03 September 2013

Books & TV

Good stuff I watched recently on TV:

- Australia with Simon Reeve (BBC)
- Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve (BBC)
- World's Most Dangerous Roads (BBC)
- Broadchurch (tv series)

- The Bridge (tv series)
- Lonely Planet Road Less Travelled - Kazakhstan/Turkmenistan episode

Just finished reading some books:
- Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham Dixon --> good read, a biography of the artist/painter Caravaggio

- The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova --> wouldn't recommend



The Hundred Foot Journey by Robert Morais - like


And now reading Van Gogh The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, a biography of the artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Reality Bites

And I don't mean the movie.  It's like that Marvin Gaye song "What's Going On?"

When we were younger:
- we didn't know about BPA, and people I know, including me, grew up ok
- we didn't know about non-pure whatever it's called milk and we turned out ok
- we didn't know about gluten-free stuff and we still turned out ok

*shrugs*

And also, when we were younger:
- we didn't have rains that would devastatingly flood a whole area in one day that never got flooded in such short amount of time as it does in these past few years
- (post-Holocaust) we haven't heard of normal governments gassing their own citizens (children, men and women alike) like it's par for the course and another country behaving as if it never happened.

Sometimes it feels kinda strange living in a place so far removed from the tons of misery going on elsewhere (genocide, child slavery, unending cycle of poverty, etc).  It just all the more makes it all a bit more starkly real even if it's not in your face.  Makes one think that hell then begins to seem like not an idea but is actually already here all along, you don't need religion to know it exists.

In the meantime the financial markets await the changes ahead with the US Federal Reserve, Ben Affleck is going to be the next Batman (huh?), you have people named Kardashian and Cyrus not really contributing anything of substance never mind artistic value despite however much they earn/are paid, and Samsung and Apple continue to fight it out with Microsoft playing catchup, etc.

The world is not what it was or I just watch/read too much news/current events.  hehe!  Just sayin'.

Lord of War

Just finished watching Lord of War starring Nicholas Cage.  I thought it'd be an action-packed film but turns out it was even better than I had expected.

I never knew of this film 'til I saw it this past week or so on the TV guide list (Bravo channel) on my HD TV service and decided to have it recorded by the PVR.

Anyway the opening sequence alone was pretty nicely done.  I also liked the montage at the end.  Both are stunning.  I find this film is a deceptively intelligent and creative delivery of a simple but relevant story and this is what makes this film rather brilliant.  It's quite a satire.  And the fact that Nicholas Cage's character Yuri was in his business suit the whole time even when in the desert dealing arms is quite an effective tool to emphasize just what he is relative to the whole story.  It's kinda genius.  hehe.

Kudos to the writer/director Andrew Niccol.  And it's only after I watched Lord of War that I learned that it's the same director behind one of my favorite movies -- Gattaca.  Geez.  lol.

I love the soundtrack/score too. Gosh. Especially the choice of song for the end/credits -- Warlord by Antonio Pinto.   See/hear youtube link below.  I like the sound especially by 1:28 and how it was used in the end credits.  *shakes head*



28 July 2013

Carnivále




I just finished watching two seasons of HBO's Carnivále.  My gosh.  I'm glad I finally got around to it.  Thank goodness for torrents.  Lol!

Years ago when it was playing on HBO back home, a friend mentioned the show and really encouraged me to watch it. But I never got to watch any episode because I always end up catching it when it was playing right in the middle of an episode already, while I was browsing through channels.

Anyway, years later (this year in fact), I still remember that recommendation and decided to try it.  Well what do you know, it's now my favorite show.  Better than Rome, Game of Thrones, Lost, etc., if not the best.  I can't believe it.  If this show was broadcast at the time of Twitter and FB, etc., I think it may have had enjoyed more popularity.  But then again maybe not.  Many good shows today get the ax and the not so good ones remain.

And the actors were all good - especially Nick Stahl, Michael J. Anderson, and Amy Madigan.  Wow.  It feels kinda bad that Nick Stahl doesn't seem to be too active these days.  It's a pity.  (I also liked Terminator 3 where Nick Stahl was in, vs the second one).

The set and production design alone for Carnivále was worth buying the DVD sets for the two seasons for which the show ran.  It's like I just collected something historical, almost factual, but in very good art form.  My goodness.  I'm just so amazed by it.  HBO's Rome's set design/production effort paled next to this one.  Gosh.  *shakes head*  I liked Rome, Game of Thrones, Lost etc but none of them made me buy their DVDs.  I may have thought it but I never did/decided not to.  But for this show, I did.  Especially when it's probably getting harder to find original DVDs for it as time goes on.  It's a great show.  I wish it went on for more than 2 seasons but it's all right too that it stopped where it did.  Great ending. 

22 July 2013

These Made My Day




I saw some robin's eggs one weekend two weeks ago at a friend's place in the country.  I never thought I'd see any, let alone 4 in a nest too, but I have.  Seeing them certainly made my day.



the robin's nest in an overturned canoe stored in the garage,
image that's closer to how it looked (without flash)



 
 w/ flash



there they are

19 July 2013

Colombia and the Philippines...No Reservations

I'm just now watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations as I get ready to leave later for some little neighborhood shopping (it's soooo sunny hot outside...).  The episode is set in Colombia.  Amazing how many things are similar between Colombia and the Philippines.  It's crazy!

Even the streetside restaurant where Anthony is having his lunch with a local coulde be a streetside restaurant in Manila, in a semi-residential street in Manila's Malate district.  It looked like that part of Manila except the people look different.  Lol!

Then they have these colorful little buses for public transport that's pretty much like Manila's jeepneys except they're buses!  Complete with the barker or guy that shouts the routes out for commuters looking to get on the right bus, the markings of the routes on the buses' windshields, etc.

And then of course, the food.  They went to a local market where there were many different sorts of tropical fruits.  One of which was a caimito that Anthony tried.  Caimitos are also available in the Philippines.  One wonders if the Philippines got those from South America originally or vice versa during the heydays of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade... a version of globalization for that time.  Amazing!

Another food they have which the Philippines has too is the chicharron, and the chunchullo (Colombian term).  The Philippines also has chicharron, and chunchullo would be the Philippines' chicharon bulaklak.  The latter are fritterlings of pork intestines.  They are yummy but more of a guilty pleasure sort of food, mainly consumed as a snack.   I wonder if Anthony knew just how much bad cholesterol he was chowing on when he had those.  Lol!  I remember some of my older family/relatives trying to shy away from consuming chicharon bulaklak because it's really unhealthy... a pig's internal organs deep fried to lip smacking crackling goodness! Lol!  :D  And dipped in vinegar in the Philippines as you eat them like chips.  

Colombia has empanada as well.  I love empanada!  Gah!  It's kinda obvious we probably got these pork recipes from the Spanish or perhaps once again, because of the galleon trade and the exchange of cultures and goods between Latin America and the Philippines that surely transpired along with it.

The people might look somewhat different but it's amazing how many things are similar between the Philippines and another place thousands of miles away.


04 June 2013

The Rainbow Fish

I just got a new pet.  And it's kind of a spur of the moment purchase.  Lol.  A friend and I were out shopping and dropped by a pet store because my friend wants to have fish as pets.  I ended up going home with one for myself.

Meet Harry, my new pet fish.



 just splendid!


That's him in these pics, a male half moon betta splendens fish.  Because he was an unplanned purchase that day, I ended up having to buy a small aquarium for him right away too.  The little tank would be temporary.  If he lasts two months, I'll get him a better-sized tank with heater, a filter, and possibly some new companions like neon tetras.





He was just so cute when I saw him because he wasn't a dark blue nor a red-colored fish.  He's like a turquoise, teal, or indigo fish.  Sometimes blue.  Or whatever color the light reflects on him.  Actually, his color's like the rainbow's.  Lol!  So cool.  So don't forget to click on the pics to see them in lightbox format and larger too.


 Harry in turquoise


Harry in other colors


the rainbow fish


So now he's just in his little tank.  I'm planning on changing the stones in his tank.  I got a couple of turquoise and frosted white glass stones meant for vases.  I've now put him in the kitchen and away from sunlight.  He goes crazy with sunlight reflecting himself on his tank walls.  Like any betta fish, he flares his fins and becomes quite territorial seeing another like-sized fish in his domain, even if it's just a reflection of himself.  lol.  Decided not to stress out the poor thing the whole day so now he's in the kitchen where I go when I get up, getting ready for work and when I come home from work.

Harry in his little tank


05 April 2013

Ski-Doo

On break from work for two weeks.  Spent part of the time travelling, including cross-country skiing.  I loved it.  Lol.




 my skis


scenery along the trail



23 January 2013

Lazy Day Off - Outtakes

Some pics of other things going on while working on my DIY outdoor pallet bench.





an antique chairback more than 100 years old from which 
used to be my friend's grand-uncle's chair



 stripping paint off the chair reveals better the 
cool design on this wood


 foggy day!


Timmy's..  after buying some other materials for the bench


the housepets

 a sweet 'ol German Shepherd dog



Lazy Day Off - Kinda





Spent part of a chilly day off putting on the finishing touches to a DIY outdoor bench made of pallets that a friend built for me.

I've been wanting patio furniture for my balcony for the warm months but find patio furniture being sold here quite generic-looking or bulky or just not with the design I have in mind (especially a low-seater design), and if otherwise, quite expensive for sure.  You wouldn't believe how expensive they sell such things here.  And to think I took the outdoor bamboo furniture I got back home for granted when it's quite inexpensive compared with the prices of such things here.  They'd be surprised if they knew.  That'd fetch quite some amount here for sure.  'Cause it's pretty good and sturdy bamboo furniture.   *shakes head*  I certainly haven't seen bamboo furniture here of the likes made back in the Philippines.  And one of the chairs has become my pet dog's chair even. lol. 

I just wanted an outdoor seating solution where I can cozy up/put my feet up on the seat as well, with my laptop, or a book maybe, outdoors at a corner of the balcony. Since a side of my balcony faces a park and the front is open sky, not another building or structure, it'd be nice to hang out there in the evenings especially.

I thought I found the right bench at the right price while browsing through the Internet. But, while browsing the Internet, I also saw some DIY pallet benches I liked. Actually, I preferred. However, no one sees pallet benches sold quite commercially. Not very common. If it were, it'd be probably by a really expensive furniture/design store I expect. And it'd be probably cost at least slightly more than an Apple iPad mini or iPhone, that's if you're lucky enough to find one. So I thought I'd settle for the commercial one online. But made of plastic. =(

Anyway I showed it to a friend and he suggested a bench made of pallets. Well, what do you know! He and I are on the same wavelength. Lol. Didn't think I'd know someone else here, especially a guy, who's into design/art, too. Also, it turns out the commercial one's length is longer than the side corner of my balcony where I plan on placing the bench anyway so ultimately I can't buy that bench for that side of my balcony.

What's even better was, my friend works for a company that gets delivered goods on pallets. A-ha! So long story short, I gave him my specifics in terms of dimension and how low I wanted the bench and voila, got my bench now.

readying to spray outdoor/exterior wood stain on the bench


01 January 2013

Happy New Year 2013!






Just got back from a new year's eve party. Foggy roads on the way home, and up to now outside my window. Wow. I like foggy nights. It just brings a different sort of mood. There's no snow tonight too. Just freezing temperature.


So foggy that my camera had difficulty focusing right away.
I like the effect though.


30 December 2012

Fish & Chips



my plate...  huuge serving!



Went to a seaside town for dinner with some dear companions tonight. Had dinner at a little restaurant called Moby Dick. It was small but bustling even on this winter night. Amazing. Had clam chowder and fish & chips with hot sauce and tartare sauce for dips. Plus ginger ale drink for me. And it was all yummy!! Tee hee


the whale-shaped menu holder on the window sill

26 December 2012

British TV Series

I like the music for the opening titles for the British TV series Garrow's Law. Actually I like the show, too; and its cinematography, especially.




I watched/currently watch the following British TV series:
  • Downton Abbey
  • Spooks or MI5
  • Case Histories
  • Garrow's Law
  • Lark Rise to Candleford

The next British TV series on my to-watch list:
  • the current season of Downton Abbey
  • Parade's End
  • Strike Back
  • The Hunted

Happy Christmas 2012!


Happy holidays!


Blinkety blink blink!! That's a shot of my parol or Christmas lantern. Shipped all the way from Manila with my "goods to follow" cargo. Merry Christmas everyone!


19 December 2012

Planet Earth

One of those things on my wishlist... DVD or if I had Blu-Ray, a copy of BBC's Planet Earth. hehe.

Anyhoo, I know I've blogged this video before with music by Sigur Ros. I'm just gonna blog it again. :P I love this video. It's among the best and most emotive ones I've seen, and heard. Hope you like it too. Such great visuals. Beautiful. Sigur Ros's song Hoppilolla just slams it home more.



Great Intro

My gosh. I watched this film two nights ago and am so glad I did, if only for this opening/intro alone.




That's amazing cinematography, to the tune of Beethoven's music too. Pretty cool.

The movie itself I liked too. Production design, the cute kid.. so funny really. I wonder if Lee Pace never laughed while doing scenes with her. She's sooo cute!! Sometimes seems like she just said her lines candidly. lol.

Classic Disney Christmas Toons

Lol!  I love these.  They're classic.

My fave Disney character is actually Donald Duck.  He's so funny.  And these videos below are among my favorite Disney cartoons.  Watched these in my childhood and glad to see them again online.






This is another of my Christmas favorites, Pluto's Christmas tree.





Those chipmunks are annoying. I love Pluto. Lol. 

17 December 2012

Fave Philippines Video

The Philippines. So beautiful. This Survivor intro did the Philippines justice. The shot of the Banawe Rice Terraces.. gosh! And those animals. And the moving aerial view. I suppose it kinda beats any video the Philippines's Department of Tourism has ever put out.




I haven't watched Survivor in a very very long time. 'Til they shot this 25th season in the Philippines and the opening or intro is truly the best I've come across with Survivor. Makes me wanna go back home (but skip Metro Manila and the rat race and crabs there). Lol!

Then it's got shots of the Survivor participants in slow motion... with true emotion, candidly smiling, or really emotional or just challenged. Pretty cool.

And it's in HD too.  And when seen on a really big screen HDTV... oh wow!

Whomever edited it, chose the right scenes at the right time to the right music. It's just stunning. The best. Well done. =)

14 December 2012

Party Mode

Our team just had our annual little Christmas buffet dinner at the pantry last night. Loved the food and the Christmas cracker best of all.  It's my first time to have one!  And of course I wore the paper crown thingie.  hehe!

table top and a Christmas cracker



 my heaping plate beside my Christmas cracker and 
the little toy/spinning top I got from it


 
 my Christmas cracker and little candy cane


a funny little note from the cracker


I have about 4 more parties to go to this holiday season.  Gah!!!


06 December 2012

Inspired

Amazing runner and inspirational video.  I miss running.


"...pushing out of that comfort zone. 
Makes you realize how lucky and 
how fortunate we are."




"There's lots of different paths you can take. 
Kind of which set of footprints do you take or 
do you make your own path, 
I think that's the same as life.

Kind of if you follow the same path 
you're always gonna be  
making the same mistakes as the person in front of you.

It's about trying to take the right option 
in order to have the best experience and 
make the most of it and 
make that experience a success."



You definitely got that right,  Mr.  Ryan Sandes. hehe!

Add to that, that sometimes, you don't need your gadgets and Twitter and Facebook or what not to be on a high. Teehee! =)

I must say though, the video reminds me of our Himalaya trek guides last year. They could probably just as easily do the running he does, and in Crocs or rubber thong sandals even, honest.

 take note of the footwear climbing the Himalaya, dearie


our Nepali trek guide Hari in his trusty ol' Crocs while 
we were at the foothills of the Himalaya.  
He started wearing the Crocs when his running shoes gave in.
 Kind of made me feel like an utter "highlander" 
in all our gear.  Da hell!  Tee hee!
And he never missed a beat except 
when he had to slow down for the likes of me.  Lol!  
Dhaany baad Hari.  Hehe.



Speaking of trips... I'd like to go on a road trip again some time I just don't know when.  I've done Canada's Icefields Parkway... one of the world's top drives of a lifetime, according to National Geographic.  I certainly agree.  But next, I'd like to try Norway, Iceland, or Scotland.  So many places to see.  I wonder where my next trip shall take me?  Gah.


04 December 2012

Where Is My Mind


Beautiful cover of the song Where is My Mind.



Oh, stop
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse

But there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind
Where is my mind

Where is my mind
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
I was swimmin' in the Caribbean

Animals were hiding behind the rock
Except the little fish
But they told me, he swears
Tryin' to talk to me koi koy

Where is my mind
Where is my mind
Where is my mind
Way out in the water

See it swimmin'
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head will collapse

If there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
Where is my mind
Where is my mind

Where is my mind
Way out in the water
See it swimmin'
Oh

With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Oh
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Oh
Oh

07 October 2012

At the Races

At the races with some buds:







I bet on a horse named Winter Bliss.  A white horse and she looked really graceful.  She led the race at the beginning too, but fell behind to 4th at the finish.  Still she was the coolest-looking horse that day.  Lol!


I Love Fall


It's fall and I love it!  Love the weather, love the leaves, etc.  It's sunny but not humid.  It's breezy.  It's perfect!  Even bought a cute autumn wreath to decorate my hallway.  Hehe!

Plus there's so many good fall shows.  Some old ones are back and several new ones look promising.  There are so many I just don't have time to watch all of them.  These are the shows on my PVR:
  • The Amazing Race
  • Project Runway
  • Revolution
  • Elementary
  • World Without End
  • Revenge
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • Parenthood
  • Last Resort
  • Scandal
  • 666 Park Avenue
  • Once Upon a Time
  • The Good Wife
  • Survivor Philippines
  • American Horror Story

More than a dozen shows!  Gosh.  Some shows I can put off watching 'til the winter I guess.  The ones I like watching best from the above?
  • World Without End
  • The Amazing Race
  • Project Runway
  • Elementary
  • Parenthood
  • The Good Wife
  • Survivor Philippines - because it's set in beautiful Philippines.  Lol.
  • American Horror Story

And the shows I'm anticipating to see:
  • The Walking Dead
  • Downton Abbey
  • Homeland

Happy Thanksgiving!  Gotta get ready for a friend's thanksgiving dinner tonight.  Ciao!

12 September 2012

My Mobile Gadgets & Cons vs Android

I have the ff:

- laptop
- smart phone
- tablet
- cameras

The gadget I can do without most?  The tablet.  It came free so that's good.  I didn't have to spend a real dime on it.  Useful though when travelling and you don't need the additional weight of a laptop, if you need to use one.  But last time I travelled, I didn't get to use it.  Wifis at the airports I was in were quite weak, virtually impossible to connect to or get data from.  That includes Heathrow's Terminal 5 (my most stressful international terminal experience ever... would prefer not to go through that place again if I can help it).  And I didn't think to use it when I got the good wifi signal at a place I stayed in, I opted to use my smartphone for data via wifi instead.  Hmmm.  So I might leave the tablet altogether next time I travel.

As for my smartphone, it's an Android one.  And the phone's a Google Nexus phone.  Came free with the plan I signed up for.

I'm waiting for the Apple iPhone 5 reviews to come out.  It's too bad Apple opted to ditch Google Maps this time as I use it to get directions to whichever location I need to get to.  I wonder how their alternative is?  And if any browser in iPhone 5 would let me still use Google maps?  Maybe I'll change phones to iPhone 5 next year, pending reviews and budget of course.  Hehe!  I do like spending funds on travels, and not on constantly updating my gadgets even when they still work.

If I end up with an iPhone, I might donate my current smartphone to this NGO.  They need it.  And I probably wouldn't miss it since I don't find anything really special with its design.  Hehe!

My Android phone also couldn't be read by my Apple laptop therefore I couldn't back up my phonebook to my PC.  I like Apple's products, but I'm not that much of a fanatic.  These companies should be fined for making things so exclusive that you're forced to buy one or the other.  What a waste.

And I hate how Google seems to have changed the Android function/interface such that I have to be signed in to my Google account to add someone's info to my phonebook.  Even if they allow me not having to sign in to add info to my phonebook, they certainly don't make it easy as I wasn't able to do so.  Therefore, Google would have all the goods on you, and whomever you're adding.  Like they're gathering a directory of everyone on their servers.  The ones you're adding probably aren't going to appreciate it if they knew that their info would be stored by Google instead of just in my phone unit or network operator.  So it's very invasive don't you think?   Which is why I'm still checking out if I'd have the same issue if I switch to Apple's smartphone.

We'll see.

FB Rant

FB.. not F something else ok?  Lol.  FB for Facebook, you know, the social networking site?  Its market value is now not as high as was expected but honestly, how can such a site even be thought to have a high market value?  It's not really even a necessary product or service.   Full of hype and air.  It's like one of those boom and bust dot com sites.  The problem is, it's taking too long to bust.  Lol!

To post and share family pics aside, FB I think is the best tool for snoopy, and narcissistic people who most probably have not such a high concept of privacy and have lots of time on their idle hands.

Obviously I am not fond of this site.  I have an account with it though.  But unlike many people, I don't constantly stream updates on it of what's going on with me, my life, where I am, my opinions, etc for everyone on my network.  I don't know.  Who the *toot* cares right?  Lol.  A little update here and there is fine.  But really, I don't need your whole biography constantly updating.  Good thing they don't post that they have to do number 1 or 2.  Lol!  I swear if these people had FB since they were babies and if such babies already had consciousness and the motor dexterity to even have their own FB and update them constantly, they probably would do so.  Like how daddy or mommy changed their nappies when they had to 'go to the loo', how they burped on whatever food they had, what play date they're going to and with whom, where and when.  And I find it quite pathetic, these unnecessary updates.

So I don't really access it often and when I do, it's mostly to approve someone's request to be added to my network.  You can bet I don't post too many pics of my own family/loved ones on any such site.  And when I do, they're shared only within the family/loved ones in my account.

The only thing I find FB most useful for is to use its messaging tool when you can't reach someone quickly via other alternatives.  Everyone checks their their FB regularly that when they get messages from it, they respond faster than if you email them.  *shrugs*  Worked for me.  Especially when such friends/families are overseas.

Otherwise, I couldn't care less that FB's market value/stock valuation has plummeted.  Actually I'b be only too glad if this site disappeared altogether.  And then there won't be those annoying F U, I mean FB, links in my other consumer electronics or communication sites and devices.  Because like I said, who the *choose your own expression* cares?  Someone should make a survey of how annoyed do people get when they see those share links.  And add how glad would they be if instead of the share link, they are reminded to spend time offline sharing real time, honest to goodness, time and communication with their social network.

Furthermore, I hate FB's privacy policy.  I hate how it sort of co-owns photos you post on the site.  So for a photography amateur/enthusiast like me, I don't post many of my photography too much there.  I put them on Picasa, with better privacy options, and share the Picasa link to selected people in my FB account, if they're really interested to view them.

So FB's okay.  But only in moderation.  And I wouldn't miss it if it were gone altogether.  :P


12 August 2012

Skirt & Bagpipe by the Water



Took this video last weekend. =)

There's something about bagpipes I like.  I'm also reminded of the first time I heard one played live by a female busker (see my shot below) at one of the arched entryways at the plaza near the Cathedral when I was in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

hmmm.. Maybe should have taken a video of this too. hehe.


Some other pics from last weekend:




Sail Away

I listened to this song more than 10 years ago, became one of my favorites and have it in my collection.  I listened to it again today and it's still as great as ever.  Gah!




David Gray and Adele make really sad or emotive music. But I like them just the same. Lol.  In fact I think David Gray's Greatest Hits CD is also perfect while on a long drive or road trip.

space






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