This rain's got to stop...

When it rains it pours... the weather's been so gloomy lately, it's been affecting my morale, my psyche and my wallet... (I have to take a cab to work because it's too hard to commute, especially while it's raining like heck...)

Woke up early today because I was supposed to go to work sooner... due to the fact that my PC broke down just last Tuesday and all of my work files have become inaccessible. I'm still hoping that my best bud Len has a solution for the problem, being he's such a tech-genius-slash-hardware-geek, and because he's encountered the problem before. Amazingly, he was able to recover his fils from a busted up hard disk.

But because my hard disk crashed, all the work I'd been doing has up and disappeared. My office presentations, my traffic statistics, my flash files and related multimedia, all my promo files and templates, my archives for movies, music, local stars and mobile downloads, ALL of my emails... archived and unread... basically, everything I need to work properly in the office.

Now I'm back in operation about 20%. Reformat my entire system and brought in my personal machine so that this fuck up doesn't happen again (and so I can at least have a faster PC for Counterstrike... hehehehe) and had MIS check my compatibility with the network. Still a few network bugs coming up, but basically, the programs I need are already up and running.

*Sigh* Work news can get so boring... so let me shift angles...

Found something interesting over the net though... while sifting through the rubbish at my home PC, trying to see if I can at least back up my important files at home... one of the Pinay artists in DevArt posted her fiction on the site. Was reading it and have been impressed so far. Pretty cool reading as far as being a goth fanatic and vampire wannabe. But I did get interested because she's holding some sort of contest for it... so basically, I'm researching on what to do.

The ~Noypi community over at DA also has a contest. This one on the other hand is due by the end of this month, Don't know if I'll still be able to join, but I will try. It's a cool opportunity anyway, and the theme is still pretty interesting--anything and everything related to Pinoy culture. (I tried submitting my Jolina deviation but the moderator said that even if Jolenz was a Pinoy pop icon, it still did not classify itself as a Pinoy Culture deviation... plus he said shame on me for keeping such jolog art! MWAHAHAHAHA!)

Back to work now... time to get going. Hope it stops raining long enough for me to get a cab at least. Please Lord let today be a better day... *sigh*

Things are looking up already

I thought it was all still a steep uphill climb. Things really become much easier once the anger and frustration subsides. I'm glad we let everything go already, and just said sorry. The more you hold on to foolish pride, the harder it is to say sorry.

So I guess tomorrow definitely will be better. I mean, I have a hell of a lot of work cut out for me, what with my hard disk and all my office data gone.

Like I always tell my friends... there are ups and there are downs. There are the good things and the bad things. Pretty lame and unimaginative, right? But for something that sounds so simple, it is actually quite profound and encompassing.

Dad's 10th Year Death Anniversary and then some...

Nagaagawan sila actually kung sino mag-bo-blow ng candles! Hehehe...

Family got tegether as usual for Mass and to celebrate Dad's 10th year, as well as hold a mini birthday celebration for Matthew! Awww....

Clan ADiK LAN Party

That's how good I am, man! I can take photos and still whoop Doom ass...

Some of the photos from the LAN Party last Saturday... will post some more when I get the rest

Clan ADiK

(Wow! Third Journal Entry for the day... told you had a busy weekend... hehehehe)

If you�re wondering what the hell Clan ADiK is, you have to understand first the origins of our name.

ADiK came about as an expression for people who, like me, end up playing a certain game for hours on end, sometimes neglecting sleep, food and work. In short, a gaming addict. We jologize it, and call ourselves, ADIIIIIIK! Now, with the eruption of the popularity of Warcraft 3, and the new features regarding groups and cliques, we built our own group or clan so to speak, comprised of people who, like us, play Warcraft for hours on end, sometimes neglecting sleep, food and work,

Last Saturday night we had our first ever all-Clan ADiK Lan Party! Feckyeah� we brought our own PCs, set up the network at our clan chieftain�s place (who happens to be my best friend) like a damn internet caf�, and play till morning. Seriously. And for once, I was one of the first to get knocked out� fell asleep quite early actually, around 4AM� everyone else went to sleep at 8AM, right about the time when I just woke up. Hehehe�

I was actually playing doom 3 more than warcraft, which was fine. We also played network doom 3, but couldn�t get any more than 3 players since we only had 3 original copies. =P

To make a long story short, we had our best Warcraft Clan win streak ever, since we were all seated next to each other and we had no problems calling instructions to each other� hehehehe. And yeah the place was really built for gaming! All of us had a hell of a time! And knocked out till late in the morning. Hehehehe�

Check out the photo gallery in a bit. I�ll upload the pics� hehehe� and maybe upload more later when I get the rest of the shots from the other Digicam. Ain�t technology wonderful?

On a side note, we�re actually one of the top Warcraft clans comprised mainly of Pinoy members. As of yesterday morning, our 4v4 clan rank was somewhere in the top 10. ADiKs PWNS!!! LOL! OMG! WTF! ;p

Most successful comtech graduate...

Ok. I got this from one of the �friendster� groupies that�s been so prevalent in there. I just had to react, since I myself am a ComTech graduate. In case you�re not familiar with the course, its full course name is Management of/in Communications Technology (actually I�m not sure if it�s �of� or �in� � but �of� sounds more appropriate) Anyway, ComTech is actually a mixture of Management/Marketing, Computer Science and Communication Arts, so you can just imagine the diversity of the classes involved. But like any given multi-major course, you get to pick what you�d like to focus on eventually.

Below is the bulletin board post of the moderator of the group.

Message: After a long period of silence I think it�s about time we sparked up the Comtech connection once again.

For the alumni, and the students for that matter, here's a question...

Who do you think is the most successful comtech graduate/student. It doesn't have to be in financial terms. Any notable achievements count.

Let's get to know our coursemates, and see what our course can do for us.

My first vote:

1. Andro Atienza (2004) - fresh grad, works for
FHM events. nuff said. Chickster talaga.

This is what I said in response.

I don't know if I'd like to agree with you, kasi you have to look at it in a number of perspectives:

Like is he earning a lot? Is he the one in charge of the event planning itself? Is that what he'd really like to do for the rest of his life? Does he have a girlfriend na pang-FHM or wala?

You know success depends on so many factors, and it differs from person to person. I would consider my batchmates who've gone into advertising and who've built their own companies to be successful. They may not be well known, but the fact that they used their pagiging-ComTech to attain their goals is in itself already a measure of success.

I mean, just because kilala yung FHM for hosting these wild events doesn't mean this guy's already made it big time. Truth be told, maliit lang ang pay sa mga magazines as a writer or graphic designer compared to, say, working as sales or marketing for a multi-national company.

So vote if you guys want. But in all honesty, you cannot measure a successful ComTech graduate on his career choice alone. Peace!

I guess that being said, I would like to consider a couple of my batchmates to be quite successful. One of those guys is Mike V. who actually took his thesis (which was a graphic and web design company) and brought it to life!

Not many people can accomplish that! You may not be with the �hip� crowd over at FHM, but you know exactly where the stuff you learned over the years went, and put it to good use. Now that�s a good measure for success.

Of course those other things go hand in hand, but seriously, would you measure success that way as well? Maybe, maybe not. One thing I do know� astig and ComTech! =D

Deviance...

Not even sure if there is such a word. But I use it all the time... hehehehe. Hmm... must check the dictionary for specifics. =D

Found it!

Deviance n "The condition of being abnormal:"
Also: aberrance, aberrancy, aberration, abnormality, anomaly, deviancy, deviation, irregularity, preternaturalness, unnaturalness.

Ok, it sounds a bit unnatural and insulting to be called abnormal� but it sounds much cooler to be called a deviant. Hehehe�

And that�s what happened Saturday afternoon, August 21, 2004. Pinoy Deviants got together for a little quality time together, and shared their tips, skillz and deviations with each other. It was a lot of fun, even if that �pleasant guard� kept pestering us to leave, it was still alright. You could tell there was so much talent around and so much enthusiasm to create amazing things out of nothing, because in every corner of the DevMeet, you�d see people digging in to each other�s work, sketching samples and drafts, talking about all things related.

Hopefully, the next time we meet we�ll be in a more conducive venue. I�ve already offered our office and multi-purpose board room to ~popazrael and ~minsan, so the next time we decide to have a workshop for all those budding artists, we�ll have a decent place to work in, and no security manongs to breathe down our necks.

It was great seeing the real faces behind the fabulous Deviations on DA. Maybe now we can get more people to come out in the future, and maybe have a bigger even exclusively for Deviants and Deviance.

I uploaded pictures in my photo album. Check out how wacky and weird some of the artists are� hehehe�

DevMEET, August 2004

... check out the funky hat!

Pinoy Deviantartists got together for the 3rd time to check out each others skillz, catch up on events and to just have fun... it was almost perfect if it weren't for that polite security guard making his rounds and picking on us poor Artists... hehehehe...

LAN Party!

Current mood... ALIVE!

Am currently playing DOOM3 with my buds... taking a break... be back much much later... hehehehe... ROCK ON!

Aliens vs Predator (REPOSTING)

Rating:	★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy

I should have figured it out from the start. What with a cheesy tagline like “Whoever Wins, we lose” and a lousy acronym for its title, I should’ve read the context clues and immediately determined that it would be a waste of time and money.

AVP, or so aptly named, Aliens vs. Predator (or better yet, Agonizing and Vituperatively Painstaking), was a masterpiece in failure. The story was so poorly constructed and full of obvious loopholes and lapses in character, and the action was only interesting enough to be gory.

I mean, the idea that these pyramids where these battles were conducted to initiate a predator-being into warriorhood came from ancient civilizations is completely, and nonsensically farce! I mean, if the Aztecs and the Egyptians and the what was the other ancient civilization came together to build these things to “revere” the predator race, wouldn’t it have come up in some form of ancient text? Wouldn’t it have at least been like some sort of theory or long-held superstition by the archeologists that came with the expedition?

I mean, it tried to be interesting by mixing and matching “specialists” from different fields of study, like a super genius bio chemist or something, to a world-renowned archeologist to a skilled ice expedition trekker-slash-guide… but the character development and background story (not to mention each character’s involvement in the progression of the story itself) was so lacking that it failed to fill the lapses in the story and kept me wanting so much more.

I mean come on… they did establish that the archeologist dude was well-versed in ancient text... but they themselves said that the writings and hieroglyphs in the place were from the three different civilizations… and the guy could read it all and thus give away the whole plot in one sitting… gee-zus what the hell was the director thinking?!

I admit, seeing Aliens battle it out with the Predators was very cool, but everytime the movie came back to the characters it just reeked of unprofessional screenplay writing. I mean, even if I was an idiot with an IQ of a 2 year old buffalo named Bubbles I’d still think the story was stupid!

The one thing that could’ve made my day was seeing Lance Henriksen do something cool versus the Aliens, thus establishing his foothold as the model for a new line of cybernetic human beings for the future… namely a Cyborg named Bishop. They only hinted that he was the father of robotics by showing, for a split second mind you, a magazine on robotics with his face on the cover and the heading reading something like this dude is the revolutionary new robotics whatchamacallit.

I mean, it even lacked romance… which is essential for a B movie action flick… it could’ve drawn more crowds if maybe the other characters that died immediately showed their boobs or something. Call me chauvinistic, but Hollywood’s losing its touch with the testosterone-driven, male-dominated market for action flicks.

In sum, AVP failed to even pique my interest. The story was wholly predictable and completely implausible, the cast, entirely blasé, and the action, uninterestingly ho-hum. It had its few movie moments, like when the bio chemist dude was already entangled and then the things started to you know… (hehehe… no spoilers here folks, sorry!)… well, that was a moment built for the B movie history books. But even the action sequences which humiliatingly and pathetically tried to John Woo-slash-Matrix its way into extravagance, flopped miserably and only made it look like a cheap photocopy of an already overused original.

I only rank it at 2 stars because, mercifully, it comes with a Hollywood ending (complete with twist and that tried-and-tested formula of leaving you with more excitement, or a bad taste in your mouth, which ever comes first), it showed some awesome cloaking special effects and brutally effective weapons and high class alien-predator gore, and lastly, because Lance Henriksen was in it.

In the end, I am left with only Bishop’s final words to Ripley… “Not bad for a human…” Not bad is right… it should actually be “terrible”, “lousy” and “garbage of a movie”!

P.S. If the director or the writer gets dragged out into the street and shot I won’t be at all surprised.

Bugs revealed: The Solution

I wrote Multiply customer care shortly after I noticed the errors on my page. Here's what they had to say:

=================================================
Aug 20, '04 8:43 AM ET
Hi Iggy,

Unfortunately, there is an issue with the summary views that we are aware of. If you have any html in your entry, we display the full entry instead of the summary so that we don't break in the middle of a tag. For a future release, we will try to work around this in a more sophisitcated way.

Paul
=================================================

And here's what I wrote in response:

=================================================
Aug 20, '04 11:22 AM ET
Wow! thanks for the promt reply! I kinda figured it was the HTML code... however some of my entries, I no longer placed HTML code, but it still showed the entire entry instead of just a teaser... Hmmm... anyway, I'll have a look-see at my page again and maybe try and work around it.

In the meantime, I really appreciate the prompt response and the dedication to your users! I myself work for a website here in the Philippines, and have been in and around working with users for well over 2 years... so I at least have a general idea of how tough it is for you guys to keep the site spick and span. We at YEHEY.COM are very impressed with what you've done with the site, in spite of the massive popularity of Friendster here in the Philippines!

Keep it up! And maybe in the future your company and mine may have a chance to work together! Thanks again!
=================================================

There you have it folks! HTML code in the body of your entries can do that to your page. I mean, it's a good thing they thought of that, because I too was worried that my entries' HTML codes might break at the exact part where the Journal entry get's "severed".

Glad they cleared that up! Here's hoping for a quick fix soon! =D

Lunch break blues... and then some

Current Mood: Hungry, Cheerful, Agitated

Lunch break is CS time in the office. But when we have meetings or when the big bosses are around, we tend to act like good boys instead. So we keep quiet, sleep on our desks, or go out for lunch and hang out at the mall.

Going out would've been fine, but moving around in the mall usually requires money. And money is something I haven't been to good at managing lately. What with my birthday celebration just last month and then that stupid "accident" last weekend, I'm left with a bad hangover and a hole in my pocket.

I haven't started that video tribute I was supposed to do for my dad... which means tonight I will be cramming like hell. Jeez I don't even have a blank CD yet to place the final... but that's not really important is it? I mean, how can I worry about a blank CD when I don't even have the material to put into the damn thing! Hehehe... I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

Was looking through the old photos of my dad. Can't believe it's been 10 years since he passed away. We just go on living I guess. it's always like that, it's only the initial shock that really hits you. After that, everything should be fine... more on this sob story after.

Right now, I gotta go. It's meeting time in a few, and I am getting quite hungry. This diet works though! I am noticing a change in weight... or maybe its just phsychological. Whatever! More later...

P.S. AVP sucks!

Must remember to take down notes...

Current mood: Lazy, sleepy (surprisingly at 11 PM) and mentally incapacitated

I've been experiencing blog withdrawal� when I get things into my head I begin to wonder if it�s worth writing down� and then I start composing what it is I�d like to say in my head... but the minute I get home and sit in front of the computer� my head blanks out. I haven�t a clue what to say, what to write� mark of a true writer I guess� too much info, so little brain-space� hehehe. According to whatsisname on the Cartoon Network ad� �It just get crowded��

I guess the reason I�m so bummed out is because I just spent a lot of money (well, babe spent a lot of money� hehehehe) to watch a lousy movie which I thought and expected to be good or exciting at the very least� if you�re not a fan of the Aliens or the Predator dudes or even the game itself, I suggest you go watch something else� something better, like, um� paint peeling from a wall.

Gawds if I could write a decent movie it would probably be this bad! Hahahaha! Yeah it sucked, but it had its moments. I won�t spoil it for everyone else, but let�s just say that it�s a good thing they didn�t spend much money on the cast� they really had to keep enough of the budget for the special effects.

Anyway, on to the gaming aspect of my life. Naz just passed by to give me a long overdue birthday gift� awww� what a sweet guy! Hehehe. Now I have something new to show off to the dudes when we meet on Saturday. Let�s hope this game is good enough. (It�s Unreal Tournament by the way) I�ve never really been a fan of the Unreal series, since when it first came out my PC sucked ass so much I couldn�t even run 2 word processing applications at the same time, but from what I heard back then it was a really awesome game. Now I have the means to find out for myself! Hooray! Even if I have no time to play I shall play! Hehehe�

Doom 3�s been on my mind all month. Can�t get over how awesome the lighting is in this game. Story sucks though, but since I�m a big fan of the whole ID series of games, I can overlook that tiny detail and just play through the damn thing once. Just haven�t had the time to really sit down and play non-stop� which I usually do when I�m so into a game! I remember just playing Diablo for hours on end, and then looking out the window and seeing the sun rising over the horizon� damn addictions! Hehehe� I get so addicted I end up dreaming about the game! This time is still no exception.

Have been slacking off with DeviantART again. Been meaning to do a set piece for babe, but never could get around to finishing it. I guess it�s the �artiste� in me� I hardly ever really work if I�m not inspired enough. Oh well� that�s my life. But I did finish this interesting new Flash game today� this was the promo thing I was talking about earlier, the one for The Exorcist movie� watch out for it! I bet it�ll reach your e-mail pretty soon!

But right now, I guess I was just inspired enough to at least get the design and concept down pat. Now it works well without any hitches but I would like to polish it up some more. I happen to be O.C. when it comes to stuff like that� highly meticulous when it comes to details, and very anal-retentive when it comes to finishing something perfectly!

Ah! Now I remember what it was I wanted to write about! Thanks for that anal-retentive remark� I had an epiphany of sorts regarding religion and forrest gump and dogma�

But now, I am too lazy and sleepy to continue. I shall write a thesis on it some other day. Maybe Sunday. After my Dad�s death anniversary. I bet my balls I�ll be totally inspired to write after then� brooding character that I am. But for now� a little Doom before bed� It�s game time!

Memories... like a thorn in one's side.

My internet was down last night. Dammit. And I think until now my internet at home is still on the fritz. I called ZPDee and they said there was this some problem with their cables or something... which is a load of bull... anyway, the Customer Service Represenatative I talked to said to check back by 12 midnight or 1 AM. And even added that if it still wasn't on by that time, to check back at 6 AM.

I checked this morning at around 8AM, and it still wasn't on. Fuckers...

Anyway, wasn't able to update this thing because of that.

Been having an epiphany of sorts lately. I just realized what I dork I used to be. Well actually, I've known for quite some time already, but to tell you frankly, was in constant denial all my life. With all these bouts of memory retrieval (what with all my old friends coming into contact with me again...) it's hard to avoid remembering certain things from your childhood. Hehehe...


THIS IS ME AS A KID... CUTE HUH? Hehehehe...

I remember I was scarred for life in grade school because I was bullied by a bunch of kids from my Grade Level, but were part of the "siga" group. It wasn't all my fault really, but yeah now that I think about it, I wasn't thinking very well... and all of that trauma could have been avoided. I was a tough little bastard back then. I never backed down from a challenge.

So even if their whole group approached me and confronted me and tried to intimidate me at my classroom, I just stood there, defiant. I felt like pleading for my life really, but I just stood there and took it. It was all words anyway, since they couldn't touch me, lest be thrown in detention or something.

I even remember coming across these same guys during the Grade School fair. Damn that was a whole series of freaky events. But it all boiled down to a series of stare-a-thons... nothing physical.

So you wonder what the hell caused the trauma? It was their girlfriends... goddammit I had no idea that word spread so fast amongst the girl population. I mean come on, it happend once and a few days alter all the girls I knew from that school had something to say about me. Good GOD! I mean, mind your own damn business! I later on found out that it was one of the guys that was trying to intimidate me that did the slandering... that was fucking gay. (No offense to the gay community, but yes that was a chicken-livered, yellow-bellied thing to do)

And it worked by the way.

Now I am very careful about what I say about other people. I mean I still speak my mind without prejudice (hence this lousy P.O.S. you'd call a journal) but not around people I don't know... which is the way it should be. I mean, I opened my big mouth without thinking at some soiree back in Grade School and all this happens... hehehe... if you're wondering what I said and to whom, let's just say that right after I said it, I smacked myself in the head.

What an idiot. hehehe...

I still see the same dudes that I had the pleasure of crossing harsh paths with, and some, well, they're still the same. The others are really good guys who just fell in a bad crowd. So yeah I see them, or used to see them in college... but now that I'm bigger and less scrawny (and I'd like to think, I'm much cooler now... hehehehe) I guess they don't think it's worth it to bother me anymore.

Now I have some gems of wisdom to share with my children. I've even thought about how to say it to them without sounding too preachy whilse still sounding like a cool person. Hehehe... what a geek. But yeah, when the time comes, I'll know what to say. Hopefully they won't have to go through the same damn problems I had to go through at so young an age.

Life's like that I guess. You learn from things you'd rather not experience. It makes you who you are today.

With that thought in mind, I begin to wonder... how much of what I went through should I really tell them? If I want them to learn, do I tell them all about it or let them experience it all on their own? I guess I'll just have to cross the bridge when I get there. One word of advice I will tell my son... stay away from the ladies until you know well enough... hehehehe.

Queer Eye for This Guy

Ok. I admit. I watch the show. Nothing wrong with it right? But babe and I were talking while we were watching it, and we started having a difference in opinion...

I said that Kyan Douglas, if he were straight, would be the hottest among the five. She thought Jay Rodriguez would be the hottest if he were straight. I disagree with her because Jay has a smaller frame than Kyan, and he has a really boyish smile. Kyan I think would've been a real chick magnet if he were straight--most probably like me if I were thinner and still single... hehehehe... But she says Jay's hotter because he's like the boy next door. Ah whatever... to each his/her own I guess.

Ok, just to clarify, I have no doubts about my masculinity (except in the office where all the guys act so gay around each other...) But watching this show, seeing how many things I actually know already... small things that they talk about, the small bits of advice for straight guys, especially at the end of the show... most of them I know already! I guess all these I can attribute to growing up with five sisters... hehehe.

The latest episode is of a rocker dude. They made him over real good... kinda like a bon jovi sasquatch. Hehehe... I say that because the guy was huge! His shoes were size 15s! But I loved the denim jackets and the leather pants they picked out for him... leather won't look and feel good in the Philippines though... but the black leather jacket they got him was awesome! Lupet! Papang-papa! AAAAYYY! =P

Ngayon si babe nanonood na ng Hiram. Ayoko na. Alis na ko... hehehehe... I've gotta do some stuff for the office, and I've got to get down to putting together my Dad's death anniversary video. Yosi break muna... then time to work.

Birthday ni Mike 2 (08-13-04) KARAOKE NIGHT

Sarap talga maglasheng... hehehehe...

Ito naman galing sa pictures sa camera ni Mike! Ang hirap mag-isip ng titles ng song... kaya bahala na ito! Hehehehe... as usual, sa dami ng pics, pinili ko na lang yung "Da Best Op..."

Birthday ni Mike (08-13-04) KARAOKE NIGHT

...is easy cause you're blue-fi-pul...

Nag-inuman kami sa bahay ni Mike. Ito yung pics na kinuha ni Laz... share share na lang... nakita nyo na to malamang sa Shutterfly... ito lang yung highlights of the evening... hehehehe... Lahat ng pics dito I will try my best to title using the songs in Mike's Magic Sing... feel free to suggest,,, hehehe,,, yung mga walang title... well, suggest na lang kayo! =D

The Laramie Project

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

This is one of the best movies I've seen this year.

Based on one of the most controversial events in the United States in the past decade, The Laramie Project centers on the small town of Laramie in Wisconsin, where a young gay man named Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and left for dead by two of his fellow townsmen, apparently simply because he was gay. The story is based on over 200 interview transcripts which were conducted by a group of Human Rights activists-cum-theater producers/writers. The events which transpired in Laramie forever changed the small town, and blew open the issue of hate crimes and the rampant bigotry in the US.

One of the things that amazes me from this movie is the high profile cast. You may or may not recognize them, even if you do or do not remember which movies they've been in... but they have all definitely been part of one spectaluar or stellar performance. Just to name a few, Christina Ricci was there, along with Steve Buscemi, Jeneane Garrafolo, Joshua Jackson, and so much more. (The ones I remember are that girl who played Jim Carrey's wife in Truman Show, that young cowardly soldier in Saving Private Ryan, Kitty, the mother of Charlotte's ex-husband in Sex and the City, that girl who always plays odd roles in films like Girl, Interrupted, that lady who played the wife of the dude in the Stephen King book to movie The Dark Half, that old lady whom Tom Cruise approached in the Minority Report, that doctor, that towns person, that other gay man... so many of them! And all play integral parts in the movie, even if on screen for only a few minutes at a time...)

The movie was written so well that, even if it did have a documentary feel to it, you would not be thrown off the story at all. You would be angered by the bigotry and hate, awed at the scale and magnitude, and continuously moved by the events that transpire and how resilient the human spirit can be. One of the scenes that stuck with me was the time when the doctor was making an important announcement, and then TV screens of him conducting the announcement began to pop up on screen one after the other, and each screen had a different subtitle under the screen, signifying how widspread and internationally relevant the event became. It was such a subtle editing technique, but you were immediately shown the magnitude of the scope of the issue.

The story was written so well that it was hard to believe that it came from over 200 separate individual interviews. Can you imagine sifting through hours of interviews per person for hundreds of people and making a coherent story or script? Plus take into account the differences of each person's view and opinion, and the time and length of their conversations, from the totally unrelated and mundane interviews to the more relevant and concrete discussions... I mean... wow!

And amazingly, not once did they show Matthew's face. Not once did they show actual footage, or a recreation of the said hate crime. Not once did they subject the viewer to gore or brutality to incite feelings of disgust and empathy. They were able to accomplish moving the viewer without having to show the imagery... it was the story and the characters involved around the story that moved me, inspired me, touched me in some deep and hopeful way.

The technical aspects of this movie alone already defy the impossible... now take into account the message that this movie presents to its viewers, how powerful a medium this 2 hour film can be... and how effective a tool it is for raising awareness and decreasing apathy.

I highly recommend this film for everybody... and when I mean everybody, I make no discrimination. This film is part of human history already, and I believe that if just one person watch this film and pass on the knowledge and wisdom they garner from such a film, then we as human beings can become more mature... This film, apart from being a triumph of achievement in cinematic terms, is also a testament to the growing spirit and strength of humanity.

Random Iggyness

Stuff I took on my own nung nag-ti-tripping ako ng kung anu-ano...

My Birthday Party (July 30)

... inaantok lang... hehehehe... strike anywhere talga 'to, he's really not drunk.

Pahabol pics... this was last week or last, last week's party. Konti lang nakuha ko eh... =P

The Village

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Mystery & Suspense

It's not one of M. Knight Shymalan's best movies. But he never fails to give his stories that much needed twist in the end.

As a filmamker, MNS has outdone himself once again. There were so many elements in the movie that made it so authentic, made the actors come alive, that it was amzing to behold. You'd be engrossed in the village and all it's people and it would be enough to draw you into the story.

But regardless of how amazing the set and design is, how creepy and spine tingling MNS makes the environment and the set-up of the town, you are always brought back to the people, the characters, central to the movie. You feel for them, empathize with them, fear with them. MNS does that so well, that he can keep an audience glued to his stories until the end, regardless of the outcome.

The movie is a good piece of fiction, true. But if you were out to get spooked like the Sixth Sense, or thrilled to your bones like Signs, you'll be much disappointed. these earlier films are in themselves tough acts to follow, but the fact that MNS can still come up with amazing and original material, while still being a technical genius (like knowing where and when exactly to cut, where best to place a camera, when to place which flashback scenes where...), is something not very many directors can equal.

I love watching his movies! They always inspire me to maybe work on my own material! Even if in sum I only give The Village 3 stars, I still believe that the movie is worth yout time and money. So check it out soon! And try and figure out what the twist is before you get to the "abandoned and forbidden storage house"

Good Job MNS! We need more films like this! =D

PARTEY!

Masarap kumanta! Kahit paos na paos ka na, basta marami kayong naglalasingan, naghihiyawan, nagkakantahan, ang saya! Kahit wala na ko sa tono... kahit alam kong nagrereklamo na yung mga kapitbahay na "KUNG AYAW NYONG MATULOG MAGPATULOG KAYOOOO!" kahit na mali mali ang lyrics ko sa magic sing... game na game pa rin!

Da best talga ang pagkanta ko ng Bon Jovi at kung anu ano pang classic na glam. Dyan ako lumaki eh... never ko pagpapalit ang pagmamahal ko sa glam rock! =D

It's now 3:43 AM on Saturday, my head is slightly spinning, although the drive home definitely cleared it up some, but I can't leave my journal updateless... hehehe... if only I had this discipline for work. Actually, hmmm... it's not like I update this thing in a timely fashion anyway.

The day started out horribly, had to get a beating from my boss, which I rightly deserved anyhow, and then had to go through the day on a guilt trip because, even if I present so well to the board of directors, I know I'm still very much deficient in the discipline and attendance area... I guess some habits you take with you to your grave... and my habit of being a procrastinator and lazy ass tardy boy has never left me... I really need to work on it. Really. No more lates this year. Ever. *gulp*

Anyway, glad this party lifted all our spirits. Happy birthday Mike!

Met an old friend again today...

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? Even if my life is heck because of so many external things bearing its weight down on me, I just sit in front of my pc, log on, and already I'm lost in a myriad things.

Most recently, I met an old friend again today. First it was through Friendster, and I bet we all know what that's like, and now through this wonderful new thing. She was one of my first crushes actually, isn't that sweet? =D But being so young I couldn't possibly call it true love... hehehe... but yeah it was a huge crush. I mean thinking back that was the first time I ever learned to ride a bus... all because she lived in Makati so far away and I lived near Ateneo. Imagine? Learning to commute, by yourself, at age... er... 12? 13? Hmmm...

And after talking to her, reminiscing, well things really put themselves into perspective. That no matter how old or how far away you become, you always remember the ones that touch your life in some way or another. It builds who you are today, and it may be sad to think that even if you may never see that person again in this lifetime, the memories you shared have already left their imprint on your soul.

Life is so full of unexpected surprises, and I'm just glad that I never run out of my fair share of them. =D

Some things are truly unexpected

Maybe it's just me. But from time to time, so many unexpected things come your way. I don't normally write in a journal... but what's wrong if you do? Now's as good a time as any to start I guess...

Insomnia is a real killer. Every bone in my body aches of fatigue and weariness, yet I can't seem to find the strength to lie down and just fall asleep. It's like there's so much to do, yet I can't find what it is I'm yearning to accomplish. I know it's all in my head, but to me, it seems that I'm living such an unfulfilled life. I have all I'd ever need... a roof above my head, someone to love immensly who loves back probably just as much, enough blessings and material wealth to last me the rest of this lifetime... but there's a tug in my soul. Like a question that's hanging at the back of my throat, some uncomfortable thing at the roof of my mouth that you keep tounging until it becomes sore. I can't sleep because the question is clear... and the answer eludes me. Is this what I want in life? Is this God's plan?

I've never been much of a devout Catholic... I used to be though. Don't get me wrong, I believe that there's a God... some source of life, some unseen, supreme thing that is the root of all things in existence. But I've never believed in the system... I've never believed in the church, where so many hypocrites congregate to praise God, while the kids on the street starve, flesh hanging from their bones. After singing their Alleluias and Our Fathers they come back out into the world and completely ignore the hapless souls lined up on hell's maw... fuck them. Fuck me for being one of them. Fuck this soulless government where corruption runs amuck, where fucking pigs in government worry about how to save one life on some foreign soil while hundreds upon thousands of our brothers scrape, claw and tear to make a decent living in this pathetic existence they call life. I am blessed yes, but everytime I go out into the street, I don't see it.

I didn't use to be like this. Once I was so full of hope. I remember, whenever I went out and saw the kids on the street, begging me for change, I always had a sandwich or two tucked away just for them. I never showed this to anyone... only one person ever saw me do this... and she said she was truly impressed. I wasn't trying to impress her... it was just the way I was...

Was...

Now I've grown numb, unfeeling, angry. What changed me? I don't know.

All I know is I can't sleep and I haven't celebrated mass for years. I pray constantly, fervently even... but even that I guess is not enough. Fuck these demons in my head, fuck the uncertainty, fuck the questions of purpose.

I once believed I could make a difference in this world. Now, I don't know. I truly honestly don't know.

TEAMYEHEY Friday Session (Aug 6 '04)

Sumama na ang mga bago... dumadami ang mga lasheng... kita tayo next weekend ha? Hehehe...