M3Con



This Saturday May 31, 2008 is the M3Con or Mangaholix Manga Mania Convention 2008! At the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia all sorts of great otaku stuff will be happening- manga and local comics, toys and hobby stuff, cosplay and more cosplay! Aside from the Mangaholix crew of artists, creators and local manga-kas, we'll have guests like Budjette Tan and Ka-Jo Baldisimo of Trese to, well, I dunno... to be dragged up on stage to talk about their comic and characters. Heheh. Of course, me and Kriss Sison will be around to answer all your Ninja Girl KO! questions as well!

So come and join the fun! Buy manga or anime stuff! Buy local comics (particularly ALL 5 Issues of Mangaholix Presents!!!)! Buy some indie manga! Watch some cosplayers! Listen to some guys chatter about making comics! Oh, and buy some cool Mangaholix merchandise! There's gonna be so much to do!


Ever wanted to rest your head on Michiko's soft chest? NOW YOU CAN!!! WAAHAHA!!

It should be awesome. So, see you all there, okay? SATURDAY! Mall of Asia! COME! COME!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull


Indiana Jones returns for one more adventure.

It's been a long time since the last time we saw Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. in fighting form, but Indy's back. Like John Rambo and John McClaine, Jonesy has come out of retirement for one more shot at glory. I have to say, the Indiana Jones series is, for me, THE number one title when it comes to pulp-action adventure with a historic/mythical schtick. Nothing else comes close- Tomb Raider, National Treasure... NO ONE can touch Dr. Jones. Even though I have to say that since the perfect and sublime Raiders of the Lost Ark, the quality has gone down by notches in every sequel after, an Indy film is head and shoulders, whiplashed-to-the-chandelier-higher than any other adventure movie delving into ancient secrets or mythical treasures.

That said, we all didn't think another Indy would be possible- when Indy, Henry Sr., Salah and Marcus Brody rode off into the sunset after Last Crusade, we all thought that was it. But apparently since then things happened and we do have another entry into the series, thus forever quashing the name Indiana Jones Trilogy and making it the Indiana Jones Foursome of movies.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Man, what a cumbersome title) takes a turn to the sci-fi, referring to the Roswell Incident with flying saucers and little gray men from outer space. It's soon revealed that a small army of Russian cold warriors, led by the supposedly psychic agent Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett doing her best Natasha impression) is after remains of aliens- crystal skulls- in the hopes of unlocking some mysterious powers to rule the world. Of course, the one man who can stop them is the one man they bring in to help them unlock the secrets of the skull- Indiana Jones himself.

Indiana (Harrison Ford) has seen better years- he's a lot older, a lot puffier and grizzled, and with old friend Marcus Brody and father Henry Sr. having passed away some time before, he's not in the highest spirits. But thank god- it's still Indy as we know him. Harrison Ford still has it for the most part, and he can still swing a punch, deliver a line, crack that whip and swash that buck like no other hero.

Unfortunately, even with nostalgia and the pleasure of seeing Indy again, the mere fact remains that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is, without a doubt, the least of the series.

It's not because the heroes are old, though I have to admit I was jarred a bit to realize how old Harrison Ford and Karen Allen are now... Harrison is Indy, Karen is Marion Ravenwood- it would have not been the same without them. The biggest problems I believe with Kingdom are the below par story, script, direction and pacing. That may be harshy, but really, I believe that given the pedigree of the series, this entry is just not done as well as with the previous installments. It certainly hurts that it isn't as intense as before (everything is so strangely bloodless), just as the demand to be more ratings-friendly hurt Die Hard 4.0. But for the most part, the movie just isn't tight, with scenes messily transitioning into one another with as much grace as Mutt Williams' (Shia LaBeouf) simply punching a random guard which inexplicably lets the heroes all escape an enemy camp into the jungle.

It's a problem that the actual quest for the Skull and its secrets is also not as clever, well-presented or clear as in previous movies. There's not as much sense of wonder or awe that permeated the quests of previous films- experiences like finding the Hell of Holes and discovering the resting place of the ark in Raiders, or even just finding the big 'X' marks the spot in Last Crusade- perhaps it's in the imagery and music as well as the script. Here things just seem to happen on autopilot, with the settings and ruins looking strangely generic, with odd live guardians (who are never really given explanation or any depth aside from being just obstacles to take out). The actual Crystal Skull, once found, is actually... strangely cheap-looking and under-whelming... and much too convenient as a device to just keep the quest going and going and going.

The pacing problems persist to the end- again, it's hard not to refer to previous films- as while all of the previous movies were thrill-a-minute rides, Crystal Skull has gaps between the big set-piece action scenes, things that just pop in and pop out as if they were there just to add a bit more spice to the scene (like the aforementioned live guardians of the ruins Indy and company head into). The finale/endgame and resolution sadly feels anti-climactic (coming right after the best action in the movie), predictable and unspectacular, and actually mirrors the same ending of X-Files the movie- just a spectacle for the characters to stand back and watch, rather than be a part of.

The new characters are hit-and-miss; Mutt Williams kinda starts off with a bum leg since we ALL know just WHO HE REALLY IS even before stepping into the theater, thanks to all the hype and news on the internet. He's not THAT bad, but I really feel they tried a bit too hard to make him 'cool' or likeable as a way perhaps of passing the fedora to him, maybe. Not yet ready, I say. Not quite there yet.

Then there's Mac (Ray Winstone), Indy's old friend who turns out to be a double-triple-quadruple dealing agent. He's never a real threat, doesn't really impact on the story much and just feels like extraneous, unnecessary baggage and dodgy comic relief.

As villains go, Irina Spalko is, at least, a physical adversary instead of just being a behind-the-fodder mastermind like Belloq or Donovan... but she still falls behind them in villainy, and Mola Ram of Temple of Doom still rules for me as the best Indy baddie. The sad thing about Spalco though is that she's woefully underused where she could have been really cool. Like Mola Ram's Heart-plucking trick, more should have been made of her psychic powers, instead of her fencing ability and physical prowess. No, I wouldn't have liked her to have become the Indy equivalent of Professor X, but at least make her deserve that offbeat uniform, poses and hairdo by making her more formidable. Also, the Russian soldiers are sadly nowhere near as nasty or fun to take on as the Nazis or Thugees. They seem brain-dead a lot of the time, and are strangely presented more sympathetically or more human than the cartoon baddies of previous films, which takes away a bit from the fun in dispatching them.

What makes me feel bad most about Kingdom is how many missed opportunities there are, I think, that could have made the overall experience so much better. It would have been more intense to give a bit of danger to Marion or Mutt near the end, or at any point of the movie, to give Indy that much more incentive to fight given it's HIS FAMILY at stake. However, we never really feel they're in any danger at any point, certainly not like how Henry Sr. is shot and taken to death's door at the climax of Last Crusade. We never really learn much about the Skull, what it's real powers were or what the point was to the whole thing after all was said and done.

Sigh.

Even with all that, I have to still say- it's an Indy film, and it's impossible for me to hate this film, flaws and flaws and all. There's still cool action about, memorable scenes (Indy and the Mushroom cloud is pretty amazing) and a nice, well-deserved ending for one of cinema's greatest action heroes. This just makes me want to bring out the old movies and watch them again... which certainly can't be a bad thing.

It's Indiana Jones, people. I'll take this Indy over No Indy anytime. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now showing in theaters all over the Metro.

Back from Bangkok


Scarfing down some Thai Chow.

I'm back! Certainly I enjoyed my Bangkok experience, even though it was mainly for work and I spent the lion's share of my time sitting in a set or shooting location (albeit a couple of the shoots were on really nice, interesting places). I unfortunately didn't get to go to the scenic, cultural spots of Thailand, but I think I was able to see the city in a nice way, walking the streets among the Thais and tourist crowds, eating stuff from street food to proper Thai cuisine and seeing the place both during rain and shine, both figuratively and literally.


Apparently Han Solo is still a carbonite prisoner, displayed in a Bangkok production house.


Japanese bookstore in Thailand...

Some of my more random, interesting bits in Bangkok include...

... walking the streets in the rain with just my raincoat, eating chicken crisps on the sidewalk and ogling some guy's spiffy media player as he watched some video on the street (more on this later)...

... Eating in a Mexican Restaurant (nice, chunky soup and tasty tacos)and realizing that half the staff are Filipino...

... Stalking a little baby elephant down a sidewalk...

... Walking the techno-paradise known as Panthrip Plaza (four floors of gadgets!!!) and seeing Buddhist Monks shopping for PC parts and talking on cellphones...

... Staring at millions of dollars' worth of jewelry and gems in a Bangkok government-run workshop/tourist display...

... Getting my abdomen crushed by the frickin' barrier at the BTS entrance...


... Finding a taste for Rose Apples...

... Experiencing Credit Card Crappiness as my BPI Mastercard proved USELESS and unusable in Bangkok and being left out with my arse hanging in the wind as their 89-100 service line was unreachable. This pretty much forced me to use up most of my cash to buy the Personal Media Player/Digital Recorder I had discovered. WHAT. THE. HELL. I am SOOOO going to complain about this on Monday.

All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely. The Hotel was awesomely classy and luxurious, the Thais are a lovely, friendly people (albeit I eventually found that Taxi Drivers can be irritating even here, and some are still not immune to the ol' "I don't have change" trick). Perhaps someday, on my own time, I'll come back to Bangkok to experience the culture and see the sights. Maybe. We'll see. For now, I have my memories, a new DVR player and other little doo-dads to enjoy my time living the Thai Life.

Hanging in Bangkok

Here I am, chilling (literally... the AC's pretty strong) in my hotel room in Bangkok. I'm staying in a pretty good hotel... in fact, probably one of the best in the place, and that alone is worth the trip. A week in luxurious executive class comfort? Thank you very much. Anyway, as much as I'd want to just vegetate in the room and surf on the complementary high-speed internet, I just had to go out. There were souvenirs to buy, things to see.

Day One had me going out and riding Bangkok's BTS, their equivalent to Manila's MRT. It works similarly, save here you buy tickets from vending machines with coins- the booths with tellers provide change for bills. The trains are well-maintained, cool and spacious... albeit smaller than the Edsa MRT. They're also apparently totally covered with advertising stickers, which makes sightseeing from the train impossible, weirdly enough.

A couple of stations' trip away from the hotel was Siam Square, Bangkok's central mall district, and it's BIG. I walked around for an hour or two, looking at the gorgeous setting, salivating at big-screen TVs and perusing some bookstores (including one that sold all Japanese/oriental books, manga and catalogs). Outside the big malls are countless flea markets, garment stores and shops revolving around the central malls. In a word- dizzying. It didn't help though that it was drizzling so I was walking around in my raincoat, stoically determined to experience the Bangkok night of a street pedestrian, even if it was through the rain. I ate some street food, went into a 7-11, walked through sidewalks and sidestreets and generally had an interesting watch of an altogether new but strangely familiar place.

Day Two had half of the day alloted for work, attending a meeting. Afterwards, I was free to go and I was determined to finish my souvenir-shopping to get it out of the way at least. I got a taxi which was driven by a young Thai driver named Tom, who thankfully had very good english. While I originally wanted to go to Wat Po and look at some temples, I eventually gave up since the traffic was pretty bad and the place was located on the other side of the city. I instead went off to a government-run facility (the name escapes me) where they produced Thailand's famous jewelry (along with other Thai souvenirs). Of course, I didn't exactly have countless dollars to spend on jade, rubies and sapphires, so I just slid over to the cultural goods shop and picked up some stuff for the folks back home.

Afterwards, Tom drove me over to MBK, a large market area where bargains could be had. I spent the next couple of hours walking around, wandering and buying a couple of gifts. On the sidewalk, I passed by video stalls and resisted the temptation to grab a couple of discs. Man, they have a LOT of malls here, albeit some are a lot less posh than others. The price though definitely goes down along with the ambience. Despite all that, I felt safe walking around among the Thai people... there was a nice air to everything, and it was nice to just be just another face in a place where Europeans, Americans, Indians and other Asians walked along as well in a pleasant, eclectic mix. I found myself admiring Bangkok for lots of stuff- the air was definitely cleaner (and not as much, if not at all of the stink you'd find in corners and alleys of Manila...) and sidewalks made for walking. Taxis as well seemed easier to get and plentiful, though I heard and read that even here there are unscrupulous cabbies. I haven't met one yet though.

Had dinner at a nice resto which served good Thai food... I was determined to do this since my first night's dinner was eaten at McDonald's. Don't scoff- I just wanted to see any differences from McDo at home. Not many, though incredibly enough they have a DOUBLE BIG MAC. Four freakin' patties. My. God.

After dinner, I walked back home and found myself inhaling a smell that reminded me of armpits times ten. I realized that walking ahead of me was a little elephant. A real, live pachyderm, on the street, walking along with it's owners/herders (who were vendors of some kind). I followed, just wanting to stare at the thing all the way. That moment I really regretted I left my camera in the hotel room. Well, at least the smell won't ever be forgotten.

And so, my second day in Bangkok passed. I finished my souvenir shopping and here I am. with the week still young. There's work to be done from here on in, but I think I'll still have chances to have more fun here in Bangkok. We'll see.

Fast and Not-Too-Furious

On a side note, I spent my pre-departure night with El and Jonas watching the Wachowski-directed Speed Racer movie. I wasn't that hot for this anime-to-film translation (not really a race fan) but kinda knew what I was getting myself into from a couple of reviews, but what the heck. The movie looked like it would be a blast to watch, at least visually. And what do you know... it was.

On the bright (or psychedelic, to be exact) side, Speed Racer is indeed eye candy overload. Pretty much every frame is exploding with bright bubblegum colors as the movie depicts the world as a futuristic, sunshine-bright pinball-machine in which full-contact acrobatic car racing is the biggest craze. It's amazing though it's easy to get lost in the twisting, faster-than-you-can-comprehend races (being seated in the very front row didn't help either). Since the movie is like, 80 percent all-CG and filmed in blue screen, it's kinda like Sky Captain except instead of all sepia it's like someone spilled a gumball machine's worth of colors on everything.

That all said, the movie's kinda long, it's very cheezy and a bit too family-friendly (no deaths like in the anime, save for one supposed death of a major character), but even through the family/friend bonding and long tirades and constant flashbacks and stream-of-mind cutaways for many characters, there's an earnest theme to the movie about being true to yourself, about love of family and how ability and talent and drive rising above the system despite all odds. Yeah, it sounds shmoozy but it actually works.

High points? Man, Christina Ricci is UBER-hot in this film (despite the movie being family fare) and every time she's onscreen you can't take your eyes off her. John Goodman and Susan Sarandon were also great as Speed's parents, and the little kid and the monkey were constant crack-ups.

Goofy and silly at times, often thrilling with lots of action on and off the racetrack but having a bit of an anticlimactic climax, Speed Racer was nevertheless surprisingly enjoyable and worth seeing. The movie's playing now in theaters all over the Metro so check it out.

Another aside- perhaps the coolest thing in the night was the surprise showing of a trailer for the new CG Star Wars: Clone Wars movie! Clearly based on Genndy Tartarovsky's CW cartoons, this new reveal of the battles fought between Star Wars Episode Two and Three looks like it's gonna kick as much arse as the CW series did. Definitely want to watch out for that. Heh.

Out the Door

Nope, I'm still in Manila.

Got up at the crack of dawn this morning. Fortunately, I was able to get some sleep despite my usual pre-departure insomnia. A chartered cab took me to the airport, and here I am. It was kinda unnerving to go through the various checkpoints and stages- divesting yourself of metal objects and depositing them on trays or conveyor belts about twice, going through security and having documents checked and fees paid. After it was all said and done, I had only enough pesos left to buy myself breakfast- lukewarm sausage roll and Coke from Delifrance... which were grossly expensive but tasted like nectar and ambrosia to my rumbling stomach. No more money though, aside from the dollars that I'd be using for the trip, and my credit card. Hopefully I won't use up either. I'm not much of a shopper anyway, save for things that I really love. But I doubt I'll be finding a copy of Tekken 6, Soulcalibur IV or Metal Gear Solid 4 anywhere in Bangkok. Or anywhere else for that matter, yet.

Anyway, I've got a small list of requests to track down in my free time. A duster or two for Mom. A bag for the boss. Souvenirs and sweets for The Salt Mines folk. And... a tube of Thai toothpaste. Shouldn't be a problem.

Less than an hour left to boarding. It's almost time.

The Night Before

This always happens before I go on a long trip... I usually can't sleep, and it's because I'm excited or anxious or just had too much soda to drink. This time, it's a particularly long trip. I'll be off to Bangkok for about a week, attending a shoot for a TV commercial as a Filipino language consultant. Conceivably most of my time will be spent stationed at the shoot itself, but perhaps I'll be able to slip in some personal touring, sight-seeing and shopping as well.

But of course, I'm also a bit antsy because it IS my first time traveling alone in a foreign land. It's like that Sting song. I wonder how the people will be? How will it be different or alike from home?

From all indications, I'll have internet in my lodgings, so I'll most probably continue to update the blog (one way to keep my sanity and ease homesickness, I guess, if that creeps in) and surf. Gladly, the web knows no miles or borders... just bandwidth. Anyway, have PSP, will travel. Before noon, I fly off. The next post I put up, will be from Bangkok.

Bangkok Bound!



And now for the news! Midway into this week, I suddenly was told a pretty surprising thing- I'm going off to Bangkok early next week! And just like that, I am now on my way to my third trip outside the Philippines, and my second off-country destination. I've only been to Hong Kong (twice) before, so I'm really excited to be heading for Thailand. I've been told by everyone and their mother (well, my Mom, actually) that Bangkok is beautiful and a great place to tour and enjoy. Unfortunately, I'm actually not going on a vacation- it's work, though I apparently have some time to run wild before I have to report in to earn my per diem. In any case, I'll be there for up to a week, so I guess I can lay to rest any worries that I might over-pack this time around. I have to worry more about under-packing.

Fortunately, there'll be internet where I'm staying, so the blogging will continue. Man, I'm excited! Later then! Gotta prep.

Mangaholix Presents Issue 5 Cover


Ninja Cover Girl KO!

As of this writing, Mangaholix Presents #4 is already available in comic book stores and branches of National Bookstore, Power Books and Fully Booked all over the Metro, so get your copy now (and a copy of issues 1 to 3 if you haven't gotten them already)! But even better, Mangaholix Presents #5 will be heading to shelves in a couple of weeks time as well! The coming Issue 5 will, as seen above, have my very own Ninja Girl KO! as the cover story, with the ever-gorgeous art of Kriss Sison. Goodness Willing, we'll have a straight flush of Mangaholix Issues 1 to 5 on sale and available at the upcoming M3Con at the end of the month. WOOHOO!!!

Man, I can't wait. And I don't even have my copy of Issue 4 yet, darn it. Gotta head for the mall soon, I guess.

Tony Stark Raving MAD Review


Iron-fisted.

Let me say this going in. I never was an Iron Man fan. Never really got into the character or the comics. The recent Civil War mini-series from Marvel did little to make me like the hero as well. Earlier this year, I really wasn't looking forward to the movie version- didn't like the trailer, saw nothing but another movie laying all it's eggs in CG effects and little else.

Well, I've seen the film, the latest superhero adaptation from Marvel, and what do you know.

I have to say it's the freakin' best superhero movie I've seen yet.

Better than all the Spiderman flicks. Better than the X-men flicks (although what Iron Man is missing is a naked blue shapeshifter babe...). Better than Fantastic Four. Better than Batman Begins, by far. At the very least, it's the most FUN superhero flick so far that I've seen.

Bold words, I guess. But what can I say? This film works. It works on every level, impresses me from beginning to end with a story, character, cast, effects, pacing and script that had me in my seat to the end, aching bladder and all.

Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire industrialist/weapons-dealer Tony Stark OWNS this movie. He freakin' NAILS it. He IS Tony Stark (Though I kinda felt that from the trailers). Downey's Stark is funny and fun. He's Bruce Wayne with about a gazillion times more technical genius and none of the psycho baggage. But the big difference between Stark and Gotham's Favorite Son? Stark knows how to live it up and enjoy himself. He looks, feels, acts and swaggers like a billionaire, and you eat it up. He's funny, he's irreverent, he's a little kid in a grown man's body, and you just like him right away.

But of course, all is not fun and games, and shortly after we meet Stark who's on top of the world, he gets kidnapped, dragged near to death and back, and sees the fruits of his labors... all the warmongering evil of it. So what happens? Tony grows a conscience. He's always been a good guy, but this momentous event focuses him and turns him from just someone with great power to, well, to coin the cliche, someone who decides to take on a great responsibility. This transition from fun-loving, Devil May Care playboy to Devil May Care playboy superhero is handled perfectly and drives the movie forward on repulsor thrusters.

Giving strong support is Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Stark's Girl-Friday and kinda-sorta-love interest (her scenes with Stark are really nice and add heart to the tech) and she looks beautiful. Although her unflappable performance in this one brings to mind, in a kind of good way, her stint in the somewhat tragic Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
An almost unrecognizable Jeff Bridges has a delicious role as Obadiah Stane- a bit of a cross between Apple's Steve Ballmer and Saruman. Stane will immediately be recognized by Marvel fans as the movie's antagonist, the Iron Monger, and his slow unmasking is a good buildup for the very physical finale at the end.
Then there's Terrence Howard, as Tony Stark's best friend James Rhodes (whom we all know will someday wear The Suit), and his role, while understated, is damn fun. The straight man to Stark, he's like a cross between Cuba Gooding Jr. and Forrest Whittaker.

As much as the script, pacing and consistency of the production values of the movie were things I enjoyed thoroughly; everything feels right and has a glossy, big budget feel, as it should., it has to be said as well that the special effects are amazing. The action is pretty hard-hitting, though never graphic (the film has a high body count, actually, though blood is almost never seen), and Iron Man doesn't shirk from using lethal force. Some parts in the movie made me go YEAH! MAN, I want a damn Iron Man suit too, damn it!

Great action and special effects, solid pacing, a great script with tons of witty, snappy banter that's been updated to the times and loaded with cool payoffs (and lots of little details that will have Marvel fans giddy- I have to admit the thing with SHIELD caught me off-guard and had me smiling after) and a great cast, I of course have to applaud director John Favreau who batted this bad boy out of the stadium for a marvelous home run. I can't wait to see the next movie (this is supposedly just the first of a trilogy, with the cast all signed up to the end).

Iron Man really surprised me. Enough to make me a fan of the comic? Probably not, but I am a darn fan of this movie, and I'm gonna have to watch it again too since I freakin' missed the extra scene at the end after the credits.

Iron Man is now showing in theaters all over the Metro. WATCH IT. WATCH IT NOW!

Mangaholix Presents Issue 4


Coming out this week!

According to a very reliable source, the fourth issue of Mangaholix Presents is out in stores (most probably National Bookstore branches) this week. The latest ish will have the latest installments of the local manga antho's mainstay stories, led by cover story, fantasy-action title Kraust: Ten Roars of Heaven. Filling up the book along with it are Fist Fight Manifesto, Aporia, Pulis Pangkalawakan and, of course, Ninja Girl KO! (which is on it's second episode). So check out the comic stands soon for your local manga fix. I know I will. Heheh.

Reincarnated



As I posted about earlier, my old Canon Ixus 60 digicam went swimming in Boracay a couple of weeks back. I took it to a Canon service center and hoped that it wouldn't take too much to get it back to working order. Well, a call came in today and I received the quote for repairs- 20K with change. TWENTY FREAKIN' THOUSAND PESOS PLUS PLUS. Man! That's enough to buy a brand new, higher-end Canon. It was just a fifth shy of the price I paid for the camera when I bought it. Darn! So what could I do save tell the Canon rep to just dispose of the now-useless piece of salt water-logged junk.

Well, as if in answer to my loss, Mom came home today from her 12-day trip to the Holy Land and Egypt, and she brought with her... a new camera! She had told me prior to leaving to refrain from buying a new digicam locally since she would be stopping over at Dubai where a huge Duty-Free sold cameras at a very cheap price. Well, our patience was rewarded. My new camera is a lovely Canon Ixus 82 IS. It's a nice, compact, blue 8-megapixel snapper that comes with cool features like Face Detection and Motion Stabilization. NICE! Better yet, it came at a price of about half of what I paid for my old Ixus60. The price was so good, mom got herself a new camera too (an Ixus 70) which she used to take gobs of pics of her time touring the religious and cultural center of Christianity. So all's well that ends well, I guess.

Of course, I won't be taking my new cam to any beach anytime soon. Heh.

Avatar BLOWOUT!!!


The End begins in July.

The recent New York Comic Convention revealed a lot of things Avatar: The Last Airbender to fans who have been starved of content for months. For starters, the above trailer which features clips from the next few episodes. The 4-part finale to the series will air in July, and will end the series with a bang as Aang finally engages the Firelord in a climactic final confrontation. Also, the first Avatar live-action movie will be shown in 2010, and have the title The Last Airbender (since the title 'Avatar' has already been stolen by James Cameron...).

Man, this is gonna be bittersweet. The greatest US cartoon ends in a few months, but man, it's shaping up to be an awesome end. I can't wait. WOOHOO!!!

And here (MEGA-SPOILER ALERT) is a 7-minute preview of episode 3.17 The Ember Island Players, which is IMO the best way to have a clip show before the finale. Awesome, hilarious stuff and it perfectly illustrates how beloved this show has become to it's fans. Man, I am going to love this show forever.

Gadget Lust Again!

It never fails- whenever I lose a gadget in some way, I suddenly get the craving to replace it with another- whether it's another of the same gadget or something totally different. As if there's a techno-void in me that demands to be filled. Long ago, it was the loss of a cellphone 'won' during a Christmas party that caused me to careen hopelessly and endlessly into mobile phone frenzy... and now, the loss of my digicam has me once again looking here and there at the gadget shelves.

Of course, I shouldn't buy a camera- my Mom will be getting a new Canon Ixus to use on her trip, and that will be mine to buy when she comes home. With this in mind, I shifted to looking about for other substitutes. A cellphone was out of the question- my iPhone is still hunky-dory, and my love for it has bloomed even more of late after an install of the awesome Genesis4iPhone app has turned my mobile into a portable 16-bit gaming system. It was fun though to hypothesize about the latest models on offer from the big brands. The Nokia N95 8GB model still remains the phone model I'd get if I didn't have an iPhone- the huge storage, Symbian OS, N-Gage gaming and best camera (still and video) around make it THE all-in-one device to have. Also catching my attention is the N82, the OTHER great Nokia camera phone with an OS, although the lack of big storage irks me.

On the Sony Ericsson side, I finally saw the W960i, and I have to say- I am underwhelmed by the plasticky, toy-like look of the actual device (which looked so slick and suave in online pics). The Nokia equivalent N95 8GB beats this one out.

Well, I'm still firmly entrenched with my Apple device, given how it still pretty much kicks every other phone's arse, including the ones mentioned above, in terms of video playing quality (Mpeg-4 video ROCKS), and the huge, hi-res screen still never fails to make my eyes shine. Sigh.

So I cast away any more thoughts of any big gadget acquisitions... for now. I just contented myself with a new Flash Drive- an 8-GIG Flash Drive- that should be great for ferrying files and other stuff here and there. Man, technology. You gotta love it.

Can't wait for what the future brings.

Ixus Mortus

During my stay in Boracay last week, I got to enjoy the white sands of the island getaway, the surprisingly very mainstream and commercial amenities of a beachfront hotel with grade-A facilities but below-par food (The Two Seasons), quite a few man-sized portions of Jonah's Shakes and, unfortunately, the experience of having my nice ol' digital camera take a dip in the salty water.

Yep, a stupid little mistake lost me my trusty Canon Digital Ixus 60, and for the rest of the stay I was bereft of a cam to chronicle the days of beach, booze and babes. Strange thing- for an island that expects tons of tourists, there's no place on Boracay to service your camera in case of trouble like this- for shame.

Anyway, I had the cam given over to the Canon service center, and hopefully we'll be able to resurrect the dead cam. It's really a waste if we couldn't. In any case, my Mom will be coming home with a new digicam most likely when she comes back from her current tour of the Holy Land. We'll see what comes first- a new old cam or a new totally new cam. Either way, I'll be sure to never have this happen again... or resolve to buy a waterproof case for the camera if I ever go back to Boracay or any other beach. Oh well.

Private Iris


A new crimefighting team is on the case.

What has Arnold Arre, creator of Myth Class, Trip to Tagaytay and Andong Agimat been up to lately? Well, teaming up with Jaime Bautista, creator of Cast, that's what! Their offspring (that sounded wrong) is the new kids' detective comic, Private Iris, which has recently been blitzing emails online.

With story by Jaime and art by Arnold, of course, the series stars Iris Able, a somewhat offbeat girl who's been labelled as a loner by the rest of her class. Enter Danton, the most popular boy in school! Danton has this wild idea to team up with Iris in order to solve some baffling cases troubling the campus, and of course- mystery, action and adventure ensue! And friendship, of course. It's the sort of thing any comic reader would love, though the title is being directed mainly towards kids, even giving sections for 'Clue Reviews', tips on stuff like science and saving and good ol' fashioned values. The comic should be available in Fully Booked and other bookstores around the Metro.

Private Iris will have its official launch on April 19, at Fully Booked Bonifactio Heights. You can check the Official Site for more information.

Can't wait to get my hands on this. Let's all check it out, peeps.

Life's a Beach

Tomorrow, I get up hours before the crack of dawn to the airport, off to the white sands of Boracay! It's been years since I last went down to arguably the Philippines' most well-known beach getaway, and I'm curious to see if it's changed again. The first couple of times I went there, it was pretty pastoral with cozy shacks and little makeshift eateries and inns. The last couple of times, there were full-blown hotels along the shoreline and a MALL in the middle of the island. I wonder if there are high-rises or a metro-rail already installed by now?

Anyways, it's part work, part bonus/break, so it should be nice. Bought new travelling short pants, swim trunks and everything, so I guess I'm kinda excited.

The last time I was there as well, the internet was still slow and wonky- hopefully by now broadband on the beach will be up so I can still surf without a surfboard if I spy a net cafe on the sands. Man, I am a net addict, am I?

Three days in Bora starts tomorrow. Later then, people! I'll snap pics.

Eighteen Years



This weekend, me and my college barkada will be having a little get-together, just out of the blue. I thought at first it was just another dinner to spend with the gang, just another time to throw around old war stories, get updated on present goings-on and laugh about this or that issue. It was only when one friend texted me saying that the dinner was to celebrate our eighteen years of knowing each other that I suddenly got floored.

EIGHTEEN YEARS. Man.

That's a long time.

Man.

I still consider myself 'young', but that's mainly because of my own personal outlook, my continual resistance to 'growing up' and wearing 'grown-up' clothes and taking on a 'grown-up' personality and manners. I still wear collar-less t-shirts regularly to work. I still wear jeans and sneakers or rubber shoes. I still love to laugh out loud, have fun with stupid stuff and play frickin' videogames. But even so, I have to realize that I've been on this earth for more than three decades.

And more than half of that time, I've enjoyed and spent with these guys.

Times spent learning useless shit in UP, walking endless kilometers to the next class, toiling away on this or that plate, consoling each other when we were down (though I usually do the consoling), sweating it out in CMT and feasting on fast food whenever we got the money to spare. Since then, into our working, professional lives, we've still kept in touch, seeing each other grow and change and not change. Awesome.

Friends have come and gone, but these guys remain, and God willing, they'll always be there. And I'll always be there for them.

Man.

Eighteen years.

CON Air



Man, it feels like the last C3Con was just last week, and now there's another big comic/manga convention coming. Nicely enough, it's closer to me though. The M3Con or Mangaholix Manga Mania: AniManGaming Convention 08 will be held this coming May 31, 2008 (Saturday) at Hall 4 of the SMX Convention Center (next to Mall of Asia), and of course it's from Groundbreakers Inc., makers of Mangaholix Presents. Aside from the tons of toys, games, cosplayers, anime and manga, there will be of course lots of focus on indie artists and comic-creators ready to show off their latest locally-made manga and comics. Registration is now going on for both the Indie Bazaar and a cool 10-page Comic Creation Competition. Details can be found here.

I guess I'll be there with the rest of the Mangaholix Crew (whether I want to or not, I was informed... heh-heh), and we'll be there showing off our stuff as well, showing the budding Manga-kas how we do things. Fates be willing, we'll also have the latest issues of Mangaholix (along with the next episodes of Ninja Girl KO! of course) available for all. Hopefully we'll also have lots of local comics personalities, be they into manga or not, there to just hang out and have fun. See you all there in May then!

NINJA-NINJA!!!


Snake Eyes. Badaaaaasssss.

Here's the first pic of Snake Eyes, the silent, mute ninja from the upcoming G.I. Joe motion picture being directed by Stephen J. Sommers (The Mummy). In case you didn't know, the man behind the mask is Ray Park (Darth Maul, Toad), so we can be sure he'll have the MOVES. Man, he looks awesome, and I can't wait to see this long, long, long-awaited movie. I mean, the closest I've seen to a live-action G.I. Joe are skits of Cobra Commander, Destro and The Baroness on G4TV's Attack of the Show, and while I do find them quite enjoyable, this is quite another league of coolness. The movie is due out in Summer 2009.

Till then, COOBRRALALALALALALALALALALALAAAA!!!

Working Hard for the Money...

Man, work's been pretty sustained for the past couple of months. It seems that every week brings another pitch that requires all hands in The Salt Mines to batten down the hatches, gird the loins and prepare for another overnight session. My forays to the mall have lessened to a trickle, and at the end of a day, usually I'm just begging to get home and unwind in the comfort of The Sanctum. Maybe I just need vitamins (More Energy, Mas Happy!). Or maybe it's just that our company's growing and we need to grow with it. That's always good.

In many ways, I guess it's fine that I've put going out nights with barkadas more or less behind me... time is valuable and has to be rationed. I have to say, it's still not reached a point of horror. I can still say that I'm enjoying what I'm doing, I still look forward to things and still have the spark in me to do creative fun stuff every now and then- so long as time permits. I guess I just have to work a little harder.

Anyway, work's still full steam ahead into the Holy Week break... which will make the holiday all the sweeter. Back to work then...

Respect to the Master

The father of Dungeons and Dragons is dead. Gary Gygax, 69, succumbed on Tuesday after struggling with health problems for past few years. I remember first reading about D&D in comics, and then getting intrigued about this thing called 'pen and paper gaming'. I bugged my relatives in the US to get me the game even though my parents often said that this D&D thing was 'satanic'. When I eventually got my first D&D set, it was the Campaign Rules set, which was totally useless and over my head without the previous Basic and Expert sets, but I devoured it hungrily and made my own rules with a bunch of six-sided die and my imagination.

And more than all the cool manuals and art and modules and novels and worlds introduced by D&D over the years, the most I can say that it have me was the capacity to create- to make my own worlds, to make my own heroes and party of adventurers to venture into realms unknown. Thanks to Dungeons and Dragons, I created kingdoms, empires, continents, heroes, villains, curses, legends, myths, artifacts, monsters, deities, cults, mysteries and countless other cool stuff in my mixed-up grey matter. I owe D&D so much of what I am today as a creator, writer, player and gamer.

Thank you Gary. Dungeon Master. Rest in peace.

Cuteness

I've already posted about Manikako before- the NGO project which accepts donations of old clothes and cloth to be used for workshops to teach less forunate kids how to make cute Manikako dolls and get a livelihood. Well, the project has so far been a rousing success- Manikako boxes are usually filled up with generous donations and the workshops themselves are usually mobbed with curious and excited onlookers and participants.

Well, I was able to commission a Manikako artist to make a couple of dolls, and here they are...


Ninja Girl Doll KO! It's Michiko in Manikako form! She even comes with a pretty little obi/sash. Lovely!


And heeeere's Kai in little recycled cloth-doll form aka ManikaKAI. The artist even gave her a little angry face. CUTE!

Really cool to see these little ones. All that's left is to get Angel in Manikako form too. Heheh. This is awesome. For more informationa bout this, check out www.manikako.com.

Sobra Talaga sa Overtime

Since last week, I haven't had a weekend yet. After Friday night, work just kept on going into Saturday, Sunday and today (which is a holiday). When a pitch strikes, there's nothing to do but keep at it until the last minute. That's the way it's been done for years, and it won't stop anytime soon. On the bright side, it should all be over tomorrow, so then hopefully I can ease off and take a break to make up for the three weeks or so that I haven't been to the mall for my comics or to anywhere aside from home for sleep in recent memory.

On another bright side, I seem to have cut down a lot on spending since most of my meals are provided for and I haven't really had any chance to spend on anything aside from taxi fare for the past month or so. So I guess it's not all dim. My one and only hope after all this is that we actually win this darn thing so it will have been all worth it. Crossing fingers then.

Back to regular thought processes (and regular blogging) once I have recuperated...

Massive Attack

A couple of months ago, my television life revolved around Solar TV, with it's up-to-date episodes of WWE, raunchy uncensored cartoons and other weird odds and ends. Well, Solar left our cable provider, but you won't find me complaining. The new Maxx Channel is more and better of the wild thrills and niche pleasures provided by Solar, only tons better. A lot of the programs are from G4 TV, which is, seriously, seemingly made for me. There's X-Play, the longest-running and supposedly most-watched videogame review/preview/news/gag show around, which I have been a fan of since it's early days back in TechTV. Then there's Cinematech, which shows a bunch of videos and trailers from videogames, including not-for-kids stuff, hence the subtitle Nocturnal Emissions. Ooh.

But the most fun I have is with my daily fix of Attack of the Show, an irreverent hour of all the stuff I care about- basically internet buzz and fads, gaming/tech news, showbiz, movies and entertainment news. Plus every so often they break out with hilariously weird skits/vignettes and gags, all handled gamely by hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn (who is a darn FOX). Oh, and you have to love a show that shows political advertisements by Cobra Commander.

Oh, and for my wrestling fix, Maxx also shows WWE 24/7, which basically shows off classic matches and episodes from the WWE's past- great stuff with classic superstars like Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, The Rock, Razor Ramon and TONS more. Decades of wrestling history, rewound and on offer again. I can get the latest shows and PPV's elsewhere, but this look into the past of professional wrestling is pretty awesome.

Even better, a lot of the Maxx's shows are aired after midnight, so I have stuff to look forward to after work. Coolness. So I don't always have to be blogging and surfing all the time... I can actually be found watching TV again. Sometimes.

But Seriously

Putting down the vicarious hat for a moment, I have to say that our country's in a bind. That's an understatement of course... to everyone out there on the web, let it be known- the Philippines is currently in the grip of silent Martial Law. A controlled Status Quo held by probably THE most corrupt, most tenaciously rapacious and greedy regime EVER in the country's history. The Marcoses with all their extravagance pale in comparison. Ramos at least left after stealing his cut. Erap was stupid enough to get caught and have the shame to leave the palace. But THIS regime... MAN. Not only is it known for unparalleled greed, corruption and bare-faced theft of public resources and funds, it's also known for rampant stupidity and incompetence, with a large majority of positions in government being held by former military and cronies who know NOTHING of what their department means.

The sad thing is, everything bad and evil in the Philippines is in the government, in power. That leaves the honest, the hardworking, the simple to toil regardless, to just survive and earn enough. The order is evilly efficient though- keep the working class just well-fed enough but struggling to be too tired to protest, but not hungry enough to take to the streets and rip these motherfucking bastards off their high horses as they should. On the other hand, the poor get poorer, but what does anyone care? They don't have a voice, they don't matter. The rich just get richer, the cronies get a cut from everything, from funds and loans meant for the country, for our schools, our roads, our economy.

It's a hard thing to combat. The bad guys control the military. No one has the charisma, the strength or the resources to challenge them. No revolt or protest arrives without strong-arm tactics from the government quashing what little forces arrive to shout out their grievances. They say the Filipinos are tired of People Power. But that's not true. They're just waiting for it to happen again. It hasn't yet, I believe. Just a lot of false starts. You can't turn on People Power like a faucet. Too bad there isn't a Cardinal Sin or a Ninoy to rally behind. Everyone currently around is either just as dirty as the bad guys, or just plain stupid.

But there seems to be movement now, among students and other elements that are once again trying to gain momentum to get this government to fall. People are angry, but then again, people are also just tired and want to just keep on working. But damn, do we really need to allow the filth to suck this frickin' land dry before we actually move? Do we actually need to see people starving in the streets and our country in ruins before we run these bastards out of Malacanang?

The Filipinos are too kind, too divided, too used to poverty and too jaded, most of the time. I'm no exception. But there is a limit to everything. Evil can't reign forever. When the wave of justice finally arrives, people will know. Then people will flood the streets and then we'll see. If the Filipino is still worth fighting for.

Moving on.

INDYYYYYYY!!!



The teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now online in lovely, lovely Quicktime, so go on and download it! I mean, this is a trailer you need to see in QT, not in crappy Youtube quality. I have to say, Indiana Jones is THE number one name in Pulp Action-Adventure. No other character, franchise or series quite nails it like Indy. Even though the movies' quality has gone down a notch with every subsequent sequel, even the worst Indy film (Last Crusade) is still head and shoulders above every other tomb-raiding, treasure-hunting, fist-fighting and bull-whipping film or show out there.

Anyway, even though he's quite a long in years and has played the President of the United States (GET OFF MY PLANE), he still looks Indy-cool. I mean, Professor Jones has never been a macho man like Rambo, so it doesn't matter that he's not ripped. He's still Harrison Ford, he's still Indy. Anyway, the Roswell link, the new baddies (Russian cold warriors led by a brunette Cate Blanchett) and the same hard-hitting but kinda-cartoony action seems intact even this early, and that's awesome. It's gonna be a bit of a wait till May, but darn, this should be worth it. To pass the time, I should track down DVD copies of the earlier films and have myself a marathon one of these days.

Anyway, download links for the trailer can be found here. Can you hear that classic theme playing? WOOHOOO!!!

Upgrades

So, Apple has gone and announced hardware upgrades for their most popular gadgets- mostly involving memory. The iPhone will soon be sporting a 16 GB variant, while the iPod Touch will be getting a 32 GB edition.

Which gets me thinking... WHY NOT A 32 GB iPhone right off the bat?

Once again, more of Apple doling out little updates, teasing, manipulating and prodding the masses. Even now, forums and blogs are already filled with gripes aplenty, with iPhone owners angry at Apple for 'planned obsolescence' of their tech toys and other crap. In a way, it's valid, but in any case- come on. That iPhone in your hand is still the amazing, gorgeous device that you fell in love with months ago. An upgrade of double the memory is hardly earth-shattering.

Am I interested? More memory is always great, but I won't even consider upgrading unless the new 16 GB iphone has been jailbroken wide open for apps, custom wallpapers and other goodies that I am enjoying right now. But really, I probably won't upgrade- not unless something bad happens to my phone like it getting (knock on wood) stolen or destroyed or whatever. No sale, Steve Jobs. At least, not now. Or anytime soon.

Overtime

This past week has been grueling as only a Pitch Week can be. With considerable stakes being placed whenever agencies go to war like this, everyone is expected to lay in the hours, burn the brain cells and do the time. It's been a loooong several weeks, and it's come down to this. These last couple of days has seen me more at The Salt Mines than at home, but the stuff we've come up with looks great. Hopefully this will all pay off.

Only a few more hours, and this should be over. The weekend hopefully begins a little earlier. I freakin' need it.

Anti-Terrorist Hero


Barbangsa: Fighting against terrorism one issue at a time.

This bit of news was posted recently by Azrael and at Newsrama. It's all about Barbangsa: Blood of the Honorable, a locally-produced series of comics/graphic novels funded by US Special Operations Forces (what, do you think the local AFP has the funds for this?). Here's a report on the comic:

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — One of the unique products used in psychological operations in the southern Philippines is the comic book “Barbargsa — Blood of the Honorable.”

About 600,000 copies of the 10-part series have been distributed on the Sulu islands, a chain that was once a terrorist safe haven, and still suffers from skirmishes.

U.S. special operations forces have used comic books in information campaigns. But the characters were based on well-known American superheroes. Two years ago, two Army officers decided to create one from scratch to tell the children of the Sulu islands the story of what was happening in their homeland.

The project was the brainchild of Maj. Edward Lopacienski, military information support team commander for the joint special operations task force Philippines mission, and the non-commissioned officer in charge, Master Sgt. Russell Snyder.

The pair sat down in January 2006 and outlined the basic idea.

The plot follows several basic comic book storyline conventions — most notably the battle between good and evil.

The comic book focuses on Ameer, who left his home island to work overseas, but returns to find it racked with violence. Ameer is a practitioner of kuntao, which is a local form of martial arts. Like Zorro or Batman, he dons a mask and vows to protect the downtrodden and innocent victims of terrorists.

The Philippines military are also portrayed in a positive and heroic light while the villains are the terrorists or “bandits.” The creators were careful to accurately illustrate the Sulu region, and use character names, clothing and mannerisms that reflect the culture of the Tausug ethnic group. There are versions in English and in the local dialect.

It depicts real events that took place on the islands and at neighboring Basilan — specifically the Sulu Co-Op bombing in March 2006, which killed five and injured 40 and the Basilan hostage crisis when members of the Abu Sayyaf Group took school children and used them as human shields against Filipino troops.

“Essentially what we’re doing is showing all the atrocities that the Abu Sayyaf Group has done,” Lopacienski said.

One subplot shows how terrorists manipulate a boy into becoming a bomber.

The production of the comic book was farmed out to a Manila-based marketing firm. Two experts on Tausug culture were brought in as consultants to make sure nothing offensive was put in, and that everything was culturally accurate. It took about 2,000 hours to create the 10 comic books.

“In the end you see the hero and the community rising up to turn over the terrorists,” Lopacienski said.
It was important that the series be reproduced on high-quality paper as slick as any graphic novel found in U.S. bookshelves, he said, because that shows respect to the culture.

Lopacienski said there is anecdotal evidence of the comic book’s popularity. When some areas missed delivery due to security concerns, children “were ripping out the pages and trading them like baseball cards,” he said.

Local stores have printed unauthorized T-shirts portraying the hero Ameer.

Man. That's so cool. Heheh.

Coming to Manila


Michiko's on the way...

I have to say, response to Ninja Girl KO! in the pages of Mangaholix Presents has been quite good, and I'd like to thank Emman and Ian of Groundbreakers, Inc. for giving me and Kriss Sison the opportunity to bring our characters to the Pinoy manga fan. Rest assured, while there has been a bit of a delay, the next issue of Ninja Girl KO! is on the way, and it looks just as slick, cute and funny as the first issue. Look for this in stores late February or so.

On my own end, I still plan to do comics on the side, albeit I have been sidetracked quite a bit by work and other stuff. It simply is too expensive to go the self-publishing route without having your full heart and wallet into the endeavor, so I'll only move when the going is good. Just the same, I want to have stuff out this year, so stay tuned for that.

Anyway, work beckons. Back to mining salt.

One Bad Day



Last night, I sped off after work to Glorietta 4 to watch Cloverfield, the J.J. Abrams-produced 'Blair Witch meets Godzilla' film. As many probably already know, the whole movie is filmed from the perspective of a hand-held camera, putting you in the shoes of the cameraman as events transpire around, in front or behind him. This 'found footage' treatment establishes up front that the movie you are watching is some kind of classified military file discovered some time after the infamous event depicted in the movie. Interesting concept. But does an interesting concept translate well after all the hype for this mystery-cloaked movie?

SPOILERS AHEAD

Cloverfield is the story of a bunch of young adults in New York, who are unlucky enough to be there when SOMETHING- something huge and destructive and seemingly unstoppable, attacks the city. The first twenty or so minutes of the film is basically a first-person view of a going-away party which introduces and establishes the cast, which include main character Rob (Michael Stahl-David), who's on his way to Japan for a lucrative job; his brother, Jason (Michael Vogel), his best friend Hud (T.J. Miller), Jason's girlfriend Lily (Jessica Lucas) and Marlena (Lizzy Caplan), a guest at Rob's party whom Hud gets a crush on. Later, we meet Beth (Odette Yusman), a girl whom Rob has intense feelings for.

If you've seen the trailer, then you know what happens next. What appears to be an earthquake happens, and soon all hell breaks loose as explosions erupt miles away, hurling among other things the severed head of the Statue of Liberty right on the street in front of Rob's apartment. Clearly, it's not a case of just some earthquake. The city is under attack, and anyone with any bit of sense should be high-tailing it out of Ground Zero (the allusions to 9/11 are unavoidable).

Unfortunately, not all goes well as the easiest and closest way out is blocked, and Rob receives a disturbing message via his cellphone- a desperate plea for help from the woman he loves- Beth. Torn between primal fear and the urge to get to Beth, Rob goes against all reason and forays back INTO the city, dragging along his friends in a nightmarish, first-person experience as they enter a war zone where the military and the creature clash in deadly combat.

So what can I say? I watched, or at least tried to watch this flick, intrigued by the premise and the concept. But there is one big factor that detracts a lot from my enjoyment. As with The Blair Witch Project, the hand-held nature of the film makes for a very haphazard visual experience- at best the view is kinda-sorta stable but usually distended or askew. At worst, there are stretches of the film that are goddamn vertigo-inducing and unwatchable. WHY oh WHY does Rob's camera- while having perhaps one of the strongest and longest-lasting batteries ever AND nightvision, lack any Anti-Shaky Cam technology? I swear, there are a lot of scenes that could have been more enjoyable if they were a tad bit more discernable. After a bit, you don't get full scenes in this film- just scraps of images or random views. It's like some fever dream with flashes. Interesting and different, but also unpleasant.

That is my main gripe of the film (which is unfortunately a big part). Other factors actually pleased me. The story is fine, though I have to say I would have preferred a less bleak ending. I mean, after all that, I demand pay-off. A downbeat ending leaves people with sour tastes or an unfinished vibe, and kinda kills any urge for repeat viewings (especially in the case of this movie, which I doubly do not want to see because of the shaky cam).

The cast of unknown actors is both talented and damn pretty, and generally likeable. I have to say that Odette Yusman's Beth is radiant- Man, if I were Rob, I'd go back for her too. Hud, the man with the cam, is funny and gets to mouth off quite a few memorable lines which give a bit of comedy to the grim events. For the most part, at least, you care what happens for these gorgeous New Yorkers, instead of rooting for the monster(s) like in other films. And yeah- Blair Witch Project? This is Blair Witch with a HUGE budget, and the effects and atmosphere are convincing as hell (if only it had more clarity). The Cloverfield Monster is indeed a beast of mammoth proportions, and it's "Mini-Me's" are memorable adversaries as well. Certainly the best parts are where you actually see the thing, which are kinda few and far between but always pleasing. There IS a point in the film where the whole thing is finally unveiled, but you'll just have to soldier on to see it. It's worth it, anyway.

There are some wild leaps though. How can a freakin' monster as big as a skyscraper sneak up on you? Do these characters have an 'attract monster' signal on them or something? And what the heck is up with the title, anyway? I kinda missed that.

Cloverfield would make for an incredible Theme Park ride. Or an awesome Survival Horror game. But as a movie, it's kinda hit-and-miss due to the nature of it's concept as found footage. You do easily accept the otherwise ridiculous way that Hud continues to film on and on despite the chaos all around him, but I just wish that they took a wee bit more license and smoothened out some of the film's rougher parts. If only for viewer comfort. But I have to applaud the director's choice to stick to his guns anyway and make a pretty unique experience. Man, am I glad I didn't have dinner before watching.

Some will love this film, some will hate it for various reasons. Me? Still kinda in between. I love the concept and story, but hate the presentation. But I do say it's worth watching so you won't be out of the loop when the inevitable Cloverfield conversations get laid on the table.

Last Blood


You know what happens next...

As what I now see a perfect way to end a long, hard and tiring week, I just saw Rambo tonight at Rockwell. RAM-freakin'-BO. I have to say that I wasn't too confident in this film some time ago. The trailers had a B-movie feel and cheapness that I disliked, and the snippets of over-the-top gore made me feel that the movie had gone too far in its obvious desire to get back the glory of the 80's Superhero. However, the last couple of weeks and quite a few positive (even glowing) reviews caused me to unerringly make my way to the movie theater, prepared for a night of unrelenting bloodletting.

Rambo is the fourth film in the series starring Sylvester Stallone as everyone's favorite Vietnam Vet, master archer, commando and Synonym for Gratuitous Violence. It's been twenty years since John Rambo (Stallone) exterminated Russian Spetsnaz Troops in Afghanistan, and since then he's been living a simple life in Thailand, wrangling snakes for a local pub and catching fish with his bow-and-arrows. It doesn't take long for a group of American church volunteers to arrive and ask for Rambo's help in getting into Burma. Through a quick montage of real-life atrocities in current Burma/Myanmar (which is in the grip of a 60-year, genocidal civil war), we know that Burma is NOT a good place to be, and Rambo repeatedly tries to get the white folk to give up on their humanitarian mission. However, strong-willed Sarah (Julie Benz) eventually convinces Rambo to take them on his boat, by rekindling a bit of the selfless soldier buried in the somewhat puffy old Rambo.

Of course, it doesn't take long for the shit to hit the fan when the local Burmese troops arrive and find the village where the missionaries are dispensing aid, and things get REALLY nasty. When the church that sent the volunteers send in a squad of mercs to get their people out, Rambo is ready and raring to get back into the killing mood. And it's not just because he cares about the missionaries (though he does). It's an excuse for him to unleash the animal he's kept cooped up inside of him all these years. That scary, freakin' force of nature that Colonel Trautman molded and turned into the perfect battlefield tool. It's one last try to be RAMBO once more.

And RAMBO is what this movie is- unadulterated, unrestrained and brutally frank, to be quite honest. This film's violence does NOT hold back; it pushes the envelope of the R-rating, not only for the kinetic bloodletting and realistic portrayals of carnage, but for the way that men, women and children are seen murdered coldly by merciless monsters in fatigues and combat gear. The imagery melds the gory scenery of Private Ryan and The Killing Fields in no small detail, but thankfully doesn't wallow too much so as to turn stomachs. But make no mistake- bodies get mangled, exploded, ripped apart. Blood spurts and flows more so than in any of the previous three films put together. This is probably how REAL munitions do real damage to human bodies, and it isn't pretty. But it is DAMN fascinating to watch.

To be honest, it would have been horrifying if the villains- a battalion of truly despicable, murderous, sadistic, rapine Burmese soldiers- weren't as gloriously deserving of their end as they are in this film. These baddies get to have their way for quite a lot of the film, so when Rambo and the good guys FINALLY get to give it back, they GIVE and then some, and it's glorious. Fist-pumpingly glorious. Bad guys get ground into hamburger and it's freaking awesome. This is no watered-down Die Hard 4.0-excuse for Rambo. This is Rambo, an apology and vindication for the cartoony and over-the-top Rambo III. It isn't pretty at all, but darn, this is what it is. And for what it is, it bloody succeeds.

In the end, Rambo isn't rocket science. It's not the most politically-correct or tasteful of films. But it DOES do what I thought films today couldn't... end a beloved franchise with a resounding, bloody BOOM and not a whimper. Welcome home, John. Glad to have you back.

Me and Manikako



Here's me at the waiting area of The Salt Mines with a peculiar visitor. It's an oversized Manikako, a doll made from old clothing. It's the mascot of the Non-Government Organization/Movement of the same name- Manikako, which has recently been started. The goal of Manikako is all about getting people to donate their old clothes and cloth scraps so they can be used in a program of workshops to teach poor kids how to make their own Manikako dolls. And hopefully, they can make a living out of this cute new handicraft. Or at least make their own big, saggy companion like this big, droopy fellow sitting to me. You can find Manikako donation boxes in selected malls and locations like The Podium, RCBC Plaza in Makati and in UP Diliman.

Oh, and I'm the one on the LEFT.

Mag-Avatar Muna Tayo!


Nickelodeon Avatar Magazines. MINE!

Thanks to my cousin Jeremy (THANKS, JEREMY!!!), I finally got copies of the two released Nickelodeon Avatar the Last Airbender Specials. Each issue is chock-ful of Avatar goodies, including articles and fun sections, artwork and news about the episodes and the final season. But of course the best parts of the mags are the Avatar comics, drawn by brilliant artists who truly capture the look and feel of the show- that fill in the gaps between the events shown in the episodes. So finally, I know now how the Water Tribes captured the Fire Nation ship they had in "The Awakening", how Zuko and Mai hooked up prior to "The Beach" and learned what got the Earth King to go off to wander the world as a humble man. Cool stuff!

Thanks again, Jeremy! The Avatar fan in me is PLEAS-ED. Hoho!

Haunted Europe

I've watched the first two episodes of the Ghost Hunters spin-off show, Ghost Hunters International, thanks to the wonders of the web. Basically, it's the same format as the parent show- a team of paranormal investigators enter a suspected haunted location, set up their cameras, recorders and other equipment, and then go a-prodding and a-prowling for the things that go bump in the night.

So far, the show is all right... though I have to say that much of what I liked, or felt familiar with, in the original show were the strong personalities and character of the two lead investigators, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. Here, we have a new team leader, Robb Demarest, followed by a bunch of familiar faces from the first show (Donna La Croix, Andy Andrews and Brian "Run, Dude!" Harnois, as well as recurring European comrade Barry Fitzgerald. For the most part, the show has the same vibe, albeit it's lighter on the personal elements and character interaction that the first show had- these will probably build up or develop as the show goes on.

As for the investigations themselves, the first couple of episodes took up the aptly-named Chillingham Castle in England, Mary King's Close in Scotland, the Lucedio Abbey in Italy and the Nanteos Mansion in Wales. They're all suitably creepy and steeped in history. So far, no big catches on video, but several chilling EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) have been picked up. The investigators are a varied lot- Brian is his usual, entertaining self; Donna seems to be the perpetual beacon for entities to approach, while Andy seems to be a lot more competent and active this time around. Barry is, with his heavy accent, quite interesting to watch, particularly when he speaks Latin to try and draw out some responses from the Euro-spooks.

While I like GHI, I'm hoping that TAPS returns soon with more episodes based in Haunted America as well. But it's all well and good. I never get tired of creepy fun.

Dark Night

I just found out to my shock and dismay that actor Heath Ledger is dead. It was so sudden that I found myself thinking, 'it's probably just a marketing gimmick for the Batman movie...' But sure enough, the news is all over the web. The Australian-born actor was found dead in his NYC apartment. Police haven't given out the cause of death, but do not suspect foul play- drugs were found at the scene but it's still unsure what all the circumstances are.

It's really too bad- Ledger was a fine young actor and I have to say I was impressed with his performances in the few films I saw him in. Well, at least audiences will get one last taste of his prowess as The Joker in The Dark Knight, his last film. The movie is currently in post-production.

Violation

Early this morning, I learned from my mom that a nearby townhouse was broken into last night. The owners were away on some trip, and had just rushed back after learning of the jarring news. As far as I can tell, the thieves made off with stuff like a laptop, stereo system, cash and jewelry. There's talk that it was an inside job, given how the thieves knew what to take, when to take it and so on. Scary.
I shudder to imagine some blasted thief entering the rooms where I and my parents live. But what can we do but stay vigilant, keep our housemates informed and to always stay mindful that outside our door, everything is fair game.

Man, I wish I had a Vanishing Ray for real. Hopefully prayer and prudence will be enough to keep us safe.

Human SFX


AMAZING stuff.

Man, you gotta love the Japanese. The Kasou Taishou, or Kinchan and Katori Shingo's All-Japan Costume Grand Prix, is a special event where groups of performers do special presentations using human-powered special effects and creative performances. One of the most amazing just has to be this skit performed by 9 university students, entitled "Olympic Highlights". Watch, and let your jaw drop in wonder.

Link: Japan Probe

New Digs

Things have been a bit wild these days at The Salt Mines. A bit of change in the way the company is organized has resulted in, long story short, a bunch of us moving to a new office (same building, different floor). It's been a whole week of squatting in crowded conference rooms, sweltering by the heat of laptops, trying your best to make the most out of the trickle that is our internet connection. Still, I have to say that I love new things, so having a new office after the three or so years staying in the same place isn't all bad. The new Creative Department isn't as expansive as our old place, but I think it's pretty cozy, and once we get settled in it should be home once again. Give it a couple of weeks. The good things? We're now closer to the CRs, and have access to an elevator that goes down to the ground floor straightaway, which is cool if you're in a hurry.

Any gripes? Yeah, we're a bit crowded, and it may get noisy... but that's nothing a good pair of earphones can't fix. But the big stitch is, no WINDOWS, so conceivably day can turn into night without us realizing it. Yikes! Anyway, I hope this gets me sticking to my promise to go stretch my back and legs every so often. Or better yet, to just go out of the office and walk around to get my thinking cap on. Well, whatever happens, this is our new bed, so all we can do is lie in it and make the most out of it. And take care to steal the sheets as often as possible. Heh.

The Force is strong with Soulcalibur IV



Here's another one of those gaming news that's just too mainstream-pertinent and big to just leave at The Lone Gamer. The currently-ongoing CES 2008 showcases all the latest developments in games and gear, and is the place that Namco-Bandai chose to showcase their latest Soulcalibur IV trailer. Well, the new spot doesn't so much show new gameplay or storyline elements as it does the much-hyped surprise guest characters who will be appearing in the hack-and-slash one-on-one fighter. Well, the cat's out of the bag.

Soon after the sound of harsh, mechanical breathing was heard, another sound- that of my jaw hitting the floor- rang out. Darth Vader is in Soulcalibur IV. DARTH-FREAKIN' VADER. And Yoda too. Unfreakin' believable.

Not all is sweet and potatoes though- as of right now, while you can match lightsabres against magical metal weapons, apparently you can't pit Jedi against Sith since Vader will be exclusive to the PS3 ('cause it's black) and Yoda an Xbox360-only character (since he's green). That kinda sucks, but maybe downloadable content can change that eventually or something.

Rumor has it that perhaps the two master Jedi aren't the only Lucas Arts characters getting injected into Namco's slasher- there certainly is a huge menagerie of Jedi and Sith to use, though I have to say wouldn't this kinda make SCIV a Star Wars game and not a Soulcalibur game? Kinda like how the Final Fantasy characters stole the show from the cast of Ehrgeiz. But still, having maybe Darth Maul in the game would be damn cool.

Anyway, Soulcalibur IV's been given a release date of Summer 2008 (which resultantly gives Tekken 6 for the PS3 a release window of after that) for the PS3 and Xbox360. Gadzooks!

Hunting Season 2008

I love Ghost Hunters, and thankfully the creepy fun of following TAPS (The Atlanta Paranormal Society) will continue this year. Even better, the successful creepy-reality drama is expanding overseas with Ghost Hunters International, a spin-off set in Europe and other countries with long-time TAPS members like Brian and Donna heading up the new show.
What's next, Ghost Hunters Asia? Nope (at least, not yet). The next frontier is... the FINAL Frontier. Yep, UFO Hunters is the latest show from the creators of Ghost Hunters, and will follow a pair of UFO experts from the NY-SPI (New York Strange Phenomenon Investigators) as they investigate otherworldy experiences and other close encounters.

Man, this is great. It kinda makes me miss Nginiig!, that old local spookshow... don't miss the bad teen star hosts and the overly-melodramatic storylines and celebrity-possession-of-the-week though. Oh well.

Avatar 3.13 The Firebending Masters


Aang and Zuko pay an homage to Dragonball Z.

A new episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender aired over the weekend, and I have to say I'm very happy with what transpired. The latest episode, The Firebending Masters, picks up shortly after Zuko joined the Gaang as Aang's new firebending teacher. Unfortunately, once the lessons begin, something immediately becomes apparent- both literally, and figuratively, Zuko's LOST HIS FIRE. His firebending has suddenly become worthless, a far cry from the fury he unleashed in Crossroads of Destiny.
This seems to happen in every anime, show or comic I know; a bad-ass villain is a monstrous adversary, but when he/she turns good, they become wimps. Well, in Zuko's case though, there's a good explanation, which has to do with inner spirit and the source of firebending power. So, in order to regain his firebending (and gain something new), Zuko, along with Aang, go off on a quest to find those who know the forgotten secrets of fire- the mighty, fire-breathing dragons. Unfortunately, dragons have been extinct for years!

This episode is cool for many reasons- first off, the budding Aang-Zuko friendship is finally off in earnest, as the unlikely pair share an adventure together- the last time these two fought together was waaaaay back in The Blue Spirit in Book of Water, under very different circumstances. It's wonderful to note that they are each still nominally the same- Zuko is still the hot-head, but thankfully has none of the haughtiness and arrogance he had as the exiled prince. He even gets knocked around by a still-hostile Katara and Sokka, which may piss off Zuko fans a bit. Still, come on people- Zuko hunted them down for two and a half seasons. He can take a couple of episodes of roasting. In good time, they'll be good friends... count on it.

Anyway, the buddy episode is a bit light on the actual action, but there is quite a lot of amusing interaction between Aang and Zuko, a pretty cool revelation and some awesome sequences at the end- which is strangely enough not a fight or a battle but a DANCE. Between Zuko and Aang. I kid you not. I also hope this lays to rest ANY doubt that Zuko is indeed in with the good guys FOR GOOD. Oh, and there's a priceless Toph flashback which is just adorable.

Though not having stuff like any updates on Iroh or the baddies, Suki or any other plot points, the Firebending Masters is a really nice installment in Book of Fire, and a light-hearted contrast to the heavy emotion dredged up in the previous episode. Here's to hoping that the Gaang get into more serious adventures in the next episodes, due in the next couple of weeks. Later then!

Crisis Averted

EDIT: To clarify the situation yesterday, my iPhone didn't just spontaneously go crazy- it seemed to have been caused when my Mac restarted after an update download, and something weird happened with iTunes (though I didn't update iTunes). Afterwards, when I synced, that dreaded yellow bar of consumed but inaccessible space took up the whole bar of my iPhone's memory. With no other recourse, I had to attempt a restore, using firmware I downloaded and an app named INdependence. The process of reactivating the then-restored but locked phone was straightforward and easy, which just steams me up when I remember how I paid about 2K for the service from a tech in Greenhills, and they even made me think that it was frickin' hard to do. Bastards. In any case, I feel that yesterday's bungle was a blessing in disguise, since now I know I can restore my phone whenever something like this happens again.

Anyway, it took me until midnight, but I managed to get my phone customized and loaded with apps again, which is great. Everything's cool once more, and the iLife goes on. Wonderful!

Just before lunch today, out of the blue, my Apple iPhone suddenly goes bonkers. My videos and music disappear, but the space they consumed is still unavailable and unusable- kind of like someone having a bad case of gas. I could still use the phone features and apps, but as an iPod the phone was kaput. It was the kind of error/screw-up that required nothing less than a Restore, which, basically, returns your device to factory settings. For iPods, this is nothing more than an inconvenience. For our country's hacked, unlocked iPhones, it's a bit more trouble. That's because we can't simply restore our phones and have everything go back to normal. Nope, if you just restore from iTunes with the default settings, Apple will make sure your phone becomes a very expensive-looking brick.

Months ago, my first reaction would have been to pace around like a headless chicken, do something drastic and rush all the way to the nearest hacker/tech to fork over the several thousand peso-fee to restore the device to working order. Luckily, I had done some homework and had the software and files needed to do the deed without much trouble. I was able to restore my phone to factory settings, then activate it once more.

Things aren't back to 100 percent just yet- the phone's working fine now, with all my contacts (saved to iCal, thankfully so I didn't have to re-input everything by hand again) and media back and available. However, all my third-party apps and games are gone, so I have to work on installing them and customizing the darn thing again so it looks like the cool, slick myPhone of yesterday. Nothing a good hour with a stable WiFi connection shouldn't be able to fix.

But man, that was scary for a while. I got through it though and things should hopefully go better now that I've experienced a second major breakdown and survived. You really gotta have quite a bit of nerve to own a hacked iPhone, but darn... just one look at the device makes it all worthwhile. Heh.

High Resolution

So, it's the New Year. What about some resolutions on how I'll be going about things from now on? Well, let's see...

For starters, I resolve to blog more often and blog better this year. I have to admit... the MADness ran thin last year. I miss the good ol' days of Ants in the Scanner, the Taxi Driver with a Frog's Voice and the Cellular Phone Theft MRT Incident. Now, I don't plan on encountering criminal scum ever, but I'll try my best to post more interesting, funny, entertaining, insightful, informative or just plain MAD rants and raves to tell you all as we go along. I owe it to all of you who take the time getting your retinas seared by my page's crimson coloring.

I have to watch my back. Literally. From now on, I have to make sure to take frequent stretch breaks and walking time at The Salt Mines. Every hour, every so often, I have to just tear myself away from the keyboard, the laptop and the desk and just let the body move naturally. It'll save me sleepless nights contorting in The Sanctum, pain lancing up and down the spine and lower back. Maybe I should get an hourglass or something to keep me updated on the time. We'll see.

More Comics. Mangaholix Presents is still on my plate this year, but I do plan on publishing my own stuff as well in 2008. It may be something familiar, but then again it could be something totally new. I'll keep you all informed right here. Yeah, I do intend to draw it as well as write it. Okay then.

That's enough for now. It's all just for starters. Small steps, but I think they're gonna go far in making sure that 2008 is cool as school. I don't want to make big promises I can't keep. We'll see if the year proves me right or wrong. Or can I count on all of you for that? Let's get moving then.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What's past is prologue! This year looks great, and I for one am glad it's here. We just had a simple but perfect New Year's dinner last night, and after the meal we watched the fireworks from the front yard and greeted each other Happy 2008. I am looking forward to more MADness, rants and raves for this hopeful time ahead. I'll talk about resolutions in a while. Then it's on to planning what to do. Oh, and tomorrow, back to work. Oh well.

Looking Back at 2007

It's been a hell of a year. Looking back at my past Rants and Raves, I realize that in the past year I had...

Discovered the Apple iPhone, and spent the next several months lusting after it, trying to forget it by turning to the 02 XDA Flame, but ultimately ditching the world of Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile for it. With the most lovely and big screen, a revolutionary touch screen, video playing that puts to shame all other mobile phones and a platform for apps that still continues to grow, it has since become my best cellphone to date. I still have it, and look to still have it into the New Year and the foreseeable future. But then, the only thing constant is change...

I discovered the sweet and double-edged pleasure that was Krispy Kreme Donuts, considered by some as a vice, others the nectar of the gods. I don't bring home boxes of the stuff regularly anymore, but it can't hurt to have a glazed or two every now and then. I think.

This was the year when I got my Playstation 3. Yeah, I got it too early I guess... the big games that I really got it for are only coming out THIS year- Tekken 6, Soulcalibur IV, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII. Of the two uber-consoles, the Xbox360 had more titles and saw more playtime (but ultimately caused more trouble thanks to the frickin' 3RL crap). Still, I can't say I didn't enjoy all those hours of Virtua Fighter 5, and that one afternoon of Heavenly Sword. Well, games on the PS3 haven't been that great YET, but it's still a kick-ass media thingie and looks SOOOO Star Trek.

To coincide with the PS3, this was the year I made the leap into HD, finally and irrevocably leaving behind standard-definition TVs and buying my first LCD HDTV set. It's probably my most significant and enjoyed acquisition of the year, along with the iPhone and Cable DSL. It's been a widescreen world for me since then, and there's really no going back now.

On my HDTV I watched shows like Rome and Heroes. Rome was a bloody classic, although I still have to muster watching the second season. Heroes was enjoyable in its first season, but word of boring episodes, uneven storytelling, crappy new characters and even creator Tim Kring apologizing to fans for failing has made me dread looking at the second season. Oh well. At least Ghost Hunters is still creepily cool, and has new episodes and a spin-off in 2008.

If it was one show that I truly waited for and enjoyed this year, it was Avatar: The Last Airbender. The final season aired towards the end of the year, rewarding long-suffering fans with even more thrilling elemental action, deeper character moments and some big-budget battle scenes. And the darn Book of Fire is only halfway through! 2008 should see the Avatar's quest finally end, but hopefully this world and setting will live on in another form.

Comicspace arrived and seemed to be a great place to show off pages and interact with other comic people. But it soon fizzled out as got forgotten as other sites came in to populate cyberspace with pics, posts and flying sheep... from MySpace, Friendster, Multiply and... gasp... Facebook.

Comics were hit and miss. Civil War was pretty good, as was Infinite Crisis and 52 (eventually). Joss Whedon proved to be gold on the comic writing biz with his brilliant Astonishing X-men. Coming in later in the year were more pages of graphic goodness in Alex Ross' Justice, Adam Warren's Empowered and World War Hulk. However, all these goodies can't erase the unmitigated crap that was Amazon Attacks. UGH.

Speaking of comics, I wasn't too productive in the Indie front- no self-published work, but arguably what I DID do this year reached more people than ever before... thanks to my work on my secret "C.I.A." comic book and my new partnership with Groundbreakers Inc. for Ninja Girl KO! in Mangaholix Presents. The New Year will see a new issue out, so things look great coming into 2008. In the past year, I came together with Elbert Or and Carl Vergara to pass on our experiences to the next generation of artists and comic creators in Ateneo. However, I'm not quite ready to retire anytime soon. There's always a possibility of another K.I.A. book, and that Angel Ace story is still in the gray matter, somewhere. We'll just have to see.

This year seemed to mark the real beginning of CG movies as serious fare, with the CG and Sandals epics 300 and later Beowulf striking the box office at the jugular. First it was all-CG settings. Then it was all-CG EVERYTHING. Adult animated movies are beginning to move in. If you thought Hollywood stars looked airbrushed-perfect before, you haven't seen anything yet.

Still on movies- it was a year of Sequel-Busts like Spiderman 3 and Shrek the Third. The Simpsons Movie was a nice diversion, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was properly dark and brooding. I kinda liked Pirate of the Carribbean: At World's End and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer though, but I can't seem to find anyone else who shares these views.

Work went well for the most part- I'm still at The Salt Mines, where I've been working for the past three years or so. And I don't have any plans of leaving. Things look good, and God willing, they'll stay that way.

All in all, 2007 was a good year. It had it's ups and downs, but for the most part, it was coasting along nicely. What I think though is that it was mostly buildup for the year to come. The optimist in me is thinking that next year- THIS year in a few hours- is going to be even better in so many ways. I can't wait. The Future looks bright, indeed.

T'was the Day After Christmas

I dared venture out into the sunlight today. I've been vegetating in The Sanctum since the vacation started, so I just needed some air. I was thinking that the mobs at the mall should have receded by now, but nosiree... at least Megamall was still crawling with folks. It wasn't unbearably crowded, but I soon found myself yearning for solitude once again. I wanted to try and get something cool, and at some points found myself wondering if I should get a new game (Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox360) or a Blu-ray disc (Paprika) to take home. In the end, I balked and just got myself two things- a new belt (from McJim no less. Ownly from... McJim)and a new wallet. For the new year.

Afterwards, I headed home, just wanting peace and quiet once more. And the tranquility of the crowded yet silent internet. Hahaha. I'll try to slip in another mall foray before New Year, I think. But for now, I think I'll bother myself with more R&R, perhaps starting on the script for Ninja Girl KO issue 4, and trying to save the universe in Mass Effect for the Xbox360.

Man, I love vacations. Back to vacationing, then.

Cartoony Christmas

It's the Christmas break, FINALLY, after a pretty long but eventful and ultimately rewarding year. Last week, the Salt Mines celebrated Christmas in a simple but rousing party that was made merry simply for the company. I am really thankful that I am able to work with people I really like and who apparently like me- enough to vote me one of the two most popular Creatives in our department. HO HO! It's nice to be appreciated, and certainly nicer to get a prize for it. Of course, the office Christmas party wasn't the end of the week, but for the rest of the remaining work days of 2007 we just spent the time winding down to the holiday.

Last night, I attended the Comic Quest gang Christmas party at Vin's place. There, we spent the night just enjoying the night air and each other's company, and experienced weirdness like El experiencing a sugar high thanks to his first-ever taste of a Krispy Kreme donut, a photo tour of Jamie and Iyay's honeymoon in the US and an odd half hour of watching 80's cartoon openings on Youtube. Certainly an odd way of celebrating Christmas, but damn fun.

I don't really have much planned for the Christmas break other than the obvious luxuries of oversleeping, enjoying holiday food, catching up on comics reading and videogame-playing and a little bit of shopping. I'll save some serious stuff- like planning the activities in comics for the next year- after Christmas Day itself.

For now, it's kinda weird to have to spend Christmas with just my nuclear family of Mom, Dad and myself, but with a good internet connection and Skype, our loved ones are not out of sight or out of mind. Technology is so grand, isn't it?

Happy Holidays, people! Be safe and happy wherever you are.