Contemplathings XIII

1. My long-overdue Pene tribute. Nobody talks about the Oscars anymore, but a kudos post to someone like Penelope Cruz is perhaps always welcome; I just couldn't find the right mood to write decently and finish my blogpost draft. So I'm typing away randomly instead in an attempt to while away the hot afternoon hours.

2. Friends at the Collegian. I know I should not have reduced myself to being published in Inquirer's Youngblood. But I did, because I was bored, and now I have to live with the fact that Jerrie et al are disappointed with me. There's an unspoken but mutual opinion among them that I took the easiest way to write and get published, which is a polite way of saying I'm cheap. I'm afraid I don't entirely disagree. Lesson learned: do not ever do things out of mere boredom.

3. Last Order sa Penguin, by Chris Martinez. I just reread this Palanca-winning play, and I hope a theater house thinks about doing it onstage again. We could all certainly use a good laugh.

4. Rurouni Kenshin. I have liked anime well enough before, but when Naruto and a slew of other crass anime shows came into the picture, I lost my eagerness to watch more. I decided to watch Rorouni Kenshin (Samurai X) on DVD these past few weeks, and found out it was quite historically accurate to Japan's Bakumatsu period. Some even say most of the characters were patterned after real Shinsengumi members. I religiously followed the TV series back in high school, but I have never given much thought about it.

After I'm done with Rurouni, I'll hunt next for a copy of Neon Genesis Evangelion. Also back in high school when I was following the series on national TV, I always thought Rei is hot. And then I started noticing Shinji is hot, too. LOL.

Declaration of bankruptcy

I will be incommunicado thru SMS for the rest of the week. The current financial crisis is global. Please send me messages thru GMail (the one in my blog profile), Yahoomail, or UP Webmail.

To Do

Two whole boring rest days prompted me to reacquaint myself with my teenage era icon Jessica Z. Before she resigned herself to writing a column for a daily with a notoriously hideous layout, she had far better days. And when she frequently alluded to her three faithful readers back when she was still with the old Today, I swear she might be referring to Victor. Now look at what she did to me.

In any case, I opened my old Twisted books and browsing through them, I added a few items on my to-do list.

1. STORE BOOKS IN OLD SHOE BOXES; it prevents them from being dented. A pretty useful suggestion for me since all my books could not fit into the new bookshelf I bought. Jessica said she learned this helpful tip from Teddy Locsin, who also mentored her on the many better ways of covering books in plastic, without even using adhesive tape.

2. GO EAT AT MASUKI. Ever pined for old Ma Mon Luk where your folks often treat you with heavenly mami and siopao? Pine no more. I found out Masuki in Binondo is the old Ma Mon Luk, reinvented by the very children of Ma Mon Luk's owner. Now I'm too young to be familiar with the legendary Chinese joint, but everyone talks about it with such fond nostalgia that I am curious to find out if the reputation is well-earned. I suspect that I will hardly be disappointed.


3. SEE MAXIMO OLIVEROS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES. My VCD copy naturally doesn't have subtitles, but I could perhaps raid Quiapo for a DVD. Jessica subtitled the acclaimed film and I am curious how she translated some lines that would sound awkward in English. i.e "Hindi po yun shabu, tawas po yun!"

4. FIND OUT WHAT "JEPROKS" REALLY MEANS. The world dominatrix wrote "jeproks" came from "projects." I could not figure out the connection.

5. DELETE MY OLD HIGH SCHOOL BLOG. My writing style then was patterned after Jessica's witty, kick-ass diction, and it annoys me ceaselessly to be reminded that I aped someone else's schtick. The atrocious grammar errors dont help either.

PS. My (girl) friends back in high school have all expressed curiosity why I like Jessica Zafra back then. She bashes men on a regular basis, why do I read her? My darlings, if you're reading this, why are you so bad at getting hints?