More from the recent B/W batch

© Joselito Briones

I like the way that the tones came out on this one.


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Old school and proud of it

© Joselito Briones

I think I'll make it a point from now on to see movies shunned by US viewers. I finally got to see "Superman Returns", it received a lukewarm reception in the U.S. box office, but I really liked it. It's the old school (old sKool is not old school enough) way of doing a superhero movie, the way a superman movie should be. Explorations of internal motivations and angst were kept to a minimum, and the focus was kept on larger-than-superlife conflicts. Good wins over evil, good guy gets really really pretty girl (by the heart, if not as a partner, the other good guy gets that part), and evil's still bald and gets himself a not-so-evil consort (the always entertaining Parker Posey). And it's also a good thing that I didn't pay attention to write-ups about the movie, otherwise I'd have read the spoiler plot already about the superkid.

The movie was shown in English in Roxy, in Nuremberg, and I'm really liking this small theather, because it's so small, not crowded (both times I was there, there were less than 10 people in the audience), and it's got a small-town appeal to it.

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More black and white photos

© Joselito Briones

I was able to take more photos yesterday, and had them developed last night. This time I made sure not to forget to presoak the film...


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Bad Chemistry

© Joselito Briones

Last night, I dug up an old bottle of Rodinal (after having read that it has like a gazillion years' shelf life), and decided to develop the Tmax 100 films that I exposed a couple of days ago when I went walking around Erlangen. It was a disaster (or so I thought). I pulled out the strip from the tank and what came out was this really really thick underdeveloped film. I scanned the negative and added a warm tone with photoshop, and here's the result. Could've been better, but I guess it's alright after all.


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Alyssa

© Joselito Briones

Remember I told you earlier that I've been posting photos in flickr? Turns out that the most popular so far among the photos I've posted is this one of Alyssa, one I took in New York.


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Wanted: Kansas

© Joselito Briones

If it's true, what everybody says about home being where one's heart is, then I'm currently, officially, homeless.


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Cavite

Promotional poster for the movie "Cavite"

Hey Jimbo, I came across the New York Times review for this movie... sounds promising... I hope it gets shown here eventually.

Did I tell you I'm from Cavite?










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The Day I Realized It's Not Much Fun Being...

© Joselito Briones

... Antisocial Here in Erlangen Where I Don't Know Anyone, As It Was in New York Where There Was All These People in The City Whom I Could've Been With and Interact With But Chose Not To, Nor Answer Any Phone Calls Even If My Closest Friends Were Calling and Scared Shit That Something Bad's Happened to Me And Who Are We Kidding They're My Closest Friends So They Forgive Me Eventually

Hmmm... all of the above was supposed to go to the title, I don't know why there's a limitation on the number of characters.


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A Day with the Girls

Promotional photo for "The Gilmore Girls"

I spent the whole day watching reruns of Gilmore Girls.





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Songs on a Rainy night in the Autobahn

© Joselito Briones

Nothing better than a long drive (Erlangen to Mannheim) to get reacquainted with classics.

After half an hour of listening to Ray Brown Trio's jazz versions of standards, I've decided to put on something that'd wake us up somehow. The first song in the complilation CD that I put on more than woke me up though, it made me hyper. The Knack's "My Sharona". I haven't heard the song for a while, but everytime I hear it again it never fails to lift up my mood. I don't even know what the song is about, all I know is it makes me want to bounce off my seat.

At the last hour of the drive, it started raining quite heavily, and having exhausted all the upbeat songs in the CD's that I brought, we agreed to play George Michael. Yes, every card-carrying friend of Dorothy has to have his CD on rotation, or the all-time favorite OST from "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", or of course, any of the tragic divas, else our membership is in danger of being revoked.

"The first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command...my love "

-Ewan McColl

For this drive, we had "Songs from the Last Century". I've forgotten how much I loved his version of "Roxanne" and "Miss Sarajevo", and how pointless is his cover of "The First Time Ever I saw Your Face". I still think this song has one of the best words ever put to music, and nothing will ever surpass Roberta Flack's crisp voice in delivering it (Johnny Cash' version is too devastating).


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Don't you just love it?

© Joselito Briones

It's brag time!

Don't you just love it when you see something that is very similar to something you've thought of first a long time ago? Six years ago, when the Adobe Flash (formerly Macromedia Flash) animation technology was still relatively new, I did this animation, simply called "Portraits", to show my work in portrait photography. A year later I did another one, "Portraits 2". It was something new then, and obviously not done before, that I had plenty of email inquiry about it. I did a search of the topic in Google groups and this came up. Trust Google to find proof that you're not just writing BS.



Screen capture from DG website

I was going through my email subscriptions when this popped up from the Dolce & Gabbana newsletter (and don't even ask me why I'm subscribing to D&G, they should just keep me informed automatically, considering the money I spend buying their stuff). The technology obviously has advanced since then, because it's so much more interactive, but still...

What do you think?

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Theme

CD cover of "Kick, Push"

I've been thinking of a song to go with my letters to you, a theme, if you must. I've considered plenty of songs which I really like, but none seem to describe perfectly the state of mind I'm in the past few months, until I saw this video on TV.

The title of the song is "Kick... Push", by Lupe Fiasco. It's about something else altogether, skateboarding, in fact. But after listening to it a few times, I find that this is exactly the mood that I've been in for much of this year (and maybe last year, too). Sometimes I think it's a bit too late in life to be feeling like this, but at the end of the day, it is how it is. The only reservation I have for this song is that it might be just a bit too cool for these letters.

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P.S.
The very close second choice, which I decided not to go for because it's a bit too obvious, was a song by The Beastie Boys.

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Designing stuff

© Joselito Briones

Finally I've thought of something to do with Ernst.

Last night I thought of a way to do a folding stool/side table, that, if I may say so myself, is ingenious. HA! I know, modesty has never been my best trait. As in any clear ideas, it was finished almost as soon as I thought of it. I sketched it in my little notebook, and as even it was too late, I couldn't sleep until I've drawn it up properly, I got up and did the drawings in CAD. So now it's just a matter of refining it, and explaining to Ernst how to do it.

Now the question is, will it work? I'll keep you posted.

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Roxy

© Joselito Briones

I finally got to see "The Da Vinci Code", courtesy of the only theater in the vicinity that shows films in their original language, "Roxy" (most films shown here are, obviously, dubbed in German).

Frankly, I don't see what the hoopla is all about. Unless you're a religious fanatic, you'd see quite easily that this is just a slightly above average hollywood movie (above average because of the polish with which the movie was made). Okay, Tom Hanks is obviously miscast (sigh of relief when he walked away at the end of the movie, instead of locking arms with and kissing Audrey Tautou), but that is balanced enough by Ian McKellen's eager performance. And yes, another waste of Jean Reno's talent, but then again, he seems to be very willing of late in wasting such talent, so nothing new in this one.

In the end, the movie is exactly what the book was about. I'd guess that the people who had a problem with the movie were the same ones who had a problem with the book to begin with. In which case that's another matter altogether. The subject matter has been exhausted that adding anymore will only add to confusion, or feed the propagandists' work (yes, both sides).

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Doll Hospital

CD cover of "Doll Hospital"

Warning! This is a blatant promotion. For one of your better neighbors, of course. Heather Eatman. Remember her? She's the bestest! She's got her band's CD out already, also called "Doll Hospital".

Jane and I heard the band perform the numbers in the CD in the East Village, in New York, late last year. They're all excellent!. The best tracks are "My Ex-Wife" and "Bluebird Ballroom" (these tracks can be downloaded for free from their website). They're like twisted swing tunes with an edge, and fun! Great lyrics. Cabaret-ish and Burlesque-ish and all that. And yeah, check out her other releases too!

There. I think I've done my duty as a big fan.


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P.S.

Send my regards when you see her.

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Spice Store (This is a test)

© Joselito Briones

I was looking at Erwin Olaf's works yesterday, and, as is usual when I see something I like, I try to see if I can do it myself. (Remember when I did a sorta kinda Pierre et Gille somewhatta?)

This time I deliberated on how to achieve his signature desaturated colors, digitally. It's his colors, after all, that he is most famous for.

The photo on top is the finished product. I guess it wouldn't be worth showing anyway if I thought I didn't succeed in emulating his colors. It's not exactly perfect yet, but I think I've got the principle.

© Joselito Briones

I guess I'll just have to make it a little bit less reddish, and still a bit less saturated. Oh well.

The photo below is the original. The photo was taken using my Canon powershot digital camera. Boring picture. It's a spice shop, close to the center of city, in the pedestrian zone.

Next step: How do I achieve the same effect using film and traditional darkroom printing? I have an idea, of course, but whether or not I'll have enough interest to actually test that idea remains to be seen.

XXX


P.S.
I started storing some of my blog photos in Flickr. Here's the link.

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Eishaus

© Joselito Briones

It's such a welcome respite from the heat. It's become a routine for me to, right after German class, go to the Zentrum, binge on heart-attack food (Bauch Brötchen - roasted pork belly with crispy skin, in bread) and ice cream afterwards.

I've tried several ice cream vendors, and they all seem to be generic, taste-wise. Good, but nothing to write home to mom about. What they differ in, though, is the size of the serving. Eishaus, for 70 €uro cents, gives you the equivalent of at least 3 scoops of ice cream from the other stores. And as if you won't think that's a lot already, they put it in a tiny crispy cone which makes it look like an enormous amount of ice cream. The first time I had it, I was stressed. How does one eat this without making a mess? You end up trying to gobble up as much as you can in as little time, or you'll have to deal with the stuff dripping all over your hand. Try and lick your hand in public.

For a grown man, eating this amount of ice cream from a small cone (or for that matter, any amount of ice cream, in any size of cone) ranks up there with eating bananas or deep-throating wieners in public. There's just no dignified way of doing it.

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Pet peeves

© Joselito Briones

It's whine time!

I guess by now you already know, no matter how satisfied I am with something, I'd always find a part of it to complain about. Take this apartment for example. As much as I've learned to really like it here, there are still things that annoy me whenever I come into contact with it..

First is the front door lock. Simple - check. Clean - check. Very nice to look at - check. Secure - check. What pisses me off, though, is that the darned thing can't be opened by one hand. Normally, one can use a hand to fish out the key from a pocket, unlock the door, put back the key to the pocket, and then turn the knob with the same hand. This one's different. You'll have to turn the knob with one hand while turning the key with the other. Whenever I come home carrying bags upon bags of grocery, I always end up putting everything down to open the door, pick the things back up, carry them to the kitchen and then go back to the front door to close it. (To put them down again in the entrance hall while closing the door is just too stupid already). So much for German efficiency.

© Joselito Briones

Another one is the shower control. It's nice and simple, fine. Looks clean, perfect. Easy to turn on, check. Problem is, it's just as easy to shut off. Imagine yourself taking a shower in a not-so-spacious cubicle. You spend some time adjusting the water temperature, until you get it perfect, exactly the way you want it (it's very important for me, I'm very sensitive to temperature). Then you shower, soap yourself, wiggle, wiggle. Then invariably, a part of your body bumps into the control and shuts it off, or worse, turns it so that the water becomes freezing cold. Then you end up fumbling for the controls to adjust it again, while soap gets in your eyes. Really annoying.

Okay, that's it for now, I'm sure there'd be more in the future.


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More Fillers

© Joselito Briones

As yesterday, I still don't have anything new to tell you, so here's another flower picture, taken in an empty lot while I was walking about two days ago.

On that same day there was a pottery festival or something, all round the church there were temporary stalls selling all kinds of ceramic things, from useful to kitchy to downright ugly. Too bad the weather wasn't very good, it was raining a bit, there wasn't much people looking around. I saw among the sellers the girl from whom I bought a small pot sometime ago.

© Joselito Briones


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Mozart's 8 1/2

© Joselito Briones

I guess it's not uncommon for any country to be dubious of visiting foreigners' ability to assimilate with local vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

In London, it makes sense that they have "Look Left" and "Look Right" signs on pedestrian crossings, as most foreigners visiting the city would probably come from a country with reversed vehicular traffic directions. The problem is, they put the directional sign on the street pavement, on the side of the street where a pedestrian would be crossing from, inches away from where one would be standing just before he crosses the street. Whoever looks in that direction before crossing? To look there would mean to bend your head so much as to disregard the actual direction and situation of the traffic (not what your instinct would tell you to do). The traffic direction written on the other side of the street is much more visible, that's what one sees before crossing the street. Only, that signage points to the opposite direction. And the letters are upside down from the viewpoint of the pedestrians who could see them, adding to the confusion. Obviously, it's a lot more expensive to put the directional signage where they should be, on a pole, where it would be clearly visible, and visible only from one side, from the other side of the street.

© Joselito Briones

In Germany, they went one step further. They've got a bigger problem in that there is a big probability that not many visiting foreigners understand the German language. So instead of words, they made graphic representations (photo, left). This one says: "This is a street where you can see an average German family. The man, distinguished as so by the fact that he doesn't have long hair and he's not wearing a dress nor a skirt, is playing football with the son, same gender indication as before, only this one's smaller. The wife, invisible from this illustration, is home, in that two-story house, cooking. This family has a car, and it's not one of those enormous gas-guzzling american cars, either. It's parked right on the street because they use their garage for something else. The hockey stick is for the mother's use, to whack some sense into the father and the son if they become too crazy about football."

When I took this photo, there were several tourists standing in front of the sign, looking at it, while someone, presumably the tour guide, was speaking loudly to everyone in a language I didn't recognize. I could imagine her explaining the signage to the group, "This is the place where a man and his son, bonding and playing football, got run over by a car. At first, the authorities thought it was an accident, but after investigation, they found out that the driver of the car is also the resident of the house they were playing in front of. He got annoyed because of all the noise they're making and decided to run them over. The driver's wife watched the carnage from the window of the house."


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P.S.
The German team lost their bid for the World Championship last night, when they lost the match to Italy. I thought they really did a good job though, and I for one will probably be watching more football from now on.


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The Mpemba Affection

© Joselito Briones

I'm sure you've heard of it, the Mpemba effect I mean, smart as you are, but don't you think it odd?

I wonder if it applies to people. I mean, when you're excited about something, your sensors are all hyperactive, any negative input can be easily devastating and put you in the very bottom of depression. If, on the other hand, you're indifferent, preoccupied with something else, any input, negative or otherwise, is more likely to be ignored just as much, and you pretty much stay in the same emotional state. Just a thought.

The photo above has got nothing to do with it, of course. It's just my aluminum chair in the balcony. Except it's the same aluminum chair I was so looking forward to enjoy my ice-cold watermelon drink in during lunch (I've shredded the melon pulp, checked that there's plenty of ice cubes, and made syrup out of water, honey, and vanilla) had the Mpemba effect not decide to intrude.

If it's perfectly OK for these physicists to put hot things in their freezers in the name of science, shouldn't it be alright for me to do the same (put the still warm syrup in the freezer to cool it down faster) for the sake of having the simple pleasure of drinking a home-made version of one of my favorite childhood drinks? What do you think? Oh well.


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trouble in paradise

© Joselito Briones

silence
rain. no, stay.
it's just resentment,
manifesting itself.
i know. you can't stay.
see?
you're ignoring it again.



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A Bleh Day

© Joselito Briones

Yep. Nothing special today. I put up my Interfit 3200W studio halogen light in one corner of the dining area and hang the rescue-mission plant on it. I'm always trimming the plant so much I think it needs rescuing from me now.

For dinner I roasted a whole chicken, with butter, bacon, and thyme stuffing, potatoes on the side. I didn't like it much, I should've baked it on lower temperature and longer. Oh well, next time. At least the leftover should make good chicken stock, bits and all.


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All-American

© Joselito Briones

As the California roadside landscape - some commanding one's full attention, some satisfied on providing a backdrop to one's thoughts, but all beautiful - pan through the car window, I realized something disturbing. Norie's voice was different. Her attitude too. She's more serious, and gone is her usual playfulness. I'd have normally attributed it to (dare I say it?) getting older, but I thought most probably it's caused by her adjusting to her only child, Kevin, moving out (Do moms ever get over it?). It turned out that even as Kevin was a part of it, there was something else. A revelation, to which I made a vow not to repeat to anyone, has been on her mind. It didn't feel right, that I have been sucking all the luck from the people around me. I've had it easy, more or less, on most anything, most of my life. But the things some members of my family are going through, it scares me.

© Joselito Briones

We went to Carmel today. Dave, Norie's husband, drove (as has become the usual when there's a family outing), with Norie next to him (photo, above). Noel and Itay sat at the third row, at the back. We all fitted in the Chevy Tahoe. There was nothing we could do to persuade Kevin Karl (Ate Uding's son) to join us, much as we hated to leave him alone in the house. The other Kevin, Norie's, wasn't even interested at all to venture out of his apartment. Both Kevins were never expected to be in the same city at some length of time, hence their moms thought it OK to give them the same name. Kevin Karl (little Kevin to us), I guess, was expected to stay in the Philippines.

I might have had been a bit selfish throughout the drive. I enjoyed the view from my seat and kept mostly to myself: plains, hills, valleys; the colors - alternating greens and ochres, punctuated by beetroot reds and shades of gold; and objects - bright yellow artesian well in the middle of a field dominated by crouching trees, surrendering total authority to the wind, a car from a few decades back (a "roach", to Norie's Kevin), parked next to massive tractor, and drums upon drums of I don't know what. We reached our destination in less than a couple of hours.

© Joselito Briones

The place was beautiful, albeit not what I expected. I foresaw something more rural, dry, dust blown by the wind. Small town. Their claim to fame, after all, before being beautiful, was having Clint Eastwood as their mayor for several years. Norie and Dave always referred to it as "Mount Carmel", so I was expecting a western town like in the movies. Clint Eastwood movies to be precise. What I saw was a beautifully manicured town, who afforded to provide every nook and any visible crevices the most beautiful blooms that grow in the region. The more accurate name of the place is "Carmel-by-the-Sea". Instead of a mountain, I found myself looking at the Pacific Ocean.

We had lunch at "Flaherty's". The food, save the calamaris, wasn't worth the long wait for a table.

© Joselito Briones

Another All-American classic? Outlet shops. We went to Gilroy Premium Outlets, on the way back from Carmel-by-the-Sea. The place is big, with shops divided into three long buildings. After being spoiled for choices by New York's Century21 though, this place was just not very interesting at all.

To cap the day with yet another All-American classic, we did a drive-through at "In N' Out". Any hot-blooded meat-loving American knows this is the best quickie hamburger there is, no question about it. Too bad it's only available in the west coast. We all had a double-double. I had mine with roasted onions.

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Bag Hag

© Joselito Briones

Either i'm really busy to write anything to you or life here is really boring. I took this picture just to show you my grocery bag. It's the bag everybody here in Erlangen have (which gives the impression that either everyone is proud of the city, or everyone here is from somewhere else). Mine's all battered up and wrinkley from having been shoved in the washing machine a few times. I added some pins to it just so it's not so boring. My favorite, the one next to the big one that says "I (heart) PORN", is this cute cartoon face that says, "kiss me, I have sex hair".

Today I'm in cowboy mode again. And it's so fitting with the minimal verbal communication I have with the locals. Like today, I went to this old-style electronics repair shop because I was looking for some double-sided tape. (Imagine the conversation in low, flat, unhurried tone)

(Me enters shop, letting the door swing back shut)
Me: "Morgen, Do you speak English?"
Shopowner: "No. Do you speak Spanish?"
Me: "No. Do you have double-sided tape?"
Shopowner: "No."
Me: "Danke. Tschuess."
Shopowner: "Bye."
(Me tilts hat, exits. Then wonders all day why he asked me if I spoke Spanish. Did I perhaps looked more like Mexican than a cowboy? I decided to just assume that he spoke the language himself, and so he asked if I did too.)


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We're gonna go see Madge!

image: http://madonna.com

Wilbur phoned with the good news, he got tickets for Madonna's Confessions Tour Concert! He managed to get four extra (don't even ask me how he did the trick) tickets. And guess where we're gonna see it? In Amsterdam. Woo hoo!!!


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Happy Meal

© Joselito Briones

Guess where we went today! Yes, that's right. Ikea. It's been so long since we were here last, I sooo miss it. I miss it so much (it's been a full day since we were here last, after all) that we decided to stay longer and have dinner there. Yep. that's right. Dinner at Ikea. I had meatballs with cranberry sauce and elk-shaped pasta with ketchup passing off as sauce. And Stephen King thought he knew all about misery.

The meal also came with a freebie!, a piece of wood that is its own sorry excuse for a child's toy. It's a wooden train car (photo, above) that has a magnet at the rear end so kids can collect and attach one to another. You know I'm too busy to write anything interesting to you (but then again, when did I ever?) when I'm writing about this kind of crap.

On a high note, the TV is connected again. Yes, folks! we're back in business. The first thing that we watched? Eurovision! (a.k.a. The Erosion of the European Vision), I liked Germany's entry because the song has a very simple happy melody. Then again, who wants happy when you can have Holloween in May? Oh well.


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What a drag (Again?)

© Joselito Briones

One thing I forgot to mention about my childhood recollection yesterday was that not only were we allowed to run around the neighborhood all the time, but we wore costumes! (Yes, a colorful towel tied on your neck as a cape counted as costume - and No!, the picture above is not of me, that's Alex, although I did take the picture and did the digital editing). Inspired by that, I thought I'd dress up a little like a cowboy today (That's still not me in the picture link, that's Robert, but I'm sure you remember him). Well, that, or I'm just sick and tired of spending all day in a wife-beater or t-shirt and track bottoms organizing stuff at home. Any anyway it's not really a full cowboy outfit, just a western shirt, jeans, leather shoes. And a cowboy hat, of course. It's not exactly drag, but now I know how a drag queen feels (and what would any mention of this be, if not including my friends, The Divas). In this clothes, everywhere I go, people looked at me, and they smiled. (I'am an attention ho' after all!) David, a guy I worked with in New York, (his alter ego is the ever fabulous but long-been-missing Tulah) said this is what he loved most about doing drag. The moment you put that dress on, you immediately acquire power. You can do whatever you want and people will just smile at you. People are friendlier to you. Either that or they'd think you're a complete fool but stare anyway. Either way, it's a win-win situation. I think I'll practice tilting my hat with my middle and index fingers as a form of greeting to those who smile at me. "Howdy, ma'am".

Unfortunately there was no paparazzi around so, no photos. Instead I'm showing you this (above)...I went to Handelshof again. I never learn. I bought too much stuff again and struggled to carry it home again. It was even more difficult as I couldn't tilt my hat. Also went to Ikea to buy shelves. Again.

XXX


PS
I had to rush to Handelshof today, tomorrow being a bank holiday and all shops close. There was a rush of people trying to do a last minute shopping. The most interesting purchase I did was of bagels of different flavors, ones even New York doesn't have... vegetable bagel, sunflower seed bagel, and pepperoni bagel.


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Windows to the Past

© Joselito Briones

I'm loving the picture windows in the new apartment. They're like ultra HD tv's and you can pan the picture by moving about in the room. The one in the bedroom frames this really tall tree behind the building. I lie in bed and look at it, I see the leaves swaying, I hear the rustling sound, and I get transported back to the Philippines of my childhood when, after a heavy lunch, playing in the sun, and getting forced to bathe by grown-ups who are against the smell of the sun on my skin ("amoy araw ka na", they'd say), I'd just lay on a bamboo mattress under a mango tree and take a nap, until it's time to have merienda and run around the neighborhood again.

Sigh...

The cow was a present from Nico.


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Escape artist

© Joselito Briones

Back to Erlangen. Back to unpacking. Only I didn't know where to continue. I'm stalled. I couldn't unpack all closet contents because the closets aren't built yet, couldn't build the shelves because it required moving out of the way heavy photography equipment (enlargers) that I couldn't move by myself. After cleaning up and doing the laundry, I decided to escape to the park. The students lying on the grass, soaking in the sun, was a nice sight. I didn't stay long there though, I had to go to the pedestrian zone to get some money and do the grocery.

I also went to Handelshof (their version of Walmart). It's a short walking distance from the apartment. I got carried away and didn't realize I've bought too many things to carry by myself. I managed to get home only after having to stop and pause a few times.

Tonight I made humba (or something close enough).


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Slap me silly and call me happy...

© Joselito Briones

It's a beautiful, beautiful, day!!! The sun is all out.. the sky is clear blue, there's a cool breeze constantly blowing, all the trees are in bright vibrant green and every single one seem to sparkle as its leaves reflect the light, the flowers are in bloom bursting with colors. Ladidi ladada... I've got a silly grin on my face, and it took a lot of effort to stop myself from skip-hopping while walking today on my way to Marktplatz (Okay, maybe I did a couple of times when I was sure no one was looking).

Call me silly, think me corny, but today, I'm very happy.

XXX


P.S.
In case you're interested to know, this is my 100th letter to you!


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Shopping, shopping, shopping

© Joselito Briones

After having breakfast and doing laundry in a nearby laundromat, Wil (pictured here showing off his really really nice Armani Jacket) and I spent the whole day shopping for kitchen and bathroom for his apartment. We walked south across Hyde Park towards South Kensington High Street. We checked out several shops, including Habitat and Laura Ashley, where we ended up picking out a wallpaper. At the end of the street, we made an appointment with "Magnet", a kitchen store, for Wednesday. I'll be going by myself though, as Wil would've already left for India by then. We then went to Earl's Court and had lunch there, in a Filipino restaurant. We had grilled stuffed fish and kare kare.

After lunch we went to Oxford Street, to the John Lewis department store to look at their kitchen showroom.

© Joselito Briones

While walking along Oxford Street, a fitted-out car passed by, blowing bubbles, driven by an old man singing to a microphone with a loudspeaker. He was all bubbly and happy. He sang a tune I didn't recognize... "Raining in My Heart". It was very effective in that just about everyone who saw it instantly flashed a big smile on their faces when they realized it was the old man driving and singing the silly song. After sometime he changed the tune to something more easily recognizable... "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles. He was promoting a company offfering handyman services.

We dropped by Selfridges first to look for some kitchen stufff, but we ended up spending most of our time there checking out the men's clothing section.


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Scary Movie V (A Postscript to the Trilogy)

© Joselito Briones

Fear is fair game. Ask insurance companies, they know you're afraid of what might happen. They've made an art form of extracting money from you in exchange for their best selling product: peace of mind. Just hope and pray nothing wrong does happen. They've made an even higher art form of not giving money - or giving as little, in as much delay, and with as much difficulty as possible - to insurance claimers.

If there isn't enough fear to make good business out of, one can always elevate something mildly irritating into a fullblown menace. Ask pharmaceutical companies. If they can help it, they'd classify being tired after exerting some physical effort as some sort of disease that everyone should be afraid of. They of course, would have the cure, and you'll have to buy it if you want to be well. Why take a rest (Not a reliable cure!) when you can pop a pill in your mouth (It's formulated by a scientist wearing a white coat! It's dispensed by a pharmacist with a name tag! Also in a white coat!) to relieve yourself of fatigue? I wonder how much longer it will be before they successfully lobby the right people in Washington to classify menopause as a medical condition for which they can sell you the treatment.

Did you hear about the Bin Laden tapes that has recently surfaced basically telling everyone in the western world to be afraid? Who do you think is more scary, Bin Laden because he says he'll kill you for not symphathising with him, or the media manipulators who keep on feeding America with enough fear to repeatedly condone the US engagement in war?

On TV they're starting to remind us of what happened 20 years ago in Chernobyl. Yes it's something to be afraid of. It's not too long ago that it won't have anymore effect on you. Britain is considering a new nuclear power plant as a supplementary source of power for one of its cities. Iran says it's doing the same. Calling insurance companies! I wonder how much they'd be willing to pay to insure against an accident. I wonder if the residents would also consider taking one, or if they're just resigned to the idea that should a fallout occur, their whole families will just get wiped out, no use for an insurance. Pharmaceutical companies should start putting up more factories producing cure for enlarged thyroids. Imagine if more young kids get ill with it... they'll need the medicine for the rest of their lives! Big bucks!!!

The US government is telling us that we should be afraid of Iran's nuclear aspirations. Iranian leadership declared a couple of months back that they'd wipe out Israel off the map if they can help it. Then they declared they'll help themselves to a nuclear development program. Huh? In nuke speak Iguess that translates to "We've beeen doing this for a while now, but now it's gotten big that we can't deny it or keep it a secret anymore, so we decided to say to the world that we're considering it." Do you think it possible that they're also secretly afraid that they maybe the next oil-producing country that the US might be interested in giving its own brand of democracy to, and in effect decided to make a preemptive action?

And finally, as if all this isn't enough to keep one thinking that the best place to be now is inside "Lost's" subterranean shelter, I changed the channel to CNN and what do I see? The thing that scared the bejeesus out of me. Larry King shamelessly flirting with Jane Fonda! Okay ,fine, that wasn't scary, that was just creepy. When I heard that they were discussing about Jane Fonda's book, I realized it was a rerun from last year. They timed it for the release of the paperback version of the book. You'll have to admit though that her book being on the New York Times bestseller list WAS scary? Surely??? Fine, have it your way.


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The (not so) Constant Gardener

© Joselito Briones

I've never been able to grow herbs in a pot before, especially in the kitchen. The only exception is rosemary which seem to just grow anywhere as long as there's sun and water.

It's different this time. I have four different herbs on the window sill and they're all thriving. I bought these a couple of weeks back, and now they're all at least twice as big as when I bought them. I've used them several times, but each time it's very difficult deciding which branch to cut and consume as I don't want to offend my herbs. Good thing they look like they'll just keep on growing. Maybe it's the German soil?. German sun? who knows, I'm just glad they're not dying on me.

From left: rosemary, peppermint, basil, and thyme. Next challenge is coriander, which is notorious for being difficult to grow. Maybe some parsley too. It'll have to wait though, until after I've come back from London.


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Where's Freddie?

Playing repeatedly on TV these days is this really cute world cup ad for Adidas. In it, two Spanish-speaking kids in a neighborhood playground get to pick members of their dreamteam. They of course pick all the biggest names and football superstars. Michael Ballack, David Beckham, Zinédine Zidane, Kaká, Frank Lampard, Arjen Robben, Juan Román Riquelme, Raúl, Alessandro Nesta and Oliver Kahn (the very definition of FIERCE bowed out gracefully when replaced recently as number one goalie for the German team by Jens Lehmann). The first version of the ad was funny enough when the two kids just picked whomever came to their mind. It was a surprise that after a few days, a new version of the ad came out where the players they picked actually appeared in their playground. And then one of the boys picked a football hero from the past (Franz Beckenbauer) which earned chuckle from the other boy, whose jaw dropped when the player also appeared in the playground. With the help of one of his teamplayers, he then picked Michel Platini to be on his side.

The official Adidas website for the ad, titled "Impossible Team", also posted high-res screen shots and behind-the-scene photos of the ad. The only complaint I have about the ad is that Freddie's nowhere to be found.

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Something fishy

© Joselito Briones

I've finally found the place to get fresh fish. It was a good thing that it's today that I walked around the area, because it turns out they only have fresh fish on Wednesdays. It's right around the corner from the Thai grocery that sells pea-sized egg plants, baby egg plants, pomelo, and sweet basil, among the numerous other food items they have in a very cramped small space.

When I was packing the food contents of our London kitchen, I made sure to at least buy and stock up on Asian canned and bottled foods because I wasn't sure if there'd by any Asian groceries here in Erlangen. After a week of walking around, I've found four such groceries so far.

Tonight we had steamed seabass in ginger, Chinese key, galangal, and chili sauce.


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And the winner is...

Several days of protests in the streets of Paris, enough embarassment for Chirac and his government, and the scrapping of the labor law that might send top heads rolling. One would say that the French youth has won yet again, and don't they have a history of winning against the government?

The one obvious winner of all this though is hottie Bruno Julliard, leader of the largest student union in France, UNEF. He's telegenic, well-mannered, and like most French youth, he seemed to always know exactly what he's talking about (I say seemed, because the show I was watching with him in it was in French). He's obviously got convincing power too, as the other members of the panel (mostly his senior) seem to stop and listen whenever he spoke. I'd almost say he'd need at least a hair stylist, but I guess his nerdy hairstyle gives him street cred.


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I'm really sorry, but It just didn't take...

© Joselito Briones

I don't know, I kept an open mind, ignored the weather and all, even ignored the guerilla behavior of Oxford street pedestrians, but somehow this city just hasn't endeared itself to me as New York did, or San Francisco, or even Hong Kong.

Maybe it's just time. Maybe I just haven't spent enough time here. Maybe loving it is something that slowsly grows in someone. I didn't have enough time to find a favorite cafe to spend sometime in on a lazy afternoon, not enough time to be in familiar terms with the fishmonger I've been to a few times, not enough time to see if my dry cleaner is consistent with its service. I also didn't have time to find where the best buys are, save the Paul Smith discount shop off New Bond street where the suit, pictured left, was purchased (excuse the Stephan Schneider messenger bag, nice as it is, I haven't got myself a man-purse yet).

© Joselito Briones

Above is mostly the thought response to what Wil said to me about how he loves the city even tho it hasn't exactly been kind to the renovation of his apartment. I had lunch with him in a Chinese restaurant in Queensway after we met up with this apartment building's appointed structural surveyor for his recommendations. As there's been so much delay, he decided to move in temporarily while waiting for the start of the project so as not to waste money paying for temporary accomodation. He had his bed delivered from his storage space, and some boxes containing basic stuff. I brought him some kitchen items. Eating off paper plates with plastic cutleries and drinking off plastic cups is just so wrong. How anyone can enjoy wine with the taste of plastic is something I'll never understand. I brought his curtains back with me for washing, he hasn't got a washing machine yet.

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Photo Finish

© Joselito Briones

I could've spent my last day in New York just relaxing and waiting for the time for me to go to the airport. Instead, I spent it literally running around in Manhattan with Eric, who decided to do a hooky today (I'm sure if he had known how today would turn out, he'd have gone to work instead).

I had two last things to take care of before leaving, to go to the bank to inquire about an erratic letter that I got from them, and to go to a notary public to get some documents sealed and faxed. An optional thing I was going to do was to take photos of 1 Astor Place, a project I worked on while working for Ismael Leyva Architects.

A friend, who shall remain anonymous due to his refusal to make public the fact that he's indulging my materialistic side, gave me a digital camera (WOO HOO!) last night for my forthcoming birthday, so I thought, what better way to break it in than to do the optional photo-taking in Astor Place. The memory card that came with the camera was too small though, so I decided to get a bigger one at J&R today. Before we left, I received an email from Mati with a couple of purchase requests for kids in Germany: a pair of trainers and a Knicks cap, with instructions as to where to get them. So a to-do list of 2 items within 2 blocks of where Eric lives became a 6-stop task all over the place. And we had a maximum of 2.5 hours to do everything.

First stop. The bank. Fast walk. Non-conclusive. I was advised to check the internet for answer. 10 minutes

Second stop. Fast walk. Notary public. Everything went fine. 15 minutes

Third stop. J&R. It took 40 minutes just to get there by subway, running to and from the station. Ended up buying a leather case and extra battery for the camera in addition to the memory card. 55 minutes

Fourth stop. Astor Place (Cooper Square). Subway. Missed the stop and ended up in Union Square because I was too busy installing the new card in the camera. Had to take another train back one stop. Running at this point. Click. Click. One photo above. 25 minutes

Fifth stop. Urban wear/shoe store in 34th Street, as specified in the email. Took the subway again. They don't have the shoes, nor the Knicks cap. The sales clerk looked at the photo of the trainers (I printed Mati's email) and looked at me incredulous, as if to say, "Why the hell would we sell such shoes?!?!?". I tried to defend myself by saying that the shoes are not for me, but he wouldn 't hear any of it. He spoke politely though and said they don't carry this brand. 15 minutes

Last stop. NBA store, 5th Avenue. Took the subway. Ran 3 blocks. Ran into Dermot Mulroney. Stared for about 5 seconds, but only because he was staring back, as if to say, "Well, either say you recognize me so just go ahead and ask for my autograph already, otherwise go on along and don't look at me all disappointed because I'm not shaven and my hair is not fixed and you can see all my gray hair and gray beard stubble". I did the latter. I looked back and saw him cover his head with a beanie. Store didn't have the shoes either, nor the Knicks cap. They had lots of Knicks cap, but not the one in the picture. "Must be exclusively an online product from our store", clerk said. 20 minutes

Grabbed a couple of sandwiches and drinks on the way to the subway to go back to Eric's. We were both running and panting and sweaty at this point. Subway took some time. When we got off the train we ate the sandwiches (either they were really good or we were really really hungry) while running to get back to his apartment. 25 minutes

Okay, so we weren't able to do everything in the alloted time, but I think it was still good. I had to hurry collecting all my stuff so I won't be late getting to the airport. I was in such a rush that I wasn't even able to thank Eric properly, or say goodbye properly. I expected him to just give up at this point and be glad to get rid of me, but, good friend that he is, he walked me to the train station.


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