Confessions of a Dangerous Hand

Update!!!

2010-08-07T13:21:00.004+08:00

Wow! It's been a long time, peeps! I got really busy with work and stuff and honestly, who reads this blog anyway?! Except for the 11 people who follow it, maybe. I thought of making a new blog that concentrates on just artworks but that is such an "artist-y" thing to do. But after that idea, immediately, a bunch of work came in and that idea gets shelved. Maybe in the future.

Osias...

2010-07-10T22:39:00.003+08:00

I just found out that one of our good friends, Addison Sengco died last year of Pancreatic Necrosis. He was a good man, funny and always positive. You'll be missed even more, my friend.

Orange!

2010-01-24T14:47:00.000+08:00

Yum!

This isn't the droid you're looking for.

2010-01-20T20:49:00.001+08:00

R2-E2... C3-EO's companion.

2010's First Post

2010-01-17T22:52:00.007+08:00

Okay.... last post was... September?!

I actually had a lot prepared before but I usually don't post them. The hardest thing for me is how to start these damn things. But let me just greet you all a Happy New Year!

First bit -- Google/HTC's Nexus One. Since the day it came out, I was frothing at the mouth for this device. I used to be addicted to mobile phoens but after Nokia's over-saturation of phones in the market, I kinda got tired of it and went for an O2 mini back in the day. Then back to a Nokia device called the 6500 slide, which was a good phone. Solid build, looks good and fuctions well as a phone. But I kinda missed the customizability I got with a Windows Phone. Then last August, Me and Guia got Samsung Omnia 2s. We loved it instantly, it had the best screen, good camera and fast (if you get rid of the default Samsung UI) and being a Windows Phone, ultra customization. But now comes Google's Nexus One with a new Android OS.... and it just blew me away! I will wait for it here in SG and see my options. I hope I can get it cheap... or sell my Omnia 2 at a good price... that is one sexy phone.

Anime series -- the only series I watch now is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I feel this is the only show I can watch as most of the series now are targeted for creepy otakus. For me, new series today cannot possibly match those that came out in the 90s and early 2000s. Dragonball Z, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Gurren Lagann (OK, this is slightly new), Real Drive, and those giant robot shows. Those were awesome. Now, what do we get?! MOE. Series with children in skimpy costumes that make you crinch and feel dirty just by looking at them. Heck, even Macross turned to this direction, it seems. Last year, one of my favorite series was Darker Than Black. It had style, an interesting story, awesome music, engaging characters and super cool powers and remunerations for every character. Imagine my excitement when they announced a follow-up to this series called Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. I watched the first 3 episodes and guess what?! the main character is now a child... F******CK! They totally destroyed it for me, I stopped watching it since. The characters had cooler powers but that won't sell it for me. And the quality of the animation and drawings seriously suffered a great deal. It was pathetic. I'm getting sick of seeing these underaged characters that cater to the creepy otaku crowd. Is this the only way to sell series now? For the demographic of single, 2D girl-loving, socially inept people who can only talk to 2D girls confined in its Nintendo DS?! Who refer to real girls as 3D pigs?! This direction will bring about the end of Japanese anime as we know it as it only makes exporting anime harder. (I tried watching Dance in the Vampire Bund... same shit. )

Here's my office computer, a 27-inch iMac. I love the hardware (with the exception of the Mighty Mouse) but OSuX.

Games -- I'm totally out of touch with games right now. I haven't played games in a while. I try out games but never follow through, i feel I've lost my gaming heart. Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and Bayonetta seems interesting. We'll see when I have the time.

I've been gaining weight these past months so now, I go to the gym regularly. Though in the body analysis, I am only .1kg overweight, I still needed to lose fat and gain more muscle. Feels good and painful to have some activity and part of a club. Will see this through.

Oh, I'm for Team Coco.

Youtube current playlist: After School's Because of You, Kara's Mister, Super Junior's Sorry,Sorry, SNSD's Genie and reviews for the Nexus One. K-pop... yes.

Stranger

2009-09-14T22:42:00.005+08:00

I just finished watching Sword of the Stranger for the third time! This movie just kicks ass in so many ways! It brings me back to those times that I get a high from watching Rurouni Kenshin OAVs. Everything's just beautifully animated and the fight choreography is fast but not short at all.

Highly recommended!

We also watched Studio Ghibli's Ponyo by the Cliff. Very simple yet endearing. Love it!

More food

2009-09-12T13:23:00.004+08:00

In a place called "Everything with Fries". Some juicy cheeseburger, sour cream and onion fries and baby caesar salad. Yum!

Almost the same dish but with garlic fries.

One of our favorite places to eat is Punggol Nasi Lemak Centre. Food is good, clean and cheap. The rice is cooked in coconut milk, I think which gives it a different aroma and taste. And as with every food herein SG, it comes with chilli. This is the only chilli paste I can actually take here in SG.

It may not look like much, but this is like Pinoy's bulalo, I think. It's called Bak Kut Teh. The tender meat barely clings to the bones so eating it is quite easy, and tasty. The broth is filled with garlic and its very tasty.

These are making me hungry once again.... time to eat some more and get phat.

Some pics from my vault of pics

2009-09-07T20:35:00.004+08:00

The Shunya Yamashita figure is from my friend, Darren Tan. Alternity Black Convoy and my Omnia II.

Robot mode. Awesome. Phone wallpaper art by Redjuice999, awesome artist.

Eh?! Paper chicken?

Another turo-turo food. But looks better. Mantao, beans, sweet and sour pork and fish with curry on rice.

Another set for Guia, mantao, pork meatball topped with shrimp, and a prawn dish.

I bet the other juices hate this SOB, always butting into juice pack conversations and feeling like the leader of the PACK (non-Pinoys won't get this lame joke.).

Hawaiian Pizza from Sarpino's.

Kalamata Delight Pizza from Sarpino's... mmmm... bacon strips.

Awesome shoes from Nike, Lunarglide+.

These shoes are just too darn soft and light and I love it.

That's all, folks! Too lazy to update so I'm just sharing some photos. Also, I'm putting up pics of food we eat so enjoy!

Food

2009-08-29T14:56:00.008+08:00

Since Singapore is also known for its variety of food, I thought I'd post some of the food we eat here. I have started taking pictures (if I remember) to post here like what my friend Bambi is doing.

One of my favorite dishes, Chicken Briyani... the large chicken meat is under those tasty rice.

Here's a Katsy Curry Rice meal in one of the many Japanese food stalls here.

A staple in Singaporean cuisine, Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Thai food is also abundant. Here we have a plate of Seafood Pineapple Rice and Lab Gai (Chicken Salad). Yummy and spicy! There's a mix of different flavors and aroma circling your mouth.

Another Hainanese Chicken rice set for 2 people.

Here'a a normal "turo-turo" food and some of the cheapest food here, sometimes called "Economy" or Vegetable Rice. But not bad depending on where you eat.

Stay tuned for more...

Avatar + Revolutionary = That's it?!

2009-08-22T11:42:00.002+08:00

I saw the teaser trailer for James Cameron's Avatar. They say the CGI is revolutionary and it'll blow your mind.... but after seeing it with a lot of anticipation... it was a dud. What's the big deal?! The CGI looked fake, more like game quality CGI. I was really disappointed with this, I hope they showed us a WIP and it gets better... hopefully. I will still watch it though when it comes.

2009-06-25T15:41:00.001+08:00

This isn't No Man's Land...

Sneak Peek

2009-05-22T21:47:00.004+08:00

Se7en

2009-05-18T10:13:00.002+08:00

Due to my frustration with the sluggish Windows Vista (it came with the HP computer I bought last year), I decided to take part on the testing of Windows 7 with its Release Candidate. So far, so good. It's definitely faster, boot up, shut down, programs and windows load and close much faster. It's also quite easy to use. I was having second thoughts on installing it since it's not the final product yet but instead of waiting for me to throw my whole system out the window with Vista, I just dove in and I'm glad I did. Visually, it's not that different from Vista, though it has a few aesthetic tweaks. All my programs and files from Vista were carried over to 7 without a hitch, I did back up my files before taking the plunge to be safe. Anyway, this Release Candidate can be used for free until June 1. 2010. By that time, I might've bought the final release so no worries. We'll see, hope this one could live up to people's expectations.

Origins

2009-05-04T21:52:00.012+08:00

First off, I didn't really like the X-Men movies by Singer. Sure, it made Hollywood look at comic book movies more seriously, but I wanted to see less emo mutants with powers they actually use. The second movie was better especially the opening scenes where Nightcrawler was supposed to assassinate the President or a senator (I think, I don't remember). That scene was cool, perfectly executed. Also, they gave us a really good Wolverine in Hugh Jackman (aside from the height). Anyway, the third was really inferior compared to the first two, but it was more enjoyable for me.

Okay, here comes, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and it created a lot of hype. The trailers really helped sell the movie, it looked like there's a lot of mutants we'll see on screen, this is gonna be good...

We walked in the moviehouse quite excited, at least, I was. We watched in our favorite theater here in Singapore, since Wolverine is a digital release in the said theater. The movie starts with the young Jimmy Howlett (lame name) blah blah... okay, good start with the sort of Wanted "twist" with the hero actually killing his own father. Then we see the wars Wolvie and brother Victor have been in, which is a really cool scene reminding me of the opening for Watchmen. And we see some really cool moves by Agent Zero and Deadpool... awriiight! This is awesome!

After that, the film takes a nose dive to cheese and stupidity. And a bathroom scene with the worst special effects in recent memory. why didn't they just made him hold those claws practically like he did in the X-men movies? Why did they give him CG claws which looked like cartoons?! Honestly, it was so out of place! (I was also thinking why Logan's teeth aren't laced with adamantium... also his fingernails. It would make sense since Sabretooth wanted the adamantium too, if the fingernails won't be coated with it, then why bother, Victor?). Anyway, Gambit was cool, but a little chubby on the face. To see how he uses his powers on screen was a sight to behold. One scene with him I found a bit funny was when he was elbowed in the face by Logan in the alley. But that wasn't the funny bit, it was right after, just a few seconds later, he was running in the rooftop, jumping back to the alley where Logan and Victor is having a duel. Did he suddenly get Quicksilver's powers?! WTF?! The last battle was to me, the worst ever. What the hell did they do to Deadpool?! And Logan climbing to the top of a nuclear reactor was just plain pointless. Maybe they ran out of budget or time, so they needed a less complicated backdrop and what could be easier than putting a sky backdrop and blurring the edges of the actors so you won't be able to tell a bad green screen to a really bad green screen effect. And how they killed Deadpool... Oh, God... it was The Phantom Menace all over again. Another stupid thing for me was the silver bullet to the head which causes instant memory loss! Stryker knew exactly what the effect would be if he shoots Logan's head with it?! And Patrick Stewart's heavily made up face looked quite disturbing. I also found the last scene with stryker quite pointless. Not like in Iron Man with Nick Fury... where you really feel like, Whoah, shit! Or in The Incredible Hulk with Tony Stark. This one... Stryker, you are wanted for questioning in General I-don't-care's death... SOOOOOOO? (Maybe I'm missing something?!)

Anyway, it had potential in the start... I hope they make a better one soon. I liked the casting and I hope most of them will be back for another round. It's not a total disaster but it could've been better since this is a starting point for other franchises.

I have been watching some really good anime series lately. My favorite right now is the new Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I loved the first series and even though this one starts a bit similar to the first series, I find it really refreshing. There's a feeling of familiarity but you also feel it's something different. The story of FMA has always been a winner for me, the artstyle is a bit misleading because it's one of the most disturbing stories I've ever seen. If given a more serious art direction, this'll be a horror series, I guess. But I love the style, since it's also quite funny at times. I just love it to bits. The OP kicks ass!
Another series I'm watching is Sengoku Basara based on the hack and slash game by Capcom. The series is done by Production IG. Very interesting characters.
Basquash is also one of the things I'm watching, with mechanical designs by Shoji Kawamori. I'm not really into sports anime, with the exception of Eyeshield 21 (which I wasn't able to finish) but this one was quite interesting... or maybe I just needed to watch something.

This is the OP for FMA:Brotherhood.

Oh, the Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight was pure awesomeness! Congratulations to the Pacman. And don't run for president, please?! Or any government position. You're already helping Filipinos the way you are now. If you really wanna help, give more scholarships to our poor children so they can be someone.

Tempus Fugit

2009-03-26T23:42:00.007+08:00

March 22, 2009 ...

To our dear Tito Ante, we will sincerely miss you. Your time with us sure was short. We will never forget you.

I remember the time some car broke your rear lights, I didn't react. I told you, in my usual reserved way, "Tito Ante, some car smashed your rear lights." At first, you thought I was joking... but then, I rarely kid... when you checked, they were really broken. We went round and round the streets trying to find the culprit. But we didn't catch them. My fault, sorry for that. When I heard you had a stroke, comatose and in critical condition... I still didn't react... not because I am being my usual reserved way... but I was just unable to. I just don't know how to.

You were my father's best friend. I can feel he is deeply saddened with what happened. You will be a constant reminder that time is short, live each day as if it's your last. Take care of yourselves,each other, talk to your loved ones, let them know how precious they are to you, how much you love them and how much we will miss them. I do miss my family, and I do wish I was there. For now, my dear Tito, may you rest in peace. And may you watch over Tita Lucy and Franz, as you always have when you were still with us. We will miss your laugh, your jokes, the warmth every time you were around.

We will always mention you in our prayers. We love you, We will miss you.

Listening to: Arcade Fire's "WAKE UP"

Creepy

2009-01-25T21:26:00.001+08:00

Crazy Sh*t

2009-01-24T03:22:00.001+08:00

wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

Hapi Balentayms Dey

2009-01-14T00:04:00.002+08:00

An early greeting from 2ngaw...

Hapi Balentayms Dey!!!

HIT ME, baby one more time!

2009-01-07T00:37:00.003+08:00

What can I say? I luuurve Westerns and the Dark Knight!
And I kinda miss my No Man's Land!

2009-01-02T21:58:00.002+08:00

** Colored it today. **

He's holding a whip, by the way.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T22:34:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year to all my friends and readers of this worthless blog! Not the most friendly New year drawing but heck...

A Movie Review

2008-12-27T21:48:00.003+08:00

By far, the stupidest movie I've seen this year, beating Chocolate (Thai) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Stay away as far as possible.

Greetings!!!

2008-12-25T13:56:00.001+08:00

Prince of Persia

2008-12-10T11:46:00.003+08:00

Hey all.... or should I say, to both of you who read this blog.

I've been playing the new Prince of Persia lately and all I can say is... beautiful! One of the most relaxing, enjoyable games I've played in a while. The visuals is absolutely gorgeous! People have complained about the gameplay, how easy it is... I don't mind at all, in my eyes, Ubisoft has gotten rid of loading screens whenever you die and gotten rid of the frustration recent games come with. It's the same, only presented better and made it more seamless. You still "die" and get taken back to a checkpoint, it's the same. The bosses sure are easy, but it's still okay, the finishing time for bosses vary, depending on the time you figure out how to kill them, it's just like a real fight (though a bit repetitive), there is no definite time to kill a boss. And if you fail to succeed with some attacks, you "die", though not presented like that, it shows Elika saving you with light, and the boss recovers some of their HP. It's the same as other games, but presented differently. Seriously, it's fun and very pleasant. The only complaint I have is sometimes, the music stops, then starts over again... it's not a seamless track. But beautiful as well.

Oh, and Elika is hawt!

UPDATE: Finished the game... disappointing... big time.

Hokiboshi!

2008-10-22T17:58:00.002+08:00

Here's another collaboration between me and my good friend Budi.
Line art by me, awesome paints by Budi.

Andrea, her name, is stuck in the past trying to retrieve bits of her memories (and clothing) to be able to repair the time capsule she used to travel thru time. Apparently, when you time travel, your memory gets scattered throughout the land in the form of small, glowing orbs... just thinking at the top of my head. She is actually a brilliant, young scientist. You wouldn't know when you look at her.
This is a peek at her hot...err... her everyday life in the past chasing a lecherous, underwear-stealing dinosaur.

KARAS!

2008-10-21T12:35:00.002+08:00

LUMIYAB KAAAAAA!!!

2008-10-12T01:27:00.003+08:00

I've been a fan of Rivermaya for the longest time... well, since Rico took on the vocals. I was never a fan of Bamboo era Maya... he's very good, probably better, but for me he just feels short. Like he wants to rock but fails with his soft, nice voice which is better suited for ballads. Just my opinion, I bought Bamboo's albums too. But Rico was just raw and sincere. After that, I just bought all of Rivermaya's albums and never stopped being a fan. I was saddened when I heard that he left Maya, I mean, he made Maya what it is now. I still support the band post-Rico, but damn, listening to Rico's album owned Maya's ass! I've been listening to it all day!

Listening to this song just makes me want to shout and reach for the sky, fist closed! HOOO-YEEEEAAAAHHH! Rock on, Rico!

Holy Batpod!

2008-10-05T15:15:00.005+08:00

Ooooohhh! What do we have here... it's a freakin' big box!

This Dark Knight S.I.C. with the Batpod is designed by manga-ka Masakazu Katsura! Creator of Video Girl AI, DNA2, Shadowlady, I'S, Zetman, etc.

The Batpod is a mix of plastic and metal parts, its a little scary to handle but overall, the quality is tops! The design has a fusion of futuristic and steampunk elements.

Here's Bats riding his Pod.

The superhero pose.

Here he is, posing with the pod AND the Batman: Gotham Knight DVD with the cover I did.

That's all, folks! Batman, FTW!

This, btw, just sells for $95-100SG (3000PhP)... quite cheap for something like this in my opinion.

Bikini Flames and Hot Rods.

2008-10-05T00:51:00.008+08:00

I just got my Fraulein Revoltech YOKO RITONA from Gurren Lagann, the most bad-ass anime I've ever seen. It's a good thing they fixed the shoulder joints, unlike their previous releases especially POCCO, the shoulders were really intolerable. Now, they have a knob at the end of the pegs which keeps the shoulders from falling off the torso. A simple but very effective and welcome improvement! Now If only they make NIA, both the girly Nia and the Anti-Spiral Nia version. NOW! Also the second costume of Yoko! NOW!

Iron Man DVD at the back... I wanted the Ultimate 2-disc editon with the mask but it's quite expensive so I passed on it. The DVD though is packed full of interesting features about the movie and Iron Man as a comic book character.

Singapore just had the first ever Street Night Race! Sounds exciting and it is, according to my good friend Averil. I didn't have the budget to buy tickets and actually watch it... but it could've been a good experience. Oh well, maybe next year.

This is my upgraded workstation, by the way. The wallpaper is from Gran Turismo by Citroen... I'm not into cars but I do appreciate a good design. And it smells like oranges in my workstation because of the orange thing behind my monitor. I love the smell of oranges... can't eat them though.

Sat - SUGOII !!!

2008-10-02T02:12:00.005+08:00

SATSUGAI!!! SATSUGAI-SE-YO!!!

Here's a Soul Calibur 4 custom character created by my good friend, Derrick. It was a WHOAH moment the first time we saw it. It was pretty cool! I can really tell it's The Demon King, Johannes KRAUSER II! Now if only we could get a custom weapon with the shape of an electric guitar (hopefully coated with coagulated blood), it would really complete the look! Go to DMC! GO to DMC!!!

FHM October

2008-09-19T13:49:00.005+08:00

Here's my October artwork for FHM Philippines. I never had enough time to do proper backgrounds and I have to give space for the text above. Of course, this image has been cropped.

A World Without Snakes...

2008-09-08T00:58:00.003+08:00

WOW! Finally, an update to this almost dying blog. I wanted to post more thoughts and more artworks but its either I'm too busy or too lazy. Back at work, I'm in front of the com all the time that sometimes, you just wanna avoid it when you get home. Well, there's nothing I can do about it, we're all bound to our computers and I wouldn't have it any other way.

A month ago or so, my good friend and housemate, Budi , bought a PS3 and him being a good guy and all, let his friends, Chester and I have all the fun and finish Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. And I must say, this is one of the best games I've ever played! Everything is just near-perfect! Truly a satisfying ending to a well-loved franchise.

So what's up with me, you ask? Still here in Singapore, working with IFS. I've had several projects and it was a challenge and also heartache to do projects with a tight timeframe. I guess that's the reason why I'm having a really bad shoulder pain from all the non-stop drawing I've been doing. I think it just snapped one day and boom, there it is, intolerable pain when doing certain things. Even lying down on the bed is a chore, Guia actually has to assisit me in doing so... its like being an old man... but it's not so bad, Old Snake is old but he still kicks ass. Don't tell me its because he's a virtual character... he's real, okaaay! He looks so real on the PS3!

Anyway, I wish I could write more... but my mind's not right this time of night. I gotta get my thoughts together and do this thing more often. I'm rusty... not that I was stainless to begin with.

Itching for MGS4

2008-06-11T08:37:00.001+08:00

Here's a funny ad for the upcoming PS3 game, Metal Gear Solid 4. God, I need a PS3.

Countdown to Extinction...

2008-05-25T19:25:00.007+08:00

Tomorrow, I'll be heading back to the Big Red Dot. Time sure flies fast when you're home. While it was a really short vacation, I'm also glad I'm going back. To work, to walk the streets of Orchard, Bugis, see my IFS buddies and be with my partner, Guia. I'm sure it was hard for her while I was away.

One reason for being here is attending the wedding (3rd actually) of my pal Sherwin and his wife Claire. Also to see my godchild Sheriz who's their adorable baby. So yesterday was the big day for them and I wish them all the luck in the world and happiness together. Thank you for treating me as part of the family. See you all tomorrow on the flight back to SG.

Today, I watched Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I won't be reviewing it but I'll just say a few things about this flick. I appreciate how they tried to make this fit in the first trilogy, like making it look old and a bit outdated. The actors were obviously inside a soundstage in most scenes but it's okay. But that's the thing, when a CG element pops in the scene, it sticks out, looks out of place.

SPOILERS:

The first time I saw the CG prairie dog, all I could say was, "EH?!" I hope that was it... until I saw more of them, even fighting monkeys for Pete's sake. And why were the monkeys attacking the villain?! For no apparent reason as far as I can tell, except maybe because they felt Shia was one of them and they had to represent. It was a definite "what the fuck?!" moment for me. There were a lot of things that were just totally absurd and unbelievable, which should not be since Indy movies are supposed to be like that. But this takes the cake... freakin' unbelievable. For alien movies, I'll probably just watch the upcoming X-Files movie. I was a huuuge fan of the series as well as conspiracy theories about extraterrestrials during my youth. Back to Indy, the cast is still adorable and quite fun. But it all just feels like an introduction or a bridge to more Indy movies probably having Shia wearing Indy's fedora. We'll see. While i love Shia's performances, just end it, Indy is Harrison Ford, no one else.

You might be wondering what the hell's the title got to do with this post... it's sort of internal. No, no, I don't have a terminal illness, but it's something. Something we have to deal with in time... WTH?!

Here's the link to the Uniqlock: uniqlo.jp
I suggest getting the Cashmere Knit and the Dry Polo screensavers. The girls are cuuute!

Back Home

2008-05-20T16:56:00.004+08:00

I'm back home! Since the 16th actually, but I was too busy watching TV! I missed watching TV coz back in Singapore, we still don't have the budget to buy a good LCD TV. Priorities. First thing I ate here aside from my mom's home cooking is... Jollibee ChickenJoy! And I was quite surprised how food prices soared here. Everything actually, movies cost P160-170 now?! WTF happened?! Though if you think about it, SG movies cost more, around P300 if you convert it here in peso, but its different, the standards of living there are higher and you earn more than what you do here. So purchasing power is greater there than here. Here, you feel every P100 that escapes your wallet (escapes, not take out).
I really missed home, but if I really think about it. I just missed my family and friends. Not this hell hole of a country. It's not fair to compare but you really see it. Politics have not changed since I was last here. They're still talking about that ZTE deal that went wrong. And the perpetrators are still the same corrupt family who's caught red-handed but still tries to deny involvement. For other news, bank robbery, 10 dead, and 2 days later, another massacre in the same province involving killing a family with kids. Thats is just depressing and makes me appreciate the peace and safety of Singapore even more. I used to really watch the local news everyday, since Erap's downfall, I've been hooked and even watch court hearings religiously on ANC. But now, I've lost interest. It's like watching a sentai show. Every week, it's the same boss villains, different minion, same results every show.
I still have a few days before I go back so I intend to spend it well. It might take another 6 months for me to come back, maybe less, we'll see. But I do miss Singapore as well, my girlfriend who I left there, my friends, the studio, the food, the places, the weekends at Orchard and Bugis. Someday, I will take my family there and live peacefully permanently. That's the master plan. One step at a time.

Time for more TV.

Oh, the Uniqlock you see on the sidebar is cool, the screensaver is better though (might be a previous version). -------------------- >

At Long Last...

2008-04-20T22:58:00.003+08:00

WAH-LAU!

At long last! A real update! After 6 months of silence, I'm back. It's been a hectic 6 months here in IFS Singapore. And I promise I'll try to publish whenever I can, After all, I don't have enough time to chat with my friends so at least through here, they can be updated... as if anyone cared, right?

Well, first of all, I just turned 29 (WTF?!) last 16th of April. Had a simple dinner with friends and Guia. It was definitely different here where the celebrant is not required to pay for everyone's food unlike in our beloved Philippines. Some of us played a little bowling and it's now confirmed, I suck at it. Well, we all had fun so it was a blast.

Last week, there was some sort of outbreak in the studio where one by one, people got sick of flu, coughs, the whole she-bang. I was one of the victims but luckily, I only had to endure around 2 days of fever and headaches unlike some who's still sick to this day. I hope they'll be okay this week so the gang will be complete once again.

I miss home so much, it's been 6 months since I last came back home. I'll be going back home this May and I'm just too excited I can't even think of what to do while I'm there. Definitely, I'll be going back to my usual Trinoma and SM City walks either alone or with my friend Kellogg. I'll be attending my good friend's wedding and I'll be a Groomsman (alalay as his wife called it). Hmm... I wonder when my time will be, soon hopefully. I miss my family, our dogs, my room, our house, everything. It's true what they say, there's no place like home and I'll be back whenever I can.

The picture above by the way is my home workstation here in Singapore.
We see:

My lovely retro lamp from IKEA
Posters of The Dark Knight and Iron Man from a local movie magazine
My Compaq Notebook free from StarHub broadband subscription
My Wacom Intuos 3 (widescreen) ... I luuuurve it!
My Sony PSP
My Gurren Lagann Impact Model from Konami (This coming May, the Revoltech GL figure will be released, 2 weeks more of waiting.)
My Revoltech Frauleins, Rei Ayanami (had to buy the first from this line of Revos though I was never into the Rei thing), Rin Tohsaka (Not fan of the show but the figure looked cute and sexy... uhm... it has removable skirt... ahh, that's why.), and my favorite, Pocco designed by Shunya Yamashita (thebest sculpt so far but has the worst joints.)!

Well, hoping to see you all soon. Will try to keep updating this chee-bai of a page.

Update!

2007-12-16T09:36:00.000+08:00

Singapura

2007-10-21T09:06:00.000+08:00

My entire life, I have been moving from one place to the other. I was born in Manila, 1979. But moved to Camarines Norte, Batangas, Bulacan then back again to Manila. I kept changing schools naturally and had only a handful of friends that I still have contact with. Now, I am in SIngapore, working with the guys in Imaginary Friends Studios (IFS).
It was an exciting moment for me, I have idolized these people since I came to Deviantart and now being with them and seeing their works in progress up close, it is really a humbling experience. These guys are soooo good yet so young, I feel old and unworthy. But I will get there, I just need to find my own place, my niche among the greatness surrounding me and what makes them even greater is how nice they are as friends. I have nothing but respect to these guys!
Okay, lesse... the food here is great! Almost everything is great except the high price of rent! Haha! I haven't been to all the tourist places here coz I'm waiting for Guia to come over and enjoy the sights for the first time together. She'll probably be here next week so I can't wait for that day to come.
I really miss my family but it's a great sacrifice. This is for them and our future as a family, not kust for me and my artistic growth. Someday, I'll take them all here for a tour. Wow... gotta save for that. I love my family, take care there, guys! Papa, Mama and my sister Jennette!
I realized that whatever your friends are, Filipino, Singaporean, Malaysian, Indonesian, etc, they are all the same. You laugh at the same things, treat them the same way and uhm... boys will be boys. I have made some good friends there, they know who they are so guys, thanks!
And big thanks to my good friend, Sherwin, his wife Claire and his brother Alvin. They accepted me in their home (and I'm still here)and treat me as family. In time, I'll be able to give back to the goodness you gave me. Thanks!

Bourne

2007-08-16T11:09:00.000+08:00

Had time to watch Bourne Ultimatum yesterday and I think its a good conclusion to a pretty good action trilogy. I love how he outwits other agents and stuff. One thing though, I really hate how hollywood is exploiting the shaky-camera way of shooting. Sure, it adds tension but when you dont see and understand whats happening with all the shakes... while zoomed in on unnecessary objects like say, a car door while there's a car chase scene and you get dizzy from looking at all the shakes and trying to figure out whats happening. It just makes me sick. So while I appreciate all the tension and the sort of "I'm-there-in-the-scene-taking-part-of-the-action" feeling, it just hurts the movie when all you see are camera shakes. I swear there were just 3 scenes where the camera was steady... okay, I'm exaggerating, there were only 2. Even when they were just talking, the camera cant seem to be steady. The worse scene here was the chase in Morocco, and the fist fight between Bourne and Desh. It seems whatevr they choreographed for those scenes, its a wasted effort since I didn't see anything. All shakes. Hate it.
It was a very good film though. Except for the shakes. I went out of the theater with a slight feeling of vomit.

A Realization

2007-08-13T01:37:00.000+08:00

I have never been to a facial care center and had a facial treatment ever. And I don't know what's gotten into me but I decided to try and have one. And while being treated... I realized one thing... people are masochists! My goodness! It f**kin' hurts! And people pay for this?! Man, it was so embarrassing having your tears wiped off for you by someone you don't know. I'll probably have second thoughts if I'm going to go through that painful experience again. But then again, no pain, no gain... anything for vanity, I guess. But my face does feel smoother and less oily... hmm.

That Time of the Year

2007-08-05T16:58:00.000+08:00

Wow! Is it that time of the year again?! The time to update this blog?! Hehe! I've been busy with all sorts of things so I haven't had the time to write... not that anyone reads this anyway, except some of my friends who also blog. Anyway, work, work, work is all I do but I still make time to watch my current anime favorites namely: Darker Than Black and Guren Lagann!

My sister and i started watching DTB a couple of months ago... right after Heroes' Season 1 finished. And the series really felt like Heroes where characters known as Contractors have really cool powers. But each Contractor has an obeisance/remuneration they have to fulfill whenever they use their power. Some of these obeisances are really weird and funny. An example is, one guy has to smell socks after using his power! Sick! Other obeisances include, lining up pebbles in a perfect square, eating a flower, writing a poem, etc. This is really a cool show to watch, and the story as it progresses grow darker and deeper.
Guren Lagann is a new series premiered in April by Gainax! I'm not really into super robots but the interesting style and humor made me stick to it. After all, I finished GunSword and that also has mecha in it. So what the heck. And I must say, I love this series! The first episode isn't really spectacular but give it another episode or two and you'll be hooked for sure.

I also watched Paprika. Excellent animation and the story is ok. At first, I can't grasp the story. Perhaps, I was just preoccupied with looking at the art and animation, I barely looked at the subs. haha!

Time to Change Networks?

2007-06-30T18:57:00.000+08:00

After being a GLOBE subscriber since 1998, I guess it's time to change networks and look for the lesser evil between rival networks. I guess I can call myself a Globe loyalist for sticking with them after all these years. But lately, I have been ticked off with how greedy they are. Before, I was on postpaid but after around a year or 2, I decided to switch back to prepaid, all was good, it was the practical thing to do. Then Unlimited texting started and me and my girl have been using the service since it started. Even though the rates of unlimited texting went up, we had no choice but to comply. It's okay. But lately, I have been really pissed at GLOBE! REALLY PISSED because whenever we load through Autoload Max, Globe keeps eating it up in a matter of seconds. Yes, SECONDS! The other day, my mom loaded P15, after a few seconds, Globe sent 3 notices of FREE stuff. when she was about to use the load she just loaded, her messages won't send. She then checked her balance and it was all GONE. In a matter of seconds, she didn't even have the chance to use them. The other day, I tried loading and see if it happens to me too. I have several more credits, but I decided to load P20. Okay, got it... a few steps from the loading shop, I called my girl... and guess what Globe told me while I was calling... "Your Balance is BELOW P20, Please reload soon to enjoy Globe's services..." WHAAAAT?! And I had more than P20 a few minutes ago! And I was using Globe's Unlimitxt promo too and only text Globe subscribers. I loaded another P100 and STILL enrolled with Unlimitxt. And my load just keeps bleeding out even with Unlimited Texting service... what's up with that?! So I decided to switch to another network... probably tomorrow. I'm sick of you, GLOBE! You lost a loyalist.

Khee-Khoo-Kho-Khee

2007-06-26T17:52:00.000+08:00

Well, it's Transformers fever all over the world! Sure, many have dissed the movie's take on our beloved Transformers but you know you'll still watch it. Me however, it doesn't really matter, the designers have taken it to the next step. I'm sure when people watch it, they'll realize that underneath those expressionless metal faces, they will no doubt make you feel that they have feelings too. They talk after all, except for Bumblebee, according to the toy packaging. And what is Transformers without the toys? While I curse Hasbro with what they did with the Marvel toy franchise (cheap plastic, sloppy paints, bad proportions, pricey), I applaud them for this line of toys. How can you not love them? they look good as cars and when in robot form, about 85-90% movie accurate in details and transformation. I do love Optimus Prime, but Bumblebee is my favorite here. And I realized, my Nike Free 7.0 kinda looks like bumblebee in "shoe form." Hehe! Here's a pic of what I got so far... a brotherhood of Bumblebees. The Camaro Concept version is a pain to transform, the label sez he's a Level 3 transformation difficulty with the highest being 4... I wonder who that level 4 could be, must be Prime. In a couple of months, a an Ultimate Bumblebee toy will come out, it's more detailed but the chest part isn't as accurate as the Deluxe Class toy pictured above. The chest conversion is much better there. I'm sure it's a very sweat-inducing puzzle to do.

1.) Bumblebee Unleashed
2.) Bumblebee Chevrolet Camaro Concept 2009
3.) Bumblebee Chevrolet Camaro 1977 (?)
4.) Bumblebee (slightly poseable) keychain

I can't wait for the movie. I'm not looking for a deep movie, I just want to see giant robots in action, transforming from cars to robots.
Meanwhile... time to check out the Transformers toys in Jollibee Kiddie Meals.

Joker Begins

2007-06-01T19:00:00.000+08:00

This is a pic of Heath Ledger's Joker from the upcoming Batman: The Dark Knight movie. This is really an interesting take on the character and quite the darkness it needs. While most of my friends and family didn't really enjoy Batman Begins, I really loved it and felt that it is what the Dark Knight should really be about. Dark and brooding, always in the shadows, when he fights, you don't see much of what he's doing... for all we know, he's just flailing his arms around and hits the enemies by pure luck. I love it. In fact, I love it more than the 3 Spider-Man movies combined. With the coming sequel to Batman Begins, I just can't wait to see it and see if they can maintain my interest on the character in the movies. Meanwhile, Fantastic Four AND Transformers are coming. Man, this is indeed a good year for movies.

Watching: D.Gray Man (ep.33), Darker Than Black (ep.8), Dragon Zakura (ep.9)
Finished Watching: Code Geass, GunSword
Playing: nothing
Listening to: CutterPillow by the E-heads and some anime OST

Gray

2007-05-26T12:11:00.000+08:00

Here's a fanart I did of D.GrayMan. I love the characters in this anime series. The manga is also good. Took me the whole morning to color this piece.

Gaming

2007-05-23T07:46:00.000+08:00

The gaming world is currently excited with the announcement of Starcraft 2. It has been too long since the first Starcraft and people are still playing it to this day. Personally, I wasn't a fan of Starcraft and Command and Conquer since I prefer to watch humanoid characters move and fight than roll out vehicles that shoot guns and launch missiles. So I'm more inclined to games like Warcraft and Battle Realms. But seeing the trailer for Starcraft is really impressive! Though I doubt I'll play SC2 as much as I did WC and BR. Oh well, might not be too late to like it when it comes out. I haven't played a good PC game for years since I'm not into online games.
I've been watching several anime series lately and perhaps the most interesting for me is Darker Than Black. The characters and their powers are quite interesting so I'll keep an eye out for this.
Also, I have seen the latest trailer for Transformer... and I am LOVING it! This might actually turn out to be a really good popcorn movie! I just can't wait! Whoo!

Gakky!

2007-05-21T08:06:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to post this cute video of the super cute and adorable Yui Aragaki! I first saw her in My Boss, My Hero and I was immediately smitten... probably more than I was with Aya... hehehe!

Watching: Darker Than Black, Skull Man, Code Geass, D.Gray Man, Letters from Iwo Jima

Drive has been Parked

2007-04-30T08:08:00.000+08:00

After 3 weeks and 4 episodes, I just found out that Drive (starring Firefly's Nathan Fillion) has been canceled by the Fox Network. This is sad news for those who's just starting to appreciate how good this series might be if it was given a chance to continue racing and shine. It must be frustrating for Nathan Fillion to have 2 tv series canceled even before the first season ended. First, there was Firefly and I really loved that show also. That is not to say he isn't good though, I love the guy. But with Heroes being at the same time as Drive (not sure about this since I don't live in the US, I just read that they were), it really doesn't have a fighting chance since Heroes has a biiig fan base already.
Well, I hope the other episodes find their way to its fans like me. Like Firefly did with the DVD which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Sweating It Out

2007-04-20T15:57:00.000+08:00

I HATE SUMMER!!!!
I have never enjoyed summers even when I was a kid... coz I hate the heat! And now it's become unusually hot, so unbearably hot... and I am hating it even more! I'll say it again, I will hate summer forever! >:(
A beach filled with sexy babes in cute bikinis won't change my mind...
OK, I'll give it a try.

Attention Please

2007-04-02T17:23:00.000+08:00

I had a bit of free time the past few weeks and I was able to catch up on games I wasn't able to finish and series I've been wanting to watch. Since Heroes won't be back til the 23rd of April, I wanted to watch something else before that day comes. Should I watch a US TV series? An anime series? Why not combine both worlds and watch a Japanese series... so I watched Attention Please, starring Aya Ueto (Azumi) who is cuteness personified. From the start, I knew I was going to enjoy this... I mean, it's Aya Ueto, and her character's personality is just right for me. I just luuurve girls with bubbly personalities. Well, the J-Drama's about a rocker chick who went to train as a "Cabin Attendant" after a dare by her fellow bandmate. As you can see, those may be 2 extreme careers to follow. From the start, she didn't fit in with the other trainees who were more "traditional" which is required to be a CA (from what I read, Japan doesn't use the term Stewardess which is for female Stewards. While a "cabin attendant" may be applied to both sexes... but actually, they really don't have male stewards on their flights... but who's complaining?! If they're as cute as Aya Ueto, I certainly wouldn't).

And when I was a bit younger, I really wanted to fly and be a pilot someday, it doesn't matter what plane I'd fly in, just fly in anything... a jet plane would be the best though. I was really looking forward to taking Aeronautics in college. Remember when we were in high school, colleges would come to school to discuss careers to help us decide what to take in college... well, I was all set, I was just waiting for the aeronautics school's seminar. And when it came, all things changed. They revealed that MATH was an important part of flying a plane, or at least, in the process of learning. I said to myself, "What the hell?! All I need is a steering wheel and a plane, right?" So there, all hope of being a pilot was lost... I hate math... and I gave up my dreams just to give in to that hate. Haha! Fact: even today, I haven't been on board a plane.... even while parked. Pathetic.

I also finished quite a lot of games the past few weeks. Some I started last year. Okami, Final Fantasy XXII and recently, God of War 2. I had a blast playing them, all of them had good stories to tell. You see, I play games for the stories, I don't play FPS... I do play Lumines. Hehe! Quite an addicting game and headache inducing.

I watched a few videos on YouTube also, especially about savants Kim Peek (The Real RainMan) and Daniel Tammet (BrainMan). These are amazing people that shows us what the human brain is capable of doing. It's absolutely mind-boggling.

Wow! An Update!

2007-03-10T01:13:00.000+08:00

Well, I've been waiting for something worthwhile to post here. It's been months since my last update and last night, I found a topic that really made me want to share here.

300.

By now, most of my friends have seen the movie and I'm pretty sure that they all agree, this is a kick-ass movie! Inspired my Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. While I am not really a fan of Miller's work due to personal taste... his visuals are really stunningly creative. I guess the narrative style isn't really for me. The Sin City movie, while impressive in its visuals, bored me to tears. I even fell asleep in the theaters... the graphic novel did the same to me. Even now, I haven't seen Sin City in its entirety 'coz I just can't stay up. Again, its just me. I have read 300 before and its probably the only Miller book I ever finished. And seeing the movie really blew me away. It was really something new to me. Sure, the modern film-making techniques are all present here... but how it was handled in each scene was visually arresting. Some scenes are quite sexy too. It also helped that the story/script is a a bit humorous. And sometimes, the absurdity of the character designs just put a smile on my face... in a good way. This is fantasy and reality rolled into one epic bad-ass movie.
Well, don't take my word for it, go watch it and maybe, someday, we will all dine in hell... knock on wood.

Soon, I'll be re-formatting this blog into a sort of artist blog... or maybe I'll just make an entirely different blog for my artworks and stuff for work... we'll see if I can maintain something like that. People have been asking if I have an aert blog where I post my works, tutorials, project production, etc... I can't direct them here where I talk about anything without any sense. We'll see what happens in the next weeks. Thanks for checking in, friends.

An Update

2007-02-07T01:21:00.000+08:00

Just in case you were wondering, I'm still alive. And this is just a testing entry, I'm trying out Firefox's Performancing Add-on. I tried using FireFTP and it works. Impressive... considering it's free.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T08:33:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!
For Christmas, my sister gave me this very nice Revoltech Eva-04 action figure. I heard this line of foigures from my friends Olan and Bambi and I have to say that these are really great! I'm a fan of fully articulated action figures so this was a no-brainer for me. It's the main reason why I bought some of Marvel's line of action figures. So having a robot is a first for me. While I'm still not a fan of robot toys as Olan is, I loved the Eva series and they look more humanoid than robots so this wasn't much of a change. I was supposed to get the Eva03, the black one because most of my figures are well, black. But I thought to myself, I wouldn't see much of it if it's black so I got the silver one instead. But now... I really want to have the black one also... probably next time. I'll be looking for the Revoltech Dante and a Revoltech girl(forgot the name) from Black Lagoon. But these 2, being from the first to second batch of figures from Revoltech may be out of stores already. If someone sees em, please let me know. I don't want to order online, get charged too high on shipping fees, get charged double by customs and wait for a couple of weeks to get my hands on them.
I got myself this DC Elseworlds Batman: Gotham by Gaslight figure for P850 at Greenhills. This usually sells for P999 and I've convinced myself not to get this anymore. But upon seeing it at P850... I just couldn't resist. Cheapskate. It doesn't have all the points of articulation a Marvel figure has, but it really looks good. The black wallpaper with it was the actual photo I took. No Photoshop enhancements so I'm quite happy with it.
Man, I can spend hours posing this Eva figure... now... what's next.
The mini pointless comic strip was done in 30 mins.
Happy New Year!

Bragging Rights

2006-12-07T11:40:00.000+08:00

Pinoys will brag about anything and everything. Last night the headline was: "BAGYO, NANANALASA SA IBANG BANSA, GALING SA 'PINAS!"

Grab 'em!

2006-11-30T20:46:00.000+08:00

I saw a funny TV ad today. It's an ad for Nestle's Berry Stars. It looks and sounds like your usual cereal ad... but before it ends, the bear mascot says something like, "GRAB YOUR BOWLS!!!" Funny!

Bonding

2006-11-22T17:42:00.001+08:00

I really don't have much to say but since it's been a long time since I last posted anything, I might as well just write about anything. I recently had a chance to watch a movie (alone sadly) and I chose to watch the latest Bond movie, Casino Royale. It's basically a prequel to all the other Bond movies where he first gains the status of a "00". He's raw, rugged and was very unlike the cold-hearted killer he's known today (well, in the other movies). The reason why I was interested in seeing this was of course, Sebastian Foucan's Free-running scene where he was being chased by Bond through a construction site in Madagascar (no disco-dancing Lemurs here). Overall, the movie was really enjoyable and would make you smirk and let out a little laugh not because it's stupid, but because it's a lot of fun. It was non-stop action all throughout. Daniel Craig may look odd as Bond, but damn, he's so good. And I wouldn't want to be tortured THAT way. OUCH!
And Eva Green, though not stunningly beautiful, was oozing with sex appeal.
Too bad I haven't had the chance to see The Prestige, I hear it's really good. I guess I'll wait till the DVD comes out.

Recently watched movies (span of 3 weeks): Death of a President, Cars, Monster House, Nacho Libre, The English Patient

Running Free

2006-11-16T08:12:00.000+08:00

I just got this movie on DVD, Banlieue 13 (aka District 13), it is written by Luc Besson and stars Parkour co-founder David Belle. I haven't had the time to watch it but I previewd some scenes with PK in it and it was pretty good. And I also learned that PK co-founder Sebastian Foucan will also be in the latest Bond flick, Casino Royale. Freerunning is indeed going places. I hope my manga will be up there as well. But first, I gotta finish it. Wish me all the luck.
Unfortunately for Gringo though, he isn't running free and I guess he can't even run... for now. Give the man a break, he's one of the few people who still fights for freedom.

JUMP

2006-11-10T07:47:00.000+08:00

Accident

2006-11-02T17:06:00.000+08:00

I fell off the stairs. From the top step down to the last. Waaaaaah!

Grudge

2006-10-30T09:48:00.000+08:00

My sister and I watched The Grudge 2 in theaters earlier after going to church. The movie was okay, nothing much happened, to be honest. But that's not why I'm writing an entry, it's because of these damn inconsiderate moviegoers. The woman in front of us kept moving her head, covering 1/4 of the screen, a whole family kept rustling their plastic bags while eating something that's not to be eaten inside a moviehouse... things like palabok, dinuguan, kare-kare or something like that. A girl barkada who came in later, kept talking while finding their seats, when they did, they still kept on yakking while rustling their plastic bags filled with who knows, frozen meat. I swear, Pinoys are the most inconsiderate people on earth. Where the hell did we get this (ayan ha, sinama ko sarili ko even though I've been known to be really considerate.) attitude? And you now who're the ones who top this inconsiderate attitude list... OLD WOMEN. Yep, them again. My blog is beginning to sound like a Pinoy hate blog... but honestly, it's not. I'm sure if I stay in other countries, I'd find a lot of people there who has attitude problems of their own. But hell, Pinoys should really straighten up. It's not good to hear your fellow kababayans swindling other Pinoys in other countries. Man, have you no shame?! This is my grudge. What's yours?
Oh, I finally completed my Genshiken manga (Volumes 1-7 so far). Next up, Deathnote. I'm not really a manga collector but these series are really good. I can't help myself.

Crap!

2006-10-28T09:09:00.000+08:00

There's a treaty between Japan and the Philippines. Japan will be accepting more of our export products and the acceptance of Filipino nurses in exchange for their WASTES. We can't even handle our own waste and this government had the nerve to offer our country as a trash bin. Now, I can say that this country has really went to an all-time low. That's really pathetic. Count me in the next plane to anywhere but here.

Hentai in the Philippines!!! OH NO!!!

2006-10-25T08:28:00.000+08:00

Last night, it was all over the news! "Sex-filled Anime Being Sold at Shops!" What will become of our holy country?!
Some people are just so uninformed... hentai animes(bootleg VHS tapes) were being rented since I was in high school. Why are they making a fuss now? Because it corrupts the minds of our children? Screw that. I don't really watch these H-animes anymore but what I'm fearing is the total ban on anime here in the Philippines. People just don't get that anime caters to different markets, knowing Pinoys, they'll just treat all anime as bad for the society. I remember a professor who hated students drawing in anime/manga-inspired styles, me being one of them. She sez how can we have our own identity in art if we just draw with BIG eyes, BIG heads, SMALL mouths and SPIKY hair. Man, thats just not the right way to view anime. In retaliation, I gave her gifts, VCDs of Jin-Roh, Blood, and some Hayao Miyazaki classics just to change her views on anime for just a bit. Jin-Roh counters her stereotype on anime about big eyes, and not every animated shows are meant for children, it can be serious too.
Well, this debate has been going on for quite some time now and its useless to change how people view certain things. Because Pinoys are so close-minded.

Good bye, CLOVER

2006-10-19T18:53:00.000+08:00

Now for some sad news that a non-gamer would find useless. Capcom's Clover Studios has been dissolved. Although the development team has created innovative games like Viewtiful Joe, Okami (one of the greatest games,IMO), and the soon to be released Godhand, Capcom reported a loss of $3.3M. It is a sad day indeed since some of the people involved with Clover are the people responsible for giving us Resident Evil (Shinji Mikami)and Devil May Cry (Hideki Kamiya). Atsushi Inaba led Clover with 64 employees. I hope Clover will still produce great games as an independent company. Clover was formed in 2004.

Short Rant

2006-10-19T14:23:00.000+08:00

My friend Addison mentioned that whenever I write about my rants, it's usually long. But when I write about good things, they're short. So here's a short rant entry.

I was watching Wowowee today and MYMP performed. I just gotta say this: MYMP, MAKE YOUR OWN FREAKIN' MUSIC PLEASE! MYMP classifies as N.P.M., Not-Original Pilipino Music. That goes for other Filipino balladeers as well. We don't need to hear your version of old/not-so-old songs which were already sung by hundreds of other singers.

4 Years Old

2006-10-10T23:52:00.000+08:00

Last October 8, Guia and I turned 4 years old together. To my Guia, thank you and I love you so much!

Isaaang Baaandila!

2006-10-10T23:43:00.000+08:00

I attended 2 weddings in one week.
On the way to the second wedding, I finally spotted Rivermaya's Isang Ugat, Isang Dugo album. It's out! And I loooove it! It grew on me. Hehe! It's a great album!
CELEBRATE! A new album from the great Rivermaya! (Kamusta naman ang pagka-fan ko?!)

RIP, my long-time friend

2006-10-10T08:54:00.000+08:00

Today, I say good bye to my Sony DAV-SA30 Remote Control. It was so sudden. We were having good times yesterday listening to music. At exactly 8:45am today, he can't be revived. I tried different batteries, but still no response. I hate it when this happens to me. Without the remote, I cannot have access to my electronics' settings. A universal remote just won't do.
Sigh, I guess I have no choice but to buy a Universal Remote... but having seen the movie Click, an ordinary one just won't cut it. Hehe!

Rants

2006-10-09T08:51:00.000+08:00

I'm a big Rivermaya fan. No band I know has endured so much change in their history, both in their lineup and style. Rvermaya is one of the bands that made me support Filipino bands by buying original cassettes (high school, di ko pa kaya bumili ng CDs nun e.)and CDs. While I loved Rivermaya when Bamboo was still their vocalist, it was Rico Blanco's raw style that made me a fan... he was less "ballad-y".
3 years ago, "Between the Stars and Waves" was released. I loved it even though it sounded too much like Coldplay (who I also love listening to), I listened to it everyday until I can hum it in my head without thinking about it. I went to the record stores last October 3 to get myself a copy of Isang Ugat, Isang Dugo but I guess the release date was pushed further to October 10 or 11 according to the store. Damn! Today, I got myself a preview of 5 tracks in the album, all seemed like covers of other great bands' songs. Though they sounded great, I guess I was a little disappointed not hearing original Rivermaya compositions. But they really are good songs! Oh well, I'll still buy it, it IS Rivermaya. So guys, keep it up and hopefully, in a year's time, You'll have another album out, with original songs! You're still my favorite band! Let me know if you need an artist! Hehe! Shameless plug.

Favorite Rivermaya album: Free and It's not Easy Being Green

When I got my PLDTMyDSL, I was surprised with how fast it is, and how it can handle multiple downloads while browsing and watching internet tv at the same time without lags, etc. But after the typhoon Milenyo, it became slower, browsing is like using dialup, downloads now take 3-5 hours compared to less than an hour before the typhoon. Mny people are complaining about the service of PLDT, and I thought I was just lucky to have a stable, fast connection. But now, I understand their plight... nd I'm just not lucky when it comes to internet. My friend Belo who lives in the States, always told me the DSL here here slower than theirs even with the same speed plan. Which really solidifies the fact that here in the Philippines, we get BAD service in anything. It's the Pinoys' contentment of substandard things, the "pwede na yan" mentality that really makes companies abuse us and treat us like money cows. So I decided to make a list of Pinoy Substandard Services, feel free to tag yourselves and make your own lists. Everything here is crappy but I'll make a specific list.

Substandard/Crappy services/things in the Philippines:
- Smart BRO (talagang uunahin ko 'yan)
- Filipino foods (here's the deal with our food: Mix all the ingredients together, stir, DONE!), I love Caldereta though.
- ALL Government services. Try getting yourselves your SSS IDs, postal IDs, Birth Cert, etc.
- Claiming warranties on appliances/electronics, companies must be thinking, "You're not going to pay for it anyway so we'll treat you like CRAP."
- Fastfood restaurants' bird-sized servings
- Local TOYS... like PANDAY merchandise. Candle-makers beside the church are better at it.
- Buses (they're moving trash trucks with passengers, filled with roaches most of them)
- DSL (All DSL providers have complaints from their users so I guess it doesn't matter which provider you're in, we're all doomed... but Smart BRO wins by being the crappiest of them all.)

The Pinoys' selfishness. Some people would risk the safety of others just to get extra money. Example is fake cement or cement mixed with flour just to have more sacks to sell. That is just low. (I watch ABS-CBN's XXX to see how crappy Pinoys are just to get extra income.)
It may seem like I hate Pinoys but I don't. Actually, I WAS proud to be Pinoy but seeing things like this, it just makes me sink into shame. We Pinoys, we have to admit that we really don't have discipline in a lot of things.

BTW, one general rule here IS... DO NOT FALL IN LINE BEHIND AN OLD LADY! That's a proven fact! They're divas, they expect to be treated special, they are rude and impolite. STAY AWAY FROM OLD LADIES!

BEST

2006-09-17T23:43:00.000+08:00

As I was Stumbling, I came across a site known as The Best Stuff in the World. And I thought I'd give MY list of the Best Stuff in the Phils (there is?!) or anywhere accessible to me... here goes:
BEST drink - Tea is always best so TeaSquare's Refreshing Mint Tea beats out Starbucks' Tazo mint tea by a tiny bit.
BEST food - I'm a breadman so bread from Breadtalk (lots of bread to choose from but it's expensive), SM Hypermarket bakeshop's Choco doughnut is next.
BEST food (subcategory?!) - Penne Arrabiatta
BEST movie - Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes 4-6 changed the way I look at movies)
BEST movie character - Darth Vader, who else?!
BEST Filipino band - Rivermaya (POST Bamboo)
BEST foreign band - Alica in Chains
BEST video game - Metal Gear Solid 3 (I was drooling the whole time I was playing)
BEST actor - Bob deNiro
BEST browser - Mozilla Firefox
BEST email client - Mozilla Thunderbird
BEST mall - SM Mall of Asia (open spaces are a welcome change)
BEST local show - Wowowee (where you can see lots of pretty girls/dancers in 1 show)
BEST foreign show - Scrubs
BEST PC - an XPC
BEST thing in the world - mini skirts

SMART BRO wins for the CRAPPIEST service in the whole world.

Freedom!

2006-09-14T18:51:00.000+08:00

My baby, a Shuttle XPC SB61GH running on Intel P4 3.4Ghz. I can't live without my little black box. * One Piece wallpaper from Arnistotle's gallery at Deviantart.com. Good stuff!

After hearing of my plight with Smart BROke, my friend Meowok suggested we send out a chain email to warn people of Smart BRO. So I made a chain email and sent it out to my little network of friends. Thanks to my friends who sent out my email. Fortunately, she knows someone who works for Smart and he forwarded it to them. And in 2 days, they replied. Telling me the same things I hear whenever I call their hotline. It reads suspiciously like an auto-generated reply. But it was too late, I was fed up and immediately applied for discontinuation of service and possible refund of the initial payment I gave. The lesson is, never hesitate to make yourselves heard. We are paying for the services we should get and failure to deliver requires consequences. I know I am only one of their thousands, if not millions of Smart BROke subscribers, but if they can do this to me, they can certainly fool thousands more. Which brings me to another thought, why can't we have good, quality services here in the Philippines?! Everything here seems to be substandard. You see it in the news, in the papers, the internet. Apply for anything in government offices and you'll see what I mean. People who work in these offices seem to think they are the most important people on the planet. They enjoy seeing other people suffer while they sit around in their airconditioned rooms. Post offices, like the one in Caloocan is a big dump. The building seems deserted, trash everywhere, holes in the walls and ceilings... and the people working there, corrupt. It really isn't a wonder why people would want to migrate to other countries, even in war-torn countries, just not here. It's too bad, I wanted to love this place. But the people here are just hopeless. No discipline, selfish, corrupt, lazy. This country will never grow.

* Having Public Urinals is the most pathetic thing in the world.

9/11

2006-09-11T15:29:00.000+08:00

To the victims and families of the 9/11 WTC attack, may you have peace, justice and a meaningful remembrance of the day that changed the whole world. My prayers are with you.

It's almost a week since I've LOST my SMART BROke connection. They still haven't fixed the problem. So to people planning on getting their so-called SERVICE, FORGET IT!!! Walang kwenta ang Smart BRO! As in wala talaga! I hope NTC will get their(Smart BROke's)service closed down. They are just fooling people, and they have the nerve to offer PANGKABUHAYAN PACKAGES?! Baka mamatay lang ung magnenegosyo nun! Batuhin sila ng customers nila. I certainly want to do that to SMART! Right now, dial-up is more reliable than Smart BROke. What can I do to stop people from getting this awful DSL...
if only I have enough money to advetise a complaint and a warning on newspapers, I'd certainly do that without hesitation. I WANT TO BRING DOWN SMART BRO!
SMART BROke: Amusing Wireless Internet. 7x slower than dial-up! Intermittent connection ALL DAY! A week of No Connectivity! LOCK-IN period of one year! For 1 year, get connected for a total of 1 month! Amusing!

Smart BROken

2006-08-24T03:39:00.000+08:00

We've been waiting for our DSL connection for about a month or so. After constantly following up the application with PLDT, they suggested we apply for Smart BRO in the meantime. I had wireless DSL when we were in Caloocan and even though I experienced disconnections from time to time, it was tolerable. So I heeded PLDT's advice and applied for Smart BRO. And it was AMAZING that the next day, the Meridian (company commissioned by Smart for receiver installations)GUY, yes, just one guy, came to our place and installed the receiver. But it seems that luck wasnt on my side and Smart's portal was down so he can't activate my account. He'll be back the next day to activate it, he sez. And true ti his word, he came back and did jut that. Alas! DSL within my reach. But immediately after he was gone, I experienced intermittent signals and was unable to surf. This went on for 3 days. I hope today will be different. I'm sure the customer service representatives know me already. I've been calling them for 3 days straight. Don't mess with the 2ngaw or else... uhm... BASTA!

Scrub-Free 7.0

2006-08-09T15:23:00.000+08:00

I've been meaning to buy myself a new pair of shoes. And SM's 3-day SALE just gave me the opportunity to get one. I used to have lots of shoes and loved them. But being busy at home and having lots of diferent things I want to collect like comics, DVDs, toys, etc, I seem to have neglected that love for shoes. Until now. I wasn't able to find a pair on the SALE section, probably because I never looked really hard because when I entered the shop, i fell in love. My eyes were focused on one pair only, everything was in slow motion, I walked to it and reached for it. Sparks flew when my hands touched the rubber, it was love. Without second thoughts, I asked the lady to get me a pair with my size, turns out they don't have any, it's the last pair... I tried it out and it fits! It was destiny. We were meant to be together. Haha! It's a black and yellow Nike Free 7.0... now I'm thinking of getting the whole line. I'm sure I won't find the others. I saw 4.0 and 5.0 only. Gotta save up.
My sister bought Scrubs DVDs but they don't play in her a/v system so she tried playing it on mine. It worked perfectly so I tried watching it with her. And you know what? I loved it! It was funny. Although a bit too impossible... everyone in the hospital is sarcastic, even the patients! Really funny.
Just got myself V for Vendetta DE DVD. I also liked the movie, very appropriate. Another thing I liked about the movie is the fact that they didn't show what's beneath the mask. I often get disappointed with how thay look when they take off masks. An example is Vader, I was expecting a horrible burnt face beneath but when they took it off, there was Sebastian Shaw's(bless his soul) kind face filled with white makeup. It was a touching moment though, "Luke, let me look at you with my OWN eyes." sniff. I wish I could have a Guy Fawkes mask, that'd look great with my Darth Vader mask. I love characters with masks.

Update... finally.

2006-07-30T19:14:00.000+08:00

I haven’t updated as often as I wanted to for simple reasons. I’m still on dial-up and I never thought it was this slow before. I got used to DSL’s speed. Moving to a new house has left us without DSL and cable TV. Both services have been applied for since we moved but it seems it’s taking them longer to even survey the area. With DSL, there should be no problem, it’s just a matter of waiting for a free port to open in our area, with cable TV it’s a different story. It seems that our house, well, our area doesn’t have a Sky Cable line open. The line has been terminated and in order for us to get a line, there should be 3 or more subscribers in our area to re-open their lines. That sucks. Our neighbors have Destiny cable but personally, I don’t like their channel lineup, no ANC, Star World, AXN and National Geographic. Channels I frequently watch. They have a lot of Chinese channels though which doesn’t do anything for me. So I don’t want to settle with Destiny. Now, I missed a lot of my most-awaited shows like the 2nd season of The Contender (AXN), Rockstar: Supernova (Star World), and my daily dose of WWE. All I watch everyday is Wowowee, I like it for the pretty girls, no show has the prettiest faces (and legs) on TV but this. Heehaw! Anyway, moving has its cons also but I’m still glad we’re here.
SM North EDSA’s The BLOCK has opened its upper floors. The place looks like a piece from SM’s Mall of Asia. A little out of place from the older buildings but it looks good. A few places have opened up but still not worth spending time in.

Moved...

2006-07-18T09:18:00.000+08:00

My family and I just moved to a new place. Hopefully, this will be a good new life for us having lived in our old place for 18 years. A lot of adjustments have to be made living in a new place but I'm glad we moved. I feel good about this place. Wish us luck!

Fact: The word "place" has been mentioned in all this entry's sentences except the last.

Wasabi

2006-06-25T00:10:00.000+08:00

I just finished watching WASABI on Crime/Suspense channel. I had a copy of the DVD once but it didn't have subtitles so I wasnt able to understand it. But even then, I thought, Ryoko Hirosue is soooo cute! Just watching her fill the screen with cuteness will make you forget that you don't understand what theyre saying. And Jean Reno's always been one of my favorite actors along with Robert de Niro, Al Pacino, and other great actors!

Resurrected

2006-06-23T05:12:00.000+08:00

After suffering a coma, my little black box has been revived. A faulty PSU has been replaced by a new one with better wattage. But having an XPC made purchasing a new PSU harder than expected, being a SFF PC, it has it's uniquely designed PSU which costs P3,150 for a 300W unit. Pricey. But what choice do I have?!? I can't live without it. I get my work done here, my entertainment, my information, heck, even my friends are here... well, not inside but you know what i mean.
It's been an eventful weekend for the 2ngaw, searching for PC parts, a trip to a public hospital which really sucked, and things I dare not mention here. But let me tell you how bad public hospitals are here in this GREAT country where the inventor of the fluorescent bulb was born and World Records are aplenty... my girlfriend's mom had a near fatal seizure and was rushed to the hospital. She was admitted to the emergency room where she stayed for hours waiting for doctors to attend to her. In that room where the smell of piss, blood, sweat and poo mix, were people with different kinds of emergencies. One was having a bad case of TB, another with a rotten foot from diabetes, a man with a bloody hand from an accidental gunshot, and others with unknown sicknesses. It's a depressing place and made even more depressing by the lack of help from nurses who would rather text (even with the sign: "No cellphones, cameras, camera-phones inside the Emergency Room" beside them)than attend to patients. Hours past by and still no help from doctors and nurses, my gf was getting impatient, this is an emergency, btw. And after 12 or more hours in the Emergency Room, we were told that we may already check out. Like, the only service they provided was a cold bed with sick roommates. It's a good thing her mom was feeling better.. but I ended up being bitten by a bedbug on a wooden bench... it's impossible but there it was. Leaving a big swollen bite on my back, it's a little scary if you think about who it might've bitten before me. It got me thinking though, poor people really won't live in case of emergencies if they go to places like this. If I only have millions, I'd build a hospital with some of the best facilities for the poor, and only for the poor. If I was Mark Jimenez, I'd do that. Seems like he can afford it.

Widgets

2006-06-14T04:49:00.000+08:00

I'm addicted to Yahoo! Widgets. Some are fun, some useful and some are just useless.

Bullets

2006-06-11T22:33:00.000+08:00

Cino Daw?!:
There's a new drink I just tried out the other night and I'm absolutely hooked. It's Pepsi Cino, coffee+cola!!!

Samurai Haircare:
Haven't watched any good anime series lately... but Shinichiro (Cowboy Bebop) Watanabe's Samurai Champloo rocks my socks!
I tried out a new styling cream from Watsons, smells good.

DVDs Recently watched:
X-Files Movie
Silence of the Lambs
Chicken Little
Naruto Movies (for inspiration)
Wonderful Days (Korean anime)
Samurai Champloo

Recent Accident:
Bumped my head while eating siomai. It bled and now I have a big lump on my forehead looking like a big fat pimple.

Fact:
I don't use any appliances when there's lightning.
I was a samurai in my past life... I think... then a sticker.
I don't wear denim pants... until recently.

10 Simple Bliss

2006-06-02T03:58:00.000+08:00

Ahh... a blog-saver. It's been a long time since my last postsince I've been really really busy... but I guess I still have time to provide some answers to a tag by Meowok.

10 Simple Bliss Things:

1 - A good movie, it doesn't have to be deep or really good, just entertaining is enough.

2 - Iced Peppermint Green Tea from The Tea Square

3 - Bacon for breakfast

4 - When I do a good page, then stare at it for minutes til I get sick of it.

5 - Pilot Retractable Ballpens

6 - Aircon afternoons

7 - Sleep

8 - Looking at new toys

9 - Boxer shorts/Boxer briefs

10 - Any time with Guia

X!!!

2006-05-26T03:15:00.000+08:00

I loved the 3rd Xmen!!! I won't go into details since it has only started showing in theaters. Don't miss it!
Back to work for me...

Beware

2006-05-19T23:09:00.000+08:00

Beware, Terrorists! The Dessert Troopers are here!

Jarhead

2006-05-12T05:57:00.000+08:00

I made time to watch this 3rd movie from Sam Mendes. I liked American Beauty and Road to Perdition and it seems that his choice of actors with all 3 movies were excellent. Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and now, Jake Gylenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. When I first saw the trailer months ago, I was hooked with it's music, Jesus Walks. I knew this was a drama though, coming from Mendes even thought the trailer looked like it had so much action. Well, after watching the DVD, I was really blown away with it's intensity. The cast was great! The film is about the life of Marines in the Gulf War and I must say, it ain't easy being one. But I loved how the characters interacted, looked for each other, the bond they created and everything else. The look of the movie is very bright and dirty at the same time. You'll be seeing mostly whites and desert except for some scenes like the oil rain. This isn't an expert review, just raving about the movie. Jke Gylenhaal's performance as intense and to be honest, I wasn't aware he could be that intense. He seems to be such a gentle character but here, all gloves are off. My favorite actor here though, is Peter Saarsgard as Troy. Mysterious character this one is. Watch it if you have time... or likeme, make time for it.

Blog marathon ha! Updates galore! Hehehe!

V

2006-05-10T00:57:00.000+08:00

Bollocks! I just saw V for Vendetta! Pretty good and quite timely.

Made in the Philippines!!!

2006-05-09T17:02:00.000+08:00

From this entry's title, you'd think I'd say something patriotic, support Philippine-made products, etc... but sadly, it's the other way around. After being disappointed with recent DVD releases namely Narnia, KingKong and Saw, I never expected to be in the same position again after buying a Philippine made audio CD. The plague that is LQC (Lack of Quality Control) has spread to audio CDs as well. To start with, they were not really very good technically, the sound mix isn't as good as those from other countries, but that's the studio's fault. Anyway, I bought this double disc relese of Sugar Hiccups' album for nostalgia's sake. I used to listen all day to NU 107 and loved the music of the bands then. I was in college and as soon as I wake up, I'd turn on the radio and listen to Zack and Joey in the morning and stay tuned 'til I fall asleep... okay, that was exaggerating but it really felt like I did. Aaaanyway...I bought it, thought I'd try it and if it turns out well, I'll buy the other double releases as well. And when I opened the sleeve... BANG! Quality, quality, quality is ABSENT! Here are pictures for you to see how bad it is.

GRIP STAND THROW was Sandwich's frist album... not Sugar Hiccup. At least they got the second album right.

If the companies who produce these want us to patronize their products, buy original cds/dvd/vcds, they should really make it a point that it's worth it! Man, at least with pirated copies, you kind of expect these things. But even with the originals?! I always make it a point to buy original cds from our local bands. For support, for them to keep making good music and topple Screaming Regine off the charts. But I was really disappointed and will not buy the other 2 in 1 releases. Too bad.
Marvel has a new storyarc running right now. Civil War. It cme as a surprise to me since I have stopped buying comics since buying DVDs... and I never completed DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths since I could never really relate to the characters (Some of the characters have funny names, if a character has powers of electricity, he'll be called The ElectricityMan or General Electric!). But Marvel is Marvel. These are characters we know and love, at least for me. After a tense debate by our beloved superheroes, it was inevitable to have 2 opposing sides. This is definitely a must read. Superheroes vs. superheroes!

Impossible Indeed

2006-05-09T06:58:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Guia and I went out to see M:I:III. And It is impossible not to enjoy this action flick. It's definitely a cool spy movie, kind of reminds us of True Lies, Alias and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. What really sold this movie is the over-the-top acting of Tom Cruise. I now consider him the best in portraying a man in PAIN. It's pretty convincing stuff. Still, I can't help but smile whenever I see him running with his chest out. The visual effects were good, I especially liked the time when Ethan slams into the side of a car from a nearby explosion's force. After the movie, Guia and I were playing with our phones as if we're spies on a mission.

Current favorite drink: Fuzion's Pepermint FrosTea.

Running Free

2006-05-08T07:26:00.000+08:00

Things are definitely looking good for me and my current manga called "FreeRunners". And after a battle with creative frustration and ultimately, creative drought, I have finally found my direction with this book. I used to think that working professionally in this business has left my creativity dry. My art seemed stiff and unintresting. There were exceptions but mostly, they do not really stand out compared to my drawings when I was in college. I guess having a set of characters, stories to draw have really limited my so-called talent. Progression stalled and I stayed in my creative comfort zone. But not anymore. And I strated doing things manually, not relying so much on the use of the PC, using digital tools mostly on cleaning up dirt and stains in the pages. Here are teasers on my upcoming manga Freerunners. Written by Bill Strauss, drawn by me and published by Seven Seas Entertainment! Watch out!

Another thing I'm missing is coloring. Oh well, there will be time for that.

Currently listeing to: Tool's Aenima, Dicta License
Last DVD viewed: Aeon Flux (Charlize is such a goddess)
Looking forward to watching: MI:III, Superman, Xmen 3: Last Stand, Da Vinci Code, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ghost Rider
Looking forward to getting: FF7:AC DVD, SW:ROTS ARC-170 toy
Number of times the words creative/creativity was mentioned in this post: 4

World Records and Old Records

2006-05-05T02:11:00.000+08:00

What the?! Mass Breastfeeding World Record?! Count on the Pinoys for absurd World Records. Pinoys have this insatiable hunger for international fame and it shows with their choice of what record to break. The biggest kalamay, the longest puto bumbong, largest plate of Pancit Malabon, etc. and now, most number of moms breastfeeding?! I won't say "Now I've seen everything." evr since I saw Team America where a character says, "Now I've seen everything." and the other character counters with, "Have you ever seen a man eat his own head?"... Well, obviously, we haven't. But that record makes you come close to it... hmm... that didn't sound right.
For Star Wars news, this year on September 12 to December, we'll see the Original Trilogy on DVD as it was seen in the theaters in 1977. Read on!

From Star Wars.com
Fans can look forward to a September filled with classic Star Wars nostalgia, led by the premiere of LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy video game and the long-awaited DVD release of the original theatrical incarnations of the classic Star Wars trilogy.

In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

[ doc_title ] This release will only be available for a limited time: from September 12th to December 31st. International release will follow on or about the same day. Each original theatrical version will feature Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, close-captioning, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish for their U.S. release. International sound and subtitling vary by territory.

"Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in theaters," said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we're very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars. Topping it off with a new interactive adventure makes September 12 a red-letter day for Star Wars fans."

Good news indeed! I'll be saving up on this new set! May the Force be with us!!! (Btw, yesterday was Star Wars Day. Unofficially. May the Fourth be with you! Hehehe!)

Summer Simang

2006-04-24T04:50:00.000+08:00

Wow! Everybody seems to be going out of town since the Holy Week. I'm a boring guy when summer comes. Usually, I'd rather stay home than go out and soak myself in my own sweat under the hot sun. I do love taking pictures of places I've been to. Last summer, when my family and I went to the beach, something we don't usually do, I have more pictures of the scenery than people. I remember when I was a little younger, the family would always go out of town every summer. Overnight swimmings are regular and we would often find ourselves in the Triple B provinces of Bulacan, Baguio or Bicol. But after experiencing typhoon Rosing last... what, '96? I swore never to return to that place again... actually, it's not the place, its the long rides I hate. The agony of sitting in one place for 5-10 hours, it's torture for me. Sweat and waiting, two of my most hated things in this world. Sleeping in the morning's don't help either. I'd go to sleep at around 7am after a night of work, and internet. Then when 11am comes, I would have unloaded half my body weight on my bed through sweat. Luckily, at night, my room is always cool without even turning on the AC, it's the ninth mystery of the world, I tell you.

XXVII

2006-04-16T16:45:00.000+08:00

I am a year older today.

Lucky

2006-04-11T12:15:00.000+08:00

I consider myself lucky to be part of this generation. Technology, its evolution of mobile phones, digital cameras, computers, appliances, games and movies, we were all able to experience these. And I consider myself some sort of a tech nut. But watching the Gospel of Judas the other day made me think, do children know the stories of Jesus? The Gospels? Children nowadays did not have the chance to watch 2 programs that greatly influenced our generations' knowledge of the Gospels. Superbook and Flying House. Lets admit that we'd rather watch these shows than listen to our boring teachers. Now, it's up to the children's parents to tell them the stories of Christ. I wish they'd come out with a DVD set of these 2 shows. And during that time, influencial cartoon shows flourished: Thundercats, Transformers, GI Joe, Visionaries, SilverHawks, TigerSharks, Smurfs, even Rainbow Brite. Today, I can't remember feeling bliss watching any cartoon shows. It's probably age. I was young then. But looking at current trends in movies, with the announcement of Transformers, must mean that those shows were really a great influence on the minds of children back then.

Meat Loaf

2006-04-08T02:51:00.000+08:00

What's up with Spam Mails lately?! When I first noticed the amount of crap on my Spam folder, I decided not to erase them just to see. And some even get to my Inbox. This is really annoying. (The pic shows the amount of Spam I got in just 3 days. Not including the ones I got in my inbox)

Oneof the Funniest Clips I've Seen

2006-04-04T04:11:00.000+08:00

It's Back!

2006-04-03T14:39:00.000+08:00

Jollibee's Amazing Aloha burger is back! It's like seeing an old friend again! Loved this when it came out years ago. Now it's back, but suffering from price cuts, etc... like the regular bun instead of the sesame bun it used to have years ago. Still, I'm happy.
Have you ever tried watching movies at SM?! They have newly renovated theaters, on the outside, they look good, but wait til you watch the movies inside! They're CRAP! The screens are too small and blurry, and the sounds, unbelievably bad! The dialogue echoes through the moviehouse... you'll find it hard to comprehend whats being said. And what's worse? A ticket costs P110/130!!! CRAP! Go to Gateway, Greenhills or Robinson's theaters instead.

Exciting

2006-04-02T08:53:00.000+08:00

Wanna know what excites boys?! Watch this:

Update! Update!

2006-04-01T01:15:00.000+08:00

You might be asking if this is my PC... and the answer is a big, unfortunate NO. I found this Order 66/501st Trooper case mod by Smooth Creations while browsing the internet(mousedroid.com). But it sure is a cool paintjob on an Alienware system. Maybe someday, If I find the courage to actually modify my Shuttle XPC, I could have one like this, Vader perhaps.
I've been pretty busy lately with pages and everything is going well. As for DVD updates, my Firefly box set arrived 2 weeks ago and it was worth it. For things not really worth its price, we have King Kong DVD. I know I said I don't like the film but still, it is eye candy and a must-have to any dvd collection. The local release has bad packaging and sent some collectors airing their disappointment in a local dvd forum. Luckily, the reservation caomes with a free dvd of your choice, and I chose Shrek 2. At the end of the day, I guess it wasn't a total waste. I'll post some pics as soon as my camera comes back.
My barkada is composed of friends from high school. We regularly talk to each other either through text, phone or YM. 2 of them, this week lost their phones. One, while going home from the province where he works, it was one of the rare times he didn't use his car and rode a bus home. 6 people announced a holdup, guns in their hands. Along with his celphone, they got my friend's wallet, credit cards, IDs. Another friend of mine lost his celphone in the LRT. It was tucked in his bag pocket and perhaps, while he was getting out of the LRT car, it got snatched by skillful magnas. I too have been a victim of these inconsiderate people. If they need money, why don;t they just find a decent work instead of taking other people's money and things that they have obviously worked hard for?! We are taking public transportations so that means were not rich, everything we have, we earned it by working our asses off. So please... be considerate! Man, as if they could hear my pleas... they probably don't even know how to turn on a pc. Well, I have been very cautious and observant since then. If you see a suspicious looking group of men (and sometimes women) with bags, leave at once.

Listening to: Alice in Chains Music Bank, Eraserheads MP3 Collection
Recently watched movies: The Quick and the Dead (Sam Raimi), The Crow (Alex Proyas pala 'to?!), Origin of the DaVinci Code
Recently played game: Tried The Godfather Game but didn't like it.

Cool!

2006-03-14T02:25:00.000+08:00

Thank God for the rain... even though it was a bit too much. But still, I'd rather putting on my jacket than be all sweaty with the summer heat. For weeks, it's been hot and there are times when you really have to turn on the AC. Most of the time, I avoid it because I'd pay so much when the electricity bill arrives. Heheh! But tonight, ahh... the air's just perfect. Not too hot, nor too cold. I've been readying myself for busy weeks ahead... can't wait to start on new pages.

Boss, Dibidi?!

2006-03-06T14:38:00.000+08:00

This weekend, AstroPlus Podium had another sale on their DVDs. Naturally, I went there, although not as early as most of the forum members who were there since they opened last Friday. And some of the titles are really, really low. The most sought after titles were Star Wars: ROTS, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Fantastic Four(from P900 to P299). And some boxsets were being sold for half their regular prices. I picked up the Indiana Jones Trilogy boxset (P1,500)and Hellboy 2-disc Edition (P333). I have this title already but I really wanted to have the one with the slipcase. Leon, however was a purchase from a seller in PinoyDVD, it's a German release, tin case and only P650. This is another one of my favorite movies, the relationship between Mathilda (young Natalie Portman) and Leon (Jean Reno, one of my favorite actors along with Bob DeNiro) may be uncomfortable but thats the point. Great buys! would've wanted to get more titles but I have to save. Well, that's that. Can't wait for the next sale.

Pinoy skills

2006-03-06T00:06:00.000+08:00

I was looking around Toy Kingdom when something really interesting caught my eye... it's the Panday toy line!!! I immediately checked it out but still cant shake off the sceptic in me. And you know what? I was right! It is PATHETIC!!! The action figures looked like they were molded by candle makers (not belittling their candlemaking skills but this IS a toy line)! Once again, the pinoys have proven the "okay na yan" mentality. I will never ever dream of a time when Pinoys will excel in this field... wacthing some special features on dvds, how SFX movies are made, I'm sure the Pinoys won't be able to achieve that quality. And I'm pretty sure no actor or actress here in the Phils would be able to stand 8 hours of putting makeup. Sigh. I do believe that the Philippine movie industry has some of the most beautiful faces in the world... and some of them, thinks they're the most important people on a set. Prima donna? Is that the term? Anyway, just wanted to say that Panday toys are PATHETIC!

Firefly

2006-03-01T18:10:00.000+08:00

I ordered the DVD set from Amazon the other and expects it to arrive in April... it takes that long?! More than a month?! When I ordered my Gladiator Extended Edition (R2/Japan), it only took 2 weeks. Is it because it's near us? Anyway, I just can't wait to see the entire set in crystal clarity. I downloaded the episodes and right now, I just finished the 6th episode. I absolutely love this series, it really has everything I love. sci-fi AND western.