'Hitchhiker's Guide' in 'The Pacifier'

I am waiting for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie for so long now, that forgot all about it. Its trailer was in front of The Pacifier, which I saw last Saturday. I didn't like The Pacifier at all. There were some laughs, but not enough to make me feel that I am watching a comedy movie. Vid Diesel's comic antics looks very awkward. His co-stars are no exceeptions. Or maybe the script is really just that silly and the actors couldn't help it. I like the fact that Lauren Graham was there, even though I feel that her talent wasn't put to good use in that movie. I mean, c'mon, she's very funny as Lorelai in The Gilmore Girls. And I like the "soundbites" from The Sound of Music. Hearing some songs from The Sound of Music in a Dolby-surround-sound theatre is wonderful. It sent chills down my spine. The Sound of Music is the first musical that I saw and I saw it only on TV. But I like it so much then and now that some songs, though I have not memorized them, are forever sketched in some small part of my brain. I wish they'd re-release the musical in theatres; digitally remastered, of course.

The trailer from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy looks very promising.

Life is a comedy

The motorized sikad ride on my way to work today was very funny. As you know, motorized sikad is a very noisy kind of local cab we have here. The driver kept on talking to me without realizing that I can't understand a thing that he was saying. So out of respect, I kept on alternating nodding my head, and smiling, and then saying yes. Inside I was laughing very hard.

That sticky feeling

It's official. Summer is here in my city. For two days in a row now, I woke up feeling sticky even though it rained the night before. Summer is here. It came late, but it's here. I think our city is indeed experiencing a climate change. Summer was supposed to come around late March; about a month ago. And rainy season is supposed to commence early May, but now I expect it to begin early June.

Benedict XVI

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, age 78, from Germany, Dean of the College of Cardinals, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, becomes Pope Benedict XVI after three rounds of voting. Long live the Pope! He's not as stern-looking when he smiles. I don't think I've ever seen him smile during the media coverage surrounding the death of John Paul II. I think he's a very good choice for a pope. God bless the cardinals.

No Pope emerged for April 18, 2005

The first vote was taken and as expected no cardinal emerged as the new Pope.

Smart online places

The following are links to some smart online places, you know, those sites na dili makabugok.

One Word

You'll see one word, then you have approximately sixty seconds to write about it. I say approximately because your entry is not posted immediately. You have to click Post to actually post what you wrote. So you can cheat. But then again, what for? It is not graded. You don't receive any money for it. You won't be famous for it. In other words, you cheat and you cheat yourself.

Poetry in Motion

You see the last few lines of a poem and you have sixty seconds to write the next line in ten words or less. Brilliant!

One Caption

You see a photo and you have sixty seconds to write a one-line caption. Marvelous!

All three websites are from the same company or person.

Poor man's pensieve

Every time I go to sleep, I think of a lot of things to add to this blog. But by the time I wake up, I forget all about them or lose interest on them. I wish my brain is connected to this blog. That way everything that I think gets stored here for future perusal. It will be sort of like a poor man's pensieve, or a Muggle's pensieve (the more appropriate term).

The 24-hour line

This is a map of the queue when it was halted some twenty four hours before the doors of St. Peter's Basilica are actually closed for public viewing of the remains of Pope John Paul II.

Things I've learned today:

• The conclave to elect the new pope will begin on Monday, April 18, 2005.
• The pope's last will is seventeen pages long, written in Polish, and written on various stages of his pontificate. It will be published Thursday (Rome Time).
• Jaime Cardinal Sin, archbishop emeritus of Manila, won't be able to attend the conclave due to health problems.

Procession

This is what I was watching last night up until about 12:30 a.m. local time. I dub what I'm doing as televigil. Monday night is usually comedy night for me with Star World's Friends, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Fraser. Not last night. I mourn the pope's death. I also did a televigil (CNNi, Fox News, BBC World) last Saturday in solidarity with those in St. Peter's Square praying for the pope up until 12 midnight. Tonight, perhaps I'll spend my televigil with EWTN.

Things I learned last night

• The pope's funeral will be on Friday, April 8, 2005, with services starting at 8 a.m. GMT.
• The royal wedding scheduled on Friday is postponed by one day.
• Books by and about the pope is selling like hotcakes.

I mourn the passing of Pope John Paul II, a man whom I greatly admire. Why, you might ask. For one thing, it's because I am Catholic. For another, it's because I choose it so. Some people mourn the loss of a movie star. I choose to mourn the loss of a religious leader and philosopher.

Pope John Paul II is dead.

The beloved pope died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at 9:37 PM GMT+2 (Apr 3, 3:37 AM Philippine Time). Reasons for death are septic shock and cardiocirculatory collapse. He was 84.

Farewell, Pope John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II is dying.

I really thought he would be able to visit the Philippines one last time before his death. It is not going to be so.