Transforming shoes wtf?

 

Ok, I like the transformers as much as the next guy who grew up in the 80s, but seriously, shoes?  Nike shoes?  That transform?  Nike running shoes that transform?  I have no (more) words.

How guys deal with breakups

 

This is a case where an entry straddles the border between personal and public, so I figured I’d write the entry in my personal blog and link it up here.

The geek’s guide to sunglasses

If you had any doubt that geeks are infiltrating popular culture, then doubt no more. This guide to picking out th right sunglasses could only have been done by someone geeky enough to actually take the time to do a heckuva lot of research into this rather popular topic. Clickety-click!

Aubrey Miles as Wonder Woman?

Not that wikipedia is to be trusted, mind you, but there’s an entry saying that Aubrey Miles was approached to star as Wonder Woman by Joel Silver (of the Matrix fame). Look, she ’s hot and all that but seriously, Wonder Woman? What? Maybe if they were doing an origin story, where Wonder Woman was still an amazon or something, and she couldn’t speak a hint of English. Maybe. I just thought it was hilarious.

Aubrey Miles goodness here and here, some of it NSFW.

Jollibee pancake sandwich on trial

The verdict? While the use of pancakes instead of bread is an original and tasty idea, the sausage itself tastes too much like longganisa for my palate. The Pancake “bread” offers a delightfully creamy texture that mixes well with the eggs, cheese and sausage, but overall I like the saltier, more country-style sausage that McDonald’s sausage McMuffin has to offer.

I give the jollibee pancake sausage a B-.

I like sausages

I’ve loved sausage ever since the first time I ate a sausage McMuffin in McDonald’s.  What is this strange meat, I thought?  It’s kinda like a burger, but not quite.  It’s got more spices and flavor, and they only offer it for breakfast!  I always wondered how they made sausages, and now through the magic of the inernets I not only know how they make them, I’m also gonna try making some over the weekend.

I found the recipe over at slashfood, and if you’re interested go check it out and make your own batch as well!

Dammit, I’m hungry now.

Todo Todo Teros

This is what I get for watching the filmfest during “experimental” day. Todo Todo Teros is by no means a horrible movie, it just lacks a lot of things, not the least of which is focus. Like many experimental films, it assaults you with a visual and aural overkill that doesn’t serve to elucidate the goings on in the movie but merely to inform you that yes, this is experimental, and we are trying all sorts of shit here.

It’s good in that it makes you think, and at the end of the movie you will feel a little better after piecing in certain parts of the puzzle that director John Torres presents to the viewer, but it’s still not enough. There is no character that the audience can really attach itself to, and so they’re lost in a sea of people they’ll hardly recognize by the end of the movie. One might argue for open ended movies, and refusing to spoonfeed audiences, but the sheer number of questions I had at the end of the film made me feel like the filmmaker was just being lazy. Who’s the guy who went to Berlin? Did he die, or was he captured? What was he supposed to do there in the first place? And what does the Russian chick in Germany have to do with anything. Sure, a lot of my questions were answered after reading reviews and blurbs, but if a movie can’t communicate these things on its own then it’s failed in its purpose.

the film is a surreal take on Manila and how artists can subvert a culture by the mere act of creating works that empower and transform.

The description above comes from the movie’s blurb in the Singapore International Film Festival. Throughout the movie the idea that artists are treated as terrorists because they subvert culture is alluded to but never crytallized. How exactly are they doing this? I dunno, maybe I’m just stupid, but I didn’t feel like clapping at the end of the film.

The one cool thing about the movie was in the opening scene, there was a T-shirt on display that said “This is what a destabilizer looks like”. I found that funny as hell, and I’m gonna stencil that onto a T-shirt soon.

photo is of director John Torres

SanDisk Sansa View 8GB portable media player

As much as I love my Creative Zen View:M, the Sansa View kicks its ass to the curb and takes its lunch money with a 4 inch widescreen display and an expansion slot if the 8GB isn’t enough for you.  At a retail price of $300, it’s also a really good deal.

Making money in Makati

Or rather, how much of it slips from your pockets into cash registers.  I came across this article while looking for rent to won units in Makati and found it amusing, if not outdated.  For christs sake, the author’s using a geocities account, so it’s gotta be at least pre 21st century.  I can only hope he’s moved on to wordpress or some other more respectable blogging medium, cause he’s actually a good writer.

If you want to know just how much of your money (in percentages even) actually ends up in your own pockets, read on.

Wondering what MP3 player to buy next?

 

This helpful chart by dapreview.net goes through the attributes of the Microsoft Zune, the Apple iPod, and the Creative Zen Vision:M (note to creative, you might consider shortening the name, hmm?) and should be aboon to anyone looking to buy their next digital media player.

Remember kids, an informed consumer is a happy consumer.

Oh, and for some hilarity, check out this site that compares the iPod to a casette tape.  I like the “drop” test best.

Bagong Agos : A pinoy indie filmfest at Robinson’s Galleria

Because it’s terribly hard to find information on the net about this little Filipino indie filmfest, I will share the film schedule with all the indie film buffs who view my blog (yes, all three of you). For brevity’s sake (and because I’m lazy), the films will be showing at the set times of 11AM, 1:30PM, 4PM, 6:30PM, and 9PM, and I will list the movies accordingly.

January 22

 

Pepot Artista – Doy Del Mundo (takes up 2 slots)

And Daan Patungong Kalimugtong – Mes De Guzman

Riles – Ditso Carolino

Manoro – Dante Mendoza

 

January 23

 

Heremias – Lav Diaz (takes up 4 fucking slots)

The Shorts of Khavn Dela Cruz

 

January 24

 

Rigodon – Sari Lluch and Keith Sicat

Cut – Jon Red

Indio Nacional – Raya Martin

Todo Todo Teros – John Torres

IMAHEnasyon – anthology

 

January 25

 

Bayaning Third World – (5 slots?)

 

January 26

 

Todo Todo Teros – John Torres

Ilusyon – Paolo Villaluna

Indie Giants – anthology(?)

Rome and Juliet – Connie Macatungo

Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong – Mes de Guzman

 

January 27

 

Riles – Ditso Carolino

New Shorts – anthology(?)

Ang Babae sa Breakwater – Mario O’hara

Kubrador – Jeffrey Jeturian (definite must watch)

Huling Bayan sa Buhi – Sherad Anthony Sanchez

 

 

January 28

 

Camiling Love Story – Erwin Romulo

Mga Pusang Gala – Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil

Rigodon – Sari Lluch Dalena and Keith Sicat

Pepot Artista – Doy Del Mundo

Perfumed Nightmare – Kidlat Tahimik

 

January 29 (schedule starts at 1:30PM)

 

North Diversion – Dennis Marasigan

Roomboy – Aloy Adlawan

Cut – Jon Red

Masahista – Brillante Mendoza

 

January 30

 

Cavite – Ian Gamazon and dominique Gonzales

Sarong Banggi – Emmanuel dela cruz

Manoro – Dante Mendoza

In the Red Corner – Dado Lumibao

Tulad ng Dati – Mike Sandejas

 

I’ll be trying to catch as many of the 6:30 showings as I can this week, since I get off work around 4:30, giving me just enough time to get to galleria to buy a ticket and a snack/dinner. So if you see a hug motherfucker with a Burger King or KFC bag sipping ona coke, munching on fries plugged into his mp3 player, it’s probably me. Tap me on the shoulder and strike up a conversation, because I’d be thrilled if someone who reads this blog actually saw this post and decided to go check out an indie movie because of it.

PS: Click the link for a couple of reviews to see what the films are like.  They aren’t the best written reviews mind you, but they should give you a general idea.

This man, he listens to music better than I can

 

Which is to say his tastes are more varied, he has the capacity to absorb twenty-something albums at once and eke out ever so plausible and satisfying mini blurbs to describe each one.  I hate him for this ability, but thank him for introducing me to Jim Noir and the Easy Star All-stars.

Confused? Check out the wily Filipino and be enlightened, my blogging brethren.

Because some things are better left unsaid…

…in this blog.

I have come to the conclusion that I should have a personal blog apart from geekofalltrades, where I can discuss my views on things of a more personal nature.  Some of these things will be darker and so much more emo omgwtf than what you see here, and some of it will be all sunshiney, with rabbits and machines churning out endless pizzas or differing flavors and pan depth.

Consider that a warning.  But if you’re still curious, feel free to drop by.

Kasal, Kasalo, Kasali getting much love

My blog’s getting more than its fair share of hits lately, and a lot of it’s been because of my KKK entry. It doesn’t mean much for the blog, but I’m sort of glad that the movie’s getting the attention it deserves. I love how wordpress lets you check these google searches, although I wish you could go back and check earlier dates, and not just the current day.

Wii for 18k in Datablitz confirmed.

That, along with a 47(?)k PS3 that comes bundled with the game Genji should give rabid Filipino gamers at least another option from Every other shop that seems to want to milk the next gen consoles for all they’re worth (coughToyKingdomcough).

There is a catch though, they’re out of stock at the moment with no word yet on when they’ll get new shipments. But for a price difference of 12k, you’d be stupid not to wait it out. Just keep bugging your local datablitz to force them to start getting more units and you’re good to go.

The Apple iPhone is beautiful

Stevie J announced it today kids.  The Apple iPhone. It’s real, and it will knock the socks off every pretend multimedia phone out there.  Everyone imagined that it would be the iPod that would first feature a full touchscreen for video viewing, but Apple had that reserved for something special.  Something that would take a cellphone, a digital media player, and wireless internet and cram it all into one device without sacrificing any features.

But this beautiful piece of hardware comes at a cost: $500 for 4GB and $600 for 8GB, both of those requiring a 2 year contract with a telco.   Because of that, and the fact that the iPhone isn’t slated to be released in Asia until early 2008, I will probably never buy this phone.  But what I’m looking forward to is how this will challenge other cellphone manufacturers into making knoc offs or competing products.  I don’t think anyone can scoff at what Apple’s bringing to the table.  Nokia already has an internet tablet in the form of the N770 and N800, so it shouldn’t take long for them to add phone functionality to that, and you can be sure that Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson will soon follow suit.

Microsoft’s UMPC initiative wanted to put a computer in your pocket, but their mistake was not realizing that they were already there, and they just hadn’t been designed properly.

Geeking your way to fitness pt2

Remember how I said you could geek your way to fitness by keeping track of what you eat? Well through the magic of the internets I have found a piece of software called Fitday that helps you do exactly that. To quote Lifehacker:

The free FitDay food diary and exercise log tracks everything you eat in a day and its calorie, carb and fat information (much of which is already available in its database). Set up custom foods you eat often with their nutritional information for quick entry, manage weight loss and fitness goals and run helpful reports on your progress.

Now all of us overweight geeks really have no more excuses.

Why Kasal Kasali Kasalo is the Winner

 

I’m not a fan of Filipino films.  Let’s get that straight.  I hate the singing and dancing and the overacting and the screeching fags. I hate the fact that we only create films that follow the current Hollywood trend…a year after that trend has been beaten up and kicked to the curb by rabid moviegoers (and yes, I meant Exodus).

But Kasal Kasali Kasalo is proof that sometimes you can make a smart romantic comedy that pleases the masses and make a hell of a lot of money too.  That it recieved 2nd place to EntengfuckingKabisote3 is a travesty that is best scribed by others more knowledgeable than I regarding these matters, but I feel like it’s about time I hopped on the bandwagon to plug this movie because it deserved it.

First off, to all the peopel who cry out that “art films” just don’t make that much money, KKK isn’t an art film, it’s a romantic comedy starring Juday and Ryan Agoncillo, about as masa-pleasing as you can get.  Where it works its magic is how it takes elements from the tried and true storyline of the taking two different dysfunctional families together and bringing them together through a marriage (Meet the Fockers, My Big Fat Greek Wedding,…) and adds uniquely Filipino elements to make sure that everyone gets the joke.

For example, it’s funny in Meet the Fockers that Ben Stiller’s mom is a sex/yoga practitioner because that’s how you imagine those crazy Americans to be.  In the Philippines, that sort of joke wouldn’t fly, so instead Juday’s mom (played brilliantly by Gina Pareno) is a “kagawad” or a “politicians”.  It’s these insights into Filipino culture that made watching the movie such a treat, not to mention the fact that for the most part the film is tightly edited (except maybe for the first 10 minutes where the “courtship” seemed a bit rushed).

If you see KKK on the DVD shelves, you might just think about purchasing it if the price is right.  With increasing revenues and the whole brouhaha over the judging process, maybe it’ll open producers’ eyes to the fact that the Filipino moviegoing public really isn’t as stupid as we all seem to think they are.

Oasis’ Stop the Clocks

 

They’re arrogant bastards, but this album is proof that sometimes they have every right to be.

Roses are Red’s What Became of Me

Another emo band with just one listenable track in their entire album.

Creative Zen Vision M : a quickie review

So my parents just came back from the states (a week ago) and I finally got to play with the loot I had them buy me over there. Near the top of the list is the Creative Zen Vision : M which I asked them to buy at the last minute when I saw it was on sale at circuitcity for $199.99, which is equivalent to a little below 10,000 pesos. That’s a pretty sweet deal, since these things cost about as much as an iPod these days, and can be bought locally at between 12 to 16k at your favorite retailer.

There are great reviews on this year-old player here and here, but I thought I’d do a good, bad, and ugly quickie review for anyone still one the fence about which DMP to buy.

The good

• Multiple video formats. Whereas the iPod forces you to convert your videos to a single proprietary format before you can view it, the zen allows you to view formats such as the popular DivX without the hassle of conversion. You can actually still convert the video files to maximize the space inside your player, but I find it a waste of time since I can just delete a video file once I’m done with it. I suppose it might be useful for cramming a whole season of House and Heroes into the player though.
• The Screen is beautiful, and on par even with the reborn 5.5g Ipod screen. The video looks fantastic, especially coming from the iRiver H320.
• The touch pad isn’t as classy as the iPod’s but navigation and UI is sold, and looks very pretty. The ability to change themes is also pretty cool.
• While you’re still required to install software in order to transfer files, it’s painless and easy to use, and usually operates like just another window on your screen. I much prefer this to Apple’s iTunes/iPod combo, because creative at least allows you to install the software on multiple PCs and gets files from them.
• A programmable shortcut button, which I have yet to use.

The Bad

• The iPod’s still way prettier, and I really don’t understand why creative thought that having color on the front of the player and keeping the middle and back white was a good idea. It may have been cheaper for them in the long run, but sometimes it just looks really off. This may explain why the black player was the only one on sale.
• You know how the iPod is a scratch magnet? Yeah.
• The included earphones are decent, but I can’t help but be a little jealous of the new apple earbuds.
• It’s nice that Creative provided a pouch to carry your zen around in, but did they have to make it white?

The Ugly

• At almost 2cm thickness, the 30gb zen is still larger than the already robust 80gb ipod, which comes in at around 1.5cm.
• The proprietary dock makes absolutely no sense to me. Why make an extra accessory for the usb port, dc in, and a/v out when you can simply have these present on the player itself? It means that I have to carry the (arguably small) proprietary dock around with me all the time, which is kind of annoying.
• The automatic file sorter means that I will sometimes not be able to find a song I want because it’s tagged improperly. This is only a problem if you download songs from bittorrent though. Not that I do that of course.

Conclusion

The Creative Zen Vision:M isn’t an iPod killer by any means, but the chances are you’ll find a good deal on it somewhere due to the iPod’s overwhelming popularity. It isn’t as sleek or stylish, but it does come close, and at least you won’t be like everyone else on the block. And if you download movies or tv series that are usually in DivX format, this player will make life so much easier for you.