Remembering Paul Harvey

I read from the MSN homepage that radio personality Paul Harvey passed away. Now to those born in the mid-eighties and don't listen to radio - especially to the news and talk radio - may not know or care, but to me, this man is radio giant and icon. I remember hearing his news broadcast in the early mornings during the week. As pre-schooler, I naturally didn't care for the news back then but his voice stood out prominently in the background during the din of breakfast in our home (I credit my father for making Mr. Harvey a daily part of our morning ritual). As the years went by, especially by the time I was in the 5th grade, I began to actually listen and look forward to his news broadcast after the regular news. His distinctive voice and playful delivery made the news fun to listen to (even the serious ones). To me, he sounded like an uncle who was telling an entertaining story but with an important lesson. By the time I was in the 8th grade, his voice and delivery of the news conjured up - in my mind - images of life in America during the 50s (don't ask me because I don't know why I had these thoughts); from those thoughts I began to wonder how long has Mr Harvey been doing this. By the mid-eighties and onward, my daily routines shifted and listening to his show faded away into the ethers of the past. During the late 90's, I started to get nostalgic for those mornings when his voice was part of my household. Since then, I would try to look for his morning radio news broadcasts from the local radio stations of the town I moved to, but because it was low in priority, I didn't put much effort into looking for it thinking that he may have already retired from the business. However, one morning I hit pay dirt. I stumbled into one of his broadcasts from the talk radio station that I listen to; however, there was something odd about the voice - it was not as how I remember it. By the end I found out why: it was Paul Harvey Jr., who was behind the mic. Good as he is and with all due respect to Mr. Harvey Jr., he's close, but no cigar! I wondered what had happened to my favorite radio "uncle." Did he retire? It was a bit hard to accept but realistically it was a logical conclusion. A few months had gone by and I stumbled upon another broadcasts - I was oblivious to the time because I was so excited to hear the very voice I remember when I was in grade school all those years ago: It was the real deal! I made it a point to jot down the time at the close of his newscasts just so I could catch it again on another day; that was about a week and a half ago. The day before yesterday (Feb 28, 2009), I read the sad news. Just as I finally found him in the airwaves again, I lost him. I just hope we can download or buy copies of his news broadcasts the same way you can purchase old time radio shows on CD. I will miss Mr. Harvey. Whenever I think about his voice and his news broadcast, I'm brought back to fond memories of mornings with bacon, eggs, pancakes, the aroma of coffee, and the chaos of a family getting ready for the day while my father calmly sat in the middle of it all. From Mr. Harvey's intro of "Hello Americans, this is Paul Harvey...Stand by for news!" to his closing statement that was simple yet comforting: "Paul Harvey...good day." Good day indeed, Mr. Harvey. Your voice will sorely be missed by me and the multitudes who enjoyed and learned from your broadcasts. May you rest in peace.

Remembering dad on his birthday...

I'm typing this blog to honor the memory of my father who passed away in 1995. Our relationship then was somewhat strained during that period because I was eager to assert my need for independence while my father was, in his twisted little way, reluctant to let me "spread my wings." He knew that the key to my success in establishing independence depended on two things: mobility and money. Both of which my father kept to a minimum. I won’t go into details about that part because by American standards, the story of how this came to be seems very convoluted; understand that my father was an American living in Asia and taking advantage of the culture’s proclivity for obedience and harmony. So naturally, I took a passive-aggressive approach to my rebelling when I was a teenager. Don’t knock the technique; it enabled me to get away with a lot by appearing obedient and harmless! But aside from that short but tumultuous period in my life, I look back and realize that my dad was a great father. Flawed as he was – as I believe most fathers are – he did his best and did it out of pure love for his family. No one can take that away from him. You know the saying “behind every great man, there’s a great woman?” well, in my father’s case that woman was his mother. She nurtured, guided him, and taught him to live a life that is just and honorable despite his mischievous ways. Obviously, my dad was a natural trouble maker in his youth. Not the bad kind, but more the impish, happy-go-lucky kind that annoyed his siblings and made his father throw-up his hands in frustrated capitulation. In one year, he crashed all four of the family cars; flipped another car he was driving with his parents and two of his aunts as passengers (his father decked him because he was being a smart-ass). In a lot of ways, he never grew up; he was never really ready for fatherhood. My dad was very conflicted in his demeanor: around family, he tried to act the responsible leader and provider while deep down inside he painfully wanted to carry on like he was 19. At times, I loved it; at times I hated it. However, there is no denying my dad’s powerfully positive impact on my life. Though I remember the conflicts between us, it could never outnumber or overpower my memories of the fun I had spending time with him and the somewhat privileged life afforded by his efforts, hard-work and sacrifice (which writing it in this blog could never do it justice)! Thanks to my dad, I was introduced to the world of comic books (he started buying them when I was about four years old not realizing then that I didn’t know how to read much less recite my alphabets). Thanks to him, I was introduced to the world of American Hot Rods and Muscle Cars; Because of him I was privileged to live in two worlds: that of an American and that of an Asian. He unwittingly influenced my conservative, right-wing political leanings although I argued his political positions from a left-wing, liberal standpoint. Do I miss him? Pretty much. If he were alive today, I’m sure he would be very happy to know that we now see eye to eye on many issues, and that I would work harder with him to achieve many of his automotive projects. But that’s all wishful thinking now isn’t it? Anyway, his birthday was yesterday. I was just thinking about him and wanted to thank him for the great life he provided me and the rest of our family when he was around.

Amateur Movie Review: Push

Basically, there’s really nothing special about this movie. The concept of a secret organization assembling psychics of various abilities for diverse purposes is nothing new (look up remote-viewing in the net), but the categorization of the various psychics based on their skills/powers was pretty cool. Unfortunately, there were no “Holy shit, that was awesome!” moments in the film (obviously, I've been watchng too many movies like this one that I'm quite jaded). This would probably make a great TV or mini-series; the writers could better flesh out the characters’ personality and motivations; perhaps give the concept of the Division and the characters more depth (much like the TV series "Heroes"). Though seeing the Movers in action was fun to watch, I couldn’t help but make comparisons to the Jedis in “Star Wars” when they were moving/throwing things around during the fight. Even the Pushers ability begged comparison to the Jedi mind trick; only the Pusher’s ability seemed more potent and they weren’t as lovely as Camilla Belle. The rest of the cast, from Chris Evan’s character Nick, and Djimon Hounsou’s Division Agent Henry Carver to Dakota Fanning’s Cassie Holmes were fun to watch and pretty much kept their characters, and perhaps, the movie from being too cardboard-ish or cartoonish. Would I recommend it? Only if you’re fans of the four principal actors in the film; otherwise, wait for it to come out on DVD. I gave it three stars!!!

Sentimental Musings...

Today is the birthday (at least I think it is) of the one girl who, for the longest time, I was hopelessly head-over-heels in love with during most of my teen years. Of course there were a lot of other girls that came my way during that time in my life, but they just didn't have the same impact that this girl (who shall remain nameless in this blog entry) had. For most of the 80s, my infatuation for her bordered onto obsession which, I now can safely say in hindsight, peaked during the late 80s. What's real pathetic about it was that I never did muster up the courage to ask her out (because of an unfounded fear of rejection though I never had this problem with the other girls around me). I'm sure this frustrated and probably confused her back then as I realize now that she had been waiting for me to ask her out the whole time. This epiphany caused me to want to kick myself a few times. Now, nearly two decades later, I still find myself thinking about her from time to time. However, if asked by the fates if I ever wanted to resume my pursuit of this woman, I would say that it would have to be under the condition that we be sent back in time to where and when this whole "courtship" began (with my current memories and knowledge intact of course); but if it where to resume from the present timeline I, for the most part, would have to regretfully decline (unless certain conditions of my choosing are met). The growing concern I have now is that I have put this woman on so high a pedestal that I am using her as the standard by which all other women that come into my life are measured. I know that this is unfair because I've met a lot of women since then that have far surpassed her in many areas (especially in the looks department). So why am I blogging about her? I just wanted to celebrate my fondest memories of the girlfriend I never had. To let the world know (without really telling everyone - does that make sense?), that I kinda miss her and want to thank her for the many inspirations she gave me. Who knows what personal and career plateaus I might have reached had we actually connected and had a life together. On the other hand, those thoughts could all just be the naive, nostalgic sentiments of a weary, middle-aged adventure traveller in the road of life.

Movies I watched so far...

This is first of many movie reviews to be posted on my blog. I'm by no means and expert movie viewer or critic. My views and opinions are based of the types of movies I like to watch; which basically started since I was able to watch movies unsupervised by an adult. And I watch a lot of movies during the year because it is one of the few recreational activities I can afford to participate in. I like to watch movies during mid-day when the prices are cheaper (in case the movie sucks) and very few people are watching (so I get my choice of seats) . However, I sometimes enjoy movies during the evenings just so I can be swept up by the audience's reaction to certain scenes. Anyway, here are the first four movies I watched in 2009:

The Day the Earth Stood Still 01/02/09. Premiered 12/12/08. Picking up where I left off (because the first time I wastched this movie, the power went out in the theater), this is the very first movie I watched in 2009. I thought it was a cool movie. Updated from the 1950’s original of the same title, I’m now curious about the original. My recommendation? Watch it in theaters to appreciate the scale of the special effects – especially the giant sphere in the park which appears to be the alien's ship and the updated G.O.R.T. mechanoid. Too bad it left too many unanswered questions for me. Gave it three stars.

Valkyrie 01/08/09. Premiered 12/25/08. The movie wasn’t bad, but wasn’t all that good either. Still, I give Tom Cruise kudos for taking on roles that aesthetically put him in a less than flattering light. Bill Nighy is becoming one of my favorite character actors. Unfortunately, there weren’t any scenes or moments in the film that made me say or think: “Holy shit! That was awesome!” My recommendation? Better wait until the DVD comes out to rent it. I give it three stars.

Taken 01/30/09. Premiered 01/30/09. For me, a step up from my viewing experience from “Valkyrie.” Never thought of Liam Neeson as an action hero; then again, we are talking about the guy who played Rahs Ahl Gul in the recent “Batman Begins,” Qui Gon Jin of “Star Wars,” and of course, “Darkman.” So I guess it seemed like a logical role for him to play. Maggie Grace did a great job as Kim, Bryan Mills’ (Liam’s character) daughter. She was quite convincing in her portrayal of a somewhat ditzy, somewhat spoiled, naïve teenager. I never would’ve guessed this girl was in Maxim magazine’s Hot 100 of 2005 list. However, I kinda feel bad for actress Katie Cassidy: this is the second time I’ve seen her in a supporting role where she plays the stereotypical role of the shallow blonde, hottie who gets done-in in the middle of the movie (the first was in the 2006 remake of “When a Stranger Calls”). Hope she won’t be pigeon-holed with this type of role. Then again, she’s the daughter of former celebrities and probably just does these roles for kicks! As for the rest of the movie, I would recommend it. I give it four stars.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 01/30/09. Premiered 01/23/09. Movies like this are up my alley: an escape from my mundane existence where I see worlds, environments and characters that are totally alien to my normal world. I loved the first “Underworld” movie with the sexy Kate Beckinsale, the second movie “Underworld: Evolution” was a bit disappointing except for the opening sequence where we get a glimpse of what Viktor’s world looked like back in his glory days before the Vampire/Lycan war and Selene’s love scenes with the Vampire/Lycan hybrid Micheal. Anyway, “Rise of the Lycans” gives us more of that opening sequence from “Evolution” only further down the timeline to when and where the Vampire/Lycan conflict began. The casting of Rhona Mitra as Sonja made sense. If you remember one of scenes in the first “Underworld” movie, Kraven told Selene (Beckinsale’s character) that she reminded Viktor of his daughter Sonja. However, the film makers need to go back and re-edit the flash back scenes in future releases of the first “Underworld” movie on DVD: the actress who played Sonja in that film looked too blonde-ish and the execution chamber in the original scene looked rounder and well, larger. Nitpicking details aside, I liked this movie! Better than the second, about as close in mystique as the first. Highly recommended for action/fantasy as well as vampire/werewolf movie fans! Gave it four stars!!!

In Memoriam...

I got a sad e-mail from one of my good friends a few days back. I couldn't respond properly to it or discuss it on this blog because I was quite busy with all sorts of things and I was letting the news of her passing sink in. My friend's mother passed away on New Year's day - New Year's day of all days. It seemed she had been suffering from kidney disease for some time now, and my friend was very quiet about the whole thing up until she passed away. I was able to respond to his initial e-mail with messages of condolences and memories of interacting with his mom - short as they were- whenever I dropped by (usually unannounced) to bug my friend as he worked his various oil paintings. This sad news was relevant to me because we all have mothers. Her passing made think of, and cherish even more, the fact that my mother is still here with me. My friend said he regretted not spending enough time with her as he pursued his ambitions and other pursuits that were of a personal nature. I, on the other hand, realize now that my predicament of being unable to leave home (even though I wanted to many times - money was the issue of course) seem to have been a blessing in disguise: Even though I felt like one of those nerds who live in the basement of their parent's house, I realize now that I had spent a lot of quality time with both of my parents. My father has been deceased for over a decade and now I'm head of the household caring for my old and frail mother (whom I refuse to send to a nursing home: I simply don't trust them - that's another story). Anthony's mom - as well as my other friend's moms - were very prominent supporting characters while we were growing up. Mainly because we would hang out at one guy's house for long periods of time and eat their food like a swarm of hungry locusts! Don't worry readers, we made sure to replace the food we ravaged as well as not break anything while we hung out; after all, we didn't want to wear out our welcome; and with the awareness I'm blessed with now, I will all the more cherish the time spent with my mother as she nears the twilight of her days.

Hello 2009!

New Year’s Resolution

It’s that time of year again folks! You know what I’m talking about. And since this annual list isn’t etched in stone, I’m not going to get my undies in a twist if I don’t accomplish each item in this year’s resolution to the ‘T.’ Besides, as Captain Barbosa of pirate ship “The Black Pearl” declared: These are merely guidelines.

1. Pay down credit card bills, loans and other debts

2. Modify/adjust spending habits

3. Re-focus on tending to my personal health and fitness needs

4. Continue to manage my mother’s health care needs and overall welfare

5. Continue with current educational endeavors

6. Continue to explore and plan for relocation to another state

7. Reestablish old hobbies and pastime activities, as well as explore new hobbies and learn new skills

8. Continue with plans to have a more active social life

9. Reassess long term career goals

10. Reduce/change my pack rat/clutter bug tendencies