Early Christmas



The Salt Mines had it's Christmas Party yesterday, which was a nice little shindig with good music (care of the Madrigal Singers Choir), good food and lots of lovely people. Everyone was in their formal wear, given the party's theme of "Hollywood Glam". It was, incidentally, my first time to ever wear a suit (at least, the jacket) to an occasion. Aside from the eating and the singing and some dancing (or attempts to dance, on my part), there was lots of mingling with our clients into the night. A raffle held later didn't yield anything for me, which is nothing new. Heh.

The worst thing though about celebrating your office Christmas party early is, as our boss mentioned, that NO ONE wants to work anymore afterwards. Well, there's still a couple of weeks to go before closing the door on the Salt Mines for the year, so we're going to have to cope. Somehow. Oh well.

Tekken for the PS3...

... is Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection???

Just hot off the news press of Famitsu Weekly in Japan is this somewhat irritating bit of news. Apparently, since obviously Namco is nowhere near ready to announce anything about the phantom sequel, Tekken 6, they're putting up this little hold-over to keep fighting fanatics busy. Based off the arcade version of Tekken DR, which powered the excellent PSP version, Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection for the PS3 will be available for download from the Playstation Network in the near future.
The PS3 version will feature full 1080p visuals and have a playable Boss (the ultra-cheap Jinpachi with his man-high fireballs... yay) as an extra. The various game modes will be updated to the PS3.

Okay. This is just... nothing. I already have the PSP version, which is already great and upgraded from the barebones arcade game. The PS2 version still works just fine. Now, what else can they do with this oldie for the PS3? CG-quality updated skins? New costumes? The playable cheapo boss does NOTHING for me. While arguably the best Tekken in years, this game is old news. I want Tekken 6. If I am going to get a PS3 fighting game with a title that ends with '5', it's going to have to start with the words 'Virtua Fighter'. Damn straight.

This is just a delay tactic, a stop-gap gimmick, all I can say. I don't even know if we non-Japanese or non-US people can download the thing (hopefully we will be able to drink from the PS Network pool as well). In any case, this reeks of 'Tekken 6 is still in Limbo, chew on this for a while'. Feh.

But if they give us bikini outfits for the girls, I'll bite. Hahaha.

Season Shocker



I just watched the Second Season Finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and all I can say is... Whoa.

Once again, this TV kid's cartoon demonstrates why its fans are dedicated to the extreme. No other show is this mature, this deep and unconventional. Going into the Finale, no doubt countless fans thought they knew where the story was heading, what certain characters would do or wouldn't do, where black was black and white was white. Well. That was pretty much wrong. The Book of Earth ends with a truly shocking cliffhanger... by the end of the 40th episode, the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se is under enemy control and Aang the Avatar himself is barely alive.

If there's one thing that threw viewers for a loop, it was the choice a certain character made which was opposite to the direction that had been the apparent obvious choice to make. However, the unexpected (or perhaps undesired) happened and that was that.
It's a gutsy move, but then again, Avatar has always been a gutsy show- once again demonstrating this in one of the finale's most striking moments; when an opponent starts charging up for a super-duper power attack, one does not just stop and stare... You strike first. And strike hard. Ouch.

Unfortunately, while the action-packed finale was certainly intense (perhaps the most intense yet), it does not satisfy. There are plot threads left flying free all over, and the enemy has swept the board but for a couple of pieces. It's the proverbial "Empire Strikes Back" chapter for Avatar, and it just leaves me craving more. I need to see the next episode NOW. I want to know what happens next NOW.

NOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOWNOW.

Damn it all. It's going to be a long frickin' wait till Season 3. Damn it.cas

Time Flies

Days seem to fly by fast these days... either it's a sign that the earth is spinning faster as it steadily builds towards it's inevitable cosmic end... or I'm just getting older and sleeping longer. In any case, I'm glad that the hours seem to tick away faster. There are things I want to come quicker and sooner, and my hatred of waiting flares unabated.

With this coming weekend comes as well the END of the Second Season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Book of Earth ends with a one-hour special (2 episodes back-to-back) that airs in the US on Nickelodeon this Friday, December 1. The buildup towards this climactic finale has been nothing short of phenomenal, and I can very well assure you that every single Avatar fan will be perched like vultures on TVs and computers everywhere come this weekend. Thank goodness for the Internet that I have access to this incomparable show. After this, one more season of Avatar Awesomeness to go. Fans willing though, this series should go on indefinitely. Sigh.

Just a couple more days. I can wait a couple more days. Darn it.

Toys for the Big Boys

Yesterday, me and my college bud Pot went over to Megamall to check out a couple of things. One was the Playstation 3, which we speculated was already available at the mall's Toy Kingdom. Well, it was... for a frickin' 59K for the deluxe 60 GB version (the 20GB version is available as well for a slightly less scandalous 45K). Luckily, I was pretty prepared to just shrug the thing off, though deep inside a voice was screaming for me to bust out my ATM card and blow all my savings on this expensive black toaster. Nah... the only games that were available were a two Gundam titles (zzzz), Ridge Racer 7 (zzzzzz) and Tales of Genji 2 (zzzz). Hardly compelling games. And so, after a slight longing glance, I turned from the temptation and resolved to return when the games were better and the price cheaper.

Right next to the PS3 on display was a Nintendo Wii, starkly contrasting to the black PS3 box with its white packaging. Although much cheaper than the PS3 at 30K (which is quite affordable for a brand-new console), I wasn't really interested in it since I didn't like NIntendo's game lineup, or their 'kiddie' mentality when it comes to their general gaming content. Still, it was interesting to note. But I didn't fall for the Gamecube, so I probably won't go with this one either.

After that, we headed off to the fourth floor to the Megatrade Hall, where a Gun Show was being held. Pot is a total gun freak and sad to say, it was catching. Of course, I have always been fascinated with guns (you can't be a gamer with all these shooters and war games without at least being curious about the real thing), and in this case I was kind of interested to acquire a fire arm, but strictly for home defense. The Gun Show was packed- it was crowded to the extreme with all kinds of people, all united by one thing- they were all gun owners. Guns were on display, and available for browsing (though safely neutered), and I couldn't resist taking one up and feeling the weight. So... that's how heavy a human life is. I walked down the aisles and looked to the booths, the sight of bullets in big bottles reminding me of candy in a candy shop. Everyone was looking over guns, buying guns, handling guns. Honestly, I felt like I was in some kind of foreign nation, deep in some weird culture. Still, it was something that one couldn't totally dismiss in these dangerous times.

Despite a slight gnawing which was the Impulse Buyer in me, I decided to put off getting a weapon for now... perhaps someday, if I really feel the need for it, or when I can afford spending several thousand and hope to never use it.

Afterwards, we were off back to home, dinner and winding down to the next work week. That was different, to say the least.

A Day at the Beach

Yes, I went ahead and took a day off after about three days of intensive pitch work. But no, I didn't actually go to the beach. My copy of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 arrived today, and I gave it the once over. I paid for a so-called 'Limited Edition' copy of the game, and it came in packed in a nice box with those cute little foam biscuits, along with a limited edition pack of DOAX2 Playing Cards. Well, I don't really play cards so I'll just keep the pack in storage and maybe sell it on eBay someday... anyway, on to the game.
Thankfully, despite being a Japanese version, DOAX2 has both english and Japanese language tracks, as well as subtitles. The english-dub is satisfactory; I didn't find myself turning to the regular Japanese voices, though I have to admit I initially winced at hearing Helena speak english with a French accent.

As with the first game, DOAX2 puts you onto a resurfaced, resurrected Zack Island, a tropical vacationer's paradise created by the easy-going Muay Thai expert from the DOA fighting game. Once again, the DOA girls are lured into the island on various pretenses, but in the end it's all the same. Your chosen girl for the game spends 2 weeks on the island, relaxing at the poolside, engaging in various diversions like minigames and the title's two main activities (volleyball and jetski races) and using the proceeds earned to purchase tons of items and sexy swimsuits.

Once again, instrumental to the game is making and keeping relationships with other characters through gift-giving and doing well in volleyball games. The friendlier your team is with each other, the better they play and the more rewards you'll get in terms of gifts from your partner and in some little extra bits. The sexy Gravure Scenes have returned ranging from the girls frolicking on the beach to looking a bit too interested in some large trees, to a scandalously hot pole dancing scene you have to unlock. These scenes are a lot sexier than in the previous game, and there are even two-girl scenes if you're good enough. Fan service, T&A and lots of bouncy boobs are the name of the game here, and if you enjoy anime and videogame babes, this is one slick title.

So far, I've played through the 2-week Vacation mode three times- getting money is hard at first, but gets easier once you get the hang of the slightly revised volleyball game- which is still let down a bit by an occasionally restrictive camera. The camera for taking snaps in the Gravure Scenes will also take getting used to, even going as far as having detailed camera settings if you want to take in-game photos of your virtual models.

The game, of course, looks incredible- virtual skin never looked so nice. Next generation graphics right there. Heheh. This is a nice fun title for anyone who owns an Xbox360 and loves virtual vixens- those looking for serious sports or deep gameplay will probably be disappointed. It's all just shallow, depthless but quite fetchingly gorgeous fun here. A nice getaway every now and then, and that's all I can ask for these days.
Now, if you'll excuse me... I have to go buy some bikinis.

Back from the Salt Mines

I haven't been able to post lately thanks to a big pitch at the Salt Mines which had me and everyone else in the Creative Department working overtime every day since last week. A pitch basically entails intensive brainstorming and group work for hours and hours on end, seeing us all wail away the night and early morning in the office, sustained only by our sense of teamwork, professional duty and bottles and bottles of caffeine-heavy beverages. Work piles on and things get re-worked again and again until the last second when no more modifications or adjustments can be made. Then, we go and sell the stuff to the client... and hope our stuff is better than, oh, some of the sharpest ad agencies in the country.

But even though there's a dull pain in the back of my head and in the area of my face just between by eyes and hair line (due to lack of sleep... I probably had less than eight hours total sleep in the past three days), I feel content and happy. Happy that I was able to work alongside a great team and give the job at hand our darndest best. That's what matters, really. Though bagging a multi-million peso account would be fricking sweet too.

Gonna take a rest though. A little break and a pause to stop and smell the flowers, enjoy a game or two and just catch up on Z's.

Break starts... NOW.

Going Elemental



Here's some awesome elemental action from my favorite series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. The current episode, The Earth King, sees Aang and friends racing to warn the mysterious leader of the vast Earth Kingdom of the threat being posed by the Fire Nation outside Ba Sing Se's walls, and the danger of the ruthless Dai Li within. Unfortunately, one doesn't just "pop in" to see the Earth King, and now they have to go through an army to reach their quarry. Air, Earth and Water join in the young heroes' hands as their rush into battle.

Action this good isn't the only reason why I love Avatar, but darn it's one of the better ones. Enjoy!

Two weeks to the Season Finale of Avatar's second season... darn... it's going to be a long wait.

The Dark Side of Gaming

The Playstation 3 is out in both Japan and the US, and already there have been some less-than-savoury incidents. There have been reports of armed robbers breaking into stores and carting away the valuable consoles, and even of some guy getting shot when he refused to give up his newly-purchased Sony console. Ouch! Don't die for your PS3, gamers... you can always get a new PS3, but unlike videogame characters, we don't come with extra lives or continues.
No doubt stolen PS3s are destined to be resold at astronomical prices for desperate gamers. I really don't see these thieves actually going through all that trouble just to play Resistance: Fall of Man.
Anyway, I haven't seen PS3s locally, but I'll be standing off getting one until games like the super-slick Virtua Fighter 5 show up on it. That's still a ways off- perhaps some time in the first quarter of 2007. Hopefully the price will have gone down from the 50K+ amount it is now. Well, I have the Christmas break to mull things over, but gaming should be good in the New Year. Though I may have to make allowances for a gun to go with a new PS3 for my own protection... Sigh.

All that Jiggles isn't Gold

Tecmo's sexy sequel, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is out in the US, and gaming sites have so far been uniformly blasting the fan service title with low review scores. Reasons cited include the game not addressing issues from the previous game, and in some cases worsening the already scant amount of actual gameplay. The newly-added minigames are described as one-shot ponies and the new main game of Jetskiing didn't live up to the hype. The volleyball, which returns from the first release, has been made a bit harder- in the views of several reviewers, more frustrating.
Still, the reviews all still concede that if you're looking for digital divas to ogle as they cavort about in bikinis, this is THE game to have. I'll see it myself though, when my own copy arrives. Oh well.

The Adventure Continues...

Work is going well on the 2nd issue of Kunoichi Boy. I'm on the pencilling stage, with more than half of the pages done. I'm targetting the issue to finish by mid-December, so I can release copies of both Issue 1 and 2 back in Comic Quest and other comic shops, hopefully. I'm thinking of finishing at least 4 issues before working on compiling them all into one trade paperback release that should be in time for the next Kon.
Kunoichi Boy follows the journey of Jin, a travelling artist, and his reluctant bodyguard and companion Mikoto, a buff female brawler, through the strife-ridden land of Tao. Along the way, they cross paths with the mysterious Pink Ninja, who may or may not be Jin in drag...

Issue 2 has Jin and Mikoto entering a quiet little village... which would be kinda boring if not for the band of bandits and rogue ninja who are holding the whole place hostage. Expect the new issue of KBoy out by mid-to-late December. Just keep on tuned to the blog for further developments.

Go, Go, Gadget!



Thanks to a sudden windfall, I got a new gadget. It's the Sony Ericsson W700i, the latest itineration of Walkman Phone. The lovely little mobile comes with 2 Megapixel camera with flash, all the Walkman music features, Memory Stick Pro Duo support (up to 4 Gigs), FM radio and lots of other perkies. Plus, it comes in Titanium Gold. WOOHOO!

Okay, you'll probably say, why downgrade? Yeah, it's a downgrade from my present O2 XDA IIi. But hey... no problem! It's not for me... it's for my Mom, a sort of early Christmas gift. I give her this, and I basically give her a new phone, an mp3 player and a nice digicam- three gadgets that she has expressed interest for.
The phone looks quite slick, with the metallic exterior being a world away from the candy-white and orange colors of the original W800i Walkman Phone (which I learned is by now being 'phased out' at the legit cellphone shops). Placing the Sim card and setting up the phone was pretty easy, but then it's my Mom who has to come to grips with the thing, not me. This is her first phone with a joystick, so she'll have to get used to that. Still, even this early she is really enjoying hearing her tunes and being able to get her favorite radio station with her phone.

I really like the phone myself, but really, it's not for me. I tried putting a video on it, and the viewing experience is... not good. The 3GP video isn't at all nice to look at, and the dinky screen is just far too small. I'd miss all my Pocket PC perks if I downgrade to a 'normal' phone, even a smartphone like the Nokia N73 (which caught my eye a bit) or the Sony Ericsson P990i. I guess I should be happy that I have at present everything I need in a mobile. Still, it was nice to feel the aura of newness with a new device... even if it isn't mine. Heh.

The Price of Gaming


Are you ready for the PS3? More importantly, is your wallet?

The Death Star of Gaming, Sony's Playstation 3 is on the horizon- literally just a week away. Online, some gaming shops already have it in their inventory for pre-order. How much is the uber-gaming console? Well, according to Play-Asia.com, the Japanese version PS3 with a 60GB hard drive can be yours for a paltry 990 dollars. That amounts to about 50,228 pesos. Got that? FIFTY THOUSAND PETOTS.
What else can you buy with 50K? Well, you can probably buy the most expensive PDA phone, like the O2 XDA Exec, or a cheap laptop. You can buy a pretty souped-up Desktop PC with a lot of trimmings like Mega-sound, big monitor, 200+GB HDs, DVD writer drives and a nifty table. Or you can buy an Xbox 360 and several legit games. Or you can live vicariously for a week or two.
Also according to Play Asia, the PS3 20GB version sells for a slightly lesser $899, or Php45,200. Still quite a price. 40+ was the most expensive price I saw for an original Xbox a couple of years ago.

Games for the PS3 at launch, however, are hardly must haves. There will probably be a Ridge Racer title, and the shooter/action title Resistance: Fall of Man. Bigger titles like FFXIII, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Virtua Fighter 5 aren't due out until next year, while some like Tekken 6 are still... shudder... TBA. Not exactly a lineup that will drive me into the game store with my life savings.

Even with the prospects of a happy end of the year, I don't think I'll be getting a PS3 anytime soon. Give me a lower price and next-gen fighters and Solid Snake and I'll bite. But thankfully, that won't be for a while. Still, if anyone has 50K to throw away, I'll be happy to come over and test the unit for you, absolutely for free. Heheh.

Vengeance Online

Lately, the anime series Girl from Hell or Jigoku Shoujo has started showing on Animax. This supernatural/drama series is based on the overall idea that there is a website which allows the wronged, the bullied and the oppressed to send their tormentors to HELL. The website, which can only be accessed at midnight (and only once by any person) has a very simple interface- all you need to is input the name of the guilty party in the blank space. In a flash, the titular Girl from Hell, Enma Ai, will appear and give the 'client' a small straw doll with a red string wound around its neck. To seal the contract, the client must untie the string. Immediately after, the tormentor will be sent to hell.

Unfortunately, all isn't wine and roses. As Enma Ai says, "Whenever a person is condemned, two graves are dug." That means that while the accused is immediately consigned to Hell, the accuser him/herself will follow as well, once he or she dies. To mark their inevitable fate, a black mark appears on the breast of the person who contracted the services of the Jigoku Shoujo. Better think before you act, I guess.

Animax has been promoting the... well, the hell out of this series, and perhaps the hype was a bit too much as when I finally got to watch an episode or two, I was kinda disappointed. The episodes are all stand-alone stories of some person being wronged and how his or her plight escalates to the point where they can't stands no more... and the only recourse is to contract the services of Enma Ai.
After that, like the Lazer Sword of Voltez V, it's all academic as Enma and her cohorts- which include a young man, a geisha girl and an old geezer- give a little payback by confronting the guilty party with their sins. In the end, Ai takes the condemned person to hell on a boat, and that's that. After a few episodes it all gets kinda repetitious, and I can't say that I am particularly impressed by how the 'punishments' are dished out. The guilty don't seem to ever reach the point where they are overly terrorized or are driven to repent or remorse, which makes the part where they are being confronted kind of empty and hollow- or just unsatisfying. Plus, I don't find it clear- what happens to these people? Do they disappear as if they are physically dragged into Hell? Or do their physical bodies die? The series seems a bit vague on these points.
I have to say as well that some of the situations make me angry more at the ones being tormented, rather than the tormentors. There simply HAS to be other ways to resolve some of these problems, without condemning yourself to a hellish afterlife, right?

It doesn't help either that the viewings of GFH have so far been with Animax's less-than-excellent english dubs (ah, Animax and their vast complement of five voices). The stories are very Japanese and perhaps would benefit from more authentic vocal performances.

Still, lovers of drama anime (dranime?) will probably get absorbed in the masochistic pleasure of watching poor saps get hammered before lashing out in revenge with supernatural aid. The series already has proven popular enough for a Second Season, as well as a live-action series. For me, this kind of vengeance doesn't really cut it. I'll hire Golgo 13 over Enma Ai any day of the week. Beats going to Hell, I think.

Fighting Fire with Fire



If you've been reading my blog for the past couple of months, you'll probably remember me posting some videos showing off the awesome elemental action from Avatar. Well, I've already posted for earth and water... here's a video showing off Firebenders in action. The video is from the Season 1 episode, "The Southern Air Temple", and has the show's anti-hero Prince Zuko squaring off with Season 1's eventual main baddie, Admiral Zhao. Many Avatar fans consider this fight one of the best in the whole series. Don't try this at home, kids.

Chit Chat

Thanks to our one-and-only Webmistress, Cynthia, the DEAD tagboard has finally been removed and replaced with a nice little Chatterbox for short messages and notes. Thanks, Cyn! But of course, as always, any SPAMMING or TROLLING is prohibited and will be deleted on sight. So keep your chatter nice, people!

Afternoon with Avatar

My sister and her family came by ysterday, and I brought out episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender for them to watch. Since they can only catch the mega-popular Nickelodeon series on local cable TV, they haven't watched the last few Season 1 episodes, or ANY of the already released 17 episodes of Season 2. What happened then was an Avatar MARATHON as the kids watched episode after episode after episode. The funny thing was, their dad and even my mom (their grandmother) soon got into watching Avatar as well. It just goes to show that the quality of this show- the great dialogue, superb action, continuing storyline and excellent drama and direction- has universal appeal. There was only one break in the watching- dinner- before the last several episodes available were watched and enjoyed. Thankfully, the newest episode Lake Laogai (episode 37) ends with at least quite a bit of closure. Still, the kids (and their dad) were asking me when the next episode would be available before they left.
It was truly an enjoyable time, and I have to say that I can thank Avatar for a cool bonding experience with my niece and nephews. I'll be counting the days myself to the next new Avatar- two weeks to the next one. Darn it. Well, I can always have an Avatar Marathon again myself, to keep the wait bearable. Barely. Heh.

Wannabee Comic Book Movie

I finally got to watch Ultraviolet, starring Milla Jovovich. Some may be surprised that it took me so long to actually watch the flick, seeing as how it's an anime-styled superbabe-girlpower action flick... something I'd probably want to see as soon as possible. Well, bad reviews made me just push watching the movie back again and again... even with the movie loaded onto my XDAIIi, I still didn't have any time or inclination to watch it. The opportunity and the mood finally came early this week, as I was trapped home by a bad stomach, during the afternoon.

Ultraviolet opens up with a series of comic book covers starring the titular heroine- of course setting the tone for the over-the-top action to be featured in the flick. Set in a futuristic world where fear of disease has resulted in a future of sealed buildings and people wearing masks all the time, Ultraviolet sees the world divided in a war between normal humans and the Hemophages- or 'vampires' thanks to their pointy teeth and enhanced physical powers. The Hemophages were initially made out to be the ultimate warriors, but are eventually marked for extermination. Miss Jovovich plays Violent, an exceptionally-gifted and deadly vampiress and assassin who is out to grab a secret weapon the ruling regime (which incorporates religious/medical and corporate tyranny) is supposedly preparing to finish the war against the Hemophages.

Well, it turns out the 'weapon' is a little boy who seems to awaken deep maternal feelings in the superbitchy warrior, and soon she's fighting to save his life along with trying to bring down the evil government/corporate/pharmaceutical overlord. Along the way she kills lots of enemies. Cross that- she kills armies of enemies, hacking them down in droves. Gas-mask wearing, glass-like body armor-clad thugs fall to Violet's many guns (which are conveniently 'digitized' until needed) or her oddly-oriental katana-ish sword.

With all the action, you'd think that Ultraviolet would be incredibly cool. The movie looks pretty slick, with nice production values, but it ultimately looks kinda... not there. It seems to be lacking a lot, perhaps since the world Violet lives in seems vacuous, impersonal and empty- it's just a large setting for lots of videogame-like fighting, and that's not very deep or too engaging after a while. It's certainly not as visually stimulating as, say, the world of The Fifth Element (another Jovovich-starrer).
It also kinda takes away from the movie that you never feel that Violent will ever be in any danger- despite her actually saying that she doubts her survival at several points in the movie, she plows through hordes and hordes of enemies like a hot knife through lukewarm butter- the enemies are really STOOPID in this movie. The fights themselves aren't particularly well done, or impressive, and it's kinda weird to see jumpsuited, masked generic hitmen running around with katanas like some kind of industrial ninja. On paper, this would be kinda cool- here in a movie, it just feels... iffy.

Everything else... eeeh. The script is blah, the acting bleh, and the storyline really doesn't matter. Maybe that's all irrelevant anyway... Ultraviolet pleases with visuals, and in that it's pretty-looking, shallow but entertaining fun for a while. After Violent kills her, oh, 600th enemy, you just know that the end boss doesn't stand a chance.

Darn... Aeon Flux. Elektra. Ultraviolet. All superbabe movies, all kinda crappy. At least, when I ever think of making a K.I.A. movie, I am well-versed in what it shouldn't be like. Oh well.

X-Holes

I love watching G4TV's X-Play. Really, it's more gag show than actual serious videogaming reviews, but I try to catch it everytime online since Jack TV only has like, four episodes to show all year.

Still, I have to say that hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb get on my bad side a lot- not for any of their scathing reviews of their general anti-anime stance, but for insulting gamers every opportunity they get. And, if I saw that skanky Webb on the street, I'd punch her teeth in for being a hater of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and then shove a katana through her flat chest for being so bitchy against Aeris and Final Fantasy VII.

Assholes.

Anyway, I loved their Scariest Games special. That was pretty funny.

Todos Los Santos

Today is the Philippines' day for the dead- Todos Los Santos or Undas. All over the country, thousands of Filipinos head for cemeteries to spend time with their loved ones who have gone on before them. Years ago, me and my family used to go to Marikina, where we have our dead at Loyola Memorial Park. We'd leave early in the morning since we needed to avoid traffic.
Trips to the cemetery then were like mini-vacations; we'd pack a big tent, lots of food for the day, tables and chairs and other necessities. To kill boredom, decks of cards, board games or books would also be packed along. We'd then spend the whole day from sun-up to sunset before finally calling it a day and packing for home.

That changed quite a bit after we moved to Marikina more than fifteen years ago. Since the cemetery was so close, there was no need to pack stuff, or even bring a tent. We'd just walk the whole way, bringing only the bare essentials- candles, flowers and our prayers. Umbrellas too, since it would either be sunny or rainy.

This year, the cemetery crowds are supposedly aren't as thick, thanks probably mainly to the weird schedule which placed All Saints' Day in the middle of the week, a one-day holiday break. With so short a time, many preferred to celebrate the day at home. Still, many flooded into the cemeteries.
The government as well as private institutions set up services like first aid stations to keep things safe, while the police and military banned gambling, alcohol, deadly weapons and even music from cemeteries to prevent any untoward incidents. Politicians of course didn't miss the opportunity to do a bit of indirect campaigning, via giveaways marked with their names or likenesses. Some things never change.

As the sun went down, so did the rain. In fact, as of this writing, it's raining cats and dogs here in Marikina- sure to be a bit of an annoyance for the people crowding in the cemeteries, or stuck clogged on the road in traffic. I'm just glad to be inside at home, dry and cozy.

Tomorrow, despite being All Souls' Day, it's back to the world of the working and the living. Life goes on.