First Gimik of the Kingdom 2

What I liked about the arcade leg of the Camia gimmick was, this was the only part wherein I didn’t have to shell out money, which should always be a good thing. At least four people had their reloadable Power Station cards with them, and they swipe it like there’s no tomorrow, and reload as if mom or dad would approve. And of course, I play for free (maybe me playing against them is such an honor).

Before we trooped to the cinema, we cramped ourselves in one of the karaoke booths, and we just had to choose crazy songs. This part was very vague; I couldn’t recall exactly what occurred (weah). But I heard the first performer got a perfect 100 for his rendition of a classic Ricky Martin song (in the absence of Timberlake’s), after which the room was filled with applause (this is the vague part). The second song was the standard Andrew E. hit (yes, the local rapper), to which everybody couldn’t relate, since the song prods the listener to find someone panget. The last song must have vocal acrobatics and insane range, so Bohemian Rhapsody it was. We had more pictures inside (since Justine, Elysse, and Ianne won’t join us for the movie), and rushed one floor up. We had about ten minutes to claim our reserved seats.

Of course, because of Murphy’s Law, there were seemingly scheduled unfortunate events to happen. Emil and Conrad were missing for a time (they went to the washroom), and some people had to buy snacks, so there was mild chaos (at least on my perspective, since I have the tickets), especially since the usherette reminded us that the last trailer was already being projected. So I have to stay by the doorside to distribute the tickets by subgroups, not minding who sits where. In this manner, every person will have his/her food, and I will be the last to enter.

Oddly, contrary to what the usherette said, there were more trailers on the screen. This frustrated some of us since we were in a hurry (and there were those who passed on buying food in order to watch the movie from the very beginning). Oh well. Making use of the light available, I then cut my doughnuts into cute but uncongruent halves, to be shared to all elevn of us. They were busy munching popcorn and other snacks.

Stardust is a nice movie feature. I did not know that this is a book adaptation, so I wouldn’t be able to make comparisons; I’m not good at that, in the first place. The story is very basic, but its treatment was very vivid, solid, and of course creative. Watching Stardust is probably fostering the child inside that looks forward to hearing tales of grandeur. The interpretation of a star being a two-fold persona/matter is very inventive. Utilizing the universal theme of love, the movie did not appear contorted in that respect. There was hardly a boring part; the development of the story is fast-paced and straightforward. On the negative side, there were too many editing problems, and the continuity director should have been more meticulous (especially on the prosthetics of Michelle Pfeiffer). The actors were good in general, and for a time, I forgot that it was the same Claire Danes who, allegedly, somehow spoke ill of our country many years ago (I never knew if this is verified). Every illogical scene (like when Tristan and the Star seem to chase the shattered glass instead of evading it) can always be forgiven, since this is fantasy.

Films with a comic nature of sorts always amuse me. I am a fan of European humor, or at least, the humor of European characters, since they almost always have sarcasm in their blood (in Music and Lyrics, Hugh Grant’s character was very hilarious). And sarcasm is something I utilize whenever needed, even to students. One of my favorite scenes was when the king was in his deathbed. I just had to master his laugh when one of his sons pushed another towards the window. Very sinister.

After Stardust, Camia had a new tag phrase, courtesy of Captain Shakespeare: Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! *clenched fist* The girls, by the way, had a picture taken with one of the robotic live mannequins in silver paint.

We, again, had a hard time choosing where to eat dinner (MYMP was playing nearby). We were supposed to eat at KFC, but, with the suggestion of Josh, we headed to Pho’Hoa instead. We… ate *some story deleted*. Since it was getting late, the people were leaving by subgroups, headlined by Justin, who literally vanished (Josh had a funny and believable short acting piece, mimicking him). If this was to go on, nobody will be left inside to pay the bill, and we will be banned in Eastwood.

I, together with JJ and neighbor Emil, hitched a ride with Mia until the Santolan station of LRT-2 (purple lane). Eventually, we were all home, tired but too happy. All good things come to an end.

I want to thank my natural accounting powers. I guess a gimmick is more fun (for the students) if settling individual bills is done days after. Yes, I did not give out a treat. I’m not that capable, and my birthday’s not coming soon.

Oh, I now know what gift I want in December. More people attending the next Thy Kingdom Camia event, and a babylon candle.

First Gimik of the Kingdom

wiSaturday came. The date of my Algebraic Structures final exam. Since there were no classes the day before (last day of Ramadan), I had some time for studying, after resting. The exam was harder than I expected; I studied some parts lightly, only to encounter them again. The sad part is, the said questions are in our handouts, with complete solutions.

Good thing I’m going to meet Camia (or, those who were allowed to go plus those who really wanted to go) in the afternoon. This day is also the First Screening of PSHS-NCE. I had to beg off proctoring duties because of my exam in Ateneo, but little did I know that the finals for my other subject was moved on a weekday. I can still sign up as proctor even in the afternoon only, but all the slots were filled. So it means that I can have the free time with Camia.

It was perfect timing, I guess. Thy Kingdom Camia (well, every student probably) had piles of things to do and study for the last two weeks of the second quarter, and this Saturday was the first weekend where there is relatively nothing to do (Some Saturdays were even made school days), so they deserved a break. Plus, Camia placed second in Speech Choir, so the day will also serve as a celebration of sorts (maybe the 4th-place Tinikling finish should also be included). Plus, my semester is soon over. So to Eastwood we trooped.

I met up first with Emil, Josh, and JJ in Katipunan. We brought Cello’s doughnuts (we’re in Katipunan already, so I might as well buy some boxes). The others are in McDo Eastwood already: Aveline, Zarra, Elysse, Arvin, Ianne, Aldrich, and Justine. Mia arrived after us, then we transferred to Yellow Cab for lunch (I suppose the management of McDo encounters people who meet up in their place, then leave without eating, on a regular basis). Justin and Conrad were just in time for New York’s Finest. Some didn’t eat, since they ate lunch already, and busied themselves with card games. By the way, Elysse brought some brownies she said she baked herself.

I sort of dictated the plan: find a studio where we can have our pictures taken, then buy tickets for the movie, then Power Station (a must), then movie, then dinner. By the way, Conrad, Aveline, and JJ each had a very hilarious statements, the details of which I will leave out, since I’d love to live until I’m old. Since we weren’t successful in finding a studio, we just looked for a nice backdrop and we prepared our digicams. Nakatipid pa tuloy. Some of us were sucking jawbreakers, which Elysse bought for us, and I swear this candy is a choking hazard.

Next: the movie. It was a tough call: which movie to watch? Resident Evil, Kung Fu something, and No Reservations were interesting, but the choices were narrowed down to two: Stardust and Apat Dapat, Dapat Apat, a local film boasting of today’s top comediennes. Since I will be paying for the tickets (and they will pay me after), and most of them responded “kahit ano”, it was up to me then. Some of my students haven’t watched a local movie in a theater ever; this could be their first. And the thought of meeting up in Eastwood to watch Pokwang and Eugene Domingo is very thrilling, not to mention blackmail-friendly. And, to quote Robert de Niro’s character, our/their reputations, which took so long to build, might be destroyed in a snap.

So Stardust it was. (Though I joked, and some believed, that it was the local movie we were watching.)

Next came the exciting part: Power Station. I wasn’t exposed to arcade gaming as a child, so I’m practically an amateur in this arena. For the record, combining Jasmin 09 and Camia 2010, I am unbeatable in air hockey – in Timezone. Somehow, the same is not true in Power Station: I am winless in the three-puck play version. I really wonder why, since three pucks at a time never bothered me. Then the realization: the goals in Eastwood are wider, so my defense strategy is not working. JJ beat me by two points, but Josh beat him. Josh insists he, in effect, beat me by transitivity, but that is a big contradiction, since air hockey is not an equivalence relation. By the way, JJ and I teamed up against Emil and Conrad, to no avail. My losing streak continued.

Josh and I weren’t able to settle our score in air hockey, so to Dance Maniax we went. Hah! I beat him by millions of points (…), so Josh, JJ, and I are even – for now. Eventually, JJ and the girls “danced” as well.

Aldrich asked me to play Time Crisis, and I was no match to his gun skills. I was having a hard time to reload; Justin was a better partner to Aldrich. Conrad, on the other hand, played the rockstar game, and he positioned his guitar vertically, so he doesn’t have to do the showtime move. Harhar. Arvin was beaten by Zarra in racing (Zarra is a driving menace). This racing game is fun: you can transform the wheels of your opponents in cubic form. Justin and Conrad tried driving too. Justine had Emil in hand in playing a mathematically-inclined game. Elysse and Ianne played some hoops.

So much can be done in 90 minutes.

*to be continued*