Prince of Persia

Yesterday, as I said I would, I ate at my favorite Persian restaurant and watched The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Much to my surprise, the food sucked but the movie was good, the opposite of what I expected. Boy, quality control is beginning to fall apart in that restaurant...

Anyway, The Prince of Persia: The sands of Time is a movie based on a popular video game. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and is about this prince and a magical dagger that controls time.

The movie wasn't bad. It was better than I expected actually. There was a big issue about Jake Gyllenhaal being a Persian prince. He has a beard. That's Middle Eastern enough for me. So let me review.

The bad points come first. The main characters in the story speak in a weird accent. Is it Middle Eastern? British? It threw me off at first. There was a romance subplot but I'm biased against romance. The story gets pretty stupid at times. Sometimes you're left wondering how the bad guy or the good guys could act so idiotic or trusting. The female lead is eye candy enough but spouts exposition far too much at some points.

Now, the good points. The good thing is that none of the weak parts of the movie suck enough to drag the movie down. Even if you don't like the romance, the comedy relief (which I actually liked) or the story, it's actually all tolerable. But if you happen to like some of those then you'll like this film. The action was pretty sweet. There was a lot of Parkour going around with jumping, running, leaping, swinging, more running and fighting. That's pretty much the only clear relation it has to the video game.

Try not to approach this film as a video game adaptation but an action movie because that's what it is ultimately. It's a pretty solid action movie too. It's a crowd pleaser with something for everyone. Even the parts you don't like are easily ignored. If you're not into action, like if your a woman or something, there's always Jake Gyllenhaal's chest to look at.

Watch it if you want some fun.

Da Prince O' Persia

I'm thinking of going to the mall tomorrow to eat at my favorite Persian restaurant. While I'm at it, why not watch the Prince of Persia movie? I mean, it makes so much sense.

It's a movie based on a video game starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Really now, Jake Gyllenhaal? He's the last person I'd expect to play a Middle Eastern prince but whatever.

I'm just looking forward to the Persian food.

SimCity And The City

The issue facing Cebu City today is the looming energy and water crisis. We've been warned many times in the past about the growing demand and decreasing supply of both these resources. Now, it's still an issue even after the election of new officials. In light of this, I'd like to talk about one of my favorite video game series, SimCity. Video games are more than just shooting aliens and smashing heads. Some video games are educational.

In SimCity, you build and manage your own virtual metropolis. It is THE city simulator. It incorporates many principles of urban planning like zoning and transportation. Anyway, the first thing you learn in SimCity is that you need basic utilities. These are: power, water, transportation and waste disposal. Power is the most important and tricky. As your city grows, more of these utilities will be needed. It is important to begin securing your little city's power by building more power plants. Your city will always reach a threshold where it cannot grow anymore and you get shortages and rotating black outs like we do now. A city can only grow as much as its utilities can support or else it will begin to choke. Your city will gasp and cry for more power, more water, more roads, more landfills and etc. All this complexity and I didn't even mention the services mechanic of the game like schools, hospitals and recreation.

Why am I writing about this? Well, my point is that a city is like an organism. It needs energy and water to survive. It is constantly growing and when it's needs aren't met, it leads to misery. Unlike SimCity, there is no "pause" button. There is no wimpy time out or save n' load retries. Cebu is always going to grow and grow and grow and our leaders need to think more about long term plans to improve our infrastructure. Haven't any of you Cebuano readers noticed how congested our streets are becoming or how quickly some areas flood due to poor drainage? Well, Cebu is getting too big for its britches.

I'm not an urban planning major or a politician but I know what the hell is wrong with this city. What's wrong with this city is that it's a big time place with small minded leadership. This power and water crap should have been dealt with long ago. Instead our local government has little to show. What's our plan? How come I never hear our leaders talk about these things? What are our long term plans for our future needs?

Our previous mayor was a moron. He was a semi-competent boob, a bully with a truly pathetic ego. He was a petty man with no vision apart from his own name and political holdings. He was a man who would rather make snide remarks about the Governor than extend a hand in cooperation. He would rather put the screws on his political enemies than think of ALL our welfare. If you would ask him about long-term goals, he'd probably mention the South Reclamation Project. Let me tell you something about the fucking SRP. We still haven't paid the loan for it. It wasn't even his idea, it was his father's. He should be giving him the credit! "The SRP will bring big businesses to Cebu." is what he and his camp says. Oh really!? You think big shots are gonna want to move into a city with blackouts and a salty water table!? Let's admit it. He only wants big business to move in to the SRP so he can tax the hell out of them. He wants to collect. It's much easier to play politics than to make hard choices isn't it? All we have is band aid solutions and still no vision.

Cebu is a great city. I love this city. It can be so great. It can be so much more. Our leaders should play SimCity, they might learn something.

It's Good For You

Last Saturday, I went with some friends to the grocery because that's where young people hang out. I noticed a tub of ice cream or something like that. I'm not even sure if it was a tub but it was definitely made of ice cream. It had a label on it saying "Good Source of Calcium!" What the hell is this?

I don't know when this shit started, this whole thing of advertising vitamins and minerals of junk food. When I think about it, Mr.Chips had packaging saying that it was fortified with vitamin A or something. Oh yeah, when I think vitamin A, I think of fried corn chips with cheese. Notice that it's not even called "junk" foods anymore. Its "snack" foods. Boy, Jack and Jill "snack" food company sure has us by the balls. It's a conspiracy. Children long ago used to be told that they shouldn't eat junk food before meals or not to eat so much of it. Now, people don't give a shit. These "snack" food corporations won.

Time for some Pringles.

Master Angler Of Azeroth

It's been about half a year since I started playing World of Warcraft. The guild, which I'm a member of, is down to the very last boss of the last major raid instance. Despite the epic boss killing and awesome face-rolling with your buddies, that's not what I'm going to write about. I'm going to write about fishing.

Fishing is an aspect of WoW most people don't give two shits about and who can blame them? Do you know how one "fishes" in WoW? What you do is you equip a fishing pole, put some bait and press the "fish" button. You must then place your cursor over the fishing bobber and wait for it to splash, indicating that you've caught something, then you click. Put that something in your bag then rinse and repeat. Oh my God, doesn't that sound EXCITING? Look how incredibly thrilling the picture above is! I bet you're on the edge of your seat! Is my sarcasm obvious enough!?

Sarcasm aside, I love fishing. No, really. Fishing is arguably the most monotonous and mind-numbing form of grinding in WoW and yet I like it. Why? Damned if I know. All I know is, I love fishing so much, I got the "Salty" title. The "Salty" title is an awesome reward for only the most avid of WoW fishermen. It's notorious for being a pain in the ass to get. Only a few people have it and it's even technically limited to a few players per year. It's an awesome title that also doubles as a reminder of what a fucking loser time-waster you are but I finally got it goddamnit!

Why do I love fishing? Come to think of it, I now know why. I usually think a lot of depressing stuff when I'm not doing anything. Politics, law school, paranoia, self-esteem issues etc. When I fish in WoW, I become a zombie, totally brainless and doing nothing but pointing and clicking and squeeling in delight when I've "caught something". There might be a mod to make it easier but I don't want it. I don't want it. You know how some people take drugs to escape reality? Well I fish so that the sheer tediousness makes me forget the stupidity around me and then for a moment, for just one precious moment, I become THE Master Angler of Azeroth.

What is my major malfunction?

Nostalgia Goggles Activate!

Remember when Cartoon Network used to show cartoons? I'm disappointed in seeing them show live-action movies like Spiderman with Toby Maguire. Worse still are Zoids and other similar bullshit like that, cartoons that are more interested in pushing products on kids than being fun.

I remember the good old cartoons I used to watch as a kid. I remember the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon shorts. They tought me valuable life lessons such as: the virtues of justice against the appeal of vigilantism (Quick Draw McGraw), the limitless potential of future technology and artificial intelligence (The Jetsons), personal charisma and persuasive argumentation (Top Cat), the modern criminal justice system (Scooby Doo), laziness versus hard work (Yogi Bear), and sadism (Tom and Jerry).

My favorite cartoon was The Wacky Races. The character Dick Dastardly was my favorite. See, Dick Dastardly was the designated villain of the show. He would always cheat and lay traps for the other hapless drivers. But the most interesting thing about him is that he often manages to get ahead of everyone in the race in order to set his plans in motion. Pay attention. HE GETS AHEAD OF EVERYONE but always TAKES TIME TO CHEAT. I like Dick Dastardly. He could easily win the race hands down with his Mean Machine but what fun is that? Dick Dastardly enjoys living up to his name and being a huge Dick to the other racers. He's doing it just for the lulz and I gotta respect that. His sidekick Muttley also had the best laugh of any cartoon character ever.

I'm gonna find a way to watch classics like these again. Children today don't know what they're missing.

Law School

Tomorrow I'm going to hopefully get my enrollment in law school over with.

I wonder what law school will be like. I know it won't be easy. It seems like political science was just a short while ago. I feel anxious. Truth be told, I never knew if I really wanted to be a lawyer it's just that near everyone in the family is. I always wanted to write or to get involved in movies, you know, media like that. However, working in government is something I'd like to do too. Seriously. It's a way to do my part. I won't be an asshole bureaucrat. Forgive the foolish idealism of youth.

Oh well, I don't know but I'm sticking to this course of action in life. I'm not going to flip flop and leave or something. I'm going to see this.

The Phantom Menace

It's been a long time since Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. I always thought the new trilogy sucks compared to the old one. This guy really trashes the new trilogy nicely. He loves the original and the new just doesn't compare. He explains why. His channel has reviews on Episode Two too.

Election 2010

Well, the elections are over and the people have decided. I guess this automated thing wasn't so bad after all. So far the streets aren't running with blood, just piss, the usual.

Our new president is the alleged, ALLEGED, retard. The vice president is a guy who's comic book I own. The most curious thing however is that the convicted plunderer candidate came in at second. I didn't want to believe it but I guess people really are stupid. On the local scene, our new mayor is one who actually believes in the rule of law. How refreshing.

I wonder when it's gonna be OK to start hating the president. Two weeks? Maybe we should give him a month before we start demonizing him.

Mother's Day

I'm no poet but I love my mom. I really do. We're close, closer than most mothers and their children maybe. My mother is the greatest human being I know. As a person, she is kind, generous, wise and patient. She is a woman of great faith and strong principle. She raised me all by herself without a problem. Her strength and character are an inspiration.

More than that, I consider her my best friend. I can tell her anything. I tell her my hopes and my fears and she always knows what to say and how to say it. Anything bad happens, I know who to go to. I'm a regular momma's boy but can you blame me when I have the best mom in the entire world? I'm the luckiest person in the world. A shlub like me doesn't deserve her attention. I want to make something of myself, I want to make her proud. It's the only thing I can do and the only thing she ever asks of me.

I tell my mom, "I don't say I love you enough." She tells me, "Ayaw pauwan ha!"

Ten Things That Piss Me Off

Here's a short list of things that annoys me to no end, things that make me want to choke someone. You may not find it annoying, but I do and that's important.

1. Cheese "Queso" Flavored Ice Cream

Who's bright idea was this? It tastes like shit. It's a dairy product flavored dairy product. Whoever came up with this and those who enjoy this "flavor" should be shot.

2. People Who Say "LOL"

Not many people do this thankfully. It usually happens to people who are too wired. Get off the damned Internet for a minute. What does "LOL" mean? LAUGH OUT LOUD! So do it! What's the problem? If a joke is funny or you find something amusing, how about laughing? Give it a try. I wonder if these people are still human and not terminators from the future or something.

3. IMVU Ads

These Internet ads piss me off in particular. It's an ad for some shitty online social game or something. There's a lot of these ads everywhere featuring some stupid plastic Bratz faces and crappy- GRRAAHH!

4. People Who Misuse "In Fairness" and "To Be Fair"

Look, the phrase "In fairness" or even better "In all fairness" shouldn't be thrown around whenever by moronic celebutards on television. It's supposed to be used when you respectfully disagree on some point and try to offer positives to a negative. For example:

Alice: "A lot of people misuse the phrase, "in fairness"."

Bob: "To be fair, a lot of people are simply ignorant and don't know shit."

5. E-mail Regarding Elections and Candidates

I actually appreciate people who forward such e-mails with the titles, "elections", "why I'm voting 4..." and "vote..." so I can delete these e-mails straight away.

6. Fast Food Shops That Don't Give Enough Tissues

You know I'm right. Fast food stores that are stingy with ketchup packets as well just twists the knife.

7. People With Headphones Who Listen To Music

It's as if they can't be bitched to put those earpieces down to listen to another human being. It's like listening to a person is so much trouble. However, a punch to the face is a very clear form of communication.

8. People Who Sing To Every Song

Whenever a popular song, new or old, plays, these people can't help themselves but sing along to it. What's worse is they try to imitate the artist that sung it instead of singing it in their own range. You're not going to convince me the lead singer of Fuel just appeared next to me. Shut the hell up.

9. Dog Shit In The Sidewalk
Now isn't that just lovely? Who likes seeing a nice big dog turd while walking to grab some lunch? At least my dogs crap in the grass.

10. The Color Purple
I hate it.

Iron Man 2

I went to see Iron Man 2 today. However, I also enjoy watching movies for the previews. Three trailers caught my eye. The first one was The Karate Kid. I hate it already. The second one was for The Last Airbender, a live-action movie based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon directed by M. Night Shamalamadingdong. I have doubts about how faithful the adaptation will be. Right of the bat the trailer mentioned that the titular airbender character is the "last of a powerful nation" or something. Correction, the airbenders were nomads and had no central government or even a state. Call me an avatard, Whatever.

The most interesting trailer was for a film by Ridley Scott starring Russel Crowe. It's a medieval drama with action and political intrigue. A movie with tyrants, evil kings and epic battles for freedom. The name? Robin Hood. ROBIN friggin' HOOD. This ain't no gay romp through no Sherwood forest. This is a gritty and violent "Hood". It's Russel Crowe goddamn it! It's seems to be like The Dark Knight with bows and arrows. He wasn't even wearing them tights.

Anyway, onto the movie. It was pretty good. Downey played a good Tony Stark, the lovable asshole. It seemed pretty aimless in the beginning with a depressed Tony Stark dicking around while confronting his own mortality. Then it picks up in the middle and finishes well. There was even an awesome appearance by SAMUEL L. JACKSON as Nick Fury. Or was it Nick Fury playing as SAMUEL L. JACKSON? The villain was pretty lame. He got his ass kicked in several different flavors. I hardly felt any tension even in the climax. You just know Tony is gonna pull through in the end and that he can't be beat. Still, I call this a fun action movie. It's just fun. That's all.

I fucking hate The Karate Kid. The trailer almost ruined the whole movie!

Dog Trouble

Our dog Jackie, a black Labrador, has sarcoptic mange. Her itching got worse so we took her to the vet. A few weekly shots should fix it. I hope.

Nice Dinner

I had a nice dinner a while ago with the family. It was Mediterranean food so that means it has nuts and stuff. Kind of Middle Eastern, kind of Italian, best of both. The restaurant is the only Greek restaurant I can think of.

I had bell peppers stuffed with rice. The chicken gyro is the best but I thought I'd try the pepper thing.

Greek food is delicious! Too bad the economy of Greece is collapsing. Hahaha!