Here’s a picture re-tweeted by @adamlevine on his Twitter account, a picture of a shark that found its way on a flooded street in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Irene:
My goodness, this fuels so many of my childhood nightmares. I’m fascinated yet terrified of sharks. That’s why I’m obsessed with the idea of finding sharks while diving, but at the same time it sends chills down my spine. Here’s a video this time that makes me sooo paranoid:
Here’s one of an actual shark attack caught on film:
And for me, the single scariest shark video EVER.
This all reminds me of one of a photo I posted way back, in one of my first ever posts on Strange Fruit, a photo by Thomas P. Peschak:
Again, I need to break the chronology of the Top Ten because posting this a year or so from now would be very irrelevant. We might not even have the same jocks a year from now. So let me post this anniversary Top Ten today.
August 26, 2011 → The Top Ten Messages Or Questions For An RX Jock
Homer Singson – For Fran: “Totoo bang may crossover romance between jocks from two rival stations…o baka naman TURBAN legend lang ito?”
Hot Stud 22 – For DJ McCoy: “Dude, malaki ba talaga?”
Albrag – For Chico: “Ang dami mong travel pics sa blog mo. Sinong travel companion mo?”
Young Indy – For Delamar: “I don’t want to be a prude, and I don’t mean to be rude, but when you said you sleep in the nude, this topic I wish to elude.”
Kyogz – For Chico: “would you be open to having your own tandem with Gino?”
Byron and Lockon Stratos – For Chico: “Kailan mo ba ipapakilala sa amin si Baby Whale?”
Booboo25 – For Gino: “Kung sana boyfriend ang hinahanap mo, eh di wala ka sanang problema sa lovelife ngayon.”
Tian26Jack – For Chico: “I-follow mo lang ako sa Instagram, matutulog na din akong hubad tulad ni Delle, kahit sa sala lang ako natutulog.”
Mr. Perk – For Rico: “Lagi ka bang galit talaga sa Twitter kaya laging all caps mga tweet mo?”
Wandering Eneri – For Tom: “High school palang nakikinig na ko sa mga payo mo sa Love Clinic, bakit hanggang ngayon wala pa rin akong natututunan sa love?”
Dscrt – For Rico: “Are you a grower or are you a shower?”
Pesteng Ehem and Astroboy – For Andre: “Had you not been in radio, would you follow in your famous dad’s footsteps and join a basketball team?”
The Pabile Guy – For Rico: “Ba’t di mo try magpa-long hair?”
IamFortunata – For Gino: “Will you dance with me later at the RX Anniversary Party?”
Mad Sison – For Gino: “Pwede bang magpa-ampon ka nalang sa Morning Rush?”
Lemon Neko 8 – For Gino: “Ever since naging GiGi ka, di na kita crush…LOVE na kita!”
Lemon Neko 8 – For Gino: “Puwede pumasok tayo sa kuwarto na patay ang lahat ng ilaw, para tayo nalang mag-on?”
Cocohernandez – For Jackie Chanak: “Don’t you have plans on hosting your own show?”
Engr Rodj – For Fran: “Sa date ba, mahilig ka mang-INDIAN?”
Kandy Kane – For Jude: “I love your Instagram pics!”
Mia – For Tom: “Dear Dr. Love, gusto ko kumunsulta sayo. Pero anung gagawin mo kung ikaw ang problema ko?”
Avril – For Fran: “Umiinom ka ba ng The Bar?”
Mike – For Gino: “I know you’re all man, but imma treat choo like a woman!”
Tamalditz – For ChiChi and GiGi: “Dahil sa inyong dalawa, pinagdududahan ko na tuloy ang mister ko!”
No name – For Gino: “Can you send me your soiled black boxer-briefs with red garter?”
Brokenexcalibur – For Hazel: “Why is it whenever you talk, you’re like an angel sent down for me? And when you laugh, you become a witch ready to ensnare my heart? <3 na kita!”
Dance Empress – For ChiChi: “Nakita ko sa Instagram mo na nakipag-inuman ka kay GiGi. Tanong,may nangyari ba pagkatapos?”
Rhachael Leigh – For Gino: “Hindi naman tayo ngtataguan…pero bakit ba lagi kitang hinahanap?”
Rhachael Leigh – For Gino: “I don’t care about your past, all I want to know is if there’s a place for me in your future?”
DJ Gambit – For Danielle: “Has anyone told her that she is the spitting image of Selma Blair?”
Gobbledygook16 – For Alven: “Will you be my first kiss?”
Xtiano Rhoynaldo: For Cerah: “Do you know of a make-up brand that can beautify a person not just outside but also inside? (pangreregalo ko lang sana)”
I_Am_Kem – For Fran: “Favorite mo ba yung kantang, ‘Indian ka nanaman, tinutukso-tukso ang aking puso…’?”
Agent Bad Boy – For Tom: “Dr. Love, bakit wala kang love nurse?”
White Lady – For Delamar: “Aren’t you aware that that I’m always here at your hallway watching you?”
I’m sure most of you have either read about this or already watched this video of Jim Carrey professing his love for Emma Stone:
First few seconds of watching this, I was bewildered, not knowing whether it’s a misguided serious message from an unraveling aging celeb, or a genius raw-nerve performance from a talented thespian. It seemed real to me until the last few seconds when he lipped: “I love you…I do”, complete with quivering chin. That was the only giveaway that it was a big joke. For a moment there he got me thinking that he was really serious; I guess the comedian really has the acting chops to back up the box-office clout. I was actually cringing for the actor being this emotionally naked in front of everyone, an A-lister making a complete ass of himself, given that Emma is already going out with her Spiderman co-star Andrew Garfield. Romantic, yes. Wise career move, maybe not so. But it’s all moot since it’s obviously either a joke, or they just probably inked a deal to do a movie together. But whatever it was, it made Jim Carrey relevant again. Genius move, Ace Ventura.
Not to be outdone, in true YouTube-age manner, the spoofs have begun. Most notably, acerbic-tongued and honorary gay comedienne Kathy Griffin, professing her love for (gasp, how original!) Justin Bieber. What an obvious choice. Still funny though, I was just hoping she’d chosen a less overused punchline than the teen superstar.
Okay, might as well post this as well. I believe this is Jim Carrey’s greatest performance EVER:
The awards night for the Tatt Awards finally played out last Friday at the Rigodon Ballroom in the Peninsula Manila. In true form, by the 2nd or 3rd pic, my camera says “low on batt”. Great, so I really scrimped on my photos.
After the cocktails, we moved to the seats in the front part of the ballroom for the ceremony part of the event. The proceedings were hosted by Tim Yap and Divine Lee.
I presented 2 awards, The Advocate and The Artiste. I was supposed to present the first award, The Word Slayer, but I switched last-minute with Gang Badoy since she had to leave immediately. It would’ve been awesome to present the award to @HecklerForever whom we’ve known, but never met, for years on the show. The awards were spread out among performers who were nominated, like Johnoy Danao:
And eventual winner Up Dharma Down. Armi’s vocals are just INSANE.
Viral sensations also performed like recent YouTube darling Arjohn Gilbert who Charice even expressed interest in performing with:
And the extremely talented Maria Aragon, who is backed by no other than Lady Guagua Pampanga:
It’s not just the hype, this young lady can really sing. And she’s charming as hell. I hope she makes it, she’s really good. But of course, the big winner of the evening, for The One category – Filipino Freethinkers:
It’s just nice that the online community is finally recognized. There are award-giving bodies for film, television, music, broadcasting, so it’s high time that the online personalities are given recognition for their contributions. It was an online who’s who, where unknown faces with high-octane online personas overshadowed the artistas and celebs. People were being referred to by their online nicknames, their blog names, their URLs, and photos taken of the usually shy, often photo-allergic online personalities. It’s really nice to hold this at a time when we are at the cusp of acknowledging the legitimate power of the virtual world. As Maria Ressa said in her speech that night (I paraphrase), what we do in the virtual world affects us in the real one. So I was honored to have been part of this as a Tatt Council member, being in the company of people like Maria Ressa, it was loads of fun judging the entries, and it’s nice to be part of the start of an event that could be, in the near future, a household name. The complete set of winners:
The Word Slayer – Loi Reyes Landicho (The Professional Heckler)
OMG, if you don’t roll on the f*cking floor f*cking laughing your f*cking head off while watching this, you don’t have a f*cking heart. LOL! I love how the grandma says “Oh Lord!” after every stanza, but keeps on reading every next expletive-ridden part with such gusto and curiosity. I want the f*cking book!
Anyway, here’s the version read by Samuel L. Jackson:
They say single people want to be married and married people want to be single. I guess the grass IS greener on the other side. Single or taken, it depends on the person. Some people are so messed up, whether they’re single or with the most wonderful person, they’d still end up miserable. And the opposite follows. But what I did learn going through these entries, is that other people’s relationships are sooo complicated…
December 17, 2009 → The Top Ten Way To Complete The Statement: “I’m Single/Married/Separated, But…” – Sent in by Stephensoul
No name – “I’m married, but for the wrong reasons, which turned out to be the right reasons in the long run.”
Mnemonic – “I’m married, but having difficulty acting it.”
Garapata Blood – “I’m married, but only in the morning. At night, it’s a totally different ballgame.”
Cindy Marie – “I’m married, but my husband’s family doesn’t know it yet. We’re still figuring out how to tell them.”
vashNSYNC – “I’m single, but violated many times.”
Benargirl – “I’m married, but still looking back.”
Shiri – “I’m single, but he’s married.”
Kurdapyo – “I’m separated, but much happier than when I was in that complicated relationship.”
Sailor Mars – “I’m engaged, but not for long, after I just uncovered his infidelities.”
Yen – “I’m single, but hopelessly in love with a jerk.”
No name – “I’m married, but totally devoid of sex…matanda na kasi siya eh.”
Nameless Angel – “I’m happily taken, but with NO PLANS of getting married.”
Francis – “I’m taken, but that’s negotiable.”
Doraemon – “I’m taken, but secretly fooling around…paminsan-minsan lang naman.”
Eiannaie – “I”m single, but never alone.”
Taz07 – “I’m single, but unavailable, because I’m waiting for someone who quite possibly won’t ever comeback to me.”
PregyTaz – “I’m single, but expecting a baby, with no commitments and no expectations.”
Cold Kash – “I’m married, but that’s arbitrary.”
Jhoy – “I’m married by law, but single in bed.”
Marioh Caryo – “I’m single, but during reunions I’m taken.”
Chefchefan – “I’m single and straight, but secretly taken and gay.”
Infrared – “I’m single, but a willing boytoy of a married cougar.”
No name – “I’m married, but my husband is in love with another man, and he doesn’t know that I know.”
Edweird – “I’m single, but only to those who don’t know I’m gay and very much taken by my boyfriend.”
Mr. Perk – “I’m single, but flirting and thriving.”
Raymond – “I’m single, but in countless dreams, I am sooo married.”
Acer – “I’m married, but you’re still sending feelers.”
Czarovic – “I’m single, never been touched, never been kissed, but totally damaged!”
Zero – “I’m married, but willing to be blown…away.”
Boy Monthly – “I’m married, but in love with someone who’s single, and intends to stay that way.”
Kirei – “I’m single, but married to my career. Gusto ko na nga makipag-hiwalay eh!”
Sasha – “I’m single, but you don’t seem to care.”
Billie – “I’m single, but I choose to be, unlike you, who have no choice.”
Misternumbertwo – “I’m taken, but available for appointments.”
I’m so bursting with so many things to say that I don’t know where to start.
Last Friday, Louie Suarez, the director of RPG Metanoia dropped by the station to invite us to some screenings of his film and to give us some tickets to give away. The movie is more than half a year old, having been shown in last Christmas’ Metro Manila Film Festival, and a lot of our listeners have actually begged us to catch it at the time. Of course December is always our busiest time for hostings so we just didn’t have time to watch it.
So when we got the invite, I thought, why not? Everyone’s saying it’s good, so might as well. But I will be honest, I didn’t really expect much. I know people liked it, but all I was expecting was a decent enough Pinoy animated movie. But what I ended up watching would qualify as a rock-my-world shocker. The film is INCREDIBLE. I was expecting good, but not GOOD. I kid you not, this film is a motherf**king ass-kicking work of art. You might be thinking I’m just saying this because we met the director. No effing way! I’d say this even if he were my arch enemy! But if for whatever reason you trust me, then trust me when I tell you that this is one of the best Pinoy movies I have ever seen. It’s a crime that we only attach the words “quality film” to heavy dramas and epic biographies. This movie is basically a cartoon that’s “just” about kids and MMORPG’s. But I tell you, if you’re a movie buff, you do yourself a disservice by not watching this. Where do I even start?
At the core of what makes this movie great is one of the best scripts of a Pinoy film EVER. My main beef with Pinoy films is that the characters never seem to talk the way we regular people talk. It’s almost as if they all speak in this talumpati style that doesn’t sound natural. It sounds like a script. Even when the characters are spouting street obscenities, somehow it sounds staged and a bit theatrical. This movie feels REAL. You get involved with the characters and you identify with them. So when they’re in danger, you cringe with terror, and when they triumph, you revel in their victory. There is never a dull moment. The movie is almost 2 hours long, but it felt like 30 minutes. And it is hella FUNNY. The one liners just unfold ever so effortlessly that I ended up LOL’ing OTF. You don’t feel the set-up of the punchlines, they just feel so natural. I also love that it injected a lot of Pinoy elements in the mix, but not shoving the Pinoy-ness down our throats. Nothing too hard sell, like I said, it just flowed naturally.
The animation is surprisingly good. I was expecting clunky animation, but the visuals were seriously world-class. If you check out the trailer I posted, you’ll know what I mean. My best measurement of an animated film is if I actually forget that I’m watching animation. If I start seeing the characters as real people, they’ve done their job. The animation reminded me of a mash between Japanese anime and those Gorillaz videos. Some scenes reminded me of one of my all-time animated favorites: The Iron Giant.
The voicing contributed a lot to breathing life into the animation. The kids, especially Zaijan Jaranilla, were spot-on. For the adults, Eugene Domingo as a mom did a bang-up job for such a quiet role. I didn’t even know that big stars were voicing the characters (we missed the start).
The songs were also very well chosen. It’s got that nice Pinoy rock vibe that’s cool and current for today’s market. I especially liked that “Bawa’t Bata” segment mainly for personal reasons, because that APO Hiking song was one of the very first records I bought as a kid. It really brought me back to a special place.
The film is technically top-notch. But that stuff makes it GOOD. But what makes it GREAT in my opinion is its HEART. Many big budget films fail in their narrative because they lack heart. Maybe they’re more concerned with winning an award or earning millions in the box-office, but the best films are just telling a story, a story that’s close to their heart. When a film breathes and its heart beats, you create movie magic.
It’s a crime that it didn’t do as well in the box-office as the other MMFF movies because Pinoys need to see that Pinoys can make great movies that are solid artistically and viable commercially. It’s a perfectly enjoyable popcorn movie that can stand tall beside the Pixars and the DreamWorks of Hollywood (I mean every word of this!). The animation is globally competitive, and the writing and story-telling are unmatched. It’s sad that it is no longer showing and no DVD release in the near future. So what’s the point in me telling everyone that they should watch this? I guess that we shouldn’t have let this one slip by. This is one movie I would stand behind. I am 100% confident in recommending this movie to everyone. It’s possible you won’t like it as much as I did, but for sure you won’t regret watching it. For me, this will definitely be in my top ten favorite Pinoy films EVER.
We were talking to the director if it’s in any way possible to stage an extra screening for our listeners. It’s just so frustrating to love a movie, tell everyone how good it is, then to have no means for them to watch it themselves. Pray that we work things out. Seeing this movie is a MUST. It won’t be a free screening if ever, but we will give away some tickets. I don’t know if we can even make it happen. But if we pull this off, YOU MUST WATCH IT! I feel so frustrated not pitching this movie WHILE it was being shown! I am officially a FAN.
Our next stop for our Sooo Pinoy food tour is a classic. Anyone who’s ever lived in the Philippines would know Max’s. I remember eating at their branch in QC way back when I was a kid. Max’s is not about fancy or quirky versions of Pinoy classics. They don’t stray from the familiar, so it’s perfect comfort food when you’re craving for meals with home-cooked goodness. So when we started ordering, we knew we were venturing into the comforting familiar.
Sago’t Gulaman
My drink was the classic sago’t gulaman, and it doesn’t get any more Pinoy than that. Whenever it’s available, this is always my refreshment of choice. Buko juice is a close second.
Sinigang na Bangus Belly
My favorite sinigang is actually sugpo. But this a close second. It’s the perfect starter for a big meal like today’s, and the best in-between breaker when going from one ulam to another. The warm sour soup just hit the spot!
Pinakbet
This is the star dish for August, so thought we should make it our vegetable dish. Like I said, the taste is very classic. Max’s doesn’t experiment too much with the tested formulas. It almost tasted like the pinakbet of my youth, when we had a yaya who cooked really well.
Adobong Baboy
One of the best dishes today. It has that lutong-bahay quality to it. If you prefer your adobo more on the salty side, and hardly tasting the vinegar, this is the adobo for you. One of those dishes that you just can’t without rice. In fact, you shovel rice with a dish as saltily delicious as this!
Crispy Pata
How could you go wrong with crispy pata? We had a choice between lechon kawali and crispy pata, and since we got lechon kawali last stop, we went for the crunchy pork knuckles that are regular companions during inuman all over the country. We really had to stop ourselves from gorging on the crunchy skin of the pork.
Fried Chicken
Of course, the star of the show. To dine in Max’s and not order chicken is almost a sin! Doesn’t matter how good the other dishes are, I always save the chicken for last. This really transport me to when I was a little boy, free from troubles. It’s such a comfort food, sending warm tingly happy feelings all over with the first bite into the warm juicy chicken meat that instantly melts in your mouth. Of course it comes with the 3 condiments in the first photo — banana ketchup, worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. It CANNOT be eaten any other way.
Dessert Sampler
Just our luck, we couldn’t order their halo-halo because their ice machine broke down. So we opted for the dessert sampler instead. Omigosh, all 4 desserts are to die for! The ube pana cotta is the BEST. They say it’s endorser Piolo Pascual’s favorite. It’s sooo creamy with just the right amount of sweetness. The other 3 are just as good. Delle loves the brownie ala-mode. What I loved was getting some of the ice cream from the brownie, and then eating it with the leche flan — heavenly — my eyes rolled back into my head. And of course the buko pandan is a classic that everyone loves, also the least sweet of the sweets (so it’s also a fave).
Max’s is one of those restaurants you have to eat at every so often, just to transport you to a simpler time, when food always tasted like it was cooked by your mom. It’s like a warm blanket on a cold night. Comfort food is the best way to describe it.
Omigosh, these are just the cutest commercials I’ve seen! They must’ve kept on shooting so many conversations because I don’t think these were scripted. No kids can be THAT good in delivering lines!
