Matt Wertz: An Accidental Discovery

The age of downloadable mp3s took out the thrill of going to the music store.

I don’t want to act like a snob, but judging from the stacks I saw … you’d like to question the taste of either the seller or the buyers or both. You can’t blame them though, you sell what sells. If you want the oldest, the newest, or ones not sold by a “commercialized” company, the internet is your salvation.

One Sunday night, I caught “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” on cable, which was a funny movie. I found the songs in the movie quite good. There was one song that caught my attention, “Everything’s Right” by Matt Wertz. I went online to research.

On the official site, the biography of Matt Wertz will tell you little about the guy … but lots about the music.

For people who listen to Jam 88.3, there is a possibility that you have heard “Everything’s Right.”

Matt Wertz’s voice is the lighter, a little higher, sans the accent, and more relaxed/laidback version of Jason Mraz. His songs – sound and lyrics - are in the same line with Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and Jack Johnson - the summer breezy or road-tripping type of songs.

“Everything’s Right” is from Matt Wertz’s 2003 album TWENTY THREE PLACES. It contains 11 songs. You can listen to the FULL-length (not snippets) of selected mp3s: “Everything’s Right,” “Counting to 100,” and “Sweetness in Starlight.” These three songs also happen to be very good … I am buying the CD!


Matt Wertz’s 2006 album, EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, has 10 songs. You can listen to two mp3s, “The Way I Feel” and “Carolina.” There is a song “5:19” which does not have a button on the site; it just plays on its own. “Carolina” is an example of the usual Matt Wertz fare, light and enjoyable to listen to. Comparing it to the older albums, there is little deviation in terms of sound. But it does not mean lack of growth as you can sense some experimentation in style in “The Way I Feel.”


TODAY & TOMORROW is Wertz’s 2005 semi-album … it contains only 5 songs and you can listen to “Wandering Eyes,” a bluesy track, and “Honest Man,” which is more on the acoustic side. I am guessing during this time it was the height of the John Mayer phenomenon … and this album could have joined in the fray.

SOMEDAYS (2001) is his oldest album. You can listen to three songs: “I’m Sorry, Mary,” “Even The Streets,” and “Lonely Tonight.” You can tell how much the singer has progressed musically. The songs I’ve heard here were a bit moody and sometimes angsty. You can sense the immaturity of the sound but comparing it to the other albums that followed, this one definitely set the style.


The guy is quite an accidental discovery for me. Check him out at www.mattwertz.com.

Upgrading

My previous PC had an AMD processor and a laughable 124 MB memory - I think. Probably in its heyday it was worth something, but then I was using this century. It was a hand me down from my brother and felt like a leftover from the Cretaceous Period. It hanged a lot, and you can make espressos for everybody while waiting for it to complete opening a web page. It was so slow.

So when my mom told me to upgrade stuff, which included my PC, I jumped at the opportunity.

I would have loved to have an I-Mac PC or a Mac Pro notebook ... but then my mom would've yelled at me. She gave me a budget and expected me to use my cost-cutting skills to the max. I was tasked to buy myself a new computer and upgrade 2 of our office PC's & acquire a new one.

Sick and tired of the Jurassic PC, I "splurged" myself on a laptop. It's just a Neo notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo (thank God), 80 GB hard disk drive, and 1 GB memory (thank God again). It has some other extra stuff .. . but then it doesn't matter. The important things are it's fast, efficient, and will do in this century. It came with a free Canon iP 1200 when I got it at PC Corner (there was a promo going on at the Gilmore branch last August - they have a new one going on).

The task of upgrading the PC's in the office was a bigger headache. I was planning to hand down the hand-me-down PC since it will just be used for data entry. I planned on just amping the memory up to save moola, when one day it finally rolled over and died on me. The memory conked, it cannot be replaced. I had to change the motherboard and processor as well.

While doing "research," I had fun with the PC "builder" that certain sites had so one can have an idea how much the whole PC package will cost. The sites I visited most often were www.pccorner.com.ph and www.buyqube.com. Funnily, I failed to acquire the first upgrade from both. That is because when we (me, Lofrick, & Chloe) went to Gilmore St. QC, there were a lot of computer shops offering lower prices and we picked the one nearest to where we were parked. Gilmore St. (and the area around it) is the new computer hub of Metro Manila (for those who are still thinking it is Greenhills Shoppping Center or Virra Mall). If you want brand new parts and packages in cheapo prices, go here. It's in front of St. Paul's College QC, in close proximity of the MRT station.

Of note is www.buyqube.com because they have this X-PC. Visit their site (the real one at Gilmore) you'll see these really cool small CPUs. It's not cheap, but it's worth checking out. Also, they have snappy-looking, compact Gigabyte notebooks.

Anyway, before all that I inspected the old computers in the office and discovered these stuff were a lot worse than my PC. I don't know how geriatric the processors were but when I saw the OS Windows '95 and then Microsoft Office '95 I wanted to laugh out of pity. It doesn't help that the printer was an Epson Lx-800 dot matrix. I kept wondering where they get printer ribbon refills since I know it's obsolete. The monitors were small and the screens were wavy and shaky. Diagnoses: Not upgradable, off to the junk shop.

Thanks to my trip to Gilmore, we were able to salvage some parts (hard drives and optical drives, 17" monitor) from my Jurassic PC and upgrade the processor to an Intel Celeron D 347 (not bad), an ECS motherboard (a good one), 512 MB memory (a far long hard cry from the old one), and a new ATX case. I got a multi-function HP Deskjet to retire the hardworking Epson.

I still have to buy two more PCs (and do some penny pinching) but then I thank God that computers in this country is actually a lot cheaper than anywhere else.

Incidentally, there are computer-related buy and sell stuff at wwww.sulit.com.ph worth checking out. So if you are in the same boat as I am ... I hope this blog entry helped.

PS: You can check out T3 & Speed Magazine for more info on tech stuff but then it'll just make you drool if you're a tech geek.

A Banapple a Day .....

One day I was reading food and travel blogs and came across BANAPPLE. The pictures of the food in www.clickthecity.com looked really yummy and I made a mental note to visit the place since it's is very near where I live.

Knowing my penchance for proscrastination, I forgot about it until one day I was really hungry and came across the article again while checking out what's showing in the theaters.

I was chatting with Redcomet and I ended up describing the food stuff served in Banapple. It didn't help curb out my hunger pangs.

Anyway, the next day I kept telling Chloe and Lofrick about visiting the place after we were done upgrading a computer in the office. These folks are two of my chow buddies (meaning food trippers like me) and won't back out on something like this.

Banapple is located at Katipunan Avenue near Blue Ridge. It's on the same side as Quirino Memorial Hospital (a.k.a. Labor Hospital) across Kopi Roti. It's a small country style cafe with a few tables (around 5-6). Parking space in front of the cafe is only two .... that's how small it is, and the rest of the parking space they share with other tenants of the commercial area.

For something small, it seems to attract a huge clientele because a lot of cars were littered in the area, waiting for parking space. Some parked along the road.

Why am I stressing lack of parking? Well, when you get a bite of that Banapple, you will come back. So this serves as a reminder for road ragers with sweet tooth.

Once inside, we sampled their limited lunch/dinner menu. It consisted of pasta, sandwiches, and other typical Filipino favorites. We ordered the Garlic Beef Tapa, Chicken Parmigiano, and I think a Pasta Magnifico. For dessert, we had Strawberry Amaretto Cheesecake and Super Caramel Fudge Cake. We had iced teas for drinks.

... we devoured all of it with gusto.

THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS!!!

I particularly loved the Chicken Parmigiano (and the pasta ... and the tapa). Dessert is sinfully good. Lofrick commented that eating the Strawberry Amaretto Cheesecake tasted like my car. My car has this California Scents Coronado Cherry. And he meant that in a good way. The cheesecake is excellent. It's perfect. But my favorite is the fudge cake. The taste reminded me of the "molten" chocolate cake of Chilli's.

Two days after (or is a day after?), I brought my high school friend Bonsai to the place. Aside from the Chicken Parmigiano, we had a Pasta Verde (pesto sauced pasta). I had the fudge cake and she had an Oreo Cookie Cheesecake. For a petite girl measuring 4'10," she enjoyed filling up her bottomless pit of a stomach while chatting up a storm. In fact, she loved what we ate so much she ordered food and desserts to go for her sister and nephews (She still joined in in eating the take homes - hahaha).

One terrible Friday Pay Day, I had this hankering to go back at the place (it's been only a week since the first visit). So I dragged Lofrick amidst the horrendous traffic. Unfortunately, there are no parking spaces available (not even near the road) - the place is packed. We ended up eating somewhere along the strip of Katipunan Ave. (another chow discovery). But we HAD TO go back to the place (which was still filled with people) and ordered the BANOFFEE pie to go, which they say made it famous. I was a little disappointed because I wasn't able to eat there, but when I got home and tasted the pie, all the bad vibes (due to the traffic) melted away. The pie is so good. It's a combination of coffee cake and banana cake with a light sweet icing. It's yummy.

You can never go wrong with this place. It's good food with reasonable prices. It's not one of them snooty places but it's not low-end as well. It's quality stuff without boring holes in your pockets.

Bring your friends ... and expect to elbow for parking space. It won't be soon 'til word gets out.

The Search Continues .... (for an I-Phone Replacement)

I was planning to go to the Nokia center at Serendra last night, but unfortunately, we spent too much time upgrading the computer in the office (another story much later) and had a lovely dinner at Banapple at Katipunan (another review much later). So we arrived at the area around 10 PM-ish.

After goofing around the place, taking pictures (my friend Chloe is your typical Fil, there will always be kodak moments - everywhere and anytime), we parked our butts at a Starbucks (not my choice really, I wanted to go off somewhere since it's my only day off from the motor/garage pool office). Anyway, while Lofrick and Chloe were tinkering the laptop, I grabbed a couple of tech mags off the rack.

I got hold of a magazine comparing the performance of Intel Core 2 Duo and the AMD Turion notebook processors. Which won the battle ... well, I think it's better one should get hold of the magazine and read for themselves. Interesting article. Then I got to the section of mobile phones. Since the mag issue is June 2007, I would still consider it updated by my standards.

As usual, the the Nokia N-95 and the latest Nokia communicator were the phones of the moment. But I don't like both. Sure, they may be loaded with features but then I wonder what the heck will I use all of them for. And they're ugly ... in terms of bulkiness. Like I stated before, I prefer the slim phones. I go for look, weight, and specific chosen few features - I don't pack my whole life in my cellphone.

Anyway, I was flipping the pages, and I saw the an Alcatel slider phone and several Samsung phones which made me curious to check out their site.

I surfed to samsung.com.ph and my comment is that they have to improve their site. Compared to Nokia and Sony Ericsson's site, Samsung's site does not have an advance search nor a phone comparator. There's a drop down menu for phone models, but if you're not familiar (like me) with their products, the phone model numbers can be quite daunting. There are thumbnail pictures of phone models .... but then I'm too lazy to go through all of them. So I went to CNET-asia and used their mobile phone advanced search to sort out the phone I like.

What I like about the Samsung phones is that they are stylish. Even the smart phone that they call the Blackjack. For the mutated calculator look, at least this one's slim ... and yes, kinda stylish.





The slider phone that's eye candy to me is the Samsung Ultra Editon 12.1 (U700). The phone is slim and sexy. But it just stops there. It doesn't have an FM radio, IR, or a media player. The camera though is 3.2 megapixels ... not bad, but this phone can't compete with my other choices.

Well, the search goes on.

I Don't Want To Wait - The I-Phone Asia Launch

My cellphone is a Nokia 6085. It's a clam shell phone which takes very bad pictures. Why did I buy it then? It comes with my Globe postpaid plan, it has big keypads, and it has an FM radio. I love the services of Globe, but man, their phone packages suck. I checked Smart's packages - they have decent phones ... I just wonder why Globe could not come up with packages like that.

Anyway, as I was saying in the previous blog, Christmas is near (and so is my birthday). I'm not really into the expensive stuff but when I know some fairy (Hi MOM!) can grant me something ... the first thing that come to mind is to upgrade my phone.

This country is cellphone crazy. Everyone has a cellphone. It's the one of the easiest gadget one can acquire as there are a lot of cellphone sellers catering to all classes. However, the problem is how to sort out the good from the bad.

I want an I-phone .... it's got to be out of the finest phone that ever came out. But for some strange reason, Apple decided to launch it in Asia on 2008 - which is crazy. After all the hype and promotion, they expect the people here to wait that long. I don't think so! Everyday, I'd visit the Apple site and drool over the thing. I must have it! But the drooling does not stop here. The Apple site's one of my favorite sites. I love all their products. (Anyone seen the I-Mac? Wow wow wow!!! White is not my favorite noncolor, but the immaculateness and sleekness of the I-Mac makes her beautiful. And then don't get me started with the MacPro .... mark my words, when I become filthy rich all tech stuff I have will all be Mac-based. My only precious right now is my I-Pod 80 GB video --> mwah mwah mwah. )

There's this feedback from my pal that the I-Phone does not have 3G. It's not a big deal really, since I'm not a fan of seeing who I'm talking to (I dunno, it's a phone ... you place it near your ear). But then, just the idea that it lacks something bugs me. (Ever the perfectionist). Then there's the wait ... I don't want to wait ... but I still want it. Argh, let's see where this mental tug of war will end in the next few months.

I can't have an I-Phone now, so I decided to search for alternatives.

I went to www.nokia-asia.com. They have this comparator, where you can compare all different models side by side, and it will show you their specs.

I'm a fan of the slide phones ever since Keanu used one in The Matrix. That's why I don't like my clam shell phone and my other former phone, a Nokia 7650 (the one which looks like a leaf, with hellishly designed keypads) ... it lacks the oomph that a slider has. My second choice would be any touch screen phone. As much I would like a smart phone, I don't like the QWERTY keypads. It makes the phone look like a mutated calculator or remote control.

Anyway, so I narrowed down the search for slider phones, and I've come up with some choices.

The N95 and N95 8 GB looks tempting. My mom has one and I've seen what it can do. But I find it kinda bulky. I prefer slim and sleek phones. So it goes down at the bottom of the list.

There is also the Nokia 6110 Navigator. The one equipped with GPS. It promises that you will never get lost again with that phone. It looks nice and there are pretty impressive features. But then, I don't see myself using the GPS too much - nobody to stalk. So, it goes down again at the bottom pile.

Two phones that caught my eye were the Nokia 6288 and Nokia 5610 Xpress Music. Both have all the basic specs I want (FM radio, music player, camera, blue tooth, WAP, USB connection). I love the sleek look of the 6288. It's not bulky and not too slim. I've read user reviews from CNET-asia.com, and the only complaint is that the slider is kinda loose. The price is also reasonable.

The Nokia 5610 Xpress Music is one of the newer models. It boasts a 2.2 inch qvga scratch-resistant window (reaally now?), crystal clear hi-fi audio (reaally now?) with a camera with autofocus and dual LED flash. Unlike the 6288 which is Triband, the 5610 is quadband in gsm 850/900/1800/1900 mhz. It also has a macroshot, landscape mode ... which is the main attraction for me. The thing I don't like is that it doesn't have IR and I dunno what's with the red/blue side design.


Just for looks alone I would probably go for the 6288, but for features sake ... the 5610 is better. It promises to "rock your world in more ways than one." Well, let's see. So in this round, I would say it is a tie between the two.

I went over the fence to check out Sony Ericsson phones. Just like the nokia site, they also have a searcher and comparator.

The only slider phone that caught my attention is the SE W850i. This is a handsome looking phone (specially the black one). It has the basic things I want but I noticed that its camera is just 2.0 megapixels without autofocus. I've read reviews and the editors at CNET complained of "unintuitive controls" and limited memory. But one user attests to its durability. It's worth checking out ... though not too convincing for me to jump over the fence.

The other phone is the SE W960i. It's not a slider but a candy bar phone, which is a minus. But it's sleek block black looks appeals to me. It's one of the "coming soon" phones and it promises to be an I-Phone killer (this I have to see). It has a 9 rating, so I am intrigued on what it can offer. One user comments that there is no CONs to this phone. I checked the specs and discovered it has no infrared, no media player, no wall paper animation --> too minor details to bother with. It has a touch screen feature so, like it CNET people said, it can rival the I-Phone.

I will still have to see this phone in actuality to pass my judgement. The I-Phone still holds my heart ... but then with the long wait, any of the phones above might veer me away from it.

The Return of the "Bers"

When the calendar starts to end in "BER," it sets off a series of panic buttons in my direction. Aside from my birthday looming ahead, it also reminds me that once again I have to unload some of my dough to go gift shopping. Then there's the weather and the problem of keeping things clean. And then, there's the problem on how to keep myself awake.

Christmas is such a big deal here in the Philippines that one should do things
4 months ahead of everybody.With family, relatives, friends, househelp, and god children in mind, this is the time I start making my list and checking it twice as not to miss anyone (and face guilt for ruining their Christmas). So as early as September, I would usually keep my eyes open for the magic word - SALE - at the malls, to curb my expenses.

But it seems that it's not just me who thinks about these things in September. Traffic starts to build up on all roads leading to the malls. You want to experience how big our population is - go to the mall at holiday season (or when one of those local reality-tv contestants do a mall tour. I hate driving around during this time.

Just a week ago I went out to buy Escada Sentiment for my mom (50% off!!!), I noticed that the Christmas songs start to enjoy continuous airplay in the appliance stores. Some of them already have Christmas decor set up .... and All Soul's Day haven't arrived yet ( --> most families in this country set up their Christmas decor after All Soul's Day - November 2).

Along with the buying fever, the weather starts to get weird as well. We don't have cool months ... only rainy months. Whether the meteorologist is right or wrong, it will rain at least for 30 minutes a day. So if you were caught under the sudden downpour - too bad for you and me.

As I seem to attract precipitation, this La Nina Season is a headache. Sometimes I even wonder if I should have Johnny (my ford escape) car-washed at all because darn it, it never fails - IT WILL ALWAYS RAIN WHEN MY CAR IS CLEAN! Aside from this, for some structural defect, all the water flows towards the door of the office ... hence all the oil, grease, and other stuff threaten to destroy every footwear that dares to cross the threshold. Weekly foot spas are the added regimen for me then. Then there's the mudprints that stain the floor (I have a thing about clean floors) - I just hate it.

As the weather cools, like most bears out there ... the call of hibernation is just irresistible. My caffeine intake increases everyday it rains, as the fluffy pillows, soft mattress, and warm blanket beckon me. It's hard to stay awake. The weather is sleep-inducing. This is one of the things I love about the "bers." My insomnia is temporarily cured. I just get worried though about my bro in the North Pole ... because if it's cold here, I can't imagine how bone-breakingly cold Calgary could be.

The "bers" are here indeed.

The Final Countdown for Harry Potter

It is quite amusing to know that the Harry Potter books are included in the list of most-banned books. For the light of me, I really don't know why it is included in that list and I would like to know the criteria (not that I plan to write something subversive - heck, I don't even know if I have the chops to write anything that makes sense at all).

JK Rowling joins the ranks of Harper Lee (To Kill With A Mockingbird), JD Salinger (The Catcher in the Rye), and John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath). Not bad company.

This morning I decided to surf to the J.K. Rowling official site to find out what's happening in the Harry Potter universe. According to the news, she will be having a moonlight signing on July 21st at the Natural History Museum in London. One thousand seven hundred fans will receive FREE copies of the book.

Being the cheapskate that I am, news like this is depressing to me. Man! Free autographed Harry Potter books and I'm stuck in here in archipelago NOWHERE. (well, not exactly nowhere, it's just too far from the action MOST OF THE TIME ... geez, I don't know if that made it worse, hahaha).

Anyway, the site is pretty interesting to navigate through. It has a writer's desk as it's main page, and you point and click your mouse at an image which will get you to a particular page. What makes it interesting (to me) is the clutter on the main page itself. There is a cell phone, a keyboard, butterfly, a diary, a watch, some pens, scattered paper clips, crumpled papers ...and wrappers of gum. I don't know if this is how messy her desk can get in real life. I don't even know if she can get work done with a desk like that (but perhaps she does, my table is worse ... and I used to crunch numbers for a living). I like the mess. It's familiar and homey to me. Hahaha.

The franchise has 6 books out and the 7th installment (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) will be released 6 weeks from now ... and I guess a lot of fans out there already reserved a copy at their favorite bookstore. This will be the last of the series and those who read the book (and/or watched the movie) wonder what fate awaits for Potter and his friends.

I had a thread going in one of the forums I used to frequent to, with the question will Harry Potter die in the end? I believe there was also a poll in it. If my memory serves me right, there are more optimists out there expecting that this series will have a happy ending. I, belonging to the morbidly realistic group, believe that Harry will die in the end. I try to picture myself in JK Rowling's predicament. If I end this series with Harry living but some of the characters killed off (some of the important ones already whacked) ... sure, everybody's happy, but wouldn't Harry be tortured in some way (like Frodo Baggins of LOTR - in the end he leaves Middle Earth). But if the rest of the cast lives, and Harry dies ... it's also sad BUT at least Harry get to fulfill his destiny of being a hero. (Hahaha, what twisted logic!) After all, great heroes die in the end ( ...those who lived end up in politics and showbiz and make fools of themselves in the end). And I guess it would be too corny if this thing will have a fairy tale ending.

Which ever way this series will end though, I think most will agree that JK Rowling is one of the most influential writing figures of this century. She wrote for kids, and ended up making the adults read as well. That in itself is a feat.

Full Circle - It Ends at the End?

*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*

It started with a boat, er ship. And the rest is pirate history.

For those who followed the adventures of Capt. Jack Sparrow very closely, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is the rousing finale of his swashbuckling tale. Or is it?

The Curse of the Black Pearl compared to Deadman's Chest is far simpler in terms of story. In POTC 1, Capt. Jack's sole goal was to get his ship back from his mutinous first mate Capt. Hector Barbossa and his damned crew. Accidental tourists to his journey are star crossed lovers (?) Will Turner and Elizabeth Schwann along with the unfortunate Commodore James Norrington and the Royal British Navy. In the end, Jack gets his ship back, and Elizabeth and Will finally declares their love for each other. Everybody's happy with the exception of Barbossa who is dead, and Norrington, cast aside.

POTC 2 starts on a grimmer note, the so-called "happy" ending was not what it promised to be with the entry of Lord Cutler Beckett, head of East India Trading Company, and Davey Jones, captain of The Flying Dutchman. Like Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the 2nd installment was the villain's hurrah. Everybody's life became miserable. Davey Jones chased Capt. Jack to settle his debt. (Davey Jones raised The Black Pearl from the depths in exchange for Sparrow's eternal servitude). Hot under their rudders was the sea monster called Kraken. Beckett on the other hand, wants to purge the seas of piracy. He orders Jack's, Will's, and Elizabeth's execution. Cutler then made a deal with Will Turner, whom we sets loose to find Sparrow to negotiate for his "broken" compass. Will encounters his father in The Flying Dutchman and vows to release him from Davey Jones's clutches. Complicating the picture is Elizabeth Schwann, who can't seem to figure out her mind. She escapes prison to look for Will, lands on Sparrow's ship, and developed confusing feelings for Jack. In the end, she kills Jack by chaining him on the ship as the Kraken ravages the Black Pearl. Will catches Elizabeth's Judas kiss (love the adjective) and interprets it otherwise. The happy villains, Davy Jones finally confined Sparrow in his "locker," and Commodore Norrington, got his place back in the British Navy by helping the East India Company acquire something more of value. The mother load of all booties landed on Lord Beckett's table, Davey Jones's heart ... which meant only one thing: Control over the seas.

POTC 3, the final tale of the trilogy, is thrice the complication of the first flick. More agendas, betrayals, back stabbing, back stories, and crazy jokes & antics (thanks to Pintel and Ragetti) ... a pirate movie nonetheless. The reviews of the movie range from confusing to awesome. I agree to both. It's confusing if you don't follow closely but most definitely it is AWESOME. Among the 3, this movie has the strongest story line (well, for people who like complicated stuff). The writers minimally spoon fed the audience with details mainly thru Mr. Gibbs and Tia Dalma's obscure speech. You have to exercise your brain a little to understand what the heck is going on in the noggins of each character. How all the pieces fit though, it's just coincidentally perfect.

*SPOILERS*

Capt. Jack Sparrow, dead and locked inside Davey Jones's hell, only wants one thing: To sail the seas forever. Dealing with madness and mortality, he is rescued from death from the same people who killed and attempted to kill him in the past. His stint in the underworld made him more determined to seek measures that will make him immortal. And his solution was to be captain of The Flying Dutchman.

Elizabeth Schwann's only reason rescuing Jack Sparrow was to purge her conscience from guilt for killing him. She signs in with Tia Dalma, Capt. Barbossa, and the rest and travels to Singapore to steal a map to Davey Jones's locker, which is in the possession of another pirate, Sao Feng. They fetch Jack from the underworld, but along the way out she meets her father, ferrying into the sea of the dead. She vows to to avenge his death. With her resolve to defeat the East India Trading Company and Davey Jones, this put her at odds with her love, Will Turner, who has an agenda of his own. She was "captured" by Sao Feng, who in turn was killed when the company attacked his junk. But before he dies, Sao Feng appoints her as captain of his crew, with the belief that she is "Calypso." In the gathering of the brethren of the coast, she was elected as Pirate King with the help of Jack's vote and declares war.

Will Turner's adventure initially started because of Elizabeth, the girl he fancied eversince he was fished out from the sea. Chancing upon his father damned for eternity in the Flying Dutchman, he promises to come back and release him by killing Davey Jones. He drifts away from Elizabeth, as he catches her "betrayal." Till then, his focus was to get his father back. With Davey Jones under Lord Beckett's bidding (as Beckett hostages Jones's heart with the threat of blowing it up into smithereens), Will betrays the pirates by acting as an insider for the company. He leaves a trail for location of the gathering of the brethren in Shipwreck Cove, with Capt. Jack's help.

Davey Jones story, as told by Tia Dalma in the 2nd installment, is that of love for a woman who happens to be Calypso (a sea goddess). It is said that Davey Jones's initial task for the goddess was to guide those who died in the sea to the underworld. He would only set foot on land every 10 years to meet her. After 10 years of guiding the dead, he sets foot on land waiting for her and she did not show up. This caused terrible pain for him, hence he carved his out his heart, hid it in a chest, and abandoned his duties turning him into a monster. The pirate brethren then, having trouble over the goddess's moods tearing the seas apart, connives with Davey Jones into locking her up in mortal form (of course Calypso is not aware of his betrayal). And the mortal form turned out to be Tia Dalma herself.

Captain Barbossa resurrected from the dead by the powers of Tia Dalma wants to get rid of East India Company's hold on the seas. He summons the brethren of the coast to deal with the situation, and his plan was to release Calypso from her mortal shell. In the meeting, a pirate king was to be elected to have the final say on the situation. Pirates being pirates, nominated themselves, which left Jack Sparrow no choice but to vote for Elizabeth, making her pirate king. Barbossa, bent on continuing his plan, was able to steal the effects needed from each key pirate and freed Calypso.

Calypso initially learned from Davey Jones that it was the pirate brethren who imprisoned her. When she was released by Barbossa, she later learned from Will Turner that it was Davey Jones who betrayed her. With allegiances breatched on both sides, she caused a maelstrom during the climactic head to head battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman.

With these subplots going on in the back burner, it was amazing (and did I mention AWESOME?) to watch how things ended up.

Capt. Jack did not become the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. He and Barbossa, back from the clutches of death, both seek the fountain of youth. Barbossa steals the Black Pearl once again from Jack, leaving him a dingy. One step ahead of Barbossa though, Capt. Jack Sparrow manages to steal the map (the one they acquired from Sao Feng) beforehand and armed with his compass travels out into the sea to find the fountain of youth.

Will Turner had a twisted fate. Or destiny as Tia Dalma once said. He became the captain of the Flying Dutchman freeing his father. However, the price of this was that he has to remain captain of the Flying Dutchman forever, guiding the souls lost at sea to the underworld. He is to set foot on land every 10 years to meet his "Calypso," who happens to be Elizabeth, and their son. They were wed in the middle of the battle in the maelstrom by Capt. Barbossa. (LOL, talk about wedding disaster.)

Will there be a Pirates 4 then? I could not say with certainty, but with Sparrow and Barbossa searching for the same thing, there is a probability. I do not know about Will and Elizabeth's fate though, if it could be undone. It can be a start of another story altogether.

What made me sad though is the death of Commodore James Norrington. Eventhough he caused a lot of trouble in the movie, how he died just don't make sense. It's just too lame. His character was interesting in POTC 2 only to be extinguished like I nothing. I personally like his character.

Anyway, I think with the length of what I've written here, it only means I enjoyed the movie immensely. Heck, I'm gonna watch it again.

And as a final note, Capt. Jack Sparrow is truly one of the best characters that fiction could create. Hahaha. Too many memorable quotes and movie scenes to mention.

Watch the flick, this is one movie not to be missed.

Road Trips to Wherever

I've been a bum for almost 3 days now and I have been to several short road trips as of late. After 7 months of the graveyard shift, I am actually happy seeing the sun (or rain ... it's the start of the rainy season). I am also looking forward to my long overdue HK trip next week (so excited I've already packed my stuff.)

Meanwhile, I haven't wasted any time for resentment nor regret. I am living at the moment with my newfound temporary freedom (Well, we gotta work don't we? Maybe in a month.) and I am enjoying my sabbatical from the grind in different ways I can possibly can.

Hmmm, actually please define fun. A week ago I was supposed to go to an interview but my dad's truck (I borrowed obviously) stalled in the middle of the road, ergo I was not able to attend the said appointment (of course I informed my future supposed to be employer - never heard from them again, huhuhu). Anyway, while I was waiting for the mechanics to fetch the vehicle I was invited by my pal to accompany her driving around the provinces (part of her work) that same day. Dressed in business attire, I ended up driving FOR HER (she weaseled me out to do it) around the rural areas under the blaring afternoon sun. It took my mind off the foiled interview and I wished I was wearing more comfy clothing. First time I drove an automatic car - which was insane - for me! My left foot kept looking for a clutch pad, I ended up stepping on the brakes quite frequently. Made me recall one episode of Friends where Phoebe borrowed her grandma's taxi cab ... should've brought pillows to cushion our heads hitting the dashboard.

It turned out to be a semi-road trip 'cuz we went to several towns, I explored the architecture of the old churches that we landed on (my friend's job involves land deeds and she frequents provincial municipal halls ... and I noticed there is almost always a major church just next to these buildings). Unfortunately, the phone memory of cellphone was already loaded so I was not able to take too many pictures.

My Monday also started the same sans the job interview and car problems. I accompanied her around the city and again, I went exploring. The next day, I had to go on a short trip to our farm also in the province ... which was a refreshing refuge from the pollution and heat in the city. Our area happens to be windy and cool even with the sun shining down. Must be the trees (ah yes, those mango trees ...) Anyway, I ended up taking photos of the latest developments (if there were) in the farm ... actually I made more photo studies than what my dad actually wanted me to photograph. The day should've been perfect until my dad hooked up the karaoke system and they all started yowling the whole afternoon. I tell you, that thing is the most destructive Japanese invention EVER.

This day I decided to save on gas and stay at home for the rest of the afternoon. I'll be watching Pirates of the Caribbean this evening and I'm pretty sure I will blog about it later.

It Really Makes Me Wonder

The last few weeks have been difficult for me because my brain hit a speed bump. I've been deciding on whether I should leave my current employment and I finally decided just last night to resign. Actually, last Friday I have informed my supervisor and I couldn't care less of her reaction or non-reaction whatsover. Anyway, nobody on earth can stop me (well ... Orlando Bloom perhaps.)

I spent the weekend lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, wallowing in grief and frustration. I guess having "IT ENDS TONIGHT" by All American Rejects on repeat was not gonna help my current psychological situation. So I decided to turn on the radio and listen for new songs to "acquire" for my I-Pod.

When I turned the radio on, the first voice I heard was that of Adam Levine's. And I remembered that I wanted this song for ages and had some difficulty "acquiring" it. My mood lifted a bit hearing "Makes Me Wonder." The song has this catchy disco-ish vibe that just makes some of my muscles move and groove.

When the song was over, I turned the radio off and turned the TV on, only to catch the video of the same song of Maroon 5.

Like I said, there's a disco vibe going and the video just proved it. At the start of the song, the group boards a Mile High-ish plane. Adam was wearing a tux for starters. There's disco lights and shiny floors but no dancing. Only sexy stewardesses walking around. There's the band performing the song, and Adam being frisked by airport friskers, who happen to be sexy women wearing really really short uniforms (yeah, in MTV world absolutely anything can happen.) In a nutshell, it's an ultra simple sexy MTv. Nothing too loud or that interesting (well, I guess the guys would be interested with the stewardesses in the video).

I logged on to the net and went to YouTube and watched the video again because I swear there's a big change in Adam Levine's look which I can't put my finger on. I don't know if it's the haircut, the fact he's wearing a tux, or something else. Whatever it is, he's still hot.

I also checked the lyrics, and it just made me smirk. Maroon 5's really good in sending out whatever it is they wanted to say with lyrics so straighforwardly cool. I mean the guy doesn't really mince his words. My favorite lines (and perhaps the best lines of the song) goes:

"I still don't have the reason,
and you don't have the time.
And it really makes me wonder
if I ever gave a f**k about you ..."

.... sense the anger? Maybe it's just me and my own anger but it's one line I would love to sing at work before I leave.

Ah, whatever.

Shiver Me Timbers

I could enumerate characters I love.

Gandalf, Eowyn, Frodo, Legolas (hehehe),Amelie, Neo, Trinity, Constantine, Loki & Bartleby .... etc.

But then nobody compares to Capt. Jack Sparrow.

I am dying in anticipation right now waiting for Pirates of the Carribean: At The World's End to see Capt. Jack and crew again. I absolutely hated what Elizabeth did to the pirate in Dead Man's Chest. But then, there should be a crisis somewhere where the third (and final?) installment can kick off. I've seen movie stills, and it looks really good. Specially with the comeback of Capt. Barbosa and the addition of Chow Yun Fat, who looks like a soldier of Genghis Khan. Then of course, Keith Richards is said to be in the movie too. (as Jack's Dad)

What makes Jack Sparrow interesting:
1. He's a pirate. I mean how cool would it be to fill out some bio data form and put "pirate" as profession? :-D
2. He wears mascara better than the ladies. Robert Smith would be proud.
3. The grog-intoxicated swagger. (Only Johnny Depp could pull such).
4. He can talk himself out of anything (except from fellow pirates).
5. He is actually a good pirate (.... if there is such).

I look forward to see my alter ego grace before the screen for one last time.

Here is the synopsis of the movie taken from IMDB:

"After Elizabeth (Keira Knightly), Will (Orlando Bloom), and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the clutches of the Kraken, they must face their foes, Davey Jones (Bill Nighy) and Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander). Beckett, now with control of Jones' heart, forms a dark alliance with him in order to rule the seas and wipe out the last of the Pirates. Now, Jack, Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, Tia Delma, and crew must call the Pirate Lords from the four corners of the globe, including the infamous Sao Feng (Chow-Yun Fat), to a gathering that will make their final stand against Beckett, Jones, Norrington, the Flying Dutchman, and the entire East India Trading Company. Written by J. Curcio"

Pretty pretty interesting!

Minutes to Midnight

I love Linkin Park.

After Meteora (which I think is the last real album made - I don't actually consider Collission Course as an album but more like reanimation of their past songs), I thought they faded into oblivion. They've been too quiet. Besides that, Mike Shinoda had Fort Minor ... which made me think of the possibility of Linkin Park is no more. And it made me wonder what Joseph Hahn would be up to?

(Note of envy: A friend of mine actually met these guys. She had a picture and autograph for proofs. I wanted to maim her - hehehe.)

I was listening to the radio while driving to work, when the DJ said that they are going to debut the new Linkin Park song.

After hearing "What I've Done," I had this itch to get the CD. Well, the itch I couldn't scratch. When I went to the music store, they don't even have an idea of it (which made me think how they ended up working in a music store in the first place - reminded me of the time I was looking for the Foo Fighter's In Your Honor album. I asked for it and their faces were as blank as a white wall. Why I keep on coming to that place? I wonder myself.)

Anyway, I had to resort to the net. And true enough, I have to wait a little bit more for May 15th.

Where is my calamine lotion?

In Search for The Hobbit's Director

For those who are absolute fans of Peter Jackson's version of LOTR, the news that The Hobbit might happen is something that would cause nose bleeds of excitement in our little mortal lives.

I've lost touch with the Tolkien site I've frequented to in the past. And obviously I've been too busy to even log on to read e-mails.

Anyway, one hot sleepy morning, right off from work (I work nights), I turned on the TV and caught one of them gossip entertainment channels. They were talking about The Hobbit.

What shook me to wakefulness was this news that Peter Jackson and the production company were not agreeing about certain things which made Jackson back out of the project. This caused a little bit of sadness because let's face it, Jackson's the only director fit to make this movie. I mean, the whole planet wouldn't know LOTR if not for the efforts of this New Zealander. And besides that, that would mean there wouldn't be a reunion of the New Zealand crew, which I am also a fan of (check out the crazy things they had to go through in the making of LOTR - it's in the Extended Version DVD). The crew and Jackson, for all I can deduce, are package deal.

Aside from this, the production company still wants to make a go for this project and there are rumours that Spiderman director Sam Raimi might be hired to make the prequel. Sam Raimi's reaction to this is that he will only direct the movie if he gets Peter Jackson's blessing.

I had mixed emotions to this. As much as I would like to see The Hobbit in the silver screen, I wouldn't want it to be rushed into being made for the sake that it has been made. Sam Raimi's a great director. He revived the Spiderman franchise. But I can't imagine him doing a Middle Earth movie. If he ends up taking the helm though, I hope to God he's not going to destroy what Jackson's team built for almost 10 years of their lives.

In light of this, if there is a final decision that Peter Jackson will not direct The Hobbit, I thought of directors who could possibly direct the movie.
Some of the nominees are really so far out, but I think they are worth into consideration.

Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth)
- Let's face it. The reason Peter Jackson was so succesful was that he made ample use of his imagination as far as he could (I think the horror flicks he made earlier fueled this). Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth recently won the Oscar's Best in Art Direction, Best in Cinematography, and Best in Make Up. Guillermo del Toro was nominated for Best in Original Screenplay and the movie's music was also nominated. I've seen the movie and I totally agree with the nominations and awards that this movie took. And if ever Peter passes the directorial seat to del Toro, I think this guy can do it.

Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean)
- I absolutely love what Gore did to this franchise. Disney was even surprised with the success of it. The original plan was to make only 1 movie. But because of the 1st movie's overwhelming success, Deadman's Chest and At World's End were made. Ok let's not discount the Johnny Depp or the Orlando Bloom factor, but if you look closer at the sets, the visual effects, costumes .. you know the director took pains in making sure of the details. I am confident he could fit in Peter's boots (Useless Trivia: Peter loved walking barefoot while shooting LOTR.)

Any director from the series CARNIVALE
- This series was shown in HBO and was created by Daniel Knauff. There were numerous directors that shot this series but the constant thing was that the cinematography and effects were really impressive. I think this series did win a lot of Emmy's in that department including screenplay ... which I had to say is very very well-written. It's a huge leap from TV to movie screen, but then sometimes talent comes from places you will never imagine. And besides, Carnivale being a good VS evil story to the core, LOTR will be familiar territory.

Tim Burton
- Everybody knows who Tim Burton is and what movies he directed. He would be any Gothic's director of choice due to his wonderful DARK renditions in everything he directed (Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Big Fish, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes, Mars Attacks, Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow). He is WEIRD to the core and I know some eyebrows would be raised for this preposterous nomination but please do consider that the flicks mentioned above, no matter how weird or dark they were, were very well-made. And wouldn't it be interesting how his version will look like? I mean those elves, beatific as they looked in Peter's LOTR, will definitely be rendered with Tim Burton's little subconscious dark touch (I'm starting to imagine My Chemical Romance's "I Don't Love You" video). And the beauty of this is that it's 100% sure that those orcs and the creatures of Mordor will be badder and nastier ... this realm of Middle Earth falls in Tim's backyard of freaks, and I'm sure he'll make it a mission to add more black evil to these characters.

Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkhaban)
- Yes, I am also a fan of Harry Potter and I have read and watched the movies. My favorite book would be Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. But as for the movies, Alfonso Cuaron's version of Prisoner of Azkhaban was the best. There is something about the movie's direction that is subconsciously dark and compelling and so far away from the kid's coloring book movies. That's why I'm praying real hard that the producers will recruit him again for The Half Blood Prince. I daresay anyone who can make a real good Harry Potter flick can do an LOTR flick.

Other far-out mentionables:

Stephen Sommers (The Mummy)
- I immensely enjoyed the Mummy. The Mummy Returns was kinda stretched though. I guess they ran out of ideas making the second movie. But looking at the set and direction, I was thinking Stephen can do LOTR. He's no stranger to visual effects.

Jean Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, A Very Long Engagement)
- This has to be my most far-out nominee. But do consider, these two flicks have EXCELLENT and SUPERB cinematography. The digital grading of the movies is also wonderful ... like straight out of a dream. Very vivid. But it would be strange to hear Gandalf speak French (as if understanding Quenya is bad enough)and what character would Audrey Tautou play, I wonder?

George Lucas
- Yeah, yeah. He can direct The Hobbit. After all, Star Wars was created because he was not able to make LOTR in the first place. And I also know he helped Peter in some of the areas that Peter could not attend to due to time constraints. But then, he already made history with Star Wars, so I'm thinking that it's better to give other directors out there a chance to shine. Besides, the idea that Jar Jar Binks might do a cameo is just a nightmare.

Out of the Loop

As usual, writing an entry on this blog these days is a leisure.  Today happens to be one of THAT days that I have extra time to do something aside from work.I've missed a lot of movies lately and only rely on other people's opinions about these movies I've  failed to catch:1. 3002. The Holiday
3. Pathfinder

Aside from movies, I don't know what's going on with Gil Grissom and Dr. Gregory House since I've ignored the boob tube for quite some time in favor of SLEEP.The only thing updated in my life is my precious I-Pod ... which I think is not that updated too.  Current songs on repeat are:
1. Hideaway - The Delays2. Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin (actually this is quite old, but I love it)3. This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy4. Look After You - The Fray5. Just Say A Word - Josh KelleyOne pal is dying to upload Relient K songs, but I haven't seen him for a month either.
The only update I have is this:
For 103.5 K-Lite TheBlade fans (you know who you are) ... he's back on the air.  He's DJ-ing on jazz music these days (hehehe). You can check him out at Dream FM 106.7.  Don't have his on-board schedule, but I will get it from a very reliable source (A die-harder fan - I'm just a die hard fan, hehehe, she's THAT worse).

The Wheel of Time Anime Series?

If JRR Tolkien is still alive, LOTR's breadth and scope will be that of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time.

The fact that Robert Jordan is alive and kicking (even health issues such as amyloidosis can't stop the non-tiring author --> Godspeed, man!) only means expansion of his universe is of daily construction. There are 11 and counting THICK books (other accompanying books not included)to prove this.

I've been stuck to Book 4: The Shadow Rising for almost 2 years now. And it's not because the book is bad. In fact, it's so darn interesting. But the inevitable circumstances such as work, movies, other books, and sleep, keep delaying me from finishing the thing.

The book is filled with so much detail that if you forgot about those details, you have to go back and read again so that you can catch up where the story is heading to. And that's what has been happening to me for the past two years.

Anyway, I'm a fan of anime and God knows how overworked my Full Metal Alchemist VCDs are. I also love Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Girl from Hell, and now my current fave is Blood +.

One afternoon while I was retracing my steps back to the Jordan's world, I was thinking that this series would make a very wonderful anime.

Why anime? Well, it's so impossible to make this into a movie due to the details and the length of the story. It's like making Tolkien's Silmarillion into a movie too (not a thick book but filled with so much detail). It's possible to make this as a TV series, but then i fear it might be done cheesily and that will be a big waste.


What makes this attractive as an anime is that the capabilities of the characters and the settings would be unlimited. You can make anything unimaginable in reality possible here.

There are wonderful anime directors out there who can make this one hell of a series. After all, anime directors are no strangers to magic, demons, magic swords, strange creatures, and virtual unknowns turning into something like a Dragon.

And besides, I'm too tired of re-reading this again and I want to move forward. If I only have a DVD copy of this (if it will ever exist)my journey with Rand Al'Thor wouldn't be as long as his.

Incubus - Light Grenades

Initially, every NEW album that Incubus churns out will be a weird experience. Sure there's the recognizable Incubus sound in a few songs, but mostly, the feel and approach of each album is definitely different from the previous one.

There are some fans that will absolutely love one album, and complain and loathe the next because it's so different. But it's the true blue fans who will appreciate their experimentation with sounds (aside from Brandon Boyd's abs - hehehe).

MAKE YOURSELF was my favorite Incubus album (along with SCIENCE). It rocks. When MORNING VIEW came out, I had misgivings initially, because it there was a departure from the angsty sound. Let's face it, MORNING VIEW was the "hanging out and just chillin'" album. I fell asleep and failed to finish listening to it the first time. But over time, it grew on me, and I eventually loved the album. Now, it's one of the overplayed CDs in my car.

I don't have a copy of CROW LEFT OF MURDER, so I don't have much to say about it, except that I really didn't like "Megalomaniac."

Incubus releases an album every 3 years and their latest offering is LIGHT GRENADES.

The carrier single "ANNA MOLLY" is impressive. It made me curious enough to check the album out.

The first song off the album is "QUICKSAND," an ethereally weird song to start an album. Then it kicks off with "A KISS TO SET US OFF." The next songs will then make you think what the band it trying to get at (I was looking for the main theme of the album and the reasoning for LIGHT GRENADES for the title).

And as bleu cheese as it seems, the theme is the none else but L-O-V-E and the insanity that comes with it.

One song is entitled "LOVE HURTS" ... that's how cheesy it gets. It even has a chorus that goes "..love hurts but then it's a good hurt ..." --> Brandon what the heck were you thinking?! But in fairness, disregarding the lyrics of the song, the melody is nice.

High notes of the album besides "ANNA MOLLY" are songs like "DIG" (one of the best tracks lyrically and musically speaking), "ROGUES", "LIGHT GRENADES", "PAPER SHOES", "A KISS TO SEND US OFF", and yes, "LOVE HURTS" (just forget the lyrics).

Other songs either sound the same or are too blurry to comprehend.

In totality, I may have to listen to this again and again, maybe it'll grow on me like "MORNING VIEW."

This album is for serious INCUBUS fans, 'cuz if you're not, it will be quite difficult to appreciate it.

As a fan though, it's a good album. But as of the moment, not really the best.

Not Never An Addict

The great/worse thing about me is that when I totally like/love something/someone, I take it to the maximum. Same statement also applies to hate.

I am an extremist ... that's why the road I travel on is constantly plagued with so much irritation, gargantuan migraines, and blundering trolls.

With that said, I think the psychological profile would classify me as a person also prone to addiction, if I'm not careful. And I take so much precaution in everything because I don't want to lose control of myself. I think I'm so good at doing it that I can actually detach myself consciously from a situation/thing/someone if I wanted to .... hence, the cold-blooded beyatch title.

While I do my darnedest to restrain myself from all the things unclean, unsafe, unfiltered, and that cute married guy in the office ... I realized I get into safe wholesome addictions just to release the pressure from too much temptations/distractions/strokes-in-evolution that surround me.

I do not abuse alcohol, I just drink socially or when I notice that the insomnia eyebags start to appear. Never touched drugs ... just administered prescribed ones to others in the hospital. I experimented with smoking, but I hated the smell (my perfume costs A LOT ... don't want it to be overpowered by the stench of cigarettes). The only 3 reasons that will make me pick a pack of Marlboro lights:

1. A REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD DAY.
2. ESPIONAGE - hang out the dragons/dragonettes, sometimes I need to know a lot of inside info/gossips in the work place.
3. POLITICAL STRATEGY - when I want to know something from a smoke puffing superior.

Anyway, going back to safe addictions. The substance that I am guilty of abusing is coffee. My body will not start without coffee. I recall a time of my life when coffee was my water (and that was when I was in brain-deadening medical clerkship). I even ventured into the cafe business once upon a time (too bad it didn't last).

Another addiction is Lord of the Rings. My ultimate seal of geekdom. My brain is too wired in Middle Earth. Hence, the frequent lapses of autism everytime that talkative officemate blabbers about her lovelife. The crazy book reading rituals and DVD marathons ... and not to mention naming pets with Elvish or hobbit names. Then there's the adopted Elvish name I dare not mention to the unknowing public, for there are very high expectations that come with it (I think I already failed the height requirement since I'm more of a hobbit).

Then there's this anime "Fullmetal Alchemist" ... and the secret wish that someone like Col. Roy Mustang exists. Though I cannot understand a darn thing they are saying (thank you subtitlers!!!) I absolutely love the main theme (sung in Japanese) and of course, the Elrich brother's adventure for atonement.

So why am I suddenly enumerating these things? Well, my pal Chloe is to blame for a latest addition to my addiction (aside from her usual heckling of my undying loyalty to her DJ friend/crush).

She spends a weekend in my place lugging along DVDs of this Korean drama shown in the local TV every weekdays 10 PM (apparently a time when I am shackled to my office cubicle).

I was vacillating at the thought of playing that thing on my player(which I proudly vaccinated on anything tacky). Or so I thought.

I was trying to get some shut eye and was telling her to keep the volume down. When I noticed her selective deafness with my pleas, I got up and watched this JU MONG with her to figure out this fascination she has.

Well, 15 minutes turned into 30 minutes into 1 episode then into 24 episodes. I got converted real fast. She was the one prying the remote control away from me to drag me out of the house to visit Starbucks. When we got back, I resumed watching it.

You may keep your distance from scary things, but it is the virus of curiousity that will always kill the cat.

A Fire Inside - Decemberunderground

Last Christmas, I gifted a friend an AFI CD entitled "Decemberunderground." I had no idea who these guys were then. All I know is that he's absolutely raving about them. So while travelling with my friends one day, I asked him to load the CD (since I think I already etched a crater on my Nickelback CD due to overplay) and find out myself what exactly is the fuss about.

The album started with the song "Prelude 12/21." It reminded me of Depeche Mode, probably because the delivery of the song sounds hauntingly like Dave Gahan. I was impressed. Actually, I was blown away. My senses were tingling ... I absolutely loved what I was hearing. After that, the songs just kept on coming and I have to say that THESE GUYS ARE GOOD. I really don't know what genre to place them because they're not totally punk rock, or even EMO, or even gothic (their faces in the album sleeve though reveals some gothic packaging). It would be too uncomfortable to place them in line with My Chemical Romance (also a great group) or even Evanescence. They're not too wavish like The Killers. I'd say it's a mixture of all with a twist and kick.

Other songs to look out for in this album: "Miss Murder," "Summer Shudder," "Love Like Winter" and "The Missing Frame" --> the most overplayed song in my Ipod.

There is this bad review from Rolling Stones magazine which I totally disagree. The reviewer was complaining of the band's divergence from it's punk rock roots like it's a crime. In their defense, experimentation of sound in this album is not totally novel but it definitely makes a great case. It made them DIFFERENT. It's hard enough to compete and make a statement at the same time with the other bands out there. To prevent oneself from being stereotyped into a punk formula or worse, cloneship, is a daunting task already for any conscious artist. With this album, I laud the creative efforts to bring life to the old blood of rock n' roll with a shot of limey refreshment. This is an album you'd like to listen to when you're tired of the same old thing or if you'd like to get rid of that irritating LSS.

Highly recommended for open-minded rock listeners.

The Process of Un-ORC-ing

There is this book written by Tom Holt entitled "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE EVIL TO WORK HERE, BUT IT HELPS," which caught my attention when I was browsing for interesting reads. I was with a friend that day, who witnessed my amusement with the book's crazy title. She bought the book as a gift to me later that week as a Christmas gift. I never really got to read it since the whole month of January was tornado month at work (explains for the lack of blogs that month - excuses, excuses!).

A week ago, taking time out from the usual everyday BS in the corporate universe, I decided to clean my always cluttered abode and discovered that the book is still in its gift bag, immaculately safe from the dust bunnies slowly breeding in the room. I also realized that I have a lot of book assignments to read ... and so little time to do it (a coffee recipe book, a book about making great writings and speeches, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love In The Time of Cholera, and as a yearly tribute to JRR Tolkien, I made a vow to retrace Frodo's adventure to Mount Doom and into the West by reading the book with the accompanying atlas of Middle Earth every January - MY CERTIFICATION OF GEEKHOOD NEEDS TO BE RENEWED EVERY START OF THE YEAR). --> all that I failed to read. (Tsk, tsk).

Work takes the fun out of everyday living sometimes, and I realized that I've been working too hard for the past months that I forgot my little escapes.

After acquiring my new "precioussss" - 80 GB video IPOD - to keep me from going nuts while I'm with fellow drones, I decided that I will not let the minions of Sauron turn me into a bloody stupid corporate orc (... actually they just promoted me, hehehe).

So I will be un-orc-ing myself by reading those books (at least a chapter a day), listening to internet radio for new songs to get updated, parking my butt on the couch Saturdays to watch House MD and E-Ring, and for the love of God and all things sacred, exercise.

Now, why do these sound like late New Year's resolutions?