Elonian Nomad - 3rd Strike

We watched Eragon last weekend, I was hoping we’d watch some other stuff first, but we didn’t get the time to.  I haven’t read the book, so I wasn’t expecting much except for an effects film.  It was pretty much what I expected.

Eragon is based on the fist book of the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini.  The book was a success, and given that it was published when he was just 19 years old (he supposedly started writing the book at age 15), it must be a deam come true to see his work on the big screen.

Unfortunately, the film didn’t work all that well for me.  I felt the plot was a little forced, and the way the scenes were cut could’ve been better.  Since I haven’t read the book, I can’t tell if this was because the storry really was like this or if something went wrong with the translation to film.  I did enjoy the battle scenes involving the dragon at the end (can’t have a dragon film without having it fight, now can we?). My SO liked the film, but I don’t like it as much.

Overall, it was OK.  I hope Christopher Paolini will see continued success, but I hope that the movie version of the next book will be better.  Watchable.

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With my SO back from her trip, we decided to catch a movie and ended-up choosing “Night at the Museum“. Being a Ben Stiller movie, you know it’s a comedy (and it should have Owen Wilson or some other cameo inside). The premise is simple, stuff at the museum turns alive at night, and Ben Stiller is in the midst of it. The other plot components won’t really be much but a backdrop to glue things together.

Given the simplicity, there’s really nothing much to expect except for the possibilities inherent when museum exhibits come to life, and how Ben Stiller (and the other characters) interact. Not that the humor is bad, its OK, just nothing sophisticated. Given that it’s not expected to be sophisticated to begin with, you get what you expect.

It’s a fun movie, but not all that special. It’s worth seeing, but nothing to loose sleep about if you miss it.

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#3: Since this is from the Philippine Online Gaming Summit ‘06-’07, I’m assuming the game in the lower middle monitor is some sort of MMORPG version of solitaire.

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I went to the Philippine Online Gaming Summit (POGS) 2006-2007 last Saturday to see what’s going on. It’s mostly a showcase of the currently available online games in the Philippines, and you get to try the stuff out. There was also a cosplay competition, but I didn’t see any memorable costume.

Of particular interest to me was ToonTown Online, which I didn’t know was already done (not to mention already licensed to the Philippines). It seemed cutesy enough for its target market, but I wasn’t able to learn much about what you can actually play (aside from a swimming through rings under water thing I saw).

Another game that caught my eye was Rakion. From what saw, it seemed like a Spawn type beat’em-up. The graphics were pretty nice, and the action seemed good enough for what it tries to be. Depending on the payment model, I may try it out sometime.

Other than that, well, there wasn’t much to see. If you were patient enough to wait in line, you’d have had the chance to try all the locally licensed online games in the Philippines currently available.

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I learned about this from a Wired Magazine online article. You really should check it out. More links (particularly links to English translations of the original posts) can be found here.

I wonder how I can get myself a copy of the book…?

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I’m gonna set this part of my blog as a segment for quirky stuff I find around and manage to take pictures of. I’ll start with these two:

#1: What kind of work does a “danGer GRO” do? Undercover operations?

#2: I saw this displayed quite prominently on one of the Ortigas area’s more prominent commercial centers. For what everyday purpose does the common man need a machine gun customized with a grenade launcher? Rats in the kitchen?

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A friend has been telling about this sidewalk place called “JT’s Manukan Grille” for some time now, and as usual, I’m always intriqued by the possibility of good cheap food. We got a chance to go there for lunch last Tuesday, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The main branch (where we ate) is along the Ortigas Avenue Extension (corner Valencia), and I think there are branches in Sgt. Esguerra and Eastwood. It’s owner is a famous Filipino actor, which explains the various pinoy movie related posters adorning the walls and doors (”JT” appears to be his initials, as is made pretty obvious by the said posters). It’s basically a sidewalk eatery, so don’t expect anything fancy. However, it’s one of the better sidewalk eateries I’ve seen, and they play chillout music (which was another pleasant surprise). I have been told that the place really gets packed at night: lines of people form, tables are added, and the place extends to the roads (which makes it very difficult to reach the street parking nearby).

The food focuses on chicken inasal, with other typical pinoy grill foods to add a little variety. I was not disappointed, this was the best chicken inasal I’ve ever had! Their formula has a hint of pinoy barbeque sauce like taste, which I’m not a fan of, but not so much to deter from the inasal taste. Service is typical of places like this, but they are polite. If not for time constraints, I would’ve loved to try their batchoy, but I wasn’t able to. Given the sidewalk status, the price does not disappoint either. It’s cheaper than the named chicken inasal places you may find in malls, and still they manage to make it taste better than those (to me at least).

Great price versus performance, this is a rare find. The actor owner is one of the more decent actors in Philippine cinema, and the food reflects focus on a proper chicken inasal experience. Given the sidewalk experience, this is a good reflection of typical working man local cuisine. If we had more places like this, maybe we’d have something good enough to rival the cheap sidewalk food available in other countries that foreigners go for. If you don’t mind the setting, I recommend you check this out.

branches:
- #4 Granada Street, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Quezon City
- #26 Sgt. Esguerra Street, South Triangle, Quezon City
- Citywalk I, Cybermall Eastwood, Quezon City

www.darthvid.com

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