Where I've been, what I bring
I. Where I’ve been
It’s been my third week on two wheels. It is not my primary mode of transport yet, but I hope it gets there. Emil has been kind enough to make time for me once or twice a week to bike around with me, and has since given me the blessing to “be brave”.
So since I have permission to brave, over the last week or so I have done the following routes on two wheels:
-Corinthian Gardens Subdivision to White Plains.
-Mandaluyong to Wilson Street, San Juan via Martinez Avenue.
-Mandaluyong to High Street via Guadalupe.
-Mandaluyong to Makati via Rockwell and Makati Avenue.
No close calls so far. So far, so good. I need to build up stamina for those uphill climbs though!
The Athleta is heavier than I expected though, so it beats its portability. People have been kind enough to help me haul it in taxi cabs and up steps, but am not so sure if I’d want to try hauling it in the MRT. As early as now I’m already preparing myself for a future purchase of a more portable bike late next year, most likely a Dahon or a Strida.
II. What I bring
Now that I am ready for a long haul, it was time to – as the games say – “equip”!
When you’ve started commuting via bike, you should pack a first aid kit and some tools just in case. You should have a bike bag on you for these things.
I am due for a crash course on how to do minor fixes on bikes, but just in case, I am slowly piecing together a toolkit for the little things. I panicked over a bit of a chain problem some days, which got quickly fixed with a slight nudge from a pair of pliers. Thing with folding bikes, you have to prepare for little knobs here and there that need that extra tightening. So far, most of my fixes have been manageable. For major fixes, I was lucky enough to be in the vicinity of a bike shop to get straightened out.
I also had to be more diligent about packing a “vanity” kit for when I get to my destination. In the vanity kit is extra deodorant, baby powder, a small towel, and cologne. A number of things spill over from the first aid kit, such as painkillers and headache medicine.
Looks like we’re good to go!
Are you a fellow urban biker? What’s in your bag?
The cost of a job – a review of OTJ
OTJ is a Reality Entertainment and Star Cinema production but it is far from feel-good. It takes one away on thrilling chase-and-shoot scenes across gritty Metro Manila, but its connect to the country’s social political reality is a punch in the gut. OTJ is the film for those wondering why the Philippines is what it is; why, for a democracy, we’re only furthered treaded on by the mishaps of actors turned politicians, how one woman can singlehandedly get away with pocketing billions of pesos of public funds in 10 years.
The reviews have remarked on its remarkable allusion to current events, so I won’t dwell too much on that, so I’ll just leave you with this damning quote from their politiko-villain, General Pacheco (played by Leo Martinez),
“Do you think the president, the lawmakers are running this country? Kung wala kaming mga pulis at militar, matagal nang walang demokrasya. Now we are running this country. Join us. And then maybe one day you will have your revenge…”
(Do you think the president, the lawmakers are running this country? If there were no police and military, there would be no democracy. Now we are running this country. Join us. And then maybe one day you will have your revenge.)
How much longer do we settle with the lesser evil in the hopes that our country will get better?
Disclaimer: while I am personally associated with one of the crew members of the movie, the opinions in this blog entry are entirely my own and do not reflect or represent Reality, Star, or any other authorized body. This is just me doing my part in promoting great Filipino cinema.
Catch OTJ at local cinemas near you. Click here for schedules. For those based in North America, OTJ is distributed by WellGo USA and is set to tour there in late September and October. Watch out for schedules in your local district.
About the empty desk: A review of 'Another' the anime series
I watched Perfect Blue and the first release of Neon Genesis Evangelion the series as a teenager, and didn’t bat an eyelash. Another made me want to turn out my brain, and my heart. It also sent me off to sleep with nightmares.
Don’t let the bright colors and moe-moe fool you. You’re in for a ride. There’s also a live action movie and a manga if you prefer something “real”, but I hear the anime is especially gruesome.
When recommending Another to me, Nikki built up the legend around it. It started with a high school class in a town outside of Tokyo. The class mourned the sudden death of one of their classmates, a girl. In memoriam, her desk was left empty and unoccupied.
Then one day, one classmate looked at her desk and said, “Oh, she’s still with us! She’s not dead!” Whether he was joking or not, the rest of the class started to act as if She had never left. Come class picture day, her desk was even made part of their school picture.
When the picture was developed, it revealed the dead student, in her seat, as if she had never left.
Then one by one, strange things started to happen to the class. More deaths followed. The class has become cursed. What started it? What can end it? That’s where the series takes off.
Another is not just another ghost story. The ghosts of Another are demons we can only really outlive but never exorcise: high school alienation and bullying. If anything, bad behavior for being kids is even more justified by fear of dying young in the series. Sadly, while done in “good conscience”, it doesn’t lift the curse. The curse storms on. More people, innocent or not, die.
Much like high school, we can only watch, horrified and helpless, as it all unfolds.
Now Showing on EDSA
Sometimes, the EDSA bus works. Most of the time, I prefer taking the bus over dealing with the spawns of Satan that are 90% of Metro Manila Taxi drivers. The bus will stop where it says it will (coding permitting). It does not haggle. It drives through the traffic. And when I need it, it will get me from Boni to Fairview for under 50 bucks, with GMA7 or a movie playing.
When it’s not GMA7 programming, the usual movies shown on the bus range from Death Race 2 or whatever movie that has Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, or The Rock. Local movies range from old FPJ films or some Star Cinema romance.
Sometimes, you might even catch gay softcore films, which I did, on one Philcoa bus. It was surreal, watching Detective Donald Strackey reminisce one hot night in the barracks onscreen while everyone else in the bus went about their business. Then again, maybe the world would be a better place if it really was like that — taking it as it is.
I also caught Endhiran, boasted to be the most expensive Bollywood film ever made. Even without subtitles it was clearly a mish-mash of The Matrix Reloaded, Robocop, and Bicentennial Man, with Bollywood numbers of course.
Caught any interesting movies during your commute?
The femme, lost. In translation.
Over the weekend, Nikki showed me the music video for Make the Girl Dance’s ‘Baby, Baby, Baby’. It was a catchy beat with a gripping, simple concept: bare yourself. I liked it for being brave and overall gorgeous.
Rated content, may not be work safe.
I looked up the English translation, and I was a little piqued at how it was not as…’strong’ as I hoped it would be. But, as the translation warned, there are a lot of references and in-jokes that would be lost in translation. You can read it here.