image · weekend

Weekend report 0002

KarlLeave a comment

criminal-1_85f90c7bc8Read the first issue of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal over the weekend and was, for lack of better term, floored. Really, why can’t comics — or at least this one — be weekly instead of monthly? Methinks 30 days is too long to wait for Criminal issue #2.

And so my three-day weekend has come to an end. I like to believe it was productive — the thing I had to accomplish on Friday was accomplished, although it rankled me that my bank, unlike any other bank, couldn’t give me my certificate on the same day and had asked me to claim it by next week. And I paid P200 for that?! A pizza lunch with my mother and movies (Papillon, Hellboy) in the quiet afternoon helped calm my nerves.

Saturday was spent in Megamall attending the Manila Hobbies & Collectibles Convention 2019, my first toy event for the year. Scored two loose Marvel Legends figures (Sabretooth and the comics-version Vulture) for P1,900 — not bad. Delighted with the experience, I trooped to Yoshinoya afterward for my favorite beef bowl, and to Filbar’s for my comics fix.

Sunday was for rest and family, and reviewing the past two days, and mentally preparing myself for another predictably hectic workweek.

Listened to the Juliet, Naked OST, which is essentially an Ethan Hawke album.

image · life · work

Some days I feel like breaking rocks

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black-magick-1_2a4eb6beb0Picked a random #1 from my to-read pile today. I’ve a lot of those. What I do is: I read these #1’s then see from there if I should check out the rest of the series, either in TPB/HC form or, if I can’t find a physical copy, on the internet. Greg Rucka’s Black Magick, as expected, deserves more of my attention.

Last day of work for me today as tomorrow, Friday, I’m on VL. I need the break, plus I also have to start working on the visa requirements for the Planned Big Family Trip this summer. Today, however, did not let go of me easily. Work was unbecomingly hectic for a Thursday, and very little help was coming my way. Worse, I had this nagging feeling that some people secretly abhor me. Perhaps this was all just in my head — in fact, I’m pretty convinced it was — but, hell, it nagged at me the whole freaking day, and it made my nine-hour grind cold and brutal and lonely. And so much for that.

Learned today that Eyehategod will be in town in March. If everything drops according to early plans I’ll be watching them with a hot date. We’ll see…

Heavy traffic on my way home. Watched the first half of First Man on my Samsung tablet. Dropped by my mother’s place for a fried chicken dinner — first time I felt good today.

marvel · work

Of God & food

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005f441a9cc1899a77591ccf67fd8cf7_lFinished reading Thunderbolts: Violent Rejection today then quickly moved on to The Pulse featuring Jessica Jones. Finished the first story arc in bed before sleeping. Seems like I’m in one of my moods where all I want to do to de-stress and make sense of things is to read and read and read. Read until my eyeballs pop out of their sockets.

No invitations to morning drinks today. Instead the day was rich with all things Black Nazarene and heavy with Catholic dogma. Couldn’t look at footage of that seething mass of barefoot devotees in Quiapo without getting reminded of that creepy-ass Clive Barker story “In the Hills, In the Cities.” That day-long procession made every Pulp Summer Slam concert I attended look like book club meetings by comparison.

“Feeding program” at the office today courtesy of the January birthday celebrants, a bunch that includes moi. There was carbonara and lumpiang shanghai and chicken lollipops, among others. All were tasty. I punched out feeling grossly bloated.

Listened to Nirvana’s Nevermind on my way home. That album started it all, for me.

books · marvel · tv series · work

An invitation

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Thunderbolts_Vol_1_152Read me some Thunderbolts today, starting with issue #152, the issue that kicked off the Violent Rejection TPB. I ended the day with two issues short of finishing the collected edition. What can I say? Life interfered.

A friend just off her graveyard shift invited me through Facebook to an early morning drink today. She may only be half serious — indeed, one can’t, or shouldn’t, take anything they read on social media lock, stock and barrel — but I had this feeling we could’ve made it happen. Anyway, I didn’t press for it, and she went home to catch some zzzz’s. Still, I nursed the beautiful thought until it died a natural death, and then got busy with work, and that was that. Morning drinks can wait for another day.

Down to the last 100 pages of Bill Bryson’s brilliant Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe now. Hopefully I can finish this before the week ends so that I can move on to the year’s Book No. 2, which I haven’t quite figure out yet (Neil Strauss’ Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life is a strong candidate). Indeed, between the Thunderbolts TPB and Bill Bryson’s travelogue, I’m on a roll!

Also watched first episodes of Gotham S05 and Deadly Class S01.

life · marvel

Moral lessons

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X-Man_All_Saints_Day_Vol_1_1Today’s comic book was a random pick. And an old one at that. How old? How about the-last-few-frames-were-still-dedicated-to-the-story’s-moral lesson old? (This one’s about how you live your life, not how long). Not sure, but I think they stopped doing comics like that after 1999. Anyway, this may be dated, but not actually bad. It was, in fact, kind of fun.

Back to the normal scheme of things today. Anyone who woke up moaning about post-holiday blues was just prolonging the agony. Despite this, though, commuting to and from work was surprisingly not as bad as I had anticipated. I reached Antipolo early and therefore had time to visit my mother for dinner and conversation.

Saw someone today who reminded that, once upon a time, I was holding something precious in my hand, only to turn it into shit because of my stupidity. (No wonder I get emotional when I hear Weezer’s “Butterfly.”) Ah, well. That’s life I guess. Talk about moral lessons.

Perhaps it was the cold weather, but today, for the first time in a long while, I listened to a black metal album: Deathspell Omega’s Paracletus. Listened to it from first song to last.

 

image · tv series · weekend

Weekend report 0001

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51JabnlWLPL._SX323_BO1204203200_So despite a busy weekend I was still able to finish Deadly Class Vol 1: Reagan Youth. The SyFy series will drop this month and I intend to dive into it with background not culled from Wikipedia. I’m not lazy like that to the things that matter.

Turned 40 on Saturday. Spent it at the Venice Piazza, that fake Italy that is Taguig’s latest tourist attraction located at the posh McKinley Hill Town Center. Had lunch at Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, and tried the gondola ride at the canal that was complete with a singing boatman. It was all very nice. My in-laws shouldered the hefty bill, so there was that.

Then we checked in at F1 Hotel Manila for another night of “staycation.” After resting a bit we trooped to Uptown Place Mall for some hours of window shopping and aimless wandering. The place is very beautiful and comely at night. There were surprisingly few people frolicking about, so crowd was not a problem. At Filbar’s I bought Volume 1 of Fables as a birthday gift to self. Back at the hotel I tried watching cable TV, but was just too sleepy for it.

Sunday: Late breakfast at Army Navy (my first time), a couple more hours at the hotel just soaking up the place, then we checked out. Was at home by noon. Nap and comics and a creepy-ass movie called Mandy, and finally I called it a day.

Great birthday weekend, all in all.

DC Comics · movies

Bad news day

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HiCHeroes in Crisis is definitely my favorite ongoing miniseries. Made that conclusion after reading issue 4 today. I like everything about it — the dialogue, the pacing, the artwork. Clay Mann really has this talent of making his female look sexy and vicious, damaged and beautiful. Girls I want to save from themselves.

Terrible news: my brother’s best friend died today. Late thirties, felled by hypertension. A burst vein in the head, according to info reaching my brother, who is in the Middle East. I didn’t know the guy personally, but his death had this chilling effect on me. News of someone so young kicking the bucket is not the kind of news I want to hear on the eve of my 40th name day.

Ah, well. Life goes on.

Saw my first movie for the year: First Reformed. Ethan Hawke as a reverend experiencing spiritual crisis. Movie’s OK, but fuck that ending. I was expecting something, uhm, explosive.

Also today: finally bought the missus her belated Xmas gift: Sony earphones she can use while working out. Exactly what she wished for.

Yay! And another workweek comes to an end.

comics · feelz · marvel

A day of disconnect

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cleanNot even comic gods are infallible: Eight issues in and Skottie Young’s 2018 Deadpool run hits the proverbial bump in the road. Not a major one, but a bump nevertheless. I guess what I’m saying is I didn’t enjoy issue 8 as much as I enjoyed issues 1-7. Here’s hoping that issue 9 will be a rebound.

Or perhaps I was just too downhearted today to appreciate dear ‘ol Wade’s wisecracks.

Indeed, some days I feel like there’s a big gulf between me and the rest of humanity. I’d be in a room full of people — the office, for example — but I’d feel miles away from the nearest person. It’s an uncomfortable, if not sad feeling. And it makes the long hours seem longer.

So it’s no wonder that on my way home I blasted my ears with old-school metal. Grave, Dismember, Bolt Thrower — one can never go wrong with these death-obsessed gore freaks on days when you just want to smash rocks, if not faces.

comics

First for the year

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filbars

Pushed to Filbar’s in Megamall after work today for my first comic pickups for the year. Figured it was a good day for it as there were still fewer people out and therefore fewer vehicles on the streets — one of those extremely rare days when it can be said that commuting is a “breeze.” Reminded myself not to enjoy it too much.

Anyway, new comic books are in. Of the bunch I’m most excited to read Heroes in Crisis #4.

Back home I put my father cap on and helped the kiddo with her lessons. It was a difficult task as the subject was Math. Turned out passionate dislike for numbers and computation runs in the blood. Needless to say, I don’t think I did a pretty good job as a parent today. Fuck that shit.

Was actually feeling a bit sleepy today so I picked a rather aggressive jam: Metallica’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct.

marvel · work

First day

KarlLeave a comment

X-Force_Vol_1_48Read only one comic book today — an old X-Force issue from 1995 scored on sale from Comic Quest last year. It’s Boomer getting chided by her teammates for her closeness with Sabretooth. Interesting. Glad to have finished it before sleep overpowered me.

It’s been a weird and dismal first day of the year. My first memory of it was standing on the deserted ML Quezon Avenue at 5 a.m. waiting for an available tricycle. It was dark and drizzly, and passing tricycles were few and far between, and already occupied by passengers. I smoked, I grumbled, I cursed having to work early on a holiday.

But just as when I was about to lose hope a tricycle with no passenger magically appeared in front of me. I nearly hugged the driver. I was then off to my first working day of the year. Listened to Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms on Spotify and allowed my brain to go blank inside the dark belly of a Cubao-bound UV Express.

At the office, things were hectic to the point of migraine.