Toe was reminiscing about her childhood reads before and how she’d wish for blonde hair and blue eyes (like that UP student who won in the UK). My past was a bit different because the only reading materials I had access to growing up were comics. You know, Pinoy Klassiks, Aliwan, Liwayway, at marami pang iba na nakalimutan ko na pangalan.

My Lola in Manila used to rent comics in her sari-sari store and she’d archive the old issues in rice sacks and bring them to Nueva Ecija - for me! Nanay hated it because I won’t stop until I have read each and every issue. I’d ditch my morning baths, ignore my Saturday cartoons, zip thru my assignments & just slump on the floor next to my sacks (there’ll be 2-3 sack-full!).

Before our black-and-white television, weeknight entertainment was reserved for our transistor radio. You know the type that takes 4-6 big batteries and the back cover is made of cardboard? (more…

Scarlett Johansson said she wants to go to Iraq to entertain the soldiers. When asked what she’d do, she said she’ll probably just go on stage and “ooze sex appeal”.

How do you intentionally ooze sex appeal?

At any rate, I wish I could say the same thing & not have people throw up. You know something along the lines of:

“I’m not going to prepare for the management meeting, I think I will just sit there & ooze sex appeal”

Somehow though I get the feeling, that will not work. It doesn’t work with hubby when I want to distract him and forget about my credit card bills.

On another note…

We saw the Transformers movie last week and it was all that I dreamed about & more. It wasn’t even violent. Kelvin was transfixed. Daddy, I think, felt left out because he’d tap either Kelvin or myself & we’d both tell him to “shush”.

Shia LeBouf was perfectly cast. The action sequences were superb. The animation was SUPER FANTASTIC. And Bay didn’t disappoint die-hard fans like myself, he kept the well-known supporting characters: StarScream and Bumblebee. The 3D look they gave Optimus Prime had me reeling. He’s so… sexy. Did you see how he managed to “spike” one of the Decepticons? That’s the first time I’ve seen my hero become violent. In the 80’s TV version, they fly, drop bombs, chase each other & punch. No mortal combat.

The pouting girl was a distraction. I could almost forgive her skimpy top because at least she wasn’t wearing 5-in stilettos & still be driving tractors!

Some of the dialogues are pretty lame (dumbed down script?) but I’m nit-picking, the film is flawless in its genre. It’s not about Hamlet, it’s about alien life forms morphing into trucks and jets.

I came in ready to be disappointed, not wanting to get my hopes up, but at the end of the film, I wanted to jump up & clap! It was an amazing experience to see my hero on the big screen & doubly-great that my son “digs” it as much as I.

So this film is not just a must see, it’s a must see-again-and-again. I’m waiting for the DVD, or a sequel, or a TV-version?

I love you, Optimus Prime!

Who the heck are these guys? Led Zeppelin that’s who!

Some trivia first, do you know that they dropped the “a” in Lead because they fear the Americans will pronounce it as “lid” as in “Lead the Dog”.

And do you know that Jack Black produced videos of fans asking Led for permission to use “Immigrant Song” in his film “School of Rock” (which I saw & loved)?

Well I just saw the news last night that these old rockers are doing a reunion concert at the o2 Arena! Thing is the tickets are limited & are sold for £125!!! But if you think about it, this could possibly be their last concert. So I am having a go at entering the ballot.

Please, please keep your fingers crossed that I get a ticket.

Of course, I first knew of Penelope Cruz via Tom Cruise and I was in Pinas then. Since coming to London though, I’ve seen a couple of her Spanish films & I really like her now. All of her films that I saw were very well-chosen & she is an impressive actress.

I saw Volver just last week, courtesy of my Amazon DVD rental (really cheap!). If you haven’t seen it yet, I suggest you do especially if you’re a woman or a mother to girls. This film revolves around women, their relationships as sisters, as mothers and daughters. It also dealt with child abuse and the twists were very well played. I guess the film did lose some “feelings” because of the sub-titles but even then you’d be captivated by the simple yet charming cinematography & flow of the whole film. It’s really a must-see!

A few weeks ago, my family and our friends & their kids went to check out the Kids AM on offer at our local cinema. There were 3 adults and 3 kids and we only paid £4.50 (est 450Php)! Really Nice. The film was “Meet The Robinsons” & it was Kelvin’s first time to experience the “big telly”. He enjoyed it! And he was very, very well behaved! I thought he’d be scared but he was so happy he kept looking at his dad & I with a huge smile on his face. He even held our hands as if to hug us but not wanting to take his eyes away from the screen. We missed the Kids AM showing of the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles, but we’re hoping to catch Shrek 3 next week. It’s a good thing, too, because everytime Kelvin remembers the cinema he’d smile really sweetly & then purr “muuumm big telly please”.

Well, we went back to the big telly last night, but just daddy & myself. We watched the Fantastic Four. It’s a family film & I did enjoy it with a few good laughs in-between my admiration for the sexy Silver Surfer. But I don’t think my son can sit still for 90 minutes for this film.

What I really want to talk about are two films they’ve shown on preview. This is Steve Carell, for those who don’t recognise him, he’s the uncle in another great film, “Litte Miss Sunshine”. I think the UK is behind in Hollywood films compared to Pinas so you might already know this, but I saw clips of the “Evan Almighty” & it cracked me up. So I will make sure to catch this, even if it means I will leave my hubby at home to look after Kelvin (it’s not rated yet so I’m not sure if it’s suitable for a 3-y/o)!

And do you recognise this hunk of metal? Yes! It’s like a dream-come-true! Sad I know but hey I used to run as fast as I can just to singalong to “transformers more than meets the eye“. In fact I can still hear Optimus Prime shout “Autobots! Transform!“

Well, should I still say it? I am defintely going to see this film! By hook or by crook. And Kelvin will not be there, it’s too violent. But mama’s cool to go! “Ride!“

Now, the “horror” bit of my entry. On our way to see Fantastic Four, we had a near-miss accident! Hubby was driving and when he turned right towards the cinema, he entered the opposite lane!!! I’ve seen this on the news countless of times and often I go “what are they thinking?!” But when I saw where hubby was going the only thing I could say was “mahal!” Thankfully, it wasn’t a busy lane. The only oncoming car managed to swerve away from a great distance & probably cursed us, too, for which I wouldn’t blame them. Then hubby managed to get on the rightcorrect lane (meaning the left lane). Only when we were “back on track” did I realise my mouth was hanging open all the time. To think our experience was probably no more than a 1 minute or 2, it did feel like forever. When we were parked, hubby was so flustered (and perhaps shaken) he nearly forgot to switch off the engine & lock the doors! Poor guy. Thank God nothing happened.

8th of July finally arrived. The Jubilee Line to Wembley Park Station was filled with black-shirted fans. Even hubby wore a black shirt! I decided against it so my tangerine blouse stood out in the crowd. Wembley was like a gathering for goths of all ages.

I enjoyed the opening acts, all of whom I didn’t know. But I enjoyed men-watching, too. Too bad for hubby the scores of women were nearly all scary-looking. For the second time in my life I realised how papables some of the young ones these days. Who can blame women for wanting toyboys, eh? Tingnan nyo na lang itong ibang nakuhanan ko ng pictures.

J, if you’re reading this, there have been a lot of times I’ve wanted to take pictures for you & finally eto na. Sensya na at slight lang dahil baka mahalata ako nung mga katabi kong kinukuhanan ko sila.

Of course I also took pictures of the historic place:I also took a LOT of videos. If you want to hear some awesome guitar lovemaking, check out the following:

The concert was sold out but huge Wembley wasn’t even full. Hubby said there were 30K people that night, grabe. For fear of getting crushed going home, we took off after Metallica sang their last song: Enter Sandman. They did two more encores, sana wag namang “Of Wolf and Man”. Kundi sasakalin ko asawa ko.

Spoiler Alert: Turn away now if you haven’t seen the film

When hubby picked me up on Thursday, I mentioned to him the reviews for the POC III were very bland. Three critics gave the film just two (out of five) stars! He suggested we check what’s showing at our local cinema so we can take Kelvin for his first movietheater trip. Hungry as I was, I didn’t say no. It’s been a long time since we stepped foot in a cinema.

Turns out they’re having an advance screening of POC III that day up til 11pm. Hubby suggested we catch the 8pm show. Again, I was too deprived to say no.

The film was looonnnggg. I warned hubby to stop sipping on his drinks as I will not relate “what happened” to him.

Anyway, like most action packed films these days, it is like watching a computer game. The effects were superb but I was letdown by storyline & the ending. Somehow I didn’t like Orlando Bloom this time, he’s not hunk enough to realistically be the Flying Dutchman’s new captain. But that’s jumping ahead. What’s even more hard to bear was Keira Knightley becoming King of the pirates & her scene where she gives a rousing speech to the Black Pearl’s crew made me raise my eyebrow. Then Calypso is supposed to be powerful so managed to raise Capt Barbosa from the dead but she couldn’t escape a cell or the ropes they wrapped her in? And what’s with the maëlstrom?

Saying all these, I will probably still buy the DVD when it comes out as Kelvin adores the Pirates. He loves Jack Sparrow, he will not miss a poster without pointing him out to us where ever we are.

One London critic said she was left with a feeling that there will be a POC IV. But Bruckheimer must know how flimsy this film is now. So please no more.

On a positive note though: My local cinema offers a £1.50 entrance for kids, adults go free for Saturday & Sunday morning showing of family films!

I’m going to see Metallica! I’m going to see Metallica! We’ve booked our tickets last night for their concert in Wembley. This is our first time to:
1. Go to a concert in London
2. To see Metallica
3. To see Wembley Stadium

It’s also officially the first concert we’ll watch since getting married 6 years ago… Grabe ‘no?

But we will come prepared. As I already have the black album, I will be on the prowl at lunchtime for a collection of Metallica’s Kill Em All and their St Anger albums — hell yeah!!! I want to memorise their chorus(es) at least hehe

I feel like giggling and I want to jump & down. Perhaps hubby & I should start practising our slam dancing. I’m pretty sure my neck can still handle the headbanging. Too bad I’m due for a haircut I can’t swing my long hair anymore (it will be a drastic short hair by Monday! YIPEE!).

The concert’s not until July. I saw the advert on the first day they released it, I tore the page on the paper thinking I better show it to hubby, When I got home, he also has the same page torn for me! Match made in Heaven, eh? Everyday from then on, he kept on telling/reminding me to book it, book it. Alas I’ve no spare allowance left (due to the shop bug). So when I got my pay & a huge chunk was sent back to Pinas, to our mortgage etc., I came home to a husband who hijacked the TicketMaster site, not realising he cannot “hold” on to the tickets for more than 2 minutes (not very tech savvy).

When my account was debited at least £90, hubby then said in a low voice he also wants to see the Pet Shop Boys in May. I was tempted to say “sissy!” hehe But I like New Wave as well & it will ruin the mood. Though their tickets aren’t as expensive, we decided against booking them. Afterall, our superhero’s birthday is coming up & it’s a HUGE bill. But between you & I, I’ll try to skimp on my lunch money in April & see whether I could come up with the money for the “I’m with Stupid” guys.

I am a music lover but I’m not an expert. I rarely care about the people behind the music. I don’t always remember the lyrics. And my taste can be described as eccentric to even jolog.

I started listening to music tapes when my Saudi-man Tatay brought him a 2-deck cassette stereo, including at least 25 records of Connie Francis to selections like Pink Floyd’s. He even has a collection of this ballads that goes from Vol 1 to Vol 13, I think. I didn’t know what DJ’s are but it’s part of my playtime to keep changing the cassettes we’re playing. I’d always select the more upbeat tunes, of course that’s expected I was probably younger than 7 y/o & the oldest tune I can remember dancing to is “It’s like an earthquake”. But there was no doubt my fave in Tatay’s selection was Pink Floyd’s “We don’t need no education”.

When Tatay came home again and brought our first coloured television, my music background extended to “Max Headroom presents”. I was caught. I’d include that show in my cartoon repertoire. I even saw Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” video at midnight (I think) when the following day it was banned in Pinas.

I loved the Queen’s music. Nothing could beat my attraction to heavy metal and all the noise that comes with it. Again hindi ko kilala ang members ng Skid Row, but apparently I listened to their music when one time I was humming a tune and a friend recognised it. When my imagination runs free and my sisters don’t mind me play-acting I’d imagine myself like Rod Stewart cavorting onstage, or like Axl Rose being all hyper. But the coolest part of my act would be to turn into Slash and just make love to my air guitar with a ciggie hanging off the side of my mouth… Oh how I wished and dreamt of being able to do that. Instead of drums or guitar lessons I was hoping for, Nanay enrolled me in an organ lesson in Yamaha (saan pa). I flunked. Not interested, hated the teacher, hated piece.

So I’m a grown woman with a child to boot. I did my share of listening to Chopin, Amadeus and the rest when I was preggers. But normality set in and yes my MP3 is blasting Metallica again and again. And Yano. And Greenday. And some GNR. But what I really want to get hold off is mp3’s of “The Jerks”, or “razorback” or yes, even yung banda-nung-90’s-na-lintek-di-ko-maalala-ang-pangalan na sabi ng housemate ko “kadiri ka!”

I was surfing the digital channels last night when hubby quipped “Ugly Betty ngayon di ba?”.

Oo nga! Wednesday pala. So I went to E4 & marked the show for scheduled.

Sabi uli ni hubby “ayan makakapanood na ko uli” then he proceeded to ask me what happened to the show he missed last week.

Nakakatakot. hehe

I’ve always liked Agatha Christie & when I was still in Uni I tried collecting some of her books all about Poirot’s exploits. I gave up ‘coz book, like wine, is an expensive past time in the Philippines & I’m not very patient trawling thru Booksale’s dumping grounds.

To my “utter delight” ITV3 shows re-runs of the British Drama Poirot starring the charming David Suchet, you know the guy Hollywood presents as terrorist or plane hijacker?

Anyway, I look forward to weekend tv (telly) for two things: AM it’s cartoons time and in the PM, it’s Poirot. The funny thing is, my toddler & I seemed to have come to an agreement about it. He doesn’t cry or demand I switch the channel back as soon as he sees Mr Suchet’s mustache. In fact, I always have a feeling he likes watching it. He’d sit with me & sometimes ask me “what happened?” If he actually understands I don’t know, siempre I’d like to think so.

He also likes* watching re-runs of the “Relic Hunter” with me. Siguro dahil adventure & Sydney & Nigel are always having fisticuffs. He also likes Scrubs and the Simpsons. Sige the latter is cartoons, but I remember when my nephews were my son’s age, they’d cry for my mum when I switch the channel to Simpson. Not Kelvin, he’ll say “simson!” with a smile.

How about hubby? He’s football mad but since I introduced him to Ugly Betty, kahit Champions League pa yan, he will not fight for the remote (unless finals or elimination na with ManU siguro then he can use the other telly hehe). Very interesting coz Ugly Betty is very much a chick-”flick”. I like it kasi very escapist & that’s what I want when I want to relax, to not to think.

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*the word “likes” can be synonymous with “doesn’t complain”