GENE: SPIRITS





Okay. It's been two weeks since

Spirits came out and I've kept an eye on it. Basically, it's a prequel for

the two Spirit Warrior movies. Same premise - bunch of kids who have

adventures in the spirit world - though the cast in this one's a bit younger. It's a typical filipino telenovela though, but it does have a few twists. I'm just worried that there are too many characters in it.



Weird fact No 1: While watching Mulawin I was wondering why the networks don't come up with a sci-fi/fantasy series like buffy - super heroes with no costumes and normal lives. Then Spirits came out.



Weird fact No. 2: As the story progresses in the Spirits series, I fell into the habit of analyzing the show and thinking how I would have done it if given the chance. Of course I would use my own experiences and memories to use as my own basis. So Imagine my suprise when the actual locations the show was shot at was very familiar. It seems that ABS CBN has indeed been using my school to shoot their show.

ZAK: Freeload



It's Christmas time again and since it's the week before the actual day, people are up and about trying to finish up their Christmas shopping list. Naturally, people who know me come up to me to ask about what gifts to give and/or where would one get them. I'm more than happy to provide the information and even make the purchase (the act though but not taking up the actual expense) for most of the gifts (and since it's Christmas time I normally don't charge a fee for my services - or if I do, I tend to give a discount). There is however one type of transaction I hate doing and as much as I've been influence by Miguel to be manipulative, it's the selfish type of transaction that I dislike doing for anyone. Piper always warned me about personal gain. Asking me to find something for themselves or for someone else is okay, but asking me to find something so that someone can buy it for them is distasteful.

PIPER: Dettached



Spent the whole of yesterday camped out in the unused apartment space the family had. With nothing but a pillow, a book, a can of pringles (pizza flavoured - yum!) and a bottle of water. Talk about having a lazy sunday afternoon. It was pretty refreshing (even though there wasn't any beach or trees around) but being alone was just what I needed. I guess being detached from technology (cellphones, television and the pc) had it's benefits. I wouldn't want to live in a place where there wouldn't be any of those but it was nice being able to relax and just be with oneself. (No green jokes from Gene and Joshua please)

You Are: Death of the Endless



You are Death, the second oldest of the Endless, the seven great incarnations. She is, in outward appearance, a goth with wild unkempt hair and slightly punkish clothes. But she is far beyond that mere description. Her function is much like the "Reaper," to collect the souls of mortals as they die.



She is perky, optimistic, and bright, but she also has a serious side, which shows when she is angry or upset. She can become quite frustrated with her brother, when he is being singularly foolish.



People fear her because of what she is, and this can get her down sometimes. But they also love her, without ever truly knowing why.


What Sandman Character Are You?
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GENE: Rotk?



Is time to go home na? I wanna watch? It's it time na? Not yet? Aww man!!! :(

JOSHUA: RotK Extended



Got my copy of the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended DVD. Original movie plus an additional 50 minutes and 450 minutes of features. I guess still no sleep for me tonight.

GENE: City of Sharn



Was able to get hold of the Eberron: City of Towers book. I have to say, It's pretty much packed with information. Needs a bit more work in organization though (topics are jumbled, no maps available, no index). Still, it sounds like a pretty interesting place to play in. As mentioned before, it was planned to convert the old Thorngate campaign and it was interesting to note that there are some similarities between the two cities. For example, in Sharn they have the Boromar Clan which functions very much as that of House Baylor in the Thorngate Campaign. Sharn's House Tarkanan on the otherhand is what the Nightmasks are for the other campaign. Hopefully, I'll be able to update the DnDZero site once

I'm done with the book.

JOSHUA: Mulawin should be shot down



Been watching the TV show Mulawin for sometime now. I used to praise and defend the show from anybody who wants to criticize the show. Afterall, it's very rare for a Filipino TV show to have a fantasy theme and have a fast paced and original plot. Lately, however, I was disappointed to find out that the writers are copying LotR's plot. It would have been different if they just based some aspects on the movie (afterall, LotR is considered to be one of the corner stones in today's fantasy genre) but not the actual plot. Here's a sample: A character, Mulagat (read: Boromir)) died after the party is ambushed by the enemy. Right after the ambush Alwina - the female lead (read: Frodo) - decides that the quest shoudl be hers alone in order to protect her friends so she goes off on her own. Aguilus (read: Sam) - goes after the love of his life. As this is happening two children which are part of the party Gas (read: Merry) and Wis (read: Pippin) are captured by the enemy. The rest of the party - Dakila (read: Aragorn), Bagwis (read: Legolas), Gasgas (read: Gimli) - decide to rescue the children. Sound like something from the end of the Fellowship doesn't it. In the next couple episodes, Aguillus nearly drowns in the river trying to catch up with Alwina (read: that boat scene where Sam almost drowns following Frodo). After that Aguilius and Alwina discuss how stories will be written about their exploits (read: Sam and Frodo moment again). Still after a few episodes, another character - Aviona (read: Gollum) get possessed and starts to talk to herself in two voices while she plots the death of Alwina and Auguilus.



::Sigh::.



The show had so much potential.

GENE: SPIRITS





In light of Mulawin's broken wing, I have turned to ABS for my daily glamour source. Starting today, Chito Roños' Spirits will be showing on Primetime TV. The series is a prequel of the movies Spirit Warriors - a group of students which have dealings with the spirit world. (Actually, it kinda reminds me of the X-men). Hopefully the series will be able to have an intersting start.

JOSHUA: National Treasure - Review



Been a long time since we posted anything here. Hopefully, this this thing is still running. Anyways, we needed some break from work after the scheduled monthly closing and decided to watch "National Treasure" as some R&R. Basically this is an American version of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. It follows the plot of finding the long lost Templar/Mason's treasure hoard. Like the DVC, there are supposed to be clues is hidden among the different historical sites in the United States which have to be found and deciphered if one needs to locate the hoard. Other than an interesting tour on the history of the U.S., the movie also has some intersting/witty dialogues. Of the three protagonists in the movie I pretty much prefer the character of Riley Poole (that cool dorky/nerd) over that of Gates and the other character. Gates is okay. The female character (wasn't she Helen of Troy?) didn't really do anything in the movie other than be the love interest - didn't really play up that intelligent part she was supposed to be. Riley on the other hand was made to be some sort of underdog yet very proficient in his field. Plus the actor who played him just had perfect timing when he shot his lines.



(Hmm... I have to remind Gene to use Riley as the template for that character they are developing for the Particle Black project).

GENE: Blood and Cherry Blossoms



The Rokugan Online-RPG is finally up and running. Hopefully I'll be able to sustain my character's part. I did notice though that most of the other players are veteran writers and posters in the board (they have thousands and thousands of posts already compared to my eight).

GENE: Blood and Cherry Blossom Campaign

Here's the character we're going to use:



Shosuro Reiko

On-line Rokugan RPG Character

Scorpion Clan Ninja 3/Fighter 2/Ranger 1

... Recently he was assigned to a well-known scorpion lord - to whom he serves as yojimbo. In the court he continues his masquerade as a Scorpion bushi: poised to defend his new lord. However, his true mission is clear - to use his natural abilities and skills and serve as a distraction. For while everyone while everyone’s attention is diverted to him the Scorpion clan might be able to function uninterrupted.



Other characters in the campaign can be found here.

MIGUEL: Pyramid



One of the biggest problems with being a Tremere is that one works within a pyramid organization. No matter how high your rank in the system is you have to answer to somebody with a higher rank than yours. In most cases, this would be beneficial since there is a structured way of passing information and orders as it is are being cascaded down the pyramid - from a superior to his underling. Problems however occur when there lacks a meeting of minds between the two. More so, if the elder's way of thinking is different, or even inferior, to that of a more knowledgable subordinate. This cannot be avoided since it is possible that the two may come from different places or even a different time era. The blood bond, and thus obedience, allows the elder to exert his own will upon any decisions that have come into conflict - which in turn might not really be beneficial to the clan.
Gives a certain level of understanding to the ways of the Lasombra and the Sabbat doesn't it?

JOSHUA: Survivor Manila

Was able to catch Studio 23's
'Survivor Manila' gig at the Greenbelt 3 mall last Friday afternoon. Three
of the more familiar faces of the Survivor TV show was in Manila: Shi-ann
(from Survivor Thailand, also one of the two Asians who were able to join
the show), Jenna (from Survivor Amazon) and Ethan (from Survivor Africa).
The said studio was able come up with a mini Survivor event of sorts at the
mall. (It would have been more interesting if they held it in the gardens
for a more "survivor" feel but I guess that would have been a logistics
nightmare). Before teh event, the three gamely answered questions thrown
to them by RJ Ledesma. Jenna was extraordinarily funny. It's more like a
scavenger's hunt than a survivor event actually. Basically the three
survivors (as head of different teams made up of studio 23 personalities)
had to perform some tasks (which included wall climbing, singing karaoke at
RedBox, eating shrimp at BubbaGump, having one's picture taken and
completing a giant puzzle) and the first to complete all tasks wins.
Jenna's team won. I guess her strategy did work: cheating. (To which RJ
earlier commented that it was quite fittign since it was normal in the
Philippines - dunno if I would just laugh or be insulted. But hey! It is
true). It was a short event (an hour or so) but there were a lot of people
who watched (Don't really know if they were fans of the show or if they
were just uzis). Can't wait for Survivor Tondo...

MIGUEL: Impending sense of doom

I don't know if it's just me but there's
something brewing in the air. Something negative. I'm not really sure
what it is but it seems to be affecting people. In the last couple of
weeks, I've witnessed fights (both verbal and physical) have been happening
in more frequent numbers. Better watch one's step.

GENE: Out of Practice

Joined an online group in starting an
on-line Rokugan campaign. Realized that it has been months (6 actually)
since we last had a game session and I believe we have become a bit
rusty... umm... very rusty actually. The game is still in the character
creation process and already I'm having problems deciding on what character
to play. It's not that I'm running out of ideas on what to play but on
whether I still have the ability to role-play the intended character. As
of now, the decision is to play a lowly yojimbo in order to avoid any deep
role-playing and/or game mechanics complications. Hopefully once we get
the hang of how things work, we'll be able to expound on the character's
play.

JOSHUA: Dress Code

It's been more than a year since a
dress code was implemented at the office. Casual Friday was not casual
anymore. I, myself, think it's all a matter of the purpose of the ruling.
I guess it was started since the case was that there are some employees who
go visit customers in very casual clothes. I think that's what the company
is trying to prevent - to project an image of professionalism. Many were
disappointed but since it is an office policy, everyone is bound to follow
it and would have just let the bill pass without any problem. That is if
there were not incidents wherein people are able to still come in casual
clothes by merely pulling rank or by being close to those who have ranks
and cannot be reprimanded. Some try to come in the office in the required
set of clothes but with variations from the normal theme (an accessory or a
variation in the folds). These people were readily reprimanded as to the
fact that these variations, according to the people who passed the code,
are bordering on being informal - but then again how can one be sure of
their judgment when the person's sense of style is questionable: "You are
wearing black leather shoes, you have to wear white socks with those." Call
the fashion squad or even Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. These people
need to get out more.

JOSHUA: CELLULAR



Zak was able to get hold of some free premier tickets for the movie CELLULAR. It was a bit to late to call the other tribes, though. Honestly, when I first saw the trailer during THE NOTEBOOK screening, I was expecting it to be somekind of slightly high budgeted campy b movie. I was pleasantly surprised to experience that the movie is a very suspenseful and yet very funny movie. While watching, I didn't know whether the scene would make me hold on to the arm rest of my seat or to hold on to my stomach for laughing too hard - very entertaining. - very entertaining. Even if I did get to figure out the twist in the story sometime in the middle part of it, I was still enjoying the trill of the ride. The cast was exceptional. I have to give props to both Chris Evans and Kim Basinger for acting those solo parts. If you guys can catch the movie do so, but a word of advise: caution to those who will be sitting between two girls who squirm and squeeze your arms (whenever the lead actor appears on screen) and/or hit your arm everytime a gun is shot or a car crashes. I'm still bruised from last night. (Not to mention my eardrums are still ringing from all those 'aeeiiii' and 'he's so cute!! screams).

ZAK: LotR Reordered

The latest shipment from Amazon.com
arrived earlier today. Included in the shipment are replacement DVDs, as
well as other stuff other tribes have asked me to get from them. I
likewise dropped by the pirated shop this afternoon, however to my surprise
I didn't get anything. I guess I just checked out the titles available
there and sent some SMS messages to those who were asking about the
availability of titles. Recently I've noticed that I'm sort of controlling
those urges to impulse buy. Must be Piper's work - trying to save for the
coming holidays and all those stuff that Gene wants for the Birthday and
Christmas.

GENE: Revisiting Farscape

Was able to get hold of a copy of the
first season of the Farscape TV series. I wasn't really able to catch this
season since Tim only got me hooked when Season Two was already playing on
the local cable channels. I think this is the best season since it still
shows John Crichton's innocence to the 'being lost and having aliens on the
whole other side of the universe' thing. It's in this season that the idea
that even if there are aliens which are, in a sense, more technically
advance that humans, they are still flawed just like humans are. It's
really bad that SciFi channel had to cancel the show. I guess the low fan
base made the network executives cut the budget, but it's also this small -
but dedicated - fan base which has succeeded in having the network produce
a four hour special which wraps up the loose ends of the show and opens up
possibilities for Farscape movies to be made. Hopefully Zak will be able
to get me a copy of those.

RICO: Blog retrenchment

Over the weekend, I've deleted some of my other blogs. Most of them were
simply a one or two page experiments. I guess it's a "got his fingers in
too many pies" kinda thing. I also plan to renovate some of the remaining
blogs. Hopefully this would facilitate better handling of the remaining
blogs.

YING TZI: Chinese no more

Speaking of Greenhills. Did you guys notice
that the shops are more or less now owned by Muslims rather than the
previous Chinese occupants? I was suprised to find that most of the
stores I usually go to in Greenhills is no longer there. It's as if the
shops of old have been eaten up (well, some of it was eaten up by the fire
some years ago) and replaced by the Muslim stores selling all those pirates
stuff and cheap clothes and jewelry.

JOSHUA: Birthday Gift?!

What do you mean a 6260 for a
birthday gift?! What about the LotR Return of the King DvD? Aren't we
saving for that too?

ZAK: LotR RotK

That's for Christmas. ;)

ZAK: Cellular Hunting

I think it's time to get a new phone.
I was browsing through the web and found out that Nokia is coming out with
a new phone model - the 6260. It's a clamshell design phone and allows the
screen to be rotated (which really depends on for what function you want to
use it). It works much like the other Nokia model 6600. I did find that
it does have a bluetooth powered keyboard accessory and comes with a mobile
email client which allows usage if Quickword and Quickpoint. Anyways, I
called up globe and they already have a price listing on it - not really
that far off from the 6600. However, when I tried looking for it in the
shops in Makati and in the stalls of Megamall and Greenhills, it was no
where to be seen. I guess it's really that available yet in the market so
I'll probably wait a bit longer. Maybe that will be my birthday gift for
myself.

ZAK: TROY DVD

Joshua was having a fit yesterday when
he found out that the 2nd disc of the LotR Fellowship DVD was damaged. He
was pretty upset that the disc kept of skipping. I guess we'll have to get
a new one but in the meantime I got a copy of the R3 Troy DVD to pacify
him.

The DVD was in widescreen and the sound's in 5.1 so it's quite ok. It did
come up with an additional disc containing features on making the film.
It's not as intensive as the additional stuff in the LotR discs but it was
pretty still quite interesting.(Gene: Probably also saying that to justify the purchase. :P)
It's amazing how they were able to
make the whole city of troy and rebuilt it (well teh walls anyway) after a
hurricane destroyed it during mid-filming and how Achilles' combat style is
based on boxing. It's not really as spectacular as LotR but like I said,
still interesting. Now, if I can just find a copy of the
Fellowship...

GENE: STARGATE ATLANTIS

Was able to borrow the copy of Stargate
Atlantis (or SGA) from Johan's Tribe for the weekend. Got to see the first
seven episodes of the show. Basically it's a spin off of the original
movie and Tv series (SG1) but this time a new set of crew head to the
source of the Stargate which turns out to be Atlantis (it is indeed a
sunken city as the legend supposedly says, but what the storytellers forgot
to mention is thet the city is on another planet and that the natives fled
to Earth using the Stargates.)

Anyways, I was intrugued by the first episode coz the SGA project's goal
was supposed to travel to that point of origin and gather technology which
could help mankind. I was hoping it was something like that - something
akin to that of the StarTrek series. However, much to my dismay, during
the course of the next episodes it turned out to be a firefight between the
team and those of an alien race. It would have been interesting since some
of the characters are funny, but I got bored with the way the storyline was
going. I think I better stick with farscape and hopefully find a copy of
Firefly.

PIPER: PARADOXICAL HEADACHE

Suffered another one of those massive
headaches over the weekend and just noticed something about it. It's not
as much as that it's a physical thing but more of a mental thing. It's
like a flood of continuous voices keep entering the brain. Not really
talking at the same time but more like talking one after the other - one
thought process into another. I might just be having some sort of delusion
or possibly some symptom related to stress (or maybe it's some sort of
madness. he he he!!). What's really weird about is that this thing is
that happens only when I'm not doing anything or just doing the couch
potato thing. I guess I better find another hobby to keep my thoughts
organized and busy.

RICO: VCD Madness

Got an email from Tzelung Lin's tribe a month or so ago regarding a
possible source of tv shows ripped on vcd format. Haven't really thought
much about it due to both my busy schedule and budget constraints. I did
ask Zak to forward it to some of the other tribes knowing they are likewise
looking for some titles found in the list. I heard from Johan's tribe over
the weekend and he said that the source is reliable. I thought I sgould at
least check it out. Well, to make the story short, in the last couple of
days, copies of the list have been circulating around the workplace and
numerous orders have been made.

It was interesting to note that with the low price of the source, Rage,
sold his VCDs one had to wonder just how much mark-up he placed on it and
by then how much profit he gets. Zak couldn't help but try to do the math
and always ends up with a very minimal amount of profit per disc. Too
small to consider if it's really per disc. However, put in the mix the
number of order he gets, that small profit really grows up and the fast
turnover of money. Ying Tzi added that this might just be how the Chinese
people do their business. Honestly, I'm still having a hard time trying to
figure out exactly how that works. Maybe, I'll devote one of my research
times just trying to figure out that mystery. For now, It's back to the
list.... hmmm... farscape seasons one to four... hmmm....

RICO: Mail-to-Blogger

RICO: Mail-to-Blogger



Been having problems on accessing the blogger page from the workplace.

Actually, I can access the blogger and post pages but whenever I republish,

the screen just goes BLANK. Anyways, I finally figured out how the

mail-to-blogger function works (Yeah, I know I'm kinda slow) so I guess I

can easily (and more often) post now. (I just have to test if the HTML

tags also work within the email process).

YING TZI: WUXIA EVERYWHERE

Yup, almost every one of the characters in the movie is flying/jumping/gliding around. Add martial arts, swordfight and impressing colors into the mix. But then again, what else would you expect from the producers of both Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero. Asian superstars hit the big screen once again as Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau and Zhang Zyi star in this action/tragic love story movie (umm.. almost every movie of this type is anyways).



I expected (and wasnt disappointed) to find Zhang Zyi is as graceful as ever, while Andy Lau dark and brooding. It's Takeshi Kaneshiro who suprised me. I haven't really seen him in a Wuxia type movie so it was good to finally see him in one ... and he doesn't let down. It was fun seeing him do archery (even if it was cgi), it's like him saying "Try and beat that Legolas!" (Hmm... ancient armor, fast swordfight, horseback riding, chiseled features, ponytail... sounds familiar).



Anyways, the storyline has a few twist but I found the ending too abrupt. Still it was a visual treat so if you guys have time. Do find time to see it.



P.S. Gene, you'll be glad to know I didn't use any magick on finding this one.

RICO: Paradox infected



Wasn't able to go to work today. Massive massive headache with no known source. Oww!!! Better sleep if off.

GENE: Paradox



Careful Ying Tzi, if you're not careful one of this days paradox will get to you!

YING TZI: ARAHAN Found



I sent out a message to the other tribes yesterday asking for some assistance locating a copy of the korean movie arahan. Well, I earlier today, I had Zak use up some of the Correspondence magick and was able to conjure up a copy from his contacts.



The movie is fun (much like any action-advanture Korean movie). It's a combination of a quasi-love story, comedy and action movie. The fight scenes don't really start until around an hour into the movie but doesn't let down from then on. If you guys can find a copy, do watch it.

JOSHUA: Reality TV



I spent the whole Sunday afternoon watching reality tv shows and having not that much top talk about I thought I might as well write about them:



NEXT ACTION STAR

Much like American Idol, except that instead of getting a singer they try to find an actor. It’s the audition process that I found most intriguing and disturbing. The show went from coast to coast in search of possible actors in an action movie, and yet people from all walks of life came to the auditions hoping (sometimes even beyond hope) that they would be able to be picked. There are guys who would do Broadway songs, comedy skits and basically making a fool of themselves. There are people who would try as they might to pull of action moves even if their bodies are incapable of heavy exercise much less martial arts moves. Well, I can’t really say that this thing is in the mentality of the Americans coz if you check out the local shows, this thing likewise happens. I guess that the William Hung phenomenon hasn’t been removed from the brains of the masses and that they probably believe that they still need just one shot in the limelight and make them, not really an action star, but a star in their own way.



AMAZING RACE

The Amazing Race goes to the Philippines. I still don’t think it’s much of a challenge to do the Amazing Race here in the Islands coz most people here do speak and understand the English Language. But then again I did not consider that there are some other obstacles to the Race other than the language barrier. I mean, how can a taxi driver in Manila not know where the Coconut Palace is (Cookie palace he says?).



SURVIVOR 9

Ok, so they’re off to a volcanic island this time. What’s new is that they added a twist that there are some limb-challenged contestants, one would have thought they would be the first to be voted out but then again if one thinks he’s week might as well keep him and take him out at one’s leisure – but then again aren’t those underdogs the ones who usually win the game?



Men vs Women. It was easy to guess that the women will be the ones who will win the first challenges.



Eye-candy. Yup, lots of eye-candy in this season. Sorority girls and College Jocks types seem to make up half of this season’s group – I’m not expecting them to last long but I do hope they keep them as long as they can just to make the show prettier to one’s eye.

JOSHUA: Battle Royale



Upon Ying Tzi’s insistence, we watched the Japanese film called Battle Royale. It’s a movie set in ‘What If’ type of universe. I’m not really sure about the background of the story but from what I can gather, there seems to be some sort of economic problem in Japan which led to some problem with the coutry’s kids and education system. In order to teach the young ones some respect, the adults created the BR Act where one class was selected and asked to kill each other so that the survivor will understand that life is a game and that respect of adults should be learned. I know it’s weird but the film is so full of violence that one doesn’t have time to think of the storyline itself.



I have just one thing to say, the Japanese are very zealous about everything – even with their twisted gore flicks.

YING TZI: Binondo



I went to Binondo to check out some few items. I don’t think I’ll be able to memorize the different landmarks of the place. Every time I head towards that area, the transport I take takes a different route.



I knew that the Chinese merchants were good and that they would do and say anything to get sale but this latest one got me by surprise. I was checking out the video shops when the vendor came up to me and asked if I was half-Chinese. I gave him a curious glance and simply said no. He then nodded and left me for a while. He then circled back and this time asked if I was half-Japanese. I laughed and again said no. I then asked him why he thought I was one. He said that I wasn’t probably full Filipino coz I was whiter than normal. I just had to laugh it off. I have never in my life been whiter than normal and never been mistaken as being chinky eyed. Like duh?!

PIPER: Rage



I think it was the need for revenge that drove that person to do such a thing. I asked Zak to investigate into the matter and it seems that the person who did this chain letter of destruction was probably caught off guard that there was already a big investigation on the unlawful stuff he has been doing. Upon presentation of the evidence against him, he was then quickly escorted out of the office premises much like a convicted criminal – bringing nothing of his stuff except that of his cellular phone. I guess was driven by humiliation to get his revenge on the person who he thought brought it down to him. Bad circumstances gave him a target and he proceeded to likewise humiliate that other person. He should not have resorted to something as low as that, especially when it was he who brought this down on himself. He knew the consequences he would have suffered when caught.

MIGUEL: Caught within the crossfire



I got word last night that I - apparently - sent an incriminating email to the marketing department of a customer. The said email is some sort of blind item, which aspires to discredit one of my bosses at work.



Nasty! Just plain nasty!



I guess some sort of background info might be in order so I tried tracing the steps done by the culprit. Here’s what I found: Supposedly, some girl (who it would seem turns out later turns out to be a college student) composed and sent the email to a yahoogroup called ‘pinay_celebrity’. To make it appear as if I received that email from the said group, somebody created a fake yahooID account for me and added the said account to the yahoogroup. Having received the said email, the fake me then proceeds to send the email to the marketing department of the No. 1 customer of the company.



As if!!



How did I know it was the fake me? They used my real name and company name as part of the yahooID. Like I’ll do something like that?! I don’t even use my real name in my real email accounts and yahooID, much less use it for something like this! Furthermore, the fake yahooID was added to the group the same time the email was sent. Can anyone say ‘Obvious!’?



Naman!!



The nature of the email is quite sensitive and if proven true, the boss might just be terminated. However, the management team believes that it is just the ploy of someone to get even with my boss and they know (at least that’s what they tell me) that I’m not part of it and are just as sorry as I am that I was dragged into this mess. It’s a dispute between my boss and some supervisor he had suspended and the whole thing just got out of hand. Last thing I heard, some very, very sensitive stuff has been used and it looks like the gloves are off. I just hope I make it out of this thing unscathed.



I know I needed some excitement at the office but this is a little bit off from what I wanted.

GENE: to boldy go where no one has gone before! bwa ha ha ha!!

i don't really know what the other results would have been but i'm sure i wouldn't have the uniform and tricorder - though i would put it into consideration for halloween. ;P

Which internet subculture do I belong to? [CLICK] You are a Trekkie! It's a geek, Jim! You probably have a starfleet uniform and a tricorder. Bonus points if you speak klingon. One day you will walk down the aisle with your buttertroll trekkie partner, humming to the Voyager theme. More Quizzes at Go-Quiz.com

ZAK: Dark Angel DVDs



Rico and Gene wanted to catch the reruns of the season two of Dark Angel (probably as research material for Particle Black). Locally, the set costs around P 3,500.00. Incidentally, however, a friend is at the States for vacation so I thought I check out Amazon and have the dvds shipped to her ask her to bring it back when she comes back. That would cost me P 2,400.00 and save me around P1,100.00 from shipping alone. For some reason I had this itch and contacted my street contact if the dvds were available. As of yesterday, she said there was none. So, I was planning to put the order at Amazon after lunch today. Before I could do that though, I did got an sms message from my street contact this morning. It seems that the pirated copies arrived on Philippine shore today and she was able to get me a set for only P 480.00. That saves me a total of P 3,020.00. Don’t you just love coincidental magic?

JOSHUA: Kapuso



I very rarely watch shows from the local channel GMA7. I watch either the imported shows (may it be american, european, chinese, japanse or korean) or that from the other channels. Anyways, this week, I've been keeping my eye out (and my vcr on timer) when they started showing the fantasy tv series Mulawin. The story is simple enough - there's supposed to be a savior born to the winged folk tribe which will save them from their enemy tribe. Problem is the savior (a girl winged folk) got dumped into the human village and where she grows up thinking she is human. The visual effects and actors still need a lot of work if one wants to make it at par with imported tv series, say charmed, buffy or smallville. But then again the production is much much better than those they show in the opposing channel. I think GMA7 is learning to fine tune its shows, more so with the on going network wars.



I also heard they will be coming out with another new show called Coming Out, which is supposed to be based on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy tv series shows on ETC which appears to likewise be a hit here in the country.



Hopefully they'll show some sci-fi or intellectual comedy shows in the future. I wouldn't really hold my breath for that.

ZAK: MUTANT DVDs



Got to get hold of a copy of a box set season one of the tv series Mutant X. I know it's a pretty lame showm but I guess what really trigerred my interest is that it is in a box set - the original dvd release of the series was not issued as a box set. Upon further examination I was able to check that not only is the box the only difference but each disc likewise had three episodes rather than two which was the one on the original.



So that brought up a question, under the copyright laws it is illegal to copy something as is, yet if one adds some value to a product it's not exactly copying it, does it?



I wonder if they have firefly and farscape on "pirated" box sets too...

JOSHUA: Familiar Face



I watched the 1995 film "Hackers" again. Did you guys remeber the fact that Angelelina Jolie showed her boobies in that movie? Another thing that was working in the back of my brain was that the protagonist Dade Murphy/Zero Cool/Crash Override (who later I found out was actor Johnny Lee Miller ex husband of Ms. Jolie herself) looked kinda familiar - he's also the star of the "Mindkillers" movie I was watching last night. He also played "Sick Boy" in the movie Trainspotting .



Weird.

JOSHUA: Mindhunters



Tim once told me about this film so when I saw a copy I decided to get it. Basically the story goes something like this:



"On a remote island, the FBI has a training program for their psychological profiling division, called "Mindhunters", used to track down serial killers. The training goes horribly wrong, however, when a group of seven young agents discover that one of them is a serial killer, and is setting about slaying the others. Can the few that are left figure out who the killer is in time?"



After watching the film, I kept trying to remember what Tim wanted to me see. I knew it was something to do with the characters, but not exactly what. Though so part were "like duh", basically I liked the concept.

JOSHUA: Photographer of the Year



It’s official, I’m the Photographer of the Year . . . well for the company’s Photography club/workshop anyway.



We’re just wrapped things up for the 2003-2004 block and I won the overall monthly competition by 2 points.  It’s kinda funny that the photo that game me the last few crucial points were from an instamatic camera which fought against the SLR cameras of the other members.



I was supposed to get a medal for my efforts, but I guess they’re still having it made.  They did give me some high definition professional film and some ASA 100 film.  Which I kinda found weird since I prefer using the digital camera over that of the traditional one.



They did have a raffle and I did win the grand prize of a free Digital Photography Training.  I guess that kinda makes up for it. 

ZAK: More Powerful Than A Super-hero



Had another one of those weird days at the office. 



There’s this quarterly thing called “Breakfast meetings” held at the office to discuss how the company’s doing for the last couple of months.  Each time this is done, some sort of twist is made in order to lighten things up.  This time the theme was that of Super-heroes!  As if that’s not weird enough, each of the presenters had to come in costume and at the same time try to present their report in reference to the theme.



Anyways, I was one of the reporters and was surprised to think that most of the other reporters were thinking of this as some sort of contest.  There one who was planning to go as Kato (Green Hornet’s sidekick).  Yet another one was going as Superman.  Some even got to get their department mates to play part of a group thus some were in going as the Power puff girls (complete with the Professor) and yet another one was going as the X-men.  Seems everyone wanted to better the other’s presentation and even bought their costumes.



Left to my own resources, I was wondering what I should do.  So I went to the store and bought myself a Spider-man T-shirt.  Not a costume, but just one of those with “Spider-man 2” written on front and a big drawing of Spider-man at the back.



Come presentation day, I was the last to give my report.  So clad in a white long sleeve sweatshirt and the T-shirt on top of that, some jeans, rubber shoes and a pencil tucked in my ear I started to explain: “I was forced to think of someone who was more powerful than the super-heroes that came before me.  Since most of the heroes came from comic books, I guess coming as a simple comic-book artist gives me better leverage when dealing with them.  I may not be the one fighting crime but I’m the one who’s instructing the heroes what they should do – kinda like when you’re at Finance and dealing with the Sales people.”



Anyway, I then proceeded to present my report.  I found some comic panels of spider-man before hand (those panels with drawings but with no dialogue yet), which is in turn I made a flash presentation just like those dot comics found in the marvel site.  It kinda fit nicely into the comic book artist theme I was going for.



Everyone was line, “He got us there didn’t he?”

GENE: Ragnarok Offline



Rico fixed the computer! Yehey! Joshua would be so happy!



Got hold of a copy of the Ragnarok Offline game. It's the server version actually, which means one can play it without connecting to the level-up-games servers. I think this is a beta version or something. I had to guess some of the commands which were still in korean. I was able to try a couple of characters and would probably try the others when I find time. It is pretty much addicting but there's something missing from it. Playing with yourself is not as fun as playing with someone else.



Yuck! Joshua! Get your mind out of the gutter! Piper!! Joshua's thinking dirty thoughts again!

RICO: House Computer Fixed



Found time to format the hard disk and finally got the computer system working. Much to Gene and Joshua's delight.

JOSHUA: KING ARTHUR



Was bored at the office so I left early to be able to catch a movie and try to get rid of the boredom I was feeling. Went to Greenbelt three and watched King Arthur. Was sitting beside Deither and Kristine for two hours of more boredom. I expected something more from the movie but then again what could you get from a film who wanted to be based on a more realistic version of the myth?

JOSHUA: Spidey



I’m assuming that as of this time most of the people have already seen the Spider-man 2 movie, so I don’t think I’ll need to give a blow-by-blow review. Nor do I believe I need to give the lecture on what lessons one can learn from the movie regarding heroes and self-sacrifice.



I guess I can safely say that it’s great summer movie. Well, for me anyway. I went in expecting drama and more spidey action and I wasn’t disappointed. The hero sub-plots were nicely done. I really felt sorry for Doc Ok. Tobey Maguire’s spidey stance, moves and stunts (or maybe those were just CGI but then again it was beautifully rendered so I’m not complaining) to the shooting of the web balls and other neat spidey tricks/action.



The inside jokes were a treat as well - the elevator skit and the “My back! My back!” scenes were funny (though, as usual, there were times that I would be laughing all by myself when those scenes were shown – or probably laughing for a different reason. :P )

GENE: Campaign worlds and blogs in a state of flux



should have known better than ask zak regarding the eberron book.



anyways, i confirmed with the host and it seems that the computer is still down for another week. i guess the rest of the blog and campaign projects will likewise be on hold together with that. as of these. currently there are three blog projects which are trapped in limbo:



Tempest Feud: the crew of the Lee Hua are contracted by the neogi to take care of something for them in this blog version of the spelljammer 2004 campaign.



Shackled City: continuation of the adventures of Amun-Ra, Archibald VanDerBoren IV, Ian McLaren, Pharem Carrabhin, and Thariel Valkyrie in the city of Cauldron. based on a chain of adventures featured in Dungeon Magazine.



Sharn: Isabella, Laverne, Mother Butler, Augustus, Derek and Tsu Chow are transported in this conversion project of the Thorngate series into the campaign world of Eberron.

ZAK: FLUFF AND CRUNCH



Gene asked me to take a look at a copy of Eberron - the new campaign setting of the D&D game. I guess he wanted to see how salable the ideas found within the book are and on whether there are stuff that can be useful in the other project.



For one thing I think Eberron in a well thought of world. Umm… let me kinda reword that – Eberron is made up of stuff from a jumble of thoughts. I think it was made to clearly resell the D&D/d20 system and try to gain more sales on the existing books that WotC came up with. The book is riddled with tons of different stuff which touches on different books that have been published by WotC for the last three years. One would need to have a complete collection of the said books in order to fully make use of the stuff located in the Eberron books. It’s like one person said “why don’t we put this idea in” “cool!” and they place the idea there. Then later “how about this idea?” – a totally different one” and the reply would be “sweet!” and they place them in so the final product looks like a hodge podge of things. I do have to give credit to Keith Baker (the creator of the setting) for trying to give sense to all the stuff and elements that was put in the setting – regions, houses, intrigue and such. A good DM might be able to find, sort and modify all the stuff he needs in his campaign but otherwise it’s going to be a nightmare for some.



Basically, for me, much of the book was FLUFF. Too many interesting things were described but not enough explanation was given as to how to enable players and DMs to use them in their games. I guess I would fall into those type of players who have more need of CRUNCH (game mechanics) rather than FLUFF coz I think almost 20 years of gaming experience can enable one to easily make up his own setting and storylines and yet, it would take a great game designer to find new ways of using the d20 system to it’s full advantage.

GENE: DINOSAUR



the host was reading the (news)papers last night and a couple of articles surprised me. one was a book review section and it discussed how the dragonlance books, specifically the legends trilogy, changed the reviewer’s life (said reviewer is in high school and possibly reading the 3rd printing of the book). i read the legends when i was high school. it was one of my beloved books back then. how could i resist a story about raistlin (looks around the cranium to check if the raistlin persona is listening, wouldn’t want to stroke his ego) especially when it was about the him in the height of his power and his subsequent downfall.



another article which caught my eye was that magic the gathering (the collectible card game) is coming out with it’s 45th expansion in the coming month. 45th!!! it’s been around that long? why, i can still remember the time jd pulled out and gave away cards from the beta set. i wonder how one would pick his cards if they would still allow type one games.



of course, there was also the spider-man articles since it started showing at the local theaters yesterday. spider-man was around since i started with comic books. ageless! much like the new cartoon of the teen titans which is being shown on the cartoon network. even if it’s kinda different from the hard copies I collected back in the days, the general idea’s still there.



reading these articles is complex. for one thing, one should feel happy that all the stuff one loved when he was a kid is still there. however, it is also kinda sad that even if these sources of glamour are around, one cannot help to think that the amount gathered from them is still not enough to help one and those around him to stave off the effects of winter like it used to. maybe it’s just the fact that people change (read: grow old) and thus one must learn to adapt to things and events around him but he still needs to hold on to some things or else one would totally lose himself in the mundane ness of life itself and eventually be extinct like the dinosaurs they are now.

RICO: GRUMPY



I'm really not sure but I think my lack of sleep is getting the best of me. I haven't really slept well in the last couple of days - primarily because i changed beds last sunday and attended the manila film festival awards night (of which the company i work with was a major sponsor). things have been rotten at the office in the mornings. it seems i have a very very short fuse 'specially when dealling with people who are just too full of themselves. normally i would just let any slight they would have pass but for the last couple of days i felt i just had to say something in their face to let them know they can't always get what they want.



*sigh*



i think i'm going to sleep early tonight just to break the trend.

RICO: Two weeks and my computer is still dead.



As suggested by the more technically inclined people I know, I tried changing the battery of my computer unit but still to no avail. I did a small experiment and removed the connections to the hard disk just to check if it was the one error but the computer still functioned the same way, so my assumption is that it’s more of a hardware problem rather than just an OS problem. I guess I have no choice but to send the computer to the repair shop.

RICO: PERPETUAL STATE OF BLAH



My computer's still busted. It's not really that it can't be repaired - well I don't really know if it can be or not 'cause I just don't have it in me to get it checked up, and if necessarily, repaired. There's not even the drive to open it up and see what's wrong with it, much less, bring it to the shop at Alabang. Normally I would have been in a state of panic over not being able to use the computer at home. I have a guess on why: For the last couple of weeks, I've been in a perpatual state of blah - some sort of blank-ness.



I don't think it's burnout. That kinda has some sort of negativeness atatched to it. This state I'm in is simply ... um ... nothing. I can go on with my daily grind but when I stop I just get BLANK. Don't really know how long this funk is going to last but until it does I'm keeping myself busy with work, photography and volleyball.

RICO: Computer's busted ... again





*sigh*



it's that time of year again when my computer at home is acting up again. this time it just won't start. well, it powers on but doesn't do anything from there. i'm thinking on playing around with the battery later, but if that doesn't work it's off to the shop.



*sigh*



i guess all my projects will be temporarily put on hold until i get the unit running again. i guess we really are getting too much dependent on technology.



*sigh*

JOSHUA: Movie Review: Shrek 2 - Easter Egg Hunt!







Funny! Funny! Funny! That’s what I have to say for the movie. Not only are the voice talents, the storyline and the animation superb, but also there seems to be an endless number of “Easter eggs” in the film itself. Well, for me Easter eggs are those tiny bits of inside jokes the producers and filmmakers put into their films much like an inside joke. It is this type of stuff which once again, transforms me into that idiot that laughs by himself, while the rest of the audience are staring at the screen waiting and my seats mates are giving me the are-you-crazy-or-something-stare. Sometimes I hate it when that happens but then again, I guess I shouldn’t mind, cause if there was Easter egg there in the first place then I guess I (and possibly the ones who placed it there) should be happy that it was found.



Anyways, here’s a couple of the instances where I found laughing all by myself:



There’s a part where Puss and the gang were caught in the raid and eh said something like “Don’t you hate Mondays?” I remembered that that was Garfield’s (another orange cat like Puss) who always says that.



There’s a poster at the ‘ceiling’ of Princess Fiona’s bed that has a poster of Sir Justin. I guess it was pretty obvious by the picture that it was that of Justin Timberlake. It was pretty normal to assume that the teenage princess would have a poster of a “pop star” in her room, but was more funny was that Justin is the real life sweetheart of Cameron Diaz who’s the voice actor of Princess Fiona.



“What in Grimm’s name?!” Obviously a reference to God and the Grimm Brothers, te latter the creator of most of the fairy tales.



There’s a couple more, which are pretty obvious, the star bucks reference, the stay puff marshmallow man, pretty woman, the references to different stomach medicines and love potion ix (number nine) references in the potions factory. Anyways, I’ll leave it to you guys to see it yourself and find the other Easter eggs on your own. Enjoy!

GENE: Webpages



was planning to update the old campaign webpages when i found out that geocities has already taken the pages down due to inactivity. no more spelljammer, thorngate and cauldron websites. i swear, the agents of winter are working ovetime.



on the bright side, the rokugan community has set up a website wherein they submitted fan art. it's at http://rokugan.deviantart.com



i tried to submit one art rourke made but i still can't figure out how to add it to the rokugan page. anyways, it's in the default page and am still waiting for the rokugan page owner to upload it himself. for now it's at http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/7410825/ and is gathering some interesting reviews.



(addendu: Ha! was able to retrieve most of the files for the website. Hopefully, I'll be able to retain them this time)

GENE: To blog or not to blog



was talking with a circle member yesterday and he said he was kinda sad that whenever he would check out the messages from the yahoogroup he would find that there are few messages posted on the group - fewer even than the already minimal amount the group has been receiving aside from the occasional forwarded messages, web links and weird quotes.



i guess the reason for that is that most of the members of the circle have either been busy with their own lives and/or have found another means of output in the form the blog. i found it curious though that even if basically, the blog is supposed to be a place where one can rant and share his thoughts to the rest of the world it has, it would seem, also have been a way of distancing one's self from the others who are already around him.



i don't know if this is indeed part of the goal of a blogger (to distance himself) when he first sets up his site, as each blogger has his or her own agenda when setting up his blog. but, just maybe, blogging is in itself a just a narcissistic and self-absorb way of saying: me! me! me! not really that good when you look at it from the other side of the mirror, eh?



another curious thing though, the yahoogroup tagline is 'a group of changelings in their fight against banality' - with the dwindling messages and blogs popping up, does this mean winter is winning?

PIPER: Merry Munchers



There's been much talk in the workplace regarding the so called filipino lesbian wedding that happened a week ago. I'm not really familiar with the story but it seems a lot of people have different reactions to the incident. As I see it, there's a group which is very much disgusted by the event and would be more than happy to condemn the couple to hell. Still there's another group that is more than happy to just not have anything to do with the situation.



Basically, I think the Filipino community is still a Homophobic community, whether it may be towards gays or lesbians. However, I do think that it is more tolerant than what it was a couple of decades ago. Here's an observation of mine: straight people would nowadays just let be anything which is gay or lesbian related. It is when such stuff is flaunted in their faces that they have a negative reaction towards it.



The incident regarding the gay marriage would not have been that bad if not for the influence of the media (read: competition) or that of the couple themselves (read: KSP). People would probably have just ignored the situation and let the couple go on with their daily lives. However, since that is not the case, I guess it simply fueled the fear and hate that was already present.



One step forward, two steps back?

RICO: YM! down



Darn it! The office firewall is up again and this time I think it has been reinforced. I would have to find another way around the system if I am to reistablish connection to the outside world once more. Grrr!!

MIGUEL: YFGM



Had trouble sleeping last night. It was as if my body refused to sleep and my subconsious was trying to remind me of something. At 11:30 p.m. i suddenly remembered what it was - it was (or was supposed to be) B.J.'s birthday.



B.J.'s was a friend I got to know from playing CCGs. He used to hold tournaments and we would tag along and play. I guess being in the same age group as he was (most of the other players were kinda very young compared to us) allowed him to mix well with our group. Even after the CCG's died down, we sorta kept in touch (well, living in the same condo building also helped).



Most people will think that it's kinda odd that I have a friend who was like him. We have so little in common. He was, as a friend of the circle described: "a walking, talking dick". I take it that she means, he was good looking and just good enough for a romp in the sack and nothing else (in the brains department I would guess). But then again, I guess hanging around him a couple or so times kinda showed me a different side to that.



Sure he was into the shady part of life, 4Gs as he would say: Guns, Goons, Gold and Girls. He would introduce me to some of his friends. Boy! Were they scary - tattooed and such, but after a while you'll find out that they were ok. He would ask me to join parties and the people were just different from the normal crowd I would hang out with - college girls and beer. People who simply did not have a care in the world.



But then again B.J. was a man of many experiences and talents. He would tell me stories of stuff he did in the past. I kinda learned more about the real world from those stories. I guess I was also impressed on the ways he used those to make a living. He would sing as part of a band, sell different kinds of stuff, make computer repairs, do traffic enforcement. In a sense, he was really living and was teaching others in his own way.



I don't know if most people know this but his email id was "yfgm". I asked him about that one time and he said it stood for "your fairy godmother". I asked him why he chose that and he said that it was because his friends could always come to him and he would always be there to help them just like a fary godmother. kinda funny coming from this tall, buff guy.



Too bad his life was cut short. I can't really say I knew him as well as his other friends did, but then again if I was able to learn from the short time we were friends then I guess I was really blessed (is that the right word?) to have known him at all.



Last night, I took a few minutes commune with him to say thanks and happy birthday.

JOSHUA: Movie Review: Troy



Illiad in 2 and a half hours. Wished they shot this when I was still in High School.



I remember having to work my way through homer's epic for a book report in high school. It took me weeks before I was able to finish reading it. I was wondering back then, why on Earth would my Lit professor want me to read something like this?



Okay, so it was really an ordeal. Reading the Illiad would have been much fun without the pressure of the book report. I mean, a book about the Olympian Gods and Godesses and its Heroes. What's not there to love? Bottom line, I'm happy my prof had me read through it, at least I was able to discuss some of the ins and outs of the movie with my co-watchers, such as as to why Achilles was a great fighter, or why the Greeks needed to place two coins on the eyes of their dead.



Anyways, back to the movie. As always, I try to look at the movie as that of a work from the POV of the director (in this case, by Wolfgang Petersen - love his work on Air Force One) and not really on the material it was based on (Homer's Illiad). From that stand point, I have to say that Mr. Petersen (and his writer, Mr. David Denioff) did an excellent job. It's not the same as what happened in the Illiad (a decade long war) but then again he's making a movie and not a book. A decade might have been quite distracting for the audience; the shortened period of mere days (or possibly weeks for sihp travel) enhances the thrill on watching the movie. Am still wondering what would have happened if he still included the Gods into the story. Maybe he would have been right and would have made the story a bit silly.



The actors were fit for their role. Pitt, Bana and Bloom were interestingly enough fit for their characters. Some would comment that Pitt's acting was not really superb, but then again what emotions would you expect from a Fighter like Achilles. Bana was good. He was able to show a wide range of emotions, the different aspects of Hector. Bloom was well... he was fit as Paris. They needed someone who was charming and not as capable as the other two fighters. The action scenes were fantastic. The choreography was very interesting - kinda like putting martial arts into armored swordsfight.



Though I was beginning to think that the men kinda showed too much skin for an action movie.



As for the gals who played Helen and Hector's cousin (I cant' seem to remember their names), they were functionable. At first I was wondering why they used Diane Kruger as the "face who launched a thousand ships" where there are clearly more enchanting faces available. But then again it was Agammemnon (Brian Cox - great acting) who answered something like: "I did not launch a thousand ships to get you wife, I launched them to get troy." Oh, well that's Mr. Petersen for you.

ZAK:Twisted World





You're sick, you know that?!



I catch a glimpse of you at the bus' window as it passes by in front of me. That one instant is enough for me to see that you're pretty. Our eyes meet for a sec and a hint of a smile passes your lips.



I take the bus. The only seat is one a couple of rows in front of you. I would have to look back from the seat but even there I wouldn't be able to see you. I can see your boyfriend though. He keeps giving me death stares. Once, I see him as he whispers something to you and he nods towards my direction. I wonder what he told you. Maybe it's something like, "Someone's checking you out" or maybe something in the lines of "Look at that skinny guy who's sweating like a pig". Makes one wonder if the shirt I'm wearing has stains on it or whether my horns are showing. I really can't tell.



The bus ride is long. My only wish is to get a nap. I'm tired from work and from playing volleyball. I'm in no mood for mind games. However, I can't help myself from trying to get a look of you once more. Still, I can't see you, but I can see other things: you two don't hold hands. Maybe he's not your boyfriend. Maybe there is a chance. A chance for what? I still can't see you.



I give up. The bus reaches my stop. I get off. I see you once more from the window. Your "boyfriend" nudges you and once more nods towards me. You look down and smile. I smile back. The bus start to move. I walk on. I look back for one last glance and I see you looking back as the bus speeds away.



Should I run after the bus? That's kinda like something that would happen in a Taiwanese TV series. ::dao ming si! dao ming si!:: That will be a laugh. So what did I do? I just shake my head in resignation and walk home.



Are you sick in the head or something?



umm... Maybe I am the one who is...

JOSHUA:Movie Review: Van Helsing



Ok, it's a movie with a million dollar budget, tons of vampires, a couple of werewolves, a flesh golem and two and a half hunters who are played by actors who are super stars in their own rights. How could it go wrong?



Umm... I guess it depends actually on who's viewing it. Some people might have found it repulsive as that it was pretty off from the conventional stories from which these classic monsters come from or whether the action and storyline was pretty much 'baduy'. Some people might have found it very exciting and action packed with great effects. (I know my seatmate in the movie house just kept of screaming and shoting at the people on the sceen as if they could hear her. sigh. don't you just hate those)



One secret I learned for enjoying watching movies was to take it as what it is. With much of the movies nowadays being based on some previous form, may it be a comic book or a novel (or trilogy even), I tend to look at it from the director's POV or how they see it not as how it was originally written. It's less depressing that way.



Van Helsing was pretty much based on the classic horror books of Frankenstein and Dracula. However, I found it interesting enough that the director made it something like from those old black and white hollywood horror movies given a modern twist. I have to give him something for that.



I went inside the theater looking forward to just the effects and action scenes and wasn't disappointed. Movie magic has reached that level wherein you can't really say which aspects of the movie are real and which are CG - Van Helsing has some shots which are like that.



The storyline wasn't that bad though I do have to agree that the writers did try too much to incorporate the different aspects of the monsters. (The Frankenstein monster and the Vampire connection had something in them but the Werewolf part just didn't mesh pretty well).



Anyways, I'm pretty much satisfied. I got what I expected from the movie.

JOSHUA: RealityTV



For the last week, much talk has been said regarding the "new" ETC channel and the shows that they have been showing there. My cable provider already had it a month or so ago and I have been watching SNL (Saturday Night Live) on it. I'm pretty much happy that they have finally shown SNL in the Philippines (even if the shows are a decade or so old). But then agian, that's another story...



Anyways, in the last couple of weeks they have shown some pretty interesting reality shows. Most of the guys in the circle were talking about "Simple life" and "Iron Chef". Those shows are pretty interesting, but there are two other shows which attract my attention - "Knock First" and "Queer Eye for a Straight Guy".



"Knock First" is a lightning fast, half-hour, do-it-yourself show where contestants transform their outdated rooms into kickin' pads. The magic happens during a two-day, all night party with their best friends, a hip young designer and two totally handy carpenters. What's fun with this show is that the contestants have a learn something, have a say in what they want to do in their rooms, and do the renovations themselves. The designers are there to consult and give them a hand but the contestants do some of the work. That makes the final product much more satisfying.



Pretty much unlike what happens in "Queer Eye"...



In "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" we have "Five gay men, out to make over the world - one straight guy at a time." Here we have a total make-over for the 'victim'. The 'Fab 5' change everything from the person's wardrobe, apartment, give tips on grooming, culture and foor.



It's a really really fun show, one can't help to think that these five have provided the victim with all the ammo they need for a particular chore, how long does it last? I mean, it's one thing to give the guy and instant make-over but what happens after a week? What is it about bad habits are hard to kill (or something)? I just hope the 'victims' learn a few bits from what the Fab 5 give them and try to adapt those into their normal lives.



While we're in the topic of Reality TV - it seems that the "Survivor All-stars" has finally wound up. Amber Brkich won over Rob Mariano with a 4-3 vote. It's interesting to note though that Rob proposed to Amber minutes before the winner was announced. I guess in a way he also won a million. Another interesting bit was that Jerri left the reunion early as a result of a large response from the reunion audience (somethong to the effect of 'boooo'). I can't really blame Jerri. Even if it is just some sort of entertainment to the audience as a whole, one mustn't forget that they aren't just some characters in a show but that they are still people with their own live and feelings. But then again, didn't they throw that aspect out of the door once they jumped in the Reality TV band wagon?

GENE: Which Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Character are you?



ok, did the test, got this result:




You are Hank the Ranger, leader of the group. You
have a nifty magic bow.



Which Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla



guess this was the era wherein all heroes are inately (insanely) good. might have gotten a different result if it was remade in the 21st century. >:)

GENE: Role playing in 2004



As the years pass by, the guys and I have been having a harder time finding the time (and place) to play. My old gaming group haven't seen each other for a couple of years now. We keep in touch via email and such but nothing about gaming.



In the last couple of months, Tzelung Lin has been able to gather enough glamour from the group to hold a couple of adventures. A sleepover and a rented hotel room provided the chance to do such that. There was a try to hold another one at the annual beach outing but the situation (and lack of oppurtunities) just didn't allow that. It is not suprising that Tzelung Lin is simply planning to continue his campaign as a blog (you can check it out here: Redshore: Tales of the Mariner)



This past weekend, Tim offered to host another gaming session for another group, however, Cash's duties at the chantry prevented us from going. I heard they had quite a good time learning the ropes.



I myself am continuing my tinkering with the world of Rokugan via the Neverwinter gateway. Hopefully I can follow Tzelung Lin's example and set up my own blog for it.

RICO: No Blogs?



Well two reasons actually.



(1) My browser at home just can't read the blogger site so I have to make do only when even I have access on another pc unit.



(2) By the time I have access to a pc unit, I would not be in the mood to say anything. :P

GENE: New X-men



had a dream last night about an old marvel rpg campaign Tim once held during the college years. it was the one with adrain (aka catalyst), catnip and other characters the circle created. it was a vivid dream, kinda like something one would see in x-men the movie 3. the premise was that the 'new x-men' were fighting the brood (if i have my knowledge(comics) skill check right, these are members of an alien race which wants to use other species as the host of their eggs).



anyways, maybe i was simply tapping on the dreaming (again) coz it seems that marvel is coming out with a new x title called NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X 1.



maybe it's a sign to that we should get some old glamour back into the system, or maybe it's just, like any other magic, just plain coincidence. ;)

MIGUEL: How Evil?



Took a test on how evil I really am. Hmmm... 51%... not bad... but not good either... sigh



I am 51% evil.







I'm getting there. I haven't done all the damage I could do but I've done quite a bit. I'm just over the border into the Evil Zone.



Are you evil? find out at Hilowitz.com

PIPER: Gentleman: A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior.



Well, I don't really have much vote regarding the 'proper behavior' part since most of the norms in society is dictated by those who are in power (or something to that effect). I'm more concerned with the well-mannered and considerate part. In this age of ours, I have this nagging feeling that people are much too self-absorbed or callous to remember what it's like to be a gentleman. Some might say that this is just one of the things handed down to us from our spanish conquerors to enable us to be easily colonized. However, I think much of the conflict in society right now is brought about by the lack of having the virtues of a being gentleman. I mean, if people cared enough to be considerate about other people then a lot of our current problems, how big (officials in the seat of power stealing funds of the government) or how small (friends wondering if a barkada is arriving for a appointed meet or not) that is, would be avoided.

RICO:Quickie



Hello. Just dropped by to update the links section as boogabead sets-up his own blog. (He's the one who owns the 'Life's a passionate bitch' page)



Anyways, life's been a combination of busy and boring stuff that really didnt' seem that important to talk about. So I guess I'll come back when I do have something to talk about.

GENE: Love of the Game



It's interesting to note that there's a sudden surge of interest in the community regarding setting up adventure/campaigns during the coming holidays and summer vacation. It has been more than a year since the last game has been conducted, so I guess it's about time a game surfaced. I don't know how everybody feels about this but as early as now I'm excited in creating the character I'm going to use. Once, it was easy to figure out if the group was excited about a certain game or project or not. As of now, it has become pretty difficult. The fog of banality has become thicker and thicker as the years go by. I have even heard of some players ask for compensation just to get a game started. Whatever happened to those times wherein every one was more than happy to start and join the game? If this goes on, i would hate too think how long the next batch of games will come out or even if there will be one.

RICO: Friendly User



Checked my calendar and found out that a supposed "friend" of mine was celebrating his birthday today. I sent him a text message to greet him. I received a text saying "thanks. who's this?". I figured he might have erased my number from his phone so I texted back and gave him my name. He answered back "sinong rico?"



Now that was interesting. A couple of months ago, this guy asked me to ask Zak for a favor. He got in touch with me by going through the grapevine stating that he was my friend (when he was really just an acquaintance).



I guess when someone needs something from you, suddenly you're a friend. When they don't need anything from you you're downgarded to a simple "who u?"

ZAK: Stakeout



I was approached by Joshua a week ago and asked me for a favor. The guy needed some information regarding someone (whose identity I shall not reveal due to the nature of the transaction) and after assessing the situation, it was decided that an old fashion stakeout would be the best way to gather it. I tried putting up a team to do it but circumstances dictated otherwise. It was either a team member was off to another project in another part of the country or was simple indisposed. Thus there was no choice but to perform the stateout on my own.



Normally, a stakeout is to be conducted on a place which is from a clear view of the subject but far away enough to not be seen, typically on a room in a building on the opposite side of the street. However, given the situation of working alone I decided to take the more direct approach - I went into the bar wherein the subject was known to frequent.



I was in casual clothes and even wore a cap in order to provide me with some sort of disguise (a cap and a slouching pose normally lessens the attention from you). I decided to enter a bit earlier to check out the layout of the place. I had to surrender my bag at the front dor, since they were not allowed to be brought inside the bar. It's a good thing that most of my devices are small enough to fit into the pockets of my jacket.



It was still early, a couple of hours before midnight but the place was already more than half full. Being alone I took a seat at a small table for two near the bar and ordered a drink. I passed the time checking my mail from my phone and talking with the waiter (who in turn seemed to hover near my place and keeping an eye on the amount of drink in my glass - it seemed ordering cocktail drinks would do that to you since they cost more than beer and thus they're hoping for a bigger tip).



One of the other rules in a stakeout is not to attract attention to yourself. However, luck wasn't with me that night. I forgot to figure the presence of celebrities and models that would frequent the bar. Whenever one of these types enters, a majority of the eyes of those inside would automatically zoom in on the newcomers and keep trail until the next one came in. In the next couple of hours, my supposed to be solo table was visited by various faces such as Dale Villar, Sarah Myers, a couple of female models (Marian I think and the other one's name also started with M - 3 vodak tonics in a span of less than an hour will do that to your memory.) and even Pricilla Almeda (the last one drawing more than the questioning glances from those around as if trying to figure out who that guy in the cap is). I did the customary "his" and "hellos" but quickly diverted their attention to someone else in order to avoid further exposure.



At a couple of hours after midnight, with a dozen girls still grinding on stage, a couple dozen more dancing with guys on the dancefloor and still no sign of the subject, and me reaching my alcohol limit, I left teh bar and went home to file in my report.

MIGUEL: Gehenna



Got hold of the book 'Gehenna' a couple of weeks ago and have been reading it on and off. For those who are not in the know, Gehenna is supposed to be White-wolf's last book on the Vampire: the Masquarade series. It talks about teh last few daws of the Kindred in the world of darkness.



Basically, the book is made up of four possible endings that the Storyteller can use depending on the type of campaign that they have been using for the last couple of years. The first ending is that Gehenna happens as a test to check on whether the Kindred has learned enough on what 'humanity' really is and on whether he should be granted a second chance. Out of the four endings this is probably the most emotional and role-playing heavy. Something my old coterie would never even dream of using.



The next ending assumes that Gehenna happens when Lilith (Adam's first wife) takes her revenge on Cain. In this ending, the characters become pawns of the first mother. It is up to the characters to break free of her control and possibly help her or cain. I think this one was used to close the Lilith series of White-wolf.



The third ending assumes that the masquarade has been breached (by the characters, no less). Chaos ensues and the Kindred non only have to fight amongst themselves and the now risen Antedeluvians, but also have to deal with the mortal world as the latter tries to understand the world of darkness (or destroy it if they do fail to understand it).



The last ending is that where the Antedeluvians do wake up and try to reach their goal of true immortality. I haven't really finished this part yet, but I think this is the one that White-wolf has used for their fiction section. I can see Cash and Rourke in this story though, coz it is here where the Tremere really have a story to tell. Maybe I'll post something about it when I'm finished with reading the book.

GENE: Toys



been trying to convince zak to buy me a couple of toys over the weekend but it seems the host is sticking to this month's budget :(



saw some .hack sign (one of my have animes) figures at the mall last saturday. there's five of hem at around three inches tall. kawaii!! (so cute!!). it's made up of three characters from the .hack sign anime (the girls) and two characters from .hack twilight (the guys). hopefully they're still there when the budget clears. (they're pretty expensive at P950 for a set of five action figures)



spend a good hour and a half at the cd place last saturday. bought a cartridge for the game boy advance but am thinking of probably bribing zak to get a playstation 2. having second thoughts though since most of the games for the console are arcade games and we all know that rico's hand and eye coordination is not that good. but then again, there are some rpg games also available on the ps2. hmmm... maybe by april.

RICO: Blogger Blocked



for some reason i can't seem to access blogger for the last month and a half. i think it has somethign to do with the version of internet explorer i'm using at home. on the other hand, the firewall at the office likewise blocks access to the site.