2009 being held at SM Megamall was a big help as the choice of venue made it more accessible to comics fans and non-fans alike. And the venue being air-conditioned also helped, of course. I'm not so sure however that the event coinciding with Mega's 3-Day sale was helpful as it was a bit difficult to navigate the halls of the lower floors as well as the elevators with the thousands of people shopping. But what's a small sacrifice anyway, right?

For more Komikon 2009 goodness, visit the following sites where pictures abound (I deliberately did not take pictures because I knew these folks would):

Rocket Kapre

Edgar Tadeo

Komikero

Jonas Diego

Psychocow

Callwork

Three cheers and a full case of beer to the organizers of Komikon 2009! We're pretty sure that the next Komikon will be bigger and better!

wednesday warbles: rocket kapre, new books in the pile, carlo caparas, philippine spec-fic antho

Noynoy just announced his intent to run for president a few hours ago. At least now we have an option and we won't have to settle for the "lesser evil", so to speak.

* * * *

Erstwhile courtroom hero, Paolo Chikiamco, has given up his suits and barong to don a new custome to become a superhero for the cause of Philippine speculative fiction by launching his new digital imprint Rocket Kapre. Aside from the ultra-cool name, Rocket Kapre intends to bring Filipino speculative fiction to the entire world via its website -- rocketkapre.com -- and books as well through Eight Ray Sun Publishing.

Pretty soon, Filipino spec-fic writers will be able to submit stories and books for possible publication (via traditional means and through ebooks and ezines). For now, RK has several articles up including an interview with spec-fic writer Kate Aton-Osias.

* * * *

Three more books have been added to the erstwhile collection stacked in one corner of the bedroom (along with assorted oddities like old HDDs, documents, DVDs, game CDs, school supplies and make-up kits) and once again reminded me that a bookshelf is needed (anyone care to donate an old one?). On the other hand, two boxes under the staircase are quietly being turned into burrows by the bubwits. I dread the idea of what is happening to the books and magazines (including my precious old issues of Dragon magazine) stored in those two boxes.

After receiving a hardbound copy of Watchmen from my boss and colleagues from the old company, three more books have been added to book pile (and I wasn't even actively looking for new books) including:

• Martial Law Babies - the graphic novel by Arnold Arre


• Extraordinary Engines: The Definitive Steampunk Anthology - edited by Nick Gevers and features steam-driven stories by Stephen Baxter, Jeff VanderMeer, Paul Di Filippo, Michael Moorcock and others


• A Time for Dragons - Filipino spec-fic anthology edited by Vin Simbulan and features draconian-laden stories by Dean and Nikki Alfar, Paolo Chikiamco, Oscar Alvarez, Dominique Cimafranca, Angelo Lacuesta and others

I'm in talks with my sister, Wheng, who is in Dubai so that she can buy books for me not readily available here in the P.I. I'm sending her a list real soon and that means I will have to temporarily stop purchasing books by non-Filipino authors until the balikbayan box gets sent.

* * * *

Watched The Correspondents last night (the first time in so many months) and Adrian Ayalin tackled the mess that is the National Artist Award and the whole dagdag-bawas that has happened whereby our beloved GMA dropped one of the four nominees submitted by the CCP and NCCA and added her own four.

Of the four new nominations by GMA herself, the inclusion of three have raised more than the eyebrows of several sectors including National Artists themselves. But I won't be discussing the issue here as it has been discussed, printed and broadcast by many organizations, media outlets, and individuals.

The point is, even the National Artist Award is being used by GMA to express her political gratitude to those who have supported her. National Artists and relevant sectors have protested the apparent demeaning of this prestigious honor.

However, if you've watched Correspondents last night, you would ask yourself -- what the hell is Carlo J. Caparas talking about?

Is he on drugs or something? His remarks and reactions to the entire debacle are off-key and off-topic? And despite his apparent ignorance or stupidity of the issue on hand, mayabang pa siya.

And I'm not even about to talk about why he wears shades all the time. Kirat ba siya?

He even claimed that even before his work in comics and film, he has been an illustrator. Isn't that baloney? I've seen the so-called "illustrations" he has done in other shows where he was featured including Jessica Soho's and even I can draw better than him.

And there's also the issue of him being hailed as the Komiks King -- his own colleagues from the Philippine comics industry believe that honor should be bestowed on more note-worthy and praise-worthy stalwarts of Philippine komiks, not to one who caused the industry to further wallow in depths of obscurity and irrelevance.

If you want to find out why CJC is not qualified for the National Artist Award, head on over to Gerry Alanguilan's blog where he has extensively, clearly and validly argued and proven that CJC is no Alagad ng Sining.

* * * *

Barely a month to go before the October 15 deadline for submissions to the next installment of the Philippine Speculative Fiction anthology to be edited by Nikki Alfar and Vin Simbulan and I am still at a crossroad -- a three-pronged crossroad actually -- on what story to submit.

I've got three stories in mind to work on, all in various stages of development, and I'm still self-debating which one to work on and eventually submit.

Last night, I took a look at my fiction-writing folder and saw that I have about a dozen stories in there with just one story completed (though yet to be re-edited). The rest, including the three stories being considered for submission next month, are still works-in-progress :) Lots of writing lay ahead.

why not go for a good president?

Yesterday, erstwhile presidential candidate Sen. Mar Roxas announced he was withdrawing his bid for the Philippines's highest office in order to maintain the Liberal Party's unity and thereby give way to Sen. Noynoy Aquino who will be officially announcing his presidential bid (unofficially, it's a foregone conclusion unless you haven't been watching or reading the news for the last month or so) for the 2010 elections.

As much as I stay away from talking about politics on this blog of mine, a comment made by the business sector represented by Mr. Peter Wallace in Inquirer.net's banner story "Roxas Gives Way to Aquino" today that was "unimpressed" with the recent events. I've excerpted the specific piece of the article:

Business unimpressed

Markets however are likely to be unimpressed by the events.

“The business community has no experience of him at all, we don’t know what he is like and what his policies will be,” said Peter Wallace, head of the Wallace Business Forum consultancy.

“He has not shown in his time in Congress or the Senate to be a very active person, or take a leadership role,” he added.

But Wallace said an Aquino candidacy on a clean government platform could be successful although the momentum would need to be sustained.

“The outpouring of affection and sympathy for Cory and family was in part an expression of disappointment, disgust with the current government’s inability to maintain the morals and honesty that people expect in a government,” he said.

“And so his running would be a popular choice in that regard. But we have to remember that what we are seeing today is a reaction to the death of Cory just a couple of weeks ago, and we are talking about elections nine months away from now,” Wallace said.

Read the entire article here.

I don't know if Mr. Wallace truly represents the entire business sectors as other business leaders, I believe, are just about as fed up as the rest of us. Moving on ...

Now, it might be true that Noynoy doesn't really have the "experience" that so-called experts believe presidents need to have gained prior to their ascendancy to the presidency. And I share the similar observation that Noynoy has not been really that "active" in both Congress and Senate unlike other congressmen and senators who are quite active (many I believe active in enriching themselves, their families and friends and doing just about all the dastardly deeds one abusive of power will do). And yes, Noynoy might just be riding the wave of euphoria sweeping the Philippines right now (the so-called Cory Magic) and yes as well as that Noynoy will be a popular choice given the lack of morality shown by the current government leaders.

But don't you think it's high time we put morality and delicadeza and plain good manners and proper conduct to the highest office in our country?

Noynoy might not be a perfect president (but then again who is), and he may not be an economic standout that the business sector will like or a very charismatic leader who can lead his flock into total righteousness and Godliness. But then we will have a president who will be of good moral character. A president who, like his mother and father before him, will put the interest of the country first (unlike a president who puts her and her family's interest first and foremost) and that bodes well for the business sector as well. A president whose actions will always be subject to the scrutiny of his family (I can just imagine Noynoy being lambasted by Kris in public if he goofs up) and who has a moral obligation to his honored parents to remain guilt-free and stained of immorality.

Don't you think it's time we get a good president again?

goodbye david

Got the news over from Bibliophile Stalker that one of the greatest influences of my liking for stories of the fantastic and the spectacular, David Eddings, died last Tuesday of natural causes. He was 77.

The Nevada Appeal had a good story on the fantasy writer who started his career after discovering that JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was already in its 73rd printing.

Eddings, who along with his wife Leigh, produced over 25 books of epic fantasy starting with The Belgariad and its sequel series of books, The Mallorean and moved on to another fantasy world with The Elenium and The Tamuli. His last epic series was The Dreamers.

Oft criticized for his writing style, Eddings believed himself to be a storyteller and not someone out there to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. While his initial aim at writing epic fantasy was to find a way to pay the bills, he had always wanted to be a writer since his high school days. He aimed at creating fantasy that was fun to read and not lead readers astray with "thees" and "thous" that was the norm those days with fantasy writers following Tolkien's influence.

Eddings is credited with bringing the genre of fantasy fiction to the mainstream and his commercial success with his books opened doors for other fantasists to write fiction that was easy to read and fun.

According to the report, Eddings was still working on a manuscript that was unlike others he and his wife have written but still very much fantasy.

On a more personal note, he was a great influence to my own journey towards fantasy and to an extent, science fiction. He opened new doors for me and made me dream that one day I will, like him, write a book that people would love to read. His books were constant companions during summer and I hunted and tried to complete and of course, cherished.

I still lack a couple of books from his last series but no doubt, I will complete them one of these days.

He and his writings will be missed.

Photo courtesy of Nevada Appeal and in turn courtesy of Reed College

on reading and writing

How do you find time to write?

I encountered the question while reading my latest acquisition of Writers of the Future in the L. Ron Hubbard portion of the book whereby he answers questions sent by readers/fictionists (would-be's and wannabe's) styled ala Letters to the Editor.

The question, more than Hubbard's answer, hit me. No, it floored me. No, even worse, it left me dumbstruck.

Why?

Because I'm quite the guilty one and altogether quite familiar with the aforementioned issue because it is a reason (or unseemingly it seems, an excuse) that I use to explain why up until now the fictionist in me is still fictional.

Sometimes, there really is not much time left to write. What with work piled up and you render more than 12 hours of work a day -- juggle that with the demands of family life and the need for rest and you are left with no time to pursue writing. Other times I admit, it's a convenient excuse and justification for procrastination.

So, to read about the matter from a reprinted letter reply from one of the more influential beings in the speculative fiction field is mind-blowing and has left me even more reflective as I've been thinking about writing and fantasy and sci-fi and comic books and boardgames and spec-fic quite a lot these past few weeks vis-a-vis the realities of family life and the need for sustenance and the bills to pay.

More food for thought here.

* * * *

Interesting article on the man behind the words of Barack Obama, president-elect of the US of A. The article is timely as the subject matter on hand in this blog post is about writing. In the case of Jon Favreau, it's speechwriting and his special relationship with the O-dude. Read it here.

* * * *

I think a scored a major find last night at Booksale with the purchase of a copy of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, an influential book in the cyberpunk or dystopia circles.

This promises to be another adventure as I will delve into a new field -- cyber-punk -- something that I rarely encounter as books as I am more familiar with the genre as depicted on animation, in particular, Japanese anime or in something like ReBoot.

I already finished Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami) and now working on two books simultaneously -- the previously-mentioned Writers of the Future, and the second, the classic sword and sorcery epic by Fritz Leiber collected as Lankhmar. So, Snow Crash will have to seat itself somewhere and collect dust for a time until I get around to reading it.

How do I read the two books simultaneously, you ask?

Simple -- by their location. When I'm downstairs, the book available is Writers of the Future which I read when nothing interesting is on the tube or I'm in the throne room. In the bedroom (or upstairs for consistency's sake) it's Lankhmar I read before I go for my 40 winks.

* * * *

There's a new writing contest in town and the deadline is January 13, 2009. Egad!!!

It's being sponsored by HAI and the contest is entitled By Moon Alone Fantasy Fiction Contest.

Rules of the contest are quite simple and the price is enticing. Nothing monetary but something enriching, creatively-speaking. All you need to come up with is fantasy prose under 2,001 words and it has to have a character encounter a dragon. It's that simple.

Contest Rules here.

Monday Mumblings: Rated K on Diabetes, Short Story Writing, VETASSESS

rated k paints a dismal picture of diabetics
In last night's episode of Rated K which I happened to be peripherally viewing (I was playing Sims 2 on my PC which was just right beside the living room TV), one segment featured a diabetic. Of course, that got me interested but I was rather disappointed because that particular segment talked about diabetes as some form of dreaded disease.

It talked about how this TV performer (forgot the name) who used to weigh 280 pounds suddenly shriveled and his body thinned out after being diagnosed with the disease. It was not clear however if this person had Diabetes Type 1 or 2 but it appeared to be hereditary since it was implied that it was possible that he got it because of relatives who also had it.

It was rather saddening to hear diabetes being pictured this way -- like some form of debilitating disease. I know the show meant well but it should've cleared some matters like what caused the body to drop in weight suddenly and it was also not clear what medication and treatment were undertaken by the protagonist of the segment.

The segment also painted a scenario of hopelessness since it seemed as though it tells viewers that when you get the disease it seems like the end of the world. Come on, I've got the D and I'm living my life to the fullest. I'm actually in my best health in years and I love it. Sure there are restrictions and sure there is an ongoing medication but it's not life threatening if you follow medication and ensure you get a good medical regimen.

Korina, I admire you and like what your show on Sundays but please, make sure your researchers get the picture of diabetes right. Yes, diabetes is a chronic disease in that there's no cure for it. But, don't instill fear in diabetics or cause fear in people to dread the disease. Please.

vetassessed is positive
After roughly six weeks after filing, I received word from our immigration consultant that my VETASSESS assessment is positive. Last Saturday, I got a copy of the result and yes, indeed, it says in the form that my nominated occupation of Marketing Specialist is positive -- meaning that my nominated occupation and my submitted documentation to prove that I am such has been approved by the Australian authorities.

This is the first step into our Skilled Independent Regional Visa application, our passport to greener pastures in the land Down Under. Next step would be to pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) where I need to score 7 in all components -- reading, writing, listening and speaking.

sims 2 again
I'm playing Sims 2 again and starting to get hooked to it again. I'm still trying to re-figure out again how the gameplay goes but I'm getting there slowly. And since I'm playing the deluxe edition which combines both the original game and the Nightlife expansion, there are some totally new additions to the game which I have yet to really be familiar including the ability to drive your own vehicle, group dates (wherein I sucked in my first attempt), dating (again, which I sucked and only ranked so-so) and bowling which was quite exciting.

With Sims 3 said to launch in 2009, I'm just biding my time and not rushing to buy the rest of the expansion sets for Sims 2. i'm pretty sure that once Sims 3 launches, they'll be selling the Sims 2 expansion sets and item sets in packages (like what they did for Sims 1 when they launched the 9-in-1 package when Sims 2 was released). So, 2009's just around the corner ... just a few more months of wait and the expansions are sure to be packaged in one affordable bundle.

short story's on the way
I'm about half-way with the speculative short story I'm writing hopefully for submission to the Neil Gaiman-sponsored Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards 2009. Two months to go before the deadline but I hope to submit it by month's end.

What's missing however is the short story I intend to submit for consideration in the Philippine Speculative fiction anthology that Dean Alfar's working on (BTW, Dean, congratulations on the new daughter :) ) which has an earlier deadline of mid-September.

Time-willing and with hopefully manageable work I'll be able to submit entries to both. Keep your fingers crossed, folks!

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).

monday mumblings: ikai's pictorial, so long baby jake, the d-disease update, e-heads, and others

studio shots of ikai
Being the stage parents that Elvie and I are, we had photos of our daughter, Ikai, taken a couple of weekends ago at Great Images at Festival Mall in the hopes of landing her a commercial one of these days. A friend of mine has contacts within the advertising world and these pictures will be sent for their consideration and potential casting.

In attendance at her short photo shoot were, of course, Ikai's stage grandparents Lolo Ely and Lola Lydia who helped the photographer prompt Ikai to pose.

What do you think of our little daughter? Ain't she a beauty?



baby jake is now angel jake
I would like to extend my condolences again to Olga and Jasper and to their families for the passing of their new-born baby Jasmine Keith "Jake" Espino after a courageous battle to live.

Sadly, Baby Jake didn't make it and it was God's will that she join Him as one of his millions of little angels. Baby Jake is now Angel Jake and for sure, she will be de facto guardian of her twin sister, Baby Jade, who continues her own battles but all of us are hopeful she will make it through.

My wife and I visited Olga and Jasper at Baby Jake's wake at Funeraria Paz in QC last Saturday and the event promptly turned into one impromptu reunion with Josh and Che, Wendell and Elaine around. Sadly, it was still incomplete with Pilar not there due to prior commitments.

diabetes update
Last Friday, I had my monthly check-up to determine my progress with managing my diabetes. Unlike other diseases, diabetes, once acquired, is not curable. There's no treatment, no meds that will return your body to normal. Once a diabetic, always a diabetic and from now on, check-ups with an endocrinologist or a specialist in internal medicine will always be required.

So, once again, I found myself in Doc Crisostomo's clinic last week but a day before, I had another blood chem and lipid profile tests.

The good news is that my sugar levels are good. My Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) was at 79 (normal level is 70-110).

The bad news is that my bad cholesterol level is up (but so is my good cholesterol). So, the doc remixed my medication and is now focused on lowering my cholesterol levels.

In actuality, my bad chol level is actually lower than my previous lipid profile test in April-May. Back then, my cholesterol level was at 291 when the acceptable level was below 200. The latest results show my cholesterol level at 226, a large reduction but still on the borderline (according to a Wikipedia article, when your cholesterol level is above 240 you're high-risk). But the doc was concerned that I just lost 1 pound since my last check-up. My last check-up in June was that I was 199lbs. Last Friday's weigh-in put me at just 198lbs.

A few posts back, I said that my weight was already at 193lbs. That was true! Unfortunately, since that post and until last Friday, my diet and exercise routines have been disrupted and while I may not have eaten more, I did exercise less which resulted in me gaining the additional 5 pounds. So, to make sure I don't get reprimanded again -- the doc told me I was still too fat straight to my face -- I need to get exercising regularly again.

BTW, heard that Makati Med's opening its new wing by August 18 hence the rush-rush of construction. MMC is in need of a face-lift what with stiff competition offered by Medical City and the soon-to-rise St. Luke's Medical Center in Fort Bonifacio.

nbs offers special print runs of classics
National Bookstore recently released several classic fantasy, and sci-fi novels from master writers such as Michael Moorcock (Elric), Roger Zelany (Chronicles of Amber), Hope Mirrlees (Lud-In-The-Mist), Jack Vance (Lyonesse), Robert Howard (The Conan Chronicles), Poul Anderson (The Broken Sword), John Ford (The Dragon Waiting), among others in special newsprint editions -- making these classics, ehem ehem, affordable.

My first purchase in this special print run is Fritz Leiber's stories on Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, entitled in a special anthology entitled "Lankhmar". Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are the archetypal icons of sword and sorcery and they play a pivotal role in shaping the world of modern fantasy and puts Leiber beside fantasy greats such as JRR Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and Lewis Carroll (Chronicles of Narnia).

At P355, the book is value for money. It's going to sit in with other unread books. The other books are lined up next for purchase. I just hope NBS don't run out of stock.

so many books, little time for reading
I have yet to thoroughly unpack the boxes from our last move (July last year) but now that the contract with the apartment has been extended another year, I just need to find time to do the little exercise of unpacking my books and magazines and finding a space for them.

And in unrelenting passion, I seem to always purchase at least one book a month nowadays thanks to Books for Less and Booksale. And I'm a regular buyer of Entrepreneur magazine so that's two publications roughly per month when I literally almost have no time to read!

At home, I think I still have about three books unread and counting the Neil Gaiman and the Fritz Leiber I bought recently, that up's the total of books unread to five. Add to that a couple of books I still have here in the office. Add to that an unfinished book by David Brin and another one by Terry Pratchett.

My books are scattered all over the apartment. Some are found under the TV in the sala while others are scattered in the two rooms upstairs. My current reading material will always be found on top of the water container near the CR because the only time I always and almost find time to read is during banyo time while nature is calling.

Most, as I've mentioned, are still in the box along with my FHMs and Dragon magazines and I'm sure the rodents are having a feast day tearing up the pages.

My most recent read (and finished) is another Brian Jacques Redwall series novel -- Pearls of Lutra.

inspiration
Neil Gaiman is once again teaming up with Fully Booked for the 3rd Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards and is once again inviting writers and artists to submit entries and this year's contest is made more special with the addition of a new category -- short film.

Read all about the event and contest guidelines at its Fully Booked page. The deadline is September (same as Dean Alfar's call for spec fic submissions) and who knows? Will this year be the year I finally get enough courage and more aptly, more time to submit a story to the Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards?

Flushed with inspiration last week, I actually started work on a piece. Hopefully, I get to finish it before the deadline set.

Keep your fingers crossed mateys!

officially globed
After almost two years of having my internet service provided by MyDestiny, I finally flirted and started an affair with Globe Broadband.

Practicality was the main reason for the switch. I was paying P999 pesos for the MyDestiny Cable Internet service (which at some days had a disastrous connection and an odd pay first before use scheme). Since we needed a phone line at the apartment, we applied for a line and opted for one that bundled voice and data -- the P1295 peso package.

While it did take almost two months to get the connection ... connection ... now, it's almost a month of smooth-sailing with the new broadband internet. My wife even swears that the connection at home is faster than the connection at her office :P

But no, I'm not devoting my time to any online game. In fact, I might not be using the service for all its worth because I haven't been really internetting at home that much.

But lest this turns out to become an endorsement for Globe -- hell, hey Globe! Fix your damned customer service -- it took two months and three visits to your service center for follow-ups just to get the line activated. Heck, asked to explain why the delay, the CS (who I'm not blaming) was at a loss for a reason.

Sheesh!

e-heads united
My good friend and regular chat-mate Pilar just gave me the heads-up on an upcoming Eraserheads reunion concert at the end of August -- read it here.

Now, any bonafide UP student during the mid-90s is familiar with the legacy of the 'Heads. They're as iconic to the Philippine rock scene as are Asin, Heber Bartolome, and the Juan dela Cruz band.

Now, how much is that ticket?

Thursday Tidbits: Diabetes, Rai, Robert Kiyosaki

No, the Coffee House Chronicles is not transforming into a monthly post blog deliberately.

My last post was May 10, and it wasn't even a proper post but I had instead announced Dean Alfar's Open Call for Spec Fic submissions. Since then, roughly twenty days has passed since today when I write this post while waiting. Waiting for work to end today.

In fact, none of my blogs is updated. Not PMO and not even Sportsblitzer. I've got several other blogs still in states of construction as I've yet to find the time to attend to them -- and they're supposed to be my tickets to financial freedom as I envision them to bring me riches courtesy of the wonder of the interactive world aptly named affiliate marketing.

With further ado, welcome again to May and welcome back the Thursday Tidbits!

sugar bites

It's confirmed, unfortunately, that I am now a diabetic. Type 2 Diabetic, that is. A full blood test in April confirmed my endocrinologist's suspicions that I indeed have overdone my fetish for the sweet life and I now join the throngs of millions of Filipinos who may or may not know that they suffer from the big D.

But the news is not so bad. At least it's not a Type 1 -- the type where you had to periodically inject insulin. The D that I have is acquired ... a result of a lifestyle disease. Usual D cases is a result of too much alcohol intake. Mine is the other type of Type 2 -- caused by another vice -- food, or the over-indulgence of food especially carbos. Whereas the normal Complete Blood Glucose count for a person should be a max of 115, mine was (at least a month ago) 197.

So, the doc prescribed several drugs to reduce not just the sugar levels but also cholesterol, liver enzymes, and uric acid levels.

Two weeks after the first consultation and tons of meds, my sugar levels returned to normal as the Complete Blood Glucose level was not at 70 (minimum is a 73 in normal humans).

But does that mean I've beaten the D? No, no, no, no. That's because D is a chronic disease -- there's no cure for it. When you get it, it's with you for life. I can still live a normal and long life as long as I control and maintain discipline.

What's next is a target weight reduction because as long as I maintain my fatness, the D is more dangerous. Doc recommended I attend a diet clinic (costs a smacking PHP600) and now I try (emphasis on try) to make sure my calorie intake per day doesn't exceed 1700.

The results are promising. From 212 lbs before the diet, I reduced my weight to 208 lbs two weeks after. Since May 9, I now weigh more or less 200 lbs or a reduction from 93 kilos to 91.The target is a reduction of total weight to around 65 kilos which is the optimum weight for someone with a height and age like mine.

I've been exercising and limiting my food intake. I do deviate every now and then from the prescribed diet but I make sure I burn up whatever excess calories I have. The stress at work has been helpful as I tend to burn calories more when I'm stressed out (that's because I walk more when I am stressed).

Next check up is a couple of weeks from now and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've already met the 2 kilos reduction but of course, you'll never know if you've met the sugar passing mark.

More mets ... Metformins, that is.


work, work, work

I'm in dire need of a vacation or at least a couple of days off.

Everything has been hustle and bustle, rush, rush, rush at the office for a big event that's currently ongoing (learn more about this event). I guess, I deserve this because I chose the marketing path ... comes with the package.

But despite the complaints, the hardship, the hard-headedness and the apparent disregard for timelines and deadlines and the word "impossible" by most people I work with ... I can say, it has been fun.

I would've wanted to have "more say" on many matters (I still sometimes feel like a glorified supervisor than a GER) but heck, I'll deal with whatever comes at my level and escalate stuff that I know I don't have authority over.

But I badly need a break ... about 48 hours worth should be enough.


food that i miss

Since acquiring the D, my diet has restricted me to eating more veggies, less meats, more fresher produces, and almost 0 sweets.

Since last week of April, I haven't had ice cream, any cake, regular soda, ensaymada, fruit juices (concentrate or whatever), native delicacies and sweets, many types of pastries, and whole slew of other sweet items.

As mentioned however, I have deviated already from my diet but the main thing is limiting the intake.

When my wife and I go to the groceries or supermarket, it now becomes second nature to look at the nutrition facts of the package. No nut-fact, no buy. That's because I now have to look at the calorie and fat content of whatever I put into my mouth.

Calories counting ... something new and weird but something vital for me nowadays.

Thank goodness for all things Diet, Lite, Low-Cal and No Sugar.

When I hit the ideal weight, I can begin eating foods that I miss anew .. but then again, in moderation.


rai is born

My sister, Rochelle, gave birth to a daughter last month.

Welcome to the world Raizel ... from a happy Tito Ram.


children of hurin is in the box

In addition, my sister has also mentioned that she has finally tracked down a good paperback version of The Children of Hurin, the Tolkien-book published post-humously by JRR Tolkien's son, Christopher.

Rochelle said that the book is already in the balikbayan box that she is slowly beginning to fill-up with oddities (I'm sure a lot of them will have the labels -- No Sugar or Sugar-free or Made with Splenda). The BB will hopefully be in town come Christmas season and I'll have another Tolkien book in the arsenal.

Yipee!


donating the rig

My sisters-in-law and my hilaw bro-in-law are just about to open their new venture -- a caregiver testing center right smack in the middle of Caloocan.

Our contribution to the venture is in terms of items that can be used by the center. Already, the house has been denuded of items such as the dinner table and chairs, the single bed in the other room, odds and ends from the kitchen, items that Baby Ikai has already outgrown, and believe it or not, one of my wife's potted plants.

However, the dearest item that will soon join the other contributions to the center is my rig. Yes, the CPU, along with the keyboard and mouse probably, will now be owned by Tephillah Testing Center (I did NOT make up the name).

But before I give away my rig completely, I will return it to its original state -- take out the DVD writer and replace it with the original CD writer; take out the additional mem sticks and, if I am generous, just make it a 1GB unit (planning to sell the 512MBs to get back some of my investments); take out the additional fans I installed; and put back the coverings I've taken off in an effort to control the CPU's internal temp.

I've also managed to get hold of a USB enclosure and I'm taking away one of the 80GB HDDs, basically my data disk, and all that will remain in the rig is a single 80GB HDD with the programs. It's partitioned so, half the space will be for data.

I'm going to miss my rig but I'm hoping to get an updated one soon.


rich dad, poor dad

While book-hunting at the Booksale kiosk at ATC the day before Mother's Day, I managed to buy a copy of Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad -- the controversial self-help book on entrepreneurship.

I've heard about the book and the author, both praises and criticims. I've heard about how people's lives have been changed because of what Kiyosaki has preached and how other people's lives have been disillusioned after trying to apply Kiyosaki's "preachings".

I have yet to finish the book but I must say, it's not the best of books ... it's not the best of business-related or entrepreneurship reads I've seen, but it does encourage you to think. It gives practical advice ... it's preaching of the four pillars of financial intelligence, I believe, is something that is inherent in all successful businessmen and entrepreneurs.

The book may lack the actual step-by-step procedure but heck, success can't be taught, I believe. You can be guided to success but the actual process to achieving it is different for every person. What Kiyosaki offers is a guide more or less and an inspiration, and an idea that anyone, with the right frame of mind, with a clear goal in mind, with the right determination, can indeed succeed.

If this book is a total waste, as critiqued by business experts, then why do I find it interesting enough to finish? Kiyosaki tends to repeat himself every now and then in the chapters but that didactic way of writing is reinforcement.

I'm not 100% sold to Kiyosaki's beliefs but I am inspired by him to think.

dean's open calling again

The premier stalwart of Philippine Speculative Fiction, Dean Alfar, is once again calling all spec-fic writers -- old and new, published and unpublished -- to submit their short stories of the fantastic, the impossible and improbable, the unbelievable, the superstitious and the horrific for possible selection and publication in the Philippine Speculative Fiction IV.

Reposted from his blog:

Open Call for Submissions - Philippine Speculative Fiction

It's hard to believe, but it's that time of year again (even harder to believe that this is our 4th year)!

Nikki Alfar and I are now accepting submissions of short fiction pieces for consideration for the anthology "Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol.4".

Speculative fiction is the literature of wonder that spans the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror and magic realism or falls into the cracks in-between.

1. Only works of speculative fiction will be considered for publication. As works of the imagination, the theme is open and free.

2. Stories must cater to an adult sensibility. However, if you have a Young Adult story that is particularly well-written, send it in.

3. Stories must be written in English.

4. Stories must be authored by Filipinos or those of Philippine ancestry.

5. Preference will be given to original unpublished stories, but previously published stories will also be considered. In the case of previously published material, kindly include the title of the publishing entity and the publication date. Kindly state also in your cover letter that you have the permission, if necessary, from the original publishing entity to republish your work.

6. First time authors are welcome to submit. In the first three volumes, there was a good mix of established and new authors. Good stories trump literary credentials anytime.

7. No multiple submissions. Each author may submit only one story for consideration.

8. Each story’s word count must be no fewer than 1,500 words and no more than 7,500 words.

9. All submissions must be in Rich Text Format (.rtf – save the document as .rft on your word processor) and attached to an email to this address: dean@kestrelddm.com. Submissions received in any other format will be deleted, unread.

10. The subject of your email must read: PSF4 Submission: (title) (word count); where (title) is replaced by the title of your short story, without the parentheses, and (word count) is the word count of your story, without the parentheses. For example - PSF4 Submission: Magdalena Brings Fire 3500.

11. All submissions must be accompanied by a cover letter that includes your name, brief bio, contact information, previous publications (if any). Introduce yourself.

12. Deadline for submissions is September 15, 2008. After that date, final choices will be made and letters of acceptance or regret sent out via email.

13. Target publishing date is December 2008/January 2009.

14. Compensation for selected stories will be 2 contributor’s copies of the published anthology as well as a share in aggregrate royalties.

Kindly help spread the word. Feel free to cut and paste or link to this on your blogs or e-groups.

Thanks,Dean Francis Alfar & Nikki Alfar
http://deanalfar.blogspot.com
http://deanalfar.multiply.com

Wow! UP Math Student Breaks 45 Year Old UAAP Record

Here’s another feat folks from Peyups like myself will be proud of.

A sophomore Math student (take note folks, Math) from the University of the Philippines shattered a 45-year old record in men’s javelin during the UAAP athletics competition last weekend at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The feat highlighted an already dominating performance by Javier Luis Gomez in decathlon competition where he triumphed in six other events – 100m dash, long jump, discus throw, pole vault, and shot put.

In the javelin event, lean-framed Gomez tossed the javelin for a total 60.66 meters, breaking the previous record of 59.69 meters by nearly a meter. The old record was set by Doroteo Amirallado in 1963 back in the old days when Manila Central University was still a member of the UAAP.

Wow!

Now this is something really wondrous. Imagine, a skinny kid who eats numbers for breakfast, lunch, dinner and probably midnight snacks as well, accomplishes what the guys over at the College of Human Kinetics can only dream about? To shatter a record, almost half-a-century old, and this gets done not only by a UP student (ehem, ehem) but a Math major to boot?

Imagine ...

happy birthday to papa

My father celebrates his birthday today and turns 56.

And as he likes to say it, it's only four more years before he begins receiving his SSS pension.

He's home alone today, not sure if my mother's coming home early but they'll definitely be celebrating it this week as my mother's birthday falls on Friday, February 1.

He's been retired for several years now and is now a "house-band" but would gladly take on any task if asked. I'm just wishing I hit the lotto jackpot one of these days and start a business ... I'll have my father manage it for me. As a former banker, he's got the business acumen to able to let the business grow.

While we're waiting and hoping for the business of our dreams to materialize, my father spends most of his days at home doing the household chores, and makes trips on his bike to the nearest lotto outlets or to pay bills. Recently, a new videoke machine is keeping him busy as well as long afternoons and nights playing Text Twist (thanks largely to the generosity of my sister who left behind her laptop for my parents to use).

He's also adjusting to his new role as a grandpop to little Ikai and proudly announces to everyone that his about 90% of his mobile phone's stored pictures are of his apo.

Here's to more years Pop, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and stay healty!

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:

wednesday warbles: peyups blog, no-boss, movies and tv

My new blog, which I modestly announced last week, has yet to see realization as I am still caught up with work, both official and personal. I have yet to write an introductory piece let alone design a customized header which will yell to anyone fortunate to find that piece of real estate on the web "Blog ito ng Isang Dating Taga-Peyups" (this is a blog by a UP alumnus). Next week, sana.

* * * * * *

My sister leaves on Thursday for another tour of duty at Dubai Duty Free where she has been employed for roughly a couple of years. When she reports for work on the 27th, it'll be the start of her 3rd term. Good luck, Wheng!

* * * * * *

All the big bosses in the office are off for at least a week (a few of them actually will be gone for a longer spell) and for the meantime, some pressure is lifted off us, especially my Department. However, the old dictum "while the cat is away the mouse will play" will not, and I mean, will not apply as there's tons of work to be done with Chinese New Year coming in, and more and more demand for work from our poker colleagues. I let my boys and girls relax a bit yesterday but as the week progresses, I will need to flex my muscles and get the whip cracking har, har har!

* * * * * *

Malaya "Yarie" Cruz will be christened this coming weekend and with the pile of work in the office and at home, I don't know if I can squeeze in some hours to join the merry parents, Dennis and Pilar, in their special occasion. A miracle is what I'll need right now.

* * * * * *

While working on my personal project until a few minutes ago, I was also listening to some MP3s stored on my HDD (which I will eventually have to burn to DVDs to free up space and help my P4 2.4GHz processor speed up things). God, I miss playing the guitar. And yes, I've been harping about it but I haven't, even with the holiday season passing by and having some moolah then to spend, bought a new guitar yet (bought upgrades instead to my PC like the DVD-RW and a couple of DDR memory sticks).

* * * * * *

With some free time at the office yesterday, I turned on my couch potato hat and proceeded to look through movies and TV series of interest, err, to me he he he.

Batman: The Dark Knight looks interesting enough to catch on the big screen this 2008 (with Christian Bale reprising the lead role and Brokeback protagonist Heath Ledger clowning up as a deranged Joker) and so is Iron Man with no less than Robert Downey, Jr. donning the tin can suit.

Cloverleaf, the monster thriller looks an exciting view (taken from a camcorder's POV) but I might just catch it on the DVD player along with National Treasure 2, Sweeney Todd and Dragon War (which I accidentally viewed while shopping at PC Express Pasong Tamo a couple of Saturdays ago).

With 7 leave credits left from last year, I will schedule my leaves and hope to use them to watch movies that have been screen but I haven't watched yet -- Golden Compass, Bee Movie, Beowulf, Hitman, and host of others.

Turning over to TV ... I have yet to score Eureka Season 1 but Season 2 is already available. Also, waiting for me is Prisonbreak Season 2, and Weeds. I'm still on the prowl for Star Trek:Enterprise but a longer break before March may just find me going through my 24, CSI New York and Alias CDs.

Lots of things to watch, so little time to do so.

how the christmas season was spent

The pinch of the Christmas celebration for me this year started nine days before the fateful day. December 15-16 were mostly spent at the malls for some shopping and a frantic search for my wife’s costume for their party slated the following Monday. Last December 16, we met my parents for lunch and some more shopping at SM Makati after attending the morning service at my wife’s church.

Hoping to impress upon my mother and father a good lunch, I took them to the Tsoko Nut at SM’s second floor where we ordered several treats including their Chicken Rolls, Diniguan, Pinoy Pork Steak and for Ikai, Spaghetti Hardinero, with a sampling of their guava juice good enough for four. Unfortunately though, the Tsoko Nut branch failed our expectations as service was grossly late. Our food was served some 40 minutes after being ordered and to top it all the rice was half-cooked, which was a no-no to my rice-loving father.

My baby’s yaya went off to the province for a two-week Christmas break last December 17 and since the 18th, my little family and I were temporary residents of Pateros. Until early next year, we will be living at my sister-in-law’s home near the San Jaoquin-Pasig-Pateros border where Ikai will be babysit by her titas and her lola. I would’ve preferred to stay in Makati but since we can’t find anyone we can trust to stay with our daughter, the most logical and practical solution was to relocate to Pasig/Pateros where at least there’ll be relatives to take care of Ikai.

Thus, it has been a trying two-weeks with my wife and I adjusting to the travel it takes (4 transfers via commute or it’s a Php 150 cab fare … if you manage to catch a cab, that is). Today, thanks to the non-stop rain, we managed to get to the office good enough for a half-day credit.

Then on the afternoon of the 23rd we went home to Laguna. Yes, my wish to spend Christmas at our Makati apartment failed to materialize and my wife and I, along with Ikai, spent Christmas Eve with my parents at good ole SPL.

Christmas Eve dinner on the 24th was a simple fare – sinahog (a kakanin made of malagkit or sticky rice sweetened with melted brown sugar), chicken-macaroni salad, beef asado, mocha cake, and good old PF ham.

My sisters called to wish us their holiday cheers and jeers.

Rochelle called towards midnight of the 24th while on her way to another check-up. Our Tita Zaret was with her and she also wished us her holiday cheer and discussed at length with moi, a proposal that will enable me to save money from the apartment rent.

Wheng called the next day, mid-morning of Christmas Day since she had a hard time getting through the previous night. She said she greeted Christmas Day at work and was looking forward to her one month vacation starting next week.

And speaking of Wheng, an additional Christmas cheer-me-upper was the arrival of two balikbayan boxes from Dubai. My sister said she sent them via cargo ship a month ago and they arrived just a few days before Christmas. I happily opened up the boxes and meticulously inspected each and every item trying to determine for whom this or that was for.

My father was disappointed that the magic videoke microphone was not part of the two boxes sent after seeing the songbook menu and immediately asked us to SMS Wheng to ask where the videoke system was. I obliged and we later learned that Wheng was bringing the videoke system with her, hand-carried, when she arrives on the 30th.

And what were the contents of the two boxes? Here goes the list – wool blankets, a BBQ grill, chocolates, kitchen cooking implements, toothpaste, more chocolates, several variants of “tester” parfums for men and women (Wheng worked in the perfume section of Dubai Duty Free for some time so had access to “testers”), purses and handbags, fat-free cookies (for me and my old man), more perfume, two basic baby cubes for Ikai, more chocolates, cooking pans, a plates and sauces organizer tray, more and more chocolates, tshirts, Wheng’s uniforms when she was an usherette at the 2007 Dubai Tennis Masters, the tennis tourneys’ souvenir program, a couple of dresses for Ikai, and more and more and more chocolates.

Among the gifts she sent, I personally am as excited as my Pop with the videoke system but was exceptionally thrilled with the Crocs. Though a bit tight on the entrada, the choco-brown Beach crocs looked good. Wheng even threw in a couple of accessories, one for each pair – an acoustic guitar on one, and an electric guitar on the other. Elvie and Ikai also received Crocs, or, in the case of Ikai, Croclets, from Wheng. Elvie got her Mary Janes, colored seafoam while Ikai’s Croclets are a pair of Kids Cayman, colored fuschia. One of Ikai’s shirts was actually a terno with the fuschia Crocs – a long-sleeved number with fushcia stripes and collar.

Another delight albeit apprehensively received by moi was the Dunhill Desire perfume (which I just learned is completely called Dunhill Desire Red) I saw and immediately assumed was for Men. The fragrance was distinctly male but the name “Desire” had given me second thoughts whether this scent was for women. A quick check on the web some minutes ago confirmed that this Dunhill fragrance at least, was for men and I have it.

Yesterday, the 25th, my family and I had to leave Laguna because today, the 26th, was not declared a holiday.

New Year celebrations will again be at SPL but will be a more joyous occasion since Wheng will be here for her month-long vacation. A few days after New Year, the entire family will be trekking to Baguio for a few days of vacationing.

* * * * * * *

Aside from the Crocs (which immediately saw action today because of the rains and mercifully survived the flooded path to RCBC Plaza), and the Dunhill Desire Red (which will be put to good use immediately), another “gift” I look forward to using but first have to install first, is my new DVD writer. After more than three years since first yearning for a DVD ROM, I finally perked up some cash to finally buy one. I actually have been shopping since the middle of this month but after failing to find an available one ready for purchase at the PC shops at the malls, I got my new DVD writer via my wife’s suppliers.

My current CD writer will now find a new home in my wife’s office PC as it gives way to the new DVD writer.

Now, I can finally start amassing the newer games which only come out in DVD format. Top on my list is The Sims 2 :)