singularity my ass

when i’m not writing, the real writing, i fuss over shitty stupid things like cable tv.

this whole HD bullshit is screwing everything and the blanket of pretense that a) it will happen (thrice postponed) and b) it will be awesome, is being shredded by the day.

i miss old fashioned, analog tv where you just click on the tube and lo and behold, wonders.

nowadays, this super hi-tech, super expensive apparatus of mind control is just impossible. there is the cable, the physical one, there is the cable, the provider and then there are the players and the recorders. at minimum, there are three remote controls to subdue at any given time. to get these things to work harmoniously with each other, one needs the deft hands michael kamen. or the iron fist of steve jobs.

i’m knocking on wood, but i think these pieces of shit and the lack of customer care will give me the heart attack that will shuffle my insignificant ass off this mortal coil.

so the indian at the other end of the line (and the rumors are true, them indians call center agents have names like justin or matthew or lance even though their accents are as dead giveaways as a cooking curry in a vacuum) gave the reset instructions because the cable was acting up again with the usual delayed powering on, if and when it decides to turn itself on, unfinished TiVoing, stuck channels, etc. so we called and followed his instructions but when the whole crap restarted he hung up. just like that. the fucker hung up on a customer. not even a namaste and shiva bless you.

i actually laughed, despite not getting the godsdamned crap to work.

so there are three things that are racing on my mind.

1) fuck cable. there’s netflix streaming (pc only or pc2tv) and netflix dvd (we still have a dvd player). worthwhile tv shows could be had through hulu or the ever dependable xtorrent.

2) switch to fiber optics. this feels funs. as of now, fiber optics companies are giving for free 100+ of HD channels compared to cable’s 7. and it’s cheaper by 35 dolyares. the only reason that we opted out because the internet connection came in first and we just bundled the cable a week after. tigilan na ang maling pagtitipid. this shoves apple tv out the window because it’s costly (2 dolyares a show despite a day’s delay. wtf?)

3) forego mindless entertainment altogether. no tv and dvd. period. at the risk of belonging to the .ooo something percent of american hipster elitists who declare themselves to be beyond tv (i read somewhere on stuffwhitepeoplelike that not owning a tv is as cool as getting a harvard degree in physics or adopting a child from myanmar). but then again, i’ve always had this pride being a hampas lupang probinsyano who couldn’t even afford a tv. this option also has an upside to alcohol. all the quarters and the pennies that i’ve tucked away in a plastic jar so i can afford Wii would be better spent on beer. and wieners and cheese from the deli.

now, i have to strategize this with the breadwinner. got a go on the ‘talica concert tickets last night, but i don’t want to push my tin.

***

over the weekend, we got a subway scare when a nigger who calls himself “a nigger who’s got no-nothing to lose anymore” called the american president “obama-bitch in the whitehouse” threatened the whole ride with “watchagannado when this nigger detonates a bomb in this train, huh?”. he then insulted the chinese and the koreans and the whites. and this being the subway, not a cop was in sight. maybe because the intel hasn’t yet said that it is a ripe spot for an attack.

***

from all the office stories by joy and her friends, i  can pigeonhole their office mates into two groups. 1. those that are incompetent. 2. those that are incompetent but declare very loudly to the gods and the partners that they are the best evah that happened to the firm. i miss inter-office scratch-me-in-the-back-while-i-stab-yours.

ref magnetic

after madonna comes ‘talica.

i hope the wife remembers the deal.

capitalist ulrich band will be taking our hard earned money this november and the tickets will be on sale in around 10 days. lords, let us afford even the nosebleed seats. 

things to give up: another pair of glasses, wait, i will never have another as long as the raybans are alive. so it might be broadway shows or new orleans. i wish i have a job. no, that’s not true either.

now i go and erase the jethro tull playlists off the iPhone.

for dante

things thought at 1 am

finally, the temperature is approaching the 40s and a fleece jacket under a hoodie and lots of willpower can make it to the subway and then times square and back.

on the way earlier, saw a dude, long hair and all things screaming a stoner, rolling a joint on the sidewalk. spring is in the air. i miss valium. this past week til tonight, morpheus seems difficult to summon except with alcohol.

***

saw the news that facebook will begin charging soon. that’s when i turned off the tv and picked up a book. read this week at NY Times that its value dropped by 1o million US dolyares within a year and its pimple-ridden fucktard of a CEO must be having more pimples thinking of more revenue generating apps and layout. it seemed that nobody is clicking on the ads, because, really, why would you click on an ad when all you want to do is take a peek of what your friends’ attempt at projecting a life are  (in any given day, there’s always a loser who ends his/her status message with the word “sigh” as if the weight of all nonexistent social life is too much to bear).  so now the idea is to make the ads as loud and as many as the content. good luck. if you won’t click on a very small, quiet ad, why would you click on a big, intrusive ad? i hope it collapses to death. pixel exhibitionism and voyeurism is becoming beyond boring.

***

two books on the plate. the first is another doomsday book with an unusual premise that what if humanity just stopped breeding all of a sudden. the second is an anthology from the weird mind of jeff vandermeer.

today

• because nature is a mother, the first day of spring snowed and the temperature dropped to 21 degrees F. F as in fuck. i have to wear heavy gear to the library. good finds though.

• the deed is done. revision next week. maybe two other entries to bake before april 30.

• i wish i had the money to eat korean every week. baby octopus rice.

• now i go and try have a life by spending quality time on important things like bashing the new fezbuk format and calling tweeter folks bores full of self-importance.

tomorrow

officially, the weathermen have declared it to be spring. huzzah. shorts and tsinelas and tee-shirts while ogling neked chicks in central park. and the fairs with its sinful food stalls.

but first, the palanca deadline loometh. no excuses this year as compared the year before when i mostly spent 8 hours out of doors and do not have the energy to write after. so.

and second, the books to read, down to 3 titles on the pile. 

and thirdly, the films to watch through netflix streaming. primer, timecrimes, and right at your door (just because it sounds related to “let the right one in).

the weekend beginneth.

words on the ref

a habit way, way back. i stick quotes on the ref door.

this gem, the latest:

“Even though I’m aware that writers are just regular folks, words are still the best magic I know about. Put in the right order, they can excite me, comfort me, and take me out of myself like nothing else can.”

     –Poppy Z. Brite

wordless

times square is getting devirginized

one of the landmarks in the center of the world is closing shop.

this could only mean two things:

1 – everything is on sale.

2 – i have to find another pissing spot. to do a hannibal lecter: i have many a fine pisses there. that’s because the precious restrooms at virgin are clean, well-lit and the doors are always open – no chance of getting ass-raped.

the only good news which won’t even make a dent on the bad is that i was able to liberate a copy of *rewired: the post cyberpunk anthology* at 30% off from the shelves that are also for sale. this might drop down to 70% next week but there are only 3 copies left.

the DVDs are mostly gone but not the CDs. i saw U2’s new album in all formats except .mp3.

i hope vinyl, a record store’s only hope, really makes a comeback. 

sad.

***

i am praying to my gods that  there be an alternative manhattan scene in the watchmen DVD where the squid wrecked havoc than a nuclear blast. i doubt it (for how would that set up mr. blueballs unless it’s a new ending altogether) but that would really be cool.

***

bad puns in headlines are already in so it must be spring. like: spring into summer (clothing), spring into running (shoes), spring into free shipping (online deals). last year’s headlines were: fall into winter, fall into running, fall into free shipping.  i am not making this shit up. 

***

anne hathaway is doing shakespeare at the park this spring. twelfth night, i think. now i have to check whether it has some nude scenes.

i miss greenbelt 3 cinemas

saw *watchmen* in the nearest cinema and i know i’m seeing it again on a bigger theater in times square.

while it was a fairly pleasant experience, i remember the things that annoy me whenever i watch a movie in this city:

• the lights. no one extinguishes them on time. one even doused the godsdamn thing halfway through a screening.

• the restrooms are always outside of the screening room. as in, in the hallway (if you’re lucky) or on another floor (if it’s not just your day).

• the token obnoxious nigger. yes, i’m being racist because that’s what the sons-of-bitches, simian brothers, and descendant of slaves are. niggers in all the sense of the word. i’ve experienced watching a film where one laughed whenever there’s silence. at another time, one cursed after every scene. even the way they sit is a fucking headache. putting the feet on the front seat, draping their shit on the next seat, using around three seats (the kind with foldable armchairs so their bitches can recline as if watching on a sofa). so, one more time. die obnoxious niggers!

the ray-ban has been drinking and the generic has just retired

got the wayfarer transition lensed. happiness. almost made up for the bullshit the store phoned in: there will be a delay as the lens got some scratches so they have to reorder. the bullshit meter almost went through the roof. like an AE explaining that the printer is broken. ha. no matter that it it took longer and three times costlier than vision express, this is a thing of beauty and will be forever on my eyes. the other is retired (except for deep frying, hehehe) and the first ray-ban is for safety (the kind that’s always on the travel bag with the passport but never taken out).

another small victory was finding a cleaning spray at costco for 5 bucks that include 2 chamois, a double agent screwdriver, and get this, a lifetime refill of the godsdamn spray. i’ve tried everything from soap to shampoos to alcohol and while they do the trick, the convenience just isn’t there, so this is one huzzah discovery.

right now i feel like a dork as my eyes are not yet accustomed to the thick frame. it’s easy to pretend like i’m wearing a steampunk googles, a superhero mask and other such dorkiness.

speaking of which, all the discussion fora and the reviews are calling zach snyder a hack (excact terms: marketed by the studio as a “visionary director” after making two films – the first of which is a remake – visionary meaning a glorified hack.) from village voice to the avclub and newsweek. wtf indeed. this man is the fucker who filmed what was unfuckingfilmable to begin with. can a kurt vonnegut novel adaptation be far behind? time, being an affiliate of warner bros., has yet to give a remark. 

now, it’s time to open the window and let some draft in…the snow is finally melting.

the angels shredding dandruff

past the 24-hour mark of snowing, the most amount of piled up snow we’ve seen ever and yet there is no sign of stopping. that it is going to be long winter is becoming beyond just an expression.

after panic comes the sloth and i’m so useless we’re lunching on leftovers despite joy’s working from home which at least deserves sinigang na hipon. instead i’m reading everything from all the issues of rollingstones that i never got to even open and entertainment weekly – only for the diablo cody column. books too, a is for alien, best american fantasy, steampunk, and currently beyond black. this one is beyond beyond as only british humor, or is that humour? can pull the fuck off. there’s also the happy soul industry that’s next in line as unlike other people, i can never read two works of fiction at the same time no matter how i try. 

i’m having this brilliant idea to go see the park only so that i won’t be sleeping like a pig after lunch.

and while i’m it, there’s also the download of steven segal’s art films titled pistol whipped and kill switch. who am i to resist?