TheFranciscos.Net

Ramble On

Anybody who thought that Mike Tyson was still worth a damn sure doesn’t think that way anymore. As we all saw last weekend, Mike’s all washed up. At least this time, he accepted defeat like a man instead of acting like a baby like he usually does. Lennox Lewis rules!

What’s with Nicole Kidman new blonde look that she unveiled during the MTV Movie Awards? Aileen commented that she looks so much hotter as a redhead, and I fully agree. Let’s get back to the look that you had in Dead Calm!

I was able to see some footage on Magandang Gabi Bayan from the hostage situation on May 31 at the Philtranco bus terminal. A 4 year old boy was tragically killed by a drug addict in that incident. It was very disturbing footage, to say the least. What was painfully obvious from the footage was that the police men did not have a f****ng clue what they were supposed to do! These morons even made the fatal shot that eventually killed the poor kid. I can only say that if these are the guys that are supposed to be protecting you, then may God help you once you actually need them.

Also, I just added a couple of new picture galleries. You can find them here and here.

Shopping and Depression

What is the connection about depression and shopping? I found out that shopping gives me something to smile about when I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. I thought this thing happened only to women, but I learned during the weekend that it has the same effect on me. Anyway, due to some problems during the weekend that kinda bummed me out, I vented my frustration and anger on 3 new CDs(Nick Heyward’s “I Love You Avenue”, Paul Westerberg’s “Eventually” and James Taylor’s “Classic Hits Vol. 2”) and a few trade paperbacks (Greg Rucka’s “Queen & Country”, “Ultimate X-Men Vol.2: Return To Weapon X”, “Ultimate Marvel Team-Up”, and “Preacher Vol.7: Salvation”). It lifted my spirits up a bit (although my wallet was a lot lighter), but in the end, you really just have to take the bull by the horns, confront whatever’s bothering you and come up with a solution. To make a long story short, everything worked itself out and I got a lot of new stuff in the process .

Dee Dee Ramone, deceased on June 6, 2002

The dearly departed Joey and Deedee

The members of the Ramones are dropping like flies. Is 50 years the expiration date on these guys?

Parokya Ni Rico Blanco



Got a couple of new CDs from Manila courtesy of my cuz Agee yesterday. First off was Parokya Ni Edgar’s new album, Edgar Edgar Musikahan (title spoofed from Ryan Cayabyab’s old TV show). Packaged in a strange boxed set-looking case, it comes with a bonus VCD that has several hilarious PNE videos, including “Swimming Beach” (first single from EEM). How’s the music you ask? All in all, I think it’s more of the same PNE music we know, which should be all well and good, right? Somehow though, something about it seems…. I dunno, bland (for lack of a better word)? None of the tracks here really grab your attention like their previous albums. The best track probably is their cover of Hotdogs “Beh Buti Nga” (which was originally recorded for the Hotdogs tribute album), and when a cover song is the best track on the album, it could mean that they’re on their way down. Maybe I need to give it a few more listens, but right now I feel a bit disappointed by this one.

The other CD that I received though – Rivermaya’s “Tuloy Ang Ligaya” was, in a word, EXCELLENT! These guys were pretty much written off after lead singer Bamboo left sometime in 1998, but each album after he left has only gotten better and better. Each effort has lifted them to greater heights, and this album has to be their best one yet. From the title track, “Gising Na! (which really is a great song to wake up to), through “Basketbol”, “Kagat Ng Lamok” and “Umaaraw, Umuulan”, this album doesn’t disappoint. Great, great disc from Rico Blanco and his boys.

June is beginning to look like “everything’s new” month for me. By the end of the month, we’ll have a new home, and even before that, I’ll be starting a new job.

I’m really very excited about the job, admittedly more for personal reasons rather than professional. First of all, it’s going to let me get more sleep, second, it’s going to cut my commute time dramatically, and lastly, it’s going to let me have more personal time to spend however the hell I want to.

Let me tackle each one of these points – first up, sleep. Whoever said that adults can get by on 6 hours of sleep is a blatant liar! I’m 28, which in the States and in the IT industry means I’m already an old fart, but I still need 8 hours of sleep to function normally. Of course, I never get nearly that much sleep (which usually explains my everyday deviant, abnormal behavior). If and when I get 8 hours of sleep, I just know that it’s going to be a good day, no matter what happens. So why don’t I just sleep early? Aileen always asks me the same thing. Well, I’m just naturally a night person, and I’m just biologically built that way (of course, that’s also when all the good shows are on).

Next point, commute time. I currently drive about 1 hour and 15 minutes at constant speeds of about 80 to 90 mph (speed limit is 55) to get to my current workplace. My adrenaline rush in the morning is when my radar detector starts to chirp and I slam on the brakes (causing everything inside the car to fall to the floor) to avoid a speeding ticket. My new job is only about 20 minutes away and requires me to go only 5 miles above the limit, at the most. With the shorter commute time going home, Aileen will finally be spared my daily ranting of traffic and stupid drivers (which I’m sure she’s had quite enough of).

Third and most importantly, the shorter commute time. Because of that, I’ll have more hours to spend however I want. I’ll at least have a couple of more hours every day. Of course, since we’re buying a new house soon, my newfound personal time will most likely translate to mowing the lawn or doing some other household s**t. But that’s okay, at least it’s something I want to do. It sure beats being stuck in the car counting the miles until I reach home. I can also go to the gym more often, spend time with my family, play computer games, read my comics, or watch one of the dozens of DVDs that I’ve bought but never watched.

I can’t wait! June 17th can’t come soon enough.

From Hell



When I had seen the trailers for the film “From Hell” I’d expected it to be good. Was it good? Yes. As good as I hoped it would be? No. But it is still a damned fine mystery-horror-thriller that incorporates romance and drama into the story as well.

The story follows Inspector Fredrick Abberline as he begins his investigation of the infamous Whitechapel murders, perpetrated by the shadowy, never-caught Jack the Ripper. During the course of the investigation, he has precognitive visions that lead him deeper into the mystery, as he tries to save the beautiful prostitutes who are being viciously murdered, and are somehow linked to a massive conspiracy. He even begins to fall in love with Mary Kelly, who would be the Ripper’s final victim.

The performance of Johhny Depp as Inspector Abberline is overall an excellent performance from an actor who always takes notoriously quirky roles. Heather Graham came off rather well as Mary Kelly–much better than I thought she would be. Robbie Coltrane plays the part of the Inspector’s sidekick, Sgt. Godley, extremely well, and he manages to steal all of his scenes. Another wonderful portrayal is that of Ian Holm as the royal physician Sir William Gull, who assists Inspector Abberline and may have a key to the mystery. Supporting performances are all pulled off very well.

The set design and visual effects are gorgeous and haunting, giving a vivid presentation of 1888 London(the visuals rival even those of Tim Burton). The murders are left more to the imagination rather than being very explicit–but the onscreen gore effects are decidedly gruesome. Even the music by Trevor Jones is haunting in the simple, dark textual feel that it gives off.

The story itself is overall good. The first 3/4ths are quite ingenious, but in the very end of the film is not what I expected and I was a little disappointed in the resolution and conclusion of the tale. The Ripper’s identity and motive were excellent, even when kept faceless in the shadows. But the as the climax builds up, it seems to be running out of steam. My only major gripe is how complicated the story gets as it progresses–adding in the conspiracy and the romance, it just seems unable to hold its own weight, building up to nothing. Although this can be accounted by trying to stick close to the source material and history itself, the conclusion is not wholly satisfying.

But overall this is a good movie that will undoubtedly become a favorite among Ripper fans, as well as fans of “Seven” and “Silence of the Lambs”. If you can tolerate its massive complexity and the rather limp ending, then you will find this an entertaining and enjoyable–and rather nasty–little pleasure.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Letter of Resignation

The day before I quit a job everything becomes very peaceful.

I can hear weevils chewing out the insides of trees miles away.

I watch the skin form on a pitcher of cream.

The noises of people at the lunch table are like the birth of stars.

An enormous gulf of understanding and floortiles separates me from them.

I sit here and formulate a concise and intelligent response

to their false assertion

that people who like spicy food can’t taste anymore.

The spicy element is entirely separate from taste,

the way a man eating a bowl of cinnamon-sugared nettles

would have two distinct reactions.

I pieced this together with no training in science.

I am also, it should be noted, not that interested in where I am going.

All I ask is that the women across the alley take off their clothes

and pose suggestively on their porch.

This office was designed to be pleasant

not the charnel house of lies and insinuations

you have made it.

You never know when someone is looking at you

and thinking horrible thoughts.

Goodbye.

I won’t think about you when I’m not here

which is the worst thing that could happen to a human

besides torture.

I’m telling you this because you obviously have no marketable skills.

Matthew Rohrer

American Literary Review

Volume 13, Number 1

Spring 2002

That blackout last Saturday took me back to the dark ages in Manila (circa mid-1990s) when we were hit with regular daily power outages. Whenever the power went out we’d usually go to the nearby mall and watch a movie. This was when a movie was like P30-P40 and popcorn+soda was about P20. Unfortunately, that’s something that we’re not able to do here in the States because at $8 or $9 a pop (plus another $10-$20 in food), movies are just too damn expensive.

Speaking of movies – when will they ever release the Asterix & Obelix animated films here in the US? As a kid, one of my favorite movies was “The Twelve Tasks of Asterix” – Obelix versus that javelin thrower from Africa was so f***in’ hilarious! The rest of the flicks were all funny, but this was the one that stood out for me. I also heard that the live version starring Gerard Depardieu and Roberto Benigni as Asterix & Obelix were also pretty good – another set of flicks that desperately needs to be imported.

LA Lakers – Three-peat Champs (or how I lost $20)



The Sacramento Kings, my pick to win the NBA championship this year, lost their series last night to the reigning champs, the LA Lakers. The Kings played a great game and had a chance to win it, but in the end didn’t have what it takes to beat the Lakers. Shaq and his boys showed their championship poise and Robert Horry played another pivotal role in a very important game. If they could declare two winners, the two teams certainly deserved to win, but like Duncan MacLeod from the movie Highlander said – “There can be only one”.

They should have just handed the NBA championship trophy to Shaq, Kobe and the gang last night because their upcoming series against the New Jersey Nets will be a farce. There’s just no way in hell that the Nets (or any other Eastern Conference for that matter) can beat the Lakers. For that matter, even if the Kings won last night, no one in the East could’ve beat them either. Expect a three-peat by LA and their entry into the record books as one of the greatest teams in NBA history in a few weeks.

One thing’s for sure though, people who were mad that the Kings traded Jason Williams, their exciting point guard, last year for Mike Bibby are changing their tune. Bibby had an excellent performace in this amazing series and surely was the man for Sacramento. I expect this team to only get better after this year and who knows? Next year may finally be their year.

On a side note, I lost $20 on a bet because I picked the Kings to win over the Lakers this year.

Trip.Com Glitch

Yay, the deal I was talking about came through! Last week, Trip.Com had a glitch in their systems so that flights to Manila on Cathay Pacific between August and October were only $125 per person. That’s on BUSINESS CLASS! The last time we went home, which was from December last year to January this year, our tickets cost almost $3,000 and Zoe didn’t even have a seat. So getting tickets for all three of us at $375 (plus $10 for shipping and handling) was like OJ getting away with murder.

The only catch is that we have to leave from JFK airport in New York, so we need to buy tickets to get there. When I last checked, the tickets to go from Pittsburgh to JFK were even more expensive than our tickets going to Manila.

So we’ll be having an unexpected one week vacation in September. We can’t wait to go home again, and this time we’re travelling in style!