Die Hard 4

hey guys, watch out for Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth movie of the Die Hard series, which of course stars Bruce Willis. this time around he's older and balder but still the same wisecracking, kickass cop who grapples with the latest crisis courtesy of cyber terrorists led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) and his sleek and lethal girlfriend played by Maggie Q.

at some point, somebody (a computer nerd) snarls to John McClane (Willis):

You're a Timex watch in a digital age

advance screening reviews are already out and so far critcics' reactions are generally good. some critics say it's the best one in the series since the original came out in 1988. Live Free or Die Hard, directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld), will start showing in local theaters on July 4.

at the crossroad

the winds of change are stirring things up, and i'm not just talking about myself. the next 2 or 3 months should prove to be interesting. with so many issues simmering just below the surface and many potential developments threatening to blow over, i say this has been long overdue. makes you feel like distancing yourself and wait for things to settle down before you stick out you head. hmm. ano kaya kung…

but then again, it could just be "a tale of sound and fury, signifying nothing…" heaven knows, there's been a lot of those swirling around.

temeraire series: book 4

it looks like book 4 of the Temeraire series would be titled Empire of Ivory after all. judging from the way naomi novik's fantasy series has been steadily gaining a global fanbase these past few years, it looks like Temeraire (a Celestial dragon) will soon be popular fantasy trademark as well.

in fact, i'm kind of surprised why pinoys seem to be rather late in joining the bandwagon. it's a highly entertaining series (really), and ms novik has an insidious way of engaging your attention. i mean, who else would have thought of using dragons as a vital part of organized warfare — in this series, they are used like fighters, bombers, recon planes and couriers — during the Napoleonic period, when "aerial forces" were virtually unheard of.

and temeraire? well, i suppose one might classify him as a lethal fighter-bomber because of his unique capabilities. he's a potent bomber because of his capacity to "hover" and his destructive roar ("divine wind"), which only Celestials are capable of. as a fighter he's also peerless because of his speed, intelligence and maneuverability. the bond between Temeraire and his handler, Capt. William Laurance, is strong and palpable, and their partnership strengthens them both. the interplay between dragons as well as their human crews can be touching and funny, and the battle scenes (naval and aerial) are enjoyable and easy to follow.

oh, and there are female dragon handlers (equivalent to present-day pilots), too; they're as tough and as capable as the men. this series is set somewhere around 1790s to early 1800s, so the speech patterns and prevailing conventions need some getting used to.

Empire of Victory is expected on to focus mainly on the exploits of Temeraire and Capt. Laurence in Africa as they race to find the cure that will save England's few surviving dragons from a deadly flu epidemic.

a buffoon goes to work

after weeks of procrastination, i finally had my moles surgically removed last saturday. the one nearest my right eye has been growing larger and getting itchier lately so rather than worry about it, i decided to have all 3 removed in one procedure.

the moment i got out of the clinic i began to notice people giving me funny looks. i managed to ignore all that until i got home and my neighbor quipped that i looked like a battered spouse (half of my right face was swathed in bandages). great, i noted sourly. another smartass comment like that and i won't be responsible for my actions. at this stage the anesthesia was beginning to wear off and i still hadn't taken the pill for the pain.

so you can imagine the trepidation i felt when i reported for work today. i was hardly through the main door when an acquaintance called out to me and asked (loudly) if i had fought with somebody lately. "no," i retorted with some heat. "i clashed with a clothesline yesterday and one of my eyeballs popped out, so i had it sewn back."

the funny thing was he actually stopped in his tracks and gaped at me. you could almost see the gears turning slowly in his mind.

i'm glad i resisted the idea of wearing an eyepatch to work. now, that would have been priceless. all that was needed was a parrot perched on my shoulders, a heavy cutlass hanging on my waist and some disreputable pirate's garb — and i'd be ready to report for work as one of capt. jack sparrow's crew (but please, not one of davy jones' barnacled mateys).

thoughts on father’s day

for a long while now i have managed to resist the temptation to write event-themed posts (valentine, new year, mother's day, christmas), partly because i didn't want the predictability 'tag' hanging on my coattails and partly because i have this perverse tendency to buck the trend.

the last few days however have made me realize that even my conversations lately has rarely touched on my father… so, i'm going to bend my rule for a bit and muse about him.

my father, like most men of his generation, was of the old school — you know, the stern stoic and undemonstrative but responsible-to-the-hilt type. he was content to let my mother manage the household, but whenever he decided to put his foot down we all toed the line (although there were times when my mother, with her subtle ways, could actually make him change his mind without him being aware of it).

whenever he laid down one of his decisions, his voice sounded like the crack of doom, and us kids would react accordingly. his decrees, which rang with quiet authority, had the imposing air and the constitutional mandate of the Ten Commandments, and we all knew better than to argue or whine. The judge hath spoken…

my father, despite his crusty exterior, had his "soft" side, too. on rare occasions he would set aside his serious respectable self and play with us. and he liked to see us screaming in glee as we feasted on his pasalubong whenever he came back from one of his out-of-his-town trips. the one scene that has stuck with me all these years was my father sitting in his favorite chair in a corner with this mellow look on his face as he watched us stuffing our faces with food and playing with the toys he brought.

but as we grew older he got more serious. it wasn't until i was in high school that we really began to connect again, just around the time when i finally learned to express myself without sounding like a total idiot. he had no clear favorite among us but i was the one that he could really talk to. at first it was just small, inconsequential things; as time went on, we began discussing about issues (political and social). our favorite topics were history, military hardware and music (he was a part-time member of a local orchestra). the funny thing is that although he's good with musical instruments (guitar, trumpet, trombone), we have never heard him sing. ever.

want to hear another ironic thing? my mother is tone-deaf — to the point that it'll hurt your ears just to hear her relentlessly belt out a tune. it doesn't stop her from trying though, and we've all learned to live with it. tatay just smiles at our hilarious complaints, and to this day i have yet to hear him comment on nanay's voice.

once, a friend asked him pointblank to define the best thing he has ever achieved in life. after a silent minute he replied, "my children, i think. they're my best investment. whatever they'll accomplish, that's the interest i've earned."

thanks 'tay. happy father's day.