Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Wacky Weekend

.:Today's LSS:.

Thor's taking a break and writing a new album of material. Basil Valdez takes over...

Let The Pain Remain
by Basil Valdez

Love comes, love goes,
But a sudden feeling never lets me be
Somehow I know
Quite a part of me isn't changed
Since you've been gone

Like a sturdy tree
That's seen a thousand seasons,
I've to shed my leaves in winter,
To grow them back in spring,
To welcome life again,
To welcome you

So goes my life,
Still believe in dreams of having you around
Too bad mem'ries
Feed the mind and not the heart
Where I want you to be

So I ask myself what you have left behind for me
To go on each day to live
As if I have you once again,
What else is there that's real
But all the pain that I feel

So let the pain remain forever in my heart
For every throb it brings
Is one more moment spent with you
I let the pain, bring on the rain
If that's the only way,
If there's no other way
To be with you again


.:Wolverine, You Idiot!:.

X-3 spoilers ahead, in lieu of an actual review:

You kill Magneto, then you give the cure to Jean, not the other way around! I don't care if it's angst that gives you your powers, you have more than enough angst from losing Professor X and *cough* Cyclops!

That being said, though, I'm very happy that Vinnie Jones managed to say "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!", which to me, was one of the high moments of the movie.

The movie was rushed, but it was a wild and fun romp that I definitely enjoyed watching.

.:You Never Learn...:.

Lunch? With her?!?

What were you ever thinking, you dolt?!?

She's wasting your time. She doesn't care about you. Please just spare yourself the misery and lose that ingrate.

.:Placed Sixth...:.

Last Sunday, I had a pretty good tournament run. Came in sixth place, and ended up with three booster packs for my trouble. Ah, well. It wasn't such a bad payout at all, although I know for a fact I could've done much better in that tournament had I decided to not be nice and give out ID's and actually go for playoffs.

.:Baptism Of Fire:.

Hosted a debut at Manila Polo Club last Saturday night, and it definitely was a baptism of fire, so to speak.

I got to the venue fairly early, and this was hot on the heels of a fairly productive meeting with Ms. Barkley, whom I had met just last Wednesday, as well as the debutante, Miny, and we were establishing the program flow, as well as some rapport as Ms. Barkley and I would be co-hosts for the night.

Lo and behold, people were walking past me all the way until five in the afternoon, and none of them realized I was Ms. Barkley's co-host. =P Apparently, they've been looking for me since 2:00, and we never realized it because my phone was wonky, and I was too busy playing Metal Gear Ac!d to try looking for them.

So I got there, and we got briefed on what was going to happen. It wasn't so bad while the guests were settling in, as all I had to do was voice over for the most part.

Then the party started.

Boom. I was thrown into a tizzy, wearing a barong I borrowed from my stepdad, and trying to establish a good rhythm of ad libbing while we were going along with the program.

And it worked out quite well, to say the least. Miny, the debutante, was stunning that night, and of course, while I cannot mix business with pleasure, so were some of her friends... of course, most of them are probably still seventeen, so that spells "jailbait" right there...

Miny's dad was very pleased when the grandmother included "pay your parents back" in her list of tips for Miny to follow in going through her life.

When the people started getting to eighteen serenades, I was definitely hitting my stride already, as I acted like a non-okraying videoke master, from the way I carried things out.

Before Miny's dance performance though, one of the most challenging things I had to pull off was buy time while she was changing, as I had to host on my own for about five minutes or so, and I simply went from table to table and polled everyone what they thought about Miny, and cracked a few (corny) jokes here and there while I was at it. Somewhere towards the end, I shifted gears and then went for asking them beauty queen questions about Miny, and then finally, the ballroom dance music saved me as the older people cut the rug and let me get away with sitting for a while.

And hooray, the debutante didn't shock her parents by revealing she has a boyfriend at the end of the party, so there were no unexpected incidents...

.:The After-Party:.

After the formalities ceased, Ms. Barkley then changed and became the singer for the night as her showband, Fever took to the stage.

They started with something from Alicia Keys, I believe, and it was "If I Ain't Got You". Shortly afterwards, the pace picked up, and they started playing dance music.

Of course, so I wouldn't seem like a complete square, I went and danced as well. Next thing I knew, Miny's friends were forming a circle around me. I don't know if it was done because they thought I was good or they just wanted to embarrass their host... heh.

At some point, the keyboards guy of the band, Jon, was getting a lot of attention as some of the girls were screaming at him. After the performance, we were joking that his girlfriend, Iza (Who is a dead ringer for Gladys Reyes.), looked like Phoenix from X-3 and seemed to want to disintegrate the girls with but a thought right there and then. =P

After the merry mess, I settled down and talked with some of the debutante's friends. Amusingly enough, all three I were talking to were going to DLSU for the next schoolyear, and one of them even wanted to see "The Omen", so I offered her two tickets, for her and her boyfriend.

The prompt reply? "I don't have a boyfriend."

Ooohhh. Press release, lest I report her to her parents? ;)

In any case, it was nice talking to them. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the last I'd hear from those people, as it was kinda sad that's precisely what happened with the last debut I hosted, and to think I got along very well with that one as well...

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Err....

I'm so busy with work, I couldn't do a damned thing. Nonetheless, I'm sure you'd enjoy my post when I do get around to it. Oh, well...

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Whoo!!!

.:Today's LSS:.

You know this song?

Steve walketh warily down the path,
With the brim pulled verily low
There be no sound but the sound of his feet,
Modern weaponry at the ready
Art thou fortified, art thou fortified for this
Art thou hanging on the edge of thine perch
Out of the portalway the steel implements rent asunder
To the din of yon thunder

RITRONELLE:
Another singleton partakes of the filth
Another singleton partakes of the filth
And another singleton departed, and another singleton departed
Another singleton partakes of the filth
Lo, I shalt acquire thee as well
Another singleton partakes of the filth

How dost thou think I shalt fare,
Without thee, when thou art withdrawn?
Thou tooketh me for the bounty that I possessed,
And expelled me outward on mine own

Art thou jovial, art thou satiated
How long canst thou standeth the incalescence
Out of the portalway the steel implements rent asunder
To the din of yon thunder

(Repeateth RITRONELLE)

Another singleton partakes of the filth
Another singleton partakes of the filth
Another singleton partakes of the filth
Another singleton partakes of the filth

There art myriad of manners thou canst afflict a mortal
And bringeth him to yon Midgard
Thou canst smite him
Thou canst beguile him
Thou canst appraise him abominably and forsake him
When he ist fallen
Alas, the Odinson ist fortified, verily, the Odinson ist fortified for thee
The Odinson standeth on his own two feet
Out of the portalway the steel implements rent asunder
Reprising the din of yon thunder

(Repeateth RITRONELLE until fadeth.)


.:The Pope As The Antichrist?:.

Looks like they're wrong.

It's so funny to see people assume this or that person to be the Antichrist and then have their bet die on them.

.:Holy Cow!:.

Tekken 5 for the PSP will feature Game sharing!!! Forsooth!!!

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Just For Laughs...

.:Today's LSS:.

What if the Mighty Odinson Thor decided to do our contemporary hits in his own inimitable way? How would these songs resonate through Asgardian words?

For as long as I can, my LSS's for the most part will be a regular song given a spin by Thor. The challenge is for people to guess which song it was originally.

While the song isn't complete yet, I'm sure that these lines are enough to give you an idea how Thor's greatest hits would sound like.

Yon renowned fellow, let us kick it
Ho, everyone, cease, I prithee listen
Thor hath returned with a new invention
Something taketh hold of me most tight
Floweth like a harpoon day and night
Shall it ever end? I doth not know
Conjure the darkness and I shall glow
To great measure, mine voice is as a vandal
Brighten mine surroundings and snuff a life as though 'twere a candle
Yon mystic dance doth boom like a storm in motion
I bring death upon thee as like a black potion
Lethal, when I doth serenade thee
For any lesser tune wouldst be a travesty
Art thy affections roused, or dost thou flee?
Thou shouldst aim well, lest I forsake thee
If there be any ill, I shalt resolve it
Look thee upon mine hook while mine DJ revolves it


.:Ooohhh... Burn:.

On a related note, people who write books to "debunk" the Da Vinci Code are as guilty as Dan Brown is of milking that cash cow.

And even more hypocritical, at that.


Need I say more?

Friday, May 19, 2006

More DVC Madness...

.:Today's LSS:.

Since we're going to talk about this today, isn't this the perfect song?

Losing My Religion
by REM

Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up

(chorus)
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight, I'm
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper
Of every waking hour I'm
Choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool
Oh no, I've said too much
I set it up
Consider this
Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me
To my knees failed
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
Now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream
That was just a dream

(repeat chorus)

But that was just a dream
Try, cry, why try?
That was just a dream
Just a dream, just a dream
Dream


.:When You Compare Dan Brown's Writing To The Classics...:.

I'm sorry, but Encyclopedia Brown can think circles around this other Brown. I like Dan Brown's writing, but he's no Donald Sobol, considering how I figured out the culprits in both DVC and A&D, whereas I am, more often than not, completely stumped at the end of each Encyclopedia Brown mystery. And you know what? That's the way to do it.

And how about the other mystery solving group? Imagine if the Scooby Gang ended up crossing paths with Dan Brown... I heard of a funny ending to that Mystery:

Fred: But you see sherrif, this book really isn't a good thriller, or a mystery, or, well, anything.

Sherrif: Thanks kids. I'll make sure to tell the local book critic. Take him away boys.

Dan Brown: I would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids!

Shaggy: Zoinks! Scoob. Maybe *you're* descended from Christ!

*cue laugh track as Mystery Machine drives into the Sunset*


.:But Seriously...:.

So apparently, Manila has banned the Da Vinci Code from being shown. I'm actually a bit surprised, although it's not like it wasn't expected that moves to ban the movie would be made at the last moment.

Nonetheless, the uproar is unfounded and very narrow-minded. Citing that movies "should not insult other religions" is ridiculous, to say the least. Tell that to "True Lies", and even a whole bunch of other Filipino films that have used Muslims as villains in their storylines. I'm sure there are other very glaring examples, and even on television, we have South Park, and yet, nobody's trying to have South Park banned in this country.

Oh, that's right. Because when it comes to this country and quite a few others, nobody cares what you do as long as it's not a big hit.

.:Case Of Contrast: The Omen:.

Sometime next month, WAVE will be premiering "The Omen". For those who have no idea what that movie is, well, the movie is about the Antichrist.

So where's the uproar to have this movie banned?

Or do we only try to make a big deal of something when it's as successful as Harry Potter or the Da Vinci Code?

Please don't try to tell me that "The Omen" is bibilically sound, either. Why the Hades is the Antichrist American? Isn't it more likely that he'd be Jewish? Or if not Jewish, maybe even David Hasselhoff?

Think about it. On one hand, we have a film that is viewed as an insult to the Catholic church, and promptly gets banned by the city of Manila.

On the other hand, we have a film that implies that the Antichrist actually wins the battle, and nobody cares, nor did anyone care the first time they made the movie.

If anyone here can possibly tell me with a straight face that the former deserves banning, but not the latter, then I think I would have found the poster child for idiocy.

When a movie, or heck, a book, can cause more uproar in the supposedly poor-oriented church than the alarming inflation rate and the rise of poverty, you just know that somebody has their priorities really screwed up.

And when said movie is not even in the same ballpark when it comes to subject matter as a movie about the Antichrist, you know that even on a film-exclusive scale, their priorities are still shot.

What part of a film showing on 6/6/06 did they miss?

Bottomline? The people who banned this movie are too lazy to address the issues and instead sweept them under the rug. Oh it's true. It's damned true.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

On DVC and Judas...

.:Today's LSS:.

Watch the wacky video and find out why this is my LSS... heh. Those Chinese dudes are crazy.

As Long As you Love Me
by The Backstreet Boys

Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine
I'm leavin' my life in your hands
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
And how you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head
Don't care what is written in your history
As long as you're here with me

Chorus:
I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me

Every little thing that you have said and done
Feels like it's deep within me
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run
It seems like we're meant to be

(Repeat Chorus)

I've tried to hide it so that no one knows
But I guess it shows
When you look into my eyes
What you did and where you're comin from
I don't care, as long as you love me, baby

(Repeat Chorus 2x)


.:Holy Cow!!!:.

The Cavaliers now lead the series at 3-2!!!

Go Lebron! Go Cavs!

That's taking things one game a time, all right.

I hope Rasheed Wallace eats all his words by the end of the series. He keeps on talking the Cavs down, and after two guarantees, and I quote:

I know we’re going to win it. We’re going to bust their ass. Tomorrow night is the last game here in this building for this year.

Y’all can quote me, put it back page, front page, whatever. They can send whoever they want to send. I know the crew I think they’re going to send. But it don’t matter. I know we can do it, and they know we can do it. We know what we’ve got to do.
(Pre-Game 4)

And...

I ain’t worried about these cats. There’s no way in hell they beat us in a series. They played well. I give them credit. We lost. We shot thirty percent, and they had to play their best to beat us. (Pre-Game 5)

So, Mr. Big Mouth. Whatcha got to say this time?

Miami vs. Cavs? I don't care who wins by then. We're going to have an exciting finals is all that matters, if Cavs and Suns win. =P

.:The Gospel Of Judas: A Closer Look:.

As a pluralist, I have had my share of running into belief systems completely different from mine, but I have managed to find it rather easy to be not only tolerant but even open-minded of such systems. With the glaring exception of Scientology, I've realized that most other belief systems are all right when it comes to their core teachings. On paper, this or that belief system has only good will at heart. In practice, the issue arises. Scientology differs from that, but I'll talk about it in a while and stick to the heading now.

The Gospel of Judas is no different for me, as far as a different way of looking at things, which, at its heart, still holds water. You see, what a lot of people who subscribe to the bible fail to realize is that it is very likely that the four Gospels in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were not written by the named apostles. Furthermore, the means by which the canonicity of these four gospels were upheld was more arbitrary than anything else.

In an effort to combat the “heresies” of the Gnostic Christians, the Orthodox Christians, mainly spearheaded by the Bishop Iranaeus, have decreed only Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the Gospels that the Christians must adhere to, and while believing in a man who can raise the dead, resurrect himself, walk on water, and change water into wine presupposes a belief in divine inspiration as well, this belief leads to a double-edged sword, mainly for non-Catholics.

You see, Iranaeus was a clear ally of the Bishop of Rome. In some of his writings, he has gone as far as to acknowledge the authority of the papacy, essentially making him an ally of what would eventually be recognized as the Roman Catholic Church. Now, the very same man made the decision as to which Gospels belonged in scripture. Are we to conveniently ignore his allegiance to Rome and just say that he had a “one-time big-time” inspiration, assuming we're not Catholic? Or does that mean that if we can count on him to tell us which Gospels belong, then we can count on him on other things? Because if we push for the former, what becomes clear is that we are being very arbitrary of what we select from the Catholic tradition. Why would non-Catholics not question the Gospels selected by one whose allegiance is with Rome?

Now, that being said, I personally see no need to debunk the Gospel of Judas. It is a unique and different take on the matter, albeit more likely to be allegorical than historical (As the Gospel of John sometimes seems like, in contrast to the three Synoptic Gospels.). Nonetheless, it is still a very interesting viewpoint, and one that may or may not be true, in my opinion. And even if it be false, it still has its own merits in and by itself. I would be wont to believe that such Gospels, from the Gospel of Judas to the Gospel of Thomas, were written with malicious intent to mislead Christians back then or now.

Gospels back then were written as the good news. The good news, clearly, has taken many different forms, and one cannot deny the good intentions of whoever wrote the other Gospels, although their divine inspiration may come into question (As the four other Gospels may, in my opinion, if you still hold to the Iranaeus bit.).

The Gospel of Judas was very unique from other Gospels in that it completely retells Christ's betrayal by Judas and turns Judas from a traitor to a reluctant hero who betrayed Christ upon Christ's orders because only he understood Christ's true purpose. The Gnostics were notorious for their notion of duality, particularly in how they view the spirit as divine and the body as human, and so believe that only through death can the spark of the divine in one's self be possibly unlocked. While I don't necessarily subscribe to this point of view, it has its merits, taking root from the Platonic Eidos, that the body is merely the copy of the spirit, the ideal, in this sense.

Now, Judas realized this, and as such is supposedly the favored apostle. Furthermore, the betrayal was something he had to do not only to be able to complete Christ's journey into unlocking the Divine, but also to cement his prominence among the apostles as the favored one.

Because the Gospel of Judas ends at Christ's betrayal, it becomes more and more about the relationship between Judas and Jesus than it is about the actual death and resurrection. Fairly odd for a Gospel, but that also means that it never talks about Judas' suicide, which is neither confirmed nor denied in this Gospel.

The texts are authentic. In the same way that biblical scholars and even priests no longer attempt to debunk the theory of evolution upon realizing the high likelihood that the creation story is more of a legend than an actual account of how the world was truly created, the texts of the Gospel of Judas cannot just be dismissed as an elaborate hoax. Now, whether or not the texts are divinely inspired is another matter, but as far as I'm concerned, what matters is that we are capable of accessing such basic information, and realizing for ourselves that this is a point of view that was once held by some people, which, while may or may not be true, is still not without its own merits.

Personally, I do not believe in this kind of duality. I do not automatically denounce the body as evil and the spirit as good. It doesn't work that way for me. However, I do believe that there is a spark of the Divine in everyone, and it does take some measure of effort to unlock it. I do not think that one must die in order for the Divine spark to be unlocked, but rather, it must be unlocked in this life. No matter how despicable, no matter how evil a person may be, there is still a spark there somewhere. It's just unfortunate that only few can ever find it, and harness it for the betterment of the self, and ultimately, the entirety of humanity.

Thinking upon the Gospel of Judas has given me a deeper appreciation for the goodness within everybody. It reaffirms my belief in having faith in humanity as a whole. That no matter how many times humanity may apparently fail me, it does not mean it will fail me all the time, nor does it mean to fail me. Given the limits of humanity, I am willing to appreciate intentionality far more than usual.

It's been said before, that in these times, there can be but only one mission: to be the miracle.

Got miracle?

.:Da Vinci Code: An Exercise In Futility:.

People have been walking out of theaters in early screenings of the Da Vinci Code the past few days.

And religious conviction has nothing to do with it at all.

Word is going around that the movie is clumsy and plodding, and while people try to protest to have it banned, they kinda lose sight of more important things, like, oh... poverty.

Yes, I know I hate that argument myself (Conjures memories of the Yan Ang Pinay fiasco.), but there's a difference between a worthy cause of uplifting the Filipina reputation and, well, trying to say that a work of fiction is not true.

How about that? Fiction isn't true! No crud, Sherlock.

The Opus Dei is awaiting the film with bated breath. Other Christian groups are actually holding screenings of the movie with Bible studies afterwards to analyze the point of the film and the gnostic point of view.

So instead of using a point of controversy which is classified as fiction to further the faith, why are we going to supress it and completely lose what we stand to gain? Isn't that a show of regressive, lazy thinking? What? The brilliant minds who want this movie banned aren't capable of correcting the things that they take as lies in the film? Have they even read the book, or are they just relying on hearsay? This was practically the same piece of lazy counter-evangelization that has gotten an otherwise boring movie like "The Last Temptation Of Christ" more attention than it ever deserved.

Let the people who want to see it see it. Let them decide for themselves if they will believe what they see, or if they will get to the bottom of it and realize that regardless of the facts, your relationship with the one whom you call "God" doesn't boil down to what historical facts about His life happen to be there, or whether or not he got it on with a woman who may or may not have been a prostitute.

Rather, the crux of your relationship with the one whom you call "God", if you are Christian, is that you believe He has saved you, and if He truly is God, you have no right to question what He may have done in His life, for He would know far, far better than you.

Besides, forget the fictional (Or non-fictional, for the conspiracy theorists.) allegations about Christ. Think of those who were truly demeaned in this movie.

According to the spokesman of the Albino Anti-Defamation League, there have been 68 films since 1960 to feature evil albinos. Tsk, tsk. For shame!

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Film Review: MI-3

.:Film Review: Mission Impossible III:.

As usual, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Mission Impossible III: Arguably the most recognizable guitar riff ever.



I may not like Tom Cruise, Scientologist, but I have to say he was pretty good as Ethan Hunt, Secret Agent.

Mission Impossible III is an achievement in my eyes, in terms of coherence and excitement. This film definitely had that over and above the second part, which was the only other MI that I actually saw.

In any case, Ethan Hunt has recently been engaged to his girlfriend, Julie, but in the middle of the engagement party, Ethan had to be called to a mission to rescue Agent Fenris, an agent Ethan himself trained. Despite Ethan's reluctance to return to the field at all due to his desire to get married, he ends up going through the mission anyways, and ends up in Berlin, where after some measure of planning, he does retrieve Agent Fenris, except he doesn't get her back alive.

It was too late for them when they realized that there was a charge of Nitroglycerin in Agent Fenris' head, and as they were charging the fibrillator to knock out the nitro, the charge went off, instantly killing her.

This turn of events makes Ethan's standing fall out of grace with one of the higher-ups, Lawrence Fishburne. Agent Fenris was necessary to the operation because they wanted to find a way to get to Davian, an illegal dealer who seems to have access to a weapon called “Rabbit's Foot”, which is being sold for $850 million. In order to get the information they need, they kidnapped him, only to have him slip out of their fingers.

By now, they suspect Lawrence Fishburne to be working with Davian, and Ethan now fears for Julie's life, as Davian was more concerned with threatening him about her than fearing for his own life, and she does get kidnapped. In exchange for her, Davian wants Ethan to steal the Rabbit's Foot from Shanghai, which made no sense to me. How can you sell something for $850 mil if you don't have it yet? Shortly after this, Ethan gets caught by the other IMF agents (Impossible Misson Force. Whatever happened to the International Monetary Fund?), and he's interrogated by Lawrence Fishburne, along with his mission liaison, Mosgrave. Mosgrave knows about the situation though, and helps him escape.

After a daring heist in Shanghai along with his team, Ethan finally gets the Rabbit's Foot. They supposedly make the trade, but things don't work out. Davian seems to not have the Rabbit's Foot at all.

Apparently, Mosgrave was the inside man working with Davian, and not Fishburne, contrary to Fenris' suspicions. He gets his comeuppance in the end, though...

I won't bother with the ending, but let me just say that even at the end, nobody reveals what the Rabbit's Foot actually is. Grrr...

Despite that minor gripe, it was a good movie. It was fairly gripping a lot of the time, and I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns that I followed throughout. I suppose the biggest charge against it was how it didn't make sense that Davian was still asking for the Rabbit's Foot, despite everything, and why he was selling something he didn't even have yet. Even then, I might've just missed a plot point or something.

The main villain was amazing, in my opinion. He was very cool and collected, and extremely menacing. The ten-count he did before he shot what Ethan thought to be his wife was nothing short of a psychological masterpiece. The way Ethan's reactions changed with each count was brilliant. It was arguably my favorite part of the movie, although I think the 3-second bush shot from Maggie Q was probably the best one.

Speaking of Maggie Q, she was definitely hot, but she forgot she wasn't wearing any underwear when she took the detonator out of her thigh holster... hmmm...

Anyways, great movie, and definitely satisfied my craving for action. Of course, I just couldn't get over the fact that the villain looked like Samwise so much... and of course, Lawrence Fishburne is just so conspicuous wherever I see the guy...

"Fun" Rating: A
"Critical" Rating: B

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

You Touched My Tralala... :P

.:Today's LSS:.

It's soooo infectious...

You Touched My Tralala
by Gunther Levi

oh, you touch my tralala,
mmm... my ding ding dong.
la la la la la la la,
la la la la la la,
la la la la la la la.
Oh, you touch my tralala
la la la la la la la,
la la la la la la.
mmm... my ding ding dong.
la la la la la la la,
la la la la la la.

Deep in the night,
i'm looking for some fun,
deep in the night,
i'm looking for some love.
de-de-de-deep in the night,
i'm looking for some fun,
deep in the night,
i'm looking for some (ping)

You tease me,
oh please me,
i want you to be my lovetoy,
come near me, don't fear me,
i just can't get enough of you boy.

Oh, you touch my tralala.
la la la..
mmm, my ding ding dong,
oh you touch my tralala,
mmm, my ding ding dong.
la la la...

Deep in the night,
i'm looking for some fun,
deep in the night,
i'm looking for some love.

you tease me,
oh please me,
i want you to be my lovetoy.
come near me, don't fear me,
i just can't get enough of you boy.

Oh, you touch my tralala.
la la la...
mmm, my ding ding dong.
la la la..
oh, you touch my tralala.
la la la..
mmm, my ding ding dong.

(ding ding dong)
mmm, my ding ding dong 2x

oh, you touch my tralala.
lalala...
mmm, my ding ding dong.
oh ,you touch my tralala
(ding ding dong)
oh, you touch my tralala.
mmm, my ding dong dong.


.:You Touched My Tra-La-La:.

See it to believe it.

Of course, there's a better video there that's just plain hawt, but whaddaheck...

Hint: click the Tifa image. ;)

.:Mortal Kombat!!!:.

Funny, But Meh.

NOW We're Talking!

.:You Won't Believe This...:.

So apparently, we had to record a song for my grandfather's birthday last Friday night. I can imagine how bad that would sound... heh. Think about it. There are at most three genuine singers in our family, and that's being generous. Everyone else couldn't hold a tune if it were made of solid rock.

Regardless, it's the thought that counts, and I'm sure my grandfather would be proud to have children who love him as much as my mom and my aunt and uncle do. It was nothing short of wonderful what they did for him, and the party hasn't even happened yet.

.:I Don't Think This Counts As A “Saturdate”...:.

Abby and I watched MI:3 last Saturday, though I'd chalk that up more to wanting to watch the movie and not watching it alone than counting it as a date or something like that.

It was a great Saturday though, as Abby and I had time to bond with each other after quite a long time of not hanging out with each other. It was funny how I constantly ran into a lot of other people, though, from Kathy Jao to Izzy Laluna to Trixie Reyna, and even one of my former classmates in Philosophy.

That being said, Abby and I have known each other for about a decade already, and I'm glad to have her as one of my best friends. We've known each other for so long already that there's hardly anything left that we don't know about each other.

It was great to have been able to hang out with Abby again after the longest time. She's a great person to spend time with, and having that kind of bond with someone last for as long as it did with us was nothing short of amazing.

Well, I'm bound to see her again if the X-III premiere is in Galleria, so whaddaheck. It's been a great time, and you can't go wrong with a friend like that.

All in all, it wasn't such a bad non-date at all... heh.

I find it a bit amusing though that we were asked no less than three times by three different people whether or not we were a couple... we've had a lot of that going on since college... =P

.:Posed For FHM?!?:.

Holy cow. Apparently, one of the PBB people posed for FHM... hmmm... that ought to be interesting to know. That's considering she's supposed to be a teenager.

.:Help This Kid Out:.

He needs five million hits... or else.

Poor, poor guy. The sob story was really sad...

Monday, May 15, 2006

One Game At A Time, One Day At A Time

.:One Game At A Time, One Day At A Time:.

After an astounding shot in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs of 2006, NBA's Kobe Bryant thumped his chest and pulled at his shirt to express his joy over pulling ahead of Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns and putting the latter into a 3-1 hole, which 93% of the time spells the end for the team on the “1” side of things.

In the second round, Lebron James and his Cavaliers found themselves up against what many assume to be the best team in the league: the Detroit Pistons. In the first game, the Pistons slaughtered the Cavs: the Cavs lost by a margin that almost tied the franchise record for the worst blowout they have ever been party to in the playoffs, losing by around 22 points.

One thing I learned about basketball from watching the NBA is that everyone needs to take things one game at a time.

Emboldened by the 3-1 advantage, it appeared as if the Lakers became a completely different team, and for the worse. Except for Kobe, who naturally played like Kobe, everyone else was completely off. While Kobe tried to find the open man, the open man simply couldn't hit the shot. Yes, I'm looking at you guys, Smush and Kwame. That being said, the next three games saw loss after heartbreaking loss for the Lakers, all the way to Game 7, where many of Phil Jackson's amazing playoff records were shattered. Phil Jackson experienced his first Game 7 loss, his first playoff first round loss, among other things.

Clearly, the Lakers didn't take it one game at a time.

Currently in a 0-2 hole as of this writing, the Cavaliers are still taking things one game at a time. While everyone and their mother writes the Cavs off already, that's no reason for them to stop trying to eke out a win. You see, whether the Pistons win by 2 points or by 50, the Pistons won only one game. Those 50 points don't carry over to the next game. They mean jack and crap except for that one game. And that's a good thing. Essentially, that means that if they take things one game at a time, their chances will always be the same at doing better than they did last time out, and while they still lost, the Cavs definitely didn't take the first loss to heart, as they lost by a significantly smaller margin.

So far, the Cavs are taking it one game at a time.

I've been through a lot of low points in my life, and I think it's no secret that I'm still facing a tempest at this very moment. Although realizations have somewhat eased the pain, particularly when we began to realize that only one truly was serious, while the other was just a case of puppy affection, the pain still remains. Through it, I began to understand why the Divine never wanted to have anything to do with me again, but in turn, made me realize that I don't have to do the same thing.

One day at a time. Today might be a miserable day, tomorrow might be a miserable day, but more often than not, the misery “points” of this day aren't enough basis to carry over to the next. If you absolutely must break that rule, carry the happy “points” of today over to the next, but not the misery.

It's easier said than done, but I can't help but see how utterly relevant this line of thinking is to me. I've overlooked thinking of things this way for the longest time, and now is as good a time as any to change that. That change, like most any other long-term thing in my life, has to come, one day at a time. It's a challenge to me, it's a challenge to anyone who lets negativity way his life down. Would you rather be like the Lakers and blow a 3-1 series by not taking things one day at a time, or would you rather be the Suns in that exact series?

One thing I learned about life from watching the NBA is that everyone needs to take things one day at a time.

I'll find my smile somehow, somewhere, someday. I'll search for it. One day at a time.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Random Thoughts...

It's been a slow week lately, and I couldn't find time to blog.

Nonetheless, I overslept for work again today... yeesh.

Still, I think I'd be more than happy to review "Me And My Katamri" for the PSP by next week.

In other news, the new console wars are getting very heated. PS3 is way too expensive, the X-Box 360 is ahead of everyone else, but the Wii is making a lot of heads turn now.

And I saw Mark Herras in Megamall the other day. He was playing in the arcade. Amazing how only a few people approached him there...

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Let's Talk Sports...

.:Let's Talk NBA:.

Y'know, I wanted to talk at length about what happened during the Lakers-Suns series, but I'll do some more reflecting on that first. I had similar thoughts while watching the first Pistons-Cavs game, too, so we'll think that over as well.

But it's now official, and Steve Nash is the MVP this year. While I think Steve is a very upstanding and level-headed guy, I have to admit that having him as back-to-back MVP is a bit misleading as to how good a player he really is.

Is he a good player? Yes.

But should he be the most valuable player in the league? That's debatable.

You see, you can make the argument that you stick any good point guard in the league into where he is right now, and the Suns can do just as well or even better. I could imagine Jason Kidd, Tony Parker, possibly even Mike Bibby and Chris Paul doing about as well as Nash would if they were in his place in the Suns.

To me, when you can be replaced by quite a number of players that handily, and when you look at the team you left (i.e. Dallas.) and see it's flourishing without you, then it casts some shadow of doubt on the cliam that you are the "most valuable" player in the league.

Let's compare him with the other guys who had a lot of MVP talk going around them...

1. Chauncey Billups - Arguably the glue that holds the best team in the league together. He's been amazing this season, and his team looks like a lock in the Finals. Chauncey, unlike Nash, can defend, and that's one of the biggest knocks against Nash.

2. Kobe Bryant - The man scored 81 freaking points in a single game. I don't have to like him to respect that. Frankly, I hate Kobe, but I know for a fact that this man tried his damned best to be deemed worthy of MVP honors this year. Nobody was expecting his team to go into the playoffs, much less take the Suns all the way to Game 7.

3. Lebron James - Like Kobe, I firmly believe you can't replace this guy in Cleveland with anyone and expect the same results... unless you replace him with Kobe. I know Steve Kerr loves to fellate him on his sugary commentary about James, but Steve has a valid point: The Cavs are having a breakout year, and most of the credit has to go to Lebron.

4. Dirk Nowitzki - The man can shoot, can now defend, and rebounds well on the side. He can do it all, and he is definitely the best player in the Dallas roster. There is, in my mind, only one man who could substitute for him in the entire league, and he's also in this list.

5. Elton Brand - Leaps and bounds better than he ever was, and is the man I'm talking about. Despite being undersized at the 4 position, he is by no means a pushover, although a case can be made for his improvement being sharply aided by the presence of the veteran Sam Cassell. Regardless, he's had an amazing year, and has finally silenced the critics of the erstwhile whipping boys, the Clippers.

6. Tim Duncan - Still as solid as ever, and only his injuries really hampered him from having what could arguably have been the best year of his career. Still, despite playing hurt most of the time, did his numbers suffer? I wouldn't think so, and I would say that he had an amazing year, and if I weren't a Dallas fan, I'd root for San Antonio all the way. Then again, maybe not. I like Phoenix better. =P

In my mind, you select any one of these six guys, and nobody in their right mind would challenge such a choice two decades from now. On the other hand, ten years from now and some fan looks into the record books and finds that Steve Nash was not only MVP once, but twice, and they'd ask, as I would ask, what the voters were smoking.

It's not that Nash is a bad player. Heck, I like the guy. He's fun to watch, he's a white guy who can play like Magic Johnson, and all in all, he is just phenomenal. But to label him as the MVP this year is a bit absurd when you have those six other choices I listed above.

Somewhere out there, John Stockton is shaking his fist at his television screen, demanding to know where his MVP titles are.

.:Let's Talk Pro Wrestling:.

If Edge is the Rated R superstar, then Paul Burchill is the Rated Yarr! Superstar...

I know, it's corny. =P

But moments like these kinda ruin my suspension of disbelief in pro wrestling:

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Sting was so unbelievably open to counters I couldn't even understand what his opponent was doing there. I mean, seriously. Couldn't Jeff Jarett have done, this?

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Ah, well.

Can't wait for ECW to come back, though. Heard a lot of good stuff about it.

And rumors of a backstage fight between Booker T and Batista are all over the net. Over what? No idea.

Monday, May 08, 2006

WTF'ery...

.:Today's LSS:.

They're turning this into a new soap opera? Cool.

Bituing Walang Ningning
by Sharon Cuneta

Kung minsan ang pangarap
Habambuhay itong hinahanap
Bakit nga ba nakapagtataka
'Pag ito ay nakamtan mo na
Bakit may kulang pa


Mga bituin aking narating
Ngunit langit ko pa rin ang iyong piling
Kapag tayong dalawa'y naging isa
Kahit na ilang laksang bituin
'Di kayang pantayan ating ningning


CHORUS 1
Balutin mo ako ng hiwaga ng iyong pagmamahal
Hayaang matakpan ang kinang na 'di magtatagal
Mabuti pa kaya'y maging bituing walang ningning
Kung kapalit nito'y walang paglaho mong pagtingin


CHORUS 2
Itago mo ako sa lilim ng iyong pagmamahal
Limutin ang mapaglarong kinang ng tagumpay
Sa piling mo ngayon ako'y bituing walang ningning
Nagkukubli sa liwanag ng ating pag-ibig


(Repeat 2nd Stanza)
(Repeat CHORUS 1)
(Repeat CHORUS 2 except last line)

Nagkukubli sa liwanag at kislap ng ating pag-ibig...


.:As If Super Soakers Weren't Bad Enough...:.



Welcome, the Oozinator! The new Bukkakke gun from Super Soaker!

Do I even need to say anything else beyond this? Seriously. It's bad enough to hand kids a toy whose shaft you pump until the pressure causes a steady stream of liquid, and now, they get the bright idea to use some sticky ooze as ammo... yuch.

.:Kirk Cameron's Attempt To Disprove Atheism...:.

What is he thinking?!?

Seriously, this is one of the most asinine attempts to disprove atheism, ever. It just boggles the mind.

.:Poof:.

So much for sincerity... I guess that's too much to expect from people who don't even know how to accept people for who they are.

How utterly typical.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Movie Premieres Coming Up...

.:If You're Interested To Know...:.

WAVE's got lots of movie premieres lined up...

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Coming this Monday, at Glorietta 4 THX Cinema 3, 7:30 PM.

If you want tickets for that one, well, ask me.

As for the next few films we have lined up, the bad news is I doubt we get Da Vinci Code. Regardless, we have quite a few good others here...

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This ought to be interesting, at the very least.

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Sounds good to me.

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Was a fan of the original.

Overwhelming Bitterness....

.:All For Charity:.

So I spent the evening at Metrowalk instead of watching Wave's premiere of MI-3. We were required to be part of a charity event for children with cancer, as everyone from Francis M to Imago to MYMP to Paolo Santos performed there, and WAVE, Magic, JAM, RT, and K-Lite hosted the event.

I was tempted to have my head shaved at Bruno's Barbershop to express my solidarity with the children with cancer, but decided against it at the last moment. My partner, Gia spent most of the night talking to me about where our career paths were headed, and she echoed my sentiments of losing any motivation to excel in a thankless timeslot.

Being there in that event and seeing a good chunk of the jocks who were "required" to show up actually not show up kind of made Gia and I feel extremely put off, all the same. No doubt, the same jocks are enjoying MI-3 in Galleria at that very moment and would fear no sanctions at all despite it being "required" for them to show up.

The glaring favoritism and the second-class citizenry is just getting to be too much to bear, and I am continually looking into other options now, because I'm sick and tired of this crap.

In the end, I hope that our contributions to the event sufficed. I was personally proud to have done my part, but it did not, by any stretch of imagination, make me feel the least bit better about my station, to say the least. I am frankly disappointed over how neglected we have been despite our initiatives, and all it would take is one good opportunity elsewhere for me to up and leave by now.

Screw loyalty when the company screws you over.

.:Flawless Skin?:.

A WAVE listener was telling me his sister said I had flawless skin.

What?

Similarly, I was asked by some talent scout if I wanted to do commercials, all the same. I was handed a calling card, and was asked when my braces would be removed.

Here we go again...

.:Bitter Doesn't Begin To Cover It...:.

Looking at couples surrounding me left and right never fails to make me bitter now. It's as if all the couples in the world suddenly decided to exist in my immediate vicinity and lord it over me that I'm alone now. Okay, fine. So maybe Marcelle's just being too observant for his own good, but still... it stings. A lot.

Friendship as nothing more than a consolation prize is a bitter pill to swallow, and I still can't wrap my head around the idea of bastardizing my concept of a friendship to something being strictly inferior to a relationship...

.:Today's LSS:.

I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me:.
by Expose

I hear you're taking the town again
Having a good time, with all your good town friends

I don't think that you think of me
You're on your own now, and I'm alone and free

I know that I should get on with my life
But a life lived without you could never be right


Chorus:
As long as the stars shine down from the heaven
As long as the rivers run to the sea
I'll never get over you, getting over me


I try to smile so the hurt won't show
Tell everybody, that I was glad to see you go

But the tears just won't go away (won't go away)
Loneliness found me, looks like it's here to stay


I know that I ought to find someone new
but all I find is myself always thinking of you

(Chorus)


No matter what I do,
It's not a lifetime to live through
I can't go on like this, I need your touch
you're the only one I'll ever love...

(Chorus)


I'll never get over you getting over me...

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

A Picture-Laden Post...

.:Today's LSS:.

I'll pass. There's a lot of comedy gold I want to get into today, and posting another emo-song would ruin the mood...

.:Congratulations To This Season's NBA MVP!!!:.


We salute you.



.:Broke Batman Tain:.

And you wonder where the ideas that Batman's gay happen to be coming from...

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They look like they're about to make out.

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This just defies description.

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So... what did you guys do together?



.:Superdickery To An Extreme:.

Superman is definitely a good ol' Boy Scout hero with a golden heart.

Waitaminute...

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Tell me he didn't just say that.

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Superman will take on Shawn Michaels at the next pay per view fo' sure!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Tournament Report...

.:The Tournament Report: April 30, 2006:.

Had another tournament last Sunday, and it was definitely fun, as unlike most tournaments, well, this one ended pretty early.

As usual, I was running my deck, Doomsday, although I think I've tweaked it quite a bit to a point that it has marked differences from the Meandeck build alread, although the moment 'Shop decks come back, I'm sure I'd revert to Meandeck again... heh.

Nigs is very happy over finally getting his hands on the Asian classic films I had for him. People also discovered some new videos I put in my PSP... ah, well.

So anyways, here's how the tournament panned out...

Round 1: Versus Osmond Go (Sui Black)

So from Landstill, Osmond decides to play one of the decks I least like to go up against, due to sheer amount of disruption.

Regardless, one thing Sui can't do anything about is the topdeck, and that's precisely what we're going to see here.

First Game:

He wins the die roll, and then he proceeds to go for disruption. Poof. First turn, Vampiric Tutor is gone. My only business spell in hand. I had lots of mana, though, so I just went and plopped down lands and any artifact mana I could get my hand on, although I did Unmask away a Hypnotic Spectre or something.

This whole disruption business went on for three turns, and he had Bob (With Jitte and four counters on him.) and Hippie in play already. On the fourth turn, he attacked, and I responded with a Mystical Tutor. I got Yawgmoth's Will for myself, and let him do his worst. By then, he realized that with all the mana I pitched into the 'yard courtesy of his discarding, I was definitely going to hit more than just 16 spells, so he just casually watched me combo out.

1-0

Second Game:


He goes first, and proceeds to disrupt me again. This time, I just couldn't do jack about the disruption.

Essentially, by the third turn, I was staring down Bob and a Negator, so I just scooped by the fourth turn, as I was definitely not going to squirm out of two Hymns hitting me and not nearly enough mana in the 'yard or on my board to save me via the topdeck.

1-1

Third Game:


I believe I mulled to six here because I didn't find any business on the opening. I opened with Duress, and removed his Dark Ritual, and saw he had no turn one play, except for Tormod's Crypt. So boom. He plays a land, Tormod's Crypt, and that's it.

My second turn, I topdecked a card I can imprint to Chrome Mox, which I used to play the Cabal Ritual and then the Doomsday in my hand. I passed the turn to him, fairly confident of my odds that he couldn't do jack to me, because he had only six outs against me in the rest of his deck. That's just barely over 10% of his deck, after all.

He then chanted the Yugi-Oh chant.

Osmond: I have to believe in the power of my cards, and my friends. Go topdeck!

I think he drew a Swamp. Ah, well. Plan B (The Beacon stack.) was waiting for him at the other end of the table, so he just casually watched me combo out, and that was it.

2-1

Tournament Standing: 1-0

Round 2: Versus Cheng (CS)

That was fast. I was hoping I didn't run into him until later....

Game One:

I knew he wasn't running Stax today, so I breathe easy. He won the die roll, and I do believe he had Mana Drain online from turn one via Mox Sapphire and land. So I walked into a Drain when I Duressed him, and he used it to cast a Sol Ring or something. On his second turn, he plopped down a Goblin Welder.

On my second turn, I Duressed him, and he Drained again. Okay, fine. I had a fairly okay hand, and since he's countered me twice already, I supposed Ancestral was safe now. It was. I had Plan A ready for the following turn, with Brainstorm after Doomsday, but I needed to make sure I was in the clear first. His turn, he topdecked something, then let me go take my turn.

My turn, I Unmasked him. Oh, crud. A third Mana Drain, and this time it's going to be huge. So I responded with Quicken, then cast Demonic Tutor, and got Force Of Will, promptly countering his spell. I Unmasked him and saw he had Mindslaver in hand. Good thing I countered that spell... I took out some other card. He had a Welder in play, after all.

So on his next turn, he topdecked, and I knew that even if it were FOW, he had no blue cards to support it, so I was fairly confident I wasn't going to walk into yet another Drain. On my turn, I hardcast Doomsday, then Brainstormed into the combo.

-Deck Top-
Lion's Eye Diamond
Black Lotus
Yawgmoth's Will
Ancestral Recall
Tendrils Of Agony
-Deck Bottom-

I'm sure you know how the combo works by now with an arrangement like that. :)

1-0

Game Two:

This time, things were going horrible for me. He opened with a Mox and a land, then passed to me. On my turn, I played a land, and Pithing Needle for the Welder. He let it go through. End of my turn, he cast Ancestral Recall. I was at a severe card disadvantage, and it would only get worse.

On his turn, he then played a land, go. On my turn, I tried to cast a Defense Grid, which he Forced. I had no disruption in hand, whatsoever. His turn, he played another land, then passed to me.

On my turn, I tried to cast Pithing Needle, which he drained. On his turn, he cast Mana Vault, played a land, then Tinkered the Vault into Slaver. He took my turn, found a Doomsday with the Slaved turn, and then I lost from there, obviously.

1-1

Game Three:

This was a slow game. He mulled to five, and when I Duressed him, I discovered that he had two Spheres of Resistance, a Welder, a land, and Mox Emerald. I took Mox Emerald, then passed the turn to him. Predictably, all he did was Welder, go.

My turn, I couldn't combo out, so I tried to set things up by plopping down a Lotus Petal, a Chrome Mox, and a Chromatic Sphere. Passed the turn to him, and he topdecks a land. Just my luck. He hardcasts Sphere of Resistance, and I had no outs in sight.

After the second Sphere, I managed to cast Necropotence, but couldn't find an out, thanks to the Spheres. I got killed by the Welder after knocking my life down to three with Necro. The Spheres really did me in, boy.

1-2

Tournament Standing: 1-1

Round Three: Versus Mike Juan (Dragon)

It's been a while since Mike and I had a match, and the Dragon-Doomsday matchup has always been unpredictable because neither of us usually have outs against each other (Except for permission) in the first game.

Game One:

He won the die roll (Again...), and went first. He fetched for a Tropical Island, and played a Xantid Swarm.

My turn, I topdecked a Demonic Tutor with a hand like this: Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, Fetchland, Lotus Petal, Black Lotus, Doomsday, irrelevant cards. So I went Lotus Petal, Black Lotus, Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, Demonic Tutor.

He didn't counter.

From there, I figured he had no permission, so I went for the Plan C combo out by fetching Yawgmoth's Will, and won the first game.

1-0

Second Game:

He opened with a Bazaar, and two Moxen, and when I cast Duress on him, I took out Force Of Will. He 'Zaared two Squees and a Dragon. Next turn, he plopped down another Bazaar, passed the turn to me.

My turn, I found nothing of consequence, and next turn, he 'Zaared once, then proceeded to Animate the Dragon. I knew the drill, and scooped.

1-1

Third Game:


First turn, I played a land, done. He played his land, same thing. I Braintormed, then found lost of mana. I figured I could win via Yawgmoth's Will again, as I had Demonic Tutor, and lots of Rituals in my hand. So I drew my card, played a fetchland, then held still as I had an Echoing Truth ready for the Dragon this time.

On my turn, I topdecked an Ancestral (I fetched, after all.). I cast it, then drew a Ritual, a Yawgmoth's Will, and a Duress. I Duressed him to make sure it's all smooth-sailing, then proceeded to combo out.

2-1

Tournament Standing: 2-1

Fourth Round: Versus (I Forgot... Elfclamp)

I had a problem in this match because I had no idea what my opponent was running.

First Game:

So I played a hand with no business. I won the die roll, and played a land. I had no Brainstorm, no card draw, no nothing.

The Elves goldfished. 'Nuf said.

0-1

Second Game:

I played a land, and passed the turn. I had a plan B in hand, but I needed to find a way to cast Doomsday first. His turn, he played Skullclamp.

On my turn, I topdecked a Lotus Petal. Perfect. Played a second land, hardcast Doomsday, passed the turn to him.


His turn, he played an Elf, go. My turn, I just comboed out via Plan B.

1-1

Third Game:

He opens with an Elf. I open with a Doomsday.

'Nuf said. :D

2-1

Tournament Standing: 3-1

Fifth Round: Versus Erick (Confidagony)

Second Ruthless member I went up against on this day. There's one more member (Glen), and I'd find him after Swiss.

I might've switched the results of the first two games here, but they're generally accurate.

First Game:

I played Duress, plucked out a key card from him, mainly, his Vampiric Tutor. He had nothing but Rituals in hand now.

On his turn, he played Ritual, and cast Bob. Topdecked the critter, I can tell.

So my turn, I played a land, then just passed the turn to him.

His turn, he topdecked from Bob a Brainstorm, then he drew. He attacked, then did nothing of consequence.

My turn, another land, go.

So on his turn, he unveiled another blue card, then drew. He attacked, then at end of his turn, I cast Quicken. I was a sitting duck at this point, as this was my only other blue card in hand. I had no Force Of Will ready. All I had left in hand was a Ritual, and Doomsday.

He let it through.

A silent Yugi-Oh Chant later, and I topdecked: Force Of Will. I cast Ritual, then cast Doomsday EOT. He used Force Of Will, and I Forced it back. He brainstormed, then let me resolve. I set up the basic Plan B stack, and took my turn. He didn't have a counter anymore, so it was smooth sailing from there.

1-0

Second Game:

He opened with Duress, and took my Vampiric Tutor this time. Fie. I played a fetchland, and was stuck with mana. His turn, he played a Sol Ring, done.

My turn, I did nothing of consequence again. I really had no plan in sight. No business spells to set anything up at all.

The draw-go went on for a few more turns, until he finally comboed out by plopping artifacts down, Rebuilding them, then hitting me with Tendrils for 18 life. I was down to 18 because I fetched twice.

Sloooooowwww game. Eww. I had only one card to side out against him, after all: Necropotence.

1-1

Third Game:

We both mulled to six before the game began.

I managed to disrupt him here and there, and eventually, I was down to just casting Doomsday, and then getting away with it. However, his advantage was that he had the Negator on his table as a clock.

So I finally went and cast Doomsday. He let it through, then at end of my turn, he cast Ancestral and tried to find answers. His turn, he cast Demonic, then thinked his options over. Apparently, he felt he had no option but to Twister. He did the right thing, in my opinion, because I had tons of rituals in hand, and a Black Lotus. Topdeck was, in fact, a Tendrils. My plan was to just survive that turn, cast Tendrils for non-lethal damage, then pass to him again. He'd then attack, and I'd topdeck Ancestral (Second card in my stack.), and he'd prolly counter it. If he did, I'd let him take one more turn, and I'd topdeck (Third card in my stack.) Yawgmoth's Will.

However, that never happened because of Timetwister. Had he Ancestralled me, he might've actually won... ah, well.

So Timetwister gave me this hand: Ancestral, Duress, Two Dark Rituals, Black Lotus, Tendrils, Yawgmoth's Will. I played Duress, found he was wide opened, and proceeded to combo out.

2-1

Match Standing: 4-1

After five rounds, I made it to the top eight.

Top 8: Versus Glen (Ravager)

Game One:

He mulled to four, and I opened with a land, and passed the turn to him. His turn, he cast Skullclamp.

On my turn, I cast Doomsday via Cabal Ritual. He scooped.

1-0

Game Two:

He mulled to six, then opened with a few artifacts again. My turn, I played a land.

He plays another land, and plays Frogmite on his turn. On my turn, I played another land.

His turn, he attacks. I cast Quicken, Doomsday, EOT. He scoops again.

2-0

Top Four: Versus Cheng

Cheng drops out to put me and Lauren in the finals.

Finals: Versus Lauren (No idea what his deck was.)

I dropped to give Lauren the championship, giving Lauren his first asterisked tournament win ever. How many people scooped to him, anyways? I know his opponent in the Top Four scooped for him, too.

Congratulations to Lauren, kahit na ginamit niya yung ropes at humawak siya ng tights para manalo. :P

Errr...

.:Today's LSS:.

Usher's always been an amazing artist, and this song is definitely one of my favorites.

Can You Help Me
by Usher

Ohhh Iiii ohhhh Iiiiii ohhhhhhh Iiiiiiiii

Living on the edge, out of control,
And the world just wont let me slow down,
But in my biggest picture, was a photo of you and me.
Girl you know I tried, I work hard to provide all that material things
That I thought would make you happy.
I'm confused can you make me understand,
'Cause I try to give u the best of me,
I thought we were cool, maybe I was blind,
But never took time to see.

Can you help me?
Tell me what you want from me.
Can you help me?
Tell me why you wanna leave.
Baby help me,
Without you my whole world is falling apart and i'm going crazy,
Life's a prison when you're in love alone.

Ohhh girl I love you,
I need u to come back home,
(You know I need you)
I dont wanna be alone

Ohhhhh Iiiiiii

Girl I put your love up on a shelf,
And I guess I just left it to die,
And now we're not together 'cause,
I hurt you too many times,
And now your not around,
I wish for every moment of time
That got wasted we used it to make sweet love,
Baby be my guide, please take my hand, want you to know
That I got ya if you need it,
Don't wanna be on the outside, lookin in,
I gotta have you girl cant you see...

Will you help me?
Tell me what you want from me
Can you help me?
Tell me why you wanna leave
Baby help me, cuz without you my whole world is falling apart,
And with out you I think I'll go crazy,
Life's a prison when you're in alone.

(Oh girl I love you), need you to come back home,
(You know I need you), I dont want to be alone

Please stay dont go... give me another chance I
Wanna be your man, girl you got me down here on
My knees cryin, begging, pleading
I'll do anything for your love whoaa... would you...

Tell me, tell me what you want from me,
Can you help me?
I dont understand girl I'm just a man
Baby help me,
Without you my whole world is falling apart
And without you girl I'm going crazy,
Life's a prison without your love.

Can you help me? Tell me why why why why why?
Can you help me? Girl I'll never stop, cuz you're all I got
Can you help me? Help me understand why I cant be a man
It's driving me crazy (crazy crazy crazy)

Ohhh baby, ohhhh no no
Oh girl I love ya (Said I love you)
You know I need you
Ohhhh ohh ohh I need you
Can't live without you
I can't go one day without you
Oh girl I love you
You know I need you
Can't live without you
Ohh girl I love you
You know I need you
Can't live without you
Oh girl I love you
You know I need you
Can't live without you
You know I need you
Yeahhhhh yeahh yeah yeah...


.:Capybara Night:.

Pictures and a more coherent post will follow, but the guest list was Oz, Clair, JM, Krisette, Hrbz, Fie, and myself. Kathy hosted, and we had chicken, pumpkin soup, and mashed potatoes. It was a pretty amazing dinner, and you just have to love the fact that all of us pretty much helped prepare the food, and I even got to wear an apron just to pull that off...

.:Whew...:.

My mom recently had hypertension and had to be rushed to the hospital. I'm glad she's doing fine now...

.:Engaging:.

I had a nice, long conversation with Diane, an old friend of mine. Interesting. I'm definitely happy how she's been doing as of late.

I wish her all the luck. :)

.:This Is Getting Annoying...:.

The computer I use in the office is being completely shackled by the stupid McAfee Security Service that not only blocks you from going online without knowing the password (Great. There goes my research-based work...), it also runs perpetually, preventing you from hoping to ever uninstall it.

What makes this doubly annoying is it's missing components.

The main compotent that seems to be missing happens to be the bloody uninstall wizard, and no, you can't find the program in Control Panel's "Add and Remove Programs", either.

Guess what? I just tried going on safe mode to uninstall it...

The computer has NO safe mode. What the Hades?!? Windows Professional 2000... what a joke.

Auuuugggghhhh!!!

.:The Great Japanese Tradition:.

Everything you needed to know about Sushi! Mamamamamama! Ohtohtohtohtohtoh!)

.:The New Nintendo Console Is Now Named...:.

Wii.

Yes, it's a silly name. Yes, it doesn't make sense. But I'll be damned if it doesn't drum up interest by sheer name recall.

At this point, Nintendo is proving that any publicity is good publicity. Chances are, people who never even knew Nintendo had a new console coming out know about it now by sole virtue of the name change.

Brilliant marketing tactic, in my opinion.

.:Centuries Of Progress, And This?!?:.

Got this from the news recently...

A Roxboro woman has filed a formal complaint with a local school board after her son was disciplined by a lunch program monitor at Ecole Lalande for eating in what she says is a customary Filipino manner.

Luc Cagadoc’s table behaviour is traditionally Filipino; he fills his spoon by pushing the food on his plate with a fork, his mother, Maria Theresa Gallardo, says...

... “Mommy, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Gallardo says Luc told her at the kitchen table April 11. “My teacher is telling me that eating with a spoon and fork is yucky and disgusting.”

When he eats with both a spoon and fork, instead of only one utensil, the Grade 2 student said the lunch monitor moves him to a table to sit by himself.

Upset over Luc’s story, Gallardo confronted the lunchtime caregiver the next day and on April 13, she telephoned the school’s principal, Normand Bergeron. His reaction brought her to tears, she says. “His response was shocking to me,” Gallardo, who moved to Montreal from the Philippines in 1999, told The Chronicle. “He said, ‘Madame, you are in Canada. Here in Canada you should eat the way Canadians eat.’

“I find it very prejudiced and it’s racist. He’s supposed to be acting like a professional. This is supposed to be a free country with free expressions of culture and religion. This is how we eat; we eat with a fork and spoon.”...

... She disagrees with the lunch monitor’s approach to teaching children how to eat and says it is emotionally abusive to Luc. When she questioned Bergeron about punishing students for their table habits, she says he replied that, “If your son eats like a pig (My emphasis.) he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.” ...


Wow. Just wow. I don't know about you, but that was one of the most ridiculously narrow-minded things I have ever heard about. You talk about Canada, and the last thing you'd expect is blatant and shameless racism. While I realize this is an isolated case, that doesn't mean we can just ignore the transgression that has happened here by individuals who are irrevocably racist.

People eat in many different ways. From using two utensils, to using only one, to using their hands, to chopsticks, it is undeniable that differences can and will exist. Ignorance, and worse, intolerance of such differences could only result in trouble, and this is precisely what we see here.

Shame on you Mr. Bergeron. You've displayed an extreme amount of ignorance and bigotry unbefitting of your position as head of an educational institution. Your casually prejudiced comments that practically equate a child's eating habits to “a pig” indicate a temperament that most definitely needs to be put under scrutiny.

.:Oh, Look. A Suman Post:.

Got this story from Dominique... interesting.

Can somebody tell me why organizers didn’t just serve Dennis Rodman’s suman without the banana wrapping? Basketball’s Bad Boy reportedly got mad yesterday when, after being served the glutinous rice delicacy, he ate it including the banana leaf wrapper.
Rodman is in Cebu for The Bad Boy Tour. He was scheduled to play at the Mandaue City Sports Complex last night in the NBA Legends vs. San Miguel All Stars matchup.
News of the walkout was all over the newsroom yesterday. I never got to talk to the reporters and photographers who were present during the press conference snubbed by the former Chicago Bulls and Pistons standout but this was confirmed by several sources.

One of the organizers, I was told, reportedly said Dennis was “very mad.” The basketball legend walked out shortly after having eaten the suman and the banana leaf wrapper. For those unfamiliar with the delicacy, a suman is cooked glutinous rice wrapped in banana or buri leaves. You’re not supposed to eat the wrapper (My emphasis.).


All right. I'd admit the first reaction would be, “what an idiot”, particularly when you consider Rodman's dad lives in the Philippines.

But then, maybe it's not really stupidity, per se. After all, how many people can intuitively tell that what they're looking at is not actually edible? Would it be so easy to spot a banana leaf as a banana leaf?

Or then again, maybe Dennis Rodman was just being as bad as he wanna be. Because he's not good. He's bad. And he's bad, because he's Dennis Rodman, and if he were bad, then he is not good, and since he is not good, he is bad. Because he is Dennis Rodman, and Dennis Rodman is bad as he wanna be. People call him Dennis Rodman, and he's a bad, bad man. So puny banana leaf is something any bad, bad man can eat. Without worries at all.

I could've sworn there was a serious point there somewhere, but I think I lost them in between chuckles.

But next time, I'd really want to think what Rodman has to say about actual, unwrapped, good ol' suman. The man deserves to at least try the good one.