the fantastic submarine

Lost Horizon by James Hilton

2009-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

"Cigars had burned low, and we were beginning to sample the disillusionment that usually afflicts old school friends who have met again as men and found themselves with less in common that they had believed they had."

In a gift shop at a 5-star hotel in the heart of the financial district of Makati, one can find (or used to be able to find; it has been quite a while since we have been there), a certain edition of a book by James Hilton. It is not the kind of book that would cause any kind of excitement these days - if you just like to follow the herd and read what everyone else does in the home country, you might prefer things like the Alchemist or Five People You Meet in Heaven, or other similar books which amazingly never seem to fall off local bookseller's top twenty lists. The best books in our opinion, are those by authors who have long passed out of this world (with the exception perhaps of JK Rowling, whose Harry Potter series is hands down brilliant and "magical"), and are about bygone eras and ways of life that will never be the same again. Think of Isaac Bashevis Singer, who wrote in Yiddish of the shtetls of Eastern Europe, E.M. Forster, whose A Passage to India painted a colorful picture of colonial India and expressed the futility of the idea of interracial relations. Berlin has been rebuilt and has been reunited since the 90s, but it will never be again the same city pictured in Christopher Isherwood's Berlin Stories. Included among these authors of note are people like Enid Blyton, who wrote, among others, of English boarding school life or Herge, who covered in his Tintin series everything from life in the Shanghai International Settlement (The Blue Lotus), to the banana republics of Latin America (Tintin and the Picarros).

The name of the book from the five star hotel shop is Lost Horizon and it was written in 1933. It has the claim of being "the first paperback ever published" but does not in any way read like a typical mass market paperback. We picked it up not in a hotel shop but in a store called Powerbooks. It is actually our second copy of the book. The first one was lost when Zexiv absent mindedly left it in a plastic bag together with a pair of pants which was picked up by his and Inverbras' favorite tailor Mang Melo for alterations (we heard not long after that the tailor passed away unexpectedly not long after that and were never able to get the book back). Set in the waning days of the British empire, it is about a group of people who are taken against their will to a place in the Tibetan mountains called Shangri La. Shangri La turns out to be a sort of utopia on earth where there are no wars, no politics, hatred, crime, or sickness. A place where people are free from the cares and worries of everyday life and have no need for anything else, but can devote themselves to music, the arts or other peaceable pursuits as they please. It is also a place where one seems to live forever, or age very very slowly. Imagine suddenly being separated from work and home, from family, friends and status, from all modern conveniences one is used to, and cut off from all communication with the outside world, but at the same time, finding yourself in a perfect world - would you prefer to go back, and take the bad and the mundane with the good, or stay where life is simpler but infinitely happier? While some in the group wisely accept their situation it is a question the others continue to ponder, and ultimately decide to act on with sad consequences.

Incidentally Shangri-La - which has since come into common usage in the English language to mean "a remote beautiful imaginary place where life approaches perfection" (according to Webster) - is also the name of the hotel where one can find (or used to be able to find) this book. Small wonder it is displayed quite prominently in its gift shop. The hotel also apparently named one of their bars after the leading character in the book. Back in the days when Zexiv was with the bank, the bar was very popular with the office happy hour crowd and local expatriates and featured a number of live bands. The name of the bar? Conway's (after "Glory" Conway). If Glory Conway were a real character and were alive today, we wonder what he would think of all this.

Yes, we may never find a Shangri-La in this world, but somehow this beautiful escapist book by Hilton does the next best thing, transporting us effortlessly and magically to another time and place, even for a few minutes at a time. This is the book that we would bring to a desert island. Or install permanently in a Kindle (we suggested this a while back for Inverbras), if we had one. Highly recommended.

The Wind in Our Faces

2009-06-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

Of the many varied interests Inverbras and Zexiv share - counting among others the gym, Asterix and Obelix comics, certain books (i.e. Catcher in the Rye), video games (Metal Gear series) and 80s music, perhaps one of the longest running is a passion for biking. From the time Zexiv first learned to ride quite by accident on Inverbras' light blue single speed bike from Patria in his pre-teen years, they have been on many two wheeled-related adventures together. This includes bike rides to the club and back during hot summer days, a two way torturous trek to hilly Tagaytay from Makati, cycling to an anti-Marcos rally in Urdaneta park, and later on, when they both shifted to the mountain bikes (more appropriate for the pothole ridden roads of Manila), exploring parts of the Fort and a nearby military base. It was many things to them - a means of getting around, a form of exercise, and most of all a highly enjoyable activity.

There is something about the simplicity of the bicycle that appeals to the kid in us. It is not that easy to describe to someone, especially to one who has never tried and developed a liking for it - and Zexiv does actually have two close adult friends who to this day cannot balance on a two-wheeled bike. It is not exactly the thrill or danger of going fast, for riding a motorcycle is definitely not the same thing, and cannot be called a simple activity. Nor is it the challenge of going beyond the burn, or over the limits of human endurance, as in no way can it be called similar to that monotonous, joint punishing activity called running. Perhaps the best analogy I can make would be comparing it to birds flying. If you have ever coasted down a very seemingly endless long hill with the wind blowing in your face, you will get the idea. It is liberating, it is invigorating, and it makes one feel ecstatic just to be alive. The bike can be compared to the wings of a bird, propelled not by an engine but by our legs, allowing us to go further than our legs intended, and not be hopelessly grounded to the same barnyard day after day in the way a flightless chicken is. We have to exert a bit (or much) effort to make it up a hill, in the same way a bird flaps its wings, but can coast on a downward incline like a bird glides effortlessly above rising winddrafts.

In their older years, Zexiv and Inverbras continued to bike regularly although not always together. Zexiv would get together with a group of similar minded friends, they would all drive to the hills of Antipolo with their bikes mounted on a rack behind the car, park somewhere, and explore the many trails. Inverbras bought a bike in the States while still a student, and used it to explore the miles of boardwalk connecting the different beaches in L.A. where he took his first post grad job. Now that he is New York based, he is very active in charity fundraising rides, sometimes taking Ozaymas along. Zexiv on the other hand, was forced to leave his bike behind, when we all relocated to Canada. He actually missed his bike more than he did his car - in fact he would rather not drive at all if he can help it, seeing driving as a relatively stressful activity - feeling very much like a flightless chicken.

Last weekend was Zexiv's first bike ride in more than five years. We walked all the way to a bike shop in the north end of Denman street, where Zexiv, Inverbras and I picked out three Dahon folding bikes with 20 inch wheels to rent. Puff, who had joined us earlier for a dimsum meal, but had somewhere to go after, went with us and looked slightly envious, seeing our excited faces. She snapped one or two pictures, and then we were off, heading towards the seawall portion of Stanley Park. It was Inverbras' first trip to Stanley Park and the seawall, and Zexiv pointed out interesting landmarks and attractions on the way - the totem poles, the nine o'clock gun, second beach, Siwash rock, The Girl in the Wetsuit statue. We saw a number of blue herons, seagulls, a racoon, people sunning themselves on the beaches, pedestrians, and many other cyclists. Inverbras appeared to enjoy it very much; Zexiv was ecstatic and deliriously happy. On a certain lengthy downhill portion somewhere along the seawall, he coasted and savored the feeling of the cold wind on his face. " There is really nothing like a bike ride", he thought, smiling to himself.

"We have to do this again before you leave", he told Inverbras afterwards.

Inverbras in Vancouver

2009-06-13T11:32:00.001-07:00

They say one only gets to fully explore and appreciate their city and its surroundings when touring around an out-of-town visitor. We tend to sometimes take the places where we live for granted, getting caught up doing the same things day after day. In the years he spent in the home country, Zexiv told me he has never been to Palawan, or Sagada, the windswept islands of Batanes, or gone diving in the protected marine-rich waters of Tubbataha. It was only in the early nineties, when his Berlin-based cousins came visiting, that he saw Boracay for the very first time, and fell in love with the place. You really need to take a step back sometimes, and take a second look around you through the curious and fascinated eyes of a tourist. We had a chance to do this when Inverbras flew into town last weekend.

It was good to see Inverbras again. I remember my first meeting with him, when he was introduced to me by Zexiv at his old camp in the Eastern Seaboard. He had taken my picture and had helped us set up this blog. We met several times since then in New York, and he has been very supportive of our efforts to re-establish ourselves here and set up a secure camp, providing us with several top secret communications devices. He appeared to have grown his hair since the last time, and put on a few pounds, not surprising owing to his long fondness for giant cans of Piknik, dating back to his college days (a close Chinese friend even gifted him with a few cans one Christmas) . On the whole though, he looked quite well.

He told us he was here for several days' meeting with several top secret operatives from different countries. We asked him what he wanted to do. "Biking", he said. We have for quite some time been wanting to explore the seawall on bicycle, but have only done so on foot, during several nature photography treks. If you have never been to Vancouver, the seawall is an amazing thing, with perhaps nothing like it in the whole world. It winds on for several kilometers, with views of the ocean on one side, and depending on where you are, views of interesting neighborhoods and Stanley Park on the other. We quickly made plans to do that in the next few hours.

Over the next few days, Inverbras, Puff, Zexiv, Mademoiselle Marie, Piper and I were able to do things we have always wanted to try but never got around to doing so like biking the seawall, eating in this Dutch pancake restaurant along Robson, and having lunch in a sunny patio of an organic foods market, which Zexiv used to always wonder about whenever he would pass it on the way to his gym - although he has bought things from there like tulips and quiche. We also brought Inverbras to some of the usual tourist haunts like Granville Island and Gastown, and to some of the different neighborhoods, shopping and people watching areas, like Downtown, Yaletown, and the West End. Of these neighborhoods he told us he liked the residential areas of the West End the best - reminded him of Maui and certain parts of L.A., according to him. He was not much into sightseeing; of all the different places he went, he told us he really wanted to do two things over and over again - bike the seawall and sit on the beach and just people-watch. I believe these reminded him of his old lifestyle in Manhattan Beach.

It was a fun visit and we look forward to Inverbras' (hopefully with Ozaymas the next time around) next one.

Indeed one sometimes needs to see his city through the unspoiled eyes of a tourist to fully appreciate it ...

Merry Christmas from Snowy Vancouver

2008-12-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

We always get excited to see snow because we don't get too much of it. A lot of rain, yes; after all this is the Pacific Northwest, but substantial snow that stays in the ground for days and days is quite unusual, especially in downtown Vancouver. At this time of the year we usually find ourselves wishing for a white Christmas, but these past two weeks have been a lot more than we wished for. Several heavy snowfalls, inches and inches of snow, several days of sub-zero temperatures - this is the first time we have seen this kind of weather in mild, rainy Vancouver. Snow is fun when it's fresh and powdery but when it piles up and turns into deep puddles of slush, it becomes a nightmare. The one good thing perhaps about all this snow is there seemed to be a lot less cars on the road for once, and pedestrians ruled. Zexiv said he imagined he was Frank Hurley, photographer of the Endurance, trudging through deep and blowing snow, trying to get to Stanley Park to get that once in a lifetime picture. He said parts of the water next to the seawall were actually frozen, and formed interesting and intricate patterns.

When things calm down a bit, after the holiday season, I hope to go through my notes and photos and tell you all about our Germany trip. Let me simply say for now it was a trip of a lifetime - perhaps comparable to our Alaskan vacation many years ago - and that Zexiv lost a bit of weight lugging around his gear everyday. If you are a photographer, a toy collector, a lover of old and historical structures, or a beer drinker, it is the place to be ...

A safe journey to all who are travelling this holiday season and a peaceful and joyful Christmas to all who read this!

How Much Can You Fit in a Small Suitcase

2008-09-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Sometime in the fall we will be departing for the land of Steiffs, nutcrackers, beer and beer steins, rouladen, currywurst, cuckoo clocks, old castles and half timbered houses. Where the Beatles got their first big start performing and honing their craft before live audiences. No, not Liverpool, but ... Germany. Zexiv has part of his roots there, his maternal grandmother hailing from Berlin. He has been there only once before, back in the mid-nineties, to Berlin and Potsdam. Back then he was still unmarried and it was quite an experience and an adventure travelling by himself, and seeing Europe for the first time. Middle Sister was then studying in Glasgow and so he made the trip to Scotland to see her - where she introduced him to fish and chips - after spending about a week with his uncle, aunt and cousins in Germany. He has many fond memories from that European tour long ago - the delicious dinners his aunt would prepare, drinking with his German cousins, exploring the Berlin Zoo with a simple Kodak point-and-shoot he bought on a stopover in Amsterdam, going to Berliner Dom, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and the summer palace of King Frederick in Sanssouci with his uncle who generously took the day off so he could show Zexiv Potsdam. His only regret then was that he wished he could have spent more time in the country, but 3 weeks was about the maximum leave he could take from his bank job.

For this upcoming trip Zexiv will get the chance to see more of this beautiful and fascinating country. We will be accompanied by Puff and Zexiv's mother and be travelling mostly by rail to some very interesting places - Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It should be quite an exciting adventure - probably not the spontaneous, daring, and unpredictable sort many young people who backpack through Europe like to do, but an adventure nonetheless. The last few weeks have seen a flurry of trip related activity at camp, with Zexiv arranging rail passes and reservations, making hotel reservations, and doing exhaustive research (he decided to finally invest in a travel book after being noticed by a sales clerk in a bookstore surreptitiously copying down information, who told him that sort of thing wasn't allowed :)). And planning what to bring.

Which brings us to the subject of this post. Zexiv and Puff have never been light packers, always needing at least a standard sized suitcase between both of them plus perhaps a duffle bag, if the trip involved any shopping, and their respective carry ons (normally a camera backpack and tripod for Zexiv). Because this trip involves a lot of travel by rail, we are trying something new, limiting our luggage to one 22 inch suitcase each. We saw a number of interesting articles on the net advocating the pack-only-what-will-fit-in-your-handcarry approach (Zexiv's friend Reader has done this a number of times, never checking in luggage when he travels). It points to a number of benefits, such as not having to worry about losing your luggage when flying, being able to breeze through airports after arrival without having to go through luggage claim first, and being very mobile. Many of them have common suggestions, such as going for dark and basic colors which you can easily mix and match, packing only what you will need and not what might come in handy, bringing just a few days worth of clothing and doing at least one laundry stop during the trip, using layers during cold weather instead of going for bulky jackets, etc. All quite useful and which sound, like many things, good on paper.

Unfortunately we still have the problem travelling photographers face all the time - how much photography equipment to bring. Zexiv usually likes to bring both a digital and film slr for trips, the latter for more "serious" black and white photography, and he loves his heavy ultrawide and telephoto f/2.8 zoom lenses and Benbo tripod, if he doesn't have to lug it around with him the whole day that is. But he doesn't want to be one of those photographers who are so involved in seeing a trip through a viewfinder, that they end up missing a huge part of the trip itself. Photographers everywhere will have their own "go light" recommendations - a "do all" zoom lens, or 2 lightweight zoom lenses and one fast fixed focal length lens, or one normal fixed focal length lens - the choices are endless. On the other hand Zexiv's original photo teacher back home (now wisely switched to guitar playing) tells him to bring the usual as "you don't want to be underequipped if you come across an Ansel Adams moment". Good one :).

It is indeed a quandary ...

Francisco Tarrega's Recuerdos de la Alhambra

2008-09-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Zexiv's sister Grasshopper injured her knee the other day, going down the subway steps in New York. Zexiv prescribed RICE - no, not the complex carbohydrate but the standard treatment for minor injuries which he learned in an introductory PE class at the state university long ago - Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. He hopes Grasshopper's knee is a lot better now.

Actually, there are some other remedies as well some say can help a bit in hastening recovery, such as massage and accupunture, which coupled with a good rehab exercise routine, can do wonders, as Zexiv discovered when he injured his lower back almost two years ago. And we have our own yet to be proven cure-alls, such as a bar of good chocolate (Zexiv's recommends Cadbury Fruit and Nut or Hershey's Kisses :)), a steaming mug of brewed coffee, a Peanuts comic book, and soft soothing music, like this piece Recuerdos de la Alhambra.

Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra) is a famous classical guitar piece composed by Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tarrega. We discovered it recently in YouTube (in this particular video the piece is performed by Kazuhito Yamashita), while searching for videos on Zexiv's favorite classical guitarist Andres Segovia. While Segovia is frequently cited for his contribution in bringing the classical guitar to world concert halls and making it a respectable instrument of classical music, Tarrega, who died in 1909, is known as the father of classical guitar.

A beautiful and haunting piece inspired by the famous Moorish palace and fortress in the south of Spain, it sounds like a duet but is played by just one guitar. Zexiv remarked that the tremolo reminded him of the sound of a banduria from his rondalla days. Listen to it with some good chocolate and a steaming mug of coffee. or better yet, churros and hot chocolate.

Where in the World is Inverbras' Dahon?

2008-09-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

We spotted Inverbras' Dahon Speed TR yesterday on our way to a hardware store. Inverbras used this bike for a short duration - even starting a blog on it - before he opted for a full size Canondale mountain bike. Kind of a hassle to lug up and down his brownstone walk up in the New York West Side, he told Zexiv, when asked why he decided to replace it. Plus something about having to pedal a lot more as compared to a bike with standard sized tires.

On the other hand this kind of bike does lend itself naturally to the idea of Vancouver downtown high density and low impact "green" living. We already use CFLs for a number of our lights, walk or take public transportation whenever possible, and do our part to recycle. Imagine a small folding bike you can take with you on the elevator in a bag without the neighbors making a fuss (or even knowing that there is a bike sharing an elevator with them), and then store in a walk in closet. Probably not the sort of thing you'd use to ride a century in (which Inverbras and Ozaymas just completed today), or use in technical North Shore trails, but it might be just the right thing for exploring the seawall and the outskirts of Stanley Park. In the Dahon website it is touted as the bike for those whose "idea of a vacation is heading to Croatia, Costa Rica or Vietnam to tour the local back roads".

Perhaps it is time to reexplore the idea of a "folder" again ...

Old Houses are not Forever

2008-09-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

The concept of the ancestral home is a very recurring theme in Engish literature - particularly that which is set in the Victorian era - evoking images of ivy covered walls, oak paneled drawing rooms, chandelier-lit dining halls, heavy furniture, stale air, and generations after generations of families all living and dying under the same roof. Frequently the old home is an essential element to the plot itself and provides a certain air of mystery and suspense, without which the story would not hold together so well. Think of Baskerville Hall from The Hound of the Baskervilles, Darlington Hall from The Remains of the Day, and Dunoran House from Sir Dominic's Bargain. A modern condominium filled with contemporary furniture somehow does not quite provide the same atmospheric effect.

Unfortunately, the idea of the eternal ancestral home seems to be a dying one nowadays. It is simply not practical, when the owners of an old house pass on, to keep the house going year after year. It would be a simpler matter if each couple that owned a house were to have one child, who would then marry later on and also produce one child, and so on, so that the ownership of the house would pass directly to a clearly designated successor. Or perhaps as in Baskerville Hall, if there was no direct heir, the closest surviving (and unfortunately cursed) relative would assume ownership. In the real world however, many couples have more than one child, who then move out after marrying and having families of their own. Maintaining an empty old house, particularly in the tropics, where heat, humidity, termites, and the yearly monsoon all combine to cause all sorts of upkeep problems to continually crop up, would probably be a very expensive and losing undertaking in the long run.

Zexiv has always been fascinated with his paternal grandparents' house in New Manila in the home country. His grandparents acquired the house shortly after World War II, after their old house in Sta. Mesa had been bombed during the liberation of Manila. According to stories heard from one relative, the house had at one point been owned by a lady friend of an American army general or senior officer. Zexiv's grandparents spent a few years there, and then moved in the late 40s or early 50s to the United States, staying there until most of their children had grown up in the late 60s. They then moved back to their old house in New Manila. Zexiv's parent's preceeded them in returning to the home country and lived there for a perhaps 2 years, and this was thus the first house that Zexiv knew.

The house was built in the traditional Spanish style of many pre-war houses in the Philippines, with high ceilings, rippled glass windows, patterned floor tiles, a second floor balcony, a winding wooden staircase with statues of saints on the landing, and a separate building, which contained the garage and houseboy or driver's quarters. Zexiv's grandparents stayed in a room on the ground floor, which also contained the maid's quarters, and living room or sala, and an extended room for entertaining, while the second floor contained the children's bedrooms and another room which was used as a storeroom. As a child, Zexiv was always scared of the house, particularly the second floor and would make sure that at no time he was ever up there by himself. His curiousity would sometimes get the better of him though, and he remembers discovering at one time, interesting old toys in one of the rooms used as a storeroom, which also contained an old four poster bed that Zexiv's great grandfather was supposed to have died in. Perhaps because it was a very old house, he would have recurring nightmares, long after Zexiv's parents had moved out (initially to a rented house in Sampaloc Avenue, and later to a house of their own in Makati), of hordes of snakes crawling around the garden outside and vampires trying to break into the house at night.

Later on Zexiv's uncle and aunt built a house in the adjoining compound and the extended family would come to Zexiv's grandparents' house for a delicious Sunday lunch prepared by Zexiv's grandmother and aunt. His grandparents had a huge garden (at least in the eyes of the little grandchildren) and Zexiv, his siblings and their cousins enjoyed playing cops and robbers with their toy guns, hide and seek, and at times touch football (which Zexiv played but could never quite understand). The adjoining house of his uncle and aunt added new hideouts for the kids, and Zexiv's uncle would sometimes entertain Zexiv and his cousins by twirling around their toy revolvers, just like the gunfighters did in the movies. He remembers many things about his grandparents' house from his childhood - the different dogs his grandfather kept at various times (his most memorable of them being a huge and gentle half breed poodle named Maurice), the crunching sound the cars would make when rolling up the gravel stone driveway, an old dinner bell that sat on a console table, the santol and sampaloc trees that stood near the garage, old shrapnel marks from the Second World War on the bathroom of the second floor, an earthquake that shook the house once while the family was dining there, the tv shows that Zexiv would watch as a child in his grandparents' room, a hat rack that contained a pith style helmet that his grandfather wore on trips to the fishponds in Bulacan, the Lionel train that his grandfather liked to bring out every Christmas Eve.

After Zexiv's grandmother passed on a few years ago (Zexiv's grandfather had died more than 10 years earlier), the family made the sad decision to sell the now empty house and not long after that it was torn down. Last year Zexiv went home and was surprised to see tall grass growing where the garden and the house used to be. There are sure to be a couple of snakes out there now, thought Zexiv, as he surveyed the jungle like scene. Zexiv remembers walking slowly down the driveway almost to the end and being amazed to find the foundation still there, and recognizing the familiar patterned tiles from the floor of the dining room and sala. Somehow the lot seemed much smaller now with the house gone. It was a surreal feeling and brought back many memories ...

Diamonds are forever. Old houses are not.

Farewell to the old house ...

P.S. Thanks to Zexiv's cousin for forwarding this picture taken by a photographer friend of the family's before the house was torn down. We hope to give credit once we get his name ...

P.P.S. Zexiv remembers his grandfather, whose birthday it was today.

Peaceful

2008-08-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

A sage close to us had some interesting thoughts the other day about life and trade-offs. Yes, one can't have everything but part of the the secret to being happy is learning to appreciate what we have. And we do have much to be thankful for, living asthma and allergy free in a beautiful place surrounded by nature, and being together, although Zexiv does at times miss his friends from the sea (i.e. pufferfish, lionfish, clownfish, batfish, trumpetfish, grouper, sgt. major, moray eel, etc.), family, and the antics of his little nephews and nieces. And the taste of San Miguel beer :).

This old song sung by Helen Reddy (remember her?) from the 70s seems to sum it up all. When we last heard this song, it was from a cassette player.

Thank you, Grasshopper ...

A happy (and peaceful) long weekend to everyone.

Hail to the Bike Commuter!

2008-08-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race" - H.G. Wells

Zexiv, Inverbras and I have a lot of respect for cyclists, especially those who brave it out on today's dog-eat-dog dangerous car dominated roads. Zexiv considers himself a relatively latecomer to the 2 wheeled bike, having learned at the "old" age of 11, on Inverbras's light blue bike, from Patria (or was it Atlas?). Inverbras had already been biking for a number of years and it took a number of failed attempts, most of them in grassy lots in the provinces, before Zexiv finally learned to balance. He remembers the excitement of the first ride, with the wind blowing in his face and the invigorating feeling of freedom, as he went a block around the house. His first bike, shortly after that was a red 10 speed road bike, from Atlas Bicycle Shop in Cartimar, which was a bit too big for him. Only a day or two after acquiring it, Zexiv swerved trying to avoid another neighbor heading straight for him, and ended up sprawled on the curb with a broken front tooth. Ouch!

When Zexiv was much better and had learned to stop and turn properly, he and Inverbras would explore the villages around their parents' house. Somehow biking didn't seem too popular with most teens in the home country, who seemed to dread breaking any kind of sweat and acquiring a tan and preferred being driven in air conditioned cars, even for ridiculously short distances. Zexiv and Inverbras reserved their utmost contempt however for the spoiled rich kids in the village who liked to show off and ride their expensive minitrails around the village. Nothing compared to the freedom of the bike; one wasn't limited by availability of gas but the power of ones own legs. In their later years, Inverbras and Zexiv even made the trek to Tagaytay City from Makati, which they did in about 4 hours going there.

And now on to the real subject of this post:

Zexiv's old friend, former air police squadron mate and lifting partner, Reader has just started commuting daily to work on his Specialized road bike, a very worthy endeavor, especially in today's world of high fuel prices. Zexiv first met Reader in high school, where they attended a summer class in Chemistry together, and became friends when they found out they both shared a keen interest in weight training and powerlifting. Throughout high school, Zexiv remembers Reader and him being neck and neck in weight, and having a hard time gaining mass, both being ectomorphs. It was during college years that Reader really surpassed him in strength gains and size. Reader took his love for sports and fitness further in college, majored in Physical Education, and excelled in sports such as powerlifting, weightlifting, table tennis, badminton, wrestling, and judo. He and Zexiv started to lift together early mornings in this hardcore hole-in-the-wall gym close to the university, and Zexiv remembers being impressed seeing Reader arrive in the gym on his road bike, a 5 kilometer commute, and proceed to do 20 reps of 225 lbs on squats!

Today Reader makes his home somewhere in the Midwest, where he works in the I.T. industry. He admits not having the incentive to train as much or lift as heavy as before, and actually considers himself unfit by his standards, although he continues to lift and run 2 to 3 times a week and play (and coach) badminton for fitness.

His daily bike commute covers a distance of about 7 miles, which take him through mostly flat terrain of bike paths with trees and a lake, downtown through residential and then office buildings. Yesterday he says he completed the trek in about 33 minutes, which is much better time than if he had taken the bus. Zexiv asked him how he felt and he mentioned that he was "really hurtin today" and that right now his thighs "feel like jello". He added though that the ride does perk him up for the workday, although he starts getting really tired towards the end but that he sleeps so much better at the end of the day. He told Zexiv that since he started the bike commute, he's been too tired to go to the gym but expects to start training again once his body adapts. He is looking at "rethinking his training" and "training specifically for endurance", which for him means 2 sets of 50 reps. He also just started taking glycogen supplements.

Zexiv asked him if the whole change in routine made his life more complicated. "Not really", replied Reader, although he added that it makes him too tired to do other things for now. He says he is able to get up at about the same time every day, and that he is happy being on the bike, and can even stop if he wants to watch a volleyball game, a softball match, or a soccer game.

When asked what his first day thoughts were, Reader's reply was "this hurts ... the seat, the shortness of breath, the burning legs". He says though that it is "actually nice, just physically tiring but has it's advantages. I'm not dependent on gas, bus schedules, etc.". He also said that since starting he's dropped 3 lbs. and his abs lines are beginning to show, albeit blurry for now :). He hopes to continue this onto the winter. Zexiv and I wish him a lot of luck in this.

A very worthy endeavor, Reader. There is indeed hope for mankind if we can get more adults on bicycles, as H.G. Wells says ... Ride safely.

A Comic Book Summer

2008-08-17T14:53:00.001-07:00

Ah, summer! Our favorite time of the year in Vancouver. Gelato ice cream, prettty girls in shorts, eating in restaurant patios, walking around in T-shirt and jeans and best of all, lots of sunlight - pretty much the only time of the year when we don't have days of overcast skies or rain.

For Zexiv, childhood summers bring back pleasant memories of burgers, chocolate milkshakes, exploring the village in his red racer bike, and memorable trips to Dagupan City where his maternal grandparents lived. The best part about those trips to Dagupan, he thought, were eating steamed oysters, swimming in the beach, playing with his many cousins and spending hours poring over their huge collection of ladybird books and comic books. He remembers staying up late at night reading comics such as Unknown Soldier, Sgt. Rock, Justice League, Superman, Haunted Tank, Jonah Hex, House of Secrets, House of Mystery and the Witching Hour. His cousins, thought Zexiv, had impeccable taste in books and comic books, although he would often be too scared to sleep after spending hours reading those horror comics. In the provinces, the nights seemed somewhat longer, darker, and more mysterious and the sound of dogs howling from far off would make Zexiv shiver, pull the sheets over his eyes, pray for daylight ... and resolve to himself not to read any more horror story comics. Of course this would all change when it was morning again ...

About a year ago, on a trip to New York, Zexiv discovered the DC Showcase Presents editions of comic books in his favorite comic book store, Forbidden Planet. These are comic book collections of notable silver age comics - the era Zexiv and Inverbras grew up in - and are softbound, printed in newsprint in black and white and run more than 500 pages long. Did I say black and white? Yes, they are not colored unlike the original comics but this allows DC to keep each volume at a very reasonable price (below CAD 20 in the local Vancouver stores), instead of running up to hundreds or over a thousand dollars, which is what it would cost if you were to to collect every original single comic book in the collection nowadays. The lack of color does not take away from the brilliant artwork and great storytelling. Zexiv particularly loves the war and horror comics of DC Showcase Presents. During the past year he has added more volumes to his collection such as House of Mystery 1 & 2, Haunted Tank, Sgt. Rock, Unknown Soldier, and just yesterday, Jonah Hex (thanks, Puff!).

Being of the silver age era does not make them at all "campy" in our opinion. We much prefer the way comics were written and drawn back in the "good old days" to the many so called "graphic novels" being churned out today which seem quite boring and pretentious and seem to lack great storytelling. We look forward to acquiring even more of these editions, such as House of Secrets, Enemy Ace, Batman, and the individual stories of the Justice League members.

I was pleased to discover a good likeness of myself - and Mademoiselle Marie - deep inside the pages of Sgt Rock while Zexiv was excited to find that the Unknown Soldier had his roots in the home country, where his brother Harry lost his life in the grenade explosion that also took away his face.

To Zexiv, these comic book collections bring back fond childhood memories of those long and hot summers in Dagupan. Except that now there are no dogs howling at night over here to keep him awake, just the rocket like sound of the Skytrain and police sirens ....

The World Through the Eyes of a Fish

2008-06-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

One of Zexiv's fondest memories from his scuba diving days back in the home country are the trips to this dive spot not far from the dive resort he and Puff used to frequent. It is a relatively shallow - perhaps averaging only 20 feet in most places - and easy dive, and in this particular spot, they would see things like giant clams, starfish, coral, and a school of jacks that was almost a daily guaranteed sighting. The jacks would circle around Zexiv and his dive companions, the light reflecting off their silver color, and frequently one could spot other fish like trumpetfish swimming among the school trying to blend in. It is a very calm scene, with only the sound of bubbles around you. Zexiv always wondered what life was like as a fish in the coral reef, and what it would be like to swim free in a world of color. He and Puff took Puff's brother and Grasshopper to this dive spot once, where they had their first introductory dive (Grasshopper decided afterwards she liked snorkelling better).

Yesterday we were able to develop our first roll from our newly acquired lomo fisheye camera. The camera has a view of 170 degrees - supposedly giving you the view through the eyes of a fish. It is a very simple, manual rewind, manual advance point and shoot camera, with a built in flash. There is a viewfinder but this is partially blocked by the lens so you never really know how how your picture will turn out (actually a little more than a handful from the roll were usable). It is fun though, and reminds Zexiv of those carefree days as a kid when he and Inverbras had their first Kodak Instamatic cameras. Perhaps this is the closest thing one can ever get to seeing the world through the eyes of a fish; a fish that crawled out of the water that is.

Things are getting hectic, and the cold and gray overcast days are back - unusual for this time of year. It would be nice to be back in warm and clear tropical waters again, among the corals and the jacks ...

A Birthday Greeting for Inverbras

2008-04-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Inverbras will be celebrating another birthday. Zexiv remembers one birthday of his, just a few years ago which was spent in San Francisco with the whole family. In the picture above, Inverbras is happily holding on to his latest acquisition then, a PSP console, given I believe by Ozaymas. He, Grasshopper, Zexiv, and Puff had just come from the huge Sony store downtown, and Zexiv snapped this picture with his Mamiya 645 camera.

As the only boys in a family of 5 kids, Inverbras and Zexiv shared a room for many years, just as his 3 sisters did. Zexiv remembers all the adventures they used to have growing up, exploring the roof of Redbrick, playing with fire and firecrackers, racing their Matchbox cars (Inverbras' favorite was a purple Alfa Carabo while Zexiv liked his Dune Buggy) down these twin yellow tracks, sneaking downstairs late at night to unseal Christmas presents (there were 2 plain boxes that said "Citgo Mini SSP Laker Special Red or Blue" which turned out to be sidewinders) to take a peek, playing with Inverbras huge collection of plastic toy soldiers and their air guns. Inverbras was always a natural athlete, doing well in sports such as swimming and tennis (not surprising for someone who practiced hitting balls against the parking garage everyday when the cars were gone; he later went to Harry Hopman's one summer for tennis camp), while Zexiv preferred his guitar, Beatles records and books, but they still found a lot of things in common.

Looking back further to earlier birthdays, Zexiv vaguely remembers a 10th birthday or so of Inverbras where Inverbras went with their father to the Plaza - I believe this was an old restaurant somewhere in Makati - to pick up something and Zexiv stayed behind. Still another birthday was spent in the U.S. in Wisconsin, where Inverbras was vacationing that time following his graduation from high school. Their relatives there organized a birthday party for him there and his cousins invited some of their friends. Zexiv, who had never travelled overseas, was very curious about the idea of Inverbras meeting young people, primarily of the opposite sex, from other countries, and asked him excitedly when he got back: "So what did they say?". "Happy birthday", he replied. Of course!

Yes time really does fly. Zexiv is currently reading this excellent book now where one of the characters, an old man, tells a younger friend that life is sort of like a steep hill - seems to take forever when you're going up and once you're at the top and over the peak, the descent is much faster and the years seem to pass much quicker, going downhill. It's amazing how much gray hairs have sprouted in the last year or two where, just a few years ago there were almost none (Zexiv speaks for himself here :)).

In his mind, however, Zexiv will always see Inverbras as his youthful co-conspirator in many of their adventures at Redbrick (the placing of watusi in sealed tennis cans where the lid suddenly popped out and made them both jump comes to mind) and the older brother who bought him a sandwich in the cafeteria in prep when he got left behind by the school bus. One of the "booley brothers", as a friend at the gym once nicknamed them.

Happy birthday, Inverbras! All the best from Zexiv,Puff, and all of us at Camp _____ (soon to be named :)!

It was X Years Ago Today ....

2008-03-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

On this date - March 27 back in the home country - x number of years ago, Zexiv graduated from high school. At that time he considered it the happiest, most exciting, and most memorable day of his life. This is not exactly an unusual way for an 18 year old male to think - back in the home country, even today, someone in their late teens is practically speaking, still a kid. It is uncommon to hear of one doing something significant at that age like getting married, moving into their own apartment, going off to battle, or climbing Mount Everest - at least back where Zexiv is from. Kids there generally tend to grow up and become independent at a much slower pace compared to their counterparts in certain parts of the western world.

To someone who spent much of his time in class daydreaming, however it was a most extraordinary feat. Throughout much of his high school life, and except for subjects which he really enjoyed such as English, Music, and Art, Zexiv would find his mind drifting off and he would often imagine he was somewhere else doing something much more interesting (at times he imagined he was a member of a rock band), or else he would find himself doing something completely unrelated, like browsing for sections in his history book about the Japanese Occupation during a math class. He also had this rebellious attitude about things like homework. As a result, he spent a number of summers in school catching up and doing the work he was supposed to have done during the year. One year it was the native language subject, followed by Algebra, and then Chemistry. During his senior year in high school his problem was that tiresome native language subject again, and he was fortunate to have this kind classmate and friend, who lived not far from him, who was determined that Zexiv would do well in all his quizzes in that subject in the last quarter of the year, and reviewed him instensively before each one. It worked, and Zexiv remembers being really ecstatic on seeing his name on the list of students who were qualified to graduate that year. He remembers calling his father to give him the good news and then telling his mother who was with him, to go on ahead home, so he could go out with his classmates that night to celebrate ( he remembers having a lot of beers in this place in Greenhills).

The next 2 weeks or so were a blur full of more celebrations and drinking sessions, a trip to the tailor to have a barong (formal shirt) made for the graduation, and a fund raising show his class came out with for the benefit of the high school scholarship fund. He remembers the class dedicating the show to their homeroom teacher, who sadly just recently passed on.

Unfortunately, much as he tries to rack his brains today, there is not much he can remember about graduation day itself. He remembers the date of course, and that it was held in the covered courts of the high school, and bumping into Reader in the sidelines that night, but he cannot remember anything else about the ceremony itself. What comes to mind much easier is what happened afterwards; the 4th year class marching to their respective classrooms, seeing some of his classmates being congratulated by one of their teachers, who hesitantly shook Zexiv's hand but did not smile, and later on, being approached by a former 2nd year science teacher (sadly also no longer alive) - one of Zexiv's favorites because he was probably the only teacher in the high school who lifted weights- who was a lot warmer with his congratulations and seemed sincerely happy about this significant accomplishment of Zexiv's. He also remembers seeing a family friend of theirs then, a cute girl at that time, who also wished Zexiv well, and bumping into the principal on the way to out front who shook Zexiv's hand, addressed him by his name and told him not to "sleep in class anymore".

Later that evening the family went out to celebrate (Zexiv thinks it was this Japanese restaurant Kimpura, which was a favorite of theirs at that time), and Zexiv afterwards joined a number of his classmates for a post graduation celebration at this Mexican style pub (then very popular at that time) called Jalisco. He remembers his mother lending him her expensive camera, which was a Canon, for the evening, confident that he would take good care of it, and giving him a quick crash course, basically on how to turn it on, how to focus, and how to zoom. Zexiv took this together with his yearbook which he had his classmates who were at the pub that night sign and write dedications on. He still remembers quite vividly the classmates who were there that night, and has pictures (which came out not too bad, considering the amount of alcohol that was consumed that night) from the evening stored in an album somewhere back in the home country. He promises to post these someday, if he can find them.

Many years later, today, Zexiv realizes that while it is probably not the most memorable day - after all, how can something you can't even remember that well be that - it is still counts as one of the happiest and most exciting days of his life, among a list of now many new others.

P.S. Zexiv is thinking of going to the home country this December for a major milestone class reunion. It should a very interesting experience. He wonders if members of the original Chum Family or his Air Police squadron (i.e. this means you, Reader!) will be there ...

The Fall of Grayloft

2008-03-13T23:16:00.000-07:00

11 March 2008 is a day that will forever be ingrained in my memory ...

On that day - a Tuesday - we were treacherously attacked by hordes of marauding Toyanese. The members of the crew, Zexiv, Puff, Mademoiselle Marie, Percival Piper and myself, put up a courageous and impressive defense, but our small arms fire was no match for the enemy's mechanized artillery and paratroopers, and in the end, Camp Grayloft fell in the wee hours the following morning by sheer force of numbers and superior firepower.

It started the night before with a routine reconnaisance flight by Piper over the upper level of the camp. An expedition that had been made more than a year ago had turned up no trace of the elusive Toyanese but a number of disturbing signs - abandoned campsites, booby traps, and evidence of prior habitation, followed later by cryptic messages received by the camp's radio. Worried that the camp could not be effectively defended from attack from above, Zexiv had at the beginning of the year ordered regular foot patrols and daily flights over the camp, strengthened the perimeter defenses, and came up with an evacuation plan. All had been uneventful ... until that fateful day, when everything seemed to happen all at once.

Pipers flight had been delayed and I was scanning the dark sky for signs of his battered but trusty Gypsy Moth, when I heard a drone of an approaching aircraft. It seemed to be coming down faster than usual, and part of the plane seemed to be lit up, with a plume of thick black smoke casting a lengthy tail behind it. There was no time to alert the others. I ran to the runway, grabbing a fire extinguisher on the way and expecting the worst. Piper somehow managed to bring his flaming crate down in one piece, after which the landing gear collapsed, and the plane settled on its nose. I could see as I came close that the plane was covered with holes. I saw a figure making its way out of the thick smoke. Piper was alive but understably shaken and highly excited. It took a while before I could finally make out what he was saying as I led him to a safe distance from the burning aircraft ... "Toyanese ... attacked ... flak ...forces approaching ... alert others ... ".

By this time other members of the crew had arrived and a grim faced Zexiv listened while Piper quickly told us how he had started making his usual passes over the upper level when he thought he noticed movement below ... it was a dark moonless night and it was difficult to make out anything on the ground so on the second pass he lit a flare - and sat up in surprise. The ground was alive with a number of tank and transported artillery moving ahead with infantry following close behind. Quickly ascending, he was picking up his radio when he felt his plane lurch violently. The sky quickly lit up with sounds of anti-aircraft fire and Piper sped back to camp.

The next few moments were a blur as Zexiv barked out orders and we assumed defensive positions. The attack came not long after with an extended artillery barage followed by bands of paratroopers falling out of the sky. The tanks and infantry followed not long afterwards.

The battle lasted several hours. In the early hours of Wednesday, when it looked the camp was in danger of being overrun, Zexiv ordered an organized retreat, and under cover of the sub's powerful deck gun and shielded by thick smoke we were able to escape to our vessel, having destroyed important records and left behind all non-essential gear. The camp was complately destroyed, but everyone had made it out safely. As we steamed out to sea my last sight was of flames and twisted metal where the camp had been. At last we descended to the cold murky depths.

Our beloved camp, gone! I found it hard to imagine that almost a month ago, we had celebrated Zexiv's birthday, and had been visited by Zexiv's sister Grasshopper. It had been a very memorable birthday for him, and I remembered how we all made the trip to Grouse Mountain to spend the day there. I wondered what he was thinking of now as he stood behind the wheel, with his back to the rest of the crew. Slowly he turned around, and I could see he had a steaming giant mug of coffee in his hand, like it was just an ordinary morning back in Grayloft.

"Stingray", he said slowly. "send a report to MCPO Maurice, Grasshopper, TNTD, and Reader and inform of latest developments". He closed his eyes and slowly sipped his coffee, finally setting it down, his eyes opening again and meeting mine. "And set a course for north ... Burard Inlet".

To be continued ...

Happy Birthday, Zexiv!

2008-02-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Zexiv has always been fascinated with the story of this boy who never wanted to grow up and never did. He remembers his mother sewing him a very good likeness of a Peter Pan costume one Halloween (it might have been the same year Inverbras went as a pirate and Grasshopper went as a crepe paper flower whose colors ran when it started to rain). Later on the same costume was handed down 2 or 3 years later to Middle sister. He thought nothing ever came close or as magical to the original Walt Disney cartoon. He thought the movie Hook was silly as far as remakes go but did like the movie version that came out perhaps 2 or 3 years ago, the one that was produced by Dodi Al Fayed's father.

You know you're definitely older when you can't seem to take the taste of rum and coke anymore, or watch television lying on your stomach the whole time like you see your little nephews and nieces doing without getting a neckache or even freely break into a run whenever you feel like it.

On the other hand, while it would nice to have the carefree, secure, and simple life of a kid again, Zexiv says he wouldn't want to go through ALL of it - school, restrictions, bullies, rejections, and all that. As one of the characters in the movie "Big" told Tom Hanks, when he asked her to become a kid like him"It was hard enough the first time".

I asked Zexiv what his oldest childhood recollections were and he came up with a few:

1. Standing in a corner crying one evening in his grandfather's house and his father coming home - this was before the family had moved into a house of their own - and his father asking "what his problem was". And Zexiv not knowing what the word "problem" meant but thinking it sounded like the sound made when you knocked on one of the hollow walls of the house ...

2. His mother telling him when he was 4 years old in the kitchen table that he was too old to be using a teaspoon for eating meals and that from then on, he would be using a tablespoon, and Zexiv feeling really bad about that ...

3. Insisting on going to the beach in Dagupan when it was raining and his Opa driving him and the other grandkids in his big Chevy Impala and the car slipping on the bridge and hitting the side, and Zexiv being terrified the car would go over into the river ...

4. Looking at their new house a month or two before the family moved in, going into his soon-to-be room and looking out the window, and hearing someone go "psst!", but not seeing anyone ... he still wonders to this day if it was some ghost or evil spirit or perhaps some mischievious helper from the neighbor's house playing tricks on him ...

5. On his first day of school, making his first friend by asking his seatmate in class if he was "a car rider or bus (as in school bus) rider" (years later he would encounter the same former schoolmate, now an apparently very important stuffed shirt, on his first day at a job in a bank who would ignore him completely).

Zexiv finds it amazing he can remember all these things and not remember things like whether he locked the door to his front door or not ...

Happy Birthday old pal, from all of us here at Camp Grayloft!!!

A Wabbit in Wichmond

2007-12-04T00:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Beautiful British Columbia!

Zexiv and I are back after weeks away battling the evil Toyanese. Lots of battle wounds and stories to tell and since I hardly know where to begin, allow me to start with the most recent ...

We had a heavy snowfall during the weekend, with Vancouver getting 15 to 20 centimetres of snow, according to Environment Canada. It was also an extremely busy one, with Zexiv preparing a matted and framed photo for a group exhibition at the gallery opening this Friday, selecting prints to submit for an upcoming exhibition in January, squeezing in camp chores, a workout, and signing up for a new social online network.. It was nice having the first true snowfall (meaning something substantial that actually acumulated and stayed on the ground for more than a day) of the season - it seemed to add to that magical feeling that is in the air when Christmas is just around the corner. It snowed on and off almost continuously for 2 whole days.

On Saturday evening, coming back from an evening workout, Zexiv found out that the temperature had dropped quite a bit and he was underdressed in an uninsulated Gore-Tex jacket. It seemed like a real winter storm with the wind blowing the snow hard against the small group huddled at the unprotected bus stop, so he decided not to wait for the last connecting bus and walk the rest of the way home. There were few cars on the road and in the near whiteout conditions and deep snow one could barely distinguish in some parts where the pavement ended and the street began. It was good though seeing everything come to almost a complete standstill for once, especially as people tend to drive too fast in this locale. Zexiv felt like he finally had the streets to himself.

Sunday was the same with continuous falling snow, but with less wind. On our way to the mall with Puff to pick up some snacks, we bumped into this furry chap, near City Hall. There are a couple of rabbits in the area and it is always a refreshing sight to see them in hopping along freely, as these creatures are only seen in pet stores in the home country. This one didn't seem to mind the snow at all and seemed very curious about our top secret reconnaisance camera. Isn't he a cute and frisky little fellow?

P.S. Thanks to TNTD for the movitation to start blogging again. His optimism and general upbeatness is catching ...

Jacqueline Du Pre and Elgar Cello Concerto 1st Mov.

2007-10-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

If you ever saw the movie Hilary and Jackie which came out a few years ago, you might recall this piece which figured very prominently in the movie.

The movie (which Zexiv remembers seeing with Puff on the ship during their honeymoon cruise to Alaska), is based on the life of the 2 Du Pre sisters both of whom were talented musicians. One of them, Hilary (Rachel Griffiths) ends up playing flute for a community orchestra while the other Jackie (Emily Watson) continues on to become a world famous concert cellist. It shows the contrast in the lives of both; how Hilary appears happy and content in the simpler life she chose while Jackie, despite her fame and success, never seems to find real happiness. The film also shows the close relationship between both sisters; at one point Hilary apparently allows Jackie to have an affair with her husband to help her through a nervous breakdown. Later, at the height of her career, Jackie is stricken with multiple sclerosis, and soon has to stop playing the cello as the disease progresses. She dies in the end at the age of 42.

Jacqueline Du Pres was well known for her performance and interpretation of this work. It is a very moving and emotional piece. If you listen to it you can almost hear the drama of her life.

P.S. Zexiv and I start our photography for the fall this weekend, with a trip to Victoria with Puff to see the Titanic exhibit at the museum.

Hooray for the Silent Movie

2007-10-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

I found this really funny video of Charlie Chaplin - taken I believe from his 1931 movie, City Lights - in YouTube a while ago.

It reminds me of some of the old movies they used to show in this old popular pizza parlor in the home country many years ago, back in the days when birthdays were celebrated with styrofoam hats (I forget what you call them; they looked like one of those hats popular in the 1920s) and they played banjo music.

If they could only bring back the silent movie again. Like classical music, it is universal in appeal and transcends all language barriers. Much better than a lot of the trash being produced nowadays.

Acting must have been a lot more challenging then as it involved a lot of pantomine. Can you imagine a world where you were accompanied wherever you went by music (varying in tempo and mood depending on the circumstance) and you couldn't talk but had to act out everything? Maybe we're on to something ...

Thanks, Charlie Chaplin for the laughs ...

Blues in Boston

2007-09-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

A mysterious tip on the whereabouts of the 5 missing adventurers brought us to Boston, where we were treated on the second evening of our stay to a delicious meal of ribs (washed down with a couple of bottles of Heineken) at Ryles, courtesy of our hosts, Catwoman and There's No Tyler Durden.

There was no sign at all of the 5 in the historic and picturesque city, but we did have a grand time while we were there, photographing the sights on our way to the Freedom Trail with TNTD (who has been focusing on street photography for the last couple of months and come up with some amazing photos), and later meeting up with Catwoman for the rest of the day, walking around Little Italy before heading back to Cambridge to catch an unexpected performance by the Harvard Marching Band. Zexiv, Percy Piper and I all fell in love with the place. We all thought Boston and Cambridge would be a great place to live. New York is a great place to visit, and never lacks for entertainment, but the city has become too fast paced for our taste. Boston, with it's proximity to the ocean and more easy going nature, kind of reminds us of Vancouver, without the mountains and the rain. Plus Cambridge has probably the most delicious strawberry shortcake Zexiv and I have ever tasted!

Zexiv was mentioning to TNTD of how he has always wanted to go to a jazz or blues club and this is how we ended up in the ribs restaurant. The food was very good, and the peformance of the band - Nick's Mafia Blues Band - even better. Here is our first posted video made from Zexiv's top secret reconnaisance camera - unfortunately the camera lacks a zoom and this is the closest we could get but we hope you can still enjoy it. The lead singer and harmonica player, Nick, was an amazing performer and full of energy. It is a pity that this is apparently the band's last performance as they will soon be disbanding, with some members to join other bands. We were glued to our seats the whole time

After uploading this, Zexiv was inspired to bring out his sole blues CD (a joint album between BB King and Eric Clapton) in Canada again and listen to it again ... "I've got the key, to the Highway ..." ...

Thanks to TNTD and Catwoman for the great evening, and to Inverbras for this very useful reconnaisance device ...

A Great Remake to an Old Classic and Goodbye to Summer

2007-09-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Zexiv, Percy Piper and I came home a few days ago from usually hot weather in New York and Boston to find out things had gotten a lot colder here since we last left. It is hard to believe that only two or three weeks ago we were still walking around camp shirtless and in shorts and now we have started to bundle up. We will miss those endless long sunny days and summer scrabble tournaments with Puff.

In the meantime that we are figuring out where to get started on the telling of our latest adventures, here is a really great video of Zexiv's favorite singer from ABBA, Agnetha Faltskog, with her rendition of "Sealed with a Kiss". Zexiv was really excitied to discover the video in YouTube a few weeks ago as he wasn't aware of any work she had done since the days of ABBA. We have heard earlier versions done by The Lettermen and Gary Lewis and the Playboys and both agree that this is the best one. It is a fitting end to the summer sung by a very beautiful woman ...

Back from the Empire State

2007-09-27T12:46:00.001-07:00

The sub is back in Vancouver after a 10-day fun filled but hectic trip to New York.

While there, Zexiv and I attended a birthday celebration for Zexiv's mom. We were able to revisit some of Zexiv's favorite New York places such as FAO Schwarz, Central Park, American Museum of Natural History, La Caridad, Strand and Forbidden Planet, B&H, and also made a side trip to Boston to see some old friends. We'll post more details soon as we get done with unpacking our loot from the vessel.

Sightseeing in a foreign country is nice but one of the best parts of travelling is reconnecting with family and old friends. Here are a few pictures of some of the people we met up with.Next post coming very soon!

P.S. We met up with Walrus as well for a few drinks at a cozy Upper Eastside Italian cafe, but forgot to bring a camera along. No sign of MCPO Maurice however in the Lucerne Bunker ... he must be away travelling too.

Last Night's Group Show

2007-09-15T02:54:00.000-07:00

Last night's group show at the gallery's new location appeared to be quite a success and a well-attended affair, with the crowd spilling over to the sidewalk and street outside. The atmosphere was like a big party (or "like going to a club", according to a friend of Puff's). Zexiv was happy that Puff and a few of their friends were able to come and it was good to see old faces from photography school as well. The black and white photography that was featured was quite good, and covered a very broad range of subjects - street, documentary, travel, landscapes and nature. It was surreal seeing Zexiv's framed prints up on the wall (Puff's friend was able to take pictures of these and we hope to share them sometime).

I'd like to tell you more about it but the sub leaves for another voyage very soon and I am really bushed!

Till the next post ...

Happy Birthday Roald Dahl!

2007-09-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

These are the only 3 Dahl books Zexiv has with him in Canada

from the book Matilda, featured in The Roald Dahl Treasury

Today is Roald Dahl's birthday. He would have been 91 today if he were still alive.

Zexiv has a number of favorite writers, but there are only two of whose books he really goes out of his way to collect and of which he has amassed a pretty substantial collection. One is Isaac Bashevis Singer, and the other is Roald Dahl. His Roald Dahl prized collection includes compilations of short stories, novels, several "children's" stories,2 autobiographies, a book of ghost stories not written but specially selected and edited by Dahl, and a book containing a treasury of his works.

Roald Dahl is probably more well known today for his stories read mostly by children such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Witches, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda, but he apparently started out writing darker short stories for adults, the kind that typically end with a twist; these apparently became the basis for the original Tales of the Unexpected in television. In fact, Zexiv first came to know of this author after stumbling on a one of his short story collections called The Umbrella Man in a large bookstore in Manila (later on, during an evening trip to another bookstore where he picked up five other paperback collections of stories - Over to You, Kiss Kiss, Switch Bitch, My Uncle Oswald, and Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life - he remembers being approached by a wild eyed young man who gestured toward Zexiv's purchases and asked excitedly, "Where are the Dahl books?").

Dahl had quite an interesting life, spending the earliest part of his life in Norway before moving to England to attend boarding school. He first worked for Shell as an expat in Africa before becoming a fighter pilot in World War 2. After being sent home to recuperate from a plane crash, he began writing short stories.

If by any chance you haven't read any of his books, I would recommend for starters his autobiographies Boy and the sequel, Going Solo, both of which are entertaining in their own right, and can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Or you can also check out The Roald Dahl Treasury which is a hardbound and beautifully illustrated book containing the highlights of many of his stories. Actually, you really can't go wrong with any of his books as they are all quite excellent.

P.S. I believe the time has come to fold this blog. It has been a nice creative outlet but I am starting to feel like I am talking to myself ...