[2005]

If the last few days of the year 2005 has a theme for me, it's family and friends.

Christmas parties, gift giving and inuman sessions; the most I've ever spent for Xmas for as far as I can remember; spending for and organizing Xmas parties, giving away miniature mini-Coopers and Mp3 CDs like they were mugs. The best Noche Buena ever; the first time my family was complete for Christmas in almost 3 years - a blacksheep brother finally decides to spend Christmas with the family. And Birthday parties, post birthday party inuman sessions. I've never had more alcohol in my system in one season.

This Christmas...is the most I've ever spent time with my family and friends in my life. Ever. And I'm happy. Parang andami ko palang mahal sa buhay ^__^

Everyone, have a Happy New Year.

[curse my ignorance]

I recently discovered that "Love Song" is actually a The Cure original. I feel like an idiot, how could I not have known? Anyway... here's an acoustic version of the song. I just noticed.. I've been posting a lot of songs lately (and their downloadable too!). This isn't even legal but what the heck. I just want to share the love :D At para sa hindi nakakaalam ng lyrics (although I doubt that..):

love song
the cure

whenever i'm alone with you
you make me feel like i am home again
whenever i'm alone with you
you make me feel like i am whole again

whenever i'm alone with you
you make me feel like i am young again
whenever i'm alone with you
you make me feel like i am fun again

however far away
i will always love you
however long i stay
i will always love you
whatever words i say
i will always love you
i will always love you

whenever i'm alone with you
you make me feel like i am free again
whenever i'm alone with you
you make me feel like i am clean again

[the night's watch]

Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.

I've just started reading A Feast for Crows, the fourth book of A Song of Ice and Fire. Except for the part about taking no wife and fathering no children, the Night's Watch is the coolest faction in Westeros, aside from the Starks of Winterfell of course. By the way, was Googling around the net and found some interesting Ice and Fire pictures (Art by Jenny Dolfen, I am posting without permission): pictured here's the coolest most BADASS brother of the Night's Watch: Qhorin Halfhand. ..Kind of makes me want to make my own Ice and Fire character renditions, hmm..

I'll be coming to Baguio for Christmas, and since our Internet there has veen disconnected, and I probably won't have much money for the holidays, malamang hindi ako makakapagpost ng madalas, so to everyone out there: MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Anyway, back to reading.

[more urbandub]

a new tattoo
urbandub

great moments they pass by
if you're careless
desperately trying to speak the words
i've been wanting to say for a long time.
tongue tied, every time i try to talk to you
in time, i'll find the right line.

caught a glimpse of you
i tremble every time you walk by
hopelessly trying to find a way
to be near you, to get near you.
in my mind, plays thoughts of you all the time
i'll find the right line

i'll bleed for you
like a new tattoo in my heart
you'll stay permanent

am i too late now?
will i find a way to get to you somehow?
she's breaking me down again
she's breaking me down.

This song, on the other hand, sort of applies. Listen. I remember posting the lyrics of this song as a test post when the blog was just starting out. I've always liked this song, especially now.

[post x'mas party]

So many things to say.. but I don't really have the energy right now. Masasabi ko lang, it was the best way to end the year.

Right now, I'm just feeling euphoric :)

[LSS of the week]

no ordinary love
urbandub

i gave you all the love i got
i gave you more than i could give
i gave you love
i gave you all that i have inside
and you took my love
you took my love
didn't i tell you
what i believe
did somebody say that
a love like that won't last
didn't I give you
all that i've got to give baby

i keep crying
i keep trying for you
there's nothing like you and i baby
this is no ordinary love
no ordinary love
this is no ordinary love
no ordinary love

when you came my way
you brightened every day
with your sweet smile
didn't i tell you
what i believe
did somebody say that
a love like that won't last
didn't i give you
all that i've got to give baby

this is no ordinary love
no ordinary love
this is no ordinary love
no ordinary love
keep crying
there's nothing like you and i baby

this is no ordinary love
no ordinary love
this is no ordinary love
no ordinary love

keep trying for you
keep crying for you
keep flying for you
keep flying i'm falling
I'm falling

Not that the song applies or anything, It's just that it's been running in my head since I got it. Heavy drumming, deep bass... loud music. C'mon, you know you wanna hear it.

[what D&D character are you?]

Lawful Good Human Bard Thief
Follower Of Oghma

Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.

Race:
Humans are the 'average' race. They have the shortest life spans, and because of this, they tend to avoid the racial prejudices that other races are known for. They are also very curious and tend to live 'for the moment'.

Primary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.

Secondary Class:
Thieves are the most roguish of the classes. They are sneaky and nimble-fingered, and have skills with traps and locks. While not all use these skills for burglary, that is a common occupation of this class.

Deity:
Oghma is the Neutral Good god of knowledge and invention. He is also known as the Binder of What is Known, and is the Patron of Bards. His followers believe that knowledge reigns supreme, and is the basis for everything else that is done. They wear white shirts and pants, with a black and gold braided vest, and a small, box-like hat. All priests of Oghma are known as Loremasters. Oghma's symbol is a scroll.

What D&D Character Are You?

I've been playing a lot of Neverwinter Nights lately, the character I'm using right now is a Chaotic Good Half-elven Rogue (major class)/ Ranger (minor class) Shadowdancer (prestige class). I'm thinking of starting a new character... A human bard/rogue/harper scout :D

[ultraelectromagneticjam]

Recently got my copy of Ultraelectromagneticjam, the Eraserheads tribute album - respect for the greatest Pinoy band that ever lived (90's kid ako eh).

My picks: 6 Cycle Mind's version of "Alapaap", a great rendition - I like what they did to the intro, the drums, and the instrumental. A darker version of "Spolarium" by Imago. Love the bass. "Superproxy 2006" by Francis M. - Ang angas. Orange and Lemons sending "Huwag Kang Matakot" back to the 60's, giving it that classic feel. the Radioactive Sago Project taking "Alcohol" to the next level - turning one of the Eraserheads most forgetable and mundane (forgive me :D) songs into something so COOL. Hands down, ang galing ng ginawa nila dito. M.Y.M.P's mellow(er) version of "Huwag Mo Nang Itanong" is also a nice change. And of course there's the reggae version of "Maling Akala" by Brownman Revival which I liked. Rico J. Puno's "Huling El Bimbo" is also quite.. cool (hehe).

One thing though, what the HELL is Cueshe doing there!? C'mon, "Hard to Believe" deserved better than to be rendered by some pogi poser band. Respect naman diyan. The same can be said about Spongecola's version of "Pare Ko", it sucks.

Anyway, all the other songs were ok. This album is great, instant classic.

[urbandub - embrace]

I love this band.

I've been listening to nothing but Urbandub all week. I finally got Embrace, bibili sana ako nung SEA Games Arnis shirt kaso nabadtrip ako kaya bumili na lang ako ng CD. Embrace is great, although not better than Influence. I also (finally) got a copy of their version of "No Ordinary Love".

My favorite tracks from the album:
"Alert the Armory", the carrier single, 'nuff said. "Frailty" and "First of Summer", gotta love double bass. "Endless, a Silent Whisper", although it sounds a bit Emo, i liked the reggae/ska mix. I like this track for the same reasons I like "Sailing" and "New Tattoo" from Influence. And the most unusual (and the coolest) track, "Safety in Numbers", the song is ..wierd, but I like it.

Mabuhay and Indies!

[SEA games part 2: lutong pinoy]

The reality of how this country has been fixing the games makes me sick. Some of us from the UPLB Arnis team (Sir Mejia, Tandoy, Dos, JC, ate Chini, Bern and Leanne) watched the Arnis events at EAC (Emilio Aguinaldo College, Manila) this weekend and the results were very disappointing to say the least. Here's the full story, I know it's long but I just have to say it:

Saturday:
1st event Men's Single Forms (anyo or katta) Competition: the Filipino player's performance was good; it seemed a bit too flashy and unpractical but at that point we were already convinced that no one else could be better (although it annoyed us that his katta/anyo wasn't pure Arnis - it had a good mix of Wushu and other Kung Fu forms).

But when the Vietnamese player performed his anyo, it was unexpectedly SO MUCH better; in terms of control, force, stability of footwork, simplicity and practiaclity, style not to mention that he used forms that we could actually recognize. Vietnam UNEXPECTEDLY gets gold, Philippines silver for the first event. There were other teams, Cambodia and Timor Leste, but their performance wasn't exactly.. noteworthy, so nevermind.

2nd event Women's Single Forms Competition: Vietnam was first to go and as we expected, her anyo was perfect (using the same categories mentioned above). Our pinoy bet on the other hand (looking pumped up and ready to kill) did yet another wushu-hybrid anyo. It certainly looked "cool" (especially for onlookers who didn't know anything about arnis) but was, as we saw it, lacking in control, force, and stability; the most important elements of a good katta. Vietnam once again takes the gold, Philippines silver.

Before I move on, remember that this is ARNIS, an original Filipino sport. It would look bad in the press (considering Arnis is the first sport in the alphabetical list of the SEA Games) if the Philippines fails to dominate Arnis.

Afternoon: 3rd event Men's Group Forms: The Philippines performed an anyo using pairs of real Bolos (the filipino short swords). The katta was certainly difficult, but they failed in syncronization when one of them fell back a couple of seconds. Team Vietnam on the other hand, flawlessly performed a katta using only normal sticks. Their syncronization was perfect (their footwork, turning, shouts, even the angles of their sticks) - it was like watching one man with two shadows performing. To our disappointment (and confirming our suspicions of a desperate ploy to save face), Philippines still gets gold, Vietnam silver.

On the last event for the day: Women's Group Forms: The same thing happened. Philippines performed an similar version of the katta used for singles, and also lacked the synchronization (their sticks pointing at different angles) that team Vietnam had, but still won the gold.

When the results were shown, everyone was already cheering for the Philippine team; me and the rest of the team however, we just couldn't get ourselves to clap anymore.

It was an even score between Vietnam (two golds on singles katta) and the Philippines (two golds in group katta), a good enough standing - good enough so that the Philippines doesn't "lose" and even make it look like it was a "close match".

After the awarding ceremonies, we decided to come over to team Vietnam to congratulate them and were surprised to find out that their coach, Guro Roel Gatmundon from Arnis Philippines, was Filipino (although it shouldn't have been a surprise at all). We told them how we were impressed by their performance and that we thought they should've gotten all the golds. While we talked, Guro Roel confirmed our suspicions when he told us that someone did approach him to say "...sorry, kailangan talaga.." (sorry, but we really needed it).

And there you have it, the sad truth of how low this country can get just to protect it's reputation as the real masters of arnis, and just to avoid the shame of losing in a sport we practically should be OWNING. Guro Roel admitted that he was torn between his countrymen and his Vietnamese team. Vietnam's coach explained his reasons for accepting the shady deal, he only regrets that his team did not get what they deserved in the competition. The man was trying to save Arnis - he was trying to promote Arnis as a sport in Vietnam, a scandal would only ruin that higher goal, Vietnam probably won't send another Arnis delegation for fear of being cheated again. It's not my place to judge his decision, I don't really know myself what I would have done had I been in his shoes but I know he was just as pissed-off as we were.

Sunday:
I didn't need to watch the sparring competitions to know that they'd "fix" it again. From what I've heard from Coach, Kuya Quan and my team-mates who saw the matches, team Philippines won most of the golds again by magic.

The Philippine Arnis team was crap; I know schools, people who could have done better and would most definitely have dominated the competition instead of these Wushu half-breeds but that's not the point. The point is that we failed to live up to the fact that WE are the masters of arnis, and we should have accepted that - we shouldn't have tried to cover up our mistakes with bullshit. If this is how we're supposed to win, then I'd rather lose.

Is saving face for arnis and the whole country worth sacrificing the spirit of sportsmanship (the very spirit, the principles that martial arts stands for)? No. Being able to tolerate things like this is what makes this country a country of losers. Failing to live up to principle is worse than failing to live up to an image.

[not yet]

Sir Ericson Mejia or "Coach" as most of us call him, the UPLB Arnis Team's founder, asked me yesterday if I wanted to become coach of the Arnis Team, maybe sometime after I graduate. Kuya Quan (our team's current coach) asked me the same thing a few weeks back.

Coach and Kuya Quan will both be leaving for Korea sometime next year (or later) and will be staying there for a long time (2 or 3 years). They said they needed someone to take over the UPLB team for them while their gone. They asked me. I told them I'd think about it.

Now I won't deny that a part of me has always wanted to someday become the team's coach and I know I've always enjoyed teaching arnis to anyone who was willing to learn. It's just that I never expected it to actually happen. I know I'm supposed to be feeling good about this but... me? coach? Now that the opportunity has finally presented itself.. I suddenly find myself having doubts. Somehow, the thought of it scares me. Can I do this? Do I have enough confidence? Am I actually good enough? Will I be able to live up to it? ..Do I really want this? And why me?

Right now, I don't know. And at the current level I'm at, I know I'm not worthy - I'm not being humble here, I know I'm not cut out for something like this.

Not yet at least. I guess it's time I got serious.

[SEA games part 1: high]

Seeing the Opening Ceremonies of the South East Asian Games was something I never thought I'd be able to experience at the start of the sem. The music, performed by the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorale and Rivermaya was simply beautiful as well as the costumes, dances and display of Pinoy culture.

The Quirino Grandstand was packed yesterday, but being there was well worth all the trouble (as Eco-Waste Philippines volunteers - imagine our horror when we saw just how much trash had to deal with); All the cute chics err.. delegates from all the participating countries (especially Vietnam. I have found new love for this country), the fireworks (wow), the torch-lighting, and seeing in person great Filipino legends like Paeng Nepumoceno, Lydia de Vega, and Manny Pacquiao among others (Angel Locsin as the most unexpected).

Working as a SEA Games volunteer wasn't so bad after all. I'm actually enjoying it more than I expected, especially being assigned today to the Wushu competitions in the Emilio Aguinaldo College (near UP Manila). Although we missed the Forms competitions (was looking forward to seeing crouching tigers and hidden dragons), the Wushu sparring matches made up for it. Watching the Philippine team OWNING was absolute coolness (as well as seeing the ladies from Vietnam again, heh).

I'm almost sorry I went back to Los Banos (may pasok na bukas) instead of just ditching class for (just) one whole week. And I curse myself for having second thoughts before I submitted my application papers a few weeks before - how could I have let myself think of passing this up?

I'm still feeling euphoric. I am currently high with National Spirit.

I can't wait for my next shift this Friday and Saturday for the Arnis Competitions. I have a good feeling we're going to own this again.

[wushu]

In an internet cafe somewhere near Emilio Aguinaldo College. The Philippine Wushu Team is currently owning.

Astig. Yun na lang muna.

[updates]

I am finally registered. Raarness.

7 days of prerog (teacher's prerogative) for almost every possible subject I can take ("Mang Jose" saves the day), asshole GE instructors, form 26 signatures, paperwork and appeals for the approval for the revision of my plan of coursework, student loan, looooong registration lines, the heat, obnoxious people at the end of the line, ... it was a looong struggle against the UPLB registration system but in the end, I have prevailed.

Ang ganda ng sunset kanina.

-------------------------------------------

Got myself a new bokken (I don't know what it's called in Filipino). Kuya Quan and I were purchasing arnis sticks in Quiapo the other day (we planned to sell the sticks to the arnis classes in UPLB), I saw lots of well-made Bahi, Kamagong and Rattan sticks. It took me a while to decide whether to buy a pair of Bahi (a type of wood that outlasts Kamagong, although Kamagong looks better) or one of the carved out "bladed" arnis sticks (the bokken). I eventually decided to get the bokken.

It'll help me practice forms for bladed weapons, in preparation for bolo handling. scar3?

-------------------------------------------

*Spoiler Alert*

Watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie last Sunday. As usual, many parts from the book were axed but the movie was still satisfying, especially for an HP fan - in fact, I think it's the best one out of all the HP movies.

I've lost my crush on Cho Chang after reading books 5 and 6, but after watching the movie again... my crush on her is back. Of course there's also Hermione and Fluer, the movie's full of cute chics. Haha.. *ahem*

Some things I noticed: Ginny's getting a lot of screen time now; Sirius only appeared as a bunch of embers, Hermione's growing up (in the words of Detective Hartigan from SinCity: "She grew up. She filled out.") ; Harry asked about Priori Incantatum but Dumbledore didn't bother to answer him; and Voldemort was Ralph Fiennes!! Astig.

A few disappointments though: Dumbledore still doesn't feel like he's realy Dumbledore; I expected Fleur to be much er.. hotter than that; I wanted to see the other dragons in action, especially the Chinese Firebolt (or was it Fireball?); and I wanted to see Sirius as a dog; the Quidditch World Cup was too short; I really wanted to see the sphinx; I expected the mermaids to be... prettier; and Mad-Eye Moody's 3 Unforgivable Curses lecture was barely understandable amid the chaos.

Pero yun nga, astig pa rin yung movie. Looking forward to the next one (Dumbledore's Army!).

-------------------------------------------

I need money. I must have Urbandub's Embrace Album now.

-------------------------------------------

I've been trying to find a way to free up 10gigs on the PC because I want to play this again. (I don't like the PC version cover so I linked to the Xbox cover instead.) Playing Metal Gear Solid (for the PSX) on ePSXe on my computer has made me want to play Metal Gear Substance instead. I wanna see E.E. again :D

quiz [the gematriculator test]

Hmm.. curious.
Like what angel test said.. seems I'm on the brink of having sympathy for the devil.

Of course I don't really buy what the test says about "the amount of matches divisible by a certain number such as 7 (which is said to be God's number)" which suggests that "there is an incontestable argument that the Spirit of God is ever present in the text."

Take the Gematriculator test here

quiz [where in hell are you?]

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!

You approach Satan's wretched city where you behold a wide plain surrounded by iron walls. Before you are fields full of distress and torment terrible. Burning tombs are littered about the landscape. Inside these flaming sepulchers suffer the heretics, failing to believe in God and the afterlife, who make themselves audible by doleful sighs. You will join the wicked that lie here, and will be offered no respite. The three infernal Furies stained with blood, with limbs of women and hair of serpents, dwell in this circle of Hell.

Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level | Score

Purgatory | Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo | High
Level 2 | Moderate
Level 3 | High
Level 4 | Very Low
Level 5 | High
Level 6 - The City of Dis | Very High
Level 7 | Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge | Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus | Low

Take the test here

quiz [what order of angel are you?]

Congratulations, you're a Power, a member of Heaven's elite guard!

You stand at the first line of defense against the demon hordes that want to overrun Paradise, and guard the borders between Heaven and Earth. You are also charged with securing the safety of virtuous souls on their way to Heaven, and are invariably at the front lines of any battle, slaying demons with a terrible and holy efficiency.

Unfortunately, your position comes with a price. Because of your constant contact with the fallen world, you are more likely to be corrupted than other choirs. In fact, there are more fallen angels originally from this choir than any other. Be careful you don't come to love your strength or accomplishments more than you do your God.

Take the quiz here

[back in elbi]

and somehow everything feels like it's back to normal.

[sembreak]

Nothing went according to plan when I got back.

First off, cards. I didn't think that Kuya would also be going to Baguio for the break, so I didn't bring my L5R (Legend of the Five Rings) decks (wala ako iba makakalaro e). Turns out aakyat nga rin pla sina Kuya kaya dala niya decks niya. Of course we'd still get to play using his decks but still, it's different when your playing your own deck - the games are more competitive and battles are more personal.

the DVD player at home is also missing (..Ryan? probably. more on my blacksheep brother when I finally feel like it) so all the DVDs I brought home with me are now useless (our PC doesn't have a DVD drive).

NO INTERNET CONNECTION. I'm typing this right now in an internet cafe somewhere in Bonifacio.. whatever street or something (I don't know any of the building's names anymore, or the streets. I've been away from this city for too long - i feel like a tourist). Our mom told us that the phone bill (oo, cursed 56k dial up kami dito) isn't part of the family's budget right now so NO net. Feel like a wired fish out of WWW-water.

Hindi ako makapag-drawing. At least not right now. I expected Ynna, my youngest sibling, to have pencils so i didn't bother to bring my own (besides, my mechanical pencil's still missing). When I realized that there wasn't anything to do anymore, I asked ynna for a pencil.. turns out Ynna doesn't have ANY pencils at all ("ngyarr.. elementary student ka wala ka lapis?!").

No arnis, no sword. The bloodsticks (the arnis sticks I marked with my blood - as part of the Angkan ng Mandirigma induction - we call it the bloodpact) are missing. I feel like a samurai who's dishonored himself by losing his sword (his soul). Whoever the fuck it was who took my bloodsticks are gonna be so fucked they're going to fucking wish they hadn't fucked with me. whew.

Also.. the wakizashi i've been working to restore is also missing. after (painstakingly) fixing the patterned ..thing that covers the sheath and handle of the wakizashi the last time i was here in Baguio, i promised that the next time i go back, i'd polish the blade and sharpen its cutting edge. Looks like i wouldn't be able to do that anymore. In case your wondering how i got the wakizashi, it was a present given to my father back when he was Armak Motors manager from one of his Japanese customers. Over time, napabayaan yung sword until it rusted, the sheath was broken and the cover was taken off.

So there, medyo Murphy's (as in Murphy's Law) sembreak ako ngayon. Pero siyempre, when the situation changes, all one has to do is adapt.

Buti na lang may Diablo 2 sa PC. So I'm playing Diablo 2 again and it's funny how i can't seem to shake off the warcraft-habit of moving around items by right-clicking - instead of moving the potions in the inventory, palagi naiinom ng hindi kailangan.

It was also a pleasant surprise when My older sister saw Dan Brown's Angels and Demons somewhere in the in the bookshelves - and I snatched it from her. I read it when someone else is using the PC. I'm close to finishin it and I think its great. And so far, I'm liking it more than Da Vinci Code. It's just funny how a fiction novel can enlighten me more about my Religion than a priest in mass.

Anyway.. for the next few days, I plan to just stay here at home, go EAT-SLEEP-EAT mode, gain some weight, relax, read, play Diablo and bond with the family. I probably won't go out much anymore since I don't have any money on me (yoko na rin humingi ng pang-gimik sa magulang ko) and since I'm not going out, I won't be able to go online.

I'll be back after sembreak.

[the iv-agate reunion.. thing]

Despite the sudden change in venue, no pool, no resort, not a lot of people saying they'd come (only around 25 of us were there), the reunion was still great. I mean REALLY great. I'm glad I decided to come.

It was just a simple celebration; grill, dinner, and just chilling out (with coffee, beer, gin and brandy. yeah~) in the living room till the wee hours of the morning.

Most of the details are in Marck's blog ("A Class of Our Own"), and he's pretty much said everything that needed to be said. But I'd still like to have my own take.

....

Uh.. this middle part was actually so much longer when I was still writing it as a draft. I said a lot things there that I've decided that I should just keep to myself (it took so long to get to the point anyway). Bottom-line, I've made a great discovery for myself and I'm REALLY happy now.

I've finally realized that I don't have two lives; a life in elbi and a "past" in baguio. I just have a LIFE that lives in two places. Or something like that.

It's a great feeling to have a lot of friends.

[baguio]

I'll be going home tomorrow.

But it's wierd though, I've been anxious to go back for the past few months but suddenly (I don't really know why) I don't feel like going home anymore. Pero uuwi pa rin ako, have a lot of things to do there; take break, catch up with some friends, settle some things I left behind. So kailangan ko pa rin umuwi.

So yeah, I'll be going home tomorrow.

[pencilswordfish 5.0!]

I've discovered a trend in my blog designs. The layout, the colors and the images have become... brighter and (I dunno...) cheerier than my first blog designs. It's also become more minimalist: I've been taking off more and more images from the blog, started reducing file-sizes, removed the clutter, etc.

This new layout's simpler. Cleaner. There's also lots of green.. seems I've taken to heart (unconsciously, methinks) that quiz about blog colors. I also like how the banner image turned out (on the right); that's Kali, Penny and a new Fisher - I, sort of, combined the pencilswordfish webcomic with "angkan", an old story I made about a Filipino underground resistance force that used arnis specialists as operatives (assassins) set in the Philippines in the 1860's. I originally wanted 3 main characters for that story (maybe that's why I remembered it); a farmer (/arnisador), a young mestiza woman, and a Filipino priest-in-training. I'm thinking of turning it into a ghost-hunting... thing instead of a story about war and the revolution but... I don't know, pag-isipan ko pa.

Anyway, I just like this new layout.

[best semendah evah! *hic*]

It was the best sem-ender ever. Yeah... screw Komikon, I doubt we would've had more fun there than we had in the resort. There's just so much to say about it.. I don't know where to start (tska masakit pa rin ulo ko... nakakatamad).

To say the least, I think I got what I really wanted for the sem-ender and it just makes me happy as the "organizer" and the group's current daddy. I wanted everybody to let it all out, enjoy, and well.. get "high"- and they did (bago pa man mag-inuman natural high na mga tao e). It was the group at its craziest (even crazier than we usually are). All the things I knew were supposed to be secrets weren't secrets anymore after the sem-ender, and it's all good and nobody cares.

Everyone came through, and I have a lot to thank for (I wouldn't have been able to manage alone) - Gelo as the financer and for the pizza, Therese with the music, Fernan for the pancit and Brian for the curry and with the technology, Seth with the (unexpected) adobo, Gel for all the junkfood, Ken with MORE BOOZE (medyo late na nakarating pero oks pa rin), the kitchen crew and everyone else. Not everything went according to plan but it all worked out.

Ang sarap pala maging daddy (sa grupo :D). It's funny how I was able to work more and dedicate myself to the group's sem-ender and not give a damn about this past sem's academic performance. I did most of the shopping (with Suzanne), the preparations, the math (with Gelo, of course).

It's a good feeling to be recognized as the taskmaster, and seeing everybody happy with the fruits of your labor (haha, drama). Felt like a chef (managing the kitchen, the menu: real indian curry, adobo, lotsa pizza, inihaw na liempo, saba, hotdogs, pancit..), a DJ (managing the music, the playlist: 311, Sublime, Punk (absolutely NO emo), house music, Jamiroquai, electronica, the Beachboys!, Starbucks music, Bamboo, Parokya, Brownman revival - reggae, etc.), and a bartender (taga-ikot ng shot, taga halo ng booze - Ken's classic "Emperor and the Whore" mix: emperador +red horse +sprite +grape juice, isang case ng san mig light tska shakers).

It's cool being the boss :D

Parang ayoko na nga umuwi (wala rin lang akong pera para makauwi.. hirap talaga kapag sinasagot mo gastos)... bitin ako, gusto ko pa ng isa. It'll be a while before I get over the euphoria... astig talaga.

Here's the entire [SEM-ENDER GALLERY].

Favorite sem-ender quotes:

"..hangover... gulo gulo upuan... walang tao .... banas ....walang tao... gulo gulo upuan... hangover... lang tao... banas.. hangover .... banas ...gulo gulo upuan ...lang tao..."
- Me, Gelo, Celsus, Brian, Louis ala Strangebrew

"Ang masasabi ko lang talaga.. SO MUCHED HAS CHANGED IN 3 YEARS!!! Kung dati puro anime anime lang pinaguusapan natin, ngayon... an-lalakas na ng mga hirit!!"
- Ken

"Dildo Baggins and the One cock-Ring of POWER!!!"
- err... sino nga ba?

"Ano? Ayos ba? AYOS BA!? AYOS!!!!" *high five*
- ako, tinatanong lahat ng tao at nagsusurvey

"'di pa ko laseng.."
- lasing na lasing at namumulang Butch.

"..wag kasing manliligaw gamit ang anime!! Tangina, ano yan!? I wanna be you kenshin!?"
- lasing na Ken

"I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far! ...Snipershot!!!"
- me, snipe-squirting with the Pepsi 1.5 easy grip bottle

"...Drew, penge naman ng juice" *gives me upside-down plastic cup*
- lasing at namumulang Butch

"..akala niyo kayo lang (@Kyan and Karina)!!? ..Oh! kami na ni Mara!! Wala nang papatos dito!!" - Ken, nagpapa-cradle kay Mara

"Si Fernan ooo... Nilalasing si Mara, LUMANG STYLE NA YAN!!"
- Ken

"Kaya ko paaa.. Kaya ko paa..."
- Butch

"AYAN NA SI LOUIS AYAN NA SI LOUIS!!!! Andyan na yung CLOWN!!!"
*everyone splashes Louis*

"Tahan na, tahan na, anjan na yung clown~~!!"
- Gelo, at Neil

"LOUIS!!! TRIIICKS! TRIIICKS!!!"
- at Louis, official party clown

"WTF anu yung spooning?!" - Gelo (lol, hindi talaga alam)
"Wag ka na! Bata ka pa!" - Ken
*Gelo squirts sprite bottle at Ken*

"Di ko kasalanan kung may mabubuo dito ah!"
- Ken

"LETS FEET TOGETHEEERR!!!"
- mga taong jacuzzi na walang magawa

"Si Fernan nanglalasing ng babae, pero mauuna pa sya malasing kesa sa babae."
- Ken

"MANG HOSEEE!! MANG HOOOSEEEEEE!!!"
- Gelo, wasted.

"Look at those ABS!!"
- Brian, @Therese

"Best semendah evah!!!"
- Therese, with the accent

"MANG TEBAN!!!! MANG TEBAAANN!!!! ang superhero na ....marunong .... mag-PHOTOSHOP!!!!!"
- (@Neil Amiel Cervantes; Photoshop god sung in the tune of "Mang Jose")

"Kung alam ko lang na ganyan ang hatak sa chics ng ORIGAMI!!... gusto ko ng ART PAPER!!"
- Ken, @Clemen

"ART PAPER!!! ART PAPER!!!!! ART PAAAAPEEER!!!!"
- (@Clemen's origami tutorials, sung in the tune of "Ordertaker")

"Uy biro lang ah, Clemen. Ikaw pa rin ang Necrolyte ng buhay ko."
- Gelo, @Clemen

"Walang nangyari! Bokalist ng Rivermaya! Rico Blanco BADING!!!"
- Drew, Ken, Gelo, Therese - sooo wasted, with Halina sa Parokya in the background.

".................... *ngiti*"
- Dianne (grabe, kahit lasing tahimik pa rin!)

news! [CPR]

Was reading Marck's blog and I came across some news I've been missing. I've been doing a bit of reviewing for my Monday Stat exam over the weekend and was unaware of the news (no TV either - Marck's blog and Inq7.net is where I usually get my news).

Now if the image of priests and nuns and former Vice President Guingona (one of the few I respect) soaked to bone doesn't get you pissed off, the Palace's reply of "they had it coming" should. I don't really have a lot to say about this except... fuck you GMA and screw your CPR (Calibrated Preemptive Response) Policy. <-- ha! yan, cge nga arestuhin mo nga kami.

news! [PhD - piled higher and deeper]

Just now I just discovered a great new webcomic :D

I was googling more info about "Otogizoushi", this anime I've been watching for the past few hours, and I accidentally come across this guy's blog (www.davidsLife.com) which had reviews and other stuff about... lots of geek stuff (Tolkien articles!). Anyway, Otogizoushi turns out to be something not-so-interesting so I end up exploring the said site (something I do ONLY on sites with impressive design) instead of "researching" more on Otogizoushi. He has a link on his main page to a webcomic that seemed to have nice art. So I followed the link and it led me here.

I have a new webcomic to add to my favorites now :D PhD or "Piled Higher & Deeper" is a funny webcomic about "the ongoing chronicle of life (or the lack thereof) in grad school." It's got intellectual humor, nice easy-on-the-eyes art and the website looks great too. I like the interface on the comic, there's your usual previous, next and first button and (but there's more!) it has "jump back or forward 5 or 10 strips buttons! Wala lang. Nice.

Anyway, I suck at making reviews. Basta astig 'to at basahin niyo. here's my current favorite: Desk Entropy.

....I should be getting back to work on my webcomic again. Hrm.. pagkatapos na lang ng finals :D

[con]

"An Indian discovered that nobody can create a folder or file anywhere named as "con". This is something pretty cool and unbelievable. At Microsoft, the whole Team, including Bill Gates, couldn't answer why this happened. Try it out yourself."

It was sent to me by a friend of mine, Irene, through Y!Messenger. I tried it out and wow, it was true :D You really can't create anything with the filename "con". As usual Bill Gates, world's richest ass, doesn't even know why.

But why "con"? Alas, we may never know.

quizzies [good color for your blog]

Your Blog Should Be Green

Your blog is smart and thoughtful - not a lot of fluff. You enjoy a good discussion, especially if it involves picking apart ideas. However, you tend to get easily annoyed by any thoughtless comments in your blog.

Here's a link to the quiz, if you're interested. My blog's mostly green so I guess the quiz is pretty accurate but... "not a lot of fluff"? haha. Ewan ko lang.

[posc141 and the completely pointless personality quiz]

I recently wrote a 14 page paper on Open Source Software for my POSC141 class (kung saan kaklase ko yung isa sa aking mga kras sa campus. ...forgot the course title, something about Political Ideologies and Philippine Politics). We were supposed to pick a certain government policy, criticize it and argue for or against it using whatever political ideology (or ideologies) we saw fit.

Two months ago I told my instructor I'd be writing about foreign trade policies (first thing that came to mind then - I don't even know the first thing about foreign trade policy). I start my actual research on the paper two months later, 3 days before the deadline. Desperate.. I do the first thing I do when desperate, I surf the net aimlessly - and eventually come across the Completely Pointless Personality Quiz from our Skewed Studios forums.

It's funny how a completely pointless quiz gave me the answer to all my problems. A day before the deadline (Monday, Oct. 3), I asked permission from my instructor to change my topic from Whatever foreign trade policies to the Optical Media Act of 2003, Open Source Software and ...whatever works.

Pumayag naman siya (LOL). And poof! POSC141 paper. 14-page paper in 12 hours (of course Marck can probably cough up a bigger paper in less time but c'mon! give me some credit here). Anyway, it all turned out well (passed my paper 5 minutes late of the deadline), the paper was great, the defense was even better and thanks to the Tux, I've developed a new love for the Open Source Software movement - now I know why I hate Bill Gates so much.

Wala lang.. little succes stories like this just make me feel better about this sem's (less than satisfactory) academic performance. Doomed...

[advent children OST]

This is undoubtedly one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. Years of playing Final Fantasy games has exposed me to its diverse and creative music and has turned me into a fan of Nobuo Uematsu - the master composer of all the Final Fantasy Soundtracks - so of course I'm guilty of being biased. This is his best work yet.

The soundtrack features mostly new scores made especially for the movie but for longtime FFVII fans like me, it's the old remastered tracks that always get my attention.

The FFVII Battle theme has three versions in the movie: the piano version used in the Tifa vs. Loz fight and the techno-rock version used in the Turks vs. Sephiroth clones fight and another techno-rock version used in the highway chase to old Midgar. The remixed versions sounded so different I almost didn't recognize them. And of course, what better way to use the Boss Battle theme than on the Bahamutt battle scene!

You can't have a decent FFVII sequel without the Opening Theme, "JEHOVA" and "One Winged Angel" - remastered to become evern creepier, louder and more malevolent than before. Hearing it just as Sephiroth 'descended' made me shiver while watching the movie. Tifa's and Aerith's themes also come back as piano versions.

Of course the soundtrack isn't just a bunch of remixed and remastered songs, some of the tracks are new and were made especially for the movie. "Cloud Smiles" is my personal favorite among the newer tracks. The featured track "Calling" sung by Kyosuke Himuro wasn't so good, it's ok but it's not really my type. Overall, the soundtrack is a must-have for all longtime Final Fantasy fans, new fans of the movie and still a great soundtrack; fan or no.

Tracklisting(26 tracks! Sulit!):

Disc 1

1. Opening (1:31)
2. The Promised Land (2:52)
3. Beyond The Wasteland (4:14)
4. Sign (1:49)
5. Tifa's Theme (Piano Version) (4:23)
6. For the Reunion (2:32)
7. Tatakau Monotachi (Piano Versi (4:00)
8. Water (2:21)
9. Materia (0:53)
10. Black Water (2:40)
11. Aerith's Theme (Piano Version) (4:07)
12. Battle in the Forgotten City (3:25)
13. Violator (2:35)
14. Kita no Daikudo (FFVII AC Ver.) (1:51)

Disc 2

1. Divinity I (2:54)
2. Tatakau Monotachi (FFVII AC Ver.) (2:00)
3. Sara ni Tatakau Monotachi (FFV (4:24)
4. Divinity II (3:35)
5. Encounter (0:53)
6. The Chase of Highway (4:34)
7. Savior (2:16)
8. J-E-N-O-V-A (FFVII AC Ver.) (2:46)
9. Advent: One Winged Angel (6:07)
10. Cloud Smiles (3:29)
12. End Credits (5:36)
13. Calling (5:03)

[final fantasy VII: advent children]

Yeah, I know. This entry is a bit late.

A few minutes ago I watched Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children from start to finish (again - for the fifth or sixth time since we first got it last month) hoping to finally get inspiration for a Final Fantasy blog-entry I've been planning to write. After weeks of trying to get myself in the mood to write my comprehensive Final Fantasy VII article, I've finally given up.

Words escape me with Final Fantasy VII (palibhasa favorite e - next to FFIX of course). The whole FFVII collection is just too damn COOL to write about in just one article, and almost everybody knows about it anyway - it's already become some sort of culture. So instead of the comprehensive article thingie, I've decided to write about my favorite movie scenes - but then again, that means I'll have to write about the whole movie. That means you'll have to listen to me geek out about anything and everything about Advent Children. It will unleash the dark side of my Final Fantasy fanboy self, and it'll rant and rave and take forever to finish :D

So I'll end it here, with a few parting words: Be you Final Fantasy VII fan or not, watch it. It's the movie of the year.

[maki-monster 2]

BTW, current sushi score is 83. 83 pieces of maki. Broke my previous record (which was 70-something).

[updates]

If you're wondering where all the quizzes went well... it was testament to my laziness for the last couple of weeks, so I uh.. had to get rid of the evidence :D Looking at all those quizzes filling up the entire page made me ..loathe myself. for details.. read on. The sem's almost over (a few more final exams, removals and I'm off) and it wasn't a very happy sem.

To make a long story short (it's not exactly short but when I start making excuses and try to justify myself.. it's going to be REALLY long), I failed my 190 (which is OJT) mostly because I still didn't do the broadcasting component - because I didn't feel like doing it. I lied to everybody about a lot of things, broke all the promises I made not only about 190 but on a lot of other things. And the truth is actually worse than what I'm saying right now.

Generally, I feel very despicable. I've failed a lot of people and I amaze myself at how I can still show my face to my family and friends.

Anyway, I'm wasting a lot of time sulking and all this shit. I'll see if I can still fix things even though it's already too late. You can all hit me after that.

quizzies [politics quiz]

You are a Social Liberal (66% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (31% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

quizzies [nerd, geek or dork?]

Modern, Cool Nerd
65 % Nerd, 56% Geek, 21% Dork

For The Record:
A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.

Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and
geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!

THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

----------------------------------------

Some shit to make me feel good about myself (honestly, I didn't expect this test to create a good result - I expected it to say something like "you were that geek back in high school that only knew how to talk about Gundams, minovsky particlesm, and beam sabers and shit")

[the house]

Damn thing scared the shit out of me. Astig. try niyo :D It's a flash site so have patience with the loading time, and make sure your speakers are at full volume. Oh, and turn the lights off for effect. :D

The HOUSE

Enjoy >:D

comic 002 [motto]

I'm still getting the hang of drawing the characters - still can't draw them consistently - so for now, ganito na lang. Still experimenting on colors and and other styles. Anyway.. everyone, meet Penny, Kali and Fisher :D The motto, by the way, was borrowed from Brian's usual Yahoo! Messenger online status. Naging contagious; ginamit na rin ni Ken, ni Gelo, tapos ngayon naman ako na rin. Maganda kasi e. 'Di ba?

[but I don't wanna go to school...]

"Wake Me Up When September Ends"

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
wake me up when september ends

like my fathers come to pass
seven years has gone so fast
wake me up when september ends

here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are

as my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when september ends

ring out the bells again
like we did when spring began
wake me up when september ends

like my father's come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast
wake me up when september ends

[where it all started]

I've just finished reading all six volumes of the Akira manga and well, it's made me love Akira all over again. Like the first time I saw the movie, it has once again left me breathless, slightly euphoric, my spine tingling, and my mind full of scientific and philosophical waves of thought that's almost impossible to contain. I just finished the complete Akira experience and I feel like a geek who's ready to die now.

About the manga: There's not much to say except that this is absolutely THE best manga I have ever read. Dark Horse comics did a great job at translating the script and Katsuhiro Otomo's storytelling and art (damn his inking! it's not human) is just.. WOW. If I had the money and the means I'd buy all six volumes and read it all over again. That aside.. if you're a guy who saw the movie first before you even thought of the manga, the first thing you'll notice is that so much of the original story was left out in the movie. The movie's story is only a condensed version of mostly volumes 1 and 2 of the manga - that's almost four volumes of story lost. In the manga, Tetsuo and the others weren't the only psychics in the story, Kei had a bigger part as a psychic medium and Lady Miyako wasn't just some religious fanatic - in fact, she's one of the most influential characters in the story. And the biggest difference, I think, is that in the manga Akira isn't just bits and pieces of human anatomy, Akira is an actual boy.

Changes like this aren't really surprising since this always happens in manga-to-anime translations, stories in paper have to be condensed to fit the new medium. It's just that you can't help but feel that so much of the original story was taken away. It's almost as if the animated movie didn't do the real story justice (well.. almost, since the Akira movie is still a masterpiece).

Now that I think about it, if there's one anime title I can say that truly influenced my life, it would be Akira (other than say, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, or Ghost in the Shell). I saw the movie for the first time in our old Betamax player and I remember the images of those huge creepy stuffed toys giving me nightmares when I was a kid - I wasn't old enough to understand the story. When I got older, I saw the movie again in WOWOW and was finally able to understand the story (a bit). It was an Anniversary Special or something like that, I think, and since Akira was produced in 1988, I probably saw the movie in 1998. My older brother also had a few Akira collectible cards - Although it was my older brother who really introduced me into all these things, Akira is still one of the biggest catalysts in my "artistic mutation".

All the art and imagery from the movie, the quality of animation, the creepy music, the powerbikes!, the stomach-churning violence, so much destruction, the drama, philosophy, that unique disturbing effect, everything, had such a great impact on me that it's what made me seriously want to draw - and seriously consider drawing as a future profession. If I remember right, this is where I started to draw lots of highly detailed post-apocalyptic art (people wearing shredded clothes, destroyed buildings, rubble, etc). I think This is also about the same time I started to become an anime fan.

Akira was the start of it all, I guess. It's one of the most influential if not THE most influential anime movies of all time, it inspired me to draw and I'm proud to be part of the generation of artists that have been influenced by Katsuhiro Otomo's work.

Special thanks to Ais for downloading all six volumes of Akira through Flashget and The Saint (whoever it was) who undid the binding, scanned and violated his Akira graphic novels for the good of the people who can't buy the manga and "digital preservation". We shall all remember your sacrifice.

[tekken 5: dark resurrection]

Got the news from Nikki's blog that there's gonna be a new Tekken 5 expansion coming. It'll be out late this year in arcades and unlike Tekken 5.1, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection features more than just tweaks on character balance but more stages, more items and two new characters! (Lili and Dragunov). click here for more details.

Makes me want to play Tekken again.

It's been a (long~) while since I've last played. When go back to Baguio, I won't be surprised if Marck and the guys will own my ass in the game, sure I can probably pull-off a few classic (or should I say old and overused) muscle-memoried combos here and there and maybe a few Electric Godfists but I can't possibly compare to their experience anymore. I feel kinda sad since I used to be the "king" of Tekken in our small circle of friends back in the days of Tekken3 - when I was the only one who knew what an electric godfist was and how to "counter" and "chicken". I remember it was always me and Noel fighting it out for the top-spot sa barkada and it was always me who had the last laugh (it was a friendly sort of rivalry pero naging personalan din). It's like I've totally abandoned the mantle.

These days when I play against my friends there's just so much that I don't know about anymore it's embarassing. I'm stuck with only knowing how to play two Mishimas (Kazuya and Jin), Asuka and Xiaoyu (whose movelist has already changed so much I don't know what to do with her anymore) while the other guys know how to play almost every character in the list. Marck, who I always used to kind of bully back then, easily kicks my ass with characters like Roger. Garry, who used to be the "underdog" is now waaay~ above me in terms of skill and knowledge of different characters and combos. Noel simply laughs at me now (but then again he's always been like that when we play - even when he's losing). Neal just annoys you with shameless turtling and practical combos with almost no style at all - it's painful to see yourself losing to his play-style. And David.. well, I guess he's the only other kabarkada I know who shares my pain of being left behind.

Why all this fuss for a game? well.. these days, when I play Tekken with the guys it's not about winning or losing anymore. I just play for old time's sake. Of course there's still that goal of winning, a player's competitive spirit, it's just that with me it's a big deal not because I have to prove I'm still number one but because Tekken has always been something we do on the few occasions that we get together. Parang inuman session. Tekken is one of the first "glues" that made us stick with each other, I just want to be able to keep up with them. It's just one of those games that I can never really abandon.

Now I really want to play again.

[back to utada]

Got the piano-only versions of her 2nd album songs and It just made my day. the entire collection is beautiful. Utada classics like "Wait and See", "Addicted to You" and "Kettobase!" are all translated perfectly into piano, with a few added twists and melodies here and there. All I can say is, Utada Hikaru has to play the piano more. Next to the MTV Unplugged collection, this is now my favorite.

(and I just had to upload this pic of her. the blog needs pictures. puro text ang laman e. what's better than Utada pics? :D)

update [pencilswordfish ver4.0]

Couldn't help it. The last blog layout lacked a certain something (don't know what) that's why I decided to ditch it. This new layout, on the other hand, has more color, more compact and well.. just looks better. I think I'll finally settle with this one. I am yet to work on the banner though. I'm have to relocate the scanner first before I can work on the new banner. In the meantime, ganito na muna.

Now that I'm finished with all this sidetracking (sobrang warm-up na to), I think it's time for me to REALLY go back to my REAL work. I'll be failing a lot of people if I don't pull off this uh.. late sem comeback. Time to get serious.

comic 001 [thick skull]

Special full-page comic for everyone, in celebration of my first (official) pencilswordfish comic strip. Just click on the thumbnail on the sidebar to see comic strip. Worked on this one all night, hope everyone likes it. Worked out the characters and their names already, I'm hoping for this one to really hit it off and become an official series here on [pencilswordfish]. sana lang :D

[pencilswordfish ver 3.3]

Took me a couple of all-nighters to finish this new blog layout. I'm honestly not too fond of the overall outcome, but it'll probably grow on me sooner of later. I went through all the trouble of drawing all sorts of portaits and designs, scanning, coloring - but still end up with using the old portrait for the banner. Dami ko na-drawing (like the one on the left) tapos di ko rin pala gagamitin.

Blog Updates:

• added a [GALLERY] link in the navigation bar which leads to my deviantArt gallery. It's temporary though since I plan on making it a direct link for my webcomic archive. Wala pa naman akong webcomic na maa-archive eh, so for now deviantArt gallery muna siya.
• I've put all links to other blogs and webcomics in the [LINKS] section.
• designed the banner specially so I can changed the design with anything I want without having to re-design the entire blog.
• other than all that, not much has changed in the blog.
  
• [WEBCOMIC] coming soon!

Anyway, Friendster has been turning psychic on me again. Nagpaparinig e, sabi ba naman:

"Today's Forecast
A deadline may seem like it's sprung up on you out of nowhere, but is that really the case? If this is one in yet another series of things you've procrastinated on, it's time to look at how you use your time."

Time to go back to work. Ayoko ma-suspend.

[pencilsword ...fish]

I couldn't access my blog the entire day, something about the browser not being able to "open a file /". Was about to give up and admit that the blog has once again been "murphed" having tried everything I could think of to fix the problem to no avail. I had a feeling it has something to do with the URL but changing the domain name was the last thing I wanted to do but since I was left with no other choice.. I changed the domain name. I viewed the blog and poof, problem solved.

Couldn't think of anything else, first thing that came to mind was ...swordfish, for some odd reason. So there. My blog's URL is now pencilswordfish.blogspot.com. ...I'm starting to think this blog may be cursed. hmm..

[like a friendster infestation]

I wouldn't normally put something like this on my blog, pero sige. Para sayo Louis, langya ka.

three names i go by:
1. Andrew
2. Drew
3. Anchan

three screen names you have had:
1. grael_18
2. anchan
3. shogun

three physical things you like about yourself:
1. um.. eyes, with the glasses on.
2. my right arm
3. agility

three physical things you don't like about yourself:
1. weak lungs
2. thin midsection. I look like a corpse
3. bad posture.

three parts of your heritage:
1. Chinese
2. Spanish
3. Indian (sabi ni papa may lahi raw silang bombay e)

three things that scare you:
1. that death is just blinking out
2. pitch dark, and the devil behind me - speaking in the darkness
3. losing my right hand.

three of your everyday essentials:
1. more food than most people think I can eat
2. mechanical pencil
3. my portfolio or sketchbook

three of your favorite musical artists:
(how it pains me to write just three)
1. Smashing Pumpkins
2. Urbandub
3. Jamiroquai

three of your favorite songs:
(right now it's..)
1. Coldplay's "The Scientist"
2. 311's "Amber"
3. the Gin Blossom's "As Long as it Matters"

three things you want in a relationship:
1. being on the same wavelength
2. everything under the L-word
3. and a certain kind of ...freedom

three lies and truths in no particular order:
1. if something can go wrong it will.
2. I've had sex with more than 50 cute chicks on campus within the span of 2 years.
3. I'm gay.
4. the Sandman sucks and Neil Gaiman is friggin gay.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone was the first novel I've ever finished reading.
6. I enjoy watching chic-flicks.

three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you:
1. smiles.
2. hips.
3. eyes.

three of your favorite hobbies:
1. sketching on ...almost any surface.
2. wandering around the net.
3. reading.

three things you want to do really badly now:
1. escape. disappear for a while.
2. eat. again.
3. get the Mishka Adams CD.

three careers you're considering/you've considered:
1. WebDesigner.
2. Beta tester. or professional gamer.
3. Indie comic book artist making no money at all but enjoys what he does.

three places you want to go on vacation:
1. Middle earth. haha
2. Singapore.
3. ok. Paris.

three kid's names you like:
1. Ezekiel.
2. Ramil.
3. and I dunno.. Arwen.

three things you want to do before you die:
1. this country, purged of all shits like de Castro.
2. write and draw a bestselling comic book.
3. have a family, grow old, see my grandchildren.

three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. cute schoolgirls with short skirts. haha
2. trashtalking.
3. not paying attention to hygiene.

three ways that you are stereotypically a girl:
1. chick-flicks.. entertain me. sometimes.
2. puppies.
3. rats (and other icky creatures) staring-at-me-point-blank scare me shitless.

three celeb crushes:
1. Mishka Adams.
2. Angel Locsin.
3. Natalie Portman.

three people that i would like to see take this quiz:
1. Marck (sige, lagay mo to sa blog mo. haha)
2. Dianne (para magka-laman blog niya)
3. Nicole (isa pa to. updates!)

[mishka adams]

Local jazz has been sent an angel. with a sax, and a guitar. Yeah.

[maki-monster]

Komeshi, a local Japanese restaurant here in LB had an eat all you can maki day today For P128.00. I didn't bother to count how many I managed to eat but I DO know that I finished 6 plates. Since each plate holds around 8-10 pieces of maki (15 if you pile them up - which I did), methinks I ate roughly ...well, I know I had two maki-mountain plates (which makes around 30) and the rest I just filled normally (around 40) so... I ate 50 to 70 pieces of maki. Haha. Also had lots of iced tea, which explains how Brian (a pseudo-housemate in unit H5) beat me by finishing 7 plates. The cheater didn't drink iced tea (daya mo Brian! dammun you! arr).

[webcomics update]

I can't seem to start off my webcomic. But i DO seem to find more time for reading lots of other webcomics. I think I just need that push... Anyway, added a new links section to my favorite webcomics, check them out and enjoy (I highly recommend BoltCity's "Copper"). I also moved the tagboard up so it's easier for everybody to tag.

[raul roco]

Dies at the age of 63. And everything that was good and righteous and all the hope I tried to believe this country still has seems to have went along with him. It's a sad day for this country.

This is the man who should've won in 1998, in 2004. This is the man who should've been President. The man who should be President.

The possibility of that is now lost. I don't know where this country is going to go to anymore.

[pusoy dos]

The other day (Wednesday methinks), me and some of my friends from Skewed Studios (Seth included. here's a link to her blog) were playing Pusoy Dos in the SU (Student Union) canteen. It was just your usual nothing-better-to-do game of Pusoy Dos until (wala lang) I started to make up stories behind the cards being played; the three of clubs being the unfortunate expendable scout, a pair of Kings having an alliance, a fullhouse being a sentai team with a mech, etc. then everyone just started to play along.

Then I thought, what if we could seriously make a story out of Pusoy Dos and turn into a project for Skewed? The possibilities for stories are almost limitless with the 52-card deck. We needed a specific scenario of cards to work on so we tried to reshuffle the deck and deal four hands just to see what happens. To our surprise, the card combinations on the four hands already created the perfect setting for a possibly great story. A Royal Flush on one hand, Straights, a Fullhouse, Flashes, good pairs (may love stories agad na lumabas), the Black Jack, the Queen of Spades, the Ace of Spades, all the Kings and Queens (affairs here and there. the King and Queen of Hearts surprisingly staying loyal) distributed almost perfectly (or coincidentally) on the four hands and the Three of Clubs showing up in the hand of the best place to start.

We've been working on the stories since yesterday. We did research on the cards, a whole afternoon of brainstorming with almost everybody, concept mapping, political relations, creating timelines, figuring out the technologies, blah and all I can say is that the results are VERY promising. I won't be discussing details on the card combinations here so as not to spoil our future readers.

I just feel that nice wave of inspiration coming on this one. Besides, my dead Silverfish project actually fits perfectly in this story but I guess that's just IT. Everybody now has the chance to have their own unique inpusts in the story considering the broadness of the setting that can be created with the 52 cards.

It's just nice seeing everybody getting pumped up again after months of I don't know... artistic sterility. Ano kaya magandang title?

SKEWED STUDIOS by the way is an "art studio" in UP Los Banos formerly known as the Radical Dreamers (don't ask where that name came from. long story). It was started by a group of friends who all had an interest in Art, Comics, Anime, Sci-Fi and everything else in between. It started out as an anime-loving (you can say "nerdy") barkada and eventually turned to making comics. The group is composed of talented (haha) artists, writers, photoeditors, and contributors. Skewed Studios is a non-recognized (underground?) "organization" and we like it that way.

review [beck - mongolian chop squad]

Yesterday, I decided to go buy a fresh supply of blank CDs from Greenhills on my way home from QC (from a todo-gimmick weekend at QC). While I was checking a few things out at 2RATS before buying blanks, I saw a DVD compilation of Beck - Mongolian Chop Squad.

4 DVDs at p70 each was an excellent price so I decided to buy them and besides, I had a good feeling the series would be great. I've read the manga, and I remember it sending uhh.. shivers you might say, down my spine (a challenge - imagine making readers 'feel' and imagine how good the main character sings with just panels and lyrics and no sound). I was a bit apprehensive because of the recent failures of manga-to-anime translations of titles like Naruto (gods, the anime is just horrible) and Bleach but then the price, a few previews of the episodes plus residual feelings of euphoria from my previous encounter earlier that day made me feel like I can't go wrong with this one.

And I wasn't - Beck is one of the BEST anime titles I've seen. I watched the first few episodes almost immediately when I got back and ended a few hours later with episode 21 (out of 26 episodes). I give this title 5 friggin well earned stars for the following reasons:

1. being faithful to the comicbook (in fact making it even better IMO).
   
2. extremely well-done (seamless blending of traditional and CG) and consistent animation. I liked how the guitars were done in high-detail CG and blended nicely with the had-drawn panels. the character's movements were also realistic and, I don't know how exactly to put it but.. fluid and laid back.
   
3. a well-written script. None of that no-brainer dialogues you often se in anime these days.
   
4. one great soundtrack which includes originals from the series and a few classics like the Beatles' "I've Got a Feeling" and "Follow Me" from the Rocket Boys. the Dying Breed song "Full Moon Sway" and the Beck MCS original "Slip Out" are also among my favorite tracks from the soundtrack. The voice-actors' vocals in the songs were actually quite good (minus the Engrish of course).
   
5. visual-kei glam/ pop rock bashing. subtle bashing (maling word na yata yung bashing...), hindi naman in-your-face.
   
6. for being a nice inspirational watch. a story of self-discovery, stepping out of the crowd, love, and the passion for real music.

The story of Beck - Mongolian Chop Squad starts when Yukio Tanaka or Koyuki to some of his friends, an uninspired and frequent bully-target middle-school kid with an unknown talent for singing meets and becomes friends (through an unlikely string of circumstances) with Ryuusuke, a talented indie musician and his strangely cute dog "Beck". Through Ryusuke's and his tough-chick younger sister Maho's influence and Koyuki's mission to find a way to impress 'the girl', Izumi, Koyuki gains a newfound passion for Rock and eventually becomes the unlikely frontman for "Beck" - the ultimate rock band.