Close Encounters with the Gal-Lum Kind

It's a small world they say. What transpired yesterday was an evidence (sorry, this post will be a bit more incoherrent than usual, as the guy behind me happened to be playing music loud enough to wake the dead...jesus christ, whatever happened to civilization?)

....and thou shalt not "lift his own chair."

I'm a bit annoyed by someone's fruitless effort to "lift his own chair" (this is a literal translation of an old tagalog "proverb")...tsk...tsk...I have met this person once or twice (many times when he was still a kid), I would think he was a "basically ok person". It just so happens that he gets on my nerves. He is guilty of being a "braggart" (for lack of a more suitable word). But I don't know, maybe it's just me.

...

This one sort of reminded me of Integral Hellsing. :D Ah, hell, another "thoughtless" post. Just one of my most favourite songs (and artist as well).

Winter by Tori Amos

Snow can wait
I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose
Get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart
When I think of winter
I put my hand in my father's glove

I run off where the drifts get deeper
Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown
I hear a voice
"You must learn to stand up for yourself
Cause I can't alyways be around"

He says
when you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change
so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that I'll always want you near
You say that things change my dear

Boys get discovered as winter melts
Flowers competing for the sun
Years go by and I'm here still waiting
Withering where some snowman was
Mirror mirror where's the crystal palace
But I only can see myself
skating around the truth
who I am
But I know, dad, the ice is getting thin

Hair is grey and the fires are burning
So many dreams on the shelf
You say I wanted you to be proud of me
I always wanted that myself

When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses have gone ahead
I tell you that I'll always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Never change
All the white horses

"it's raining outside, aren't they??!" ^_^

Found this interesting quote:
"Once someone said that if a million monkeys were typing 24/7 they should one day reproduce the works of Shakespeare - Now, thanks to the Internet, this has been proven untrue."

I'm included in the "marketing" team today and they're quite a funny lot. The laughs compensated for the headache and sun burn. *lol* :) And the people we met along the way weren't so bad either. Most are quite polite and behaved like proper human beings. :D

Once again, the current situation is all "sound and fury, signifying nothing." I am thinking about becoming a member of "The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to English" and "The Association of People Who Would Rather Shut Up Than Belt Incorrect Lyrics". Because I get lots of unintentional laughs around. *wink* *grins* Wait, we must exercise maximum tolerence. And I think that's what I am doing, to the dismay of my ears. :)

"...sound and fury, signifying nothing..."

There. Just to summarize the current situation.

Yahoo! Yehey! Ang saya ng lola mo!

This is probably the first entry in which I am particularly "happy". Weird isn't it? I am happy. Euphoric, extremely glad and immensely pleased!

Finally, all that work (yes, well I consider being an artist/illustrator a serious occupation - why do you think I'm keen on improving my style? - and all fall secondary to it, including family, and er..friends - unless they happen to be artists as well) seems to be paying off! Starting in "small" amounts of course. *grins widely* But paying off nonetheless.

Here's what happened, I recently made a deal with a certain Mr. Skye Smith (an art collector) from Illinois USA. He'd buy my rendition of Queen Amidala (in all her "pre-senate" glory) for $30.00 (roughly P1,680.00) plus the cost of shipping and handling (he'd shoulder this as well). Wha! Talk about a very pleasant surprise! :D I'm glad I did not give that drawing away! What's more, he'd asked me to draw several more pieces and he'd buy them as well! :D (rawwwrr!)

Now if I could just move on to the second bit of my "battle plan". :D I'd probably have to invest something on Patrick Reid's (Phat's "Lord Tuvitor) new book, "The Chronicles of Tirlannon" Saga (part one - The Freedom Fighter - is out), but once I get the sample illustrations sent to him (he's been quite appreciative of my Phat artworks). I just might become the book's official illustrator! (hehehe..sounds like a long shot, right? but maybe not...look at Tolkien illustrator Ted Nasmith or The Hildebrandt Brothers).

Words can't explain how happy I am now... "para akong naka-drugs". tee-hee!

As an added bonus, I particularly liked the way my new "Maximus Decimus Meridius from Gladiator"
came out. :D (click link to view)

....the unbearable crappiness of being...Part II

As it turns out, I did not die (not physically anyway). Just got a bit tired, all that walking (but that ain't too bad either). So far everything went "fine", just as long as I didn't have to open my mouth. ;)

Got a bit of a headache though. But that didn't last long either.

I've sent the payment for an item I won on E-Bay (today). Finally, a copy of "Silence of the Lambs" novel within my grasp. I've been outbid on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (but I decided to let it go). The costs of shipping almost cover that of a new copy (but I think this one was the British Edition). I'm also tracking a wonderful new item, Books 1-6 of Stephen King's Dark Tower Series.

I found Dark Tower books on National Bookstore. "Wizard and Glass", "The Wastelands", "The Song of Susanah", "Wolves of the Calla" and "The Dark Tower" - the last part - I'm missing "The Gunslinger" (which I saw on Diplomat and I deeply regret NOT buying it) and "The Drawing of the Three". I'm planning on getting "Wizard and Glass" or maybe "The Wastelands" - both of which being great editions. But it wouldn't be good to have a "fragmented" (that is to say not chronologically) read.

I've also noticed that the main protagonist of Dark Tower, Roland of Gilead bears a personality resemblance to Hellblazer's John Constantine (no, not the movie, please! Constantine is NOT supposed to look like Keanu Reeves...and the way they "butchered" the story...excuse me). Roland sacrifices those closest to him (even the "love" of his life and his "son") - the way Constantine does - in exchange for fulfilling his life's mission (that is stopping the Crimson King from "undermining" the Dark Tower). By book seven almost all members of Roland's Ka-tet have either died or been left behind (with the exception of Oy). I mean, he can be friendly (when he really wants to), but is usually distant (a direct quote from Wiki). So he's another Anti-Hero. :D

....the unbearable crappiness of being...

I'm going to be sick tomorrow!

I HONESTLY wish to be sick! Maybe I could break a leg or something? (on second thought, maybe not!) Or have a bad case of LBM? (is there even a good case of LBM? Given my current circumstance, this might be the very first case of "good" LBM. Yes, it's THAT bad!) How about a severe attack of nasal allergies? The possibilities are endless, really. But it would look too obvious. Okay! So I want to skive off work tomorrow! Big deal. Because I am "scheduled". Yes, "scheduled". To be burnt at the stake.

What I'm being asked to do (tomorrow) seems LIKE A WALK IN A DUNG HILL...(hills more likely!) Believe me. It makes me want to channel the spirit of Johnner (ah, what? he's STILL alive?) and say "______ man, what a sh*t hole!"

Wish dear Aunt Wendy would hurry up with my papers. So I could get a move on, as the situation is getting weiz & weiz. >.< In other words, my only option would be to use my "Limit Break" (which one? maybe...uh...Desperado? Or Blood Pain? The Great Divide, perhaps?)

Hey, maybe breaking a leg won't be too bad after all. ;) Given the situation. Sure, sure, I might come off it alive (physically anyway).

You are a Child of the 80's when...

Are You One of Us?

1. Paborito mong panoorin ang Shaider, Bio-man, Maskman, Mask Rider Black, Machine Man at kung ano-anong TV sitcom ng Japan na isinalin sa Tagalog. Break muna sa mga laro kapag alas singko na ng hapon tuwing Sabado dahil panahon na para sa superhero marathon. [humanda na kayo...kampon ng kadiliman....]

2. Alam mo ang jingle ng Nano-Nano. (isang kending lasang champoy)

3. Nanood ka ng Takeshi's Castle at naniwala kang si Anjo Yllana talaga si Takeshi at si Smokey Manaloto ang kanyang alalay. (Pinagiisipan mo - pano sila lumalaban sa final challenge na parang nakasakay sila sa isang bumpcar at nagbabarilan sila gamit ang water gun gayong sa Japan ginagawa yun eh taga Pilipinas sila?)

4. Alam mo ang pa-contest ng Kool 106 na uulit-ulitin mong bigkasin ang "Kool 106, Kool 106" hanggang maubusan ka ng hininga.

5. Naglaro ka ng Shake-Shake Shampoo, Monkey-Monkey-Annabelle,
prikidam 123, Langit-Lupa-Impyerno, Syato, Luksong-Tinik, Luksong-Baka, 10-20 at kung ano-ano pang larong nakakapagod.

6. Pumunta ang mga taga-MILO sa skul niyo at namigay sila ng
samples na nakalagay sa plastic cup na kasing laki nung sa maliit na ice cream. (at nagtaka ka, bakit hindi ganito ang lasa ng MILO kapag tinitimpla ko sa bahay namin?)

7. May malaking away ang mga METAL (mga punks na naka itim) at mga HIPHOP (mga taong naka maluwang na puruntong na kahit Makita na ang dalawang bundok.)Nag-aabangan sa mall na may dalang baseball bat at kung anu-ano pang mga sandata. Sikat ang kasabihang "PUNKS NOT DEAD!" pero kung gusto mong mag play safe, pwede mong tawagin ang sarili mong HIPTAL.

8. Alam mo ang universal uwian song na "Uwian na!" na kinakanta sa tono na parang doon sa kinakasal.

9. Nagpauto ka sa Batibot pero hindi sa ATBP. [hahahaha!! totoo yan!!]

10. Nakipag-away ka para makapaglaro ng brick game. (hi-tech na yun noon) [hahaha...makikipag-away ako sa classmate pag di naka-laro! ]

11. Ang "text" noon ay mga 1"x1.5" na karton na may mga drawing ng pelikulang pinoy. (at may dialog pa!) [madami akong collection nyan]

12. Dalawa lang ang todong sumikat na wrestler, si Hulk Hogan at si Ultimate Warrior. Naniwala ka rin na namatay si Ultimate Warrior nang buhatin niya si Andre d' Giant dahil pumutok ang mga ugat niya sa muscle. [parang may nangyari din atang ganyan kay Hulk Hogan]

13. Nagsayaw ka ng running man at kung anu-anong dance steps na nakapagpamukha sa'yong tanga sa saliw na kantang Ice Ice Baby, Wiggle It, Pray at Can't Touch This. [can't touch this....tarararan...can't touch this]

14. Hindi ka gaanong mahilig sa That's Entertainment at pinapanood mo lang ito tuwing Sabado kung saan nagpapagandahan ng production numbers ang Monday hanggang Friday group. (at badtrip ka sa Wednesday group dahil pinakabaduy lagi ang performance nila!) [er..yan lang ang di ko napanood, inaantok ako lagi...]

15. Napaligaya ka ng maraming pinoy bands tulad ng Yano, Rivermaya, Grin Department, Tropical Depression, The Teeth, The Youth, After Image,Orient Pearl, The Dawn, Alamid, Wolfgang, at ang sikat na sikat na Eraserheads. (at aminin mong nakinig ka ng Siakol!) [oo! hindi ko itinatanggi!]

16. Kilala mo ang Smokey Mountain, (first and second generation)

17. Hindi pa uso noon ang sapatos na may gulong. Noon, astig ka kapag umiilaw ang swelas ng sapatos mo tuwing ia-apak mo ito. Tinawag rin itong "Mighty Kid".

18. Kung lalaki ka, sikat na sikat sa'yo ang mga larong text, jolens, dampa (mga unang anyo ng pustahan), saranggola at ang dakilang manika niyo ay si GI-JOE with alipores.

19. Kung babae ka naman, ang mga laro mo with you're girlfriends ay luto-lutuan, bahay-bahayan, doktor-doktoran, at kung anu-ano pang pagkukunwari . ang dakilang manika mo ay si Barbie. (Sikat ka kung meron kang bahay, kotse at kabaong ni Barbie.) [kabaong ni Barbie??]

20. Naniwala kang original ang isang cap kapag may walong tahi sa visor nito.

21. Swerte ka kapag panghapon ka dahil masusubaybayan mo ang mga kapanapanabik na kaganapan sa mga paborito mong cartoon shows tuwing umaga tulad ng Cedie, Sarah, at Dog of Flaunders a.k.a. Nelo. (Hindi ka ba nagtataka na sa lahat ng mga bida sa cartoons na ito, si Nelo lang ang di yumaman at namatay pa ng maaga) [ak! napakasakit kuya eddie!]

22. Alam mo ang ibig sabihin ng "TIME FIRST!"

ehehehe...gusto ko lang idag-dag...uso rin nun yung "Million Dollar Movies"(kung saan 2 beses kong napanood ang "The Fly"), Friday the 13th the Series, Mission Impossible the Series (kung saan may mga sumasabog na computer at mga taong nagpapalit ng anyo sa pamamagitan ng rubber masks na mukhang totoong-totoo at sa end ng bawat episode tinatanggal nila ito), Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, Star Trek (to boldly go where no one has gone before! tanananan!) Eerie Indiana (wag mong sabihing hindi mo kilala sina Marshall at Simon at ang napaka wirdong lugar ng Eerie, Indiana POP 800), He-Man & The Masters of the Universe (ang walang kamatayang "I have the Pooooweeeeerrr!") Conan the Barbarian, yung War of theWorlds (kung saan malalaman mong ang isang tao ay na-assimilate na ng alien kapag kumakain na sila ng damo sa backyard at may extra hand na lumalabas sa dibdib!)

nandyan din ang tanong na "Who killed Laura Palmer?"ng Twin Peaks (nagpa-contest pa ang ABS noon kung sino makaka-hula sa killer - napag-alaman sa huli na yung ama pala nya ang salarin na na-possess ng ispiritong nag-ngangalang "BOB"!). Ito rin ang mga panahon kung kailan si tatay ay adik sa NYPD Blue at Forever Knight (kung saan ang bida ay isang pulis na bampira na may stock ng dugo sa ref nya!) At sino ba ang makakalimot sa "Baywatch" (na pinagbibidahan ni David Hasselhoff - tama ba spelling?) Tapos dumating pa ang The Uncanny X-Men (tanananan-nanan...tanananan!) Nung mga panahong yun eh ang basa pa namin sa Wolverine eh "Wolver-rayn"...ahahaha...

ito rin ang panahon kung kailan naisipang patayin ng DC Comics si Superman, at ng Marvel Comics si Ghost Rider. :(

At sino ba ang hindi nakarinig sa Operation Desert Storm at Desert Fox (uy, may t-shirt ako nun...hehehe), ang "Invasion of Kuwait"....? and on 1993? 1991? yung Bosnian War.

Nostalgia: I Remember the days when...

Princesa/Prince Igamu
Hikari Sentai Maskman 1987

Just a bit nostalgic today (not to mention a bit lethargic too - you know, the thought of getting out of bed seems to require gargantuan effort -). Anyway, found this picture (above) while randomly searching some stuff related to the "continental style" uniform - i keep running into "afrika corps" websites, seems that particular style originated from the german army). The picture was a bit small, but no matter. At last I'll be able to draw her.

I grew up on "sentai" (japanese for task force - not that "other" one! - you sukebe..you.!) and "tokusatsu". I wish they'd bring it back, preferrably on evenings and during Sundays, in place of those irksome (and generally shallow, no offense) "tele/korean novelas". It's about time, I think. Particular faves include "Hikari Sentai Maskman" (light task force maskman) - great story, quite complex characters (just take a look at Igamu - mine idol.hehehe - and Kiros), with the added bonus of seeing "familiar" stuff - and besides I've never seen the ending; Kamen (masked) Rider Black - sniff, sniff! this show made me er...cry several times - i was in the fifth grade, i think, the whole theme of brotherhoood and what it means to be human etc, especially the ending). Great themes too, I liked "Ai No Soldier" and "Long, Long Ago 20th Century" the best.

I remember me and my bro would play "Maskman" (or Shaider...nope I'm NOT Ani, I usually play the High Priestess Yda -using the long broom as a staff), he would be "Red Mask" (Michael Joe/Takeru) and I would be his rival Princesa Igamu, we would simulate sword fighting (ek..sometimes jumping up and down the tables and chairs, to the detriment of our parents) and power blasts (swish! kapow!), not to forget the "poses" - Red One!...Yellow Four! Pink Five! - knocking over certain house-hold fixtures in the process! There was one time when we decided to construct a make-shift version of "ang binog ng kamatayan" (The Circle of Death), using the "kulambo" (mosquito net). I think we tore it in places. :D Ahahaha!

We constructed several stories too. Our very first, I think, was "The Adventures of Jamie & Vultril". Jamie was my Barbie doll and Vultril was his toy robot. They go on Maskman-like adventures, kicking the ass of evil guys (but we added some depth by making Vultril a "former bad guy" and his brother was the main enemy, I think). Then there was our first comic book (X-something), I think the main character there was called Raven and we also had Brain-something, and we code-named a character "Moron" (the story was somewhat convulted - I was in Grade V and he was in Grade II! - we started on Episode 45...hahaha!) That "Moron" (a slimy, back-stabbing, shape-shifting maniac) character became loads of laughs years later (I mean, who on Earth would want to code name themselves "Moron?!" unless... :D)

Last Sunday's Full Metal Alchemist episode "Ang Pamamaalam" (The Final Goodbye) was just...great and sad. Lt. Col. Maes Hughes died in the hands of a homunculus (Envy, I think - although Lust and Sloth are also present), hence the episode title. The dialogue and imagery were both haunting/chilling (Envy shape-shifted into Hughes' wife then shot him) and moving (especially that of Hughes waving -in sepia tones- on the train platform - a great comic panel to be sure). Will herald the second part of the adventures of brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric. Will they be able to find the true "Philosopher's Stone" and restore their original bodies (most specifically Al who was now a "living armor" as a result of Ed's "human transmutation" fiasco)? We'll see. I expect more information about Scar and the people of Ishval (the Ishval rebellion and why they ("really") were massacred by the state military?)

Annoy-nt-ment

I am Annoyed. Irritated, Bothered, Irked, Vexed, Provoked, Aggravated, Peeved, Riled.
Got the point? I'm a bit..."displeased". And that's putting it lightly. >.<

Not to mention, that throbbing headache seemed to have made another unwelcome comeback. Followed by that disconcerting "throb" above and behind my eyes. I hope I don't get a nose bleed like last time. I'm going home straightaway.
Just today. >.<

It's like all the blood decided to leave other parts of my body and exclusively occupy my head. It seems that my temper's close to the surface (and to the boiling point) again! (and I've always worked so hard to "keep it in the back burner"!)

M.E.A.B.

• yes, "mine ears are bleeding" (severely and profusely!)
• excessive "sound - i mean "song"- pollution", if anyone could catch my drift. (lol) :D
• but i am exercising -or trying to exercise- maximum tolerance (the sounds currently playing you see, are not to my liking), but that does not lessen the fact that mine ears are still bloody! lol. :D
• the downside of not having my trusty sounds and earphones with me when i'm working (to cover "undesirable" noise(s) *grins*

a choice between what's right and what's easy

Well, nine (9) days to go before "Goblet of Fire" movie. I'm quite excited! Not that I'm not aware that it could take months before the movie "actually" got here. Look at "Revenge of the Sith". It opened on August, but the local theaters got it by June. One month later. Not too bad. I might have to settle for "pirated editions" for a while (er...just kidding?) I'm seeing it on the "big screen".

What else? "Bad mood" just passed. Thank goodness. I've been walking around for 2 days feeling very much "pissed off". At what, I couldn't really point out. It's "one of those days". But just this morning the "dark cloud" lifted. I'm quite sure it will be back sometime, but for now I'm "fine", not exactly happy but not "mad" either, which was more than I could hope for.

I could finally finish the other portraits, Dwayne Hicks in particular. The uniform was quite hard to do, as well as the background (guns and a grenade launcher). But I'm very satisfied about the way it was turning out. :D *grins* Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) would probably take a long time to finish. But no hurrying, like I said before.

The picture on the above left's my latest Deviantart entry. see @ http://www.leiaskywalker83.deviantart.com - Harry Potter sporting his task garb.

always...The Hours

Back from a long and "fruitful" vacation. I have finally made some definite progress with my technique, I've managed the figure out how to blend the skin tones quite perfectly. The trick it seems, was not the complete absence of lines - as I have thought earlier - but integrating them so well so that one does not stand out too prominently (thereby making your drawing more cartoonish than realistic). There's also something about the borders - people don't have "line borders" after all. I'm quite satisfied with my present work (Maximus from Gladiator was turning out better than I expected - looks like a photograph - , as well as a supremely detailed Angelina Jolie portrait - down to the sweat, the freckles, and yes, the pores, the technique was to do it inch by inch and without hurrying). I might achieve "photo realism" after all, without resorting to more expensive materials (the price of the bristol pencil set was, as expected, astronomical - i'm not too sure if I could manage to afford it, as of now.) I made a J-Lo portrait earlier (just to see if i could manage), but I committed it to the trash bin after a while, hardly seems worth the pencil.

I rented three movies for the holidays. "The Hours" (succeeding paragraphs),"Aishte Imasu" (quite a fine film, once you get past the squeamish-ness and the prejudice, you might actually enjoy it) and "Blood Work" (not too excited about this one, the "killer" thing was easy to spot coming from a mile away, but the fact that it HAS Clint Eastwood, makes up for all the "cons").

We also had the "spaghetti thing" in celebration of my brother's birthday (Oct. 30). I've gotten those Hellsing CDs at last - first six episodes - liked "Sword Dancer" the best, as well as "Innocent as a Human". Great musical score too (very "gothic" - haunting piano tunes and equally haunting vocals - they're more like "chants" actually - superimposed with/to angry guitars, always a nice combination). "Logos Naki World" - A world without logos, might also be translated as "a world without God" - mostly gibberish, but you get the "gist" after a while, is starting to grow on me - although I liked the ending theme "Shine" first). Japanese subtitles, the translations were not bad (at least they used "proper" english). Quite violent and with touches of black humour - NOT for everyone. I'm still missing 4 CDs (13 episodes - 7 cds). Can't wait to see "Master of Monster" (easily the best episode, or so I've read) ^__^

Right. Where was I?

I'm giving a "blurb" review of "The Hours" (recently added to my "favourite films" list).