Fooohhhhh!! (Hard Gay!)

Who's the funniest guy (or gay) in Japan?


Hard Gay!

I have a new pastime at the office when things get slow, which only happens when our Frankenstein boss is not around intimidating everybody (he has this annoying habit of talking to people so close, you can actually smell AND see what he had for breakfast!). It's watching videos at YouTube and Google Video.

And while browsing around at lunchtime, I caught this clip of Hard Gay, a Japanese comedienne who dresses up in Village People/Freddy Mercury black leather cut-offs and studs, and has the physique of a pro-wrestler. He goes around the city doing random acts of kindness, but with his trademark gay style-- He loves to pelvic-thrust with arms raised, and shouts "Fooohhhhh!!" at the end of any phrase (Wait, I know someone who’s exactly like that…). His real name btw. is Masaki Sumitani, and he’s straight(not gay).

A picture of Hard Gay in action, taken from the show Bakuten. The purple text reads, "Welcome to the Hard Gay gas station!"

He’s absolutely sidesplitting, and has achieved cult status in Japan from what I read. The last clip I saw him in was his visit to Yahoo!’s Japan office. At the end he strapped himself with neon-light ropes, arms raised, and crane lifted to replace the “Y” in a huge outdoor neon sign of Yahoo! (And yes, whenever the sign lights up, he shouts “Yahoo!”).

Notes:
Links to Hard Gay videos at:
- YouTube
- Google video

The "new" kuwarta o kahon

There's a new game on NBC, which hasn't been showed yet on cable, called "Deal or no Deal".



Hosted by comedianne Howie Mendel(Isn't he the guy who now hosts America's Funniest at Disney Channel?), here's how the game is played:

"The rules are simple. Choose a briefcase. Then as each round progresses, you must either stay with your original briefcase choice or make a 'deal' with the bank(a mysterious entity) to accept its cash offer in exchange for whatever dollar amount is in your chosen case. Once you decide to accept or decline the bank's offer, the decision is final. Contestants are encouraged to ask friends or family in the audience for advice; however, only the contestant's answer will be considered binding and final."

[Tuny coughs]

Rip-off!!

Maybe the producers, Endemol(also the makers of Big Brother) were avid fans of Kuya Pepe Pimentels's Kuwarta o Kahon, and saw how good the game was in the 80s. It also has shades of Eat Bulaga's Laban O Bawi, where you have the Sex Bomb Dancers holding the boxes, while at Deal you have 26 glamorous spokesmodels each holding a brief case.



Ang hirap mamili no? One of the Deal models btw. is Filipina, Jenilee. Maybe we can convince her to join the new Sex Bomb Dancers.



The difference I see in Kuwarta/Laban and Deal, which probably makes it more exciting, is you can actually see how much money you are loosing as the game progresses. Also, instead of winning a banig, bunot, or a bayong of kangkong (as in Kuwarta & Laban), the lowest you can loose here in $.01(a penny).

If you want to get a feel of the game, (or, ehem, nothing to do in the office)play the online version of the game. I won a penny in my last game (I'd imagine feeling like a total fool winning that over a million dollars on live TV).

Superman (So that's why..)

I'm looking forward to Superman Returns, which stars newbie Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel, and Oscar winner Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.



I don't know about Mr. Routh (he appeared in just one movie previous to Sup), but I think Spacey will make a heck of a Luthor, maybe even better than Gene Hackman. He's my second favorite actor to play a villain, next to Christopher Walken.

So this is why he's called Superman...


... He has big, strong hands!


Trivia: Luthor is one of several Superman characters with the initials "LL," including Lois Lane, Lana Lang, Lionel Luthor, Letitia Lerner, Lori Lemaris, and Linda Lee (aka Supergirl).

For Trade: One (1) Mr. Bean Key Chain

HI. In my possession right now, standing on top of my desk, is a Mr. Bean Keychain.



I would like to make an offer to anyone out there willing to trade for this item. A Mr. Bean keychain may not sound much, but let me assure you that it is worth much, much more than it looks:

- Despite having been in my possesion for over a year now, it has NEVER been used and kept in my air tight office cabinet(for fear of depreciating its market value).

- I suspect that despite the appearance, the keychain is not of Mr. Bean, but of British actor...

...David Suchet,

...or (gasp) Sir Sean Connery.

- There are no trademark markings, which could only mean production of this item was discontinued before making the store shelves (thus it is a collector's item).

I will accept any item for as long as it is worth more than one (1) Mr. Bean Keychain (rubber sandals, a flashlight, a pepper and salt shaker, a pair of "unused" underwear, even seats to watch Wowowie).

Trades for this item is limited to areas that can be accessed via public transport from my location here in Las Pinas. I promise to personally visit you to make the trade (if you are in Cambulo, Banaue, it may take some time for me to get there).

So if you have anything to trade worth more than one (1) Mr. Bean Key Chain, send me your offer at tuny@pacific.net.ph.


P.S.
As in One Red Paper Clip, I'm going to make a continous chain of up-trades until I get a car, a house, a car and a house, or a week's all expense-paid vacation in Boracay.

Wanna Up-Trade?

Have you seen One Red Paper Clip? This blog is run by Kyle Macdonald, who had this crazy idea: Could he use the Internet to barter a paper clip for something better, and trade that thing for something else — and so on and so on until he had a house?

Well as things went, he ended up making a series of trades (a pen, a door knob, a stove, a generator, a "one instant party", a snow mobile, etc.) up to a year's free-rent stay at a nice house in Phoenix.

That's quite an impressive trading run. Do you think he'll get his house?

Hmmm.... [Ka-ching!]

I rummaged through my office cabinet to see what I can barter. I found pencils, a marker, a stapler(not mine), a mirror(what is this doing here??), writing pads, and a bottle opener. I also found paperclips, not only red ones, but in different colors(maybe I can offer to trade a GREEN paper clip..nahhh).

As I was about to drop the idea, I see the item that could possibly lead me to my very own house, car, or an all-expense paid vacation to Boracay for me and Pam.

For my next post I will formally make a trade offer for this item.

Where can I buy a Cifrele in astral colors?

If today was the 70's and I had a mustache, I'd be a model (correction, I'd be a star!).



I found this photo in Chuvaness' blog.

I would love to have a pair of Cifrele pants in "astral colors" and wear it at the office on fridays. Anybody know where I can buy one?

The best view of Mt. Everest...

Is definitely from the top.

I received this photo of Mt. Everest from my office buddy and former PALMC president Danny M.. It was said to have been taken by Roddy Mackenzie, who climbed the mountain in 1989.


Mt. Everest stands 8.85 kilometers above sea level, roughly the maximum height reached by international airplane flights, or less than the 300 kilometers achieved by a space shuttle. Hundreds of people have tried and failed to climb the behemoth by foot, a feat first accomplished successfully in 1953. About 1000 people have now made it to the summit.

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” - Ernest Hemingway

Nice: Football, Brushstrokes et al & Griffin & Sabine

Check out Football, Brushstrokes et al... by Rene Enriquez. His journal shows his world through his sketches.

His blog reminds me of Nick Bantock's wonderful book, Griffin & Sabine.

Good Luck to the Filipino Mt. Everest expeditions!

I love to climb mountains, but have not been doing so in the last few years as I've been kept busy changing diapers by my three chikitings(and that's no easy feat at 1AM!).

That's why I envy the three expeditions going up Mt. Everest this year.

Sadly, a lot of criticisms have been popping up at the MFPI egroups (the network wars, how the Philippine Team was a barkadahay, and that one of the climbers is "not worthy" to summit the world's highest peak carrying the Philippine colors, due to his lack of experience(or popularity?).

To me, summiting a great mountain shreads you of all your physical attachments. At the summit, fatigued and in pain, you don't say "I did it for my country" or "I did it for my sponsors", but rather a simple "I did it" does the trick.


-----------------------
Read more about the Philippine Everest expeditions at the sites below:
Mt. Everest News
The Official Philippine Everest Expedition Website
Romy Garduce's Blog Site

Wonder Baby

We're proud parents of a very "special" baby.









This is Julia at 3 months, enjoying Michael Chrichton's Prey and Sydney Sheldon's If Tommorow Comes. She gave up on nursery rhymes at 2.










Below's Mommy and Julia sharing a light moment (I think there's something wrong in this picture).