My Oscar Forecast

[Image taken from here.]

Fair warning: Million Dollar Baby breaks hearts.

Over Drinks Last Night

Kulot said she finally saw this blog, and she found the If you run you'll only die tired post amusing. J said that phrase would sound more astig in Filipino: Huwag ka nang tumakbo. I blurted out that the translation would make good copy for an Immodium or Diatabs advertisement.

Awkward silence.

J came to the rescue. He said actress Teri Hatcher has admitted she hasn't had sex in four years. That kick-started the conversation at the table.

The news bit, however, got me thinking. Since I still haven't been adopted, did I perhaps make the wrong Christmas wish?

I'm Friends With A Model!

Cybs, Kulot's older sister, told me she was the lady with the flyaway lock of hair from the website of Asia Pacific Film Institute.

Wow! I visited the site before but I didn't recognize her at all. Galing!

Sev-Fortified

My day started early because I had a job interview at 10 a.m. today. I misjudged the traffic and arrived as early as 9 a.m.

I was finally interviewed at noon. The interviewer said he thought my interview was scheduled at 1 p.m. I didn't mind because I walked out of there with a job offer.

…

Right after the interview I hurried to Ateneo because my favorite kulot was there. She had some business with the Registrar's Office. We ate lunch at the Clubhouse—breaded pork chop for her, inihaw na liempo for me. And we texted alumni friends to gloat.

…

After Kulot left I dropped by my old teacher Sev Sarmenta's office at the Comm Department. He looked better than I remembered. I updated him on what I've done since college.

Sev wasn't surprised I quit law school. Maybe he knew me enough to have an inkling I wasn't meant to be a lawyer. I told him my career plans and he gave me some valuable advice.

Just before I left he said something to the effect that he was sure I would've made a good lawyer, but the career path I have chosen would make me a better person. It was all I could do not to tear up. I received a boost I didn't think I needed.

Cars Up To My Ears

My favorite kulot and I just got back from a walking tour of the Ortigas area. We scouted cars as a favor to a friend. It wasn't pretty—neither one of us was wearing sensible shoes. In fact I was still in job interview clothes. The two of us walked close to five kilometers under the afternoon sun and played patintero with speeding vehicles when we crossed streets. We went to car dealers and asked about specs and quotations we knew nothing about. We took pictures and collected calling cards. Our feet were killing us by the time we finished. But the aches and pains were soon forgotten—helping out a friend is its own reward. At the very least it made the beers we had that much sweeter.

Unintended Comic Relief

I always look out for amusing signs. I saw one recently in Cubao, Quezon City. It's a billboard for a beauty parlor that says, If your hair isn't becoming to you, you should be coming to us. For a long time there used to be a sign in front of a commercial building near St. Ignatius Village along Katipunan Avenue that read, You could've gotten home earlier if your office was here. Anyone stuck in the traffic that area is notorious for would agree. My all-time favorite, however, is the sign of a shop near Camp Aguinaldo in Cubao. I didn't catch what they sold (arms and ammunition?) but I remember the shop sign showed a man aiming a rifle. The copy was so cool I still use it as a signature in my e-mails. If you run you'll only die tired.

Not From Ang TV

X1: Esmyuski.
X2: You're esmyusked.
X1: Ano ang tunog ng baril ng pulis?
X2: Ano?
X1: E, di "prak-prak-prak."

Take a bow, 'Te Anna.

Let's Sing It!

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
And another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust

-Queen, "Another One Bites The Dust"

Joke lang, dude. My congratulations.

Sad News

Our boarding house was abuzz Friday night—one of my boardmates received a call that a batchmate died after falling from the topmost floor of One Burgundy Plaza right across Ateneo. The incident made it to a TV news program late Saturday night and to the Philippine Daily Inquirer the following morning. The reports said the poor youth fell attempting to sit on a railing. Tsk, tsk. What a pity and a waste. I can only say a quick prayer.

Should Have Been A Boxer

Manny Pacquiao will reportedly receive a whopping $1.75 million for his March 19 non-title fight against Mexican Erik Morales in Las Vegas. He will also get 40% of the bout's pay-per-view sales.

In Philippines pesos Pacquiao's payoff would exceed the 100-million peso mark. That is by a mile the best take ever for a Filipino athlete. And he will get it even if he loses.

Damn.

For that kind of money anyone would stand in a ring and make like a punching bag for 12 three-minute rounds. I know I would.

Made Myself Useful

Yesterday I went to the Heny Sison Culinary School along Boni Serrano to assist a photographer friend who taught a short course on food styling. To cap the seminar they held a photo shoot of items prepared by the participants.

Setting up lights and camera equipment and packing them at the end of the day was no easy work! All that lifting fulfilled my workout quota for the week but it was worth it. I bumped into an old English classmate I last saw eight years ago. We were also fed well.

The pictures turned out okay—the food actually looked edible. J was right, there really is no truth in advertising.

…

After the shoot we went to the Asia Pacific Film Institute where my friend taught photography. We sat in a Marilou Diaz-Abaya class. She divided the class go into smaller groups and asked them to make as many unique sentences as they can out of the following ten words: a, eating, at, sits, dinner, man, his, hungry, table, and a. The groups were also asked to think of a shot that would best illustrate each sentence and then share it with the rest of the class.

I found Ms. Abaya a passionate and knowledgeable teacher, if prone to meandering. It's a pity I never had a subject under her in college. I'm sure I would've learned a lot.

…

Oh, China Cojuangco was part of the class. Apparently she studies at APFI. I think her sister Mai-Mai is prettier.

From The Mouths Of Babes

"Tibibord, ikaw 'to," said a nine-year old kid, showing me the bag tag he got from a box of cereals.

It was Frozone from The Incredibles.

Another Satisfied Customer

[Image taken from here.]

At a Booksale outlet I picked up I Ain't Got Time To Bleed: Reworking The Body Politic From The Bottom Up, the autobiography of former Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura. It's a fun read, a colorful account of the colorful life of a US Navy SEAL who went on and became a professional wrestler, an actor, a rock 'n' roll singer, a TV commentator, a radio talk-show host, a city mayor, and a governor.

I first knew Ventura when he was a World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) commentator who defended the "villains." I also saw him as Sergeant Blain in Predator. "I ain't got time to bleed" was one of his lines from there. Much later he played an Arkham Asylum security guard in Batman and Robin.

Four chapters into the book I learned that Ventura was stationed in the Philippines in the early 1970s. Here's what he had to say about the experience:

I loved the Philippines. I was stationed in Subic, and I loved going into Olongapo. It was more like the Wild West than any other place on Earth. In Olongapo, there's a one-mile stretch of road that has 350 bars and 10,000 girls on it every night. Think what that meant to a nineteen-year-old Navy guy! At various bars you had your pick of rock 'n' roll, country and western, you name it. There was one bar that was nothing but transvestites. It was a decadent city. To the kid I was then it was paradise.

Ventura also tells of the time he almost got mugged inside a jeepney bound for the naval base. Drunk from a night out in town, he dozed off inside the jeep. When Ventura woke his four Filipino co-passengers had knives in hand—I'm guessing balisongs—demanding that he surrender his watch, a custom Rolex Submariner waterproof dive watch decorated with the US Navy SEAL trident.

Instead of complying, Ventura dove out of the moving vehicle and rolled into some bushes. He walked to the base but he kept his watch. And his life.

Sounds Like A Plan

In the year 2005 I resolve to: Make the FBI's Most Wanted list. get your resolution here

Bloodsucked

I was in bed when I noticed a mosquito perched on the head of the stuffed Guyito doll that hangs above my bed. Instinctively I swatted it. When I looked at my palm the mosquito was dead. And it was bloodied. I looked at the stuffed carabao again. I'm missing something here, I thought.

Too Many Cooks

[Strip taken from the Baby Blues Archive.]

I love doing crossword puzzles. They're the coolest things aside from the other side of the pillow.

A couple of months back I was stumped by the following clue: "Tim of Star Trek: Voyager." I had the first three letters (R-U-S) but was missing the last. I turned to the one person I knew would know the answer—I texted Yayie. True enough she had the last letter (S). How's that for info-on-demand?

In college we used to do a lot of crosswords—when we weren't playing cards. I'd get those in the International Herald Tribune—one of the more difficult ones aside from those in Today—and then Yayie, Sharwin and I would try to solve them together. We had a name for it: Tag-Team Crossword. One time before a class we even got Sev Sarmenta, our teacher, to join in.

I don't recall us ever completing a crossword from IHT. We would do well, but the US-specific clues would stump us. It sounds like a joke now: How many Ateneans would it take to—? More than three, apparently, he he.

Not Another Questionnaire!

What time is it?
1:13 a.m.

Nickname?
Tibibord. Borcee. Borshing.

Number of candles on your last birthday cake?
One.

What size of shoes do you wear?
Depends on the brand but 12, usually.

Pets?
Peeves, lots. Animals, never.

If your house was on fire, besides family, what would you save?
My life and my books, in no particular order.

Body piercing?
Just the one.

Eye color?
Black.

Birth place?
Iriga City.

Current residence?
Marikina City.

Favorite food?
Inihaw na liempo.

Been to Africa?
Only in daydreams.

Loved someone so much it made you cry?
Uh, yes.

Been in a car accident?
Once, on my birthday.

Croutons or bacon bits?
Neither.

Favorite day of the week?
Saturday.

Favorite saying or phrase?
"Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups."

Favorite restaurant?
Does Shakey's qualify as a restaurant?

Favorite flower?
Gumamela, for bubble-blowing purposes.

Favorite sport to play?
Billiards. Basketball. Bowling.

Favorite drink?
Pepsi or iced tea.

Favorite ice cream?
Selecta Double Dutch.

Favorite candy bar?
Cloud 9.

Favorite fastfood restaurant?
Wendy's.

Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Powerbooks.

What do you do most often when you are bored?
Sleep or read.

Most annoying thing people tell you?
"Go back to law school."

Bedtime?
Early morning.

Favorite TV show?
Pimp My Ride. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Favorite color?
Blue.

Favorite alcoholic beverage?
Rum cola.

Do you smoke? If you do, what is it?
Yes, non-mentholated ones.

Are you clean?
On some levels.

How are you feeling now?
Sleepy.

What will you do after this?
Go to espn.com.

What is your best asset?
My ability to laugh at myself.

What will you do if you're with someone you love?
Smile stoopidly a lot.

Are you stable?
No, but I'm unstable in a nice way.

What's your dream?
A fast and painless death.

Do you love yourself?
Almost everyday.

Are you in love?
A debatable question.