We got to watch "Shall We Dance" at Rockwell the other night.

Pretty nice film, really. The story is rather mundane on its own, which leaves the actors to do a good job of fleshing out the memorable characters that carry the movie. No one among the main characters is left unnoticed, and by the time the film ends we feel as if we've known them a long time.

Apparently a big reason why the film works that well is because it's a remake of a Japanese film of the same title. Due credit however goes to Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Stanley Tucci who give a sentimental yet comic performance here.
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I particularly like one of the quotes of Susan Sarandon's character Beverly. Paraphrased:
"Why do we get married? It's because we want someone to be a witness to our mundane lives."
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I've lost all possible reason to go to Robinsons Place Manila. The arcade has closed and the department store isn't all that exciting. Oh well. This will do wonders for my bank account.
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Got an early birthday present while doing my service evaluation assignment for MARKSER: a pair of Puma Speed Cats.


They're leather non-fireproof replicas of the shoes used by Formula 1 drivers. As you can probably see, the narrow rubber sole has an intermediate tire tread pattern embossed all over it.

Despite the light off-white color being prone to stains, I love them. They're not as shock-absorbent nor as light as my Adidas Stratos badminton shoes, nor are their soles as wide, so playing badminton in this pair is out of the question. But they're comfortable enough to live with without Dr. Scholls' finest products in them.

Thanks Mom!
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A similar shoe to the Speed Cat L is the Adidas Tuscany, which comes in leather or nylon. It's also based on Adidas' previous Monza racing boot, and has the Goodyear Eagle F1 tire tread pattern etched into the sole.



Since I had had great experiences with all their shoes I've owned over the years (excellent comfort and shock absorption is an Adidas trademark in my opinion), I decided to try the Tuscany pair on this evening to see how it compared to the heretofore untested Pumas.

The Tuscany had a wider, more accommodating outsole, but had a pronounced "spine" that ran along the length of the sole, which felt rather weird on my feet as I tried a few steps and hops. As a result the normally comfortable insoles felt a bit inadequate. The Speed Cats may have less comfortable insoles but the shoe in its entirety is just easier to live with. Given the same size (my feet are 9s) they fit better too.