Whoever Said Nerds Ain’t Hot?

Hmmm. Christmas vacation. I’m still here in Batangas. It’s funny how I’ve been spending this much-deserved break — drinking, pigging out and watching TV. As soon as I wake up (which is at exactly 11am, haha), I turn the TV on and channel hop from National Geographic to Discovery Channel to National Geographic to Discovery. I call it my “nerd-reflex.” (And it’s definitely better than some of my friends’ morning “jack-off” reflex. Haha.)

You see, I missed geek channels so much since I don’t have cable in my flat in Quezon City. And it’s been a while since I indulged my nerd-alter-ego. The past two years, I had to give way to the diplomat in me and worship CNN and BBC in my spare time, which was “all the time” back then.

Almost two years ago, I wrote this:

If watching National Geographic and Discovery channels is the top sign of being a geek, then wow, I am definitely one. There are a lot of shows that I really make an effort trying to catch. But I’m terribly pissed. For some reason I am yet to enquire about, my cable provider seems to be stationed on another continent. Why? Because what we have is Discovery Channel UK and National Geographic Channel UK….

…Unlike Discovery Asia and NG Asia, the channels we have show European schedules. For example, I want to catch a certain show, I always need to add five or six hours more to the time they show on the screen, because, of course, they’re in Europe. And I never get used to it!

Now, nothing much has changed. My cable provider still seems to be based overseas. But this time, not in Europe but in another continent. They are now giving us Discovery and NGC South Africa. What.the.heck.

Not that I’m complaining.

The other day, they had a Bible Uncovered marathon. This is a documentary series on National Geographic that examines the great biblical stories and the passionate quests to understand them. Did any of the miraculous events described in this sacred book really happen as recorded? A team of scientists joins forces with religious scholars to investigate biblical tales of murder, miracles and mystery.

The entire day, my eyes were glued to the TV. And whoever came between me and the screen got a nagging of BIBLICAL proportions.

I was able to catch episodes about several rock-my-non-existent-faith subjects — from what really happened to Cain and Abel to the search for the Noah’s Ark to the Shroud of Turin to the Gospel of Judas to the idea that Jesus did not actually die on the cross to the Dead Sea scrolls to the Knights Templar. It was the best day of my vacation (not including yesterday, when I visited my favorite orphanage).

And other than Jesus, there are just two men that I really, really want to see on my TV all the darn time. They’re like my dream guys, hot and smart.

Discovery’s BEAR GRYLLS

I chanced upon his show Man Vs Wild in the middle of channel surfing several months ago. Discovery is sandwiched by CNN and BBC. I saw him shirtless, trying to eat a live sea urchin. And I said, “oh that’s hot.” And I wasn’t referring to the urchin-eating stunt. Since then, I’ve been following him. On TV, that is.

The show works like this: he is dropped into an inhospitable region like a desert or a small tropical island or Siberia. Imagine him as a lost, stranded tourist. Once there, the show documents as Bear demonstrates how to survive in the place and get out of it alive.

The series has shown him devouring a live fish, gorging on raw meat and drinking the fluids of camel/elephant dung. Although, there have been some controversies in the UK insinuating him faking his stunts, I still love him. Haha.

Bear Grylls peeing on his shirt to survive in the desert

Wanna see him drink his own urine? Continue reading »

TV Rundown 2008 | Comedy

Pushing Daisies | Seasons 1 & 2
Genre: Comedy; Creator: Bryan Fuller
Stars: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth

I admit that the whole Pushing Daisies idea was a little too quirky and too whimsy  and too fancy for me. I didn’t think I would like it. I’m just not the type of person who would enjoy magic realism shit. My kind of comedy is closer to that of Desperate Housewives or House. But I dunno, last year, after one episode of Pushing Daisies, I immediately fell in love with it and all its quirks and fancies.

The series reminds me of Amelie, a Jean Pierre Jeunet masterpiece. And everything about it is just TRULY delightful — the bright colours, the oversaturated scenery, the witty narration, the fast pace, the overall concept, and above all, the piemaker. Haha. I declared “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m officially gay.” At least stereotypically. You know, the colourful, flamboyant, I-wanna-experience-Mardi-Gras-gay gay.

And I was just sooo happy after the show received a couple of well-deserved Emmy nods and tons of nominations. And then a little later, ABC just killed my mood. DARN! Why did they have to cancel the show?! I know why, actually — modest ratings. But heck. I know life is unfair but not this no-more-piemaking-eyecandy-unfair unfair! It’s just sooo… unfair. Gaaah.

Dammit. Pushing Daisies is the drug. And it takes me to a new level of television-high. I feel like I’ve been so addicted to this show that I’m this close to joining a support group just to get rid of this addiction. But I don’t really want to get rid of it. (Gahd, I’m lost in my metaphors.) And then just like that, my stash will be gone soon. Someone’s gonna be suffering from Pushing Daisies withdrawal big time.  5.0

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Ugly Betty | Season 2
Genre: Comedy, Action, Thriller; Director: Joel Schumacher
Stars: Val Kilmer, Chris O’Donnell, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman

I am yet to start watching the third season so I can’t say anything about it. But the second season is just lovely. The first season is far more hilarious but this season is enjoyable, nonetheless.

There are two things that I love love loved the most in this season. First, the return of Claire Meade, one of my fave characters. And the other, the addition of Freddy Rodriguez, whom I missed since Six Feet Under. And I love Gio more than Henry by 2000 lightyears.

I wonder if Betty and Daniel will ever share a romantic relationship like in its original and all the other versions. I’m a little torn with regard to this. Somehow, I adore their relationship as is. But I can’t help wondering how it’s gonna turn out if they develop something more than friendship.

Amanda is a showstopper. This is my fave one and a half minutes of the show EVER.

Gaawd. Amanda, Amanda, Amanda. Haha. But still, Wilhelmina all.the.way. 4.5

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Desperate Housewives | Season 4 & 5
Genre: Action, Thriller; Directors: Joel Schumacher
Stars: George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, Chris O’Donnell

Season 4: What’s the best season of Desperate Housewives? Hmmm. Damn, that’s hard. But my favorite is a toss between seasons 3 and 4.

The most remarkable changes in this season is the addition of the very competitive Katherine Mayfair, a former Wysteria Lane resident who has just returned with a bagful of dirty laundry; and unconventional, gay couple Lee and Bob.

The “Tornado” (Something’s Coming) episode is the second best, I think, of the entire show. (Season 3′s “Bang” episode, where Lynette had a life-and-death confrontation with the hostage-taker Carolyn Bigsby, is #1. Felicity Huffman was just so very crazy divine.)

Season 5: At first, I was taken aback by the show’s 5-year jump. I mean, almost every character has changed. It’s not the same DH anymore. But after a few episodes, I got the hang of it.

For the first time ever, Gabby is now my fave housewife. (I’ve always been a Lynette/Bree fan.) It’s nice to see her struggling to get her fab, glam self back. And I finally think her character is not as empty as I thought it was. I hope she gets rich and hottt again by the end of the season.

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Top 10 Most Unforgettable Horror Films

Note: The list includes Hollywood films only. And these are not a list of the best horror movies but the most unforgettable for me. This is my list after all. Haha. This was originally written for crunkish.com. I know this post is too late for the Halloween but what the heck.

Why do we love watching horror films? Simple. We love being scared. Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. There are many types of fears and there are many things that people fear. One universal fear, transcending cultural barriers, is the fear of death. Although it is not the most common type of fear, if you try to analyse other fears, they all boil down to the fear of death. You do not fear darkness per se, you fear that there might be someone or something we couldn’t see that might threaten your life. You fear heights because you might fall and face a certain death. You fear snakes because it might bite you and inject some poison that would eventually kill you.

And because it is such a powerful emotion, fear of death is something that movies can use and play on effectively. People are emotional masochists. Although we know that we will get scared watching them, we still can’t get enough of them.

Horror movies elicit fear from viewers by using graphic violence or giving life to characters, often of supernatural origin, that will grab that fear inside us and give it terrifying shake. Here are my top 10 most unforgettable horror movies of all time.

10. Dracula (1931)

“I am Dracula. I bid you welcome.”

Enter the world of Count Dracula. After a very agonising drive through the Carpathian mountains, Reinfield finds himself in the castle of Dracula, who is a vampire. The sinister count drugs him and turns him into one of his poor thralls. After turning Lucy Weston into a vampire by sucking blood, the count focuses on her friend Mina, daughter of Dr. Seward. The doctor, then, asks for help from a specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, to detect the cause of the mysterious deterioration of Mina’s health. After realising that the count is indeed a vampire, Dr. Helsing prepares himself and Mina’s loved ones for what is yet to come and tries everything to prevent Mina from turning into a blood-thirsty monster.

If you are not the type who watches black-and-white films, you’ll be surprised to still get terrorised by the movie despite its lack of colour. In fact, it helps in the overall effect of the movie. Dracula is considered one of the first classic American horror films.

9. The Others (2001)

“How do you keep them out, when they’ve already invited themselves in?“

Nicole Kidman‘s first attempt to star in a horror film was a great success both critically and in the box-office. She plays the role of Grace Stewart, an overprotective mother to her two children, both suffering from a rare ailment. The kids can’t be exposed to sunlight or they would die. Grace is determined to protect her kids from everything. But that proves to be very difficult as the house they are living in appears to be haunted. As the family and their household help are bothered by the presence of what they call “the others,” they discover one thing about them that will surely shake the sanity of the audience.

This movie is one of the top 10 highest grossing horror films of all time and it deserves every single penny. Critics are all raves about it, too. The minimalist approach sets this film from many in-your-face ghost and monster movies that are rampant in Hollywood. You will surely fear the “others” even when you don’t really see them. This movie successfully builds up the tension in the first hour only to blow your mind (in a good way) in the remaining minutes. The twist is completely nerve-wracking.

8. The Ring (2002)

“You will die in seven days.”

Another film in the top 10 highest grossing horror movies in the history of Hollywood is The Ring, remake of the 1998 Japanese film Ringu. Naomi Watts is a Seattle newspaper journalist who finds out that her teenage niece is scared to death literally one week after she watched a creepy nightmarish videotape (which doesn’t make any sense) at a motel cabin in some rustic area. She gets hold of the tape and watched the video only to find out that whoever watches the tape will die in seven days. To make matters worse, her sort of psychic son watches the tape, too. Now, she has to break the curse or they will die in seven days.

The premise of the story is horrific enough. Add the impressive cinematography, effective production design and beautiful direction, The Ring will scare all hell out of you. In fact, even after watching the movie, you will be thinking about it for weeks. You’ll start to wonder what will happen to the mother and son since the film is open-ended. You’ll also get paranoid of the unlabelled videotape sitting in one corner of your room. And whenever the phone rings, you will be scared to answer. The Ring really inflicts lasting terror on its viewers.

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The Jologs Factor

I remember this one time I was having a few rounds of beer with my friends Jon and Marck somewhere in Metrowalk when the conversation suddenly made a sharp curve onto “Jologs Avenue.” I was shocked but delighted to learn that they had a jologs side, too. And it made me wonder if my friend Icang was right when she said, “we all have the Jologs factor.”

I am a hodgepodge.

My personality is a mixture of a wide variety of traits and tastes. For example, my taste in music. I appreciate pretty much anything. As in anything. One time, you see me listening to Vanessa Mae; the next minute I’m humming Kylie Minogie’s Locomotion or Nelly Furtado’s Say It Right. Give it an hour, I’m belting out a Basil Valdez ballad or an Aegis classic. Haha.

When it comes to food, I enjoy gourmet food. But if you drag me to the nearest fishball stall, I’ll gorge on street foods nang walang patumangga.

My interests range from a bit highbrow to downright jologs! And I’m proud of it. Haha. And I admire those people who are not ashamed to free their jologs alter-ego every once in a while.

• One of my friends, Aila, may be one of the most conio-looking Atenean in the world. She has this conio aura. But heck, she used to watch “Ang Pangarap Kong Jackpot.”
• Another buddy, Marck, translates English songs to Tagalog (and vice versa) whenever he’s bored, which is like every day of his life.
• Robin just can’t get over the glory days of the Juday-Wowie loveteam!
• RJ will introduce your jaws to the floor once he enumerates his crushes — Jean Saburit, Jennifer Mendoza, Shirley Fuentes, Bunny Paras, Tina Paner!

And me, well, I have more than my share. It’s innate. In fact, everything I touch magically becomes jolog-ish. Haha. Here are some of my J-Facts (jologs factors).

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Hugh Jackman to Host Oscars

He sings, dances, acts on stage and screen, and he’s [People Magazine's] “Sexiest Man Alive….”

Hugh Jackman was announced Friday as the host of the 81st Academy Awards, a marked departure from the academy’s standard of big-name comedians. Jon Stewart who hosted in 2008 and 2006, and Ellen DeGeneres, the 2007 host, were the latest in a line of funny emcees since 1990. Billy Crystal did it eight times, Whoopi Goldberg took on four, Steve Martin did it twice and David Letterman and Chris Rock each had a shot.

As the parade of A-list comedians continued, ratings were in steady decline. But with new producers, a new director, new set designer and even a new music director, the academy has been hinting for months at an all-new look and feel for this year’s Oscars telecast on Feb. 22.

Source: Huffingtonpost.com

Hmmm. I hope he’s funny. But I am sure to watch the show whatever. Haha.
image courtesy of tinypic.com

The People Around Us

SIR HUBERT

On the way to the Subterranean River Park, we were being briefed by our Tour Guide. He was telling us many interesting things about Palawan. One of us, itago na lang natin sa pangalang Sir Hubert, asked, “San magandang mamalengke dito sa Puerto Princesa?”

At sumagot si Tour Guide, “Sa palengke po.”

Tama nga naman.

KAT

One of my officemates was raving about the places they visited on the third day. Itago na lang natin sya sa pangalang Ma. Katrina Larida. “Grabe, ang ganda talaga sa Crocodile Farm! Andami-daming crocodiles!”

Ay friend, sana naman madaming crocodiles dun bilang crocodile farm sya.

REEN

Yoshke: Reen! Help! Gaaaah! I think I’m falling in love with an animé character!
Reen: Gagu! You’re asking the wrong person. I’m married to one!

REEN’S 2ND YEAR P.E. TEACHER

2nd year PE teacher: “Would you please pick up the pieces of DIRT!”
Reen: Ah eh ma’am medyo mahirap isa-isahin ang alikabok.

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My Weekend in Still Images

It’s been almost two years since I last visited Palawan. (Most of my dad’s clan have moved to Palawan from Masbate.) I don’t own a digital SLR camera so I just used a simple point-and-shoot cam. I wish I had an SLR one so I could produce richer and better images. (Come on, it’s Christmas! Gimme, gimme! Haha.)

To enlarge, just right-click on the photo and hit View Image (Firefox) or… err… well, I dunno how to do that using Internet Explorer. Haha.

Dee and Don (left), Dee and Yoshke (right)

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Top 10 Ways to Ask for a Raise or Promotion

As one RD quote goes, “the moment you settle for less than you deserve, you’ll get even less than you settle for.” It maybe very painful to hear but this is true.

Salary is the primary reason we work our butts off all day. But not all jobs pay well. And even if our present employer gives us what the law requires and the conventions suggest, we still find ourselves struggling to make do with what we receive. If you feel that you have proven yourself as an efficient, competent and productive employee over time but you still find yourself awfully broke when the month ends, maybe it’s time to ask for a raise or a promotion or both. Here are the top ten creative ways to do that.

10. Second the motion. All the time.

Although having your own stand on the company’s many issues will show your character and wit, being the “second voice” has its own perks, too. Let your boss know that you are on his side all the time by acting like an echo.

Starting today, practise saying “I agree completely” or “I agree absolutely.” You can change the last word with another positive adverb as long as the first two words are “I agree.” Call it blind loyalty but you need a raise. The last thing you want is to play on a different team against your boss.

What is more effective? Eavesdrop on his conversations and then feed him back the ideas you heard as if they were yours. He would think you are of the same wavelength and that you know him too well you could even read his mind.

9. Park your car beside his.

You may think that this is ridiculous but parking your car beside your boss’s has a lot of advantages. Stationing yourself before and after office hours in the parking lot can help you ask for a raise. You may not realise it but if you’re the first and last person he sees every single day, you will seep into his subconscious. The next time he wants to promote someone, at least you have parked your memory somewhere in his mind.

8. Pull off an 007.

Yes, Bond, James Bond. Spywork is not really new to many workplaces. The truth is, some of your co-workers may be spying on you, trying to copy your work and make it look like their own. You can do the same but in this case, we’ll play evil.

Don’t spy for yourself. Rather, spy for your boss. Report everything that is going on in the department. The next time you hear your officemate say nasty things about your boss, prepare a tape recorder and let your boss hear it. It’s not like you’re being an office snitch. You just want to be honest and fair to the person you work for. You’ll get extra points for doing what is expected of you. Who knows? A raise, if not a promotion, might follow soon.

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