Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Last night was a productive night for me, in terms of outside work, that is. I managed to watch Vicky Cristina Barcelona, cooked siomai (or what is in intention a siomai) and watch Burn After Reading.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a film by Woody Allen (the first and only film of Allen that I watched) set in Barcelona and surrounding locales and starring Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

The film is about two friends who went to Barcelona for the summer. They meet a painter, the engaged girl has sex with him one night and the other lives with him for most of the summer, until his wife came and lives with them.

I didn't get to focus on the film since while watching the film, I was also cooking the aforementioned intentioned-siomai (peeling, grating, mixing, wrapping and steaming). I found the film so-and-so, definitely above average but nothing special about it. Penelope Cruz is, as usual, gorgeous.

I guess the film boils down to when people travel to other unfamiliar places, they get to do things that otherwise they wouldn't have done, crazy things even, like having a sex with someone even though you're engaged or having an unusual three-way relationship with a guy and his ex-wife. Maybe I should travel to take out the monotony of my life. As they say, travel is a great investment. A few months savings and I could probably go to Vietnam or Thailand or other SE Asian countries. Europe may come later.

Disaster/ Superhero/ Epic/ Date/ Scary Movie

Yesterday, I went to Makati Cinema Square to buy some DVDs. One of the DVDs I bought is Disaster Movie - from the makers of Scary Movie, Date Movie and Superhero Movie.

Scary Movie 1 has some good laughs. Majority of the jokes are actually and intrinsically funny. Scary Movie 2 is bad. The first part of Scary Movie 3 is ok, but when the President and aliens appear, it's all downhill. Scary Movie 4 has some good jokes but majority is so-so.

Then comes Date Movie. Which is so full of references to other movies and (American) pop culture that the references are supposed to be funny on their own. Similar case with Superhero Movie and now with Disaster Movie. These ___ Movies (except for Scary Movie) have all passed through the IMDB Bottom 100 in the first few weeks or months of release.

Watching the ____ Movies becomes a bore. But why do I still buy and watch them (on DVD). Probably on the hope that somewhere in the movie is a truly funny that will make me laugh or smile. I guess no matter how many bad ____ Movies the producers make, I'll still be watching them on DVD for some cheap laughs.

Tonight, I'll be watching The House Bunny. I don't have much expectations but I do love Anna Farris. I bought The Dark Knight but i made a resolve not to watch it till I get a widescreen LCD TV, at least to give it the proper viewing, which I missed by not watching it in the cinema. Classic, critically-acclaimed and foreign-language films have to wait their turns.

Something to Think About

This week, I watched The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I don't normally watch this show but I had the channel on Maxxx since I was waiting for the The Colbert Report (pronounced the Colber Repor).

On that particular episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart had Mike Huckabee (the Republican who ran against John McCain in the Republican primaries). The discussion is about Huckabee's book and somehow it went on to gay rights, particularly on the the right to marry.

Being a Republican, Huckabee is a conservative (liberal Republican is somewhat an oxymoron) and opposes gay marriage, while Jon Stewart, being a New Yorker in show business is pro-gay marriage.

One point raised by Jon Stewart that really retained in my memory. He said that religion is more a choice than homosexuality is, and religious freedom and rights are given more protection by the US government (and most of the world) than gay rights.

This is quite true since people in the free world has the right to choose their religious belief, but sexuality, is more difficult to choose. Some are born with genetic predisposition to be gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Dr. Who

I'm hooked on another series right now. After watching the full ten seasons of "Friends" and watching them again and again, I think I've finally moved on to other series.

Right now it's Dr. Who, a series produced by the BBC. I first bought the first season and I like the stories, sort of combination of Star Trek and the Twilight Zone (more Star Trek than twilight zone).

The first season stars a different Doctor, who was okay. But season 2, with David Tennant (oh my!) got me hooked more, not because he's a better actor, but because he's oh so cuter than the actor he replaced. He's not the drop-dead gorgeous guy nor one who takes my breath away, but yes, he's oh so cute. Add to that the quirky nature of his character and any girl or guy will surely fall for him.

He's also an actor at the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been voted the most famous Dr. Who of all time (counting the previous doctors in the 1963-1989 series).

Now about the show, it's about the Doctor, the only surviving time-lord who travels in a police phone booth looking space ship, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) in Space). He's got company. Together, they go through time and space and battle monsters (well, aliens) and correct wrongs. Each episode is usually one story but some stories span several episodes.

I'm looking forward to watching Dr. Who again tonight. Have to go home early.

Morality in the US Elections

The November 4, 2008 US election is not just an election to vote for the next president, senator, congressman and others. It is also an election to vote on certain ballot measures to confirm or reject certain legislations that have an impact on people's lives or decisions.

What's notable in this election are the moral issues involved in these ballot measures.

• The state of Washington has voted YES to allow doctor assisted suicide for people diagnosed of having less than 6 months to live.
• Michigan voted YES to allow stem cell research under some guidelines.
• Michigan also voted YES to allow medical use of marijuana.
• Maryland voted YES to allow video lottery.
• The states of Colorado and Nebraska voted YES to end affirmative action (legislations designed to help minorities get help on finding jobs, etc.)
• Colorado voted NO on legislations that define as the beginning of life (mainly from the moment the egg and sperm cells meet and fertilize)
• South Dakota and California voted NO on abortion limits. The vote in California is about whether a doctor should notify the parents of a minor who is seeking abortion. The vote in South Dakota restricts abortion to certain cases only (when the mother's life or health is at risk, in cases of rape and for incest where pregnancy is less than 20 weeks).

These measures may prove that the US is liberal and is in the path towards equality for all. However, this is not the case when it comes to gay rights. The states of Arizona, Florida and California has put a ban on gay marriage. (California, one of the most liberal states has ban gay marriage!). Arkansas, on the other hand, put a ban on unmarried couples (including gay couples) from adopting children or being foster parents to children.

This is contradiction of morality. It's ok to kill unborn babies but not to allow two people the benefits of marriage. It is allowed to have doctor assist patients in killing themselves, but not for couples to adopt and provide for a homeless or parentless child.

The election of an African-American in the White House is an indication that the US is moving towards equality for all. But it's still a path. As far as the LGBT is concerned, the US is not there yet.

Diego Bunuel

Diego Bunuel is the host of a show in National Geographic Channel's Don't Tell My Mother. It's a travel show to some of the world's least accessible places.

I learned that he is the grandson of the legendary spanish director Luis Bunuel.

I think he's cute. Not too cute or handsome but handsome enough to be noticed.

I saw just one episode where he went to North Korea under the guise of being a tourist. He documents the way of life in the last truly socialist country on earth.

He interviews the people and how the North Koreans hate Americans, yet sell American products in the supermarket (which it seems is reserved only for the few who have money).

One of the most unbelievable part of the program was when he asked his guide about the North Korean's view on homosexuality. The older guide said that there is no such thing on NK and it is illegal. The younger guide is baffled - he doesn't know what homosexuality is. And when Diego explained it to him, his face is one of disbelief. Whew!

Angel of Mine

I chanced upon this picture while browsing through some blog.

I don't normally grab pictures and post them in my blog, but he is so cute.

If he is my angel, I just wish he'd take the fall and become human so he could be with me.

Imagine waking up everyday to him.

He's handsome/cute in a boyish kind of way. I've always liked brown to blond (but not too blond hair), especially it's curly or wavy.

Angel of Mine.