to the manner born

in this crazy world of stress and mood swings, it's conspicuously rare to connect with someone with the manners and refinement lifted from the emily post book of etiquette. the norm has always been the opposite. good or bad behavior comes from breeding and cultivation. individuals are exposed to various elements in the environs whilst growing up. a few studies have also slanted toward genetics as the root of fine or appalling decorum. it's unavoidable to steer away from the classic nature vs. nurture debate. i know i'm an annoying broken record. but it's difficult to be optimistic when one has already been dissilusioned by daily encounters of cattiness and tension-filled moments with the definitive bitch.

the following clip is a trailer for the other boleyn girl. henry the VII, based from the portraits in his period, did not look like eric bana (aussie) or jonathan rhys meyers (irish) who play him in the hbo series, the tudors. the film is based on the fictional work of philippa gregory. scholars who are pro- anne boleyn outnumbers the anti- anne boleyn faction. but the book from which the movie is adapted is clearly on the anti side. this is a good discussion for those who are enthralled.

dan and george

like the previous three academy awards, i yielded to the forces of the economic hierarchy, i watched the the latest kodak theatre offering a day late and only the highlights of the presentation. of course, i've missed out on a lot of features that was not crammed into the hour and a half long summary show. but with the growth of cable companies comes the slow death of free television. daniel day lewis' win however sweetened the aches and pains of missing a few tantalizing tidbits. i didn't envision this latest accolade after his gangs of new york exited the 75th oscar's empty handed. the ersthwile poet laureate's son seldom does movies, shuns the spotlight (was he asked in the red carpet what he was wearing?), dabbles in carpentry and the art of shoe handicrafts. but when he does find his way in front of the lens, he chooses only challenging parts. it would be lovely to see DDL in a romantic comedy, actually. but it aint gonna happen. he's of course in his fifties. but how old is mr. big?

there was a time in ER's early stages when george clooney was the only cast member not nominated for an emmy. now as i dig deep in googling what became of some of clooney's ER's co-stars, the UN goodwill ambassador for a very worthwhile cause, is always on the radar, now more actor than movie star, amassing praises as a performer and director. some people are lucky. sexiest man alive, academy award winner, former tv star. plus the rectangular walls of my microcosm knows him. a variety of my friends and colleagues might not be able to namedrop a cohen brother film, or professed to have seen o' brother where art thou. but the real people definitely knows who george clooney is. this gives us something to talk about during a rare lull in the back-breaking (literally) routines at the work desks.

tottenham hotspur triumphs in carling cup

somewhere in the past, in the vicinity of about twelve years ago, i fall asleep everytime football was on the telly. fast forward to the future, my heartbeat is now thumping faster than usual. the culprit in the last five years has been tottenham hotspur. the win against the bigger than life, glory-hunters favorite, chelski or chelsea in the carling cup final has been nothing but well-deserved. spurs had more possessions in the first half but through twists of fate or with me dropping over to the shop to procure a copy of la dolce vita, drogba scored from a spot kick. i come through the door, with the pundits and their views blaring from the background, drogba and his team were already one-nil up.

then the spurs fought back. first a berbatov penalty in the second half. then came extra time. i don't hover around jonathan woodgate that much. he was injured most of the time in real madrid that he was almost invisible to hardcore followers. i thought his winner was a lucky break, a keeper mistake from peter cech. probably it was the exhilarating wembley atmosphere, a far bigger occasion than the weekly matches at white hart lane, or the lacklustre home league display against slavia prague that propelled each player from the skipper ledley king to an exuberant robbie keane to the dishy bulgarian, dimitar berbatov to pounce on the match with a passion. even didier zokora, with all his chances, was impressive. aaron lennon, the youngster from leeds, was all over the place but still had his gloves on and definitely it was very nice to see paul robinson back again, producing stops after stops.

yes people, there is life beyond the premiere league's top four. i'm certainly excited that the glimpse of wonderment belongs to the spurs.

hail to juande ramos, the manager with the magic touch.

and the spurs go marching on!

squibbles on the hoof

i bask in the summer sun. all i want is to do at present is to shed off all the extra layers of clothing. despite shivering in these unreasonable low temperatures, there's always something to smile about during the chilly season. for me it's watching all the winter sports on screen. though i don't have the time to follow all the invigorating action on the telly. i haven't even gotten to organizing my thoughts on season 7 of csi and the networks are halfway through season 8 in real time. but at least i've managed to write down my entrees. granting i'm still gripped with various tasks like snail mails and parcels to send to family and dear dear friends. despite the advent of dizzying techno mobility the post office still rocks.

i'll be tuning into the delayed telecast of the oscars just like in the last four film seasons. contemplating to subscribe to sky movies for just one gown and tux event of the year may be too much on the limited pocket. i'll be relegated to the highlight reels the next day. it's also the same sunday as the carling cup final at the wembley. not that i have a ticket. there will be blood and no country for old men are still showing in cinemas. these are marvels in terms of viewing pleasure. i will try to visit the nearest odeon pit stop.

ditto with the lakers simulcast. after all the pre-season european nba hoopla, there are no nba coverage in the land where liz rules. that with more than double-digit sports channels available to fill our satiety center. i know it's europe and basketball is a minor agenda. i can see more of edge and john cena. but totally nil about pau gasol and he's spanish. what gives? is the nba is too yankee doodle dandee? channel five's one game a week transmission does not count.

notes from the weary

i've been totally exhausted the past week. hence the lack of tales and sketches. i merely spent my days off downloading juday's stuff. i have this whirlpool of guilty pleasures that could not cater to some people's inner snob. but i'm having fun watching the clips i would never had the chance to see if not for the magic of internet television. there are a few scathing blogger remarks from detractors. but it's a choice. no one can actually appraise a person's taste. you're either into blur or oasis. or you take side in the very off-putting network war. i can't comprehend the fuss as they actually serve identical menus. in this age of modern technology with freeview boxes, tivo, dvd recorders, skypluses, virgin media, you tube and all other video-sharing websites available for various cultures and entities in this planet, my people are presently stuck in a two-network ratings battle.

at present i'm submerged in the never-ending cyle of accumulating clutter. if i have an enormous house with room for storage, i would have far less worries. or maybe i would still succumb to hoarding more books and magazines i wouldn't have the time to read anyway. but the annoying aspects are not the glossy hard copies of my reading lists but the constant stream of junk mails. even the essential posts are becoming difficult to manage. the advent of mobile phones introduced far more hodgepodge with cellphone boxes and the bills taking up cramped spatial eyesores. with the other paper trails, the shredder comes in handy. do i really need that topshop receipt from eons ago? all these piffles to ponder.

"if you read a little bit that means you're in." was one ditty uttered to me by a colleague two nights ago. i'm still perplexed what she means by "in." she might have thought i was into fashion folios. nah. i live by this edict of director joey reyes, author of porn again, midlife outtakes and mistakes, in his MySpace page, describing the people he would like to meet, "people who are not fixated into self-images and signature outfits, name-dropping and the latest cell phone models." honestly, i would like to meet the same bunch of denizens, those who are not spruced up on burberry but with the heart of gold.

a giant surprise

i shouldn't have stayed up too late for the super bowl. the time difference from arizona wasn't justifiable. my next day plans vanished into oblivion. i have to admit that my daysleeper phase isn't over, not in a million lifetimes.

the last minute heroics by the youngest manning brother was an absolute marvel for the giant fans and the anti-brady's. i have nothing against the good looking patriots quarterback. but the glory-hunter side of me cheer for the mannings more. it's a throwback from my years of rooting for peyton to nail that much coveted ring.

i didn't know an upset could be this exciting.

civics

through conversations with the enlightened ones, i've learned that there are two subjects that should be avoided when discussing random issues with strangers-- politics and religion. i'm reading a political memoir at present. it's both interesting and heartbreaking. the torment comes in the form of color. i know the condescending look, day in and day out. it's a penetrating gaze that is ingrained in the system of xenophobes. wouldn't it be heartwarming if everybody integrates and elude resentment, not see color? egalitarianism is a pretty cool doctrine.

burned by disappointing results since i was a teen, i no longer follow politics. elections are all about popularity and choices anyway. i used to sponge up watching debates on tv. if you're the type of person who examines issues rather than superficiality, then you vote according to the good of humanity and the causes and the advances one supports. but most people don't dig a little deeper. i came across these words from jz, extracted from her womenagerie column in 1988 after the US presidential elections between bush sr. and gov. michael dukakis of massachussetts, "dukakis came on too smart. he reeked of intelligence. not only was he a liberal, he was an intellectual. and people who come across as intellectual tend to make other people feel stupid. would you vote for someone who gave you an inferiority complex?"

the autobiography i'm devouring is an eye-opener. there are individuals who are blessed with prodigious talent. public service is a calling. the world is a better place because there is a coterie of good samaritans who are willing to nurse the afflicted. if only we set aside all differences and co-exist in the labyrinth of cultures.