Hacked!

Just yesterday, my laptop got infected with some malware and trojans. Serves me right. That's what you get for downloading cracked S60v3 applications for your E65. Who would've thought that a self-extracting archive will also come with a batch file that auto-runs, executing all the trojans inside? The trojans are pretty sneaky, too. My PC started slowing down and disk activity started picking up. First thing I thought of is to disconnect from the Internet. Not easy when you're using Wi-Fi. I pressed the key combination to disable Wi-Fi. Nothing happens. Sneaky malware - I'm sure it's their doing. I had to manually walk over to the cable modem to turn it off. Hopefully, the spyware agent didn't have enough time to extract my passwords and bank details and send them off to its master.

Now, this is the first time I personally encountered trojans in my many years on the Internet. A quick look at the Task Manager showed some unfamiliar processes. Not surprising. Spybot - Search & Destroy came up with a few minor culprits, but not the ones I'm sure slowing are down my system. Symantec's real-time scanner popped up a few warnings, but wasn't able to do anything. At the risk of the trojan sending off more data, I re-connected to the Internet to get Kaspersky to scan my system. After downloading an ActiveX control, plus a 7MB signature database, the scan found 5 infected executables. (Kaspersky scans, but does not remove.) I immediately deleted them all after killing them via Task Manager. Of course, I cleaned up their entries in the registry, too. HijackThis identified a few rouge DLLs that are registered as BHOs (browser helper objects) and associated with critical services like explorer.exe and winlogon.exe. You can't simply delete those DLLs because they're in use. Deleting their registry entries and deleting them with FileASSASSIN and HijackThis' "delete on reboot" function didn't work. They just kept on coming back. Killing explorer and winlogon in order to delete the DLLs also didn't work because Windows would've frozen up by then. I also tried booting from a Linux live CD, hoping to delete the rouge DLLs while they're dormant. No such luck. Pointsec encryption is so good, my Linux can't find any NTFS partitions.

So finally, this is how I licked the problem. I figured that since the bad registry entries keep being re-generated after every reboot, then they must be being injected during logoff. Using FileASSASSIN, I flagged the bad DLLs for deletion upon next reboot. Then, I took out the battery pack of the laptop for an instant shutdown. No more proper logoff. Next time I booted up, the DLLs are gone. Problem solved.

PLAY! at the Opera House

It's a good thing that after weeks of raining, it didn't tonight. Would be bad if I had to walk from Circular Quay all the way to the Opera House in the rain. Got to the concert hall with minutes to spare.First thing I noticed is the presence of three huge screens onstage. One in the middle, just below the organ, and a smaller one on each side. The concert hall is almost at full capacity. Interestingly, the concert website is still offering an online special offer of $44 for all tickets for today and tomorrow.

Grammy Award-winning conductor Arnie Roth walks on stage and the concert opens with a light fanfare composed by Nobuo Uematsu specially for the PLAY! concert. A few opening remarks from the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Chicagoland Pops, then the orchestra played the familiar and much-beloved Mario Brothers theme. A bit slower than LSO's version, but still very nice nonetheless. While the orchestra plays, visuals from different versions of Mario Bros. are projected on the big screens. See below for the programme (as I remembered it):

• Mario Brothers - Gave me goosebumps when the orchestra played the opening bars.
• Shenmue - Got the Xbox version. Played it a couple of times. Thought it (the game) was a bit dragging.
• Lost Oddyssey - New game from Nobue?
• Sonic the Hedgehog - Knew the character, never played the games. Great visuals, very very nice soundtrack.
• Metal Gear Solid
• Blue Dragon
• Kingdom Hearts - Arranged by Mr. Roth himself. The Cantillation choir provided the vocal backing.
• Final Fantasy VI (Dancing Mad) - Another big number with the full orchestra, choir, and the pipe organ all playing at the same time.
• INTERMISSION
• Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
• Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross
• World of Warcraft
• Silent Hill 2 (Theme of Laura) - Composer Akira Yamaoka flew in specially to play this piece on his electric guitar. Electrifying performance.
• Halo - Another familiar score as I've been playing this for months on the Xbox. Still stuck at the last stage where my warthog is supposed to jump over a chasm.
• Castlevania - And the pipe organ's back.
• Zelda - Another classic.
• Final Fantasy VII (One-Winged Angel) - As the encore piece. Seems to be very popular with the gamers in the audience. New to me.

We're Going to PLAY! W00T!

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony comes to Australia. Saw the announcement from one of the mailing lists I subscribe to. Went to the Opera House's website, and there it was. June 19-23 at the Concert Hall. I quote: "Performed by the Sydney Symphony, conducted by Arnie Roth and backed by choral sensation Cantillation, PLAY! brings to life the award-winning music of the biggest and best games around – while massive screens, suspended over the orchestra, capture stunning gameplay sequences."

Better still, the organizers are having a special weekend web offer. Instead of the regular ticket prices of $49, $59, or $69, you pay only $44 if you book your tickets during the weekend. I really wanted to buy the tickets, but the procrastinator in me forgot all about it till Monday morning. As I feared, the special offer is gone. Not one to give up easily, I searched around the Internet until I hit paydirt.

Acting on a tip I picked up from the Atomic forums, I found out that there's a special last-minute offer for the concert. 500 tickets at $45 each - good only from Tuesday till Thursday. Simply quote 'GAMER' and you're on. (Booking fee of $7.50 applies.) Called up the box office immediately, and got my tickets.

$99 Target Bike

On an ipluse, I bought a mountain bike at the Target store in Westfield Burwood 3 months ago. I don't really ride bikes, and the last time I rode on one was like decades ago. Yet, it's such a good deal I had to buy it - Northern Star, 65cm. (26"), 15-speed, dual suspension. Original price is $199; selling price is $99.

Hauled it back home. Spent a whole morning assembling it. Parked it in my room; has been sitting there ever since. Anyone wants to buy a fully-assembled, brand-new mountain bike for only $199?

RadioBlog 2007.05.31

After months of listening to BoA, I've gotten a bit tired of her songs already. So, I'm swapping her out with some of my favourites. Left a few good ones though:

• BoA - Feel the Same
• BoA - Goodbye
• BoA - Meri Kuri
• BoA - Pit-A-Pat
• Aled Jones - Count Your Blessings
• Bic Runga - When I See Your Smile
• Carly Simon - I've Got a Crush on You
• Diana Krall - S'Wonderful
• Eagle Eye Cherry - Burning Up
• Gotan Project - Last Tango in Paris
• Hayley Westenra - Pokarekare Ana
• Lesley Garett - I Want to Be A Prima Donna (from The Enchantress)
• Kathy Troccoli - If I'm Not in Love with You
• Katie Melua - The Closest Thing to Crazy
• Kevyn Lettau - Sunlight
• Lani Misalucha - Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw
• Lighthouse Family - Lifted
• Lisa Keith - None Better than You
• Lou Pardini - What Might Have Been
• Meja - All about the Money
• Morten Harket - Can't Take My Eyes off of You
• Paul Jackson, Jr. - If I Go Away
• Robbie Williams - Rock DJ
• Robbie Williams - Somethin' Stupid
• Sarah McLachlan - When SheLoved Me
• Shanice & Jon Secada - If I Never Knew
• Simply Red - Stars
• The CompanY - Baka Ikaw
• Vonda Shepard - Hidden Persuasion
• Wet Wet Wet - Goodnight Girl
• Wet Wet Wet - Shed a Tear

Like the songs? Head over to http://aching.50webs.com

Books, Photos, and a Hot Chocolate

Today is a good day. The local library is having a Monster Book Sale. It's my first time to join one, so I'm pretty excited. I got there around 10am, and the sale area is packed with people already. At 50 cents per book and 20 cents per magazine, it's no wonder. These guys came prepared, unlike me. They brought with them backpacks, empty boxes, grocery bags, trolleys, shopping carts, prams, etc. Me, I had to make multiple trips to the car. I must admit I now have more books than I can finish reading for years to come. Then again, if I need more space, I can always donate some of the books to other libraries.

Afternoon, I went to the State Library of NSW with a friend to see the World Press Photo exhibition. I've seen the exhibit for three years in a row, so it's becoming something of a custom for me. I see it as a way for me to improve my picture-taking skills. The only downside is that I tend to get a bit depressed after seeing all those pictures of grief, tragedy, pain, and helplessness.

What better way to lighten up than having a cup of (free!) hot chocolate and an interesting conversation?

The Queen and the Lawnmower

Went to Hurstville Civic Theater to watch The Queen. The movie runs for an hour and a half, but it feels much shorter than that because of the fairly straightforward plot. The movie is set in 1997 right after Tony Blair's election as the first Labour Prime Minister in 18 years. Jump to a few months later when Diana and her friend Dodi Al-Fayed figured in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris while being chased by paparazzi on motorcycles, which resulted in their deaths. People all over the world, especially the British public, were shocked. People came in droves to Buckingham Palace, leaving flowers and gifts at the gate. Blair read the pulse of his constituents pretty accurately. He immediately issued a statement, calling Diana "the people's princess, beloved by the world." He got lots of brownie points for that one. Meanwhile, the Queen and the royal family were holed up in Balmoral Estate - far from the madding crowd. Following protocol, the Queen didn't issue a statement. No half-mast flag at Buckingham Palace. No public funeral as Diana's not HRH anymore after the divorce.

Things took a turn for the worse. Day and night, more and more people came to Buckingham Palace to express their grief, and they're starting to get disgruntled with the Queen's indifference. Some even starting calling for the abolition of the monarchy. Alarmed, Tony Blair makes an appeal to the Queen to reconsider. The Queen is caught in a bind - on one hand, Prince Philip and the Queen Mum have been telling her to stick to her guns and stand her ground no matter what the public says; on the other hand, she feels she's getting out of touch with the times and her people, and this might be her last chance to set things right again. Left with no choice, she followed Tony Blair's advice and came down to London with the family. A royal funeral was also arranged for Diana - patterned after Operation Taye Bridge, which is supposedly planned for the Queen Mum. Of course, Queen Elizabeth's not too happy about that. The Queen appears on live TV and gives a speech praising Diana's many contributions to the world. At the end of the day, all is well again in the kingdom.

Very authentic portrayal of the Queen by Dame Helen Mirren, even though I've never seen much of the Queen myself. If ever the royal family needs someone to stand in for the Queen for some boring social event, they definitely should give her a call.

I went home after the movie to find the front lawn nicely mowed and the thick grass under the metal fencing neatly trimmed. Turns out the neighbor saw the sad state of our front lawn and asked my mom where I was and if she needed help with the mowing. Before she could answer, he went to get his gear, came back, and did the work. It was all finished by the time I got home. Thanks, neighbor. I owe you one.

Out in the Open

A truly joyous day. I finally got a copy of Out in the Open, which I've been searching for for years. I used to have a tape of the song, but lost it somehow. The last time I went to Manila, I checked out all the major record stores, but they don't carry it anymore. Nothing on the P2P networks, too. Fortunately, after searching long and deep on Google, I was able to find a reference to the composer, and he was gracious enough to send me a copy. Thanks, Adel! Sure brings back some good memories.

First time I heard the song was during the 1996 Metropop Festival on GMA7. The original songfest ran from 1977 till 1985, but it stopped for a while. It was revived in 1996, and lots of excellent entries made it to the finals. First song to open the competition was Out in the Open, interpreted by Zebedee Zuniga (brother of Nonoy) and Angelika. Written by Adel Gabot and Bobby Serrano (of The Tux), it is a light upbeat song with the couple openly declaring their love for each other. Story goes that the then-unknown Lani Misalucha (now Asia's Nightingale) auditioned for the song, but the songwriters thought her voice wass too strong, so they turned her down.

Interestingly enough, Lani Misalucha was still part of show, interpreting Jimmy Borja's haunting Ang Iibigin Ay Ikaw. During the interview segment, Jimmy was saying that he saw Lani perform at this bar a couple of times. He was so impressed by her singing prowess that he wrote this song specifically with her in mind. More trivia: Lani used to record karaoke/multiplex tapes, so she was very skilled in mimicking the voices of Whitney Houston, Barbra Streissand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, etc. Well, there was no mimicking when she sang Ang Iibigan Ay Ikaw that night. Her passionate, heartfelt performance blew me away. If you think she's good on the Metropop CD, she's 10x better during the competition.

Other notables are Trina Belamide's Shine, interpreted by Ima Castro. Trina Belamide is the prolific songwriter behind such hits as Now that I Have You by The Company, You've Made Me Stronger by Regine Velasquez, Tell the World of His Love - official theme song of World Youth Day '95, May Pag-Ibig Pa Kaya by South Border, etc. Shine won second prize in the competition.

First prize goes to Sometimes You Just Know by Danny Tan, interpreted by Jaya. Many consider this to be her breakout performance. Whereas before she's known only as the daughter of comedienne-singer Elizabeth Ramsey, now she's known as the Soul Diva. Personally, I would've liked Lani Misalucha to win, but Jaya really deserved that 1st place.

Other songs I remember are Bagong Umaga by Bayang Barrios, Now and Hereafter by Nonoy Tan (interpreted by Arthur Manutag and Ella Mae Sayson, one sung by Rico J. Puno, and more. If someone out there has the complete track listing, please send me a copy. Email me the songs, too, if you don't mind (adching / at / gmail [dot] com).

The Great Outdoors in North Sydney

All this time I've been working in North Sydney, I always go out for a short walk after lunch. Lots of things to see/visit around the area. Just beside the office is the Greenwood Plaza with its shops, foodcourt and restaurants. Within Greenwood Plaza are some small patches of grass where people can sit and soak up some sunshine. Across the street is the Northpoint Plaza. If you head down Blues Point Road and turn right at Union Street, you end up at the Graythwaite Victorian estate. Back at Blues Point Road, if you turn left at Lavender Street, you'll pass by Watt Park and Clark Park. Further down Blues Point Road, make a left at King George Street, follow the narrow footpath, and you'll end up at Lavender Bay. Magnificent view of the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and Luna Park. If you follow the shoreline, I think you can go all the way to Luna Park. If you follow Blues Point Road to the end, you'll reach Blues Point Reserve for an even better view of the Bridge and the Opera House.

I've only started to explore the north side of North Sydney this week. There's the myriad of shops and restaurants along Miller Street. There's the Mary MacKillop Chapel on Mount Street and the museum beside it. Best find so far is the Stanton Library further down Miller Street, just after the North Sydney Council Chambers. Three levels of books and magazines and a HUGE collection of classical CDs. Membership is free, and you can borrow up to 30 items at any one time for three weeks. Lunch breaks were never this fun!

Top Gear - Revved Up

I don't know why, but the guys in the office absolutely love Top Gear. The weekly show at SBS on Saturday nights is apparently not enough for them, so they go scouring for Top Gear videos on YouTube, and send each other the links. I watch Top Gear myself, though I can't see what's the fuss about. I like sleek and fast cars; the show's challenges are original (though sometimes childish); the hosts have genuine chemistry and sometimes funny; but that's about it. If you don't want to sit through whole seasons of Top Gear just for the good bits, then get this DVD.

Top Gear - Revved Up is a collection of the best and most requested segments of Top Gear's seasons 3, 4, and 5. We start off with Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond duking it out on the beach of Pendine Sands with a Porsche, a Jaguar and the new BMW 6 series. If they didn't use doubles while sliding and drifting their cars on the wet sand, then I must say they're quite good. In DB9 vs. Train, the guys race each other to reach Monte Carlo - James and Richard commuting and eventually riding the 200mph TGV, while Jeremy drives an Aston Martin DB9. Guess who won? How about a Mitsubishi Evo racing against a bobsled with no brakes down the mountains? Or an Apache helicopter trying to get a missile lock on a sub-1 ton 200hp Lotus Exige?

In one of their stunts, Jemery tried his hardest to destroy a Toyota Hilux to no avail. The pickup was driven down a flight of stairs, bashed around industrial Bristol, left to drown in the sea, blown up on top of a tower block, bashed with a wrecking ball, and torched. Despite all this, the Hilux lives to drive another day. In another challenge, the guys were give 1,500 pounds each to buy a Porsche, which they have to drive to Brighton in one piece. Then they were told to sell the Porsches again and see how much they can make. Funniest segment? Hammond starts a people carrier race series, featuring two Renault Espaces, a Toyota Previa, a Toyota Spacecruiser, a Mitsubishi Space Wagon, and a Nissan Serena in the inaugural race. After much bumping and crashing among the champion drivers, the Espaces win the race with a 1-2 finish.

Wasps Begone!

Today, I had get rid of a wasp nest. It really made me feel bad having to do it. I first noticed the presence of the nest a few weeks ago. I saw a couple of wasps circling our front gate, and true enough, there's a small wasp nest right outside my bedroom window. With the intent of removing it, I would look at the nest once in a while, but there's usually one or two wasps holding fort.

It's sunny weather again today, and the wasps are back circling our front lawn. Sensing an opportunity, I sneaked into the front lawn with a pole and a plastic bag. Like I said, I felt bad (and nervous) doing this bad deed. I can imagine the wasps coming back at night after a day's hard work to find their home gone. (Too bad they didn't get home insurance.) Then again, it's them or us. I say a little a prayer and gave the nest a good smack. Turns out there was another wasp inside the nest. Lucky for me, it simply flew away instead of attacking the invader.

ANZAC Day Book Group

I've extended The Book Group DVD twice already. Finally found the time to watch it. Today's ANZAC Day, so no work.

The British TV comedy/drama series centers on Clair Pettengill and members of her book group. Clare is a writer from Cincinnati, Ohio who moved to Glasgow. In an attempt to make new friends, she starts a book group. The group consists of three European footballers wives (Fist, Janice, and Dirka) , a druggie post-grad student (Barney), a homosexual football fan (Rab), and a nice guy in a wheelchair (Kenny). Throughout the episodes, the book group had gone through Jack Kerouac's On the Road, Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude, Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist (a.k.a. The Man Who Could Turn Base Metals into Gold), The Little Engine that Could, and Martin Logan's Dark Alley.

By the end of the six-part series, Kenny became personal trainer to Dirka and Fist, and had them lusting after him. Janice had an affair with thriller writer Martin Logan. Her husband Jackie doesn't really mind because he's busy giving all his attention to Rab, who became his personal assistant (not secretary). Claire made a pass at Barney right after the first book group meeting, but he didn't bite. Seven months and six episodes later, she got lucky. Barney passed away due to drug overdose and his struggling artist-brother Lachlan came over to sort out his stuff. First time Clair met him, she snagged him and made him her boyfriend.

Nice concept, funny one-liners from Kenny, a little eye candy from the footballers' wives, need more content and maybe a few new faces to keep the book group fresh.

Hello, Hotmail!

Well, how about that? I log in to my Hotmail account today to find a welcome note. It congratulates me, and says that an email account has been reserved for me, and I need to activate it. I click on the Activate button, and was presented with a squeaky clean mailbox. Apparently, I didn't log in to Hotmail the past 30 days, so Hotmail did some housecleaning for me - deleting more than 10 years worth of emails (and spam). Good job, Hotmail! I'll see you again in a few months.

Cockroaches Are Electrically Conductive

Even when I was in Manila, my sisters have been telling me that our Panasonic microwave oven (with inverter technology) is on the blink. The past one, two years that we've had the microwave oven, we don't even use it for cooking, merely to reheat leftovers. Hard to believe it's junk now. Anyway, they tell me that every time they use it, there's a fizzing sound. They see a few sparks, the oven gives off some bad smell, and trips the circuit breakers. Thinking it's probably some moisture trapped in the enclosure, I gave it a good cleaning, and it worked perfectly.....for a few weeks. Today, the symptoms came back, and we definitely have a problem.

With nothing to lose, I took the whole thing apart. Every thing looks all right with no burnt component in sight. Zeroing in on the source of the bad smell, I took a closer look at the transformer coils. I see one very thin copper wire sticking out, so I thought, oh this must the one giving the shorts. It looks too thin to be a wire, so I looked deeper. Guess what? Deep within the transformer enclosure is a burnt cockroach. Obviously dead, its body is nevertheless still conductive which shorts the coils every time the oven is activated. Now I know how Grace Murray Hopper felt when she found the bug in ENIAC. After disposing of the cockroach remains by shaking it out, the microwave is back in tiptop condition.

3-Month Report in 2 Days

The impossible things one is capable of doing when one has to do it. I would never have thought that I can produce a set of quarterly reports within two days, given that all of the required statistics and measurements are still "out there" uncollected. Story is, I was filling in for this girl who's going on a maternity leave. For two afternoons, she was telling me where to pull numbers for all the platforms that she's maintaining, and how to generate the proper charts for the different parameters we're tracking. She was putting too much focus on this particular task, I had to ask her how often does she generate these reports. Quarterly, she said. Considering it's now April, I figure still I have three months to go, so no worries. Two days ago, I got an email from her manager inquiring as to how the reports are coming up because she wants them by tomorrow. A quick email to my "mentor" confirmed that no, she hasn't been collecting the stats all these months, and yes, that's now my problem. Right. Made worse by the fact that some of the data were missing from the systems. I can hear her shrug over the phone, "Yeah, I've reported that problem already." Well, thanks for nothing.

And what were my colleagues over at Pyrmont doing at this time? They're on a harbour cruise. One of them even called me and asked me to look out the window if I can spot their sailboat under the Harbour Bridge near Luna Park. Great, guys.

First Impressions of Manila

Manila hasn't changed much since the day I left. Last night when I arrived, the airport terminal is exactly the same. The immigration queues are too long, but nobody is complaining. The people at the counters chat among themselves as they check your documents as if you don't exist. One improvement I've noticed is that there are no more lines at the customs area. I went straight through customs, and the lady at the checkout didn't even give me a sideways glance. Before, they would stop you and ask you to open your bags for inspection. Before they let you go, they'll hem and haw, and give you the nod-nod-wink-wink. If you still don't get it, then you're in trouble. There are fewer "standbys" at the arrival area. A few years ago, you'd have strangers come up to you offering to carry your bags or get you a taxi. I tell you, they're scary.

I flew in on a Sunday night, and even then traffic is heavy along Roxas Blvd. The front passengers have to put on seatbelts, but there is no such requirement for the backseat passengers. Remember to always lock your car doors because you wouldn't want to be robbed inside your car while caught in traffic. Most of the streets don't come with lane markings. There's a good reason for this. Take any two-lane street in Sydney, bring it to Manila, take away the lane markings, and it becomes a three-lane avenue. Once the traffic starts moving, people just switch from lane to lane, trying to get ahead, *without* using any turn signals. Everybody honk their horns every few minutes. No offense meant. How I used to do that I can only reminisce.

This morning we had breakfast at Jollibee at Holiday Plaza. (How appropriate.) For those who has never heard of Jollibee, it's McDonald's biggest competitor. Jollibee started out as a small operation in Cubao. Then it got smart. It copied everything on McDonald's menu and made them better, more suited to the local taste, meaning sweeter. Nowadays, you can come to Jollibee every day of the week, and still have something new on your plate: Yumburger, ChickenJoy, Champ, Jolly Spaghetti, The Champ, Jolly Hotdog, Palabok Fiesta, Burger Steak, Amazing Aloha, local dishes like tocino, longganisa, aroz caldo, beef tapa, corned beef, plus the staples like sundaes, fries, pies, pancakes, etc.

With every order of mango pie, you get a free copy of Philippine Star. Actually, order anything and you still get your daily paper. They're practically giving them away. Is this the reason why the Philippine Star seems to be doing better than the Philippine Daily Inquirer? That marketing gimmick seems to be working. That's the thing with most Filipinos - the herd mentality here is very strong. If everyone is reading the Phil. Star, it must be good. So given a choice, I'd also go for it. (Background info: PDI came to prominence during the decline of the Marcos era. With its slogan of "Balanced News Fearless Views", it dared to openly criticize the Marcos regime. During the EDSA revolution, it cast its lot with Aquino, won big time, and never looked back. As a result, it dethroned Manila Bulletin as the nation's leading newspaper.)

Spent most of the day visiting our old neighbors. The surrounding area has changed a bit, but our neighbors are exactly the same as I last saw them three years ago. It's uncanny.

Like before, people are very much obsessed with their mobile phones. Rich or poor, everyone has one. When you meet the friendly neighborhood thief, he doesn't inquire about your wallet anymore; he wants your phone. You may have only 20 pesos in your wallet, but at the very minimum, your mobile is worth thousands on the market. One columnist theorizes that even the poorest of the poor in Manila has a mobile phone because it gives them an identity. They might not have a house with a street address, but with a mobile (with SIM card), they get an MSISDN (mobile number) that they can call their own. And that gives them a (wireless) connection to their friends and the society at large. I see people fussing with their phones every chance they get - sending "texts" (as they are called here), reading messages, changing wallpapers, downloading ringtones (the meowing cat is most popular at the moment). And since phone-snatching is so rampant, the ladies do SMS inside their bags. (That's what backlights are for.) The guys put their phones in small pouches and stuff them in their pockets.

There's a new coin in circulation. The P2 coin is out and the P10 coin is in. Given that the basic jeepney ride now costs P7, your stack of coins won't last long. Man, I can still remember when you can ride a jeepney for only 75 cents. We also have a new P200 bill, positioned nicely between P100 and P500.

Not one to waste time, I got down to business and visited my dentist in the afternoon. An hour and two tooth fillings later, I was short of P2000. That's peanuts in Sydney, but here in Manila, it's big money.

Badminton is still going on strong among the populace. It started to pick up when I left, and now it looks like everyone's into it. Just outside our place is a warehouse, now converted into a 6-court badminton place called Toss and Play. With no cable TV, no free-to-air reception, no Internet access, and no WiFi, I spent the night watching people play. I knew I should've bought my badminton racquet instead of the tennis one.

KrisWorld Movie Marathon

The best way to pass time on a plane is still to watch lots and lots of movies. Just watch three movies straight, or intersperse them with a few CDs in between, and you'll get to your destination by the time you're done. You don't even have to make small talk with your seatmate. Who knows, you might be sitting next to Tyler Durden.

First movie I watched is Daniel Craig's first outing as Agent 007 in Casino Royale. I must say I liked this one. Not because I think Daniel Craig is the most wonderful British actor there is. Or maybe I'm just bored with the dashing Pierce Brosnan already. did is so ruthless. It's just not right to take advantage of a man when he's at his most vulnerable. I mean, 007 just got his license to kill, yet he's willing to leave everything on the table, and start a new life with Ms. Mr. Craig brings a breath of fresh air and drive to the role. The opening scene is not as extravagant and techie as the earlier ones, but wow, you should see the action. Just like Jackie Chan when he was just starting in the business. I'm not going to bore you with all the plot details, as I'm sure everyone has seen the movie already. I just want to say that what Ms. LyndLynd. Yet she betrayed him. In usual Bond fashion, 007 was able to catch the bad guy. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to save the damsel in distress. He became a colder man that day Ms. Lynd drowned in the depths of Venice.

Best bit of conversation in the movie:
Ms. Lynd: You know, James. I just want you to know that if all that was left of you was your smile and your little finger, you'd still be more of a man than anyone I've ever met.
Mr. Bond: That's because you know what I can do with my little finger.
Ms. Lynd: You're not going to let me in there, are you? You've got your amor back on. That's that.
Mr. Bond: I have no armor left. You've stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me, whatever is left of me, whatever I am, I'm yours.

To help clear the somber mood, I watched a comedy from Stephen Chow next. The movie is called Love on Delivery and also stars the luscious Christy Chung and his long-time sidekick Ng Man Tat. Stephen Chow also directs. Having watched Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, I'm deeply disappointed with this one. The movie feels like it's shot over a weekend, and Stephen Chow is probably having a hangover when he directed. The jokes are tired and banal and the plot virtually non-existent. Delivery boy Chow meets pretty student Chung. (She's even prettier with less clothes on.) After being humiliated by Chung's judo-teacher suitor, Chow gets some kung-fu lessons from an dodge convenience store owner, and get duped out of his savings in the process. Incredibly, Chow actually learned something and managed to defeat the judo teacher AND his teacher's nemesis in a tournament.

As I didn't get my comedy fix, I chose a Japanese movie next. Japanese are usually over-the-top and unpredictable, and that makes funny. Movie is called Kintaro, the White-Collar Worker (Sarariiman Kintarô). I'm sure the title sounds better in Nihongo. Anyway, movie started out all right. Story is about a young idealistic employee working in the construction business. Unfortunately, public works is a dirty business, full of insider dealing and rigged biddings. He didn't like the look of things, so he decided to fight the system. The whole company backed his cause in an effort to remain afloat. Things went downhill from there. His boss got bombed, his family got hurt, and he got mad. Mad enough to call on his former biker friends and start a gang war. Faced with a police barricade, he tried to go it alone and was jailed for 6 months. (What?! Not life?) Anyway, the day he came out of prison, there's a big crowd to welcome him and what he represents. Cheesy, I know, but you have to remember this is based on a cartoon series. As he walked to his waiting wife and son, the crowd parted like the Red Sea. The end.

What have I done to deserve movies like these? I switched to audio mode and listened to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (by Tafelmusik and Jeanne Lamon). Now, you can't go wrong with that!

Mr. Iron Chef Final (1995) - The Continuation

There's a very good reason why last week's Iron Chef episode was cut short without any notice with 15 minutes to go. My first thought was that maybe they ran out of time, or maybe Rockwiz was running longer than usual, or maybe a technical glitch. Had SBS made any sort of announcement, then people might start thinking. Hmm, maybe the Iron Chef final ran longer than usual...a tie maybe...

Yup, apparently, that's what happened. I didn't get to see the continuation, and my sister, who was at home, wasn't interested in the outcome. As far as I can pick up from the forums, there was a tie. That means Chen Kenichi and Michiba have to cook for an extra half hour. Michiba is definitely not pleased. Not sure why - maybe it's because he has already written out the intended menu in beautiful calligraphy, as is his custom, and he doesn't like editing it. The forums didn't say, but my guess is that Michiba won in the final battle. Makes for a nice birthday/retirement present, don't you think?

I Remember Tiffany

We had an awesome lightning storm last night (more than 60 strikes per minute), and the rains continued till this morning. The AM stations ran out of news to report, so I switched to my favourite classical station. The crawling morning traffic, the pitter-patter of rain on the car roof and windshield, classical music on the radio; suddenly I'm transported back to Manila. I'm driving along Ayala Avenue. It's the morning rush hour, and traffic is bumper-to-bumper. I'm listening to 98.7 dzFE FM - The Master's Touch, and any moment now, Tiffany will be on with her soothing voice and perfect diction, dispensing nuggets of knowledge and trivia about the pieces she's about to play.

Ah, those were the days. I've since lost touch with the guys at dzFE, and last I heard, they're not doing too well. Since they're a non-profit station, funds are hard to come by and they had to cut down drastically on broadcast hours to reduce operating expenses. Their lease is almost up, so the office and the transmitter atop a building in Makati have to move very soon. I'm not even sure if they're currently in operation or not.