X-Men: Reborn Onscreen...

When i heard that a new X-Men movie was going to be shot, i had my reservations and wasnt so enthusiastic about it. Even when the movie was already completed and stills and trailers were coming out, i wasnt still so excited about it. Didnt even bother checking youtube or other sites for promo video clips, etc. Here are two reasons:

1. What would X-Men movie be without the original cast? I know for sure this new outing is a prequel to the X-Men saga. The origin of X-Men so the cast would consist of mutants when they were younger. Still, i was expecting younger Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Jean Grey, with possible addition of few more mutants. Maybe my favorite, Gambit... the original X-Men team as seen on TV and read on comic books.

2. X-Men, The Last Stand was a total bummer! They messed up the story big time, totally re-wrote X-Men and came up with their own stupid story to the dismay of many X-Men followers. They killed Cyclops who is actually the leader of the pack. They reduced Jean Grey/Phoenix into a state of catatonia who did nothing but followed where Magneto went. Stripped off Rogue of her powers totally opposite with that in comic books. Depowered Mystique tooThey even killed Professor X. Every die hard X-Men fan just wanted to crucify the makers of the Last Stand.

But X-Men is X-Men and it's good to see my favorite characters of 15 plus years come to life... At least onscreen. So last night i went to see the movie. It was surprisingly good. It totally redeemed what The Last Stand movie has destroyed. The first half was the most interesting part as it introduced us to Magneto's and Professor X's origins. We also had the understanding why Mystique was with Magneto in the original X-Men movies . And how Hank McCoy became Beast.

The story has few contradictions with the other X-Men movies, including that of X-Men Wolverine, [i.e., in Origins: Wolverine, Emma Frost was still young as one of those captured by Stryker's force. So how come in First Class  which was shot in the 60's Frost is a grown up adult? And how did she end up being on the bad side?] The choice of mutants wasnt also very smart. Although it was interesting to see Cyclops' brother, Havok onscreen, i'm still wondering how he got on the team since he is more with the X-Factor team, not the X-Men...

One thing that's always irked me about the X-Men  films is that there are always a few characters that seem to have absolutely no introduction or development of any kind. For example, that this red-faced almost devil-like baddie who can teleport and beat the snot out of any innocent bystanders in the process. I didn't even know his name was Azazel until I looked it up online. The same could be said for another villain who could make tornadoes appear at his leisure. His look seemed a bit out of place and, again, he was another character i had to look up online to learn his name was Riptide. With so many X-Men characters in comic books, not even a die hard fan can know them all... A little background would have been nice. For the kids in the movie, they did pretty well setting up each character from their recruitment to when they first get the chance to leap into action. In that way, it felt like the first film. It also was nice to see Charles out of his iconic wheelchair and involved more in the action.

Despite the flaws, the movie fared really well. The story was well written and more consistent. As an action movie, it will give you your time and money's worth... Plus, if you've seen the x-men cartoon on tv in the 90's, you would notice that the color of the x-men uniform [blue and yellow] matches the color of the teams' uniform on tv. That, i really appreciated from the movie.

Like the other X-Men and Batman movies, i am so going to watch this movie twice in the theaters. What? Im a mutant freak...

Too much of anything isnt good...

i am so awake despite only few hours of sleep. but i also feel tired and a little lethargic. must be the load of caffeine i took late last night. went out for a breather. unwind as we call it. not a vary fancy way of unwinding but just spent some time at this area dotted with tea shops and food stalls. it's where i often hang-out either alone or with some local buddies, just near my place. the four coffee shops were packed with people as Manchester United was playing and winning. i first had cold milk tea... followed by warm coffee as i play with my fone, facebooking. it was my version of getting drunk... haha!

you know, some days when life throws you curve ball and you hit and miss. [baseball language, folks]. feels like the year aint ending right. somewhere, somehow, somethin's aint right. makes sleep a little elusive.... last night was one of those.

anyhoo, going back to my caffeine overdose. at least it now gives me something to write about. i love coffee. i wouldnt imagine how morning would be like without coffee. after dinner tea or coffee is also nice to help with the digestion and helps neutralize that greasy and heavy feeling after a big meal. but not when you drink it like you're drinking wine or juice... anything that is too much, no matter how good it looks isnt good. too much coffee will deprive you of sleep. too much alcohol will make you sleep but gives you a bad hangover.

i am having another experience of that... i was given this huge box of cookies for christmas. i love cookies. my eyes roll everytime i see cookies. so i started munching on these cookies since yesterday... while sitting. facebooking. listening to music. there are still some left but cant seem to eat anymore. there's just too much it's making sick in the stomach.

but when do we know when much is too much? too much love. too much pain. too much too soon. when do we decide to stop a while and find time for something else? is there any exception to this "too much of anything isnt good?" is there anything out there which we cant get enough of even if it's already overflowing? just a thought...

friends, cyberworld, and crossing cultures

recently, in just couple months,  i have had the chance to bond with new friends more than i have done for the last couple of years... people of other culture and language... there were those from northeast, india who surprsingly actually look like southeast asians... then one from nepal who shared his many adventures and misadventures while living in china... a few from the western hemisphere with their eloquence and home-made cookies... and of course those from my own country who captures my jokes better than any other foreign friend... never had i thought that i'd be meeting such people. ordinary people with extra-ordinary abilities... people who'd give the characters of "heroes" a run for their money... people you'd wish just lived next door... to hang out with on a rainy night... to tell endless stories of unusual experiences. to share jokes and laughters with. to disagree with. to encourage... or to annoy with our playfulness... to play the recent practical joke you learned from your favorite sit-com with... to eat buffet with, until you both are sick in the stomach.

but we all have our own God-given destiny to pursue... dreams to catch... lands to conquer. we all have specified roads to travel as ordained by the Creator. until we come to that day where we will all be one with the Father, we all are bound to go our own way just as God has planned.

still we are connected...somethings keeps us bonded even if we are miles away... we have one God that binds us together.... in Him we are one family...

and then there's what we call the cyberworld. connecting us together in comforts of our homes. it's where people from across the seven seas feel like just next to us... facebook. twitter. skype. choose what's best for you... there are some who dont even call or text anymore. they just message thru facebook. like you are expected to be online 24/7... cyberspace... amazing... or not.

Seven Years in T-T-T-Thailand...

Has it been that long? Feels like I've barely started living here... The first seven years were the expiremental stage. Being here but not really belonging. Not that I barely have Thai friends cause I have a lot... Bhuddists, Muslims and some Christians. I guess the recent violence that happened helped me discover how close Thailand really is to me. I have blogged about that last month.

Here i just want to point some unrealized changes in a foreigner's or expat's life that determine or suggest that he's been living in Thailand for long. So... drumroll...


You Know You've Been Too Long In Thailand When...

- You habitually look both ways when crossing a one way street.

- You wear a wooly hat and gloves and scarf when it drops below 30 degrees.

- You wear black jacket or a sweatshirt even if it's 35 degrees outside.
 
- You enjoy som tam [papaya salad] with a few chicken feet on the side.
 
- You wear shiny leather shoes to work then change into flip-flops upon arrival.

- You pluck your face at traffic lights.

- You stand and watch a video in Power Buy or other home appliance store.

- You laugh your head off at jokes you can't understand.

- Taxi drivers already understand you.

- You walk to the pub with your arm around your mate.

- Not only does it NOT bother you that a lady is cleaning the urinal next to the one you are using, but that you also start to have a casual chat with her.

- You are not surprised [and even feel excited] when the lady who owns the pub or food shop asks if you know anyone who will teach her son English.
 
- You are always thinking it must be time for the next meal.

- You start sticking a nasal inhaler up your nose every five minutes.  

- The spiciest Indian and Mexican dishes taste bland.
 
- You own a rice cooker and an electric frying pan.
 
- You automatically sit on the floor to eat even though there is a perfectly good table and chairs in the same room.

- You smother a perfectly fine pizza with ketchup.

- And you call ketchup "tomato sauce."

- You put salt in your sweet dessert and fresh fruit juice or smoothie.

- And you put sugar on your noodles, and other dishes that they already taste like desserts.

- You think nothing of the guy in front of you picking his nose.

- You think of nothing of the girl on the bus putting on her make up.

- You carry your stuff around, [especially food] in a plastic bag.

- You start speaking in broken English.

- You meet someone called Steve you call him "Sateve''.

- You describe anyone who has ever lived within a two kilometer radius of you as "my brother''.

- And when you say the word "krap" [for males] and "kha" for females and/or the word "na" at the end of every sentence.

 
[some of the above observations are not my own... regardless, there's no pun intended... these are very real and legal aspects of thai culture and practices. we have our own unsusual practices in our cultures.]

Confessions of a Cross-cultural Geek

Just at the time that Philippines was having election for new president and other major political positions, Thailand was having political trouble which started in March and went on until this month of May. It was only last week that the situation has escalated which resulted to extreme violence. It is not the intent of this post to talk about what happened, how it happened, and who were responsible. Instead i just want to write about its effect on me being in Thailand for almost seven years now.
I was not able to pay close attention to news about my country (though i tried to be updated) because the situation in this country had been making big, disturbing, and painful news. I have never realized the depth of my attachment to this nation until all that had happened within the last two months. I have come to realize that Thailand has indeed become a second home... I followed the events. Watched news on TV and read opinions on the internet... wanting to know what to pray for. I have never been so interested in politics as i have a very limited understanding of it. But Thailand was under severe trial and as an expat who's  been trying to learn to speak, read and write the language, understand the culture and adapt those which i think make sense to my personality, i knew i had to be aware. I wanted to be relevant... to be able to sympathize with friends.

That was what was surprising... how subconsciuosly, Thailand has become so much already a part of me. Doesnt matter if i dont earn as much as some people i know who chose to be in more progressive countries. Doesnt matter if traffic is so bad and weather too hot almost all year round. At the end of the day, i know that at this point of time i'm where i am suppsed to be...