What is a Chindogu?

"It's an almost useless invention, a bizarre gadget that has broken free from the chains of usefulness."

Chindogu #001: The Hay Fever Hat. Running out of hankies while suffering from hay fever is true hell. This great hat allows you to sneeze from dawn till dusk.

I laughed myself silly watching a feature on this on TV ages ago (that was during the Takeshi's Castle era if I'm not mistaken), thank goodness there's a website! Here are some favorites: Back Scratcher's T-shirt | Eye-Drop Funnel Glasses | Finger-mounted Toothbrush | and, an *absolute must* for you partygoers: Earplug Earrings.

***
Having discovered that my digicam can take clear pics of the TV screen, Arn took it home one night and got snap-happy with his movie collection.

Can you guess which movie this still is from?

(Ms. Mona, I know you know this. (: )

***
Why are other people so lucky at Booksale? Just read that Adam's friend found a copy of Adrian Tomine's 32 Stories (which I already read courtesy of Ramon) at a bargain bin for P35... and of course we all remember Astrid's lucky streak. Darn it, I think we're hounding the wrong branches.

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I don't think I'll be able to post much this coming week so I urge you to visit my new blog finds: Chemical Rainbow, Pile o'Smeg, Caramba!, Table for One, That Chick, and Confessions of a Coke Addict. (And don't you forget these fine people now.)

11:58 AM
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July 23, 2002

We're gonna fight fire with marshmallows.

Arn and I caught the anti-war fantasy movie Toys on cable last night and I actually feel bad for missing its big-screen run in '92. The plot is your standard good vs. evil hoohah but be assured that the 121-minute movie is absolutely worth seeing if only, rather especially, for its supreme production design. Surreal, witty, and whimsical all at once -- think WillyWonka, Brazil, and Monty Python -- it's every art director's dream project*.

Joan Cusack's paper doll outfit is hilarious. Notice the tabs.

(If you live in Manila, you can catch the replay on Star Movies, July 28 @ 9PM.)

*read: both creatively-satisfying and big-budgeted enough to ensure expedition -- most of the time it's just one or the other.

***
Did you know that bargains are raining in the metro?

On our recent pilgrimage to Sta. Lucia:
1) Arnold scored the X-Men trading card game set for only P200, down from P700.
2) I got the Titanic (the Broadway musical, not the movie) soundtrack for a measly P150 at a generic music shop.
3) At the same store, we spotted several good cds, including Touch & Go's "I Find You Very Attractive", Color it Red's "Pop Fiction", "1896: Ang Pagsilang", and many copies of Fatal Posporos' "Paper View" -- all for P150 a pop. (I have all of them already so I felt bad seeing them on sale.)
4) We saw a shop selling "Buy 5 Take 5" anime VCDs for P500, so that's 10 discs for the price of 5. We got Akira, Nausicaa, and a host of other anime classics as birthday gift for my brother.
5) I got a tub of HK-manufactured Beauty Formulas Apricot Scrub for only P99. Dubious brand name, yes, but it's cheap and actually works okay compared to the P200+ St. Ives version I've been using for years.

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Meg and her typically barok sms messages sure make me glad she's back. See you soon, Dinds, bru. (:

05:15 PM
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July 21, 2002

If you've ever tried signing up for a journal here, you know how hard it is, or in my case how long it takes, to get hold of one.

Thanks to AJ, #713 is now in my hands. Here's my entry. (Guess who that is (: )

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And here's another Mirror Project entry, our artsy-est so far.

***
So in between the aforementioned petty-bourgeois* preoccupations, Arnold and I were also busy this week with our respective but definitely-not-petty projects that you will soon see in the flesh -- or in the plastic, heh -- at your friendly neighborhood music shop (mine) and/or bookstore (his).

*Sorry, that's a little inside joke. We are SO not burgis, mind you.

***
Have you seen MIIB yet? It's much funnier than the first, but whatever happened to Johnny Knoxville's character towards the middle? He just disappeared. Anyway, watch out for a cameo by "Agent M".

By the way -- attention Jessel, Ellen, and anyone who hasn't seen the elusive Amelie -- Benboy alerted me that it's still showing in Greenbelt 3. The theatre personnel confirmed that it IS showing but only until Tuesday!

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Some pictures from my brother's birthday dinner is up, if you'd like to take a look (:

03:58 PM
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July 10, 2002

This exchange between a young promo girl and myself happened at a mall a couple of days ago:

Her: "Hello ma'am... um, you are over 20 right?"
Me: "Yes I am."
Her: "Ah, that qualifies you for [their company]'s anniversary raffle promo. Name and age?"
Me: "Cynthia, 30..."
Her: "Son of a gun*! Ma'am, you're 30???!", looking at me unbelievingly.

*What she really said in Filipino was "Naknampucha, ma'am, 30 ka na??"

She apologized for swearing and quickly said that I don't look 30, or over 20 at that.

***
Actually, this is not the first time I've been mistaken for a college kid... or younger. (Arn says it's because of my happy outlook. I say it's because of my chubby cheeks.)

ï1994. My 13-year-old brother was being enrolled in middle school (equivalent to junior high) in Japan. The principal looked at me and asked, "What about sister? Want to enroll in high school?" I was 22.

ï1995. Our relatives in Sydney took us to a casino. Everyone was already inside when I was stopped at the entrance because the guard didn't believe I was over 21. Luckily, my mom had my passport with her.

ï1996. The village chapel was recruiting highschool/college kids for the youth choir. I was approached.

ï1998. My aunt and uncle took me to Atlantic City one time and I managed to get inside a casino without hassle. A few minutes later, I was already making it good with a one-armed jack when a cop approached and asked for proof of my age. All I could whip out was my Parsons ID. Despite my cries of I'm already 27, sir!, he still led me outside where I waited for an hour for my aunt and uncle who had no clue as to what had happened.

ï1998. Me and my highschool pals were on a night out at the Village (NYC) and we decided to go to Jekyll and Hyde. It was after 12, I think. My companions were allowed entrance but big bouncer guy stopped me and asked for an ID. My friend Erick had to step in and convince the guy that I was his classmate in highschool and that we're the same age, etc. It took a while but I guess I was finally let in out of pity.

ï1999. My workmates and I decided to sneak out and watch Go at the nearby mall. Like in the scenarios above, I was initially refused admission even if my friends were already inside. This time it was office ID to the rescue.

I guess Asians in general look younger than their Western counterparts, but these and many other smaller incidents (like clients not believing I'm old enough to handle their requirements, my brother's friends thinking I'm their age, etc.) have led me to believe that looking young isn't a joyride all the time.

07:51 PM
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July 7, 2002

Here's a slice of Manila-life the past couple of days:

48 hours of non-stop downpours equals

flash floods,

and occasional brownouts.

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Not to mention cancelled plans. Arnold and I were scheduled to 1) go out with our CQ friends last night; and 2) attend our friends' daughter's birthday party today but the weather did not cooperate. Sigh.

***
Was able to catch up on my surfing though, and I thought I'd leave you with this stimulating piece by our pal Ramon:

"What the (movie) industry needs is a blood transfusion. Pump out all the old, stagnant, useless bullshit and give the next wave a chance. No growth is death.

-excerpt from Telling It Like It Is by Ramon De Veyra

The industry is dead: even Ms. Armida admitted so.

I've ranted from time to time subtly about our frustrations with the Philippine movie industry but Ramon really hit the nail on the head.

Thinking Class, what sayeth you?

07:44 PM
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July 4, 2002

Have you tried Green Tea Frappucino yet? Green tea promotes weight loss, but the Japanese tea's latest incarnation in Starbucks cups is far from being a diet drink. Being a tea fan, I tried the frap version out of curiosity and was disappointed for two reasons: (1) unlike Struan and Tangs's low-fat tea lattes, one tall cup of the drink makes you feel like you just gulped one week's worth of milk fat, and (2) at P110, it's too pricey for my taste.

I'll take good ol' Bigelows anytime, thank you.

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Yesterday was my parents' 31st wedding anniversary. Feel free to check out how we "celebrated". (:

09:42 AM
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July 1, 2002

Where oh where did Nickelodeon go? The Disney Channel should be okay, but not if it means losing Hey Arnold! and Pete and Pete. ):

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Local music news: I read in Scott's column yesterday that the Pin-Up Girls have signed up with US-based Know-it-All Records. Two more mystery bands are said to be next, and I'm hoping that Chain Gang is one of them. Anyway, for vintage Pin-Up, click here.

***
Like Ellen, I still haven't seen Amelie, though Arnold and I have been trying our best to catch it. It was showing at SM North Edsa last Wednesday, but at the time, we were more excited to watch Minority Report. The next day, we got to Megamall at 7pm only to find that the last screening was at 6:something. Friday, I was sick. Saturday we couldn't find parking in Galleria after 50+ minutes of driving around and so decided to leave the Ortigas area and go to Powerplant instead. Sure enough, finding parking in PP was a breeze, but, surprise, no Amelie (Forevermore --yucch-- was showing, Amelie was not. What's up with Powerplant???). I've called up some theatres and most of them said that they're not showing it anymore. *grumble*. At this rate, we just might have to settle for a Greenhills version.

10:36 AM
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