AstroBanana Trilogy Part I: Extended Edition

Part I of the AstroBanana Trilogy explained why Eric Banana and Astro Girl met under "very dark circumstances". This extended edition explores what happened after they met.

Actually, Eric Banana doesn't know why he chose the Spanish movie "Pan's Labyrinth" ("El laberinto del fauno", which translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun") for a first movie date, blind or otherwise. The obvious choice would have been to pick a awww-so-sweet romcom a.k.a. romantic comedy. Alas, Eric has a memory that resides inside a pea's brain - he just could not remember why he picked the movie. In fact, he could not remember if he picked it at all. Oh nevermind!

Eric Banana was already seated when Astro Girl showed up at the cinema theatre. They did the most natural thing two strangers could possibly do, which was of course to introduce themselves. The people around them must have been wondering what was going on. Being the shy-shy types, none of them said much. Eric Banana kindly offered to buy popcorn but Astro Girl kindly declined. And then the movie started...

Eric Banana is the type of movie-goer who does not talk during movies. In fact, if his friends try to talk to him while watching a movie together, he will either ignore them or "shhh" them. Thankfully, Astro Girl did not try to talk to him during the movie. This means that a blind movie date only goes as far as to put a guy and a gal next to each other in the cinema and any real interaction, if any, will begin only after the movie.

Halfway through the movie, Astro Girl must have been wondering about the weird dude sitting next to her who kept fidgeting. Okay, Eric Banana confesses - he cannot sit still during a movie, so yes, he was shifting around in his seat throughout the movie. He was also trying to steal subtle glances at Astro Girl with his peripheral vision, which is almost as renowned as his trademarked 1/16th split-second vision.

As he watched the movie, Eric Banana was having second, third and fourth thoughts about watching "Pan's Labyrinth". Some scenes were getting a tad too scary for his comfort. Yup, his reply to Ghostface's "Hello.. do you like scary movies?" would have been a big resounding NO. Yet he could not squirm or cover his eyes with his hands - he had an image to maintain so he tried not to show his fear in front of, or rather, next to Astro Girl. Romcom would definitely have been a better idea.

To Eric Banana's relief, the movie finally came to an end after two hours. And a bigger challenge awaited him. The movie date had technically come to an end. What was next? They could technically go their own separate ways and never meet again. Or they could go for a drink and maybe even exchange contact numbers. Just as Eric Banana was mustering his courage to ask Astro Girl to go for a drink, she offered to treat him to coffee since he paid for the movie tickets. Yay! Phew for Eric Banana too :P Hmmm, on hindsight, that would mean Astro Girl made the first move *hee hee*.

They adjourned to Starbucks on the ground floor for a cuppa. They chatted for over an hour, with Eric Banana dominating the conversation. They are both the shy-shy types and Eric Banana is not talkative around strangers. But somehow Eric Banana didn't want the coffee session to end so fast so he just kept talking and talking, about almost everything. Well, the fact that Astro Girl did not make an excuse to scoot off was a good sign. Then again, it could be that she was just being polite.

Eventually, the time came for them to say goodbye as it was a working day the next day. As Eric Banana walked Astro Girl to the MRT station, he was racking his brain. The question? How to get Astro Girl's contact number? Of course, he could contact her via gomoviedate.com again but it was a more expensive option as he had to pay for courier charges for delivery of the movie tickets on top of the movie ticket price. It would make more sense for him to open his mouth and just ask Astro Girl for her contact number. Except that he couldn't do it. Eric Banana has a peculiarity. Okay, he has more than one, but this particular peculiarity was that he will never ask a gal for her contact number. The main reason is that he does not want them to think he has some ulterior motive in doing so. 

So the question remained. How was he going to get Astro Girl's contact number? He decided to use an indirect way instead. He scribbled his personal mobile number on his namecard and passed it to Astro Girl, telling her to call him if she ever wants to find someone to talk to. And as he predicted, Astro Girl gave him her mobile phone number via a missed call on his mobile phone. Hurray!

And the fateful day came to an end. It wasn't love at first sight on both ends. But it sure signified more to come in the days after.

Turning The Camera...

... on the photographers in a shot taken over dinner at Ma Maison earlier:

Eric Banana and Astro Girl finally got to have dinner with Danon and Kenneth to thank them for their help in the photoshoot. It was also to celebrate Danon's birthday, which is coming up in a few days' time. Happy birthday in advance dude!

P.S. Guess who is older - Danon or Kenneth? Eric Banana and Astro Girl know their real age and they were quite shocked *gasp*

Yet Some More From The DGT Studio Photoshoot

By this time, you should be wondering exactly how many photos came out of the DGT studio photoshoot. If you have not, you should probably start to wonder right about now. Actually, a lot of these photos look kinda "similar" - it's just that Eric Banana and Astro Girl do not want those reasonably good shots to go to waste.

A couple of *erm* couple shots taken by Danon:

Eric Banana featured in yet another triad recruitment poster (maybe the tagline should read:" "Come to the Dark Side"):

The rest of the photos were taken by Kenneth, who smartly focused more on the photogenic Astro Girl:

The focus on Eric Banana was... *erm* expected:

Okay, that was it for single shot (note the singular) of Eric B *hmmm*. Moving on to the couple shots...

The next one is a collector's item as it features Eric Banana without his spectacles. There is only one because the photographers threatened to quit the shoot if Eric Banana did not put on his specs.

Some more couple shots with colour:

And ending off with a big smile:

Why The iPhone 3G Cannot Be A Fashion Statement In Singapore

By Eric Banana

When you buy a brand new iPhone 3G, you will treat it like a baby and take very good care of it. You will worry about scratching the screen, so off you go to buy a screen protector. Next comes the worry about scratching the plastic back cover, so you will buy another protector for the back cover. As you fiddle with your iPhone 3G, you start worrying about accidental bumps and drops. Have no fear, there is a wide choice of covers to choose from. BUT most of these covers tend to wrap the iPhone 3G up like a rice dumpling, leaving only the screen exposed.. obviously so,  due to the touchscreen interface.

Now, your heavily-protected generic touchscreen phone.. oh wait, you say it's an iPhone 3G? Erm, who knows? Unless you keep it plastered to your ear for extended periods of time. In which case, you would have to wipe your screen with industrial detergent after that... and maybe see an orthopedist for chronic elbow pain. By the way, a first-generation iPhone or a Samsung Omnia (assuming they are covered with a case too) can be used for making calls too. Oh, you say it's an iPhone 3G because of all the wonderful apps and all? Erm, a 2.0ed first-generation iPhone or even iPod Touch (still covered with a case) can do the same thing... and no one will know any better.

Oh oh, many people will know because they own an iPhone 3G too, so they can tell the difference. So excuse me, where the hell is the fashion statement if half the population own one?

I rest my case (pardon the pun).

Guess Who Has A Bag Fetish Too?

A triumphant Eric Banana would like to state unequivocally that he is not the only one in the AstroBanana equation with a bag fetish. Announcing Astro Girl's latest purchase:

It is a Nike C.O.R.E. Tote Bag, which features two carry handles, a side zippered pocket and interior pockets for secure storage of personal items. 

However, to be fair to Astro Girl, this bag is more of a necessity - it replaces her much-abused FILA gym bag which is falling apart due to *erm* overload. And she must have thought through it a gazillion times - peppered by Eric Banana's psycho-babble - before she finally bought it. Absolute thriftiness at work.

iFashion?

Okie dokie, the highly anticipated Apple iPhone 3G has reached Singapore's shores, to the keen.. disinterest of Eric Banana. Notwithstanding Astro Girl's opinion of it as yet another doorstopper, Eric Banana is hardly even excited about the device and has no plans whatsoever of getting his hands on one. 

Hmmm, technically Eric Banana did get his hands on one - his techno-savvy brother bought it yesterday morning, having booked one weeks ago - so he fiddled with it briefly over dinner this evening. Except for the 3G connectivity, GPS, phone, SMS and camera functions, there is nothing much new since Eric Banana already has a 2.0ed iPod Touch. Call it sour grapes if you want but it's not as if Eric Banana cannot afford one yah?

To some people, an iPhone 3G is a fashion statement. Eric Banana thinks otherwise. He would consider a first-generation iPhone in Singapore as a fashion statement because it was not available in the country then. An iPod Touch was a novelty when it was first released, but became less so as time went by. An iPhone 3G which "tens of thousands" of people are going to own is anything but a fashion statement. Just think about the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) for a moment. It was a fashion statement at the beginning of its lifecycle but nowadays, you can see people whipping out PSPs everywhere on the MRT or bus.. so much so that it has become ridiculously unfashionable.

At this point of time, Eric Banana needs a high-capacity iPod more than an iPhone. He needs an iPod Classic-like device to store all his music now that his iPod Video 5G is a museum artefact. For his mobile phone needs, he would probably stick to Samsung, which has a very user-friendly interface. He is thinking of... not the Omnia, but maybe an i780 or the upcoming INNOV8 when his mobile phone contract is up for renewal next March.

A|X Finally

Yay, Eric Banana finally got the item that he has been waiting for today!

Presenting his all-new fashion accessory... an Armani Exchange A|X Logo Hinge Metal Bracelet:

It is made of 52.2% iron, 26.3% tin, 17.3% copper and 4.2% antimony.

A perennial Armani Exchange fan, Eric Banana spotted this particular bracelet on the eBay website. He does not recall ever seeing it in Singapore, although he adores the logo hinge design series to bits. Anyway, fashion items are almost impossible to hunt down once the season is over, so yes, *erm* Eric Banana had to bid for it.

Unbelievable but true, it was the first time Eric Banana bought something on eBay. Let's just say that his "brute force" bidding strategy requires some more fine-tuning. So does his brain. Actually, eBay transactions are built on mutual trust. As the buyer has to pay for the item first, it takes a leap of faith for him or her to believe that the seller is going to deliver the item after he or she has received the payment, especially for international transactions. But eBay does have measures to address this concern - and the seller has a disincentive not to do the wrong thing because his or her credibility is at stake.

Before Eric Banana knew it, his brand-new bracelet (which is a tad too long) was sitting around Astro Girl's ankle. Her award-winning comment? "Wah, Armani Exchange makes anklets too ah? Quite nice hor?"

The Origins Of "Eric Banana" & "Astro Girl"

In case any faithful reader of this wonderfully exciting blog *yawn* (by the way, the count stands at zero currently) has not figured it out yet, "Eric Banana" and "Astro Girl" are not real people. Yes, it's true. The blog entries are regularly churned out on a whim by a fairly sophisticated artificial intelligence which has gone bonkers while trying to drink water, and that in turn pan-fried its circuitry in the process. Contrary to what it is called, the *erm* A.I. is not particularly intelligent.

And if you believe even a single word of what is written above, you are probably not particularly intelligent either. You could be a genius... in a different way. Okay, the characters behind the names are real but the names are a work of fiction. Well, it is probably lousy fiction. After all, who in the right mind will call themselves "Eric Banana" and "Astro Girl"?! Hmmm, nobody said they are in the right mind.

So why did Eric Banana call himself "Eric Banana"? He is fully aware that some people think that it is an utterly ridiculous name. Well, Eric Banana is called "Eric Banana" for one very simple reason.. and that is, he loves bananas! From Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice-cream to Post Selects Banana Nut Crunch Cereal.. and even B1 and B2 (a.k.a Bananas in Pyjamas) :|

How Astro Girl came to be called "Astro Girl" is probably slightly funnier. One fine day, she woke up with kinda messy hair and her sister saw her - "Hey, your hair looks like Astro Boy!" Astro Girl has kindly declined to replicate that particular hairdo for this blog entry, so here's a picture of how Astro Boy's hairstyle looks like:

Astro Boy has a sister called Uran or Astro Girl, who has the same hairstyle:

Eric Banana felt that Uran is ultra cute and so he gave Astro Girl that nickname.

And that summarises the origins of "Eric Banana" and "Astro Girl" *ta-daah*.

She Thought, He Tote

Eric Banana has been on the hunt for a tote bag like forever. Specifically, he has been looking for a leather tote bag (yes yes, he already has a canvas Columbia tote bag). The quest for the perfect leather tote bag is not an easy one. Somehow, the general design for guys' bags (sometimes derogatively called "manbags" or "murses") tends to be dubious. Most of the time, they just look fugly.

One fine day, while window shopping with the ever lovely Astro Girl, something caught Eric Banana's attention. Well, it could be a really pretty girl, but Eric Banana is not stupid enough to announce it on this blog, is he? Wait a minute, did he just...? Well, he did make a reference to "something", not "someone", so there. And now, for the item of attraction:

Eric Banana seriously likes this bag! The shape is perfect. The design is simple, akin to a timeless classic. And it was on 30% discount, which is like a big pull factor. There is only one minor concern. There is a leather license plate signature on it. And it reads "Kate Spade New York". What a spoilsport!

Being a very open-minded person, Eric Banana *almost* has no qualms about carrying a tote bag which he thinks is of a unisex design, no matter what the label says. Astro Girl has her reservations though - she is not too sure that *ahem* it is the right bag for him. After much consideration, Eric Banana decided to drop the idea. He figured that he would have to be literally oozing all over with metrosexuality to be able to carry off a bag like this. He did note that there are some guys out there carrying bags that are far more feminine. For example, those who carry the LV monogram bags.

Determined to find a nice leather tote bag designed for guys, Eric Banana started looking around. Hey, who needs an excuse to shop anyway? He checked out various brands, including agnès b., Calvin Klein, Porter International and River Island, to no avail. He did conscientiously avoid Hugo Boss and Bally although they would probably have something nice. Buying something prohibitively expensive was not part of the plan.

Eric Banana next turned to the Internet for his search. And *voila* he found something on the Banana Republic (note: the "banana" connection is purely coincidental) online store:

   

It is a pebbled leather tote that is fully lined with stain and water resistant signature BR lining and has protective metal feet. It measures 22" x 4¼" x 14½". And best of all, it was on 50% discount.

There was only one problem - Banana Republic does not ship to international customers. Not about to let this minor detail deter him, Eric Banana signed up with vPost which provided him with an U.S. shipping address. He quickly found out that the Banana Republic online store does not accept international credit cards as well. Talk about globalisation. Eric Banana tried using the vConcierge service under vPost but discovered that Banana Republic falls under the list of merchants whom vConcierge is not able to place orders from. Joy joy. Eric Banana then remembered that Citibank has a globeshopper service, which is affiliated with Borderlinx. This time round, the Banana Republic online store did not accept Borderlinx's US credit card. Bother. Finally, Eric Banana did a quick Google and found another gateway to faciliate his online purchase - ComGateway. It worked perfectly with no hiccups. The tote bag reached Eric Banana via DHL today.

When Eric Banana saw the pebbled leather tote on the Banana Republic online store, he decided to see if the local Banana Republic store at Paragon carried it. While browsing there, Eric Banana discovered that something he was eyeing a few months ago was on sale. 50-freaking-% discount. Woo hoo~! 

It is a heritage stamped leather messenger bag accented with contrasting stitching and hardware that includes a simple metal closure, rivets inside and out for extra reinforcement, and a handy key holder. It has an adjustable leather strap, interior side-wall zip pocket, a snap closure key fob, nickel-plated post accents and hardware, and 100% cotton twill lining.

No prizes for guessing whether Eric Banana got it or not eventually :P

Even More From DGT Studio Photoshoot

A few weeks ago, Eric Banana and Astro Girl managed to cajole Danon into passing them all the unedited photos from their studio photoshoot (yes, this is one big exception he made). They came to realise something - Danon's QC standards are way too high. They found many photos which they like as well and Danon kindly offered to edit those. These were received in the email inbox today!

Experimenting with various poses was interesting at first but it soon became very tiring:

The shots on the sofa went from all serious at first...

... to comfy-relaxed eventually:

Eric Banana thinks Astro Girl looked particularly alluring in this one:

Eric Banana and Astro Girl then turned playful:

A kiss from Astro Girl = a happy Eric Banana

This one didn't fly to the moon *awwww*:

More single shots of Astro Girl:

More single shots of Eric Banana:

This one looks a bit like a corporatised triad recruitment poster:

Eric Banana actually likes this one for some unknown reason - a thinker's pose maybe?

The ring-light effect brought out the best of Astro Girl's facial features but was less kind on Eric Banana, particularly because of the reflection from his spectacles.

Thanks to Danon for his hard work in editing!