Click

It's kinda funny that once-technophobe Dean is now a bonafide technojunkie. He just bought himself a new O2 XDA II Mini after his old XDA II suddenly conked out on him yesterday. Whether it was just a dead battery or some other more serious fault, I don't know... but it's all moot now since Dean up and got himself a new device to replace the failed unit... of course, without his trusty (and by now invaluable) PDA, he felt naked and insecure.

I have to admit that I myself am incredibly attached and reliant on my Pocket PC Phone. It's my communicator, allowing me to instantly reach my home, family and friends, and keep me attached and updated at work. Text, Voice calls, Internet, e-mail... it keeps me in touch. It's my entertainment center... my portable music jukebox, personal movie theater and video library and on-the-go gaming arcade. It's my life organizer, reminding me of events, appointments, friends' or family members' birthdays and wakes me up every morning for work.

Our cellphones have grown far more than being devices that allow us to communicate. They give us control. It basically is my controller of life- how we can, with simple presses of buttons, affect our lives or change paths with a press of a button. Kinda like that new Adam Sandler movie, Click, on a personal level. It's an illusion of control but it's control nonetheless. That's how important the phone has become.

And so, if indeed my phone conked out one night (God forbid, I just got it), or I lost it (NEVER!!!) or it got stolen (OVER MY DEAD..), I would probably not be at ease until I get my satisfying, not-downgraded replacement. Thus I totally identify with Dean. Anyway, maybe it's poetic that both of us got new mobiles recently, no matter what the reason (whether it be to upgrade or replace). Or maybe it's just the way things work.

Always TWO. A Master. And an Apprentice. Hehehe.

Through Hell and High Water

I woke up today looking at the dimness of the glow coming from the blind-covered windows. It was only when I checked my phone did I realize it was almost 9AM that I shot up in bed and threw open the blinds. Thanks to the storm outside, it looked like it was only about 6AM. Despite all the temptation to just crawl back into bed and just wish it were all a bad dream, I made ready to go to The Salt Mines.
Today's commute was more difficult than most, given that the MRT chose this day to apparently close down for some reason. As I was unwilling to try the obviously traffic-choked route to Cubao, I stood my ground and waited for a cab. Unfortunately, oodles of other commuters were competing for the taxis' attentions. I have to say, sexism be damned- women are EVIL when it comes to commuting. They will run in front of you, wave frantically at every cab, making it pretty clear they will get it before YOU. Finally, when every single female had gotten a cab (how come they all seem to get a ride on their first try??), some bastard guy tries to get in front of me too. BAH. It's enough to make you go homicidal. It's all compounded by the fact that I need to keep my umbrella up because of the pelting rain (too big drops to ignore) but am constantly fighting with strong gusts of wind that threaten to tear the umbrella apart. AARGGGHHH.

Anyway, it took me about four tries.

Me: Makati?
Cabbie: Baha doon! (It's flooded there!)
Me: No, it's not!
Cabbie: BAHA DOON!
VROOooom...

Me: Makati?
Cabbie: I'm only to Marikina.
Me: (Slamming Door) Mag-jeepney ka na lang!!! (Be a Jeepney instead!!!)
VROOOooomm...

Me: Makati?
Old Cabbie: No.
Me: (Slamming Door) TANDAAAA!!! (OLD FART!!!)
VROOOooommm...

When finally a supposedly always-reliable R & E taxi denied me also, I decided enough was enough. But as I was starting to walk home, another taxi came along and I made a try. Lo and behold, the cabbie agreed and we were off. Despite some heavy traffic, the trip was pretty smooth and quick. I was so glad to arrive that I paid the guy a big extra on the fare, and I was set.
Well, work goes on. Got stuff to do, some meetings to attend. Hopefully the trip home will be easier (I'll probably leave a bit late) and less stressful. Ah, the things you do for a living. Sigh.

Avatar Fix

I'm pretty excited for the coming weekend, since it'll be the premiere of the first Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. Entitled The Fury of Aang, this is actually two episodes to be shown back-to-back. As the story goes, Aang the Avatar travels with his party across a supposedly impenetrable desert in the vast Earth Kingdom. Their quarry- a secret library of hidden secrets that just may hold vast knowledge needed to defeat the evil Fire Nation. While trying to survive in the inhospitable wilderness, something happens that causes Aang to become frighteningly enraged, unleashing his awesome powers. Meanwhile, the exiled Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh search for the aid of a secret society.

I'm really hoping this new 'movie' is awesome; but considering how Avatar has been pretty awesome in pretty much every episode, this is probably a given. Well, I'm going to have to enjoy this one, since the next Avatar fix will be quite a ways off... in September. Sigh. Oh well.
Of course I am talking about Avatar on the net and in the wide world. Sadly, viewers here in Manila STILL are stuck in the measly weekend showings of replays of episodes from Season 1. CATCH UP, Local Nick! Avatar's the hottest show on your channel and you're flubbing it! I have bittorrent and the web to thank for my Avatar fix, since I have yet to find a local anime shop who stocks the show. Oh well. If you can get your Avatar, do so people. This series is a keeper.

BTW, Avatar has already been picked up for a 3rd Season. The third and supposedly last (as yet) 20-episode arc will be entitled the Book of Fire, and chronicle Aang's final confrontation with his ultimate enemy- the Fire Lord Ozai himself. Can Aang and his friends and allies defeat the powerful, ruthless Fire Nation in time? How will the Legend of Aang end? We'll just have to wait and see in the next couple of years, I guess.

Upgrade Complete


My new constant companion.

In the spirit of the Re-quel (like the recent Superman Returns), I upgraded from my longtime mobile PDA phone, an O2 XDA II Mini to the bigger and quite a bit more powerful O2 XDA IIi. It looks almost exactly like my first PDA Phone, an XDA II (I can tell the difference by looking and finding a little 'i' next to the 'XDA II' name on front). Most of the changes are internal, and not at all superficial.

Anyway, for a while my sister had been asking if I was interested in selling my Mini to them- they wanted to use the multimedia functions of the device as a portable and unobtrusive way of presenting sales pitches/videos for their business... I guess it's hard to lug a laptop everywhere and a bit awkward to just whip out. Towards the end of the week I gave my willingness to sell, gave a price and today I sold it off.

Yeah, it's a bit sad to bid goodbye to the PDA phone that has served me, and served me WELL for almost a year- perhaps the longest I've had a phone. Truth be told, I was quite satisfied with the Mini, from the convenient compactness to the various apps and functions it served me day to day, and the hours of time-killing pleasure it gave me from videos and movies to games and music. The only flaw was, pretty much, a smaller screen (perhaps the limit of good portable video viewing). I still totally stand by the Mini as one of the best devices from O2 and it's prodigious multi-usability... so it's kinda sad knowing it's going to be used for mainly demoing some fruit juice videos. Oh well, in any case I hope it earns it's price for them.

Anyway, with the money for the sale and some extra cash I had lying around The Sanctum, I was free to get a new mobile. I know I mentioned the Samsung i310 smartphone (which came with an 8 Gigabyte Hard Disk), but I eventually realized that all that storage space was useless since the videos would look perhaps half the size of the videos on my former Mini... and that was just too much. I went to Greenhills and looked over the many models and phones available.

Benq P50... interesting form factor, with proportions kinda like one of those old brick games. It has a nice screen (kinda like the Mini) and a full QWERTY keyboard. It used SD/MMC cards and had WiFi. However, the processor was the same as the Mini (416 Mhz) so I got turned off. There are quite a few of these though around, and they look kinda cool. Like grey-black Treos.

Nokia N91... again the Finnish 4-Gig wonder beckons. Again, the tiny screen and the fact that this is a Symbian phone made mainly for music repels me.

Sony Ericsson W900... again, a Symbian OS phone, and the swivel-form factor just screams inconvenient. Plus it looks kinda like a toy. Not the kind I need.

Nokia E61... a Blackberry/Treo-like offering from Nokia, this is strictly a business phone since there isn't even a camera on it. 3G and WiFi are in though, and the screen's pretty big. It would be kind of ironic for me to buy the model that was competing with my Mini for my sister's money. Pass.

Hewlett Packard rw 6828... this is a new PDA phone from HP, which kinda looks like the Mini- same size and form factor. The onboard WiFi and FM radio seemed attractive, but I felt it was underpowered for my needs and it used mini-SD cards.

O2 Atom... I decided that I really didn't like the plasticky, toyish-looking Atom. The 2-megapixel camera with flash and the other perks can't mask the downgrade in power and memory (Mini-SD), and the smaller (slightly) screen.

What beckoned to me then was an XDAIIi being displayed in one stand, which I first saw last week and was still there this week, as if waiting for me. The price was very attractive (big savings from the brand new price of 45K and upwards in most shops) and the device was in pretty pristine condition, and complete box and accessories. After a slight bit of wandering around (who knows, I might have seen something else), I plunked down the cash, set stuff moving and now I had a brand new toy.

Thankfully, after coming home and reinstalling ActiveSync, it only took a few seconds to restore all my Contacts and Notes, Information and Data to my new phone- pretty painless and cool. After installing my Games, Themes and Apps, everything was good to go. So what did I get with my XDAIIi upgrade? Well, the processor is faster- 520 MHz compared to the 416 MHz of the Mini. The onboard RAM and ROM memory is double that of the Mini as well. The IIi's screen is a mammoth 3.5 inches compared to the 2.8 inches of the Mini. While the IIi's camera is also 1.3 Megapixels, it seems to have a better sensor than the Mini, with less if any snow even in low light. That's a good thing. Then there's the nice little new extra that the IIi has WiFi, so now I can actually surf wirelessly in Hotspots without resorting to pricey GPRS. No 3G, but who really needs it? Not me, not now at least.

There are lots of tiny little perks I am discovering... like how the onscreen keypad is better than before (FINALLY a CAPS lock) and there are more detailed stuff to help tweak my mobile. For the most part, it's cool to finally have something new again after all this time.
I guess it's just another way of showing that if you get complacent and content too much, change is needed to freshen things out. Every now and then you should take steps to just make things fun again.

Next project: A PSP loaded with the new Tekken: Dark Resurrection. Hehe.

Neo Comics

There are once again new kids on the local comics block, in this case literally. According to the editor's note for the debut issues of Neo Comics (of which there are two- an Epics issue and a Tales issue), many of the artists and creators working on these manga-style local releases are in their teens (and apparently are named with otaku-style code names like AKIRA and 730N). Well, it shows given the quality of the art, which sadly is not a positive. Most of the art and stories try to emulate popular Japanese stuff, featuring generic characters which look like they were ripped directly from some manga, anime or game. While in full color and on glossy papers, the color quality is also washed out- it seems that some of the art was hand-colored in some medium which doesn't translate well to printing. As for the writing and stories, I haven't read them yet so I'll reserve comments on that later (see the Comments for additional stuff).

Yeah, being a maker of manga-esque comics myself, I am probably the LAST person on earth to say 'don't use Japanese manga style', but please... DON'T grab designs from the latest Japanese manga or anime/games and please DO try to put something new and fresh into your story or concept at least. It's your chance to shine, so shine through your own creativity, not as just another wannabee.

Not sure who is releasing Neo Comics- the group calls itself Juggernaut Studios but they have ads and are in full color, plus distribution, so this isn't just a small studio. Some publisher got together some young artists for cheap and are trying out their stuff, which is good in that these young artists get to see their stuff on shelves. However, the art quality and the Japanese manga cliches repel me. If this is like Psicom's stuff though, this will be lucky to reach issue 2 and beyond. we'll just have to see.

Anyway, Neo Comics Epics and Neo Comics Fables are now out in magazine stands and bookstores for P85. Check out the latest Pinoy manga to come along.

Typo



I spotted this funny mistake in Gateway Mall, and I just had to snap a pic. Remember, boys and girls, spelling is everything. Heh.

Hitback: The Streetfighter II Animated Movie Retro-Ramble Review


Uncut, Uncensored, Unleashed.

Waaaaay back in 1994, the Street Fighter franchise was at an all-time high in terms of popularity. It became so popular that not one but two movies based on the games were released. One was the US-produced live-action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme et al; probably one of the most reviled videogame-to-movie translations known in the history of man (though I admit to having cheered the first time I saw it).

Yes, that has the version that marred the late actor Raul Julia's memory, it being his last film before succumbing to an illness. In another reality, instead of the Addams Family excerpt, the last image of Julia to the world is his goggle-eyed General M. Bison shouting "GAME... OVER!" Ew. It was the live-action movie that insisted on rationalizing every single appearing character (all 16+ of them), giving them all last names and ridiculously detailed background stories, even butchering the origins of others (Blanka and eventual SF Alpha character Charlie are merged into one mutated mess), and still others are neutered beyond belief (Dhalsim turns into a wimpy scientist who only gets his trademark looks after getting BURNED). But of course, it also commits the cardinal sin of putting the mantel of main hero on the American fighter Guile (ironically played by someone known as 'The Muscles from Brussels').

But of course, the real Street Fighter movie is the Animated Movie produced in Japan. Known as Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, this is simply the most faithful and accurate depiction of a videogame franchise to a movie. The art was gorgeous and true to the games, and the fight scenes were fluid, incredibly well-animated and intense to the extreme.
And there were a lot of them (contrary to the live-action version) too. Included of course is the infamous Chun Li versus Vega fight- a knockdown, drag-out duel between the masked Spanish Ninja and the spunky Interpol agent who spends the whole fight wearing little more than her bra and panties- yep, before Agent Aika flashed underwear in anime, there was Street Fighter. Fan service aside though, this action sequence, along with the two-on-one final battle between the Shotokan Brothers and the Master of Evil Psycho Power, M. Bison are some of the best fight scenes you'll ever see in anime.


If only Chun Li's undies were a selectable costume in the games...

To be fair, the SF Animated Movie is not perfect- the story, of course, is a videogame story... Evil organization uses the world's best fighters as assassins in their service. The movie is also long... overly long, with lots of lulls and lingering pans of scenery (or Ryu meditating) that you would probably want to skip or fast-forward over to get to the good stuff. Sexy commando pixie Cammy is hyped about to no end in the movie's posters and art, but in truth only appears for a few seconds at the start of the film (although she does make an impression). Lots of characters are just glossed over, and the movie's ending... a weird bit with Ryu, M.Bison and a Mack Truck(!)... just leaves you with a WTF feeling.

Still, the movie is about as close to a true translation of a great videogame into a movie/anime format as you can get... something that other franchises have failed in. Remember the vomit-inducing Tekken anime? Even the relatively well-done Mortal Kombat movie (the first one) had to make quite a few changes and is still less than a perfect translation.

Anyway, if you were too young to see the original SFII Animated Movie, the film has been re-released in the US in an "Uncut, Uncensored and Unleashed" version which gives the whole kit and kaboodle... which means that you can see Chun Li's boobs and butt (which were censored from previous releases) in her infamous shower scene. Plus, some fighting scenes have a bit more blood and violence to kick up the action a notch. You also get a choice of the dramatic, ballad-heavy Japanese soundtrack or the obnoxious and ear-grinding heavy metal cacophony in the US dub. If it isn't obvious, I prefer the Japanese music, which I believe has at least emotion and gravitas, while the crappy US music is just LOUD. As far as voices go, the US dubbing is also pretty iffy, so go with the US subtitled version.

Copies of the SF Anime Movie are available in local anime shops. Or you can go for the recent US release through Amazon or other online shops, or with nice US-based relatives. Or you can download the kit from Bittorrent (hehe). In any case, if you're a videogame fan, you gotta have this in your library (if you're an SF fan, you probably already have it). Chances are, they'll be showing the Live-Action movie on cable, but never the anime. Ick.

Ah, the Street Fighter II Animated Movie. Still pretty awesome after all these years. Seeing Chun Li grind her foot into Vega's face never gets old. Good times. Heh.

Lost in Oblivion

My latest, and apparently greatest, acquisition for my Xbox360 library is the much talked-about first person RPG, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (or just Oblivion for short). Set in the same world as the previous Xbox's Elder Scrolls III, this title thankfully improves on pretty much everything in the previous game. You needn't have played in Morrowind before to appreciate Oblivion- this is a self-contained game, or world, that is all-new and just waiting to be discovered.

Set in a land called Tamriel, Oblivion puts you in the boots of a prisoner- a hapless soul who was put in the imperial prison for no apparent reason. One day, as you are wasting away in the dungeon, a peculiar sight greets your eyes. Several heavily-armed and armored soldiers enter your cell, escorting a regal old man. It turns out that there's a secret passage right in your cell leading to the outside... and the old man is the Emperor. Apparently, the ruler's life is in danger so he's being spirited away by his Blades, or elite knights. Naturally, you follow the Emperor's party and soon orient yourself with stuff like combat, stealth, exploration, magic and item use. By the end of the introductory dungeon, the Emperor is dead and you've been charged with a quest to somehow save the realm by closing the 'Gates of Oblivion'.

What is that quest all about? Why were you chosen? What will it take to save the world?

I have no frickin' idea.

For starters, when I got out of the dungeon and breathed the sweet air of freedom, the first thing I thought was to go exploring the vast, lovely city nearby. Soon, I was collecting items (some by judicious pilfering), talking to people or listening to gossip, and carrying out a quest for some local merchants in what amounts to a lot of stakeouts and shadowing people. My current interest is earning money by engaging in mortal combat in the city arena, slowly building up my skills in gladiatorial combat while I fatten my purse. Oh, and some hooded weirdo likes my penchant for making people dead so I've been invited to some assassin guild. Ooh. Somehow I'll get to the main quest and try to save the world. Someday.

Oblivion is a huge game, open-ended and expansive with tons of stuff to explore and discover. It doesn't hurt that the game looks gorgeous; the graphics are downright mystifying to see... you can just stare at the beautiful countryside for hours... providing there aren't any rabid monsters chasing you down at the moment. You get the create your own character, right down to facial details like nose width and eyebrow angle (so conceivably you can make them look like anyone you want)... the only problem is that it's a bit hard to get them looking good. Hmm. You can also make your character into a large variety of classes and occupations with varied skills in both magic and combat, from fire-hurling battlemages to stealthy nightblades or relentless hunters and intrepid agents. As you use skills, you get stronger and better.

Combat is also cooler this time around, handled in real time and depending on your agility to maneuver around opponents and waiting for the right times to strike or parry. OR, you can try to master deadly spells and fry enemies from afar. It's not perfect, but it's darn more fun than in the previous game. The realistic rag-doll physics engine also makes fights more realistic than ever.

The quest is also more focused. While the earlier game threw you into the world with no clue, here the interface is a lot more user-friendly. If you want to get to the main quest right away, you'll be aided by a helpful mapping and journal feature, plus a handy compass which basically points you where to go next. Also, once you've been to a place, you can basically 'teleport' there using the map, so you don't have to walk or make a long trek everytime. Genius!

As with RPGs of this type, the main fun is in finding your way and discovering stuff on your own. You can be a glorious, honorable hero and citizen of the realm, or a fearsome villain. The gorgeous fantasy world around you is literally alive with sights, sounds and characters who go about their lives. It's up to you to choose how your path affects theirs.
HIGHLY recommended. If you have an Xbox360, this is THE one game that is indeed a must-have.

Some Odd Things About Superman Returns

SPOILERS AHEAD

As always. still nobody notices that Clark Kent looks EXACTLY like Superman with glasses.

A whole building of intrepid reporters can't put two and two together that both Superman and Clark Kent left the same time and were gone for exactly the same time.

WHY, if Superman Returns is following the continuity of the first two films, does Luthor STILL basically repeating his same scheme in the original movie? Need a creative team, Lex?

WHY doesn't Kal Penn ever speak a word?

WHY does trigger-happy dude on the roof even bother to use a dinky little .45 on Supes when frickin' GATLING CANNON shells don't even register on the guy?

Judging from Lois Lane's reaction, Lex Luthor is apparently the ONLY guy in the world to use wigs.

HOW did Superman manage to lift the damn Kryptonite continent into space when just being near the place lost him his powers?

Am I the only one kinda thinking that Lois Lane got bumped around a bit too much in the airplane?

Would ANYONE actually want to LIVE in that crystalline Kryptonian island?

So, did any of the nurses squeal when they took off Superman's hanfords? Did any of the doctors?

Man of Steel


Superman returns. But is this a good thing?

I finally got to watch Superman Returns on Sunday. As you've read in my previous posts, I was not too enthusiastic about the movie, given some lukewarm to downright-pissed reactions from some of my friends to this 'requel' of the classic Superman films from former X-Meg Bryan Singer. Reviews all over the place have praised it to the high heavens or damned it to the depths of the sea. So what does a MADman think about this latest superhero flick?

Superman Returns picks up the slack sometime after the old Superman II flick (you all know... the one with "KNEEL BEFORE ZOD"). Knowing this is important since there is a pivotal event that happened in II that bears fruit (Hehe) in Returns. Anyway, Bryan Singer's film basically retcons the horrid Superman III (with the supercomputer) and the absolutely abysmal Superman IV: The Quest for Peace to the blackness of oblivion. After II, Superman finds out that astronomers have found deep in space what appears to be the remains of Krypton. Struck by the need to see if there's even a tiny shred of his origin left out there, Kal-El squeezes into his star-shaped spaceship/cradle and goes off into space, not to be seen for the next five years. Once he returns, he finds a world more violent, less innocent and more troubled than ever before... a world desperately in need of a god-among-men to help give a hand. But while the world praises Supes for his return, the one person he values the most seems to have gone on without him.

Despite all my misgivings about this film, I actually got through it without much of a strain. In fact, it's quite enjoyable at times, given that modern special effects have finally, FINALLY allowed the grandness that is Superman- flying, invincible Superman, to be realized on the big screen. The special effects, for one, are quite good compared, especially compared to the old movies. Brandon Routh, the relative unknown who has now been catapulted into instant recognition (thanks to countless action figures that bear his mug), acquits himself rather well as both mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent and his super alter-ego. As Clark, he seems to emulate Christopher Reeve, but thankfully with little of the over-the-top dorkiness. As Superman, he's doesn't talk much but lets his actions communicate his benign, 'big brother' like presence (yes, he hears EVERYTHING).
As for the other cast members, Kevin Spacey does, in my opinion, a fairly excellent job in his portrayal of Lex Luthor, Superman's nemesis. There's a hint of Gene Hackman's con artist in there, with a bit of Mr. John Smith from Seven, and a little bit of Keyser Soze's seeming infallibility. This new Luthor has humor and slightly a forgiving side (at least he doesn't kill off moll Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey) for an act of betrayal, and he does seem to care for his underlings a bit). He's still ruthless and scary when he's serious though... and he's still ridiculously obsessed with REAL ESTATE.
Other characters. Kate Bosworth is gorgeous, but I really see her as too young for the part. Otherwise, I like her. Frank Langella's Perry White, Eva Marie Saint's Martha Kent and Sam Huntingdon's Jimmy Olsen are note-perfect. Jason Marsden is a revelation in this one... X-men's former Cyclops vindicates his defection to DC's flagship as a character that is pivotal to the movie (unlike his underwhelming role in the X-films)- Lois Lane's fiancee' Richard White. Here's a man, an ordinary man, who nevertheless stands equally with the Man of Steel in terms of the love of one woman. Marsden plays it with class and I hope his character pans out more in future installments.

And then there are the iffy's. Parker Posey's Kitty Kowalski is Luthor's moll, his mews. She provides quite a few laughs in the film and serves a good purpose as the inevitable turncoat. A bit grating she may be, but she fares better than Kal "Kumar" Penn, the young comedian who is given a dialogue-less role as one of Luthor's thugs. His bit of casting mystifies me, but what the heck.

Unfortunately, Superman Returns is not flawless. The movie is overlong and could do well with several minutes chopped off. I understand as a starting movie you can't throw in Darkseid or have Zod return from the Phantom Zone just yet, but darn... all Superman does in this film is fix stuff. There are no big fight scenes. No toe-to-toe fights, save for a one-sided beating late into the movie. The most thrilling part is an airliner/space shuttle rescue that happens in the first third of the movie, leaving uneven action sequences for the rest of the movie, along with a non-climax that doesn't really pay off much. Yes, the movie opens for a sequel, but it would not have hurt to have a good finish, a satisfying getback before the final Christopher Reeve-emulated smile in space.

In the end... Superman Returns wasn't as horrible as I feared (Ang Lee's Hulk is still untouchable in that regard). The flashbacks to younger days didn't last too long, and I didn't get the urge to walk out of the theater (except to go piss). Performances were fine, the special effects amazing. Let down a bit by non-action and a questionable, too drama-heavy script, but promising for good things to come.

What I want? For the 'requel' of Superman II to have Ralph Fiennes as General Zod, Angelina Jolie as Ursa and Paul 'Triple H' Levesque as Non. Let the speculations begin. Hoho!

Up in the Air

The new Superman Returns movie is in theaters now. Some people, like Vin, have already gone and watched the flick, but I'll be seeing it over the weekend, probably. I have to say that while I do want to watch it, I'm not a big Superman fan. In fact, I never really liked the old movies. The original Superman movie by Richard Donner with Christopher Reeve was, for me, one of the most boring and slow-paced superhero movies ever. Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) was more con man than genius, there was no big super fight (save for multiple disaster scenarios and saving stunts) and the finale was... turning back time? I'd go as far as saying I put the original Superman along with the Hulk movie in terms of superhero movie popularity in my book.
Now, here comes Superman Returns, which director Bryan Singer has unequivocably stated as following the mythos of the first two Superman flicks. It's a 'requel', ret-conning the ludicrously bad Superman III and IV into non-existence (and good riddance) and re-starting the stage for a new direction. Unfortunately, from all that I've read, Superman Returns also seems to be re-treading the events from the original Superman film- same Luthor plot, same revisiting of the boring times at the Kent farm in Kansas, blah blah blah. So you can understand why I'm not exactly shaking in my boots to see it. In fact, I'm more excited at watching Dead Man's Chest.

Anyway I will be seeing the film in any case over the weekend so I can blog about it. I am looking forward to seeing Kevin Spacey's turn at bringing the bald blackguard to life, though I still feel the animated version in Justice League Unlimited can kick both Hackman's and Spacey's baddies into the vastness of space with ease. Review to come soon after.

Fighting the Good Fight

For the past several weeks, things have been a storm of overtime at The Salt Mines, particularly because of a product pitch. FYI, pitches are held when a client/company needs get a new ad agency to do the advertising for their product. Agencies are selected and butt heads, pitching their stuff to win the account (in much the same way that lawyers battle in court). It usually involves hours and hours of brainstorming, pouring over research and the inevitable overnight stays at the office to produce the winning materials that will impress the clients enough to award the disputed account.

This particular pitch has been incredibly fierce... we were initially in the running with at least five other agencies. After the first round of presentations was over, the field was narrowed down to TWO; Us and one of Manila's leading ad agencies today.

With not much time and quite a bit of pressure, the crew threw stuff into the breach to win round 2. Somehow, someway, we went into the second presentation confident in our position and our materials.

It was a weekend before we would be told the results... There was going to be a ROUND THREE.

That's what's been keeping us all busy this week, as we made one last big push to make our mark. It's also where everything seemed bleakest, when we reached a crossroads where, to quote a line from Harry Potter, we had a choice between doing something that was 'right', or doing something that was easy.

In the end though, we all went with what we felt was right and steeled ourselves. Win or lose, we were going down swinging.

Just some time ago, I was informed that, unfortunately, we didn't get the account.

HOWEVER, apparently the final fight was pretty close to the very end, and we apparently impressed the clients enough that they awarded us a different account.

So, somehow, after all was said and done, we fought and lost but kinda won too. A hard-fought loss that ended with a little victory. But then again, maybe we had already won the night before.

It's these kinds of things that make advertising such a weird and colorful place. And why, in a strange way, that I know I'm in the right field of work.

Time to get some rest now. Life goes on at Salt Mines tomorrow.

Shock Advertising


One of the controversial 'Executed' print ads of the Hitman: Blood Money game.

If you buy imported gaming magazines regularly, you're sure to have come upon at least one of the eye-catching advertisments for Hitman: Blood Money. Playing with various puns or sayings with the word 'Executed', the ads portray victims of assassination... or some would say, just plain murder. In "Beautifully Executed", a lingerie-clad woman is lying provocatively on satin sheets, a small bullet wound on her forehead. In "Coldly Executed", an old man's corpse is hunched inside a walk-in freezer, with a little dog sitting and staring at the body from the outside. "Classically Executed" features a cellist seated on his chair in an opera theater, his neck slit. And of course, the "Shockingly Executed" ad is the one featured above.
Apparently, these ads haven't escaped the attention of various groups and individuals whose comments range from the ads being mysoginistic, inspiring violence towards women or glorifying murder. A big hubbub is going on right now. They're ads for a mature game, with a bald-headed assassin taking out targets in various, often brutal and imaginative, ways. What do you expect? IMO, the ads are clever and quite attention-grabbing, to say the least. They look quite nice too, murder simulated images notwithstanding. I think it's just another scapegoat for US politicians to blame with videogames for all the crime and violence they have. Feh.

I still don't believe that staring at ads featuring beautiful naked women will turn you into a murderer if you aren't one already. I do, however, get the urge to kill whenever I read about politicians in the local newspaper. Oh well.

Batugan (Translation: Lazybones)

At present, I'm a habitual taxi rider. I've always been a commuter (thanks to my feeling that road rage would make me into a mass murderer behind the wheel), but these days I just want to dispense with crowding into sweat-smelling crowded MRTs and buses that make hour-long stops. Taxis get you to where you want to go, fast. It's not cheap, but I can afford it. In the past several months, I've seen good taxi drivers and bad taxi drivers. I curse them, praise them, damn them to hell or lift them up as saviours of the race. Ah, taxi drivers.
Well, early today I got another memorable taxi experience. I was heading to work, standing at Katipunan to hail a cab. The sixth or so taxi that passed finally stopped and when I mentioned my destination, he nodded. I hopped in and we were off. Seconds later, he asked me again where we were headed. Apparently, the guy was only now realizing he was headed for Makati.

Anyway,, some minutes later, as we were on C-5 Highway, in the middle of nowhere, the cab starts to slow. The guy stops at the sidewalk, and then starts trying to 'restart' the engine. "There seems to be something wrong with the starter," he says, trying several times to bring the engine to life. Of course, to no avail. He blames the owner of the cab for replacing the starter with some cheap part. As he apologizes to me for the inconvenience, saying that this is as far as he can go. I respond with "I'm sorry too." At which point, I get out of the cab and start walking away.
The grungy cabbie (he's not even in uniform- just a t-shirt and 'puruntong' shorts, showing he's a colorum driver) calls my attention and asks for payment. I angrily respond with a negative. "YOU LEAVE ME OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO ASK ME FOR PAYMENT??" He says something about the starter, but I don't even bother to listen. I keep walking. You could argue that I could have paid him for the distance I came, but I knew what the real score was. I hated being conned.
Another cab came and I hailed it. It stopped and I jumped in. "Makati," I said, and the old driver nodded. I looked ahead at where the other cabbie, with his supposedly stalled taxi, should have been.

Of course, he had driven off by then. That was fast for a cab that wouldn't start.

StarZ

Today I found out on the local news that the final casting of the movie adaptation of Carl Vergara's Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah has been announced. Regal Films held a press conference with the actors involved, as part of the film's inclusion in the upcoming Metro Manila Film Festival.
Playing the title role of superheroine Zsa Zsa is Zsa Zsa Padilla, whom I believe is a far better choice than the other names touted to be in the running for the part. To play the alter-ego of ZZZ, gay beautician Ada, will be controversial actor Rustom Padilla (another better choice IMO than the former rumoured actor for the part). Playing the villainess Femina will be Pops Fernandez, while comedian Chocoleit of TV's Marina will be playing the loveable sidekick Didi.

How great will the ZZZ Movie be compared to the sublime musical play? We'll just have to see later this year.

Eye Candy

Over the weekend, I and my friend Pot went off through the rain to Greenhills to get upgrades for The Sanctum's PC. Apparently the thing that had been plaguing me all these months was a faulty, underpowered power supply, so that was my primary goal. Another thing on my list was a new monitor.
I got what I was told was a 'branded' power supply, which the shopkeeper and his tech guy recommended as the best I could get. It was a bit more expensive than the usual (and supposedly low quality) component, but I shelled out the cash just the same. With that out of the way, I looked for the next item on my list.

Looking around the swanky shops in V-Mall, it was easy to get enamoured with the large LCD Monitors now making the rounds in the computer sections. Such a thing was beyond my budget though, so I made do with a LG Flatron Monitor, which boasted a flatscreen at about half the price of an equivalent LCD. Not bad! Before we finally called it a day and left the mall, I had the fortune of finding an Asian version of Oblivion at one of the new game/anime shops. FYI, Oblivion is the first first-person RPG on the Xbox360, and it's gotten rave reviews for the incredible graphics, redone fighting system, open-ended gaming world and lush story. I've been wanting this game for a while (the US version is unplayable on my Japanese system), so I scooped it up. Fortunately, the Asian version is cheaper than the US game by quite a bit.

It was a hard day of malling, and I'm feeling quite a bit under the weather right now... but seeing my lovely new monitor (and the crisp colors) as well as a lovely new addition to my Xbox360 library (review to come), makes me feel all warm and tingly inside. Good stuff.

Comicology

On the comics front, K.I.A. - Kai: Indomitable Assassin is once again available in Comic Quest Megamall. From reports by some friends, it is also on the shelves at Power Books Shangri-La Edsa (Yay!). So if you still haven't gotten a copy of the 160-page super assassin babe anthology, what are you waiting for? Of course, we have Nautilus Comics and Jamie Bautista to thank for getting K.I.A. out wherever we can.

On the subject of Project KRIS,I can't really go into detail about it as of yet. I will go as far as saying that it's not a comic for local sale. I was hired to write out and develop the characters and produce the scripts of every issue. So far things have gone well, with the first two scripts approved, the third submitted and pending approval, and the first issue printed and done. I received a copy of the first issue a couple of day ago, and it came out nicely.
It's kinda ironic that my first mass-distributed, full-color comic isn't really something I can show off right away, nor will it conceivably be released here in Manila. In any case, once I am able I'll tell you guys all about it.

Development is still going on Angel Ace and other stuff. More news here when it happens. That's that for now on the home front.

It's been a bit hard to keep up with comics lately since I haven't been able to go to Megamall regularly, but last night I got all my faves. As expected, Cassandra "Batgirl" Cain continues to get SCREWED in the pages of Robin (all I can say it, there had better be a light at the end of this tunnel... Grrr...).

52 is into week seven, but I'm finding it hard to get into. So many characters, not all interesting... dialogue-heavy panels and not-so-stellar art may be the culprits. Oh well. It's like cable. You order the whole kit and kaboodle but of course there are things you won't watch like the racing channel or several dozen Arabian networks. Same with 52. Not sure if I should continue getting this.

At least Alex Ross' Justice maxi-series continues to impress, with classic Giganta making her presence felt. It's great to see DC's biggest villainess in her familiar costume, ever since the arrival of the watered-down "Dr. Zuel" version in the new Wonder Woman. Another bad babe making an appearance in the issue is Poison Ivy (who looks EXACTLY as her action figure, which is awesome). The embattled Justice League is FINALLY realizing they're being picked off one by one (well, DUH) but it's still bleak for heroes. We're halfway through this 12-issue series and I'm in for the long run. How about extending this to an ongoing series, DC? Justice DCU rocks.

And on the Marvel Comics front, Civil War #2 came out and I have to admit I am hooked. I want to see this series to it's end, which should be pretty cool. Not really too crazy about the tie-up issues, but the main title's art and writing are pretty sublime. War may be hell but this is one comic I am glad to read.

Ah, so many comics, so little time to read...

Gimme Gimme Gimme

I was finally able to walk around a mall yesterday... the past couple of weeks have been simply a war of work at The Salt Mines. Looking around Cyber Zone at Megamall, I saw that while the 3-Gig loaded Samsung i300 was on display at several shops, it doesn't seem to be in stock (which was pretty infuriating). Anyway, my real quarry, the i310, was of course nowhere to be seen. Just as well... the 8-Gig smartphone will probably take a while to get here, and I am still mulling over what's more important- quantity or quality. Is the ability to bring along 8 Gigs of video more important than having a bigger screen? Yeah, the resolution is still 240X320, but it'll hurt to lose real estate. Guess I'll have to wait till I actually see reviews and have the phone in front of me.

On another front, I'm thinking of getting a new monitor for The Sanctum's PC. My old monitor's been around since the era of Diablo 2, and the color's been going wanky at times. It still works, but I think it's high time to replace it. A more expensive but lovely LCD monitor beckons me, but I question my real need for it. Will I just get a 19-inch screen instead? I'll find out over the weekend.

Ah, so many things to buy, so little cash. Bah.

Snapshots

Here are some of the pics I took during the birthday weekend...


I love saying that seeing Arnold and Cynthia is as rare as (insert rare thing here). But somehow, someway, they do manage to show up when it counts. Last Friday was one such time. We spent the late evening at Cravings and talked about old times, current times and future plans (plans within plans...) over a nice dinner and a scrumptious dessert. I'm hoping that it doesn't take me having another birthday to see these two again. Till next time, Arres!


Me and my college buds call ourselves collectively the BLT Crew- on one hand, it means "Brains, Looks and Talent". On the other, it just means "Born Loser Team". Why? We love the comic strip 'Born Loser'. And we have the irritating knack for getting into slippery situations when we're together. Maybe one of us has the proverbial 'balat sa puwit'. No, we've never checked. Every now and then we meet and when we do, the laughter never ends. So we'll be sure to keep meeting for years to come.


The Comic Quest gang rarely meets these days, but when we do it's always inspiring. Meeting with such creative and dynamic individuals just makes you want to produce more. Telling stories is our collective passion so whenever I can, I'll always give time for the group. We've done great things before, and we'll do more in the future, that's for sure.

Whew. Till next year, everyone. I'll be posting these pics and more at my Phlog as soon as I can. Later!

Heir Apparent


The upcoming Samsung i310 Smartphone.

For the past several months, I've been seeing phone, smartphones and PDAs come and go. Nothing has really impressed me enough to even consider replacing my current sidekick, the O2 XDA II Mini. Some have gotten a bit close- like the upcoming Sony Ericsson W950i, whose nice, slim, calculator-like form factor attracted me. Even more amazing is the 4 gig flash memory in the phone. However, the W950i has no camera, and the Symbian OS doesn't have the video playing capability I require. Recently, I saw the Nokia N91 and while that was cool, it was inadequate for me again.

But now, here comes the Samsung i310. It's a smartphone, running Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone, and comes with a hi-res 2" screen, 2 megapixel digital video and still camera with flash and, get this- an 8 Gigabyte Hard Disc. 8 GIGS!!! WHOA! Imagine how many movies, anime episodes and other videos I can stuff into 8 Gigs! Plus, the phone comes with a TV-Out feature, so I can conceivably watch loaded videos on a bigger screen than the supplied 320 x 240 TFT screen. Awesome!

It seems perfect- the only flaws seem to be a slightly smaller screen size and that I have to sacrifice some apps made for Windows Mobile 2003, which will not be playable or usable in the Windows Smartphone, plus the loss of a touchscreen and stylus input. However, I do have my prime app- The Core Media Player which is pretty much MPEG-quality video anywhere, anytime. And the huge storage space plus a great camera should make up for that.

Pretty awesome gadget... I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for it locally. But will it really replace my Mini? We'll see then, when I get one in my grubby, mobile-hungry hands. Heh.