THE GRAYING OF ORTIGAS
It began last night.
Walking home, hunting for a cab in the maze of Ortigas, I spied flashing lights and trucks along Julia Vargas Ave. It was the MMDA demolishing the center island, complete with uprooting of trees. Odd that the attempt on Katipunan's roads were stopped for a while, but not this. Perhaps that's why the started at night.
It continues today...
SILENCE & CHATTER
Forcing myself to write in my blog is a lot like trying to jumpstart conversations on strange subjects. I don't want to write about pedestrian stuff, just like I don't like talking about pedestrian stuff. I don't like discussions about the weather (unless the weather itself is unusual). Or traffic (unless there's a new wrinkle or solution), or something equally blah. It reminds me of the days when folks around me would chat about who was seeing who, who had a crush on who, who was devasted because she missed out on a sale or because some guy didn't like to wear the latest in fashion... high school. Grade School? Bleh.
But I do like telling stories and anecdotes. I like listening to little slice of life stories, the eccentric activities of my friends and family, the odd story from the newspaper. And I like telling people about them. Talking may be my vice. I remember that I once had to be given a double-shot of anaesthetic before my tonsils were taken out because I kept talking. I pity the fools who drug me up to "loosen my tongue". Muhahahaaaa!
And yet, when I'm reading I can be oblivious to the world and to a lot of people. I've pissed off quite a number of folks by continuing to read when they dropped by (and cut into my reading time). Rude, but I honestly didn't see what was wrong with it. Call it a deficiency in "emotional intelligence".
So I'm quite comfortable with silence, and quite comfortable with talking. I guess the trick is to make the former seem like I'm listening, and control the latter to keep things straight to the point, and yet mysterious and meaningful.
Ah, heck. I've never done mysterious well.
Forcing myself to write in my blog is a lot like trying to jumpstart conversations on strange subjects. I don't want to write about pedestrian stuff, just like I don't like talking about pedestrian stuff. I don't like discussions about the weather (unless the weather itself is unusual). Or traffic (unless there's a new wrinkle or solution), or something equally blah. It reminds me of the days when folks around me would chat about who was seeing who, who had a crush on who, who was devasted because she missed out on a sale or because some guy didn't like to wear the latest in fashion... high school. Grade School? Bleh.
But I do like telling stories and anecdotes. I like listening to little slice of life stories, the eccentric activities of my friends and family, the odd story from the newspaper. And I like telling people about them. Talking may be my vice. I remember that I once had to be given a double-shot of anaesthetic before my tonsils were taken out because I kept talking. I pity the fools who drug me up to "loosen my tongue". Muhahahaaaa!
And yet, when I'm reading I can be oblivious to the world and to a lot of people. I've pissed off quite a number of folks by continuing to read when they dropped by (and cut into my reading time). Rude, but I honestly didn't see what was wrong with it. Call it a deficiency in "emotional intelligence".
So I'm quite comfortable with silence, and quite comfortable with talking. I guess the trick is to make the former seem like I'm listening, and control the latter to keep things straight to the point, and yet mysterious and meaningful.
Ah, heck. I've never done mysterious well.
BRAINTEASER TEST
Well I took the Brainteaser test at E-mode and...
Alex, you answered 29 out of 30 questions correctly!
Congratulations! Your score is in the 99th percentile. This means that if one hundred people took the test with you, your score would rank higher than 98 of them on average.
When we analyzed your test, we also discovered that when it comes to quantitative ability, you measure in the 100th percentile. This score indicates you have unusually strong abilities when it comes to solving numerical problems. If there is a numerical pattern to be found, you'll find it. You've got a knack for noticing when something "isn't right." Whether you're conscious of it or not, you have an ability to simply understand when something doesn't add up. Also, when it comes to splitting the check, doing taxes, or determining the number of fans in a baseball stadium, you're the one people turn to.
I dunno man. Is this really true?
Well I took the Brainteaser test at E-mode and...
Alex, you answered 29 out of 30 questions correctly!
Congratulations! Your score is in the 99th percentile. This means that if one hundred people took the test with you, your score would rank higher than 98 of them on average.
When we analyzed your test, we also discovered that when it comes to quantitative ability, you measure in the 100th percentile. This score indicates you have unusually strong abilities when it comes to solving numerical problems. If there is a numerical pattern to be found, you'll find it. You've got a knack for noticing when something "isn't right." Whether you're conscious of it or not, you have an ability to simply understand when something doesn't add up. Also, when it comes to splitting the check, doing taxes, or determining the number of fans in a baseball stadium, you're the one people turn to.
I dunno man. Is this really true?
Musings on Hinirang
After having given long thought to the mechanics of the Hinirang RPG, my thoughts have turned to the setting itself.
Hinirang may have a body of work surrounding it already, but a lot more of it is filled in by our knowledge of the period of Philippine history that it is approximating. How to explain this to folks without removing the mystery and the sense of 'magical realism' that some of the stories strive for? I've been giving though to the daily life of the Katao of Hinirang, and there're some things that immediately jump out at me.
Family. Friends. There's got to be a reflection of the tight family and societal bonds in the community.
The Supernatural. Don't go out after dark. Always say "Tao po" when knocking on the door so they know someone human is paying a visit.
Food! My god, a list of the food that people eat...
After having given long thought to the mechanics of the Hinirang RPG, my thoughts have turned to the setting itself.
Hinirang may have a body of work surrounding it already, but a lot more of it is filled in by our knowledge of the period of Philippine history that it is approximating. How to explain this to folks without removing the mystery and the sense of 'magical realism' that some of the stories strive for? I've been giving though to the daily life of the Katao of Hinirang, and there're some things that immediately jump out at me.
Family. Friends. There's got to be a reflection of the tight family and societal bonds in the community.
The Supernatural. Don't go out after dark. Always say "Tao po" when knocking on the door so they know someone human is paying a visit.
Food! My god, a list of the food that people eat...
PLOTS from EVERYDAY LIFE
From my Bro's weblog at this link I found a number of interesting links that can be used to spice up the average role-playing game. Here's one:
Plot Source: Under the U.S. Patriot Act, the FBI can legally request to see the reading habits of patrons of local libraries. A group of Palo Alto librarians are seeing to it that they burn records immediately after transactions are completed to help retain the privacy of patrons. More here
In the Philippines, we don't have real public libraries to speak of (except those in schools) and one real big one. There isn't one in every city... though it may be argued that it helps ensure that citizens are well-read and literate since there are no barriers to information. Would players in a game be for or against the actions of the librarians? Would you?
From my Bro's weblog at this link I found a number of interesting links that can be used to spice up the average role-playing game. Here's one:
Plot Source: Under the U.S. Patriot Act, the FBI can legally request to see the reading habits of patrons of local libraries. A group of Palo Alto librarians are seeing to it that they burn records immediately after transactions are completed to help retain the privacy of patrons. More here
In the Philippines, we don't have real public libraries to speak of (except those in schools) and one real big one. There isn't one in every city... though it may be argued that it helps ensure that citizens are well-read and literate since there are no barriers to information. Would players in a game be for or against the actions of the librarians? Would you?
HELLBOY LIVES!
At this link, you can find all sorts of neat pictures and design sketches from the Hellboy movie! Keep yer eyes peeled for the pic of Hellboy hisself in alla his non-CGI glory.
Roleplaying Purity - An Analysis
The BASICS: The lower the percentage, the less pure you are. The higher your percentage, the closer you are to RPG virginity or ignorance.
Hacklust: Apparently, I'm 13.92% below the average for Hacklust, meaning I've been a very dangerous RPG combatant in my time. I take offense to the tagline though. I've always made time to make conversation even during massacres.
Sensitive Roleplaying: I'm only 9.06% below the average for this, meaning that I'm not that fanatic about my characters. But I do care about crafting their histories, personalities, quirks etc. Plus, I've taken the odd hit for not acting on player knowledge...
GM Experience: Er, 26.2% below the average? I thought I was a cushy GM. Benevolent and nice.
Systems Knowledge: Holy mackarel! I've got 33.61% on the average? Sheesh. Nobody else knows anything about most those games? *sob*
Livin' La Vida Dorka: Ah yes... only 8.23%. That must be my natural nerdiness giving me the extra push over everyone else. Just a little bit.
So over all I've got 21.6% less than the average. More impure than the average impure gamer. YEAH!
At this link, you can find all sorts of neat pictures and design sketches from the Hellboy movie! Keep yer eyes peeled for the pic of Hellboy hisself in alla his non-CGI glory.
Roleplaying Purity - An Analysis
The BASICS: The lower the percentage, the less pure you are. The higher your percentage, the closer you are to RPG virginity or ignorance.
Hacklust: Apparently, I'm 13.92% below the average for Hacklust, meaning I've been a very dangerous RPG combatant in my time. I take offense to the tagline though. I've always made time to make conversation even during massacres.
Sensitive Roleplaying: I'm only 9.06% below the average for this, meaning that I'm not that fanatic about my characters. But I do care about crafting their histories, personalities, quirks etc. Plus, I've taken the odd hit for not acting on player knowledge...
GM Experience: Er, 26.2% below the average? I thought I was a cushy GM. Benevolent and nice.
Systems Knowledge: Holy mackarel! I've got 33.61% on the average? Sheesh. Nobody else knows anything about most those games? *sob*
Livin' La Vida Dorka: Ah yes... only 8.23%. That must be my natural nerdiness giving me the extra push over everyone else. Just a little bit.
So over all I've got 21.6% less than the average. More impure than the average impure gamer. YEAH!
NOBODY'S PURE!
I took the test...
I took the test...
| Your Ultimate Roleplaying Purity Score | ||
| Category | Your Score | Average |
| Hacklust | 38.68% Has conversations in between massacres | 52.6% |
| Sensitive Roleplaying | 43.04% "But what's my motivation for this scene?" | 52.1% |
| GM Experience | 41.3% Puts the players through the wringer | 67.5% |
| Systems Knowledge | 55.79% Guardian of the out-of-print game | 89.4% |
| Livin' La Vida Dorka | 52.87% Has interesting conversations in public | 61.1% |
| You are 45.54% pure Average Score: 67.2% | ||
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