"X-Men: The Last Stand"

Last Saturday, Hazel, Scarlet and I went to watch “X-Men: The Last Stand” at SM Megamall. After having lunch at Almon Marina, and dropping Gabby off at My Playroom, we caught the 2:15 p.m. showing.

One of the challenges for me in watching the “X-Men” movies is to control my urge to feel troubled at the number of changes the moviemakers wrought. After all, the movie is different from the comic book; even the comic book’s current continuity is convoluted to me. So, I was able to approach the movie with a more open mind. Not too open, but open, nonetheless.

It wasn’t a totally bad movie, but it wasn’t a particularly good one either.

(Spoilers follow)

One of the main problems was the plot. It seemed that whoever crafted it wanted to cram as much as he/she could into the movie. As a result, the movie is choppy, and full of too many storylines to follow, some of which appear to have been dumped in to cover all the bases. But, covering all the bases is simply not possible within the confines of a 2-hour movie.

The impetus is that there is a so-called cure for mutants, culled from the genes of one mutant. This spurs both the X-Men, and Magneto to action: the X-Men to protect the young mutant, and Magneto to crush what he sees as the start of a mutant genocide.

The other main storyline is that of Jean Grey, last seen drowned in the second movie. Here, she’s alive and well, but greatly altered, and highly dangerous.

The story is based on one of the all-time X-Men stories, “The Phoenix Saga,” with a little bit of “What If?” thrown in for good measure.

Other minor storylines, such as that of the Angel, and that of Rogue wanting to be human, seemed contrived, and didn’t really add to the story

The other problem is the number of characters present, which makes trying to adequately develop all of them a real challenge.

For major players such as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Mystique (Rebecca Romjin), and Magneto (Ian McKellen), it wasn’t too difficult, for one, the movie revolves around them, and two, they’ve been doing this since the first movie, and have their characterizations pretty down pat.

For other veterans such as Storm (Halle Berry), Rogue (Anna Paquin), and Cyclops (James Marsden), the script didn’t give them much to work with. Thus, their performances were pedestrian, at best.

I liked the casting of Kelsey Grammer as the Beast, although he probably should’ve been introduced earlier, considering that, in the comics, the Beast was one of the first X-Men.

I didn’t realize that the speedster/mutant detector was Callisto (Dania Ramirez), because neither speed nor mutant detection is her power. I should’ve guessed from the way she was going after Storm. The movie makers, at least, kept that part from the comic book.

For the others, Pyro (Aaron Stanford), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Angel (Ben Foster), Leech (Cameron Bright), and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) seemed to have only one facial expression available to them; in Kitty’s case, she was in a state of perpetual no expression.

I would’ve liked to have seen Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) have more depth to his character, but, unfortunately, the movie isn’t focused on him, except to execute the famous “Fastball Special” with Wolverine. It would take another movie to do this.

The Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) was just plain dumb.

Reading the credits, I think I'd like to watch the movie again, just to spot some of the other characters mentioned; there was just too much to take in the first time. Apparently, Artie, Siryn, Omega Red, Psylocke, and Jubilee make appearances, but I missed out on spotting them. Next time.

Lastly, what happened to Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming)? After being the focal point for the second movie, one would think that he’d at least be mentioned by name somehow. But he seems to have disappeared completely out of the storyline.

What annoyed me was that one of my co-teachers told me to stay until after the end of the credits, where something extra would be shown. Imagine our dismay when nothing happened. I was told later by my sister that there was something at the end; once more, the profit-oriented, customer service-lacking SM Management decided that it would be more profitable to cut it out, so that they could squeeze in more showings.

“X-Men: The Last Stand”, in the ranking of comic book-based movies, isn’t greatly stellar, like “Batman Begins” or “Spider-Man 1 and 2”. It’s better than “Daredevil” and “Elektra”. Compared to the two previous “X-Men” movies, this was not a satisfying way to end the series. But, then again, the ending clues us in that there might be a fourth movie.

So stay tuned.

'Da Vinci Code' Book Burning

The problem with censorship is that it's arbitrary in scope, depending on the whims and desires of whoever is doing the censoring. However, what's blasphemous for one may not be for another, and censorship curtails the freedom of speech.

This is why I find the book burning of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" in Manila disturbing, and pathetic. It's disturbing because it's a throwback to a more uncivilized time, and pathetic, because the protesters merely burned three books, owing probably to the high price of the book. Apparently, it was more a symbolic gesture than anything.

What's more, it's a group of Ateneo alumni spearheading the move. As an Atenean, I'm appalled at the showboating antics of these alumni. All of this protesting and and fulminating against a book that, frankly, wasn't really well-written, is an indication of a weakness of faith, rather than a show of strong faith. If one's faith is strong, will a book, a work of fiction, no less really be enough to rock it?

One alumnus was quoted as saying, "God is big in Manila." No. Censorship, narrowmindedness, and idiocy is big in Manila.

I was able to read the "Code" while waiting for my wife to give birth, and it was a light reading material; I was able to finish it by the end of the day, when my wife was wheeled into the hospital room. While I liked the attention to detail, I found the ending to be a big letdown. It was like, after all the suspense and build-up, that was it? It's not something I would read a second time, unlike such classics as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (17 times, and counting).

The more attention people are giving in their protests, the more others will be curious to read the book or watch the movie; remember "Schindler's List?". In a way, all these protests are actually helping sell "The Da Vinci Code" in a funny irony.

What should be done if one does read the "Code" is to look and explore one's faith. Admittedly, since most of us Filipinos are born into Catholicism, instead of consciously baptized into it, a good number of our countrymen aren't really aware of what it means to be Catholic, or Christian. Let the "Code" be the impetus for us to take a deeper look at our faith, and become better Christians because of it.

Running, and Winning

One has to wonder at the Phoenix Suns' resiliency.

After playing two consecutive grueling matches against the Lakers and the Clippers, the Suns managed to slipped past the Dallas Mavericks, 121-118, in the first game of the Western Conference finals.

What I find amazing is that the Suns continue to run, despite the fact that they're probably a little fatigued by now. The Mavericks probably found it amazing as well, as they were the victims of the Suns' running game.

But, the Mavs have Avery Johnson, the 2006 Coach of the Year. It was Johnson who was able to infuse the Mavs, known for their weak defense, with a bit of defensive savvy, making them a much more dangerous team. It will be up to Johnson to figure out how to stop the Suns' running game. It will probably have to begin with the Mavs' big men, Dirk Nowitski, to control the boards and slow down the red-hot Suns.

For all this, I'm not really going to be actively following the Western finals, because my team, the Clippers, have been eliminated. My attention will be focused on whether my Eastern favorite, the Pistons, are able to survive the Heat. But, if I were to make a choice, I'd like to see the Suns make it to the finals.

End of the Line

Didn't I say it would be a battle of the boards? And it was a battle the Los Angeles Clippers lost.

For the first time in the best-of-seven series, the Phoenix Suns managed to accomplish two things: one, they limited the Clippers to their lowest number of rebounds in the series, and two, they managed to tie the Clippers in rebounding, 32-32, after being beaten in that stat the previous six games.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt to be shooting 60% as a team, as the Suns finally ousted the Clippers, 127-107, almost as resoundingly as the Clippers' co-L.A. team, the Lakers, in the first round.

Amazingly, the Suns used only seven players, all of whom scored in double figures, in their game 7 win. They were led, appropriately, by Shawn Marion (30), and MVP Steve Nash (29). It seems that they were able to make use of the rest they were given, and they came into game 7 refreshed and ready to take on a hungry Clippers squad.

Still, it's been a wonderful post-season for the Clippers, who have put to rest, at least for now, their sorry, sorry history. Moreover, they won't have to plan any lottery party, having escaped the ignominy of that for this season.

Now, it's a look forward to the future. Will they re-sign Sam Cassell? Corey Maggette? Will the miserly owner Donald Sterling decide to open his purse a little more? And, most importantly, will they be able to do it again?

The coming months will tell the story. As a longtime Clippers fan, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Honor

Much has been said of how we Filipinos seem to have lost our way in becoming a great nation. In the past, the Philippines was considered to be one of the up-and-coming nations; this was the view in the 50s and 60s. Then, after twenty years of Marcos/martial law rule, the Philippines has been relegated in the international scene as a backwater country, hopelessly mired in political intrigue and corruption. How is it that we’ve come to this pass?

One of the reasons for this is a lack of a love of country. Maybe it’s because we’ve grown too jaded to the corruption that plagues our government system, and too cynical to the possibility that our country could actually rise up from its current depths. Maybe it’s a lack of national identity; we are, after all, an archipelago made up of myriad cultures and different beliefs. Whatever the reasons, we Filipinos, in general, lack the love of country needed for us to pull together and work to make the Philippines a great nation.

Another reason, and the one which I’d like to focus on, is the lack of honor in our figures of authority, notably our public officials. The reason why this is significant is that these people are the role models by which the everyman Filipino should emulate. If these officials don’t practice values, such as honor, why should we?

A sense of honor is important because it gives us integrity, which is important in engendering trust in others, which strengthens bonds between people. A lack of honor takes away the integrity, breeds distrust, and breaks the bonds that connect people.

Take for example two stories in yesterday’s newspaper: the eviction of retired Navy officers, and the proposal of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to enter into a compromise deal with the Marcoses.

The eviction of the retired Navy officers happened because these officers were holding on to properties and housing units that aren’t supposed to be theirs, but to the Navy as an institution. When they retired, they should have given up those properties and units to deserving current Navy officers and personnel, and made provisions to move to other properties.

Somehow, however, these retired officials were able to secure deeds to the properties, thus ensuring their ownership. So, they stubbornly held on to the lots, claiming that they had a right to own them. But what about the current Navy officers who are unable to find proper housing? Don’t they have a right to these lots? Shouldn’t the retired officers cede the units to the current officers? Apparently not.

The Navy, though, has decided to bite the bullet and do something about it, by forcibly evicting the overstaying officers. Some of these officers were able to secure temporary restraining orders (TROs), and, thus, were exempt from the eviction, at least for now.

While admittedly, it’s embarrassing for the officers to be evicted, the behavior of some of these officers as they were being evicted was reprehensible. Evicting soldiers reported that some officers apparently vandalized the units they were leaving, leaving garbage strewn everywhere. Some officers made it difficult by taking everything, including, literally, the kitchen sink.

Such behavior is more suited for spoiled brats, rather than retired officers, who should know better. Officers they are, gentlemen they’re not.

Yet, the lack of honor displayed by these Navy officers pales in comparison to what the PCGG plans to do. Because of its inability to prosecute the people responsible for martial law and the plundering of the nation, the PCGG has proposed to enter into compromises with the principal suspects, the Marcos family. By doing this, the PCGG argues, the country can come to a closure to a part of our dark history and move on. Even the Executive Secretary, Michael Defensor, agrees with this line of thought.

It’ll probably bring relief, as well as a restoration of respectability, to the Marcos family, along with their cronies. But the compromise deal is a slap in the face to those who were imprisoned, tortured, or killed during the Marcos era. For these, there can be no closure unless the people responsible for their pain are prosecuted and punished, or, at the very least, show some concrete contrition for what they did, such as returning the money they plundered from the country.

But, the Marcoses have not been punished, and they will not show any contrition for their actions during martial law. In fact, they brazenly march through Philippine society with their heads unbowed and unashamed, and we Filipinos just stand by, and let our short historical memory take over.

And the list of dishonor continues, even in our current government; some will probably say, especially in our current government. Our President continues to deal with accusations that she cheated in order to win the 2004 elections. Our Congress is no better, putting mercenary concerns over the good of the people, ironically, in whose name the Congress cites those mercenary concerns. And so it trickles down to the lowliest government official. What does the average Filipino learn from this? That it’s all right to be dishonorable.

It’s a big problem, and it’s difficult to pinpoint where to start changing things. I guess the best place for us to start is with ourselves, to make the change in ourselves. And, one by one, if we make the change, maybe there’ll be enough people with a valid voice to sound out against dishonor and corruption, and maybe change on a national level can occur.

Quixotic? Maybe. But, in the same way, if we believe that nothing will change, that’s exactly what will happen: nothing.

Trip to Tagaytay

I’ve been meaning to write this up, but I’ve not been able to find the time to put everything down. Also, I'll be dropping the practice of simply naming people by letters; it's gotten a little confusing for me.So here goes … oh, by the way, it’s a long one. 

Last Wednesday, I took Hazel’s family, with Gabby, on an out-of-town trip to Tagaytay. Ever since they arrived here to witness Caitlin’s birth, we hadn’t been able to entertain them properly. So, Hazel and I decided that I would bring them out to Tagaytay, which was the closest place to Manila worth going around. Going with me were Hazel’s parents, Gabby, and Hazel’s two sisters, Dulce and 

Scarlet, who both would be helping out in taking care of Gabby.

We left early Wednesday morning, and, because of the fact that it was summer, and a regular working day, we found ourselves at the South Super Expressway within 40 minutes. Not bad, considering we started out from near Fairview; normally, such a trip would take at least an hour.

We had our first stop-over at the Petron station, so that we could use the restroom and get some of the things we’d forgotten to buy the day before.

We got to Tagaytay around 8, and we decided to have breakfast at the McDonald’s outlet across the Taal Vista Lodge. There, Gabby made some new friends while playing in the play area. While we were eating, we could hear her shouting out, “Here, I’ll save you! Take my hand!” Probably playing out some fantasy based on some of the movies she’s watched.

After breakfast, we went over to the Lodge to get a good view of Taal Lake, and Mt. Taal. This being my first time to go to Taal Vista Lodge since I got married, I was surprised to learn that there was now a parking fee, which would be waived if we had the ticket validated. Since we already had breakfast, we figured that it wouldn’t be worth the trouble buying something from the café just to get free parking. Besides, it was likely that what we ordered would be more expensive than the parking fee (P100).

Taal Lake was as beautiful as I remember it: verdant, lush, and breathtaking. And from the Lodge, it was a unimpeded view of the Lake, well worth the parking fee.

From Taal Vista Lodge, we went to Residence Inn, to view its mini-zoo. Unfortunately, since typhoon “Caloy” had just passed through the weekend before, the zoo was in a bit of disrepair. Adding to this was the very noticeable odor of animal droppings.

The irony here is that, painted at various locations within the zoo is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “The greatness of a nation can be determined from the way it treats its animals.” If this is the case, we can’t be a very great nation. The zoo is cramped, with some of the animals, especially the tigers, with barely enough room to move. Avilon Zoo in Montalban, Rizal, as well as the oft-maligned Manila Zoo, has much more space for its animals.

Still, it was an interesting experience, gazing at the monkeys and apes, the ostriches, and the tigers. There were even two peacocks, one male and one female, and we were treated to the sight of the peacock raising his glorious tail to strut his stuff in front of the female.

Going down to the aviary and the lion cage is always a bit of a task for me, because of my fear of heights. Nevertheless, escorting Gabby down gave me a distraction from looking at the sheer drop beside me.

When we got to the lion cage, Gabby was asking if it was Aslan down in the cage. I decided to fudge and agree with her.

There was a rather loud group with us, and they were a bit boorish, shouting and yelling at the lion to do something. One of them even said to throw down some candy. Even if that was just a joke, it was a poor one to make.

When we got up from the aviary, we got to the aquarium and reptile area, where we got to see the handlers feed live chicks to the snakes (not for the faint-hearted).

I was even able to handle one of their snakes, a python, or a boa, I’m not sure which. The loud group was the first one offered, and it was only after Gabby and I handled the snakes that they gave it a try as well. I’m rather proud of Gabby in this case, as she didn’t even flinch when she approached the snake. Of course, now, I’m going to have to teach her that not all snakes are harmless.

After Residence Inn, I decided to make a try at getting to the People’s Park, a.k.a. the Marcoses’ Palace in the Sky. The last time I tried, when I was with Hazel, I couldn’t get close, because of my heights phobia. This time, I think I got a little further, but I had to give up. Maybe next time.

Chagrined, I brought our group to the Picnic Grove, where Gabby was able to ride a horse for the first time, and she enjoyed every minute of it. At first, it was me riding with her on the horse, but, since we couldn't get the horse to run faster, the guy taking care of the horse offered to accompany Gabby; that way, as well, my butt wouldn't hurt from the pounding of the faster pace. When the minimum one hour was up, Gabby still wanted to continue riding, but we convinced her (sort of) that we had to go for lunch. She acceded, but stated firmly that she wanted to go back after lunch. Well, we'd deal with that when we got there.

The others went on the Eco Trail; that is, Hazel’s mother and father did, while Dulce and Scarlet gave up, being too tired from the length of the trail.

Lunch was found at Leslie’s, which is known for its bulalo, a beef soup containing the leg bone, full of tasty, buttery, fatty (cholesterol-ridden) marrow; why is it that the good stuff is bad for us? We had that, as well as sisig, although their sisig seemed to be simply liempo fried crisp and ground up, unlike the regular sisig. It was still pretty good, though, even if the texture was slightly different.

After lunch, we found that there was nowhere else in Tagaytay we wanted to go to; some of the other places were inaccessible due to my phobia. So, we decided to go to Calatagan, Batangas, where Dulce’s mother-in-law lived.

When we got to the farm in Calatagan, I took a brief nap, because all the driving had tired me out. Meanwhile, Gabby was thrilled by the farm, especially the animals. She explored the pigpen, and ran around with the chickens and chicks. She was especially thrilled with a lone duckling, and kept chasing after it.

After a brief snack of fried bananas and orange juice, we said our goodbyes and headed home. The trip home took a little longer; there was more traffic, and there were two pit stops along the way. Gabby fell asleep somewhere along the way, and, thus, was very wired when we got home. It took a while to get her back to bed.

When we got home, I checked the meter which keeps track of how many kilometers the car has traveled, and it was a whopping 333 km. Roughly translated, I would have been driving back and forth between my house and the school (roughly 18 km total) 18 and a half times.

No wonder my body hurt the day after. Still, it was an enjoyable trip, and there were so many interesting things to see. That made up for all of the aching.

Game 7 in Phoenix!

Well, at least the pundits got it right on this one.

The Los Angeles Clippers, facing elimination, pounded a weary Phoenix Suns team, 118-106, to force a winner-take-all game 7, for the right to advance to the Western Conference finals.

What a series it has been. Home court advantage was a minimal factor is this series, as the two teams have been alternating wins: first Phoenix, then the Clippers, then Phoenix, then the Clippers, then Phoenix, and finally, today, the Clippers. As a long time Clippers fan, I'm hoping the sequence doesn't continue, so that the Clippers will be able to go to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history.

To accomplish this, the Clippers have to make sure that they control the boards. While the rebounding has pretty much gone the Clippers' way throughout the series, it was in their wins that they had a dominating presence under the basket. Look at the numbers: Game 2 - 57-26; Game 4 - 55-37; Game 6 48-28. In the Suns' wins, the rebounding difference was in single digits. Ergo, the Clippers must be aggresive in rebounding, especially offensive rebounding, which will give them crucial second chance points.

Another factor will be fatigue, although since game 7 will be on Monday, the Suns will get a chance to regroup and recuperate. Still, the Suns will have played every other day since April 26, which is a punishing schedule of 12 games over 22 days. One has to wonder if there's any gas left in the tank. But, I'm betting that the Suns will come out shooting in game 7, and the Clippers will have to be ready for that.

For the fans, it'll be a wild matchup and a glorious finish to a wonderful series.

Mercenary

It's pretty obvious where Davao del Sur Representative Douglas Cagas' loyalty lies ... in his pockets of pockets.

After displaying his mercenary leanings, by applauding the increase of the pork barrel funds, and bewailing the possibility of being shut out of lucrative (for the officials) projects, Cagas has threatened to sign the new impeachment charge if the provision requiring local government to coordinate with district representatives is removed from the proposed 2006 national budget.

Cagas claims that the removal of this provision would be a "catastrophe", saying that "everything that we did in the last budget will go to the mayors and the governors." Does this mean that he implies that the mayors and governors will be able to reap the benefits, and that the congressmen will be shut out of this lucrative situation?

In addition, because of this move, he apparently feels "betrayed...betrayed by this administration ... betrayed by the leadership of this House."

And this is the sort of person we're going to be relying on to "amend" the Constitution? Heaven forbid.

Sadly, it seems that he's not the only one with such mercenary leanings. From the Inquirer: "On Wednesday, Opposition House Deputy Minority Leader Rolex Suplico of Iloilo said disgruntled administration supporters were urging him to refile the impeachment complaint immediately, hoping the move would usher in an early Christmas."

What this implies is that if the impeachment complaint is refiled, the administration will waste no expense in paying off its supporters to kill the new complaint. I'm sure Rep. Cagas is mouthing off now, to ensure that he'll be well paid once the complaint is filed.

And, once more, the Filipino people continue to suffer at the hands of these mercenaries.

Playoff Madness

It looks like pundits are going to be scratching their heads after this NBA season's playoffs.

While many predicted a Pistons-Spurs Finals, it seems that it's not going to happen. On one side, the Detroit Pistons have been tied in their best-of-seven series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Spurs are facing elimination, being down 3-1 as they go up against the Dallas Mavericks today.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the New Jersey Nets, while the Phoenix Suns have a 3-2 advantage over the Los Angeles Clippers.

It all boils down to this: nothing in life is sure.

Cinderella Run?

I rarely get to watch basketball games on TV anymore; normally, I just check the scores on the Net. Yesterday, however, I got a chance to watch Game 4 of the Suns-Clippers best-of-seven series in the National Basketball Association (NBA) second round playoffs. 

Prior to this game, the Suns had a 2-1 advantage over the Clippers, and were looking to push the Clippers to the brink of elimination.

In this series, it’ll pretty much boil down to whoever controls the tempo of each game. If the Suns are able to run and shoot the ball consistently, it’ll be bad news for the Clippers. However, if the Clippers’ big men, particularly Elton Brand and Chris Kaman, control the boards, the Clippers will gain the advantage.

Aspects of the above were most apparent in Game 2, when the Clippers out-rebounded the Suns 57-26, en route to a 122-90 thrashing of the Suns. I’m not sure what happened in the Suns’ wins, not being currently connected to the Net, but I guess they were able to run and shoot.

In Game 4, I saw shades of both teams’ styles emerge. The Clippers, even without Kaman, who suffered a shoulder injury in Game 3, were able to out-rebound the Suns. This was especially telling on the offensive boards, because it gave the Clippers a passel of second chance points.

I tuned in during the third quarter, when the Clippers led by double figures for most of the way.

Then, the Suns came roaring back, running the ball down the court, and shooting it in for quick points. Key shots were a booming 3-pointer by Raja Bell, and an awesome alley-oop from Shawn Marion (I think) to Boris Diaw, paring the Clippers’ lead all the way down to a single point, with about a minute remaining in the game.

But, Brand hit a looping jumper, and Sam Cassell shot a 3-pointer, expanding the lead once more. In the end, the Clippers prevailed 114-107, tying the series at 2-2, and placing the pressure back on the Suns, who will be home for Game 5.

It looks like the predictions of many that this series will go the distance will come true. However, I’m hoping that the Clippers can maintain the momentum of this win, overcome the home-court advantage of the Suns in Game 5 and close out the series in Game 6, at home in the Staples Center.

It’s been a wonderful season for a team so long mired in mediocrity. Here’s hoping that this season is just the first of many a good one in the future.

Mother's Day 2006/Food Tripping

Last Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day with lunch at Bizu Patisserie and Bistro along the Promenade at Greenhills. B recommended it, although he’s really only had breakfast there, so it was a first for all of us.

Each of us ordered a separate dish, except for H’s sisters, who ordered the tomato and shrimp linguine, family size; G also had a bit of this. My mom ordered the 10-hour roast beef, which was as light and moist as described in the menu. H’s mom ordered the roast chicken, and our dads both ordered the Bizu burger, neither of which I was able to sample. H and my sister A both ordered the pomelo and shrimp salad, which was pretty good, and B ordered the ravioli, which was stuffed with cheese. I tried a bit, and found it too cheesy for my taste.

I ordered the French onion soup, which is a favorite dish of mine, and this version was okay: not too salty, with melted gruyere cheese on top.

I also ordered the risotto funghi, which was Italian arborio rice cooked with a creamy cheese sauce, with wild mushroom slices mixed in. I’ve always been intrigued by risotto, having read so much about it, so I decided to try it out.

I wasn’t disappointed. The risotto was warm and flavorful, with the mushroom slices complementing the cheese sauce in the rice, and topped with three asparagus spears. It was, however, rather filling, and I wished I didn’t eat so much of it after, because my stomach felt really heavy. Still, it was a good, interesting dish.

 

After lunch, G wanted to try one of the macaron de paris, so H obliged her and bought her one. G claimed that it was her favorite, which is strange, because she's never had macaron before. She was probably attracted to the very colorful display (shown below). I never got to taste it, because I had to go to the car park to retrieve the car. H tells me, though,that it was really soft, and G went through it pretty quickly. Next time, then.

* * *

Last night, I went out with some of my old classmates from high school, since one of them, M, was heading out to London this coming Saturday, apparently for a good long time.

We met at a Korean restaurant beside the Coffee Beanery along Don Antonio Ave. I’m not sure what the name was, but my classmates evidently ate there regularly, being on a friendly basis with the waitresses.

The first ones to arrive were me and Dk, who, being half-Korean, was the one who found the place. I left the ordering to him, and soon enough, we had a platter of what looked like Korean gyoza. Dipping it into the sauce with sesame seeds, I found the taste to be pretty similar to the Japanese version, although the toasted sesame seeds gave it a unique flavor.

The waitresses also served various small plates containing appetizers, which included an assortment of kimchi (pickled veggies), some sort of omelet with green herbs (I think it was green onion, but I wasn’t sure), and some tiny dried fish, much like dilis but smaller.

When the other classmates arrived, so did the other dishes, a large omelet containing shrimp and green onions, fried Korean bacon, which was to be wrapped up in a lettuce leaf along with a motley crew of sauces and other toppings, and bulgogi, which is a slightly sweet, slightly spicy dish of sautéed beef.

Since I’m still connected with our old school, I was expected to give updates on what was happening there, which I gladly shared with my classmates.

The after dinner talk, coupled with bottles of San Mig Light, was cut short because M had to go and fetch his wife.

I enjoy these get-togethers, as they help me touch base with my past, and reconnect with people I grew up with.

Side note: It’s still the season for going out to eat, I guess. It helps that we have guests staying over, so we’re obliged to go and show them a good time around the city. Today, we’re likely heading for Megamall; I’m not sure where we’ll find ourselves then, but it’ll probably be either Mann Hann, Luk Yuen or Pancake House. On Wednesday, I’ll be driving H’s folks sightseeing in Tagaytay; we’ll probably have lunch at the bulalohan in the Tagaytay City proper, although I’ve read and heard that there are a whole slew of new restaurants coming up, so we’ll make our decision once we get there.

I’ll write the updates to the food tripping as they come.

Food Binge, Again

Apparently, when I hit the restaurants, I do so in bunches.

The past few days are no exception. So far, I’ve gone to Lolo Mao (Podium), Mr. Choi’s Kitchen (Ever Commonwealth), and Max’s (SM North). With Mother’s Day coming up tomorrow, it’s likely that we’ll be going out again.

When I took H’s dad, along with G and H’s sisters and mom, to the American Hearing Center in the Podium for a hearing test, we decided to have dinner at the Podium. Since Tatay wanted to have soup with his dinner, we headed for the top floor. Choosing between Sitio Filipino and Lolo Mao, we settled on Lolo Mao, since they hadn’t tried Singaporean cuisine before.

We ordered the Hainanese Chicken (how could we not?), baby sotong, which is a spicy, crispy squid dish, pork satay (for G, only to find out that it was a little too spicy for her), a fish and veggie soup, fried rice with dried fish, and roti canai, which is a flat bread served with a curry sauce.

Since there were a lot of us, I ordered a half chicken order of the Hainanese chicken, along with two bowls of the fragrant chicken rice. By itself, Hainanese chicken is not very flavorful, although it’s very tender. What gives it its kick are the three sauces that accompany it: sweet, syrupy, soy-based, chili, and ginger. Dipping the chicken in all three gives the chicken a sweet, spicy flavor that goes really well with the fragrant rice.

The baby sotong was crunchy and spicy, with a light sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. I love squid, so this was a no-brainer liking for me.

Satay pork was, unfortunately, too spicy for G to handle, so H’s sister and I pretty much took care of the four sticks that were served.

I’d been intrigued by roti canai, ever since Lori described it in an early post in her blog. I wasn’t disappointed. Unlike tortilla, which is rather bland, the roti canai (I’m wondering now: does this refer to the bread, the sauce, or both?) was warm and buttery, to which the curry sauce added a spicy kick.

By the time we were done, there wasn’t anything left over to bring home.

* * *

One of the dishes I simply adore is steamed chicken with black mushroom. I first acquired a liking for this dish at the now-closed Chopstix Express. The dish was served, piping hot, in a metal container, and contained bits of chicken, round, juicy black mushrooms, and slices of ginger and Chinese sausage.

When Chopstix Express closed down, I was at a loss as to where to find this treat. Super Bowl of China had it on its menu for a while, but, for some reason, it was taken out. The serving was more sumptuous than Chopstix’s, but, of course, with a name like Super Bowl, how can the serving not be larger?

Luk Yuen has it on its menu, and I liked their version. For one, there’s more chicken; if I had one complaint about Chopstix’s steamed chicken, it seemed to be mostly made out of the leavings from their other dishes.

Mr Choi’s Kitchen recently opened a branch at Ever Commonwealth, and I saw that they had my beloved steamed chicken with black mushroom on their menu. Last Friday, I was able to try it out.

Like Luk Yuen, the Kitchen’s version was all chicken, no bones to be found. It was a pretty generous portion, and for P135, it was worth every peso.

If there was one thing missing, though, from the three post-Chopstix versions, it was the slices of Chinese sausage, which added to the overall flavor of the dish. I wonder if I can request that they put it in next time?

* * *

I’ve always enjoyed Max’s fried chicken, because it’s juicy, and tasty, the skin is crisp, and the meat just falls off the bone in its tenderness.

Friday night, H wanted to go shopping, as did G, so off we went, along with H’s sister, S, to SM North. But we wanted to have dinner first and, after finding out that Mann Hann at SM North was just too packed, we decided to go to Max’s for dinner. All of us ordered the chicken, with H wanting it with chopsuey, and me and H’s sis ordering it with the macaroni salad.

It took a while for our order to come in, a little longer, in fact, than the 10-15 minutes the waiter said it would take. But, then, it was apparently rush hour at Max’s, as waiters bustled about, hurrying to clear tables, take orders, and serve the food.

Still, the chicken was, as always, juicy and crisp, and we all ate with gusto, even G, who normally is a picky eater.

Thus completes another round of food bingeing. ‘Til the next round.

Image Enhancement?

Yeah, it's been a while. It's been a hectic week, what with bringing H's parents to the doctor, dealing with G and C, doing various errands here and there.

Today, we had an image enhancement session in the high school, which was sponsored by Mary Kay cosmetics. This probably should've been a warning to me from the beginning; what does a cosmetic company know about image enhancement for male teachers?

The session itself was rather blah. There wasn't anything new that they had to offer me; the points they gave were simply a rehash of things I've heard over the years I've been teaching.

I probably should've scheduled my paternity leave to coincide with today's session. I could've done better things with my time.

Not to Be

In the end, the will, and talent, of the Phoenix Suns to win was just too much for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Coming back from a 3-1 deficit in their best-of-seven 1^st round playoff series with the Lakers, the Suns won resoundingly at home, trouncing the Lakers 121-90, and stymieing media’s and fans’ hopes of an all-L.A. second round. The Lakers played listless basketball in the face of a blistering Suns’ offense, and Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant, normally the most prolific of shooters, only scored one point and made only three shots (all missed) in the second half.

So, the Suns move on, and will host the surprising Los Angeles Clippers, with whom the Suns split the regular season match up.

I’m of two minds over the Suns’ victory. On one side, I’m sorry that we won’t be seeing an all-Los Angeles series, because, in a way, the Clippers would have had the chance to dethrone the Lakers as the dominant L.A. team. On the other side, I’m glad the Suns won, because it’s nice seeing Bryant, who’s a tremendous but arrogant player, humbled once in a while.

As for the second round series, I think the Suns and Clippers will take it all the way to the seventh game, but the Suns will probably win out in the end. Phoenix guard and MVP candidate Steve Nash is just too much of a factor. Also, even without premier center Amare Stoudamire, the Suns are simply too talented not to win the series.

Still, I, the longtime Clippers fan, will continue to hope against hope, and maybe, who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Reading Up on the Law

H often tells me that I should have taken up law like she did, citing my ability to memorize stuff. My set answer is that ability is limited to trivial things, such as lines from movies or books. If I were to take up law, I’d probably go insane with the amount of laws, legal opinions and whatnot that I’d have to cram into my head.

Besides, one doesn’t need to be a lawyer in order to understand the law; one merely needs to read through the laws in order to make sense of it. At any rate, if I get stumped, I could always ask H.

I finished reading through the three most recent Supreme Court decisions: the rulings on Executive Order (E.O. 464), the calibrated preemptive response (CPR) and Batas Pambansa 880, and Proclamation 1017; thanks to the internet, I was able to download the texts. After reading them, it’s interesting to note that, despite the fact that majority of the Court is composed of appointees of the current President, all three rulings have a negative impact on the administration.

First, portions of E.O. 464 were struck down because these portions were seen as curtailing the right of the legislative branch to summon members of the executive branch to attend their investigations. While executive privilege covers preventing officials from appearing at legislative investigations, it does not confer a blanket prevention. The President must still explain why the information held by such officials cannot be disclosed in an investigation.

E.O. 464 was issued mainly because it was perceived that the Senate, in particular, was rather merciless in its probing of government officials. Unfortunately, the President cannot simply prevent all officials from appearing before the Senate by issuing this executive order.

Second, CPR was deemed unconstitutional mainly because it was the equivalent of the policy of maximum tolerance; according to the court, any other interpretation of CPR’s execution would be unconstitutional, and therefore, illegal.

On the other hand, the SC ruled that B.P. 880 was constitutional, because the law merely “regulated the time, manner and place of assemblies.” It also notes that, if groups are impatient with the issuance of rally permits, each city and municipality should have a freedom park where groups can assemble without getting a permit. However, it notes that since the inception of B.P. 880 in 1985, only one city, Cebu City, has mandated a freedom park.

As a result, if a city or municipality doesn’t designate a freedom park in its boundaries after 30 days from the time the SC’s decision becomes final, the SC ruled that all parks and plazas will be open to assembly without the need for a permit until the city or municipality complies with 880’s requirements. I can almost imagine the mayors of cities and towns rushing to designate a freedom park; otherwise, people will be able to rally without any permits.

Finally, Proclamation 1017 was ruled as constitutional, but the manner by which it was implemented was not. The government has attempted to spin this ruling as a victory in its favor, but it’s difficult to see how this is the case. The fact that the President is allowed to declare a state of emergency is overshadowed by the fact that the acts committed in the name of P.P. 1017, the warrantless arrests of people like Randy David, the threat to take over media establishments, and the raid on The Daily Tribune, all but erase whatever positive spin the government wanted to have on the ruling.

The Court also noted that the wording of P.P. 1017 included the term “decrees xxx promulgated by me or upon my direction”, which was apparently lifted from Marcos’ P.P. 1081, which was the declaration of martial law. The Court plainly stated that the current President doesn’t possess the power to issue decrees; declaring a state of emergency doesn’t confer upon the President the power to issue such. Congress must imbue the President with emergency powers to do this. Thus, any decree made by GMA during the state of emergency she called out would be null and void.

On a side note, it was interesting to note that, in their petition to the SC, the hacks in the Tribune tried to define “emergency” as limited to “tsunami, typhoon, hurricane and similar occurrences”. This definition was twitted by the Court, which rightly stated that the Tribune’s view of “emergency” was limited. The Court noted that, aside from natural emergencies such as tsunamis, typhoon, and hurricanes, there are also emergencies that affect the economy or national security. One would think that the people in the Tribune would be astute to note this, but their limited definition of "emergency" is a sign of their intelligence.

The effect of these rulings is readily apparent. The Senate, with the restrictive portions of E.O. 464 lifted, have gone back to their investigations. The opposition, emboldened by the three rulings, have taken heart, and are doubling their efforts to prepare another impeachment complaint, and this time, they may actually have basis, if they attempt to charge the president with “grave abuse of powers”. 

The leftists, led by the “Batasan 5” and the labor union Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) has threatened to charge those who filed rebellion charges and dispersed their rally. The Daily Tribune, once a marginalized daily, now preens with the credibility that it doesn’t deserve, and its columnists continue their rantings against the government. Anti-GMA rallyists have vowed to take to the streets with even greater numbers, pushing whatever limits they can.

Of course, one must note that none of the SC rulings are final. The government can still appeal the rulings, although with E.O. 464 and CPR, the SC decision was unanimous, which will make an overturning of the rulings well-nigh impossible. As for P.P. 1017, the vote was 11-3, so it’s also dim as to whether a government appeal will prosper.

The rulings are a slap in the face of the administration, which has been rather heavy-handed in dealing with the political crises. The Supreme Court reminds the government that there are limits to how they can go about controlling the unrest in the country.

Maybe the government will tread more carefully in the future, but, given the types of people we currently have in the government, that's probably not likely. Rather, we regular folk will just have to hunker down and prepare for whatever is to come.

Clippers in the Second Round!

The Los Angeles Clippers made history three days ago, by winning their first playoff series in 30 years, with a resounding 101-83 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

It's a great feeling for me, having been, along with the likes of Billy Crystal, a longtime-suffering fan of the franchise.

I'm betting fans are hoping for an all-LA second round, but apparently the Phoenix Suns aren't willing to oblige. They've just won game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers, a 126-118 overtime thriller. What's interesting is that Phoenix was playing without shooting guard Raja Bell, who was suspended for clotheslining Kobe Bryant in game 6. Despite the fact that Bell was Bryant's main defensive stopper, the Suns managed to eke out the win. This brings back the series to Phoenix, for a winner-take-all game 7. Who'll come out of this victorious? It's anybody's guess.

I don't really mind who the Clippers will face in the second round; I'm just happy they've made it to this point. Besides, they're more than able to handle either of their possible opponents.

What's nice is that a perennial underdog has finally found its teeth.

"The Emperor's Club"

To start off the annual in-service training for teachers, our new principal had us watch the movie, “The Emperor’s Club” (2002). I had watched this movie in the past, although only in part; I tuned in to HBO a tad too late, so I missed a good part of the start of the movie. It turned out that I didn’t miss all that much.

The story revolves around a classic history professor, Mr. Hundert, ably played by Kevin Kline, and Sedgewick Bell, a student who is a source of trial and tribulation to Mr. Hundert. Despite Mr. Hundert’s best efforts, he is unable to effect any noticeable change in Sedgewick’s character, even when Sedgewick is all grown and poised to make his entry into the U.S. political arena. Still, Mr. Hundert realizes in the end that it’s not his failure with Sedgewick that defines his career as a teacher. What is more important is that he is able to influence others without him knowing it.

What I like about the movie that, unlike other inspirational movies about teachers such as “Dead Poets’ Society” and “Stand and Deliver”, “The Emperor’s Club” focuses more on the supposed failure of the teacher in influencing his student.

But is it truly a failure? No. While he had “failed” with Sedgewick, he succeeded with Sedgewick’s classmates, notably Martin Blythe, whom Mr. Hundert had dropped from the school’s prestigious Julius Caesar contest in favor of Sedgewick, who failed to live up to Mr. Hundert’s expectations. In the end, Blythe shows his strength of character and his faith in Mr. Hundert by entrusting his son to Mr. Hundert’s tutelage.

As a teacher, I have to remember that, while I do have an influence on my students, I will not succeed 100%. There will always be Sedgewicks in a teacher’s career; I have a few of my own, whom I will not name here. But I have to remember that, while I have a few students I was unable to influence, these students do not define who I am as a teacher. There will always be students whom I did not notice, but were influenced by my presence in their lives.

During the sharing that followed the movie, the English Department had a spirited discussion, wherein some of the insights above were mentioned. The bottom line we came to agree on (I think) is that we teachers must be able to display the passion for learning to our students, in order to have an impact on them.

It was a good way to start the preparations for this school year, to remind us of what it means, and what it takes to be a teacher. Thus, strengthened and inspired, we are better able to face the challenges ahead, and, hopefully this will be positive for the students entrusted to us.

1017

It's interesting to note the manner by which our local media spins the news.

In the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the headline blares "Shades of Marcos, SC says of Arroyo's 1017". But the Philippine Star's headline shows "SC: '1017' constitutional". Predictably, the Daily Tribune's headline reads "SC slaps down GMA’s 1017 abuses as unconstitutional".

It's only when we read into the story that we get the complete information.

And the story is this: the Supreme Court voted 11-3 to uphold Proclamation 1017, which allows the President to declare a state of national emergency, as constitutional. The President is allowed to "suppress lawless violence," according to the wording of the decision.

However, what was deemed as unconstitutional was the manner by which 1017 was implemented. The crackdown on street protests, the warrantless arrests of political opponents, and the raid on the Tribune were condemned by the Court , saying that the President had overstepped her legal boundaries.

In short, 1017 in itself is considered to be legal and constitutional, but how it was implemented was unconstitutional. While the administration claims victory in the SC decision, I can't see that, considering the unconstitutional acts it committed in the name of 1017.

By ruling against the administration in consecutive decisions (the SC also struck down EO 464 and the so-called 'calibrated preemptive response', or CPR, as unconstitutional.), the Supreme Court is displaying its independence from the President, despite the fact that majority of the Court was appointed by GMA. May the members of the SC continue to exercise their minds free of administration influence, and continue to be a guiding light in these dark political times.

"The Wild"

Think "Finding Nemo" for the story, add "Madagascar" for the setting, and you have Disney's second non-Pixar CGI effort, "The Wild".

At the very least, it's a little better than "Chicken Little", in the sense that the story is more cohesive. But, unfortunately, there's nothing really new in "The Wild"; almost everything in the movie has been done before.

It seems that the makers of "The Wild" simply watched "Nemo" and "Madagascar" simply adapted elements from both movies and put it together into one. The problem with this is that the two aforementioned movies are recent enough for people to remember what comes from where. The "Madagascar" penguins, for example, have been reincarnated as two militarized chameleons.

My other problem with the movie is that it doesn't quite come over as a Disney classic, as the head honchos in Disney have apparently decided to play copycat and integrate whatever Dreamworks is doing, instead of concentrating on what used to be the studio's strengths.

First of all, the constant influx of pop culture references tends to be tiresome. It worked for While entertaining for the adults, the references will date the movie, making some of the references incomprehensible for future viewers. The reference to Canada's "lax immigration laws" mentioned by Nigel, the koala voiced by Eddie Izzard, is vague even to me; I have no idea what he's talking about.

Second, the use of pop music in the soundtrack doesn't seem to fit. Disney used to be known for the quality of the music in its animated films; think "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King". Even when pop music icons like Phil Collins wrote the music ("Tarzan"), the music was still keyed to the movie, unlike now, where the filmmakers just get existing music (remember "Wannabe" from "Chicken Little"?).

One of the bright spots in the movie are the voicings of the characters, as the emotions they portray do come across as real. Special mention should be made of William Shatner's voicing of Kazar, the wildebeest prophet (and choreographer), and Eddie Izzard's Nigel, although his acerbic style of comedy isn't quite fit for the movie.

All in all, "The Wild" is fairly entertaining, although it still a tad tame.