Calaidescope World

Random Notes From the Supposedly Not Walking Wounded

I started working from home yesterday afternoon. I sprained my left ankle when I missed a step at the ATM vestibule yesterday morning. I'm an invalid! According to the doctor, it will take my ankle at least 2 weeks to heal, but I can go back to work (in the office) in a week provided I don't walk around. Great. My work station is not exactly near the restroom or the pantry, I need to go down to the 4th floor to smoke, and the office building is right next to the mall. How can I not walk around? Torture!

Poor Max doesn't understand why I can't play with him. Layla can't understand why I can't walk her around the garden.

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Yes, I saw The Da Vinci Code on opening day. As Wilson Lee Flores worte in his editorial 2 weeks ago in The Philippine Star - and I'm paraphrasing here - the greatest sin committed by the movie is that it is boring. In my opinion, anyone who enjoyed the book most probably hated the film. It was a complete waste of talent and there was absolutely nothing earth-shaking about it. Yes, friends, it was much ado about NOTHING. Christians were divided over NOTHING.

The book was entertaining, while the film was the work of the devil (is there such a thing as a demon of nonsense?). Although, I did like the acting of the supporting cast (and the supporting cast only, especially Sir Ian McKellen. Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou were useless). I also liked how the flashbacks were shot and edited. Very well done. The screenplay was also toned down, particularly the discussion in Sir Leigh Teabing's kitchen about the Holy Grail and the scene in the H2 (it was a Range Rover in the book) about who killed Jacques Sauniere ("No! Not the Opus Dei!"), and it was toned down well so as not to offend anyone. But all that toning down took away much of the Robert Langdon I knew from the book. And my sister and I rolled our eyes at the part in Roslyn Chapel when Robert Langdon was telling Sophie Neveu about falling in a well. The filmmakers were obviously trying to cover their asses with that one.

The only ones whose faith was shattered by the movie are those who walked in with no strong foundations in Catholicism and did not understand the concept of "a work of fiction". Shame on you, Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman. You wasted our time and money on something that was better presented by The Discovery Channel and The National Geographic Channel for FREE. Why do I always torture myself by watching poor film adaptations of good books? So far, Peter Jackson and the rest of WETA are the only ones who have successfully put a book to screen. Don't these filmmakers learn from each other? Now I know why Christian groups were rallying to get everyone to see Over The Hedge instead. The Da Vinci Code was just soooooo bad!

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Have I told you that someone STOLE - of all things - my bottle of Fruits & Passion Cucina Coriander Hand Lotion from my work station last month? LOTION! What, the construction people needed to moisturise their hands during the office renovation? No one is interested in my soccer stress ball, but my hand lotion?!!

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I noticed that many Singporeans own iPods and such. They seem to wear them almost everywhere they go - on the MRT, in the mall, at the food court,.... However, unlike Filipinos with portable music players, I never saw a single Singaporean headbanging or doing a little jig or singing along to what he/she was listening to. I found that quite odd.

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What team will I be cheering for in the 2006 World Cup? Brasil, of course. I always support Brasil (interestingly enough, I was mistaken for a Brasiliana in 2002 when I worked out at Fitness First in a Pele #10 jersey. A lady walked up to me and excitedly asked if I was from Brasil, too, and she went on in Portugese before I could say, "No, but my great-grandmother was Brazilian". We then had a good conversation on football. As the Air Emirates ad points out, the world really speaks one language, doesn't it?). But I will also be supporting Argentina, probably Deutschland, definitely Espana, Italia, and our Asian brothers Japan and South Korea (represent!). How I wish the Philippines would one day qualify for the World Cup....

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If you're looking for a good book to curl up to, I highly recommend Paulo Coelho's latest, The Zahir. It's beautiful!

posted by Calai @ 8:48 AM