Check out the amazing couch gag of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXIV. It is directed by Pan's Labyrinth and Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro and pays homage to a whole truckload of movies, horror and otherwise, throughout history. Can anyone name all the references? :)
video uploaded in youtube by ANIMATIONonFOX
Best. Simpsons. Intro. Ever.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Midnight snack at Old Swiss Inn
Old Swiss Inn is one of my frequent haunts when I'm really hungry and it's past midnight. There aren't a lot of non-fastfood restos that are open 24 hours and I do love the food here. A lot of the menu items are quite pricey but there are a couple that are less than P300. It also just so happens that my current favorite dish they carry is the Papet Vaudois which is part of their seasonal menu and costs a relatively affordable P250. a Swiss garlic sausage from Canton Vaud that is paired with a cheesy leek and potato stew. It's a perfect match because the creaminess of the potatoes provides a great counterbalance to the strong flavors of the sausage.
It's too bad that this dish is only part of the seasonal menu, which means it may be dropped at some point in the near future. If and when Papet Vaudois is no longer on offer, hopefully they bring back the Pork Parisienne which was one of my favorites in the seasonal menu a few years ago before it was dropped. :)
It's too bad that this dish is only part of the seasonal menu, which means it may be dropped at some point in the near future. If and when Papet Vaudois is no longer on offer, hopefully they bring back the Pork Parisienne which was one of my favorites in the seasonal menu a few years ago before it was dropped. :)
Monday, October 28, 2013
A "scary" night at the movies
I had no interest to watch the 2013 version of Carrie but my friend Jane really wanted to see it and couldn't really find anyone to watch with her so I agreed to be her companion. I had some plans in Greenbelt earlier in the evening so we agreed to watch the last full show in Greenbelt 3. As it turns out, I was right in not really wanting to see it. While the effects were good and Julianne Moore put in an impressively solid performance as Carrie's abusive mother, I thought the film didn't really leave any strong impact. I thought that Chloë Grace Moretz, who played Carrie, was over-the-top. I can understand that she didn't want to do an imitation of Sissy Spacek's scary performance in the original 1976 film but I felt she didn't need to go that extreme.
I can't really say it was a horror flick since I didn't find it scary at all (not sure if it was meant to be), but I did have a truly frightening experience that night. As Jane and I were standing outside the cinema, I realized I didn't have my wallet with me! It must have slipped out my pocket as I was watching the movie. I rushed back into the theater but I couldn't find it in the area where we sat. As I was getting a bit frantic, I thankfully saw it lying on the floor a few feet away. Whew!
To add to the uniqueness of the evening, I decided to swing by J.Co Donuts 20 minutes before the movie just to see if there was a line. For the first time ever, there was almost no line! There were only three people there so I decided to go and get two donuts and a cup of coffee. It was the only time ever that I went to J.Co and got only two donuts instead of a full box. (Of course, it doesn't make sense to fall in line for half an hour to get just a couple of donuts so the only way I would get less than a dozen is if I don't have to wait more than a few minutes.) Cool!
I can't really say it was a horror flick since I didn't find it scary at all (not sure if it was meant to be), but I did have a truly frightening experience that night. As Jane and I were standing outside the cinema, I realized I didn't have my wallet with me! It must have slipped out my pocket as I was watching the movie. I rushed back into the theater but I couldn't find it in the area where we sat. As I was getting a bit frantic, I thankfully saw it lying on the floor a few feet away. Whew!
To add to the uniqueness of the evening, I decided to swing by J.Co Donuts 20 minutes before the movie just to see if there was a line. For the first time ever, there was almost no line! There were only three people there so I decided to go and get two donuts and a cup of coffee. It was the only time ever that I went to J.Co and got only two donuts instead of a full box. (Of course, it doesn't make sense to fall in line for half an hour to get just a couple of donuts so the only way I would get less than a dozen is if I don't have to wait more than a few minutes.) Cool!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Bowling!
The last time I competed as part of a team in a company bowling tournament was more than seven years ago. In fact, before I hit the bowling lanes a few months ago, I hadn't really bowled in years as well. Nevertheless, our team somehow took third place in today's tournament. Woohoo!
It was sort of a come from behind top three finish as well. In the elimination round, our team didn't do very well. We managed to step up ever so slightly in the second game but so many other teams seemed to be doing really well so we weren't counting on getting to the final four anymore. Yet somehow we made it. And even in that final round, things weren't looking too good for us. It consisted of two round as well and our team was in fourth place after the first round of the finals. We were behind by about 34 pinfalls and the second round didn't start out that great as our team had many open frames. However, I think the team that started out in third place started playing poorly and we ended up edging them by a very slim margin of 14 pinfalls.
Our women's team did markedly better than us as they ended up overall champions for the women's division. We were the only team who had a podium finish in both the men's and women's division. To celebrate, we had dinner at Recipes where I ended up ordering two dishes and two cups or rice (and I almost polished off everything; clearly I was tired and hungry!)
*****
The downside is that I lost a P500 bill. I must have inadvertently dropped it or I may have accidentally thrown into into a trash bin with some garbage I was holding. Damn. Oh well.
It was sort of a come from behind top three finish as well. In the elimination round, our team didn't do very well. We managed to step up ever so slightly in the second game but so many other teams seemed to be doing really well so we weren't counting on getting to the final four anymore. Yet somehow we made it. And even in that final round, things weren't looking too good for us. It consisted of two round as well and our team was in fourth place after the first round of the finals. We were behind by about 34 pinfalls and the second round didn't start out that great as our team had many open frames. However, I think the team that started out in third place started playing poorly and we ended up edging them by a very slim margin of 14 pinfalls.
Our women's team did markedly better than us as they ended up overall champions for the women's division. We were the only team who had a podium finish in both the men's and women's division. To celebrate, we had dinner at Recipes where I ended up ordering two dishes and two cups or rice (and I almost polished off everything; clearly I was tired and hungry!)
*****
The downside is that I lost a P500 bill. I must have inadvertently dropped it or I may have accidentally thrown into into a trash bin with some garbage I was holding. Damn. Oh well.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Ms. Jackson by Outkast
So I'm kind of annoyed that Panic at the Disco just came out with a song called "Miss Jackson" when Outkast already has a song with that name (I mean, it's not like a generic song title like "Stay", "Breathe", "Home", or "Hold on"). So I'm re-sharing this song which was released almost 13 years ago to remind everyone what an incredibly great song this Outkast hit is.
video uploaded by Rapcity1Channel
video uploaded by Rapcity1Channel
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Lucky Break
So I got stopped by traffic enforcers last Friday while turning left in what apparently was a no-left-turn intersection. I made the mistake of seeing only the no-U-turn sign and not the no-left-turn sign. I told the traffic enforcer that I didn't see the sign but the enforcer started preparing to write out my ticket. I asked him if I could get my license back on Saturday but he said I could only get it during weekdays, meaning that I would have to get it on Monday. I heaved a heavy sigh and just resigned myself to the fact that I would get a ticket for a traffic violation.
Just as I started to wonder what violation I would be charged with (I was hoping it wouldn't cost as much as my previous ticket), the enforcer all of a sudden tells me that he will just let me go with a warning. He asked for my license receipt and he made a notation there indicating that I had been warned already. I was very pleasantly surprised and I thanked the officer before driving off. What a lucky break.
Just as I started to wonder what violation I would be charged with (I was hoping it wouldn't cost as much as my previous ticket), the enforcer all of a sudden tells me that he will just let me go with a warning. He asked for my license receipt and he made a notation there indicating that I had been warned already. I was very pleasantly surprised and I thanked the officer before driving off. What a lucky break.
Friday, October 18, 2013
More ways to help the Earthquake victims
I read that rescuers are now struggling to find more survivors of the earthquake that rocked Visayas a couple of days ago. The death toll is now close to 200 but people are still missing. If you are interested to help, here is a link to Rappler.com that provides a very comprehensive list of organizations that accept donations in both cash and kind.
Link: Help the Visayas earthquake victims
Ayala Foundation
photo from https://www.facebook.com/ayalafoundation
I also believe that Sagip Kapamilya of ABS-CBN Foundation and the GMA Kapuso Foundation are also accepting donations. I think Cebu Pacific
Link: Help the Visayas earthquake victims
Ayala Foundation
I also believe that Sagip Kapamilya of ABS-CBN Foundation and the GMA Kapuso Foundation are also accepting donations. I think Cebu Pacific
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Earthquake in Visayas
It's a tragic day. Earlier, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the Visayan region. BBC reports that the death toll has now risen to 93 with many more people suffering injuries. I'm watching the news as I write this blog post and it is heartbreaking to see how immense the damage is that was brought about by this natural disaster. People have now camped out in open areas since aftershocks continue to be felt in the region. My friend who has family in Bohol said that they now have experienced 320 aftershocks. That's all in less than 24 hours!
Bohol has been the worst-hit of all the provinces in Visayas since the epicenter of the quake was near the town of Carmen, which is where the world-renowned Chocolate Hills are. Unfortunately, that meant that this important landmark and tourist spot was not spared. This photo from http://www.philstar.com shows how bad the damage was to at least some of these beautiful limestone hills:
Cebu and Bohol are two of the most important historical centers of the country and it's heartbreaking to see so many churches in ruins. The Basílica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu and the Baclayon Church in Bohol are two of the oldest churches in the country and both suffered major damage. Other churches that were severely impacted are Dauis and Loboc. I visited these churches when my family and I spent a few days in Cebu and Bohol last year and it's heartbreaking to see the damage to these historical landmarks. You can see more photos of heritage sites damaged by the quake here but here's a photo of the Loboc church as it looks now:
And this is what Loboc church looked like before:
I read in www.gmanetwork.com that a Heritage Task Force will be deployed on Thursday to assess the damage and to map out plans for restoration. Hopefully, estimation and restoration efforts will be successful.
I'm still trying to gather more information on how people can help. The only ones I have now are the following, although I reckon the Philippine Red Cross is always a sure place to make a donation as they have now mobilized volunteers and staff to assess the Bohol earthquake.
Bohol Bloggers
La Sallian Community
COSCA will start receiving cash or check donations tomorrow (16 Oct 2013). You may send your donations directly to the DLSU Accounting Office by informing the Cashier to deposit these to the DLSU RELIEF FUND. You are to be given a white and yellow official receipt as proof of your donation. You may provide one copy to Ms. Jan Trampe, COSCA Relief Officer to acknowledge your donation.
For any inquiries, please contact Mr. Joseph Rosal, COSCA Coordinator for Community Engagement at 525-4267 or local 147.
Bohol has been the worst-hit of all the provinces in Visayas since the epicenter of the quake was near the town of Carmen, which is where the world-renowned Chocolate Hills are. Unfortunately, that meant that this important landmark and tourist spot was not spared. This photo from http://www.philstar.com shows how bad the damage was to at least some of these beautiful limestone hills:
photo from http://www.philstar.com/ taken by Robert Michael Poole
Cebu and Bohol are two of the most important historical centers of the country and it's heartbreaking to see so many churches in ruins. The Basílica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu and the Baclayon Church in Bohol are two of the oldest churches in the country and both suffered major damage. Other churches that were severely impacted are Dauis and Loboc. I visited these churches when my family and I spent a few days in Cebu and Bohol last year and it's heartbreaking to see the damage to these historical landmarks. You can see more photos of heritage sites damaged by the quake here but here's a photo of the Loboc church as it looks now:
AFP Photo courtesy of http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/
And this is what Loboc church looked like before:
I read in www.gmanetwork.com that a Heritage Task Force will be deployed on Thursday to assess the damage and to map out plans for restoration. Hopefully, estimation and restoration efforts will be successful.
I'm still trying to gather more information on how people can help. The only ones I have now are the following, although I reckon the Philippine Red Cross is always a sure place to make a donation as they have now mobilized volunteers and staff to assess the Bohol earthquake.
Bohol Bloggers
La Sallian Community
COSCA will start receiving cash or check donations tomorrow (16 Oct 2013). You may send your donations directly to the DLSU Accounting Office by informing the Cashier to deposit these to the DLSU RELIEF FUND. You are to be given a white and yellow official receipt as proof of your donation. You may provide one copy to Ms. Jan Trampe, COSCA Relief Officer to acknowledge your donation.
For any inquiries, please contact Mr. Joseph Rosal, COSCA Coordinator for Community Engagement at 525-4267 or local 147.
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Rafa back at #1
He may have lost the final of the China Open to chief rival Novak Djokovic - only his fourth loss this year - but Rafa Nadal has now earned enough points in the last 12 months to take over the ATP tour #1 ranking. Congratulations, Rafa!
Nadal has now reached the finals of 13 of the 14 tournaments he has played this year, winning 10 of them. With only a handful of tournaments remaining in the 2013 season, Rafa's chances of clinching the year-end #1 ranking have significantly improved with this result. Apart from being able to remain at #1, I am also hoping he can win the World Tour Finals for the very first time this year.
Nadal has now reached the finals of 13 of the 14 tournaments he has played this year, winning 10 of them. With only a handful of tournaments remaining in the 2013 season, Rafa's chances of clinching the year-end #1 ranking have significantly improved with this result. Apart from being able to remain at #1, I am also hoping he can win the World Tour Finals for the very first time this year.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Bling (Confessions of a King) by The Killers
A few days later and I'm still suffering from The Killers withdrawal LOL so I keep listening to their music now. This song from Sam's town is currently my favorite song of theirs. (I'm so glad they performed it here.)
video uploaded in youtube by Anthony King
video uploaded in youtube by Anthony King
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)