Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Last night, me, Mike and Jason headed off to Hogwarts, er, Greenhills Theatre Mall, to watch the second Harry Potter movie. We've been planning this since two weeks ago, and our strategy was foolproof and meticulous. Our tickets were bought, seats reserved and food prepared for the two and a half hour show. Well, it turns out that we were worried for nothing since the theater wasn't at all crowded; we had great seats and the movie started on the money. Now, how did we like the Secrets of the Chamber?
First of all, I entered the film without any knowledge of the book. I had been able to read Sorcerer's Stone, which kind of spoiled the suspense. This time, I didn't know what would happen, which was pretty cool.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is all about the titular character's second year of weird classes and death-defying adventures in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, his return to school is filled with foreboding with the dire warnings of a mysterious House Elf named Dobby. This CG-creature warns Harry not to return to Hogwarts since terrible things would happen. Of course, if Harry did that there wouldn't be a movie so...
Once Mr. Potter makes his way back with a lot of help from his best friend, Ron Weasley, and his family. But his return is marked with mixed characters and events that echo the warnings of the House Elf; A vainglorious new teacher of Defense of the Dark Arts named Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh), the appearance of Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), the sinister father of Harry's rival, Draco, mysterious whispering voices, writings on blood on the walls and finally, students getting petrified by an unseen force. All this seems to be linked to a rumored 'Chamber of Secrets', an almost legendary spot in Hogwarts that is said to contain evil from the founder of House Slytherin. Evil has returned to Hogwarts...
Thanks to the bulk of story background and foundation being rooted in the previous movie, Chamber has the advantage of being able to get right into the action without too much baggage... and there's quite a lot of it too. There are lots of dangers that Harry and Ron have to face, including getting smashed by a moving tree, surviving a ride on a flying car, getting chased by hordes of giant spiders and tussling with their rivals from the evil Slytherine house. The Quidditch match gets upped in the wow factor thanks to the deadly appearance of a rogue bludger (an attacking flying ball) and the addition of Draco Malfoy as Slytherin's seeker and Harry's opposite number. I already loved the Quidditch sequence in the first movie... I enjoyed Chamber's game immensely.
Overall, thanks to more action, Chamber tops Sorcerer's Stone (whose high point was a chess game... hmmm...). However, it still mirrors the earlier movie in some stuff where it could have been better trimmed.
The cast seems to be really comfortable in their roles, particularly the leads Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Alan Rickman's Severus Snape doesn't get as much screen time as he had in Sorcerer's Stone. He still perplexes me as to whether you should like him or hate him, but he's unmistakeably cool here. Maggie Smith and Robby Coltrane are doing the paces, while I think Kenneth Branagh is funny but not as effective as he could have been. Tom Felton as Draco gets more screen time, but I don't find him as dangerous as he could be... though he does smirk and act smarmy quite well. The best addition is Jason Isaac's Lucius Malfoy, who's about as villainous and imperious as you could expect Draco's father to be.
As for the plot, despite some leaps in logic, the overall story is better paced, and has darker and spookier atmosphere. Pretty good, though in the end the exposition kinda disappointed me. Maybe I was just expecting too much from a children's book...
There are lots of gripes though; again, with a somewhat plodding and awkward finale and an overlong, too mawkish 'happy-happy-joy-joy' ending. Also, Lucius is already sinister with Isaac's performance... why did they have to have the 'Dracula hypnotic stare' lighting effect? Also, don't Slytherin have lives aside from being evil and griping? You'd think that in their common room they can be evil as well as young boys as well. And why does Harry seem to hit and swing things more than cast spells? Hmm.
In the end, I found Chamber of Secrets quite entertaining, but again, while I like it, I probably won't be able to sit through it again. Once is enough.

Purple Fizz

I'm at home, letting Disc 3 of the LOTR Extended DVD Set run. I am watching the first feature, which is all about JRR Tolkien and the monumental task of adapting the epic to a movie. I bought a couple of cans of Welch Sparkling Grape Sodaand decided to open one now. Listen to me go 'aaah...' as I see the carbonated grape juice. Purple Fizz. Weird. I had wanted to take home a bottle of Pepsi Blue, but failed to find any in the stores we passed. I wonder if that would have Blue Fizz?

A Bleak Weekend...

Sigh. Haven't been able to post much this week since I've been busy on a pitch at the office. Furthermore, the TV shoot that got rained out last week is pushing through tomorrow, Saturday. Plus we're gonna be working on the pitch on Sunday. AAAAARRRGHHHH! There goes my weekend. I'll try to have a break on Monday after all this hell is over. Graggle-snaggle...

Dennis Rodman to star in Dead or Alive game!

"Dennis Rodman's gonna be here?! Swoon..."

Yes, we've all thought that the Worm looks cartoony and unreal... now we know that it is so! The controversial basketball star and Jean-Claude Van Damme's co-star in the classic action movie Double Team (Eew) is set to do the english voiceovers for the character Zack in the much-anticipated sports fantasy videogame, Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Zack is the only male character in the game and owner of the island where the sexy, bikini-clad DOA girls will be spending time in. The casting is dead-on perfect, at least for the simple fact that Dennis Rodman IS Zack, at least in appearance (the character was apparently modelled after the sports star). Players will be able to switch between Rodman's dialogue and the original Japanese actor (Bin Shimada) during the game's CG cinematics at the start and end of the game. It's still a bit before this Xbox exclusive game becomes available (the date's been set sometime in January 2003), and every little snippet I get makes me want this game even more. AAAAaaahhhh... I hate waiting...

Top 10 scenes that were NOT included in the Extended Version DVDs of LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring

10. Frodo smoking a joint before meeting Gandalf

9. The baking of Bilbo's birthday cake

8. The SECOND cave troll.

7. Boromir putting on a band-aid on his cut finger

6. Orc and Goblin sex (Eeeeww...)

5. An Arwen shower scene

4. Elrond jumping up and down in a tantrum after Isildur leaves with the ring

3. A flashback scene showing Saruman and Gandalf in college. With afros.

2. Gandalf buying a new staff at the Rivendell convenience store.

1. A Legolas shower scene.

The Fellowship of the Ring Extended DVD Set Review: Disc One

Ah. Bliss. Before I get into the contents of the first disc, let me first describe the whole package. The Fellowship XDVD set comes in a really nice box packaging that mimics the look of a thick old, leather-bound book. The fold-out interior package contains the 4 discs, and comes with a 12-page booklet with the contents guide of the dvds (which is organized like a family tree as if illustrated by Bilbo Baggins himself). It just reeks coolness, which I can't say too often enough. Heh.
Anyway, I was able to get into the first disc so here goes. Disc One of the set contains the first half of the new extended version of Fellowship; all the new and extended scenes have been edited into the movie, with new scores so the watch is seamless. Early on as you watch the movie, if you've seen the original theatrical release, you will see how different the new edit is. Generally it is more leisurely as the film begins, and a lot more detailed. The new scenes are fabulous, and I am really astounded and thankful that this version exists just for the chance to see these scenes. They really are juicy and meaningful, and not just extraneous bits.

The extra sequences range from short new edits to actual previously-unseen footage, such as Isildur's flight and death, lots of hobbit life sights, the passing of elves and extended scenes for Aragorn. I have to say it's a treat to see a scene play out and then realizing that you're seeing something new. A bit like opening a birthday gift or biting into a Bavarian donut after just having mouthfuls of dry bread for a while... hmmm... you get the picture.

As for special features, the only other features on the disc are the audio commentaries, of which there are four: Director/writers/producers (which includes Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh), The Production and Post Production teams, and the Cast (of which most of the major characters except for Viggo Mortensen are present).
I listened to the cast commentary, and I found it quite entertaining; the banter of the four hobbits is particularly nice to listen to, with lots of humorous bits and pieces to pick up. Listening to them, you can really feel that they bonded during the months of filming. It's pretty funny to hear them talking about stuff like quirky people on the set, little bits about the other actors, various bloopers, Elijah Wood's eyes (ARE they digitally-altered?) and the various tricks used by the production to create the wonders we see onscreen.
My only gripe is that the cast wasn't recorded all at the same time; it would have been awesome to hear them all reacting to one anothers' comments. That aside though, the various comments they relate to you are interesting and in-depth. Great stuff.

I haven't listened to all the commentaries yet; I plan to over the course of the next few weeks. But this early I have to say that this dvd set is a must-buy for fans of the LOTR films. Damn great stuff. And I've only barely scratched the surface of the mammoth amount of content in the package.
A great buffer as The Two Towers is still months away... Aaaaarrrrhhh....

A Funny Coincidence

I was watching some parts of the LOTR Extended Version a while ago. I haven't yet committed to watching the whole thing, but I am really impressed by how it works from the beginning. I've watched the theatrical cut so many times, it's like seeing it all for the first time with the new scenes. I feel it all works so well, but at about three and a half hours, it may be a bit too long for some people. Good thing most of the people I travel with aren't that kind of people.
Anyway, from watching a movie with Sir Ian McKellen on DVD, I turned on to HBO and suddenly found myself watching the old Alec Baldwin comic book starrer, The Shadow (1994). And guess who's playing the befuddled professor Reinhardt Lane? Ian McKellen! Heh. I would NEVER have thought then that he'd eventually play pivotal roles in some of my favorite new movies (X-Men, LOTR). Pretty cool, actually.
Anyway, on The Shadow, it wasn't a big hit when it came out, and has sort of a TV movie feel. The action is pretty subdued but I think that John Lone's Shiwan Khan is a marvelous villain with a lot of great dialogue and scenes (and the stuff with the telekinesis I feel was just ahead of its time then). Lamont Cranston is a cool hero, and Baldwin nails him. I wonder how great an updated Shadow movie would do today? Whatever...

The Object of my Quest

The end came suddenly, and unexpectedly. I was wandering aimlessly around Glorietta, with my mind set on something else. I scoured the two shops selling videogames, but went away disappointed. As I decided to call it quites, I passed by Spectra AV Center at Park Square. I actually already passed it by, but for some reason I backtracked and entered the store. I gave a cursory glance at the rows and rows of VCDs. My gaze went from them to the racks of DVDs. Hmmm. Well now.
I made my way to the counter, where they kept a lot of good stuff. I knew they also had original US anime DVDs, but I really wasn't interested in them. I looked at the woman behind the counter and gave a half-hearted question.
"Miss, Do you have the Extended Version DVD Set of Lord of the Rings?" I said.
The woman replied, "Yes."
Te-na-neeeeen! (Expression of surprise sound effect)
I bought it on the spot. Well, actually I had to do a quick pass (actually more of a fevered brisk walk) to the nearest ATM. I HAD it. Didn't expect it today, but it was mine all the same.
Anyway, I am once again pleased immensely. I'll try to give an expansive review (perhaps on my forum at my site instead of here though) as soon as I am able.
Darn... How am I going to fit this in with my writing and art requirements, Suikoden III and all the ofther stuff on my plate??? Ah, exquisite torment. Gotta love that. Heh.

My precious... My precious...

Given that my much-awaited Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball for the Xbox is delayed until early next year, my obsessive desire at the moment is the Lord of the the Rings Extended DVD Set. This monster of a video contains 30 minutes of new footage/extended scenes (making it necessary for the film to be split between two DVDs), 4 different commentaries (director and writers, production crews, special effects and the cast) and well over 6 hours worth of added material (features, documentaries and other goodies). It's a LOTR completist's wet dream, and I have been salivating over it ever since I saw the teaser for it in the Theatrical Cut DVD.
Sadly though, it's not yet clear when the local video shops will have it in stock. I may have to be forced to rely on friends or relatives overseas to get it for me... But rest assured, it will be mine. It WILL be mine... Ha ha ha...

A Working Weekend

Yesterday, instead of having my free time and being able to rest and recharge, I had to work and attend the shoot of a new commercial. I guess I HAD to be there, seeing as I was the writer of the ad. Anyway, I got up early and was picked up by the production house's service. The shoot was on location at a college campus. When I arrived, I was reminded of how much goes into a TV shoot. The production crew was there in force, with cameras, lights, generators, cables and equipment aplenty. Several tents were set up to accommodate the Agency (me and my officemates), the lead cast and the extras. The good thing about TV shoots is that there is ALWAYS a ton of food around for the asking. Traditionally, production houses always provide more than enough to keep us happy, which is cool and makes me feel like a VIP.
Of course, I can't lounge around forever, so it was that when the talents were prepped and the camera angles set, the work began. Actually, all I had to do was make sure they got good takes... in other words, just watch. Which was not hard considering that the lead talent we had was a GORGEOUS 17-year old woman who I could just stare at for hours on end. Darn.
Unfortunately, while she had the look, it took work and lots of takes to get adequate takes during the more 'acting' heavy sequences. Still, all would have gone well if it weren't for the one thing that wasn't possible to control; The Weather.
First of all, since it was a 'ber' month, daylight hours are shorter than the usual; by three o' clock, daylight was already waning, making artificial lights to simulate a sunny day necessary. Even worse though, clouds began gathering and heralding a coming drizzle.
By five, rain has begun falling. You'd never have thought it would rain that day seeing as how the sky was all blue and cloudless in the morning. Soon, a light drizzle developed into heavier droplets. I worriedly observed how pools of water began gathering over the various cables and electrical devices of the production crew. Luckily, the men didn't seem worried. However, it soon became clear that the rain would not be stopping anytime soon. Despite this, the director still felt the need to wait, and perhaps even shoot some sequences even though it was now totally dark and still raining hard.
We eventually decided to pack up. We got onto the service vehicle which would take us to where we needed to go, whether it be home or somewhere else. Despite being tired beyond belief, I opted to go to the mall and meet friends for some dinner. Thankfully, the day wasn't all lost, so me, Mike, Carl and Jason still managed to have a good dinner at Lola's Cafe and Restaurant at Timog where the guys finally were able to taste the highly-recommended (by me) Black Pepper Spaghetti.
When I finally got home after, I didn't even have the energy to play even just a minute of Suikoden III. Sigh. It's good that shoots and other special events don't happen this often. Saturdays are sacred.

Totally Anime

I just managed to catch the last few minutes of an episode of Totally Spies on the Disney Channel. It's about a trio of high school girls who also double as secret agents. Anyway, after only watching it for a short time, I could easily see the anime influence in the way the girls move and act, particularly SD expressions. I also noticed that it's pretty close to the other Disney anime/manga-influenced WITCH.

The Tech-geek in me is pleas-ed.

My cable channel has finally acquired TechTV, which is, in my opinion, the best channel for gaming programs and news. The centerpiece is the gaming program Extended Play, which features up-to-date news, reviews and previews of various games, with excellent commentary and quality footage. Aside from EP, there are also other programs that feature gaming that really satisfy my hardcore gaming self. I once had TechTV with my former cable service, but it was taken off (making me force my family to switch cable servers). My new cable service turned out to NOT have TechTV... until yesterday. WOOHOO! I've been forced to have to rely totally on the European-flavored NOW channel for gaming stuff, primarily from their shows Gamer@Now and Game Sauce. Unfortunately, the former (which was their best show) seems to have been taken off the air, while Game Sauce is prone to replaying old, old episodes. Worse, there are HORRIBLE shows like a stupid videogame-based gameshow (we want to see GAMES, not people talking about game trivia) and a show that features Quake III. Plus overall, they seem to have an extreme fascination with soccer...
Aside from the gaming shows, TechTV also features interesting PC knowledge, lots of future tech stuff, and more. Bliss. It just goes to show that all things come to those who wait...

Taking Roleplaying too far...

Does anyone here remember the film Mazes and Monsters? I don't expect a lot of you to, since when I saw it first I was probably not yet even in high school. Anyway, it was all about this gang of friends who love playing a Dungeons and Dragons-type RPG called, well, Mazes and Monsters. Well, since this is a drama/scare movie, something goes terribly wrong; one of the friends goes bonkers after a particularly intense moment of play, and this results in him actually taking his game character's persona... permanently. Oh, and the actor who played the role of that guy is some actor named Tom Hanks. I guess that prepped him up for Forrest Gump.
Anyway, this post isn't a cautionary thing on how RPGs can make you crazy... Well, not in that way. It's more about what should be in an RPG, and what we leave out. For example, when you go on a fantasy adventure with your party of fighters, thieves, clerics and sorcerers, you don't really have to see them going to the toilet, right? Or doing the laundry? Or cooking food? Well, then again, cooking food can be a pretty funny minigame...
Well, trying to fit in some very menial things into gameplay is something that the game Shenmue tries to do. FYI, Shenmue is a 'cinematic' game where players take the role of Ryo Hazuki, a young martial arts student out to avenge his father's murder. Initially, the game seemed a milestone. A fully-immersive and interactive world where you take on the persona of the character and actually LIVE in his shoes. It sounded great. On PAPER. Well, in execution, it turned out to be, at least for me, BORING. No, we don't get to see Ryo going for a pee, but we do see him doing manual labor like lifting crates, driving a forklift and waiting for paint to dry. You, know, hero stuff.
It's a different thing to be exploring a dungeon and opening chests and searching for secret passages. But Shenmue is all about going into a present day room and fooling around with other peoples' everyday stuff. Man, I do that every day at the office! Though I don't usually lift up a cup and look at it from every angle saying, "Hmmm." Unless it's one of those cups where a woman's dress melts off when you put hot water in it... Ahem. Anyway, it's this slow pace that turned off a LOT of people to Shenmue, part of the reason why it never really took off, which is actually a shame since a lot of work went into it.
But the dialogue is simply horrible. A usual conversation goes like so...
Ryo: "Are you Ben?"
Ben: "Yes, I am Ben."
Ryo: "Have you seen a black car?"
Ben: "A black car? No. But maybe Mr. Hojo has."
Ryo: "Where do I find Mr. Hojo?"
Ben: "He lives next door."
Ryo: "Are you Mr. Hojo?"
Hojo: "Yes, I am Mr. Hojo..."
AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
The trouble with Shenmue is that there is too much tediousness in between the thrilling action and the good stuff. Plus a lot of the action is actually pretty boring. Walking across a plank? Woohoo. Sigh. Anyway, despite all that I've said, the game is still an accomplishment, and I know quite a few people who really got into the thing. But it's not for me. I play to get away from normal life, not live someone else's normal life. That's why I don't like The Sims either.
But then again, at least The Sims has sexy babes in it. Mr. Hazuki is pretty much neutered. Haha. Whatever.

Comic to Movie Translations

Has anyone here seen the Daredevil trailer? I absolutely HATE the costume design for Elektra. Okay, a red swimsuit and red thigh high stockings probably aren't the most practical things to wear for a ninja, but this is a superhero movie, for crying out loud! Black leather worked in The Matrix, but that doesn't mean EVERY single comic book movie has to follow suit. The Elektra look is just WRONG. Worse, they seem to be trying to match the comic books with it! If the Elektra comic changes her costume to the black leather she wears in the movie, I will stop buying it, regardless of Greg Horn's cover art. BAH.
One translation I have to enjoy though is Rebecca Romjin-Stamos' Mystique in X-Men. The process that turned the model/actress into a scaled, yellow-eyed, red-haired, naked shapeshifting martial arts fighter took about 10 hours in the first film's making. Since the paint and makeup went over every inch of the actress' body, she basically has to bare every part (all her makeup people are probably women or gay), she had to endure a lot. Plus, the fumes reportedly made her faint or puke blue vomit... Eww. Anyway, in a recent interview, she revealed some stuff. Thankfully, Mystique will STILL be naked and blue, but putting on the makeup has now been shortened to about three hours. And she's gotten used to the fumes. Maybe she's addicted already.
Haven't seen The Incredible Hulk in his movie form yet, not that I'm excited. So many comic book movies and videogame films are coming. Compromises are probably a given, but sometimes I think creators and filmmakers just have to be brave and do the seemingly impossible. Yes, maybe we DO expect yellow spandes, Cyclops.

I am Isildur, high king of Gondor.

Or, I can be his heir- Aragorn, the valiant ranger and hero. Or Legolas, the elf and hearthrob. Or Ghimli the funny but gruff dwarf. That's all possible in the PS2 game, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. I got the game along with Suikoden III, which means I have pretty much neglected it, but I tried it and it looks pretty cool.
Basically, LOTR:TT is a straight-up action-fighting game. You choose your hero from the available badasses of the Fellowship and hack away in various situations against Mordor scum. The interesting part is that despite being named 'The Two Towers', the game actually involves battles and events shown in the first LOTR movie as well as scenes from the second film.
This may be a bit of a spoiler, but here... the game opens with the same monologue by Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), along with the same images from the movie. When we reach the battle between the elves and humans and Mordor though, the cinema images morph into actual gameplay! Remember that cool scene with the orcs charging the line of elven soldiers with the cool double-headed spears? You get to PLAY that scene as Isildur, right up to the point where Sauron shows up and starts taking down names with his mace.
The graphics and frenetic gameplay is cool at this point, though the atmosphere of being inside the actual LOTR movie is kinda ruined by an in-game voiceover giving you directions like, "Use your Fierce Attack!" or "Use your Quick Attack!" ... I don't think that's how the Dunedain and the Elves give orders... Heh... But that's just nitpicking. It IS a videogame after all, and it DOES really show off really great PS2 graphics that capture the look of the films. Plus, the actual actors recorded new dialogue for the game, so it sounds as authentic as it looks.
I stopped playing though since there are lots of spoilers and film clips from the second film, and I want to see that stuff in the theater, not from some DVD game (this from the guy who watched a bootleg DVD of Fellowship weeks before the theater release...).
Anyway, it looks cool. Not exactly Suikoden, but it's not meant to be. Just a mindless hack and slash that cashes in with the release of the new movie. But kicking Sauron's butt IS cool. Heh.

This one's a kipper!

Okay, now for something pleasant. The past week or so I've been frequenting having dinner from Kipp's, a food outlet at Megamall's food court that specializes in chicken. Aside from the usual chicken pieces, they also have chicken nuggets, chicken patties and spaghetti- none of which I have ever tried. Nope, whenever I eat at Kipp's I just make it a point to order my usual- two pieces white meat chicken breasts with two helpings of Spanish rice, some gravy and a small bowl of cold macaroni salad. The good thing about Kipp's chicken (especially the white meat, IMO) is that there's a ton of meat in it. Some chicken in other restaurants are layered in dough and extenders. Kipp's has that too, but there's more than enough meat and the skin is always crispy to the extreme. The gravy's very savoury, and after each spoon I have some macaroni salad (the sweetness is a good contrast and counterpoint to the meat, rice and gravy). Haaa. Actually, while it does taste good, I have to say that Kipp's is probably a 'default' food I have; which means this is what I get if I can't think of anywhere else to go to or am just so hungry I don't want to think. Which is good for them, I think. Plus it's the chicken place I can go to where they allow me to choose the pieces I want- namely, two breasts. Hmm. And there I thought I was a leg man. Hehehe.... Yes....

Better Late than Sorry...

Professionalism be damned. I made it a point to wake up early today for a nine o' clock meeting at the office. I really didn't want to go to that meeting, but the Account people pestered me and forced me into a promise to go, so I went. Woke up at quarter to seven, got up at seven, was out of the house by seven quarter. This despite staying up till about, oh, three AM playing Suikoden III. I was on a crowded bus despite heavy traffic and was at the Cubao MRT station by eight. Reaching the office should be a snap.
Guess again. The DAMN MRT was busted. Worse, it only got busted when I finally squeezed into the throng of evil people (all other people are evil in commuting. It's a law). Picture having to stand literally belly-to-back with other people, as in, sardine-close, in the MRT... which was NOT moving at all. For something of fifteen minutes, I stood there in a mass of flesh while the damn train just sat there, not moving. The operator kept saying 'Sorry, train delay...' in irritating intervals.
When the train finally moved, it was at a snail's pace. We were actually matching the speed of the bumper-to-bumper traffic beneath us! We hadn't even gone halfway to the next station when the train stopped. 'Sorry, there's another train still at the next station.' apologized the operator uselessly.
The train was there, in the middle of the track, still stuffed to capacity, for something of twenty minutes. By this time I had tuned into my dreaming stage... my defense mechanism for such an ordeal. However, it still stunk. GAAAAH.
I finally called the office, informing them I would be late.
When I reached my desk, it was about nine-thirty. When I asked about the meeting, I was told that it was okay... they could manage without me. So I went through all that for nothing. SIGH.
This would never have happened if I remained a slacker. Just goes to show sometimes the harder you try, the harder things get. Heh.

The Devil's Voice...

Just a short post... Was on my way to Megamall to meet someone on short notice. I rode an FX taxi to Cubao. Nope, I didn't get held up again, fortunately. As we were near Araneta Coliseum, with the taxi almost empty of other passengers, a guy hopped on. He seemed to know the driver, and they began chatting. He sat in the rear seat, so I was between him and the driver as they spoke. Now, what they were talking about was irrelevant... it was his VOICE. He has this really odd, grating voice, like it was a humanoid frog speaking. It had a metallic quality, and was strangely amplified, as if he was talking through a small mike. IT WAS PAINFUL TO HEAR IT. I was toying with actually asking him to shut up. I half-covered my ear to try and blot out the grating sound of his words. DAAAAAMMMMN his voice was UGLY. DAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNN.
Gah. Got that out. I hope I never meet him again. Why can't they all sound like that one odd cigarette vendow along Edsa, who speaks with a modulated deejay's voice? Sigh.
Later then.

I'm a young barbarian, a female knight and a one-eyed mercenary.

I just got a copy of Suikoden III for the Playstation 2 over the weekend, and I have to say I am hooked (which is part of the reason why I haven't been able to blog). I loved the first two games in the series (which came out on the PSOne), each of which ate up hours and hours of my life as I battled to save a world from evil.
Suikoden is so named after the ancient Chinese legend/epic which tells about 108 Stars of Destiny- heroes who come together to fight a corrupt empire or a great evil. Each game is a fantasy RPG which has you taking the role of a reluctant hero who must rally together these 108 heroes together. In realtime terms this means lots of travelling all about a large continent, talking to everyone in sight, going on myriad subquests, battling hordes of enemies and eventually building a homebase where all the heroes can hang out. While the original game set the world, the game system and the style of play, the sequel, Suikoden 2, upped the ante with deeper characters and storylines (with lots of political plots and subplots- I think Suikoden is one of the RPGs that really does conspiracies and politicking well), handling the clash of empires and armies in a fun (yes, war is fun here) way.
The third game in the series continues what worked in the previous games but has many new elements. For starters, it's the first to be on the PS2, so the graphics are revved up. The world is in full 3-D, and thankfully, the representations of the characters (which have an anime style to them) aren't too deformed and cute; plus they actually are able to show off a lot of emotion despite being anime cartoony figures. Anyway, once you put in the DVD into the PS2, you'll be treated to an incredibly beautiful and evocative anime intro movie that shows off the various characters; I have to say the quality of the intro's animation looks almost movie or OAV quality; lovely art and character designs (though I have to say the duck people still irk me...).
Anyway, aesthetics aside, the best part of Suikoden for me is the story. Here, you don't just take the role of one hero; you actually have the chance (or is it a necessity?) to play through the game through three different heroes and factions, and see the unfolding adventure through three different viewpoints. This is called the 'Trinity System'. You play through a hero's chapter, then after it you shift to another, and then another. Once you finish all chapters, you move on to the next. Once you complete all three initial chapters for each of the heroes, the paths join and you move as one to the story's final two chapters.
The characters you play include Chris, a female knight and leader of the human forces of Zexen. She's arguably the most powerful and easiest to play of the characters (since she starts off with the best armor and tons of cash and her own army). Next is Hugo, a barbarian from the grassland tribe of Karaya and the son of the Chieftain. He seems to be the lead hero, and has to go through the worst of the trials (since he loses his village in the process). Finally, there's Geddoe, a mercenary who comes from a third side in the conflict. He's pretty fun to play since he has a crew of colorful mercs with him with various abilities and personalities. Mysteriously though, there's a fourth character whom you eventually must find in the course of the game...
In terms of gameplay, the fighting is fast and quite fun, but it IS an RPG, so basically it's still a menu-driven turn-based system... or as a friend of mine would say, a slap-match. Still, the load times are only a few seconds, the animations are quite good and the story so far is enthralling and engrossing to the extreme. All I can say is that I started playing just after lunch, and when I finally decided to call it a day, it was midnight. Oh-KAY!
Anyway, this is a bonafide winner. Fans of the previous games MUST play it. And best of all, you can use your previous save from Suikoden 2 to unlock bonuses in the new game.
Okay, I'll just play another hour before I go to bed. Just one more hour... Heheh... HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Ghosts of All Souls' Day's Past

All Souls' Day, or Todos Los Santos, is a big deal here in the Philippines. In the US and other countries, it's all about Halloween. Here, it's more akin to the Day of the Dead in Mexico, though perhaps less festive. On November 1 and 2, Filipinos troop to the cemeteries to visit their family members and loved ones who have passed on, to remember them. Of course, that's the principle behind the tradition. On the other hand, it's also an opportunity for having a bit of a holiday, going to the provinces for some RnR, or just pigging out with lots of junk food.
I remember when I was a kid, Todos Los Santos was a journey for my family. At the time, our cemetery was far away (to me then, it was like it was in another time zone), so going there was a major effort. I remember the night before we leave my mom and the household help would prepare large containers full of food. We'd stock on junk food and prepare all our provisions with the meticulous fervor of a polar expedition. I'd be woken up early in the morning. The family station wagon would have the food as well as lots of folding tables and chairs. On top there were several large, long wooden poles and the heavy canvas tent which would serve as our home for the next day or so. Then, we'd scrunch up inside and be off.
Once at Loyola Cemetery in Marikina, we'd spend a bit of time getting through the traffic. Luckily, our spot wasn't too far from the exit. We'd set up our tent and tables and then... we'd hang out. Food was eaten, chats were chatted, and we'd play board games like Snakes and Ladders or Tour of Luzon. Often we'd also play cards (my favorite was Pekwa... don't ask... I've forgotten how to play it after all this time). If I got bored I'd walk around and collect wax to make a big ball to mold and stare at.
When the day started to wane, we'd pack up and make our way home, which was another long ordeal in itself since the traffic is just as worse as during our arrival. But, invariably, we'd break through and be on our way.
These days though, it's no longer a big thing. Our present home is located conveniently near our cemetery, so we basically just walk there. Since Shakey's and other fast food joints have small kiosks there, food isn't a problem. We don't stay long enough to need a tent, so we just leave flowers and candles, say some prayers and spend some time there... and that's that.
Ah. Memories. I have to say that strangely enough, All Souls' Day has lots of happy memories for me. A strange thing I think since it's all about remembering the dead. We Filipinos can find fun in the weirdest of things.
Happy All Souls' and All Saints' Day, everyone.

Care for some CHIPS?


Another local manga comic for Manila comic readers' tastes.

I finally got to read Chips (Chocolate Chips/Cinnamon Chips), another local manga-style comic. I have to say that the first time I saw it, I was very much impressed by the production values; thick paper stock, nice manga art that really brings to mind authentic Japanese manga (complete with the use of screentones) and a whopping 64 pages. That's quite a good deal for the eighty pesos you will shell out for a copy. However, I have to say that I really resisted reading it for a LONG time ever since I first saw the sample copy given to Mike (Comic Quest). Why? Because I felt that it wasn't for me. I really saw it as a girls' manga. I like my manga and anime loaded with adventure, fighting, humor and some sexiness dashed in for good measure... Chips looked all cotton candy and fluff. Well, now I finally read it and... I was right. Sigh. Anyway, that doesn't mean it would be necessarily bad, so I read through the two stories to give it a proper review.
There are two stories (one for each flavor of Chips, I guess... still am mystified by the title...). Cascades is a high school comedy about (apparently) an international student named Jennifer and how she mixes in with her Filipino (but manga-looking) classmates. We get introduced rapid-fire to several cliche characters, including a ditz, an bishojo guy (beautiful man), some bullies, some wallpaper guys, a tough cool guy, a Wolverine-clone teacher and more.
Honestly, I couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. The paneling is atrociously confusing, and the dialogue from one frame doesn't match others. I've seen wacky comedy in both anime and manga, and I think this is what the Chips crew was attempting with Cascades, but the execution is confusing, not funny and just leaves me saying, "What the-!" after reading it. Or maybe I should say, decipher it?
The second story, Seraphim Wing, benefits by being more focused (read: Two main characters). It's all about a girl named Melissa who works as an attendant in a video store. For some reason, she gets mixed up with a stranger who eventually helps her when she's attacked by some thugs. It turns out that the stranger's name is Lezarius, and he's really an angel. What's the story here? We're going to have to wait for issue 2...
Chips has nice art, as I mentioned before, but it's relatively simple and basic; nowhere near the more impressive art of Culture Crash but within the same range of recent release Ground Zero. It helps that the art really brings to mind manga, but more ambitious art and panels (and more comprehensible paneling) would do wonders.
But then again, perhaps Chips is going more for the sweet story and loveable characters approach rather than trying to blow away readers with incredible action sequences and kick-ass characters. This will be made a lot easier though by getting their storytelling up and working; One cannot live on just having Super Deformed characters and sweatdrops forever.
I may be kinda harsh, but it's all in the hope of steering these obviously enthusiastic and hardworking artists, writers and producers in the right direction to making an enjoyable (at the very least a comprehensible) comic.
This is just their first issue, so I hope they improve on their weak points with their next releases.

Soul Searching

It's the time for pumpkins, costumes, midnight parties and... ghost stories! I have to say that I love spooky, creepy yarns. I remember for years and years I always made it a point to watch the All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day special of the local news/magazine show, Magandang Gabi, Bayan (Good Night Nation for you english-only readers). They always feature supernatural-themed stories for that particular show. I remember that they always have a cheesy 're-enactment' video, which is kinda funny because it has extras in white clothes acting as white ladies or ghosts and spirits scaring some poor guy or gal. Still, if you think about it, the stories are kind of creepy. Many of the stories come from and are set in the provinces, where the supernatural still holds sway over the beliefs of people. There was one tale where a couple, while walking home, suddenly saw a ghost of a woman standing some distance away. They were of course scared shitless, but tried their best to just keep walking. When they ventured a look to see if the spectre had vanished, their terror increased as they saw that the apparition was following them! When they eventually got home and shut the door, the woman started having fits, and it took a blessing from a priest to solve the apparent possession that occured. Be careful of whom or what you lead home...
Aside from the various ghost stories and encounters, there are also the tales of fairies and dwarves, whom believes say live in magnificent kingdoms in another dimension. In some barrios, some people disappear and are said to have been taken away to live with some dwarf king. Most however, just end up going crazy as if possessed, and have to be exorcised by a local witch doctor.
For a while, there was a rash of children getting 'possessed' in schools, fainting and then having weird spells. I personally think however that it's all a sham for a story. One particularly funny segment had a guy possessed by a tikbalang, or horse-spirit... he spoke of course like a horse, neighing and grunting as his role. Again, the medicine men had to exorcise him.
Yeah, I suspect the show's all just baloney, but I still love watching. Hey, I want to believe. It's crazy, but I think people love to get scared. Within reason, of course.
Perhaps for me especially it's because I'm not 'sensitive'. I know people who are supposed to have a 'third eye', or specially-tuned perceptions which allow them to 'see' the supernatural. Me? I'm as dead to the undead and supernatural as a stone. I remember seeing nothing at all in the middle of an apparent 'haunting' or supernatural incident back in college.
We were shooting a short film late at night in the middle of a field in the middle of the University of the Philippines campus, where salvage/murder victims were supposed to have been dumped during the Marcos days. Our equipment inexplicably conked out consistently, a car window shattered without explanation, and our 'sensitive' classmates felt presences following us around... me... I was staring all around, trying to see a sheet, a pair of glowing eyes...anything! Nada. Oh, well. I suppose that's a good thing.
Anyway, I don't really have to see ghosts to get creeped out. Got an active imagination, so that's pretty much all I need. I'm the person who couldn't remain alone for days after reading a book about Possession and Evil Spirits . If I could actually see weird things, I'd be out of my gourd. Well, more than usual.
Well, actually, the point of this entire post and what I'm really trying to say is that I would have wanted to tell a scary story I experienced for a Halloween post on the blog, but I can't since I've never experienced anything supernatural. Never even worked at any ad agency that was in a haunted building. Sigh. Oh well.

Hey wait a second... I've been to some pretty scary restaurants...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

The Serial Buyer has struck again...

Just after lunch I walked around Glorietta mall, and the buying bug hit. When I got back to the office, I suddenly found a plastic bag full of stuff in my hand. Darn! How did that get there...?
Anyway, I sifted through the layers of plastic bags and found several magazines: TIME, Newsweek, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Playstation Magazine and... Oh, my... the 2003 FHM Calendar featuring Maui Taylor, Aubrey Miles and Diane Zubiri. Have to control these urges. It may be wonderful now, but who knows what else I could end up bringing home... Damn, that's a nice calendar...

Carnivore Canteen and Food at the Movies, part one

Along Annapolis Street behind Greenhills Shopping Center there's one of our favorite haunts. It's a totally hidden little eatery by the name of Steak Joint. It's located at the ground floor of a building in the rear of an alley-like passage, right behind a Tapa King restaurant (which is a favorite of mine as well). Anyway, last night me and my friends Mike, Jason and Ralph went to have a quick dinner. Mike ordered his beef omelet and beef rib plates, Jason had a combo plate with a variety of liempo (pork) and barbecue and Ralph had two plates of tapa. Of course, I ordered my usual double tenderloin steak. The thing came PERFECT, well-done, smothered in gravy which had a bit of the juice mixing on top. Damn.
As we were all eating, my mind went to that scene in The Matrix where Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) is enjoying a steak in a restaurant with Agent Smith. LOVE that scene. Not because of the dramatic significance, mind you... just because it had someone eating, and it's great to watch as you are enjoying a snack or a meal.
So I kept thinking about some really appetitzing and inspiring eating/dining scenes in movies. I made a little list of them, too.
1) Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone- a recent one; the first grand meal in the hall welcoming the new batch of students at Hogwart's is simply fantastic. I wish I could conjure up a feast like that whenever I want...
2) Hook- the scene where they imagine a feast and thanks to Peter (Robin Williams), they actually DO create a feast out of thin air. Although I have to say the scenes where they were just imagining were more appetizing...
3) Defending Your Life- this Albert Brooks/Meryl Streep comedy about the afterlife postulates that in the transition place between life and the afterlife, there are various restaurants which serve the PERFECT food. And you can eat as much as you want without ever getting fat. DAMN, the food looked great... the omelette Albert Brooks eats near the start, the pasta Meryl Streep has, a godly shrimp platter... this movie shows food that is, literally, to die for.
4) Twister- my favorite scene is where the Tornado Chasers stop by at Helen Hunt's aunt, where they get served STEAKS with awesome-looking gravy and mashed potatoes. Yum...
5) The Fugitive- okay, this really doesn't show good food, but it does show good eating. It's the part where Harrison Ford is hiding out in a hospital and has to steal some old patient's food. There's that scene where he sops up some corn in some bread and just gorges it down. Hospital food sucks, but that scene made me hungry.
Heh. That's that for now. Anyway, eating at Steak Joint was great, but they don't have desserts in that bare essential eatery. Makes you wish there was a place next to it called Cake Joint, to get the meat taste off. Oh well. Later then.

A tough act to follow...

Over the weekend I learned that actor Richard Harris died from a lingering illness. The acclaimed performer died of Hodgkin's disease, which strikes at the body's lymph nodes. He died peacefully in the hospital at the age of 72.
His death leaves vacant the crucial part of the wise wizard and mentor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies (the studio has reportedly not yet recast the role). It got me thinking back to how Raul Julia died years ago, leaving the Addams Family movies without a father (though I have to say Tim Curry was a fine replacement, albeit with a different flair or flavor for the Gomez Addams role). These actors had strong imprints on the characters they brought life to... it would be a great burden on whoever replaces them to equal or even surpass the foundation they established. Or perhaps, even just to give justice to it.
I was thinking how Ian McKellan just IS Gandalf, and how Christopher Lee IS Saruman. I can't picture another actor in their robes... so I am glad they shot the LOTR films at the same time.
Richard Harrris is gone. Who can take up Dumbledore's hat now? The first names and faces that come to my mind include Richard Attenborough, though he's more Santa than sorcerer. Or maybe John Neville, the guy who played Baron Munchausen and the Well-Manicured Man in the X-Files series and movie. Well, we should see or hear news in the near future. Anyway, when I watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets later next month, I'll be sure to enjoy the last performance of a great actor.

A Beastly Good Movie

I was able to watch the French film Le Pacte Des Loupes, or Brotherhood of the Wolf, over the weekend. After sitting through this 3-hour or so film, I came away impressed and surprised. Enjoyable and sinfully good. Which means, lots of beautiful European women and bloody good action.
The movie is a period film set in France before the French Revolution. An elusive and deadly creature is terrorizing the province of Gevaudon, killing women and children without mercy. Two men arrive in the area to find the beast; Chevalier Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) is the King's naturalist and taxedermist, and he's been sent to stuff and bring the beast back to Paris when it is caught and killed. His companion is Mani (Mark Dacascos), an Indian and Fronsac's blood brother.
Now say what you will about Mark Dacascos' former movies (Double Dragon was HORRIBLE. Crying Freeman was better but disappointing to a degree) but he is awesome in this film. He doesn't speak too much and just has to look brooding or silent throughout most of the movie, but when he moves he is hypnotic. Brotherhood has tons of fighting scenes which have slow-mo sequences which are reminiscent of The Matrix; totally cool and brutally enjoyable to see. While the two heroes may seem to be another 'Green Hornet and Kato' thing (with Mani doing all the fighting), Fronsac gets to impress viewers towards the latter part of the film (this IS a French film after all) in an unexpected twist. While Brotherhood shares a lot with movies like Ghost and the Darkness or Jaws, it also reminds me of that old Spielberg film Young Sherlock Holmes AKA Pyramid of Fear, with its conspiracies and strange cults, mysticism and a tragic turn towards the second half.
Again, did I mention that I love the fighting? This film has fancy kicks, lots of leaping and vaulting, evil gypsy fighting girls, lots of fancy sharp weapons... Yowza! The fighting game fan in me got pleased immensely when I saw the scene where a segmented sword (the SAME weapon used by Ivy AKA Isabella Valentine in the fighting game Soul Calibur) is used in an actual battle... amazing. The action in this movie rules, with almost Hong Kong-like energy.
Anyway, I was glad I was able to watch this movie via a DVD, with no cuts or censorship. As I said before, there's quite a lot of nudity and skin (all of which will probably be censored in the theatrical release). The violence is fast and while there's blood, it's never gory or excessive, in my opinion. Which is great since seeing visons like Monica Bellucci and more onscreen along with the kick-ass fighting makes the fact that the movie is over 3 hours long quite forgettable.
Hunt this beast of a movie down. Ferociously good. Watch it at home, on a big TV, with lots of junk food to wolf down.

Introducing: GAME GIRL!


The fun begins when you turn her ON.

She's cute. She's sexy. She's a hundred girls in one. She's Alpha, the heroine of GAME GIRL, a new manga comic I'll be working on with Jason Banico of Dynatica. A cross between the 80's character Automan and the Go Nagai heroine Cutey Honey, Alpha (the name stands for Android Lifeform with Programmable Hyper Adaptability) is a sentient computer program in human form who can transform into and use the powers of any female videogame archetype. She'll be going on fun, action-packed and comedic gaming-themed adventures in order to stop evil programs from conquering the world (Of course!). I can see this character to be a ton of fun in seeing through, so I hope this thing works out. Whatever happens, Alpha's coming.

GameGirl© is copyright 2002, Dynatica Comics. All Rights Reserved

Paranoia

I just came home from a nice after-work dinner/despedida for my friends Dean and Nikki Alfar, who are bound for the US. The day was long and I was just looking forward to winding things down when I saw something that irked me. A ROACH. Yep. A cockroach. A damn ipis, right there on the edge of the shoe cabinets outside my room. And he was facing the direction of MY door. Of course, I had to kill it. I could not sleep soundly knowing that a live ipis could be there, silently slipping into my room, then crawling into bed with me... It had to DIE. I grabbed my slipper. Wait. No. Can't use my slipper. If I hit it too hard, I would get ipis guts all over the bottom. Then I couldn't walk in my room with the slipper. I'll spread ipis guts all over my floor. What if I walk barefoot on the floor and get ipis guts on my soles? What if while I'm sleeping my pillow falls off the bed onto the floor with the ipis guts? That's the pillow I hug and press my face into when I sleep. It'd be like I hugged and pressed my face into an IPIS!!! It had to DIE.
I grabbed my shoe. I kept my work shoes outside the room anyway, so it didn't matter if I got smashed insect insides all over the sole. I walk everywhere outside and step on much grosser things, I imagine. It would be okay. The shoe was also heavy, so a direct hit would be a sure kill.
Had to hit at a right angle; the ridges of the shoe shelf could act as a depression which may affect the force of my blow. Had to adjust. Had to crouch. Wait. Can't hit it too hard... folks are sleeping. I thought of closing the door to my parents' bedroom, but that would risk the ipis slipping away. No. I had to chance it. Do or die. I've done this many times before.
I went for it. A controlled blow, sharp and fast. A sure kill if it had hit.
But I missed.
The ipis was knocked from the shelf to the floor, but fell on its right side. It skittered behind the shelf to safety.
I WILL KILL HIM!!! (Me imitating Sting's Fayde in David Lynch's Dune). But it was all for naught. It was gone. Escaped. I had to sleep now in fear.
Actually, even if I had killed the bugger, it would probably make no difference. I worked on an insect spray brand in my former agency, so I learned that for every roach you see, there are probably dozens more unseen. It would have made no difference. But I would feel a lot safer if I had gotten the damn creeper. Gah.
It won't come back. It's probably miles away from me by now.
Miles away.
Right? RIGHT??!?

I am a blonde cheerleader with a love for pointed objects.

No, I am not losing my mind again; last night, I played Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the Xbox, and I have to say it's a pretty fair game. I usually want my fighting games as straight-on one-on-one affairs like Dead or Alive, Tekken or Virtua Fighter, but I decided to try this adventure-action game anyway. I am a fan after all of the TV series, so what the hey. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised.
Buffy the Xbox game puts you, the player, in the tight jeans and skimpy tops of Buffy Summers; the current Slayer and defender against undead menaces. The story of the game is supposedly culled from an unaired or unrealized TV episode or arc, so the dialogue and writing of the game's script is pretty true to the spirit of the game. As you first start off the game, the familiar Buffy opening theme song plays with footage of the in-game heroine kicking undead butt.
As you go through the various locales in Sunnydayle, including familiar places such as Sunnydale High School and The Bronze nightclub, you battle vampires and other shadowy baddies to accomplish goals, solve simple 'go-fer' quests and collect items on your way to the chapter's boss or major fight.
Of course, the major cast members appear in the game, looking reasonably close to their reel-life counterparts. Most of the actual actors do the voiceovers for their characters, with the exception of Sarah Michelle Gellar herself (though the voice double does a pretty good job).
The control is pretty tight, and it's a cinch to move around and do stuff. The puzzles are simple,and the meat of the game, the fighting, is pretty good and fluid. As for the graphics, the game looks great, and the on-screen Buffy is a strikingly good representation of the comely heroine. Which is great, since you'll be staring at her for hours and hours as you play the game.
My only gripe is that the game's story only reaches to a certain point in the series; baddies include Spike and Drusilla, Angelus, The Master and some original monsters. I would have wanted to trade punches with the yummy evil goddess Glory (Season Five's Big Bad) if I had the choice. Well, maybe in Buffy 2? Anyway, if you have an Xbox and are a Buffy fan, this is a pretty good buy; otherwise, watching re-runs on Star TV will have the same effect.
Eh? Wait a minute... I don't HAVE Star TV on my cable anymore!!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!

Fishy happenings on the way to work...

I was riding an FX taxi on the way to the office today. I was seated at the front, squeezed in with another passenger and the driver. This is what I learned... the seating space is really not adequate for three people. While we were both seated, apparently my sitting posture cut off circulation to my left leg, so that after several minutes I began to lose feeling in that limb.
This has happened before, though a lot worse. It was traffic then, and so I couldn't move at all for at least a half hour. I tried everything; pinching, trying to move my toes (which I could not feel anyway), moving the leg up and down... everything. When I finally got off at Cubao, I almost fell over in the street (which had cars moving at top speed). The leg was DEAD. Like a peg leg, or as if it was coated in cement. I dragged and shuffled my way like a zombie to the concrete divider and stayed there for a minute, looking quite odd as I began kicking my leg against the curb to return the feeling.
Ah. The pain of pins and needles. The feeling returned.
Luckily this time around, I didn't have to wait too long, so I didn't have difficulty in walking after getting down. As I walked the rest of the way to the MRT station, I espied a kiosk selling some cool looking green drink ( I assume it was some pandan/sago/gulaman concoction). It looked refreshing because there was moisture all over the container. I was almost tempted to buy a glass when I recognized the shape of the container... they were selling the drink from an old aquarium tank. Gah.
Had my usual squid balls and gulaman at my regular stand at the MRT station. It was a bit of a wait because the guards are checking bags thoroughly due to the bomb threats. Well, some things change, some things remain the same. I'm just glad I'm here to keep writing blogs.

In the Bag

The Sanctum has a new fixture. A Bean Bag. Well, actually, more of a Bean Throne. Unlike the usual plain round foam-filled cushion, the one I was able to purchase at the Mega Sale (the whole time braving terrorist bomb blasts, mind you) comes with extra apertures which expand into arm and headrests... it's probably the closest thing to a Lazyboy easy chair I'll ever have (since one of those bastards costs upwards of 30K), and I'm loving it.
So I'm there, enjoying the pleasure of sinking into the thing and feeling it wrap around my form like a clammy giant glove. I have to admit I've done quite a few Jean-Luc Picard impressions ever since I got the thing, and it's wonderful. Great for playing games and watching DVD movies on. Except that prolonged use might be bad for the back... Hmmm. Never saw Captain Picard complain about backaches.
"Make it so, Number One. GAHH! My FRICKING Back...!"

One-Inch Comic Books and Peddling Comics during Recess...

I've been doing comic books ever since I was a little kid. I remember doing comic books as small as one-unch from the top of the page to the bottom. I made each book from a single bond paper, made into little pieces and them glued together with white glue. The cover was made extra thick and then 'laminated' with scotch tape. I remember doing comics for my favorite cartoons at the time. I even remember one was actually mostly text, with a full page picture alternating the prose. The one that I actually completed was an episode of Mighty Mouse and the Great Space Chase.
I remember that most of my early work was adapted from cartoons that I watched. I think my main motivation for doing all this was that I couldn't get (whether by financial limitations or just because they didn't exist) comic adaptations of these series and characters. I did Peanuts, all the TV fare and robot shows and even put various characters together in a Secret Wars-type scenario. Imagine every cartoon series from Transformers to Mighty Orbots to GI Joe put together in one book! Well, I started it but never finished it, of course. Lost interest eventually.
For all the stuff I did, I wasn't too keen on making original titles and characters then. Though I do remember putting together a book titled Superkids, an anthology of various kid superheroes. I actually sold my first comic book before high school; I made a three-issue story for a classmate starring characters created by him. I forgot the name but it starred a hero named Spiderkid (who had mechanical spiderlegs ala Doctor Octopus... remember this was by grade school kids) and two others. I remember pitting these heroes against the X-men's Marauders (how's that for a cross-over?). The price for this custom-made comic? Thirty seven pesos. Even then, I realize, I worked for peanuts in comics. That was my first and last sale of home-made, customer-sponsored comics.
In high school, I book-bound some paper and started making an original comic based on Dungeons and Dragons. The comic was entitled Swords of Valour and was based in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting. It starred a fighter, a sexy druid, a thief, an elf, a mage and a cleric. Although I did a lot of pages, I never finished it, but I remember that it was pretty fun, and even had my first real try drawing sexy females. At that age, the usual focus was giant robots or muscle-bound heroes.
I also attempted an adaptation of G.I. Joe the Movie, which was quite popular since it featured the villainess Zarana in a bikini at one point. It was completely in pencil and shaded so you could tell I was drawing it since my hands were all gray with pencil lead. Again, never finished. Actually, most of the stuff I did then pretty much were all unfinished works. Maybe it was all just practice for the stuff I would do later... much, much later.

So these days, when I do my comic, Angel Ace, I look at how my style has changed over the years, how I've grown as a writer and as an artist, and how I can now finish things if I set my mind to it. I've come a long way. And I still have a long way to go yet. Hopefully.

Blasted Bastards.

It hasn't been normal lately, I have noticed, in terms of the level of security being placed in the city. The day before, I was on the MRT passing Camp Crame (local police and military headquarters) and I saw that in front of the main gate was a large barricaded area. Behind the makeshift zone were stationed a number of soldiers, apparently on high alert.
Several times as I passed by the area on taxi going home, pairs of heavily-armed police would walk by on patrol. Today, as I passed through a Cubao mall on my way to work, a long line had gathered at the door since the guards were thoroughly checking out bags of people going in.
The recent bomb blasts in Bali and in Zamboanga have really made people antsy. Just a little while ago, my mom texted me saying that I shouldn't go to malls for now since the bomb threat level is pretty high.
I can't picture my favorite haunts and hangouts desecrated by these damnable terrorists, and people getting blasted to bits for some stupid agenda or political point. I hope that it never happens, that the police and military remain always vigilant, and that every bloody fanatic, maniac, terrorist, zealot SOB just blows himself up in his dirty hiding hole. Damn them all. Damn them all to hell.

Have a job for me, do you?

I was commuting on my way to work today and the bus I was riding took a turn into the side streets of Cubao. As we were passing the various shops and offices, one particular sign caught my attention: JEDI Placement Agency
Keep this in mind in case you encounter some extremely persuasive secretaries, security guards, janitors or household helpers. They may just be Padawan Learners in disguise.

I am cold. I am ruthless. I am a bringer of death.

I am also bald, tall and have a penchant for black suits and matching gloves. Oh, and my name is just a number. Don't worry, I haven't gone crazy... well, crazier... I just got off playing Hitman 2: Silent Assassin on my Xbox.
Okay, I wasn't able to play the first game in the series, but as far as I know, Hitman 47 is a genetically-engineeered human created for the sole purpose of killing. I guess hair isn't a very useful body part for assassins, since he's bald (he looks and sounds like Professor X!). Anyway, as far as I can tell, 47 isn't really a bad person. In fact, Hitman 2 begins with the hairless one living quietly as a gardener in an Italian church. However, his past soon catches up with him when the kind old priest who took him in is kidnapped by some armed goons. Now 47 is forced to take off the gardener's gloves and don the black suit once again for a lot of killing.
Hitman 2 is a pretty cool, mature game. I say mature since it does involve quite a few moments of sexual situations (stuff you'd see in a mature action movie) and of course, lots of scenes of people getting shot, stabbed, strangled or blown up. While there's a lot of blood, there aren't any really gory stuff, but it is pretty mature so I really can't say I am comfortable with letting my little nephews see this (that is, unless I want them to learn where the best places to hide corpses are).
Anyway, one of the great things about Hitman is its open-endedness; if you have the mad skills, you can get through a mission with minimum loss of life, slipping into enemy-infested strongholds with the ease of a shadow and leaving only your target lifeless in your passing. Or, you could just grab the heaviest weapon you have and kill every bugger who gets between you and your quarry. That's me. Well, that isn't surprising since when I played Grand Theft Auto I racked up an astounding 24 people wasted in just a few minutes. Actually it was more bad driving rather than sheer murderous intent that got me that score... and people wonder why I don't get a car.
Bloody good fun. There aren't too many must-buy games on the Xbox, but Hitman 2 is a winner for me. Being brave and bald was never this fun.

My Precious...

I took home a load of loot tonight from Comic Quest (Damn you, Mike! Vampire!!!); Danger Girl Ultimate Collection, The Authority: Transfer of Power TPB, Marville #2 and the latest copy of Animerica.
I've always been a fan of Danger Girl, short-lived though it was and betrayed was I by the artist's defection to mercenary work instead of continuing the adventures of Abbey and company. I was so angry before that I didn't get the hardcover collected edition... but when I saw the new book, I just had to get it. After leafing through the pages, I felt really good. The art's still gorgeous, the girls as sexy and beautiful as ever (though I do notice a leaning to almost cartoonish caricaturization in the art towards the end of the series). Love it. Love it.
The Authority's another series that seems to be on its last legs, but I love the ultraviolence, the sex, the personality and edge of this title. I have to say that I don't care much for Frank Quitely's art, and how the usually gorgeous women of the Authority look... not beautiful... when he portrays them. But I can excuse that. The story's great and the latest TPB is more of what I love in this book. Hope it continues somehow, someway.
Marville... don't actually know why I got this. I guess it was for the Greg Horn cover. That guy just makes the most gorgeous painted covers. Elektra, Black Widow, Lara Croft, Christie from DOA... Darn. I heard that he uses his wife as his live model for his art. Darn, some guys have all the luck. Heh. Anyway, I scanned through it, and it looks pretty funny and the interior art is quite nice. Lots of cheescake too, so I may be in for a while on this one.
Animerica, well it's probably the closest to a regular newspaper for me...
I noticed that I was amassing quite a lot of comics and magazines that I bought the past weeks which I just set aside for reading... and I haven't read them YET. Darn. Am I starting to buy stuff just to buy stuff? Gotta make it a point to read the comics, play the games and watch the movies I buy. Or else I'll just become a... a miser.
That or a hairless, corrupted hobbit-creature. Geh...

Scary Taxi Story

After our customary after-closing rituals and drive to the drop-off point by Mike, I waited for a taxi cab at my customary spot. As usual, I was able to flag down a taxi without any trouble. But as I settled down into the passenger seat beside the old driver, he began to tell me about what had just happened to him.
Apparently, a few minutes before he got to me, the driver was being flagged down by a trio of youths. The driver saw that the guys looked pretty scruffy, and his veteran senses told him... these guys were up to no good; he even said he saw them whispering to each other that 'This guy (the taxi driver) would be their target'. He went on to say that while he could have just ignored the suspected hold-up men and just driven past, he actually stopped. He then told the guys that he would let them ride... as long as ALL of them rode in front beside him. He then made it pretty clear that he knew what they were up to and he was pretty much raring to give them a fight. Kill or be killed. As I was listening to this, I was just laughing to keep the tension down.
Apparently cowed by the driver's confrontational stance, and that they were probably newbies to their criminal activity, the guys hesitated, and then backed off. That happened apparently just a few minutes (or moments) before I got on.
As we made our way to my house, the driver went on to tell me about another incident years ago... when he was a lot younger. He took on two passengers (both male) who squirmed into the front passenger seat together. For awhile, the two men had him drive to various points, always changing the destination for some reason.
Eventually though, the men revealed their intentions; the farther guy drew a blade and tried to stab the driver. The driver was able to fend off the attack, draw his own weapon, and retaliate. The taxi was STILL moving at this point.
The driver was then able to stab the closer man, and then the other. The attackers then decided enough was enough, so they bailed. One guy took serious stabs to the chest and to the... balls. He fell out of the moving taxi pretty badly and was caught. The other, despite his wound, was able to escape.
What kinda scared me all this time was that the driver was enthusiastically gesturing with his free hand to where he stabbed his attackers. Good thing he didn't actually draw his weapon to show me...We eventually reached my stop, and as I got down I made sure to give the guy a tip. Not because I was scared... just because it was an exciting story and hold-up men are high on my damnation list. Commuting in the Philippines is not without danger, but I am glad I have so far been lucky to keep away from danger. Cross my fingers on that.
It would be really great though if I just had a ninja assassin like my comic character Kai to be there to karate-kick pickpockets, robbers and other criminals into the pavement. Sigh.

Well, at least I can still phone-whip any would-be attacker into submission...

Gone...

You never really notice the value of something until it's gone. It's like having a good friend, spending countless great times and experiences with him, and then eventually losing touch after a routine goes stale. Then one day, years later, you hear spot his obituary or something in the paper. That's how it feels like when I found out...

... that I will never be able to eat another meal at A&W restaurant in Fiesta Carnival, Cubao. Sigh.

I remember when I was just a kid; neither my brother or sister were married, and the family still went to church together Sunday morning. I remember I looked forward not necessarily to Mass, but to the certainty that we would have a hearty breakfast at A&W right after. I remember we'd drive right up and get a parking space easily every time (sign of the times). The family would get a table and order anything we'd like. The usual was I'd order a foot-long coney dog (chili-covered greatness) or the double-decker burger. Yeah, my appetite was pretty healthy even then. As a matter of course, my mom would order three orders of french fries which we would just dump in the middle of the table so we could get at them at our leisure.
After the meal, if we had room left over, we could order waffle cup sundaes. There was a special stand or section in the restaurant where you could order the things. My favorite was with fudge and plain M&Ms. After I worked my way past the ice cream, I would be left with the waffle cup shell, which by that time would be caramelized with the fudge and M&Ms... Damn that was good. We kept doing this for several years.
I don't remember just exactly when we stopped going... perhaps it was during the time that my sister started work... or something. Whatever the cause, we eventually forgot going out as a family as a routine during Sundays. And we stopped going there to A&W altogether. These days, the whole clan (my brother's and sister's families included) just have lunch together at home on weekends.
Which is just as well, since the service and the products have really gone down in quality after all these years (which is a sickness, I believe, in all fast-food franchises). There are only a few branches left. Some vanish and are replaced by other food outlets without so much as a whimper.
But this morning, when I looked at the spot where the Fiesta Carnival A&W was and saw a brand new Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, I couldn't help but think back. Oh well.

Those were damn good waffle sundaes.

Self Portrait?

Well, actually no... but I probably DO look like that when I'm playing a game. This is yet another gif based on my Angel Ace characters. He's Rip, your friendly neighborhood comedy sidekick. Whew! Love that gif animator! Heh.

What are YOU looking at?


Still fooling around with the gif animator. This time it's Angel's best friend-turned nemesis-turned best friend, Kai. She' s a karate-fighting assassin who can kick serious butt. And that's what she pretty much does here...

Bee Happy

Yesterday, I and my college friends Alex, Andrew and Paul (we are collectively known as the BLT gang) went to attend the first birthday party of our batchmate Butch's baby girl, Lee. The kiddie party was held at Jollibee restaurant at Libis. We hung around for an hour or so, watching people we didn't know play games with their kids, do the peculiar things commanded by the Jollibee emcee, and enjoy Jollibee birthday food (which tasted suspiciously like the regular Jollibee food). We teased Butch about how he was such a daddy now (which was light years away from his college self, I assure you) and reminisced on how in college, eating at Jollibee was reserved for special occasions. Yes, I know that was pretty sad.
Anyway, the high point in the party was the coming of the man himself... or, the Bee, himself, Jollibee. I found the reaction of the kids quite amazing actually. They milled around the red-and-yellow, six-foot tall bumblebee with a chef's hat like he was Santa Claus. I imagined how hot and stuffy it was in that costume, and was quite surprised that the mascot was agile enough despite his bulk to carry babies in his arms for photo-ops. Thankfully, the kids were either happy to be with the Bee or totally unconscious (maybe they were slipped some Valiums). Secretly though, we were anticipating some kid to accidentally yank off the mascot's head, revealing a regular person inside and destroying the kids' belief in the character... but it never happened. Phooey.
Anyway, after a multi-course meal consisting of spaghetti, burgers, Chickenjoy and ice cream sundaes, we took our leave. We congratulated our friend on his kid's birthday and were off to crash at my place with some... yes, you guessed it... Chicharon and Coke. Hell, we needed that to get the Jollibee taste out of our system.
It was great to see our friend again since we relived the good old days for awhile. At the same time though, seeing him with his family was a reminder of how things have changed and matured since the college days. We were kinda sad that Butch couldn't really hang out with us anymore, but he looked pretty content and happy with his family. Well, me and the others are still enjoying our days of bachelor life, spending on ourselves and staying up late without worrying about someone waiting at home. Who knows when we'll be celebrating our own kids' birthdays?

I shudder at the thought. Heh.

Hi! I'm Angel!



I was fooling around with a gif animator and came up with this simple animation of Angela Windsor Gale, my very own comic book character. With a little more practice, I may be able to come up with an Angel Ace anime yet... Heh. Well, I can dream, can't I?

Hearty Feast

When I see my college pictures, I realize how thin I was back then, and how... more substancial I am right now. The fact was, in college, I didn't have as much money as I do now (since we only had our allowances to spend with, meals were rationed) and I worked a lot harder. Plus everyday I had to walk a considerable distance, from building to building as I attended my classes. I remember that I and my friends would celebrate with extra-large meals when we accomplished something exceptional, or passed a difficult stage. I remember one time, we stayed at my house and did our thesis works. After it was over, we opened cans of Ma-Ling luncheon meat (yes, the same brand people now say is made from the flesh of old Chinese people), fried them on a pan and piled them on a plate. The pink mass of fried meaty stuff was then paired with a large pan of garlic rice and a bag full of piping-hot pandesal (local bread buns). We gorged ourselves on that meal but we'd probably burn it all off the next day anyway.

These days, me and my friends seldom meet, but when we do, we try to remember those times. Often, to our regret. I remember a few months ago, we met on a Sunday. We were all starving, so we ordered a large Shakey's Manager's Choice pizza with all the trimmings. While we were waiting, one of the guys brought out a bag of super-crunchy Lapid's Chicharon (pork rind). We crunched all of them down like french fries. Next, when the pizza came, we each held a litre of Coke to down it all. It was bliss.
Then, a half hour later, with everything gone, we each sat in our places, silent. No one talked for a few minutes. I even thought my heart stopped working for a moment. DAMN that was unhealthy.

I couldn't get up the next morning, and couldn't go to work for a couple of days. Cholesterol muscle pains or just my imagination? Suffice to say, I wouldn't be having any chicaron and pizza again. At least not together. It just goes to show how different having a more active life really is from having a cushy, chair-bound job that a lot of us usually have. Gotta be careful. I don't smoke or drink, but there are many dangerous pleasures out there, and without moderation we can just conk out, just like that.

Mmm. But what a way to go... Heh heh.... Sigh.

"Game over man, game over!!"

From UK gaming site, gamer.com, this bit of news...
A 24-year old man in South Korea apparently died after playing online games at an internet cafe. The man passed out from exhaustion after playing non-stop for 86 hours. In the several days of gaming, the man didn't stop for any meals or rest breaks. He eventually collapsed but regained consciousness. The guy, who is not named, was later found dead in the rest room. What exactly the game he died playing was isn't mentioned.

All I can say is... The HELL..!?

Foot Fetish

Last Tuesday night, I went with my friends Arnold, Cynthia and Jason to Madison Square in Greenhills for dinner. On our way, Cynthia remarked about wanting me to try some large toes. I blinked. Did I hear that right? LARGE TOES?
It got me thinking. There are many turn-ons in this world. What 'does' it for many probably doesn't 'do' it for some. There are really weird fetishes and styles, from the horrible and disgusting to the laughably kinky and odd.
One of these is the fetish for feet. I have an impression that this is probably a very widespread fetish, and many guys who probably have it probably either don't actually think it's a fetish, or keep it secret. Then again, it could probably be just attraction, since the human foot, particularly the female foot, is actually an erogenous zone. Many, if not most women, at least here in our country, don't usually or readily allow their feet to be touched or even stared at. They're pretty sensitive and often women don't want them to be the object of attention.
In a weird contrast though, feet have to be kept well-groomed for public scrutiny. What else are expensive, fancy pedicures, bright nail polishes and 'boso' (peeky) sandals for if not to attract and allure? Where does the term 'playing footsie' come from other than from sensual teasing (then again, if you're from Europe or Brazil it probably means football)? In movies, star actresses have to hire or use body doubles with flawless feet so they don't show their varicose-veined limbs in extreme close-ups.
I have known people or heard of those who seem to have foot fetishes. A lady friend of mine once talked about how her brother and his friends would remark about how incredible a girl's feet looked, and how they'd imagine how it would be to kiss or lick them. One time, I was eating with a friend in a restaurant when an attractive mestiza woman came in. I looked at her from head to toe and thought, she was a babe. When I told my friend about her, he only snorted and said, "Man, her feet are dirty." And it was true, actually. So, feet aren't just things that bring us to places. When we mention feet, some people are turned on where for many, the first things that come to mind are foot odours or athlete's foot.
In any case, you'd probably ask me, do I find feet sexy? I'd probably be lying if I said no. I don't get a hard on every time I see bare feet though. I don't fancy getting trampled or sucking on dirty, smelly toes. But I do find clean, well-groomed and well-formed women's feet attractive (no, I do NOT find men's feet attractive at all)... though not exclusively by themselves. They're part of a whole, and even the most perfect feet in the world wouldn't make an ugly woman any prettier (in the same way that ugly feet that have dead toenails would spoil the overall look of even a beautiful model).
Perhaps it came from my studies in art. It's a fact that the hardest part of the human body to illustrate are the hands and particularly bare feet. Many, many artists find it difficult to fathom the foot's shape, the digits and the various poses in standing, walking, side or front views. I remember during figure drawing class, many of my classmates would try to cop out of drawing feet by putting them behind bushes or rocks. Of course the professor would have them remove the offending obstacles. Even in commercial comics, many otherwise skilled artists seem to avoid drawing bare feet.
Well, that's where I differ. I don't find feet unattractive, so I was probably able to study them and eventually master drawing them to a degree. So now, anyone who reads my comic books would probably notice that I often draw my characters (particularly the female characters) barefoot. It's because I CAN. I am proud that I can do that. I can't draw buildings, cars or animals. But one thing that I can draw really well are feet. HAH.
Which is a good thing, since I wouldn't have even ventured doing the Immacolata comic that I am working on right now (barefoot heroine) if I couldn't draw her feet well. So I guess I do think that feet can be sexy, especially maybe with a nice anklet or toe ring or... ah...

Oh, yeah. About Cynthia's offer of trying Large Toes...

Well, actually I DID hear her wrong. She wanted us to try a place called Lord Stowes. Apparently they serve the most delicious egg tarts there.

Ahem... Moving on, moving on...

Bring...

I remember this heartbreakingly-depressing Twilight Zone episode I saw years ago about a retarded man who had the power to call or materialize anything he wants from thin air. All he needed was the a picture or image of the thing he wants. After a wonder-filled uttering of the word, 'BRING!', the desired object would appear.
Of course, this is The Twilight Zone I'm talking about so it would have to have an ironic, evil twist to it. For starters, the kid couldn't bring anything alive safely; animals 'summoned' turned up dead (so the father has his hands full burying the remains in their yard). The climax of the episode was the 'bringing' of the kid's dead mother, who appears still dressed in her burial dress. Creepy.

Anyway, the point is that we always seem to want or desire something. Maybe it shows what our priorities are, how petty or how playful or greedy we are. Or simply, who we are. Well, who am I? I just live in the moment, and look for fun stuff and things to pass the time till the next desire comes along. Top of mind, what are ten things I would want to have right now (money not included, and only material things)?

I want a POWERFUL computer with a free cable internet connection. .
I want a copy of Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball for my Xbox.
I want a Nokia 7650 (Would probably lose it to pickpockets after a week though)
I want a Lazyboy easy chair in my room.
I want a Nintendo Gamecube.
I want an obscenely huge flatscreen TV.
I want the 4th DVD box set of the Inu Yasha (anime) series.
I want a color Xerox machine/printer.
I want the LOTR Extended Version DVD set.
I want a damn car. With a damn driver.

It's funny. Most are silly, petty knick knacks. Most of them I can probably get if I work for them. Some are just pipe dreams. But these things are what keep us going every day, every hour, every second. Everyone has to have a hobby, a goal or whatever to keep chugging along. No doubt, this list will change in a day or two or maybe even an hour from now.
On second thought, maybe it's for the best that I don't have that Twilight Zone power. That episode ended with a Solar Flare frying the kid and his dad. I plan on writing and re-writing as many more lists of "wants" and "bring me's" for a long time to come.

Got balls?

In the morning I usually take the MRT along EDSA to get to work in Makati. Sometimes, when I'm running a little late, I stop by a row of kiosks at Farmer's Plaza, which sells fast food. My usual order is a couple of servings of squid balls with sweet and sour sauce, and two cups of ice-cold gulaman. I order two cups since I drink and finish the first one just as my squid balls get cooked. Ahh. Nothing like a spicy snack to get you going and a mildly sweet, cold drink to get it all down.

Have to remember to take mints after though.

Immacolata Comic Developments

I was able to finish a long-overdue artwork for Dean Alfar's The Lost # 3 last night. Hopefully we'll be seeing the finished issue before the year ends from Kestrelstudios. It was a bit jarring to draw Immacolata in her 'evil' mode, since I am presently doing her as a heroine in our group project. Anyway, on the Immacolata comic, I have pencilled three more pages, which show for the first time the initial antagonists the Fury of Hinirang will face. The Familia Camorra is made up of a trio of main baddies; Don Roberto Pelaiz Belasco Camorra is the clan patriarch, and is supported by his two children; Della Solera and Gilberto. All three of the Camorra are ruthless and sadistic, and each has their own powers.
Gilberto is his father's main henchman and commands the family's packs of Tauso (man-dogs). He's a bit of a control freak and breaking Immacolata to his will soon becomes an obsession.
Del Sol is a trained assassin and temptress, well-versed in the forbidden arts of Kulam. She's also extremely violent, bloodthirsty and cruel.
Finally, Don Roberto is a wizard and alchemist, and always covers his tracks well with spells and minions. Immacolata will have her hands full with this vile clan. I'll try to have sketches and samples up soon.

Dark Skies

I'm sitting at my desk at the office. Right now I'm staring at the sky over Metro Manila, which has become dark and murky... as if the whole world became like an RTS videogame with the fog of war. This afternoon it didn't look like rain. Now it looks like some dread apocalypse is about to strike our unworthy heads. Rain. Irritating, getting-in-your-shoes, tapping-on-your-noggin, drizzly rain. Recently the weather's been turning really weird. Effects of global warming? The greenhouse effect? Or just lots of weddings between Tikbalangs and Kapres? Guess we'll never really know...

So Bad It's Good: First Knight

Last night I got to watch the old Arthurian action-flick, First Knight on HBO. This Jerry Zucker-directed flick stars Richard Gere as a scruffy, masterless swordsman named Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Sean Connery as King Arthur. You know, I always laugh when I see this film because it just reminds me of a castle-age Star Trek. It's probably because the super-clean blue costumes of Arthur's knights (which remind me of the red suits from the Enterprise); they look so futuristic and unsuited for an armoured knights movie. But I have to say, the suits really do make it easy for viewers to distinguish the good from the bad (the baddies wear black armor and come with dirty faces, predictably).
The story is a shortcut version of the classic Camelot story; This is no Excalibur though, so characters like Morgan Le Fay, Mordred and any of the 'name' knights of the Round Table are absent. All we get for a villain is the suitably arrogant Prince Malagant (Ben Cross), an ex-Arthurian Knight who has dreams of seeing Camelot under his armored bootheel. Of course, Arthur's queen-to-be, Guinevere, is smack-dab in the middle of the fighting, plus a forbidden romance with Lancelot is in the brewing as well. Poor Arthur just gets to be regal and kind and idealistic before his heart gets broken, then a finale that's as ridiculous as it is fun to watch.
One of the high points of First Knight for me is the idiotic ending battle. In the midst of a trial held against Guinevere and Lancelot by Arthur (who happened upon their one last kiss, tragically and predictably), Malagant and his army magically appear all around the walls and into the castle (Where the hell did they come from?!?) and, holds the whole kingdom at crossbow-point!
Malagant: "Nobody move, or Arthur DIES!"
There's the customary villain's offer, the customary defiant last act, and then a wild battle and free-for-all that decides the fate of Camelot.
First Knight has tons of laughable stuff; the miscasting of Gere, the quite absurdly quick way they do swordfights, those irritating mini-crossbows the bad guys have, the stupidity of Camelot's soldiers (Malagant's men are waaaaay more innovative and clever!) and just how clean everything looks (even Arthur's death scene is clean!). But strangely enough, I love watching the film whenever it's shown. Maybe it's because of some quite nicely-set up battles and some atmospheric sets. Maybe it's just the way how it's played so straight despite how campy, hammy and over-the-top absurd it can get. So bad it's damn fun. It's right up there with Demolition Man, Masters of the Universe and other HBO veteran features. They just make time move so fast. Wahahahahahaha!!!

The Madman's Favorite Spaghetti...

Yet another MAD with Hunger post. This is a madman's choice. The evaluation is not made by ingredients or Italian taste or actual quality or price necessarily... just be sheer taste and satisfaction that makes me come back again and again and crave for another serving. And this category involves spaghetti noodles with predominantly tomato-based beef sauce, so no fancy-smancy white sauces or other pastas are considered.
Second Runner-Up: Black Pepper Spaghetti, Lola's Restaurant. Actually I don't remember exactly where this quaint little restaurant is, but I remember it's a converted house within a residential area near Timog Avenue. The spaghetti is a bowl of nice, al dente pasta with extremely tasty and savoury-spicy sauce that just reeks with black pepper. Delicious! Plus, the bread that comes with it is scrumptious and sops up whatever remains of the sauce really well. The only flaws here is that the restaurant is kinda hard to find and a bit pricey.
First Runner-Up: Spaghetti at Pancake House. The only spaghetti in a relatively fast food-type restaurant that I would consider buying for its absurd price just because it tastes great. Really meaty and satisfying and comes with tasty garlicky bread. I remember years ago when I was a kid it even came with a little cup of cheese you can dump on top yourself (nowadays they put the cheese on automatically). Again, the price is a bit of a flaw.
The Winner is: Mister Spaghetti at Mister Donut. HAHAHAHAHAHA! You were expecting Jollispaghetti or McSpaghetti? No Way! Mister Donut's spaghetti has the really savoury-garlicky-sweet sauce that I can eat again and again without fail. While it doesn't come with any garlic bread, you can order a cheezy-dog goodwich to go with it. At the low price, you can have a dessert donut and drink without ever getting close to spending a hundred pesos. From price to taste, this is perfect! Yummy! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Honorable Mentions: A&W's spaghetti is cheap and really tasty, but the restaurant has seen better days. Still recommended.

Damn. Now I'm hungry again.

Spirited Away

After a relatively early end to an evening, me, Mike and Jason decided to watch some anime at the Sanctum Sanitarium. We eventually committed to watching Spirited Away, the latest animated classic and blockbuster from anime icon Hayao Miyazaki. SPOILER WARNING!
Spirited Away is all about the adventures of Chihiro, a ten-year old girl who finds herself trapped in a fantastic situation where she can really only rely on herself to survive. While she and her parents are driving to their new home, they are drawn into a strange tunnel which leads to what appears to be a mysterious, seemingly abandoned village. The smells and sights of some prepared food causes her parents to start eating like pigs... and soon, they actually become pigs! Chihiro then learns that she and her parents have trespassed in a magical bathhouse for spirits and gods, where humans are not allowed. Only Chihiro can get them out of this predicament... not by fighting or escaping, but by working hard and earning her keep from the bathhouse's fickle owner, Yubaba the sorcereress.
For anime fans used to action and fighting anime, and action from other Miyazaki flicks such as Nausicaa, Laputa and even Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away may be a bit jarring. There are no enemies to fight, since even the closest character to being a villain, Yubaba, isn't wholly evil (just very, very greedy and cagey). But Swept Away's charm lies in seeing the absurd situations Chihiro finds herself up against, and then seeing how this plucky but always-polite ten-year old overcomes it. The imagery and animation is awesome, with gorgeous atmosphere and magical sights in almost every screen. The music as well suits the visuals well, and everything mixes into a more than two-hour experience that even had me, a total action-sex and violence freak, enthralled.

Actually it worked too well. Mike and Jason were still in my sanctum into the wee hours of the morning, but they were trapped since the film still hadn't finished. In the end though, it was all time worth taken. Spirited Away isn't my favorite among Miyazaki's masterpieces, but it is certainly worth a part of any anime otaku's collection.