Bataan Highway

I have known a couple of streets, avenues and highways here in the Philippines named after the Americans such as the McArthur Highway, Taft Avenue and McKinley St. Some are even named after a place in the United States like the New York St. and Times Square St in Cubao, Quezon City.

I never thought though that there is a road in a US state named after a place in the Philippines - the Bataan Memorial Highway in Indiana. The road commemorates the heroes of the Bataan Death March.

On Planners And Remembering

...To escape the certainty of oblivion,
...This is what drives our species to diaries.
- Timepiece

Recently, I have forgotten a lot of things - birthdays, appointments, tasks, etc. And it is all because of not constantly checking a planner I got from drinking a lot of coffee. It is quite interesting though that Starbucks still believes in paper planners despite the emergence of PDAs and smartphones. A stylish old-fashionedness is definitely involved there. Anyway, what I do not like is the Starbucks planner itself. The cover, ballpen and incorporated cards are pretty commendable. But unlike a slim sturdy school planner I used to have in the past years, the Starbucks planner is really bulky and it does not have the time section. Each date only has notes section.

I can't help but recall the experience that got me started on having an organizer for myself. It began back in my college days when I was in an organization that taught catechism to kids living in poverty-stricken areas. Every Friday afternoon, the org would ride a bus going to a particular place in Fairview to visit them.

I joined the organization without the intention of teaching the kids. I signed up with the org for the sake of having an extra-curricular activity. So that for the whole semester, I was on and off when it came to teaching. On top of that, I was hanging by a thread as a student so my studies took priority over teaching. By the next semester, I decided not to teach anymore.

After about seven months, I felt that I got the hang of things already at school so I became a member of the org again. When I came back to the teaching area, I observed several changes. The place was cleaner and the kids had somewhat grown that I barely recognized each of them. When we were about to start the lesson, my co-teacher asked the kids if they still knew me. A couple of seconds passed and no one answered. Of course, who would remember or even want to remember someone who taught on and off? I started to get disappointed with myself when a little girl uttered, "Kuya Dundee!" They were the sweet words I heard in that place for that particular semester. I was really moved that somebody still remembered.

From then on, I promised to remember a person at least once a year on his or her birthday. I bought myself a planner to do that. But as it turned out later on, you have to be "comfortable" with the planner as well to remember things. Perhaps this coming December, I would be switching back to the school planner I used to have.

Anyone Can Be A Movie Character: A Quick Review of Ratatouille

I had some reservations about the motion picture Ratatouille, pronounced as rat-a-too-ee, as to how it would really appeal to people especially to kids. The Anton Ego in me was somehow clamoring that a house rat is simply disgusting and it can not be a character in a film. A mouse or a kangaroo rat would have been a more suitable movie character. Good for the Flushed Away of Dreamworks though the main character, a house rat as well, looks quite decent. Firstly because the movie is some kind of a clay-animation which means that the horrid furry look of rats is eliminated. Secondly the rat has had some "decent upbringing" if anything like that applies for a rodent.

On the other hand, Disney's house rat, named Remy, is portrayed like a real life rat, with the horrid furry look and without the "decent upbringing". Take for instance the shot taken when he escapes out of a window with a recipe book. Remy even narrates, "This / is me." There is of course some exaggeration there in the window-smashing part but it illustrates to us a known point that a house rat is simply a pest. I wondered whether Disney ran out of characters already that its people decided to choose a house rat as the protagonist. I wondered how Disney would pull it all off.

But after watching the motion picture, here are some highlights about it.

The first one is the introduction's deductive approach which starts from the general to the specific. It begins with the world until it focuses on Chef Gusteau.

"Although each of the world's countries would like to dispute this fact, we French know the truth. The best food in the world is made in France. The best food in France is made in Paris. And the best food in Paris, some say, is made by Chef Augusto Gusteau."

The significance of this is that it immediately captures the attention of those who watch the movie. It situates and pinpoints them into a particular context.

The second highlight is the acknowledgement of some problems. One would be Anton Ego's negative criticisms. He takes cooking seriously and thinks that not anyone can cook. Another would be Remy's being a rat which simply means that life is hard. And another would be his having a highly developed sense of taste and smell which basically paralells the job of a poison checker in the point of view of his dad. Right there at the beginning, people already know whom and what the lead actors grapple with.

The third highlight are the sound tracks. Listening to each one actually gave me the same sensation that Anton Ego experiences when the taste of the ratatouille dish hit him. The music offered me a little bit of perspective. Le Festin and the Ratatouille Main Theme remind me of certain amusing and inspiring scenes of some European films such as Cinema Paradiso and La Lengua de Mariposa. Somehow, Le Festin and This is Me can be associated with some Korean comedy like the Sassy Girl. The 100 Rat Dash and other upbeat music remind me of the Brandenburg Concertos. Cast of Cooks has a bit of jazz in it typical in old thug-flicks such as for instance the Italian Job where Michael Caine starred in. The Paper Chase can be a soundtrack of the Star Wars. Collete Shows Him Le Ropes and End Creditouilles can be identified with a couple dancing the flamenco or tango. Michael Giacchino did a very good job here.

The fourth highlight is the unpredictability of its plot. My expectations were often the opposite of the outcome. In the film, there are always some twists involved. I was about to be filled with disappointment for instance when watching the scene where Linguini discovers the talent of Remy. I somehow had the thought that Linguini would turn up to be the user type. But as it turns out, he acknowledges Remy as the little chef that he even introduces Remy to Anton Ego. I also thought that Anton Ego would be greatly displeased that a house rat is able to please him with a Ratatouille dish. To the contrary, Anton Ego delivers a great very humane speech. Moreover, I had my doubts if packs of rats would really cook in the video because that would be so gross. I was expecting that Linguini would do everything by himself when his cooks leave him. But as it turns out, the house rats really do cook and I had the same horrified look like Skinner's when he enters the kitchen full of rats cooking. Then in the end of the film, Linguini reinforces this fourth highlight narrating that the only predictable thing about life is its unpredictability.

"Anyone can cook" is the theme of the movie. Which means that even a rat can cook. But I think what the movie is trying to say at least to me is that anyone can be a character of a movie. Even a house rat can be a film character and a great one at that. A Droste Effect is present in the film. The Anton Ego in it is only part of a smaller picture. The bigger picture are people such as myself who had reservation about the movie because the lead actor is a rat. These people are the real Anton Ego.

But just like Anton Ego, these people in the end recognize the worth in the discovery and defense of the new. Truly, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than the criticism designating it so. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. Or perhaps not everyone can become a great movie character, but a great movie character can come from anywhere.

Eight Facts

I was tagged by OFWLayf and Tiriza to share eight facts about myself. I am sticking to eight since fifteen may be a bit overwhelming.

1. I have a weird fascination with Kiefer Sutherland's chin. His chin for me is the ideal chin.

2. This may be true for almost anyone but I am a computer-game addict. My favorites are Generals, Commandos 1-3, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed and Need for Speed: Underground 2.

3. I have a collection of movie soundtracks cassette tapes.

4. I was a pingpong player in grade school. And I usually placed fourth or fifth out of six players.

5. In high school, my best friends and I formed a music band called Sugar Day. We were big fans of the Sugar Ray and the Green Day back then.

6. I was a freshman in college when I had my very first email address. And I'm still using it until now.

7. Sophomore year was the first time I entered a cinema in my whole life. The motion picture was The Mummy Returns. The movie theater was full so my schoolmates and I were standing when we watched. But I remember I was quite amazed with the hugeness of the place.

8. The next time I watched, I made sure I had a seat and some popcorn.

Now, I am tagging the following:
1. Punditocracy
2. Lemon Ink
3. Ar-Wee-Der-Yet
4. Bobo
5. Hello Katkat
6. Charissesr
7. Walking Tower
8. Ang Peregrino

[Update: Jehzlau Concepts tagged me as well.]

An Impromptu Road Trip

What would you do if you found out that your planned activity of shopping for a barong, several dvds, shirts and pearls, does not suffice to end your day?

The big answer of the Band of Bloggers last Saturday was to take an impromptu road trip to the not-so-distant destinations such as Cavite and Tagaytay. Whether the out-of-nowhere pitch was a good one or not, the Band of Bloggers hoped for a big sign.

A sign came when two moving violations were committed. In the span of ten minutes, two traffic enforcers approached us and asked our driver for his license. Twice we thought we were doomed with our day ending up without the road trip. However, luck must be on our side because twice, the traffic enforcers let us pass. It was quite a good sign for us to embark whole-heartedly on the journey.

However, as people say, life is never without a drama.

About fifteen kilometers away from Tagaytay, our ride overheated. Our fancy of seeing the Taal Volcano with the sunset as a backdrop was gradually ebbing. But as it turned out, it was only a short detour and we were back on the road in a few minutes.

It was then 18:30 pm and the fact that it was still bright filled us more with every excitement to see the smallest volcano. The sun was holding up for us. Eveything was flowing smoothly.

Until we stumbled upon some fog. But we were immediately relieved to find that it was the making of a trike belching a cloud of smoke. A mile further and we were able to catch a glimpse of the lake....

...And it was incredibly unbelievable!

The fog wasn't just the making of a trike. Instead of a picturesque scene, everything else was foggy! It was quite a huge disappointment to see the Taal Lake covered with clouds. We weren't lucky after all.

After unloading our misfortune over dinner at Leslie's, we headed home. At that moment, we were just exhausted and dismayed to talk about anything so we just kept silent.

But as people say, life is full surprises.

Right at the middle of the journey at the middle of the road, our van broke down. It is pretty complicated to delve into the details now but we hit the road after about two hours of getting stuck at the place. Good thing a karaoke bar was nearby we were able to sing out our miseries a bit.

So I ask you again. What would you do if you found out that your planned activity of shopping for some things, does not suffice to end your day?

Try an impromptu road trip.

Take note though that when you get passed two traffic enforcers in a matter of minutes, you better think again.

Reminder of Life

[If] by evening you will die...
...Drink a glass of juice,
Bite an apple,
Contemplate at length an ant that has found its food...
...Put on the latest fashion in Italian shirts,
Parade...in an entourage of Spanish violins,
And walk to the grave!
- Mahmoud Darwish, Remainder of Life

I still can't get over the ability to experience the next two minutes of your life before it actually happens. What if you are able to stretch further that ability and you are able to see the next 24 hours?

I'm pretty sure you could use some help from this skill especially when you happen to be Jack Bauer.

But Jack Bauer aside, what if you see the next hours and by evening you will die?

Would you try to evade death? But what if you might have more sensible things to do than evading it? Or would you try to do every worthwhile thing you must do before your time comes? But what if you are just too young to die that evading it is the only way that you could do more worthwhile things?

So much about what if's. This must be the effect of reading Dilbert's philosophy of thinking the opposite.

Anyway it was the poem Remainder of Life that got me wondering about all these.

Bamboo Jeep in Boing Boing

Apart from getting my pop's bamboo jeep featured in the popular Boing Boing, I finally got my blog linked in the site. And I was really ecstatic when I saw it. It was only a couple of days ago when I posted about daydreaming about links from Boing Boing and here it is now!

Thanks to Cory Doctorow for posting!

Taking a Break

My blogging has been as frequent as my asking my sister where the tv remote is. To give way to other important priorities like taking comprehensive exams, I have to give up blogging for a while.

Even my asking where the remote control is.

And wish me luck!

Looking For a New Project?

Try raising your eyebrows separately.

Or twisting your tongue.

Or wiggling your ears.

Or better yet, try looking at the 43 things that you could do.

Excuse to be Mean and Rude

I guess there are really times when you have to be mean and rude to take out the stress.

3. "How many times do I have to flush before you go away?"
6. "Don't bother me! I'm living happily ever after."
11. "YOU! Off my planet!"
12. "Therapy is expensive. Popping bubble plastic is cheap. You choose."
21. "Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't gone to sleep yet."
22. "Back off! You're standing in my aura."
26. "Nice perfume. Must you marinate in it?"
37. "If assholes could fly, this place would be an airport."

Read more here.

Novena to the Holy Spirit

Here is a novena I prayed back in the secondary level when I was hoping to get accepted in a university that I liked. I completely forgot about it afterwards. It was only recently that I found it again by chance in a newspaper classified section after about seven years. It said that the novena should be published once a prayer is answered. I never thought that I could get the chance to publish it since I was thinking then of the newspaper method. But here, I'm glad that there's the orange button.

Holy Spirit, you who make me see everything,
and who show me the way to reach my ideals,
you who give me the divine gift to forgive,
and to forget the wrong that is done to me,
and who are, in all instances of my life, with me,
I, in this short dialogue, want to thank you for everything,
and confirm once more that I never want to be separated from you,
no matter how great the material desires may be.
I want to be with you and my loved ones
in your perpetual glory.
Amen.

Spacing Out

Petter Gibbons: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late,
ah, I use the side door - that way Lumbergh can't see me,
heh heh - and, uh, after that I just sorta space out for about an hour.
Bob Porter: Da-uh? Space out?
Petter Gibbons: Yeah, I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working.
I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too.
I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.
- Office Space

It's pretty ironic that I'm posting something about useless office skills when I got tons of work to do.

It's not that I'm done for the day (perhaps you are, so go play music on your phone). But it's just to space out take a break. A very short one, I'd add.

Halo-halo in a Bowl

I was supposed to order a classic chicken mami at Chowking yesterday. But since the weather was hot, I went for the Halo-halo Petit instead.

However, I really find that there's something quaint with a halo-halo placed in a bowl rather than in a usual tall glass.

It wasn't really sweet. Or perhaps it was just lacking of sugar (apparently!). And the ingredients weren't really lavish. (I was thinking I should have ordered the Fiesta.)

Or maybe the shaved ice was just too much.

Anyway, I ended up reordering the chicken mami. Only this time, a spicy one.

Hilarious!

Some amusing illustrations from Laughter, the Best Medicine (Reader's Digest).

Karate Kid

Have you ever wondered how the Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso looks like now? He actually appeared in the Entourage HBO series, episode 11.

And what about Mr. Miyagi with his unbelievable fly-catching chopsticks and cute bonsai trees? And the yellow car, a 1950 Chevrolet Convertible (as this trivia site says), he gave to Daniel? Which of course, was used by the Karate Kid, apart from his legendary Karate Pose, to make pasikat to his girl, Ali Mills. How can anyone forget?

Worth remembering are the bully and the evil Cobra Kai sensei as well. It's interesting to note that the bully, played by William Zabka, is in fact an accomplished musician.

Then there were the Japanese in Part II: Chozen, and Kumiko, who is of Filipino descent in real life. I remember hiding behind the sofa everytime I watched the end fight in this sequel.

As a kid, the Karate Kid was my favorite movie. I especially liked Parts I and II. Believe me when I say that I watched those parts like a hundred times. The motion picture was in a VHS tape format then, sent by my titas abroad. Perhaps I'd get to myself an original DVD copy sometime.

Senior Citizen Lane

One time my younger brother and I did one of our favorite pastimes when waiting for our mom and titas finish their shopping at the mall. We went to buy the groceries that weren't covered yet in our mom's list of things to buy. After an hour, our cart was already filled and we were off to the cashier for scanning. We covered both ends of the cashier line-up, from cashier one to twenty something and the lines were really long.

As we were deciding on what line to go to, my younger brother pointed at a particular line where there were only a few people lining up. The line was really short, I should say and that we were lucky. I was really relieved at last to finally finish the task and have some pizza or batchoy at the foodcourt.

While my brother and I were chatting on what food to order, the old guy ahead of us in the line tapped my shoulder and pointed at the sign on the top of the cashier. I wasn't attentive at his pointing and I was bewildered at first and thought about what could be the problem of the old guy. A few seconds passed and I saw him pointing at something. There was the sign saying, "Senior Citizen Lane."

Everything else was a blur after that but my brother was laughing at me!