“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? VIOLENCE?”

IRRATE WEATHER, to say the least. a couple of thunderstorms in the sense of thunder and storm fucking each other. rain and wind and cloudy skies and the rest of attitude adjustments that come with it. the humidity that comes just before the storm. these are portents for winter. everyday after all just leads to winter.

FRIDAY WE watched the opening of the XXX olympics. while it has its moments, it is but a drop in the bucket that is china. the whole thing somehow felt small and amateurish. danny boyle made half the ceremony into a film and if it was not exciting on TV, i could only imagine the yawnfest of seeing it live. the world being so exposed to brit culture, awe is indeed very hard to build. even the technicals seemed to be in scarcity. seriously, the queen jumping off a helicopter? if you can’t do her to do it live, why do it at all?

WOKE UP very early in the morning of saturday to line up for shakespeare at the park. sayeth the marshall/security guard at the public theater: lining up for half a day is part of the experience. i agree. thankfully there is madam rica and jc medina and at&t and reading materials. the play itself was superb. the treatment for the wolf and little red riding hood was worth it. a fucking pinoy faggot and a fucking white faggot almost ruined my experience. thankfully, there is vino so after the play, i stared at the two sodomites and then made a verbal jab about getting fucked in the ass. no one rose to the bait.

SUNDAY AND we took a trip downtown for mission chinese. this deserves an entire entry but i will try. first there is the look of the staff. all are exquisitely manufactured in the psuedo-hipster sense of the word (pseudo because real hipsters don’t get a job. they just con other people and if that is not enough, lives off garbage cans). shirts, shorts, shoes, hairdo are all standard issue from the pages of an alternate urban outfitters catalogue. second there is the place itself. the pretense at the lack of pretense is maintained throughout down to the sense of mortal danger should a fire suddenly erupt. third is the level of music that allows for conversation, something that is rarity in new york nowadays. they are playing the cure and morrissey at a decibel that approaches KGB bar. very nice indeed. finally there is the food. we got spicy wings with beef tripe, pigs ears, and salted cod rice. excellent. we finished everything. we will definitely be going back to try the lamb and the rest.

WE SAW ruby sparks and was rewarded by a surprise q&a with paul dano, who sounded as intelligent and interesting in person as he does as a film character.

THE PILE of bond papers scribbled with notes is getting thicker by the day. today i nailed down the arc of the antagonist. i now know where he is coming from and has seen where he is going. it is just the middle of the journey that i am making up as i go along, which is the agony and the ecstasy of writing fiction. the protagonist is appearing on the horizon and i hope to complete his arc soon. and i hope i do his character justice as in all my writings, i really am pro-antagonist. go figure. yes, i am really excited for this one and i hope i can start the first chapter before summer ends or by fall at the earliest.

 

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“I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS”

THE FEVER that is summer has broken. last week, thunderstorms and a hail incident lowered the temperatura to desirable level. windows have been opened and the AC has been shut down. people even wore scarves. a few spring coats could be seen. me, i still hope summer would stay for a while longer.

 

I REMEMBER a conversation i had during the reading with a couple of people who asked me how was writing the novel. i told them that it was just something to do as winter in new york is so long. the reply was: we are from canada, so… to which i could only smile and nod.

 

THE DARK knight rises movie was an immense joy. me and the missus had lunch at koreatown for some unmarinated galbi (the only way to enjoy bbq) and seafood tofu soup and then walked the food coma to the cinema. people were already lined up as early as a quarter to 3 for the 5 PM imax screening. luckily i brought along a book and we took turns reading. the line soon grew to more than the whole block. dogs being walked provided much needed distraction.

 

WE WERE seventh in line so we got the best seats in the house –  a two-seater at the last row smack in the center underneath the projector and surrounded by the big ass speakers. the screen was PK – it is just a quarter of the screens in trinoma but i am not complaining as my vision is fucked up.

 

THE MOVIE was excellent. if only there are swear words in the dialogue and it would have been perfect. every time bane opens his mouth i expect his speech to be punctuated by fuck words. oh, well. maybe twenty years from now, this could come true.

 

IF THINGS go according to plan, we might move to a new house by next month.

 

MISSUS’ EUROPEAN visa already arrived. all that’s left is mine. as i have said before, my euro-boner has already come and gone and i don’t give a shit anymore. if it comes, it comes. if not, i’ll be content to spend the rest of the summer here in new york writing and committing the usual shenanigans. this eurothing almost fucked my writing sched so there. we shall see.

 

“RESPECT THE CHEMISTRY!”

THE THREE times a week, 5K run is happening. i look forward to saturdays when it is unleashing time for dogs in the park. last time, i saw a pair of puli with, black and one white, both dreads already just an inch short of reaching the pavement. enough sight to keep my heart pumping. and then there are the semi-neeked sorority chicks too.

THE READING in brooklyn was an experience. as always, i think i read a bit fast although i did my best to stay on time and really enunciate. the audience laughed at the right spots, when the words “the blowjob” and “justin beiber” came, although not in the same sentence. after, me and another writer from the dominican republic started talking about literary theories and the value of espanyol curses in writing as well as hyper-realism and the despair that comes with rejection letters. it was a good night and i will do it again next month, this time as a listener. but before the month ends, there is another reading in dumbo sponsored by one of the independent bookstores in brooklyn that i’ll be going to. for the vibe and also for survival. fuck but i really need to grow my beard.

I CHARGED my ericsson phone so that my globe “OFW” number could be kept alive with the minimum required load and while doing so, i happened to scroll down to the messages and lo, like holden caulfiend, i suddenly started missing everyone. the ones that matter are in that phone and the messages are a testament to that. i really hope we could go home this year. my wife needs a break now more than ever.

OVER THE weekened, we took a trip to dumbo to catch a view of manhattan as the sun sets behind the steel and glass canyons of the island. then we took a walk at the environs and chance upon superfine, one of the new restaurants fronting rebar. we had beer and wine and penne and pizza and i’ve had one of the best calamari ever, dethroning the one that is currently on top of the list, the one in one of the irish bars littering the waterfront of toronto. the dumbo restaurant was one of those hipster waited–which is a good thing. the lack of uniform gave off a good atmosphere. i espied the chef behind the open kitchen, a bespectacled man reeking of cleanliness who sports a tattoo on the neck. would really love to go back to check out what they are offering next as i have the impression that the menu changes weekly.

WE ARE apartment hunting and i hope we get a new one with a real bedroom. the best bet is the one upstairs at apartment 5a. please, please gods.

WE ARE also getting ready for the last installment of the batman trilogy by christopher nolan. the blu-ray of the first two films are already purchased and will be viewed within the week. i hope this film will erase the bad taste that is prometheus.

“CHEMOTHERAPY AND MARIJUANA GO TOGETHER LIKE APPLE PIE AND CHEVROLET.”.

SUMMER IS upon although there are no new temperatura records being made. the weekend came with the upwards of a 104 degrees F. the week promises to be in the 80s so that should be good.

 

AM I the only one who needs to brush my teeth before running? it somehow feels very wrong to be running with bad breath.

 

SUMMER READING continues.

 

 

 

the first two titles are scandinavian crime. get jiro is of course, a sort of crime too. the last one is a modern gothic masterpiece.

 

 

SUMMER VIEWING continues.

 

 

why do i get the feeling that i could come up with better taglines for the first two series? breaking bad is the only that matters on tv this summer.

 

THE TIMING of my reading is still a bit off as i read very fast and slowing down fucks up with my chi. so the twice a day practice continues. i really wish i could pull this off.

“THE SOUL? THERE’S NOTHING BUT CHEMISTRY HERE.”

APPROACHING PANIC level about that reading in brooklyn. the portion to be read has been printed and so is a working copy of the intro where i introduce not just the novel but my accent. i am glad wine could be had at the reading, otherwise i may just take a vow, smile, and not utter a single word.

THE TEMPERATURA continues to climb although no previous record has yet been broken. an official heat wave occurred sometime last week, friday i think. for context, we’ve had one of the kindest winter – only a single snowstorm if we discount the freak show last october – so everyone is bracing for an equally weird summer.

CITI BIKE will roll out its bike share program (like the bixi of canada) within in the month and i am truly excited. most of the stations are in midtown to downtown with the closest being at 66th street. not bad. finally a chance to bike in the city without the worry of storage and thievery.

I AM out of reading materials this early. a trip to the strand is in order. i really miss the weekly 50% discount that border’s used to mail that barnes & noble never did. meanwhile, the NYPL app is pretty solid. another good news is the restored funding, something that comes up every year.

AGAIN I pussied out when it came to buy an iPad. we already had the money and the time but when the moment came to really do the purchase, i just can’t do it. it’s one of those things: when you can’t decide whether it is good or bad, it probably is bad. not even the idea of portable porn could persuade me.

WHAT I did buy is a pair of 501’s, something that i stopped wearing when i discovered 509 (today’s 514) back in college. the fit still feels good with the buttons and the slightly twisted seam around the knees. i got the faded summer release and i can’t wait to wear it to rags. i remember the college days when me and a friend had a contest as to who could wear our jeans the longest without washing. i gave up after a month, the fucker went on to two. from memory, only 501 feels good the more it is worn as if it is tailored to adjust with your body. so small victory in the department of pants. i hope i could afford another darker pair soon.