Ang mga Kasaysayan ni Spiderwick

This was sooooo late but I promised me-self I'll write commentaries for every film I'll watch in the cinemas. So...


The Spiderwick Chronicles
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

The story revolves around the Grace family, who move away from the city to live on a ragtag countryside mansion owned by their grandaunt Lucinda. Early on the movie, strange things happen inside the house that eventually lead to the discovery of a coexisting fantastical "dimension" of goblins, sprites, and fairytale beings. All of which are detailed on a collection of journals written by their great-grand uncle Arthur Spiderwick. This same tome is being coveted by an evil ogre, Mulgarath, for it contains information that can give him powers unimaginable... wait... UNIMAGINABLE!!!

Yan.

Kiddie fantasy adventure plot follows which eventually leads to Mulgarath's defeat and Aunt Lucinda reunited with her lost father, Arthur. A stereotypical fairytale ending.

I have to admit I enjoyed the fantasy ride. The comic reliefs has been well-placed into the story when things get serious. The storyline is quite predictable in that on most parts of the plot, it's a no brainer to know what is going to happen next. BUT... big BUT... I have to mention (and the only scene on the film that caught me off guard) the part where Mulgrath was defeated by (SPOILER!) none other than Hogsqueal??? It was one of the lamest ending for a kiddie fantasy flick that I've seen. So lame, that I think it was made just for the heck of having an ending. OK... Mulgarath (a shape-shifter) was tricked/predicted/coerced to transform into his signature avian-form and Hogsqueal (with his uncanny predilection to feed on birds) sacked and swallowed him outright. That's it. That's how your big bad guy died (along with the film's climax).

However, ending aside, the movie narrative is paced with a good dramatic flow. It set a different lighter tone from films of the same genre. Not as swashbuckling as Narnia. Not as dark as Potter. Not as brainless as Jumanji. And apparently, not as intense as the Lord of the Rings. Just the right fairytale story elements on a compact movie. It's a good family watch.

CG is great. Animation is cool. The portrayal of the fantastic creatures are well-thought of. Computer animated characters have delivered the right facial features and expressions. Thimbletack is cuddly and lovable, even at his deranged alter ego. Hogsqueal is a cool comedy relief character. Mulgarath and his goblin horde looks just right as the scary antagonists (although I've read reviews that said they were too scary for kids... psh!).

The flesh casts are so so. I find the kids Jared and Simon Grace (both Freddie Highmore) lacking in intensity. But that's just me. I haven't read the books so I can't really tell if their characters are really supposed to be boring or lackluster or lame. I salute the kid however for acting for two totally different character-type roles and give at least a mediocre justification for it. Mallory Grace (Sarah Bolger), the sister, and Helen Grace (Mary Parker), the mom, is on the average acting job too. Lucinda and Arthur Spiderwick (as if they needed much acting) plays their role well. But still, all in all, I'd rather see Mulgarath win an acting award for the film over all of them.

Conclusion: Although it will tickle the child inside most adult watchers, the movie's main market is kids around 4 years to 8. It's a delightful fantasy film created with them in mind.

Seven gulamans worth.

Mount Manabo - Day 2

Day 2 - Fold 6
6:14PM - wake up obi
(I had a nice sleep. Ang naging prob ko lang e during the night, galakas ng hangin at kada hagupit nya sa tent namin e nagtatalsikan sa muka ko yung mga nabuong hamog sa interior ng tent. Buti na lang dala ko yung handy-dandy arabo-headdress ko, pantaklob.)

Magarang umaga! Ano ga?
6:41 - cooking time
7:11 - kainan time!
(Lintek na daga yan. Iniskor yung kaisa-isang plastic ng loafbread namin. So we switched feasting instead on our trusted easy-cook noodles. We also opened some of the remaining canned goods... tuna, sardinas, tsaka meron pa yung malupit na adobo at papaitan ni Vic at Dric.

7:41 - packup time
- gising na yung ibang grupo sa kabilang campsite
(Nag umpisa na kami mag-sunog ng dapat sunugin at magplastik ng dapat i-plastik. Sanay na sanay si Nixon sa demolition job. Kayang magtupi ng tent sa isang kurap lang ng mata. Parang nagtrabaho sa MMDA linis-bangketa program... haha. Peace pards. Dahil dyan, ikaw si Boy Demolisyon!)

8:30 - trek starts
(Nagmamadali na kami. Hahabulin pa kasi namin yung laban ni Pacquiao. Ang napag-usapan, punta na lang muna kami kela Ayn sa Batangas para makiligo, pahinga, at nood ng laban ni PAMBANSAAANG KAMAO! I just have to capitalized that. Hehe. So after ng pre-descent photo ops, sinimulan na ang paglalakad pababa. May nakihiram pa ng lighter fluid sa kabilang grupo. Kaso wala kami. Hehe. Olats.)

A view of the campsite from the peak of Manabo.

8:56AM - blockade reached
(Ganun lang kabilis yung pagbaba from the peak. 25-30mins! We've reached the pesky roadblock again, reminding us of the craziness we've had the first time we got there and how we got lost taking the wrong trail on the other side of it.)

9:10 - stopover in overlooking
(Photo ops muna. Aside from the peak, this open clearing by the mountainside, overlooking the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, is next to the best panoramic view you can see along the trek. Dito yung moment na... "Lahaaaaat ng naaabot ng tanaw mo _____, mapapasa-iyo! Sagutin mo lang ako!" Ahaha! No name names mga Bords.)

"Lahaaaaaat ng naabot ng tanaw mo, _______. Mapapa-saiyo! Sagutin mo lang ako! Bigyan pa kita ng binoculars para mas malayo ang tanaw!" Hahaha.

9:23 - 2nd Batch of incoming mountaineers met on the trail
9:37 - grotto kubo reached
- 2 other outgoing groups where lounging there
(Eto yung dalwang grupo na kasama namin sa peak. Yung grupo ng mga galing pa sa Mount Maculot. Tsaka yung grupo ng mga adiktus. Hehe.)
9:43 - resume trek
(We just refreshed with the last water source of the journey then went ahead of the other mountaineer groups.)

Day 2 - Fold 7
9:54AM - Station 4
*Manong Buko - selling iguana for 125 bucks!
(Na-miss ko si Spike. Yung alaga kong iguana nung college ako. Gusto ko sana bilhin yung iguana ni Manong para pakawalan ulit ito dun sa gubat. Kaso ang keso masyado. Parang sa pelikula lang nanyayari. Wehe. Yung tamang, maganda't sexy na diwata pala ito at dahil sa pagpapalaya ko sa kanya e bibigyan nya ko ng tatlong hiling, sampung anak, lifetime supply ng kiss, magarang kotse't bahay, at mukha na pinaghalong Sam Milby at Piolo Pascual. Walastik.)

10:00 - river crossing
- dip
* lotsa plastic along the way! araguy!
** Shiny the Techy Phone batt empty.
(Dahil wala na kong tinginan ng oras, balik ako sa "Driiiiiic!! Anong oraaaas na!" pag kelangan ko nang magsulat ulit dito sa journal ko.)

Blog break
10:13 - Station 2
- buko break!
- Tata and Nixon went ahead
(Hindi sa hindi ako kumakain ng buko. Ayaw ko lang. Hehe. Gulo no? Pero sila, nag buko sila. Binebenta yung maliit na kabayo nung may-ari. Eto sigurado akong hindi magta-transform sa magandang diwata. Kahit tapa sa palenke di tatanggapin yun e. Malnourished.)
10:30 - resume trek

10:41 - arrival dropoff
- ice buko party!
(May naka-abang na Mamang Ice Buko sa dropoff. Astig. Andami pa ding umaakyat. Along the way, andami naming nakasalubong. Most of them were pilgrims. Nakasunod din sa amin agad yung grupo na galing ng Mount Maculot. Sa kanila kami nagkaron ng idea na lagyan ng silkscreen design yung backpack cover namin.)

10:48AM - leave the dropoff

Sa bahay nila Ayn.

*****

Before we headed straight to Ayn's place, I opted for the guys to take our lunch in this famous lomi house in Lipa City (Three Kids!). The radio was tuned to the Pacquiao match so we got really excited to watch it on TV even more. Making short works of our lomi, we charged Batangas City. It was well around 4:30PM when we left the house for Manila.

Thanks Team AIM for the trek well done!

Mount Manabo - Day 1

Quick Facts:
Coordinates (peak): 13.9938N, 121.2361E
Location: Batangas
Jump Off Point: Sulok (Barangay Sta. Cruz), Sto. Tomas, Batangas
Elevation (peak): 830 masl (but Shiny the Techy Phone tagged the peak at 809 masl)
Elevation (campsite): 762 masl
Climb Level: 1 (Easy Climb)
Estimated climbing time: 2-3 hours

* Mount Manabo is one of several mountains of the Malepunyo range (Malaraya to the locals).
* At the peak, there's a huge cross marker and a 360 view of the surrounding provinces of Quezon, Batangas, and Laguna.
* The word "Manabo" came from the phrase "Mataas na Bundok".

*****

Pictures are now available at my Multiply site:
Album 1 (Click Here)
Album 2 (Click Here)
Album 3 (Click Here)

Credit for the very very awesome pics goes to Mandric!

*****

It was a couple of minutes past 6AM on the 15th of March when the group headed to Batangas for the year's first climb.

Team AIM (Akyat I.T. Mountaineers) attendance: Obi, Mandric, Leo, Nixon, Tata, Dan, Ayn, Vic

L-R: Ric the KBL Dude, Boss Vic, Dark Leo, Tata the Lost, Nixon Ang Tanggero, Dan the Flash, Ayn the Ghost Model, Field Reporter Obi

We met Ayn's dad in Lipa City (8:22AM) and had our breakfast there (bumili na din ng packed baon for the climb) before heading to the South Supermarket (9:07AM) in Sabang for some last minute groceries. From there, we went on to the Barangay Outpost in Barangay Sta. Cruz (more popularly known as "Sulok" to the locals) to register our climb with the local officials (9:36AM). Only then that we proceeded to the dropoff point, not so far from the Barangay Outpost.

Iwan na naman si Kuya Driver sa van for the rest of our hike. Tinatakot namin na may nangunguha dun ng dayuhan at tinatanggal ang sex organ para ibenta. Waha.

Anyway, we started the journey and here's where I started writing on a four-parts-folded bond paper that served as my travel journal...

*****

(Entries were taken from my journal in verbatim)

Day 1 - Fold 1
* 9:53AM - Sulok Jump Off (Station 1)
(May Manang dito na very accomodating. Nagpabayad lang siya ng sampung piso for the overnight parking ng van. Pwede maligo dito pero may bayad. Sabi namin, mas kikita siya kung halo-halo ang tinda niya. Nagpakilala akong taga Batangas, sabay lagay ng accent sa salita ko... na nagulat ako na kaya ko pa pala after years na hindi umuuwi sa Lipa. Natuwa naman siya't nag-"huntahan" kami ng kung ano anong chechebureche.)

Nakaka-inggit ang camera ni Ric. Alangya.
* 10:13 - Start Trek
- Class Picture
* 10:30 - Locals encounter (Kubo)
- Gumana na GPS ni Shiny the Techy Phone (my N82)
(I tagged the GPS coordinates of our present location as "Manabo Foot": 13.9867N, 121.2224EE, 456m above sea level. And if I remember right, sabi ni Shiny - after feeding the coordinates of the Manabo Peak - less than 1.5km to go at nasa destination point na kami.)
- buko break
(Pag balik na lang daw namin, so hindi natuloy ang laklakan ng buko.)
- alamid (wild cat)
(May mga alagang hayop sila Manang. May alamid, kabayo, mga ibon, aso, at unggoy na putol ang isang kamay... wawa. Kinuwento din ni Manang ang genealogy ng angkan nila simula sa mga apo niya hanggang sa marami niyang anak.)
- Station 2
- 455 meters above sea level

* 10: 36 - resume trek
* 10:47 - raining now
(Tumigil kami sandali para mag-ayos ng gamit. Lumalakas na kasi yung ulan. Nilagay ko na yung cover ni Mister Backpack. All synthetic ang suot ko para sa mga gentong instances. Pag cotton kasi, mabigat sa katawan pag nababasa. Gusto ng karamihan na umulan. Mas exciting ang trek at hindi mainit. Anticipated namin na madali lang ang climb since most of the reviews told it was only at a beginner's level but the rain changed it all. Dumulas yung trail dahil sa putik.)

Day 1 - Fold 2
10:55AM - Station 3
(Sa sumunod na araw, pag balik namin dito sa same location na ito, wala na yung cardboard signage ng Station 3. Ninenok siguro ng mga pesteng ibang mountaineers na nakasalubong namin along the way. Tae.)

10:58 - Kubo Stop
- Manong Buko
(May kubo na nagbebenta ng buko. Pahinga muna kami. Eto na din yung part ng trail where it'll split into two but both will still lead to the peak of Manabo. We've taken the left trail upon Manong Buko's suggestion. Para madaanan na din daw namin yung "grotto". I guess it was the most common path taken.)

11:08 - resume trek
- still raining
(Ayaw tuminta ng ballpen ko. Nabasa kasi ng bahagya yung papel na gamit ko.)
11:20 - water source
- worm encounter
(May dambuhalang millipede along the way.)
- may Locals kubo
(Here be the "grotto". Isa syang kubo na may grotto sa tabi with running water. This is the only water source of the trip so better replenish your stock sa part na ito. Inabot namin yung owner and her kids. Nagpahinga ulit kami.)

11:50 - may mga nakasalubong na ibang grupo pababa
(May mga mountaineers kaming nakasalubong. Pababa sila sa grotto para kumuha ng tubig. At this point, we were already thinking how easy the climb would be if these guys were from the top and walked all the way back only to fetch some water. Mas nauna sila sa amin ng isang araw sabi ni Manang sa jumpoff point.)
- steep climb part

12:16PM - stop to rest
- mountain side
(We took a break on this hillside spot where there was a view of the Laguna/Quezon side of the mountain. Isa siyang malawak na clearing with dry grass parted down. Photo ops muna at kwentuhan habang pinatugtog ko si Shiny.)

Mga bata, saan ang tamang daan?? Yan, kaya tayo naliligaw eh!

12:30 - resume walk
(This was where it got funky. We got off at the wrong trail which eventually led to us being lost. Along this walk na din namin nakita yung wooden roadblock which ironically was the correct path to the peak! Read on... read on...)

12:57 - Manabo Peak (krus) in sight
(Sa point na ito, kita na yung peak ng Mount Manabo at yung malaking cross sa tuktok nito. Hindi muna kami nag taka at this point kung bakit nasa far right side namin yung peak while our trail was slowly heading left and downhill! Ang iniisip muna namin baka sa dulo ng trail may sudden right turn that will correct our direction towards the peak.)

1:16 - stop over (search the area)
- ...we think we're lost
(Eto na. Tingin na namin naliligaw kami so we decided to stop first and study the area. Tata and Ric went ahead to scout the trail if there was any chance it will thread right and point towards where the peak should be. Coordinate kami using our short-wave radios. Nilabas ko na si Shiny the Techy Phone and activated its GPS. Ayun... na-confirm na we were heading the wrong way. Thing was, after much discussion, hindi namin maisip kung sang path kami nagkamali since sinusundan lang namin yung trail. AND to top it all, soooobrang dulas at soooobrang daming tinik nung current trail na dinadaanan namin.)

Day 1 - Fold 3
1:41 - we're heading back the trail
(We decided to track back and check for any forks along the path that we've missed.)

2:11PM - back to mountainside
- found a new trail
(We're back dun sa grassy clearing na pinag-pahingahan namin earlier. Dito namin nakita na may mas malaking trail nga other than the one we took. Mali nga yung trail na napasukan namin! Araguy!)
- panorama.jpg
- i can see the San Sebastian Cathedral and the Carmelite seminary here (Lipa City)
- eat lunch
(Kumain na lang muna kami ng mga kung ano mang packed meals na binili namin sa Jollibee sa Lipa.)

2:29 - resume trek (new trail)
2:41 - blockaded road reached the second time, but now we're on the other side
(Syete. Nasa kabilang side kami nung roadblock na nakasalubong namin earlier! Isa lang ibig sabihin nun, ang totoong hinaharangan ng roadblock ay yung trail na kinuha namin nung naligaw kami. Anak ng kalabasa naman oh.)

2:48 - Yes, i think we got it right this time. Demmit.

Heading down the peak towards the nearby campsite (Manabo Cross in the background)

Day 1 - Fold 4
2:59 - We reached it! (The Cross of Mount Manabo) ...the peak!
*I love my phone! It pointed us to the right way.
- getting coordinates for Shiny
(Soooobrang ganda ng view sa taas. For a mountain you can climb that quick, sulit siya sobra for the view. Ang napansin ko lang agad ay yung mga vandalism dun sa white-washed surface ng cross. Ang jologs ang potah...)

Warning... rant underway:
Alam mo agad na wala sa mga jologs na ito yung essence ng pag akyat sa bundok. May mga date pa ang mga pinagsusulat ng mga hinagupak! Parang likuran lang ng upuan ng bus o dingding ng public toilet yung krus. Kulang na lang may mga maglagay ng "Inday loves Jokjok", "Kong Kong was here", "Jologs Gangsta Clan porebah", "I'm Bogart, Text Mate Wanted", at iba pang kagaguhang iskwater. E ano ngayon kung nakakarating na ng bundok ang mga jologs at adik na katulad nyo! Hindi nyo kelangang ilathala yan at babuyin yung krus dahil kahit anong basa ang gawin ng mga mountaineers sa mga pinagsusulat nyo, hindi kayo yayaman, sisikat, o gagwapo at lalo niyo lang pinatunayang iskwater kayo! Tangena nyo! OO, remembrance nga to na naka-akyat kayo ng bundok. Pero remembrance din to na wala kayong pinag-aralan at ambaba nyong tao. One time, babalik ako ng Manabo para pinturahan yung krus. Lahat ng abutan kong pangalan na nandun papakulam ko. Tangena nyo!

3:17PM - Campsite (768masl)
(May naunang grupo ng mountaineers sa amin. Eto yung kasama ng mga kumuha ng tubig na nakasalubong namin earlier that day sa trail. Madaming open clearings around the campsite. Kinuha namin yung medyo malayo sa kanila.)

3:46 - tent's up
(Limang tent kami in all.)
- text to Mommy
(Nag text ang mama's boy. May signal sa tuktok. Angas.)
- setup stuffs

5:12 - start cooking
- i took a nap
*4 batches of mountaineers (including us)
(At this point, dumadami na yung mountaineers. Bukod dun sa inabutan namin, may dumating pang dalwang batches. Yung isang grupo sa kanila e galing pang Mount Maculot. Hardcore. Nakatulog ako ng ilang minuto sa damuhan. Pero nagising ako sa lamig.)

6:25 - galamig na!
- still cooking
- lights on
- "Temperature" by Sean Paul on the mp3 player
(Dumidilim at soooobrang lamig na.)

Day 1 - Fold 5
6:47 - DINNER!
Menu: hungarian sausage in sweet-chilli sauce with egg, tuna with egg, adobo with pinya chunks, papaitan
(Panalo yung menu nyo mga pre! Kala ko ba umakyat tayo para maging fit?? Hahaha.)

6:59PM - food decimated
7:20 - new batch of mountaineers passed by
(Andami na naming tao sa tuktok. Buti na lang nauna kami dun sa isang section ng campsite farther away than most of the other batches.)

7:33 - photo lettering
(Night photography trippings with Mandric the photography guru.)

Mabuhay ang amats! Ahooo! Ahooo!
7:53 - INUMAN TIME (yeps, i wrote em in all caps)
8:30 - "Ghost Photography" trippings

9:26PM - Photo ops at the cross (peak)
(Most of the guys being bonkers with alcohol and all headed to their tents to sleep. Ako, si Mandric, si Vic, at si Dan e naglakad lakad pa pabalik ng peak. Dumaan kami dun sa part ng campsite kung san yung rest ng mga hikers from the other groups camped. Isang group na lang ang gising. Malamang nagtataka kung anong trippings meron kami at umaakyat kami pabalik ng krus. Nakakatakot sa peak. Balot kami ng ulap and c'mon, may krus na di mo alam kung bakit pinatayo dun!)

Sooobrang angas ng shot na 'to! No edits. Good camera, abused trick, cool creativity, and a nice location lang!
L-R: Ric, Dan, Obi, Vic (Lipa City at night on the background)

9:43 - cross arrival
10:08 - back to campsite
(Nag lowbatt na yung camera ni Ric. Conserve na muna't may bukas pa.)

10:18 - lights off
- photo ops muna with Hush ang Manikang Palaboy
- good night!

*****

Day 2 to be continued...

Holy Cow!

Holy Wednesday
Pinasunod ko sila Mami, Bonski, at Sponklong sa Glorietta para sa post celebration ni Sponklong ng birthday niya. Binilhan ko lang siya ng tshirt tas bumili na din ako ng tshirt para sakin. Bumili din ako ng softcase na pwedeng armband para kay Shiny the Techy Phone. Tas sila Mami at Bons bumili ng tsanelas nilang mahal na pangit naman at galing sa Third World Country na maraming sexy na models. Tas kumain kami. Inuwian na lang namin ng shobong sila Cheng at Badong at twins sa bahay.

L-R: the Sponklong, the Obi, the Ribbons, the Mommy Groovy (the source of cute genes... wakanang kumontra!)

Yun lang.

Holy Thursday
Stayed at home the whole day. Bon, my utal, helped me paint my miniatures. I'm rushing on finishing them in time for the big tourney that will probably happen some time August.

Good Friday
Met Jakob at da Shak for our looooong Bisita Inglesia walk. I offer the trip as thanks to God for all the blessings I've been receiving from Him all my life despite what I think is me being unworthy of all this talent, graces, good health and contentment. He's been good to me and I hope with this simple gesture I've proven enough how thankful I am. Si Jakob, di ko alam ang agenda. May hawak naman siyang pamphlet na binabasa kada simbahan.

Resting after the Sto.Domingo-UST walk...

Here be the events that took place:

10:44AM - Umalis kami ng Shak. We took a ride to the Sto. Domingo church.
11:11 - Sto. Domingo church arrival. Church #1.
11:55 - University of Sto. Tomas church arrival. Church #2.
12:05 - water break... church side of UST.
12:09 - walk resumes.

12:13PM - Ministop-UST break.
12:41 - St. Jude church (Mendiola) arrival. Church #3.
12:51 - San Beda (Abbey Church) arrival. Fishball break afterwards. Church #4
1:08 - San Sebastian church arrival. Church #5.
1:31 - Quiapo church arrival. Church #6.

1:41PM - Sta. Cruz church arrival. Church #7.
(Dito na ko naging mushy nostalgic. Andaming memories na ibinalik sakin ng paglalakad sa Recto at sa Binondo. Mixed emotions... ang init pa!!)
2:01 - Binondo church arrival. Church #8.
2:11 - KFC-Binondo break.
2:45 Starbucks-Binondo break. Iced grande white choco mocha tsaka choco honey dipped donut.
(Sobrang gutom na ko sa part na to. I suck in estimating distances but I think we've already covered around 10-12 kilometers of WALK at this moment!)
3:40 - Resume walk.

4:02PM - Manila Cathedral arrival. Church #9.
4:33 - San Agustin church arrival. Church #10.
5:06 - May prusisyon near Ermita church. We stopped to rest to let them pass.
5:08 - Ermita church arrival. Church #11.
5:30 - Malate church arrival. Church #12.

(Then started the loooooong walk along Roxas Boulevard!)
6:13PM - 7-11 (Asian Maritime Institute) break.
(By this time, I was already drinking a liter of Gatorade. Sa gutom siguro I was already hallucinating. I mistook an MMDA overpass as a Chowking signage from afar. Deym.)
6:28 - Resume walk.
6:37 - Encountered another prusisyon. It was along the Roxas Boulevard stretch near Libertad.
6:59 - Baclaran (Redemptorist) church arrival. Church #13.
7:10 - We rode a bus to McKinley Road, Makati.

7:24PM - Arrival at McKinley Road.
(We walked from EDSA towards San Antonio-Forbes Park church.)
7:33 - San Antonio (Forbes Park) church. Church #14.
(Binisita na din namin yung sanctuary for our late friend, Mark's ashes.)
7:53 - Resume walk.
8:02 - In EDSA, we rode a bus to Kamias.
8:21 - Arrival in Kamias.
(Bumili lang kami sa bakery ni Igor tapos dumiretso na kami sa Shak.)

A wall painting at San Antonio church in Forbes Park

Exact arrival time was 8:45PM at da Shak.

Shak Attendance: Jubay, Pork, Asshole, Jumping Johnny, Bilog, Pookiemonster, Obi, Jakob, Topherman, Scotch

Dahil hindi pa ko pagod, sumama ako kay Pookimonster at Bilog para hanapin ang bahay ni Kei sa Fairview. Sa Fairview, inabutan namin sila Kei, Les, Barbs, at Kim. I just played GUITAR HERO roxxorzzz for the win!!! Nakaka-adik, tangenang yan. Mapapabili ata ako ng de oras.

Black Saturday
Went to da Shak an hour after noon. Me, Pork, and the Great Maw went to Quiapo afterwards for a dibidi run. Ako, pumunta ako sa Muslim center para bumili ng sandamakmak na shemagh (desert cowl).

Pagtapos nun, bumalik na kami ng Fairview for the Kei's bunker bash!

Kei's Crib Attendance: Pork, Great Maw, Obi, Kei, Kim, Barbs, Les, Tiny, Arvs, Fluffy

Activities: BANG card game, miniature wargames, GUITAR HERO!!!, pusoy dos, si Tiny lumaklak mag-isa, dibidi/movie/clips marathon, shawarma at coke massacre

Tinuro na namin kay Kei ang TriMo Shawarma place sa Fairview! Kung san hindi tinitipid ang shawarma at ikaw ang susuko sa dami ng servings. Yub yub! Past 4AM na umuwi sila Arvs. Ako naman, nagpa-iwan na dun para matulog. Kala kasi namin bawal matulog eh.

Me, my lightsaber, and The Great Maw playing the BANG cardgame at Kei's...

Easter Sunday
McDo, Pusoy Dos, at Kwentong Career for breakfast. Sa hapon pumunta na kami kela Kim, tumambay ng konti, nanood ng South Park, tas sibat na din kami.

Sa bahay, nanood lang ako ng Pinoy Big Bro. Di ko trip itong batch na ito. Mas lalong naging mukhang scripted ang bahay ni Koya.

Not-Holy Monday
Lunch out with the people here at work. Sandwich lang ang kinain ko na maraming gulay at kamatis. Binigay ko kay Ces ang mga kamatis.

Gutom pa ko ngayon. Baka bumaba pa ko mamya para kumain pa.

L.O. Attendance: Grace, Kath, Ferdie Ferds, Jama, Cara, Bubung, Obi, Ranger Roy

Si Kath lang ang masaya...

*****

New picture album at my Multiply account:
Church Hop 2008 (Click Here)

Saka na Muna Yung Manabo Journal

Bago ang lahat...

Happy Birthday Sponklong!!!
Ayan. Actually kahapon pa yun, kaya belated na. Pinasunod ko na lang siya dito sa Makati mamya. Bilhan ko lang ng tshirt, solve na yun si utol.

*****

So what's in store for me this Holy Week?

Buong Holy Week, ang sakripisyo ko na lang e no Internet for me! No facing a PC for the entire duration of the season!

Thursday, tambay lang ako sa bahay (for a change!) and most likely paint miniatures.

Friday, lalakad ako with Jakob (and maybe Kim and his honchos) for a post Bisita Iglesia spree. Itinerary would be to meet-up at da Shak by 10AM, ride to Santo Domingo church and from there, start the trek to the following churches in order:

UST Church (España)
San Sebastian (Recto)
Saint Jude (Mendiola)
Quiapo Church (Quiapo? doh!)
Sta. Cruz Church (na-miss ko dito)
Binondo Church (same here too)
Manila Cathedral (Intramuros)
San Agustin Church (Intramuros)
Malate Church (A. Mabini)
Redemptorist (Baclaran)
San Antonio Church (Forbes)

Yes... "lalakad". Walang kelaman ng trip.

Tabi tabi po... sa LKG lunch out kagahapon

Saturday and Sunday, sa bahay kami nila Kei sa Fairview. Habang "patay ang Diyos" so they say, we'll have a sort of hobbying party. From poker to Guitar Hero to miniature gaming to gluttonous feasting... lahat na ng pwedeng gawin, gagawin namin. Dun na din kami matutulog... but wait, anong tulog?? Sinong tutulog?? Haha.

*****

Nag text si Papa Smurf nung nasa tuktok ako ng bundok last weekend. He had this summons for da Boyz for yesterday so everyone charged at Chicken For The Road resto near Valle Verde 1 Gate last night to heed thy call.


Attendance: Midnight, Obi Doo, Wise-talking Halfpint, Garrkid, Hairy Critter, Papa Smurf, Ninong Ed, Bozz Beef, Fluffman, Jakob the Pure, Kimpossible, Jubay Bomber, may nakalimutan ba?

Grabe. Walang tigil na pagdating ng pagkain. Di pa ubos ang isang plato, may dumadating na naman.

Grub List: chikken (LOTS! As in! Lampas 10 plates. Peksman!), breaded bangus, crispy patassssssss (madaming "s" dahil gadami din!), pansit bihon, crab omelet, inihaw na tilapia, beer, cox, Black Label (3 liters! deym!)

Miniature gaming schedules on the agenda. Winner of the Warhammer 40K Grand Tournament this year will have a trip for two to Boracay with free lodging at the Boracay Beach Club at Station Uno. The owner himself said so! Wooot!

Pinilit ubusin ang tatlong litrong Kumpareng Johnny Walker. Ayun, hangover kaming lahat ngayon! Argh. Nag set ako ng alarm for 8AM pero 6AM pa lang nagising na ko't hindi makatulog. Nak ng patola!

So I just half-dragged myself to work (which I really can't do now anyway) and immediately had a grande sized white choco mocha in the hopes of clearing the cobwebs...

...in vain.

As I write, pangalwang kape ko na to. Sabog pa din ako.

Araguy.

Finally... they got the spelling right

Manabo Trek, Well Done

Team AIM - Manabo March-Trek Contingent... (click pic for bigger render)
L-R (Standing): Ric, Dan, Ayn, Tata, Nixon, Leo, Vic
(Seated): Doraemon posing as Me

Super thanks to God for making the entire hike to Mount Manabo safe and fun!

We sort of got lost halfway to the peak but it just made the trek all the more enjoying and adventurous. I'll be posting the pics from our trek as soon as I've collected them all from the guys.

For now, let me thank the following...

* Team AIM, syempre. A lot of our other hike-mates weren't there but at least it all turned out astig still. Bawi na lang kayo sa susunod! For now, inggit inggit muna sa pics namin. Haha. Pulag na ba next, ha?? Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat!

* Conquer for Mister Backpack (my hiking bag... the yellow one on the pic above). Nokia for Shiny (my mobile phone slash camera slash navigation tool slash mp3 player). Jollibee for my meal (burger)... 600 meters above sea level.

* Manny Pacquiao for making us walk double-time downhill, abutan lang ang laban niya. Tapos pupunuin lang pala ng GMA 7 ng sandamakmak na commercials! Hindi na lang sana kami nagmadali. Demmit.

* God, ulit. Syemps. Salamat sa ulan, when we needed it most. Medyo dumulas yung trail, but the break from the sweltering heat was more than a welcome.

Night photo-ops with teacher-guru Ric! (Lipa City @ night, on the background)

Basketball Above All

Wednesday
One of the teams here at work that I was involved with had a dinner at Dencio's-Paseo Center. I just swooped in, popped some grub and gulped some grog, before I hit the road again to Urdaneta Village for our regular basketball games. Eat-and-Run style!

Basketball above all!

Still dazed from the alcohol run, I arrived at the basketball court with the guys from different branches of BPI in the area already starting the game. They had been our regular ball-mates every Wednesday. Mga adik din sa laro. We were around 15 in all. Actually, may mga nakainom din sa kanila na naglaro pa din, like me. Astig.

Just to wear down the effects of Saint Mike's Barley, I jogged for a couple of rounds along the perimeter of the park. Although I doubt it did any good to shake off the cobwebs. I suck in my games the whole night. Hehe. We were fooling around and calling each other "lasing", but all in all the games turned out fun.

Post basketball goofs

Tuesday daw ang game next week. Madami na kasing wala sa Wednesday in prep for the Holy Week holidays.

*****

Thursday
Turned up early at home with the regular "ang aga ni koya ah!" comments that I expected when I do come home earlier than usual ("usual" being around 12 midnight?? hehe).

After lounging around, goofing with the twins, and helping (or at least pretending to) with the house chores, I finished painting and basing my miniature figs. I was on the last phase of completing a group of tribal chicks which we call Bloodtrackers in the game of Warmachine. There were six of those and finally, I was able to finish the last Bloodtracker (which is the Huntress leader). So piktyur piktyur time!

Circle of Orboros, Tharn Bloodtrackers
I was working on painting them for almost 3 weeks now.

Sana lang may pang macro ako. But having several ludicrously expensive hobbies already, my frustration at photography would always be like that, a frustration. Sadness.

*****

Friday
Usual lunch out Fridays. So far ang consensus ay sa Pho Hoa. I'll see in like 10 minutes kung san talaga kami matutuloy.

Tuloy ang akyat sa Mount Manabo bukas. Muntik pang hindi. There were originally around 18 people who confirmed but now we're down to 7. Assembly time at Rob Summit tomorrow is 5AM. I already got the Manabo peak's coordinates and saved it on Shiny the Techy Phone. Now, to test its GPS capabilities when we get there.

Paalam kapatagan!

Addendum: Sa Pho Hoa nga kami natuloy mag-lunch.

My grub, before we started eating...

After eating...

Taong Bundok

Prepping up for the boonie hike this weekend.

I met with DD, Aynski, Dan the Flash, and Odie last night at Gilligan's for Round 3 of my (now) three-day birthday bash. Sabi nga ni Dee Dee, "Kawawa tong si Obi pag birthday e, andaming tropa." Well said, pare. All of that was after I, the Flash, and Ayn bought an 85L Conquer assault bag in Park Square 3 for me. Option ko lang was color orange/black or yellow/ash. Since the color of the bag I brought the last time we climbed was yellow, yung yellow/ash na lang ang pinili ko.

I hereby name it... "Backpack". Napaka-unique na name. Galing ko talaga mag-isip!

Anyway, have to go back on that store maybe later. Nakalimutan ko kasi bilihan ng water-proof armband si Shiny (my phone) para pwede ko siya bitbitin externally. Para masubukan ko yung GPS capabilities nya. Hafta look though for the exact coordinates of the mountain's peak. Baka sa Google Earth meron. With it and Shiny, I can check if we'll be heading to the right direction (peak-wards), how fast can we reach the destination, how high we will be at any point (altimeter), and how long (at our current speed) will it take us to the peak. Super techy!

Also, from the original destination (Mount Malipunyo) we will be moving the trekk to another nearby mountain - Mount Manabo. Mas maganda daw ang view dito ayon sa mga reviews ng mga nakapag-trekk na dito. Mas less prone din na maligaw than Malipunyo.

Quick facts for Mount Manabo:
Location: Batangas
Elevation: 830 masl
Level: 1 (Easy Climb)
Jump Off Point: Sto. Tomas, Batangas

Mount Manabo is one of two mountains that comprises the Susong Dalaga range. In short, aakyat kami sa isa sa mga suso! Hehe. Wootooot! It was named as such because it looks like a reclining lady from atop with two of these mountains as its boobage. "Walk in the park" lang siya. Fun climb kumbaga. Very recommendable sa mga newbies, unlike nung last akyat namin sa Cinco Picos. Sayang nga may hindi makakasama sa'min na super crushness ko. Uh well...

Preferred itinerary...
DAY 1
06:00 Assembly at JAM Bus Station in Buendia-Taft (Any bus bound
for Batangas City)
06:30 ETD Manila to Batangas City
09:00 ETA Lipa Batangas, Fiesta Mall (arrange for transportation
going to Barangay Sta Cruz)
09:15 ETD towards Barangay Sta. Cruz
10:00 ETA Barangay Sta. Cruz
10:15 Start Trek
12:15 ETA Peak/ Lunch
18:00 Dinner
21:00 Light's Out

DAY 2
09:00 Wake-up Call, Breakfast
10:00 Start Descent
12:00 ETA Barangay Sta. Cruz, Lunch
13:30 ETD for Manila
15:00 ETA Manila

(Although we'll start the trip from here in Makati at 4AM)

Deutschland Wurst

Andami pang humabol na birthday greets sa Friendster, thanks sa lahat!

Kung convertible to cash yung mga yan, makakabili na ko ng Ferrari.

Haven't logged in on Friendster for like 3 months. Kaya pag login ko ulit, nag general cleaning ako. Deleted people and groups that I don't know or wasn't associated to. Organized albums for my pictures. And simplified everything up (if my profile could be described as such).

Add me at http://www.friendster.com/, if I know you!

*****

Last Saturday, the sausage fest at da Shak was fun!

Attendance: Jubay, Pork, Jumping Johnny, Hairy Critter, Obi, Garrboy, Fluff, Dennis, Riderman, Pookiemonster, Jakob, Topher, Bozz Beef, Scotch, Perci, JP, Jan Jan, Mussolini, Kulyong

Prepping up da guts
L-R: Bozz Beef, Riderman, Fluffman, Garrdude, Obimeister

We almost topped this year's "population count in a day" record at da Shak! Record was 23 heads.

Grub: 2kg bratwurst, 3kg beer sausage, 1kg schueblig, 1kg hotlinks, potato salad, anchovy pesto with sundried potato, pandesal, Saint Mike's Light Barley, choco rum, cox

Birthday ko nung 7th, Jakob was on the 9th, and Jake will be at the 25th(?) so triple threat celebration yung araw na yun. Prior to the Shak, me, Fluffman, Mussolini, and Arvs were at the Fortress in Virramall. Dumaan si Kantoboy to have a game of Warmachine against me. Other peeps that were there: Doc Lance, Dan + Dadang, Doc Biggy, Jeng, Hans + GF, and Lloyd.

Booze of the Night
Class dismissed at some minutes past midnight.

*****

New picture albums in my Multiply account:
Sausage Night at da Shak (Click Here)
Kite Fest 2008? (Click Here)

New music album too:
Page Music 4 (Click Here)

Two Decades and a Half Plus Two

Happy birthday to me!

Got to get my arse out of here in the office soon. The folks back at home is waiting with a simple feast. Nagpa-pizza lang din ako dito. I was planning to prepare salad for them but the lazy in me took over. Arise lazy git... arise!

Mukang mahirap kasi mag prepare ng pang maramihan.

Bukas may pa-sausage fest kami ni Jakob (birthday nya din bukas) para sa mga tambay ng Shak. Tapos sa Lunes may laklakan kami ng Team AIM. Meeting na din para sa akyat namin sa Mount Malipunyo sa susunod na weekend. With it, confirmed nang hindi ako makakasama sa company outing. Olats.

Anyway, thanks sa lahat ng mga bumati at ganun na din sa mga nakalimot. Madapa sana kayow! Haha.

*****

Mga bumati (in chronological order)... salamats!

Mommy Groovey (SMS)
Bonita (SMS/Friendster) - buti ka pa kahit taga US, ang aga bumati. Miss you, Boi!
Ela Family (Pic Msge)
Charles (SMS)
Mae (SMS) - how sweet cuz, thanks!
Romy (SMS)
Dee Dee (SMS) - hoy sasama ka sa akyat ha!
Badong (SMS)
Tita A, Cheng, Bon (in person)
SST 17/F dudes (in person)
Bob Hall (email) - tangena, eto ang may-ari ng kumpanya!
Miss Kaye (email) - HR!
Lieutenant Abrenix (Friendster) - tol salamat! ingat sa pag hagis ng granada. waha!
Chester (Friendster)
Val Wuttdahell (Friendster)
Ana (Friendster) - tropa ni Dee Dee
Jacq (Friendster) - grabe ang ganda nya pa din
Berns (Friendster)
Menchie (IM) - Chi, walang salad :(
Koya Larr (Multiply)
Dens (IM)
Bogart & Zach (call)
Koya Jeff (IM)
MJ (IM)
Jai (IM) - tol, saka na treat ko... tsaka yung "Last Suffer" project mo, sama kow!
Jhoanna (IM)
Pong (IM/call) - sa yo ang kalhati ng Randellburg... waha!
Venkat (IM) - tropa ko sa India-HP... waha! salamalaykum! (e-he)
Tins (IM) - Tins, bakit nawala ako sa contacts mo?? Ngayon ko lang nakita. Iiyak na ko sige!
Chay (IM) - greets from overseas, salamats!
Itel (IM) - bon voyage!
Bozz Beef Gelo (SMS) - kita kits sa Shak!
Marvs (IM) - our Sydney counterpart, nakipag-reminiscin' talks pa ko
Mher (IM) - happy birthday din sayo bukas!
Jacob (IM) - birthday mo din bukas... kita kits sa Shak!
Pork (Forum) - ikaw ang may ari ng Shak... bwahaha... ARGH!

...at sa mga nakalimutan ko, BELAT!

May mga bumati pa pala ng mga super-advanced like Wacha (Singapore), Nandy (Holland), Dan the Flash!, etc... kinalimutan ko talaga kayo sa listahan! Hahaha. Nagmamadali na ko e... Nash salamats, nabasa ko sa email may message ako from you sa Friendster. I assume greetings ito. Tenkyu tenkyu!

Wan Plas Wan, Magellan

Nag-email sa akin si Cheng (utal ko... babaeng "utol") ng isang word problem:

Bob the Builder goes to work very early but he encountered a problem. He forgot the five digit access code to his high-tech workshop. However, he remembered the five clues to get the right five digit access code. Hereunder are the clues:

1. The fifth number plus the third number of the access code equals fourteen.
2. The fourth number is one more than the second number.
3. The first number is one less than twice the second number.
4. The second plus the third number equals ten.
5. The total of all the five numbers is thirty.

*****

Nasagutan ko naman siya at sobrang nakaka-aliw. Reminds me of my Algebra days back in highschool. Pinasagutan ko nga din kay Jai (classmate ko nung highschool at teammate ko on most quizbees) and, like me and most people that I sent it to, bitin din siya dahil nakaka-aliw mag sagot.

Among the dudes that replied to me, I've at least seen 3 mathematical approaches on answering the problem. Most of those who got the answer, solved for "b" or the second number. First try ko kasi e dun ko din pinadaan pero sumablay ako so I derived equations for "c" or the third number.

Scratch paper ko...
Isang bloke ng computation para sa derived equations.
Isang bloke ng computation para sa substitution of values.
Isang bloke ng computation para sa wrap-up (using the 5th clue, commutative axiom... o-ha!).

Ang malupet e yung approach ni Roy... the tried and tested "trial and error method". Haha, lupet. Tyinaga nya talaga.

Ayoko ng Algebra, and generally MATH! Pero ironically mataas ang aptitude ko towards it. Ayoko ng may umiikot na numbers sa ulo ko.

Scratch paper ni Roy... mas o-ha!

Wer na u? Wet na me!

Bago ang lahat, thanks Jai's-sober-side for editing my synopsis for "The Dark Champion of Garman Four" and inadvertently providing me with a very characterful villain name.

Oh, same goes to Garrdude for my location's name. Bwehehe.

*****

At first I had a nameless 5110, and then a 3210. Then there was Bakex, a phone I din't even know what model it was called. Sa sobrang panget nya Bakekang ang ipinangalan ko sa kanya. Then, there was Perla... my 3650. I called it that since it looked like a bar soap. Ginawa ko pa siyang all-white housing before para panindigan ang pagiging detergent nya. Antagal ng pinagsamahan namin nito, around 6 years.

On your left (which is my right) was "Bakex"! Guest starring Pouty's "Pinky".

By the arms of Yuki (the gentle giant in red), was Perla. Pati sa Sydney kasama siya.

It was Friday last week when finally, bumigay na si Perla. It had its third (or fourth?) system crash and after having it fixed, it all fucked up... wala nang signal, hindi na ma-charge, etc... etc. So 4 days na ko walang phone until yesterday. Nanginginig na ko due to withdrawal symptoms. Kelangan ko ng phone soon anyway since aakyat ako ng bundok next week and birthday ko this weekend. Kaya bumili na ko bago.

Tada!

Shiny... the Nokia N82, was born!

Pinag-isipan ko mabuti yang pangalan na yan kasi gusto ko unique ang name nya. Haha. Seriously, that was the phone's feature that I least liked - it being only available at shiny silver casing. Kagahapon ko ito binili, after a period of much research and asking around. Ever since nakuntento ako ke Perla, nawala na ko sa sirkulasyon ng mga celepono. Kaya kelangan ko ulit magtanong-tanong ng latest about it. Nagulat nga ako sa dami na ng modelo sa market. Dati, ang gwapo mo na at pwede ka na mag syota ng ramp model basta may 5110 ka lang dahil may Snake siya at napapalitan ng housing... 4-liners pa! Ngayon, pamato na lang ito sa tatsing.

In the end it was a battle of Ericsson's K850i and Nokia's N82 and N95. N95 became out of the question since it doesn't have the Xenon flash (maganda sa madidilim na lugar - nakow hilig ko pa namang magsusuot sa madidilim). K850i and the N82 have almost the same features... lamang lang ng ilang teknikal jujus ang N82 (knowing Nokia). Itim ang K850i. Silver lang ang N82. So aesthetics, gusto ko ang K850i. Mas malaki ang monitor ng N82 at 2.4". In the end, after weighing my need to have a decent camera (ang digicam ko ay lumang 2MP lang), mas advantageous para sa akin ang N82 (preho silang Xenon 5MP and autofocusing) dahil lang sa mas malaking screen at faster reaction rate.

Pic taken using Shiny. This is my ever loyal toyfriend, Hush, ang Batang Gala.

Other features I liked:
* auto rotate screen - sakto pang Scandal... bwahaha
* GPS - ginawa para sa mga lakwatsero
* GPRS, 3G, WLAN, Bluetooth connectivities - sa mga mahilig "kumabit"
* basic useful apps - calculator, converter, barcode reader, notepad, PDF/Word/Excel/Presentation Reader, file compression (ZIP), file manager, blah blah blah
* FM radio
* huge internal and external memory (2GB card included in the package)
* covered camera lens
* auto focus camera and quick reaction/storage time (good for airsoft/basketball/"suntukan sa kanto" action pics)
* music and video player

Sobrang techy ng usapan, ansakit na ng ulo ko.

Sobrang mahal sya para sa iba. Para sakin, sulit na. I mean, c'mon, my 3650 lasted me around 6 years. This N82 will probably last me twice that much. Sa bilis ng depreciation ng celepono ngayon, tis better to push to purchase the latest model just so you'll maximize the depreciation rate. Kesa bumili ka ng mga nasa mid-tier phones then laos na ito faster than you can type "WER NA U. WET NA ME!" (Where are you? I'm already waiting!).

So yung mga may number ko dyan, kindly text me now and mag-pakilala naman!

Kwentong Barbero

I'm an avid reader of Black Library (http://www.blacklibrary.com/) novels. It's a UK-based publishing house that releases written materials (books, graphic novels, and references) relevant to the Warhammer system of games.

They recently set a project for a new book of short story compilations which will highlight this faction in the world of Warhammer 40,000, the Space Marines. Rules and regulations can be found HERE. Basically, the contest winners will have their short stories be included on the published anthology which will be entitled "Heroes of the Space Marines".

Personally, I've been playing/painting Space Marines (particularly the Dark Angels Chapter) for like four years now so I think it's time (as a writer - or at least a barely aspiring one) for me to write a story about them not just to aim on winning the contest but basically just to enjoy the narrative side of the miniature painting (scale modelling) hobby.

A Dark Angels Scout Sniper that I've assembled and painted arduously (albeit lovingly)
*halos kasing laki lang ng piso yung black "base" nya (for size comparison)

Anyway, the contest primarily needs a submission of no more than 500 word synopsis and a 500-1000 word writing sample. They will notify those people whose synopses piqued their interest and then that's the only time the chosen will start writing down their 7000 word-limit short stories.

Of course, non-players of Warhammer and people that are unaware of its backgrounds would find the story having too much jargons (and even gibberish at most) but I hope those who could "dig" it would enjoy. Here are my submissions...

*****

The Dark Champion of Garman Four (A Synopsis)
by OBI

The story follows the account of Brother-Captain Harko who is sent to Garman Four in the head of his Doom Eagles strike force to heed a call for aid by surviving local militiamen. These Space Marines eventually learn that a charismatic demagogue (former Marshal of the House, Sebastian Jai) has usurped the seat of the agri-world’s sovereign, leading his exponentially growing revolutionists to annihilate oppositions, and plans on carrying his tyranny to the neighboring colonies of the planet’s inhabited moon.

Sebastian Jai is aged and frail for battle but fighting under his command and has been a brilliant executor of his overwhelming coup is a mysterious man only referred to as Vicious, Champion of the Marshal. Brother-Captain Harko knows that to quash the rebellion, he has to subjugate the Champion and eventually the tyrant, Jai.

Despite squads of Doom Eagles and remnants of the planetary militia besieging the Citadel of the Faith – the planet’s seat of power – the rebel forces are able to hold them at bay through sheer advantage of superior numbers. In the face of heavy losses, the Doom Eagles finally carry the fight by the gates of the Citadel. It is here that the tides shift again as a new enemy reveals itself to stall the Imperial siege – the foes’ distinctively scaled power armor identifies them as traitorous Space Marines of the Alpha Legion.

In the heat of the battle, an overwhelming Dark Angels contingent arrives, striking deep into the heart of the Citadel and seemingly heeding no attention to the outcome of the ongoing clash upon the Citadel’s perimeters. The rebel defenses are crushed by a swift Ravenwing raid while the rest of their monastic brethren methodically pour inside the Citadel, scouring its interior.

A Dark Angel Master eventually comes face to face with Vicious and a duel ensues that results on the latter’s captivity. With that, the entire Dark Angels contingent just as quickly leaves the battle for the Doom Eagles to finish. With Sebastian Jai never heard of again since the Doom Eagles assaulted the Citadel gates and his Champion spirited by the Dark Angels, the remaining traitor Space Marines, including the entire rebellion, ultimately fall prey to the wrath of the Imperial forces.

An epilogue describes a cavern in the Rock where a Librarian confirms to an Interrogator-Chaplain that the man in his rack – Vicious – is not amongst their Fallen (but is suggested as an agent of the Alpha Legion).

On another scene, inside the bridge of a star cruiser leaving the Garman System, Sebastian Jai’s body is slowly warping into a hulking masculine frame. He laughs as he wears the last piece of his antiquated power armor… a dark jade shoulder pad, bearing the tattered winged-blade insignia of the Dark Angels.

*****

…excerpt from "The Dark Champion of Garman Four"
by OBI (my Writing Sample)

"Devastator squads, maintain fire on the defense platforms! Squads Udrih and Gallema, on me!"

Brother-Captain Midas Harko and his Doom Eagles clambered fluidly out of their Rhino transports, pouring more holy bolter rounds to the general direction of the Citadel gates. It was the last bastion of the traitorous rebel forces and the Space Marines would stop at nothing to put their tyrannical leader Marshal Sebastian Jai to justice.

Bodies fell dead incessantly upon the bulwarks set around the perimeter walls and more dived for cover as the Space Marines fearlessly assailed the rebels, slowly creeping up towards a small gap in the enemy formation. Destructive lascannon volleys from the Doom Eagles' firing line of devastator squads covered the advance while remnants of the planetary militia who were still loyal to the Emperor acted as diversions, continuously harassing the rebellions' flanks. Only the hulking presence of the Marshal's champion, Vicious, and his unfaltering heretical litanies held the morale of the rebel band together.

"Smite the blind so they shall see... annihilate the servants of the False Emperor!"

Timing a very short moment of reprieve from the rain of Imperial ammunitions, the Champion barked a command of retaliation. Those remaining functional autocannon emplacements opened fire anew. In addition to salvos of lasbeams, fragmentation projectiles, artillery shells, and all the other firepower the rebels could muster, the battlefield became a cacophony of utter destruction.

Most of the shots bounced harmlessly off and did no more than chipped the ceramite power armor of the Space Marines. However, some high powered and, less often, lucky shots zeroed in on their armor's unprotected areas and inflicted disabling damages to their already enhanced physiology. Worst, a few Space Marines died through sheer concentration of enemy rounds.

Still, it only made the Doom Eagles' Apothecarion compliment busier while Brother-Captain Harko and his squad continued undeterred with their headlong charge against the wave of the enemy's desperate but destructive last stand.

---

"It is time, Marshal Jai. It shall be as agreed."

The former Marshal of the Planetary House and murderer of the ruling sovereign, Sebastian Jai, smirked at the reminder. Far below the balcony, the swirling battle between his rebels and the Doom Eagles was in deathly high pitch. Indeed, the Space Marines were gaining against his defenses and sooner or later, they could breach the gates and storm the Citadel itself lest their contingency plan would be executed soon.

The old Marshal turned to face the towering figure which cast an ominous shadow upon him and said in a crackled voice, "Very well. Send in the transport and good riddance to this festering planet."

The man nodded with a sinister grin.

"Moran, see the Marshal to his transport. Drachma, Vicious has sent the word. Bolster his forces and be rid of the Imperial taint for once!" He commanded this without turning to look at the two equally massive men stationed behind him. Instead, he took the place of the Marshal on the observation platform, considering the battle below. It was fast turning into a massacre.

"At last, we shall reveal ourselves," he whispered to himself.

Ang mga Kasaysayan ni Spiderwick

This was sooooo late but I promised me-self I'll write commentaries for every film I'll watch in the cinemas. So...


The Spiderwick Chronicles
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

The story revolves around the Grace family, who move away from the city to live on a ragtag countryside mansion owned by their grandaunt Lucinda. Early on the movie, strange things happen inside the house that eventually lead to the discovery of a coexisting fantastical "dimension" of goblins, sprites, and fairytale beings. All of which are detailed on a collection of journals written by their great-grand uncle Arthur Spiderwick. This same tome is being coveted by an evil ogre, Mulgarath, for it contains information that can give him powers unimaginable... wait... UNIMAGINABLE!!!

Yan.

Kiddie fantasy adventure plot follows which eventually leads to Mulgarath's defeat and Aunt Lucinda reunited with her lost father, Arthur. A stereotypical fairytale ending.

I have to admit I enjoyed the fantasy ride. The comic reliefs has been well-placed into the story when things get serious. The storyline is quite predictable in that on most parts of the plot, it's a no brainer to know what is going to happen next. BUT... big BUT... I have to mention (and the only scene on the film that caught me off guard) the part where Mulgrath was defeated by (SPOILER!) none other than Hogsqueal??? It was one of the lamest ending for a kiddie fantasy flick that I've seen. So lame, that I think it was made just for the heck of having an ending. OK... Mulgarath (a shape-shifter) was tricked/predicted/coerced to transform into his signature avian-form and Hogsqueal (with his uncanny predilection to feed on birds) sacked and swallowed him outright. That's it. That's how your big bad guy died (along with the film's climax).

However, ending aside, the movie narrative is paced with a good dramatic flow. It set a different lighter tone from films of the same genre. Not as swashbuckling as Narnia. Not as dark as Potter. Not as brainless as Jumanji. And apparently, not as intense as the Lord of the Rings. Just the right fairytale story elements on a compact movie. It's a good family watch.

CG is great. Animation is cool. The portrayal of the fantastic creatures are well-thought of. Computer animated characters have delivered the right facial features and expressions. Thimbletack is cuddly and lovable, even at his deranged alter ego. Hogsqueal is a cool comedy relief character. Mulgarath and his goblin horde looks just right as the scary antagonists (although I've read reviews that said they were too scary for kids... psh!).

The flesh casts are so so. I find the kids Jared and Simon Grace (both Freddie Highmore) lacking in intensity. But that's just me. I haven't read the books so I can't really tell if their characters are really supposed to be boring or lackluster or lame. I salute the kid however for acting for two totally different character-type roles and give at least a mediocre justification for it. Mallory Grace (Sarah Bolger), the sister, and Helen Grace (Mary Parker), the mom, is on the average acting job too. Lucinda and Arthur Spiderwick (as if they needed much acting) plays their role well. But still, all in all, I'd rather see Mulgarath win an acting award for the film over all of them.

Conclusion: Although it will tickle the child inside most adult watchers, the movie's main market is kids around 4 years to 8. It's a delightful fantasy film created with them in mind.

Seven gulamans worth.

Mount Manabo - Day 2

Day 2 - Fold 6
6:14PM - wake up obi
(I had a nice sleep. Ang naging prob ko lang e during the night, galakas ng hangin at kada hagupit nya sa tent namin e nagtatalsikan sa muka ko yung mga nabuong hamog sa interior ng tent. Buti na lang dala ko yung handy-dandy arabo-headdress ko, pantaklob.)

Magarang umaga! Ano ga?
6:41 - cooking time
7:11 - kainan time!
(Lintek na daga yan. Iniskor yung kaisa-isang plastic ng loafbread namin. So we switched feasting instead on our trusted easy-cook noodles. We also opened some of the remaining canned goods... tuna, sardinas, tsaka meron pa yung malupit na adobo at papaitan ni Vic at Dric.

7:41 - packup time
- gising na yung ibang grupo sa kabilang campsite
(Nag umpisa na kami mag-sunog ng dapat sunugin at magplastik ng dapat i-plastik. Sanay na sanay si Nixon sa demolition job. Kayang magtupi ng tent sa isang kurap lang ng mata. Parang nagtrabaho sa MMDA linis-bangketa program... haha. Peace pards. Dahil dyan, ikaw si Boy Demolisyon!)

8:30 - trek starts
(Nagmamadali na kami. Hahabulin pa kasi namin yung laban ni Pacquiao. Ang napag-usapan, punta na lang muna kami kela Ayn sa Batangas para makiligo, pahinga, at nood ng laban ni PAMBANSAAANG KAMAO! I just have to capitalized that. Hehe. So after ng pre-descent photo ops, sinimulan na ang paglalakad pababa. May nakihiram pa ng lighter fluid sa kabilang grupo. Kaso wala kami. Hehe. Olats.)

A view of the campsite from the peak of Manabo.

8:56AM - blockade reached
(Ganun lang kabilis yung pagbaba from the peak. 25-30mins! We've reached the pesky roadblock again, reminding us of the craziness we've had the first time we got there and how we got lost taking the wrong trail on the other side of it.)

9:10 - stopover in overlooking
(Photo ops muna. Aside from the peak, this open clearing by the mountainside, overlooking the provinces of Laguna and Quezon, is next to the best panoramic view you can see along the trek. Dito yung moment na... "Lahaaaaat ng naaabot ng tanaw mo _____, mapapasa-iyo! Sagutin mo lang ako!" Ahaha! No name names mga Bords.)

"Lahaaaaaat ng naabot ng tanaw mo, _______. Mapapa-saiyo! Sagutin mo lang ako! Bigyan pa kita ng binoculars para mas malayo ang tanaw!" Hahaha.

9:23 - 2nd Batch of incoming mountaineers met on the trail
9:37 - grotto kubo reached
- 2 other outgoing groups where lounging there
(Eto yung dalwang grupo na kasama namin sa peak. Yung grupo ng mga galing pa sa Mount Maculot. Tsaka yung grupo ng mga adiktus. Hehe.)
9:43 - resume trek
(We just refreshed with the last water source of the journey then went ahead of the other mountaineer groups.)

Day 2 - Fold 7
9:54AM - Station 4
*Manong Buko - selling iguana for 125 bucks!
(Na-miss ko si Spike. Yung alaga kong iguana nung college ako. Gusto ko sana bilhin yung iguana ni Manong para pakawalan ulit ito dun sa gubat. Kaso ang keso masyado. Parang sa pelikula lang nanyayari. Wehe. Yung tamang, maganda't sexy na diwata pala ito at dahil sa pagpapalaya ko sa kanya e bibigyan nya ko ng tatlong hiling, sampung anak, lifetime supply ng kiss, magarang kotse't bahay, at mukha na pinaghalong Sam Milby at Piolo Pascual. Walastik.)

10:00 - river crossing
- dip
* lotsa plastic along the way! araguy!
** Shiny the Techy Phone batt empty.
(Dahil wala na kong tinginan ng oras, balik ako sa "Driiiiiic!! Anong oraaaas na!" pag kelangan ko nang magsulat ulit dito sa journal ko.)

Blog break
10:13 - Station 2
- buko break!
- Tata and Nixon went ahead
(Hindi sa hindi ako kumakain ng buko. Ayaw ko lang. Hehe. Gulo no? Pero sila, nag buko sila. Binebenta yung maliit na kabayo nung may-ari. Eto sigurado akong hindi magta-transform sa magandang diwata. Kahit tapa sa palenke di tatanggapin yun e. Malnourished.)
10:30 - resume trek

10:41 - arrival dropoff
- ice buko party!
(May naka-abang na Mamang Ice Buko sa dropoff. Astig. Andami pa ding umaakyat. Along the way, andami naming nakasalubong. Most of them were pilgrims. Nakasunod din sa amin agad yung grupo na galing ng Mount Maculot. Sa kanila kami nagkaron ng idea na lagyan ng silkscreen design yung backpack cover namin.)

10:48AM - leave the dropoff

Sa bahay nila Ayn.

*****

Before we headed straight to Ayn's place, I opted for the guys to take our lunch in this famous lomi house in Lipa City (Three Kids!). The radio was tuned to the Pacquiao match so we got really excited to watch it on TV even more. Making short works of our lomi, we charged Batangas City. It was well around 4:30PM when we left the house for Manila.

Thanks Team AIM for the trek well done!

Mount Manabo - Day 1

Quick Facts:
Coordinates (peak): 13.9938N, 121.2361E
Location: Batangas
Jump Off Point: Sulok (Barangay Sta. Cruz), Sto. Tomas, Batangas
Elevation (peak): 830 masl (but Shiny the Techy Phone tagged the peak at 809 masl)
Elevation (campsite): 762 masl
Climb Level: 1 (Easy Climb)
Estimated climbing time: 2-3 hours

* Mount Manabo is one of several mountains of the Malepunyo range (Malaraya to the locals).
* At the peak, there's a huge cross marker and a 360 view of the surrounding provinces of Quezon, Batangas, and Laguna.
* The word "Manabo" came from the phrase "Mataas na Bundok".

*****

Pictures are now available at my Multiply site:
Album 1 (Click Here)
Album 2 (Click Here)
Album 3 (Click Here)

Credit for the very very awesome pics goes to Mandric!

*****

It was a couple of minutes past 6AM on the 15th of March when the group headed to Batangas for the year's first climb.

Team AIM (Akyat I.T. Mountaineers) attendance: Obi, Mandric, Leo, Nixon, Tata, Dan, Ayn, Vic

L-R: Ric the KBL Dude, Boss Vic, Dark Leo, Tata the Lost, Nixon Ang Tanggero, Dan the Flash, Ayn the Ghost Model, Field Reporter Obi

We met Ayn's dad in Lipa City (8:22AM) and had our breakfast there (bumili na din ng packed baon for the climb) before heading to the South Supermarket (9:07AM) in Sabang for some last minute groceries. From there, we went on to the Barangay Outpost in Barangay Sta. Cruz (more popularly known as "Sulok" to the locals) to register our climb with the local officials (9:36AM). Only then that we proceeded to the dropoff point, not so far from the Barangay Outpost.

Iwan na naman si Kuya Driver sa van for the rest of our hike. Tinatakot namin na may nangunguha dun ng dayuhan at tinatanggal ang sex organ para ibenta. Waha.

Anyway, we started the journey and here's where I started writing on a four-parts-folded bond paper that served as my travel journal...

*****

(Entries were taken from my journal in verbatim)

Day 1 - Fold 1
* 9:53AM - Sulok Jump Off (Station 1)
(May Manang dito na very accomodating. Nagpabayad lang siya ng sampung piso for the overnight parking ng van. Pwede maligo dito pero may bayad. Sabi namin, mas kikita siya kung halo-halo ang tinda niya. Nagpakilala akong taga Batangas, sabay lagay ng accent sa salita ko... na nagulat ako na kaya ko pa pala after years na hindi umuuwi sa Lipa. Natuwa naman siya't nag-"huntahan" kami ng kung ano anong chechebureche.)

Nakaka-inggit ang camera ni Ric. Alangya.
* 10:13 - Start Trek
- Class Picture
* 10:30 - Locals encounter (Kubo)
- Gumana na GPS ni Shiny the Techy Phone (my N82)
(I tagged the GPS coordinates of our present location as "Manabo Foot": 13.9867N, 121.2224EE, 456m above sea level. And if I remember right, sabi ni Shiny - after feeding the coordinates of the Manabo Peak - less than 1.5km to go at nasa destination point na kami.)
- buko break
(Pag balik na lang daw namin, so hindi natuloy ang laklakan ng buko.)
- alamid (wild cat)
(May mga alagang hayop sila Manang. May alamid, kabayo, mga ibon, aso, at unggoy na putol ang isang kamay... wawa. Kinuwento din ni Manang ang genealogy ng angkan nila simula sa mga apo niya hanggang sa marami niyang anak.)
- Station 2
- 455 meters above sea level

* 10: 36 - resume trek
* 10:47 - raining now
(Tumigil kami sandali para mag-ayos ng gamit. Lumalakas na kasi yung ulan. Nilagay ko na yung cover ni Mister Backpack. All synthetic ang suot ko para sa mga gentong instances. Pag cotton kasi, mabigat sa katawan pag nababasa. Gusto ng karamihan na umulan. Mas exciting ang trek at hindi mainit. Anticipated namin na madali lang ang climb since most of the reviews told it was only at a beginner's level but the rain changed it all. Dumulas yung trail dahil sa putik.)

Day 1 - Fold 2
10:55AM - Station 3
(Sa sumunod na araw, pag balik namin dito sa same location na ito, wala na yung cardboard signage ng Station 3. Ninenok siguro ng mga pesteng ibang mountaineers na nakasalubong namin along the way. Tae.)

10:58 - Kubo Stop
- Manong Buko
(May kubo na nagbebenta ng buko. Pahinga muna kami. Eto na din yung part ng trail where it'll split into two but both will still lead to the peak of Manabo. We've taken the left trail upon Manong Buko's suggestion. Para madaanan na din daw namin yung "grotto". I guess it was the most common path taken.)

11:08 - resume trek
- still raining
(Ayaw tuminta ng ballpen ko. Nabasa kasi ng bahagya yung papel na gamit ko.)
11:20 - water source
- worm encounter
(May dambuhalang millipede along the way.)
- may Locals kubo
(Here be the "grotto". Isa syang kubo na may grotto sa tabi with running water. This is the only water source of the trip so better replenish your stock sa part na ito. Inabot namin yung owner and her kids. Nagpahinga ulit kami.)

11:50 - may mga nakasalubong na ibang grupo pababa
(May mga mountaineers kaming nakasalubong. Pababa sila sa grotto para kumuha ng tubig. At this point, we were already thinking how easy the climb would be if these guys were from the top and walked all the way back only to fetch some water. Mas nauna sila sa amin ng isang araw sabi ni Manang sa jumpoff point.)
- steep climb part

12:16PM - stop to rest
- mountain side
(We took a break on this hillside spot where there was a view of the Laguna/Quezon side of the mountain. Isa siyang malawak na clearing with dry grass parted down. Photo ops muna at kwentuhan habang pinatugtog ko si Shiny.)

Mga bata, saan ang tamang daan?? Yan, kaya tayo naliligaw eh!

12:30 - resume walk
(This was where it got funky. We got off at the wrong trail which eventually led to us being lost. Along this walk na din namin nakita yung wooden roadblock which ironically was the correct path to the peak! Read on... read on...)

12:57 - Manabo Peak (krus) in sight
(Sa point na ito, kita na yung peak ng Mount Manabo at yung malaking cross sa tuktok nito. Hindi muna kami nag taka at this point kung bakit nasa far right side namin yung peak while our trail was slowly heading left and downhill! Ang iniisip muna namin baka sa dulo ng trail may sudden right turn that will correct our direction towards the peak.)

1:16 - stop over (search the area)
- ...we think we're lost
(Eto na. Tingin na namin naliligaw kami so we decided to stop first and study the area. Tata and Ric went ahead to scout the trail if there was any chance it will thread right and point towards where the peak should be. Coordinate kami using our short-wave radios. Nilabas ko na si Shiny the Techy Phone and activated its GPS. Ayun... na-confirm na we were heading the wrong way. Thing was, after much discussion, hindi namin maisip kung sang path kami nagkamali since sinusundan lang namin yung trail. AND to top it all, soooobrang dulas at soooobrang daming tinik nung current trail na dinadaanan namin.)

Day 1 - Fold 3
1:41 - we're heading back the trail
(We decided to track back and check for any forks along the path that we've missed.)

2:11PM - back to mountainside
- found a new trail
(We're back dun sa grassy clearing na pinag-pahingahan namin earlier. Dito namin nakita na may mas malaking trail nga other than the one we took. Mali nga yung trail na napasukan namin! Araguy!)
- panorama.jpg
- i can see the San Sebastian Cathedral and the Carmelite seminary here (Lipa City)
- eat lunch
(Kumain na lang muna kami ng mga kung ano mang packed meals na binili namin sa Jollibee sa Lipa.)

2:29 - resume trek (new trail)
2:41 - blockaded road reached the second time, but now we're on the other side
(Syete. Nasa kabilang side kami nung roadblock na nakasalubong namin earlier! Isa lang ibig sabihin nun, ang totoong hinaharangan ng roadblock ay yung trail na kinuha namin nung naligaw kami. Anak ng kalabasa naman oh.)

2:48 - Yes, i think we got it right this time. Demmit.

Heading down the peak towards the nearby campsite (Manabo Cross in the background)

Day 1 - Fold 4
2:59 - We reached it! (The Cross of Mount Manabo) ...the peak!
*I love my phone! It pointed us to the right way.
- getting coordinates for Shiny
(Soooobrang ganda ng view sa taas. For a mountain you can climb that quick, sulit siya sobra for the view. Ang napansin ko lang agad ay yung mga vandalism dun sa white-washed surface ng cross. Ang jologs ang potah...)

Warning... rant underway:
Alam mo agad na wala sa mga jologs na ito yung essence ng pag akyat sa bundok. May mga date pa ang mga pinagsusulat ng mga hinagupak! Parang likuran lang ng upuan ng bus o dingding ng public toilet yung krus. Kulang na lang may mga maglagay ng "Inday loves Jokjok", "Kong Kong was here", "Jologs Gangsta Clan porebah", "I'm Bogart, Text Mate Wanted", at iba pang kagaguhang iskwater. E ano ngayon kung nakakarating na ng bundok ang mga jologs at adik na katulad nyo! Hindi nyo kelangang ilathala yan at babuyin yung krus dahil kahit anong basa ang gawin ng mga mountaineers sa mga pinagsusulat nyo, hindi kayo yayaman, sisikat, o gagwapo at lalo niyo lang pinatunayang iskwater kayo! Tangena nyo! OO, remembrance nga to na naka-akyat kayo ng bundok. Pero remembrance din to na wala kayong pinag-aralan at ambaba nyong tao. One time, babalik ako ng Manabo para pinturahan yung krus. Lahat ng abutan kong pangalan na nandun papakulam ko. Tangena nyo!

3:17PM - Campsite (768masl)
(May naunang grupo ng mountaineers sa amin. Eto yung kasama ng mga kumuha ng tubig na nakasalubong namin earlier that day sa trail. Madaming open clearings around the campsite. Kinuha namin yung medyo malayo sa kanila.)

3:46 - tent's up
(Limang tent kami in all.)
- text to Mommy
(Nag text ang mama's boy. May signal sa tuktok. Angas.)
- setup stuffs

5:12 - start cooking
- i took a nap
*4 batches of mountaineers (including us)
(At this point, dumadami na yung mountaineers. Bukod dun sa inabutan namin, may dumating pang dalwang batches. Yung isang grupo sa kanila e galing pang Mount Maculot. Hardcore. Nakatulog ako ng ilang minuto sa damuhan. Pero nagising ako sa lamig.)

6:25 - galamig na!
- still cooking
- lights on
- "Temperature" by Sean Paul on the mp3 player
(Dumidilim at soooobrang lamig na.)

Day 1 - Fold 5
6:47 - DINNER!
Menu: hungarian sausage in sweet-chilli sauce with egg, tuna with egg, adobo with pinya chunks, papaitan
(Panalo yung menu nyo mga pre! Kala ko ba umakyat tayo para maging fit?? Hahaha.)

6:59PM - food decimated
7:20 - new batch of mountaineers passed by
(Andami na naming tao sa tuktok. Buti na lang nauna kami dun sa isang section ng campsite farther away than most of the other batches.)

7:33 - photo lettering
(Night photography trippings with Mandric the photography guru.)

Mabuhay ang amats! Ahooo! Ahooo!
7:53 - INUMAN TIME (yeps, i wrote em in all caps)
8:30 - "Ghost Photography" trippings

9:26PM - Photo ops at the cross (peak)
(Most of the guys being bonkers with alcohol and all headed to their tents to sleep. Ako, si Mandric, si Vic, at si Dan e naglakad lakad pa pabalik ng peak. Dumaan kami dun sa part ng campsite kung san yung rest ng mga hikers from the other groups camped. Isang group na lang ang gising. Malamang nagtataka kung anong trippings meron kami at umaakyat kami pabalik ng krus. Nakakatakot sa peak. Balot kami ng ulap and c'mon, may krus na di mo alam kung bakit pinatayo dun!)

Sooobrang angas ng shot na 'to! No edits. Good camera, abused trick, cool creativity, and a nice location lang!
L-R: Ric, Dan, Obi, Vic (Lipa City at night on the background)

9:43 - cross arrival
10:08 - back to campsite
(Nag lowbatt na yung camera ni Ric. Conserve na muna't may bukas pa.)

10:18 - lights off
- photo ops muna with Hush ang Manikang Palaboy
- good night!

*****

Day 2 to be continued...

Holy Cow!

Holy Wednesday
Pinasunod ko sila Mami, Bonski, at Sponklong sa Glorietta para sa post celebration ni Sponklong ng birthday niya. Binilhan ko lang siya ng tshirt tas bumili na din ako ng tshirt para sakin. Bumili din ako ng softcase na pwedeng armband para kay Shiny the Techy Phone. Tas sila Mami at Bons bumili ng tsanelas nilang mahal na pangit naman at galing sa Third World Country na maraming sexy na models. Tas kumain kami. Inuwian na lang namin ng shobong sila Cheng at Badong at twins sa bahay.

L-R: the Sponklong, the Obi, the Ribbons, the Mommy Groovy (the source of cute genes... wakanang kumontra!)

Yun lang.

Holy Thursday
Stayed at home the whole day. Bon, my utal, helped me paint my miniatures. I'm rushing on finishing them in time for the big tourney that will probably happen some time August.

Good Friday
Met Jakob at da Shak for our looooong Bisita Inglesia walk. I offer the trip as thanks to God for all the blessings I've been receiving from Him all my life despite what I think is me being unworthy of all this talent, graces, good health and contentment. He's been good to me and I hope with this simple gesture I've proven enough how thankful I am. Si Jakob, di ko alam ang agenda. May hawak naman siyang pamphlet na binabasa kada simbahan.

Resting after the Sto.Domingo-UST walk...

Here be the events that took place:

10:44AM - Umalis kami ng Shak. We took a ride to the Sto. Domingo church.
11:11 - Sto. Domingo church arrival. Church #1.
11:55 - University of Sto. Tomas church arrival. Church #2.
12:05 - water break... church side of UST.
12:09 - walk resumes.

12:13PM - Ministop-UST break.
12:41 - St. Jude church (Mendiola) arrival. Church #3.
12:51 - San Beda (Abbey Church) arrival. Fishball break afterwards. Church #4
1:08 - San Sebastian church arrival. Church #5.
1:31 - Quiapo church arrival. Church #6.

1:41PM - Sta. Cruz church arrival. Church #7.
(Dito na ko naging mushy nostalgic. Andaming memories na ibinalik sakin ng paglalakad sa Recto at sa Binondo. Mixed emotions... ang init pa!!)
2:01 - Binondo church arrival. Church #8.
2:11 - KFC-Binondo break.
2:45 Starbucks-Binondo break. Iced grande white choco mocha tsaka choco honey dipped donut.
(Sobrang gutom na ko sa part na to. I suck in estimating distances but I think we've already covered around 10-12 kilometers of WALK at this moment!)
3:40 - Resume walk.

4:02PM - Manila Cathedral arrival. Church #9.
4:33 - San Agustin church arrival. Church #10.
5:06 - May prusisyon near Ermita church. We stopped to rest to let them pass.
5:08 - Ermita church arrival. Church #11.
5:30 - Malate church arrival. Church #12.

(Then started the loooooong walk along Roxas Boulevard!)
6:13PM - 7-11 (Asian Maritime Institute) break.
(By this time, I was already drinking a liter of Gatorade. Sa gutom siguro I was already hallucinating. I mistook an MMDA overpass as a Chowking signage from afar. Deym.)
6:28 - Resume walk.
6:37 - Encountered another prusisyon. It was along the Roxas Boulevard stretch near Libertad.
6:59 - Baclaran (Redemptorist) church arrival. Church #13.
7:10 - We rode a bus to McKinley Road, Makati.

7:24PM - Arrival at McKinley Road.
(We walked from EDSA towards San Antonio-Forbes Park church.)
7:33 - San Antonio (Forbes Park) church. Church #14.
(Binisita na din namin yung sanctuary for our late friend, Mark's ashes.)
7:53 - Resume walk.
8:02 - In EDSA, we rode a bus to Kamias.
8:21 - Arrival in Kamias.
(Bumili lang kami sa bakery ni Igor tapos dumiretso na kami sa Shak.)

A wall painting at San Antonio church in Forbes Park

Exact arrival time was 8:45PM at da Shak.

Shak Attendance: Jubay, Pork, Asshole, Jumping Johnny, Bilog, Pookiemonster, Obi, Jakob, Topherman, Scotch

Dahil hindi pa ko pagod, sumama ako kay Pookimonster at Bilog para hanapin ang bahay ni Kei sa Fairview. Sa Fairview, inabutan namin sila Kei, Les, Barbs, at Kim. I just played GUITAR HERO roxxorzzz for the win!!! Nakaka-adik, tangenang yan. Mapapabili ata ako ng de oras.

Black Saturday
Went to da Shak an hour after noon. Me, Pork, and the Great Maw went to Quiapo afterwards for a dibidi run. Ako, pumunta ako sa Muslim center para bumili ng sandamakmak na shemagh (desert cowl).

Pagtapos nun, bumalik na kami ng Fairview for the Kei's bunker bash!

Kei's Crib Attendance: Pork, Great Maw, Obi, Kei, Kim, Barbs, Les, Tiny, Arvs, Fluffy

Activities: BANG card game, miniature wargames, GUITAR HERO!!!, pusoy dos, si Tiny lumaklak mag-isa, dibidi/movie/clips marathon, shawarma at coke massacre

Tinuro na namin kay Kei ang TriMo Shawarma place sa Fairview! Kung san hindi tinitipid ang shawarma at ikaw ang susuko sa dami ng servings. Yub yub! Past 4AM na umuwi sila Arvs. Ako naman, nagpa-iwan na dun para matulog. Kala kasi namin bawal matulog eh.

Me, my lightsaber, and The Great Maw playing the BANG cardgame at Kei's...

Easter Sunday
McDo, Pusoy Dos, at Kwentong Career for breakfast. Sa hapon pumunta na kami kela Kim, tumambay ng konti, nanood ng South Park, tas sibat na din kami.

Sa bahay, nanood lang ako ng Pinoy Big Bro. Di ko trip itong batch na ito. Mas lalong naging mukhang scripted ang bahay ni Koya.

Not-Holy Monday
Lunch out with the people here at work. Sandwich lang ang kinain ko na maraming gulay at kamatis. Binigay ko kay Ces ang mga kamatis.

Gutom pa ko ngayon. Baka bumaba pa ko mamya para kumain pa.

L.O. Attendance: Grace, Kath, Ferdie Ferds, Jama, Cara, Bubung, Obi, Ranger Roy

Si Kath lang ang masaya...

*****

New picture album at my Multiply account:
Church Hop 2008 (Click Here)

Saka na Muna Yung Manabo Journal

Bago ang lahat...

Happy Birthday Sponklong!!!
Ayan. Actually kahapon pa yun, kaya belated na. Pinasunod ko na lang siya dito sa Makati mamya. Bilhan ko lang ng tshirt, solve na yun si utol.

*****

So what's in store for me this Holy Week?

Buong Holy Week, ang sakripisyo ko na lang e no Internet for me! No facing a PC for the entire duration of the season!

Thursday, tambay lang ako sa bahay (for a change!) and most likely paint miniatures.

Friday, lalakad ako with Jakob (and maybe Kim and his honchos) for a post Bisita Iglesia spree. Itinerary would be to meet-up at da Shak by 10AM, ride to Santo Domingo church and from there, start the trek to the following churches in order:

UST Church (España)
San Sebastian (Recto)
Saint Jude (Mendiola)
Quiapo Church (Quiapo? doh!)
Sta. Cruz Church (na-miss ko dito)
Binondo Church (same here too)
Manila Cathedral (Intramuros)
San Agustin Church (Intramuros)
Malate Church (A. Mabini)
Redemptorist (Baclaran)
San Antonio Church (Forbes)

Yes... "lalakad". Walang kelaman ng trip.

Tabi tabi po... sa LKG lunch out kagahapon

Saturday and Sunday, sa bahay kami nila Kei sa Fairview. Habang "patay ang Diyos" so they say, we'll have a sort of hobbying party. From poker to Guitar Hero to miniature gaming to gluttonous feasting... lahat na ng pwedeng gawin, gagawin namin. Dun na din kami matutulog... but wait, anong tulog?? Sinong tutulog?? Haha.

*****

Nag text si Papa Smurf nung nasa tuktok ako ng bundok last weekend. He had this summons for da Boyz for yesterday so everyone charged at Chicken For The Road resto near Valle Verde 1 Gate last night to heed thy call.


Attendance: Midnight, Obi Doo, Wise-talking Halfpint, Garrkid, Hairy Critter, Papa Smurf, Ninong Ed, Bozz Beef, Fluffman, Jakob the Pure, Kimpossible, Jubay Bomber, may nakalimutan ba?

Grabe. Walang tigil na pagdating ng pagkain. Di pa ubos ang isang plato, may dumadating na naman.

Grub List: chikken (LOTS! As in! Lampas 10 plates. Peksman!), breaded bangus, crispy patassssssss (madaming "s" dahil gadami din!), pansit bihon, crab omelet, inihaw na tilapia, beer, cox, Black Label (3 liters! deym!)

Miniature gaming schedules on the agenda. Winner of the Warhammer 40K Grand Tournament this year will have a trip for two to Boracay with free lodging at the Boracay Beach Club at Station Uno. The owner himself said so! Wooot!

Pinilit ubusin ang tatlong litrong Kumpareng Johnny Walker. Ayun, hangover kaming lahat ngayon! Argh. Nag set ako ng alarm for 8AM pero 6AM pa lang nagising na ko't hindi makatulog. Nak ng patola!

So I just half-dragged myself to work (which I really can't do now anyway) and immediately had a grande sized white choco mocha in the hopes of clearing the cobwebs...

...in vain.

As I write, pangalwang kape ko na to. Sabog pa din ako.

Araguy.

Finally... they got the spelling right

Manabo Trek, Well Done

Team AIM - Manabo March-Trek Contingent... (click pic for bigger render)
L-R (Standing): Ric, Dan, Ayn, Tata, Nixon, Leo, Vic
(Seated): Doraemon posing as Me

Super thanks to God for making the entire hike to Mount Manabo safe and fun!

We sort of got lost halfway to the peak but it just made the trek all the more enjoying and adventurous. I'll be posting the pics from our trek as soon as I've collected them all from the guys.

For now, let me thank the following...

* Team AIM, syempre. A lot of our other hike-mates weren't there but at least it all turned out astig still. Bawi na lang kayo sa susunod! For now, inggit inggit muna sa pics namin. Haha. Pulag na ba next, ha?? Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat!

* Conquer for Mister Backpack (my hiking bag... the yellow one on the pic above). Nokia for Shiny (my mobile phone slash camera slash navigation tool slash mp3 player). Jollibee for my meal (burger)... 600 meters above sea level.

* Manny Pacquiao for making us walk double-time downhill, abutan lang ang laban niya. Tapos pupunuin lang pala ng GMA 7 ng sandamakmak na commercials! Hindi na lang sana kami nagmadali. Demmit.

* God, ulit. Syemps. Salamat sa ulan, when we needed it most. Medyo dumulas yung trail, but the break from the sweltering heat was more than a welcome.

Night photo-ops with teacher-guru Ric! (Lipa City @ night, on the background)

Basketball Above All

Wednesday
One of the teams here at work that I was involved with had a dinner at Dencio's-Paseo Center. I just swooped in, popped some grub and gulped some grog, before I hit the road again to Urdaneta Village for our regular basketball games. Eat-and-Run style!

Basketball above all!

Still dazed from the alcohol run, I arrived at the basketball court with the guys from different branches of BPI in the area already starting the game. They had been our regular ball-mates every Wednesday. Mga adik din sa laro. We were around 15 in all. Actually, may mga nakainom din sa kanila na naglaro pa din, like me. Astig.

Just to wear down the effects of Saint Mike's Barley, I jogged for a couple of rounds along the perimeter of the park. Although I doubt it did any good to shake off the cobwebs. I suck in my games the whole night. Hehe. We were fooling around and calling each other "lasing", but all in all the games turned out fun.

Post basketball goofs

Tuesday daw ang game next week. Madami na kasing wala sa Wednesday in prep for the Holy Week holidays.

*****

Thursday
Turned up early at home with the regular "ang aga ni koya ah!" comments that I expected when I do come home earlier than usual ("usual" being around 12 midnight?? hehe).

After lounging around, goofing with the twins, and helping (or at least pretending to) with the house chores, I finished painting and basing my miniature figs. I was on the last phase of completing a group of tribal chicks which we call Bloodtrackers in the game of Warmachine. There were six of those and finally, I was able to finish the last Bloodtracker (which is the Huntress leader). So piktyur piktyur time!

Circle of Orboros, Tharn Bloodtrackers
I was working on painting them for almost 3 weeks now.

Sana lang may pang macro ako. But having several ludicrously expensive hobbies already, my frustration at photography would always be like that, a frustration. Sadness.

*****

Friday
Usual lunch out Fridays. So far ang consensus ay sa Pho Hoa. I'll see in like 10 minutes kung san talaga kami matutuloy.

Tuloy ang akyat sa Mount Manabo bukas. Muntik pang hindi. There were originally around 18 people who confirmed but now we're down to 7. Assembly time at Rob Summit tomorrow is 5AM. I already got the Manabo peak's coordinates and saved it on Shiny the Techy Phone. Now, to test its GPS capabilities when we get there.

Paalam kapatagan!

Addendum: Sa Pho Hoa nga kami natuloy mag-lunch.

My grub, before we started eating...

After eating...

Taong Bundok

Prepping up for the boonie hike this weekend.

I met with DD, Aynski, Dan the Flash, and Odie last night at Gilligan's for Round 3 of my (now) three-day birthday bash. Sabi nga ni Dee Dee, "Kawawa tong si Obi pag birthday e, andaming tropa." Well said, pare. All of that was after I, the Flash, and Ayn bought an 85L Conquer assault bag in Park Square 3 for me. Option ko lang was color orange/black or yellow/ash. Since the color of the bag I brought the last time we climbed was yellow, yung yellow/ash na lang ang pinili ko.

I hereby name it... "Backpack". Napaka-unique na name. Galing ko talaga mag-isip!

Anyway, have to go back on that store maybe later. Nakalimutan ko kasi bilihan ng water-proof armband si Shiny (my phone) para pwede ko siya bitbitin externally. Para masubukan ko yung GPS capabilities nya. Hafta look though for the exact coordinates of the mountain's peak. Baka sa Google Earth meron. With it and Shiny, I can check if we'll be heading to the right direction (peak-wards), how fast can we reach the destination, how high we will be at any point (altimeter), and how long (at our current speed) will it take us to the peak. Super techy!

Also, from the original destination (Mount Malipunyo) we will be moving the trekk to another nearby mountain - Mount Manabo. Mas maganda daw ang view dito ayon sa mga reviews ng mga nakapag-trekk na dito. Mas less prone din na maligaw than Malipunyo.

Quick facts for Mount Manabo:
Location: Batangas
Elevation: 830 masl
Level: 1 (Easy Climb)
Jump Off Point: Sto. Tomas, Batangas

Mount Manabo is one of two mountains that comprises the Susong Dalaga range. In short, aakyat kami sa isa sa mga suso! Hehe. Wootooot! It was named as such because it looks like a reclining lady from atop with two of these mountains as its boobage. "Walk in the park" lang siya. Fun climb kumbaga. Very recommendable sa mga newbies, unlike nung last akyat namin sa Cinco Picos. Sayang nga may hindi makakasama sa'min na super crushness ko. Uh well...

Preferred itinerary...
DAY 1
06:00 Assembly at JAM Bus Station in Buendia-Taft (Any bus bound
for Batangas City)
06:30 ETD Manila to Batangas City
09:00 ETA Lipa Batangas, Fiesta Mall (arrange for transportation
going to Barangay Sta Cruz)
09:15 ETD towards Barangay Sta. Cruz
10:00 ETA Barangay Sta. Cruz
10:15 Start Trek
12:15 ETA Peak/ Lunch
18:00 Dinner
21:00 Light's Out

DAY 2
09:00 Wake-up Call, Breakfast
10:00 Start Descent
12:00 ETA Barangay Sta. Cruz, Lunch
13:30 ETD for Manila
15:00 ETA Manila

(Although we'll start the trip from here in Makati at 4AM)

Deutschland Wurst

Andami pang humabol na birthday greets sa Friendster, thanks sa lahat!

Kung convertible to cash yung mga yan, makakabili na ko ng Ferrari.

Haven't logged in on Friendster for like 3 months. Kaya pag login ko ulit, nag general cleaning ako. Deleted people and groups that I don't know or wasn't associated to. Organized albums for my pictures. And simplified everything up (if my profile could be described as such).

Add me at http://www.friendster.com/, if I know you!

*****

Last Saturday, the sausage fest at da Shak was fun!

Attendance: Jubay, Pork, Jumping Johnny, Hairy Critter, Obi, Garrboy, Fluff, Dennis, Riderman, Pookiemonster, Jakob, Topher, Bozz Beef, Scotch, Perci, JP, Jan Jan, Mussolini, Kulyong

Prepping up da guts
L-R: Bozz Beef, Riderman, Fluffman, Garrdude, Obimeister

We almost topped this year's "population count in a day" record at da Shak! Record was 23 heads.

Grub: 2kg bratwurst, 3kg beer sausage, 1kg schueblig, 1kg hotlinks, potato salad, anchovy pesto with sundried potato, pandesal, Saint Mike's Light Barley, choco rum, cox

Birthday ko nung 7th, Jakob was on the 9th, and Jake will be at the 25th(?) so triple threat celebration yung araw na yun. Prior to the Shak, me, Fluffman, Mussolini, and Arvs were at the Fortress in Virramall. Dumaan si Kantoboy to have a game of Warmachine against me. Other peeps that were there: Doc Lance, Dan + Dadang, Doc Biggy, Jeng, Hans + GF, and Lloyd.

Booze of the Night
Class dismissed at some minutes past midnight.

*****

New picture albums in my Multiply account:
Sausage Night at da Shak (Click Here)
Kite Fest 2008? (Click Here)

New music album too:
Page Music 4 (Click Here)

Two Decades and a Half Plus Two

Happy birthday to me!

Got to get my arse out of here in the office soon. The folks back at home is waiting with a simple feast. Nagpa-pizza lang din ako dito. I was planning to prepare salad for them but the lazy in me took over. Arise lazy git... arise!

Mukang mahirap kasi mag prepare ng pang maramihan.

Bukas may pa-sausage fest kami ni Jakob (birthday nya din bukas) para sa mga tambay ng Shak. Tapos sa Lunes may laklakan kami ng Team AIM. Meeting na din para sa akyat namin sa Mount Malipunyo sa susunod na weekend. With it, confirmed nang hindi ako makakasama sa company outing. Olats.

Anyway, thanks sa lahat ng mga bumati at ganun na din sa mga nakalimot. Madapa sana kayow! Haha.

*****

Mga bumati (in chronological order)... salamats!

Mommy Groovey (SMS)
Bonita (SMS/Friendster) - buti ka pa kahit taga US, ang aga bumati. Miss you, Boi!
Ela Family (Pic Msge)
Charles (SMS)
Mae (SMS) - how sweet cuz, thanks!
Romy (SMS)
Dee Dee (SMS) - hoy sasama ka sa akyat ha!
Badong (SMS)
Tita A, Cheng, Bon (in person)
SST 17/F dudes (in person)
Bob Hall (email) - tangena, eto ang may-ari ng kumpanya!
Miss Kaye (email) - HR!
Lieutenant Abrenix (Friendster) - tol salamat! ingat sa pag hagis ng granada. waha!
Chester (Friendster)
Val Wuttdahell (Friendster)
Ana (Friendster) - tropa ni Dee Dee
Jacq (Friendster) - grabe ang ganda nya pa din
Berns (Friendster)
Menchie (IM) - Chi, walang salad :(
Koya Larr (Multiply)
Dens (IM)
Bogart & Zach (call)
Koya Jeff (IM)
MJ (IM)
Jai (IM) - tol, saka na treat ko... tsaka yung "Last Suffer" project mo, sama kow!
Jhoanna (IM)
Pong (IM/call) - sa yo ang kalhati ng Randellburg... waha!
Venkat (IM) - tropa ko sa India-HP... waha! salamalaykum! (e-he)
Tins (IM) - Tins, bakit nawala ako sa contacts mo?? Ngayon ko lang nakita. Iiyak na ko sige!
Chay (IM) - greets from overseas, salamats!
Itel (IM) - bon voyage!
Bozz Beef Gelo (SMS) - kita kits sa Shak!
Marvs (IM) - our Sydney counterpart, nakipag-reminiscin' talks pa ko
Mher (IM) - happy birthday din sayo bukas!
Jacob (IM) - birthday mo din bukas... kita kits sa Shak!
Pork (Forum) - ikaw ang may ari ng Shak... bwahaha... ARGH!

...at sa mga nakalimutan ko, BELAT!

May mga bumati pa pala ng mga super-advanced like Wacha (Singapore), Nandy (Holland), Dan the Flash!, etc... kinalimutan ko talaga kayo sa listahan! Hahaha. Nagmamadali na ko e... Nash salamats, nabasa ko sa email may message ako from you sa Friendster. I assume greetings ito. Tenkyu tenkyu!

Wan Plas Wan, Magellan

Nag-email sa akin si Cheng (utal ko... babaeng "utol") ng isang word problem:

Bob the Builder goes to work very early but he encountered a problem. He forgot the five digit access code to his high-tech workshop. However, he remembered the five clues to get the right five digit access code. Hereunder are the clues:

1. The fifth number plus the third number of the access code equals fourteen.
2. The fourth number is one more than the second number.
3. The first number is one less than twice the second number.
4. The second plus the third number equals ten.
5. The total of all the five numbers is thirty.

*****

Nasagutan ko naman siya at sobrang nakaka-aliw. Reminds me of my Algebra days back in highschool. Pinasagutan ko nga din kay Jai (classmate ko nung highschool at teammate ko on most quizbees) and, like me and most people that I sent it to, bitin din siya dahil nakaka-aliw mag sagot.

Among the dudes that replied to me, I've at least seen 3 mathematical approaches on answering the problem. Most of those who got the answer, solved for "b" or the second number. First try ko kasi e dun ko din pinadaan pero sumablay ako so I derived equations for "c" or the third number.

Scratch paper ko...
Isang bloke ng computation para sa derived equations.
Isang bloke ng computation para sa substitution of values.
Isang bloke ng computation para sa wrap-up (using the 5th clue, commutative axiom... o-ha!).

Ang malupet e yung approach ni Roy... the tried and tested "trial and error method". Haha, lupet. Tyinaga nya talaga.

Ayoko ng Algebra, and generally MATH! Pero ironically mataas ang aptitude ko towards it. Ayoko ng may umiikot na numbers sa ulo ko.

Scratch paper ni Roy... mas o-ha!

Wer na u? Wet na me!

Bago ang lahat, thanks Jai's-sober-side for editing my synopsis for "The Dark Champion of Garman Four" and inadvertently providing me with a very characterful villain name.

Oh, same goes to Garrdude for my location's name. Bwehehe.

*****

At first I had a nameless 5110, and then a 3210. Then there was Bakex, a phone I din't even know what model it was called. Sa sobrang panget nya Bakekang ang ipinangalan ko sa kanya. Then, there was Perla... my 3650. I called it that since it looked like a bar soap. Ginawa ko pa siyang all-white housing before para panindigan ang pagiging detergent nya. Antagal ng pinagsamahan namin nito, around 6 years.

On your left (which is my right) was "Bakex"! Guest starring Pouty's "Pinky".

By the arms of Yuki (the gentle giant in red), was Perla. Pati sa Sydney kasama siya.

It was Friday last week when finally, bumigay na si Perla. It had its third (or fourth?) system crash and after having it fixed, it all fucked up... wala nang signal, hindi na ma-charge, etc... etc. So 4 days na ko walang phone until yesterday. Nanginginig na ko due to withdrawal symptoms. Kelangan ko ng phone soon anyway since aakyat ako ng bundok next week and birthday ko this weekend. Kaya bumili na ko bago.

Tada!

Shiny... the Nokia N82, was born!

Pinag-isipan ko mabuti yang pangalan na yan kasi gusto ko unique ang name nya. Haha. Seriously, that was the phone's feature that I least liked - it being only available at shiny silver casing. Kagahapon ko ito binili, after a period of much research and asking around. Ever since nakuntento ako ke Perla, nawala na ko sa sirkulasyon ng mga celepono. Kaya kelangan ko ulit magtanong-tanong ng latest about it. Nagulat nga ako sa dami na ng modelo sa market. Dati, ang gwapo mo na at pwede ka na mag syota ng ramp model basta may 5110 ka lang dahil may Snake siya at napapalitan ng housing... 4-liners pa! Ngayon, pamato na lang ito sa tatsing.

In the end it was a battle of Ericsson's K850i and Nokia's N82 and N95. N95 became out of the question since it doesn't have the Xenon flash (maganda sa madidilim na lugar - nakow hilig ko pa namang magsusuot sa madidilim). K850i and the N82 have almost the same features... lamang lang ng ilang teknikal jujus ang N82 (knowing Nokia). Itim ang K850i. Silver lang ang N82. So aesthetics, gusto ko ang K850i. Mas malaki ang monitor ng N82 at 2.4". In the end, after weighing my need to have a decent camera (ang digicam ko ay lumang 2MP lang), mas advantageous para sa akin ang N82 (preho silang Xenon 5MP and autofocusing) dahil lang sa mas malaking screen at faster reaction rate.

Pic taken using Shiny. This is my ever loyal toyfriend, Hush, ang Batang Gala.

Other features I liked:
* auto rotate screen - sakto pang Scandal... bwahaha
* GPS - ginawa para sa mga lakwatsero
* GPRS, 3G, WLAN, Bluetooth connectivities - sa mga mahilig "kumabit"
* basic useful apps - calculator, converter, barcode reader, notepad, PDF/Word/Excel/Presentation Reader, file compression (ZIP), file manager, blah blah blah
* FM radio
* huge internal and external memory (2GB card included in the package)
* covered camera lens
* auto focus camera and quick reaction/storage time (good for airsoft/basketball/"suntukan sa kanto" action pics)
* music and video player

Sobrang techy ng usapan, ansakit na ng ulo ko.

Sobrang mahal sya para sa iba. Para sakin, sulit na. I mean, c'mon, my 3650 lasted me around 6 years. This N82 will probably last me twice that much. Sa bilis ng depreciation ng celepono ngayon, tis better to push to purchase the latest model just so you'll maximize the depreciation rate. Kesa bumili ka ng mga nasa mid-tier phones then laos na ito faster than you can type "WER NA U. WET NA ME!" (Where are you? I'm already waiting!).

So yung mga may number ko dyan, kindly text me now and mag-pakilala naman!

Kwentong Barbero

I'm an avid reader of Black Library (http://www.blacklibrary.com/) novels. It's a UK-based publishing house that releases written materials (books, graphic novels, and references) relevant to the Warhammer system of games.

They recently set a project for a new book of short story compilations which will highlight this faction in the world of Warhammer 40,000, the Space Marines. Rules and regulations can be found HERE. Basically, the contest winners will have their short stories be included on the published anthology which will be entitled "Heroes of the Space Marines".

Personally, I've been playing/painting Space Marines (particularly the Dark Angels Chapter) for like four years now so I think it's time (as a writer - or at least a barely aspiring one) for me to write a story about them not just to aim on winning the contest but basically just to enjoy the narrative side of the miniature painting (scale modelling) hobby.

A Dark Angels Scout Sniper that I've assembled and painted arduously (albeit lovingly)
*halos kasing laki lang ng piso yung black "base" nya (for size comparison)

Anyway, the contest primarily needs a submission of no more than 500 word synopsis and a 500-1000 word writing sample. They will notify those people whose synopses piqued their interest and then that's the only time the chosen will start writing down their 7000 word-limit short stories.

Of course, non-players of Warhammer and people that are unaware of its backgrounds would find the story having too much jargons (and even gibberish at most) but I hope those who could "dig" it would enjoy. Here are my submissions...

*****

The Dark Champion of Garman Four (A Synopsis)
by OBI

The story follows the account of Brother-Captain Harko who is sent to Garman Four in the head of his Doom Eagles strike force to heed a call for aid by surviving local militiamen. These Space Marines eventually learn that a charismatic demagogue (former Marshal of the House, Sebastian Jai) has usurped the seat of the agri-world’s sovereign, leading his exponentially growing revolutionists to annihilate oppositions, and plans on carrying his tyranny to the neighboring colonies of the planet’s inhabited moon.

Sebastian Jai is aged and frail for battle but fighting under his command and has been a brilliant executor of his overwhelming coup is a mysterious man only referred to as Vicious, Champion of the Marshal. Brother-Captain Harko knows that to quash the rebellion, he has to subjugate the Champion and eventually the tyrant, Jai.

Despite squads of Doom Eagles and remnants of the planetary militia besieging the Citadel of the Faith – the planet’s seat of power – the rebel forces are able to hold them at bay through sheer advantage of superior numbers. In the face of heavy losses, the Doom Eagles finally carry the fight by the gates of the Citadel. It is here that the tides shift again as a new enemy reveals itself to stall the Imperial siege – the foes’ distinctively scaled power armor identifies them as traitorous Space Marines of the Alpha Legion.

In the heat of the battle, an overwhelming Dark Angels contingent arrives, striking deep into the heart of the Citadel and seemingly heeding no attention to the outcome of the ongoing clash upon the Citadel’s perimeters. The rebel defenses are crushed by a swift Ravenwing raid while the rest of their monastic brethren methodically pour inside the Citadel, scouring its interior.

A Dark Angel Master eventually comes face to face with Vicious and a duel ensues that results on the latter’s captivity. With that, the entire Dark Angels contingent just as quickly leaves the battle for the Doom Eagles to finish. With Sebastian Jai never heard of again since the Doom Eagles assaulted the Citadel gates and his Champion spirited by the Dark Angels, the remaining traitor Space Marines, including the entire rebellion, ultimately fall prey to the wrath of the Imperial forces.

An epilogue describes a cavern in the Rock where a Librarian confirms to an Interrogator-Chaplain that the man in his rack – Vicious – is not amongst their Fallen (but is suggested as an agent of the Alpha Legion).

On another scene, inside the bridge of a star cruiser leaving the Garman System, Sebastian Jai’s body is slowly warping into a hulking masculine frame. He laughs as he wears the last piece of his antiquated power armor… a dark jade shoulder pad, bearing the tattered winged-blade insignia of the Dark Angels.

*****

…excerpt from "The Dark Champion of Garman Four"
by OBI (my Writing Sample)

"Devastator squads, maintain fire on the defense platforms! Squads Udrih and Gallema, on me!"

Brother-Captain Midas Harko and his Doom Eagles clambered fluidly out of their Rhino transports, pouring more holy bolter rounds to the general direction of the Citadel gates. It was the last bastion of the traitorous rebel forces and the Space Marines would stop at nothing to put their tyrannical leader Marshal Sebastian Jai to justice.

Bodies fell dead incessantly upon the bulwarks set around the perimeter walls and more dived for cover as the Space Marines fearlessly assailed the rebels, slowly creeping up towards a small gap in the enemy formation. Destructive lascannon volleys from the Doom Eagles' firing line of devastator squads covered the advance while remnants of the planetary militia who were still loyal to the Emperor acted as diversions, continuously harassing the rebellions' flanks. Only the hulking presence of the Marshal's champion, Vicious, and his unfaltering heretical litanies held the morale of the rebel band together.

"Smite the blind so they shall see... annihilate the servants of the False Emperor!"

Timing a very short moment of reprieve from the rain of Imperial ammunitions, the Champion barked a command of retaliation. Those remaining functional autocannon emplacements opened fire anew. In addition to salvos of lasbeams, fragmentation projectiles, artillery shells, and all the other firepower the rebels could muster, the battlefield became a cacophony of utter destruction.

Most of the shots bounced harmlessly off and did no more than chipped the ceramite power armor of the Space Marines. However, some high powered and, less often, lucky shots zeroed in on their armor's unprotected areas and inflicted disabling damages to their already enhanced physiology. Worst, a few Space Marines died through sheer concentration of enemy rounds.

Still, it only made the Doom Eagles' Apothecarion compliment busier while Brother-Captain Harko and his squad continued undeterred with their headlong charge against the wave of the enemy's desperate but destructive last stand.

---

"It is time, Marshal Jai. It shall be as agreed."

The former Marshal of the Planetary House and murderer of the ruling sovereign, Sebastian Jai, smirked at the reminder. Far below the balcony, the swirling battle between his rebels and the Doom Eagles was in deathly high pitch. Indeed, the Space Marines were gaining against his defenses and sooner or later, they could breach the gates and storm the Citadel itself lest their contingency plan would be executed soon.

The old Marshal turned to face the towering figure which cast an ominous shadow upon him and said in a crackled voice, "Very well. Send in the transport and good riddance to this festering planet."

The man nodded with a sinister grin.

"Moran, see the Marshal to his transport. Drachma, Vicious has sent the word. Bolster his forces and be rid of the Imperial taint for once!" He commanded this without turning to look at the two equally massive men stationed behind him. Instead, he took the place of the Marshal on the observation platform, considering the battle below. It was fast turning into a massacre.

"At last, we shall reveal ourselves," he whispered to himself.