Three winters ago, there was a huge smoking hole in the ground, I was sleeping on the floor in an unfurnished apartment, eating on an ironing board, and really felt completely worthless.
Things get into perspective when you see innocents dying all over the globe, whether by another's man hand or not.
Happy New Year, world. Let's all get along.
"There's this wonderful quote from the book 'The Sheltering Sky' where it says 'Because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well.' And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being, you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps 4, 5 times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps 20? And yet it all seems limitless."
Brandon Lee, from the set of The Crow, 1993
Friday, December 31, 2004
: : STATIC : :
| VOL. 0100 |
Ok, am back in the Big Apple just in time for New Year's Eve. This edition of Static will be devoted to the week that was, since I was "off the grid" in L.A. Am no Pico Iyer (but I brought Sun After Dark to read), but here's my 8-day mini-travelogue.
Escape To L.A.
Waiting in Newark. Aside from 2 Puffy Amiyumi characters *lol*, there wasn't anything of note.
Until I discovered that the dwarf i saw loitering around the waiting area was actually my seatmate. And I'm in the middle seat. On my left was a sneezing German mathematician doing post-graduate studies at Princeton. Did I mention he had a cold?
Night 1
Flew into LAX at 5.30PM PST. Picked up by my Tita Josie, my 14 yr old cousin Erin, and my Tita's coworker Carol (who drives her own white Dodge Durango - whoa.). First stop: dinner at Noodle Planet. Apparently, the first stop on my Dad's trip here as well. Check out the menu (http://www.noodleplanet.com/).They have those blended drinks with Boba (a.k.a. 'sago' - hey, we have that here too! Duh. *lol*)
Day 1
Woke up freezing - that's what i get for being conservative with the heater. Stayed outside most of the morning to bask in the Cali sun, iPodding and reading more Tibetan mysticism/reality stories from Pico Iyer.
3PM Headed for the Santa Anita mall. Man, Yanks really love their malls. Can't hold a candle to The Galleria in Houston, but way better than Jersey Gardens. In the mood for laughs, we went to see "Meet the Fockers". Dustin Hoffman steals the movie. Word(s) of the day: "assss hoooooo!"
Day 2
Watched cable TV, especially the Green Bay-Minnesota game, bookending lunch and food preps.
XMas Eve@carol's. Food fest with new people.
Tita Josie, Ellen, Erin and Carol
Tequila with Salvador Salvador (aka Coya Tong, or Tongtongtongtong Pakitongkitong).
Also got roped into videoke. And why would "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" be the first song I am "forced" to sing? I have absolutely no idea (despite a 90 score). I got a couple of Old Navy shirts. Erin got the Shrek 2 DVD, so we watched it till 2 AM.
Day 3
Went to my Uncle Jerome's house in the Porter Ranch area. Man, that place is perfect. Its in the hills and far away from the hustle and bustle of the city (though it has a spectacular view of it).
Met their kids - teenage cousins really - in essence for the first time.
Erin, Jerwin, Janessa, Me and Janine
Drove later around Hollywood area (sorry, no walk-around. maybe next year). Camera work inside a car is usually sloppy but hey, I have to make do.
Meet me at the corner of Sunset and Vine. ASAP!
Being already late, we decided to sleep over (geez, no personal toiletries or clothing!? So sue me. I didn't go through Boy Scouting *lol*). I settled for a long talk with the older set while trying to win points with the young 'uns (my impersonation of a PC support person with an Indian accent - ah, the small joys of outsourcing - brought the house down).
Day 4
Picked up my cousin Janessa who went to the North Ridge mall way early - because she has to work at the Rave shop for the after-Xmas sale. A 10.00AM pickup time became 10.35. Ah, girls. *lol*
3PM drive to San Diego. Driving down I5, there's too many Aves, Caminos & Missions (bless you, Spaniards). Finally saw the Pacific Ocean.
Got to Uncle June's house (the Mira Mesa area is like Manila transplanted, as RJ said). Speaking of RJ, the nigger was in Escondido the same night. Oh well, just called him and see if he was ok. Was going to surprise him (yeah, he was friggin' surprised hehe).
Lightning tour of San Diego. First stop: US Naval Base on Coronado Island (my uncle's a senior chief on the USS Nimitz. His bro, Uncle Joel, is a Lt Cmdr stationed in Hawaii). Got the walking tour of the Nimitz plus views of the USS Ronald Reagan and USS John Stennis (no pics for security reasons).
USS Nimitz CVN-68
Uncle June and me on the deck, with San Diego downtown in the background
Swung by the historic Hotel Del Coronado (http://www.coronadohistory.org/ourhistory.html) for more pics. Interesting ghost story: http://www.hoteldel.com/history/index.html, http://www.ghosts.org/haunted/coronado/hoteldel.html.
Also checked out the downtown, the convention center, PETCO Park (baseball Padres) and Qualcomm Stadium (football Chargers).
Day 5
Rains come to SoCal. So what do we do except follow Jason Mraz' exhortation to "sleep all day." Its also so cold inside the house, so i stayed inside my heated room. Though I got bored watching SABBs (Stupid Americans Behaving Badly) on Jerry Springer *lol* (TV in room isnt connected to cable) so just shivered in the living room to switch to more varied fare. By nightfall, Erin takes out their own Magic Sing videoke gadget (costs $300 here but cheaper in the Philippines apparently). Videoke has been around for what, a decade or so, so why doesn't anybody improve on it by using the original music instead of those kiddie-level, amateurish, kinapa-sa-piano tunes??? Are we worried about copyright stuff? Like we're worried about the RIAA deploying US Marines to crack down on Videoke makers in Singapore, Malaysia and Manila? Hyeaah right. Or do you mean to say that tsunami was due to divine payback for people pirating stuff in that part of the world?
Day 6
Still raining. Floods all over. So we just spent latter half of the day in Universal Citywalk.
LA lost its football team, so we have to be content with the Raider Nation
Watched "Christmas with the Kranks". I never liked Tim Allen, no matter how good his press is. So this is officially only the 2nd Allen flick i liked ("Big Trouble" was the first, and Buzz Lightyear is okay because I don't see his mug), and it's due more to Jamie Lee Curtis. She's so nice and funny.
Finished it off with dinner at Tony Roma's, and lots more picture-taking. Rains caused a lot of accidents on the freeway on the way home.
Day 7
Another half-day snoozing (still some goddess' tears outside here and there). I think am going to have time zone/jet lag troubles when i get back. I actually get out of bed at 1PM EST!
1.30PM (PST!) Went to pick up some Asian dimsum to eat on the way to West Covina (practically Manila on the West Coast). While waiting for the dentist, picked some items at the 99-cent store. The dental assistant was a family friend (classmate of my uncle Hermes), and she taught me a valuable life lesson: how to brush your teeth the right way. Then the Chinese dentist dropped the bomb: You will lose your teeth in 7 days. Or something like that.
6.00PM Had dinner at Atin Ito, one of the numerous Pinoy eateries sprinkled around the West Covina area. Had binagoongan (wooohooo!) and daing na bangus (double wooohooo!). The frequency of tagalog chatter is a bit unnerving *lol*.
On the way home, Uncle Jerome called and said they were coming over. And so the night ends where the whole trip began: Noodle Planet. Watched the cousins consume the pad see euw like there's no tomorrow *lol* Back home, goofed around while watching Bad Boys 2, before saying goodbyes.
Day 8
Get ready for flight. As is the story of my life, i am saddled with pabaon: chocolate truffles, 6-pack ensaymadas, bananas, cheese crackers, juice, water. This just means i have an extra paper bag to carry on the plane.
9.45 Got to LAX. After checking the bags, i can see am getting good at this, considering the American family behind me asked qustions and whined out loud what to do, and a Shintaro Nakagawa, running late for an 11AM flight to Japan, was bumbling through the self-service checkin kiosk.
10.10 Looooooooooooong line to security checkpoint. Everybody wants to get out of L.A. before the Dick Clark robot rings in the New Year. Poor Shintaro had to get in and out of the line several times because of confusion, prompting the woman behind me (about early 40s, wearing a pink blouse that stated both cutely and ominously "Hard Tail") to speak up: "Are you two together? Why are you cutting in the line?"
10.40 Go, Shintaro, go!!!!
10.55 Got sidetracked by those money-vacuuming airport shops. Came away with a nice blue cotton shirt and another shotglass.
11.00 Yeah they had to put Gate 66 in the furthest part of LAX. And they even had two Gate 66s!
Dammit. Watching parents with cute kids drives me nuts. *lol*
10.00PM EST Back at Newark. *sigh*
SUMMARY:
Online airfare ... $312
Ridiculous taxi fares ... $170
Tony Roma's dinner ... $95
Basking in the California sun
Not lugging your laptop backpack for a week
Reconnecting with relatives
Bonding with your American-born cousins
... PRICELESS.
| VOL. 0100 |
Ok, am back in the Big Apple just in time for New Year's Eve. This edition of Static will be devoted to the week that was, since I was "off the grid" in L.A. Am no Pico Iyer (but I brought Sun After Dark to read), but here's my 8-day mini-travelogue.
Escape To L.A.
Waiting in Newark. Aside from 2 Puffy Amiyumi characters *lol*, there wasn't anything of note.
Until I discovered that the dwarf i saw loitering around the waiting area was actually my seatmate. And I'm in the middle seat. On my left was a sneezing German mathematician doing post-graduate studies at Princeton. Did I mention he had a cold?
Night 1
Flew into LAX at 5.30PM PST. Picked up by my Tita Josie, my 14 yr old cousin Erin, and my Tita's coworker Carol (who drives her own white Dodge Durango - whoa.). First stop: dinner at Noodle Planet. Apparently, the first stop on my Dad's trip here as well. Check out the menu (http://www.noodleplanet.com/).They have those blended drinks with Boba (a.k.a. 'sago' - hey, we have that here too! Duh. *lol*)
Day 1
Woke up freezing - that's what i get for being conservative with the heater. Stayed outside most of the morning to bask in the Cali sun, iPodding and reading more Tibetan mysticism/reality stories from Pico Iyer.
3PM Headed for the Santa Anita mall. Man, Yanks really love their malls. Can't hold a candle to The Galleria in Houston, but way better than Jersey Gardens. In the mood for laughs, we went to see "Meet the Fockers". Dustin Hoffman steals the movie. Word(s) of the day: "assss hoooooo!"
Day 2
Watched cable TV, especially the Green Bay-Minnesota game, bookending lunch and food preps.
XMas Eve@carol's. Food fest with new people.
Tita Josie, Ellen, Erin and Carol
Tequila with Salvador Salvador (aka Coya Tong, or Tongtongtongtong Pakitongkitong).
Also got roped into videoke. And why would "Quit Playing Games With My Heart" be the first song I am "forced" to sing? I have absolutely no idea (despite a 90 score). I got a couple of Old Navy shirts. Erin got the Shrek 2 DVD, so we watched it till 2 AM.
Day 3
Went to my Uncle Jerome's house in the Porter Ranch area. Man, that place is perfect. Its in the hills and far away from the hustle and bustle of the city (though it has a spectacular view of it).
Met their kids - teenage cousins really - in essence for the first time.
Erin, Jerwin, Janessa, Me and Janine
Drove later around Hollywood area (sorry, no walk-around. maybe next year). Camera work inside a car is usually sloppy but hey, I have to make do.
Meet me at the corner of Sunset and Vine. ASAP!
Being already late, we decided to sleep over (geez, no personal toiletries or clothing!? So sue me. I didn't go through Boy Scouting *lol*). I settled for a long talk with the older set while trying to win points with the young 'uns (my impersonation of a PC support person with an Indian accent - ah, the small joys of outsourcing - brought the house down).
Day 4
Picked up my cousin Janessa who went to the North Ridge mall way early - because she has to work at the Rave shop for the after-Xmas sale. A 10.00AM pickup time became 10.35. Ah, girls. *lol*
3PM drive to San Diego. Driving down I5, there's too many Aves, Caminos & Missions (bless you, Spaniards). Finally saw the Pacific Ocean.
Got to Uncle June's house (the Mira Mesa area is like Manila transplanted, as RJ said). Speaking of RJ, the nigger was in Escondido the same night. Oh well, just called him and see if he was ok. Was going to surprise him (yeah, he was friggin' surprised hehe).
Lightning tour of San Diego. First stop: US Naval Base on Coronado Island (my uncle's a senior chief on the USS Nimitz. His bro, Uncle Joel, is a Lt Cmdr stationed in Hawaii). Got the walking tour of the Nimitz plus views of the USS Ronald Reagan and USS John Stennis (no pics for security reasons).
USS Nimitz CVN-68
Uncle June and me on the deck, with San Diego downtown in the background
Swung by the historic Hotel Del Coronado (http://www.coronadohistory.org/ourhistory.html) for more pics. Interesting ghost story: http://www.hoteldel.com/history/index.html, http://www.ghosts.org/haunted/coronado/hoteldel.html.
Also checked out the downtown, the convention center, PETCO Park (baseball Padres) and Qualcomm Stadium (football Chargers).
Day 5
Rains come to SoCal. So what do we do except follow Jason Mraz' exhortation to "sleep all day." Its also so cold inside the house, so i stayed inside my heated room. Though I got bored watching SABBs (Stupid Americans Behaving Badly) on Jerry Springer *lol* (TV in room isnt connected to cable) so just shivered in the living room to switch to more varied fare. By nightfall, Erin takes out their own Magic Sing videoke gadget (costs $300 here but cheaper in the Philippines apparently). Videoke has been around for what, a decade or so, so why doesn't anybody improve on it by using the original music instead of those kiddie-level, amateurish, kinapa-sa-piano tunes??? Are we worried about copyright stuff? Like we're worried about the RIAA deploying US Marines to crack down on Videoke makers in Singapore, Malaysia and Manila? Hyeaah right. Or do you mean to say that tsunami was due to divine payback for people pirating stuff in that part of the world?
Day 6
Still raining. Floods all over. So we just spent latter half of the day in Universal Citywalk.
LA lost its football team, so we have to be content with the Raider Nation
Watched "Christmas with the Kranks". I never liked Tim Allen, no matter how good his press is. So this is officially only the 2nd Allen flick i liked ("Big Trouble" was the first, and Buzz Lightyear is okay because I don't see his mug), and it's due more to Jamie Lee Curtis. She's so nice and funny.
Finished it off with dinner at Tony Roma's, and lots more picture-taking. Rains caused a lot of accidents on the freeway on the way home.
Day 7
Another half-day snoozing (still some goddess' tears outside here and there). I think am going to have time zone/jet lag troubles when i get back. I actually get out of bed at 1PM EST!
1.30PM (PST!) Went to pick up some Asian dimsum to eat on the way to West Covina (practically Manila on the West Coast). While waiting for the dentist, picked some items at the 99-cent store. The dental assistant was a family friend (classmate of my uncle Hermes), and she taught me a valuable life lesson: how to brush your teeth the right way. Then the Chinese dentist dropped the bomb: You will lose your teeth in 7 days. Or something like that.
6.00PM Had dinner at Atin Ito, one of the numerous Pinoy eateries sprinkled around the West Covina area. Had binagoongan (wooohooo!) and daing na bangus (double wooohooo!). The frequency of tagalog chatter is a bit unnerving *lol*.
On the way home, Uncle Jerome called and said they were coming over. And so the night ends where the whole trip began: Noodle Planet. Watched the cousins consume the pad see euw like there's no tomorrow *lol* Back home, goofed around while watching Bad Boys 2, before saying goodbyes.
Day 8
Get ready for flight. As is the story of my life, i am saddled with pabaon: chocolate truffles, 6-pack ensaymadas, bananas, cheese crackers, juice, water. This just means i have an extra paper bag to carry on the plane.
9.45 Got to LAX. After checking the bags, i can see am getting good at this, considering the American family behind me asked qustions and whined out loud what to do, and a Shintaro Nakagawa, running late for an 11AM flight to Japan, was bumbling through the self-service checkin kiosk.
10.10 Looooooooooooong line to security checkpoint. Everybody wants to get out of L.A. before the Dick Clark robot rings in the New Year. Poor Shintaro had to get in and out of the line several times because of confusion, prompting the woman behind me (about early 40s, wearing a pink blouse that stated both cutely and ominously "Hard Tail") to speak up: "Are you two together? Why are you cutting in the line?"
10.40 Go, Shintaro, go!!!!
10.55 Got sidetracked by those money-vacuuming airport shops. Came away with a nice blue cotton shirt and another shotglass.
11.00 Yeah they had to put Gate 66 in the furthest part of LAX. And they even had two Gate 66s!
Dammit. Watching parents with cute kids drives me nuts. *lol*
10.00PM EST Back at Newark. *sigh*
SUMMARY:
Online airfare ... $312
Ridiculous taxi fares ... $170
Tony Roma's dinner ... $95
Basking in the California sun
Not lugging your laptop backpack for a week
Reconnecting with relatives
Bonding with your American-born cousins
... PRICELESS.
Week 17 Bets
1st and 10 ... Week 17 prognostications (bets in color).
Sunday Games
Pittsburgh at Buffalo ... No need for Pittsburgh to win anymore so they should give this to the deserving Bills.
Green Bay at Chicago ... this is just for pride, and the Pack wants payback for that Week 2 loss.
Detroit at Tennessee ... Your stats are great and all, but can you win one, Billy V?
NY Jets at St. Louis ... Sure hope USBank doesn't cancel the contract after the Jets end the Rams' season *lol*.
San Francisco at New England ... Pats might let 49ers win this one.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia ... Andy Reid might play his starters, but there's no point in winning this.
Minnesota at Washington ... Now you really have to win, Vikings.
New Orleans at Carolina ... This is the one for all the marbles. The playoff Wild Card marbles. Win or stay home.
Miami at Baltimore ... The winning score could be 7-6 *lol*.
Cleveland at Houston ... Texans @ .500 for franchise history first.
Atlanta at Seattle ... Mike, stop running. Just beat 'em with your arm. Save your legs for the conference finals.
Tampa Bay at Arizona ... The Bucs should finish on a high note, then break up the team to go younger.
Kansas City at San Diego ... since we won't see Priest here, it'll be a TE battle to watch.
Jacksonville at Oakland ... Raiders could play spoiler here.
Indianapolis at Denver ... Peyton could still toss in a couple more TDs.
Dallas at NY Giants ... the ultimate humiliation would be the Tuna finishing off the Jints with their 9th straight loss.
Last week: 11-5
Overall: 156/240 (156-84)
Road: 66-44
Home: 90-40
Sunday Games
Pittsburgh at Buffalo ... No need for Pittsburgh to win anymore so they should give this to the deserving Bills.
Green Bay at Chicago ... this is just for pride, and the Pack wants payback for that Week 2 loss.
Detroit at Tennessee ... Your stats are great and all, but can you win one, Billy V?
NY Jets at St. Louis ... Sure hope USBank doesn't cancel the contract after the Jets end the Rams' season *lol*.
San Francisco at New England ... Pats might let 49ers win this one.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia ... Andy Reid might play his starters, but there's no point in winning this.
Minnesota at Washington ... Now you really have to win, Vikings.
New Orleans at Carolina ... This is the one for all the marbles. The playoff Wild Card marbles. Win or stay home.
Miami at Baltimore ... The winning score could be 7-6 *lol*.
Cleveland at Houston ... Texans @ .500 for franchise history first.
Atlanta at Seattle ... Mike, stop running. Just beat 'em with your arm. Save your legs for the conference finals.
Tampa Bay at Arizona ... The Bucs should finish on a high note, then break up the team to go younger.
Kansas City at San Diego ... since we won't see Priest here, it'll be a TE battle to watch.
Jacksonville at Oakland ... Raiders could play spoiler here.
Indianapolis at Denver ... Peyton could still toss in a couple more TDs.
Dallas at NY Giants ... the ultimate humiliation would be the Tuna finishing off the Jints with their 9th straight loss.
Last week: 11-5
Overall: 156/240 (156-84)
Road: 66-44
Home: 90-40
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Week 16 Bets
1st and 10 ... Week 16 prognostications (bets in color).
Friday Game
Green Bay at Minnesota ... Must-win for the Vikes if they don't want the extra pressure.
Saturday Games
Oakland at Kansas City ... not the ending they wanted, but Coach Vermeil will be back next season.
Denver at Tennessee ... this is easier for the Broncos than the Titans. But can you believe Billy Volek's numbers?
Sunday Games
NY Giants at Cincinnati ... Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna.
Chicago at Detroit ... After last week's heartbreaker, the heat is ironically off Joey H a bit.
San Diego at Indianapolis ... time to break Marino's record, Peyton.
Atlanta at New Orleans ... QB cousins Mike Vick and Aaron Brooks slug it out.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh ... Big Ben just keeps rolling.
Carolina at Tampa Bay ... Panthers: The Resurrection continues.
Houston at Jacksonville ... Jags should win this close game.
Buffalo at San Francisco ... Bills: The Resurrection continues.
New England at NY Jets ... I can see the NY press skewering Chad if the Jets lose this.
Washington at Dallas ... Old School has not been so great this season.
Arizona at Seattle ... Seahawks are bad, they could be upset. Again.
Cleveland at Miami ... Fish feel better than the Dawgs after upsetting Pats.
Monday Night Football
Philadelphia at St. Louis ... Rams are dangerous in the Dome but Philly should win this.
Last week: 10-6
Overall: 145/224 (145-79)
Road: 63-42
Home: 82-37
Friday Game
Green Bay at Minnesota ... Must-win for the Vikes if they don't want the extra pressure.
Saturday Games
Oakland at Kansas City ... not the ending they wanted, but Coach Vermeil will be back next season.
Denver at Tennessee ... this is easier for the Broncos than the Titans. But can you believe Billy Volek's numbers?
Sunday Games
NY Giants at Cincinnati ... Jon Kitna. Jon Kitna.
Chicago at Detroit ... After last week's heartbreaker, the heat is ironically off Joey H a bit.
San Diego at Indianapolis ... time to break Marino's record, Peyton.
Atlanta at New Orleans ... QB cousins Mike Vick and Aaron Brooks slug it out.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh ... Big Ben just keeps rolling.
Carolina at Tampa Bay ... Panthers: The Resurrection continues.
Houston at Jacksonville ... Jags should win this close game.
Buffalo at San Francisco ... Bills: The Resurrection continues.
New England at NY Jets ... I can see the NY press skewering Chad if the Jets lose this.
Washington at Dallas ... Old School has not been so great this season.
Arizona at Seattle ... Seahawks are bad, they could be upset. Again.
Cleveland at Miami ... Fish feel better than the Dawgs after upsetting Pats.
Monday Night Football
Philadelphia at St. Louis ... Rams are dangerous in the Dome but Philly should win this.
Last week: 10-6
Overall: 145/224 (145-79)
Road: 63-42
Home: 82-37
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
running towards daylight
We've been on the run
Driving in the sun
Looking out for #1
California here we come
Right back where we started from
Hustlers grab your guns
Your shadow weighs a ton
Driving down the 101
California here we come
Right back where we started from
California!
Here we come!
On the stereo
Listen as we go
Nothing's gonna stop me now
California here we come
Right back where we started from
Pedal to the floor
Thinkin' of the roar
Gotta get us to the show
California here we come
Right back where we started from
California!
Here we come!
- Phantom Planet, "The O.C." soundtrack
Driving in the sun
Looking out for #1
California here we come
Right back where we started from
Hustlers grab your guns
Your shadow weighs a ton
Driving down the 101
California here we come
Right back where we started from
California!
Here we come!
On the stereo
Listen as we go
Nothing's gonna stop me now
California here we come
Right back where we started from
Pedal to the floor
Thinkin' of the roar
Gotta get us to the show
California here we come
Right back where we started from
California!
Here we come!
- Phantom Planet, "The O.C." soundtrack
Sunday, December 19, 2004
Friday, December 17, 2004
Week 15 Bets
1st and 10 ... Week 15 prognostications (bets in color).
Saturday Games
Pittsburgh at NY Giants ... Eli, meet the Steel Curtain. Merry Christmas.
Washington at San Francisco ... Coach Gibbs, this is a gimme. Merry Christmas.
Carolina at Atlanta ... Coach Fox, you HAVE to beat Michael Vick. Merry Christmas.
Sunday Games
Seattle at NY Jets ... Gang Green, its time to deck the 'Hawks. Merry Christmas.
Dallas at Philadelphia ... Coach Tuna, could be your last December as a Cowboy. Merry Christmas.
Houston at Chicago ... yo, Texans, are you packing it in? hope not. Merry Christmas.
Buffalo at Cincinnati ... hey, Drew, for what its worth, Merry Christmas.
San Diego at Cleveland ... at the expense of my aunt's adopted city, Merry Christmas, Chargers.
Minnesota at Detroit ... Coach Tice, go easy on the eggnog. Merry Christmas.
Jacksonville at Green Bay ... to a great guy who needs a lot of cheer - Merry Christmas, Brett Favre.
St. Louis at Arizona ... its been an absolutely Martzian year, Rams. Merry Christmas.
New Orleans at Tampa Bay ... Chucky in Red = snarling Santa. Merry Christmas, Bucs.
Denver at Kansas City ... there's no shame in weeping, Coach Vermeil. Merry Christmas.
Tennessee at Oakland ... looks like the passing of the torch from McNair to Volek. Merry Christmas.
Baltimore at Indianapolis ... at least one Manning brother will go out a winner. Christmas came too early and often for Peyton.
Monday Night Football
New England at Miami ... no white Christmas for the Pats but still should be cheerful outcome.
Last week: 13-3
Overall: 135/208 (135-73) 65%
Road: 57-38
Home: 78-35
Saturday Games
Pittsburgh at NY Giants ... Eli, meet the Steel Curtain. Merry Christmas.
Washington at San Francisco ... Coach Gibbs, this is a gimme. Merry Christmas.
Carolina at Atlanta ... Coach Fox, you HAVE to beat Michael Vick. Merry Christmas.
Sunday Games
Seattle at NY Jets ... Gang Green, its time to deck the 'Hawks. Merry Christmas.
Dallas at Philadelphia ... Coach Tuna, could be your last December as a Cowboy. Merry Christmas.
Houston at Chicago ... yo, Texans, are you packing it in? hope not. Merry Christmas.
Buffalo at Cincinnati ... hey, Drew, for what its worth, Merry Christmas.
San Diego at Cleveland ... at the expense of my aunt's adopted city, Merry Christmas, Chargers.
Minnesota at Detroit ... Coach Tice, go easy on the eggnog. Merry Christmas.
Jacksonville at Green Bay ... to a great guy who needs a lot of cheer - Merry Christmas, Brett Favre.
St. Louis at Arizona ... its been an absolutely Martzian year, Rams. Merry Christmas.
New Orleans at Tampa Bay ... Chucky in Red = snarling Santa. Merry Christmas, Bucs.
Denver at Kansas City ... there's no shame in weeping, Coach Vermeil. Merry Christmas.
Tennessee at Oakland ... looks like the passing of the torch from McNair to Volek. Merry Christmas.
Baltimore at Indianapolis ... at least one Manning brother will go out a winner. Christmas came too early and often for Peyton.
Monday Night Football
New England at Miami ... no white Christmas for the Pats but still should be cheerful outcome.
Last week: 13-3
Overall: 135/208 (135-73) 65%
Road: 57-38
Home: 78-35
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Da APP
Trump picks Kelly! And all the while some thought they were setting up Jen with Bill Rancic. Hyuk-hyuk-hyuk.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Meat is Murder ...
... on the tummy if you're OD'ing on it. And for lunch today, we had this $8.99 meat combo with rice and macaroni salad at this new L&L Hawaiian BBQ place on Fulton St. Pretty ok for the price, comparable to Tokyo Lunch servings at John/Broadway Sts, but I couldn't finish the damn thing.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Taken So Soon
Allen Adriano (Dec 13, 2004)
... Rest in Peace ...
Leaves behind a wife and 3 young children.
Life is short, though we never realize it most of the time.
... Rest in Peace ...
Leaves behind a wife and 3 young children.
Life is short, though we never realize it most of the time.
paalam
I don't mean to heap on the dead, but I have a better person to mourn for, than FPJ.
here's a snippet of conversation, which is my salute to the king of Philippine cinema.
grif2k1: ang wish ko lang ay sana nauna namatay c erap kesa ke fpj
VodkaBoy: susunod na siya.
grif2k1: or kung puede ipagpalit yun na lang sana ginawa ni erap, take fpj's place
VodkaBoy: his death must be all over news sa pinas
grif2k1: the muslim fans must have gone nuts
grif2k1: those who were allegedly going to riot when they saw he dies in any of his movies
grif2k1: in short, they are one fries short of a happy meal
VodkaBoy: LOL
grif2k1: Rizal must be spinning in his grave
grif2k1: "why did i die for these idiots, o Lord?"
VodkaBoy: panay litson siguro kinain sa party kaya na stroke. hindi pa naman siya very old di ba?
grif2k1: 65
grif2k1: mas matanda pa daddy ko
VodkaBoy: saka si dolphy
grif2k1: yan ang napala nya for years of drinking hard
VodkaBoy: and womanizing. hahaha
grif2k1: nagcollapse daw e
grif2k1: some of the worst people i've dealt with are the drunks
VodkaBoy: kaya wag ka drink lagi saka stick to one.
grif2k1: you know that theyre not bad, theyre just not in control of themselves
VodkaBoy: siguro madame auring will say, nahula niya yon
grif2k1: nasa listahan si madame auring ng "Showbiz People Whom I Would Love to Die in 7 Days"
amen.
here's a snippet of conversation, which is my salute to the king of Philippine cinema.
grif2k1: ang wish ko lang ay sana nauna namatay c erap kesa ke fpj
VodkaBoy: susunod na siya.
grif2k1: or kung puede ipagpalit yun na lang sana ginawa ni erap, take fpj's place
VodkaBoy: his death must be all over news sa pinas
grif2k1: the muslim fans must have gone nuts
grif2k1: those who were allegedly going to riot when they saw he dies in any of his movies
grif2k1: in short, they are one fries short of a happy meal
VodkaBoy: LOL
grif2k1: Rizal must be spinning in his grave
grif2k1: "why did i die for these idiots, o Lord?"
VodkaBoy: panay litson siguro kinain sa party kaya na stroke. hindi pa naman siya very old di ba?
grif2k1: 65
grif2k1: mas matanda pa daddy ko
VodkaBoy: saka si dolphy
grif2k1: yan ang napala nya for years of drinking hard
VodkaBoy: and womanizing. hahaha
grif2k1: nagcollapse daw e
grif2k1: some of the worst people i've dealt with are the drunks
VodkaBoy: kaya wag ka drink lagi saka stick to one.
grif2k1: you know that theyre not bad, theyre just not in control of themselves
VodkaBoy: siguro madame auring will say, nahula niya yon
grif2k1: nasa listahan si madame auring ng "Showbiz People Whom I Would Love to Die in 7 Days"
amen.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
dvd on tap: Mean Girls [Mark Waters]
As the title and poster suggests, this is another in a long list of high school teenage films where you get your usual angst strained in both rose- and dour-colored glasses, stirred with drama and comedy. And just when you think you can ignore it, it works. Apparently, people who didn't find Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen that funny were willing to give Lindsey Lohan a second chance in the teen comedy department. Well, of course it should, because this one was in the hands of the SNL people, who know a thing or two about making you laugh. Home-school transferee Cady Heron (Lohan) lands in an Illinois high school were she's immediately clay in the hands of the campus cliques - particularly the glamourous alpha Barbie bitche-, er ... chicks collectively referred to as 'The Plastics' (Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried). Its quite a fun ride watching the shallowness and backstabbing prevalent in any high school environment - but the karma isn't dialled down either. SNL veterans Tina Fey (she wrote the screenplay too) and Tim Meadows pitch in as teachers (if they were the main characters, this would be one long sketch *lol*). Director Waters seems ideally suited to the project, after directing Lohan in the remake hit Freaky Friday.
The girls don't mind if you're nice, but they prefer you naughty.
The girls don't mind if you're nice, but they prefer you naughty.
shopping and football
2 pairs of skechers [20 yard passing touchdown!] ... $70
dress shirts [fumble interception!] ... $45
jeans [22 yard field goal ... kick is good] ... $43
headgear [safety!] ... $9
eyewear [30 yard rushing touchdown!] ... $140
shopping within budget and allotted time period [excellent clock management] ... priceless.
strange thought: why am i amusedly watching puffy amiyumi (close captioned) during my lunch break in the mall? *lol*
dress shirts [fumble interception!] ... $45
jeans [22 yard field goal ... kick is good] ... $43
headgear [safety!] ... $9
eyewear [30 yard rushing touchdown!] ... $140
shopping within budget and allotted time period [excellent clock management] ... priceless.
strange thought: why am i amusedly watching puffy amiyumi (close captioned) during my lunch break in the mall? *lol*
Friday, December 10, 2004
Week 14 Bets
1st and 10 ... Week 13 prognostications (bets in color).
Sunday Games
Oakland at Atlanta ... Falcons should bounce back (slackers!!!)
Cleveland at Buffalo ... the Bills still hope to crash the playoff party
New Orleans at Dallas ... the Cowboys now have a running game
Detroit at Green Bay ... amazingly, the Lions are also in the race
Seattle at Minnesota ... i like Shaun Alexander but the Vikes should win this
Cincinnati at New England ... the return of Corey Dillon (can you say 100+ yd game?)
Chicago at Jacksonville ... Jags better not underestimate the Bears
NY Giants at Baltimore ... not going to happen, Jints
San Francisco at St. Louis ... the Rams are edging toward pathetic
Indianapolis at Houston ... could a miracle happen that the Texans upset the Colts?
NY Jets at Pittsburgh ... aaaargh, tough one (no John Abraham). Let's go, Jets!!!
Miami at Denver ... Broncos need to salvage their pride
San Francisco at Arizona ... 49ers had their only win against Cards so its payback time
Tampa Bay at San Diego ... this would be an exciting one
St Louis at Carolina ... Chris Chandler? against a resurgent Panthers team? naah.
Philadelphia at Washington ... should be same result as two weeks ago
Monday Night Football
Kansas City at Tennessee ... this would be a great MNF game if we had Priest and a healthy Steve McNair
Last week: 11-5
Overall: 122/192 (122-70) 63.5%
Road: 54-38
Home: 68-32
Sunday Games
Oakland at Atlanta ... Falcons should bounce back (slackers!!!)
Cleveland at Buffalo ... the Bills still hope to crash the playoff party
New Orleans at Dallas ... the Cowboys now have a running game
Detroit at Green Bay ... amazingly, the Lions are also in the race
Seattle at Minnesota ... i like Shaun Alexander but the Vikes should win this
Cincinnati at New England ... the return of Corey Dillon (can you say 100+ yd game?)
Chicago at Jacksonville ... Jags better not underestimate the Bears
NY Giants at Baltimore ... not going to happen, Jints
San Francisco at St. Louis ... the Rams are edging toward pathetic
Indianapolis at Houston ... could a miracle happen that the Texans upset the Colts?
NY Jets at Pittsburgh ... aaaargh, tough one (no John Abraham). Let's go, Jets!!!
Miami at Denver ... Broncos need to salvage their pride
San Francisco at Arizona ... 49ers had their only win against Cards so its payback time
Tampa Bay at San Diego ... this would be an exciting one
St Louis at Carolina ... Chris Chandler? against a resurgent Panthers team? naah.
Philadelphia at Washington ... should be same result as two weeks ago
Monday Night Football
Kansas City at Tennessee ... this would be a great MNF game if we had Priest and a healthy Steve McNair
Last week: 11-5
Overall: 122/192 (122-70) 63.5%
Road: 54-38
Home: 68-32
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
He's Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.
It is quite inspiring to see my boss Andre walk back into the office, on his own willpower. Two years ago, he was sidelined by diabetes, with several complications that left him either bedridden or in a wheelchair for most of that time. He is now using a cane, and though he can't report for work 5 days a week, he has resolved to show up at least once a week (and he hasn't lost any of his will to "order" people around *lol*). There are very few things that are as humbling as trying to get down the street looking for a taxi when you can only take one fragile step at a time. And we think we have problems.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Week 13 Bets
1st and 10 ... Week 13 prognostications (bets in color).
Sunday Games
Minnesota at Chicago ... Vikes should beat up on the Bears
New England at Cleveland ... No upset here
Arizona at Detroit ... Joey H needs to prop up his rep before he gets benched too
Tennessee at Indianapolis ... more TDs with that, Mr Manning?
San Francisco at St. Louis ... the Rams are edging toward pathetic
Buffalo at Miami ... wanna bet against Drew?
Carolina at New Orleans ... the Cats are alive!
Houston at NY Jets ... Carr should keep it close (but no cigar)
Atlanta at Tampa Bay ... the Bucs dont want to hand the division title that easy
Cincinnati at Baltimore ... no Jamal Lewis? might be close.
Denver at San Diego ... wanna bet against Drew?
Kansas City at Oakland ... the Raiders play spoilers' role
Green Bay at Philadelphia ... this is tough - i'm going with the Pack
NY Giants at Washington ... your starting QB ... Clinton Portis! Not.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville ... another tough one - Steelers could lose by a close margin
Monday Night Football
Dallas at Seattle ... two more pathetic teams - should i just skip this one on Monday?
Last week: 13-3 (hooooohaaa!!)
Overall: 111-176 (111-65) 63%
Road: 49-35
Home: 62-30
Sunday Games
Minnesota at Chicago ... Vikes should beat up on the Bears
New England at Cleveland ... No upset here
Arizona at Detroit ... Joey H needs to prop up his rep before he gets benched too
Tennessee at Indianapolis ... more TDs with that, Mr Manning?
San Francisco at St. Louis ... the Rams are edging toward pathetic
Buffalo at Miami ... wanna bet against Drew?
Carolina at New Orleans ... the Cats are alive!
Houston at NY Jets ... Carr should keep it close (but no cigar)
Atlanta at Tampa Bay ... the Bucs dont want to hand the division title that easy
Cincinnati at Baltimore ... no Jamal Lewis? might be close.
Denver at San Diego ... wanna bet against Drew?
Kansas City at Oakland ... the Raiders play spoilers' role
Green Bay at Philadelphia ... this is tough - i'm going with the Pack
NY Giants at Washington ... your starting QB ... Clinton Portis! Not.
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville ... another tough one - Steelers could lose by a close margin
Monday Night Football
Dallas at Seattle ... two more pathetic teams - should i just skip this one on Monday?
Last week: 13-3 (hooooohaaa!!)
Overall: 111-176 (111-65) 63%
Road: 49-35
Home: 62-30
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