I Can So Relate

What To Do

I got this from nodwick.com, as usual. It's what they claim to be the funniest flowcharts on the internet, guaranteed to offend somebody at some level.

Hello, Telly?

How can we truly appreciate that farewell party we gave you if you're still going to be showing up for occasions like the Christmas party where we can't enjoy your absence?

Chocolate Factory Infection

The kid with the hat is the best part of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. He made the character he played believable. Second best was Jason Bateman who played "Mutant".

Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman were just being themselves. I didn't see them to be anything beyond actors.

There also wasn't as much visual thrill in the movie compared to, say, Willy Wonka, that makes every kid want to visit that place.

As reviewers have said, it's too bad. The movie had a great premise, it just wasn't realized fully.

A PK'er with A Cruel Sense of Irony

It's moments like these, and getting a finishing blow at a zombie just as he is about to kill me, that still keeps me playing this game.

I'm right now at a 2x2 block mansion that is used for revivification, which means that it is always open, but all of the buildings around it are heavily barricaded. And the survivors in those secure buildings are always informed about zombies who are in the mansion but cannot be revived because they have brain rot.

These are lambs to the slaughter - and I have joined in their constant bring down.

Virtual Low Life

I'm not proud to say that I personally know a cyber squatter. When I first met him years ago he owned [sapot ng gagamba].ph and was selling off sub-domains, and he had an easy line to buying other domain names. One time he overheard me and a friend talking about getting [alcoholic beverage].ph and what did he do? He bought it before we could decide and said we could split the expense.

I intentionally lost contact with him partly because of that. Now I find him on the net years later and he's still doing the same thing. I won't give his link to prevent him getting more hits, but he's the one who forced a major shopping complex to use aranetacenter.net instead.

I Like This Strike

It's been a while since I last bowled (hint, hint). Was it really during the first term?

But that's not the point of this entry. Sure I'll respect the rights of those who want to stop servicing the public to get their demands noticed. But do they really have to harass and prevent those who do want to earn a living for the day and offer help to the stranded commuters? Especially if they have to resort to violence and destruction of property?

An Unexpected Exciting Ride

This is the only thing I waited for and watched in the late night TV news yesterday. I wonder if it would have been visible from the Expressway. Part of me regrets nothing that interesting happens whenever we go there. Maybe next time. Yes, I'll still patronize the place.

Materialism

It's that season of the year again where there are people who advocate maintaining the illusion that someone cares for them by forcing others into an exchange gift scheme, when they can just get something for themselves at the same price and save their colleagues from the hassle of having to wade through the mall crowds looking for their wish list items.

Whatever happened to "asking nothing in return"?

Second Banana

This film may have its origins in a song entitled Jesus' Brother Bob which my friend Joey G. told me about before, or even Monty Python's Life of Brian. After all, what could be worse than being the black sheep of the family compared to such a well-loved figure.

As it is, this movie's antics are old: the look of the North Pole from Tim Allen's Santa Clause films, and the worn out path of someone having to replace Santa in the sled for Christmas night.

It was also a little uncomfortable to see them use the same CG technology in Little Man for pasting the face of a regular human onto the body of someone vertically challenged to portray the elves.

The best part of this movie is the group therapy session Fred goes to where he sees Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton and Stephen Baldwin. They were good sports to play themselves, although too bad it wasn't in a better made movie.

Beach Bride

Only group photo I've gotten so far with the groomfrom last Saturday, courtesy of Migs. Not surprisingly, Ferdie was on the phone about some last minute hitch (pun intended).

I also find it somewhat ironic that his wife shares the same name and even looks a bit like one teacher he had a disagreement with before.

Love Sick Puppy

This is the only way I can describe a zombie that followed me around in Urban Dead today, asking for a revive saying "mrh?" all the time from the cemetery instead of staying there. Finally I had to ask him to stay at one spot while I looked for a syringe to put him out of his misery - and fortunately I had enough action points to do both AND still get back to safety.

n00bs are so precious.

Abbreviated Volume

Just watched the last episode of the second volume of this show. My reactions: great cliffhangers with Nikki , Nathan and Adam. Now that they introduced the fact that anyone can be brought back from the dead and powers returned, what's permanent anymore? If they're trying to be more like the comics, they've succeeded in that respect.

One Website to List Them All

Again from my acquaintance one of the founders of yehey.com I got introduced to listverse.com which has a lot of - what else? - lists. So far I've sampled the top 10 ghost videos, the icredible recordings, manipulated photographs, English language oddities, coolest home science experiments, politically incorrect children's books, and I haven't found any reason not to keep returning.

Snappy Multiple Choice Answers to Questions

From the "chirping" of one of the developers of yehey.com who was a fellow member in an organization a few years ago, here's another browser based game - itself based on a computer game. For now I'm trying it out.

Express Yourself Fist Down Hard

The type I got from Office Warehouse over the weekend is better than this one, because the letters could be attached to each other instead of having to be stamped one by one.

Reminds me of that episode of The Simpsons where Bart put his sticker name on everything.

The Mouse Pokes Fun At Himself

Princess Giselle here looks like a young Nicole Kidman and acts just like a Disney Princess in our world. They could have used someone other than James Mardsen as Prince Edward, as his previous roles break the illusion of him being a Disney prince come to life.

Susan Sarandon has the voice for an Evil Stepmother, but not the appearance. I agree with what the critics say that Patrick Dempsey was a bit too old for the role, although is daughter in the film is precious. The songs were great.

I miss the Alan Menken compositions in Disney animated musicals. I have to wait two years for Rapunzel and three for The Princess and the Frog - although the second one seems to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

More Listening Pleasure

This is what's playing over the digital airwaves around me right now. I'm just in that kind of mood, along with the thankfulness expressed at the end of today's CSI entry.

Need More MP3 Player Space

Even though I watched this weeks ago (and had forgotten to post about it here), it was brought back today by one of my students was singing one of the songs - Good Morning Baltimore - in my class the other day.

It's a fun movie, which I would just watch over and over again for the John Travolta, Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer scenes, but I'll reserve judgment of whether the lead star is - to borrow a phrase from a recent post - a one trick pony.

The Net Good For Something Useful

Faster than inquirer.net or yahoo.com, in less than 30 minutes, this site had information on the occurence already.

Now THAT'S data dissemination.

The Other Extreme from Solemnity

As if I didn't come from a retreat yesterday, last night I finished watching this. It looks like the movie the cast of 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up wished they had made when they were still brat pack American Pie cast age.

The movie takes some crazy and unusual turns, especially the last scene of the night and the ending soon afterwards.

As usual, it glorifies geeks and their habits, as well as attempts to "belong".

Another Shambling Horde Shooter

Thanks to nodwick.com again for the reference. Click on the pic above to be redirected. Features a scientist (like Urban Dead) and a real time daytime preparation before the zombs show up at sunset.

Line Between Game Genres Blurring

Puzzle Quest is a game that's half puzzle (duh) and half role playing. Apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but, "May its tribe increase."

Un-PC Puppets

This is Lucy the Slut from Avenue Q. I was looking for a picture that accompanied the characters singing You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want When You're Making Love but being one of the high points of the musical, I guess they won't have spoilers of that online.

The point I'm trying to make, which I got from a friend's twitter, is that the original episodes of Sesame Street we grew up with are now classified as For Adults. I don't know what aspects specifically they find offensive.

But I do know that one time in the early nineties - years after I stopped watching religiously - I saw a clip of Muppets singing something along the line of "some boys like dolls and some girls like trucks".

Looking Forward to Next Term Already

It's academic advising time again - not like our system is anything like that pictured above. What's funny is that the diligent students who go for their advising on time are the ones who don't need it, while those who are irregular put it off until the last minute, so they usually get closed out on the sections they should have planned for in the first place.

It's a vicious cycle.

A One Song Playlist

A one-trick pony is what we call someone who, when given the chance to show off to other people, will repeat the same "talent" over and over again.

Unfortunately, last Friday's Talent Quest was witness to this. And, no, I'm not talking about Dodong or Bryle. Besides spinning books Dodong has a gift for stand up comedy, and Bryle in the past three Talent Quests has shown ability in physical comedy as well as dancing. I'm talking about someone who, in four different occasions in this school, has played the same song - the one song he bothered to learn to show people he has "musical talent".

Using The Net for Everything

I've seen people use public software for to-do lists, shopping lists and such. Now we can tell people of our debts to them, financial and otherwise.

The Domino Effect

Rube Goldberg's impractical machines have graduated from paper to electronic bits with the advent of net video, but this one is made from flash, and easier to produce than using physical objects.

Once again it was found courtesy of nodwick.com.

Clear Information Is A Two Way Street

Some girls are like this rider (the one on the right) dangling a carrot in front of a guy (the horse in this analogy) by letting them hope that one day their declaration of affection will be reciprocated.

Isn't it supposed to be the case that if the guy is honest enough to tell the girl of his true intentions, he deserve a more sincere answer than "I don't want to talk about it anymore because I don't want things to change between us."?

Can't you say directly "I don't like you in that way"? Or do you love the attention you are getting from all these guys who are fighting to be at your side?

No Need For Subtitles Or Sound

Besides 3 other movies that I've mentioned in csi the past week (Unrest, My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle) this is actually the last film I need to get off my backlog stack of posts.

I watched this during a birthday party where there were other more dominant sounds in the house. But it wasn't really needed, or having seen the first two installments, which I hadn't.

All that was really needed to know was that all the people placed in these torturous traps deserved their fate.

And it's still not my cup of tea, just good grossouts to share with friends who love to skirt the edge of squeamishness.

A Break

Will be returning to my Movies I've Recently Watched List Week tomorrow, when it will be extended to a week and a half.

For now, this is the closest approximation online I could find of that picture I talked about in csi that was in the hall of our retreat house.

In the dim light, it's possible to believe at first glance that the picture has opened its eyes and is looking at you as you pass.

Ah, the stories that can be told about the dead in holy places. It can rival old houses and war fortresses any day.

Balls of Inadequacy

Balls of Fury is obviously trying to do a Western version of Shaolin Soccer, using a sport that traditionally Asians also dominate - maybe even Talladega Nights or Blades of Glory.

The best part of this movie is Christopher Walken. He is at his scariest when he is trying to be friendly and smile.

Otherwise, there are very few good jokes, and there were several points when I thought "I could have come up with a good visual gag at that point.

Maybe if it were Rob Schneider or Will Ferrell behind the wheel it would have been different.

It's also sad once promising actors like Jason Scott Lee reduced to something like this.

Lust, Yield

I think this picture captures the essence of the movie. I would have passed up watching this movie from the poster alone, which made me this it's The Female Departed, then I saw a positive review in Jessica Zafra's site.

Somehow I forgot about reading on the sex scenes in the movie, so I was surprised by them, how graphic they were. Made me thankful I didn't watch Brokeback Mountain, if this is any indication of the director's intensity.

As for the story itself, it's definitely not formulaic Hollywood spy stuff.

Six Degrees

Hollywood is fast becoming an insider playground, as evidenced by the number of people in this movie who have shown up together in others.

Kevin Smith and Jennifer Garner were also both in Daredevil. Kevin Smith and Timothy Oliphant were also in Die Hard 4.0.

Anyway, the main plot of this movie is that Garner's fiance dies days before their wedding, and then he finds out about his secret life, supporting a woman and child in another state. Not really original. There's also something taken for granted about their living arrangement, she living in a house with his two best friends after the funeral, and a third guy who works in that other state, and knows about the secret life.

By the way, that dead fiance is never shown, not even in pictures, a running 'gag' throughout the movie.

One bright spot here is that Kevin Smith finally spews himself some of the witty banter he puts in other people's mouths in his other films.

Goodbye Horses

One of the early teaser posters for this movie before The Passion of the Clerks subtitle was finally dropped.

The movie does not disappoint. It contains the same juvenile humor and dialogue as the earlier films (as well as a hint of continuity from Dogma - except for Ben Affleck and Jason Lee's characters), with a dash of maturity (a hangover of Jersey Girl?) thrown in.

Besides, I want to support what few people there are in Hollywood who do not bend to the winds of shallow popularity.

BTW, the title of this post is the name of a song used in this movie that is lifted from another movie which has one scene recreated.

Joys of Pregnancy

Day 2 of my Movie List Update Week. Knocked Up has funny intelligent writing, and a great cast. I loved the banter between Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen just like in 40-Year Old Virgin, and Leslie Mann in a role very different from her best-remembered character of Ursula in George of the Jungle.

Sadly, Katherine Heigl wasn't playing someone very far from how Izzy in Grey's Anatomy would have acted.

This film is a great counterpoint to another very hilarious film about expecting, Nine Months starring Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore and Robin Williams

School for Scoundrels 2 - I Wish

This will be Adding to List of Movies I've Watched Week here, because I'm getting so far behind in putting down all of these if I keep it at once a month.

This movie was a bit disappointing. I thought it was a good premise considering Billy Bob Thornton's great role in School for Scoundrels, and I thought he would have a good fight in his hands against Stifler.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what we got. Sean William Scott is a guy who wrote a self-help book long after his traumatic experiences with a cruel Physical Education teacher, only to come home and find out that teacher is now dating his mother.

It wasn't as funny as the earlier mentioned Jon Heder film, and nor was the ending as satisfying.

There were so many unresolved plot points, such as how the town felt about Sean's character after his outburst at the commemmoration, and if Thornton's character was never reprimanded for his abuse of the students.

False Expectations

The problem with good books that are adapted into movies is that if there is something somewhat lacking with the film, the inevitable question a person would have is "Is the book better?"

When that was asked about Stardust, I just deflected the question by saying, "I read the book for the words. I watched the movie for the visuals."

And from the trailer of the film, I was also asked before watching, "Please tell me he doesn't break up with his fiance to be with Claire Danes."

I was tempted to say, "If I tell you, will you not watch with us?"

And afterwards, when it was shown that there are situations when you want a couple to break up - such as when she doesn't deserve to be with someone as good as he is - I could have asked, "So you don't like it that he broke up with her?"

Sometimes, something other than what's on the screen can ruin a film for a viewer.

The Guilt Leash

This will give a totally new dimension to what I just wrote today in CSI, but sometimes being with friends, they want you to enjoy so much what they like that you're willing to be dragged around to see things that ultimately end up being doubly tiring especially since they want to stay out very late and you're the only one who has a long trip home ahead.

Drastic solution of the moment: limit these instances to once a month or longer, by saying I'm not available most of the weekends they invite, which isn't exactly a lie anyway.

Footnote: the picture above is from the American soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners, which is the second time in a month I've used a picture here of such cruelty practices by abusive US citizens.

CK vs CK

Current science fiction shows taking advantage of actors from old science fiction shows (such as Star Trek people in Heroes) with Dean Cain appearing on Smallville as an immortal named Curtis Knox, leaving the doors open for a recurring role.

This seems to be a very interesting year for geek fans.

I'd Like to Lift Those

Still on shopping, this is one of the items I'm tempted to buy next time I'm in Japan Home Center, as mentioned in CSI.

Trust the Japanese to come up with a creative poster like this, considering the round containers are filled with liquid.

Reptilian Writing

One of the less than P100 purchases I made last Sunday, as detailed in CSI yesterday. Even with the ink run out, it's still a nice pocket toy.

Mediocre Work Will Out

You keep skipping your classes for laziness or spa treatments or to go out with friends and it will reflect in your work and in what the teacher grades you. You have no one to blame but yourself.

Never Stale

Weird Al's latest album (released last year) Straight Outta Lynwood has a lot of nice memorable songs, but none that are vocally challenging like Hardware Store or Horoscope for Today from his previous albums. You're Pitiful is a free download that wasn't part of the album though, due to declination not by the artist spoofed James Blunt but by the record label.

Pathetic Follow-Up

The first indication that this film wasn't going to be as good as the original is that the main star is gone, replaced by a boy band refugee. It's sad, because the comic antics of the supporting cast really does try to bring the whole thing together, but it wasn't enough.

Recommendation: borrow the DVD from someone else, but don't spend money on it.

More Updated Childhood Games for the Tech Age

Just like that "Catch the Differences" arcade game in Town Center that Mokey likes, this one (which I found through nodwick.com again) has the player looking for small changes between two side-by-side pictures. The main draw? The pictures are animated, and sometimes tell a very quirky little story.

Too bad I finished it already. Hope they come out with more soon.

Kicking Someone When They're Down

Urban Dead update: Just when I'm down to my last few AP and looking for a secure building, that's when a zombie starts chasing me.

Usually even if I don't get to enter a safe house, I use my last AP to get inside any ruined building, making it just a bit more difficult for zombies to find me (am not visible in a 3x3 grid like humans who are outside), unless they do a house by house search which uses up AP. Then I'd log in again in a few hours just to use the handful of AP generated to get to safety.

So it wasn't surprising that after clawing at me in the street and I disappear, the player behind the zombie started looking for me inside the nearby buildings. It was just his luck and my misfortune that I was out of AP at that time.

When I logged in again an hour later (enough for me to get in the neighboring heavily barricaded building) I was dead.

Good news though: I did get all the zombie skills in one sweep, using my 1800+ XP.

Side note: the video still above is from the 1991 LA police brutality case on black suspect (mind you, not yet convicted) Rodney King on the street.

Foreshadowing of today's caveat to be careful what you do, because anyone can have a camera phone to capture the moment.

Monsters and Side Quests

I was suprised how far I was able to get in this game Jade Empire in less than six hours. Even with the added necessity of having to talk to everyone you meet, it was still pretty fast paced, having been used to games where you hang around a certain locale or setting for an hour at least trying to uncover what will lead you to the next stage or level.

There were some clunks, such as the character having to move to a certain point in front of an object to be able to open it, but otherwise, I wasn't annoyed or bored with it.

Anthem?

This girl originally came out with a tune whose version by Ronan Keating is being played in local radio stations.

It was only recently when I really listened to the lyrics that I realized it contains at least two phrases that are part of my personal philosophy: the first line about keeping a sense of wonder and not following the path of least resistance.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

Brain Eaters Don't Get Dehydrated

Resident Evil: Extinction is set in the desert. There are infected crows (although there were also those in 28 Days Later) and supposedly intelligent zombies, but the best fight for me is still the one with the dogs at the start. Besides that it tried to go back to what made the first movie great by returning to the mansion, but I would have rather seen what happened after the last scene.