The man on the street.

Getting ready to revive this dumb blog

2010-08-16T16:16:00.002+08:00

Fear: it motivates

2009-01-21T11:09:00.003+08:00

Kaya gumagaling ang mga naglalaro sa berdugo room ng Blueskies.

Namamatay ang mga nagkakalat.

How Sir Neil loves Valenzuela/Caloocan

2008-06-28T12:28:00.002+08:00

I found it interesting how Sir Neil seemed piqued when I talked about Western Valenzuela in terms of cell site names and GPS coordinates. To him it must have seemed impersonal. He grew up there, you see. He knows the people and the places and the culture. It would be strange for me too if I grew up in the perpetually flooded streets of Coloong and some kid started referring to it as BISIGVALZ1, telling you to turn the car left and right in search of some invisible signal.

My favorite Globe driver got nostalgic and teary eyed when he talked about his childhood. He said that when the tide was high brackish water would flood the streets of Coloong, and he would wade home from school waist deep in it.

He pointed out that some homes were situated lower than road-level while others were above it. He further explained that families with money pay to have their dwellings elevated so the water drains out of them. Poor families have the water drain into their houses from the streets. The families that make really good progress in society move away, and others come in replacing them.

It's sad. Hopefully as the Philippines grows older and richer we can let the sea take this place back for itself.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
June 28, 2008 12:44 pm

Lessons from Limited

2008-02-07T23:30:00.000+08:00

January 19 was the Morningtide prerelease, a tournament I had no intention of participating in. I went to Galleria with a mindset to sell cards. Having quit playing standard, I had no idea what cards were in Morningtide. Suddenly, Marty offered to sponsor me. Sure, I said.

I dislike Lorwyn block. The primary reason for this is the tribal theme. The decks pretty much make themselves. Someone can just say "I want an elf deck." then slap together all the Lorwyn block elves, maybe splash a Futuresight Thornweald Archer, throw in some broken disruption cards, and he'll have a decent elf deck. The player can be a total newbie, and the synergy will still be there because the synergy is built into the tribal cards.

This was the lesson I learned during the Lorwyn prerelease (I went 1-1-2) where I followed my maxim of "Creature kill > Bombs > Evasion creatures > Efficient creatures; Do not be afraid to go tricolor." and turned out a mediocre performance.

This time I would go tribal.

I sorted my cards and started reading each and every one. It took a while. Remember, prior to prerelease I had no idea what the Morningtide cards did. I surveyed my cards and Lo! Behold, I had a Leaf-Crowned Elder.

Broken. If you have the guys to back him up.

Lorwyn monsters like their brothers and sisters, and sometimes they form gangs and take over the drug business in New York City. Unfortunately, the Elder was no Frank Lucas, and had only one or two siblings to be broken with. I counted the tribal in my cards, and by far the most numerous class was "Rogue."

So I gathered all my Rogue cards together, and whittled them down until only the 23 best ones remained. Among them was this guy:

ZOMGWTFBBQ

This card is so broken... it's not even funny. Add a prowl 1B creature with "Whenever a Rogue you control attacks and isn't blocked, it gets +2/+1", three whole Latchkey Faeries, and a truckload of changelings (with deathtouch) and you have a pretty good deck. The prowl mechanic was easy to pull off because of the 1 cc 1/1 fear goblin.

I present to you my (transcribed from memory) UB Sealed Rogues:

Creatures (17)

1 Oona's Blackguard
1 Stinkdrinker Bandit
1 Final-Sting Faerie
1 Nightshade Schemers
2 Prickly Boggart
3 Moonglove Changeling

1 Fencer Clique
1 Slithermuse
2 Grimoire Thief (yes, two!)
1 Mothdust Changeling
3 Latchkey Faerie

Other spells (6)

1 Pack's Disdain
2 Warren Weirding

1 Distant Melody
2 Disperse

Lands (17)

9 Island
8 Swamp

First Match (GRB Treefolk)

Game 1: I get some early 1/1's going and beat with weenies. I draw both Warren Weirdings and watch in satisfaction as he disappointedly sacrifices his lone creature twice. Mid-game he gets a Winnower Patrol that quickly grows and grows, but by this time I have Latchkey Faerie and Fencer Clique out, and get lethal damage in the air.

Game 2: I draw both Warren Weirdings again, but he manages to power out two Winnower Patrols with the treefolk bannerret. One of them grows to 6/5 at one point and I quickly die.

Game 3: I draw both Warren Weirdings again, but he gets two Winnower Patrols out again and quickly beats me down to single-digit life. Late in the game I am forced to chump block a horde with Nightshade Schemers and Fencer Clique. I block the 1/3 with Clique of instead of the 2/3 and go down to 1 life but keep the Clique alive (no mana to return to library). I wait for Shard Volley to kill me but he just passes the turn. On my turn I topdeck Slithermuse, evoke it, and draw SIX cards. It was ridiculous. I attack and play three blockers for next turn. He shakes his head and concedes; I was lethal on my next turn.

Record: 1-0

Second Match (RG Warriors)

Game 1: I don't clearly remember what happened in this game, but at one point he shard volleyed a Grimoire thief when he was at 3 land and did not play a land for the rest of the game. I wonder why he was so afraid of the Thief.

Game 2: I mull to 6, then later have 6 islands in play with no swamps and a black hand. My only blue spell was Fencer Clique, and even recursion could not keep me alive for long.

Game 3: At one point I prowled three Latchkey Faeries one after the other. I did not even take 1 point of damage in this game.

Record: 2-0

Third match (BW Kithkin)

Game 1: He gets a Bitterblossom out early to chump block my guys. Mid-game Kithkin Zephyrnaut keeps dressing up like a Serra Angel and I quickly die.

Game 2: I mulligan down to five and again have only islands with a completely black hand. Kithkin Zephyrnaut murders me.

This guy was the most annoying opponent of the day. He kept using powerpuff girl dolls as Bitterblossom tokens. He would later beat Anjoy at last Friday's FNM, hahaha.

Fourth match (BGR Treefolk + Warriors)

Game 1: I quickly discover that this guy also runs Winnower Patrol and that he also grows them pretty fast. Luckily I get a large number of Faeries in play and use their Disdain to kill the Patrol. We stay locked for a while but I soon topdeck Oona's Blackguard and Stinkdrinker Bandit one after the other, meaning my rogues are now utterly broken. I soon beat him down.

Game 2: I prowl out Stinkdrinker Bandit on turn two but he Released the Ants on him. It was funny, when he tapped two mana I just shouted "RE-lease! THE Ants!", and turned a few heads. It didn't matter though as I dropped Oona's Blackguard the next turn and started prowling out Latchkey Faeries. At one point he got a Pyroclast Consul into play, threatening death for all my 1 or 2 toughness guys (which means ALL my guys). I play Warren Weirding, and he sacrifices the Consul instead of Fendeep Summoner. Hmm... I guess he had no other elementals in his deck. I know for a fact that he had some other shamans. Strange. Misplay. I win in the air again.

Record: 3-1

All in all, it was a gratifying prerelease tournament. I finished 16th in Flight E, which I'm pretty proud of. Marty got a voucher for three free booster packs, and I got a free Grimoire Thief for my trouble.

What did I learn? Evasion is godly. I also learned that the Rogues class is broken in standard (a lesson the world learned together with me). I also confirmed the lesson I learned during Lorwyn prerelease when Kinsbale Skirmisher beat me down while Nath's Elite sat dead in my hand: in sealed, unlike in draft, run plenty of efficient creatures. Finally, Lorwyn is a tribal block, and the strongest sealed decks are tribal decks.

And now, my social concern for the week: Wizards, give us room for creativity once more please.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
February 8, 2008 12:49 am

Shoot me.

2008-01-28T22:33:00.000+08:00

Never mind.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
January 28, 2008

Mas Tao Sila.

2008-01-13T21:45:00.001+08:00

This Ateneo immersion thing really does what it's supposed to do. I'll come away from CRADLE having learned that no, you really can't tell what a person is like by how he looks.

I also learned that there are people in this world and in this country who steal because they have no choice. Not stealing means that your "wife" will die from the seven abortion pills she was made to take. Not stealing means you can't go home to your family. Not stealing means your best friend dies of a gunshot wound.

I also learned that Sir Z's talk of social injustice is not just hot air. The children I met were victims more than anything.

I also realized that I was a real ass for saying that if the Philippines had winter it would solve all our problems by eradicating the poor and homeless.

I know that if I read these things before I would discard them as soon as I read them. Reading about these people never made a difference for me because I never cared. On the rare occasions where I tried to think as if I were in their situation, I did realize that I'd probably do the same thing, but then I would just tell myself that I'm not in their situation and move on. If my past self were to read this blog entry, he would call me a fool.

It's not as if I've changed much. I've just seen more things and listened to more stories. Thes are real stories that haven't been through the media I distrust. They were alsoe told by children.
The oldest was 19 and the youngest 16, but when the discussion was serious they thought and spoke with maturity and depth I can only achieve with effort. The sentence "Mas tao sila." said by Cels during the reflection rang so true to me that it shocked me how much sympathy I felt. "Mas tao sila." is true. During the Group Dynamics I sat there listening while they talked about life "sa loob" and their families and loved ones "sa labas". They sang songs about desperation and forgiveness and friendship and love. They talked about the different treatments of the rich and poor. If we started discussing Final Fantasy XII maybe I could have said something. However, we were talking about real life so I could only ask questions and nod.

"Mas tao sila." is something I would vehemently oppose before immersion. I've lived longer than them. I have experiences too. I've been to school. I think a lot. After immersion I realize that I've never been desperate. I've had a job but I've never had to work. When I talk about school I use the word "survive" incorrectly. I have a good family. I have a good girlfriend. In the past I've used these things to differentiate myself from the juvenile delinquents I read about in the news as much as possible. Now these things in contrast with the kids' stories make their experiences even more vivid. Mas tao nga sila.

The apathy is melted now, but I don't know how long it will last. Right now I'm reflecting on how "going back to daily life" means very different things for these kids and myself. They go back to their cell and worry about their cases. I will again slowly kill myself with fast food and late nights playing computer games.

Changing something is very hard for someone who doesn't need change. Changing society seems too hard, and changing oneself never lasts. What a predicament. Maybe I have to content myself with the awareness that I've gained after all this. These kids were so grown up I couldn't help but grow up a little bit myself. I find myself caring a little bit more and thinking a little bit more. My priorities have shifted a little bit. Undoubtedly the other Ateneans experienced the same. Little by little is the way to go, I guess. Gradually changing people might one day change the world. I cringe as I type these words, but they're getting typed. And in a new way I'm...

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
January 13, 11:40 pm

The Talk of the Peasantry

2007-12-15T21:19:00.000+08:00

To make amends for owning Runas' deck so badly, I have modified this card of his former favorite creature, Mr. Masipag, Mr. Clean. This is also a good opportunity for clarification. Four uncommon cards are allowed in a peasant deck according to our format together with one rare. Only standard-legal cards are allowed and card rarities depend on their current (i.e. standard) rarities. Spark elemental, for example, is uncommon because it is uncommon in Tenth, even if it was common in Fifth Dawn. Timeshifted cards take their rarities from their last printed rarity. Suq'ata Lancer, for example, is common because it was common in Visions.

"Pano yung Chromatic Star?" Chromatic Star was common in Time Spiral then Uncommon in Tenth Edition, both sets standard-legal. I don't know if there is another case like this, but it makes sense to assign to Chromatic Star its rarity on its latest printing, which is uncommon.

Moving on to other things, may dayaan na nga sa Faura, ngayon may nakawan pa. WTF.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
December 15, 2007 9:41 pm

Shameless Attempt to Increase Blog Traffic

2007-12-09T23:20:00.000+08:00

Notes for Agustin's HW 1004.

1. The .txt file has to be in the same directory as transmit.exe.
2. You have to choose a new .txt file as receive.exe's output file.
3. You have to input the 1's and 0's when receive.exe "hangs".
4. Press ^C when you're done.

Edit: ^C is ctrl+c. ^_^

Revolution

2007-12-08T00:28:00.001+08:00

Spaghetti NOW!

2007-11-30T18:48:00.001+08:00

Chevy

Inspired by a monster

2007-11-28T00:14:00.000+08:00

A long time ago there lived a boy who had everything. Everything, except a name. This made him unhappy.

One day he asked his friend if he could borrow that friend's name. "Sure." said the friend, and for a while the boy was happy with his borrowed name. After that while the friend said "Could I have my name back, please?", but the boy refused.

"I like this name." said the boy. "I'm not giving it back."

"A name is not something you take from someone else, silly." said the friend. "I'd like it back now."

"No!" said the boy, and he ate his friend. Gobble gobble, chomp chomp, munch munch. The friend was no more, and for a while the boy was happy with his stolen name.

Then one day he met a beautiful girl with a beautiful name. It was the kind of name that changed the way people look at someone. "Hello." the boy greeted her.

"Hello." she answered. "Are you here to help me remember what I've forgotten?"

"I can't help you with that; I don't know too many things myself. I'm sorry. May I have your name?" the boy asked her. She told him.

"Carissa. It's a beautiful name." he said. "May I have it?"

"I just gave it to you."

"You don't understand." he told her. She tried to resist, but in the end the boy ate her the same way he ate his friend. Skin, bones and all. Gobble gobble, chomp chomp, munch munch.

The boy now had two names, but he wasn't happy. He met many other people. Fat people, happy people, sad people, people who had problems no one knew how to answer, people who cheated on their spouses, people who beat their spouses, people who had everything and people who had nothing. He met intelligent people, people who thought of others before themselves, and people who had gambled their lives away. He ate them all. He took all their names.

Gobbble gobble, chomp chomp, munch munch.

In the end the boy's name was so long that no one could call him by it. In the end he was just as unhappy as he was without one.

The Story Thus Far

2007-11-17T23:41:00.000+08:00

I am going to seriously start writing a good story now. I figure I've wasted enough time. The trouble is that I have no idea where to start. The Adventures of Man-Boy, Half Man, Half Boy? The Adventures of Fishda, Half Fish, Half Isda? How about Batamboy (1/2 Bata, 1/2 Boy)?

Inspiration please!

Pacquiao? Pfft.

2007-11-04T16:37:00.001+08:00

Who is the most dangerous boxer in the Philippines?

2007-10-27T17:47:00.000+08:00

This:

is what Ernest Becker thinks about death; a hill's crest in a roller coaster ride. Culture, further, is a group of billboards beside the roller coaster that distracts us from death and stops us from contemplating what lies beyond.

I think life is like a song that can be sung only once (like in the Silmarillon). Once it's over, it's over, and you can only hope you've LSS'ed somebody.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
October 29, 2007. 11:32 am

In 10 days...

2007-09-23T23:18:00.000+08:00

Can't wait for Lorwyn!

Draft: get removal. I was gg'd in Friday's 2nd round due to the lack thereof despite having the best creatures and the best curve. Ah well, win some, lose some.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 23, 2007 11:51 pm

Magic nalang! (Kasi wala daw intriga)

2007-09-13T23:23:00.000+08:00

Scenario:

You playing in a 3-booster draft. You open your first pack and find: Plains, Goblin Token, Mind Bend, ?, ?, Blaze, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, Lava Axe. Because you want a GG Aggro-Keso deck you have to decide:

Lava Axe is somewhat more efficient, doing 5 damage for 5 mana, whereas Blaze would need 6 mana to do the same thing. Lava Axe's glaring weakness is its inability to target creatures. Also, Lava Axe can't do more than 5 damage while Blaze could theoretically do infinite damage. However, when you draft R/? the game is less likely to go into the late game and every single point of damage for every mana becomes more important.

Me: Lava Axe
Anjoy: Blaze (may control ka kasi sa mana mo pag blaze..)
Marty: Blaze
Tal: Blaze
Runas: Lava Axe (less casting cost for more dmg)

I like 5 damage for 5 mana. This is purely personal preference since I usually pick small evasion creatures to bring the beat down early. Blaze is certainly the stronger card and a much more potent topdeck late game.

However, if I pass the Blaze left and Mr. On-my-left picks it as his 2nd pick, then he will likely move into Red and I won't see any good red cards being passed in my 2nd pack. He is less likely to pick Lava Axe as a 2nd pick if his 1st pick wasn't red. (I think. This whole drafting strategy thing is all very new to me.)

This is a testament to how much more we have to learn about drafting. The pros talk about things like "open colors" and "signaling". What are these things? I usually just pick what I think is the best card in the pack the first few times and then try to stay in color later.

At this point I guess we'vel realized how important it is to try and see what colors we're not seeing in the packs (the colors other people are playing) and what colors have strong cards being passed late (the underdrafted color) when picking cards. I also have some idea about defensive drafting (picking the cards you don't want used against you). But this idea from the pros that the best draft decks are controllish and all about card advantage are just beyond me.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 14, 2007. 12:11 am

Draft again!

2007-09-11T22:56:00.002+08:00

This time I finished 1st in a 4-man draft in Recto. There being just 4 of us, the chances of getting a chase rare were slim... but that doesn't mean we didn't!

In the first round I drafted green for Overrun and waited anxiously for the Craw Wurms, Spined Wurms, and Sylvan Basilisks that would no doubt come my way. They never did. I got 2 Skyshroud Rangers and some random black trash. I counterdrafted Benalish Knight and threw in a couple of Plains for him. It was horrible. I finished 3rd on the strength of Overrun. For my trouble, I got a Loyal Sentry (would've been my 5th). Tal beat me in the first round and finished 2nd, losing to William. I can't remember what either of their decks were like, but William had the Horseshoe Crab + Arcane Teachings shenanigans.

The second round was much better. I was able to draft some nice efficient creatures (though I was still forced to go 3-colors due to the shallowness of the cardpool). In this format I really get to appreciate the creatures that are usually never touched in Standard. One spectator praised the efficiency of my Grizzly Bears. Rawr!

I won't go too deep into details, but one thing that really made me laugh happened in game 2 of the fight for 1st-2nd. My opponent cast Juggernaut, his big, nasty wrecking machine. On my turn I clip Pacifism on it. It looks like that's the end of the story until two turns later when I cast... Sculpting Steel! It was pretty much good game when I cast Mass of Ghouls the following turn and then Angelic Blessing on Mass the turn after that.

First pick! For my trouble: Hypnotic Spectre, Blanchwood Armor, Faerie Conclave, and Knight of Dusk.

A few words on drafting strategy. Tal says he might have to change his style of getting the HUGE vanilla creatures over the smaller, more efficient ones, and pretty high in the pick order too. I think that even in draft there has to be some kind of curve, although making one is astronomically more difficult than it is in standard. However as my experience in tonight's first round proves, you need the mamaw!

Also, how would YOU pick from my first pack, which contained: Incinerate, Terror, Craw Wurm Mortivore, AND Juggernaut? I picked Terror. Juggernaut was sorely tempting, followed by Incinerate.

A word of condolence for all those who suffered greatly on this day six years ago.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 11, 2007 11:57 pm

Draft!

2007-09-09T16:03:00.000+08:00

This blog is quickly turning into a journal of my MtG experiences, for better or worse.

We held an 8-man 3-booster draft at Marty's house the other night. The rules weren't my favorite way to play draft, but I'll take what I get (more on this later). My deck was a red-black aggro-burn that went 2-0, 2-0 against Runas' U/W/G control/combo and Marty's G/B in a pseudo-mirror match before losing 1-2 to Anjoy's R/W/? because of a series of bad plays I made. I redeemed myself in the last round against Tal's R/G(?) where we went 1-1 before he allegedly made a key misplay in the third round that cost him the game and match. Summarizing, my overall record was 3-1-0 or 21 points, and good enough for first place (there was a miscalculation with the scores, but all is well).

Regarding the rules, what happens when we draft among ourselves (like the previous single-booster draft we played in Faura) is that we keep what we draft, including the rares, and the winner gets extra packs as a reward. Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad rule set; in fact I think it forces a player to make a decision on whether to play for cards or for the win and thereby asking him (I hope I can soon write /her after that him) whether he has confidence enough in his drafting skills to play for the packs, and not simply break even by drafting rare cards that are inferior in draft over a strong but monetarily cheap common. As an aside, I have to praise Runas for passing a Sulfurous Springs for a (presumably) stronger card out of one of his packs. Shamefully, I picked a Caves of Koilos out of my third pack which was out of color for me. (Again, more on this later)

I personally prefer the Recto-style rule set where rares are collected at the end of the draft and the winner gets to pick one rare and three uncommons, followed by the runner-up, and so on. Beyond forcing players to choose between cards or wins, this rule set forces the player to play for the WIN because winning is the only way you're getting that chase rare. This is especially true when one of the players opens a pack and finds, for example, a Pithing Needle (ahem). In the rule set we played the other night, if I opened a pack with Pithing Needle and a game winning card like say, Blaze, I would pick the Needle and I wouldn't mind if I got Blazed to death in every single game I played afterwards. Not very conducive to a competitive drafting match.

Still on the rules, I'm happy with how the deck building part of the draft was ruled. We picked a total of 42 cards from the boosters, but we only needed exactly 40 cards in our fighting decks, including lands. The 17 or so "extra" cards would go into our "sideboard". I believe that this is an excellent rule because it prevents the scenario where you need to topdeck for the win and you rip that one off-color card you got as your 15th pick and which you didn't even bother to get lands for (ahem*Sylvan Scrying*ahem). This also allowed me to pick the Caves of Koilos without worrying too much about it screwing up my gameplan, knowing that I could just chuck it in my sideboard and play the in-color cards.

Another good thing about that draft was the abolishment of the "shuffle-graveyard-into-library" rule which I thought was silly. Picture having that 'mamaw' you worked so hard to kill getting shuffled right back into your opponent's library along with two or three other cards. Unfortunately we failed to enforce the deck-out rule which is absent in single-booster drafts but present in three-booster drafts. This oversight resulted in one match lasting FOREVER and eventually boring both players and the spectators into declaring it a draw.

So what were the MVPs in this draft? First, Soul Feast was a SUPERSTAR. On several occasions it single handedly swung the momentum of the game in my favor. I will never pick Consume Spirit over it again.

Terror was Terror and Incinerate was Incinerate, making little children cry all over the world. Guerrilla Tactics, two copies of Shock, and two copies of Spitting Earth made sure they kept crying.

Hidden Horror was awesome, usually eating my Goblin Pikers in exchange for 3 mana, 4/4 imbaness. My 2 Goblin Pikers weren't bad either, beating early with some help from Fists of the Anvil. Mass of Ghouls graduated from crap-I-would-never-touch to crap-I-would-draft. It's like Spined Wurm, but black and fragile. Finally, there were Lava Axe and Essence Drain for the win.

All in all, the draft was one of the best experiences in my short MtG career. My only qualm is the ridiculous crappiness of the box we bought. WoG? Pithing Needle? Crucible? Nonexistent. We basically got three lands and a Squee. Would I do it again? Absolutely. We just need 8 people and a venue again. The experience is of course invaluable and as the drafting ability of myself and my play group goes up so too I believe will the excitement of draft.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 9, 2007, 5:22 pm

2-1 sa draft, woohoo!

2007-08-22T23:17:00.001+08:00

Pumunta kami ni Tal sa Recto ng walang dahilan at sumali sa casual 6-man draft.

I beat Tal's WALLS + SEISMIC ASSAULT = GG deck and Mr. Emo's white weenie FLASH + FIRST STRIKE = GG deck. I lost to Mr. Nice Guy's RECURRING BEACON OF DESTRUCTION + DROSS CROCODILE + FEAR = GG deck, and I'm just glad I didn't have to fight William's BALLISTA SQUAD + GREEN GIANTS = SCOOP deck. I got to pick an evacuation for my trouble.

My deck looked something like this:

2 Bloodrock cyclops
1 Boomerang
1 Viashino Runner
1 Youthful Knight
1 Robe of Mirrors
1 Earth Elemental
1 Sky Weaver
1 Fists of the Anvil (one third of your life? Gone!)
1 Incinerate
1 Bogardan Firefiend
1 5 cc White enchantment that gains you life when creatures come into play
1 Sylvan scrying (I should have picked the plains as my last pick instead, lol)
1 other random card whose identity escapes me right now

5 Mountains
4 Islands
2 Plains

This probably isn't entirely accurate. The superstars were Fists of the Anvil, Bogardan Firefiend, and Viashino Runner. Bogardan Firefiend could lock up the board by itself when I was behind on creatures. Viashino Runner's evasion had insane synergy with Fists of the Anvil since we played with just 15 life. Fists on Viashino Runner probably won me half my games. Bloodrock Cyclops was my consistent beater.

Surprisingly, Incinerate was somewhat meh. I remember using Incinerate only twice, both times to kill an Angelic Wall after Bloodrock Cyclops swung into it. This is surprising since I first-picked Incinerate and drafted red from there.

Haha.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
August 23, 2007, 00:03 am

I am ready.

2007-08-20T23:59:00.000+08:00

This is too good to be allowed to fade into memory.

me: Funny.
Not too long ago when I thought of a deck the lands were the last thing i considered.
Now they take precedence over everything else.
After the lands, the engine.
And THEN the pieces.
Times have changed.

marty: no
YOU have changed.

me: I am ready to become a Jedi.

20 things ulit!

2007-07-18T22:55:00.000+08:00

1. Pag mirror match mutalisks kasi!

2. Bitawan mo na kasi si Bob.

3. Bitawan mo na kasi si Bob.

4. Ang mahal naman ng bitaw mo kay Bob.

5. Do not be afraid. Konti lang difference ng tao sa AI. We are not Boxers.

6. That was weird... is there something I don't know about?

7. OMG ang bading mo. Nakikipag-away ka pa sa ibang bading. Contest ba yan para malaman kung sino ang mas magaling na bading? At least alam mo na good bacteria ang lactus bacilli shirota strain. That makes you the better gay.

8. I just pretend. Hahaha!

9. I'm sorry but that's really pointless.

10. Isang tao lang linelecturan mo!!! Ay 3 pala. Minsan 4.

11. Go back to being late everydaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

12. Ano yun? Ano yun? Ano yun? Ano yun? Ano yun?

13. Either way... it will never hold up.

14. I know what you really did.

15. Do not try to schmack me. Mababa lang talaga ako magpresyo at minsan desperado lang talaga sa cards. But I'm no fool.

16. Asa ka paaaaaaaaaaaa! I admire your attempt at originality but your ideas suck. They will never work, and you will DIE everytime. At isa pang asa kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Hahahahaha cute.

17. Lol, asa ka pa Mr . 186. Go back to your horrible hag-wife and cheap VCD porn. I will not give you the 15 pesos I owe to Mr. 176 kasi alam kong hindi mo naman talaga siya kilala at hindi makakarating sa kanya ang pambayad ko sa aking utang. Hahanapin ko nalang siya hanggang sa dulo ng mundo kesa sa magtiwala sayo.

18. Tama na. Your emo is not bitter and polarizing Marty emo. Neither is it scary self-mutilating Chester emo. It's not even bleeding heart Aldrin emo. It is just sad little child who misses his mommy emo. And who the hell is it you keep talking about? Siya parin ba?

19. What.

20. Yey!

http://s6.gladiatus.com/game/c.php?uid=42805

2007-07-17T12:41:00.000+08:00

20 things I want to say but probably never will

2007-07-13T22:48:00.000+08:00

ala Daph and Runas

I erased the ones that were just pointless rantings about things that irritated me. Begone, negative energy.

1. I know you're gay. Gay boy. Yihihihihi.

2. Buti nalang ganun pala! I was relieved when I found out. Ngayon hindi na ako mamomroblema. Hahaha!

3. Sana first year pa sinabi mo na sa akin (kahit di mo ako kilala haha). You could've saved me a lot of worry and trouble.

4.

5. I want no part of your damn religion. I just wanted to listen and learn. I respect you. I think you're the most virtuous person I know. Cura personalis. Now leave me in peace, cultist.

6.

7.

8. Just do it. Do it now. And go with your instincts EVERY TIME. Makaka high-blood talaga ang lechon kawali pag inaraw-araw. Mahalin mo ang iyong nanay at kapatid.

9. Galing mo dumiskarte. Nakakainggit.

10.

11. I'm glad nothing happened that night, and the following morning. Sayang sana ang buhay.

12.

13. Nakita ko nung dinaya mo ang shuffle. Tatlong sudden shock ampf.

14. Nakita ko nung nag drop ka ng dalawang land sa isang turn at alam kong sinadya mo yun.

15.

16. Sa totoo lang, wala akong paki.

17. You are so imba. Sayang.

18.

19.

20. I wish you would just talk to everybody involved para matapos na. Assert yourself more. I've seen you try but it's been with the wrong people. O baka di ko lang nakikita. It's about time.

The Order of Tile

2007-06-28T22:47:00.000+08:00

I had a healthy discussion with a friend earlier. The question was: "If you have to convince yourself that what you believe in is true, doesn't that mean you're probably wrong?"

It started innocently enough. I stated that all human actions boil down to a longing for power. He countered that if you stretch your logic enough all human actions can be made to boil down to anything. He added that he could make anything boil down to the floor tiles in the 7/11 we were in. I said that it was impossible and challenged him to make DotA boil down to the tiles in 7/11. (This was a planned argument that allowed me to add that we play DotA because of the feeling of power we have when we achieve a "m-m-m-monster kill!")

He said that if you zoom in on a DotA 3D model close enough, the pixels will eventually resemble the tiles in 7/11.

I know. That's ridiculous!

But, aha! It was also a planned argument on his part, allowing him to continue with: "If I convince myself that DotA boils down to floor tiles, I'll believe it and I could probably convince some other people. Your thinking that everything boils down to power is no different."

Of course, I countered that the ways in which we can relate human actions to power are fairly obvious, while it would take a good amount of convincing before I became a follower of the order of tile. It doesn't matter, he said. "Once you convince yourself, the difference ceases to exist."

I saw the point, realizing that much of history and even today's society is based on self-persuasion. *ahem* I then argued that if you have to convince yourself to believe in something, then it's probably wrong. The simplest explanation is more likely to be true and not need any self-persuasion at all. We then proceeded to argue about our favorite topic: religion.

From there we went on the usual spiral of arguments where nobody really gains any ground or introduces any new arguments. We just went on and on and on and on. Then we went home.

Why did we do this? To see who had more power, of course. There were no tiles rewarded to the winner.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
June 28, 2007. 11:40 pm

Chase 2 rabbits, go home hungry.

2007-06-14T22:44:00.001+08:00

Look at the size of that rabbit.

I am building too many decks at once. Narcobridge, G/W Enchantment, Mono Red Storm Rising.

Two of those decks I plan to give to my kid brothers, just so they can play some standard legal magic when I'm not in Dumaguete. Two of them. I'm not saying which. My brothers (and on occasion my sister) are actually playing Affinity and Samurai Weenies. They actually built their decks from boosters and singles purchased from that one tiny retarded card shop that sells no singles beyond Darksteel. And to call their decks even halfway optimal would be a stretch. Furthermore, I sometimes have to keep myself from yelling "Untap... Upkeep... DRAW!" at them. But it's all nice and casual so it's okay to use made-up rules. No Super Control Decks of Doom that rely on game technicalities to bore us to death.

The problem is that building three decks at once burns a hole three times as big in my pocket. I fear that I might end up tiring of the chase and just give up on all three rabbits and settle for some KFC fried chicken. Expensive, but easy to get. I'm already having serious doubts about Narcobridge, since many of its key cards are rotating out. Why build a tier 1.5 deck that goes extended in a few months? Unless some really good dredge cards come out in 10th ed spoilers, I might just drop dredge. Might.

Enough about magic.

The irritating thing about blogs is how self-defeating they are. I want to write about the things that are eating at me, but I can't do that freely without getting into trouble. Instead, I either write about something worthless or I censor myself. See the first three paragraphs of this entry? Worthless. See anything else that reveals what's on my mind? No? That's because I just erased a paragraphs' worth.

If I want to write about real issues, I might as well keep a diary. But that's just gay (not that I have anything against gays). Oh shit, now I'm covering my ass as well!

Ironic thing. I want my blog visited, but I don't want anyone to know what I'm thinking. So, friends, visit my blog then close it without reading anything. Just look at the pretty picture on top of it.

Seriously.

Moving on, we are still feeling the repercussions of the events during summer. It's a sad sight, really. Things, please go back to normal. Silly of me. Stop talking about it.

First days of class. My class schedule on Wednesdays and Fridays are a sight to behold. I have 7 hour breaks both days, not that it really matters to a dormer. What I'm excited about is my 9-12 lineup on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 9-10:30 Theo under the Theo Department chair Ma'am Rosana. 10:30-12 Elc 14-something-or-other under Libatique. In the afternoon, Philo.

GG.

Lastly, I showed up yesterday for class at 7:30 and there was no Ma'am Cat. I was terrified. Then I saw her smiling face at around 8:00 and I would have jumped for joy if I wasn't afraid that I have juvenile arthritis. Then, at around 8:15 she announced that she would only be around until July and would only be making ONE long test. Considering the grim possibilities if Ma'am Cat leaves, I had better do damn well in that one long test.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
June 15, 2007

Re: Puta ka AISIS

2007-06-12T20:41:00.000+08:00

Seven hour breeeeeeaaaakkk!!!!

Magic na to. Narcobridge = radioactive rock that burns paper on contact.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
June 12, 2007. 6:35 pm

Future Sight

2007-06-10T14:03:00.002+08:00

Future Sight [fyoo-cher sahyt]- A phrase ambiguous enough so that when used as a title for a blog its writer can explore several unrelated topics without worry.

One such topic is the future state of the Faura metagame. Sweet sweet Futuresight, Magic the Gathering's latest expansion, will change it dramatically. A wise pro once said that if Magic was a game of rock, paper, scissors, then Narcobridge, the deck that Futuresight has bestowed upon us, is a radioactive rock that burns paper on contact. Not true, as most players have found ways to fit Narcobridge hate into their main boards (and I don't mean just Bernard), but it has killed enough decks that people are now mentioning it in the same sentence as D4rgonstorm. I have my sights set on my future Narcobridge combo deck and playing it against Control Land a.k.a Faura.

Looking further into the future of the Faura metagame forces me to confront the inevitable reality that is Magic's 10th edition and the rotating out of 9th ed and the Ravnica block. Remand? Rewind? Repeal? Goodbye. Lightning Helix? Golgari grave troll and all the other good dredge cards? Goodbye. Watery Grave? Breeding Pool? A long, tearful goodbye.

The rotating-out of many good control cards and perhaps people tiring of 30-minute control vs. control games has Faura clearly headed for a beatdowny future. In the past, this would have been a thrill for me and my Boros deck, but I've recently discovered that I'm more of a Johnny than of any other archetype in Magic. The future holds combo for me.

Another thing lying in the future of course is Starcraft II. Hell, it's about time. In two more years. Or three or five, given Blizzard's history. But I've watched the in-game videos and they seem nice. It looks like Blizzard is continuing what John and I like to call the philosophy of "Equally Imba" introduced in the original Starcraft. I just hope the Starcraft II project doesn't make like a Ghost and fade away.

And now some emo.

"What's the name of the word for things not being the same always.....there must be a word for it. The thing that let's you know time is happening. Is there a word?"

"Change."

Assuming SCII comes out as scheduled, the year will be 2009. I'll be 22 by then and hopefully graduating, reviewing for the board exam and worrying about the future. Carissa will already be a year out of college and in the "real world", worrying about the future. My kid brothers will be old enough that my mom can find a hobby job and not worry so much about the future. So many things can happen in two years and when I think about all the things I have and the myriad of ways by which I can lose any of them I can't help but worry.

What about my self? Will I still be as childish and easily attracted to flashing lights, cone-headed aliens, and the belief that I control an army fighting for the survival of the human race?

End of emo.

In the more immediate future is the first sem of senior year. Barring superseniors, grad students and ...err... old people, we will be the oldest students in the Ateneo. I often joke that when I walk around Ateneo and 129 peoplewatching, the thought "I'm so old." crosses my mind often. This thought is erroneous of course, but it's still scary. Imagine being 50 and playing DotA in 129. And 50 is just 30 more than 20.

Back to the first sem. I wonder what we'll be doing then? People have seven hour breaks two out of the five days of the schoolweek. DotA is long overdue for death, so my suggestion is Magic or SoulCal III if we can find a place to play. Lots of people like basketball, but I can take two dribbles before my sides start aching. Pingpong is my sport, but nobody plays it. Chess, maybe. I know some people didn't like it when I started bringing a deck box instead of a chessboard to Faura.

Anyway, some people are dreading the first semester because of what transpired during the summer. That event-we-don't-talk-about. I say go one step further and forget about it altogether. I know I probably don't have the right to say that, but I do know it will make life easier for all.

Here's to the future.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
June 10, 2007. 3:43 pm

not a lot to be happy about today.

2007-03-16T21:33:00.000+08:00

It's a Friday and I have to study. (sad)

Joke lang!

2007-03-15T22:07:00.000+08:00

Haha. Funny.

1. Tal's card is so imba. It's pumpable for 0 mana. It makes counters fizzle. It will reshape the world of Magic.

2. Sir Monje actually said our whack a mole project is OK.

3. Summer plans already in place! Mwahahaha!

When it's hard to find just 3 things...

2007-03-13T23:39:00.001+08:00

I will justify my continued existence by naming three new things that make me happy everyday.

1. Purefood's Chinese Style Luncheon Meat 100g

How, you ask, could cancer-causing processed meat make anyone happy? Read: 100g. Students of Ma'am Cat, convert! I'll convert for you. 100g of canned meat = Php 10.50. That's right gentle readers, we now have double-budget food. Useful for when you've lost your wallet and ATM and spent your emergency piggy bank, when you're dating three girls at once, or when you need those Savannah Lions. Only one of those conditions apply to me.

2. Sparta!!!

300. Sex and violence, what more do you need? Admittedly I was somewhat disappointed when I went to my classes yesterday and found that not everyone was naked other than a loincloth and a red cape. Moreover, I was expecting everyone to be communicating by means of variations of the word "Sparta!" Yeah, it was that good. Like a Vin Diesel movie but with a plot to go with the coolness.

3. The card of me above. Mwahaha!

Magic

2007-03-04T01:40:00.000+08:00

In many ways, life is like constructing a deck of cards (in Magic: the Gathering). I read about a cool card on the internet and at instant speed I have uh... one combo in my head. And then I read about the combos other people have come up with and decide that theirs are much better than mine and decide to build a deck just like the one I think is the most powerful. And then something happens.

Sometimes the deck turns out to be too expensive to build on a budget. Other times the cards in the list are so rare that, although cheap, they are impossible to find. Often, I just decide to switch a card in the 'net deck for something else. Every time, the deck gets pummeled to the ground by one of the first few people I playtest it on, and changes become necessary. Inevitably, I get tired of the thing and think up something new.

The universal outline of events.

Duscian COQC Battle Royale Chapter 1

2007-02-08T23:48:00.003+08:00

I've started a LOT of short stories that never even see the halfway mark. Please, oh please Craig Christ let me finish this one!

I HAVE TOTALLY RIPPED OFF MARTY'S IDEA. But his was a rip off too anyway so haha.

Chapter 1 - Mark

As Mark sat as still as a rock on a cafeteria bench, he admitted to himself that he was not sure what was going on. He had known Kristoffer since kindergarten. Their parents were friends. They used to play Street Fighter II together. Seeing Kristoffer run through from the left side of his pelvis to his right shoulder, eyes wide open in death, was a shock. More so because it was done with a COQC officer’s saber. It had to be fake.

What would Kris be doing in school on a Sunday anyway? Today, on our COQC graduation day? It doesn’t make sense.

“Hi Mark.” A sharp voice; Gracelyn’s voice, perfectly suited to her short, lean, muscular frame.

“Gra. Diba gatago man ka dapat?” No reply. She just smiled at him. “Murag ga butang si Sir Pats ug mga dummy sa grounds para hadlok-hadlokon ta. Grabe, murag tino-od… blood and all.” Gracelyn’s face didn’t show surprise.

“Kinsa imong nakit-an?”

“Si Kristoffer. Didto sa likod sa science room.”

“Ah.” Now she was mildly surprised? “Abi biya nako ug mo dugay pa to siya.”

Mark wasn’t stupid. He bolted and ran as fast as his fat legs could carry him. Gracelyn wasn’t as quick to realize that Mark was on to her, but she was faster than him. By the time he got to the stage from the cafeteria, a distance of about twenty meters, she was only two steps behind.

Mark entered the small room at the back of the stage that Ms. Jatico had been using as an office, relieved both because the door wasn’t locked and because he was able to lock it behind him before Gracelyn could jam it open with her foot.

Why am I running? He asked himself. She’s smaller than me! But he wasn’t stupid. He knew she would tear off his limbs barehanded if he tried to fight. Gracelyn was using a chair as a battering ram. The door was lawanit; it wouldn’t last.

Mark picked up the glass sheet covering Ms. Jatico’s desk and smashed it against the wall, flinching as the shrapnel cut his arms and face. Ignoring the pain, he looked in the debris for a small piece to use as a weapon. He found two. Mark, the dual-glass-shard-wielding-warrior? No. He kicked at the patch of lawanit covering the hole in the back of the stage. It gave, revealing the old hole in the plywood just big enough for him to crawl through. Gracelyn didn’t hear the rustle of leaves when Mark landed in the garden at the back of the stage. The door was giving way. Three more hits with the hardwood chair and she’d break through.

When she did, Mark was gone.

3 Things that made me happy today

2006-12-17T18:47:00.000+08:00

1. I finally defeated the 6-year old kid, Josh, at chess. Take that! Last night I played and won against an anonymous Russian guy. I also beat a FIDE 1600+ Spanish guy. And some other guy whose flag I didn't recognize. I can't remember their names. But they sure as hell remember mine. Mwahahaha!

2. My dad told me this sometime ago but today I confirmed it. There was, some 100 years ago, a Republic of the Visayas and later a Republic of Negros! When the Americans destroyed Aguinaldo and his puny Tagalog army around the start of the 20th century the strong people of the Visayas held firm and formed their own country! Later, when the strong people of Iloilo surrendered to the Americans the stronger people of Negros stood fast and fought to the very last man. Lo! There do I see them in the halls of Valhalla. I only wait for an opportunity to prove myself in battle and join them. I wonder if fighting Soviets over a virtual chessboard counts...

3. What makes me REALLY happy is: Christmas break is only three days away! And I have plans.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
December 17, 2006. 7:15 pm.

Mark no Go

2006-12-09T21:57:00.000+08:00

Will somebody please play Go with me?

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
December 9, 2006. 10:50 pm.

By a lion

2006-12-07T19:57:00.001+08:00

And so Lab Exercise 1 for Elc 107 is... a BJT voltage divider circuit??? Ah, this brings back memories. Why? Because it was one of the labs in Elc 102, way back in my Luis days. Since then there has been: Marty, Rich, and Ibn.

Ten things that sound kinky but aren't when you're in Elc lab:

10. Can't get it in; it's too big!

9. Look at the curves on this one.

8. Hindi pwede dalawa sa isang butas, ok?

7. Oh my gosh! Binali mo!

6. Hold that thought. I'll go get the alligator clips.

5. How fast do you like it?

4. Ako naman magsi-strip.

3. Make sure you put it in the right hole, ok?

2. Tanggalin mo nalang ang rubber.

1. Ibn!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag!

Highlight for explanations (but I doubt you need them):

10 - capacitor wire, breadboard hole
9 - sine wave
8 - circuit component wire, DMM probe, breadboard hole
7 - transistor leg
6 - circuit assembly?
5 - signal frequency
4 - wire stripping
3 - component wire, breadboard hole
2 - wire insulation
1 - Ibn

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
December 7, 2006. 8:28 pm

What the hell was I thinking?

2006-11-27T22:18:00.001+08:00

And now that I think about it, what the hell am I thinking? Am I thinking at all? And, returning to my very first blog, back when I had 0 people reading it, am I? I don't even know if am is the interrogative present-tense form of be.

This, sir, is not what a blog should be. A blog should be introspective, intellectual, enjoyable. Ah, but if this wasn't those then it should have gone out of business a long time ago. It hasn't. In fact, it has come a long way, and boasts an average of 0.2 people reading it per day (the way I did the math).

Oh, what to do... I guess I'll just belt out the three first random things that made me happy today! The same way some homo does it.

1. House makes me happy. Somebody has to stand up to political correctness, and who better than an unshaven Hugh Laurie?

2. Earth and Sky iced tea. My body is 60% Earth and Sky, and 10% various other Coca Cola Corporation products.

3. The gate 3 overpass makes me very happy. I know it'll probably starve six or seven trike-driver families, but I get exercise and save some spare change. You see what I did there? Save some spare change? That was alliteration.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
November 27, 2006
11:56 pm

Reflection on the first semester of 2006-2007

2006-11-18T23:53:00.000+08:00

Ah, my first chance to reflect upon a sem in my blog.

It was in the recently concluded first semester of this schoolyear that I earned my lowest QPI so far. Of course, I am not completely to blame. And so, my first act in this blog is to place blame where blame is due.

First and foremost, the lack of an online registration system. This is, of course, exacerbated by the fact that grades and regforms in the Ateneo are distributed some SIX DAYS before the actual registration. In the past this interval was a problem, but I have since learned to come one day before reg and just find wherever it is they stash the unclaimed grades and regforms. The fact that they now have rooms and Regcom people dedicated to managing this stash proves that others have gained wisdom similar to mine. Nevertheless, a good percentage of Ateneans are from outside of Metro Manila. We come here for ten months a year, live in dorms, then for the remaining two months hope to be with our family and loved ones. Sadly, the current registration system forces us to choose between this hope and a respectable schedule. I myself have always chosen the former, and have suffered deplorable schedules (and choices of teachers, which I will come to later) many times. Last semester was no different. Originally, I was supposed to have 7:30 classes everyday! This was later changed (7:30 TTH), but the time-slots do not matter nearly as much as the choice of teachers. So how exactly did this contribute to my sad QPI? 7:30 classes TTH meant that I was ALWAYS (always here used in its traditional meaning of "every single time") late, and missed a lot of classes. Also, being separated from family and loved one (singular) caused an early-sem depression that I had to work to get out of.

And now we shall look at my low grades class-by-class. I shall begin with my most disappointing subject and work my way upwards.

ELC 106. Ah yes, the legendary "D that made me happy". Also, my third subject with Mr. Monje. For most of the sem I had a failing class standing. I blame myself for not studying for the first exam. I blame myself for telling myself that the first exam would be canceled (Mr. Monje usually cancels the score of the lowest exam out of five when calculating a student's final grade) and subsequently not studying for the second exam. I blame Mr. Monje for making all five exams hellishly hard for someone electronically retarded like myself. So I'm not gifted at electronics. Why stop me from chasing my dream?! Why discriminate against those who cannot understand?! I had to study more than I had EVER studied (I know that's not saying a lot, but I did study Helen Kellerishly for the last two exams) just to get my D. In the end when I got my grades from the registrars office and saw it, the fourth letter of the alphabet made me happier than any of the A's I'd received over the years. I certainly worked more for it.

Theology. The most sensitive subject I've ever had. Also, taught by one of the most sensitive teachers I've ever encountered, Oliver Inchody. He comes in second to Harvey Keh. Being a hard atheist, I told myself at the beginning that I would study for this subject like I would for any other: with detachment. Alas, my passion always got the better of me. Often when I should have been memorizing, I found myself analyzing, criticizing and condemning. Needless to say, I needed the (presumed) A I got in the finals to pull my grade up from D to C (my class standing was actually C but I assume since Inchody could sense my antitheistic attitude he pulled my grade down one notch). And so, where does the blame fall? On the Catholic Church, of course. The irony is that without the Catholic Church, there would be no Ateneo (and for that matter there would be no UST, La Salle, etc), but at present while the Ateneo is such a great school, the Catholic Church holds it back.

Philosophy. Here there is none to blame but myself. My teacher, Wilhelm Strebel, taught as a teacher should teach, and guided as a philosopher should guide. He pointed at the moon, but I could only see his finger.

CE. I actually got an A in this one. Then why is it here? Did I not like the way the teacher taught? Unlike MANY of my CE classmates, I think Eng Obien taught an applaudable semester of C++. The problem is that because of the passion I had for C++, I would spend hours when I should have been sleeping and days when I should have been studying for something else programming my beloved Shark Fish and Ball and its expansion Shark Fish and Ball 2. This resulted in me missing my 7:30 EngMa class the next morning or not having enough time to study for my next Elc exam on the weekends. Although Shark Fish and Ball 1 & 2 turned out very, very well, I feel that I could have gotten an A with a not-so-superb game anyway. The labor-of-love hours could have gone to sleep or study and maybe I could have gotten an extra letter grade somewhere else.

On the abovementioned things do I squarely place the blame for last semester's QPI. Some people blame only themselves. This attitude is unhealthy, and in the first place based on an incorrect belief. Others blame their parents (I would sooner blame the water here in Manila), their peers, or their god. I do not agree. The effects of these things cannot be measured or said to be simply "good" or "bad", and I feel that no matter what the situation with regards to them, high grades are possible. Some people blame their romantic relationships. I do not, but the effect of relationship problems on grades are far too varied and complex to generalize.

So what else happened besides the QPI thing?

Interestingly enough, my less than satisfactory performance in Elc forced me to study with friends, and this brought me closer to some of them than normal. I'm afraid to enumerate because I might forget someone. "But if you're really friends with them, you'll remember!" No.

Last semester was also the first time that I tried HONESTLY sharing my experiences with friends. Sometimes I did it because they shared first and I had to do something. Other times I just wanted to. One never HAS to share one's experiences and feelings unless one wants to. This is one of my disagreements with popular culture. But I digress. I also found out that chismis can be quite fun to engage in. Fortunately, I enjoy hearing it more than the spreading it, so I shouldn't make any enemies because of this in the future.

Relationship. Carissa. The relationship fluctuations of last semester had a lower amplitude than the others (that means the highs were not as high and the lows were not as low). Also, somebody must have attached a diode that shorted the circuit when we hit a certain value of low (that means that the highs were higher than the lows were low) because there was less suffering.

Yes, I used that word. Suffering. "One shouldn't suffer in a relationship! If you do, then that means you're not meant for each other." Nobody's meant for anybody, fool. A couple realizes this sooner or later, and, as Joanne puts it, they fall from the clouds into the unforgiving earth. Some couples get up, dust each other off and thenceforth have a down-to-earth relationship. Carissa and I, we leap right back up into the clouds. Sometimes, I think, we even perform quantum leaps because we don't seem to traverse the space between ground and clouds.

"Are you happy?" Who the hell are you anyway, Mr. In-between-quotes man? Go away and stop interrupting!

"Did you grow as a person? If so, how?"

"Are you ready to embrace your responsibilities?"

"Did you learn any life lessons?"

Stop asking me to talk about myself. I like to think that I don't have many thoughts or feelings. I don't believe that myself, but I still believe it more than other people do. Also, I try to limit my life lessons to things like 'The LRT's door stops three tiles to the left of the row of black tiles'.

My routine guidance interview isn't until November 28.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
November 18, 2006
1:22 am

What the hell was I thinking???

2006-10-19T19:27:00.000+08:00

Pagtalima sa meron

2006-10-17T17:20:00.000+08:00

Pinipili ko ang araw na ito, alang-alang sa kabutihan ng aking sarili at pati narin ng mga mahal ko at mga nagmamahal sa akin, mga kaibigan, kakilala, at karibal (kung meron man), bilang simula ng aking pagbabagong-buhay.

Hindi ko sinasabi na mali ang dati kong buhay, o na may kakulangan ito o kahinaan, o na ang mga nagbabagong kalagayan sa kapaligiran ko ang nag-udyok sa pasya kong ito. Ang pasya kong magbagong-buhay ay dulot lamang ng aking kagustuhan.

Ano ba ang mababago? Unang una, gagawa na ako ng makatotohanang pugsusumikap na huwag talikuran ang meron. Kung sa nakaraan ay isinasantabi ko ang meron upang bigyang-layaw ang aking mga pagnanasa, ngayon ibibigay ko sa meron ang nararapat dito: ang pangunahing posisyon sa aking listahan ng mga priyoridad.

Bunga nito, pipilitin ko ang aking sarili na panagutan ang mga pangakong aking binigkas, sapagkat ang mga pangakong ito ay mga pagtataya ng katauhan, at nararapat sikaping gawing totoo sa diwa at gawa kung mayroon nga akong kakayahang pumasya at kumilos ng may kalayaan.

Aaminin ko sa aking sarili na mayroon ngang mala-impyernong pagsusulit sa ELC sa darating na Biyernes, at hindi sa malayong panahon na diyos lamang ni Sokrates ang nakakaalam.

Aaminin ko rin na ang 7:30 ay 7:30, at hindi isang mahiwagang oras na ginawa upang ang mga mag-aaral (na lahat naman palaging nahuhuli sa klase) ay dumating pagsapit ng 8:00.

Bibitawan ko naman ang ideya na matagal nang gumagalaw sa aking kaloob-looban na ang pag-aaral ay nakukuha sa talento lamang, at ang talagang magaling ay hindi nangangalaingan ng mahabang repetitio o prelectio, sapagkat sa lectio lamang dapat nahuhuli na nila ang liwanag ng leksyon.

Marami pang mga pag-amin, pagtanggap, at pagbitiw ng mga ideya ang kakailanganin kong isagawa bunga ng pasya kong ito, at inaamin kong ako ay kinakabahan. Ngunit sabi nga ni Marcel, kinakailangan ng isang tao ang katapangan ng diwa't kalooban na magbibigay sa kanya ng kakayahang harapin ang meron at sundin ang kanyang mga naiisip saan man ito patungo. Dagdag pa ni Padre Ferriols, upang hindi mabihag ng mga katamaran ng diwa, kailangan lamang ang tibay ng loob.

At sana po lamang ay sumikat ang Pating, Isda at Bola, at Balyena, at Masamang Pinuno ng mga Taga-ibang Planeta (Shark, Fish and Ball and Whale and Evil Alien Mastermind).

NAGBABLAG PARA SA KATARUNGAN!
17 Oktubre, 2006

The blessed blog of god 2

2006-10-07T20:22:00.000+08:00

I find that I must return to the original reason for creating this blog. It was so that I could write about my inner self, which I sadly cannot express in any other way. This I will do now.

Inner Mark, as much as Facade Mark would like the world to believe, exists, as I suspect the world has known from the beginning. The world, I believe, thinks that Mark is mentally disturbed for trying to deny the existence of an inner, hidden manifestation of himself. The world, I believe, thinks that Inner Mark has so many scars from past encounters with reality that he has, with the help of Facade Mark, hidden himself deep within a hiding place of their own shaping.

I believe the world is wrong. Inner Mark does not wish the world to think that he does not exist while he sleeps snugly in his hiding place, surfacing only when circumstances give him no choice. Inner Mark wishes himself not to exist.

Would this, then, not leave the "running" of Mark to Facade Mark, the impostor who has for so long denied the existence of the true Mark? To this line of thinking I must point out that Inner Mark and Facade Mark are not manifestations of what Mark "is" and "wants the world to think he is", respectively. A closer analogy would be choosing between a black and blue pen. The world sees them differently, and in return they leave different marks on the world, but we can't say that one of them is better than the other.

DEVASTATION!!!

2006-09-28T23:21:00.000+08:00

September 28, 2006 and a bloody storm hits Ateneo! How incredibly narrow-minded. I should say a bloody storm hits Metro Manila! But that would still be pretty narrow minded with just a pinch of arrogance. There was, somewhere in the Northern Philippines, a bloody vicious storm!!!

But don't just take my word for it:

I call it The Messed Up Path to a Messed Up Dorm

We could make Uruk-hai . . . or not.

My favorite, and most artistic shot of the bunch, Dela Costa Through the Branches of a Broken Tree.

That's exactly what it looks like: A Row of Uprooted Trees.

This one's boring. ^_^

It felt . . . good walking the deserted streets of a devastated Ateneo. It's an experience not everybody can have. It was like walking through an alternate reality where the Jesuits invented a poison nerve gas that somehow leaked out and killed everybody. It was like the bloody Twilight Zone.

Manual labor

2006-09-26T00:22:00.000+08:00

Typing up two and a half hours' worth of interviews!? How easy is that!? For money? It's so easy I'd do it for a pizza.

Like I said, it all seems soooo easy. Until you try to do it.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 26, 12:42 AM

The Blessed Blog of God

2006-09-16T22:30:00.000+08:00

I've read all the words in the Sandman series. It's not THAT deep. Not really. Maybe.

"What happens to you when you die?" asks a little human.

"Depends on who you are." replies Death of the Endless.

Now there's a quote.

Ah. I begin: This conversation presupposes that something is left of your consciousness when you die. I disagree. Therefore, I maintain my previous position that when you die you cease to exist, consciousness-wise.

So why did I bother writing the quote here? Because, while I disagree with the implementation of the idea, the idea itself has merit in my eyes. Used in a different situation: Question: "What do you see when you read Sandman?" My answer: "Depends on who you are." Question: "How deep is the Sandman?" Answer: "Depends on how deep you are."

Another quote, this time from Socrates' contemporary, Protagoras: "Man is the tool by which the universe is measured." Again, the idea is there but the phrasing is off. If we were to believe Protagoras then a very shallow person would find Sandman very deep, since, being shallow, he would perceive something deeper than himself as an abyss of depth. This is not the case. People who look deeply into themselves are the people who read the most out of something like the Sandman series. Those who are less self-aware simply see a comic book whose main protagonist, like Vin Diesel, is always cool and cannot be defeated (even gods bow to Dream of the Endless).

Now I bring the two quotes together. I did not see that much depth in the Sandman. If it is really there then I must have missed it. This means I am a shallow person. This gladdens me. I revel in my shallowness; my inability to be hurt. The lack of a face behind my mask.

I am nothing more than what I am.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 16, 2006 11:02 PM

I would like to be emo

2006-09-07T21:01:00.000+08:00

Emo, I have gathered, is not something you become. It's something you simply are. Like being Jamaican. Everybody wants to be Jamaican. Not everybody wants to be emo. But I do; if only for a little while. Emo-ness seems cool.

Well some wiggers certainly look and act and seem like Jamaicans (except for the white part). They have the walk, the music, the accent... for all practical purposes they have turned themselves Jamaican. Since emo is not a race, I should be able to turn myself into a cool emo man with less effort. But I can't. I try to be angry at the world and complain about everything. I try to have my feelings hurt. I try to feel desperation in my alone-ness. I even try to hate the meaninglessness of life. I look for the suicidal, self-hurting spark in me that would make me emo. I try, I try... but to no avail.

Why, then, can I not become emo? Is it my zest for life and my refusal to give up hope? My love for other people and my need to communicate, reach out, and be reached out to? Bah. I don't have any of that. Should I not, then, be a prime candidate for emo?

Much reflection has gone into this thought. It seems to me that the reason I can't be emo is because I don't want the things that emo people want. They want social recognition and companionship and they're angry because they don't get it. I don't really care much for either. They want to be different. I say everybody's the same nobody anyway and the context for the different-ness that they strive for is insignificant. They were raised to be happy in the meaning of life and now are angry to find that the meaning was a fairytale. I saw through the whole thing. They WANT life to have a meaning. Me, not really. The thing is... emo people care that they don't care and whether or not other people care. I don't even care if that last sentence made sense.

See, an emo person right now might go "Bloody fracker blogging around judging emo people".

I'm just a lazy ass bastard. A walking katamaran ng diwa when I'm awake and walking at all. So I can't be emo. I can't be anything. I can pretend to be emo. Maybe. Haha. I am pseudo-emo man who in reality is not-anything man.

What an emo post.

A fish. A shark. A ball. THE ULTIMATE GAMING EXPERIENCE!

2006-09-06T23:30:00.001+08:00

Better than any stupid Kenny Game
(If you don't get it, you're not supposed to)

It is finally done! My greatest creation! Kzkkkkhhhhw.

Fish-shark-ball, the ultimate in fish soccer. Sprites stolen from insaniquarium. Sounds and music stolen from insaniquarium AND zuma. Gameplay stolen from FIFA. Coding... 100% original.

A C215b original project by John Dy and Mark Martinez.

Soon, my friends. Soon I will give you the rapidshare link.

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 7, 2006 12:04 am

Eraño: Preserving Freedom

2006-09-03T19:21:00.000+08:00

I have a friend named Eraño. I daresay he is one of my best friends, being one of the ridiculously limited number of people that I open up to (when I'm sober). Like me, he is a philosophical being who has unique thoughts about the universe, existence, classroom politics, karindirya cuisine, love. Like me he has various problems with the Catholic church. Unlike me he has chosen to leave the brotherhood of ECE majors to pursue another career: he is in the PMA.

No, he's not gay. He's not part of the "Pedicure Manicure Alut (Alut = haircut)" Academy. The PMA he's part of is the Philippine Military Academy. Seriously. If I sound to you like I think you should be surprised when in fact you are not, dear reader, this is only because I am too much of a coward to even consider going there.

Don't get me wrong. I love Baguio. I also love guns and shooting things. I'd love tanks too if the PMA had any. It's just the other stuff that one has to do to get one's hands on said guns. I'm too lazy, for example, to get up before the sun rises and run drills for extended periods of time. I'm too proud to follow any orders given to me by superiors and upperclassmen. I'm too much of a pansy to take my hazing like a man. I'm too much of a slob to not spend at least two days of the week wallowing in bed, doing nothing... You get the picture.

But back to Eraño. He's into his second year now at the PMA, and I look forward to the time when he graduates, becomes a military general, and gives me immunity from the law. Oh the things I would do. I would destroy Noreco and rebuild it from scratch in accordance with Monjean Electronic Theory for a start. Moving on, Eraño, sadly, hasn't been home to Dumaguete this whole time, and the next chance he gets to go will be sometime this summer. And I think two months between homecomings is a long time. That is why--- I'm gonna visit him! Or Carissa and I will, if she doesn't break up with me soon. Capricious woman.

I've been thinking lately. They really are heroes, aren't they? These men and women who endure the hardest training so that in war they are the best; So that they can keep the soldier next to them alive, keep themselves alive, and allow the rest of us to live free lives. Thusly my friends in the PMA, I salute you! And you too, people already in the Army.

Cylon Boomer makes life worth living.

And now that my bit of patriotism is done, I would like to comment that Battlestar Galactica Season 2 owns the rear ends of every other series out there. It owns House. It owns Grey's. It sure as hell owns The OC and other similarly silly lovey series. Why, I just saw Battlestar Galactica peddling the asses of said silly lovey series in the marketplace this afternoon. It just owns, ok? I want a Cylon Boomer. Somebody give me a Cylon Boomer!

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
September 3, 2006. 8:27 pm.

Battle City

2006-08-31T20:57:00.000+08:00

They say anything seems easy until you actually try to do it. I lie. Nobody says that, I just made it up. But it's true. For me. I can't be sure for anyone else because as Mr. Descartes (see below) said, I can't be sure of anything other than the fact that I'm thinking!

But I digress... Brother and sister computer gamers, we have to admit that often we are too quick to declare a game "crap". I, for example, played Heroes V for about 10 minutes before I condemned it as a disgrace and moreover something I would never touch again. Ignoring the fact that the developers don't give a flying firetruck what I think since I play pirated versions of everything, I now realize that what I did was wrong. So so very wrong. And I will explain why.

My friends and I are trying to create a game. The ultimate game. A game that uses DotA heroes as pokemon in an attempt to rid the world of the evil sorcerer Dark Monj. We call it DOTAMON TOWER.

When we conceptualized this game we decided that its graphics and physics should be simple: Battle City-like. No problem, we thought, given the 2D-ness and ubersimplicity of the Battle City game engine. Not so. It turns out that to be able to even display a graphic in a window--a graphic that does nothing--one BILLION lines of C# must be written. Or maybe a little less. Moreover, to the common, everyday, averagely-intelligent person who speaks normal human languages, these lines make no sense. They make even less sense to myself, being a slightly mentally retarded subhuman who can only communicate through grunts and hand gestures.

I have spent hours, nay, days combing the much glorified internet for the proper way to make use of graphics. To display them, make them move, bend them to my will. Alas, to no avail. I have learned nothing. Or maybe just a little.

It makes me think, then, how brilliant the people who made Battle City must have been. To not only make such an enjoyable game but to make it run on the FamiCom. Godly. Which brings me back to Heroes V. Given the whole 3D-ness of the thing and their use of original art, one can only conclude that the people who coded it worked their asses off for this game; they must have lost at least a million times more ass than me just writing some stupid Reversi game. It's sad that Heroes V sucks so badly. However! It must still be played as a tribute to the nerds and geeks and freaks who spent hours trying to figure out the demonic hellspawn that is DirectX. My brother coders, I salute you! And lament the suckiness of your game.

Finally, I have to figure out a signing-out line. Marty has "Riding the lightning". The dude who writes leasticoulddo has "I'm still here". Ore wa? Umm... let's see... How about...

BLOGGING FOR WHAT'S RIGHT!
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Down with the sickness

2006-08-29T20:42:00.000+08:00

Cogito ergo Sum

I will not bore you with my sickness and suffering though I am indeed sick and suffering and any love sent my way is appreciated. So too is cash. I will write instead of what really eats me from inside. My cancer, if you will.

My cancer is my inability to believe in something that has no basis whatsoever for being supposed true. Thus, in philo class earlier today I disagreed with René Descartes (once more with feeling: I DISAGREED WITH RENE DESCARTES) when we were told that upon realizing the limitations of his own reasoning, he concluded that there must exist a being whose reasoning has no limits. There must exist a god.

Other similar incidents have left me a social outcast: I cannot see, for example, how the creation of the universe proves a god. Who created god then? If god is without beginning or end and hence not created, why not just say that the universe itself has no beginning or end? There are a billion other questions that LOGICALLY cast doubt upon any faith that have never been satisfactorily answered. I ask them everyday. Everyday I get diverted or distracted or offered food.

Since everyone else I know seems to have already been satisfied with the answers he/she got, I can only conclude that it is I, not most of Philippine Society that is somehow abnormal. I sometimes wonder who my friends asked for answers. Who can cure me? Theify me? BLIND me again? WHO IS THE ARCHITECT OF THIS MATRIX?! Plug me back in! Or give me BattleStar Galactica Season 2!

Moving on:

My roommate Van; he has creases on his sheets. Only he and the pope have that.

behold my blog

2006-08-29T19:34:00.000+08:00

none may challenge my blog.
i don't see any nuns around.