I was looking for a short book to read and I ended up with The Missing Piece Meets The Big O. I turned out to be pretty nice. It’s a story about a missing piece looking for the one it belongs with. On one level, it is a nice children’s book but on another level it’s a nice adult’s book. It is one of those classics that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. Can’t wait to read Shel Silverstein’s other works. Quite a few but good thing they’re short :D
Juno
Finally, after a long time and quite a few recommendations from people whose taste in movies I agree with :P, I watched Juno. And I wasn’t disappointed, high expectations notwithstanding. The movie is about a teenage girl, Juno, coping with an unplanned pregnancy. Ellen Page is wonderful as Juno, a cool chicklet spouting wit and dry humor every line. The supporting characters also did very well in their roles including Jeniffer Garner, who seemed cold at first but turned out to be quite warm. Warm, yes. It’s one of those movies that give you that warm fuzzy feeling. Ironically, althought the movie is about a juvenile, the story as well as the humor are serious, mature, and intelligent. This is so unlike some movies, like say the similarly themed Knocked Up, whose story is about adults but the humor is juvenile (that’s about as much as I will write about it).
Rating: 5/5
Iron Man
I didn’t learn about Iron Man till about a month before it would be released. I didn’t see the trailer until about a week before it would be released. I wasn’t interested when I learned about it (not exactly a comic book superhero fan except for Batman). But when I saw the trailer (that part when he fires a missile at the tank then cooly walks away as the tank explodes) I decided it could be entertaining. So I went and watched and indeed it turned out to be quite entertaining.
The movie made sure to be as close to the current world as possible. Here, Iron Man begins in present day Afghanistan (Iron Man, of course, existed way before The War on Terror). Tony Stark, owner of an arms manufacturing company, was in the country to demonstrate his latest weapon. On his way home, he was ambushed by terrorists using weapons made by his company. The terrorists wiped out his guards and he was captured and forced to create a high-technology weapon. But instead, he created a jump-capable powered armor (yeah mecha!) that he used to escape his captors.
When he got back home, he resolved to completely stop manufacturing weapons (instead of trying to stop sales to terrorists which would have been more logical). But all is not what it seems and things are easier said (or resolved :P) than done. Lots of action ensues spiced up with a little bit of humor (this is Robert Downey after all, I actually wasn’t convinced he can pull the movie off but he did) and romance (with Gwyneth Paltrow). Like I said, quite entertaining.
Rating: 4/5
Snow Peak Starter Kit
Snow Peak claims their Trek Starter Kit is “the pinnacle of backpacking cookware”. It’s most definitely a lofty claim but I tend to agree with it.
Before, I relied on a Trangia mess kit to hold my Campingaz Twister CV270 stove (this has got to be the stove with the best bang for the buck), stainless steel utensils, and film canister condiment dispensers. The gas canister, I keep separately since it’s quite big. It’s a mixed bag of gear but somehow they worked very well for my needs and I was very happy with the system. Up until I misplaced the stove (doink!) and had to buy a new one.
I decided on the The Snow Peak Trek Starter Kit upon the recommendation of Bing. It is composed of a stainless steel Giga Power stove, a titanium pot with fold-out handles, a pot lid with a spout, and a titanium spork. Everything, including two gas canisters fit together in a carrying sack into a small, elegant, and light package.
But even better, everything works very well, too. The Giga Power is one awesome gas canister stove. I’ve always preferred gas canister stoves because of their small size, light weight, and ease of use. Their only problem is poor performance in the cold (not too much of a problem where I go) and wind (just add a windscreen).
Going back to the Giga Power, it screws on to the canister and its wire pot supports fold out to provide a stable platform. Ridges on the pot supports ensure that the pot stays in place. Turn the long (reduces the chance of accidentally touching hot parts) control valve, light it up, and see it burn HOT (10,000BTUs) ! If it had a piezoelectric igniter and maybe if it were titanium it would be perfect.
In the pot, you can cook noodles with egg for breakfast. Or cook rice topped with viand for lunch or dinner. Eat with the spork. Then afterward, boil chocolate or coffee and pour it out of the spout or drink from the pot itself (after cooling a bit, of course).
A kitchen in a small package. Need I ask for more?
Rating: 5/5
Nalgene 1L Polycarbonate Water Bottle
I’ve heard about the durability of Nalgene bottles for the longest time but for cost reasons (they’re around P900 for a 1L bottle) I have put off getting one. That changed when I spotted Nalgene bottles selling at bargain prices (around P300 for a 1L bottle) on a recent trip to HK. I got one for myself and now I’m absolutely exultant. So what makes it so good?
- Of course, its legendary durability. It’s said to be indestructible though I’ve read about a bottle breaking when run over by a truck (duh!). I’m not in a habit of leaving my gear where they can be run over by trucks so I guess this won’t be a problem.
- It can handle boiling water. I don’t usually drink hot drinks but it’s nice to have that option. You can also use this to dry wet clothes by wrapping them around the bottle.
- It has a big mouth opening. You can easily (Look Ma! No spills!) transfer water from your other bigger containers to it. You can also easily pour in powder milk, coffee, juice or even ice cubes.
- It has a loop-top. The loop-top prevents the cap from falling down and getting dirty or, worse, getting lost. It may also be for carrying though it seems a bit flimsy for that purpose.
- It doesn’t leak. But then those are the same claims that I heard for my CamelBak and Platypus containers. They leaked so we’ll just have to see.
I guess those are compelling enough reasons, yeah?