Wanna Dance?

When I was growing up in Sta. Ana, I heard old folks talk about the Sta. Ana Cabaret.

During the American occupation, Sta. Ana Cabaret used to be THE place where generals and politicos whiled the night away. Then the Japs came and the cabaret became a Japanese garrison.

After WWII, the cabaret operated again, but this time, it slowly became a sleazy joint. It was dubbed "kabaret," where bellas came from far flung provinces and the patrons ranged from the moneyed class to the lower ranks, even jeepney drivers trekked there on weekends.

Gone were the uniformed men and scholars.

Finally, Typhoon Yoling tore away the place in 1970. And during the Marcos era, Madame Imelda built a Bliss Housing at the site of the cabaret.

Such a waste! This grand old place could have been preserved.

These days, if one wants to go dancing (the elegant dances such as rumba, tango, cha cha, waltz, etc), one has few options to consider. At Conway in Shangri La, the serious dancers have to settle in between the sets of the band to dance Manila swing, rumba and the other steps. Bykes, the other place where ballroom dancing used to be alive, and Club Filipino, I think, have become ghost towns as far as dancing is concerned.

In Toronto, when one wants to go dancing, there are quite a few but very elegant places to unwind and show what one has learned from the dance classes. And the people who go there are mostly dressed to the nines.

I miss dancing and dressing for the dance.

Friends.

I watched the sitcom "Friends" mostly as reruns.  During its regular run, I was too busy sleeping. Same is true with other popular sitcoms, such as "Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld," which I enjoyed as old episodes. Whenever a new season unfolded for these shows, I would be snoring in front of the TV by the time they'd be on.

Jogging my memory, I used to enjoy "Wonder Years, Days and Nights of Molly Brown, Family Ties, Night Court, Cosby Show, Golden Girls, Murphy Brown, even Married with Children" on their regular seasons. 

What happened after these shows folded up?  I simply didn't like the new, now-cancelled shows.

But then I started to wake up from my prime time nap (eight pm) at around eleven in the evening, and those times were the start of sitcom reruns.

Of course, I stayed awake for the six p.m. early evening news edition, and "Jeopardy" (7:30 p.m.) because those hours were my dinner time, but as soon as Alex Trebek bades goodbye, I conked out, too.

If I had to work the following morning, I'd try to go back to sleep at one a.m.  But the sleep apnea(sleep disorder)  episode sometimes kicked in at 2 a.m, and before I knew it, it was 6:30 a.m. and time to go to work.

At eleven p.m., I would turn on the TV and put it at its lowest volume or even mute, and begin to enjoy old movies, sitcom reruns, even foreign films with English dubbing,

Now in Manila, I still can't figure out the cable channels.  I mostly tune in to newscasts, HBO and Cinemax.

Back in Toronto, I'd also stay logged on to the Internet in the wee hours of the morning, reading news back home (P.I.) and interesting blogs.

These days, I'm only tuned in to my own blog and another blog which I haven't abandoned yet.

I miss reading Rush Limbaugh (right wing, why not?), Toronto Star (liberal) New York Times (liberal), Washington Post and Times, even the Baltimore Sun, and the countless, interesting political blogs.

Staying in Manila somehow has limited my on-line hours, and my movie time.  

Sleeping hours changed, too, mall visits fluctuated, eating became enforced, exercise and dancing became nil, even non existent.

It's a life of a dead man. No complaints.

Mom, I've got news...

Ursula Andres and Peter Sellers in the 1967 movie, Casino Royale.

Called my mother a few hours ago in Manila and she sounded... happy! That's good, because a sister said she was beginning to worry about our Mother.

Good news is always the best news. Just like this morning, I lost Shadow (Spike) at the big soccer field behind a small plaza, ran after him, and luckily, he headed towards the fence instead of the busy Don Mills Road. When I finally caught up with him, he was barking at a squirrel hidden up a tree. The leash was wet and imbedded with dirt and grass but Shadow was allright.

Good news and bad news are almost always interspersed with one another in the cable news channels. Like a game at a casino, news are random.

In a casino, when you bet in the roulette, your chance of winning is always 1 out of 37, or your chance of losing 36 out of 37. When I'm in a casino, after I've checked out the buffet, I usually head for the slot machine, and sometimes an occasional bet at a baccarat; I never bet heavily and set a limit for myself.

It was a different story back in Manila at the heyday of the Casino by the airport. Then, our gang from work stayed till the wee hours of the morning, and left only after winning big or losing everything. Usually, it was losing all. It was one of those phases in one's life; here today, gone tomorrow.

Not anymore. Now, any visit I make to a casino is primarily for watching a show, to participate in an office fundraising, go sight seeing or to attend a special function.

A trip to a casino, whether locally at the Casino Rama or Fallsview, or stateside, at Atlantic or Vegas, is wrapped in anticipation at finding a good number - a good musical or show, a lucky table, a no-smoking slot machine, and of course, to bring home the biggest and the best prize of all. It's everyman's dream - the AMAZING deal. It should come.

First, Manila casino. Then...

How about a Canada Wonderland's Lifetime Adventure?

Where else to go for a lasting adventure?

It is Canada's Wonderland, a 330-acre (1.3 km2) theme park located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, about 30 kilometres north of downtown Toronto. The park is open seasonally from May to October and contains more than 200 attractions. It opened in 1981 and was Canada's first major theme park.

Newcomers to Canada always check out new places for adventure: Canada Wonderland, Ontario Place, Marineland at Niagara, and the African Lion Safari. But the biggest attraction of summer is Canada Wonderland, of course.

To Ontarians, Canada Wonderland is a lifetime adventure. You start going there as a kid, then as a teen, as an adult, as a parent with kids in tow, as a retiree.

The rides and attractions never cease to amaze. Plus every year there are special summer shows.
Take for instance the Filipino community. Every summer, a Filipino day is held inside Canada Wonderland.

TOP - Camille Mendoza (center) won the Filipino Idol-Battle of the Champions held during Filipino Day held at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan in 2008.

Canada Wonderland is Canada's answer to Disneyland. It is a miniature Disney, I'd say.

So, if friends, relatives and loved ones are coming and are looking for a lasting adventure, I'd definitely recommend and take them to Canada Wonderland.

Can't wait to experience the thrill and excitement, myself, again!

Two Movies in One Day

It's been quite a while ever since I've watched a so-called "girlie movie." It's last chance HARVEY. Then I also rented Golden Compass.

last chance HARVEY stars Dustin Hoffman as Harvey and Emma Thompson. I picked up this DVD from the shelf because Dustin Hoffman is one of my long-time favorite actors, ever since I saw him in The Graduate.

In Tootsie with Jessica Lange, (my favorite female actor, aside from Kidman, Kathleen Turner and Faye Dunaway), Hoffman was convincing enough as a woman. Jessica Lange was sensational in the movie Postman Always Ring Twice.

last chance HARVEY is a story of how two guarded strangers found a growing connection with one another after a chance encounter in London.

"The chemistry between the pair inspires them both to believe in second chances as they unexpectedly transform each other's lives. It's a perfect movie that reminds us that true love, can indeed, come to those who wait." Sandy Kenyon - WABC-TV.

I watched the Golden Compass, with Nicole Kidman, another favorite actor, using the Tridef Player, so I enjoyed the movie in 3D. Great effects, especially with the animals.

Family Feud. The Game Show, that is.

Among the dozens or so game shows on TV, I get to watch the Family Feud, occasionally. Now, the show is being hosted by John O'Hurley, he, of the Seinfeld Show (Boss of Elaine), and co-champion in the very first edition of Dancing with the Stars.

I enjoy watching Family Feud, US edition, because the answers could be hilarious at times.

I saw a re-run a while back, in which the two families were asked: "Name four famous people named Jessica."

The top answer was Jessica Simpson, followed by Jessica Alba. Then there was Jessica Biel.

I think, both families missed the fourth famous Jessica. One family answered Jessica Tandy, but it was wrong. The people who were surveyed named Sarah Jessica Parker (of Sex in the City) as the fourth famous Jessica.

There's a Family Feud, Philippine edition, hosted by actor Richard Gomez and which has enjoyed success in the ratings game. Now, if the same question were to be asked in the Philippine franchise, "name four famous people named Jessica, who would you include?"

Maybe Jessica Soho of the GMA News. Or, I'd even say, Jessica Zafra, a fiction writer, a Palanca awardee for her story Portents, and as she describes herself, semi-famous.

Jessica Zafra enjoys a large audience/readership for her blog, newspaper columns and stories. She also co-published two magazines in the mid-90's, Flip and Manila Envelope, and her Twisted Books have been a best-seller. I love reading her work.

Another game show which I enjoy watching is called Password, now hosted by Reggis Philbin. I remember watching the old Password/Clue back home on Uncle Bob's Channel 7, during the 70's.

In Password, two teams, each made up of one celebrity and one contestant, go head to head to guess clues to secret "passwords." One person on each team has the words, and has to use synonyms or related words to help their partner guess the passwords.

The clue-giver and guesser swap roles after each round, and halfway through the game the celebrities swap partners. Each team plays four rounds, guessing up to five words within a 30 second time limit.

Password is a game show which allows viewers to think and to participate. The word-correlation thing is a fantastic mind-exercise, a could-be-deterrent to onset of Alzheimer's.

But my favorite of all game shows is the Jeopardy. Questions can get ultra - tough or give- away, and I watch it also to learn from Alex Trebek the correct pronunciation of hard-to-say words, especially, those French ones.

Shrek-ie in 3D!

At long last. I've waited almost three months to see 3D movies in my television. I got hooked into the idea upon reading experiences from 3D enthusiasts, mostly gamers.

I delayed buying an HD TV due to the fact that I wanted one prepared for 3D viewing. So, finally I got a Samsung 7 Series and a new PC.

Tridef, distributed by DDD, is the only software available that allows for 3D conversion of 2D DVDs. At the onset, I had major problems making the software work with my Sammie: codecs were conflicting ( my Vista's codecs don't work with Tridef), so when I installed Tridef, it asked for a compatible video decoder. That's when I installed WIN DVD 9. Voila! I saw 3D video but there was no audio. I asked for tech support from Tridef and they said it is a conflict in codecs. I then read in one blog of a similar experience: he had WIN DVD and did not have also audio; he solved it by installing AC3 filter. When I downloaded and installed this filter, I ended up having audio but no video when playing DVDs. WIN DVD crashed.

I was ready to give up. Tridef tech support said: conlflict with codecs, again? I then tried to download the free audio codec from MPA. Note: I tried to download both video and audio codecs, MPV and MPA, before, but it gave me error messages.

On this fresh attempt with MPA, I had more luck. It downloaded and installed successfully. With Vista system, when you download the MPA and MPV, you have to decompress the files from the Release Unicode (very important).

So, voila! I have both video and audio. The first 3D I watched was the Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I rented the 2D version from Blockbuster, and wore the special glasses from Tridef. It was not impressive. It is because I've seen this movie in 3D in its regular theatre run.

Next, I bought the 3D Polar Express, a Christmas story of a non-Santa-believer boy. I tried watching this movie on the Tridef Player and a regular DVD player. With the regular DVD Player, I just wore the paper glasses which came with the package. And on the Tridef player, I wore the special 3D glasses. I was impressed with the Polar Express. The scenes really came out of the TV set, and into my living room.

Next, I saw the 3d version of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, and the 3D scenes were quite fascinating, too.

My Shrek 3D DVD arrived in my mail yesterday and I have yet to see it. Although, based on some reviews I've read, they say this 3D is really a blast.

I went back to my 2D- DVD collection and watched and re-discovered March of the Penguins, Shrek 2 and Hulk 1 in 3D. March of the Penguins was especially AWESOME in 3D!

For those with 3D ready TV - Samsung, Hyundai and Mitsubishi are the three available 3D sets in the market - you may want to BETA TEST it first before buying the 3D software . There is a free download of the Tridef at http://www.tridef.com/ , so you can check if your display will support 3D viewing. There is also a good website to learn how to do the proper connections at: http://www.3dflightsim.com/

I give a word of caution. Unless you are comfortable with computers, do not invest money yet on the 3D software or any PC upgrades . Setting it up is a little complicated ( there are minimum and recommended PC requirements. You need a high-resolution TV set; There could be codec conflicts, sound card problems).

This being so, I now understand why there are not so many movies yet coming out as 3D.

In the meantime, let me continue to enjoy my new-found toy.

New Toy for New Year

I'm a browser; that is when I am in the mall, I browse merchandise, usually at an electronics store. Otherwise I would be sitting in one of the mall benches looking at other browsers.

If I want to purchase something big, say a Blue Ray or a television, I would search first on the Internet and look for customer reviews. I remember buying a big screen TV way back in 1996, and it took me at least 6 months before selecting a particular brand, and my first DVD, way back in 1999, after 4 months of research.

My friend Al bought his HD television, a Panasonic DLP a couple of years back and he explained to me the advantages of DLP over Plasma and the LCD, he being an engineer.

Well, like Al, I also wanted an HD TV, but again, I toiled at the idea and did my research once more. I crossed out Plasma because of its short life span; I crossed out the LCD because I did not want to change lamps. In my office, I used to replace the lamp in the LCD projector and it cost my department money.

Well, late last year (actually about mid-November), I finally finished my agonizing research and decided on a purchase of a Samsung 61 inch-DLP TV. It is a series 7, which means it is has the Samsung CinemaPure 120Hz color engine, HDMI connections and others, and a 1080p resolution. But the main reasons I chose this one is because of its LED (Light Emitting Diode) which means I don't change lamps for a long life performance. And the number 1 reason? It is 3D-ready, which means I can watch 2D movies on 3D!

Now, I waited two days before it was delivered, asked the assistant super to help carry it on the pedestal (it is huge), and started to fiddle with it to watch a 3D movie. But wait... how to?

Before I purchased it, I already researched the requirements for the 3D connectivity, but I didn't realize it would be this much work. The other guy at the electronics store purchased the same brand and make and he would have to wait for at least 1 week, because I got the last inventory. He told me he owned a Plasma and it died on them after a few months of extensive use doing video games. He, too, could not wait to experience the 3D magic, he said.

I am now sitting and waiting for my 3D connectivity. The only thing I am wating for now is the installation CD from AOL. Unfortunately I am still among those who faithfully use AOL for my Internet; and my old computer which has internet connectivity is an Intel Celeron. For the 3D to function, I should have at least an Intel Pentium 4 1.6GHz or Athlon XP or the ideal - IntelCore 2 Duo or Athlon64 X2 Dual CPU.

The 3D glasses, router and 3D-enabling-software from Tridef arrived before Christmas and the required Vista-operated computer with the required graphics card and HDMI-DVI port, is sitting on my dining table, waiting.

It's 2009 and my Holiday gift to myself had been unwrapped before Christmas arrived. Now, I already started to list in memory the movies I will rent and watch on 3D. I am on my own countdown...