The Jolly Jelly Journal

Hamthology: The Quest... Out Now!

2007-05-25T11:07:00.000+08:00

I would just like to announce that our little comic book project, Hamthology: The Quest, is out now. It's a graphic novel that we, at the Piggy Farm , cooked up, that basically is a compilation of comics that revolves around the theme "The Quest". We really poured our heart's out in making this happen. Unfortunately, it isn't available locally (Philippines). It is intended to be released in anime conventions in the US. If you want to get a copy, go to Lulu.com.

It's a 122 paged book for the cost of $9.99. If you're in the US or Canada, you can visit the following Comic Cons:

FANIME (San Jose Convention Center, California) : May 25-28, 2007

Anime Expo (Long Beach Convention Center) : June 29, 2007 - July 02, 2007

Anime Evolution (Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada) : August 17-19, 2007

Please, support our book if you can. My contribution to the book is entitled: Rite of Passage. A story about a newbie wrestler's quest to follow his late father's footsteps.

Thanks for taking your time to read this.

Maybe

2006-11-29T10:11:00.000+08:00

There I was

Waiting for a chance
Hoping that you'll understand the things
I wanna say

As my love want stronger than before
I wanna see you more and more
But you closed your door
Why don't you try to open up your heart
I won't take so much of your time

Maybe it's wrong to say please love me too
'Coz I know you'll never do
Somebody else is waiting there inside for you
Maybe it's wrong to love you more each day
'Coz I know he's here to stay
But I know to whom you should belong

I believed what you said to me
We should set each other free
That's how you want it to be
But my love went stronger than before
I wanna see you more and more
But you closed your door

Why don't you try to open up your heart
I won't take so much of your time

Maybe it's wrong to say please love me too
'Coz I'll know you'll never do
Somebody else is waiting there inside for you
Maybe it's wrong to love you more each day
'Coz I know he's here to stay
But my love is strong
I don't know if this is wrong
But I know to whom you should belong

Maybe it's wrong to say please love me too
'Coz I'll know you'll never do
Somebody else is waiting there inside for you
Maybe it's wrong to love you more each day
'Coz I know he's here to stay
But my love is strong
I don't know if this is wrong
But I know to whom you should belong

Webcomic 01-18 Uploaded and Manny Wins!

2006-11-19T18:44:00.000+08:00

Chapter 01, Page 18:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/?p=113098

Updates, updates! Yehey. Still on schedule I guess. Besides the fact that I didn't get to work this morning because of the fight between Erik Morales and Manny Paquiao going on. As you all know, Manny Paquiao has become sort of a local hero here in the Philippines. So the Philippines was at a stand still just to watch his fight on TV. And horaay! He won! He's the greatest. Though, I really wasn't expecting Erik Morales to be defeated that easily. He's a great fighter, but TKO on the 3rd round? Sheesh... It must be because of his new training (not to mention his weight loss). I also watched Casino Royale just this thursday and I must say that it's got to be one of the greatest (if not, best) Bond film to date. And Daniel Craig was not a bit of disappointment as James Bond as everyone thinks he is. IMO, he's a better Bond than that of Pierce Brosnan's. You've got to watch it to appreciate it.

Page Note: back to the cemetery. Now we get to see Kiko's true colors. hehehe...

Webcomic 01-13 Uploaded!

2006-10-14T01:54:00.000+08:00

Chapter 01, Page 13:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/?p=99653

Okay. I'm definitely not gonna let this day pass. Today is Friday the 13th... and the 13th page of my webcomic. Pretty creepy coincidence. Funny thing is, here in the Philippines, it's already saturday (midnight)... again. Hahaha... time zones are the weirdest things ever.

Page Note: in panel 01, we can see the exterior shot of the cemetery. the big structure that we can see here is actually its gate. the creepy cemetery comes with a creepy gate. well, you got to give credit to the spaniards (who actually designed those things in the past) for making one of those. ^_^ now, in reality, I'm not really sure why there are tombstones outside the cemetery gates. probably there's not enough space inside, I guess.

Webcomic 01-12 Uploaded!

2006-10-09T10:43:00.000+08:00

Chapter 01, Page 12:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/index.php?p=97854

Updates! Updates! Updates! My goodness... I'm really enjoying this. Hopefully, I can keep this pace for a long time. I'm not making it offically a monday and friday updates. It's still an every friday update... depending on how inspired I am, I guess.

Page Note: I haven't totally introduced Mel's friends in the comic thinking whether they'll play a big part of the story or not. Anwyay, for those who want to know, who's who...

Atong is the kid with the Lion-O hairdoo.
Pol is the bald headed kid.
And Kiko is that sour graping, bowl headed kid.

Webcomic 01-11 Uploaded!

2006-10-07T12:53:00.000+08:00

New page uploaded!

Chapter 01, Page 11:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/index.php?p=96905

Sigh.. I'm on a roll. This is my second page within the week. It really is fun... the problem that I'm only encountering is the balancing of time. I barely made it to my target date on this one because of work and other stuffs. Not to mention that I have yet to finish my entry for the Hamthology (whose deadline is by the end of this month).

Anyway, back to the page... in this page, we will get to see first Mel's friends (refer to page 02): Atong, Pol and Kiko. To be honest, I almost forgot about them. It would be wierd not to include them since, they were actually playing Hide and Seek and all.

Webcomic 01-10 Uploaded!

2006-10-03T01:23:00.000+08:00

Chapter One, Page Ten:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/?p=95363

Okay... looks like the storm really got me going there. This is really out of my scheduling date, but what the hell. I was really in the mood to make an update, so here it is.

page note: the wierd looking church on panel 3 is actually an old chapel ruin that's found in the middle of the cemetery. If you've seen the real one (the one that I based this cemetery from), it really is creepy. Anyway, enjoy the page.

This page is dedicated to the victims of Typhoon Milenyo.

Webcomic 01-09 Uploaded!

2006-09-30T11:05:00.000+08:00

Chapter One, Page Nine:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/index.php?p=94087

It's a friday again... well, in the US atleast. It's actually way past midnight here in the Philippines already. I'm really cramming on making this page.

As you may know, a strong typhoon called Milenyo (or Milennium in english) hit Metro Manila yesterday badly. It paralayzed the whole Northern Philippines totally. Black outs and telephone lines were cut. Not to mention heavily damaged structures and fallen trees. It's a good thing that just earlier, power went back to normal... well, I guess only here where I'm living that is. So here I am adding a new page.

About the page... I didn't know where I went wrong, but the resolution seemed to have made a mistake somewhere when I was doing Photoshop. I don't know if you'll notice, but the image is kinda hazy. But still, I hope it carries through and hope you guys enjoy the page.

Super Typhoon Milenyo

2006-09-30T09:23:00.000+08:00

Okay, I guess most of the bloggers in the Philippines must be writing the same story as what I'm about to write now.

Last thursday, a super typhoon called "Milenyo", struck the Philippines hard. It crippled businesses for atleast two days counting yesterday because of the damage it made. Most structures that withstood previous storms were damaged badly. Billboards along the streets tumbled down. Trees were uprooted from the ground. Cars were either flipped over or were crushed by falling trees or billboards. Power was out and so was the telephone lines. And cell-sites were inoperable making mobile phones useless. It was the worst typhoon that the Philippines had encountered.

I was at the office when the typhoon came. I didn't know that office was called off that day. When I got there, the storm built up and I never had the chance to go back home. Me and a couple of my friends at the office who also got stranded there just watched the typhoon as it raged by. We saw roofs flying all over the place. We were like "this looks like something straight out of a disaster movie". When the eye of the storm reached the place where we were, we decided to go to a mall nearby, hoping that it'll be open and have lunch. We saw along the way the havoc it created. It was very awful yet exciting at the same time. I've never seen nor experienced anything like that before.

When I got home, I was expecting the power to be out. And it was. Good thing yesterday morning, power went back up. As I went around the place, I realized that not everyone has power already. I guess we were just lucky. Up till now, most of Metro Manila (and probably the surrounding provinces) still doesn't have power yet. From what I've heard from the news, most of the power will be back by Sunday. That really sucks.

Anyway, kids must be happy when the typhoon hit, thinking that they don't have classes. But for us working people, it's not really a good thing. Especially for the economy. It's a good thing that rebuilding is quicker now than it was before. And hopefully by the start of next week, all will be back to normal.

Bounce!

Webcomic 01-08 Uploaded!

2006-09-23T00:10:00.000+08:00

Chapter One, Page Eight:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Life_Again/index.php?p=91107

Like I said before on my previous post, I'm making this webcomic called Life Again that's updated every friday. And once again, it's a friday. And it's update day! Weee!

It took me some time to use the computones on this page. I was planning on a big lightning storm BG for the 2nd panel, but as it turned out, the lightning storm was too much for me.

Anyway, I'm really having fun in making this webcomic. Though with a tight schedule at work and at the gym, plus the upcoming deadline for the Hamthology, I'm having a hard time on trying to fit making the page with all of that in the way. Still, I did promise to deliver every friday and thank God, I can still do it. This one page a week business seems like it's not doing any justice for the story. But if my schedule does loosen up, I'll try to update maybe twice a week atleast. ^^;

Back On My Feet

2006-09-14T13:51:00.000+08:00

It's been quite sometime that I've been bumming around the house. And just this monday, I've already started at my new work. All I can say is, I'm glad to be working again. It's not that I wasn't working while I was at home. I was still doing some "rakets" here and there to keep me alive. But still, nothing beats a regular day job.

I applied to my current job some months ago. And because of a health problem that I have that the HR found, I was put on hold. And just recently did I start on this new job.

From then on, I realized a couple of things:

1. I realized that a day job is a necessity and I must persevere at my work to stay at work. I hate those shmoes going off to work and do nothing (much like me before. That also means I hate my old self) while there are alot of people out there who are eager to work but can't find a job.

2. Healthy living is the way to go. I've started working out, doing boxing, eating less; and right now, I've just lost 10 lbs and feel better than ever.

Bounce!

Crocodille Hunter, killed

2006-09-05T00:18:00.000+08:00

It's been all over the news yesterday. Steve Irwin... steve who? You know, that Crocodille Hunter guy who chases Crocs with his wife, was killed yesterday. Apparently he was doing an underwater documentary of the Great Barrier Reef when a stingray struck him in the chest. Yeah, we all know what a stingray is and what it can do. Pretty dangerous stuff.

To be perfectly honest, I like Dr. Brady Barr more than Steve Irwin. But still, he's such a good guy. It's sad to lose someone who has done alot to the conservation of wildlife all over the world. May he rest in peace.

Bounce!

Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls

2006-09-04T22:46:00.000+08:00

Okay. Before you read on, a word of caution, for this topic may contain some spoilers. If you do not wish to know what's going to happen in the anime Basilisk, I suggest don't try reading on.

Now that we've got that out of the way...

In the tradition of Battle Royale comes this wonderful and beautifully made anime called Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls. I've recently got hold of a copy of Basilisk and I must say that I am truly awe-struck on how it's wonderfully made. The story goes that for 400 years, a rivalry between two ninja clans, Iga of Hidden Tsuba and Kouga of Manji Valley, has been brewing. Only by the mediation of the first Hattori Hanzo on the night the Iga village was attacked by Oda did peace reign. Years have passed, the retiring Shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa, has sent the two clans' heads, Ogen of Iga and Danju of Kouga, to show their clan's ninja prowess. It is in his belief that the ninja will be the deciding factor on who will be the next Tokugawa shogun. With the help of the fourth Hattori Hanzo, they decided that both clans will be pitted against each other to the death, thus breaking the peace pact made by the first Hattori Hanzo. Each clan chooses 10 of its best ninjas. And from there, they fight to the end. The last clan standing will be the winner.

The story is full of treachery and deciet. Amidst the violence, there is romance between the two heirs to both clans, Oboro of Iga and Gennusuke of Kouga. Tragically, while they were betrothed to each other, they must face the fact that they are from different ninja clans and must do their duty to finish of each other if they must. In the end, due to their eternal love for each other, both committed seppuku. Tragic.

If you were wondering why the anime was called Basilisk, it is because both Gennusuke and Oboro has this special "ninja technique" (if you will) that uses their eyes. Gennusuke's gaze will put fear on those people who have malicious intent and would rather kill themselves in the process. Oboro's, on the other hand, is not really a technique but more of a gift (at the same time a curse). Her gaze would diminish every ninja who looks upon her eyes helpless. Losing their ninja powers in the process. Pretty wierd yet awesome, if you ask me.

The only thing I hated about this anime is that each ninja has their own character. And once they build up one ninja's character, they instantainously kill him/her off. Well, that is the premise of the story after all. We can't do anything about that. Anyway, I suggest you guys watch this anime. It has 24 episodes in all. Every episode is a must see.

Bounce!

Spending Time

2006-09-02T01:28:00.000+08:00

Lately, since I have nothing much to do, I've been imersed in doing a webcomic entitled Life Again. For some of my friends out there, you might be familiar with this since I did the first seven pages back in 2001. Back then I was really planning on putting it online and only recently did I just have the urge to continue it. The story's about a zombie that came back to life only to realize that he has no recollection whatsoever of his past (just flashes of random images). Now, his on a quest to find out what his mysterious past was and how he became what he is now.

There's been alot of zombie comics out there (which most of them I haven't read yet) and I hope mine would be different. Also, if you've seen my gallery at deviantART and look at my current webcomic, you'll notice a similarity to some of the pages. That's because it's really one and the same. Only this time, I decided to continue the comic and placed it to a real webcomic hosting site. The first seven pages are from the previous one. The following will be seen at the latest link. Also, I changed the title from Dead Men Walking to Life Again to avoid any legal issues.

To keep me motivated in doing my webcomic, I've been reading a couple of mangas (DoMu, Blade of the Immortal) and watching a couple of animes.

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

It's been awhile since it's been shown at Animax. And only just now did I get into watching this anime when I bought the DVD. Back then I find this anime boring thinking that it would be like its feature film counterpart. But I was proven wrong. I like how the story is going and how the focus of the show is not only on Major Kusanagi but to all the members of Section 9. Everyone has their share of the lime light... even the Tachikomas.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Like GITS:SAC, I found this anime such a bore back then. It's really hard to understand if you'll be watching this anime with just the subtitles. There are alot of scenes in this anime that is text heavy and to top it all, it's written in Japanese. Good thing that the DVD that I bought has the english dubbed option. Watching it in english is more soothing. And only then did I realize how complex this anime really is. It's just wierd that the creator of NGE based the story from some parts of the bible and some judeo-christian symbols. No wonder Angels have been attacking Tokyo 3. Also, the main character, Shinji Ikari, is so irritating. He's such a loser and a wimp. That's why by the end of the series (ep.25 and 26 and The End of Evangelion), I was like flaming mad and frustrated, all because of Shinji Ikari. Sigh... Well, we can't do anything about that.

Hajime No Ippo

Well, this anime wasn't really in my list. But eversince I started boxing, it got me intrested in watching Hajime No Ippo. It's funny how skillful most anime characters are even at a beginner's level. When I started working out, I had a hard time doing jabs, straights, coordination and foot work. But, Ippo, the main character, make it look like it was so easy to do. But then again, this is anime we're talking about. Reality check. Hahaha...

Still, you got to hand it to the Japanese on making such wierd story lines that eventually we'll get to like. Hopefully my motivation in making my webcomic will last. I have this tendency on not finishing what I've started and it really is frustrating in my part.

Bounce!

SNAKES on a mutha-f***ing PLANE!

2006-08-26T23:30:00.000+08:00

"Enough is enough. I've had it with these mother-f***ing snakes on this mother-f***ing plane!"

Jeesh... you kiss your mother with that mouth? Hahaha... Well, that's probably as bad-ass that Samuel L. Jackson is going to get on his latest movie Snakes on a Plane. Anyway, this movie did get a lot of hype even before it was released (I remember watching the MTV Movie Awards and Sam Jackson was there to announce best movie when he suddenly plugged this film). And I say that this excited me more in watching this mother-f***ing movie. All those hype builded up some great expectations about the movie and after watching it, though I know some might not agree with me on this, I can say that I'm completely satified. As we all know, Snakes on a Plane is a B-movie. But this has got to be one of the best B-movies that I've ever seen. I didn't like it because of Samuel L. Jackson. Don't get me wrong. I know he kicks ass... east side, west side, "dark" side, biatch!... he also talks the talk and walks the walk... f***ing COOLNESS all the way. But honestly, it's the premise of the movie that excited me more.

The movie brings mid-flight terrorism to a whole new level. There's this one line from Samuel L. Jackson while he was talking to his FBI buddy in LA where he said, "you know how all those security scenarios we ran? I'm smack in the middle of one we didn't think of." In all fairness, he's probably right. Who would have thought of that? So, should the government be concerned on this kind of mid-flight scares? I don't think so. The movie sort of explained it for itself on not to be scared of this ever occuring. Scientifically, I don't know if all those explainations about snake behavior were true. I mean, I'm no snake expert. But hey, it is still fun to watch. Story wise, there's not much to tell. Well, not much in a sense of giving the whole story away. What's important is that you got the main premise of the story and it's already in the title... Snakes On A Plane. The movie is funny and scary at the same time. And I dare you guys to watch it!

By the way. The movie is so graphic and there're alot of cursing. So I suggest you don't bring the kiddies when you watch it. The movie is rated R in the first place. When I watched this movie in the theater, I saw alot of people who brought their children along. What do they think they're watching? Barney and Friends???

Bounce!

Feeling Down? Get a Cheerleader!

2006-08-25T03:44:00.000+08:00

There's this game I've been playing on my Nintendo DS that I really like. It's called Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! It's more like a Dance Dance Revolution game for the Nintendo DS. Only this time you have to use your stylus instead of your feet. Anyway, the game is about a group of Cheerleaders (that's right, cheerleaders. MALE cheerleaders.) cheering people up to boost their confidence. That really sounds funny. Who would want to have a group of cheerleaders doing their thing just cheer you up? Well, take a look at this...

Apparently, in Japan, there really happens to be a real-life Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! And they do it just for kicks. Sheesh. If I were there, I don't know whether to take them seriously or not. I mean, come on... a friend is enough to cheer you on when you're down. Why need a group of loud strangers, in front of a dozen more strangers looking on, just for the cheering up. You'll have to be a total loser to be in that kind of situation. (>_>)

Bounce!

Titanic 2???

2006-08-25T02:25:00.000+08:00

And I thought I've seen it all. Now this one is totally wierd. Who ever made this trailer must really have that much patience in piecing it together. From what I've seen, there were clips from Con Air, Catch Me If You Can, Hulk. The Beach, Romeo and Juliet.. just to name a few. Although, I have to praise him for his compositing and editing skills. It's pretty good. ^_^

Bounce!

It's A Holiday

2006-08-21T19:49:00.000+08:00

Today is a non-working holiday here in the Philippines. And for the first time, the government declared it so because today, August 21, is the death anniversary of one of the Philippines heroes, Ninoy Aquino. Now, I don't usually talk about politics in my blog. To be perfectly honest, for me, Philippine politics has gone to the dogs. It's nothing but a one big theatrical act. And a bad one at that. Anyway, in my opinion, the declaration of a non working holiday today reads politics all over it. As we Filipinos all know, President Arroyo and Former President Cory Aquino are not in good terms because of the "Hello Garci" controversy and how President Arroyo cheated on the last Presidential election. Mrs. Aquino asked Mrs. Arroyo to step down. But Mrs. Arroyo turned down the request. Thus prompting Mrs. Aquino to go to the opposition. If we all know our politics (and history), Mrs. Aquino is the widow of Ninoy Aquino.

Ahh... now. Are you getting the picture? By declaring today a non-working holiday to celebrate Ninoy Aquino's death anniversary, Mrs. Arroyo thinks that she can win back Mrs. Aquino's good side. But then again, it's just my opinion. Who knows what Mrs. Arroyo was thinking.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

2006-08-17T23:13:00.000+08:00

Last night, me and my best bud, with his brother, watched My Super Ex-Girlfriend. This is one of those movies that would make you go... "damn! Why didn't I think of that?" The story is so funny and being a comic geek, the idea of a super hero hooking up with a normal guy is really interesting. It's nothing like Superman and Lois Lane where they really knew each other for a long time. The story is more about a lonely guy trying to hit on a girl, hoping that he could get laid after a serious breakup from an ex. Apparently, he hit on the wrong kind of girl. It's really funny, I tell you. You just have to watch it.

Believe me, I think this is better than Superman Returns.

Bounce!

A Note From The Introvoys

2006-08-16T10:44:00.000+08:00

A funny thing. I decided earlier to read all my posts in my blog from the beginning. I guess I really have nothing to do today. So anyway, I was re-reading my previous posts, and this post came to my attention. I was commenting how the band HALE sounded like a bit like the INTROVOYS. Then I saw this comment made by Paco Arespacochaga. I thought, "what the hell? Is this really Paco Arespacochaga?" Apparently he is. (For those who doesn't know who Paco Arespacochaga is, he's the drummer for the band Introvoys.) He gave a link to their site. Looks like the Introvoys are back together again. And in that site, Paco was mentioning that he was checking some sites that mention them, so I guess, that's why he got to read my post.

Anyway, back in my high school days, I liked the Introvoys. I even bought their albums. I remember they were pitted against another band called Afterimage. I really don't know why. But for me, I like the Introvoys better than Afterimage. I really like their sound and lyrics. And according to their site, they're planning to release a "greatest hits" compilation CD. Though, sadly, the recording companies doesn't think it's worth investing at the moment. So the guys plan to release it through the net. There's still no definite date when it'll be released, but I do like to get my hands on one of those if ever it does get released. Well, you know, I like being nostalgic. ^_^

Introvoys fans can visit their site at www.introvoys.net

Bounce!

Move over Bad Boys...

2006-08-07T20:19:00.001+08:00

Here's what I can say to the Miami Vice movie... Blam! Blam! Die! Die! Die! Holy $#!+! @#&^*! and so on and so forth. Bad Boys move over... the original bad asses of Miami are back! Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs are back and this time they're really kicking ass. If you think the TV series kicks ass, then I suggest you watch the movie. Thanks to Michael Mann's realistic directing, the movie gets grittier (if there is such a term), more violent and uh... more realistic (?) than its TV counterpart. Though the story is just one of those basic cops-out-to-bust-drug-dealers kind of thing, the movie is dead serious and wonderfully directed. Colin Farell and Jaime Foxx are awesome. I think I didn't see them smile in the movie. This movie is also best seen on the big screen with THX. Aww, heck. I don't really know what else to say. It's just that I'm glad that they didn't goof off this movie (unlike other TV shows that were translated to the big screen. Should I even dare say what?). Just go watch it and see it for yourself!

BANG!

Shopping for a Bike

2006-07-31T21:21:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday I was out with my 2 best buds, A and Wyn, and went to Cartimar. Cartimar is like one big market place where you can buy all sorts of stuff (literally). So there we were, braving the heavy downpour that's been going on for the past few days. Luckily, when we got there, the rain stopped. So there we were. My friend, A, was looking for an aquarium. My other friend, Wyn, was looking for some exotic birds (and probably some fishes to. He was really quite interested on the sharks). While I, on the other hand, was there just to "check" on this bike that I've been looking for for some time now. And they said that the price there was a steal (compared to the one the we saw in the mall). So there I was, "checking"... I let my two buddies do all the talking. I'm not really good with making deals and apparently they were. So from Php12,500 (the mall price was Php16,500), my buddies got the store owner to lower the price to Php10,500. Well, that really was pretty low compared to what I was expecting. And it's really not a good idea to let it slide for I may not get the same amount when I come back for it. So on that day, also due to my impulsiveness in buying things, I bought the bike.

So here it is. The Schwinn Stingray...

Well, ofcourse, after that, if you know me better, I suddenly had this feeling of guilt. I was questioning myself, "was it worth it?"... "did I really have to buy it now?"... but as they say, there's no use crying over spilt milk. Then again, I do love the bike. Now only if I can use it. There's been non-stop raining lately and it's really a pain that can't use it at the moment. Drat.

Bounce!

What's Been Keeping Me Busy?

2006-07-26T21:34:00.000+08:00

For the past couple of weeks, all I ever did was watch wrestling videos. I keep shelling out some money to buy one and watch it. Let's just say that I'm totally engrossed over the whole wrestling business. Nope, I don't want to be a wrestler... not by a longshot. Lately, I'm just trying to do a story/comic about wrestling that I'm planning to add to this sort of comic anthology project by the Ponju online community. What the deal is is that we submit a short storyline (about 10-15 pages) and it will be published along with other short stories created by other webcomic artists (in comic form of course) in to one big graphic novel. Now, if all goes well, this graphic novel will be presented and sold in comic cons and anime cons in the US. I don't really care much about the earning (though it'll be great if I did get something out of it), but what I was really hoping for is the exposure and recognition.

Anyway, back to what I was saying, I was originally planning to have my comic penned by my big brother, but he gave me a break in having to write it myself. Well, he also wants to make one of his own, so that really leaves me no other choice. So, that leads me to watching wrestling videos. I've been doing a lot of research about wrestling: the terms, the moves, the holds, the people behind every character and the business. I was aiming for a story that centers around wrestlers. Not the wrestler that you see on the ring, but the wrestler behind the curtians. And I must tell you, it is tough to make one. I've already finished my draft script and I'm currently making thumbnails to see whether I'm in the 10-15 page limit. Hopefully, if this comic does great, I'm planning to continue it by creating a webcomic of my own.

What's really interesting about what I'm doing right now is that I get to know most of the famous wrestler's life stories. And some are just sad to hear, especially when they reached that part of their career where they feel that they're on top of the world and they look down on other wrestlers who are just on the rise. Most of them get arrogant. Some died in the process. Wrestling is a tough business. And it deserves its respect.

Bounce!

Superman DID Return... or so it seems

2006-06-28T16:24:00.000+08:00

Okay, I've seen the movie and like I said, I watched it with an open mind. So here's my take on this film. Be careful though, as you might read some spoilers. So if you haven't watch it and don't want my review to spoil it for you, don't read on.

After 5 years missing in action, Superman returns to earth. Apparently, the earth doesn't need him anymore, and so does, the love of his life, Lois Lane. Lois Lane, upset that Superman didn't even say goodbye, moved on, had a kid (Jason) and has a fiancee (Richard) who happens to be a nephew of their editor Perry White. Lex Luthor, on the other hand, was granted bail because of lack of evidence against him. The only thing that would've put him behind bars permanently was Superman's testimony. Now that he's free, and Superman nowhere in sight, he returned to Superman's Fortress of Solitude and took every piece of information that he needed from Jor-El's recorded databanks and took also all the crystals with him. If all the information that he gathered was true, a piece of crystal would be just like a seed. If you plant it and water it, it will grow. In this case, the crystal would grow to be like the Fortress of Solitude (ref. Superman I), and a dozen of those crystals would make an entire new continent. And now that Superman's back from his worthless journey through space, he finds that Krypton is now settling on earth and it's up to him to stop Luthor's evil plans. Also, Superman has to win back Lois' heart.

As you all know, I'm a huge fan of the first Superman movie. And probably by now, you can also see (and read) that Bryan Singer is also a big fan of the film. And it gives me the chills watching Superman Returns because of its big homage to Richard Donner's Superman film. First of all, the opening sequence. Bryan Singer made do of the old Superman movie opening sequence with all the cast and credits flying towards the screen with a big outer space backdrop. Though, the CG artists probably overdid it because, it was sort of dizzying as it moves so quickly passing each bits and planets (which I don't really recognize except earth and the moon) like it's in a hurry. Then there's this old toy train set which Luthor was toying around with, that actually resembled the whole California earthquake scenario in the first Superman film. The old Kent farm looks exactly the same as the one from the first one. Though, I don't really know if it's actually the same one, but it does resemble it. There's also a photograph of Glenn Ford (who played Jonathan Kent in the first Superman film) in the Kent house. Also, there are many lines there, one might not be keen on noticing, which sounded like they took from the first two films. They also used John Williams original composition (and tweaked some of it a bit). Though, you might get an ear-full of it since they practically use the Superman theme on each heroic act that he did. And the most wonderful homage was the ending of the film, where Superman flies over the earth with the sun rising in the distance then cuts to a close up of Superman flying towards the upper part of the screen with the earth below it. Sigh... nostalgia. ^_^

Though, I'm not really sure whether it IS an actual sequel to the first two Superman films. They used Marlon Brando's voice to say lines which was taken from the first one like "it's forbidden to interfere with human history" and so forth. And while Lex and his cronies are inside the fortress of Solitude, Lex's bimbo asked him, "Lex, it's like you've been here before." (ref. Superman 2). Though Lex didn't actually replied to that comment leaving the viewers to wonder if he did. And like in the first two films, Lois Lane still has a spelling problem, a smoking problem and got the Pulitzer Prize which she really wanted. They also mentioned about Lois' first article on Superman: "The Time I Spent the Night With Superman"... which I think has a double meaning for this film.

The movie is actually one big eyecandy. If we were dazzled in Superman's flight scenes in the first two films, then this one will hit the jackpot. By using CG, they actually help make Superman's flight scenes more believable and dynamic. Heat vision, Super Breath, you name it. It's wonderful to look at. Come to think of it, there are more scenes in the movie that are just there for eyecandy. Storywise, I hate to admit it, but it's kind of intriguing. The whole twist about Lois Lane having Superman's kid is interesting and making a whole new Krypton is more than ingenious. But still, somehow I feel there's still something missing. Acting wise, I don't buy Lex Luthor's antics. I find Gene Hackman's Luthor more scary. And like I said before, Brandon Routh's Superman is lame. I don't feel an ounce of heroic-ness in him when I see him doning that red and blue outfit. As Clark Kent, though, he really got the whole Chris Reeve feel. Well, but then again ofcourse, as I said, it's just me.

The movie, over all, is nice. It's not that good, but it's nice. As we say here in the Philippines, "Ok lang." I guess the movie stirred the fanboy in me. Still, looks like I have to eat my words. ^_^

Bounce!

Here's My Heart... Take It... please?

2006-06-16T01:53:00.000+08:00

I feel like singing today...

narito, ang puso ko
inaalay lamang sa'yo
aking pangarap kahit saglit
ang ikaw at ako'y magkapiling
minsan pang makita ka
damdamin ay sumasaya
lungkot napapawi
buhay ko'y ngingiti
sa sandaling pag-ibig mo'y makapiling

puso ko'y narito
naghihintay sa pag-ibig mo
ikaw lamang ang inaasam
tanggapin mo ang puso kong narito
hanggang matapos ang kailanman

bawat kilos mo't galaw
minamasdan, tinatanaw
laging nangangarap, kahit saglit
ang ikaw at ako'y magkapiling

puso ko'y narito
naghihintay sa pag-ibig mo
ikaw lamang ang inaasam
tanggapin mo ang puso kong narito
hanggang matapos ang kailanman

kahit di malaman o maintindihan
kahit na masugatan ang puso
naghihintay sayo
maghihintay ako

puso ko'y narito
naghihintay sa pag-ibig mo
ikaw lamang ang inaasam
tanggapin mo ang puso kong narito
hanggang matapos ang kailanman...

The song's title is Narito, which means "Here" in english. Sung by one of the Philippines' best performers, Gary V. Sigh... I totally feel like singing this song today, for some apparent reason.

Bounce!