Re-energizing the Hamster

Last week things were still kinda iffy, till Earl brought home some Bedanian classmates, people who never actually went outside of Luzon. Go figure. Anyways, needing a tour guide, I offered my services since a.) it was his birthday last May 27th, and b.) I do need to get out house and release all the bad energy pent up inside. Had a lot of fun actually, and in the end my spirit levels got reenergized quite a bit.


Top Row: Earl, Gene, Zeena
Bottom Row: Eloisa, Me


The Altos


Sun Drowning


Crucify Me ( WIP: Clones alert! ETA: Next week)


"Not Rihanna's Umbrella"

I'll be leaving for Manila tommorow, for R&R and visiting the CC, but it kinda sucks that I can't bring any hobby stuff because of the schedule. Much as I love my gaming, there's no use lugging around things I don't have time for, especially if you're travelling everyday ( R&R yes, but with other sideline work related stuff ... kinda like being on call but more physical ). And I was looking forward to a game or two of W40k or WFB ... or even WM and WoW ( lots of W's ... hmmm ). Ah well, thems the breaks. In any case, I'm hoping to drop by and just unwind ... unwind being the operative term.

State of Mind: Migraine Asphyxiated
Song of the Day: I'm a Flirt by R.Kelly
Book of the Week: Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin
Looking For: A worktable

Hitting a Slump

I've been sick these past week. Ok, well not actually sick but kinda like a little out sorts. Actually, more like a simple case of flu coupled with a bad case of "blah". Blah blah blah. If people would ask me what's going on inside my head these past week I'd reply with "Ngggh. Nothing much, just plain blah. Ngggh."

I remember getting these kinds of days, these times that you want to be left alone, doing nothing and just plain sit there on the couch and think of nothing. Although it was a blur, I think that's what happened to me this last week. I wake up, I go to the office, and after a frenzied 10 hour work day, go home and just sit down very very still. No TV or radio. I can just imagine the scene where I arrived home and when I finally sit down, smoke would steam out my skin.

Right now, I'm partially rising above the state of blah-ness. I'll try to write something after this week, or maybe in June if I haven't gotten out of my slump yet. But for now, I'm taking a breather and stare again into nothingness.

State of Mind: Being One in the State of Mu
Song of the Day: Thnks Fr Th Mrmrs by Fall Out Boy
Book of the Week: Youngblood 3 by Aruta and De Vera
Looking For: the Energizer Bunny

The First, Spidey Thoughts and The Hundred Project

:100 Words: Remembering::

The man stared at the tree. Thirty years have passed since he last visited; it was here that he spent his childhood. He reached up and felt the bark, rough against his gnarled hand. Images flood through uncertain memories, until a face resonated through the chaos. It’s his wife, dead this past ten years. He began to remember. This was the place, in the shade of this tree. They first met here. They were both eighteen. Then, a year later, he proposed to her. Married for fifty-six years, he mused sadly. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and walked away.

::Hello Spiderman, My Name is Ash ... Housewares::

I watched Spiderman 3 last week, and while most people would blog their rants/raves, I thought it would be refreshing just to talk about some of the moments I remember vividly in the movie. Overall, it was a good movie, a tad on the melodramatic side, but it works for Peter's and MJ's relationship. The scene where Spidey runs across a American flag causes me to raise a eyebrow, and the scene where Stan Lee makes a cameo and speaks ... well, it seems a bit forced. But hey, the legendary comic creator isn't exactly an actor, so we can forgive him for that ( but methinks that his scene in the 1995 film Mallrats is much better ). Venom dies in the, but I don't really believe it. Topher Grace fits Venom to a T, albeit without the beefy muscles and unshaved chin.

But the real scene stealer goes to Bruce Campbell, who made another cameo in this movie. In the first Spiderman, he played the ring announcer in the wrestling match, and then in Spiderman 2 he was the snooty, obnoxious usher who didn't let Peter Parker in the theater because he was late. This time though, with a zany french accent, he played the ever-helpful Maitre D' in the restaurant where Peter was supposed to propose to MJ. So who is this guy, and what is his connection you ask?



Army of Darkness is an old movie in the early nineties, starring Bruce Campbell and directed by Sam Raim, who after the movie became good friends. This is one of the first movies by Raimi, who also directed Darkman ( another excellent movie ) which catapulted him to cult status. This movie features Bruce Campbell as Ash, a luckless sales clerk sent back in time. Hilarity ensues as he attempts to educate the medieval folk, and then we get that famous line "This is my boomstick!" while waving a shotgun and menacing the folks with his chainsaw hand. How cool is that?

A little side trivia: Raimi was supposed to work with Stan Lee to recreate Mighty Thor in the 90's, but never pushed through. They got to be good friends though, and was Stan Lee's first choice to direct the Spiderman. And after Spiderman 3, there will a remake of Raimi's Evil Dead in 2008, the first movie he made in 1981. And after that, if the paperworks fall through, he will again direct and co-write Spiderman 4 in 2009.

Ok, a little prediction to what the 4th movie will be, however wild in theory. It will feature Lizardman, which Dr. Conners will use Venom's symbiote sample to create a formula to regenerate his arm. Dr. Octopus will come back and recruits Conners, and then Sandman, who'll be blackmailed by Dr. Octopus, with the Doc promising of curing his daughter. And at this part, I'm not sure that he will resurrect Green Goblin, who'll turn into the Hobgoblin, and then we also get Electro and Rhino, who'll play as Doc Ock's creations. If there's no Goblin though, Mysterio will take that last place and then we will have ... you guessed it, The Sinister Six. Although that's not really following the comic storyline, but basing on what I've seen on the first three Spidey movies, this is probably the next story.

Or, Venom returns and along with him comes Carnage. Hmmmm...

In any case, it will be a slugfest in the next one. ( fingers crossed )

::What is the Hundred?::

The above story, entitled Remembering, is the first story in my 100 Words Project. So what is the project all about?

I've decided that, in order to practice the craft, I'd write stories but with a bit of a challenge. Only a hundred words, not ninety-nine, not a hundred and one, but a flat one hundred. It doesn't have to be a deep or moving or moral or funny or whatever; what I'm striving for is the images that will connect with the reader. Nor does it have to have a message, just a simple scene will do. It could be anything, anytime, anywhere.

So why do this? Why not make a story and head straight on? Well, first I need the practice. Second, with my time schedule, my life can't afford long hours thinking plots and sub plots. Then the question arises as to why 100 words? Why not 200, 300 or 500? Well, again for the challenge to make the grey matter work out and, well, basically anyone can make story in 500 words. Plus, it will just take 15-30 minutes, an hour at the most. And besides, while I do agree that stories should have a message, subtle or otherwise, remember that I'm striving for imagery, not deep procastination ... and even perhaps just for one spark of connection.

In any case, I'll see where this goes.

State of Mind: Subsiding Chaotic Pain ( from work )
Last Song Syndrome: Hintay by Sugarfree
Book of the Week: Just for Fun: The Linux Story by Linus Torvalds
Looking for: One Day of Sleep

Preventive Measures

::Prelude to Rant::

So I've been busy for the last couple of weeks, only just now I've opened my Mac. Decided to redo my page a little ( debatable, more than a "little" perhaps ) New heading and profile photo to be exact. Anyway, here's a couple of nice blogthings that reveals something about your personality.

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Alter-Daemon


Mine's a fox! How cool is that? Hehehe


::Welcome to the Suck::

I have been submerging myself in work for a couple of weeks now, just to make pain of missing someone a dull aching one, not the fresh-hot-poker-stabbing-the-tonkers kind. Melodramatic and cheesy yes, but that's what I feel these days. Anyways, that's just at work. At home, I finally get to watch those movies I've bought but haven't got the time to watch yet. And for obvious reasons, steering clear away from those movies with the slightest romantic inclination.

My best pal this moment is my Xbox360, and when the need to bash someone becomes too great to handle ( i.e. inconsiderate drivers, heavy handed customers, asshole politicos ), in goes Saint's Row or Fight Night and kiss those bad vibes away. For down moments, Viva Pinata takes care of the humdrum gloom. For the moment, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the one thing that makes the time go faster. The world in Elder Scrolls is pretty big, huge even, and having played for more than 100+ hours, I barely scratched the surface.



I remember when I first got out of the dungeon and stared in the horizon and said "Good God, it's IMMENSE!" and immediately stole a horse from a wandering knight patrol and galloped away for adventure. And since I'm playing a Elf Archer/Assassin, there's a thrill of getting to a good spot and ambushing a company of trolls wandering the hills, maniacally laughing while shooting away the bewildered monsters.

The Saint's Row game on the other hand takes you into the mean streets of Stillwater and gets you into the thick of a gang war. Kinda like old school Grand Theft Auto, but with nicer graphics and customizable main character, which you can choose from presets of Caucasian, Mexican, African or Asian. Definately not for the kids, since missions see you drug running, assassinations, escort services and the like. But pretty fun game in itself.

And there's Rockstar Games' Table Tennis, which is pretty groundbreaking considering that the sport is pretty contained, but the company managed to produce a stellar sports game.The controls, once getting used to, is pretty straight forward. Simple touches makes the player do complex moves, and that is a big plus. Contrary to what you think about ping pong, this game will never bore you.

And looking back to what I have written I realized something: I NEED A LIFE.

::The Call for Adventures::

Aside from the new look, I decided to also update twice weekly, this time Sundays and Wednesdays. Ambitious? Perhaps, but I do need to stay away from gaming for at least a couple of hours. Besides, its time to hone that writing skill, since one of my local literary heroes Dean Alfar ( who wrote Salamanca and has been a part of the Siglo: Freedom and Passion, plus having a ton of Palanca awards in his belt ) has sent out the word to all Filipino writers, both amateur and professional, to submit their story and get a chance to be included in the Philippine Speculative Fiction 3.

So if you've got that story hidden at the back of your drawer, it's to take it out, polish it and submit! Or create a new one! It's time to get that noggin' working! w00t!

Frame of Mind: Dizzy Beautiful
Last Song Syndrome: The Barber of Seville by Rossini
Book of the Week: Eldest by Christopher Paolini, The Inheritance Trilogy
Want/Need: A new bed, mine's a little run down.