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Saturday, October 30, 2004
Lazenby. George Lazenby.
*Spoilers*
=========
Film Review:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Directed by Peter R. Hunt
=========
George Who?
I am talking about George Lazeby, the second James Bond. Yes, my friends. After Connery and before Moore, Aussie George Lazenby starred as the suave British superspy in the 6th Bond installment: On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Some of you may not have known it while some others hate to even think about it. Lazenby has a lot of critics, but there are a number of people who think that OHMSS may well be one of the best Bond movies in the series. Some Bond aficionados even claim that Lazenby's portrayal of James Bond is the closest to the Bond in creator Ian Fleming's books. Perhaps he was much younger than Connery and Moore, or maybe he was inexperienced as an actor. Still, I have to say that this is a movie worth watching, very enjoyable, exciting, and even heartwarming. It's not Connery, but still good fun.
This film also stars The Avengers's Diana Rigg as Teresa "Tracy" Draco...James Bond's wife! I bet you didn't know that James Bond had a wife! When I was younger, I used to flip through dusty old issues of LIFE magazine. I once came across a James Bond anniversary issue. At that time, Timothy Dalton was the latest James Bond, and he posing in a set filled with James Bond memorabilia and movie props. One prop was a tombstone that read, "R.I.P. Teresa Bond." It said that Teresa Bond was James Bond's wife. It was only until I watched this movie did I fully understand what that meant. Actually, Tracy only marries Bond in the tragic, bittersweet ending. I shall impart that to you later on.
I personally loved this movie. I have to say that, as it rarely used the classic "Dr. No./James Bond" theme, it's own mod 60's score was equally good and fitting. The villian, Ernst Blofeld, is probably the basis for Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series. This and other factoids make this movie such an interesting watch.
I shall relate some of this trivia to you. Most of them I got from IMDb.com
George Lazenby, then a car salesman working as a part time model, got the part by using up most of his money in buying a Saville Row suit and a Rolex and in getting a James Bond-ish haircut. It was during this particular haircut session that the Bond producer spotted him.
In one interesting scene, when Bond clears out his desk, he comes across certain items from different missions. As he picks out a particular item, the theme song from the movie in which that item appeared plays in the background.
It is common misconception that this movie didn't do well. It did. In fact, it outgrossed its nearest competitor almost two to one. The only thing was that it didn't do as good as the Connery Bond flicks.
It's not true that Lazenby was never offered the role again. He was actually offered a multi-picture deal, but he declined (though he would later regret it).
This is the longest of all the Bond movies.
The only time in the whole James Bond series that Q ever calls Bond "James" is during the wedding scene in this movie.
It is only in this movie wherein the "fourth wall" is broken in the whole series. In the first scene, Bond faces the camera and says, "This never happened to the other fellow," referring to Connery.
It is in this movie wherein we are told that the Bonds's family motto is "The World is not enough."
It is the first Bond movie wherein Bond kisses Moneypenny on the lips.
This movie contains one of the most violent scenes in the series.
The movie contains the only gun barrel sequence at the beginning of the credits wherein Bond drops down on his knees while shooting at the audience.
The first take of the scene where Tracy is killed, Lazenby cried. Director Hunt retook the scene because he said, "Bond does not cry." The scene took only 2 takes.
Well, I just blurted it out didn't I? Yes, right after the wedding, on their way to their honeymoon, Tracy is killed by the villian whom we thought had already died. This is one of the very few movies that I know of that have sad, tragic endings. The movie ends with her death, a rare glimpse of Bond's human side. Louis Armstrong renders a song in movie. The song's title is the movie's ironic last line, uttered by Bond--"We have all the time in the world."
In a more positive note, of all the Bond girls, my favorite would be Ms. Moneypenny. I'm not sure of M's trusted secretary is actually a Bond girl, but I just like her so much. No, it's not because I'm Secretary (or maybe it is...). For one thing, I firmly believe that, aside from his late wife, Moneypenny is the only woman whom Bond respects. He may treat every other Bond girl as a mere fling, but his world would come to an end if not for Moneypenny.
I find the Bond and Moneypenny's relationship so cute. It's so cute how they jokingly flirt everytime Bond visits. It's so cute how Bond just thinks of it as all in good fun while Moneypenny (deep down inside) genuinely likes Bond. It's so cute how Moneypenny gets worried when Bond doesn't show up for a long time. It's so cute how Moneypenny is so essential in Bond's missions. It's so cute how Moneypenny cried in Bond's wedding (because "Weddings make me cry" or because she was brokenhearted?).
With this, I would like to announce that I am aspiring to be the first Asian Moneypenny. By the time I put on the role of course, we will also be introduced to the first Black James Bond. In fact, it's Jamaal Bond, James's distant relative.
Nah...
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Thursday, October 28, 2004
Sembreak, UST, and BoSox
It’s sembreak! Yay! Okay, I started the sembreak by submitting my USTET requirements. Yes, the last (hopefully, if you know what I mean) of the college entrance exams I’m taking is the University of Sto. Tomas Entrance Test. My Atenean classmate looks down on this school (a very Rizal thing to do), so for you people who share her sentiment, I shall defend my maternal family’s alma mater.
The Royal and Pontifical University of Sto. Tomas, just like the University of Oxford, was originally a school for future priests. It is the oldest existing university in Asia and the largest (in terms of student population in one campus) Catholic university in the world at that.
UST was founded in 1611 by the 3rd Archbishop of Manila. It was first called Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario, located at Intramuros. UST has a colorful history. Now 394 years-old, it was elevated to University status, when it was still Colegio de Sto. Tomas, by Pope Innocent X. It was placed under royal patronage in 1680 and, because of the valiant efforts of its administration and students in defending Manila against its British invaders (yes, we were under Britain once), King Charles III granted it the title of “Royal University.” The “Pontifical” title was given by Pope Leo XIII in 1902. That’s why if the Pope comes to Manila, or if Queen Sofia comes to visit, if there’s one place they’re supposed to visit, it’s UST.
The UST seal is a shield divided into four parts by the Dominican Cross. It bears the sun of St. Thomas of Aquinas in the center, the Papal tiara on the upper left, the lion from the seal of Spain on the upper right, the sea lion of the old seal of the City of Manila on the lower left, and a rose symbolizing the Blessed Virgin Mary of the lower right.
This is what I love about UST. I love its 1927 Main Building, its rich royal and papal connections, and how it entertains my heraldic studies.
=====
My first official sembreak day was greeted by happy and bad news. I completely forgot that the Math UT is on the day we get back to school, and I left all my math stuff in school. Good thing the guard said I can pick it up tomorrow. Again, absent-mindedly careless.
The good news, for BoSox fans, is that the Bambino has finally forgiven them! I must admit, albeit I’m a Yankee fan, that these Red Sox fans are amazing. Being able to remain faithful to such a cursed team is something extraordinary in itself. 86 years is enough time for people to abandon the Red Sox, but they didn’t, and props to them. In a sad note, not only did it take 86 years and total lunar eclipse, but also the death of a BoSox fan for the Red Sox to finally win again. When the Red Sox won the pennant against arch-rival NY Yankees, the usual victory riot ensued. Police, to disperse the celebrating college students, shot pepper-spray pellets, accidentally killing a female BoSox fan.
I wonder what this historic win will mean for baseball history. Will Boston finally start winning again, or is Babe Ruth just playing with them and they’ll have to wait another 86 years for the next title? Will the Yankees start losing now? I hope not. For those who aren’t aware and are more inclined to basketball, this is what the Curse of the Bambino is all about:
"Red Sox fans have felt the ecstasy of victory in their
grasps so many times, have had their fists clenched, waiting for that final out
in heady anticipation, only to be put through the agony of another lost victory.
It is a ritual that has been repeated many more times than a kinder and gentler
God would ever allow …"
-Massachusetts representative Silvio Conte, on the
floor of Congress, February 2, 1989.
The Boston Red Sox are one of the most hard-luck teams in all of major league baseball. While the club won five World Series between 1903 and 1918 [They won the first World Series], it has not won the world championship since. The team has been in the World Series four times since 1918, and has lost all four series in the seventh game. Even worse, the team has frequently been in the pennant race, only to lose-usually in spectacular fashion-down the stretch or in playoff nail-biters. Because Sox history is so troubled, a myth has developed among fans: The team, they say, is cursed. In 1920 Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold star player Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000. Ruth, nicknamed "The Bambino" (Italian for "Babe") had led the Sox to three championships. He would go on to do the same for the Yankees. But the Sox have not won championships since, and fans explain the failures by insisting that the Red Sox are plagued by "The Curse of the Bambino." Even Red Sox success stories are marked by the curse. Like other baseball teams, the Red Sox retire the uniform numbers of their greatest ball players. Displayed on signs above the right field are the numbers of Sox players Ted Williams (9), Joe Cronin (4), Bobby Doerr (1), and Carl Yastrzemski (8). Proponents of the curse believe the numbers also signify something else: 9/4/18 or September 4, 1918-the eve of the first game of the last World Series won by the Red Sox.
(“The Curse of the Bambino." Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.)
Did you know that the teams with the 2nd-highest number of World Series titles are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Oakland Athletics, with 9 titles each? Still, it will take a long time before another team comes close to the Yankees’s 26 titles.
A bit of Philippine Baseball Trivia I heard from a Sports show: The Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium, which is in such a sad state right now, is actually a tourist destination for many fans of The Game. You see, it was opened, during baseball’s heyday in the Philippines, by none other than Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth!
Baseball is one of my greatest frustrations. It’s was my first true favorite sport. If not for archery, it would have been my only favorite sport. I’m not that sporty, you see.
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After the retreat...
I took the DLSU Entrance Exam the Sunday right after I got home from Baguio. Whoever said the DLSUCET is the easiest sure didn’t take it. It’s either they made the DLSUCET harder, or it’s always been hard, just easy to pass. I don’t know about you, but, as Happy Ferraren said, Ateneo is overrated. Well, the ACET, to be more precise. I’m not saying the ACET was easy. I’m just saying it was easier than the DLSUCET…but that’s not really my main concern, right? Of course, I want to and have to pass these two tests, but for me, the UPCAT is the thing to worry about. (Here I go again.) I was worrying about the UPCAT so much that all I could think of while taking the DLSUCET was how much of UP life I would miss if I didn’t pass the UPCAT. I know there are other ways of getting into UPD, but I want to pass the harder yet simpler way…
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The Worst Day Ever
Oct. 18 – The Worst Day Ever
Okay, maybe it’s not the worst of them all, but surely, it shall remain as one of the most terrible days of my life.
It’s started out like this. It’s Monday, first day of the week for everyone else but the last for my class. You see, it’s retreat week, and all I could think of was to get over this day as quickly as possible. I had my note cards ready to be submitted, and all I had to do was to take my last Unit Tests during the first two periods. After finishing the CLE test, I was ready to take the Economics test. Before the test started, our teacher said in a clear and simple manner not to write on the questionnaire, lest the whole class merit minus two points each. I even mumbled to myself, half-jokingly, what if I actually wrote on it? That would be the end of the world. With that in mind, I took the test. I didn’t pull out a pencil anymore because everything had to be in ink, and based on experience, I was never going to have time to rewrite my pencil-marked answers in ink. After minutes of going through the first parts, I reached the last part of the test, which was Modified True or False.
For those who have not encountered such an exam, Modified True or False involves two statements per item. Either statement may be true or false. If, say, the first statement is true and the second statement false, there will be a prescribed letter-answer for that item. There is no fixed prescribed letter-answer. It changes from time to time, teacher to teacher. What I do to make it as accurate as possible is to mark both statements either T or F and just check, later on, what the prescribed letter-answer corresponds to the item. This was my plan of action when, halfway through number 3 did I realize that…I WROTE ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
I wrote on it.
In black ink.
In black non-erasable BIC ink.
There goes two points for each of my classmates.
I immediately raised my hand to call for my teacher. Of course, upon confessing my sin, he looked at me and looked like he wanted to crush my skull into little bits and pieces. Incidentally, that’s also what I wanted to do with myself.
Okay, I cried. Yes, I cried a lot. In fact, I cried so much, my classmates skipped the anger bit and moved on to the compassion part right away. Either that or they are genuinely forgiving and sympathetic people. I’m betting on the latter. That was another reason why I was crying. They are such good people that I couldn’t understand how I could do such a thing to them. I was pretty happy it was retreat time the following day.
But things didn’t stop there, my friends.
There was one resonating theme during that day, and it was that of how clumsy and careless I am.
I went to the supermarket with my mother, yaya, and sister to buy my retreat stuff. I left my mom in the supermarket and went ahead to the van in the parking lot. The parking lot was on a slope, so when I opened the door ever-so-carelessly (with the Eco-test issue still in my head and heart), I accidentally hit the other car’s door. I panicked for a moment, looked around, and figured that no one saw it. I didn’t notice any scratches on the car so I hopped into the van. Then, the blood drained from my veins. A man of about middle-age stepped out from the car I just hit! He opened my door, pointed at a scratch on his shiny maroon car, and said in suppressed anger, “Look at that! How careless!” That word again.
I apologized profusely. Then we both went inside our respective vehicles. I waited for my mother. It seemed like ages before she finally came to the parking lot. I was praying the rosary, begging Mother Mary to protect my family from any police-involved situation. Weirdly enough, he just sat there in his car. While waiting, I thought, what if he’s just waiting for my mom? Maybe, when my mom arrives, he’s going to step out of the car and start shouting at her? Then, my mother came. The man could probably see her from his seat, but he didn’t step out. My mama stepped into the driver’s seat. Normally, when she steps in, I don’t do anything. This time, however, I quickly handed over the keys to her, as if to say, “Quick! We have to leave quickly!” She got the keys, and set them aside. She got her phone from her bag. Oh no! Not a phone call! The phone call lasted for around 3 minutes. It was to be the longest phone call ever. While she was talking on the phone, in the middle of my rosary, the man’s window went down. Oh no! Here he comes! But he stayed inside. He didn’t come out. The window was down for a while, and then it went back up again. I was sweating and fidgeting while all of this happened.
My mother finally put her phone down, to my relief. Then, she picked it up again! Oh no! Another phone call! More time for the man to step out of the car! Luckily, she decided to make my yaya make that call instead, so we drove out of the parking lot, safely and peacefully.
I was able to take down the car’s plate number. I was even imagining, due to my paranoia, the man stepping out of the car, holding a gun, pointing it at us as we drove away. I could imagine the man taking down our plate number, reporting it the police. For the whole duration of that trip, I would constantly check if there were any maroon cars tailing us.
Mr. WBP-348, I am very sorry.
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October Visits
Jasmine
Jasmine Trias was in town sans my idol Camile Velasco. I marked 0ct. 16 in my calendar as Jasmile Concert Day. In turned out, however, that only Jasmine was coming. Camile didn’t come as expected. With all the Jasmine hysteria to distract me, including the Smart, herBench, and McDonald’s Love Ko ‘To endorsements, I was still able to raise my rasta wristband and the question, “Where is Camile?” Well, no official word from her yet, but there are rumours circulating in Team P.I. (that’s a Camileon fanbase) that she will be having a concert on Dec. 10! Yay! That’s better news than the previous Nov. 26 concert rumour because Nov. 26 is our school fair…unless of course Dec. 10 falls on Term Exams week! Oh-sweet-mother-of-Abraham-Lincoln! Please! Oh-mercy-no!
Alicia
Ms. Karissa Herrera sat on the eighth row from the front to watch Alicia Keys live onstage. The lucky girl said that Alicia was so good (and so pretty) that she became an immediate fan. She was never really a fan of Alicia Keys, but after watching her concert, Ms. Herrera did not stop belting out “If I Ain’t Got You” during class. She belted it out so much that everyone else was singing it in class and that Karla and I have stopped singing it. It’s not entirely Karissa’s fault. There are so many songs that I sing in class, but none of them actually get that stuck in their heads. And so, catchy song caught on, and it eventually irked Patty Rodriguez, who has been a fan of Ms. Keys for two years now. She hated how people suddenly liked Alicia Keys. I told her that that was my lot in life.
Caroline.
Princess Caroline of Monaco and Hanover for some charity work that her mother started. She didn’t bring any of her children; in fact, she didn’t bring much of an entourage. This is a testament to how elegantly simple she is. Being a royal watcher, this is a big event for me.
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Saturday, October 09, 2004
Bea Liwanag (1987-2004)
Bea Liwanag (1987-2004)
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, at
4:29 AM