Flat Tires and Good Samaritans

Yesterday was an interesting show of Filipino pride. After Kai and I finished up at Healthway in SM North, we were on our way down from the top level parking when I skid into the gutter. Moments later I eased into hazard mode and realized that my left front tire was flat. The rubber was torn so a simple pump (or Dad's fix- a-flat) wouldn't solve the issue.

If that wasn't enough, I had zero knowledge on how to change a tire. Luckily, one of the guards came over and offered to help me out. If things couldn't get any more ironic, I had absolutely NO idea where the tools and jack were in the car I was using. Again the guard was kind enough to help me locate them. Once we were starting our attempts at getting the spare tire from under the car, two other good souls stopped by (a dad and a driver) to lend their car expertise. I guess one of the issues was because they had the same car so their knowledge in the matter helped.

Together,  the four of us started figuring out why the spare tire wasn't falling smoothly as it should have. We realized then that the chain got stuck, preventing us from getting the tire down. The dad was kind enough to offer to lend his spare tire until I got the flat one vulcanized but considering the wear and tear of the flat,  that option was quickly crossed off the list.

It took some team effort but we finally managed to get the spare tire off. By the time this happened, another car stopped behind us and its driver and one of his friends came down and offered to help change the tire. Once again it was a combined effort for them; where to position the jack and getting the bolts loosened. Of course there I was not knowing what was happening but inwardly I had to be thankful. When all was said and done, the spare tire in place and the flat dumped in the back, they wished me well, I said my thanks and we all went our separate ways.

To my good Samaritans yesterday, you have my undying gratitude for offering your time, brawn and patience. My faith in humanity was definitely restored!

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Zachary Quinto and Character Study

I apologize for the lack of activity lately. I've been at work doing work and work causes a stress I find to be a little bit more difficult to control these weeks. Of course, that's mostly because juggling a few number of projects in one go with a small number of QAs in a game development company of around 50 people really will become stressful. But to get back on track, here's a little entry I wanted to pen regarding an actor I've neglected to appreciate until recently, when Kai and I went to see Star Trek Into Darkness together.

Who is this actor?

ZACHARY QUINTO

Yup, he was the talented actor who played Mr. Spock in the 2009 and 2013 Star Trek films by J.J. Abrams. Because of his stellar performance, I found it imperative, like what I usually do with most actors I admire, to dig into their filmography and see where he's been. Most often than not, I always find one or two titles that I've already seen before but just never knew it was him, and called for a second look to confirm.

Such a title was What's Your Number?, a romantic comedy starring Chris Evans that I primarily watched it for. Having recognized Martin Freeman as well there, I never remembered Zach until I watched back. And there he was!

Other titles that caught my interest was that he was in the American Horror Story franchise. While he played a recurring role in season one, he played a main character in season two, Asylum. 

Dr. Oliver Thredson / Bloody Face

Maroon 5's lead singer Adam Levine is a budding actor and makes his debut in this TV series, recounting the horrors of Briarcliff in present day 2012, while most of the story takes place 50 years ago in 1964, where Zach's character appears. Thredson is a psychiatrist who comes into the madhouse to help with therapy of one inmate: a man by the name of Kit Walker, who was accused of the crimes of Thredson's "alter ego", Bloody Face. 

Now why do I talk about this? Kai and I often spend our time throwing scenarios at each other as opposed to the stories we type up in tandem. Whenever I find a character I enjoy watching, I begin a little process of understanding them better; a character study if you will to get into their head and grasp their train of thoughts and actions in order to adjust to scenarios. 

A strange little hobby, but I find that doing it gives me a better sense of embodying a character like most actors do. Sounds like I'm interested in acting if I go through all this, right? People can dream. :P