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Showing posts from June, 2004
Lyndon Gregorio, the brains behind the strip Beerkada , really knows how to flatter a soul. Check out this piece he made, based on an actual event that happened at the recent Toy Con. Thanks, Lyndon!
What It Says... Got this... um... test from El 's blog. LOOK OUT! ïòð carlo is a radioactive squirrel!! Username: From Go-Quiz.com
For those who weren’t able to catch the Sunday Inquirer feature, please click here . - - - - - - Upon invitation, I went to the taping of the ‘superhero episode’ of GMA 7’s art-for-kids show Art Angel , where I taught the kid level basics of drawing a superhero. I think it will air this Saturday, I’m not sure. I don’t know if I want to watch it, though. There was no make-up person on board, and so I was on-cam with an oily cast across my gloriously wide forehead. - - - - - - A major blast was the superlatively well-attended (read: jampacked) 3rd Toys and Hobbies Convention held at the Megatrade Hall. Thanks so much to Azrael for inviting me again. Unfortunately, I can only take so much mental input these days, so I had to leave by 6pm, missing the chance to see the Cosplay competition. Bummer.
Vending machine emits poison gas Reuters News Service An exploding vending machine turned the coolant Freon into phosgene, a poisonous gas used as a chemical weapon in World War I, and forced the evacuation of 10 people from a Texas hospital, officials said Thursday. A food service employee was working on the refrigerated soft drink machine at the Park Place Medical Center in Port Arthur when a small explosion and fire occurred inside it Wednesday morning, Port Arthur Fire Marshal Mark Mulliner said. "When Freon gas from the cooling system came into contact with the heat from the fire, it changed composition to a phosgene gas," Mulliner said. Phosgene irritates the lungs, eyes, mouth and nose and, in strong enough concentrations, causes fatal amounts of fluid to build up in the lungs. I'm so glad I don't have airconditioning at home. Article is taken from the Houston Chronicle .
Mutation Found in 'Muscle Man' Toddler LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer Somewhere in Germany is a baby Superman, born in Berlin with bulging arm and leg muscles. Not yet 5, he can hold seven-pound weights with arms extended, something many adults cannot do. He has muscles twice the size of other kids his age and half their body fat. DNA testing showed why: The boy has a genetic mutation that boosts muscle growth. The discovery, reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, represents the first documented human case of such a mutation. Many scientists believe the find could eventually lead to drugs for treating people with muscular dystrophy and other muscle-destroying conditions. And athletes would almost surely want to get their hands on such a drug and use it like steroids to bulk up. The boy's mutant DNA segment was found to block production of a protein called myostatin that limits muscle growth. The news comes seven years after
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Digs sent me a message over Friendster, saying, "Is it me, or is the costume of Volta similar to Zsazsa's?" My response: no comment. *sigh* What do you think?
I received a call for auditions a few weeks ago to New Voice Company’s November production of Cabaret , the Sam Mendes (American Beauty) version, which is supposed to be a darker and raunchier take of the classic musical. I’m normally averse to musicals, but something in me just wanted to take the chance even if I was sure I wouldn’t make the grade. Anyhoos, last Saturday was full day for me, so I wasn't able to go. Darn, I miss acting. - - - - - - - - - - I had a blast watching The Chronicles of Riddick , despite the major “riddick-ulous” holes in logic. This is the kind of movie where moviegoers would do well to just sit back and enjoy the lightshow. Needless to say, I enjoyed watching Vin Diesel do his macho thing. Then there were Thandie Newton, Judi Dench and Linus Roache who added generous servings of sugar to the eye candy. Speaking of Vin Diesel, I just found out that he used to be an avid plyer of Dungeons and Dragons . One of the recent issues of Dragon Magazi
An Issue of Trust This afternoon, while walking up Emerald Avenue towards Megamall, a man in his late forties asked for directions to EDSA. He seemed a feeble man, with sun-baked skin and a slow manner about him, and he spoke softly. I was more than willing to accompany him to EDSA since, after all, I was en route to Megamall. He asked in a strange accent, "Are you honest?" I smiled, "Yes, I am." Though in my mind I wondered at the question. His odd inquiry about honesty did have some basis, for his briefcase was stolen. He was from Brazil, see, assigned to the Philippines for five years to work on some tech projects up north. His briefcase, which contained travellers checks and important documents, was taken by in his words, "a woman with a Bible." I wouldn't blame him for his mistrust. Thing was, he came from Greenhills on foot, and was willing to walk all the way to Makati to get to the consulate. He showed me a map drawn cleanly
Dead wife bait traps killer lion Tanzanian police have vowed to act after a villager laced with poison his wife's remains to catch a killer lion. When Selemani Ngongwechile found his wife's half-eaten body, he calmly poisoned it, knowing the lion would return for the rest of its "meal". His plan worked, killing the lion, but the police say they will use more orthodox methods. Lindi local police chief Simon Dau told the BBC that "a few" lions remained in the area and warned villagers to stay inside after dark. After killing Somoe Abdallah near her home and eating her upper body, the lion might have gone for a drink, he said. This is when Mr Ngongwechile found her remains hidden in a bush. But instead of panicking, he put the poison in her corpse and waited inside his house for the lion to return, before informing the authorities. "Nowadays there are very few animals in the area for the lions to hunt. So instead of starving t
Wow! Part of Yahoo!'s service upgrade includes more mailbox space. From 6MB storage to 100MB! Still, it's no match for Google's Gmail... an ass-whoppin' 1000MB. The benefits of cutthroat competition.
Do I Look Like A... (Part 2) Over the past months of passing by The Callboy Zone, I'd notice one vehicle -- a nice silver Altis -- making ever so slow rounds of the area. I couldn't help but utter, "So, out on the prowl again, eh?" So as it happened again, I was walking through The Zone on my way home. I saw Silver Altis, mysteriously parked at an unlighted area near the exit of The Zone. As I passed in front of it going to Mini-Stop, Altis' headlights blinked. There wasn't anybody else in the immediate area. I suppressed the urge to look back, knowing fully well what the blink-blink meant. I walked on. Headlights blinked again. Makulit. I continued towards the light of Mini-Stop. *sigh* Mukha akong sholbam sa dilim.
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Kaena: The Prophecy Europe's first full-length computer generated feature is pretty to say the least, judging by the trailer. Question is, will the hi-tech eye-candy get in the way of fine storytelling, something that European cinema is well known for? Showing in limited U.S. screens on the 25th, the film features the voices of Kirsten Dunst, Richard Harris and, Anjelica Huston. The above image was lifted from the official site .
Former co-worker Joseph dropped by the office yesterday. He currently works in public relations, a field I had spent a good six years in, though primarily in a support capacity. As it happened, Marc went into info-fishing mode, asking as many questions as he could about PR with the obvious intent of getting into it soon. Sounds like a part of the company's natural progression. Public Relations is primarily image/identity management, wherein a company or individual engages in activities that build goodwill and positive recall among targeted "publics," whether it be stockholders, employees, the media, a particular market segment, etc. Though similar to advertising, public relations isn't meant to generate sales. It's a lot of fun, and there's a whole bunch of activities one can engage in, from the simple daily perusal of every single news publication for "clippings," to the planning and execution of a full-blown event, to writing scripts and attendi
Do I Look Like...? Whenever I walk home, I usually pass an area where you'd find an occasional callboy standing at some dark corner. Of course, I'd pay them no heed. Tonight was no different. I saw a couple of them shrouded in the darkness of their chosen corners, and continued on till I made the turn towards the light, alone once again. I saw a couple of security guards on a scooter. As they passed by me, one of them said, "Mahuhuli kayo diyan sa ginagawa n'yo!" At that time, there wasn't anyone around me. I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted.
The article on Zsazsa Zaturnnah came out last Saturday on The Manila Bulletin , a full page worth. (Thanks to writer Randy Torrecampo and his editors for the opportunity.) I have to check the June issue of Preview magazine, too, as there’s supposed to be a mini-review in there. Other articles are due to be released in two magazines over the next few months. I just got word from my publisher that there should be a second printing of the book within the next quarter if the sales patterns hold up. Many thanks to those who’ve bought. And bought again. And many thanks to God. God is good.
Weeks ago, when my mental deterioration was starting to become apparent, I checked out a medical website on the symptoms of a nervous breakdown. In the list of ten or so signs, I met most of them, including “suicidal tendencies.” I mentioned this to my cousin upon arriving home, enumerating the symptoms I could remember. When I said, “Lack of libido, sexual appetite,” she exclaimed, “Aba’y kung gano’n ako, magpapakamatay talaga ako!” We had a hearty laugh, bless her. I asked my doctor-friend for a shrink recommendation, and he immediately referred me to his colleague based in Makati. He was genuinely concerned about my state, and asked me how I was feeling at the time. I quipped, “I feel like an NPC.” He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. (Of course, you have to know your role-playing games to get the joke.) While taking a break from work, I called up the office of the shrink for an inquiry. After learning what the consultation rates were, my doctor-friend texted in as i
Empacho So after working out last Saturday, I headed for The Podium to get my ticket to Alfonso Cuaron’s take on Harry Potter . After the film, the members of the gang threw the usual questions of which Potter film was best, and I, in my mentally disabled state, settled for Chamber of Secrets . If I had been any better, I suppose I’d put my vote in Prisoner of Azkaban , but a lot of its nuances just flew over my head, reducing what could have been a pleasureable cinematic experience to a bunch of colored movement on a white wall. Despite this, I joined the group to Eastwood for coffee, where the usual myriad topics were discussed, and I realized that the weeks of rest and greatly reduced mental activity did little to get my mind up to speed. I excused myself from the group at three in the morning, head heavy with a blanket of frustration. Sunday was a little more uplifting with a trip to the grocery store, and a light chat with friend Jam over carpaccio, coffee and panacotta.
I've virtually stopped doing leisurely stuff for the past three weeks, saving my mental energy (or whatever's left of it) for the necessaries and for work. Productivity on the creative level has been almost nil, and I can't get myself to draw full blast or read extensively without getting a headache or, worse, going blank. If I'm lucky, I just start talking like an inebriated idiot. Getting sleep has been difficult, too. It frustrates me. (Gawd, I'm getting a headache again just writing this. Parking now.)