The speeding motorcycle almost hit the rear of the jeep I was riding tonight. I was sitting at the far end of the full vehicle which had stopped behind another jeep that was unloading passengers, and I was only able to catch a quick glimpse of the two men on the bike before they disappeared from view. A crash sounded a split-second later, and the passengers opposite me turned as gasps filled the air. From where I was, I caught sight of a large truck that had stopped from the traffic, and a few men rushing toward its front end. As the jeep moved on to my destination, with its driver shaking his head over what happened, I looked back and saw the motorcycle leaning against the grey truck. Below it, two bodies lay motionless on the street. The other passengers beside me agreed--whoever was on that motorcycle didn't stand a chance. My chest was tight and heavy for the rest of the trip.
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The Horror! Last week, the lesbian vampire flick Eternal opened surreptitiously in one U.S. theater, taking in a measly US$4,100 despite a rather titillating trailer. I guess the horror that befell New Orleans proved to be a bigger draw for U.S. currency. On the other end of the spectrum, the gay slasher flick Hellbent will see release on the 16th this month, hoping to scare up some receipts before the big Hollywood frightfests, whatever those may be, hog the Halloween season. Here at home, about the only Filipino film that's been making its presence felt is Star Cinema's Dubai, complete with a "world premiere" tag at the end of its trailer. If this film succeeds, following the footsteps of Milan , who knows what'll come next? Hongkong ? Taiwan ? Brunei ? (This reminds me of that time back when television had such monumental soap hits as Boracay , Cebu , and Davao. ) But overall, the movie industry's lifeline has been reduced to a cat's whisker, and ...
Uproar So you may have heard that bit of news where a New York art exhibit was ordered closed--or else face legal action--by DC Comics, undoubtedly upset over the artist Mark Chamberlain's depiction of Batman and Robin in homoerotic acts. As that bit of controversy just about fizzled out, here comes another one. Several religious leaders in Australia are protesting the controversial piece called Crusci-fiction, which consists of a roomful of 25 replicas of robot C3P0 hanging on crosses. This is part of the False Idols exhibition, which opens soon at Fitzroy's Intrude Gallery. Artist Jud Wimhurst defends his work by saying, "We're talking about products and the fact that everything's for sale. Both technology and religion are for sale today." - - - - - - - - I saw Kobayashi Masaki's Kwaidan with my boss at the Shangri-La theater last night. The film is part of the Eiga Sai 2005 exhibition of Japanese horror films. I heard that Kwaidan was released in hte...
Piss Away the World Power Crisis "...To make the battery, Lee and his colleagues soaked a piece of paper in a solution of copper chloride and sandwiched it between strips of magnesium and copper. This sandwich was then laminated between two sheets of transparent plastic. When a drop of urine is added to the paper through a slit in the plastic, a chemical reaction takes place that produces electricity, Lee said. The prototype battery produced about 1.5 volts, the same as a standard AA battery, and runs for about 90 minutes. Researchers said the power, voltage, and lifetime of the battery can be improved by adjusting the geometry and materials used." This is the breakthrough by Ki Bang Lee and his colleagues from Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. Sooner or later, who'd need crude oil?? If the Singaporeans develop the technology even further, we might soon be able to charge our phones, PDAs, or MP3 players through a quick trip to the restroom. ...
Short Time Part of my rehabilitation involves getting back to that old habit of mine--downloading short stories from the Web, printing them out and reading them at my own leisure, which is usually during breaks from work. I've been going through the stories pretty slowly as I'm having a harder time digesting them compared to way back when. There's Maggot and Misogyny by Iain Grant, American Sister by Sung J. Woo, They're Made out of Meat by Terry Bisson and A Clean Well-Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway, just to name a few. I've also gone through (and really loved) the first story of a science fiction anthology given to me by Vin. It was the lengthy and verbally-complex (at least to my standards) A New Light on The Drake Equation by Ian McLeod. If any of you would like to get into this story download thing, go to the site I frequent: Short Stories at East of the Web , or Google "short stories" to find other similar sites. Take the printed pages with y...
Queers of Pop Aren't they gorgeous? In 1999, Boyzone 's Stephen Gately announced to the public that he was gay, eliciting mixed reactions from the Irish heartthrob's fans. Yet, he got the support of family, friends, and his band fellows which, I suppose, is especially important when one reaches a ridiculous level of stardom. When Boyzone first stepped into the limelight, I must confess that I found Gately the cutest of the five. And whaddaya know? As one stand-up comedian had said, birds of the same feather have the same bird... When Westlife 's Mark Feehily did the Gately just last week, it reinforces that unwritten law that at least one member of any boyband is homosexual. It would be wise, then, for female fans to screen new bands via world-standard gaydar to avoid disappointment later on. Gately's admittance included having a relationship with Eloy de Jong, the towering member of the long-defunct Dutch boyband Caught In The Act . (The relationship ended nearly t...
Mauling Today I got myself a new bag. A light blue Illustrazio shoulder bag that gives me some variety over my usual backpacks, which have begun to smell of sun and humidity like old unwashed denim. The loyal green backpack that I use more often has a few stains on it, and there's some kind of brown powdery residue inside. The resilient red one that I use on gym days deserves a break--it's my week off from iron pumping--so a massage courtesy of our able laundry woman should provide it relief. Two weeks ago, I bought a pair of jeans, straight-comfort cut by RRJ (Funk you!). The size 33 looked great on me when I tried it on. But now I have to wear it with a belt. I should flatter myself because of the rapid decrease in my waistline, but to do so would be subscribing to a big lie; my waist measurement still rests close to 36 inches (believe it or not). The fabric stretch is a phenomenon I couldn't get used to till now, and most of my pants had undergone the mutation. Days prio...