Fandoms at Random: The Eleventh Doctor

Related post:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings



So it turns out that after watching the Tenth Doctor's swan song my partner and I immediately started in on the Eleventh's episodes. At this rate we'll be looking for new things to watch long before December gets here.

[Or perhaps I should amend that to, I'll be looking for new things to watch. Imagine my surprise when my partner told me he'd started watching the First Doctor's serials! He's planning to take in the whole thing!]

Anyway, we finished watching episode 06, "The Vampires of Venice", on Sunday. This is actually where the Eleventh Doctor's famous rallying cry of

Anywhere you want, any time you want. One condition: it has to be amazing!

comes from, although I think it's missing a few words - doesn't he say "Every star, every planet" at some point?

I gotta say, so far the monsters have been hit-or-miss. I mean, technicolored Daleks? Vampires who are not vampires because they're insecty-fish people? The real gem and epic scary has been brought, though, by none other than the Weeping Angels. Holy WHOA - the first time you see them actually move on camera is truly a crowning moment of horror. I cannot recommend the three Weeping Angels episodes [Ten: Blink; Eleven: The Time of Angels / Flesh and Blood] enough. This is the monster that the phrase "watching from behind the couch" was made for!

I really, really hope that there is a beastie in Neil Gaiman's Season 6 episode. I have such high expectations. I want to be even more scared of that monster than I have been of the Weeping Angels.

Those things make me relieved I'm now an atheist - I mean, imagine how it would be like if one were piously Roman Catholic, just as an example, and then watched the Weeping Angels - and then went to church! I think all those statues of saints and angels and deities would be paranoia fuel unleaded - and that's on top of the creepy "their eyes are following" vibe one already gets from them....

Wait, where was I?

Oh, yeah, the Eleventh Doctor's episodes. I have to say, I am really enjoying the dynamics between Eleven, Amy, and Rory. The whole "Uh, we are not HER BOYS" / "Yeah we are" / "Yeah we are" exchange had me in giggles, as did the hands-over-mouths "Stop talking, brain thinking, HUSH" sequence.

Looking forward to watching all the rest of the episodes and figuring out where the overall story goes!

This extra pic comes from the next episode, "Amy's Choice".



Aw, come on, they did that on purpose: how come Amy's wearing a proper poncho and the other two look like tablecloths? XD

Return to Toast Box: Cuppa Horlicks

Related post:
Meal in the City: Toast Box, TriNoMa, Quezon City

Related link:
Horlicks @ Wikipedia


A cup of hot Horlicks is aces on a cold rainy day.

So it was supposed to be a lucky day, this 8th of August - but it dawned rainy and rather fiercely windy at that. Not much sun, but I guess that didn't prevent people from going out to the malls.

My partner and I had gone to the TriNoMa / SM North EDSA area for a scouting expedition today, and after taking notes on restaurants in the malls and some window-shopping, we went back to Toast Box for a cup of hot Horlicks.

I did mention somewhere on this blog before that I never drank Horlicks as a kid, didn't I?

Now I drink it because I find it to be immensely comforting and warming. Good thing Toast Box imports its stocks! I've no idea where to find Horlicks here - and I'm not the only one searching; I know people who actually went to Hong Kong and Singapore and had "get lots of Horlicks" on their to-do lists!

Keep warm and dry, everyone! Hope the rain tapers off for a bit....

Fandoms at Random: Inception Dreams

Related posts:
Fandoms at Random: Doctor Who Ramblings
Inception, in on the ground floor
Inception: Rapid Review, No Spoilers



Two weeks after, I'm still sunk deep in an Inception daze.

I still want to see the movie again and will likely buy a DVD the instant it comes out.

I'm kind of surprised at myself and how this movie has pretty much sunk its fangs into my head and won't let go. It's like the characters succeeded in insinuating themselves into my mind for the sole purpose of encouraging me to dream, to write, to be creative.

Granted that I'm writing fan fiction, the whole creativity thing could be just a delusion I'm suffering, but I don't want to be woken up just yet. I mean, I am just one among the legions of fans and writers and artists who've totally fallen in love with the film. There's a right huge bunch of us, and it's an amazing feeling to be swept up with this crowd.

What a nice crowd the fandom is, by the way - we have different interpretations, we 'ship different pairings, we have differing styles and approaches to the way we create - and we're all actually still getting along. Thank goodness for that. This makes me inordinately happy, actually - I'm tired of being in fandoms that periodically tore themselves apart over some insignificant quibble.

If only we could all meet in dreams and squee happily together for a moment. That would be an incandescent memory for me.

[Oh, and before anyone asks, I'm with John Scalzi on this one: I do not want to see an Inception 2; I am vehemently against the very idea. Filmcritic.com column here.]

In closing: Boy, I can still remember how my heart thumped in shock when the famous musical cue [you know the one!] hit, partway through this track....


From the Inception movie soundtrack by Hans Zimmer: Track 01, Half Remembered Dream.

Meal in the City: The Sandwich Guy, Eastwood, Quezon City

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what the sandwich filling is?

Last week I'd found myself ordering a bacon, beef, mushroom, and cheese [otherwise known as a Mushy Bacon] from a branch of The Sandwich Guy near my office. It was pretty good for a first meal at that place, except perhaps for the part where I had to drink several glasses of water afterwards. The bacon was salty and flavorful, but the cheese sauce they used was a tad bit too much for my tastes. Enjoyable, yes, but not something to eat too often.

Having enjoyed the generous hit of bacon bits in the first sandwich, and having been intrigued by the presence of a peanut butter and banana sandwich on the menu, I decided to put the two together and create - what else - an Elvis sandwich.

[Yes, as in "Blue Suede Shoes".]

My half-eaten Elvis sandwich.

So I dropped in at the shop tonight during my lunch break, ordered the PB&B, and then smiled sweetly at the cashier and said, "Please add bacon to that."

Her reaction was pretty priceless and went something like this:

@.@

o_O

>.<

She wound up punching in the codes for the PB&B sandwich and then the code for "Extra Deli" into the register, and then retreated to watch the sandwich makers do their thing, still looking green around the gills.

[Seriously, has no one ever ordered one of those at this branch or at any of the other branches? Why the shock and awe?]

So I watched as they layered two toasted slices of whole-wheat bread with chunky peanut butter; a whole banana, sliced; and a generous scoop of bacon bits.

Cue missed moment of awesome: I really should have had the presence of mind to say "Thank yew, thank yew very much" - but hey, I was hungry, and I needed to get back to my desk.

Verdict: DEE-LISH. Apparently the final topping on the regular PB&B sandwich is a sprinkling of cinnamon; mixed with the bacon, it did help quite a bit to temper the salty taste. And, yeah, peanut butter and bananas - what's not to like?

Seriously, this sandwich was great. I'm definitely having this again very soon.

I hope you get a chance to make yourself an Elvis sandwich today - or, failing that, getting one from your local sandwich shop / takeaway. [I just hope they don't look at you like you've sprouted an extra head, and that teased into a pompadour.]

Crafting How-To: Learning how to knit?

Photo credit to Vickie Howell, here at craftzine.com.

I know, I know, normally I talk about crochet here on this blog, and when I rant about the lack of supplies or tools I generally am thinking of hooks, and good yarn, and big skeins - but of course I can't just yammer on about needlework here on this blog without ever mentioning knitting.

I already know that if I ever get around to opening that importing business I will probably be more than willing to take orders for gorgeous knitting needles. I know quite a few folks who actually do both crochet and knitting. And there must be people who feel the way I do - I have a beautiful near-complete set of crochet hooks of my own, but that's never stopped me from dreaming of lovely wooden or bamboo instruments. Knitters must feel that way too.

Anyway, I'm picking up some instructions in knitting from the aforementioned Vickie Howell, who has posted a series of Knitting 101 videos at craftzine.com, one of my favorite websites for general crafting awesomeness. Watch the whole series here: Knitting 101 - Basic Stitches.

Keep on crafting!