The Complete Substitute for All Forms of Sociability

I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night

2020-03-06T14:56:00.004+08:00

THE OLD ASTRONOMER.

- Sarah Williams

REACH me down my Tycho Brahé,—I would know him when we meet,
When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet;
He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how
We are working to completion, working on from then till now.

Pray, remember, that I leave you all my theory complete,
Lacking only certain data, for your adding, as is meet;
And remember, men will scorn it, 'tis original and true,
And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you.

But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learnt the worth of scorn;
You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn;
What, for us, are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles?
What, for us, the goddess Pleasure, with her meretricious wiles?

You may tell that German college that their honour comes too late.
But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate;
Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.

What, my boy, you are not weeping? You should save your eyes for sight;
You will need them, mine observer, yet for many another night.
I leave none but you, my pupil, unto whom my plans are known.
You "have none but me," you murmur, and I "leave you quite alone"?

Well then, kiss me,—since my mother left her blessing on my brow,
There has been a something wanting in my nature until now;
I can dimly comprehend it,—that I might have been more kind,
Might have cherished you more wisely, as the one I leave behind.

I "have never failed in kindness"? No, we lived too high for strife,—
Calmest coldness was the error which has crept into our life;
But your spirit is untainted, I can dedicate you still
To the service of our science: you will further it? you will!

There are certain calculations I should like to make with you,
To be sure that your deductions will be logical and true;
And remember, "Patience, Patience," is the watchword of a sage,
Not to-day nor yet to-morrow can complete a perfect age.

I have sown, like Tycho Brahé, that a greater man may reap;
But if none should do my reaping, 'twill disturb me in my sleep.
So be careful and be faithful, though, like me, you leave no name;
See, my boy, that nothing turn you to the mere pursuit of fame.

I must say Good-bye, my pupil, for I cannot longer speak;
Draw the curtain back for Venus, ere my vision grows too weak:
It is strange the pearly planet should look red as fiery Mars,—
God will mercifully guide me on my way amongst the stars.

Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky

2020-01-23T14:25:00.001+08:00

16" x 14" Acrylic on Canvas

Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,

We fell them down and turn them into paper,

That we may record our emptiness.

- Kahlil Gibran

In Progress

2020-01-16T07:03:00.001+08:00

ART POST: Galaxy Watchers

2020-01-10T07:53:00.000+08:00

Last year, I got myself some acrylic paints despite no prior knowledge of how to use this medium. I thought they're like watercolours. Needless to say, I AM WRONG. Still, I forged on and found beginner class videos on YouTube made by cool artists to give me an idea. This is my first take.

"Galaxy Watchers"
9' x 12' Canvass
Acrylic

ART POST: Suba

2019-12-18T07:00:00.000+08:00

This is Suba, anito of the river. An original character (OC) I made for a story I'm developing that incorporates Filipino myths and legends. Experimented on wet-on-wet watercolour technique. Not sure if I got it right...but I uh like how the hair turned out.

Idea / Inspiration for a "green" mountain resort village

2019-12-17T07:00:00.000+08:00

So back in November, we went back to Siparok, Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte to check on our properties there and meet with our tenants. I had an opportunity to see my aunt's semi-organic farm, and I gotta say that I am inspired by it. I want to do something similar with our own lands there. It is a beauty.

Sonnet XVII Pablo Neruda

2019-12-16T16:49:00.002+08:00

SG-MY Tour Day 4 - Little India and Jewel Changi

2019-08-19T18:37:00.000+08:00

The bus that was taking us back to SG was an hour late. We were supposed to leave KL at 8:30 a.m. but our bus arrived at a quarter past 9:00 a.m. And then, when we were almost at the Johor checkpoint, they suddenly told us that we were changing buses. The new bus then took us all the way to Tuas checkpoint. The line at immigration was very long and it took us about 40 minutes to get to the finish line. Along the way, we made a friend - a Malaysian woman who was working as a domestic helper in Singapore.

Once we were back in Singapore, we contacted our friend who told us that she was meeting us at Little India MRT. She was supposed to show us around Little India and Chinatown, but for lack of time (our flight back to Manila was at 1:00 a.m.), we skipped Chinatown and just spent the last of our SGDs in Little India.

Our friend treated us to some authentic Indian street food: dosai, garlic and cheese naan, butter chicken, teh tarik (milk tea) and badam milk (tea with almond milk, turmeric, saffron and cardamom). So good, but I got immediately full...maybe because of the carb-overload. Also, it's not a good idea to go on a food trip right before your flight. I didn't get diarrhea (SG is really clean) but I was not used to Indian spices and so I got a stomach upset and was pretty gaseous while on the 4-hour flight back to Manila.

Little India is a great place. I really enjoyed my time there. It's a great place to check out and buy "pasalubong" for your loves back home. There's a store called "5 for 10" which basically sells you 5 items for 10SGD. I bought 3 wallets and 2 magnets for 10SGD. They also sell chocolates - the usual brands you see in the Philippines, except that they sell weird-flavoured KitKats so I got the following flavours: Lemon Drizzle, Dark Mint and Orange. It was just too bad that we weren't checking in any luggage on the plane. We only had hand-carry. In the end, I had 3 bags with me: my backpack, my Longchamp sling bag and a Singapore canvas bag I bought for 1SGD, which I filled with "pasalubong."

JEWEL CHANGI

Next stop is Jewel Changi Airport. We took a GrabCar from Little India to Jewel Changi main entrance for 12SGD. We arrived just a little after the hourly light and music water show started. I was able to take a video of a portion of the show but stopped after a few minutes to just bask it in. I did the same thing for the light show under the Supertree Grove in Gardens by the Bay.

SG really likes their light and music shows.

As usual, the place is flooding with tourists. But I wasn't too bothered. We got down and got to see a closer view of the famous waterfall fountain thingy - you know the one that's gone viral on the Internet.

It's sooooo pretty.

The kids really loved it.

There's also a forest around the area. They are real trees, too. And I found myself wondering if this is the future of buildings -- incorporating nature into the design of man-made structures for that "eco" look. NICE.

After walking around a bit and spending some bit of time marvelling at the water fountain thing, we took the shuttle bus to Terminal 4 to catch our flight. Here, we said goodbye to our friend, our college classmate.

Getting inside the terminal was all electronic. We just slid our passport into a scanning machine and we were in. WOW. And the airport lounge is like a hotel. All the chairs have charging ports. WOW.

Singapore is really something else. I'd like to return soon.

SG-MY Tour Day 3 - Melaka and KL

2019-08-18T18:14:00.000+08:00

DAY 3 of the tour is Malaysia. There were two places we wanted to see: Melaka, Malaysia's Historic City and Kuala Lumpur for the Petronas Twin Towers. Also, I had a friend to see in KL. Melaka is 4 hours away from Singapore by bus. The travel time also accounts for our stop at the border checkpoint in Woodlands, SG and immigration in Johor, Malaysia. From Melaka, it's a 2-hour bus ride to KL.

The bus that would take us from SG to Melaka stops at Golden Mile Tower along Beach Road where we bought tickets at 15SGD per ticket. We got there just before the 8:00 a.m. bus arrived and got on that one. Our bus (Starmart Express) made several stops along the way and we finally arrived in Melaka Central Station at past 1:00 p.m. From there, we took a GrabCar to Christ's Church, which is basically the centre of Melaka's historic town, and paid our driver 10MYR (it's only 8MYR but due to some confusion over our pick-up point, we gave him extra 2MYR).

The Town Square

Riverside Walk along the Quay

Queen Victoria's Fountain in the Town Square

We had lunch at Famosa Chicken Rice Ball at the intersection of Jonker Walk. Melaka culture is called "nyonya" which is like a fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures with sprinklings of colonial heritage (Portuguese, British and Dutch).

One of the funkier sights you'd see, especially in Jonker Walk, is this local tricycles exploding with colours and pop culture images. I've seen tricycles with Hello Kitty, SpongeBob Squarepants and Pikachu -themes. Some tourists rode in them but I satisfied myself with just taking pictures of the hilarious sight.

Melaka has a lot of side streets that feature quaint shops, selling trinkets from antique items to old coins and porcelain to succulents, Buddha beads and Korean fashion-inspired fashion clothes and accessories. You can also feast on local street food like Ondeh-Ondeh (made from deep-fried sticky rice balls with coconut sugar inside), Portuguese egg tarts and Gula (coconut sugar). But coffee is something you should try in Malaysia. They're famous for it. I especially recommend this charming little cafe called Serama Boutique Cafe in Jalan Tukang Emas and try their white coffee (no sugar). It's sooooo good. Old Shop is another place you should stop by and help yourself to the snacks and other knickknacks they have for sale.

KUALA LUMPUR

While cooling off inside Serama Botique Cafe, I decided to text my friend in KL on WhatsApp to see if she's in town. Turned she was in town and was not too busy. She agreed to buy us dinner -- a proper Malaysian cuisine dinner. LOL Yeah, kinda twisted her arm for it.

We were debating whether we should take the bus (which means we'd have to go back to Melaka Central Station) or just take a GrabCar to KL. I was already too tired and said that I'd just pay the GrabCar fare to KL.

It turned out GrabCar will service a ride only up to a certain distance and KL goes beyond the limit. Our driver was very accommodating though. He realised we were Filipinos and told us that he was from Sabah and had a sister living in Mindanao. So cool. He agreed to take us to KL for 250MYR. This is better than the 300MYR that a taxi was going to charge us for the same trip.

We had booked an AirBnB at D' Mayang Condominium in Jalan Mayang, KL. It is very near Petronas Twin Towers in KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Center). In fact, we could see one of the towers from our view on the 15th floor.

After meeting our host and freshening up a bit, we took another GrabCar to KLCC (8MYR). It was the wrong drop-off point because we were supposed to go to Suria KLCC, which is the shopping mall where we were supposed to meet my friend, who was already waiting for us at a restaurant called Madam Kwan's. Eventually, we got there.

So for dinner, we got Curry Laksa (Noodles in curry broth served with chicken, fresh prawns, bean sprouts and friend beancurd), Belacan Mix Vegetables (Lady's finger, twisted cluster beans, bringjals and long beans cooked in spicy dried shrimp paste sauce and I-forgot-the-name but it was rice cooked in coconut milk, which is apparently a very Malaysian dish. It was *chef's kiss* sumptuous.

Suria KLCC Tunnel

Madam Kwan's Malaysian Restaurant

After a full dinner, we went out to take pictures of the Petronas Twin Towers. To our dismay, they built some kind of structure at the center of the square right in front of the Twin Towers, such that you have to try really hard to get even a decent picture of the towers.

There are also hawkers there who try to sell you wide-angle lenses. We ignored them and just looked for a good spot to take pictures. By the time we finished, it was past 10:00 p.m. We decided to call it a day, since we still have an early bus to catch tomorrow, and took a GrabCar back to our AirBnB for 12MYR.

TOTAL EXPENSES: I blew out most of my MYR on this trip.

SG-MY Tour Day 2 - Universal Studios

2019-08-17T22:46:00.001+08:00

Woke up at 6:30 a.m. and the sun was barely out. Still we had to get an early head start because today is for Universal Studios in Sentosa Island.

We took a GrabCar for 12SGD, drop-off point at Resorts World Casino. Universal Studios Singapore opens at around 10:00 a.m. We got there at a little before 8:00 a.m. but there were already a bunch of people there. After taking pics of the famous Universal Studios globe, we decided to have breakfast at Slappy Cakes. Spent 51.20SGD for 2 big breakfasts. We couldn't finish the whole thing so we decided to take out the rest and eat it later for lunch.

It rained something fierce while we were having breakfast but then the sun came out and boy was it ever out. For a minute there, I got worried we'll get soaked. I only brought with me a light hoodie that's not even water-proof. Thankfully, the downpour stopped just as we decided to head in.

A ticket to the studios costs around PHP2600 through Klook and it will let you in all of the rides. There's so much to see and the rides are great but the queue is terrible. There's no way around the long lines, even if you shell out a few hundred dollars for a Universal Express card. Even then, you still gotta fall in line so I don't know if that's even worth it.

Hollywood Boulevard

So first thing's first, get a map. They're right at the entrance. Plan your activities using the map, which also shows you the show schedules. There are six (6) sections, namely: Hollywood Boulevard, Sci Fi City, Egypt, Jurassic Park, Far Far Away and Madagascar.

Hollywood Boulevard is the first thing you'll see. You're going to be tempted to take lots of pictures as I was, but take my advice (based on experience), forget Hollywood for a bit and just head on to Sci Fi City where the main features are Transformers 3D Ride and Battlestar Galactica Cylon vs. Human rollercoaster rides. Take the Transformers ride first. Then, if you're brave enough, take the BSG double rollercoaster.

I was such an amateur and got distracted by Hollywood. We went into the Sound Effects Studio hosted by Steven Spielberg. Good show, but I'd soon find out that we barely scratched the surface of what this place could really offer. By the time we got to Sci Fi City, there was a 60-minute wait time for the Transformers 3D Ride, and I was too chicken shit to try the Human vs. Cylon rollercoasters.

BSG Humans vs. Cylons RollerCoaster

Welcome to Sci Fi City

So off to Egypt we go, where my travel buddy and I fell in line for the Revenge of the Mummy "show" only for us to realise it was a horror ride. My buddy backed out and I was left to brave the ride all by myself (and 6 others). IT WAS FUCKIN' FANTASTIC!

The Egypt section also offers Treasure Hunters, which lets you ride on these old-timey jeeps with animals "jumping" and "growling" at you from corners. Avoid it, unless you have kids with you. The line is too long and the ride is not worth it.

Jurassic World is pretty cool with the Canopy Ride. This was where we took a water break. We didn't eat lunch because we were too full. USS has many ice cream stalls. For good reason. It can get very hot and you're going to get dehydrated. Needless to say, I had my fair share of ice cream.

There's a spot there called Water World. The show is on at around noon and at 4:00 p.m. We missed the noon show so we decided to come back for the second show. We went to Madagascar where we had more ice cream. (it was super hot). And from there we just roamed around until Water World came back on. We ended up back in Sci Fi City to line up for the Transformers 3D Ride. WHAT A RIDE. But, like I said, you should take this one early before the line gets too long. The queue is ridiculous but worth it.

Far Far Away

So much to see but I didn't get to enjoy many of the rides. The queue discouraged me for the most part but it's our own fault for not planning our trip there better. You just gotta know when the shows come on so you can be there and get the most out of the place.

After USS, we took another Grabcar to VivoCity to meet up with friends for dinner. We had it at a Japanese place. The food was nice and as usual I got too full lol

TOTAL EXPENSES: (excluding USS entrance fee)

Grabcar to USS - 12SGD

Breakfast (including lunch) - 51.60SGD

Ice Cream - 13.00SGD

Grabcar to VivoCity - 6SGD

Starbucks - 7.20SGD

Water - 1.60SGD

Grabcar to Hotel - 10SGD

TOTAL - 99.40SGD

SG-MY Tour Day 1 - City Tour

2019-08-16T07:45:00.000+08:00

Arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 4 approximately 9:10 a.m. There's no time difference between Manila and SG. After going through airport security and immigration, we met up with our guide at the airport lobby. Made use of the fast airport WiFi to make my first post and freshened up in their beautiful clean bathrooms. 4 others were joining us for the van ride to the hotel.

While waiting, we inquired at a mobile stall about mobile Internet. A tourist SIM that you can also use in Malaysia costs 38SGD. You can also get pocket WiFi for 10SGD / day plus a refundable deposit of 200SGD (credit card only). We decided it's too expensive. Our guide told us we could buy SIM at shops near the hotel.

Arrived at the Fragrance Crystal Hotel in 50 Lor 18 Geylang at around 10:30 a.m. Check-in is at 3:00 p.m. but they'll do early check-in for 45SGD. Lolwut

We decided to walk around and find a restaurant to eat lunch and just come back after. The hotel front desk staff said he can check us in at 1:30 p.m. at the earliest with no extra charge. The hotel is little more than a pension house and does not have a restaurant.

We had lunch at this roadside restaurant that offers Chinese, Thai and Indian food. I ordered cashew nut, chicken with egg and rice and iced coffee. The meal is 5SGD and the coffee is 1.86SGD. I had 2 coffee because it's so good.

Then we checked out some nearby shops and bought a Singtel tourist SIM card with 100GB data for 15SGD. The shop attendant was a little snappy at first but after some chatting up (I asked if I could use the SIM in Malaysia and he said its a different country lmao), he warmed a little and told us he's from KL, Malaysia. Then he warned us about being careful with our things in KL. Thanks for the warning. The SIM card can be used in Malaysia BTW. I checked the card (and tested it later for the Malaysia part of the tour).

Then back to the hotel where we waited about 30 mins. to get checked in.

THE HOTEL

The room is small, clean and modest. It will do for 2 nights. There's only one trash can, which we dragged for use in the bathroom. The fridge is not stocked, but there's complimentary bottles of water, coffee and the usual. After a relaxing shower, we rested a bit before stepping out again to check out the city proper and to meet up with some Singapore-based friends.

Grabcar to Marina Bay Sands is a Mercedes Benz lol for 7SGD and an extra 1SGD for toll. Hmmkay. Spent a few minutes taking pictures at The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands while waiting for a friend from college. When she arrived with her kid, she showed us around the Merlion Park and other sights around the area before heading to the Lau Pasat for dinner at the heart of Singapore's financial district. Our friend left just before another friend arrived to buy us dinner. By this time, it's 7:00 p.m. but the sun is still out.

The famous Merlion statue with Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the background

Inside The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands

Lau Pasat at the heart of Singapore's bustling financial district

After a sumptuous dinner of an assortment of seafoods and chicken satay, we took the MRT (a trip is 1.50SGD) to Gardens by the Bay just in time for the Supertree Grove Light Show. What a feast for the eyes. My only complaint is that it's a little crowded.

Under the Supertree Grove, Garden by the Bay

Sands SkyPark Observation Deck

From there, we went into the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, took pics of the financial district at night, then took a Grabcar for 14SGD back to our hotel. It was past 10:00 p.m.

DAY 1 EXPENSES:

Lunch - 5SGD
Coffee - 3.72SGD
SIM card - 15SGD
Grabcar to Marina Bay Sands Hotel - 8SGD
MRT trip - 1.50SGD
Grabcar to hotel - 14SGD

TOTAL - 47.22SGD

Singapore (with bonus Malaysia) Tour 2019

2019-08-14T17:09:00.000+08:00

It's about time I travel abroad again. This time it's the Merlion City with a side trip to Melaka and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It's gonna be a tight 4 days, 3 nights from August 15 - 20, 2019 through Air You Go Travels.

Here's my itinerary for the trip:

TRAVEL ITINERARY

DATE	TIME	DETAILS
August 15, 2019	6:30 p.m.	Cebu Airport – standby
	11:15 p.m.	Flight from Cebu to Manila
August 16, 2019	1:00 a.m.	Arrival in Ninoy International Airport – standby
	5:35 a.m.	Flight from Manila to Singapore
	9:35 a.m.	Arrival in Singapore
	F R E E T I M E (City Tour / Rest)
	2:00 p.m.	Check-in
	F R E E T I M E (City Tour / Rest)
	6:00 p.m.	Dinner
	F R E E T I M E (Night Market)
August 17, 2019	8:00 a.m.	Universal Studios (WHOLE DAY)
	6:00 p.m.	Dinner
	F R E E T I M E (Night Market)
August 18, 2019	5:00 a.m.	Check-out
	6:00 a.m.	Bus to Melaka, Malaysia (4 hours)
	12:00 p.m.	Lunch in Melaka
	1:00 p.m.	Leave for Kuala Lumpur
	2:00 p.m.	Check-in
	6:00 p.m.	Petronas Tower
	7:00 p.m.	Dinner
	F R E E T I M E (Chinatown)
August 19, 2019	7:00 a.m.	Check-out
	9:00 a.m.	Leave for Singapore
	3:00 p.m.	Arrive in Singapore
	9:00 p.m.	Singapore Airport - standby
August 20, 2019	1:35 a.m.	Flight from Singapore to Manila
	5:20 a.m.	Arrival in Manila Airport
	7:40 a.m.	Flight from Manila to Cebu
	9:20 a.m.	Arrival in Cebu Airport

Given that itinerary, I'll have to travel light. Hand-carry only, the bulk of which is a backpack. To serve as my handbag is a drawstring bag which I've filled with my personal items like cosmetics, cap, sunglasses and travel documents. And a belt bag for my money, passport and credit/ debit cards.

In my backpack are 5 t-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of cargo pants, 1 pair of capri leggings, 1 pair of trainers and 1 pair of lightweight UV-protected hoodie. Toiletries. A Nalgene bottle, which I will keep empty until I get to Singapore. Cellphone, charger and a power bank.

If I need anything else, I can buy when I'm in Singapore or Malaysia. Otherwise, I'm ready. So

LET'S DO THIS!

ART POST: Maniac

2019-08-06T06:00:00.000+08:00

Meet Dr. Azumi Fujita, a character from HBO's Maniac, played with such style and flair by Sonoya Mizuno.

Medium: Blank sign pen and pentel pen on bond paper.

I really enjoyed that show. The images were so good and memorable, I just had to draw one of my fave looks.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

2019-07-31T06:00:00.000+08:00

It's like...Avatar the Last Airbender had coitus with Studio Ghibli and begot a child, and the child is a millennial -- fierce, fantastic, and just a wee bit gay.

I have been looking for something entertaining to read. I don't often read high fantasy. Correction. I do not read high fantasy. I prefer to watch movies of them. But I have been reading non-fiction lately and needed something light and easy. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon was recommended as something to fill the void left when HBO's Game of Thrones ended.

Uhm.

Game of Thrones, this is not.

But the world is rich. The characters are interesting. The stakes are high. But I never once felt that any of the main characters are in danger. And that's the problem.

Still, it's a good read. I impulsively ordered a hardbound copy of it from Amazon. It's a pretty-looking tome though with just over 900 pages. It's gonna look humongous but pretty on my coffee table.

I think this could work well as a Netflix or a TV series. They'd have to add more grit though to make it more compelling as a series. The characters would lend themselves well for a streaming-service series.

ART POST: Water Color Practice

2019-07-30T06:00:00.000+08:00

This was a gift for a friend on her birthday. She's a psych major so I thought I'd give it a psychology theme. Her favourite colour is green, so there's that, too. The quote is by Emily Dickinson but I substituted "mind" for "brain."

My first time in a while trying water colour. I have no technique obviously. My brush work needs practice. A lot of practice. But I like how this turned out.

What's On My TV List

2019-07-25T06:00:00.000+08:00

I have recently re-watched Black Sails, a show on Starz that serves as the prequel to Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows the lives of pirates in Nassau or New Providence Island as they carve out a life for themselves free form the yoke and tyranny of England.

Back when this first aired, I didn't really expect much from it. The show was promoted as a sexy pirate romp with blood and gore and some girl-on-girl action designed to titillate. I watched it for fun, for the entertainment, for Toby Stephens.

In all of those, the show delivered, and more. So much more. But it wasn't until I decided to re-watch it years after its first airing that I truly appreciate the show for what it does.

The material is quite rich and dramatic. But what makes the story compelling is the characters. Their consistency and development all through the whole 4-season series is fascinating to see.

And it's not all men, too. The women have agency and their own agenda. Their stories do not depend on a man. They are not just damsels or love interests. They are pretty fucking kick-ass.

That said, I have other shows I'm watching this season:

BIG LITTLE LIES

An HBO show starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz, and in season 2 Meryl Streep. The cream of the crop star in this show. So what's it about?

It's about women, mothers, living in a quaint little seaside town of Monterey. They're different. They're the same. They come from different worlds, different backgrounds. Their children all go to the same school. They are friends. They are rivals. They are friends. They argue. And they fight with the fierceness of a mother. They fight for what's right. They are sometimes wrong. They are strong. They are broken.

But when worse comes to worst, they band together.

It's so refreshing to see so many women on my TV. Season 2 is currently airing.

KILLING EVE

I highly recommend the first season. Written and directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and starring Sandra Oh as the titular character in what is a first for an Asian actress, I believe, and featuring Jodie Comer in an astonishing performance as the delightfully quirky international assassin with a penchant for high fashion, Villanelle.

The story is that Eve is an MI5 agent, a glorified desk worker, who unexpectedly catches on that the spate of high-profile killings all over Europe is done by one particularly skilled female assassin. At once, she is recruited by an MI6 agent, played by Fiona Shaw, with the main task of finding out everything she can about the assassin and the shady international group she works for known only as The Twelve.

Of course, Villanelle figures out that Eve is looking for her and decides to play her own cat-and-mouse game.

Villanelle is a psychopath, and Eve may or may not be a sociopath herself. The show is tense, smart, utterly serious about the kills, but also sidesplittingly hilarious. The first season was a solid A. The second season, not so much. Phoebe Waller-Bridge stepped away from the directing and writing helm in the second season to work on her other show, Fleabag, and the show lost some of its flavour as a result. But never lose hope for I hear she is coming back for the third season. Yes!

FLEABAG

Speaking of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, she has another show called FLEABAG, which is a slice-of-life dramedy about a woman named 'Fleabag' who lives in London where she runs a hamster-themed coffee shop that she used to co-own with her now dead best friend. She's quite blasé about everything and treats everybody, including herself, the same.

As we follow her quirky little life, we are also introduced to the people around her. There's her stiff, brilliant but over-anxious sister trapped in a bad marriage. There's her bumbling idiot of a dad who always means well. There's the stifling stepmother who always goes for the jugular if she can help it. And then there's the dead best friend who is portrayed through the rose-tinted screen of memory, alternately tragic and hilarious.

The main conceit of the show is that Fleabag often breaks the fourth wall, as if to show us, the audience, that she's in on it. We're all in on it. And we are not just watching her story unfold and gasping and reacting. She's watching it right along with us, and having the same reaction.

There are only 2 seasons, and each one is perfect.

DERRY GIRLS

A funny sitcom about a bunch of Irish Catholic school girls and an English boy. The setting is Derry in Northern Ireland in the 90s at the height of the period known as the Troubles, when the political unrest between the Unionists (Irish who wish to remain with the UK) and Nationalists (Irish who wish to establish their own Irish Republic) went through its most violent phase.

But despite the otherwise dark setting, this show is not dark at all. In fact, it's very funny. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever watched, and so well made, too. The script is witty, featuring weird Northern Irish humour delivered in the kind of flawless accent that requires subtitles. It's so good. And I can't wait for Season 3 to come out.

I've watched other shows, too. Like Stranger Things and Harlots. I've yet to watch the third season of Jessica Jones, which is my next project. The final season of Orange is the New Black is coming out, too, so there's that as well. But the above shows I mentioned are top-notch and my faves so far.

Site of My Future Green Mountain Resort Community

2019-07-24T06:00:00.000+08:00

Last March, I went with my parents to Mindanao to deal with some land matters. While there, I took the opportunity to check out our properties in Siparok and in Bitoon, all in Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte.

I've been to both places before but I've never actually been to our properties.

Pictured here is our Bitoon properties. There are two (2) lots: a 6-hectare spot on top of a mountain and a 5-hectare lot a bit lower on the mountain. It used to be part of a 24-hectare ranch owned by my great grandparents. Now, it's basically idle land except for the occasional copra yield.

After seeing it, the vastness of it, its location, I want to build a mountain resort community there. It will be a "green" community that uses only sustainable energy and is self-sufficient. I want to build a hut there with a sari-sari store. Eventually, I want to plant crops there, maybe coffee. I want to introduce developments there to help the community. Maybe a school?

At this stage, it's just a plan though.

ART POST: Achlys, Greek Goddess of the Death-Mist

2019-07-23T06:00:00.000+08:00

Back in October last year, I tried to do the Inktober drawing challenge but was only able to keep it up for a few days.

This one for the "poison" prompt. This is Achlys, the Greek goddess of the death-mist, drawn using a panda ballpoint pen on Oslo.

Basically, the concept is a woman, who is half-skeletal. She embodies death. I incorporated the poisonous rosary pea to fit the "poison" theme.

First posted on my instagram.

MOVIE REVIEW: Aniara

2019-07-22T16:49:00.002+08:00

I have recently been checking out some new movies. I found this list by The Film School Rejects and decided to choose my next viewing from there.

My first pick is Aniara, a Swedish-Danish high-concept sci-fi film that is based on a poem of the same name by the Nobel laureate, Harry Martinson. I don't know what it is about Swedish productions but I've never been wrong with the ones I do pick. What water do they drink over there? lol Anywhoo --

THE STORY

Aniara follows a group of immigrants on their way to a colony in Mars. Leaving behind an Earth devastated by natural disasters as brought on by climate change, the passengers travel through space onboard the eponymous ship, Aniara, a floating luxury hotel and mall that comes equipped with all the best in entertainment and tech. One of these techs is a semi-sentient A.I. known as MIMA programmed to provide a realistic simulation of life on Earth before its destruction.

MIMA is operated by a technician known as a mimarobe, or MR, the name of the main character. MR is just another employee of the ship and the MIMA is just another diversion designed to entertain the passengers during what should have been a three-week cruise-like journey to Mars. That is, until disaster strikes when the ship encounters debris, throwing the ship off course and causing it to drift in space for an indeterminate period of time. Suddenly, the MIMA becomes a source of comfort, and MR the ship's unofficial therapist, for the passengers who gradually come to realise the futility of their fate.

THE REVIEW

No matter from which angle you look at it, this movie deals with a heavy subject matter. An allegory to climate change, its devastating effects and the fate of humanity. A microcosm of human life, the ups and downs, hopes and despair. A study of human character facing a persistent void. A muted space opera peopled by tyrants and empaths and cult leaders and their desperate followers, all trying to escape the meaningless of it all.

It is sad. It is persistently bleak. It is thought-provoking. But treated with such deft light-handedness, it stays above the drama.

MR as the main character is grounded by the actress, Emelie Jonsson, who looks perfectly ordinary for the role. MR is the everyman, the audience stand-in. We are like her in that she starts the film with the attitude of someone on their way to work on a Monday morning. Our mood perks up a bit when we encounter our crush on the elevator but as the day wears on, we can't help but get caught up in the usual daily grind.

So we're there, going through all the motions, when our day is brought to a crushing halt. Our space ship has been hit by debris, and now we're doomed to wander space in this floating, luxurious sarcophagus.

At first, everybody around us tries to distract themselves, taking advantage of all that the ship has to offer, continuing the consumer life we've been so used to back on Earth. Food, water and air are not an issue. The ship is self-sustaining through algae culture. Rather the greatest threat to mankind is boredom, and its not-so-distant cousin, despair.

MR tries her best to help with the use of MIMA's technology. A routine is established. Jobs are assigned. Times are allocated. But as days pass into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, MIMA becomes overworked and self-destructs, thus, removing mankind's last remaining succour. It is like a blanket lifting and everybody finds themselves staring into the abyss, who stares back unblinkingly.

Aniara is not a depressing film. But it is a film about despair.

THE SCORE

Story - 10
Sound - 7
Cinematography - 7
Picture - 8
Special Effects - 7
Acting - 9

Overall - 8/10

X-Men: Apocalypse Special Screening

2016-05-19T07:07:00.000+08:00

Got a text last night from my friend, inviting me to a special screening of X-MEN: Apocalypse at the Director's Club, SM Seaside City. The event was hosted by Aboitiz Land for its media friends and open to their friends and family, too. So that's how I got in.

It was my first time at the Director's Club. Nice and comfy and exclusive. The seats were nice. The footrest for my rest was broken though. Someone super heavy must have abused it.

As for the movie itself, very good. I wasn't disappointed by the powers of the new mutants: Storm, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Angel, Psylocke and Night Crawler. The story itself isn't that great. Of course, they had to kill Erik's family again and, of course, that makes him bad again. But then, of course, Charles manages to bring him back. Of course, Jean Grey turns into the Phoenix although I must admit I loved that part.

I missed Rogue though. In the cartoons, Rogue was a very important character in the Apocalypse storyline. I don't know about the comics. I would have wanted her to be in this storyline, too.

I think I saw Jubilee. She had speaking lines but didn't manifest any powers.

The Xavier School is really getting populated and looking more and more like the mutant school from the comics.

Chilaxin' in San Rem

2016-04-14T21:16:00.002+08:00

Last April 8-10, the company went out for some much deserved break. This year, they decided to hold the company outing at Hagnaya Beach Resort and Restaurant in San Remegio, Cebu. The place is excellent. Although the beach isn't great (the sand isn't white and it's kinda muddy because it's a mangrove area), the resort doesn't lack facilities. The pool is fantastic with slides, floaters, mini pools, a poolside bar. The restaurant serves buffet breakfast and lunch (and I think dinner also). So many function rooms and you can have a choice between air-conditioned function rooms or open air (by the sea). There's like a play area with a billiards table and a ping pong table, a basketball court, the whole shebang. And we had free use of all facilities. There's even kayaking and boat riding but I didn't get to do those because it was too hot. Come to think of it. I didn't get to do much of anything. Not even go into the pool. I ate and slept and talked and ate and slept.... so relaxing. :D

R.I.P. Barrack

2016-04-06T20:00:00.002+08:00

Born: 2011
Died: April 5, 2016

It's terrible. I'm still torn up about it. But I hope he was happy during his stay with us and that he is in a better place now. Bye, Barrack.

Talisay Trees at Moalboal's Old San Juan Nepomuceno Parish Church

2016-04-05T08:54:00.000+08:00

This brings back old memories of seemingly endless summer days spent biking, climbing up trees, playing in the water.... Summer afternoons were for catechism classes and Flores de Mayo novena prayers at the old San Juan Nepomuceno Parish Church in Moalboal, Cebu. You can see part of its facade to the extreme left of this picture. Today, the facade is all that remains of this church -- a 100-year-old remnant of the past and a testament to my youth. The new church building stands a few steps away.

Look, Ma, I'm making a mess.

2016-04-04T14:30:00.000+08:00

Boris with his favorite toy: dry caimito leaf....

Good morning, sunshine

2016-04-04T08:52:00.000+08:00

Battling my existential malaise by working out. Morning jog, it is. This was taken along South Road Properties Coastal Road, Talisay City. I did 2.31km in around 8 mins. Not bad for being out of shape. My last run was in January.