Destination Unknown

I stated in my yesterday’s post that The Road’s first 100 pages didn’t leave a good impression to me.

Well, because I do not jump to another novel without finishing what
I’m currently reading, I forced myself through The Road. And because I
was bored in scanning the book verbatim, I skimmed through it instead.
I finished it, and in retrospect, the book did become better towards
the middle. Although the same routine happened in the latter half of
the book, the drama grew a little more intense (although it’s still
subdued, which was the intended tone of the book). Amidst the
post-apocalyptic world’s despair, the 2 protagonists (the man and the
boy) did share a few happy moments, moments where all hope may not be
lost. I believe that good times and hard times both reveal different
dimensions of a character, and Cormac handled this pretty well in the
book.

In my opinion, a reason the first half of the book was boring was
because of the stagnancy. The book was expected to be depressing, and I
do have high tolerance (and I actually like) reading depressing novels,
but the mood was a steady state signal – without ups or downs. I didn’t
enjoy much of the dialogues because they repeated: the boy asked if
they’re going to die, the man said no, the boy asked if daddy’s sure,
the man said yes, and the boy ended with okay.

The latter half of the book was more refreshing, because good things
happened to both leads. These happy moments became precious and
cherish-worthy because they were so sparse. And like I said before,
they showed different side of the leads’ characters. I was moved by the
heart-wrenching ending. The characters grew with the trials they face,
and they learned to accept the things they cannot change. Without going
to spoilers, I can say I was very satisfied with how the book ended.

Despite my praises, I still maintain that this book is flawed. The goal of going south
was a red herring and I grew angry about that. I’m sure the book was
rife with metaphors that require mulling, but I do not understand what
going south was supposed to symbolize. And since the book’s first half
was a bore, I say approach the book with caution. There’s a light at
the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel went a long way. The Road may not
hold up with other Pulitzer Prize winners (that I have read), but it
does have its moments.

I’m currently 100 pages into Cormac McCarthy’s best-selling and
pulitzer-prize winning "The Road", and I haven’t fallen asleep in
reading a book as often as I had in reading this one.

What a listless storytelling this is! I didn’t expect it to be a
high-octane action-packed thriller in the same vein as Battle Royale,
but gee does The Road ever make the story of survival lethargic! This
is coming from a guy who hasn’t fallen asleep watching movies besides
The Awakenings (this isn’t a bad joke! It’s true!).

Grapes of Wrath, another Pulitzer Prize winner, isn’t exactly the
most "aggressive" novel ever, but I stayed awake reading it because of
the lively character interactions and because each chapter is
progressive, fresh, and eventful. While the theme of the Road (set in a
post apocalyptic world where a father and a son tries to survive
tribulations while traveling south) is inventive, the plot is tedious.
All the father and son do (so far) is walk, sleep, scrounge abandoned
homes, talk about love, safety, security and death, lathered, rinsed
and repeated ad nauseum. When something interesting finally happens
(like having an "enemy" show up) it is short-lived, and is afterwards
followed by the tedium of their same-old "normal" traveling routine.

I’m not sure where this Pulitzer-prize distinction came from
because I don’t feel like reading anything classic. Last I checked,
Pulitzer books aren’t much of a bore. And while I can understand the
beauty of understated storytelling, something HAS to happen in order
for a story to be good.

At a 100 pages in, I haven’t read anything happen yet.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying I don’t like Harry Potter. I do; in fact, I’m borrowing it from someone.

What bothers me is the disturbing
trend Harry Potter has started. Since its release, it’s impossible to
go to any university or office without hearing conversations about
Harry Potter. It’s everywhere, and it gets annoying when you’re at the
restroom, only to hear someone wash his face while conversing to his
friends about how book 7 ended (which I have heard several times now).

I’d like to think that one of the
joys of reading a book comes from the suspense of not knowing what’s
going to happen (and how rewarding it could be if the denouement turns
out unexpected). But these days and ages, it’s become nigh impossible
to read a popular book without its details already spoiled, unless if
you’re the first to have read it. Is this the reason why people line up
for the new Harry Potter: so that they will be the first to know what’s
happened and will spoil the story to those who haven’t read while they
feel their ego boosted? Why deprive the enjoyment of those who want to
read but couldn’t afford it immediately? Why all this disrespect?

Also, does everyone have to follow
the media hype? Is everyone out of touch with their own preferences
that they just have to keep following the trend, without discovering
the gems on their own? What happened to the time when those who go to
the bookstore go to different sections scrounging for the book that
speaks to them, regardless of whether or not it’s popular? Nowadays,
the only books that people ever buy are those humongous hyped
bestsellers piled in front of a bookstore: Harry Potter, The Secret,
Laws of Attraction, Da Vinci Code, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The Alchemist,
etc. I’m not saying these books are inherently bad, I’m saying that
it’s likely that there are other books on the similar subject matter
that could be better than all these. And yet people don’t take the
trouble to read Bartimaeus Trilogy, Faucoult’s Pendulum, or Siddharta.

As for my assessment in Harry
Potter series, I like it. I find the concept very appealing. However,
I’ll be damned if I just stick to Harry Potter without exploring other
works of fiction and I can’t remember a book release ever reaching the
anticipation level of Star Wars. This guy here prefers bookstore quiet.

For me, the beauty in reading a
book comes from its giving each of us a different experience. Everyone
has their own biases and interpretations. It doesn’t matter how much a
book has sold, if it doesn’t communicate a message appreciable by the
reader then it doesn’t serve its purpose. A book isn’t supposed to be
like technology where the latest is the best; it’s supposed to be like
a t-shirt, in which only the person will know what fits him/her. It
doesn’t have anything to do with what sells and what everyone else
likes; just imagine if everyone is wearing torn jeans. How crazily
monotonous would the world be then?

I have been trying to cram several activities for a day, but I could
only do so much. Work, school and church has kept me so busy and while
I do appreciate how each can develop my character, I am now craving for
breathing space.

Problem is, my breathing space doesn’t always coincide with the
people who I want to spend free time with. Sometimes just reading books
and doing all other solitary kind of crap can make me feel lonely and
depressed, and so I’d call people up asking if we could meet.

And there’s this girl who has been a long time friend of mine. I’ve
bought her birthday gifts, and I’ve yet to give them to her. It has
nearly been a year, and we both think it’s been too long. So we planned
to meet since 2 weeks ago, but we keep having to postpone this
appointment because of unforeseen responsibilities popping up like an
annoying Smileycentral Ad.

Gee, is life ever as unbearably fast as it is now! At this point, my
life is like a photograph where I’m the lone still figure in a sea
of motion blurs. People come and go very fast, I couldn’t make sense of
what’s happening anymore.

[Plus points if you caught the allusion.]

I signed up for i.ph and created a new blog. This link takes you there.

The first post of that blog explains why I created a new blog; in a nutshell, I wanted some features that are unavailable for friendster blogs, and most of all I wanted non-members of friendster community to comment on my posts.

I will, however, keep this blog alive.

I screamed. I was alone,
unloading all my pent anger in a claustrophobic elevator. How did this happen?
Why me of all people?

Although spare in luck, the
morning and afternoon I spent in the office went down like a slice of pizza on
a hungry stomach (though less satisfying). Today wasn’t a good day. I couldn’t
finish my assigned work even if I had a solution. And I was scolded for
neglecting a company policy the day before. I dissatisfyingly left the office,
and hoped that I would be productive tonight by tackling my other assignment: my web design project.

Before heading home, I visited
the bookstore. My creativity was dried and I needed inspirations for a web
page. The origami book looked tempting (origami was my hobby in my elementary
years), but the price made me hem and haw: should I buy it? After brooding for
half an hour, I decided against it, and promptly took the bus home.

Ah, yes, the bus. The TV
showed 24 Oras and I left just before they broadcasted their life-changing
headline: Christine Reyes about to do a sexy movie. Watch as 24 Oras’ ratings
skyrocket. FHM Nation rules.

My folks go out every
Tuesday, and I expected to be home alone for a couple of hours. Nevermind that
I bring my keys 95% of the time: even when vacated, the gates are usually
unlocked, because I arrive soon after they leave and because our condominium’s
security is tight. So why of all days did they lock the gate on the exact day when
I didn’t bring the keys? I couldn’t get in and I’ll be spending at least 2
hours OUTSIDE!

And thus began the
screaming. I was in agony, blaming myself for stupidity and blaming everything
else for bad luck. Here I was, fired-up to start a web design, only to be
locked outside of my shelter. What was I supposed to do in two hours? Netopia
doesn’t have a Photoshop the same way as how the SONA doesn’t have an ounce of truth. My
nearest best friend, the only one who lives within the neighborhood, went to Japan. All my other friends live cities, if not islands, apart. And there were no theatres nearby to make the passing of time barely noticeable.

My only choice was to stay
in Starbucks, which I did. I spent the next few minutes finishing a book (Slaughterhouse
Five) with only 30 unread pages, sending SMS’s, and staring at some
latte-swirling customers as they yak tirelessly about their dumb colleagues.
Great! And that was 30 minutes of getting preoccupied. With at least 1:30 left,
I was left bored and having nothing else to do. So I sat and waited and sat and
waited, and time was comatose. And I was famished yet I refused to eat.

I came back home at 10:30
PM. My suffering felt longer than that. Few days before, I bemoaned that “Free
time has become an elusive luxury”. Guess what? I got more than 2 hours of free
time today, and I was unprepared for it.

How did this happen? Why me
of all people?

Waspy McWasp, the ruggedly handsome, world renowned Harvard professor
of Oceanography is summoned to Europe to analyze the mysterious murder
of a famous computer programmer. While there, he discovers evidence of
the unimaginable - the definitive and substantial proof of cold fusion.
He must work with Lara, the extremely beautiful and intelligent police
detective, in order to beat the clock and unlock the mystery.

Waspy McWasp’s worst fears are confirmed when he discovers that a bunch
of special ops has been murdering innocent victims, including a bunch
of cute penguins. He and Lara must rush against the clock, and use
their knowledge of obscure art, ambiguous history, impossible computer
science theory, and inaccurate theology, as their investigation takes
them through the mysterious streets of Lisbon. They encounter further
difficulties when their efforts are thwarted by the President of the
United States who has his own plan for solving the mystery and
unlocking the secrets of cold fusion.

Waspy McWasp and Lara put their fate into the hands of the director of
the CIA who actually turns out to be the one who planned and
orchestrated the entire devious plot. As they expose the treacherous
director of the CIA they must also face the truth that cold fusion was
just a fabrication, and does not really exist. When the director of the
CIA is finally exposed, he tries to escape, but tragically dies
engulfed in infernal flames, as Waspy McWasp and Lara look on. With his
last breath, the director of the CIA explains that his motives were
actually good, but got corrupted and twisted by evil ambition. Putting
the entire fiasco behind them, Waspy McWasp and Lara kiss in a very
romantic and awkward kind of way.

http://www.columbia.edu/~ip71/fun/danbrown.html

I knew Michael Bay’s Transformers will be flawed. I knew that
the plot will be nonsensical and incomprehensible. But I didn’t care and went
to see it anyway, hoping that it will channel my inner child and get me
high (as though experiencing funk music).

It doesn’t. But unlike most of this film’s detractors, I bought into the
Autobots vs. Decepticon concept. I admit that this is shallow, but I love
watching epic battles of good vs. bad robots.

Indeed, the movie’s best moments are when the Transformers are present,
but those moments are too short. The movie has a 144 minutes runtime, half of
which is used to develop these human characters:

Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf) is “Spike” to this movie’s Bumblebee, a
“used” car he buys before courting Mikaela (Megan Fox) and before all the
havoc. Despite the shallow personality, he’s the only one with a presence, if
only because a hornier Peter Parker is fun.

Sergeant Lennox (Josh Duhamel) is a family-loving and patriotic American
soldier. Defense Secretary John Keller (Jon Voight) babbles about protecting
the country while the president sleeps and while accusing North Korea and Russia for Decepticon’s ambush. Maggie
(Rachael Taylor), a foxy blonde computer engineer, fumbles in all her scenes. Mikaela
could be interesting if she has more chemistry to Sam than to her breast.

Under a better director, these casts could come together (no matter how
ludicrously) and interact in an eccentric, Little Miss Sunshine way. Thanks to
Bay, they do nothing besides coming together against ultimate forces of evil.
Why am I supposed to root for characters that can be summarized as either
"funny" or "dead-serious"? Also, notice that all the main casts are flawless and heroic
whites. And Decepticons are redesigned and painted dark. What is a Bay film if whites can’t be macho in the
final battle? Heck, even the elderly John Keller pumps shotguns to a Decepticon
as though he’s fighting zombies from Dawn of the Dead! Right.

Transformers has always been inspired by Hasbro’s transformable robot
toys, and now we have a movie about humans who are more tepid than Bon Jovi’s
songs. Nobody shows any emotional or psychological depth. Oh, and the blacks only
dispenses gags and punchlines. I wonder if Bay will ever give them other roles.

It’s also worth noting that in all series (even now), Hasbro has never
made a human Transformer toy (save the Star Wars Transformers, but that’s
different). I wonder why.

Now about the robots, they are the movie’s saving grace.
I nearly cried when Optimus Prime appeared and coaxed me with his
“father-figure of the 80’s” voice (courtesy of Peter Cullen). I’m happy that
he, among with the Autobots, remains faithful to his cartoon character. Why do
I have to wait until the movie is halfway done before I can see the Autobots?

Megatron is also great, although he arrives too late to be threatening.
Hugo Weaving (why is he always on geek movies?) sounds exactly like in the
cartoon (who wasn’t Hugo), and hearing him brings back memories of the classic
Prime vs. Megatron battles. Sadly, I can’t praise the other Decepticons as they appear briefly and do not develop. The worst offender is
Starscream. He has none of the intelligence and cunning that he possessed in
the cartoon. In fact, Frenzy, a mini-con who can transform into CD players or
cellphones, is more Starscream than this movie’s Starscream!

Anyway, it all comes down to Autobots vs. Decepticons. That’s the buildup and it pays off, but only barely. Even if the fight scenes are a visual
feat, they are very amateurish when compared to 300. The camera shakes too
much, there’s too much explosion but (oddly?) too few civilian casualties, and
the action occurs too fast I can’t tell who is getting blown. Though the
audiences’s minds are getting blown, I wonder if anyone would have cared have
it not been for all the CG and for being Transformers. But maybe that’s the
whole point: it is fun because it’s Transformers.

Here’s what’s not fun: I watch Transformers thinking of transformable
sentient robots, not some black guy who shouts after he gobbles a dozen of
donuts. I don’t watch Transformers for lame dialogues such as Optimus Prime saying
“my bad”, or girls asking if Autobots are “tooth fairies”, or moms uttering the
“M word”. I don’t need the product placements too. Oh, and what’s a family
movie without the innuendos and fart jokes? Throw in a few Adam Sandler scenes
of Bumblebee “lubricating” and we have a homerun to haha-land. Classy.

Upon expressing my views to my friends, I was told that I didn’t like
the movie because I didn’t get it and wasn’t a Transformer fan. That’s damn
wrong! I AM a fan; I grew up watching Transformers, loved the animated
movie, and bought some toys with my hard earned cash. THE TRANSFORMERS is what we all grew to love, and that’s why I’m bitter with this movie. The robots beg more screen time and raise
questions worth exploring, but Bay is more interested with jingoism. Thus we
have a disaster, King Kong flick about humans fearing robots until they have reached
an understanding. Ironic that the animated movie defied formula yet this one couldn’t be more formulaic.

This is Bay’s best movie, but that’s simply not enough for Transformers fans (like me) who crave for more Transformers content. I’ve always thought that
Bryan Singer can do the movie better justice. Just imagine if X-men didn’t focus
on the mutants but on the military and government fronts.