To celebrate the latest Harry Potter movie opening on Thursday (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), I'm having my favorite HP character for lunch tomorrow!


Professor Snape, Hogwarts Potions Master, brewing a cauldron of his top-secret potion

My Snape is onigiri with Spanish sardine filling. Flames under the "crystal" cauldron are sauteed red bell pepper strips. Potion contents are salmon balls, shitake balls and fried siomai. Wand is a piece of Jack n' Jill mini chocolate pretzel (I ate the rest earlier).

This is my very first kyaraben (character bento)! I made a mistake with Snape's hair, though. He looks more like a Spock. Hehe. I shouldn't have given him bangs.

I'll get him right next time, promise. :)

I'm having Professor Snape for lunch at My Mad Lunch Box.

Kirk/Spock Series Part 2

As promised, here is evidence of Kirk and Spock's "friendship" (an obvious euphemism) in Wrath of Khan.

1. Exhibit A:
( I have been, and always shall be, yours. (video) )

2. Exhibit B:
( The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. (video) )

Bonus exhibit: Kirk/Bones ( Klingon aphrodisiac? )

Rating: 5/5 stars for slash, 3/5 stars for plot (I would have taken off more points for the Khan! but that tragic K/S ending more than makes up for it.)

Next week: Search for Spock
Previous: Star Trek The Motion Picture


***

And here is a PS. Because dreamlessness reminded me of Amok Time. ( Of course, Mr. Spock. Your reaction was quite logical... In a pig's eye! )

I am not looking forward to the new Harry Potter movie. The mere mention of Snape still gets me depressed. I can't even bring myself to touch any HP-related material yet.

Why do the characters I love always meet tragic ends? Why can't I ever choose the ones who live happily ever after?

(Uh, because I hate heroic heroes, that's why.)

Kirk/Spock Series Part 1

Confession time: My name is Joyce and I have become a Star Trekaholic. A TOSaholic, to be precise.

I'm not a fandom newbie, but I was a TNG teen (Data! ♥). And while I've seen some of the TOS movies before, I didn't have any series background because I haven't been born yet when TOS aired. So after seeing the recent reboot, I thought I'd watch some TOS episodes for some Prime universe backstory. Naturally, I fall in love with Spock (because he's exactly my type: tall, thin, smart and snobbish), but I also find Kirk adorable (he's sweet and boy-next-doorsy and obviously in love with his first officer).

Watching the original series opened my eyes to the canon K/S slash intriguing character dynamic between Kirk and Spock in the movies. Take ST: The Motion Picture, for instance. There is a deep undercurrent of emotion between Kirk and Spock that is so palpable it would be illogical to deny.

For those too thick to notice, here are three of the most obvious K/S (Kirk/Spock) scenes from The Motion Picture: (Obligatory SPOILER warning. Is it still a spoiler if the movie was released 30 years ago?)

1. After the Enterprise's missions, Spock goes back to Vulcan to undergo two and a half years of Kolinahr (a ritual where he is supposed to purge off all of his emotions). He somehow fails it. (Ha! Guess what 'feelings' he couldn't purge?) So he goes back to the Enterprise and surprises the bridge crew, who never expected to see him again after the ritual. ( Kirk's reaction (video) )

2. ( Kirk needs Spock. (video) )

3. ( Of course, there's the famous sickbay scene where they hold hands. (video) )

There's a lot more of these in the movie. Go watch!

Rating: 5/5 stars for slash, 4.5/5 stars for plot

Up next: Wrath of Khan

The lady sitting beside me on the shuttle home was talking quite loudly on her cellphone, so I couldn't help overhearing her conversation. (Well, it was more like even if I wanted to NOT overhear, I was forced to.) Apparently she was talking to her child:

"Ano'ng wina-watch mo dyan?"
...
"Cartoons? Anong cartoons? Don't watch Tagalog cartoons ha."
...
"Sige, basta don't watch Tagalog cartoons. Sa Disney channel ka na lang."
...
"Let me talk to Yaya."
...
"Yaya, anong channel ang wina-watch niya?"
...
"Disney channel? Okay. Wag mong ipapa-watch sa Hero ha? Tagalog na nga tayo e. Baka di na lalo matuto yan."


I swear I wanted to smack her over the head. And does she really believe she was actually speaking in Tagalog? No way!

Why do most Filipino parents seem to believe that English-speaking children are automatically smarter children? I hate, hate, hate, hate it!

***

So I was reminded of one of my ex-officemate's daughter. At 3 years old, she can speak straight-ass Tagalog, even better than most Filipino adults I know. Now, THAT is cool.

***

It's ironic how I'm writing about this in English. Let's just blame it on the wonky educational system that trained me how to read and write better in English than in Filipino, all right? Okay. XP

Ube Jams Bag Top Spot in Bowling

Yay!

We actually had to win this because the next event is billiards, and we don't have any billiards player on the team. _I_ am playing, and I don't even know what the white ball is called. As for gameplay and rules, I guess we'll just have to wing it on game day! XD

I have a cousin-godchild (Janzel) whose parents had a falling out more than ten years ago. Her mom, Tita F., who was pregnant at the time, took her and fled to Davao, leaving my uncle (her father) with their three other children. I have never seen her since.

My mom has an old address of Tita F.'s sister in Dalyao, Toril. Since we were in Davao City anyway, we decided to try to look her up, in the hopes of getting to see Janzel and my aunt. At the advice of the receptionist at Aljem's, we didn't take a taxi to Toril, because she said the local drivers would know the place better. We had to transfer jeepneys three times just to get to the Toril crossing, where we were supposed to get a tricycle that will take us to the Dalyao area. It sort of felt like Japan all over again, because the jeepney conductors and the tricycle driver kept talking to us in Bisaya (I think), so we had to guess what they were saying.

Eventually, we did find the street. When we asked around, we found out that Tita F.'s sister didn't live in the address anymore. However, as luck would have it, the person we asked was married to another one of Tita F.'s half-sisters! So he invited us to his house instead, and gave us my cousin's latest contact details. And, to make a longish story short, we finally managed to call Janzel, and she went over, and we got to meet her!

She didn't remember me, of course, but she says she remembers my mom. She's already 14 years old, and will be in third year high school next school year. The last time I saw her, she was still a baby!

We invited her to stay the night with us at the inn. She went with us to Eden Garden and the Crocodile Park the next day. After that, we went to the mall to get her some school supplies before we eventually had to say goodbye again. Hopefully, she can visit us here in Manila as well. I know she wants to meet her other siblings, too.

I'll be posting our photos here soonish.


We had a surprising and adventure-filled five days in Davao City. (We had excitement up to the last minute, actually, because our return flight was cancelled at the last minute and we had to rush to get it rebooked! But I already talked about that in a previous post. :D)

However, we didn't get to eat Durian, try Durian coffee, eat at Luz Kinilaw and visit Malagos Garden, the Philippine Eagle Park and GAP Farm. Maybe next time!

... also: meeting annasibs for the first time, and dreamlessness after fifty million years.

***

I was supposed to meet with Bhex (dreamlessness) and Sheila (reiichiru) the afternoon before Sheila's wedding. Sheila, however, according to Bhex, was already in last-minute panic mode at the time, so we never got to meet up. I was too tired from the boat ride, too, so my mom and I opted to stay and rest at the inn.

[Side note: We stayed at the downtown Aljem's Inn in Pichon St. -- a convenient place to stay, since it's smack dab in the middle of things: there's access to banks, shops, and public transportation to almost anywhere in Davao City, plus it's a stone's throw away from the Bangkerohan Market (the place to buy your fresh suha and other fruits), and walking distance to the People's Park. Aljem's rooms, although a bit old, are clean and well-kept, and towels are replaced daily. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and are willing to answer almost any question you may have, from sight-seeing tips to how to get to whereever. Double rooms cost P1000 per night, inclusive of any-silog breakfast with coffee.]

So, anyway, I got to meet up with Bhex and Anna at the church. Sheila's wedding was a cozy affair, with I think no more than a hundred guests. I thought Sheila looked really adorable! She was radiant in her dress (I later found out from Anna that this wasn't the gown she originally planned to wear, but I think it suited her so well that nobody can tell). It was also sweet that the priest seemed to be close to their families. It added a personal touch to the ceremony because instead of the usual platitudes, he was able to give personalized comments and guidance to the soon-to-be newlyweds.

[Another side note: I was so surprised when I saw Jonah and Chin at the wedding! They were two of the people I liked hanging out with at our college org (UP Zoological Society), where Jonah used to be President. I haven't seen them in years! I remember back in the day when I'd skip summer classes just to have Magic tournaments with Jonah and some other guys, or when I'd volunteer to be a tester for Chin's banana chips project. Who would have thought they'd be friends with Sheila's fiance? Small world, yes? Too bad they didn't go to the reception, though. I really wanted to chat up with them more.]

The wedding reception was held at Jack's Ridge, which was a bunch of restaurants located at the top of a hill overlooking Davao City. The view was gorgeous. And the food was great. There was lechon! Yummm. My companions ate like birds, though, so I was ashamed to go back for seconds. XD~~~

Bhex, Anna and I got called out for the singles bouquet game (there should be an age limit imposed on those things, right, B?). Thankfully, none of us "won" the bouquet. Anyway, we were perfectly content at our table, talking about the new Star Trek movie and the fandom.

Next: The search for my long lost godchild/cousin

I booked accommodations at a Samal island resort for our first day in Davao, so we had to go directly to the Santa Ana wharf from the Davao City International Airport. Since my mom and I were unfamiliar with Davao city, we hired the airport van service to take us there, but we learned later that we could have saved around 75% of the fare if we just flagged down one of the taxis at the airport exit. Oh well. The van driver went out of his way to be helpful, anyway. We arrived at the wharf an hour early for our scheduled boat transfer, and he was kind enough to endorse us to the wharf officers so we won't get lost. We had breakfast at a nearby carinderia while waiting for our boat. I wasn't able to get the name of the carinderia, but their bulalo was kickass. :D

My mom and I were the only guests on the boat to the Hof Gorei resort (maybe because it was a Thursday). The boat trip took about an hour, but it was worth it when we got there. The place was beautiful! Later on, we found out that we shared the resort with only two other guests, who were both German. We stayed at one of the Hillside Round Huts, which gave us an almost bird's eye view of the beach (plus lots of leg workouts just to get there). We met the owner, April, who was very friendly and down-to-earth, and seemed to be a big afficionado of nature and animals. She does her own gardening, and she can name almost all the species of birds that visit her resort.

The accommodations at Hof Gorei were first rate, and the entire area was clean and well-maintained. The beach was nice, too, as long as you stay within the Hof Gorei area (they regularly remove the coral residue, which is painful to walk on if you're barefoot). The resort is a perfect place for people who want tranquil and natural surroundings. Party-going Bora people would probably find it boring there, though, as there really was no night scene to speak of, unless you want to party with the freely roaming geese and hornbills. :)

Contrary to the negative reviews about Hof Gorei's food I found on the net, I really enjoyed the food there. It was a little on the expensive side compared to normal resort rates (about P200-300 per dish), but the servings were huge. As in, good-enough-for-two-people huge. Weren't we thankful for all the cardio we got climbing from the beach to our hut. I especially liked their antipasti (roasted vegetables with a tomato dip), the club sandwich with a ton of perfect french fries, sinigang, pancit bihon, and their 'melon salad' (which turned out to be watermelon) with bacon and cream.

Ahh. In the end, my mom and I didn't want to leave, but we couldn't stay another day because I won't be able make it in time for Sheila and Eric's wedding (which was the reason I went to Davao in the first place).

A word to the wise: never take the afternoon return boat transfer when it's raining (or about to rain). The waves are fierce! I kept gauging the distance to the shore, wondering whether or not I can swim that far with my mom in tow, in case our small boat capsizes. XD

Hof Gorei has a 2+1 room promo where you get a night free for every 2 nights you stay in their resort. Anyone want to go with me next time? :)

Meanwhile, I still haven't downloaded the photos from Mom's cam. LOL.

Next: Sheila's wedding

I'm supposed to be starting a lengthy post about my Davao trip, but first let me gush about the Fringe season ender: William Bell, the mysterious founder of Massive Dynamic, finally makes his first appearance. And guess who plays him? Leonard Nimoy! Is that cool or what?

I didn't get really hooked on Fringe (I extremely dislike Prof. Bishop's characterization, a lot of their so-called Science is a bit wonky, and I can't relate to the main character, Olivia, at all), but I guess I'll still be tuning in next season. Hopefully there will be more mythos revelations, and less crazy-scientist-overacting. And more William Bell, of course, this goes without saying. ;)

Apparently, this backrub scene is quite famous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNZt-9Afdi4

Kirk: "Push, push hard. Dig it in there, Mr. Spo---"

Our afternoon flight back to Manila was cancelled, so I thought I wouldn't be able to make it in time for Squall's birthday. My sister managed to get us rebooked to an earlier flight, though. We had to hie off to the airport to catch the flight, so we had no time to buy pasalubong and souvenirs, but here I am finally with my baby, who I missed every minute I was away.



Happy 9th birthday, Squall! Mommy loves you so much! <3



PS
Photos of Davao trip is still in Mom's digicam. Will post (much) later.

PPS
Congratulations and best wishes to Sheila and Eric! Sheila, you looked lovely! :)

So I've finally seen my most awaited movie of the year, and --

Spock!!!! He is even more loveable than I remember. And there are two of him now, for double the fun. AND double the slash. Because, you know, the Kirk/Spock UST* didn't disappoint.


( Slash. SPOILER WARNING. )


*UST = Unresolved Sexual Tension

Yesterday, my sisters and I treated Mom and Tita Patty to a Mothers' Day lunch at Max's. We ordered the half table banquet which consists of a whole chicken, a clay pot of kare-kare, lechon kawali, boneless bangus, a clay pot of sinigang na hipon, rice and buko pandan. You would think we'd have leftovers. Well, think again.

We wanted to have hot fudge sundae and Krispy Kremes after, but no one wanted to shell out any more cash. LOL.

I got a 1-bedroom condo unit at the Berkeley Residences in Katipunan. Shake me awake. This is by far the biggest purchase I've made in the entire thirty-plus years of my life.

The building construction doesn't get finished until next year. I hope the place turns out okay. I'm scared, but also excited!

Blackwell's unveils Espresso Book Machine - any title printed while you wait

It's not elegant: it looks like a large photocopier. But the Espresso Book Machine could herald the biggest change for the literary world since Gutenberg invented his printing press more than 500 years ago.

Unveiled today at Blackwell's Charing Cross Road branch, in central London, the machine prints and binds books in five minutes. Read more.


I wish they'd bring this here in Manila, too. Along with the Kindle. They're the answers to our shipping rate woes. :)

Jello organized an unofficial reunion of our ZS batch at Butchie's, his new resto at Wilson St., Greenhills. I wasn't exaggerating when I told the kiddies (Pam and Perry, both current ZS officers) that I spent some of the happiest times of my life in our tambayan. I have so many good memories from that time (and even the memories I thought were bad have turned into nice, sentimental ones, now that time has softened up their harsh edges).

It's also surprising the amount of trivial nonsense I remember about these people after more than ten years.

Lem (or Karl, the name he goes by now) -- He had an extensive CD collection, at a time when normal college students can hardly even afford cassette tapes.
Olga -- She was a staff member at the Miss Universe pageant when it was held in Manila, and got to meet the beautious and super-friendly Michelle van Eimeren face to face.
Joyce S. -- She had a collection of hand-pressed empty chip bags in her file envelope. And she was (and still is) in love with her high school best friend, G.
Toto -- His dad is a general who deposits Toto's P6000 monthly allowance in the bank, instead of hading it over daily/weekly like the usual student's parents. (How DO I know these stuff??) He's also a M:TG addict and taught his girlfriend how to play.
Ants -- People said his dream was to be a doctor to the Barrio. One time, his best friend (Ben) fell asleep drunk and started drooling on the table. Ants took a tissue and wiped Ben's mouth with it. So sweet! ♥ Ants and Ben stopped being super-close after Ben joined a frat, though. I felt really sad then, because their friendship was one of the things I most admired in the world at the time, but I guess they didn't even mind. Ants started hanging out with Jasper and Ben got a girlfriend...
Jello -- He used to bring really tasty Sylvanas (which he now sells at his resto for P300 a pack). He gave Batts a Benetton bag for her 18th birthday. I don't know how I can remember this when I can't even remember what I gave Batts that time! XD

Which makes me remember other people I would like to see as well:

Mikey S. -- He heated spoiled ginisang munggo in the over toaster and ate it! He's the bridge and royal rummy ring leader.
Lara -- She taught herself how to smoke in the Eng'g (?) stairwell with me and Katips. She needed to know how to smoke for a theater role she wanted to apply for.
Joy -- She had a dog named Gimpy. She's also the best damn volleyball and female basketball player I've ever met in real life!
Jonalie -- She was in love with David Duchovny (even before that song, yes) and Noah Wyle.
Pia -- She had an out of tune piano that she would still play.
Cathy T. -- She once told me she wanted to trade places with me. Why?! Also, she's another bridge addict.
Sandy -- My idol! She's rich, pretty, smart and outgoing. I have no idea why she hangs out with us at all, actually. ;p
Jonah -- He lost his sense of smell due to complications from a childhood illness.
Ben -- One half of the coolest duo at the tambayan. (See Ants above.)

Do I miss these people or what?! But it's no use dwelling in the past. After the reunion dinner, we each had to go back to our present: wives, kids, work, much-younger girlfriends (*sob*) and dogs. But I'll treasure the memories forever (nakana!). ♥

Ano na nga ba yung ZS poem...

I am here at work because we are 'business as usual' for the Holy Week holidays. So it's either use a couple of my vacation leave days or go to the office and get paid double.

Oh well. At least we have airconditioning here, right?

We all had to bring packed lunches because all the malls and fast food places (except for 7-11) are closed. I wanted to pack a nice bento but I forgot to get ingredients.

Preck's mom told her that she shouldn't go to work on Good Friday para makapag-ayuno naman siya. And she replied with, 'Hindi pa ba pag-aayuno ang pagpasok habang nagbabakasyon lahat ng tao?' Heh. As if any of us want to be at work, anyway. It IS the ultimate sacrifice. :/

Meanwhile, the roads in the Ortigas area are all empty. *queue western dust devils* I feel like we've been warped into the Twilight Zone.

Had an early dinner at Mall of Asia's Sakae Sushi with Apollo and the lunchie girls (Sherelyn, Preck and Melai). Yum yum. Their all-you-can-eat conveyor belt sushi costs only P399, and comes with free iced or hot tea and miso soup. This is great if you're the type who can eat eight or more plates of sushi in one sitting. If you don't think you can, then it's better to order a la carte, since sushi servings range from P40 for the most common to P100 for the red plate specials. (And they rarely put red plate sushi on the conveyor belt during the all-you-can-eat hours.) Tip: Try to get a table near the window where the conveyor belt comes out from the kitchen so you get first dibs on everything!

I tried looking for the delicious salmon sushi yuffchan had me try in Akihabara, but I don't think they had it. I forgot what it's called... something-toro, I think. I had something that tastes a little like it at Akabeko in Pearl Drive, but it costs an arm and a leg there (iirc, around P400 or P600 for two pieces).

Anyway, we all had the all-you-can-eat at Sakae Sushi, but I want to go back to try their other fare. Not soon, though, as I'm still bleeding sushi from the ears.

ANDO: Let me guess, I don't get to know the password.
HIRO: No.
ANDO: Not even a clue?
HIRO: Hmm... It's the name of someone... very important to me.

Alam na!!!! LOL!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ I love Heroes!

I thought I heard about it too late, but apparently, the Star Trek XI uniform fitting is still on. I'm so tempted to get one for myself, but the female uniforms cost P2500 per set (dress and boots). I may be able to afford it, and I think I really want it, but should I get it? Thoughts please!

Poll #1365374 Starfleet uniform
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Should I get a Star Trek uniform?

Oh, and one other thing: If I do get one, what color should I choose? I'm inclined towards the blue (teal?) because I'm more science-oriented, but lots of people already ordered that. Red is the least preferred color. Should I pick red instead? I'm not sure what a red uniform means... I know in the more recent series, red means command. But didn't Captain Kirk wear gold/yellow during his era? (Sorry, I'm not a seriously hardcore ST fan. I just really enjoy watching it. :D)

Have any of you ever wondered how Kamenashi Kazuya would look like with awesome Menudo hair? Apparently, his stylist has:


(Kame, lower left)

Sorry, Kame, but no amount of macho posturing and Latino-tough-guy hairstyling will make you look masculine! LOL! But I still love you, anyway! ♥


PS Meanwhile, I think I just revealed how ancient I really am. I mean, who's heard of Menudo?! A full three quarters of the people on my flist probably haven't been born yet when this Puerto Rican boy band became popular in the Philippines. XD

During my week-long stint on the graveyard shift, I discovered Banchetto, a "secret" food tiangge at Emerald Avenue (Ortigas). It felt like one of those pre-Christian magical dream places: the food tents materialized during the ungodly hours between Friday and Saturday, and people just came in from everywhere to feast and make merry!

We got there at around 4am (lunchbreak for our shift), and the place was still teeming with people. Table turnover was pretty quick (around 30 minutes per batch), probably because most of the revelers are also on their 1-hour break. There was a very wide variety of food, from barbecues to Pinoy fiesta food (kare-kare, sinigang) to cake desserts to pasta to any and all kinds of food you can think of. And the price felt like magic, too. Complete meals are only on the P100-range (P70-P80 for the food, plus around P20 for drinks).

I think I need to revisit Banchetto one more weekend to make sure I didn't just dream it up.

My sister and me, at the eheads final live.


I thought the Eheads concert last Saturday lacked oomph. Or at least, it lacked enough oomph to wake me up. It seemed like the guys were saving their strengths for something that never came up. They were less energetic than I was, and I didn't get a full night's sleep for a whole week! They basically just stood there, like they were glued at a specific spot on the stage. The songs they played were mostly arranged just like the CD versions, too (notable exceptions being those songs Ely didn't sing vocals for). The mood just picked up during the final three songs they performed for the encore (which I kept shouting in my mind as AN-KO-REH).

Oh well. Over and done with. They will still always have a place in my heart, even after that lackluster final hurrah.

Probably as its way of getting back at me for not letting it sleep at night, my body won't let me sleep at all. Me, the sleep-addict, who can literally fall asleep standing. I only got in about three hours' total worth of sleep since Monday.

Meanwhile, I've been spam-commenting on my friends' LJs to keep myself awake at work. Sorry if my comments don't make sense. Yours won't too, if your head feels like it's stuffed with cotton.