bookoftheweek: His Majesty's Dragon

Ah, Booksale! Remember them? They used to sell books and magazines at a discount price. Stuff you couldn't find at National Bookstore you could find here. One of my prized finds from this place was Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. It was a series set in the world of Pern, a planet which dealt with the threat of "thread", mindless organisms that burrowed through living things. The "dragons" in this series were genetically engineered from flying lizards, and were mentally linked to their riders.

His Majesty's Dragon and the succeeding books (Throne of Jade, Black Powder War and Empire of Ivory) takes this basic formula and transplants it to early 19th-century England, when Napoleon was still emperor and was bent on taking over the world. Dragons were used as aerial fighting units, carrying riders and materiel. The series focuses on one dragon in particular: Temeraire, a Chinese Imperial born on a ship, and his relationship with William Laurence, a captain in the British Navy who unwillingly becomes bonded to Temeraire. As the book progresses, he becomes attached to Temeraire, and the two quickly become important parts of the Aerial Corps.

The book is quite exciting and hard to put down; there are the dragons, who are quite intelligent and quite different from, say, Dragonlance dragons. They are classified into different categories, from the lightweight couriers (think recon aircraft) to the heavyweight Regal Coppers (think bombers). Different countries have different types of dragons as well; the French probably have the coolest dragons, from the night-vision Fleur-de-Nuit to the fire-breathing Flamme-de-Gloire.

I can easily see this being made into a multimedia property--movies (already optioned by Peter Jackson--think of Master and Commander with dragons--how cool will that be?), comic books, and even tabletop/computer games (Real Time Strategy definitely; RPGs, not so sure). The last one is not surprising, as Naomi Novick helped develop the Neverwinter Nights expansion Shadows of Undrentide.

This book--heck, the entire Temeraire series--is highly recommended. Pick it up if you see it.

Cool It Now...With a Necktie

Hmm, maybe I could've used this back when I was working at Makati, in the sweltering heat and humidity...





...or maybe not. I think I would've preferred looking normal with a knotted noose vs looking stupid (and tethered to my computer--it has to be plugged in to run!). My friend Billy would've run away screaming if he saw anyone wearing this.

I never did get the appeal of clip-on ties anyway. You wear a tie, might as well learn to tie knots correctly. Thankfully, I don't need to do this now.

This might've been a bit more useful, although good personal hygiene would be important.

What's in a Name

Okay, this is carrying it too far...a New Zealand couple named their kid Superman. Fine, I think, after all, Nic Cage named his kid Kal-El. Celebs name their kids weird names all the time.

Except Superman wasn't their original choice. Noooo, they wanted to name their kid "4Real", because when they saw him in the ultrasoud they realized he was "For Real".

What's next, someone named LOL? OMG? l33t?

I feel sorry for the kid when he grows up. He doesn't even have the "protection" of having famous parents.

Monster Movie

While a bunch of us are anxiously awaiting the release of Stardust, there's another film scheduled to be released in November that was also written by Neil Gaiman: Beowulf.

The trailer looks...interesting. Great CGI, but look at their eyes: they look flat and unfeeling. Kinda like Final Fantasy: The Spirts Within or The Polar Express. I'll give this one a chance, though, since Gaiman's one of the writers. Ironically, there was another Beowulf movie called Beowulf and Grendel that was released in 2005, starring...Gerard Butler, who also starred in that other epic CGI flick released this year.

The Los Angeles...Decepticons?

Dear Lord, someone actually used Transformers as a metaphor for the NBA, as a result of the KG trade. The writer sees the three vet Celtics as the Autobots, looking for the Allspark Cube (aka the Larry O'Brien Trophy). He then goes on to compare Shaq and Kobe to...Megatron and Starscream. An excerpt:

"Could Shaq-Kobe possibly be any more similar to the Megatron-Starscream relationship? One is the dominant and powerful ruler, the other is his high flying second-in-command who looks to take over the throne at all times. When Megatron dies in the cartoon movie (or more accurately is on sabbatical while being resurrected as Galvatron), Starscream is in charge and the Deceps become a huge mess"

On one hand he kindasorta makes sense, but he kinda goes overboard don't you think?

The Greatest Gadget of All Time!

They're running a bracket over at Wired--no, not the NCAA Tournament! It's a bit late in the year for that. Remember, Wired is a geek/tech enthusiast site/magazine. The bracket is for The Greatest Gadget of All Time! (time...time...time>).

Yes, it's a bit silly. Some of the match-ups are a bit outrageous (AK-47 vs nail clippers?), but it's fun. You can fill out a bracket, and actually win an Apple iPhone (although I'm not holding my breath).

I voted for the ball-point pen myself. Simple, but useful--otherwise we'd still be writing with quills.

They're Not Just For Kids Anymore

With the recent success of the Harry Potter movies it seems like everyone's trying to come up with the next big children's movie franchise.  Recently, there's Narnia, which went on a bit too long for my taste and was often dry; and Bridge to Terabithia, which is in my Netflix queue.  I'm not sure you can count Stardust, but I'll go ahead and count it anyway.

Coming up?  The Golden Compass, which is certainly an interesting choice, given the fact the the author, Philip Pullman has been said to be the anti-CS Lewis; The Water Horse, which is basically the life story of Nessie, and then The Dark Is Rising.

Artemis Fowl has also been optioned, as well as The Bartimaeus Trilogy.

Hey, if they don't mess it up and can remain faithful to the source, more power to them.  I'm certainly looking forward to Compass, as I'm very curious as to how they'll address the whole controversy around it--if at all.  I'm not sure how they can avoid it though.

Watchlist 2007

Two "family" movies and one Denzel actioner today...

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was pretty much Harry Potter all day, all the time this past weekend as we took in Harry Potter: OOTP, and I began to read Harry Potter: DH. I'm only a few chapters into the book, but already JKR is yanking my chain as to who allegedly dies.

Anyway, with regards to the movie...not bad. In fact, I'd say it's the best Harry Potter movie I've seen, certainly better than Goblet. The acting by the adults certainly helped; Dolores Umbridge in particular was spot-on. There were some unfortunate pauses during some of the dialogue with Harry, Ron and Hermione but overall the kids handled themselves well.

The best part? The fight at the Ministry of Magic, of course! Everything else was just filler.

Ratatouille. I had my doubts about this movie, especially after the so-so Cars. I was worried that Pixar had lost its touch, and had produced a clunker. A rat...as a cook? Did they run out of ideas?

Remind me never to doubt Brad Bird again. Such a simple story, brought to life by Pixar. I've read that chefs are calling it the best food movie ever made, and who I am I to disagree with them?

Definitely not a kids' movie, though...oh, sure, it's animated, and they tried to make Remy cute, but that's where it ends. The rats were lifelike, and when there are a whole mess of them in the kitchen...ew.

Deja Vu. Haven't I seen this movie before?

Wii? Not Mii...=(

For the past week I've been playing with the Wii Locator, a handy tool that scans various sites for the availability of the Nintendo Wii. I've had the chance in the past to score a Wii; I saw it at sears.com, and even saw a couple in person at my local Target. I never bit, though, figuring I wouldn't have time to play with it.

After dusting off my Playstation 2 to play Kingdom Hearts 2, however, I've been looking for something that I can play with my daughters. No problem, I thought, the Wii should be easy to find by now...Turns out I was wrong. Dead wrong. Still shortages, unfortunately. Greedy store owners are also just bundling unwanted games with the console and jacking up the price.

Maybe it's just as well...save me the $250 and have my kids play properly outdoors. Still, though, I can feel my OCD kicking in. I know I'll eventually cave and buy one (if I can find one, that is).

Jesus Phone

I finally got the chance to play with an iPhone at an Apple store today. The verdict: not bad. Solid build, glass, pretty graphics. Not sure why people are gushing about its form factor, though--it's pretty much a thin brick with rounded corners. The software is where it's at.

Interestingly, despite the fact that Apple touts simplicity in every facet of its design I had a hard time at first adjusting to the interface. I kept looking for a back button (finally figured out that the lone button on the phone took you to the Main Menu), and was a bit confused as to what "gestures" to use. After a couple of minutes, I finally got it, and was off and running. I looked at YouTube and a bunch of arctic photos. I called up Safari and started viewing sites, including Shelfari and Hotmail.

The keyboard is...interesting. Apple said to "trust it" and a lot of times trusting it did work, but using it to type in a URL was a painful experience. I liked the keyboard so much better when I was able to use it horizontally with two thumbs; I went to a restaurant website, tapped on the locator, entered a zip, called up a map, and did the "two fingers apart" gesture with my thumbs to expand the map. So much better. I guess Filipinos are genetically bred to only use thumbs when typing on a phone keyboard, virtual or otherwise.

My final impression of the iPhone: It's not really a phone, is it? I never even poked around to see how I could make a phone call, although clicking on a "Call" link on one of the websites brought up a call dialog with the number on the website (pretty slick). I can see myself using it as an iPod, and as a handy lookup whenever I need information from the web. Using it as a phone? No. As a camera? Maybe.

In other words, I wouldn't pay $600 for it, since my usage for it would be limited. Apparently some people think it's worth it; I saw three people walk out of the store with one (curiously, those three people just happened to be walking Apple stereotypes).

If someone gave me one, though, I wouldn't refuse it.

Shelfari

Ever since I saw Delicious Library mentioned in a blog (cokeycyn, I think) I've always wanted to find a corresponding version that would work on a regular PC. Of course, being the cheap guy that I am I didn't want to spend anything on it. Which meant MediaMan was out. I then resolved to write something myself, but I found myself having no time to do it--what with the kids and just sheer laziness on my part.

This past week I came across Shelfari, an on-line equivalent of Delicious Library, but limited strictly to books. It's been a fun site to play with--I've been adding books left and right, with the total numbering more than 300. It's cool to see all the covers to the books you've read, all laid out nicely in a row.

The site also allows you to "personalize" the book, adding such information as date purchased and who borrowed it; sneakily, it also allows you to buy books from Amazon. There's also a community where you can share opinions.

Not to say that there aren't any problems with the site. It gets too slow sometimes, and not all books have the covers you know and remember. It's also frustrating not to be able to edit the cover of the book in a separate window, instead of having to leave your search screen. There's also the problem of too many book listings for the same title. Not surprising, seeing as their book database seems to come directly from Amazon.

The good outweighs the bad, though, and I thoroughly enjoyed the site. Here's a look at my Top 10 list:

Sellout

Transformers movie tie-ins with Burger King I understand (you have to sell toys, after all...and the ad's funny the first couple of times you see it), but...

Optimus Prime hawking Pepsi? Is Megatron gonna hawk Coke now?

I'm not kidding myself, though...that's a pretty cool toy. How much is it again?

LA Story

So the anchor of Telemundo just broke the news that the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, was having an affair. This affair caused the breakup of his twenty-year old marriage and put a serious damper on any political aspirations Villaraigosa had after his mayoral stint.

The interesting part? He was having an affair with the very same anchor who broke the story. Talk about having an inside source.

...sorry.

bookoftheweek: World War Z

When I was a kid I was unfortunate enough to catch the last ten minutes of Night of the Living Dead, when the zombies were breaking into the farmhouse. I'm still freaked out by it; needless to say, I'm not a big fan of zombie movies.

It was therefore quite surprising that I enjoyed World War Z by Max Brooks, cheesy title and all. It's the story of the Zombie War, as told by "interviewees" across the world. What starts out as a misbranded case of "African rabies" turns into a worldwide epidemic.

The storytelling approach is quite interesting, and helps in making the book extremely readable. Instead of one long narrative, you get short chunks and get an idea of just how different countries dealt with the Zombie war. It's all told in a matter-of-fact style, leaving the usual horror themes to the imagination of the reader. It could even be an account of the horrors of war, except this war is against the undead.

It's already been optioned as a movie by Brad Pitt's Production Company. I doubt I'll see the movie, though--the book already gave me nightmares (imagine zombies coming out of the ocean...I'll never go to a beach again without thinking of that).

Highly recommended. Braaaaaaaiiiiinnnnnnsssssss.

Watchlist 2007: Transformers Special Edition

Transformers. It lived up to the hype. Boy, it lived up to the hype.

We had the chance to see Transformers opening day. When we got to the theater, the line was already a hundred or so people long. I thought we were going to be the last people there, and was ready to go; ten minutes later, the line had doubled. Most of the people in line were my age, a lot of them guys, but a couple of fangirls mixed in (there was this girl who was in a Sailor Moon outfit!).

We finally got to our seats, and the trailers started rolling. Balls of Fury (looks funny). Some dumb Rock movie (ugh). I Am Legend (promising). Then, the most interesting one, an unnamed JJ Abrams flick. Godzilla, maybe? Or maybe it's Smokey the tree-crushing monster from Lost.

Then the Dreamworks logo comes up. Applause! Finally. Cheesy opening monologue. I cringed. Five minutes into the movie, Blackout transforms. Huge applause. I had this goofy grin on my face after that, which didn't go away until the end credits rolled.

Never mind that the robots didn't look like the Transformers I grew up with. Never mind that Megatron looked like the Shrike from the Hyperion novels. Never mind those silly flames on Optimus Prime and his "lips". Never mind the over-the-top acting by Jon Voight and John Turturro. This movie kicked all sorts of ass, and Optimus Prime was the number one ass-kicker.

The large crowd was into it as well. Applause when Blackout transforms and makes the classic transforming sound. Cheers when the phrases "More than meets the eye" and "Autobots, roll out!" were uttered (although there's this one phrase from the animated movie that people missed...watch out for it). But the biggest ovation was when Optimus Prime showed up and transformed, flames and all.

Hands down the best movie I've seen this year.

Stupid Pet Tricks

Oh what a feeling
buı1ıǝɔ ǝɥʇ uo buıɔuɐp

Watchlist 2007

Live Free or Die Hard. A couple of months ago I got nostalgic and saw the very first Die Hard, where Bruce Willis still had hair, and the "one-man-against-the-world" concept was still fresh and new. I got a kick seeing Severus Snape Hans Gruber again, and seeing gas for less than a buck. Surprisingly, it held up quite well.

Fast forward to iPhone Friday, and I was sitting in a movie theater watching the Mac guy pretending to be a hacker in the fourth installment (I actually prefer the alternate title, Die Hard 4.0). I always hate it when they use "hackers" as the bad guys in a film; they never get it quite right, and they dumb it down with multiple windows and fancy graphics (Swordfish, anyone?). Of course, if I worry too much about it, I'll never enjoy the movie, so I just pretty much turn my brain off.

With that mindset, I pretty much enjoyed LFDH. It doesn't quite compare to the first, but it's definitely better than the second and is somewhat on par with the third (which had Samuel L. Jackson lifting it up). Maggie Q was quite a talent. There are ridiculous stunts, and Bruce Willis has his trademark humor intact, although it seemed forced in some spots.

Two things ran through my mind after the movie, though:
(1) Why wasn't the Mac guy (Justin Long) using a Mac?
(2) Why was he using a Nokia instead of an iPhone?

It's Just A Fantasy

*sigh* Now I get to be a broody Final Fantasy character. At least I'm not Vivi.



Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy VII

Tell It To The Marines

So this 72-year old guy, an ex-Marine, beat the crap out of a would-be pickpocket. That's pretty cool. Who's tougher than this Marine? Apparently, his wife.

"'I wouldn't want my wife to give me hell for lettin' that guy get my money,' (Barnes) said with a smile."

KB to KG

As you can well imagine, it's mass hysteria here brought upon by (a) Kobe's demand to be traded and (b) rumors of Kevin Garnett coming over. Laker fans seem to think that the rest of the NBA will bow down and accept anyone they offer in order to get KG. They also expect Stern to just hand them the championship if KG does manage to become a Laker.

One of the funniest things I heard was from a talking head on the radio:

"Kobe and KG will make the Lakers just like--no, better than Phoenix!"

So by that equation Kobe = Nash and KG = Amare? The second I can see but the first? Nope, I doubt Kobe would share the glory.

KG to Phoenix, though, would make the Suns more dangerous. I'd like to see that happening.

Watchlist 2007

The Pursuit of Happyness. For a supposedly "uplifting" film this sure is depressing. The hits kept on coming for Will Smith's character, each one making me more and more uncomfortable. When the expected "happy" ending came I wasn't happy at all, I was just relieved. Poor guy.

The Good Shepherd. We had to watch this over two days, because it was unexpectedly long. It started out interestingly enough, with a smoking hot Angelina Jolie to keep me occupied. The beginning of Matt Damon's spy career was very interesting, with some interesting reveals during World War II. Then we had to stop the movie because we were all falling asleep. When we resumed the movie it had become dull and boring, a development curiously reflected in Jolie, who they made up to look dull and boring. We gamely soldiered on to the end, just because Damon is such a good actor.

Flushed Away. Mildly amusing, about on-par with Shrek the Third. Except of course I had lower expectations for this movie. I don't know why the Aardman magic wasn't here--lost in all the computer animation, perhaps. Or maybe it was the involvement of Dreamworks. Some amusing bits, especially the over-the-top acting of Sir Ian McKellen and Jean Reno. Best part was Reno's French commandos ("we surrender!"). Heaven help me, I found Rita strangely attractive. A rat. In my defense, they made her look and act like Kate Winslet.

Walker

Now I know what to get Calai if/when she has a kid.

Stories I Tell

From Petros of PMS:

Frank Sinatra was talking to the valet attendant.
"What's the biggest tip you've ever gotten?" he asked.
"$100, Mr Sinatra." the young man replied.
Frank then gave him $200.
"Now what's the biggest tip you've ever gotten?" he asked again.
"$200, sir!" the young man replied.
"And who gave it to you?"
"Frank Sinatra."
"That's right, and don't you forget it," the Chairman said, as he got into his car and drove off.

Happy Father's Day!

The sermon at church today was interesting:

Last year, there was a woman who was tending to the spiritual needs of the prisoners at a local jail. During Mother's Day she was besieged with requests for Mother's Day cards, running out of cards before she could provide for everyone. She was determined to be prepared for Father's Day, so she stocked up on boxes and boxes of cards.

The boxes of cards are still in her office, untouched.

Let's face it, Mother's Day is a much bigger affair--all restaurants are crowded, and mothers everywhere get hugs and kisses. We dads? Well, the family went to lunch at The Cheesecake Factory today. I was dreading the thought of having to wait for over an hour for a table; instead we waited five minutes. Five minutes! I've waited longer on a regular weekend.

I'm guilty of this too, growing up. Me and my sister always knew when Mother's Day was, but would forget that it was Father's Day.

Oh, well. It's just a day anyway. At least I know my kids love me. And that's all that matters.

Seven Wonders

Back when I was a kid in Manila I was fascinated with the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I had a book which detailed each one of them, along with some modern Wonders like the Empire State Building and the Panama Canal. My favorite was The Colossus of Rhodes; watching Lost, I got a kick out of that four-toed giant foot off the coast of the Island.

Me at Chichén Itzá, a couple of years, a couple of pounds and a whole lot of hair ago

Today I came across a site which aims to select Seven New Wonders for the Modern World. They're allowing people to vote (either online or by text) for each Wonder. Of course, results are showing people largely voting for their local wonder--Asia's leading in the votes, of course; it's a safe bet that The Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal will probably make it in. Too bad the Banaue Rice Terraces aren't there, because it would have been a shoo-in otherwise.

For my money, here's my new Seven Wonders:
(1) Pyramids of Giza
(2) The Great Wall of China
(3) Pyramids of Chichén Itzá in Mexico
(4) Easter Island
(5) Stonehenge
(6) Petra (the city carved out of rock featured in Indy)
(7) Taj Mahal in India

My criteria is simple: the site should make you want to know more about it, how it was built, and why it was built. For example, the Statue of Liberty, while impressive, is just...there. When I visited Chichén Itzá, I was filled with a sense of awe, and a desire to know more about it and the people who built it.

Vote now, if you're so inclined. They'll release the results on (what else?) July 7, 2007.

So Much For Conspiracies

Sweep! I guess even the Mighty David Stern figured out that no one would believe a Cleveland championship. Still a lot of Suns fans sore about the entire deal, thinking they should be the ones standing on that podium. Let it go.

Funny how Stern hightailed it out of there as quickly as possible, as Cleveland booed him. The NBA is becoming more and more irrelevant, and he has to figure out a way to fix things.

Congrats to the San Antonio Spurs. Boring team, but hey, better to be boring winners than flashy losers, right?

Trade Winds

The Loose Cannons, along with PMS (a local sports talk show), just broke this Trade Rumor from the doctor of a friend of a friend of Money. This doctor also happens to be the doctor of Vanessa Bryant:

Kobe for Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and the 9th pick of the draft.

If that's true, then wow.

Lakers Starting Five:
Lamar Odom
Luol Deng
Ben Gordon
Chris Duhon or Jordan Farmar
Andrew Bynum

Bulls Starting Five:
Kobe Bryant
Kirk Hinrich
Ben Wallace
Andres Nocioni
Tyrus Thomas

Interesting. The Bulls probably can make it to the Finals in the Leastern conference, while the Lakers suddenly become entertaining.

Of course, this is from the doctor of the friend of the friend of Money, so this is all probably just a bunch of bologna (also, that'll be breaking patient-doctor confidentiality, don't you think?). But couple this with Johnny Buss shooting his mouth off saying "Good Luck Kobe wherever you go!" and you have the makings of an interesting scenario, to say the least.

Hey, maybe that's why Kobe switched to the number 24: he knew all along that he would be following number 23 in Chicago.

Pretty Vegas

Just got back from a mini-getaway to Las Vegas. The last time I was in Vegas was about two years ago, and a number of things have changed:

• There are now three lanes throughout most of the 15. Yay! This has improved the traffic immensely. Except, of course, when a couple of cars decide to slow down or even stop to watch a military convoy training in the desert. It took us four hours to get to Vegas at night, and nearly six hours to get back home on Sunday.
  
• Aladdin/Desert Passage are out, Planet Hollywood is in. Planet Hollywood hotel, complete with new logo. The Desert Passage was renamed "Miracle Mile". Funny, I thought Planet Hollywood had gone the way of the dodo. Huh, guess not. I will say this, though--the Spice Market buffet rivals the Rio. Just don't eat the sushi.
  
• Monorail, monorail, monorail! I used to ride this for free. Now they've extended it all the way to Sahara, and you have to pay five bucks to ride it one-way. Sucks.
  

Of course, the traffic on the Strip hasn't changed, along with the bad drivers (there was this one van who cut me off while I was making a left turn. Of course, it was a Pinoy driving. Le sigh). There are the crowds of people (although there weren't that many people on a weekend; I expect that to change once school is out), the people handing out "flyers", and of course the talent. Best talent I saw was dancing on top of a bar, Coyote Ugly style, in front of a club near Imperial Palace. She drew quite a crowd.

Go Ducks!

Gotta admit, I followed the NHL during the Western Conference Finals and The Stanley Cup because of the Ducks. I have an on-and-off relationship with hockey--I ignore it during the regular season, but follow it during the playoffs. I was pissed off when St Louis won the Cup in a controversial fashion against The Dominator; however, I was rooting against Hasek this year.

The Ducks broke my heart a couple of years ago, so I'm glad that given a second chance, they made the most of it. Congrats to the Anaheim Ducks! Now the OC has two world championships under its wing (no pun intended).

Conspiracy Theory

Remember the "Frozen Envelope" conspiracy theory that led to Patrick Ewing going to the Knicks? A lot of people subscribe to that particular theory. These people also believe that the NBA is rigged.

This year, for example, a lot of people think that the fix was in for the Spurs. Which is crazy, if you think about it. Why the Spurs? Wouldn't you think that the league would prefer that the Suns go all the way to the championship, since more people would watch? Wouldn't the league prefer that Spurs-Suns go seven, with the Suns (the more exciting team) prevailing, and going against...the Mavs? Why on earth would they have the Warriors win against the Mavs, and then lose against the Jazz, setting up one of the dullest Western Conference finals in history?

Then it hit me: This is the Year of LeBron!

It's straight out of a WWE script! To wit:
(1) Set up a "heel" turn by a beloved "face" team (i.e. the Spurs). Make them almost invincible.
(2) Have the "new face" (i.e. LeBron) struggle against an established "heel" team (i.e. the Pistons) and then "Hulk out" (games 3,4,5 and 6), winning the next four games in dramatic fashion.
(3) Have the Championship Match, with the heel almost winning...then the face pulls it out in the end against seemingly impossible odds.

And thus the King gets crowned.

You know what else the league would love? LeBron vs DWade for the title. Impossible you say, since they're both in the Eastern Conference? Cue Kobe and all his histrionics the past couple of days...

Kobe and Bynum get traded to Miami for Shaq and DWade!

Hey, anything's possible.

Watchlist 2007: Memorial Day Marathon

Spent Memorial Day Sunday watching movies. Took in Shrek the Third in the afternoon, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End at night.

Shrek The Third. It's all just a money grab now. Shrek 2 was funny, especially with the introduction of Puss'n'Boots; the climax, with the spoof of Mission: Impossible, was especially cool. This movie had a few laughs, but overall felt more like a DirectToDVD film rather than something you're willing to pay ten bucks for. What's even more outrageous is that there's a TV special, a spin-off, and TWO sequels in the works. Oy. Make it stop.

POTC: AWE. This was a movie we were anticipating ever since the second one ended. We caught the last showing at 11pm, and the theater was still pretty crowded. Overall it did not disappoint, with a great story, great stunts, and great effects. It did have some flaws, however--the opening felt rushed, Jack was a bit too over-the-top, and the much-ballyhooed cameo was a big meh (PJ didn't even recognize who it was, and didn't particularly care)--but on the whole it was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. If you can, wait until the credits finish for that extra scene, much like the previous two.

Two Part 3s down, one to go. I'll try to catch Spiderman 3 before it disappears from the theaters.

The Fix Is In

Well, there you go. Blake got Guarini'd, and your new American Idol is...Jordin Sparks.

What a rip. Randy, shut up. "This is a singing competition, the best singer always wins!" Really? Where's Melinda then? Oh, right. "America" voted Melinda off. Couldn't risk having Melinda blow Jordin away.

The Jordin pimping was so obvious. Nothing against Jordin, but this TCO stuff is annoying.

Oh, and someone on TWOP found this reaction shot to Jordin singing...I'm still laughing, especially at Melinda. Priceless.

Burger Royale with Cheese

A couple of months back a couple of radio hosts (Money and Petros on PMS on XTRA570) were arguing over which burger was the best: Fatburger or In-N-Out. For my money it's In-N-Out, no contest; well-done with extra crispy grilled onions. Mmmm.

Of course, having grown up in the Philippines, these two burger joints pale in comparison to what I remember. There were several local joints competing for the title of "best burger":

1. Tropical Hut Hamburger, the first fast food burger I ever had. Heavenly stuff. My favorite was the Hawaiian, of which Jollibee's Aloha burger was a pale imitation.
2. Jollibee. Decent. I only really started liking this stuff when I got older. It was always Chicken Joy or nothing.
3. Burger Machine. The burger that never sleeps! The burger's flavored with exhaust fumes. Maybe that's why it was so tasty. Say, do these stalls still exist? Last time I was in RP (last year) I didn't see a single one.
4. Mushroom Burger. The one in Tagaytay. I still have fond memories of stopping here everytime my dad and I went fishing in Caliraya. This one time we ran into the Bad Bananas (Christopher de Leon, Jay Ilagan and Edgar Mortiz, along with Michael de Mesa) riding their bikes. My first brush with celebrity.

Not sure why Pinoy burgers taste so good. I've always thought they added pork along with the beef to make it more flavorful; or was it the worms that the burger patties were allegedly made of? In any case, I sure could use a Pinoy burger right now.

Aloha! Part 2: Maui

Amelie and friend at Wai'anapanapa State Park

The airport in Honolulu was a bit confusing--we didn't realize there were two terminals, one for mainland and international travel, and the other for inter-island hopping. It also didn't help that our airline had managed to change its name from "Mesa Air" to "go!". The important part was that we made it, and we were at Maui in thirty minutes!

Maui was definitely more relaxing than Oahu. It's less crowded, so there's no stress from the big city (relatively speaking, of course). Oddly, though, Oahu felt more like Hawai'i than Maui did. I guess it's because the rest of the world is exposed mostly to Honolulu and Waikiki.

The Grand Wailea

Things I liked in Maui:
1. The Grand Wailea Hotel. Ah, Grand Wailea. The resort was beautiful, and the pools were amazing, kinda like a water park. During peak season I wouldn't even dream of staying here; we couldn't afford it. Heck, it was low season, and it was still pricey. But it was worth it; heck, from our room, you had a view of...
2. Molokini Crater. Granted, the little fishies off Cozumel in Mexico were more colorful; but the water here was much, much, clearer. The first couple of seconds in the water was cold, but I quickly got over it. Better snorkeling than Hanauma Bay (although I have this nagging feeling I missed a lot of what Hanauma Bay had to offer).
3. Hana Highway. Instead of driving, PJ convinced me to take the tour instead. Good call. The roads were twisting, turning, and so narrow that "two lanes" is a laughable description; it's more like "1.5 lanes". I think I could take it, though. The scenery was beautiful; lots of waterfalls (although some were dry), and one part looked like a bunch of cylon (toaster) heads. I wish I caught a red car driving the road so that it'll seem even more realistic!
4. The Banyan Tree in Lahaina. It looks like it's a grove of Banyan Trees, yes? But no, it's all just one tree. Wow.

Banyan Tree at Lahaina

Things I didn't like in Maui:
1. The sugar plantation near Kahului. What an eyesore.
2. The high prices. Gas in Oahu was 3.25; Maui, 3.65. Yikes. Even the Costco had slightly higher prices, with bread going for nearly $5 for the generic Kirkland bread. Ow. Lunch and Dinner were pretty pricey as well.
3. The speed limit (25-35). Same as Oahu. Although drivers here seem more aggressive. I actually had a couple of drivers riding my tail for doing the speed limit.
4. So much stuff to do, so little time. We didn't get to surf (or at least learn to surf). We didn't get to Kayak. I didn't get to bike down Haleakala. I didn't get to go ziplining. We didn't see enough of Hana and the waterfalls. Maybe next time...

Cylons at Hana!

I'd love to come back and stay at the Grand Wailea again. The kids sure loved those pools!

Aloha! Part 1: Oahu

Camille at Lanikai Beach

Just got back from Hawaii, so I'm still pretty fried at the moment, operating on Hawaii time (which is three hours behind from PST. We visited Oahu and Maui, and had a fun time. All-in-all, 12 days just isn't enough time to completely relax and enjoy those two islands. But we sure did try!

Hanauma Bay

What I liked about Oahu:
1. Hanauma Bay. Beautiful nature preserve, very calm and shallow waters. In fact, it's a bit too shallow, especially early in the morning, so snorkeling is a bit difficult. You have to try and avoid stepping on coral, and that's difficult when you can't really swim without gashing yourself on coral since it's so shallow. It got better later in the morning, just before we left (naturally). The Halona Blowhole a mile or so down the road was also cool.
2. The drive around North Shore, especially La'ie point. The scenery was surreal. Oh, and it was fun seeing the "sets" they used for Lost, especially the "Shrimp Shack" one in "Sydney".
3. The H3 highway. Driving through that tunnel, through the mountain...wow.
4. Pearl Harbor. I've visited it the last time I was in Oahu, and the experience still gets to me. I think it was Meryl Streep narrating that very touching film, right?
5. The view from Diamond Head. But the hike sucks, especially carrying the kids at one point or another. The shaved ice after the hike made up for it, though.

View from the top of Diamond Head

What I didn't like about Oahu:
1. The speed limit. It's a bit disconcerting, coming from California where people flash their lights when you're driving 5 miles over the speed limit. Then you get stuck driving 25 miles an hour.
2. The crowds in Waikiki. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency, which was beautiful, but the Waikiki area just had so many people. And this was the low season.
3. The streets of Honolulu. Oahu Revealed mentioned that the person who designed the road system in Honolulu was not all there. He was telling the truth. Trying to get to H1 East? Well, it's easy to find H1 West, but finding the onramp to H1 East was a nightmare.
4. This one Vietnamese restaurant near Legend Seafood. I think it was called "Old Saigon Restaurant" or something over at Kuhio Ave. Overpriced, and the service is rude. First, they tell us to leave our strollers outside, so we fold the strollers. Then we try to move the table since it was so close to the wall that we couldn't squeeze in. Can't move it, the boss will get mad. Then they served mediocre food starting from $10 up (better food can be had at the Internation Marketplace Food Court, for crying out loud). Then they tack on 15% gratuity even though it wasn't mentioned anywhere. Do NOT eat here. Go across the street to Legend Seafood, where the place was sparkling, the service was great, and the food was exceptional for the price.

La'ie Point

But hey, I'm reaching. Oahu was still fun, and we especially enjoyed our road trip around the island.

Three

The twins turned three today. They didn't have an elaborate party--just a simple cake, two balloons, and presents. They seem to have enjoyed themselves--at the end of it all they were still looking for more "presents". That's Grandma helping them blow out the cake.

Happy Birthday, Amelie and Camille!

bookoftheweek: The Name of the Wind

I'm a sucker for a good character-building novel. More often than not a fantasy author is so concerned with building his or her world (replete with maps and a glossary) that the characters populating it suffer, becoming one-dimensional cutouts. When an author decides to concentrate on his characters, the world seems to follow suit. Terry Pratchett is an excellent example. His first Discworld novel was funny in some parts, but seemed like your run-of-the-mill spoof of your basic fantasy. As he hit his stride, creating memorable characters as Vimes, Carrot and the Witches, Discworld grew to be as real as Middle Earth.

Patrick Rothfuss' first novel, The Name of the Wind tells the story of Kvothe, an innkeeper who is not all that he seems. It is a story within a story--Kvothe in the present time, narrating his past growing up. In a way, it's a bit like the first Recluce novel by Modesitt, where he tells how Lerris grows from a bored youth to a woodworker to one of the greatest order-mages in that world. In Rothfuss' novel, it tells of Kvothe's transformation from troubador's son to sympathy-user (read: magic-user).

It's an excellent book, one I couldn't put down. Probably the best book I've read so far this year (unless Harry has a few tricks up his sleeve...). Very Highly Recommended.

SMS Princess

So a 13-year old girl is the US text messaging champ, having bested 250 other competitors, winning by texting the word "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

I'd like to see how she does against Pinoys, though.

What's In A Name

I heard over the radio today that Geri Haliwell (Ginger Spice) named her daughter Bluebell Madonna. This continues the tradition that another Spice Girl, Melanie Brown started (having named her daughters Fortuna and Phoenix Chi).

Now, when I was younger I had decided that my child's name would be Cybil, after the lead actress in Moonlighting. Years later I saw the movie Amelie, fell in love with it (and with Audrey Tautou), and used that instead. So there's probably a method to the madness of celebs naming their kids. Here are some of the more interesting ones:

• Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes: Suri. Depending where you are, it could mean "princess" (Hebrew), "sun" (Indian) or "pickpocket" (Japanese). It can also refer to an edible grub in the Amazon, or an alpaca.
  
• Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin: Apple Blythe Alison. Actually, "Apple" isn't that bad; I knew a girl named Apple...
  
• Julia Roberts: Phinnaeus Walter. Around the World in 80 Days fan, perhaps?
  
• Bruce Willis and Demi Moore: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah. "Fame", "Observer" and "Princess"--unless she's named after the famous actress.
  
• Angelina Jolie: Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh. "Generous", "Peace", "Flower" and "Messiah". Her youngest got stuck with a name that's a bit hard to live up to, don't you think?
• Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger: Ireland. Not quite sure about naming kids after countries--um, not that Roman is taken from a city or anything...
  
• Britney Spears: Sean Preston seems normal enough, but Jayden James is a bit unusual. This is kinda like Apple, though, in that there are people named Jayden/Jaden that I know.
• Edge: Blue Angel. Fun times when she grows up. "Why is your name Blue Angel?" "Ask my dad Edge." "O-kay."
  
• Nicolas Cage: Kal-El. Up, up and away! I think he took his role as Superman a bit too seriously (ironically, he never did go on to play the part)
• Robert Rodriguez: Four sons, named Rocket, Racer, Rebel and Rogue. Pretty cool, actually. His daughter's named Rhiannon, which is a bit more common.
• Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale: Kingston. He'll probably be a computer engineer someday.

My favorite child name, though, is the one that the daughter of Penn Jillette carries: Moxie Crimefighter.

Let's Get It Started

The NBA Playoffs are finally upon us. How did my predictions go? As I recall, here was my original prediction:

WEST:
(1) Lakers/Suns, Rockets/Mavericks, Clippers/Nuggets, Spurs/Hornets
(2) Suns/Mavericks, Spurs/Clippers
(3) Mavericks/Spurs
(4) Spurs

EAST:
(1) Bulls/Pistons, Heat/Magic, Cavs/Wizards, Nets/Pacers
(2) Bulls/Heat, Cavs/Nets
(3) Heat/Cavs
(4) Heat

with the Spurs winning it all in 6.

I got most of the East correct, and got 6 out of 8 in the West. My new prediction?

WEST:
(2) Mavs/Rockets, Suns/Spurs
(3) Mavs/Spurs
(4) Spurs (although this is iffy given the Crawford situation)

EAST:
(2) Pistons/Bulls (mild upset, but Flash isn't 100%), Cavs/Raptors
(3) Pistons/Cavs
(4) Pistons

Spurs in 7 in a last hurrah. Sheed too out of shape.

Another "Which Character Are You" -- Star Wars style!

So here we go again with another useless test to determine which fictional character you're most like. This time it's Star Wars. Link has SW music and the site itself has some NSFW content, so be warned!

Take the quiz.

Argh.



Well, at least I get to have Natalie Portman's picture.

American Idol

I've never really liked country, so it wasn't a surprise that I found country night on American Idol a bit boring. Surprisingly, Phil was one of the best, belaying my prediction from last week that he would be bottom three (still possible, though). Also surprising was that there was no tongue baths for Chris and Lakisha; and that Simon voiced out what a lot of viewers were thinking, that Melinda should stop it with the "who, me?" act.

And Chris! Talking! Back! He meant to sing nasally? Yikes. Lakisha looked like she was ready to sass on someone.

Bottom three should be Sanjaya, Lakisha and Chris. I wouldn't be surprised if Phil was the one leaving, but I'm guessing Lakisha leaves tomorrow.

Watchlist 2007

Children of Men. What happens to civilization when it can no longer have children? It breaks down. Thus begins Children of Men, a dark, depressing movie set against the backdrop of the grim England of 2027.

Clive Owen does his usual stellar acting job. I've enjoyed his work ever since his turns as the Driver in the BMW shorts. Here he's just your ordinary pencil-pusher, who gets unwillingly thrust in the role of protector. A woman has gotten pregnant, amust get her to a mysterious group called The Human Project, who are trying to figure out why there are no more births.

A couple of people I talked to hated this movie, saying it was hard to follow. Personally, I liked the movie. I didn't really find it that hard to figure out what was going on, although you do have to follow the dialogue somewhat in order to catch some things. Another complaint was that there was "too much talking". Sure, it's no 300, but does every movie have to be? There were a lot of "action sequences", but just enough to fit the movie.

In the final analysis, though, I liked this movie because it made me think. About how it would be like without my kids, without the ability to have kids. About what side I would be on--the government, desperately seeking to keep control of a crumbling society? The rebels, who want to use whatever they can as a symbol, even if it means losing their souls? Everything is in shades of gray--even The Human Project.

American Idol

For every show, there are four things I look forward to:

1. What Melinda is going to sing
2. What Blake is going to perform
3. What Sanjaya's hair is going to look like
4. What Haley is going to wear

Now they've gotten rid of #4! Boo. Looks like they're exercising their producer powers and just cutting off the chaff in order. Heck, I don't think I even need to watch to predict that Phil's gone next week.

Covers

There's a lot of buzz right now about two videos on YouTube: Kermit's Hurt and Alanis' cover of My Humps. The former I read from Calai's blog while Alanis I found through the Dope. Kermit was disturbing, while Alanis was just so wrong...but funny (and, dare I say it...ironic). She even looks a bit like Jennifer Love-Hewitt, but without JLH's assets.

My favorite cover on YouTube, though, has to be Mat Weddle's acoustic Hey Ya. Then again, I'm a sucker for acoustic performances.

All We Hear Is...

I hardly listen to music anymore whenever I'm driving. I still like music, to be sure, but mostly I listen to it whenever I'm working. Instead, I usually listen to talk radio--Kevin and Bean on the way to work, sports talk on the way back home. The talk radio keeps me awake.

Of course, the gold standard is Kevin and Bean. They're hilarious. Even the side characters (Ralph, Psycho Mike, Lightning and Lisa) are pretty funny too. At any other time, though, I listen to sports talk. My top radio sports personalities:

1. Matt "Money" Smith. Not surprising, really, seeing as he used to be the sports guy on Kevin and Bean. He has a very mellow voice, and is quite funny himself. I actually liked him better with Grande and Cook; Petros is a bit obnoxious sometimes--and not in a good way. Sometimes you can feel the tension between the two, as was the case when they argued over which was the better burger: Fatburger or In N' Out.

2. Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann. Okay, so these are two people. However, Dan by himself is a bit boring; pair him with Keith, though--magic. I enjoyed these two in the early days of SportsCenter, and I was sad when Keith left. These two just have chemistry, kind of like that old married couple who bicker but are perfect for each other.

3. Tony Bruno. I discovered this guy back when he was still with Andrew Siciliano. I'm not really sure why he just suddenly disappeared from Fox Sports radio--I think he went to Sirius or XM for a while. Now he's back in the morning on 1540. I tune in when K&B are on break. A welcome respite from Simers and Cowherd. Funny, funny guy.

4. Jim Rome. You either love him or you hate him. His "clones" are what make the show. Some are hilarious, others are just sad.

5. The Loose Cannons. Honestly, I dislike Vic The Brick. He's too much of a Laker homer, and I doubt he believes all that zen gibberish he spouts. But put him together with Mychal Thompson and Steve Hartman and you've got comedy gold. Once in a while they actually make sense, but the entertainment value when they argue is priceless. I heard Vic and Mychal yesterday without Hartman, and it just wasn't the same.

American Idol

It's pretty telling when the one thing I noticed about the contestants is what they wore, rather than how their singing was. Oh, sure, Melinda was great as always, and I had no problem with what she wore (except that it accentuated the fact that she has no neck). Also, contrary to what the judges said, I thought Phil was pretty good. The rest?

• Blake looked great, but his performance this week was forgettable.
• Chris looked like he borrowed the vest and hat from Ryan's suit. I'm beginning to believe the whispers that he's the chosen one; that was a pretty nasally, forgettable performance, and yet the judges "loved" it.
• Sanjaya sang Tony Bennett and dressed John Travolta. Yikes. He does have a good voice, though, although he fades in and out.
• Once again Lakisha gets some good advice from the week's mentor, and chooses to ignore it.
• Jordin was very Disney Princess today. Why do they keep harping on Haley being pageant princess, and yet pretend that Jordin isn't? Both of them will be right at home over at the Disney channel--and both can go on to bigger and better things.
• Liked Haley's shoulder roll at the end. Hey, eye candy is eye candy, and I'll enjoy it until she's gone...

...which is probably this week. I'd say Gina (who was so forgettable this week that I forgot to include her in my summary), Haley and Phil are in the bottom 3, with Haley going home. Oh well.

Cheese, Gromit, Cheese

I've been a big fan of Wallace and Gromit ever since I saw A Close Shave on a plane on a flight to Sydney. News that Gromit is "subbing" for Nipper in the classic RCA logo (HMV in the UK) made me smile.

More Wallace and Gromit, please.

bookoftheweek: Fangland

When I was a kid there was this television series called Cliffhangers!. It was a television series featuring three different stories, each one ending in a cliffhanger every week. The most memorable of the three was The Curse of Dracula. Yes, a vampire series.

Supposedly, Dracula was the evil one; however, you couldn't help but be drawn to him. The "heroine" sure seemed to think so.

Fangland, as the cheesy title indicates, is a modern day take on Dracula. You won't find any charming vampires, pointy fangs, wooden stakes or Van Helsings wandering around in this book. The author specifically points this out by saying that this version had teeth that were round, almost black; eats chicken with garlic; and has a reflection in the mirror. He isn't quite friendly, though, and he does drink blood--but not in the expected manner. Not a man (or creature) to be messed with.

There's also a nod to Bram Stoker in the guise of the main protagonist, Evangeline Harker, an associate producer for The Hour (a sly wink to 60 Minutes, which the author, John Marks, worked on) who was sent to Romania to track down a European crime boss for an interview. Instead, she gets drawn into a world that she didn't quite expect.

Fangland is unusual in the sense that the story moves forward in different ways; through the first person, via Harker; the third person, through a minor character's eyes; through e-mail correspondence; through a journal; and through a police report. This does not make the book difficult to follow; really, it's an interesting device, and Marks makes good use of it.

It's a good read, and I stayed up over three nights in order to finish it. Appropriately enough, I finished it at the stroke of midnight. No joke.

Lost

Argh. Just when I thought I wouldn't lose anything else (after my Zen Micro fiasco), I go ahead and lose my wallet. Either it dropped while I was playing with my kids at the mall, or someone picked me. *sigh* I've gone ahead and cancelled all my credit cards and have an appointment with the DMV to get my license replaced; but it's just such a pain, you know? Now I have to worry about identity theft as well.

Time to watch my credit statements, I guess.

The Force Is Strong With This One

So the United States Postal Service is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Star Wars by coming out with a collection of stamps on May 25. They even allow you to vote for a single stamp which will then be sold in its own sheet. Right now Darth Vader is leading, but voted for Yoda I did. Imagine, sending mail with the little green guy on it! I don't really write letters anymore what with e-mail and IM, but I'm sure people like Calai will get a kick out of it.

Now, I've never been a stamp collector, but the USPS has come out with several interesting collections over the past year. There's The Muppets and DC Superheroes. They also released Disney stamps, but PJ and her sisters liked them so much that they used them. Sigh.

After Star Wars is the Marvel Superheroes collection.

Now, I'm not exactly sure what to do with these after I get them. Frame them possibly? I have the same problem with a Cars holographic lithograph and a Transformers: The Movie holographic lithograph.

American Idol

So what exactly was today's theme? "Songs on Gwen Stefani's iPod"?

Lakisha and Melinda were wearing matching shower curtains. Heh. Although according to PJ their outfits are what's in nowadays. I wouldn't know.

It's turning into a two-person show--Melinda and Blake. Jordin's trying to catch up, but today's performance was just a mess. Haley reverted to Miss USA mode.

Bottom three: Fauxhawk, Sligh and Haley. Haley's probably out, although we might be "surprised" by a Sligh elimination.

Watchlist 2007

300. IMAX. Wow.

Watchlist 2007

An Inconvenient Truth. When I was in college I joined this organization called Green Response. It was a group dedicated to "saving the environment". Membership was pretty small. The only memorable thing I remember our group doing was sell t-shirts (which I designed, unfortunately). Our message was good, but I don't think anyone really wanted to listen. We didn't sell that many shirts.

I'm not sure if it was because nobody cared about the message, or because the delivery of that message left much to be desired.

Al Gore's Acadamy-Award winning movie An Inconvenient Truth reminds me of that organization. It's a powerful message about global warming; his facts and figures are pretty convincing, and pretty frightening. Unfortunately, his delivery leaves much to be desired. I fell asleep midway through and got poked awake. I then spent the next thirty minutes half-listening to his lecture, and concentrating more on his MacBook Pro (or was that an iBook?) and his use of Keynote for his slides (I assume that was Keynote, no?).

He did make some funny cracks ("I'm the former next president of the United States. I don't find that funny."), but on the whole he's about as charismatic as a block of wood. Slick Willie Clinton would've kept my attention for the entire ninety minutes. Which is a shame--Gore had something good to say.

Stardust Trailer!

The trailer's out! And I have to admit, I'm a bit worried. Why?

(1) Claire Danes. Doesn't quite fit as Yvaine. Seems to be too human, and not quite star-like enough. Too bad Cate Blanchett's too old. Would Liv Tyler have fit? She was perfect as Arwen.
(2) They've Hollywood-ized the story! When you see the trailer you'll know what I mean. That wasn't the way I remember the scenes between Tristan, Yvaine and Lilim. Or maybe I just need to dig up my book again--no, wait, I lost my copy. Off to the library I guess.

I did like Michele Pfeiffer, though. Quite yummy. If only she were younger--she could've played Yvaine instead. She did play Ladyhawke, didn't she?

bookoftheweek: Scar Night

So many new books have been coming out lately that I haven't been able to catch up on my book reviews. Currently I'm reading the newest Artemis Fowl, the sequel to Old Man's War (more on that in a future review) and a new Conan Doyle mystery (whose name escapes me at the moment).

The last book I finished, though is called Scar Night, by Alan Campbell. Campbell's actually one of the designers of the game Grand Theft Auto, so there was a sort of expectation that this book would read like a video game. Reading Scar Night only reinforced the fact--it reminded me of Planescape.

Not that Campbell ripped off Planescape; heck, it could just be me thinking that it's an homage (references to "cutters", "mazes", and a deity who could be an aspect of The Lady, although that last one is a stretch). His Deepgate is actually a living, breathing city, suspended over an abyss by chains. It's populated by all sorts of people--priests, poisowners, desert people, assassins and angels. There are actually only two; a boy, who's the last of his line, and a deranged one who feeds on souls on a certain night--thus the title.

The setting is well-imagined; the story? Well, like I said, it reads like a video game--an RPG to be exact. It feels like a campaign setting, kind of like Dragonlance was actually just a big ad for TSR (now Wizard of the Coast). There's a story lurking there somewhere, mainly about what's in that abyss the city's hanging over. But it takes a backseat to the setting.

The book's quite enjoyable, though. It doesn't quite feel like the author was shooting for an "epic fantasy" in the vein of A Song of Ice and Fire or Wheel of Time. He succeeds quite well in writing a book with a memorable setting; it reminds me a bit of Perdido Street Station, only without the pretentiousness. I wouldn't mind visiting this world again.

American Idol (!)

Despite the boringness of last week, we still tuned in to today's show with the theme "British Invasion". Much, much, much better than last week.

Thank you, Haley. Once again, I wasn't sure what you sang, but you looked good singing it.

Blake, Melinda and Jordin brought it, Sligh sounded good, Chris R was decent. Stephanie and Lakisha were boring, Sanjaya was surprisingly...okay (helps that the song he sang is all shouty), Phil was still yelling at me, and Gina proved that nobody can sing Paint it Black except Jagger. I guess Mig did a decent job way back when, but he did manage to Mig-ify it to something that was a bit cringeworthy.

Bottom 3? Stephanie, Phil and Gina, with Phil going bye-bye.

Madness!

So as usual I'm being crushed in my March Madness pool again. Stupid Oral Roberts. Stupid Duke. Never bet on a televangelist or a devil, I guess.

Interestingly, an entry I created to track The Sports Guy's picks is doing surprisingly well. So far he's only missed one.

American Idol (?)

Worst. Season. Ever. There were only a couple of memorable performances for this, the opening night of the Top 12. Bad enough that they opened with Diana Ross night (not really my cup of tea), but practically everyone was so forgettable.

Everyone except Melinda, of course. I didn't know the song, but she sold it. Much, much better than Lakisha, who I suppose sang her song technically well, but was boring. Jordin? Disney Channel.

Sligh? Sigh. Coldplayed Endless Love, and made it worse (if that was possible). Vocals were great, arrangement was terrible. (and I said he reminded me of Benjor--what was I thinking? Sorry, Benjor)

Blake? At least it was memorable, and he sold the performance, but the vocals were weak. As usual, Simon nailed the criticism. Much better than the other Chris, who chicken-danced his way through his song yet again.

The less said of Sanjaya, the better. Poor kid. Brandon, Stephanie, Gina and Phil? Zzzzzzzzz.

The only other thing aside from Melinda that woke me up was Haley and her dress. Wait, she sang something?

Heck, I'd take Lucky Charms Lukass over most of these singers. Love him or hate him, at least he inspired some sort of emotion. This group? Boredom.

My bottom 3 is Brandon, Sligh and Sanjaya, but I doubt Sanjaya's going anywhere. I'd say Brandon is going.

Just give it to Melinda already.

Watchlist 2007

The Prestige. I was so looking forward to this movie that I may have expected something entirely different from it. I was expecting something like Batman vs Wolverine--and Wolverine had Alfred with him! Instead, it was a period piece that was a bit confusing, with the jumping back and forth in time. Of course, that's Christopher Nolan's trademark--after all, he did direct Memento.

Still, though, the movie itself is quite enjoyable. It mostly centers around the rivalry between two magicians, set off by a tragic event. One magician has a trick that is quite amazing, and the other is obsessed with discovering how the trick is done. The movie plays out in a quite unexpected fashion, although people who observe closely should be able to figure out what happens before the movie's end.

It is somewhat like Bats vs Wolvie, in that there's a cat-and-mouse game between the two magicians. It's also interesting that Bale's character is much smarter than Jackman's, who in turn is the more emotional character. Kinda like their comic-book alter-egos.

bookoftheweek: The Terror

Alien meets Master and Commander. That's what I thought about when I first started reading The Terror, the new bookstop novel by Dan Simmons. Here's the premise, as I saw it:

* British Arctic Exploration ships from the 1900s are stuck in the ice
* Strange monster is picking off the men one-by-one
* Crew must survive both the freezing cold and the strange monster and get off the ice

I didn't expect to like the book; I fully expected to stop after two or three chapters, much like I did with the first book of the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian (upon which Master and Commander is based). However, I gave Dan Simmons a chance, seeing as I enjoyed Hyperion and Ilium so much.

I finished the 769-page monster in three days.

Yeah, a lot of things could've been cut; scratch that, a lot of things should've been cut. I kept thinking that an editor could've cut out some of the subplots and kept it readable; I wondered whether he has being paid by the word. I'll forgive him that, though, as he makes the attempts at survival so readable. You keep turning the pages to see whether they make it.

The "monster" itself isn't that scary or interesting (I had wild hopes that it was the Shrike for whatever reason); it's the characterization that strikes a chord. He makes the characters believable enough that you care what happens to them, and you want to see the bad people get their comeuppance.

After finishing the book, I looked it up on Google to see what other people had to say about it. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was based on actual events. There were two ships called Erebus and Terror that sailed to the Arctic in hopes of finding passage--and disappeared. Lord Franklin, Captain Crozier and Captain Fitzjames were real people. The Terror was Dan Simmons' imagining of what might have happened to the crew.

The Terror demands a lot from you in terms of time and concentration. It's a bit daunting to pick up the book, feel its weight (you can probably kill someone with it) and look at the number of pages. The investment, however, is worth it.

Carrrrrrne Asada

I tried Taco Bell's Carne Asada taquitos today. Not bad at $1.79 for two. Unfortunately, two isn't enough, but since you can't buy them individually, you're stuck with four. I got full after three.

Still prefer Baja Fresh's version, though. BF's sauce is better than the "salsa" Taco Bell provides.

bookoftheweek: The Android's Dream

I finally returned the disappointing Fragile Things the other day to the Library. There were no books I was particularly looking forward to, so I browsed the "New Books" section to see if there was anything interesting. One book stood out, with a picture of a robot sleeping and sheep in the background. The title: The Android's Dream, by John Scalzi.

Cool, I thought. Wonder how it relates to Blade Runner.

I began reading it that night and was hooked. What's the premise? Well, it deals with the relationship with Earth with aliens that are far more advanced than we are Of course, there are people who aren't happy with this, and so one day one of them kills an alien trade ambassador--but not in the usual way. You'll have to read it to find out.

So, this means that Earth is pretty much screwed unless the humans do something for the aliens--find (you guessed it) The Android's Dream, a particular species of sheep. If not, the aliens pretty much take over.

Scalzi's prose reminds me a bit of Larry Niven (specifically Crashlander), complete with fantastic aliens and humans who have to use their wit to survive. His humor reminds me of Christopher Moore--funny enough, but not as gut-busting as Pratchett or Adams.

Oh, and the relation to Blade Runner? Nothing, really. Just a throwaway line, when asked about why the species was called "The Android's Dream".

A very good read. Recommended.

American Dreamz

Wouldn't it be funny if the VFTW folks were able to push Antonella and Sanjaya to be the final two contestants on American Idol? Yikes.

Right now I'm rooting for Melinda, because she's a humble, kick-ass singer; Blake, because he seems down-to-earth despite his beatboxing (and actually sings songs from this decade); and Sligh, because he reminds me of Benjor. Sligh has a great song with his band Half Past Forever on YouTube.

Then there's Haley who's my eye candy for this season. She has no chance of winning, poor thing, but while she's still there I'll enjoy her cuteness.

Antonella used to be my eye candy, but she doesn't seem to be as attractive as she was during auditions (and no, it's not just because of her famous "pictures").

AJ, poor AJ. You represented, and you were fabulous doing it.

Watchlist 2007

The Departed. Best Movie and Best Director, huh? I thought it was a good film, but I can't really say whether it's "Best Movie" material or not (having only seen Little Miss Sunshine among the other nominees). Everyone knows the premise: Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio as snitches. It was pretty exciting watching them try to avoid being discovered, although Matt Damon was generally smoother than DiCaprio, who just seemed harassed all the time.

Jack Nicholson stole the show, however. I was never really impressed by his acting in the two movies I saw him in (A Few Good Men and As Good As It Gets), but he was very good in this one as a Mafia Boss. He made you like him one moment, and then loathe him the next.

Someone said that this movie was about sons and their relationship with their fathers. I'll buy that.

Lord of War. Nicolas Cage acting like...well, Nicolas Cage. It was a good, but ultimately depressing, movie. Ethan Hawke was channeling Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, and ex-Mrs Tom Brady Bridget Moynihan acted about as well as Jessica Biel did in The Illusionist. Interesting to see how arms dealers plied their trade, but uncomfortable watching the conflict in Africa. War is ugly, and they certainly didn't glamorize it in this movie.

Sounds like a Clooney Movie

Remember those aptitude tests you took through college and HR sometimes gave you? I think Myers-Briggs was the most common one I took.

This RHETI exam is a new one to me. Pretty interesting. My results (7/8) are fairly predictable and describe me pretty well:


free enneagram test

Curiously, this result was only one point behind (6/8):


free enneagram test

"Complacent" and "Driven" seem to be opposite, don't you think? Then again, I am a Gemini.

The Writing's On The Wall

....or, in my case, my LCD monitor. The kids decided to use it as a writing pad. *sigh* I'm a bit annoyed that they were able to get ahold of a pen (when we specifically try to prevent them from ballpens...crayons are okay, since they're easier to remove), but what can you do? They manage to climb stuff and get into places and do things you don't think they can.

Sometimes they use various objects around the house as stepping stools, or pull themselves up by sheer strength. It's actually impressive sometimes, if it wasn't so exasperating.

So I managed to get most of the ink off using alcohol (the "Family" brand...wasn't there some silly ad in RP which featured a boxer? Or was that "Green Cross"?). Yeah, it's probably not the best solution and I've probably ruined the screen, but the LCD was unusable otherwise. Oh, well.

bookoftheweek: Fragile Things

I finally got around to reading Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. Unfortunately, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It feels like his stories shine when the have room to breathe--the short story format just doesn't suit him as well. Most of the stories here feel like beginnings, the first chapter in a forthcoming novel; they don't really feel complete.

There are some gems in this collection, though: A Study in Emerald is fantastic, especially since I'm a big fan of Sherlock Holmes; The Problem of Susan, while disturbing, is quite excellent; Other People has a twist which is pretty cool, and the last story, Monarch of the Glen is something I've read before (in Legends II), but is still quite enjoyable. Heck, we get to see Shadow again.

The way I judge how much I enjoyed a book is how often I can re-read it; for example, I must've read Good Omens a dozen times. Other than the stories I mentioned above, I won't be re-reading this one any time soon.

Super Hero Dating Quiz

Huh. Actually a toss-up between Kitty and Lois Lane. Fits with my previous Superman - Luthor results, huh?

Watchlist 2007

Black Dahlia. Yikes. I was expecting a lot from this movie (Scarlett Johanssen! Naked!Mandy! Brian de Palma!) Sadly, it was a dull, plodding movie. I fell asleep at one point, woke up, and got confused by the "solution" to the murder. Turns out the part I missed gave the backstory. I really wanted to like this movie. Unfortunately, it was a mess.

Red Eye. Now this was worth the rental. It started out fairly mellow and then just hit the gas around 10 minutes in. Rachel McAdams is cute, and the chemistry with Cillian Murphy was great. Short movie (85 minutes), but Wes Craven made the most of it. Bonus points for Hiro's girlfriend appearing in it.

Magni-lana?

I was reading through the Television Without Pity Forums when I came upon an entry discussing the rumor that Magni and Dilana were an item. Say what? I immediately sought confirmation via Google.

From what I can gather, Magni got divorced/separated from his wife/SO because they had "drifted apart"--probably because of all his touring. Because Dilana had spent a lot of time with Magni (what with her visiting Iceland and touring together and all), they became linked in the press. I've also read that he's requested that his personal life not be discussed in public, so nobody quite knows what's going on, except that he's playing guitar for Dilana in the RS:SN concerts.

Whatever their status is, it's still sad that he got separated, what with his toddler and all.

Humanity To Others

So I finally went ahead and began looking at Ubuntu. I've had a couple of 5.10 install CDs lying around since early last year, but I never got around to doing anything with them. Part of the reason was I didn't really have a machine to install them on; I couldn't get Ubuntu to boot up on my desktop, and PJ didn't want me installing it on the laptop unless I backed up the data there.

Well, I finally got my ass in gear and backed up the data on an external hard drive. I downloaded Edgy and burned it to a CD, placed it in the laptop disk tray, and then rebooted.

First impression: Wow, that background's pretty tan.
Second impression: Yikes, this thing is SLOW!.

I gave it some allowance seeing as I was running off a LiveCD. Still, though, it took forever to bring up anything, so I did some more research. Turns out the laptop only had 256MB of memory, and I guess the newer versions of Gnome are memory-hungry(?). I wasn't going to purchase any new memory for this laptop, so I looked for another distro (heh, forgive me for speaking the lingo). I settled on xubuntu, seeing as I was really interested in what the fuss over Ubuntu was all about. So, I downloaded Edgy and burned it to a CD, placed it in the laptop disk tray, and then rebooted.

First impression: Hey, that background's OSX-y..
Second impression: It's definitely much faster than Ubuntu.

So now I'm installing xubuntu on the laptop. We'll see how that goes.