Thursday, December 15, 2005
It's Christmas and it's the end of the world
Finally managed to reach the office at 1pm. Traffic was horrendous, there was a mob at the mall, and contrary to the spirit of the season, people are rude and snarky. Needless to say, I. am. pissed.
Oh well, it's not really unexpected. The Christmas rush is upon us and well, people lose their heads, what can I say. The office was actually an oasis of calm and quiet. Almost no one at their desks. Either off to shoots or whatever it is they do to fill in the day. On the way up, I was in the elevator with Rafael Rosel. Gorgeous kid. I liked his attitude right away, not knowing anything about him. He only had one alalay and he was carrying his own bag—and apparently parked his own car. For a showbiz personality, that’s definitely low-key. Another really unassuming guy was Raimund Marasigan, late of the Eraserheads, now of Sandwich, Cambio, and Pedicab, who came to the shoot a few days back all by his lonesome, no posse or alalay in sight. It’s quite ironic that I was in college with this guy and only managed to meet him now. I’m glad to say that success hasn’t changed him. And he seemed like the same guy he was then.
Some random thoughts while waiting for the traffic to move:
1. I should have done my Christmas shopping early. Every year, at around this time, I always tell myself that next year, I’d do my shopping early. I have friends including my own sister-in-law who are so organized that they’re done with the major shopping by the time December rolls around. It makes sense to do it early. No rush, you get to think about what to give, you get to take advantage of sales or have time to go to Divi for great finds (girls, we should have gone on a excursion to Mall 168!), and really, less hassle and pressure. But no! Ten days before the 25th, I am still struggling with my Christmas list and trying to navigate crowded malls just to give my nearest and dearest something. I’m getting stressed just thinking about it. And wanna bet come Christmas, I end up forgetting someone! I still haven’t even ventured into Toy Kingdom. Just thinking about it is giving me a major headache. Bah, humbug, indeed!
2. Literature as cool movie reference/device. It just occurred to me that the movies I’ve seen lately all referenced some past author’ works. It’s like, it’s not enough to actually adapt a work for the big screen, there has to be a name-drop, if you will, of another author’s work within the movie. And the pairing could sometimes be unlikely, too. Take In Her Shoes, itself based on a chic-lit novel that actually turned out to be a more than a decent screen adaptation, references the poet e.e. cummings. In King Kong, it’s Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness—for the obvious parallelisms of the hero going into an unknown jungle. (Spoiler Alert! Brief King Kong review: It's a cross between the old King Kong movie, spliced with Jurassic Park, and further spliced with Lost World. And why does Naomi Watts still look fantastic even when she was supposedly running through a jungle and getting chased by a giant ape, dinosaurs, and other huge scary creatures? Just asking.)
3. Winds of Change, Winter House, and Monkeewrench. I love clever thrillers. And these three top my list this year. Yes, Martha Grimes has done it again! Her new Jury/Plant/Macalvie novel Winds of Change has a great plot (which for fear of spoilers, I won’t divulge here. Let’s just say it’s grittier than the other novels in the series), memorable characters, and yes, name-drops Henry James! I see a pattern in the stuff I’ve been reading and/or watching. Maybe I should really start reading the classics instead of popular fiction, like I’ve been doing lately. Carol O’Connel’s latest offering Winter House, is the best in the series yet. Mallory, Charles Butler, and Ryker solve a long-cold case of a family massacre, mistaken identities, and old money. I first stumbled on P.J. Tracy’s debut novel, Monkeewrench (Or, in some editions, the title of this novel is changed to Wanna Play?) while trolling Powerbooks sale bins one afternoon. I liked the premise of a serial killer targeting a group of computer geniuses by copying the murders in their bestselling videogame, Monkeewrench. In the course of the story, it turns out the group of techies are not all that they seem, and there’s more to the plot than a killer offing the characters one at a time. Definite page-turner. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Monkeewrench gets adapted to the screen one of these days. P.J. Tracy’s sophomore offering in the series, Live Bait, is now out. I’m tempted to get it, but just don’t have time to go to Fully Booked, where I found it. I know it’s only a matter of time before I give in. I’m such a pushover, I swear.
4. Tribute albums. Got lots of well-made compilations this year. There’s the Rockstar INXS album, which I think is a great intro for people who don’t know the music of this Aussie band. Too bad INXS had to resort to the reality-TV formula to get some buzz for the band, but hey, whatever works, right? Ultralelectromagneticjam is a well-thought-out tribute album to the Eraserheads, and despite the fact that the band members weren’t in on the conceptualization and the choice of bands to play which song, it’s a fairly well-made album. With the exception of Cueshe (Which I hate!), all the other artists interpreted the songs well—even Paolo bloody Santos! But the best tribute album for me this year? Hands down, Killer Queen!
5. 2006. Well, I couldn’t help it. Much as I’m trying to avoid thinking about next year, my mind’s drawn to it at odd moments. Maybe because I’m not that young anymore that I can afford to be blasé about what the coming year brings. It didn’t help that Carrie had to post those very introspective and on-point questions, which up to now, supposedly mature person that I am, I still can’t answer. Depressing, right? But then again, maybe the point is not to know where you’re headed. After all, where’s the fun in all of this if the destination is a foregone conclusion? That’s what I think, anyway.
Oh well, it's not really unexpected. The Christmas rush is upon us and well, people lose their heads, what can I say. The office was actually an oasis of calm and quiet. Almost no one at their desks. Either off to shoots or whatever it is they do to fill in the day. On the way up, I was in the elevator with Rafael Rosel. Gorgeous kid. I liked his attitude right away, not knowing anything about him. He only had one alalay and he was carrying his own bag—and apparently parked his own car. For a showbiz personality, that’s definitely low-key. Another really unassuming guy was Raimund Marasigan, late of the Eraserheads, now of Sandwich, Cambio, and Pedicab, who came to the shoot a few days back all by his lonesome, no posse or alalay in sight. It’s quite ironic that I was in college with this guy and only managed to meet him now. I’m glad to say that success hasn’t changed him. And he seemed like the same guy he was then.
Some random thoughts while waiting for the traffic to move:
1. I should have done my Christmas shopping early. Every year, at around this time, I always tell myself that next year, I’d do my shopping early. I have friends including my own sister-in-law who are so organized that they’re done with the major shopping by the time December rolls around. It makes sense to do it early. No rush, you get to think about what to give, you get to take advantage of sales or have time to go to Divi for great finds (girls, we should have gone on a excursion to Mall 168!), and really, less hassle and pressure. But no! Ten days before the 25th, I am still struggling with my Christmas list and trying to navigate crowded malls just to give my nearest and dearest something. I’m getting stressed just thinking about it. And wanna bet come Christmas, I end up forgetting someone! I still haven’t even ventured into Toy Kingdom. Just thinking about it is giving me a major headache. Bah, humbug, indeed!
2. Literature as cool movie reference/device. It just occurred to me that the movies I’ve seen lately all referenced some past author’ works. It’s like, it’s not enough to actually adapt a work for the big screen, there has to be a name-drop, if you will, of another author’s work within the movie. And the pairing could sometimes be unlikely, too. Take In Her Shoes, itself based on a chic-lit novel that actually turned out to be a more than a decent screen adaptation, references the poet e.e. cummings. In King Kong, it’s Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness—for the obvious parallelisms of the hero going into an unknown jungle. (Spoiler Alert! Brief King Kong review: It's a cross between the old King Kong movie, spliced with Jurassic Park, and further spliced with Lost World. And why does Naomi Watts still look fantastic even when she was supposedly running through a jungle and getting chased by a giant ape, dinosaurs, and other huge scary creatures? Just asking.)
3. Winds of Change, Winter House, and Monkeewrench. I love clever thrillers. And these three top my list this year. Yes, Martha Grimes has done it again! Her new Jury/Plant/Macalvie novel Winds of Change has a great plot (which for fear of spoilers, I won’t divulge here. Let’s just say it’s grittier than the other novels in the series), memorable characters, and yes, name-drops Henry James! I see a pattern in the stuff I’ve been reading and/or watching. Maybe I should really start reading the classics instead of popular fiction, like I’ve been doing lately. Carol O’Connel’s latest offering Winter House, is the best in the series yet. Mallory, Charles Butler, and Ryker solve a long-cold case of a family massacre, mistaken identities, and old money. I first stumbled on P.J. Tracy’s debut novel, Monkeewrench (Or, in some editions, the title of this novel is changed to Wanna Play?) while trolling Powerbooks sale bins one afternoon. I liked the premise of a serial killer targeting a group of computer geniuses by copying the murders in their bestselling videogame, Monkeewrench. In the course of the story, it turns out the group of techies are not all that they seem, and there’s more to the plot than a killer offing the characters one at a time. Definite page-turner. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Monkeewrench gets adapted to the screen one of these days. P.J. Tracy’s sophomore offering in the series, Live Bait, is now out. I’m tempted to get it, but just don’t have time to go to Fully Booked, where I found it. I know it’s only a matter of time before I give in. I’m such a pushover, I swear.
4. Tribute albums. Got lots of well-made compilations this year. There’s the Rockstar INXS album, which I think is a great intro for people who don’t know the music of this Aussie band. Too bad INXS had to resort to the reality-TV formula to get some buzz for the band, but hey, whatever works, right? Ultralelectromagneticjam is a well-thought-out tribute album to the Eraserheads, and despite the fact that the band members weren’t in on the conceptualization and the choice of bands to play which song, it’s a fairly well-made album. With the exception of Cueshe (Which I hate!), all the other artists interpreted the songs well—even Paolo bloody Santos! But the best tribute album for me this year? Hands down, Killer Queen!
5. 2006. Well, I couldn’t help it. Much as I’m trying to avoid thinking about next year, my mind’s drawn to it at odd moments. Maybe because I’m not that young anymore that I can afford to be blasé about what the coming year brings. It didn’t help that Carrie had to post those very introspective and on-point questions, which up to now, supposedly mature person that I am, I still can’t answer. Depressing, right? But then again, maybe the point is not to know where you’re headed. After all, where’s the fun in all of this if the destination is a foregone conclusion? That’s what I think, anyway.
// posted by terrie @ 5:02 PM 
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I gotta get a copy of that new Jury novel!! I was looking for it at Powerbooks Live! the other day but no luck, mukhang sa Megamall lang meron. I've sworn not to go back to Mega this December but it looks like I have to dive in one last time. If I don't read that book over xmas break I'll never be able to find time to read it!
Wow, blogging pala can be addicting, hahaha! Anyway, as usual I got carried away by my first entry. Jason, glad you visited the blog. I'll try to pass by UAP next week to say hello :)
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