Weekly Ketchup 35 - Comics and 4DX!

I had a completely different idea about how this past week was gonna unfold and what this blog was gonna be about. When I said last week that I was gonna have something more coherent for this week, it was because I expected that, by this time, I've already seen 9 Works Theatrical's staging of "The Last Five Years" and gotten sized up for a costume I was gonna wear as a member of Enchantment Ph's Disney cosplay group in time for CosplayMania.

Well, life happened. Tickets to this weekend's show were sold out and it's the last one. And, as it turned out, Enchantment Ph wasn't gonna be at CosplayMania. So why bother?

While neither is a complete loss (I mean, I can live without either), I was really looking forward to them. For pretty much the entire year, I've been shaving off some of my regular activities and declining events for the purposes of saving money, so it was kind of a big deal for me that I got excited about the show and cosplaying enough that I considered dipping into my savings. It's musical theater and Disney after all!

Thankfully, I have other interests and this week I had some time to delve into my comics-adled self.

For starters, I spent a great deal of the week going through Comixology, the Google Play Store, and Kobo looking for new worlds to discover and explore. I've been actually doing it for months and so far the only viable DRM-free digital platform (similar to Kobo, CD Baby, and GOG.com) is ImageComics.com, which obviously narrows down my choices to those offered by that publisher. Comixology's recently unveiled DRM-Free backups, however, has opened my choices up to other publishers like Zenescope and Top Cow. Both companies offer free but DRM-locked #0 or #1 issues of their respective titles on Google Play (for Zenescope) and Kobo (for Top Cow) but, as much as they dabble in the fantasy genre, what little I've glimpsed of their universes in the past few months have so far failed to excite me.

I tried to broaden my horizon this past week by sampling some of Arcana Studios and Aspen's free offerings on Comixology. Both companies also dabble in the realm of fantasy but I just can't get past the DRM restrictions despite liking what I've seen. Some of Aspen's titles are also available DRM-Free from DriveThruComics. If the site can just sign more publishers up and offer more file formats, I feel like the company will be my go-to site for digital comics but at the moment I'm only test-driving their services by availing some free issues.

Pretty impressive list of publishers already

That being said, allow me to deviate from the topic of digital distribution to the actual content that these publishers offer, especially as it relates to the recent controversy surrounding Milo Manara's variant cover to Spider-Woman no. 1. I feel like some of the anger towards Manara is unfounded considering that drawing women in provocative poses is what he's known to do. I think the problem really is that Marvel commissioned him to do this variant cover in the first place, which makes me wonder why this particular cover is gaining so much heat when this is just the latest in a long line of Manara-commissioned Marvel variants. My take is that, as much as it pains me to admit this in 2014, there is still a segment of the market that gets off on sexified women in comics and, I guess, this is a variant cover to attract that market. Nobody has to buy it - the regular cover is just fine and I'm sure the rest of the actual story in the issue puts Jessica Drew (one of my all-time favorite Avengers, by the way) in very good light.

Which brings me back to the publishers I mentioned above. With the exception of Image Comics (whose 90s incarnation had so much to atone for), it's hard for me to take their titles seriously because just look at these. I'm probably being unfair as I'm sure their comics is brilliantly written if I really give them a chance but the prevalent imagery in their books sure looks like they're intended for a particular market.

There is, however, a shining beacon in the form of Dynamite, which is one of the publishers that are part of Comixology's DRM-Free back-up program. They also recently launched their own DRM-Free digital comics store, though their selection is not that extensive yet. With luck, they become as viable as Image Comics come Cyber Monday later this year and offer up their entire back catalog at a discount because I've perused their titles and I'm already interested in quite a few. when Comixology's DRM-free back up program was launched a few weeks ago, I sampled Project Super Powers with a couple of free zero issues and I'm in! I want to read the entire thing! I've also been thinking about Masks and King's Watch for a while now (they're like the Justice League and the Avengers but with pulp characters), so I'm looking forward to those. I just tried Kirby Genesis today via the free zero issue and I'm also game but, for some reason, the DRM-Free back-up isn't available. The series is currently on sale on Comixology but until I'm certain of the DRM-free back up, it's a no-go for me.

The best thing about these titles is that they're finite miniseries, so the stories draw to a close instead of goes on (much like Watchmen) so there's no need for me to follow them for years on end. Which brings me to another title I'm attraced to: George Perez's upcoming 6-issue miniseries Sirens. Remember last week when I said I've been daydreaming about Avengers stories? Well, one of those was an all-female Avengers squad and this lineup looks a lot like the one I have in my head. I see the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Jocasta, She-Hulk. Obviously, that's not them but I wouldn't be surprised if these characters are Perez's analogues to Earth's Mightiest Heroines. Boom! Studios, this comics' publisher, currently doesn't offer any DRM-free digital comics, nor is it part of Comixology's backup program so I might just pick up the physical copy or wait for the trade paperback.

See how different the women in this cover is.

Lastly, there is another comic I'm currently interested in, mainly because of last night's new experience. Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero is on Comixology but is neither DRM-Free nor on sale. Unfortunately, it's also not available on Google Play or Kobo. I might have to scour the world for a physical copy, hopefully on sale. And, yes, I'm only interested in it because I just saw Pacific Rim last night with a bunch of friends. I didn't see it when it came out last year because the premise just didn't tickle my fancy. It was just another CGI-laden summer blockbuster as far as I was concerned. But, having finally seen it, in 4DX no less - I find that the movie actually did something not even the Marvel movies could do: elicit a physical reaction from me in the theater that doesn't involve laughing (or crying for that matter). I was literally at the edge of my seat grabbing hold of my armrest and clenching my jaw as the jaegers and kaijus duked it out. It was definitely an intense experience.

As much as I enjoyed 4DX, though, I don't think any amount of special atmospheric effect is going to save a bad movie (*cough*Bayformers*cough*). I'd like to see another 4DX movie again as long as I know the movie's good to begin with, though I can't imagine what other movie would be perfect for this format? Gravity, perhaps?

Oh, and just to connect the movie to something I said a few paragraphs ago, gratuitousness goes both ways in 2014 and I think the filmmakers knew what they were doing when they hired Charlie Hunnam for the movie.

It looks like I ended the week on a pretty high note, despite the disappointments, so I'd like to think it's still a good week!

Weekly Ketchup 34 - General Updates and Addenda

Lest my current work problems turn into a three-episode arc, I'm just gonna append the experience of the past few weeks with a simple "things had a way of working themselves out". So, yeah, I'm slowly creeping back to my hopeful self.

Thankfully, the rest of the week passed without much fanfare, which brings me to the subject of this week's blog: What to write about? I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some thoughts that have been buzzing around in my head for a while now. These are mostly ramblings that were in drafts of earlier entries but had to be cut off because the blogs were getting too long. Either that or there just hadn't been an impetus to share them in a given week. Until now.

Changing Social Behavior

A couple of weeks ago, I ran this list of geeky distractions. What didn't make the cut of that rather long blog was the behind-the-scenes dilemma I had throughout that entire week about whether I should share the movie, music, book, or game I've been checking out. In real time. On all my social networks.

The thing was that I didn't want this blog to be a curation of what I've been sharing on social media the past week. I didn't want it to be like an extended edition of what I've already shared. That's just too much time sharing, opining, and talking about the same set of subjects.

And so I resolved to keep quiet about my new interests until I can blog about them. It's not in real time and I don't even get a lot of views but I do get to archive my thoughts, which is why I still prefer blogging in long form as opposed to sharing random bursts of opinion or activity.

Waging A Silent War

One of the earliest entries on this series was about random thoughts I had while walking home from work. In another blog not too long ago, I briefly mentioned how jeepneys have never been part of my reality. I'm aware that they're there and I do take them on occasion, especially late at night when buses and trains are no longer available but, until the Manila bus ban, I've never had to take them on a daily basis.

These past few months I've devised ways to cope with my current predicament. One way, as one might guess, was that I've been walking home. Thankfully, the distance between my house and office isn't all that great and I could use the bit of exercise given my sedentary lifestyle.

Another way I've been dealing, especially in the morning on my way to work, is holding on to my payment until I'm near the office and satisfied with the journey. Because the worst part about taking these piles of scrap metal are smoking drivers, everytime a driver lights a stick, I get off - without paying - and transfer to another jeep. I will also transfer if the driver plays really loud awful music. I realize that this sounds cruel but as a consumer, I need to get this satisfaction from a service I'm paying for.

Consumer vs Creator

Another earlier post was how everything seems to be accessible online now, which has been rather good for me since I got to open myself up to new and even old books, games, and comics.

Not too long ago I also wrote about some first world problems I had during a recent storm that took out our power and Internet. What I cut from that entry was my hypothesis that I was much more creative and imaginative back when I didn't have much access to anything. I remember one stormy and blacked out day when I came up with an entire X-books crossover. At the time, there was nothing else to do and I also didn't read many X-men comics because I couldn't afford them.

In all my years as an Avengers fan, most of which time I've been able to afford everything, I've never once imagined a single storyline, let alone an entire crossover epic.  However, recently, now that I'm not following the comics (not because I can't afford them, rather because they weren't coming up with the type of stories I want to read), I've been daydreaming about fantasy story arcs I want to see! I even like launching a fan fiction series - but I would still like for it to be graphic, even if I'm not an artist. I just gotta iron out the story!

I shared this on my Instagram a few months ago.
I actually imagined a war game back when I could only fantasize about playing one.

That's just three of the most badly written ramblings ever but I do enjoy putting my thoughts into words, however haphazardly, otherwise they would just fester in my head. That being said, I'm looking forward to a more coherent blog next week!

Oh, and this blog was delayed because of two very important people:

Yesterday, I was recovering from a party we had the night before to celebrate geek friend Hank's birthday!

Photo from Lynn's Facebook

Earlier today, I was at lunch to celebrate the birthday of another geek friend, Carlo!

I'm sure there's a better photo somewhere but this will do for now.
From Tania's Facebook

Weekly Ketchup 33 - I Just Need A Win

Remember last week's pop culture distractions from a rather stressful work situation? Well, here's the follow-up: As much as I know I'm doing the right thing, educating the client and going against orders, I realized a few days ago that I also screwed up. And we're already going into print! While the client didn't notice the mistake yet, I need to find a way to rectify the situation before they do! I already have an idea about what to do but it's gonna be expensive. FUCK!

The truth is that this isn't the first time that this has happened. Back in my previous agency, we've also made a couple of really expensive mistakes. Yeah, small details that tend to be overlooked can be extremely costly for the agency or the creative director whose job it was to make sure details down to the minute level are well accounted for. I've even gotten fired from a couple of non-advertising jobs for missing mistakes that should have been spotted during proofing.

All this time I thought I've gotten better a this sort of thing but obviously not. Apologies if I'm keeping the details a little vague because it's really boring to have to explain. Bottom line is that I screwed up and I've been bummed about it this past week. I'm afraid of how much it's going to cost me considering I've been saving up and also leaving. I'm afraid of having to convince the printer to stop production so I can fix my mistake, which we thankfully have time for (at least). More importantly, I'm afraid of what this experience might mean to my future job prospects.

I've been reminding myself that this ordeal is just a job and it's not the end of the world. It won't even matter in a year's time. Take it as a lesson learned. This was all supposed to be just "plan b", remember?

And yet, up until yesterday, this matter has weighed heavily on my mind that I couldn't bring myself to do anything else. I wanted to take this weekend to get started on a few other projects but that didn't happen. Instead, I laid in bed punishing myself mentally for my incompetence.

Adding to my already paralyzing frustration this past week was Warlords Battlecry 2, which I've been playing to distract my thoughts from the situation. The problem was that I kept losing and it's really bruising my already wounded ego!

I really just needed one win this past week.
It doesn't help that Robin Williams also died this past week.
I mean, celebrities die all the time but this one really hit. He is, after all, one of the prominent figures I knew growing up. I also followed "The Crazy Ones" (wouldn't you know it, a show about my industry) this past year and was saddened that it was cancelled. I just couldn't help myself - I was tearing up this entire week just looking at tribute art like this one:

Credit to the artist

Late afternoon yesterday, after realizing I won't get anything done unless I get a win, I finally got up from bed and fired up Warlords Battlecry 2. I played that thing over and over again until, finally, around 11pm, I got my win! I finally conquered that region that has been denied me this entire week!

Man, I just needed that sense of satisfaction. Went to sleep a little peacefully last night and woke up feeling less lousy earlier today. I even got to do some work that I've been neglecting these past few weeks.

Hopefully, the rest of the week won't be so bad.

See the green banners and castles? Those are mine.
The castle at the lower left, at the bottom of my empire is my hardest won territory yet.

Weekly Ketchup 32 - Geekstractions

This past week, I've been trying to distract myself from thinking about a possible confrontation with a client. Remember the campaign I mentioned here and the photo shoot I discussed here? Yeah, it's that client.

The short version, though, is that this client doesn't seem to get that the moment a digital proof of the layout we sent their printer is provided, then that means they're ready to go to print. This client also seems to have it in their heads that we speak for their printer along with some other expectations that we, as an agency, never offered. This situation bothers me so much that I'm constantly imagining the confrontation with the client. I suppose it's because I really can't be angry or annoyed towards the client however much I'd like to use expletives, hence I let the confrontation linger in my fantasies. But it's taken up so much of my free time that I just want release! The argument did happen last Friday though and I'm a bit proud of myself for holding my ground. I tried to be less argumentative or aggressive about it and tried to educate the client about the standard process that agencies and printers follow.

This all that either the printer or the agency should see on the digital proof

Anyway, as of this writing, the saga continues and my head is still swimming with negative scenarios, which brings me back to distractions. This past week, I've been trying out new comics, movies, and books - anything just to pass the time without imagining the screaming match I really want to have with the client.

I started the week finally reading my digital copy of "Rat Queens" that I got from the Image sale a few weeks back. It's a fantasy so it's obviously a prime pick for me and I enjoyed it immensely. I really wish there was more to read with each issue though. Like I said during my quick review of "Invincible", I really miss the days when comics would take at least 15 minutes to read.

I also got into "Real Heroes" mainly because it was free. It's basically "Galaxy Quest" but with superheroes. It's an interesting book, especially given the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which was primarily based on the Ultimate universe. The connection, of course, was that "Real Heroes" creators Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch were the same team behind "The Ultimates".

On the movie front, I downloaded the Justice League animated movies "Doom", "Flashpoint Paradox", "War", and "Trapped in Time" and watched them one after another. I could just be asking for too much here (I know there's a current animated show and the live action films are kicking butts) but why can't Marvel come up with animated movies that are just as decent? I'd still really like a nice animated Avengers movie!

The past week, I also got a copy of the "If/Then" soundtrack, which means I'm now drowning in Idina Menzel after "Rent", "Wicked", and "Frozen". It's hard to appreciate the songs without context but I still enjoy them. It's nice to hear Anthony Rapp's voice again, though LaChanze's has matured since I first heard her on "Once on this Island". Anyway, I'd really like to see a staging of the show. It'd be interesting to see how they switch from one reality to another.

I also got a copy of Matchbox 20's "North" and the Green Day trilogy "Uno", "Dos", "Tre" albums. Both bands were holdovers from my music taste in the 1990s and I still enjoy their new material. Though admittedlying, I haven't listened to them as much as the "If/Then" soundtrack.

Finally, I got started on Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn". I'm only a few chapters in and, in true Sanderson fashion, the pace is really quick and there's a lot of dialog to establish the world, which is always preferable as far as I'm concerned. I haven't read much about the series so I don't really know where the story is headed but my body is ready.

Other than that, I've been playing my games from GOG.com and Android. And just last Sunday, I went through all three Toy Story DVDs back to back. I thought I'd be immune by now, knowing how the trilogy ends, but no, I still had that moment when I was wiping tears and snot from my face.

Social interactions also help. Last Thursday was Amici Quiz Night and we lost despite there being a battalion of us. There was a Guardians of the Galaxy category though, which I mostly answered correctly. I was able to supply the names of Steve Gan and Bill Mantlo only because their names were on my news feed since the movie became popular.

And we celebrated high school friend Anya's birthday last night, which is why this blog is delayed by a day. I love getting together with the people who've known me the longest even if we're in different points in our lives. After all the catching up and reminiscing, we ended up talking about "Game of Thrones". Anya also said she read "Wolverine Origins" except the last issue, which is frustrating her because she wants to know what happened.

Hopefully, I hope this situation with the client gets sorted out this week. Or maybe just writing about it will give me the release I need. If not, well, at least I have all these things to geek out over!

Weekly Ketchup 31 - Aliens

The past couple of days, my social media activities have largely been about "Documented" and "Guardians of the Galaxy". One would think these two things couldn't be farther apart from each other but, well, I always find a connection.

Earlier this week, I found out that "Documented" was gonna be screening at the CCP as part of the opening festivities of the Cinemalaya Film Festival. I made the effort to catch it last Friday, though I had to take some time off work to do so, because Jose Antonio Vargas' story appeals to me on so many level. For one thing, I was an undocumented American citizen for about 16 years here in the Philippines and a couple of years in Canada, which is a story I've already discussed in a previous blog a couple of years ago. Like Vargas, my mom also sent me to board a plane with a stranger to go live with my grandparents.

However, the parallelism in our stories end there. For one thing, I'm not ever going to fight to gain citizenship to this country. But the irony is that I already do have a sort of citizenship thanks to my certificate of recognition, which actually makes me a citizen of the country in all but passport. This means that I can pay my taxes to this country (big whoop that turned out to be) and claim any benefits entitled to any taxpayer. I have been paying my dues since I started working and made my claim once, so that turned out pretty well. Vargas, though, has been paying his taxes in the US as well, even if he's not supposed to be there, but he won't be eligible to the benefits, which seems rather unfair.

The biggest difference between our stories is that I didn't end up separated from my mom or my dad or my siblings (yes, those are three separate entities as far as my sordid family history is concerned). And, unlike Vargas, I've actually experienced being deported - to the States.

I'm not sure if I knew anything at all of immigration laws back when I was a kid but I already knew the term "illegal alien" because my grandmother told me, more than once growing up, that I was one. And now that I think about it, it's strange that everyone in our little town seemed to know that they were basically harboring a fugitive like it was some sort of open secret. Was the country lax in implementing laws even then? Or was I sent to the province specifically to avoid the enforcers in Manila? I could ask but why bother. That time is done.

What I want answered now is whether it's fair that Vargas, whose contribution to the United States far outweighs mine, will never get the same opportunities available to me simply because I was born there. Just this past week, I was reminded to update my voter registration because there's a primary election happening in November. It feels like cheating, especially since I also share the opinion that, at least as far this country's electoral system is concerned, only the taxpayers should get to vote. That reminds me: I always tell people that I can't vote in Philippine elections because of my citizenship but I never conclusively figured out whether my recognition status covered that aspect of civic responsibility. I suppose I can still ask around.

Now, on to this week's other alien matter: "Guardians of the Galaxy"! There's not much else I can add to my barrage of posts yesterday, except maybe the big shocker that I wasn't really hyped up about the movie going into it. I did mention in my X-men blog that I feel like the Marvel Studios film universe is an obligation rather than a genuine interest. These Guardians aren't even characters I care so much about because like any fanboy of the old guard, these are still my Guardians of the Galaxy:

Still, the film is a triumph of genre storytelling. It's a comic book movie, to be sure, but it's clearly  not a superhero story. It's also the perfect example of how a simple plot wins in the execution. That being said, I'm not sure I agree with critics and fans who say that GotG is better than The Winter Soldier, which remains my favorite MCU film to date. And even then, Days of Future Past is still my favorite comic book movie of the year.

Of course, not everything about this past week was about aliens. Last Wednesday, I participated in Boho's quiz night / fundraiser hosted by geek friend Jon. I formed a team with UST batchmate/Geek Fight Committee member Denice and Mark Escay. We didn't win but hey! We had mojitos all around plus a screening of Robin Hood: Men In Tights! We even played a game of Cards Against Humanity with some of the Boho regulars, some of whom turned out to be Thomasians! I also caught up with Shin, an acquaintance I met through Dek, who I haven't seen or heard from in a long time. He invited to return last Friday but, well, "Documented" happened. I had a good time that night. I woke up late for work the next day and was so tired that I didn't catch GotG on opening day but I had a good time!

Funny thing about the Thomasians, though, was that Denice and I were just talking about how our old ID photos were stored on a server because we were able to retrieve it a few years before. The very next day, it was all over social media again. Not sure why but, well, I participated anyway.

Oh, and one last thing: It's my mom's birthday today so yay! Ice cream!

Weekly Ketchup 30 - Comic Con, Geek Life, and the Last Two Years

This week was pretty much about all the nerd news coming out of San Diego Comic Con. It's always an exciting time for the geek community, although there is that element of despair at not being there yourself, which brings me to the first thing I want to address about the past week.

I've always wondered about the average 50 hits that these blog entries receive every week. Like, who the hell is reading them? Don't get me wrong, I love the attention but it makes me wonder if I should be cautious about the things I put in here, which I am as long it doesn't compromise honesty.

Who are you?!

The reason I mention this is because apparently geek friend Jovan had strong hard-to-articulate feelings about something she read a couple of entries ago. She mentioned it to me last week but we only got to talking about it last Friday over drinks with fellow geeks Hec and Alec, who also celebrated his birthday this past week.

I mentioned in the blog how the past couple of years have just been this kind of lull, like a television series that was a couple of seasons too long for its own good. And her question was: What did that make of the people around me? The friends that I keep? And what did my sentiments mean for her when she's okay with the steady flow of things going on in her story?

Me and my friends saw The Avengers

This is how all this personal matter connect to SDCC: Had things worked out the way they were supposed to, I would've been at Comic Con this year. Or at least closer to it (I heard those tickets can be hard to come by). The thing is that I already left in 2011 but I felt like my story here wasn't done yet, so I chose to come back (my auntie and my mom wanted me to stay there). By 2012, after the first Avengers movie, which I really wanted to see with the geek friends, I was already good to go but was holding out on money that, as it turned out, I wasn't gonna get after all. So come 2013, when the opportunity presented itself again, I thought that was it. Like in 2011, I was supposed to bring my grandma home to Canada, but the difference was that I wasn't gonna book a flight back. I had already saved up enough money to start over and I wouldn't have had to pay for the plane ticket so I thought I was all set! I started posting "throwback" photos on Instagram of my last trip to the States as a tease and even declared that "this exiled Targaryen is returning to Westeros". And, yeah, I already signed up to the Comic Con website in preparation for this year's event, which I knew even then would assemble the cast of Age of Ultron (Which isn't to say that I want to leave just so I can attend SDCC. I'm just saying last year would've been the best time for me to have left).

Obviously, things didn't work out the way they were supposed to last year, otherwise I'd have been live-tweeting from Hall H a few hours ago, instead of retweeting and sharing the news from other sources who were on the scene as the cast of Ant-Man and Age of Ultron drummed up support (like they need it) and hype for next year's Marvel Studios slate.

I took this photo in an alternate reality

By the way, I just started watching The Newsroom this past week during periods of no Internet at the office and I gotta say it's effin' brilliant. And me being me, I felt like I was in a virtual newsroom while covering all the major announcements coming from Marvel Studios earlier. I even heard myself saying in my head: "Do we have anyone on the ground at Hall H?

Another segue: I should be pissed. I should nerd-rage. The Ant-Man movie, as announced earlier, reimagines the mythology of the character to almost beyond recognition. Ultron and The Vision wouldn't even be part of their universe. But I'm not even upset because the movie is just a movie. It's just a fraction, though a significant one at that, of the myriad of ways I can appreciate and experience Hank Pym, Scott Lang, Janet Van Dyne, Yellowjacket, and their little world. It would've been great if they stayed true to the material but I'm over it.

One thing I'm not gonna get over if it turns out to be true is the absence of Arianne Martell on Game of Thrones. New cast members of the show were announced this past week and her name still hasn't popped up. I mentioned in a previous blog that her and the Greyjoys were among the new characters I'm looking forward to seeing on the show, but it's beginning to look like they've been cut or maybe just not appearing yet next season. Of course, this is all just speculation.

Surprised that Rose Leslie and Pedro Pascal still made an appearance.

Now, to address Jovan's questions (and I don't know how to say this without alienating my other friends from other circles who might be reading this blog), my geek friends are the only reasons I would ever consider staying (I mentioned as much in that article I wrote about Manila) and they're the reason why I stayed as long as I have (more than lack of funding). Yeah, leaving has been on my mind for a while already - even longer than these past couple of years actually. As early as 2008, on one of those "getting-to-know-you" memes that went around Multiply, I said that had I left when I should have a long time ago, I never would've had the pleasure of their company and while nothing has changed that would make leaving them any easier now, I feel like our relationship has grown to the level that I can check in every now and then or come back and it'd be like I never left at all. Hey, it worked out well for Hec, Alec, and, to some extent, Dek, even if she hasn't come back yet. And with many of them getting married, having children, moving to new houses, and just moving on to the next stage of their lives, I feel like it's time to pursue the next chapter of my story. Like I said in a previous blog, I already know what I'm leaving behind and I'm grateful but it's time for me to unravel the unknown ahead.

As for what it means that she's content with the way things are in her life, well, considering the mess she often has to deal with, I think a little security and stability for long periods might be good for her. And since we've also established some time ago that we're not compatible travel partners (she prefers to stay in and relax; I prefer to go out and stress myself trying to take everything in at once), maybe we also differ with how we approach contentment. While she relishes in it, preferring to stay in for as long as she can, I am itching to get out and see everything else as soon as I'm settled. Of course, I can't speak for her. Again, these are all speculations.

It's so beautiful I want to cry!

Anyway, hopefully, next year I would be reporting/tweeting live from San Diego, but I want to reaffirm a vow I once made on social media that the first time I attend SDCC would be as a panelist, volunteer, or booth... babe. What? A guy can dream!

Weekly Ketchup 29 - Typhoon, Techcessive, and Avengers Now

As of this posting, my house is still disconnected from the matrix (so to speak). Lack of Internet obviously makes blogging extra hard, actually impossible but, well, here I am. Thanks to the office Internet. Otherwise, I would've had to skip a week in this little online experiment/exercise/experience I have, which I'm not willing to do. So better late than never, right?

So last week, for me, was one first world problem after another and it just wasn't a good time to be having one. Why? Because typhoon.

First, a few days before the typhoon, I decided to reset the Cherry mobile unit I use as a secondary phone, primarily for mobile Internet and for some apps that aren't compatible with or don't fit on the onboard storage of my main phone. I thought resetting would activate the many sensors I just discovered the phone had (thanks to Android Sensor Box) but weren't responding.

Then, the day before the typhoon, my mom's decade-old feature phone finally conked out and she asked to borrow mine. I lent her the keypad-enabled Alcatel unit I use as my main phone since she wasn't ready for full touchscreen yet. For some reason, I thought it was also a good idea to reset the damn thing to its factory settings.

And last, since both Gingerbread devices were out of commission, I had to use the agonizingly slow Acer phone that I use, along with my Acer tablet, mainly for apps that are only available to post-Gingerbread devices, particularly the native Google apps. See, I have this thing where I keep the Jelly Bean devices strictly on a Google diet. Even if Opera Mini, which I use on the Gingerbreads, is so much faster than Chrome.

Yes, I've turned Android into a hobby. I wouldn't say I'm addicted yet or that I need an intervention (or maybe I do) but I love the experience. I can discuss what I do with all these droids around me in another blog but for now I want to share this related photo I took as soon as the power was restored to the house.

Seriously, I began charging everything thinking we would lose power again. I wanted to post it on Instagram and caption it "The extent to which I'm allergic to boredom" or "My idea of disaster preparation". I ended up not posting the damn thing because: One, I myself found it tacky to post my excesses at a time when other people were likely suffering; and two, because I wasn't sure what sort of reaction I was soliciting by posting it. I didn't think it was funny, cute, interesting, or even urgent at all. I just found it telling of my lifestyle.

While the power was restored to our house midway through typhoon day, our connection to the ether was still severed and Globe and Sun services were spotty. The thing is that I really just wanted to rebuild the app list on the Cherry phone, which for some reason was snappier than the Acer, with the ones that I now consider essential: Feedly and Opera Mini. I didn't even need the games or social apps and everything else (Instagram, Pocket, Evernote) could just be added again later.

In a way, I'm glad I was disconnected from everything as it allowed me the time to finish another article AND the video for that birthday party I covered a couple of weeks ago. My problem was that being perpetually online has become one of my biggest distractions. To be fair, I just allow myself to be distracted when I have open deadlines (ie, none at all) and I'm just forcing myself to be productive. In this case, though, I think productivity, creativity, and inspiration were distractions from boredom, so it all worked out.

My biggest concern being disconnected last week, though, was I thought SDCC was last weekend and I might miss out on all the announcements, which was why I wanted Feedly back so bad. Turns out I was a week too early to fret but there were still news on the Marvel front, which I understandably only got wind of days after. I guessed that there was gonna be a black Captain America a few weeks ago but the female Thor came out of left field. However, since I don't really actively follow the comics anymore, it's hard for me to care but I do welcome the change. On a technology and comics related note: ULTRON!

Going off on the Apple-esque Superior Iron Man tangent, my mom came home with a new iPhone last Saturday, which means I got my main phone back and life has slowly returned to normal minus Internet. I want to point out two things: a) This woman got a new power brick for her Macbook, a new battery for her iPod, and a new cable for her iPad just a few weeks ago (I'm not the only techcessive in the family); and b) Yet I still had to be the one to set up her iPhone and load her contacts (I'm surprised there's no way to transfer contacts from the Mac OS X Contacts via wire to the iPhone).

To close off the tech-adled week that I had, I went to my geek friends Duds and Carlo's kid's first birthday party last Sunday. The thing is: I was supposed to go to Cubao early in the morning so Mark E. can pick myself, Jovan, and Paul up and drive us to the venue. But then I overslept so I let them leave without me. Thankfully, some of the guys were still waiting in Trinoma and I was able to reach them and join them instead. Obviously, technology saved my ass in this situation but I hope never to be that guy who gets away with being constantly late or absent because texting makes it "polite" to be so. Yeah, I know a few people like that.

Medievalicious cake design by Jovan

Anyway, hopefully we get Internet back at the house this weekend so I can get back to my regular programming.

Weekly Ketchup 28 - Pretentious, Delusional, or Borderline Sociopath?

Previously on this blog: I lack ambition. I refuse to be Filipino. Identity issues. Unforeseen and unnecessary expenses.

Yes, that little episode recap is important to this blog. It's very meta.

Anyway, last Thursday, on my way to a client, I dropped my glasses and lost one of the lenses. Aside from adding one more item to the list of things I now have to spend for and making me feel even more guilty about buying a new toy last week, I thought the incident fit in perfectly with the theme of this week's blog, which I had already decided was gonna be about "perspective".

I've been wearing glasses continuously for about a year now supposedly to correct my slight astigmatism. Apparently my eyes, particularly the right side, are locked in perpetual macro mode. Chicken or egg question is whether my nearsightedness has to do with my obsession with mobile operating systems like Palm and Android or why I prefer writing on small devices like PDAs and smartphones. (Sidenote: All entries on this blog have been written on my phone.) Incidentally, I've been obsessed this week with shooting things in macro but because my phone doesn't have autofocus, I've resorted to using my trusty old jelly lens to do the job.

That aside, what got me really thinking about perspective this past week was a couple of "hypothetical" situations that I shared on my social networks (see here and here). I recon they were pretty funny incidents by themselves but I have this thing where I don't just tell a story - I put a creative spin on it. Because, seriously, there are millions of things being shared on social media, I want to make sure my virtual presence makes as much impact as my physical presence does.

For the same reason, I try as much as possible not to use social media as my opinion column because there are enough people with "thoughts and feelings" on the Internet already. For that matter, there are enough people living out their reality show fantasies on Facebook and Twitter, so I'd like to offer a different kind of programming. I don't necessarily believe I'm funny but I do constantly find myself in funny situations and social media has given me a channel, and an audience to boot, to broadcast my special brand of comedy.

Maybe because I once dreamed of being an actor or scriptwriter but I see my existence and reality as my own personal show (or movie). I wrote about it a long time ago during the golden days of Multiply and even alluded to this tendency of mine in another entry a few months back. To give you an idea, I've never left the house without anything plugged in my ears since I was in high school because music affords me the illusion that I'm in the opening montage of a show. Kinda like this:

I also tend to categorize specific periods of my life in seasons and I feel like these past few years have been like the final season of a show that already ran its course two seasons ago (*ahem*). I feel like everything that I've been doing the past year, this blog included, is just some last ditch effort by the writers and the network (ie, me) to make the show exciting. More than anything, this is why I need to leave and seek out new adventures.

I once told my geek friend Dek, who I'll be staying with for a while, that when I come over later this year, in her life of a TV show, I'll be like that character who left a few seasons back and made a surprise return in the finale to excite viewers for the next season. And that says a lot about how I see myself in the narrative I'm trying to live out. I don't really see myself as the protagonist of my own series. Rather, I'm the secondary character in everyone else's story. This makes so much sense now because I've always believed that if I ever get cast in a Disney movie, this is the type of character I would play.

Maybe that's why I'm not ambitious enough. I realized early on that I'm not meant to defeat the villain, get the girl, and save the world. My job is to support the hero, share in the glory but not the responsibility, and still be the audience's favorite character. In short: The comic relief. That's not so bad for someone with small ambitions, now, is it?

This probably why I have the hardest time navigating the reality around me. In the little bubble of delusion I created around myself, it was okay to merely have it together, which I mostly do, because the story of secondary characters hardly needs to evolve as much as the hero's story does. But to survive and succeed in the real world, I have to compete with the heroes of their story on terms everyone understands but me.

This dissonance between the reality in my head and the reality around me is likely where my identity issues stem from. In my little world, jeepneys and idiots who make garbage cans and toilet bowls out of the entire city just don't exist. And for as long as I can take buses and trains regularly, as I have for the nearly ten years that I've been working, I can live out my fantasy. Seriously, I'm the type of guy who would transfer from trains and buses to get from one place to another instead of taking the one jeep that goes all the way through. The Manila bus ban shattered that delusion and for the past year, I've been forced to take those heaping piles of scrap metal to work and face my third world reality on a daily basis.

For these reasons, I'm so glad I met my geek friends. They allowed me to indulge in my delusions. I get to throw out lines and be involved in situations that, by all accounts, should only work on TV.  I literally hear laugh tracks whenever we get together and I get to be the character I've always wanted to be. I don't know how everyone else sees the world but I'm happy to frolic in mine, with all its quirks and craziness! It's an interesting existence, believe me.

So this week's blog turned out to be that surprising episode that tied up loose ends and answered questions established in previous episodes, leaving the audience to wonder where the show can possibly go next. Oh, but in true TV show fashion, how about a cliffhanger / teaser with no context? Speculate away!

Weekly Ketchup 27 - Videographer, Dancers and Filmmakers, Cthulhu, and New Toy?

Welcome to another delayed blog brought you, or rather to me, by a paying gig I got last Sunday, which is ideally the time I write and post here. As I mentioned on all my social streams, I got to be the official videographer for a birthday party. It was for my boss's friend's daughter so guess how I got that gig!

Given the chance, I'd love to do more of these projects but I'm wary about people's expectations and being responsible for preserving their memories. I can't screw up because we're talking once-in-a-lifetime events here. That's actually why I couldn't write this blog last Sunday. Even if the event was in the afternoon, I spent the entire morning making sure that all my power sources were charged, that I have enough memory, and that I pack everything I might possibly need. I bought new batteries last Friday for my LED lamp to make sure my light source had adequate power. I even considered buying a new microphone since I wasn't sure my lapel would cut it but I thought that if I keep spending on new equipment, I'd be lucky to even just break even after everything. Thankfully, as it turns out, my new Lumix's built-in mic was good enough.

Can you see me in action?

I was so worked up about whether to get a separate mic and other things (see below) the day before the gig that I couldn't focus on writing another article for Planet Philippines. Plus I had an event to attend that evening. Geek friend Mika organized a fundraiser for the upcoming documentary about male dancers that she was managing the production for (something I know a little about). She told me about the film on her birthday and I felt like it was my duty as a friend, fellow creator and production professional, and one-time aspiring dancer to throw my support for it, although I probably shouldn't be generous at the moment (again, more on this below).

I did have fun though. Geek friends Chiqui, Jon, and Denice were there. We got hang out with some of Mika's dancer friends and a Whovian whose uncanny skill at striking up conversations with strangers just blew away. And I consider myself an extrovert!

Anyway, being around filmmakers (and dancers) one evening and shooting a party the following day did get me thinking. I had this theory that videographers started off as would-be filmmakers, directors, cinematographers, etc. and either didn't make it or are waiting for their break. Me? I just want to be a videographer. I'm just really not that ambitious.

Then again, much like advertising, that line of work, as much as I enjoy it, was just really Plan B. It's as far as a practical career that I can get into in case Plan A doesn't work out.

And so we segue into last Thursday as I once again joined the Hat Madders for Amici Quiz Night (I missed last month's edition because I was at college friend Fiona's going away dinner). We eventually won (HOORAY!) with no contribution from me (BOO!) but what really made the evening more interesting for me was Plurk friend and fellow Hat Madder Karen Ang's copy of the Necronomicon.

I've only ever heard of HP Lovecraft and Cthulhu from my friends. I never even once looked it up on Wikipedia. So I wasn't aware that the universe was unraveled in short stories that were collected in this massive tome. I'm thinking maybe I should adapt it for my own universe. The thing is I've been developing Plan A or "the grand fantasy epic" novel for more than a decade now and I am constantly bombarded with ideas that I work out in my head like a jigsaw puzzle to make sure the individual pieces fit the grand narrative, which has also changed dramatically as I develop as a person and as a would-be creator. But if I unravel my universe in short stories, the pieces don't necessarily have to connect and conflict with each other as long as they're coherent and consistent, right?

Speaking of consistent, guess who isn't? Me!

Earlier last week, as in the day after I posted last week's episode about money woes, I placed an order on Lazada for an Android-based handheld console because I found that playing games, especially platformers and JRPGs, using virtual buttons on the touchscreen counter-intuitive. I suppose I could've gotten an NVIDIA Shield but it's too expensive for my needs since the games I play work well on my basic droid. I tried the Moga controller on my devices but it just didn't work for some reason. I suppose I could've gotten alternative bluetooth gamepads but I figured that for the same price, maybe even cheaper, I could get a dedicated Android console instead. Hence, this China-made mini tablet/handheld gaming device that I first discovered while wandering about SM Santa Mesa.

I acknowledge that it's not really a good time to buy a new gadget. The P2,300 I spent on it, however small as electronics go, could have been better used to add to my upcoming dental bridging fund or for my much-needed medical checkup. I created this blog to hold myself accountable and there's really no justification for going against everything that I committed to other than to make myself happy.

I usually post new gadgets on my Instagram but I feel a bit of shame!

I did feel guilty about making such an impulsive purchase come Sunday evening when a high school friend, who had been struggling to make ends meet for her and her two children, asked to borrow a measly P3k that I couldn't spare anymore because I had to pay for my new toy (and participated in the fundraiser and bought additional gear for my camera). I have always been obliging about these things because I feel like I am the best position to help because I don't really have any responsibilities, except to myself (and my pets), but it really just wasn't the best time.

Weekly Ketchup 26 - Unforeseen Health and Money Woes

So, I'm midway through this blog thing and I'd like to congratulate myself for actually sticking with it. Yahoo!

Earlier this week, a long-absent face returned to my life. Our household help, who left early last year, is suddenly back. The thing is the only ones in the family who really need - nay, want - her services are my mom and my sister. I've been doing my own dishes, laundry, and other chores, including taking care of the dog, like a perfectly good housemate and has absolutely no need for help. But I'm expected to pay part of her salary anyway, essentially paying for services that I don't need, which I resent because of the whole saving money and prepping for the big trip thing.

This new development couldn't have come at a worst time seeing as I had just spent a bit of money on an emergency dental surgery and I expect to fork over a bit more to install synthetic teeth where the old one used to be (as per my dentist's advice anyway).

I need to have this procedure done

So imagine all these things are happening and then come last Wednesday, boom! I suddenly have these inexplicable rashes in my arms and legs. Mom wanted me to go to the hospital right away but I decided to see if they will go away the next day. I just can't afford another emergency!

Thankfully, the rashes - whatever they were - weren't accompanied by anything else like fever, itchiness, etc. They eventually fizzled out though there are still some redness as of this writing. My theory is that I somehow developed an allergy to something - I just couldn't fathom what it was.

I've lost teeth and an appendix.
Please don't take seafood away from me too!

Strange thing, though, was that ever since the surgery and the removal of the years-old gum infection, I've actually been feeling a lot better. Newsflash: For a while now, I've been feeling heavy and bloated, sometimes constipated. My feet have been feeling like they've been running marathons even if I hadn't gone anywhere. I would even wake up exhausted. Me being me, I chalked all this up to signs of aging.

Yet weeks after the surgery, I actually feel back to my old self again! I can only assume that fighting the infection actually took a lot more from my body than I realized. Either that or it's the steady diet of mango sherbet, which was all I had to eat for days after the surgery since I could't eat real food.

If this is the secret to good life, sign me up for immortality!
(Photo credit)

I realize, of course, that I do need to get my body checked eventually and sort all these changes out. The last time I did that was in 2012 and the only thing my doctor found was an inflamed thyroid, which is thankfully okay now.

All these recent developments gave me a lot to think about this past week. Going back to previous blogs, the idea of staying at a lower paying job that affords me the time to pursue my true passions is obviously a romantic but impractical choice. What I also perceive as ambition in other people may actually just be a general sense of survival.

As it stands now, I'm not exactly broke. I may have priorities and looming expenses ahead but I'm not desperate. At least, not yet. Or maybe I should be? The thing is I've been in dire straits before and I pulled myself out. This is no different, at least I'd like to think so!

I'm thankful for the constant stream of extra income and now with the extra help around the house, I actually have less chores and more time to pursue additional side-jobs, so I guess that works itself out. That reminds me: I must set-up my raket.ph and Odesk profiles right away!

Moving forward, I'll have to cut down on my hobbies more. My geek friend Karen is currently in the US in time for SDCC and I always buy something that she can carry home but I suppose that's not gonna happen this year. I guess I'll have to miss out on Rak of Aegis again, which is okay since I wasn't really looking forward to it anyway. Hopefully, things work out by the time The Last Five Years rolls along. Fingers crossed.

Hello, life. Nice to finally meet you.