In the Grasp of Dusk and Summer

We All Look Like We Feel

Marky Beer Guy, his co-worker and I were at Swiss Deli Friday night to watch Mozzie play. Another band, Kaze, performed before them, and they were also good. Their music is Celtic/pop-rock-inspired, which I find really interesting, plus they had a violin among their instruments to add that folky feel. Cool! Wait, flashback, I remember those talented Conservatory of Music students playing with their fiddles just across our building back in college, and man, that truly is one sexy instrument. Anyway, Mozzie had a keyboard this time and I like that it was used to accompany that heartfelt, haunting ballad Pam sang (sorry, I dunno the title!). It was a fun acoustic set; I had some beers and ate some tasty pasta while they played. Benedict very briefly dropped by to hand some CDs that I had him rip and burn for me (Burn for me baby! Sorry, can’t resist putting that in). He had to leave and catch some z’s for the anime event in Cubao (where he would later win Best Male Cosplayer for his Bumblebee costume, so congrats McPorklet!). After Mozzie’s set, there was a guy who was a comedy act; he didn’t sing but he was funny just playing with the guitar and telling personal anecdotes. He was followed by a solo singer, Marge, and her gifted guitarist. Some time later, almost everybody was singing along to the repertoire of power ballads and rock songs, and Mozzie’s “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over” cover. It was fun, it was crazy, it was a night unlike any other. And I woke up the next day, in the afternoon, with what can only be called a hangover. My first ever. Ow.

Seen the Future and It Will Be…

With very little time left, Hiro and Ando must find a way to return to the present and save New York in Heroes. So, more spoilers for those who’ve yet to see it. Love this alternate future story! Kind of reminded me of the Buffy episode where Sunnydale turned into Bizarro-land. While this What If/ Elseworlds-ish episode was really exciting; it’s not totally unpredictable or anything, but it showed some of the coolest things. Kickass Five Years Later Hiro! Claire the engaged brunette waitress! Peter’s scarred face! Peter dating Nikki! Peter versus Sylar! But crap. Like in the episode where Sylar “killed” Peter, their fight here was so short! It was very cool to see them confronting each other, with glowy new powers, but their big fight scene happened off-screen. Surely some of the episode’s budget could’ve been allotted for a lengthier special effects scene? But it was nice to finally see the different characters interact. Wow. A few eps to go before the season-ender. Utter coolness.

Stuck Between a Place and a Hard Rock

Around eight people were eating at the resto where a friend and I spent my gift check prize for his birthday meal last Sunday. It was strange, because I haven’t seen it that spacious and un-peopled before. We had the waiter calculate the amount we were spending while we ordered, as it’s a one-time gift check. The food was totally unhealthy but, damn, it was superfugging yummy! We were able to get a big platter of nachos with cheese and the usual garnish on it. We had a huge, huge serving of “appetizers” (three thick spring rolls, salad, hash browns with bacon bits, big onion rings, and fried chicken slices and chicken wings), as well as a macaroni and cheese plate with sliced chicken toppings. Yuuuuummmm. We also got pina coladas (woohoo, liquor!), and a vanilla shake. There was still some amount remaining so we ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries for takeout. Heart-stopping, but tummy-filling. Oh, and I finally got to see how Kim Carnes looked like, as the elevated TV’s in the place showed her old “Bette Davis Eyes” video. And while eating, I discovered an awesome song by John Mellencamp, “Walk Tall,” which had a video that was unforgettably touching. So, so lovely.

Freestyle in Trance

Fooled myself into believing that I can handle three different alcoholic drinks and not feel anything different. But I found out that it was a mistake to finish three in a row without really pausing, when you only had two hours sleep. It was election day; after voting at the old public school (my, the candidate list is populated by a few turncoats and the same old characters), I headed to the nearby convenience store for some booze and soft drinks. Got home and sampled the next ones in my tasting agenda: San Mig Strong Ice (“a high-alcohol, ice-filtered brew that hits your senses in a way that no other beer will”), Kristov Vodka Cruiser (raspberry flavor, I think it tastes like Tempra, yikes), and Colt 45 Premium Strong Beer (6.5% alcohol). I felt the combined kick not long after finishing ‘em, and I randomly played a CD (which turned out to be an Underworld album). I felt myself getting numb and unusually giddy, like I was aware, but not totally there. I wrote a text message about it (which I hope I didn’t send to anyone): “World’s spinning & techno aint helping & I wanna write about this shit hehe jesus im hard haha ok wait im getting all heavy on my bed think I’l nap a bit” ...Holy crapper. Anyway, the next day, I tried out a Carlsberg and a Lone Star Light, which sorta tasted the same. No weird out-of-body jaunt this time. Hmm, my “research” continues.