Black Eyed Peas and Golf

I've recently gotten hold of a copy of Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business and the funky tune of 'Pump It' is rolling around in my head like some bizaare cat toy i can't leave alone. Which is not to say it's worse than having the theme song for Pangya rolling around in it's place.

I've grown up with the subtle pressure to take up golf as a hobby because of my dad. Although I've tried the driving range a few times to please him, I found it boring so my dad resigned himself to having no one to share his enthusiasm with.

Which is why I feel slightly guilty about being so hooked on an online golf game.

Albatross18 or 'Pangya' is a Korean-made online golf simumation game by NTREEV that provides entertainment for the casual gamer in an uncomplicated, pretty package. The game is downloaded free, and the registration is relatively simple and trouble free. Windows users will find upon login that the game sports a familiar interface.

New users are offered a walkthrough for the game mechanics with the help of a 'caddy'. After the tutorial you can opt to try the game out solo before trying a game versus a real opponent.

Unlike the usual golf sim Albatross also offers functions similar to Instant Messenger, allowing the player to add buddies, and chat while playing which adds flavor and allows a certain amount of interaction and friendly heckling between players.

Vs mode enables players to create 'rooms' and set the course difficulties and number of players and holes.

The game environment itself is very appealing, with varied course features that include the usual bunkers and trees as well as water hazards and land features. Players choose from two types of anime-style player characters that allow players to 'dress up' their toons as a form of customization. There is a 'closet' where you can keep your outfits, and a shop where you can purchase items or clothing that enhance your game as well as Caddy Shop where you can purchase a new caddy. In order to do this however you must have one of two currencies: pang, which is what you earn by playing the game, and cookies, which your acquire through credit card purchase online. The downside is the way the game is strucutured, there are a few great items that you can only get through purchase with cookies and needless to say, most people would prefer to play to accumulate pang than shell out real cash.

Other than this, Albatross is on the whole an attractive, challenging game with tons of replay value even for casual gamers who may not even be interested in the game of golf itself in the first place.

It's Aliiiiiiivvveeee

After nearly a year's hiatus, i've decided to resurrect this blog.

Christmas 2005 has come, and gone and it's been a strange year for me. I've been officially unemployed for most of it, and sometime in August we closed our Web Development firm. It's a sad thing, but well, that's the way it is. Currently I'm concentrating on my work for Mango Jam, a manga-style comic magazine for girls. Work for that has slowed considerably during the christmas season however but will pick up again towards the new year as I finish working on Issue 7.

Cheers to Nikki and her husband Dean who recently launched "Siglo, Passion" at the Promenade, Greenhills. Congratulations for a great-looking publication and hope to see more like it in the future.

Mitsuru Adachi

I stumbled on this amazing mangaka browsing the net for stuff on Hagaren.

I'm usually hooked on by the art when I'm looking for new manga, but Mitsuru Adachi's work caught me hook-line-and-sinker with his stories. His specialty is sports and love, and the way he can keep me hooked through a boxing story like Katsu! is amazing in itself mainly because I'm not even a boxing fan and even so, he's turned me into a bit of a convert.

For a sampling of this guy's amazing work, check out www.readmanga.com

Hagaren

Hagaren, or Hagane no Renkinjutsushi was something I'd been waiting to be able to watch.

I finally got an English subtitled dvd copy and it's turned out to be worth the wait.

Essentially the story's about two brothers - one missing an arm and a leg, and the other a disembodied soul bound to a giant tin can.

All Edward and his brother Alphonse want is to find a way to become normal human beings again and set out on a singleminded quest to do just that. Of course, they eventually find out that reaching their objective is more complicated than they anticipated. Their pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone, a fabled object that allows an alchemist to do things beyond the normal laws of their art, forces them into gray areas of conflict to the point of straining the bonds of their relationship and forcing into question the primary reasons for their desire to acquire it.

I found it interesting how the Law of Conservation of Mass or "The Law of equal exchange" as it is mentioned in the series, seems to become an analogy for a guiding principle for human interaction on a physical as well as a social level.

So far I've seen a couple of episodes and I can't wait for the rest - the plot definitely thickens/sickens and I'm crossing my fingerse that I won't be let down by an easy ending.

Flight vol1

I had been browsing the net looking for interesting alternative comics around a month ago and I came across this one published by Image Comics, and it was interesting to know that some of the artists published here were previously known for their web comics - Enrico Cassarosa of Haiku5-7-5 is one of them.

I saw some of the art previewed on the site and I was really hooked but of course, I didn't know when it would show up here in the Philippines.

It seemed like a real strange twist of fate then that I was browsing through Bibliarch's comic rack last weekend and found the cover of Flight Vol 1 peeking out between Batman and Preacher. Needless to say I snatched up their only copy, and went home with a much lighter wallet.

Evil, evil impulse buying. But I have no regrets. It's a well made publication, lovely choice of cover and themes. Everything that their site promised. I particularly liked Kazu Kibushi's Copper. You can find some samples of Copper here.

I can't wait for volume 2.

P.S. I have more to say but unfortunately I'll have to write a lengthier review of my experience with Flight Vol1 later as I'm stuck doing mucho project management work for a huge website and have very little time to update my blog. (bats)

off-topic: Head Cheese

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd see this recipe online.

Mac Envy

I've been a PC user all my life. It's cheap, upgradeable, and although we'd all like to Kill Bill at one point or another, Windows will always be there. Except for the brief blip in my career as a graphic artist where I used a mac for a year. Desipte it's wonderful display I cursed it's stupid OS and swore I would never use a mac again.

But like many a fool who's fallen for hunky good looks wrapped around an cool OS and interface, there's something about the new breed of macs and their technological turn-on that tugs at your aesthetically pleased heart and hence your purse strings.

So to make a long story short I find myself pausing at the Apple site every day and salivating- first over the i-book, then the wonderfully sleek new i-Mac G5. Not to mention the i-pod and all the cool toys and accessories that you can dress your mac-baby with. So seduced am I that I find my inner 12 year old whimpering in her best little girl voice:

"daddy I want one."

Childhood comics

I wonder if any of you remember the funnies that you read when you were a kid? Aside from the Bazooka Joe bubblegum strips of course.

I remember reading quite a bit of filipino comics though I don't remember the titles or the publications. I do remember My Little Pupung - our household help would buy em and pass them off to me.

I also remember the story of the Snake People - triplets born with snake properties but only Aleli, the girl who grew up in poverty was the 'good guy'. The other two, a boy and a girl, were kinda evil. It was all about them figuring out who they were, etc. etc.

I remember how well drawn these comics were though - it was relatively impressive in retrospect despite being printed on newsprint. There was sex, violence, comedy, all the stuff that people usually see in US comics, plus it was all written in filipino. I don't see how come we don't seem to have as strong a history in comics as the US does.

It makes me wonder where all these publications and people have gone.

off-topic: Baguio

Back from our company hoo-ha in Baguio.

All in all it was ok, even rather fun, despite the stressful moments we had (1) Finding ourselves lodged in a place that reeked of paint and was under renovation as well as having bunk beds with mattresses the thickness of two slices of rye bread (2) Getting lost looking for another place to stay (3) Getting lost again then stuck in traffic trying to get to Mine's View Park (4) Finding we had gone overbudget on the last day.

But hey, the weather was cold, the sunset on Saturday was absolutely perfect, the food was mostly good, and there were a number of good laughs along the way. The new SM City Baguio is admittedly the most beautiful SM branch I've ever seen, with it's white awnings silhouetted against the sky where the Pines Hotel used to stand. We could see it from the window of our apartel at Iggy's Inn, and it made a rather fetching silhouette against the spectacular sunset. You'd almost wouldn't believe it was an SM.

The thing is, although a lot of the popular restaurants and cafes have moved here, that's not why I would come to Baguio. I had said in an earlier post, the appeal of Baguio's charm has begun to fade for me despite the better accessibility. Sure, the pine trees and the mountain landscape is still there and it's enough to remind you that you're not in Manila. However you'd have to go further off towards Banaue to get away from the crowds and the traffic which used to be the primary reason I'd want to go.

Unless you've never been there, or you're on your way to Banaue or Sagada, in my opinion it's simply not worth it to spend 13 hours on the road back and forth just to be there overnight or for the weekend. If you want a break from the heat, head to tagaytay - the weather's relatively similar and it's closer and easier to get to. You can just as effectively hole up someplace, enjoy the cooler weather, eat a lot of vegetables, drink a lot of coffee, and read, draw or write in peace and quiet.

off-topic: incognito

I'll probably be entry-less this entire weekend as I'll be off on a company outing to Baguio (Boo! Hiss!).

What the hell is in Baguio?

It used to be one of my favorite places to spend the hot months of summer, but with the spike in population, pollution and the dearth of interesting places to actually go, this is all I have to say:

Ho-hum.

At least the company on the trip should be fun. And surprise, surprise, we're bringing our cat (ooh I wuv my kitty! Yey!).

For the day and night we're there however, it might be worth looking for new things to see apart from the new SM City Baguio. I'm not particulary in a shopping mood.

It is however, a great place to get a lot of sleep, read books, and it should be nice to walk around in such sweater-worthy weather.

the war on syndication?

syn·di·cate n.

1. An association of people or firms authorized to undertake a duty or transact specific business.
   
2. An association of people or firms formed to engage in an enterprise or promote a common interest.
   
3. A loose affiliation of gangsters in control of organized criminal activities.
   
4. An agency that sells articles, features, or photographs for publication in a number of newspapers or periodicals simultaneously.
   
5. A company consisting of a number of separate newspapers; a newspaper chain.
   
6. The office, position, or jurisdiction of a syndic or body of syndics.

Beeing a noob at comics compared to a lot of the guys out there, I wanted to do some research on how an artist can publish his work and make a decent living from it. There isn't much information on this for the local industry but there is a lot you can find on it specific to the US market.

This was how I stumbled upon the trouble brewing in the US comic strip industry. PVP's Scott Kurtz had plenty to say on this matter during his panel at the San Diego Comic Con.

Of course, I'm almost sure the phenomenon in question concerning newspaper syndication has primarily to do with the US market. But this was interesting to read nontheless, considering the shifting in trends towards web publishing and subscriptions and the increasing reluctance of artists to sell ownership of their copyright, merchandising, and marketing to syndicates who reap the lion's share of benefits from their creative talent without offering much in return.

MooMoo Hunters

Mango Comics is launching MooMoo Hunters on September 19, 2004 at the Museo Pambata, Roxas Boulevard, Manila 2-5 pm, Sunday.

Bring your kids, and support our local comic industry!

off-topic: quakes and remembering pinatubo

Living in the vicinity of the Pacific Ring of Fire - which means volcanos, quakes, etc. you'd think it was less of a surprise to semi-wake at 3 am yesterday to feel the floor rumbling beneath me. No, it's not my husband wheeling himself across the floor on his computer chair, it's an earthquake.

Unlike Japan though, we don't get that many noticeable quakes in the Philippines despite having a number of active volcanos and one that blew its top in the 2nd most spectacular eruption of that century. So that mild quake at 3am was a light shake compared to 1991's fiasco caused by the massive volcanic eruption that killed hundreds and changed the landscape around Pinatubo forever.

Anyway if you've ever experienced a quake like that in your lifetime, anything smaller just feels a little funny when you're only half awake and you're wondering whether you should run down to the nearest doorway or go back to sleep.

If you need any reminders of the incident, here are some images to refresh your memory.

http://randalcarr.tripod.com/pinatubo/
http://www.wtfo.com/~rodl/pinatubo/pinatubo.html

manga for poor otaku

Read Homanga. It rocks.

Dreaming of Book Country

Check out this neat Sandman poster for this NY book event. Dang.

http://www.nyisbookcountry.com/posters/28.html

For more stuff on neil gaiman, he's got an online journal.

Also, check out Mirrormask, a creative collaboration by Gaiman, McKean and the Jim Henson Company. Woot! News from his journal also is that there's to be a stop-motion film (think Nightmare before Christmas or James and the Giant Peach) of Coraline done by Henry Selick.

And yes, I'm yet another fangirl. Lalalalala...

Fixed up my link list.

I've organized them more sensibly (I hope). I'll be adding more as I clean up my favorites folder.

a divisive nature

We were watching Samurai Deeper Kyo over the weekend and I and my husband enjoyed it immensely - there's a lot of action, and the plot had a lot of depth that I didn't expect it to have. I highly recommend it.

We couldn't help but talk about the theme on man's fascination with power in the story - how human beings seem to crave it, no matter what race or culture and that it is ingrained in us to seek it.

To summarize, in the beginning we are introduced to Mibu Kyoshiro -- a man who is inhabited by two souls, kyoshiro who believes in bringing healing to people, and Kyo, a destructive force with the singleminded desire to be the strongest there is. Kyo eventually takes over Kyoshiro's body for the majority of the series and the entire plot is centered on Kyo's search for his body, which kyoshiro sealed away in a secret place. This body becomes an object of desire as well for other forces who wish to use it's 'perfection' for their own ends. What we find out in the end is Kyo and Kyoshiro are one and the same - that because of Kyoshiro's desire to be rid of the burden of his capacity for destructive power, Kyo came into being and true to his nature, wreaked indiscriminate havoc upon the country.

In reflection it mirrors the man's struggle with his contradictory nature, embodied in a desire for both peace and power, as symbolized by the Yin and Yang on Kyo's kimono and the seemingly polar opposites of Kyoshiro and Kyo. Forever in conflict but impossible to separate from ourselves. People want to get along but crave the thrill of conflict. We like to preach peace but there's a part of our soul that hungers for and enjoys the adrenalin that comes from pitting ourselves against each other. It's part of our nature, which is why sporting events and contests are so popular.

I believe that our desire for peace keeps our desire for power in check and it is our desire for power that allows us to advance as individuals and a society. It's a simplistic idea, I'll admit but I think that it's this balance that preserves order in society, so long as the balance of power is sensible to everyone.

However I look around me today observe a tendency to overemphasize power in an effort to prove individual or cultural superiority rather than to preserve a sensible balance. We wonder why we can't seem to come together as a country let alone a global society and the truth is there is too great a shift in power to allow peace and order to truly take hold. In the end power becomes destructive as ruling societies seem to need more and more of it to maintain order. It's the appalling discrepancy in lifestyles in our country, the flagrant wealth in the face of grinding poverty that breeds mistrust and suspicion between classes.

But before anyone pulls me down from my pulpit, the truth is I can wail and b!atch all I want but the fact remains that I AM part of this system and I'm ashamed to say I haven't done as much as I should. Maybe the answer is out there, but it's something I probably wouldn't know what to do with.

change

So much to do...so much to do...

I took my love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain and turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
'til the landslide brought it down
Oh, mirror in the sky -What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changin'...ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
I don't know.....I don't know
Well I've been afraid of changin'
because I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder, even children get older
And I'm getting older too....So, take my love...take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
and if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills...
well the landslide will bring it down
The landslide will bring it down

- Fleetwood Mac

You know you're in the Philippines when you hear christmas songs and they sell Christmas trees at National Bookstore in September.

Hay christmas.

I'm not ready. But I'm going to be a good girl and start writing my christmas list before Halloween.

my station | sept09

His dreams are like commercials
But her dreams are picture perfect and
Our dreams are so related though they're often underestimated

Check out Jack Johnson. Gotta love his groove. Check out his album, Brushfire Fairytales.

Other stuff I'm listening to:

Linkin Park: Numb.
Maxwell: Hula
Tori Amos: Ruby Through the Looking Glass
Dave Matthews: Ants Marching (Live at Red Rocks)
Sugar Ray: Is She Really Going out with Him?