Someone to Talk To
Xandro: As a kid, we (Alex and I) were introverted. Sort of. I think that the common perception was that we were painfully shy. Once we considered you a friend, though... we wouldn't shut up.
Alex: And to some extent that's still true today.
Xandro: Shut yo' mouth, fool. I'm talkin'.
Alex: M'kay.
Xandro: Kate left for Vietnam this afternoon and I miss her already. One of the reasons is the temporary loss of someone to talk to. Another reason is the temporary loss of someone to be silent with.
Alex: Xandro's overanalyzing, but he's right. It's wonderful to be engaged in hours of conversation with someone you love... but it's just as wonderful to be sitting comfortably side-by-side with her and silently enjoying the company.
KawangaKid: This season's message was brought to you by... Hallmark.
Alex: How'd he get in here?
KawangaKid: Hallmark, more than just greeting cards...
Xandro: He's the defense mechanism. Keeps us from getting too mushy.
Alex: Thank you, Mr. Exposition.
KawangaKid: ... also a fine provider of family-oriented shows...
Vlad: Back to work, you fools.
Doctor ... Who?
Apparently, the Doctor is coming back. Based on this link from BBC, the venerable series Dr. Who is part of their new season lineup.
Apparently, the Doctor is coming back. Based on this link from BBC, the venerable series Dr. Who is part of their new season lineup.
Acclaimed actor Christopher Eccleston plays Doctor Who in a new series for BBC One next year.Billie Piper, who made her acting debut in the critically acclaimed Canterbury Tales - The Miller's Tale, stars alongside Eccleston as the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler.
Travelling through time and space, the Doctor and Rose come face to face with a number of new and exciting monsters - as well as battling with the Doctor's arch-enemy, the Daleks.
Check out the site for an aptly named "teaser" of the series.
Comic Book Universes
I've always been more a DC Comics fan than a Marvel fan. It's with great delight that I've been following two series: Green Lantern Rebirth and Identity Crisis.
Identity Crisis
I enjoy this series primarily because it's a detective novel set in the DC Universe. I thoroughly dislike what happened to the Dibneys, but I am fascinated by the characterization (mostly) and the airing out closets with long-hidden skeletons tumbling out. I like the polarization of politics in the JLA.
On the politics of having great power and having to work through the morality of what to do with it, and how to protect yourself and those you love from the fallout... the treatment here being a lot less radical and violent than something like Dark Knight Returns. It rings true that longtime friends (who have fought alongside each other on countless occasions, and have saved each others lives on almost as many occasions) would have such varied opinions, break up their affiliations to an organization, but still be "in touch" with those friends.
The Hawkman / Green Arrow antagonism is much more than the caricature that we've seen it before... more than a hard-nosed, control freak against a liberal, seat-of-the-pants type of guy. There is a rift between them that will not easily be bridged. And yet they are bound by a secret.
Zatanna is the one voice I expected to hear more from, given that her abilities were pretty much the cause or catalyst of most of the story. Oh well, one more issue to go.
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Only two issues in, and I'm hooked. The story's shaping up to have a more satisfying redemption of Hal Jordan than the Final Night storyline, without painting poor Kyle as a weak-willed Johnny-Come-Lately. The writer, Geoff Johns, seems to have a real affection for the Green Lantern Corps mythos and seems set to right the injustices that have been wrought on Hal's character (which really annoyed me) without sacrificing yet another part of Kyle's life.
There are also interesting lines that pepper the series so far that have special resonance: "An Impurity." "Beware My Power." "Parallax is Coming." "Don't be afraid."
I'm waiting to see where Johns takes us.
I'm curious about the
I've always been more a DC Comics fan than a Marvel fan. It's with great delight that I've been following two series: Green Lantern Rebirth and Identity Crisis.
Identity Crisis
I enjoy this series primarily because it's a detective novel set in the DC Universe. I thoroughly dislike what happened to the Dibneys, but I am fascinated by the characterization (mostly) and the airing out closets with long-hidden skeletons tumbling out. I like the polarization of politics in the JLA.
On the politics of having great power and having to work through the morality of what to do with it, and how to protect yourself and those you love from the fallout... the treatment here being a lot less radical and violent than something like Dark Knight Returns. It rings true that longtime friends (who have fought alongside each other on countless occasions, and have saved each others lives on almost as many occasions) would have such varied opinions, break up their affiliations to an organization, but still be "in touch" with those friends.
The Hawkman / Green Arrow antagonism is much more than the caricature that we've seen it before... more than a hard-nosed, control freak against a liberal, seat-of-the-pants type of guy. There is a rift between them that will not easily be bridged. And yet they are bound by a secret.
Zatanna is the one voice I expected to hear more from, given that her abilities were pretty much the cause or catalyst of most of the story. Oh well, one more issue to go.
Green Lantern: Rebirth
Only two issues in, and I'm hooked. The story's shaping up to have a more satisfying redemption of Hal Jordan than the Final Night storyline, without painting poor Kyle as a weak-willed Johnny-Come-Lately. The writer, Geoff Johns, seems to have a real affection for the Green Lantern Corps mythos and seems set to right the injustices that have been wrought on Hal's character (which really annoyed me) without sacrificing yet another part of Kyle's life.
There are also interesting lines that pepper the series so far that have special resonance: "An Impurity." "Beware My Power." "Parallax is Coming." "Don't be afraid."
I'm waiting to see where Johns takes us.
I'm curious about the
A Dark and Terrible Storm
I am more than a little bit relieved that the superstorm passed with a lot less rain than expected. Alas, the winds that battered our poor country (and countryfolk) aided in the demise of more citizens, and hampered rescue efforts.
I'm hopeful that the light of scrutiny is being focused on the inability of our government's organizations to prevent massive illegal logging (and rampant overfishing). Perhaps public outcry will do something.
It's likely that people will forget. Or that people will be paid to forget. It's likely that our forests will continue to be decimated and our natural resources will continue to be exploited. Why should the Philippines be any different from the rest of the world?
I am more than a little bit relieved that the superstorm passed with a lot less rain than expected. Alas, the winds that battered our poor country (and countryfolk) aided in the demise of more citizens, and hampered rescue efforts.
I'm hopeful that the light of scrutiny is being focused on the inability of our government's organizations to prevent massive illegal logging (and rampant overfishing). Perhaps public outcry will do something.
It's likely that people will forget. Or that people will be paid to forget. It's likely that our forests will continue to be decimated and our natural resources will continue to be exploited. Why should the Philippines be any different from the rest of the world?
SAYONARA NaNoWriMo
Alex: Well, the only writing I've been able to do, aside from work-related stuff, is for a speech. My novel-to-be is dead with a single entry, and I'd delete if it weren't for the possibility that I might actually come up with a plot for the situation.
Xandro: Alex, Writing does take a lot of discipline.
Alex: *whipcrack*
Xandro: No Alex, self-discipline. *beat* What I mean is, it takes willpower and persisitence to finish a novel in a month. Even short stories require that.
Alex: Well, there's a script that I've been meaning to finish for Ner. For four 24-page comics.
Xandro: Then enter there. (Sorry, dear reader. That's an in-joke between me and Alex)
Alex: Well, the only writing I've been able to do, aside from work-related stuff, is for a speech. My novel-to-be is dead with a single entry, and I'd delete if it weren't for the possibility that I might actually come up with a plot for the situation.
Xandro: Alex, Writing does take a lot of discipline.
Alex: *whipcrack*
Xandro: No Alex, self-discipline. *beat* What I mean is, it takes willpower and persisitence to finish a novel in a month. Even short stories require that.
Alex: Well, there's a script that I've been meaning to finish for Ner. For four 24-page comics.
Xandro: Then enter there. (Sorry, dear reader. That's an in-joke between me and Alex)
WRITING WOES
My efforts to embark on the NaNoWriMo quest of a novel in a month are hitting choppy waters. It's difficult to churn out thousands of words of plot, character and theme when you've not really completed that many stories in years. Often my ideas wrestle me down paths of too much research and I have to revise my plans.
Still, as a challenge, it is an engaging one. Being forced to focus on the potential plot and characters of a story worthy of a novel is something I've never considered before.
The FAQ for the effort notes that much of what is written will likely be crap, but that the goal is to push the writer to WRITE regularly and towards a specific goal. Heaven only knows how successfuly I will be. Writing crap novels takes time too, apparently.
My efforts to embark on the NaNoWriMo quest of a novel in a month are hitting choppy waters. It's difficult to churn out thousands of words of plot, character and theme when you've not really completed that many stories in years. Often my ideas wrestle me down paths of too much research and I have to revise my plans.
Still, as a challenge, it is an engaging one. Being forced to focus on the potential plot and characters of a story worthy of a novel is something I've never considered before.
The FAQ for the effort notes that much of what is written will likely be crap, but that the goal is to push the writer to WRITE regularly and towards a specific goal. Heaven only knows how successfuly I will be. Writing crap novels takes time too, apparently.
Some Recognition
HERO SYSTEM SIDEKICK is the set of Easy Learning Rules for the Hero System.
Here's a quote from the SIDEKICK book published by DOJ, Inc. (dba Hero Games):
HERO SYSTEM SIDEKICK is the set of Easy Learning Rules for the Hero System.
Here's a quote from the SIDEKICK book published by DOJ, Inc. (dba Hero Games):
A WORD OR TWO OF APPRECIATION...
Playtesters: We were especially fortunate to have the time and the resources to playtest Sidekick broadly and extensively. In addition to our regular group of Digital Hero testreaders, over the course of more than a month, dozens of playtesters - men and women, adults and children,
experienced gamers and newcomers, and gamers from many countries around the world
- got together to put Sidekick through its paces and report back to Steve regarding their impressions of the bookand suggestions for improving it. They are: Tobie Abad, ... , JayAnyong, Kate Aton, ... , Lenard Ignacio, ... , Adrian Martinez, ... ,Alexander Osias, ... , Vincent Michael Simbulan ...
A Pause in the Rat Race
As I type this, I'm actually at Kate's parents' place, while Kate (my beloved mahaw) furiously studies for her upcoming certification exams on her laptop.
It's nice to have days like this where things stop moving quite so quickly (and by this I mean, the clients that I have to handle are also on vacation), and be able to pause and recharge.
A major project that I've been overseeing has taken a strange turn. Now, I will have to engage the services of my company to handle a lot of documentation because we will no longer be performing several very hectic training schedules this coming November and December.
This means I'll be able to focus on ensuring that the manuals we've provided are complete and not totally incomprehensible to the people who'll be using it to install and configure and use our application.
In the past few weeks I've been to Cebu, Davao (which has a very nice new airport - kinda like a smaller Centennial Airport), and Zamboanga. I'm no stranger to travel, but it was one of those few times where I go alone to these places... and you discover that time alone is often a matter of killing time (unless you've got a presentation to prepare or work to coordianate back at the main office).
It's nice to be back in the Metro...
As I type this, I'm actually at Kate's parents' place, while Kate (my beloved mahaw) furiously studies for her upcoming certification exams on her laptop.
It's nice to have days like this where things stop moving quite so quickly (and by this I mean, the clients that I have to handle are also on vacation), and be able to pause and recharge.
A major project that I've been overseeing has taken a strange turn. Now, I will have to engage the services of my company to handle a lot of documentation because we will no longer be performing several very hectic training schedules this coming November and December.
This means I'll be able to focus on ensuring that the manuals we've provided are complete and not totally incomprehensible to the people who'll be using it to install and configure and use our application.
In the past few weeks I've been to Cebu, Davao (which has a very nice new airport - kinda like a smaller Centennial Airport), and Zamboanga. I'm no stranger to travel, but it was one of those few times where I go alone to these places... and you discover that time alone is often a matter of killing time (unless you've got a presentation to prepare or work to coordianate back at the main office).
It's nice to be back in the Metro...
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