We Ain’t Stupid
October 15, 2009 at 9:12 pm10 | In Community, Movies | 1 CommentTags: climate change, environment, Greenpeace, The Age of Stupid
I had the luck and privilege to have been invited to the gala screening of the latest foreign environmental movie called The Age of Stupid. I first learned about this movie through one of the X-Files forums I frequented. Being a fan of Gillian Anderson, I was glad to know that she got involved in promoting this movie in London and New York. When I expressed my interest about watching this film to my fellow X-phile friends, it turned out that they too wanted to see it. So when an opportunity came for us to watch the local screening, we didn’t think twice.
My friends and I were able to watch the second screening (the first screening happened on September 21) of the movie last Tuesday, October 13. The five of us met up at Glorietta 4 Cinemas in Makati where the film was going to be shown. We had the chance to walk along the green carpet set up at the cinema and secured good seats. Several VIPs were also there including representatives from Greenpeace Philippines and the World Wildlife Fund. The main event started at 7:00 PM with a short introduction of the movie and a brief talk from presidential adviser on climate change, Heherson Alvarez who spoke about the upcoming UN Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December.
The Age of Stupid is part documentary, part animation, and part fiction that talks about climate change. It is set in the future in the year 2055. It shows our devastated planet after major natural catastrophes wiped out almost the entire Earth. An archivist looks back on the year 2008 and laments on what man has done that led to the destruction of our planet. The film is directed by Franny Armstrong and stars Pete Postlethwaite as the archivist.
I must admit, I liked this movie better than An Inconvenient Truth because the presentation is more engaging and 
entertaining. It doesn’t really have that documentary feel to it unlike An Inconvenient Truth wherein it’s mostly talk and discussion. What I liked about The Age of Stupid is that it inserts human interest in between and talks about issues in simple terms that are not off-putting, especially to those who are not really into this kind of thing. I found the feature on the windmill argument quite touching. To say that the windmills should be taken down because they’re ruining the view is ridiculous.
We left the cinema at around 8:30 PM and headed to Glorietta 5 for dinner. Incidentally, the gala screening coincided with X-Files creator Chris Carter’s birthday, October 13, which is also the name of his production company (Ten Thirteen). So my X-phile friends and I considered our dinner as a celebration of that special day.
A Fusion of Fun and “Substance”
September 7, 2009 at 9:12 pm09 | In Food and Dining, Lifestyle | Leave a CommentTags: blue wave, coffee, friends, karaoke, krokodile grille, mall of asia, officemates, san miguel by the bay, starbucks, synder karaoke bar
Last Saturday wasn’t exactly the perfect day to have a night out with friends because of the slightly gloomy weather – not to mention that it was raining sporadically. But that still didn’t stop my friends and I from having a great time. It was actually a reunion of sorts as my friends from my previous work and I decided to meet up last Saturday for dinner.
My friends and I agreed to meet at Shangri-La Plaza early evening. We were really excited to see each other again after last year’s reunion. Except for one, almost all of my friends were there. We had dinner at Krokodile Grille and spent the early hours of the evening chatting and reminiscing the good times we had at the editorial department of the magazine where we used to work. However, our al fresco dining was interrupted by the sudden pouring of rain. It was a good thing that the restaurant had big umbrellas to shelter us from the rain. So we finished our dinner amidst the rain and chilly wind.
Our original plan of just dining out turned into a fun, riotous night as we decided at the last minute to go to a karaoke bar after dinner for a drink or two. Since all of us had limited knowledge of cheap karaoke bars, we ended up going to Synder Karaoke Bar in Pioneer, Mandaluyong – the nearest karaoke bar we could think of. The place was not exactly great in terms of space and cleanliness but it’s all right. The service was quite good anyway.
Another former coworker of ours, Cox, came at the bar just in time to join us. We had a blast belting out (off-key) songs we love including the ones we love to hate. After three rounds of Tanduay Ice and a pack or two of cigarettes (for the three girls anyway), we decided we had enough.
It was a night of (mis)adventure as we proceeded from the bar to Blue Wave along Roxas Boulevard (?) to grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks. But we had to wait for Racky because she got tipsy and had to puke in the bathroom. By the time we got to Starbucks (around 3:00 AM), the coffee shop was already closed so we took another cab and headed to Mall of Asia. We went around the area a bit looking for a 24-hour coffee shop. By then, the rain was pouring hard and most of us were already wet. We were so grateful when we spotted a Starbucks at San Miguel by the Bay. And what do you know, they’re open 24 hours! So we dashed inside and ordered cups of piping hot coffee courtesy of Xien who was celebrating her birthday this week.
We spent the wee hours of the morning there and talked about “substantial” stuff (which was an inside joke). It was already 6:00 AM when we left the coffee shop and parted ways. I finally came home at 7:00 AM feeling sleepy but satisfied. I really had fun that night and realized how much I missed the gang.
Touch a blogger: Tie a yellow ribbon for Cory Aquino
August 4, 2009 at 9:12 pm08 | In Current Events | 1 Comment
Yellow
August 3, 2009 at 9:12 pm08 | In Current Events | Leave a CommentI am greatly disappointed that I wasn’t able to go to Ayala Avenue earlier today to watch the convoy where the truck carrying the body of former President Corazon Aquino would make its way through the streets. I along with some of my officemates wanted to go badly but we were stuck in the office this morning. There was no official announcement from the office’s top management that we could go out and be a part of that historic event so my coworkers and I stayed put. The morning went by and the convoy came and went but none of us in the office caught a glimpse of it.
It’s a shame really. Our office building is just a few blocks away from Ayala Avenue but we couldn’t even go out to watch the convoy – not without the permission of top management. I’ve been really frustrated and kicking myself the whole afternoon for missing one of the important events in Philippine history. Had I known that my coworkers and I could slip from the office to watch the convoy passed by, I would have done it.
I would also like to express my disappointment and indignance for the lack of compassion and support that my office showed today. There was not a single yellow ribbon tied anywhere in the office as a tribute to Tita Cory’s passing or anything at all that would show sympathy or grief to the death of one of the most beloved person in the country. Tita Cory was and still is an icon of Philippine democracy. The least we could do is pay respects to her passing. The company I work for is not owned by a Filipino but the majority of people I work with are all Filipinos. The people concerned could have at least taken the initiative to do something about it. It seems like the spirit of the People Power Revolution is lost to them. How sad.
Lucky for those who have seen the convoy because they have paid their last respects to a great woman of courage. I meanwhile just contented myself with watching the event on TV when I got home from work. Hopefully I could watch the funeral on Wednesday.
We Still Want to Believe
July 27, 2009 at 9:12 pm07 | In Community, Movies, TV | Leave a CommentTags: filipino x-philes, pinoy x-philes, x-files, x-files movie, x-philes, x-philes philippines
The Pinoy X-Philes’ celebration of the first year anniversary of The X-Files: I Want to Believe movie release happened last Saturday, July 25. As all the X-philes all over the world knows, July 25, 2008 was the date of the US theatrical release of the movie. My group and I decided to celebrate it by holding a simple dinner at one of our fellow member’s residence. And to make the celebration more meaningful, we held a private screening of I Want to Believe. My fellow X-philes and I have already seen the movie five or more times but we didn’t mind watching it again.
It was agreed upon that we would have a pot luck dinner, with each attending member bringing his or her own prepared food. But since some of us would be traveling far or couldn’t cook a decent meal (including me, hehe), we ended up just buying takeout food and bringing them to Sam’s (the host) house.
The private screening was supposed to start at 6:00 PM but since the five of us (Lily, Christie, Vel, Enna, and me) arrived late and we still had to arrange the food and wait for the other guests, the film showing didn’t start until past 8:00 PM. By then, we just dined while watching the movie. We used the projector and white screen again for the film showing. Three of us brought each of her own DVD copy of the movie as well as other I Want to Believe-related stuff. Too bad two of our long-time members couldn’t join us that night because of professional and personal reasons.
As always, my fellow X-philes and I enjoyed the evening immensely. We wanted to watch even the bloopers/gag reel of I Want to Believe, but there was not enough time. It was decided by the group beforehand that we would also watch an episode of Kolchak: The Nightstalker – the inspiration behind the creation of The X-Files – as most of us hadn’t seen the classic 70’s series. So that’s what we did after we’re done watching the second X-Files film.
We originally intended to leave Sam’s house before midnight but it was already past 12:00 AM when we’re through watching the pilot episode of Kolchak. And since Vel, Lily, and Christie didn’t want to go home in that ungodly hour due to safety reasons, they opted to stay at Sam’s overnight. I didn’t want to go home alone in that hour either so I decided to join them. We slept on the four couches in the screening room and left the house at around 8:00 AM the next morning. I wasn’t able to sleep properly at Sam’s so I was still feeling sleepy and groggy when I got home. But the experience was all worth it. Like what Scully said in the “Bad Blood” episode, “I do it all for you, Mulder. I do it all for you!”
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