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Thursday, November 03, 2005
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
The one with Greenpeace Philippines
My heart bleeds for Greenpeace.
Greenpeace found itself portrayed somewhat unfavorable in the news recently when its flagship Rainbow Warrior 2 ran through more than 1,000 feet of coral reef. While news coverage of the incident has been generally fair, it highlighted the irony of environmental org Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior 2's ramming through the coral reef and downplayed the fact that the ancient coral reef maps given them by the Philippine government were woefully inadequate.
Look at how well Greenpeace handles the accident, claiming responsibility and promising to pay almost USD7,000 in fines to the Philippine government for the damage done to the reef. Greenpeace may have been at partial fault for not seeing the reef in time, but the fact also remains: if the maps were updated, they wouldn't have run into the reef. Plain and simple. This wouldn't have happened if the Philippine government did its job and updated its maps.
My immediate concern is this: sure, Greenpeace will more than gladly pay for the damages, but who is to assure us that this money will go towards the reef's rehabilitation? This is the horrifically corrupt Philippine government we're talking about, and even the purest of intentions, when put into the hands of those proven immoral, can go awry and misdirected.
I would much rather have seen Greenpeace Philippines oversee the rehabilitation themselves.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace Philippines is now doing the rounds of malls and schools, trying to shore up its numbers and membership. I signed up at the Ayala Glorietta 4, and I hear they'll be going to Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall and other malls soon enough. Greenpeace Philippines is one organization doing its best to increase environmental awareness and I can't thank them enough for their work.
Greenpeace Philippines membership is simple: for only P150 a month for a year, you can support Greenpeace Philippines' many projects and activities to help make a difference and save the planet. There are few greater gifts from God than that of this beautiful world in which we live. Joining and supporting Greenpeace Philippines may be one of the best decisions you'll ever make. I strongly, strongly encourage y'all to do it.
Greenpeace found itself portrayed somewhat unfavorable in the news recently when its flagship Rainbow Warrior 2 ran through more than 1,000 feet of coral reef. While news coverage of the incident has been generally fair, it highlighted the irony of environmental org Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior 2's ramming through the coral reef and downplayed the fact that the ancient coral reef maps given them by the Philippine government were woefully inadequate.
Look at how well Greenpeace handles the accident, claiming responsibility and promising to pay almost USD7,000 in fines to the Philippine government for the damage done to the reef. Greenpeace may have been at partial fault for not seeing the reef in time, but the fact also remains: if the maps were updated, they wouldn't have run into the reef. Plain and simple. This wouldn't have happened if the Philippine government did its job and updated its maps.
My immediate concern is this: sure, Greenpeace will more than gladly pay for the damages, but who is to assure us that this money will go towards the reef's rehabilitation? This is the horrifically corrupt Philippine government we're talking about, and even the purest of intentions, when put into the hands of those proven immoral, can go awry and misdirected.
I would much rather have seen Greenpeace Philippines oversee the rehabilitation themselves.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace Philippines is now doing the rounds of malls and schools, trying to shore up its numbers and membership. I signed up at the Ayala Glorietta 4, and I hear they'll be going to Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall and other malls soon enough. Greenpeace Philippines is one organization doing its best to increase environmental awareness and I can't thank them enough for their work.
Greenpeace Philippines membership is simple: for only P150 a month for a year, you can support Greenpeace Philippines' many projects and activities to help make a difference and save the planet. There are few greater gifts from God than that of this beautiful world in which we live. Joining and supporting Greenpeace Philippines may be one of the best decisions you'll ever make. I strongly, strongly encourage y'all to do it.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
The one with what arguably is Disney's best animated film
You can't blame Disney for wanting to stick to formula. The pioneers of animation, after all, have a lot to live up to - Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast... it would behoove them to create something whimsical, witty, and devoid of moral lessons and characters bursting into song.
Which may explain why the woefully underappreciated The Emperor's New Groove may just be their best animated film of all time. Here are ten reasons why:
5. The animation is topnotch. No pixels, just cartoons in all their hand-drawn beauty. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Set
4. The plot is uncomplicated. A spoiled teenage emperor, Kuzco, wreaks havoc on everyone in the course of obeying his every whim. He fires his advisor, Yzma, who then plots to kill him with the help of her of the month, an idiot named Kronk. Things go awry, and he's turned into a llama instead, who manages to escape into the foothills, where he runs into a peasant named Pacha, who he has just told to vacate his pastoral home. That's it - the rest of the film is spent trying to get Kuzco home where he can become a human again. Simple but deliriously funny.
3. The film is fast-paced! No music to complicate matters (save for over-the-top Tom Jones as "The Theme Song Guy"), everything fast and snappy, with humor and wit at every corner.
2. The voices are perfectly cast. David Spade as the Emperor Kuzco virtually reprises his role as Finch in Just Shoot Me, and his whininess is ingratiating at first, but you end up rooting for him near the end. John Goodman (a favorite with Disney - he also voiced Sullivan in and Baloo the Bear in Monsters Inc. in Jungle Book 2) does a great Pacha. Wendie Malick (again of Just Shoot Me) as Pacha's wife, Chicha, acerbic and funny. Stealing the show? Eartha Kitt in all her glory as Yzma, and Patrick Wharburton as her bungling sidekick Kronk; the two "villains" are definitely strong arguments to want to see this film.
1. I've never seen a funnier film. Think Looney Tunes circa Chuck Jones. Cathy and I are constantly quoting from this film. Here are some great quotes:
Yzma and Kronk are at the door of their "secret lab."
Yzma: Pull the lever, Kronk.
Kronk pulls the lever, dropping Yzma into an alligator pit. She exits, slapping the alligator.
Yzma: Why do we even have that lever?
- - -
Kuzco: This is Yzma, the emperor's advisor. Living proof that dinosaurs once roamed the Earth.
- - -
[on Kuzco]
Yzma: Why, I practically raised him.
Kronk: Yeah, you'd think he would've turned out better.
Yzma: Yeah, go figure.
- - -
Yzma: Tell us where the talking llama is, and we'll burn your house to the ground.
Kronk: Uh, don't you mean "or"?
Yzma: [sighs] Tell us where the talking llama is, *or* we'll burn your house to the ground.
Chaca: Well, which one is it? That seems like a pretty crucial conjunction.
- - -
[plotting ways to kill Kuzco]
Yzma: Ah, how shall I do it? Oh, I know. I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless, little flea, and then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives...
Yzma: [laughs]
Yzma: ...I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I tell you! Genius, I say!
Yzma: [knocks over bottle of poison on flower, which shrivels up and dies]
Yzma: Or, to save on postage, I'll just poison him with this.
- - -
Yzma: Take him out of town and finish the job now!
Kronk: What about dinner?
Yzma: Kronk, this is kind of important.
Kronk: How about dessert?
Yzma: Well, I suppose there's time for dessert.
Kronk: And coffee?
Yzma: All right. A quick cup of coffee. Then take him out of town and finish the job!
- - -
[the palace guards have been transformed into animals]
Yzma: Get them!
Cow Guard: Hey, I've been turned into a cow. Can I go home?
Yzma: You're excused. Anybody else?
Other Guards: No, no. We're good.
- - -
Kuzco: I can't believe this is happening!
Yzma: Then I bet you weren't expecting *this*.
[Yzma pulls up her dress. Kuzco and Pacha scream]
Yzma: [Yzma revealing a knife attatched to her leg] Aha!
[Kuzco and Pacha sigh with relief]
Kuzco: Oh, okay.
- - -
Yzma: [squeaky voice] Looking for this?
[clutching her throat]
Yzma: Is that my voice?
[coughs]
Yzma: Is that *my* voice? Oh, well.
The one with Tea Square iced teas
If you like frequenting the Manila malls as much as I do, you may have noticed a kiosk franchise sprouting up around the metropolis that sells what may be the most refreshing beverage you'll ever get under P35. I'm referring to Tea Square, and with branches in Robinson's Manila, Market! Market!, and the Glorietta Food Court, as far as I know, you are never too far from the best budget teas you'll ever get your hands on. Trust me - I like tea.
Unlike other iced teas, you literally get to see the Tea Square's tea in front of you because the tea bag is put inside your glass (makes for a great refill!). The iced tea varieties from Tea Square include Mint, as well as Apple and Cinnamon, but my favorite by far is their Four Red Berries iced tea, which has raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and that other red berry I can never seem to remember. Delicious, incredibly refreshing, and not too sweet (their sweetener comes from a simple sugar syrup, so if you'd rather have your tea straight up, you can ask the barista not to put the syrup in).
Other items in stock at Tea Square include hot tea varieties and some kind of filled bread sticks in flavors like Chicken a la King and Mushroom and Pesto.
Trust me on this: if you're looking for iced tea, go to Tea Square. You won't be disappointed.
The one specifically on Cello's Donuts
A post I made August 15, 2005 talked about some yummy finds, including Cello's Donuts on Taft Avenue, Cherry Hill bakeshop chicken pie, and Tazza Kahluea Walnut Cake. This is what I wrote about Cello's.
Cello's Donuts. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm! These donuts make Go Nuts, Hot Loops, Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donuts taste like deep fried flour nuts off the street. We're talking delicious, mouth-watering, greaseless confections that melt in your mouth with just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering.
With at least two locations I know of - De La Salle Manila and Ateneo de Manila, hm, I wonder why? - selling these incredible sweet treats, I can be anywhere in Manila and not be too far from a Cello's. The best one off the selection is, believe it or not, cheese; I never thought I would ever enjoy a cheese donut, but then again, Cello's uses a different kind of powdery cheese that pulls the trick off delightfully. Among their other truly yummy offerings: chocnut (ooh!), M&Ms (ooh ooh!), and dark chocolate (OOH!) with a Toblerone dip! God, there goes my diet!
Apparently, not too many people have heard about the amazing donuts that are Cello's, including 90% of my officemates at work. So I bought a dozen donuts from Cello's (six cheese, two peanut butter, two chocolate frost, and two sugar frost) to share with them. The Cello's donuts disappeared in less than 30 minutes - given that I made one announcement, this was truly an indication of how delicious these little babies are.
Cello's Donuts. In this humble blogger's opinion, the best donuts in the world.
The two boxes containing six donuts each, cut onto morsels so people could share.
A closeup of the sugar frost, chocolate frost, and peanut butter frost donuts.
Cheese cheese cheese! I think these are the bestsellers, and if you could taste these, you'd see why.
Cello's Donuts. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm! These donuts make Go Nuts, Hot Loops, Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donuts taste like deep fried flour nuts off the street. We're talking delicious, mouth-watering, greaseless confections that melt in your mouth with just the right amount of sweetness without being overpowering.
With at least two locations I know of - De La Salle Manila and Ateneo de Manila, hm, I wonder why? - selling these incredible sweet treats, I can be anywhere in Manila and not be too far from a Cello's. The best one off the selection is, believe it or not, cheese; I never thought I would ever enjoy a cheese donut, but then again, Cello's uses a different kind of powdery cheese that pulls the trick off delightfully. Among their other truly yummy offerings: chocnut (ooh!), M&Ms (ooh ooh!), and dark chocolate (OOH!) with a Toblerone dip! God, there goes my diet!
Apparently, not too many people have heard about the amazing donuts that are Cello's, including 90% of my officemates at work. So I bought a dozen donuts from Cello's (six cheese, two peanut butter, two chocolate frost, and two sugar frost) to share with them. The Cello's donuts disappeared in less than 30 minutes - given that I made one announcement, this was truly an indication of how delicious these little babies are.
Cello's Donuts. In this humble blogger's opinion, the best donuts in the world.
The two boxes containing six donuts each, cut onto morsels so people could share.
A closeup of the sugar frost, chocolate frost, and peanut butter frost donuts.
Cheese cheese cheese! I think these are the bestsellers, and if you could taste these, you'd see why.
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