raincontreras.com

It has happened countless times before, but I’ve had the intention to be an active daily blog poster this week, since everything else around me decided to stay put and do/be nothing.

Some personal highlights:

• I won’t be going to the US for company-sponsored training any time soon. Details end here.
• Site re-design AGAIN. I’ve always liked what the 3 column layout does to efficiently order content, and ads. I just wish I had the time and pratical know-how to optimize this. Alex King’s site was the ultimate convincing factor.

In photography:

• The cameras I put up to sell are both sold. Thanks Jill and Ronald.
• I was advised to try to get the old family camera I’ve never seen used repaired. Its an all-auto rangefinder camera, the Minolta Hi-Matic F. Its not in the best condition, but Flickr buddy Gary has an impressive set of what this camera can do.
  
• I mentioned the Sigma DP1 digital camera to the RFilipinas, and most were impressed as to how sweet and rangefinder-y it looked. But, even if the Imaging Resource guys tell you it is -even if the Sigma representative doesn’t correct the interviewer- IT IS NOT A RANGEFINDER CAMERA, dammit (YouTube link). They did cover everything else quite nicely though, including the gargantuan Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG lens (YouTube link) I posted about before.

In music:

• I bought CDs of local artists who I wholeheartedly believe deserve support: Paramita, Sound, and Up Dharma Down. Yes, sirs, this is, admittingly, after repeated listening to their songs as downloaded mp3s.
• Rachael Yamagata’s 2004 album Happenstance is record of the week. Lyn, this is your fault.
• The list of post-rock records I’m listening to now is ridiculously long, but I still can’t get over Explosions in the Sky’s All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone record. Watch them perform everyone’s fave song from the album:
  

In cinema:

• Nothing. I’m keeping up with old Aqua Teen Hunger Force (ATHF!) episodes though, anticipating the movie.

In tech, and the internets:

• Still on XP at home, not properly set up for Vista yet, and I’m waiting for the April 19 release of Ubuntu’s Feisty Fawn, before I multi-boot again. Hopefully, with sound (I don’t get sound by default with the Dapper Drake LiveCD with the current rig).
• ZeFrank’s last show will be released tomorrow. Must-watch.

Hat-tip to Karla for this bit of news: Paramita’s Tala video is now enjoying airplay over that videoke-slash-music-video-channel; its available online via the director’s Multiply site. Further convince yourself with this fetching video still. Great to know this, since Tala is hands-down the best song from the band’s album.

Here are cut scenes from The IT Crowd. Patiently waiting for the second season (via). Oh, and IMDB verifies that the American version is currently in pre-production. Personal note: I work 99% of the time with the company’s IT personnel (I’m NOC, anyway), but there really isn’t much uber-geeky fun to see there.

Just saw Tokyo Godfathers’ (haven’t seen this, but I’m encouraged now) creator Satoshi Kon’s visually stunning Paprika (Quicktime trailer; Japanese Flash trailer): 29 year old Dr. Atsuko Chiba is an attractive but modest Japanese research psychotherapist whose work is on the cutting edge of her field. Her alter-ego is a stunning and fearless 18 year old “dream detective,” code named PAPRIKA, who can enter into people’s dreams and synchronize with their unconscious to help uncover the source of their anxiety or neurosis. Must, must, must-see.

PinoyPost interviews film critic Noel Vera on Philippine Cinema, in large part, based on the Fil-Am experience. If you hesitate -you shouldn’t- to purhcase his Critic After Dark book, this is a great primer. Five months late, though.