Navi Central

Not in any Particular Order...

2004-11-02T13:53:00.000+08:00

THIRTEEN RANDOM THINGS YOU LIKE
13. Swords
12. Video games
11. Movies
10. Digital Cameras, video and still
9. Apple G5 PowerMac
8. Apple G4 Powerbook Laptop
7. Apple iPod U2 edition
6. Comics
5. Ninjas
4. Scorpion, the Mortal Kombat character
3. Music, alternative, rock, ska.
2. Japanese Katana
1. Baseball

TWELVE GREAT MOVIES
12. Macross Plus
11. Ninja Scroll
10. Spider-Man 2
9. X2
8. Shaun of the Dead
7. Kill Bill
6. Battle Royale
5. About a Boy
4. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
3. Casablanca
2. Citizen Kane
1. High Fidelity

ELEVEN GOOD BANDS/ARTISTS
11. New Order
10. Pearl Jam
9. Nirvana
8. Save Ferris
7. Metallica
6. U2
5. The Sex Pistols
4. Interpol
3. Utada Hikaru
2. The Clash
1. The Cure

TEN THINGS ABOUT YOU
10. I still like Rob Liefeld's art, just like I like flashy, "all-surface", kewl art.
9. Used to like pop music, namely Michael Jackson. I still respect him, but only and strictly as an artist.
8. I am obssessed with Paul Walker's Nissan Skyline from 2 Fast 2 Furious.
7. I have a tendency to get "crushes" on anime/cartoon characters.
6. I. Am. Not. Rich.
5. While I do not like war, I am somehow fascinated with guns, camouflage, military vehicles,tactics, and other related info.
4. I am obssessed with tuyo.
3. Back in the day, as I watched TV, I used to imagine I was one of the Maskmen.
2. When I was a wee lad, I used to take out the tires of my Transformers cars like Jazz and Sideswipe, and chew them. I liked the taste, and I still fondly remember it. I was probably exploring the world with my senses, although I was already four years old... Not so wee...
1.Keira Knightly is going to marry me.

NINE FRIENDS NUNG KABATAAN
9. Ace Espiritu
8. JM Abesa
7. Lio Mangubat
6. John Paul Jurilla
5. Jobert Aquino
4. Noel Singson
3. Nico Boromeo
2. Paolo Magat
1. Meechoy Elegado

EIGHT FAVORITE FOODS/DRINKS
8. Bacon Cheeseburgers
7. Pepperoni Pizza
6. Fried Chicken
5. Arroz Caldo from either KFC or Via Marre
4. Roated Garlic & Shrimp Pizza from Yellow Cab
3. Marinara Pasta
2. Shrimps
1. A&W Rootbeer Floats

SEVEN THINGS YOU WEAR DAILY (aside from clothes)
7. Dog tags
6. Contact Lenses/Glasses
5. Scapular

SIX THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY
6. Video Games
5. Good Music
4. Good jokes
3. Money. Admit it, you're also happy when you're given money!
2. Being given comics
1. Winning in video games

FIVE SHOWS YOU WATCH
6. CSI: New York
5. Justice League/Justice League Unlimited
4. Teen Titans
3. The Simpsons
2. Jack and Bobby
1. The OC

FOUR THINGS THAT IRRITATE YOU
4. George W. Bush
3. Tactlessness
2. Self-righteous people
1. Negative outlooks on the world and man,

THREE CELEBRITIES YOU ADMIRE
3. Tom Cruise
2. John Cusack
1. James Hetfield

TWO PEOPLE ON FRIENDSTER WHOM YOU INVITED FIRST
Can't remember...

ONE GREATEST FEAR IN LIFE
1. A failure of a life.

December 14, 2004

2004-10-23T09:37:00.000+08:00

Waiting for the above date?

In the meantime, you can drool over this.

2004-10-22T02:42:00.000+08:00

You gotta be a Star Trek nut in order to get the PVP joke today.

And Power Pack is back...

A GAJILLION TIMES BETTER THAN RAGNAROK!!!

2004-10-15T09:56:00.000+08:00

One MMORPG will rule them all...

Why?

It's got ninjas...

Geeks, Mark your Calendars!

2004-10-12T07:37:00.000+08:00

THIS is coming out on December 14.

And while you're at it, buy me this. =)

2004-10-12T01:15:00.000+08:00

Christopher Reeve died last Sunday. He suffered a heart attack and lapsed into a coma Saturday, and his heart gave on Sunday. You all know about the accident that paralyzed him. But he was determined to walk again, and I believed him.

Because many years ago, he made me believe a man can fly.

To Christopher Reeve. Not be a man of steel, but truly a hero. May he forever fly with the angels.

Showdown

2004-10-11T04:59:00.000+08:00

Hey! Yankees vs Red Sox this Tuesday! Wednesday morning Manila time!!!

Insomnia

2004-10-08T15:22:00.000+08:00

I spent the entire day in the apartment. For the first time, I did not go out to enojy Manhattan. I decided to take a break, and just rest at home.

Right now, I can't seem to fall asleep. My head's already buzzing, telling me to hit the couch and call it a night.

But the neighbours are pretty noisey. Either they're early birds or night owls (no, the Watchman is Nite Owl!!!).

And I just realized I might have a spending problem. It might've been obvious since college, and with an expensive hobby like comics, with weekly trips to the comics shop... Well, I was able to adjust because many basic needs were taken care off before.

Not the case here. New York, for all its beauty, is a very expensive city. It's two dollars, over a hundred pesos, for a one-way ride on a bus or a subway, and for a shorter distance than Sucat to Makati. Food's also expensive, because the price of labor is also high, and minimum wage laws ae enforced and followed.

And I spent over one hundred dollars on comics. I spent over twenty in Red Bank, and I spent around seventy last weekend in the New York book fair. Then there are the weekly trips for the monthlies (different titles at different weeks), and the BotI and Scott Pilgrim trades I bought. It's a good thing my aunt feeds me dinner, but I still gotta buy lunch.

So with ten days left, and around seventy dollars left, it looks like I'll have to go uber thrifty and pick my battles. No more of those by-the-pound meals, stick with Taco Bell value meals and McDonalds dollar menu. And definitely no trades.

It's another eye-opener in a series of eye-openers on this trip. So sorry, guys who I said I buy stuff for... My wallets almost empty.

2004-10-06T13:01:00.000+08:00

That Japanese girl, who broke my heart and married some 30-year old semi-homo-androgenous photographer guy, has an album coming out soon.

And it's in English.

2004-10-06T06:53:00.000+08:00

I accompanied my uncle today for a bit. We went to Granarcy Park downtown in Chelsea. That's around 20th ST. It's this small, private park that's exclusive only to the people who live nearby. It's got fences, gates, and locks to which only the homeowners or possibly the superintendents have keys to.

And as I was walking along the sidwalk of the park, the strangest thing happened.

A girl said she liked my sweater.

SHUT UP, DAMMIT! SHE'S ONLY THIRTEEN OR FOURTEEN, YOU PEDOS!!!!

Oh, my sweater? It was a black long-sleeved hoodie with blue-and-white flames on the sleeves and on the front.

I'm Never Washing My Hand Again...

2004-10-03T06:11:00.000+08:00

This weekend's "New York is Book Country". So there's this bookfair happening downtown, so I decided to check it out.

Partially because I had an idea of what I wanted to attend.

Kyle Baker gave a comics-drawing demo, and gave away signed copies of Plastic Man. Shooked his ahnd and thanked him after I asked him to make it out to a friend of mine.

Afterwards, I went around Washington Square down in one of those sections of Manhattan where the streets have names. I chanced upon the Mile High Comics and Marvel booths, and signing and chatting it up with people was Peter David. So considering how rarely I'll ever get to do this, I went and shelled out fifteen dollars for a Young Justice trade, and had him sign it. We chatted up, how I missed him writing YJ, and I told him how I barrelled over when Impulse got knocked on the head and though he was Batman. Thanked him, shook his hand, and left. End of my day there.

It was utterly hillarious. One of my favorite moments reading comics.

Tomorrow, I'll be sitting amond greatness as Joe Kubert, THE Joe Kubert, will be giving his demo of doing comics (or graphic novels as the literary community woul call it, grafiction as according to Elbert and his posse). Unfortunately, tickets were all sold out to the "Future of Graphic Novels" panel. It's got Paul Levitz, Kyle Baker, and Frank Miller.

Dammit, the one panel I SO wanted to attend in this entire gig, and it got sold out. Had I known about the advanced purchases in Borders, I would've done that ages ago. First in line even.

Bah....

Cosplayers must Die!!!!

2004-10-01T13:08:00.000+08:00

But then again, I have this knack to dress up in a funky kick-ass costume (probably for Halloween...).

And besides, I only diss and laugh at those people who dress as characters from Japanese anime and video games, where the costumes are so outrageously out-of-this-frikkin'-world that there is a NEGATIVE chance of an actual person pulling it off (at least with limited budget).

But my top five kick-ass-dress-ed-ass ____ costume list seems plausible. The trick is to pick from plausible (i.e. live-action or realistically drawn) sources... Or if your source is anime, something plausible and simple. Gendo Ikari's simple (if you can grow the beard..). Dressing up as Unit-01 will make you the target for ridicule and laugh trips, especially with the druggies and drunks.

1. Eric Draven. And I'm not just talking about long hair, makeup, all back and a trench coat. No! I mean the tight black long sleeves, the funeral pants, the black found-in-a-dumpster army boots, a million rolls of black duct tape, and of course long hair and make-up. Black guitar is a highly-possible prop. Wish I could say the same for crow (actual bird) companion. Gotta work on intimidating look and body language.

2. John Constantine. Decent slacks, white long sleeves, a red tie, blonde hair, lots of cigarettes, and the trench coat. Need to work on British accent. Keanu Reeves black-and-white-apparel variant also available. Speak in monotone "Woah" voice.

3. Rob Gordon from High Fidelity. Leather jacket. WILL ANYONE EVEN GET THIS?!?!?! (I'm just putting this here because I need to fill up three more slots). I'm already a neurotic nutcase.

4. Solid Snake. Buff body. Camo. Army gear. Pistol. Bandana. The Snake Eater outfit and gear should be easiest. The gear rom Metal Gear Solid is the best, though.

5. Alan Moore. Don't shave for five years. But wavy cane and lots of rings and funky finger-decor. And lots of cigarettes. Will be mistaken for Middle-East terrorist or renegade Jesus. Other possibility: Warren Ellis. Again, WILL PEOPLE RECOGNIZE IT?!?!?!?!

Nigh-Impossible Costume I So Deperately Want to Pull Off: Nicholas Wolfwood from Trigun. The costume and hair are relatively easy enough. What's highly improbable, implausible and/or highlly expensive will be a working prop of his HUGE cross. The bottom section of the cross should open up to reveal a large rifle barrel. The top section transforms to the rocket launcher barrel. The side sections open up to reveal a large number of pistols (all realistic-working-but-can't-actually-fire replicas). And all four sections have to be somehow automated, working at the flick of a switch.

Bonus points if it can actually fire blanks. But a plastic one'll be heavy enough....

So what're your halloween costume plans?

The Cure

2004-09-29T13:47:00.000+08:00

Sorry, not related to Robert Smith's band.

It seems there might be a cure and a vaccine for HIV.

Here's the article. Lots of controversy regarding the whole thing...

I just hope it works...

Did You Know?

2004-09-20T11:46:00.000+08:00

Steven Spielberg was supposed to direct Return of the Jedi? Unfortunately, because George Lucas cut off all ties to the writers guildand directors guild, he was not allowed to hire Spielberg.

And they're still doing pre=prod on Indiana Jones 4. And yes, Harrison Ford'ss till Indiana Jones.

My Viewtiful Day

2004-09-14T07:46:00.000+08:00

So today's my birthday. Yay me. So to mark the occassion, I went and rented Viewtiful Joe for the Playstation 2. It harkens back to the day of 2D platform action games, where enemies have patterns and bosses have specific weaknesses and patterns of their own. Master the pattern, and the game is yours.

But above all else, this game has style. From the cel-shaded graphics, to its B-movie flair. But if I could only use a maximum of two words to describe this game, it would be "old school". All the way.

Gameplay is excellent, graphics and sound are up there. And the game is unique in many aspects. Really an innovator.

TV...

2004-09-14T01:08:00.000+08:00

Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and Alan Moore. The Lego versions.

Last night I saw the series premiere of Jack and Bobby, co-created by novelist and comics writer Brad Meltzer (who's responsible for Identity Crisis). The series tells the story of two brothers, Jack and Bobby McAllister, and the influences they had growing up that would eventually bring one of them to the presidency of the United States in 2040. At the end of the first episode, you know which brother became president, but there were quite a number of twists as the episode was going.

One technique that elevated the storytelling was cutting to the future, when President McAllister's closest colleagues and wife are being interviewed about his term. It clearly shows the connection between the present (childhood/adolescence) and the future (government positions/presidency).

The feel of the series is like Smallville. You know that this person is destined for greatness, and you see the trials and turbulations that shape this wee kid into the great figure that he will become.

Excellent first episode. I'm waiting for more. And if you're wondering why it was named Jack and Bobby, those names are ingrained into American memory. Jack was Former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Bobby was Former Senator Robert Kennedy.

The other show that's got me hooked is Justice League Unlimited, which basically showcases some of the heroes from the ENTIRE DC Universe in one thirty-minute episode. Sometimes a one of the big six might go with them, but this show really showcases everyone else: Green Arrow, Captain Atom, Hawk and Dove, The Question, Zatanna, Booster Gold, the Elongated Man (pre-Identity Crisis). Heck, even B'wana Beast got his turn in the spotlight. The only episode I know of/have seen that focuses on any of the major DC icons is For the Man Who Has Wverything, a story featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and adapted from the comics story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Every DC fan and fanboy should watch this series. An excellent well-made cartoon that shows the potential of superhero storytelling.

And Batman was in London to stage a fathers rights protest in Buckingham Palace.

Woah...

2004-09-09T13:09:00.000+08:00

How do you know you grew up in the 90's? ( BOLD ALL THAT APPLY ) My thoughts in italics.

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCH!"

2. You watched the Pound Puppies.

3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air."

4. You wore biker shorts under your skirts and felt stylish. Seems like a girl wrote it.

5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-Sitters Club and tried to start a club of your own. See what I mean?

6. You owned those little Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.

7. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom.

8. Two words: M.C. Hammer

9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock."

10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars.

11. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales." AND Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! I have that and Gummy Bears in my CD of catoon themes.

12. You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons. Damn yeah....

13. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head. Girl...

14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on the big screen. Simply awesome...

15. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.

16. You played the game "MASH" (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter Shack, House).

17. You wore a Jordache Jean jacket and you were proud of it.

18. L.A. Gear...

19. You wanted to change your name to "JEM" in Kindergarten. Again, a girl...

20. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all the Ramona books.

21. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF." Wasn't Karate Kid from the 80's?

22. You wanted to be a Goonie.

23. You ever wore flourescent clothing.

24. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off.

25. You have pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf. Why is that?

26. You took lunch pails to school.

27. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.

28. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.

29. You remember Hypercolor T-shirts.

30. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.

31. You thought She-Ra and He-Man should hook up. What the?!?!?! They were siblings!!!! You're sick man, SICK!!!!

32. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged friendship bracelets.

33. You owned a pair of jelly sandals.

34. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know what you are, but what am I?"

35. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up!"

36. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.

37. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip 'n' Slide.

38. You have ever played with a Skip-It.

39. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonald's.

40. You've gone through this list occasionally saying "totally awesome."

41. You remember Popples.

42. "Don't worry, be happy."

43. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights. Never wore tights

44. You wore socks scrunched down. Still do.

45. "Miss MARY MACK MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK"

46. You remember boom boxes vs. CD players.

47. You remember watching both "Gremlins" movies.

48. You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!"

49. You remember watching Rainbow Brite and My Little Ponies.

50. You thought Doogie Howser was hot. Definitely made by a girl. Some of his girlfridns were cute...

51. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac. Hah! I kill me!!!

52. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool. Where are those tapes?

53. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By the Bell," the ORIGINAL class. I only remember Zach, and Tiffany Amber Thiessen, because she was hot hot HOT!

54. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME" Ugh....

55. You played and or collected "Pogs" elementary gambling!! Had a set, never got into it.

56. You used to pretend that you could transform into a Power Ranger. Shaider! Annie was hot....

Someone Dies Again, and Another's Brought Back to Life.

2004-09-03T13:58:00.000+08:00

So Gwen Stacy's dead... Again... Bendis you bastard... First you make her cool... Then you make us all, your loyal Ultimate Spider-Man readers, like her and possibly love her, and now she's dead. But still, the latest issue was a good read. It's Bendis back in form, although the characters sometimes behave less like actual, individual people and more like an outlet for Bendis to spread his message. But still, Brian Bendis is one of the best decompressed storytellers in American comics.

And a week ago, an former member of the X-Men team was brought back from the dead.

The alternate cover, proudly on the shleves of Midtown Comis spoiled it right away. And I'm gonna do it to, so turn away right now.

Colossus is back.

I kinda liked how he died to rid the world of the Legacy Virus. It was a truly heroic death, and it seemed a fitting way to end the life of the character, considering the turmoil he's been through over the years.

But he's back. And I loved LOVED those few, but so heart-wrenching panels delivered by Whedon and Cassaday. Absolutely fantastic. I'm slowly forgetting that the new costumes suck so bad. Everyone adn their dogs should be reading astonishing X-Men, especially if you're an X-fan.

Oh, and Jean Grey's coming back too. Looks like the revolving door at the Marvel Afterlife is still there.

A Whole Lotta Killing...

2004-09-01T13:59:00.000+08:00

Rented Timesplitters 2 for the XBox. Mel, Warhog, and I played so many maps with so many modes and weapons.

But seriously... The most fun and raucous-laughter-inducing...

Three of us. Vs TEN Bots. Team Deathmatch.

Frantic (Hard) mode.

All rockets, one-shot kill, race to one-hundred.

Final score:

Us, 100. Them, NEGATIVE 17!

That was so damn fun.

Some Kind of Monstrous Day

2004-08-25T11:09:00.000+08:00

Once again had a full day to myself. And I blew thirty dollars on food and fun.

The first thing I did was visit New York's Museum of Television and Radio, where many TV and radio programs of the United States are archived for future generations. There was an exhibit on superheroes in television, and a display of the Superfriends were on display at the Spielberg Exhibit.

yes, the Superfriends. Cringe. And on the flat screens, along with episodes of Challenge of the Superfriends, they screened the Underoos commercials from way back. Double cringe...

I got the tour, I went to the Jim Henson exhibit on the fifth floor, and I used the viewing rooms to listen to the Mercury Theatre Groups radio adaptation of War of the Worlds. Who the hell are the Mercury Theatre Group? Let me give you a name: Orson Welles.

Yes. The radio broadcast of War of the Worlds that caused a nation-wide panic, and kick-started the field of media studies and communication theory. Orson Welles, who would go on to write, direct and star in Citizen Kane, as well as a slew of other motion pictures,, and also provide the voice of Unicron in Transformers: The Movie.

Afterwards, I had lunch at the Philly cheesesteak place, then took the bus downtown to watch a movie. I seriously should stop, but I won't be getting any of those in Manila (well we did get Zatoichi, but I missed it).

I caught a screening of Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. It documents the life of the core members of Metallica: James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Lars Ulrich, from the time when bassist Jason Newsted leaves the band, up to the point where their new album St. Anger is released and they start their new tour. Throughout those five/six years the band reaches the lowest of lows, reconnects with one another, and also genuinely connect for the very first time, and rise again as a new beast and a revitalized band.

Basically, it's a decompressed (that word again!!!) and detailed story from the recent MTV Icon and VH1 Behind the Music specials. The documentary also looks back at Metallica's past, from the effects of the death of bassist Cliff Burton, and when they fired guitarist Dave Mustaine. Mustaine actually is in a segment of the docu, where he and Lars talk about Dave's feelings, views, and life after being fired from Metallica over ten years ago (to be replaced by current guitarist Kirk Hammett).

In any case, the documentary was well-filmed, well-edited, and showed the fragile, emotional, and all-too-human core behind one of the most prolific bands of our generation. Of course, I am a Metallica fan, so I would enjoy this documentary loads. And while I knew the eventual outcome, the film still gripped me, and I was at the edge of my seat and utterly intrigued and glued when I needed to be: when James leaves for rehab; when Kirk and Lars question the future of the band; when James and Lars get at each other's throats. And in the end, I felt a grand rush when Rob Trujillo joins the band as their new bassist, when they film the St. Anger music video, and when they took the stage on their tour, greeted by screams and applause.

And in the end, that's all that mattered in me. That I was taken for a ride, and that the story had a happy ending. Perhaps even for Dave Mustaine.

Metallica is back. Perhaps better than ever. But they certainly are Some Kind of Monster...

Sunday Bloody Sunday

2004-08-23T09:54:00.000+08:00

Nothing much happened today.

Visited a cousin of mine who lived here. Like most of my cousins on my mom's side, she was gracious, kind, sweet, and pretty. Yeah, I got a lot of hot and pretty lady-cousins. It's both a gift and a curse...

She's pregnant, so she doesn't do much as of the moment. I agreed to meet her again on Monday, to keep her company and stuff while her husband's out making mountains of money for all three of them. We agreed to go out for a bite, either pizza or Papaya King. Heh, I love my hot dogs.

She took us out to lunch, to this cool Japanese buffet place called Minado. Sixteen dollars for an eat-all-you-can feast with lots of choices, many delicious. The first thing I did was fill up my plate with sushi, ranging from crabmeat to shrimp to tuna. I also had one tako sushi, octopus in English. It tasted like squid, only tougher. Didn't have any of the other exotic stuff. Some shrimp, white fish, and one small bowl of miso sums up my meal. Then we went to the Old Navy store nearby. Bought a screenprinted shirt as well as a hoodie-sweater. I'll be staying here for early fall.

And yeah, that's about it. Tomorrow I'm going to the Sony store and see if the comics shop has Scott Pilgrim.

Mmmmmmmmm........

2004-08-22T03:03:00.000+08:00

Two words: Krispy Kreme! Yuuuuummm........

Hopefully, I can eat in some of my favorite places-that-can't-be-found-in-the-Philippines: Hooters, Denny's, International House of Pancakes...

And of course, more Krispy Kreme and Vanilla Shakes. Goody....

NINJA!!!!

2004-08-21T07:15:00.000+08:00

Okay, not really ninja-related... But it involves Feudal Japan, katanas, and lots of slashing, fighting, blood and guts.

Watched Zatoichi today, the remake written and directed by Takeshi Kitano, who stars as the title character. It has its artsy-fartsy moments, mostly being the tap-dancing at the end where Zatoichi's friends are showcased like in after a play. Overall it was a very very entertaining film, well-crafted, well-executed. In a battle of two movies featuring blind protagonists, Zatoichi is the film Daredevil tried so hard to be.

Yesterday, while I was with Mel, I also picked up the seventeenth volume of Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal series, Mugen no Junin being its Japanese title. Mirror of the Soul has a surprising twist for the relationship between Rin and Anotsu, a development for Mackie's character, and Samura is building up to a gigantic showdown. It will involve the Itto-ryu and the Mugai-ryu, and because I've rea previews of forthcoming issues, I also know it will involve Manji, Mackie, and Magatsu.

Like the majority of Japanese manga storytellers, Samura rellies on a lot of decompressed storytelling, fluff if you wish to call it that. But Samura's fluff, his artwork and his execution, are some of the best. His characters are real, their interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts are utterly compelling, and Samura simply sucks you in and you can't help but enjoy and feel for Rin, Mackie, and everyone else.

As always, like with most manga, the plot moves at a very slow pace. But with characterization this good, I'd have Blade of the Immortal any day.

Something I've Been Meaning to Say...

2004-08-20T10:30:00.000+08:00

I drink myself a newfound pity

Sitting alone in New York City

And I don't know why...

From The World I Know by Collective Soul, one of my all-time favorite songs. And the video for this song is also one of my all-time favorite music videos. Heh.

Update

2004-08-20T05:21:00.000+08:00

Sirens aren't just the music of Manhattan at night. It also plays during the day. But there's nothing like a siren breaking the silence of the night. Of course, they say NEw York is the city that never sleeps...

Spent a LOT of money on comics. Pull list included:
Four issues of Gun Fu
Two issues of Green Lantern
Two issues of Daredevil
Demo issue nine
One issue of Fantastic Four
Blade of the Immortal: Mirror of the Soul

So I still haven't gotten Scott Pilgrim: Precious Little Life. According to Midtown Comics, its coming Monday. So we'll see...

Also spent time with Mel. he accompanied me as I shopped and geeked out, and we talked a lot in Starbucks, mostly about role-playing games. Yeah, geek/gamer-talk. We also made plans for me to stay longer with him and stuff, but I just started my my stay and adventures in the Big Apple. So I'm still staying in Manhattan for the weekend. Gonna do a little shopping with my aunt for my sis. Summer's almost done, so the stores should be going on sale to make room for their autumn/fall stuff. Here's hoping I have space for her skirts... I'm also shopping for myself, y'know... =)

Later, sk8r.

2004-08-19T21:44:00.000+08:00

So I'm here. I finally made it to Manhattan, New York City, the Big Apple. In about an hour, I'm heading over to Midtown Comics to pick up the god stuff that came out yesterday, including Scott Pilgrim, Blade of the Immortal, and Demo. I also have some Green Lantern, Daredevil, and possibly a lot of Batgirl back issues in my list.

Among other things, I'm also meeting Mel. He's taking the train from Jersey City to come here. I'd meet him at the station, but it's messy and crowded, and quite honsetly, meeting in a confined space like a store or a retaurant is the best option for two guys who aren't THAT familiar with NYC (Mel hates it here, I'm a tourist).

Two basic things are really needed to NOT get lost: good English to ask, and conting ability, because almost all the streets and avenues are numbers instead of names (the obvious being Lexington, Park, and Madison Avenues, and of course places like Greenwich.

Also, gotta find a place to watch Some Kind of Monster, Zatoichi, and Garden State. Yeah, gotta watch them indies, heheh.

Anyway, gotta get ready and hit the Apple with Mel. See you all soon.!

2004-08-18T07:34:00.000+08:00

Went bodyboarding for the past two days. Loved it, but I seriously gotta build my leg strength....

Movies!

2004-08-17T07:56:00.000+08:00

Enternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - AMAZING! HEART-WRENCHING GO WATCH NOW!

The Bourne Supremacy - Dizzy cinematography, but the plot twists rule! Excellent spy-thriller.

Jersey Girl - Not Smith's best, but still entertaining. Jennifer Lopez is still annoying, thank God she died early on. But Afleck can act, given the right material... So bring on Daredevil 2!!! (Minus MArk Steven Johnson...)

Games Games GAMES!!!

2004-08-13T15:31:00.000+08:00

I just spent hours and hours watching video game trailers, and saving them on my cousin's 80 gig hard drive. Among them were:

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Need for Speed Underground 2
SSX 3
Final Fantasy XII

Oi...

But among those, I found the TV ad for the first N4SU game. It had a "creatures of the night" theme, where after dusk, the normal car would morph into a riced-up straight-from-The Fast and the Furious racer. Illegal street racer, but playing the game inspired by illegal street racing is still legal. Wha?!?!

A Plethora of Joys and Problems

2004-08-12T13:49:00.000+08:00

So I'm leaving on Sunday. Finally...

But before then, I have some problems to sort. Which include my high school graduation photos. Don't ask me how, it's all been fucked up from the start...

And PLDT is also fucked up. One of my phone lines is down, but they say its fixed.

Oh yeah, a thriteen year-old German kid beat me in Halo one-on-one slayer. Score: 25-3. My quips: "Dammit I feel so old! I'm going back to Pac-Man!" and "I may not be a killer, but I drive a mean warthog!" The second one has a lot of truth to it.

On good side, that game was still very fun, even though I lost. I wish there was a warthog rally or something. I'd rule that one...

I also got to see the JLU pilot. The characterizations of Green Arrow, Supergirl, and captain Atom were dead-on. Of course, that measnt Capt. Atom was a military stiff, but I understood. It's fun, if not spectacular, especially to see the second and third-tier DC heroes shine. Others to look forawrd to: Hawk and Dove, Black Cannary, an adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (READ WATCHMEN!) "For the Man Who has Everything" and an episode featuring the Atom, to be written by Warren Ellis.

And I got a despedida to go to tomorrow. Here's hoping I have fun.

Yahoo!

2004-08-10T23:52:00.000+08:00

Launchcast Radio on Yahoo Messenger's the bomb. You can customize and create your own station and listen to all these songs online. Legally. Or you can listen to either your friends' stations or Launchcast's own preset stations. Not all of Launchcast's stations are free, but there's a good selection of free stuff.

Current music: Plush, the Unplugged version, by the Stone Temple Pilots. And now Scott's with Duff, Matt, and Slash, calling themselves Velvet Revolver, aka the Stone Temple Roses, aka Guns n Pilots.

Seriously, Axl Rose should find a new name for his current lineup. Anybody know where I can find some samples from their Chinese Democracy album?

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

2004-08-10T14:09:00.000+08:00

Just finished Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen last night. Yeah, the seminal superhero comic that every superhero, comics and superhero comics fan should read at least one. All the discussion I had with friends and classmates about the book made it easier to read actually, and I was also able to see the foreshadowing and the visual symbolisms Moore and Gibbons would use.

So now I can bully people to read it without hypocrisy.

READ WATCHMEN!!!!!

It would be a stronger world, a stronger loving world, to die in. -John Cole.

English Soccer

2004-08-09T00:22:00.000+08:00

So Arsenal beat Manchester United in the Community Shield game, their last off-season game. Time to get the English Premier League started...

Who Digs Giant Robots?!?!?!

2004-08-06T20:46:00.000+08:00

Megas XLR just premiered over here. The linework of the art is Ameri-Anime, and the story premise is Japanese mixed with American culture.

Basic premise: Giant robot saves earth from alien invasion. Twist: it's pilot is a redneck American car-junkie/video-gamer hybrid from Jersey. End result: a giant robot with flame patterns, flaming 8-ball patterns, and that sexy-girl-silhouette thing you find in 18-wheeler trucks. It's fun. It's funny. An interesting spin on the giant-robot genre.

YOU! DIG! GIANT ROBOTS!

I! DIG! GIANT ROBOTS!

WE! DIG! GIANT ROBOTS!

CHICKS! DIG! GIANT ROBOTS!

Nice.

2004-08-06T14:06:00.000+08:00

The Bad: I haven't read Watchmen for the last two days, and I feel like I neglected schoolwork. I spent most of my time at my aunt's playing Halo and using the internet, especially to download tons of music.

The Good: Out of that, I finally got a lot of songs by Metallica, Pearl Jam, and Static X. Especially Static X. You see, fourteen hours in a plane is gonna be a long time, and while I will be sleeping and reading books, my short attention span requires that I have more stuff to do. So I downloaded a lot of songs to keep me busy.

So along with the alternative of Juliana Hatfield, Interpol, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Cure, and Pearl Jam (grunge was alternative in the nineties), I got some real aggressive stuff from Metallica, Marilyn Manson, and Static X. Static X combines a lot if heavy industrial guitars, fast, pounding drums and bass, and Wayne's unique vocal style to create ethereal and agressive songs like Get to the Gone and Push It. I first heard them through their song Cold for the movie Queen of the Damned, but I got hooked by Push it and Black and White. So yes folks, I'm back listening to some rawk!

Just an Observation

2004-08-04T09:59:00.000+08:00

I can't help but feel like Seed is going back to paths the Gundam franchise has treaded before. While dated, I still liked the original Mobile Suit Gundam series primarily for its depiction of war and its grittiness. While it has that sense of wonder associated with science fiction, it also lacked the visual horror and impact of films like Saving Private Ryan. Nevertheless, for a show aimed at young teenage boys, it was a pretty mature show with mature themes.

Fast-forward to the nineties, and I can't help but Gundam has almost lost it. G Gundam, while a fun show to watch, wallowed in the gimickry of its Street Fighter-esque concept (But it is also for that same reason why it is unique). Wing had six mechs with their own gimicks for the sake of being kewl, rather than having any actual militaristic purpose. Same thing with Gundam X although to a more limited degree.

I can't help but feel that Seed is going through that now. The Freedom was introduced a few episodes ago, and it's one of those super-mechs that can take on squadrons of enemy mobile suits. The Justice was also introduced, though it hasn't seen action yet. And the new Gundams of the Earth Forces will be making their debut (finally!) later. Seed is now treading the paths taken by Wing and its ilk. Yeah, I'll still be watching. The characters are compelling enough, although some of them are almost laughable.

But I'll probably be picking up The 08th MS Team after. Think Platoon with giant robots.

Comics. About Kids, for Kids.

2004-08-03T22:31:00.000+08:00

Here is author/screenwriter Michael Chabon's keynote speech for the Will Eisner Awards for Comic Book Excellence Ceremony, held during the San Diego Comic Convention around a week ago. He talks a lot about the magic of children's literature, and a theory of how comics can reach a wider audience...

Nocturnal

2004-08-03T01:07:00.000+08:00

Been sleeping late the past couple of days... Sometimes I'm catching the replays of shows I missed. Other times I was waiting for someone online (Juliana Hatfield. Somebody is Waiting for Me.). And the rest it's just insomnia.

I seem to be missing my trade paperbacks of Kingdom Come and Marvels. Not sure if any of you readers did borrow them, but I should check with everyone...

In any case. the Marvels 10th Anniversary hardcover's in my wishlist.

Otakon

2004-08-02T01:58:00.000+08:00

Two of my friends went to the recently concluded Otakon anime convention. Mostly to see L'arc en Ciel perform. Was thinking of going with them, until my ticket problems arose (see below).

So this post is actually targeted towards them. See, Demo Becky Cloonan did a 12-oage comic for the Otakon program book. I want that program book, please...

THat means you, Mel and Candalf...

Finished the Nite Owl chapter today. Five more chapters and I'm done with Watchmen.

Who Watches the Watchmen?

2004-08-01T12:09:00.000+08:00

Was halfway done with Watchmen last night. Which means I got through Rorschach.

Dark, depressing. But since this is my "second" time with the series, I can see where Moore and Gibbons are heading. Now I do not find it as intimidating, and I see the reason for somber tone. Now I am finding a deeper understanding and a greater appreciation for it.

Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster,
and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Comics Goodness

2004-07-31T19:35:00.000+08:00

Not done with all the geek-stuff yet.

Just attended the last comics creation workshop by Nautilus Comics, which featured Carlo Vergara, who won the National Book Awards for his graphic novel Ang Kagilagilalas na Pakikisapalaran ni Zsah Zsah Zsaturnah. Yes, the title's a mouthful. Nevertheless, Carl mentioned a lot of interesting points on comics creation from the use of a grid (six-panel, nine-panel) to layout a comics page, as well as the three Cs of comic art, Clean, Clear, Consistent (no anatomy). Nevertheless, Carl was also humble enough to admit that he does not know everything about creating comics, and did encourage the audience to find other methods and techniques that they might prefer.

And I also picked up the first five issues of Demo by Brian Woond and Becky Cloonan, as well as the third issue of Astonishing X-Men, Marvel's flagship X-book with the creative team of Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, her spinoff Angel, and Firefly) and John Cassaday of Planetary fame. While it's not the greatest comic ever made, it is very entertaining and very compelling thanks to Whedon's character interaction and dialogue, plus Cassaday's gorgeous art. It coulds be one of (if not) the best monthly spandex books out there, despite it having only three issues so far. It all depends on the last three.

And I want this!

More Fanboy Gushing

2004-07-30T17:13:00.000+08:00

The Justice League Unlimted intro is here along with various ads and teasers.

I liked the silouhettes better, but there is that closing shot with the Trinity...

My Thoughts Exactly

2004-07-30T15:48:00.000+08:00

From Internet movie/TV reviewer Garth Franklin about Smallville Season 2:

Without question [the episode] 'Rosetta' is this season's highlight with its Christopher Reeve cameo, its revelation of large elements of the mythology, and in a truly orgasmic moment - it's use of two memorable bits of score from the "Superman" movies.

Fuck yeah.

(You can tell I'm pretty bored when I have multiple posts with little time between them...)

That Anti-Smoking Advocacy Ad

2004-07-30T14:06:00.000+08:00

Fade in.

Wide shot. There's a man sitting at his desk. He's not doing anything in particular.

Extreme close-up on his mouth. He pulls out a cigarette and puts it on his lips. .He lights the cigarette.

Medium shot. He takes a puff. Then the back of his head explodes as if he'd been shot. Blood and brains splatter from his head to the wall behind him. Man falls to his table dead.

Text: When you smoke, you kill yourself.

Strong shit right there.

The Beginning Draws Near

2004-07-30T11:49:00.000+08:00

Finally saw the teaser. It was okay. One second of footage with Bale in the costume. You cn never tell how good a movie is from its teaser, and even good films have craptastic teasers and trailers. I recall a lot of the imagery in this teaser from the comics and the script a friend sent to me. If the movie ctually captures the essence of that script... Boy this could be Spider-Man's darker-but-still-kick-ass brother. This could be the movie Daredevil tried to so hard be (and fell flat on its face doing so).

And just to round up the cast: Christin Bale. Gary Oldman. Michael Caine. Morgan Freeman. Liam Neason. Ken Watanabe.

Oh, and Kaite Holmes....

2004-07-29T20:25:00.000+08:00

No nipples. Yay.

The trailer's also up here. Once I go to my tita's house and see it, I'll tell you what I thought about it.

Oh yeah, and Catwoman is now showing. I beg you all NOT to watch it. Spend your money on Imelda or another screening of Spider-Man 2. Do not support weak and disrespectful superhero movies!

2004-07-28T23:28:00.000+08:00

I just bought my interline ticket, between New York (Islip) and Los Angeles. The Manila-LA ticket from PAL is fairly easy. Boarding that flight, on the other hand, may prove be difficult depending on the booking. I'm have a discount on one flight, and paying the other in full. But I am a chance passenger in the former, and booked in the latter. I'm slowly leaving the travel discounts my parents had given me all these years...

It sucks sure can suck to be twenty-one. But hey, I got my vacation. Of course, i now owe my father 226 dollars. Yes. Owe. My father. Good ol' golfer dad.

So I've got a few days left here until my grand vacation. Time to chill and watch some cartoons.

Speaking of which...

The creators of Gundam Seed should understand one rule of storytelling: if you have a cool plot twist, NEVER spoil it until the time is right. Seed switched to a new opening credits sequence/opening billboard (their third of four) a little too soon. A major character is was now missing, and new Gundams and new pilots were present.

And so begins the SPOILERS.

1. Nichol's death should've been pretty shocking. Unfortunately, I wasn't shocked, and I wasn't surprised. This was because Nichol had been missing from the opening sequence, and the series had been using that sequence for some time now. So I knew Nichol would die. I just didn't know when.

But it was a good sequence. It was well-written, and well animated. And the American voice actors did a pretty good job.

2. The episode today had the Earth Forces officers talking about their new Gundams. Rao also mentioned that Atheryn would be getting a new mobile suit. This didn't come as a surprise thanks to... THE OPENING CREDITS!

So in final, DO NOT PUT SPOILERS IN YOUR OPENING CREDITS. It ruins the storytelling....

______________________________________________________________

Today I read Warren Ellis' columns over at Comicon Pulse, a link to which you can find below. In his fourth column, he talks about how many writers today have adopted decompressed storytelling. How does this relate to anime?

Well it relates to manga, Japanese comics, mostly. However Japanese anime also uses this form of storytelling. Ellis states that decompressed storytelling stretches the length of a story, such as from a single issue to six if we're talking about comics. What decompressed storytelling does is that it allows writers to lengthen and therefore focus on specific scenes, highlighting them and giving them greater emotional content and impact.

In fact, this is perhaps the key to the success of Brian Bendis on Ultimate Spider-Man. By decompressing Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's original story in Amazing Fantasy #16, Bendis was able to focus on Peter's emotions before, during, and after he gets his powers. We feel even more sorry for Peter when food is thrown at him at the mall, we get to see hoow valuable Aunt May and Uncle Ben are to him, we see how he relishes in his new powers and how liberating it is for him to not be picked on, and feel a great sadness with him and for him when Uncle Ben dies and Peter finally learns that with great power comes great responsibility.

I had to include the line. I'm an Ultimate Spidey fanboy.

And now Marvel and DC rides the waves of decompressed storytelling. Dan Jolley, Chuck Austen, Fiona Avery, and Brian Vaughan are some of the many writers who have followed Bendis style and have written six-issue stories that, in the old days, would've lasted four at the most. Chuck Austen especially.

But don't blame the tool. Don't blame the method. Blame the writer.

Because ultimately, Ellis is right. Decompressed storytelling is a tool. Applying this tool to your story can either improve it or destroy depending on how you used it. Overuse it, and you will end up with a weak story with little plot and direction, filled with nuthing but bloated fluff.

So how do you tell the difference between story and fluff? There isn't an clear-cut definition. Some people will probably enjoy while Avery's Amazing Fantasy while others will characterize it as fluff. Some will react possitively to your decompression, while others will see it as fluff. Especially when they are after plot and story, and all the get for their money is twenty-two pages of characterization. And twenty-two pages does not necessarily equal thirty minutes.

So to counter the trend of decompressed storytelling, which he says he helped start, Warren Ellis wrote Global Frequency, a comic series about a volunteer rescue organization. Each issue was a self-contained story, crammed with as much plot, story, and character-driven moments as a twenty-two page comic book can handle. Brian Wood also follows this method with his own Demo featuring art by Becky Cloonan, about traoubled youths with extra-normal abilities, i.e. superpowers. Kelly Puckett had also used this storytelling with his runs on The Batman Adventures and Batgirl. Unfortunately, by compressing as much as you can in as little space as possible, the storytellers must now carefully structure and execute the story so that important scenes, events, and information are not missed by the readers.

I do wonder if Japan will ever adapt compressed storytelling, just as America had adapted decompressed storytelling. It may or may not make their stories any better, but it will make them different. And diversity is not a bad thing. It will open new doors to new stories, and new forms of storytelling, and perhaps add a new level of diversity and change in Japanese storytelling.

To the Five Boroughs!

2004-07-27T21:01:00.000+08:00

Okay, I may not have bought the Beastie Boys' new album, but their song Check It Out is pretty addictive. But I will FINALLY be taking my vacation, leaving August 17 for the US. I'll be there for probably a month visiting relatives and friends, and hanging out with them. I expect to watch some Broadway and movies, do some gaming, and go to Magic Mountain on the way home. My airfare is now more expensive, but at least I get the benefits of a full-paying customer. _______________________________________________________

The pic down in the previous post is of Arseface, a character from Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's Preacher comics. Well, a guy in prosthetics as Arseface... It's gross, but you have got to give props for all that detail and realism, especially the drool trickling down his mouth. Anyway, Arseface was an abused child groing up, who had little hope for his life and his future. When his hero Kurt Cobain died, he lost it completely and tried to blow his head of with a shotgun.

Unfortunately, instead of putting the shotgun underneath his chin pointing up, he aimed it into his mouth. So yes, he survived, and his face was the result. And so, Arseface was born. And the moral: Do mess up your suicide. Living life that ugly is an even worse fate. And yes I'm being sarcastic. Don't commit suicide. But please also don't listen to Hold On by Good Charlotte... Collective Soul and Third Eye Blind have better songs... _______________________________________________________
In other comics-related news. I am now re-reading Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen. Yes, that Watchmen, the seminal comics series that helped start the dark and gritty age of superheores, one of the greatest deconstructions of the superhero and the superhero genre, and perhaps one of the greatest comics ever made.

I've read bits and pieces before, but I stopped because A. I skipped to the end, and B. It was too dense to read in one sitting, especially the appendixes Moore writes after every issue. So here I am, reading it from the beginning, one issue for one day.

And yes, it is that damn good. It is a book everyone should read at least once, especially if you are a fan of Alan Moore and superhero comics. Yet while it is a dark and sometimes cynical look at superheroes, Moore has since reinvented superhero storytelling with Promethea, Tom Strong, Tomorrow Stories, and Top 10. He's also written many amazing stories for DC during the Silver Age, before Crisis on Infinite Earths, including the Superman story Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow and For the Man Who Had Everything, perhaps the greatest story featuring the DC Trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The later story has been adapted by Warner Bros. Animation for Justice League Unlimited, and both stories are featured in trade paperbacks of Alan Moore's DC stories.

But back to Watchmen for a bit, it seems that the Watchmen movie now has a director in Darren Aronofsky, who directed both "pi" (does anyone how to type out the actual pi symbol?) and Requiem for a Dream. There was a lot of buzz with regard to David Hayter's script. Hayter penned the first X-Men movie, as well as the first draft for X2. At one point, he was also attached to direct Watchmen, but has stepped aside for Aronofsky because he want to "gain more weight as a driector". Good choice.

Interestingly, Aronofsky was attached to direct a Batman: Year One adaptation to be penned by priginal writer Frank Miller himself. The Batman origin movie, Batman Begins, is now in the hands of Memento's Christopher Nolan, with a Script by Blade's David Goyer.
And Bryan Singer is now attached as the director of the new Superman movie. He and his team will be starting from scratch, with no ties to either JJ Abrams', McG's, or Brett Ratner's versions. And thankfully, that means no ties to the kung-fu Superman with the symbiote costume, Kryptonian invasion of Earth, and a Kryptonian Lex Luthor.

RESPECT THE CANON, AND THE SOURCE MATERIAL!!! Look at the success of X-Men and Spider-man for proof.

You just gotta love that beard...

There's also a documentary on Moore, The Mindscape of Alan Moore. I've never really touched read up or memorized Moore's life story, but this is perhaps a golden opportunity to see what he's really like. It is very rare to see comics creators filmed. When they promote books, most of the time it is through magazines and websites. Then there are the occassional documentaries, and the movie cameos (Todd the bum from Spawn, Kevin Smith in Daredevil, Stan Lee in majority of the Marvel movies). Of course, they're acting in these movies.

Plus Mindscape is a decu devoted to Moore. He's the star, and he's the story. And while it touches up on comics, his life as a magician is also in there. Moore also rarely gives interviews, and NEVER attends conventions.

Make what you will. But I would very much like to see it.

Holy Cow!

2004-07-27T00:01:00.000+08:00

Over here, you will find one of the most awesome images ever known to man. It will elicit the most powerful emotions in your hearts and souls, and perhaps cure such social problems as world hunger. It's beauty is beyond words. You must see it to believe it. And Once you see it, you will feel very much priveleged, and glad that you did...

To Fuckin' Old...

2004-07-26T18:27:00.000+08:00

It seems I've come across a road block to my vacation...

Upon calling the PAL interline, my mom informs me that I am no longer eligible for the interline/connecting flight discounts because I am too old.

By one year. ONE FUCKING YEAR!

Which basically means that when traveling from one US city to another, if I don't take a PAL flight, I gotta pay regular prices, but I get to book my seat and get all the benefits given to a paying customer. But this poses new problems, because I still go to the US as a chance passenger. I'll be fined for rescheduling my booking, which could happen.

But I'm still going. Hanging out with my friends, in Jersey and in LA, is worth that much. All I really want as a grad gift from my parents is the opportunity to spend time with them.

From the Creator of Lost at Sea

2004-07-14T02:13:00.000+08:00

Everyone and their pets should read this. And if you like it, buy the comics. =)

An interview with the creator, Bryan Lee O'Malley, can be found here.

2004-07-09T01:06:00.000+08:00

FUCK YEAH!!!

The David Lapham-Bill Sienkiewicz Batman

2004-06-29T03:07:00.000+08:00

Pencilled and inked by Bill Sienkiewicz. Written by David Lapham. Incredibly cool pages, shelved like a million other projects...

Here's the story, and you can buy the original pages here

Simply awesome inks...

Cuaron rules!

2004-06-03T02:17:00.000+08:00

Absolutely loved Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Great pacing, excellent acting, wonderful effects, and a very lovely Emma Watson.

It is perhaps lean, as far as adaptations go. Director Alfonso Cuaron pretty much eliminated everything that did not relat to the main plot, so there was hardly any Quidditch, no Cedric Diggory, no Cho Chang. But the Firebolt did make it, albeit in a different event than the one in the book.

Will be reading the book again, just to pick up stuff I missed.

I'm Back

2004-05-24T21:09:00.000+08:00

My tita now has DSL, albeit limited to only 45 hours a month. That means, on average, less than one and a half hours a day. Still, I've now ben able to download and save the trailers to The Bourne Supremacy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Garfield, and Alien Versus Predator. Still have to go get The Incredibles, Dodgeball, and possibly COnstantine.

Speaking of Constantine, I've now read the Hellblazer volumes Haunted, Son of Man, and Freezes Over. Haunted is my favorite of the two, as it sees John Constantine trying to help the soul of an old flame find peace. A very personal story written by Warren Ellis which also deals with the horrors man is capable off, and has perhaps my favorite line ever. "My name is John Constantine. I'm not the nicest bloke in the world, but I do me best." It's the start of this ending soliloquey that really strikes a nerve with you as a person.

Son of Man was written by Garth Ennis. In it, a British mobster had threatened Constantine to bring back his son from the dead. Constantine, not wanting to die, summoned and controled a sodomy demon to possess the boy's body. In the present day, the control sigil that was carved on the demon has healed up, and Constantine must now deal with the concequences of his past.

Freezes over has Constantine caught in a hostage situation in America. Not as elaborate as the previous two, but writer Brian Azarello still makes Contantine as charismatic and as entertaining as in the other two volumes, and creates some very cool dialogue to boot. That, and Marcelo Fusin's art is to die for...

Currently finishing a synthesis paper for Philosophy. It's coming along alright, I'm just lazy. I got it all sorted in my head and everything. All I gotta do really is punch some keys.

And yes, I do miss blogger. LiveJournal's alright, but I couldn't resist this layout.