Farenheit 451

Each night before going to bed, I check my TV guide over the Play TV to check for programs that I may want to record. One movie that caught my eye was Farenheit 451. I think it was because the programme info said it casted Julie Christie and it was a 1966 movie.

That was two weeks ago. This afternoon I had the chance to see it while feeding my baby in the lounge...and I'm glad I did. It's in color (technicolor as my old-fashioned dad would always say). The opening of the movie was interesting...have you seen a movie where the opening credits were "read" instead of flashed on the screen? I would find later on IMDB why it was so.

The title means something: It's a movie about firemen in a fictional society of the future...but instead of fighting fires, they are relied on to put something to the torch. You'll find out that something in the beginning of the film and what the title has to do with it.

As usual, I would not attempt to review the movie because I'm no good at that but if you like stories of the "future", mixed in with the visuals available from the sixties, I recommend that you find this movie and watch it.

By the way, Julie Christie was not bad.

7 Lessons That I Learned While Moving to a New Apartment

1. Movers move fast when everything is in Boxes! Therefore: Get lots of boxes…LOTS! A rough estimate based on this experience is 20 boxes per head (make it 30 for the baby  )…your moving company might give them out to youif you ask nicely.

2. And while you’re at it, buy many, many rolls of tape. Make sure it is wide. And get that handheld dispenser that allows you to cut the tape easily.

3. Don’t disassemble the baby cot until the very last minute…or you will never get anything done!

4. Friends and Relatives will offer help. I wasn’t sure how to best utilize them (I didn’t want them breaking their backs carrying the fridge), but I’ve realized that they are best to call for putting your stuff in boxes and then unpacking. Another big help is if someone is willing to take on baby even for just 12 hours 

5. Keep your box cutter, tape and dispenser where you can easily pick them up…it’s easy to lose it with all the clutter around the house

6. Try forecasting how much cash you need for the move: mover, cleaners and eating out!

7. Do the inspection of the new apartment BEFORE bringing your stuff over (simple right? But I let the packing issues overtake this and before I knew it, I had no time to do this)

...Everyone says that moving will always be stressful. But I say it gets better as you gain experience.

My Historic First Live PBA Game

In the movie Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns, Billy crystal narrated how he saw his first Yankee game. He shared how he had goosebumps as he entered the tunnel leading out to the stands and seeing the glorious green expanse of the baseball field...finally getting to see his idols Mantle, Berra, and Ford.
I reminds me of a similar feeling when my dad brought me to my first professional sports game. It was November 23, 1980. The PBA ALL FILIPINO CONFERENCE was on at the Araneta coliseum. The lights are not as bright as it is now. They only focused on the court such that you could not see the crowd much. A player I can't recall was warming up by shooting hoops. but that was enough for me. As soon as I entered the door into upper box B, I knew I was in Mecca. I had goosebumps all over. The thought of seeing my heroes in the flesh had finally come.
I was as excited to watch the first game: U-Tex versus San Miguel because it featured my idol Bogs Adornado, who in my opinion is the greatest scorer of all time. San Miguel was a decent team. I can only recall a handful of players from that team: Rudy Lalota, Torrente, Yoyong Martirez and Biboy Ravanes. A guy behind us must have been a big fan (or maybe a relative) of Ravanes because he kept shouting "ala biboy" whenever he had the ball.
Adornado was scoring like mad the whole game. Before that, he held the league scoring record of 54 points in a game. When the night was over , he would finish with 64. A new record and what would be his career best.
Unbelievable. It was my first time to see a game and my idol played the game of his career.
...and oh. The next game wasn't bad at all. It was Crispa and Toyota. 'nuff said.

Favorite Podcast: Tropical Banter

One of the podcasts I listen to regularly is Tropical Banter with Tirso Ripoll and Basti Artadi.
If the name sounds familiar to you then you know your Pinoy rock music. These guys are rock legends and it's awesome that they have a regular podcast.
What makes this podcast great is it's spontaneous: no scripts. The conversation is so natural that it's as if you were sitting at a bar and these two are right beside you. You can even hear them mixing their drinks as they talk, which in my opinion, makes it good radio.
My favorite segments are the "drink of the day" and the "dibidi" review. Look, these guys did not become famous for their bartending skills or for analysing movies...but i'd rather hear what real people drink and what people really watch.
In between, they play and review music and this is what I really like. In the podcast I listened to recently, they play and reviewed Neil Young. They include interesting tidbits about the artist which are not only amusing but also very informative. And yes, they do play a lot Razorback and Wolfgang from time to time.
It's great when they also talk about how the record labels have screwed over artists all this time. As Tirso would say,"we gotta stick it to the MAN".
I am sure some people may not like the "ranting" way that the guys discuss with each other (including expletives that would get fined heavily in the radio world...but perfectly okay with podcasting), but it does make it more authentic and entertaining for me.
Anyway, this is now one of a handful of podcasts that I listen to regularly. I hope they will stick around for a while.
ROCK. ON.

Rugby World Cup 2011

And the rugby world cup has kicked off! Even the bananas are in on the action. For the next two weeks, all the rugby mad nations will converge in New Zealand. I hope the Philippines can qualify soon. Our chances are actually better here than in football...much fewer countries participate in international rugby.

In the meantime, I will be cheering for the Wallabies!

Melbourne CBD: of Trams and Hook Turns

I just felt like posting another picture of the Melbourne CBD. I must have taken a dozen photos of the trams there. This is something that really distinguishes the city over Sydney (which has only buses, aside from trains and ferries. It was also interesting to see a"calesa" with two manong drivers.

The trams are really attractive to look at especially the older ones. But there's one big negative in my book: We couldn't take them because they weren't pram friendly. This is one department where Sydney's buses are better.

I think it's great that Melbourne's transport system is unique from that of Sydney. It adds some variety for visitor to see the sights.

Oh and one thing more...on the picture to the left, notice the white arrow on the road? That;s for hook turns. Cars turning right on an intersection have to be on the leftmost lane. They go halfway across the intersection and then turn following this arrow. That really looks weird and it will probably take me many days before I get used to it.

Bike Share in Melbourne

I found the Bike Share in Melbourne to be one of the coolest things about the city. It's hard not to notice them because they're only 10 minutes away from each other. The design of the racks is also attractive so I'd like to give credit to Melbourne for hiring such great graphic designers (The Melbourne logo, not the one shown here, is comparable to the iconic "Welcome to Las Vegas" logo).
I did see a few people using the bike which means these Bike Share stops are not just for display...they're actually useful!
...one question though: do you have to bring your own helmets, or they're not required?