Aja

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Jazz
Artist:	Steely Dan

Every few years or so, you will discover a real gem hidden in the dusty storage rooms of pop culture. If you are lucky, you will find it in its pristine condition - unsullied by the current profit and personality-oriented music industry. No mediocre remakes by inept teen stars. No "tribute albums" by cash-strapped local few-hit wonders and profit-driven record companies.

For me, this gem came in the form of a song in a pirated CD that was being played in a pickup truck owned by a 50-something office mate back in 2004, when we were on our way to a team-building activity in Laguna. It was an upbeat and very refined song with an excellent mix of guitars, drums, brass instruments and vocals. And it had a cryptic chorus of "... it's your favorite foreign movie."

The band was apparently called Steely Dan and that particular song was entitled "Peg". I made a mental note that I'd research on the band and their music. For some 2 years after that event, however, I simply forgot all about it, no less due to my fixation with Bossa Nova. (Which is, to clarify, the original Bossa Nova with Gilberto, Jobim, et. al. ... and not the pseudo-Bossa inanities that get played in the radio nowadays. More of this in a separate article.)

When I rediscovered Steely Dan in Youtube, I made an effort to digest everything that they ever churned out. Since Steely Dan CDs are rare, I had to content myself with their recently-released "Best of Steely Dan" album. One thing that I observed was that Steely Dan seemingly does not respect genre borders. One moment they sound like a hard rock band, and next they sound like a light jazz band. They also have songs that sound very much like blues and love songs.

So I made a list of their songs that I liked, and discovered, to my delight, that most of them are contained in the album "Aja" (pronounced "Asia"). It was an album that was produced at a time when the band was undergoing a jazz experimentation phase. It later turned out to be their finest and most critically-acclaimed album. It's easy to see why. They employ a seemingly seamless integration of tunes using a vast array of instruments and sound engineering equipment.

Aja can be considered the peak of songwriting by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker - the two musicians that make up the core of Steely Dan. These two individuals are musical perfectionists who won't stop until they have achieved the proverbial golden mean in their music. They have a superb sound when playing rock, and they sound even better applying their genius in jazz.

The blending of Michael MacDonald's many voices in "Peg", is in itself a masterpiece in an already great song. "Deacon Blues", "Black Cow", "Home at Last" and title track "Aja" employ a mesmerizing combination of brass instruments that magnify the depth of the respective songs' lyrics. The deceivingly imperfect sound of Donald Fagen's vocals seem to be illuminated by the immensity of all songs in this great album.

A person who has never heard of Steely Dan might be led to believe that the songs in Aja were made in the late 80s - judging from the crisp, refined sound that generally characterize jazz musicians of that period. It will then be a surprise to learn that Aja was produced in 1977, well into the disco vs. heavy metal period of the 1970s. The album was clearly ahead of its time and escaped the attention of most listeners, with the exception of the most discriminating ears.

While some bands that undergo a change in musical direction can be said to suffer from an identity crisis at best (or being sellouts, at worst), Steely Dan's transition from rock to jazz renders these derogatory terms inapplicable due to the tremendous leap that their sound has made from their earlier works.

You don't need to be a jazz aficionado to appreciate this great album. Even if you get to hear the music for free in any site, I guarantee that you'd end up wanting to purchase the album anyway just to honor this great band.

Pig-out Weekend

This is shaping up to be the weekend where I consumed the most calories.

Last night (Friday), Tin and I went out on a date in Bonifacio High Street, and eventually had dinner at T.G.I. Friday's.  The last time I visited a Friday's branch was 3 or 4 years back, and so it completely escaped my mind that Friday's had huge servings.  Thinking that an order each of Ceasar's Salad with Grilled Chicken and Jack Daniel's 2-Piece Pork Chops would be just right for the two of us, we had a change of opinion when we realized that the Salad itself would have filled the stomachs of three hungry men.  When the Pork Chops finally came, both of us were almost filled to bursting.

This, of course, was the perfect excuse to walk around the area - which, due to the volume of the meal, encompassed three rounds of the entire length of Bonifacio High Street ...and walking all the way to Serendra and Market Market, and back to Serendra, before our stomachs "normalized".  It rather turned out very romantically, so I guess that's a good thing. 

At lunch time today, I had a mini-reunion with former Tonka buddies Dette, Carnel and Chiway to catch up on old times.  It was held in the fairly-new Italianni's restaurant in Libis (which used to be occupied by Dencio's.)  There's a daily lunch buffet for only P395 per head that we took advantage of.  I wasn't really too keen on eating a lot less than 24 hours after the Friday's episode.  The thing is, this buffet lunch was arranged way before the date I had last night (which was something of a spur-of-the-moment decision).  But at P395 per head, I felt that i had to consume my money's worth - even though it's already "cheap" by buffet standards.  I ended up eating a bowl of thick soup, some salad, a serving each of three different types of pasta, a slice of pizza, and what they called "Milanese Chicken".  As with last night's date, I ordered refillable drinks.

My father texted me just now.  He said that we are having dinner tomorrow in the house of my aunt, Tita Y-Dette.  No reason was given, but I'm thinking it has something to do with celebrating her recent appointment as Assistant Secretary by GMA.  Either that, or my other aunt, Tita Carmen, must have flown in from Singapore.  And if past experience is any indication, it's again going to be a food fest.

(Groan.)  Oh, my overburdened tummy.

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photo credit: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/art/PigArt.jpg

SSS Loan

Just got my loan check from the SSS, which I applied for around 3 weeks ago.  It arrived sooner than I expected and I haven't really thought about what I'd use it for, so I just deposited it in the bank at the start of business today. 

I don't really need a loan right now, but I was told that there's this well-connected syndicate in the SSS whose modus operandi is using inactive SSS members' accounts in order to secure a loan and abscond with the money.  This leaves the member with a record of an unpaid debt.  Worse, since the member never applied for such a loan, his/her current employer might not be aware of it as well - and so, the interest might accrue for years before the loan is detected.

A similar thing was alleged to take place in GSIS, but I already took care of that by also taking out a loan from GSIS years ago, when I was still with the DFA.

Anyway, another advantage in taking out a basic salary loan (i.e. a loan in an amount roughly equivalent to one's salary for 1 month) from the SSS is that it makes you eligible for bigger loans that are offered by the same institution.  I have yet to confirm this, but I do have some friends who swear to the truthfulness of this particular rule.

So for those of you who are concerned about your own loan status, you might want to check the information in the SSS website.  Should you be interested in actually taking out a loan, inquire with your respective employers' H.R. Personnel.  They're legally mandated to assist you in that regard (and also Philhealth and Pag-Ibig matters).




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P.S.  I was supposed to include a website link here where you could view your SSS contributions, but apparently the SSS site is not working.  Oh well...

P.S. 2  Bugger... I've completely forgotten the fact that my own sister worked in the SSS for years.

Funny Picture (a.k.a. my pre-UAAP special edition blog entry)

Ho-ho-ho!  It's gloating time, baby. 


So here's the background story:

During the second round of the UAAP wars last year, when barbs and insults between Ateneo and La Salle were reaching fever-pitch, the DLSU side came up with the mother of all insulting banners which is shown above.  The message is derived from the then-current 2006 Times Higher Education World University Rankings - which placed DLSU at the 392nd spot, and the Ateneo at the 484th spot.  When this particular banner was unfurled, there was a collective groan on the Ateneo side.  There simply was no possible smart-alecky retort for that "I'm-pissing-on-you're-face-and-you-can't-argues-with-facts-haha!-try-to-beats-that!" assault.

La Sallites everywhere, including it's own school administration, took advantage of this judgment of a disinterested third party by pubicizing its feat with great fanfare in every possible medium it could get its hands on.  After all, the Ateneo ranking above La Salle is old news.  BUT La Salle ranking above the Ateneo? - it almost exists only in the imagination of La Sallites.  That very picture above was spread to different online fora, presumably without the permission of the photographer (who, if he's a La Sallite, wouldn't have minded, I'm sure.)  Similar pictures spread, and tens of thousands of pro-La Salle blog comments sprung up like weeds in healthy garden soil.

Suddenly, Ateneo's own "Suspended" and "Wrong Spelling" banners against La Salle ate the dust.  They weren't funny anymore, and worse, DLSU went on to become the 2007 UAAP Mens' Senior Basketball Champions in spectacular fashion.  More collective groan.


Now here's the funny part:

It appears that just a few months after that infamous banner incident - when La Sallites were still gloating, and Ateneans were still sourgraping - the 2007 rankings came out.  (Specifically, it was November 2007).  And according to that list, the following are the Philippine universities that made it to the world's top 500:

(#398) University of the Philippines; and

(#451) Ateneo de Manila University

What?  No DLSU?  Yup, that's right.  No DLSU in the top 500.  Oh wait, they're there.  In the footnote - ranked # 519.  HA. HA. HA. 

This time, it was the La Sallites' turn to be dumbstruck - like, "What's the f*ck is just happened to our celebration?  You're mean we're loosers again?  But aren't we the championship?"  Here's what happened my dear greenies:  You. Got. Served.  (<--- This, in homage to an anti-Ateneo blog entry I came across recently that had those exact words as its title.)

Now, the Jesuit administrators of the Ateneo (i.e. Nebres, et. al.) were way too classier than their DLSU counterparts, so there was almost no official comment on the Ateneo's vindication.  The rest of the blue-blooded population, however, bordered on false modesty by publicly trying to brush the whole thing off and claiming we couldn't be bothered by rank-consciousness... if only to be consistent with our sourgraping when the 2006 rankings came out. 

[^ If a given population collectively undertook the widest and most conscious effort to be consistent with a previous year's behavior, then that achievement belongs to us Ateneans between November 2007 and today. ]

But false modesty aside, you just know deep inside we're all having a huge laugh at La Sallites.  And for good reason.  Once again, we are witnessing another glaring example of La Salle's one-time motto of "Bring Out the Best in Ourselves" catching up with them.  (I swear, I didn't make that up.  They really had that motto in the 1990's.  Yeah, talk about shooting yourself in the foot.  )



But look, the new UAAP season is approaching!  No room for false modesty here.  Once again the time is almost ripe for childish banter and irrational (and not so irrational) insulting on both sides.  No surprise that most of them aren't remotely related to basketball.  It's time to cheer your throats hoarse, and be a rabid fanatic for three glorious months.

Let the games begin!!!

The Fountainhead

Rating:	★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Literature & Fiction
Author:	Ayn Rand

Something weird occurred to me when I was reading this book. I began to realize that I did not like the lead character, Howard Roark. What's weirder was that I got to finish the book astonished that i did not find any redeeming value in him. Furthermore, I didn't really like the book one bit.

I purchased a paperback copy of The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand, because of the high regard one of my friends has for the author. I rarely stray outside my favorite genres of fantasy and history, but I do make exceptions if a book or author is given good reviews by people I respect. Unfortunately, as in this case, the experience of reading this book is only worth the lesson learned - i.e. not to buy any more books by Ayn Rand.

The characters in this book are severely one sided. There seems to be a stone wall in the universe of the novel that clearly divides which characters have integrity and which ones do not - with the protagonist, his love interest and some friends conveniently located in the "integrity" side, and the rest of the world in the "no integrity" side. This is a story where the lead character is incapable of making a mistake, and the antagonists seem to never have any backbone.

In a somewhat funny way, I am reminded of the animated series Pokemon, wherein Ashe and his friends do all the right things, and their opponent Team Rocket never seems to run out of ways to screw up their own plans. The only difference is that Pokemon is more entertaining, and sometimes Ashe and co. do screw themselves up, and Team Rocket shows flashes of good will and integrity.

One gets the idea that when Rand wrote this book, she had her own brand of philosophy - Objectivism - in mind in order to lecture her readers on what the ideal man is. While this might be her intention all along, it doesn't make good storytelling. And the last time I checked, novels are primarily created to tell stories, and not philosophical lectures.

In hindsight, this is probably the reason why the book is padded with Rand's writings. The publishers of the latest edition must have realized that people would finish reading the book with an undefined feeling...puzzlement even. While many famous books have an introduction that explains the historical setting of the work or the personal background of the author, no book I'm aware of contains its own "Cliff's Notes" in a long winding effort to make people understand and appreciate the story.

Not a book that I'd recommend to anyone. Objectivism seems to be a worthy read though. I just wish she didn't express it through this novel.

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Chito's Guide to Urban Living # 3

Jollibee vs. McDonalds

In this country, the most salient sign of the completeness of an area's urbanization is the presence of McDonald's and Jollibee branches (sometimes each located just a few meters away from the other.)  Empirical data has long shown that Jollibee has been the more profitable fastfood restaurant for a number of years now.  However, there are those who swear that McDonald's is actually the better restaurant.  For the benefit of those who are living under a rock and have actually visited neither of these two restaurants, the following guide is also an attempt to make an educated judgement on which of the two is better:

The Price

It would be pointless to present a side-by-side comparison of the prices of the products of Jollibee and McDonald's because (1) there are only a few items in both restaurants' menus that actually correspond to each other; (2) the price of the food items actually varies depending on the location (for example, branches located in malls generally have higher prices); and (3) both restaurants have their own version of the ubiquitous "value meal" that do correspond to certain competing product types between the two restaurants, but the serving sizes vary (presumably to fit the price tag).  What can be derived however is the fact that Jollibee does have slightly lower prices.  This writer has had numerous occasions to dine in both restaurants for a full meal - of whatever combination - and while I find myself visiting McDonald's more frequently, I have to admit that I end up spending less whenever I do eat at Jollibee. 

The Food

1.  Fried Chicken - While Fried Chicken Mcdo is tastier than Chicken Joy, it doesn't necessarily mean that it tastes better.  In terms of preserving the taste of the chicken itself, Chicken Joy does a better job - there's less coating, and the inner juices are still in the meat, cooked with the chicken.  The problem with Fried Chicken McDo is that as it is, it already has a much-lessened "chicken taste".  Add the gravy and it becomes even lesser.  Without the gravy however, the chicken seems incomplete.  Jollibee also serves larger chicken parts more frequently.  If, for example, you are health conscious, you have a higher chance of getting a chicken breast if you request one in Jollibee.  For some reason, McDonald's simply does not serve that part.  In both restaurants though, you'd have to watch out for old stock being served to you.  One sign of old stock is that the chicken appears a lot smaller - the act of cooking the chicken reduces its size.  Reheating it reduces the size further.  It also has a darker color and the meat itself has hardened (in Filipino household terms, "kahoy") because the natural juices have been drained. 

2.  French Fries - No doubt, McDonald's fries are better tasting than Jollibee's.  The servings are bigger too.  Lately, however, there's a trend towards lessening the fries servings in McDonald's.  It sometimes comes to a point where there does not seem to be much difference in the "regular" and "large" servings.  But in any case, McDonald's still has bigger servings of fries than Jollibee.  In instances where one finds himself being served "large" fries with "regular" content, one can simply and kindly ask the food server to add a few more.  No need to be rude.  Food servers are almost certainly under orders by management to shave off fries to increase profits.  If you can ask for more fries in such a way that you make it appear you understand the food server's predicament, then there's a higher chance that they will accede to your request.

3.  Burgers - When in comes to the taste of burgers, it's very difficult to make a judgement between Jollibee and McDonalds'.  Both are very different, and seemingly follow different standards in terms of the end taste desired.  But both can be considered as good-tasting.  Personally, I prefer McDonald's burgers, but I've tasted the "Yums" of Jollibee and they actually have more flavor - even to the point that the former's burgers seem plain in comparison.  Perhaps the difference is in the store orientation wherein McDonald's is a global brand, while Jollibee is a distinctly Filipino brand.  More on this point in a later section.

4.  Spaghetti - Both restaurants offer spaghetti varieties that are already very far removed from authentic Italian spaghetti (which has the distinctive taste of tomato).  It seems that both McDonald's and Jollibee have strived to come up with a recipe that resembles the type of Filipino-style spaghetti that gets served in children's birthday parties.  And in this regard, Jolibee has had more success.  The McSpaghetti is not bad-tasting at all, but Jollibee's spaghetti has captured just the right amount of sweetness that Pinoys everywhere in the world are looking for in their spaghetti.

5.  Breakfast meals - Still on the Filipino theme, Jollibee has taken the traditional -silog varieties and came up with a direct competing product line against McDonald's sausage and muffin-based breakfast menu.  If one goes by the principle of "breakfast is the most important meal of the day", then Jollibee again wins this round.  The so-called Big Breakfast meal by McDonalds simply can't compare to the completeness of any -silog breakfast meal by Jollibee.  Perhaps it was for this reason that McDonald's introduced the longganisa meal and the "with garlic rice" option for its Big Breakfast meal to gain a share of the -silog market dominated by Jollibee.

6.  Drinks - With the exception of their fruit juice offerings, both McDonld's and Jollibee sodas are Coca-Cola based, so there's really no use comparing.  Unfortunately, the crews of both restaurants also have a tendency to put too much ice in their drinks.  (See the reasoning in the Fries section.)  Worse, they sometimes have a bout of selective deafness when a customer requests "no ice" or "less ice".  Lately, they have found a way to deceive customers by immediately putting a cover on their drinks upon filling.  That way, the customer won't notice how much ice was actually placed in the plastic cup.

Taste Summary:  Jollibee promotes itself as a Filipino fastfood restaurant.  In this regard, it has a lot of room to experiment with its products in order to arrive at a taste that will appeal most to the Filipino palate.  On the other hand, McDonald's is a western fastfood restaurant that simply got transplanted to the Philippines.  As such, it is constrained by whatever formula is set by its head office.  Any room for experimentation is very limited.  A person who has eaten Filipino food all his life will be more receptive to Jollibee, and would even go as far as saying that Jollibee's menu offerings taste better.  While a widely-travelled person will be more likely to be impressed by the fact that the taste of burgers of McDo in the Philippines is not much different from the McDo burgers anywhere else in the world.  The good thing about this competition from different orientations is that the consumer is always the winner.  Both restaurants serve different but nevertheless acceptable-tasting food at relatively low prices.

Cleanliness

This time, McDonald's is ahead by a mile.  One is more likely to encounter a clean and usable rest room in McDonald's rather than in Jollibee.  Garbage disposal is also a perfected art by the crew members of the Golden Arches.  While the two restaurants seemingly have similar methods, for some secret reason known only to McDonald's, any seat nearest to the rubbish bins does not reek of anything at all.  As opposed to Jollibee - where I purposely avoid the seats near those bins because of the faint but very familiar smell of basura.  (The worst of the lot is KFC, which will not be discussed here.)  Of course, there are exceptions to the rule on both sides of the fence.  But McDonalds' branches are generally cleaner than Jollibee branches.

This is a very important factor.  If you have been paying attention to this review, you would have noticed that food-wise, Jollibee actually has the upper hand.  Personally, what makes me go visit McDonald's more frequently is the cleanliness.  This writer is willing to bet that there are those like me who equate the cleanliness of the surroundings with cleaner food.  So having better-tasting food is not necessarily an edge if one gives the impression that it is not prepared cleanly.

Overall judgement

Choosing which between these two fastfood behemoths is the better restaurant can be very subjective.  But what makes the job easier is that the main strength of each do not overlap.  If you are a person who goes for taste above all considerations, then Jollibee is for you.  If you are a person who is meticulous about hygeine, then you will find McDonald's more appealing.  As far as customer service and price goes, they are just about even.  Crew members of both restaurants are very courteous, and store managers are very receptive to customer feedback/complaints.

As can be gathered from what I've written so far, here's my personal judgement: I acknowledge that Jollibee's food offerings taste better, but I'd gladly forego that for cleaner surroundings and the prospect of cleaner food, even if I end up paying a bit more.

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photo credit: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/rickyrock/jollibee.gif

Dating Again

Crossing my fingers and hoping there is much promise in new beginnings.

Wish me luck. 

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photo credit: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Leighton-Courtship.jpg

The Happening

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Horror

SPOILER ALERT: The following review contains spoilers. If you have not watched this movie yet, it might be better for you not to proceed with this review.

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Count on M. Night Shyamalan to make the tragic appear terrifying. Very terrifying.

The plot is really simple. For some unknown reason, people in the Northeastern part of the United States begin killing themselves. As the "self-killing spree" spreads, people begin to move westwards in an effort to escape it. In the process it catches up with most of them, except of course the protagonist of the story, his love interest and a cute little child (bigger children were not spared.)

In the middle of the story, it is revealed that the culprit is a neurotoxin released by plants that simply turns off the human instinct to keep oneself alive. The theory was that plants have the ability to communicate among themselves for mutual protection, and somewhere along the way, they figured that human beings were threatening them. The neurotoxins first targeted large groups of people, but later on worked towards smaller groups, until finally even individuals were already being targeted.

While any other director would have used this plot for a medical fiction movie, M. Night Shyamalan succeeded in turning it into a horror movie. For sure, there is indeed something to fear about large-scale suicide. But it is a detached and rational fear - and not the terrifyingly creeping fear that is usually associated with people killing other people (and not people killing themselves.)

The scariest part for me was the scene where construction workers began leaping off the building. The facial expression of the ground floor crew member said it all. "Mother of God... what in God's name is happening?..." That's what I would say too if I saw people dropping from the sky to their deaths... as well as people having themselves get eaten - limb by limb - by zoo lions, hanging themselves en masse with electric cables, and shooting themselves in the head (among other things).

As always, I like the originality that Shyamalan brings into his movies. Sixth Sense and Unbreakable were masterfully original depictions of the overused themes of ghosts and super-powered beings, respectively. Now he brings his own version of the dark side of a natural epidemic. (Funny how this could be characterized as "dark" when almost 90% of the scenes occur in daytime. I suppose that's a mark of a good filmmaker - making the figurative overwhelm the literal.)

There are of course aspects that could have been improved. My main observation is the fact that the neurotoxin was only supposed to turn off the survival instinct of humanity, but it should not have made people overtly seek ways of killing themselves. The immediate symptom was consistent enough - people speaking incoherently and even walking a few steps backwards before stopping altogether in a blank stare. But one would expect people to die this way by simply being dangerously careless (or "carefree", in the most extreme usage of the word) by, say, stepping on the path of a moving vehicle, or stepping off the edge of a high-rise construction site.

The sight of all those incoherent people taking turns shooting themselves in the head using just one gun is too far-fetched, using the parameters set. The very act of taking turns is a mark of conscious thought - and this could not have been possible in a neurotoxin-induced trance. Other examples are a zookeeper urging lions to tear off his limbs, and a man who goes through all the trouble of starting a heavy-duty grass trimmer and waits a few seconds before lying in its path to be minced underneath by its blades.

Nevertheless, it was a better movie than the Incredible Hulk, which I viewed after this one. Worth watching if you are the type who wants a bit more substance in horror movies.

The Story Behind the Picture

The picture shown is an accurate representation of how much of a Neil Gaiman fanatic I was a few years ago.  Notice the geeky smile - something that no one will ever catch me doing nowadays - and the fact that I had to line up for hours just to have this photo op with the master storyteller himself.

I used to devour everything Gaiman back then.  I never failed to purchase his latest works.  I even bought his children's books in an attempt to gain a greater perspective of his work.  When Neil discovered that a huge chunk of the readers of his blog come from the Philippines, this was caused no less by people like myself who visit his site more than once everyday.  When he first visited the country in 2005, I made sure that I went to all his public engagements (i.e in Rockwell, Greenhills and Cubao).

The photo above was taken during the book signing in Fully Booked Promenade branch.  There's a funny story behind that picture.  You see I made friends with the pretty girl in green behind me who was next in line.  I wasn't hitting on her, though.  Anyone who endures a long line that spans hours would also feel the need to make friends just to pass the time. In the course of our conversation, I learned that she's an English teacher in ICA, and that she wasn't able to bring a camera in the book signing.

When we were nearing our turn in having our books signed by Neil, I offered to have her pictures taken using the digicam that i brought with me, and just have the copies sent to her later on via email.  I took pity on the fact that she only had her SE T610 camphone with her, and I figured that for a momentous event like meeting Neil Gaiman face-to-face for the first time, she could use some more megapixels to better preserve the memory.

We went our separate ways soon after the signing - with the promise that I would email her the pics later.

"Later" would in fact turn out to be 7 months later because the CD that contained the photos went missing for that time period.  When i finally managed to email her the pics, she was very grateful, but she admitted that she agonized over the long wait and finally lost hope of ever receiving the pics.  In the meantime, she has repeatedly told the story of the geeky monster who took advantage of her fascination with Neil Gaiman and stole her precious memories forever.  In particular, it was her students who listened and sympathized with her during this time.

As some of those students had a glimpse of me during the book signing, in their young minds they were able to attach a face to the monster.  And so the monster myth lived on for 7 months.  It was probably the only time in my life that some 30-40 girls all hated me at the same time. 

Anyway, it all ended on a good note because Miss ICA teacher couldn't wait to announce the great news to her students - that she got her pics, and that I wasn't a monster after all. 

The Incredible Hulk

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

Went to watch two movies yesterday. First was M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening and the subject of this review - The Incredible Hulk. (The former movie will be discussed in a separate review.)

This one's definitely a lot better than the one that starred Eric Bana which was produced a few years ago. For one thing, Edward Norton is a much better actor - even though he's not exactly fit to be Bruce Banner. And more importantly, if there ever was a more "realistic" way of portraying the Hulk, then this film moderately succeeds.

Do recall that the previous film showed a Hulk that had tremendous leaping ability - one that spanned miles, almost like flying. It's a good thing that this film did not present that - even though it was consistent with the comic book stories. Nobody wants an invincible superhero. (After all, even Superman has to have his Kryptonite.) And a flying Hulk is damn well near being invincible.

This film also succeeded in mixing some drama without being boring - which I think the previous Hulk movie was guilty of. I think the right thing they did this time was the way they presented Bruce Banner as perpetually being on the run. This gave audiences the impression that it was a fast-paced movie, despite the dramatic elements inserted.

Speaking of drama, why doesn't anyone in Hollywood realize that kissing in the rain is already an overly used element? It's staple in any dramatic movie. But the Incredible Hulk? Ugh.

I was surprised that they got kind-faced William Hurt to play the part of devious General Thaddeus Ross. Hurt is a good actor, but I've never seen him play a villain before - he's always the fatherly aristocratic type. There's too much of "residual William Hurt" that kept on seeping through the character. I guess whoever they got to package Jeff Bridges as a villain in Iron Man should have been hired for this project.

I'm actually getting tired of Stan Lee doing cameo appearances in Marvel superhero movies, but I suppose he has the right to demand such appearances. What I do take a keen interest on is the bits of scenes at the end of the movies which seems to suggest that a crossover movie of great magnitude is being produced which will involve multiple Marvel characters. I believe I've already discussed this in my Iron Man review.

The film is definitely an improvement of the previous one, but I wasn't that impressed. At best, it was a worthy move to pass the time on a Sunday afternoon. 3 out of 5 stars.

North Park

Rating:	★
Category:	Restaurants
Cuisine:	Chinese
Location:	Convergys Bldg., Ayala Avenue

One thing to keep in mind about restaurants - any restaurant - is that if you expect good dining experience, you should not visit them when they are near their closing time. It's very unpredicatable what the restaurant staff will do once the closing time arrives and customers are still in the store. The plunge of the service level is perhaps forgivable in fast food restaurants but should never be the case in supposedly higher-class establishments. This is what happened to my friend and I.

We had dinner in North Park, Ayala Ave. at around 9:30 pm last Saturday night. As I had never dined in North Park before, and I've heard nominally good reviews some years ago, I decided to give it a try just for the experience. What immediately struck me when I entered the restaurant was the sight of tables that were not wiped, and the acrid smell of vinegar. This terrible ambience was something that they could have taken care of before new customers entered the restaurant, because not everyone (especially myself) likes the smell of uncooked vinegar.

The food server (named Lyn) was nice and helpful enough, but could have used some pointers in good grooming. Her oily face somehow gives the impression that the food is not being prepared in a hygienic manner. In fact, it even reinforced my first impression that cleanliness is not a priority of the restaurant because if you look at the other servers, they also had oily faces. Lyn also needed improvement in suggesting dishes. For a first-timer (or even a non-first timer) who encounters the menu, the task of choosing what one would eat can be confusing. To make a long story short, I ended up selecting a dish that I later on regretted. To be fair, it was partly my fault, but I could have used some help if she suggested dishes.

Later on, it became apparent that it was the end of the weekend for the restaurant because the manager started doing the inventory of supplies right in the middle of everything. I'm not sure how other restaurants do it but shouldn't this sort of thing be done after all customers have left? In any case, the acrid smell of vinegar wafted all throughout the time we dined there, and we even witnessed the irritating sight of the manager (who was gay) flirting with some of the men who were assisting him in doing the inventory.

The complimentary soup and tea that were served (this was a Chinese restaurant, after all) was appreciated but, sorry to say, was third class. The soup was thin with little flavor. I've seen budget office cafeterias that served better tasting complimentary soup. As for the tea, I could not understand how tea could smell salty. It didn't taste salty though - so I just gave them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they served tea that I was not familiar with. I'll tell you this though, I'm a tea person and I know good tea. In my judgement, that tea wasn't anywhere near "good".

I don't know how North Park actually performs under peak hours, but to my mind, restaurants should generally perform better during off-peak hours. With this in mind, I don't think I want to go to North Park again. At least, not the Ayala branch.

Perhaps a 1 out of 5-star rating is a bit too harsh. But I'm also in the customer service business, and I could tell that the store management had very little sincerity in having customers achieve a good dining experience. It's a pity because I actually thought North Park was a good restaurant.




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photo credit: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/1453254603_2ca35381fd.jpg?v=0

Things I do that other people don't/can't do

One way of measuring your own uniqueness is by keeping track of the things you do that other people don't, can't, or only very rarely do.

In my 30 years, I was able to compile a list of a number of things I'm quite sure I'm the only one who does (or, in some instances, can possibly do).  What follows is a listing of these things - some of which are already known by those who know me.

1.  Folding burger wrappers

I realized this way back in college when I began to eat in fast food restaurants on a regular basis.  Actually, I didn't really notice it until it was pointed out to by a schoolmate one afternoon in 1995 in Jollibee Katipunan.  (That person's name is Rica Lamprea.  I don't know why I remember that.)

Anyway, it's been more than a decade since that afternoon and so far, I have never seen anyone in any fast food restaurant who folds their burger wrappers after they've finished eating their hamburgers/cheeseburgers/Quarter Pounders/Yums/Champs/Whoppers.  They always crumple the wrappers unceremoniously, while I fold it delicately in 4 ways.

2.  Smoking with candy

You'd think it would be very common for smokers to have a piece of candy while having their yosi break judging by the way cigarettes and candies are always sold side-by-side by roadside vendors.  But no, it isn't.  People buy candy and people buy cigarettes, but they are never taken together...except by me, apparently.  It turns out I'm the type of smoker who relishes the sensation of smoke entering my lungs, but thoroughly dislikes the taste and aftertaste of tobacco in my mouth.

3.  Using a tongue scraper

If I'm right about this, then this would be the very first time that you - the reader - would have heard of a tongue scraper (see photo above).  As the name itself suggests, this is a dental implement that promotes oral hygiene by scraping the tongue of food particles that ordinary brushing can't remove.

I purchased one because it so happens that I'm very meticulous about cleaning my tongue while brushing my teeth.  I actually came up with an idea that I'd invent a tongue scraper one day, until I discovered by accident that they were already being sold in groceries.  For something quite useful, they're usually very hard to locate.  Maybe that's why people don't buy them.  I'm the only one I'm aware of who actually has used one.

4.  Folding the trouser cuffs

For much of recent history, the folding of trouser cuffs (i.e. the bottom of the pants) is a seasonal practice, depending on the fad.  Most recently (around 2005), this practice has been observed in denims, in the form of a single large fold on each leg.  When it's not in season, pants are simply cut to a length appropriate for the wearer.

I've purchased a lot of pants and trousers in the past decade, most of which had trouser cuffs that reached beyond the ends of my legs, but I never had any of them cut to just the right length.  I've always folded them - thrice, approximately 1.5 inches high - regardless of whether it is fashionable.  Sometimes, in the rare occasions that i end up buying pants of just the right length, I still end up folding them because I've gotten so used to the practice.

5.  Whistling while smiling

This doesn't sound very impressive until you actually try and do it.  Smile, and produce an audible whistle that can be heard 5 meters away.  Take note, whistle and not just hiss a tune.  Hard isn't it?  Well, apparently I can do it with ease.  And I can make myself heard to a person 5 meters away in a room filled with people talking.  I even find this easier to do than a normal whistle.

It started out as just hissing when I was in 2nd grade.  Somehow, in a process that spanned years, I found a way to refine it and turn it into a whistle.  This never fails to amaze people and it is my standard reply whenever I'm asked to share something weird about myself.  There was a time not too long ago when, for some crazy reason, I was asked to whistle the Lupang Hinirang in this manner.  I got a resounding round of applause after that.  The only enthusiastic applause I've ever received in my life.

There, those are five of mine.  What are yours? 

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photo credit: http://blog.pennlive.com/naturalliving/small_tongue_scraper2.jpg

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

I'm a person who has no pretenses about my cinematic tastes. While others would go for more serious genres - where there are manifold symbolisms and complicated plots - I, on the other hand, want none of that. Reality already has too many of those things, and so I want a movie that does not force me to think (but isn't outrightly stupid either.)

I want a visual spectacle! ...with lots of action scenes and fantastic elements. I want the protagonist to be an underdog/s that prevail/s against all odds in the end. I want a movie that entertains me, rather than making me agonize about hidden meanings after a week's grind in the graveyard shift.

(*A brief digression: I admit that I once went through this phase of wanting to watch only serious films just to test myself if I am smart enough to understand what critics are talking about. Thankfully, after a few years, I've shed this insecurity and I'm now free to watch what i really want to watch.)

In short, I take an escapist approach when watching movies. And in this day and age, I think I can safely say that the term "escapist" has already lost all negative meaning.

It is for this reason that it is virtually impossible for movies like Prince Caspian to disappoint me. While many would rank this a lot lower than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I rate them just about even due to the fact that the two movies use basically the same formula. What's nice is that despite having this same predictable formula, Prince Caspian still ends up as a movie that engages its audience.

I don't really care about the inherent Christological symbolisms devised by C.S. Lewis in creating the characters of his Narnia series. There's no need for me to be converted to any religion so I treat that aspect as a non-factor. What pleases me though is the fact that even without thinking of those symbolisms, the movie could stand on its own. It's possible to view the movie in non-religious terms even if one is aware that the creator specifically designed it to describe vignettes of the faith he adheres to.

Of course, there are certain things that one finds hard to accept despite one's propensity to be receptive to fantasy. For example, there's what I call the "Legolas ability" wherein the elder Pevensie girl seemingly has an inexhaustible supply of arrows in her quiver. There's also the duel between the elder Pevensie boy and the much older and battle-experienced antagonist Lord Miraz ...which the former won. One gets the feeling that the presentation of these feats could have been improved somehow.

I have mixed feelings about the aborted comeback of the White Witch. On one hand, a reentry of the original villain could have resulted to a potential 3-way battle. But then, this would have resulted to a more complicated storyline which a lot of children (the target audience) might not be able to follow, and I would have had no patience for.

All in all, it was a good movie by my moviegoing standards. It was entertaining, it wasn't long-winding (despite the 2-hour duration), and it didn't offer promises that it didn't keep. It was a children's fantasy movie, and it certainly accomplished this purpose well.

Why I hate HSBC. (also, "Why HSBC is the banking equivalent of a pile of bullsh!t.")

Those who communicate with me on a regular basis would know that I hate HSBC with a passion.  Since it would be too tiresome to tell the story from the very beginning, I am copy-and-pasting a portion of a post that I made in another forum that details part of the reason why I have a very low regard for this company.

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When I claimed my final pay from HSBC, they itemized my paycheck by listing the following:

Unclaimed salary: P6500
Unpaid meal allowance: P750
Unpaid transpo allowance: P375
Unpaid rice allowance: P500
TOTAL = P8125.00

Unused leaves: P3793.10
Prorated 13th month pay: P6012.33
TOTAL = P9805.43

TAX REFUND: 6935.28

Common sense would indicate that all of those amounts should be added up, right?  So that's P8125 + P9805.43 + P6935.28 = P24865.71

And what's the amount on my check?  

P8615.71    

When I asked for an explanation (while rabidly frothing in the mouth), I was told that they subtracted the P8125.71 from the P9805.43.  So that's P1680.43 + P6935.28 = P8615.71.  When I asked why they SUBTRACTED when they should have ADDED, they said "Ganun po talaga".

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For a supposedly global bank, the people they hire for their HR and payroll departments are incredibly incompetent, inefficient and, I dare say, stupid.  When I was still in this company, the amount of salary disputes every pay date was voluminous.  I had other reasons for resigning, but this trouble with their payroll services was a major factor - not just for me but for many others.

I seriously considered filing a complaint, but I considered the fact that my particular work schedule would make it inconvenient for me to do the necessary follow-ups.  And besides, I had no assurance that I would get a resolution for my dispute because there wasn't exactly a dispute mechanism for employees who have already resigned.

And so, I contented myself with the consolation that if I let it go, then I would have absolutely nothing to do with that company anymore (which, in the greater scheme of things, isn't really too bad.)

Here I was being at peace in my current job, with HSBC out of the picture...or so I thought.

A couple of weeks ago, I got registered mail from them signed by Rae Paul Taylo who is AVP of the "Reward and Employee Services" (a.k.a. HR and Payroll, in non-deodorized terms) informing me that they overpaid my tax refund by P975.00.  FYI, this was the same Rae Paul Taylo who spoke in grand terms, but took action in sub-atomic portions when I was still there.  Anyway, what he was writing about was that HSBC was demanding that I call them up to settle the matter with them.

If there ever was a time when I said "What the f*ck?!" and meant it, that was it.

This company is hopeless.  Feel free to spread the word.  And if anyone wants first hand information, refer them to me.

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photo credit: http://mmww.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/angry_baby_head.jpg

Funny Pictures (R-18)

You'd know it's the 21st century when toilet humor gets publicized in a grand manner such as these store signs:

^ I have a good mind to go to this store and ask the proprietress "Miss, kung ano man ang ihahanda mo, kakainin ko!"

^ This is an old one I pulled from my friendster account.  Like I said there, it seems that the Philippines is slowly catching up to the electronics industry.  I would imagine this to be a roadside sex shop specializing in vibrators for the lower-income consumers.

^ This is my most recent discovery.  Apparently, the shop is owned by the brother of one of my multiply contacts.  Imagine this scenario: it's your high school reunion, and everyone is talking about their current jobs.  You work for this store, and you want to make it sound big-time.  So when they ask you the question, you blurt out "Well, I'm currently with an upstart business and I work with pussies and bitches everyday.  But I assure you, the legal stuff has already been taken care of (*wink, wink*)."

The Who

No, it's not a line from a cheesy gossip show.  The Who is the name of a 60's/70's supergroup that gained popularity at around the same time the Beatles were lording it over the charts.  But while the Beatles later on became known for their songwriting, The Who eventually became the progenitors of the heavy metal brand of rock and roll.

Its members are:

Roger Daltrey - vocals

Pete Townshend - guitars, keyboards

John Entwhistle - bass

Keith Moon - drums

The following is a link to a recording of one of their most famous songs "Who are You?".  (Known to most people as the CSI theme song.)  It's a very clear copy and it was taken just a few months before Keith Moon - who is, in all probability, the greatest drummer the human race ever produced - passed away in 1978.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_FZVD5lsAw

I watch this over and over again, and I haven't gotten tired of it.  This song characterizes the best of British rock.

Oh, and check out the way Keith Moon's earphones are duct-taped to his head.  Its necessity will become apparent once you get to the later parts of the song.

EDITED TO ADD:

After much thinking, I figured that I ought to add just one more link to show how The Who actually performs in a concert.  The following link is a live performance of their song "Won't Get Fooled Again" (which, incidentally is another song adopted by the TV series CSI.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp6-wG5LLqE

Pete Townshend is electric.  I won't be surprised if it turns out he was high on something when he was playing in that clip.

Keith Moon's earphones are still duct-taped to his head.

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photo credit: http://www.proud.co.uk/images/The%20Who.jpg

US Presidential Elections

Similar to most readers of this blog, I am not a U.S. citizen, and so I really shouldn't be concerning myself about voicing my views on U.S. politics. However, the preponderance of the U.S. over world affairs (particulary security matters) behooves one to, at the very least, be curious as to how leadership change will turn out in that country.  If it helps, let's confine our discussion on security matters.

Barrack Obama has apparently clinched the Democratic Party's nomination as candidate for U.S. President. I view this as a favorable development because among the three candidates that have attained most publicity, it is only him whose message makes the most sense. He is running on a platform of "change we can believe in". While the word itself could apply to various aspects of the U.S. government work, it would have the most impact on its dealings with hostile nations and non-state actors (NSAs).

His two other rivals - fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Republican John McCain - have both, on numerous occasions scored Obama on what they perceive to be his inexperience in governance and foreign policy matters.  While this criticism is valid in any other situation, it actually is not applicable in the case at hand.  Allow me to explain:

First factor:  The strength of the U.S. 2-party system ensures that their Presidency is occupied by individuals who (1) enjoy popular mandate; and (2) possess the requisite skill to withstand the pressure of governing the most powerful country in the world.  While the 2-party system is not a fixed rule, it has been informally institutionalized by the American people who saw the advantage of confining electoral debate on issues rather than personalities.  Anyone who ends up being the official presidential nominee of either the Democratic or Republican parties is certain to have gone through a rigorous campaign trail marked by alliance-building, consultations with different demographical groups, fundraising, numerous debates and public speaking engagements.

Simply speaking, the system is idiot-proof (although George W. Bush has certainly placed a good challenge to this observation in recent years), and anyone who ends up as a nominee has certainly proven himself an able politician who deserves more than the benefit of the doubt as regards his fitness to be president.

Second Factor: The U.S. federal government, while being one of the most complicated bureaucracies in the world, is nevertheless very efficient.  Each component of the bureaucracy could work semi-independently, carrying out its tasks in accordance with the policies of the current administration, and needing very little hands-on management from the sitting president himself.

This means the actual effort needed for the president to "maintain" the government can be provided by both an experienced and an inexperienced politician alike.  With an efficient bureaucracy and a battery of expert advisors on various policy matters, an experienced politician has no clear advantage over an inexperienced one.

These two factors combined together certainly make a good case for making experience in governance a relatively negligible point in assessing one's fitness to be President of the United States.

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Whether Americans like it or not, the rest of the world has a stake in whoever gets elected as leader of their country.  Obviously, U.S. popularity is at an all-time low for the most part of George W. Bush's presidency - brought about no less by a disastrous and ill-conceived war against terrorism.  The unfortunate fact about this is that Americans do have a "rally around the flag" mentality, which was taken advantage of by Bush in the aftermath of 9/11.  The highlight of this was the invasion of Iraq which, it can be remembered, had the blessing of an overwhelming majority of the U.S. Congress - Democrats included.

Now that the smoke has cleared from all that, it seems quite obvious that a change in the U.S.' approach towards the rest of the world - including its enemies -  is needed, if only because a total war approach has proven to be a national liability.  Americans are no safer today than they were just after 9/11.  Iraqis and Americans die almost every day in Iraq, which is now more chaotic than ever.  And most of all, the one enemy which the U.S. government believes to be the source of evil - Osama bin Laden - is nowhere near being captured.  But what is probably worse though is that North Korea and Iran - two very extremist states - have nearly managed to become nuclear powers despite the tough stance of the U.S. against them.

Clearly the old approach made things worse.  What's funny is that Clinton and McCain, who have been two of its staunchest supporters, are now saying they want a change in that approach.  Furthermore, they both claim to be the best person who could bring the needed change about.  One fact that almost escaped everyone's notice is that Obama has opposed the approach from the very beginning, and is probably the only candidate whose stand has been consistent since before the election season.

Clinton and McCain face a lot more difficulties than they would admit.  In a nutshell: Clinton, has to fully account for the fact that she flip-flopped by initially supporting the war on terror, and now opposing it - thereby undermining her decisiveness and wisdom.  As for McCain, he has the unenviable task of trying to persuade voters that he can win the war on terror using basically the same formula that Bush has followed - a formula that has no known authentic victories since it was first devised.  For Clinton, it's a problem of inconsistency.  For McCain, it's a problem of convincing people that wrong is right.  For both of these candidates, the preferred approach is to have their "experience" to mask their lack of credibility.

Obama's plan of action, on the other hand, focuses on engagement, rather than confrontation.  While the very idea of this is anathema to almost all policy makers of the old school mould, Obama makes a good case with the simple argument that confrontation without negotiation has made life worse for everyone, and has heightened, rather than lessened the security threat to America.

The problem with the concept of making national interest the root of all policy is the fact that it is inherently selfish.  It seeks to put one's own country's interest above others.  When this concept is devised by a government (such as the present Bush administration) that does not even see the need to listen to hostile countries for possible areas of compromise, then it almost always results to an escalation of conflict rather than its avoidance.  Obama proposes a revolutionary change in this approach by suggesting that there might be room for the exploration of common interest with countries like Iran, Cuba, and North Korea.

Hawkish critics, who are threatened by this entirely novel idea of negotiating with enemies, term this approach as "appeasement" without basis.  Apparently, the erroneous idea behind it is that all forms of negotiation would immediately result to capitulation.  Still, an even more flawed idea behind all that is the notion that it is only the strength of arms, and not diplomatic skill, which can uphold national interest in the face of opposing interests.  It hasn't occurred to anyone that it is entirely possible to negotiate and arrive at something that would still be in accordance with national interest.

It is very (but remotely) possible for Obama to be proven wrong in the end.  But at least there is someone who is willing to believe that a more peaceful way is the best path towards peace.  More importantly, there is someone who is willing to find common ground with the rest of the world.

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photo credit: http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/abc_obama_clinton_mccain_080313_ms.jpg