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they have been following the car since it left the mall parking lot 45 minutes ago.

“do we really have to take that? we should be heading back to the mall, there’s still time to search for a new target.”

“the mall will be closed by the time we get back,” replied the driver to his backseat passenger. “this job requires patience, you should know that by now.”

“yeah i know that, but this isn’t how we normally do it, right? this is the first time we followed our target out of the parking lot. just because you almost got the car open before they showed up doesn’t mean we should conti–”

“but that’s just it! how many cars in good condition do not have working alarms nowadays? it would be wasteful not to get this one. be a little more patient! look, they’re exiting.”

the car in front of them veered off the highway and onto a major exit ramp. traffic was light, as expected in a provincial-bound road on a very late sunday evening. the yuletide breeze allowed for a comfortable open window driving, if the exhaust fumes from the occassional bus can be tolerated. hurriedly paying the toll, the pair zoomed after their pursuit.

“dang toll’s getting expensive.”

“it’s coming out of your stash ok? you’re the one who decided to continue following them. there, turn right! i think they’re stopping. don’t stop you idiot, park on the next corner.”

thay have entered a subdivision-like neighborhood that has seen better days long ago, and the area gates are now kept in permanent open position without a gatekeeper nor a patrol guard in sight. their quarry stopped in front of a derelict two-storey apartment situated at an intersection, and without the two cars the weak glow from the lamppost across the road provided the only light.

before the two could stop, they saw the vehicle move again.

“dang they’re on the move again!”

“go go! i think they just dropped the lovers seated at the back. yup, there’s only the driver and the pretty woman now.”

the red car was back on the highway again, and to its pursuer’s delight made a pitstop at a gas station just a few minutes later. the lead car made a beeline to one of the empty slots near the park-like greens that punctuated the station’s parking lot.

“there, they’re parking. good, not much lighting there. they will probably be grabbing a bite to eat at that fast food over there, and that van parking beside their car now should be a perfect cover!”

“before that, better gas up dude, you’re almost running on empty. it’d be a shame if i get that car and you get stuck here because you didn’t fill her up.”

the driver snorted in response, but headed to a gas pump anyway. “500 pesos, unleaded,” he said in response to the attendant who came rushing from the cashier near the fastfood and who was still uttering his “gud ibning ser, welkam to…”

the car was filled up, wiper water was poured, the windshield was cleaned but still the other car’s passengers did not alight the car. dark fumes coming from the van parked beside the car showed the other vehicle’s passengers are still on board also.

“i need to smoke,” said the driver. “i’ll park over there, near those trees. in the meantime you buy me some cigarettes from the convenience store. and check out what those two are doing when you pass by the car!” he added as his passenger slammed the door shut and headed away from the vehicle.

he made a quick reverse parking that almost hit the suv parked on his passenger side, but he didn’t care. he marvelled at the space he created between his door and the pickup truck to his side, and knew that a quick getaway, if needed, would be very possible with this setup. he just got out of his car when he saw his partner ignore the couple alighting their target vehicle and was instead ogling at the lady seated on an outside table of the fastfood.

“dang it,” he muttered before making his way to the vehicle with broken alarm, watching as its glowing driver walked hand in hand with his bouquet-of-roses carrying girlfriend.

Nihon chinbotsu (Sinking of Japan / Japan Sinks) is a 2006 drama science fiction film situated in japan which is about to literally sink due to the movement of nearby tectonic plates.  the geological phenomenon led to the formation of a megalith at the rift, and as this accumulated mass collapses it drags japan down with it.

much like other disaster films (armageddon, deep impact, heck maybe even titanic), the plot used the calamity to show the different faces of humanity, a glimpse at ideologies that are japanese in their own right but holds true with all colors and races as well.  characters from different walks of life show that amidst the discrepancies in who we are we are all capable of loving, appreciation, of being selfish, of being heroes (we all know that!).

again, like other films of its genre, the ending (even the main storyline) is somewhat predictable (sorry for being a spoiler but the scene with morgan freeman in deep impact suddenly came to mind), but it did not in any way affect how i enjoyed the story.  the special effects of the film are as good as (i) expected from a japanese film, and cinematography wise i’m hoping i’d be ablse to see a filipino film of this level.  too bad i missed it when it was shown in the big screen, it would have looked good (but then again, without the subtitles i might not have understood it).

sinking of japan, recommended movie to those who appreciate disaster movies.  and even to those who don’t.

photo taken from wikipedia.

  far from it actually, although if there’s such a thing as favorite coffee quote, well then there you have it!  there’s really nothing wrong with the english, i just find it really funny.

if there’s one thing i’ll miss when i return home from japan, it would be the ever accessible vending machines dispensing whatever drink you’re craving for the moment (and there was this one that sells kitkat bars in a glass jar too, which i mistook as a chocolate drink because of the canister’s shape).  it’s usually coffee for me, machine-cooled ones during the summer and, well, machine-heated ones during the cold season.  i’d say i can count in my 2 hands the number of working days that passed where i didn’t take a dose of my stimulant (no wonder i couldn’t save any money!).  with no need for washing the container (just drink and dispose), and no preparation needed (except for getting money from your pocket), i’d say it’s cheap at a hundred yen per.

i guess when i go home for good this december, and start mixing those 3-in-1 sachets provided (at a cost) at the office pantry, i’d be looking back at those times when all i had to do is fish a coin out of my pocket, push a button, grab the can from the dispenser, pull the tab, and drink.  i’ll really miss that coffee.  but i definitely don’t mean this one.