movies from my adolescent youth

I was doing my usual rounds at the pirated DVD stalls at Quiapo [for those of you unfamiliar with the place, here’s Tami Ballesteros' take on the place, and here’s a post I did on it just last Valentine's -just click on them] last Wednesday after I came to hear the late afternoon mass. Having been a patron of the underground economy for many years, I have noticed how trends changed when it came to the titles released by the bootleg lords responsible for the enjoyment of cheap DVD copies.

In 2004, when I first ventured into that neighborhood that sold the bootleg DVDs across the Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, there was such a variety in the titles that were available other than the usual Hollywood and commercial releases. There was a stall that had old movies and foreign language films, while another had Operas and Musicals, and another had concerts and rare performances on sale. For Quiapo adventurers like me, the rare titles have become less and less through the years and have given way to the more commercial ones. I would be lucky enough to get a few really good ones if I actually spent an afternoon looking at the other less ventured stalls. Just to point it out, there’s been a surge of gay movie titles released lately, and some of them are ones that went out of circulation a few years back. Hooray for the gays…

In the past months, I have noticed how the titles they were coming out with were movies from the late 70s, the 80s, and the early 90s. There’s the old “Dune” movie with Kyle McLachlan, The Last American Virgin, Porky’s, The Last Starfighter, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Neverending Story Trilogy, Labyrinth, Mannequin, Revenge of the Nerds, I could go on forever…



As I was going through the titles of the DVDs stacked on the floor, I saw two movies that held a place in my heart when I was an adolescent: Disney’s “Iron Will” and that Brad Renfro movie called “The Cure”. I have been looking for a copy of these films for the longest time; the last copy of The Cure I beheld was on VHS. I loved “The Cure” because it was the first movie about friendship I saw that really hit home. And the day after that, I learned that Brad Renfro passed away just days after Heath Ledger but has obviously been overshadowed by the latter’s death. I reckon Brad Renfro deserves another tribute blog soon. Oh well…



I saw “Iron Will” with my childhood best friend, Schneider, it was the first movie we watched on our own -a bit of a growing up moment there. I even remember buying two large packs of that Mr. Chips snacks with our sarsaparilla drink. The movie even had a tagline “It isn’t a question of age or skill, but of iron will.” Funny thing though, when I was about to watch it, my DVD player won’t read the disc!!! Insert image of the Barefoot Baklesa screaming his lungs out going, “Whaaaaaargggghhhhh!!!”

Well, this is not the first time that happened -it goes with the territory. And it’s Friday again, Quapo calls. After the mass, all I have to do is cross the street.

Scenes of a Rainy Nature: Valentines Day 2009

It was a rainy Valentine's Day afternoon when I got off at Quiapo Church to pray a little before I went on my way to my friends' play. To those of you unfamiliar with Quiapo Church, words fall short in describing this amalgam of Filipino religious, historical, economic, and social traditions; you really have to be there and see for yourself. At the heart of it, is the Basilica of the Black Nazarene [an image of Jesus Christ bearing the cross that devotees flock to by the millions on its feast day], yet by its shadow lurk sellers of talismans, charms, and herbs -remnants of the animistic old ways. But that is another blog...



So by the historic square called Plaza Miranda, located in front of the Basilica, there were flowers stalls with their sellers busy for the day's trade of roses and bouquets... It was a sea of pink and red as even the balloon sellers were out with heart-shaped ones [but I don't think these photos do it justice].



What I found odd were these caucasians dressed in the fashion of those polygamist families I saw on television recently: ladies in dated blouses and skirts with hair white coverings like that of nuns while the men in collared shirts tucked within their trousers. The thing is, the guys who looked like they were in their 20s were really cute! But then again, they give me the heebie-jeebies. The only thing I could make out from their assembly was that they were members of the Philippine Mennonist Church [Whatever that is]. I thought how futile was it of them to seek converts in the stronghold of Roman Catholic faith in Manila. Oh well...that's typical Quiapo for you.

the barefoot baklesa restaurant review: Sumo Sam at Powerplant, Rockwell

The Barefoot Baklesa’s Restaurant Rating Guide

The way I see it, I might as well create a way for me to rate the places where we go to eat. A taste for fine things, or for food in this particular case does not necessarily mean eating out at the most expensive places but rather enjoying a meal prepared in the best way possible whether it be some local eatery by the street corner, a specialty food cart, or the most fashionable eating places about town.

I have decided to use plates as a way to rate them. Yeah I know, how original, right? [ Sarcasm… hint… hint… ] First, let’s break them down… Not the plates, the categories, I mean… We will get to the broken plates later.

Impression and Ambience – the appeal of most restaurants depends on the combination of two things: the aesthetics of the venue and the atmosphere it provides. I decided to generalize these under the category of Impression and Ambiance. Yes, we have heard of a many bad Filipino movies and sitcom situations where they call an order for Ambience and that is one over-plucked chicken. Ambience is a critical mix of visuals, light, music, and thematic treatment while Impression is the initial reaction you experience upon entering a place.

Service – from the moment you walk into any establishment, there are certain expectations you have of the way you should be served. So don’t go on expecting five star service from a place that can’t provide it, right? Service in itself is basic courtesy extended to any customer, the quality and type varies over the practicality in a particular type of service an establishment sees it should provide under the operating circumstances. Service is comfort, good manners, and efficiency.

Food – of course you went there to eat, right? The way I see it, every establishment that serves whatever cuisine it chooses, must at least provide each dish with the appropriate preparation, taste, and presentation. Each place, having a particular specialty, surely by the taste of their own could distinguish themselves from the rest, by my standards, if I could at least finish it, then it is edible enough. If I want to come back for it, then it’s worth trying. And if I’m raving about it, then get off your bums and go there!

Value – simply put, is what they are asking you to pay for it worth it? Value for money is probably the most practical part of this equation.

So, each category shall be rated thus for their desirability or lack thereof:

Must be a Wedgwood Plate – I’m raving about it!

Nice Plate – Quite satisfied.

Clean Plate – Good enough?

Dirty Plate – There’s room for improvement…

Cracked Plate – Leaves much to be desired.

Broken Plate – There’s no hope for this one.




The other evening, my family had dinner at Sumo Sam’s at Powerplant Mall in Rockwell; much to my disappointment, as I had expected to dine at C2 next door. Their rice rolls leave much to be desired -for we pretty much ordered half of the types of rolls available on the menu and there was nothing with the way they were made that excited me about them. Their so called dynamite roll with the crisp salmon skin was no different from the Philadelphia, the crispy kani, nor the California roll and two others I can’t seem to recall. I was looking for certain distinct characteristics in each one but only found variations on the mayonnaise and the freshness a bit questionable. Their gyoza was not so appetizing either; because I don’t know if it was supposed to have an aftertaste or not. Their version of yakisoba was a bit ‘woodsy’ even if I enjoy mushrooms myself, the ratio of the noodles against the mushroom and the vegetables seems to be out of proportion.

And talk about efficiency, or the lack thereof, my lychee and rose drink never got to my table until forty-five minutes later. This was above the fact that the other drinks –which were the most basic like sodas and their iced teas were called to their attention or follow-up three times before they arrived.

And don’ let me get started on the fish…well, I already have, might as well…hahahaha!!! Isn’t fish and the preparation thereof what makes a Japanese meal? At least in my book it is, and no self-respecting place that serves this particular cuisine would do so much as to remove this pleasure I derive from fish. However, I thought having ordered the sea bass, the salmon, and the gindara, would have been the saving grace of this meal but then again, Sumo Sam does not fail to disappoint, right?

All three fish dishes seem to me like they were intentionally made to swim in a sea or stream of butter. I don’t know if they were serving me fish or a tin of that Queensland butter to begin with. The salmon seemed a bit overdone and tasted like butter, the gindara was too salty and tasted like butter, and what a surprise for the sea bass also tasted like butter! In all fairness to the miso soup, that particular bowl made the meal somewhat…the word escapes me…bearable?

There were fourteen of us at that dinner, mostly kids, who were happy enough with the generic teriyaki dish or the ika fry they had. But my Aunt Mirza and I were by our end of the table doing our bit of iron chef judging and watching my niece Zeejay eat chicken teriyaki with her pink Hello Kitty baby spoon and fork which made it quite an interesting evening. My mother on the other hand was content enough to mention missing the old Japanese restaurants from a decade or so ago. Knowing my mom, that’s quite a subtle hint that she was not enjoying the food either.

Ergo, the Barefoot Barefoot Baklesa gives Sumo Sam the following plates:

Impression and Ambience: Sumo Sam sure showed a Nice Plate
[At least they got this one right…]

Service: I think Sumo Sam needs to see if it has a Cracked Plate
[the servers were all over the place, they brought over three orders which were not ours, and the drinks were more than acceptably late…]

Food: Sumo Sam puts his food on a Broken Plate
[I don’t think this place could redeem itself from getting pushed out of the doyo –Sumo metaphor, if you get it…]

Value: Sumo Sam charges this much for a Broken Plate
[We paid around 9,000 plus Pesos for that meal and it did not seem worth it.]