Book, Film, and Food

The tragic events of the last weekend has sent me spiraling into a sort of depression stage; I did not feel like writing or going through my usual internet haunts. But I have to snap out of it and so here goes my post of sorts after a couple of days moping about:

Book and Film
We visited the new National Bookstore along Makati Avenue just to see what they can offer so we can just run to their shop in case we need something instead of going all the way to Glorietta.

The book on my table

But lo and behold! This book caught my eye and sat there, begging to be bought. I picked it up immediately I felt a connection... that it's going to bring me to a wonderful adventure. And so just a few minutes later, we were walking back to the office with Spiderwick Chronicles in tow.

I am down to the last chapter, which I reserved for tonight. And my reaction compared to the movie adaptation? Reading the book is waaaaay better than watching the movie.

The movie was able to faithfully adapt the book from the beginning only up to the time where they find the boggart's nest in the kitchen. From that point on, you recognize only bits and pieces of the book, such as the visit to their Aunt Lucinda (wait... that story was also interestingly different). A lot of the twists and tales in the book was changed to make a rushed version for the movie. That said, I gained a better appreciation of the book, and certainly deserves the New York Times Bestseller Serial recognition.

'm not saying that the movie was not great; in fact, it was quite an enjoyable fare. And I would not have bought the book had it not been for the movie. But since the movie "took a life on its won" (after all, how would you fit two hours' worth of storytelling from a 5-part series?), reading the book was like seeing a whole new world of Arthur Spiderwick, and it was quite an adventure!

***

And Food.
I was in Walter Mart Makati when I espied the Japanese Grocery Store at the second floor and I remembered JMom's post on Furikake which I stumbed upon her food blog while hopping around.

I made a beeline for the shop and went straight to the counter. "Do you have Furikake?", I asked. The shop clerk's face brightened up and led me straight to the row of the mysterious "seasoning". Since there were many flavors to choose from, I asked which was the most popular, and he indicated chicken. Whoops... I forgot momentarily my DotheGreenThing pledge to choose veggies (or fish) over meat and went home with the chicken variety.

Furikake is simply a Japanese seasoning that is meant to be sprinkled over rice. I'd love to mention here the ingredients of the one I bought, but it's in Japanese. I haven't tried it yet, but I will definitely blog about it soon. Mine was P135.00 a bottle. Feeling adventurous? Radish Boy has a recipe in making your own.

This version costs P75.00 each.

On the way to the cashier, I chanced upon these Meiji chocolates. I normally get headaches from indulging in chocolates, but I've found out that black chocolate actually agrees with me. So I bought a bar.


This post has officially made me hungry and longing to go back home to finish the book.

UPDATE (June 26)
I just had my second meal with Furikake awhile ago. Last night, I had some too at Chowking (yeah, I now keep the Furikake in my bag). Ummm... I think I put too much on my rice. The taste was strong for me. I think I put too much. I'll sprinkle only a little bit next time and mix it up with the rice.

And I have finished reading Spiderwick Chronicles as well. And guess what... even the ending of the book is different from the movie! Strange. huh?

A moment of silence ...

... for families and friends who left us last weekend.

The Incredible Hulk: a movie review

This year is undeniably one of the busiest summer movie seasons that has found its way to the Philippines. There are really great movies left and right! Well, for my taste anyway, I can't seem to get enough of the films coming out one after the other.

Last night, we watched the Incredible Hulk. I did not get to watch the Ang Lee version on the big screen but despite its lackluster performance in the box office, it was an enjoyable version, depicting the Hulk as a very powerful and agile character. The current version, however, makes the Hulk a more believable character in that it does not dwell so much on the Hulk's angst but the Bruce Banner's continuing battle with his inner demon and his search for a cure is given equal screen time as the famous green giant. In the previous version, a lot of time was spent as well on telling the story of how Banner came to be the Hulk, and that part was over and done with in the introductory sequence in the new movie and more time was thus available for plot development.

THIS PARAGRAPH HAS SPOILERS IN IT.
I also like how they are trying to link the movies together. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr. a.k.a. Ironman) appears in the movie to talk about the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s initiative to form a band of super heroes. Another fun part is the appearance of no other than Lou Ferrigno, the Incredible Hulk of the hit TV series in the 80s! And the years has been kind to him; it looks like he did not age much! Edward Norton likewise fits the Dr. Bruce Banner persona, although being an 80s kid, I still like the TV version of Bruce Banner, Mr. Bill Bixby :-). However, I rather thought the pre-Abomination soldier's acting was a bit bland.
SPOILER STOPS HERE

Overall, I loved the movie. I actually thought Liv Tyler will suddenly mutter something in Elvish and have some water horses come rushing down any time in the movie (she's quite the Elf personified) but she's quite a beauty, isn't she? The plot, character development, and how everything is being fit together into one HUGE production (read: AVENGERS!) makes the movie even more interesting and engaging. After watching, I can almost feel the electricity from the comic book enthusiasts in the audience as they discussed what will happen in this franchise. Yep, comic book people are having a field day with Marvel movies these days.