I’m only posting this because I’m a huge Ghostbusters fan.
I came across this essay on the link between the Ghostbusters and porn on Spook Central, a Ghostbusters fan site throughTwitter, via @gbfans. It’s pretty comprehensive, almost academic. Unfortunately, it’s got links to NSFW sites. The pictures in the essay itself have been censored. Just don’t click on the links and you’ll be safe.Unless it’s clicking on the links that you’re really after, of course. Perv.
Here’s the paragraph that warns you about what you’re about to read.
GHOSTBUSTERS PORN! Now that I have your attention… and hopefully lots of Google hits. With a title like that, it should come as no surprise that this post will be about adult subject matter. Although all human nudity has been censored or obscured where possible or necessary (anything that shows nudity will be labeled as such), and you will not find any uncensored hardcore sexual imagery involving real people in this post (only drawings), this is NOT A POST FOR THE KIDDIES. Since outside links may contain uncensored hardcore content, you are advised to only click on links pointing to pages outside of this site if you are willing to possibly view uncensored adult material. By clicking on the link to view this entire post (or reading any further), you hereby state to me that you wish to read about and view such content and will not hold me libel for any damages that may occur to your psyche or anything else if you proceed any further.
Read the whole thing here.
I accompanied a friend to do a food tasting at Cav, the wine-themed restaurant in The Fort. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. Fortunately, Chef Mark Gfeller was there to save the day.
We went in the afternoon, when there were barely any people. You’d think that the staff would be more attentive then but, as I’ve discovered with a lot of restaurants (that don’t specialize in snacks), this is possibly the worst time to be dining out. Despite coordinating with the restaurant’s PR, my friend had a hard time confirming that yes, he did have a reservation.The service, even though there were no people, was horrible. There was only one bored waitress who couldn’t even be bothered to serve us water. To make things worse, Chef Mark came by and said that he hadn’t been informed of my friend’s arrival. He kindly implored us to reschedule the tasting because he wasn’t ready. My friend had no choice but to agree. We felt bad because we wasted an afternoon but Chef Mark was so nice about it, and it wasn’t his fault, really. We thought that since we had been by already, we would get better service from the staff when we returned.
We were wrong.
We were back again after a week. Same bored waitress, same lackluster service. In fact, she seemed annoyed that we were moseying in on her work time. She didn’t seem to have a problem serving the more tisoy and tisay customers that wondered in though. We were given food to try, one of each dish plus one glass of wine to be shared. The food wasn’t bad but the service had already left an awful taste in my mouth. It was hard to get dinner rolls, even harder to get a smile from the staff.
Again, Chef Mark wandered by, asking us how we were. He was very nice, so we just nodded and didn’t really say anything. He insisted that we return later that night because dining in the afternoon was boring, and that we should really see Cav during dinnertime, when the Chef was in his element.
How could we say no?
When we returned, we were met with a completely different experience. The place was crowded, you couldn’t get from the main door to the dining area without having to weave around someone. Yet the staff was alive, smiling and cordial to everyone. We were shown to our table by a nice young man who would, throughout the evening, make sure that all our needs were met. Even the food was different, and not because we were served different things. Food served in a lively restaurant by a cheerful staff tastes better. I looked around. We weren’t getting special service because we were now guests of the chef. We were getting the same service everyone else got. The night staff was simply better at their jobs. I found all my complaints about the afternoon melting away as dish after dish of sumptuous food was served.
I was all set to write my Cav experience off as horrible, untrained, snotty service not making up for the food, no matter how good or expensive, but I’m glad that Chef Mark turned what started out as a bad experience into a pretty neat one.
Prixe Fixe (not necessarily what’s above) goes for Php 1,800, for a wine pairing, add Php 1,300.
Cav
Lot 5, Quadrant 8
Bonifacio High Street
Fort Bonifacio Global City
(632) 856 1798
Rock Ed’s Gang Badoy posted this on Twitter and I thought I’d put it on my blog. It’s an old report on the Wowowee tragedy. When this happened, I was working for the rival network’s online news department. We were watching the whole thing unfold on TV in the newsroom and couldn’t believe what was happening.
There was a lot of fuss about this. A lot of tears and anger. And now? Everyone seems to have forgotten.
“The tragedy threw ABS-CBN into the maelstrom of controversy. On television, “Wowowee” host Willie Revillame shed tears. Both he and the network’s executives said they meant well, that they merely wanted to brighten the lives of the poor. Yet the death toll on that tragic Saturday also showed that they failed to fathom the depths of people’s despair. They didn’t realize that many of “Wowowee’s” viewers lead such brutish lives that they would cling — stubbornly, impervious to the well-being of others — to the most tenuous of hopes offered by games of chance. The network and the show benefited from their poverty and despair, as these meant a viewership that bolstered ratings and attracted advertising. They were apparently oblivious to the perils of peddling dreams.”
Read the whole article: Wowowee and the women of 200 P. de la Cruz St.
SPOT.PH recently asked permission to use my photo of steak from my post on The Fireplace Grill (Hyatt Hotel) for a feature of theirs on steak. It’s the first time someone has asked to use a photo of mine for a feature. Of course, I’m proud.
Check out the article (and get ideas on where to eat good meat) here. And if you still don’t believe that they used one of my pictures, you can check out the photo credits.
I am naturally suspicious coming of age stories. I think they’re cloying and overly sentimental, written expressly to tug on the heartstrings of middle-aged folk who think that youth is wasted on the young (It is.).
I am, however, quite fond of coming of age stories that have an element of horror or the supernatural in them. For some reason, they seem more real, more truthful, than the usual mainstream mush. Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree and Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life come to mind. Both engaging, with storylines that draw you in, both of them making me wish I had been a 13-year old boy instead of a 13-year old girl (not that being a 13-year old girl was a bad thing).
Reunion, Rick Hautala’s novella, falls into the second category. It’s a plus for me that it’s set in the late 1950s. I grew up reading stories set post war, so supernatural stories set in that era make me strangely nostalgic.
The story starts off with best friends Chris and Jackie, who are out camping in Jackie’s backyard. It is the summer before they enter junior high, their last summer as “kids.” Chris gets it into his head to sneak up to the country club where a reunion is taking place.
This runs parallel with the story of John, a man in his 50s who is heading to his high school reunion, bringing his reluctant wife along.
Reunion starts off pleasant, two boys enjoying the last few weeks of summer, interspersed with an old guy trying to get to a party. Once you hit page 37 though, you won’t want to put the book down (I have Reunion to blame for my eye bags). This is when everything starts to make sense, everything clicks into place. And while you think you know what’s coming, you find yourself turning pages faster and faster because it’s the journey that’s fun and not the destination, and Hautala does have a way of taking a classic concept and telling it in a way that is his own.
Reunion is a different sort of coming of age book. It doesn’t so much serve you a happy ending as kind of a hopeful one. It concludes satisfyingly enough, though I couldn’t help wishing that it had gone on much longer, except to do so would probably work better on film than on paper.
And because the book mentions the Everly Brothers, I thought they’d be fitting musical accompaniment.
If you’ve seen Pisay, Aureus Solito’s fun and poignant film about being a Philippine Science High School student in the 80’s, then you’ll remember Annicka Dolonius as Wena, the confused, soft-spoken tisay. She is also one of the most stylish, fun people I’ve met. She’s also been included in Preview’s 2009 Creative It List. More recently, you can catch her in director Jason Tan’s awesome Drip music video for “Bloodletting.” I hope to see more of her in different projects soon.
Do you believe in ghosts/ elementals? If yes, have you seen one (or more)? Can you tell us about it?
Absolutely! I haven’t come face to face with one, but encounters definitely! I have little ghostly children in my room in Ortigas (my mother and sisters will back me up on this!!).. You can hear their feet running around the room at night, and sometimes they like to play tricks! Like they’ll turn on lights when you’re not looking or open cupboards and stuff. Its kind of creepy now that I think about it haha one time one of my hats went flying across the room, I think cause they weren’t comfortable with people who were with me at the time haha i dont know, who knows?? Kids these days!!!
What’s the scariest place you’ve been to? Why was it scary? Did you end up experiencing anything supernatural there? Do you plan to go back?
Hospitals. The smell of dying and disinfectant is just eerie, man. Another place that gives me the creepin’ willies is the hallways of the Manila Peninsula (Bones: heehee TWINS) haha I don’t think it has ANYTHING to do with the Shining, its just really creepy. But then again, I find lots of things creepy.. The open sea, modern art, double jointedness.. but not the supernatural! I think I find comfort in that stuff.
What’s the scariest ghost story you’ve heard?
Probably the one that (Mr.) Bones (vocalist of psychobilly band Mr. Bones and the Boneyard Circus) just told me hahaha no ghost stories haven’t freaked me out since i was a ki–Oh waiiit!!! my sisters boyfriend recently told me about the ghost they have on their farm.
I can’t remember how it goes exactly but one of their friends was driving to the farm one night and saw this figure in the window of the farm office. It was a girl with dark hair, and she was just standing there with her back towards him, cause she was facing the wall. so he drove past thinking “thats odd!” and a couple of hours later he drives out AND SHE WAS STILL STANDING THERE!!! the next day he asked around and the guards were like “oh! so you’ve met the farm girl!”
WWAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! apparently this farm is located near a japanese cemetery or some kind of japanese burial grounds.. THIS IS ALL TRUE!! haha it sounds like something out of a movie.
How has your supernatural experiences (even if they come in the form of secondhand stories) influenced your work?
I don’t know hehe I know they influence my everyday behavior but I guess I don’t really think about it hehe i just love it!! I love the creeps you get from it!! Its like a psychological rollercoaster!!
What advice would you give someone who comes face to face with a ghost/elemental?
I have no idea!! Haha I guess just be cool and don’t freak out! Don’t forget your please and thank-yous! Stop, look, and listen! Flush after use! This side up! haha I have no CLUE.
Unique scoop posted 125 rarely seen photographs of famous people from American culture. These range from Marilyn Monroe (and Manson) to Charles Manson to a very young Angelina Jolie.
Some of my favorites:
This is the one I like the best:
I like it so much I wish I were in it!
See all 125 at Rare Photos of Famous People.













