Tuesday, May 31, 2005

[the wayfarer guide]



You Are The Wayfarer Guide

"I'll show you the way."

Your deep insight and quick wisdom never ceases to amaze those around you. You are the guiding light for many of those you know and are not afraid to help anyone else who asks. Not very many acknowledge your tremendous help and effort, but you do not mind that so much. You've seen what is in store for them, and will be there should they need your help. You enjoy people in general, but are very selective of who you let see the real you. Others see you as an enigma of sorts, a mystery that is seemingly ever changing.

Which Classic Story Role Do You Play?
brought to you by Quizilla

::::::::

I like this quiz already. 8 reasons:
  1. the art on the wayfarer guide is cool.
  2. I like hooded cloaks.
  3. I've always liked wayfarer guide characters from stories (i.e. Gandalf, Shinsei, elves and wizards... etc.)
  4. I took the quiz three times. The first result I didn't like (because it wasn't me at all. must have answered something wrong), the second I got the wayfarer guide by answer more accurately (and more seriously) and the third, I got the guide again but with a different set of answers (that still corresponded with my personality. Actually, may isa pang time na sinubukan lang namin yung results ng most evil answers)
  5. first time I answered a "classic story role" quiz. (I've been on a quiz answering spree for a while. they're more fun than friendster surveys. plus they help with Self-discovery :D)
  6. Gives you that RPG-character feel. ..parang gusto ko maglaro ng DOTA ulit...
  7. it actually offers a large (more than usual) variety of results. currently counting 8... still strying out some combinations...
  8. para lang maging eight. astig ang eight e..

[teh Fool]

something I saw in Ken's messenger status. I think it's from the tarot card..

the Fool represents the passion and purity of purpose found in all beginnings. Cloaked in trust and innocence, he teaches us to look up and reminds us to act on our ideals.

Wala lang. Just something I saw and thought I should write. reminded me of myself. and of some people. and of someone. and something. then again we all feel like fools sometimes. so nevermind.

Hmm... tarot cards.. *goes to Google search*
..interesting.
Suddenly I remember "the Vision of Escaflowne". that was one Great anime. *sigh* they don't make anime like they used to anymore.

Wow. Sorry. pointless post. just thinking out loud. (and writing)... Labo.

Saturday, May 28, 2005

[sith sense]

Haha!
I have defeated Darth Vader! it's true! he said the Force was strong in me. 'said he couldn't read my mind. haha. Vader sucks.

Lols. wala lang, Just having some fun because I have nothing to do. A fun site introduced by Celsus, If you want to try the Sith-sense and go challenge Vader (and prove the Force is stronger in you) go
here.

Friday, May 27, 2005

[the saga is complete. finally]

Just got back from Isabela. From my grandfathers funeral (they have the strangest funeral customs. but maybe next time..). Anyway, I just saw Starwars Episode III (upu. ngayon ko lang naponuud) and (haha) I wasn't disappointed at all. I wasn't disappointed at all because I didn't expect it to be a good movie in the first place :)

The script was ...like something from a really old comic book. Or an anime dubbed in English by Cartoon Network. It was cheesy (I wanted to say horrible but well...). Then again I didnt expect it to be good anyway. I mean.. Obi wan: "wait a minute, this isn't right. We're supposed to be smarter than this." -> Dude, you're a Jedi Master, you're supposed to sound smarter than that. Padme: "...Anakin, you're breaking my heart..", and then theres Anni-boy's lines, don't get me started with his lines. Even if he was already being called "Lord Vader" by the end of the movie, he'll still be the stupid gullible and disturbed Anakin Skywalker to me. Darth Vader used to be cool, but after watching this, I'll never be able to look at Vader the same way again. There's also something about Obi Wan describing Anakin's condition as "being in a lot of stress". Mali e, sabi nga ni Celsus. Ganito na lang, Obi wan: "he's acting strange. must be the Darkside of the Force creeping up his mind. but then again I could be wrong - it's probably just stress. Maybe we should take him to a therapist."

The script sounded so cheesy I felt like I was watching the old Starwars movies again. But then maybe that's what they really intended (this would explain Anakin's 70's hairdo). Pero yun nga... it was supposed to be the last installment in the Starwars Series. the Last. the episode that would complete the Saga. I wanted to expect something better than the previous installments but couldn't. And it's a good thing I didn't kundi nabadtrip lang siguro ako.

I give this movie a 3 out of 5. But out of respect to one of the biggest founders of modern Sci-Fi and special effects I'll give a 3.5 out of 5, Or maybe I'll just give it a 3.75 because I think that swordfights with katanas or lightsabers or bastard swords are always the "good stuff" in movies. Especially ones with Yoda :D because Yoda is cool.

About the swordfights... I swear, that little disarm (literally) move Anakin did on Count Dooku was an arnis disarm. It was the fulcrum disarm thing (disarm number ..something. can't remember). Yoda vs. Sidius wasn't as cool as I had expected it to be. Throwing levitator thingies at your opponent is not cool. Dooku had it right when he said that "we should settle things with our skills with a lightsaber." The Anakin vs. Obi wan duel, on the other hand, was good. But it just took too long to finish. I liked how something as simple and as basic as the concept of "higher ground" proved to be the undoing of Vader-boy. Upstart Sith was too full of himself. In arnis, one of the dumbest things you can do in a match is to jump straight at your opponent. It's a strong attack if it hits but it leaves you prone to counterattack. All your opponent has to do is slash you across the torso (or head) in mid-air while sidestepping.
...and Mace Windu! Mace windu kicks ass! damn you Anakin for killing the coolest Jedi that ever lived.

Speaking of swordfights, "Batman Begins" features a Bruce Wayne who studied kenjutsu. hmm... good stuff. (Ra's Al Ghul pa kalaban. iaijutsu duel na to)

Anyway, that's it for my review. Next time: strange funeral customs and the hobbit lifestyle. Sarap sa probinsya.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

[one last look]

WTF!? Anakin SKywalker is Darth Vader!?? (haha. lols) and and... Amidala's like... gonna die?! .. and holy shit! Senator Palpatine is Darth Sidius! Ohmygod.. o_O (lol)

Haha. na-spoiler kayo no? ...kidding :D.

Malapit na mag-show ang Starwars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith. Can't wait to see it. One last look at Princess Amidala (Natalie Portman! yeah!) and Yoda fighting with a lightsaber. One last look at the much cooler and smarter Stormtroopers and (living) Jedi knights galore. And finally, an end to Hayden Christensen's horrible acting ("It's all Obi wan's fault! he friggin holding me back! buhu." ..."I killed 'em all! da wimmin.. and the childruhn.." huhu) ...And by the way, goodbye to the coolest black Jedi that ever lived, Mace Windu.

Oh, and I just have say this, we actually get to see it before teh Americans. Kudos to LucasArts for the brilliant anti-piracy campaign. And thank you for letting us watch it first.

This is gonna be fun. haha.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

[masakit ang martial arts]

I got a sprain (or whatever. a fracture maybe) from taekwondo sparring the other week. I've been planning to go to the infirmary ever since but just didn't have the free time to do so (when i DID have free time, I just didn't feel like going anymore). I have no idea what's wrong with my left foot, all I know is that it hurts when I move it and it hurts even if i don't move it. I've been ice-ing it for more than a week but the pain's still there.

I'm not a taekwondo varsity member (or applicant), in fact I'm an arnis team member. I was just there to get a little experience to get myself ready for the inter-PE class taekwondo tournament. Because I wanted to win. I wanted to win because I wanted the PE instructor to take back what he said about arnis. And I wanted to win so I could show them all how much more superior arnis was. It was a matter of pride for me.

Forgot to mention that I DO NOT like taekwondo. Hindi naman taekwondo mismo (although I do have some issues with some of its techniques) ... what really pisses me off is the taekwondo team coach (too many issues with this guy. maybe some other time). Basta badtrip ako sa kanya.

Anyway, I had the bad luck of getting the injury a few days before the tournament. When tourney day came, the sprain (or fracture) affected my performance in the taekwondo tournament more than I had expected and made me lose the match (among other reasons. I have some other things to blame which i'll talk about later..) ...and fail myself in many aspects.

But thats not the real reason I'm ranting about all these things only now. I'm ranting because I'm supposed to be going to the LESKAS Arnis invitational this weekend but I can't (for obvious reasons).


Now I really hate taekwondo.

[in a better place]

My grandfather just died.

I know I said I didn't feel affected at all. Now that's changed.
heh.. He's probably laughing at his corpse right now and is probably telling Death a joke.

Rest in peace, Tatay.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

[a great man]

"Tatay", or my grandfather (on the father's side), has been in a coma since Wednesday. If it stays like this too long well... you know what happens next. I have to go to Isabela as soon as possible. Probably on the weekend or after finals.

Strange, I don't really feel all that.. affected. And it makes me feel guilty.

We were never really that close, maybe that's why. I was never really "close" to my relatives on the father side. I can't even remember the last time I went to Isabela. Either I'm too busy or I just don't feel like coming along (tska tutal ako naman yung palagi nakakalimutan dun e. like I'm I'm the 'lost child'or something.). But don't get me wrong, I don't have a grudge against them or anything. It's just that they've never had much of an impact on my life. Malamang ganun din ako sa kanila.

Pero astig na lolo si Tatay. I always had great time feeding the pigs and chickens with him. He made working with pigs and chickens (and tilapia) look fun. He exuded this personality that made you think that everyone in the town liked him. As far as I can tell, everyone did seem to like him. He also seemed like a very righteous man. As far as I know, he never cheated on my grandmother, never committed a crime or anything like that, and he had no vices. My grandfather wasn't a particularly scholarly man but he was a humble man who never wanted more than what he had (he was poor while all his other siblings were way richer than he was - something i remember reading from a family history paper by my older sister). To me, he seemed like a man who was content with his life. The kind of guy who never failed to look at the bright side of things. Tatay joked a lot and although his jokes weren't always funny, they always served to lighten up the mood (when everyone just looks so moody. or depressed. or bored). ..He was an overall cool guy.

I guess I'm supposed to be writing a eulogy or a testimony to the life of a great man
or something like that. But I can't. I don't know anything about him. Nothing I say will be enough. Sa totoo nga mababaw lang lahat ng nasabi ko tungkol sa kanya dito. ..I can't even remember his real name. Tatay deserves more.

He's somewhere between the realm of the living and the dead now. But wherever he is and whichever side he'll end up going to.. and no matter what happens, I hope he's happy. And smiling. And joking in the end.

[Just a minor edit: see my sister's article about Tatay here ]

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

[frustrated writer]

I reviewed my posts and well... I write like shit. I should remind myself not to visit Marck's or Kubi's blogs first before I post on mine. Nanliliit ako. Haha. Frustrated writer amp. I feel like Writer Beta when everybody else is Writer 8.0 plus. (haha. kaya sa blog design na lang ako bumabawi)

But yeah, nevermind. It's nothing big.

[idealist daw]




Above is the result of a personality quiz referred to me by a friend of mine. It says I'm an Idealist (read about idealist types). Ok.

The four icons above make up an Idealist. The exact opposites of which, according to the quiz are the traits: planner, facts, heads, and extrovert respectively (what personality type this is, i dont know). I can understand spontaneous (as im not really a 'planner'), ideas, and introvert but hearts?! I'm not a hearts person. At least i won't ADMIT to being a hearts person. Besides, I believe I'm more of a heads person ..or maybe i should say that i'd rather be a heads person. Of course personality tests aren't always accurate and as a convenient disclaimer, the quiz did say that not all results are accurate, said it only presents a guide so people can understand themselves better. Understand themselves better? Let's see.

To tell the truth, I already took the test before.
I think it was by the end of the last sem or something. I just thought i should take it again and post the results here - for the purpose of having an introduction or something like that - for myself. At that time though, the test results said i was a "Strategist" type of person. I liked it better when it said i was a strategist. You have to admit that "strategist" sounds cooler than "idealist". Makes you think around the lines of 'military tactitician' or Sun Tzu's Art of War or uber chess master - shougi - Go master - commander of the imperial armada (malapit na starwars. weehee! Natalie Portman!).

'Idealist', on the other hand, makes you sound like a stupid catholic school kid. But then again, as an artist and as a person brought up in a very religious environment among other factors - i won't say i'm a lovesick idiot or a guy who still thinks he can find an ideal relationship or maybe somebody who thinks there's still a chance for world peace - i seem to remember times when i do tend to think like an idealist. Come to think of it ..[scanning memory].... i think i really DO think like an idealist. and i WAS a catholic school kid (but i wasn't stupid. ha). ...crap. must think more on this...

Anyway, sorry. My mind suddenly got lost. ....ok, let's see this one by one:
"idealists put time and energy into developing personal values that they use as a guide through life"
---> ok, that's true.
"Idealists enjoy discussions about a wide range of topics, particularly those that deal with the future." ---> i always tend to think too far ahead and fail to put myself in the present. this particular characteristic has already caused me lots of trouble (and other people).

"they are typically easy-going and flexible" ---> i guess this explains my 2.3 grade average.
"...but if their values are challenged they may refuse to compromise.
" --->kaya ko pala palagi nakaka-away si taekwondo coach (hmm.. idea para sa blog entry. arnis vs. taekwondo).
"Idealists are often drawn to jobs where they can help people reach their potential." ---> i don't know why but i like teaching people how to draw, or teach people about martial arts, or just give advice. influencing people is fun >:)
"They are also attracted to careers that allow artistic creativity.
" ---> there you go :D

Judging from what the article said, i'd say i'm 80% idealist. ... sige na nga. Idealist na nga kung idealist. I hate this introduction. My head hurts.

[blog start!]

Finally wrapped things up with the design, must move on to content. Sorry Marck if the blog seemed too ... image-heavy. I have to admit that the real reason that I made this blog was just to experiment with a few things with dreamweaver and some html practice (and fun with photoshop). I apologize again for my blog's slow loading time, I know blogs aren't usually this loaded with pictures. As a friend of mine pointed out, I might as well should've just made a website instead of a blog if i was going to make it this image-heavy.

But what the hell, I like it this way. Gives me a sense of achievement :) It also satisfies my artistic side. Now before i start with content, I shall celebrate the successful creation of my blog with dinner. Sooo hungry....

Monday, May 16, 2005

[post number one]

Took a lot of time for this blog to finish so I hope you like it. Since this is my first ever post, I guess I'll cover the basics first; about the site (err blog), who I am, and stuff like that.

About the blog, at first I actually wanted to call it "pen and sword, in accord" after remembering my editorial column back in high school and because it was the closest title i could think of that would fit the artwork . I eventually decided against it because I thought it would probably be too cliche. Unfortunately, at the time i was making the images for the blog title, it was already 3am, I drank too much coffee, too much C2, and was already missing lots of incorrect tags. Mind was already unstable. So i end up with "penCIL and sword, in accord" (i don't ink my artworks anymore. they're all done with lead. or graphite). Unintended joke yung title. I guess it just has something to do with my being an artist and also a martial arts enthusiast.

The font I used is called "bluecake" (favorite). the guy in the leftside navigation is supposed to be me (self-portait done without reference), only cooler :D The tribal designs just came out when i was drawing the other half, and everything else was done using Photoshop special brushes. The site was created using Dreamweaver MX. Naaliw lang talaga ako sa red smears that come out during mouseover :D Thought it was cool. Used Dreamweaver java scipt on that one. Had lots of debugging to do though on html editing. Head still hurts.
Overall, I like how it all turned out.

Actually, this is my second blog. The first one I abandoned (and deleted) because I didn't like the design. It didn't have anything in it anyway, so it's ok. It was called "fuzzy detail", after the name of my dream comic book label. The name comes from what some people called my artstyle, it looks fuzzy but is strangely detailed from a distance. It's the sketchy, fuzzy pencilling that creates the illusion of detail. ..if i remember right, i think it was Neil who said it. Anyway... my original plan for the blog was to create some sort of dream logbook. An idea I had in (haha) a dream. So what's the connection between my artstyle and my dreams? In a way, dreams also give you that fuzzydetail feeling. Anyway, I just wanted to share the stories of my wierd dreams to people. I easily forget my dreams so I bought a small notebook the other day and left it in my bed with a pen. So expect to read about some bizarre dreams in the future :)

I'm also planning on posting comic strips. I have a few ideas in mind pero hindi pa sigurado. Kaya saka na lang.

Ok, about me. Just click on the profile thingie on the left side for information :D I guess thats just about it for now. More next time.